AUSTIN (KXAN) — “We continue to operate the same way we were operating as if there was a partnership,” said Major Gabriel Ortiz with the Texas Department of Public Safety.
KXAN spent six hours on the road with him this month observing traffic stops, learning about Criminal Investigation Division (CID) operations and addressing concerns from community members.
Brianna Hollis, Reporter: There’s been some criticism and concern about DPS unfairly targeting communities of color, what’s your response to that?
Major Ortiz: I understand that perception exists, but I would say this. One, I’m Hispanic. I’m a minority, I’ve experienced racism, I understand how important it is for those members of the community to understand they’re being treated fairly. I can tell you right now, if citizens of the community of Austin were being treated unfairly, not only would I raise the issue, but I think several troopers would also raise the issue.
During our time with Major Ortiz, we observed traffic stops that stemmed from things like broken headlights, expired registration and unreadable license plates. They mainly resulted in warnings. One case resulted in a DWI, another resulted in a cite-and-release because someone in the car had less than 2 ounces of marijuana in their possession and another resulted in a citation for driving without a license.
Two weeks ago, the city ended its partnership with DPS. It’s called the Austin Violent Crimes Task Force (AVCTF), and it began in March to help address Austin Police staffing shortages. Even though Mayor Kirk Watson called for the end of the partnership, Governor Abbott directed DPS to continue patrolling in Austin. Currently, 110 troopers patrol Austin streets and 20 CID agents work proactive investigations.
Below is a breakdown of DPS activity as part of the AVCTF as of July 20th.
- 30,135 traffic stops
- 1,152 custodial arrests
- 712 felony charges
- 843 misdemeanor charges
- 122 felony warrants served
- 79 misdemeanor warrants served
- 7.53 lbs. cocaine seized
- 4.66 lbs. fentanyl seized (1,057,566 lethal doses)
- 1.89 lbs. heroin seized
- 54.31 lbs. marijuana seized
- 603.71 lbs. methamphetamine seized
- 136 firearms seized
- 72 vehicle pursuits
- 176 crash investigations
- 11 stolen vehicles recovered
Major Ortiz said the agency was surprised to hear the City’s decision to end the partnership.
“I think most of us were surprised, I think there was some disappointment,” he said. “APD, Chief Chacon and even the mayor had even made comments about how effective the operation was in the city of Austin.”
Major Ortiz discusses the traffic stop that prompted City’s decision to end partnership
On July 12, Interim City Manager Jesús Garza announced that he had suspended the City’s partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety with the approval of Mayor Kirk Watson.
“Well in the last 48 hours, I have learned of an incident that’s very troubling involving a man and his young son,” Watson told KXAN just hours after the announcement. Watson said he was briefed about the incident by the APD and the city manager’s office.
Body camera video of that incident show DPS attempt to pull a vehicle over. After following the car for a few minutes, the driver pulls into a driveway.
“I feel like we had a partnership that had promise to it,” Watson said. “But when you can’t defend certain actions, you have to, as I’ve said from the very beginning, you have to make changes.”
Major Ortiz weighed in about the incident the following week.
“I believe they handled it textbook,” he said. “When you’re conducting nighttime operations and you’re attempting to pull a vehicle over and they don’t stop immediately and they switch lanes, the question in a trooper’s mind is what kind of person are you dealing with in this moment, are they attempting to evade, is there some kind of criminal activity going on. And then when doors fly open, that’s an officer safety issue.”
While he believes DPS is making an impact on crime reduction in Austin, Major Ortiz recognized the need for improvement when it comes to community engagement.
“I personally think we could do a better job,” he said. “I think the community should have an understanding about why we’re doing operations like this. I think there’s a perception that exists that we’re targeting communities of color unfairly, so I think for us to sit down with some of these organizations to explain to them what we’re trying to accomplish. I think if we did that it would help us build trust and credibility with these communities in Austin.”
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