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A workplace survey showed low morale and a lack of faith in Austin, Texas city leadership among police department employees leading to current and former law enforcement, along with a local politician, telling Fox News Digital that the low morale is a direct result of the city council defunding the police in 2020.
The Listening to the Workforce Survey, first reported by KXAN-TV, showed morale in the Austin Police Department below the citywide average in every area including only 20% of APD employees saying their department was well managed, 17% saying they felt comfortable challenging the way things are done, and 11% agreeing that "change is managed well" in the city.
Only 25% of Austin Police Department employees said they feel "valued" for the work they do, and 29% said they feel "proud" to tell people they work for the city of Austin.
Over 2,300 APD employees were eligible to take the survey, and just over 600 of them participated.
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Demonstrators face members of the Austin Police Department as they gather in downtown Austin, Texas, on June 4, 2020, to protest the death of George Floyd (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Following the Austin City Council’s decision to strip the police of roughly 30% of its funding in 2020, the city saw the highest number of homicides, 89, of any year since at least 1960.
At the same time, a record-breaking surge in officers leaving the force, many due to low morale, coupled with the staffing shortages that came from defunding, led to a strained relationship between police and city leadership and left the police force unable to adequately respond to crimes.
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Austin Police Officer Justin Berry, one of 19 officers indicted by Austin's progressive District Attorney Jose Garza earlier this year for their role in breaking up a 2020 Black Lives Matter riot, told Fox News Digital that city council members sent the message following the death of George Floyd that they supported Black Lives Matter activists over police.
"When you have your city council leaders actively out there marching in these protests and calling for people to fill the streets when they know that the men and women of law enforcement will have to go out there and address that, why would these so-called city leaders throw fuel on a fire that was already very contentious?" Berry asked.
"Instead of calming the tensions and being true leaders, they just added fuel to the fire and in my opinion made that time much, much worse," Berry continued. "They gave credibility to the behavior and actions of those who would ultimately end up rioting and engaging in assaultive behavior toward the men and women in policing."
Protesters shut down I-35 during a rally against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Austin, Texas (REUTERS/Nuri Vallbona )
Fox News Digital reached out to all 10 Austin City Council members and Mayor Steve Adler for comment but did not immediately receive a response from any except for Council Member Mackenzie Kelly, who said the survey results are a "direct result" of the city council defunding the police.
"It should come as no surprise to the residents in Austin that morale at the Austin Police Department is at an all-time low," Kelly, who was elected to the city council in 2021, said. "The results are a direct result of the actions of the Austin City Council in 2020 to defund the police department. My office always stands behind the brave men and women of the Police Department and looks forward to ensuring the officers have the support they need to keep our community safe."
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Dennis Farris, President of the Austin Police Retired Officer's Association, told Fox News Digital he is not surprised morale is so low and says the issue started in 2017, when the city council unanimously voted down a contract between the police union and the city and hit a boiling point when the police were defunded in 2020.
"It really feels like they care more about the activists than their own employees when employees should be the priority," Farris said. "Everybody should have a seat at the table, and it should be an equal seat. Right now, there’s not an equal seat for cops at the table."
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People hold up signs outside Austin Police Department after a Black Lives vigil ((Photo by Sergio Flores/Getty Images))
An Austin police officer who left the force penned a scathing letter to the department last year and rejected a $5,000 bonus to return, saying that the "the working environment within APD is one of the most dangerous in the nation."
The Austin Police Association, the union representing officers in the city, responded to the survey on Twitter with a quote from a recently retired officer.
"There is a very strong & apparent hatred & disdain towards the Austin police department from the city leadership, which naturally bleeds down through the department," the quote said.
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"Mayor and City Council seems to have no idea how much their decisions have negatively impacted APD and the citizens of Austin. Employee morale among sworn staff is so low," one written response to the survey from an APD employee stated, with another writing, "At the earliest time I can leave this department and retire, I will and not look back. The city has trivialized my profession and completely destroyed this department."
When it comes to mending the relationship between city leaders and the police, Berry told Fox News Digital that words from the city council aren't enough.
"They've got work to do, and words don't work anymore," Berry said. "It's going to have to be action."
Following publication of this article, Fox News Digital received a comment from Austin Mayor Steve Adler.
"Policing is important but also a hard job, across the nation, especially in recent years," Adler said. "The Survey is one of the tools we use to understand the challenges and aspirations of our workforce. Our city needs to be constantly trying to improve working conditions and general morale. It is important our workforce knows their appreciated, especially in departments experiencing the greatest changes."
Fox News Digital also received a comment from Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon who said his department has implemented changes in response to employee surveys including a Chief’s Advisory Committee, Chief's Page and Suggestion Box, expansion of career development plans to encompass all members of the organization, and monthly employee and leadership development webinars.
"APD sworn and civilian employees are among the most dedicated public servants around," Chacon said. "I am incredibly proud of the work they do every day, keeping this community safe. Every year, we review the feedback we receive from the survey to inform our programs and policies. We continue to work diligently to address staff’s concerns and improve morale."
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