Police Cutbacks In Austin, TX Means Police In Austin Won't Reply To All 911 Calls Any Longer.

The Austin, TX police dept. will not respond to 'non-emergency' calls due to staffing shortages and a 'reimagining' of policing. Any 911 callers that are not considered to be an emergency situation will be told to call 311 instead to request police assistance at a later date. It is reported that some in Austin, TX who have called 311 to report a crime waited on hold for extended periods of time to get assistance, and after a crime report is finally made to 311, a follow up by the police dept. can take up to several days.