The annual Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix came to Austin this past weekend. But videos shared on social media raised concerns about the numerous police escorts seen throughout the city. <\/p>\n
The Austin Police Department said it was reaching out to its law enforcement partners to address the problem.<\/p>\n
Neither APD nor the Travis County Sheriff’s Office provided escorts to the race in southeast Travis County, but event organizers were able to hire officers from outside agencies to shorten some attendees’ trips to the Circuit of the Americas. <\/p>\n
Social media videos showed police motorcycles and vehicles ushering vans and SUVs through stop signs, red lights and on major highways. Video taken by KUT’s Mose Buchele shows three separate police escorts making their way through East Austin only minutes apart \u2014\u00a0all using their emergency lights and sirens.<\/p>\n
Questions poured in on social media asking how the police motorcades for people attending a sporting event are legal \u2014\u00a0and whether taxpayer money is being used. KUT News reached out to one of the companies organizing the police escorts to answer some of those questions.<\/p>\n
Are the police escorts legal?<\/p>\n
According to the Texas Transportation Code,<\/a> a police escort can help with funerals, dangerous and overweight loads, and diverting traffic for public safety.<\/p>\n APD said it reached out to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, which regulates policing standards, to “strengthen compliance and accountability in these situations,” according to Assistant Chief J.J. Schmidt.<\/p>\n Schmidt said APD did not manage or coordinate the escorts. <\/p>\n “APD has contacted state and local agencies to better understand which agencies were involved,” he said in a statement to KUT News. ” … We share concerns about these activities and are working with local and state agencies and appropriate stakeholders to discuss potential legislative changes.”<\/p>\n Morgan Smith Shiller is the owner of Texas Police Escorts, a company that provided escorts during the U.S. Grand Prix weekend. She said the company hires police officers from all over Texas, including Dallas and the greater Houston area. <\/p>\n \u201cWe can go state line to state line,\u201d Smith Shiller said. \u201cAnd if we have to provide traffic control or help with the load going down the road, whether that’s a sprinter van full of Formula 1 executives or if it’s some type of tank for a refinery or SpaceX even, they have the authority to maintain safety of the environment around them, and that means crossing over the center line. In order to do that, you have to run your red and blue lights.\u201d<\/p>\n But not all counties allow their officers to participate. Williamson County said they had five off-duty deputies assist with security and moving equipment at COTA. The circuit is one of only a few Formula 1 tracks in the United States. The deputies were not allowed to participate in escorts, and COTA covered all the costs, according to a statement sent to KUT. Deputies who had the overtime approved could use their Williamson County vehicle while working.<\/p>\n Smith Shiller said there is a command center and coordination to verify professional escorts. APD said the escorts were coordinated by an F1 representative. <\/p>\n Who can arrange a police escort to COTA?<\/p>\n Smith Shiller said their clients range from F1 drivers to company executives and high-rolling fans. But it’s not just VIPs and government officials getting these special escorts.<\/p>\n \u201cThey contract us to help them get their clients from their hotels to the track, and then sometimes from the track, maybe to a restaurant,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Prices for the escorts start at a few thousand dollars and can go higher, depending on the distance, number of vehicles and if the client wants the officers to stay for the entire day or just for pickup and drop-off, Smith Shiller said.<\/p>\n