Dear Neighbor, Gun violence in Austin increased by 47 percent in 2020, according to a report released last week by the Austin Police Department. There was a 69 percent spike in non-family aggravated assaults involving firearms, which is an indicator of violent crime trends. Gun violence in Austin is up 124 percent since 2015. Two weeks ago, the Austin… Read more »
Greater Austin Crime Commission
The Greater Austin Crime Commission was established in 1997
to support Central Texas first responders
and promote public safety planning.
Programs
- Sponsoring the Austin Police Department’s Guns4Groceries program, which has collected nearly 800 unwanted weapons and raises public awareness about firearm safety
- Partnering with the University of Texas at Austin to sponsor the Longhorn Leaders program, which encourages seventh graders to “make good choices” by staying in school, off drugs, and out of trouble
- Supplying Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services with specially-equipped motorcycles to improve downtown, highway, and special event response Partnering with The University of Texas at Austin and the Austin Independent School District to sponsor the Longhorn Leaders program, which emphasizes academic excellence and life success skills
- Co-sponsoring an annual Global Security Summit with the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at The University of Texas at Austin
- Hosting a Public Safety Series featuring law enforcement and policy experts, such as Governor Greg Abbott, Admiral Bobby R. Inman, USN (Ret), former Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson, Congressman Michael T. McCaul, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven C. McCraw, former New York Police Department Commissioner Howard Safir, and State Senator Kirk Watson.
- Working with the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation to provide protective vests and tactical equipment to twenty-five area law enforcement agencies
- Marketing the Austin Police Department’s 3-1-1 response system, which significantly reduced emergency calls and providing technology to support the Amber Alert program
- Providing life-saving trauma kits for Austin Police Department patrol vehicles
- Offering specialized DNA collection, homeland security, WMD, and K-9 medical, training for regional law enforcement
- Supplying equipment to create the nation’s first K-9 chembio and radiation detection programs Starting the state’s first 401K-9 program to assist with medical expenses for retired law enforcement animals
- Sponsoring youth outreach programs, including the “Do the Write Thing” national middle school essay contest, Kids and Cops™, and Safe Schools Week
Board of Directors
PRESIDENT
Corby Jastrow*
Vice President and Partner, Prominent Title
VICE PRESIDENT
John C. Schweitzer*
Campbell Capital Ltd.
SECRETARY
Keith E. Gamel*
Attorney and Partner,
Naman Howell Smith & Lee LLP
TREASURER
Brad B. Hawley*
Partner, Locke Lord LLP
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Pete Winstead*
Founding Shareholder, Winstead PC
Stacy Armijo
Chief Experience Officer, Amplify Credit Union
Brian A. Bailey
Brian A. Bailey Homes Inc.
Tim Berry
President and CEO, Pennybacker Capital
Rob Bridges
Managing Director, Marsh Wortham
Laurie Brown
Vice President,
Brown Distributing Co.
PAST PRESIDENT
Paul J. Bury III*
Fred Burton
Executive Director, Ontic Center for Protective Intelligence
Edward S. Butler
Butler Family Interests
Scott A. Carr
President, Carr Development Inc.
Elizabeth Christian
President, Elizabeth Christian Public Relations LLC
Stephen Clark
Chairman,
Cypress Real Estate Advisors Inc.
Tim Crowley
Austin Regional President, Frost
PAST PRESIDENT
Dr. William H. Cunningham*
James L. Bayless Chair For Free Enterprise, The University of Texas at Austin
Former Chancellor, The University of Texas System
Former President, The University of Texas at Austin
Brian DeRoeck
Managing Director, Focus Strategies Investment Banking
Hon. John W. Fainter Jr.
Former President and CEO, Association of Electric Companies of Texas Inc.
Former Secretary of State, State of Texas
Gary S. Farmer
President, Heritage Title Company of Austin Inc.
Kent Ferguson
President, HealthCare Facilities Development Corporation
N. Rudy Garza
Founder and Managing General Partner, G51 Capital Management
Rudy Garza
President, GarzaEMC
Louis Granger
Financial Advisor, Wells Fargo Advisors
PAST PRESIDENT
Richard S. Hill*
Founding Partner, HPI Real Estate Services & Investments
PAST PRESIDENT
Joe E. Holt*
Former Chairman (Austin Region), JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A.
PAST PRESIDENT
Adm. Bobby R. Inman, USN (Ret)*
Managing Director, Limestone Ventures
Lyndon B. Johnson Centennial Chair in National Policy,
Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin
Chairman and Managing Partner, Gefinor Ventures
Former Chairman, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
Former Deputy Director, Central Intelligence Agency
Former Director, National Security Agency
Kenneth M. Jastrow II
Former Chairman and CEO, Temple-Inland Inc.
Bradley S. Knippa
Attorney and CPA, Jackson Walker LLP
J. Winston Krause
Attorney, Krause & Associates LP
Dr. Michael L. Lauderdale
Clara Pope Willoughby Centennial Professor, The University of Texas at Austin
Fred Ligarde*
Ligarde & Associates
Federal Bureau of Investigation (Ret)*
Eduardo Margain
President, Noctua Investments
Laura Matz
President, Matz and Company LLC
Linda McCaul
Clear Channel Communications Inc.
Demetrius McDaniel
Co-Regional Operating Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Bryce Miller
Managing Principal, Endeavor Real Estate Group
Mark Newberry
President, Tarrytown Pharmacy
Catherine L. Newell
General Counsel, Dimensional Fund Advisors
Catherine Q. Morse
Partner, Enoch Kever PLLC
Patricia C. Ohlendorf
Vice President for Legal Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin
Patrick Oles
President and CEO, Barshop & Oles
Harriet O’Neill
Former Justice, Supreme Court of Texas
Gamble J. Palmer Jr.
President, Palmco Inc.
Donald J. Reese
President, Riverside Resources Corporation
Mike M. Reynolds
Reynolds Interests
PAST PRESIDENT
David L. Roche*
Principal, Endeavor Real Estate Group
Dr. Randa S. Safady
Vice Chancellor for External Relations, The University of Texas System
Bryan Sheffield
Executive Chairman, Parsley Energy Inc.
Jennifer Stevens
Chief Executive Officer, JHL
James E. Stone
President and Director, Frost HR Consulting
Timothy C. Taylor
Partner, Jackson Walker LLP
Tom Terkel
Founder and principal, FourT Realty
Timothy T. Timmerman
President, Commerce Texas Properties Inc.
PAST PRESIDENT
Hon. Ralph Wayne*
Former Chairman, Texas Ethics Commission
Former Chief Deputy Comptroller, Comptroller of Public Accounts, State of Texas
Former Member, Texas House of Representatives
Former President, Texas Civil Justice League
Neel White
CEO, White Construction Company
Ray A. Wilkerson
President and CEO, Ray Wilkerson Companies Inc.
PAST PRESIDENT
Hon. Pamela P. Willeford*
Former U.S. Ambassador to
Switzerland and Liechtenstein
Dr. Stephen Yurco III
Clinical Pathology Associates
*Executive Committee
In the News
Neighborhood Network
March 22, 2021
Dear Neighbor, After seven outside reviews and more than a year since the last cadet class started, Austin is ready to restart the police training academy. This Thursday, the Austin City Council will vote on a resolution (Item 37) to restart police cadet classes no later than June 7. The city manager provided an update and “blueprint” for a “reimagined cadet training academy” to the… Read more »
Neighborhood Network
March 15, 2021
Dear Neighbor Austin is ready to restart police cadet classes. On March 25, the Austin City Council will consider a resolution that restarts the police training academy no later than June 7. In response to community concerns and city council direction, the Austin Police Department has overhauled recruiting and training. Restarting cadet classes is the best opportunity to change police culture… Read more »