The Austin Police Department is asking robbery victims to call 311 as the department continues to suffer from a serious staffing shortage amid a citywide rise in crime.
In a Friday social media post, Austin police encouraged people robbed near a bank or ATM to “Call 3-1-1 or make an online report.”
Even if you are cautious & follow all the safety advice, you may still become the unfortunate victim of a robbery. Do you know what your next steps should be?
Make a police report & provide as much information as possible so we can recover your property quickly and safely. pic.twitter.com/79Cv0RI099— Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) September 1, 2023
However, the department later posted, “CLARIFICATION: When a robbery occurs, callers should be reporting these crimes to 9-1-1.”
CLARIFICATION: When a robbery occurs, callers should be reporting these crimes to 9-1-1. https://t.co/fV5Hfe4jr5
— Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) September 5, 2023
People typically call 311 to report non-emergencies. In a statement to The Dallas Express, the Austin Police Department (APD) said callers should report robberies to 911 “whether the crime is still in progress or no longer in progress.”
APD explained that its earlier social media post “was intended for victims of a jugging in general and not specific to robberies.”
“Jugging is a form of theft that includes both robbery and burglary. It occurs when a suspect follows a victim from a bank to their next location before committing the crime,” the statement continued. “If your money was stolen from your car and the crime is no longer in progress, you can call 3-1-1 or make an online report. However, if you are assaulted or threatened during the ‘Jugging,’ then you are a victim of robbery and should call 9-1-1.”
The City of Austin has been grappling with a rapidly deteriorating public safety situation, logging a 77% increase in auto thefts, a 30% increase in murders, and an 18% increase in aggravated assaults since 2020, according to Fox News.
“We’re a growing city, a city that should be up around 2,000 officers and growing right now,” Austin Police Association President Thomas Villarreal told Fox News. “I’ve got about 1,475 officers in our police department and, you know, we’re moving in the wrong direction.”
“There’s less and less and less resources to go out and do the job,” he continued. “I’ve got detectives who are pulled away from their caseload to just help answer 911 calls because we just don’t have the resources to adequately police the city.”
The Dallas Police Department (DPD) also recently made adjustments to deal with its own staffing shortage. In July, it launched a new crime reporting protocol that requires crime victims to report certain “non-emergency” offenses online. Such offenses include shoplifting, car burglaries, interference with child custody, identity theft, and certain car accidents.
Austin police confirmed to The Dallas Express that its department only has 1,475 positions filled, noting it has 337 vacancies. It is authorized for a force of 1,812.
Troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety have been deployed in Austin amid the apparent staffing shortage.
Dallas has also been experiencing more crime in recent years, particularly auto thefts.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, more than 12,000 motor vehicles were reported stolen within city limits so far this year, marking a substantial increase over 2022. Many of the auto thefts have been occurring Downtown.
Downtown Dallas sees considerably more auto thefts than Fort Worth’s downtown area, which is patrolled by a dedicated police unit alongside private security officers.
Meanwhile, DPD remains understaffed, with only about 3,100 sworn personnel. According to a City report, Dallas needs about three officers for every 1,000 residents, putting an effective staffing level at around 4,000 officers.