Austin releases first batch of police disciplinary records ahead of vote on police contract

AUSTIN, Texas – The first once-confidential police disciplinary files were released under the Police Oversight Act, which until recently was a major sticking point in negotiations over a new contract with Austin Police.

A community meeting about the proposed contract was held on Wednesday, with discussions surrounding these so-called “G files” taking center stage.

The Austin Justice Coalition hosted the town hall to discuss a proposed police contract that the Austin City Council will vote on next week after months of negotiations.

“We’ve found that there are a lot of thoughts and opinions on the treaty, and tonight we just want to give people the facts,” said Chas Moore of the Austin Justice Coalition. “We want people to be able to decide for themselves whether they think this contract is fair or just or not.”

One of the biggest issues involved disciplinary records known as G-files, which were previously confidential documents until Austin voters passed the police oversight law in May 2023 requiring their public release.

“We preach the values ​​of voters, the integrity of voting, and then to turn around and not respect the wishes of the voters, I think is a slap in the face to the voters,” Moore said. “And secondly, you know, I think it’s extremely important that we have access to the G-files to make sure that we can hold the police accountable when they mess up, right?”

ALSO| Candidates for Hays County sheriff are citing experience for the position

After months of legal challenges, a state district judge ruled against the confidentiality of those misconduct records in late August. And now the City of Austin’s Office of Police Oversight has released its first batch of 11 documents from 2020.

“I think this is a step in the right direction, right?” Moore said. “But again, to make sure that the language in the contract clearly states how many of these G-files are still open.”

The records document investigations into misconduct by Austin police officers and include disciplinary recommendations.

“Sunlight is the best disinfectant,” said Austin City Councilmember Jose “Chito” Vela. “The police have so much power that there should be a high level of transparency and accountability precisely because they are such a powerful agency.”

City Council members Vanessa Fuentes and Jose “Chito” Vela are now calling for additional resources so the city can release more documents “as quickly as possible.”

“Now we have a better opportunity to evaluate the investigation, review the various recommendations from the Office of Police Oversight and get a better sense of what is going on within the police department,” Vela said. “That will be a lot of information. It will take a long time to process these, retrieve them from storage and redact the sensitive information they contain, but we must go ahead and get started.”

Vela says if this is the level of transparency and accountability the city can expect from the new police contract, he will likely support the vote next week.

“This is something we as a community have been striving for for decades, and we have the opportunity to really make this happen,” Vela said.

The Austin Police Association could not be reached for comment at this time.