In December, following the abrupt resignation of an assistant police chief accused of using racial slurs on the job, Austin’s city council launched an investigation to be conducted by San Antonio lawyer Lisa Tatum to determine whether higher-ups at the Austin Police Department (APD) knew about and tolerated bigotry in their ranks.
“Racist and sexist name calling and use of derogatory terms associated with race and sex persists” inside APD, according to the report released by Austin city officials on Friday. Top brass at the department have often known about or even sometimes participated in such behavior, according to the report. As a result, officers who want to improve their workplace have generally feared speaking out due to “almost certain retaliation.”
Tatum’s report also says officers she interviewed were distrustful of an ad hoc disciplinary process inside APD, where, according to the report, complaints of bias have often been ignored and documents related to officer discipline have seemed to disappear. Not surprisingly, Tatum’s report also notes an “extremely low degree of expectation” among officers that internal investigations into racist and sexist behavior will be handled seriously. “We listened to many anecdotes illustrating inappropriate comments over the years through which APD personnel expressed concern about racist behavior, but also sexist behavior, and dissimilar treatment in the handling of officer discipline and those who may be served by APD chaplain services, with the denial of marital services to same sex couples,” the report also states. “There are some real cultural issues that are in need of attention.”
