One week since the death of Esme Barrera and the possibly related attacks on two other women in Austin's West campus area, little in the way of hard, verifiable, information appears to have surfaced. Austin police say they're received “thousands” of tips and are in the process of following up on leads. They have requested that anyone who spoke to Barrera on New Year's Eve or in the early hours of New Year's Day contact them at (512) 477-3588. Meanwhile, we at Austinist have been following the news for you. more ›

As Austin gathers to remember Esme Barrera, Austin police continue to search for any information that may shed light on who killed her during the dark early hours of a new year. Police are asking the public to help identify a man who may be connected. more ›

Two Occupy Austin protesters are taking the city of Austin to federal court, charging “unlawful prior restraint” of protected speech through the city’s use of Criminal Trespass Notices to ban some Occupiers from City Hall premises for up to one year. more ›

This Fourth of July weekend probably was not the best one to pass on the taxi. In a span of four days the Austin Police Department's "No Refusal" initiative totaled 73 DWI arrests, the Statesman reported. Under the initiative, officers can obtain blood search warrants on suspects who refuse to give a breath or blood sample as required by law. more ›

Details are still a little hazy on what City Manager Ott referred to as "an unfortunate set of circumstances," but a press conference held this afternoon has cleared up some confusion. Here's what we know so far... more ›

• MoPac open again after fatal accident this morning.
• Items the Austin City Council approved Thursday.
• Police seek man on the run after SWAT call in East Austin.

Shocking video was released by the Statesman today during the trial of Jerel Lamar, the main subject in an April 2007 APD dashcam video. This two-year-old recording features Lamar firing off shot-after-shot at APD Sgt. Michael Barger, who had responded to a "disturbance with a weapon" call that finally ended with no injuries or casualties after a 13-hour SWAT standoff. more ›

Corsha Beasley might want to look into some anger management courses real soon. And maybe visit a local Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. On Monday, a drunken Corsha thought it was a good idea to start throwing ‘bows with two of Austin’s finest – a nightly occurrence on 6th street, right? In this case, Ms. Beasley chose to take out her drunken aggression on a four-legged officer of the law – stoic yet graceful Dusty the Police Horse. more ›

I wonder: why wouldn’t the APD drug cop and the data miner want the world to know what they’re up to? They’re heroes, after all! Cleansing our streets of the dreaded indoor weed farmer. They should be proud. They're like The Punisher and Microchip. more ›

Former Austin mayor Gus Garcia struck and killed a pedestrian with his car in an accident Sunday evening on North Lamar Boulevard. more ›

Those with any helpful information are invited to call Sgt. Koen at 512-232-9640 or Det. Riojas at 512-232-9641. Or, ff you know where this individual is right now, call dispatch at 512-471-4441. more ›

This fall, you may begin noticing our local law enforcement looking a bit more, well, stylish. Austin Police Department is revamping its uniforms and vehicles, in the hopes of "creating a new version" of the organization, says Police Chief Art Acevedo. Part of the changes include larger badges, which will feature the Star of Texas above the Capitol. Gone are any traces of red on the uniforms themselves—in some cases, they'll be replaced with a... more ›

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Austin police nab the asshole who (allegedly) pretended to sublet several campus-area apartments to unsuspecting folks, who'd later discover they'd been dupedHaving temporarily lost their brand new skate park, kids in Round Rock promise to behave A Fort Worth cop who slapped a girl's ass after catching her fooling around with her boyfriend in a parked car gets arrested Two con artists in North Texas are convicted for scamming would-be vacationers out of over... more ›

In observation of July's "Watch Your Car" month, Austin Police Department is offering free vehicle identification number (VIN) etching services this week. It's a minor deterrant for would-be car thieves, and could possibly lower your auto insurance payments. Not too shabby. more ›

After an intensive manhunt to find the perpetrators of the Juneteenth murder of David Rivas Morales, Austin Police announced on Tuesday that they've arrested the man believed to have delivered the fatal blow that left Morales unconscious. Kurtiss Colvin, a 20-year-old former high school athlete, has been charged with manslaughter—a second-degree felony—as well as several lesser charges. His bail has been set at $215,000. Morales was leaving a Juneteenth celebration when the Ford Taurus he... more ›

Police officers at the University of Texas have responded to an undisclosed "low-level threat" on campus. The following email was sent out earlier this morning: At about 9 a.m. The University of Texas at Austin Police Department (UTPD) received a report of a low-level threat to the University Teaching Center (UTC) near the intersection of 21st Street and Speedway. Police are investigating and sweeping the building with officers and their dogs in accordance with their... more ›

Following up on this weekend's announcement that the Austin Police Department has come under invesigation by the Justice Department, a two-part documentary was posted to YouTube today. Created as a student film class project at UT, the short film casts a critical eye on APD's recent accountability and use of force problems. (from Grits for Breakfast more ›

Austin city leaders announced late Friday afternoon that the U.S. Department of Justice is starting an investigation into the Austin Police Department and its use of force, specifically when dealing with minorities. "We are obliged to determine whether APD is systemically violating the Constitution of the United States," read the letter sent to the city from the Justice Department. In 2004, the Austin American-Statesman analyzed police data from 1998 to 2003, revealing that Austin police... more ›

Attention, super-involved citizens! Yesterday, the City of Austin announced that all of us will have an opportunity to meet the five finalist candidates for the office of Chief of Police for the Austin Police Department next month. Throughout June, three "community forums" will be held at the Palmer Events Center, and these events will be completely open to the general public. According to the City, "feedback from these sessions will be utilized in making a final recommendation for the position." more ›

A woman in South Austin was taking out the trash yesterday when she stumbled upon a suspicious-looking device outside her house. This contraption, a metal pipe wrapped in electrical tape, turned out to be what Austin Police are calling an "improvised explosive device," essentially a catch-all term for a homemade bomb. Austin Police Department's Bomb Squad safely detonated the explosive. It's currently believed that yesterday's discovery was unrelated to last week's attempted bombing of the... more ›

For those of you brave enough to drive into downtown this week, Austin Police Department wants to warn you about fakester parking attendants: more ›

While the final figures are just now coming out, last week already seems like a distant memory. Estimated amount, in cubic yards, of sanding material used to clear street locations: 1,349 Austin Energy customers who experienced a power outage: 35,000 Water mains repaired by Austin Water Utility: 16 Calls to EMS dispatchers and Austin Fire Department: 2,133 Calls to 311: 11,370 Collisions reported to the Austin Police Department: 599 Estimated number of canceled flights... more ›

An man collapsed in a 6th Street bar and later died in a nearby hospital early Sunday morning, according to the Austin Police Department. Officers were investigating a disturbance at The Co-Op Bar, at 6th and Nueces, and talking to individuals involved when one of the men "passed out." After begin rushed to the hospital, the man--who remains anonymous pending notification of family members--was pronounced dead. Authorities are awaiting autopsy results before discussing the... more ›

"UT spied on its non comformists and dissident students"Your every move is being watched. Scary thought, right? A thought we like to associate with Orwellian sci-fi or Alex Jones, but in recent years we've seen this idea become a reality. Little black boxes with blinking red lights are at traffic spots, street corners or up in trees making sure you're not up to any funny business. Now, in a democracy sans Habeas Corpus, we... more ›

A Travis High School math teacher was arrested this past weekend after allegedly taking "improper" photographs of his female students. Thirty-eight year-old Page White was nabbed while on a field trip in San Antonio, and has since been placed on administrative leave. more ›

And you thought Mr. Holland’s Opus made you cry…listen to Richard Dreyfuss talk Middle Eastern politics at the Texas Union Ballroom on Nov. 2nd, 7 p.m. Get tickets at Student Events Center Tickets Office (Room 4.300 of The Union). Smoking is BAD. You should quit. Attend the four-session Quitters Stop Smoking Class held every Friday starting Oct. 27 at noon. Sign up at SSB 1.106. Or, if you're not into group work pick up... more ›

Last week, The Austin Police Department announced the arrest of four of Austin's most noticeable graffiti artists, who were responsible for more than 200 hundred acts of graffiti around Austin, racking up a bill of more than $76,000 in maintenance. more ›

The Austin Police Department and the party-throwers living in the campus area have always seemed to get along. If you find yourself at a party around campus and a police cruiser stops out front, no one runs--even when that sweet bubbler on the table still has smoke billowing from it--everyone just walks away calmly. APD knows they can't stop every party, arrest every weed smoker and hand out tickets to every minor, so they usually give the ultimatum: "everyone leaves, or citations." However, starting today, college kids around Austin may not think Austin cops are so cool anymore. more ›

Note: this post has been revised after receiving additional information from the Austin Police Department. According to the Daily Texan, the body of a student from St. Edward's University -- identified by the Austin Police Department as 19-year old James Henry Leonard -- was discovered by officers at a small apartment complex at 22nd and Rio Grande, mere blocks from UT Austin, earlier this morning. Meanwhile, News 8 Austin's article claims that "party noises"... more ›