(FixThisNation.com) – Austin Mayor Kirk Watson stated on Monday that the city would no longer have a connection to the Texas Department of Safety, because of the decision to have officers respond to emergency calls for the Austin Police Department which is severely understaffed.
While two days earlier Watson had spoken positively about the partnership and had claimed that response times had been reduced because of it, he has now announced that the partnership is not aligned with the city’s values.
The press release also alluded to certain incidents that occurred between DPS officials and citizens which were then used as evidence that the DPS had been treating minority communities unfairly. In one of these incidents, a trooper had allegedly pointed a gun at the head of a father and his 10-year-old boy during a traffic stop. The bodycam footage that was released by the DPS connected to the incident however shows that the father had lied about this story, as the trooper’s gun was pointed at the ground as is the standard protocol in such cases.
The Police department is currently down 500 officers, following the recent wave of retirements and the calls to defend the police following the Black Lives Matter protests and riots that were a response to the death of George Floyd.
Former Austin law enforcement members revealed to Fox News Digital that the decision to end the partnership further showcases how the city is prioritizing politics instead of public safety and it is a clear example of city leaders caring to the demands of the left rather than supporting their local law enforcement officers.
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