Legislation to place the Austin Police Department under state control has been drafted for lawmakers to consider in the coming January session, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday. The Republican governor wrote on Twitter Monday afternoon that the Legislative Council has sent “draft language” for a proposed law that would transfer control of the Austin Police Department (APD) to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) “just in time for Christmas.” “One way or another we will pass a law to keep Austin safe,” Abbott wrote. According to the draft obtained by KXAN-TV, the takeover would only apply to municipalities with populations of 950,000 or more and a ratio of fewer than two police officers per 1,000 residents, for which the governor needs to issue a written document declaring a public safety threat due to insufficient funding for police. Under the bill, municipalities that are taken over to DPS would …