• Facebook

What's On In Austin

Things to do in Austin

  • Home
  • Activities
    • Golf Clubs
    • Fitness & Gyms
    • Guided Tours
  • Places to Stay
  • Eat & Drink
  • Attractions
    • Bullock Texas State History Museum
    • French Legation Museum
    • Museum of the Weird
  • Beauty & Spa
  • Local Services
    • Shopping
    • Car Rentals
    • Dental Care
  • Properties
  • Map
  • News
Austin News & Events
Camiba Art: Exhibition featuring William T. Carson & Rebecca Rothfus Harrell
Austin’s Hottest New Hotel Has a Lakefront Infinity Pool
“What’s on in Austin” is the ‘go to’ website, packed with information for residents and visitors, to make your time in Austin an enjoyable. Great ideas on what to do and see, the best places to eat and stay, attractions, events, news and more…
Home Austin News

City Manager Names Interim Chief Joseph Chacon as Chief of Austin PD

September 22, 2021

APD veteran awaits City Council confirmation next week

By Austin Sanders, 4:20PM, Wed. Sep. 22, 2021

APD Interim Chief Joseph Chacon (Photo by John Anderson)

After officials in Boise, Idaho, and Waco, Texas, passed on the opportunity to make Joseph Chacon their new police chief in 2020 and 2021, respectively, City Manager Spencer Cronk has offered him the job here in Austin.

Chacon’s appointment, subject to City Council confirmation at its Sept. 30 meeting, concludes a six-month search process for former Austin Police Department Chief Brian Manley’s successor following his retirement earlier this spring. In the wake of Manley’s exit, Chacon was named APD’s interim chief – a surprising move given department Chief of Staff Troy Gay’s next-in-line status.

Still, Cronk’s offer of the permanent position comes as even more of a surprise to some observers, on account of criminal justice advocates and some council members who had pressed the city manager to find an outside hire. That push, in part, came from the belief among criminal justice reformers that an APD veteran like Chacon, who has more than two decades of experience at the department, would be too close to APD’s culture problems to bring about meaningful change.

Another reason reformers opposed an internal hire: Once Chacon is confirmed by Council, he can’t be fired from the job. That’s due to state law that allows a city manager to only demote – but not terminate – a public safety chief hired internally. It’s one reason why Manley held on to his job last year amidst the immense public pressure he and Cronk fell under after APD’s violent response to Black Lives Matter protests last summer.

Be that as it may, some advocates have been impressed by Chacon’s performance as interim chief, and there is hope that he will commit to Council’s vision to “reimagine public safety.”

In a statement, Chacon said, “I am extremely excited and humbled by this amazing opportunity. Austin PD is at a critical juncture, and I am honored that the City Manager is showing the trust in me to lead this amazing organization.”

Critical juncture is right – APD is enduring high rates of attrition while activists continue to press for a “reimagined” approach to public safety, with less emphasis on police patrol and more resources for alternative responses. Chacon will have to walk a fine line navigating the demands of each constituency.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for almost 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

Support the Chronicle  

READ MORE

More Austin Police Department


City Agrees to $2.25 Million Settlement in Fatal APD Shooting
City Agrees to $2.25 Million Settlement in Fatal APD Shooting

Jason Roque killed during mental health crisis in 2017

Brant Bingamon, Sept. 5, 2021


Two APD Officers Indicted for Murder in 2019 Shooting of Mauris DeSilva
Two APD Officers Indicted for Murder in 2019 Shooting of Mauris DeSilva

Death led to calls for better mental health crisis response

Austin Sanders, Aug. 27, 2021

More by Austin Sanders


What Happened After Last Summer's Black Lives Matter Protests? APD Won't Say.
What Happened After Last Summer’s Black Lives Matter Protests? APD Won’t Say.

City doesn’t want to make after-action report reviewing APD’s response public

Sept. 24, 2021


Record-Breaking Murder Count, Still a Low Murder Rate. Huh!
Record-Breaking Murder Count, Still a Low Murder Rate. Huh!

Sept. 17, 2021

KEYWORDS FOR THIS POST

Austin Police Department, Joseph Chacon, Brian Manley, City Council, Troy Gay, Spencer Cronk, Black Lives Matter protests, reimagining public safety

Please enable JavaScript to view comments.

SHARE TWEET PIN SHARE
  • Previous post
  • Next post

Related Posts

  • Lord Buffalo Drummer Yamal Said, a Legal U.S. Resident, Detained by Border Patrol
  • Mangy Puppy Dodges Euthanasia, Travels to Austin, Loves Cheese
  • “Economic Censorship”: The Devastation of the NEA Grants Cut Grows
  • Arts Groups Lose Promised Grant Money in Friday Night NEA Massacre
  • After Six Years in Jail, Charges Dropped Against Devonte Amerson
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • News & Events

Copyright © 2021 *** What's On in Austin.net *** All Rights Reserved *** View our Privacy Policy and Disclaimer
*** Part of the "WhatsOnIn"***