Austin, TX
APD's 'No Refusal' program aims to curb DWI incidents, now in effect all year
AUSTIN, Texas — Austin Police have announced it’s expanding its ‘No Refusal’ Initiative to now be year-round.
Once reserved for holidays, it requires an automatic blood draw for suspected drunk drivers who refuse a breathalyzer test.
Back in June, A.P.D. announced it would be running its ‘No Refusal’ initiative all summer, which they say led to a 30-percent increase in the number of warrants issued for drinking and driving compared to the summer of 2023. Now they want to replicate that success over the entire year.
Drinking and driving is an epidemic in Texas, and numbers from the Texas Department of Transportation show there were nearly 1,000 DWI-related crashes in Austin last year. These crashes resulted in 18 deaths and nearly 350 injuries, a far cry from the city of Austin’s goal of Vision Zero.
“Vision Zero is our aspiration to achieve zero fatalities and serious injuries on our roadway network.” City of Austin Director of Transportation and Public Works Richard Mendoza said.
The city says many partnerships and programs go into Vision Zero, but they say the Austin Police Department’s No Refusal Initiative has been one of the more successful ones. If someone suspected of driving while intoxicated is pulled over and refuses a breathalyzer test, they’re taken into custody and a warrant is issued for a blood test.
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“We would love it if nobody drinks and drives ever,” A.P.D. Detective Jason Day said. “and that I didn’t have to be up here, we didn’t have to be taking people’s blood.”
The initiative originally rolled out during the holidays, including this past Memorial Day which led to ten warrants and more than 30 arrests. Then A.P.D. kept it going for the entire summer, and Day says it led to a 30-percent increase in blood sample warrants from the summer of 2023.
“Now with the advent of all rideshares, you can get a car there in a matter of minutes,” Day said. “So there’s really no excuse for people being behind the wheel and driving after they’ve had too much to drink.”
Criminal defense attorney Brad Vinson says technically every weekend is ‘No Refusal’ in the state of Texas…
“If you refuse to provide a sample of your breath or blood, a police officer can go see a magistrate, get a warrant, and get your blood anyways, as long as they have probable cause to arrest you for DWI,” Vinson said.
You can still refuse, initiative or not. That, though, could lead to more serious consequences.
“When you’ve been arrested for a DWI, 15 days from then, your driving rights in Texas will be suspended,” Vinson said.
For now, APD says this will only happen at night because they don’t have the staffing to dedicate patrol officers to traffic or D.W.I.s. But Day says in an ideal world, this initiative wouldn’t be needed at all.
“We want people to get out and enjoy the community, but we want to make sure they have a plan and a safe ride home,” Day said.
There’s always been a judge presiding over the jail 24/7, but A.P.D. says it will also be bringing in a “DWI expert” to help officers work through the warrant process more quickly and efficiently.
Southwest Airlines announced today that a new Crew Base for Pilots and Flight Attendants will open in March 2026 in Austin, Texas, creating more than 2,000 new jobs based at Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) and positioning the airline for continued growth in Central Texas.
Most Employees at the new Base will be Captains, First Officers, and Flight Attendants, supported by new Base Leadership and supporting staff. Southwest is also planning to add a recurring training facility for Flight Attendants as part of its ongoing business transformation.
Bob Jordan, President, Chief Executive Officer, and Vice Chairman of the Board, said: “This investment demonstrates our commitment to Austin and to our Customers.
“As the largest carrier at Austin Bergstrom International Airport, we appreciate the vision of Governor Abbott and Mayor Watson in clearing the way for Austin to become an even bigger part of our future.”
Southwest is Austin’s largest air carrier with more than 130 peak-day departures that served approximately 6.7 million Customers in 20241.
Next March, new service begins to popular leisure destinations, including Fort Myers, Fla., Palm Springs, Calif., and Steamboat Springs (Hayden), Colo., bringing the total of nonstop destinations from Austin to 53.
Southwest also will begin daily service between Austin and Cincinnati, Ohio, next June, and has increased seasonal service in markets such as Pensacola, Fla.
Southwest expects to open the new base in early March, starting with approximately 335 Pilots and 650 Flight Attendants. By mid-2027, the base will reach its expected size of 2,000 total Employees.
As the Austin area prepares to plunge into freezing temperatures Sunday night, the city is initiating its Cold Weather Shelters protocol.
Those wanting to use the emergency shelters, which open when overnight temperatures reach 35 degrees or lower, must register between 6-8 p.m. at One Texas Center (OTC) on Barton Springs Road, according to a release from the city. Those interested and in need of transport can reach the OTC via bus lines 1, 7, 10, 20, 30, 105 and 801. Anyone who can’t pay bus fare but needs shelter will still be allowed to ride, a Facebook post from the city said.
Following registration, CapMetro shuttles will take guests from the OTC to a cold weather shelter. The addresses for these shelters are kept confidential due to “safety, privacy and capacity concerns,” according to the Austin American-Statesman.
The Statesman also reported that shelters provide meals and allow leashed, friendly pets.
All parks and libraries are meanwhile serving as warming centers during regular operating hours, except for Austin Public Library’s Old Quarry Branch and Willie Mae Kirk Branch.
AUSTIN, Texas — A Downtown Austin building was cleared after a bomb threat was made Saturday night.
Police say that the call came in at 9:38 p.m., after which officers arrived to the scene and cleared a nearby building at 311 E 6th St.
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The threat was found to not be credible, and no one was injured.
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Police say no one is in custody and they will be clearing the scene shortly.
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