APD helps control inauguration crowds

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Between inaugural events in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo phoned KXAN to talk about his officers' efforts during this national event.

“I think as they compared notes to other departments around the country, they realized working in Austin is a real privilege and honor,” Acevedo said. “It helps recharge their batteries and helps them stay focused on working in one of the best cities in the nation.”

See a gallery of Acevedo's photos from the inauguration.

He said this was the third trip to the nation’s capital for such an occasion. For President Barack Obama’s second swearing in, APD was one of 86 departments across the country invited to help with crowd control.

“We enjoyed running into our residents from Austin, who got very excited to see us,” he said. “We got excited to see them, and it reminded us of home.”

In all, 41 APD personnel assisted local officers. In their downtime between the inauguration ceremony and parade, Acevedo said he was thinking about this “miracle every four years, something we should all take a lot of pride in.”

“Being a political refugee from Cuba where I came from as a young child, for me this is a great experiment of democracy in the history of humanity,” he said. “It may not be perfect, but it’s as good as it gets.”

Back in Austin, supporters of the president went to Scholz's Beer Garden north of Downtown to watch the swearing-in ceremonies and to hear the inaugural address.

Luke Metzger of Environment Texas attended with his girlfriend, Rachel Carnahan, and his son, Gustavo, 6.

"I spent a lot of time talking with my son in the elections about the democratic process and how we choose our leaders," Metzger said.

Asked what he thought of the event, Gustavo, still in diapers when Obama was sworn in the first time, replied: Uh, good."

Added Carnahan: "He loves it. I think he got quite in to it. We were just marching in the parade from the statue of MLK at UT."

Three presidential elections from now, Gustavo will be able to cast his vote for the first time.

A choice his dad said is neing shaped with events like Monday's inauguration.

"I'm very hopeful the president will be able to achieve some great successes that will better our country and his future," he said.