Austin police are short-staffed, violent crime continues | NewsRadio 740 KTRH

Since calls and measures to cut police funding began four years ago, crime in the city of Austin has not decreased.

“It's fair to say that the police crisis has gotten measurably worse every year since Defund the Police in 2020,” said Matt Mackowiak, co-founder of Save Austin Now.

Austin's police department is understaffed and violent crimes occur every week. According to Mackowiak, Austin has cut its police budget from $450 million to $300 million. The city also loses about 15 police officers each month while gaining only 40 to 50 a year.

Austin recorded a record 89 murders in 2021, after the Austin City Council voted to defund the police the year before. By early September, the city reported over 40 murders in 2024 alone. There were 71 murders in 2022 and 73 in 2023.

“Austin has been experiencing a public safety crisis for five years, forced upon our citizens by cuts to police funding,” Mackowiak said.

Recruiting police officers is difficult in today's climate, and fewer and fewer people want to join the police force. Most of the country's largest cities, including Houston, are struggling to hire more police officers. However, Houston has not defunded its police force like Austin has.

Mackowiak hopes things will turn around if Austin hires more police officers and crime goes down.

“It is the responsibility of elected officials to prioritize public safety, and that will only happen when citizens and voters demand it,” he said.