6 May 2014
The reports over the last few years on crime in Austin, Texas, have been encouraging for citizens who are concerning about the national trends in crime, in general, and violent crime, in particular. After all, Austin is consistently ranked as one of the safest cities in the country. So what’s a police department to do? Apparently, the Austin PD has decided to use all its power to go after criminal of the worst sort. We mean, of course, those jaywalkers and bicyclists whose behavior threatens civilization as we know it.
We’re joking, of course, and we do recognize that bicyclists and jaywalkers do contribute to accidents and injuries. On the other hand, these enforcement efforts can lead to the conclusion that the police simply have too much time on their hands, coupled with an absolute insensitivity to the manner in which their activities might be perceived.
Back in 2012, the APD launched its operation PEST (Pedestrian Enforcement Safety Team). In that operation, the focus was clearly on targeting pedestrians, rather than drivers, although both contribute to the problem. In fact, 90% of the citations and warning issued went to pedestrians.
So here we are in 2014, and the first noteworthy occurrence in this year’s crackdown was the arrest and (according to an eyewitness) manhandling of a jogger at the UT campus, for jaywalking. This was followed by an unseemly remark by Police Chief Art Acevedo, who commented that, in effect, the conduct of the police did not rise to the level of activities in other cities, where cops have been accused sexual assault. He later apologized for the comment.
You may also have heard about last week’s “Bike to UT Day”, which is an initiative by Parking and Transportation Services at The University of Texas at Austin, to encourage cycling and to raise awareness in the community. Apparently, the APD heard about it also, and organized a specific campaign (the “special assignment bike initiative”) targeting violators of traffic safety laws, which they say just happened to take place at UT, and just happened to fall on the same day as Bike to UT Day. The result – 47 bicyclists received tickets for stop sign and other violations.
We’re not sure who is responsible for these “initiatives,” but we do believe that a bit more common sense might help the public image of the APD.
Law Office of David D. White, PLLC
1201 Rio Grande Street #200
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 369-3737