Austin Mayor Steve Adler apologizes after he's accused of falling asleep at officer's memorial

Ryan Autullo, Austin American-Statesman
3 min read
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Austin Mayor Steve Adler apologized after he was accused of falling asleep at a Monday memorial service for Austin police Officer Tony Martin, who died last month in a motorcycle crash while off duty.

A photo shared on Twitter showed the mayor with his eyes closed and his head tucked to his chest. He was sitting with other city officials who appeared to be focused on the proceedings.

In his apology, Adler neither confirmed or denied he had fallen asleep.

"I want to express my deepest apologies to the family of Officer Martin," Adler said in a written statement to the American-Statesman. "Officer Martin died 10 days ago and will forever be honored as a hero. This moment should be about him and his family, including his two daughters whose words today pierced my heart as a father. I hold Officer Martin in the highest regard. May his memory be a blessing to his family, and to the city he served."

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The incident could add to tensions between Adler and Austin police officers, whose department lost $21 million in a budget decision authorized by Adler and the Austin City Council in 2020. The funding was later restored. The department has hovered around 200 officer vacancies due in part to the council at the time canceling three scheduled cadet training classes.

The photo from the memorial service was shared online by Justin Berry, an Austin officer and a former political candidate who twice ran for a legislative office as a state representative. The service, held at Hill Country Bible Church, began at 11 a.m. and ran about an hour.

"If you're going to defund and destroy a police department as their mayor then attend a highly respected officer's funeral, perhaps do not continue to disrespect that officer's family, friends, and other officers by falling asleep," Berry wrote.

This is not the first uncomfortable moment involving Adler and a police officer's family. In July 2021, Officer Andy Traylor died from injuries he suffered in a car crash. Traylor's wife asked Adler to not come to the funeral. The only council member who attended was Mackenzie Kelly, who regularly sponsors initiatives to support the police department.

Before dawn on the morning of Sept. 23, Martin was on his way home from working a night shift when he and his police motorcycle were involved in a crash in Liberty Hill at Texas 29 and RM 1869 in Williamson County, police have said.

Martin began his career with the Austin Police Department as a cadet in 2006, and became an officer the following year. Before joining Austin police, Martin had served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force.

Adler ordered a moment of silence at a City Council meeting last Thursday. He said he had spoken with the officer's wife, Amberlee Martin, and offered her the city's support.

"To the officer's family, we grieve with you and to the entire force with the loss of their colleague," Adler said.

Thomas Villarreal, the police association president, said he reached out to Adler.

"Today's memorial was a time to honor and pay respect to Officer Tony Martin and his family," he said. "Unfortunately, the mayor's actions distract from those underlying reasons for the memorial service. I have expressed my frustration directly to Steve and will deal with that issue at a later time. For now, I ask everyone to please keep Tony’s family in your prayers."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Steve Adler apologizes after accused of dozing at service for Austin officer

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