[Austin Public Safety Partnership News Conference]
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Y'ALL READY? WELL, THANK Y'ALL FOR JOINING US TODAY.
WE'RE HERE TO ANNOUNCE AN IMPORTANT PARTNERSHIP WITH THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY THAT WILL MAKE AUSTIN SAFER.
THIS PARTNERSHIP WILL REDUCE TRAFFIC FATALITIES IN AUSTIN, REDUCE RESPONSE TIME BY AUSTIN POLICE TO CALLS FOR HELP INCREASE LAW ENFORCEMENT PRESENCE ACROSS OUR COMMUNITY, WHICH WILL ALSO HELP DETER AND PREVENT CRIME FROM HAPPENING.
AS MAYOR OF AUSTIN, MY TOP PRIORITY IS THAT THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN BOTH ARE SAFE AND FEEL SAFE.
I ALSO WANT TO BE SURE THAT OUR POLICE OFFICERS FEEL RESPECTED AND HAVE THE RESOURCES THEY NEED TO DO THEIR JOB.
THIS IS A RECOGNITION THAT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT NEEDS MORE STAFF, AND WE HAVE A PARTNER THAT CAN ASSIST US.
THIS PARTNERSHIP WILL IMPROVE SAFETY AND PROVIDE A RUNWAY AS WE RECRUIT MORE OFFICERS AND WORK TO RETAIN THOSE CURRENTLY ON THE FORCE.
WE FEEL CONFIDENT THAT WE ARE WELL ON OUR WAY WITH THE INCENTIVES THE CITY COUNCIL ASKS FOR, AND THE CITY MANAGER HAS RECENTLY IMPLEMENTED AND THE ORDINANCE PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL THAT ENSURES OUR OFFICERS WILL BE TAKEN CARE OF.
AUSTIN, TEXAS IS A UNIQUE, UNIQUE CITY IN MANY WAYS.
WE'VE EXPERIENCED MASSIVE POPULATION GROWTH, IMPRESSIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH, AND A RETURN TO PRE, PRE, UH, PANDEMIC ACTIVITIES, WHICH PARTICULARLY FOR OUR CITY MEANS MANY VISITORS, BUT LIKE MANY IF NOT MOST OTHER CITIES, OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT IS CURRENTLY DEALING WITH UNPRECEDENTED CHALLENGES IN STAFFING LEVELS AMPLIFIED BY CADET CLASSES BEING PAUSED FOR ALMOST A YEAR.
CHIEF CHACON HAS BEEN PROACTIVE AND INNOVATIVE IN ADDRESSING STAFFING SHORTAGES, BUT STRETCHING LIMITED RESOURCES ACROSS A LARGE AND GROWING CITY IS A STOP GAP AT BEST AND STRAINING OUR POLICE OFFICERS.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, TO ME AS MAYOR, THESE FACTORS HAVE LED TO A DECLINE OF AUSTINITES FEELING SAFE.
I'VE BEEN MEETING WITH THE INTERIM CITY MANAGER AND THE CHIEF OF POLICE TO DISCUSS THESE CHALLENGES AT LENGTH.
AS MAYOR, I'VE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH GOVERNOR ABBOTT AND LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR PATRICK, AND TOGETHER WE FORGED A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY DIRECTOR.
MCCRAW, WHO IS HERE WITH US TODAY, IS WORKING WITH US TO PROVIDE TROOPERS TO HELP WITH TRAFFIC PATROL RESPONDING TO ACCIDENTS AND PROVIDING ADDITIONAL COVERAGE TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITY SAFE.
IN THE PAST, DPS HAS PROVIDED ADDITIONAL SUPPORT IN OTHER TEXAS CITIES, INCLUDING DALLAS AND SAN ANTONIO.
AND MOST RECENTLY DPS WORKED WITH AUSTIN POLICE TO MAKE ARRESTS IN THE STREET TAKEOVER INCIDENTS BACK IN FEBRUARY.
I PROMISED THAT WE WOULD MAKE CITY GOVERNMENT WORK BETTER IN PROVIDING BASIC SERVICES.
IT'S A COMMON SENSE, PRACTICAL RESPONSE TO A SERIOUS NEED, AND IT AROSE OUT OF A POSITIVE WORKING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CAPITAL CITY AND THE CAPITAL OF TEXAS THAT WILL BENEFIT OUR SHARED CONSTITUENTS.
I WANNA EXPRESS MY PERSONAL THANKS TO DIRECTOR MCCRAW, GOVERNOR ABBOTT, AND LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR PATRICK FOR THEIR CONTINUED PARTNERSHIP AND FOR COOPERATING WITH US TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE CAPITOL CITY.
AND I ALSO WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO CITY, THE CITY MANAGEMENT TEAM FOR ACTING WITH URGENCY AND THINKING CREATIVELY TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE WITH THE SPEED AND THE ATTENTION IT DESERVES.
AND WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO OUR INTERIM CITY MANAGER.
UM, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC SAFETY IS VERY AT THE VERY CORE OF WHAT WE DO IN CITY GOVERNMENT, AND WE MUST ABSOLUTELY GET IT RIGHT.
WE'VE MOVED QUICKLY TO ADDRESS STAFFING ISSUES, RECRUITING NEW OFFICERS, RETAINING EXPERIENCED OFFICERS, AND STAFFING UP AT OUR NINE ONE ONE CALL CENTER.
BUT THOSE EFFORTS TAKE TIME, AND WE CAN'T WAIT TO MAKE AUSTINITES FEEL SAFE.
THE STAFFING CRISIS AT A P D, UH, HAS LED TO LONGER RESPONSE TIMES AT A TIME WHEN WE'RE EXPERIENCING INCREASED TRAFFIC FATALITIES, INCREASED HOMICIDES, AND VIOLENT VIOLENT CRIMES.
WHILE APD OFFICERS HAVE DONE THEIR BEST TO RESPOND TO THESE INCIDENTS IN A TIMELY MANNER, THEY'RE JUST NOT ENOUGH OFFICERS TO BE ABLE TO
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RESPOND IN A TIMELY MANNER THAT IT DESERVES.RESPONSE TIMES ARE OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY WHEN THOSE CALLS GET THE RESPONSE TIMES TO, FOR OUR HIGHEST PRIORITIES, HAS GONE FROM SEVEN MINUTES IN 2018 TO, UH, 10 MINUTES IN 2022.
AND THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE TO THE MAYOR AND TO THE COUNCIL, AND TO OUR POLICE CHIEF.
AND I'M PROUD THAT WE ARE ABLE TO PUT THIS PARTNERSHIP TOGETHER SO QUICKLY.
AND I AM GRATEFUL TO OUR PARTNERS FOR STEPPING UP AND STEPPING INTO THIS, UH, INTO THIS TO HELP US OUT.
UH, I KNOW THAT TOGETHER WE'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN, UH, FOR THE AUSTIN AUSTIN KNIGHT TO FEEL SAFE AND, AND HAVE IT BE THE WELCOMING CITY.
AND I NOW WANT TO CALL ON THE POLICE CHIEF TO COME IN AND SAY A FEW WORDS.
WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE.
THIS IS, UH, THIS IS A GOOD DAY.
UM, AS WE HAVE HAD, UH, THE CHALLENGES THAT I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT AT THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR REALLY THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, THIS IS A MAJOR STEP FORWARD, UH, IN INCREASING PUBLIC SAFETY.
I WANNA TAKE A MOMENT FIRST TO THANK, UH, GOVERNOR ABBOTT AND, UH, THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE.
UH, I CERTAINLY WANT TO THANK OUR MAYOR AND CITY MANAGER FOR THE SUPPORT THAT THEY HAVE BEEN PROVIDING AS WELL.
AND IMPORTANTLY, I WANT TO THANK, UH, THE, THE COLONEL AND THANK DPS FOR REALLY STEPPING UP IN THIS MOMENT WHEN WE NEED THEM.
UH, MORE THAN EVER, UM, WE'RE REALLY TAKING THIS STEP, UH, DUE TO THE STAFFING CHALLENGES.
UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT THE, THE STAFFING HAS AFFECTED, HAS, UH, NEGATIVELY IMPACTED OUR COMMUNITY, INCLUDING LONGER RESPONSE TIMES, UH, FEWER OFFICERS THAT ARE DOING PROACTIVE, UM, POLICING BECAUSE THEY'RE SIMPLY RUNNING CALL TO CALL.
WE'VE HAD CERTAINLY A LOT OF CONCERNS AND INCREASES IN GUN CRIME AND GUN VIOLENCE, AND IMPORTANTLY, TRAFFIC FATALITIES ARE UP IN OUR CITY.
AND, UH, NONE OF THESE THINGS ARE GOOD.
UM, THAT'S WHY I'M SO EXCITED TODAY TO BE STANDING HERE TALKING ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP THAT WE HAVE WITH OUR, YOU KNOW, THIS LONGSTANDING AND VERY SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIP THAT WE HAVE HAD WITH TEXAS DPS.
UM, WE REGULARLY ENGAGE ON, UM, THINGS THAT HELP KEEP OUR COMMUNITY SAFE, INCLUDING IN FEBRUARY THE TASK FORCE THAT WAS PUT TOGETHER TO ENSURE, UH, THAT WE DON'T HAVE STREET TAKEOVERS HAPPENING IN OUR CITY, WHICH ARE DANGEROUS.
UM, A AS WELL AS OVER THE YEARS, PUTTING TOGETHER EFFORTS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ADDRESSING VIOLENT CRIME, UH, PARTICULARLY WHEN WE KNOW THAT OUR RESOURCES ARE OVERWHELMED.
AND THAT'S WHERE WE FIND OURSELVES TODAY, AS THEY'VE DONE IN OTHER CITIES, UH, AS WAS MENTIONED, UM, THEY HAVE STEPPED IN IN MOMENTS WHEN CRIME IS UP AND, UM, THE, THE LOCAL RESOURCES ESSENTIALLY ARE OVERWHELMED.
UH, AND I'M EXTREMELY GRATEFUL FOR THAT.
UH, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING THIS IN THE RIGHT WAY.
SO OUR EFFORTS WILL BE DATA DRIVEN AND INTELLIGENCE LED.
AND THE CRIME ANALYSIS UNITS FROM BOTH THE, THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT AND TEXAS DPS WILL BE WORKING JOINTLY TO DETERMINE, UH, WHAT DEPLOYMENT STRATEGIES ACTUALLY, UM, WILL MAKE THE MOST SENSE.
HOW MANY, UM, HOW MANY TROOPERS I THINK ARE GOING TO, UH, TO BE DEPLOYED AND WHERE THEY WILL BE DEPLOYED, WHAT HOURS AND SO FORTH.
ALL OF THAT IS STILL IN THE WORKS.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THIS IS REALLY, UH, ABOUT A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ISSUES, INCLUDING MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE SUPPRESSING CRIME.
UM, I THINK IT WAS MENTIONED A MOMENT AGO THAT, YOU KNOW, IT IS OUR MISSION, BELIEVE THE MAYOR SAID THIS, TO NOT ONLY HAVE OUR RESIDENTS BE SAFE, BUT TO FEEL SAFE.
AND IF YOU DON'T FEEL SAFE, YOU KNOW THAT, THAT EVEN IF YOU ARE SAFE, IT, IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE FOR, FOR GOOD COMMUNITY.
WE WANT GREATER OFFICER VISIBILITY.
UH, WE KNOW THAT OFFICER PRESENCE AND OFFICER VISIBILITY IS A, A DETERRENT TO CRIME.
UH, AND THIS SHOULD HELP, UH, GREATLY.
UH, AND FINALLY, JUST AN OVERALL SENSE OF BETTER PUBLIC SAFETY, UH, THAT YOU HAVE A POLICE DEPARTMENT, UH, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TEXAS DPS THAT IS, IS WORKING TOWARDS THAT GOAL AND MAKING SURE, AS WAS SAID, THAT NOT ONLY DO YOU, ARE YOU SAFE, BUT YOU ACTUALLY FEEL SAFE.
AGAIN, THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY THAT'S STANDING HERE TODAY.
I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO, UH, COLONEL MCCRAW FOR FURTHER COMMENTS.
WELL, FIRST, UH, YOU KNOW, CHIEF, JUST TO UNDERSCORE WHAT YOU SAID, AND SOME PEOPLE DON'T GET IT IN OUR PROFESSION, IT'S THE ABSENCE OF CRIME AND DISORDER THAT DEFINES SUCCESS.
AND I KNOW YOU'RE NOT HAPPY WITH IT.
THE MAYOR'S NOT HAPPY WITH IT, AND NOBODY'S HAPPY WITH IT WHEN THERE'S CRIME.
AND THE IDEA THAT, THAT YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT IN TERMS OF DATA DRIVEN APPROACH, IT WORKS ANYWHERE.
YOU AND, UH, CERTAINLY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, THE GOVERNOR'S MADE IT CLEAR, WE'RE GONNA ASSIGN AS MANY CRIME SUPPRESSION TEAMS COMPRISED OF TROOPERS AND SPECIAL AGENTS TO ASSIST THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
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THE CITY.AND, UH, BY THE WAY, AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT'S GOT AN OUTSTANDING DEPARTMENT.
I KNOW THE CI CITIZENS HAVE GREAT PRIDE, AND THERE'S GOOD REASON TO BE PROUD.
AND, UH, THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND THEIR CHIEF, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND THE LAW ENFORCEMENT, NOT JUST IN THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY, BUT AROUND THE STATE.
AND LASTLY, YOU KNOW, UH, CLEARLY IN OUR PROFESSION, THE GREATEST FORCE MULTIPLIER IS TEAMWORK.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT TODAY.
AND I CAN TELL YOU THE AUSTIN PDS BEEN THERE WHEN DPS NEED 'EM, AND WE'RE GONNA BE THERE WHEN YOU NEED US.
IF ANYBODY HAS QUESTIONS, UM, WE'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS.
HEY, JIM WASHINGTON CAKE SAYING THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR HAVING US.
UM, I GUESS MY NUMBER ONE QUESTION FOR YOU GUYS IS HOW ARE YOU GOING TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY BETWEEN A P D AND D PS? SO, UM, WE HAVE, THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT WE'VE COLLABORATED WITH TEXAS D PS.
THERE WILL BE INTEROPERABILITY BETWEEN OUR RADIO SYSTEMS. UM, SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE WORKING ON A COMMUNICATIONS PLAN, AND BEFORE THIS IS FULLY IMPLEMENTED, WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT, UH, OUR DISPATCHERS AND OUR OFFICERS ARE ABLE TO EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE WITH THE TROOPERS AND SPECIAL AGENTS.
AND WHY DON'T YOU FOLLOW UP? YOU TALK ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, USING THE DATA TO DRIVE, I GUESS, AND TRACK THE PROGRESS.
HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN ABLE TO USE THAT DATA IN OTHER CITIES WHERE YOU'VE ALREADY KIND OF FORMED THIS PARTNERSHIP? YEP.
ANYWHERE IN THE STATE WHERE YOU SEE A LARGE NUMBER OF CRIME, VIOLENT CRIME IN SPECIFIC AREAS, EASY TO TO, TO LOCATE WHERE THOSE AREAS ARE AND WHAT TIME THAT CRIME'S OCCURRING.
SO IT'S JUST, IT'S A CHIEF TALKED ABOUT IN TERMS OF HIGH VISIBIL PATROLS MAKES A DIFFERENCE.
SO BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT RESOURCES AT THE RIGHT PLACE AND THE RIGHT TIME MATTERS.
AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
IN ADDITION, PART OF THE STRATEGY THE CHIEF WANTS TO ADDRESS IS INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE REPEAT DEFENDERS THAT HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN VIOLENT CRIME.
THERE'S ARREST WARRANTS FORM, HOW CAN WE TARGET THEM AS WELL? SO IT'S ABOUT PLACES, TIME AND PEOPLE.
HOW SOON CAN THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN SEE THE EFFECTS OF THIS PARTNERSHIP? WILL IT TAKE DAYS FROM NOW, WEEKS FROM NOW? THESE ARE, UH, AN ESTIMATED TIME.
WE'RE, WE'RE CERTAINLY NOT TALKING WEEKS FROM NOW.
IT'S REALLY, WE'RE TALKING IN TERMS OF DAYS.
UH, WE ARE NOW PUTTING TOGETHER THIS PLAN AND TO FIGURE OUT, UM, EXACTLY WHAT THE DEPLOYMENT STRATEGY IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE.
AND YOU CAN ANTICIPATE REALLY IN THE COMING DAYS THAT YOU'RE GONNA START TO SEE, UH, MORE TEXAS DPS HERE WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS DOING THESE KIND OF EFFORTS.
WHO SAID, UM, A LOT OF THE DETAILS ARE STILL IN THE WORKS.
CAN YOU GIVE US JUST A GENERAL IDEA OF WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT? IS THIS 10 TROOPERS, A HUNDRED TROOPERS JUST DOWNTOWN? WE DON'T, WE, WE, WE PURPOSELY DON'T TALK HOW MANY TROOPERS MM-HMM.
DOES THIS COST THE CITY ANYTHING? THE GOVERNOR'S MADE IT CLEAR, NO COST CITIZEN, ALL THAT EFFORT TO SAY, NO
NO, IT WILL NOT COST THE CITY.
AND, AND THAT'S PART OF THE, THE, ONE OF THE, THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT THIS COLLABORATIVE EFFORT, UM, IS WE HAVE JOINT CONSTITUENTS AND, UH, WE WANT TO ALL SERVE THOSE JOINT CONSTITUENTS WELL.
AND SO IT WILL NOT COST THE CITY, LET'S HOPE IN THIS TODAY, BECAUSE WE'VE HAD SHORT STAFF FOR A WHILE NOW.
WELL, THE WAY IT, UH, ALL KIND OF CAME TOGETHER WAS A, UH, I, IT STARTED WITH THE CONVERSATION THAT LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR AND I HAD, UM, AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT A VARIETY OF THINGS.
AND, AND THIS WAS ONE OF THE, THE ISSUES.
AND, UH, AND IT WAS THIS, IT WAS FRIDAY, UH, AND I'VE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH, UH, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, I'VE TALKED WITH THE GOVERNOR, AND, UH, IN A, JUST A VERY SHORT TIME, WE WERE ABLE TO PUT TOGETHER, UH, A WAY OF GOING FORWARD.
AND I'M VERY APPRECIATIVE TO, UH, THEM AND THE LEADERSHIP AT THE STATE CAPITAL, AS I SAID BEFORE, THIS IS, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU CAN HAVE, UH, A GOOD RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND YOUR STATE CAPITAL WHEN, UH, YOU SERVE THE SAME CONSTITUENTS.
AND SO, UH, WHY NOW IS, UH, WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT IT FRIDAY, AND HERE WE ARE ON MONDAY MOVING FORWARD, UH, BECAUSE IT'S A GOOD IDEA THAT WILL SERVE THE, SERVE THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN.
WELL, AND MAYOR, CAN YOU JUST TALK ABOUT, IT FEELS LIKE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED ORGANICALLY, AND IT WAS NOT THE CITY GOING TO THE STATE AND SAYING, PLEASE, PLEASE HELP US.
THAT THAT'S NOT EXACTLY HOW THIS HAPPENED.
THAT, THAT'S NOT HOW IT HAPPENED.
THE WAY IT HAPPENED WAS A, A CONVERSATION BETWEEN, UM, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR.
IT STARTED WITH A CONVERSATION BETWEEN LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR PATRICK AND ME, AND, UM, A FOLLOW UP CONVERSATION ON, ON FRIDAY.
AND, UM, AND, AND IT WAS SOMEWHAT ORGANIC, UH, IN THE WAY YOU SAY IT.
UH, THERE WAS AN AGREEMENT THAT THIS COULD BE HELPFUL,
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UH, AND WE DISCUSSED, UH, HOW WE MIGHT APPROACH THAT.UH, WE WERE IN TOUCH WITH THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE AND, UH, THE CHIEF, UH, AS WE MOVED FORWARD, I WAS IN TOUCH WITH, UH, CITY MANAGEMENT AND, UH, AND THE CHIEF, AND WE WENT, UH, AND, UH, THE INTERIM ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, UH, CHIEF MILLS, AND THEY WERE IN TOUCH WITH THE COLONEL.
AND BEFORE YOU, YOU KNOW, IT, WE'RE STANDING IN FRONT OF YOU, GONNA MANIFEST ITSELF BY, WE'RE GONNA SEE DPS TROOPERS PATROLLING IN AUSTIN STREETS.
THEY'RE GONNA BE RESPONDING TO CALLS IN DPS VEHICLE.
THAT'S, THAT'S AN OPERATIONAL QUESTION.
I'LL, I'LL, SO, UH, WITHOUT GOING TOO MUCH INTO THE OPERATION ITSELF, WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THAT WE STILL WANT AUSTIN POLICE OFFICERS RESPONDING TO THE VAST MAJORITY OF CALLS THAT GOING TO 9 1 1 FOR, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE THINGS THAT WE SEE ALL THE TIME.
WHAT WE, UH, WHAT I ANTICIPATE DPS IS, IS SUPPORTING WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, HE, HE'S TALKING ABOUT BRINGING IN SOME TEAMS THAT ARE GONNA BE ABLE TO LOOK AT, AS I SAID THIS, UM, FROM A DATA-DRIVEN STANDPOINT, WHERE ARE WE SEEING THE CRIME OCCURRING ADDRESSING THE CRIME? UH, AND GENERALLY THIS IS GONNA BE VIOLENT CRIME, BUT IT'S ALSO GOING TO BE RELATED TO TRAFFIC RELATED ENFORCEMENT AND TRAFFIC DEATHS IN, IN MORE OF A SUPPORTIVE ROLE, UM, AND NOT NECESSARILY RESPONDING TO THAT 9 1 1 CALL.
NOW, IF THEY'RE CLOSE TO ONE AND IT'S A HOT, YOU KNOW, IT'S A HOT CALL AND SOMEBODY NEEDS TO GET THERE VERY QUICKLY, THERE'S NOTHING PREVENTING THEM FROM DOING IT.
BUT THAT IS NOT THEIR FIRST AND FOREMOST ROLE IN THIS.
THIS IS, THIS IS SUPPORT AND SUPPLEMENT, UH, NOT OVERRIDE, NOT OVERTAKE.
UH, IT IS LIKE, LIKE WE SAID, A PARTNERSHIP, A P D, UH, IS, IS IS PRIMARY, BUT THERE'S SUPPORT AND SUPPLEMENT COMING FROM DPS SO THAT WE CAN MEET SOME OF THE NEEDS THAT THE STAFFING LEVELS HAVE, UH, KEPT US FROM BEING ABLE TO MEET THE WAY WE WANT.
HOW LONG WILL THIS LAST? LONG? YEAH, THE, THE, THERE'S NO SET TIME.
UM, AND, AND BY THAT I MEAN, THERE'S NO SET TIME ON WHEN IT, UH, HOW LONG IT LASTS OR WHEN IT MIGHT END.
UM, IT IS AS LONG AS IT, AS, AS WE FEEL LIKE THERE'S A, A NEED AND IT'S SERVING, UH, A GOOD PURPOSE FOR THE CITIZENS MAYOR.
WHAT EXAMPLES DID YOU BRING TO THE STATE? DO YOU THINK THAT POLICE ARE RESPONDING APPROPRIATELY TO EMERGENCIES RIGHT NOW? I'M NOT SURE I UNDERSTAND YOU.
YOU ASKED THE FIRST PART OF YOUR QUESTION, I'M NOT SURE I UNDERSTAND.
WHAT EXAMPLES DID YOU BRING TO THE STATE, OR WHAT KIND OF CONVERSATION DID YOU HAVE WITH THE STATE THAT LED THEM TO THINK THIS WAS THE RIGHT DECISION? WELL, THE, THEY'RE HERE IN AUSTIN.
I MEAN, THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE LIVING IN AUSTIN, UM, AT LEAST, UH, ONCE EVERY TWO YEARS.
AND, AND, UH, THE GOVERNOR AND LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR HERE, GOVERNOR'S LIVES HERE.
AND, AND SO THEY, THEY'RE, THEY'RE AWARE OF AUSTIN AND CITY GOVERNMENT AND THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT GET REPORTED WITH REGARD TO THAT.
UM, THIS WAS MORE JUST, UH, UH, IT WAS A RECOGNITION AS I'VE INDICATED, A RECOGNITION THAT WE ARE NOT STAFFED THE WAY WE WANT TO BE.
UH, WE ARE WORKING ON THINGS LIKE THAT.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE CITY COUNCIL, UH, UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTED A A, AN ORDINANCE THAT, THAT SAID WE WERE GOING TO GUARANTEE THE POLICE PAY.
WE WERE GOING TO GUARANTEE THEIR RETIREMENT BENEFITS.
AND DIRECTED THE CITY MANAGER TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A, A WAY TO GIVE A PAY RAISE, UH, INCENTIVIZE CADET CLASSES AND INCENTIVIZE PEOPLE TO NOT RETIRE EVEN IF THERE'S NO CONTRACT.
BUT EVEN WITH THAT, THAT WILL TAKE SOME TIME AND THE CADET CLASSES WILL TAKE SOME TIME.
WE ARE GOING TO ADDRESS THAT NEED NOW.
AND THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT WE HAD A, UH, A PARTNER THAT IS WILLING TO COLLABORATE WITH US TO, TO MAKE A PRACTICAL, UH, HAVE A PRACTICAL OUTCOME.
COULD D PS TOUCH ON HOW THEY'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO SPARE THESE TROOPERS WHEN THEY THEMSELVES ARE FACING SOME STAFF STAFFING ISSUES? WE ALWAYS PRIORITIZE ACROSS THE STATE AND THEN WE GO WHERE THE, THE PRIORITY IS AND WHY NOW THIS IS A PRIORITY.
WHAT ABOUT THE NINE ONE ONE CALL CENTER THAT IS ALSO SHORT STAFFED? SO WE HAVE, UH, WE'VE BEEN TAKING MEASURES THERE.
IT'S NOT DIRECTLY OBVIOUSLY RELATED TO THIS, BUT YOU KNOW, WE, WE CERTAINLY WANT PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO CALL 9 1 1, GET AN ANSWER.
UM, WE, UH, JUST RECENTLY DUE TO SOME RECENT STEPS THAT WE TOOK, ARE ANSWERING ALMOST 90% OF OUR CALLS WITHIN 15 SECONDS.
NOW, UM, IF OF COURSE, IF A BIG INCIDENT HAPPENS AND A FLOOD OF CALLS COMES INTO 9 1 1, YES, THERE'S A POTENTIAL THAT YOU MIGHT, UH, HAVE TO WAIT.
AND, AND WE'VE ACTUALLY SEEN THAT HAPPEN A COUPLE TIMES OVER, UH, THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS.
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WE HAVE, UH, AT LEAST ENOUGH CALL TAKERS, UM, BETWEEN THOSE THAT ARE NORMALLY STAFFED IN THE OVERTIME THAT THEY'RE WORKING TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER A CALL ABOUT 90% OF THE TIME WITHIN 15 SECONDS.SO WE FEEL LIKE WE'RE IN A BETTER PLACE OVER THE LAST TWO WEEKS THAN WE'VE BEEN IN QUITE SOME TIME.
HOW DO YOU THINK THE NUMBERS, YOUR CONTRACT NEGOTIATION, THIS IS SEPARATE AND APART FROM THE CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS? UH, WE, THERE ARE THREE, WHAT I WOULD SAY, ROUGHLY PARALLEL ISSUES THAT, AND, AND I'M ANSWERING THIS QUESTION AS MAYOR, UH, THERE ARE THREE ROUGHLY PARALLEL VALUES OR PRINCIPLES THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED.
WE'VE TALKED ABOUT ONE OF THEM, AND THAT IS THAT I FEEL STRONGLY AS YOU AND, AND, AND THAT SENTIMENT HAS BEEN REINFORCED UP HERE TODAY, THAT THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN DESERVE TO BE SAFE AND TO FEEL SAFE.
UH, THE SECOND ONE I WOULD SUGGEST IS THAT WE WANT TO ACT IN A WAY THAT WE SHOW OUR POLICE OFFICERS THAT WE RESPECT THEM AND WANT TO SUPPORT THEM.
AND I MENTIONED JUST A MOMENT AGO IN RESPONSE TO A QUESTION, THE ACTIONS THAT THE CITY COUNCIL TOOK AND THAT THE CITY MANAGER TOOK IN FOLLOW UP, UH, TO THAT, TO, TO ASSURE SALARIES AND EVEN A PAY RAISE, UH, TO SHOW OUR, OUR RESPECT AND THAT WE WANT TO SUPPORT THEM.
AND THEN THE THIRD IS THAT WE NEED TO, UH, ALLOW UNDER OUR CHARTER WHEN THERE'S A PETITION THAT MAKES IT TO THE BALLOT, TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO HAVE THEIR SAY AND, AND ALLOW THEM TO VOTE.
AND, UH, I WOULD ANTICIPATE THAT SHORTLY AFTER MAY 6TH, UH, WE WILL REACH OUT, UH, TO A P A AND WE WILL WORK ON, UH, TRYING TO GET A CONTRACT AT THAT POINT IN TIME AS WELL.
AND APART FROM THAT, WHY DON'T WE DO ONE MORE QUESTION.
WHEN TROOPERS COME, IT'S USUALLY A BIG DEAL.
WHO OR WHAT IS TO BLAME FOR THIS, FOR THIS RESPONSE? WELL, I WOULDN'T USE THE WORD BLAME.
UH, THERE, THERE'S, THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO REASON TO BE NEGATIVE IN THE WAY YOU ASKED THAT.
THIS IS A SITUATION WHERE THE, AS I, AS I'VE SAID BEFORE, THAT WE SAID THAT WE WERE GOING TO DO THINGS SO THAT WE MADE SURE THAT LOCAL GOVERNMENT, THE CITY HALL, WORKED BETTER WHEN IT CAME TO PROVIDING BASIC SERVICES.
YOU'VE JUST HEARD THAT SINCE THE, UH, CITY MAN, THE INTERIM CITY MANAGER HAS BEEN HERE WORKING WITH THE CHIEF, THERE'S A DIFFERENCE IN 9 1 1.
YOU'VE ALSO SEEN WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE TODAY.
THIS IS OUR PART OF OUR EFFORT TO MAKE SURE THAT SERVICES ARE BASIC SERVICES ARE PROVIDED IN A BETTER WAY, AND THAT CITY HALL WORKS WELL FOR THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN.
SO I WOULDN'T USE THE LANGUAGE YOU USE INSTEAD.
I WOULD SAY THAT WHEN, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE AN INSTANCE WHERE YOU HAVE FEWER POLICE STAFFING THAN, THAN YOU WANT LESS POLICE STAFFING THAN YOU WANT, YOU TAKE COMMON SENSE APPROACHES TO ADDRESS THOSE.
THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.