In July. we reported on the two finalists up for the position of Chief of Police for the Austin Police Department. On August 2, City Manager T.C. Broadnax announced that he chose Lisa Davis, Cincinnati’s Assistant Chief of Police, to fill the position. A vote by city council and Mayor Kirk Watson today at 1:00 pm will make it official.
City Manager Broadnax stated, “The Chief of Police is a critical position for any city and, as I’ve said since joining the City of Austin in early May, identifying a permanent police chief was a top priority for me.” After receiving feedback and looking over both candidates’ resumes, he chose to move Davis forward for confirmation.
This came as a surprise to many due to Milwaukee Chief Jeffrey B. Norman, the other APD Chief candidate, having the seemingly better resume and decades of experience being a police chief. However, a recent public meet-and-greet allowed Davis to shine while Norman seemed muffled and somewhat unprepared.
Related: Austin’s New Chief of Police Will Be One of Two Finalists
Assistant Chief Davis is passionate about community policing and building police legitimacy through community partnerships. She developed a specialized unit to address at-risk population victimization that includes the LGBTQ community, Latino/Hispanic community, human trafficking victims and homeless youth.
Davis says she’s excited to be confirmed as Austin’s next police chief and the city’s second woman chief after interim Chief Robin Henderson, who decided to retire instead of applying for the permanent chief position.
Learn more about the new police chief here. If you’re interested in joining the police department, apply here.
