Austin Police Department: Difference between revisions
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In December 2010, SWAT Team Officer Michael Hamilton crashed his unmarked police car while driving |
In December 2010, SWAT Team Officer Michael Hamilton crashed his unmarked police car while driving. He had been at a party with other members of the department’s SWAT team. In May 2011, Hamilton was fired and six others received suspension of between five and fifteen days. The officers were on-call during the party.<ref>APD fires officer, suspends others after patrol car wreck, by Morgan Chesky, 19 May 2011, KVUE News</ref> |
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In February 2011, Officer Blayne Williams assaulted an elderly man after an off-duty dispute concerning a line at an ATM machine. Williams was indicted on a charge of assault on an elderly person, a Class A misdemeanor in May. In September, he was suspended for ninety days.<ref>Officer suspended after altercation with H-E-B worker, by Patrick George, 16 September 2011, American Statesman</ref> |
In February 2011, Officer Blayne Williams assaulted an elderly man after an off-duty dispute concerning a line at an ATM machine. Williams was indicted on a charge of assault on an elderly person, a Class A misdemeanor in May. In September, he was suspended for ninety days.<ref>Officer suspended after altercation with H-E-B worker, by Patrick George, 16 September 2011, American Statesman</ref> |
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In August 2011, Officer Michelle Gish was responding to the scene of a traffic accident when she slapped a woman who was strapped down to a gurney. Another officer on the scene, Jose Robledo lied to investigators. Both were fired in February 2012. Two other officers were suspended as a result of an investigation.<ref> Two Officers Fired In 'Spit/Slap' Incident; Two other APD officers suspended in incident, by Jordan Smith, 15 February 2012, Austin Chronicle.com retrieved 3 April 2014.</ref> A lawsuit was filed against the City of Austin, Elisa Jaimes, and Jose Robledo regarding the Incident.<ref> Jaimes v. The City of Austin et. al. http://dockets.justia.com/docket/texas/txwdce/1:2013cv00751/648438</ref> |
In August 2011, Officer Michelle Gish was responding to the scene of a traffic accident when she slapped a woman who spit on her while she was strapped down to a gurney. Another officer on the scene, Jose Robledo lied to investigators. Both were fired in February 2012. Two other officers were suspended as a result of an investigation.<ref> Two Officers Fired In 'Spit/Slap' Incident; Two other APD officers suspended in incident, by Jordan Smith, 15 February 2012, Austin Chronicle.com retrieved 3 April 2014.</ref> A lawsuit was filed against the City of Austin, Elisa Jaimes, and Jose Robledo regarding the Incident.<ref> Jaimes v. The City of Austin et. al. http://dockets.justia.com/docket/texas/txwdce/1:2013cv00751/648438</ref> |
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In September 2011, Officer Danny Johnson was suspended for ninety days when his dashboard camera showed him being "rude and condescending" to a citizen.<ref>Officer gets 90-day suspension for misleading statement, rudeness; Acevedo has suspended two officers in two weeks for 90 days, by Patrick George |
In September 2011, Officer Danny Johnson was suspended for ninety days when his dashboard camera showed him being "rude and condescending" to a citizen.<ref>Officer gets 90-day suspension for misleading statement, rudeness; Acevedo has suspended two officers in two weeks for 90 days, by Patrick George |
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23 September 2011, American-Statesman</ref> |
23 September 2011, American-Statesman</ref> |
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In December 2011, Officer Christopher Allen |
In December 2011, Officer Christopher Allen fired 14 shots during an incident. Chief Art Acevedo reviewed the investigation and said, “Officer Allen's version and account of what occurred was completely not aligned with what the evidence and the facts showed." Allen was fired in April.<ref> APD officer fired after dangerous shooting incident, by: Jeff Stensland, 12 October 2012, austin.twcnews.com/content/news/288786/apd-officer-fired-after-dangerous-shooting-incident#sthash.fHz7nqgW.dpuf, retrieved 3 April 2014</ref> |
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On 2 February 2013, Officer Manuel Garcia was detained in a downtown parking lot known for drug use and prostitution. He was charged with soliciting a prostitute and was fired in May 2013.<ref> Memo: Austin officer found with prostitute fired, by Ciara O'Rourke, 31 May 2013 American-Statesman </ref> |
On 2 February 2013, Officer Manuel Garcia was detained in a downtown parking lot known for drug use and prostitution. He was charged with soliciting a prostitute and was fired in May 2013.<ref> Memo: Austin officer found with prostitute fired, by Ciara O'Rourke, 31 May 2013 American-Statesman </ref> |
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On March 14, 2013, Corporal Rickey E. Jones threatened |
On March 14, 2013, Corporal Rickey E. Jones threatened an individual for filming him. He was given a 10-day suspension. <ref>APD disciplinary memo for Rickey Jones, https://austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Jones_-_08.28.13.pdf</ref><ref>Video of Rickey Jones threatening Peaceful Streets Project volunteer, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSzEk25U2RM</ref> |
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On March 27, 2013, Officer Brian Yarger |
On March 27, 2013, Officer Brian Yarger kicked a handcuffed suspect. He was given a 5-day suspension. <ref>APD disciplinary memo for Brian Yarger, https://austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Yarger_-_09.19.13.pdf</ref> |
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In March 2013, Officer Shawnn Williams investigated an accident and allowed a drunk driver to go free. He failed to mention the driver in his report. Five months later he was suspended for five days.<ref> Officer suspended for letting drinking minor driver go , by Julie Chang, 4 September 2013, American-Statesman </ref> |
In March 2013, Officer Shawnn Williams investigated an accident and allowed a drunk driver to go free. He failed to mention the driver in his report. Five months later he was suspended for five days.<ref> Officer suspended for letting drinking minor driver go , by Julie Chang, 4 September 2013, American-Statesman </ref> |
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On October 13, 2013, while transporting a prisoner from a hospital to booking, Officer Leonard Wheeler failed to secure a prisoner who then escaped. Wheeler failed to notify communications or his chain of command upon becoming aware the prisoner had escaped, and did not notify his Sergeant until after the prisoner had been recaptured. He was given an 11-day suspension.<ref>Disciplinary memo for Officer Leonard Wheeler, https://austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Police_Monitor/Disciplinary-Memos/Wheeler-04-08-14.pdf</ref> |
On October 13, 2013, while transporting a prisoner from a hospital to booking, Officer Leonard Wheeler failed to secure a prisoner who then escaped. Wheeler failed to notify communications or his chain of command upon becoming aware the prisoner had escaped, and did not notify his Sergeant until after the prisoner had been recaptured. He was given an 11-day suspension.<ref>Disciplinary memo for Officer Leonard Wheeler, https://austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Police_Monitor/Disciplinary-Memos/Wheeler-04-08-14.pdf</ref> |
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In November 2013, |
In November 2013, Officer Jermaine Hopkins had been suspended sometime earlier that year for failure to follow proper procedures during an arrest.<ref>Memo: Austin police officer suspended after improper arrest, by Ciara O'Rourke, 14 November 2013 American-Statesman </ref> |
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In January 2014, Officer Jermaine Gaspard pleaded guilty to federal charges of lying to investigators. He gathered information from an official database and showed it to a person under suspicion of credit card fraud. He may face up to five years in jail.<ref>Press Release “Former Austin Police Officer Enters Guilty Plea To Providing False Information To Federal Investigators” from the United States’ Attorney’s office for the Western District of Texas dated 28 January 2014 </ref> |
In January 2014, Officer Jermaine Gaspard pleaded guilty to federal charges of lying to investigators. He gathered information from an official database and showed it to a person under suspicion of credit card fraud. He may face up to five years in jail.<ref>Press Release “Former Austin Police Officer Enters Guilty Plea To Providing False Information To Federal Investigators” from the United States’ Attorney’s office for the Western District of Texas dated 28 January 2014 </ref> |
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October 29, 2014, after a four-day Class C Misdemeanor trial, a suspect was acquitted of charges and found not guilty of failing to comply with the order of a police officer on New Year’s Day 2012." <ref>[http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/after-juror-exit-judge-allows-activist-buehlers-ca/nhtks/ <ref>http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2014-10-31/buehler-acquitted/</ref><ref>http://njtoday.net/2014/10/29/fight-justice-waged-peacefully-americans-streets/ |
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On February 14, 2014, Police Chief Art Acevedo gave a press conference to respond to critics who were complaining about the arrest of a woman who was jogging near the University of Texas for Failure to Identify. During the press conference Acevedo said, "In other cities, cops are actually committing sexual assaults on duty, so I thank God that this is what passes for a controversy in Austin, Texas," which infuriated critics.<ref>http://www.texasmonthly.com/daily-post/austin-police-chief-art-acevedo-had-bad-weekend</ref><ref>https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140223/14193826323/police-chief-to-critics-controversial-arrest-hey-least-my-officers-arent-sexually-assaulting-arrestees.shtml</ref> |
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October 29, 2014, after an unprecedented four-day Class C Misdemeanor trial that spanned a full calendar week, [[Antonio Buehler]] was acquitted of charges and found not guilty of failing to comply with the order of a police officer on New Year’s Day 2012." During the trial, Officer Patrick Oborski admitted that the alleged spit may not have been intentional, which would have been a requirement for his felony charge against Buehler. Meanwhile, Officer Robert Snider admitted to threatening a bystander from across the street for being out at 2 a.m., on New Year's. <ref>[http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/after-juror-exit-judge-allows-activist-buehlers-ca/nhtks/ Buehler acquitted of failing to comply with officer’s order |Austin American-Statesman]</ref><ref>http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2014-10-31/buehler-acquitted/</ref><ref>http://njtoday.net/2014/10/29/fight-justice-waged-peacefully-americans-streets/</ref> The trial was unique not only in its duration, but also in the resources invested into it by the state; the state had eight prosecutors in the courtroom and over a dozen police officers.<ref>http://austin.twcnews.com/content/news/305809/antonio-buehler-acquitted-of--failure-to-obey-/</ref><ref>http://photographyisnotacrime.com/2014/10/antonio-buehler-found-guilty-austin-cop-breaks-blue-code-silence-testifying-behalf/</ref><ref>http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/antonio-buehler-acquitted-in-controversial-2012-ne/nhwFL/</ref><ref>http://www.defendingdissent.org/now/news/austin-cop-watcher-acquitted/</ref> |
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October 30, 2014, a local attorney leaked dash cam video from a police investigation in which Officers Mark Lyttle and Michael Castillo joke about raping a woman who was walking by. In the dash cam video, you can hear the cops say, "Go ahead and call the cops. They can’t unrape you." <ref>http://kxan.com/2014/10/30/video-appears-to-show-austin-officers-joking-about-rape/</ref> |
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==Facilities== |
==Facilities== |
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Revision as of 16:50, 2 November 2014
| Austin Police Department | |
|---|---|
 | |
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| Abbreviation | APD |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | Austin, Texas, USA |
 | |
| Map of Austin Police Department's jurisdiction | |
| Size | 296.2 square miles (767 km2) |
| Population | 743,074 (2007) |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Austin, Texas |
| Agency executive |
|
| Website | |
| Austin Police | |
Austin Police Department (APD) is the principal law enforcement agency serving Austin, Texas, United States. As of Fiscal Year 2010, the agency had an annual budget of more than $240 million and employed around 2,200 personnel, including approximately 1,600 officers.[1][2] Art Acevedo was appointed as the APD's eighth chief of police in June 2007.[3][4]
Specialized units
- Air Support Unit
- Decentralized Investigations
- Auto Theft Interdiction Unit
- Child Abuse Unit
- DWI Enforcement Team
- Executive Protection Unit
- Family Violence Protection Team
- Financial Crimes Unit
- Gang Suppression Unit
- Digital Analysis Response Team (DART-formerly the Computer Forensics and High Tech Crimes Units)
- Homicide
- Homicide: Cold Case Unit
- Vehicular Homicide Unit
- Internal Affairs
- Special Investigations Unit
- Risk Management Unit
- Peer Support Unit
- Recruiting
- Training Academy
- Robbery Unit
- Sex Crimes Unit
- Special Events Unit
- Victim Services
- SWAT
- Explosive Ordnance Disposal
- Human Trafficking Unit
- K9 Unit
- Park Police Unit (Public Safety)
- Airport Police Unit (Public Safety)
- City Marshals (Public Safety)
Patrol divisions
- Northwest Area Command
- North Central Area Command
- Northeast Area Command
- Central West Area Command
- Downtown Area Command
- Central East Area Command
- Southwest Area Command
- South Central Area Command
- Southeast Area Command
- Highway Enforcement Command
Ranks
| Rank | Insignia [3] |
|---|---|
| Chief of Police | 
|
| Chief of Staff | 
|
| Assistant Chief | 
|
| Commander | 
|
| Lieutenant | 
|
| Sergeant (10+ years in rank)
Sergeant (less than 10 years in rank) |
  |
| Corporal/Detective | 
|
| Police Officer | N/A |
Fallen officers
Since the establishment of the Austin Police Department, 21 officers have died in the line of duty. The following list also contains one officer from the Austin Park Police Department, which was merged into APD.[6][7]
| Officer | Date of death | Details |
|---|---|---|
Misconduct
In December 2010, SWAT Team Officer Michael Hamilton crashed his unmarked police car while driving. He had been at a party with other members of the department’s SWAT team. In May 2011, Hamilton was fired and six others received suspension of between five and fifteen days. The officers were on-call during the party.[8]
In February 2011, Officer Joshua James Peters was indicted on two charges of official oppression. He pleaded guilty agreeing to surrender his peace officer’s license. The charges were related to the officer peeking into windows of homes while on duty.[9]
In February 2011, Officer Blayne Williams assaulted an elderly man after an off-duty dispute concerning a line at an ATM machine. Williams was indicted on a charge of assault on an elderly person, a Class A misdemeanor in May. In September, he was suspended for ninety days.[10]
In August 2011, Officer Michelle Gish was responding to the scene of a traffic accident when she slapped a woman who spit on her while she was strapped down to a gurney. Another officer on the scene, Jose Robledo lied to investigators. Both were fired in February 2012. Two other officers were suspended as a result of an investigation.[11] A lawsuit was filed against the City of Austin, Elisa Jaimes, and Jose Robledo regarding the Incident.[12]
In September 2011, Officer Danny Johnson was suspended for ninety days when his dashboard camera showed him being "rude and condescending" to a citizen.[13]
In December 2011, Officer Christopher Allen fired 14 shots during an incident. Chief Art Acevedo reviewed the investigation and said, “Officer Allen's version and account of what occurred was completely not aligned with what the evidence and the facts showed." Allen was fired in April.[14]
In March 2012, Officer Elias Osegueda was charged with assault with family violence and interference with an emergency call. He was fired in July.[15]
In June 2012, Officer Randall Keith Ballard was sentenced to a year in jail for failing to pay taxes on portions of his income.[16]
In July 2012, Corporal Luis Soler used a Taser to stop a handcuffed suspect from running away. He was suspended for five days.[17]
On 2 February 2013, Officer Manuel Garcia was detained in a downtown parking lot known for drug use and prostitution. He was charged with soliciting a prostitute and was fired in May 2013.[18]
On March 14, 2013, Corporal Rickey E. Jones threatened an individual for filming him. He was given a 10-day suspension. [19][20]
On March 27, 2013, Officer Brian Yarger kicked a handcuffed suspect. He was given a 5-day suspension. [21]
In March 2013, Officer Shawnn Williams investigated an accident and allowed a drunk driver to go free. He failed to mention the driver in his report. Five months later he was suspended for five days.[22]
In May 2013, Officer Justin Boehm shot at, and missed James Barton, 55, who was reaching for his wallet during a traffic stop. In September, Officer Boehm was fired.[23][24] A grand jury declined to indict the officer.
On July 26, 2013, Detective Charles Kleinert killed Larry Eugene Jackson, Jr. after Jackson twice tried to enter a bank that had been robbed by a white male earlier in the day. After identifying himself to a bank employee as an account holder the employee knew personally,she asked Kleinert to speak to him. While questioning Mr. Jackson, Mr. Jackson decided to run. Kleinert pursued him, chased him under a bridge, and during a struggle the detective's gun discharged one time, striking Mr. Jackson in the neck. The investigation into this incident was closed in September 2013. The City of Austin settled with the children of Mr. Jackson. A lawsuit was never filed. [25][26] In May 2014, Kleinert was indicted and charged with manslaughter in connection with Jackson's death.[27] [28][29][30][31]
In August 2013, press reports indicated that Officer Jesus Borunda was suspended for three days for using an official database for personal use.[32][33]
On October 13, 2013, while transporting a prisoner from a hospital to booking, Officer Leonard Wheeler failed to secure a prisoner who then escaped. Wheeler failed to notify communications or his chain of command upon becoming aware the prisoner had escaped, and did not notify his Sergeant until after the prisoner had been recaptured. He was given an 11-day suspension.[34]
In November 2013, Officer Jermaine Hopkins had been suspended sometime earlier that year for failure to follow proper procedures during an arrest.[35]
In January 2014, press reports indicated that Officer Ricardo Zapata had been fired after being caught driving while drunk. Officer Zapata plans to appeal his firing. [36]
In January 2014, Officer Jermaine Gaspard pleaded guilty to federal charges of lying to investigators. He gathered information from an official database and showed it to a person under suspicion of credit card fraud. He may face up to five years in jail.[37]
October 29, 2014, after a four-day Class C Misdemeanor trial, a suspect was acquitted of charges and found not guilty of failing to comply with the order of a police officer on New Year’s Day 2012." Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).<ref>http://njtoday.net/2014/10/29/fight-justice-waged-peacefully-americans-streets/
Facilities
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Austin Police Headquarters -
North Austin Police Substation -
Clinton Warren Hunter Austin Police South Substation -
Loyola Neighborhood Center
Officers
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Austin City Marshal Ben Thompson 1881-1882
See also
List of law enforcement agencies in Texas
Notes
- ^ "The New APD Execs (or, Art and Debbie, Sitting in a Tree)". The Austin Chronicle. 2007-08-02. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
- ^ Liscano, Miguel (2007-06-05). "Austin Newspaper: El Paso police chief known as disciplinarian". Retrieved 2008-09-28. [dead link]
- ^ Smith, Jordan (2007-06-22). "Acevedo Chosen as New Police Chief: Let the sun shine in". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
- ^ McGuire, Melissa (2007-06-20). "New APD chief speaks up". KVUE. Retrieved 2008-09-28. [dead link]
- ^ http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/police/about.htm
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ APD fires officer, suspends others after patrol car wreck, by Morgan Chesky, 19 May 2011, KVUE News
- ^ Former Austin cop pleads guilty in window peeping case, by Steven Kreytak, 8 November 2011, American-Statesman
- ^ Officer suspended after altercation with H-E-B worker, by Patrick George, 16 September 2011, American Statesman
- ^ Two Officers Fired In 'Spit/Slap' Incident; Two other APD officers suspended in incident, by Jordan Smith, 15 February 2012, Austin Chronicle.com retrieved 3 April 2014.
- ^ Jaimes v. The City of Austin et. al. http://dockets.justia.com/docket/texas/txwdce/1:2013cv00751/648438
- ^ Officer gets 90-day suspension for misleading statement, rudeness; Acevedo has suspended two officers in two weeks for 90 days, by Patrick George 23 September 2011, American-Statesman
- ^ APD officer fired after dangerous shooting incident, by: Jeff Stensland, 12 October 2012, austin.twcnews.com/content/news/288786/apd-officer-fired-after-dangerous-shooting-incident#sthash.fHz7nqgW.dpuf, retrieved 3 April 2014
- ^ Austin officer fired after domestic disturbance , by Patrick George, 30 July 2012, Statesman.com retrieved 3 April 2014
- ^ Former APD officer gets year in prison for tax evasion , by Steven Kreytak, 18 June 2012, Statesman.com, retrieved 3 April 2014
- ^ APD officer suspended for tasing handcuffed suspect, 24 January 2012, by KVUE News
- ^ Memo: Austin officer found with prostitute fired, by Ciara O'Rourke, 31 May 2013 American-Statesman
- ^ APD disciplinary memo for Rickey Jones, https://austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Jones_-_08.28.13.pdf
- ^ Video of Rickey Jones threatening Peaceful Streets Project volunteer, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSzEk25U2RM
- ^ APD disciplinary memo for Brian Yarger, https://austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Yarger_-_09.19.13.pdf
- ^ Officer suspended for letting drinking minor driver go , by Julie Chang, 4 September 2013, American-Statesman
- ^ Justin Boehm Fired From Police Force After Shooting At James Barton (VIDEO), http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/02/justin-boehm-fired-shooting_n_4031267.html
- ^ Austin police fire officer who shot at man during traffic stop , by Shannon Murray, 27 September 2013, KVUE.com retrieved 3 April 2014
- ^ "Recent officer involved shooting plagued with controversy". KTBC.
- ^ "New Details In Shooting Death of Larry Jackson Jr". KEYE.
- ^ Charles Kleinert turns himself in after indictment in fatal shooting, Austin Statesman, May 12, 2014.
- ^ http://www.statesman.com/news/news/police-officer-fatally-shot-man-during-confrontati/nY5Zw/
- ^ http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2013/07/30/the-strange-killing-of-larry-eugene-jackson-jr-by-an-austin-police-detective/
- ^ http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2013-08-02/more-questions-than-answers-in-apd-shooting/
- ^ http://kut.org/post/austin-police-detective-indicted-larry-jackson-jr-shooting-death
- ^ Memo: Officer suspended after incident with tenant, TV, by Ciara O'Rourke, 20 August 2013, American-Statesman
- ^ Disciplinary memo for Jesus Borunda, https://austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Borunda_-_08.15.13.pdf
- ^ Disciplinary memo for Officer Leonard Wheeler, https://austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Police_Monitor/Disciplinary-Memos/Wheeler-04-08-14.pdf
- ^ Memo: Austin police officer suspended after improper arrest, by Ciara O'Rourke, 14 November 2013 American-Statesman
- ^ Officers, public dispute officer's removal after DWI, by Jessica Holloway, 13 January 2014, KVUE.com retrieved on 3 April 2014
- ^ Press Release “Former Austin Police Officer Enters Guilty Plea To Providing False Information To Federal Investigators” from the United States’ Attorney’s office for the Western District of Texas dated 28 January 2014
References
- Fiscal Year 2009-2010 Approved Budget, Executive Summary. City of Austin Budget Office. http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/budget/09-10/downloads/Exe%20Final%20Draft.pdf. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
- City of Austin – Austin Police Department, Administration. http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/police/chiefs.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-26.