Months after deadly mass capturing, Austin shifting forward on sixth Road security initiatives

Austin City Council conducted a public safety review of the downtown entertainment district this summer. (Ben Thompson / Community Impact Newspaper)

Almost four months after about a dozen visitors were injured and one man was killed in a shooting on East Sixth Street, Austin public safety officials say they are making progress on targeted downtown safety initiatives that the city council announced this summer has advanced.

The June 12 shooting and other incidents of violence along the East Sixth earlier this year resulted in a security review in the downtown area and its crowded nightlife and live music scene, which began in the spring. Kathie Tovo, councilor for District 9, which includes the Sixth Street entertainment sector, said days after the incident she would speak to city officials and first responders to find a way forward while other councilors stepped up measures like one Gun violence enforcement called for adjustments to the staffing of ambulance services and police in response.

These talks continued in July when the council unanimously endorsed a Tovo-backed resolution outlining new planning and precautionary measures for the Sixth Street entertainment district – defined in the document as that of Congress Avenue and I-35 between Fifth Street and Seventh Street limited area.

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Citing several previous security reports in the area, the resolution cited the county’s numerous shootings and the often noisy crowd that created “the perception of an unsafe and volatile environment” that should be investigated over months. Several guidelines and recommendations have been established with consecutive deadlines of August 30th, September 30th and October 30th.

While the city failed to submit a progress report after the August marker, Police Chief Joseph Chacon and Development Services Director Denise Lucas released a joint memo on October 5 describing how officials have so far approached the council-ordered process. The process will be overseen by a new city team made up of representatives from the Austin Police, Fire, Transportation, and Code departments, as well as Austin Energy, the Austin-Travis County’s City Heritage Department, and EMS. The partnership was established on August 16.

Other measures the Austin Police Department has taken over the past few months include expanding the downtown violence intervention program and a large-scale training exercise near the location where the shooting took place in June.

First responders conducted a live training exercise along Sixth Street in August. (Ben Thompson / Community Impact Newspaper)

Planning for a safer road

According to the update from Chacon and Lucas in early October, the work of the cross-departmental team is in full swing. The couple provided status reports on nine main policies and said more action and information can be expected this fall.

One of the most visible changes in recent times has resulted from the council’s call for “dramatically brighter rooms” in the area. In response, Austin Energy has upgraded 64 street lights on north-south streets and alleys of Sixth and is conducting a lighting study that could fundamentally change the lighting along the corridor. The team also talks to business owners about lighting and whether outside barriers or seating areas could improve traffic flow during weekend peak hours.

The strategy of nightlife in major cities at home and abroad could also determine Austin’s next steps. The city team’s first few months of work included discussions with other cities about how they deal with safety in entertainment districts. With multiple contacts in the books, Chacon and Lucas said perspectives from officials in New York; Las Vegas; San Francisco; Seattle; Orlando; Arlington, Virginia; and Sydney, Australia, are shared with the council.

It also searches for a place to be used as a public safety area. The need for a special post for EMS and other first responders to congregate on Sixth was highlighted after the June shooting by Selena Xie, president of the Austin EMS Association, who said the lack of such a location delayed downtown in the face of delays Prone to response times and difficulty makes ambulances and staff navigate through chaotic crowds.

“Austin was actually very lucky that there were no more victims,” ​​Xie said in June.

Although a staging area has not yet been identified, officials said planning was ongoing and the site will host a new rescue task force of EMS and Austin Fire Department medics and APD officials to “reach, treat, and service patients as needed to free”. Separately, the city could also consider a licensing program that would require local company employees to undergo safety training to improve coordination between staff and first responders.

The regular impact of alcohol along the corridor was also highlighted when the council asked staff to review whether underage drinking is still a problem there – the team found it is – and with the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission to work together to reduce the number of under 21s who show up on weekends. Officials said a joint effort by APD and TABC on Sept. 2 targeted underage drinkers and fake IDs, and the two agencies will work together on similar work in the future.

Chacon and Lucas said progress updates on many of the issues tracked by the security partnership will be presented to the city council later this month. The final deadline set in the Council Decision also instructs the relevant departments to start working on a “Nightlife Management Plan”, reviewing their responses to mass accidents and examining whether reopening the corridor to vehicle traffic on weekends could be a positive change – a stronger split concept in the council gallery than it was presented in the summer.

The team is also tasked with talking to property owners about land use along the strip, which is currently littered with bars, clubs, music venues and restaurants, and whether new regulations could “make more diverse use” of the street. Another report to the Council is expected at the end of the month.

“Staff continue to work together to address the items outlined in this resolution and look forward to providing updated information on progress,” said Chacon and Lucas.