@Constant, i know it is not your town...but i would genuinely be curious about your honest input on the visible changes in apd. in an overall sense, most people don't realize that we have significantly less crime in austin than we did 20 years ago and it was on a long-term downward trajectory for a long time. combined with the insane growth, there is certainly no surprise that in the last 5 years, that trend has reversed. however, even for a non-pearl clutcher like myself, the visibility of apd in a nominal sense is materially diminished compared to my first 20 years here. that's not to mention the utter lack of urgency to things like an active scene with firearm hostilities as described above.
is it a recruiting thing? are 18-25 years olds just reluctant to pursue law enforcement due to a stigma/low pay? is it "hey, you fuckers are hostile to law enforcement so fuck you, see how you like it when no one is around?" curious what your take is.