Update on Jaywalking Jogger Arrest: Police Chief Says Hey, at Least Cops Didn’t Sexually Assault Her

A few days ago, a woman jogging on Guadalupe Street near the University of Texas at Austin was stopped by police for jaywalking and then arrested for failure to provide ID. Photographs and video of the incident were taken by onlooker Chris Quintero.

That woman has since been identified as 24-year-old Amanda Jo Stephen. The video and photos of cops manhandling her went viral, and public outrage ensued.

On Saturday, Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo held a press conference to discuss the incident.

Here’s what he said:

In case you didn’t catch it:

“In other cities there’s cops who are actually committing sexual assaults on duty, so I thank God that this is what passes for a controversy in Austin, Texas!”

That’s right, folks! At least Austin police aren’t groping or raping jaywalkers! Hey, Stephen should be REALLY thankful she wasn’t snatched up while jaywalking in NYC – she might have gotten a massive beat-down like 84-year-old Kang Wong did when he was snagged by NY’s finest for jaywalking last month.

Stephen was one of 28 people stopped for jaywalking that day. Seven of those were issued citations. The Austin police department has denied targeting jaywalkers that day, instead claiming that they were working “pedestrian enforcement” to ensure traffic safety.

Stephen was reportedly charged with failing to identify and a class B signal violation.

Acevedo has since apologized for his comments:

“I attempted to place the arrest into context by bringing attention to the fact that law enforcement deals with many acts of serious misconduct. In hindsight I believe the comparison was a poor analogy, and for this I apologize.”

Well, we have to give Acevedo credit for one thing: he publicly acknowledged the prevalence of sexual misconduct by law enforcement officers.