TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY 5805 N LAMAR BLVD  BOX 4087  AUSTIN, TEXAS 78773-0001 512/424-2000 www.dps.texas.gov COMMISSION STEVEN P. MACH, CHAIRMAN MANNY FLORES A. CYNTHIA LEON JASON K. PULLIAM RANDY WATSON STEVEN C. McCRAW DIRECTOR SKYLOR HEARN FREEMAN F. MARTIN RANDALL B. PRINCE DEPUTY DIRECTORS December 13, 2018 Lt. Gena Curtis Sex Crimes, Domestic Violence & C.R.A.S.H. Units Austin Police Department P.O. Box 689001 Austin, TX 78768-9001 Lt. Curtis, From Tuesday, December 4, 2018, through Friday, December 7, 2018, the Incident-Based Reporting Bureau (IBR) conducted an audit at the request of the Austin Police Department (APD). The purpose of the audit was to review APD’s exceptional clearances on UCR Summary rape offenses. To facilitate the audit, APD was asked for a list of UCR Summary rape offenses that were reported as exceptionally cleared by APD during the months of January, November and December 2017. The IBR Audit team was allowed access to APD’s records to review the narratives of the incidents for the exceptionally cleared rape offenses subject to this audit. In addition, the IBR Audit Team reviewed a copy of the Austin Police Department’s Case Clearance Policy as stated in Policy 406.2.2 of the Austin Police Department Police Manual. This policy appears to be in accordance with the published UCR clearance guidelines for exceptional clearances. The audit reviewed 95 cases reported by APD as being exceptionally cleared rape cases from January, November and December 2017 and the preliminary findings reflect:        15 incidents reported as rape offenses did not meet the UCR Summary definition for UCR rape 14 rape offenses were determined to be unfounded through investigation, but were reported as exceptionally cleared 30 rape offenses that were exceptionally cleared did not meet the criteria for exceptional clearances as defined by UCR Summary Guidelines 6 case indicate that APD did not follow the UCR hierarchy rule for reporting 29 cases were correctly cleared as per UCR Summary Guidelines for reporting exceptional clearances. 1 incident labeled as Internal Affairs was not reviewed 2 past incidents that could have been cleared years ago were cleared in 2017 EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER COURTESY  SERVICE  PROTECTION DPS will provide a detailed final audit report during the first week of January 2019 and will expect a formal response from APD addressing any reporting deficiencies identified in the audit report. APD will have 30 days to respond to the final audit report. The IBR Audit team would like to thank the Sex Crime Unit of the Austin Police Department for their support and warm reception. Their assistance was very instrumental in the completion of the audit. Should they require any further assistance, please contact our office. Best Regards, IBR Bureau Audit Team Rafael Martinez Maggie Walker Jennifer Bushee Cc: Troy Gay, Assistant Chief, Austin Police Department Mike Lesko, Chief – LESD, Texas DPS Michelle Farris, Assistant Chief – LESD, Texas DPS