Truancy

Established Absent Student Assistance Project (ASAP), a collaboration with the Austin Independent School District to reduce truancy by using deputy constables to visit the home of students who were absent without a parental excuse.

"ASAP is a good program that should be supported and retained."
– Austin American Statesman, April 17, 1998

Child Support

Developed Child Support Brochure in cooperation with the Austin Young Lawyers Association that earned a National Bar Association award.

Initiated Travis County Child Support Task Force and published Child Support study that led to legislative reforms and improved county efficiencies.

"Constable Elfant has been the driving force behind the Child Support Task Force that has built bridges and positive working relationships between disparate State and County agencies."
- Cecelia Burke, Former Director, Travis County Domestic Relations

Office

Conducted Child Support Roundups that resulted in the arrests of hundreds of delinquent parents and collection of hundreds of thousands of dollars in owed child support.

Drafted and advocated for legislation to require entry of child support warrants into State law enforcement computer system.

Drafted and advocated for legislation to require the Texas Attorney General’s Office to pass though federal funding to Texas counties for child support services rendered.

Domestic Violence

Initiated "Project Courage" that mandated counseling as a term of personal bond in domestic violence cases.

"It was in large part thanks to his political savvy and shrewed bargaining that adequate funding was obtained for project Courage"
- Kelly White, Former Executive Director, Safe Place

Established first in the nation instant notification of execution of Protective Orders

Initiated first online Travis County Domestic Violence Resource Guide Automation

Developed stand-alone computer system for Precinct Five with greatly improved functionality and flexibility for a fraction of what it would have cost to add to County mainframe.

Initiated first in the nation web based Online Service Check and Instant Notification of Service at constable5.com, enabling litigants to check service 24/7.

Handicap Parking Enforcement

Austin Chronicle

In September of 1995, pursuant to new state legislation that Constable Elfant drafted, he established Texas’ first County Citizen Handicap Parking Enforcement Program to ensure that handicap-parking spaces would be available for those who are lawfully entitled to them. Even though fines now exceed $500 it is still common to come across violators who do not have handicap parking license plates or hang-tags, use other peoples’ plates or tags, park on the diagonally striped areas for van unloading and block access ramps. Deputy constables and 30 citizen volunteers write anywhere from 1,200 to 1,500 tickets per year.

Citizen volunteers must be Travis County residents at least 18 years of age, have no criminal record and complete a 4-hour state mandated training class.

Those who are interested in becoming citizen volunteers can obtain applications at constable5.com or by calling the Precinct 5 office at 854-9100.

Veterans

In 2007 Constable Maria Canchola and Bruce Elfant initiated the Veterans Intervention Project, bringing representatives of federal state and local agencies and organizations together to establish a linkage between the criminal justice system and services for veterans. This collaboration has so far resulted in;

• publication of a study of Veterans incarcerated in the Travis County Jail
• pilot project to require arrested veterans to get evaluated by Veterans Administration professionals as a condition of Personal Bond
• The first comprehensive Travis County resource guide for Veterans, and
• initiation of a specialized Veterans court docket (May 2010)

Professionalism

Constable Elfant led the efforts to pass legislation to increase the professionalism of Texas constables, including enhanced qualifications to become constable, increased mandatory training and removal from office for failure to complete required training. Elfant believes that every constable should be performing services that are of value to his or her county.

Constable Elfant established a career ladder for deputy constables that is based on rigorous evaluations, testing and maintenance of performance.

Constable Elfant is a "just cause" employer; that affords Precinct Five employees certain rights and due process regarding employee disciplinary matters.

Constable Elfant serves on the Planning Analysis Group, a project of the Texas Association of Counties that works to develop strategies to help counties deliver services more effectively.