Southwest
Texas woman says she had to take cab to hospital due to 'defund police' repercussions
The repercussions of liberals’ “Defund the Police” movement that reached its peak in 2020 continue to reverberate in communities across America.
One Texas woman told Fox News on Monday that, due to a slashed police budget in the capital city of Austin that led to an officer shortage, she was ping-ponged between 911 to municipal service hotline 311 several times until she finally called a rideshare service to take her injured children to a hospital.
Lauren Klinefelter reacted on “America Reports” to news that one precinct in Austin had zero patrol officers for a several-hour span recently, saying she is not surprised at the report.
“In February of 2022, me and my children were in a pretty bad car accident. I called 911. I was routed to 311… they threw me back to 911, and I was just kind of in a roundabout circle of going back and forth, back and forth for about an hour. My children were visibly injured. My car was totaled,” she said.
‘COLD HEART’ BIDEN TO BLAME FOR GA STUDENT’S SLAYING, TEXAS OFFICIAL SAYS
Klinefelter added that she eventually hired an Uber. She said her mother now works for the local 311 service and attested to the claim some emergency calls are being routed to the non-emergency number – which in cities like New York and Washington takes reports of treacherous sidewalk conditions, traffic signal outages, noise complaints and more.
“America Reports” anchor John Roberts added that Austin has also seen a spike in murders – to a rate of one per week – that a local Fox affiliate reported is also attributed to the police staffing shortage.
Roberts recounted working in Austin in the past, and recalled it being a pleasant and fun city to visit.
“It’s a scary place right now,” Klinefelter countered.
DR PHIL’S CALL TO ACTION: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH ON CRIME WAVE CAUSED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
She said Austin residents affected by the worsening conditions are trying to unite as a community to be heard by local leaders in hopes of reversing the worrisome trend.
After the 2020 vote by Austin City Council to slash the police budget by about 30%, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott predicted it would put Austin law enforcement and their families at a higher risk and said the state Department of Public Safety will try to “stand in the gap” to protect the community.
Councilmen like now-U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas by contrast celebrated the resolution, tweeting “We did it!”
CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Casar said at the time the police budget reduction would “reinvest resources into our community’s safety and well-being,” and said thousands of people corresponded with or testified before the council in favor of the budget cut, before closing the tweet with the hashtag BlackLivesMatter.
A spokesperson for the city of Austin told Fox News Digital in recent days that Austin Police face “some of the most pressing departmental concerns in the organization, particularly in the area of staffing and training.”
“The need for additional resources for APD remains a top priority and the Interim City Manager will be assessing what options are available to the city,” the spokesperson said.
Joe Gamaldi, vice president of the National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) told Fox News on Monday that Austin lawmakers’ “defund the police” movement has been an “unmitigated disaster.”
“They defunded their department by $150 million. The next year, they had their highest murder rate in recorded history. Aggravated assaults are up 18%, car thefts are up 77%, and their response times to emergencies are up to ten minutes,” Gamaldi, who has served with the NYPD and Houston agencies, told “The Ingraham Angle.”
Gamaldi said it is not just urban areas like Austin feeling a rise in crime and reduction in patrols. He added that police applications in New Jersey are down 90%, and down 80% in Illinois.
“You know where they’re not having recruiting problems? Where you have communities that actually support police officers that don’t treat their officers like crap, who actually treat them fairly,” he said.
Fox News’ Elizabeth Heckman contributed to this report.
Read the full article from Here
Los Angeles, Ca
Woman ambushed, violently attacked by robber in downtown Long Beach
A woman was hospitalized with serious injuries after she was violently attacked by a robber in downtown Long Beach. On June 18, Jennifer Silva, 34, was attending a World Cup watch party at a Hooters restaurant at 90 Aquarium Way. After the game ended, she left the restaurant just before 11 p.m. As she walked […]
Los Angeles, Ca
Jury says it is deadlocked in trial of man accused in Palisades Fire
Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
Los Angeles, Ca
Boyle Heights warehouse cleanup begins as crews face 85 million pounds of spoiled food
Cleanup efforts are underway Thursday at the Boyle Heights cold-storage warehouse that burned for eight days after firefighters officially declared the massive blaze knocked down Wednesday evening. Los Angeles Fire Department crews remain at the Lineage warehouse near Union Pacific Avenue and South La Puente Street as they transition into the overhaul phase, searching for […]
-
San Francisco, CA3 minutes agoNewlyweds celebrate Pride-themed weddings inside SF City Hall as parade preparations underway
-
Dallas, TX7 minutes agoAll Dallas restaurants firing up specials for July 4th and America’s 250th
-
Miami, FL15 minutes agoHelping Venezuela: State Department deploys Miami-Dade search-and-rescue team
-
Boston, MA18 minutes agoPhotos: Norway takes on France in high-powered World Cup matchup in Foxborough – The Boston Globe
-
Denver, CO23 minutes ago
Denver Transplant Games sets Guinness World Record for mos living donors, recipients in one place at one time
-
Seattle, WA30 minutes agoHow to watch Egypt vs. Iran World Cup match in Seattle
-
San Diego, CA33 minutes agoSharp Coronado Hospital Holds Meet-and-Greet With NASCAR San Diego Weekend
-
Milwaukee, WI38 minutes agoBrewers Are Making a Mistake With Andrew Vaughn’s Playing Time

