Esme murder: 'Somebody knows something'

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo joined KXAN News early in the studio Friday to talk about the latest efforts detectives are taking to track down Esme Barrera's killer -- on the loose since New Year's Day.

Investigators are looking at previous cases that may help them connect the dots in the year's first homicide.

And while there are no new developments in the case, Acevedo did point out that they are working a lot of tips.

"Somebody knows something, and fortunately, criminals like to talk," said Acevedo. "So I’m sure that there’s somebody out there that has a tip that can lead to this arrest."

As for the sketch of the person of interest, Acevedo said they know someone with recognize the person.

"Bottom line, he's somebody we're interested in finding and to speak with," said Acevedo.

Homicide and other detectives from other units have been pulled in to work together to try and solve the case surrounding a "big-city crime" with still no arrest after nearly two weeks.

"I think that it’s really important for people to realize that we get lulled, because we are such a safe city, into a sense of security that, you know, you still have to be cautious out there," said Acevedo. "Anybody that is willing to take a life is someone you need to be worried about."

The chief insisted on vigilance among the community, citing the fact that the city has nearly a million people, is a huge metropolitan area and has a large transient population.

"We’re a safe city because of a good police department. But more importantly, we have a community that is engaged, that is involved and willing  to stand up for its neighbors," said Acevedo. "Hopefully, we’ll be able to keep that neighborhood safe and move forward."

Acevedo urges anyone who sees something suspicious or of concern to call 911.

Factors police faced the day of the murder

• It was New Year's Eve, which is a busy time when plenty of incidents happen around the city.
• At the time, there were calls pending and stacked up for police all over the city.

Acevedo said a conversation has to be taken about educating the city about the department's lean staffing.

• Related: Barrera killing highlights APD staffing

"I think folks have to be educated on how we stack up to the rest of the nation, especially sometimes when there’s discussions about cutting back on police staffing," said Acevedo.

Some 2.4 officers per thousand residents is the national average for police staffing, which would mean about 450 more officers in the city of Austin.

"It’s all about resources," said Acevedo. "I’m never going to say that we don’t have enough. But I think that before we start talking about reducing the size of the department -- which is somewhat of a conversation going on -- people need to be educated on how we stack up. And we’re pretty lean compared to the rest of the country."

The topic of reducing police staffing is a conversation point Acevedo said began last year in the budget process.

The Austin City Council approved 49 new officer positions for 2012. Some 47 of those positions are for patrol officers, and the other two will be assigned to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.