[00:00:06]
[CALL TO ORDER]
CALLED MEETING OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION.UM, I AM GOING TO CALL THE ROLE, UH, COMMISSIONER KOFF.
[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]
WILL START WITH PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.SO CARLOS LEON, FIRST AND FOREMOST, S FOR LETTING ME EXPOSE AND COMBAT CONTINUING CAP METRO GASLIGHTING AND REVERSE SEXUAL HARASSMENT, A PUBLIC SAFETY THREAT TO US ALL.
ON SCREEN IN FRONT OF YOU NOW IS CAP METRO'S ONLINE CUSTOMER COMMENT FORM TO FILE COMPLAINTS AGAINST HARASSING DRIVERS FOR WEEKS.
CAP METRO HAS CLAIMED THAT FORM IS OUT OF SERVICE.
HOWEVER, IT STILL WORKS EVIDENCED BY THE UNIQUE ALPHA NUMERIC ID SENT IN ITS RETURN.
BECAUSE EACH ID STARTS WITH A SEQUENTIAL FIVE DIGIT NUMBER.
MY DATA SET SHOWS CAT METRO'S.
FALSE OUT OF SERVICE MESSAGES, HAS CHILLED FILED COMPLAINTS BY CLOSE TO 90%, GOING FROM ABOUT A THOUSAND PER MONTH TO HAVE BEEN MORE THAN A HUNDRED OVER THE LAST 30 DAYS.
THOUGH SERVICE HAS WORSENED OVER THAT TIME CAMERA ON ME, MANY DRIVERS CONTINUE NOT STOPPING TO NOT BOARD OR TRANSPORT ME.
BREAKING THE LAW, REQUIRING UNDERSTAFFED APD TO ARRIVE ON SCENE TO ENFORCE THE LAW TO RIDE THE BUS.
THOUGH COMPLAINTS GET FILED AGAINST THE GUILTY CRIMINAL DRIVERS, THEIR BEHAVIOR DOES NOT CHANGE AND THEY DON'T GET FIRED.
EMBOLDENING MORE DRIVERS TO AMPLIFY THEIR DISREGARD FOR CAT METRO'S RULES AND THE LAW, ESPECIALLY WITH REGARD TO THE REVERSE SEXUAL HARASSMENT AGAINST ME TRYING TO FEMINATE AND EMASCULATE ME.
A STRAIGHT CHRISTIAN MAN, BY THE WAY, SORRY BY MY VOICE.
THIS IS SATAN ATTACKING ME RIGHT NOW.
SO, YOU KNOW, OLD CHAINLESS LOSER, FEMALE COUGAR DRIVERS SMILING AT ME LIKE OPERATOR 300, 1 20 AND 3 0 4, 810 COMMENTING ON MY BODY, LOOKING AT ME WITH FORK ME EYES.
BUT THE HOMOS ARE WORSE, LIKE GUILTY.
OLD WHITE MALE DRIVER 3 0 1 2 80, STANDING OUTSIDE THE BUS IN MY DESTINATION, STOP FACING ME SMOKING A CIGARETTE, TRYING TO STARE ME AROUND AND BLOWING ME A KISS WHILE I GATHER MY GEAR TO GET OFF THE BUS.
THAT DEMONN DOES NOT BELONG HERE.
THE ABUSE OF ATTACKING DRIVERS THAT ARE THE MEMBERS OF THE NATION OF ISLAM AND OR NOT US CITIZENS ARE OTHER GROUPS THAT GOT TO GO.
LIKE THE YOUNG MIDDLE EASTERN MALE DRIVER WHO REFU REFUSED TO OPEN THE REAR DOORS FROM ME AT MY STOP TO DENY ME MY EXIT AND UNLAWFULLY RESTRAIN ME.
NEST SAYS IN MY LAWFULLY VERBAL AND PHYSICAL RESPONSE THAT SCARED FEMALE PASSENGERS, BUT GOT THE REAR DOORS OPEN.
BOTTOM LINE, THIS IS ALL BECAUSE JOE BIDEN IS AN ILLEGAL PRESIDENT.
I'M AN ELECTION FRAUD REJECTOR.
PRESIDENT TRUMP WON THE 2020 ELECTION IN THIS IS A TOTAL FRAUD.
A SHA MAKE AMERICARE AGAIN TO DEFEAT THIS DESTA EVIL AND DESTROY ITS WORKS.
UM, THIS IS FOR A, UM, I BELIEVE THAT WE ARE GONNA TABLE APPROVAL OF THE NOVEMBER MINUTES UNTIL JANUARY.
[2. Discussion and possible action on an update on the reforms of the Austin Police Department cadet training academy. t]
TO OUR DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS. UM, OUR FIRST ACT, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ITEM, UM, IS, UH, UM, UPDATE ON REFORMS RECOMMENDED BY KRO, UM, AND[00:05:01]
AN UPDATE ON THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT'S CADET TRAINING ACADEMY, UM, DR.ANN CRISEN, UM, AND COMMANDER ALLIANCE.
UM, YEAH, COULD WE, UM, HAVE SOME OF THE COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVES UP ON THE PANEL TOO? I DON'T KNOW IF WE HAVE ENOUGH CHAIRS FOR EVERYONE.
HOW MANY OF Y'ALL ARE THERE? WE GOT TWO CHAIRS AND THERE'S AN EXTRA ONE RIGHT HERE.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS FOR HAVING US HERE TODAY.
UM, AND WE'RE VERY HAPPY TO BE HERE GIVING AN UPDATE, UM, ON WHERE WE ARE.
UM, AND I JUST WANNA START THE PRESENTATION BY SAYING THE WORK IN THE ACADEMY IS CONTINUOUS.
WE'RE LEARNING FROM EACH ACADEMY CLASS, AND WE VIEW THE AUDIT PROTOCOL AS A WAY TO REEVALUATE OUR PRACTICES AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ADAPTING BASED ON WHAT WE'VE LEARNED.
UM, IN ADDITION TO SOME OF THE INTERNAL AUDIT PROTOCOL RESULTS THAT WE'LL TODAY.
UM, WE'LL BE WORKING WITH KRO IN THE UPCOMING YEAR, INCLUDING BIMONTHLY MEETINGS, UM, WITH ACADEMY LEADERSHIP TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS, CREATING LONG TERM PLANS FOR SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS, AND ALSO TAPPING INTO KROLL'S EXPERTISE ON HOW TO OVERCOME SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE FACING, UM, RELATED TO IMPLEMENTATION.
SO JUST WANTED TO ADDRESS THAT NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
UM, SO WE WANTED TO SHOW THIS TIMELINE OF EVENTS TO EMPHASIZE THAT THE ACADEMY DEVELOPMENT IS EVER ONGOING PROCESS.
UM, AS YOU SEE, WE HAVE THE GRADUATION OF THE ONE 43RD ACADEMY, UM, CLASS AND OCTOBER, 2020, UM, WITH A TOTAL TOTAL OF 42 NEW OFFICERS.
UM, THE INITIAL EVALUATION WAS COMPLETED IN APRIL, 2021.
UM, I BELIEVE I STARTED MARCH 15TH OF THE SAME YEAR.
UM, AND THEN WE HAD THE, THE, UH, PLAN AND COUNCIL APPROVAL THAT SUMMER.
SO OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, UM, WE'VE FACED, WE'VE GRADUATED THREE ACADEMY CLASSES SINCE THE INITIAL, UM, CRAWL REPORT, UM, APRIL, 2021, UM, A TOTAL OF TWO FULL ACADEMY CLASSES AND ONE PROGRAM CLASS, UM, MADE UP OF FORMER OFFICERS.
AS NOTED IN THE FINAL CRAWL REPORT, WE'VE MADE SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS IN MANY OF THE DOMAINS.
UM, BUT WE OBVIOUSLY NEED TO CONTINUE WORKING, UM, IN THESE AREAS AS WELL.
SO THE THREE AREAS THAT WE'RE JUST GONNA COVER BRIEFLY, CAUSE I KNOW WE HAVE WE'RE WE'RE SHORT ON TIME, UM, IS COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT.
UM, WHICH INCLUDES, UM, DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED GROUPS BEING PART OF CURRICULUM AND DISCUSSION.
UM, SINCE THE ONE 44TH ACADEMY CLASS, ALL CADETS HAVE GONE THROUGH GROUNDWATER ANALYSIS, TRAINING, UM, AND RACIAL EQUITY TRAINING.
IN ADDITION, CADETS ARE EXPOSED TO, UM, COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS, AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO EXPANDING THESE RESOURCES AND FUTURE, UM, CLASSES.
UM, ALSO COVER THE PROGRESS THAT WE'VE MADE IN ADULT LEARNING AND, UH, DEESCALATION, UH, TRAINING.
FOR COMMUNITY CONNECT, UM, FOR THE ONE 44TH ACADEMY CLASS AND OTHER ACADEMY CLASSES, UM, WE, WE HAVE ESTABLISHED THE COMMUNITY CADET PROGRAM WHERE CADETS HAVE GONE OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY.
UM, AND IN FOR THE ONE 44TH, IT WAS STARTED WHERE IT WAS BEFORE THE ACADEMY.
UM, SO WE HAD TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE ACADEMY WHERE, UM, CADETS WENT OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY, UM, THROUGH SURVEYS WITH BOTH THE INSTRUCTORS AND THE CADETS.
UM, WE REALIZED THAT A LOT OF TIMES THE CADETS DIDN'T HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE AND WHAT THEY WERE DOING AS POLICE OFFICERS.
UM, AND SO WE EMBEDDED THE COMMUNITY CONNECT INTO THE ACADEMY CURRICULUM.
SO THEY'RE HAVING VARIOUS TOUCHPOINTS OF GOING OUT, UM, WHILE THEY'RE THERE, UM, BASED ON, UH, AND SO A TOTAL OF 43 HOURS, UM, FOR THE ONE, UH, FIFTH ACADEMY CLASS, UM, INVOLVED ENGAGING WITH THE COMMUNITY BY GOING OUT.
AND HERE ARE SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE, WE PARTNERED WITH, UM, FOR THE ONE 45TH AND 1 46 TOP CLASS, UM, INCLUDING, UM, GOING TO THE HOLOCAUST MUSEUM IN HOUSTON, THE
[00:10:01]
ADL.IN CONTRAST, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS WHERE, UM, COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND GROUPS COME OUT INTO THE ACADEMY.
UM, AND AREAS LIKE MULTICULTURALS AND TRANSGENDER RIGHTS AND HATE CRIMES.
UM, WE'VE ENGAGED SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
UM, AND HERE ARE SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS AND TOPICS THAT WERE INCLUDED, UM, FOR THE ONE 45TH AND 1 46 CLASSES.
SO THIS SLIDE COVERS SOME OF THE CLASSES THAT WE'VE HAD SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS IN.
UM, UM, WE'RE STILL SOLIDIFYING HOW TO EMBED SUBJECT MATTER, UM, EXPERT CONTENT INTO THE CURRICULUM.
AND EACH CLASS DOES EMPLOY A DIFFERENT TYPE OF TEAM TEACHING MODEL.
UM, SO FOR EXAMPLE, SOME CLASSES LIKE PROFESSIONAL POLICING, UM, THE INSTRUCTOR AND THE, UM, SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT HAVE WORKED TOGETHER TO REWORK THE ENTIRE CURRICULUM AND HAVE TEAM TAUGHT, UM, WHILE OTHER, UM, OTHERS HAVE HAD CONTENT THAT IS SOLELY TAUGHT BY THE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT.
UM, AND SO WE WERE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT SOME OF THE DIFFERENT WAYS TO HAVE TEAM TEACHING MODELS.
UM, THEY'RE ABOUT FIVE TO SIX DIFFERENT TEAM TEACHING MODELS, AND SO WE WANT TO LOOK AT THE WAYS THAT WE'RE DOING IT AND EVALUATE, UM, THE EFFECTIVENESS, UM, IN LEARNING.
SO THIS SLIDE IS JUST TO COVER SOME OF THE PRINCIPLES OF ADULT LEARNING.
I KNOW SOME OF YOU MIGHT BE VERY AWARE OF THESE PRINCIPLES, UM, OF, YOU KNOW, THINKING ABOUT SELF DIRECTION, UTILIZING LIFE EXPERIENCE TO FACILITATE LEARNING, UM, MAKING SURE IT'S GOAL FOCUSED, UM, THINKING ABOUT HOW INFORMATION IS RELEVANT, UM, AND THEN THE PRACTICAL ORIENTATION OF, UM, THE INFORMATION, UM, AND MAKING SURE THAT IT APPLIES.
UM, WE'VE INCORPORATED MANY OF THESE PRINCIPLES, AND WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON HOW TO DOCUMENT ALL OF THE WAYS THAT WE'VE INCORPORATED EACH OF THESE PRINCIPLES.
UM, FOR EXAMPLE, BY ADDING COMMUNITY VOICES AND PERSPECTIVES, UM, WE'RE HELPING CADETS UNDERSTAND THE RELEVANCE OF THIS INFORMATION.
UM, ROLE PLAYS AND RIDEOUTS HAVE ALSO BEEN ADDED OR, UM, MADE MORE ROBUST, UM, FOR THE PRACTICAL ORIENTATION SIDE.
AND WE'RE ALSO MAKING SURE THAT AFTER EACH ROLE PLAY, THERE IS A SUBSTANTIAL DEBRIEF, UM, AND GIVING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE CADETS TO SELF REFLECT ON THEIR PERFORMANCE.
SO THEY'RE NOT JUST BEING TOLD WHAT THEY'RE DOING WRONG, BUT THEY'RE BEING ABLE TO ACTUALLY CONTRIBUTE THE WAYS IN WHICH THEY MIGHT, UM, HAVE, BE ABLE TO REFLECT ON WHAT THEY'RE DOING WRONG, UM, SO THAT THE INSTRUCTORS CAN ENGAGE DIALOGUE.
UM, AND THE LAST ONE THAT I'M GONNA COVER, WHICH IS A PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL ONE FOR THERO, UM, EVALUATION REPORT IS RELATED TO ICAT AND DEESCALATION.
UM, I KNOW WE HAVE SOME OF THE, OUR CRC MEMBERS HERE, AND ONE OF THE, UM, ONE OF THE MANY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THEY DID GIVE US WAS BEING ABLE TO EMBED, UM, THE CRITICAL DECISION MAKING MODEL EARLIER INTO THE ACADEMY.
UM, PERF CAME OUT AND DID A TRAIN, UM, FOR, UM, INSTRUCTORS IN BOTH OUR LEARN SKILLS UNIT, OUR CONTINUING EDUCATION OR ADVANCED EDUCATION UNIT, UM, AS WELL AS OUR CADET TRAINING.
AND WE HAD INSTRUCTORS, UM, DO THE TRAINING, THE TRAINING FOR EACH OF THOSE.
UM, DURING THAT TIME PERIOD, WE TALKED TO PERF ABOUT BEING ABLE TO EMBED THE CRITICAL DECISION MAKING TO THE CURRICULUM, UM, OR BEING ABLE TO MOVE ICAT DEESCALATION TRAINING EARLIER INTO THE ACADEMY.
UM, THEY ADVISED US THAT IT WAS NOT GOOD TO MOVE THE DEESCALATION TRAINING BEFORE THERE'S LEGAL, UM, BEFORE THEIR, THEIR, THEIR TOP LEGAL OR ANY OF THE OTHER ELEMENTS.
UM, BUT THEY DID SAY THAT WE CAN UTILIZE THE CRITICAL DECISION MAKING MODEL EARLIER IN THE ACADEMY.
SO WE'RE DOING SO, UM, SO FOR THIS, UM, UPCOMING ACADEMY CLASS AS WELL AS THE LAST CLASS, UM, WE DID AN EMBEDDED ONE HOUR, UM, PRO IN THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE ACADEMY.
UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I KNOW FOR SOME OF YOU WHO ARE, WHO ARE ACADEMIC NERDS LIKE MYSELF, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S VERY LITTLE EVIDENCE ON WHAT WORKS WITHIN POLICE TRAINING.
UM, SO A LOT OF TIMES I GET A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT LIKE, WELL, WHY ARE WE DOING THIS? OR WHY ARE WE NOT DOING THIS? UM, ICA IS ONE OF THE, UM, UH, I WOULD SAY ONE OF THE FEW, UH, TRAININGS THAT HAS BEEN ASSESSED, UM, AND THAT IT WORKS, UM, IN RELATED TO USE OF FORCE INCIDENCES.
SO, UM, SO THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO KNOW, AND IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I SORT UP IN THESE CONVERSATIONS TO SAY IT'S NOT JUST GOOD ENOUGH TO PUT OURS IN FRONT OF OUR CADETS, BUT TO ALSO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WITHIN THOSE HOURS.
UM, AND RIGHT NOW, UM, ICAT IS TAUGHT BY OUR, UM, TEAM TO CURRENT OFFICERS AND CADETS.
[00:15:01]
AND NOW THAT WE HAVE CADET TRAINING IS ALSO TRAINED IN IT, THEY WILL BE TEACHING THE CADETS THEMSELVES, UM, WITH THE, WITH THE NEW, UM, ICAT TRAINING.UM, WE ALSO LAST YEAR, UM, UH, WERE AWARDED A, UM, UH, A GRANT RELATED TO THIS, UM, DUE TO, UH, VARIOUS THINGS, UH, AND GIVEN COVID AND, AND WHATNOT.
UM, WE'RE A LITTLE BIT BEHIND ON OUR GRANT, BUT THAT'S MORE BEING ABLE TO GET THE SIMULATOR, UM, WHICH WILL GO BEFORE COUNCIL, I BELIEVE, EARLY NEXT YEAR.
UM, AND SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO, BUT WE'VE ALREADY DONE THE TRAIN THE TRAINER, UM, FOR THIS PAST SPRING, FOR THIS PAST SUMMER, AND THEY DID A, UM, EVALUATION OF THE TRAINING THAT WE DID THIS SUMMER.
UH, THEY CAME OUT, UM, WATCHED OUR INSTRUCTORS FOR TWO DAYS, THEN THEY, UM, DID THE TRAIN THE TRAINER.
UM, AND THEN THEY'RE WRITING UP OUR COMMENTS AND WE'VE ALREADY DEBRIEFED WITH THEM, BOTH LINES AND MYSELF.
UM, AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE THEM FOLLOW UP AS WELL WITH SOMETHING THAT WE INCLUDED IN THE GRANT IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY COME BACK, UM, TO, TO LOOK AT OUR TRAINING.
AND THIS IS, UM, OUR ONE 45TH, UM, ACADEMY CLASS THAT JUST GRADUATED IN NOVEMBER.
UM, DOES COMMANDER LYS HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD OR SHOULD WE MOVE ON? HELLO COMMISSION.
MY NAME IS COMMANDER WAY ALLIANCES.
I'VE BEEN WITH DEPARTMENT APPROXIMATELY 16 YEARS.
I RECENTLY TRANSITIONED AS THE TRAINING COMMANDER BACK IN JULY OF THIS YEAR, AND I JUST WANTED TO LET EVERYBODY KNOW THAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO MOVING, UH, THIS WORK CONTINUOUSLY.
UM, UH, DO Y'ALL ON THE, UM, OR THE, I GUESS I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE WHAT THE COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVES, THERE WAS AN ACRONYM USED AND I CAN'T REMEMBER IT NOW.
UM, TOO MANY ACRONYMS IN THE WORLD.
UM, HOW DO Y'ALL WANNA GO? DO YOU WANNA START, UM, WITH MS. DAVIS AND GO DOWN THE LINE OR? ALL RIGHT, I'LL GO AHEAD.
HI, MY NAME'S NOEL DAVIS AND I HAVE BEEN ON THE CURRICULUM REVIEW COMMITTEE SINCE IT'S, IT'S BACK IN SPRING OF 20, AND WE HAVE REVIEWED, I'M GUESSING AROUND HALF OF THE CURRICULUM, AND THERE'S A LOT MORE TO REVIEW.
AND THAT'S JUST FOR THE CADETS.
WE HAVE NOT HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW ANY OF THE TRAINING.
I DON'T THINK ANY OF THE TRAINING FOR THE OTHER DIVISIONS THAT WE BELIEVE IS IMPORTANT TO ALSO BE PART OF THE PROCESS AND GET TO BE REVIEWED.
AND, UM, IT REMAINS UNCLEAR WHERE A LOT OF OUR RECOMMENDATIONS ARE, AND SOME OF THEM HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED, BUT I DON'T KNOW, WE DON'T REALLY KNOW WHERE MOST OF, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE GONE.
AND, UM, ONE OF THE BIG THINGS THAT I'M CURIOUS ABOUT, RESOLUTION 37 CALLS FOR ALLOWING COMMUNITY OBSERVATION AND COE EVALUATION AND FOR REALLY CREATING A PROCESS AROUND THAT.
AND THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW OF THE CLASSES THAT HAVE, IT'S, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO, UM, OBSERVE AND SHARE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS, BUT NOT MANY.
AND SO I FEEL LIKE THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE, UM, HAVE RECOMMENDED IS THAT WE WOULD REALLY LOVE TO SEE A MORE THOROUGH PROCESS FOR REALLY BEING ABLE TO REVIEW CLASSES AND EVEN POTENTIALLY ON VIDEO, LIKE BEING ABLE TO HAVE, LIKE KROLL WAS ABLE TO WATCH THE CLASSES IN PROCESS ON VIDEO, AND WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE SAME OPPORTUNITY IF NOT BEING ABLE TO ACTUALLY BE THERE.
YEAH, SO THERE'S A NUMBER OF THINGS IN THE CITY MANAGER'S REIMAGINED ACADEMY BLUEPRINT THAT HAVE NOT BEEN COMPLETED.
THERE'S STILL, AS, UH, DIRECTOR CORGAN SAID, STILL IN ACTION.
AND SO FOR OUR COMMITTEE, WE, WE'VE BEEN ON HOLD.
THERE HAVE DEFINITELY BEEN SOME CHALLENGES.
WE'VE GOT, I FEEL LIKE WE STARTED TO BUILD SOMETHING AND CAME UP AGAINST A LOT OF CHALLENGES.
AND SO NOW WE'RE HOPEFULLY GONNA BE RESUMING THAT PROCESS WITH THE SUPPORT OF KRO AND JOYCE JAMES CONSULTING NEXT WEEK.
NOT SURE WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE YET.
UM, BUT AGAIN, THERE'S A LOT OF CURRICULUM WE HAVEN'T LOOKED AT, AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT WE GET TO SEE IT AND OFFER OUR, UH, PERSPECTIVES AND CREATE MORE, LIKE PLAY WITH THE PROCESS SOME MORE.
THERE WERE SOME THINGS THAT WEREN'T WORKING, AND SO DEFINITELY NEED SOME REVISION.
AND THEN THERE'S THE VIDEO REVIEW PROCESS.
WE, MY UNDERSTANDING FROM THE, THE LASTRO REPORT WAS THAT VIDEO REVIEW IS GOING TO BE INCORPORATED INTO OUR COMMITTEE, AND WE MIGHT HAVE WATCHED A HANDFUL OF VIDEOS.
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I THINK THERE WERE SOME, LIKE IN THE, IN THE ICAT TRAINING, BUT OH YEAH, THERE, RIGHT, THERE WERE SOME THAT, JUST A FEW.SO, UM, IT'D BE WONDERFUL TO HAVE A MORE THOROUGH PROCESS FOR REVIEWING VIDEOS.
KREGAN SAID, WE AGREE WITH MORE CO-FACILITATION AND COMMUNITY SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS.
AND A LOT OF THE, A LOT OF THE MATERIALS REALLY OUTDATED FROM TCO.
LIKE A LOT OF THE BASIC TRAINING IS OUTDATED.
AND I BELIEVE THERE'S SOME FLEXIBILITY AND WHAT THE OFFICERS CAN INCLUDE.
LIKE THERE IS A LOT OF MATERIAL THAT APD ADDED, BUT I THINK THERE'S EVEN FLEXIBILITY ON WHAT TCO, LIKE WHAT THEY CAN DO WITH THE TCO MATERIAL.
SO IT WOULD LOVE TO SEE, UM, DREN HAVE SUPPORT AND PERHAPS EVEN MORE STAFF TO HELP HER EVEN JUST DEAL WITH TCO, CUZ THERE'S A LOT THAT NEEDS TO BE REVISED THERE.
UM, AND YEAH, JUST MORE ACTIVE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES, MORE TRAINING, MORE TRAUMA INFORMED TRAINING, AND MORE INCORPORATING OF ICA AND OTHER DEESCALATION AND, AND SELF-REGULATION, LIKE OUR OWN PHYSIOLOGY REGULATION INTO AND THROUGHOUT THE TRAINING.
LET ME JUST CLARIFY FOR A MOMENT BEFORE YOU GO.
WE HAVE WATCHED A FEW VIDEOS THAT WERE PART OF THE CONTENT.
WE HAVE NOT REVIEWED ANY OF, NOT DISCUSSED THEM, SO PARDON ME IF I KEEP TAKING MY GLASSES OFF AND ON.
I CAN'T ACTUALLY READ MY SCREEN WITH THE SAME GLASSES.
SO, UH, YOU KNOW, AGE, AGE RELATED DEBILITATION.
UM, I JUST WANNA FOLLOW UP ON A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT YOU JUST HEARD.
I THINK THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, AS COMMUNITY MEMBERS, OF COURSE OUR CONCERNS HAVE BEEN, AND I'LL, I'LL SORT OF STEP BACK A LITTLE THAT WE HEAR ALL THE TIME.
WE SEE A THING THAT HAPPENS IN THE WORLD AND IT LOOKS AND IS AWFUL, A TRAGEDY, AN AWFUL TRAGIC THING HAPPENS IN THE WORLD.
AND THEN WE HEAR THAT, YOU KNOW, IT WAS HANDLED IN ACCORDANCE WITH TRAINING.
AND I THINK TO ME, THAT'S THE NUT OF WHY I'M ON THIS PANEL BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT IS ACTUALLY CORRECT AND THAT DECADES OF THE ACCUMULATION OF POLICE TRAINING HAVE NOT RESULTED IN A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO KEEPING ALL MEMBERS OF OUR PUBLIC SAFE, INCLUDING POLICE.
AND SO WHAT I HAD HOPED FROM THIS COMMUNITY DRIVEN PIECE WAS AN EFFORT TO, YOU KNOW, REALLY STEP BACK AND REASSESS, UM, HOW IT IS THAT WE TRAIN OUR OFFICERS AND HOW WE CAN MAKE SOME, YOU KNOW, REAL MAJOR CHANGE.
I BELIEVE THAT TRAINING POLICE TRAIN SOME BIG CHANGES AND THESE FOLKS KNOW THAT ABOUT ME.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO START BRIEFLY AND JUST AGAIN, I ONLY HAVE A MINUTE OR TWO.
SO I WANNA SAY THAT FOR ME, THE, THE SORT OF NUT BECAME, UH, IN OUR DEBATES AROUND, UH, THE RACIAL PROFILING UNIT AND ALL OF THE FORCE UNITS, THE LEGAL UNITS, THE NON-LEGAL UNITS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF ALL OF THAT STUFF.
IF YOU LOOK AT HOW POLICE TRAINING HAS EVOLVED OVER THE YEARS, LOOKS LIKE EVERY GREAT NEW IDEA GETS GLAMMED ON TO ALL THE OTHER IDEAS TO THE POINT WHERE POLICE TRAINING IS FUNDAMENTALLY INCOHERENT ON FORCE.
AND THEN BEYOND THAT SORT OF FUNDAMENTAL GLAMMING ON OF MANY IDEAS INTO KIND OF AN INCOHERENT HOLE, THE FRAMING THEN IS SORT OF OUTLINED AND BOUNDED BY LAWS THAT HAVE OVER TIME, AS WE WELL KNOW FROM THE FIFTH CIRCUIT ON UP, RESULTED IN, UH, VERY LITTLE BRIGHT LINE RULES IN OUR CONSTITUTIONAL LAW THAT LIMIT WHAT POLICE ARE ABLE TO DO.
AND SO YOU END UP WITH A MISHMASH OF THINGS, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, WHAT I BELIEVE IS A LADDER OF ESCALATION, YOU KNOW, THE RESISTANCE TREE, IF THEY PULL OUT A KNIFE, THEN YOU CAN USE THIS HIGHER LEVEL OF, YOU KNOW, WEAPONRY.
UM, THAT SORT OF, IF THEN STATEMENT, IF THEY DO THIS, THEN YOU CAN DO THAT ULTIMATELY
[00:25:01]
LEADS TO AND CAN LEAD TO ESCALATION.WELL, THAT IS STILL IN THERE RIGHT NEXT TO DEESCALATION, WHICH IS A VERY DIFFERENT WAY OF THINKING ABOUT DECISION MAKING.
SO TO THE POINT OF OUR RECOMMENDATION, WE DID SAY WE WANNA SEE THE, THE, THE ICAP MODEL USED AT THE VERY BEGINNING.
AND, YOU KNOW, TO ALL, IN ALL DEFERENCE TO PERF THE IDEA THAT WE WOULD TRAIN THE LEGAL STANDARD AHEAD OF IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD HAVE A ROBUST DEBATE ABOUT.
UM, YOU KNOW, BRING THAT DECISION MODEL THAT I THINK EVERYONE ON OUR PANEL THOUGHT WAS JUST REMARKABLY BETTER.
IT WAS DESIGNED FOR DEALING WITH, UH, PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS, BUT WHAT IT REALLY IS, IS A BETTER WAY OF WALKING INTO A VOLATILE SITUATION FOR ALL KINDS OF VOLATILITY.
ALL KINDS OF ISSUES COULD BE HANDLED BETTER.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE SAID BRING THAT WHOLE UNIT UP TO THE FRONT AND THEN USE IT AS A TOUCHSTONE THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.
I THINK IT SOUNDS LIKE, AND IT'S BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN ON PAUSE AND YOU KNOW, THAT'S A WHOLE NOTHER STORY.
UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE HAVE BEEN SOME INCREMENTAL STEPS TO PUT BITS OF THAT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF FORWARD.
UM, BUT LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN AT THIS NOW FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
I'M ALONG WITH NOEL, ONE OF THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS.
UM, AND I REALLY HAD HOPED THAT WE WOULD BE QUITE A BIT FURTHER ALONG IN OUR REIMAGINING OF POLICE TRAINING BY THIS POINT.
UM, SO WE DID, WE PUT FORWARD A BUNCH OF RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW TO REDO THE PROCESS.
UM, WE DO THINK THAT PART OF IT IS THAT WE AREN'T SURE WHAT RESULTS ARE BEING HAD IN THE CLASSROOM AND WE LOVE TO BE ABLE TO JUST BE A FLY ON THE WALL.
UM, THESE SHOULDN'T BE SECRET CLASSROOMS. I CAN WALK INTO A CLASSROOM AT UT AND WATCH A CLASS, YOU KNOW, THAT'S TEACHING IS WHAT IT IS.
SO, UM, WE, WE PUT, GAVE A LETTER TO, UM, CITY COUNCIL, UH, BACK IN, WAS IT AUGUST, JULY, BE THE 1ST OF SEPTEMBER.
SOMEWHERE IN THE SUMMER IT WAS REALLY HOT
SOMETIME WHEN IT WAS SUPER HOT WE SENT A LETTER AND ASKED FOR, YOU KNOW, SOME REVISIONS TO THE PROCESS.
UM, WE HAVE BEEN ON HOLD SINCE BEFORE THAT AND SINCE THEN.
SO I'M NOT SURE WHERE THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE, BUT WE ARE STILL VERY INTERESTED IN ENGAGING.
WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS PROCESS BE SUCCESSFUL, BUT OUR, MY SENSE, MY PERSONAL VIEW IS THAT WE NEED SOME REAL CHANGE AND, UM, AND IF WE DON'T GET IT, WE'RE GONNA START LOSING PEOPLE.
I DON'T WANNA TAKE MUCH TIME CUZ I WANT TO LEAVE ROOM FOR MAGGIE AND CERITA IN PARTICULAR.
UM, BUT LET ME CONTINUE THIS SORT OF BIRD'S EYE VIEW RATHER THAN SPECIFIC EXAMPLES, UM, OF WHICH THERE ARE MANY THAT WE COULD TALK ABOUT.
SO MAYBE WE LEAVE TIME AND QUESTIONS FOR THAT WHEN WE COME AND TALK SOME MORE.
BUT I, I, I WANT TO START BY SAYING THAT, THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SOME DIFFICULTIES HERE.
I I'VE BEEN ON THIS AT THIS WORK IN THIS PROCESS SINCE THE ORIGINAL RESOLUTION 66 VIDEO REVIEW COMMITTEE.
AND SO I'VE, I'VE SEEN A LOT HAPPEN, UH, UH, IN THIS PROCESS.
AND FOR THE MOST PART IT'S, IT'S, IT'S NOT BEEN TERRIBLY EFFECTIVE.
UM, THIS PROCESS, THIS PARTICULAR CRC COMMITTEE WAS FORMED BASICALLY RIGHT ABOUT THE TIME THAT ANNE GOT HERE AND THEN HAD TO GO INTO A PAUSE PERIOD LAST AUGUST CUZ IT WASN'T WORKING PARTICULARLY WELL.
AND THEN IT DIDN'T START UP AGAIN UNTIL THE FIRST OF THIS YEAR.
UM, AND THEN IT HAD TO GO INTO A PAUSE AGAIN BECAUSE IT'S NOT WORKING PARTICULARLY WELL.
AND WHAT I WANT TO EMPHASIZE IS THAT THESE PROBLEMS DON'T MEAN THAT THIS WORK SHOULDN'T BE DONE.
THAT THE VISION OF THE RE-IMAGINING TASK FORCE IS SOLID AND GOOD.
THE IDEA OF A COMMUNITY CENTERED ENGAGEMENT WITH POLICE TRAINING IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT.
THE PROCESS CAN BE MADE EFFECTIVE AND WE HAVE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOW TO DO THAT, AND WE HAVE SOME HOPE THAT IT, THAT THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS WILL BE LISTENED TO.
BUT I ALSO WANT TO POINT OUT WHAT CROW POINTED OUT IN THEIR REPORT THAT YOU HAVE AND THAT THERE ARE SOME SIGNIFICANT OBSTACLES IN THE WAY OF THAT, OF THAT CHANGE.
AND ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT OF THOSE OBSTACLES IS ACADEMY CULTURE, WHICH THEY TALK ABOUT IN SECTION FIVE OF THEIR REPORT.
THERE IS, UM, A KIND OF RIDICULING OF THE WHOLE IDEA OF REIMAGINING TRAINING.
UM, THERE IS SIGNIFICANT RESISTANCE.
I WAS TALKING TO A FORMER TRAINER JUST THIS LAST WEEK.
THERE'S SIGNIFICANT RESISTANCE STILL
[00:30:01]
AGAINST OUTSIDE CONTENT EXPERTS PARTICIPATING IN DEVELOPING CURRICULUM.A KIND OF ATTITUDE THAT IF IT'S NOT WRITTEN BY COPS, IT HAS NO PLACE IN THE ACADEMY.
AND SO YOU GET A REALLY, YOU KNOW, STRANGE KIND OF, OF, OF, OF, UM, COOPERATION OR COLLABORATION WITH OUTSIDE EXPERTS.
THE LIST THAT, THAT ANN SHOWED YOU NEEDS TO BE SORT OF DUG INTO.
AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT I WANNA SAY OVERALL IS THAT THE RE-IMAGINING TASK FORCE GAVE A BLUEPRINT FOR HOW THIS WORK COULD BE DONE.
AND WHAT IS NEEDED IS A WAY TO ADDRESS THAT, THOSE CULTURAL OBSTACLES.
AND I THINK THE WAY TO DO THAT, WHICH THE TASK FORCE ALSO HIGHLIGHTED, IS BY INTRODUCING FORMAL PROCESSES OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY.
BUT WE'RE ASKING TO SEE THE CLASSES, WE'RE NOT ASKING THAT JUST TO BE CURIOUS.
WE'RE ASKING THAT BECAUSE WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO WATCH THE CLASSES, WHERE IS THE TRANSPARENCY AND WHERE IS ANY POSSIBLE ACCOUNTABILITY? AND SO WHAT I WANNA DO IS INVITE THIS COMMISSION BECAUSE IF I UNDERSTAND IT WELL, THIS COMMISSION IS WELL SITUATED TO, TO PUT PRESSURE ON, TO DEVELOP THE KIND OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY THAT WILL BE NEEDED TO MAKE THESE CHANGES EFFECTIVE.
AND SO I WOULD INVITE YOU TO FIGURE OUT ACCORDING TO YOUR PRIORITIES AND YOUR, YOU KNOW, YOUR WORKLOAD WHERE YOU CAN DO THAT, RIGHT? WHERE YOU CAN INVITE A KIND OF REPORTING ON A REGULAR BASIS THAT WOULD HELP PRODUCE SOME TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY AND, AND HELP US AND HELP THE COMMUNITY, UH, MAKE THE CHANGES THAT I DO BELIEVE MANY PEOPLE IN THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT IN THE ACADEMY WANT TO SEE HAPPEN AS WELL.
I'M JUST GONNA INTRODUCE MYSELF.
MY NAME IS MAGGIE AND I'M PART OF THE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE, BUT I'M GOING TO LET SARITA SPEAK.
I'M PART OF THE CURRICULUM REVIEW COMMITTEE, UM, COMING TO YOU VIRTUALLY.
UM, THE MAIN THING THAT I'LL SAY, UM, TO ADD ON TO WHAT SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE MENTIONED IS THE, THE FOCUS OF THIS COMMITTEE.
IT HAS BEEN OBVIOUSLY TO REVIEW THE CURRICULUM THAT THE CADETS, UM, ARE RECEIVING THROUGHOUT THEIR TRAINING.
BUT ULTIMATELY IT IS TO BUILD, UM, TRUST AND, UM, IMPROVE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY AND THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT.
UM, I'VE BEEN ON THIS COMMITTEE FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW AND, UM, IT IS INCREASINGLY HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THERE'S A REAL DESIRE TO IMPROVE THOSE RELATIONSHIPS AND IMPROVE THE WAY THAT THE COMMUNITY, UM, BOTH PERCEIVES AND INTERACTS WITH THE POLICE WHEN WE ARE SPENDING A LOT OF TIME REVIEWING REALLY IMPORTANT CONTENT, GIVING THOUGHTFUL AND INTENTIONAL, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS AND FEEDBACK AND, UM, SHOWING A LOT OF GOOD FAITH IN CONVERSATIONS, RECOGNIZING THAT CHANGE DOES NOT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.
UM, AND THAT, UM, NOT EVERY PIECE OF FEEDBACK THAT WE GIVE CAN BE, UM, ACHIEVED, RIGHT.
UM, MANAGING OUR OWN EXPECTATIONS, BUT TO EVEN WITHIN THE YEAR THAT I'VE BEEN.
[00:36:15]
THANK YOU.UNFORTUNATELY, THAT WAS ALSO A LOT OF OUR TIME, SO I'LL JUST ENCOURAGE THE COMMISSIONERS TO TALK FAST.
CAN I, CAN I, SO I, I I WANNA SEE IT TO OUR QUESTIONS, BUT I JUST WANTED TO SAY I, THIS WE NEED TO REVISIT THIS NEXT MONTH.
UM, SO WE'D LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT DR.
CRING IN AND, AND, UM, AND COMMANDER LYONS COME BACK TO JOIN US NEXT MONTH.
I THINK WE'RE GONNA, UM, HAVE SOME FOLLOW UP CONVERSATIONS.
I HAVE A HARD TIME BELIEVING THAT WE'RE GONNA BE A FEW MINUTES THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO HAVE, SO WE'RE ALSO GOING TO BE DOING A FULL, UM, REVIEW OF THERO REPORT NEXT MONTH.
AND SO I'D LIKE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU GUYS TO BE HERE TO RESPOND.
UM, AND WE WILL ALSO BE SUBMITTING SOME QUESTION FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS IN WRITING, BUT I DO THAT, THAT'S ALL I WANT.
JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE WILL, WE WILL BE BACK NEXT MONTH.
SO IT'S GONNA BE THE END OF IT.
SO IF A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC WANTED TO READ YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS AND, UH, REVIEW WHAT YOU HAVE PASSED ON TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, WHERE CAN WE FIND THAT? OH, HELLO.
UM, WELL, I, I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE WHERE YOU WOULD FIND THE PUB, ANY PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION.
UM, WE HAVE BEEN ACTING UNDER A REAL TRANSPARENCY SORT OF RULE, AND WE HAVE PUT A LOT OF INFORMATION ONTO A GOOGLE DRIVE.
THERE ARE MANY, UH, UNITS WITH DETAILED COMMENTS FROM OUR COMMITTEE ON A GOOGLE DRIVE, BUT WHERE THE PUBLIC WOULD ACCESS THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE A COM A QUESTION FOR OUR COMPADRES OVER HERE.
WELL, OR ALSO, UH, WE HAVE RECOMMENDED THAT SOME STAFF RESOURCES, WHETHER IT'S A COMMUNITY MEMBER OR FROM THE CITY, BE PUT BEHIND UPDATING AND MANAGING A PUBLIC FACING SPACE WITH OUR RECOMMENDATION STATUS ON THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND, UM, AFFORDABLE FOR, UM, PUBLIC COMMENT.
AND, AND THE REP, OUR LAST MO REPORT, OUR MOST RECENT REPORT WAS SENT DIRECTLY TO THE CITY COUNCIL.
IT MAY BE AVAILABLE AS PART OF THEIR RECORDS.
I SENT IT DIRECTLY TO Y'ALL, AND WE ARE QUITE HAPPY FOR YOU TO MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC.
UM, YEAH, THAT WAS MORE, THAT WAS MORE ALONG THE LINES OF A MEMO SORT OF OUTLINING, YOU KNOW, WHERE THINGS WERE.
UM, BUT IN TERMS OF LIKE THE SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS ON SPECIFIC CURRICULUM, UM, YES, WE HAVE RECOMMENDED THAT ALL OF THIS BE KIND OF MOVED FROM THE GROUP OUT INTO A DIFFERENT WAY OF DOING IT.
SO, UM, WHAT'S WITH THE SECRECY? UM, I BELIEVE IN THE SPRING I SHARED WITH THE COMMITTEE THAT I HAD ASKED FOR AN INDIVIDUAL TO DO, UM, CONTENT STRATEGY OR WHATNOT WITHIN THE CITY.
UM, WE PUT IT UP TO, UM, H R D FOR THE CITY, UM, AND THEY SAID THAT WE NEED TO WORK IT THROUGH THE PIO.
UM, WE'VE HAD REVOLVING PIO INDIVIDUALS WITHIN APD.
UM, AND SO WHILE I PUT UP THE REQUESTS, THEY DID NOT APPROVE, UM, THAT AND CLASSIFY THE POSITION FOR A TRAINING SPECIALIST.
SO, UM, REALLY IT'S ABOUT RESOURCES.
UM, I HAVE A STAFF OF ONE AND A TEMP.
UM, AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE DO WITH WHAT WE HAVE, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THE, THAT, THAT THE COMMUNITY IS NOT HAPPY WITH, WITH THE SERVICE THAT WE'RE
[00:40:01]
PROVIDING.UM, SO, YOU KNOW, KRO AND JJC, UM, JOYCE JAMES CONSULTING, UM, THEY ARE GOING TO BE DOING A SCOPE OF WORK ON CRC SPECIFICALLY.
UM, I THINK THAT THEY'RE GONNA MEET WITH THE COMMITTEE NEXT WEEK.
I KNOW THEY DON'T HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF INFORMATION NECESSARILY ON WHAT'S GONNA BE HAPPENING, UM, RELATED TO THAT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT BE ASKING US WILL BE, UM, HOPEFULLY ANSWERED IN THAT UPCOMING REPORT THAT THEY WILL BE DOING, UM, TOGETHER BECAUSE THEY'RE INTERVIEWING, UM, INDIVIDUALS FROM ACADEMY STAFF AS WELL AS INDIVIDUALS FROM CRC.
UM, THEY'RE LOOKING AT OTHER, UM, DEPARTMENTS SUCH AS NEW ORLEANS WHO HAVE CURRICULUM REVIEW, UM, TO SEE WHAT ARE THE PROCESSES, RIGHT? UM, BECAUSE THIS WAS ONE OF MANY, UM, UH, REIMAGINE, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, THAT WE PUT TOGETHER LAST YEAR.
UM, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE FOLLOW AT A BEST PRACTICE OR EVEN A PROMISING PRACTICE, RIGHT? AND HOW TO DO THIS.
UM, SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS MAKE SURE THAT KROLL IS LOOKING INTO WHAT ARE THE WAYS OTHER CITIES HAVE DONE THIS, AND THEN WORKING ON HOW TO MOVE IT FORWARD.
SO, UM, THE LAW IS ALL IN THE LAW BOOKS, IT'S PUBLIC, THE SOPS ARE ALL PUBLIC.
I MEAN, ALL THE CONTENT THAT Y'ALL ARE TEACHING ABOUT USE OF FORCE IS PUBLIC.
WHAT THE JUSTIFICATION FOR NOT LETTING MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY SIT IN A CLASS WHERE YOU'RE TEACHING PUBLIC CONTENT WHERE, WHERE IT CAN'T BE PUBLIC, WHAT IS, WHAT IS THE REASON THAT YOU HAVE TO GO TO OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND ASK THEM HOW THEY DID IT? I DON'T, I JUST DON'T GET IT.
I MEANT FOR A CURRICULUM REVIEW COMMITTEE.
UM, WHAT I UNDERSTOOD IN THE QUESTION WASN'T ABOUT GOING INTO THE CLASSES THEMSELVES.
IT WAS ABOUT WHAT IS, LIKE, HOW, HOW ARE WE THE SECRECY RELATED TO CRC OR HOW THE RECOMMENDATIONS AREN'T PUBLIC.
UM, SO I MEANT WHY THE RECOMMENDATIONS WEREN'T PUBLIC.
I I DON'T KNOW WHY THE, THE CLASSROOMS OR ANY OF THOSE PARTICULAR ANSWERS, UM, AT THIS TIME.
SO THAT WOULD BE MY FOLLOW UP TO COMMANDER LYONS.
WHY NOT ALLOW THESE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE BECOME SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS THROUGH COUNTLESS HOURS OF VOLUNTEERING, WATCH THE CLASSES TO SEE IF WHAT THEY'RE RECOMMENDING IS BEING IMPLEMENTED? I UNDERSTAND THE CONCERNS OF THE CRC AS WELL AS THE CONCERNS OF THE COMMISSION.
UH, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME.
SO WHAT I CAN FOLLOW UP WITH IS I CAN MEET WITH MY ASSISTANT CHIEF AND THE EXECUTIVE TEAM TO SEE HOW WE CAN MOVE FORWARD ON THAT ITEM.
YEAH, I ACTUALLY JUST HAD A COMMENT AND IT'S JUST, UM,
UM, QUITE FRANKLY, IT DOES, IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE THERE'S THE, THE DEEP LEVEL OF COM LIKE COMMITMENT TO THE COMMUNITY, UM, IN, IN THE WAY THAT YOU'RE IN ENGAGING WITH THE PANEL.
UM, AND IT'S CONCERNING BECAUSE, UM, ON THE FLIP SIDE, THE COMMUNITY, THE CITY OF AUSTIN, THE CITIZENS KEEP HEARING ABOUT HOW GREAT THE NEW TRAINING IS.
UM, I HEAR PEOPLE THAT ARE RUNNING FOR CITY COUNCIL TALKING ABOUT HOW GREAT IT IS THAT LIKE THAT, THAT ARE NEW MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL TALK ABOUT HOW GREAT OUR NEW TRAINING IS AND HOW MUCH PROGRESS WE'VE MADE AND HOW POSITIVE THE CHANGES WE'VE MADE ARE, AND HOW WE CAN LOOK FORWARD TO LOTS MORE OFFICERS.
BUT THEN ON THE OTHER END, WE, WE HAVE THIS AND IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, THE MESSAGING ISN'T MATCHING WHAT'S HAPPENING.
AND SO, UM, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT OUT LOUD.
IT'S, UM, IT'S CONCERNING AND IT FEELS DISHONEST QUITE FRANKLY.
I WOULD, I WANNA JUST BACK UP AND, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT TRYING TO, I THINK WE AS A CITY ALSO HAVEN'T SET DR.
KREGAN UP WITH ENOUGH RESOURCES.
WE HAVE NOT GIVEN HER THE STAFFING AND THE RESOURCES TO REALLY GIVE THIS A FAIR SHAKE.
AND SHE'S ASKED THE CITY FOR MORE AND HAS NOT BEEN GIVEN THAT.
SO I THINK WE NEED, IF WE REALLY WANT THIS CHANGE, LIKE LET'S INVEST IN IT.
LET'S GIVE HER SOME MORE RESOURCES.
YEAH, AND I, I CERTAINLY WOULD ECHO THAT.
I THINK SHE NEEDS MORE RESOURCES, BUT I WANT TO ECHO YOUR CONCERN.
ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE COMMENTS I DIDN'T MAKE THAT I HAD PREPARED TO MAKE BECAUSE I WANTED TO BE A LITTLE BRIEFER, IS THAT, UM, PART OF THE GREATEST RESISTANCE IN THIS PROCESS SO FAR HAS BEEN TO RECOMMENDATIONS OF CHANGES IN MATERIAL THAT'S PRIMARILY FOCUSED AROUND DEI CONTENT.
[00:45:01]
UH, THE RACIAL PROFILING MODULE IS A EXCELLENT CASE.UH, EXAMPLE, WHICH I WOULD LOVE TO TALK ABOUT IN MORE DETAIL IF YOU, BUT WHAT I WANT TO SAY IS THAT IF WE DO NOT FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGE THE TRAINING AS A WHOLE, AS KATHY HAS REPORTED, AND FUNDAMENTALLY INTEGRATE A DIFFERENT KIND OF APPROACH TO THE COMMUNITY IN ALL OF THAT TRAINING THAN A FEW MEET AND GREETS ARE NOT GONNA MOVE THE NEEDLE.
I GUESS I JUST WANTED TO SHARE, YOU KNOW, HAVING SPENT THE MAJORITY OF MY THIRTIES SERVING ON AUSTIN'S CITIZEN REVIEW PANEL AND KNOWING THAT, YOU KNOW, THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE WORKED ON EVERY MONTH WENT DIRECTLY INTO THE CHIEF'S TRASH CAN, SUCH THAT THEY COULD NOT EVEN FIND THEM LATER.
UM, I REALLY HOPE THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN TO Y'ALL CUZ IT WAS REALLY DISCOURAGING.
UH, SHALL WE FOLLOW UP WITH THIS ON IN JANUARY? UM, AND, AND COMMAND, CAN I JUST PICK ONE COMMENT BEFORE WE MOVE ON? UM, THE, TO, I JUST WANNA BUILD OFF OF WHAT STILL STARTED TO SAY IN THAT THE, THE, THE CRUX OF THIS WHOLE ISSUE, RIGHT, IS THAT WE ARE PUTTING IN TIME, EFFORT, AND ENERGY TO GO THROUGH ALL OF THIS CURRICULUM TO MAKE ALL OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS TO PULL IN SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS AND THEN NOT SEEING THOSE CUR THOSE, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS REFLECTED IN CURRICULUM.
AND THE, THE BIGGEST PIECE OF THAT BEING SURE THE UMBRELLA OF DEI, BUT THE LACK OF WILLINGNESS TO ADDRESS HOW POLICING, PARTICULARLY POLICING IN AMERICA DIRECTLY HAS HARMFUL, VIOLENT, AND EVEN DEADLY IMPACTS ON BLACK PEOPLE, FIRST AND FOREMOST, AND ALL MARGINALIZED GROUPS IN GENERAL.
AND SO AGAIN, THE WHOLE POINT OF ALL OF THIS IS TO IMPROVE THE WAYS IN WHICH POLICING IS DONE IN OUR CITY SO THAT COMMUNITIES OF ALL FOLKS CAN FEEL SAFER, CAN FEEL THAT OFFICERS ARE ON THEIR SIDE.
AND THAT CANNOT HAPPEN IF WE ARE NOT EXPLICITLY TALKING ABOUT THE RACISM AND ANTI-BLACKNESS THAT EXIST IN POLICING AND EXIST IN AUSTIN, POLICING IN PARTICULAR.
AN EXAMPLE BEING DIRECTLY FROM THE CURRICULUM THAT C BEING TAUGHT THAT THE CIVIL WAR WAS AN ISSUE OF STATE'S RIGHTS.
AND SO LIKE IF WE ARE NOT BEING HONEST ABOUT HOW WE TALKED ABOUT POLICING, IF WE ARE NOT BEING HONEST ABOUT HOW THE COMMUNITY IS ASKING FOR POLICE TO SHOW UP, THEN WE CANNOT ACTUALLY ADDRESS ANY OF IT.
SO YES, WE'RE NOT GOING TO RESOLVE THIS RIGHT NOW IN THIS MEETING, BUT WE ALSO AREN'T GONNA RESOLVE IT IN JANUARY IF WE DON'T GET REALLY EXPLICIT ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON.
UM, YES, UH, AND COMMANDER LYONS, IF, IF YOU COULD COME BACK TO US IN JANUARY WITH SOME INFORMA WITH A RESPONSE ABOUT THE ABILITY OF THE, UM, CRC TO HAVE ACCESS BOTH TO VIDEOS THAT ARE USED IN TRAINING AND TO CLASSROOMS. UM, AND, UH, YEAH, I'LL LEAVE IT THERE.
CAN WE ALSO HAVE THE COMMISSIONERS, ANY COMMISSIONERS THAT HAVE QUESTIONS TO PLEASE FORWARD THEM OVER SO THAT WE CAN PUT TOGETHER A, LIKE A FOLLOW UP AGENDA ITEM REQUEST WITH QUESTIONS AND YOU GUYS CAN COME BACK AND, AND DO THAT WITH SOME, A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION IN ADVANCE.
[3. Public Safety Quarterly Report, Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services ]
I'M NOT SURE WHY, BUT WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A GOOFY ORDER AND WE'RE DOING THE PUBLIC SAFETY QUARTERLY REPORT, UM, FOR AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES, UM, ASSISTANT CHIEF GARDEN.AND THIS IS OUR QUARTERLY REPORT FOR THE, UH, END OF OUR FISCAL YEAR.
[00:50:02]
ALL RIGHT, GREAT.UM, THIS IS JUST OUR TRENDING REPORT OF OUR, UH, INCIDENTS, OUR PATIENT CONTACTS AND TRANSPORT SINCE JANUARY OF 2021, UH, THROUGH SEPTEMBER OF 2022.
I CAN SEE THAT WHERE WE'RE TRENDING AND JUST KIND OF LEVELING OUT, UH, FOR ALL OF OUR INCIDENTS, OUR CONTACTS AND OUR TRANSPORTS.
THIS IS OUR PARTY ONE COMPLIANCE BY DISTRICT FOR THE, UH, FOURTH QUARTER OF FISCAL YEAR 22.
AND OUR NEXT SLIDE IS OUR RESPONSE INTERVAL.
THIS IS JUST, UM, AN, AN INTERVAL IN, UH, MINUTES PER DISTRICT JUST BROKEN DOWN, JUST SO YOU CAN HAVE A VISUAL OF, OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR A PERCENTAGE OF, UH, EACH DISTRICT.
AND OUR NEXT SLIDE IS, UM, PARTING 1, 2, 3, 4, AND FIVE CALLS.
UM, A PERCENTAGE BROKEN DOWN BY EACH DISTRICT.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE'S NOT MUCH CHANGE OR VARIABILITY, UM, FOR THESE BY EACH DISTRICT, UM, OVER EACH QUARTER.
AND THEN AS WE GET INTO THE NEXT SLIDE, THIS WILL GET INTO OUR SWORN SEPARATIONS FOR THE QUARTER.
WHAT DO WE GET INTO? SORRY ABOUT THAT.
THE CURRENT EMS DEPARTMENT STAFFING.
UM, WE ARE AUTHORIZED FOR 665 SWORN STAFFING.
UM, FOR THE END OF THE QUARTER, WE WERE AT 508 WITH 160 SWORN VACANCIES.
UH, 46 OF THOSE WERE AT THE FIELD AND 12 IN OUR COMMUNICATION.
AND OUR QUARTER FOR AVERAGE FOR OUR, UM, VACANCY RATE WAS 24%.
AND OUR NEXT SLIDE FOR OUR SEPARATIONS DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME, WE HAD 24 SEPARATIONS.
SIX OF THOSE WERE RETIREMENT, 18 WERE RESIGNATIONS, AND THOSE, UM, THE MAJORITY OF THOSE WERE AT THE EMS MEDIC RANK FOR OUR VACANCY RATES.
ON THE NEXT SLIDE, SORRY, I KEEP MISSING THIS BACKSLIDE.
UM, THE SWORN TENURE IS SEPARATION BROKEN DOWN.
UM, WE SEE A LOT OF THAT AT THE, UM, UM, IN THE CLINICAL SPECIALIST RANK.
UM, MANY OF THOSE RESIGNED WITHIN THAT, UH, FIVE YEAR RANK.
ON OUR NEXT SLIDE, THAT'S OUR VACANCY RATES AT THE SWORN AND CIVILIAN RANK AT SEPTEMBER, WE WERE AT 24% IN THE SWORN RATE AND 12% AT OUR CIVILIAN RATE.
OUR NEXT SLIDE, A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION ABOUT OUR NEXT, UM, OUR, UH, TURNOVER RATE AND SEPTEMBER.
OUR CIVILIAN RATE OR SWORN TURNOVER RATE WAS AT, UH, ONE AND A HALF PERCENT, AND OUR CIVILIAN RATE WAS AT 2.8%.
OUR NEXT SLIDE, UH, WE JUST GRADUATED IN ACADEMY ON DECEMBER 2ND.
WE HAD 25 FIELD MEDICS THAT GRADUATED WITH PATIENT MEDIC IN 2023.
OUR NEXT EMS, UH, ENTRY MEDIC ACADEMY WILL BE ON JANUARY 30TH.
WE HAD 198 INITIAL APPLICANTS FOR THAT.
43 ARE STILL CURRENT IN THAT PROCESS, AND THAT LIST WILL BE FINALIZED THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 12TH.
THE NEXT ACADEMY AFTER THAT WILL BE APRIL 24TH.
WE HAVE A CURRENT APPLICATION PROCESS FOR THAT WITH THE DEADLINE OF DECEMBER 12TH.
FOLLOWING ACADEMIES FOR THE ENTRY LEVEL WILL BE JULY 17TH AND OCTOBER 9TH.
OUR MOST RECENT EMS CONTRACT ALLOWS US TO HIRE INTO OUR, UM, LATERALLY INTO OUR CLINICAL SPECIALIST RANK.
THAT'S AN ACTUAL PROMOTED, THAT'S THE NEXT RANK UP FROM THE, UH, FIELD MEDIC.
UH, WE HAD 80 APPLICANTS THAT APPLIED FOR THAT.
THAT WAS A FAIRLY QUICK PROCESS THAT WE TURNED AROUND.
AND WE HAVE 24 THAT ARE CURRENT IN THAT PROCESS.
THAT LIST WILL BE FINALIZED, UH, DECEMBER 15TH, AND WE STILL HAVE 24 CURRENT IN THAT PROCESS.
SO, UM, WE'RE STILL WORKING ON WHEN THE NEXT ONE WILL BE FOR THAT.
UM, IF WE GO BACK TO THAT PREVIOUS SLIDE, WE HAVE ABOUT A HUNDRED VACANCIES AT THAT RANKS.
WE'RE REALLY ENCOURAGED BY HAVING, UM, THAT, UM, PROCESS AVAILABLE TO US TO, TO FILL THOSE, UH, DIRECTLY.
UH, CHIEF PER OFF HAD ASKED FOR INFORMATION ABOUT OUR OPIOID OVERDOSES, KIND OF TRENDING THAT OVER TIME.
AND AT THE LAST MEETING WE HAD, UH, SOME FOLKS COME IN AND, AND TALK ABOUT WHAT OUR EFFORTS HAVE BEEN IN THAT AREA.
UM, THIS IS JUST A VERY HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF WHAT THAT HAS LOOKED LIKE IN OUR COMMUNITY OVER TIME.
AND YOU CAN SEE DRAMATIC INCREASE, UM, OVER TIME.
WE CAN CONTINUE TO TREND THIS, UM, AND REPORT IT QUARTERLY SO THAT YOU CAN SEE WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IN THE COMMUNITY.
UM, WE DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO, UM, DISTRIBUTE THOSE NARCAN KITS.
[00:55:01]
IS SOME LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVES GOING ON NOW.ITS LEGALIZE THE FENTANYL TEST STRIPS.
UH, SO WE'LL BE FOLLOWING THAT CLOSELY AS WELL.
UM, THE NEXT SLIDE, AND IN AN EFFORT TO CONTINUE TO BRING YOU MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING IN THE EMS DEPARTMENT, I WANTED TO TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE POPUP RESOURCE CLINICS THAT WE'RE DOING WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDIC PROGRAM.
UM, THIS IS AN INITIATIVE THAT WE STARTED BACK IN 2017.
OUR, UH, COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDIC PROGRAM COORDINATES THESE EVENTS, EXCUSE ME, THEY WERE, UM, EVENTS ORGANIZED TO CONNECT PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS WITH SEVERAL SERVICES IN ONE PLACE.
THE DEPARTMENT OF PARTNERS THAT WE PARTICIPATE WITH TO PROVIDE SERVICES INCLUDE COMMUNITY CARE CLINIC, THE AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT, INTEGRAL CARE, THE ENDING COMMUNITY HOMELESSNESS COALITION, CENTRAL HEALTH VETERANS ASSISTANCE, THE AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER, SUNRISE CHURCH, AND MULTIPLE SUBSTANCE USE AND HARM PREVENTION GROUPS.
THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, IS HERE THAT ATTENDEES CAN RECEIVE DIRECT MEDICAL CARE FROM A DOCTOR OR NURSE PRACTITIONER MAP FUNDING CARD, UM, IMMUNIZATIONS, STD AND OTHER INFECTIOUS DISEASE TESTING, ANIMAL CARE, COORDINATED ASSESSMENT FOR HOUSING ASSISTANT, A SERVICE POINT ID CARD FOR HOME POINT ID CARD FOR HOMELESS SERVICES, SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICES AND SUPPORT CONNECTION TO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AND VETERAN SERVICES.
UH, THE LOCATIONS THAT WE DO, THESE ARE DETERMINED BASED ON OUR EMS CALL.
VOLUME FOR PERSONS EXPERIENCE ARE BOOTS ON THE GROUND ARE CONNAISSANCE OF THESE P POPULATIONS AND THEIR NEEDS, AND A CLINIC SORT A TASTE BETWEEN OUR CENTRAL NORTH AND SOUTH REGIONS.
AND THESE PERKS AT ATTENDANTS, WE AVERAGE ABOUT 58 ATTENDANCE ATTENDEES.
WE'VE HAD A PEAK OF 106, AND WE'VE HAD 147 SERVICES DELIVERED IN FOUR HOURS WITH A PEAK OF 261.
AND SO FAR IN 2002, WE'VE HAD SEVEN OF THESE PERKS.
AND AGAIN, IT'S SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO TELL YOU MORE ABOUT, UM, SOME OF THE FOLKS THAT YOU HEARD FROM LAST MONTH, AND THEY'RE THE SAME PEOPLE THAT ARE VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT THESE AND THEY CAN CERTAINLY BRING IN MORE INFORMATION ABOUT IT.
SO THAT'S JUST VERY HIGH LEVEL.
AGAIN, THEY KNOW A LOT MORE ABOUT, AND THEY'RE, AGAIN, VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT IT.
SO IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS, I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER 'EM.
UH, COMMISSIONER HAVE ALL RIGHT, I'LL, UH, GIVE IT A GO HERE.
UM, THERE WAS A LOT OF NUMBERS, A LOT OF STATS.
I JUST WANTED TO GET YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT STAFFING RIGHT NOW VERSUS SIX MONTHS AGO VERSUS TWO YEARS AGO.
WHERE ARE WE KIND OF ON THE TRAJECTORY OF, OF THAT? AS, AS FAR AS STAFFING AND AS FAR AS MORALE, THERE ARE, UM, AREAS OF OUR STAFFING THAT I'M ENCOURAGED ABOUT, AND THERE ARE AREAS OF OUR STAFFING THAT WE CONTINUE TO BE CONCERNED.
UM, IF YOU LOOK IN, IN SOME AREAS OF DETAIL OF THAT, UH, CHART, UM, IF YOU LOOK IN OUR COMMUNICATIONS CENTER, UM, IT'S AN AREA OF CONCERN FOR US THAT WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON AND REALLY HIGHLIGHT AND, AND FOCUS OUR RECRUITING EFFORTS.
AND, UM, IT'S A SMALL, UM, CENTER WITH A, UM, VERY SPECIFIC SKILL SET.
AND WE WANT TO REACH PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT, YOU KNOW, ARE LOOKING FOR, UM, AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK THERE AND, UM, YOU KNOW, REACH SOME, SOME TRAINING AND, AND OFFER SOME, SOME OPPORTUNITIES THERE.
THE OPPORTUNITY TO HIRE PARAMEDICS DIRECTLY INTO IS REALLY, UM, A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO RECRUIT, UM, AND TO OFFER THAT OPPORTUNITY THAT WE HAVEN'T HAD IN QUITE SOME TIME.
SO THAT, THAT OPPORTUNITY TO COME HERE.
SO I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE, UM, SOMETHING THAT, THAT WILL HELP US.
UM, WE DO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY COMING UP WITH OUR, OUR, UH, CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS, SO THAT MAY BE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY COMING UP FOR US AS WELL.
HOW DOES IT IMPACT YOUR OPERATIONS THAT YOU HAVE ALMOST NO EMS MEDIC COMMUNICATION STAFF? WE HAVE, UM, OUR STAFFING LEVELS AT OUR CLINICAL SPECIALISTS, OUR CAPTAIN, OUR COMMAND RANK IS, UM, AT A HEALTHY LEVEL.
WE HAVE SOME STAFFING ARRANGEMENTS THAT WE HAVE WORKED THROUGH, UM, SOME ALTERNATIVE STAFFING WITH THESE SCHEDULES THAT HAVE HELPED US TO DO THAT.
UM, IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE MONITORING CLOSELY, UM, THAT WE ARE TRYING TO RECRUIT HEAVILY THERE.
UM, IF WE DON'T HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS, UH, WE WILL MOVE ON TO
[4. Discussion and possible action on update on Vision Zero traffic safety strategy implementation ]
AN UPDATE[01:00:01]
ON, UH, VISION ZERO'S TRAFFIC SAFETY STRATEGY.MR. LE, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.
MY NAME IS LEWIS LE, I'M THE TRANSPORTATION SAFETY OFFICER WITH THE AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT.
I KNOW WE WERE, UH, INVOLVED IN DISCUSSIONS WITH Y'ALL, WAS THAT LAST MONTH OR TWO MONTHS AGO? AND SO THANKS AGAIN FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME BACK AND PRESENT MORE FULLY ABOUT THE PROGRAM AND WHAT WE'RE AIMING TO DO AND WHERE WE'RE HEADED.
WE'VE GOT A LOT OF DATA AND A LOT OF TALK ABOUT PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES THAT WE'RE DOING.
BEFORE WE JUMP INTO ALL OF THAT, I JUST WANNA REMIND US WHY WE'RE HERE.
UH, WE'RE HERE BECAUSE WE'RE LOSING TOO MANY PEOPLE ON OUR ROADWAYS.
LAST YEAR WAS A RECORD YEAR FOR FATALITIES IN AUSTIN.
AND SO JUST TAKING A MOMENT TO PAUSE AND REFLECT ON THE LOSS THAT OUR COMMUNITY FEELS FROM THESE TRAFFIC CRASHES OVER TIME, YOU'LL SEE THAT THIS IMPACTS ALL OF US IN THE COMMUNITY.
IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW OLD YOU ARE, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOUR WEALTH IS.
IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU'RE WALKING OR BIKING OR, UH, WHAT YOUR PREFERRED MODE OF TRAVEL IS.
THIS IMPACTS ALL OF US ON A DAILY BASIS.
AND THE REALITY IS THIS IS A PHYSICS PROBLEM.
WE HAVE LARGE VEHICLES, UH, THAT ARE ENGAGING WITH OTHER VEHICLES OR ENGAGING DIRECTLY WITH PEOPLE THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF VEHICLES.
AND SO THE SPEED MATTERS TREMENDOUSLY AND THE MASS OF THE VEHICLE MAKES A DIFFERENCE AS WELL.
SO THE VISION ZERO PROGRAM FOLLOWS A SAFE SYSTEMS APPROACH.
THIS IS A INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED APPROACH TO TRAFFIC SAFETY, UH, SAFE SYSTEMS APPROACH, RECOGNIZING THAT IT'S AN ETHICAL APPROACH TO SAFETY AND MOBILITY.
THESE SHOULD NOT BE ACCEPTABLE.
THEY SHOULD NOT BE JUST A PART OF HOW WE GET AROUND.
IT'S NOT, WELL, IT'S OKAY TO HAVE X NUMBER OF PEOPLE DIE, AS LONG AS WE CAN GET AS FAST, GET TO WHERE WE'RE GOING AS FAST AS WE WANT TO.
MOST OF THE TIME, THE REALITY IS HUMAN BODY IS VULNERABLE.
IT CAN ONLY TAKE SO MUCH FORCE FROM A CRASH OR A COLLISION.
AND IT REALITY IS WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES.
THERE'S NOBODY PERFECT OUT THERE ON THE ROADWAYS.
SO HOW DO WE DESIGN AND OPERATE A SYSTEM THAT'S GONNA TOLERATE THOSE MISTAKES AND UNDERSTAND THAT HUMAN BODY IS VULNERABLE TO THAT, UH, PHYSICAL FORCE? A KEY ELEMENT OF THAT IS SEPARATING USERS AND TIME AND SPACE.
SO THAT'S WHY YOU SEE A LOT OF THE WORK THAT WE DO AS AN ORGANIZATION AROUND BUILDING OUT SIDEWALKS, SHARED USE PATHS PROTECTED BY FACILITIES.
THAT'S WHY YOU SEE SOME OF THE THINGS WE DO IN OPERATIONS TO SEPARATE TURNING VEHICLES FROM THE ONCOMING VEHICLE.
SO WE, WE HAVE THAT AS CORE ELEMENT OF WHAT WE DO, AND WE TRY TO BRING THAT FORWARD IN A LOT OF OUR WORK.
WE ALSO CAN'T PREDICT WHERE THE NEXT SEVERE CRASH IS GONNA HAPPEN.
WE HAVE HUNDREDS OF THESE EACH YEAR, BUT WE DO KNOW THE TYPES OF CONDITIONS WHERE IT'S MORE LIKELY TO HAPPEN.
AND SO HOW DO WE START TO BE PROACTIVE AND NOT JUST REACTIVE IN OUR SAFETY EFFORTS? A LOT OF TIMES I'M ASKED, HOW'S IT GOING WITH VISION ZERO? IT'S, IT'S YOUR AREA.
UM, YOU KNOW, I HAVE A TEAM OF FIVE PEOPLE, AND IT IS NOT VISION ZERO THAT WE'RE THE FIVE OF US ARE GONNA SOLVE FOR THIS.
THIS IS A SAFE SYSTEMS APPROACH, MEANS ALL OF US, EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM, ALL THE DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE LISTED ON HERE, OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS, TRAVIS COUNTY, THE STATE, EVERYBODY HAS TO BE PLAYING THEIR PART FOR US TO ACHIEVE THE VISION ZERO GOALS THAT WE HAVE OF THIS IS AN IMAGE FROM THE VISION ZERO NETWORK.
IT'S A COLLECTION OF ABOUT 35, I THINK MAYBE 40 CITIES NOW IN THE US AND CANADA THAT ARE PART OF THIS NETWORK, TRYING TO LEARN FROM EACH OTHER, TRY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE BEST PRACTICE IS, AND START TO IMPLEMENT THOSE THINGS ACROSS THE NATION SO THAT WE CAN SEE THIS TRANSFORM OUR STREETS OVER TIME.
YOU CAN SEE THAT MOST US CITIES ARE KIND OF ON THIS SIDE OF THE SCALE.
VISION ZERO CITIES ARE, ARE TRYING TO GET TOWARDS THE OTHER SIDE, BUT TO REALLY ACHIEVE WHAT WE'RE AFTER, IT'S GONNA TAKE TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE.
THAT MEANS HARD CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW OUR NETWORK LOOKS AND HOW IT OPERATES.
THAT MEANS CHANGING THE SPEED LIMITS AND ENFORCING THE SPEED LIMITS AND DESIGNING THOSE ROADWAYS TO ACCOMMODATE DIFFERENT ROAD USERS AND THE, AND REDUCING THOSE CONFLICTS BETWEEN THOSE DIFFERENT ROAD USERS.
I'M GONNA JUMP INTO SOME OF AUSTIN'S DATA AND TRENDS.
UH, I DON'T EXPECT YOU TO READ ALL OF THESE NUMBERS.
IT'S, IT'S A BUSY CHART, BUT YOU DO HAVE THIS IN YOUR BACKUP TO REFER TO.
JUST WANNA POINT OUT A COUPLE OF THINGS.
THIS IS CRASH LEVEL DATA, SO NOT INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE.
WE'LL GET TO THAT ON THE NEXT SLIDE.
BUT AT CRASH LEVEL DATA, YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE, THE DIFFERENCES YEAR OVER YEAR WITH DATA THROUGH MID-NOVEMBER.
THE MOTORCYCLIST NUMBERS ARE RISING.
THEY WERE HIGHER ALREADY A COUPLE MONTHS AGO AS FAR AS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF FATALITIES FROM ALL OF LAST YEAR, AND WE'RE SEEING THAT NUMBER EXCEED THAT THIS YEAR.
SO THAT'LL BE ONE OF THE HIGHEST NUMBERS OF MOTORCYCLIST FATALITIES.
BUT REALLY THE, THE, THE KEY NUMBER HERE IS THE PEDESTRIAN
[01:05:01]
NUMBER AS WELL.WE'VE SEEN AN INCREASE, JUST LIKE WE'VE SEEN STATEWIDE AND NATIONALLY, THE NUMBER OF PEDESTRIANS THAT ARE GETTING KILLED, THESE ARE PEOPLE WALKING, THIS INCLUDES SCOOTER RIDERS, THIS IS PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF VEHICLES THAT ARE NOT ON A BICYCLE, NOT ON A MOTORCYCLE, THAT WE'RE SEEING THIS RAPID INCREASE AND WE'RE SEEING THAT PLAY OUT, UH, NOT ONLY IN AUSTIN, BUT ACROSS THE STATE, ACROSS THE NATION.
THIS IS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT.
AND YOU CAN SEE AGAIN FROM THE SERIOUS INJURIES AND THE FATALITIES THAT INCREASE IN PEDESTRIAN NUMBERS, THAT INCREASE IN MOTORCYCLIST NUMBERS IN PARTICULAR.
AND SO WE'RE JUST HIGHLIGHTING THE FACT THAT CRASHES AND PEOPLE, UH, WE'RE SEEING AN INCREASE IN SOME OF THESE KEY AREAS CONSISTENTLY.
I WANT TO DIVE A LITTLE BIT DEEPER ON THAT PEDESTRIAN NUMBER.
AS I SAID, THIS IS NATIONAL DATA, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT PERCENTAGE INCREASE OF OVERALL FATALITIES IN THE BLUE LINE.
IT'S BEEN ABOUT A 15% INCREASE, APPROACHING 20% INCREASE OVER A 10 YEAR PERIOD, WHEREAS PEDESTRIAN BICYCLIST NUMBERS HAVE RISEN MUCH FASTER AT A FASTER RATE.
WE DON'T HAVE THE SAME ISSUE WITH BICYCLIST FATALITIES HERE, BUT YOU CAN SEE THAT WE HAD TO CHANGE THE SCALE FOR PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES.
WE'VE SEEN A HUNDRED PERCENT INCREASE IN A 10 YEAR PERIOD OF PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES ON OUR ROADWAYS.
SO THAT'S WELL FAR IN ADVANCE AND, AND HIGHER NUMBER THAN WHAT WE'RE SEEING WITH OVERALL TRAFFIC FATALITIES.
WE JUST WANNA HIGHLIGHT THAT AND WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING TO TRY TO COMBAT THAT OVER TIME.
I THINK A KEY PIECE TO THE CONVERSATION TOO IS, IS NOT ONLY WHO'S IT IMPACTING, BUT WHERE ARE THOSE CRASHES HAPPENING? WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND, AGAIN, THOSE BUILT ENVIRONMENT CONDITIONS THAT ARE REALLY DRIVING THE DIFFERENCES WE'RE SEEING.
AND YOU CAN SEE HERE ON SYSTEM VERSUS OFF SYSTEM MEANS STATE OWN ROADWAYS ARE ON SYSTEM CITY OWN ROADWAYS OR OFF SYSTEM.
YOU CAN SEE A PRETTY CONSISTENT TREND, UH, TREND LINE THAT'S FLAT OR REDUCING OVER TIME ON THE CITY STREETS, WHEREAS WE'RE SEEING A VERY RAPID INCREASE IN THOSE ON SYSTEM FATALITIES.
THAT'S NOT TO SAY IT'S BECAUSE OF WHO OWNS IT, WHAT WHAT WORDS ARE WRITTEN ON A PIECE OF PAPER ON THAT OWNERSHIP DEED.
THAT'S BECAUSE OF THE CONDITIONS AND THE WAY THAT THOSE ARE DESIGNED AND, AND IT'S REALLY THAT THEY'RE DESIGNED TO MOVE VEHICLES FAST THROUGH SPACE AND A LOT OF VEHICLES OVER TIME.
SO WHEN YOU BUILD OUT THOSE, THOSE WIDER ROADWAYS WITH A LOT OF LANES AND YOU HAVE HIGH POSTED SPEEDS, PARTICULARLY OVERNIGHT PERIODS WHERE WE SEE A LOT OF OUR FATALITIES, YOU'RE GONNA SEE THOSE FATALITIES RISE OVER TIME ON THOSE PARTICULAR ROADWAYS.
SO JUST FROM A DATA PERSPECTIVE, JUST COMPARING YEAR OVER YEAR WHERE WE ARE, UH, FATAL AND SERIOUS INJURY CRASHES ARE UP ABOUT 4% THROUGH MID-NOVEMBER.
CRASHES ARE ACTUALLY DOWN COMPARED TO LAST YEAR, BUT WE'RE SEEING, UH, SUSPECTED SERIOUS INJURY CRASHES ABOUT 5% UP.
SO OVERALL, BECAUSE OF THE, THE NUMBER AND SCALE OF SERIOUS INJURY CRASHES RELATIVE TO FATAL CRASHES, WE'RE SEEING OVERALL THAT INCREASE EVENING AND EARLY MORNING HOURS.
8:00 PM TO 4:00 AM IS WHEN WE SEE THE MAJORITY OF OUR FATAL CRASHES.
THAT'S A LOT TO DO WITH THE CONDITIONS IN THE ENVIRONMENT.
LIGHTING CONDITIONS, HOW VISIBLE ARE PEOPLE WHEN, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY'RE OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE.
BUT IT'S ALSO BECAUSE OF THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF BEHAVIORS THAT WE SEE THAT PLAY OUT OVERNIGHT.
WE DON'T SEE AS MANY IMPAIRED DRIVING FATAL CRASHES AT NOON AS WE DO AT MIDNIGHT OR 2:00 AM.
WE DON'T SEE SOME OF THOSE, UH, TIRED AND, AND DROWSY CRASHES HAPPENING AT NOON WHERE WE DO SEE THAT OVERNIGHT.
SO A LOT OF DIFFERENT CONDITIONS AND A LOT OF DIFFERENT CRITERIA THAT END UP PLAYING OUT OVERNIGHT.
AND I JUST WANNA MENTION AN EVEN HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES HAPPEN IN THAT OVERNIGHT PERIOD.
WE'RE SEEING AN INCREASING PERCENTAGE OF FATAL CRASHES ON THOSE ON SYSTEM ROADWAYS AND WE'RE SEEING THE PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES NOW EXCEEDING MOTORIST FATALITIES FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT I'VE SEEN IN THE DATA.
AND WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT DATA, UH, AT LEAST 10 YEARS BACK.
SO IT'S PROBABLY THE FIRST TIME WE'RE SEEING THAT PLAY OUT OVERALL IN AUSTIN.
LAST PIECE, I'LL MENTION, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF OUR DATA ANALYSIS REALLY RELIES ON THE CRASH REPORTS FROM PEACE OFFICERS, BOTH APD, BUT NOT ONLY APD, BUT ALSO, UH, TEXAS DPS AND, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY SHERIFFS AND CONSTABLES.
ANYBODY THAT CAN WRITE A REPORT, UH, WE SEE ALL OF THAT WITHIN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, FULL PURPOSE BOUNDARIES, BUT WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE SITTING AS MUCH OF THE PICTURE AS POSSIBLE.
SO WE'VE EXPLORED SOME OTHER DATA SOURCES TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE GOT A, A ROBUST VIEW INTO WHAT'S HAPPENING.
UH, DRUGS AND ALCOHOL IS A LOT MORE PREVALENT IN FATAL CRASHES THAN WE ORIGINALLY THOUGHT.
JUST LOOKING AT CRASH REPORTS, AND WE'VE BEEN HAVING SOME GREAT CONVERSATIONS WITH APD STAFF IN PARTICULAR ON THE FATAL CRASHES.
TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE UPDATE THOSE CRASH REPORTS WITH THE TOXICOLOGY REPORTS THAT ARE USUALLY DELAYED BY QUITE A BIT OF TIME.
SO, SO THAT EVERYBODY THAT'S ANALYZING THE DATA WILL HAVE THE SAME STARTING POINT FOR ANALYSIS AS WE DO.
SO, I'M GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR ENGINEERING.
UH, OUR ENGINEERING EFFORTS ARE REALLY WHERE WE FOCUS, TRYING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE OF, UH, ON THE ROADWAYS FROM 2015, WHEN WE FIRST STARTED DOING INTERSECTION SAFETY PROJECTS THROUGH 2021, I THINK THE CITY COMPLETED SOMEWHERE AROUND 19 OR 20 INTERSECTION SAFETY PROJECTS.
WE'VE REALLY RAMPED UP WITH GREAT SUPPORT FROM THE COMMUNITY, FROM COMMUNITY BONDS FOR VISION ZERO CAPITAL PROJECTS.
WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO RAMP UP AND, AND REALLY SCALE UP THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING.
SO HOPEFULLY IN NEXT YEAR OR TWO, WE'RE GONNA START SEEING WAY MORE PROJECTS COMING THROUGH THE PIPELINE.
FOUR PROJECTS COMPLETED, TWO PROJECTS IN CONSTRUCTION.
[01:10:01]
THAT ARE BEGINNING CONSTRUCTION ACTUALLY TODAY ON SOUTH FIRST AND BARTON SPRINGS.YOU'RE SEEING THE SIGNS UP, THEY'RE GONNA START CONSTRUCTION ON THAT LOCATION IN THE NEXT, UH, THIS WEEK.
AND THEN WE'VE GOT 20 PLUS LOCATIONS THAT ARE REALLY IN SCOPING, WHICH IS THE KIND OF PRECURSOR TO FULL DESIGN OR AWAITING TEXT OUT APPROVALS TO MOVE FORWARD BECAUSE A LOT OF OUR, AGAIN, A LOT OF OUR FATAL CRASHES, SEVERE CRASHES HAPPENING ON TEXT ROADWAYS.
SO WE'VE GOT A LOT OF PROJECTS IN THE QUEUE AND WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THE PROJECTS, UM, THAT ARE COMING UP IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS.
I WANNA MENTION SOME OTHER AREAS OF FOCUS FOR US TOO.
SYSTEMIC SAFETY AS BEING PROACTIVE AND APPLYING TREATMENTS THAT, YOU KNOW, ARE EFFECTIVE ACROSS THE NETWORK.
AND SO WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO START TO REALLY FOCUS IN ON SPECIFIC TYPES OF COLLISIONS, SPECIFIC TYPES OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT CONDITIONS, WHAT WE WANT TO ADDRESS AND BE PROACTIVE ABOUT THAT.
SO WE'VE COMPLETED A CURVE WARNING PROJECT AT 40 LOCATIONS WHERE WE'VE ADDED NEW LINE, UH, MARKINGS, WE'VE ADDED SIGNS, WE'VE ADDED, UH, RPMS, THOSE REFLECTIVE PAYMENT MARKERS, DOING THAT NOT ONLY JUST WHERE THERE'S A CRASH HISTORY, BUT WHERE WE KNOW THE CURVE WOULD LEAD TO THAT SORT OF SEVERE CRASH OUTCOME AND TRYING TO BE PROACTIVE IN THAT.
ACCESS MANAGEMENT IS AN AREA THAT WE'RE GONNA START DIVING INTO MORE DEEPLY.
AND YOU CAN SEE THOSE CONFLICT POINTS, THE DIFFERENCE OF HAVING A MEDIAN VERSUS NOT HAVING A MEDIAN ON SOME OF THOSE ARTERIAL ROADWAYS WHERE WE'VE GOT A LOT OF SHOPPING CENTERS AND DRIVEWAYS.
JUST AN AMAZING AMOUNT, UH, OF REDUCTION OF CONFLICT POINTS WHEN YOU IMPLEMENT ACCESS MANAGEMENT SUCCESSFULLY.
SIGNALS, WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT PROTECTING LEFT TURNS AT SIGNAL AS INTERSECTIONS AND A PEDESTRIAN CROSSING PROGRAM I WANNA HIGHLIGHT AS WELL.
UH, THAT'S ONE WHERE WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HAVE OVER 20 PEDESTRIAN CROSSING IMPROVEMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN COMPLETED IN JUST THE LAST, I THINK, EIGHT OR 10 MONTHS.
AND WE'VE GOT 13 CROSSING IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERMITTING STAGE AND 17 MORE IN DESIGN DEVELOPMENT.
SO REALLY STARTING AND RAMPING UP SOME OF THESE BOND FUNDED PROGRAMS, AGAIN, WITH THAT COMMUNITY SUPPORT TO TRY TO ADDRESS WHAT WE'VE SEEN TO BE PROBLEMATIC AREAS, UH, IN OUR NETWORK FOR PEDESTRIANS, PEOPLE THAT ARE WALKING SCOOTING ROLLING HIGHWAY SAFETY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM IS A, A FEDERALLY FUNDED PROGRAM.
AND JUST IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS WE'VE APPLIED FOR AND RECEIVED OVER 6 MILLION OF FEDERAL FUNDS TO IMPLEMENT SAFETY IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.
UH, MAINLY FOCUSED AROUND LIGHTING AND MAINLY FOCUSED AROUND ADDING SIGNALS WHERE THEY DON'T EXIST TODAY.
AND THOSE PROJECTS ARE IN THE QUEUE TO BE LET AND, AND BID AND CONSTRUCTED, UH, OVER THE NEXT 12 TO 18 MONTHS.
PEOPLE ASK ALSO, UH, HOW'S IT GOING AND IS IT EFFECTIVE, WHAT YOU'RE DOING? AND SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD AN EVALUATION PIECE TO OUR PROGRAM TO SEE HOW, JUST HOW THAT COMMUNITY INVESTMENTS IS ACTUALLY MAKING A DIFFERENCE.
JUST THIS YEAR WE STARTED, UH, VISION ZERO ANALYTICS PROCESS WHERE WE'RE PRODUCING SOME PAPERS THAT HAVE DATA AND EVALUATION OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING.
THIS IS ABOUT MAJOR INTERSECTION SAFETY.
WE HAD 13 LOCATIONS WITH A YEAR OF DATA POST CONSTRUCTION TO BE ABLE TO COMPARE AFTER AND BEFORE.
AND THE GREAT NEWS IS WE'RE SEEING SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS, 30% REDUCTION IN CRASHES AT THE LOCATIONS.
WHAT WE'VE GOT DATA, UH, 31% REDUCTION IN SEVERE CRASHES AT THE SAME TIME.
CITYWIDE CONTROL GROUP DECREASED ONLY 4%, AND A SERIOUS INJURY, FATAL CRASHES ACTUALLY INCREASED 8% AT THOSE LOCATIONS.
SO KNOWING WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE SAME PERIOD OF TIME AT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS THAT ARE SIMILAR, THE ONES WHERE WE'VE INVESTED MONEY AND DONE TREATMENTS, THEY'RE SEEING SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS COMPARED TO THE ONES THAT WE'RE NOT DOING THAT.
SO IT'S A REALLY POSITIVE OUTCOME.
WANNA MENTION ONE OF OUR TOP CRASH TYPES IS THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.
THIS IS WHEN YOU'RE PULLING UP TO A LIGHT.
YOU EITHER SEE A GREEN BALL, A GREEN ARROW, OR A FLASHING YELLOW ARROW.
IT'S TELLING YOU WHICH, UM, OPTION YOU HAVE, IF, IF IT'S GONNA BE PROTECTED LEFT TURN OR IF IT'S GONNA BE PERMISSIVE.
AND SO YOU'VE GOT AN ONCOMING DRIVER IN A VEHICLE AND YOU'RE TRYING TO MAKE THAT DECISION.
SO WHAT WE'VE DONE IS REALLY WORKED WITH OUR SIGNALS GROUP, WHO'S BEEN AMAZING WORKING WITH US TO TRY TO REALLY DECREASE, HIGHLIGHT THE LOCATIONS WHERE WE'RE SEEING THIS CRASH TYPE OFTEN, AND UNDERSTAND THE DIRECTIONALITY OF THAT TRAVEL, AND REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT, UH, THE OPTIONS THAT PEOPLE HAVE AT THOSE LOCATIONS TO MAKE A PERMISSIVE LESS AND HAVE TO MAKE THAT DECISION FOR THEMSELVES AND GO AHEAD AND PROTECT THAT LEFT TURN SO THAT EVERYONE CAN GET THROUGH THAT INTERSECTION SAFELY.
WHAT WE'VE SEEN IS A COUPLE HUNDRED CRASHES REDUCED FROM A PRIOR HIGH IN 2018 AND 2019 OF THIS TYPE OVERALL.
AND WE'VE SEEN DOZENS OF REDUCTIONS OF MAJOR AND MINOR INJURY CRASHES OF THIS TYPE BY DOING SIGNAL TIMING CHANGES.
SO, UH, THERE'S ALWAYS THAT TRADE OFF A LITTLE BIT OF, OF SAFETY AND MOBILITY, IF YOU WILL, BUT WE RECOGNIZE THAT THE SAFETY IS A TOP PRIORITY FOR OUR DEPARTMENT, AND IT'S A STRATEGIC DIRECTION GOAL.
IT'S IN ALL OF OUR PLANS, WE'RE STARTING TO DO THIS AND TRYING TO WORK TOWARDS A MORE CONSISTENT APPROACH TO THE POLICY AROUND WHEN WE PROTECT THOSE TURNS FOR SAFETY FOR EVERYBODY GETTING AROUNDS.
I MENTIONED POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.
UH, SPEED LIMITS IS AN AREA THAT WE'VE REALLY TAKEN A LOT OF, UH, UH, A TIME AND EFFORT TO PUT INTO REDUCING SPEED LIMITS THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY.
WE KNOW THAT EVEN JUST CHANGING A SIGN CAN HAVE A DIFFERENCE ON THE OPERATING SPEEDS.
FOR MOST PEOPLE THAT ARE DRIVING THE GOING FIVE OR 10 MILES AN HOUR LOWER ON THAT POSTED SPEED LIMIT SIGN ACTUALLY REDUCES OVERALL RISK FOR EVERYBODY INVOLVED.
WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO MULTIPLE PACKAGES WITH COUNCIL SUPPORT OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS TO PRODUCE SPEED LIMITS ON HUNDREDS OF MILES.
[01:15:01]
MILES OF NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS AND ARTERIAL STREETS IN AUSTIN.SO WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THAT PLAY OUT.
AGAIN, EASIER TO SEE THOSE RESULTS ON THE CITY STREETS, BUT WE'RE SEEING THAT PLAY OUT IN A POSITIVE WAY, WORKING TOWARDS A MORE STANDARDIZED APPROACH FOR ACCESS MANAGEMENT.
FOR THOSE LEFT TURNS SIGNAL GUIDELINES, I MENTIONED ONE THAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT, INTERSECTION CONTROL, EVALUATION AND ROUNDABOUT DESIGN.
YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT THE BEST APPROACH WILL BE FOR ANY PARTICULAR INTERSECTION? AND ROUNDABOUTS ARE A PROVEN SAFETY COUNTERMEASURE, 80% REDUCTION IN SEVERE CRASHES, AND IT CAN HELP WITH CLIMATE GOALS.
IT CAN HELP WITH REDUCING CONGESTION IN OVERNIGHT PERIODS.
YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU PULL UP TO A RED LIGHT AT MIDNIGHT OR A STOP SIGN AT MIDNIGHT, YOU'RE WONDERING, WHY AM I SITTING HERE WAITING? A LOT OF OUR NETWORK IS DESIGNED FOR PEAK HOUR KIND OF TRAVEL AND, AND TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE GETS THROUGH AT THOSE TIMES, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF TIMES THROUGHOUT THE DAY, THE 22 HOURS OF THE, OF THE REST OF THE DAY, AS I SAY, THAT WE NEED TO HAVE SAFE DESIGN AND ROUNDABOUTS REALLY ARE EFFECTIVE IN THAT WAY.
SO UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE BEST SOLUTION'S GONNA BE FOR ANY PARTICULAR INTERSECTION IS SOMETHING WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS STANDARDIZING AS FAR AS EVALUATION IN OUR DEPARTMENT, AND I'LL JUST MENTION A COUPLE OTHERS, RIGHT? TURNS ON RED HAS BEEN A TOPIC WITH THE UTC, UH, URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION, AND THEY'RE INTERESTED IN SEEING WHAT OTHER CITIES ARE DOING.
WE'VE STARTED THE CONVERSATION WITH THEM AND THEN LEADING PEDESTRIAN INTERVALS A REALLY EFFECTIVE WAY, PARTICULARLY DOWNTOWN, WHERE WE IMPLEMENTED AT OVER A HUNDRED INTERSECTIONS TWO YEARS AGO, SEEING HOW WE CAN GET A HEAD START FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE WALKING OR BIKING OR ROLLING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION SO THAT THEY CAN GET ESTABLISHED BEFORE THE DRIVER STARTS TO GO ON THEIR GREEN LIGHT.
SO I'LL JUST MENTION, UH, A COUPLE MORE ITEMS HERE.
YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE ACHIEVE THESE POLICY GOALS? WELL, WE'VE REALLY GOTTA SCALE UP THE WORK WE'RE DOING, AGAIN, WE'VE EVALUATED WHERE WE'RE DOING WORK, IT'S BEEN EFFECTIVE, BUT WE CAN'T JUST DO A HANDFUL OF INTERSECTIONS EACH YEAR.
IT'S GOTTA RAMP UP AND IT'S GOTTA BE MORE SIGNIFICANT DESIGN CHANGES TO REALLY SEE THE OUTCOME.
IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH PLEASANT VALLEY, THIS IS JUST SOUTH OF LONGHORN BRIDGE, THERE'S A GREAT PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN OUR GROUP AND AUSTIN'S, UH, AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION'S ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION STREET DESIGN GROUP.
THEY HAD A PROJECT PLAN THAT WAS GONNA KEEP THE, THE RIGHT OF WAY IN THE SAME CONFIGURATION.
THEY WERE GONNA EXPAND THE SHARED USE PATH TO SOMETHING LIKE SIX OR OR EIGHT FEET.
THROUGH THE DATA AND ANALYSIS WE HAD, WE SAW REAR END COLLISIONS THAT WE WANTED TO TRY TO, TO ADDRESS.
WE SAW SOME COLLISIONS HEAD ON COLLISIONS ON THE BRIDGE ITSELF.
WE KNEW THAT THE CRASH DATA WAS SHOWING THERE'S BETTER OPPORTUNITIES HERE FOR WHAT THEY HAD PROPOSED.
SO WE WORK WITH THEM TO, TO INCREASE THE DESIGN TOWARDS MORE SAFER OUTCOMES.
AND ACTUALLY, YOU CAN SEE, UH, ANYBODY THAT'S USING THAT BRIDGE TODAY HAS A MUCH WIDER SPACE.
I THINK 10 OR 12 FEET GETTING ACROSS THE BRIDGE.
MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE EXPERIENCE.
YOU SEE A LOT MORE FAMILIES, PEOPLE WITH STROLLERS, KIDS GOING ACROSS THERE THAN YOU DID BEFORE.
SO EXCITED TO SEE OUTCOMES LIKE THAT WHEN WE DO THE WORK THAT WE DO.
IT ALSO MEANS ROUNDABOUTS IS ONE OF THOSE SAFER DESIGN OPTIONS.
IT MEANS, UH, TRANSPORTATION AND LIGHTING FOR ALL MODES, BEING ABLE TO REALLY IMPLEMENT LIGHTING SO THAT OVER THOSE OVERNIGHT PERIODS, PEOPLE THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF VEHICLES CAN BE SEEN BY THE DRIVERS THAT ARE ON OUR NETWORK.
AND THEN SOME NARROWLY FOCUSED TRAFFIC SAFETY ENFORCEMENT IS A KEY PART OF THIS.
UH, WE HAVE LIMITED DESIGN OPTIONS ON STATE OWNED ROADWAYS, AND SO BEING ABLE TO ENFORCE SPEED LIMITS, ENFORCE IMPAIRED DRIVING ON THOSE OVERNIGHT PERIODS, PARTICULARLY ON WEEKENDS, IS SOMETHING WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS AT APD ON REGULARLY.
I MENTIONED, UH, PROJECT CONNECT.
YOU KNOW, MASS TRANSIT IS A REALLY SAFE OPTION OF HOW TO GET AROUND AND IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECT CONNECT WILL BE A KEY PART OF ACHIEVING VISION ZERO GOALS IN THE NEXT DECADE.
IF WE CAN'T GET THAT SYSTEM IN PLACE AND HAVE PEOPLE HAVE THAT OPTION IN A SAFE WAY TO REACH THOSE STATIONS AND GET AROUND TOWN, IT'S GONNA BE VERY CHALLENGING TO, TO KEEP GOING TOWARDS OUR, UH, OUR GOALS THAT WE'VE SEEN BE ACHIEVED IN OTHER PLACES THAT DO HAVE MASS TRANSIT.
COLLABORATING WITH TECH DOT WILL BE A KEY PIECE.
THEN I'LL JUST MENTION JUST THE POLICY SIDE, STATE AND LOCAL LEGISLATIVE CHANGES.
UH, LAND USE IS SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T HEAR A LOT ABOUT WHEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT VISION ZERO, BUT IT'S A CRITICAL PART TO IT.
IF YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO WALK SAFELY TO A GROCERY STORE THAT'S NEARBY, IF YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO BIKE IN A SAFE WAY TOWARDS THE EMPLOYMENT CENTER THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO REACH, ALL OF THESE THINGS PLAY INTO EACH OTHER.
AND AGAIN, THAT'S WHY THAT SAFE SYSTEMS APPROACH GOES WELL BEYOND JUST MOBILITY IMPROVEMENTS.
IT'S LOOKING MORE BROADLY AT THE OVERALL PICTURE.
THERE WERE SOME SPECIFIC QUESTIONS THAT WERE RAISED BY, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEMBERS, AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE HAD A COUPLE OF SLIDES HERE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE AT LEAST START THE CONVERSATION.
I THINK ONE QUESTION WAS ABOUT VEHICLE PROCUREMENT DECISIONS FOR SAFER AND, AND SMALLER VEHICLES.
I I KNOW WE'VE SEEN REPORTS FROM OTHER CITIES, UM, NEW YORK CITY'S ONE, A GREAT EXAMPLE WHERE THEY, THEY'VE REALLY WORKED TOWARDS THE SMALLER VEHICLES FOR CITY FLEET, LIKE, UM, RESOURCE RECOVERY TYPE VEHICLES OR FOR FIRE VEHICLES.
WE DON'T SEE THE SAME SORTS OF ISSUES HERE IN OUR DATA THAT WE SEE IN OTHER PLACES THAT HAVE REALLY WORKED TOWARDS THOSE SMALLER VEHICLES.
WE'VE GOT A PRETTY SAFE, UH, RECORD.
I THINK THERE'S OCCASIONAL CRASHES WHERE SOMEBODY WILL ACTUALLY RUN INTO A, A FIRE VEHICLE THAT'S ALREADY AT A CRASH SCENE, WHICH IS HARD TO BELIEVE CONSIDERING THE SIZE AND THE LIGHTS AND EVERYTHING, BUT IT DOES HAPPEN.
UH, SO THIS, THIS HAS NOT BEEN AN AREA THAT WE'VE REALLY PUSHED FORWARD TOO MUCH.
AND I WANT TO HAND IT OVER TO CHIEF FIRES IF YOU'D LIKE TO SPEAK TO THAT.
BUT I WILL JUST MENTION THE TRANSPORTATION CRITERIA.
MANUALS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS WORKING TOGETHER.
[01:20:01]
TEAM WERE FANTASTIC PARTNERS AND REALLY DISCUSSING WHAT'S IT GONNA LOOK LIKE FOR A FIRE VEHICLE TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A DRIVEWAY WIDTH OR WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE RADIUS OF THE CURVE OR ACCESS MANAGEMENT.SO, UH, GREAT EXAMPLE AS FAR AS KIND OF STANDARDS AND CODE CHANGES.
BUT, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANNA MENTION ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT EXPLORING SMALLER VEHICLES, IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S IN PROCESS OR NOT.
UH, WE ARE LOOKING AT THOSE, UH, WE'LL GO BACK TO, UH, AS FAR AS OUR DATA, THE, THE REALITY IS IT'S ALREADY ON SCENE, FIRE DEPARTMENT VEHICLES PARKED AND, UH, SOMEONE DISTRACTED OR NOT PAYING ATTENTION, HITTING US.
AND SO AS A SAFETY ELEMENT, YOU'LL SEE WHEN YOU, ON THE ROADWAYS, ESPECIALLY THE, THE FASTER ONES, YOU'LL SEE TWO FIRE VEHICLES.
AND THE REASON THEY'RE PUT THERE IS SO THAT ONE OF THEM IS ACTUALLY PROVIDING SAFETY AS A BLOCK A, SO THAT IF SOMETHING DOES OCCUR LIKE AN ACCIDENT, THAT THE, THE PEOPLE WORKING, THE, THE, THE CITIZENS ARE INJURED AND BEING CARED FOR, EMS, FIRE, ET CETERA, THOSE FOLKS ARE PROTECTED.
THAT'S HOW THAT SYSTEM IS CURRENTLY SET UP.
UM, WE ARE LOOKING AT, UH, UH, HOW WE CAN CONTINUE TO PARTNER.
WE'VE HAD A GOOD, UH, DIALOGUE WITH ATD OVER THE PAST, UH, 6, 7, 8 YEARS, UH, LEARNING EACH OTHER AND THE DIFFERENT NEEDS AND HOW WE CAN BEST SUPPORT ONE WITH THE DECISIONS MAKING AS FAR AS APPARATUS TO LET GOES.
AND IT'LL BE A CONTINUATION OF A PROCESS FOR US TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THAT MOVING FORWARD.
UH, I THINK THERE'S ANOTHER QUESTION ABOUT WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO TO HELP WITH RESPONSE TIMES.
UM, A CONVERSATION THAT WE'VE STARTED AND, AND NOT REALLY DUG INTO TOO FAR, BUT IT'S JUST ABOUT EMS CONNECTIVITY FOR REAL TIME TRAFFIC CONDITIONS AS THEY'RE ASSESSING THE BEST ROUTES TO GET TO THE CRASH SCENES AS OPPOSED TO USING POSTED SPEED LIMITS.
SO THAT'S JUST ANOTHER AREA THAT WE'VE STARTED THE CONVERSATION, INTERESTED TO LEARN MORE, SEE HOW WE CAN HELP TRY TO RESOLVE ANY KIND OF BLOCKERS ON THAT ONE.
BUT I THINK THAT'LL BE SOMETHING THAT, THAT COULD BE PART OF A FUTURE CONVERSATION AS WELL WITH EMS. AND THEN I'LL JUST MENTION A FEW THINGS RELATED TO ENFORCEMENT IN PARTICULAR.
UH, THERE WAS A COUNCIL RESOLUTION IN JUNE OF THIS YEAR TO LOOK AT ENFORCEMENT AND HOW WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH, UH, NOT ONLY FILLING THOSE GAPS AND THOSE OVERNIGHT WEEKEND HOURS, BUT ALSO LOOKING AT ALTERNATIVES TO ENFORCEMENT AND, AND DOING SOME RESEARCH ON THAT.
SO WE ACTUALLY HAVE A MEMO THAT SHOULD BE GOING OUT, HOPEFULLY IN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO, UH, TO MAYOR AND COUNCIL THAT GETS INTO SOME OF THESE AREAS AND PROVIDES SOME LINKS AND RESOURCES TO WHAT WE FOUND AS FAR AS WHAT ARE SOME POLICY CHOICES, WHAT ARE SOME RESOURCE CHOICES, UH, HOW DO WE GET TO WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO GET TO WITH THE OVERALL GOALS OF ENFORCEMENT, BUT ALSO NOT ONLY JUST IN-PERSON ENFORCEMENT, BUT THE OUTCOMES WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE DIRECTLY.
UH, I'LL MENTION TO THAT RESOLUTION HAD A MENTION ABOUT THE BUDGET AND THE COST.
UH, WE DID ASK THE PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS JUST UNDERSTANDING WHAT IT COSTS TO RESPOND TO ALL THESE CRASHES OVER 13,000 REPORTED CRASHES, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MORE THAT ARE, DON'T HAVE A CRASH REPORT ASSOCIATED TO 'EM.
AND IT TURNS OUT TO BE TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, 75,000 PLUS HOURS OF STAFF TIME SHOWING UP TO A SCENE, CLEARING THE SCENE, MAKING SURE EVERYBODY'S SAFE, GETTING FOLKS TO THE HOSPITAL, ALL OF THOSE ASPECTS.
I MEAN, YOU SEE THE IMAGE, IT CAN, SOME OF THESE SEVERE CRASHES AND FATAL CRASHES TAKE DOZENS OF RESOURCES AWAY THAT COULD BE SERVED ELSEWHERE IF WE HAD SOME PROACTIVE, UH, SOLUTIONS LIKE ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS OR LIKE SOME ENFORCEMENT AT THE FRONT END.
AND THEN THE LAST PIECE AS, AS I MENTIONED, IT'LL IN THE MEMO IT'LL TALK ABOUT KIND HOW, HOW APD PATROL STAFF ARE USING THEIR TIME.
UH, I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT, UH, TO MR. MATSON, JASON, UH, AND HIS TEAM, UH, CHIEF HENDERSON WAS REALLY HELPFUL AS WELL IN GETTING THE, THE MEMO RESPONSE BACK OVER THE HUMP.
SO JUST UNDERSTANDING WHERE THOSE PRIORITY CALLS ARE AND, AND HOW MANY ARE URGENT, LIKE THOSE PRIORITY ZERO AND ONE, AND THEN HOW MANY ARE THE PRIORITY TWO, THAT'S KIND OF LESS URGENT, BUT STILL NEEDS A RESPONSE SOON.
AND THEN PRIORITY THREE, WHICH IS EVEN LESS URGENT.
SO JUST UNDERSTANDING WHERE THAT USE OF RESOURCES STANDS TODAY AND HOW WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO ALLOCATE SOME OF THAT TOWARDS THAT PROACTIVE TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT WE'RE HOPING TO SEE.
SO I KNOW I'VE TAKEN A GOOD BIT OF TIME, BE GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS OR THOUGHTS IF WE HAVE SOME TIME LEFT.
AND THANKS AGAIN FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.
UM, COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS? UM, UH, WE CAN DO A COUPLE.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, I'M CURIOUS, WITH THE INCREASE OF PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES, UM, HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO LINK THAT AT ALL TO THE INCREASE OF SCOOTERS IN GENERAL AND JUST LIKE THE INFLUX OF ACCESS WE HAVE TO THOSE SCOOTERS? AND THEN IF SO, OR KIND OF, REGARDLESS OF YOUR QUESTION, ARE YOU WORKING WITH UBER AND LYFT AT ALL TO LIKE, HELP FIND SOLUTIONS SINCE I KNOW THAT THEY'RE THE ONES THAT HAVE THE SCOOTERS? SO SCOOTER DATA'S INTERESTING.
UH, THERE WAS A REPORT FROM THE CDC WORKING WITH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH AND MAYBE SOME OF OUR PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES A COUPLE YEARS AGO THAT SAID THEY DID A DEEP DIVE INTO A FEW MONTHS OF DATA AND SAID, WHERE ARE ALL THE INCIDENTS HAPPENING? WHO'S INVOLVED? HOW MANY OF THOSE ARE CAR RELATED? HOW MANY OF THOSE ARE SINGLE INCIDENT LIKE THE SCOOTER DRIVER, A RIDER THEMSELVES FALLING OFF? AND THE VAST MAJORITY, I THINK SOMETHING LIKE 84% OF INCIDENTS WITH SCOOTERS ARE JUST THE SCOOTER RIDER FALLING OFF.
AND SO, UH, A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF ACTUAL CRASHES OCCUR WITH A VEHICLE
[01:25:01]
INVOLVED.AND SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS AT THAT SCENE, THAT PERSON, IF IT'S A SEVERE INJURY, WILL LIKELY GO DIRECTLY TO THE HOSPITAL, DIRECTLY TO A DOCTOR'S OFFICE OR URGENT CARE.
WE DON'T SEE A CRASH REPORT TIED TO THAT BECAUSE IT'S NOT TIED TO A VEHICLE.
THE ONES THAT ARE TIED TO VEHICLES, WE DO SEE SOMETHING LIKE ONE OR TWO SCOOTER RELATED FATALITIES EACH YEAR THAT ARE TIED TO VEHICLES.
UH, AND SO THAT'S NOT AT, YOU KNOW, ONE OR TWO OUT OF THE 115 THAT WE SAW LAST YEAR IS NOT GONNA BE A PRIMARY AREA OF FOCUS FOR US.
THERE'S SOME HIGHER OPPORTUNITY AREAS, BUT THERE'S, THERE'S DEFINITELY A NEED TO CONTINUE TO UNDERSTAND KIND OF BETTER THAT DATA SOURCE.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO WORK BETTER WITH THE PROVIDERS THROUGH THE ADMINISTRATIVE RULES, DIRECT RULES AT THE DEPARTMENT THAT ALLOWS FOR THEM TO OPERATE IN THE CITY, TO BE ABLE TO TALK WITH THEM ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE GET BETTER DATA DIRECTLY FROM THE COMPANIES THEMSELVES.
AND WE ARE, UH, TRYING TO EXPLORE A RELATIONSHIP WITH DELL SETON DOWNTOWN.
WE'VE GOT A REGULAR CONVERSATION HAPPENING WITH THEM, JUST OVERALL SCOOTER DATA.
BUT AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S KIND OF PIECEMEAL.
IT'S NOT ALL IN ONE PLACE AND IT'S, UM, LESS SO INVOLVING VEHICLES THAN YOU MIGHT THINK.
SO, UM, LEAVING SCOOTERS OUT OF IT.
SO WHAT DO YOU SEE AS A REASON FOR THE INCREASED PEDESTRIAN DEATHS OTHER THAN JUST POPULATION GROWTH? YEAH, I, I THINK THERE'S A, A NUMBER OF REASONS.
UH, A FEW YEARS BACK WE WERE SEEING A PRETTY HIGH NUMBER OF, UH, PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IN THE PEDESTRIAN NUMBERS.
I THINK IT WAS SOMETHING LIKE HALF OF THE PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES, UH, IN RECENT YEARS.
I THINK THE, THE GENERAL THEORY HAS BEEN AS VEHICLES GET LARGER, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT EQUATION OF KINETIC ENERGY THAT I MENTIONED, IT'S, IT'S MASS OF THE VEHICLE TIMES THE SPEED OR THE MASS OF THE VEHICLES GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER AS WE'RE SEEING INCREASED SUV SALES, UH, LARGER VEHICLES OVERALL.
SO THAT MIGHT BE HAVING AN IMPACT IS, IS A THEORY.
AND I THINK WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS JUST MORE MOBILITY IN THE CENTRAL CORE AND PEOPLE WANTING TO WALK AROUND AND BIKE AROUND.
AND THERE AREN'T AS MANY SAFE CROSSINGS OF OUR MAJOR KIND OF FREEWAYS AND FRONTAGE ROADS THAT NEEDS TO ALLOW FOR PEOPLE TO GET AROUND SAFELY.
AND SO THAT'S ONE AREA WHERE WE CONTINUE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS, PARTICULARLY WITH MOBILITY 35 TO SAY, HOW DO WE GET MORE FREQUENT AND SAFE CROSSINGS ACROSS THESE LARGER FACILITIES? CAUSE WE DO SEE A LOT OF THESE PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES.
THEY'RE NOT HAPPENING AT, YOU KNOW, A SMALL INTERSECTION IN AUSTIN, NOT A CITY STREET.
THEY'RE USUALLY HAPPENING AT THESE LARGER, WIDER STREETS.
THAT'S WHERE ILLUMINATION IS GONNA COME IN AS WELL, CUZ A LOT OF 'EM IS HAPPENING OVERNIGHT.
SO A LOT OF DIFFERENT FACTORS ON THE DESIGN, THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND, UH, WHO'S OUT THERE AND HOW THEY'RE GETTING IMPACTED.
DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UM, CHAIR BERNHARD HAD TO STEP AWAY FOR A SECOND.
BUT, UM, IF WE DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, I THINK THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AND, UM, WE, WE'LL BE MOVING ON TO OUR
[5. Discussion and possible action How Austin’s New Program to Provide Counsel at First Court Appearance Will Reduce Racial Inequities and APD’s $7 Million Annual Jail Budget ]
NEXT AGENDA ITEM.WE CAN HAVE OUR, THAT'S
UM, IT'S DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON HOW AUSTIN'S NEW PROGRAM TO PROVIDE COUNSEL AT FIRST COURT APPEARANCE WILL REDUCE RACIAL INEQUITIES AND APD $7 MILLION ANNUAL JAIL BUDGET.
UM, IF WE CAN HAVE OUR SPEAKERS JOIN US AT THE TABLE, I THINK WE'VE GOT FOUR RIGHT THERE.
AND IF WE HAVE ANY MORE, WE HAVE ADDITIONAL SEATS HERE TO THE RIGHT.
UM, AND REBECCA, DO YOU WANNA INTRODUCE PEOPLE? I THINK YOU MIGHT KNOW PEOPLE A LITTLE BIT BETTER, UM, JUST TO GET THE AGENDA ITEM GOING.
I'LL LET, I'LL LET EVERYONE INTRODUCE THEMSELVES.
UM, BUT I, I DID JUST WANNA SAY, YOU KNOW, WE SPEND A LOT OF MONEY, UM, HERE IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN PAYING TRAVIS COUNTY TO HOUSE PEOPLE THAT WE ARREST.
AND, UM, AS WE'VE, I THINK HEARD ON THIS COMMISSION, PEOPLE GET ARRESTED, UH, FOR FREQUENTLY AND AUSTIN, AND THEN PROSECUTORS HAVE WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH IT EITHER BECAUSE THERE WASN'T PROBABLE CAUSE OR BECAUSE IT'S NOT A PRIORITY.
AND SO I'M REALLY HOPING WE CAN TALK ABOUT HOW WE CAN BRING DOWN THE 7 MILLION THAT WE'RE PAYING TO PUT PEOPLE IN JAIL, UM, WITH OUR PRESENTERS.
I AM BRADLEY HARAS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE KAPPA AREA PRIVATE DEFENDER SERVICE.
UH, WE HELP, UH, PROVIDE LEGAL REPRESENTATION FOR ADULTS THAT ARE ACCUSED OF CRIMES AND CANNOT AFFORD ATTORNEYS AND TRAVIS COUNTY.
UM, UH, WE PARTNER WITH OR WORK WITH THE, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY PUBLIC DEFENDER AND THE MENTAL HEALTH PUBLIC DEFENDER.
UM, DO WE WANNA GO THROUGH THE REST OF THE INTRODUCTIONS? I THINK YOU SHOULD JUST GO AHEAD AND SAY YOUR, YOUR COMMENTS.
SO I THINK WE'RE GONNA HEAR QUITE A BIT TODAY ABOUT, UH, THE IMPORTANCE OF COUNCIL AT FIRST APPEARANCE.
SO I'M GONNA FOCUS ON A COUPLE OF PARTICULAR AREAS, UM, THAT ARE RELATED TO THAT, THAT ARE IMPORTANT, UH, ACTION ITEMS THE CITY OF AUSTIN COULD TAKE IN REGARD TO THE INTERLOCAL
[01:30:01]
AGREEMENT.FIRST, I DO WANNA JUST SHARE AN EXPERIENCE I HAD TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE WATCHING OR ON THIS COMMISSION UNDERSTANDS THE IMPORTANCE OF COUNSEL AT FIRST APPEARANCE.
WE DID COMPLETE A PILOT PROJECT OR A SHORT TERM PROJECT, I'M NOT SURE WHAT TO CALL IT, NINE DAYS.
WE HAD COUNSEL AT FIRST APPEARANCE, UH, WHERE THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE AND MY OFFICE, UH, REPRESENTED PEOPLE.
I, UH, PERSONALLY OBSERVED AND HELPED REPRESENT A PERSON WHO WAS ACCUSED OF FELONY ASSAULT, FAMILY VIOLENCE.
UH, THE PROBABLE CAUSE AFFIDAVIT HAD BEEN APPROVED.
IT WAS A CITY OF AUSTIN OR APD ARREST.
THE PROBABLE CAUSE AFFIDAVIT HAD BEEN APPROVED BY A CITY OF AUSTIN MAGISTRATE.
AND WE WERE, UH, REPRESENTING THAT PERSON AT THE MAGISTRATION WHERE SHE WAS LOOKING AT PROBABLY A MULTIPLE THOUSAND OR $10,000 BOND BASED ON IT BEING A FELONY ASSAULT FAMILY VIOLENCE.
SHE ALSO WOULD'VE BEEN SUBJECT TO A NEW OFFENSE CATEGORY CALLED SB SIX, WHICH WOULD MEAN THAT SHE COULD NOT BE RELEASED ON PERSONAL BOND AND SHE WOULD HAVE TO PAY THAT FINANCIAL BOND.
UM, IN THE RESEARCH OF PREPARING FOR THAT HEARING, WE DISCOVERED THAT THE UNDERLYING CHARGE THAT MADE THIS A FELONY WAS ACTUALLY, UH, DISMISSED.
THIS CHARGE SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN PROCESSED AS A FELONY.
IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PROCESSED AS A MISDEMEANOR.
UM, AFTER BRINGING THAT MATTER UP AND AFTER CONFERRING WITH THE COUNTY AND DISTRICT ATTORNEY THAT WERE PRESENT, THE BOND WAS SET AT $100 INSTEAD OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.
UH, SHE WAS ABLE TO MAKE THAT BOND AND BE RELEASED, WHICH WAS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT IN THIS CASE AS SHE WAS CURRENTLY RESIDING AT LIFEWORKS AS PART OF A HOUSING REENTRY PROGRAM.
AND IF SHE HAD BEEN GONE FROM THE LIFEWORK CAMPUS FOR MORE THAN 24 HOURS, SHE WOULD'VE LOST HER PLACEMENT IN THAT PROGRAM.
UM, AT, FOR AT MAGISTRATION, SHE WOULD HAVE DEFINITELY SPENT MORE THAN 24 HOURS IN JAIL.
SO THAT'S JUST A STORY THAT I WANT TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, BRINGS US HOME TO ME.
UM, WE'LL TALK MORE ABOUT GENERAL TRENDS AND DATAS AND IMPORTANCE, BUT THAT'S REAL WORLD EXAMPLES.
SO I'M GONNA FOCUS MY, THE REST OF MY TIME ON PERHAPS A SIDE ISSUE THAT'S IMPORTANT TO KAFA AND THE ONE THAT THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT COULD HAVE AN IMPACT ON.
AND THAT IS THE TIME IT TAKES TO RECEIVE THE PAPERWORK FROM THE TIME OF BOOKING TO WHAT WE CALL PROBABLE CAUSE AFFIDAVIT BEING TURNED IN.
SO THE PROBABLE CAUSE AFFIDAVIT FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT DON'T FOLLOW THE LEGAL NUANCES OF ARREST IN TEXAS, IS A SWORN DOCUMENT FROM THE PEACE OFFICER THAT'S PRESENTED TO THE MAGISTRATE LAYING OUT THE BASIC ALLEGATIONS OF A CRIME.
IT'S UP TO THE MAGISTRATE TO DETERMINE WHETHER PROBABLE CAUSE EXIST.
THAT DOCUMENT CAN BE REVIEWED BY A PROSECUTOR, UH, AS YOU MENTIONED EARLIER, AND THEY MAY DETERMINE THAT THEY DO OR NOT WANT TO PROSECUTED THAT MOMENT.
IN TRAVIS COUNTY, WHEN A PERSON IS TURNED IN AT CENTRAL BOOKING, A CLOCK STARTS A LEGAL CLOCK THAT IS 24 OR 48 HOURS.
THAT IS THE MAXIMUM TIME THAT A CASE CAN TAKE BEFORE IT MUST BE MAGISTRATED DEPENDING ON A MISDEMEANOR OR FELONY.
BUT THAT IS THE MAXIMUM TIME WE CAN CERTAINLY DO BETTER WHEN WE LOOK AT THE APD BOOKINGS, UH, AND LAST YEAR WE SEE THAT IT TOOK AN AVERAGE OF 5.71 HOURS FOR A PROBABLE CAUSE AFFIDAVIT TO BE TURNED INTO THE SHERIFF.
SO THAT'S ALMOST SIX HOURS AFTER A PERSON IS BOOKED THAT THE INITIAL DOCUMENT AUTHORIZING THEIR DETENTION HAS NOT BEEN TURNED INTO THE SHERIFF.
THE PROBLEM WITH THAT IS THERE'S VERY LITTLE WORK THAT STAKEHOLDERS THE SHERIFF CAN DO MOVING TOWARDS RELEASE.
THERE ARE EVALUATIONS AND INTERVIEWS AND PROCESSES TAKING PLACE DURING THAT TIME.
NONE OF THOSE ARE REALLY MOVING THAT PERSON GREATLY TOWARDS RELEASE BECAUSE LEGALLY THE PROSECUTOR CAN'T DECIDE IF THEY WANNA PROSECUTE THAT CASE.
THE DEFENSE ATTORNEYS CAN'T BEGIN TO REVIEW THE FACTS OF THAT CASE.
THE JUDGE CAN'T SET A BOND, AND A BOND CAN'T BE GRANTED UNTIL THAT PROBABLE CAUSE AFFIDAVIT IS TURNED IN.
AND SO I THINK THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT AREA IN THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT, UM, BECAUSE APD ARRESTS DO REPRESENT TENS OF THOUSANDS OF ARRESTS EVERY YEAR.
AND IF YOU ARE LOOKING AT AN AVERAGE OF THOSE ARRESTS BEING SIX HOURS TO TURN THAT PAPERWORK, THAT REPRESENTS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF HOURS THAT PEOPLE ARE SENDING IN THE TRAVIS COUNTY JAIL WAITING ON PAPERWORK TO BE TURNED IN.
UM, AND WHILE 1000 OF 11,000 BOOKINGS I LOOKED AT LAST YEAR WERE TURNED IN, IN LESS THAN ONE HOUR, UM, OVER 6,000 WERE TURNED IN FROM THE ONE HOUR TO SIX HOUR MARK, AND THE REST TURNED IN IN MORE THAN SIX HOURS, INCLUDING 256, IT WERE TURNED IN OVER 24 HOURS.
SO THAT'S A PERSON WHO SPENT MORE THAN A DAY IN JAIL BEFORE THE COURT SYSTEM, THE JUDGE, THE LAWYERS, IF THERE WERE ANY INVOLVED OR EVEN THE, THE SHERIFF STAFF CAN WORK TOWARDS RELEASING THAT PERSON.
SO I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT IMPORTANT SIDE ISSUE THAT COULD DEFINITELY BE ADDRESSED IN THEIR INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT AND, AND WOULD DRAMATICALLY AFFECT THE TIME IT TAKES FOR A PERSON TO GET OUT.
LAST THING, TO PUT THAT IN PERSPECTIVE, WE VISITED MANY COMMUNITIES AS PART OF OUR KAA WORK COUNCIL AT FIRST APPEARANCE.
THERE ARE MANY COMMUNITIES THAT ARE RELEASING AT THE FOUR TO SIX HOUR MARK.
[01:35:01]
PAPERWORK FROM OUR NUMBER ONE BOOKING AGENCY TO BEGIN THAT PROCESS, WHICH THEN MEANS THAT PAPERWORK HAS TO BE REVIEWED BY A JUDGE.ATTORNEYS NEED TO GO TO WORK IF THEY'RE AVAILABLE AND PRESENT.
UH, AND ALL THE WORK STARTS REALLY ONCE THAT PAPERWORK IS TURNED IN.
I AM THE CHIEF PUBLIC DEFENDER OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE.
UM, AT THE COMMISSION MEETING TODAY, UM, THIS IS MY FIRST TIME ADDRESSING THIS COMMISSION AND THIS BODY.
OUR OFFICE IS NEW, UH, TO THE COUNTY AND THE CITY.
WE HAVE, UM, BEEN IN EXISTENCE NOT QUITE EVEN TWO YEARS.
WE OPENED OUR DOORS IN THE PANDEMIC.
THEY WEREN'T ACTUALLY OPEN, UM, BECAUSE OF THAT.
UM, AND IN THAT TIME, UH, WE HAVE SERVED OVER 2000, UM, RESIDENTS, UM, AND PEOPLE IN THE TRAVIS COUNTY AREA, UM, INCLUDING THE VAST MAJORITY WHO ARE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, RESIDENTS OR, UM, DOMICILED AT THE TIME OF OUR ENGAGEMENT WITH THEM.
AS AN INSTITUTIONAL PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE, WE PROVIDE REPRESENTATION AS AN AGENCY TO PEOPLE WHO ARE OTHERWISE UNABLE TO AFFORD A LAWYER WHO ARE CHARGED WITH CRIMES.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE, UM, AND A MANAGED ASSIGNED COUNSEL PLAN IS THAT THE ATTORNEYS AND OTHER STAFF WHO WORK AT A PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE ARE ALL, UM, ORGANIZED UNDER THE CHIEF PUBLIC DEFENDER AND THE CASES ARE TAKEN IN THE NAME OF THE COUNTY TO PROVIDE DIRECT REPRESENTATION TO INDIVIDUALS.
UM, BEFORE I CAME TO TRAVIS COUNTY AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN, I WORKED IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA.
I WAS AN APPOINTED MEMBER OF THE VIRGINIA INDIGENT DEFENSE COMMISSION, OVERSEEING STATEWIDE OPERATIONS AS ONE OF, UM, A FEW COMMISSIONERS, UM, IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA FOR ITS INDIGENT DEFENSE PROCESSES.
I ALSO WORKED AT, UH, AN ORGANIZATION RUNNING ITS CIVIL RIGHTS AND RACIAL JUSTICE PROGRAM TO BE ABLE TO ENSURE THAT POOR PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, THE MOST MARGINALIZED AND VULNERABLE THAT ARE TO BE SERVED, WERE BEING SERVED FAIRLY EQUITABLY BY INDIGENT AND CIVIL LEGAL SERVICE PROVIDERS.
UM, IN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA, I ALSO LECTURED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA LAW SCHOOL, UM, ON ISSUES OF CIVIL RIGHTS AND RACIAL JUSTICE, SPECIFICALLY AT THE INTERSECTION OF THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM AND ITS IMPACT ON COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
AND IN THAT WORK, I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT HOW SYSTEMS OPERATE, BEING ABLE TO SEE THIS WORK THAT I DO NOW FROM THE STATE LEVEL.
BEFORE THAT WORK, I WAS IN A LINE PUBLIC DEFENDER POSITION, A POSITION THAT I SUPERVISE AND MANAGE RIGHT NOW.
I PERSONALLY REPRESENTED OVER 5,000 PEOPLE IN A MAJOR CITY AS A PUBLIC DEFENDER.
IN THAT POSITION, I REPRESENTED PEOPLE AT THE VERY FIRST APPEARANCE.
IN MY EXPERIENCE, THERE IS NO APPEARANCE MORE IMPORTANT FOR A PERSON ACCUSED OF A CRIME, RICH OR POOR THAN THE VERY FIRST APPEARANCE BEFORE A JUDGE WHO DETERMINES WHAT YOUR BOND CONDITIONS AND CONDITIONS OF RELEASE MIGHT BE.
I KNOW MANY THINK THE TRIAL IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN MY EXPERIENCE.
IT IS NOT OF THOSE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THAT I REPRESENTED, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM HAD A FIRST APPEARANCE, BARELY 5% THAT MIGHT BE GENEROUS, EVER SAW A TRIAL.
AND SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF KAFA COUNCIL AT FIRST APPEARANCE, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT APPEARANCE IN A CASE THAT WILL DECIDE.
IN MANY WAYS, REACHER RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THE OUTCOME OF THAT CASE FOR THAT INDIVIDUAL.
RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT THE LONGER SOMEONE STAYS IN JAIL TO BRADLEY'S POINTS EVEN BY A FEW HOURS, THE HARMS THAT ACCRUE TO THAT INDIVIDUAL
[01:40:01]
AT STAKE IN THAT PROCESS IS ONE OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE.UM, AND SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE RIGHTS OF THE ACCUSED IN THAT SETTING, WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS HAVING A LAWYER BY THAT PERSON'S SIDE AT THAT MOST CRITICAL JUNCTURE, WE'LL PROVIDE THEM A BETTER OUTCOME IN THE LONG TERM AND IN THE SHORT TERM.
SO BOTH IN THE IMMEDIATE SENSE AND IN THEIR ABILITY TO NAVIGATE WHAT COMES NEXT AFTER THIS CASE IS OVER IN TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT, HOUSING, MEDICAL CARE, HEALTHCARE AND THE LIKE.
SO IT IS NOT JUST A QUESTION OF THIS VERY DISCREET MOMENT IN TIME BECAUSE IT HAS RIPPLE EFFECTS THAT STAY WITH THE PEOPLE FOR A LONG TIME.
AND SO WHAT I WANT TO SPECIFICALLY FOCUS ON IS THE QUESTION OF, GIVEN AN APPEARANCE OF THAT MAGNITUDE, WHAT DO BEST PRACTICES LOOK LIKE FOR WHAT THAT APPEARANCE SHOULD BE AND HOW IT SHOULD PROCEED IN TERMS OF THE WAY THE COURTS SHOULD OPERATE? RIGHT NOW, MAGISTRATION IN TRAVIS COUNTY HAPPENS INSIDE THE JAIL WHERE THE CITY OF AUSTIN MUNICIPAL COURT JUDGES WHO ARE SERVING THE MAGISTERIAL FUNCTION VIA THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT APPEAR HERE IN A REMOTE PROCESS, MEANING THEY ARE NOT IN THE SAME ROOM WITH THE ACCUSED, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE APPEARING BEFORE THE JUDGE ARE CONVEYED TO THEM VIA A VIDEO SCREEN AND WHAT YOU HAVE IN AN UNREPRESENTED PROCESS.
SO LAWYERS ARE NOT THERE AND JUDGES APPEARING REMOTELY IS WHAT STUDIES HAVE SHOWN ARE THE CONDITIONS THAT ARE RIGHT FOR DECISIONS THAT ARE MADE THAT CREATE WORSE OUTCOMES FOR INDIVIDUALS.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, TO THE EXTENT THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THE QUESTIONS OF SOLIDIFYING COUNCIL AT MAGISTRATION COUNSEL AT FIRST APPEARANCE, FOR EVERYONE WHO COMES THROUGH THE SYSTEM HERE, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT IN JUST THE RECENT AMENDMENTS TO THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT THERE WAS, OR THE RECENT RENEWAL OF THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT, THERE WAS A, AN AMENDMENT THAT WAS INCLUDED FOR THE FIRST TIME, UM, THAT SAYS THE CITY AND COUNTY NOW WISH TO ADDRESS THE POSSIBILITY OF REMOTE MAGISTRATION PROCEEDINGS AND IMPLEMENTING TECHNOLOGICAL PLATFORMS THAT REQUIRE FURTHER PLANNING AND COLLABORATION.
THE PROCESS AS IT CURRENTLY STANDS RIGHT NOW IS REMOTE.
I UNDERSTAND THAT MUCH OF THAT WAS A FUNCTION OF THE NEEDS OF THE PANDEMIC, BUT NOW THAT WE ARE LIVING IN THE WORLD WHERE THE CONDITIONS THAT CREATED THE PANDEMIC EXIST AND WE HAVE TO NAVIGATE THEM, RIGHT, THERE'S A CRITICAL QUESTION THAT IS BEFORE US AS TO WHETHER OR NOT VIRTUAL PROCESSES SHOULD CONTINUE.
TO THE EXTENT THAT THERE ARE STUDIES, AND I'VE PROVIDED SOME OF THAT IN THE BACKUP MATERIAL THAT SHOW THAT WHEN A PERSON APPEARS VIRTUALLY IN A BAIL HEARING, THERE ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE AN INCREASED BAIL AMOUNT SET ON THEM WHEN COMPARED TO SOMEBODY WHO WAS SIMILARLY SITUATED, SIMILAR CHARGES, SIMILAR BACKGROUND, BUT JUST APPEARING BEFORE THE DECISION MAKER IN PERSON.
THERE'S RESEARCH THAT SHOWS THAT THOSE DECISIONS THAT HAPPEN IN A VIRTUAL PROCESS ARE THE PRODUCT OF THE VIRTUAL PROCESS WHERE THERE IS NO ONE IMMUNE TO THE VERY HUMAN NATURE OF BEING POTENTIALLY LESS CONNECTED TO ANOTHER PERSON BECAUSE THEY'RE MEDIATED THROUGH A VIDEO SCREEN, UM, LESS AWARE OF WHETHER THAT PERSON MIGHT BE INJURED, THE EXTENT OF ANY MENTAL ILLNESS THEY HAVE, THE EXTENT OF ANY IMPAIRMENTS THEY HAVE TO THEIR ABILITY TO HAIR, THEIR ABILITY TO SEE, THEIR ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THEM.
UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, I'VE ALSO PROVIDED IN BACKGROUND MATERIALS, A LETTER THAT MY OFFICE PREPARED FOR THE MAGISTRATION STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING THE CITY OF AUSTIN MAGISTRATES, UM, ABOUT THIS CRITICAL CHOICE POINT.
AND SO I WOULD LOVE TO SEE AS THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT, UM, IS RENEGOTIATED, RIGHT? THE CITY TAKING A HARD LOOK AT THE QUESTION OF A VIRTUAL OR A REMOTE PROCESS.
OBVIOUSLY THERE MAY BE A NEED THAT ARISES BECAUSE OF, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS
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LIKE THE PANDEMIC.BUT THE QUESTION OF A DAY TO DAY PROCESS THAT IS REMOTE, WHERE THE DECISION MAKERS THAT ARE THE JUDGES APPEAR VIRTUALLY AND BECOME, AS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THE HUMAN BEINGS THAT THEY ARE TO BE UNABLE TO RELATE AND PERCEIVE AND HAVE THAT HUMAN CONNECTION THAT IS FUNDAMENTAL AND FOUNDATIONAL TO THE DECISIONS THAT THEY'RE MAKING OVER ANOTHER PERSON'S LIFE.
I WOULD URGE THIS BODY TO REVIEW THE STUDIES THAT EXIST ABOUT THE FLAWS IN VIRTUAL PROCESSES, THE NUMEROUS STUDIES THAT URGE CAUTION IN THAT AREA, UM, AND WORK WITH THE IDEA THAT IF WE CAN CREATE THE MOST FUNDAMENTALLY SOUND AND FAIR PROCESS, HOW DO WE DO THAT? AND DOES THAT INCLUDE OR REQUIRE A VIRTUAL HEARING TO BE SET ASIDE FOR A MORE FAIR PROCESS FOR THE ACCUSED WHO HAS SO MUCH AT STAKE IN THAT APPEARANCE? THANK YOU.
I'M A LAWYER AT THE TEXAS FAIR DEFENSE PROJECT, WHICH IS A NON-PROFIT LAW FIRM THAT FIGHTS THE CRIMINALIZATION OF POVERTY.
UM, PERHAPS, UH, BECAUSE OF MY, UH, JUST CONNECTION TO TRADITION, I'LL, UH, GIVE THREE POINTS, UM, HERE ABOUT SORT OF SOME THOUGHTS FOR THE CITY.
UM, THE FIRST IS, I THINK WHEN WE LOOKED AT COUNCIL AT FIRST APPEARANCE, UM, AND THE MOVEMENT AWAY FROM IT AFTER OUR, OUR NINE DAY SORT OF PILOT TO THE PILOT PROGRAM, IF YOU WILL.
UM, IT, YOU KNOW, TO THE EXTENT THAT ONE OF THE BIG DRIVERS OF ENDING THAT WAS THE, UH, LACK OF STAFFING FOR THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, I THINK, UM, ONE THING THE CITY COULD DO IS DECREASE THE NUMBER OF ARRESTS AND THEN THERE WOULD BE MORE ACCESS, UH, TO SHERIFF'S OFFICE STAFF TO PROVIDE, UH, SUPPORT FOR COUNSEL AT MAGISTRATION.
RIGHT? AND WE'VE, WE'VE MADE A LOT OF PROGRESS ON, UM, CITATION AND MOVE OF ARRESTS, BUT I THINK THERE'S A LOT MORE WORK TO BE DONE.
I THINK WE HAD MORE THAN 1200 ARRESTS FOR CLASS C MISDEMEANORS ALONE, UH, LAST YEAR AND ALMOST 5,000 FOR, FOR CLASS BS.
POINT TWO IS, UM, YOU KNOW, I WAS GLAD THAT WE HAD, UM, FUNDING TO DO THE STUDY.
I DON'T THINK WE NEEDED A STUDY TO KNOW THAT PEOPLE WHO HAVE A LAWYER AT MAGISTRATION GET BETTER OUTCOMES AND PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE A LAWYER AT MAGISTRATION, WHICH IS, WHICH IS ALSO TRUE OF PRETTY MUCH EVERY STUDY THAT'S BEEN DONE OF GIVING PEOPLE LAWYERS IN THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM.
UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE CITY COULD DO WITH THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT, LIKE OLA WAS MENTIONING, UM, YOU KNOW, THE CITY COULD SAY IN RENEWING THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT OR IN RENEGOTIATING IT IN THE FUTURE, THAT THE, THE CITY'S MAGISTRATES WILL ONLY MAGISTRATE PEOPLE WHO ARE REPRESENTED BY COUNSEL.
AND WE, WE COULD HAVE LONGER CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT THE IMPLICATIONS OF THAT WOULD MEAN, BUT THE CITY COULD TAKE THAT POSITION AND SAY THAT WE THINK THAT THIS IS A REALLY CRUCIAL APPEARANCE FOR PEOPLE.
WE THINK THAT PEOPLE ARE ENTITLED TO COUNSEL AT THAT HEARING.
I MEAN, A, A FEDERAL JUDGE IN GALVESTON COUNTY SAID THEY ARE, ALTHOUGH THAT'S, THAT'S UP AT THE FIFTH RIGHT NOW.
UM, SO THE CITY COULD, THE CITY COULD RENEGOTIATE THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT IF THE, IF THE CITY WERE REALLY INTERESTED IN PROVIDING COUNSEL FOR APPEAR, THEY COULD ALSO LOOK INTO WHETHER THERE'S FUNDING IN THE INTERIM WHILE THE, UNTIL THE, THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT GETS RENEGOTIATED IN I, I THINK SEPTEMBER OF 2023.
UM, SO THAT'S THE SECOND, THAT'S THE THE SECOND THOUGHT.
UM, THE THIRD THOUGHT, UH, THAT I WANNA SHARE HERE IS, UM, AN EXTENSION FROM WHAT A WAS SAYING, UM, WHICH IS THAT I, I THINK WE SHOULD TAKE A STEP BACK.
UH, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT COUNSEL AT FIRST APPEARANCES AND MAGISTRATION, UM, I THINK WE'VE ALL BECOME NUMB TO THE IDEA THAT WE'RE DOING THESE HEARINGS IN JAIL.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF ARRESTS ARE, ARE, ARE NOT BY A WARRANT THAT HAS BEEN SIGNED BY A JUDGE.
SO THERE HASN'T BEEN AN INDEPENDENT FINDING OF PROBABLE CAUSE BY A DETACHED AND NEUTRAL MAGISTRATE, WHICH IS REQUIRED, RIGHT? SO WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS PEOPLE WHO, ONE POLICE OFFICER POTENTIALLY HAS DECIDED THAT A PERSON MAY HAVE COMMITTED A CRIME, BUT NO JUDGE HAS SAID THAT THERE WAS PROBABLE CAUSE.
AND WHAT WE HAVE DECIDED AS A CITY AND AS A COUNTY TO DO WITH THOSE PEOPLE IS TO BRING THEM TO JAIL, TO TAKE AWAY THEIR CLOTHES, TO PUT THEM IN AN ORANGE JUMPSUIT, TO FINGERPRINT THEM, TO RUN THEM
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THROUGH GOD KNOWS HOW MANY DATABASES TO SIT THEM IN A BOOKING OFFICE FOR AT LEAST SIX HOURS WHILE PAPERWORK GETS DONE RIGHT.AND THEN EVENTUALLY BRING THEM INTO A COURTHOUSE INSIDE A JAIL WHERE THEIR FAMILY CAN'T COME SEE THEM, UH, AND SUPPORT THEM.
WHERE WE'RE JUST DISCUSSING TODAY, IT'S HARD FOR THEM TO HAVE ACCESS TO A LAWYER, ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE POOR.
RIGHT? I THINK WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD START TODAY THINKING ABOUT WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO HAVE THESE HEARINGS IN AN ACTUAL COURTROOM WHERE THE PUBLIC CAN ACTUALLY ACCESS THE HEARING AND WATCH WHAT'S HAPPENING.
WE COULD TREAT THESE HEARINGS AS OLA MENTIONED, PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT HAPPENS IN SOMEONE'S CASE.
WE COULD TREAT IT LIKE WE TREAT ALL THE OTHER HEARINGS THAT HAPPEN IN SOMEONE'S CASE, IT COULD HAPPEN IN A COURTROOM WITH A LAWYER AND A JUDGE IN, OR A MA A MAGISTRATE IN THE ROOM, RIGHT? THE SAME WAY EVERYTHING ELSE IS.
UM, IT'S, IT'S, UH, COMMENTARY ON HOW POWERFUL INERTIA IS THAT MOST OF OUR CONVERSATIONS AROUND COUNSEL AT FIRST APPEARANCES ARE ABOUT HOW DO WE GET LAWYERS INSIDE THE JAIL AND NOT HOW DO WE GET THESE HEARINGS AND THESE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN ARRESTED OUTSIDE OF THE JAIL WHERE THEY BELONG, AT LEAST UNTIL SOME JUDGE HAS FOUND THERE WAS PROBABLE CAUSE TO ARREST THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE.
AND AS FAR AS SORT OF STAFFING GOES INTO THE COMMISSION'S ORIGINAL QUESTION ABOUT THE CITY'S MONEY, RIGHT? IF SOMEONE WERE BROUGHT TO THEIR FIRST APPEARANCE AND A JUDGE FOUND THERE WAS NOT PROBABLE CAUSE FOR THEIR ARREST, OR IF A JUDGE FOUND THAT THE PERSON COULD SAFELY BE RELEASED INTO THE COMMUNITY ON A PERSONAL BOND OR IN AN AMOUNT OF BOND THAT THEIR FAMILY WHO WAS PRESENT COULD AFFORD TO PAY, THEN WE COULD START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT CAN WE JUST AVOID BOOKING THEM ALTOGETHER AND HAVE THEM SHOW UP TO THE NEXT COURT DATE THE SAME WAY SOMEONE WHO WAS DIRECT INDICTED WAS, OR, OR ANYTHING ELSE.
SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT A THING THAT WE'RE GONNA FIX TODAY, BUT I THINK IT, IT WOULD BE A REALLY WORTHWHILE GOAL FOR THE CITY TO THINK ABOUT IN THE LONGER TERM TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM.
HI, MY NAME IS RACHEL GUNNER AND THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEND MY VOICE, UH, TO THIS IMPORTANT ISSUE ON BEHALF OF ADVOCATES FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE REFORM.
UH, WE HAVE SEVERAL MEMBERS OF MY, UH, GROUP THERE.
I'M SORRY, I HAVE BEEN REALLY REMISS TODAY AND BEEN LETTING US GO A LITTLE OVER.
WE HAVE LIKE FOUR MINUTES LEFT AND I'VE JUST BEEN ADVISED THAT THAT'S FABULOUS FOR US IN THE ROOM, BUT APPARENTLY WE LOSE OUR FEED.
WE CAN GET LIKE A COUPLE OF EXTRA MINUTES, CORRECT, MS. JACKSON? OKAY, SO SORRY.
ALL RIGHT, WELL FIRST OF ALL, I HAVE TO SAY THAT, UH, LET ME JUST TELL YOU WHO ADVOCATES FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE REFORM IS.
SO WE'RE A GROUP OF LOCAL, UM, AND CONCERNED CITIZENS FROM MULTI-FAITH, MULTICULTURAL, MULTI SOCIOECONOMIC COMMUNITIES WHOSE MISSION IS TO ADVOCATE FOR AND ENGAGE WITH PERSONS IN NEED WHO OFTEN DO NOT HAVE A VOICE TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF THEIR LIVES WITHIN THE SOCIAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, WHICH INCLUDES THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM.
A LOT OF MY REMARKS ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO BE A REPETITION OF WHAT WE'VE, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO REINFORCE THEM.
SO WE STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT EVERYONE ACCUSED OF A CRIME NEEDS TO BE REPRESENTED BY COUNSEL AT OR BEFORE MAGISTRATION, REGARDLESS OF THEIR ABILITY TO PAY.
WE'VE BEEN ADVOCATING, THIS GROUP HAS BEEN ADVOCATING FOR REPRESENTATION FOR THREE YEARS NOW.
UM, WE'VE MET WITH STAKEHOLDERS INCLUDING MR. HARAS, INCLUDING CHIEF, A AGON, ODEN, KD, INCLUDING THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, INCLUDING CHIEF SHONE, JUST TO NAME SOME.
AND WE ARE SO PLEASED TO INCLUDE YOU AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UM, IN THESE DISCUSSIONS AND HOPEFULLY IN ACTION.
UM, IF YOU'VE SPENT ANY TIME WATCHING AMERICAN TV, YOU MAY BE UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT WHEN YOU'RE ARRESTED, YOU'RE PRESUMED INNOCENT AND HAVE THE RIGHT TO AN ATTORNEY EVEN IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD ONE.
UM, A LAWYER IS ONLY ASSIGNED AFTER, AFTER FIRST APPEARANCE MAGISTRATE COURT.
AND THIS IS UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE IT IS AT THIS FIRST APPEARANCE AS WE'VE HEARD THAT CRITICAL DECISIONS ARE MADE SUCH AS THOSE CONCERNING THE BAIL AMOUNT AND CONDITIONS FOR PRETRIAL DETENTION.
WHEN A PERSON GOES THROUGH THIS ALONE, IT'S INCREDIBLY SCARY, ANXIETY PROVOKING, UM, AND THERE ARE LEGITIMATE CONCERNS THAT THEY HAVE, INCLUDING THEIR JOB, THEIR BILLS, THEIR REPUTATION, THEIR HEALTH, AND IN PARTICULAR, AND I'M A MENTAL HEALTH PRACTITIONER, SO I'M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AND HOW THAT AFFECTS, UH, THEIR MENTAL HEALTH.
WE BELIEVE THAT THE CURRENT PROCESS IS NOT JUST A DISSERVICE TO THE ACCUSED, BUT ALSO TO THE MAGISTRATE, AN AUSTIN MUNICIPAL COURT JUDGE WHO IS APPOINTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL.
IF AN ATTORNEY HAS REVIEWED THE
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CHARGE WITH THE ACCUSED PERSON AND PROSECUTORS BEFORE THE FIRST APPEARANCE, THE MAGISTRATE JUDGE WILL HAVE MORE COMPLETE INFORMATION AND IS ABLE TO MAKE A MORE INFORMED AND FAIR DECISION.THESE DECISIONS, SETTING BAIL INTO DETERMINING CONDITIONS FOR PRETRIAL RELEASE WILL HAVE FAR REACHING CONSEQUENCES.
AS CHIEF OCA HAS SAID, WITHOUT REPRESENTATION, THE ACCUSED WILL HAVE JUDGES WHO ONLY BASE THEIR DECISIONS ON A PRETRIAL ASSESSMENT AND THE CHARGE FOR WHAT THE INDIVIDUAL FOR WHICH THE INDIVIDUAL WAS ARRESTED.
AN ATTORNEY COULD HAVE MADE THE JUDGE AWARE OF RELEVANT INFORMATION THAT WAS NOT PROVIDED IN THE RISK ASSESSMENT, SUCH AS HOW THE INDIVIDUAL'S JOB HOUSING WILL BE AFFECTED BY DETENTION, WHAT THAT DETENTION WILL DO TO THAT PERSON'S FAMILY, CHILDREN MENTAL HEALTH.
THERE IS EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE THAT PROVIDING REPRESENTATION AT MAGISTRATION OR COUNSEL AT FIRST APPEARANCE, UH, REDUCES THE USE OF MONETARY BAIL AND SHORT-TERM PRE-TRIAL DETENTION AND DOES NOT RESULT IN HIGHER RISK OF FAILURE TRIAL.
CURRENTLY, KAA IS NOT FUNDED BY TRAVIS COUNTY, BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN, OR THROUGH THE AGREEMENT.
THIS PAST APRIL, AS WE'VE SAID, THERE WAS THIS PLANNED PILOT, WHICH I HAVE TO SAY OUR GROUP WAS VERY, UM, HELPFUL IN GETTING THE GRANT.
AND SO WE WERE INCREDIBLY DISAPPOINTED WHEN IT STOPPED AFTER NINE DAYS BECAUSE OF SHERIFF HERNANDEZ.
HER CITING THAT SPACE AND STAFFING WERE THE PROBLEMS. AND SINCE THEN, SHE HAS SUGGESTED THAT KAA CAN BE PROVIDED BY THE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AND VIDEO CONFERENCING THAT THE CHIEF WAS TALKING ABOUT.
WE APPRECIATE THE SUGGESTION, BUT WE ABSOLUTELY 100% DISAGREE.
WE STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT IN PERSON REPRESENTATION IS CRUCIAL FOR A FAIR OUTCOME.
MANY JURISDICTIONS HAVE EXPERIMENTED WITH THE TECHNOLOGY AS A WAY TO CUT DOWN ON TIME COST AND THE PERCEIVED RISK OF TRANSPORTING PEOPLE.
BUT THESE STUDIES, UM, DO NOT POINT THAT THAT IS, IS THE CASE.
AND I WON'T SAY ANYTHING MORE ABOUT THAT BECAUSE THE CHIEF HAS TALKED A LOT ABOUT VIDEO CONFERENCING AND THE NEGATIVE IMPACT.
UM, DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS IN THE CURRENT FACILITY, THERE IS A NEED FOR A CENTRAL, A NEW CENTRAL BOOKING FACILITY.
AND THIS WOULD ALLOW FOR FACE TO FACE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE ACCUSED, THE COUNCIL, UH, THE ATTORNEY AND THE MAGISTRATE TO TAKE PLACE.
AND WE ENCOURAGE SUPPORTING, UH, THE RENOVATION OF THIS EXISTING SPACE IN THE SHORT TERM, AND THEN BUILDING A LARGER, BETTER DESIGN FACILITY IN THE, A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF THE ACCUSED IN TRAVIS COUNTY JAIL ARE ARRESTED BY APD, AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN RELIES ON TRAVIS COUNTY TO PROVIDE SERVICES FOR THESE PEOPLE.
AND BECAUSE OF THIS INNER RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY AND SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, WE URGE ALL OF YOU TO STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY AND SHERIFF DO WHAT IS NECESSARY TO PROVIDE IN-PERSON CAA FOR EVERYONE ARRESTED.
THIS SHOULD BE A MINIMUM REQUIREMENT AND TOP PRIORITY FOR EQUAL AND FAIR JUSTICE FOR ALL RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
QUESTION, UH, COMMISSIONER WEBER, DO YOU HAVE ANY CLOSING REMARKS? I HAD INTENDED TO OFFER A RECOMMENDATION, BUT THERE'S NOT TIME, UM, TONIGHT TO DO THAT, SO I HOPE THAT THE COMMISSION WILL CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT THIS AND THE NEW YEAR.
UM, I THINK WE WILL, UH, TABLE FUTURE ITEMS BECAUSE WE PROBABLY DON'T HAVE TIME AND, UH, WE DON'T HAVE TO VOTE TO ADJOURN, RIGHT? OH, WELL, WE ARE ADJOURNED.