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[CALL TO ORDER]
I BELIEVE WE HAVE QUORUM.THERE ARE A FEW OTHER PEOPLE THAT ARE, I THINK, TRAILING A LITTLE LATE, BUT WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED.
WE HAVE A SHORTER MEETING TODAY THAT WILL BE ENDING AT FIVE 30.
SO WITH THAT, UM, I CALL TO ORDER THE REGULARLY CALLED MEETING OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION.
TODAY'S MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8TH, AND I'LL JUST START WITH CALLING ROLE, UM, VICE CHAIR RUTAN PRESENT, UH, VICE CHAIR.
UH, COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT IS ON HER WAY.
COMMISSIONER CARROLL NOT PRESENT YET.
I'M NOT CERTAIN IF THEY'LL BE JOINING US.
UM, COMMISSIONER ORR, I THINK WE'LL NEED TO MAKE SURE YOUR, YOUR MIC IS WORKING.
AND COMMISSIONER SMITH IS ALSO NOT HERE YET.
UM, WE'LL JUST KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR EVERYONE ELSE THAT, UM, LOGS ON, PLEASE.
AND WITH THAT, UM, DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMUNICATION? NO CHAIR.
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
ON TO THE APPROVING OF THE MINUTES.UM, WE'LL START WITH JULY 7TH.
AS A REMINDER, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE PRESENT IN ORDER TO VOTE FOR OUR MINUTES.
I KNOW THAT EVERYBODY LIKES TO ONLY VOTE ON MINUTES THAT THEY WERE PRESENT FOR, BUT THESE MINUTES SERVE AS A RECORD FOR THE PUBLIC, SO I WOULD APPRECIATE ANYBODY'S HELP IN PLEASE HELPING GET THESE PASSED.
WE'RE, UM, BACKLOGGED TO JULY RIGHT NOW.
SO WITH THAT, DO WE HAVE ANY, UM, CAN I GET A MOTION FOR THE JULY 7TH MINUTES? MOTION TO APPROVE MINUTES? THANK YOU.
AND A QUICK VOTE WITH A SHOW OF HANDS.
UM, AND THE NEXT WOULD BE THE AUGUST 4TH MINUTES.
THOSE ARE ALSO IN YOUR BACKUP.
CAN I GET A MOTION FROM THE FLOOR? MOTION TO APPROVE MINUTES.
AND WITH THAT, A QUICK SHOW OF HANDS FOR APPROVAL.
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR HELP WITH THAT.
AND WITH THAT, WE WILL GO AHEAD
[3. Public Safety Quarterly Report, Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services.]
AND MOVE ON TO DISCUSSION ITEMS. FIRST UP IS THE QUARTERLY REPORT FROM EMS. GOOD AFTERNOON COMMISSIONERS.I'M THE CHIEF OF STAFF ROSS AND TRAVIS COUNTY EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES.
I'LL BE GIVEN YOUR FISCAL YEAR 25 Q3 REPORT.
UH, THIS IS A LITTLE BIT LONGER QUARTERLY REPORT.
SO WHEN WE FIRST START THIS PRESENTATION, I'LL MOVE A LITTLE QUICKLY THROUGH THE SLIDES AND THEN I'LL KIND OF SLOW THINGS DOWN AS WE GET INTO THE, TO THE BULK OF WHAT WE HAVE TO DISCUSS.
UH, CURRENT EMS DEPARTMENT STAFFING AUTHORIZED STRENGTH REMAINS AT 714.
UH, FIELD SWORN 609 LEAVES US WITH 105 OF VACANCIES.
I'LL POINT TO THAT ENTRY LEVEL POSITION.
THE MEDIC OPENINGS, 27 FIELD MEDIC OPENINGS.
AND ONE COMMUNICATIONS, AGAIN AT THAT ENTRY LEVEL POSITION PUTS US AT ABOUT A 13.82% VACANCY RATE.
DEFINITELY TURNED IT IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION THERE.
AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT MORE HERE IN A SECOND.
SWORN SEPARATIONS WENT AHEAD AND INCLUDED A YEAR TO DATE.
UH, WHAT YOU'LL NOTICE UP ON THIS SLIDE IS THAT WE'VE HAD 17 RETIREMENTS.
UH, I WILL POINT OUT ON THOSE THAT RESIGNED.
WE HAVE AN ARTICLE IN OUR LABOR AGREEMENT THAT ALLOWS FOR REAPPOINTMENTS.
WE'VE GOT A LOT OF FOLKS THAT ARE NEW TO THE INDUSTRY, AND SO THEY MIGHT, UH, LEAVE FOR GREENER PASTURES, BUT WE ARE SEEING THEM COME BACK TO THE ORGANIZATION AND AVAIL THEMSELVES OF THAT CLAUSE.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT, THAT'S EXCITING FOR US.
AND SO WE'VE SEEN AN UPTICK ON THAT.
AND, AND SO I WANTED TO MENTION THAT FOR YOU.
SWORN TENURE AT SEPARATION, UH, CONTINUES TO BE AT THAT LESS THAN ONE YEAR.
AND THEN AGAIN, AT THAT ONE TO FIVE YEAR RANGE, LIKE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT PREVIOUSLY.
VA ALREADY SWORN I DID INCLUDE JULY.
UH, THIS IS AN ALL TIME LOW FOR OUR CIVILIAN VACANCY RATE AT ABOUT 8%.
SO WE'RE DEFINITELY FILLING THOSE VACANCIES ON THE NON-SWORN SIDE AS WELL.
EMS TURNOVER RATE, AGAIN, WE HAD NO CIVILIAN TURNOVER RATE IN THE MONTHS OF, UH, MAY, JUNE AND JULY.
UH, DELVING INTO OUR ACADEMY CLASSES, WE'RE EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT OUR JULY ACADEMY ACADEMY CLASS OH 7 2 5 19 CADETS, 18 FIELD MEDICS AND ONE COMMUNICATIONS MEDICS WILL GRADUATE THIS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12TH, 2:00 PM AT THE TEXAS STATE CAPITOL.
UH, ANY COMMISSIONER THAT'D LIKE TO ATTEND, WE, WE'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU THERE AND MEET THE ACADEMY CADRE, THE CADETS THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES THAT HAVE CHOSEN TO TAKE THE PLUNGE AND, AND WORK FOR AUSTIN.
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TRAVIS COUNTY EMS LOOKING AT ACADEMY CLASS 10 25, THAT'LL START IN OCTOBER.IT WILL HAVE 22 TOTAL CADETS, 21 FIELD MEDICS, AND ONE DIRECT HIRE CLINICAL SPECIALIST, WHICH IS THAT PARAMEDIC RANK.
UH, WE CONTINUE TO SEE THIS ONE TO FOUR PERSON PER ACADEMY FOR THIS DIRECT HIRE CLINICAL SPECIALIST, OUR PARAMEDIC.
AND THAT GOES TOWARDS THAT KIND OF NATIONAL SHORTAGE OF, OF PARAMEDICS, WHICH WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IN THE PAST, WHICH IS WHAT MAKES OUR INTERNAL PARAMEDIC PROGRAM SO ADVANTAGEOUS TO US.
UH, OUR CURRENT PARAMEDIC SCHOOL HAS 14 UH, CANDIDATES IN IT.
THEY WILL GRADUATE PARAMEDIC SCHOOL MARCH OF 2026.
WE HAVE 12 MORE IN THE PIPELINE THAT'LL START THAT INTERNAL PARAMEDIC PROGRAM APRIL OF, OF 2026.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE Q4, UH, NUMBERS IN ABOUT DECEMBER, UH, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT OUR CLINICAL SPECIALIST OF VACANCY RATE WILL COME DOWN.
IT'S BECAUSE OUR PREVIOUS INTERNAL PARAMEDIC PROGRAM, UH, THAT HAD ABOUT, UH, A 33 IN THAT CLASS OVER THE LAST TWO, THEY HAVE TESTED FOR THAT CLINICAL SPECIALIST VIA THE CIVIL SERVICE PROCESS.
AND THEY'RE CURRENTLY IN A P FIVE CREDENTIALING ACADEMY.
UH, THE FIRST 15 OF THOSE, THEIR PL FIVE ACADEMY ENDS IN ABOUT OCTOBER.
AND SO THEN THEY'LL START AFFECTING THE SCHEDULE, AND THAT'LL LEAVE US A 15 LEFT TO RUN THROUGH ANOTHER INTERNAL PL FIVE ACADEMY CLASS.
SO RELIEF ON, ON THE WAY THERE.
TALKING ABOUT OUR OPIOID OVERDOSES, THE FISCAL YEAR 25 DATA, I WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT WE'VE CLOSED OUT THE SAMHSA GRANT, THAT SAMHSA GRANT FOR, UH, NARCAN RESCUE KITS WAS, UH, ABOUT TO EXPIRE, AND WE HAD DEPLETED ALL THE FUNDING OUT OF THAT.
SO WE'VE SHIFTED TO THE OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDING, UH, THAT FUNDING IS HOLDING.
AND WE HAVE AN AMPLE SUPPLY OF NARCAN Q3.
WE DISTRIBUTED 4,308 NARCAN RESCUE KITS AND 172 RESCUE KITS WERE USED, UH, PRIOR TO EMS ARRIVAL, UH, BY LAW ENFORCEMENT OR FIRE DEPARTMENT.
AND WE DID SEE THAT SPRING AND SUMMER SPIKE, UH, LIKE, LIKE WE TALK ABOUT EVERY YEAR, ALTHOUGH I WILL POINT OUT THAT IT WAS OVERALL NOT AS SEVERE AS WHAT WE'VE SEEN IN YEARS PAST.
I DID WANNA HIGHLIGHT THE RECENT, UH, OVERDOSE SALE ON SIXTH STREET THAT WAS IN THE MEDIA.
UM, THE SYSTEM WORKED LIKE WE WOULD LIKE IT TO.
UH, LAW ENFORCEMENT WAS THERE VERY QUICKLY, AND THEY BEGAN TO GIVE NARCAN RESCUE KITS.
FIRE DEPARTMENT SHOWED UP ALONG WITH EMS. AND SO WE HAD THAT, THAT THREE TIERED APPROACH TO MITIGATING WHAT WAS APPROXIMATELY ABOUT FIVE OVERDOSES.
SO I WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT.
THIS COMMISSION IN THE PAST HAS ASKED TO LOOK AT, UH, HEAT MAPS.
AND SO I, UH, SHOWED YOU A HEAT MAP FROM 24 TO Q3 OF, OF 25.
BUT WHAT YOU'LL NOTICE IN THIS IS THAT CLUSTER DOWNTOWN IS REDUCED.
UM, IT IS REDUCED A LITTLE BIT AND A LITTLE MORE SPREAD OUT, BUT OVERALL, THE CONCENTRATION IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA IS, IS A LITTLE BIT SMALLER.
RIGHT? OUR INTEGRATED SERVICES CONTINUES TO TARGET BUSINESSES AND ZIP CODES, NOT ONLY IN THE DOWNTOWN, BUT IN AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY, KIND OF CHASING THESE OVERDOSE ALERTS AROUND THE SYSTEM, RIGHT? SO THAT WE CAN GIVE, YOU KNOW, TARGETED NARCAN RESCUE KITS AND THEN OUR BUPRENORPHINE BRIDGE PROGRAM TO TRY TO BRIDGE THEM TO A MEDICATION ASSISTED TREATMENT PROGRAM.
VERY BRIEFLY ON STATION UPDATES, I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT A SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE FOR AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY EMS. WE, OF COURSE, ADDED FIVE AMBULANCES WITH FIVE HIGH PRIORITY FIRE AND EMS STATIONS IN SIX YEARS, AND THOSE ARE COMPLETE, BUT ALL FIVE STATIONS IN THE 2018 BOND ARE COMPLETE.
EMS STATIONS ONE AND FIVE, WHICH ARE STANDALONE EMS STATIONS, AND THEN EMS STATION SEVEN, 10, AND 13, WHICH WE CO-LOCATE WITH AUSTIN FIRE.
THOSE ARE NOW COMPLETE CRUISER BACK IN THOSE STATIONS.
UH, AND THEN THAT LEAVES US WITH JUST A, A FEW LIKE AND KIND PROJECTS TO DO WHERE WE GO IN AND DO RENOVATIONS.
THAT'S OUR EMS STATION, THREE AT 15TH AND, AND RED RIVER.
UH, I, I DID WANT TO THANK OUR STAFF, EMTS, PARAMEDICS AND COMMANDERS THAT ENDURED LIVING IN TEMPORARY TRAILERS.
UH, THEY ARE BACK IN BRICK AND MORTAR FACILITIES THAT BOAST A BIG EXPANSION STATE-OF-THE-ART ALERTING BACKUP GENERATION.
SO THIS IS A, A SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE FOR US.
AND WE'LL LEAN INTO THEN THE 2026 BOND.
I TALKED AT THE Q2 REPORT ABOUT EMS AMBULANCE AUTO AID.
OF COURSE, UH, EMS IS NEXT IN THE PIPELINE.
THE FIRE DEPARTMENTS HAVE BEEN DOING AUTO AID FOR, FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
BUT THE TECHNOLOGY AND THE COMPUTER AIDED DISPATCH SYSTEM IN WILLIAMSON COUNTY HAS ADVANCED SO THAT WE CAN ENACT AUTO AID FOR EMS. THIS, OF COURSE, DISPATCHES AMBULANCES ACROSS JURISDICTIONAL BOUNDARIES WHERE THE CITY AND THE COUNTY AND THEN THE CITY OF AUSTIN KIND OF FLEX BETWEEN THOSE GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS.
WE, UH, IN SEPTEMBER, THEY MIGRATED THOSE CAD SYSTEMS FOR TRAVIS COUNTY, WILLIAMSON COUNTY, ESD ONE LOG, VISTA FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND ES D TWO FLICKERVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT ONTO THAT CLOUD ENVIRONMENT.
ALL FOUR LEGAL DEPARTMENTS HAVE REVIEWED THE INTERLOCAL
[00:10:01]
AGREEMENT WITH NO ISSUES THERE.WE WILL SPEND THE MONTHS AND THE FALL AND THE START OF WINTER, UH, REVIEWING WHAT ACUITY LEVEL WE WANNA SEND THE AMBULANCES TO.
BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT IT'S GONNA BE THE HIGHEST OF THE HIGH PRIORITY CALLS TO, TO START OUT WITH TAKING A KIND OF CRAWL, WALK, RUN APPROACH.
WE WILL DO EXTENSIVE TESTING IN FEBRUARY OF 26 TO ENSURE THAT THE SYSTEM IS BEHAVING LIKE WE WANT IT TO.
WE ARE ANTICIPATING A MARCH, 2026 GO LIVE DATE FOR THAT.
I WANTED TO TALK REAL QUICK ABOUT THE CENTRAL TEXAS FLOODING RESPONSE.
AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY EMS DEPLOYED WITH TEXAS TASK FORCE ONE TO KER COUNTY, UH, SWIFT WATER BOAT TEAMS, UH, WHICH WAS NON-RES PERSONNEL AND A SEARCH AND RESCUE PLANNER.
THIS EVENT WAS A VERY HEAVY MEDICAL EVENT, AND SO WE ALSO DEPLOYED WITH TEXAS EMTF, WHICH IS THE EMERGENCY MEDICAL TASK FORCE.
IT, UH, WE DEPLOYED A TASK FORCE LEADER, MEDICAL INCIDENT SUPPORT TEAM, STRIKE TEAM LEADER STAGING MANAGERS.
WE DID DEPLOY OUR ABUS WITH PERSONNEL, AND THEN WE ALSO DEPLOYED AN AMBULANCE STRIKE TEAM, WHICH WAS FIVE AMBULANCES TO KIRK COUNTY.
UH, WE DID THAT TO BOLSTER THEIR 9 1 1 SYSTEM WITH THE INFLUX OF FIRST RESPONDERS THERE.
THEIR CALL VOLUME, UH, WAS ANTICIPATED TO GO UP.
ALSO, THE LARGE NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS WITH CHAINSAWS CLEARING BRUSH.
AND SO WE, WE AUGMENTED TO BOLSTER THEIR 9 1 1 SYSTEM.
UH, WE DID DEVELOP A LOCAL RESPONSE PLAN, WHICH, UH, PROVED VERY HELPFUL DURING THE NORTHWEST TRAVIS COUNTY FLOODING WITH BOAT TEAMS. OUR COMMANDER STAFFED THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER IN LAGO VISTA.
UH, AND WE ALSO SPUN UP OUR DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS CENTER, NOT ONLY TO WORK THROUGH THE DEPLOYMENTS IN KIRK COUNTY, BUT ALSO, UH, WHAT LOCAL WORK LOOKED LIKE AND INCLUDING THE CITY AND THE COUNTY'S EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER.
I FOUND IT INTERESTING, AND YOU MAY NOT KNOW THIS, OUR LAST MEDIC RETURNED HOME THE WEEK OF AUGUST 25TH.
SO THAT WAS A SUBSTANTIAL DEPLOYMENT FOR US.
AND SO AS WE DEMOBILIZED MEDICS, WE LEANED HEAVILY INTO THE PEER SUPPORT ASPECT OF THAT TO MAKE SURE THEY HAD THE MENTAL HEALTH SOURCES THAT THEY, UH, NEEDED COMING HOME FROM A PRETTY HORRIFIC EVENT.
AND THEN, UH, NOW WE WILL START A VERY LARGE SCALE, ROBUST AFTER ACTION REVIEW SO THAT WE CAN LEARN WHAT WENT WELL AND, AND, AND WHAT WE CAN IMPROVE ON WITH THAT.
UH, THIS COMMISSION ASKED ME TO TALK THROUGH SOME RECENT DEPLOYMENT CHANGES, WHICH WE'VE SEEN OVER THE SPRING AND SUMMER OF THIS LAST YEAR.
SO I'LL TALK THROUGH THAT REAL QUICK.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT KIND OF POST COVID-19, WHAT OUR CALL VOLUME LOOKS LIKE WITH AN INCREASE, AND THEN THE NEED FOR MORE HEALTH NAVIGATION AND THE INCREASE OF LOW ACUITY CALLS IN THE 9 1 1 SYSTEM.
WE'VE ALSO TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE PARAMEDIC SHORTAGE.
UM, AND THEN THE NEED FOR THE INDUSTRY AS A WHOLE TO KIND OF CATCH UP WITH WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN THE 9 1 1 SYSTEM, WHICH TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE NOT JUST A TRANSPORT SERVICE IF WE'RE JUST TAKING YOU TO THE HOSPITAL.
WE'RE NOT ELEGANTLY SOLVING YOUR PROBLEMS. AND YOU WILL LOGGER BACK INTO THE 9 1 1 SYSTEM.
WE'VE HAD EXPANDED CAPABILITIES, WHICH WE'RE FORTUNATE FOR.
WE'VE SEEN THE GROWTH OF EIGHT ADDITIONAL AMBULANCE OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, BOLSTERED OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS TO FIGHT, UM, YOU KNOW, OPIOID ALERTS LIKE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT.
BUT WE'VE EXPANDED OUR ABILITY TO PUSH CALLS TO RESOURCES OTHER THAN AMBULANCES, INCLUDING THIS MENTAL HEALTH RESPONSE, WHICH WE'VE BEEN DOING.
AND THEN PHYSICIAN'S ASSISTANTS, WHICH IS OUR PARAMEDIC PRACTITIONERS.
UM, I HAVE GIVEN, UH, MANY UPDATES ON OUR COLLABORATIVE CARE COMMUNICATION CENTER THAT LOOKS TO, UH, DISPOSITION AND SCREEN LOW ACUITY CALLS OFF THE 9 1 1 SYSTEM.
SO WE'RE NOT SENDING RESOURCES TO THOSE, BUT WE ARE NOW AT A POINT WHERE WE CAN BUILD RESPONSE PLANS.
AND SO COLLECTIVELY, THESE RESOURCES ARE ANSWERING MORE THAN ABOUT 25,000 CALLS ANNUALLY.
AND WE'RE SEEING THAT NUMBER INCREASE, AND WE'RE WORKING HARD TO PRE PREVENT ABOUT 16,000 TRANSPORTS A YEAR.
SO THOSE ARE NOT INSIGNIFICANT NUMBERS.
AS OUR, UH, STAFFING PROGRESS APRIL OF 2025, UH, WE HAVE ADDED MORE THAN 129 SWORN STAFF FILLING VACANCIES SINCE 2022.
AND WE HAVE NEARLY 80 SWORN STAFF OPERATING IN SOME FORM OF ONBOARDING OR PROMOTIONAL PROCESS, WHETHER THAT BE CADET CLASSES, PARAMEDIC SCHOOL, UH, THIS PL FIVE CREDENTIALING THAT I'VE MENTIONED, AND THIS, UH, THESE TRAINING NEEDS HAVE INCREASED OUR RELIANCE ON OVERTIME FOR MEDICS.
UH, FOR A WHILE, WE WERE TRACKING AT ABOUT A 38% OVERTIME RATE, WHICH WE KNOW IS NOT SUSTAINABLE FOR THE CITY AND FOR THE MEDICS.
AND SO WHAT WE'VE DONE IS TO TRANSITION SOME OF THESE AMBULANCES ON A DAILY BASIS TO THESE ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT SQUADS.
THESE HAVE BEEN STAFFED BY OUR PARAMEDICS AND NON AMBULANCE OPERATIONS.
THEY'RE ABLE TO RESPOND TO BOTH LOW AND HIGH ACUITY CALLS, AND THEY ARE SUPPORTING THAT COLLABORATIVE CARE MISSION BY REDUCING UNNECESSARY TRANSPORTS.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ENSURE MAINTENANCE OF CREDENTIALING FOR NON TRANSPORT PROVIDERS, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL SWORN STAFF ARE CONVERSANT IN OPERATIONS AND ARE ABLE TO FLEX INTO
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THAT.AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THIS DOES, IS IT TAKES OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE AND PUT THEM INTO THE 9 1 1 SYSTEM SO THAT THEY STAY ENGAGED IN THAT.
WE ARE STILL CONTINUING TO PAY OVERTIME O ON A A, A DAILY BASIS, BUT SOMETIMES UP TO FIVE AMBULANCES.
WE WILL TRANSITION UP TO AN A LS SQUAD BEING MINDFUL OF GEOGRAPHICAL, UH, LOCATION OF COURSE.
UM, WE, OUR AMBULANCES DON'T STAY IN ONE PLACE.
THEY MAY RESPOND TO A STATION FROM A STATION TO A SCENE, AND THEN THEY MAY DO GO TO A HOSPITAL SEVERAL MILES AWAY.
SO OUR AMBULANCES AND OUR SINGLE UNIT RESPONDERS MOVE AROUND THE SYSTEM A LOT, AND WE'RE ABLE TO KIND OF LOOK AT GEOGRAPHICAL COVERAGE AT ANY MOMENT IN TIME.
BUT OUR WAY FORWARD OUT OF THIS IS TO CONTINUE TO FILL VACANCIES, WHICH, WHICH WE ARE, WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE THAT PROGRESS AS WE TALK ABOUT OUR STAFF ON THESE ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT SQUADS, OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICS, OUR MENTAL HEALTH RESPONDERS, OUR OPIOID USE DISORDER STAFF, EVEN OUR, OUR EDUCATION AND TRAINING STAFF.
THESE STAFF ARE ALREADY IN SMALLER ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT CAPABLE SQUAD TYPE VEHICLES.
THEY CAN FLEX INTO THE 9 1 1 SYSTEM ABOUT 10 HOURS A WEEK.
AND WHAT THAT DOES IS ALLOW FOR 30 HOURS OF THEIR REMAINING WORK WEEK TO PERFORM THEIR REGULAR CRITICAL DUTIES.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THIS MAINTENANCE OF CREDENTIALING, WE KNOW THAT MEDICINE CHANGES, PROTOCOL CHANGES, UH, THE SCIENCE CHANGES, AND WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT ALL OF OUR SWORN STAFF MAINTAIN OUR, THEIR OPERATIONAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES.
BUT OUR STRATEGIC VISION FOR THIS IS WE KNOW THAT A LS SQUADS CAN BE A FLEXIBLE AND EFFICIENT RESPONSE MODEL FOR US, ALTHOUGH THIS ENDEAVOR IS CERTAINLY MEANT TO BE TEMPORARY UNTIL WE FILL VACANCIES.
BUT WE NEED TO BUILD THIS KIND OF FUTURE READY EMS MODEL.
WE KNOW THAT THIS WORKS AND WE KNOW THAT IT GETS ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT TO THE PATIENT VERY QUICKLY.
AND WE'RE SEEING OTHER SYSTEMS DO THE SAME.
YOU KNOW, LONG TERM, WE WANNA RESERVE THESE A LS AMBULANCES FOR CRITICAL CARE, THESE BASIC LIFE SUPPORT AMBULANCES, UH, POTENTIALLY IN THE FUTURE TO TRANSPORT LOW ACUITY CALLS.
UH, WHEN YOU'RE SCREENING THESE CALLS FROM THE C FOUR LINE, THEY STILL MAY NEED TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL, BUT THEY DON'T NEED TO GO URGENTLY OR EMERGENTLY.
AND THEN WE NEED TO HAVE SPECIALTY RESPONDERS, THESE SQUADS TO DO TARGETED NEEDS IN THE COMMUNITY.
BUT THIS KIND OF REINFORCES OUR CORE MISSION, WHICH IS PROBLEM SOLVING A HUNDRED AND TH UH, 130,000 PLUS CALLS ANNUALLY THAT COME INTO THE 9 1 1 SYSTEM.
AND SO, UH, KIND OF SHIFTING GEARS ON YOU, IT'S BEEN AN INCREDIBLY BUSY KIND OF SUMMER MONTH FOR US BECAUSE WE HAD ANOTHER STRATEGIC PROJECT THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON, WHICH ARE, IS OUR RESPONSE MATRIX AND DISPATCH DETERMINANT UPDATE.
AND SO WHAT WE HAVE DONE IS TO LOOK AT THE BUCKET OF CALLS WITHIN THE 9 1 1 SYSTEM AND ENSURE THAT WE ARE PRIORITIZING CALLS WITHIN THE EMS SYSTEM, UTILIZING THE MOST UP-TO-DATE EVIDENCE FROM THE COMMUNITY.
SO WE'RE AT A POINT WITH TECHNOLOGY THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY LOOK AT OUTCOME DATA, NOT ONLY FOR WHAT THE MEDICS ARE SEEING FROM THEIR PATIENT CARE REPORTS, BUT ALSO FROM THE HOSPITAL DATA WHEN A PATIENT IS DISCHARGED.
SO THIS OUTCOME DATA HAS REALLY ALLOWED US TO GIVE A REALLY COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF WHAT WE'RE SEEING WITH OUR PATIENT POPULATION.
WE ASSEMBLED A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM.
WE REVIEWED THREE YEARS OF DATA QUALITY ASSURANCE AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT FROM BOTH COMMUNICATIONS.
AND THE FIELD LOOKED AT THIS WITH HEAVY INVOLVEMENT OF OUR MEDICAL DIRECTORS AND OUR EXECUTIVE STAFF.
AND WHAT WE DETERMINED WAS THAT MANY OF OUR PRIORITY ONE AND PARTY TWO CALLS DID NOT RESULT IN HIGH ACUITY INTERVENTIONS ARE CRITICAL PATIENT FINDINGS, WHICH, WHICH GOES TO WHAT WE'RE, WHAT WE'VE, WHAT WE'VE ALLUDED TO PREVIOUSLY AND WHAT WE'RE SEEING ACROSS THE NATION AS WELL.
WE NEEDED TO ENSURE THAT THESE PRIORITY ONE CALLS ARE RESERVED FOR THE TRULY URGENT CASES THAT WE CAN GET THERE AND FIX A LIFE-THREATENING PROBLEM.
IF EVERYTHING IS A PRIORITY, THEN NOTHING'S A PRIORITY.
AND SO THAT'S WHY THIS PROJECT WAS ONE OF OUR STRATEGIC PROJECTS.
UH, AND WE NEEDED TO IMPROVE BOTH SAFETY FOR THE PUBLIC AND FOR AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY EMS PROVIDERS BY MINIMIZING OR REDUCING LIGHTS AND SIRENS USE.
SO THAT'S ANOTHER THING THAT THIS PROJECT, UH, PLAN TO FIX.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OUR PRIORITIES, WE PRIORITIZE CALLS ONE THROUGH FIVE PRIORITY ONE BEING THE HIGHEST PRIORITY OR CRITICAL PATIENT, PRIORITY FIVE BEING THE LOWEST.
AND WHEN YOU CALL 9 1 1, WE ARE AN, AS AUSTIN, WE ARE AN ACCREDITED CENTER OF EXCELLENCE.
AND SO WE, UH, WE ARE UTILIZING A STANDARD LIST OF QUESTIONS THAT OTHER PROVIDERS USE ACROSS THE NATION THAT ARE ALWAYS, UH, CHECKED ON AND IMPROVED, AND WE GET REGULAR UPDATES ON THOSE.
BUT WHEN YOU CALL 9 1 1, WE DETERMINE A PROBLEM NATURE.
AND THEN WE ASK YOU A SERIES OF QUESTIONS AND HOW YOU ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS DERIVE WHETHER IT'S A PRIORITY, 1, 2, 3, 4, OR FIVE.
AND SO THAT'S HOW THOSE CALLS OCCUR.
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WE, AS A METHODOLOGY DEFINED A CRITICAL LIST OF THESE HIGH PRIORITY INTERVENTIONS.SO FOR CARDIAC ARREST, IT MIGHT BE CPR FOR, UH, MIGHT BE BLOOD PRODUCT TRANSFUSION.
WE, IF WE'RE BREATHING FOR A PATIENT, THESE ARE CRITICAL INTERVENTIONS THAT WE NEED SOMEONE THERE VERY QUICKLY.
AND SO IF THE CALL DETERMINED IT INVOLVED THIS HIGH ACUITY INTERVENTION, IT EITHER RECEIVED OR WAS MAINTAINED AS A PRIORITY ONE OR PRIORITY TWO OBVIOUSLY.
SO OUR FOCUS WAS KIND OF TO IMPROVE OUR CLINICAL ACCURACY ON THESE CALLS AND, UH, MAXIMIZE OUR RESOURCE USE AND THEN POSITIVELY AFFECT PATIENT OUTCOMES.
SO I, I HAVE SOME NUMBERS UP THERE LOOKING AT CALL VOLUME BY PRIORITY PERCENTAGE AND ACUITY LEVEL, JUST SO THAT YOU CAN SEE THE CHANGES.
AND SO IF YOU'LL NOTICE ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE, YOU'VE GOT THAT PRIORITY 1, 2, 3, 4, AND FIVE.
YOU KNOW, CURRENTLY OUR CALLS FOR PRIORITY ONE SET AT ABOUT 9.7%.
THOSE DIDN'T MOVE A WHOLE LOT.
THEY MOVED DOWN TO ABOUT EIGHT AND A HALF PERCENT A PRIORITY TWO, WHICH SEEMED TO BE A CATCHALL BUCKET THAT WE DIDN'T QUITE KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH.
THOSE WERE SETTING AT ABOUT 35.9%.
THOSE REDUCED DOWN LOOKING AT OUTCOME DATA TO ABOUT 9.5%.
SO SIGNIFICANT MOVEMENT THERE, A PRIORITY THREE DID NOT MOVE A LOT.
ABOUT 12.4 WENT DOWN TO ABOUT 11.7% A PRIORITY FOUR, AGAIN, SAW THAT 29% MOVING TO ABOUT 46%.
OUR PRIORITY FIVE CALLS, WHICH ARE MAJORALLY SCREENED BY C FOUR, THOSE WENT FROM 12.9% TO 24%.
WE NEEDED TO BE COGNIZANT OF THE VOLUME THAT C FOUR WAS GETTING TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY COULD HANDLE THAT.
BUT OF COURSE, WE'VE ENACTED 24 HOUR STAFFING OVER THERE, AND SO THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO MANAGE THAT WORKLOAD.
UM, AND SO WE'RE ABLE TO THEN SCREEN ADDITIONAL CALLS INTO C FOUR, WHICH IS WHY I TALKED ABOUT THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT NUMBER GOING UP.
WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY, WE TALK ABOUT CODE ONE VERSUS CODE THREE.
CODE ONE IS NO LIGHTS AND SIRENS.
AND CODE THREE IS WITH LIGHTS AND SIRENS.
SO CODE ONE IS WHEN WE JUST DRIVE TO THE SCENE.
CODE THREE IS WHEN WE UTILIZE LIGHTS AND SIRENS.
SO OUR PRIORITIES ONE, TWO, AND THREE, THOSE DID NOT CHANGE.
THOSE ARE STILL A LIGHTS AND SIRENS RESPONSE.
PRIORITY FOUR DID GO DOWN TO A CODE ONE RESPONSE BECAUSE WE WERE, AGAIN, LOOKING AT OUTCOME DATA THERE.
THAT CLEANED UP A LOT OF PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SAFETY.
A LOT OF THE ESD FIRE DEPARTMENTS WERE LOOKING AT THE CALLS ON THOSE PRIORITY FOUR AND JUST DETERMINING WHETHER THEY WOULD GO CODE ONE OR CODE THREE, BECAUSE THEY, THEY KNEW THAT THESE CALLS WEREN'T HIGH PRIORITY AND THEY'RE VERY CLOSE TO THOSE SCENES.
AND SO THIS PUT US ALL IN LINE THERE, KIND OF GOING TO THE CALL THE SAME WAY, WHICH IS WAS ANOTHER GOAL OF THIS PROJECT.
UM, SO AS WE TALK ABOUT THE RESPONSE PLAN CHANGES, WE ADJUSTED SOME RESPONSE PLANS, PARTICULARLY FOR CHEST PAINS AND RESPIRATORY COMPLAINTS.
WE NOW HAVE A PRIORITY THREE AND A PARTY FOUR, WHICH WE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF THOSE BEFORE.
AND SOME OF THOSE THREES AND FOURS, UM, DO HAVE SOME ELEMENT OF FIRST RESPONSE DEPENDING ON THE AGE OF THE PATIENT.
AND OF COURSE, WE'VE BEEN COLLABORATING WITH NOT ONLY THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT, BUT ALSO THE EMERGENCY SERVICE DISTRICTS, THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS IN THE COUNTY.
UM, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT STILL RESPONDS TO PARTY ONE AND PARTY TWO CALLS THAT DID NOT CHANGE.
UM, THEY DO RESPOND TO A SELECTED NUMBER OF THREES AND FOURS.
AND A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THAT IS A TRAFFIC INJURY WHERE YOU MIGHT NEED A FIRST RESPONSE THERE TO BLOCK TRAFFIC.
THERE MAY BE HAZARDS TO MITIGATE.
WE MAY NEED MORE HANDS-ON SCENE.
AND THEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENTS IN THE COUNTY, UH, STILL RESPOND TO, TO ALL CALLS.
SO TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE POSITIVE CHANGES OF THIS PROJECT PRIOR TO STARTING THE STRATEGIC PROJECT, 89% OF OUR CALLS WE WENT LIGHTS AND SIRENS TO ABOUT THEN ALSO, 2% OF CALLS TAKING PATIENTS FROM THE SCENE TO THE HOSPITAL WERE LIGHTS AND SIRENS.
SO HUGE DISCONNECT OR GOING THERE 89% OF THE TIME WITH LIGHTS AND SIRENS, BUT ONLY 2% ARE GOING TO THE HOSPITAL WITH LIGHTS AND SIRENS.
UM, WHICH, WHICH IS INDICATIVE OF, OF KIND OF WHY THIS WAS A HIGH PRIORITY PROJECT AFTER THIS PROJECT.
I'M PROUD TO REPORT THAT ABOUT 55% OF OUR CALLS ARE NOW GOING LIGHTS AND SIRENS.
AND SO WE, WE'VE MOVED THE NEEDLE SIGNIFICANTLY ON THIS.
UM, BUT THERE, THERE'S MORE WORK TO DO WITH THIS.
UM, THIS IS NOT QUITE WHERE WE WANT TO SEE THIS.
UM, BUT, UM, THE DISPATCH DETERMINANTS WITH CORRESPONDING HIGH AND LOW ACUITY CLASSIFICATIONS ARE REVIEWED NOW CONTINUALLY.
NOW THAT WE HAVE THE QAQI TEAMS FROM THE FIELD AND THE CALM AND MEDICAL DIRECTION AND OUTCOME DATA, WE WANNA FALL INTO A MANTRA WHERE THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, REGULARLY REVIEWING THESE AND ENACTING CHANGES.
UM, CALL TAKERS IN THE NINE ONE ONE CENTER CAN STILL DO REAL TIME UPGRADES.
WE DIDN'T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM 'EM.
THAT'S A TOOL THEY HAVE THAT IF ONE OF THESE KIND OF FITS IN A TWO OR A THREE BUCKET OR A THREE OR A FOUR AND IT'S
[00:25:01]
RIGHT ON THE LINE, THEY ERR IN THE SIDE OF CAUTION AND OVER TRIAGE IT AND GIVE IT A, A HIGHER PRIORITY JUST, JUST BECAUSE THAT'S SAFER.A LOT OF TIMES NOT, NOT ALL CALLERS KNOW EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING ON.
AND THEN OUR COMMUNICATIONS AND EMS UNITS CAN ALWAYS LOOK AT THE CALL, TEXT AND REQUEST FIRST RESPONSE AT THEIR DISCRETION FROM THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT.
SO THAT'S ANOTHER TOOL THAT THEY HAVE THAT THAT, THAT THEY CONTINUE TO USE.
UM, KIND OF BRINGING THIS TO A CLOSE, THIS REPRIORITIZATION OF CALLS PROVIDES, UH, THE EMS SYSTEM WITH AN UPDATED EVIDENCE-BASED APPROACH TO KIND OF BETTER, BETTER MEET THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY.
THIS IS NOT MEANT TO BE A SET IT AND FORGET IT.
WE NEED TO CONTINUALLY BE REVIEWING THESE.
AND SO THAT'S WHY GETTING THIS PROJECT DONE AND FALLING INTO A RHYTHM TO GET THAT DONE IS HELPFUL.
AND THEN WE WANT TO SAFEGUARD THAT THE PRIORITIES IN PLACE, ESPECIALLY THESE HIGH PRIORITY CALLS OF PROVIDING THIS RAPID, HIGH QUALITY CARE TO THOSE MOST IN NEED TRULY ARE THAT PRIORITY ONE.
THIS IS HELPFUL DURING LARGE SCALE INCIDENTS.
HAVE WE GET ANOTHER WINTER STORM AND WE GET AN INFLUX OR A HIGH VOLUME OF CALLS INTO THE 9 1 1 SYSTEM.
I NEED A WAY TO APPROPRIATELY TRIAGE THESE CALLS AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TRULY SENDING THE RESOURCES OR LIMITED IN A SURGE TO THE HIGHEST PRIORITY CALLS, WHICH IS THAT PRIORITY ONE AND PRIORITY TWO BUCKET.
UM, BUT THIS OVERALL BROUGHT US, UH, ON OUR EMS SYSTEM DOWN IN LINE WITH, WITH THE INDUSTRY STANDARD ACROSS LIGHTS AND SIRENS RESPONSE ACROSS THE NATION.
UM, WE'VE REDUCED THAT SIGNIFICANTLY.
AND THERE HAS BEEN AN INDUSTRY PUSH, I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT BEFORE ABOUT REDUCING LIGHTS AND SIRENS USE.
UM, AND THIS REDUCTION OF LIGHTS AND SIRENS USE, LIKE WE'VE TALKED, TALKED ABOUT PREVIOUSLY, IS NOT ONLY BETTER FOR THE COMMUNITIES 'CAUSE DRIVING LIGHTS AND SIRENS IS ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS THINGS WE DO.
UH, BUT IT'S ALSO BETTER FOR THE PROVIDERS SO THAT, SO THAT THEY'RE NOT TRYING TO BREAK THE LAND SPEED RECORD TO GET TO CALLS THAT THEY DON'T NEED TO GET TO AT A HIGH PRIORITY.
SO WITH THAT, THAT'LL CONCLUDE MY Q3 REPORT, AND I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS IF WE CAN GET THE COMMISSIONERS BACK ON SCREEN.
UM, UH, QUESTIONS FROM ANYBODY? EVERYBODY? COMMISSIONER RUTTEN, UM,
I KNOW IT'S SOMETHING WE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE.
UM, IS THERE GOING TO BE A CHANGE AS WELL IN THE FOCUS ON THE ACTUAL RESPONSE TIME, WHICH REALLY ISN'T AS GOOD OF A METRIC? I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE FOCUS ON THAT AND YOU OFTEN PRESENT IT BY DISTRICT, BUT THAT'S REALLY NOT AS VALUABLE A METRIC.
IF OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE THINGS SAFER AND MORE EFFICIENT, ARE WE GONNA CHANGE HOW WE THINK ABOUT THAT? I AGREE WITH YOU AND I THINK THAT THERE IS, I THINK, YOU KNOW, UNTIL YOU GET THE BUCKETS ALIGNED ON THOSE PRIORITY ONES AND PRIORITY FIVES, YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW A GOOD REPRESENTATION OF WHAT YOUR PRIORITY ONE AND PRIORITY TWO RESPONSE TIME IS.
AND SO THAT, THAT'S PART OF THIS AS WELL.
AND THEN I WOULD, I KNOW YOU AND I HAVE TALKED AT LENGTH ON THIS AND WE AGREE ON THIS.
I THINK OUTCOME DATA IS WHAT WE SHOULD REALLY BE LOOKING TOWARDS ON THIS.
UM, BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT WE, WE HAVE A METHODOLOGY AND A RUBRIC TO DO THAT NOW.
SO I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE US LEAN INTO THAT.
AND YES, SIR, I, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, YES, I I THINK WE WILL AND WE SHOULD.
COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT, UM, AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THAT PRESENTATION.
UM, I, I FEEL LIKE I'M ABOUT TO ASK WHAT IS KIND OF A LARGE QUESTION.
AND SO I'M GONNA BOTH ASK IT AND THEN ASK IF YOU THINK MAYBE WE SHOULD HAVE IT BE AN INDEPENDENT ISSUE OR ITEM ON OUR AGENDA, UM, WHICH IS, UM, HOW Y'ALL COLLABORATE WITH CENTRAL HEALTH ON LOW ACUITY CALLS AND YOU KNOW HOW THAT IS OR IS NOT CHANGING, UH, WITH THE NEW PRESIDENT OVER THERE? OR IS THAT WHAT HE'S CALLED PRESIDENT ANYWAY? UH, CEOI BELIEVE THE NEW THE NEW CHIEF.
I THINK IT'S A FANTASTIC QUESTION AND I THINK THAT IT IS ITS OWN ITEM.
JUST LIKE WE'VE DONE OPIOID OVERDOSES AND WHERE WE AT WITH THAT.
THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD WORK AND COLLABORATION HAPPENING WITH CENTRAL HEALTH AND AN AGREEMENT WITH THEM.
AND SO I THINK TO HAVE OUR INTEGRATED SERVICES COME AND GIVE AN OVERVIEW OR AN UPDATE TO THIS COMMISSION WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL.
AND SO I'M, I'M HAPPY TO WORK TO GET THAT ON THE AGENDA AND GET THE RIGHT FOLKS HERE FOR SURE.
UH, COMMISSIONER CARROLL, YOU WANNA HEAR ME? YEAH.
THANK YOU FOR THAT PRESENTATION.
UM, CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT, UH, PROGRAM YOU ALWAYS USE FOR THAT HEAT MAP? I WILL HAVE TO GET THAT FOR YOU.
I BELIEVE IT'S ARC GIS AND POTENTIALLY
[00:30:01]
OD MAPS AS WELL.I KNOW WE'VE LOOKED AT SOME STATE DATA AS WELL, UH, BUT LET ME, LET ME GET THAT ANSWER FOR YOU.
I'M SORRY, I, I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT PROGRAM THEY USE.
THE INTEGRATED SERVICES PULLS THAT FOR ME.
UM, I, I WILL SAY AS I THINK THROUGH IT, I BELIEVE IT'S LOOKING AT OVERDOSE ALERT O OPIOID ALERTS, AND THEN JUST LOOKING AND JUST PLOTTING IT ONTO A MAP WITH, WITH, WITH SOME OF OUR, WITH SOME OF OUR TECHNOLOGY TEAMS, I BELIEVE IS HOW THEY DO THAT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? JUST ONE, ONE OTHER QUESTION.
UM, CHIEF WITH THE A S SQUAD PROGRAM, WHICH I THINK IS A GREAT USE OF RESOURCES AND FLEXIBILITY, UM, WHAT'S BEEN THE RESPONSE TO THE STAFF WHO ARE NOW SPENDING THOSE 10 HOURS A WEEK? HAS IT, HAS IT BEEN A POSITIVE THING WHEN YOU LOOK BACK AT THE MORALE OR PEOPLE NOT HAPPY WITH THAT? I THINK IT'S A MIXED BAG.
UM, I THINK THAT, SO I WILL HIGHLIGHT MY COMMANDER IN THE SAFETY OFFICE THAT REPORTS DIRECTLY TO ME.
UM, BECAUSE I HAVE THESE SQUADS IN THE FIELD, HIS JOB IS TO MANAGE THESE SQUADS.
WE DIDN'T, SO SOME OF HIS WEEK IS USED MANAGING SQUADS AS A DAILY BASIS, UH, IN THE 9 1 1 SYSTEM.
AND SO, 'CAUSE WHAT WE DIDN'T WANT TO DO WAS INFUSE SQUADS IN THE SYSTEM AND OVERTAX OUR COMMANDERS, WHICH ARE ALREADY RESPONSIBLE FOR AMBULANCES.
AND SO, UM, THERE WAS SOME TREPIDATION ON HIS PART, BUT HE'S VERY WELL DEVELOPED AND VERY LOGICAL.
AND WHAT HE SAID WAS, YOU, YOU HAVE BEEN TALKING TO ME DURING YOUR ONE-ON-ONES WEEKLY WITH ME ABOUT GETTING IN THE SYSTEM AND THERE'S ALWAYS A SPREADSHEET THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.
THERE'S ALWAYS A PROGRAM OR A POLICY TO REWRITE.
AND SO I WILL SAY THAT THE SQUAD PROGRAM HAS FORCED ME TO DO THAT.
IT IS MANAGEABLE WITH 10 HOURS A WEEK AND I DON'T LOSE A DAY TO GET MY OTHER WORK DONE.
UM, IT ALSO GETS HIM VERY, UH, CONVERSANT WITH OUR MEDICS IN THE FIELD.
WE TALK ABOUT THE NUMBER OF FOLKS WE'VE ADDED.
IT'S VERY EASY TO LOSE OPTICS ON WHO'S NEW TO THE ORGANIZATION.
AND SO HAVING THE SAFETY OFFICE GET IN THE 9 1 1 SYSTEM MANAGE SQUADS AND RESPOND TO CALLS WITH THEM HAS BEEN HELPFUL.
UM, BUT OF COURSE THEY'RE VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT THEIR WORK THAT THEY DO.
UH, BUT I DON'T WANNA WAIT TILL WE GET ANOTHER WINTER STORM, YURI OR MAURA TO REALIZE THAT THEY'VE NOT BEEN IN THE FIELD IN QUITE SOME TIME AND THEY, THEY JUST NEED A LITTLE COACHING UP.
I, I WOULD RATHER DO THAT WHEN IT'S GREAT WEATHER OUTSIDE.
SO THAT'S WHY I SAY IT'S A MIXED BAG.
UH, BUT, BUT, BUT OVERALL, YOU KNOW, THE, THE OTHER, THERE WERE MANY OPTIONS TO DO, UH, AND, AND THIS ONE, UM, ALLOWED THEM TO KIND OF CONTINUE THEIR PASSION AT WORK BUT GET OUT IN THE FIELD.
SO I FEEL LIKE WE STRUCK A BALANCE, WHICH IS WHAT WE ALWAYS TRY TO DO.
ALTHOUGH IT'S JUST HARD WHEN THINGS GET PRESCRIPTIVE.
AND I, I, I WAS STRUCK WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT HOW YOUR GOAL IS TO NOT DO IT ANYMORE ONCE WE'RE STAFFED UP.
AND I DO WONDER IF IT'S WORTH DOING A REASSESSMENT TO SEE IF EVEN WHERE, WHEN WE'RE BETTER STAFFED, IF THERE'S STILL SOME BENEFITS ON ALL SIDES TO CONSIDER KEEPING THAT A PART OF THE SYSTEM.
YOU ARE A HUNDRED PERCENT RIGHT.
IN THE TOWN HALLS THAT WE HAVE DONE WITH STAFF, WE HAVE SAID THIS WILL NOT TOTALLY GO AWAY.
WE MAY TURN DOWN THE VOLUME ON IT, BUT WE WILL, WE DON'T WANT TO GO BACK TO A POSITION WHERE OUR, YOU KNOW, SWORN STAFF WORKING IN THESE GREAT CRITICAL PROGRAMS DON'T HAVE THAT OPERATIONAL TIME.
UM, IT, IT MAY NOT LOOK LIKE 10 HOURS A WEEK.
YOU KNOW, WHAT IF IT WAS 10 HOURS EVERY TWO AND A HALF WEEKS OR THREE WEEKS? YOU KNOW, WE CAN CERTAINLY DIAL THAT BACK.
SO THAT, THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT WITH OUR, OUR TOWN HALLS AS WELL.
UM, AND, AND THE FIELD STAFF SEEM TO HAVE EMBRACED IT AS WELL.
JUST SEEING SOME OF THIS HELP ON SCENE.
OBVIOUSLY THE MORE HANDS ON SCENE, THE MORE YOU CAN GET CANCELED OFF A CALL OR EVEN ON A HIGH PRIORITY CALL, YOU KNOW, GET IN THE FIGHT WITH THEM.
KIND OF THAT ONE TEAM ONE FIGHT HAS BEEN HELPFUL.
I KNOW WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS PRESENTATION FOR A WHILE.
I APPRECIATE COMMISSIONER RUTAN'S QUESTION ABOUT JUST KEEPING, IF THERE'S A WAY TO KEEP THIS SORT OF GOING, UM, EVEN ONCE.
BUT, UH, MY, MY BRIEF FOLLOW UP QUESTION IS DO YOU GUYS HAVE A PROJECTION FOR WHEN YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO SCALE THIS BACK? CERTAINLY LONG AROUND THE NEW BUDGET YEAR OF OCTOBER ONE? UH, WE HAVE, UH, THERE'S A PLAN IN MY INBOX NOW THAT ACTUALLY RAMPS IT DOWN A LITTLE BIT.
BUT IT DOES NOT MAKE IT GO AWAY.
UM, OBVIOUSLY WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS WITH, UH, WHAT WE REALLY WANT TO GET INTO THIS, UH, KINDA MINDSET OF WE ONLY HAVE SO MUCH OVERTIME TO PAY AND THAT HAS DIMINISHING RETURNS FOR OUR MEDICS AS WELL.
AND SO WE KIND OF STARTED THIS PROGRAM ABOUT THAT, UH, MARCH, APRIL, MAY REALLY, AND SO LOOKING AT THIS NOW WITH OUR OVERTIME USAGE COME OCTOBER ONE, WE HAVE THE WHOLE YEAR TO KIND OF WORK THROUGH WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE SO THAT IT'S, IT'S NOT AS, AS, AS, UH, AS SEVERE, UM, STARTING OUT WHEN YOU START THIS IN THAT MAY OR JUNE.
UM, BUT OUR, OUR STAFF, ESPECIALLY IN THESE ADMIN SECTIONS, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED THAT UH, THEY WILL BE DOING SOME FORM OF SQUADS.
[00:35:01]
A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT RHYTHM THAN IT IS NOW AND THEY HAVE BEEN ASKING FOR THAT.AND SO WE ALSO WANNA GIVE THEM A LOT OF TIME TO KIND OF MANAGE THEIR SCHEDULES AS WELL.
SO THAT'S KIND OF WHY WE ENACTED THIS PLAN TO START TURNING DOWN THE GAIN OR THE VOLUME ON THIS ABOUT SEPTEMBER TO GIVE THEM THAT 28 DAYS, WHICH IS ACTUALLY IN OUR CONTRACT AS WELL TO KIND OF LOOK AT WHAT THEIR FLEX INTO THE FIELD WOULD LOOK LIKE.
UM, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? IF NOT, WE WILL OFFICIALLY CLOSE THIS OUT.
[4. Introduction and overview of the Forensic Science Department. Presentation by Dr. Dana Kadavy, Director, Forensic Science Department.]
GONNA GO AHEAD AND MOVE INTO ITEM NUMBER FOUR, WHICH IS, UM, AN INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW OF THE FORENSIC SCIENCE DEPARTMENT.UM, I WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO CHIEF HENDERSON FOR TAPPING ME ON THE SHOULDER AND REMINDING ME THAT WE NEED TO BE TALKING ABOUT THIS.
I'M REALLY HAPPY, UM, THAT WE HAVE THIS ON THE AGENDA.
I'M, I'M HOPEFUL THAT WE CAN DO MORE OF THIS, UM, AND AND FOLD THEM INTO CONVERSATIONS IN THE FUTURE.
ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME COMMISSION.
I AM HAPPY TO BE HERE TELLING YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHO THE AUSTIN FORENSIC SCIENCE GROUP IS AND WHAT WE DO.
DANA CA AND I'M THE DIRECTOR OF THIS DEPARTMENT.
SO FIRST, JUST WANNA KIND OF GO INTO OUR MISSION, WHICH IS REALLY TO PROVIDE ACCURATE AND IMPARTIAL SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS, SUPPORT SERVICES TO THE LEGAL SYSTEM WHILE MAINTAINING THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF QUA QUALITY AND PROFESSIONALISM.
REALLY, WE REALLY WANT TO BE THE PREEMINENT, TRUSTED FORENSIC SERVICE PROVIDER FOR THE CITY AND SURROUNDING AREAS.
UM, OUR VALUES REALLY KIND OF SPEAK TO WHO WE ARE.
I DON'T KNOW WHY THIS ISN'T, THERE WE GO.
OUR VALUES REALLY SPEAK TO WHO WE ARE.
OUR UNOFFICIAL TAGLINE IS TRUE THROUGH SCIENCE.
'CAUSE REALLY WE ARE DATA PEOPLE.
WE ARE SCIENCE GEEKS AND PROUD OF IT.
AND SO REALLY WE WANNA USE DATA TO INFORM DECISIONS.
AND SO WE KIND OF, TO US WE ARE, WHETHER OUR DATA INFORMS EXONERATING THE INNOCENT OR IDENTIFYING A TRUE PERPETRATOR OF CRIME, BOTH ARE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT AND VALUABLE TO THE SYSTEM.
OUR UH, CORE VALUES ARE CENTERED AROUND TECHNICAL AND SCIENTIFIC EXCELLENCE.
WE ALSO WANT TO DO IT RIGHT EVERY SINGLE TIME.
SO WE WANNA BE RELIABLE, IMPARTIAL, ACCURATE, HAVING TRANSPARENT PROCEDURES AND JUST TRANSPARENT SYSTEM SHARING AS MUCH INFORMATION AS WE CAN, BALANCING THAT WITH THE REQUIREMENTS TO MAINTAIN CASE CONFIDENTIALITY AND THEN INTEGRITY'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO OUR ENTIRE TEAM.
WE NEED HONEST AND ACCOUNTABLE TEAM MEMBERS TO ENTRUST THEM WITH THIS TYPE OF WORK.
SO OUR ORGANIZATION IS SORT OF SET UP.
UM, WE ARE A DEPARTMENT WITHIN THE PUBLIC SAFETY GROUP.
SO WE SIT ALONGSIDE THESE GROUPS HERE, FIRE, EMS, POLICE, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, LABOR NEGOTIATIONS.
AND SO, UH, I'M A DIRECT REPORT TO THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER OF PUBLIC SAFETY EDDIE GARCIA.
AND THEN I'M SUPPORTED BY FOUR MANAGERS.
AND SO THERE'S TWO OPERATIONS MANAGERS, THAT'S KIM FERRISON AND EMILY ESCOBEL.
THEY'RE FORENSIC SERVICES MANAGERS.
SO THEY MANAGE MOST OF THE DAY-TO-DAY OPS FOR ACCREDITED SECTIONS AND A COUPLE OF SUPPORT SECTIONS.
AND THEN WE HAVE JAMES GIBBONS, HE IS OUR EVIDENCE CONTROL MANAGER.
SO HE MANAGES THE EVIDENCE WAREHOUSE.
AND THEN CATHERINE SANCHEZ WHO MANAGES OUR QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, WHICH IS A VERY CRITICAL PART OF WHAT WE DO AND OUR INFORMATION OR DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.
SO THAT'S LARGELY HOW WE'RE ORGANIZED.
AND UNDERNEATH THESE MANAGERS IS A SERIES OF SUPERVISORS AND TECHNICAL LEADERS.
SO EACH ACCREDITED FORENSIC DISCIPLINE OR LABORATORY HAS THEIR OWN SUPERVISOR AND THEIR OWN TECHNICAL LEADER.
SOME OF THEM HAVE MULTIPLE SUPERVISORS DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF THE GROUP.
THERE IS A MAGIC TO THIS, WHICH I HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT YET, BUT HOPEFULLY BY THE TIME WE'RE DONE I WILL.
SO I'M JUST GONNA TALK THROUGH GENERALLY THE VARIOUS DIFFERENT SECTIONS AND WHAT THEY DO.
WE WON'T GO THROUGH ALL OF THEM, BUT WE'RE GONNA HIT THE HIGHLIGHTS.
UH, WE HAVE A STAFF OF 89 FULL-TIME EQUIVALENTS.
THE MAJORITY OF THOSE STAFF ARE CERTIFIED AND LICENSED EXPERTS ACROSS A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES.
SO I'LL START FIRST WITH OUR CRIME SCENE SECTION.
IT IS AN ACCREDITED SECTION AND THEY PROVIDE 24 7, 365 RAIN, SLEET OR SHINE CRIME SCENE FIELD RESPONSE SERVICES.
SO THEY GET DISPATCHED TO MAJOR CRIMES
[00:40:01]
AFTER OF COURSE POLICE HAVE RENDERED IT SAFE FOR THEM TO BE THERE.AND THEY DO THE CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION, IF YOU WILL.
SO THEY'RE GOING THERE AND THEY ARE DOCUMENTING THE SCENE.
THEY'RE TAKING VIDEO AND PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE.
THEY'RE COLLECTING ITEMS, THEY'RE MAINTAINING CHAIN OF CUSTODY, THEY'RE PACKAGING THEM UP SOMETIMES ON SCENE.
THEY'RE TAKING LATENT PRINTS OR PROCESSING FOR PRINTS USING BLACK POWDER FOR EXAMPLE.
OR LIFT CARDS FOR ITEMS THAT CAN'T BE EASILY BAGGED AND TAKEN ALONG WITH THEM.
AND THEN THIS GROUP WILL COME BACK TO THE LABORATORY AND THERE IS A FULL CRIME SCENE LABORATORY, UH, AT OUR, AT OUR CENTER.
AND THERE THEY'RE GOING TO ENTER ALL THE ITEMS THEY'VE COLLECTED INTO A RECORD MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND INTO OUR LABORATORY INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.
AND THEN THEY'RE GONNA PREPARE THE ITEMS DUE SOME PRE-PROCESSING.
SO A LOT OF THESE ITEMS MIGHT BE BLOODY OR OTHERWISE WET.
THEY NEED TO BE PROPERLY DRIED.
THEY MAY, MAY NEED TO HAVE LATENT PRINTS PROCESS SO THEY CAN ACTUALLY VISUALIZE THE PRINTS OF FUMIGATION, BLACK POWDER, ALL THOSE METHODS THEY USE.
AND THEN THEY ALSO MIGHT USE ALTERNATIVE LIGHT SOURCES LIKE THE CRAZY LASERS YOU SEE ON CSI.
THEY MAY USE THOSE TO IDENTIFY SECTIONS OR ITEMS, PARTS OF ITEMS OF EVIDENCE THAT THEY MIGHT WANNA JUST IDENTIFY FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION.
AND THEN ONCE THEY PACKAGE THOSE ALL UP AND ENSURE EVERYTHING'S SEALED AND THE CHAIN OF CUSTODY IS WHERE IT SHOULD BE, THEY'LL EITHER BE SENT TO OUR EVIDENCE WAREHOUSE FOR LONG-TERM STORAGE OR THEY'LL BE PROVIDED TO THE NEXT DISCIPLINE FOR THE NEXT ROUND OF TESTING THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.
OH, I DIDN'T REALLY MEAN TO DO THAT THAT TIME.
UM, ANOTHER SECTION WE'LL TALK ABOUT IS FIREARMS AND TOOL MARKS.
YOU MIGHT APPEAR THEM REFERRED TO AS BALLISTICS.
THESE ARE THE FIREARMS EXAMINERS THAT ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO DO PHYSICAL COMPARISON OF FIREARMS EVIDENCE.
SO THAT MIGHT BE A SPENT GUN SHELL CASING OR A BULLET FRAGMENT FOUND AT A CRIME SCENE.
AND THEY WOULD COMPARE THOSE TO PERHAPS A FIREARM THAT WAS COLLECTED FROM A SUSPECT.
THEY WOULD TAKE IT TO THE LABORATORY.
THEY MIGHT PERFORM A TEST FIRE FROM THAT SUSPECT'S FIREARM.
AND THEN THEY'RE GONNA USE REALLY SOPHISTICATED MICROSCOPY METHODS TO DETERMINE ARE THEIR COMPARISONS OR THERE CHARACTERISTICS STRIATIONS IN PLACE THAT INDICATE THERE CAN BE AN IDENTIFICATION OR AN EXCLUSION THAT THAT UNKNOWN ITEM MATCHES A KNOWN SUSPECT FIREARM, FOR EXAMPLE.
THEY ALSO DO THINGS LIKE, UH, DETERMINE THE DEFINITION OF A FIREARM TO SEE IF AN ITEM ACTUALLY MEETS THE TRUE DEFINITION OF A FIREARM AND RESTORE SERIAL NUMBERS IF THOSE HAVE BEEN LIKE SCRATCHED OFF OR OBLITERATED.
SO THAT'S OUR FIREARMS AND TOOL MARKS SECTION IN A NUTSHELL.
AND THEN WE HAVE ANOTHER COMPARISON SCIENCE SECTION CALLED LATENT PRINTS.
THEY'RE ALSO AN ACCREDITED DISCIPLINE.
THESE ARE OUR LATENT PRINT EXAMINERS.
THEY DO VERY SIMILAR WORK WHERE THEY WILL COMPARE AN UNKNOWN PRINT COLLECTED FROM A CRIME SCENE THAT'S PROBABLY BEEN PROCESSED BY OUR CRIME SCENE STAFF.
THESE STAFF ARE REALLY WORKING AT THE COMPUTER, REVIEWING THE DATA.
THEY'RE NOT PROCESSING PRE-PROCESSING THE PRINTS.
THEY'RE REALLY JUST FOCUSED ON, LET'S SEE WHAT THE IDENTIFICATION OPTIONS ARE FOR THIS PRINT.
AND SO THEY MIGHT COMPARE IT TO AN UNKNOWN THAT MIGHT BE AVAILABLE FROM A SUSPECT.
MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, THEY'RE ENTERING THESE ITEMS INTO A DATABASE, WHICH IS AN INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTIC DATABASE, SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS APHIS.
IT'S A DATABASE OF A LOT OF, UH, FINGERPRINT PALM, SOMETIMES FOOTPRINTS.
AND SO THEY'LL DO THOSE COMPARISONS AND THAT IS GOING TO POTENTIALLY GIVE A LIST OF POTENTIAL SUSPECTS TO INTERROGATE FURTHER AND EXPLORE FURTHER.
SO THE NEXT ACCREDITED SECTION IS SEIZE DRUGS.
SO KIND OF AS THE NAME IMPLIES, THIS IS A GROUP OF PRIMARILY ANALYTICAL CHEMISTS THAT ANALYZE DRUGS THAT HAVE BEEN SEIZED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT.
AND SO FOR EXAMPLE, THERE MIGHT BE A COMPLETELY UNKNOWN POWDER AND THEY ARE REALLY REQUIRED TO DO MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF TESTING, ORTHOGONAL TESTING APPROACH TO ACTUALLY IDENTIFY AND CONFIRM WHETHER AN ITEM IS AN ACTUAL CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE ON THE CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE LIST.
SO THEY HAVE VERY COOL INSTRUMENTATION, THEY HAVE THE MOST INSTRUMENTS IN THERE AND UH, SOME REALLY SOPHISTICATED TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO THEM.
THEY ALSO DO A LOT OF VERY PRECISE MEASUREMENTS WITH UNCERTAINTY BUDGETS BECAUSE THAT REALLY, UM, MAKES A DIFFERENCE WITH REGARD TO HOW CHARGES ARE FILED OR WHERE IT KIND OF FITS ALONG THE CONTINUUM.
SO SOME OTHER UH, ACCREDITED SECTION WE HAVE IS TOXICOLOGY.
[00:45:01]
CHEMISTS THAT WORK IN THE LABORATORY, BUT INSTEAD OF ACTUALLY ANALYZING THE CS DRUG ITSELF, TOXICOLOGISTS ARE REALLY ANALYZING FOR POTENTIAL METABOL METABOLITES IN BLOOD OR OR URINE FOR EXAMPLE.SO THESE FOLKS RIGHT NOW ARE REALLY PRIMARILY UM, ANALYZING FOR BLOOD ALCOHOL CONCENTRATION.
SO ANYTIME A BLOOD DRAW'S TAKEN IN A SUSPECTED DUI FOR EXAMPLE, THESE ARE THE FOLKS THAT ARE GONNA ANALYZE THAT BLOOD FOR THE CONCENTRATION OF ALCOHOL THAT MAY BE PRESENT.
THEY'RE ALSO IN THE PROCESS OF VALIDATING OTHER METHODS SO THEY CAN EXPAND THIS TO UH, SCREENING AND CONFIRMING UM, DRUGS THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN CONSUMED OR TAKEN DNA AND CASE MANAGEMENT.
ANOTHER REALLY IMPORTANT, UH, SET OF GROUPS THAT WE HAVE, OUR CASE MANAGEMENT GROUP ACTUALLY ENSURES THAT THROUGH A SERIES OF PRIVATE CONTRACTS AND AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH TEXAS DPS, THAT WE ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE DNA TESTING SERVICES FOR ALL OF OUR DNA SAMPLES THAT WE RECEIVE FROM A PD.
AND SO WE DO THIS THROUGH OUTSOURCING AND THROUGH THIS COLLABORATIVE AGREEMENT WITH TEXAS DPS AT OUR CAP LAB FACILITY, WHICH IS LOCATED IN THE SAME FORENSIC LABORATORY SPACE AS ALL THEIR OTHER GROUPS.
BUT THAT WORK IS DONE UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY QUALITY ASSURANCE UMBRELLA AND THEIR MANAGEMENT.
UM, WHAT'S REALLY GREAT ABOUT HAVING A CASE MANAGEMENT UNIT ALSO IS THAT THEY'RE SORT OF THE GO BETWEEN BETWEEN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE BENCH ANALYSTS.
SO WHEN THEY HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT TIMING AND EVERYTHING ELSE OR WHAT DOES THIS MEAN OR, OR WHAT KIND OF PROCESSES DO I NEED TO EMPLOY, THESE ARE FORMER ANALYSTS THAT HELP KIND OF JUST GUIDE THEM AND ANSWER QUESTIONS SO AS NOT TO DISTRACT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE DOING THE ANALYTICAL WORK, WHICH IS ACTUALLY LOVELY.
AND THEN THEY ALSO PERFORM DISCOVERY ALONG WITH OUR ADMINISTRATION DOES DISCOVERY, WHICH IS A CRITICAL PART OF WHAT WE DO WITH REGARD TO RECORDS AND PROVIDING ALL OF THE CASE RECORDS TO THE COURTS.
UM, SO THOSE ARE SORT OF OUR TECHNICAL SECTIONS.
AND THEN EVIDENCE CONTROL IS ALSO CRITICALLY IMPORTANT 'CAUSE GARBAGE IN IS GARBAGE OUT.
AND SO THIS GROUP MANAGES I THINK 1.4 MILLION ITEMS OF EVIDENCE, LONG-TERM STORAGE AND MANAGEMENT.
THEY MAINTAIN CHAIN OF CUSTODY, THEY ALSO DO, UM, TRANSPORT.
SO THEY WILL GO TO ALL THE INDIVIDUAL SUBSTATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND THEY'LL GRAB THE EVIDENCE THAT'S BEEN DROPPED OFF BY PATROL THERE.
THEY'LL TAKE IT AND THEY'LL TRANSPORT TRANSPORTED TO THE CENTRAL WAREHOUSE.
SO THAT FREES UP OFFICER'S TIME TO GET BACK ON THE STREETS WHEN THEY HAVE TO DRIVE SUCH A FAR DISTANCE.
SO THEY DO THAT MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
THEY ALSO TRANSPORT EVIDENCE FROM THE WAREHOUSE TO THE LABORATORIES WHEN THEY NEED TO BE UH, PROCESSED.
THEY'RE ALSO IN CHARGE OF DISPOSAL.
SO AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, WE CAN'T KEEP 1.1 0.4 MILLION IN GROWING ITEMS OF EVIDENCE INTO PERPETUITY.
SO THEY ALSO WILL DISPOSE THEM ACCORDING TO UH, COURT ORDERS.
SO LAW ENFORCEMENT JUDGE HAS TO PROVIDE THE, UH, COURT ORDER FOR US TO BE ABLE TO DISPOSE OF ITEMS THAT HAVE MET RETENTION PERIODS AND THAT SORT OF THING.
SO THEY WILL DO THAT WORK AS WELL IN QUALITY ASSURANCE.
WE CANNOT UNDERSTATE THE IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY ASSURANCE TO A FORENSIC LABORATORY.
SO THEY ARE IN CHARGE OF OUR QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR MAINTAINING OUR VARIOUS ACCREDITATIONS AND OUR LICENSING REQUIREMENTS.
THEY ENSURE THAT OUR FOLKS ARE COMPLETING THEIR COMPETENCY TESTS BEFORE WE AUTHORIZE THEM FOR CASE WORK.
THEY ENSURE THAT WE'RE PERFORMING PROFICIENCY TESTS REGULARLY TO ENSURE OUR SKILLS ARE KEPT UP TO SPEED.
WE'RE UM, WORKING TOWARDS ALL THE DIFFERENT VARIOUS EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE METHOD, VALIDATIONS, ALL THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THOSE THINGS ARE MET.
AND THEN THEY'RE ALSO IN CHARGE OF OUR QUALITY ASSURANCE NOTIFICATIONS.
SO WHEN WE HAVE A QUALITY ASSURANCE EVENT, WE MONITOR FOR THESE, IT'S A GOOD THING WHEN WE CATCH OURSELVES MAKING MISTAKES.
THIS IS WHY, THIS IS WHY THIS PROGRAM EXISTS.
SO WE'LL IDENTIFY SOMETHING AND THEY'LL BE IN CHARGE OF ALL THE DOCUMENTATION.
SO DOCUMENTING THE INCIDENT, INFORMING WHOEVER NEEDS TO BE INFORMED, PERFORMING A ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS AND THEN IDENTIFYING WHAT ARE THOSE CORRECTIVE OR PREVENTIVE ACTIONS WE NEED TO PUT IN PLACE TO MITIGATE THIS MOVING FORWARD.
SO THAT'S A CONTINUOUS CYCLE THAT WE USE REALLY COOL SOFTWARE TO SUPPORT.
SO BY AND LARGE, THOSE ARE A LOT OF THE SECTIONS FIVE ACCREDITED AND FIVE SUPPORT SESSION SECTIONS THAT WE HAVE WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT.
AND THEN SPEAKING OF QUALITY, UM,
[00:50:01]
WE MUST TALK ABOUT SOME OF OUR ACCREDITING BODIES.SO WE ARE ACCREDITED, UH, BY A NAB, WHICH STANDS FOR THE ANSI NATIONAL ACCREDITATION BOARD TO ISO 17 0 2 5 20 17 AND AR 31 25 REQUIREMENTS.
WE ARE ALSO ACCREDITED BY THE TEXAS FORENSIC SCIENCE COMMISSION.
SO WE'RE LUCKY IN TEXAS THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE A COMMISSION.
MOST STATES DO NOT HAVE A COMMISSION, SO IT'S AN ADDITIONAL LAYER OF ACCREDITATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
THEY ALSO HAVE A LICENSING PROGRAM WITH THE TEXAS FORENSIC SCIENCE COMMISSION.
SO IT HAS CERTAIN EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS AND LICENSING REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTAIN DISCIPLINES WITHIN FORENSIC SCIENCE.
FOR MANY DISCIPLINES, A LICENSE IS REQUIRED FOR FORENSIC ANALYST TO TESTIFY IN THE COURT OF LAW.
AND SO IF WE CAN'T TESTIFY, WE REALLY CAN'T DO WHAT OUR JOB ENTAILS ALL THE WAY THROUGH ITS NATURAL PROGRESSION.
SO WE MUST BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THOSE.
AND THEN THERE ARE A COUPLE OF, UM, PROGRAMS WHERE THERE LICENSE IS VOLUNTARY AND CRIME SCENE AND LATENT PRINT FOR EXAMPLE.
BUT WE ARE PURSUING THOSE LICENSES BECAUSE WE THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT.
SO WE DON'T REALLY MAKE THEM VOLUNTARY, WE MAKE THEM REQUIRED.
AND WE ALSO WE'RE AN EARLY IMPLEMENTER OF THE OSAC REGISTRY STANDARDS, WHICH REALLY STANDS FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF SCIENTIFIC AREA COMMITTEES FOR FORENSIC SCIENCE, A VERY LONG NAME, BUT BASICALLY WHERE THE OTHER TWO ARE PROVIDING REQUIREMENTS TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE AN ACCOUNTABLE DOCUMENTED QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM THAT DOESN'T REALLY SPEAK TO.
AND HOW SHOULD YOU DO THE ACTUAL SCIENCE? THIS GROUP IS MORE OF THE SCIENTIFIC IN INFORMERS.
SO THESE ARE DISCIPLINE SPECIFIC SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS THAT GET TOGETHER AND DEVELOP A STANDARD OF BEST PRACTICES, CONSENSUS BEST PRACTICES FOR ALL THE DISCIPLINES.
AND THEN THEY PUBLISH STANDARDS FOR EACH ONE.
SO RIGHT NOW THERE'S 152 PUBLISHED.
THERE'S PROBABLY WAY MORE THAN 73 PROPOSED BY THE TIME I WROTE THIS UP.
AND NOW THEY'RE JUST CONTINUALLY ADDING TO IT.
AND SO WE'RE EARLY IMPLEMENTERS OF THIS, MEANING WE ARE IMPLEMENTING AS MANY IF NOT ALL OF THOSE STANDARDS THAT APPLY TO US AND WE'RE CONTINUALLY REVIEWING THOSE TO SEE WHERE WE CAN CONTINUE ON.
SO THAT'S KIND OF LIKE WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO.
AND JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF LIKE WHAT VOLUME THAT LOOKS LIKE IN TERMS OF WHAT WE'RE OUTPUTTING, IT JUST TOOK A SNAPSHOT FROM 2024.
I DON'T HAVE 2025 DATA YET 'CAUSE WE'RE STILL COLLECTING THOSE, BUT IN 2024 FOR EXAMPLE, WE PROCESSED ALL SEXUAL ASSAULT KITS THAT WERE RECEIVED IN THAT YEAR WITH AN AVERAGE TURNAROUND TIME OF 51 DAYS.
AND WE PREVENTED A SEXUAL ASSAULT KIT BACKLOG FOR THE SIXTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR, WHICH IS SOMETHING WE'RE COMMITTED TO AND VERY PROUD OF DOING.
INVESTIGATE OUR CRIME SCENE FOLKS INVESTIGATED OVER 2000 MAJOR CRIME SCENES AND THEN WE ALSO INVESTIGATED ADDITIONAL PROPERTY CRIME SCENES AS WELL, DELIVERED SEVEN AND A HALF THOUSAND FORENSIC REPORTS.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT WHEN WE PUT OUT A FORENSIC REPORT THAT'S NOT JUST ONE ANALYST REPORT, IT'S ONE ANALYST PRIMARY WORK AND A SECOND ANALYST ACTUALLY REVIEWING ALL THAT WORK.
SO EVERY REPORT THAT GOES OUT HAS MULTIPLE EYES ON IT AND MULTIPLE LEVELS OF REVIEW.
THOSE REPORTS, UH, WERE BORN OUT OF PROCESSING OVER 25,000 INDIVIDUAL ITEMS OF EVIDENCE AND THEN OUR EVIDENCE GROUP DISPOSED OF 140,000 ELIGIBLE ITEMS INCLUDING OVER 9,000 SEIZE DRUGS AND A THOUSAND FIREARMS, WHICH IS REALLY IMPORTANT NOT ONLY JUST TO KEEP UP WITH, BUT TO PREVENT THOSE FROM EVER BEING POTENTIALLY RECIRCULATED.
NOT THAT THEY WOULD, BUT WE'D LIKE TO MAKE SURE.
AND THEN THAT'S REALLY THE BROAD VIEW OF WHAT WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO.
AND I THANK YOU FOR LETTING US COME, KIND OF EXPLAIN THAT TO YOU TODAY AND HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
LEMME GET CAMERAS BACK ON EVERYBODY.
UM, AND IF WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, UM, I HAVE KIND OF JUST AS, AS YOU CLOSED OUT WITH JUST AN EX SORT OF THE OVERALL 2024 SNAPSHOT, DO YOU GUYS, UH, IS, IS THE VOLUME THAT YOU CURRENTLY WORK WITH, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT'S RATHER LIKE STATIC? DO YOU GUYS HAVE EBBS AND FLOWS, BUSY SEASONS FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM,
I COULDN'T TELL YOU EXACTLY WHAT THE TREND IS THERE.
BECAUSE IT'S REALLY KIND OF HARD TO PREDICT.
UM, THAT'S ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE.
AND SO THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, YOU KNOW, IT MIGHT BE, UM, JUST OVERALL WE MIGHT RECEIVE SLIGHTLY FEWER REQUESTS,
[00:55:01]
BUT THE REQUESTS THAT WE RECEIVE SEEM TO BE MORE COMPLEX.SO I'M SEEING THIS AS SORT OF A TREND THAT THE TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF CRIME LABORATORY DIRECTORS KIND OF SEEING.
SO I THINK THAT'S JUST OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, SOMETHING I'M OBSERVING.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF SO MUCH, IS THERE A SEASONALITY TO IT? IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT, UM, TO KIND OF KNOW WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
I'D LOVE TO SAY THAT THERE'S A SLOW SEASON FOR CRIME, BUT THERE'S JUST
YEAH,
UM, HOPEFULLY THIS IS A REALLY QUICK QUESTION AND THEN I HAVE ANOTHER ONE.
UM, THE, UM, RAPE KIT BACKLOGGED.
DOES THAT MEAN IT NO LONGER EXISTS? I KNOW WE HIRED CONTRACTORS TO HELP WITH THE OLDER CASES LIKE SEVERAL YEARS AGO.
YEAH, THAT WAS DONE MANY, MANY YEARS AGO.
SO IT'S ALL DONE OVER SIX YEARS AGO.
SORRY, I HAVEN'T BEEN KEEPING UP, SO THAT'S OKAY.
PEOPLE ASK ME THIS QUESTION ALL THE TIME.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, IT GOT A LOT OF ATTENTION.
UM, BUT THE SECOND ONE IS, UM, A LITTLE LAWYERLY, UM, WHICH HAS TO DO WITH BRADY.
AND IF, IF Y'ALL, WHAT POLICIES Y'ALL HAVE IN TERMS OF TIMELY DISCLOSURE OF, UM, NOT HELPFUL INFORMATION, INFORMATION THAT MIGHT UNDERMINE A CONVICTION OR UNDERMINE A OH, SURE.
WE HAVE POLICIES IN PLACE, WE'RE ALWAYS ITERATING THEM.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE A NEW VERSION OF IT COMING OUT, BUT WE, UM, HAVE BEEN OPERATING UNDER IT FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
AND SO WE WORKED WITH, UH, DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICES TO IDENTIFY KIND OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
AND SO I THINK, UM, AND OUR ACCREDITING BODY ACTUALLY HAS REQUIREMENTS FOR TIMELINESS WITH REGARD TO REPORTING WHEN WE HAVE LIKE A QUALITY INCIDENT.
AND SO RIGHT NOW WE HAVE SOME AGREEMENTS WHERE WE CAN KIND OF GIVE PRELIMINARY NOTICE TO SOME THINGS, YOU KNOW, WHILE WE'RE WORKING OUT.
LIKE, WAS THIS A REAL THING OR IS THIS JUST AN ANOMALY OR WHAT IS THE THING? IT TAKES US SOME TIME TO DO THE FULL ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS AND ALL THAT, BUT WE, WE HAVE MECHANISMS IN PLACE TO GIVE JUST A PRELIMINARY ALERT JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT NOBODY GETS SIDEWAYS.
BUT YEAH, DEFINITELY POLICIES IN PLACE FOR THAT.
AND WE'RE ALWAYS IMPROVING THOSE AND I THINK WE'VE DONE A LOT TO IMPROVE THOSE IN THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF.
AND SO IT'S GOING A LITTLE SMOOTHER.
UM, THEN EVENTUALLY, UM, THERE'LL BE THE TLR CONNECT PORTAL THAT TEXAS DPS IS WORKING ON, WHICH WILL BE A PORTAL THAT ALL FORENSIC LABORATORIES IN THE STATE OF TEXAS USE TO PROVIDE THAT, UM, DISCOVERY INFORMATION.
SO THAT'LL MAKE IT JUST EASIER FOR EVERYBODY.
QUITE THE HEAVY LIFT THOUGH, GETTING IT GOING.
SO I, I DON'T ENVY DP S'S ROLE IN THAT.
DO YOU HAVE ANYONE ELSE? WELL, I'M REALLY HAPPY THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO COME.
UM, WE HAVE MENTIONED FORENSIC SCIENCE, UM, A LITTLE BIT IN PASSING AS WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT OUR BYLAWS CHANGES.
I HAD MENTIONED THAT TO YOU AS WELL.
UM, AND IT WAS AGAIN, CHIEF HENDERSON THAT WAS LIKE, WE SHOULD TALK ABOUT FORENSIC SCIENCE AND SEEING, AND IF WE'RE REALLY, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO TALK ABOUT A MORE HOLISTIC, UM, YOU KNOW, OVER OVERVIEW OF PUBLIC SAFETY, I THINK ROLLING YOU GUYS INTO THOSE CONVERSATIONS COULD BE REALLY PRODUCTIVE AND, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, MAKING SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDS THAT THE ROLE THAT YOU GUYS PLAY, UM, AND POTENTIALLY IDENTIFY ANY NEEDS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE, UM, ANY SORT OF HURDLES AND OBSTACLES THAT YOU GUYS HIT THAT ARE GETTING IN THE WAY OF THINGS GOING SMOOTHLY.
UM, AND MY HOPE IS THAT IF WE CAN GET YOU GUYS, UM, ADDED INTO THE MIX, UM, THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN, UM, SPEAK ABOUT MORE FREQUENTLY AND JUST KEEP YOU GUYS TOP OF MIND BECAUSE WE HADN'T, UM, TALKED ABOUT FORENSIC SCIENCE SINCE I THINK AS A COMMISSION.
WE VOTED, UM, IN SUPPORT OF AN INDEPENDENT FORENSIC SCIENCE DEPARTMENT AND THAT WAS 2021.
I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT YEAR THAT WAS.
IT WAS A LONG TIME AGO AND IT JUST, UM, SHOULD NOT HAVE FALLEN OFF THE RADAR FOR THAT LONG.
SO I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT, BUT I'M GLAD YOU'RE HERE.
AND THEN WE ARE ACTUALLY DOING DECENTLY ON TIME.
[5. Discussion of the Office of Police Oversight's compliance with the Austin Police Oversight Act and Resolution 20230921-099. ]
IS A DISCUSSION OF THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHTS COMPLIANCE, UM, WITH THE A POA.UM, SO I'M JUST GONNA OPEN THIS, UM, REALLY BRIEFLY WITH AN OVERVIEW, WHICH IS, UM,
[01:00:01]
WE'VE HAD THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT COME OUT SEVERAL TIMES IN THE PAST YEAR.UM, BUT BEFORE THAT IT WAS A LITTLE DIFFICULT TO GET THEM TO COME PRESENT.
IT WOULD TAKE TIME, IT WOULD TAKE SEVERAL MONTHS OF GOING BACK AND FORTH.
UM, I THINK IN ONE INSTANCE THEY ACTUALLY GOT YANKED FROM OUR AGENDA ITEM MINUTES BEFORE OUR MEETING STARTED.
UM, SO I WAS REALLY HAPPY WHEN THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT STARTED SHOWING UP MORE REGULARLY, UM, TO PROVIDE US UPDATE ON THEIR COMPLIANCE.
UM, AND I THINK WE HAD THEM BACK AS FREQUENTLY AS WE DID BECAUSE THEY HAD SET SOME MILESTONES FOR THEMSELVES WITH REGARDS TO HAVING THINGS COMPLETED, HAVING ANNUAL REPORTS COMPLETED, HAVING DATA POSTED.
AND SO WE WERE HAVING THEM BACK TO KIND OF LIKE CHECK BACK ON HOW THAT WAS GOING.
UNFORTUNATELY, AT OUR LAST MEETING IN JULY, UM, TIME WAS SHORT AND WE WEREN'T ABLE TO COMPLETE THEIR PRESENTATION.
THEY WERE NOT HAPPY WITH THE QUESTIONS WE ASKED, WHICH I THINK WERE ON TOPIC AND PERHAPS CHALLENGING, BUT BY NO MEANS INAPPROPRIATE.
UM, AND SO THEY HAVE NOW DECLINED, REFUSED, WHICHEVER WORD YOU'D LIKE TO USE, UM, TO COME PRESENT TO US ANY LONGER, UM, WHICH IS PROBLEMATIC FOR AN OVERSIGHT AGENCY THAT'S DEDICATED TO TRANSPARENCY, UM,
SO WITH THAT, UM, WE CIRCULATED VIA EMAIL SOME QUESTIONS, UM, JUST TO KIND OF GET THINGS GOING, UM, THAT WE HAVE FOR THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT.
THEY HAVE DECLINED TO PRESENT TO US, BUT THEY HAVE AGREED TO ANSWER QUESTIONS VIA EMAIL.
UM, SO WITH THAT, I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF OPEN UP, OPEN IT UP FOR DISCUSSION QUESTIONS, THOUGHTS.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO NOT SPEAK BY MYSELF ON THIS ITEM,
SO IF ANYBODY ELSE HAS THOUGHTS, UM, ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS TO ADD TO OUR LIST, I WILL OPEN UP THE FLOOR.
UH, COMMISSIONER CILO, UH, COMMISSIONER, COULD YOU GIVE US, UM, A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT THE OPO TOOK ISSUE WITH FROM, UH, THE QUESTIONS THAT THEY WERE ASKED IN THIS FORM? WE ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR COMPLAINTS PROCESS, I BELIEVE, UM, AND THEIR CLOSEOUT MEETINGS, UM, AND WHAT THAT PROCESS LOOKED LIKE.
AND THEN, UM, WE ALSO ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE QUALIFICATIONS OF THEIR COMPLAINTS SUPERVISOR, OF COURSE, TO BE MORE SPECIFIC.
'CAUSE THIS IS NOW ALL JUST COMING BACK TO ME.
UM, WE POSITED A QUESTION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS APPROPRIATE TO HAVE SOMEONE WHO IS FORMER LAW ENFORCEMENT IN CHARGE OF THE COMPLAINTS PROCESS.
UM, THAT MAY HAVE BEEN THE MOST CONTENTIOUS QUESTION.
BUT AGAIN, ALL I THINK ALL WERE ON TOPIC AND RELATED TO THE QUESTIONS THAT WE HAD RELAYED TO THEM WOULD BE ASKED.
SO THEY HAD ADVANCED NOTICE OF THESE QUESTIONS AS WELL.
COMMISSIONER CARROLL, I JUST WANNA SAY FOR THE RECORD THAT I FIND IT INCREDIBLY DISCOURAGING AND INAPPROPRIATE THAT THEY'RE NOT WILLING TO, TO COME AND SPEAK TO US, UH, UM, AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT WE ASK AS THE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE.
WELL, UM, I HAD ASKED THAT THESE, UM, QUESTIONS THAT WE HAD FOR THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT.
SINCE OPO WANTS TO ONLY ANSWER QUESTIONS IN WRITING, I FELT PRETTY STRONGLY ABOUT US BEING ABLE TO ASK QUESTIONS ON THE RECORD, AT THE VERY LEAST.
UM, SO MY INTENTION WITH CIRCULATING THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE CIRCULATED VIA EMAIL WAS FOR THEM TO BE POSTED VIA BACKUP.
I WAS INFORMED BEFORE THE MEETING THAT THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS BECAUSE IT P IS NOT HERE.
SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA USE A FEW OF OUR MINUTES TO ACTUALLY READ EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE QUESTIONS INTO THE RECORD.
UM, AND THEN THEY CAN BE POSTED INTO BACKUP BECAUSE I READ THEM ALL INTO THE RECORD.
UM, AND IF ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS TO ADD, PLEASE FEEL FREE.
THIS IS NOT A FINALIST BY ANY MEANS, BUT, UM, IF ANYBODY WANTS TO TAKE A, A GROUP OF QUESTIONS, UM, TO GIVE MY VOICE A BREAK, THAT WOULD BE APPRECIATED AS WELL,
BUT I'LL START WITH THE FIRST, WHICH IS THE ANNUAL REPORT, UM, WHICH IS WHEN WILL THE OPO BE PRESENTING AT A PUBLICLY HELD CITY COUNCIL MEETING AS DIRECTED IN THE CITY ORDINANCE? QUESTION TWO, WHEN WILL THE 2024 ANNUAL REPORT BE PUBLISHED? QUESTION THREE, WHAT IS THE SCHEDULE
[01:05:01]
FOR ANNUAL REPORTS GOING FORWARD FOR 2025 AND ONWARDS? AND WHAT WILL BE THE ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM TO ENSURE THESE ARE DONE IN A TIMELY MANNER? UM, NUMBER FOUR, WHAT DEPARTMENTS ARE GIVEN EDIT AND APPROVAL ACCESS TO THE OPOS ANNUAL REPORT? THE NEXT CATEGORY OF QUESTIONS IS ON COMPLIANCE, WHICH IS HAVE ALL ANONYMOUS COMPLAINTS TO DATE BEEN PUBLISHED TO THE OPO WEBSITE? ARE COMPLAINTS THAT HAVE RECEIVED ORAL OR WRITTEN REPRIMANDS BEEN POSTED TO OPO WEBSITE? COMPLAINTS POSTED TO THE OPO WEBSITE ARE NOT CURRENTLY SEARCHABLE.WHAT CAN BE DONE TO IMPROVE SEARCHABILITY? ARE THERE TECHNICAL AND OR INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED FOR THE DATABASE TO MORE ADEQUATELY MEET THE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS OF THE ORDINANCE AND RESOLUTION 99 AND BE EASILY ACCESSIBLE AND SEARCHABLE FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC? WHAT SOLUTIONS HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN DATA COLLECTED DURING COMPLAINTS PROCESS AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS, AND HAVE ALL COMPLIMENTS BEEN PUBLISHED TO THE OPO WEBSITE? WANT ME TO TAKE SOME? YEAH, I'M GONNA TAKE A BREATHER.
COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT'S GONNA READ A FEW MORE.
DO YOU WANNA PAUSE TO SEE IF ANYBODY HAS ANY
ACTUALLY, CAN WE HAVE, DO WE HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS WITH REGARDS TO ANY COMPLIANCE OR ANNUAL REPORTS AT THIS POINT? OKAY, GREAT.
OH, COMMISSIONER CILO, UH, I WAS JUST VOLUNTEERING TO, TO READ A SECTION IF, UH, IF Y'ALL WANTED A LITTLE BIT.
OH YEAH, IF YOU HAVE THEM THERE, IF YOU WANNA TAKE THE NEXT QUESTION, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
UH, MOVING ON TO COMPLAINTS PROCESS AND OUTCOMES.
UH, WHAT TRAINING ARE COMPLAINTS OFFICERS BEING PROVIDED WITH TO ENSURE IMPARTIALITY IN THE COMPLAINTS PROCESS? UH, HOW ARE COMPLAINTS BEING INFORMED COMPLAINANTS BEING INFORMED OF THEIR OPTIONS? 13.
HOW SUSTAINABLE ARE SUPERVISORY REFERRAL DISPOSITIONS GIVEN APDS RETURN TO PATROL INITIATIVE AND THE CHANGES BEING MADE TO THE FORCE REVIEW? UNIT 14.
WHAT FOLLOW UP DOES THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT DO FOR SUPERVISORY REFERRALS? 15.
WHAT DOCUMENTATION AND OR REPORTING DOES OPO TRACK ON SUPERVISORY REFERRALS TO ASSESS EFFECTIVENESS OF THAT CLASSIFICATION? 16.
WHAT AUTOMATIC TRIGGERS ARE IN PLACE TO FLAG FULL INVESTIGATIONS WHEN THE SUPERVISORY REFERRAL OPTION IS PREFERRED BY THE COMPLAINANT? AND 17, DOES THE OPO TRACK REPEAT COMPLAINTS AND OUTCOMES SUCH AS REPEATED SUPERVISORY REFERRALS FOR INDIVIDUAL OFFICERS OR CERTAIN AREAS THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF THE AVERAGE FOR A PD AS A WHOLE? GREAT.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP WITH THAT.
UM, AND WHILE I THINK COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT'S GONNA TAKE, AND THE REASON I JUST WANTED TO BRING UP THAT THE REASON THERE WERE SO MANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THE SUPERVISORY REFERRALS IS BECAUSE IN THE ANNUAL REPORT, IT IS THE LARGEST DISPOSITION AND MOST COMMON DISPOSITION FOR COMPLAINTS THAT COME IN.
AND SO JUST UNDERSTANDING MORE ABOUT THAT PROCESS IN GENERAL AND WHAT CHECKS AND BALANCES ARE IN PLACE FELT IMPORTANT.
UM, THE NEXT SECTION IS COMMUNITY POLICE REVIEW COMMISSION.
WHAT OUTSTANDING ITEMS OBSTACLES ARE CURRENTLY DELAYING THE C PRCS ABILITY TO REVIEW CASES? UH, HOW WILL VACANT SEATS ON THE CPRC BE FILLED AND WHAT IS THE TIMELINE FOR FILLING CURRENT VACANT SEATS? WILL THE CPRC CASE REVIEW WORK SIMILAR TO THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION? WELL BE SIMILAR YES.
TO THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION WHERE THEY HAVE CLOSED DOOR SESSIONS.
OR WILL THE PROCESS BE DIFFERENT? IS THE CPRC BEING GIVEN THE ABILITY TO REVIEW CASES THAT OPO OR APDS INTERNAL AFFAIRS HAVE ALREADY CHOSEN NOT TO REFER TO DISCIPLINE? AND WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS MADE BY CPRC? WHO ARE THEY FORWARDED TO AND WHERE WILL THAT CASE DOCUMENTATION LIVE? AND I THINK THE LAST SET OF QUESTIONS I'LL JUST GO AHEAD AND READ IS JUST KIND OF MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS.
UM, IS ASKING THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT TO PLEASE EXPLAIN THEIR PARTICIPATION IN OFFICE INVOLVED SHOOTING PRESS CONFERENCES AND REASONING FOR THAT? UM, UH, 24, DID THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT RECEIVE ANY ADDITIONAL FUNDING IN THE LATEST BUDGET ADOPTION? AND QUESTION 25, WHAT DOES OPO THINK IS NEEDED, IF ANYTHING, TO BE ABLE TO FULLY IMPLEMENT ALL ITS GOALS IN A TIMELY FASHION AND TO CONTINUE TO DO SO ON A REGULAR BASIS THAT IT DOES NOT CURRENTLY HAVE? UM, JUST GONNA GO AGAIN TO THE FLOOR ONE MORE TIME TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
[01:10:01]
IF ANYTHING ELSE COMES UP.OH, COMMISSIONER CARROLL? YES.
I WOULD LIKE COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT'S ORIGINAL QUESTION TO BE ADDED THAT THEY REFUSED TO, TO ANSWER AT OUR LAST MEETING.
OH, I DON'T KNOW THAT THEY DIDN'T ANSWER IT.
ALTHOUGH THEY JUST DIDN'T LIKE IT.
I, I BELIEVE, UM, YEAH, I DO BELIEVE THEY ANSWERED THAT QUESTION.
I THINK IT, I MEAN, WE CAN FIND A, IF, IF YOU GUYS WANNA COME UP WITH SOME WORDING FOR THAT QUESTION, I WOULD LOVE TO INCLUDE SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES JUST WITH REGARDS TO, I MEAN, WE COULD, WE COULD ASK ABOUT THE HIRING PROCESS FOR THAT SUPERVISORY POSITION.
UM, AND HOW IT WAS THAT THE FINAL CANDIDATE NARROWED IN ON WAS A FORMER PEACE OFFICER.
YEAH, I THINK ALSO I THINK AROUND THAT, LIKE WHAT QUALIFICATIONS ARE PRIORITIZED IN SELECTING THE HEAD OF THE OFFICE AND HOW AND THEIR INDEPENDENCE.
WELL, I CAN PICK UP ANOTHER QUESTION FOR THAT, BUT I THINK THAT THE QUALIFICATIONS BEING PRIORITIZED FOR HIRING OF COMPLAINT SUPERVISOR AND LEADERSHIP.
I JUST MAKE IT CLEAR THAT I DON'T THINK WE'RE SAYING THAT YOU CANNOT HAVE SOMEBODY WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT EXPERIENCE BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S GONNA BE PLENTY OF PEOPLE WHO WILL BE THAT, BUT JUST MORE HOW THE PROCESS WAS IN TERMS OF WHERE CRITERIA WERE, WERE WEIGHED.
UM, I APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S HELP WITH PUTTING THESE QUESTIONS FORWARD.
UM, I WILL REVISE OUR OPO QUESTIONS, UM, FOR THE RECORD, AND I'M GONNA LEAVE THAT THERE FOR NOW.
UM, AND WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND MOVE INTO THE RECOMMENDATION THAT WE HAVE FOR CONSIDERATION CHAIR.
CAN I ASK A QUESTION? OF COURSE.
DO WE TO HAVE THESE BE IN THE RECORD, DO WE NEED TO MAKE ANY MOVEMENTS AND THEY VOTE AT ALL, OR BY BEING READ WILL BE IN THE MINUTES TO BE IN THE RECORD.
THEY WILL NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE MINUTES.
NO, IT, THE ITEM WAS JUST A DISCUSSION ITEM.
I THINK THE QUESTION WAS IF WE HAVE TO DO ANYTHING ELSE TO HAVE THE QUESTIONS BE IN THE BACKUP MATERIALS.
UM, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THIS WOULD BE BACKUP MATERIAL BASED ON THE RECOMMENDATION FROM THE CLERK'S OFFICE, BUT I CAN GET CLARITY ON THAT AND COME BACK TO YOU.
I THINK WHAT WE DID IS WE WENT AHEAD AND READ THEM ALL INTO THE RECORD SO THAT THEY'RE PART OF OUR, OUR, THE, THE, THE LONGER DISCUSSION THAT WE HAVE, LIKE IN THE, THE TRANSCRIPT.
UM, SO THEY WILL LIVE THERE AND WE CAN GO AHEAD AND MOVE INTO THE NEXT ITEM, WHICH IS OUR RECOMMENDATION, AND WE CAN DISCUSS WHETHER OR NOT WE WOULD LIKE TO APPEND
UM, SO, UH, WITH THAT, UM, WE ARE
[6. Approve a Recommendation to Council regarding the review of the Office of Police Oversight’s compliance with the Austin Police Oversight Act.]
AT ITEM NUMBER SIX IF WE DON'T HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FOR THE DISCUSSION.UM, AND AGAIN, THIS, UM, RECOMMENDATION, UM, I THINK VERY HIGH IS A VERY HIGH LEVEL, UM, SORT OF OVERVIEW OF, YOU KNOW, JUST WHERE WE ARE WITH THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT.
UM, THEY HAVE YET TO PRESENT TO CITY COUNCIL, UM, THEY'RE NOW REFUSING TO PRESENT TO US, UM, THERE ARE OUTSTANDING COMPLIANCE ITEMS, UM, THAT THEY HAVE YET TO MEET WITH REGARDS TO THE A POA AND RESOLUTION 99.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, IF THE ANNUAL REPORT WAS POSTED IN JULY, UM, WHEN THEY CAME TO OUR LAST MEETING AND UPON CURSORY REVIEW, VERY HIGH LEVEL REVIEW OF THE ANNUAL REPORT, IT'S PRETTY CLEAR THAT COMPLAINTS ARE DOWN.
UM, REF REFERRALS ARE DOWN LIKE THE, ACROSS THE BOARD.
UM, THERE'S JUST A LOT LESS COMPLAINTS, LESS COMPLAINTS BEING REFERRED TO, UM, A PD FOR DISCIPLINE, LESS COMPLAINTS BEING LIKE RECEIVING DISCIPLINE AFTER THEY'VE BEEN REFERRED.
SO JUST THE OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS, UM, GIVEN THAT THIS WAS TWO YEARS AGO THAT THE A POA WAS PASSED AND THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING TO THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT FOR, I DON'T KNOW, 18 MONTHS, 16 MONTHS OF THAT.
UM, AND THAT WE KEEP KIND OF SEEING WHAT FEELS LIKE VERY INCREMENTAL PROGRESS.
UM, SO THE, THE RECOMMENDATION REALLY DOES JUST ADDRESS SORT OF THAT VERY SLOW, SLOW MOVING SORT OF, UM, PROCESS THAT WE'VE SEEN,
[01:15:01]
UM, AND ASKS, UM, THAT TWO YEARS INTO THE A POA THAT, UM, THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION, UH, THAT THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT PRESENT TO CITY COUNCIL, THAT THEY DOCUMENT AND PUBLISH A PLAN FOR COMPLIANCE.UM, THAT THEY CREATE A SEARCHABLE DATABASE OF COMPLAINTS, DOCUMENTATION IN AN ACCESSIBLE FORMAT THAT CAN BE USED IN TRANSLATION AND ACCESSIBILITY SOFTWARE BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
UM, AND THAT, UM, ALSO AS THE COMMUNITY POLICE REVIEW COMMISSION HAS BEEN SORT OF SLOW IN GETTING UP AND RUNNING, UM, THAT THE, THAT WE RECOMMEND AN ASSIGNMENT OF A STAFF LIAISON FROM THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE TO THE COMMUNITY POLICE REVIEW COMMISSION IN PLACE OF THE CURRENT OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT STAFF, UM, TO HELP ALLEVIATE THE STRAIN ON THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT STAFF RESOURCES WHILE PROVIDING A LEVEL OF CONSISTENCY AND EXPERTISE FOR OPENING MEET FOR OPEN MEETINGS.
UM, THAT'S CONSISTENT WITH CITY STANDARDS.
UM, THE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED IS HONESTLY JUST A CALL FOR A REVIEW OF THEIR INTERNAL PROCESSES FOR EFFECTIVENESS.
AND SO WITH THAT, UM, I'D LIKE TO OPEN THE FLOOR FOR CONSIDERATION.
DO WE HAVE A FIRST AND A SECOND? AND THEN AFTER THAT WE CAN HAVE MORE DISCUSSION.
I SO MOVE COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT DISCUSSION ON THE, UH, PROPOSED RECOMMENDATION.
DO WE HAVE A SECOND? GOOD SECOND.
COMMISSIONER CAROL, I THINK WE NEED YOUR CAMERA ON FOR THAT A SECOND.
AND THEN DO WE HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, CHANGES? I WILL THROW IT OUT THERE THAT WE DO HAVE THE OPTION OF.
I DID, UM, LEAVE OUT OF THE RECOMMENDATION ANYTHING WITH REGARDS TO THEM PRESENTING TO US.
I FELT LIKE, UM, GOING AHEAD AND PRESENTING TO CITY COUNCIL FELT MORE APPROPRIATE SINCE THAT'S WHAT THE A POA CALLS FOR.
UH, ADD AN ADDENDUM, UM, WITH OUR QUESTIONS SO THAT IT CAN BE FORWARDED ON, UM, ALONG WITH THIS RECOMMENDATION, WE CAN DO THAT.
SO I WOULD NEED A, I WOULD NEED A MOTION FROM THE FLOOR FOR THAT.
SORT OF A MOTION TO AMEND? YEAH, A MOTION TO AMEND.
UM, AND I, I'M NOT SURE HOW WE WOULD ADD THE, TRYING TO THINK THROUGH HOW WE WOULD ADD THE QUESTIONS.
I MEAN, WE COULD ADD A, BE IT RESOLVED, ASKING FOR EXPEDITIOUS RESPONSE TO THE ATTACHED QUESTION.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED OR EVEN SET A DEADLINE IF WE WANT IT TO BE REALLY HARDCORE.
JUST ADDING, I I'VE JUST GOT A QUESTION.
DOES ADDING THE QUESTIONS TO THE RESOLUTION HAVE ANY IMPACT ON HOW THEY MIGHT BE RECEIVED OR ANSWERED, UM, ON HOW THEY MIGHT BE PERCEIVED OR ANSWERED? IS THAT, WAS THAT RECEIVED OR ANSWERED? RECEIVED? UM, UM, I MEAN, I THINK WE'VE ALREADY READ THEM INTO THE RECORD.
UM, SO, UM, THAT THE QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN ASKED IS OUT THERE.
I THINK, UM, GIVEN THAT THIS IS A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNSEL, UM, AND WE'RE ASKING FOR SOME RESPONSE, I THINK, UM, AT THE VERY LEAST, I THINK IT SURFACES IT AS INFORMATIONAL FOR COUNSEL SO THAT WHEN THEY REVIEW OUR RECOMMENDATION, THEY CAN SEE THE QUESTIONS AND UM, AND THAT WE HAD WHETHER OR NOT IT MAKES THEM I CAN, I THINK YEAH, GO AHEAD.
UM, I MEAN, I THINK THAT IT'S NOT GOING TO MAKE THEM LESS HOSPITABLE TO ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS THAN THEY WOULD BE ALREADY IF WE PASS THE RESOLUTION.
UM, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, LARGELY ASKING THEM TO DO THEIR JOBS AND SO THEREFORE PROBABLY GOING TO BE IRRITATING TO THEM THAT WE'RE POINTING THAT OUT.
COMMISSIONER HOLMES, DO YOU HAVE RESERVATIONS ABOUT INCLUDING THEM? ARE YOU, ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT, DO YOU THINK THEY'LL BE JUST THAT THEY'RE READING THEM ON THE RECORD? I JUST WANT US TO HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT IT.
UM, DO YOU FEEL LIKE READING THEM ON THE RECORD IS ENOUGH? UM, I THINK SUBMITTING THE QUESTIONS, UM, WHETHER THEY'RE ON THE RESOLUTION OR NOT, I JUST DIDN'T KNOW IF WE NEEDED A, A PROLONGED DISCUSSION OR, OR EVEN A VOTE ON HOW WE SUBMIT THE QUESTIONS.
UM, I THINK THAT SUBMITTING THE QUESTIONS, UH, WILL
[01:20:01]
EITHER GET 'EM ANSWERED OR NOT, BUT I, I, I JUST WASN'T SURE IF HAVING THEM ON THE RESOLUTION WOULD HAVE MUCH OF AN IMPACT.I MEAN,
WE'RE JUST TRYING TO MAKE THEM PART OF THE RECORD OF THE MEETING.
UM, SO I'M GONNA THROW OUT SOME LANGUAGE OUT THERE FOR CONSIDERATION, WHICH IS, UM, RESPONSE TO, SO WHERE THE NOW THEREFORE IT BE, IT RESOLVED, UM, THAT THE PUBLIC SAFETY RECOMMENDS A FINAL SORT OF, UM, BULLET THERE THAT SAYS, UM, RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS READ ON THE RECORD AND ATTACHED, UM, AT SEPTEMBER 8TH, PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING.
SO RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS READ ON THE RECORD AND ATTACHED AT THE SEPTEMBER 8TH PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING.
BE MADE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE? YEAH.
TO BE MADE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE.
TO BE MADE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE.
IF I CAN GET A FIRST AND SECOND FROM THE FLOOR TO CONSIDER THAT AMENDMENT.
A VOTE FROM THE FLOOR ON THE AMENDMENT ON THE ADDITION OF THE AMENDMENT.
AND THE QUESTIONS TO OUR RECOMMENDATION WITH A SHOW OF HANDS WILL SUFFICE.
IT'S UNANIMOUS WITH EVERYONE PRESENT.
AND THEN WITH THAT, UM, OUR FINAL ACTION WOULD JUST BE TO VOTE ON THE OVERALL RECOMMENDATION AS AMENDED.
CAN I GET A FIRST IN THIS? OH, I BELIEVE OUR FIRST IS COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT AND OUR SECOND IS COMMISSIONER CARROLL.
UM, SO WITH THAT, IF WE CAN JUST DO A SHOW OF HANDS FOR A VOTE ON THE RECOMMENDATION.
UM, AND THEN I AM ACTUALLY GOING TO REQUEST ONE ADDITIONAL VOTE, WHICH I BELIEVE IF WE WANT THIS FORWARDED TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION, THE COMMITTEE, THE CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE FOR CONSIDERATION ON THEIR AGENDA.
I BELIEVE THAT REQUIRES A SEPARATE, SEPARATE VOTE.
AND SO IS THAT CORRECT? UH, THAT'S NOT A PROCESS THAT I'M FAMILIAR WITH AND NOT ONE THAT WE HAVE EVER EMPLOYED ON ANY OF THE COMMISSIONS THAT I'VE STAFFED IN A YEAR AND A HALF.
UM, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAD DONE PREVIOUSLY WITH THE COMMISSION HERE.
UM, UH, SO BASICALLY IT'S, IT'S JUST A REQUEST THAT THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE CONSIDER IT FOR THEIR RECOMMENDATION FOR THEIR, FOR ONE OF THEIR FUTURE AGENDAS.
AND SO WE'VE DONE THAT BEFORE.
IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE WE'VE DONE THAT.
A RECOMMENDATION FOR COUNCIL ACTION? POTENTIALLY, MAYBE THAT'S WHAT IT IS FOR COUNCIL ACTION.
I'M NOT CERTAIN THAT THAT'S STILL EMPLOYED, BUT IF YOU WANT TO GO AHEAD AND MAKE A MOTION AND VOTE, I MEAN, YOU'RE ONLY POSTED FOR APPROVAL OF THE RECOMMENDATION, SO I'M NOT CERTAIN THAT THE VOTE WOULD BE APPROPRIATE BASED ON WHAT'S POSTED.
AND I WILL ASK, UM, COMMISSIONERS TO PLEASE DO SOME FORWARDING MAGIC TO YOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS AS SOON AS THE, UM, RECOMMENDATION GETS APPROVED SINCE WE ARE NOT POSTED FOR THAT ADDITIONAL ACTION.
AND I WILL LOOK INTO MAKING SURE THAT WE CAN, UM, GET PROP APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE MOVING FORWARD SO THAT IF WE WANNA DO THAT, WE CAN.
UM, AND WITH THAT, I THINK WE ARE DONE WITH THAT AGENDA ITEM.
UM, REALLY BRIEFLY BEFORE WE, UM, CLOSE OUT, DO WE HAVE ANY
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ]
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS THAT WE WANNA DISCUSS? YEP.I JUST HAVE ONE ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE THING, UM, WHEN THAT'S DONE.
UM, I THINK IT'S ALREADY ON YOUR LIST, BUT THE, THE QUESTION ABOUT, UM, UH, COOPERATION OR COLLABORATION BETWEEN EMS AND, UH, CENTRAL HEALTH? YES.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND REALLY I, I THINK INVITING CENTRAL HEALTH HERE TO ASK US HOW THE CITY CAN WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH THEM MORE EFFECTIVELY.
ANY OTHER AGENDA ITEMS THAT ARE BURNING AT YOUR
[01:25:01]
UM, UM, I'M JUST GOING TO GO THROUGH REALLY QUICKLY A FEW THINGS THAT WE KIND OF HAVE, UM, IN THE WORKS, WHICH IS, UM, WE'VE STARTED SOME CONVERSATIONS, UM, ADDRESSING SOME OF OUR, OUR MORE VULNERABLE POPULATIONS RIGHT NOW, SPECIFICALLY, UM, FIGURING OUT HOW WE CAN HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT LGBTQIA PLUS SAFETY IN THE COMMUNITY, UM, AND HOW TO FOSTER THAT.UM, ALSO TALKING ABOUT, WE'VE BEEN TRYING FOR A REALLY LONG TIME TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO HAVE A, A RESPONSIBLE AND HELPFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE CONVERSATION ON IMMIGRATION AND ICE IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY.
UM, WHETHER THAT BE A DISCUSSION ON IMPACTS TO REPORTING, UM, I'M NOT SURE, HAVEN'T WRAPPED OUR HEADS AROUND WHAT THAT IS QUITE YET, BUT IF ANYBODY HAS THOUGHTS ON HOW WE CAN START TO SORT OF HAVE SOME OF THAT DISCUSSION, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
UM, COUNCIL AT FIRST APPEARANCE AND JUST SORT OF, UM, DEVELOPMENTS IN THAT, UM, HAS BEEN ON OUR, ON OUR RADAR FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
UM, AND THEN THERE'S ALSO A NEW AGREEMENT, UM, BETWEEN THE OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND TRAVIS COUNTY NEW COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT THAT I THINK WE'RE GONNA BE HEARING ABOUT SOON AS WELL.
SO, UM, IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE, FEEL FREE TO EMAIL IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT.
CHRISTIE IS REALLY GREAT ABOUT HELPING US GET SECONDS VIA EMAIL SO THAT WE CAN ADD THOSE TO THE LIST.
I, NO, AND THEN I BELIEVE COMMISSIONER HOLMES HAD, UM, SOMETHING THAT HE WANTED TO SAY AS WELL, WANTED TO COME BACK TO THAT.
I JUST WANTED TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT IT'S THE DAY AFTER OUR NEXT MEETING IS NATIONAL NIGHT OUT.
UM, IT'S BECOME A PRETTY IMPORTANT THING IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
A LOT OF PEOPLE COME OUT FOR IT AND REALLY GET TO KNOW THE, UH, FIRST RESPONDERS THAT, UH, SERVICE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND OUR AREA AND JUST WANTED TO REMIND EVERYBODY THAT THAT'S HAPPENING.
UM, NATIONAL NIGHT OUT IS A HUGE THING IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AS WELL.
IT'S FUN FOR THE KIDS, BUT IT'S ALSO A GOOD REMINDER ABOUT JUST SAFETY AND IT HAPPENS RIGHT AS IT STARTS GETTING DARKER A LITTLE BIT EARLIER.
AND SO THANK YOU FOR THAT REMINDER.
UM, WITH THAT, UM, I THINK THAT'S IT.
I APPRECIATE YOUR HELP AND YOU GUYS HAVE A GOOD NIGHT.