Complaints against Apd are down

THERE IS NEW EVIDENCE TONIGHT THAT TENSIONS BETWEEN THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN AND AUSTIN POLICE MAY BE EASING. THE POLICE MONITOR'S REPORT FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS YEAR IS OUT...AND COMPLAINTS AGAINST APD ARE DOWN. KXAN'S DAVID SCOTT JOINS US LIVE IN STUDIO WITH MORE.. MORE.. 3 IT WASN'T THAT LONG AGO THERE WAS BAD BLOOD BETWEEN CITIZENS AND POLICE....A FEELING AMONG SOME THAT TOO MANY OFFICERS WERE RUDE, AGGRESIVE...TOO QUICK TO DRAW. THE CONTROVERSIAL SHOOTINGS OF DANIEL ROCHA IN 2005, NATHANIEL SANDERS IN 2009...BOTH LEADING TO BIG SETTLEMENTS.BUT THE COMPLAINT NUMBERS AGAINST POLICE HAVE BEEN TRENDING DOWN...SUGGESTING OFFICERS MAY BE LEARNING HOW TO BETTER DEAL WITH CITIZENS, AND CITIZENS ARE RECOGNIZING THE OFFICERS ARE JUST TRYING TO DO THEIR JOB. JOB. 3 3 "THERE'S BEEN A DOWNWARD TREND WHICH HOPEFULLY IS A GOOD THING. I HOPE THAT MEANS THERE ARE FEWER PROBLEMS WITH THE BEHAVIOR OF THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT. DEPARTMENT.MARGO FRAZIER IS THE AUSTIN POLICE MONITOR...HER NEW REPORT COVERS THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS YEAR AND A TREND IS APPEARING, COMPLAINTS ARE DOWN. MORE THAN 600 CALLS CAME IN ABOUT POLICE BEHAVIOR BUT MANY WERE NOT PURSUED. JUST 39 CITIZENS PUSHED ON WITH A FORMAL COMPLAINT, THE DEPARTMENT HAD 125 INTERNAL COMPLAINTS...THOSE NUMBERS ARE A FIVE YEAR LOW. OFFICERS MAY BE GETTING BETTER WITH THEIR BEDSIDE MANNER, CITIZENS MAY BE LESS TOUCHY. TOUCHY."80% OF THE OFFICERS HAVE NEVER BEEN SEEN IN THIS OFFICE, EVER IN THEIR CAREERS. REMEMBER THAT. HOPEFULLY THE MESSAGE IS GETTING ACROSS THAT MATTERS NOT ONLY WHAT YOU SAY BUT HOW YOU SAY IT." IT."THE DOWNTOWN COMMAND HAD THE MOST ALLEGATIONS AGAINST IT, BUT YOU MIGHT SAY THAT'S WHERE THE ACTION IS.COMPLAINTS FROM WHITES, HISPANICS AND AFRICAN-AMERICANS WERE ROUGHLY EQUIVILANT TO THEIR PORTIONS OF THE POPULATION.AND THERE'S SOMETHING NEW. RATHER THAN MOVING ON TO A FORMAL INTERNAL INVESTIGATION....THERE IS MEDIATION NOW. THE COMPLAINTANT AND OFFICER FACE TO FACE WITH A NEUTRAL MEDIATOR. MEDIATOR."YOU DO ALLOW FOR A TIME TO VENT, THEN YOU WANT TO MOVE THEM FORWARD FROM THERE AND SEE WHAT IT IS THEY NEED. SOMETIMES IT'S JUST AN APOLOGY." APOLOGY."THE SESSION LASTS TWO TO FOUR HOURS. NO WRITTEN AGREEMENTS, NO THREATS OF DISCIPLINE, JUST A FACE TO FACE UNDERSTANDING OF THE MINDS. IT SEEMS TO WORK. WORK."HOPEFULLY IT GIVES THEM A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE THE OFFICER IS COMING FROM AS WELL AS THE OFFICER UNDERSTANDING WHERE THE CITIZEN IS COMING FROM. 3 AFTER A MEDIATION SESSION, THE CITIZENS FILLS OUT A SURVEY AND THE MEDIATORS TELL ME 85% OF THEM SAY THEY'RE HAPPY AND SATISFIED WITH THE WAY THAT MEETING TURNED OUT.MAYBE