Lisa Davis is officially the next Austin police chief after the City Council confirmed her appointment in a special meeting Tuesday.
Davis, an assistant chief with the Cincinnati Police Department, will be the Austin Police Department's 11th chief and the second woman to lead the department permanently, the American Statesman reports. She will have an annual salary of $275,000, said Michele Gonzalez, spokesperson for the city manager's office.
City Manager T.C. Broadnax announced Friday he had selected Davis to be the next police chief. The choice was between Davis and Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman. Broadnax said he's still working on the next steps but expects to have her in the position by early September.
The Police Department had been without a permanent chief for nearly a year after former Chief Joe Chacon announced his retirement last August. The department was then led by interim Chief Robin Henderson, who decided not to apply for the permanent role.
Davis arrives as the department struggles with ongoing vacancies and a morale "crisis" among the sworn officers.
To boost morale in the Police Department, Davis previously said she would listen to the concerns of both sworn and civilian staff while remaining open and transparent with them. Davis noted that officers are generally a department's best recruiters, and making them happy will help increase the number of people who want to join the department.
