APD cadets brace cold for Chief's Run

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Austin Police Department Cadets laced up their shoes, braved the cold front and dashed down South Congress Avenue Tuesday morning for the 13th Annual Chief’s Run.

It's a tradition APD does for the cadet class. Starting at 7 a.m., the aspiring officers ran from the Texas Peace Officers Memorial Capitol and on down South Congress Avenue, finishing over the bridge to Riverside Drive.

"It’s a great way for the Austin Police Department to showcase what they’ve done for the last 32 weeks, and that’s prepare and train some of the finest officers for us to be in the nation," explained cadet Marcos Johnson. 

This is the 122nd Cadet Class of the Austin Police Department, a total of 64 cadets who ran with Chief Art Acevedo -- who is no stranger to the run.

"I think it’s important for them to announce their arrival. The people of this city really place a high premium on public safety," explained Acevedo. "If you look around what’s going on with the city -- all these special events, all the things are going on here -- we’re a very lean department. And every one of these cadets are needed; they’re critically needed to keep Austin safe.”

The purpose of the run is to promote unity within the department and the community, and every time a class graduates they take part in this tradition.

The chief, along with other officers, ran with the cadets. Acevedo said the chilly weather re-energized him and that he "looks forward to working patrol with these young men and women. I look forward for them to show this community what they're about, they're all about heart and service."

Johnson said he and other cadets appreciate their leaders joining them.

"It means a lot, it means that they care," said Johnson. "It means that they stand by a lot of the things they teach us. It just shows that it’s a huge close-knit family here. It’s very tight and even though we have a very large department for our city, they want to make sure each officer is equipped to go out there on the street perform his job and do the best that they can do."

The class of 64 cadets graduate on Friday.

“This one is not one of the biggest, but it is on the bigger size (classes)," said Acevedo. 

He said this class size is just helping keep up with the current staff situation. The chief also said some people think the department needs to be leaner, but he says people from the community want a higher presence.

"Again, people retire, people get hurt, people’s careers end, people move on to other professions. The most important thing for people to realize is our city continues to grow; our events continue to grow. This is the hub of the nation,"  explained Acevedo. "Everyone is coming to Austin. Everyone is moving here. We can’t forget in order to keep that vibe going, we have to keep the city safe. And that’s by keeping appropriate staff levels in the Police Department.”

The last Chief's Run happened just more than four months ago -- though that time with drastically fewer cadets. Only 15 cadets were poised to join the force.

The addition of the 15 cadets came as the department faced a staffing shortage, and Acevedo said it was one of the smallest classes in recent years for the department -- a size directly impacted by city budget constraints.

While it brought the force's numbers to 1,646 officers, it's still short of a full staff number closer to 1,700. That's all while demand for new officers continues to grow.

A 33-page report out in early July said there are still more than 250 positions that need to be added to keep up with population projections.

APD recommendations

• 155 officers
• 78 detectives
• 24 sergeants
• 257 total by 2017

Even that would leave the department staffed below the national average, estimated at 1 officer per 2.11 thousand people.

The report also said civilians could fill up to 29 of those positions, but many on the force are hesitant to them unless they’re retired officers.