AUSTIN (KXAN), by: Erica Pauda, Roo Moody, 3/6/24 — On Wednesday, State Rep. Vikki Goodwin provided more details on new water safety measures in place under Cati’s Act as a way to minimize drownings of children under 12 through stricter water safety measures.
Goodwin and State Sen. Judith Zaffirini hosted a press conference Wednesday morning ahead of spring break to spark a discussion on the importance of Cati’s Act between community leaders, water safety advocates as well as legislators, a news release from Goodwin’s office said.
by Michael Adkison, Wed, December 6th 2023, AUSTIN, Texas — It was late Tuesday night, stretching into Wednesday morning when law enforcement began to confirm a series of shootings across Central Texas were committed by a single suspect...
Taking into consideration that that confirmation did not come into the evening, some Austin-area residents told CBS Austin they were concerned about a lack of communication from law enforcement officials after each of the incidents, particularly as it pertains to the suspect, at the time, being at large.
Texas House Democrat Vikki Goodwin, who represents part of Austin, publicly expressed concerns with the communication throughout the string of violence on Tuesday.
"That's our job, is to make sure our communities are safe," Rep. Goodwin told CBS Austin in an interview. "Again, they didn't know it was the same shooter, but they also didn't know that it wasn't the same shooter and they could have put out an alert about the South Austin neighborhood, which they neglected to do."
Goodwin specifically cited a statute from the 87th legislature, signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott in 2021, that would permit the Department of Public Safety to send a text warning of an active shooter in a general vicinity, including if requested by local law enforcement like the Austin Police Department.
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AUSTIN (KXAN) —by: Avery Travis, Jun 17, 2024 / 09:43 PM CDT
An alert system meant to notify people of active shooter situations was not activated in the wake of a deadly shooting at a Juneteenth event in Round Rock, law enforcement confirmed to KXAN investigators.
Two people died and 14 others were injured in the incident, sparked by a fight between two groups at the event at Old Settlers Park on Saturday night, Round Rock police said. Police are still searching for the shooting suspect.
Texas Representative Vikki Goodwin told KXAN she believes it is “tragic” that the system is not being utilized.
“We pass laws to make people safer. This one in particular to let people know if there is an active shooting event going on so they can take precaution,” Goodwin told KXAN. “Nobody was aware that this shooting was going on. Some people said they thought it was fireworks, at first, but then they saw people running. So, I think it would have been helpful for an alert to go out.”
Rep. Goodwin said she believes there is an increased need for public awareness in cases where the suspect has not been apprehended. She first spoke out about the use of this system in December 2023, after a suspect allegedly shot and killed several people in different locations across Travis and Bexar Counties.