Question 1: Give us a reminder of how the new contract will affect salaries at the police department.

 

The new contract includes a 28% salary increase over the next five years. That starts with an 8% raise and a $2,000 bonus as soon as the contract takes effect. Plus, increases to stipends for working the night shift, being bilingual, more. The police say it’s needed to resolve their staffing crisis.

 

The biggest thing we’re looking for is for overtime payments to decrease now that a contract is in place to hopefully solve the staffing shortages.

 

Last year the police chief made $250,000, but he was actually the 24th highest-paid at the department because of all the overtime earnings. Almost 300 police officers made more than Gov. Abbott ($153,000).

 

Of the top 100 highest-paid people in the city last year, 57 work at the police department. And almost all of them earned more from overtime than from salary.

 

Question 2: Can you give us a bigger view of the payroll? How much are the police spending each year?

 

Police Salary (Over $50,000)

2023: $170 million for 1,371 employees.   Average: $124,000

2019: $203 million for 1,894 employees   Average: $107,000

 

That’s a 16% increase in average salary over five years.

The new agreement authorizes a 28% increase in five years.

 

It is not a perfect comparison. Our data at OpenTheBooks includes stipends and deductions, and the new police contract authorizes a raise for base salary only. But that only changes the numbers by a few percentage points.

 

Question 3: The new contract would also force records on police misconduct to be released under the Texas Public Information Act. How has OpenTheBooks reacted to that news?

 

It’s definitely a win for transparency, but that in itself isn’t enough.

 

Our team has had some struggles completing our records requests with the police recently. 

We asked the police for all letters of clemency they had drafted for police officers, and they told us none exist. But that’s not true — an unsent letter was leaked earlier this year.

 

We also asked for a copy of the new police chief’s Lisa Davis’ contract. We’re still waiting two months later. Similar requests for contracts from other Austin agencies are usually completed within days; other times the contract is posted online and an open records request isn’t even necessary. 

 

It’s a small sample size, but it is a warning sign that city residents will need to make sure the police are following the law and answering those records requests quickly and completely. 

 

Question 4: What concerns have come up from City Council that could stop the contract from being approved?

 

It all goes back to transparency.

 

Some Council members are worried that the open records language in the contract is too vague. The police will have to release all new records about misconduct, but what about misconduct records from before this new contract was written? The police say they’ll be released, but some members of the city want that more explicitly in the contract.

 

The Austin-American Statesman looked into it this week. They asked the president of the Austin Police Association - he said there’s a “grandfather clause” in the contract that will open the old files up to records requests. Then they asked the city manager, and a spokesperson said there is no “grandfather clause.”