AUSTIN, Texas — Retired Austin police officer and expert witness Jerry Staton is concerned after Austin Police Department (APD) officer Christopher Taylor was found guilty of deadly conduct in the 2019 shooting death of Mauris DeSilva, a man suffering mental illness who was armed with a knife.
“[It’s] A huge slap in the face to the entire department, it just is,” Staton said.
The conviction marks the first time an Austin police officer has been found criminally liable in an on-duty fatal shooting, in a department facing more than 300 vacancies.
“It’s one more step towards an overly demoralized agency. Really, the officers are going to take this hard. The people who are thinking about becoming officers are going to give it a second thought,” Staton said.
The issues with police recruitment are multifaceted, and St. Edward’s University Associate Criminal Justice professor Carsten Andresen explains the many ways police departments struggle with hiring.
“We have fewer people that are just applying for the police in general because we have you know fewer people that are available that are in the ages of you know 20 to 30 years old,” Andresen said. “We also have people that don’t want to work 40 hours or more with overtime.”
Andresen also says an attitude of anti-police sentiment also contributes to the issue.
“You do have really strong politics right now. People don’t see themselves as the police,” Andresen said.
When it comes to recruitment and retention efforts, Andresen believes it will be up to APD and possibly the District Attorney’s Office to articulate why a spotlight was shed on this case.
“Why this case? Why was this officer convicted of this crime? And what is the difference between a mistake on the job and then sort of engaging in deadly conduct that rises to the level of a crime if you’re on the job,” Andresen said.
It’s a calling continuing to face crisis levels amidst an unprecedented event.
“Those people who want to help people are always going to be there and they’re always going to do the best they can under the circumstances. It’s just very trying right now,” Staton said.
Taylor faces up to 10 years in prison and the judge will decide his sentencing date Oct. 15th.