Nov 08, 2024 Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilities

[00:00:04]

BEING FOR THE AUSTIN MAYORS COMMITTEE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.

[CALL TO ORDER ]

IF YOU COULD JUST TURN ON YOUR CAMERA SO THAT WE CAN COUNT YOU FOR A ROLL.

THANK YOU.

AND I KNOW COMMISSIONER SALAZAR WILL BE JOINING SHORTLY.

ELIZABETH MEYER HERE.

JONATHAN FRANKS, GABRIEL ANO HERE.

LISA CHANG.

LISA, JUST MAKE SURE YOUR AUDIO'S WORKING HERE.

THANK YOU.

MICKEY ANTE.

HERE.

CONNOR KELLY? HERE.

JENNIFER POWELL.

I'M HERE.

PETE SAL SALAZAR HERE.

AND KRISTEN VASO.

SHE MAY BE JOINING LATER.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

WELCOME EVERYBODY.

UM, OUR FIRST ITEM IS THE PUBLIC, UH, COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC COMMENT.

NO ONE SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT TODAY.

[1. Approve the minutes of the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities regular meeting on October 11, 2024. ]

UM, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THOSE? I'LL MOVE IT.

DO I HAVE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND.

OKAY.

I NEED EVERYBODY TO TURN ON THEIR CAMERAS SO THAT WE CAN VOTE, PLEASE.

IS EVERYBODY'S CAMERA ON? COMMISSIONER SALAZAR, ARE YOU PRESENT TO VOTE? THANK YOU.

YES.

YES.

RIGHT.

YES, I AM.

OKAY.

OKAY.

ALL RIGHT.

UM, ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE OCTOBER MINUTES.

SAY AYE.

OR RAISE YOUR HAND.

AYE.

A AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? NO.

OKAY.

UM, SO LET'S MOVE ON

[2. Presentation by Surei Scanlon, Office of Community Liaison Manager, Austin Police Department, and Brienz Edwards, Training Supervisor, Austin Police Department, on the work of the department and the community outreach program. ]

IT'S A PRESENTATION BY THE OFFICE OF COMMUNITY LIAISON MANAGEMENT AND THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, UM, ON THE WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT AND THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM.

WELCOME.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

I BELIEVE, UH, MANAGERS TODAY WILL, WILL BEGIN.

THANK YOU.

SO, UH, WE ARE READY WHEN YOU ARE.

THANK YOU.

HI, THANK YOU.

I APOLOGIZE.

I WAS HAVING A LITTLE BIT OF TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY, UM, AND IT JUST POPPED UP LETTING ME KNOW I COULD UNMUTE.

I'M GONNA TRY THE VIDEO NOW.

ALSO, I'M NOT SURE IF YOU CAN SEE ME.

I'LL, I'LL GO AHEAD AND BEGIN.

AND, UM, I SEE THAT IT LOOKS LIKE MY, UH, CAMERA IS TRYING TO WORK, BUT FOR THE SAKE OF TIME, UM, MY NAME IS TODAY SCANLON.

I AM THE MANAGER OF THE OFFICE OF COMMUNITY LIAISON WITH THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT.

UM, IT'S A DIVISION WITHIN A PD, UM, THAT PROVIDES COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH TO OUR AUSTIN COMMUNITY.

AND I BELIEVE THAT, UH, COMMISSIONER LISA CHANG, SHE, SHE ASKED THAT I SPEAK JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OCL IS THE ACRONYM FOR THAT DIVISION.

UM, AS WELL AS TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ONE OF OUR, UH, PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING.

SO JUST TO TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OCL, IN CASE YOU ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH IT.

UM, IT IS COMPRISED OF PROFESSIONAL STAFF THAT WORKS CLOSELY WITH OUR SWORN PERSONNEL, UH, TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENT AND OUR COMMUNITY.

CURRENTLY, WE HAVE FOUR NEIGHBORHOOD LIAISONS, THAT'S WHAT WE CALL OUR LIAISONS, UM, THAT ARE WORKING DIRECTLY WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS, STAKEHOLDERS, AND OUR SCORN.

UM, THEY'RE ASSIGNED TO VARIOUS OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVES AND PROGRAMS,

[00:05:01]

SO WE PROMOTE EDUCATION AND AWARENESS OF RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO THE COMMUNITY, UH, THAT ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH A PD AND OTHER CITY OF AUSTIN AGENCIES.

OUR MISSION IS TO BUILD TRUSTING COLLABORATIONS AND FOSTER LASTING RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

YOU MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH OPERATION BLUE SANTA.

WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON THAT.

UM, WE'RE IN THAT SEASON AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE OUR LARGE DELIVERY DAY ON DECEMBER 14TH, AND WE SERVE ABOUT 5,200 FAMILIES THROUGH THAT PROGRAM.

UM, AND ABOUT THE EQUIVALENT OF 14,000 CHILDREN TOTAL IN THAT PROGRAM.

WE ALSO DO THE SAFE PLACE INITIATIVE AND, UM, THIS PAST YEAR WE WORKED ON OUR FIRST INAUGURAL, UM, OR OUR INAUGURAL, UH, AUTISM AWARENESS FAIR.

AND THAT AUTISM AWARENESS FAIR WAS KIND OF OUR PHASE ONE, OR WAS OUR PHASE ONE IN JUST WANTING TO PROMOTE, UH, A COLLABORATION PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR AUSTIN AUTISM STAKEHOLDERS AND OUR AUTISM COMMUNITY, UH, TO BRING AWARENESS AND EDUCATION AND TO JUST BUILD COMMUNICATION, UM, UNDERSTANDING WITH THE COMMUNITY FOR OURSELVES AND FOR THAT SEGMENT OF THE COMMUNITY, UM, RELATED TO LAW ENFORCEMENT.

AND, UH, DURING THAT FAIR, WE HAD OVER A HUNDRED COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

WE HAD ABOUT 34 AUTISM STAKEHOLDERS, UH, AND WE DID A TRAFFIC STOP DEMONSTRATION THAT BROUGHT FOR AWARENESS AND RECOGNITION, UH, PROMOTED EDUCATION.

AND JUST TO TRY AND KNOCK DOWN A LITTLE BIT OF MAYBE FEAR OR APPREHENSION IF A TRAFFIC STOP WAS OBSERVED BY A PERSON WITH AUTISM AND HOW THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO INTERACT WITH OFFICERS.

UM, OFFICERS THAT WERE THERE WERE ABLE TO SPEAK WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS, AND, UH, JUST EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU MIGHT EXPECT ON A TRAFFIC STOP.

AND THE FAIR WAS SUCCESSFUL.

UH, THERE WAS, WE RECEIVED GREAT COMMUNITY FEEDBACK.

IT WAS POSITIVE STAKEHOLDERS WERE ENCOURAGED ABOUT, UH, THE OPEN CON CONVERSATION AND THE OPPORTUNITY THAT THE FAIR BROUGHT TO BRING BETTER AND MORE AWARENESS.

AND, UH, WE HAD SOME SPEAKERS THERE AS WELL.

AND ONE OF OUR SPEAKERS WAS ACTUALLY AN A PD DISPATCHER THAT IS AUTISTIC, AND SHE WAS NON-VERBAL AS A YOUNGER PERSON.

UH, AND SHE WAS ABLE TO PRESENT AND SPEAK ABOUT LAW ENFORCEMENT AND TRAFFIC STOPS, UH, HOW SHE HAS FELT, WHAT SHE HAS ENCOUNTERED, AND THEN OBVIOUSLY HER POSITION AS A DISPATCHER TODAY, UM, BEING A PERSON WITH AUTISM AFTER DOING THAT PHASE ONE, UH, MY GROUP, WE JUST HAVE BEEN KIND OF WORKING TOGETHER AND BRAINSTORMING WHAT THE BEST, BEST NEXT STEP WOULD BE.

AND THE QUESTION THAT, UH, COMMISSIONER CHANG POSED, UH, RELATED TO IT WAS A QUESTION THAT WAS SENT TO US.

IS THERE ANY WAY A PD CAN TRACK INDIVIDUALS IN THEIR DATABASE THROUGH A SELF-REPORTED FORM OF THEIR WEBSITE, OF VULNERABLE MEMBERS OF A HOUSEHOLD WHO MAY SUFFER FROM A PHYSICAL OR MENTAL DISABILITY TO RESPOND APPROPRIATELY? UM, I WAS EXCITED THAT, UH, SHE ASKED THAT QUESTION.

WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT BECAUSE WE HAD BEGUN THE, UH, DEVELOPMENT STAGES.

WE'RE IN THE DEVELOPMENT STAGES OF OUR PHASE TWO.

AND, UM, THE PRELIMINARY STEPS WERE WORKING TOWARDS A SELF-REPORTING PLATFORM REGISTRY FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AND WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE.

HOW, UH, WE, HOW ENGAGED WE CAN BE WITH THAT.

WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION WE COULD COLLECT AND THEN SHARE WITH OUR OFFICERS SO THAT THEY COULD BE BETTER PREPARED WHEN GOING, UH, TO CALLS IS WHAT THE HOPE WOULD BE TO BRING MORE AWARENESS.

UM, THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROGRAM IS FLUID AND IT'S GONNA DEPEND ON HOW WE END UP SETTING IT UP.

UH, I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONFER WITH CITY LEGAL AND I DID RECEIVE APPROVAL TO PROCEED WITH THE PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT, SO THAT WOULD DEFINITELY COMPLY WITH ANY LEGAL STANDARDS THAT WOULD APPLY, AND I'M JUST EXCITED TO GET STARTED ON THAT.

I ALSO LEARNED ABOUT, AND I WAS ENCOURAGED TO LEARN ABOUT, UH, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, OTHER LOCAL GOVERNMENTS THAT USE SAFE OUTCOME PROGRAMS THAT ALLOW INDIVIDUALS TO REGISTER A PERSON WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, UM, FOR EXAMPLE, AUTISM, ALZHEIMER'S.

AND, UM, THEY DO THAT THROUGH A

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SO THERE'S ALSO SOMETHING CALLED THE SAMUEL ALLEN LAW THAT I'VE LEARNED ABOUT.

UM, IT'S PASSED BY THE TEXAS, IT WAS PASSED BY TEXAS LEGISLATURE IN 2019.

UM, AND THAT ALLOWS VEHICLE REGISTRATION APPLICANTS TO INDICATE THAT THEY HAVE A HEALTH CONDITION OR DISABILITY THAT MAY IMPEDE, UH, THEIR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH A PEACE OFFICER.

AND SO THESE TWO ITEMS, UH, THE SAFE OUTCOME PROGRAMS AND THE SAMUEL ALLEN LAW WERE VERY ENCOURAGING JUST DOING SOME RESEARCH AND WORKING WITH LEGAL TO FIND OUT AS WE PROCEED AND BEGIN TO WORK WITH OUR OWN COMMUNICATION DIVISION.

UM, AND SO AT THIS POINT, BECAUSE THINGS ARE FLUID AND IT IS EARLY IN THE STAGES, I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE PROGRAM WOULD INCLUDE AT LEAST, UH, COLLABORATING WITH OUR STAKEHOLDERS AND THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO PROVIDE UNDERSTANDING OF THE SOLE PURPOSE FOR THE REGISTRY, UM, FOR OUR IN-HOUSE REGISTRY AT A PD.

UM, AND THEN WHAT THOSE LIMITATIONS WOULD BE, ALSO PROVIDING SOME EDUCATION ABOUT LAW ENFORCEMENT INTERACTION AND THEN INTERNALLY LOOKING AT OUR OFFICER TRAINING THAT WOULD BE REVIEWED, UM, TO DETERMINE IF ADDITIONAL TRAINING WOULD BE REQUIRED.

AND THEN THE REGISTRY ITSELF MAY LOOK LIKE ADDING CAUTION NOTES IN CAD FOR OFFICERS WHEN, UM, THEY GET DISPATCHED TO A PARTICULAR RESIDENT.

UM, THAT WOULD BE SOMEBODY SELF-REPORTING OR A FAMILY MEMBER, A GUARDIAN SELF-REPORTING FOR A CHILD OR A PERSON, UH, THAT THEY CARE FOR, UM, POTENTIALLY AS MUCH INFORMATION AS THEIR NAME AND DIAGNOSIS.

UH, IN DOING SOME OF THIS BACKGROUND WITH LEGAL AS WELL, HIPAA DOES NOT SEEM TO BE A CONCERN WHEN IT COMES TO A SELF-REPORTING INDIVIDUAL AND PUTTING THAT INFORMATION, UM, OUT TO THE OFFICERS.

BUT THROUGH THAT, WE STILL NEED TO WORK, UH, ON DETAILS LIKE PIA NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED.

AND, UM, AGAIN, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO FURTHER SIFT AND REALLY JUST WORK THROUGH WHAT EXACTLY WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE COMMUNITY, UM, THROUGH THIS TYPE OF PROGRAM OR HOW WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET IT TO THEM.

SO THERE'S STILL QUITE A BIT OF THE LOGISTICS AND, AND OTHER FINE DETAILS THAT NEED TO BE WORKED OUT THAT I'M PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE WORKING ON THIS AND HOPEFULLY BE ABLE TO PROVIDE IT TO OUR, UM, ANY COMMUNITY MEMBER THAT OR FAMILY MEMBER THAT HAS A DISABILITY, WHETHER IT'S A COMMUNICATION DISABILITY OR NOT.

I THINK THAT IMPROVES, UH, THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND DEFINITELY THE SERVICE THAT A PD, UM, WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE AS WELL.

THAT CONCLUDES MY RESPONSE FOR THE QUESTIONS THAT, UH, COMMISSIONER CHANG PROVIDED THAT MY PART OF WHAT I WAS GONNA SHARE TODAY.

WERE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR THOUGHTS? UM, I JUST, I HAD SOME THOUGHTS AND SOME QUESTIONS.

FIRST OF ALL, I AM VERY PLEASED TO HEAR ABOUT THIS PROGRAM.

I KNOW THAT PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO, UM, PEOPLE THAT ARE TEENAGERS OR ADULT YOUNG ADULTS THAT HAVE DISABILITIES, THAT MAY MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS OR TO COMMUNICATE THAT THERE IS A LOT OF DISTRUST WITH BETWEEN THEIR FAMILIES.

AND, UM, I, I LOVE THAT Y'ALL ARE WORKING ON BUILDING THAT RELATIONSHIP IN THE COMMUNITY, AND I DO THINK IT WOULD MAKE EVERYBODY SAFER FOR OFFICERS TO KNOW KIND OF WHAT TYPES OF PEOPLE THEY MAY BE ENCOUNTERING.

AND TO THAT END, I WAS WONDERING IF, AS PART OF THE STANDARD SCRIPT OF THINGS THAT THE, UM, LIKE THE 9 1 1 AND THE 3 1 1 DISPATCHERS, I KNOW THEY HAVE STANDARD THINGS THEY ASK, AND I'M WONDERING IF MAYBE IF WE COULD ADD, IS THERE ANYBODY THERE THAT WILL HAVE TROUBLE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS OR COMMUNICATING WITH OUR OFFICERS? THAT'S JUST MY 2 CENTS.

THANK YOU FOR THAT.

UM, SUGGESTION.

I WILL BE HAPPY TO, AS WE'RE WORKING WITH, UM, OUR COMMUNICATION DIVISION, UH, LIEUTENANT MARIA KNA, WHO'S OVER THERE, UM, AND BRINGING THAT UP AND SEEING IF THAT'S A PIECE, WHETHER OR NOT, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING ON WHEN WE GET THE PROGRAM ACTUALLY KICKED OFF AND GOING, I THINK THAT THIS IS IMPORTANT TO BRING UP AND I'M, I'M HAPPY TO TAKE IT TO THEM AND

[00:15:01]

THANK YOU, MA'AM.

DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? YEAH, I HAVE A, I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION.

UM, THANKS SO MUCH.

THIS SOUNDS LIKE AN AMAZING PROGRAM AND REALLY GLAD THAT WE'RE GETTING THAT DATA AND, AND EQUIPPING OFFICERS WITH THAT.

UM, HAVE YOU CONSIDERED ANY TRAINING FOR OFFICERS AROUND USING THIS DISABILITY INFORMATION? UM, IF THEY'RE GONNA BE UTILIZING IT WHEN RESPONDING TO CALLS? UH, MY, MY CONCERN IS JUST TO BE MINDFUL OF, YOU KNOW, POTENTIAL UNCONSCIOUS BIAS AND INADVERTENT PROFILING.

WHEN OFFICERS KNOW THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF INDIVIDUALS, UM, WHO THEY'LL BE INTERACTING WITH IN ADVANCE.

WE WILL HAVE TRAINING, UM, OFFICERS TRAINING LOOKED AT TO JUST TRY AND ENCOMPASS, UH, WITHIN THEIR, THE MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING THAT OFFICERS RECEIVE.

UM, I KNOW THAT THERE'S A PORTION ON AUTISM AND POTENTIALLY SOME OTHER, UM, COMMUNICATION DISABILITIES.

I'M NOT, THAT'S PART OF WHAT I'M GOING TO NEED TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON WITH, UH, TRAINING FOR ONE AND OUR COMMUNICATION DIVISION, JUST TO KIND OF SIFT THAT OUT.

AND, AND ALSO WITH LEGAL TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ENCOMPASSING ALL OF WHAT IS NEEDED IN OFFICER'S TOOLBOXES, SO TO SPEAK, IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO, UM, ADDRESS THE ISSUES APPROPRIATELY AND HAVE KNOWLEDGE.

BUT RE I'D LIKE TO JUST ALSO SAY THAT OFFICERS ARE NOT GOING THERE, UNDERSTANDING EVERY DIAGNOSIS COMPLETELY.

WE, WE PROBABLY REALISTICALLY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO THAT, BUT TO HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING THAT A PERSON OR A SUBJECT IS MAYBE GOING TO BE, UM, NOT AS, UM, RESPONSIVE, MAYBE THERE MAY BE SOME SORT OF CHANGE.

IT'S REALLY JUST ABOUT IN THE, I'M SORRY, NOT CHANGE, BUT THERE MAY BE JUST SOME SORT OF, UM, NOT A REACTION THAT WE WOULD ANTICIPATE.

AND SO BY HAVING THIS INFORMATION, THAT'S ACTUALLY HELPFUL TO TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO, AND WHERE, UM, NOT PUTTING OUR TACTICS ASIDE FOR SAFETY OF ANYBODY IN THE HOME OR OURSELVES OR THAT PERSON, THAT INDIVIDUAL EITHER, BUT IT BRINGS A LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING TO THE SITUATION TO TRY AND POTENTIALLY COMMUNICATE IN A DIFFERENT MANNER.

IF WE KNOW THAT SOMEBODY IN THE HOME IS DEAF AND WE, WHETHER WE KNOW THE NAME OF THE PERSON OR NOT, IT STILL IS GOING TO GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF TAKING, UH, A MOMENT TO TAKE HE TO MAYBE RIGHT, THEN WE CAN THINK OF A DIFFERENT WAY OF COMMUNICATING.

IF THAT MEANS I HAVE TIME TO WRITE SOMETHING DOWN, OR IF I KNOW SOME SIGN LANGUAGE OR I CAN ASK ANOTHER PERSON.

IF THERE'S SOMEBODY THERE, A QUESTION ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, CAN THEY HEAR ME? DO THEY UNDERSTAND? I THINK IT HELPS US TAKE PAUSE.

THE MORE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE, IF WE GET IT IN TIME WHEN WE'RE MAKING A SCENE, UM, THE, I MEAN, THE BETTER EVERY BIT OF INFORMATION IS GOING TO HELP US HAVE MORE SUCCESSFUL, HOPEFULLY INTERACTIONS, AGAIN, BARRING SAFETY AND TACTICS THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO GIVE UP.

UM, SO I DO HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IN REGARDS TO BIAS.

I THINK IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO CONSIDER AND WE'LL, AT THE TOTALITY OF ALL OF THAT, UM, I DO FEEL THOUGH THAT, AND AND I HOPE THAT YOU ALL FEEL THAT AS WELL, THAT THE MORE INFORMATION WE HAVE, THE BETTER, THE MORE POSITIVE INTERACTIONS AND OUTCOMES, UM, AND THAT THIS IS JUST ONE MORE GREAT TOOL TO, TO, UH, POSITIVE OUTCOMES HOPEFULLY.

SO YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

BUT I'LL CONSIDER THAT.

YEAH.

THANK YOU.

AND I, I JUST HAVE A FOLLOW UP QUESTION ABOUT THE TRAINING.

UM, I KNOW THAT YOU'RE EARLY ON IN THIS PROCESS, SO YOU MAY NOT HAVE THIS INFORMATION YET, BUT I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW WHAT SPECIFIC KIND OF TRAINING YOU'RE GONNA PRESENT TO YOUR OFFICERS AND WHO DEVELOPED THAT TRAINING? WHERE DID THAT TRAINING COME FROM? WELL, I, THE FIRST PART THAT WE'LL LOOK AT IS GOING TO BE WHAT TRAINING WE ALREADY HAVE ESTABLISHED, AND WE HAVE A VERY EXTENSIVE, UM, AMOUNT OF TRAINING FOR OUR, UM, CRISIS INTERVENTION OR OUR CIT MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING THAT OFFICERS RECEIVE.

AND AGAIN, IT'LL BE LOOKING AT THE AUTISM, I'M SORRY, IT'LL BE LOOKING AT, UM, YEAH, THE PORTION OF AUTISM AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISABILITIES, BUT THAT WOULD DEFINITELY FALL ON OUR TRAINING ACADEMY.

UM, AND I BELIEVE BRIAN'S EDWARDS, SHE'S ONE OF THE PRESENTERS THIS EVENING.

I WOULD BE WORKING WITH HER, MY TEAM WOULD BE WORKING WITH HER AND LOOKING TO HER FOR THE DIRECTION OF WHO ELSE WE NEED TO BRING INTO THAT CONVERSATION, UM, TO JUST FURTHER GET THERE, UM,

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AND IS THERE A WAY THAT, UM, THAT, THAT WE OR THE PUBLIC, UM, CAN GET ACCESS TO, TO THAT TRAINING? UM, BECAUSE I, I'M JUST CONCERNED, NOT ALL, LIKE IF YOU ARE A TRAINER AND YOU HAVE IMPLICIT BIAS AND YOU DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE TRAINING IS ADEQUATE.

I'M NOT AT ALL TRYING TO BE ACCUSATORY OR SAYING THAT IT'S NOT, IT PROBABLY IS GREAT.

UM, BUT I JUST, IS THERE A WAY FOR AT LEAST THE MAYOR'S COMMITTEE TO HAVE SOME OVERSIGHT INTO THAT AND TO SEE WHAT TOPICS ARE DISCUSSED AND HOW THEY'RE, HOW THEY ARE BEING DISCUSSED? DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? YEAH, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.

I THINK THAT THAT IS SOMETHING, A DECISION THAT IS ABOVE WHERE I'M AT.

UM, CERTAINLY I'VE BEEN IN CONVERSATION WITH AT LEAST CHIEF GREENWALD REGARDING THE PROGRAM, AND AS WE'RE ABLE TO FILTER THROUGH THINGS, UM, AND BEGIN WORKING WITH STAKEHOLDERS, UH, AND OTHERS, AND AGAIN, OUR TRAINING DIVISION, I, I BELIEVE THAT OUR POLICIES FOR SURE, AND OUR TRAINING WOULD PROBABLY BE PUBLIC.

UM, AGAIN, I THINK BRANDS CAN ANSWER THAT A LITTLE BIT BETTER, BUT ULTIMATELY, UM, I BELIEVE THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO LAY OUT THOSE THINGS FOR THIS COMMITTEE.

AND I COULD BE WRONG, BUT THAT I, THAT'S MY EXPERIENCE THAT, UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO BEING ABLE TO DO THAT.

ALL RIGHT, PERFECT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

YES, MA'AM.

THANK YOU.

HI, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING.

I WANTED TO ASK YOU SPECIFICALLY, I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND IF YOU WERE SAYING THAT THERE WAS ALREADY A PROGRAM FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE AGING OR PEOPLE THAT MIGHT HAVE DEMENTIA OR ALZHEIMER'S, OR THAT YOU WERE HOPING TO DEVELOP ONE.

SO WITHIN, UM, WITHIN THE REGISTRY OR A SELF-REPORTING REGISTRIES, UH, PORTAL, WE, IT LOOKS LIKE BASED ON THE PRELIMINARY, LIKE JUST INVESTIGATING AND WORKING WITH LEGAL, WE CAN ENCOMPASS MORE THAN JUST COMMUNICATION DISABILITIES AND ENCOMPASS ALL PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IF THEY'D LIKE TO SELF-REPORT AND REGISTER.

AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GONNA WORK THROUGH AS FAR AS, UM, HOW EXACTLY WE'RE GONNA DO THAT.

BUT IN OTHER WORDS, IT WOULD, IT LOOKS LIKE WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO OFFER THAT TO ALL PERSONS THAT HAVE A DISABILITY THAT WANT US AS A POLICE DEPARTMENT TO BE AWARE OF THAT, SO THAT WHEN WE HAVE ENCOUNTERS, UM, IF WE HAVE TO GO AND MAKE CONTACT FOR WHATEVER THE REASON IS, WE HAVE THAT MUCH MORE INFORMATION, WHICH IS HELPFUL.

UM, ABSOLUTELY.

YES, MA'AM.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

I, COMMISSIONER CHANG AND I, UH, REPRESENT THIS COMMITTEE ON THE JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE WHERE WE INTERACT WITH OTHER, UH, OTHER COMMISSIONS AND BOARDS, AND, UH, ONE OF THEM IS THE COMMISSION ON AGING, AND THEY MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN THIS PROGRAM, AND THEY MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN HEARING FROM YOU ABOUT THIS SPECIFIC THING.

THIS IS, UH, THIS IS KIND OF DEAR TO ME.

MY, MY MOTHER'S 85 AND HAS DEMENTIA, SO, UM, I DON'T KNOW, I THINK THIS WOULD ACTUALLY BE A REALLY GREAT THING FOR AUSTIN.

BUT, UM, I, I THINK IT'S, I I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.

THANK YOU FOR COMING.

YES, MA'AM.

THANK YOU.

COMMISSIONER POWELL, I CAN'T ANSWER THAT.

I'VE ALREADY SPOKEN WITH, UM, VICE CHAIR BONDI FROM COMMISSION ON AGING, SO, UM, WE ARE HAVING A PRESENTATION LIKELY IN JANUARY.

UM, IT HASN'T BEEN PUT ON THE AGENDA YET, BUT I'VE ALREADY HAD PRELIMINARY DISCUSSIONS WITH VICE CHAIR BONDI.

THAT'S WONDERFUL.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

COMMISSIONER CHANG.

UM, OFFICER SCANLON, I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND I ALSO HAD A FEW FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS.

UM, AS YOU KNOW, UM, I'VE, UH, DISCUSSED THE POSSIBILITY OF, UM, SHARING THIS INFORMATION WITH EMERGENCY DISPATCH SERVICES AND ALSO FOR, UM, IN CASE OF EMERGENCIES, WE, WE TALKED ABOUT HOW, UM, TRAVIS COUNTY OFFERS THE REGIONAL, UM, EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, ALSO SELF-REPORTING DATA.

IF, IF, UM, A PERSON HAS A MEDICAL, UH, DISABILITY THAT, UH, NEEDS TO BE PRI PRIORITIZED DURING, YOU KNOW, WINTER STORMS, UM, DURING, YOU KNOW, NATURAL DISASTERS AND, UH, MASS POWER OUTAGES, MAYBE NOT ON THE COUNTY LEVEL, BUT WITH AT LEAST EMERGENCY DISPATCH SERVICES, IS THIS SOMETHING THAT COULD BE USED SO PEOPLE DON'T HAVE TO GO TO MULTIPLE, UM, REGISTRIES TO

[00:25:01]

SO WHAT WE WOULD INPUT, WE'RE PUTTING DIRECTLY INTO OUR CAD SYSTEM WITH A PD OUR DISPATCH SYSTEM.

IT'S, SO IT'S NOT LIKE A REGIONAL SYSTEM THAT WE'RE ALL GETTING INFORMATION FROM THE DIFFERENT AGENCIES LIKE TRAVIS COUNTY, UM, PFLUGERVILLE, A PD, WE ALL HAVE OUR OWN DISPATCH SYSTEMS. SO I BELIEVE IT WOULD HAVE TO BE DONE, THE REGISTRIES WOULD HAVE TO BE DONE SEPARATELY, EVEN IF IT WAS LIKE A CAP COG, UM, SITUATION.

BUT THAT'S A QUESTION THAT I'LL DEFINITELY ASK WHILE WORKING WITH, UM, OUR COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION AS WELL.

THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN.

YES, MA'AM.

THANK YOU FOR INVITING US.

WE APPRECIATE IT.

DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO ASK? OKAY.

UM, SO ARE WE READY TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM? UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING.

I REALLY DO APPRECIATE ALL OF THIS WORK, AND I DO THINK IT WILL MAKE OUR COMMUNITY A SAFER PLACE CHAIR.

I THINK WE DID HAVE A COUPLE OF OTHER A PD REPRESENTATIVES.

I WAS SUPER CONFUSED WHO THEY WERE BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING, AND I WAS LIKE, ARE THEY THESE PEOPLE? ARE THEY LEAD? I THINK THE NEXT PEOPLE OKAY.

WAS OFFICER SCANLAN.

YES.

BUT JUST KIDDING.

PLEASE GO AHEAD.

HI, MY NAME IS, UH, BRIANNE.

I'M A TRAINING SUPERVISOR OUT AT THE ACADEMY, SO I'M HAPPY TO TAKE MIC, I BELIEVE SO IT'S GREEN.

OKAY.

UH, SO I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ON ANY, ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT TRAINING.

UH, I'M SPECIFICALLY HERE AT THE INVITATION OF, UM, OCL MANAGER SCANLAN, TO ANSWER THE SECOND QUESTION THAT COMMISSIONER CHANG ASKED ABOUT DEESCALATION TRAINING, ESPECIALLY WITH REGARDS TO PEOPLE OF DIFFERING ABILITIES.

SO I WANNA START BY SAYING THAT DEESCALATION IS WOVEN INTO MOST OF THE TRAINING THAT HAPPENS AT THE ACADEMY, UM, BOTH FOR CADETS AND IN CONTINUING EDUCATION.

THERE ARE SOME PARTS OF TRAINING THAT ARE PURELY MECHANICAL, BUT MANY THINGS AREN'T JUST THAT.

AND, AND WE TRY TO KEEP DEESCALATION FIRST AND FOREMOST IN THE CLASSROOM.

WITHIN OUR TRAININGS, WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT POPULATIONS OF DIFFERING ABILITIES ARE A LARGE, VARIED GROUP, AND IT'S ONE OF THE FEW MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES THAT PEOPLE CAN MOVE INTO AND OUT OF AT ANY POINT IN TIME.

AND THAT'S EMPHASIZED WITH EVERY CADET WHO COMES THROUGH THE ACADEMY.

I CAN LIST ANY NUMBER OF CLASSES THAT TOUCH ON THESE SUBJECTS THAT SPECIFICALLY DEESCALATION, BUT PROBABLY THE COURSE THAT BEST EMPHASIZES THIS IS ICAT, WHICH IS INTEGRATING COMMUNICATIONS ASSESSMENT AND TACTICS.

IT'S A 16 HOUR COURSE, UH, ONE AND A HALF DAYS IN THE CLASSROOM.

AND THEN THE SECOND HALF IS, UH, SCENARIO BASED TRAINING.

IT SPECIFICALLY FOCUSES ON RESPONDING TO ELEVATED SITUATIONS WITH PEOPLE WHO DO NOT HAVE FIREARMS. NOW, WHEN OFFICERS RESPOND TO THE SCENE, THEY OFTEN DON'T KNOW IF THE PEOPLE THAT THEY'RE RESPONDING TO HAVE ANY WEAPONS ON THEM, AND THAT'S KIND OF A, A BIG FIRST BARRIER.

BUT ONCE WE DO ESTABLISH THAT THERE ARE NO FIREARMS INVOLVED, ICAT REALLY FOCUSES ON SLOWING DOWN THE SITUATION AND, UM, EMPHASIZING TACTICS THAT LET US FIGURE OUT WAYS TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE, THE PEOPLE THAT OFFICERS ARE, ARE INTERACTING WITH.

IN ADDITION TO ICA, WE PARTNER WITH A NUMBER OF LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS, LOCAL AND NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING NAMI INTEGRAL CARE, THE MILITARY VETERAN PEER NETWORK.

AND WHAT SPECIFICALLY MY TEAM AND I DO IS A COMMUNITY CONNECT AND ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM IN WHICH WE TAKE CADETS TO VARIOUS LOCATIONS IN THE COMMUNITY TO GIVE THEM OPPORTUNITIES TO INTERACT WITH PEOPLE THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE INTERACTED WITH BEFORE.

UM, WE WORK WITH MARBRIDGE FOUNDATION, THE TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF, UH, MACBETH RECREATION CENTER.

WE ALSO INVITE VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS INTO THE ACADEMY TO SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES AND PERSPECTIVES WITH CADETS.

THOSE ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDE SAFE DISABILITY SERVICES PROGRAM AND CENTER FOR NEURO SKILLS.

UH, WE ALSO HAVE PRESENTATIONS FROM THE VA AGE OF CENTRAL TEXAS AND THE ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION.

ALL OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDE NOT ONLY PERSPECTIVE AND EXPERIENCE, BUT ALSO SPECIFIC, UH, TOOLS THAT THEY WANT OUR OFFICERS TO USE WHEN INTERACTING.

A LOT OF THAT COMES DOWN TO SLOWING THE SITUATION DOWN AND FIGURING OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING.

UM, MAYBE IT LOOKS LIKE A POLICE CALL, BUT REALLY IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT CAN BE HANDLED IN A DIFFERENT WAY.

WE JUST NEED AN OFFICER ON SCENE TO, TO SETTLE EVERYTHING DOWN AND FIGURE THAT OUT AND THEN LEAVE.

THAT'S KIND OF BEST CASE SCENARIO.

RIGHT.

UH, I DID ASK OFFICER MOORE ONE OF OUR LEAD DEFENSIVE TACTICS INSTRUCTOR

[00:30:01]

UM, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT I REALLY APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT Y'ALL ARE NOT JUST TRAINING ON SITE AND GOING OVER YOUR CURRICULUM AND ALL OF THAT, BUT THAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY TAKING OFFICERS OUT TO INTERACT WITH THE COMMUNITY.

AND, UM, BECAUSE WHEN YOU GET TO KNOW PEOPLE, IT DOES CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE.

SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT PART OF YOUR TRAINING.

THANK YOU.

ABSOLUTELY.

IT DOES.

IT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE.

AND, AND IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS ABOUT TRAINING.

LIKE, I GET TO BE THE FUN AUNT WHO TAKES CADETS OUT TO BE LIKE, GO MAKE FRIENDS, GO MEET PEOPLE.

RIGHT.

IT'S, IT'S HUGE.

I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.

UM, I CAN DEFINITELY SAY THAT WE WOULD BE HAPPY TO DEVELOP A TRAINING WITH COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS, SPECIFICALLY WITH YOU ALL AROUND THE, THE TECHNOLOGY THAT, UH, MANAGER SCANLAN IS TALKING ABOUT.

WE, WE LIKE INPUT.

I KNOW IT CAN SEEM KIND OF LIKE A CLOSED DOOR.

UM, I'M HERE TO OPEN THAT DOOR.

WE DEFINITELY WANT TO HEAR FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE AFFECTED, HOW WE CAN DO THESE THINGS BEST.

DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE PEOPLE THAT ARE PARTICIPATING VIRTUALLY? UH, YES.

THIS IS GABRIEL ANO ONE OF THE COMMISSIONERS.

THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THESE CONSIDERATIONS.

UM, I'VE BEEN HERE FOR FOUR YEARS, INVOLVED IN A LOT OF ASPECTS OF THE DEATH COMMUNITY, AND I SEE A LOT OF DEAF PEOPLE COME TO ME THAT DIDN'T KNOW CERTAIN INFORMATION OR MISINFORMATION.

AND SO I WANT THESE DEAF PEOPLE TO KNOW THE SAME AS ANY OTHER DISABILITY GROUPS THAT WE DO HAVE.

DEATH POSITIVITY, MEANING, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, THE SAME WAY AUTISM HAS AND OTHER DISABILITIES SUCH AS PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND, HOW THE, THE SPECTRUMS VARY WIDE AND VARIED.

UM, AND WE JUST HAPPEN TO USE OUR HANDS.

AND SO I BELIEVE THAT POLICE OFFICERS DO GET, UH, TRAINING ABOUT THAT IN THEIR PROGRAMS, BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY DO COME INTO OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR AREAS TO INTERACT WITH OUR PEOPLE.

AND I WOULD BE HAPPY TO ALSO INCLUDE THAT.

AND THEN ALSO THOSE, UH, AGING PEOPLE, SENIOR CITIZEN POPULATIONS, THE ORGANIZATION WOULD BE VERY HAPPY TO GIVE INFORMATION ABOUT THEM TO THESE CADETS AS WELL.

UM, SO I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT HAPPEN GOING FORWARD.

PLEASE.

YES, SIR.

I'D BE HAPPY TO DO THAT.

OFFICER EDWARDS.

THANK YOU.

UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING IN PERSON TODAY.

I'M SORRY THAT I CANNOT BE THERE, UH, TO JOIN YOU.

UM, I HAD SUBMITTED SOME QUESTIONS, UH, AROUND, UM, UM, METRICS COLLECTION.

SO I, I DON'T THINK THE SPECIFIC DATA WAS BEING MEASURED AT THIS TIME, BUT IT WAS THAT SOMETHING THAT THERE'S ANY, UM, POSSIBILITY TO DO IF WE DID WANT TO SET FUTURE GOALS IN TERMS OF, UM, HOW, UH, CERTAIN INTERACTIONS DO GO WITH OUR, OUR COMMUNITY.

SO FIRST OFF, I'M SORRY, I WANNA BE CLEAR, I'M A CIVILIAN.

I DON'T WANNA PASS MYSELF OFF AS AN OFFICER, BUT, UM, I BELIEVE ALLISON ROPER IS ALSO ON THE CALL AND SHE DOES HAVE SOME DATA FOR YOU.

SHE'D BE BETTER EQUIPPED TO, TO ANSWER THAT ASPECT OF THINGS THAN, THAN I CAN, I'M SORRY.

NO, I APPRECIATE OUR CIVILIAN STAFF.

UM, AND I'M ACTUALLY CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN THE COMMUNITY, UM, POLICE ACADEMY.

SO, UM, IT'S BEEN AN HONOR BEING PART OF THE PROGRAM AND JUST LEARNING HOW THE DEPARTMENT WORKS, UM, WITH, UH, SWORN IN AND CIVILIAN STAFF.

SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.

THANK YOU.

I'LL GO AHEAD AND INTRODUCE MYSELF AND SEE IF I CAN ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, COMMISSIONER, BUT MY NAME IS ALISON ROPER AND I'M A BUSINESS PROCESS CONSULTANT WITH THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND I'M IN THE RESEARCH AND PLANNING DIVISION.

UM, I ACTUALLY, I HAVE A PRESENTATION JUST TO GO THROUGH A LITTLE BIT OF DATA ON MENTAL HEALTH RELATED, UH, CALLS AND, UM, AND THEIR INTERACTION WITH A PD, BUT I DID WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE TOUCH ON YOUR QUESTION, COMMISSIONER, WHEN YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT METRICS COLLECTION, UM, AT THE, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT SPECIFICALLY AT THE TRAINING ACADEMY? LIKE HOW, LIKE THE NUMBER OF TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES OR ARE YOU LOOKING MORE FOR, UM, INTERACTIONS WITH DIFFERENT POPULATIONS THAT A PD IS HAVING MORE SPECIFICALLY DURING AN INTERACTION? UM, IS IT LATER FOUND IN A POLICE REPORT THAT THE PERSON WAS, UH, FOUND TO HAVE AN IMPAIRMENT AND, UM, IS THERE KIND OF A LESSONS LEARNED OPPORTUNITY THERE AND MM-HMM, , UM, WAYS THAT CAN DIRECTLY IMPROVE

[00:35:01]

UH, I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN SAY THAT WE HAVE A BASELINE RIGHT NOW THAT WE ARE STARTING WITH, AND THEN IF WE CAN SET GOALS AROUND IT.

SO THAT WAS THE PART WHERE I WAS WONDERING IF THERE WAS AN OPENNESS TO THAT, UM, MOVING FORWARD.

YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

NO, I'M, I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT THAT UP.

UM, WE DON'T HAVE, UH, WE, WE DON'T TRACK THAT KIND OF INTERACTION RIGHT NOW, NOW, BUT I THINK THAT THERE IS A DESIRE TO, FOR A PD OVERALL TO REALLY GET BETTER ABOUT THEIR DATA COLLECTION OR OUR DATA COLLECTION.

UM, WE HAVE A RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM THAT SOMETIMES IS, UM, WE, WE, WE CAN, WE'RE TRYING TO IDENTIFY WAYS TO USE IT IN MORE FULFILLING, USING MORE, UM, TO FULFILL MORE OF OUR GOALS.

SO RIGHT NOW, WE, WE DON'T HAVE A SYSTEM WHERE WE CAN TRACK SPECIFIC DISABILITIES OR IMPAIRMENTS, BUT I THINK THAT IT, THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THERE THAT WE CAN LOOK AT WHAT THAT, WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE.

I THINK THERE IS VALUE IN IDENTIFYING LESSONS LEARNED, UM, FOR A PD AND WORKING WITH PEOPLE OF ALL ABILITIES SO THAT THEY, WE CAN THEN FUNNEL THAT BACK INTO THE TRAINING ACADEMY AND WITH OUR PARTNERS WITH OCL AND THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING.

SO THERE'S A LOT OF CONNECTION THAT WE CAN MAKE ACROSS THE BOARD.

SO I WILL, UM, I'LL LOOK INTO THIS AND WE'LL LET YOU KNOW IF THERE'S WHAT WE CAN DO IN THE FUTURE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

AND I, I JUST HAD ONE MORE QUESTION.

UM, I DON'T KNOW, Y'ALL MAY BE DOING THIS ALREADY, BUT WHEN YOU ARE INTERACTING WITH FAMILIES IN THE COMMUNITY, I'M WONDERING, DO Y'ALL HAVE ANY, UM, MATERIALS OR SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES TO HELP THEIR MEMBERS WITH, SAY, LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, AUTISM FOR THEM TO KIND OF BE ABLE TO HAVE LIKE A SOCIAL STORY OR SOMETHING SO THAT THEY WILL KNOW LIKE, HEY, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU SEE A POLICE OFFICER AND JUST TRY TO HELP PREPARE COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? YEAH, AND THAT'S, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

UM, HONESTLY, IT KIND OF DEPENDS ON WHAT THE ORGANIZATION THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH HAS PLANNED.

I KNOW MARBRIDGE HAS WORKED WITH US QUITE A BIT ON, UM, HAVING US WALK THROUGH WHAT A STOP MIGHT LOOK LIKE WHEN WE'RE INTERACTING WITH, WITH THEIR RESIDENTS.

UM, WE HAVEN'T DONE THAT AS MUCH IN OTHER SETTINGS, I BELIEVE AT TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF, WE HAD A PANEL WITH STUDENTS AT ONE POINT WHERE WE ASKED THEM TO KIND OF GIVE US FEEDBACK ON WHAT THEY WERE AFRAID OF, WHAT THEY EXPECTED, AND THEN FROM THAT WE COULD KIND OF BUILD OUT HOW THAT MIGHT LOOK.

BUT THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING WE SHOULD EXPAND.

I'M HAPPY TO, UM, TRY TO WORK WITH YOU AND SEE IF WE CAN DEVELOP SOMETHING THAT YOU THINK WOULD BE HELPFUL.

YEAH, I, I THINK IT WOULD BE, UM, MAYBE HELPFUL AND FAIRLY COST EFFECTIVE JUST TO MAKE A QUICK, LIKE JUST A TRAINING VIDEO.

'CAUSE I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES OR WHO HAVE AUTISM LEARN VERY WELL THROUGH LITTLE, UM, SOCIAL STORY VIDEOS.

IF YOU JUST MADE A QUICK VIDEO OF THIS IS WHAT A STOP LOOKS LIKE, AND YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, JUST, UM, AND THEN PEOPLE COULD JUST DISSEMINATE IT, THAT'S IN THE COMMUNITY.

THAT'S A GREAT IDEA.

AND WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE LEARN BEST IF THEY'RE ABLE TO TEACH, RIGHT.

SO IT ALSO EMPHASIZES FOR THE CADETS EXACTLY WHAT THEY NEED TO BE THINKING OF.

SO, NO, I LOVE THAT.

THANK YOU, .

DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANYTHING ELSE ON THIS TOPIC? I HAVE A COUPLE OF SLIDES TO GO THROUGH, IF THAT'S OKAY.

OH, YEAH, SURE.

WELL, I WON'T TAKE UP TOO MUCH OF YOUR TIME, I PROMISE.

UM, BUT I DID WANNA MAKE SURE I, I WANTED TO BE RESPONSIVE TO, OR WE ALL DO, UM, TO EVERYTHING THAT Y'ALL ASKED FOR, UM, WHEN ORIGINALLY REQUESTING THAT THE TEAM COME FORWARD TODAY.

SO I'VE GOT, UM, A COUPLE OF SLIDES THAT JUST GO OVER, UM, SOME FIVE-YEAR DATA RELATED TO MENTAL HEALTH CALLS AND USE OF FORCE.

SO, UM, THE FIRST SLIDE IS GOING TO THE, THE BLUE, THE VERY SMALL BLUE BAR THAT REPRESENTS THE MENTAL HEALTH SUBJECTS.

SO A PERSON WHO WAS IDENTIFIED AS HAVING, UM, AS, AS AN EDP OR MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE AT THE TIME.

UM, NOT NECESSARILY, NOT A CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS BY ANY MEANS, THAT THOSE PEOPLE WHO, UM, WERE ENGAGED IN A USE OF FORCE INCIDENT WITH A POLICE OFFICER, THAT'S THE BLUE BAR.

AND IT GOES BY YEAR FROM 2020 ALL THE WAY TO 2024, JUST THROUGH LAST MONTH.

UM, THE RED BAR EACH YEAR IS ACTUALLY ALL OF THE MENTAL HEALTH RELATED CALLS OR INCIDENTS THAT WE HAD THAT PARTICULAR YEAR.

SO YOU CAN SEE THE, THE GREEN LINE SHOWS YOU THAT OF ALL THE MENTAL HEALTH

[00:40:01]

SO IT'S A, IT'S A, IT JUST GIVES YOU A VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF WHERE, UM, WHERE WE ARE WITH USE OF FORCE AS IT COMPARES TO THE ACTUAL FULL LANDSCAPE OF MENTAL HEALTH CALLS THAT WE RECEIVE EACH YEAR.

UH, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A BREAKDOWN WHERE WE HAVE THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF FORCE THAT ARE USED, AND THIS IS HOW A PD CLASSIFIES THEIR USE OF FORCE.

UM, AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S BY YEAR ALL THE WAY ACROSS.

UH, WE HAVE LEVEL ONE, WHICH IS THE MOST SEVERE USE OF FORCE.

UM, LEVEL TWO IS THE NEXT SEVERE LEVEL THREE IS THE GREEN, AND LEVEL FOUR IS THE PURPLE BAR.

AND THOSE ARE REALLY THE ONES THAT ARE GONNA BE MORE COMMON, UH, AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THIS CHART.

SO THESE ARE SPECIFIC TO, THIS CHART IS SPECIFIC TO SUBJECTS WHO WERE, WHO WERE IDENTIFIED AS HAVING A MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE OR CONDITION AT THE TIME, UH, WHEN THEY WERE ENGAGED WITH THE POLICE OFFICER.

UM, THE, THIS IS THE USE OF FORCE THAT, THE LEVEL THAT WAS ACTUALLY IDENTIFIED BY THE OFFICER IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY USED AGAINST THE PERSON.

UM, THE TOTAL NUMBER, YOU COULD SEE STILL AT THE TOP, THERE ARE A COUPLE IN THERE, I THINK FIVE TOTAL THAT ARE OTHER FORCE LEVEL.

AND I WENT THROUGH THOSE AND THEY REALLY ARE JUST THAT SOMEBODY FORGOT TO PUT THE LEVEL IN.

UM, BUT THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT FIREARMS OR ANYTHING ON THOSE PARTICULAR ONES.

SO, UM, THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME IT'S GOING TO BE, UM, A LEVEL THREE OR A LEVEL FOUR.

AND, AND HONESTLY, I MEAN, A PD IS, THEY WRITE A LOT OF USE OF FORCE REPORTS BECAUSE THEY WRITE IT ON FOR EVERYTHING.

SO ANYTIME THERE'S KIND OF ANY PHYSICAL CONTACT, EVEN A A, YOU KNOW, SHIFTING SOMEBODY AND ADJUSTING THEM TO MOVE TO A CERTAIN SPOT, THEY, THEY DO WRITE SOME KIND OF CONTACT FORM OR A USE OF FORCE FORM.

UM, SO THAT'S WHY YOU WILL SEE SOME OF THESE NUMBERS ON THE NEXT SLIDE.

JUST BY LAST SLIDE, UH, THIS JUST SHOWS YOU, OH, ALMOST, SORRY.

THIS SHOWS THE ONE BEFORE SHOWS YOU THE, UM, THE DIFFERENT WEAPONS USED.

AND SO WE CLASSIFY EVERYTHING IS, IS, UM, CLASSIFIED FOR DATA COLLECTION, AND WE IDENTIFY THE HIGHEST WEAPON USED.

SO, UM, WHEN, WHEN THERE IS A USE OF FORCE INCIDENT WITH ANYBODY, UM, WE WILL, THERE'S, WE, WE ACTUALLY HAVE EACH OFFICER WHO ENGAGED IN THE USE OF FORCE, WE'LL WRITE AN INDIVIDUAL REPORT.

SO YOU'LL SEE THAT THERE'S MORE REPORTS HERE THAN MAYBE, THAN ARE REFLECTING IN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT WERE IMPACTED, NUMBER OF SUBJECTS THAT WERE IMPACTED.

IT'S BECAUSE PEOPLE MAY HAVE HAD MULTIPLE OFFICERS THAT WERE THERE AND HAD SOME KIND OF ENGAGEMENT IN THE USE OF FORCE.

AND YOU CAN SEE HERE, NUMBER SEVEN IS WEAPON LIST.

AND THAT IS WHERE THE MAJORITY OF, UM, THE CASES ARE IN THIS POPULATION AND ACTUALLY IN, IN ALL OF OUR USE OF FORCE.

UH, BUT FOR MENTAL HEALTH, UH, SUBJECTS, THAT IS WHERE THE MAJORITY OF THE, UM, THE WEAPON, THE WEAPON TYPE LIES.

AND THAT'S ALL I HAD TO SHARE.

SO I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME ON ANY OF THIS.

THANKS.

I JUST, UH, APPRECIATE THOSE SLIDES AND THAT'S GREAT THAT I HAVE, UM, I JUST HAVE ONE QUICK QUESTION.

SO I KNOW YOU, ON ONE OF THE FIRST SLIDES, IT HAD SHOWN THAT ABOUT 1.78% OF MENTAL HEALTH RELATED CALLS RESULTED IN A USE OF FORCE.

DO YOU HAVE THE NUMBER FOR, UH, THE PERCENT OF USE OF FORCE, UH, FOR OVERALL, YOU KNOW, FOR ALL CALLS, WHETHER OR NOT THERE'S MENTAL HEALTH, UH, AS PART OF THE CALL? UM, I DON'T RIGHT NOW, BUT WE CAN GET THAT TO YOU AND, AND FOLLOW UP.

SO THE PERCENT OF ALL CALLS.

OKAY, THANKS.

YEAH, I WOULD JUST BE INTERESTED TO KNOW WHETHER OR NOT THE, THE OVERALL PERCENT IS HIGHER OR LOWER THAN THAT, THAT 1.78% THAT SHOWED US, ABSOLUTELY.

WE CAN FOLLOW UP WITH THAT.

THANKS SO MUCH.

ABSOLUTELY.

UM, JUST AS A FOLLOW UP, UH, WHEN CAN WE MAYBE EXPECT TO, UM, PERHAPS START LIKE A WORKING GROUP OR WORKING WITH, WHEN DO YOU EXPECT TO KIND SEE PROGRESS ON THE UPDATES TO YOUR, UH, REPORTING SYSTEM OR, UH, YOUR DISPATCH SYSTEM? UM, FOR REPORTING AT, AT LEAST FOR, FOR DATA COLLECTION, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY WORKING ON RIGHT NOW.

I DO A LOT OF WORK IN THE SEX CRIMES AREA, AND SO WE'RE KIND OF TAKING THIS, THAT PARTICULAR UNIT RIGHT NOW TO REALLY TRY TO PUSH FORWARD SOME DIFFERENT, UM, IDEAS ON HOW TO BETTER GATHER OUR DATA.

UM, IT'S A SLOW

[00:45:01]

I, I ALSO AM, UM, ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT WORKS ON THE PERFORMANCE MEASURES WITH THE DEPARTMENT.

SO I THINK I'M, I'M GONNA TALK WITH THE PERFORMANCE MEASURE TEAM AND SEE IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO IN THAT RESPECT, UM, TO START IDENTIFYING, UM, INTERACTIONS WITH PEOPLE WITH, WITH DIFFERENT ABILITIES.

SO, UM, GIVE ME A COUPLE OF MONTHS AND LET ME SEE WHO I CAN PULL TOGETHER AND SEE WHAT, WHAT DATA WE DO HAVE, IF WE HAVE ANYTHING EVEN THAT CAN GET US STARTED, AND THEN HOW WE CAN MOVE FORWARD.

THANK YOU.

THE, THE MAYOR'S COMMITTEE HAS A WORKING GROUP ALREADY ESTABLISHED THAT HAS TO DEAL WITH, UM, TRANSPORTATION AND AS WELL AS PUBLIC SAFETY.

SO THAT MIGHT BE AN AVENUE TO, YOU KNOW, WORK, UM, MORE CLOSELY WITH Y'ALL.

EXCELLENT.

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANYTHING ELSE ON THIS TOPIC? NO.

WELL, LISTEN, WE, WE SURE APPRECIATE Y'ALL.

UM, AS YOU CAN TELL, WE HAD LOTS OF QUESTIONS AND, UH, I THINK FOR A LOT OF US, THIS IS A SERIOUS TOPIC THAT WE, UM, THAT WE PRIORITIZE.

SO THANK YOU AGAIN, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING YOUR UPDATES IN A FEW MONTHS.

OKAY.

WE ARE ON DISCUSSION

[3. Presentation by Kyle Carvell, Airport Relations Officer, Aviation Department, and Ramonika Carr, Airport Guest Services Officer, Aviation Department on the accessibility features at the airport and discussion on how to best communicate with the disability community about how to access these features, and future outreach opportunities. ]

THIS WILL BE A PRESENTATION, UM, BY THE AIRPORT RELATIONS OFFICER, UM, THE AVIATION DEPARTMENT ON THE ACCESSIBILITY, ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES AT THE AIRPORT, AND DISCUSSION ON HOW TO BEST COMMUNICATE WITH DISABILITY, WITH THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY ABOUT HOW TO ACCESS THESE FEATURES AND FUTURE OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES.

WELCOME.

THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS FOR HAVING US.

UH, IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE.

THIS IS OUR FIRST TIME AT THIS, UH, COMMISSION IN THIS COMMITTEE, SO WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME, AND WE'VE GOT SOME SLIDES TO SHOW YOU.

UH, WE'LL INTRODUCE OURSELVES HERE IN JUST A MOMENT.

BUT AGAIN, JUST WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UM, YOU ALL HOSTING US TONIGHT.

SO NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

OH, WE'VE GOT A CLICKER HERE.

PERFECT.

MY NAME IS KYLE CARVE.

I'M THE AIRPORT RELATIONS OFFICER WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, DEPARTMENT OF AVIATION, OR SHORTHAND FOR THE AIRPORT.

UM, MY ROLE AT THE AIRPORT IS FOR, IS STAKEHOLDER, UH, ENGAGEMENT, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

IT IS A RELATIVELY NEW ROLE, AND WE HAVE A RELATIVELY NEW TEAM AT THE AIRPORT FOCUSED ON THESE EFFORTS, REALLY BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR COMMUNITY AND MAKING SURE, UH, EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE AIRPORT.

AND, UH, FEELS A PART OF THAT.

I'LL LET MY COLLEAGUE INTRODUCE HERSELF.

MY NAME IS RAMONICA CARR.

I'M THE AIRPORT'S GUEST SERVICES, UM, OFFICER.

AND, UM, MY ROLE AT THE AIRPORT, UH, WE, WE WORK DIRECTLY WITH OUR GUESTS THAT COME THROUGH THE AIRPORT.

UM, IT'S REALLY ABOUT PASSENGER EXPERIENCE, UM, MAKING SURE THE PASSENGER KNOWS THE, UM, AMENITIES WITHIN THE AIRPORT AND JUST GET THEM WHERE THEY NEED TO GO.

AND THAT'S USUALLY, THEY WANNA GET TO THAT GATE VERY QUICKLY.

SO FOR TONIGHT, WE ARE GONNA HIT THREE BIG TOPICS.

UH, I'M GONNA QUICKLY GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW OF THE AIRPORT OR A US, LET YOU KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING, WHERE WE'RE HEADED, AND HOW THAT RELATES TO SOME OF OUR ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES, WHICH RAMONICA WILL SPEAK TO.

AND THEN FINALLY, I WILL OUTLINE AT A VERY, VERY HIGH LEVEL WHAT OUR ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH PLANS ARE FOR THE COMMUNITY RELATIVE, UH, TO THE AIRPORT MOVING FORWARD.

AND AT THE END, WE WOULD LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK, UH, AND WE REALLY INVITE YOU ALL TO WORK WITH US MOVING FORWARD AS WE CONTINUE TO, UH, DO OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT TO THE ACCESSIBILITY AND DISABILITY COMMUNITY.