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Building Bridges

Building Bridges: A Travis County Sheriff's Office Program

In 2006, The Travis County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) partnered with the National Crime Prevention Council through a grant initiative to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community. The inception of the program focused on the issues derived from Austin’s east-west divide, leveraging the faith-based community, neighborhood leaders and community activists. Through meaningful dialogues, the community and TCSO built a strong foundation to address these concerns, create solutions, and most importantly, foster a partnership built on respect, understanding and trust.

The mission of TCSO’s Building Bridges program is to bring a culturally diverse community together to build new relationships and seek collaborative solutions that address public safety issues.

Over the years, the Building Bridges program hosted community Town Halls to promote positive interaction with law enforcement. These forums allowed TCSO the opportunity to listen to the concerns and ideas of Travis County residents and offer information about crime prevention, case updates, policies and procedures, racial profiling reports, health, safety, and much more. The Town Halls were hosted by TCSO and included the Austin Police Department, Austin Community College, and the Austin Independent School District on a rotating basis.

Friday Community Dialogues are facilitated by Building Bridges Chairman Flynn Lee. He works closely with our community partners to ensure the information presented is timely and provides residents with opportunities to learn about and discuss relevant topics and issues. The dialogues are also presented with special thanks to Nelson Linder, President of the Austin NAACP.

Where We Stand on Injustice & Racism

"We, the men and women of the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, stand in solidarity with our citizens of Travis County, our fellow Texans, and people around the world, grieving the pain and loss stemming from systemic racism and injustice.

As officers of the law, we entered our profession to serve and protect our communities. We maintain our commitment to serve with compassion, fairness and integrity. As we observe the pain of communities who have lost loved ones, we commit to a process of healing that includes action. We recognize that law enforcement needs to do more to better understand and improve our processes, and to ensure everyone is given equal treatment under the law – and without bias.

Our primary concern is public safety for all, and we are committed to a peaceful path forward, with swift action and lasting change. It is evident that many feel peaceful attempts of the past have been for nothing and without impact.

We, as a law enforcement agency, stand together with the hope of uniting our community and building a city and county that promotes justice and equality."

- Sheriff Sally I. Hernandez

TCSO To Serve and Protect

The #8CANTWAIT campaign is dedicated to bringing “immediate change to police departments.” The project calls for law enforcement to commit to more restrictive use of force policies.

Please review our TCSO To Serve and Protect publication below to take a look at where we stand on each of the recommended policies.

TCSO TO SERVE AND PROTECT

Friday Community Dialogues

The TCSO Community Outreach Unit invites you to join us for a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Friday, March 22nd from 9:00 - 10:00 am

Dress for Success presented by Hibah Siddiqui, Community and Client Engagement Manager

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 896 3571 2642
Passcode: 972161

For additional information or if your organization is interested in presenting at the Friday Community Dialogue Meetings, please email the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

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