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Although Austin has remained a relatively safe city, there have been far too many shootings of African American men. What kind of changes would you institute at APD to reduce the number of officer-involved shootings and reduce the degree of mistrust that exists between the African American community and the police?

Vincent Harding

City Council, District 1

I am proud of the work that I have done to raise awareness regarding this issue and calling for accountability and changes through resolutions, community conversations, trainings, and other.

Moving forward, we must continue talking about how do we improve relationships and continue calling for accountability. Specifically, I want to see a change in the 180-day rule that allowed the officer that attacked Breaion King to not be disciplined. Additionally, I want to increase transparency by moving some investigations from internal affairs to potentially Human Resources or Audit. Moreover, I want to give the police monitor’s office the funding it needs to be a preeminent office in the country. Further, I want to reinstate the Citizen’s Review Panel and give them basic resources such as City email addresses and provide it with subpoena power.