City of Austin approves fusion center, blood draw specialist

An agreement between 10 local police agencies to work together under the auspices of the Austin Regional Intelligence Center got the city council's seal of approval Thursday.

The new fusion center would be an information sharing resource for law enforcement agencies.

Those who oppose the project say the way it uses information about citizens is "un-American."

"I believe that our country was founded on the principles of federalism, that our founders had enough foresight to know that the centralization of power and information and resources is a dangerous thing," Liberty Restoration Project activist Catherine Bleish said.

The city also approved the contracting of a phlebotomist to perform blood draws at the Travis County Central Booking Center.

The Austin Police Department started the blood draw initiative to crackdown on drunk and intoxicated drivers during certain calendar celebrations, such as Halloween and Super Bowl Sunday.

APD has used a phlebotomist at the Travis County Jail and hospital staff to collect the blood, but Austin's police chief said the Travis County Sheriff's Office got out of the blood draw business, and hospitals refused to draw blood.

The city will provide a maximum of $24,000 this year for salary, supplies and equipment for the position.

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