APD briefs Public Safety Committee on DPS partnership

The Austin City Council's Public Safety Committee will receive a briefing from law enforcement this morning on the Texas Department of Public Safety's (DPS) patrols in Austin.

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin City Council's Public Safety Committee will receive a briefing from law enforcement this morning on the Texas Department of Public Safety's (DPS) patrols in Austin.

The initiative, which began on March 30, is currently on pause as troopers focus their attention on border cities following the expiration of Title 42.

The goals of the partnership are to reduce traffic deaths and violent crime, and free up Austin Police Department (APD) officers to respond to emergency calls more quickly.

Since the program began, there have been “significant decreases in violent crime, response times, and calls for service,” according to APD. The department used a data-driven approach to identify crime “hot-spots” as well as high-travel roads most common for crashes – and deployed troopers to those locations.

In the crime hot spot areas where DPS deployed, violent crime dropped 58%, according to APD’s chief data officer. DPS’ presence also helped APD respond to emergency calls more quickly.

The program has also drawn criticism from heavily patrolled communities, with residents feeling like they were being unfairly targeted with traffic stops. City Council members shared some of these concerns at a separate briefing earlier this month.

Chief Joseph Chacon is providing an overview to council members and taking questions.

The meeting started at 10 a.m. We will update this story throughout the day.