Austin police chief announces retirement after 30 years
Austin’s police chief is retiring after starting with the city's police department 30 years ago
The police chief in the Texas capital city of Austin is retiring after 30 years with the department officials announced Friday.
Austin officials said in a statement that Chief Brian Manley is stepping down after leading the police force since May 2018. It's unclear who will replace Manley. A news conference is planned for Friday.
Calls for Manley to resign have been persistent following the April police killing of Michael Ramos, who was driving away from officers when they opened fire, and after Austin police caused serious injuries during protests over the police killing of George Floyd.
Floyd died in May after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee against the handcuffed Black man’s neck for several minutes while Floyd said he couldn’t breathe. His death sparked demonstrations against racial injustice around the world, including in Austin, where two protesters were hospitalized with head injuries after being shot by police with so-called less lethal munitions.
The city announced in December that 11 Austin police officers had been disciplined for their actions during late May protests. The city did not detail the punishments or the specific complaints that led to the reviews.
Manley was the interim chief of police and became the lone candidate for his current role shortly after the department’s work on the case of a serial mail bomber that terrified the capital city of Texas.