[00:00:03]
[CALL TO ORDER 3:00-3:05 pm]
AND CALL US TO ORDER MS. JACKSON.IS THAT ALL RIGHT? ARE WE GOOD? IT'S COME UP NOW.
SO IT IS OCTOBER 5TH, 2020 AT 3:11 PM.
I WILL CALL THIS MEETING OF THE POT CITY OF AUSTIN PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION TO ORDER.
UM, MS. JACKSON, DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? NO, THERE ARE NO CITIZENS SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT TODAY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH WITH THAT.
[1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES (September 9, 2020 meeting) 3:20-3:25pm]
THE AGENDA TODAY IS APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM SEPTEMBER 9TH.DO WE HAVE ANY EDITS OR DISCUSSION ON THE MINUTES, REBECCA BERNHARDT? I CANNOT SEE YOU ON CAMERA.
SO IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO ADD, PLEASE JUST UNMUTE YOURSELF AND LET ME KNOW.
I'M ASSUMING THERE IS NOTHING ELSE.
I WILL, UH, CALL THE MINUTES APPROVED FOR THE SEPTEMBER 9TH, 2020 MEETING.
UH, NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS WE HAVE THE PUBLIC SAFETY QUARTERLY
[2. Public Safety Quarterly Report (sponsors: Commissioner Hausenfluck and Gonzales) 3:25pm-3:40pm Speaker: Jasper Brown, Chief of Staff, EMS (Emergency Medical Services)]
REPORT.AND TODAY FOR THE FULL 15 MINUTES WILL BE CHIEF BROWN.
WILL YOU BE SHARING, UM, THE DOCUMENTS OR SHOULD WE ON OUR SCREEN, CHIEF BROWN? UH, IF YOU COULD PULL THEM UP ON THE SCREEN, IF WE NEED TO SHARE IT THROUGH MINE, I'M SORRY.
UH, CHIEF BROWN WOULD HAVE TO SHARE THROUGH YOURS.
THE POWER POINTS ARE THE ONLY THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO BE BROUGHT UP ON SCREEN TODAY.
UH, LET ME GO TO SHARING THEN MY SHARE BUTTON IS NOT AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW.
I CAN THINK, LET ME SEE IF I CAN PULL IT UP.
I HAVE THE PRESENTATION FOR ITEM THREE.
YEAH, THE DATA WAS SENT OFF TO THE COMMISSIONERS ON FRIDAY, CHIEF BROWN.
MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SHARE NOW.
UM, HOPEFULLY YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE THEM SHORTLY.
UM, I W I WASN'T GOING TO GO THROUGH THEM.
UM, BY MONTH I WAS HOPING TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THE MEMBERS MIGHT HAVE ABOUT THEM.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR WOULD WE LIKE SORT OF DEEPER TIME TO THIS INFORMATION RIGHT NOW? I MEAN, I CAN, I CAN JUST ASK A QUESTION.
UM, DID YOU NOTICE ANY TRENDS, EITHER UPWARDS OR DOWNWARDS BECAUSE OF KOBE OVER THE LAST SIX MONTHS EVEN CHANGES? I MEAN, I OBVIOUSLY KNOW THAT THE TYPES OF RESPONSES Y'ALL LIKE YOU'RE DIFFERENT, BUT AS FAR AS RESPONSE TIMES AND UPTOWN, DID YOU SEE ANY TRENDS? UH, WE SAW SOME TRENDING OF, UH, RESPONSE TIME SCHOOLING, AND THAT WAS, UH, NOT AS MUCH AS DUE TO CALL VOLUME, UM, AS CALL VOLUME EITHER REMAINED THE SAME OR ACTUALLY A LITTLE SLOWER.
BUT WHAT WE DID SEE WAS AN EXTENDED TIME OF EITHER HAVING TO DAWN PPE OR THE, UH, D CON.
SO THE POINT IS THIS WE'RE ACTUALLY OUT OF SERVICE LONGER THAN NORMAL.
[00:05:01]
TURNAROUND FROM A CALL ACROSS THE, YOU KNOW, VARIES ACROSS THE CITY.BUT, UM, AN AVERAGE IS ABOUT AN HOUR FROM THE TIME WE TAKE THE CALL TO THE TIME THAT UNIT'S BACK IN SERVICE.
AND WE WERE SEEING, UH, UH, ALMOST AN ADDITIONAL 40 MINUTES OF EXTRA CLEANING TIME.
UM, AND WE WERE DOING THAT JUST TO HELP BE, UH, REDUCE THE TRANSMISSION OR SPREAD OF THE DISEASE.
SO, UM, THAT, THAT TOOK THE UNITS OUT OF SERVICE OUT OF POCKET.
THEY WEREN'T AVAILABLE IN THE AREAS TO RESPOND SO THAT WE DID SEE AN INCREASE IN RESPONSE TIME, BUT IT WAS DUE TO OUT OF SERVICE.
UM, NOT AS MUCH AS CALL VOLUME.
AND I GUESS JUST AS A FOLLOW UP, I MEAN, IF YOU WANT TO, CAN YOU SPEAK TO WHAT KIND OF EXTRA PRESSURE EITHER MENTALLY OR TIME WISE THAT PUT ON SOME OF THE FOLKS THAT WORK WITH YOU GUYS? MMM.
PUT ON SOME EXTRA PRESSURE AS FAR AS NEEDING TO, TO A ONE WHERE MULTIPLE PPE, UH, GARMENTS OR, UH, DEVICES.
UM, AND SO WITH THE HEAT THAT CAUSED SOME ISSUES WITH SOME FOLKS NEEDING TO ALSO REHAB, UM, EVEN IF THEIR AMBULANCE WAS CLEAN AND READY TO GO, WE, YOU KNOW, ALLOW TIME FOR DEACON OR OF THEMSELVES SHOWER OR A RESPITE TO ENSURE THAT THEY, UH, WERE RESTED BETWEEN CALLS, UM, AND JUST THE HEAT.
SO WE SAW SOME MODIFICATIONS WE MADE TO OUR, WHAT WE NORMALLY WEAR UNIFORM WISE.
UH, WE ALLOWED THEM TO STAY IN THEIR T-SHIRTS, WHICH IS NOT NORMAL FOR OUR PRACTICE.
WE HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, A UNIFORM SHIRT, UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF, UH, POTENTIAL FOR HEAT EXHAUSTION OR, OR OTHER, WE, UM, ALLOWED THEM TO STAY IN T-SHIRTS.
UM, SO THERE WAS QUITE A FEW CHANGES WE MADE TO KIND OF MITIGATE SOME OF THOSE THINGS.
UM, BUT WE DID SEE SOME INSTILL INCREASE IN RESPONSE TIMES.
WE DIDN'T PUT A LOT OF PRESSURE ON THE RESPONSE TIMES DURING THIS TIME.
UM, IT'S NOT LIKE WE WERE REALLY, YOU KNOW, FOLLOWING UP ON PEOPLE OR ANYTHING ELSE LIKE THAT.
NOW, IF THERE WAS SOMETHING REALLY ADD AN ORDINARY, MAY ASK A QUESTION, BUT FOR THE MOST PART, IT WAS, UM, WE, WE ANTICIPATED THIS BECAUSE THE LONGER OUT OF SERVICE TIME.
JUST AS FAR AS BACKGROUND, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THE DOWNTOWN AREA, WE KIND OF LOOK AT DISTRICTS ONE, THREE, AND NINE.
THEY, THEY KIND OF COMPOSE THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
UM, THEY ARE ALL KIND OF PRETTY GOOD WITHIN RESPONSE TIME.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE, UH, THE TOP PORTIONS FOR EACH MONTH, THAT'S THE PARTY ONE DOWN BELOW IS THE, THE, THE TOTAL, THE CITY AND ALL THE DIFFERENT PRIORITIES AND WHAT WE MADE IT IN THE 90TH PERCENTILE TO THOSE, UH, TARGETS, UM, WHERE WE SEEM TO STRUGGLE IS IN DISTRICT EIGHT AND DISTRICT 10, UM, ESPECIALLY IN DISTRICT 10, IT'S A PRETTY LARGE AREA.
UM, MAYBE NOT AS, UH, POPULATED, BUT DEFINITELY MORE SPREAD OUT.
UM, WE DO HAVE A STATION PROPOSED, A FIRE EMS STATION ALONG CAPITOL, UH, TEXAS THREE 60, UM, UM, AND HOPING IN THE FUTURE BE ABLE TO RE RE IMPROVE RESPONSE TIMES WITH THAT STATION.
THERE ALSO, UM, DOWN TOWARDS DISTRICT EIGHT WOULD BE THE, UM, ALSO THE TRAVIS COUNTRY STATION AND THOSE THINGS WOULD, UH, WHICH IS ALREADY IN PROCESS OF BEING BUILT.
UM, JUST STARTED IN JUNE, UM, OUT EAST, UM, TOWARDS DISTRICT, UM, UH, THREE AND A FOUR, I THINK.
UM, YOU'LL SEE, UH, THE DELL VALLEY STATION SHOULD HELP OUT IN THOSE AREAS.
UM, SO, UM, WE'RE LOOKING ACROSS THE BOARD AT THE RESPONSE TIMES AND THE NEW STATIONS THAT ARE CURRENTLY PLANNED TO COME ON AT THIS TIME.
UM, COUNCIL DID APPROVE SOME UNITS TO COME ON DUTY, UM, UH, WHERE WE WORKING ON LOCATIONS TO PLACE THEM, UM, AS WELL, I'VE TALKED TO THE COMMISSION BEFORE.
UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF STATIONS THAT ARE BEING UNDER CONSTRUCTION, AND SO WE'LL BE MOVING SOME UNITS AROUND TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD, UH, TO, UM, HOW'S THE STATIONS OR UNITS THAT ARE COMING ON FOR 24 HOURS INTO A FACILITY THAT HAS BEDROOMS AND SHOWERS AND EVERYTHING.
SO, UH, IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, WE'LL BE STARTING THE FIRST UP A COUPLE OF NEW UNITS THAT'LL BE COMING ON, UH, WITH THIS BUDGET.
CAN I ASK YOU A QUICK, QUICK YES, SIR.
UM, BUT WHERE DOES THIS PLACE, AS IN TERMS OF POPULATION GROWTH, BUT WITH THE NEW UNITS COMING OUR WAY, ARE WE BEHIND, ARE WE KEEPING UP WITH POPULATION INCREASE? UM, I THINK WITH THE NEW UNITS THAT WERE JUST ADDED DURING THIS BUDGET AND THE FORECAST AND STATIONS, SO THEY STAY ON TRACK ONLINE.
UM, BUT, UH, WE CERTAINLY ARE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT ALTERNATIVE ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE TYPE UNITS, UH, BECAUSE EVERYBODY NEEDS AN AMBULANCE AND THAT'S WHERE THE COMMUNITY HEALTH, PARAMEDICS AND OTHER RESOURCES WITH THE SINGLE MEDIC RESPONDER WILL COME INTO PLAY.
UM, AS WE VENTURE FORWARD INTO THE NEW, UM, CENTERS FOR MEDICAID, MEDICARE,
[00:10:01]
UH, SYSTEM, THAT THEY'RE GOING TO START PAYING FOR OTHER THINGS THAN TRANSPORTING PEOPLE TO THE HOSPITAL.AND WE, UM, IN WHICH WERE WE, UH, PUT IN FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE, UH, PILOT PROGRAM, AND WE'RE ONE OF THE SELECTED, UH, UH, ENTITIES ACROSS THE NATION TO, TO TEST THIS, UH, WE'LL BE LOOKING AT DOING OTHER TYPES OF TRANSPORT OR TREATMENT IN PLACE, AND THEN ALSO BEING ABLE TO BILL FOR THAT AND BEING PAID FOR IT.
IS THERE A FOLLOWUP, SIR? I THINK YOU WERE MUTED, SORRY.
COULD THAT INCLUDE MENTAL HEALTH CASES AS WELL? IT COULD INCLUDE MENTAL HEALTH.
I'M NOT SURE IT'S COMPLETELY RIGHT NOW, BUT I THINK IN THE FUTURE IT PROBABLY WILL.
UM, I HAVE ONE FINAL QUESTION, CHIEF BROWN.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE, UM, NOW THAT WE'VE MOVED TO THE QUARTERLY, UM, FORMAT, SO YOU WON'T HAVE TO PRODUCE MORE, YOU KNOW, MONTHLY REPORTS, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU FEEL THAT COULD BE INCLUDED INTO THESE REPORTS SINCE THEY'RE ONLY GOING TO BE DONE ONCE PER QUARTER, NOT MONTHLY, THAT COULD GIVE US A LITTLE BIT MORE INSIGHT INTO JUST IN GENERAL, HOW YOU'RE OPERATING AS AN ORGANIZATION AND, UM, HOW WE CAN MEASURE MAYBE SOME OF THE SOFTER SKILLS.
SO THESE, THIS IS GREAT INFORMATION, OBVIOUSLY, BUT AS WE'RE MOVING INTO A PLACE WHERE WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME TO TALK ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH YOUR, UM, DEPARTMENTS, IS THERE ANY OTHER DATA THAT'S EASILY ACCESSIBLE FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE THAT YOU FEEL LIKE WE CAN ADD TO GET, MAKE THIS A MORE ROBUST VIEW OF, OF HOW THE ORGANIZATION IS DOING WELL? I THINK DEFINITELY OVER THE NEXT YEAR FOR US, IT'S GOING TO BE THE HIRING PROCESS SINCE WE HAD A LOT OF POSITIONS AT IT.
SO, UM, I'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO PROVIDE IT, LIKE WE HAVE IN THE PAST SOME OF THE, UM, UM, OPENINGS OF POSITIONS THAT ARE AVAILABLE AND WHERE WE'RE AT IN ACADEMIES AND, AND PEOPLE GRADUATING, UM, JUST TO KIND OF SHOW THAT WE'RE, WE'RE FILLING THOSE POSITIONS AND MOVING FORWARD.
UM, SO THAT PROBABLY MIGHT BE ONE THING.
IF THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE, OR ANY OF THE COMMISSIONERS LIKE TO SEE WOULD BE MORE THAN WILLING TO SEE IF WE CAN PRODUCE THAT ON A CONTINUAL BASIS.
THAT'S, THAT'S GOOD INFORMATION.
I THINK THAT'S DEFINITELY, THAT WOULD BE, UM, IMPACTFUL IN, IN HOW YOU GUYS ARE MOVING FORWARD ON THAT HIRING CRANKS, THERE QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSIONERS.
I CAN'T SEE ALL OF YOU ON THE SCREEN NOW, SO PLEASE FEEL FREE TO, UM, UNMUTE AND TALK IF I CAN'T, IF I DON'T CALL YOU.
I THINK THAT IS IT THEN IF THERE'S NO FURTHER QUESTIONS.
UH, NEXT ITEM ON IS THE WILDFIRE CODE
[3. Wildfire Code Update (sponsors: Commissioner Webber and Gonzales) 3:40pm-4:00pm Speaker: -Rob Vires, Chief of Staff, Austin Fire Department]
UPDATE WITH CHIEF BUYERS.I'VE GOT TWO SPEAKERS, UM, CHIEF ANDRE DE LA RAZA AND JUSTICE JONES WHO ARE MAYBE IN THE WAITING ROOM, IF WE CAN LET THEM IN OR WHERE THEY ARE IN THE ATTENDEE OF IT.
SO THEY CAN SPEAK HERE IN JUST A MOMENT.
UM, SO FIRST OFF HOPE ALL Y'ALL ARE DOING WELL.
THANK YOU, CHAIR AND COMMISSIONERS FOR A CHANCE TO VISIT WITH YOU ALL.
UM, THE, UH, THE TITLE FOR THIS AS WILDFIRE CODE UPDATE IS ACTUALLY A RESOLUTION, A DIRECTIVE UPDATE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING FOR Y'ALL TODAY.
A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY IN 2011, THERE WERE NINE MAJOR FIRES AND WILDFIRES CENTRAL TEXAS AREA THAT EQUATED TO ABOUT 47,000 ACRES BURNED AND OVER 1800 HOMES LOST.
AND THE CALL TO ACTION AFTER THAT, OR A NUMBER OF THINGS.
IT WAS THE CREATION OF OUR WILDFIRE DIVISION TO HELP ADDRESS FUELS MITIGATION, HOW TO ADDRESS EFFECTIVE FIRE RESPONSE IN THOSE SITUATIONS.
AND ALSO A FIREFIGHTER TRAINING TO ENHANCE THAT FOR WILDFIRE STUFF.
THERE WAS THE CREATION OF COMMUNITY-WIDE PROTECTION PLANS AND SOME OTHER ACTUAL ITEMS, ALL BASED OFF OF RESOLUTION TWO ZERO ONE SIX ZERO FIVE ONE TWO DASH ZERO ONE SIX.
UH, AND SO WITHOUT ONE OF THE DIRECTIVES FROM THAT RESOLUTION WAS TO COME BEFORE Y'ALL EVERY SIX MONTHS AND GIVE YOU A PROGRESS REPORT OF CERTAIN ITEMS, CERTAIN METRICS THAT ARE LISTED IN THAT RESOLUTION.
AND SO TODAY I'VE GOT WITH US, UH, CHIEF ANDRE DALE HARRISON, WHO IS
[00:15:01]
THE ASSISTANT CHIEF OVER WILDFIRE, UM, RECENTLY ASSIGNED TO THE AREA, BUT NOT NEW TO WILDFIRE.HE WAS ASSIGNED THERE, UH, WHEN THE WILDFIRE DIVISION WAS ORIGINALLY CREATED.
SO HE GETS A CHANCE TO SEE IT FROM A COUPLE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES.
WE'VE ALSO GOT A WHOLE PERSON WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL TO HAVE WITH JUSTICE JONES.
WHO'S OUR WILDFIRE MITIGATION OFFICER, AND VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE IN THIS AREA ON A NATIONAL LEVEL.
SO WITHOUT, AS I MADE THE INTRODUCTION TO THOSE TWO GENTLEMEN, I'M GOING TO YIELD THE FLOOR TO THEM SO THEY CAN DISCUSS MORE ABOUT THIS RESOLUTION AND THE METRICS TO YOUR DEALER.
RAZOR, ARE YOU THERE? I THINK YOU NEED TO UNMUTE, ALRIGHT, WE STILL CAN'T HEAR YOU IF YOU NEED TO COME TO MY OFFICE AND DO IT FOR ME, OR IF YOU LIKE, SINCE WE LOST A COUPLE OF DOORS DOWN, NOPE.
SO FROM HIS OFFICE TO MINE AND WE WILL A SOCIAL DISTANCE WITH MASKS SO THAT WE CAN PROVIDE THIS PRESENTATION FOR YOU TODAY.
SO BEAR WITH OUR SYSTEM OVER HERE.
ALRIGHT, THAT'S THE ONE THING I'M GOOD AT OVER HERE IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS ADAPTING AND OVERCOMING.
SO REACH OVER AND VERY CLOSELY THING T FIRES FOR THE USE OF HIS OFFICE, AS WELL AS THE INTRODUCTION.
UM, BEFORE I YIELD OVER TO JUSTICE JONES, I WANTED TO JUST DO A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE, THE LEADERSHIP RIGHT NOW OF THE WILDFIRE DIVISION.
UH I'VE I GOT ASSIGNED IT ABOUT A COUPLE MONTHS AGO WHEN I GOT PROMOTED UP TO THE ASSISTANT TEAM.
LIKE HE SAID, I WAS ONE OF THE FIRST NEW TENANTS EVER IN THAT NEWLY MINTED WILDFIRE DIVISION.
IT HAS MOLDED ME AND, AND CREATED MY PASSION FOR WILDFIRE, AS WELL AS THE SPREAD OF THE KNOWLEDGE THROUGHOUT WHAT HAS BEEN TRADITIONALLY CONSIDERED AN URBAN BAR DEPARTMENT.
SO WHAT WE LEARNED IN 2011 IS YOU CAN BE IN A FIRE ENGINE IN THE MIDDLE OF DOWNTOWN AND SUDDENLY BE WORKING IN AN ACTIVE WILD LAND, URBAN INTERFACE, FIRE.
AND IT'S SOMETHING, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT ALL OF US HAVE TO BE AWARE OF AS RESIDENTS AND AS PUBLIC SAFETY PROVIDER.
SO I AM, I'M MORE THAN BLESSED THAN EVER AND HAPPY TO BE INVOLVED WITH THE LEADERSHIP OF THE WILDFIRE MITIGATION.
UH, SINCE WE HAVE SOME NEW PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSIONERS AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, AS WELL AS SOME CHANGES IN LEADERSHIP, THAT WAS ALSO GOING TO TALK ABOUT CHIEF, A DIVISION CHIEF, CARRIE STEWART, WHO I BELIEVE IS ALSO IN THE ATTENDEE OUT THERE.
SHE'S ACTUALLY OUT THE NOT ONLY SHOULD THE DIVISION CHIEF OVER THE WILDFIRE DIVISION, BUT SHE'S ALSO CURRENTLY DEPLOYED OUT IN CALIFORNIA AND HELPING ASSIST THOSE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE BEING IMPACTED BY WILDFIRE TO HELP THEM AS THEY'VE HAD OVER 29 ACTIVE FIRES THERE.
AND TO ALSO BRING BACK THAT EXPERIENCE BACK TO THE CITY.
SO WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE USING THE BEST PROCESSES, THE BEST PROTOCOLS TO INCREASE THAT SAFETY AND RESILIENCY OF OUR CITY.
ALSO, WHO'S GOING TO BE GIVING THE BULK OF THE PRESENTATION IS JUSTICE JONES.
HE'S OUR WILDFIRE MITIGATION OFFICE.
HE'S ONE OF THE CIVILIANS THAT LENDS CONTINUITY TO THE PROGRAM, OUR UNIFORMS. WE PURPOSELY ROTATE THEM IN AND OUT OF THE DIVISION SO THAT WE CAN GET THEM TRAINED UP BY LEVEL OF EXPERTISE AND THEN DISTRIBUTE THEM AROUND THE CITY BECAUSE AS WE ALL LEARN RECENTLY, AND, UH, FOR NOW, AS FAR AS THERE IN 2011, DURING THE PINNACLE FAR WILDFIRE CAN HAPPEN ANYWHERE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE EDUCATED PERSONNEL THROUGHOUT EVERYWHERE TO INCREASE THAT EXPERTISE THROUGHOUT THAT JUSTICE JONES LENS CONTINUITY TO THE DIVISION.
HE'S BEEN WITH THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR EIGHT YEARS BEFORE THAT HE WAS WITH THE TEXAS FOREST SERVICE AS THEY'RE WILD LAND, URBAN INTERFACE COORDINATOR.
HE'S OUR WILDFIRE MITIGATION OFFICER.
HE'S A VETERAN FROM THE U S AIR FORCE.
HE'S NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AS A LEADER OF THE FIRE ADAPTED COMMUNITIES SITS ON MANY PANELS AND HE'S GONNA BE PRESENTING THE BULK OF THE SHOW.
SO I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND PASS IT OVER TO YOU NOW.
UM, I APPRECIATE THAT INTRODUCTION AND EXCITED TO BE HERE, UM, WITH THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND PUBLIC SAFETY LEADERSHIP TODAY.
UM, QUESTION, UM, MS. JACKSON, WILL WE BE,
[00:20:01]
UM, UH, HOSTING THE PRESENTATION, UM, FROM YOUR LOCATION? GREAT.AND I THINK WITH A GREAT INTRODUCTION, WE CAN KIND OF MOVE TO SLIDE TWO, PLEASE.
AND AS CHIEF FIRE'S MENTIONED, UM, THIS BODY WITH THE SUPPORT OF CITY COUNCIL PASSED A RESOLUTION THAT, UM, REALLY HELPED, UM, GIVE FOCUS AND DIRECTION TO OUR CITYWIDE WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS EFFORTS.
UM, AND WE'VE BEEN ASKED TO UPDATE THE, UM, COMMITTEE EVERY SIX MONTHS.
UM, WE DID MAKE OUR LAST UPDATE BECAUSE OF A COVERT.
SO WE WANTED TO ROLL IN OUR YEARLONG UPDATE AND WE CAN SPEAK TO ANYTHING THAT HAPPENED OVER THE LAST SIX MONTHS SPECIFICALLY.
BUT THE GOAL OF THE RESOLUTION WAS TO REPORT THE NUMBER OF LOCAL COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLANS COMPLETED AND IMPLEMENTED IN HIGH RISK URBAN INTERFACE AREAS.
UM, THE NUMBER OF LOCAL COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLANS STARTED IN HIGH RISK URBAN INTERFACE AREAS, BUT NOT YET COMPLETED ON THE PERCENTAGE OF HIGHWAY RISK, WILD LAND, URBAN INTERFACE AREAS WITH IDENTIFICATION OF POTENTIAL LOCAL CWPP PLANNING AREAS ARE STILL ONGOING AND THE NUMBER OF PUBLIC PRESENTATION AND HOME ASSESSMENTS THAT WE PROVIDE AS PART OF OUR SERVICE AND THE NUMBER OF FUELS, MITIGATION ACTIVITIES, THE LOCATION OF THOSE ACTIVITIES AND THE TYPE OF ACTIVITIES.
AND WE'RE GOING TO SHARE A RESOURCE THAT CAN HELP YOU DIG INTO THOSE NUMBERS.
AND THEN THE NUMBER OF TRAINING HOURS CONDUCTED BY US TODAY, EMPLOYEES, AND WE INCLUDE AFP FIREFIGHTERS, OTHER COA EMPLOYEES, AND I'M INTERNAL TRAINING HOURS AS A COMPONENT OF THAT.
AND THERE IS A LINK TO THE RESOLUTION FOR ANYBODY THAT WANTS A REFRESHER.
UM, THE EMPHASIS OF EVERYTHING WE DO IS TO PROTECT OUR COMMUNITIES AT RISK AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, LIFE SAFETY IS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.
WE ALSO CARE ABOUT OUR NATURAL AREAS, UM, AND WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND EFFECTIVELY WHEN A FIRE OCCURS.
BUT THE REASON WE'RE DOING THIS WORK IS TO ENSURE THAT OUR COMMUNITIES ARE RESILIENT TO THE IMPACTS OF WILDFIRE.
THESE ARE JUST A FEW EXAMPLES OF THE TOOLS THAT WE USE TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC.
AND I DID WANT TO MENTION THAT, UM, IN THIS NEW, UH, COVERT ENVIRONMENT REQUIRES MORE STRINGENT ON SOCIAL DISTINCT DISTANCING AND LIMITING OF LARGE GROUPS, WHICH WE'VE ALWAYS STRIVE TO EDUCATE AS MANY PEOPLE IN ONE FELL SWOOP AS POSSIBLE.
WE'RE, UM, WE'RE PIVOTING AND LOOKING FOR NEW NOVEL WAYS TO REACH THE PUBLIC, UH, THROUGH VIRTUAL MEDIA AND NON TRADITIONAL MECHANISMS. ASIDE FROM OUR FACE TO FACE EFFORTS, WE STILL OFFER INDIVIDUAL HOME IGNITION ZONE EVALUATIONS, AND THAT HELPS INDIVIDUALS GREAT HAVE PERSONALIZED PLAN FOR REDUCING THEIR WILDFIRE RISK ON THEIR PROPERTY.
AND WE'VE TRAINED OUR DIVISION EMPLOYEES AND MEMBERS OF OUR FUELS CREW IN CONDUCTING THOSE HOME IGNITION ZONE EVALUATIONS.
WE'VE WORKED WITH SOME OF THE GREAT, UM, COMMUNITY AND PARTNER GROUPS OUT THERE, LIKE A GABA TO TRAIN MEMBERS OF THEIR ORGANIZATION TO CONDUCT THIS OUTREACH, UM, FOR OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
UM, WE'RE WORKING WITH THE CITY PIO TO DEVELOP A ONLINE TRAINING VIDEO ON ASSESSING HOME AND COMMUNITY RISK.
AND SO WE CONTINUE TO, UM, LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED IN WAYS THAT WE CAN REACH THE PUBLIC, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THESE NOVEL CIRCUMSTANCES.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, TO UPDATE YOU ON, WE'VE IDENTIFIED ALL AT RISK AREAS IN AUSTIN.
IF I HAD DOWN TO THE PARCEL LEVEL, IF YOU WEREN'T AWARE OF THAT.
UM, OUT OF ALL THE HIGH RISK AREAS ABOUT 80% OF THOSE AREAS ARE CURRENTLY ENGAGED AT SOME LEVEL IN WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS OR PLANNING.
WE CURRENTLY LEAD THE STATE WITH THE NUMBER OF NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED RYS COMMUNITIES.
WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE, BUT WE CURRENTLY HAVE 19 COMMUNITIES THAT ARE ENGAGED IN DEVELOPING WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLANS, AND THAT IS TARGETED TOWARDS BOTH THE HIGHEST RISK AREAS, BUT ALSO OUR MORE VULNERABLE POPULATIONS THAT WE KNOW COULD HAVE CHALLENGES RECOVERING FROM A WILDFIRE SHARED THEY'D BE IMPACTED.
AND THEN WE'RE CURRENTLY, AND WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS DEVELOPING AN ONLINE PORTAL TO HOST AND MAINTAIN AND SHARE THOSE LOCAL LEVEL OF COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLANS.
SO JUST TO BE CLEAR, THIS IS A GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY BASED PLAN THAT OUTLINES HOW THEY'RE GOING TO REDUCE THEIR RISK FROM WILDFIRE.
UM, AND IT ALSO OUTLINES HOW CITY DEPARTMENTS, STATE AGENCIES AND OTHER PARTNERS ARE GOING TO LINE UP AND SUPPORT THAT COMMUNITY AND IMPLEMENTING THOSE GOALS.
AND SO IT'S REALLY A COMMUNITY DRIVEN EFFORT.
WE'RE EXCITED TO HAVE MADE SO MUCH PROGRESS IN THIS REALM.
AND YOU CAN SEE FROM THE MATH THAT THE HIGH RISK HIGHEST RISK AREAS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED IN RED.
[00:25:01]
80% OF THOSE AREAS ARE CURRENTLY ENGAGED.SO TO BREAK THAT A LITTLE BIT DOWN FURTHER, UM, 37% OF THE HIGH WILDFIRE RISK COMMUNITIES, UM, ARE ACTIVELY, UM, INVOLVE ONGOING ENGAGEMENT.
THEY'RE WORKING WITH US ON DEVELOPING RISK ASSESSMENTS, COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLANS, ET CETERA.
UH, 25, 20% OF THOSE HIGH RISK AREAS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED FOR FUTURE ENGAGEMENT.
SO WE HAVE STRATEGIC PLAN ON ENGAGING THE REMAINING 20%.
THAT'S CURRENTLY NOT ACTIVELY ENGAGED.
THE GREAT NEWS IS 43% OF THE HIGHWAY.
WILDFIRE RISK AREAS ARE COVERED BY A LOCAL LEVEL COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN.
NOW, I WANT TO REITERATE THAT I'M NOT HAVING A LOCAL WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN DOESN'T MEAN THEY'RE NOT COVERED UNDER WILDFIRE PLANNING.
CAUSE AS CHIEF BYERS MENTIONED, WE HAVE A CITY AND COUNTY WIDE CWPP.
SO THE GOAL WITH A LOCAL LEVEL COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLANS, OR TO PUSH THOSE ACTIONS DOWN TO A GRASSROOTS LEVEL, WE'LL GET BUY IN ENGAGEMENT FROM HOMEOWNERS, BUT IN PRINCIPLE, THE ENTIRE JURISDICTION IS COVERED BY OUR CITY COUNTY STATE OF MPP.
THE NUMBER OF PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS HOME ASSESSMENTS, UM, THAT HAVE BEEN FROM BIRTH DIVIDED AND, UM, LAST YEAR AND IN, IN LAST SIX MONTHS, I'LL BREAK THAT OUT AS WELL.
UM, BUT A TOTAL OF 57 OUTREACH ACTIVITIES, 23 IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS, UM, OVER 30 HOMES ASSESSED INDIVIDUAL HOMES THAT ASSESSED, UM, IN HIGH RISK, WILD LAND, URBAN INTERFACE AREAS.
AND IN ADDITION, YOU'LL SEE A HYPERLINK ON YOUR RIGHT WHERE YOU CAN VISION A VISION, OUR DIVISION DASHBOARD, AND THAT OUTLINES ON REAL TIME OR CURRENT ACTIVITIES WHERE OUR CREWS ARE WORKING, UM, WHERE ALL THE ACTIVITIES, UM, DERIVE FROM THE SLIDE OR MAINTAIN IN A REAL TIME MANNER.
UM, IF WE COULD BACK UP, I'M SORRY, JANE, I WANTED TO MENTION ONE OTHER THING.
UM, AS YOU NOTICE, THERE'S A COLOR BREAKDOWN OF THOSE EVENTS, OUTREACH PLANNING, RESILIENT LANDSCAPE RESPONSE, AND COVID-19 WHAT YOU SAW ACROSS THE BOARD IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN WAS REFLECTED IN THE WILDFIRE DIVISION AND AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT FROM THE PURPLE INDICATES WHERE MEMBERS OF THE WILDFIRE DIVISION STEPPED UP TO ASSIST, UM, THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT AND MANAGING THE CODE OF COVID RESPONSE, UM, THAT HAS, UH, REALLY ALL HANDS ON DECK EFFORT.
AND SO WE'RE PROUD OF THE WORK THAT THE DIVISION MEMBERS DID TO STEP UP AND BE A PART OF THAT TEAM.
AND I FELT A MENTIONED THAT THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, JUNE.
SO THIS MAP AND THESE NUMBERS REPRESENT THE AMOUNT OF HAZARDOUS FUELS REDUCTION THAT'S OCCURRING ON THE LANDSCAPE.
I'M CURRENTLY TODAY IN THIS REPORTING PERIOD WHO TREATED 234 ACRES WITH PRESCRIBED FIRE.
UM, AND THAT HELPS RESTORE OUR LANDSCAPES.
AND WHEN A WILDFIRE DOES OCCUR, IT'S NOT AS INTENSE OR AS CATASTROPHIC.
THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT PART OF OUR OVERALL TREATMENT.
UM, 10,911 FEET OF BOUNDARY AROUND AT RISK COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN TREATED BY INSTALLING YOUR SHADED FUEL BREAK, UM, THAT PROTECTED OVER 64 HOMES FOR A VALUE OF OVER CLARITY FOR A MILLION REDUCTION IN RISK.
IN ADDITION, UM, WE'VE TAKEN THIS TIME TO EVALUATE OUR PAST PROJECTS SO WE CAN ESTABLISH A RETURN INTERVIEW FOR ALL OF OUR FUELS PROJECTS.
UM, IT'S NOT A ONE AND DONE WE'D HAVE TO RETREAT THESE SITES AND IT VARIES BASED ON THE SITE LOCATION.
SO, UM, WE'VE WORKED REALLY DILIGENTLY THE LAST SIX MONTHS TO REEVALUATE ALL OF OUR EXISTING PROJECTS, BUT ALSO DO SITE VISITS TO EVALUATE FUTURE AND POTENTIAL PROJECTS TO BUILD A BETTER BILL, TO PRIORITIZE THOSE PROJECTS.
WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING WITH OUR LAND MANAGERS ON IMPLEMENTATION THOSE PROJECTS THROUGH APPEALS, THROUGH AND THROUGH THE CONTRACT FUNDING THAT WERE AWARDED TO DO SO.
AS, UM, CHIEF DALE RES, UH, MENTIONED, UM, WE CURRENTLY HAVE NUMEROUS AFD EMPLOYEES, UM, IN CALIFORNIA AND OUT WEST SUPPORTING FIRE SUPPRESSION OPERATIONS.
UM, THEY'RE STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE TO HELP COMMUNITIES WHEN THEY NEED OUR HELP AND SOMEDAY WE'RE GOING TO NEED CALIFORNIA'S HELP.
SO IT'S A GOOD NEIGHBOR TO NEIGHBOR EFFORT, BUT THEY'RE ALSO BRINGING HOME SOME OF THE, UM, BEST, UM, EXPERIENCE AND INFORMATION THAT YOU COULD ASK FOR TO HELP MAKE AUSTIN A SAFER COMMUNITY AND BE ABLE TO PROTECT OUR COMMUNITIES WHEN THE TIME COMES.
SO WE'VE MOVED, UM, UH, KIND OF OVER 20,000 HOURS OF TRAINING THAT HAD BEEN PROVIDED.
UM, 18,000 OF THOSE HAVE BEEN IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS.
UM, OVER 11,000 HOURS WERE DEDICATED TO A SPECIFIC TRAINING, UM, ENTITLED
[00:30:01]
RESPONDING TO THE WILD LAND, URBAN INTERFACE.THIS IS A NATIONAL TRAINING THAT'S BEING GIVEN IN AT RISK COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
AUSTIN, I BELIEVE IS THE LARGEST DEPARTMENT, UM, TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT 6,048 HOURS, UM, TRAINING DURING WILDFIRE DEPLOYMENTS.
I MENTIONED WHEN OUR FOLKS ARE OUT THERE, THEY'RE LEARNING.
AND SO WE'RE SENDING, UM, OUR FOLKS OUT ON A TRAINING ASSIGNMENT.
AND SO THEY GET ASSIGNED A MENTOR, UM, ON THAT ASSIGNMENT THAT HELPS THEM WITH THEIR FOUR PROFICIENCIES.
UM, 60 HOURS OF PRESCRIBED FIRE TRAINING, UH, LOCALLY WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS, 2,800 HOURS OF WILDFIRE CLASSROOMS FOR REC TRAININGS PROVIDED TO OUR CADETS.
WE'VE HAD THREE DEPLOYMENTS THIS YEAR IN TEXAS, AND WE'RE ON OUR SECOND DEPLOYMENT, UM, IN CALIFORNIA.
WHAT ARE THE AREAS THAT WE'RE MOST EXCITED ABOUT BECAUSE IT'S, IT REALLY MATTERS SO MUCH DURING A WILDFIRE EVENT IS OUR EVACUATION AND PRE RESPONSE PLANNING.
SO WE'RE, IF YOU WEREN'T AWARE OF WHERE THE FIRST CITY AND COUNTY IN TEXAS TO DEVELOP A WILDFIRE SPECIFIC EVACUATION PLAN, THAT OUTLINES ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF OUR COOPERATORS AND THOSE WHO WILL BE FACILITATING THE RESPONSE.
BUT THAT PLAN IS ONLY AS EFFECTIVE AS THE PUBLIC ALIGNMENT AND THAT WITH THAT PLAN.
SO WITH EACH OF OUR, AT RISK COMMUNITIES, FOCUSING ON OUR FIREWISE COMMUNITIES, WE'VE IDENTIFIED ALL THE COMMUNITIES IN AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY THAT HAVE LIMITED INGRESS AND EGRESS THAT COULD CREATE COMPLEXITY DURING A WILDFIRE EVACUATION WE'VE IDENTIFIED THERE, UM, MOST EFFECTIVE EVACUATION ROUTES AND ALTERNATIVES.
IN ADDITION, WE'VE IDENTIFIED, UM, TEMPORARY OR COMMUNITY REFUGE AREAS THAT ARE AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO THOSE COMMUNITIES.
CAUSE THE GOAL WITH EVACUATION IS TO MOVE PEOPLE OUT OF HARM'S WAY INTO SAFETY AND THE SHORTEST DISTANCE AND TIME POSSIBLE.
SO WITH EACH OF OUR COMMUNITIES AT RISK WE'RE BUILDING COMMUNITIES, SPECIFIC EVACUATION PLANS WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THOSE COMMUNITIES AND TO SHADOW THIS, OUR HOPES IN OUR OPERATIONS ARE DEVELOPING A WILDFIRE RESPONSE PLANS.
SO THIS SPEAKS, HOW CAN WE GET PEOPLE OUT OF A COMMUNITY SAFELY AND EFFECTIVELY BECAUSE WE REALLY CAN'T START FIGHTING THE FIRE UNTIL THAT EVACUATION HAS OCCURRED.
AND THE FLIP SIDE OF THIS IS OUR FIREFIGHTERS ARE DEVELOPING PLANS FOR HOW THEY'RE GOING TO DEFEND, TO DEFEND EACH OF THESE SPECIFIC COMMUNITIES SHOULD BE, THEY BE THREATENED BY WILDFIRE.
UM, SO THIS IS A REALLY EXCITING, UM, MOVEMENT FORWARD FOR US.
OUR COMMUNITIES ARE EXCITED TO HAVE THIS RESOURCE.
UM, IT'S ALL BASED IN OUR GIS, UH, AS, AS MOST OF OUR ACTIVITIES.
AND THIS IS SOMETHING WE WILL REPLICATE FOR ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES AT RISK ACROSS AUSTIN.
WE WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK THIS COMMITTEE FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND, UM, FACILITATING THE EXPLORATION ADOPTED AND OF THE WILD LAND.
URBAN INTERFACE CODE WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF THIS GROUP IN CITY LEADERSHIP.
SO, UM, THANKS FOR HELPING US BE SUCCESSFUL IN ADOPTING THIS CODE, UM, WHERE THE LARGEST MAJOR MUNICIPALITY OUTSIDE OF CALIFORNIA TO HAVE TAKEN THIS PROACTIVE APPROACH.
UM, AND IT WAS FOOTNOTED IN THE RECENT NEW YORK TIME ARTICLE THAT, UH, THE WE CODE IS ONE OF THE ANTIDOTES TO, UM, THE CATASTROPHIC FIRES THAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING.
SO THANK YOU FOR HELPING US GET TO THIS POINT.
WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO WE'RE SHOOTING FOR AN IMPLEMENTATION DATE OF JANUARY 1ST, 2021.
UM, THE CITY MANAGER IS GOING TO UPDATE, UH, LEADERSHIP ON VEGETATION MANAGEMENT, FUELS MITIGATION AND COMMUNITY REFUGE AREAS.
AND WE DEVELOPED A REPORT, A REPORT IN RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS RELATED TO THAT.
UH, WE'VE INITIATED OUR OUTREACH AND EDUCATION, UM, ON THE BENEFITS AND THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE, WE CODE BOTH TO INTERNAL EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS.
WE'RE FINALIZING OUR FIRE PROTECTION CRITERIA MANUAL, UM, THAT OUTLINES THE NEW RULES FOR THE WIFI CODE AND GETS MORE SPECIFIC ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THAT CODE ON, ON THE GROUND.
AND THEN OUR, UH, FISCAL YEAR 2021 BUDGET REQUESTS INCLUDES THE STAFFING THAT WERE IDENTIFIED AND THEN SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CODE.
AND SO OUR, OUR FOLKS AT PREVENTION, UM, CONTINUE TO WORK ON THIS, UM, MOVING FORWARD FOR THE ACTUAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CODE, BUT WE WANTED TO THANK THIS BODY FOR HELPING BE INSTRUMENTAL IN THE SUPPORT OF MOVING THIS CODE FORWARD.
I DID MENTION, UM, WE'RE DEVELOPING AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY WILDFIRE HUB.
UH, THIS WILL BE AN INTERACTIVE PORTAL.
SO WE'LL HOST ALL OF OUR WILDFIRE RISK INFORMATION, HIGHLIGHT THE ACTIVITIES THAT THE CITY IS DOING AS A WHOLE, NOT JUST A, THE DIVISION, BUT TODAY AS A WHOLE MOVING TOWARDS WILDFIRE RESILIENCY,
[00:35:02]
BUT IT ALSO CREATES AN ENVIRONMENT FOR THE PUBLIC TO INTERACT, DEVELOP THEIR LOCALIZED PLANS, TO FIND THEIR OWN PROJECTS AND PRIORITIES.WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO BE ROLLING THIS OUT AND LOOK FORWARD TO PROVIDING THIS COMMITTEE A UPDATE ON THE FINAL PRODUCT AT OUR NEXT MEETING.
NEXT SLIDE PLEASE, UM, WOULD THAT MY PORTION OF THE PRESENTATION IS COMPLETE AND LIST THEIR QUESTIONS REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME SUPPORTING THE INTENTIONS AND THE STANDBY FOR ANY QUESTIONS MIGHT HAVE.
JOSEPH JONES, YOUR BLOCK OF KNOWLEDGE, AS WELL AS LEADERSHIP IN THE DIVISION.
AND I'VE WANTED YOU TO TEACH ME SUMMARIZE UP THAT THE DIVISION IS WORKING HARD TO KEEP AUSTIN SAFE AND RESILIENT.
THE THREE PILLARS WE USE FOR THAT IS THE VERY EASY ONE THAT WE THINK OF WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THIS IS WILDFIRE MITIGATION BY ACTUALLY GOING OUT THERE AND HELPING CREATE THAT FIRE RESILIENT LANDSCAPE.
WHAT I WAS JUST ON THE PHONE WITH CHIEF DIVISION CHIEF STEWARD THIS MORNING WAS SHE WAS SEEING OUT THERE IN CALIFORNIA, HIS PALACES SURVIVING, NOT ONLY DUE TO THAT MITIGATION, BUT PRIMARILY DURING THAT EDUCATION OF OUR RESIDENTS OF THAT FIRE ADAPTED COMMUNITY, HOW THEY PARKED IN THEIR HOMES AND PROTECTED, THAT'S THE BIGGEST BANG WE'RE GOING TO GET.
SO THAT'S THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT LOCAL LEVEL CWPP IS THAT CON THAT, UH, COMPREHENSIVE WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS PLANS THERE.
SO WE'RE WORKING HARD ON NOT ONLY KEEPING THE FUELS AND MITIGATED OUT THERE AND WORKING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE SHADED FUEL BEDS, BUT ALSO TO EDUCATE OUR COMMUNITIES AND OUR NEIGHBORHOODS ON HOW TO EDUCATE THEM JUSTICE.
AND I WERE PART OF THE TEAM THAT HELPED DEVELOP THE FIRST NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED SPANISH IN SAINT MONICA, AT LEAST THOSE FLORIDA, WHICH IS A SPANISH TRANSLATION OF THE READY SET GO THAT HELPED INTRODUCE TO OUR SPANISH RESIDENTS IN AUSTIN, HOW TO BE BEST PREPARED FOR THE EVENT OF A WILDFIRE.
THIS COUPLED WITH THE EFFECTIVE FIREFIGHTING FORCE OF GETTING OUR FIREFIGHTERS TRAINED UP THROUGH DEPLOYMENTS, THROUGH BEING THE TIME AND THE DIVISION, AND THEN SPREADING THEM AROUND TO HELP EDUCATE THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE, AS WELL AS THE OTHER FIREFIGHTERS THAT MAY NOT HAVE IT, THOSE NEW FIREFIGHTERS THAT ARE COMING INTO THE DIVISION OF THE IMPORTANCE AND THE VALUE OF REALIZING THAT AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT, WHILE WE JUST HIT THAT MILLION PERSON MARK, AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND WE ARE A MAJOR URBAN METROPLEX.
WE HAVE RESIDENTS WHO LOVE TO LIVE IN THE TREES IN THAT INTERFACE.
AND THAT IS WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO BE PREPARED FOR THE, SOME OF THE CLOWNS, THE COMPLEXITIES OF LIVING IN THAT ENVIRONMENT.
AND WE'RE READY FOR ANY QUESTIONS.
ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
I THINK LAST YEAR PRESENTATION ABOUT THIS, IS IT NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS WITH YOUR PRIMARY CONTACTS AROUND THE CITY? I MEAN, THERE'S THAT THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY TO GET TO THE RESIDENT LEVEL? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
THE ANSWER IN SHORT IS YES, IT DOES HELP TO HAVE THAT PLANNING INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE AND THE COORDINATION.
UM, WE DO INTERACT WITH HAVE THAT STRUCTURE, BUT IT REALLY MAKES IT A LOT MORE CHALLENGING TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE COMMUNITY WITHOUT THAT IN PLACE.
SO THE ANSWER'S ABSOLUTELY ANYWHERE.
WE HAVE AN OVERARCHING STRUCTURE THAT WE CAN DEFAULT TO.
SOMETIMES WE WORK WITH CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS WHERE THERE MAY NOT BE AN HOA OR MAYBE EVEN ENCOMPASSES NUMEROUS HOS ATTRACTS.
WHAT, ONE WAY TO HOA ATTRACTS AS WELL IS THAT EFFORT THAT JUSTICE TALKED ABOUT WORKING WITH OUR PIO TO CREATE THE VIDEOS ON HOW TO DO THE HOME ASSESSMENTS AS WELL.
IT'S NEVER GOING TO BEAT THE FACE TO FACE CONTACT THAT WE GET TO ENGENDER AND LEVERAGE THROUGH THOSE 80 WAYS, BUT WE'RE SURE WE'RE GOING TO TRY EVERY OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE TO HELP THE RESIDENTS.
I THINK IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE THE RISKS MAY BE LOW AND THEREFORE PEOPLE ARE COMPLACENT, BUT BOY, WHEN IT HAPPENS, IT WILL JUST DESTROY THE HELL OUT OF EVERYTHING.
SO THAT'S, I'M SURE THAT'S A CHALLENGE TOO, TO GET PEOPLE MOTIVATED TO START, YOU KNOW, DOING
[00:40:01]
THINGS ABOUT IT.UM, WE TRY, UH, UM, CAPITAL AND LESSONS LEARNED GOING ON IN OTHER PLACES IN THE COUNTRY AND DO OUR PRESCRIBED BURNING, TRY TO REMIND PEOPLE THAT WE LIVE IN A FIRE PRONE ECOSYSTEM, BUT IT IS AN ONGOING CHALLENGE, UM, EVERYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY TO MAINTAIN THAT VIGILANCE.
I ACTUALLY JUST WONDERED IF THERE WAS A TIMELINE FOR WHEN THE VIDEO, THE TRAINING VIDEO IS GOING TO BE COMPLETED, JUST DOESN'T SEEM LIKE HOME EVALUATIONS ARE GOING TO BE MUCH OF AN OPTION FOR, UM, THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR AND JUST THAT VIDEO TRAINING WILL BE REALLY HELPFUL.
SO JUST WONDERING WHEN THAT WAS READY.
SO WE ALREADY HAVE AN IN HOUSE, UM, ASSESSMENT TRAINING THAT WE GIVE FIREFIGHTERS PERIODICALLY, PROBABLY DUE FOR A REFRESH ON THAT.
UM, THE VIDEO CONTENT IS COMPLETE, UM, BUT IT'S, IT'S BROKEN INTO SEGMENTS AND WITH PSH.
AND SO WE'RE GOING TO TAKE THAT FOOTAGE AND CONSOLIDATED INTO MORE COMPREHENSIVE VIDEO AND SOME OF IT'S COMING IN ON OUR WORKLOAD OF RPIS, BUT I ANTICIPATE CERTAINLY BY THE NEXT PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION UPDATE, BUT IF NOT THE NEXT MONTH OR TWO, ANYONE ELSE, IT KEEPS TICKING.
DON'T THEY KNOW I'M SUPPOSED TO TALK AROUND HERE.
UM, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS I THINK WE'RE DONE? UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
CHIEF BYERS, CHIEF DELA, ROSA, AND JUSTICE JONES.
WE APPRECIATE YOUR UPDATES AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UH, FOR YOUR DILIGENCE AND STAYING ON OUR CALENDAR.
UM, SO NEXT, UM, IS OUR, THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS, UH, ANOTHER ONE OF OUR
[4. Proposed Decommissioning and Reusing Land at APD Headquarters (sponsors: Commissioner Gonzales and Webber) (4:00pm-4:30pm) Speaker: -Connor Kenny, Past Chair Planning Commission -LGBTQIA Community -Housing/Homelessness]
PUBLIC INFORMATION AND OUR PUBLIC GATHERING OF, UM, INFORMATION ON THE DECOMMISSIONING AND REUSING OF APD HEADQUARTERS.UH, WE DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THIS TIME.
UH, WE WILL HAVE CONNOR KENNY, UH, WHO IS A PAST CHAIR OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION ON, UM, I THINK HE SAYS HE'S GONNA NEED ONE MINUTE.
UM, SO I'LL SET IT UP IF HE'S NOT ON, WE CAN, UM, THEN GO INTO MY NEXT TOPIC, WHICH IS ACTUALLY ONE THAT I AM RUNNING ANYWAY.
UM, BUT BASICALLY WHAT WE WANTED TO DO WITH THIS TOPIC IS WE WANTED TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT DEEPER CONVERSATION WITH OUR COMMISSIONERS ON WHAT, UM, WHAT KIND OF INPUT AND EXACTLY WHAT KIND OF SPEAKERS YOU WOULD LIKE TO HEAR IN THE COMING MONTHS ABOUT THIS TOPIC ABOUT APD HQ.
UM, WE GOT SOME FEEDBACK FROM YOU LAST TIME, UH, BUT MR. KENNY WANTED TO HAVE A DEEPER CONVERSATION IN, UH, TO TALK EXACTLY ABOUT WHAT YOU GUYS WERE LOOKING FOR.
WE TALKED ABOUT HOMELESS AND HOMELESSNESS.
WE TALKED ABOUT LGBTQ COMMUNITIES BEING SERVED, UH, BY THE DOWNTOWN, UM, PROPERTY.
AND WE WANTED TO GO A LITTLE BIT DEEPER INTO THAT.
SO THAT WAS THE AGENDA FOR THIS MONTH.
AND THEN NEXT MONTH WE'LL CONTINUE WITH SPEAKERS.
UM, BUT I THINK MR. KENNY MIGHT BE RUNNING LATE IF YOU ARE ONLINE.
CAN YOU LET ME KNOW? UM, MR. KENNY, ACTUALLY, WE'RE RUNNING EARLY.
YEAH, WE'LL JUST GO AHEAD AND MOVE FORWARD TO NUMBER FIVE.
[5. Request for a Public Safety Commissioner to join the Downtown Commission (sponsors: Commissioners Gonzales and Webber) 4:30-4:35pm]
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I NEED TO BRING TO THE COMMISSION.SO, UM, LAST MONTH I WAS A GUEST AT THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION MEETING OF COURSE, ONLINE.
UM, AND WE REVIEWED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE DECOMMISSIONING OF THE H UH, APD HQ.
WE REVIEWED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT HERE ON OUR COMMISSION.
[00:45:01]
HAVE PROPOSED AND THEY WOULD LIKE TO PUT IN FRONT OF CITY COUNCIL IS THEY WOULD LIKE FOR A MEMBER FROM THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION TO JOIN THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION.UM, I CAN TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THEM AND WHEN THEY MEET AND THEN WE CAN HAVE SOME DISCUSSION AND THEN I'LL BE TAKING VOLUNTEERS.
UM, SO BASICALLY THE PURPOSE OF THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION IS TO ADVISE THE CITY COUNCIL AND STAFF REGARDING POLICIES AND PROJECTS IMPACTING DOWNTOWN AUSTIN.
THEY ACTUALLY ARE STEWARDS OF THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN PLAN, AND THEY ARE A SOUNDING BOARD FOR THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE STAFF ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THAT DOWNTOWN PLAN AND HOW THAT CAN BE CHANGED.
SO RIGHT NOW IT IS MADE UP OF 11 VOTING MEMBERS, AND IT'S ALSO MADE UP OF SIX NONVOTING MEMBERS FROM DIFFERENT COMMISSIONS, THE COMMISSIONS THAT ARE CURRENTLY INVOLVED WITH THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION, OUR ARTS MUSIC DESIGN, HISTORIC LANDMARKS, PARKS, AND RECS, AND URBAN TRANSPORTATION.
AND SO WHAT THEY WILL BE PUTTING BEFORE COUNCIL IS THAT THEY ADD A SEVENTH MEMBER, WHICH WOULD BE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM PUBLIC SAFETY.
THEY MEET ON WEDNESDAYS THE THIRD, WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH.
AND ACCORDING TO THE WEBSITE, IT'S AT FIVE 30, BUT I THINK WE ALL KNOW TIMES ARE A LITTLE BIT CHANGE AROUND RIGHT NOW BECAUSE OF THE COLLINS.
UH, SO I'M NOT SURE I'M GUESSING THEY'RE STILL GOING.
THEIR DATES ARE STILL THE THIRD WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH, BUT I CAN'T TELL YOU EXACTLY IF IT WILL BE AT FIVE O'CLOCK DEPENDING ON WHEN THEIR CALL INS ARE.
SO THIS POSITION WOULD ATTEND, THEIR MEETINGS WOULD GIVE FEEDBACK.
THEY WILL ASK YOU QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT THINGS THAT WE ARE DISCUSSING HERE ON OUR COMMISSION, BUT YOU WILL BE A NONVOTING MEMBER, SO YOU WON'T HAVE TO VOTE, OR, UM, OR THERE WAS A QUESTION ON IF IT WAS COUNTED TOWARDS QUORUM.
I DON'T THINK THESE, THESE, UH, POSITIONS ARE COUNTED TOWARDS QUORUM AS WELL.
UM, AS THEY HAVE UPDATED, THEY WILL BE UPDATING THEIR BYLAWS AND THEIR RULES.
UM, I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE IF IT WILL BE TOWARDS FORUM.
UM, IF ONLINE THERE'S THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN PLAN.
THEY'RE VERY, IT'S VERY EASY TO, UM, TO GO DOWN AND LOOK AT WHAT THEY'VE BEEN DISCUSSING, OF COURSE, IN THEIR AGENDAS.
SO I WANTED TO OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS AND TO SEE IF ANYONE HAS AN INTEREST IN VOLUNTEERING FOR THE ROLE.
SO MY QUESTION IS, WHAT WAS THEIR MOTIVATION FOR WANTING SOMEBODY FROM PUBLIC SAFETY? IS IT COMMIT? IS IT, YOU KNOW, CONNECT IT TO THE APD HEADQUARTERS OR IS IT A LARGER SORT OF, I BELIEVE THE LARGER IMPACT AND INPUT.
THEY WANT TO HAVE SOME, SOME CONNECTION TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY SIDE OF WHAT WE'RE DOING ON THESE COMMISSIONS.
AND I THINK APD HEADQUARTERS WAS ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE DRIVING FORCES.
AND APPARENTLY THEY'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET SOMEONE FROM PUBLIC SAFETY ON THEIR COMMISSION FOR A FEW.
THEY HADN'T BEEN ABLE TO PROPOSE IT AND VOTE ON IT AND GET IT IN FRONT OF COUNCIL TO CHANGE.
I JUST HAVE A REAL SIMPLE QUESTION IS THE PURPOSE OF ALL THIS TO REPURPOSE THE APD HEADQUARTERS OR TEAR IT DOWN AND BUILD SOMETHING ELSE OR EVERYTHING'S ON THE TABLE.
OH, ARE YOU YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE PUBLIC COMMENTARY? NO, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE APD HEADQUARTERS.
SO WE'RE NOW TALKING ABOUT SOMEONE FROM OUR COMMISSION, JOINING THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION.
I'M SORRY, FOUR, I'M GONNA MOVE ON TO FIVE BECAUSE MR. PENNY WAS NOT ON ONLINE.
I THOUGHT THIS COMMISSION WAS GOING TO BE DISCUSSING IT.
SO DOWNTOWN PERMISSION IS A COMPLETELY SEPARATE COMMISSION THAT HAS A, I DON'T KNOW WHEN THEY WERE PULLED TOGETHER, TO BE QUITE HONEST.
UM, BUT IT'S, IT'S A COMMISSION ABOUT DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALONE.
THIS IS, THIS IS COMPLETELY SEPARATE.
AND ANYONE ELSE HAVE QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT.
SO MY NEXT QUESTION IS THREE HERE THAT WOULD BE INTERESTED IN THE, UH, POSITION ON THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION.
IF IT'S APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL.
I'M JUST, BUT MY, MY QUESTION AHEAD OF JUST STRAIGHT UP VOLUNTEERING IS, IS THERE A NEED FOR SOMEONE THAT IS WHOSE DISTRICT IS TIED TO DOWNTOWN? NO, THAT'S DEFINITELY NOT.
[00:50:01]
THAT ARE SITTING AND APPOINTED THE WAY WE ARE IN PUBLIC SAFETY.I THINK THERE MIGHT BE A TIE THAT WAY, BUT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE A PART OF OTHER COMMISSIONS, I DON'T THINK THAT'S UNNECESSARY.
I AM INTERESTED IN, IN LIGHT OF, YOU KNOW, HOST AND STUFF GOING ON WITH APD HEADQUARTERS AND JUST HOW TRANSPORTATION MIGHT IMPACT PUBLIC SAFETY STUFF THAT I AM.
SO WE HAVE A SELF NOMINATION AND THE SECOND, DO WE HAVE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL RIGHT, THEN I BELIEVE WE CAN VOTE ON, UH, COMMISSIONER RAMIREZ BEING PART OF THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION I HAVE TO CALL YOU AND YOU WILL NEED TO VERBALLY RESPOND PLEASE.
UH, COMMISSIONER HAAS AND LUCK.
I BELIEVE WE HAVE UNANIMOUSLY VOTED THE COMMISSIONER RAMIREZ TO REPRESENT US ON THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION.
OH, I, I, I FIGURED I WILL GO AHEAD AND UNANIMOUSLY SAY, I ALSO WANT TO PROVE WONDERFUL.
UM, ITEM FOUR, THE PROPOSED DECOMMISSIONING AND REUSING LAND FOR APD HEADQUARTERS.
UM, MR. KENNY, ARE YOU ONLINE? I THINK I SEE YOU COMING ONLINE.
HEY, HOW ARE Y'ALL DOING EVERYBODY? VERY GOOD.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US IF YOU WERE ABLE TO HEAR, BUT I, I DID, UM, SET THE AGENDA ITEM AND TALKED ABOUT HOW WE WANTED TO HAVE A FURTHER CONVERSATION WITH THE COMMISSIONERS ABOUT WHAT WE WANTED TO SEE MOVING FORWARD WITH THE PUBLIC COMMENTARY.
UM, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO TAKE IT AWAY.
SO, UM, RATHER THAN, THAN LAUNCHING TO ANOTHER ROUND OF GUESTS, UM, WANTED TO, UH, AND SPECIFICALLY I WANTED TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A DISCUSSION HERE FROM THE, UH, THE COMMISSIONERS WHO ARE PRESENT, UM, ABOUT, UH, TWO, UH, KIND OF CATEGORIES.
ONE IS, UM, WHAT COMMUNITIES, STAKEHOLDERS, INDUSTRIES WOULD YOU LIKE TO HEAR FROM, UH, SO THAT I CAN BETTER BRING PEOPLE INTO THIS DISCUSSION TO SERVE YOUR NEEDS.
AND THEN SECOND IS, UM, WHAT ARE THE ISSUES, UH, SURROUNDING THE REDEVELOPMENT OF THE HEADQUARTERS THAT, UM, THAT I CAN HAVE YOU WORKED WITH STAFF OR OTHER STAKEHOLDERS TO, UH, TO GATHER INFORMATION ABOUT? SO WE'VE HAD SOME DISCUSSION FROM, UH, FROM EMS. WE'VE HAD A DISCUSSION FROM DIVVYING, WHICH TALKED ABOUT SOME OF HIS TRAINING, UM, PROGRAMS, AND THEN AS WELL AS BOSTON ABOUT SOME OF THE, UH, THE TENANT RIGHTS AND TENANT PROTECTIONS, UH, THAT WE CAN HEAR AND HOW THAT RELATES TO POVERTY.
UM, THERE ARE SOME OTHER OBVIOUS, UH, ASPECTS TO PUBLIC SAFETY DOWNTOWN.
THERE'S OBVIOUSLY, UH, UM, TALKING ABOUT WHAT IS THE ROLE THAT, UH, POLICING A PLAYER OR THAT, UH, APD COULD PLAY AT THIS LOCATION.
I THINK THAT EVEN IF YOU REMOVE THE BULK OF POLICE WHO DON'T, OR WHO AREN'T ACTIVELY ENGAGED WITH DOWNTOWN AS PART OF THEIR, UH, THEIR DUTIES, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE STILL ARE A LOT OF POLICE OFFICERS WHO WILL REMAIN, UH, ON DUTY DOWNTOWN, AND THIS IS, UM, PRETTY OBVIOUS LOCATION FOR THEM TO REMAIN IN SOME CAPACITY.
THERE'S, UH, THERE'S MENTAL HEALTH THERE'S INTERACTION WITH THE SOBERING CENTER.
UM, UH, I HAD BEEN, UH, ASKED FOR, UM, UH, TO BRING SOMEBODY IN FOR THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY.
AND, UM, UH, I W I WAS ASKED ABOUT THE HOMELESS AND, AND I WENT TO, UH, TO DIG A LITTLE BIT DEEPER INTO THERE AND TO WHICH ASPECTS OF THAT.
SO, UM, UNTIL IT'S ALL RIGHT WITH C CHAIR, AM I JUST OPEN, OPEN THE FLOOR UP AND HEAR WHAT THE COMMISSIONERS WOULD LIKE TO DO? AND THEN I CAN HAVE MY HOMEWORK AND BRING BACK SOME, SOME FOLKS AND SOME MATERIALS TO INFORM YOUR DISCUSSION.
SO, UM, I BROUGHT UP LAST MONTH, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE POLICE DEPARTMENTS NEEDS WOULD BE TO HAVE THE OFFICERS YOU WORK DOWNTOWN IN DOWNTOWN.
AND SO I WAS WONDERING IF WE COULD GET SOME, UH,
[00:55:01]
RESPONSE ON THAT.AND I JUST WANT TO PREFACE IT BY SAYING THAT I AGREE THAT, UM, THAT TO THE EXTENT THAT HEADQUARTERS MOVES, THAT THAT SHOULD BE A NEW SUB.
AND, UM, SHOULD WE, SHOULD THEM EXTEND TO THE, UM, THE KINDS OF MULTI DISCIPLINARY TEAMS THAT, UH, APD IS, HAS BEGUN ENGAGING WITH AND PERHAPS COULD ENGAGE WITH MORE, UM, WITH REGARDS TO MENTAL HEALTH AND OTHER MORE EMERGENCY SERVICES, THE SOBERING CENTER, THINGS LIKE THAT? WELL, I WOULD REALLY JUST LIKE TO HEAR FROM CHIEF GAY RIGHT NOW ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IF IT WERE TO BE A SUB, HOW MANY, LIKE WHAT'S, WHAT ARE THE NEEDS? IS THAT THE BETTER PAY? OR AM I NOT? IS THAT NOT WHAT I THINK? THAT'S, I THINK THAT'S A GREAT PLACE TO START.
HEY COMMISSIONERS, HOW YOU DOING? I HOPE EVERYBODY IS DOING WELL.
I DON'T HAVE THE SPECIFIC NUMBERS ON HAND.
I DO BELIEVE THAT I WAS, UH, UH, CHIEF DUPREE SET IN FOR ME LAST TIME.
I BELIEVE IT WAS MENTIONED WHETHER OR NOT THE HEADQUARTERS HAD TO SPECIFICALLY BE DOWNTOWN.
UH, I DO KNOW THAT, UH, WE HAVE, UH, REQUESTED FROM REAL ESTATE THAT WE ARE IN THE CLOSE PROXIMITY OF THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
UH, WE DO REQUEST THAT OUR DOWNTOWN AREA COMMAND, UH, IS CLOSER OR NXE IS IN THE DOWNTOWN AREAS SINCE THEY ARE ON FOOT AND ON BIKES.
BUT THAT IS, UH, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH REAL ESTATE ON TO GIVE THEM THE SPECIFIC, UH, NUMBERS OF INDIVIDUALS AND THE PROGRAMMING NEEDS OF OUR DEPARTMENT.
I WOULD BE GLAD TO, AFTER WE MEET WITH THEM, I BELIEVE, UH, UH, MR. CANALY SAID THAT WE WOULD BE MEETING IN THE NEXT, UH, FOUR TO SIX WEEKS TO SORT OF REALLY LOOK AT THE PROGRAMMING NEEDS OF, OF THE DEPARTMENT.
DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION A LITTLE BIT? UM, CAN YOU JUST GET, MAYBE GIVE US A GENERAL IDEA OF HOW MANY D TECH OFFICERS AND SUPERVISORS THERE ARE AND HOW MANY VEHICLES THEY NEED TO STORE AND THE NUMBER OF BICYCLES, YOU KNOW, THAT STUFF.
I DO KNOW THERE'S A, A LITTLE OVER A HUNDRED OFFICERS AND SUPERVISORS THAT ARE ASSIGNED TO THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
UH, EACH OFFICER, UH, DOES HAVE AN INDIVIDUAL BIKE.
UM, SO, UM, WE HAVE SEVERAL CAGES FOR EACH OF THOSE.
SO I WOULD ASSUME THERE'S ABOUT 80, 80 OR SO BIKE.
PLUS WE HAVE A, A FLEET OF PROBABLY AROUND, UH, 15 VEHICLES OR SO IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
BUT, BUT LIKE I SAID, THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE WOULD TRY TO PROGRAM, UH, WITH, UH, WITH REAL ESTATE.
UH, WE DO HAVE ATVS AND SOME OTHER THINGS THAT WE USE FOR DOWNTOWN AS WELL.
AND THEN I ASSUME THERE WOULD BE LIKE SIGNIFICANT PARKING NEEDS FOR DEEPAK OFFICERS WHO WERE ON SHIFTS.
UM, I MEAN, THEY SHOULD, THEY SHOULD GET, YOU KNOW, SAFE AND, UM, WAS THERE PARKING, SO DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY, UH, LIKE WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THERE, I DON'T HAVE THE PARTICULAR NUMBERS.
I'D BE GIVING YOU SOME GUESSTIMATES.
UH, LIKE YOU SAID, EACH SHIFT HAS AT LEAST 10 OFFICERS, AND SOMETIMES WE HAVE ANYWHERE FROM A TWO SHIFTS, UH, AND SOMETIMES ON EVENINGS UP TO FOUR SHIFTS ON AT ONE TIME.
SO, AND THEN OF COURSE, BETWEEN THE EVENINGS AND NIGHTS, THEY'RE BOTH ON, AT THE SAME TIME FOR SEVERAL HOURS.
SO YOU COULD HAVE ANYWHERE FROM 60 TO 70 OFFICERS AT ONE TIME THAT NEED TO, UH, HAVE A PLACE TO PARK.
CAN I ASK A LITTLE BIT, CAN I GET ALONG OR SHARE? IS IT ALL RIGHT IF I CAN GO IN, SHE GAVE, WILL YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE PROCESS THAT YOU'VE SET UP WITH WITH REAL ESTATE? LIKE, HAVE YOU ALREADY SENT THEM INFORMATION OR IS THE MEETING THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN FOUR TO SIX WEEKS TO DECIDE WHAT INFORMATION IS RELEVANT? HOW IS THAT PROCESS GOING TO WORK? WELL, WE HAVE, WE HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN THROUGH THIS PROCESS ABOUT TWO OTHER TIMES.
UH, SO WE HAVEN'T STARTED WITH TIME JUST YET.
UH, WE DID EIGHT TO LOOK AT THE, UM, THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF OUR DEPARTMENT.
I KNOW A LOT OF THE CITY DEPARTMENTS ARE ACTUALLY LOOKING AT THEIR NEEDS CURRENTLY, BASED ON, UH, THE COVID SITUATION.
WE HAVE A LOT OF INDIVIDUALS RIGHT NOW
[01:00:01]
IN HEADQUARTERS THAT HAVE TRADITIONALLY WORKED HERE IN THE BUILDING, BUT WE'RE REALIZING THAT THERE ARE SOME SUCH IN OUR RECORDS DEPARTMENT THAT AND OTHERS THAT CAN ACTUALLY TELL A WORK, UH, AND BE AS EFFICIENT.SO, AND I SAY THIS, THAT OUR NEEDS SEVERAL YEARS AGO, WHEN WE DID OUR PROGRAMMING, IT MAY LOOK A LITTLE BIT IN DIFFERENT NOW, AS WE HAVE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, AND WE'VE BEEN ASKED FROM THE CITY MANAGER TO REALLY LOOK AT OUR NEEDS AND THAT MAY SHRINK OUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS BASED ON OUR CURRENT SITUATION.
SO THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING TO, UH, ONE IS LOOK AT ALL THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ACTUALLY NEED TO HAVE A, UM, A PLACE SPECIFICALLY THAT THEY HAVE TO COME EVERY DAY TO WORK AND OTHERS THAT MAY BE CAN HOTEL AND USE A DIFFERENT HOTEL SUITE IF THEY NEED TO COME IN AT OTHER TIMES.
SO THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO SIT DOWN AND REALLY EVALUATE.
BUT I DO KNOW THAT, UH, IN OUR, UH, RE-INTEGRATION PLAN, THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE'RE DISCUSSING NOW, UH, BETWEEN NOW AND DECEMBER 19TH, WHEN OUR WORKFORCE COMES BACK ON, ON WHAT THAT POTENTIALLY WOULD LOOK LIKE.
SO I ONLY SAY THAT A LOT OF WORK STILL NEEDS TO, UH, UH, BE, UH, ADDRESSED AND IDENTIFIED.
UM, BUT, UH, I DO NOT HAVE A MEETING WITH REAL ESTATE, UH, AND THE TEAM JUST YET ON THE BOOKS, BUT I DO, UH, I CAN REACH OUT WITH THEM JUST TO GET SOME MORE INFORMATION AND PROVIDE AN UPDATE AND WITH SOME MORE SPECIFICS, UH, AT THE NEXT MEETING, IF YOU WOULD LIKE THAT.
AND SO YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU'VE DONE THIS PROCESS RECENTLY.
WHEN WAS THAT? WELL, WHEN I SAY RECENTLY, SINCE I HAVE BEEN, UH, UH, APPEAR EITHER AS A COMMANDER OR ACHIEVED OVER THE LAST 10 OR 12 YEARS, WE'VE DONE IT A COUPLE OF TIMES.
WE HAVE BEEN, THIS IS AN OLDER BUILDING, THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME THAT WE HAVE HAD DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE POTENTIAL RELOCATION OF A HEADQUARTERS.
UM, I BELIEVE IT WAS OUR LAST ONE WAS ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO WHEN WE AT THAT.
SO A LOT OF WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE, RIGHT? SINCE FIVE YEARS AGO, I'M LIKE, CAN YOU GIVE US AN IDEA OF WHAT OF THAT PREVIOUS EVALUATION WOULD BE PUBLIC AND WHAT WOULD NOT SO THAT WE CAN HAVE IDEA AND IDEA OF LIKE, WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION YOU CAN SHARE WITH US FROM THAT ONE THAT HAD FIVE YEARS AGO, UH, I'D HAVE TO GET WITH REAL ESTATE I'M AT PRETTY MUCH ALL WE DID WAS GET OUR, UH, WHO WAS CURRENTLY IN THE HEADQUARTERS BUILDING AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE MOVING FORWARD.
I DO KNOW THAT WE WENT THROUGH AN EXERCISE.
DID EVERYBODY THAT WAS CURRENTLY IN THE HEADQUARTERS BUILDING, DID THEY NEED TO, UH, CONTINUE TO BE IN THE HEADQUARTERS BUILDING? OR COULD THEY BE RELOCATED TO OTHER AREAS? I CAN TELL YOU SINCE FIVE YEARS AGO, THERE HAVE BEEN UNITS THAT HAVE BEEN MOVED OUT OF HEADQUARTERS AND THAT ARE CURRENTLY AT THE REFERRED LOCATION, OR THEY'RE AT THE MOTOROLA LOCATION.
UH, AND SOME NEW UNITS HAVE MOVED IN.
SO WE WE'VE CHANGED OUR PROGRAMMING NEEDS A LITTLE BIT, AND WE WOULD HAVE TO SORT OF WORK WITH REAL ESTATE TO GO THROUGH THAT SAME PROCESS OF IDENTIFYING OUR, OUR INDIVIDUALS.
AND AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, I DO THINK OUR NEEDS ARE GONNA BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT BASED ON THE CURRENT ENVIRONMENT.
AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE LEARNING THAT PEOPLE CAN BE EFFECTIVE AND, AND WORK AT HOME, UH, THROUGH TELEWORKING.
CAN YOU, CAN WE GET ALL OF THAT INFORMATION? LIKE, CAN WE HAVE THAT AS BACKUP FOR THIS MEETING, WHATEVER THE EVALUATION WAS FIVE YEARS AGO? UH, I WILL SEE IF I CAN FIND THE EVALUATION.
I BELIEVE REAL ESTATE HAS THAT.
AND, UH, UH, I'LL, I'LL WORK WITH MS. JACKSON TO MAKE THAT AVAILABLE.
SO, MR. KENNEY, I ALSO WANTED TO ADD A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT I THINK WOULD BE RELEVANT FOR OUR NEXT SESSION.
UH, ONE IS FROM SOME OF THE FEEDBACK THAT I GOT WHEN I WAS ON THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION MEETING.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THEY ASKED IS, UM, BASED ON A COMMUNITY, OUR SIZE, UM, IS THERE ANOTHER COMMUNITY, BE IT PORTLAND OR WHATEVER, THE APPROPRIATE SIZE COMMUNITY THAT THERE IS THAT DOESN'T HAVE A SIGNIFICANT POLICE HEADQUARTERS DOWNTOWN, LIKE WHERE ARE THEIR POLICE HEADQUARTERS LOCATED AND DOES THAT IMPACT, UM, SAFETY IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA? UM, I THINK, UM, SOME OF THE, THE COMMENTS THAT I GOT WHEN I SAT
[01:05:01]
ON THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION WAS THAT SOME OF THE COMMISSIONERS FEEL THAT DOWNTOWN WOULD BE LESS SAFE IF HEADQUARTERS WAS MOVED OUT OR IF THERE WAS NO, NO POLICE PRESENCE AT ALL DOWNTOWN.SO THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE SHOULD ADD INTO THE MIX.
UM, AND IF WE CAN, UH, MAYBE PULL TO GET BACK ONTO THE LINE.
UM, I LIKE TO HEAR JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT, UH, WHY, UH, W WHAT ARE THE REASONS FOR HAVING, UH, FOLKS WHO ARE MAYBE NOT IN THE DOWNTOWN COMMAND CLOSE TO DOWNTOWN, AND THEN AS WELL, UH, WHAT OTHER, UM, UH, UH, NONPROFIT, UH, PRIVATE OR PUBLIC SECTOR ENTITIES OR STAKEHOLDERS, UM, HAVING SOME, SOME SPACE, UH, KIND OF CO-LOCATING WITH THE DOWNTOWN COMMAND, UH, WOULD BE, WOULD ENHANCE, UM, THE PUBLIC SAFETY OPERATIONS DOWNTOWN.
THAT WAS, THAT WAS A LOT, UH, BUT WHAT, WHAT I WILL WILL SAY IS THAT THE DOWNTOWN AREA COMMAND, UH, SPECIFICALLY IS ONE THAT WE BELIEVE NEEDS TO BE IN THE CORE OF DOWNTOWN.
I BELIEVE WHEN THE DOWNTOWN, UH, ALLIANCE AND THE DOWNTOWN COMMISSION, UH, I CAN'T SAY THAT THE HEADQUARTERS ITSELF, UH, WAS MENTIONED THAT IT WOULD OR WOULD NOT PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SAFETY, UH, FOR THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
BUT I, BUT I DO BELIEVE THE DOWNTOWN AREA COMMAND, WHICH I SHARED WAS AN EXCESS OF A HUNDRED OFFICERS.
UH, A LOT OF THOSE ARE DEPLOYING ON FOOT AND BIKES, AND I THINK BY HAVING THEM IN THE CENTRAL CORRIDOR, IT WILL PROVIDE THE BEST SERVICE DELIVERY FOR THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
AS I MENTIONED, IN REFERENCE TO THE, THE, THE ADMINISTRATIVE PIECE, UM, IT IS, IT WOULD BE CONVENIENT TO BE IN, IN, OR NEAR THE DOWNTOWN AREA, BUT IT'S NOT SPECIFICALLY, IT HAS TO BE IN THE CENTRAL CORRIDOR OF DOWNTOWN.
I JUST THINK IT WOULD BE, UH, FEASIBLE TO BE IN, UH, UH, NEAR, UH, OUR CITY HALL AND OTHERS IS THAT, THAT IS WHERE WE DO A LOT OF OUR BUSINESS.
AND, BUT IT DOES NOT HAVE TO SPECIFICALLY BE IN THE CENTRAL CORRIDOR.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PRESENT LOCATION COULD SUPPORT A BUILDING MORE THAN TWICE AS BIG AS THE ONE YOU HAVE NOW.
UH, SO, UM, SO THAT WE CAN IDENTIFY OTHER FOLKS TO BRING INTO THIS CONVERSATION IF YOU'RE JUST BLUE SKYING FOR A MOMENT AND THINKING, YOU KNOW, I HAD, I HAD INFINITE SPACE, UM, WHAT ARE OTHER, UH, NONPROFIT OR PUBLIC STAKEHOLDERS THAT YOU COULD SEE SOME BENEFIT FROM HAVING SOME, SOME CO-LOCATION WITH THE DOWNTOWN CAN, WELL, UH, TYING THE SKY IS THAT, I MEAN, IT'S JUST LIKE OUR CHILD PROTECTION TEAM AND FAMILY VIOLENCE PROTECTION TEAM CO-LOCATION IS SOMETHING THAT I BELIEVE WOULD BE BENEFICIAL.
I THINK WITH A LOT OF OUR EFFORTS IN OUR, OUR, UH, UH, ENDING, ENDING HOMELESSNESS WITH OUR EFFORTS, UH, WITH ANDREW GOLD CARE AND SOME OF THE OTHER PARTNERS IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA, UH, DEFINITELY COULD SEE, UH, CO LOCATING AND, UH, HAVING THEM, OR AT LEAST CLOSE BY, I THINK CURRENTLY WORKING WITH FRONT STEPS AND CARROT TOSS AND OTHERS, UM, BEING IN CLOSE PROXIMITY, WHETHER THEY WERE CO LOCATED OR NOT, IT HAS ITS BENEFITS.
SO, UM, MENTAL HEALTH STAKEHOLDERS, I KNOW WE HAVE, UH, UH, ONE OF THE COMMISSIONERS MENTIONED HOSTS.
UM, WE CURRENTLY HAVE A LOCATION NEAR THE, UH, THERE AT THE SOBERING CENTER, BUT HAVING THEM CO LOCATED, UH, CLOSER TO, UH, THE OTHER STAKEHOLDERS, WHICH IS THE DOWNTOWN OFFICERS AND, AND OTHERS WOULD BE OF BENEFIT.
SO I BELIEVE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN PUT TOGETHER TO HAVE A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM TOGETHER AS ITS BENEFITS.
SO, UH, TO ME, THE SKY'S THE LIMIT, IT'S JUST, UH, A MATTER OF GETTING WITH THE RIGHT FOLKS AND THE STAKEHOLDERS TO THE SIDE, THE, UH, THE BENEFITS, THE PROS AND CONS.
THERE ARE SOME INDIVIDUALS THAT WOULDN'T WANT TO COME IN A, IN A FACILITY WHERE POLICE OFFICERS ARE AT, AND THEY WOULD BE BETTER SERVICED AWAY.
SO WE WOULD HAVE TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS DECIDE, WHICH WOULD BE THE BEST AND WHICH WOULD NOT GREAT.
AND, UM, IN THE, IN THE 10 MINUTES WE HAVE REMAINING, UH, WE WE'VE JUST INCREASED THE, THE SIZE OF THE BOX A LITTLE BIT.
UM, CAN WE GET A LITTLE BIT MORE EXPANSIVE THAN THAT? UM, SOMEBODY HAD REQUESTED, UH, SOMEBODY FROM THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY.
IS THERE, ARE THERE ANYTHING MORE SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE HOMELESS COMMUNITY? UM, UM, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT CAN WE THINK OF HERE ABOUT THE DOWNTOWN
[01:10:01]
AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT? UH, ITS CURRENT LOCATION DOES SEEM A LITTLE CRAMPED.CAUSE THE IDEA OF, OF, UH, GIVING IT MAYBE A LITTLE BIT MORE SPACE OR THERE MIGHT BE SOME CO-LOCATION BENEFITS IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HAVING MENTAL HEALTH PRESENCE, UH, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS, UH, SERVICES THAT MIGHT BENEFIT INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE CHRONICALLY HOMELESS, IT MIGHT, IT MIGHT MAKE SENSE TO CO LOCATE A DACC THERE.
AND WHAT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, MANY WAYS THIS, THIS LOCATION IS A, ALMOST A LITERAL BRIDGE BETWEEN, UM, THE EASTERN CRESCENT AND DOWNTOWN AND EQUIDISTANT BETWEEN CITY HALL AND NEAR EAST AUSTIN.
UH, WE'VE HAD, WE'VE HEARD SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT, UH, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS LOCATION AS A WAY TO REALLY LIFT UP, UH, COMMUNITIES THAT, UH, HAVE A LOT OF INTERSECTION WITH POVERTY AND HOW THAT DRIVES, YOU KNOW, MOST CRIMINAL JUSTICE ISSUES.
UM, WHAT WOULD YOU GUYS LIKE TO HEAR FROM THERE WHO PUT LGBTQ ON THE AGENDA? WHAT IS IT ABOUT THAT THAT YOU'D LIKE TO HEAR SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THAT? I DON'T THINK HE'S HERE.
COMMISSIONER LANE PUT THAT ON THE AGENDA YOU'RE WITH US TODAY, BUT I THINK, UH, COMMISSIONER RAMIREZ, YOU HAD MENTIONED, UM, HOMELESSNESS AS WELL.
HOW DID THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT YOU WERE THINKING OF, HAVE THEY BEEN MENTIONED ALREADY OR, AND, AND JUST MORE SPECIFICALLY WHETHER OR NOT WE WOULD BE WELL SERVED BY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF A BIGGER FOOTPRINT FOR HOST, UM, AND WHETHER OR NOT LIKE HAVING A LARGER FOOTPRINT, LIKE A PHYSICAL FOOTPRINT WOULD BE HELPFUL, UM, ESPECIALLY JUST GIVEN THE LOCATION OF THE HEADQUARTERS.
AND ALSO JUST AS AN ASIDE, IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RE-IMAGINING PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOW THIS SPACE CAN HELP SERVE THAT, I DO LIKE THE IDEA OF LIKE THESE, THE WORD THAT'S BEING USED AS CO YOU KNOW, CO-LOCATING A BUNCH OF THESE SERVICES THAT ARE RELATED TO PUBLIC SAFETY UNDER THIS FORMER, YOU KNOW, POLICE HEADQUARTERS.
UM, I FEEL LIKE JUST MOVED FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, THE OPTICS, THE FEELING, UM, SURROUNDING THAT WOULD BE REALLY, REALLY POSITIVE.
BUT I ALSO, UM, I KNOW THAT THERE HAVE BEEN MENTIONS OF, UM, PRIVATE HOUSING, UM, THE UPPER TIERS OF THIS BUILDING.
THAT'S KIND OF BEEN CIRCULATED IN SOME PLACES, AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BEING SENSITIVE ABOUT, UM, HOW, YOU KNOW, $500 MILLION HOMES, UM, AND SOCIAL SERVICES ON GROUND FLOORS.
LIKE JUST KIND OF HOW THAT PRESENTS.
I'M MAKING SURE WE'RE BEING SENSITIVE ABOUT THAT.
WE'VE GOT ABOUT SEVEN MORE MINUTES.
IS THIS THE, ARE THESE THE BOUNDS OF Y'ALLS IMAGINATIONS FOOD SERVICES WOULD BE GREAT ACCESS TO POINT FOOD ACCESS? I'M SORRY, I BROKE UP A LITTLE BIT FOR ME TO JUST SAY FOOD ACCESS POINTS.
THE FOOD ACCESS POINT WOULD BE REALLY GREAT.
I WAS A LITTLE INTERESTED IN THE WORK THAT DIV INC IS DOING AND, AND THE, UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THE ECONOMIC ACTIVITY DOWNTOWN IS RELATED TO OUR TECH SECTOR.
UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF OTHER KIND OF HIGH THERE'S A LOT OF WEALTH SLOSHING AROUND IN THE INDUSTRIES AND A LOT OF THESE BUILDINGS DOWNTOWN.
AND, UH, COULD WE USE THIS LOCATION TO, UH, TO GET SOME FOOTHOLDS FOR FOLKS WHO ARE IN COMMUNITIES THAT AREN'T, YOU KNOW, TRADITIONALLY HIRED OUT OF INTO THOSE INDUSTRIES A WHOLE LOT, UM, WITH THIS LOCATION PRESENTED AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT? IS THAT SOMETHING Y'ALL MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN TALKING MORE ABOUT? ABSOLUTELY.
AND I THINK TO YOUR POINT EARLIER, THE CONNECTION AND LITERALLY THE BRIDGE BETWEEN EAST AUSTIN AND DOWNTOWN, I THINK IF WE COULD BRING TO, TO THE TABLE, PEOPLE THAT ARE INVESTING IN EAST AUSTIN AND INVESTING IN AND HOW WE CONTINUE TO MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS, I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE ORGANIZATIONS ARE, AND I'M HAPPY TO DO SOME RESEARCH INTO THAT FOR, TO, TO SHIP OVER TO CONNOR.
BUT I THINK THERE'S SOME, SOME CONNECTIONS TO BE MADE WITH EAST AUSTIN ABOUT HOW CORRIDOR AND IT MIGHT BE THROUGH, UM, UH, WE TALKED ABOUT L BLENDS ON A FUNNEL BEFORE, AND I HAVE THE CONTACT THERE THAT I WAS THINKING ABOUT BRINGING TO TALK ABOUT THE IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY AND THEIR EXPERIENCE IN THAT AREA AND HOW WE CAN BRIDGE THOSE.
I MISSED THE NAME OF THE ORGANIZATION.
[01:15:02]
RIGHT, RIGHT.AND IF WE'RE TALKING, UM, YOU KNOW, PIE IN THE SKY AND EXTENSION OF THE AUSTIN HISTORY CENTER, CONNECTING, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE RED LINING HISTORY AND STUFF, THAT'D BE GREAT, UM, ACCESS TO SOME OF THOSE MATERIALS AS ARCHIVES, UM, EXHIBIT SPACE, LIKE IF WE'RE REALLY TALKING PIE IN THE SKY, EVERY CENTER IS BUSTING OUT OF ITS SPACE.
I DO WANT TO POINT OUT, I WAS JUST LOOKING AT A MAP OF THE, UH, THE WATER, NOT THE GREEN BELT, BUT A GREEN WAY OR WHATEVER IT IS THERE IS, IS, UH, JUST RIGHT NEXT TO THE SITE.
SO, UM, THERE IS THAT POTENTIAL FOR, FOR MORE INTERACTION WITH, UM, WITH THE MISSOURI WATERLOO GREENWAY, I'M BLANKING ON THE NAME, BUT, UM, THE VERY EXPENSIVE, UH, NICE GREENBELT THAT WE'RE PUTTING IN BETWEEN, UM, BETWEEN 15TH AND THE RIVER ON WALLER CREEK.
LET ME JUST ADD ANOTHER SORT OF A FOLLOWUP.
WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT EARLIER, THIS IS BILL KELLY, I THINK SORT OF THE FELLOW LOCATION OF AS MANY SOCIAL SERVICES IN ONE PLACE THAT WE COULD HAVE COULD, UH, BE QUITE BENEFICIAL.
I MEAN, WE KNOW CASE MANAGEMENT IS A BIG ISSUE WITH REGARD TO, UH, CERTAIN SEGMENTS OF THE POPULATION WHO HAVE DIFFICULTY WITH TRANSPORTATION AND A VARIETY OF OTHER THINGS I JUST HAD.
UM, THERE WAS A, THERE'S A HOMELESS SHELTER IN MIAMI DADE COUNTY AND I'M BLANK ON THE NAME OF IT.
UH, BUT WE WENT DOWN THERE WITH, UH, SOME CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS YEARS AGO TO TOUR IT.
AND YOU COULD GET A DRIVER'S LICENSE.
YOU COULD GET VETERANS IT'S JUST THERE.
I MEAN, THERE WAS A WHOLE HUB, YOU COULD GET MENTAL HEALTH THROUGH, YOU GET DENTAL WORK.
I MEAN, IT WAS A WHOLE VARIETY OF, OF SOCIAL SERVICES FOR PEOPLE WHO FALL THROUGH THE SAFETY NET.
I DON'T REALLY, I MEAN, ONE OF THE REASONS WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, A VARIETY OF PROBLEMS HERE IN AUSTIN IS BECAUSE WE LACK FUNDAMENTAL PUBLIC HEALTH AND ACCESS TO OTHER PUBLIC SOURCES.
AND I THINK HAVING THEM LOCATED IN ONE PLACE AS MANY IN ONE CENTRALIZED LOCATION, UH, COULD BE VERY BENEFICIAL.
I MEAN, I, I MEAN, I'M JUST WONDERING IF THERE'S ALSO A PLACE FOR, UM, RETAIL, YOU KNOW, LIKE TO HELP FUND THIS.
UM, BUT CONNOR, I WANTED TO MENTION TO YOU, THERE'S A NONPROFIT IN AUSTIN THAT TRAINS KIDS OF COLOR CAUSE YOU COMPUTER PROGRAMMING AND STEM CALLED CODE TO COLLEGE AND THEY'RE ALL FUN.
AND THEY'RE THE KIND OF THING THAT IF THEY WERE TO HAVE SPACE THERE, I THINK IT WOULD EXACTLY MEET THE MISSION
[6. Update on Sexual Assault Investigation – Resolution #20190131-077 (Sponsors: Commissioners Gonzales and Webber) 4:35-4:55pm Speakers: - Patricia Bourenane, Executive Assistant to Rey Arellano, Assistant City Manager - Representative from Police Executive Research Executive Forum (PERF)]
OF UPLIFTING, UM, YEAH.USING THE SPACE TO UPLIFT PEOPLE AND BRING PEOPLE OUT OF POVERTY.
ONE MORE COMMENT, AND THEN WE WILL MOVE ON.
DO YOU HAVE ANYONE ELSE? ALL RIGHT, MR. KENNEY, THANK YOU AGAIN SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND LET'S GET, WE DO HAVE A PLACE FOR YOU ON THE NOVEMBER MEETING AND WE WILL MAKE SURE WE'RE PREPARED FOR THEM.
I'LL I'LL BRING US SOME GOOD PEOPLE.
UM, NUMBER SIX ON THE AGENDA IS THE UPDATE ON THE SEXUAL ASSAULT INVESTIGATIONS.
UM, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT MYSELF COMMISSIONER WEBER AND COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT ARE, UH, PRETTY CLOSE TO.
UM, THIS IS AN UPDATE BASED ON THE, UM, STARTING OF THE PROCESS AROUND THE INVESTIGATION WITH, UH, I'M SORRY.
I'M NOT EVEN GOING TO TRY TO BUTCHER YOUR NAME.
PATRICIA, PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF.
UM, I DON'T HAVE THE NAME OF THE PERSON FROM PERTH, BUT IF YOU CAN INTRODUCE YOURSELF AS WELL, PLEASE, IT'S HER THING.
MY NAME IS PATRICIA BORN NAMED, AND WE DO PRESENTATION THAT I'D LIKE TO PULL UP IN JUST A MINUTE.
UM, I BELIEVE, UM, OUR IT FOLKS ARE GOING TO BE WONDERFUL.
I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THIS VERY IMPORTANT PROJECT.
IT'S THE EVALUATION OF THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATION ON SEX CRIMES.
MY NAME IS PATRICIA NAME I'M WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE AND I'M THE ASSISTANT TO ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, RIGHT? ARIANO WHO OVERSEES THE PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS FOR THE CITY.
[01:20:01]
CONTRACTORS, RACHEL, EVERYBODY, AND SARAH MOSTON.THEY ARE REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE POLICE EXECUTIVE RESEARCH FORUM.
SO THIS AFTERNOON WE WILL PROVIDE YOU BACKGROUND ABOUT THE PROJECT DETAILS RELATED TO THE SCOPE OF WORK, AND, UM, ALSO HIGHLIGHT, UM, THE VENDOR SELECTION PROCESS.
AND AT THAT POINT I WILL HAND IT OVER TO PERF AND THEY WILL PROVIDE A STATUS UPDATE ON WORK THAT HAS BEEN COMPLETED THUS FAR AND WORK CURRENTLY UNDERWAY.
WE WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE, AND ALSO ON THE LINE.
UM, MY COLLEAGUES AT APD COMMANDER HEPARIN JOHNSON, WHO OVERSEES THE SEX CRIMES UNIT IS ALSO AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
SO IN JANUARY, 2019, COUNCIL PASSED A RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO UNDERTAKE A COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION ON HOW REPORTED SEXUAL ASSAULTS ARE INVESTIGATED AND PROCESSED BY THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THIS WOULD INCLUDE WHY A NUMBER OF REPORTED CASES DO NOT PROCEED TO PROSECUTION WITHIN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.
SO WHEN DEVELOPING THE SCOPE OF WORK, THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE USE THE CRITERIA THAT IS EXPLICITLY OUTLINED IN THE RESOLUTION.
SO FOR THE VENDOR REQUIREMENTS, WE SOUGHT A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED NON-GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY WITH EXTENSIVE EX EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE IN THE INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF SEXUAL ASSAULTS WITHIN THE UNITED STATES.
WE ALSO WANTED A VENDOR WHO DEMONSTRATED KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE TO PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION OF THE DEPARTMENT AND DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT.
WE ALSO LOOKED FOR PREVIOUS SUCCESSFUL EXPERIENCE EVALUATING A SIMILARLY SIZED ORGANIZATION AND OR CITY AND ON THEIR HANDLING OF REPORTING SEXUAL ASSAULTS.
AND WE ALSO, UM, WANTED A COMMITMENT TO ENGAGE WITH THE PUBLIC AS WITH MANY OF OUR PROJECTS THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND STAKEHOLDER INPUT WAS KEY, ESPECIALLY FOR THE SUCCESS OF THIS PROJECT.
SO KEY COMPONENTS OF THE VENDOR'S EVALUATION, WHAT THE VENDOR WOULD DO IS THEY WOULD EXAMINE EITHER 200 ADULT SEXUAL ASSAULT CASES OR 50% SEXUAL ASSAULT CASES FROM EACH YEAR.
WHICHEVER NUMBER WAS GREATER FOR THE, FOR EACH OF THE PRIOR SEVEN YEARS.
SO THAT SPANNED OVER 2012 TO 2018.
ALSO THIS WOULD REVIEW WHAT EXCLUDE CASES THAT ARE BEING ACTIVELY INVESTIGATED OR ARE PENDING IN THE COURT SYSTEM.
IT WAS NECESSARY FOR US TO HAVE A DIVERSE, DIVERSE DIVERSITY IN CASES.
SO BASICALLY WHAT THAT MEANS IS THE VENDOR IS GOING TO EXAMINE CASES THAT REPRESENT A CROSS SECTION OF INVESTIGATORS INVESTIGATING CASES, AND EACH YEAR THEY WOULD ALSO INCLUDE DIFFERENT VICTIM TYPES, INCLUDING BOTH CASES THAT DID AND DID NOT MOVE FORWARD TO PROSECUTION.
AND AT ANY POINT OF THE, THEIR EVALUATION, THE CONTRACTOR COULD ADD OR, UM, ADD TO THIS CRITERIA LIST, JUST TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE A DIVERSITY OF CASES THAT THEY WOULD BE EVALUATING NEXT SLIDE.
SO REGARDING THE COMPONENTS OF THE VENDOR'S EVALUATION, THERE WERE KEY TASKS THAT THEY WILL COVER TO PERFORM THEIR EVALUATION.
THEY WILL CONDUCT INTERVIEWS WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVORS WHO MADE REPORTS TO THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH THE INVESTIGATIVE PROCESS.
THEY WILL CONDUCT INTERVIEWS WITH CURRENT AND FORMER STAFF INVOLVED IN WORKING THESE CASES.
ALSO THEY WILL INTERVIEW LOCAL SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS IN AGENCIES THAT WORK DIRECTLY WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVORS.
THEY WILL ALSO LOOK INTO THE DEGREE TO WHICH APD IS ADHERING TO STATE AND FEDERAL LAW WITH REGARD TO THE INVESTIGATION PROCESS AND REPORTING, THEY WILL PERFORM A REVIEW OF APDS POLICIES AND PRACTICES TO ENSURE THAT THEY DO NOT PROMOTE BIAS BASED ON AN INDIVIDUAL'S GENDER, RACE, DISABILITY, OR LGBTQ STATUS.
THEY WILL ASSESS WHETHER AND HOW APD IS ADHERING TO NATIONAL BEST PRACTICES AND ALL ASPECTS OF THE INVESTIGATIVE PROCESS, SUCH AS TIMING AND PROCESS OF INTERVIEWS.
IT WILL ALSO PREFER PERFORM A REVIEW OF THE TREATMENT GIVEN TO CASES AND VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ASSAULTS, UM, THAT INVOLVE DRUG AND ALCOHOL, UM, DRUG AND ALCOHOL, UM, IN ORDER TO ASCERTAIN IF THOSE CASES AND VICTIMS, UM, IF THEY DID NOT RECEIVE APPROPRIATE.
AND I'M SORRY IF THEY RECEIVED AN APPROPRIATE DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT, BECAUSE THERE WAS INVOLVEMENT OF ALCOHOL AND DRUGS, THEY WILL ALSO EVALUATE THE APPROPRIATENESS OF CURRENT STAFFING AND RESOURCES AND TRAINING PROVIDED WITHIN APD.
[01:25:01]
THEY WILL ALSO ASSESS THE ACCURACY AND CLEAR CASE CLEARANCE DECISIONS AND LONGTERM DATA REGARDING THE WAYS IN WHICH CASES ARE CLEARED.AND FINALLY, THEY WILL EVALUATE DOCUMENTATION OF CURRENT POLICIES REGARDING THE ISSUANCE OF WARRANTS AND FILING OF CASES.
UM, JUST TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY ISSUES THAT MAY EXIST.
SO AFTER THIS THOROUGH EVALUATION IS COMPLETE, THE VENDOR WILL PRODUCE A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT THAT WILL INCLUDE RECOMMENDATIONS RELEVANT TO THE ENTIRE LIFE CYCLE OF SEXUAL ASSAULT CASES.
AND IN ORDER TO IMPROVE OUR SYSTEMS RESPONSE FOR SURVIVORS, THIS REPORT WILL BE POSTED IN A PROMINENT PLACE IN SHARED PUBLICLY, UM, ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE.
AND IT WILL NOT BE REDACTED PRIOR TO ITS PUBLICATION WITH THE EXCEPTION OF REDACTIONS THAT ARE MADE, UM, TO MAINTAIN PRIVACY AND ANONYMITY FOR, FOR INDIVIDUALS WITHIN THE REPORT.
UM, THE WILL ALSO BE PRESENTED BEFORE THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION, AS WELL AS THE COMMISSION FOR WOMEN AND WILL INCLUDE FINDINGS OF THE INFORMATION REVIEWED BY THE CONTRACTOR, WHICH WILL ALSO BE ACCOMPANIED BY CORRESPONDING DATA SETS.
SO I DID MENTION THAT THERE WILL BE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT COME FROM THIS EVALUATION AND REVIEW, UM, SOME EVALUATION OR SOME RECOMMENDATIONS CAN INCLUDE HOW THE CITY WILL MAKE THE PROCESS OF REPORTING AND COOPERATING WITH A CASE MORE ACCESSIBLE AND RESPONSIVE TO THE PUBLIC NEEDS.
WE MAY SEE CHANGES TO INTERNAL POLICIES, PRACTICES, TRAINING, AND POSSIBLY NEW TRAINING AND AN EMPLOYER MENTATION PLAN, OR PROVIDING THAT NEW TRAINING TO STAFFING.
WE ALSO MAY SEE, UM, ENHANCEMENTS OR CHANGES TO ORGANIZATIONAL STAFFING.
SO THOSE ARE JUST SOME EXAMPLES OF RECOMMENDATIONS THAT MAY COME FROM THIS REPORT NEXT TIME.
SO FOR THE VENDOR SELECTION, THROUGH THE CITY'S PURCHASING A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION PROCESS, THE SCOPE OF WORK WAS SHARED PUBLICLY WITH THE COMMUNITY FOR A WEEK IN FEBRUARY OF 2019.
DURING THIS TIMEFRAME STAFF ENGAGED WITH THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION, AS WELL AS THE COMMISSION FOR WOMEN TO GAIN INPUT ON THE DRAFT SCOPE OF WORK OR DRAFT DRAFT SCOPE OF WORK, BECAUSE THE FOCUS OF THIS PROJECT IS HIGHLY SPECIALIZED.
THE SOLICITATION WAS LAUNCHED AS A REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS, AND THAT SOLICITATION RAN FOR TWO WEEKS, UM, THROUGH APRIL TO MAY OF 2019.
AND THEN DURING THE SUMMER OF 2019 AND EVALUATION PANEL, WHICH WAS COMPRISED OF MEMBERS FROM THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, THE EQUITY OFFICE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT, AUSTIN, PUBLIC HEALTH AND AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY EMS DETERMINED THAT THE POLICE EXECUTIVE RESEARCH FORUM, WHICH IS PERF, UM, WOULD BE NAMED PRIMARY CONTRACTOR WITH SUBCONTRACTORS, UM, FROM THE WOMEN'S LAW PROJECT.
AND WASN'T WELLESLEY CENTER FOR WOMEN AND ON SEPTEMBER 19TH OF 2019 COUNCIL APPROVED THE EXECUTION OF THAT CONTRACT FOR HER.
AND AT THIS TIME, I'M GOING TO HAND OVER THE PRESENTATION TO CURVES SO THAT THEY CAN PROVIDE YOU A STATUS UPDATE ON THE PROJECT.
MY NAME IS SARAH MOSTON WITH THE POLICE EXECUTIVE RESEARCH FORUM.
AND I'M GOING TO START ABOUT TALKING ABOUT OUR TIMELINE.
SO OUR PROJECT HAS SEVEN MAJOR MILESTONES STARTING WITH THE KICKOFF MEETINGS.
WE COMPLETED THOSE LAST NOVEMBER.
WE'RE ALSO DOING A POLICY AND PROCEDURE REVIEW.
THAT'S AN ONGOING PROCESS THAT'S SCHEDULED TO END IN NOVEMBER OF THIS YEAR AND THAT'S FOR WHEN WE'RE FINISHING OUR ORIGINAL REQUEST FOR DOCUMENTS, BUT WE RECOGNIZE THAT AS WE CONTINUE ALONG AND DO INTERVIEWS AND REVIEW CASES, THAT WE MIGHT IDENTIFY ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS THAT WE WANT TO REVIEW.
THE CASE REVIEW WAS INITIALLY SCHEDULED AND IN MAY 21, AND THAT IS CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS.
THE INTERVIEWS AND THE SITE VISIT ARE ALSO SCHEDULED TO END IN MAY, 2021.
THE BEGIN DATE FOR THAT IS TO BE DETERMINED RIGHT NOW, BUT WE ARE HOPING TO START THAT IN THE NEW YEAR, WE'RE CONSIDERING VIRTUAL OPTIONS FOR THAT, OBVIOUSLY BECAUSE OF COVID-19 THE FINAL REPORT AND PRESENTATION ON FINDINGS WILL BE IN FEBRUARY, 2022, WE DID EXPERIENCE SOME INITIAL DELAYS TO THE SCHEDULED TIMELINE.
MY COLLEAGUE RACHEL WILL COVER THAT IN MORE DETAIL, BUT AN ADDITIONAL LEGAL REVIEW TO THE CASES THAT WE SELECTED FOR A CASE REVIEW WAS ADDED AFTER THIS TIMELINE WAS DEVELOPED.
AND WE ALSO EXPERIENCED SOME DELAYS BECAUSE OF COVID-19 MOSTLY IN DELAYING OUR ABILITY TO GET SOME OF OUR REVIEWERS FULLY CERTIFIED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CASE REVIEW.
UH, BUT WE'VE SINCE ADDRESSED THAT.
AND WE DO NOT EXPECT THESE DELAYS TO PUSH US BACK IN OUR END DATE OF FEBRUARY 20, 22, AS WE ARE CONFIDENT WE'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE UP THAT TIME LOSS.
[01:30:01]
NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.SO, AS I MENTIONED, THE START OF OUR PROJECT BEGAN LAST NOVEMBER WITH OUR KICKOFF MEETINGS WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE COUNCIL MEMBER, ALTER APD LEADERSHIP AND MEMBERS OF THIS COMMISSION AND THE COMMISSION FOR WOMEN WHILE WE WERE IN TOWN.
WE ALSO TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH MEMBERS OF APDS, VICTIM SERVICES, UNIT, AND THE SEX CRIMES UNIT, AS WELL AS REPRESENTED REPRESENTATIVES FROM SAFE ALLIANCE.
UM, SO JUST TO KIND OF GIVE YOU A STATUS UPDATE ON WHAT WE'VE DONE SO FAR, UM, BASED ON KIND OF SOME OF THE ITEMS THAT ARE TALKED ABOUT ON THE TIMELINE.
UM, FIRST WE HAD TO COMPLETE, UM, IT'S ON CJIS TRAINING AND THAT WAS REQUIRED IN ORDER FOR US TO ACCESS THE CASE FILES AS PART OF OUR CASE FILE REVIEW.
UM, SO THAT INCLUDED GETTING, UM, OUR FINGERPRINTS DONE AND SUBMITTING THOSE AND ALSO DOING A, AN ONLINE C JUST TRAINING.
UM, THAT PROCESS TOOK A LITTLE BIT OF TIME AND WE EXPERIENCED SOME INITIAL DELAYS IN THAT PHASE BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC.
UM, SOME OF THE FINGERPRINTING LOCATIONS WEREN'T OPEN.
UM, BUT, BUT THANKFULLY WE HAVE AT THIS TIME BEEN ABLE TO GET ALL OF OUR STAFF, UM, THAT CERTIFIED AND GOTTEN THEIR FINGERPRINTS DONE THROUGH THAT PROCESS.
UM, THE NEXT THING LIKE SARAH MENTIONED WAS THE DOCUMENT REVIEW.
SO, UM, WE'RE REVIEWING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR THE SEX CRIMES UNIT, UM, AND VICTIM SERVICES UNIT.
I'M ALSO LOOKING AT TRAINING MATERIALS AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS.
AND, UM, WE'VE ALSO, UM, LIKE I THINK PATRICIA MENTIONED, WE, WE HAD SOME UPDATES RECENTLY TO THE COMMISSION FOR WOMEN AND, UM, THE AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY SART.
UM, AND THEN OBVIOUSLY TODAY WE'RE UPDATING YOU ALL AS WELL.
SO, UM, JUST TO KIND OF GO OVER, UM, SOME OF THE REST OF THE ITEMS WE'VE DONE SO FAR.
SO THE REVIEW OF, UM, THE APD SEX CRIMES CASES, UM, FIRST WE KIND OF, WE WORKED WITH THE APD CRIME ANALYST TO IDENTIFY ALL THE CASES THAT FELL WITHIN THE SCOPE OF OUR REVIEW.
SO, UM, IT'S GOING TO BE ALL ADULT FELONY SEX CRIMES.
UM, WE THEN DEVELOPED METRICS FOR THE CASE REVIEW, WHICH ARE BASICALLY CRITERIA THAT WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT, UM, WITHIN EACH CASE THAT WE'RE REVIEWING, UM, BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO BE REVIEWING CLOSE TO 2000 CASES.
WE WON'T, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT REVIEWERS.
UM, AND WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT EACH REVIEWER IS USING KIND OF A STANDARDIZED METHODOLOGY TO REVIEW THE CASES.
SO WE'VE BEEN DEVELOPING THESE METRICS TO KIND OF ASSESS THOSE CASES.
UM, AND THEN WE RANDOMLY SELECTED 50% OF CASES FROM EACH YEAR, UM, FROM 2012 TO 2018.
SO THAT WE CAME OUT WITH A TOTAL OF 1,929 CASES.
UM, THEN AS SARAH MENTIONED, UM, THE, THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UM, HAD TO DO A LEGAL REVIEW OF THE CASES WE SELECTED, UH, THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT, BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO KIND OF IDENTIFY, UM, IF ANY OF THE CASES HAD JUVENILE VICTIMS. UM, AND THOSE CASES WOULD BE EXCLUDED FROM THE REVIEW.
SO THAT, UM, THAT WAS KIND OF ANOTHER, UM, ANOTHER ITEM THAT INITIALLY CAUSED A LITTLE BIT OF A DELAY, UM, IN OUR INITIAL TIMELINE, BUT THAT IS NOW DONE FOR THE CASES WE SELECTED.
SO THEY EXCLUDED SOME OF THE CASES AND WE, UM, REQUESTED REPLACEMENT CASES TO SELECT, UM, TO REPLACE THE ONES THAT WERE EXCLUDED.
UM, WE'VE ALSO DONE, UM, INTERRATER RELIABILITY TESTING ON THE CASE METRICS THAT WE HAVE DEVELOPED.
SO THIS IS JUST TO ENSURE THAT ALL OF OUR REVIEWERS ARE EVALUATING THE CASES CONSISTENTLY.
UM, SINCE WE'VE COME UP WITH OVER 50 DIFFERENT METRICS AND CRITERIA THAT WE'RE EVALUATING THESE CASES ON, WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT ALL OF OUR REVIEWERS, UM, SINCE WE'RE SPLITTING UP THE CASES, WE'LL, UM, YOU KNOW, BE REVIEWING THE CASES CONSISTENTLY AND KIND OF BE REACHING THE SAME CONCLUSIONS.
UM, AND THEN WE, WE FINALIZE THE CASE METRICS KIND OF BASED ON THAT PROCESS.
AND NOW WE'RE WORKING, UM, ON THE CASE REVIEW IN GENERAL.
SO THAT IS, UH, PRETTY MUCH WHAT WE HAVE DONE THUS FAR.
AND SO WE'RE HOPING THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE PLANNING THAT WE'LL STILL BE ABLE TO FINISH THE CASE REVIEW BY OUR, UM, PROJECTED INITIAL TIMELINE OF NEXT MAY.
SO, UM, IF ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS NEXT SLIDE, I GUESS
[01:35:01]
WE'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM.THANK YOU SO MUCH, LADIES FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, I WILL, LET ME FLIP THROUGH ANYONE, HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONER WEBER, PLEASE.
YEAH, I WAS WONDERING, AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I WAS WONDERING IF THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT EXCLUDED CASES FOR ANY OTHER REASON, BUT THAT A VICTIM WAS A JUVENILE.
NO, IT WAS ONLY FOR VICTIMS THAT WERE JUVENILES.
AND WHY DID, LIKE, WHY COULDN'T, I MEAN, I JUST, I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHY THE LEGAL NEEDED TO SCREEN THEM, ANYONE READ THOSE FILES AND FIND, AND, YOU KNOW, FIGURE OUT FOR THEMSELVES WHETHER THE, HOW OLD THE VICTIM WAS.
YEAH, I GUESS YOU COULD SAY THAT THEY COULD HAVE, UM, WE DECIDED TO GO THROUGH THIS ROUTE.
IT WAS A PROCESS THAT WAS ESTABLISHED BY THE LAW DEPARTMENT.
THEY WANTED TO ENSURE THAT ALL THE INFORMATION THAT I WAS RELEASING, UM, FIT THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT.
IT JUST SEEMS WEIRD, PATRICIA, GIVEN THAT, LIKE IT DELAYED THINGS.
WHY GO THROUGH THAT, IF ALL, IF THE ONLY PURPOSE WAS TO JUST PULL OUT JUVENILES.
SO I'M, YOU KNOW, MY SPIDEY SENSES A LITTLE BIT I'M ON ALERT HERE THAT THAT WAS NECESSARY SO THAT THE DELAY WAS NECESSARY AND THEN THAT IT WAS NECESSARY TO HAVE THAT DEPARTMENT DO IT.
UM, SO I DUNNO IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER INFORMATION TO OFFER ABOUT THAT.
I THINK IT WAS ALSO A PRIVACY CONCERN WITH THE ISSUE WITH THE JUVENILE, UM, VICTIMS AND THAT THEY WOULDN'T WANT TO GIVE US THOSE CASES AND SHARE THOSE JUVENILES NAMES.
UM, SO I THINK THAT WAS THE ISSUE I BELIEVE, UM, WAS BY THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT TO DO THAT, THAT DID NOT NEED A LAWYER TO DO IT.
AND SO THERE FOR IT TO DELAY THE ENTIRE PROJECT TO ME IS, UM, UNACCEPTABLE.
SO, UH, I HAD BEEN PART OF THIS PROCESS FROM EARLY ON, AND WE WERE ALWAYS CURIOUS ONCE YOU DID THE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES REVIEW, WHETHER YOU'D FIND ANYTHING THAT YOU SAW NEEDED WORK.
AND SO I'M CURIOUS WHETHER YOU FOUND ANYTHING IN THE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES THAT YOU HAVE RECOMMENDATION THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN CHANGE, UM, OR THAT WE HAVE A DIFFERENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE.
SO, UM, AT THIS TIME, BECAUSE WE'RE KIND OF IN THE INITIAL STAGES OF, OF THE REVIEW, UM, WE KIND OF WANT TO BE SURE THAT WE CAN REVIEW THE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES KIND OF IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE CASE REVIEW THAT WE'RE DOING.
AND WE'RE ALSO, UM, AS SARAH MENTIONED GOING TO BE DOING INTERVIEWS, UM, WHERE THE APD PERSONNEL, UM, THAT'LL BE HOPEFULLY STARTING IN THE EARLY NEW YEAR.
SO WE WANT TO BE SURE THAT WE, UM, KIND OF GET THAT INTO THAT INTERVIEW PROCESS AND, UM, SUBSTANTIALLY INTO THE CASE REVIEW PROCESS BEFORE WE MAKE ANY INITIAL INITIAL RECOMMENDATIONS.
SO AT THIS TIME WE DON'T HAVE ANY FINDINGS TO SHARE RIGHT NOW, BUT AFTER WE DO THE, UM, INTERVIEWS IN THE, IN THE EARLY NEW YEAR, I THINK WE'LL PROBABLY BE ABLE TO COME UP WITH SOME INITIAL FINDINGS KIND OF BASED ON THOSE THREE, UH, PARTS OF THE PROCESS, AND TO ADD FURTHER CLARIFICATION TO COMMISSIONER BERNHARDT WHILE WE WERE IN THE KICKOFF MEETINGS.
THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DEFINITELY DID ASK IS THAT IF SOME THINGS WHERE I TALKED WHILE THE PROCESS WAS GOING, THAT IT WOULDN'T WAIT UNTIL THE REPORTING PROCESS, WHICH WE KNEW WAS GOING TO TAKE OVER TWO YEARS, WE'D GET IT.
DIDN'T WAIT FOR THE REPORTING PROCESS TO GIVE ANY RELEVANT FEEDBACK ON POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.
SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WAS NOTHING HOLDING THE ORGANIZATION FROM GIVING US THAT FEEDBACK TO ABD.
ANY QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONER HUSTON FLAT, PLEASE GO AHEAD.
I JUST HAVE SOME QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THAT.
SO THERE'S GOING TO BE AN INTERVIEW PORTION OF THE FIT.
YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE 50% THAT IS BEING PULLED.
I MEAN, WHAT ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO DO TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE KIND OF A, THAT WE HAVE A DIVERSE GROUP OF PEOPLE BEING IN THAT INTERVIEW PROCESS? I MEAN, I KNOW IT'S 50%, BUT I THINK THAT THERE COULD BE SOME COMMUNITIES THAT ARE HARDER TO EITHER GET AHOLD OF, OR CULTURALLY MAY NOT BE WILLING TO DIVULGE AS MUCH AS OTHERS.
AND SO I WAS JUST WONDERING HOW YOU'RE GOING TO KIND OF WEIGH THAT INTO YOUR FINDINGS IN YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS.
SO, SORRY, JUST TO CLARIFY, CAUSE I DIDN'T EXPLAIN THE INTERVIEWS THAT WELL.
UM, SO WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING INTERVIEWS OF, UM,
[01:40:01]
APD PERSONNEL.SO, UM, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE IN THE SEX CRIMES, UNIT DETECTIVES AND EVERYTHING THAT WE'LL ALSO BE INTERVIEWING, UM, LOCAL ADVOCACY GROUPS, UM, YOU KNOW, PROSECUTORS AND EVERYTHING.
AND THEN IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE'LL BE INTERVIEWING, UM, SURVIVORS.
NOW THAT WON'T NECESSARILY BE, UM, FROM, SO THE 50% KIND OF REFERS TO THE 50% OF THE CASES FOR ME EACH YEAR THAT WE'RE REVIEWING, UM, WITH, WITH SELECTING THE SURVIVORS TO INTERVIEW, IT IS KIND OF A, A DELICATE PROCESS BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO JUST REACH OUT TO SURVIVORS, YOU KNOW, UM, THROUGH, THROUGH APD OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
SO WHAT WE'RE GOING TO, UM, HOPEFULLY DO IS WORK WITH SOME LOCAL ADVOCACY GROUPS, POTENTIALLY THE SART, UM, AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT CAN HELP US IDENTIFY SURVIVORS THAT MIGHT BE WILLING TO SPEAK WITH US.
UM, SO WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT THEY'LL BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY KIND OF A DIVERSE GROUP OF SURVIVORS, UM, THROUGH THAT PROCESS.
BUT WE'RE DEFINITELY GOING TO RELY ON GROUPS LIKE THAT TO BE ABLE TO HELP US WITH IDENTIFYING SURVIVORS THAT WILL BE WILLING TO PARTICIPATE.
CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT HOW MANY INTERVIEWS WITH SURVIVORS YOU'RE GOING TO ATTEMPT TO GET FOR THE, UM, FOR THE REPORT? WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS BE HAD INITIALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF PLANNED FOR HOPEFULLY ABOUT 50? UM, IT, IT REALLY DEPENDS ON HOW MANY SURVIVORS ARE WILLING TO SPEAK WITH US.
YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT IT IS A SENSITIVE SUBJECT AND THAT, YOU KNOW, SOME SURVIVORS MAY NOT WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
SO WE'RE HOPING THAT WITH THE HELP, UH, LIKE I MENTIONED, AT SOME OF THOSE ADVOCACY GROUPS THAT, THAT THEY'LL BE ABLE TO MAYBE GENERATE INTEREST, UM, AMONG SURVIVORS THAT MAY WANT TO SPEAK WITH US, OF COURSE, IT'LL BE A VOLUNTARY PROCESS.
WE WON'T BE, YOU KNOW, REQUIRING ANY SURVIVORS TO SPEAK WITH US.
SO WE'RE HOPING THAT WE COULD GET SOMETHING LIKE 50.
UM, WE THINK THAT WOULD BE GREAT TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK WITH THAT MANY VICTIMS. SO THE MORE WE CAN GET THE BETTER FOR US PLEASE.
I WAS JUST WONDERING IF Y'ALL ARE IN CONTACT WITH THE TWO WOMEN WHO HAVE BEEN REPRESENTING THESE, UM, SURVIVORS IN VARIOUS ITERATIONS OF A LAWSUIT THAT THEY ARE CONTINUING TO TRY TO BRING.
AND I THINK RIGHT NOW THERE ACTUALLY IS ONE THEY'RE NAMED THEIR DINNER FOR EXCELLENCE.
AND, UM, ELIZABETH MEYER ARE, Y'ALL TALKING TO THEM BECAUSE THEY REALLY SEEM TO FIT AS MANY AS A HUNDRED WOMEN HAVE REACHED OUT TO THEM.
AND I HAVEN'T, I CAN'T REMEMBER LIKE WHAT THEIR, UM, PLEADING THAT GOT DISMISSED FROM FEDERAL COURT SAID, BUT IT INDICATED THAT DOZENS OF WOMEN WERE INVOLVED.
SO I'M JUST WONDERING WHAT YOUR COMMUNICATION WITH THEM HAS BEEN.
THAT WAS NOT ACTUALLY PART OF THE SCOPE OF OUR REVIEW.
UM, INITIALLY THAT IT DIDN'T TOUCH ON, UM, THOSE SPECIFIC LAWSUITS.
UM, I DON'T THINK WE WE'D BE HAPPY TO TALK TO THOSE PEOPLE.
WE WOULD HAVE TO JUST TALK WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE TO SEE IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WOULD FALL WITHIN OUR SCOPE.
SO I'M NOT SURE PATRICIA, THAT'S SOMETHING WE WOULD HAVE TO, TO TALK WITH, UH, RAY ABOUT.
UM, OR IF YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT AT THIS POINT.
TO GET GUIDANCE FROM RAY, UM, IN ORDER TO ENSURE I WOULD, ESPECIALLY, I ESPECIALLY RECOMMEND THEM TO YOU BECAUSE THEY, UM, ARE TRUSTED BY THESE, UH, SURVIVORS.
AND SO GOING THROUGH THEM MAY BE A BETTER WAY OF, UM, ENGAGING WITH SURVIVORS TO COME AND TELL THEIR STORIES TO YOU, AS OPPOSED TO, FOR INSTANCE, YOU KNOW, LIKE GOING THROUGH VICTIM SERVICES.
UM, COMMISSIONER RAMIREZ, LAST COMMENT PLEASE.
AND I JUST HAD ONE QUESTION AND I WAS, IT WAS PIGGYBACKING A LITTLE BIT ON WANTING TO GET AN UPDATE ON, ON THE POLICY PROCEDURE REVIEW AND HOPING THAT YOU GUYS COULD IDENTIFY, BECAUSE THIS IS A LONG PROCESS, WHETHER OR NOT THERE ARE SOME, UM, MILESTONES AT WHICH THERE COULD BE SOME LEVEL OF TRANSPARENCY ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE ABOUT YOUR FINDINGS AND SOME LEVEL OF REPORTING ALONG THE WAY TO HELP TRACK.
SO, UM, LIKE I MENTIONED, WE'RE HOPING THAT, UM, EARLY IN THE NEW YEAR, JANUARY AND FEBRUARY, UM, WE'LL BE ABLE TO START THE INTERVIEWS AT LEAST, UM, NOT NECESSARILY THE SURVIVOR INTERVIEWS, BUT AT LEAST,
[01:45:01]
UM, THE INTERVIEWS OF SOME OF THE SEX CRIMES PERSONNEL.AND, UM, BY THAT POINT, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE MORE OF OUR CASE REVIEW DONE.
SO THAT WILL, YOU KNOW, ALL THROUGH THIS PROCESS WILL BE KIND OF COMING UP WITH QUESTIONS THAT WE WANT TO ASK.
UM, AND I THINK BETWEEN THAT THE POLICY AND PROCEDURE REVIEW AND THE CASE REVIEW, WE'LL BE ABLE TO KIND OF ESTABLISH SOME PRELIMINARY FINDINGS AT THAT POINT.
AND, UM, THEN I KNOW WE HAVE KIND OF A MID PROJECT, UH, CHECK IN WITH, UM, WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE ON KIND OF OUR PRELIMINARY FINDINGS.
SO, UM, I'M NOT, UM, I'M NOT SURE HOW THE RESULTS OF THAT GET SHARED PATRICIA, BUT I THINK AT THAT TIME, SO I WOULD SAY PROBABLY BY MID NEXT YEAR, MID 2021, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE SOME PRELIMINARY, UM, FINDINGS, AT LEAST I CAN CIRCLE BACK TO THE COMMISSION, UM, WITH THIS INFORMATION PLAN ON UPDATING YOU GREAT.
CAN I ASK FOR ONE OTHER PIECE OF INFORMATION THAT I THINK WOULD BE VERY, UM, RELEVANT, WHICH IS, WILL YOU GIVE US AN IDEA NEXT TIME YOU COME? UM, THE, MAYBE LIKE THE PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND, UM, AND SEX OF THE REVIEWER.
SO I'M VERY INTERESTED TO KNOW WHETHER THE PEOPLE THAT ARE BEING HIRED TO REVIEW THESE FILES ARE FORMER OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT OR FORMERLY LAW ENFORCEMENT SPECIFICALLY.
UM, I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, UM, THAT THE PEOPLE REVIEWING THE CASES ARE, UM, SARAH AND MYSELF, UM, FOR ONE THAT WE HAVE SEVERAL OF OUR OTHER PERKS STAFF, UM, AT PERF AND THEN LIKE PATRICIA MENTIONED EARLIER, WE DO HAVE TWO SUBCONTRACTORS, THE, THE WOMEN'S LAW PROJECT, UM, WHICH IS, UH, WHICH IS AN ORGANIZATION OUT OF PHILADELPHIA.
THEY'VE WORKED EXTENSIVELY ON SEXUAL ASSAULT CASE REVIEW, UM, IN THE PAST IN PHILADELPHIA AND THEN ALSO THE WELLESLEY CENTERS FOR WOMEN.
AND WE HAVE TWO OF OUR TEAM FROM THERE AS WELL, AND THEY'VE BEEN HEAVILY INVOLVED IN, UM, SEXUAL ASSAULT CASE REVIEW IN THE PAST AS WELL.
SO WE DO HAVE OUR CORE TEAM OF, OF KIND OF EXPERTS IN THIS AREA THAT KIND OF HELPED TO DEVELOP THE INITIAL PROCESS AND EVERYTHING.
AND THEN WE HAVE ALSO, UM, A GOOD GROUP OF OUR OWN PERV STAFF THAT WE'VE TRAINED ON HOW TO REVIEW THESE CASES BASED ON KIND OF THE METRICS THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER.
AND SO ARE THEY, UH, FORMERLY LAW ENFORCEMENT? UM, SOME ARE, UH, WE HAVE ABOUT TWO, UH, STAFF THAT ARE FORMER LAW ENFORCEMENT THAT ARE WORKING ON THE PROJECT.
UM, AND THEN, UM, THE REST, A LOT OF OUR STAFF HAVE DIFFERENT VARIOUS BACKGROUNDS, UM, YOU KNOW, CRIMINAL JUSTICE, SOCIOLOGY, UH, LEGAL BACKGROUNDS IN SOME CASES.
SO, UM, KIND OF A VARIETY THERE OF DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS.
UNFORTUNATELY WE ARE OVER TIME.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
AND WE WILL DEFINITELY FOLLOW UP TO WHEN WE HAVE YOU ON THE AGENDA NEXT TIME.
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 4:55-5:00pm]
FINAL AGENDA ITEM IS FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. UM, I HAVE TWO RIGHT NOW FOR NOVEMBER THE UPDATE REGARDING THE, UH, APD DNA LAB AUDIT RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.THAT WILL BE, UM, FOR NOVEMBER AS WELL AS THE OPO HAS THE, UH, 2019 RACIAL PROFILING REPORT FROM APD THAT WE WILL ALSO HOPEFULLY BE, UM, REVIEWING NEXT MEETING.
ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY OTHER AGENDA ITEMS? OKAY.
I KNOW SHARE A REALLY QUICK DNA LAB REPORT.
UM, CAN I SUBMIT QUESTIONS AHEAD OF TIME SO THAT YOU KNOW WHO YOU'RE GOING TO BE? WE'RE PRESENTING THAT TO US.
UM, YOU KNOW WHAT I DO NOT, BUT I WILL GET THAT INFORMATION AND FEEL FREE TO SEND ME QUESTIONS.
I'M HAPPY TO SEND OVER QUESTIONS TO WHOEVER WILL BE PRESENTING TO US.
Y'ALL I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU READ IT BECAUSE IT'S VERY LONG AND IT'LL TAKE SOME TIME.
AND THEN I THINK OUR DISCUSSION WILL BE BETTER THAT WAY I HAVE TO YOU GUYS RIGHT NOW, COMMISSIONER KELLY, DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING ELSE? NOPE.
UM, NOW DO I HAVE A MOTION COMMISSIONER? KELLY? DO I HAVE A SECOND? I HAVE A SECOND, SECOND POSITIVE LUCK.
UM, OH, I HAVE TO PULL YOU GUYS AGAIN.
[01:50:07]
I'M SORRY.DID YOU, DID YOU CALL HIM? UM, I DIDN'T.
I THOUGHT IT WAS SOMEONE'S ELSE SAYING SOMETHING.
AND WE WILL SEE YOU ON NEXT MONTH.