Versión en español a continuación. Regular Meeting of the Public Safety Commission February 1, 2021 at 3:00pm Public Safety Commission meeting to be held, February 1, 2021 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (January 31, 2021 by noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the February 1, 2021 PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION Meeting, members of the public must •Call or email the board liaison at (512) 974-5747 or Janet.jackson@austintexas.gov no later than noon, January 31, 2021 (the day before the meeting). The information required is the speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, and a telephone number or email address. •Once a request to speak has been called in or emailed to the board liaison, residents will receive either an email or phone call providing the telephone number to call on the day of the scheduled meeting. •Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes prior to meeting start in order to speak, late callers will not be accepted and will not be able to speak. •Speakers will be placed in a queue until their time to speak. •Handouts or other information may be emailed to Janet.jackson@austintexas.gov by Noon the day before the scheduled meeting. This information will be provided to Board and Commission members in advance of the meeting. •If this meeting is broadcast live, residents may watch the meeting here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch- atxn-live Reunión del PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION la junta en reunión se residentes pueden ver FECHA de la reunion February 1, 2021 La junta se llevará con modificaciones de distanciamiento social Se permitirán comentarios públicos por teléfono; no se permitirá ninguna entrada en persona. Todos los oradores deben registrarse con anticipación (January 31, 2021 antes del mediodía). Todos los comentarios públicos se producirán al comienzo de la reunión. Para hablar de forma remota en la reunión, los miembros del público deben: • Llame o envíe un correo electrónico al enlace de (512) 974-5747 or Janet.jackson@austintexas.gov a más tardar al mediodía (el día antes de la reunión). La información requerida es el nombre del orador, los números de artículo sobre los que desean hablar, si están a favor / en contra / neutrales, y un número de teléfono o dirección de correo electrónico. • Una vez que se …
` Rocky Lane Daniela Nunez PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Monday, January 4, 2021 The Public Safety Commission convened a videoconferencing meeting Monday, January 4, 2021 at City Hall 301 W. 2nd Street in Austin, Texas. Chair Rebecca Gonzales called the Board Meeting to order at 3:00p.m, Board Members in Attendance: Rebecca Webber Kathleen Hausenfluck Nelly Ramirez Rebecca Bernhardt Board Members Absent: William (Bill) Kelly Staff in Attendance: Troy Gay, Chief of Staff, Austin Police Department Jasper Brown, Chief of Staff, Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services Rob Vires, Chief of Staff, Austin Fire Department Public Communications - Citizens signed up to speak on agenda items only: There were no citizens signed up to speak. 1. Approval of Minutes – There were no minutes presented for approval. The December 7, 2020 meeting minutes will be presented for approval at the February 1, 2021 meeting 2. Public Safety Departments Quarterly Report – ATCEMS (Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services) Department Services) Department - Jasper Brown, Chief of Staff, ATCEMS (Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Commissioner Gonzales asked COS, Brown to present EMS Quarterly Stats. COS Brown began presenting the response stats for the last six months through 11-2020 that capture/show the overall response performance for all council districts, and commented by showing six months of data it captures/shows trends within EMS department response times. 1 employees. -The volumes of calls is down is that a significant factor in improving response times? Ramirez due to a lot of businesses (bars, restaurants, etc…) having to close or reduce hours of operation during COVID. -What is the bar for compliance within all categories? Commissioner Sierra-Arevalo 9minutes 59seconds responded COS, Brown -I would like to commend EMS on the overall compliance of those response times. EMS response times overall showed an improvement to being 91% in compliance. Some of our improved response times can be due to EMS reposition of units and the addition of a 24hour unit approved by council helped to improve the response times. Questions and comments from the commissioners; Commissioner Lane COS, Brown responded we(EMS) currently are busy but not as busy as we were pre- COVID The discussion was interrupted for Commissioner Webber to switch over to preside as Chair of the meeting pending Commissioner Gonzales’s return from technical difficulties. COS Brown continued to present the Quarterly Stats and moved to EMS COVID stats/updates as of end of year, December 30, 2020 …
Mental Health Services for First Responders Public Safety Commission February 1, 2021 Patricia Bourenane, Management Services Assistant Director Dr. Ronnelle Paulsen, AFD Health & Wellness Director Rick Randall, APD Background • Council Resolution No. 20190619-092 – directed the City Manager to develop a report outlining the gaps and opportunities for improvement of mental health services for our first responders. • Fall 2020 – Input from HRD, first responders, Departments, and Public Safety Associations • January 2021 – Input session with first responders, staff psychologists, Associations and Department leadership • CAPCOG and Dell Medical School Request • Gathering additional input • February 1st – Public Safety Commission • February 3rd – Austin-Travis EMS Advisory Board • February 10th – Firefighters' and Police Officers' Civil Service Commission • City Auditor • Your feedback - What gaps and/or improvements have we missed? Current Gaps Improvements • Need for a contracted psychiatrist to provide psychiatric treatment • City’s insurance limitations with connecting to mental health providers and substance abuse treatment • Mental Health days for first responders • Additional Peer Support program funding, support and activities • Need for enhanced training for leadership within the departments in understanding the mental health needs of their employees AFD/EMS/APD • Wellness Center • Website • Volunteer Chaplains • APD First Responder Mental Health Grant Peer Support Program • • Critical Incident Stress Management debriefings Austin Fire • Two psychologists Austin Police Department Two psychologists • • APD Wellness Bureau’s internal • website Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy City’s Medical Plan • BlueCross BlueShield • • Employee Assistance Program iConnectYou • Establish a City-sponsored fund to retain a psychiatrist for first responders. • Establish protocol for Mental Health days. • Specialized training for public safety leadership on handling mental health issues for first responders. • Develop and administer training on social- justice-informed mental health care. • Hire 2 Full-Time employees to assist psychologists and Peer Support coordinators. • Additional funding for Peer Support activities. • Revisit departmental policies to accept the use of CBD oil for first responders. • Implement annual behavioral health check-ins • Increased funding allocation for Dr. Tania Glenn for first responders. & Associates, PA. • Coordinate a joint statement from City leadership, Associations, and Department management that commits to limitations on sharing mental health treatment information and that seeking therapy will not have negative repercussions on a first responder’s career. Next Steps • …
Current Mental Health Services for First Responders Multiple Departments The following mental health services that span over multiple public safety departments, for first responders’ access: Austin Public Safety Wellness Center Wellness website also offers information about crisis/recovery resources, including inpatient care, outpatient services, mental health and substance abuse treatment, and the suicide. prevention/crisis hotline for immediate help. Volunteer Chaplains provide support (spiritual and emotional), counseling, and pastoral care. APD is staffed by 19 volunteer clergy, providing spiritual counseling and support. EMS accesses the APD chaplain list while AFD is staffed by 3 additional volunteer clergy. APD First Responder Mental Health Grant which offers first responders up to 17 confidential sessions with a licensed therapist at no cost. Peer Support Programs to provide emotional support and referrals. Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) debriefings, are conducted after a critical incident, voluntary participation and are completely confidential for all participants. Below are services provided, specific to each department: Austin Fire Department Two psychologists (Dr. Ebony Butler and Dr. March Kruse) offer a range of no-cost mental health services. Psychologists also provide training to AFD/EMS cadets (e.g. introduction to behavioral health difficulties, substance use/DUI). Austin-Travis County EMS EMS contracts with a psychologist, available 24/7, Dr. Tania Glenn, PsyD, LCSW, who provides help during traumatic events, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), suicide prevention education, depression, among other life incidents that may require special care. Austin Police Department Two psychologists (Dr. Carol Logan and Dr. David Duran) offering a range of no-cost mental health APD Wellness Bureau’s internal website provides convenient access to these services. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy 1 services. The City of Austin provides health benefits for employees, which includes the following mental health services: City of Austin’s Insurance Provider City medical plans (BlueCross BlueShield) covers mental health services. City’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Deer Oaks, LLC, provides short-term confidential counseling to help first responders and their families deal with life’s stresses. iConnectYou app instantly connects to professionals for instant support and to help find resources.
M E M O R A N D U M TO: Public Safety Commission City of Austin Firefighters', Police Officers' and Emergency Medical Services Personnel Civil Service Commission Austin-Travis County EMS Advisory Board Office of the City Auditor FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: Request for Input on Mental Health Care for First Responders (Resolution No. Rey Arellano, Assistant City Manager January 25, 2021 20190619-092) The purpose of this memo is to request your input regarding mental health care for first responders as directed by Council Resolution No. 20190619-092, which highlights the growing concern regarding mental health issues and the significant impact they have on the overall wellness of public safety first responders. The Resolution directed the City Manager to develop a report that thoroughly explains and identifies gaps and opportunities for improvement. The Resolution further directed the City Manager to obtain input from your Commission/Board/Department on any gaps or areas of improvement. I would request your feedback during your February 2021 board meeting, or by the end of the next week after your respective Commission/Board meeting, or by February 19, 2021. The attached report (Attachment A) provides an overview of the following areas: 1. Current options available to first responders to support and manage mental health needs; 2. The current state of health care insurance coverage for first responders; 3. Maintaining privacy and protecting first responders from retaliation for disclosing personal mental health conditions and needs; 1 4. Law enforcement best practices and innovations, pre-screening and ongoing 5. Areas of improvement and next steps; and 6. First responder statements about the unique, on-the-job experiences they deal with evaluations; daily. The City Manager’s Office engaged the three public safety departments, Human Resources Department, staff psychologists, first responders, and public safety Association presidents to receive feedback. In addition, the Office of Medical Director reached out to the Dell Medical School and EMS reached to the Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPCOG) to gain their feedback on this important topic. The gaps identified by stakeholders include the need for a contracted psychiatrist to provide psychiatric treatment; City’s insurance limitations with connecting to mental health providers and substance abuse treatment; mental health days for first responders; additional Peer Support program funding, support and activities; and the need for enhanced training for leadership within the departments in understanding the mental health needs of their employees. Staff had the opportunity to meet with first responders, Associations and the …
` William Kelly Rocky Lane Daniela Nunez PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Monday, December 7, 2020 The Public Safety Commission convened a videoconferencing meeting Monday, December 7, 2020 at City Hall 301 W. 2nd Street in Austin, Texas. Vice Chair Rebecca Webber called the Board Meeting to order at 3:05p.m, and informed the board Chair Rebecca Gonzales is absent today due to COVID-19 and the impact on her family. Board Members in Attendance: Rebecca Webber Kathleen Hausenfluck Nelly Ramirez Rebecca Bernhardt Board Members Absent: Rebecca Gonzales Staff in Attendance: Troy Gay, Chief of Staff, Austin Police Department Jasper Brown, Chief of Staff, Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services Rob Vires, Chief of Staff, Austin Fire Department Public Communications - Citizens signed up to speak on agenda items only: There were no citizens signed up to speak. 1. Approval of Minutes – Commissioner Webber asked for comments/edits of the November 2, 2020 Public Safety Commission meeting minutes. Hearing no edits or corrections to the minutes, Commissioner Webber deemed the minutes approved. 1 2. Public Safety Departments Quarterly Report – Austin Police Department - Troy Gay, Chief of Staff, Austin Police Department - Rick Randall, Director of Health and Wellness, Austin Police Department -Citywide-Crime Against Persons -Citywide-Crime Against Property -Citywide-Crimes Against Society Commissioner Webber called for Troy Gay to begin his quarterly presentation. Chief of Staff, Troy Gay begin the presentation with comments concerning APD’s transition to a new reporting structure, NIBRS (National Incident-Based Reporting System), per the FBI reporting requirements. One reason mentioned for APD switching from the UCR (Uniform Crime Report) crime reporting structure to NIBRS is the crime analysis is vaster with using NIBERS structure. COS Gay introduced Dr. Jonathan Kringen and asked him to begin the presentation of APD’s quarterly crime data. Dr. Kringen presented data for Dr. Kringen presented data in the different categories and explained that NIBRS reporting structure counts all of the crimes committed in one incident, whereas the UCR(Uniformed Crime Reporting) structure of reporting crimes only counts the highest crime committed in an incident; this contributes to the vast reporting by NIBRS. The 2019 crime data was compiled using the NIBRS standard. There was discussion by the board on APD transitioning to the new reporting structure (NIBRS): Commissioner Kelly commented he would rather the smaller numbers not be reported as it causes for a higher percentage increase to be reported that is not always …
PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION 20210201-002a Racial Profiling in High Discretion Searches February 1, 2021 Rebecca Bernhardt Rebecca Webber Date: Subject: Motioned by: Seconded by: Background facts: —APD has been collecting racial profiling data since the state law passed requiring its collection in 2001. —Throughout the time that APD has collected data on racial profiling, the data has consistently shown that Black/African American drivers are significantly more likely to be searched by APD at a vehicle stop than White/Caucasian drivers, and significantly more likely to be arrested. — 2019 data shows that Black/African Americans were three times more likely to be searched and approximately three times more likely to be arrested than White/Caucasians. — 58 percent of searches of Black/African Americans, amounting to 1,124 searches, were high discretion searches, where law enforcement had a lot of discretion in whether or not they chose to search the vehicle. By comparison 34 percent of searches of White/Caucasian Americans were high discretion searches, totaling 755 searches. Recommendation: We recommend that the City Council direct the City Manager ensure that any high discretion searches resulting in the discovery of drug or controlled substance contraband that would normally result in arrest not be referred to the district or county attorney’s offices for prosecution. The following policies should be enacted as soon as possible: 1. The definition of high discretion search includes both consent searches and searches conducted because the officer “smelled marijuana” or “smelled something suspicious.” 2. Officers cease conducting high discretion searches at vehicle stops. Vote: For: Commissioners Gonzales, Nunez, Ramirez, Bernhardt, Sierra-Arevalo, Hausenfluck and Lane Against: None Abstain: Webber Absent: William (Bill) Kelly Attest: [Staff or board member can sign] __________________________________
` Rocky Lane Daniela Nunez PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Monday, February 1, 2021 The Public Safety Commission convened a videoconferencing meeting Monday February 1, 2021 at City Hall 301 W. 2nd Street in Austin, Texas. Chair Rebecca Gonzales called the Board Meeting to order at 3:00p.m, Board Members in Attendance: Rebecca Gonzales Kathleen Hausenfluck Nelly Ramirez Rebecca Bernhardt Board Members Absent: William (Bill) Kelly and Rebecca Webber (30minutes late) Staff in Attendance: Troy Gay, Chief of Staff, Austin Police Department Jasper Brown, Chief of Staff, Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services Rob Vires, Chief of Staff, Austin Fire Department Public Communications - Citizens signed up to speak: Carlos Leon – speaking on election integrity 1. Approval of Minutes – Chair Gonzales asked for any edits/comments to the minutes December 7, 2020 and January 4, 2021presented. Hearing no comments/edits the minutes were deemed approved. 1 2. Old Business -The Reports, Interviews, and Survey -Joyce James: Consultant -Wendy Hill -Don Baumann a. Continued Presentation –Austin Police Department Audit, APD Racial Inequities and Institutional Racism report by Joyce James (sponsors: Commissioner Gonzales and Webber) 3:25pm-4:00pm Speakers: -Framework: The Texas Model for Addressing Disproportionality & Disparities (Texas Model) -Documentation Review and Analysis -Recommended Quick Wins for APD -Austin Police Department Racial Equity Recommendations in the Context of the Texas Model -A Groundwater Analysis of Racial Inequities -Austin Police Department Priorities and Opportunities for Immediate and Measurable Actions (as developed through JJC strategic planning) Chair Gonzales invited Dr. James to begin her presentation. Dr. James introduced the additional presenters joining her in the presentation. Dr. James highlighted the presentation overview and shared the key topics they would present. Ms. James commented on the framework her team used to perform the audit on racial inequities and institutional racism. Ms. James shared their role was to help identify racial inequities within the Austin Police Department and to help them develop immediate and prolonged strategies to eliminate the inequities. The Texas Model included data-driven strategies, leadership development, culturally competent workforce and community engagement. The Tatum Report was reviewed by James Consulting and commented on their findings. James consulting surveyed a thousand sworn and civilian employees of APD and survey data indicated that African Americans were less satisfied with the workplace climate as it relates to promotion, complaints, and fairness than Hispanics and Whites. The survey results showed women were more dissatisfied than men in organizational issues of …
