Programs

As part of the Austin Police Department’s mission and commitment to enhance accountability, openness, and transparency, our police officers wear body-worn cameras. 

The Austin Police Department provides up-to-date police reports to the public online. These reports include Compstat reports and the Chief's monthly reports.

Get involved in the APD Safe Place program. The program's goal is to increase public trust in law enforcement and feelings of safety in the community. It encourages reporting of all bias crimes in all communities.  

The APD Youth Program was developed to create a path for the recruitment of local youth into the Austin Police Department (APD). In the coming weeks and months, APD will hire 60+ local youth to assist with the development of a collaborative youth-led recruiting model. 

The Community Police Academy (CPA) is a fourteen-week program designed to give the public a working knowledge of the Austin Police Department. Each session consists of weekly classes that meet at a designated location. The class curriculum is comprehensive, and different units within the department are covered each week.

Applications for the Spring 2025 Community Police Academy are now CLOSED. Keep an eye out for Fall 2025 applications to open later in Summer 2025. 

The Homeless Outreach Street Team or HOST is a new, innovative and collaborative initiative that operates in the Downtown and West Campus area, occasionally assisting other parts of the city to address the needs of people living on the streets. HOST is modeled after similar successful programs that have taken root in other cities in the U.S.

The Leaders in Knowledge & Support (LinKs) program reaches out to High School students interested in learning about the connection between Law Enforcement and their community. Students will be exposed to opportunities to gain knowledge about the Austin Police Department and its many specialized units. Through presentations and community engagement activities students will gain a better understanding of how Law Enforcement operates and how beneficial it is for police officers to establish partnerships with the communities they serve.

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that fosters positive relationships and communication between community members and police. It encourages community awareness, involvement, and provides law enforcement accessibility in order to make our neighborhoods safer. 

As of 2021, Texas law no longer requires people to have a license to carry (LTC) in order to carry a handgun in most public places.