AUSTIN, Texas — Following recent break-ins at Mount Bonnell, which led to the arrest of a 21-year-old woman, the city of Austin hopes to make its parks and greenbelts safer.
Police said between December 2024 and January 2025, more than 300 vehicle burglaries around Austin parks were reported.
While the areas have been hot spots for crime for some time, police said the only difference is more people are talking about it and reporting it.
However, city leaders hope to lessen the crime around Austin’s “crown jewels” so visitors can feel safe and secure to enjoy the city’s public spaces.
According to the city, strategies have already been discussed that would increase police patrols at parks and greenbelts, along with stationing police vehicles in parking lots. The city also plans to add more signs that alert visitors to hide their valuables and be aware of their surroundings as they work to identify “high-target areas” for more security cameras.
The city also said it plans to have a security audit completed later this year that will review parks and park facilities, so recommendations can be made to improve safety and security within the city’s parks.
“We understand this is an issue of high importance to Austinites,” the city said in a statement. “And those that visit our city and are committed to do everything we can to ensure a visit to a City of Austin park is memorable for all the right reasons.”
Who was arrested in the break-ins?
Austin police said 21-year-old Armynie White was part of a group “pulling door handles” in the parking lot of Mount Bonnell.
White was caught after a woman called saying her front window was shattered and her purse was gone. While police recovered the woman’s purse, her credit cards were still missing.
White was then allegedly found with the woman’s credit cards, items purchased with the cards, drugs and a window punch tool, along with other items.
Police said other people were also arrested, but that those charges were pending.