[00:00:03]
[CALL TO ORDER]
I DO THINK WE STILL HAVE A COUPLE PEOPLE JOINING US, BUT WE HAVE ENOUGH FOR QUORUM.SO WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED.
UM, WELCOME TO THE REGULARLY CALLED MEETING OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION.
UM, I WILL BEGIN WITH CALLING ROLE, UM, COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT HERE.
COMMISSIONER IGO, I THINK WILL BE JOINING US, BUT MAYBE LATE.
UM, COMMISSIONER RUAN IS ALSO ON HIS WAY, BUT RUNNING LATE.
COMMISSIONER HOLMES, IF YOU COULD SPEAK INTO YOUR MIC.
I CAN SEE THAT THERE'S TALKING HAPPENING.
AND I SEE COMMISSIONER RUTAN WALKING IN, SO I'M GONNA COUNT HIM SO THAT IF WE LOSE COMMISSIONER HOLMES FOR A SECOND TO RESET AUDIO.
[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]
WITH THAT, WE WILL GET STARTED.CHRISTIE, COULD YOU CALL WHOEVER WE HAVE FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION? UH, YES.
I'M A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE VISION ZERO ALLIANCE NOW CALLED THE VISION ZERO TASK FORCE.
AND I'M THE PERSON THAT LED THE EFFORT ON THE CITY'S DISTRACTED DRIVING ORDINANCE FROM START TO FINISH.
A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY ON IT.
UH, 2005 AND SIX, THERE WAS A BICYCLE SAFETY TASK FORCE.
I ADVANCED BOTH IDEAS, TEXTING WHILE DRIVING AND, UH, HANDHELD, UH, PHONE SERVICE WHILE DRIVING.
AND THOSE GOT APPROVED, BUT THEY DIDN'T GET ACTED ON UNTIL 2009.
2009, TEXTING WHILE DRIVING WAS PUT INTO EFFECT.
IT'S NOT EFFECTIVE BECAUSE THE PERSON CAN SAY THAT THEY WERE DIALING 2012, I DIDN'T SEE ANY ACTIVITY BY THE CITY STAFF OR ANYONE ELSE IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO I STARTED WORKING THIS IDEA THROUGH THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS FOR HANDS-FREE ORDINANCE THROUGH THIS COMMISSION, UH, UTC TELECOMMUNICATIONS.
AND IT DID GET PASSED IN AUGUST OF 2014.
THAT PRE PREDATES THE VISION ZERO EFFORT, AND THEN LATER WE STARTED WRITING CITATIONS TO A HIGH LEVEL.
AS I'VE SAID IN OTHER PUBLIC FORUMS, I'M NOT HERE TO CRITICIZE THE A PDI WORK CLOSELY WITH THEM.
I'M THE COORDINATOR FOR NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH FOR MY NEIGHBORHOOD FOR 17 OR 18 YEARS.
BUT THE AMOUNT OF CITATIONS STARTED TO SURGE, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT THAT, WE, WE HIT A HIGH OF 10,142.
IT STARTED TO GO DOWN EVEN BEFORE 2020, BUT IT WENT DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY.
AND OTHER CITIES IN THIS AREA FOLLOWED OUR SUIT WITHIN TRAVIS COUNTY, WHICH IS GOOD.
SO ALMOST ALL THE CITIES WITHIN TRAVIS COUNTY AND OTHERS STATEWIDE LOOKED AT OUR ORDINANCE AND THE, THE ONE IN SAN ANTONIO, WE WENT TO FIGHT IT IN 2019 AS THEY WERE TRYING TO LOWER IT DOWN TO TEXTING WHILE DRIVING AGAIN, NOT ABLE TO ENFORCE IT.
WELL, AND SOME STATS ARE BELOW THAT.
NEXT PAGE, PLEASE, OR IF YOU CAN SCROLL DOWN.
SO 2015, YOU CAN SEE HOW MANY, 20 16, 20 17, 20 18, AND 2019.
BUT THE FATALITIES ARE IMPORTANT, OBVIOUSLY EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
AND YOU CAN SEE WHERE THEY ARE NOW.
THE AMOUNT THAT THE VISION ZERO PROGRAM IS ABLE TO GET THE DATA FOR, AND THAT'S MAYBE THERE ARE MORE, UH, IS ABOUT 88 OR 89.
NOW BELOW THAT IS INTERESTING.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBER ONE THROUGH NUMBER 10 REASONS WHY PEOPLE LOOK AT THEIR PHONE WHILE THEY'RE DRIVING THE PHONE IS NUMBER 10.
AND IS THERE ANY MORE ON THAT? UM, TRANSPORTATION, PUBLIC WORKS, PUT TOGETHER A VIDEO THAT'S VERY SHORT, REALIZE THAT YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO MEMORIZE THAT YOUTUBE THERE, BUT YOU COULD SEARCH FOR IT.
HOWEVER, THERE WAS ANOTHER ONE DONE IN 2015, WHICH IS EXCELLENT, WHICH IS CALLED DON'T BE A SCOTT.
IT'S NOT THAT I HAVE THAT PROBLEM AS CHIEF OF STAFF.
HENDERSON KNOWS I'M A LANDLINE PERSON, SO I DON'T HAVE A PHONE AND
AND SO, UH, I WANTED TO SHARE THAT WITH YOU.
THE IDEA THAT I HAVE IS TO BRING ABOUT ANOTHER WORKING GROUP THAT WAS, UH, CHAIRED BY FORMER CHIEF
[00:05:01]
WE NEED ANOTHER ONE.THERE ARE MANY NEW PEOPLE WHO MOVE TO THE AREA.
THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE THAT HAVE FORGOTTEN ABOUT IT BECAUSE THE ENFORCEMENT LEVEL IS, IS LOW.
AGAIN, NOT TRYING TO CRITICIZE A PD FOR THAT.
AND WOULD LIKE YOUR CONSIDERATION IF WE COME BACK TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION FOR A WORKING GROUP FOR DISTRACTED DRIVING.
I'M GONNA BE TRYING TO WORK THROUGH THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE ALREADY HAVE CHANNELS THERE AND THROUGH MOBILITY COMMITTEE.
SPEAKER, IF YOU COULD JUST MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMISSIONERS GET THAT PRESENTATION, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
UH, SPEAKER, IF YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE THAT WITH ME, I CAN THEN SHARE IT WITH THE COMMISSIONERS.
UH, NEXT SPEAKER IS CARLOS LEON.
THREE MINUTES SOY, CARLOS LEON, FIRST AND FOREMOST, S FOR LETTING ME UPDATE YOU UNLAWFULLY HOLDING ACCOUNTABLE.
KAT METROS, SENIOR DIRECTOR, PUBLIC SAFETY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, DARREL JAMAL'S, ALLEGED MISCONDUCT AND CRIMINALITY.
FOLLOWING UP MY LAST TWO MONTHS TESTIMONY HERE, MY REPORT DRAFT FOR A PD SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT IS IN FRONT OF YOU NOW COMMISSION TO BE POSTED SOON ON ED IMS FOR ONLINE PUBLIC ACCESS.
JAMAL'S ALLEGED ABUSE OF POWER ALLEGEDLY VIOLATING TEXAS PENAL CODES.
36 0 6 37, 10 39 0 2, AND 39 0 3 IS EXPLAINED EXPLICATED AND EVIDENCE-BASED UNDERGIRDING.
HIS ALLEGED RETALIATION AGAINST ME FROM PUBLICLY INFORMING CAT METRO'S BOARD ABOUT BUS DRIVERS, SUPERVISORS, PUBLIC AMBASSADORS, AND RADIO OPERATORS REPEATEDLY DISOBEYING HIS JUNE DIRECTIVE TO BOARD AND TRANSPORT ME.
JAMEL HANDPICKED EIGHT INCIDENTS OUTTA 57 TO MISREPRESENT WHAT TOOK PLACE AND WHY TO DISHONESTLY JUSTIFY HIS UNWARRANTED FRAUDULENT SEPTEMBER SUSPENSION AND SECURITY BULLETIN AGAINST ME.
HE OFFICIALLY IGNORED ALL THE WRONG DONE TO ME BY GUILTY CAT METRO EMPLOYEES, WHICH I COMMUNICATED TO HIM VIA 57 EMAILS TO BLAME ME FOR WHAT THEY INITIATED AND ESCALATED.
SHOWING JEMELE'S CONSCIOUS OBJECTIVE WAS TO UNLAWFULLY DENY ME EXERCISING MY RIGHTS TO USE CAT METRO SERVICE AND BEYOND CAT METRO PROPERTY, AS WELL AS IMPEDE ME, EXERCISING MY RIGHT TO TESTIFY IN PERSON AT CAT METRO BOARD MEETINGS BECAUSE I USED CAT METRO TO GET THERE.
BECAUSE JAMEL COULD NOT STOP GUILTY CAT METRO EMPLOYEES FROM HARASSING ME, DISCRIMINATING AGAINST ME, AND PASSING ME UP.
HE WRONGLY BACKED THEM, FALSELY PORTRAYING ME IN THE WRONG AND THEM IN THE RIGHT.
FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE SECURITY BULLETIN, JAMEL CLAIMED I WAS SUSPENDED FOR OPERATOR ABUSE, MULTIPLE CODE OF CONDUCT VIOLATIONS, AND REPEATEDLY DISRUPTING SERVICE.
THOUGH GUILTY CAT METRO EMPLOYEES SHOULD BE SUSPENDED OR FIRED FOR REPEATEDLY ATTEMPTING TO ABUSE ME, THEIR MULTIPLE CODE OF CONDUCT VIOLATIONS AND REPEATEDLY DELAYING, NOT DENYING ME SERVICE, ALL DOCUMENTED IN WRITING WITH CAT METRO AND JAMEL JAMAL'S BLAME THE TARGET TACTIC IS STANDARD PROTOCOL IN RETALIATION CASES WHERE THE PURP PROJECTS HIS MISCONDUCT IN CRIMES TO GASLIGHT AVOID ACCOUNTABILITY AND PUNISH THE WHISTLEBLOWER.
FINALLY, THAT UPSIDE DOWN ASS BACKWARD MISINFORMATION.
PSYCH WARFARE ATTACK IS ALSO USED BY OLDER PREDATORY HOMOSEXUAL MALES TARGETING YOUNGER STRAIGHT MEN, THREATENING OUR PUBLIC SAFETY, WHICH CANNOT BE TOLERATED.
WITH THAT, WE WILL MOVE ON TO THE
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.DO WE HAVE A MOTION FROM THE FLOOR FOR CONSIDERATION? MOVE TO PROOF.
DO WE HAVE ANY OBJECTIONS, CORRECTIONS, DISCUSSION? OKAY.
WITH THAT THEN WE'LL SHOW, UH, WE'LL JUST DO RAISE OF HANDS PLEASE.
ANYBODY ONLINE PLEASE, PLEASE.
WE NEED ONE MORE TO GET THIS APPROVED AND POSTED.
WE WILL MOVE ON AND WE WILL BRING THESE BACK UP FOR CONSIDERATION.
JUST CONFIRMING COMMISSIONERS ON LINE.
SMITH AND HOLMES, ARE YOU ABSTAINING OR VOTING? NO.
OH, THEY'RE NOT HAVING AUDIO ISSUES ONLINE.
I JUST, I DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING.
[00:10:01]
ACTUAL MOTION.WE CALLED FOR A MOTION TO, UM, APPROVE THE MINUTES.
CAN I SEE A SHOW OF HANDS FOR EVERYONE THAT IS IN FAVOR? ONE, TWO, HOLD ON THE DECEMBER MEETING MINUTES.
YES, I HAVE DISCUSSION ON THAT.
UM, IT'S JUST, I WAS REMOTELY PRESENT, UM, AND IT DOESN'T REFLECT THAT, BUT I BELIEVE THAT WAS BECAUSE OF THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST FORM.
SO WITH THAT MODIFICATION OF SHOWING MY ACTUAL BEING THERE, WHICH IS VIDEOTAPED, UM, THEN, UM, I WOULD ALSO VOTE YES.
SO WE HAVE TO HAVE THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST FORM UPON JOINING THE MEETING OR SHORTLY THEREAFTER.
AND SO WE HAVE TO REFLECT YOUR ABSENCE FOR LAST MEETING.
I DID CHECK IN WITH MY SUPERVISOR ABOUT THAT.
OKAY, TEN FOUR, THEN I'LL ABSTAIN.
OKAY, SO WE'LL DO COMMISSIONER HOLMES VOTED YES.
COMMISSIONER HOLMES VOTED YES.
AND THEN COMMISSIONER SMITH ABSTAINING.
AND THEN WITH THAT, WE WILL MOVE
[2. Public Safety Quarterly Report, Austin Police. Presentation by Robin Henderson, Chief of Staff, Austin Police.]
ON TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY QUARTERLY REPORT FROM A PD CHIEF HENDERSON.UM, SO STARTING WITH OUR QUARTERLY REPORT, JUST WANT TO ADD THAT THE FULL, UH, DATA REPORT WAS PROVIDED AS A BACKUP DOCUMENT.
SO IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT YOU NEED TO REFERENCE IN HERE THAT HAS BEEN SUBMITTED AS A BACKUP DOCUMENT.
SO STARTING WITH OUR CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS OFFENSE, YOU'LL SEE THAT THE OVERALL, THE MOST SERIOUS CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS ARE TRENDING DOWNWARD.
UM, AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS HAVE DECLINED 11% SINCE LAST YEAR AND REMAINS WELL BELOW THE FIVE YEAR AVERAGE.
IN ADDITION, OUR HOMICIDES HAVE DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER A ONE YEAR PERIOD, UM, CONTINUING THE REDUCTION IN OUR, IN OUR LETHAL VIOLENCE.
OUR SEX OFFENSES, UH, REMAIN STABLE, SHOWING NO MEANINGFUL CHANGE COMPARED TO LAST YEAR.
HOWEVER, WE STILL ARE WORKING THROUGH THAT DATA CLEANLINESS THAT WE SPOKE TO LAST TIME WHEN CHIEF JONES AND ALSO, UH, COMMANDER LICHTER WERE HERE, UH, TALKING ABOUT, UH, THE SEX CRIMES UNIT AND WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON RELATED TO DATA.
SO STILL WORKING ON THAT DATA CLEANSING PROCESS.
UH, WE'RE ALSO SEEING, UH, PROGRESS IN THE MOST SERIOUS OFFENSES WHILE MAINTAINING FOCUS ON OUR LOWER LEVEL VIOLENCE AND COMMUNITY SAFETY.
GOING INTO OUR CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY AND SOCIETY BY OFFENSE, THE MAJORITY OF OUR PROPERTY CRIMES CATEGORIES ARE DOWN OR WELL BELOW THE LONG-TERM AVERAGES.
ROBBERY DECLINED FROM, UH, 7% FROM LAST YEAR AND IS 20% BELOW THE FIVE YEAR AVERAGE.
WHILE MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT HAS DROPPED 18% OVER, OVER ONE YEAR'S TIME.
BURGLARY AND LARCENY ALSO SAW A SLIGHT, UH, OVER ONE YEAR INCREASES, BUT REMAIN BELOW THE FIVE YEAR HISTORICAL LEVELS.
THERE HAS BEEN AN INCREASE IN DRUGS AND NARCOTICS OFFENSES OVER THE PAST YEAR WHEN COMPARED TO THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
AND THIS IS DUE TO APDS, PROACTIVE POLICING, EXPANDING OF ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS, UM, RATHER THAN ANY TYPE OF VICTIM DRIVEN CRIME TRENDS.
SO THIS IS RELATED TO PROACTIVE ACTIVITY RELATED TO A PD.
WE SAW A SLIGHT INCREASE IN PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSES OVER THE PAST YEAR, PRIMARILY AS A RESULT IN INCREASED CASES, IN CASES TIED TO DISCLOSURE OF INMATE MATERIALS AND HARASSMENT.
AND THEN THIS HAS RESULTED, UH, IN AN INCREASE, LARGELY DRIVEN BY ENHANCED DETECTION AND REPORTING, UM, IN ADDITION TO FORENSICS PROCESSING RATHER THAN, UH, RELATED TO A RISE IN OFFENDER BEHAVIOR.
WE'VE ALSO HAD A FOCUS ON PROACTIVE POLICING TO ADDRESS DRIVERS RELATE, UM, DRIVERS RELATED TO PROSTITUTION, WHICH HAS LED TO AN INCREASE IN OFFENSES FOR, UH, ASSISTING OR THE PROMOTION OF PROSTITUTION.
AND THEN THE LARGEST ONE YEAR DRIVER CHANGE FOR OTHER OFFENSES AGAINST PROPERTY AND SOCIETY WAS A MODEST INCREASE IN OUR STOLEN PROPERTY, WHILE ALL OTHER CATEGORIES ESSENTIALLY REMAINED CONSISTENT.
SO OVERALL, THE DATA SHOWS, UH, CONTINUED PROGRESS AND REDUCTION OF CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY AND SOCIETY IN ADDITION TO TARGETED, UH, ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES, WHICH IS A DRIVING AN INCREASE IN SELECTED OFFENSE CATEGORIES THAT WE FOCUS ON RELATED TO VIOLENT CRIMES.
JUST WANNA TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE CRIME REDUCTION AREAS THAT WE'VE BEEN FOCUSING ON.
SO AUTO THEFTS, THEY CONTINUE TO DECREASE AND WE HAVE REACHED OUR LOWEST NUMBERS IN AUTO THEFTS.
SINCE THE YEAR 2018 TO 2019, WE'VE SEEN A 36.44% DECREASE FROM 2023 TO 2025.
AND OUR AUTO THEFT UNIT IS ACTIVELY USING PROACTIVE INITIATIVES AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TO FURTHER, UH, SUPPORT THIS DECREASE.
UH, WE'VE ALSO DONE THINGS THROUGH, UH, PARTNERING WITH AUTO DEALERSHIPS, PARTICULARLY HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP, WHERE WE
[00:15:01]
ACTUALLY HAD DRIVE THROUGH, UH, INITIATIVES WHERE PEOPLE COULD COME DRIVE UP WITH THEIR VEHICLE AND HYUNDAI WOULD PERFORM ANY SORT OF AUGMENTS TO THE IGNITION TO INCREASE THE SECURITY MEASURES TO PREVENT AUTO THEFTS.AND WE HAD TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS WHERE IT WAS FREE TO THE PUBLIC.
YOU JUST DRIVE UP AND HOP OUT AND THEY, THEY WOULD SWITCH OUT, SWITCH OUT THE IGNITIONS.
ALSO, WE DID P AND I INVESTIGATIONS, WHICH IS JUST PLACED NETWORK INVESTIGATION.
PILOT WAS LAUNCHED IN THE EAST RUNDBERG AREA, UH, TO ADDRESS CHRONIC CRIME DRIVERS.
THIS WAS AN OPERATION THAT WAS CONDUCTED IN SEPTEMBER OF 25, FOCUSED ON TWO ESTABLISHMENTS AND RESULTED IN THREE, THREE ARRESTS.
SINCE THE OPERATION, THERE'S ONLY BEEN ONE REPORTED CRIMINAL INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED, AND, UM, THAT WAS RELATED TO PROACTIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT.
ALSO, THERE HAS, WE'VE SEEN A FEWER MAJOR CALLS OF SERVICE AND THERE'S BEEN NO REPORTED VIOLENT CRIMES THERE.
NEXT SLIDE, GOING INTO SOME OTHER CRIME REDUCTION FOCUS AREAS.
OF COURSE, THERE WAS A ENFORCEMENT MANAGEMENT CLEANUP THAT INVOLVED MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS.
IT WAS A MONTH LONG COLLABORATIVE EFFORT TO SUPPORT THE UNHOUSED POPULATION AND ADDRESS SAFETY AND LOCAL ENCAMPMENTS.
OVERALL, THERE WAS 950 INDIVIDUALS WERE ENGAGED ACROSS 585 DIFFERENT LOCATIONS CITYWIDE.
THIS WAS A RESULT OF OUTREACH IN ADDITION TO 144 INDIVIDUALS WERE SHELTERED AND 76 WERE CONNECTED WITH SUPPORTIVE SERVICES.
OF THE 950 CONTACTS THAT WE MADE, WE ONLY HAD TO ISSUE 64 CITATIONS.
HOWEVER, WE DID HAVE TO MAKE 21 ARRESTS.
THE EFFORTS ALSO, UH, REMOVED OVER 500 AND 563 TONS OF DEBRIS, IMPROVING SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS.
AND FOLLOWING UP ON A COUPLE OF OUR PUBLIC SPEAKERS FROM OUR LAST MEETING RELATED TO CHICANO PARK AND THE CAR CLUBS, JUST WANTED TO GIVE THE COMMISSION AN UPDATE ON OUR EFFORTS THERE.
SO, UH, THEY RAISED CONCERNS RELATED TO INCREASED CRIMINAL ACTIVITY AND LARGE GATHERINGS SURROUNDING, UH, THE CAR CLUBS.
WE IMPLEMENTED A DESIGNATED UNIT DEPLOYMENTS DURING THE PEAK TIMES OF THE GATHERING TO HELP WITH ADDRESSING THOSE, UH, FOCUS ON VISIBILITY AND RELATIONSHIP BUILDING IN ADDITION TO TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT TO IMPROVE SAFETY.
UM, AND THIS HAS CONTRIBUTED TO A REDUCTION IN CALLS FOR SERVICE DURING THOSE PERIODS OF TIMES.
AND WE HAVE FOLLOWED UP DIRECTLY WITH THOSE TWO SPEAKERS THAT WERE HERE AT THE LAST COMMISSION MEETING.
THIS IS JUST A CONTINUATION OF SOME OF THOSE EFFORTS RELATED TO THE PARKS.
WE'VE PARTNERED WITH PARKS AND REC BUILDING SERVICES, FORESTRY AND CITY DEPARTMENTS WHO ADDRESSED CHRONIC CAMPING AND TRESPASSING, CLEARED VE VEGETATION AND IMPLEMENTED REGULAR MAINTENANCE TO RESTORE VISIBILITY AND PARK USABILITY.
INSTALLED FENCING PUT NO TRESPASS SIGNAGE IN ADDITION TO THE PAINT PURPLE PAINT MARKINGS TO ESTABLISH, UH, PROPERTY LINES.
THAT'S THE STANDARD IN THE STATE CODE RELATED TO DESIGNATING PRIVATE PARK.
PARK PRIVATE PROPERTY IS PUTTING PURPLE MARKINGS ON A, ON A TREE.
THAT'S WHAT THAT DESIGNATES SOME OTHER EFFORTS THAT WE'VE DONE.
IN NOVEMBER 12TH, 2025, WE HOSTED A SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS EDUCATION CAMPAIGN, UM, AT THE MENDEZ REC CENTER.
HAD A PANEL DISCUSSION WITH SOME OF OUR SEX CRIMES DETECTIVES IN ADDITION TO VICTIM SERVICES AND ALSO REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE TRAVIS COUNTY DA'S OFFICE.
THOSE TOPICS INCLUDED, OF COURSE, HOW TO RECOGNIZE THE SIGNS OF ASSAULT, HOW TO ASK FOR HELP, AND THEN INFORMATION ABOUT RESOURCES.
I THINK, I THINK WE MIGHT BE BEHIND, YOU MIGHT BE BEHIND ON ONE.
YEAH, SHOULD WE SHOULD BE ON MALE THEFTS.
I'M SORRY, I, I FORGOT TO ADVANCE IT ON MY IPAD.
SO NEXT, ONE OF THE, UH, ITEMS WE WANTED TO TALK ABOUT IS OUR MALE THEFT.
SO WE'VE BEEN SEEING AN INCREASE IN, IN MALE THEFTS INVOLVING A BLACK SSUV AND OTHER, OTHER VEHICLES.
SO OUR CRIME INTELLIGENCE UNITS HAVE BEEN COLLABORATING AND IDENTIFYING AND APPREHENDING THE SUSPECTS.
IN ADDITION, WE'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH TO APARTMENT COMPLEXES AND NOTIFYING THEM DIRECTLY OF THE MALE THEFTS, AND THEN BEING PROACTIVE WITH THOSE APARTMENT COMPLEXES WHO HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED MALE THEFT, BUT JUST LETTING THEM KNOW, HEY, THESE ARE THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR.
AND POTENTIAL SUSPECTS TOO, TO REPORT ON.
IN ADDITION, WE HAVE, UH, DIRECTED PATROLS BY OUR OFFICERS IN THOSE AREAS TOO.
FOR THE ARNOLD DEPARTMENTS, WHICH HAS BEEN ONE OF OUR CHRONIC ISSUE APARTMENTS, WE HAVE OUR DRS THAT ARE PROVIDING EDUCATION AND, UM, TO MANAGEMENT.
WE'VE ALSO HAD A BAIT VEHICLE DEPLOYED BY OUR AUTO THEFT UNIT,
[00:20:01]
IN ADDITION TO OUR OFFICERS THAT ARE CURRENT, UM, CONDUCTING DIRECTED PATROLS AND MAKING, UH, SUBJECT STOPS AND ALSO PROVIDING EDUCATIONAL AWARENESS TO THE RESIDENTS.WE'RE ALSO BEING PROACTIVE IN LEAVING FLYERS, UM, ON WINDSHIELDS OF VEHICLES THAT ARE LEFT EITHER UNLOCKED OR YOU CAN VISIBLY SEE ITEMS THAT WOULD BE OF INTEREST TO SOMEONE WHO WOULD WANT TO BREAK INTO THE VEHICLE.
AS MENTIONED AT ONE OF OUR PREVIOUS, UH, PRESENTATIONS, WE ARE WORKING ON A CRIME PREVENTION EFFORTS RELATED TO A MULTI-HOUSING PILOT PROGRAM.
SO JUST GIVING AN UPDATE ON THAT.
WE'VE PARTNERED WITH RENTAL PROPERTIES AND MANAGERS TO REDUCE CRIMES, GANGS AND DRUGS ACTIVITY.
IT'S A MULTI-PHASE INITIATIVE AND IT, UH, IT'S IMPROVING OF COURSE, UM, CRIME PREVENTION THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN.
WE'RE INVOLVING, UH, RESIDENTS TO DO CRIME WATCH INITIATIVES AND WE PLAN ON PUSHING THAT PROGRAM OUT.
CITY CITYWIDE ALSO GO A TX YOUTH TRUANCY PREVENTION PROJECT.
IT'S, UH, SET UP TO BRIDGE THE GAP IN BETWEEN OUR YOUTH AND THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND WE ALSO HAVE OUR DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES WORKING ON THAT.
AND OTHER OFFICERS THAT ARE JUST INTERESTED IN BEING A PART OF THE PROGRAM OFFICER.
ALSO, OFFICERS THAT PATROL IN THE AREAS WHERE THOSE SCHOOLS ARE LOCATED ARE, ARE PARTICIPATING IN THE PROGRAM.
AND ESSENTIALLY THE PLAN IS TO, AND THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH YOUTHS TO GET INFORMATION FROM THE YOUTHS AS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS CAUSING, UH, TRUANCY IN THE SCHOOLS.
ALSO PARTNERING WITH A ISD ON THE PROJECT, WHAT IS IT THAT WE CAN DO OR EITHER THE SCHOOLS CAN DO TO ENCOURAGE CHILDREN TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE ATTENDING THOSE CLASSES AND NOT, NOT ENGAGING I TRUANCY, WHICH THEN LED LEADS TO COULD POTENTIALLY LEAD TO OTHER CRIMINAL ACTIVITY.
I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF OUR CRIME PREVENTION EFFORTS WITH THE NORTH AUSTIN CIVIC ASSOCIATION AND THE GUNSHOT ALERT PROGRAM.
THIS WAS A PROGRAM THAT STARTED APPROXIMATELY SIX MONTHS AGO, AND WE'RE GATHERING DATA AND INSTALLING DEVICES THROUGHOUT THE NORTH AUSTIN COMMUNITY.
IT'S ALL BEING FUNDED THROUGH NPA.
THIS IS NOT, UH, DEPARTMENT OF FUNDS THAT ARE FUNDING THIS PROJECT.
AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE SIGNING UP TO OR RECEIVE THESE FREE ALERTS AND CAN PROVIDE INFORMATION TO 9 1 1 AND TO RESPONDING OFFICERS AS THESE ALERTS COME IN.
ALSO HAVE, OF COURSE, OUR COMMUNITY MEETINGS THAT WE HAVE WITH OUR DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES.
IN ADDITION, WE HAD RECENTLY HAD ONE IN THE ANDERSON MILL COMMUNITY DISTRICT, ALONG WITH A PD SOME OF OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, FROM DISTRICT SIX AND OUR HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE TO DISCUSS QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES IN ADDITION TO OUR RESPONSE TO ENSURE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF THE RESIDENTS IN THE ANDERSON MILL 360 AREA.
AND THEN WE ALSO ENGAGING AND CONTINUE TO ENGAGE WITH THE BARTON HILLS COMMUNITY RELATED TO IMPROVEMENTS TO OUR NOTIFICATION SYSTEM RELATED TO THE OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTING THAT HAPPENED IN SILVER PARK A FEW MONTHS BACK.
AND THEN THESE ARE JUST SOME OF OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENTS, NOT NECESSARILY DIRECTED OR DIRECTLY TO CRIME PREVENTION EFFORTS.
WE HAVE, OF COURSE, OUR SHOP WITH THE COPS EVENT THAT WE DID, AND THIS WAS STARTED BACK IN 2006 AND THIS YEAR WE WERE ABLE TO SERVE 220 SCHOOL CHILDREN ACROSS, UH, 10 LOCAL SCHOOLS.
THIS WAS IN COMBINATION WITH THE MINGLES AND A ZOO.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE HAD 155 LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL.
ALSO, OUR VICTIM SERVICES PARTICIPATED.
UM, EVERYONE FROM TRAVIS COUNTY CONSTABLES TO TRAVIS COUNTY SHERIFFS TO, UM, AUSTIN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT POLICE OFFICERS WERE ALL THERE PARTICIPATING IN THE EVENT.
AND A COUPLE OF OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS ALSO SHOWED UP TO THOSE SHOP WITH THE COP.
WE ALSO HAD OUR BLUE SANTA EVENT WHERE WE SERVED ABOUT, UH, 1300, I'M SORRY, 13,000 KIDS AND 4,600 FAMILIES THIS YEAR.
AND WE HAD OVER 200 COMMUNITY VOL VOLUNTEERS THAT HELPED US WITH THAT.
WE ALSO HAD VARIOUS, UM, ADOPTIVE FAMILY THROUGHOUT THE PD WHERE OFFICERS JUST, UM, PROACTIVELY ADOPTED FAMILIES FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON.
WE HAD OUR COMMUNITY POLICE ACADEMY.
THEY GRADUATED ON DECEMBER 12TH, 2025 WITH 106, I'M SORRY, IT WAS THE 106TH ONE.
AND WE HAD, I BELIEVE, 34 THAT GRADUATED.
AND OF INTERESTING NOTE, UH, WE HAD TWO PARENTS ATTEND THE COMMUNITY POLICE ACADEMY,
[00:25:01]
WHO THEIR SON WAS ACTUALLY IN THE REGULAR POLICE ACADEMY AND HIS PARENTS GRADUATED FROM COMMUNITY POLICE ACADEMY.AND THEN TWO WEEKS LATER, THEIR SON GREW UP, GRADUATED FROM THE AUSTIN POLICE ACADEMY.
SO THAT WAS A, A GREAT LEGACY THAT THEY'RE BUILDING THERE AND COMMUNITY SERVICE.
SO THAT WAS, THAT WAS HEARTWARMING.
AND THEN OUR 107TH, UH, CPA IS GONNA START IN SPRING OF 2026.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, THE APPLICATION PERIOD HAS CLOSED AND WE HAVE RECEIVED OVER 57, UM, APPLICATIONS FOR THAT, FOR THAT CPA.
AND AS MENTIONED, THE 155TH CADET CLASS GRADUATED ON THE 12TH OF DECEMBER WITH 38 CADETS, NEW POLICE OFFICERS.
TRANSITIONING TO OUR CALLS FOR, I'M SORRY, OUR CALLS FOR SERVICE RELATED TO OUR P ZERO AND P ONES.
THOSE ARE OUR TWO HIGHEST PRIORITIES.
YOU WILL SEE THAT WE ARE A LITTLE BIT LOW BELOW AVERAGE, THE FIVE YEAR AVERAGE, MEANING OUR RESPONSE TIMES ARE LOWER, UM, OVER THE FIVE YEAR HISTORICAL FOR OUR P ZERO MP ONE RESPONSE TIMES.
THIS IS RELATED TO THE ACTUAL RESPONSE TIME TO THOSE P ZERO AND P ONE CALLS.
AND IN 2025, RIGHT NOW, OVER THE LAST TWO MONTHS, IT SHOWS WE HAD A TREND DOWN, BUT WE ARE STARTING TO TREND JUST A LITTLE BIT UP, BUT STILL BELOW THE, THE AVERAGE OF 2004 RELATED TO OUR RESPONSE TIMES.
WANTED TO PROVIDE THE COMMISSION WITH AN UPDATE ON THE RELEASE OF G FILE.
COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT, I MENTIONED THIS TO YOU LAST TIME.
YOU REQUESTED AN UPDATE ON THESE NUMBERS.
UM, JUST SO YOU KNOW, THESE NUMBERS ARE FROM DECEMBER 1ST, SO OF COURSE SINCE THEN, A FEW MORE HAVE BEEN PROCESSED.
BUT UNDERSTAND IT'S PROBABLY NOT A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN NUMBER JUST BECAUSE OF THE HOLIDAY HOLIDAY SEASON.
SO OVERALL, FOR THE GFI REQUEST, WE'VE REQUEST, THERE'S BEEN A REQUEST FOR 270 OF THOSE WE HAVE FULFILLED 97.
UM, YOU WERE WANTED TO KNOW WHETHER THAT WAS RELATED TO COST OR NOT.
AND SO 54 OF THOSE WERE NOT FULFILLED DUE TO COST.
AND THEN 13 OF THOSE WERE FOR OTHER REASONS.
EITHER WE PROVIDED THE QUOTE, THEY DIDN'T RESPOND, OR WE WERE ATTEMPTING TO NARROW THE REQUEST FOR THE, THE G FILE TO GET MORE SPECIFIC INFORMATION.
AND THERE WAS JUST A LACK OF LACK OF RESPONSE.
AND CURRENTLY, AS OF DECEMBER 1ST, WE HAD 106 THAT WERE STILL OPEN, MEANING WE'RE PENDING PUTTING THAT INFORMATION TOGETHER IN ORDER TO PROVIDE AN OUT AND JUST ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
THEY'RE, THOSE ARE PROCESSED ON A ROLLING, ROLLING BASIS.
AND SO IF WE ARE ABLE TO PROCESS, WE GET A G FILE REQUEST IN, AND THE SCOPE OF THE REQUEST IS A BIT MORE NARROWED AND WE'RE ABLE TO PROCESS THAT, THAT FASTER, IT GETS PROCESSED FASTER, THEY DON'T NECESSARILY, BUT GET PUT IN A QUEUE WHEN WE KNOW WE CAN RESPOND OR FULFILL, THEN WE GO AHEAD AND FULFILL THAT ONE AS OPPOSED TO JUST PUTTING IT IN THE QUEUE.
ALSO, WANNA MENTION JUST THE SHEER NUMBER OF THE REQUESTS THAT WE GET.
PLEASE KNOW, THESE ARE NOT JUST REQUESTS RELATED TO GFI, JUST OUR STANDARD PIR REQUESTS, FOIA REQUESTS.
SO THIS IS JUST ONE SEGMENT OF THE VARIOUS REQUESTS THAT WE HAVE.
TALKING ABOUT OUR STAFFING LEVELS.
SO RIGHT NOW FOR OUR SWORN PERSONNEL, WE'RE SITTING AT A 19% VACANCY RATE.
SO WE HAVE 1,471 OFFICERS FOR OUR CIVILIAN VACANCY RATE.
AND THEN IN OUR EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS STILL TRENDING VERY WELL THERE WHERE WE ONLY HAVE 15, 15 VACANCIES WITH THE 6.7% VACANCY RATE.
THESE ARE JUST OUR OVERALL PATROL VACANCY LEVELS ACROSS THE SECTORS.
DOWNTOWN AREA IS THE ONE THAT'S EXPERIENCING THE MOST VACANCIES.
SO RIGHT NOW WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY A 30% VACANCY RATE IN OUR DOWNTOWN AREA COMMAND.
IT'S MORE OF A CONDENSED AREA, THEREFORE WE JUST NEED MORE OFFICERS THERE TO PATROL.
UH, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WHEN IT COMES TO BEING ABLE TO RESPOND TO CALLS FOR SERVICE OVER A LONG DISTANCE IN OUR OTHER SECTORS, WE ACTUALLY NEED POLICE OFFICERS AND CARS THAT CAN TRAVEL THAT, THAT DISTANCE.
SO THE DENSITY, WHILE WE DO NEED MORE POLICE OFFICERS IN DTAC, THAT RESPONSE TIME IN DTAC, WE'RE ABLE TO, UH, MAKE UP FOR THAT BECAUSE THERE ISN'T AS MUCH DISTANCE TO TRAVEL, WHEREAS IN THE LARGER SECTORS, WHEN YOU ACTUALLY HAVE A POLICE OFFICER THAT NEEDS TO ACTUALLY RESPOND OVER A TRAVEL PERIOD OF SEVERAL MILES, UM, THAT'S WHY THERE'S TENDS TO
[00:30:01]
BE MORE OFFICERS IN THESE OTHER SECTORS AS OPPOSED TO DTAC BECAUSE OF THE CONCENTRATION OF THE CALLS, THEY'RE ABLE TO MOVE TO CALLS MORE QUICKLY.GIVING AN UPDATE ON OUR CADET CLASSES.
UH, YOU REQUESTED MS. BARNARD, THAT, THAT BE INCLUDED IN OUR, IN OUR REPORT OUTS AND SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO OUR ATTRITION RATE.
SO THAT'S THE SECOND COLUMN THAT SHOWS OUR ATTRITION RATE.
RIGHT NOW, THE 1 56 IS STILL IN, IN THE CADET CLASS, SO THEY WON'T GRADUATE FOR ANOTHER THREE MONTHS, BUT RIGHT NOW THE ATTRITION RATE IS ONLY SITTING AT ABOUT 22%.
AND THEY ARE MORE THAN HALFWAY.
HALFWAY THROUGH THEIR, THEIR TRAINING.
THE ONE 57TH CADET CLASS IS SCHEDULED TO START ON FEBRUARY 26TH.
AND WE HAVE 63 CADETS THAT ARE SLATED TO JOIN THAT CLASS.
THEY'VE ALREADY HAD THEIR ORIENTATION.
WE'VE OPENED UP THE APPLICATION PROCESS FOR THE ONE 58TH CADET CLASS, WHICH IS SLATED TO START IN APRIL OF 2026.
AND RIGHT NOW WE HAVE 270, UH, APPLICANTS THAT ARE STILL IN THE PROCESS FOR THE 1 58 CADET CLASS.
JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE THE COMMISSION WITH SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO IN ORDER TO REDUCE OUR ATTRITION RATE AND TO HELP WITH, UM, RETENTION.
AND SO ANYTIME A CADET WITHDRAWALS OR MENTIONS THAT THEY WANNA WITHDRAW FROM A CADET CLASS, THEY ARE MET WITH A LIEUTENANT FROM THE TRAINING ACADEMY OR EITHER THE COMMANDER FROM THE TRAINING ACADEMY, SEE IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO IN ADVANCE OF THEM RESIGNING, UH, WHETHER IT'S COUNSELING, WHETHER IT'S MENTORING, WHETHER THERE'S A GAP THERE.
AND THEN, IF NOT, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT WAS IN OUR PROCESS THAT WE CAN IMPROVE? WE DO PROVIDE COUNSELING.
WE HAVE ONSITE VICTIM SERVICES WITH OUR OWN STANDALONE OFFICE THAT SHE'S ABLE TO DO CHECK-INS.
THEY CAN EITHER SCHEDULE MEETINGS TO MEET WITH A COUNSELOR OR THEY CAN JUST POP IN WHENEVER SHE'S AVAILABLE.
WE ALSO HAVE INTRODUCED, UM, MORE INTRODUCTORY WORKOUTS BEFORE WE PRIMARILY JUST HAD THEM ON THE RECRUITING SIDE OF, UH, THE EFFORTS.
ONCE THEY WERE SHOWED AN INTEREST IN SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION, THEY COULD SHOW UP TO RECRUITING WORKOUTS.
BUT NOW WE'VE ALSO INCLUDED THAT OVER IN CADET TRAINING TOO.
SO THE ONE 57TH HAS HAD SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES NOW TO RE TO WORK OUT WITH THE CADET TRAINING STAFF THAT'S CURRENTLY AT THE TRAINING ACADEMY, STARTING TO BUILD THOSE RELATIONSHIPS AND THOSE BONDS AND ALSO THE EXPECTATIONS.
WE HAVE A MENTORSHIP PROGRAM WHERE THEY'RE PAIRED WITH SWORN OFFICERS THAT HAS EXPANDED.
TYPICALLY WE HAVE JUST FOCUSED ON THE FEMALE OFFICERS, BUT NOW WE'VE EXPANDED THAT TO ALL FEMALE OFFICERS IN, IN, UH, CADETS.
EACH CADET IS ALSO ASSIGNED AN INSTRUCTOR COUNSELOR AND THEY'RE THE PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT.
SO ANY KIND OF ISSUE THAT THEY MAY HAVE WHERE THEY'RE HAVING AN ISSUE WITH GETTING TO WORK ON TIME, THEY HAVE A SHARED VEHICLE AT HOME AND THEY NEED TO COME UP WITH A DIFFERENT MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION OR IF THEIR LEEWAY CAN BE GIVEN AS TO REPORT TIMES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
IN ADDITION, IF THERE ARE ISSUES AT HOME, THEY CAN ALSO UTILIZE THEIR IC TO GET IN CONTACT WITH OUR VICTIM SERVICES, WHO WILL PROVIDE SUPPORT TO THE FAMILY MEMBERS ALSO.
IF THERE'S ISSUES GOING ON IN THE HOME WHERE MAYBE THEY'RE HAVING A HARD TIME WORKING OUT THE, THE STUDY LIFE BREAKDOWN AT HOME, THEY CAN ALSO, UH, ACCESS OUR VICTIM SERVICES PERSONNEL TOO.
WE ALSO PROVIDE, UH, TUTORING.
SOME OF IT'S VOLUNTARY IF THEY'RE HAVING SOME STRUGGLES WITH THEIR STUDIES, WITH THEIR TESTING, WE DO HAVE SOME BUILT IN MANDATORY SESSIONS TOO.
THIS IS JUST OUR BUDGET, UH, RELATED TO OUR OVERTIME EXPENDITURES.
AND RIGHT NOW I SAY, UH, RIGHT NOW FOR FY 26, WE HAVE SPENT 27% OF OUR OVERTIME EXPENDITURES.
THIS IS JUST OUR OVERALL BUDGET AND PERSONNEL EXPENDITURES.
AND RIGHT NOW WE ARE SITTING AT, UH, 18.4% THAT WE'VE SPENT AND WE ARE TRENDING.
UH, AS FAR AS THE EXPENDITURES, BOTH ON OVERTIME AND OUR STANDARD BUDGET.
WE'RE NOT TRENDING ABOVE OR BELOW, WE'RE TRENDING AT OUR STANDARD PACE.
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? YEAH, I JUST WANTED, OH, I'VE GOT SOME FEEDBACK HAPPENING THERE.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT.
[00:35:02]
UM, I JUST WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT TO JUST LET THE, UM, PUBLIC KNOW THAT, UM, THE PRESENTATION MATERIALS THAT WE JUST REVIEWED WILL BE AVAILABLE ONLINE AFTER THE MEETING, I'M ASSUMING TOMORROW.
UM, APOLOGIES FOR NOT HAVING THE MEETING.
UM, AND WITH THAT, I'LL OPEN THE FLOOR TO QUESTIONS AND I'M GONNA CHECK ONLINE TO MAKE SURE YOU GUYS CAN HEAR ME IF YOU GUYS CAN GIVE ME A THUMBS UP.
UM, SO I THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE GFI UM, STATISTICS.
I, UM, AM CURIOUS, I DON'T WANT TO FIND OUT WHO HAS BEEN SUBMITTING GFI REQUESTS, BUT FOR THE 54 THAT WEREN'T, UM, FULFILLED DUE, OH, DUE TO COST.
IF IT'S POSSIBLE, UM, TO JUST, YOU KNOW, SORT OF GET A RUNDOWN, A LIST OF THE SUBSTANCE OF THOSE REQUESTS, UM, UH, JUST TO SORT OF GET A SENSE OF WHAT'S IN THERE, WHAT'S NOT, WHAT'S NOT GETTING RELEASED.
'CAUSE PEOPLE CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY FOR IT.
UM, AND I WAS ALSO CURIOUS, UM, YOU MENTIONED THAT THE, THE DRUG NARCOTICS OFFENSE ARREST HAD GONE WAY UP AND THAT THAT WAS SORT OF PART OF A STRATEGY OR YOU KNOW, PART OF, UM, AND I, AND I'M CURIOUS WHAT WAS MOTIVATING THAT AND IF IT WAS TARGETED OR IF YOU KNOW, SORT OF WHAT THE STRATEGY WAS? YES, MA'AM.
THAT WAS RELATED TO PLACE NETWORK INVESTI INVESTIGATIONS WHERE WE WERE DOING TARGETED ENFORCEMENT ACTION BASED ON CRIME HOTSPOTS.
AND SO IT WAS, UH, CHIEF DAVIS' DATA IS VERY MUCH DATA, DATA DRIVEN.
AND WHENEVER THERE IS A LOCATION WHERE THERE IS A CHRONIC ISSUE AND IT IS, UH, RELATED TO DRUG DRUG USE, THE SALE OF NARCOTICS, VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT PUTTING INITIATIVES TOGETHER TO ADDRESS THOSE AREAS.
SO, SO SORT OF FOR LACK, I MEAN TO USE SORT OF COLLOQUIAL TERMS, UH, TARGETING, UH, DRUG MARKETS, CHRONIC DRUG, DRUG AREAS, DRUG ACTIVITY.
AND I ALSO, JUST LOOKING AT THE STATISTICS OR THE, THE OFFENSE TYPES, I WANTED TO KNOW WHERE DWI FITS IN.
UM, 'CAUSE I ACTUALLY, I WASN'T SURE IF IT COUNTED AS A, IT SHOULDN'T BE A NARCOTICS OFFENSE, BUT, UM, BUT WHAT, WHAT EXACTLY IT WAS NO DWI WOULDN'T, WOULDN'T FALL INTO ONE OF THESE, ONE OF THESE CATEGORIES.
I CAN ADD THAT TO ONE OF THE ITEMS THAT WE REPORT OUT ON.
YEAH, I WAS JUST, YEAH, I WAS CURIOUS.
'CAUSE THAT'S A TRAFFIC RELATED, TRAFFIC RELATED OFFENSE.
BUT I CAN ADD THAT IF YOU'D LIKE MOVING FORWARD.
AND, AND I'LL JUST BRIEFLY PIGGYBACK ON THAT BECAUSE YOU SAID EXACTLY THE THING I WAS THINKING ABOUT IS, UM, HOW, SO THIS, THIS DRUG NARCOTICS OFFENSES, THAT'S A STARK INCREASE
UM, AND SO I UNDERSTAND TARGETING, ARE THESE HAPPENING AS PART OF TRAFFIC VIOL? LIKE ARE, ARE THESE TIED TO INCREASED TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS, INCREASED TRAFFIC CITATIONS, INCREASED, PULLING PEOPLE OVER FOR TRAFFIC? OR ARE THESE TARGETING OPERATIONS, LIKE WERE THERE, WERE THERE LARGE OPERATIONS THAT WERE, THAT WERE IDENTIFIED THAT CREATED THIS HUGE SEARCH? 'CAUSE THESE ARE THOUSANDS MORE.
UM, AND SO I'M JUST TRYING TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND LIKE HOW
YEAH, I CAN PROVIDE A BREAKDOWN ON THAT.
AND AND YEAH, BECAUSE THAT'S, IT'S JUST REALLY STARK.
SO I WANNA KNOW WHERE THESE, WHERE HOW WE'RE ARRIVING AT THESE DRUG NARCOTICS OFFENSES.
COULD WE, UM, COULD WE ADD TO THAT IF, IF THE DATA IS EASY, UM, TO UH, PUT TOGETHER, UM, UM, POSSESSION OFFENSES VERSUS, UM, SALES AND DISTRIBUTION OFFENSES, JUST YES, THAT BREAKDOWN.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? AND THEN PIGGYBACKING OFF OF THAT, BECAUSE I HAVE THE SAME QUESTION OF UNDERSTANDINGS FOR THAT LOW LEVEL POSSESSION AND THEN OF THE FOLKS WITH POSSESSION, HOW MANY ARE WE CONNECTING WITH TREATMENT AND LOOKING AT AS A BRIDGE TO GETTING SOMEBODY INTO TREATMENT AS OPPOSED TO SORT OF WHAT, WHAT'S BEING DONE WITH THOSE? BECAUSE I SAW IN THE CLEARANCE RATES THERE'S A PRETTY HIGH CLEARANCE RATE FOR THE NARCOTIC POSSESSION, SO SOMETHING'S HAPPENING WITH THOSE AND IT'D JUST BE NICE TO KNOW WHERE WE'RE, WHAT THAT'S DOING FOR FOLKS.
I MEAN, JUST I CAN ANSWER THE REASON, UH, DRUG CASES GENERALLY HAVE REALLY HIGH CLEARANCE RATES IS THAT YOU HAVE THE EVIDENCE AND THE SUSPECT IN POSSESSION AT THE TIME OF ARREST.
AND SO THERE'S NOTHING TO PROVE.
[00:40:01]
RIGHT.BUT THE QUESTION IS WHAT HAPPENS WITH THAT? ARE THESE FOLKS SAYING EXACT YES.
THAT'S NOT ABOUT THAT CLEARANCE RATES.
OH, COMMISSIONER SMITH, THANK YOU.
ALSO, PIGGY BACK OFF OF THAT, UM, I, I REALLY LIKING THE CLARITY WE'RE TRYING TO GET AROUND THOSE NUMBERS.
I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO LOOK AT IT THROUGH A LENS OF ENSURING, UM, UH, OR JUST MORE CLARITY RELATED TO WHERE THE INCREASE IS COMING FROM.
UM, IF IT IS AN OPERATION, ARE THOSE OPERATIONS ONLY HAPPENING IN CERTAIN PLACES? I'D LIKE SOME CLARITY BEYOND THE INCREASE OF NUMBER WHEN IT COMES TO DEMOGRAPHIC AND ZIP CODE AS WELL.
I THINK WE'RE ALL CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAME THING, SO THAT IS GREAT.
UM, DID YOU HAVE COMMISSIONER CIDO, UH, CHIEF HENDERSON, THIS, UM, THE, THE INCREASE IN THESE NARCOTICS OFFENSES? YOU SAID THIS WAS PROACTIVE WORK.
IS THIS PROACTIVE WORK BEING DONE BY PATROL OR BY SPECIALIZED UNITS OR A COMBINATION OF THE TWO? IT WOULD BE A COMBINATION OF BOTH.
AND WHO'S DRIVING THAT SPECIALIZED UNITS OR PATROL? IT'S BEEN, IT'S BEING DRIVEN BASED ON CRIME DATA STATS.
UH, WHAT I MEAN IS WHO IS ACCOUNTING FOR THE LARGER PROPORTION OF THAT INCREASE IN NARCOTICS? OH, YOU WANNA BREAK DOWN? I SEE.
THAT I'LL, I'LL HAVE TO GET THAT DATA TO YOU.
DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE? DO WE HAVE ANYTHING ELSE? COMMISSIONER RUTAN? UM, I DON'T WANNA SAY I REALLY APPRECIATE THE FOLLOW UP PROACTIVELY AS WELL AS TO ASK FOR, UM, THE PUBLIC COMMENT.
I THINK THAT'S REALLY, YOU KNOW, SHOWS THE, UM, BOTH ON Y'ALL'S END OF DOING, UM, WEST PRACTICE COMMUNITY, BUT ALSO HOW THIS IS A, A GOOD FORM.
UM, A COUPLE OF JUST DATA QUESTIONS AND THE BACKUP MATERIALS THAT WEREN'T PRESENTED, THE, THAT DEALT WITH THE CLEARANCE RATES.
I REALLY LIKE HOW FOR THE ACTUAL, UM, CRIMES INCLUDE THE FIVE YEAR MEAN, AND IT'S USEFUL TO SEE THAT.
UM, I DON'T SEE THAT PROVIDED UNDER THE CLEARANCE RATES.
SO KNOWING THAT TREND OVER TIME WOULD BE HELPFUL.
UM, AND I KNOW THIS IS COMING BEFORE, BUT JUST IN GENERAL, IT'D BE NICE TO SEE RATES IN ADDITION TO ABSOLUTE NUMBERS AS A POPULATION GOES UP TO HAVE SOME SENSE.
UM, FOR OBVIOUSLY WE WANNA HAVE A NUMBER OF ZERO, BUT IT'S BENEFICIAL TO KNOW HOW THAT STACKS UP WITH THE TOTAL POPULATION TOO.
UM, AND I WILL JUST, UM, AND I THINK THIS IS JUST ME ASKING A QUESTION BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW THAT MUCH ABOUT THIS GO AEX YOUTH TRUANCY PREVENTION PROGRAM.
IS THIS SOMETHING THAT'S SPEARHEADED BY AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH? IS THIS SOMETHING THAT'S SPEARHEADED BY AUSTIN? A PD, UM, TRUANCY, CRIMINALITY, A LAW ENFORCEMENT'S ROLE AND ALL THAT JUST STARTS TO MUCK UP ALL SORTS OF NOT GOOD VIBES FOR ME,
SO I JUST WANNA UNDERSTAND WHERE THIS INITIATIVE IS COMING FROM, WHY THERE WAS AN INCREASED INITIATIVE.
AND SO IS ESSENTIALLY THERE IS NO CRIMINAL ASSOCIATION WITH, WITH TRU TRUANCY, MEANING THERE'S, THERE'S NOT A CRIMINAL, UH, OFFENSE ASSOCIATED WITH IT BEFORE, UH, YEARS AGO WHEN WE DID HAVE A TRUANCY LAW, WE FOUND A STUDENT THAT WAS NOT IN SCHOOL DURING, UH, SCHOOL HOURS, WE COULD ISSUE A CITATION, TRANSPORT THE STUDENT BACK TO THE SCHOOL, VERIFY WHETHER OR NOT THEY SHOULD BE, UM, ON, ON CAMPUS.
SO RIGHT NOW IT IS MORE SO A MEANS TO PROACTIVELY ENGAGE YOUTH IN A POSITIVE MANNER TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO STAY IN SCHOOL, NOT NECESSARILY FROM A CRIMINAL COMPONENT, CRIMINAL ASPECT.
'CAUSE THERE ISN'T AN ASSOCIATED ONE WHEN IT COMES TO, COMES TO, TO TRU TRUANCY.
THERE ISN'T, I'M NOT QUITE SURE IF THERE'S ANOTHER, A BETTER TERM MAYBE BECAUSE TRUANCY IS, IS TYPICALLY CONNOTATED OR ASSOCIATED WITH A, A LAW ENFORCEMENT, UH, TYPE COMPONENT OR A CRIMINAL COMPONENT RELATED TO, TO LAW ENFORCEMENT.
SO IS GO IS, AND THAT'S WHY I ASKED THE QUESTION IS GO AEX YOUTH AS AN INITIATIVE AN A PD INITIATIVE OR AN AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH INITIATIVE? IT'S NOT AN A PD, IT'S NOT A PD INITIATIVE.
SO YOU GUYS ARE PARTICIPATING ALONGSIDE AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, CORRECT? MM-HMM
THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND.
BECAUSE I WAS LIKE, WHY IS A PD LEADING A TRUANCY PREVENTION PROJECT? MM-HMM
DO WE HAVE ANYTHING ELSE OKAY WITH THAT? THANK YOU.
UM, AND WE WILL MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT PRESENTATION.
I AM GOING TO APOLOGIZE AGAIN FOR THE HEAT.
IT IS DEFINITELY GETTING WARMER IN HERE.
UM, THERE ARE MORE SEATS OVER HERE IF YOU GUYS WANNA SPREAD OUT SO YOU HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE AIR
UM, AND YOU GUYS CAN COME ON UP AND SIT HERE.
I DO ENCOURAGE YOU GUYS TO SPREAD OUT.
[00:45:01]
MIGHT HELP YOU GUYS STAY FULLER 'CAUSE IT IS DEFINITELY WARM IN HERE.[3. Update on the Counsel at First Appearance Program. Presentation by Travis County Public Defender’s Office, Capital Area Private Defender Service, and Equity Action.]
OUR NEXT, UM, ITEM IS, UM, THE UPDATE ON COUNCIL AT FIRST APPEARANCE.AND IF WE CAN HAVE EVERYBODY FROM TRAVIS COUNTY PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE, CAPITAL AREA, PRIVATE DEFENDER, SERVICE, EQUITY ACTION, AND THEIR GUESTS, IF THEY CAN ALL COME ON UP.
I ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY TO COME ON AROUND.
YEAH, THERE'S ONE, RIGHT? OKAY.
UM, AND I THINK, UM, SO THIS HAS BEEN ON OUR AGENDA FOR A REALLY LONG TIME.
UM, WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR US TO HAVE, UH, AN UPDATE TO GIVE, UM, I THINK I'LL START WITH, UM, THE, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE TO JUST GIVE US AN UPDATE ON WHAT'S GOING ON AND WHERE WE ARE WITH THINGS.
SO, UH, GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE.
ADDIE LUKI, CHIEF PUBLIC DEFENDER, TRAVIS COUNTY PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE HERE ON BEHALF OF THAT OFFICE, ALONG WITH OTHER COLLEAGUES FROM TRAVIS COUNTY, UH, WHO, UH, MAKE UP THE SORT OF, YOU KNOW, DEFENSE BAR.
UM, AND PROVIDING THE DIRECT REPRESENTATION TO, UH, THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO COME THROUGH, UH, OUR CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM, UH, AND NEED REPRESENTATION AND ARE NOW PROVIDED REPRESENTATION.
I WAS HERE BACK 2022, TIMING WHEN, YOU KNOW, THE COMMISSION, UH, WAS INTERESTED IN THIS ITEM.
UM, AND TRAVIS COUNTY AND THE CITY BEGAN AND EARNEST TRYING TO BRING, UM, COUNSELED FIRST APPEARANCES TO, UH, THIS COMMUNITY.
AND SO I'M REALLY DELIGHTED TO BE HERE NOW, YOU KNOW, THIS MANY YEARS LATER TO SAY WE HAVE A SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM AND OTHERS WILL SPEAK TO SORT OF LIKE THE LARGER OVERVIEW.
BUT I'LL TALK TO SORT OF LIKE THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE'S PARTICIPATION IN, YOU KNOW, REVIVING, COUNSELED, UH, FIRST APPEARANCES HERE IN THE COUNTY.
IT'S SOMETHING NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART BECAUSE THAT WAS A SYSTEM THAT I PRACTICED IN FOR DECADES BEFORE, YOU KNOW, MOVING ON AND, AND, UM, BECOMING THE CHIEF PUBLIC DEFENDER HERE IN AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY.
AND SO SEEING THIS COME TO FRUITION, KNOWING WHAT IT MEANS, UH, TO THE PEOPLE'S LIVES, UM, WHO ARE TOUCHED BY THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM AND HAVING EARLY EFFECTIVE REPRESENTATION JUST MEANS A GREAT DEAL FOR, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAPPENS, UH, AS THEIR CASES MOVE ON AND AS THEIR LIVES MOVE ON.
AND SO THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE CURRENTLY STAFFS ONE QUARTER OF THE COUNSELED FIRST APPEARANCE SHIFTS.
COUNSEL AT FIRST APPEARANCE IS HAPPENING EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK, UM, FROM 6:00 AM TO 11:00 PM AND SO AS A DEFENSE PROVIDER, THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE IS IN THERE A QUARTER OF THE TIME, UH, STAFFING, UM, WITH OUR ATTORNEYS, OUR SOCIAL SERVICE TEAM MEMBERS, WHICH INCLUDE SOCIAL WORKERS AND CASEWORKERS.
UM, WE HAVE, UH, ON-CALL OUR BADILLA LAWYERS WHO HELP ENSURE THAT OUR NON-US CITIZEN, UM, CLIENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS, UH, ARE, UH, IDENTIFIED AND, YOU KNOW, ON A PATH TO ENSURING RIGHT, LIKE THEY ARE ADVISED AND COUNSELED ON WHAT CONTACT WITH THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM MEANS, UM, FOR THEIR LIVES.
PARTICULARLY IN THIS TIMING WHERE WE HAVE MORE OF THOSE, UH, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, UM, WHO MAY PREVIOUSLY HAVE HAD PROTECTIONS, UM, THAT HAVE NOW BEEN REMOVED.
I THINK THAT IS A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF OUR REPRESENTATION THAT THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE BRINGS.
WE'VE REPRESENTED SINCE COUNSEL AT FIRST APPEARANCE RE UM, UM, YOU KNOW, REANIMATED IN APRIL OF 2024.
UH, WE'VE REPRESENTED OVER 5,000 UNIQUE INDIVIDUALS, UH, COMING THROUGH OUR CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM.
AND, YOU KNOW, IN DOING THAT RIGHT, WE ARE PROVIDING, UH, REPRESENTATION ACROSS ALL LEVEL OF OFFENSES FROM, YOU KNOW, THE MOST SERIOUS HOMICIDES DOWN TO, UM, YOU KNOW, CRIMINAL TRESPASSES.
UH, THOSE WHO ARE CHARGED WITH CLASS C MISDEMEANORS ALONE ARE NOT, UM, AT THIS TIME PROVIDED COUNSEL FIRST APPEARANCES.
I'D LOVE A DISCUSSION, YOU KNOW, SOMEDAY IN THE FUTURE ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS, UH, FOR FOLKS WHO HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE SAME VULNERABILITIES EVEN THOUGH IT'S A CLASS C MISDEMEANOR, UM,
[00:50:01]
AND WHAT IT WOULD MEAN TO SEE THEM, UH, PROVIDED WITH, UH, COUNSEL AT THEIR FIRST APPEARANCES AS WELL.UM, AND SO THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE IS JUST GLAD YOU KNOW, TO BE HERE AND TO BE PRESENTING AGAIN AFTER, YOU KNOW, SO MANY YEARS, UH, AND TO SEE OUR PROGRAM, UH, IN AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY ALIVE AND, AND VIABLE AT THIS TIME.
YOU GUYS WANNA GO AHEAD? GOOD EVENING, COMMISSIONERS.
I AM THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE FOR COMMUNITY LEGAL SERVICES HERE IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
UM, I'M ONE OF SEVEN DIFFERENT COUNTY EXECUTIVES THAT HELPS OVERSEE THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS FOR THE COUNTY.
UH, OUR DEPARTMENT, UH, BASICALLY, AND IF YOU FIND YOURSELF IN TRAVIS COUNTY AND YOU CAN'T AFFORD AN ATTORNEY OR OTHER LEGAL SERVICES, THAT'S WHERE WE STEP IN.
IT COULD BE THE CRIMINAL SIDE, IT COULD BE THE CIVIL SIDE TOTAL.
WE HAVE SEVEN DIFFERENT ENTITIES THAT ARE CONNECTED TO US IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, UH, INCLUDING THREE DIFFERENT ENTITIES THAT ARE REPRESENTED HERE TODAY.
OF COURSE, THE PUBLIC DEFENDER OFFICE.
WE HAVE CAPITAL AREA PRIVATE DEFENDER SERVICE REPRESENTED BY KATIE JOE MUNSEY, AND RYAN K CRISLER.
AND WE HAVE OUR NEW OFFICE OF FIRST DEFENSE THAT'S HANDLING ABOUT 50% OF ALL REPRESENTATION AT FOR COUNCIL AT FIRST APPEARANCE.
UM, I JUST WANNA ECHO WHAT OLA SAID.
I MEAN THIS, AND, AND, AND ALSO GIVE HER SOME PRAISE HERE BECAUSE SHE WAS ONE OF THE MAIN DRIVERS ALONG WITH BOB BATTLIN AND SEVERAL OTHERS TO CREATE COUNCIL AT FIRST APPEARANCE IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
UM, WHERE MANY OF US CAME FROM.
WE, WE PRACTICE IN OTHER STATES.
IT WAS THE NORM IN MUCH OF AMERICA THAT YOU HAVE COUNSEL THE FIRST TIME YOU APPEAR IN COURT.
THAT IS NOT THE NORM IN TEXAS.
WE ARE ONE OF ONLY SEVEN COUNTIES IN TEXAS THAT PROVIDES COUNSEL AT FIRST APPEARANCE.
WE DO THAT THROUGH A COMBINATION OF THREE DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS.
UH, THE NEW OFFICE OF FIRST DEFENSE, AS I MENTIONED, REPRESENTS ROUGHLY 50% OF PEOPLE GOING THROUGH, UH, ADMINISTRATION.
UH, AND THEN THE CAPITAL AREA PRIVATE DEFENDER SERVICE AND PUBLIC DEFENDER OFFICE EACH REPRESENT ABOUT 25% ROUGHLY OF THE OTHER PEOPLE GOING THROUGH MAGISTRATION ON ANY GIVEN DAY.
WE HAVE SOMEWHERE IN THE BALLPARK OF 80 TO A HUNDRED PERSONS WHO ARE ARRESTED AND MAGISTRATED IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
UM, THAT'S THE RESULT OF POLICING BY ABOUT 30 DIFFERENT POLICING ORGANIZATIONS.
A PD REPRESENTS ABOUT 60% OF THAT THE SHERIFF SOUGHT, FOLLOWED BY THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, FOLLOWED THEN BY DPS.
AND THEN YOU CAN IMAGINE ALL THE CONSTABLES AND MUNICIPALITIES AND EVERYTHING INVOLVED AFTER THAT.
SO ABOUT 30 ENTITIES TOTAL PRODUCING ABOUT 80 TO A HUNDRED PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING THROUGH MAGISTRATION ON ANY GIVEN DAY.
UM, AS OLA MENTIONED TOO, OUR ADMINISTRATION, WE, RIGHT, RIGHT NOW WE'RE, I THINK WE'RE WHAT, FOUR OR FIVE MONTHS INTO FULL REPRESENTATION, I BELIEVE ROUGHLY SINCE JULY.
SINCE JULY, WHATEVER THE MATH IS ON THAT.
SO A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN THAT.
UM, AND AS OLA MENTIONED, WE, WE ARE REPRESENTING PEOPLE STARTING AT ABOUT, UH, 6:00 AM GOING TO ABOUT 10 OR 11 O'CLOCK AT NIGHT.
ONE LAST THING I WANNA MENTION BEFORE I HAND IT OFF TO SOME COLLEAGUES, THE PHRASE COUNSEL AT FIRST APPEARANCE KAFA LITERALLY MEANS YOU GET AN ATTORNEY BY YOUR SIDE.
UM, WHAT TRAVIS COUNTY HAS DONE IS QUITE A BIT MORE THAN THAT.
YES, WE PROVIDED ATTORNEYS BY PEOPLE'S SIDE, WHICH IS GREAT, BUT WE'VE DONE IT IN A WAY, NUMBER ONE, THAT PROVIDES QUALITY REPRESENTATION.
ATTORNEYS HAVE LOW, UH, UH, STAFFING RATES, SO YOU DON'T HAVE A TON OF CLIENTS.
UH, YOU HAVE A REASONABLE NUMBER OF CLIENTS.
WE'VE ALSO PROVIDED CASEWORKERS SOCIAL SERVICES TO PEOPLE GOING THROUGH MAGISTRATION.
WE'VE ALSO MOVED IT FROM, UH, A, A ROOM IN THE BASEMENT OF THE, THE, OF CENTRAL BOOKING TO AN ACTUAL COURTROOM.
UM, SO IN, IN, IN ADDITION TO THAT, I OPENED IT UP TO THE PUBLIC BETWEEN 6:00 AM AND 11:00 PM ANYBODY HERE, ANY, ANYBODY IN THE PUBLIC CAN GO IN AND WATCH MAGISTRATE AND SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING.
WE'VE PROVIDED IN-PERSON, UH, INTERPRETATION SERVICES FOR SPANISH SPEAKERS.
SPANISH SPEAKERS REPRESENT SOMEWHERE IN THE BALLPARK OF 14 TO 17% OF PEOPLE BEING ARRESTED.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, TRAVIS COUNTY HAS HIRED SEVERAL JUDGES FOR THOSE SERVICES AND, AND THE LIST GOES ON FROM THERE.
SO IT REALLY HAS BEEN NOT JUST PROVIDING COUNSEL TO FIRST APPEARANCE, BUT REALLY A MAGISTRATION OVERHAUL FOR TRAVIS COUNTY.
UM, AND, AND IT'S BEEN A ROUGHLY $15 MILLION INVESTMENT FOR THE COUNTY ANNUALLY TO, TO CREATE ALL THAT.
SO, VERY PROUD OF WHAT WE'RE DOING AND PROVIDING COUNSEL, PROVIDING INTERPRETERS, SOCIAL SERVICES, UH, AND PROUD OF MY COLLEAGUES AND ALL THE WORK THEY'RE DOING.
SO WITH THAT, I'LL, I'LL HAND IT OVER TO KRISTEN.
I'M THE CHIEF COUNSEL FOR THE NEW OFFICE OF FIRST DEFENSE.
UM, OUR OFFICE IS ABOUT A YEAR OLD NOW.
UM, OUR OFFICE WAS CREATED, IT WAS ACTUALLY JEFF'S IDEA, BUT CREATED TO FILL THE, THE SPACE, UM, WHERE YOU NEED A, A LARGE AMOUNT OF CLIENTS SEEN WITH NOT ENOUGH LAWYERS IN THE COUNTY.
SO, UM, WE'RE STAFFED WITH, UM, MYSELF AND 12 LAWYERS.
UM, A SHIFT IS FROM ABOUT SIX TO TWO-ISH, AND THEN B SHIFT FROM TWO TO 11.
UM, I HAVE FOUR SUPERVISING ATTORNEYS, ALL OF WHO SPEAK SPANISH.
UM, OVER HALF OF MY STAFF SPEAK SPANISH.
UM, SO WE'RE ABLE TO, UM, YOU KNOW, COMMUNICATE IN A WAY THAT'S MEANINGFUL WITH OUR SPANISH SPEAKING CLIENTS.
[00:55:01]
ALL OF OUR, WE, WE HAVE A TRAINING PROGRAM THAT WE DEVELOPED FOR THIS SPECIFIC, UM, AREA OF REPRESENTATION.WE ONLY REPRESENT AT, UM, THE BAIL HEARINGS.
HOWEVER, AS KATIE JOE WILL EXPLAIN IN A MOMENT, WE DO COORDINATE WITH THE CAPITAL AREA PRIVATE DEFENDER SERVICE FOR A CONTINUUM OF CARE FOR CLIENTS THAT NEED SERVICES.
UM, THIS PROGRAM WAS ACTUALLY VERY NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART.
MY COLLEAGUES ARE, UM, KNOW THIS INFORMATION AND I DON'T SAY IT TO TOOT MY OWN HORN OR ANYTHING, BUT I WAS A MAGISTRATE JUDGE IN ANOTHER COUNTY AND I TRIED VERY HARD TO GET COUNCIL AT FIRST APPEARANCE THERE AND COULDN'T MOVE THE NEEDLE.
SO WHEN THIS PROGRAM OPENED UP AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THIS KIND OF WORK, I JUMPED AT IT BECAUSE AS A MAGISTRATE, I WOULD READ SOMEBODY THEIR RIGHTS AND TELL 'EM THEY COULD REMAIN SILENT, AND THEN I'D WANNA ASK 'EM A TON OF QUESTIONS ON HOW I COULD HELP THEM.
SO, UM, I'M VERY, VERY PROUD OF THE, THE COLLEGIALITY AND THE TEAM SPIRIT THAT WE'VE ALL COME TOGETHER TO PRIORITIZE THIS KIND OF WORK.
UM, IT WORKS, UM, ON EVERY SHIFT.
WE, UM, I WAS VERY HAPPY MY FIRST NIGHT THAT I DID A SHIFT TO, TO KNOW THAT
BUT, UM, IT DOES, IT WORKS AT EVERY SHIFT.
WE'RE ABLE TO HELP PEOPLE AND WE DON'T JUST REPRESENT THEM AT THE HEARING.
UM, AS KATIE JO EXPLAINED, WE DO, UM, TRY TO, UH, PROVIDE THEM WITH SERVICES.
WE CONTACT FAMILY MEMBERS ON THEIR BEHALF TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY KNOW WHERE THEIR LOVED ONE IS AND TO EXPLAIN THE BAIL PROCESS OR WHEN TO EXPECT THEY'RE GONNA GET OUT OR JUST THE, THE THINGS THAT YOU WOULD WANNA KNOW WHEN YOUR LOVED ONE IS, UM, ARRESTED.
AND IN FACT, UM, JEFF AND BRADLEY HARGUS, WHO'S THE DIRECTOR OF THE CAPITAL AREA PRIVATE DEFENDER SERVICE, UM, HAS COME UP WITH A, UM, A A HOW TO ON WHAT HAPPENS AT MAGISTRATE FOR THE PUBLIC TO BE ABLE TO GO ON OUR WEBSITE AND FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO IF, IF A FAMILY MEMBER OR LOVED ONE IS ARRESTED.
SO ALL IN ALL, IT'S MUCH MORE THAN JUST REPRESENTING AT THE BAIL HEARING, WHICH WE DO AND DO VERY, VERY EFFECTIVELY.
UM, BUT IT'S, IT'S A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO PEOPLE THAT ARE, UM, PROBABLY HAVING ONE OF THE WORST DAYS OF THEIR LIFE AND ARE VERY CONFUSED ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING.
SO I'LL PASS IT OVER TO KATIE, JOE.
SO, UM, BRADLEY HARGIS IS OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR THE CAPITAL AREA PRIVATE DEFENDER SERVICE.
YOU'RE PROBABLY USED TO HEARING FROM HIM, BUT HE'S SICK.
SO YOU GET TO HEAR FROM ME AND FROM RYAN CRISLER.
SO I'M GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE CASE MANAGEMENT SUPPORT THAT CAPS HAS BEEN PROVIDING, AND RYAN'S GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE KIND OF ABOUT THE OPERATION ASPECT OF MAGISTRATION WITH CAPS.
UM, SO JUST A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT.
CAPS IS THE MANAGE ASSIGNED COUNSEL PROGRAM IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
SO WE HANDLE THE MAJORITY OF INDIGENT DEFENSE REPRESENTATION ONCE A CLIENT IS ARRESTED AND THEY GET ASSIGNED AN ATTORNEY.
SO WE'RE HANDLING 25% OF THE SHIFTS DIRECTLY AT THE KAFA SHIFTS BY OUR CAPS ATTORNEYS.
BUT WE HAVE ROLLED OUT CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES TO EVERY SHIFT.
UH, STARTING JANUARY 1ST, EVERY SHIFT HAS CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES.
SO FROM 6:00 AM TO 10:00 PM WE HAVE A CAPS CASE MANAGER ON SITE THERE TO SUPPORT THE CLIENTS THERE TO SUPPORT THE ATTORNEYS.
SO WE KIND OF STARTED PILOTING THIS PROBABLY IN THE SUMMER, RIGHT? LIKE WE SLOWLY STARTED ROLLING THIS OUT, UM, BRINGING PEOPLE ON BOARD, PILOTING THIS IN THE SUMMER.
WE HANDLED, OUR BIGGEST MONTH SO FAR WAS WE HANDLED 20 SHIFTS IN THE MONTH OF DECEMBER.
UM, DURING THAT TIME WE HAD INTERACTION WITH OVER 161 CLIENTS.
SO, UM, AVERAGING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ANYWHERE BETWEEN SIX TO 10 CLIENTS A SHIFT, SO ROUGHLY A THIRD OF THE, UM, CLIENTS ARE GETTING SOME INTERACTION WITH CASE MANAGEMENT.
NOW, FROM THERE, SOME OF THOSE CLIENTS ARE GETTING DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO SERVICES.
SOME OF THOSE CLIENTS ARE BEING PROVIDED RESOURCE INFORMATION, AND THEN SOME OF THOSE CLIENTS WILL STAY LONG-TERM WITH CAPS CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES.
SO THAT'S ONE THING THAT'S WORKED OUT REALLY GREAT BETWEEN OFD AND CAPS IS THAT HAVING THAT, UH, CONTINUED REPRESENTATION AND THAT CONTINUITY OF CARE.
SO THE CLIENTS ARE BEING REPRESENTED BY OFD ATTORNEY AT MAGISTRATION, BUT THEY HAVE A CAPS CASE MANAGER, AND THEN THAT CASE IS GOING TO GO TO A CAPS ATTORNEY, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
SO THAT'S BEEN REALLY HELPFUL JUST IN THE CONTINUITY AND RELATIONSHIP BUILDING WITH THE CLIENT AND BEING ABLE TO BUILD THAT RAPPORT AND NOT HAVING TO GET BOUNCED AROUND BETWEEN DIFFERENT AGENCIES.
SO I HAVE SOME DATA I'D LIKE TO SHARE, UM, JUST KIND OF ROUGHLY SOME INFORMATION AND NUMBERS THAT WE'VE BEEN KEEPING.
SO, UH, ROUGHLY 60% OF THE CLIENTS THAT OUR CASE MANAGEMENT TEAM MET WITH DURING THE MONTH OF DECEMBER WERE UNHOUSED.
UM, AND I THINK THAT THAT'S PROBABLY, UH, THE NUMBER'S HIGHER.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE TOTAL POPULATION FOR, UM, IN THE TRAVIS COUNTY JAIL, UH, 43 OF THOSE CLIENTS WERE PROVIDED TREATMENT RESOURCES.
33 WERE PROVIDED SHELTER OPTIONS, 20 WERE PROVIDED DIRECT TRANSPORTATION, WHETHER THAT
[01:00:01]
WAS THROUGH BUS PASSES OR COORDINATED RELEASES THROUGH OUR CASE MANAGERS, PICKING THE CLIENT UP FROM CUSTODY AND TRANSPORTING THEM SOMEWHERE.UM, AND THEN EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT AS WELL.
BEYOND JUST THE DIRECT SERVICE AND PROVIDING SERVICE REFERRALS, OUR TEAM IS ALSO THERE FOR CRISIS AND DEESCALATION.
SO WHEN A CLIENT IS COMING IN, THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, POSSIBLY IN CRISIS, THEY MIGHT BE DETOXING.
OUR TEAM IS THERE TO HELP SUPPORT THE ATTORNEY AND THE CLIENT AND WORKING THROUGH, UM, WHAT THEY NEED TO GET DONE TO BE ABLE TO MAKE IT THROUGH MAGISTRATION.
AND THEN WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS AS THE CLIENT, UM, STAYS IN CUSTODY IF THEY'RE NOT RELEASED FROM CUSTODY? SO, YOU KNOW, THE PROGRAM, I HAVE TO SAY WE'RE REALLY, UM, IT'S REALLY BEEN SUCCESSFUL REALLY QUICKLY.
IT'S HAD AN IMPACT, UM, I THINK PROBABLY FASTER THAN MAYBE WE EXPECTED.
THE ATTORNEYS TO OFD HAS BEEN GREAT TO WORK WITH.
THEIR ATTORNEYS HAVE BEEN SUPER INVOLVED AND ENGAGED, WANTING TO LEARN, LIKE TO IDENTIFY CLIENTS AND WHAT ARE THE BEST TYPE OF CLIENTS THAT WE COULD SUBMIT FOR REFERRALS.
UM, AND HELPING ADVOCATE, ALLOWING THE CASE MANAGERS TO ADVOCATE WITH THE JUDGE FOR PERSONAL RELEASE.
UM, WE HAVE SUCCESS STORIES FOR CLIENTS WHO, UM, WE'RE ABLE TO ACCESS THE HOMELESS MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM.
AND SO I THINK IT'S CALLED, I THINK IT'S CALLED SOMETHING ELSE NOW, SO I APOLOGIZE IF I'M NOT USING THE RIGHT TERM.
SO WE'RE ABLE TO ACCESS THAT AND WE'VE IDENTIFIED MULTIPLE TIMES WHERE CLIENTS, AFTER REVIEWING THE DOCKET, WE WERE ABLE TO SEE THAT CLIENTS WERE ELIGIBLE FOR HOUSING, HAD EITHER A VOUCHER OR WERE SELECTED FOR A SHELTER BED, BUT NOBODY COULD FIND THE CLIENT.
BUT BECAUSE WE WERE ABLE TO ACCESS THAT INFORMATION, WE WERE ABLE TO CONNECT THEM WITH THE APPROPRIATE AGENCY, GET THE CLIENT OUT OF CUSTODY BECAUSE IT GAVE THE JUDGE CONFIDENCE THE CLIENT WAS GONNA GET SUPPORT THAT THEY NEEDED.
AND SO THOSE ARE JUST SOME, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, BIG EXAMPLES, BUT IT'S HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES WHERE WE'VE HAD THAT TYPE OF SUCCESS.
SO THE ATTORNEYS HAVE BEEN GREAT TO WORK WITH.
UM, OUR CASE MANAGERS ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT.
THIS WAS THE FIR YOU KNOW, WHATEVER.
WE'RE FOUR DAYS IN, FIVE DAYS IN, SO, UM, WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE HOW IT GOES.
I'M THE DIRECTOR OF MAG SERVICES FOR CAPILLARY PRIVATE DEFENDER SERVICE.
UH, TO BOLSTER WHAT MR. BURKHART SAID A FEW MINUTES AGO ABOUT THE THINGS WE'RE DOING HERE COMPARED TO OTHER COUNTIES, I WAS AROUND FOR TWO OF THOSE OTHER SEVEN COUNTIES OFFICES BEING CREATED OR PROGRAMS BEING CREATED, ONE OF WHICH I SET UP MYSELF IN FORT BEND COUNTY.
AND FROM MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE OTHER COUNTIES, WE ARE PROVIDING SERVICES THAT THE OTHER COUNTIES ARE NOT.
CERTAINLY IN THE COUNTIES THAT I WORKED IN, WE'RE PROVIDING SERVICES THAT WERE NOT PROVIDED THERE.
UM, WE OFFER CASE MANAGE SUPPORTS.
AS MS. MONSEY JUST TOLD YOU, WE ALSO DO EVERYTHING IN PERSON.
THERE'S NO VIRTUAL ASPECT TO THE, WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE.
AND THAT'S ACTUALLY VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE YOU CAN FORM A CONNECTION WITH THAT PERSON AND GET MORE HONEST RESPONSES AND HELP THEM IN A MORE MEANINGFUL WAY WHENEVER YOU'RE DOING IT IN PERSON VERSUS VIRTUALLY.
UM, FOR OUR OFFICE, I MANAGE THE ATTORNEYS THAT WORK, UH, THE COFFEE SHIFTS FOR THE CAPITAL AREA PRIVATE DEFENDER SERVICES AND OUR ATTORNEYS ARE A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN THE OTHER ATTORNEYS.
OUR ATTORNEYS ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE ON THE COURT APPOINTED PANELS, AND THEY DO NOT WORK DIRECTLY FOR US.
UM, PEOPLE SIGN UP FOR THESE SHIFTS.
I MEAN, THEY ARE COMPENSATED, BUT THEY SIGN UP ON A, ON THEIR OWN AND, AND THEIR OWN INITIATIVE TO WORK THESE SHIFTS.
AND WE HAVE A THREE-PRONGED APPROACH, AND WE ALL HAVE A UNIFIED BUT SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT APPROACH TO THESE THINGS.
AND I THINK THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT ASPECT BECAUSE WE BRING ALL OUR OWN DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES TO HOW THIS PROGRAM WORKS.
AND PEOPLE SAY THAT THE THREE DEFENSE AGENCY APPROACH IS A LITTLE UNUSUAL.
IT IS, BUT THE WAY WE'VE DONE IT MEANS THAT WE HAVE MORE HEADS DECIDING PROBLEMS THAN WOULD EXIST IN OTHER COUNTIES.
UM, THE MAJORITY OF OUR ATTORNEYS THAT HAVE WORKED CFA HAVE REALLY ENJOYED DOING IT.
THEY FIND IT A, AN EXPERIENCE THAT BETTERS THEIR PERCEPTION ON THE SYSTEM, EVEN THOUGH, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE USED TO THE SYSTEM, BUT THEY LIKE SEEING THIS PART OF THE PROCESS BECAUSE UNTIL KAFA, MOST ATTORNEYS HAD REALLY NOT SEEN MAGISTRATION.
IT'S NOT A PROCESS THAT WE SEE FREQUENTLY AS COURT APPOINTED ATTORNEYS.
SO AS WE'VE GOTTEN MORE AND MORE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ATTORNEYS FROM OUR PANEL, THAT'S INCREASED A, A LARGER INTEREST IN WHAT HAPPENS AT MAGISTRATE AND THUS AN OVERALL BETTER REPRESENTATION FROM ALL THE ATTORNEYS THAT ARE ON THE COURT APPOINTED PANEL.
UH, I SAID I THINK OUR THREE-PRONGED APPROACH IS DEFINITELY THE, THE BEST WAY FOR US HERE IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE DO AT THE CAPS.
SO, AND I THINK IF WE CAN HAVE YOU GUYS INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND JUST SPEAK TO US A BIT AS WELL.
UM, I AM, UH, A PART OF ADVOCATES FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE REFORM.
UM, WE WERE LOOKING IT UP TODAY, I THINK WE STARTED IN, UH,
[01:05:01]
2019.AND THE REASON WE STARTED IS WE SAW WHAT HAPPENED AT MAGISTRATION AT THAT TIME IN HARRIS COUNTY.
AND, UH, WHAT WE SAW WERE, UH, PEOPLE BEING BROUGHT IN FRONT OF A JUDGE SCARED TO DEATH.
AND I THINK KRISTEN KIND OF MENTIONED THE WORST DAY OF THEIR LIFE, BUT SCARED TO DEATH AND NOT UNDERSTANDING AT ALL WHAT WAS GOING ON.
THEY WERE READ THEIR RIGHTS, AND THEN THEY TALKED.
UM, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, AND, AND THE, UH, IT, IT WAS, IT WAS CLEAR, UH, THAT IT, IT WASN'T SOMETHING WORKING.
AND AT THAT TIME, UH, HARRIS COUNTY HAD INCREDIBLY LARGE, UH, BAIL AMOUNTS.
SO THEY HAD, UH, UH, FOR A THEFT OF $20, THEY WOULD HAVE A BAIL AMOUNT OF 5,000.
UH, AND, UH, OBVIOUSLY THE PERSON COULDN'T AFFORD THAT.
SO ANYWAY, IT, IT KIND OF IRRITATED A GROUP OF US, AND WE STARTED WORKING TO TRY AND FIGURE OUT WHAT WE COULD DO ABOUT IT.
AND, UH, WE FOUND OUT THAT, UH, UH, BEFORE THEY WOULD WORK ON THAT, THEY WANTED TO CREATE THIS, UH, PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE.
AND, UH, WE WORKED ON, UH, DOING THAT AND HELPED, UH, THE COUNTY SELECT, UH, A EOLA, WHICH WAS ONE OF OUR HIGHLIGHTS OF, UH, OF EVERYTHING WE DID.
AND, UH, UM, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHEN THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT THE TWO SHIFTS, UH, THEY'RE COVERING, THEORETICALLY, I HOPE THEY'RE COVERING EVERYBODY THAT GETS ARRESTED IN THAT DAY DURING THOSE TWO SHIFTS.
SO, UH, WE'D KINDA LIKE IT IF IT WAS THREE SHIFTS, BUT WE UNDERSTAND THAT, UH, THAT MIGHT BE A BRIDGE TOO FAR.
UM, I THINK THAT IS THE BIGGEST THING THAT IS NEEDED.
THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH LAWYERS WORKING FOR EITHER THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE OR THE CAPITAL AREA PRIVATE DEFENDER'S OFFICE.
I DON'T KNOW, UH, HOW
AND, UH, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT GET ARRESTED, AND THERE ARE SOME LAWYERS THAT ARE HANDLING AS MANY AS 600 CASES A YEAR.
UH, BUT, UH, THE, UH, THE ALTERNATIVES, UH, MIGHT BE THAT THEY DON'T GET THE LAWYER.
UH, THE OTHER INSTANCE IS WHAT IS THE QUALITY? WE JUST HAD A, A REALLY GOOD STUDY THAT, UH, SAID THAT, UM, IN MY READING OF IT, THAT THE, UH, PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE PEOPLE WERE GENERALLY VERY SATISFIED WITH THEIR LAWYERS AND WITH CAPS DS, THERE'S THIS TWO, UH, MODAL THING WHERE SOME OF THEM ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THEIR LAWYERS AND SOME OF THEM AREN'T.
UM, AND THE, UH, THE ISSUE OF NOT HAVING ENOUGH LAWYERS IS WE HAVE TO, UH, ACCEPT THE FACT THAT SOME OF THEM AREN'T THE BEST.
SO WHAT YOU COULD DO TO HELP US IS FIGURE A WAY TO GET US MORE LAWYERS AND, UH, YOU KNOW, IT IS VOLUNTARY TO SIGN UP FOR, UH, CAPS DS.
UM, AND, UH, WE NEED MORE TO SIGN UP.
I'M THE DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND OPERATIONS AT EQUITY ACTION.
UM, EQUITY'S MISSION IS TO REIMAGINE PUBLIC SAFETY HERE IN AUSTIN, AND WE SEE CFA AS A VITAL PART OF THAT.
SO I JUST WANNA TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT HOW THE SYSTEM AS A WHOLE, UM, NEEDS A PROGRAM LIKE THIS.
UM, PUBLIC SAFETY HAS TO BE SEEN AS A SYSTEM THAT PROTECTS THE RIGHT STABILITY AND DIGNITY OF WORKING PEOPLE AND THEIR FAMILIES.
ONE OF THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL OF THOSE RIGHTS IS THE RIGHT TO AN ATTORNEY, AND THAT BEGINS AT THE VERY FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH A JUDGE.
FIRST, APPEARANCES AREN'T JUST PROCEDURAL FORMALITIES.
THEY ARE AMONG THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL MOMENTS IN A PERSON'S INTERACTION WITH THE JUSTICE SYSTEM.
IT'S AT THIS STAGE, THE DECISIONS ARE MADE ABOUT PRETRIAL LIBERTY BAIL CONDITIONS, AND WHETHER SOMEONE ACCUSED, BUT NOT CONVICTED OF A CRIME CAN RETURN HER HOME OR MUST REMAIN INCARCERATED.
THESE DECISIONS HAVE IMMEDIATE AND LASTING IMPACTS ON EMPLOYMENT, FAMILY STABILITY, HOUSING SECURITY, AND LONG-TERM
[01:10:01]
INVOLVEMENT WITH THE JUSTICE SYSTEM, ALLOWING AUSTIN KNIGHTS TO NAVIGATE THESE CRITICAL HEARINGS WITHOUT LEGAL COUNSEL UNDER UNDERMINES BOTH FAIRNESS AND PUBLIC SAFETY, AND THE DATA CONSISTENTLY SUPPORTS THIS.A STUDY CONDUCT CONDUCTED BY TEXAS A M'S.
PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE EXAMINED THE EFFECTS OF PR PROVIDING COUNSEL AT FIRST APPEARANCE IN MULTIPLE COUNTIES IN POTTER COUNTY.
ACCESS TO COUNSEL INCREASED THE LIKELIHOOD OF RECEIVING A PR BOND BY 27%.
IN HAYES COUNTY, THE INCREASE WAS 19%.
THESE REPRESENT HUNDREDS OF INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE ABLE TO RETURN TO THEIR JOBS, THEIR CHILDREN, AND THEIR COMMUNITIES, RATHER THAN BEING UNNECESSARILY DETAINED, SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY LACKED REPRESENTATION AT THE EARLIEST STAGE OF THE PROCESS.
WHILE TRAVIS COUNTY JUDGES HAD A RECORD OF PR BONDS GENERALLY HIGHER THAN BOTH OF THESE COUNTIES BEFORE KAFA EVEN BEGAN, THE BENEFIT OF COUNSEL IS MADE CLEAR IN THE DATA.
PROVIDING COUNSEL AT FIRST APPEARANCE ALSO MEANINGFULLY REDUCES TIME SPENT IN JAIL.
EVEN SHORT PERIODS OF PRE-TRIAL DETENTION HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO CAUSE SIGNIFICANT HARM.
EXTENSIVE RESEARCH RESEARCH DEMONSTRATES THAT SPENDING JUST ONE DAY IN JAIL AND INCREASES THE LIKELIHOOD OF REARREST BY APPROXIMATELY 24% FRIEND INDIVIDUALS DETAINED FIVE DAYS OR MORE.
THESE FINDINGS DIRECTLY CHALLENGE THE NOTION THAT PRETRIAL DETENTION ENHANCES PUBLIC SAFETY.
IN REALITY, UNNECESSARY DETENTION DESTABILIZES PEOPLE'S LIVES IN A WAYS THAT INCREASES THE LIKELIHOOD OF FUTURE SYSTEM INVOLVEMENT.
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES OF PRETRIAL DETENTION ARE EQUALLY WELL DOCUMENTED.
A STUDY OF PRETRIAL DETENTION FOUND THAT NEARLY HALF OF DETAINED INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCED A MATERIAL LOSS AS A RESULT OF BEING HELD ABOUT 40% MISS WORK, 18% LOST THEIR JOBS ENTIRELY.
ADDITIONAL NATIONAL RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCE PRETRIAL DETENTION ARE ABOUT 30% MORE LIKELY TO LOSE ACCESS TO PUBLIC BENEFITS, SUCH AS HOUSING ASSISTANCE AND FOOD SUPPORT.
THESE LOSSES RIPPLE OUTWARD AFFECTING CHILDREN AND EXTENDED FAMILIES AND ENTIRE COMMUNITIES, AND THEY PLACE ADDITIONAL STRAIN ON PUBLIC SYSTEMS THAT MUST RESPOND TO THE FALLOUT.
CA DIRECTLY ADDRESSES THESE INEQUITIES WHILE ADVANCING THE GOALS OF PUBLIC SAFETY.
BY ENSURING THAT INDIVIDUALS HAVE LEGAL REPRESENTATION AT THEIR FIRST APPEARANCE, WE IMPROVE JUDICIAL DECISION MAKING, INCREASE THE USE OF THE APPROPRIATE RELEASE CONDITIONS, AND REDUCE UNNECESSARY INCARCERATION.
THE RESULT IS FEWER PEOPLE CYCLING THROUGH JAIL, MORE PEOPLE MAINTAINING EMPLOYMENT AND FAMILY CONNECTIONS, AND ULTIMATELY SAFER AND MORE STABLE COMMUNITIES.
I'D LIKE TO ADD ONE MORE POINT SINCE WE HAVE A PD HERE,
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, WE LEARNED RIGHT FROM THE START IS ROUGHLY 40% OF THE PEOPLE THAT, UH, FIND THEMSELVES AT, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY JAILS HAVE A MENTAL HEALTH DESIGNATION.
UM, IT SEEMS, UH, UH, LIKE THAT IS A FAIRLY CONSTANT NUMBER, I GUESS.
UH, BUT, UH, 40% OF THEM HAVE, UH, THAT DESIGNATION.
IT BRINGS UP THE POINT THAT, UH, IF WE HAD A WAY TO GIVE OUR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS BETTER TOOLS, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, UH, THEY HAVE TWO TOOLS, IF THEY COMING ONTO SOMEBODY THAT'S HAVING, UH, DOING SOMETHING WRONG, UH, AND HAVING AN OBVIOUS MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE, THEY HAVE FUNDAMENTALLY TWO CHOICES.
THEY CAN TAKE 'EM TO AN ER OR THEY CAN TAKE 'EM TO JAIL.
IF THEY TAKE 'EM TO THE ER, THE ER WILL HANDLE SOMETHING QUICKLY AND LET THEM BACK OUT.
SO THAT'S PROBABLY NOT, I'M NOT THE EXPERT, BUT I'M PROBABLY NOT THE, UH, UH, WAY THAT MOST, UH, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS WOULD WANT TO DEAL WITH THAT.
SO, UH, THEIR, THEIR ONLY REMAINING, UH, OPTION IS TO TAKE THEM TO JAIL, WHETHER OR NOT THAT'S THE RIGHT THING.
AND THE TRAVIS COUNTY JAIL IS THE LARGEST PROVIDER OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN TRAVIS COUNTY, AND THAT'S FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG.
SO WE NEED TO HAVE ADDITIONAL TOOLS.
THE COUNTY IS WORKING ON SOMETHING CALLED A DIVERSION CENTER, AND WE'VE LEARNED THE TERM DEFLECTION.
UH, WE'RE REALLY INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH A PD AND THE OTHER, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO DEFLECTION, HOW TO GET THEM TO, UH, SERVICES RATHER THAN JAIL WHEN APPROPRIATE.
UM, I'M GONNA BRING US BACK TO COUNCIL AT FIRST APPEARANCE BEFORE WE OPEN UP THE WHOLE WORLD
UM, I'M JUST GONNA TURN TO COMMISSIONERS FOR A SECOND TO SEE IF WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
SO FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA SAY JUST HOW, UH, PROUD I AM, UM, OF THIS MANIFESTATION AS SOMEONE WHO IN A SEPARATE HAT, UM, WAS ON THE GROUND FLOOR OF THE LATEST ITERATION OF GETTING THIS OFF THE GROUND, THE ITERATION THAT GOT IT ACROSS THE FINISH LINE.
[01:15:01]
HAVE JUST BEEN REALLY INSPIRED.UM, AND I SHOULD, I WANNA SAY THIS IN THIS HAT SPECIFICALLY.
I HAVE BEEN REALLY INSPIRED BY THE COUNTIES LEANING IN WHEN IT COMES TO COLLABORATION, WHEN IT COMES TO FLEXIBILITY, WHEN IT COMES TO LISTENING, NOT IN A VORTEX, BUT ACTUALLY TO RESPOND AND CO-COLLABORATE AND ENSURING PEOPLE'S LIVES ARE BETTER.
I'VE BEEN REALLY INSPIRED BY THAT, AND I, AND I WANNA APPRECIATE YOU ALL FOR THAT LEANING IN.
AND I WANNA APPRECIATE ALL OF THE DIFFERENT INGREDIENTS THAT MAKE UP OUR GUMBO FOR JUSTICE, BECAUSE IT REALLY WAS THIS PRIVATE PARTNER, UH, PRIVATE PUBLIC PARTNERSHIP, UM, WITH SO MANY ELEMENTS THAT, THAT BOUGHT THIS TO EFFECTUATION.
SO I JUST WANNA SAY, YAY US AND KEEP GOING.
AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE YOU ALL BACK, UM, WITH SOME MORE LONG-TERM DATA.
UM, I KNOW I'M SAYING THE SAME THING, BUT WE'RE IN THIS SPACE NOW, SO I WANNA MAKE SURE I SAY IT IN THIS SPACE.
SOME LONG-TERM DATA ON THE OUTCOME DIFFERENTIALS BASED UPON, RIGHT.
UM, SOME MORE, SOME MORE DATA SHOWING, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY PR BONDS I WANT OUR, OUR STATS TO, TO SHOW WHAT ARE OUR DIFFERENT OUTCOMES NOW THAT THIS IS EFFECTUATED.
SO I WOULD LOVE FOR US, AS IN A FUTURE AGENDA ITEM.
I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU WANNA HANDLE THAT CHAIR, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO GET, YOU KNOW, SOME TYPE OF ETA ON WHEN WE THINK WE WOULD BE COMFORTABLE WITH THAT LEVEL OF DATA.
UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, A, A SCHEDULE PER SE OF ENSURING THAT WE'RE HEARING THE MOST UPDATED, UM, DATA POINTS AND, AND HOW WE CAN BE SUPPORTIVE IN OUR ROLE.
SO I CAN ADDRESS SOME OF THAT.
UM, YEAH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, UM, EQUITY ACTION MENTIONED THAT STUDY OF COUNCIL AT FIRST APPEARANCE CONDUCTED BY TEXAS A AND M.
UH, PREVIOUSLY SERVED AS DIRECTOR OF THE TEXAS INDIGENT DEFENSE COMMISSION AND HELPED COMMISSION THAT STUDY AND HELPED FUND THAT STUDY.
THE STUDY WAS ALSO FUNDED IN PART BY ARNOLD VENTURES, UH, THE FOUNDATION, UH, THOSE SAME RESEARCHERS STILL HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF THAT FUNDING LEFT, AND WE ARE TALKING TO THEM VERY SERIOUSLY ABOUT HAVING THEM STUDY OUR OPERATIONS HERE IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
SO WE'RE ALREADY COLLECTING DATA ON THIS.
PART OF IT, FRANKLY, IS A LITTLE BIT OF CAPACITY TO BE ABLE TO ANALYZE THAT DATA.
UH, BUT WE ARE TALKING TO RESEARCHERS ABOUT HAVING A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A THOROUGH STUDY.
IT WOULD NOT BE A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL.
WE'RE, WE'RE TOO FAR DOWN THE ROAD FOR THAT.
WE DON'T WANNA DEPRIVE PEOPLE OF COUNSEL JUST TO COMPARE A, A, UH, CONTROL AND A A STUDY GROUP.
UH, BUT WE DO DO OUR TALK TO THE SAME RESEARCHERS, DR. GEORGE NEAL AND OTHERS ABOUT THE STUDY IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
AND WE HOPE TO COME BACK WITH SOME DATA FOR Y'ALL.
AND IF I COULD JUST ADD ONE THING ABOUT THAT, UM, COMMISSIONER SMITH, I THINK WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE, BUT, UM, WE ARE ALSO KEEPING DATA.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK, UM, PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE WHEN YOU HAVE A LAWYER PRESENT AT COUNCIL AT FIRST APPEARANCE IS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE WITH THE PROSECUTOR IN REAL TIME.
AND SO WE GET A LARGE NUMBER OF CASES REJECTED, WHERE THOSE PEOPLE DON'T BECOME CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACTED.
SO THAT'S ANOTHER DATA POINT THAT WE ARE, UM, COLLECTING.
SO JUST WANTED TO THROW THAT OUT THERE.
DID WE HAVE ANY COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT? UM, SO FIRST I WANT TO SECOND THE GENERAL WOOHOO.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE ALL IN GENERAL JUST THRILLED THAT THIS EXISTS AND ALSO THRILLED THAT THERE ARE, IS CASE MANAGEMENT AND SERVICES BEING PROVIDED, UM, AND THAT THE LOAD IS BEING SHARED BECAUSE MORE PEOPLE THINKING ABOUT A PROBLEM GENERALLY IS BETTER.
UM, I HAVE HEARD, AND I THINK I JUST CONFIRMED IT BY LOOKING AT, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY'S EMPLOYMENT, UH, APPLICATIONS, LIKE WHAT JOBS ARE OPEN, UM, THAT, UM, THE CFA ATTORNEYS MAKE MORE THAN THE PUBLIC DEFENDERS.
UM, LIKE THE RANGE THAT IT STARTS IN THE SEVENTIES FOR A PUBLIC DEFENDER AND AT 85 FOR COMMUNITY LEGAL SERVICES.
SO THAT MAY HAVE BEEN TRUE, I THINK, IN THE PAST, BUT IT WASN'T THAT WIDE OF A RANGE.
AND I THINK THERE WAS SOME ACTION TAKEN MARCH.
SO MARCH, ALMOST A YEAR AGO NOW, TO RECTIFY THAT FOR THE STARTING SALARIES FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, THE FIRST YEAR ATTORNEYS, THOSE WHO HAVE THE LEAST EXPERIENCE, I THINK, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY HERE WOULD SAY WE NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB COLLECTIVELY WITH, UM, COMPENSATION, RIGHT? FOR, UH, THE FOLKS WHO WORK, UM, IN OUR CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM AND IN OUR OFFICES THAT ARE PROVIDING, YOU KNOW, ROUND THE CLOCK HOLIDAY DRIVEN, RIGHT? LIKE OUR, OUR STAFF WORKED FOR THE FIRST TIME CHRISTMAS, UM, FOR THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE AND OFFICE OF FIRST DEFENSE, UM, NEW YEAR'S DAY, RIGHT? SO, RIGHT.
LIKE THERE'S A WORLD IN WHICH, LIKE, THIS IS TRANSFORMING A LOT OF WHAT THE EXPECTATION WAS FOR THAT TYPE OF WORK FOR, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE'S TIMES AWAY FROM
[01:20:01]
THEIR FAMILIES SO THAT OTHER PEOPLE CAN GET TO BE WITH THEIR FAMILIES AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.AND THERE'S STILL A, UM, A PARODY PROBLEM WITH THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, IS THAT RIGHT? SO THE SALARIES THAT WERE SET, AND, AND TO BE CLEAR, THE RESETTING OF THE SALARIES FOR THE FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD YEAR ATTORNEYS MM-HMM
WAS RESET NOT JUST FOR THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE, BUT FOR OFFICE OF FIRST DEFENSE.
UM, AND THOSE SALARIES WERE RESET TO BE ON PAR WITH WHAT THE DISTRICT, UM, AND COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE WERE MAKING FOR THEIR FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD YEAR ATTORNEYS.
AND I, I DON'T WANT TO GLOSS, I MEAN, I, YOU KNOW, ADDING WAS EXACTLY RIGHT.
WE, WE TRIED TO BE VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT PARITY WITHIN THE COUNTY.
SO IF YOU WERE TO START AS AN ATTORNEY WITHIN HER OFFICE OR KRISTEN'S OFFICE, OR OUR CHILD REPRESENTATION OFFICE, OR PARENTAL REPRESENTATION OFFICE, ALL OF THOSE STARTING SALARIES, ATTORNEYS, ONES, TWOS, THREES, ALL OF THOSE ARE IDENTICAL AT THIS POINT.
WE STILL DO HAVE SOME GAPS WITHIN THE COUNTY.
I MEAN, I, I THINK ABOUT YOUR INVESTIGATORS, FOR INSTANCE, WHERE THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, NOT PAID THE SAME AS THE PROSECUTORS.
AND WE'RE STILL WORKING ON CHIPPING AWAY AT THAT.
BUT FOR ENTITIES ATTACHED TO COMMUNITY LEGAL SERVICES, LARGELY PEOPLE AROUND IN, IN LOCKSTEP AT THIS POINT.
I MEAN, SO CAPILLARY PRIVATE DEFENDER SERVICE, JUST SO THERE, IF THERE ARE PEOPLE FROM THE PUBLIC LISTENING TO THIS, THEY ARE A NONPROFIT THAT'S, THAT'S CONNECTED TO THE COUNTY.
AND WHEN, WHEN, FOR INSTANCE, UH, THE COUNTY TOOK ACTION TO DO A, AND ACROSS THE BOARD A COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT OF 3%, UM, BACK IN AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, UM, THAT DIDN'T AUTOMATICALLY AFFECT NONPROFITS.
AND SO WE ARE STILL PLAYING CATCH UP THERE AS WELL FOR, FOR STAFF AT YES.
WELL, IT, IT'S A SEPARATE, I MEAN, IT, IT'S THE FIRST SYSTEM, RIGHT BEFORE WE HAD, WELL, MAYBE NOT THE WHEEL, BUT WE JUST HAD STRAIGHT APPOINTMENTS AND THEN WE GOT THIS NONPROFIT, BUT THAT, THAT ALWAYS KEPT THOSE FEE FOR SERVICE RATES IN THAT WE'RE WAWA REAL BAD.
WE, WE HAVE AN INTERESTING HISTORY HERE WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE KEEP ON BUILDING AND IMPROVING, WHICH IS GREAT.
WE'VE HAD OUR JUVENILE PUBLIC DEFENDER SINCE, I THINK ITS 1971, UH, CAPS CAME AROUND NOW 11 YEARS AGO, OR GOING ON 11 YEARS.
UM, YOU KNOW, OUR MENTAL HEALTH PUBLIC DEFENDER, I THINK STARTED IN 2007.
OFFICE OF FIRST DEFENSE STARTED JUST LAST YEAR.
SO WE KEEP ON BUILDING AND BUILDING AND BUILDING, BUT, UH, WE, WE HAVE SOME WORK TO DO YET.
BUT YEAH, WE'VE BEEN, WE'VE TRIED TO BE REALLY INTENTIONAL ABOUT SALARIES AND PARITY.
I HAVE TO JUST ADD SOMETHING HERE 'CAUSE I NEVER MISS AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT BUDGET AND SALARIES.
SO, UM, CAP STAFF, THE, ONE OF THE BIGGEST DISPARITIES IS WITHIN CAP STAFF, NOT NECESSARILY ATTORNEY FEES, WHICH OF COURSE, LIKE WE'RE ALWAYS, WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO PAY OUR LAWYERS MORE TO BOB'S POINT.
UM, BUT REALLY INTERNALLY, A MAJOR PARODY ISSUE IS INTERNAL CAP STAFF.
SO THE SOCIAL SERVICES SUPPORT TEAM, SOCIAL WORKERS WITH WHAT THE COUNTY SALARIES ARE FOR WHERE OUR TEAMS COME IN AND WHAT THEIR SALARY.
AND SO THAT'S REALLY KIND OF THE AREA, ESPECIALLY WITH PROVIDING CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES.
LIKE OLA MENTIONED, THEY'RE, THEY'RE AWAY FROM THEIR FAMILIES.
THEY WORKED HOLIDAY, THEY WORKED VETERAN'S DAY, THEY WORKED NEW YEAR'S DAY, THEY'RE WORKING HOLIDAYS NOW FROM HERE ON OUT, UM, BEING PAID AT A RATE THAT IS NOT, UM, IT IS NOT COMPARABLE TO MAYBE THE REST OF THE COUNTY.
AND CERTAINLY IN OUR MITIGATION AND HIGHER LICENSED SOCIAL WORKER POSITIONS.
UM, I MEAN, THE ONLY OTHER THING I WANTED TO ADD IS TO THE EXTENT THAT THIS IS MAYBE A ONE STEP AND WE COULD MAKE IT TO A TWO STEP, UM, YOU KNOW, THE FACT THAT 60% OF THE FOLKS ARRAIGNED IN TRAVIS COUNTY ARE UNHOUSED AND A HUGE PERCENTAGE ARE MENTALLY ILL, UH, POINTS TO THE FACT THAT ACTUALLY LAWYERS AREN'T THE SOLUTION TO LIKE MOST OF THESE PROBLEMS. THAT WE'RE, WE'RE TAKING ALL OF THESE SOCIAL PROBLEMS AND WE'RE DRIVING THEM THROUGH OUR COURT SYSTEM.
AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT IT'S INSANE AND THAT IT'S REALLY A FAILURE OF US TO PUT THE MONEY INTO STRUCTURES THAT WOULD MAKE THAT STOP.
AND SO WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HERE, AND MAYBE SOMEBODY FROM THE CITY'S LISTENING, YOU KNOW, IF WE COULD FOCUS ON, UM, YOU KNOW, MOST UNHOUSED FOLKS ARE, THEY DON'T COMMIT VIOLENT CRIMES.
THEY'RE VICTIMS OF VIOLENT CRIMES.
WE CAN REDUCE CRIME IF WE PROVIDE WRAPAROUND SERVICES AND GET UNHOUSED FOLKS AND MANAL FOLKS OFF THE STREET.
AND I CAN TALK TO, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, YEAH, YEAH.
I THINK THERE'S AN ISSUE WHEN ALL YOU HAVE IS A HAMMER, RIGHT? EVERYTHING LOOKS LIKE, LOOKS LIKE A NAIL.
AND IF WE START TO CRIMINALIZE AND CRIMINALIZE, WE RUN IT, WHETHER IT'S HOMELESS ISSUES, SUBSTANCE ISSUES, MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, I THINK YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT.
WHAT, WHAT THE COUNTY IS DOING ON THE, ON THAT COUNT.
AND OF COURSE WE, OUR DEPARTMENT IS LIMITED IN WHAT WE CAN DO IN TERMS OF COMMUNITY LEGAL SERVICES.
BUT THE COUNTY MORE GENERALLY IS, IS WORKING TOWARD THAT MENTAL HEALTH DIVERSION CENTER THAT, THAT BOB LIN TALKED ABOUT.
UM, AND AS KATIE JOE WAS TALKING ABOUT, WE DON'T JUST HAVE ATTORNEYS AT FIRST APPEARANCE.
WE HAVE CASEWORKERS NOW AT EVERY SINGLE SHIFT.
SO NOT SOCIAL WORKERS, THEY DON'T HAVE AN MSW, BUT WE DO HAVE CASEWORK.
THAT'S NOT TRUE FOR THE PUBLIC DEFENDER.
WELL, THAT'S TRUE FOR, FOR PUBLIC.
PUBLIC DEFENDER HAS SOCIAL WORKERS, BUT THEY'RE NOT, NOT AT EVERY SHIFT.
SO AT EVERY SHIFT, AT A MINIMUM, EVERY WORK.
[01:25:01]
I'M SAYING YOU, YOU ALL AREN'T AT EVERY SHIFT.SO WHAT, SO WE DON'T HAVE AN MSW AT EVERY SINGLE, UH, MAGISTRATION SHIFT.
WE DO AT A MINIMUM HAVE A CASEWORKER AT EVERY SINGLE, UH, SHIFT CONNECTING PEOPLE TO THOSE RESOURCES FOR MENTAL HEALTH, HOUSING, SUBSTANCE USE, UH, EMPLOYMENT, THOSE SORTS OF THINGS.
SO, KATIE, JOE, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANNA JUMP IN ON THAT.
I DO JUST WANNA POINT OUT THE STATISTIC ONLY 'CAUSE I DON'T WANT IT TO BE HELD AGAINST ME LATER.
60% OF THE CLIENTS THAT OUR TEAM INTERACTED WITH IN THE MONTH OF DECEMBER WERE UNHOUSED.
SO I DON'T WANNA SPEAK TO THE COUNTY NUMBER.
UM, BUT THAT IS PRETTY ON TREND FOR WHAT WE SEE OVERALL WITH OUR POPULATION DEALING WITH INDIGENT CLIENTS.
UM, BUT YEAH, THE 60% OF THE 161 CLIENTS WE INTERACTED WITH.
THIS IS, UM, I AM GOING TO TAKE COMMISSIONER SMITH'S REQUEST AND FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN GET YOU GUYS BACK WITH DATA AND AT WHAT POINT WE CAN DO THAT.
'CAUSE WE DEFINITELY WANNA KEEP TABS ON WHAT'S GOING ON.
UM, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE, UM, BACKED YEARS AGO.
UM, SO WE'RE, WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE IT COME TOGETHER.
EXCITED TO SEE, UM, MORE ATTORNEYS GETTING HIRED.
UM, AND I WILL LEAVE IT WITH, UM, WHEN WE TALK NEXT TIME, I REALLY WANT US TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY, UM, BECAUSE YOU GUYS ARE JUST GETTING STARTED.
UM, AND, UM, KEEPING THIS GOING, THE FUNDING GOING, THE WHEREWITHAL,
[4. Discussion of the Collective Sex Crimes Response Model (CSCRM) status of the project as of Q3 2025. Presentation by Hannah Senko, Project Manager, CSCRM Project.]
NEXT ITEM, UM, IS GONNA HAVE A BRIEF DISCUSSION OF THE COLLECTIVE SEX CRIMES RESPONSE MODEL STATUS.UM, IF WE CAN PULL UP, SO, UM, I KNOW THAT THE AGENDA SAYS THAT, UM, HANNAH SANKO IS GONNA BE DOING A PRESENTATION, BUT REALLY ALL WE WERE GOING TO DO WAS DO A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECT UPDATE THAT WE HAD FROM ON ON THE LAST QUARTER, QUARTER THREE.
UM, SO IF WE COULD BRING UP THAT PRESENTATION, UM, AND JUST, UM, WE'RE JUST GONNA GO THROUGH THIS KIND OF LIGHTNING SPEED FOR EVERYBODY ON THE COMMISSION SO THAT YOU GUYS CAN JUST GET A SENSE OF WHAT OUR LAST UPDATE WAS.
AND HANNAH IS HERE IN CASE WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT OVERALL PROJECT STATUS.
WE'VE BEEN HEARING FROM THE CS OUR, OUR UPDATES ON THE COLLECTIVE CES CRIMES RESPONSE MODEL, WORKING GROUP EFFORT HAS BEEN FROM ALL OF THE INDIVIDUAL AGENCIES UNTIL THIS POINT.
AND SO I THOUGHT WE COULD HAVE A MOMENT TO JUST TALK ABOUT THE, THE OVERALL PROJECT IN PROGRESS, UM, BRIEFLY SO THAT EVERYBODY ON THE COMMISSION IS MORE AWARE OF WHERE THINGS ARE.
UM, AND SO I WILL LEAVE THIS, WE'LL JUST GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WHICH IS THE QUARTERLY PERFORMANCE SUMMARY.
UM, AND THE PROGRESS SNAPSHOT IS THAT WE ARE AT 57% COMPLETION, AND THIS IS AS OF Q END OF Q3, UM, WITH NINE ITEMS COMPLETED LAST QUARTER.
UM, AND THEN YOU GUYS CAN READ EVERYTHING.
THE KEY HIGHLIGHTS WERE THAT THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT POSITION WAS FUNDED FOR FY 26 AS PART OF LAST BUDGET.
UM, THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL UPDATES DONE.
THERE'S A PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGN THAT WAS COMPLETED.
IS THE PRESENTATION THAT, UM, A PD DID THAT THEY MENTIONED DURING THEIR PRESENTATION, WAS THAT PART OF THE COLLECTIVE SEX CRIMES RESPONSE MODEL EDUCATION EFFORT? YOU GUYS HAD DONE A, A SEXUAL ASSAULT, UM, SORT OF EDUCATION IN THE COMMUNITY.
IS THAT TIED TO THE COLLECTIVE SEX CRIMES WORK ON THE PERIPHERY? IT IT IS, IT'S ON THE PERIPHERY.
SO SOME OF OUR, UH, STAFF THAT WORK AT OUR SEX CRIMES UNIT WE'RE INVOLVED IN THAT.
AND SOME OF THOSE SAME MEMBERS ARE ALSO PART OF THE COLLECTIVE SEX CRIMES RESPONSE MODEL WORKING GROUP.
BUT IF I CAN ADD, I THINK IT'S ACTUALLY WORTH NOTING THAT, UM, I THINK IT'S REALLY POSITIVE THAT, THAT THAT OCCURRED, NOT DRIVEN THROUGH THE PROJECT PERSPECTIVE.
SOME OF THOSE DRIVEN INDEPENDENTLY OF A PD AND JUST I THINK A, A, A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW THAT WORK IS CONTINUING.
UM, AND THEN I THINK THIS IS WHAT I WANTED TO JUST TALK AND GO THROUGH WITH YOU GUYS BRIEFLY WAS THE SCOPE AND TIMELINE ADJUSTMENTS WHERE STUFF HAS SHIFTED A BIT.
AND IF WE CAN ACTUALLY JUMP AHEAD TO, UM, THE BURN DOWN
[01:30:01]
TIMELINE.AND THIS IS WHERE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHERE THE PROJECT IS 57% COMPLETE.
UM, IF WE CAN TALK, THE PROJECT IS 57% COMPLETE.
AS YOU GUYS CAN SEE ALL THESE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES, THINGS JUST SEEM TO BE MOVING ALONG.
15 ITEMS ARE TARGETED FOR THIS NEXT QUARTER.
17 ITEMS WERE DEFERRED TO 2026 AND 21 ITEMS ARE SCHEDULED FOR 2027.
AND WHEN WE ASKED DURING OUR WORKING GROUP MEETING WHAT THESE ITEMS WERE, THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE ITEMS THAT ARE BEING PUSHED ALONG INTO 2027 ARE TRAINING RELATED.
AND SO I THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE OF INTEREST TO THE COMMISSION.
AND THEN THE NEXT SLIDE REMAINING WORK JUST KIND OF OUTLINES WHAT ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT, UM, SCOPE ITEMS ARE.
AND THEN OUR FINAL SLIDE, WHICH IS THE CHALLENGES AND RISKS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED DURING OUR LAST UPDATE, WHICH IS TRAINING CURRICULUM, COMPLEX SCOPING PROCESS DUE TO MULTIPLE NEEDS AND OPTIONS, A FOCUS ON MAXIMIZING FUNDING.
UM, STAFFING AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE PERSISTS AS A CHALLENGE AND A RISK AS WE WORK THROUGH ALL THESE THINGS.
AND THEN ONGOING CHALLENGES HAVE TO DO WITH FEDERAL FUNDING.
THEY'VE BEEN WORKING, AS YOU GUYS HAVE SEEN IN THE MOST RECENT UPDATES THAT WE'VE GOTTEN FROM A PD, THEY'VE BEEN WORKING ON DATA INTEGRITY QUITE A BIT, WHICH WAS, HAS BEEN REALLY GREAT TO SEE.
UM, AND THEY'RE WORKING ON THAT PUBLIC DASHBOARD AND JUST BUILDING UP CAPACITY.
WE HAD TALKED ABOUT FORENSIC NURSING BEFORE, THAT'S STILL AN ISSUE.
LANGUAGE ISSUES WERE STILL SOMETHING THAT WE TALKED ABOUT AS GOING ON.
UM, AND JUST OVERALL STAFFING.
AND SO I JUST WANTED TO SORT OF TALK ABOUT BIG PICTURE WHERE THIS PROJECT IS.
THERE'S A LOT OF PROGRESS THAT'S BEING MADE.
UM, I THINK I WANTED TO NOTE THAT ONE OF THE POSITIVE THINGS THAT I'VE SEEN COME OUT OF THE COLLECTIVE SEX CRIMES RESPONSE MODEL WORKING GROUP OUTSIDE OF JUST THE ACTUAL WORK THAT THE C-S-C-R-M IS ENGAGED IN, IS I SEE A LOT OF THE, THE SPIRIT OF THE WORK PERMEATING INTO OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
THIS, THIS PROJECT MANAGEMENT, UM, SORT OF TACKLING A LOT OF THESE, UM, DIFFERENT UNITS, A LITTLE BIT MORE COLLECTIVELY, MORE COLLABORATIVELY.
I'M STARTING TO SEE SOME OF THAT SPILL OVER INTO OTHER UNITS AND IT FEELS REALLY GREAT.
UM, I, I FEEL LIKE THIS IS A MODEL THAT CAN BE REPLICATED ACROSS OTHER AREAS IN A PD WHERE WE WANT TO SEE IMPROVEMENTS.
UM, AND SO WITH THAT, I DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU HAD ANYTHING TO ADD, HANNAH, WITH REGARDS TO WHERE WE ARE SORT OF QUARTERLY ON, ON A QUARTERLY BASIS.
UM, JUST TO, TO KICK OFF, MY NAME IS HANNAH SANKO.
UM, I HAVE BEEN THE INDEPENDENT PROJECT MANAGER ON THE C-S-C-R-M PROJECT FOR ABOUT TWO AND A HALF YEARS NOW.
UM, OUR ORIGINAL GOAL REALLY WAS TO TRY TO HAVE ALL OF THE WORK COMPLETE BY END OF FY 25.
UM, AS YOU MENTIONED, 21 OF THOSE ITEMS, UM, THAT ARE PUSHED INTO 2027 ARE DIRECTLY TIED TO TRAINING.
AND THOSE WERE MOVED OUT INTENTIONALLY BECAUSE A PD WAS THE RECIPIENT OF AN ABBY ARNOLD GRANT.
IT'S A FEDERAL GRANT, UM, THAT HAD VERY SIMILAR SCOPE TIED TO THE WORK THAT WE WERE DOING, SO ONLY MADE SENSE TO BUNDLE THAT WORK, UM, WHICH EXTENDED THOSE INTO 2027.
UM, WE DO HAVE ABOUT 32 ITEMS THAT ARE GONNA BE, HAVE BEEN PUSHED TO 2026 TO GET COMPLETED.
UM, WE HAD A BIT OF A FLAT Q4, WHICH WE HAVE NOT PRESENTED, UM, TO Y'ALL YET.
THAT'LL BE GETTING PRESENTED HERE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS AS WE WRAP UP THE NUMBERS FROM THE CLOSE OF DECEMBER.
UM, BUT I'M FEELING REALLY STRONGLY ABOUT US BEING ABLE TO COMPLETE THE WORK, YOU KNOW, IN 2026 AND THE TRAINING, UH, COMPONENTS THAT ARE OUTSTANDING IN 2027.
UM, I'LL KICK OFF WITH A QUESTION JUST WITH REGARDS TO, I THINK AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THIS PROJECT, WE TALKED ABOUT HOW SUSTAINABLE THE, THE INVOLVEMENT OF ALL THE DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS WAS GOING TO BE AS WE SORT OF SAW OUR WAY THROUGH TO THE END.
HOW HAS THAT HELD UP? UM, I GUESS IS MY QUESTION.
UM, I WOULD SAY OVERALL REALLY WELL, UM, WE HAVE BEEN RUNNING, I'LL SAY ROUGHLY A 40 MEMBER PROJECT, UM, HALF OF WHICH ARE A PD PERSONNEL AND HALF OF WHICH ARE NON A PD PERSONNEL.
UM, SOMETIMES THAT NUMBER DIPS DOWN INTO 36 AND WE'LL HAVE A COUPLE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, UM, WIND OFF COME BACK ON.
UM, SO IT'S, IT'S NOT QUITE AT THE 40 LEVEL AND WE ARE LOSING FOLKS FROM TIME TO TIME, BUT WE'RE ALSO FINDING FOLKS WANTING TO GET INVOLVED AND GET AT IT.
SO I THINK WE'RE STAYING STABLE, UH, FOR THE MOST PART IN THAT REGARD.
UM, AND I, ONE OF THE ITEMS THAT I KNOW THAT WE'VE CONTINUED TO, TO NOTE KIND OF AS A RISK IS THAT ATTRITION, UM, AND NEW FOLKS COMING ON, WHETHER THAT'S WITHIN A PD OR OUTSIDE OF A PD, UM, THAT CAN BE VIEWED AS A RISK.
BUT I THINK IT'S ALSO SOMETHING
[01:35:01]
THAT'S VIEWED POSITIVELY IN THE SENSE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO TAKE THIS PROJECT AND THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING AND HAVE MORE PEOPLE EXPOSED TO IT, WHETHER AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S NEW OFFICERS OR NEW FOLKS IN THE FIELD.UM, THERE'S BEEN A NUMBER OF US ADVOCATES IN THIS SPACE THAT HAVE BEEN HERE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS AND WE CONTINUALLY SAY THAT IT'S, UM, SOMETIMES TIME TO BRING IN, YOU KNOW, NEW NEW EYES AND, AND NEW, YOU KNOW, INDIVIDUALS.
SO, UH, THERE'S PROS AND CONS TO THAT.
DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I MEAN, I HAVE BUDGET ON THE MIND FOR SURE.
UM, I, I DEFINITELY HAVE BUDGET ON THE MIND GOING INTO THE REST OF THIS YEAR AND HOW, UM, WHETHER OR NOT THERE ARE ANY NEEDS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE, ANY UNFUNDED OR UNMET NEEDS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE GOING INTO 2026 AND 2027 THAT WE NEED TO BE ADDRESSING IN FUTURE BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS.
THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING TO SUPPORT THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING.
UM, NOT JUST IN THE CONVERSATION, BUT ALSO, YOU KNOW, FROM A, FROM A FINANCIAL AND BUDGETARY PERSPECTIVE, UM, ALL OF OUR REQUESTS FOR FY 26 HAVE BEEN MET.
UM, AND REALLY LARGELY THAT'S THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT ROLE THAT I'M SERVING IN.
UM, MOST OF THE UPFRONT FUNDING THAT WAS REQUIRED CAME IN THAT FY 25 PERIOD.
UM, THERE IS CONVERSATION AROUND WHETHER PROJECT MANAGEMENT NEEDS TO CONTINUE THROUGH FY 27.
UM, I THINK THE EXPECTATION IS IS THERE'S PROBABLY GONNA BE AN UNMET NEED THAT GETS PUT IN FOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT TO CONTINUE WITH THAT TRAINING INITIATIVE WORK.
UM, I WOULD SAY THE MAJORITY OF THE SCOPE ITEMS THAT WE HAVE LEFT DON'T HAVE BUDGET TIED TO THEM.
WE DO HAVE A COUPLE THAT ARE ORIENTED AROUND STAFFING.
AND SO THERE'S SOME CONVERSATION THAT HAS TO OCCUR AROUND, UM, WHETHER INCREASE IN STAFFING IS NEEDED AND IF SO, ARE THEIR FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR THAT.
AND THAT'S SPECIFICALLY TIED TO VICTIM SERVICES STAFFING AND CRIME ANALYST STAFFING.
SO THOSE CONVERSATIONS, UM, ARE IN PROGRESS RIGHT NOW.
UM, IN TERMS OF BUDGET, WHAT ABOUT, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S COME UP BEFORE, BUT UNDER THE CHILD'S RISK WITH THE FORENSIC EXAM CAPACITY, I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF COMPLEXITY IN THERE, BUT ANY THOUGHTS IN TERMS OF HOW THAT IS POTENTIALLY IMPACTED BY HIS BUDGET ISSUES THERE? THERE IS A LOT OF COMPLEXITY IN THAT.
UM, AND I WILL SAY THAT THE FORENSIC EXAM ISSUE, WHILE IT'S CERTAINLY A RISK TO OUR PROJECT, IT'S NOT PART OF THE SCOPE THAT WE'VE TAKEN ON, UM, IT'S NOT PART OF THE SET SCOPE OF C-S-C-R-M, ALTHOUGH, UM, IF WE HAVE LESS SURVIVORS ABLE TO ACCESS THE SYSTEM, IT CERTAINLY IMPACTS THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING AND THAT'S WHY IT'S BEEN FLAGGED AS A RISK.
UM, I CONTINUE TO ENCOURAGE COMMISSIONERS, UM, TO SPEAK TO INDIVIDUALS LIKE SAFE AND BRAVE ALLIANCE, UM, REGARDING THEIR CAPACITY AND THEIR NEEDS DIRECTLY FROM A BUDGETARY PERSPECTIVE AND, UM, FOLLOW IT IN THAT DIRECTION IF YOU WILL.
IT WAS JUST IF ANYBODY ELSE HAS ANY QUESTIONS? YEP, GO AHEAD.
AND AGAIN, THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING, UM, QUESTIONS COME UP.
I JUST THINK IT'S WORTH JUST DISCUSSING A LITTLE MORE, UM, FROM THE PUBLIC DASHBOARD RELEASE.
UM, ANY THOUGHTS IN TERMS OF THAT AND MOVING FORWARD AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING THAT AS, AS CLOSE TO, OBVIOUSLY IT'S NOT GONNA BE REAL TIME 'CAUSE THERE'S DATA CLEANING ISSUES, BUT WE ARE VERY CLOSE TO RELEASING THAT.
WE ARE ORIGINALLY TARGETING THAT FOR Q4.
UM, OUR EXPECTATION IS IS THAT THAT WILL BE ROLLED OUT IN LIVE IN Q1.
SO, UM, I'M HOPING BY THE TIME THAT WE GIVE OUR NEXT UPDATE, UM, WE'LL HAVE, HAVE THAT UP AND LIVE.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE OUR, OUR DATA LEAD HERE IN THE ROOM.
UM, IS THAT ACCURATE Q1? OKAY.
YEAH, WE'RE ALL EXCITED ABOUT IT.
ALRIGHT, WELL WITH THAT, I WANT US TO HURRY UP AND GET DONE SO WE ALL GET OUTTA THIS HOT ROOM
[5. Discussion of Public Safety Commission officer roles, agenda, and succession planning. ]
ON THE AGENDA, UM, IS, UM, JUST A DISCUSSION OF PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION OFFICER ROLES, AGENDA AND JUST SUCCESS SUCCESSION PLANNING.UM, I REACHED OUT TO PRETTY MUCH EVERYBODY INDIVIDUALLY, UM, OVER THE HOLIDAYS AND IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS.
UM, WE WANT TO VERY DELIBERATELY AND INTENTIONALLY TRY TO FILL OUR CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR POSITIONS MOVING FORWARD.
SO WE WANNA PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ANYBODY THAT'S POTENTIALLY INTERESTED, EVEN IF YOU'RE HAVING A TEEN C TINY LITTLE PESKY THOUGHT THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DISMISS.
UM,
SO, UM, PLEASE REACH OUT IF YOU'RE INTERESTED.
PLEASE REACH OUT IF YOU'D LIKE TO JOIN US FOR ONE
[01:40:01]
OF OUR AGENDA PLANNING MEETINGS.CAN I SAY SOMETHING? YES, OF COURSE.
UM, SO MOST OF THE PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM, WELL, SOME OF THEM REMEMBER MY FATEFUL YEAR AS THE CHAIR OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION.
I DON'T THINK WE WANNA REPEAT THAT REALLY EVER.
UM, AND I DIDN'T BRING THAT UP FOR ANY PARTICULAR REASON EXCEPT THAT THAT'S WHY I AM NOT APPLYING FOR THE CHAIR OF THE VICE CHAIR POSITION.
I'VE BEEN BOTH OF THEM AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT, UM, NELLY RAMIREZ HAS BEEN TRANSFORMATIONAL AS CHAIR IN TERMS OF GETTING US ORGANIZED AND GETTING OUR QUESTIONS IN AN ORGANIZED MANNER, UM, TO THE STAFF REPRESENTATIVES AND KIND OF HOLDING EVERYBODY, UM, TO ACCOUNT AND TO LIKE PAYING ATTENTION TO A LOT OF THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THIS BUILDING THAT, UM, IT TAKES TIME TO PAY ATTENTION TO ATTENDING, YOU KNOW, MEETINGS AND BRIEFINGS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON.
UM, AND I KNOW REPLACING ALL OF THAT IN ONE PERSON IS PROBABLY ENTIRELY UNREALISTIC, BUT, UM, I THINK ALL OF US KIND OF OWE HER, UM, A, A DEBT OF AT LEAST GRATITUDE AND ALSO, UM, UH, AND ATTEMPT TO GIVE HER A BREAK
UM, AND I, I DO, I DID BRING THIS TO, UH, I DID REACH OUT TO EVERYBODY AND I HAVE BEEN BUGGING EVERYBODY, NOT SO MUCH JUST BECAUSE I WANT THIS SEAT TAKEN OVER BY SOMEBODY ELSE.
UM, BUT BECAUSE I DO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN CONTINUE THIS WORK AND I DON'T WANT EVERYBODY TO FEEL ANYBODY TO FEEL POTENTIALLY OVERWHELMED BY THE WORK THAT WE DO IN BETWEEN.
AND ALSO BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THAT IT HAS TO BE DONE THE WAY THAT I HAVE BEEN DOING IT.
THERE'S LOTS OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO DO IT.
AND SO THE MORE LEAD TIME THAT PEOPLE ON THE COMMISSION HAVE TO POTENTIALLY TRY THAT ON, UM, THE MORE SUCCESSFUL I THINK WE'LL BE AFTER.
SO WITH THAT, THE INVITATION STANDS TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE.
UM, AND PLEASE REACH OUT IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER IDEAS.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO SAY ONE MORE THING, WHICH IS THAT, UM, A ACTUALLY, LET'S GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON.
WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO FUTURE AGENDA
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
ITEMS. UM, WE WERE PLANNING ON HAVING A BUDGET DISCUSSION THIS MONTH.UM, BUDGET OFFICE WAS NOT READY, UM, TO COME OUT FOR OUR JANUARY 5TH MEETING.
I'M NOT SURE IF YOU ALL ARE AWARE, BUT THE GEN, THE FINAL BUDGET WAS FINALLY POSTED ON JANUARY, ON DECEMBER 29TH, I THINK, UM, TO THE PUBLIC.
I'M ASSUMING THAT THE DEPARTMENTS NOW HAVE THEIR FINAL NUMBERS.
UM, THE DEPARTMENTS NOW HAVE THEIR FINAL NUMBERS.
UM, THE OFFICE, THE BUDGET OFFICE WILL BE HERE IN FEBRUARY.
UM, I'M HOPING THAT WE CAN HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT WHAT WE NEED AND WHAT WE WANT, WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION, WHAT KIND OF DATA WE WANT SO THAT WE CAN MAKE PROPER BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS THIS YEAR.
AND SO THAT DISCUSSION WILL BE HAPPENING NEXT MONTH.
UM, ANYTHING ELSE? IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT ANYBODY HAS ON THE MIND? SOMETHING ANYTHING IS BURNING? YEAH, I FEEL LIKE I'VE MENTIONED THIS BEFORE, SO IT'S PROBABLY ALREADY ON A LIST.
UM, BUT THE, UM, THE G FILES OPEN RECORDS REQUESTS, I, I THINK IT'S NOT URGENT, BUT I THINK ONCE WE HAVE A BETTER SENSE OF WHAT'S NOT BEING FILLED, WE MIGHT WANNA HAVE A BRIEF ITEM ON THAT.
UM, I ALSO, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW WE STRUCTURE THIS AS AGENDA ITEMS, BUT WE NOW HAVE THREE CONTRACTS.
THE UNIONS ALL HAVE, LIKE ALL THE DIFFERENT CONTRACTS ARE NOW SIGNED.
UM, I WOULD LIKE US TO THINK ABOUT AND WRAP OUR HEADS AROUND, UM, HOW WE CAN START TO GET MORE REGULAR UPDATES FROM THE UNIONS, UM, SO THAT WE CAN HEAR FROM THAT CONTINGENT A LITTLE BIT MORE REGULARLY AND ESPECIALLY AS WE RAMP UP TO BUDGET SEASON IN JULY.
SO, UM, JUST GONNA PUT THAT OUT THERE.
THAT WOULD BE GREAT TO HEAR FROM ALL THE UNIONS INDIVIDUAL INDIVIDUALLY, NOT ALL AT ONCE, SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE THAT THING HAPPEN AGAIN.
UM, THAT'S, LET'S SAY NEXT THING, THERE'S BEEN SOME, UM, CHANGES IN LEADERSHIP.
AND THERE HAVE BEEN CHANGES IN LEADERSHIP.
ANYTHING ELSE? OH, WE ALSO HAVE HOMELESS STRATEGY TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY.
UM, SAW SOME CROSSOVER WITH OUR DISCUSSION TODAY AND OUR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION AS WELL.
SO I'M HOPEFUL THAT THAT WILL HAPPEN.
IS THAT COMMISSIONER? YES MA'AM.
[01:45:01]
FOR THOSE UNIONS TO DO A BRIEF OUT AT THE END OF OUR QUARTERLY REPORT.THAT WAY IT'S ON A STEADY CADENCE AND WE KNOW THAT.
YEAH, I HAD THOUGHT ABOUT THAT.
UM, POTENTIALLY YEAH, I HAD THOUGHT ABOUT THAT AND YES.
AND IT DOESN'T HAVE TO HAPPEN ANYTIME SOON, BUT I WOULD REALLY LIKE, UM, A CROSS POLLINATION OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND HOMELESS RESPONSE.
UM, BECAUSE I THINK THAT SYNERGY, THAT THAT CROSS IS WHERE I REALLY CAN GET SOME MORE CLARITY AND UNDERSTANDING WHEN IT COMES TO INCLEMENT DISASTER RATHER RESPONSE, WHICH IS ALWAYS MY LIKE YES THING THAT I LOVE.
SO IF THERE'S ANY WAY FOR, AT ANY TIME FOR THEM TO ACTUALLY BE TOGETHER IN ONE SPACE, THAT WOULD BE REALLY, UH, BENEFICIAL TO ME.
ACTUALLY, I THINK WE HAVE TIME TO SEE IF WE CAN GET THEM TO DO THAT IN FEBRUARY, UM, TOGETHER BECAUSE YOU'RE RIGHT, WE KEEP HAVING THEM CROSS PATHS AND TALK ABOUT EACH OTHER AND WE NEED THEM TALKING WITH YEAH.
IF WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE, I'M GONNA DISMISS EVERYONE, EVERYONE ESCAPED TO COOL ROOMS. UM, THANK YOU, UM, HAPPY NEW YEAR AND WE WILL SEE YOU GUYS NEXT MONTH.