Austin Crime in the Time of Coronavirus

The Second in an Occasional Series of Reports Concerning Criminal Justice in Travis County

By Criminal Defense Lawyer Rick Cofer
Partner, Cofer & Connelly, PLLC
www.AustinJuvenileLaw.com
www.CoferConnelly.com

Looking at the Data

Cofer & Connelly, PLLC has conducted a snapshot-in-time analysis of Travis County jail bookings to evaluate the impact of the coronavirus response on crime in Austin. Using data obtained from the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, we have evaluated how the local response to COVID-19 has impacted crime rates in Austin.

This report analyzes jail bookings for twelve consecutive days in the pre-COVID-19 era from Sunday, February 2, 2020 through Thursday, February 13, 2020. That analysis is then compared to data for twelve consecutive days in the COVID-19 era from Sunday, March 22, 2020 through Thursday, April 2, 2020.

This analysis is only a snapshot-in-time and is not intended as a definitive or final analysis of how COVID-19 has impacted local crime.

Crime Before vs. During the Coronavirus Era

In order to analyze the impact of crime during the Coronavirus era, we looked at bookings at the Travis County Central Booking Facility. We began by analyzing jail bookings for the twelve days from Sunday, February 2, 2020 through Sunday, February 13, 2020 to gather our pre-Coronavirus figures. We then analyzed jail bookings for the twelve days from Sunday, March 22, 2020 through Sunday, April 2, 2020.

During the pre-Coronavirus time frame, Travis County Central Booking processed 1,772 individuals. The average age was 34.5, with 70.8% white or Hispanic (the data does not differentiate) and 28.2% black. During the Coronavirus pandemic, Travis County Central Booking processed a total of 806 individuals. The average age was 32.7, with 75.8% white or Hispanic (the data does not differentiate) and 23.7% black.

Bookings

Types of charges

Analysis of charges before COVID:
  • 667 individuals, or 37.7% of total bookings, had a felony offense as their highest charge.
  • 808 individuals, or 45.7% of total bookings, had a Class A or Class B misdemeanor as their highest charge.
  • 294 individuals, or 16.6% of total bookings, had a Class C misdemeanor as their highest charge.
Analysis of charges during COVID:
  • 441 individuals, or 54.8% of total bookings, had a felony offense as their highest charge.
  • 328 individuals, or 40.7% of total bookings, had a Class A or Class B misdemeanor as their highest charge.
  • 36 individuals, or 4.5% of total bookings, had a Class C misdemeanor as their highest charge.
Charge

Types of Crimes Committed

Analysis of Select Offenses Before Covid:
  • 96 individuals, or 5.4% of total bookings, were arrested for non-family violence assault.
  • 38 individuals, or 2.1% of total bookings, were arrested for family violence assault, including strangulation offenses.
  • 49 individuals, or 2.8% of total bookings, were arrested for violating a City Ordinance.
  • 221 individuals, or 12.5% of total bookings, were for Driving While Intoxicated.
  • 212 individuals, or 12.0% of total bookings, were arrested for drug possession charges.
  • 67 individuals, or 3.8% of total bookings, arrested on theft charges.
  • 17 individuals, 1.0% of total bookings, were charged with Driving While License Invalid.
  • 34 individuals, or 1.9% of total bookings, were charged with Aggravated Assault
Analysis of Select Offenses During Covid:
  • 73 individuals were booked for non-family violence assault, comprising 9.1% of total bookings.
  • 49 individuals were booked for family violence assault, including strangulation offenses. These combined family violence bookings comprised 6.1% of total bookings.
  • 1 individual, or 0.1% of total bookings, was arrested for violating a City Ordinance.
  • 89 individuals, or 11.0% of total bookings, were for Driving While Intoxicated.
  • 85 individuals, or 10.5% of total bookings, were arrested for drug possession charges.
  • 26 individuals, or 3.2% of total bookings, were arrested on theft charges.
  • 1 individual, 0.1% of total bookings, was charged with Driving While License Invalid.
  • 42 individuals, or 5.2% of total bookings, were charged with Aggravated Assault
Crime Type

Important Findings

  1. Total bookings dropped 54.5%, from 1,772 to 806.
  2. The total number of individuals arrested for Aggravated Assault actually increased, from 34 to 42, despite the broader reduction in arrests.
  3. Non-family violence assault bookings were down slightly, from 96 to 73. However, non-family violence assault bookings comprised a significantly higher share of total bookings, rising 145% as a share of total bookings.
  4. Notably, family violence arrests increased substantially, from 38 to 49. This represents a 190% increase in the proportion of family violence arrests compared to total bookings!
  5. Theft bookings declined in raw numbers and as a share of total bookings.
  6. City Ordinance violation arrests fell off a cliff. Dropping from 49 in the pre-coronavirus era down to just one in the era of coronavirus.
  7. Accordingly, the percentage of individuals booked for a Class C only offense dropped from 16.6% down to 4.5%.
  8. Serious felonies now comprise the majority of bookings – up to 54.7% from 37.6% in the pre-coronavirus era.
  9. Racial and demographic characteristics did not change substantively.
  10. Arrests for DWI and for Drug Possession both fell by 61.5% and 60.0% respectively.
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