SUMMARY: The Austin Police Department (APD) has begun dispatching officers to lower-priority calls, a change implemented about a month ago. Previously, only higher-priority calls were prioritized. APD classifies calls from Priority 0 (high urgency) to Priority 4 (lowest). In 2021, due to staffing shortages, APD asked the public to report nonviolent crimes through online channels, which improved response times for emergencies but led to backlogs in lower-level incidents. Despite still being understaffed by 300 officers, APD recognizes the importance of responding to all calls. Further details on operational adjustments are pending.

Read the full article

The post Austin Police now dispatching officers to lower-priority calls, chief says appeared first on www.kxan.com

SUMMARY: Austin’s City Council has voted to extend its automated license plate reader pilot program, which has been operational for a year. The program, with 40 cameras across the city, has detected over 600,000 vehicles and led to more than 1,100 “hot list” hits in the past 30 days. These hits involve stolen cars, warrants, and criminal investigations. In the first nine months, the program resulted in 165 arrests and the recovery of 176 stolen vehicles. Council members expressed concerns over privacy and data sharing, but police assured no outside law enforcement agencies have requested data. A comprehensive review is scheduled for May.

One year has passed since Austin launched its automated license plate reader pilot program. City Council voted 8-3 for a three month extension.

#FOX7Austin brings you the important stuff like breaking news, weather, and local stories out of Central #Texas. But also plenty of fun stuff, like Pet of the Weekend, the best of our archives, and all those ‘only-in-#Austin’ stories.

Subscribe to FOX 7 Austin: https://www.youtube.com/myFOXaustin
Download the FOX 7 Austin News app: http://bit.ly/3sNGN7a
Subscribe to the FOX 7 Austin newsletter: https://bit.ly/2Th6U9Y
More from FOX 7 Austin: https://www.fox7austin.com/
Got a news tip? Call us at 512-472-0988 or email us: ktbcnews@fox.com

Source

SUMMARY: Frisco Police confirmed that a bullet struck Hosp Elementary School, but the incident appears unintentional and fortunately resulted in no injuries. Students were released early as a precaution but will return tomorrow. The bullet damaged a window in the school, with the incident occurring before 10 a.m. Initially, Frisco ISD had the campus in secure mode but later decided to release students to their guardians due to the police presence. A student, Sasha Wyatt, described the secure mode experience as remaining in classrooms with doors closed. The damaged window has since been replaced, and police are investigating the incident.

Frisco police now say it was a bullet that hit an elementary school building in Frisco, prompting district officials to release students early on Thursday.

Subscribe to FOX 4: https://www.youtube.com/fox4news?sub_confirmation=1

Dallas news, weather, sports and traffic from KDFW FOX 4, serving Dallas-Fort Worth, North Texas and the state of Texas.

Download the FOX LOCAL app: fox4news.com/foxlocal

Watch FOX 4 Live: https://www.fox4news.com/live
Download the FOX 4 News App: https://www.fox4news.com/apps
Download the FOX 4 WAPP: https://www.fox4news.com/apps
Follow FOX 4 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fox4DFW/
Follow FOX 4 on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FOX4
Follow FOX 4 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fox4news/
Subscribe to the FOX 4 newsletter: https://www.fox4news.com/newsletters

Source