[00:00:01]
SO WITH THAT,[CALL TO ORDER]
YAY.UM, SO WITH THAT, I CALL THE DECEMBER 4TH PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING TO ORDER.
UM, I'M FIRST GONNA CALL ROLL.
UM, COMMISSIONER RUTAN PRESENT.
COMMISSIONER ORR IS NOT PRESENT.
COMMISSIONER HALL MARTIN HERE, COMMISSIONER KIKO WILL NO LONGER BE WITH US.
HE, UM, IS STEPPING DOWN FROM HIS SEAT AND WILL BE FILLING THAT WITH THE NEW COMMISSIONER.
COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT, IF WE COULD JUST STAY ON THE LOOKOUT FOR HER.
SHE WILL BE A LITTLE LATE, BUT WE'RE HOPING SHE CAN DIAL IN BEFORE FOUR 30.
[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]
UM, DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMUNICATION? YES.OKAY, MR. SO IN CARLOS LEONE, FIRST AND FOREMOST, GRAS FOR LETTING ME SPEAK AGAINST CAT METRO EVIL, THREATENING OUR PUBLIC SAFETY DETAILS IN FRONT OF YOU AND ONLINE.
OLDER FEMALE KRUGER, KAREN, FEMINIST FILTH CAT, METRO BUS DRIVERS, THE MAJORITY OF WHOM ARE BLACK LIKE OPERATOR 3 0 6 0 9 0 CONTINUE TARGETING ME, ABUSING THEIR OFFICIAL CAPACITY TO TRY CONFUSING AND CONTROLLING ME TO E FEMINATE AND EMASCULATE ME TO GASLIGHT AND DOMINATE ME.
TO MAKE ME WAIT ON ACCOMMODATE AND SERVE THEM, THOUGH THEY ARE LEGALLY BOUND TO WAIT ON, ACCOMMODATE AND SERVE ME BECAUSE THEY'RE PUBLIC SERVANTS PER TEXAS PENAL CODE 1.07 A 41 A, NOT STOPPING AT MY STOP TO NOT BOARD OR EXIT ME WHERE I CHOOSE, TRYING TO MAKE ME BORED, SIT AND EXIT HOW AND WHERE THEY WANT.
IF THEY DO STOP TRYING TO MAKE ME ANSWER THEIR UNNECESSARY QUESTIONS, DELAYING OR REFUSING SERVICE WHEN I DO NOT ALLOW THEM TO BULLY ME.
NOT FOLLOWING CAP METRO POLICY AND PROCEDURE OR THE LAW MAKING UP AND TRYING TO ENFORCE OVERLY RESTRICTIVE ILLEGAL RULES, TRYING TO SEPARATE ME FROM MY GEAR, TRYING TO PROJECT THEIR CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR ONTO ME, TRYING TO FORCE UNWANTED PERSONAL INTERACTIONS ON ME WHEN THEY'RE ON DUTY UNDER COLOR OF UNIFORM, TRYING TO PAY FOR MY BUS RIDE AND THEIR BLATANT INCESSANT LYING EXEMPLIFY THEIR ABUSIVE KENYAN OBAMA CROOKED HILLARY PSYCH WARFARE POWER CONTROL TACTICS.
ALL WRONG FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, CAT METRO COMPLAINTS ARE SENT, BUT GUILTY DRIVER'S BEHAVIOR DOES NOT CHANGE AND THEY ARE NOT FIRED.
CAT METRO SUPERVISORS, LIKE OLDER, MIDDLE EASTERN MALE SUPERVISOR, T 57 ACT SIMILARLY WRONGLY BACKING GUILTY DRIVER'S, CRIMINALITY AND ALLEGEDLY CONSPIRING WITH THEM TO OPPRESS MY FREE EXERCISE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION USAGE WITH INTENT TO PREVENT OR HINDER THAT RIGHT SECURED BY THE 14TH AMENDMENT THAT VIOLATES TITLE 18 US CODE 2 41 PUNISHABLE BY FINE IMPRISONMENT OR BOTH IF PROSECUTED.
THEREFORE, PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION FACILITATE A TRANSPARENT TOP TO BOTTOM AUDIT AND REVISION OF CAP METRO POLICY TRAINING.
PRACTICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY LIKE YOU'VE DONE AND ARE DOING WITH A PD, LIKE THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT AND EMPOWERED INDEPENDENT OFFICE OF CAP METRO OVERSIGHT IS BADLY NEEDED AND LONG OVERDUE IN VIA METRO TRANSIT V MEC, THE TEXAS SUPREME COURT RULED THAT METRO RAPID TRANSIT AUTHORITIES LIKE CAP METRO ARE COMMON CARRIERS REQUIRED TO EXERCISE A HIGH DEGREE OF CARE FOR THEIR PASSENGERS TO ACT AS A VERY CAUTIOUS, COMPETENT, AND PRUDENT PERSON WOULD ACT.
CAT METRO EVIL SAYS AND DOES THE EXACT OPPOSITE, WHICH IS WHY PRESIDENT TRUMP, OUR TRUE PRESIDENT, MUST BE BACK IN THE WHITE HOUSE TO DEFEAT THIS EVIL AND DESTROY ITS EARTH.
AND WITH THAT, WE WILL MOVE ON TO
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES.I DON'T THINK WE HAVE ANYONE ELSE CORRECT, MS. JACKSON? OKAY.
WE'LL MOVE ON WITH THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES.
I BELIEVE WE GOT THOSE IN OUR EMAIL.
DID EVERYONE HAVE A CHANCE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THOSE? OKAY.
[00:05:01]
WE HAVE ANY CHANGES? OKAY.CAN I GET A MOTION? MOTION TO AND A SECOND.
AND WITH THAT, WE WILL TAKE A VOTE.
COMMISSIONER HALL, MARTIN? YES.
AND I WILL BE A YES AS WELL, SO WE CAN ACTUALLY APPROVE THESE THINGS.
UM, AND THEN NEXT WE, OH, JUST A REMINDER THAT, UM, IN OUR BACKUP, WE KEEP, UM, UM, END OF STAFF BRIEFINGS.
IT'S A REFERENCE TO JUST, UM, FOLLOW UP RESPONSES FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS IN WRITING THAT WE HAVE.
THOSE ARE POSTED TO OUR BACKUP.
WE HAD SOME QUESTIONS AROUND FIRE, I THINK, LAST TIME.
AND SO THOSE ARE ON OUR BACKUP FOR ANYBODY TO REFERENCE AND LOOK UP IF THEY NEED THAT.
UM, AND WITH THAT, WE'LL MOVE ON
[3. Public Safety Quarterly Report – Austin Travis County EMS (Sponsors: Commissioners Ramírez and Bernhardt)]
TO THE EMS QUARTERLY REPORT.AND AGAIN, UM, AS BACKUP, WE'VE SUBMITTED OUR INCIDENT REPORT, UM, JUST FOR REVIEW.
IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT, WE CAN, UM, ANSWER THOSE AS WELL.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? IS IT GREEN? IT IS GREEN.
CAN Y'ALL NOT HEAR ME?
I ALWAYS HAVE THE PROBLEM WITH THE MICROPHONE
UM, ALL RIGHT, WHEN WE'RE READY.
UM, ALL RIGHT, FOR THIS FIRST SLIDE, UM, IS THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
FOR OUR CURRENT DEPARTMENT STAFFING, UM, OUR OVERALL VACANCY RATE FOR THE FOURTH QUARTER WAS 16.34.
UM, AGAIN, THE HIGHEST RATE OF VACANCIES IS THAT OUR FIELD CLINICAL SPECIALIST, UM, AS WELL AS OUR COMMS AND OUR, UH, COMM IS PROPORTIONATELY HIGHER THAN THAN MOST OF THE OTHERS.
UM, WE DID HAVE, UH, PRIOR TO THIS, OR IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS, WE DID HAVE OUR CONTRACT APPROVED, UM, WHICH HAD AN INCREASE IN BASE WAGES.
IT HAD SOME OTHER INCENTIVES FOR LATERAL HIRES.
SO WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF SEEING, UM, WHAT A DIFFERENCES WE'LL MAKE IN IN FUTURE, UM, FOR THAT, UM, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
THIS IS OUR SEPARATIONS FOR THE ENTIRE FISCAL YEAR.
SINCE WE DID WIND UP THE FISCAL YEAR, WE HAD A TOTAL OF 47 SEPARATIONS DURING THE YEAR, WHICH IS DOWN FROM OUR PREVIOUS YEARS.
NINE OF THOSE WERE RETIREMENTS AND 38 WERE RESIGNATIONS.
UM, THE LARGEST NUMBER OF RESIGNATIONS COME FROM OUR ENTRY LEVEL, SO THAT'S IN THAT ONE TO THREE YEAR RANGE.
UM, AND THE REASON THAT PEOPLE LEAVE WITHIN THAT FROM OUR EXIT INFORMATION TENDS TO BE THEY GET OTHER JOBS OR THEY RETURN BACK TO FAMILY SYSTEMS THAT THEY HAD IF THEY CAME FROM OUT OF STATE, UM, OR THEY RETURNED TO SCHOOL.
THESE ARE FAIRLY YOUNG, UM, EMPLOYEES THAT ARE, ARE LOOKING ON TO FURTHER THEIR EDUCATION OR NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
UM, AND THIS IS A TENURE AS SEPARATION.
UM, AGAIN, WE, WE SEE, UH, MANY OF THESE IN THAT MEDIC FIELD, UM, POSITION.
SO THAT'S THAT ONE TO FIVE YEAR RANGE.
THAT'S BEEN OVER THE PAST YEAR.
AS YOU CAN SEE, AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER, WE WERE AT 15% FOR OUR SWORN STAFFING, UM, WHICH IS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT OVER WHERE WE'VE BEEN OVER THE PAST YEARS.
NOW, I WILL HAVE TO PUT A LITTLE ASTERISK WITH THIS BECAUSE WHEN WE LOOK AT NEXT QUARTER, UM, WE'LL SEE AN INCREASE IN THAT VACANCY RATE BECAUSE WE GOT 18 NEW POSITIONS ADDED TO US.
SO THE VACANCY RATE WILL GO UP, UM, JUST BASED ON THE NUMBER OF POSITIONS THAT ARE ADDED TO THE COUNT WHENEVER WE CALCULATE THE VACANCY RATE.
UM, BUT WE DO FEEL LIKE WE'LL BE MAKING GOOD PROGRESS ON THAT.
UM, THERE'S AN ACADEMY GRADUATING IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS, DECEMBER 15TH.
UM, THERE'S 16 IN THAT ACADEMY, AND WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE STARTING IN JANUARY WITH ANOTHER 16.
AND THIS IS JUST ANOTHER REFLECTION OF THE TURNOVER RATE THAT OVER, UH, THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS, WE SEE THAT IT IS, IT IS STILL DECLINING.
I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF INTEREST IN THIS.
THIS IS AN OPIATE OVERDOSE, UH, GRAPH THAT WE'VE BEEN SHOWING ON THE OVERDOSE REPORTING TO 9 1 1 SINCE JULY OF 2018.
WE'VE DONE A PRESENTATION ON THIS OVER THE, I THINK IN THE PAST YEAR TO 18 MONTHS ON THIS THAT, UM, TALKED ABOUT THE SPIKE THAT WE STARTED SEEING WITHIN THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY AREA, UM, REALLY IN 2020.
AND THEN THROUGHOUT 21 AND 22, UM, FOR THREE YEARS, WE'VE BEEN DOING AN OPIOID USE DISORDER PROGRAM.
UM, AND THROUGH THAT WE'VE BRIDGED 450 PEOPLE TO THE MEDICATION ASSISTED TREATMENT.
[00:10:01]
UM, WE'VE ALSO DEVELOPED A NEW TRAINING IN ANTICIPATION OF THE INCREASE XYLAZINE USE.IF YOU'VE HEARD OF XYLAZINE IN THE NEWS, THIS IS, UM, PRETTY CONCERNING, UM, ILLICIT DRUG THAT'S ON THE MARKET.
NOW THAT, UH, WE'RE PREPARING FOR OUR NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
THIS AGAIN GOES BACK TO JULY OF 2018, AND IT, UM, DEPICTS THE OVERDOSE RESCUE KITS THAT HAVE BEEN USED DURING THAT TIME.
AND 55% OF NARCAN ADMINISTRATIONS, UM, ADMINISTERED PRIOR TO EMS ARRIVAL ARE DONE BY BYSTANDERS.
AND WE'RE AT AN ALL TIME HIGH WITH THAT.
YOU SEE THAT TICK AT THE VERY, UM, END OF THAT IN SEPTEMBER, THAT'S WHEN NARCAN BECAME AVAILABLE OVER THE COUNTER.
SO WE DID SEE MORE, UH, USE OF IT BY BYSTANDERS IN THE PUBLIC BEFORE WE ARRIVED.
UM, AND AGAIN, BASED ON, ON THAT, 20% OF THAT ADMINISTRATION COMES FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND ANOTHER 25% FROM THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT PRIOR TO EMS ARRIVAL.
THERE'S BEEN SOME INTEREST IN COMPARING THE DATA OF WHERE WE ARE IN, IN, UH, AUSTIN COMPARED TO NATIONALLY.
UM, IN TERMS OF OVERDOSE DEATHS, THE BEST THAT WE CAN COMPARE RIGHT NOW IS IN TEXAS.
THIS COMES FROM THE TEXAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES WEBSITE, AND IS THE INFORMATION THAT'S REPORTED BY MEDICAL EXAMINERS AS CAUSE OF DEATH.
SO YOU'LL SEE THAT, UM, TRAVIS COUNTY OUTPACES, UH, MAJORITY OF TEXAS WITHIN THAT NEXT SLIDE.
THE LAST THING THAT I WANNA BRING UP IS OUR POP-UP RESOURCE CLINICS.
THIS IS, UH, ALSO SOMETHING THAT WE DID A HIGH LEVEL BRIEFING ON SEVERAL MONTHS AGO.
UM, THIS IS OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS AND INITIATIVE THAT THEY STARTED, UM, IN THE, A POPUP RESOURCE CLINIC IS BASICALLY, UM, MORE LIKE A, IF YOU COMPARE IT TO A HEALTH FAIR OR HEALTH EVENT LIKE THAT, THAT THEY DO IDENTIFY AREAS IN THE COMMUNITY WHERE THERE'S A, UM, A LARGE POPULATION OF, UM, PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.
AND THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT AGENCIES THAT COME TOGETHER TO BE AVAILABLE TO CONNECT PEOPLE WHO NEED THESE RESOURCES.
UH, SO WE'VE DONE NINE, UH, OVER THE PAST YEAR, OVER A THOUSAND INTERVENTIONS IN 2023.
AND WE DO HAVE SOME THAT SPECIALIZE IN WOMEN'S HEALTH SERVICES AS WELL.
UM, AND THEN THE POCKET PERKS ARE, ARE THINGS THAT ARE REALLY, UM, SPECIFIED TO A SPECIFIC GROUP.
UM, MAYBE THEY NEED A SPECIFIC HEALTH ISSUE.
MAYBE THEY NEED HOME, UM, HOUSING, UM, SOME SORT OF A RESOURCE LIKE THAT.
SO WE IDENTIFY NEEDS IN THAT COMMUNITY.
AND THEN AN INTERESTING THAT WE DID IN OCTOBER OF 2023 IS WE TRIED A TELE JUDGE PROGRAM.
SO THIS IS WITH DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY COURT, ONE OF THE BARRIERS FOR SOME OF THESE FOLKS TO GET INTO THESE RESOURCES THAT THEY NEEDED.
SO WE HAVE AN OUTSTANDING WARRANT.
UM, SO WHAT WE DID IS WE PARTNERED WITH DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY COURT.
UH, WE WERE ABLE TO GET PEOPLE IN FRONT OF A JUDGE, THEY COULD TAKE CARE OF THEIR WARRANT THERE AND ALSO GET, UH, PLUGGED INTO THE RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED.
UM, SO IT'S A PRETTY EXCITING PROGRAM FOR US, UM, BEING ABLE TO CONNECT PEOPLE TO RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED.
A LOT OF IT IS HOUSING, HEALTHCARE, UH, THERE'S EVEN VETERINARY SERVICES, UM, MANY THINGS LIKE THAT IN THAT.
SO, AND I BELIEVE THAT IS THE END OF THAT PRESENTATION.
AND IF, UM, IT'S AT ALL POSSIBLE, WE USUALLY HAVE THIS MONITOR THAT'S FACING US THAT, UM, IT MAKES IT SO THAT WE CAN SEE THE PRESENTATION ALSO.
SO I CAN SEE THE COMMISSIONERS THAT ARE ONLINE.
I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN GET THAT ON, BUT THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
UM, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I'M LOOKING BEHIND ME FOR ONLINE COMMISSIONER HOLMES.
I DO NEED YOU TO HAVE YOUR CAMERA ON FOR THE DURATION OF THE MEETING.
DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FROM IN HERE? I, I HAVE A FEW.
UH, I, I, I LOVE THESE GRAPHS, BUT, UM, CLARIFYING ON, UH, SLIDE FIVE AND SLIDE SIX ABOUT, UM, RATES ARE I, I'M ASSUMING, BUT I DON'T WANNA ASSUME THOSE ARE IN PERCENTAGES, CORRECT? YES.
UH, I JUST ASKED IN THE FUTURE, IF WE CAN JUST HAVE THAT SO THAT THERE'S NOT THOSE ASSUMPTIONS OF LIKE, WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT 30 MEAN OR WHAT THAT 25 MEANS.
UM, AND THEN ALSO, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS I, I'D LIKE TO SEE IN THE FUTURE IS MAYBE LIKE FOR THE, THE OPIATE, UM, THE, THE OPIATE USAGE OR THE OPIATE OVERDOSE.
UH, IS IT POSSIBLE FOR Y'ALL TO HAVE HEAT MAPS OF WHERE THOSE ARE OCCURRING? MOST? DOES THAT EXIST? THERE ARE SOME IN, SOME, SOME VERY HIGH LEVEL WAYS THAT WE CAN DO.
UM, THERE IS, THERE'S NOT MUCH CHANGE WITHIN THAT.
SO ONCE WE, WE PRESENT THAT, IT'LL, IT'LL MAINTAIN MOSTLY FOR, FOR THAT.
THE REASON IS THERE, UM, WE WE'RE TRYING NOT TO IDENTIFY SPECIFIC PEOPLE, AND WE CAN GET DOWN TO THAT GRANULAR LEVEL.
SO WE DO KEEP IT FAIRLY HIGH LEVEL WHENEVER WE DO THE HEAT MAPS,
[00:15:01]
BUT YES, IT'S POSSIBLE TO DO THAT.UM, AND JUST TO FOLLOW UP TO THAT IS, UH, WITH THOSE HEAT MAPS, I'M WONDERING HOW INVOLVED ARE Y'ALL WITH COMMUNITY EDUCATION FOR OPIATE USE? UM, I, I HOPE TO COME BACK, UM, WITHIN THE NEXT QUARTER AND SPEAK TO YOU ABOUT A NEW EDUCATION PROGRAM THAT WE ARE ROLLING OUT ACTUALLY THIS WEEK.
UM, IT'S, IT'S PART OF A BREATHE NOW PROGRAM, IS WHAT IT'S CALLED.
IT'S PARTNERING WITH BUSINESSES AND, UH, COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN, IN AREAS THAT WE SEE A HIGH NEED.
SO I HOPE TO BE ABLE TO BRING A LOT MORE DETAILED INFORMATION, UM, TO THAT IN A FUTURE MEETING.
AND TO LINK THOSE TWO THINGS TOGETHER.
UH, I'M ALSO WONDERING IF UTILIZING THOSE COMMUNITY EDUCATION PROGRAMS, IF IT, IT'S POSSIBLE FOR US TO SEE HOW THOSE ARE AFFECTING THE COMMUNITY MM-HMM.
UM, OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE CURRENTLY.
AND I JUST HAD A, A QUICK QUESTION ABOUT THE POP-UP RESOURCE CLINICS.
THE, THE TELE JUDGE, UM, IS AN EXCITING SORT OF DEVELOPMENT.
UM, DO YOU, DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY, HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU GUYS ROLLED THROUGH? LIKE HOW LONG WAS THE CLINIC? HOW MANY PEOPLE, LIKE, DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE OF WHETHER OR NOT THAT CAN BE SCALED OR IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE? UM, I DID NOT BRING IT HOW MANY WE, WE'VE DONE THROUGH EACH ONE, BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY ADD THAT INTO WHAT WE REPORT OUT, IF THAT'S AN INTEREST FROM THE COMMISSION TO SEE JUST THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE SERVE, OR IF, IF THAT'S A BACKUP QUESTION THAT YOU WANT US TO, TO ADDRESS AS WELL.
UM, I CAN CERTAINLY GET YOU MORE DETAILS ABOUT, ABOUT WHAT THAT PROGRAM IS DOING.
JUST AS ALWAYS, JUST INTERESTED IN HOW THESE, THESE SMALL EFFORTS CAN BE SCALED TO SORT OF JUST MM-HMM.
DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER RUAN? UM, I THINK THE POPUP RESOURCES AND, YOU KNOW, INCREASING BYSTANDER USE OF NARCAN IS FANTASTIC.
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU NEED FROM US IN TERMS OF SUPPORT TO EXPAND OR TO BUILD ON ANY OF THOSE, UH, FOR THE OVERDOSE KITS? EITHER, EITHER OVERDOSE OR THE KIT EDUCATION? I KNOW YOU'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THAT LATER, OR EXPANDING THE POPUP CLINICS.
IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU GUYS NEED FROM A SUPPORT STANDPOINT OR ADVOCACY ON TO BUILD THOSE WE, NOT THAT I'M AWARE OF AT THIS TIME.
UM, BUT AGAIN, I CAN, I CAN CERTAINLY BRING THAT, BRING THAT BACK.
I MEAN, IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT, IF IT'S ANYTHING WE NEED, WE'D ALWAYS LIKE TO BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP OUT ON THOSE EFFORTS.
AND IF WE DON'T HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS ONLINE, I THINK WE WILL GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON.
[4. Discussion of Office of Police Oversight’s under new leadership, implementation of APOA and Resolution 99 with Equity Action and community leaders (Sponsors: Commissioners Ruttan and Ramirez)]
AND THEN WE ARE GONNA GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR.UM, IF WE CAN HAVE THE OPO STAFF COMING UP.
I BELIEVE WE ALSO HAVE, UM, SOME PEOPLE FROM EQUITY ACTION THAT WOULD LIKE TO JOIN US IF YOU GUYS WANNA COME ON UP AND JOIN US.
AND SO WE'RE GONNA BE MEETING OUR NEW DIRECTOR AND ALSO JUST HEARING ABOUT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE A POA AND OF RESOLUTION 99, UM, TRYING TO DECIDE WHICH WAY TO START HERE.
GAIL, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
UM, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.
I AM THE DIRECTOR FOR THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT.
UH, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR HAVING US.
UH, THIS AFTERNOON I WILL BRIEFLY PROVIDE OPOS PROGRESS RELATED TO, UH, PROPOSITION, UH, A AS WELL AS RESOLUTION 99.
UM, BEFORE I GET STARTED, I'D LIKE TO PROVIDE SOMEWHAT OF AN OVERVIEW OF THE OFFICE OF POL, UH, POLICE OVERSIGHT FOR THOSE PERSONS WHO MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR WITH OUR OFFICE.
UM, THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT PROVIDES INDEPENDENT, IMPARTIAL OVERSIGHT OF THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT.
OPO AND A PD ARE SEPARATE DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AND OPO IS STAFFED BY CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES.
WE HAVE THREE DIVISIONS, UM, THE COMPLAINTS DIVISION, THE POLICY AND RESEARCH DIVISION, AND THE COMMUNICATIONS AND, UH, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DIVISION.
OUR COMPLAINTS DIVISION ACCEPT COMPLAINTS AND COMPLIMENTS ABOUT THE CONDUCT OF THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT AND ITS OFFICERS.
UM, ANYONE MAY SUBMIT A COMPLAINT TO OUR OFFICE.
UM, THAT CAN COMPLAINT CAN BE SUBMITTED ONLINE, UM, VIA TELEPHONE, UH, US MAIL.
YOU CAN EMAIL, OR YOU CAN WALK INTO OUR OFFICE AND SUBMIT THOSE COMPLAINTS.
OUR POLICY AND RESEARCH, UM, DEPARTMENT CONDUCTS ACADEMIC LEAD LEGAL, QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE, UH, RESEARCH RELATED TO APDS POLICIES ON TRAINING IN OTHER AREAS
[00:20:01]
OF PUBLIC CONCERN.UH, COMMUNICATIONS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DIVISION ARE OUR PROFESSIONALS WHO BRING THE WORK AND THE SERVICES OF THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT, UM, TO THE PUBLIC AND TO THE COMMUNITY.
UM, JUST FOR CONTEXT, I'VE, UM, I'D LIKE TO PROVIDE A TIMELINE OF HOW WE GOT HERE.
AND SO, ON FEBRUARY 23RD, THE CITY COUNCIL PASSED AN ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING OPOS AUTHORITY, UM, ON MAY 6TH, THE VOTERS APPROVED PROPOSITION A AND ON MAY 16TH, THE PROPOSITION WENT INTO EFFECT, AMEND AMENDING CITY COACH CHAPTER TWO 15.
ON SEPTEMBER 21ST, THE CITY COUNCIL ADOPTED RESOLUTION 99, AND THEN THERE WAS AN AGS OPINION ON THAT SAME DAY, UH, UH, ISSUES RELATED TO, UH, GFI MATERIAL.
AND THEN THERE WAS A SECOND OPINION ISSUED ON OCTOBER 18TH, ALSO RELATED TO GFI MATERIAL.
SO JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE A TIMELINE IN TERMS OF HOW WE GOT HERE.
SO, REGARDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROP A AND RESOLUTION NINE, I WANNA JUST PROVIDE A DEFINITION OF WHAT I'LL BE DESCRIBING, UH, AS PROVISIONS THAT ARE IN COMPLIANCE.
AND THOSE PROVISIONS THAT ARE IN PROGRESS IN COMPLIANCE ARE THOSE PROVISIONS THAT ARE BEING FULLY IMPLEMENTED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT BY OUR OFFICE.
UM, AND IN PROGRESS ON THOSE WILL BE PROVISIONS THAT STILL REQUIRE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES, UM, TO IMPLEMENT FULLY.
SO, HERE'S A SUMMARY OF OUR PROGRESS.
UM, WE'VE MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN IMPLEMENTING PROVISIONS OF, UH, RESOLUTION 99, AS WELL AS PROPOSITION A IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR INTERNAL PARTNERS.
UM, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE GRAPH, UH, WE ARE IN COMPLIANCE WITH 95% OF THE PROVISIONS OUTLINED IN RESOLUTION 99 AND 82% OF COMPLIANCE.
UM, RELATED TO THE PRO PROVISIONS OF PROPOSITION A, THERE ARE 20 PROVISIONS IN RESOLUTION.
99 19 OF THOSE PROVISIONS ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED.
THERE ARE 17 PROVISIONS IN PROP A AND 14 OF THOSE PROVISIONS ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED.
FULL IMPLEMENTATION WILL BE ACHIEVED AS WE WORK THROUGH SOME, UM, TECHNOLOGY RESOLUTIONS, UH, OR SOLUTIONS RATHER, UH, SOME STAFFING NEEDS, UH, AS WELL AS SOME LEGAL CONCERNS.
SO, AS I CLOSE OUT, UM, I WANNA JUST, UM, FIRST THANK THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT STAFF, UM, A PD, UM, THE CITY'S OF AUSTIN'S IT DEPARTMENT AD'S, IT DEPARTMENT, OUR LEGAL DEPARTMENT, AND OUR CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE.
THEY HAVE ALL BEEN VERY INSTRUMENTAL IN THE PROGRESS WE'VE MADE IMPLEMENTING THE AUSTIN POLICE OVERSIGHT ACT, AS WELL AS RESOLUTION 99.
UM, THE PROGRESS WE'VE MADE HAS TRULY BEEN, UM, A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT, UM, AS WE'VE IMPLEMENTED THE PROVISIONS.
UM, MY ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO FOSTER, UM, A CULTURE OF, YOU KNOW, TRUST AND ACCOUNTABILITY BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
I REALLY WANNA SEEK TO ACHIEVE, UM, THIS BY SERVING TO FACILITATE FOR INDIVIDUALS SEEKING, UM, TO ADDRESS CONCERNS RELATED TO OFFICE OF MISCONDUCT AND WORK TO ENSURE THAT THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT, UM, IS NOT BEING PERCEIVED AS A PUNITIVE ARM, BUT MORE OF A COLLABORATIVE ARM.
UH, I AIM TO POSITION OPO AS A RESTORATIVE ARM IN A WAY THAT WE ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, REGAINING AND REBUILDING, UM, THE, THE PUBLIC TRUST.
UM, THE COMMUNITY HAS DEFINED FOR US, UM, WHAT THEY BELIEVE TO BE, UM, TRANSPARENCY.
UM, AND WE KNOW THAT AS THEY DEMONSTRATED, UM, BY THEIR SUPPORT OF PROPOSITION A.
AND IT IS OUR ROLE AT THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT TO DO OUR DUE DILIGENCE, UM, UH, TO REVIEW THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT AND ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH ALL THE ESTABLISHED LAWS OF POLICIES, UH, AND THE RE REGULATION.
[00:25:01]
AND TRANSPARENCY, I BELIEVE, WILL BE REQUIRED, UM, BY HAVING JUST AN OPEN DIALOGUE, UH, AND OPEN AND HONEST DIALOGUE, WHICH IN TURN WILL NOT ONLY EMPOWER THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, BUT AS WELL AS THE COMMUNITY.CHRIS, DO YOU WANNA INTRODUCE YOURSELF? UH, SURE.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS YOU.
AGAIN, MY NAME IS CHRIS HARRIS.
I AM A BOARD MEMBER OF EQUITY ACTION, UM, UH, C FOUR ORGANIZATION THAT, UM, PUT FORWARD THE AUSTIN POLICE OVERSIGHT ACT, WHICH BECAME PROPOSITION A AND PASSED IN MAY.
UM, AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR PERSPECTIVE ABOUT THE EXTENT OF COMPLIANCE WITH, UH, PROPOSITION A AND ITEM 99 IS, IT'S OBVIOUSLY FAR DIFFERENT, UH, THAN WHAT, UH, HAS JUST BEEN PRESENTED TO YOU.
I THINK THAT, UM, THE, THE, THE STATEMENTS THAT REFLECT THE DESIRE FOR THE OPO TO BE A COLLABORATOR, UM, RATHER THAN AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATOR OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, UM, ULTIMATELY DO REFLECT A CULTURAL PROBLEM FOR US IN THAT THE I WHOLE IDEA OF THE POLICE OVERSIGHT OFFICE IS THAT IT'S MEANT TO BE THE, THE PEOPLE'S REPRESENTATION, UH, WITH RESPECT TO, UH, TO INCIDENTS OF ALLEGED MISCONDUCT, NOT TO, TO COLLABORATE WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO FIGURE OUT
UH, AND I THINK THAT TODAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT REQUESTING A DOJ INVESTIGATION, UH, REQUESTING BASICALLY THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COME IN AND LOOK AT THE CITY'S FAILURE TO HOLD ANYONE ACCOUNTABLE, AND NOW THE DA'S FAILURE TO HOLD ANYONE ACCOUNTABLE, UH, FOR ALL OF THE VIOLENCE BY AUSTIN POLICE DURING THE 2020 PRO PROTESTS REFLECTS AN ADMISSION THAT THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT, UH, SIMPLY ISN'T EQUIPPED, UH, UH, NOR CULTURALLY, UH, ALIGNED TO ACTUALLY PROVIDE THE INVESTIGATORY, UH, CAPABILITIES THAT WE AS A CITY HAVE DEMANDED, UH, BY PUTTING FORWARD AND, AND NOW PASSING PROPOSITION A, UM, I, I'M HAPPY TO GET INTO MANY SPECIFICS
SO I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL WANT TO GET DOWN INTO THE PROVISION BY PROVISION LEVEL, BUT I WILL SAY THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE HEARD AT THE WORKING GROUP MEETING, WHICH, YOU KNOW, TO, TO BE HONEST, IS THE FIRST AREA OF NON-COMPLIANCE WITH ITEM 99.
BECAUSE WHAT HAPPENED TWO TUESDAYS AGO WAS NO WORKING GROUP.
IT WAS A, IT WAS A ZOOM PRESENTATION,
UM, UH, WAS WAS ULTIMATELY THAT, UH, EMISSIONS AROUND A NUMBER OF ITEMS THAT ARE NOT, UH, HAVE NOT BEEN IMPLEMENTED.
UH, AND, AND SPECIFICALLY AROUND THE ACCESS TO G FILE MATERIAL, UH, UH, A STRAIGHT UP CONCESSION BY THE CITY LEGAL REPRESENTATIVE THAT, UH, THIS ISSUE, UH, WOULD NEED TO BE LITIGATED.
BECAUSE, BECAUSE THEY, UH, DESPITE THE AGS RULING THAT, UH, THE CITY DOES HAVE THE DISCRETION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT TO KEEP THESE FILES SECRET, UH, THEY CONTINUE TO DO SO IN DIRECT DEFIANCE OF PROPOSITION A.
SO, UM, AGAIN, LOTS, LOTS, LOTS, UH,
UM, I DO THINK I WAS EXPECTING A LITTLE BIT MORE BY WAY OF PRESENTATION.
I WAS HOPING TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THE DETAIL THAT THE WORKING GROUP GOT WITH REGARDS TO THE DIFFERENT, UM, THE DIFFERENT AREAS AND HOW THAT 99%, OR I, I GUESS IT'S 95% COMPLIANCE NOW, AND THE 82% COMPLIANCE, I WAS HOPING TO SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL WITH REGARDS TO THAT, LIKE WE DID IN THE WORKING GROUP.
I THOUGHT THAT'S WHAT WE HAD AGREED TO.
SO I'M A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED THAT WE DON'T HAVE MORE DETAIL, BUT, UM, COULD YOU DIRECTOR MCGANT SPEAK TO US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE, ABOUT THE DELAY? LIKE, IT'S, IT'S DECEMBER, AND, UM, AND I, I THINK THAT'S ONE OF MY PRIMARY CONCERNS IS THAT IT'S NOW DECEMBER, AND WE ARE NOW FINALLY STARTING TO SEE SOME OF THE DETAILS OF HOW SOME OF THIS IMPLEMENTATION IS HAPPENING OR NOT HAPPENING.
UM, AND YEAH, COULD YOU JUST SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO THAT DELAY, WHY THAT'S, WHY THAT'S HAPPENING? HOW THAT'S HOW THAT PROCESS IS WORKING? YEAH, I, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT, UH, IT'S, AGAIN, AS I NOTED, IT'S BEEN A VERY COLLABORATIVE EFFORT, UM, SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS, UM, OR HAVING TO COLLABORATE IN ORDER TO ENSURE THE IMPLEMENTATION.
AND SO JUST THE COORDINATION OF ALL THE OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS HAVE CONTRIBUTED SOMEWHAT TO, UM, THE DELAY, UH, IN IMPLEMENTING ALL THE PROVISIONS.
SO AGAIN, JUST COORDINATING EACH DEPARTMENT'S, THE CO COORDINATING SCHEDULES, COORDINATING MEETINGS, UM, AGAIN, THERE IS SOME, UM, TECHNICAL OR, UM, RESOLUTIONS OR SOLUTIONS THAT
[00:30:01]
WE'RE STILL WORKING ON.SO WE HAVEN'T, UH, FULLY IMPLEMENTED THE, UM, THE ORDINANCE DUE TO THAT.
THERE ARE SOME STAFFING ISSUES THAT WE'RE STILL TRYING TO ADDRESS IN TERMS OF HIRING INDIVIDUALS.
THE HIRING PROCESS IS TAKING A LITTLE LONGER THAN WE HAD ANTICIPATED, BUT WE ARE ON TRACK.
UH, WE WERE DOING INTERVIEWS ON LAST WEEK.
WE ANTICIPATE, UM, HIRING, UM, AT LEAST ONE INDIVIDUAL IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS.
AND THEN WE'LL MOVE WITH THE INVESTIGATIVE POSITION, THE HIRING FOR THAT.
SO SOME OF THE TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS ARE STILL BEING WORKED OUT AS WELL AS SOME OF THE STAFFING SOLUTIONS THAT ARE STILL BEING WORKED OUT.
UH, AS YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A, UH, AND I WON'T SPEAK A LOT TO THE GFI MATERIAL.
OUR LEGAL REPRESENTATIVE IS NOT HERE, BUT THERE WAS A DELAY IN TERMS OF INFORMATION THAT WE COULD POST AFTER THE, UM, THE O AGS OPINION.
AND SO THERE WAS A PERIOD OF TIME WHERE WE WERE WAITING, UM, ON, UH, INFORMATION FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE.
WE GOT THAT, AND IT GAVE US DIRECTION IN TERMS OF, UH, HOW WE COULD MOVE IN TERMS OF WHAT WE COULD IMPLEMENT RELATED TO POSTING OF COMPLAINTS.
SO THERE'S A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT HAVE, UM, CAUSED SOME, SOME DELAY.
AND AGAIN, UM, THERE ARE SOME PROVISIONS THAT WE WILL STILL NOT, UM, HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO IMPLEMENT TO, TO THE BEGINNING OF, UH, THE, THE 2024.
UM, DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I KNOW THAT COM AND WE HAVE, I'M TRYING TO MIND THE SCREEN ONLINE TOO.
SO COMMISSIONER NEN, I'M JUST GONNA ECHO ON WHAT CHAIR RAMIREZ ALSO SAID AS WELL, IS THAT, UH, I'M A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED THERE'S NOT A LOT MORE INFORMATION ON THERE.
UM, BUT ON THE ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE, UH, I DON'T THINK WE'VE RECEIVED A COPY OF THAT PRESENTATION, CORRECT, BECAUSE I NO, WE HAVEN'T, DID NOT.
IF WE CAN GET THAT POSTED TO BACK, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
SO IN THE FUTURE, IF, IF WE COULD JUST HAVE THAT AS IN ADVANCE AS POSSIBLE, THAT'D BE GREAT, BECAUSE ABSOLUTELY, I AM MORE OF A VISUAL PERSON.
SO, UH, FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO SEE IT AND REVIEW AHEAD OF TIME, IT, IT, IT ALLOWS ME TO BE PREPARED TO ASK YOU MORE QUESTIONS AS WELL.
UM, BUT I ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS A NEW INITIATIVE, RIGHT? I, I RECOGNIZE THAT, UM, THINGS TAKE TIME TO BUILD, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT, AND I WANNA RECOGNIZE THAT WITH, WITH YOU AS WELL, DIRECTOR, THAT, UM, THERE ARE GONNA BE STOP GAPS, THERE ARE GONNA BE HURDLES AND, AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, AND I JUST ALSO WANNA SAY THAT I APPRECIATE YOU MENTIONING THAT WE'RE WORKING ON THIS ON A RESTORATIVE, UH, LENS.
UM, SO JUST WANNA RECOGNIZE THAT AS WELL.
DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS UP HERE BEFORE I GO TO THE SCREEN? COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT.
UM, HI, UH, UH, IS IT, UH, DIRECTOR MCCANN MCCANN? MCC MCCANN.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, UH, FOR COMING TODAY.
UM, UH, I GUESS I'M GONNA REITERATE THAT IT, IT KIND OF FEELS LIKE A LONG TIME COMING.
UM, AND, UH, I'M REALLY SORRY I CAN'T BE THERE IN PERSON.
UH, TODAY I'VE GOT SOME SORT OF, UH, FAMILY ISSUES, UM, THAT ARE GETTING IN MY WAY.
I WANTED TO FOLLOW UP ON YOUR OBSERVATION THAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF COORDINATING, UH, WITH DIFFERENT CITY DEPARTMENTS OR OFFICES IN TERMS OF IMPLEMENTATION, UM, OF THE AUSTIN POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY ACT, UM, UH, AND RESOLUTION 99 SPECIFICALLY, WHICH, WHICH OFFICES, UM, WHICH ENTITIES HAVE YOU HAD TO COORDINATE WITH? SO WE'VE HAD TO COORDINATE, OF COURSE, WITH THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT.
UH, WE'VE HAD TO COORDINATE WITH THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT.
WE'VE HAD TO COORDINATE NOT ONLY WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S IT DEPARTMENT, BUT ALSO WITH THE APDS, UM, IT DEPARTMENT AS AS WELL.
AND SO SOME OF THAT COORDINATION IN TERMS OF IT IS RELATED TO SOME OF THOSE, UM, TECHNICAL, UM, SOLUTIONS THAT WE'RE, WE'RE STILL TRYING TO, UH, DETERMINE, UM, IN TERMS OF POSTING INFORMATION, CREATING LINKS, WHERE DO WE HOUSE INFORMATION TESTING? WE'RE, WE'RE TESTING SOME OF THE PLATFORMS THAT WE ARE USING TO DETERMINE IF THERE ARE ANY GLITCHES THAT WE NEED TO WORK OUT.
SO THAT'S QUITE A BIT OF, UH, COORDINATION COORDINATING WITH THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT.
UH, AS YOU ALL KNOW, UH, THERE'S BEEN TWO OPINIONS RELATED TO G FIVE MATERIAL AND COORDINATING, UH, REGARDING WHAT INFORMATION THAT WE CAN PROVIDE FOR THE PUBLIC, WHAT
[00:35:01]
INFORMATION THAT WE CAN, UH, POST TO OUR WEBSITES WITHIN THE CONFINES OF STATE LAW.AND SO HAVING THOSE PERSON OFFICER, CAN I, I'M SORRY, CAN I INTERRUPT YOU THERE FOR A SECOND? UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THERE ARE TWO ATTORNEY GENERAL OPINIONS.
UM, CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT YOUR UNDERSTANDING IS OF THE FIRST ONE AND WHAT IT SAID? WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT, I, I DON'T, I, I AM NOT AN ATTORNEY AND WE DON'T HAVE OUR LEGAL REPRESENTATIVE HERE TODAY.
WHAT I DO KNOW THAT INITIALLY THE, UH, INITIAL, UH, OPINION WAS THAT THERE WAS NO GFI MATERIAL.
THEN THERE WAS A REQUEST BY THE CITY FOR CLARIFICATION.
AND IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING NOW THAT THERE IS GFI THAT THE CITY HAS, CAN MAINTAIN A GFI.
AND SO AGAIN, THE ATTORNEY IS NOT HERE.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S A QUESTION THAT, UH, LEGAL WOULD BE, UH, IN A POSITION TO ANSWER.
YEAH, I SURE I UNDERSTAND THAT.
UM, I GUESS IT'S A LITTLE PROBLEMATIC THAT LEGAL ISN'T HERE BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF, UM, LEGAL ISSUES.
UM, AND I'M, I, I'M CONFUSED BECAUSE, UM, I AM, MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE FIRST ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OPINION IS THAT, UM, IT STATED THERE WASN'T A G FILE BECAUSE THE AUSTIN POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY ORDINANCE ELIMINATED ANY GFI CATEGORIZATION, ANY G FILES AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UM, WHICH SEEMS TO ME IT WAS AN INTERPRETATION, ACTUALLY, I THINK IT WAS EXPLICITLY AN INTERPRETATION OF CHAPTER 1 37, AND IT WAS UNDERSTANDING THE AUSTIN POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY ORDINANCE AS THE CITY OF AUSTIN OPTING OUT OF THE GFI OPTION IN CHAPTER 1 37.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? UH, COMMISSIONER, UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE, THERE IS A QUESTION RELATED TO THE GFI MATERIAL, BUT AGAIN, I THINK THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT IS IN A BETTER POSITION TO RESPOND TO SOME OF THOSE CONCERNS.
WELL, I MEAN, THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE BECAUSE THIS IS BASED ON THEIR LEGAL OPINIONS.
UM, BUT I'M, I'M KIND OF CONCERNED THAT THEIR LEGAL OPINIONS, UM, ARE JUST NOT REASONABLE.
UM, IT, IT MAY BE EVEN SANCTIONABLE IN TERMS OF, UM, SUCH AN ACCURATE REPRESENTATIONS OF TEXAS LAW AND THE AUSTIN POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY ACT.
UM, I'M NOT SURE THEY HAVE A LEG TO STAND ON IN TERMS OF SAYING THAT THE ACT, UH, DIDN'T ELIMINATE THE G FILE
UM, BUT TO MOVE ON, UM, IN TERMS OF, YOU MENTIONED ALL THIS COORDINATION WITH, UM, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, CITY LEGAL, UM, AND TECHNICAL ISSUES.
UM, IS IT YOUR STANDING THAT THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT IS AN ENTIRELY INDEPENDENT ENTITY UNDER THE AUSTIN POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY ACT WITH INDEPENDENT AUTHORITY TO IMPLEMENT THE AUSTIN POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY ACT? YES, MA'AM.
SO WHAT IS EXACTLY THE POINT OTHER THAN SLOWING THINGS DOWN AND INTERFERING WITH THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT'S DUTIES OF INCLUDING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE OFFICE, AUSTIN POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY ACT? WHAT'S THEIR ROLE OTHER THAN GETTING IN THE WAY CHAIR? MAY I ASK YOUR ANSWER THAT QUESTION? YEAH, OF COURSE.
UM, SO THERE ARE CERTAIN LAWS THAT WE HAVE TO ABIDE BY IN REGARDS TO SIEGES COMPLIANCE, PROTECTING PERSONALLY IDENTIFYING INFORMATION AND KEEPING PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT SERVERS AND KEEPING THE SERVERS THAT ARE GONNA CONTAIN THAT INFORMATION, PROTECTING THE RIGHT WAY PER FBI MANDATES WHEN WE OFFER.
WHEN WE OFFER, WHEN WE OFFER UNFETTERED ACCESS TO SOMEBODY TO HAVE COMPLETE AND UNFETTERED ACCESS TO OUR SYSTEMS, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE PORTALS ARE SECURE, WHICH IS WHY IT WAS INVOLVED.
THEIR LOGINS AND THEIR TRAININGS HAD TO BE CONDUCTED BY THE PEOPLE WHO CONDUCT, UH, THE AXON AND BODY-WORN CAMERA TRAINING SYSTEMS. SO THE, THE HOOPS THAT SHE'S DESCRIBING ARE BOTH LEGALLY AND LOGISTICALLY NECESSARY.
COMMISSIONER, COMMISSIONER BERNHARD, THAT, COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT, CAN I, CAN I INTERJECT FOR ONE SECOND? SURE.
I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, I'M SORRY, JUST ON WITH REGARDS TO THE, THE C JUST COMPLIANCE THAT SHE SAID, I KNOW THAT THE OPO OFFICE IS SUPPOSED TO BE WORKING ON GETTING THOSE CERTIFICATIONS.
HOW ARE THOSE CERTIFICATIONS COMING ALONG SO THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO RELY ON THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR THAT, FOR THAT ELEMENT? HOW
[00:40:01]
ARE THOSE, HOW ARE THOSE CERTIFICATIONS COMING ALONG PROCESS? WE SURE.EVEN WITH THOSE CERTIFICATIONS, WE STILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS THAT WAS DESCRIBED BY, UM, YEAH, THEY'RE, THEY JUMPED THROUGH THAT HOOP IMMEDIATELY AND GOT CGIS COM CERTIFIED IMMEDIATELY, VERY, VERY QUICKLY.
BUT THEY'RE STILL USING OUR SYSTEMS AND OUR CGIS ACCESS, THEY GET ONTO OUR PARTICULAR, UM, SERVERS.
SO THEY LOG ONTO OUR AXON SYSTEM.
SO WE'RE THE ONES WHO, IF THE FBI OR DPS WAS GONNA COME IN AND AUDIT OUR SAGES COMPLIANCE, AND IT WAS A USER OF THE OPO, IT'D BE US WHO WOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT.
SO WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO WORK WITH D-P-S-F-B-I AND OPO AND THE IT FOLKS TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING FROM A TO Z IS DONE, UM, BY DOTTING OUR I'S AND CROSSING OUR T'S.
SORRY TO GET DOWN IN THE WEEDS, BUT IS THAT, IS THAT NOT SOMETHING LIKE THAT CREDENTIALING PROCESS? IS THAT NOT SOMETHING THAT CAN BE, CAN THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT NOT GET INDEPENDENT CRED? LIKE AGAIN, WITH THE IDEA THAT THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT IS AN AUTONOMOUS SORT OF ORGANIZATION THAT CAN OVERSEE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT? THEY DID.
THEY HAVE THAT, THAT COMPLETE AND INDEPENDENT S CGIS AUTHORIZATION AND CERTIFICATION, BUT IN ORDER TO HAVE UNFETTERED ACCESS, THEY HAVE TO COME INTO OUR SYSTEM IN ORDER TO GET THE DATA PER RESOLUTION.
NINE NINE, WE'RE THE ONES THAT HAVE THE, THE VERSADEX REPORTS OR OUR RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, OR THE BODY-WORN CAMERA, OR THE USE OF FORCE REPORTS.
ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE LISTED OUT IN RESOLUTION NINE NINE ARE HOUSED WITHIN APDS, UM, SERVERS, THE AUSPICE SERVERS, AUS PUBLIC SAFETY SERVERS.
AND SO FOR THEM TO COME IN AND, AND REACH OUT AND GRAB THAT INFORMATION, THEN THEY'RE ALSO, THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOW TOUCHING APDS SGES COMPLIANT INFORMATION.
SO WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO IT APPROPRIATELY.
AND, AND THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE IN THE LAST, I DON'T KNOW, 6, 7, 8 MONTHS? UM, I THINK I HAVE, I ACTUALLY HAVE LOTS OF QUESTIONS, BUT I FEEL LIKE WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF THE REFERENCE MATERIALS THAT WE HAD IN THE WORKING GROUP TO WORK FROM.
I THINK ONE OF MY, AND I'M GONNA LET CHRIS STEP IN.
I'M, I JUST HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION.
I'M GONNA ACTUALLY DEFER TO CHRIS, 'CAUSE I FEEL LIKE HE'S GOT SOME, SOME INSIGHT AS WELL.
UM, I NOTICED WHEN WE WERE DOING THE WORKING GROUP PRESENTATION THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF, UM, MAY LANGUAGE, MAY MAY LANGUAGE SORT OF, WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE IMPLEMENTATION AND REACHING, LIKE, AS WE DESCRIBE A CERTAIN ELEMENT OF THE, OR OF THE ORDINANCE, AND OF RESOLUTION 99, IT WAS FRAMED AS THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT MAY DO THIS.
UM, WHEREAS, UM, THE CITY CODE ACTUALLY USES THE WORD SHALL, WHEREAS RESOLUTION 99 USES THE WORD SHALL AND WILL, WHEREAS THE A POA USES WORDS WILL AND SHALL.
AND SO THAT, THAT, THAT SLIGHT CHANGE IN LANGUAGE TO ME WAS TROUBLESOME BECAUSE I REMEMBER THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT ISSUING RECOMMENDATIONS TO A PD TO REMOVE THAT SORT OF MAY LANGUAGE FROM SOME OF THEIR OWN GENERAL ORDERS.
UM, AND SO I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THAT CHANGE IN LANGUAGE HAPPENED, WHERE THAT CAME FROM.
COMMISSIONER, I'M, I'M, I'M NOT RECALLING SPECIFICALLY, UH, WHAT AREA OR SECTION OF THE, UH, WORK WORKING GROUP IN WHICH THAT LANGUAGE WAS USED.
SO IF YOU COULD PROVIDE, UM, SOME SPECIFICS RELATED TO THAT.
I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
UM, I THINK ONE IN ONE IN PARTICULAR WAS LIKE, UM, THE OPO CAN PARTICIPATE IN INVESTIGATIONS OF COMPLAINTS, UM, MAY INTERVIEW COMPLAINANTS AND OBTAIN MORE INFORMATION FROM COMPLAINANTS.
UM, WHEREAS THE A POA ORDINANCE JUST SAID THAT, THAT THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT WILL DO THAT, SHALL DO THAT.
SO, AND, AND, AND LITTLE NUANCES LIKE THAT REALLY UNDERSTOOD IMPACT THE SCOPE OF THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING AND THE ABILITY TO ADDRESS IT AS COMPLETED.
AND SO, AGAIN, I JUST WANNA GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE THAT CHANGE IN LANGUAGE HAPPEN, WHERE IN THIS BIG LONG PROCESS AND ALL OF THIS COORDINATION, DID THAT CHANGE IN LANGUAGE HAPPEN? YEAH.
UM, WHAT I WILL SAY IS THAT, UM, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS IN THE GROUP, THE WORK GROUP, THAT WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF HIRING INVESTIGATIVE STAFF WHO WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO, NOT MAY, BUT WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO BE, TO HAVE A MORE COMP COMPREHENSIVE, UH, INPUT IN TERMS OF THE INVESTIGATIVE PROCESS.
AND SO SOME OF THIS IS RELATED TO, AS I NOTED AS I WENT THROUGH THE PRESENTATION, THAT THERE ARE SOME STAFFING NEEDS THAT WE ARE ADDRESSING.
[00:45:01]
AND PART OF THOSE STAFFING NEEDS ARE HIRING THOSE, THE INVESTIGATIVE STAFF WITH SKILL SET THAT CAN ENGAGE IN THE INVESTIGATIVE, UH, PROCESS.I'M, I'M, I'M NOT, UM, RECALLING, UH, EXACTLY WHERE THE, UH, NUMBER OF, UM, MAZES THAT OCCURRED DURING THAT PRESENTATION.
BUT WE DO HAVE THE ABILITY ONCE THOSE STAFF ARE HIRED TO, UM, TO ACTUALLY INVESTIGATE, UH, PER, PER THE, UH, PER THE, UH, ORDINANCE.
SO THAT IMPLIES THAT THAT LANGUAGE WILL BE UPDATED WHEN YOU HAVE THE STAFF TO DO SO.
UM, I, I, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS JUST LANGUAGE THAT WAS WRITTEN IN THE SCRIPT.
I, I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT LANGUAGE IS NOT NOTED AS, YOU KNOW, YOU NOTED IN THE RESOLUTION OR IN, UH, PROPOSITION A.
AND SO WE WILL BE IMPLEMENTING, UM, THE PROVISIONS THAT ARE WITHIN PROPOSITION A IN RESOLUTION 99, AND BOTH SAY THAT WE WILL IN BE INVESTIGATE, UM, COMPLAINTS, AND THAT'S WHAT WE WILL BE DOING.
I'M NOT SURE IF MAY WAS JUST IN, UM, A LANGUAGE THAT WAS, UM, IN THE SCRIPT DOING THE PRESENTATION.
AGAIN, I I WILL DEFINITELY GO BACK AND, AND LOOK AT THAT, AT THAT LANGUAGE.
AND OF COURSE, IF THERE'S AN UPDATE THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN, WE'LL BE MAKING THOSE UPDATES TO THAT LANGUAGE.
SO, SO MY REQUEST WOULD BE THAT MOVING FORWARD WHEN THEIR PRESENTATION'S DONE FOR THE COMMUNITY, FOR COUNCIL, FOR THE WHOEVER IT IS YOU'RE, THAT'S FACING PUBLICLY, IF YOU ARE INDICATING THAT THINGS ARE COMPLETE OR THERE IS PROGRESS, SOMETHING THAT SORT OF LANGUAGE CHOICE MATTERS DEEPLY
AND WITH THAT, I WAS ACTUALLY GONNA DE CHIEF IF CHRIS HAD ANY, JUST CLARIFY ONE THING.
UM, SO CHIEF GREENWELL, UM, AND DIRECTOR, IF, IF YOU CAN INTERJECT AS WELL, JUST WALK ME THROUGH THAT, UM, UNFETTERED ACCESS, IS THERE A PATHWAY FORWARD WHERE OPO DOES NOT HAVE TO GO THROUGH A PD FOR THAT UNFETTERED ACCESS? IS THERE EVER AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT? BECAUSE I, I, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, UH, IS IF OPO FEELS THAT THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO HAVE INVESTIGATIONS WITHOUT A PD INTERFERENCE, CAN YOU WALK ME THROUGH HOW THAT PROCESS WOULD WORK? IF THERE'S AN, UH, INVESTIGATION, IF OPO IS GONNA COME IN, THEY NEED TO GO INTO YOUR SYSTEM IN, IN, AT, UH, A PD HEADQUARTERS, RIGHT? OR HOW DOES THAT PROCESS WORK? CAN YOU WALK ME THROUGH THAT? SO THEY NOW HAVE LOGONS AND SECURE PORTALS SO THAT FROM THEIR OWN OFFICE, THEY CAN JUST LOG IN INTO OUR RECORD MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND INTO OUR BODY-WORN CAMERA SYSTEM.
THEY HAVE THE SAME ACCESS THAT AN ASSISTANT CHIEF HAS IN ORDER TO GET IN AND LOOK AROUND AND SEE THINGS.
THEY DON'T HAVE ANYTHING THAT WOULD, UM, HINDER THEIR ABILITY TO DO SO OTHER THAN IF THE INTERNET'S DOWN THAT DAY.
UM, IN ORDER FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO DO SO WITHOUT COMING TO A PD, THEY WOULD HAVE TO MAINTAIN THEIR OWN RECORD MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, THEIR OWN BODY-WORN CAMERAS, AND THEY'RE NOT THE ONES WHO HAVE THE BODY-WORN CAMERAS ON THEIR CHEST.
SO I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO WALK YOU THROUGH WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE.
CHRIS, CAN YOU, YOU CAN TALK ABOUT WHATEVER YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT
I KNOW THAT THERE ARE, THERE ARE SPECIFIC LIKE SORT OF PROVISIONS OF THE A POA THAT, UM, DON'T FEEL LIKE THEY'RE IN COMPLIANCE.
AND SO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANNA TALK TO THAT OR IF THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE.
YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK WE, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, ONE PROVISION IN PARTICULAR IS AROUND RECORDS MANAGEMENT, PARTICULARLY THAT THE OPO, UH, MAINTAIN A, A DATABASE, A CENTRAL REPOSITORY OF THEIR OWN RECORDS.
UH, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND THEY'RE WORKING THROUGH TECHNICAL THINGS OR WHAT HAVE YOU, BUT LIKE THAT IS A, A CORE PIECE THAT REMAINS UNIMPLEMENTED.
THEY APPARENTLY DO NOT MANAGE THEIR OWN RECORDS.
UM, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE PUBLICATION OF INFORMATION, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, PROVISIONS WITHIN A POA DEMAND THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS BE PUBLISHED FOR THINGS LIKE DISCIPLINE AND OTHER THINGS, UH, AS WELL AS THE CHIEF'S RESPONSE, UH, THERE'S NOT BEEN ANYTHING PUBLISHED ABOUT THAT.
BUT, BUT AT, AT THE SAME TIME DURING THIS PERIOD, UH, THE OPO DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE DOING MUCH OF ANYTHING BECAUSE THERE HASN'T BEEN ANY PUBLIC RECORD OF ANY POLICE OFFICER DISCIPLINE, I BELIEVE, IN ABOUT SIX MONTHS, WHICH, IF TRUE, IF THAT'S ACTUALLY ACCURATE, THERE HASN'T BEEN ANY SUSPENSION OR FIRING THAT STATE LAW, UH, SAYS, IS A FILE MATERIAL AND SHOULD GO OUT, UH, PUBLICLY, WOULD I BE SOME SORT OF RECORD, I ASSUME, UH,
[00:50:01]
SO, UH, THERE'S A WHOLE HOST OF THINGS AS IT RELATES TO INFORMATION, UH, MANAGEMENT ACCESS PUBLICATION, UH, THAT IT APPEARS THERE.
THERE'S, THERE'S, THERE'S LITERALLY NO RECORD OF COMPLIANCE.
THERE'S NO RECORD OF THEM POSTING INFORMATION ABOUT, UH, THE CITY LAWSUITS, UH, WHICH IS ALSO REQUIRED BY PROP A, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST ON AND ON AND ON.
I THINK WITH RE, WITH RESPECT TO THE INDIVIDUAL OPERATIONS OF THE OPO, UM, THAT'S A LITTLE BIT HARDER FOR, FOR ME TO JUDGE ON THE OUTSIDE.
I, I CAN SAY, BASED ON THE INFORMATION AND THE DATA THAT WAS PRESENTED DURING THE WORKING GROUP SESSION, UH, THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT, UH, WHAT, HOW EXACTLY THEIR CLASSIFYING COMPLAINTS, WHETHER OR NOT ALL COMPLAINTS AS A POE REQUIRES ARE BEING TREATED EQUALLY, UH, WITH RESPECT TO, TO THEIR INVESTIGATION OF THOSE COMPLAINTS, UH, HOW, AND WHETHER THEY'RE ACTUALLY DETER MAKING THE DETERMINATION ABOUT WHETHER A FULL INVESTIGATION OCCUR FOLLOWING THEIR MANDATORY SORT OF PRELIMINARY REVIEW OF EACH COMPLAINT, UM, AS WELL AS, AGAIN, THE WHOLE RECOMMENDATION PROCESS, BECAUSE AGAIN, NOTHING'S BEEN POSTED.
UH, AND, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, I THINK ONE OTHER THING THAT CAME OUT DURING THE WORK GROUP WAS THE FACT THAT, UM, WITH RESPECT TO ONE PART OF A PO IMPLEMENTATION, WHICH IS, UH, BEING A LIAISON TO COMPLAINANTS, PARTICULARLY WITH RESPECT TO HOW, UH, THEY'RE THEN, UM, GIVEN ACCESS TO BODY-WORN CAMERA FOOTAGE, WHICH BY THE CITY'S OWN POLICY CAN BE PUBLISHED WITHIN 10 DAYS, I BELIEVE, UH, THEY SAID THAT THEY DIRECT THEM TO PUT IN A PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST, UH, WHICH, YOU KNOW, IF THEY NOW HAVE FULL AND UNFETTERED ACCESS TO THE BODY-WORN CAMERA SYSTEM, UM, OR AT MINIMUM, YOU KNOW, THE ABILITY TO WORK WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE TO THEM THE, TO TYPICALLY PUBLISHED REDACTED VERSION OF BODY-WORN CAMERA FOOTAGE, UH, WOULDN'T BE HOW THEY WOULD SERVE AS A LIAISON, UH, TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE, WHO HAVE FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE DEPARTMENT.
UM, I HAVE ONE MORE THING TO SAY,
IF THERE ARE ANY FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE WITH RESPECT TO ANY OF THAT, I'M JUST GONNA GET, JUST CHECK IN ON ONLINE REAL QUICK TO MAKE SURE I'M NOT MISSING ANYONE.
I DO HAVE A QUESTION FOR, UM, DIRECTOR MCGANT.
UM, THE, THE, CHRIS TOUCHED ON THE, THE LIAISON SORT OF ASPECT OF THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT BEING A LIAISON FOR THE COMMUNITY, BEING A LIAISON FOR COMPLAINANTS.
THIS TIES IN A BIT TO A PREVIOUS AGENDA ITEM THAT WE'VE SPOKEN TO WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTINGS, UM, WHERE, WHERE YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO JOIN US.
AND SO CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT HAS BEEN DOING WITH REGARDS TO LIAISING WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS FOR COMPLAINTS? YES, ABSOLUTELY.
SO AS COMPLAINANTS FILE COMPLAINTS AND THEY FOLLOW BACK UP WITH US, WE ARE PROVIDING FOR THEM AS MUCH INFORMATION AS WE CAN WITHIN THE CONFINES OF STATE LAW.
SO WE ARE LETTING THE PERSONS KNOW THAT YOUR COMPLAINT IS EITHER OPEN, IT'S CLOSED, IT'S PENDING WHEN DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS, UH, WILL BE, UH, THE DATE DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS WILL BE ISSUED.
UM, THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE ARE UNABLE TO, UM, DISCLOSE TO COMPLAINANTS, AND AGAIN, THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT IS NOT HERE.
BUT AGAIN, THE REASON FOR THAT, UM, IS, IS BASED ON CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION THAT WE ARE UNABLE TO DISCLOSE, BUT WE ARE DISCLOSING AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE WITH COMPLAINANTS.
COMMISSIONER RUTTEN? YEAH, I JUST WANNA FOLLOW UP ON SOMETHING THERE, BECAUSE I WAS, THIS IS NOT MAYOR OF EXPERTISE AS A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL, BUT I WAS CURIOUS IF YOU COULD EXPLAIN THE POSTING ASPECT THAT WAS MENTIONED, BECAUSE I JUST WENT TO THE WEBSITE AND THE LAST COMPLAINT IS DATED MARCH 31ST, 2023, IN TERMS OF COMPLAINTS MADE TO THE OPO AND THE LAST DISCIPLINARY ONE, AS WAS MENTIONED AS MAY 12TH.
AND IS THAT, WHAT'S THE LAG IN GETTING THOSE REPORTED? BECAUSE I, I, I CAN'T IMAGINE THAT THERE'S NOT, HASN'T BEEN MORE CITIZEN THINGS BROUGHT UP TO THE, TO THE OPO ON THAT.
SO, I'M, I'M SORRY, CAN YOU REPEAT THE QUESTION? UM, ON, ON THE WEBSITE FOR THE OPO, WHERE IT HAS A LINK TO THE DISCIPLINARY AS WELL AS THE CITIZEN REPORTS, WHICH IS, I, AS I UNDERSTAND IT BY THE RESOLUTION 99 IS SUPPOSED TO BE REPORTED WITH ANONYMOUS INFORMATION IN TERMS OF WHAT'S ON THERE, THE LAST, UM, COMPLAINT THAT WAS PUT TO THE OPO IS DATED MARCH 31ST.
UM, HAS THERE NOT BEEN A COMPLAINT SINCE MARCH 31ST, OR IS THERE A TECHNICAL ISSUE IN TERMS OF GETTING THOSE POSTED SINCE THEN? IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE REFERENCING, UH, OUR ABILITY TO POST DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS, UH, RELATED TO COMPLAINTS AND COMPLAINTS, AGAIN, ONCE WE WERE NO LONGER IN AN A, A MEETING AND CONFER AGREEMENT, WE WERE NOT ABLE TO CONTINUE TO, UH, POST THOSE COMPLAINTS BECAUSE WE ARE NOW, UH,
[00:55:01]
REQUIRED TO ADHERE TO STATE LAW.AND, UM, AS OF APRIL, I THINK APRIL WAS THE LAST COMPLAINT THAT WE WERE ALLOWED TO, TO POST.
AND AGAIN, UM, WE ARE POSTING INFORMATION WITHIN THE CONFINES OF STATE LAW.
THE FACT THAT WE HAVE NOT POSTED ANY DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS SINCE APRIL WOULD, UH, STATE THAT THERE HASN'T BEEN ANY ADDITIONAL, UH, DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS, AND THEREFORE WE HAVE NOT POSTED THOSE.
UH, IF YOU LOOK IN THE, UH, ORDINANCE, THEIR DEFINITION OF DISCIPLINE INCLUDES, UH, A WRITTEN REPRIMAND.
UH, AND SO THAT'S NOT TO SAY THAT THOSE THINGS HAVE NOT HAPPENED, WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO, TO POST THOSE COMPLAINTS.
WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO, TO POST COMPLAINTS WHERE THERE IS UNCOMPENSATED LEAVE, LIKE A SUSPENSION OR SOMETHING MORE SEVERE.
UH, WE WOULD POST THOSE COMPLAINTS, A TERMINATION OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO THAT'S THEN A FOLLOW, JUST A FOLLOW UP ON THAT.
SO IS THERE A TIMELINE FOR HAVING THE, UM, COMPLAINTS THAT ARE MADE AT THE OPO TO GET THAT BACK ON TRACK? OR WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE PROCESS THAT, BECAUSE THAT WAS A IMPORTANT PART OF THE RESOLUTION? AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING, AND AGAIN, THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT IS NOT HERE, AND I CAN'T SPEAK FOR THEM, BUT AGAIN, THE, UH, LEGAL DEPARTMENT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THEY ARE EXPLORING OPTIONS, UM, TO MAKE THAT INFORMATION AVAILABLE.
BUT AGAIN, IT'S OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT, UM, DUE TO STATE LAW, WE'RE UNABLE TO POST THAT INFORMATION TO OUR WEBSITE.
THEREFORE, WE'VE, UM, AS YOU NOTED, UH, IN THE WORK GROUP, WE HAVE, UM, ATTEMPTED TO PROVIDE AS MUCH INFORMATION AS WE CAN.
SO WE'RE PROVIDING DATA IN TERMS OF LIKE THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS, UH, WHAT KIND OF COMPLAINTS WERE FILED, BUT WE'RE NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE THOSE REDACTED, UH, COMPLAINTS THAT WE WERE PREVIOUSLY, UM, POSTING TO OUR WEBSITE PRIOR TO THE MEETING CONFER EXPIRED.
I SAW COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT'S, UM, HAND GO UP.
I, I, I
UM, BUT I'VE READ CHAPTER 1 43, UM, AND, AND, UM, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS
SO, UM, I, I DON'T, I DON'T AGREE WITH THAT POSITION.
AND IF THAT'S THE POSITION OF THE CITY.
SO, UM, WITH THAT, I'M GONNA JUST GO AHEAD AND GO TO COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT.
UM, YEAH, I'M, I'M HAVING A HARD TIME SORT OF, UH, COMING UP WITH A SHORTER SORT OF LIST OF QUESTIONS BECAUSE, UM, I'M AFRAID DIRECTOR MCCANN KIND OF EVERY TIME YOU ANSWER A QUESTION, IT RAISES LIKE 10 NEW QUESTIONS.
UM, AND THAT'S REALLY CONFUSING.
UM, AND I, I UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE GETTING BACK TO THIS IDEA THAT THE GFI, UM, IS SOMEHOW SACRED AND THAT THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN, UH, THROUGH, UM, A PROPOSITION CAN'T OPT OUT OF IT, UM, WHICH IS REALLY CONFUSING TO ME.
UM, SO I, BUT I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT, I KNOW THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE 95% COMPLIANCE WITH PROPOSITION OR WITH, UH, UM, RESOLUTION 99, UM, UH, WAS BASED ON, UH, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, A WHOLE BUNCH OF DESCRIPTIONS OF RESOLUTION 99 THAT DIDN'T ACTUALLY USE THE LANGUAGE OF RESOLUTION 99 AND SEEMED TO CHANGE THE MEANING.
UH, FOR EXAMPLE, ON THE DESCRIPTIONS OF, OF ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SUPPOSEDLY IMPLEMENTED OF RESOLUTION 99 IS THE PHRASE OPO WILL CONDUCT PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION ON QUALIFYING COMPLAINTS.
THAT LANGUAGE IS SUPPOSED TO BE DESCRIBING THE FOLLOWING SECTION OF RESOLUTION 99.
THE OPO WILL IMMEDIATELY BEGIN TO CONDUCT A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION FOR ALL COMPLAINTS DEFINED BY CITY CODE SECTION TWO DASH 15 DASH TWO SUB F, WHERE THE COMPLAINANT PROVIDES ENOUGH INFORMATION TO IDENTIFY THE INCIDENT IN EXISTING RECORDS, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO REVIEW OF BODY CAMERA FOOTAGE AND ANY AVAILABLE POLICE
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REPORTS AND FORCE INCIDENT REPORTS SUBJECT TO THE CJIS CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS.UM, WHAT'S THE QUALIFYING COMPLAINT? WHY WOULD YOU, WHY IS THERE A NARROWING OF WHAT RESOLUTION 99 SAYS, WHICH IS ALL COMPLAINTS, UM, TO SOMETHING CALLED A QUALIFYING COMPLAINT? LET ME SAY THAT THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT FIRST IS DOING A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION ON COMPLAINTS RECEIVED IN TERMS OF A QUALIFYING COMPLAINT.
SOMETIMES WE RECEIVE COMPLAINTS THAT ARE OUTSIDE OUR PURVIEW.
UM, INDIVIDUALS MAY MAKE COMPLAINTS, UM, AGAINST THE, UM, A STATE TROOPER, UM, WHICH IS, UH, OUTSIDE OUR PURVIEW.
IT'S, IT'S NOT A COMPLAINT THAT OUR OFFICE CAN, UH, INVESTIGATE OR DO A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION.
SO IT MAY BE OUTSIDE OF OUR, OUR JURISDICTION.
IT MAY BE A COMPLAINT AGAINST, UH, A RESOURCE OFFICER OR A COMPLAINT AGAINST AN OFFICER IN ANOTHER, UH, CITY, UH, ROUND ROCK OR LEANDER.
AND SO THOSE WOULD BE THOSE COMPLAINTS THAT WE CONSIDER, UM, THAT ARE NOT QUALIFIED FOR THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT TO CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION.
ARE THERE ANY COMPLAINTS THAT ARE CONSIDERED NOT QUALIFYING FOR PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION THAT FALL INTO ANY OTHER CATEGORIES EXCEPT A COMPLAINT ABOUT A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER OR GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL WHO DOESN'T ACTUALLY WORK FOR THE CITY, OR A COMPLAINT THAT LACKS THE BASIC INFORMATION? UM, IN TERMS OF DATE, TIME, LOCATION, AND IDENTIFYING THE INVOLVED PEOPLE? ARE THERE ANY OTHER UNQUALIFY OR NON-QUALIFYING COMPLAINTS? N NOT THAT I CAN THINK OF AT THIS TIME.
AGAIN, IF WE HAVE A DATE, IF WE HAVE A TIME, IF WE HAVE A LOCATION AND WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO A PRELIMINARY REVIEW, WE ARE DOING A PRELIMINARY REVIEW ON ALL COMPLAINTS THAT ARE COMING INTO OUR OFFICE IF WE HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION TO DO SO.
AND THIS IS ALREADY HAPPENING, LIKE THAT IS CORRECT.
EVERY PLACE, EVERY PLACE WHERE IT SAYS THAT PROPOSITION 99 IS BEING IMPLEMENTED, AND THE, AND THE WORD WILL IS USED, WHICH IS FUTURE TENSE, IT'S, IT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.
AS YOU NOTED, THERE IS ONLY ONE PROVISION IN, IN RESOLUTION 99 THAT WE ARE, UH, NOT IMPLEMENTING.
AND THAT, THAT PROVISION IS RELATED TO, UH, POSTING, UM, UH, TO HIS QUESTION, POSTING OF COMPLAINTS.
AND AGAIN, THAT IS RELATED TO OUR INABILITY TO DO THAT BASED ON STATE LAW.
COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT? UM, WE HAVE, YES, THREE.
WE HAVE TWO, THREE MINUTES LEFT.
COMMISSIONER NGUYEN, I THINK YOU HAD, AND THEN CHRIS, DIRECTOR MCCANN.
UM, SO JUST TO FOLLOW UP TO WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT BEFORE, UM, IS THERE ANY FUTURE GOAL OF HAVING YOUR OWN RECORD KEEPING OR MANAGEMENT MANAGING, UM, THE BODY CAMERAS, UM, SO THAT THERE'S A LITTLE BIT MORE OF INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION AND NO NEED TO INVOLVE A PD AT THIS TIME? LET ME JUST TALK ABOUT PRIOR, UM, TO OCTOBER ONE, I THINK OCTOBER ONE IS THE, THE DATE WHERE WE, UH, COMPLETED ALL THE TRAINING RELATED TO, UH, THE SYSTEMS, THE A PD SYSTEMS. PRIOR TO THAT, UH, OUR INVESTIGATORS OR COMPLAINTS SPECIALISTS WERE HAVING TO ACTUALLY REQUEST THE INFORMATION AND WAIT TO RECEIVE THAT INFORMATION.
UH, IF WE GET A COMPLAINT, WE HAVE THE ABILITY CURRENTLY TO ACCESS THE INFORMATION WE NEED, UH, WITHOUT INVOLVING A PD, WITHOUT HAVING TO MAKE A REQUEST, UH, FOR THAT INFORMATION.
SO WE HAVE, UM, THAT INDEPENDENT ACCESS TO THOSE DATABASES AS, UH, CHIEF GREENWALL DESCRIBED.
UM, JUST, JUST TO FOLLOW UP THOUGH, I, I, I STILL, UM, HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF CONCERN BECAUSE FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, IF AN INQUIRY HAPPENS, UM, O OF AN OFFICER OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT'S RECORDED IN A PD SYSTEM, CORRECT.
SO, SO IT MIGHT, UM, IT MIGHT RAISE SOME TYPE OF BELL THAT, OH, OOPO ACCESS THIS SPECIFIC FILE.
IS THAT, IS THAT WHAT I'M, OR NOT? I, I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING THE QUESTION.
UM, SO BASICALLY IF, IF YOU HAD A COMPLAINT, UH, AGAINST AN OFFICER AND, UM, YOU WERE
[01:05:01]
GONNA GO INTO A PD SYSTEM, UM, AND LOOK INTO A RECORD OF SOME SORT MM-HMM.AND I'M SURE THEY WOULD HAVE THE ABILITY TO IDENTIFY THAT THE SYSTEM HAS BEEN ACCESSED AND WHAT INFORMATION WAS ACCESSED.
I, I WOULD HAVE TO ASK CHIEF GREENMAIL MAY HAVE MORE INFORMATION.
SO THAT, THAT'S KIND OF WHERE MY CONCERN IS, IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE'S STILL A, A, A LACK OF THAT INDEPENDENCE JUST BECAUSE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO INVESTIGATE.
HOWEVER, THERE'S, THERE'S STILL ALARM BELLS BEING RAISED ON THE A PD SIDE.
I CAN SAY THAT WHILE THE SYSTEM CAN BE AUDITED AFTER THE FACT, THERE'S NO NOTIFICATION SYSTEM THAT THEY LOG IN OR QUERY A NAME OR LOOK AT A VIDEO.
WE, WE WOULD HAVE TO GO, WE WOULD HAVE TO BE NOTIFIED AND BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE FACT AND GO LOOK AFTERWARDS.
BUT IF THEY GO IN AND LOOK AT 10 DIFFERENT VIDEOS, WE'RE NOT GETTING AUTOMATIC ALERTS OR EMAILS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
AND THEN, CHRIS, DID YOU, DID YOU HAVE ANY CLOSING SORT OF THOUGHTS? Y YEAH.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, AGAIN, FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.
UM, AND, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTIONS RELATED SPECIFICALLY TO THE THINGS YOU'VE BEEN POSTED, BECAUSE I THINK YOU'RE, YOU'RE REFERENCING EXACTLY SOME OF THE THINGS I'M TALKING ABOUT.
AND, AND I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, TO THE, TO THE FACT THAT THERE HAVE NOT BEEN ANY, UH, SUSPENSION OR HIGHER WORTHY, UH, TYPES OF DISCIPLINE FOR AN OFFICER SINCE WHAT WAS IN MAY 12TH.
UM, I WOULD REALLY, REALLY LIKE TO BELIEVE THAT THAT IS BECAUSE OF PROP A, RIGHT, DOING WHAT IT WAS MEANT TO DO, UH, WHICH IS DETER, UH, POLICE MISCONDUCT AND BRUTALITY, RIGHT? UH, SUCH THAT, YAY, NOW OFFICERS ARE NOT COMMITTING THESE SORT OF POLICY VIOLATIONS LEADING TO THE SORT OF DISCIPLINE THAT, UH, IS REQUIRED TO BE POSTED OUT ONLINE.
UM, THE, THE ISSUE IS THAT UNFORTUNATELY, WE CAN'T TRUST THAT THAT'S THE CASE BECAUSE OF THE ONGOING SECRECY THAT THE CITY CLINGS TO WITH ITS INTERPRETATION OF CHAPTER 1 43 AND THE G FILE.
SO WHAT DIRECTOR MCCANN IS MENTIONING WITH RESPECT TO THE CITY LEGAL'S INTERPRETATION, THAT THEY CANNOT POST THESE COMPLAINTS, UM, MEANING UNSUBSTANTIATED, UNDISCIPLINED COMPLAINTS, IS AN INTERPRETATION OF 1 43 THAT SAYS THAT ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T RESULT IN DISCIPLINE, THAT'S A SUSPENSION OR MORE CAN BE HIDDEN FOREVER, RIGHT? IN THIS G FILE.
AND, UM, THIS, THIS, UH, IS DONE AND IS MAINTAINED IN 1 43 CITIES OF, OF OUR SIZE, UH, AROUND THE STATE, UH, SEEMINGLY IN THE INTEREST OF PROTECTING OFFICERS FROM FALSE ACCUSATIONS AND THOSE BEING MADE PUBLIC.
UM, I WILL NOTE THAT THIS PROTECTION DOES NOT EXIST FOR THE VAST MAJORITY OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AROUND THE STATE, INCLUDING NO SHERIFFS DEPUTIES AND, AND OFFICERS IN CITIES OF DIFFERENT SIZES WHO DON'T FALL UNDER CHAPTER 1 43 WITHOUT BIG ISSUES IN TERMS OF DAMAGE TO THEIR REPUTATIONS.
BUT THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS, THIS INTERPRETATION OF THE G FILE ITSELF, IS THAT IT CREATES THIS PERVERSE INCENTIVE TO, TO NOT DISCIPLINE OFFICERS, BECAUSE THEN YOU GET TO KEEP THE RECORD SECRET, RIGHT? SO IF WE DON'T SUSPEND OR FIRE ANY OFFICERS RELATED TO THIS INCIDENT, THEN ALL OF THE RECORDS ABOUT IT GET TO STAY SECRET FOREVER.
IN FACT, MUST, UH, IF WE HAVE OR MAINTAIN SOMETHING REFERENCED UNDER CHAPTER 1 43 AS A G FILE.
AND SO YOU SEE ALL OF THE, NONE OF THE OFFICERS THAT WERE INITIALLY INDICTED, AND EVEN THE FOUR OR FIVE THAT REMAIN INDICTED FOR VIOLENCE AGAINST PROTESTERS, NOT ONE WAS SUBJECTED TO ANY DISCIPLINE.
AND SO WE KNOW NOTHING
CHRISTOPHER TAYLOR WAS NOT DISCIPLINED, UH, UH, FOR HIS ROLE IN THE KILLING OF MAURICE DE SILVA.
UH, HE WAS ON THE FORCE, UH, AND THEN NINE MONTHS LATER KILLED MIKE RAMOS.
HE'S NOW INDICTED FOR MURDER IN BOTH CASES.
UM, WE SEE CHRIS, IT CAME OUT DURING THE TRIAL.
CHRISTOPHER TAYLOR'S UNCLE WAS ON THE INVESTIGATORY TEAM, THE POLICE INVESTIGATORY TEAM.
HE HAD A LONG CONVERSATION OFF BODY CAM WITH CHRISTOPHER TAYLOR AT THE INCIDENT RIGHT AFTER, UH, HE KILLED MIKE RAMOS.
UM, WE SEE OVER AND OVER AND, AND THEN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, UH, IN THE CITY HAVE REFUSED TO HAND HANDOVER INFORMATION, UH, RELATED TO ANY OF THESE INCIDENTS.
AGAIN, BECAUSE THERE WAS NO DISCIPLINE IMPARTED TO THE PRESS WHO HAVE ASKED POST PROP A, EVEN THOUGH OUR PROPOSITION SAYS YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO KEEP THESE, THESE RECORDS SECRET ANYMORE.
AND TO THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY WHO'S ASKED FOR THESE RECORDS IN, IN CONJUNCTION WITH HIS EFFORTS TO HOLD OFFICERS ACCOUNTABLE AT THE CRIMINAL SIDE, SINCE THE CITY HAS FAILED ON ITS SIDE.
AND SO, UM, UNFORTUNATELY, WE, WE LIVE IN A SITUATION WHERE WE SIMPLY CANNOT TRUST, UH, THAT WHAT WE'RE SEEING, UH, WITH RESPECT TO A LACK OF
[01:10:01]
DISCIPLINE, UH, BY THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN THE MONTHS SINCE PROP EIGHT PASSED, IS LEGITIMATE AND TRUE, AND REFLECTS THAT, THAT, THAT THIS MISCONDUCT IS NO LONGER OCCURRING.AND, AND THEREFORE, UH, WE, WE BADLY NEED
UH, AND, AND GUESS WHAT? IT HELPS EVERYBODY
UH, IT WILL HELP A PD BECAUSE PEOPLE WILL TRUST THAT THEIR OFFICERS ARE, ARE ACTUALLY ACTING PROPERLY AND NOT BEING, UH, EXONERATED IMPROPERLY.
UH, AND OF COURSE IT HELPS THE PUBLIC, UH, BECAUSE, BECAUSE WE KNOW MORE ABOUT HOW OUR INSTITUTIONS, UH, THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR PUBLIC DOLLARS PAY FOR ARE OPERATING AND THAT THEY'RE TREATING US FAIRLY UNJUSTLY.
SO, I I'M SORRY THAT WAS LONG-WINDED
I JUST, IT'S JUST REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE A STRONG OVERSIGHT, UH, UM, UH, SYSTEM AND, AND TRANSPARENCY THAT GOES ALONG WITH IT.
THANK YOU, DIRECTOR MCG FOR JOINING US AGAIN AT THE END OF THE DAY.
I THANK EVERYONE AT THIS TABLE AND A LOT OF THE PEOPLE WATCHING JUST WANT AN AUTONOMOUS, INDEPENDENT, STRONG OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT THAT CAN EXECUTE ITS DUTIES WITHOUT BEING MICROMANAGED.
AND LIKE, HERE, HERE, LIKE THAT'S WHAT WE WANT.
I HOPE WE CAN CONTINUE THESE CONVERSATIONS.
UM, AND WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO NEXT ITEM.
[5. Discussion of Sobering Center and its cooperation with public safety agencies with Executive Director Laura Elmore (Sponsors: Commissioners Smith & Bernhardt)]
MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT ITEM, WHICH WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT THE SOBERING CENTER AND HOW IT COOPERATES WITH OUR PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES.UM, WE HAVE, UM, EDIE, LAURA ELMORE HERE TO JOIN US, UM, AND TALK TO US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE SOBERING CENTER, WHAT IT DOES, WE HAVE NEW PEOPLE ON THE COMMISSION, SO JUST KIND OF UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOU GUYS DO, AND THEN TALKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW, HOW YOU, HOW PEOPLE LAND AT THE SOBERING CENTER.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME TODAY.
I'M JUST GONNA GO THROUGH A LITTLE BIT OF, UM, LIKE AN INTRODUCTION AS TO WHAT THE SOBERING CENTER IS AND DOES AND WHO WE SERVE AND HOW WE INTERACT.
UM, THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION IN HERE, SO HOPEFULLY I WON'T DRONE ON TOO LONG.
I'LL TRY TO LIKE GO QUICKLY THROUGH THE SLIDES SO WE CAN GET TO QUESTIONS.
SO THE MISSION OF OUR SOBERING CENTER IS, UM, WE ARE, WE ARE POSITIONED TO ENHANCE PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY BY BASICALLY TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE WHO ARE PUBLICLY INTOXICATED AS, UM, UH, AN ALTERNATIVE TO JAIL OR THE HOSPITAL.
AND WHEN APPROPRIATE, WE ARE HOPING TO GET PEOPLE BRIDGED TO SERVICES THAT THEY MIGHT NEED IF THE USAGE IS SEVERE OR, YOU KNOW, THEY SCORE KIND OF HIGH ON AN ASSESSMENT.
THIS IS, UM, THIS IS THE NUMBER OF INTAKES WE'VE DONE.
IT'S ALMOST 10,000 SINCE WE OPENED.
WE ONLY OPENED FIVE YEARS AGO.
AND, UM, WE STARTED OUT MUCH MORE NARROWLY, LIKE ONLY TAKING PEOPLE WHO WERE INTOXICATED ON ALCOHOL, ONLY TAKING REFERRALS FROM THE POLICE.
WE OPENED UP VERY QUICKLY TO TAKING, UH, REFERRALS FROM EMS AS WELL AS ALL OTHER DRUGS.
SO WHEN PEOPLE GET DROPPED OFF THE SOBERING CENTER, IT IS, IT IS, UH, VOLUNTARY.
WE'RE NOT KEEPING ANYBODY THERE.
WE TRY TO GET, BE REALLY CLEAR WITH PEOPLE ABOUT THAT WHEN THEY ADMIT, UM, THERE IS NO COST.
UM, THEY LEAVE THERE WITHOUT ANY CITATIONS, FINES, MEDICAL BILLS.
THERE'S NO REAL LIKE, COLLATERAL CONSEQUENCES TO GOING TO THE SOBERING CENTER.
UM, IT'S A HIPAA PROTECTED ENTITY.
SO, UM, ONCE SOMEBODY ADMITS IT'S KIND OF A LOCKED DOOR, WE'RE NOT ABLE TO GIVE INFORMATION OUT THEN ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THAT PATIENT ONCE THEY'RE ADMITTED.
UM, OUR COUNSELORS THEN WORK TO CONNECT THEM TO RESOURCES IF THAT IS NEEDED OR OTHER SERVICES.
WE CAN DEFINITELY ALSO ASSIST WITH GETTING FOLKS HOME SAFELY OR COORDINATING A SAFE RIDE HOME.
SO WE ARE ONLY SERVING THOSE 18 AND UP.
WE, UM, THEY, THEY HAVE TO BE SUS WE HAVE TO SUSPECT THAT THEY'RE INTOXICATED.
WE'RE NOT A LAB, SO WE'RE NOT LIKE TESTING PEOPLE.
UM, BUT WE DO HAVE BAC, UM, WE'RE LIKE BLOWING FOR ALCOHOL INTOXICATION LEVELS, BUT OBVIOUSLY WE DON'T KNOW ALL THE TIME WHAT SUBSTANCES SOMEONE MAY BE ON.
SO WE'RE GOING BASED OFF, LIKE CLINICAL IMPRESSION OF OUR MEDICS ARE DOING A SCREENING BASED ON THAT.
UM, AND THEN SYMPTOMS OR WHAT, WHAT THE KIND OF THE CLIENT IS REPORTING OR WHAT THE ENTITY THAT BROUGHT THEM IN IS REPORTING IN TERMS OF THEIR BEHAVIOR.
UM, BUT WE HAVE SOME MEDICAL CRITERIA THAT MIGHT SCREEN OUT.
SO WE MIGHT HAVE TO, UM, SEND SOMEONE OVER TO DEL SETON EMERGENCY ROOM TO GET CLEARED BY A DOCTOR, OR WE MIGHT GET ON TELEHEALTH WITH, UM, LIKE A MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL IN ORDER TO CLEAR SOMEONE FROM
[01:15:01]
LIKE MAJOR SUICIDAL IDEATION OR THINGS LIKE THAT.UM, SO WE DO DO THAT A LOT, BUT WE WILL ALSO DO KIND OF LIKE BI-DIRECTIONAL REFERRALS WITH 'EM.
SO WE MAY GO SEND SOMEONE TO THE HOSPITAL, BUT THEY MAY SEND THEM BACK AFTER CLEARING THEM AND SAYING, YES, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE BEEN IN, THEY'VE BEEN INJURED, BUT THIS IS CLEAR NOW AND THEY'RE COMING BACK TO US SO THAT THEY'RE NOT TAKING UP AN ER BED.
UM, SAME WITH THE MENTAL HEALTH.
WE MAY GET ON TELEHEALTH WITH INTEGRAL CARE AND CLEAR SOMEONE OF MAJOR SUICIDAL IDEATION OR DECIDE TO JUST PUT THEM ON LIKE VERY STRICT OBSERVATION BECAUSE THEY'RE PROBABLY SAFER WITH US THAN THEY ARE SITTING WAITING TO SEE A DOC OR OUT ON THE STREET.
SO THIS IS MORE OF LIKE A PROCESS OF CARE.
IT'S JUST KIND OF LIKE THE STEPS THAT I JUST MENTIONED IN A SUMMARY FORM.
SO THE, THE, THE CLIENT IS REFERRED TO US.
WE DON'T DECIDE WHO COMES TO US, BUT WE ACCEPT REFERRALS.
AND THOSE, UM, REFERRALS WILL COME FROM EITHER LAW ENFORCEMENT OR EMS OR ANOTHER REFERRAL PARTNER.
AND AS I MENTIONED, WHEN I STARTED AT THE SOBERING CENTER IN JUNE OF 2020, WE ONLY TOOK REFERRALS FROM A VEHICLE WITH A SIREN ON IT.
SO YOU EITHER, YOU HAD TO COME VIA A PD OR EMS, AND THOSE WERE THE ONLY OPTIONS.
AND SO MUCH SO THAT WHEN PEOPLE CALLED US, WE WOULD SAY, WE CAN'T TAKE YOU BECAUSE THAT'S OUR POLICY.
UM, YOU'LL HAVE TO CALL 9 1 1.
RIGHT? AND SO WE WANTED TO CHANGE THAT 'CAUSE WE DIDN'T REALLY WANT TO HAVE TO ESCALATE EVERYTHING TO A SIREN.
UM, AND WE DON'T REALLY WANT 9 1 1 TO HAVE TO BE INVOLVED OR THE FIRST RESPONDERS TO HAVE TO BE INVOLVED IF IT'S NOT NECESSARY.
SO WE HAVE SINCE ADDED ABOUT 70 REFERRAL PARTNERS.
AND SO THAT MIGHT INCLUDE INTEGRAL CARE, THAT MIGHT INCLUDE, UM, SAFE ALLIANCE, THAT MIGHT INCLUDE THE PUBLIC LIBRARY OR CAPITAL METRO, OR PRETTY MUCH ANYWHERE WHERE SOMEBODY IS OBVIOUSLY INTOXICATED AND THEY NEED US TO COME AND GET THEM, WE HAVE A VAN WHERE WE CAN GO AND PICK THEM UP, OR LIKE A SAFE PERSON CAN BRING THEM TO US.
SO LIKE, UM, WE ADDED ALSO LIKE SOBER HOUSES AND TREATMENT CENTERS AND OTHER PLACES WHERE PEOPLE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SOBER, BUT THEY RELAPSE AND NOW THEY'RE INTOXICATED AND THEY DON'T, THEY CAN'T STAY THERE BECAUSE THAT'S THE RULES OF THE PLACE, BUT THEY NEED SOMEWHERE SAFE TO LIKE SOBER UP AND TALK TO SOMEBODY AND GET RECONNECTED TO THE COMMUNITY.
SO THEY COME INTO US, OUR MEDICS DO A SCREENING.
UM, WE EMPLOY THESE MEDICS DIRECTLY.
SOME OF THEM ARE PARAMEDICS, SOME OF THEM OF THEM ARE EMTS.
THEY DON'T WORK FOR EMS, BUT WE DO A LOT OF BACK AND FORTH WITH EMS. UM, AND THEN WE HAVE RECOVERY SUPPORT SPECIALISTS.
A LOT OF THEM HAVE LIVED EXPERIENCE IN ADDICTION AND RECOVERY THEMSELVES THAT ARE THERE FOR LIKE, KIND OF MONITORING THE CLIENT, TAKING THEIR VITALS, UM, KEEPING THEM SAFE, JUST MAKING SURE THAT THEY DON'T, YOU KNOW, DIE FROM ALCOHOL WITHDRAWAL, WHICH IS A THING.
UM, AND THEN CONTINUE TO ASSESS THEIR NEEDS.
AND THEN THEY DO A DISCHARGE AND WE DO AN ASSESSMENT THAT KIND OF SHOWS LIKE, IS THIS A ONE NIGHT THING, UM, OR IS THIS LIKE A CHRONIC THING? AND IF IT'S A CHRONIC THING, THEN THEY GET TO MEET WITH A COUNSELOR AND KIND OF TALK ABOUT WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS FOR LONG-TERM TREATMENT AT THAT POINT.
SO, UM, IN TERMS OF OUR STRUCTURE, WE WERE FOUNDED IN 2018.
UM, WE, WE WERE FOUNDED THROUGH AN INTER-LOCAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE COUNTY.
SO, UM, THE CITY PROVIDES OUR OPERATIONAL EXPENSES AND THE COUNTY PROVIDES OUR BUILDING.
SO WE'RE IN THE OLD MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE, WHICH, UM, SO IS LIKE THE MORGUE, UM, WHICH IS RIGHT THERE AT 12TH.
AND SABINE VERY CLOSE TO THE JAIL, WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE, FOR A PD TO BE ABLE TO USE US CONVENIENTLY.
UM, AND WE HAVE THIS ILA THAT STARTED IN THE FALL OF 2018.
IT EXPIRED IN 2023, SEPTEMBER, 2023.
THEY ACTUALLY EXTENDED IT FOR SIX MONTHS UNDER OUR CURRENT ILA BECAUSE WE'RE RENEGOTIATING THE TERMS OF THE AGREEMENT.
SO IT'S KIND OF AN OPEN NEGOTIATION RIGHT NOW WITH THE CITY.
UM, AND THE CONTRACT IS MANAGED BY AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH.
SO A COUPLE THINGS I ALREADY MENTIONED.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT USED TO BE THAT A PD AND EMS WERE THE ONLY WAYS INTO THE SOBERING CENTER.
THEY CONTINUE TO BE OUR LARGEST REFERRAL PARTNERS, UM, WHICH WE APPRECIATE VERY MUCH.
BUT THERE'S ALSO ALL THESE OTHER REFERRAL PARTNERS NOW.
SO THERE'S LOTS OF WAYS TO GET TO THE SOBERING CENTER THAT MAY NOT NECESSARILY INCLUDE SIRENS.
UM, WE ALSO HOLD PATIENTS LONGER IF THEY WANT TO STAY.
SO WHAT USED TO BE LIKE, THEY MIGHT STAY SIX OR EIGHT HOURS AND DRINK SOME WATER, EAT SOME PRETZELS, BE SOBER AND WALK OUT.
UM, BUT NOW IT'S, IF THEY SAY THEY WANNA GO TO TREATMENT AND THEY HAVE NO OPTIONS FOR TREATMENT, WHICH IS A LOT OF PEOPLE, BECAUSE GOING TO TREATMENT IS JUST NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE IF YOU'RE INDIGENT.
UM, OR IF YOU DON'T HAVE INSURANCE, IT'S VERY EASY TO GO TO TREATMENT IF YOU HAVE A TON OF MONEY, BUT IT IS NOT IF YOU DON'T.
SO IT REQUIRES A WHOLE BUNCH OF HANDHOLDING AND HOOP JUMPING AND ALL KINDS OF CASE COORDINATION.
AND SO WE STARTED HOLDING PEOPLE LONGER.
WE HAD A CLIENT, UM, IN, IN JULY OF 2020 THAT WAS PICKED UP BY EMS 75 TIMES IN 135 DAYS FOR PUBLIC INTOXICATION.
UM, SO I MEAN, THAT'S LIKE EVERY OTHER DAY FOR THE ENTIRE SUMMER OF 2020
UM, BUT ALSO JUST THE, THE, THE TRAUMA OF ALL OF IT AND THE EXHAUSTION OF THE FIRST RESPONDERS THEMSELVES AS WELL AS THE PATIENTS.
SO, I MEAN, WE PROBABLY SAW HIM A DOZEN TIMES BEFORE HE EVEN AGREED TO TALK TO US.
[01:20:01]
TRUST BUILDING, TRUST BUILDING, TRUST BUILDING, TRUST BUILDING.FINALLY, HE AGREES TO GO TO TREATMENT.
WELL, YOU CAN'T GO TO TREATMENT ON SUNDAY MORNING AT 8:00 AM IF YOU'RE INDIGENT.
AND SO WE ENDED UP HOLDING HIM FOR ABOUT FIVE DAYS.
AND WHEN I SAY HOLDING, I MEAN OFFERING HIM A PLACE TO STAY.
WE CAN'T HOLD HIM, BUT HE WANTED TO STAY.
WE ENDED UP HAVING TO PUT HIM ON A BUS OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN BECAUSE THERE'S NO LONG-TERM REAL RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT HERE ANYMORE.
THE NONPROFIT TREATMENT CENTERS ARE GOING OUTTA BUSINESS RIGHT AND LEFT ACROSS THE STATE.
SO, UM, WE THOUGHT, WELL, IF WE CAN DO THAT AND WE CAN DO A WARM HANDOFF TO TREATMENT LIKE THAT, WE SHOULD BE DOING THAT AS MUCH AS WE CAN AND, AND MAKE OURSELVES AS USEFUL AS POSSIBLE TO THE CITY.
SO WE STARTED DOING THAT MORE AND MORE.
WE HAVE ABOUT A 92% WARM HANDOFF RATE.
SO IF SOMEBODY SAYS THEY WANNA GO TO TREATMENT AND THEY'RE WILLING TO STAY, WE CAN GET 'EM INTO TREATMENT ABOUT 92% OF THE TIME BEFORE THEY GIVE UP WAITING.
UM, SO THE WAY I SEE THIS IS, UM, US KIND OF BEING A LEADER IN SUBSTANCE USE, UM, AND PUBLIC HEALTH AND TRYING TO BE THE PUTTY IN THE CRACKS THERE BECAUSE THERE'RE JUST NOT A LOT OF OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO GET WELL.
UM, OKAY, SO THOSE ARE, UH, THAT IS FY 23 DATA.
SO THAT'S FRESH DATA THAT JUST ENDED SEPTEMBER, 2023.
SO OCTOBER 22 TO SEPTEMBER 23.
THOSE ARE OUR REFERRAL PARTNERS.
UM, AND THE PERCENTAGES, IT'S, IT'S CHANGING A LITTLE BIT.
UM, AND SOME OF OUR OTHER REFERRAL PARTNERS ARE GETTING BIGGER TOO.
AND THEN YOU'LL SEE THE NUMBER OF INTAKES WE DID WAS OVER 2000 THAT FISCAL YEAR AND ABOUT 1980 WERE ADMITTED.
SO OUR TRANSFER RATE IS ONLY 7%.
SO THAT MEANS THAT WE'RE ADMITTING MOST PEOPLE THAT COME TO US, UM, A TRANSFER RATE, MOST OF THEM ARE GONNA BE MEDICAL.
SO IT'S MOSTLY GONNA BE, THERE'S SOME KIND OF MEDICAL CRISIS THAT MEANS WE HAVE TO CALL EMS AND THEY HAVE TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL.
WE HAVE VERY FEW ARRESTS OUT OF THE SOBERING CENTER.
UM, ACTUALLY PROBABLY, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'VE HAD ANY ARRESTS OUT OF THE SOBERING CENTER IN THE PAST FEW YEARS.
UM, WE, WE HAVE HAD TO CALL A PD BACK WHEN SOMEBODY IS LIKE, I CAN'T, I'M NOT STAYING HERE.
AND THEY'RE TOO INTOXICATED TO BE OUT ON THE STREET.
UM, ONE-TIME VISITORS, ABOUT 60% OF OUR PATIENTS ARE ONE-TIME VISITORS.
I THINK PEOPLE KIND OF THINK OF US AS A PLACE WHERE WE'RE SERVING A LOT OF CHRONIC USE, UM, PATIENTS.
AND THAT IS TRUE, WE ARE DOING THAT.
UM, BUT WE ALSO HAVE ONE-TIME VISITORS.
AND THOSE PEOPLE MIGHT BE TOURISTS.
UM, THEY MIGHT BE FROM OUT OF TOWN, THEY MIGHT BE STUDENTS, THEY MIGHT BE HAVING A BAD NIGHT.
UM, THEY MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN LOST.
WE'VE GOTTEN PEOPLE WHO LIKE HAVE GOTTEN INTO AN UBER AND GONE SOMEWHERE WRONG AND ENDED UP JUST WANDERING AROUND AND A PD WILL BRING THEM TO US, YOU KNOW, UM, THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO THAT'S KIND OF WHO WE SERVE.
OH GOSH, I CAN'T SEE THAT AT ALL.
UM, BUT SO OVERWHELMINGLY OUR PATIENTS ARE MALE.
UM, PUBLIC INTOXICATION TENDS TO BE KIND OF A, IT'S MORE MEN ARE DOING THAT THAN WOMEN, UM, IS WHAT I KEEP TELLING PEOPLE.
UM, OUR RACIAL AND ETHNIC BREAKDOWNS, I THINK LOOK A A LITTLE BIT LIKE THE RACIAL DEMOGRAPHICS AND ETHNIC BREAKDOWN OF AUSTIN.
UM, THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS LIKE THAT WE'RE SERVING WHO ARE BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN, I THINK IS, I'M GUESSING AT THIS NUMBER RIGHT NOW 'CAUSE I CAN'T SEE IT.
UM, AND THAT NUMBER IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS ABOUT 8%.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE SERVING LIKE A HIGHER RATE OF PEOPLE OF COLOR THAN I THINK PROPORTIONATELY LIVE HERE.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, IT'S ALSO WITH THE GENDER THING, IT'S THE SAME KIND OF THING.
IT'S LIKE PUBLIC INTOXICATION TENDS TO BE, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT MEN ARE DOING MORE THAN WOMEN, CERTAIN RACIAL GROUPS ARE DOING MORE OF.
UM, BUT NOW WHEN WE CHANGE OUR REFERRAL PARTNERS, WE'RE SEEING IT SHIFT A LITTLE BIT WHERE THE NUMBERS OF WOMEN ARE GOING UP A LITTLE BIT.
THE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE OF COLOR ARE GOING UP A LITTLE BIT.
AND I THINK THAT'S BECAUSE OUR OUTREACH AND OUR REFERRAL PARTNERS ARE GETTING BROADER.
AND SO WE'RE TAKING ALL FROM ALL KINDS OF PLACES OF, UM, PEOPLE WHO ARE SAYING, THIS PERSON'S INTOXICATED HERE AND THEY JUST CAN'T BE
AND THOSE PLACES MIGHT APPEAR MORE PRIVATE THAN PUBLIC, SUCH AS A TREATMENT CENTER OR A SOBER HOUSE OR SOME KIND OF FACILITY.
OKAY, SO HERE'S SOME OUTCOMES I MENTIONED OUR 92% WARM HANDOFF RATE, THAT'S OF THE HOLDOVERS THAT WE'RE CALLING PEOPLE WHO ARE SEEKING TREATMENT, WHO STAY WITH US FOR A LONG TIME.
IT'S, UM, IT'S A PRETTY SMALL NUMBER OVER A FISCAL YEAR, BUT THE PERCENTAGE IS REALLY GOOD 'CAUSE WE HAVE SUCH A ONE-ON-ONE ATTENTION FOR THOSE FOLKS THAT ARE SEEKING TREATMENT.
UM, WE DID 82 HOLDS FOR REFERRAL PARTNERS.
WHAT THAT MEANS IS, UM, IF SOMEBODY'S AT A RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT FACILITY THAT'S A 90 DAY PROGRAM AND THEY RELAPSE ON A PASS, SAY THEY GO OUT TO A PASS TO GO TO A FUNERAL AND THEY RELAPSE, THEN COME BACK TO THE CENTER AND THE FACILITY SAYS, WELL, YOU CAN'T STAY HERE, BUT WE DON'T WANNA KICK YOU OUT ON THE STREET 'CAUSE WE THINK THAT'S PROBABLY GONNA MAKE THIS WORSE.
SO LET'S GO TO THE SOBERING CENTER, STAY 24 TO 48 HOURS, KIND OF SOBER UP, REGROUP, DO A RELAPSE PREVENTION PLAN, AND THEN GO BACK TO TREATMENT.
AND SO WE DID THAT 82 TIMES THAT LAST FISCAL YEAR, AND ABOUT 80% OF THOSE PEOPLE RETURNED TO THEIR ORIGINAL TREATMENT CENTER.
[01:25:01]
SO THAT'S ONE OF THOSE SAFETY NET PUTTY IN THE CRACKS THINGS.UM, THIS WAS LIKE A THING WE CAME UP WITH THAT WE THOUGHT WOULD BE SOME OF OUR STAFF THOUGHT WOULD BE FUN.
I PERSONALLY WOULD NOT WANT TO DO IT.
UM, BUT SOME OF OUR STAFF THINK IT'S FUN.
UM, WE POP UP A TENT DOWN ON SIXTH AND SAN JACINTO.
UM, AND WE MADE THIS INTO LIKE A PRIVATE FUNDRAISING THING BECAUSE THIS ISN'T SOMETHING THE CITY PAYS FOR.
BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE DO TO JUST KIND OF ENHANCE PUBLIC EDUCATION ABOUT BINGE DRINKING AND USE IN GENERAL.
WE GO DOWN WITH OUR MEDICS AND OUR STAFF AND WE HAND OUT FLYERS ABOUT BINGE DRINKING.
WE CAN TAKE PEOPLE TO THE SOBERING CENTER IF THEY NEED TO.
UM, A PD WILL OFTEN BRING US PEOPLE TO THE TENT AND BE LIKE, HERE YOU GO,
THIS PERSON IS EXTREMELY INTOXICATED.
I DON'T REALLY WANT TO DEAL WITH IT IF, IF POSSIBLE.
UM, AND WE ALSO DO FREE AND CONFIDENTIAL BAC TESTING SO PEOPLE CAN COME AND BLOW AND FIND OUT EXACTLY HOW DRUNK THEY ARE.
AND I THINK THAT, I WISH WE COULD MEASURE THINGS LIKE THIS.
'CAUSE I THINK WE'RE PREVENTING ALL KINDS OF DWIS DOING THAT.
UM, WE'VE ALSO HAD PEOPLE COME TO OUR TENT AND SAY, I'M SOBER AND I'M OUT DOWNTOWN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN RECOVERY.
I REALLY JUST NEEDED TO SEE SOMEBODY FRIENDLY AND SOBER.
UM, WE'VE HAD PEOPLE COME AND SAY, SOMEBODY'S FOLLOWING ME.
CAN I JUST HANG OUT HERE? CAN I CHARGE MY PHONE? CAN I FIND MY FRIENDS? YOU KNOW, SO WE'RE JUST KIND OF LIKE A SOBER FRIENDLY, SAFE PUBLIC HEALTH POP UP TENT ON SIXTH STREET.
WE TRY TO GO AS MANY TIMES AS WE CAN WHEN WE HAVE A SPONSOR TO GO.
OKAY, SO A COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS THERE.
THIS IS A WHOLE REPORT FROM AN EXTERNAL RESEARCHER THAT IS PROBABLY WAY TOO DETAILED FOR HERE, BUT I'M HAPPY TO SHARE IT WITH YOU.
UM, BUT WE HAD A, UM, A PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCHER COME IN AND LOOK AT OUR DATA.
AND THE DATA THAT SHE HAD WAS FY 22 DATA.
'CAUSE SHE ACTUALLY STARTED WORKING ON THIS ABOUT ALMOST A YEAR AGO.
UM, BUT WHAT SHE FOUND, WELL, WE'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SHE WAS LOOKING AT BASICALLY THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SOBERING CENTER AND WHAT MONEY WE WERE SAVING TO THE COMMUNITY.
SO THIS IS SOMETHING I PRESENTED TO CITY COUNCIL A FEW MONTHS AGO.
UM, BUT BASICALLY IT JUST KIND OF SHOWS WHAT THE COSTS ARE.
WHEN IT SAYS DIRECT COST, SC THAT'S THE SOBERING CENTER'S OPERATIONAL COST.
IT'S ACTUALLY FUNDED BY THE CITY, SO IT'S REALLY A COST TO THE CITY.
AND THEN YOU'LL SEE THE DIRECT COST TO THE COUNTY, WHICH IS BASICALLY WHAT RENT THEY COULD CHARGE AT THAT BUILDING, WHICH IS A LOT BECAUSE IT'S AT 12TH AND SABINE.
UM, BUT THAT'S AN IN KIND DONATION TO THE SOBERING CENTER.
AND THEN THE DIRECT COSTS OF EMS. SO WE GET SUPPLIES FROM EMS, UM, AND THEN ANY TRANSPORTS THAT WE CALL THEM IN FOR DIRECT COSTS OF A PD, LIKE A PD TRANSPORTING US TO PEOPLE, UM, INDIRECT COSTS WOULD BE LIKE, UM, THE LOSS TO EMS OF MONEY THAT THEY GET.
SO EMS DOESN'T GET PAID TO BRING US PEOPLE.
THEY GET PAID TO BRING PEOPLE TO THE HOSPITAL.
THIS IS A VERY BIG DEAL NATIONALLY.
I TRAVEL NATIONALLY AND TALK ABOUT THE SOBERING CENTER IN AUSTIN.
AND THE MOST COMMON QUESTION I GET IS, HOW DID YOU GET EMS TO TAKE PEOPLE TO YOU? AND, AND I'M LIKE, I DIDN'T.
UM, BUT THAT'S BECAUSE OUR EMS SYSTEM IS KNOWN ACROSS THE COUNTRY FOR BEING EXTREMELY INNOVATIVE AND COLLABORATIVE.
SO, UM, WE'RE LUCKY IN THAT MOST PLACES AROUND THE COUNTRY WON'T TAKE TO A SOBERING CENTER.
SO THAT BASICALLY THEY PUT IN, SHE PUT IN ALL THE COSTS AND THEN KIND OF CALCULATED WHAT WE WERE SAVING PER DIVERSION.
SO THAT WHAT MEAN THAT MEANS IS LIKE EVERY INTAKE WE DO, EVERY ADMIN WE DO, HOW MUCH MONEY WE'RE SAVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY.
UM, AND THEN THESE ARE THE BENEFITS.
AND SO WHAT WE LOOKED AT WAS BASICALLY HOW MANY DIVERSIONS FROM THE ER WE DOING IN A YEAR, HOW MANY DIVERSIONS FROM THE JAIL ARE WE DOING IN A YEAR? HOW MUCH MONEY IS THAT SAVING TOTAL? AND THEN THERE'S SOME CALCULATIONS YOU CAN DO AROUND THE EXPERT INTERVENTION, WHICH IS STANDS FOR SCREENING BRIEF INTERVENTION AND REFERRAL TO TREATMENT THAT WE'RE DOING WITH OUR COUNSELORS WHERE YOU CAN CALCULATE LIKE A FUTURE REDUCTION IN ER UTILIZATION.
SO WHEN YOU PUT ALL OF THAT IN, YOU BASICALLY GET A 1.65 COST BENEFIT RATIO.
SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS OF EVERY DOLLAR THAT WE PUT INTO THE SOBERING CENTER, WE GET BACK A DOLLAR 65.
AND THAT'S KIND OF A COLLECTIVE COMMUNITY DOLLAR BECAUSE WE'RE COM WE'RE PUTTING IN THE CITY, THE COUNTY E-M-S-A-P-D WAS LIKE, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME COST THERE, BUT THERE'S ALSO SAVINGS THERE.
AND IT COMES OUT TO A COST BENEFIT RATIO OF 1.65.
WHO'S BEARING THE COST? THE SOBERING CENTER IS BEARING MOST OF THE COST.
THE COUNTY HAS SOME COST IN THERE.
EMS AND POLICE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF COST IN THERE.
UM, WE'RE SAVING SOME MONEY TO, YOU CAN SEE A LITTLE BIT THERE TO A PD THAT'S MOSTLY IN TIME SAVED.
IT TAKES ABOUT FOUR TO EIGHT MINUTES TO TAKE SOMEBODY TO THE SOBERING CENTER.
IT TAKES A LOT LONGER TO BOOK SOMEBODY INTO JAIL.
AND, AND SO WE'RE SAVING A PD OFFICERS SOME TIME.
UM, BUT WE'RE REALLY SAVING A LOT OF MONEY TO THE HOSPITALS AND THAT BECAUSE WE'RE TAKING PEOPLE DIRECTLY OUT OF THE ER.
SO THE, THE ER WILL REFER TO US DIRECTLY.
THIS SLIDE BRINGS UP A WHOLE LOT OF WORMS AT A CITY COUNCIL MEETING ABOUT WHY IS THE CITY PAYING FOR THIS AND WHY IS CENTRAL HEALTH NOT PAYING FOR THIS
UM, THAT'S BEEN A REALLY BIG DEBATE, UM,
[01:30:01]
COMING UP AS WE RENEW OUR AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY.UM, AND THEN THESE ARE JUST SOME OTHER BENEFITS THAT YOU CAN'T REALLY MEASURE.
YOU KNOW, UM, OBVIOUSLY THE BENEFITS TO THE PERSON OF NOT GOING TO THE JAIL OF THE HOSPITAL, IT'S MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE.
THERE'S ALL KINDS OF THINGS ABOUT YOUR RECORD AND RELATIONSHIPS AND JOBS AND THINGS THAT, UM, GET MESSED UP BY GOING TO JAIL OR THE HOSPITAL, AND THEN SOME LONG-TERM BENEFITS.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, CONNECTING PEOPLE TO TREATMENT AND KIND OF DOING THIS IN A MORE OF A COUNSELING PUBLIC HEALTH STYLE VERSUS A PUNITIVE STYLE.
UM, WE FEEL LIKE WE'RE REALLY IMPROVING PEOPLE'S HEALTH IN, IN WAYS THAT ARE A LITTLE BIT IMMEASURABLE.
AND THEN, UH, MENTIONED THE NATIONAL THING.
UM, WE WERE PART OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE TOOLKIT ON HOW TO INTERACT, LIKE HOW LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES INTERACT WITH SOBERING CENTERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
AND, UM, I WENT WITH CHIEF TO DC AND WE ACTUALLY HAD A MEETING OF FIVE CHIEF OF CHIEFS OF POLICE AND FIVE SOBERING CENTER EXECUTIVES.
AND WE WERE THE ONLY CITY THAT CAME WITH A DUAL PRESENTATION AS THOUGH WE WERE LIKE ALIGNED.
EVERYONE ELSE CAME WITH SEPARATE THINGS, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS REALLY INTERESTING THAT INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE THINKS THAT, THAT WE ARE A NATIONAL MODEL FOR HOW WE INTERACT WITH A PD FOR HOW WE SERVE OUR PATIENTS, FOR HOW INNOVATIVE WE'VE BEEN.
AS WE WERE PART OF THEIR TOOLKIT AND THEIR CASE STUDY NATIONALLY, UM, WE'VE BEEN SEEN, LIKE I SAID, AS AN A MODEL FOR EXCELLENCE.
EMSI JUST WENT TO DC AGAIN WITH, UH, MIKE SASSER FROM EMS, WHO'S A MAGICAL PERSON.
UM, AND AGAIN, EVERYBODY AT THIS CONFERENCE WANTS TO KNOW, HOW DO I GET MIKE SASSER TO BASICALLY TEACH MY WHOLE EMS SYSTEM, HOW TO BE MIKE SASSER.
AND I'M LIKE, YOU JUST DON'T, YOU KNOW, WE JUST HAVE MIKE SASSER.
UM, BUT IT'S BECAUSE OF OUR, OUR CONNECTION WITH THE COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS.
AND SO THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO START COMING OUT TO THE CENTER AND PROVIDING MEDS ON SITE FOR OUR PATIENTS, BECAUSE IF WE GET SOMEBODY THERE WHO WILL STAY, BUT THEY ARE GONNA CLIMB THE WALLS BECAUSE THEY CAN'T GET INTO DETOX, THEN WE CAN GET MEDICATION FROM THE COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS TO START THEM ONTO MEDICATION TO KIND OF WITHDRAW, STABILIZE WHILE WE GET THEM INTO TREATMENT, WHICH IS A VERY BIG DEAL.
AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY, PEOPLE ARE LIKE STUNNED THAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO THIS KIND OF INNOVATIVE CREATIVE WORK WITH THE MS. UM, AND I'M ON THE BOARD FOR THE NATIONAL SOBERING COLLABORATIVE, WHICH IS BASICALLY JUST A CONSORTIUM OF OTHER SOBERING CENTERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY LOOKING AT TRYING TO BASICALLY MAKE STANDARDS OF CARE ACROSS SOBERING AND MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE DOING IT AT A HIGH QUALITY LEVEL.
UM, TRYING TO ADVOCATE FOR IT TO BE BILLABLE TO THINGS LIKE MEDICAID AND OTHER SERVICES, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW IT'S JUST FUNDED BY THE CITY AND THAT'S IT.
BUT WE DON'T HAVE ANY REAL OTHER PAYERS FOR IT.
AND SO WE'D LIKE TO KIND OF DIVERSIFY THAT REVENUE.
HOW ARE WE DOING ON TIME? OKAY.
THIS IS A SNAPSHOT OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.
WE JUST DID A FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN.
SO THOSE ARE SOME OF OUR GOALS THAT'S APPROVED BY OUR BOARD.
OUR BOARD IS, UM, APPOINTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT.
SO, UM, YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT THEY DO IS, UM, LOOK, APPROVE OUR STRATEGIC PLAN AND OUR BUDGET AND OUR POLICIES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE'RE HEADED, IS WE WOULD LIKE TO BECOME MORE OF A HUB.
WE'D LIKE TO CONTINUE EVOLVING TO MEET COMMUNITY NEEDS.
LIKE I SAID, WE'RE DIMINISHING TREATMENT RESOURCES IN THIS COMMUNITY AND ACROSS THE STATE, WE'RE NOT ADDING THEM.
UM, AND AS WE TALK ABOUT DIVERSION IN EVERY, YOU KNOW, FORMAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DIVERSION IN MENTAL HEALTH, DIVERSION, SUBSTANCE USE, DIVERSION, REFORMING, CRIMINAL JUSTICE, ALL OF THAT IS AWESOME.
AND ALSO WE HAVE NOT BUILT OUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE FROM A TREATMENT PERSPECTIVE TO SUPPORT IT.
SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DIVERSION, THE QUESTION BECOMES LIKE DIVERSION TO WHERE WE DO AN AWESOME JOB OF DIVERSION FROM THE HOSPITAL AND THE JAIL.
AND THAT'S AN OUTCOME IN AND OF ITSELF.
WE'RE AVOIDING THOSE CONSEQUENCES, BUT WE STILL HAVE THE PATIENT IN FRONT OF US FOR ONLY A, A BRIEF AMOUNT OF TIME, AND WE STILL HAVE AN UNDERLYING CHRONIC CONDITION, WHETHER THAT IS A SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER, A MENTAL HEALTH DISORDER, UM, HOMELESSNESS, POVERTY, ALL OF THOSE THINGS WE CAN'T ADDRESS IN 24 HOURS, RIGHT? SO WE STILL HAVE THAT, UM, ON THE TABLE AS AN ISSUE.
SO, UM, I MENTIONED THE, THE MEDICATION.
WE ARE ALREADY IMPLEMENTED THIS, WE JUST STARTED IT THOUGH, UH, JUNE 30TH.
SO WE ARE NOW IN A PARTNERSHIP WITH CHIP, THE COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS.
WE HAVE THIS, IT'S ALSO A BI-DIRECTIONAL THING.
IF CHIP GOES OUT INTO A HOMELESS CAMP ENCAMPMENT AND FIND SOMEONE THAT WANTS TO GET OFF OF HEROIN, FOR EXAMPLE, AND GET ONTO SUBOXONE, THEY MAY CALL US AND SAY, CAN YOU JUST MONITOR THIS PERSON FOR 24 HOURS? BECAUSE WE NEED A SAFE PLACE FOR THEM TO GET STARTED ON THIS, AND WE DON'T HAVE ONE.
AND THEN ALTERNATIVELY, IF WE HAVE SOMEBODY WHO'S SAYING ABOUT TO GO INTO WITHDRAWAL FROM ALCOHOL WITHDRAWAL, UM, NEEDS TO STABILIZE ON LIBRIUM, WE'LL CALL THE COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS.
THEY'LL COME OUT, DO AN ASSESSMENT, GET THEM ONTO LIBRIUM, AND THEN STABILIZE THEM THERE.
SO WE HAVE THIS KIND OF BI-DIRECTIONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS, MENTAL HEALTH DIVERSION.
LIKE I SAID, IT'S GONNA, IT'S BEEN A HOT TOPIC AT THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, UM, MEETINGS.
AND WE'VE DEFINITELY BEEN PART OF THE PLANNING OF THAT.
[01:35:01]
HAVE ASKED US TO LOOK AT WHETHER OR NOT WE WOULD WANNA BE INVOLVED IN SOME KIND OF PILOT TO WHERE WE WOULD DO MORE MENTAL HEALTH DIVERSION THAN WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING.BASICALLY, THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE OPENING UP OUR ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA TO NOT JUST SERVING FOLKS WHO ARE PUBLICLY INTOXICATED, BUT ALSO COMMITTING SOME OTHER CRIME THAT PROBABLY HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THEIR MENTAL ILLNESS.
UM, SO MAYBE LIKE CRIMINAL TRESPASS OR SOME THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO WE'VE BEEN THROUGH THAT PROCESS WITH 'EM.
UM, WE'RE STILL TRYING TO FIGURE THAT OUT.
OUR BOARD, YOU KNOW, SAYS, YES, WE WANNA DO THAT, BUT WE'RE GONNA NEED MORE FUNDING FOR THAT.
WE'RE GONNA NEED TO RENOVATE THE BUILDING FOR THAT.
WE, THERE'S OTHER THINGS WE'RE GONNA NEED TO DO.
AND THE COUNTY AT THAT TIME WASN'T PREPARED TO DO THAT.
UM, BUT WE ARE WORKING WITH THEM NOW TO TALK ABOUT RENOVATING OUR BUILDING, UM, SO THAT THE FIRST FLOOR CAN BE FOR SOBERING CARE AS IT IS NOW, BUT THE SECOND FLOOR IS WHERE THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE STAYING AND WANNA GO TO TREATMENT CAN STAY.
SO THEY'RE AWAY FROM ALL THE PEOPLE WHO ARE CURRENTLY INTOXICATED BECAUSE THEY'RE TRYING TO ACTUALLY, LIKE, GET SOBER AND MOVE INTO A TREATMENT CENTER.
SO WE'RE WORKING ON ACTUALLY TRYING TO GET SOME PLANS NOW WITH THE COUNTY TO RENOVATE THAT BUILDING.
UM, AND WE DID, WE ARE ABOUT TO TAKE TO OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND A, A CONTRACT WITH CENTRAL HEALTH, AND THAT DID COME OUT OF A, A CITY MANAGER COMMENT AND A CITY COUNCIL MEETING ABOUT THIS IS A HEALTHCARE SERVICE.
CENTRAL HEALTH OUGHT TO BE CHIPPING IN FOR SOME OF THIS.
AND SO WE ARE NOW ENGAGED WITH, UM, CENTRAL HEALTH AS A PAYER.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE HEADED.
UM, AND THEN THIS IS JUST, YOU KNOW, THEY ASKED ABOUT WHAT WE NEED.
I'M LIKE, YOU KNOW, I HAVE A LOT OF GRATITUDE TO THE COMMISSIONERS AND THE COUNCIL FOR APPOINTING AN AWESOME BOARD.
THE VOTING BOARD IS APPOINTED BY THE, THE COUNCIL AND THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT, BUT THEN WE ALSO HAVE OUR EXOFFICIO MEMBERS.
SO THOSE FOLKS HAVE A SEAT ON OUR BOARD BY POSITION.
SO THE CHIEF OF POLICE, THE CHIEF OF EMS, THE SHERIFF, UM, THE HEAD OF AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, THE CITY MANAGER, THE COUNTY JUDGE, ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE HAVE A SEAT ON OUR BOARD, AND IF THEY DON'T SIT THERE, THEY DESIGNATE SOMEBODY.
AND THAT HAS BEEN AMAZING FOR US BECAUSE WE HAVE THE DECISION MAKERS RIGHT THERE AT THE TABLE.
IF WE NEED SOMETHING, WE JUST REACH OUT AND GET IT.
UM, SO THE RENEWING OF THE ILA HONESTLY HAS BEEN EXTREMELY CHALLENGING, UM, WITH THE CITY ATTORNEYS AND THE, THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS CHANGING OVER AND THINGS LIKE THAT, AND TRYING TO DECIDE WHAT DOES THIS AGREEMENT LOOK LIKE AND HOW'S THAT GONNA WORK? UM, AND THEN FACILITY RENOVATIONS WASN'T SURE IF WE WERE GONNA BE ABLE TO CONVINCE THE COUNTY TO FUND THAT, BUT I THINK THAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN.
THAT WILL BE ON THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT AGENDA FOR NEXT WEEK.
AND WITH THAT, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? YOU'VE GOT PEOPLE ONLINE AS WELL? UM, YEAH.
I I I KNOW WE'RE RUNNING CLOSE TO TIME, SO I'LL, I WON'T ASK ALL MY QUESTIONS.
UM, I, I KNOW THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF CONVERSATION ABOUT A PD UM, UH, INVOLVEMENT, BUT, UH, AS YOU KNOW, YOUR LOGO SAYS SERVING TRAVIS COUNTY AS WELL.
SO ARE THERE OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, HOW AWARE ARE THEY OF THIS AND ARE THEY ABLE TO ALSO REFER OVER AS WELL? YES, THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION.
THEY DO REFER, ALTHOUGH IN MUCH SMALLER NUMBERS, AND I THINK THAT PROBABLY HAS TO DO WITH OUR PROXIMITY TO DOWNTOWN.
SO MOST OF WHAT YOU'RE GONNA SEE IN TERMS OF PUBLIC INTOXICATION IS GOING TO BE IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
UM, BUT THE SHERIFF IS, UH, HAS A SEAT ON OUR BOARD.
THE TRAVIS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE DOES MAKE REFERRALS TO US, AND WE CAN TAKE REFERRALS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTY.
THE SMALLER PDS, WHAT THEY TELL ME IS THAT IT'S NOT AS MUCH OF AN ISSUE FOR THEM PUBLIC INTOXICATION.
IT DOESN'T MEAN THERE'S NOT USAGE OUT THERE BECAUSE THERE FOR SURE IS.
BUT THIS IS WHERE I GET INTO THAT THING ABOUT PUBLIC VERSUS PRIVATE INTOXICATION.
YOU KNOW, LIKE FOLKS THAT ARE USING OPIATES, FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAD SOMEONE LIKE OVERDOSE AND WAS REVIVED BY NARCAN BY OUR STAFF IN OUR VAN THE OTHER DAY.
UM, BUT OFTENTIMES IF SOMEBODY COMES IN, LIKE IF YOU'RE USING OPIATES AND YOU'RE USING OPIATES ONLY, YOU'RE PROBABLY DOING THAT PRIVATELY.
YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT AT A PARTY BECAUSE THAT'S NOT HOW OPIATES FUNCTION.
BUT NOW WITH FENTANYL AND ALL THIS POLYUS, PEOPLE DON'T MAYBE KNOW THAT THEY'RE USING OPIATES OR MM-HMM.
AND SO WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING UNTIL SOMEBODY COMES IN.
BUT WHAT THE SMALLER PDS TELL ME IS THAT, YOU KNOW, FIRST OF ALL, THEY'RE DRIVING ALL THE WAY IN FROM MAYNARD, JONESTOWN, LAKEWAY LAGO VISTA OR WHATEVER.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE PROBABLY TAKING SOMEONE TO JAIL DEPENDING ON WHAT'S GOING ON.
IF THEY'RE ALREADY DRIVING SOMEBODY ALL THE WAY DOWN TOWN, THEY MAY BE SOMETHING ELSE GOING ON.
UM, IT'S, IT'S THE DECISION OF THE OFFICER, WHETHER THEY BRING TO US OR NOT.
AND THAT'S BASED ON SEVERAL THINGS.
BUT THAT MAY BE ALSO BASED ON, THERE MAY BE ANOTHER OFFENSE BEING COMMITTED AT THE SAME TIME.
SO IF IT'S PUBLIC INTOXICATION, BUT IT'S ALSO ASSAULT, IT'S PUBLIC INTOXICATION, BUT IT'S ALSO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OR IT'S ALSO, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING ELSE, THEN THEY'LL HAVE TO GO TO JAIL OR, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE THE CHOICE AT THAT POINT.
SO YES, WE GET LOTS OF, WE GET NOT LOTS OF, WE GET REFERRALS FROM SMALLER PDS AND THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.
IT'S JUST NOT AS MUCH AS WE GET FROM THE DOWNTOWN COMMAND OF A PD.
[01:40:01]
HAVE ANYBODY ELSE? ANYBODY ONLINE? COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT? UM, SO I HAVE A QUESTION ACTUALLY, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE GONNA KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS, ABOUT, UM, WHETHER OR NOT BASICALLY THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE SOBRIETY CENTER ARE AVAILABLE IN THE TRAVIS COUNTY JAIL FOR FOLKS WHO GET CHARGED WITH SOMETHING MORE SERIOUS THAN PUBLIC INTO OR MINOR DISORDERLY CONDUCT, UM, AND ARE ARRESTED AND PROCESSED AND JAILED.I, I PROBABLY CAN'T SPEAK TO THAT DIRECTLY.
I WOULD GUESS NOT BECAUSE DEPENDING ON HOW INTOXICATED THEY ARE, WE ASSIGN THEM A LEVEL.
SO WE HAVE LIKE A TRIAGE LEVEL.
SO WHAT I THINK A LOT OF THE PUBLIC DOESN'T KNOW IS THAT YOU CAN DIE FROM ALCOHOL WITHDRAWAL, RIGHT? YOU CAN'T DIE FROM CRACK, YOU'RE NOT GONNA DIE FROM METH.
YOU MIGHT FEEL LIKE IT, BUT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO.
UM, BUT ALCOHOL IS ACTUALLY THE MOST DANGEROUS SUBSTANCE THAT, THAT FROM DYING AND HAVING A SEIZURE AND THINGS.
SO WE, IF SOMEBODY COMES IN AT A LEVEL ONE, WHICH IS LIKE THE VERY INTOXICATED, RIGHT? WE'RE GONNA BE MONITORING THEM EVERY 15 MINUTES FOR, FOR SEIZURE ASPIRATION, SIGNS OF WITHDRAWAL.
UM, I IMAGINE THAT'S NOT HAPPENING IN THE JAIL.
I CAN'T SAY DIRECTLY, I DON'T WORK IN THE JAIL, BUT THAT IS MY UNDERSTANDING IS PROBABLY NOT.
UM, AND THEN WE'RE ALSO LIKE OUR, WE'RE STAFFED IN A DIFFERENT WAY, RIGHT? SO WE HAVE LIKE 20 BEDS MAX.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE PARAMEDICS, COUNSELORS AND TECH BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TECHS THAT ARE USUALLY PEOPLE WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE.
SO OUR INTERACTION WITH THE PATIENT IS MUCH MORE LIKE, LOOK, HERE'S SOMEBODY WHO'S BEEN THERE, YOU KNOW, OR YOU KNOW, HERE WHAT WE KNOW HOW TO OFFER YOU SUPPORT THAT IS IN LIKE MORE OF A CLINICAL STYLE VERSUS LIKE WHAT WOULD PROBABLY BE PRESENTED IN THE JAIL.
I KNOW THAT THE JAIL HAS MEDICAL STAFF, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEIR LEVEL OF MONITORING MIGHT BE IF FOR SOMEONE WHO'S INTOXICATED AND POTENTIALLY IN THERE ON ANOTHER OFFENSE.
UM, OTHER THAN PEOPLE DYING POTENTIALLY, UM, DURING ALCOHOL WITHDRAWAL, UM, DOES LIKE TAKING OTHER SUBSTANCES AND GOING THROUGH WITHDRAWAL, UM, LIKE HAVE OTHER MORTALITY RISKS LIKE SUICIDE THAT MIGHT BE TRIGGERED IN THE JAIL? UM, YES, FOR SURE.
I MEAN, ANY KIND OF INTOXICATION IS A RISK FOR, FOR SUICIDE.
UM, AND WE SEE LOTS OF PEOPLE COMING IN WITH SUICIDAL IDEATION, WHICH IS WHY WE CHANGED THAT ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA BECAUSE IT USED TO SAY NO SUICIDAL OR HOMICIDAL IDEATION AT ALL, AND WE WOULD HAVE TO TURN THOSE PEOPLE AWAY.
NOW WHAT WE'RE DOING IS HAVING THEM CLEARED BY SOMEBODY ON TELEHEALTH.
IT'S BASICALLY SAYING, YEAH, THAT PERSON NEEDS TO SOBER UP
AND THEN LET'S THEN LOOK AT THE PSYCHIATRIC ISSUES.
MY EXPERIENCE FROM WORKING IN A TREATMENT CENTER IS THAT IT TAKES DAYS TO PULL APART WHAT IS A MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE, WHAT IS A SUBSTANCE USE ISSUE.
UM, THE OTHER PROBLEM WE SEE IN TERMS OF RISK IS NOT SO MUCH SUICIDE, BUT THE PARANOIA THAT COMES WITH METH INDUCED PSYCHOSIS.
SO IF SOMEBODY'S BEEN USING METH FOR A LONG TIME AND HASN'T SLEPT IN SEVERAL DAYS, THE THE WAY THEY PRESENT IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN SOMEBODY VERY, VERY DRUNK.
AND SO IT, BUT THEY MIGHT BE USING BOTH, IN WHICH CASE WE HAVE TO WATCH THEM VERY CAREFULLY FOR HOW AFRAID THEY ARE OF OTHER PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, HOW THEY MIGHT ACT, UM, HOW THEY MIGHT BE SLIGHTLY UNPREDICTABLE OR VOLATILE.
SO YEAH, I WOULD THINK THE RISK TO SELF AND OTHERS IS VERY TRICKY WHEN YOU GET INTO POLYSUBSTANCE USE.
I HAD, UM, A QUESTION AND IT JUST HAS TO DO A LITTLE BIT WITH GEOGRAPHY.
UM, I KNOW THAT MOST OF THE REFERRALS THAT HAPPEN COME FROM THE DOWNTOWN AREA, BUT KNOWING THAT WE HAVE ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICTS SORT OF POPPING UP ALL OVER THE CITY MM-HMM.
I MEAN, THERE'S IS WHAT CAN BE DONE, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE THE ANSWER TO THIS, IT'S MORE OF A LIKE, LET'S DREAM, LIKE WHAT CAN BE DONE TO SORT OF FUNNEL MORE PEOPLE FROM THOSE FARTHER OUT LOCATIONS TO THE SOBERING CENTER TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM DRIVING? UM, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE THOSE LOCATIONS WHERE PEOPLE ARE FARTHER OUT IS WHERE PEOPLE ARE HOPPING IN THEIR CAR, RIGHT? YEAH, THAT'S TRUE.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SHOWED UP IN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN WAS TO TRY TO LOOK AT THE FEASIBILITY OF SATELLITE LOCATIONS, BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE REFERRAL PARTNERS, IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
SO FOR EMS, SAY IF SOMEBODY IS SO INTOXICATED THAT IT BECOMES LIKE A MEDICAL ISSUE AT THE DOMAIN, IT'S ACTUALLY FASTER FOR THEM TO DEAL WITH NORTH AUSTIN MEDICAL CENTER THAN IT IS FOR THEM TO DEAL WITH US, RIGHT? 'CAUSE WE'RE WAY DOWNTOWN.
UM, A PD WILL TELL YOU THAT US BEING LOCATED AS CLOSE TO THE JAIL AS POSSIBLE IS PRIMARY.
BECAUSE IF THEY'RE GONNA SAVE TIME AND THEY WANT, YOU WANNA DO JAIL DIVERSION, YOU GOTTA BE NEAR THE JAIL.
[01:45:01]
NEEDS TO BE WHERE IT IS, BUT THERE MAY BE VALUE IN HAVING A NORTH AND A SOUTH LOCATION AS WELL TO MAKE IT MORE CONVENIENT, ESPECIALLY FOR EMS. BUT THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT, FOR A PDI THINK IT'S MORE OF LIKE US TRYING TO GET IN FRONT OF THEM AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.LIKE WE GO TO THE CADET ACADEMY NOW AND TRAIN THE CADETS ON WHAT DOES ADDICTION, YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES INTOXICATION PUBLICLY LOOK LIKE? UM, WE BRING SOME OF OUR STAFF WHO'VE BEEN IN RECOVERY TO TELL THEIR STORY, UM, AND REMIND THEM OF LIKE THE PROCESS AND PROTOCOLS AROUND REFERRING TO THE SOBERING CENTER BECAUSE THEY HAVE THAT OPTION.
IF THEY RUN INTO SOMEBODY ON ROCK ROSE, YOU KNOW, AT THE DOMAIN OR SOMETHING, OR WAY IN SOUTH AUSTIN, THEY CAN DEFINITELY BRING TO US BECAUSE THEIR ALTERNATIVE IS JAIL, WHICH IS RIGHT DOWN THE STREET.
IT JUST HAPPENS TO BE THAT THE DOWNTOWN COMMAND KNOWS ABOUT THIS A LOT MORE.
SO WE HAVE TO KIND OF KEEP ON TOP OF OUR OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATION WITH A PD AND STAY IN FRONT OF THEM SO THAT, SO THAT, UH, SO THAT IT'S LIKE TOP OF MIND FOR THEM, I THINK.
AND A LOT OF TIMES IT MAY BE THESE OTHER ISSUES, LIKE I SAID, UM, ABOUT WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON AT THE TIME, YOU KNOW, IS THERE SOME OTHER THING HAPPENING? LIKE WE'VE HAD A PD BRING US PEOPLE WHO, UM, LIKE THEY FOUND A SLEEP IN THEIR CAR.
LIKE YOU COULD PROBABLY SURMISE THAT PERSON DROVE WHILE INTOXICATED, BUT THEY'RE TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, GIVE THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT THERE, UM, AS LONG AS THEY'RE NOT DRIVING WHILE IT HAS HAPPENED.
UM, WE'VE DEFINITELY HAD FOLKS THAT I THINK, UM, ARE PROBABLY COMMITTED, LIKE PROBABLY HAVE A POSSESSION CASE, RIGHT? LIKE THEY'RE, THEY'RE CURRENTLY INTOXICATED, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE DRUGS ON THEM, WHICH IS A WHOLE NOTHER ISSUE.
AND THAT COULD BE HAPPENING WAY SOUTH OR WAY NORTH AS WELL.
BUT ABSOLUTELY, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS, UM, I THINK REGIONAL IN OUR LIKE SCATTERED SATELLITE LOCATIONS WOULD BE HELPFUL.
IT'S PROBABLY ALWAYS GONNA COME DOWN TO A FUNDING ISSUE AND A LOCATION ISSUE.
SO WE DEFINITELY HAD SOME NIMBY STUFF AROUND THE BEGINNING OF THE SOBERING CENTER ABOUT NOT WANTING IT THERE AND YOU KNOW, IS IT GONNA BECOME AN LOITERING ISSUE OR PEOPLE GONNA BE IN THE STREET AND INTOXICATED? THAT HAS NOT TURNED OUT TO BE TRUE, BUT I THINK THAT IS A TESTAMENT TO THE, LIKE, VERY METHODICAL OPERATIONS OF THE SOBERING CENTER.
SO THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF ISSUES THAT I THINK HAVE COME UP IN CONVERSATION AROUND THE, THE ISSUES OF NORTH SOUTH AND EXPANDING PARTY ZONES.
ANYONE ELSE? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ONLINE? OKAY.
UM, I APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE.
[6. CSCRM Working Group Update (Sponsors: Commissioners Ramírez and Orr) ]
I THINK WE ARE, I'M JUST GONNA DO A QUICK UPDATE ON THE C-S-C-R-M WORKING GROUP.UM, THEY CAME OUT LAST MONTH TO TALK TO US.
THINGS ARE SLOWING DOWN A LITTLE BIT FOR THEM JUST BECAUSE IT'S HOLIDAY SEASON.
UM, BUT UM, THEY ANTICIPATE BEING ABLE TO SORT OF ADDRESS, UM, BUDGET REQUESTS, UM, AND SORT OF MONETARY NEEDS FOR THEIR PROJECT.
UM, ONCE THE NEW YEAR COMES AROUND IN JANUARY, FEBRUARY, WHICH WILL BE IN TIME FOR US TO SORT OF THINK THROUGH SOME BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ME WE MIGHT, WE MIGHT HAVE AROUND THAT.
UM, AND IT JUST SEEMS LIKE STUFF IS, IS MOVING ALONG.
WE JUST HEARD FROM THEM LAST MONTH AND I JUST WANTED TO KEEP IT ON THE AGENDA IN CASE ANYTHING ELSE HAPPENED.
BUT I DON'T HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF NEW TO, TO REPORT ON THAT, ON THAT FRONT.
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
HAVE FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR THAT COMES TO MIND? I KNOW THAT WE GOT A REQUEST FROM THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION.IT CAME SHORTLY BEFORE OUR MEETING, UM, TO, UM, SUPPORT THEIR CEASEFIRE, UM, RECOMMENDATION.
SO, UM, COMMISSIONER SMITH WHO WASN'T ABLE TO JOIN US ALSO REACHED OUT TO ME, UM, REQUESTING.
AND SO IF WE CAN, WE'LL POTENTIALLY PUT THAT ON THE AGENDA NEXT MONTH IF THEY STILL NEED OUR SUPPORT, UM, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH FOR JANUARY.
UM, WE'RE STILL HOPING TO HEAR FROM THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER WITH AN UPDATE ON THAT TRANSITION AND HOW THAT'S WORKING.
UM, AND I DON'T REMEMBER ANYTHING ELSE AT THE MOMENT, BUT I'M SURE THERE'S LOTS OF THINGS I'M FORGETTING.
I'M JUST THINKING OF SOMETHING NOW.
UM, I KNOW IT'S BEEN CHALLENGING WITH, UH, AFFORDABILITY.
UM, SO, UH, I'M, I'M WONDERING IF WE COULD HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW YOUR, YOUR STAFF IS DEALING WITH, UM, LIFE CHALLENGES FROM AFFORDING TO BE ABLE TO LIVE IN THE CITY AND, AND THEIR OWN, UH, LI LIFE CHALLENGES WITH JUST PAYING FOR EVERYTHING THAT THEY NEED.
I KNOW I, UM, HAD, UM, SPOKEN TO SOMEBODY FROM EMS, UH, THAT HAD HAD MENTIONED THAT SOME OF THE NEWER CADETS, UM, MAY HA HAVE SOME CHALLENGES SOMETIMES WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH PAY AND EVERYTHING TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD RENT AND, UH, AFFORD FOOD
[01:50:01]
AND AFFORD EVERYTHING IN THE CITY.SO I'D LIKE TO HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE OF WHAT THAT'S LOOKING LIKE ON THE GROUND.
AND THEN, AND I'M SORRY, I REALLY DON'T, MY BRAIN IS OFFICIALLY MUSH.
UM, BUT, UM, WE'LL JUST CIRCULATE ANY ADDITIONAL AGENDA ITEMS VIA EMAIL.
UM, JUST A REMINDER THAT AS MUCH AS I LOVE ALL THESE IDEAS, OUR BYLAWS REQUIRE THAT WE COMPLETE OUR AGENDA ITEM REQUEST FORMS WHERE WE HAVE OUR QUESTIONS LISTED OUT, WE GET OUR SECONDS AND WHETHER, AND, AND IT'S WHERE WE SORT OF ANNOUNCE OUR INTENTIONS TO REQUEST, YOU KNOW, EITHER A WORKING GROUP OR HAVE A RECOMMENDATION.
AND SO UNLESS I GET THAT FOLLOW UP AFTER THE MEETING, UM, I CAN'T PUT SOMETHING ON, UM, THE AGENDA.
I DO MY BEST TO PULL AGENDA ITEM REQUESTS TOGETHER WHEN I FEEL LIKE I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON, BUT I DON'T ALWAYS KNOW THAT.
SO, UM, WITH THAT, I THINK THAT IS IT.
EVERYBODY HAVE A GOOD HOLIDAY AND WE'LL SEE YOU ALL IN JANUARY.
PLEASE IF YOU ANTICIPATE HAVING ANY PROBLEMS JOINING US FOR OUR JANUARY 8TH MEETING.
IT'S THE MONDAY, IT'S THE SECOND MONDAY OF THE MONTH BECAUSE JANUARY 1ST IS A HOLIDAY, PLEASE LET MS. JACKSON OR I KNOW AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO WE CAN FIGURE OUT QUORUM STUFF.