Jun 02, 2025 Public Safety Commission

UM, COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT HERE.

WHILE YOU COME UP, I'M GONNA DO A QUICK ROLL CALL.

COMMISSIONER RUTAN IS NOT GONNA BE JOINING US.

COMMISSIONER CARROLL WILL NOT BE JOINING US.

COMMISSIONER DUNAN PRESENT.

COMMISSIONER I DRAGO PRESENT.

COMMISSIONER HOLMES? NOT SURE.

COMMISSIONER N NEN PRESENT.

COMMISSIONER ORR WILL BE JOINING US IS ATTEMPTING, UM, COMMISSIONER CILO WILL NOT BE JOINING US.

COMMISSIONER SMITH PRESENT.

AND I'M HERE AS WELL.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

MY NAME IS CLEMENTE SENIOR AND I JUST WANNA ADD, I HATE BEING HERE, ESPECIALLY SINCE I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING GOOD TO SAY ABOUT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, BUT THEY KNOW WHO I AM.

I MEAN, I'VE BEEN HARASSED OVER 20 YEARS PLUS FROM THE ORGANIZED CRIME UNIT.

I HAVE DONE LITERALLY EVERYTHING TO STOP THIS CORRUPTION FROM POLICE MONITORING OUR CALL OVERSIGHT, THE FBI DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION.

I'VE COMPLAINED ABOUT IT TO THE POLICE CHIEF MANLEY CHACON, HENDERSON FITZGERALD, AND EVEN LISA DAVIS.

AND I MEAN EVEN OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, UH, THROUGH EMAILS.

I EVEN BEEN SENDING EMAILS ABOUT WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH TO THE LOCAL NATIONWIDE NEWS, INCLUDING THE NORTH AMERICA STATE NEWSPAPER.

AND ALL I WANT IS TO STOP, STOP HARASSING ME, STOP VANDALIZING MY CAR, STOP STEALING SOMETHING FROM MY APARTMENT, AND THEY KNOW I'M RIGHT.

IF I WOULD'VE BEEN WRONG, THEY WOULD'VE CHARGED ME A LONG TIME AGO.

AND I, I CAN'T DO ANYTHING BECAUSE FROM WHAT MY UNDERSTANDING, ACCORDING TO THE ATTORNEYS, I HAVE TO HAVE THE ONES WHO COMMITTED THE CRIME NAME AND BADGE.

BUT WHEN I ASKED THEM, THEY JUST WALK AWAY.

YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHY I THOUGHT I WOULD GO AFTER THE POLICE CHIEF.

I THOUGHT MAYBE I'D GO AFTER THE COMMANDER, WHICH I HEARD HE RETIRED ALL THE, ALL THE LIEUTENANTS.

I WENT ALL THE WAY DOWN FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE WAY TO THE TOP OF EVERYBODY.

AND THEY ALL JUST ALLOW THESE OFFICERS TO JUST CONDUCT CRIMES AGAINST MY PROPERTY.

THERE'S A DOZEN OF THEM RIGHT NOW.

AND I CAN'T, AND I'M TALKING ABOUT A MOVE TO GET AWAY FROM THIS CORRUPTION.

I'VE BEEN THREATENED, I'VE BEEN ASSAULTED.

AND THIS IS NOT UNFOUNDED.

THIS IS THE TRUTH, THE TRUTH THAT I'M WILLING TO GO TO COURT.

BUT THESE POLICE DEPARTMENTS, I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S WRONG WITH THEM.

AND I'M TALKING ABOUT THE HIGHER UP THE CHIEFS.

I EVEN, I THINK YOU WERE HERE WHEN I GAVE THAT LETTER.

YOU KNOW, WHEN I GAVE THAT LETTER TO CHIEF HENDERSON TO GIVE TO LISA DAVIS, I FIGURED WITH HER UNDERSTANDING, PLUS THE EMAILS I SENT, THAT, THAT THIS WILL STOP.

BUT IT HASN'T, YOU KNOW, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO.

THIS IS A WASTE OF MANPOWER.

THIS IS NOT EVEN AN INVESTIGATION.

THIS IS RETALIATION FOR ME COMPLAINING ABOUT THEM.

YES, I DID.

THEY SHOULD HAVE STARTED WHEN I WENT TO THE FBI TWICE.

THEY SHOULD HAVE STARTED WHEN I WENT TO THE DOJ SPECIAL LITIGATION.

I MEAN, CIVIL RIGHTS, SPECIAL LITIGATION.

THEY SHOULD HAVE STARTED WHEN I WENT TO THE POLICE MONITOR SLASH OVERSIGHT.

THAT'S HOW LONG I'VE BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS.

AND I'M TIRED.

I'M A GREAT-GRANDFATHER.

NOW, I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH DOES THE POLICE OFFICERS.

AND THEY KNOW THAT I'M RIGHT.

THEY KNOW THAT I'M RIGHT ABOUT WHO THEY ARE AND IT WON'T STOP.

AND I'VE CONFRONTED THE MAYOR, THE CITY MANAGER, ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO THE WEBSITE, TELL 'EM WHO I AM.

AND I DON'T LIKE BEING IN THIS SITUATION.

I WANT THEM TO CONDUCT THEMSELVES.

LIKE IF I'M COMMITTING A CRIME, THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO INVESTIGATE ME, BUT I'M NOT COMMITTING ANY CRIME.

THEY'RE, SIR, COULD I ASK YOU A QUESTION OR TWO? SURE.

UM, COULD YOU JUST REPEAT YOUR NAME FOR ME? RUBEN RIVERA CLEMENTE SENIOR.

UM, AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO SHARE YOUR ADDRESS PUBLICLY, BUT WHAT NEIGHBORHOOD ARE YOU IN? I LIVE BY, UH, CHILE VALLEYS AREA.

AND I, I'VE COMPLAINED TO HIM ABOUT IT, BUT HE HAS TO, HE HASN TO DO NOTHING.

WE HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL PUBLIC COMMENT? NO OTHER SPEAKERS CHAIR.

DID

[00:05:01]

WITH THAT, UM, I DO BELIEVE WE HAVE SPEAKERS FOR ITEM SIX AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE IS OKAY STAYING UNTIL WE START ITEM SIX TO DELIVER THEIR COMMENTS.

NOBODY NEEDED TO PROVIDE THEM NOW.

ALRIGHT, WITH THAT WE WILL, UH, MOVE FORWARD WITH THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.

UM,

[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]

UM, 'CAUSE EVERYONE HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW.

WE'RE JUST NOT AT QUORUM, SO YOU'LL JUST MAY NEED TO WAIT A MOMENT.

CAN YOU LET HER KNOW THAT WE DON'T HAVE QUORUM WITHOUT HER? I APOLOGIZE EVERYONE.

IF WE COULD JUST GO AND, UM, QUICKLY APPROVE THE MINUTES.

DO WE HAVE ANY CHANGES? OBJECTIONS? CAN I GET A MOTION? MOVE TO APPROVE.

CAN I SEE A QUICK SECOND IN A QUICK SHOW OF HANDS? OKAY.

WE'LL JUST TAKE THESE UP NEXT MONTH.

COMMISSIONER SMITH, WERE YOU JUST ABSTAINING OR VOTING? NO.

ABSTAINING.

WE WILL GET STARTED WITH THE EMSS COURT PUBLIC QUARTERLY REPORT.

NO PROBLEM.

WE'LL TAKE THESE UP NEXT MONTH.

UM, OKAY.

AND WITH THAT,

[2. Public Safety Quarterly Report, Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services Department.]

GOOD AFTERNOON COMMISSIONERS.

I'LL WAIT FOR THE PRESENTATION.

YEAH, THAT SHOULD BE IT.

GOOD AFTERNOON, COMMISSIONERS.

MY NAME IS WES HOPKINS.

I'M THE CHIEF OF STAFF FOR AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES.

I'LL BE GIVING THE FISCAL YEAR 25, UH, Q2 QUARTERLY UPDATE.

UH, JUST RECAPPING LIKE WE ALWAYS DO IN THESE QUARTERLY REPORTS.

UH, CURRENT M MSS DEPARTMENT STAFFING AUTHORIZED STRENGTH.

THE 714 FIELD SWORN IS 626, JUST FOR REFERENCE.

OR THE Q1 NUMBER WAS 599.

THAT LEAVES FOREIGN VACANCIES AT 88, UH, DOWN FROM Q1, WHICH WAS 115.

UH, THAT LEAVES US WITH 20 FIELD MEDICS AND TWO COMMUNICATIONS AGAIN FOR REFERENCE.

THAT NUMBER IN Q1 WAS 46.

IT PUTS OUR AVERAGE AT 14.75 IN Q1.

THAT WAS 16%.

SO WE'RE DEFINITELY TRENDING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

UH, SWORN SEPARATIONS.

UM, THIS DOES INCLUDE APRIL AND IT IS YEAR TO DATE.

WE'VE HAD 17 RESIGN AND 10 RETIRED.

AND, UH, WE'LL TALK MORE ABOUT KIND OF THOSE RETIREMENTS HERE IN A SECOND.

SO NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

YEAH, SO SWORN TENURE AT SEPARATION.

UH, WE'VE, YOU SEE AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF RETIREMENTS THAT PLUS 20 YEARS.

UM, CERTAINLY MY ACADEMY CLASS AND SEVERAL ACADEMY CLASSES AFTER MINE HAVE BEEN ELIGIBLE FOR RETIREMENT.

AND SO WE'VE HAD SOME MEDICS KIND OF TAKE THE CITY UP ON THAT OFFER AND, AND THEY RETIRE.

UH, WE'VE ALSO SEEN AN UPTICK IN THAT ONE TO FIVE YEAR RANGE.

AGAIN, THIS SHOWS THE, THE YEAR TO DATE.

AND SO WE'RE KIND OF SORTING THROUGH THAT ONE TO FIVE YEAR RANGE TO SEE, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING WE CAN EXTRAPOLATE FROM THAT TO SEE, YOU KNOW, KIND, KIND OF WHY THOSE FOLKS IN THAT ONE TO FIVE YEAR RANGE.

YOU KNOW, MAYBE NOT WANTING TO, TO PURSUE A CAREER HERE WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

EXCELLENT.

PLEASE.

UH, VACANCY RATE SWORN AND CIVILIAN AGAIN, WE INCLUDED APRIL.

IT'S THE BY MONTH.

UM, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THE CIVILIAN Z VACANCY RATE IS DOWN TO 10% IN Q1.

IT WAS 13%.

UM, AND THEN, UH, YOU KNOW, THE SWORN VACANCY RATE BY MONTH.

AND THEN NOTICE THAT SOME IN, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY, UH, WE'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UH, EMS TURNOVER RATE, UH, BY MONTH IN APRIL.

AND YOU'LL NOTICE THAT IN SEVERAL MONTHS WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY CIVILIAN TURNOVER IN THE, THE CITY OF AUSTIN FOR THE NON-SWORN SIDE.

[00:10:01]

KIND OF TALKING THROUGH SOME OF THE OPIOID OVERDOSE DATA FOR, UH, Q2.

WE DO CONTINUE TO SEE A DECLINE IN OPIOID ALERTS.

MARCH REPRESENTS THE LOWEST NUMBER OF OPIOID ALERTS SINCE SEPTEMBER OF 2021 AND FISCAL YEAR 25.

JUST IN Q2 ALONE, WE'VE DISTRIBUTED, UH, 3,227 NARCAN RESCUE KITS.

UH, Q1, WE DISTRIBUTED 2000.

UH, YOU'VE DEFINITELY SEEN THAT PUSH TO, TO, TO GET THOSE NARCAN RESCUE KITS OUT.

UM, SOME OF THESE NARCAN KITS HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED TO OUR PARTNER AGENCIES, UH, THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT.

WE REPLENISH SOME OF THEIR STOCK, UH, AND CERTAINLY HARM REDUCTION PARTNERS AND, AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.

UH, LOOKING AT THE UPPER RIGHT, WE BREAK THIS UP BY, UH, BY PILLS AND, AND ADOLESCENTS.

AND THEN THE STAT GRAPH AT THE BOTTOM, YOU SEE OPIOID ALERTS VERSUS KITS USED VERSUS KITS DISTRIBUTED.

UM, I WILL SAY THAT WE HAVE NOT SEEN THAT SUMMER SPIKE JUST YET, BUT WE ARE ANTICIPATING THAT LIKE WE DO, UH, THIS TIME OF YEAR.

AND SO THAT'S A LOT OF THE REASON WHY A LOT OF THESE NARCAN KITS HAVE GONE AHEAD AND BEEN BEEN PUSHED OUT.

JUST GIVING YOU A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION FOR 24 AND 25 CALENDAR YEAR.

THESE ARE THE NUMBER OF OVERDOSE INCIDENTS BY MONTH FOR 24 AND 25.

SO ALL OF THESE DO NOT REPRESENT OPIOID ALERTS.

SOME ARE JUST, UM, OVERDOSES THAT WE SEE IN THE 9 1 1 SYSTEM AND WE KIND OF GAVE THAT THAT CALENDAR YEAR FOR THAT.

UH, TALKING ABOUT NARCAN ADMINISTRATION FOR YEARS 24 AND 25, AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY EMS PARAMEDICS HAVE, UH, GIVEN NARCAN AS A MEDICATION TO PATIENTS 1015 TIMES, UH, FAMILY AND BYSTANDERS GAVE IT 265 AND THEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT POLICE DEPARTMENT HAD GIVEN IT 276 TIMES IN THAT, THAT TIMEFRAME.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

COMMISSIONER RUTAN AND I TALKED, HE HAD A REQUEST TO, AGAIN, TO LOOK AT SOME OF THE HEAT MAPS AND KIND OF MINE DOWN WHERE WE'RE SEEING SOME OF THESE OVERDOSES.

AND SO WE BEGAN TRACKING GEOLOCATION DATA IN JUNE 20 OF 24.

SO BETWEEN SIX 20 OF 24 AND FIVE 20 OF 25, WE'VE HAD 789 OD ALERTS.

UH, WHAT YOU'LL NOTICE IF YOU LOOK AT AUSTIN RIGHT THERE ON THE MAP, YOU'LL SEE THAT THAT BIG RED SPOT HAS DECREASED IN DOWNTOWN AUSTIN.

SO WE'VE SEEN A DECREASE IN OPIOID ALERTS IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA, BUT OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN SOME INCREASES IN THIS HEAT MAP IN THAT NORTH SECTION.

AND SO THIS ALLOWS US TO KIND OF FOCUS IN THOSE AREAS.

WE ARE ABLE TO GET THIS DATA DOWN INTO ZIP CODES, STREET CORNERS, BUSINESSES, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.

BUT YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY AS WE, AS WE PUBLISH THAT, THERE MAY BE A RELUCTANCE TO ENROLL IN THE BREATHE NOW CAMPAIGN CAMPAIGN AND TO, TO KIND OF, UH, TO KIND OF DIVE INTO THIS.

AND SO, BUT JUST KNOW THAT WE ARE TARGETING THESE AREAS AND LOOKING AT HEAT MAPS SO THAT WE CAN KIND OF HAVE THE MOST EFFECT IN THE DIFFERENT AREAS ALL OVER KIND OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY.

ARE ANTICIPATING A GO LIVE DATE OF MARCH OF 2026.

I WANNA TALK REAL QUICK ABOUT SOMETHING YOU YOU PROBABLY HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE.

IT'S AMBULANCE AUTOMATIC AID.

OF COURSE.

UH, CHIEF FIRE SPOKE LAST MONTH IN HIS QUARTERLY REPORT ABOUT FIRE AUTO AID.

AND SO WHAT THIS IS BASICALLY MUCH LIKE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR EMS IS AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT TO DISPATCH THE CLOSEST 9 1 1 ASSET REGARDLESS OF THE DEPARTMENT OR JURISDICTION.

AND SO IN THIS PROJECT, EMS IS NEXT IN THE PIPELINE.

AND SO THAT WILL ENCOMPASS AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY E-M-S-E-S-D ONE LOG, VISTA FIRE DEPARTMENT, WHICH HAS SEVERAL AMBULANCES, UH, THAT'S TRUE FOR ESD TWO, THE PFLUGERVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND WILLIAMSON COUNTY EMS. AND SO, UM, WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THE TECHNOLOGY TO GET TO A POINT THAT WE CAN START THIS, UH, WE NEEDED FOR WILLIAMSON COUNTY.

THEY WERE UPGRADING THEIR CAD, WHICH IS WHAT KIND OF SENDS THE AMBULANCE TO THE CALL.

AND SO THEY'VE GOT A NEW CAD SYSTEM AND THEY'RE CERTAINLY GOING THROUGH IMPLEMENTATION AND TESTING.

UM, AND THEN IN SEPTEMBER OF 25, UH, THAT, UH, MIGRATION ONTO THE CLOUD FOR CAD, WHICH IS CALLED UNIFY, ALLOWS FOR THE DIFFERENT CAD SYSTEMS AND JURISDICTIONAL BOUNDARIES TO TALK TO ONE ANOTHER.

AND SO THAT WILL ALLOW FOR, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU'RE IN WILLIAMSON COUNTY OR TRAVIS COUNTY, IT'S THE THE CLOSEST AMBULANCE.

UH, BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE CALLING 9 1 1 FOR A CARDIAC ARREST, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU DON'T CARE SO MUCH WHAT COLOR THE AMBULANCE IS, YOU JUST WANT THE AMBULANCE THERE.

AND SO WE WANT TO TAKE THIS TIME WHILE WE'RE WAITING ON THE TECHNOLOGY TO CATCH UP, TO EXECUTE THE ILA BETWEEN TRAVIS COUNTY, WILLIAMSON COUNTY, THE DIFFERENT ESDS AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

AND THEN, UH, WE WILL SPEND THIS TIME ALSO WORKING ON WHAT KIND OF AGENCY SPECIFIC PROTOCOLS THAT, THAT WE NEED TO DO.

UM, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE, THE CLINICAL OPERATING GUIDELINES FOR ALL THE JURISDICTIONS ARE ROUGHLY THE SAME.

SO THERE'S NOT A LOT TO NAVIGATE THERE, BUT THERE'S SOME NUANCES.

AND SO WE'RE GONNA WORK WITH A, WE HAVE A WORK GROUP THAT'S ESTABLISHED AND WE'RE WORKING ON THAT.

[00:15:01]

UH, SOME OF THAT'LL BE TECHNOLOGY DEPENDENT AND HOW SOME OF THIS STUFF SHAKES OUT, BUT WE'RE, WE'RE DEFINITELY WORKING ON IT.

SO I'M EXCITED FOR THAT AND WE'LL BE TALKING MORE ABOUT THAT IN THE, IN IN THE UPCOMING QUARTERLY REPORTS.

YOU KNOW, LIKE WE DO IN THESE QUARTERLY REPORTS, I WANNA TALK ABOUT OUR EMS ACADEMIES.

UM, I WILL REFER YOU TO CADET CLASS 10 25.

THAT IS A MISTAKE.

IT IS OH 1 2 5 BETWEEN THE STORMS. UM, I TRANSPOSED THE ZERO IN THE ONE, SO IF YOU'RE CONFUSED, I WAS TOO.

AND JUST IF YOU'LL PLEASE NOTATE THAT CORRECTION.

SO LET'S TALK ABOUT CLASS OH 1 2 5.

OF COURSE, THAT'S THE ACADEMY CLASS THAT WE GRADUATED ON MARCH 28TH.

WHEN I GAVE THE QUARTERLY REPORT, I INVITED YOU ATTEND, WE DID GET SOME FOLKS COME.

COUNCIL MEMBER LANE CAME, UM, HAD A REALLY GREAT TURNOUT.

WE'VE GRADUATED THOSE CADETS.

THOSE CADETS ARE WELL ON THEIR WAY TO TWO PERSON CREW.

MAJORITY ARE ON TWO PERSON CREW.

I HAD ONE CADET THAT WAS, UH, DEPLOYED FOR, FOR MILITARY.

THEY'RE LAGGING A LITTLE BIT BEHIND, BUT, BUT THEY'RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK NOW THAT THEY'RE BACK FROM THAT, THAT DEPLOYMENT.

AND THEN, UH, YOU KNOW, I'M GETTING EMAILS EACH DAY WHERE THOSE MEDICS ARE CLEARING AND POSITIVELY IMPACTING THE SCHEDULE.

AND THEN THAT LEADS US TO ACADEMY CLASS OH 7 2 5, WHICH WE HAVE GREEN LEAD.

IT WILL START IN JULY.

UH, THAT'LL MAKE UP 19 TOTAL CADET 17 FIELD MEDICS, ONE DIRECT HIRE CLINICAL SPECIALIST, AND ONE COMMUNICATIONS MEDIC.

I'LL KIND OF RECAP OUR INTERNAL PARAMEDIC PROGRAM.

IF YOU'LL REMEMBER, WE HAD 23 PARAMEDICS IN JANUARY THAT THEY HAD A HUNDRED PERCENT PASS RATE IN NATIONAL REGISTRY.

SO THESE WERE MEDICS THAT WENT TO OUR INTERNAL PARAMEDIC PROGRAM.

THEY'VE ALL PASSED NATIONAL REGISTRY AND THEY JUST SET IN MAY FOR THEIR CIVIL SERVICE CLINICAL SPECIALIST TEST.

AND WE WERE, UH, WE WERE VERY IMPRESSED WITH THOSE SCORES.

AND SO THEN THOSE MEDICS THAT ARE MAKING THAT JUMP TO CLINICAL SPECIALISTS WILL THEN START A KINDA WHAT WE CALL A PL FIVE.

IT'S A CREDENTIALING ACADEMY TO TEACH THEM THINGS THAT THAT MAY NOT, UH, BE COVERED IN NATIONAL REGISTRY.

YOU KNOW, WE HAVE WHOLE BLOOD IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY AND THOSE ARE THINGS THAT THEY, THEY DON'T TYPICALLY GET AND WE ARE ACTIVELY NAVIGATING WHAT THAT PL FIVE, YOU KNOW, CREDENTIALING ACADEMY LOOKS LIKE THAT IN THE PAST HAS BEEN ROUGHLY 17 WEEKS.

IT'S A VERY LONG PROCESS.

UM, THERE IS ONE DAY OF CLASSROOM, BUT IT'S WILDLY SCENARIO BASED.

AND SO WE'RE LOOKING ON SOME WAYS TO KIND OF SHORTEN THAT AND GET THAT, THAT MOVING A LITTLE FASTER TO GET THOSE PARAMEDICS CLEARED.

AND YOU'LL NOTICE THAT WHEN I GIVE THIS Q3 REPORT THAT WE WILL FLIP THE SCRIPT, UH, YOU WILL SEE THAT CLINICAL SPECIALIST VACANCY GO DOWN CONSIDERABLY, BUT THEN YOU WILL SEE THE MEDIC VACANCY GO UP BECAUSE THEY WILL MOVE INTO THAT NEXT PROMOTIONAL RANK.

AND, UH, THAT ACADEMY CLASS OH 7 2 5 WILL START JULY 14TH AND THAT'LL PUT THEIR GRADUATION ALONG ABOUT, UH, SEPTEMBER.

SO WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET AN INVITE TO THAT.

BUT THEN THAT LEADS US TO ACADEMY CLASS 10 25.

AND SO THAT WILL FREE UP MEDIC SPOTS FOR THOSE ENTRY LEVEL FOLKS TO COME INTO THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

AND WE'RE TRACKING FOR ABOUT 26 TOTAL CADETS THERE.

24 FIELD MEDICS, AGAIN, ONE DIRECT HIRE CLINICAL SPECIALIST, AND ONE COMMUNICATIONS MEDIC.

JUST FOR NOTE, YOU MAY SEE THOSE NUMBERS FLUCTUATE A LITTLE BIT.

WE MAY HAVE SOMEONE THAT DEFERS 'CAUSE THEY'RE NOT READY TO MOVE DOWN YET AND THEY WANNA DO THE NEXT ACADEMY.

UM, INTERESTING.

YOU'LL KNOW THAT IN ACADEMY CLASS OH 7 2 5 AND 10 25, YOU KNOW, WE ARE AT THE POINT WHERE WE'RE SEEING THOSE ONESIES AND TWOSIES FOR THAT DIRECT HIRE CLINICAL SPECIALIST THAT SET PARAMEDIC RANK, WHICH MAKES THAT INTERNAL PARAMEDIC PROGRAM SO MUCH MORE ADVANTAGEOUS TO US TO FILLING THOSE CLINICAL SPECIALIST VACANCIES.

I'LL JUST WORK THROUGH QUICKLY THE, UH, STATIONS THAT WE HAVE THAT ARE ROUNDING THE CORNER TO COMPLETION.

I KNOW THAT IN THE FIRE QUARTERLY REPORT THEY TALKED ABOUT CANYON CREEK, AND SO I'LL JUST REITERATE THAT THIS TAKES TO A CLOSE THE FIVE JOINT USE FIRE AND EMS STATIONS THAT WERE NEWLY BUILT IN SIX YEARS.

UH, CANYON CREEK WAS THE LAST ONE.

IT'S BEEN BEEN, YOU KNOW, OPERATING SINCE ABOUT, UH, JANUARY 10TH.

AND OF COURSE WE HELD THAT, YOU KNOW, MARCH 8TH GRAND OPENING, SO THAT THAT COMPLETES THE FIVE NEW STATIONS IN SIX YEARS.

WE'VE ALSO COMPLETED, UH, EMS STATION 13, FIRE STATION 23.

AND I WANNA TAKE YOU THROUGH THEN ROUNDING THE CORNER TO THE COMPLETION FOR THE 2018 BOND PROJECTS AND WHERE WE STAND ON THAT.

AND SO THAT IS, UH, FIVE STATIONS.

THREE ARE JOINT USE FIRE AND EMS AND TWO ARE STANDALONE EMS STATIONS.

AND SO, UH, THIS EMS STATION SEVEN, FIRE STATION EIGHT, IT'S ABOUT THE 8,000 BLOCK OF RESEARCH IS NOW COMPLETED.

THE MEDICS HAVE MOVED IN.

THIS IS A DRASTIC IMPROVEMENT IN ACCOMMODATIONS FOR BOTH ORGANIZATIONS.

UH, I DON'T KNOW THAT MI MEDICS HAVE HAD THIS MUCH SPACE, UH, WITH LOCKERS TO HOUSE MEDICATIONS, WHICH AREN'T IN THEIR DAY ROOMS. UM, THIS IS GONNA BE A HUGE MORALE BOOST FOR US GOING INTO THE SUMMER.

UH, SO WE WERE EXCITED TO KNOCK THIS OUT.

UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

[00:20:01]

IT'S, UH, THE 1300 BLOCK OF RUN BURGLING AND IT'S COMPLETED.

UM, THIS STATION WAS THE STATION THAT I CLEARED IN WHEN I FIRST CAME ON WITH THE CITY IN 2001.

AND FOR THE MEDICS, THE EMS QUARTERS WERE AN AFTERTHOUGHT.

AND SO THE MEDICS HAD TWO CHOICES TO GET TO THE AMBULANCE, RESPONDING TO A CALL.

THEY HAD TO GO THROUGH A, A JOINT DORM STYLE ROOM THAT PEOPLE SLEPT IN OR THROUGH A MEN'S LOCKER ROOM.

THOSE WERE THE ONLY TWO OPTIONS TO GET TO THE AMBULANCE.

AND SO THAT'S KIND OF WHY WE REALLY PUSHED HARD TO GET THIS ONE DONE FIRST.

OUR, OUR SECOND IN THE LINE OF FIVE, AND AGAIN, JUST AGAIN, LIKE IF YOU LOOK AT THIS DAY ROOM UPSTAIRS, UH, BY MY MEDICS THAT THEY'VE NOT ENCOUNTERED, YOU KNOW, THIS NICE OF ACCOMMODATIONS IN QUITE SOME TIME OVER THERE.

SO, VERY EXCITED AGAIN TO GET THIS ONE DONE.

CHIEF FIRES AND I, THESE HAVE BEEN HAR HEARTFELT WINDS FOR US, UM, ALL ALONG THE WAY.

UM, AND THAT LEAVES THREE PROJECTS REMAINING IN THE 2018 BOND EMS STATION.

ONE AT THAT BEN WHITE AND SOUTH FIRST, AND THEN EMS STATION FIVE AT CANE AND LAMAR.

AND THEN FINALLY EMS STATION 10, FIRE STATION 25 UP THERE AT THE DUVAL AND RESEARCH AREA.

UM, HAVING THESE STANDALONE EMS STATIONS ONE AND FIVE, THEY HAVE ADDITIONAL BASE TO HOUSE COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS AND MENTAL HEALTH RESPONDERS AND THINGS LIKE THAT THAT WE DESPERATELY NEEDED.

UH, THIS EMS STATION FIVE EVEN HAS AN UPSTAIRS KIND OF TRAINING ROOM WHERE WE DON'T HAVE TO PULL AMBULANCES OUTTA JURISDICTIONS.

I'LL POINT YOU TO THE PICTURE.

THAT'S THE ART IN PUBLIC PLACES.

UH, WE EMBEDDED AN ARTIST TO RIDE OUT ON THE AMBULANCE FOR ALL OF THESE STATIONS AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AS WELL TO KIND OF LOOK THROUGH WHAT, UM, ART WOULD, YOU KNOW, REPRESENTED, BE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE MEDICS AND THE FIREFIGHTERS.

AND I'M VERY PROUD WITH, WITH THE WAY THAT THEY TURNED OUT.

UM, SO THIS WILL THEN CONCLUDE THE 2018 BOND PROJECTS, WHICH LETS US FOCUS ON THE 2026 BOND COMING UP.

UM, I'LL BE TALKING ABOUT IT AT A LATER DATE, BUT EMS HAS ONE DEFERRED MAINTENANCE PROJECT.

IT'S OUR EMS STATION THREE.

THEY'RE AT NEW RED RIVER IN 15TH.

AND SO THAT PUTS AN AMBULANCE.

IT'S ACTUALLY IN A PARKING GARAGE, BUT IT HAS CREW CORRIDORS AND A BAY FOR THE AMBULANCE, BUT WE'RE GONNA RENOVATE THAT STATION.

THAT'S WHY IT WAS REALLY NICE TO GET FIRE STATION ONE EMS MEDIC SIX COMPLETED BECAUSE WE CAN'T DISPLACE THAT AMBULANCE FROM THE DOWNTOWN AREA.

SO MOVING THEM SEVERAL BLOCKS INTO THAT STATION IS REALLY GONNA HELP US AND WE HAVE THE ACCOMMODATIONS TO DO THAT NOW.

SO CERTAINLY ALL OF THESE PIECES ARE FITTING TOGETHER.

UM, I WANTED TO KIND OF COME TO A CLOSE ON THE QUARTERLY REPORT.

I, I DIDN'T WANNA WAIT TILL SEPTEMBER TO TALK THROUGH SOME OF THE GREAT THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN, IN APRIL AND MAY.

SO JUST VERY BRIEFLY, I'LL SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, IN APRIL WE CELEBRATED NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATORS WEEK, AND THAT WAS IN APRIL.

AND SO WE WERE ABLE, ABLE TO PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, MEALS FOR THE SHIFT AND SWAG FOR COMMUNICATION STAFF.

AND THEN, UH, CTECH, THE 9 1 1 CENTER HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED IN EMPLOYEES.

IT'S A NEW PROGRAM AND THEY GET PREMIUM PARKING AND SOME THINGS LIKE THAT.

AND OUR CLINICAL SPECIALIST, UH, CINDY LOPEZ RECEIVED RECOGNITION BY HER CTEC PARTNERS.

IT'S THE FIRST TIME WE'VE EVER GOTTEN THAT AWARD.

IT'S A RELATIVELY NEW AWARD.

BUT, UH, SHE ALSO GOT NOMINATED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF EMERGENCY DISPATCH FOR DISPATCHER OF THE YEAR.

SHE'S BEEN SELECTED AS A FINALIST.

UM, AND THE CALL THAT PRECIPITATED ALL OF THIS WAS A VERY HIGH PRIORITY PEDIATRIC CALL THAT SHE WAS ABLE TO IMMEDIATELY SWITCH TO SPANISH SPEAKING TO MEET THE CALLER'S NEEDS WITHOUT ANY DELAY.

AND THEN OF COURSE, TO ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS TO GET THE RESOURCES THERE.

AND I'M JUST HAPPY TO REPORT THAT THAT PEDIATRIC PATIENT HAD AN INCREDIBLY POSITIVE OUTCOME, SO VERY WELL DESERVED AND WANTED TO KIND OF HIGHLIGHT HER EFFORTS THERE.

AND THEN IN MAY, WE CELEBRATED NATIONAL EMS WEEK.

UH, THE THEME THIS YEAR WAS WE CARE FOR EVERYONE AND, UH, WE PROVIDED VARIOUS MEALS FOR DIFFERENT HOSPITALS AND SHIFTS.

UM, AND THEN WE ALSO, UH, PREPARED A, A PANCAKE BREAKFAST AT ST.

DAVID'S HOSPITAL FOR THE STAFF.

NOT NECESSARILY THE HIGHLIGHT OF THEIR EMS WEEK, BUT IT WAS GOOD TO SEE THEM.

UH, AND WE COOKED FOR 'EM AND THEY GOT TO ROUTE 'EM IN AND WE WERE ABLE TO CATCH THOSE SHIFTS.

SO THAT WAS AN, AN ENJOYABLE TIME.

BUT CLOSING OUT EMS WEEK.

UH, SO WITH THAT, I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.

UM, ON THE LAST FRIDAY OF EMS WEEK, WHICH I BELIEVE WAS THE 23RD, WE HAD OUR AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY EMS ANNUAL AWARD CEREMONY.

IT WAS HOSTED BY THE MC WAS KXAN METEOROLOGIST, KRISTIN CURRY, WHO'S FANTASTIC AS ALWAYS.

UM, AND SOME OF THE AWARDS THAT WE CELEBRATED WERE YEARS OF SERVICE, INDIVIDUAL CITATIONS, UNIT CITATIONS, OUTSTANDING TRAINER AWARD, CLINICAL EXCELLENCE PARTNER AGENCY AWARDS.

WE RECOGNIZE THE EFFORTS THAT THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR A CA ME AND THAT COLLABORATIVE EFFORT.

AND THEN WE GAVE OUT THE, THE CHIEF'S AWARD AS WELL.

UM, AND THEN OUR UNION ASSOCIATION ACTUALLY HELD KIND OF A, A HAPPY HOUR TYPE MEET AND GREET THAT MYSELF AND CHIEF LUCAS WENT TO AND GOT TO INTERFACE WITH SOME STAFF.

AND THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, GOOD, GOOD FELLOWSHIP AFTER ALL, AFTER A GOOD CLOSE FOR, FOR EMS. WAIT,

[00:25:01]

JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT I BELIEVE CHRISTIE ORR IS ON.

SHE HAS BEEN.

UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER NEN? CHIEF, THANK YOU FOR THAT PRESENTATION.

UH, HAPPY, UH, EMS WEEK AND THEN HAPPY NATIONAL EMERGENCY TELECOMMUNICATION TELECOMMUNICATORS WEEK, WEEK COMMUNICATORS WEEK.

YES.

UM, ONE THING I WANTED TO ASK, UH, I'M GOING TO START FROM THE BACK GOING FORWARD, IS, UH, IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY IN THE FUTURE FOR AN INVITATION TO BE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE, UH, FOR SOME COMMISSIONERS, I KNOW WE HAVE TO BE AWARE OF QUORUM MM-HMM .

UH, BUT IS THAT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO COME AND, AND, UM, CELEBRATE, UH, WITH YOUR, WITH YOUR TEAM AND, AND YOUR CREWS? IT IS, AND WE WOULD WELCOME THAT AND WE'D LOVE TO HAVE IT.

I, I HIT SOME THINGS, BUT IT DID DAWN ON ME THAT WITH EMS WEEK AND THE AWARD CEREMONY, I, I DIDN'T BRING THAT UP IN MAY AT THE BEGINNING OF MAY, AND SO THAT WAS A MISS ON MY PART, BUT WE'LL DEFINITELY RECTIFY THAT GOING FORWARD AND WE'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU.

WELL, YEAH, I WOULD LOVE TO ATTEND.

UM, AND I KNOW THAT IT'S BUSY.

I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY DO IT ALL IN ONE, ONE, UH, MONTH.

BUT I WILL SAY THAT, UH, GOING INTO THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND AND THE FINAL DAYS OF SCHOOL, WE WILL PROBABLY NOT LOOK TO DO THE AWARD CEREMONY WITH THE MS WEEK NEXT YEAR JUST BECAUSE IT DOES LEND ITSELF TO, TO CONFLICT MM-HMM .

SO MM-HMM.

I I'M SURE IT'S, IT'S GREAT, UH, FOR CELEBRATION.

EVERYONE'S CELEBRATED OUT, SO THAT'S GREAT.

UM, IN TERMS OF THE AMBULANCE, AUTO AID, UM, I KNOW YOU SAID CLINICALLY IT'S VERY SIMILAR, SO I'M, I'M GUESSING YOU SAID YOU HAD SOME WORKING GROUPS WORKING IN, IN THOSE ASPECTS.

I GUESS THIS IS COUNTYWIDE VERSUS, UH, AFDS, UM, AUTO AID, WHICH IS GONNA LOOK A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY, RIGHT.

SINCE WILCO'S, THE WHOLE COUNTY, AND YOU ARE ALSO A WHOLE COUNTY MM-HMM .

UM, I'M WONDERING IN TERMS OF THAT, UH, LOSING MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT FOR A SECOND, BUT, UH, IT IT'LL COME BACK HERE IN A SECOND.

UM, FOR, FOR THAT, DOES WILL WILCO HAVE A EMT PARAMEDIC, UH, CREW NOW? OR IS IT, HOW DOES THAT INTEGRATE IN WITH Y'ALL'S? AND I, I KNOW YOU SAID THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SIMILARITIES BETWEEN YOUR, YOUR CLINICAL, UM, I'M FORGETTING MY TERMS, BUT, UM, IS THERE SIMILARITIES IN THE WAYS YOUR CREW MAKEUP IS NOW? BECAUSE I THINK WILCO USED TO BE DUAL MEDIC, RIGHT? THEY SWITCHED.

RIGHT.

SO I BELIEVE THAT WILCO IS STILL RUNNING THE DUAL PARAMEDIC.

AND I HAVE, I HAVE HEARD, I'VE NOT VERIFIED THIS, WE JUST STARTED THIS WORKING GROUP THAT THEY, THEY, THEY MAY HAVE SOME APPETITE TO CHANGE THAT UP A LITTLE BIT, BUT IT'S INTERESTING IN THAT WILCO AREA, WE, WE DO RUN, LIKE MY MEDIC 19 RUNS WITH ROUND ROCK IN JOLLYVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT SOMETIMES.

AND SO REALLY IT IS JUST NAVIGATING WHAT AMBULANCE GETS THERE AND WHAT THOSE PROTOCOLS LOOK LIKE.

IT'S GOING TO BE ON THE HIGHEST PRIORITY CALLS TO START OUT WITH.

AND SO THOSE PROTOCOLS ARE, ARE RELATIVELY DECENTLY STANDARDIZED, BUT WE'RE WORKING THROUGH THAT.

I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE.

UH, SOME OF THE ESDS USE THE LUCAS DEVICE, WHICH DOES AUTOMATIC CPR.

UH, WE DON'T, WE DO COMPRESSIONS, BUT WE DID ACTUALLY ADD THAT INTO OUR CLINICAL OPERATING GUIDELINES SO THAT NO MATTER WHO GETS ON SCENE, YOU HAVE THE OPTION IF THE, IF THE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT IS THERE, THEN YOU'RE ABLE TO USE IT EVEN IF YOU DON'T RETAIN IT OR YOU DON'T OWN IT, OR IT'S NOT ON YOUR AMBULANCE.

I, I'M INTERESTED TO SEE HOW THAT INTEGRATION WORKS.

I, I KNOW THAT'S GONNA BE A, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF PIECES THAT NEED TO BE FIGURED OUT.

SO, UM, I'M EXCITED THOUGH 'CAUSE I, I THINK IT IS A CAPACITY BUILDING OPPORTUNITY.

I'M SURE A FD APPRECIATES THEIR AUTO AID, UH, PARTNERSHIPS AS WELL.

SO THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UP, AND THANK YOU FOR WORKING THROUGH THAT.

I APPRECIATE IT.

I'M EXCITED TO SEE THAT WHAT THE MOST ADVANTAGEOUS THING FOR ME IS THAT IF YOU GET A LARGE INCIDENT IN THE NORTH, THEN OBVIOUSLY YOU CAN PULL FROM DIFFERENT JURISDICTIONS TO GET THE RIGHT NUMBER OF AMBULANCES THERE AND NOT STRIP CENTRAL AUSTIN OR SOUTH AUSTIN OR EAST OR WEST AUSTIN.

WE, WE DEFINITELY HAVE BEEN OPERATING IN SILO, AND I THINK THAT'S TRUE FOR MOST EMS AGENCIES, BUT THE TECHNOLOGY'S AT THE POINT THAT WE CAN DO THIS KIND OF SEAMLESSLY AND, AND WE'LL JUST HAVE TO KIND OF WORK THROUGH WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.

SO I'M EXCITED AS WELL.

UM, I JUST WANTED TO BRING UP THAT, I THINK AT A FUTURE MEETING, IT'S A SEPARATE AGENDA ITEM.

WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT ALTERNATIVE NON AMBULANCE RESPONSES.

YES, MA'AM.

CORRECT.

SO WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT THAT AT A LATER MEETING, UM, SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A, A, A MORE THOROUGH CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT.

BUT THANK YOU.

AND WITH THAT, UNLESS WE HAVE ANY OBJECTIONS, I'M ACTUALLY GONNA SKIP OVER OUR ITEM THREE CURRENT BYLAWS DISCUSSION AND BUMP IT TILL THE END IF WE HAVE TIME.

DO WE HAVE ANY OBJECTIONS TO THAT?

[00:30:02]

GONNA MOVE AHEAD TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR ON OUR AGENDA, WHICH IS THE DISCUSSION OF THE OFFICE OF THE CITY AUDITOR'S AUDIT AND REPORT OF APDS RECRUITING AND HIRING.

UM, IT'LL JUST GET EVERYBODY, IT'LL HELP GET US ON TRACK TIME-WISE.

UM, UM, WITH THAT WE'RE

[4. Discussion of the Office of the City Auditor’s audit and report of the Austin Police Department recruiting and hiring. Presentation by the Office of the City Auditor and Austin Police Department.]

UM, IF YOU GUYS COULD COME JOIN US AND INTRODUCE YOURSELVES.

THANK YOU AGAIN FOR BEING PATIENT WITH US.

NO PROBLEM.

UM, SO I'M CORY STOKES.

I'M THE CITY AUDITOR HERE IN AUSTIN.

THIS IS KATHY HARRISON, AND SHE, UH, WAS THE MANAGER ON THIS PROJECT.

AND WE'LL DO A, A QUICK PRESENTATION TO JUST KIND OF GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW OF THIS PROJECT.

AND I THINK IN THE BACKUP YOU'LL ALSO HAVE THE FULL REPORT, UM, AS WELL AS A COPY OF THE PRESENTATION.

SO, UM, IN THIS AUDIT, WE WERE, OUR OBJECTIVE WAS TO LOOK AT WHETHER A PD WAS EFFECTIVELY, EFFICIENTLY AND EQUITABLY.

LOTS OF WORDS THERE.

RECRUITING AND HIRING SWORN STAFF.

UM, OH, I GET TO CLICK FOR MYSELF TOO.

EXCELLENT.

UM, SO WE LOOKED AT THIS, UM, AUDIT IN PART BECAUSE OF STAFFING SHORTAGES.

YOU GUYS ARE, ARE WELL AWARE OF, UM, AMONG POLICE OFFICERS AND, AND THE DEPARTMENT'S, UM, KIND OF STRUGGLE TO ATTRACT ENOUGH, UM, OFFERS OR ENOUGH APPLICANTS TO FILL VACANCIES.

UH, AND THAT VACANCY RATE HAS CONTINUED TO INCREASE SINCE, UM, 2021, UM, AS YOU CAN KIND OF SEE HERE IN THIS PRETTY PICTURE.

UM, SO THROUGHOUT OUR AUDIT WE TALKED ABOUT, WE TALKED TO AP STAFF ABOUT A LOT OF DIFFERENT, UM, REASONS THAT, UM, COULD BE IMPACTING VACANCIES.

I THINK, UM, THE BEING OUT OF CONTRACT FOR A LONG PERIOD, UH, LOW PAY, A LACK OF COMMUNITY TRUST, UM, AS YOU KNOW, THAT THE CONTRACT ENDED IN MARCH, 2023.

NEW CONTRACT WAS SIGNED IN OCTOBER OF 2024.

AND THAT SOME OF THE PERIOD, UM, DURING WHICH WE WERE LOOKING KIND OF HEAVILY FOCUSED FOR THIS AUDIT.

UM, THE NEW CONTRACT, I THINK, UM, MAY HAS HAS SOME THINGS IN THERE THAT MAY HELP.

SO, UM, AS YOU GUYS KNOW THAT THE INCREASED PAY, UM, KIND OF GETTING US THAT MORE IN LINE WITH PEERS.

SO THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE SEE AS, UM, HELPFUL.

UM, BUT UH, HERE WE LOOKED AT KIND OF VARIOUS RECRUITING AND HIRING GOALS THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAD, THE STRATEGIES, THE EFFORTS THAT A PD WAS UNDERTAKING.

UM, BUT, UM, OUR RANGE WAS REALLY LOOKING, AGAIN, BACK AT THAT LOOKING HERE, WE WERE TRYING TO LOOK AT KIND OF 2020 THROUGH 2024, UM, AS WE WERE DOING OUR WORK.

SO WE HAD TWO FINDINGS, UM, AND AUDIT SPEAK.

SO FIRST FINDING REALLY TALKED ABOUT APDS RECRUITMENT STRATEGY, UM, AND, AND REALLY SAYING WE, WE DON'T THINK THAT THE STRATEGY ITSELF WAS EFFECTIVE.

AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHY IN ORDER TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF SWORN STAFF, WHICH IS WHAT WE THOUGHT THE, THE GOAL SHOULD BE.

SO MORE DETAIL ON THAT.

UM, JUST LOOKING AT BEST PRACTICES, SO THIS IS THE NERDY THING THAT AUDITORS GET TO DO.

IT'S GREAT.

UM, WE GET TO GO OUT AND SEE, OKAY, WHAT, WHAT SHOULD THIS LOOK LIKE IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS? OR WHAT DOES, UM, WHAT DO, UM, OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAVE DONE RESEARCH IN THIS AREA, WHAT DO THEY SAY WE SHOULD SEE IN A RECRUITMENT STRATEGY? AND SO THESE ARE THE THINGS, UM, LAID OUT HERE.

SO, UM, SHOULD HAVE A MEASURABLE, MEASURABLE OBJECTIVES, A DETAILED PLAN FOR HOW TO ACHIEVE THOSE OBJECTIVES AS THEY'RE WORKING THROUGH IT.

THEY SHOULD HAVE A PROCESS TO EVALUATE WHETHER OR NOT THEY'RE EFFECTIVE.

UM, AND THEN KIND OF IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, WE HAVE SOME TOOLS LIKE, UM, SOCIAL, SOCIAL MEDIA THAT WE COULD USE TO KIND OF BROADEN OUR REACH.

UM, AND THEN, AND THEN SPECIFICALLY RECRUITMENT ACTIVITIES, WHICH I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT.

SO, UM, WE DID, WE DID FIND THAT A PD HAS, OR WITH DOES NOT HAVE, SORRY, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT RECRUITMENT ACTIVITIES AND SPECIFICALLY TO ENG INCREASE THE DIVERSITY OF CADETS.

UM, SO THINGS LIKE HOSTING, RECRUITING EVENTS AND MILITARY INSTITUTIONS, UM, LOOKING AT HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES OR LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLS.

UM, SO THEY DO HAVE, SORRY, I SAID DO NOT, BUT I WAS TRYING TO SAY THEY DO HAVE THOSE, EXCUSE ME.

UM, AND, AND IN THOSE, IN THOSE WAYS, UM, THEY, THEY ALSO, THEY USE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO TRY TO BE PROACTIVE, UM, IN ADDITION TO C CREATING, UM, IDENTIFYING, UM, OR IDENTIFYING DIVERSITY IN THOSE EVENTS.

AND THEN ALSO FOCUSING ON WOMEN SPECIFICALLY AT THOSE EVENTS.

SO I SAY THAT'S HAPPENING, BUT IT DIDN'T FEEL KIND OF LIKE A FORMAL STRATEGY OR FORMAL PLAN TO ACHIEVE THAT.

AND NO MEASUREMENT, OR WE DIDN'T SEE MEASUREMENT, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE SET AN OBJECTIVE, WE'RE, WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS TOWARDS IT.

SO I THINK, UM, THAT'S THE FIRST FINDING, OVERALL SECOND FINDING, UM, REALLY LOOKED AT AT EXISTING RECRUITING PROGRAMS. AND WE CONCLUDED.

SO THE IDEA IS THAT, AGAIN, IN BEST PRACTICES THAT RECRUITING PIPELINES HELP YOU INCREASE INTEREST IN LAW ENFORCEMENT CAREERS.

AND THE, THE, THERE'S A, A MENTION, UM, IN THE 20 24, 20 29, A PD STRATEGIC PLAN ABOUT ENHANCING THOSE PIPELINES, BUT WE JUST DIDN'T REALLY SEE THAT.

UM, SO IDEA IS TO GIVE A SERIES OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOMEBODY TO LEARN ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT STARTING EARLY.

UM, SO

[00:35:01]

MAYBE, YOU KNOW, STARTING IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, HIGH SCHOOL, POST HIGH SCHOOL, UM, AND BASICALLY, UH, PROGRAMS THAT FEED INTO AND COORDINATE IT WITH EACH OTHER SO THAT AND FUTURE APPLICANTS WAY, FUTURE APPLICANTS, UH, GET DIRECT EXPERIENCE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THEY MIGHT BE IN INSPIRED TO JOIN THE DEPARTMENT.

WE JUST DIDN'T REALLY SEE THIS AT A PD.

AND, AND MORE SPECIFICALLY ON THAT, UM, UM, WE REALLY SAW ONE RECRUITMENT PROGRAM, UM, AT A PD, UM, SPECIFICALLY THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE PATHWAYS PROGRAM, WHICH SERVES HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGES IN AUSTIN.

UM, BUT WE DIDN'T SEE THE PROGRAM REALLY KIND OF CREATING THIS CONSISTENT PIPELINE OR ENGAGING WITH STUDENTS OVER TIME.

SO IT'S KIND OF MORE, MORE OF A ONE-OFF, I GUESS, A ONE-TIME GLIMPSE INTO LAW ENFORCEMENT.

UH, WE ALSO DIDN'T SEE, WE SAW OTHER, UM, ENTITIES THAT HAD, UH, AN APPRENTICE APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM OR AN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM, UM, TO PROVIDE INTERESTED ADULTS WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO GAUGE AND WORK WITH THE DEPARTMENT WITHOUT HAVING TO JOIN THE ACADEMY.

UM, AND SO WE JUST FELT LIKE THIS WAS ANOTHER AREA, UM, WHERE, WHERE MORE COULD BE DONE, UM, TO TRY TO CREATE THIS, THIS PIPELINE.

AND WE DID LEARN THAT A PD HAD HAD AN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM IN THE PAST AND WAS, UH, DISCONTINUED DUE TO STAFFING.

BUT I'D SAY OVERALL, THOSE ARE KIND OF OUR, OUR TWO BIG MESSAGES.

AND THEN THE RECOMMENDATIONS, WE HAD FOUR RECOMMENDATIONS.

UM, FIRST, NOT SURPRISINGLY IS CRAFT A, A KIND OF MORE EFFECTIVE RECRUITMENT STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN, MEASURABLE TARGETS, ALL THE STUFF WE TALKED ABOUT.

UM, THE SECOND ACTUALLY IS KIND OF SOMETHING WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT IN THE FINDINGS NECESSARILY, BUT IT'S REALLY ABOUT THE RELIABILITY OF RECRUITMENT DATA.

SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE WANTED TO DO WAS SEE LIKE, HOW ARE WE TRACKING WHO COMES IN AND WHAT HAPPENS TO THEM ALONG THE WAY? AND, UM, WHEN WE LOOK, WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT DATA, WE FELT LIKE IT WASN'T SUPER RELIABLE, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT WE AS AUDITORS REALLY WANT IT TO BE.

AND SO WE HAVE A RECOMMENDATION RELATED TO THAT.

UM, AND AND SPECIFICALLY TO, TO ADDRESS THOSE IS TO, TO UPDATE THEIR, THEIR STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES AND TRAIN STAFF TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY CAN BE MORE CONSISTENT OR THAT DATA GETS MORE CONSISTENTLY ENTERED SO THEY HAVE THAT INFORMATION WHEN THEY GO TO LOOK AT WHAT'S WORKING, WHAT'S NOT WORKING.

UM, THE THIRD ONE HAD TO DO WITH SOCIAL MEDIA, AS I MENTIONED, UM, COORDINATING WITH THE LARGER A PD SOCIAL MEDIA.

SO THERE'S A RECRUITING SOCIAL MEDIA PAGE, BUT THEN A LARGER A BD PAGE AND DOING SOME COORDINATION THERE TO HA GET A BROADER REACH.

THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT KIND OF HUGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE NUMBER OF FOLLOWERS OF JUST THE RECRUITING PAGE VERSUS THE WHOLE A PD PAGE.

NOT SURPRISINGLY, UH, THE LAST RECOMMENDATION IS ABOUT CREATING MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR APPLICANTS TO EXPLORE A CAREER.

SO THAT COULD BE AN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM OR APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM, UM, OR FILLING IN SOME OF THE GAPS OF THAT, UM, PIPELINE.

SO, UH, A PD AGREED WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS, AND THAT IS THE, THE SHORT VERSION OF OUR AUDIT.

SERGEANT NELSON, WERE YOU GUYS GONNA HAVE A FOLLOW UP PRESENTATION? I WASN'T, COULDN'T REMEMBER.

CHIEF HENDERSON, WERE WE GONNA HAVE A BRIEF PRESENTATION FROM YOU GUYS AS WELL OR? YES, MA'AM.

I HAVE A PRESENTATION READY TO GO.

OKAY, GREAT.

GREAT.

OH, AND SO DID WE WANNA TRANSITION TO THAT OR WERE THEY YEAH, I THINK SO.

LET'S GO AHEAD APR, SINCE THEY'RE ALREADY AT THE MICROPHONE OR OKAY, FINE.

EITHER WAY.

UM, ACTUALLY NO, I WOULD RATHER D DIVIDE UP THE PRESENTATIONS IF WE CAN GO AHEAD AND CONTINUE WITH RECRUITING, UM, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

MM-HMM .

UM, AND THEN WE'LL SWITCH BACK TO THE A LPR PROGRAM.

I DON'T THINK MY BRAIN CAN KEEP UP WITH THAT TODAY, SO, .

ALRIGHTY.

AND SO, GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE, CHIEF OF STAFF ROBIN HENDERSON FOR THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND JUST WANT TO PRESENT ON APDS RESPONSE TO THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE OF OUR RECRUITING PROGRAM.

SO, OF COURSE, WANNA THANK THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE FOR THE WORK THAT THEY, THEY DID, AND ALSO THANK, UH, MY TEAM OVER AT RECRUITING, UM, WORKED VERY COLLABORATIVE WITH EACH OTHER ON PUTTING TOGETHER THE, THE INFORMATION THAT WAS NEEDED FOR THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE TO, TO PUT THIS AUDIT TOGETHER.

SO IF WE CAN SWITCH TO NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

AND SO, JUST WANTED TO GO OVER JUST OUR CURRENT SWORN ALLOCATION.

SO WE'RE CURRENTLY ALLOCATED 1,816 AUTHORIZED OFFICER OR SWORN POSITIONS, AND AS OF MAY 28TH, 2025, WE CURRENTLY HAVE 332 VACANCIES.

AND THEN JUST SWORN SEPARATIONS OVER THE YEAR.

JUST WANTED TO KIND OF HIGHLIGHT THAT WE WERE ATTRITING OFFICERS AT A VERY HIGH RATE WHEN WE WERE OUT OF CONTRACT, BUT NOW THAT WE ARE BACK UNDER CONTRACT, THAT ATTRITION RATE HAS ESSENTIALLY SLOWED TREMENDOUSLY.

HAVE A DECREASE IN THE VACANCY RATE, BUT PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT'S BECAUSE THERE WAS 150 POSITIONS THAT WERE REMOVED FROM, FROM OUR STAFFING.

COOL.

AND THIS IS JUST A, ANOTHER BREAKDOWN OF OUR VACANCY RATE.

YOU WILL SEE A LITTLE BIT OF AN ANOMALY THERE WHEN WE START TO KIND OF

[00:40:01]

AND SO THAT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A ARTIFICIAL IN THAT YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER.

YOU'LL SEE WHERE THE ASTERISK ARE, WHERE THERE WAS A DOUBLE ASTERISK, WHERE THERE WAS A, UH, REDUCTION IN OUR PERS PERSONNEL.

UM, SO IT ADJUSTS OUR, OUR VACANCY TO A LOWER NUMBER.

SO IF WE WERE TO INCLUDE THOSE POSITIONS, IT WOULD BE, UM, HIGHER THAN WHAT IT REPRESENTS NOW.

JUST WANNA GIVE YOU A HIGHLIGHT OF OUR RECRUITING TEAM.

WE HAVE ONE COMMANDER AND ONE LIEUTENANT, TWO SERGEANTS 16 RECRUITING OFFICERS.

THEY ALSO DO BACKGROUND INVESTIGATORS.

AND THEN WE HAVE A SUPPORT STAFF OF ONE RECRUITMENT STAFF, AND THEN 11, UH, BACKGROUND INVESTIGATORS THAT ARE PART-TIME EMPLOYEES.

JUST WANNA TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE, I WOULD SAY, THINGS GOING ON WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION THAT CONTRIBUTED TO SOME OF THE OUTCOMES RELATED TO THE AUDITOR'S FINDINGS PRIMARILY IS THAT DURING THE EVALUATION PERIOD, WE HAD A PAUSE OF CADET CLASSES IN ADDITION TO, AS I MENTIONED, WE WERE OUT OF CONTRACT IN ADDITION TO OUR, UH, VERY HIGH ATTRITION RATE.

AND SO A COMBINATION OF THOSE THINGS AMONG OTHERS, UM, CONTRIBUTED TO SOME OF THOSE FINDINGS AS FAR AS AS, UM, HAVING TIME TO DEVOTE TOWARDS KEEPING UP CERTAIN PROGRAMS. THEY, THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE MENTIONED AN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM THAT WE WERE NO LONGER, UH, SUPPORTING.

THAT'S BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE THE PER PERSONNEL TO, TO DO THAT, UM, JUST BECAUSE OF OUR, OUR ATTRITION RATE.

UM, ALSO IT AFFECTED OUR ABILITY TO HIRE CANDIDATES WHEN WE ARE OUT OF CONTRACT BECAUSE WE HAVE TO STICK SOLELY TO, YOU MIGHT HEAR THE TERM TCO, THAT'S TO TEXAS COMMISSION ON LAW ENFORCEMENT HIRING REQUIREMENTS, MEANING WE CAN ONLY HOST ONE TEST THAT HAS TO BE TAKEN IN THE STATE OF TEXAS AT ONE TIME TO CREATE A HIRING LIST FOR CANDIDATES FOR A SINGLE CLASS.

AND THEN WE CANNOT OPEN A NEW CYCLE UNTIL EVERY PERSON WHO HAS PASSED THAT WRITTEN EXAM HAS MADE IT THROUGH THE VETTING PROCESS, GIVEN AN OFFER LETTER AND A CLASS STARTING.

SO YOU CAN SEE HOW THAT WOULD SERIOUSLY DELAY OUR ABILITY TO GET MORE RECRUITS OR CANDIDATES IN THE DOOR BECAUSE WE CAN'T OPEN UP THE DOORS UNTIL WE HAVE COMPLETELY CLOSED OUT A HIRING CYCLE.

SO NOW THAT WE'RE BACK UNDER CONTRACT, WE'RE, WE'RE IN A BETTER POSITION TO TO HIRE.

UH, NEXT SLIDE.

AND THIS IS JUST A RESPONSE.

UH, THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE HAD PREVIOUSLY PRESENTED THIS TO COUNSEL AND SO JUST WANTED TO INCLUDE THIS IN OUR REPORT OUT OF INFORMATION TO YOU.

UM, WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE INFORMATION OR THE TIME PERIOD IN WHICH THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE EVALUATED, JUST WANNA HIGHLIGHT THAT.

IT ALSO INCLUDED THE YEAR 2020 WHERE WE HAD THE PAUSE OF CADET CLASSES.

SO WE HAD QUITE A FEW CADETS DROP OUT OF THAT CLASS, ALTHOUGH THEY HAD ALREADY BEEN GIVEN OFFER LETTERS BECAUSE THERE WAS A PAUSE.

THAT CLASS WAS ESSENTIALLY DELAYED START FOR ABOUT A YEAR, JUST SHY OF A YEAR AND A HALF.

AND THEN THE PILOT ACADEMY THEN RESUMED, UM, NOT ALL THE PERSONS WHO HAD ORIGINALLY BEEN GIVEN OFFER LETTERS WERE STILL INTERESTED IN IN JOINING THE DEPARTMENT AT THAT TIME.

AND THAT STARTED JUNE OF 2021.

COUNSEL ALSO HAD A QUESTION RELATED TO FILMING CONTENT IN ORDER TO HELP WITH OUR RECRUITING EFFORTS.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID WANNA HIGHLIGHT IS THAT THERE IS NEW LEGISLATION THAT DOES NOT ALLOW A DEPARTMENT TO FILM LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR ENTERTAINMENT, UH, PURPOSES.

UH, YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD OF LIVE, UH, PD, ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

COPS WE'RE, WE'RE NO LONGER ABLE TO DO THAT.

NOW WE CAN FILM GENERIC CONTENT FOR RECRUITING PERSON VISITS ONLY, BUT IT CAN'T BE ON AN ACTUAL RESPONSE TO CALL FOR SERVICE WHERE WE'RE SHOWING ACTUAL MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY THAT WE ARE, UH, RESPONDING TO A CALL FOR SERVICE ON.

IT CAN JUST BE GENERAL INTERACTIONS LIKE AT A COMMUNITY EVENT, SOMETHING, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

AND THEN NEXT QUESTION THAT THEY HAD WAS RELATED TO A BOOST IN OUR APPLICATIONS AND WHETHER OR NOT WE HAD RECEIVED A BOOST IN THAT BASED ON THE OUTCOMES OR HAVING A NEW CONTRACT IN PLACE.

CAN Y'ALL HEAR ME OKAY? YES.

UH, ON THAT, IN THAT PROCESS.

ALRIGHT.

JUST WANNA, OKAY, GOOD.

AND SO JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT TO COUNSEL THAT YES, WE HAVE SHOWN AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS THAT WE'VE HAD EVER SINCE WE'VE HAD THE, UH, THE CONTRACT PASSED.

AND THAT'S FOR THE 155TH CADET CLASS IS GONNA BE THE FIRST CLASS THAT WE'RE HIRING UNDERNEATH THE NEW NEW CONTRACT.

AND WE HAD 89 MAKE IT THROUGH,

[00:45:01]

AND THEN JUST WANTED TO GO OVER THE, OUR RESPONSE TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND NEXT SLIDE.

SO, FOR RECOMMENDATION ONE, WE DID AGREE WITH SOME OF THEIR, THE FINDINGS THAT THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE HAD RELATED TO CREATING A DATA-DRIVEN RECRUITING MODEL.

AND IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE ARE GOING TO BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT BETTER ENGAGEMENT WITH OUR DIVERSE COMMUNITIES.

WHILE WE DO RECRUIT AT HBCUS, IN ADDITION TO, UH, MILITARY, WE'RE ALSO EXPANDING THAT TO, UH, WOMEN FOCUSED COL COLLEGES.

AND ALSO WORKING ON HAVING A MORE INVOLVED PROCESS WHEN IT COMES TO COLLEGES THAT HAVE A CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROGRAM OR CRIMINAL JUSTICE NEXUS THAT WILL ALSO BE INCLUDING THEM IN OUR ROTATION OF CAMPUSES THAT WE, WE VISIT ENHANCING OUR MARKETING CAMPAIGN.

IN ADDITION TO MAKING SURE THAT WHATEVER WE DO, WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE INTENTIONAL ABOUT RECRUITING QUALIFIED CANDIDATES AND THEN MAINTAINING THOSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH CANDIDATES, WHETHER OR NOT THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO, UH, COMPLETE THE APPLICATION PROCESS BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE APPROPRIATE PAPERWORK, OR EITHER THEY CAN'T, THERE'S A LIFE EVENT THAT HAPPENS THAT SOMEHOW SLOWS THEIR PROGRESS BECOMING INTEGRATED INTO A NEXT CLASS WHERE CREATING THOSE TOUCH POINTS TO WHERE RECRUITERS WILL CONTINUALLY MAINTAIN AND KEEP, KEEP CONTACT WITH THEM.

IN ADDITION, WE'RE PROVIDING DIFFERENT STRATEGIES TO HAVE DETAILED GOALS AND OBJECTIVES RELATED TO OUR HIRING CYCLES WHEN WE OPEN THEM, WHAT THOSE TOUCH POINTS ARE, WHERE WE HAVE GOOD ENGAGEMENT WITH OUR RECRUITERS, WHAT TYPE OF EVENT GARNER MORE BETTER QUALIFIED APPLICANTS, AND THEN MAKING SURE WE THEN INGEST THAT INTO OUR PROCESSES MOVING FORWARD.

TO BE FRUITFUL, UH, TO BE A PROGRAM THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT THE INTERN WOULD GAIN BENEFITS FROM, AND WE JUST DIDN'T HAVE THE PERSONNEL TO HELP SUPPORT THAT.

AND THEN WORKING ON SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM GOALS.

IN RESPONSE TO, UH, THIS RECOMMENDATION, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PROVIDE TRAINING AND GUIDANCE TO HELP MINIMIZE ANY KIND OF ENTRY ERRORS TO OUR RECRUITING PERSON PERSONNEL.

ONE THING THAT THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE MENTIONED RELATED TO DATA WAS THE TRACKING OF APPLICANTS, WHICH WE, WE DID NOTICE THAT DEPENDING ON WHEN THE TOUCHPOINT WAS WHERE A APPLICANT POSSIBLY DID NOT CONTINUE IN THE PROCESS, YOU WOULD HAVE TO GO TO THAT TOUCH POINT WHEN THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED, AS OPPOSED TO HAVING JUST A HOLISTIC DATA SET WHERE YOU COULD LOOK AT AND SAY, OH, THIS PERSON DROPPED OUT AT THIS POINT IN TIME, AND WE COULD LOOK AT IT AT ONE DATA SPREADSHEET AS OPPOSED TO HAVING TO GO INTO DIFFERENT DATA FORMS INDICATING WHERE SOMEBODY MIGHT HAVE, MIGHT HAVE DROPPED OUT.

SO, TRACKING, YES, WHEN A APPLICANT DID NOT CONTINUE IN THE PROCESS, BUT NOT A HOLISTIC PICTURE TO WHERE YOU CAN LOOK AT EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO APPLIED AND ON THAT ONE SHEET, YOU'D BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY, OH, THIS IS WHERE THE PERSON DROPPED OUT.

YOU WOULD PHYSICALLY HAVE TO GO BACK AND FIND THAT, FIND THAT TOUCH POINT WHEN THAT, WHEN THAT HAPPENED.

SO WE'VE ALSO UPDATED OUR STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE PROCESSES ARE IMPLEMENTED AND WILL REMAIN IN PLACE FOR CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS WHEN WE DO GET NEW PERSONNEL.

IN ADDITION, WE ARE WORKING ON HIRING A PROFESSIONAL TRAINED DATA ANALYST TO HELP WITH OUR DECISION MAKING PROCESS, HELP IDENTIFY ANY OTHER GAPS, AND HAVE AN APPROACH FROM AN EXPERTISE, UH, BACKGROUND TO HELP US WITH OUR, WITH OUR DATA PROCESSING RETENTION AND MAKING SURE WE HAVE CLEAN DATA.

NEXT SLIDE FOR RECOMMENDATION TWO.

UH, THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE ACTUALLY DID HAVE A, A GREAT SUGGESTION WITH THAT AS FAR AS SHARING OUR RECRUITING MATERIAL ACROSS ALL OF OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. SO OF COURSE, THE A PD PRIMARY ONE FOR THE DEPARTMENT, WE HAVE NOW INTEGRATED SHARING, SOCIAL MEDIA RECRUITING INFORMATION THERE IN ADDITION TO SOME OF OUR MORE POPULAR SITES, UM, SUCH AS THE ONE FOR THE A PD HELICOPTER IN ADDITION TO MOUNTED MOUNTED PATROL.

AND SO WE'RE FINDING VARIOUS TOUCHPOINT WITHIN OUR ORGANIZATION WITH OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS TO SHARE OUR RECRUITING EFFORTS IN ADDITION TO LINKEDIN, IN ADDITION TO, UM, FACEBOOK, SO SHARING ACROSS ALL PLATFORMS AS OPPOSED TO JUST SOLELY POSTING RECRUITING MATERIAL ON OUR RECRUITING, UH, WEBSITE AND OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. NEXT SLIDE.

AND THEN CREATING THAT PIPELINE.

UM, I MENTIONED THAT IN THE OPENING IN THAT WE DID HAVE A INTERNSHIP PROGRAM, HOWEVER, WE HAD TO PUT THAT ON PAUSE BECAUSE WE DID NOT HAVE PERSONNEL TO HELP SUPPORT THAT.

WE WANTED OUR INTERN PROGRAM

[00:50:01]

SO WHAT WE ARE FOCUSING ON RIGHT NOW, WE JUST GOT A GRANT WHERE WE WILL BE ENGAGING WITH 60 OF AUSTIN AREA YOUTH FROM THE AGE OF 16 TO 18.

WE WILL BE WORKING WITH THE AFRICAN AMERICAN YOUTH HARVEST FOUNDATION.

WE'LL ALSO BE WORKING WITH, UH, CHIQUITA, DR.

CHIQUITA EUGENE, WHO WORKS WITH THE YOUTH PROGRAMS FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

AND WITH THAT PROGRAM, WE ARE GONNA BE DEVELOPING A MODEL FOR RECRUITING AND MENTORING, AND THAT'S GONNA BE SOLELY FOCUSED WITH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS CREATING THAT PIPELINE THAT WE VERY MUCH, VERY MUCH NEED INTO OUR POLICING IN, IN GENERAL, BUT MORE SPECIFICALLY THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT.

AND WITH THAT PROGRAM, WE ARE ACTUALLY ENGAGING WITH THE YOUTH WHO ARE GONNA LITERALLY GIVE US THE, THEIR FEEDBACK, THEIR INSIGHT INTO WHAT THEY FIND ENGAGING, WHAT WOULD DRAW THEM TO WANT TO BE A PUBLIC SERVANT, AND WORK FOR THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT.

AND JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT IN OUR PRACTICES THAT WE ALWAYS DO AN EVALUATION OF WHETHER OR NOT IT IS FALLING IN LINE WITH I-A-C-P-M-C-C-A IN ADDITION TO PERF AND THE, AND THE DOJ.

SO WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING AT PROCESSES, HOW WE DO THINGS, AND ARE WE ALIGNED IN BEST PRACTICES? AND SO THE DOJ HAD A RECRUITING BLUEPRINT IN ADDITION TO THE MCCA WHITE PAPER, BOTH CITE THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT AS AN EXAMPLE OF MODERNIZING APPLICANT STANDARDS AND ALSO INNOVATIVE AD ADVERTISEMENT.

AND THEN ALSO WE FOLLOW FIVE OF THE PERF BEST PRACTICES AS FAR AS REEXAMINING OUR HIRING PROCESSES.

OF COURSE, WE HAVE A 30 BY 30 INITIATIVE THAT WE'RE JUST ABOUT TWO YEARS INTO.

IN ADDITION, HAVING A FASTER RECRUITING TIMELINE.

RIGHT NOW, THE TURNAROUND TIME FROM A VERY TOUCH POINT WHEN AN APPLICANT SUBMITS THEIR APPLICATION TO THE TIME TO WHERE THE APPLICANT IS FULLY VETTED IS ABOUT FOUR, FOUR MONTHS.

SO WE'VE, THAT'S A TREMENDOUS, YOU KNOW, COMPRESSION OF TIME THAT BEFORE IT WAS CLOSE TO A FIVE TO ALMOST SIX MONTH PROCESS.

IN ADDITION, WE'VE, I, LIKE I SPOKE TO ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA AND RECRUITING ACROSS ALL OF OUR PLATFORMS, WE'VE DONE THAT IN ADDITION TO WE'RE, WE'RE HAVING TARGETED MEDIA CAMPAIGNS, UM, BASED ON DATA ANALYTICS AS TO THIS IS THE BEST PLACE THAT YOU SHOULD POST AND THESE ARE THE BEST TIMES THAT YOU SHOULD POST.

ALSO, WE'VE UPDATED OUR HIRING STANDARDS, WHICH IS REFLECTIVE OF OUR AUSTIN COMMUNITY STANDARDS.

AND WE ALSO HAVE RECRUITING INCENTIVE.

WE WERE ABLE TO PARTNER WITH EAST TEXAS A AND M, AND ESSENTIALLY ONCE A RECRUIT IS HIRED AND MAKES IT OFF PROBATION, THEY'RE ABLE TO OBTAIN A BACHELOR'S DEGREE CENTRALLY FOR FREE THROUGH THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S TUITION REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM.

AND THEN, LIKE I SPOKE TO EARLIER, WE ARE WORKING ON THE YOUTH PROGRAM THAT WILL BE STARTING THIS SUMMER, ACTUALLY, I BELIEVE WE START THAT, THAT NEXT WEEK WHERE WE'RE ENGAGING WITH, UM, 60 YOUTH FROM THE AUSTIN AREA TO HELP ENGAGE AND CREATE THAT PIPELINE.

AND OF COURSE, WE'RE ALWAYS PRIORITIZING THE CADET EXPERIENCE, PROVIDING GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE RESPONSIVE AND FOLLOWING UP, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE FOLLOWING DATA-DRIVEN APPROACHES.

WE DON'T WANT TO PUT OUR EFFORTS THAT DON'T THEN YIELD THE APPLICANTS THAT WE EXPECT AS FAR AS REPRESENTING OUR DEPARTMENT WELL AND REPRESENTING THE CITY OF AUSTIN WELL.

AND THEN ALSO RESOURCE OPTIMIZATION.

WE HAVE TO BE EFFICIENT.

WE DON'T HAVE THE PERSON PERSONNEL TO WHERE WE CAN NOT BE AS FOCUSED AS WE CAN OR SHOULD BE WHEN IT COMES TO EFFICIENCY.

SO JUST FINDING RESOURCES FOR OPTIMIZATION OF EFFICIENCY.

WHO IS IS INTERESTED IN APPLYING, IT'S APD RECRUITING.ORG.

AND THEN JUST WANNA GIVE YOU A HIGHLIGHT OF SOME OF THE RECENT CLASS THAT GRADUATED OUR CURRENT CLASSES AND THEN UPCOMING CLASSES.

SO THE ONE 53RD CADET CLASS GRADUATED WITH 29 CADETS ON MARCH 7TH, AND THEY ARE CURRENTLY IN THEIR FIELD TRAINING PROGRAM.

THEN THE ONE 54TH CADET CLASS HAS 39 CADETS, AND THEY ARE SCHEDULED TO GRADUATE ON AUGUST 9TH.

AND THEN THE ONE 55TH CADET CLASS THEY JUST STARTED.

AND CURRENTLY WE HAVE 56 CADETS IN THAT CLASS.

AND THEN THE 1 56 CADET CLASS, THEY ARE CURRENTLY IN THEIR BACKGROUND INVESTIGATIONS, AND THEY WILL BE STARTING ON SEPTEMBER 8TH, THAT'S RIGHT ON THE HEELS OF THE ONE 54TH CADET CLASS THAT GRADUATES AUGUST 29TH.

AND WE ARE CURRENTLY HAVING OUR ONE 57TH HIRING CYCLE IS OPEN.

AND SO IF ANYONE

[00:55:01]

AGAIN, THAT'S APD RECRUITING.ORG AND THAT CURRENT CYCLE IS OPEN.

AND THAT CLASS WILL BE STARTING JANUARY OF 2026.

AND NEXT SLIDE.

AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE.

ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, CHIEF HENDERSON.

UM, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FROM ANYONE? IF I CAN GET THE COMMISSIONERS BACK ON SCREEN, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

UM, COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT, UM, I'M NOT SURE WHO CAN ANSWER THIS QUESTION, BUT I'M CURIOUS, I MEAN, ARE, ARE OFFICERS HIRED WHEN THEY GO INTO THE CADET ACADEMY OR ARE THEY HIRED WHEN THEY GRADUATE FROM THE CADET ACADEMY? YES, MA'AM.

AND SO THEY ARE HIRED WHEN THEY START A CADET CLASS.

HOWEVER, THEY ARE NOT SWORN PEACE OFFICERS AT THAT POINT.

SURE.

THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL THE CIVIL SERVICE REQUIREMENTS IN ADDITION TO THERE'S, THERE'S MANDATED, UH, MATERIAL THAT WE HAVE TO COVER AT THE FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL.

AND THEN OF COURSE, A PD POLICIES, UH, CITY ORDINANCES.

AND IT'S OVER THAT EIGHTH MONTH PERIOD OF TRAINING.

AND THEN AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE TRAINING, THEY WILL THEN BE GIVEN A, UH, CIVIL SERVICE EXAM.

THEN AT THAT POINT, ONCE THEY PASS THE CIVIL SERVICE EXAM, THAT'S WHEN THEY BECOME SWORN PEACE OFFICERS.

AND, AND THAT'S WHEN THE TITLE CHANGES FROM CADET TO POLICE OFFICER OR EITHER PROBATIONARY POLICE OFFICER.

RIGHT.

BUT WHEN, AND THAT'S WHEN THEY START THEIR FIELD TRAINING PROGRAM.

WHAT I MEAN IS WE'RE NOT HIRING CADETS, RIGHT? WE'RE HIRING PEACE OFFICERS.

I'M JUST CONFUSED ABOUT WHY THE AUDIT DIDN'T COVER THE ACADEMY.

UM, AND I'M PARTICULARLY CONFUSED ABOUT THAT BECAUSE THE ACADEMY HAS AN INCREDIBLY HIGH ATTRITION RATE AND WE HAVEN'T REALLY GOTTEN DECENT EXPLANATIONS FOR WHY THAT IS.

AND A INDEPENDENT SET OF EYES ON THE ACADEMY WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL.

YEAH, I, I CAN SPEAK TO THAT.

AS PART OF SCOPING THIS AUDIT, WE, WE HAVE TO IDENTIFY A SCOPE THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN, WE CAN TACKLE IN THE AMOUNT OF TIME WE HAVE.

SO IN THIS CASE, WE FELT LIKE IT WAS IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT HOW WE'RE GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE SYSTEM AND NOT NECESSARILY AT THE, UH, ONCE PEOPLE ARE IN THE SYSTEM.

THE OTHER REASON WE DIDN'T, WE DECIDED NOT TO AUDIT THAT RIGHT NOW.

WE HAD A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS ABOUT IT EARLY IN THIS AUDIT WAS REALLY BECAUSE OF ALL THE CHANGES AND, UM, THAT ARE BEING MADE AT THE ACADEMY, SO THAT ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED AT THE ACADEMY.

BUT I THINK IT'S A GREAT TOPIC FOR US TO COME BACK TO.

AND IT OR YES, UM, IT IS A GREAT TOPIC FOR US TO COME BACK TO AND DEFINITELY SOMETHING WE CAN, WE CAN TALK ABOUT PUTTING ON OUR AUDIT PLAN FOR FUTURE.

I'LL PIG YOU, I WILL PIGGYBACK ON, UM, ON COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT.

I THINK I BROUGHT THIS UP WHEN I TALKED TO THE, UM, AUDIT TEAM EARLY ON WHEN I FIRST SAID, UM, I THINK IT'S REALLY, UM, A DISSERVICE TO SEE IT'S, IT'S HELPFUL TO SEE THIS RECRUITING END TO SOME EXTENT, BUT THE, THE BIGGER ISSUE IS THE RETENTION.

UM, SURE.

AND, UM, ONCE WE GET THEM IN THE DOOR, UM, THAT'S WHEN THE INVESTMENT, UM, IN THE CADET ACTUALLY STARTS.

THAT'S WHEN THE CITY'S DOLLARS REALLY START TO GET SPENT.

UM, AND BEING ABLE TO HOLD ONTO THOSE CADETS ONCE THEY'VE ENTERED, UM, THE A PD ACADEMY'S DOOR I THINK IS POTENTIALLY EVEN MORE CRITICAL.

UM, I KNOW THAT THE PIPELINE IS IMPORTANT.

UM, BUT WITH THAT, I'LL, I HAD A QUESTION ABOUT JUST THE STAFF THAT TAKES CARE OF THE RECRUITING PROCESS.

UM, I SAW THAT IT WAS A COMMANDER, A LIEUTENANT, TWO SERGEANTS, AND THERE'S SOME OFFICERS.

WHAT KIND OF TURNOVER TURNOVER DO WE HAVE IN THAT DEPARTMENT? HOW LONG ON AVERAGE ARE THESE? UM, ARE THESE SWORN STAFF, UM, IN CHARGE? YES, MA'AM.

THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.

SO OUR STAFF THAT IS AT THE RECRUITING DEPARTMENT.

THEY HAVE A PRETTY GOOD RETENTION RATE THERE.

THERE IS NOT, UM, THAT MUCH TURNOVER WITH OUR RECRUITING PERSONNEL.

UM, THOSE THAT ARE THERE ARE VERY MOTIVATED.

THEY, UM, UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE JOB THAT THEY, THEY DO, THEY ARE SOUGHT OUT TO BE A PART OF THE RECRUITING TEAM.

AND SO THERE'S A OUT, I'LL BE ABLE TO GET YOU THE EXACT RE RETENTION NUMBERS, UM, ON, ON THAT, BUT HAPPY TO PROVIDE THAT TO YOU, BUT IT'S A PRETTY, PRETTY GOOD, UM, RATE OF LONGEVITY WHEN IT COMES TO THE RECRUITING POSITION.

I WAS HOPEFUL THAT YOU WERE GOING TO SAY THAT BECAUSE I THINK MY QUESTION IS A LEADING ONE, WHICH IS, UM, ARE, ARE THE COMMANDERS AND THE LIEUTENANTS THAT ARE OSTENSIBLY IN CHARGE OF MAKING DECISIONS TO CREATE THESE RECRUITING PIPELINES? ARE THEY PROVIDED WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO GET HUMAN RESOURCES CERTIFICATIONS SO THAT THEY CAN BE PROPERLY TRAINED ON RECRUITING AND HUMAN RESOURCES AND THE SKILL SETS THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE ENT, THEY'RE PEOPLE THAT GO TO COLLEGE TO DO THIS.

UM, ARE THEY GIVEN OPPORTUNITIES, UM, TO GET THAT KIND OF TRAINING? YEP.

YES, MA'AM.

THEY ARE.

AND WE LIAISON

[01:00:01]

WITH OUR HR DEPARTMENT WHEN IT COMES TO OUR HIRING PRACTICES, HOW WE VET THEM, UM, HOW WE, UH, POST MATERIAL, THE TYPE OF, UH, CONTENT THAT WE CREATE, ALSO THE TYPE OF TESTING THAT WE PROVIDE.

UM, HR IS, IS ALWAYS INVOLVED IN THAT, IN THAT PROCESS.

BECAUSE I THINK, UM, WHAT I SAW WHEN I SAW THE, THE AUDIT IS JUST RECRUITING IS A, IS A LONG, LONG TERM GAME.

UM, IT, IT REQUIRES SUSTAINABLE PLANS.

IT REQUIRES CONTINUITY PLANS.

UM, IT DOES.

AND, UM, AND, AND, AND IT CAN'T HAVE PLANS THAT A PD WALKS AWAY FROM BECAUSE THEY'RE SHORT 10 PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, UM, LIKE, IT, IT, IT'S SOMETHING THAT HAS TO CONTINUE EVEN IF WE SEE STAFFING SHORTAGES, BECAUSE THE STAFFING SHORTAGES NOW ONLY GET WORSE IF WE LET GO OF THE RECRUITING EFFORTS.

AND I GUESS I'M MOST, I'M MOST INTERESTED IN HEARING ABOUT, AND IT'S NOT AN ANSWER FOR RIGHT NOW, BUT AS YOU GUYS BUILD YOUR PLANS, I'M MOST INTERESTED IN HEARING ABOUT HOW YOU GUYS ARE BUILDING IN SUSTAINABILITY, CONTINUITY, AND WHAT SORT OF SAFEGUARDS YOU GUYS ARE GONNA HAVE IN PLACE, UM, TO CONTINUE.

YEAH, GO AHEAD, COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT.

SO, I, I THINK I, I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW RELATED THIS QUESTION WAS, BUT I HAD A RELATED QUESTION, UM, WHICH WAS, UH, WHY ON EARTH WE HAVE A POLICE LIEUTENANT, UM, AND A POLICE SERGEANT RUNNING A DEPARTMENT THAT LARGELY REQUIRES CIVILIAN SKILLS.

UM, WHY DON'T WE HAVE AN HR PROFESSIONAL AT THE TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN IN THIS DEPARTMENT? BECAUSE IT WOULD PROVIDE BOTH CONTINUITY AND MUCH MORE EXPERTISE.

YES, MA'AM.

SO THE HR, UH, DIRECTOR SITS IN FOR THE, FOR THE DEPARTMENT, OF COURSE, IT'S A, IT'S A DOTTED LINE TO, TO THE CITY.

BUT OUR HR DIRECTOR SITS IN ON ALL OF OUR EXECUTIVE STAFF MEETINGS, WHICH I HAVE A, I'M A PART OF AND ALSO ATTENDS OUR BI-WEEKLY COMMAND STAFF MEETINGS.

AND SO THE HR PERSONNEL ARE IN CLOSE CONTACT OR IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION AS TO OUR RECRUITING EFFORTS, WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON, AND HOW WE'RE, AND HOW WE'RE DOING THAT.

THEY, WE HAVE ESSENTIALLY WEEKLY MEETINGS WITH THE EXECUTIVE TEAM, BUT THEN BIWEEKLY MEETINGS WITH HR AND COMMANDERS AND LIEUTENANTS IN, IN THOSE CONVER CONVERSATIONS IN THOSE MEETINGS.

I GUESS I DON'T THINK THAT'S THE SAME THING.

SO, YOU KNOW, HR PARTICIPATES IN THE PROCESS, BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY HR DOESN'T RUN THE PROCESS OR, UM, WHY WE WOULDN'T HAVE AN HR PROFESSIONAL.

I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND THERE ARE ISSUES IN A PD THAT, UM, SWORN STAFF FREQUENTLY WON'T ACTUALLY ANSWER TO UNSWORN STAFF IN THE SENSE THAT THEY PERCEIVE A HIERARCHY THAT SWORN STAFF ARE NOT ACCOUNTABLE TO UNSWORN STAFF.

UM, BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU WOULDN'T HIRE A HR PROFESSIONAL TO RUN THIS DEPARTMENT AND NOT JUST HAVE SOMEONE WHO'S REALLY BUSY IN THE CITY SIT IN ON MEETINGS TO, LIKE, HEAR UPDATES, BECAUSE THAT'S NOT A POSITION OF AUTHORITY, AND IT'S ALSO NOT, NOT A CONSISTENT ROLE LIKE EVERY DAY.

DO WE HAVE, YES, I APPRECIATE, PLEASE NOTE THAT WE ARE VERY MUCH WANTING TO HAVE THE BEST HIRING PRACTICES, AND THE MORE OFFICERS THAT WE HAVE, WE KNOW THE BETTER THAT WE CAN SERVE OUR AUSTIN COMMUNITY.

AND WE KNOW THAT OUR STAFF IS CRITICALLY SHORT.

SO IF THERE'S ANYBODY THAT IS MOST MOTIVATED TO DO THE BEST JOB IN ORDER TO HIRE THE BEST APPLICANT, IT'S THE, IT'S THE MEN AND WOMEN OF OUR ORGANIZATION.

DO WE HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? I DO, BUT I'M AFRAID I'M GONNA, NO, I THINK WE'RE, I, WE, WE HAVE TO MOVE ON.

UM, WE HAVE, WE HAVE TO MOVE ON.

I, I, I DO HAVE ONE.

UH, PROGRAMS. OR IS THIS GONNA BE COMPLETELY FROM SCRATCH? UM, TAKING FEEDBACK FROM, UH, YOUNG ADULTS TO SEE, UM, UH, IF, IF ANOTHER NEW, INNOVATIVE, ENGAGING, UM, UH, PROGRAM COMES OUT OF IT, IF, DOES THAT, DOES THAT, IS THAT CLARITY ON THAT QUESTION? IT DOES.

UM, JUST, UH, THANK YOU.

UM, UH, CHIEF HENDERSON, UH, SO I KNOW RECOMMENDATION FOUR WAS TALKING ABOUT YOUTH ENGAGEMENT, UM, MM-HMM .

I, I GUESS THIS IS A LITTLE MORE, IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S A LITTLE MORE OF AN INNOVATIVE, UM, UH, PROCESS THAT YOU'RE TAKING WITH YOUNG ADULTS.

UM, SO ARE YOU IMAGINING WITH THAT, UH, FOURTH RECOMMENDATION THAT IT WOULD BE DIFFERENT THAN, LET'S SAY, UM, I CAN'T THINK OF THE, THE VERBIAGE, BUT WHAT IS COMING UP FOR ME RIGHT NOW IS CIVIL AIR PATROL, WHICH IS, I, I'M THINKING OF PAW PATROL RIGHT NOW FOR SOME REASON, BUT SOMETHING SIMILAR, SOMETHING SIMILAR TO, UM, UH, UH, CURRENT EXISTING, UH, YOUTH,

[01:05:01]

NO.

AND IT'S THE LATTER.

IT'S THE LATTER.

IT IS CREATING, IT IS ESSENTIALLY CREATING A, A PROGRAM THAT IS BASICALLY DIRECTED BY, BY YOUTH, AND IT IS A GRANT PROGRAM.

UM, WE ARE ONE OF THE FEW ORGANIZATIONS THAT WERE, UM, ACTUALLY RECEIVED THE GRANT.

SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S INNOVATIVE, SOMETHING THAT'S DIFFERENT TO WHERE WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO ENGAGE YOUTH TO HELP CREATE A YOUTH DRIVEN PRO PROGRAM.

THANK YOU FOR THAT.

I, I, I KNOW WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY.

NOW EXPLORE.

IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH FAULT.

NOW, THANK YOU EVERYBODY.

UM, I HATE TO CUT IT SHORT, BUT WE DO, I DO WANNA MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT AGENDA ITEM.

UM, I THINK, UM, UM, I DID NOT HAVE TIME TO PULL A RECOMMENDATION TOGETHER WITH REGARDS TO THE, UM, RECRUITING AUDIT, BUT, YOU KNOW, TO ECHO SOME OF WHAT, UM, UH, COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT SAID, I, I DO FEEL LIKE THERE IS ROOM FOR PROFESSIONALIZED STAFF TO HAVE HIGHER RANK, UM, WITH REGARDS TO RECRUITING, UM, TO CREATE A MORE EFFICIENT PROCESS, UM, AND, UH, WITHOUT, UM, UM, DEPLETING, UM, PATROL AND, UM, AND, AND TAKING VALUABLE, UM, A PD TIME.

SO, UM, WE'LL SEE IF WE HAVE TIME TO REVISIT THAT NEXT MONTH.

BUT, UM, FOR

[5. Discussion of the Office of the City Auditor’s audit and report of automated license plate reader program. Presentation by the Office of the City Auditor and Austin Police Department.]

UM, WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT AUDIT.

WE ARE GOING TO ITEM NUMBER FIVE, WHERE WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT THE AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READER PROGRAM.

THANK YOU ALL.

ALL RIGHT.

I AM STILL CORY STOKES CITY AUDITOR.

UM, AND I HAVE WITH ME HERE, UM, JACOB PERRY, WHO LED THE AUDIT AND NEHA SHARMA WHO MANAGED THE AUDIT.

AND JAKE IS GONNA TALK TO YOU ABOUT THAT.

AND HERE HE CAN HAVE A CLICKER.

IDENTIFIED AUDIT ITEMS IN THE COUNCIL RESOLUTION AND TO EVALUATE A P RISK MANAGEMENT'S AUDIT PROCESS.

CAN EVERYBODY HEAR ME? OKAY? AWESOME.

WELL, GOOD MORNING.

OR ACTUALLY GOOD LATE AFTERNOON, .

UH, MY NAME IS JAKE PERRY.

UM, I'M THE AUDITOR IN CHARGE FOR THIS PROJECT.

UM, BEFORE WE GET INTO DISCUSSING OUR WORK IN TOO MUCH DETAIL, I WANT TO THANK A PD, UH, ESPECIALLY A PD RISK MANAGEMENT FOR BEING VERY HELPFUL AND COOPERATIVE THROUGHOUT THIS PROJECT.

UH, SO THIS AUDIT WAS COUNSEL REQUESTED TO ASSESS THE SPECIFIED AUDIT ITEMS, AND WAS REQUIRED TO BE PRESENTED AT THE END OF THE PROGRAM'S TRIAL PERIOD.

SO, AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READER TECHNOLOGY, OR A LPR IS A SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM THAT OPERATES BY SCANNING LICENSE PLATES AND TRAFFIC.

THE SYSTEM COMPARES THOSE SCANS TO IDENTIFIED HOT LISTS AND PUSHES AN ALERT IF ONE OF THE SCANNED PLATES MATCHES A PLATE ATTACHED TO A WARRANT OR ACTIVE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION.

A LPR ALSO TAKES A PHOTO OF THE VEHICLE AND STORES DATA SUCH AS THE VEHICLE MAKE, MODEL, COLOR, AND LOCATION.

SO, AUSTIN PREVIOUSLY HAD AN A LPR PROGRAM, BUT IT WAS DISCONTINUED IN 2020.

IN SEPTEMBER OF 2022, A COUNCIL RESOLUTION GRANTED A PD PERMISSION TO BEGIN EXPLORING A NEW A LPR PROGRAM, STARTING WITH A ONE YEAR TRIAL PERIOD.

THE PARAMETERS OF THE PROGRAM, INCLUDING A REDUCTION IN THE DATA RETENTION PERIOD, WERE FURTHER DEVELOPED IN COLLABORATION BETWEEN A PD, THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT COUNSEL, AND OTHER PARTNERS THROUGHOUT 2023.

EVENTUALLY, A PD PURCHASED THE A-L-P-A-L-P-R TECHNOLOGY AND BEGAN THE TRIAL PERIOD IN MARCH, 2024.

A PD INITIALLY PURCHASED 40 FIXED LOCATION CAMERAS IN CONJUNCTION WITH FLOCK SAFETY.

HALFWAY THROUGH THE TRIAL PERIOD, A PD ACTIVATED AN ADDITIONAL 200 PLUS VEHICLE MOUNTED CAMERAS FROM AXON ENTERPRISE SCANS FROM BOTH SYSTEMS AXON AND FLOCK FLOW INTO FLOCKS DASHBOARD, WHICH IS SEARCHABLE BY OFFICERS.

AND AS OF THIS REPORT, THERE ARE NOW UP TO AROUND 500 AXON CAMERAS.

CURRENTLY, A PD RISK MANAGEMENT CONDUCTS QUARTERLY AUDITS OF THE PROGRAM, WHICH ARE INCLUSIVE OF ALL OF OUR RESOLUTION, DATED RESOLUTION MANDATED AUDIT ITEMS, AS WELL AS SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

THE TRIAL PERIOD ENDED IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR, AND COUNCIL WILL SOON DECIDE ON WHETHER TO CONTINUE THE PROGRAM.

SO THIS AUDIT SPECIFICALLY WAS CALLED FOR BY THE SAME COUNCIL RESOLUTION THAT ALLOWED A PD TO BEGIN THEIR TRIAL PERIOD.

OUR PROJECT REPORT COVERS THE FIRST THREE QUARTERS OF THE TRIAL PERIOD, RANGING FROM LATE MAY OR LATE MARCH, 2024 TO DECEMBER, 2024.

HOWEVER, HOWEVER, COUNSEL REQUESTS THAT WE VERIFY THE FOURTH A PD RISK MANAGEMENT AUDIT AS WELL, WHICH WE RECEIVED ON MAY 21ST, 2025.

UM, SO WE'VE INCLUDED THE NUMBERS FROM THAT, UH, AUDIT AS WELL.

UM, SO ALL FOUR QUARTERS, UH, NUMBERS ARE IN THIS PRESENTATION.

UM, SO THIS PROJECT HAD THREE PRIMARY OBJECTIVES.

ONE WAS TO RESPOND TO THE EIGHT

[01:10:01]

TWO WAS TO COMPARE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CITY'S A LPR PROGRAM WITH PEER POLICE DEPARTMENTS, AND THREE, WAS TO MONITOR FOR ANY ADDITIONAL HIGH LEVEL RISKS IN THE PROGRAM.

OUR AUDIT ENDED UP WITH TWO FINDINGS, ONE RECOMMENDATION, AND ONE ADDITIONAL OBSERVATION.

SO OUR FIRST FINDING WAS THAT A PD RISK MANAGEMENT'S QUARTERLY AUDITS GENERALLY COMPLIED WITH POLICY REQUIREMENTS, BUT COULD BE IMPROVED WITH GREATER FORMALIZATION AND SCHEDULING.

SO THIS TABLE HAS SOME OF THE KEY DATA FOR THE RESOLUTION SPECIFIED REQUIREMENTS, UM, AS WELL AS SOME ISSUES WE NOTED IN APDS AUDIT PROCESS.

UM, WE FOUND THAT THERE ARE ABOUT 117 MILLION LICENSE PLATE SCANS OVER THE COURSE OF THE ENTIRE TRIAL PERIOD.

UM, WE WANNA CAVEAT THAT, THAT WE CANNOT VERIFY THE EXACT NUMBER, UM, BECAUSE THERE WERE, UH, SOME DATA GAPS IN APDS METADATA.

THESE GAPS HAPPENED BECAUSE OF SOME LACK OF UNDERSTANDING ABOUT HOW THE SYSTEM WORKED, UM, AS WELL AS STAFF NOT PULLING DATA ON TIME.

ADDITIONALLY, FOR PROGRAM OUTCOMES, WE FOUND THAT THERE WERE APPROXIMATELY 133 PROSECUTIONS IN THE FIRST THREE QUARTERS.

NOTE THAT THE FOURTH QUARTER IS NOT YET AVAILABLE.

WE ALSO FOUND THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SIX INSTANCES OF DATA SHARING IN THE ENTIRE TRIAL PERIOD.

UM, INITIALLY, A PD RISK MANAGEMENT WAS NOT AWARE OF THESE DATA SHARING INSTANCES UNTIL LATE IN OUR OWN AUDIT REPORTING PERIOD.

WE ALSO FOUND THAT IN QUARTER FOUR, THERE WERE THREE UNJUSTIFIED STOPS.

THIS MEANS THAT SOMEONE WAS PULLED OVER FOR A NON RESOLUTION SANCTIONED REASON.

IN ALL THREE CASES, SOMEONE WAS STOPPED AND ARRESTED FOR A CLASS B MISDEMEANOR CHARGE THAT WAS NOT COVERED BY THE RESOLUTION OR BY THE GENERAL ORDER.

THERE WERE ZERO INCORRECT OR UNJUSTIFIED STOPS IN THE FIRST THREE QUARTERS.

UH, A PD RESPONDED TO THESE ERRORS BY INFORMING THE ARRESTING OFFICERS CHAIN OF COMMAND AND REEMPHASIZING TRAINING TO A LPR USERS.

WE VERIFIED THIS INFORMATION BY ASSESSING ALL 391 ATTEMPTED STOPS MADE DURING THE TRIAL PERIOD.

SO IN ADDITION TO REPORTING THE RESOLUTION REQUIRED ITEMS, WE ALSO EVALUATED A PD RISK MANAGEMENT'S AUDIT PROCESS AND IDENTIFIED SOME KEY AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT.

WE OBSERVED THAT THE PERSONNEL INVOLVED IN AD'S A LPR AUDIT PROCESS DID NOT APPEAR TO HAVE CLEARLY DEFINED ROLES OR RESPONSIBILITIES.

LOTS OF THE AUDIT WORK WAS DONE BY NEED OR INTEREST, WHICH COULD LEAD TO CONTINUITY ISSUES IF THERE ARE STAFFING CHANGES.

ADDITIONALLY, A P RISK MANAGEMENT ALSO CONDUCTED REVIEWS OF OFFICERS COMPLIANCE WITH A LPR POLICY.

SOMETIMES OFFICERS ENTERED UNCLEAR OR INVALID REASONS FOR USING A LPR, WHICH WOULD NOT BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH RESOLUTION OR GENERAL ORDER REQUIREMENTS.

WE FOUND THAT THOSE USER COMPLIANCE REVIEWS BY A PD RISK MANAGEMENT DID NOT FOLLOW, UH, A SPECIFIC OR CONSISTENT SCHEDULE.

AND THROUGHOUT THIS PROJECT, WE HEARD THE A PD WAS IN COMMUNICATION WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS, SUCH AS THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT OR THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION.

UM, BUT REPORTING AUDITS WAS NOT A REQUIREMENT.

UM, AND AS SUCH, APDS INTERACTIONS WITH THOSE STAKEHOLDERS WAS IRREGULAR.

AND THAT LEADS INTO OUR FIRST RECOMMENDATION, UM, WHICH PERTAINS TO AD'S A LPR AUDIT PROCESS.

WE RECOMMEND THE A PD CONTINUE CONDUCTING REGULAR AUDITS OF THEIR A LPR PROGRAM WHILE STREAMLINING THEIR PROCESS.

AS MENTIONED, A PD RISK MANAGEMENT DID NOT ALWAYS PULL THEIR METADATA IN TIME TO BE COMPLETE.

WE RECOMMEND THE A PD ATTEMPT TO AUTOMATE THEIR DATA POOLS AND REQUESTS FOR PROJECT OUTCOMES.

AND TO AUTOMATE THE ANONYMIZATION OF METADATA, A PD RISK MANAGEMENT SHOULD ESTABLISH AND ADHERE TO A WRITTEN AND CONSISTENT SCHEDULE.

WE ALSO RECOMMEND THAT A PD CLEARLY DEFINE STAFF ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES WHILE DOCUMENTING AUDIT PROCEDURES, SO THAT AUDIT QUALITY AND REGULARITY IS NOT INTERRUPTED.

IF THERE ARE ANY STAFFING CHANGES, UH, A PD SHOULD ALSO FORMALIZE THEIR REVIEWS OF USER COMPLIANCE TO ENSURE THAT UNIT, THAT RESOLUTION AND POLICY REQUIREMENTS ARE BEING MET.

LASTLY, A APG SHOULD WORK WITH RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS TO REPORT THEIR AUDIT RESULTS CONSISTENTLY.

AND ON A SPECIFIED TIMELINE FOR FINDING TWO, WE FOUND THAT APDS A LPR PROGRAM IS GENERALLY ALIGNED WITH PEER PROGRAMS. FOR THIS FINDING, WE ASSESS THE PEER, THE A LPR PROGRAMS OF SIX PEER CITIES, INCLUDING DALLAS, FORT WORTH, HOUSTON, SAN ANTONIO, MINNEAPOLIS, AND SEATTLE.

OVERALL, OUR PROGRAM IS CONSISTENT OR MORE ROBUST THAN PEER PROGRAMS. STRUCTURALLY, OUR PROGRAMS ARE VERY SIMILAR, AND WE HAVE SIMILAR MODES OF A LPR GOVERNANCE.

OUR A LPR TRAINING AND AUDITS WERE MORE FREQUENT THAN PEERS.

AUSTIN WAS THE ONLY CITY THAT HAD ANNUAL A LPR TRAINING.

AUSTIN AUTO HAD.

THE AUSTIN ALSO HAD THE MOST FREQUENT AUDITS OF ANY PROGRAM AT A QUARTERLY INTERVAL.

AND WE HAD THE SHORTEST ASSESSED DATA RETENTION PERIOD AT SEVEN DAYS.

WE ASSESSED PEER CITY PRACTICES BASED ON GUIDANCE FROM THE MAJOR CITY CHIEFS ASSOCIATION.

ADDITIONALLY, OUR CONTRACT HAD ONE ADDITIONAL OBSERVATION.

UM, AS PART OF THIS, WE REVIEWED THE CITY'S CONTRACT WITH FLUX SAFETY, THE VENDOR WHO DEPLOYED THE MOUNTED CAMERAS AND IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CLOUD SH UH, THE CLOUD SYSTEM FOR POSSIBLE DATA SHARING RISKS.

WE FOUND THAT THE CONTRACT INCLUDED LANGUAGE THAT WAS VAGUE AND POSSIBLY EXPANSIVE.

[01:15:02]

SOME LANGUAGE APPEARS TO ALLOW FLOCK TO RETAIN ANONYMIZED METADATA INDEFINITELY AND SHARE ANONYMIZED METADATA WITH OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT ENTITIES.

THEORETICALLY, IF THE DATA WAS TRULY ANONYMIZED, THERE WOULDN'T BE A RISK.

UH, BUT THE CONTRACT DOES NOT SPECIFY WHAT COUNTS AS ANONYMIZED DATA.

THERE'S NO DEFINITION FOR ANONYMIZATION EXPLANATION FOR WHAT DATA METADATA WOULD BE RETAINED OR DEFINITION FOR PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION.

AS SUCH, LUCK THEORETICALLY KEEP INFORMATION SUCH AS LICENSE PLATE NUMBERS AND PHOTOS OF VEHICLES IN THEIR LOCATIONS.

THE DATA COULD THEN BE SHARED WITH FEDERAL, STATE, OR OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IF LEGALLY REQUIRED.

UM, AND TO BE CLEAR, WE DIDN'T OBSERVE ANY INSTANCES OF THIS HAPPENING.

UM, HOWEVER, IT IS THEORETICALLY POSSIBLE IF THE CONTRACT LANGUAGE IS NOT BROUGHT INTO ALIGNMENT WITH THE RESOLUTION.

UM, AS IT STANDS, THE RESOLUTION EXPLICITLY PROTECTS FREE SPEECH ACTIVITIES, ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE CARE, IMMIGRATION STATUS, AND CERTAIN KINDS OF CRIMES FROM BEING USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH A LPR.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY, AND WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.

SO, WITH THAT, I THINK, UM, I AM GONNA GO AHEAD AND JUST OPEN THE FLOOR TO QUESTIONS.

COMMISSIONER SMITH, I YES, I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS.

UM, SO I CAN JUST TAKE 'EM ONE AT A TIME, OR I CAN SAY ONE, AND WE THAT'S FAIR, OPEN TO SPEAK TO OTHERS.

UM, BUT I KNOW FOR SURE I'D LIKE TO KNOW, UH, ABOUT ANY DATA POINTS RELATED TO, UH, GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION, UM, OF THE LICENSE PLATE READERS AND FURTHER DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION RELATED TO THOSE THAT WERE QUOTE UNQUOTE ADDRESSED BY AND THROUGH, UH, THE LICENSE PLATES READERS, DO WE HAVE THAT DATA? DO WE COLLECT THAT DATA? AND WHERE CAN WE FIND THAT DATA? SO, SO THERE'S A BIT OF NUANCE THERE.

UM, THE RESOLUTION THAT CALLED FOR OUR AUDIT SPECIFICALLY, UM, PREVENTS US FROM DISCLOSING OR DISCUSSING THE LOCATION THAT IT'S WRITTEN IN, THE RESOLUTION.

UM, BUT I BELIEVE, UH, RISK MANAGEMENT AUDITS INCLUDE DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION AND I THINK, UM, ARREST LOCATIONS BY COUNCIL MEMBER SECTOR.

I'LL HAND IT OVER TO YOU.

UH, SERGEANT LEE ANNOUNCED, UH, WITH THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT TO ADDRESS YOUR QUESTION, MA'AM.

UM, THE, UH, GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF, UM, THE QUESTION IS IN REFERENCE TO STOPS OR CAMERAS, UM, CAMERAS, ONCE AGAIN, AS MR. PERRY STATED, UM, THOSE, UH, THE, THE RESOLUTION SPECIFICALLY PROHIBITS DISCLOSING THOSE, UM, THEY WERE, UM, CHOSEN GEOGRAPHICALLY TO BE SPREAD OUT THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

WE, UM, SPECIFICALLY DID NOT, UM, TARGET A SPECIFIC AREA OR A HIGH CRIME AREA IN CERTAIN CASES, UM, LIKE SOME OTHER DEPARTMENTS MIGHT.

UM, WE GEOGRAPHICALLY DISTRIBUTED THEM E UM, RELATIVELY EVENLY.

UM, AND THEN, UM, UH, THE, UH, VEHICLE RELATED, UH, UM, MOUNTED CAMERAS ARE JUST ON PATROL VEHICLES.

SO AS PATROL VEHICLES, THE OLD TECHNOLOGY IS, UM, SUNSETTED AWAY AND A NEW CAR ROLLS ON THE LINE.

UM, THOSE, UM, THOSE CARS ARE, HAVE CAMERAS CAPABLE OF AUTOMATIC AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READER TECHNOLOGY.

IF YOU HAD A SECOND QUESTION, COMMISSIONER SMITH, UH, I HAVE A FOLLOW UP TO THAT.

WHO, IN RELATION TO CHECKS AND BALANCES, IF I'M GONNA BE FRANK, WHO VERIFIES THE INFORMATION YOU JUST TOLD ME THAT IT IS NOT BEING TARGETED, THAT THEY ARE SPREAD EQUALLY.

WHO, WHO IS THE DECIDING FACTOR IN THAT, OR WHO CHECKS OVER THAT ASSURANCE? WOULD THAT BE INFORMATION THAT YOU WOULD GIVE TO AT LEAST OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS? THE CAMERAS, THE 40 FIX CAMERAS HAVE, HAVE NOT MOVED THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE, THE PROJECT.

UM, AND SO, UM, THOSE, THE LOCATION OF THOSE CAMERAS, UM, IS STATIC.

UM, THERE'S NO, NO, NO PLAN AT THIS TIME TO MOVE THOSE AROUND.

UM, AND THEN THE VEHICLE BASED CAMERAS, THEY'RE JUST GOING, YOU KNOW, AS CALLS, 9 1 1 CALLS ARE GENERATED AND, UH, THEY MOVE AROUND THE CITY.

SO, UM, AS FAR AS DISCLOSING THAT INFORMATION, THAT'S, UH, A QUESTION I'D HAVE TO DEFER TO OUR EXECUTIVE STAFF, UM, IN REFERENCE TO, UM, RELEASING THOSE, THE CAMERA LOCATIONS TO COUNCIL, UM, BECAUSE ESPECIALLY 'CAUSE THE, OUR COUNCIL RESOLUTION, YOU KNOW, THE RESOLUTION DOESN'T ALLOW US TO, TO, UH, DISCLOSE THOSE.

CAN I GET SOME TYPE OF FEEDBACK? I KNOW THE COUNCIL IS TAKING THIS UP THIS WEEK.

SO IS THERE, AND I KNOW MIKE, THE PERSON WHO APPOINTED ME, IS PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN DEMOGRAPHIC DATA AND GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION DATA, JUST TO AGAIN, ASSURE THAT WE ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING, HOW WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING IT, AND THEN REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY WHO IS ALSO CONCERNED.

UM, SO IS THERE ANY WAY I CAN GET ANY VERIFICATION

[01:20:01]

FROM YOUR EXECUTIVE STAFF IN WRITING ONE WAY OR THE OTHER? UM, JUST SO THAT MY, THAT COUNCIL MEMBER CAN PREPARE ACCORDINGLY FOR THE MEETINGS AHEAD? SURE.

I'LL, UH, I'LL ASK MY EXECUTIVE STAFF TEAM TO, UM, RELAY, UH, THE PERTINENT INFORMATION THAT CAN BE DISCLOSED.

UM, THE DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION, UM, IS SOMETHING I SKIPPED OVER ON YOUR PRIOR QUESTION, I APOLOGIZE.

UM, THAT INFORMATION ON, UM, STOPS, DETENTIONS, ARRESTS, UM, RELATE DIRECTLY RELATED TO DIRECT FILE ARRESTS AND INCIDENTS.

UH, OFFICER SEES A CAR ON THE STREET, STOPS THAT CAR, UM, RELATED TO A LPR, THAT INFORMATION IS AGGREGATED, UM, UH, RACE AND, UH, SEX OF THE, UH, DRIVER AS WELL AS, UH, RACE AND SEX OF THE VICTIM OF THE VARIOUS CRIMES INVOLVED IN THOSE STOPS.

UM, AND THAT INFORMATION IS PROVIDED IN EACH OF OUR QUARTERLY AUDITS.

UM, AND THAT'S INFORMATION, UM, THAT COULD BE SHARED, UM, WITH YOUR OFFICE AS WELL.

WHERE ALL OF OUR DATA HAS GONE.

DO WE HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? UM, I HAVE SOME, BUT IF, OKAY.

UM, I THINK, UM, SO I'M ALARMED BY THE, I THINK FOR ME, THERE WERE OBVIOUSLY IN THE AUDIT, YOU KNOW, SOME THINGS THAT A PG COULD IMPROVE WITH REGARDS TO PROCESS AND AUDITING AND RISK MANAGEMENT.

UM, THERE ARE DEFINITELY SOME PROCESS THINGS THAT CAN BE IMPROVED HERE.

UM, BUT I THINK TO ME, UM, IN THIS AUDIT, THE BIG RED FLAG WAS OUR, OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH OUR VENDORS, UM, AND HOW LITTLE CONTROL WE HAVE OVER, UM, WHAT OUR VENDORS DO WITH THE CITY'S DATA.

EVEN AS, UM, THE RESOLUTIONS THAT ALLOWED THIS TRIAL VERY, VERY STRICTLY, UM, LAID OUT WHAT COULD AND COULD NOT HAPPEN.

UM, FROM WHAT I GATHER, AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THIS MORE AS WE, UM, TALK ABOUT THE RECOMMENDATION, UM, YOU KNOW, FLOCK SAFETY, UM, IS DEVELOPING, YOU KNOW, A AI PROGRAMS AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS THAT WERE AGREED TO, UM, DO NOT BAR, UM, ANY OF THE DATA THAT WAS COLLECTED, UM, FROM BEING FED STRAIGHT INTO AI.

UM, AND THEN NOW, UM, THAT, THAT, THAT MACHINE, THAT, THAT AI'S BRAIN HOLDS ALL OF OUR INFORMATION FROM NOW UNTIL FOREVER, UM, IT'S, IT'S PART OF ITS LEARNED, UM, BEHAVIOR.

UM, AND THAT'S DEEPLY PROBLEMATIC, UM, BECAUSE THE INTENTION WAS FOR IT TO BE THERE FOR SEVEN DAYS TEMPORARILY, AND THEN BE FOREVER DISAPPEARED.

UM, AND THOSE ARE DISPARATELY DIFFERENT SITUATIONS.

UM, AND SO I THINK MY QUESTION IS TO CHIEF HENDERSON AND, AND SERGEANT NAUS, UM, HOW, UM, CAN, IF A PD CAN ACTUALLY ASCERTAIN WHERE CITIZENS' DATA HAS GONE OVER THIS TRIAL PERIOD? I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION.

I UNDERSTAND THE CONCERN.

UM, CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, OUR CITIZENS, UM, YOU KNOW, PRIVACY IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US, UM, AS AN AGENCY.

UM, WE HAVE HAD ONGOING DISCUSSIONS WITH FLOCK TO TRY TO, UH, AT THE SUGGESTION OF THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE, AND WE APPRECIATE THAT OBSERVATION.

WE ARE, UM, HAVING DISCUSSIONS ABOUT WHAT THAT CONTRACT LANGUAGE NEEDS TO LOOK LIKE, UM, WHAT DATA IS RETAINED AND IN WHAT FORM.

UM, AND SO THOSE ARE, UM, THOSE ARE, HAVE BEEN VERY ACTIVE IN AN ONGOING CONVERSATIONS, UM, THAT HAVE BEEN HAPPENING OVER THE LAST, UM, FEW WEEKS.

AS THIS CON CONCERN HAS BECOME MORE AND MORE TO LIGHT, I THINK, UM, CHIEF ASKEY WILL BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THAT QUESTION MORE SPECIFICALLY, UM, AS HE'S BEEN IN, UH, THE ROOM FOR THOSE CONVERSATIONS, UM, TOMORROW DURING THE WORK SESSION OR, OR DURING, UH, FULL COUNSEL ON THURSDAY.

UM, AND SO DURING WORK SESSION TOMORROW AND DURING COUNCIL MEETING, SOMEONE WILL BE ABLE TO SPEAK TO WHERE OUR DATA HAS BEEN SHARED AND WHAT OUTSIDE AGENCIES HAVE HAD ACCESS.

UM, BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE, UH, AN AGREEMENT IN PLACE WHERE, LIKE A PROCESS IN PLACE WHEN PEOPLE ASK FOR OUR DATA, SPECIFICALLY THROUGH A PD, BUT IF OUR DATA IS LIVING ON FLOCK SYSTEM, AND, AND I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT THE AXON CAMERA INFORMATION WAS ALSO BEING FED THROUGH FLOCKS.

THAT WAS AN, THAT WAS A NEW DETAIL THAT I LEARNED TODAY.

UM, I THOUGHT THEY WERE ENTIRELY SEPARATE SYSTEMS, UM, WHICH JUST KIND OF MADE ALL MY HAIR STAND UP ALL OVER AGAIN, UM, QUITE FRANKLY.

UM, SO TOMORROW, SOMEONE AT COUNCIL, DURING THE WORKING SESSION, WE'LL BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN AND LIST

[01:25:02]

WELL, LET ME ADDRESS IT ON SOME LEVEL.

UM, WE HAVE, WE HAVE NO, IN THE, THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE FOUND THE SAME THING.

WE HAVE NO INSTANCE WHERE WE BELIEVE OUR CITIZENS' DATA HAS BEEN SHARED INAPPROPRIATELY.

UM, WE ARE AWARE OF THE, THE FORMAL REQUESTS FOR DATA, UM, WHICH WERE IN LINE WITH THE RESOLUTION.

UM, YOU KNOW, IN REFERENCE TO TRAFFICKING A PERSON THEFT OF MOTOR VEHICLES, THERE WAS AN, UM, AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ASSAULTS OF A CHILD OR AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ASSAULTS, A HOMICIDE.

I MEAN, WE'RE AWARE OF THOSE WHERE WE HAVE HANDED THAT INFORMATION OUT, UM, IN LINE WITH THE RESOLUTION AND IN LINE WITH THE NDA THAT WE HAVE SET OUT.

WE HAVE, WE HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF, OF A PD RELEASE, APDS DATA BEING SHARED IN ANY OTHER MANNER.

UM, WE HAVE BEEN ASSURED BY FLOCK SAFETY AND BY AXON THAT OUR DATA IS OUR DATA.

UM, AND SO THE OBSERVATION AND THE CONCERN, I THINK IS WELL FOUNDED.

I THINK WE NEED TO DIG INTO THAT INFORMATION.

UM, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING, UM, IN REFERENCE TO THESE HIGH LEVEL CONVERSATIONS IN, IN REFERENCE TO CONTRACT LANGUAGE.

BUT WE DON'T FEEL THAT THAT OUR AC INFORMATION WAS ACCESSED AT ALL.

WE'VE BEEN ASSURED BY VENDORS AND, AND THROUGH VIEWING THE SYSTEM DATA THAT IT HAS NOT BEEN SIDE CHAIRED.

I SEE COMMISSIONER NEWAN AND COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT BOTH SERGEANT, SO YOU SAID, UH, YOU'VE BEEN ASSURED.

AND, UM, WHEN YOU SAY YOU'VE BEEN ASSURED, WHAT EXACTLY DOES THAT ENTAIL? IS THAT, UM, VERBAL, CON CONTRACTUAL, UM, WHAT ASSURANCES HAVE THEY, AND, YOU KNOW, IT IS A, A BIG CONCERN WITH CYBERSECURITY BEING ONE OF THE BIGGEST, UH, TERRORIST THREATS OUT THERE.

SO, UM, WHAT ASSURANCES HAVE THEY HAD IN TERMS OF, OF, UM, WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, UH, THAT MAKES YOU FEEL ASSURED, UH, THAT, UH, PRIVATE INFORMATION, PEOPLE'S INFORMATION WON'T BE RELEASED? SURE.

SO WE'VE HAD CONVERSA, I MEAN, WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WHEN WE DEVELOPED, DEVELOPED THE PROGRAM BEFORE IT WAS LAUNCHED, WE WERE ASSURED THAT OUR, OUR INFORMATION IS OUR INFORMATION.

IT'S NOT SHARED, UM, EXCEPT THROUGH THE PROPER CHANNELS.

UM, AS THE, UH, CITY AUDITOR'S OBSERVATION CAME UP, WE HAVE JUMPED BACK INTO THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND, UH, ASKED, YOU KNOW, WHAT INFORMATION, WHAT IS THIS, THE, THE, THE LANGUAGE THAT FEELS MAYBE NOT AS WELL DEFINED AS IT NEEDS TO BE? UM, SO WE'VE HAD, UM, CONFERENCE CALLS ABOUT THAT.

AND THEN, YOU KNOW, UM, TALKS BETWEEN OUR LEGAL TEAMS IN REFERENCE TO, TO, LET'S FIRM THIS UP TO MAKE SURE IT'S NOT A, A CONCERN WHERE OUR DATA COULD BE RELEASED, UM, WITHOUT OUR CONSENT.

COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT.

UM, SO JUST, UM, FOR EVERYBODY PLAYING AT HOME, I'M GONNA READ THE LANGUAGE FROM THE AGREEMENT THAT, UM, I FIND THE MOST DISTRESSING, UM, THAT, UH, FLOCK HAS THE NON-EXCLUSIVE WORLDWIDE PERPETUAL ROYALTY FREE, RIGHT, AND LICENSE TO USE AND DISTRIBUTE AGGREGATED DATA TO IMPROVE AND ENHANCE SERVICES.

THERE'S MORE TO THAT.

UM, IS THERE A DEFINITION, AS FAR AS I KNOW, THERE'S NO DEFINITION OF AGGRAVATED, AGGRAVATED, AGGREGATED DATA, UM, IN THE AGREEMENT.

IS THAT RIGHT? THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING AS WELL.

I DON'T HAVE THE CONTRACT IN FRONT OF ME RIGHT NOW, BUT THAT'S THE, THE LANGUAGE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO AFFIRM OF.

SO, SO YOU SEE WHERE I'M GOING WITH THIS, RIGHT? LIKE, IT'S ONE THING TO AFFIRMATIVELY ASK A PD, WE'RE LOOKING FOR A KIDNAPPING VICTIM, WE NEED TO SEE YOUR CAMERAS RIGHT NOW, RIGHT? AND WHAT'S HAPPENING, LIKE IMMEDIATELY? UM, I THINK WHAT WE'RE ALSO WORRIED ABOUT IS, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE CAMERAS AT PRIVATE HOMES.

THERE ARE CAMERAS AT BUSINESSES, THERE ARE CAMERAS ALL ALONG THE TEXAS MEXICO BORDER.

UH, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS REALLY INSTITUTED AN IMMIGRATION DRAGNET ACROSS THE STATE AND THE UNITED STATES.

UM, AND IF ALL OF OUR, YOU KNOW, DATA FROM A MONTH AGO WITHOUT LIKE, REMOVAL OF ALL PERSONALLY IDENTIFYING INFORMATION, RIGHT? LICENSE, INDIVIDUAL LICENSE, PLATES, NAMES, YOU KNOW, ADDRESSES, IDENTIFYING FEATURES OF VEHICLES, ALL THAT STUFF, RIGHT? IS IN AN AI MODEL.

WELL, I MEAN, THE BORDER PATROL MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO SEARCH FOR AN IMMIGRANT USING YOUR CAMERAS RIGHT NOW, BUT THEY CAN FIND THAT PERSON'S HOME.

THEY CAN FIND OUT WHERE THAT PERSON GOES ON A REGULAR BASIS.

UM, THEY CAN FIND OUT PROBABLY WHERE THAT PERSON WORKS, UM, JUST BASED ON THE HISTORICAL DATA, RIGHT? THAT'S IN THE AGGREGATION MODEL.

[01:30:02]

UM, AND THAT SEEMS TO ME DIRECTLY VIOLATES THE RESOLUTION.

AND WE DON'T BELIEVE THAT INFORMATION IS OUT THERE BEYOND, BEYOND SEVEN DAYS.

IT, WE BELIEVE IT TO BE GONE.

AND WE, THAT'S THE ASSURANCES WE'VE GOTTEN FROM THOUGHT, EXCEPT WE DON'T KNOW IF AGGREGATED DATA DOESN'T SAY ENTIRELY REDACTED, NO PERSONAL INFORMATION, INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING 10 TO 15 ITEMS. UM, LIKE AGGREGATED DATA JUST MEANS COMBINED DATA, RIGHT? YEAH.

UM, AGGREGATED DATA CAN BE MEANS SO MANY THINGS.

UM, UH, OKAY.

UM, DO WE HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS? UM, OKAY.

COMMISSIONER SMITH, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU FOR THAT.

OF COURSE.

UM, I, BEFORE I BEGIN, IS EVERYONE AWARE OF THE MAY 27TH, UM, POST BY SIEGEL IN THEIR MESSAGE BOARD COUNCIL MEMBER SIEGEL, IN THEIR MESSAGE BOARD RELATED TO A LPRS, IF NOT JUST VERY HIGH ARCHINGLY? THERE WERE A COUPLE THINGS I WANTED TO NOTE FROM THAT, AND I'M, I'M HOPING THAT YOU WILL GET INTO IT IN WORK SESSION, BUT PLEASE, IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY AT THIS MOMENT.

BUT NUMBER ONE, UM, OBVIOUSLY WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE AI SYSTEMS, BUT NOTHING PREVENTING THE CITY FROM GIVING OUR DATA TO ICE OR THE TEXAS AG EVERY SEVEN DAYS TO, UM, A PD MISTAKENLY HAVING TOLD COUNSEL ON MARCH 25TH THAT IT HAD NOT RECEIVED ANY OUTSIDE DATA SHARING REQUESTS, UM, WHEN IN FACT, A PD HAD COMPLIED WITH AT LEAST EIGHT REQUESTS, INCLUDING THREE DURING THE PERIOD COVERED BY THE A P AD'S INTERNAL AUDIT, WHICH HAD REPORTED ZERO REQUESTS.

AND NUMBER THREE, UM, FROM THAT DAY, THE HEADLINE IN TODAY'S NEWS SPEAKING ON MARCH 27TH FROM SEGAL WAS QUOTE, ICE TAPS INTO NATIONWIDE AI ENABLED CAMERA NETWORK DATA SHOWS REFERRING TO ICE'S SIDE DOOR ACCESS TO FLOCK.

THAT BEING SAID, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT IS OUR EXACT PROCESS FOR SHARING OR DECLINING TO SHARE A LPR INFO, UM, WITH THE AUSTIN REGIONAL INTELLIGENCE CENTER, INCLUDING WHICH AGENCIES YOU ALL CONSIDER AS CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND NEEDING TO BE SHARED WITH.

ADDITIONALLY, IF YOU COULD TALK AT ALL ABOUT, UM, THE ALLEGATIONS THAT ICE IS USING OUR DATA.

I'M HEARING WE HAVE ASSURANCES WE'RE, WE'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, WE DO NOT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T AFFIRM.

UM, BUT IF YOU COULD SPEAK TO ANYTHING RELATED TO ICE, HAVING THAT INFORMATION, HAVING ACCESS TO THAT INFORMATION THROUGH APPARENTLY A SIDE DOOR TO FLOCK.

UM, SO BROAD BASED APPROACH TO YOUR QUESTION, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SHARING OF DATA AND WHO HAS ACCESS TO THAT DATA.

UM, WHEN WE, WHEN A NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR LOOKS INTO FLOCK, WE CAN SEE WHO HAS SEARCHED OUR CAMERAS, UM, WHAT THEY'RE SEARCHING FOR WHEN THEY SEARCH FOR IT, WHAT TIME PERIOD.

UM, THAT AUDIT TRAIL WOULD PROVIDE INSIGHT IF AN ICE AGENT OR AN OUTSIDE AGENT WAS ACCESSING OUR CAMERAS.

WE DO NOT PROVIDE ACCESS TO APS DATA TO ANYONE OUTSIDE OF A PD PERSONNEL, UM, WHO'S BEEN THROUGH OUR TRAINING.

WE HAD THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE SIT THROUGH THE SAME TRAINING, UM, SO THAT WE WERE ASSURED THAT THE, THE INFORMATION WAS NOT USED IN AN IMPROPER MANNER.

SO, UM, AND THEN ADDITIONALLY, I THINK YOUR QUESTION WAS WHO, WHAT PARTNERS WE WORK WITH THROUGH THE AUSTIN, UH, THROUGH AIC.

UM, WE, THOSE ENTITIES ARE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE, TO SIGN AN INDIA, A NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT, UM, ABIDING BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN RESOLUTION ON, UM, PROPER USE OF A LPR.

SO THOSE ARE, I MEAN, THAT, THOSE ARE THE FACTS.

UM, YOU KNOW, I CAN'T SPEAK TO NEWS ARTICLES OR, OR, OR PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, SIDE ACCESSING OUR DATA.

I'VE BEEN ASSURED THAT IT'S NOT ACCESSED.

WHEN I LOOK AT WHO IS LOOKING AT OUR CAMERAS AND WHO'S LOOKING AT OUR INFORMATION, IT'S A PD PERSONNEL FOR, FOR, UM, FOR A PD CASES.

SO THERE'S NOT AN OUTSIDE, UH, AGENT, AGENCY OR AGENT FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THAT'S ABLE TO ACCESS OUR CAMERAS.

SO AM I, AM I TO UNDERSTAND FROM WHAT YOU JUST SAID THAT THE AUSTIN REGIONAL INTELLIGENCE CENTER DOES NOT AND NEVER DID HAVE ACCESS TO OUR A LPR PROGRAM? NO, A LR, WE HAVE A PD PERSONNEL AT THE AUSTIN, UH, AT, AT ARICK MM-HMM .

UM, THOSE PERSONNEL HAVE ACCESS TO THAT INFORMATION.

NOW, THEY CAN SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH A PARTNER AGENCY, AS WE DID IN OUR INSTANCES OF SHARING,

[01:35:01]

UM, IF THAT NDA IS SIGNED AND THEY'RE AGREEING TO ONLY USE A LPR FOR PURPOSES IN LINE WITH THE RESOLUTION.

SO WE HAVE A, WE HAVE A PD PERSONNEL IN, IN THAT NETWORK.

AND, AND JUST SO THAT I UNDERSTAND THE TECHNOLOGY CORRECTLY, AND I I'M, WE, WE NEED TO GET TO WRAPPING UP AND I'M SORRY, I THINK WE COULD TALK ABOUT THIS FOREVER.

UM, UH, JUST SO I UNDERSTAND, THE TECHNOLOGY, THIS IS IN, IN THE COMPUTER SYSTEMS THAT ARE IN VEHICLES.

CORRECT.

AND DO THEY TYPE IN A REQUEST LIKE TYPE IN A LICENSE PLATE NUMBER, GIVE THE REASON IT GETS OSTENSIBLY, IT GETS VETTED, THE REASON GETS VETTED IS VALID, AND THEN THEY'RE GIVEN THE LICENSE PLATE READER INFORMATION? LIKE HOW DOES THAT PROCESS WORK? SO WHEN SOMEONE ACCESSES IT, YOU'RE SPECIFICALLY TALKING ABOUT THE AXON CAMERAS THAT ARE IN OUR FLEET VEHICLES? YES.

FLEET THREE CAMERAS.

YES.

UM, AS AN OFFICER IS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, THE, UM, THE PLATE READER IS READING ALL THE PLATES THAT IT SEES MM-HMM .

UM, IT IS GOING TO ALERT THE OFFICER IF SOMETHING IS ON THE N-C-I-C-T-C-I-C LIST.

SO THOSE ARE GONNA BE CLASS B MISDEMEANORS AND HIGHER.

AND SO THE OFFICER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR VETTING THE INFORMATION IF THERE'S AN ALERT FOR, SAY, A STOLEN VEHICLE OR, UH, BOLO FOR A MURDER SUSPECT, THE OFFICER IS GOING TO SEE THAT THERE'S A PLATE THERE.

THEY'RE GONNA VER VISUALLY VERIFY THAT, UM, IT'S THE CORRECT READ, CORRECT STATE IF THEIR PARTNER'S IN THE CAR, THEY'RE ALSO GOING TO VERIFY THAT INFORMATION, AND THEN THEY'RE GOING TO VERIFY THAT, UM, THE REASON THAT THAT ALERT CAME ACROSS THEIR SCREEN IS IN, IS IN LINE WITH THE RESOLUTION.

UM, NOW WE DID HAVE SOME INSTANCES IN, UM, THROUGHOUT THE AUDIT PERIOD WHERE OFFICER OFFICERS STOPPED VEHICLES FOR REASONS NOT IN LINE WITH THE RESOLUTION.

THOSE WERE CLASS B MISDEMEANORS BASED ON THE LEVEL OF OFFENSE.

UM, THEY WOULD NOT BE IN LINE WITH THE RESOLUTION.

THEY SHOULDN'T, WE IN GENERAL ORDERS.

UM, AND SO WE, UM, ADDRESS THOSE AT A CHAIN OF COMMAND LEVEL AND LET THEM THEM KNOW THAT, UM, LET THE, THE OFFICERS CHAIN OF COMMAND, UM, ALERT THE OFFICER AND BETTER TRAIN THE OFFICER.

NOW, UM, THOSE, UM, BUT, BUT THE, THAT, THAT'S THE, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE CHECKING AGAINST THE INFORMATION THAT'S COMING ACROSS THE OFFICER'S DESK.

SO, UM, AND THEN THAT'S, UM, THAT'S WHY WE PUSH OUT TRAINING ABOUT, UM, A LPR USAGE AND, AND, UM, UM, THAT'S WHY WE HAVE THE OFFICER LOOKING THROUGH THAT INFORMATION.

SO THERE'S NO AUTOMATED SYSTEM IN PLACE THAT IF YOU PLACE A NON RESOLUTION SPECIFIC REASON, THAT WOULD BAR YOU FROM SEEING THE INFORMATION YOU REQUESTED.

IT'S, IT'S ALL UP TO TRAINING.

THE, THE ONLY ITEMS THAT WOULD GO T-C-I-C-N-C-I HITS THAT WERE LESS THAN A CLASS A MISDEMEANOR ARE, ARE THE HITS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, THE PLATE SCANS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.

AND YES, AN OFFICER NEEDS TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE ARE IN LINE WITH THE RESOLUTION BEFORE THEY STOP AND DETAIN SOMEBODY ASSOCIATED WITH THAT VEHICLE.

UM, UNLESS WE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, I, YEP.

COMMISSIONER DUNAN, OUTSIDE OF THE TRIAL PERIOD, UM, IF THIS IS IMPLEMENTED GOING FORWARD, WILL THE, UH, NEW CONTRACT BE DRAWN UP? AND IF SO, WILL IT ADDRESS SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT WE'VE SHOWN HERE AS WELL AS THE AUDITOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS? YES, THE, WE ARE, BECAUSE OF THE CONCERNS THAT IS, WE ARE EXPLORING THAT CONTRACT LANGUAGE THAT, THAT, UM, THOSE CONVERSATIONS, LIKE I SAID, HAVE BEEN HAPPENING IN FULL FORCE.

UM, CHIEF ASCU WILL BE ABLE TO BETTER SPEAK TO THAT, BUT, UM, I'VE BEEN, UM, ASSURED THAT THAT CONTRACT LANE, WHICH CAN BE UPDATED, UM, AND WE CAN SPECIFY WHAT, YOU KNOW, DATA, UM, WHAT THAT AGGREGATE DATA IS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, AND GET SOME BETTER DEFINITIONS ON THOSE.

UM, WE ARE GONNA MOVE INTO OFFICIALLY ITEM SIX.

DID YOU GUYS HAVE ANY FOLLOW UP COMMENTS, ANYTHING BEFORE I CLOSE THIS OUT AND MOVE INTO? OKAY.

SO WE'RE GONNA GO, THANK YOU.

[6. Approve a Recommendation to Council to halt the automated license plate reader program while conducting a full audit and report to share with City Council and the Public Safety Commission and securing data in accordance with Resolutions 20220915-056 and 20230608-085.]

CHRISTIE, DID WE HAVE ANY SPEAKERS? YES, CHAIR MICHAEL BULLOCK.

IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK.

UH, MICHAEL BULLOCK, I'M THE PRESIDENT FOR THE AUSTIN POLICE ASSOCIATION.

UH, JUST KINDA WANTED TO PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT AROUND THIS CONVERSATION AS WELL.

FIRST AND FOREMOST, I THINK, YOU KNOW, ADDRESSING CONCERNS IS ABSOLUTELY UNDERSTANDABLE, MAKING SURE THAT THINGS ARE IN LINE.

I'VE ALSO BEEN TALKING

[01:40:01]

WITH, YOU KNOW, THE DEPARTMENT AND CITY OFFICIALS, AND THERE ARE INDEED ACTIVE CONVERSATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN GOING ON TO MAKE SURE THAT CONTRACT LANGUAGE ACCURATELY REFLECTS WHAT THE RESOLUTION SAYS.

AND IT SEEMS LIKE THAT IS AN, AN ACCOMPLISHABLE TASK.

SO MAKING SURE THAT THESE GUARDRAILS ARE IN PLACE IS UNDERSTANDABLE AND LAUDABLE.

BUT I ALSO WANNA PROVIDE SOME PERSPECTIVE HERE AS TO HOW EXACTLY THE DATA IS INDEED BEING USED IN SOME OF THE CONTROLS AND SIMILARITIES BETWEEN OTHER POLICIES THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS IN PLACE.

ONE EXAMPLE THAT I'LL GIVE YOU WHEN IT COMES TO, WE RELY ON OFFICER TRAINING INSTEAD OF AUTOMATED AUTOMATION ON EVERYTHING IS TAKE FOR EXAMPLE, OUR, UH, MARIJUANA POLICY.

RIGHT? OFFICERS OBVIOUSLY GO UP, THEY CAN DETECT MARIJUANA, THEY CAN OBSERVE A CLASS B MISDEMEANOR, BUT THE OFFICER IS TRAINED.

WE HAVE POLYS IN PLACE AND CONTROL METHODS WHERE THAT DOES NOT RESULT IN AN UNDER IN AN ARREST.

SO TRAINING IS A COMMON METHOD THAT IS USED TO TRY TO ENSURE THAT OFFICERS ARE FULFILLING THE WILL OF THE DEPARTMENT, THE DIRECTION AND COUNSEL ULTIMATELY A LOT OF THE TIME.

SO AGAIN, THESE ARE THINGS THAT ARE EASILY ADDRESSED, I BELIEVE, BUT ALSO KEEP IN MIND THAT WHAT THIS DATA REALLY IS DOING IN A LOT OF CASES AND THE WAY THAT IT'S BENEFICIAL AND WHERE REMOVING IT WOULD BE A HARM IS VICTIMS. THIS IS INFORMATION THAT HAS BEEN USED TO IDENTIFY AND APPREHEND MURDER SUSPECTS.

IT IS INFORMATION THAT HAS BEEN USED TO IDENTIFY AND APPREHEND INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE HIT SOMEBODY, KILLED THEM, AND FLED A SCENE.

IT'S INFORMATION THAT HAS BEEN USED IN ROBBERIES, AND IT'S INFORMATION THAT'S BEEN USED TO LOCATE ENDANGERED OR EXPLOITED CHILDREN.

SO THE INFORMATION IS CRITICAL.

SO THIS IS ONE OF THOSE INSTANCES WHERE I WOULD CAUTION Y'ALL NOT TO ADVOCATE FOR THE STOPPAGE OF A PROGRAM ALTOGETHER, BUT RATHER TO ENSURE THAT THE INTENT OF THE PROGRAM AND OF COUNSEL IS ACTUALLY FOLLOWED THROUGH TO THE END.

REMOVING THIS PROGRAM WOULD BE ONE THAT IS DETRIMENTAL TO THE O TO THE WORK THAT OFFICERS ARE DOING, AND IN TRYING TO ENSURE THAT ADEQUATE INVESTIGATIONS ARE DONE AND TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO ADDRESS PROPERTY CRIME AND A VARIETY OF OTHER THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON HERE IN THE CITY.

SO ALSO IN LINE WITH, TO A DEGREE, THE CONVERSATION THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING ABOUT RECRUITING, IT DOES HAVE AN IMPACT ON OFFICERS WHEN, YET AGAIN, ANOTHER TOOL THAT IS BENEFICIAL TO THEM MAY POTENTIALLY BE REMOVED AND WHICH IS WHERE I WOULD, AGAIN, CAUTION Y'ALL IN HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HALTING THE PROGRAM, PUTTING CONTROLS AROUND IT.

I UNDERSTAND, BUT HALTING THIS PROGRAM OR REMOVING IT HAS AN IMPACT ON OFFICERS DAY-TO-DAY LIVES AND THE TASKS THAT THEY'RE BEING ASKED TO DO AS WELL AS POTENTIAL APPLICANTS WHEN THEY'RE LOOKING AT COMING TO A CITY THAT IS POTENTIALLY REMOVING TOOLS THAT ASSIST THEM IN DOING THEIR JOB AND HELPING TO KEEP THE COMMUNITY SAFE.

SO I, AGAIN, I UNDERSTAND WANTING TO ADDRESS CONCERNS, CONTROLS.

I BELIEVE THOSE ARE THINGS THAT CAN BE ADDRESSED, AND THEY'RE NOT ONES THAT NEED, UH, RESULT IN THIS PROGRAM BEING ELIMINATED OR ROLLING BACK IN TIME WHERE WE HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY.

DONE OF CITY OF AUSTIN, UM, LICENSE PLATES IS STAGGERING, UM, COMPARED TO THE HUNDRED OR SO AND NOT INSIGNIFICANT.

DID WE HAVE ANYBODY ELSE, CHRISTIE? OKAY.

UM, WITH THAT, UM, I JUST WANTED US TO GO AHEAD AND MOVE INTO OUR RECOMMENDATION LANGUAGE.

UM, UH, I WILL SAY THAT WE ARE NOT THE ONLY CITY, UM, THAT IS DEALING WITH, UM, POTENTIAL CANCELLATION OF FLOCK SAFETY CONTRACTS.

UM, I WILL, UM, I'LL BE SURE TO, UM, FORWARD THROUGH CHRISTIE SOME ADDITIONAL ARTICLES THAT HAVE SURFACED SINCE, UM, THE AUDIT CAME OUT, BUT I BELIEVE THE CITY OF DENVER HAS ALREADY, UM, HAD COUNCIL VOTE ON, UM, UM, HALTING THEIR CONTRACT AND FINDING A WAY OUT OF IT.

UM, AND I BELIEVE THERE ARE OTHER POLICE DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE, UM, FOLLOWING IN SUIT.

UM, UH, I AGREE WITH, UM, MICHAEL BULLOCK.

I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS A DECENT AMOUNT THAT CAN BE DONE, UM, TO IMPROVE, UM, POTENTIALLY DOES THE, THE AP THE PROCESSES THAT A PD HAS IN PLACE TO, UM, MAYBE SAFEGUARD SOME DATA A LITTLE BIT MORE.

I HAVE ZERO CONFIDENCE, UM, THAT, UM, WE CAN CONTROL OUR VENDORS, UM, AND THAT, UM, IN THIS AGE WHERE, UM, LOOKING UP LICENSE PLATE READER DATA IS AS EASY AS A GOOGLE SEARCH.

I JUST CAN'T DISMISS THE, THE, THE FACILITY WITH WHICH, UM, AND I, AND THIS CAN, AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT A PD, JUST THE FACILITY WITH WHICH INFORMATION CAN BE ACCESSED.

UM, I, I JUST, I DON'T THINK THAT THAT CAN BE DISMISSED.

UM, AND THE NUMBER OF SCANS THAT HAVE BEEN DONE, I, I'M GONNA, ONE OF, ONE OF MY, UM, AMENDMENTS TO OUR RECOMMENDATION WILL BE TO REVISE THE 75 MILLION SCANS OVER, UM, THE, THE, THE AUDIT PERIOD TO 117 MILLION SCANS THAT HAVE BEEN

[01:45:01]

I, I WILL NOT DISMISS THAT THERE WAS SOME GOOD WORK THAT CAME OUT OF THESE, BUT THE, THE RATIO, UM, IS JUST, I'M NOT SURE IT'S WORTH IT, UM, FOR THE AMOUNT OF PRIVACY THAT OUR CITIZENS ARE LOSING, UM, IN LIGHT OF EVERYTHING THAT IS GOING ON ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL AND ON THE STATE LEVEL.

UM, SO WITH THAT, UM, YOU GUYS HAVE THE RECOMMENDATION IN FRONT OF YOU.

UM, CAN I HAVE A FIRST AND A SECOND, AND THEN WE CAN OPEN UP DISCUSSION FIRST, SECOND.

DO WE HAVE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION QUESTIONS, AMENDMENTS CHANGES? I WILL, UM, GO AHEAD AND COME FORWARD AND JUST SAY IF WE CAN, UM, IN THE, IN THE NEXT TO LAST, WHEREAS, UM, IF WE CAN AMEND, UM, THE 75 MILLION SCANS TO 117 MILLION SCANS, JUST FOR THE SAKE OF ACCURACY.

AND SO THAT IT'S IN LINE WITH THE PRESENTATION.

WE JUST GOT CHAIR.

IS THAT STILL ACCURATE WITH, UH, THE APRIL, 2025 DATE? UM, I BELIEVE THAT, UM, THEY HIT WITH THE APRIL, 2025 DATE.

YES, I DO BELIEVE THAT'S ACCURATE, YEAH.

YES.

I THINK I'LL TAKE A, I'LL, I'LL INAPPROPRIATELY OFFER A MOTION TO , UM, OFFER THE AMENDMENT.

UM, CAN I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND? OKAY.

CAN I HAVE A SHOW OF HANDS FOR THAT? UM, AMENDMENT ONE, TWO.

OH, YEAH.

SO THE AMENDMENT WOULD BE TO CHANGE THE NEXT TO SECOND, UM, THE SECOND TO LAST, WHEREAS, UM, TO READ A PD ESTIMATED THAT THEY HAD PERFORMED OVER 75 MILLION SCANS, CHANGING THAT TO 117 MILLION SCANS, UM, CAN I GET A SHOW OF HANDS IN SUPPORT OF THAT CHANGE? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6? I BELIEVE THAT'S UNANIMOUS.

UM, AND THEN DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER REQUESTS FOR ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE? ARE COMMENTS? ARE WE, YEAH, I, I, I GUESS VERY SIMILARLY TO YOU CHAIR.

UM, I, I, I DON'T TAKE OFFICER BULLOCK'S, UM, REMARKS LIGHTLY.

I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT, UM, THE SAFETY OF, UH, THE PUBLIC AS THAT IS IN THE NAME OF OUR COMMISSION.

UM, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I FIND CONCERN WITH IS, UM, HOW DATA IS SHARED IN THIS MOMENT.

UM, I'M NOT CONVINCED, UH, THAT BASED ON THE MEASURES WE DISCUSSED TODAY, THAT THAT INFORMATION, AS CHAIR HAD MENTIONED, UM, IS SAFE.

UM, BECAUSE AS OUR CHAIR HAD ALSO MENTIONED, WE CAN'T CONTROL WHAT OUR VENDORS, UH, DO, UH, WITH OUR DATA.

UM, WE CAN WORK TO TRY TO, UM, SAFEGUARD IT.

HOWEVER, THERE'S ALWAYS THAT CONCERN OF OUR PUBLIC'S SAFETY.

UM, AND SO I I, I DON'T TAKE YOUR, YOUR, YOUR REMARKS LIGHT LIGHTLY AT ALL, UM, BECAUSE I, I THINK IT IS A GREAT TOOL IF USED THE RIGHT WAY, BUT IT CAN ALSO BE A DETRIMENTAL TOOL IF IT'S USED THE WRONG WAY.

THANK YOU FOR THAT.

IT'S AN EXTRAORDINARY TIME.

COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT, UM, I DON'T KNOW.

I THINK THIS IS LIKELY TO COME UP IN CITY COUNCIL'S DISCUSSIONS, BUT, UM, I, I JUST THINK IT NEEDS TO BE OBSERVED THAT WE ARE NOT UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES RIGHT NOW IN THE UNITED STATES.

UM, AND IT'S, IT'S NOT JUST THE IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT.

I THINK THAT WE, WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE A PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION, UM, THAT IS ABSOLUTELY UNINTERESTED IN ANY CONSTITUTIONAL LIMITATIONS ON ITS AUTHORITY.

UM, AND FOR THAT MATTER, FOLLOWING A HUGE AMOUNT OF FEDERAL LAW.

UM, SO ANY OPPORTUNITY THAT FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT HAVE TO ACCESS THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S DATA, UM, REALLY SHOULD BE VIEWED AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR, UM, CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES VIOLATIONS TO BE FACILITATED.

UM, UH,

[01:50:01]

THIS, YOU KNOW, UH, IT'S HARD TO KNOW WHERE THE LEVEL OF YOUR, YOU KNOW, CONCERN ABOUT THAT SHOULD BE.

BUT, UH, IT'S A HUGE AMOUNT OF CONCERN, I THINK, FOR ANYBODY WHO CARES ABOUT CIVIL LIBERTIES.

DO WE HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS, COMMISSIONER SMITH? UH, YES.

I, HAVING, YOU KNOW, HAD SOME VERY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS AND THEN, YOU KNOW, BEING THE FIRST ON THE MOTION, I TOO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE IN DOING SO THAT I AM NOT UNDERSCORING, UH, THE POTENTIAL USEFULNESS OF THE TOOL IF USED CORRECTLY AND WITH SAFEGUARDS AND PROTECTIONS.

UM, MY VOTE TODAY, UM, IN MY COMMENTS TODAY, UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK BACK WHEN Y'ALL FIRST CAME WITH THIS, I WASN'T, I WAS ALREADY HESITANT AND RELUCTANT AND, AND AFRAID JUST BECAUSE OF HISTORICAL PRECEDENTS, UH, WITH TOOLS, UH, OF THIS NATURE.

UM, AND, AND CONSIDERING WE SIGN SOMETHING THAT PERHAPS ALLOWS THOSE THINGS TO COME INTO FRUITION AND HARM PEOPLE, UM, I I, IT REALLY COMES OUT OF IT, UH, A SPACE OF PROTECTION FOR, FOR ME AND MY COMMUNITY AND FOR VULNERABLE POPULATIONS.

UM, IF WE DO THE HARD WORK OF ENSURING THAT EVEN WITH THE TOOLS THAT YOU SAY YOU NEED, EVEN WITH DOING THAT, YOU ENSURE THE PROTECTION OF VULNERABLE, OTHER VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, UM, THEN WE, WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT AT THAT TIME.

BUT UNTIL THAT IS, I DON'T THINK YOU DO BOTH OF THOSE AT THE SAME TIME.

I DON'T THINK YOU WORK ON LEGAL LANGUAGE AND ALSO BE DOING YOUR PROGRAM, GET THINGS STRAIGHT AND AND PROTECTED FIRST, AND THEN EVOLVE AND TRY TO EXPAND.

SO I JUST WANTED TO UNDERSCORE I UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THOSE, THOSE ARRESTS OR, BUT ALLEGEDLY ALL OF THOSE ARRESTS, UM, AND FINDINGS AND USE OF THAT TOOL, UM, HELPED THE COMMUNITY AS YOU ALLEGE, HOWEVER, AND, UM, OUT OF PROTECTION.

I THINK IT'S BEST THAT WE, WE PAUSE COMPLETELY UNTIL IT IS ASSURED, NOT JUST YOU SAYING IT, BUT ASSURED IN WRITING AND LEGALESE AND BINDING CONTRACTS BEFORE PROCEEDING.

AGREED.

UM, UNLESS WE HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS, WE'RE JUST GONNA GO AHEAD AND CALL FOR A VOTE.

UM, SHOW OF HANDS.

CHRISTIE, IF I CAN JUST SEE A SHOW OF HANDS IN SUPPORT OF THE RECOMMENDATION.

I BELIEVE WE HAVE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 AGAINST AND ABSTAIN, MR. DURAN ABSTAINING.

UM, WITH THAT, THE MOTION PASSES.

UM, THANK YOU EVERYONE.

UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO THE CONVERSATION.

OH, ACTUALLY, KRISTI, CAN YOU JUST HELP MAKE SURE THAT THE RECOMMENDATION GETS INTO THE HAND OF COUNCIL MEMBERS AHEAD OF WORK SESSION TOMORROW OR BY WORK SESSION TOMORROW, IF AT ALL POSSIBLE.

I KNOW IT'S GOT A POST AND ALL THAT, BUT JUST LIKE, IF WE CAN HURRY IT UP, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

I'LL DO MY BEST.

UM, CONFORMING WITH THE POSTING TIMES THAT OUR TEAM HAS.

AND WITH THAT, WE ARE OVER SIX O'CLOCK.

WE ARE DEFINITELY DOING PENANCE FOR OUR SHORT MEETING LAST, LAST LAST MONTH.

UM, THANK YOU EVERYONE.

WE WILL PICK BACK UP ON OUR, UM, BYLAW CONVERSATIONS NEXT MONTH.

AND, UM, I APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S TIME, UM, AND CAREFUL WORDS TODAY.