Aug 07, 2023 Public Safety Committee

[CALL TO ORDER]

[00:00:05]

GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY.

I'LL CALL TO ORDER THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL.

IT'S AUGUST 7TH, 2023 AT 2:00 PM WE ARE MEETING AT 3 0 1 WEST SECOND STREET IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, AND WE HAVE A QUORUM, UM, OF THE COMMITTEE PRESENT.

THE FIRST THING WE'LL DO MEMBERS

[Public Communication: General]

YES, SIR.

WE'LL START WITH ONLINE SPEAKERS FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.

THAT'S GONNA BE CRYSTAL L.

SPEAKER, PLEASE UNMUTE.

HI, CAN EVERYONE HEAR ME? YES, MA'AM.

YES.

GREAT.

HI EVERYONE.

GOOD AFTERNOON.

MY NAME IS CRYSTAL LEON AND I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT ONE, MANY CLOSE FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS WHO WORK IN HEALTHCARE ACROSS THE STATE, TEXAS, INCLUDING , THE TRAVIS COUNTY MEDICAL FACILITY.

TODAY, I WANNA RAISE CONCERNS ABOUT THE CLIMATE MAP BASICS BUDGET PROPOSAL, SPECIFICALLY ABOUT HOW THE BUDGET PLACEMENT OF ECMO, ALSO KNOWN AS THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER WITHIN THE E M S DEPARTMENT, PRESENTS A TREMENDOUS CONFLICT OF INTEREST FOR BOTH DEPARTMENTS.

AS YOU MAY KNOW, EVERY PARAMEDIC AND E M T IN FIRE AND E M S WORKS DIRECTLY UNDER THE MEDICAL LICENSE OF THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER WHO LEADS ECMO.

THIS PERSON IS PASSED BY STATE STATUTE TO ENSURE QUALITY MEDICAL CARE FOR ALL OF AUSTIN.

THIS RESPONSIBILITY IS SYNONYMOUS TO THAT OF THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT.

HOWEVER, THERE'S A REASON WHY WE DON'T CONFINE THAT BUDGET FOR THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.

RIGHT? YOU NEED TO ENSURE THAT OVERSIGHT DEPARTMENTS SUCH AS ECMO AND THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT IN THIS CASE ARE INDEPENDENT AND CAN EMPOWER THOSE DEPARTMENTS TO MAKE IMPARTIAL DECISIONS FOR THE SAFETY AND MEDICAL WELLBEING OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS.

PREVIOUSLY, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF EMO'S OVERSIGHT RESPONSIBILITIES, AND THEY APPROVE THE SEPARATION OF THE ECMO BUDGET FROM THE AGENCIES.

IT OVERSEES THE BACK TO BASICS BUDGET, ATTEMPTS TO OVERSIMPLIFY THE DEPARTMENT STRUCTURES, AND IS A HUGE STEP BACKWARDS FROM THE SYSTEM THAT EMPOWERED OUR NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED PATIENT CARE.

PROVIDED BY OUR E M S AND FIRE PERSONNEL.

I HUMBLY ASK YOU TO PLEASE RE-EXAMINE THE PROPOSED BUDGET IN LIGHT OF THE MEDICAL OVERSIGHT RESPONSIBILITIES OF ECMO, AND ENSURE THAT THE CITY CONTINUES TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN HIGH QUALITY PATIENT CARE TO THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN BEING AN INDEPENDENT ECMO BUDGET AS PART OF MANAGEMENT SERVICES.

THANK YOU.

NEXT SPEAKER IS BEN MARLO.

YEAH, WHY DON'T YOU STEP UP TO THE LECTERN THERE.

AFTERNOON FOLKS.

MY NAME IS BEN MARILLO AND I'M A DISTRICT NINE CONSTITUENT LIVING ON BRAZOS AND FIFTH STREET AT THE SIENNA APARTMENT BUILDINGS.

A COUPLE MONTHS AGO, I CONTACTED COUNCIL MEMBER QUADRAS OFFICE, AS I'VE WITNESSED A HEIGHTENED HOMELESS POPULATION CAMPING IN THIS COMMUNITY ON STREET, SPECIFICALLY BETWEEN FOURTH AND SIXTH STREET.

MYSELF AND MANY OTHER RESIDENTS OF THE APARTMENT BUILDINGS AND PATRONS OF LOCAL BUSINESSES HAVE SEEN FIRSTHAND THE RESULTING PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUES.

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ASSAULTED, THREATENED, CHASED, AND EVEN SPIT ON BY UNHOUSED PEOPLES ON DRUGS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS.

UH, AND THEIR BEHAVIOR IS OFTEN INFLUENCED BY SUBSTANCE ABUSE, WHICH POSES A SIGNIFICANT THREAT TO RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES, AND VISITORS.

SAFETY AND QUALITY OF LIFE, INTIMIDATION, HARASSMENT, AND ASSAULT HAVE BECOME SHOCKINGLY FREQUENT AND UNACCEPTABLE.

I TRULY EMPATHIZE WITH OUR UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS WHO NEED HELP TO GET TO A BETTER PLACE.

HOWEVER, I'M HERE TODAY 'CAUSE I GENUINELY WORRY THAT THIS COUNCIL LACKS AN APPROACH THAT BALANCES THE LONG-TERM NEEDS OF UNHOUSED PEOPLE WITH THE SHORT-TERM PUBLIC SAFETY NEEDS OF AUSTINITES THAT LIVE IN AND AROUND AREAS WITH INCREASED HOMELESSNESS.

I PERSONALLY DON'T FEEL SAFE IN MY COMMUNITY, AND I WORRY EVERY DAY THAT MYSELF OR MY NEIGHBORS WILL BE HURT BY SOMEBODY WHO WAS ON DRUGS OR MENTALLY ILL.

AND BECAUSE OF THIS, I HAVE NOT STOOD IDLY BY COUNCIL MEMBER QUADRI KNOWS I'VE OFTEN VOICED MY FRUSTRATIONS AND CONCERNS TO HIS OFFICE AND A P D.

WE MET IN JULY AND SHARED THESE CONCERNS TOGETHER.

I DRAFTED AN ACTION PLAN PROPOSAL, AND THAT STRESSES, UH, INCREASED PUBLIC SAFETY MEASURES SUCH AS INCREASED POLICE PRESENCE, BUT STILL CLEAR TO ME THAT WE LACK SHORT-TERM SOLUTIONS TO THIS PROBLEM.

LOCAL BUSINESSES HAVE UNFORTUNATELY HAD TO TAKE MATTERS INTO THEIR OWN HANDS BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT SEEN SOLUTIONS FROM THE CITY.

10 TO 12 HOUR DAILY COVERAGE OF DUAL OFF-DUTY AND ARMED POLICE OFFICERS HAVE BEEN ROLLED

[00:05:01]

UM, AND IT'S DRASTICALLY REDUCED THE NUMBER OF HOMELESS CAMPING ON BRAZOS.

SO IT'S CLEAR TO ME THAT AN INCREASED POLICE PRESENCE KEEPS MORE AUSTINITES SAFE.

I RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS NOT AN EASY PROBLEM TO SOLVE.

I ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT WE LACK OFFICER NUMBERS AND A P D, BUT THERE HAS TO BE A SOLUTION THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED IN THE SHORT TERM.

I WANT TO COLLABORATE WITH YOU, OUR CITY LEADERS, TO FIGURE THIS OUT.

IT CANNOT BE PUT ON HOLD.

IT CANNOT BE IGNORED BECAUSE PEOPLE'S SAFETY DEPENDS ON IT, AND THERE'S NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN MAKING SURE THAT AUSTINITES ARE SAFE IN THEIR COMMUNITY.

AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN MAKE PROGRESS AND FIGURE OUT TANGIBLE SOLUTIONS TO THIS ISSUE.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

COUNCIL MEMBER CADRY.

UH, THANK YOU MAYOR.

UH, I JUST WANNA THANK BEN FOR, FOR BEING HERE TODAY.

OUR OFFICE HAS, UH, BEEN IN CONTACT WITH HIM AS, AS BEN HAD MENTIONED, WE, WE HAD A MEETING EARLIER ON.

I THINK WE HAVE A MEETING COMING UP IN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO.

UH, SO I, I APPRECIATE HIM GETTING HIM STUFF.

AND WE'RE, WE'RE ALMOST NEIGHBORS, SO I KNOW A LOT OF THE ISSUES THAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT.

AND I'VE, I'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH A M MILLS ON A, ON A, A POLICE INITIATIVE THAT'S, THAT'S IN THE WORKS.

SO IF BEN, IF YOU WANT TO REACH OUT LATER TO, TO A M MILLS, I KNOW HE'D BE HAPPY TO CHAT WITH YOU.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

COUNCIL MEMBER.

NEXT SPEAKER IS JOSH GALE.

ALL RIGHT, IS MIKE WOULD LIKE ME TODAY? HELLO EVERYONE AGAIN.

UH, I'M SURE YOU ALL REMEMBER ME.

MY NAME IS JOSH GALE AND I AM ONE OF JASON JOHN'S MANY FRIENDS AND HIS FORMER ROOMMATE.

I COME TO YOU ALL AGAIN TODAY, AFTER A FEW WEEKS SINCE I LAST SPOKE TO YOU, BECAUSE ONCE AGAIN, ANOTHER MEMBER OF OUR COMMUNITY HAS BEEN PULLED OUT OF LADY BIRD LAKE.

IT'S CONTINUES TO HAPPEN EVERY FEW WEEKS, EVERY COUPLE MONTHS, AND IT IN BETWEEN ALMOST EVERY TIME I COME TO SEE YOU ALL.

ON THE FLIP END, ONE OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WE'VE PUT INTO PLACE HAD A MAJOR SUCCESS.

SOMEONE WALKING HOME FROM RAINY STREET WAS FOUND BY THE E M SS PATROLLING THAT PATH.

WHEN I HEARD THAT NEWS, I ALMOST BROKE DOWN IN TEARS.

TO KNOW THAT WE HELPED SOMEBODY, I THINK WAS HUGE.

BUT THAT ISN'T THE STOP OF OUR WORK WITH IT BEING BUDGET SE BUDGET SEASON.

AND WITH US TALKING ABOUT THE MONEY, IT'S TIME FOR US TO CONTINUE SHOWING THAT WE CARE ABOUT OUR CITIZENS AND TO PUT FORWARD AND PAY FORWARD THE FUNDING AND THE CHANGES TO MAKE THESE PLANS STAY IN PLACE AND CONTINUE TO CONTINUE WORKING FOR US.

'CAUSE RIGHT NOW, I'M TERRIFIED THAT THIS IS ALL JUST POLITICAL THEATER.

AND THE MOMENT I DECIDE THAT I'M GONNA BE QUIET, THIS WILL ALL JUST GET THROWN OUT.

SO I CONTINUE TO SHOW UP AND TO ASK YOU ALL TO PUT IN THE CHANGES THAT WE NEED TO PROTECT OUR CITIZENS WHO ARE JUST TRYING TO HAVE A GOOD NIGHT OUT.

ANOTHER CONCERN OF MINE, UH, TIES TO THE I 35 TXDOT PLANS, SPECIFICALLY AROUND THE PEDESTRIAN BRIDGES OF 35 POTENTIALLY BEING SHUT DOWN.

AS YOU KNOW, THAT WAS J'S WALK HOME.

IF THAT IS, IF THERE'S NO ABILITY FOR PEOPLE IN THAT AREA TO CROSS THE RIVER THERE, THAT CREATES A MAJOR, MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN, WHICH MEANS THERE NEEDS TO BE FUNDING PUT IN PLACE TO PROVIDE DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR THOSE PEOPLE TO GET HOME.

EMILY CROW HAS SPOKEN TO YOU ALL BEFORE ABOUT HER TRANSIT IDEA, AND I'M SURE THERE'S OTHER IDEAS WE CAN ALL FIGURE OUT TOGETHER, BUT ULTIMATELY, IT'S TIME TO PUT THE MONEY UP, PROTECT OUR CITIZENS, AND MAKE SURE THAT WE AREN'T PULLING ANYBODY OUT OF THIS LAKE ANYMORE.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

THANK YOU.

AND MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBER.

AND I JUST WANNA MAKE A QUICK, UH, UH, RESPONSE THAT THE PEDESTRIAN AND, UH, BICYCLE CROSSING OF I 35 IS VERY HIGH PRIORITY IN OUR, UH, CONVERSATIONS WITH, UH, TXDOT.

AND WE DEFINITELY WANT TO, AT THE VERY LEAST, YOU KNOW, MAINTAIN THE CURRENT LEVEL OF ACCESS, BUT, BUT REALLY KNOW, IMPROVE THE LEVEL OF ACCESS.

I WILL SAY ALSO IN JUST THIS WHOLE CONVERSATION AROUND RAINY STREET, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT A LOT OF THE SERVICE WORKERS AT RAINY LIVE ON EAST RIVERSIDE AND WILL WALK OR BIKE, UH, TO, YOU KNOW, DOWNTOWN, UH, TO, UH, WORK.

SO, UH, I I, I COMPLETELY AGREE THAT, THAT THAT'S A REALLY, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT CROSSING IS AS, AS SAFE AND CONVENIENT AS, AS AS POSSIBLE TO FACILITATE.

GOOD.

DENVER IS TRYING TO GET HOME FROM WORK.

COUNSEL.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

COUNCIL MEMBER, PLEASE CONTINUE WITH THE PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.

NEXT SPEAKER IS CHRISTOPHER ZEAL

[00:10:10]

MY NAME IS CHRISTOPHER ZIBELL.

I'M, UH, AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN, UH, LIVE IN DISTRICT 10.

AND I'M HERE TO TALK TO YOU TODAY ALSO ABOUT THE, UM, THE BUDGET PROPOSAL AND THE, UH, STRUCTURE AROUND THE, UH, OFFICE OF THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR FOR AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY E M S.

UM, IT LOOKS LIKE, WHAT I'M SEEING AS I'M TALKING TO FOLKS THAT I KNOW WHO WORK IN E M S IS THAT THERE IS A PROPOSAL TO GO BACK TO A STRUCTURE THAT WE HAD, UH, IN THE NOT SO DISTANT PAST, WHICH, UH, WAS A VERY DYSFUNCTIONAL STRUCTURE IN WHICH, UM, THE PHYSICIANS AND PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS WHO WORKED FOR E M SS, UH, DID SOME OF THEIR WORK AT THE MERCY OF THE PARAMEDICS WHO WERE IN COMMAND OF E M S.

THE RESULT WAS THE THREE PREVIOUS E M S MEDICAL DIRECTORS ALL LEFT BECAUSE THEY FOUND THIS AN UNTENABLE WAY, UH, TO WORK.

UH, THEY COULDN'T ACTUALLY FULFILL THEIR DUTIES AS LEADERS OF THE ORGANIZATION AND ENSURING MEDICAL QUALITY WHEN THEY WERE ASKED TO REPORT TO PEOPLE WHO HAD LESS TRAINING AND LESS EXPERIENCE THAN THEY DID IN THE MANAGEMENT OF THE MEDICINE.

SO, UM, I JUST WANTED TO EXPRESS MY OPINION THAT, UM, THE OFFICE OF THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR, INCLUDING ALL OF THE ASSOCIATE MEDICAL DIRECTORS AND THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE UP THE ECMO, UH, SERVICE, MUST BE INDEPENDENT IN THEIR FUNCTION AND DECISION MAKING CAPACITY FROM THE WAY THAT THE, UM, PARAMEDIC, UH, COMMAND STRUCTURE IS ORGANIZED.

THANK YOU, SIR.

THANK YOU.

AND OUR LAST SPEAKER IS MARSHALL CRAN.

THANK YOU.

UM, I'M MARSHALL CORAN, UH, HERE TO ALSO SPEAK ABOUT THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, ON BEHALF OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY, UM, WHICH IS IN DISTRICT 10, BY THE WAY, UH, WHICH I'LL REFER TO AS T C M S REPRESENTING 4,000 PLUS PHYSICIANS IN OUR COMMUNITY.

T C M S HAS AN ED E M SS ADVISORY COMMITTEE, WHICH CONSISTS OF EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS OF EVERY RECEIVING HOSPITAL IN THE REGION AND CONSULTING SPECIALISTS IN EMERGENCY MEDICINE, CARDIOLOGY, NEUROLOGY, AND TRAUMA SURGERY.

OUR COMMITTEE ADVISES THE MEDICAL DIRECTORS OF AUSTIN E M S AND SURROUNDING JURISDICTIONS ON ALL ASPECTS OF PRE-HOSPITAL MEDICAL CARE, CLINICAL PROTOCOLS, CREDENTIALING AND CLINICAL OVERSIGHT AND PRE-HOSPITAL CARE ISSUES THAT IMPACT THE RECEIVING HOSPITALS.

AND DR.

MARK ESCO'S TENURE, OUR ADVISORY COMMITTEE, HAS OBSERVED DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT IN THE QUALITY AND SAFETY OF PRE-HOSPITAL CARE FOR THE PATIENTS OF OUR COMMUNITY.

IN 2017, T C M SS RECOMMENDED SPECIFIC RATIOS OF PHYSICIANS TO, UM, UH, E M S AND A F D PROVIDERS TO ENSURE SAFE PHYSICIAN OVERSIGHT OF THE E M S DELEGATED PRACTICE.

THEY'RE GREATER THAN 2300 DELEGATED E M S AND A F D PROVIDERS FOR WHOM THE PHYSICIANS OVERSEEING THEM HAVE DIRECT LEGAL LIABILITY UNDER THEIR MEDICAL LICENSE.

HOWEVER, IT WAS NOT UNTIL THE PASSAGE IN 2021 OF COUNCIL, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER'S BUDGET AMENDMENT CREATING OC O THAT DR.

ESCOTT WAS AFFORDED THE RESOURCES TO IMPLEMENT THESE MINIMUM SAFE PHYSICIAN OVERSIGHT RATIOS.

IMPORTANTLY, THE TMO STRUCTURE PROVIDED THE PHYSICIAN INDEPENDENCE REQUIRED OF STATE LAW FOR THEIR OVERSIGHT FUNCTIONING.

WE ARE DEEPLY CONCERNED THAT THE CURRENT BUDGET PROPOSAL WOULD DISSOLVE OC O SAVED FOR THE C M O POSITION ITSELF AND HIS EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT, AND REASSIGN ALL OTHER ECMO PHYSICIANS AND SUPPORT STAFF INTO VARIOUS POCKETS OF THE E M S COMMAND STRUCTURE REPORTING TO PARAMEDICS, THUS COMPROMISING PHYSICIAN INDEPENDENCE AND EFFECTIVE CLINICAL OVERSIGHT.

IT'S A SWEEPING REORGANIZATION THAT APPEARS HASTILY CONCEIVED, AND IT CERTAINLY FRAUGHT WITH UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES.

UNDER DR.

ESCO OMO HAS DEVELOPED A RENOWNED POOL OF PHYSICIANS AND SUPPORT STAFF IN A CULTURE OF COLLABORATION AND INNOVATION THAT IS RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY IN THE EMERGENCY MEDICINE COMMUNITY.

ECMO IS A BEACON OF CUTTING EDGE EMERGENCY MEDICAL PRACTICE, WHICH LEAVES US WITH TWO QUESTIONS.

ONE, WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE SYSTEM NOW, AND NUMBER TWO, WHY THE RUSH TO CHANGE IT.

T C M S SUPPORTS EFFORTS TO ENHANCE COORDINATION IN COLLABORATION BETWEEN E M S AND OC MO, PROVIDED THAT TMOS PERSONNEL AND PROGRAMS ARE KEPT INTACT AND UNDER THE EXISTING INDEPENDENT REPORTING STRUCTURE OF THE OFFICE.

THANK YOU, DOCTOR.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU,

[00:15:01]

YES.

COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU MR. COTHRAN AND DR.

SABELLA FOR BEING HERE.

UM, COLLEAGUES, THIS IS NOT ON OUR AGENDA, SO WE CAN'T REALLY, UM, HAVE A DEEP CONVERSATION ABOUT IT.

UM, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT CONCERNS ME AND IF JUST INVITE YOU, IF, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS TO, TO TALK WITH ME AS WELL.

THANK YOU.

THAT'S ALL THE PUBLIC COMMUNICATION, CORRECT.

DO YOU MANAGER, DO YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING BECAUSE WE, WE AREN'T, WE ARE NOT POSTED FOR THIS, SO, OKAY.

PEOPLE THAT WERE INVITED TO COME SPEAK.

OH, OKAY.

WELL THEN I'LL PEOPLE THAT WERE INVITED TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, IT'S NOT A POSTED ITEM.

OKAY.

SO IF WE GET INTO A DISCUSSION, IT WILL, UH, WELL, I'M, I'LL BE HAPPY TO ADDRESS THIS AT A LATER TIME, BUT I THOUGHT SOME OF THE REPRESENTATIONS THAT WERE DONE JUST A MINUTE AGO WERE TOTALLY INACCURATE.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

THE FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA,

[1. Approve the minutes of the Public Safety Committee meeting of June 12, 2023.]

IS THERE ANYONE THAT HAS ANY, UH, SUGGESTED CHANGES OR AMENDMENTS TO THE MINUTES? COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY MOVES ADOPTION IS SECONDED BY, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER VELA.

ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE WITHOUT OBJECTION.

THE MINUTES ARE ADOPTED.

MEMBERS, THERE'S

[3. Briefing and discussion regarding the maintenance of air conditioning systems on Austin Fire Department trucks and apparatuses.]

SO UNLESS THERE'S OBJECTION, I WILL CALL UP ITEM NUMBER THREE, WHICH IS A BRIEFING AND DISCUSSION REGARDING THE MAINTENANCE OF AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS ON A F D TRUCKS AND APPARATUSES TEAM.

I THINK WE SAW THIS SHOW ONE TIME BEFORE, BUT I'M HAPPY TO SEE IT AGAIN.

YEAH.

KNOW.

MY NAME IS JOEL BAKER, FIRE CHIEF FIRE DEPARTMENT.

I'M JENNIFER WALLS, THE, UH, DIRECTOR OF FLEET MOBILITY SERVICES.

DO YOU HAVE A PRESENTATION OR DO YOU, YOU JUST WANT TO OPEN, WE CAN OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS.

YEAH, WE DO.

WE DID HAVE A PRESENTATION, PLEASE.

OKAY, GOOD.

SO I'M ALMOST, OKAY, I'M GONNA STAND BACK THERE.

I, I APPRECIATE, I'LL COME BACK.

OKAY.

OKAY.

SO, UM, YOU'VE, YOU'VE HEARD FROM ME EARLIER, I HAVE YOU NEXT TO ME, RICK HARLAN, WHO'S OUR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OVER EMERGING TECHNOLOGY, WHO HANDLES THE ACQUISITION SIDE AND A LOT OF THE DATA, UH, MANAGEMENT SIDE OF FLEET.

SO I'LL TURN THINGS OVER TO HIM.

HE CAN GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE IN DEPTH, UM, UNDERSTANDING OF, UH, AC REPAIR AND HOW IT'S FLUCTUATED FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR, DATA POINTS AND SO FORTH.

AND THEN WE CAN COME BACK TO WHAT WE'RE DOING TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM.

SO HERE'S RICK HARLAN.

GREAT.

THANK YOU.

GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR.

GOOD AFTERNOON.

COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, ON THE SCREEN, WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IS, UH, THE, UH, REPAIR HISTORY OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS.

UH, WHICH YOU CAN SEE IS WE HAVE 39 AC REPAIRS THAT WERE COMPLETED IN, UH, JUNE 30 IN JULY.

THE AVERAGE IS 18 PER MONTH, AND WE HAVE A SUMMER AVERAGE VOLUME LIFT OF 27.

UH, A COUPLE OF OBSERVATIONS WITH THE DATA THAT WE'VE PULLED IS THAT, UH, IS THAT THE CURRENT PEAK OF AC REPAIRS WITH THE FEE? THE, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HISTORICALLY HAS BEEN IN JUNE, AND IT'S UP 34% YEAR OVER YEAR.

UH, THE MONTHS LEADING UP TO JUNE THOUGH, APPEAR TO BE UNDER REPORTED.

IF YOU LOOK AND YOU SEE THE MONTHS LEADING UP TO, UH, JUNE IN 20 19, 20 20, 20 21, 20 22, WHAT YOU SEE IS KIND OF AN ESCALATION OF REPORTED AC REPAIR VOLUME IN 2023.

THERE APPEARS TO BE THIS GAP, AND I'M THINKING THAT IT MIGHT HAVE TO DO WITH THE WINTER STORM, SOME OF THE RESPONSES TO THE WINTER STORM, SOME OF THAT ACTIVITY THAT TOOK PLACE THERE.

BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE HISTORICAL TREND LINE, IF YOU LOOK AT IT, IS KIND OF IN A DOWNWARD TREND.

SO WE'RE ACTUALLY MAKING PROGRESS, UH, SLOWLY, BUT IT'S JUST KIND OF FLAT.

IN OTHER WORDS, THIS IS NOT A BIG SURPRISE.

THE 39 PEAK AC REPAIR DEMAND THAT WAS KIND OF BACKLOGGED IS, IS, IS HISTORICALLY NORMAL.

SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IN THE FLEET DEPARTMENT ITSELF IS WE'VE, UH, ASSEMBLE A TEAM OF DEDICATED AC REPAIR STAFF.

UH, WE'RE PERFORMING PRE-CHECK DIAGNOSTICS AT SOME OF THE FIRE STATIONS THEMSELVES.

SO WE HAVE A MOBILE TEAM THAT'S GOING OUT AND THEY'RE LOOKING AND SEEING WHAT'S WRONG.

AND IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S QUICK AND EASY TO FIX, THEY'LL FIX IT.

IF NOT, THEN THEY'LL GO AHEAD AND SCHEDULE IT FOR REPAIR.

WE'VE AUTHORIZED OVERTIME, OF COURSE, AND WE'VE INCREASED OUR INVENTORY VOLUME OF AC RELATED PARTS FOR REPAIR.

AND THEN WE'VE LEVERAGED OUR STRATEGIC VENDORS FOR IN WARRANTY REPAIRS.

FROM A PEOPLE PERSPECTIVE, WE'VE SHIFTED ADDITIONAL STAFF TO ASSIST WITH THE AC BACKLOG.

UH, WE'RE REVIEWING THE STAFFING RATIOS WITH A F D AND E M S BECAUSE THEY BOTH OPERATE OUTTA SERVICE CENTER SIX, CURRENTLY AT ROUGHLY ABOUT 37 TO ONE VEHICLE TO TECH RATIO.

UH, WE'RE TRAINING MORE STAFF.

WE ONLY PUT THE MOST TRAINED AND HIGHLY QUALIFIED STAFF TO WORK ON E M S AND A F D

[00:20:01]

UH, 'CAUSE IT'S SO COMPLEX.

WE'VE ESTABLISHED A SCHEDULE FOR REPAIRING THE BA, THE BACKLOG THAT'S BEEN BUILT UP, AS YOU COULD SEE IN THE NUMBERS ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE.

AND OF COURSE, THE NORTHEAST SERVICE CENTER IS A BIG PIECE TO FUTURE IMPROVEMENT IN THIS AREA.

OPPORTUNITIES.

SO IN THE A F D FLEET, THERE ARE, UH, RESERVE VEHICLES BOTH FOR ENGINES AND FOR LADDERS.

AND THERE IS A RESERVE QUANTITY THAT'S BASED ON THE NUMBER OF ACTIVE UNITS CURRENTLY.

THE, UH, WE HAVE, UH, 17 RESERVE ENGINES OR PUMPERS, AND WE HAVE TWO THAT ARE CALLED READY RESERVE.

THESE ARE VEHICLES THAT ARE ALREADY EQUIPPED TO IMMEDIATELY GO TO THE FIELD IN THE EVENT OF A FIRE OR RESPOND TO AN EMERGENCY.

THEY'RE ALREADY EQUIPPED WITH EQUIPMENT ON IT.

ONE OF THE, THE OBSERVATIONS IS ON OUR AERIAL RESERVE, WHICH IS SEVEN UNITS, WHICH IS 47% OF ACTIVE UNITS.

UH, THERE ARE NO READY RESERVES.

THERE ARE NO, THERE'S NO EQUIPMENT THAT'S ACTUALLY PRE-POSITIONED INSIDE THE VEHICLE FOR IMMEDIATE RESPONSE.

THAT I THINK IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL TO TAKE A LOOK AT.

IT'S A COUPLE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS WORTH OF EQUIPMENT TO GO ON THE VEHICLE, POSSIBLY SOME COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT THAT C T M WOULD HAVE TO PUT IN THE VEHICLE.

AND THEN WE ARE PROPOSING TO THE APPARATUS COMMITTEE, WE DON'T JUST BUY VEHICLES, UH, RANDOMLY.

WE, WE WORK WITH A COMMITTEE ON WHAT WE'RE BUYING IN TERMS OF, UH, UH, FIRE APPARATUSES.

AND, UH, WE NOTICED THAT OUR VENDORS HAVE COME OUT IN 2023 WITH WHAT'S CALLED AN ENHANCED HVAC SYSTEM.

WE DON'T KNOW FULLY WHAT THAT MEANS.

WE THINK IT CONTROLS AIRFLOW.

THERE'S SOME CERAMIC TINTING ON THE WINDOWS.

THERE'S SOME OTHER THINGS THAT GO WITH IT.

WE'RE TRYING TO, UH, GET A, A FULL UNDERSTANDING OF IT BECAUSE IT'S BRAND NEW.

WE'VE NOT BEEN ABLE TO ORDER IT IN THE PAST.

THE OTHER THING IS THAT, UH, WE ARE LOOKING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAYBE HOUSE OR COVER THE APPARATUSES WHEN THEY'RE IDLE.

IT'S 106 DEGREES OUTSIDE.

UH, THE AIR CONDITIONING UNITS ARE ONLY DESIGNED TO COOL THE CAB OF THE VEHICLE 25 DEGREES WITHIN 30 MINUTES.

SO IF YOU STARTING POSITION IS A HUNDRED DEGREES PLUS IN THE CAB, YOU'RE NEVER GONNA GET COOL BY THE TIME YOU GET TO WHEREVER YOU'RE GOING.

AND FINALLY, FROM A LEADERSHIP PERSPECTIVE, AND, AND, AND KIND OF A JUST ACTION ITEM PERSPECTIVE, TACTICAL PERSPECTIVE, YOU KNOW, UH, LEADERSHIP, DEDICATION.

AND I KNOW THAT, UH, BOTH THE FLEET AND A F D TEAMS ARE DEDICATED TO MAKING SURE THIS IS, UH, A RECTIFIED ISSUE, CULTIVATING A SAFETY CULTURE, AND THEN WORKING ON PERSISTENT PROGRESS OVER TIME AND ENHANCED REPAIR COMMUNICATION.

SO THAT EARLY COMMUNICATIONS IS BETTER.

IF YOU SAW IN THE LAST SLIDE, THERE WAS KIND OF THAT GAP IN COMMUNICATIONS, WHICH, WHICH, WHICH CREATED A BACKLOG THAT, UH, IN AND OF ITSELF WE'RE TRYING TO DIGEST THAT AMOUNT OF WORK VOLUME THAT WE NORMALLY DON'T SEE IN A SUDDEN PERIOD OF TIME.

AND THEN I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS WE CAN DO TO GET AHEAD OF THIS, AND THIS GOES FOR THE A R R FLEET AS WELL, IS A SEASONAL MAINTENANCE AWARENESS CAMPAIGN WHERE, YOU KNOW, EVERY SPRING AND FALL GO OUT AND WE PREPARE OUR VEHICLES AND TRY TO TOUCH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF 'EM.

TODAY WE WORK ON A NORMAL PM SCHEDULE, BUT I THINK THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET OUT THERE AND GET IN ADVANCE AND GET THESE VEHICLES IN TOUCH AND MAKE SURE ALL THE COMPONENTS AND PARTS AND PIECES THAT, UH, OF THE VEHICLE ARE SAFE AND READY TO GO TO THE FIELD IN THE SUMMER OR IN THE WINTER.

AND WE'VE BEEN ON BOTH EXTREMES HERE IN THE LAST THREE YEARS.

AND THEN REALLY EMPOWERING AND OWNERSHIP AMONG THE FLEET AND A F D PERSONNEL TO MAKE DECISION.

NONE OF US IN THIS ROOM ARE ON THE FRONT LINE AND SEE WHEN THESE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS ARE BROKEN OR IN NEED OF REPAIR, BUT OUR FRONTLINE STAFF IS.

AND SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THESE FOLKS UNDERSTAND THAT YOU NEED TO COMMUNICATE AS NEEDED.

AND THEN, UH, AND WE'LL TAKE IT AND SCHEDULE IT FROM THERE WITHIN THE FLEET MOBILITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT.

THAT'S THE UPDATE.

WELL, THANK YOU.

UM, WE'LL START WITH ANY QUESTIONS AND COUNCIL MEMBER, KELLY, I CAN'T SEE YOU, UH, RIGHT NOW, SO IF YOU'LL, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? YEAH.

UM, I JUST UNMUTED MAYOR.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

SURE.

AND I, I CAN'T THANK FLEET AND A F D LEADERSHIP ENOUGH FOR BEING SO RESPONSIVE TO THIS NEED.

UM, IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT WAS CONCERNING TO ME, WHICH IS WHY I BROUGHT IT UP.

UM, I'M NOT SURE IF THAT PRESENTATION WAS IN BACKUP, BUT I'D LIKE TO REQUEST THAT IT GOES THERE SO THAT WE CAN REFER TO IT WHEN WE GET QUESTIONS FROM PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT IT.

I'M REALLY GLAD TO HEAR ABOUT THE MOBILE TEAM, THE INCREASED INVENTORY, THE BACKLOG REPAIR SCHEDULE CHANGES, THE LEADERSHIP DEDICATION.

I HAVE SEEN OVER THE COURSE OF THE DISCUSSIONS WE'VE BEEN HAVING BOTH WHILE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE BUDGET AND NOW, UM, AND I REALLY LIKE THE COMPONENT ABOUT THE EMPOWERMENT AMONG FLEET AND A F D, UM, TO REALLY BRING THESE ITEMS FORWARD SO THAT THEY CAN BE ADDRESSED PROPERLY.

AND THANK YOU, MAYOR, FOR TAKING MY REQUEST TO MAKE THIS FIRST.

I APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH.

SURE THING.

HANG ON ONE SECOND.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? MAKE A RUN FOR IT.

VERY GOOD.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE.

ALRIGHT, WE'LL TAKE UP ITEM NUMBER

[2. Briefing and discussion on the completed Kroll recommendations concerning the Austin Police Department Training Academy.]

ITEM NUMBER TWO IS A BRIEFING AND DISCUSSION ON THE COMPLETED KROLL RECOMMENDATIONS CONCERNING A P D TRAINING ACADEMY.

[00:25:01]

HELLO, I'M, UH, ASSISTANT CHIEF, UH, JASON STANSKI.

I'M OVER THE TRAINING DIVISION, AND THIS IS COMMANDER WADE LYONS.

I AM THE COMMANDER OVER THE A P D TRAINING DIVISION.

SO TODAY WE WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PAROLE RECOMMENDATIONS AND WHAT, UH, WE HAVE COMPILED SINCE OUR LAST MEETING HERE LAST MONTH.

COULD I ASK YOU TO MOVE THAT MICROPHONE A LITTLE CLOSER TO YOU? CLOSER? WE MAY BE MOVING IT QUITE A BIT WITH, THERE YOU GO.

HE'S QUITE A BIT BIGGER THAN ME.

UH, SO WE'VE BEEN ASKED TO COMPILE A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION ON THE CORAL RECOMMENDATIONS AND WHAT WE'VE IMPLEMENTED SINCE THE LAST TIME WE, WE SPOKE HERE ABOUT A MONTH AGO.

UH, THERE'S BEEN, YOU KNOW, MANY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE, UH, THROUGHOUT THE CORAL REPORTS.

AND ONE OF THEM WAS THAT WE BROUGHT UP, OR COUNSEL BROUGHT UP LAST TIME, WAS THE AUDITS OF THE CADET CLASSES.

SO WE'VE COMPLETED THE AUDIT OF THE ONE 47TH CADET CLASS, WHICH GRADUATED ON MAY 19TH, 2023 THREE.

UH, SEVERAL OF THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, FOR THE AUDIT, UM, CAN ANSWER SEVERAL OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE, OF THE MAIN REPORT.

SO THAT'S KIND OF WHAT WE WANTED TO REPORT OUT TODAY THAT, UH, WHAT WE'VE DONE FROM THE ONE 47TH.

SO WE, WE CURRENTLY HAVE THE ONE 48TH, WHICH IS BEING AUDITED BY KROLL, UH, DIRECTLY, AND THEY'LL BE REPORTING OUT THE ONE 20, UH, THE ONE 48TH, AND THEN THE ONE 49TH WILL BE GRADUATING DECEMBER 29TH.

AND WE WILL CREATE ANOTHER REPORT FOR THE ONE 49TH.

DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE WE START THE PRESENTATION? ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT.

WE'RE WORKING ON GETTING THE PRESENTATION UP.

OKAY.

LIKE I SAID, THE THE ONE 47TH GRADUATE ON MAY 19TH, UH, YOU CAN GO TO THE, DO YOU WANNA START TALKING ABOUT THE, UH, CURRICULUM REVIEW COMMITTEE, WHICH, WHICH HAS BEEN TOPIC OF MANY DISCUSSIONS OVER THE RECENT PAST.

UH, THE, THE COMMITTEE ACTUALLY WORKED THROUGH THE ONE 47TH, UM, AND ENDED SHORTLY AFTER THAT.

UH, SINCE THE ONE 47TH HAS GRADUATED, WE'VE, WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF KROLL, WE HAVE, UH, MODIFIED THE CURRICULUM REVIEW INTO TWO DIFFERENT COMMITTEES, WHICH WOULD BE A, UH, CITIZENS' ADVISORY COMMITTEE, UH, IN CONJUNCTION WITH JOYCE JAMES CONSULTING.

WE PLAN TO HAVE A DRAFT OF THE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES WITHIN TWO WEEKS FOR THAT PORTION OF THE, UH, THE COMMUNITY REVIEW COMMITTEE.

UH, WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH A PROFESSIONAL, UM, UH, ACADEMIC CURRICULUM REVIEW.

UM, CURRENTLY WE'VE BEEN CONTINUING OUR CONVERSATIONS WITH KROLL, UH, AND WE'RE MEETING WITH FINANCE TO CREATE A, UH, SCOPE OF WORK.

WE'RE MEETING DIRECTLY WITH KROLL TO FINISH THE, UH, THE PROCEDURES.

AND THEN WE'RE ALSO HAVE STARTED REACHING OUT TO PROFESSORS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SO WE CAN IMPLEMENT, UH, FOR THIS NEXT CLASS.

UH, THE DIRECT, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS FOR, FOR THE CURRICULUM.

NEXT SLIDE.

SO, GOING BACK TO THE ONE 47TH EIGHT CLASSES WERE TAUGHT IN, IN COOPERATION WITH THE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS, UH, THOSE, SOME OF THOSE TOPICS CONCLUDE THE SEXUAL HARASSMENT RECOMMENDATION, THE US AND TEXAS CONSTITUTION, UH, AND RIGHTS HISTORY OF POLICING THE RACE IN AUSTIN, MINDFUL IN RESILIENCE AND MULTICULTURALISM.

SO THOSE WERE SOME OF THE CASE.

THE CLASSES, UM, THAT WE'RE TAUGHT WITH SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS TO DIRECTLY TO THE CADETS.

UH, YOU CAN SEE THE SEVERAL OF THE CO-FACILITATORS REPRESENTED FROM THE UNITED OR THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY, HOUSTON TILLERSON, AND OTHER COMMUNITY, UH, COLLEGES AROUND THE LOCAL AREA.

[00:30:02]

AND THESE ARE WITH THE OUTSIDE AGENCIES, UH, DIRECTLY WORKING WITH THESE GROUPS SUCH AS THE SOBERING CENTER, THE TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE DEATH, THE COMMUNITY FIRST VILLAGE, SETTLEMENT HOME JAILS TO JOBS.

SO THIS REALLY EMERGED THE CADETS, UH, IN THE BEGINNING OF THEIR CAREER WITH THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND TO HAVE A MINDSET AS THEY'RE MOVING FORWARD, THAT THESE ARE THE INDIVIDUALS THE MOST IN NEED, AND WHO WE NEED TO, UH, CONCENTRATE ON AS, AS THEY'RE MOVING THROUGHOUT THEIR CAREER.

GOOD AFTERNOON.

I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND MOVE INTO THE CULTURE OF ADULT LEARNING.

SO, AS YOU CAN SEE THERE, UH, OUR STAFF BEGAN INCORPORATING THE ADULT LEARNING CONCEPTS INTO THE CURRICULUM IN MID 2021.

BUT WHAT EXACTLY IS ADULT LEARNING? AND WHAT IS THE BALLOON'S TAXONOMY? WELL, AS WE KNOW, IT IS RECOGNIZED FRAMEWORK THAT CATEGORIZES THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF COGNITIVE THINKING AND LEARNING.

AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE'S MULTIPLE CONCEPTS RELATED TO BLOOM'S TAX TAXONOMY, INCLUDING, REMEMBER, UNDERSTAND, APPLY, ANALYZE, EVALUATE, AND CREATE.

AND SO FAR, UH, WE'VE INCORPORATED THIS ADULT LEARNING CONCEPT IN THEORY INTO 22 CLASSES.

UH, AND WE'RE CONTINUING TO EXPAND THAT OUT FROM THE 1 47 THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE CADET CLASSES.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

AS WE CONTINUE WITH ADULT LEARNING, WE WANT TO SPECIFICALLY HIGHLIGHT THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR OUR TRAINING ACADEMY STAFF.

UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN I, UH, TOOK OVER AS THE TRAINING COMMANDER, ONE OF THE, THE THINGS THAT WAS VERY PIVOTAL TO ME WAS ENHANCING THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR TEAM.

SO I MET WITH OUR TEAM, I CONDUCTED A STRENGTH, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES, AND THREATS.

AND THAT GAVE ME, AS WELL AS THE, MY STAFF, THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN OUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES, AND WHERE WE CAN MAKE SOME, UH, SOME, SOME SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES.

SO A COUPLE OF THE COURSES THAT WE'VE ACTUALLY, UH, PUT OUR INSTRUCTORS THROUGH, UM, WAS THE ADVANCED TRAUMA TRAINING, SCIENCE-BASED INTERVIEWING, INTERVIEWING THE RIGHT WAY, ETHICS TRAIN THE TRAINER, AS WELL AS MEDIA LITERACY 1 0 1 FOR POLICE TRAINING.

AS YOU CAN SEE THERE ON THE SLIDE, THERE'S A MULTITUDE OF OTHER COURSES THAT OUR INSTRUCTORS HAVE, UH, TAKEN.

AND AGAIN, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS ONGOING AND CONTINUOUS, AND WE ARE VERY DEDICATED AND COMMITTED TO ENHANCING THE, THE PROFESSIONAL AND GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF OUR INSTRUCTORS.

NEXT SLIDE.

MOVING ON TO SOME TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE.

AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, WE WANT TO SPEAK BRIEFLY ABOUT THE BELONGING AND INCLUSION.

ONE OF, UH, CROW'S RECOMMENDATION WAS TO ENSURE THAT WE GET THIS INCORPORATED IN THE CADET CLASSES AS WE MOVE FORWARD.

AS WE CAN SEE HERE, THE GROUNDWATER ANALYSIS TRAINING, WHICH I LIKE TO CALL G W A, WAS PROVIDED BY JOYCE JAMES CONSULTING.

WE ALSO INSTITUTED THIS TRAINING, UH, TO OUR FTOS WHO TRAIN OUR NEWLY GRADUATED CADETS.

AND TO BECOME AN F T O, IT IS A MANDATED AND REQUIRED FOR ALL OF THE, OF THOSE PERSPECTIVE STUDENTS TO TAKE THE TRAINING PRIOR TO BEGINNING THE F T O SCHOOL.

UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, THE FTOS ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLETE A TWO DAY RECERTIFICATION TRAINING, AND SOME OF THOSE COURSES INCLUDE TEACHING METHODS FORCE REVIEW, THE RED D TRANSITION PISTOL, AND UPDATED GROUND GROUNDWATER ANALYSIS CURRICULUM.

NEXT SLIDE.

SO THE, THE NEXT WAS THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE ONE 47TH AND HOW COMPARED TO THE, THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, AS YOU CAN SEE, THE NUMBERS, UH, CORRELATE, UM, PRETTY EVENLY, UH, AMONG, UM, BLACK, WHITE, AND HISPANIC, UH, THE MALE AND FEMALE GENDERS.

THAT'S A LITTLE BIT, UH, DIFFERENT ON THE NUMBERS, BUT THAT'S ROUGHLY THE DEMOGRAPHICS FOR THE ONE 47TH AND OUR TRAINEES ACADEMY.

NEXT SLIDE.

SO, CONTINUING ON WITH THE, WITH THE, THE KROLL RECOMMENDATIONS AND WHERE OUR ACADEMY STAFF AND OUR ACADEMY CADETS ARE GOING, UH, AS WELL AS THE DEPARTMENT IS THE INCORPORATION OF ICAS AND ABLE, UH, ICAS HAS BEEN INCORPORATED, UH, FOR SEVERAL YEARS WITHIN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.

UM, ALL OF THE CADETS WERE TRAINED IN IT, UH, AS WELL AS THE, THE FTOS WILL BE CONTINUING TO GET UPDATES ON THE ICAS, WHICH IS BASICALLY OUR DEESCALATION TRAINING,

[00:35:01]

WE'RE IN THE FINAL STAGES OF THAT, AND WE HOPE TO HAVE THAT CLASS UP AND RUNNING SHORTLY.

UH, THE CADETS WILL BE BROUGHT BACK, UH, BEFORE THEIR PROBATION PERIOD ENDS, UM, TO COMPLETE THAT TRAINING.

AND THAT TRAINING WILL BE AS THE ICAS IS, WILL BE, UH, MANDATED DEPARTMENT WIDE.

UH, ON A SIDE NOTE, ALSO, OUR RESERVE OFFICERS WILL BE REQUIRED TO HAVE THIS TRAINING.

UH, I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT OVER THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS.

SO THIS, UH, TRAINING WILL BE MANDATORY FROM THE CHIEF ALL THE WAY DOWN.

NEXT SLIDE.

SO, CONTINUING ON WITH THE TRAINING FOR THE ONE 47TH, UH, ALL OF THE CADETS RECEIVE 37 HOURS OF OUR CRISIS INTERVENTION TRAINING, WHICH IS WHEN WE'RE DEALING WITH INDIVIDUALS SUFFERING CRISIS IN A MENTAL HEALTH CAPACITY.

UH, SOME OF THE PRESENTERS THERE THAT ACTUALLY MET WITH THE CADETS AND PROVIDED INSTRUCTION, UH, WAS INTEGRAL CARE, THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MENTAL HEALTH MYTHS TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE.

UH, AND ONE THING THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IS THAT THE INTEGRAL CARE STAFF ACTUALLY WORKED WITH US DURING OUR PRACTICALS, UM, TO SEE HOW THE CADETS INTERACTED IN SCENARIO-BASED TRAINING.

AND THEN THEY WERE ABLE TO OFFER THEIR, THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS AND THEIR OPINION ON HOW THE CADETS, UH, HANDLED THE SITUATION.

I WANNA DISCUSS BRIEFLY ABOUT SOME MORE TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE THAT WE HAVE, UM, PUT IN THERE FOR THE 1 47 CADET CLASS, AND IT'S GONNA BE RELATED TO THE TRAUMA INFORMED TRAINING.

UM, SO AS YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE CROW'S RECOMMENDATION WAS TO, FOR A P D, TO PUT ON TRAUMA INFORMED CRISIS INTERVENTION TRAIN TRAINING TO ENHANCE OFFICER AND COMMUNITY SAFETY.

WHILE THIS TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE TRAINING DOES HELP OUR CADETS TO LEARN HOW TRAUMA IMPACTS THE BRAIN AND MEMORY CODING, AND THEN HOW TO APPLY THAT INFORMATION WHEN ENGAGING WITH VICTIMS AND AWARENESS OF THE NEUROBIOLOGY OF TRAUMA ENHANCES OUR CADET'S REACTIONS AND RESPONSES TO CITIZENS.

FOR THE 1 47 CADET CLASS, CURRENTLY, WE'VE HAD 10 COURSES THAT HAVE INCLUDED THIS TRAINING, AS WELL AS A MULTITUDE OF ROLE PLAY SCENARIOS.

NEXT SLIDE.

MOVING ON, WE WANNA DISCUSS OUR PHYSICAL FITNESS TRAINING.

UM, AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, FOR THE 1 47 CADET CLASS, WE HAVE FOUR CADETS THAT INITIALLY FAILED THE PT TEST.

WITHIN THE FIRST WEEK OF THE ACADEMY.

ONE CADET WAS TERMINATED BECAUSE THEY, THEY DID NOT REACH THE 60% THRESHOLD, AND THREE CADETS MET THE 60% THRESHOLD RETESTED AND PASSED WITHIN 30 DAYS.

THAT WAS THE ONE CHANGE THAT WE SPECIFICALLY MADE FOR THE 1 47 CADET CLASS PRIOR TO THE 1 47 CADET CLASS.

IF A CADET DID NOT ACTUALLY MEET THE 70% THRESHOLD ON THE FIRST DAY OR THE FIRST WEEK OF THE ACADEMY, THEY WOULD'VE BEEN COMPLETELY TERMINATED.

SO, AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS CHANGE ALLOWED THOSE THREE CADETS TO CONTINUE WITHIN OUR PROGRAM.

SO I, I WOULD LIKE TO THINK THAT, THAT THAT WAS A, UH, A BIG GAIN AND A BIG PLUS FOR, UH, FOR THE DEPARTMENT.

UM, CONTINUING THOSE, WE HAVE THREE INJURIES RELATED TO PT.

UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE THAT ONE CADET THAT INJURED THEMSELVES DURING WARMUP AND TWO CADETS, UH, JUST BECAME OVEREXERTED DUE TO A LACK OF DEHYDRATION.

UM, SOME PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDE THE AVERAGE SCORES ON THE BENCH MARK BODY WEIGHT WORKOUT, WHICH INCREASED BY 13%, AND WE'VE HAD ZERO CADETS ACTUALLY FAIL THE PT TEST AT THE END OF THE ACADEMY.

AND THAT'S SOMETHING I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT.

NEXT SLIDE.

OKAY.

MOVING ON.

TO SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR MENTORSHIP PROGRAM.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE STILL, UH, DEVELOPING AND IS IN AN ONGOING PROCESS.

NOW, WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THIS THING, WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT WHATEVER WE DO IS NOT ONLY THOUGHTFUL, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS GONNA BE EMBEDDED WITHIN OUR PROGRAM AND IN THE DEPARTMENT HOLISTICALLY, IF YOU WILL.

SO WE'RE KIND OF TAKING OUR TIME.

WE'RE BENCHMARKING WITH OTHER AGENCIES, AND WE'RE WORKING WITH KROLL TO ENSURE THAT WHEN WE GET OUR MENTORSHIP PROGRAM UP AND RUNNING IS ONE OF THE, UH, BEST PROGRAMS IN THE NATION WHEN IT COMES TO OUR RIDEOUT PROGRAM.

UM, ALL OF THE CADETS COMPLETED TWO 10 HOUR RIDEOUTS DURING THE WEEK 17 OF THEIR TRAINING.

THAT WAS ANOTHER RECOMMENDATION THAT WAS INCLUDED BY THE CARLTON.

AND NEXT, I KIND OF WANTED TO TALK ABOUT ATTRITION.

OBVIOUSLY THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OUR STAFFING LEVELS AND TRYING TO KEEP CADETS THROUGH THE ACADEMY, AND THEN EVENTUALLY BEING CUT LOOSE THROUGH F T O.

UH, THE ATTRITION, WE, WE BEGAN WITH,

[00:40:02]

WE HAD TWO CADETS THAT HAVE RECYCLED THEM.

WHAT THAT BASICALLY MEANS IS, FOR SOME REASON, THEY DIDN'T MAKE IT THROUGH THE CADET, UH, AND THEY WERE FALLING, UH, SUCH AS AN INJURY.

THEY CAN'T COMPLETE THE PHYSICAL ASPECTS.

THEN THEY WOULD BE, WE'D OFFER THEM A JOB WITH MOST OF THE TIME WITH DISPATCH AND THE COMMUNICATIONS.

THEN ONCE THE NEXT CADET CLASS STARTED, WE, UH, REJOINED WITH THE NEXT CADET CLASS.

SO THE REASONS FOR ATTRITION, UH, THE TOP FIVE, UM, WAS THE PHYSICAL FITNESS, WHICH WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, THE ACADEMICS AND PERFORMANCE, BECAUSE WE DO HOLD OUR CADETS TO A HIGH STANDARD.

UH, WE EXPECT THEM TO KNOW OUR POLICIES IN THE LAW.

UH, LIKEWISE THE CHARACTER INTEGRITY ISSUES.

UH, WE HOLD OUR CADETS AND OUR OFFICERS TO A HIGH STANDARD FOR THAT.

UH, HALF OF THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ATTRIBUTED, UH, FROM THE ACADEMY WAS FOR PERSONAL REASONS, UH, WHICH IS THE, THE COMMUTE, THE CHILDCARE JOB RISKS.

UH, THEY JUST, IT WASN'T WHAT THEY EXPECTED TO BE.

AND THEN 9% WERE RECYCLED.

CHIEF, BEFORE YOU MOVE ON, CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE NUMBER OF TOTAL CADETS SO WE HAVE A SENSE OF THE ATTRITION RATE, NOT JUST THE NUMBER OF CADETS, PLEASE.

THE, I'M SORRY.

HOW MANY CADETS STARTED THE ACADEMY? UH, I HAVE THAT.

UM, HOW MANY STARTED WITH 1, 4, 7.

SO 55 STARTED AND THEN THAT WOULD'VE GRADUATED.

37.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

UH, AND JUST TO KIND OF PUT A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE ONE 48TH, OBVIOUSLY, UH, THE KROLL WILL REPORT OUT THE ONE 48TH AND NUTRITION, WHICH IS WORTH, WE'RE STILL AT 19 OUT OF 34 FOR THE ONE 49TH, OR THE ONE 48TH.

AND, BUT THE ONE 50TH, UM, WE'VE REALLY LOOKED INTO WHY THE CADETS ARE LEAVING AND IF THERE'S SOMETHING WE CAN CHANGE.

AND I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT WE'VE ONLY LOST FOUR FOR THE CURRENT CADET CLASS THAT'LL BE GRADUATING IN DECEMBER.

SO OUT OF THOSE FOUR, I BELIEVE ONE WAS A PT, AN INJURY.

UM, SO WE'VE REALLY FOCUSED ON WHY CADETS WERE LEAVING, AND WE'VE, WE HAVE A VERY SUCCESSFUL CLASS RIGHT NOW.

MOVING ON, I JUST WANT TO KIND OF BRIEFLY TOUCH ON SOME ADDITIONAL CHANGES THAT WE'VE MADE.

UM, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, I KNOW WAS ONE OF COUNCIL'S PRIORITIES, AND I, YOU JUST NEED TO MOVE A CLOSER TO YOU, IS POINTED THE WRONG DIRECTION.

OKAY.

WE'RE GONNA TRY THIS AGAIN, .

UM, UH, BRIEFLY, I WANT TO JUST TALK ABOUT SOME ADDITIONAL CHANGES WE HAVE MADE.

I KNOW ONE OF COUNCIL'S PRIORITIES WAS SPECIFICALLY GONNA BE RELATED TO THE, THE CULTURE AT THE ACADEMY.

AND I KNOW CROW, UM, TALKED ABOUT THIS ALSO IN, IN THEIR REPORT.

SO, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, UM, ONCE I ARRIVED AT THE TRAINING ACADEMY AND I HAD, UH, A LEADER, MANY LEADERSHIP TALKS AND DISCUSSIONS WITH NOT ONLY OUR, UH, ACADEMY LEADERSHIP, BUT WITH OUR INSTRUCTORS AS WELL, UM, WE DECIDED TO KIND OF LOOK AT THE ATTRITION RATE HOLISTICALLY AND SEE EXACTLY WHERE WE CAN MAKE SOME IMPROVEMENTS.

SO ONE OF THE AREAS THAT WE DECIDED TO, UH, MAKE SOME IMPROVEMENTS WAS GONNA BE REGARDING IN OUR PERFORMANCE ACCOUNTABILITY PROGRAM.

WELL, AS YOU CAN SEE NOW, MOVING FORWARD, OUR PERFORMANCE ACCOUNTABILITY WILL BE ADMINISTERED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE VIOLATIONS OF OFFICER SAFETY, AS WELL AS ANY VIOLATIONS THAT ARE GONNA BE RELATED TO LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS.

WE UTILIZE THIS PERFORMANCE ACCOUNTABILITY TO, UM, TEACH OUR CADETS THAT THE ACTIONS OF ONE AFFECT THE WHOLE.

SO, UH, WE WANT TO SAY THAT, UM, THERE'S GONNA BE SOME, YOU KNOW, SOME KINKS THAT WE'RE STILL GONNA HAVE TO WORK OUT WITHIN THIS PROCESS.

BUT WITH THAT BEING SAID, WE ARE DOING THIS IN A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT, AND I'M EXCITED TO SEE EXACTLY HOW THIS WILL IMPACT, UM, OUR ATTRITION RATE MOVING FORWARD.

UM, THE, THE NEXT CHANGE I DO WANT TO SPEAK ABOUT WAS THE BASIC PEACE OFFICER COURSE AND THE SCHEDULE.

UM, WE RECENTLY AMENDED OUR SCHEDULE TO REFLECT THE RECOMMENDED SEQUENCE FOR BY TCO.

TCO GIVES SPECIFIC REASONS ON EXACTLY WHY, UM, THEIR SCHEDULE IS ALIGNED IN THAT ORDER.

AND SOME OF THOSE REASONS INCLUDE STARTING WITH SUBJECTS THAT ARE GENERALLY COGNITIVE IN NATURE, THEN CONTINUING TO THE EFFECTIVE LEARNING MODULES, AND THEN FINALLY TO THE PSYCHOMOTOR LEARNING FROM REMEMBERING TO APPLICATION.

SO, WE'RE GONNA BE GOING BACK TO THIS MODEL.

UH, WE MADE SOME ADJUSTMENTS IN OUR CADET TRAINING SCHEDULE.

AND,

[00:45:01]

I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE FUTURE, AND I AM EXCITED, UM, AND BEYOND COMMITTED TO ENHANCING THE, UH, THE KNOWLEDGE OF OUR CADETS AND BUILDING THE FUTURE GENERATION OF POLICE OFFICERS IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

I, UH, UH, COUNSEL, QUICK, QUICK QUESTION.

IT WAS 33 FOR THE LAST CLASS, FOR THE ONE 47TH QUESTIONS.

COUNCIL MEMBER VELASQUEZ, THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR SERVICE.

UH, I, I HAD JUST ONE QUICK QUESTION.

WHEN, UH, ON YOUR SLIDES WHERE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE, HOW MANY HOURS OR ARE YOU ABLE TO TELL US HOW MANY HOURS WERE SPENT IN EACH OF THE SPECIALIZED AREAS? WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, INTEGRAL CARE AND, AND COLLABORATIONS WITH INTEGRAL CARE AND SAFE, WE, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET THE EXACT HOURS.

WE DON'T HAVE THAT IN OUR PRESENTATION, BUT WE CAN DEFINITELY FOLLOW UP.

APPRECIATE YOU.

THANK YOU.

OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? COUNCIL MEMBER, VELA? JUST A HANDFUL.

WHAT'S, YOU SAID THE, THE ATTRITION RATE YOU START OUT WITH ABOUT 55, GRADUATED ABOUT 33.

UH, WHAT, WHAT'S, WHAT'S A NORMAL ATTRITION RATE FOR A CADET CLASS? UH, IT, IT, IT'S VARIED THROUGHOUT TIME.

I MEAN, THERE'S, THERE'S ALWAYS DIFFERENT REASONS.

UM, UNFORTUNATELY FOR THE LAST COUPLE CLASSES, IT HAS BEEN UNUSUALLY HIGH, UM, HIGHER THAN WE CERTAINLY WANT, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE FOCUSES.

BUT, UH, I BELIEVE FOR THESE LAST COUPLE CLASSES, IT'S BEEN ROUGHLY ABOUT THAT THAT AVERAGE, ABOUT 40% OR SO, WE'RE LOSING ABOUT 40% OR SO OF THE, OF THE CADETS.

YES.

UH, AND SO IN PRIOR TO THAT, UM, LESS, IT WAS LESS THAN THAT, LET'S SAY, YOU KNOW, IN 20% OR SOMETHING, UH, UH, AROUND THERE.

SO RECENTLY WE'VE SEEN A LITTLE BUMP IN THE, IN THE LOSS OF, UH, CADETS.

HUH, SON.

UM, WAIT, DO YOU HAVE THE GENERALLY, SIR, UH, WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR ASKING THAT QUESTION.

OUR ATTRITION RATE GENERALLY IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS HAS BEEN SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE 25% AND THE 35 TO 40%.

SO WE'RE STILL AROUND WITHIN, WITHIN THAT, UH, WITHIN THAT SPECIFIC RANGE.

GOT IT.

AND THE, THE PT TEST AND THE 60% THRESHOLD, COULD Y'ALL JUST ELABORATE ON THAT? WHAT EXACTLY, YOU KNOW, UH, I MEAN, A PHYSICAL BASICALLY FITNESS TEST, RIGHT? AND THEN THE 60% THRESHOLD, WHAT EXACTLY DOES THAT MEAN? SO THE PERCENTAGE IS THE COMBINATION OF THE PHYSICAL FITNESS, UM, ALL OF THE, THE EXERCISES, IF YOU WILL.