A U.S. Justice Department report released Monday recommends the Austin Police Department makes changes to improve its use of force policies.
Austin civil rights leaders called for a federal review of Austin Police Department’s policies regarding use of force after several high profile shootings of minority suspects.
The 50-page report took 18 months of investigation. The U.S. Department of Justice recommends the Austin Police Department makes changes to improve policies on how police force is conducted, documented and supervised.
The report suggested APD spend more time training on de-escalation techniques, especially when dealing with the mentally ill and those under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It also said that officers should consistently use the “lowest level of force necessary.”
Additionally, it detailed several recommendations on what weapons should be used and when, and how APD should adopt a more uniform policy when officers report using force.
Police Chief Art Acevedo says the department has already implemented about 25 percent of the DOJ’s 150 recommendations and is proud of the gains the Police Department is making.
“You’re going to find a police department that’s very measured and very conservative in its use of force. Have we had incidents that were controversial? Absolutely,” he said.
In 2005, Austin Police Officer Julie Schroeder shot and killed 18-year-old Daniel Rocha during a traffic stop. Schroeder was fired for violating police policy and the Rocha family sued the city and Schroeder.
Last month, the Austin City Council approved a $1 million settlement to Rocha’s family.
“In my opinion Daniel Rocha might still be alive had a lot of the things being talk about a lot of the things being reference had been in effect," attorney Bobby Taylor, who represented the Rocha family, said.
According to the report, federal officials say Austin Police Department’s prior use of force does not entirely comply with federal standards.
He shared the report with Daniel Rocha’s mother.
“She told me that settling the case still does not resolve the pain that she’s suffering,” Taylor said.
Prior to the shooting, the NAACP filed a 16-page complaint with the DOJ against APD and the City of Austin saying more minorities were being subjected to excessive force.
"We looked at police prior to 2004, we cited several shootings -- Owens of course later Rocha. It showed that in the black community there was a higher use of force in terms of violence,” Nelson Linder, President of the local chapter of NAACP, said.
Acevedo says since then the department has made significant changes to improve.
The DOJ report recommendations include more emphasis on accountability, better documentation of all incidents when officers use force and more training for officers about when and how it’s appropriate to use force when responding to disturbances.
The Department of Justice scrutiny of APD
began in May of 2007, after they were called upon by leaders from the NAACP in 2004 because of tensions between the community and the police. A formal review was later requested by the City of Austin in 2005.
