Austin's next police chief set to start early September

The Austin City Council officially confirmed the city manager's appointment of Lisa Davis as the next chief of police during a special-called meeting Tuesday.

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin City Council officially confirmed the city manager's appointment of Lisa Davis as the next chief of police during a special-called meeting Tuesday.

"I'll just say no pressure," Mayor Kirk Watson said as Davis concluded her remarks at the podium after the vote, "but the entire city is counting on you for that new set of eyes and new leadership, and we have great confidence in you. So thank you very very much."

Davis comes to Austin from an assistant chief role in Cincinnati, Ohio. She and Jeffrey Norman, the Milwaukee Police Chief, were the top two finalists out of about 30 applicants.

Davis has consistently referred to two pillars of policing as her priorities as she steps into the top cop role at the Austin Police Department: improving morale, recruitment and retention and using a data-driven approach to drive crime rates down.

"Learning and listening. That's what I'm doing right now, so those first 100 days are very important," Davis said. I'll be having more on how that's gonna look soon. Now it's about listening, getting a feel for the challenges facing the department, and deciding where to go from there."

APD is currently down about 350 officers.

City Manager T.C. Broadnax, who officially appointed Davis to the chief position, said her commitment to strong police-community relations was a driving factor in his decision.

Davis' first official day on the job will likely be some time in early September.