[PowderMonkey]

"Most union, civil service cops these days will find a doughnut shop rather than willingly walk into a situation where there is significant personal danger. Look at New Orleans during Katrina."

When I resided in the D.C. area, that was precisely the plan of operation for all local police departments. Openly stated. In the event of "civil disturbance," operational planning called for a cordon around the affected area, and allowing everything inside to burn itself out over the course of time.

Outdated pre-digital age tactics: all based on the simple premise that rioters always eventually settled down, and lined up in front of the local neighborhood welfare offices to receive their payouts in the form of paper checks. All that comes by EBT now. There will be no "settling down." Everbody inside the cordon will be SOL.

[txhurl]

Another factor: Austin absorbed ~20K Katrina refugees, and the impact was immediate. The 10-11-12 year olds that settled are now rioting age.