Reports question treatment of Black cadets at Austin police academy

Two new reports raise concerns about the treatment of Black cadets at the Austin police academy, reporting that they are more likely than their non-Black peers to leave the academy before graduation and to suffer injuries.

The reports also included interviews with recent cadets who said they were subjected to long workouts in sweltering heat as a form of punishment and were deprived of water until they were done. Cadets with military backgrounds spoke of training tactics that they described as worse than anything they were subjected to in military training.

The reports – conducted by separate outside consultant groups for the purpose of reviewing potential racial inequalities in the Police Department – add to earlier questions about procedures at the police academy and about how soon the academy might reopen.

Both reports were conducted with guidance from the city's equity office, which tapped the Peace Mill Research and Communications to evaluate seven divisions in the police department for equity. The equity office, in conjunction with the Police Department, later appointed Joyce James Consulting to help identify racial inequities within the department.

In August, the Austin City Council temporarily closed the police academy by canceling three upcoming cadet classes through the annual budget process, with council members saying they were concerned that the current curriculum lacked proper anti-bias and cultural sensitivity training. An audit of the curriculum is ongoing after the council in November authorized the hiring of a New York firm to review the materials.

Separately, a citizen group is reviewing training videos used at the academy and determining if they should remain part of the curriculum. The group plans to submit its findings to the city this month. 

The reports include a recommendation to suspend all cadet classes until "APD leadership and equity office officials can develop and implement an equity-driven action plan that reforms and rebuilds APD’s training division, including the training academy," according to an executive summary of the Peace Mill report prepared by the equity office.

In December, Mayor Steve Adler said his intention was to get curriculum changes in place by this spring in order to start a cadet class at that time.

In a written statement Monday, Adler said he still hopes to do that despite the concerns laid out in the recent reports.

"We need both cadet class curriculum and cadets that reflect the culture and diversity of our city as well as a new class that begins soon, as the council provided for last summer," Adler said. "I hope and trust we can achieve both, but there are questions that must be answered as we try to move in this direction."

The Peace Mill evaluated the Police Department for equity and determined:

• Only one of the 57 employees in the training division was Black.

• 81.6% of white male cadets recruited by the department ended up graduating from the academy, compared to 48.5% of Black male cadets. Hispanic males had an 83.4% graduation rate. The overall graduation rate for the training academy cadet classes between 2015 and 2020 was 77%.

• From 2015 to 2020, Black cadets accounted for 5% of all academy graduates. Only one Asian woman completed the academy during that time.

• Black cadets accounted for 11.2% of documented injuries (57), which is more than the number of Black cadets who participated in the academy (45).

• Multiple former cadets said training staffers made negative comments about individuals experiencing homelessness and told cadets that if they are “having a slow day,” they could target a homeless person for various citations.

• An average of 10 cadets were treated for heat exhaustion per year.

The findings from the reports were presented Monday to the city's Public Safety Commission.

Austin Police Association President Ken Casaday defended the department, suggesting the report was based on outdated information. For instance, Casaday said, the academy has scaled back on the duration of punishment exercises in the heat that cadets described to the researchers as "smoking sessions." Casaday downplayed verbal abuse by trainers to cadets, saying that berating language is used only during one week of training and is needed to prepare cadets for hostile encounters they will face after graduation.

"I'm at a loss why we are even talking about this," Casaday said Monday. "This is old information from five years ago. A lot of things pointed out in the study have already been remedied."

In a statement Monday, the police department said it was reviewing the findings and recommendations included in the two reports.

"We strive to be an organization that promotes diversity, inclusion and equity for all populations," the statement read. "The department will continue efforts to make improvements to policies, practices, and training that allow everyone in Austin to feel safe and protected."

The statement continued:

"We are actively taking steps toward addressing internal and external inequities in APD policing. We remain committed to doing the hard work necessary to ensure that department values and actions align with those of the community we serve. We will continue to work collaboratively with the equity office to implement a strategic equity action plan."

In 2018, City Manager Spencer Cronk mandated that all city departments complete an equity assessment. The equity office and the Peace Mill began reviewing the seven divisions within the Police Department. But during the process, police leadership identified the need to dig deeper into the department's culture and, in consultation with the equity office, identified Round Rock firm Joyce James Consulting to complete a broader cultural assessment.

The firm recommended that the department shift from a "warrior mindset to a guardian mindset." It also recommended more diverse recruiting and greater discussion on the appropriateness of using an applicant's financial status or credit score as a means for rejection.

The next step is for the equity office to follow up with Police Department leadership in January and February to address the concerns in the reports.