The policies that govern Austin Police Department (APD) officers are found in a manual called the APD General Orders.
One of the main responsibilities of OPO’s Policy & Research Division is to provide APD with recommendations to improve the General Orders. These recommendations are generally made through one of two processes:
1. OPO recommends a policy change and shares that recommendation in writing with City leadership and APD.
In 2021, OPO made 93 recommendations to APD policies and practices. This included:
- 73 recommendations to change then-current policies or practices
- 20 recommendations to create new policies or practices
2. APD approves a policy change, and OPO responds in writing to either support or object to the change.
In 2021, OPO made 31 objections to APD’s approved changes to 13 policies.