Interim Police Chief Joe Chacon says there are three main drivers behind the recent spike in homicides in Austin, which surpassed the city’s 1984 record high over the weekend.
In a teleconference with journalists Monday, Chacon implicitly criticized the city council for cutting police staffing last year, as well as the county’s chief felony prosecutor and local judges for allowing violent offenders to go free on personal recognizance (PR) bonds.
He also cited a proliferation of guns and weapons violations.
Chacon’s frank remarks could imperil his chances of winning the position of permanent chief, for which he is one of three finalists.
A fatal stabbing in the 6th Street bar district and a shooting outside North Lamar’s El Nocturno nightclub brought the homicide count this year to 60, surpassing the all-time high of 59. A road rage shooting just hours before Chacon spoke brought the toll to 61.
The chief said he called the news conference to “talk about what I think is driving that number, and what we as a community can do to drive that number back down again.”
Gun Crime
“Over the last couple of years, we have seen a marked increase in the amount of gun crime that is occurring in the city,” Chacon said. “Certainly, the criminologists and others are looking at it to determine why that is happening, but what I can just tell you from the cold hard facts is that our weapons violations have increased 28% this year over last year. Our murders are up 74% this year over last year as of the end of August.”
“And I think that much of that has to do with the number and proliferation of gun crime and the guns that are available on the streets. Interpersonal arguments are becoming deadly when guns are introduced into that environment.”
Chacon launched a violence intervention program about five months ago that focuses on gun crimes. The initiative, which is a collaboration with federal law enforcement, has seen some success in seizing illegally owned firearms and charging violent offenders with gun violations.
Reoffending Criminals
Chacon also took aim at the use of non-cash PR bonds, which he suggested were being given too readily to violent offenders. He did not criticize any specific judges or prosecutors who have expanded the use of PR bonds in recent years.
He said, “I think that the evidence that I’m seeing that’s coming out of our violent crime divisions is that we have a number of offenders that have previously been arrested, have been released out of jail on personal recognizance bonds and are recommitting violent offenses. We have been very vocal when we see this is happening to make sure that we, as a criminal justice system and as a community, are holding those accountable who have committed acts of violence and that we don’t give them an opportunity to reoffend.”
Asked later by a reporter about the number of homicides committed by offenders out on PR bonds, Chacon said he wasn’t sure of the numbers. “I don’t have the exact numbers, I don’t even know that we’re tracking that but what I have heard pretty consistently, not just with homicides but also with other types of offenses, violent offenses such as aggravated assaults and with robberies, is that we have seen a number of people that are out on PR bond that are committing these crimes.”
Honest Austin is aware of at least five murders committed this year by suspects out on bond.
Chacon added, “As a community we need to look at that and determine whether we’re making the most appropriate choices… and how can we reform that, if necessary, to keep our community safe.”
Staffing Shortages
Chacon’s final point related to APD staffing. “Finally, I’ll say that staffing shortages have also played a part in this. Research shows that the number one deterrent for crime is officer presence, and with the fewer number of officers that I have right now on patrol—who really are many times running from call to call and do not have an opportunity for proactive police work—that has decreased that officer presence and has provided opportunities for people to commit these acts of violence.”
The police chief stuck to this point even when pressed by journalists who were skeptical of a connection between homicide numbers and police staffing. “Officer presence can be a deterrent for many types of crime,” he said. “Many of these homicides are beginning as interpersonal disagreements, and being able to intercept those earlier and maybe intercede earlier I think is going to help drive those numbers down.”
He explicitly called for more police officers, saying, “Our officers have continued to do a great job even with the increased numbers that we have in the department, but we have to continue to grow the department as the size of our city continues to grow.”
However, Chacon didn’t endorse Proposition A, the petition ordinance that would require the city to maintain two officers per 1,000 residents. Critics of Proposition A recently launched a campaign to defeat the measure, “No Way on A,” arguing that the new budget already restores positions cuts last year and the mandatory ratio would strip resources from other departments.
Most Cases Solved
APD has increased its number of homicide detectives from 12 to 14 and may add even more. “We have to make sure that we are properly staffed to handle the new caseload,” Chacon said.
Of the 60 homicides so far this year, 49 have been solved and the department has “very solid leads” on several others. “Our homicide unit has been working tirelessly and around the clock on these cases as they come in, as well as our forensics division, our crime analysis division, and the Central Texas Lone Star Fugitive Task Force.”
The police chief asked Austinites to cooperate with the police by providing information on violent criminals. “What I ask from our community is when you have information regarding individuals or groups of individuals that are commuting crimes using guns or are committing aggravated assaults, are committing shootings and other acts of violence in our neighborhoods, that you call the police. Please help us to catch these offenders.”
