For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Matt Mackowiak / Cleo Petricek (512) 423-6116 / (972) 639-7926
August 9, 2021
Save Austin Now PAC Releases Audio Recording Proving Mayor Adler Lied to KVUE Today
Claimed He Never Said He Supported Having No Police, But He Said It in March
AUSTIN, TX — This morning Austin Mayor Steve Adler appeared on KVUE’s “Daybreak” program and denied that he ever publicly said he would like to have no police in our city. Save Austin Now PAC is releasing a public audio clip that undeniably proves he lied to Austinites this morning.
On KVUE this morning, the anchor played a clip from Save Austin Now PAC co-founder Matt Mackowiak where he said: “Keep in mind, our mayor has said he wants to get to a day where we have no police at all. He said that publicly.” Adler responded, “Well like so much of this stuff that (Mackowiak) is saying now, that’s absolutely not true.” You can watch the full KVUE clip here.
At the March 25, 2021 city council meeting, Mayor Adler said the following: “There could be a day when we don’t need police, and I eagerly root for the day that we get there.”
You can hear the recording for yourself here.
Save Austin Now co-founders Matt Mackowiak and Cleo Petricek released the following statement:
“Steve Adler has no compassion for the victims of this violent crime wave and no defense for the chaos that defund the police has wrought on our city, our neighborhoods, and on our police readiness, so he is resorting to spewing provable lies on live television. Steve Adler has no one to blame but himself. He has followed this radical policy, led by Council Member Greg Casar, and he refuses to support adequate police staffing because he specifically wishes to undermine our police department. We will continue to hold him accountable for his atrocious record, his failed leadership, and his ridiculous lies to Austinites.”
To learn more about Save Austin Now PAC, please visit http://www.SaveAustinNowPAC.com.
Caught on Mic:
“There could be a day when we don’t need police and I eagerly hope for the day…” - Mayor Adler
The City Cut 30% From Our Police
Austin doesn't feel as safe recently. Because it isn't. We've seen a series of city policy decisions over the last 2 years that have led to a surge in both violent crime and property crime against Austinites. A 200% increase in murders this year. A double-digit increase in property crimes such as burglaries and carjackings. And a massive increase in reports of “soft crimes” that make us uncomfortable, especially us women. This isn’t the Austin we know and love, and it doesn’t have to be.
There is much work to be done, and our petition to restore safety to Austin is a critical first step. Our newest citizen’s petition, if passed, will ensure that the city council and our police are held to account for public safety; it will ensure that we have adequate police staffing and public safety funds cannot be chopped without Austinites’ input; it will ensure that officers receive double the training; it will ensure that our police officers are rewarded for committing to diversity. Public safety is nonpartisan but it is the most important thing we do together, as citizens.
Why Must We Act Now?
These Policies Have Led To An Unprecedented Crime Wave
Austin is in the midst of a crime surge. Why? Every day, Austinites are suffering from the free-for-all associated with the City’s recent public safety deregulations.
911 Response Times Are Now Over 10 Minutes!
Every neighborhood in Austin has seen property crimes such as burglaries soar. With the number of public safety officers sitting at 1999 levels, calling for help is now taking longer than ever. The average 911 response time in 2011 was under 6 minutes but today is more than 10 minutes. If you can imagine how it feels to wait that long for help, you can see why so many Austinites are at the end of their rope with City Council’s recent policy decisions.
Austin’s Murder Rate Is Up 200% in 2021!
Numbers like this deserve to be called what they are: Nothing less than a total catastrophe. We believe in core principles, including:
Making sure our city has an adequate number of police officers based on its size.
Making sure police training is reformed to emphasize the areas that we all know need more focus.
Making sure our police force is more diverse in its perspectives and people.
Read The #SafeAustin Public Safety Law Now:
Common Sense Policy For a Safe, Clean Austin
Despite the partisan attacks, Save Austin Now PAC continues to fight for the broad majority of Austinites. As a non-partisan citizen’s group, we’re successfully pushing back against the extreme and destructive policies of this mayor and city council: Policies that a strong majority of Austinites disagree with, such as deregulated public camping, de-funding of law enforcement, and more. Stand with us as we continue to give Austinites a direct voice in our democracy, including fighting for a safer city on the November Ballot.
This Law Will Stop Our Crime Wave
By Putting Officers In The Community, Not The Office
City Council is putting our police behind desks. The new law will mandate officers spend 35% of their time on Community Engagement; this means a minimum standard by which police officers shall be out in the community doing everything from serving in specific units like the DWI task force all the way to walking a neighborhood on patrol. We included this 35% requirement after gathering expert feedback on the most effective use of officers’ time - and it’s not behind a desk!
By Mandating a Safe City Standard
The law establishes officers per resident requirement of 2 officers per 1000, the nationally recognized "Safe City Standard" as defined by the US Justice Department. Austin is now far and away the least staffed department. We currently are at mid-2000's levels of staffing and are expected to hit mid-1990's levels of staffing by the end of the year according to the Austin Police Association. Obviously, the city has grown considerably since the '90s and this is why we’re seeing crime increase, cases go unsolved, and 911 response times of over 13 minutes.
