Follow Up Questions — original pdf

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APD Follow Up Drug Offenses Austin Police | February 2, 2026 Follow Up Questions from PSC  Can you please help us follow up on the questions we had around the Drug Offense category of APD’s quarterly report? We were looking for:  A more detailed breakdown of offense types;  Geographic location information;  Demographic information; and  More information on who is spearheading efforts in this category (patrol v special units, etc) 2 Policing Efforts  Pandemic-era disruptions significantly reduced drug enforcement activity through 2021  2025 reflects a return to pre-pandemic activity levels  Post-pandemic rebound reflects strategic enforcement shifts, not uniform growth  Majority of drug-related activity is identified through patrol-based encounters, often tied to calls for service or proactive policing efforts  Specialized units support distribution-level and higher-impact cases, particularly involving delivery or repeat offenders  This layered approach allows APD to balance public safety priorities with measured enforcement 3 Drug Offense Types  Drug offenses break down into three major categories  Delivery and paraphernalia offenses increased most sharply  Marijuana possession remains below historical levels  In 2025, 80% of these incidents resulted in a suspended or open case, meaning no charges were filed on the individual and the marijuana was seized for disposal  Less than 18% resulted in an arrest- typically tied to other charges or possession of a felony amount of marijuana  Drug offenses co-occur with other, higher, offenses between 12%-23% of the time (2022-2025)  Most often with Weapons Law Violations, Simple Assault, and Theft Please note, these major categories make up the majority of drug offenses. There are other smaller offense types not included in this grouping. 4 Geographic Locations • Districts 3, 4, & 9 consistently represent about 2/3 of all drug offenses each year 5 Demographic Information Percent Suspect/Arrested BLACK HISPANIC OR LATINO WHITE 2022 33% 39% 26% 2023 35% 36% 27% 2024 37% 37% 25% 2025 36% 36% 27%  From 2022–2025, the racial and ethnic distribution of individuals identified as suspects or arrested for drug offenses has remained relatively stable  Year-to-year changes are modest, with no single group experiencing abrupt shifts 6