The City of Austin was founded in 1856 and I believe that the first police department came shortly thereafter. The earliest records I can find date back to about 1900 and indicate the department had a chief and two officers.
At its peak in the late 1970's, the department grew to 36 full-time officers including the chief. Today we have 30 full-time officers serving the community. These officers work on three different shifts allowing for law enforcement coverage around the clock, 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
The Austin Police Department provides many services to our community. We investigate crime and traffic accidents, we respond to medical emergencies and we provide educational programs such as: Junior Police, and child safety fingerprinting.
We patrol the community day and night trying to prevent crime and keep our city safe. We also have a K-9 Unit. This department is also a member of and participates in the Southeastern Minnesota Drug Task Force.
The Austin Police Department is important to the city of Austin in that we are usually the first people who are called if something goes wrong or help is needed. We respond to thousands of calls for service and hundreds of medical emergencies each year.
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