Item #1 Draft Meeting Minutes September 8, 2025 — original pdf

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Public Safety Commission Meeting Minutes Monday, September 8, 2025 PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION REGULAR CALLED MEETING MINUTES Monday, September 8, 2025 The Public Safety Commission convened in a regular called meeting on Monday, September 8, 2025, at Austin City Hall, Boards and Commissions Room, 301 W 2nd Street in Austin, Texas. Chair Ramírez called the Public Safety Commission Meeting to order at 4:01 p.m. Commissioners in Attendance: Nelly Paulina Ramírez, Chair Tim Ruttan, Vice Chair Rebecca Bernhardt Enrique Duran II Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Angel Carroll David Holmes Kristy Orr Michael Sierra-Arévalo PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL None APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. 2. Approve the minutes of the Public Safety Commission regular meeting on July 7, 2025. The motion to approve the minutes from the meeting on July 7, 2025, was approved on Commissioner Duran’s motion, Commissioner Sierra-Arévalo’s second on a 6-0 vote. Commissioner Bernhardt and Carroll were off the dais. Commissioners Hidrogo, Nguyễn, and Smith were absent. Approve the minutes of the Public Safety Commission regular meeting on August 4, 2025. The motion to approve the minutes from the meeting on August 4, 2025, was approved on Commissioner Duran’s motion, Commissioner Sierra-Arévalo’s second on an 8-0 vote. Commissioners Hidrogo, Nguyễn, and Smith were absent. DISCUSSION ITEMS 3. Public Safety Quarterly Report, Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services. 1 Public Safety Commission Meeting Minutes Monday, September 8, 2025 4. 5. The presentation was made by Wesley Hopkins, Chief of Staff, Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical Services. Introduction and overview of the Forensic Science Department. Presentation by Dr. Dana Kadavy, Director, Forensic Science Department. The presentation was made by Dr. Dana Kadavy, Director, Austin Forensic Science Department. Discussion of the Office of Police Oversight's compliance with the Austin Police Oversight Act and Resolution 20230921-099. Discussed. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 6. Approve a Recommendation to Council regarding the review of the Office of Police Oversight’s compliance with the Austin Police Oversight Act. The motion to approve Recommendation to Council regarding the review of the Office of Police Oversight’s compliance with the Austin Police Oversight Act was made by Commissioner Bernhardt and seconded by Commissioner Carroll. The motion to amend was made by Commissioner Carroll and seconded by Commissioner Bernhardt. The amendment was to add a fifth bullet point to page 4 as follows: “Responses to questions read on the record at the September 8, 2025 Regular Called Meeting of the Public Safety Commission be made publicly available. (See attached)” The amendment was to also add the following questions to the end of the recommendation: “Questions for the Office of Police Oversight Regular Called Meeting of the Public Safety Commission, September 8, 2025 ANNUAL REPORT When will the OPO be presenting at a publicly held City Council meeting as 1. directed in the city ordinance? 2. When will the 2024 Annual Report be published? 3. What is the schedule for annual reports going forward for 2025 and onwards, and what will be the accountability mechanism to ensure these are done in a timely manner? What departments are given edit and approval access to the OPO’s annual 4. report? 2 Public Safety Commission Meeting Minutes Monday, September 8, 2025 COMPLIANCE 5. Have all anonymous complaints to date been published to the OPO website? Are complaints that have received oral or written reprimands been posted to 6. OPO website? Complaints posted to the OPO website are not searchable. What can be done to 7. improve searchability? 8. Are there technical and/or infrastructure improvements needed for the database to more adequately meet the reporting requirements of the ordinance and Resolution 99 and be easily accessible and searchable for the general public? What solutions have been discussed to bridge the gap between data collected 9. during complaints process and reporting requirements? 10. Have all compliments been published to the OPO website? COMPLAINTS PROCESS & OUTCOMES 11. What training are complaints officers being provided with to ensure impartiality in the complaints process? 12. How are complainants being informed of their options? 13. How sustainable are “Supervisory Referral” dispositions given APD’s return to patrol initiative and the changes being made to the Force Review Unit? 14. What follow up does the Office of Police Oversight do for Supervisory Referrals? 15. What documentation and/or reporting does OPO track on Supervisory Referrals to assess effectiveness of that classification? 16. What automatic triggers are in place to flag full investigations when the Supervisory Referral option is preferred by the complainant? Does the OPO track repeat complaints and outcomes such as repeated 17. Supervisory Referrals for individual officers or certain areas that are outside of the average for APD as a whole? COMMUNITY POLICE REVIEW COMMISSION 18. What outstanding items/obstacles are currently delaying the CPRC’s ability to review cases? 3 Public Safety Commission Meeting Minutes Monday, September 8, 2025 19. How will vacant seats on the CPRC be filled and what is the timeline for filling current vacant seats? 20. Will the CPRC case review work similar to the Civil Service Commission where they have closed door sessions or will the process be different? Is the CPRC being given the ability to review cases that OPO or APD IA have 21. already chosen to not refer for discipline? 22. What happens with recommendations made by CPRC? Who are they forwarded to and where will that case documentation live? MISCELLANEOUS 23. Please explain OPO's participation in OIS press conferences and reasoning. Did the Office of Police Oversight receive any additional funding in the latest 24. budget adoption? 25. What does OPO think is needed – if anything – to be able to fully implement all its goals in a timely fashion and to continue to do so on a regular basis that it does not currently have? What 26. supervisors/leadership?” qualifications are prioritized for hiring of complaints The amendment was approved on an 8-0 vote. Commissioners Hidrogo, Nguyễn, and Smith were absent. The Recommendation was approved as amended on an 8-0 vote. Commissioners Hidrogo, Nguyễn, and Smith were absent. WORKING GROUP UPDATES 7. Update from the Public Safety Commission’s Collective Sex Crimes Response Model Working Group on the progress, risks, and adjustments to reporting schedule of data. Withdrawn. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS EMS and Central Health Cooperation Presentation Counsel at First Appearance Office of Violence Prevention – Memorandum of Understanding ADJOURNMENT Chair Ramírez adjourned the meeting at 5:28 p.m. without objection. 4