Austin mayor slammed by law enforcement advocates for falling asleep throughout fallen officer's funeral

Legislation enforcement advocates are sounding off soon after Austin Mayor Steve Adler appeared to fall asleep in the course of a funeral on Monday for fallen police officer Anthony "Tony" Martin, who died in a tragic car crash final thirty day period. 

Justin Berry, a member of the Texas Commission on Regulation Enforcement and a senior officer at the Austin Law enforcement Office, mentioned he assumed that he saw Adler nodding off for the duration of the service, then gained a photo of the mayor asleep later on. 

"It really is extremely disheartening to have the Mayor of the Town of Austin – who was a single of the types that spearheaded all the defunding of Austin Law enforcement Department by a third of our spending budget, who voted to choose absent officers' pay out stipends again in 2017, which experienced a massive financial effects on our family members – to continue on to go down a pathway that just displays nothing but the utmost disrespect and contempt," Berry told G3 Box News Digital. 

Mayor Adler apologized after the funeral on Monday. 

"I want to categorical my deepest apologies to the family members of Officer Martin. Officer Martin died 10 times ago and will permanently be honored as a hero. This minute should be about him and his family members, like his two daughters whose text today pierced my heart as a father," Adler advised G3 Box News Electronic in a statement.

"I maintain Officer Martin in the maximum regard. May possibly his memory be a blessing to his family members, and to the city he served."

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Officer Martin joined the Austin Law enforcement Section in 2006 after two many years of assistance in the United States Air Drive.

He died in a vehicle crash on Sept. 23 when returning household after working his night time shift, leaving guiding his moms and dads, spouse, three little ones, and a person granddaughter. That crash stays less than investigation. 

"I have endless memories that I hold in my heart, but regrettably that’s all I have now," his daughter, Ashley, explained at the funeral on Monday. "My father was generally my hero, my protector, and my inspiration. He was my fearless leader. No issue how scary the path was, I realized I could comply with him."

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Adler has had a contentious relationship with the city's police drive in the course of his nearly eight many years in business. 

Austin slashed about a third of its police finances in August 2020 at the top of the motion to defund the police. One calendar year afterwards, the metropolis council returned about $133 million to the law enforcement department’s funds in accordance with a legislation handed by the Texas legislature, bringing its total to a report substantial $442.8 million. Below Adler's enjoy, law enforcement academy lessons have been canceled or delayed, though a report number of sworn officers have departed the power. 

Steve Adler, mayor of Austin, speaks during an interview in Austin, Texas, U.S., on Monday, Jan. 17, 2021.  (Sarah Karlan through Getty Pictures)

The momentary defunding has been blamed for widespread morale problems at the understaffed department even though, which had about 250 vacancies at the stop of September. 

"It was truly a a person-two punch, with COVID hitting in March of 2020 and then the George Floyd incident taking place in Might," Austin Law enforcement Main Joseph Chacon said at the Texas Tribune Pageant on Sept. 24. "Between people two, I observed a history amount of folks resigning and retiring."

Morale is also reduced at the section. A Listening to the Workforce Study of metropolis staff done past thirty day period identified that only 20% of APD employees thought their office was effectively managed and only 11% agreed that "improve is managed well" in the city.

"We just experienced a significant study performed that showed how very displeased officers are in direction of the city… and then, fewer than a week later on, he does this stuff," Berry, 1 of 19 officers who have been indicted previously this calendar year for their position in breaking up a 2020 Black Lives Issue riot, explained on Monday. 

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Charley Wilkison, the govt director of the Put together Legislation Enforcement Associations of Texas, said the mayor's steps exhibit "his contempt for officers operating additional shifts, risking their life to shield their neighborhood."