Dear Neighbor, Last week, Travis County District Attorney José Garza announced felony indictments against nineteen Austin police officers related to the riots during the summer of 2020. The charges carry prison sentences of five to ninety-nine years or life. There are legitimate questions about what evidence was presented to the grand jury. To ensure public confidence in the… Read more »
Longhorn Leaders
The Greater Austin Crime Commission and University of Texas School of Social Work developed the Longhorn Leaders youth outreach program in cooperation with the university’s Athletic Department and the Austin Independent School District. The program is designed to communicate the importance of academic and personal success with middle school students. During the semester, each university student makes several personal presentations at each school, emphasizing academic excellence and life “success” skills.
IMPORTANCE OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS
The program is designed to communicate the importance of academic and personal success with middle school students. During the semester, each university athlete makes several personal presentations at each school, emphasizing academic excellence and life “success” skills.
community outreach
The Longhorn Leaders program has generated an enthusiastic response from schools and has promoted positive community interaction between university athletes, students, parents, teachers, and law enforcement. The Greater Austin Crime Commission underwrites the costs of developing materials for the program, including trading cards for each athlete and a half-hour video documentary.
The program, created by Crime Commission board members Dr. Michael L. Lauderdale and Fred Ligarde, reaches seventh graders at a crucial developmental point, as decisions affect the transition into early adolescence. School failure, involvement with drugs, gangs, or other harmful activities, and delinquency begun in middle school often lead toschool dropout and discourage successful developmental transitions. Students at this age are susceptible to influences beyond the family, especially from peers and the popular media. The Longhorn Leaders program provides an alternative, positive message.
In the News
Neighborhood Network
February 16, 2022
Dear Neighbor, Since the Austin Police Department patrol staffing model was released last month, the Greater Austin Crime Commission has met with city council members and community groups to review the research. The Austin Chamber of Commerce board voted unanimously to support the patrol staffing model recommendations. The second research phase is underway to model administrative and specialized units, including… Read more »
Blog, News
APD Staffing Project
Austin Police Department Staffing ProjectPatrol Model and Community SurveyJanuary 2022 Austin is the first city to use machine learning to model police staffing. The Greater Austin Crime Commission funded research at the University of New Haven and Texas State University to develop a patrol model and conduct a community survey for the Austin Police Department.… Read more »