The Austin Police Department is increasing its efforts to increase the diversity of the force, including Asian Pacific Islanders, KVUE reported.
“Part of reimagining public safety in Austin means having a police force that reflects the community,” Mayor Steve Adler tweeted.
The city’s Asian population increased by nearly 75% from 2010 to 2020, the station reported. There was a 32% growth in the number of native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, the the story said.
However, only 2.6% of the police force is Asian Pacific Islanders, the station reported.
“So, as Austin’s Asian American population has started to grow, the fact that our officer representation hasn’t been able to match that is surprising and disappointing, both at the same time,” police commander Eve Stephens, an Asian Pacific Islander, told the station. “And so we that’s definitely something that we need to work on in an area that we need to focus on.”
The police department recently held a recruiting event at the Chinatown Center in North Austin, KVUE reported.
Police recruiting stopped after Austin City Council cancelled three cadet classes in 2020 and cut the police budget by $150 million in an effort to “reimagine” policing, the story said.
Recruiting has still not recovered, Lt. Jay Swann, who is in charge of the Austin Police Department’s recruiting unit, told the station.
“It’s very difficult because you have no momentum, right?” he said. “Normally, as we continually recruit throughout the year, for example, we’re recruiting this year for three upcoming cadet classes in 2020 through 2022 and to have to start from scratch again.”
