What do people want from Austin's next police chief? Here's what they said in survey

Skye Seipp, Austin American-Statesman
·4 min read

Nearly 1,230 people took an anonymous survey to tell the city what they want to see from the next person chosen to be the Austin Police Department's chief.

The survey, which closed on June 10, included three questions:

  • How would you rank the safety in Austin today compared to five years ago?

  • What do you believe are the most important characteristics to have in the next Chief of Police?

  • What do you believe should be the most important priorities for the next Chief of Police?

For the final two questions, each respondent selected their top three choices from a variety of answers.

City officials said they hope to have a candidate selected by the end of July. Austin has been without a permanent police chief since last September. Interim Chief Robin Henderson said she would not apply for the position.

The city partnered with recruiting firm Mosaic Public Partners to search for the next candidate. Applications opened May 15, with 32 people applying for the position. Although the city originally said it would take applications through June 10, officials said the application would remain open until the job is filled, which is typical for executive leadership positions.

The American-Statesman obtained the survey results through a public information request. Here's what we found:

Is Austin safer than 5 years ago?

Almost three-quarters of respondents said safety in Austin is worse now than it was five years ago.

About 16% of people said the city is as safe now as it was five years ago. Nearly 8% of respondents said they weren't sure if the city was safer now. Only 51 people — or about 4% of survey takers — said the city felt safer.

What characteristics do people want in the next police chief?

The three most selected answers to this question were having a police chief who would support officers while also holding them accountable when necessary, someone who would work to build credibility within the department and community, and a chief who would be transparent.

Nearly 10% of people wrote their own answer to this question by selecting "other." The responses ranged from people saying they want someone who will be tough on crime to someone who will prioritize police accountability.

When answering this question, respondents were asked to select their top three answers from 11 choices.

Here's the percentage breakdown of which answers were selected in order of the most selected to the least:

  • Courage to defend officers and staff when they are right and hold them accountable when they are not: 19.5%

  • A strong leader with the ability to build credibility with both the staff and members of the community: 17%

  • An honest, effective, engaging, and transparent communication style: 12.5%

  • Other: 9.9%

  • A commitment to modern policing methods that are in keeping with community expectations: 8%

  • Experience working successfully with police oversight: 7.8%

  • A commitment to the professional development of the members of the Austin Police Department: 7.3%

  • A visionary who will help the department advance through problem solving and innovation: 5.5%

  • A progressive leader who can harness ideas and contributions from a diverse workforce: 4.6%

  • A track record of being a collaborative leader and partnership builder: 4.5%

  • The ability to create and lead a values-driven organization: 3.4%

What should be the chief's top priorities?

The top priority for the next chief should be crime prevention and making the city safer, according to the survey results.

The next two priorities should be to focus on recruiting and retaining more officers and then on better training those officers in deescalation, use of force, racial profiling and mental health responses, according to the survey.

The Police Department has been struggling with ongoing vacancies for the past few years and is currently down by about 330 sworn officers.

Similar to the previous question, respondents were asked to select their top three answers out of 11. Here's the percentage breakdown of those choices:

  • Crime prevention and reduction, neighborhood safety, and providing a safer community for both residents and visitors: 21.1%

  • Improve the recruitment and retention of officers and staff: 16%

  • Focus on officer training in key areas such as deescalation and use of force, racial profiling, and mental health policing: 13.4%

  • Focus on creatively addressing issues surrounding homelessness and mental health response: 8.6%

  • Commitment to transparency: 8.2%

  • Invest in training, equipment, technology, and facilities: 8%

  • Develop proactive partnerships with the community while building public trust and relationships: 7.8%

  • Increase community engagement and community policing: 6.4%

  • Other: 6.3%

  • Increase the focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Austin Police Department to represent the communities it serves: 4.2%

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Here's what people said they want in Austin's next police chief