Mar 31, 2025 Special Public Safety Committee

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ORDER.

UH,

[CALL TO ORDER]

UH, I WILL NOW CALL THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING ORDER.

IT IS MARCH 31ST, 2025 AT STILL 2:00 PM THIS IS A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING OF THE, THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE.

WE ARE HERE AT CITY HALL, LOCATED AT 3 0 1 WEST SECOND STREET, AUSTIN, TEXAS, AND WE HAVE A QUORUM PRESENT.

UM, OUR FIRST ITEM WILL BE PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.

I BELIEVE WE DON'T HAVE ANY SPEAKERS SIGNED UP.

THAT'S CORRECT, SIR.

NO SPEAKERS.

ALL RIGHTY.

ITEM NUMBER ONE

[1. Approve minutes of the Public Safety Committee meeting on October 14, 2024.]

UM, THE FIRST ACTION WILL BE TO APPROVE THE COMMITTEE MEETING.

COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES FROM OCTOBER 14TH, 2024.

I WILL NOW ACCEPT A MOTION TO APPROVE THOSE MINUTES.

SO MOVED.

UM, MOVED BY COUNCIL MEMBER RIE SECOND.

MOTION MADE BY, MADE BY THE MAYOR.

UH, ANY DISCUSSION? ALL RIGHT, WITHOUT OBJECTION, THE UH, MINUTES ARE APPROVED.

UM, THE COMMITTEE WILL NOW TAKE UP

[2. Approve the Public Safety Committee meeting schedule for calendar year 2025.]

I WILL ACCEPT A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.

MOTION MADE BY COUNCIL MEMBER GODDY, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER UCHIN.

ANY DISCUSSION? UM, I JUST WANT TO SAY, UM, I WANT TO CONGRATULATE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER VELASQUEZ FOR CHAIRING HIS FIRST COMMITTEE.

LET, LET'S GET THROUGH IT.

FIRST.

LET'S SEE IF, LET'S GET THROUGH IT.

SCREW IT UP AT SOME POINT, BUT LET'S GET THROUGH IT FIRST.

BUT YOU KNOW, MUCH LIKE THE KINDNESS YOU SHOWED ME WHEN I, UH, CHAIRED THE, THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY COMMITTEE.

UH, REALLY EXCITED JOSE TO SEE YOU CHAIR THIS COMMITTEE AND EXCITED FOR THE, THE YEAR AHEAD.

I APPRECIATE YOU, BROTHER.

UM, SO WITHOUT OBJECTION, UH, THE, THE, THE DATES ARE APPROVED.

AND OUR THIRD ITEM

[3. Briefing on the state of the City of Austin’s Public Safety Departments. [Lisa Davis, Chief - Austin Police Department, Dr. Dana Kadavy, Director - Forensic Science Department, Joel Baker, Chief - Austin Fire Department, Robert Luckritz, Chief - Austin Travis County Emergency Medical Services, Dr. Mark Escott, Chief Medical Officer, Sarah Griffin, Officer - Labor Relations Office, Jim Redick, Director - Homeland Security Emergency Management].]

SO I'LL ASK THAT WE KEEP OUR QUESTIONS TILL AFTER EACH PRESENTATION SO WE CAN RUN A LITTLE BIT MORE SMOOTHLY AND LET OUR PRESENTERS, UH, COOK A LITTLE BIT.

UM, WE WILL HAVE A, UH, WE'LL HAVE BRIEFINGS.

THE COMMITTEE WILL NOW TAKE UP ITEM NUMBER THREE, BRIEFING ON THE STATE OF PUBLIC SAFETY.

UM, WE WILL OPEN, LIKE I SAID, WE'LL OPEN IT TO DISCUSSION AFTER EACH BRIEFING.

AND OUR FIRST PRESENTER IS OUR CHIEF OF POLICE, MS. UH, CHIEF LISA DAVIS.

CHAIR.

REAL QUICK, IF I COULD JUST TEE THIS UP, UH, FOR US REAL FAST.

ONE OF THE THINGS, UH, AS IN OUR DISCUSSIONS WITH REGARDS TO THIS BEING THE FIRST, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING, UH, EDDIE GARCIA, I WAS ABOUT TO SAY, SIR, IF YOU CAN PLEASE GIVE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD.

EDDIE GARCIA, THE CITY MANAGER FOR PUBLIC SAFETY.

TRYING, EVERYBODY'S TRYING TO BREAK ALL THE RULES JUST 'CAUSE I'M UP HERE, .

UM, ANYWAY, SO IN HAVING THESE DISCUSSIONS ON THAT, UH, WE THOUGHT THAT AND FELT THAT IT WOULD BE A GOOD, UH, TIME TO REALLY GIVE A SENSE OF WHAT THE STATE OF PUBLIC SAFETY IS IN THE CITY.

UH, OBVIOUSLY I'M COMING UP ON SIX MONTHS HERE.

UH, AND I WILL TELL YOU PERCEPTIONS AND REALITY ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.

UM, WHEN IT COMES HERE, UH, THE SKY IS NOT FALLING WHEN IT COMES TO PUBLIC SAFETY HERE IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

I'M VERY PROUD OF THE WORK THAT ALL OF OUR DIRECTORS ARE DOING.

UH, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE GOING WELL, THINGS THAT WE NEED TO WORK ON, UH, AND, UH, AND BASICALLY THE THINGS THAT WE'RE PROUD OF AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS.

AND SO I KNOW THAT I FEEL THAT YOU'LL BE AS PROUD OF THEM AS I HAVE BEEN.

UH, AND OBVIOUSLY I'M, UH, I'M REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE THIS GROUP WITH ME.

SO WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO CHIEF FACE.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN.

ALL RIGHT.

READY TO GO? OH, I HAVE THE CLICKER.

SORRY.

ALL RIGHT.

SO STARTING WITH OUR DEPARTMENT STRUCTURE, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE WELL OVER 300 SWORN POLICE OFFICER VACANCIES AT THE A PD.

UH, THE RECRUITING UNIT IS DOING A PHENOMENAL JOB, AND WE'VE SEEN AN IMPRESSIVE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED TO OUR, UH, POLICE CADET POSITIONS OVER THE LAST SEVERAL HIRING CYCLES.

NOW THAT WE ARE BACK UNDER CONTRACT, IT IS HELPING SIGNIFICANTLY WITH BOTH RECRUITING AND RETENTION.

THE CONTRACT ALSO ALLOWS US TO CONTINUE RECRUITING AND TESTING APPLICANT'S NONSTOP, UM, TO OUR UPCOMING CADET CLASSES.

WHEREAS WHEN WE WERE OUT OF CONTRACT, WE HAD TO ABIDE BY THE CIVIL SERVICE HIRING RULES, WHICH REQUIRES, UH, ONE EXAM PER HIRING CYCLE ONLY.

SO WE'RE HOLDING THREE C CADET CLASSES PER YEAR WITH A MAXIMUM OF 104 SEATS PER CLASS.

SO WE SHOULD CONTINUE SEEING PROGRESS IN FILLING THOSE POLICE OFFICER VACANCIES.

AND IF WE HAVE THREE CLASSES A YEAR WITH A MINIMUM OF 60 OFFICERS BY THE END OF THE YEAR, 2027, WE WILL ONLY BE 40 OFFICERS SHORT.

SO WE ARE, WE ARE CLOSING THE GAP HERE AND, AND MAKING FANTASTIC PROGRESS.

ALL RIGHT.

HERE'S THE ORG CHART.

I RECENTLY, UM, MADE SOME CHANGES TO OUR ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE THAT I FEEL HELP THE DEPARTMENT INCREASE EFFICIENCY OF OPERATIONS AND ULTIMATELY IMPROVE CUSTOMER SERVICE.

SOME OF THE CHANGE I'D LIKE TO HIGH HIGHLIGHT INCLUDE THE CONSOLIDATION OF THREE OF THOSE INVESTIGATIVE BUREAUS INTO TWO, THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SPECIALIZED UNIT, INCLUDING THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN RAPID RESPONSE TEAM, THE GUN CRIME INTELLIGENCE UNIT VICE, AND THE FOCUS DETERRENT UNIT MOVING ALL OF PATROL UNDER ONE ASSISTANT CHIEF.

AND THAT ALLOWS FOR CONSISTENT SUPPORT AND TRANSPARENCY.

AND THE NEWLY CREATED CHIEF OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVES POSITION, WHICH OVERSEES THE OFFICES OF EVIDENCE-BASED POLICING, TECHNICAL

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THERE WE GO.

SERVICE AREA A PD COVERS A VERY LARGE AND DENSELY POPULATED SERVICE AREA WITH NINE PATROL SECTORS ACROSS THE CITY.

THIS MAP INDICATES WHERE OUR POLICE HEADQUARTERS AND SUBSTATIONS ARE LOCATED.

YOU'LL SEE HEADQUARTERS DOWNTOWN IN OUR NORTH, CENTRAL AND SOUTH SUBSTATIONS IDENTIFIED HERE.

OUR PATROL OFFICERS RESPOND TO NINE ONE CALLS FOR SERVICE, WHILE OUR DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES PROVIDE STRATEGIC SHORT AND LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS TO QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES.

UM, AGAIN, 326 SQUARE MILES WITHIN TRAVIS WILLIAMSON AND HAYES COUNTY.

NINE SECTOR AREAS.

AND AGAIN, THOSE IMPORTANT, UH, DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES, WHICH WE HAVE.

UM, THE DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES WERE CUT WHEN WE WERE DOING STAFFING, UM, ISSUES.

BUT AGAIN, THAT IS ONE THING THAT I DEFINITELY WANNA REBUILD BECAUSE EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT THE VALUE, AND I KNOW PERSONALLY THE VALUE OF THOSE HAVING THOSE DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES.

SO THAT IS A PRIORITY FOR SURE.

ALL RIGHT.

CALL VOLUME AND PATROL STAFFING.

A PD HAS A HIGH VOLUME OF CALLS FOR SERVICE ACROSS THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY.

AND BECAUSE WE ARE, ARE STILL EXPERIENCE EXPERIENCING STAFFING CHALLENGES, OUR PATROL OFFICERS DO HAVE A LOT OF UNCOMMITTED TIME BETWEEN CALLS.

AS WE SEE IMPROVEMENTS TO OUR STAFFING NUMBERS, WE'LL SEE PERCENTAGES OF UNCOMMITTED TIME INCREASE, WHICH MEANS OUR OFFICERS WILL HAVE MORE TIME TO ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY, MORE TIME TO ACT ON PROBLEM SOLVING INITIATIVES.

PATROL RESPONSE WE'VE SEEN INCREASES TO, IN OUR AVERAGE RESPONSE TIMES FROM PRIORITY ZERO AND PRIORITY ONE CALLS FOR SERVICE, WHICH IS DEMONSTRATED IN THIS CHART THAT COMPARES LAST YEAR'S AVERAGE TO THE PRIOR TWO YEARS.

THESE INCREASE INCREASES CAN BE CONTRIBUTED TO SEVERAL CAUSES, INCLUDING OUR STAFFING NUMBERS ON PATROL AND THE INCREASED GROWTH AND RESULTING INFRASTRUCTURE CHANGES THROUGHOUT THE CITY ITSELF.

WE'RE CONTINUING TO UTILIZE THE BACKFILL PROCESS.

SO BACKFILL PROCESS IS THAT EVERYONE OUTSIDE OF PATROL, ALL OF THOSE IN THOSE INVESTIGATIVE UNITS WILL SPEND FIVE DAYS WITHIN NINE, THEY'LL HAVE FIVE DAYS THAT THEY HAVE TO PICK, THAT THEY HAVE TO GO BACK TO PATROL AND DO A 10 HOUR SHIFT.

SO FIVE DAYS WITHIN 90 DAYS.

AND THAT HELP US, HELPS US FILL THOSE GAPS OF WHERE WE'RE MISSING IN PATROL.

AND AGAIN, MY, MY GOAL IS TO ELIMINATE BACKFILL REQUIREMENTS BY THE END OF THIS CALENDAR YEAR.

AND WE'LL GET THROUGH THAT WITH SOME GRADUATION OF AN ACADEMY CLASS EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS RESPONSE.

WE'VE MADE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN OUR EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION CENTER, AND I'M PROUD TO REPORT THAT IN 2024, OUR PERCENTAGE OF CALLS ANSWERED WITHIN 15 SECONDS WAS AT 93% A JUMP FROM 74.7% THE YEAR PRIOR.

OUR STAFF WORKED WITH CITY LEADERSHIP AND THE HUMAN RESOURCES DIVISION TO DEVELOP A CAREER PROGRESSION PLAN FOR ALL OUR CALL TAKERS AND DISPATCHERS.

AND IN MARCH OF 2023, WE HAD OVER 60 CALL TAKER AND DISPATCHER VAC VACANCIES.

AND AS OF THIS MONTH, WE'RE DOWN TO 18 VACANT POSITIONS.

SO WE'RE DOING FANTASTIC THERE.

ALL RIGHT.

CRIME.

ALRIGHT, WE, WE, WE ARE COMPLETE.

COMPARING YEARLY DATA BETWEEN 23 AND 24, WE HAVE SEEN A REDUCTION OF APPROXIMATELY 8.33% IN OUR NUMBERS OF VIOLENT CRIME.

AND THIS HAS BEEN SEEN ACROSS THE, UM, THE COUNTRY.

AND THIS IS SPECIFICALLY TO MURDER, RAPE, AGGRAVATED ASSAULT AND ROBBERIES.

THIS IS OUR NUMBER OF VIOLENT CRIME VICTIMS PER YEAR.

IF YOU CAN LOOK AT OUR AG ASSAULTS IN THE YEAR 24, WE'RE DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY TO, UM, 3020.

AND YOU LOOK AT THOSE AG ASSAULTS, THAT'S YOUR SHOOTINGS, YOUR STABBINGS, YOUR MORE SERIOUS ASSAULTS WHERE A BONE WAS BROKEN, UM, THAT COUNTS AS AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS.

SO THAT'S THE FOR THIS YEAR.

BUT WE ARE DOWN IN, IN THAT WE ARE UP SLIGHTLY IN RAPE OFFENSES.

BUT WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT RAPE, RAPE IS SUCH AN UNDER-REPORTED OFFENSE, UM, ANYWAY, ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

AND, UH, WHEN YOU SEE NUMBERS RISING, I COUNT THAT TO, UM, JUST THE GREAT WORK THAT OUR VICTIM SERVICES ARE DOING TO GET PEOPLE TO REPORT THOSE CRIMES.

AND THEN THIS IS SOMETHING WE'RE VERY PROUD OF, OUR A PD HOMICIDE, UM, SOLVENCY RATE, THE BEST PRACTICES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, I BELIEVE IS, UH, 64 TO 65% IS WHAT MOST BIG CITIES DO AS FAR AS REDUCING OR THEIR HOMICIDE CLOSURE RATE.

WE ARE AT 94% FOR 2024, AND IN 2023, WE WERE 99%.

AND THAT WILL, I THINK, VERY SOON BE A HUNDRED PERCENT.

ALL RIGHT.

SO A PD IS HIGHLY FOCUSED ON IMPROVING SAFETY AND REDUCING VIOLENT CRIME CITYWIDE, BUT WE RECOGNIZE THAT THE DOWNTOWN ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT HAS HISTORICALLY BEEN A LARGE CONTRIBUTOR TO THIS VIOLENT CRIME.

THE SIXTH STREET ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT IS UNIQUE IN THAT IT HAS REGULAR CONCENTRATION OF VISITORS COMING TOGETHER TO EXPERIENCE AUSTIN'S NIGHT.

NIGHTLIFE IN A CROWDED ENVIRONMENT WITH THE STREETS REGULARLY SHUT DOWN AND ENCOURAGED A PARTY ATMOSPHERE, AND WAS A PERFECT BREEDING GROUND FOR ARGUMENTS AND PHYSICAL ALTERCATIONS AMONG GROUPS OF PEOPLE TO ADDRESS THE VIOLENT CRIME, THE HEIGHTENED USE OF FORCE AND OFFICER INJURIES.

IN THIS SECTOR, WE WORKED WITH CITY PARTNERS AND LEADERSHIP TO ESTABLISH A, A TRAFFIC PLAN THAT WOULD OPEN SIXTH STREET TO VEHICULAR TRAFFIC.

THIS, UH, BEGAN AS A PILOT PROGRAM, BUT WE ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH PERMANENT SOLUTIONS TO KEEP THE ROAD OPEN.

AND THESE ARE THE PRELIMINARY RESULTS.

PRELIMINARY RESULTS HAVE SHOWN THAT OPENING SIXTH STREET TWO VEHICULAR TRAFFIC RESULTED IN FEWER ARRESTS, FEWER INSTANCES OF OFFICERS USING FORCE, FEWER OFFICER INJURIES.

AND WE ARE ENCOURAGED BY THESE INITIAL RESULTS AND HOPE TO CONTINUE TO SEE IMPROVEMENT.

BUT AGAIN, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THERE

[00:10:01]

UH, AS A P DAM BEGAN OPENING SIXTH STREET TWO VEHICULAR TRAFFIC IN DECEMBER, AND WE MEASURED OUR NUMBERS OF ARRESTS BETWEEN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 11TH TO ASSESS PRELIMINARY IMPACTS OF THE INITIATIVE WHEN COMPARED TO THE NUMBERS OF ARRESTS IN 2024, WE SAW DECREASES BOTH ACROSS THE DOWNTOWN SECTOR AND ALSO SPECIFICALLY ON SIXTH STREET.

SO YOU CAN LOOK AT THOSE, THOSE ARE LARGE NUMBERS.

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHTS TYPICALLY PRODUCE LARGER CROWDS IN THE DOWNTOWN ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT WHEN COMPARING THE SAME TIMEFRAME OF JANUARY TO FEBRUARY 11TH, AND STRICTLY COMPARING FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHTS BETWEEN 10:00 PM AND 6:00 AM WE STILL SAW A REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF ARRESTS THIS YEAR AS COMPARED TO 2024, BOTH ACROSS DOWNTOWN AND SPECIFICALLY ON SIXTH STREET.

SO THESE ARE THE CHALLENGES, AND WE TALK ABOUT WHAT, WHAT CHALLENGES WE HAVE, TECHNOLOGY, RECRUITING AND STAFFING.

SOME OF OUR TOP CHALLENGES OF A PD INCLUDE TECHNOLOGY, PROJECTS AND SYSTEM UPGRADES, RECRUITING SKILLED CANDIDATES FOR POLICE CADET POSITIONS, AND HIRING AND RETAINING ENOUGH NEW POLICE OFFICERS TO FULLY STAFF OUR DEPARTMENT.

WE'RE STARTING TO SEE INCREASES IN THE APPLICATION NUMBER, BUT AGAIN, WE ARE A LONG WAY FROM BECOMING FULLY STAFFED.

THIS IS PARTLY DUE TO THE LENGTH OF OUR POLICE ACADEMY OF EIGHT MONTHS, AND THE SPACE CONSTRAINTS OF PUBLIC SAFETY TRAINING CENTER, WHICH IS SHARED, IS A SHARED FACILITY WITH FIRE AND EMS. WE'RE HOLDING THREE CADET CLASSES PER YEAR WITH A MAXIMUM OF 104 TRAINERS PER CLASS.

IN ADDITION TO STAFFING, WE'RE ALSO REVIEWING SEVERAL TECHNOLOGY CONTRACTS TO FIND SOLUTIONS THAT WILL BETTER STREAMLINE OUR SYSTEMS AND OP OPTIMIZE PERFORMANCE.

I'VE TALKED ABOUT SIXTH STREET RECRUITING AND RETENTION, AND OUR EFFORTS TO REDUCE VIOLENT CRIME THROUGH STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AND SPECIALIZED TEAMS. ANOTHER FOCUS AREAS OUR DATA.

I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR CITY LEADERSHIP ALL HAVE ACCESS TO RELIABLE AND TIMELY DATA THAT INFORMS HOW OUR DEPARTMENT IS DOING AND HOW IT'S MAKING AUSTIN SAFER.

WE'RE CONTRACTING WITH SEVERAL EXPERTS AND RESEARCHERS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY TO REVIEW OUR SYSTEMS AND COLLECTION PRAC PRACTICES TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE IN ALIGNMENT WITH INDUSTRY STANDARDS AND ARE PRODUCING ACCURATE AND TIMELY REPORTS FOR THE PUBLIC.

OTHER AREAS OF FOCUS INCLUDE EMPLOYEE WELLNESS TRAINING, COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS, AND ASSESSMENT OF ORGANIZATIONAL FUNCTIONS THROUGHOUT A THIRD PARTY REVIEWER.

THE WELLNESS OF MY STAFF IS PARAMOUNT TO PROVIDING QUALITY SERVICE TO THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY, AND I NEED MY SWORN AND PROFESSIONAL STAFF TO FEEL ENCOURAGED, SAFE, RESPECTED, AND CARED FOR SO THEY CAN COME TO WORK EACH DAY READY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE AN INTERNAL WELLNESS PROGRAM AND RESOURCES AT THE PUBLIC SAFETY WELLNESS CENTER AVAILABLE TO ALL A PD EMPLOYEES.

ADDITIONALLY, WE'VE RECENTLY REVAMPED OUR ORGANIZATIONAL'S LEADERSHIP PROGRAM, AND WE'RE CONSTANTLY SEEKING OUT NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO PROVIDE CUTTING EDGE TRAINING AND ENCOURAGE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

THE CITY HAS ALSO CONTRACTED WITH A COMPANY KNOWN AS BARRY DUNN TO ASSESS APDS ORGANIZATIONAL FUNCTION AND WORKFLOW ANALYSIS.

WHAT WE HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH WITH THIS ASSESSMENT AND THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS IS TO OPTIMIZE APDS ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY, ULTIMATELY MAKING IT EASIER FOR OUR EMPLOYEES TO SUCCESSFULLY DO THEIR JOBS AS PUBLIC SERVANTS.

AND LASTLY, WE'RE CONTINUE TO UPDATE COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING BY FINDING NEW WAYS TO ENGAGE WITH AND LISTEN TO OUR COMMUNITY.

WE ALL HAVE A SHARED GOAL OF KEEPING AUSTIN SAFE, AND WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT OUR COMMUNITY IS ENGAGED IN THIS WORK.

OUR SWORN AND PROFESSIONAL STAFF REGULARLY ENGAGE WITH OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH A VARIETY OF PLANNED PROGRAMS AND ADULTS AND YOUTH.

WE HAVE STAFF AT OUR OFFICE OF COMMUNITY LIAISON WHO CONDUCT OUTREACH TO SPECIFIC SEGMENTS OF THE COMMUNITY, INCLUDING THOSE WITH LIMITED OR NO ENGLISH, WHICH ALLOWS US TO ESTABLISH DEEPER CONNECTIONS AND TAILOR OUR PROGRAMMING TO THEIR SPECIFIC NEEDS.

WE ALSO DO A LOT OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT, POLICE ACTIVITY LEAGUES, ALL OF THOSE, AND I DO THINK WE CAN DO BETTER WITH THIS.

THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS COMMUNITY POLICING IS, IS AN IMPORTANT, UM, STEP IN BUILDING RELATIONSHIP AND IN BUILDING THAT POLICE LEGITIMACY THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITIES.

UM, SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO START REENGAGING.

UM, YOU COULD TALK ABOUT TIMES BETWEEN CALLS AND THE, THE AMOUNT OF CALLS THAT OUR OFFICERS ARE TAKING, BUT IF WE CAN DEVELOP, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE'RE HAVING A FEW MINUTES TO, TO TAKE EITHER AT A AT A RUN OR, UM, AT A CALL, OR TO STOP AND CHECK IN WITH BUSINESSES THAT YOU, YOU GET THAT, UM, LEGITIMACY AND YOU GET THAT EQUITY, YOU START BUILDING WITHIN THAT COMMUNITY.

AND HERE'S SOME THINGS, RIDE WITH AN OFFICER.

WE WANNA START ENCOURAGING OUR, UM, COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO SIGN UP AND COME RIDE WITH A POLICE OFFICER.

THEY CAN DO THAT, UM, THROUGH THAT QR CODE OR A PD RIDE ALONG.

AND THEN OUR SOCIAL MEDIA, WE HAVE AN A PD, UH, FACEBOOK AND ESPANOL.

UM, WENT TO A, UM, ON SATURDAY TO A TOWN HALL HOSTED BY UNIVISION.

UM, SPOKE ABOUT THIS AGAIN, A VERY CONCERNED, UM, GROUP OF CITIZENS.

AND, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST, UH, TALKING ABOUT WHAT, WHAT'S AVAILABLE AND THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE, I THINK IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.

SO OUR SOCIAL MEDIA IS VERY IMPORTANT TO WHAT A PD DOES.

ALL RIGHT.

UH, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, CHIEF.

OH, I'M SORRY.

UH, WE TAKE, I'M SORRY.

NOT UNDERSTAND WE TAKING, WE'VE TAKEN QUESTIONS FROM .

YEAH.

UH, NOT SO MUCH QUESTIONS.

I, I JUST APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK YOU'VE DONE SINCE YOU'VE, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE BEEN HERE IN AUSTIN, UH, ESPECIALLY IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.

I THINK THE NUMBERS KIND OF SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES, SO

[00:15:01]

AND THEN ALSO JUST WANNA, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU TALKED ABOUT LIKE, UH, COMMUNITY POLICING AND GETTING TO KNOW THE FOLKS ON THE GROUND.

I, I REALLY WANT TO THANK, UH, A PD FOR THEIR WORK.

UH, I KNOW DURING THE JEWISH HOLIDAYS, WE HAD REQUESTS FROM THE HILL ON, ON IN WEST CAMPUS.

MM-HMM .

TO HAVE A PATROL.

YOU GUYS WERE OUT THERE.

APPRECIATE IT.

AND I KNOW DURING THE, THE MONTH OF RAMADAN, THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY A HAD ASKED FOR SOME HELP, I THINK YOU GUYS GOT SOME PIZZA OR SOME SORT OF FOOD THAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO SEND THE OTHER DAY.

SO I REALLY APPRECIATE Y'ALL, UH, JUST, JUST BEING THERE.

WELL, THANK YOU AGAIN.

SIXTH STREET IS A, IT, IT'S A BIG LIFT AND IT'S GONNA INVOLVE A, A LOT OF CITY PARTNERS, BUT, UH, WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE AND, AND CONTINUE TO DO ON A LOT OF PLACES IN, UM, DOWNTOWN AND SIXTH STREET SPECIFICALLY.

I, UM, CHIEF I HAD ONE, YOU YOU'D MENTIONED, UH, 316 VACANCIES AND, UH, THE, THE 60 MEMBERS THAT YOU'RE EXPECTING TO ROLL OUT, IS THAT PER CLASS? IS THAT, IS, IS THAT FROM, UH, CADET TO SWORN OFFICERS? YES.

SO IF WE CONTINUE TO HAVE THREE CLASSES A YEAR AT MINIMUM OF 60 EACH, NOW THE GOAL IS TO GET AT LEAST 104 IN THERE.

IF WE KEEP THOSE NUMBERS BY THE END OF 2027, WE'LL ONLY BE, AND THAT'S KEEPING AN ACCOUNT ATTRITION OF THOSE WHO CAN LEAVE.

UM, WE'LL BE SHORT 40 OFFICERS.

AND WHAT, WHAT DOES A, WHAT DOES A NORMAL GRADUATING CLASS USUALLY LOOK LIKE? WELL, IT JUST DEPENDS.

WE JUST HAD ONE OF 31 AND WE'VE HAD ONE OF 57.

UM, IT, IT SEEMS TO BE NORMAL TO START WITH ABOUT 70.

AND THEN WE STARTED TREATING SOME PEOPLE, UNFORTUNATELY, THROUGH THAT PROCESS, BECAUSE IT DOES, THERE'S STANDARDS TO STAY THERE, JUST LIKE THERE ARE STANDARDS TO GET IN.

SO THE, THE GOAL WAS, AGAIN, IF WE CAN KEEP THIS 60 ABOVE 60, WE'LL BE DOING WELL ON OUR NUMBERS.

PERFECT.

AND YOU WERE SAYING THAT THE DAY WE WOULD BE LOOKING AT WOULD PROBABLY BE SOMETIME IN 2027? I THINK THE END OF 27, YES.

THANK YOU, CHIEF.

MM-HMM .

NEXT WE HAVE, UH, DR.

DANA CAVI.

AM I PRONOUNCING THAT RIGHT? I APOLOGIZE.

YOU ARE, UM, FROM OUR FORENSIC SCIENCE DEPARTMENT.

THANK YOU.

GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.

I'M DR.

DANA CAVY, DIRECTOR OF THE FORENSIC SCIENCE DEPARTMENT.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

AND WE'RE A RELATIVELY NEW DEPARTMENT, OFFICIALLY BECAME A DEPARTMENT OCTOBER 1ST, 2022.

SO BASICALLY, I'M JUST GONNA SPEND A FEW MINUTES TELLING YOU WHAT WE DO THERE, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE NOT EVERYBODY KNOWS WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO.

SO, UH, OUR TAGLINE IS TRUTH THROUGH SCIENCE.

WE ARE A BUNCH OF FORENSIC SCIENTISTS, TECHNICIANS, AND SPECIALISTS.

OUR FORENSIC LABORATORY IS LOCATED EIGHT 12 SPRINGDALE.

YOU'LL SEE WE OPERATE IN THOSE TWO, UM, FLOORS OF THAT BUILDING.

AND OUR MISSION IS TO PROVIDE ACCURATE AND IMPARTIAL SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS AND SUPPORT SERVICES TO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM WHILE MAINTAINING THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF QUALITY AND PROFESSIONALISM.

OH, THANK YOU.

UM, SO LIKE I SAID, WE'RE MADE UP OF A BUNCH OF SCIENTISTS AND TECHNICIANS AND SPECIALISTS.

WE HAVE 89 FULL-TIME EQUIVALENTS, AND WE HAVE FIVE ACCREDITED SECTION DISCIPLINES AND FIVE SUPPORT DISCIPLINES.

I'M JUST GONNA HIGHLIGHT THE BULK OF THOSE AND TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THEY ALL DO.

TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF THE SERVICES OR BASICALLY SPAN THE WHOLE CONTINUUM OF FORENSIC SCIENCE SERVICES FOR THE CITY.

STARTING WITH CRIME SCENE, WE WERE ONE OF THE FIRST CRIME SCENE UNITS IN THE STATE, ACTUALLY, I BELIEVE THE FIRST CRIME SCENE UNIT IN THE STATE TO ACHIEVE, UH, AN ISO ACCREDITATION.

AND THOSE FOLKS PROVIDE 24 7 FIELD RESPONSE SERVICES.

SO THEY GET DISPATCHED TO MAJOR CRIMES WHERE THEY GO AND THEY WILL COLLECT ALL THE VIDEO AND PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE, AND THEY WILL MANAGE THE DOCUMENTATION COLLECTION, CHAIN OF CUSTODY OF THE EVIDENCE.

THEY'LL BRING ALL THAT BACK TO THE LABORATORY, AND THEY'LL DO SOME PRE-PROCESSING OF THE EVIDENCE, FOR EXAMPLE, MAYBE PROCESSING A LATENT PRINT FROM A FIREARM OR SWABBING IT FOR DNA, ALL THOSE THINGS THAT THEY DIDN'T DO IN THE FIELD, BUT REQUIRE A LITTLE BIT OF PRE-PROCESSING SO THAT THOSE CAN BE PROPERLY PACKAGED AND PROVIDED TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF DISCIPLINE THAT A DETECTIVE MAY BE REQUESTING FIREARMS, DNA, WHAT HAVE YOU.

SO THOSE FOLKS WORK REALLY HARD, AND THEY GO AND DO ALL THOSE THINGS AT MAJOR CRIMES SO THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT DOESN'T HAVE TO FIREARMS. AND TOOL MARKS IS ANOTHER DISCIPLINE THAT'S MADE UP OF FIREARMS EXAMINERS.

PRIMARILY WHAT THEY DO IS PHYSICAL COMPARISON OF TOOL MARKS.

SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF THERE'S A SPENT GUN SHELL CASING OR A BULLET FRAGMENT THAT'S FOUND AT A MURDER SCENE, AND AN OFFICER SEIZES A FIREARM FROM A POTENTIAL SUSPECT, WHAT THEY REALLY DO IS THEY COMPARE THOSE TWO THINGS TO DETERMINE DID THESE FRAGMENTS POTENTIALLY COME OR COULD THEY HAVE COME FROM THIS FIREARM? SO THAT'S PRIMARILY WHAT THEY DO.

THEY ALSO WILL RESTORE OBLITERATED, UM, SERIAL NUMBERS AND THAT SORT OF THING FROM FIREARMS. THEY ALSO MAINTAIN A TWENTY FOUR SEVEN

[00:20:01]

IF THEY NEED TO REMOVE FRAGMENTS FROM VEHICLES, FOR EXAMPLE, OR STRUCTURES, SOMETHING THAT'S A BIT MORE COMPLEX, THEY SUPPORT THE CRIME SCENE UNIT.

WE HAVE AN ACCREDITED LATENT PRINT SECTION.

THOSE FOLKS ARE REALLY JUST PERFORMING PHYSICAL PRINT COMPARISONS.

SO CRIME SCENE WILL PROCESS LATENT PRINTS, MAKE THEM VIEWABLE, AND THEN THE LATENT PRINT EXAMINERS WILL ACTUALLY COMPARE THOSE TO KNOWNS.

AND THEY WILL MANAGE AN INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTIC DATABASE, WHICH HOLDS TONS OF DATA AT THE LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL LEVEL SO THAT THEY CAN COMPARE A LATENT PRINT TO KNOWN AND HOPEFULLY IDENTIFY POTENTIAL LEADS.

WE HAVE A SEIZE DRUG SECTION, WHICH IS VERY WELL EQUIPPED WITH THE STATE-OF-THE-ART INSTRUMENTATION.

THESE ARE ANALYTICAL CHEMISTS WHO PRIMARILY PERFORM IDENTIFICATION AND CONFIRMATION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES, OR DETERMINING IF AN ITEM SEIZED BY A PD OR OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT IS INDEED A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE.

THEY ALSO DO QUANTITATION OF THOSE THAT WILL INFORM APPROPRIATE CHARGES.

OH, THANK YOU.

UM, WE ALSO HAVE A TOXICOLOGY SECTION AND ALSO AN ACCREDITED SECTION.

THEY PRIMARILY PERFORM BLOOD ALCOHOL CONCENTRATION TESTING.

SO BLOOD DRAWS FROM DUI CASES, FOR EXAMPLE.

THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS OF, UM, DEVELOPING AND VALIDATING DRUG SCREENING AND CONFIRMATION OF THOSE SAME TYPES OF SAMPLES TO SORT OF AUGMENT THAT SERVICE AND REDUCE THE TIME TO ANSWER RIGHT NOW THAT WE HAVE TO SEND THAT OUT.

AND THAT CAN TAKE A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.

SO WE'RE TRYING TO, UH, PROVIDE BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE WITH THAT.

WE ALSO HAVE A CASE MANAGEMENT, UM, GROUP THAT'S A VERY, UM, IMPORTANT GROUP.

THEY MANAGE ALL OF OUR DNA ANALYSIS AND OUTSOURCING SERVICES, AND WE HAVE A COMBINATION OF INTERLOCAL AGREEMENTS AND CONTRACTS TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE THE DEPTH AND BREADTH OF DNA SERVICES THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS SEXUAL ASSAULT KITS AND OTHER DNA ANALYSES REQUESTS FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

THEY ALSO PERFORM LIFECYCLE CASE MANAGEMENT CONSULTATION WITH DETECTIVES.

THEY'RE EXPERTS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT, AND THEY CAN TALK TO THEM ABOUT WHAT MIGHT BE THE MOST BEST COURSE OF ACTION FOR THAT EVIDENCE, WHAT MIGHT BE MOST PROB UH, PROBATIVE.

AND THEY MOVE THE ITEMS THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM TO ENSURE INTEGRITY.

BUT AS I SAID, WE ARE A, YOU KNOW, CIVILIANIZED ORGANIZATION, BUT FOR OUR ONE CUSTOMER LIAISON, WHICH IS A SWORN, UH, SERGEANT ON LOAN TO US FROM A PD HIGHLY VALUABLE BECAUSE WE NEED THE, UM, DECODER RING FROM POLICE OFFICER TO SCIENCE GEEK SPEAK, THAT HELPS US BRIDGE THE GAP AND PROVIDE BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE.

WE CAN UNDERSTAND NEEDS A LITTLE BIT BETTER.

WE HAVE AN EVIDENCE CONTROL SECTION.

THEY MANAGE OVER 1.4 MILLION ITEMS OF EVIDENCE, THE LONG-TERM STORAGE CONTROL AND MAINTENANCE OF THOSE ITEMS AT OUR EAST MLK AND AIRPORT LOCATION.

THEY MAINTAIN CHAIN OF CUSTODY, THEY PROVIDE A UNIQUE SERVICE, AND THAT THEY WILL, UM, TRANSPORT ITEMS TO AND FROM THE EVIDENCE WAREHOUSE TO ALL THE SUBSTATIONS MAIN HEADQUARTERS AND THE LABORATORIES TO FREE UP THE FORENSIC SCIENTISTS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS FROM HAVING TO DO THAT.

SO THEY'RE REALLY SAVING A LOT OF TIME AND THEY'RE EXPERTS IN THIS TRANSPORT AND MAINTAINING THE SECURITY OF THOSE ITEMS. THEY ALSO ARE CHARGED WITH THE, UM, LEGAL AND AUTHORIZED DISPOSITION OF ITEMS. QUALITY ASSURANCE IS A HUGE PART OF WHAT WE DO.

THE, WE HAVE AN AMAZING QUALITY ASSURANCE, UH, MANAGER AND PROGRAM.

THEY'RE IN CHARGE OF KEEPING US HONEST PROFICIENCY, DEMONSTRATION OF COMPETENCY METHOD, VALIDATIONS, CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT CYCLE.

SO A COUPLE OF OPPORTUNITIES, I LIKE TO CALL 'EM OPPORTUNITIES INSTEAD OF CHALLENGES.

UM, REALLY IS FORENSIC WORKFORCE.

THIS IS NOT AN ISSUE THAT'S UNIQUE TO AUSTIN, TEXAS.

IT'S, IT'S INTER, WELL, IT'S PROBABLY INTERNATIONAL.

IT'S DEFINITELY, UM, IN THE UNITED STATES WHERE WE JUST LACK AVAILABLE WORKFORCE WITH ANY TYPE OF FORENSIC EXPERIENCE.

SO THEY DON'T HAVE THE TRAINING, THEY DON'T HAVE THE EXPERIENCE.

THEY COME TO US WITH WONDERFUL DEGREES, BUT THEN AFTER WE GET THEM, WE SPEND ONE TO THREE YEARS TRAINING THEM IN-HOUSE PRIOR TO THEM EVEN BEING ABLE TO TOUCH CASE WORK.

THIS IS A HUGE COST TO THE CITY, AND IT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.

THESE FOLKS ALSO HAVE TO BE LICENSED BY THE TEXAS FORENSIC SCIENCE COMMISSION.

WE'RE LUCKY TO HAVE A COMMISSION IN TEXAS THAT'S RARE IN THE UNITED STATES.

HOWEVER, IT ADDS A LOTS OF LAYERS OF ADDITIONAL

[00:25:01]

SO IN ORDER FOR THEM TO TESTIFY IN COURT, WHICH IS A LARGE PORTION OF OUR WORK, THEY HAVE TO BE LICENSED.

AND SO WHERE WE FIND OURSELVES IS WE HAVE INSUFFICIENT DEPTH AT THE BENCH TO MEET DEMAND AND RECOVER FROM ANY TURNOVER EVENT.

ANOTHER THING IS ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.

WHEN WE BECAME OUR OWN DEPARTMENT, WE TRANSFERRED ALL OPERATIONAL FTES, BUT NO SUPPORT SERVICES.

SO THEN WE KIND OF HAVE TO BEG, BORROW, AND STEAL FROM A PD TO GET THOSE SERVICES AND OR ABSORB SOME OF THEM OURSELVES.

AND SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE HAVE, LIKE WHAT OUR PEERS TO MOST DEPARTMENTS, WE SEE A LOT OF DISCOVERY REQUESTS, SUBPOENAS.

THOSE ARE COMPLEX TIME SENSITIVE AND REALLY REQUIRE SOME EXPERTISE.

AND SO WE REALLY WANNA FOCUS OUR FORENSIC EXPERT ON DOING THE WORK THAT THEY'RE REALLY TRAINED TO DO AND HOPEFULLY GET SOME ADDITIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.

SO THAT'S KIND OF CHALLENGING US, BUT MOSTLY DYNAMIC REQUIREMENTS EVER CHANGING BULLSEYE WITH OUR ACCREDITING BODIES.

REGULATORY COMPLIANCE.

ONE OF OUR, UM, PROVIDERS OF RECOMMENDATIONS IS THE OSAC, AND THEY HAVE 152 PUBLISHED STANDARDS AND 73 IN THE QUEUE TO BE PUBLISHED.

THERE'S LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL LAWS THAT WE HAVE TO COMPLY WITH, AND THEY'RE JUST EVER CHANGING AS ARE OUR CUSTOMER NEEDS.

LIKE YOU SEE, CRIME RATE CHANGES AS A PD RAISES THE NUMBER OF OFFICERS THEY HAVE IN THE FIELD THAT WILL INCREASE THE REQUESTS THAT WE GET FOR ANALYSES, CASE COMPLEXITIES.

WE'RE AT THE MERCY OF THE COURTS WITH REGARD TO SCHEDULES AND WHEN WE NEED TO COME AND TESTIFY.

ALL THESE THINGS ARE REQUIREMENTS THAT WE DON'T CONTROL.

THEY'RE LOVERS WE DON'T CONTROL, BUT WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO PIVOT TO.

SO SOMETIMES THIS CAN BE A CHALLENGE, BUT THE HIGHLIGHTS ON SOME THINGS I WANNA, UM, BRAG ABOUT.

WE HAVE GREAT PEOPLE.

REALLY THAT'S OUR HIGHLIGHT.

WE HAVE GREAT EXPERTS.

WE HAVE 54, UH, FOLKS THAT HOLD CERTIFICATIONS ACROSS ALL THE DISCIPLINES.

THEY HOLD TEXAS FORENSIC SCIENCE COMMISSION LICENSES.

THEY'RE WELL EDUCATED AND CONTINUE THEIR EDUCATION THROUGHOUT THEIR TENURE.

HERE.

WE HAVE AN AMAZING QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM.

I'VE LISTED THE VARIOUS ACCREDITATIONS THAT WE HAVE.

WE'RE ACCREDITED ISO 17 0 2 5, AR 31 25, THE TEXAS FORENSIC SCIENCE COMMISSION.

AND I MENTIONED THE ORGANIZATION OF SCIENTIFIC AREA COMMITTEES FOR FORENSIC SCIENCE OR OSAC.

THEY'RE THE ONES THAT REALLY SAY THESE ARE THE BEST OF THE BEST FORENSIC STANDARDS.

WE WERE AN EARLY IMPLEMENTER OF THOSE REGISTRY STANDARDS, AND WE WANNA BE ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THAT.

AND WE DO, AND WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THAT.

UM, AS WE ARE SCIENCE GEEKS, WE'RE REALLY INTO TECHNOLOGY AND AUTOMATION.

AND ONE AREA I JUST WANNA HIGHLIGHT THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO THIS YEAR IS, UH, PROCURE 3D VIRTUAL MICROSCOPY.

THIS SYSTEM WILL CHANGE THE GAME FOR FIREARMS AND PHYSICAL COMPARISONS, WHEREAS WE USED TO HAVE TO FIDDLE AROUND WITH LIGHTING AND FOCUSING AND ALL OF THAT, WHICH TAKES A LOT OF TIME AND EXPERTISE TO DO.

THIS.

NEW SYSTEM WILL LITERALLY TAKE A 3D TOPOGRAPHY SCAN OF THOSE FRAGMENTS, OF THOSE GUN SHELL CASINGS, AND THEY'LL GIVE YOU JUST SUCH VOLUMINOUS DATA IN GREAT DETAIL.

AND IT'S GOING TO VASTLY IMPROVE THIS PARTICULAR DISCIPLINE BECAUSE NOT ONLY IS IT GIVING YOU BETTER DATA, BUT IT'S ALSO APPLYING A SCORE TO THAT DATA SO THAT YOU HAVE AN EXPERT SAYING, YES, I DO BELIEVE THIS MEETS THE CRITERIA FOR BEING A COMP LIKE THIS COULD HAVE COME FROM THIS FIREARM, BUT IT'S ALSO GONNA APPLY A CONFIDENCE STATEMENT TO THAT.

SO THAT'S ADDITIONAL TRANSPARENCY AND CONFIDENCE THAT WHAT WE'RE PUTTING IN THERE AS A RESULT IS ACTUALLY BACKED BY SCIENCE.

SO I'LL JUST END WITH OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE AS A HIGHLIGHT, WE'RE REALLY PROUD THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PROCESS ALL SEXUAL ASSAULT KITS THAT WERE RECEIVED IN 2024 WITH AN AVERAGE TURNAROUND TIME OF 51 DAYS.

OUR GOAL IS 60 DAYS, STATE REQUIREMENT IS 90 DAYS, AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PREVENT A SEXUAL ASSAULT KIT BACKLOG FOR THE SIXTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN THAT STATUS.

WE'VE RESPONDED TO WELL OVER 2000 MAJOR CRIME CALLS WITH OUR CRIME SCENE UNIT.

WE'VE PRODUCED 7,500 FORENSIC REPORTS AND PROCESSED 25,000 EVIDENTIARY ITEMS THROUGH THE LABORATORY DISCIPLINES.

AND THAT OUR EVIDENCE GROUP HAS DONE A GREAT JOB OF DISPOSITION OF 140,000 ELIGIBLE ITEMS, INCLUDING KEEPING OVER 9,000 SEIZED DRUGS AND OVER A THOUSAND FIREARMS FROM POTENTIALLY RECIRCULATING IN OUR COMMUNITY.

SO THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO GIVE YOU THAT LITTLE SNAPSHOT OF WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO, AND HAPPY

[00:30:01]

UH, THANK YOU, UH, DR.

AVI.

UH, I DID, I HAD, UH, ONE STATEMENT AND ONE QUESTION.

THE, UH, WITH THE, UH, THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK THAT Y'ALL HAVE DONE AROUND THE SA KS AND, AND, AND GETTING THAT BACKLOG, UH, FOR THE SIX CONSECUTIVE YEAR, UH, NOT NOT HAVING A BACKLOG, BUT IS IT ALSO ACCURATE THAT WE, WE'VE ALSO HELPED OUT OTHER MUNICIPALITIES WITH THEIR BACKLOGS THAT THEY'VE HAD AROUND THE SA CASE? THAT IS TRUE.

WE RECENTLY HELPED, UH, FORT WORTH PD WITH SOME OF THEIR CODIS REVIEWS.

THEY WERE HAVING A CHALLENGE, AND WE HAPPENED TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF AVAILABILITY, SO WE WERE ABLE TO PERFORM THOSE, AND THOSE HAVE BEEN COMPLETED.

AMAZING, AMAZING WORK.

UM, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? YEAH, MAYOR, I'M, I'M INTERESTED IN THE SCIENCE GEEK PART OF THIS WHOLE THING.

UM, WHAT, WHAT SORTS OF DEGREES WHEN YOU, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE, THE NUMBER OF FOLKS THAT COME IN, UH, WHAT, WHAT KIND OF DEGREES, SCIENCE DEGREES TRANSLATE WELL INTO THIS WORK? WELL, IT'S INTERESTING, MAYOR, THE TEXAS FORENSIC SCIENCE COMMISSION LICENSING ACTUALLY REQUIRES SPECIFIC DEGREES AND SPECIFIC COURSEWORK PER DISCIPLINE OF FORENSICS.

SO IT LEAVES NOTHING TO THE IMAGINATION.

AND WE'RE TRYING TO EDUCATE INSTITUTES OF HIGHER EDUCATION ON KNOWING WHAT THOSE ARE.

AND WHEN I GO SPEAK TO COLLEGES, WE TRY TO PUSH THEM TOWARDS THAT.

SURE.

SO MOST OF THE DEGREES ARE, UM, LIKE A HARD SCIENCE BACHELOR'S OF SCIENCE IN CHEMISTRY, BIOLOGY, BIOCHEMISTRY.

UM, SOME FOLKS COME WITH, UH, LIKE A CRIMINAL JUSTICE DEGREE THAT'S REALLY TRANSLATABLE TO CRIME SCENE.

MAYBE NOT SO MUCH SOME OF THE DRUG CHEMISTRY OR TOXICOLOGY DISCIPLINES.

SO IT DEPENDS.

BUT WE GET A LOT OF BACHELOR'S OF SCIENCE IN THOSE NATURAL SCIENCES AND MASTER'S DEGREES.

THAT'S, THAT'S COOL.

UM, AND THEN DID I HEAR YOU SAY THAT YOU BEG, BORROW AND STEAL FROM A PDI? I SHOULD PROBABLY NOT.

70.

THAT SEEMS LIKE A RISKY PRO PROPOSITION.

CHIEF DAVIS IS GONNA KEEP ME HONEST.

DON'T WORRY, , THEY'RE VERY GENEROUS WITH PROVIDING THOSE SERVICES TO US, BUT IT'S A DRAIN ON THEM.

IT'S, AND IT'S, AND IT'S A DRAIN ON US TOO.

APPRECIATE YOUR WORK.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN.

UH, COUNCIL MEMBER DECHEN, FIRST THANKS FOR YOUR REPORT AND YOUR WORK YOU'RE DOING.

I HAVE JUST A QUESTION ABOUT, UM, IF THERE'S A PARALLEL BETWEEN WHAT I UNDERSTAND IS HAPPENING WITH A PD WHERE THEY ARE OFTEN HAVING TO INVEST IN TRAINING CADETS, BUT THEN LOSING THOSE CADETS OVER A PERIOD OF COUPLE OF YEARS TO SOME OF THE OTHER LOCAL DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE IN THE REGION.

IS THAT SOMETHING YOU GUYS EXPERIENCE ALSO, MAYBE NOT WITH LOCAL DEPARTMENTS IN THE REGION, BUT WITH, WITH OTHER CITIES LIKE FORT WORTH, PERHAPS, THAT ARE TRYING TO ATTRACT SIMILAR TALENT? YEAH, WE HAD A REALLY HARD TIME WITH THAT FOR A WHILE, SORT OF LINING UP WITH THE GREAT RESIGNATION THAT HAPPENED AFTER COVID ID UM, WHERE IT REALLY KILLED US IS WE WERE DOWN LIKE 50% STAFF IN BOTH THE CRIME SCENE SECTION AND THE EVIDENCE SECTION AND CRIME SCENE IS OUR LARGEST UNIT.

AND, UM, THAT WAS REALLY CHALLENGING.

UM, WE HAVE, I BELIEVE, SUCCESSFULLY RECOVERED FROM THAT.

AND WE DID GO FROM LIKE, YOU KNOW, MAINTAINING A TENURE OF THREE YEARS OF, YOU KNOW, CLOSER TO 70%, AND NOW WE'RE KIND OF DIPPING, WE DIP DOWN OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.

BUT WE DID JUST IMPLEMENT THANKS TO, UM, THE CITY FOR APPROVING IT, A CAREER PROGRESSION PLAN AND JOB TITLE KIND OF RIGHT FITTING THAT I THINK IS REALLY ATTRACTING NEW TALENT NOW.

UM, AS OF TODAY, I BELIEVE WE ONLY HAVE TWO VACANCIES, WHICH IS A MIRACLE.

WE'RE STILL TRAINING PEOPLE, SO WE WON'T QUITE SEE THE BENEFIT OF THAT FOR ANOTHER FEW MONTHS.

BUT, UM, THAT'S BEEN AMAZING.

AND I WILL SAY WE GET VERY FEW CANDIDATES WITH EXPERIENCE FOR JOBS AND USUALLY GET ABOUT 12 TO 15 CANDIDATES FOR OPEN FIREARMS EX EXAMINER POSITION.

THIS LAST ONE WE GOT 90 CANDIDATES AND SOME OF THEM ACTUALLY CAME WITH EXPERIENCE.

SO I THINK THAT HAS HELPED US, AND WE'LL SEE HOW THAT TREND CONTINUES, IF IT DOES CONTINUE, BUT WE'RE HOPEFUL AT THIS POINT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THAT SOUNDS, UH, VERY ENCOURAGING.

UH, ONE LAST QUESTION, WHICH IS, I NOTICED THAT WHEN THE PD GAVE THEIR PRESENTATION, THEY WERE HAVING SOME TECHNOLOGY, SOME CHALLENGES IN THE TECHNOLOGY SPACE.

IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE HAD THE OPPOSITE EXPERIENCE.

IS THAT A RESOURCE ISSUE? WHAT DO YOU THINK IS HAPPENING THERE? OR IS IT JUST TWO ENTIRELY SEPARATE SET OF CHALLENGES AND WITH TECHNOLOGY? OURS IS A LITTLE EASIER BECAUSE WE HAVE 89 PEOPLE AND EACH DISCIPLINE, WE, WE DO HAVE TECHNOLOGY AND SOFTWARE THAT SPANS THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION, BUT A LOT OF THE TECHNOLOGY I'M TALKING ABOUT IS VERY SPECIFIC TO A DISCIPLINE.

AND, UH, AND WE GET GRANT FUNDS

[00:35:01]

SOMETIMES WE'RE VERY GOOD ABOUT, VERY SUCCESSFUL ABOUT RECEIVING GRANT FUNDS FOR THOSE TECHNOLOGY PURPOSES.

AND THEY'RE SORT OF SET ASIDE FOR THAT TYPE OF THING.

SO I FEEL LIKE THAT MAKES IT A LITTLE BIT EASIER FOR US, NOT ONLY TO GET BUT THEN TO TRANSFER.

SO I THINK IT MIGHT BE MORE OF AN APPLES TO ORANGES COMPARISON.

THANK YOU.

MM-HMM .

THANK YOU DR.

KABY.

THANK YOU.

UH, NEXT COLLEAGUES WILL HAVE A PRESENTATION FROM AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT CHIEF JOEL BAKER.

AGAIN, MY NAME IS JOEL BAKER, FA, CHIEF FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT.

MR. CHAIRMAN, MR. MAYOR, COMMITTEE MEMBERS, FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE TO BRING YOU GREETINGS FROM ALL OF THE HEROIC, BRAVE WOMEN AND MEN OF THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT.

THOSE MEN AND WOMEN, THEY COME TO WORK EVERY SINGLE DAY AND GIVE A HUNDRED PERCENT AND PUT THEMSELF IN HARM'S WAY.

AND FOR THAT, MYSELF AND THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN WERE VERY GRATEFUL AND APPRECIATED FOR THEM.

SIMPLY THE MISSION OF THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT IS BASICALLY IS TO CREATE A SAFE AND RESILIENT COMMUNITY THROUGH PREVENTION, PREPAREDNESS, AND EFFECTIVE EMERGENCY FUND.

IT'S IMPORTANT YOU KEEP IN MIND THE PREVENTION PREPAREDNESS AS WELL AS THE AFFECTED EMERGENCY SPINE.

THROUGHOUT THIS PRESENTATION, OUR VISION IS SIMPLY TO SET THE STANDARDS AMONG PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES.

OUR DEPARTMENT SIDE, WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 1300 SWORN FIREFIGHTERS, CLOSE TO 150 CIVILIAN PERSONNEL, 54 OR FIVE STATIONS THAT ARE STRATEGICALLY PLACED THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND VARIOUS CITIES, AS YOU CAN SEE UP THERE.

AND OUR APPARATUS ARE 15 ENGINE UNDERLINED, 13 AREAS.

WE'RE GONNA TALK MORE ABOUT THE 13 AREAS AND OTHER PIECES OF EQUIPMENT WE HAVE IN OUR, UH, RESPONSE READINESS PREPAREDNESS, THE SERVICE AREA FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AS YOU SEE THERE.

WE ALSO HAVE A CONTRACT SERVICE FOR SUNSET VALLEY, ESD FOUR AND SHADY HOLLOW.

WE RESPOND TO THOSE AREAS PER OUR CONTRACT TO HELP US TO MEET OUR NEEDS, OUR GROWING NEEDS OF EMERGENCY RESPOND.

WE HAVE AUTOMATIC AID AGREEMENT WITH SURROUNDING ESDS, UH, TO HELP US MAKE THE RESPONSE CALL.

FOR EXAMPLE, ESD SITS UP IN THE NORTH SIDE OF TOWN THAT SOMETIMES LAKE TRAVIS CAN MEET, CAN RESPOND WESTERN SIDE CITY, ALSO MUCH QUICKER THAN WE CAN.

SOMETIMES WE CAN RESPOND TO LAKE TRAVIS AREA AND OTHER ESDS THE SAME WAY.

SO THERE'S A GREAT WORKING RELATIONSHIP WE HAVE ESTABLISHED WITH OUR ESD DEPARTMENT TO MEET THE, MEET THE DEMAND AND MAKE SURE OUR RESIDENTS AND CITIZEN KEY STAKEHOLDERS ARE SAFE WHEN THEY COME VISITING.

STAY THE CITY OF AUSTIN, OUR KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS ARE AS SUCH, OUR GOAL IS TO RESPOND FROM THE TIME WE RECEIVED THE ALARM TO GET TO MR. AND MISS CITIZEN HOME WITHIN EIGHT MINUTES.

THAT'S THE GOAL.

ACCORDING TO NFPA 1710, THE NATIONAL FIRE PREVENTION ASSOCIATION IN FISCAL YEAR 16.

WHAT DOES MEAN THAT GOAL? 83% OF THE TIME, FISCAL YEAR 17, WE MEET AT 84% OF THE TIME.

LET'S JUMP TO FISCAL YEAR 24.

WE ARE MEAN THAT GOAL, 69% OF THE TIME, 69% OF THE TIME WHEN THAT ALARM BELL RING, WE'RE ABLE TO LEAVE THE FIRE STATION AND GET TO THAT EMERGENCY INCIDENT, THAT FIRE CALL WITHIN EIGHT MINUTES.

69% OF THE TIME, THE GOAL IS 90% AND WE'RE NOT ABLE TO MEET THAT GOAL.

SO WHY WE'RE NOT ABLE TO MEET THAT GOAL? WELL, I'M GLAD YOU ASKED THAT QUESTION BEFORE YOU ASKED THAT QUESTION.

THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS OUTGROWING THE PACE OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.

THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS OUTGROWING THE PACE OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.

THE CITY IS GROWING RAPIDLY AND WE ARE DOING OUR BEST TO KEEP UP.

WE JUST BUILT FIVE FIRE STATIONS, WHAT WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT HERE SHORTLY, BUT WE ARE PUTTING THINGS IN PLACE TO HELP MEET SOME OF THESE GOALS.

THE RESPO, THE UH, CALL VOLUME IS INCREASING.

FOR EXAMPLE, FOR FISCAL YEAR 24, THE TOP FIVE INCIDENTS CODES YOU GOT OUTSIDE BURNING OVER A THOUSAND CALLS AND YOU GOT BUILDING FIRES, UH, 560 PLUS CALLS.

NOW THE

[00:40:01]

UH, OVER 400 CALLS, UH, VEHICLE FIRE, 3 0 300, ALMOST 400 CALLS.

AND THE PEOPLE EXPERIENCED HOMELESS CAMP.

233 CALLS FROM PEOPLE EXPERIENCED THESE, UH, HOMELESS CAMP, EXCUSE ME, FOR FISCAL 24.

NOW, THE RESPONSE PERFORMANCE BREAKDOWN AND LOOKING AT THE FIRE CALLS OVER 5,000 FIRE INCIDENTS.

AND WE MADE THAT RESPONDED TIME WITHIN EIGHT MINUTES.

WELL, WE RESPONDED 80%, 80, 90% AT NINE MINUTES.

THE GOAL IS EIGHT MINUTES.

THE MEDICAL COST IS OVER 10 MINUTES.

THAT'S 57,000 MEDICAL CALLS.

AND WE MADE IT WITHIN 10 MINUTES AND 39 SECONDS.

UH, I'M GONNA JUMP DOWN TO THE OTHER CALLS.

OVER 1200 CALLS, THOUGH OTHER CALLS COULD BE ANYWHERE FROM CHECKING AND VI SMOKE IN THE AREA, TREE DOWNS, WIRES DOWN, CHILD STUCK IN THE CAR, THINGS OF THOSE NATURE.

AND WE GOT THAT ALMOST TOOK US ALMOST 11 MINUTES.

SO OVERALL, OUT THE 65,000 EMERGENCY INCIDENTS THAT THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT WENT ON, IT TOOK US 10 MINUTES TO 32 MINUTES ON AVERAGE TO GET TO THOSE CALLS.

OUR STANDARD TO COVERAGE.

GREEN IS GOOD.

GREEN MEAN GO GREEN IS GOOD, EVERYTHING ELSE IS BAD.

MEDIUM.

LET'S, LET'S GET THE WORK ON.

AS YOU SEE IN 2016, WE HAD A LOT OF GREEN UP THERE.

WE ALSO, IN 2016, THE CITY WAS NOT AS POPULOUS.

UH, WE HAD LESS TRAFFIC.

WE HAD LESS HIGH-RISE AND MID-RISE BUILDING.

WE HAD LESS RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION GOING ON IN 2016.

BUT NOW YOU LOOK AT 2024, WE GOT A LOT OF PURPLE, PURPLE IS BAD.

UH, WE ARE NOT ABLE TO MEET THOSE RESPONSE TIME WITHIN EIGHT MINUTES IN THE PURPLE AREAS.

AND SOMETHING THAT DUE TO THE UNITS BEING OUT SERVICE GOING ON OTHER CALLS, UH, WAS CAUSED THAT SOME OF IT'S TRAFFIC RELATED TRYING TO GET TO THOSE AREAS.

AND THERE'S OTHER, MANY OTHER FACTORS, UH, THAT GOING ON WITH THAT.

BUT WE ARE WORKING ON OUR STRATEGIC PLAN TO TRY TO ADDRESS THOSE AREAS.

HOW CAN WE GET BACK TO THE GREEN SPACE WE NEED TO GET IN, ALLOW STANDARDS OF COVERAGE.

THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AT A GLANCE IN FISCAL 24, WE RESPONDED TO OVER 110,000 INCIDENT.

IN OTHER WORDS, EVERY APPARATUS, IF YOU ADD UP ALL THE RESPONSE FROM ALL THE APPARATUS WITH THE ENGINE RESCUE UNIT, THE FIRE TRUCK, ET CETERA, IT'S OVER 110,000 CALLS.

DISPATCH, CENTER DISPATCH, OVER 210 THOSE, ALONG WITH DISPATCHING OUR ESDS PARTNERS, 67% OF OUR MEDICAL CALLS, 33% ARE FIRE OR HAZMAT OR OTHER RADIO CALLS.

WE WAS ABLE, EVEN WITH THAT DECREASED RESPONSE TIME, WE WAS ABLE TO CONFINE THE FIRE TO ITS ORIGINAL ORIGIN TO THAT ONE BEDROOM THAT CAUSED WHATEVER THE FIRE TOOK PLACE IN THE KITCHEN, THE GARAGE 75% OF THE TIME.

UH, WE HAD 217, UH, ARSON RELATED CALLS WHEN THE ARS HAD TO GO OUT AND INVESTIGATE, INSTALL OVER 800 SMOKER ALARM, THANKS TO OUR AGGRESSIVE WILDFIRE DIVISION.