(USNewsMag.com) – The state of Texas is often thought of as being red, yet it’s increasingly trending purple. Republicans have maintained power outside of major cities, and the divide between the influence of blue and red is narrower there than in other major cities.
Unlike the cities of Dallas and Houston, Austin has been modeled after cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco. Adverse outcomes followed the city’s leadership role in the 2020 “Defund the Police” initiative. That’s only the beginning; things will become much worse.
Since the beginning of the year 2023, the Austin Police Retirement System (APRS) has approved retirement papers for 50 police officers, with a further 27 awaiting approval, according to APRS’ executive director, Pattie Featherston. She also said that as of right now, 309 workers in the department are eligible for early retirement.
Former and current Austin law enforcement personnel are sounding a warning to the citizens that a breakdown in negotiations between Austin and the police department over a new contract threatens to further diminish the already chronically understaffed police force in the Texas capital.
A foreseeable mass migration of the most senior officers is a real possibility. The head of the Austin Police Retired Officers Association (APROA), retired officer Dennis Farris, has said that inexperienced junior officers, without the strong leadership of the senior officers, are generally responsible for the issues that arise in agencies that lack proper leadership.
An officer with the Austin Police Department speculated that the anarchists and activists throughout the city had such a strong influence on their elected leaders that their goals have shifted in the last year or two. Since they felt that a four-year agreement between the union and the city would be counterproductive to their goals, they decided to change tactics and begin gathering signatures for a ballot issue in May to change to a yearly contract.
Unfortunately, criminals often populate areas left unprotected by the authorities. Residents of Austin face a gloomy future. Many think that it would be prudent to leave before home prices drop due to the increase in crime.
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