` William (Bill) Kelly Kathleen Hausenfluck PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Monday, March 2, 2020 The Public Safety Commission convened a meeting Monday, March 2, 2020 at City Hall 301 W. 2nd Street in Austin, Texas. Commissioner Meghan Hollis called the Board Meeting to order at 4:00p.m. Board Members in Attendance: Meghan Hollis Daniela Nunez Rebeca Bernhardt Rebecca Gonzales Selena Alvarenga Chris Harris Board Members Absent: Rebecca Webber Preston Tyree Staff in Attendance: Troy Gay, Chief of Staff, Austin Police Department Rob Vires, Chief of Staff, Austin Fire Department Jasper Brown, Chief of Staff, Austin Travis County Emergency Medical Services Citizen Communications Carlos León, Citizen – Commission for Women, Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities, and Margaret Moore, District Attorney Julianna Gonzales w/ Safe Alliance - Monthly status from Safe Alliance to Public Safety Commission for the months of January and February 2020 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - Commissioner Hollis asked for any discussion/edits of the February 4, 2020 minutes; hearing no comments, Commissioner Bernhardt motioned approval of the minutes and Commissioner Gonzales second the motion. The minutes were approved with a unanimous vote. 1 2. Quarterly Stats from Public Safety Departments authorized strength, vacancies, overtime hours, call volume, response times of Austin Police Department, Austin Fire Department and Austin Travis County Emergency Medical Services Commissioner Hollis introduced this item and COS (Chief of Staff) Troy Gay begin presenting APD’s quarterly stats for October 2019-December 2019. COS Brown and COS Vires followed with presenting their quarterly stats for EMS and AFD. All three agencies presented their department’s current vacancies, responses times, budget nd future cadet classes and recent graduations. There was one person signed up to speak on this item. Carlos Leon – spoke to APD, AFE, and EMS inquiring about their plans to address SXSW 2020 and the threat of COVID-19 being spread during such a large international event held in Austin, Texas. Several commissioners had comments/questions at the end of the presentation: Commissioner Nunez question APD stats of reported uptick of violent crimes in the Edwards sector and APD’s plan/s COS Gay responded, the majority of the crimes reported involve gun violence and currently there is a taskforce in place looking at possible was to reduce gun violence. Commissioner Harris questioned the recent APD graduation of 67 officers and how it is reflected in the number of vacancies reported during this quarter by APD. In …
Austin Police Department Critical Incident Release Policy Overview: This policy reflects APD's commitment to fostering greater public trust by increasing transparency with respect to APD and the community it serves. This policy will establish criteria for when video footage of certain police critical incidents will be released to the public. This policy was developed in partnership with; Office of Police Oversight, Travis County District Attorney's Office, Austin Justice Coalition, ACLU, Just Liberty, Grassroots Leadership, and Texas Fair Defense Project. Purpose: The people of our community have an undeniable interest in being informed, in a timely fashion and based on the most accurate information available about incidents where officers use lethal force, or when the use of force by the police results in the serious bodily injury of a person. What Are Critical Incidents? Officer-involved shootings, including unintentional discharge while in the course of duty or in response to a call, regardless of whether a person was hit by gunfire and even if no allegation of misconduct is made A use of force resulting in death or serious bodily injury as defined by Section 1.07, Texas Penal Code All deaths while an arrestee/detainee is in the custodial care of the Department unless there is no preliminary evidence of any of the following: misconduct, a use of force, or an act committed by an arrestee/detainee that appears intended to cause injury or death; or Any other police encounter where the Chief of Police determines release of video furthers a law enforcement purpose Timeline Release: If the Chief of Police determines that releasing video following a critical incident is appropriate pursuant to this policy, then the Department will post the relevant video imagery on a publicly accessible website within 90 days of the incident. Delayed Release: Under certain circumstances, the release of the video must be delayed to protect the following: Safety of the involved individuals, including officers, witness, bystanders, or other third parties Integrity of an active investigation (including criminal or administrative) or criminal prosecution Confidential sources or investigative techniques Constitutional rights Notifications and Consultations: If the Chief of Police determines that no video will be released following a critical incident, then the Department will post a statement summarizing the reasons within 60 days of the incident. The following will be notified of this decision: Officers depicted in the video and/or significantly involved in the use of force Subject upon whom force …
Austin 911 operators effectively field calls, but audit finds gaps in dispat... https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2020/02/austin-911-operators-effe... Thursday, February 27, 2020 by Andrew Weber (https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/author/andrew-weber/) Operators field roughly a million calls for emergency services in Austin a year. A new city report says those operators do a serviceable job of answering that glut of calls, but found a disconnect between those calls and the delivery of crucial services. There are a lot of reasons for that, according to the Office of the City Auditor’s analysis of six years of call data from October 2013 to July 2019. That audit (https://www.austintexas.gov/edims /document.cfm?id=336386) was discussed Wednesday at a meeting of the city’s Audit and Finance Committee. For one, the three departments using call centers – the Austin Police Department, Austin Fire Department and Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services – don’t uniformly measure their quality assurance, making an audit comparing response and dispatch times difficult. Part of that divergence is intrinsic: An operator fielding a 911 call intended for AFD won’t be asking a caller for a suspect description or the medical condition of a possible patient, for example. But the departments measure response time in seconds or minutes or even a rate when it comes to answering the most urgent calls for services. The audit shows AFD and EMS response times didn’t accurately reflect wait times from a caller’s perspective, because they didn’t properly account for the transfer time it took to transfer a caller to an operator. The audit also shows the three departments didn’t always meet their dispatch goals in terms of timeliness. While the departments met the national benchmark for answering emergency calls, all told, APD, AFD and EMS met 14 of their 24 total performance targets in 2018 for dispatch timeliness. Andrew Keegan with the city auditor’s office says a lot of that lag between call and dispatch has to do with time and geography. 1 of 2 2/27/2020, 12:44 PM Austin 911 operators effectively field calls, but audit finds gaps in dispat... https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2020/02/austin-911-operators-effe... “If the call comes in at 5:30 p.m. on a Friday, and they have to go to South Austin … or travel on 35 or any of the highways, that’s necessarily going to take longer than if they have to respond to a call at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday, just because of traffic and people on the roads.” Still, District 6 Council Member Jimmy Flannigan said the …
Public Safety FY2020-21 Budget Forecast March 2, 2020 City of Austin, TX Austin Police FY2020-21 Budget Forecast March 2, 2020 City of Austin, TX Police Department Budget Overview FY2020 Totals at a Glance FY2020 Approved Budget $434.5 Million FY2020 Positions 1,959 Sworn 737 Civilian FY2020 Budget by Program FY2020 Budget Highlights Year 2 Sworn Staffing Plan: 30 Sworn FTEs Outsource DNA Contracts Body Worn Camera Program Cloud Storage 6 Civilian FTEs Police Department Budget Overview FY2021 Forecast FY2021 Forecast Budget $463.3 Million* FY2021 Positions 2,014 Sworn 741 Civilian Police FY2021 Forecast Highlights Personnel Cost Drivers Interfund Transfers Capital & Non-Capital Replacement Items Contract & Operating Increases $20.8M $3.9M $3.4M $841K Total $28.9M* or 6.6% *Estimate: The FY2021 Budget Forecast is still under development, pending CM review and City Council approval. Council Initiatives & Other Budget Items Under Review Year 3 Sworn Staffing Plan: 30 Sworn FTEs $2.3M Addressing Violent Crime in Austin Cadet Salary Increase 4 Civilian FTEs Market Study – Forensics Positions Records Management System Replacement $1.5M Helicopter Replacement Total $5.6M $1.5M $406K $894K $1.3M $13.5M Austin Fire FY2020-21 Budget Forecast March 2, 2020 City of Austin, TX Fire Department Budget Overview FY2020 Totals at a Glance FY2020 Approved Budget $200.7 Million FY2020 Positions 1,220 Sworn 131 Civilian & 60 Cadet FY2020 Budget by Program FY2020 Budget Highlights $1.2M for staffing of temporary fire station in Del Valle $586K for partial year staffing & equipment at new Del Valle fire station $277K for 3 civilian positions in Wildfire Division Division $600K for fuels mitigation in the Wildfire Fire Department Budget Overview FY2021 Forecast FY2021 Forecast Budget $217.8 Million* FY2021 Positions 1,252 Sworn 144 Civilian & 60 Cadets Fire FY2021 Forecast Highlights Personnel Cost Drivers Interfund Transfers Del Valle Ladder and Travis Country Station Personnel & Operating Contract Increases Non-Capital Replacement & Supply Items $7.7M $2M $3.6M $100K $600K $14M Total *Estimate: The FY2021 Budget is still under development, pending City Council approval. Council Initiatives & Other Budget Items Under Review 1. Maintenance for Records Management Software $225K 2. Highland Development Center & One Texas Center 3. WUI code implementation: one-time costs 4. WUI code personnel costs rent TOTAL $742K $512K $1.5M $3M Emergency Medical Services Department Review March 2, 2020 City of …
CALL TO ORDER (4:00pm) CITIZENS COMMUNICATION (4:05pm-4:20pm) The first five speakers signed up prior to the Call to Order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES (4:20pm-4:25pm) Items for Presentations, Discussion, and Possible Action: 2. Introduction of APD Assistant Chief Robin Henderson (4:25pm-4:30pm) Sponsored by Commissioners Scruggs and Webber 3. Election of Public Safety Commission Chair (4:30pm-4:35pm) Sponsored by Commissioners Scruggs and Webber 4. Lessons Learned Last Summer: debrief of Commissioners’ participation in City process for hiring an outside consultant to audit APD’s sexual assault investigations (4:35pm-4:45pm) Sponsored by Commissioners Scruggs and Webber Speaker: Amanda Lewis, Commission for Women 5. Nomination of Commissioners to serve on APD Systemic Racism Study Scope-of-Work Working Group (4:45pm – 4:50pm) Sponsored by Commissioners Scruggs and Webber 6. Nomination of Commissioners to serve on ATCEMS/AFD Dispatch Equity Study Scope-of-Work Working Group (4:50pm – 4:55pm) Sponsored by Commissioners Scruggs and Webber 7. Presentation of Austin Fire Department 2019 Annual Report (4:55pm-5:10pm) Sponsored by Commissioners Scruggs and Webber Speakers: PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING Monday, February 3, 2020 @ 4:00pm City Hall Boards and Commissions Room 301 W. 2nd Street Austin, Texas 78701 AGENDA - Brandon Wade, Assistant Chief, Austin Fire Department - Thayer Smith, Division Chief, Austin Fire Department 1 8. Austin EMS Association recent successes and upcoming initiatives: results of new Medic-in- Distress call sign, scheduling issues solved, and 5 straightforward solutions to improve medics' work lives (5:10pm - 5:25pm) Sponsored by Commissioners Scruggs and Webber Speaker: Selena Xie, President Austin EMS Association 9. Community reaction to January 2020 Analysis of APD Racial Profiling Data: Joint Report of the Office of Police Oversight, Office of Innovation, and Equity Office (5:25pm – 6:00pm) Sponsored by Commissioners Harris and Webber Speakers: representatives of community groups Adjourn The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please call Janet Jackson at Austin Police Department, at (512-974-5747), for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. For more information on the Public Safety Commission, please contact Austin Police Department Assistant Chief, Troy Gay at 512-974-5030 2
` Kathleen Hausenfluck Selena Alvarenga Meghan Hollis PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Monday, January 6, 2020 The Public Safety Commission convened a meeting Monday, January 6, 2020 at City Hall 301 W. 2nd Street in Austin, Texas. Commissioner Daniela Nunez called the Board Meeting to order at 4:00p.m. Board Members in Attendance: Daniela Nunez Rebeca Bernhardt Preston Tyree Board Members Absent: Ed Scruggs Rebecca Webber Rebecca Gonzales Chris Harris Staff in Attendance: Todd Smith. Assistant Chief, Austin Police Department Robert Vires, Chief of Staff, Austin Fire Department Jasper Brown, Chief of Staff, Austin Travis County Emergency Services Citizen Communications Carlos León, Citizen – commented about being signed up to speak on item #6 , Future Agenda Items and not being called by Commissioner Webber at last month’s PSC meeting (December 2, 2019). He reminded the board about Constitutional Law, City Code, State Law and Freedom of Speech Julianna Gonzales, with SAFE Alliance – provided a monthly report to the board and invited board members to email her with additional requests for data that may not be included in the monthly report. She received a couple of questions from board members Nunez, Hollis and Tyree. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - Commissioner Nunez called for approval of the minutes; and Mr. Carlos León spoke to the importance of having PSC draft minutes posted 72hrs prior to the meeting on the website for more transparency. He requested the minutes be amended before for approval. He pointed out in the December minutes he was misquoted and never 1 said he was banned from riding Capital Metro. What he said at the December 2, 2019 meeting was: Cap Metro has illegally tried changing my name so they can illegally and wrongfully ban me from speaking at their board meetings at their headquarters”. He demanded the minutes be amended/corrected before voting on the minutes. Commissioner Alvarenga motioned to approve the minutes with amendments to Citizens Communications listed by Carlos León. Commissioner Nunez seconded and the vote was unanimous. 2. Building Materials Safety/Environmental Issue Speakers were Kurt Stogdill, Austin Energy and Paul Robbins, Citizen Commissioner Tyree introduced the item and shared his interest in Green Building and discussing how we could make it better. Kurt spoke to the building codes and how his department looks to go beyond the codes to build better buildings. His department works with Development Services Department on the development …
Nominations - Scope of Works: APD Investigation I Dispatch Equity & Optimization Efficiency Study Bourenane, Patricia <Patricia.Bourenane@austintexas.gov> Tue 1/28/2020 2:28 PM To: Scruggs, Ed - BC <bc-Ed.Scruggs@austintexas.gov>; Webber, Rebecca - BC <bc-Rebecca.Webber@austintexas.gov> Cc: Muscadin, Farah <Farah.Muscadin@austintexas.gov>; Jackson, Janet <Janet.Jackson@ausps.org>; DVincent, Erin <Erin.DVincent@austintexas.gov> Good a ernoon, I hope this email finds you well. My name is Patricia Bourenane and I’m Assistant City Manager Rey Arellano’s new assistant. I look forward to mee ng you. The City Manager’s Office, along with the Office of Police Oversight and the Equity Office is in the process of developing a scope of work responsive to elements outlined Resolu on No. 20191205-066, for the City to hire a contractor to perform a comprehensive, mul -pronged inves ga on and evalua on of the Aus n Police Department (APD), to the extent of which forms of systemic racism and discrimina on are present in the protocols, prac ces, and behaviors of the police officers of the Aus n Police Department (APD). The resolu on directs the team developing the scope for work for the solicita on to gain input from the Public Safety Commission. Similar to how the Public Safety Commission nominated two PSC members to review and provide input on the scope of work for the sexual assault contract, we are seeking two nomina ons for the APD project. In addi on, the City Manager’s Office is working to develop a scope of work for the dispatch equity and op miza on efficiency study. During the FY 2019-2020 budget adop on, the City Council approved $250,000 in one- me funding to hire a contractor to conduct a comprehensive review of the equity and efficiency of Fire and EMS services and review dispatch mes, ISO ra ngs, sta on loca ons, and the meline for bringing on new sta ons. We are also reques ng two nomina ons from your board for this project to review the dra scope of work. Would you please share these requests with your board members to solicit interest? Please note the board will need to take formal ac on to nominate the members willing to serve in these roles. Please let me know if you have ques ons. Thank you and greatly appreciate you. Patricia Bourenane Assistant to Assistant City Manager Rey Arellano Austin City Hall – 301 W. 2nd Street, Austin, TX 78701 Office (512) 974 6339 patricia.bourenane@austintexas.gov / Re: procurement process for the Comprehensive Evaluation of Sexual Assault Investigations April 12, 2019 Public Safety Commission Commission for Women 301 W. Second St. Austin, Texas 78701 Via …
Austin EMS Association (AEMSA) Recent Successes and Upcoming Initiatives TOPICS •Medic Assaults •Schedule Updates •Workload Challenges MEDIC ASSAULTS MEDIC ASSAULTS •Assault form •Self Defense •APD Response times ATCEMS & AEMSA to host first ever EMS specific train the trainer self defense course SCHEDULE UPDATES OLD TO NEW SCHEDULE • 6am • 7am • 9am • 11am • 4pm • 6pm • 7pm • 8pm • 9:30am • 10am • 9:30pm • 10pm 21% 10% Satisfied or Very Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied or Very Dissatisfied 69% WORKLOAD / CALL VOLUME 8:00PM, 1/30/20 32 calls 45 ambulances 2x Alarm Activation 2x Altered Mentation 1x Cardiac Arrest 2x Chest Pain 1x Eye Injury 3x Fall 1x Gunshot Wound 2x Heart Problems 1x Hemorrhage 2x Overdose 1x Psychiatric 1x Respiratory 2x Seizure 3x Sick 2x Syncopal Episode 4x Traffic Injury 1x Unknown 1x Unconscious 3:00AM, 1/31/20 13+ calls Central EMS ASSOCIATION REQUESTS 1. WE NEED MORE AMBULANCES CONVERT DEMAND 1, 3, 4, AND 5 TO 24 HOUR TRUCKS ADD AN AMBULANCE AT MEDIC 1, 5, AND 33 0.55 0.5 0.45 0.4 0.35 0.3 0.25 UHU M11 M02 M15 M28 M20 19-Apr 19-May 2. REFORM SICK TIME POLICY REVERT TO 2 HOUR RULE REVERT TO PREVIOUS OCP SICK POLICY SICK NOTE POLICY 3. RAMP-UP STATION TONES RAMP-UP STATION TONES 4 & 5 REST PROMOTION - No non-urgent pages after 10pm - No change outs after Garage is closed (8pm) or in the rain, unless emergent Austin EMS Association (AEMSA) 310 Comal St, Austin, TX 78701 info@austinemsa.org Mission: The Association is the voice of its members that fights for, protects, and educates its members and the community through advocacy, collaboration with management, and social fellowship. Vision: Through the unified voice of the AEMSA, we empower medics to advocate for a rewarding, safe, and healthy career with strong benefits and fosters the practice of progressive medicine.
1 Table of Contents ● Executive Summary ● Introduction ● Racial Disparity 2018 ● Racial Disparity Trend 2015-2018 ○ All Motor Vehicle Stops ○ Arrests ○ Citations ○ Warnings or Field Observations ○ Searches ● High versus Low Discretion Searches and Race/Ethnicity ● Racial Profiling ● Austin Metro Population vs City of Austin Demographics Analysis ● Austin Commuter Data Analysis ● APD Racial Sector Analysis ○ Concentration of Motor Vehicle Stops Resulting in Arrests and 2018 Warnings and Field Observations across APD Sectors ● Recommendations ● Summary ● Appendix 1 ● Appendix 2 2 Executive Summary The Office of Police Oversight, Office of Innovation, and the Equity Office engaged in data analysis to understand how various ethnic/racial groups in Austin experience Austin Police Department (APD) motor vehicle stops. The report examines APD motor vehicle stop data from 2015-2018 and offers recommendations where disproportionality exists based on race/ethnicity. In summary: ● Data reveals racial disparities in motor vehicle stops in 2018, with Black/African Americans as the most overrepresented of all racial/ethnic groups in Austin. ○ In 2018, Black/African Americans made up 8% of the Austin population, 15% of the motor vehicle stops, and 25% of the arrests. ● Black/African Americans and Hispanic/Latinos are increasingly overrepresented in motor vehicle stops from 2015-2018. White/Caucasians are increasingly underrepresented during the same time period. 1 ● Data from 2018 shows that Black/African Americans are disproportionately overrepresented in cases when their race is known by officers before the stop compared to cases when their race is not known before the stop. ○ APD classifies motor vehicle stops based on whether the race of the person stopped was known to the officer prior to the stop. In 2018, Black/African Americans are overrepresented in both Race Not Known and Race Known categories. In the Race Not Known category, Black/African Americans make up 14% of stops (this is a 6% overrepresentation compared to their share of the Austin population). Black/African Americans are further overrepresented when their race is known before the stop, making up 17% of stops in the Race Known category and indicating a 9% overrepresentation when compared to their share of the population. ● Commuting habits cannot explain the disproportional representation of Black/African Americans in motor vehicle stops. Commuting habits are similar across race. ○ The differences in the commuting habits of racial/ethnic groups in Austin would likely not explain the overrepresentation of Black/African Americans in the …
M E M O R A N D U M Austin Police Department Office of the Chief Spencer Cronk, City Manager Rey Arellano, Assistant City Manager Brian Manley, Chief of Police January 14, 2020 TO: CC: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: APD’s Response to the Joint Report on Racial Profiling Data The collective voice of the Office of Police Oversight, Office of Innovation, and Equity Office is a welcome addition to the ongoing conversation focused on redressing racial inequities in Austin. Their joint report on the Austin Police Department’s traffic stop data represents another brick in the path toward inclusive diversity and equality for the citizens of this city, and it has given our Department a valuable opportunity to view the inter-agency partnerships and collaboration are essential prerequisites for ameliorating the inequalities that have beset our city since it was established. The Austin Police Department has consistently and unequivocally acknowledged that racial disparities are prevalent throughout many aspects of our city, including police enforcement actions. Accordingly, the Department has readily taken the following steps to address the disparities within our purview over the past five years: issue from an alternative perspective. Strong Collaborated with the Center for Policing Equity to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the racial disparities manifested in the Department’s enforcement actions. The report was the first to apply the National Justice Database’s independent analytic framework to police data made available through President Obama’s Police Data Initiative: Measuring Fairness in the Austin Police Department Embraced transparency by publishing enforcement data in the City’s open data portal: All Data & Curated Datasets Published annual racial profiling and use of force reports: Racial Profiling & Response to Resistance Instituted implicit bias training for all sworn personnel and new recruits Implemented more robust accountability mechanisms and worked with the Office of the City Auditor to improve the effectiveness of those nascent processes: Body-Worn Camera Audit Contracted with Dr. Alex Del Carmen, an expert on racial profiling and discrimination, to regularly audit the Department’s racial profiling data to ensure accuracy in collection and reporting Hired a Development and Training Manager with a doctorate in psychology and expertise in cross-cultural perspectives to develop and execute curriculum review strategies and assess teaching and learning methodology at the Training Academy: Statesman Editorial Partnered with community stakeholders and justice advocates to enact critical policy changes pertaining to use of force …
AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT 2019 | ANNUAL REPORT 19 2All photos herein are property of the Austin Fire Department. 3 MISSION The Austin Fire Department is committed to creating safe and resilient communities through prevention, preparedness, and effective emergency response. VISION The Austin Fire Department sets the standard among public service agencies, serving the community through innovation and collaboration, while honoring tradition and embracing inclusion, equity, and diversity for all. TABLE OF CONTENTS 07 LETTER FROM THE FIRE CHIEF 08 LETTER FROM THE CITY MANAGER 12 BUDGET 16 PREVENTION & PREPAREDNESS Wildfire Inspections Arson Investigations Smoke Alarm Installs 26 IMPROVEMENTS Refurbished Fire Stations Construction Projects 28 DEPARTMENT DIVISIONS Operations/Emergency Services Support Services Homeland Security, Spec Ops, & Logistics Prevention & Prepardeness Services Administrative Services Fire Chief/Chief of Staff Direct Reports Organizational Chart Call Run Data 5 AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT OUR MISSION GOES BEYOND OUR NAME INTRODUCTION A LETTER FROM THE Austin Fire Chief THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN OUR 2019 ANNUAL REPORT ARE A TESTAMENT TO THE EFFORTS OF THE MORE THAN 1,200 MEN AND WOMEN OF THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT. My philosophy for an effective, efficient Fire Department begins with sound organizational principles, and includes a vision, mission, and core values developed by its members which guide its operational and strategic goals, and shape its organizational culture. I’m pleased to tell you that the Austin Fire Department (AFD) has all of those things (and more) in abundance! To be all that’s necessary for the citizens of and visitors to Austin, we re-focused our organizational priorities in 2019 to six key areas: Human Resources; Emergency Response Readiness and Service Delivery; Professional Development; Facilities and Equipment/Technology and Supplies; Customer Service Programs; and Public Information/ Education/Relations. Becoming the best fire department in the country starts with these tenets. But we won’t be successful in one of these areas—much less all six— without you. The accomplishments outlined in our 2019 Annual Report are a testament to the efforts of the more than 1,200 men and women of the Austin Fire Department, both sworn and civilian, working hand-in-hand with the citizens and neighborhoods we serve. I am honored to lead the effort to continue building the established, excellent reputation of the Austin Fire Department. As we reflect on the achievements of last year—and look forward to what lies ahead— we will create the future of AFD together. And we will do that with you, as family. Because …
` PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Monday, February 3, 2020 The Public Safety Commission convened a meeting Monday, February 3, 2020 at City Hall 301 W. 2nd Street in Austin, Texas. Commissioner Rebecca Webber called the Board Meeting to order at 4:00p.m., and announced the resignation of Commissioner Ed Scruggs. Board Members in Attendance: Daniela Nunez Rebeca Bernhardt Preston Tyree Rebecca Webber Chris Harris Board Members Absent: Staff in Attendance: Troy Gay, Chief of Staff, Austin Police Department Brandon Wade, Assistant Chief, Austin Fire Department Jasper Brown, Chief of Staff, Austin Travis County Emergency Medical Services Citizen Communications Kathleen Hausenfluck Selena Alvarenga Meghan Hollis Rebecca Gonzales Carlos León, Citizen – Free speech access and equal protection rights safeguarded Paul Robbins, Citizen, Environmental Activist – Toxic building materials used in by constitutional law new homes and apartment 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - Commissioner Webber asked for discussion/edits of the January 6, 2020 minutes; hearing no comments, the January 2020 minutes were deemed approved. 2. Introduction of APD Assistant Chief Robin Henderson - Chief Manley introduced Robin Henderson as the new assistant chief with APD and shared how pleased he is to have worked with her in different capacities over her 22 years with her latest role being the Executive Lieutenant. In that role, Robin accompanied him on the majority of his meetings with City Manager and with Mayor and Council. She is very informed on the current and important topics affecting APD. 1 Robin shared briefly about her personal life and 22yr career here at APD. She expressed it was a pleasure to serve the Austin Community. 3. Election of Public Safety Commission Chair – Rebecca Webber nominated Meghan Hollis and Commissioner Tyree seconded the motion. Commissioner Webber asked if there were any other nominations from the board and there were none. Vote- Unanimous Against- 0 Absent - 0 Abstain- 0 4. Lessons Learned Last Summer: Debrief of Commissioners’ participation in City process for hiring an outside consultant to audit APD’s sexual assault investigations Webber introduced this item and invited Patricia Bourenane, Executive Assistant to Assistant City Manager Rey Arellano. Patricia elaborated on the two study groups the request to add two representatives from the PSC to join the working groups. Commissioner Webber invited Amanda Lewis from the Commission for Women to speak on her experience serving on a previous working group. Amanda Lewis, shared her expectations on …
1 PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING Monday, January 6, 2020 @ 4:00pm City Hall Boards and Commissions Room 301 W. 2nd Street Austin, Texas 78701 AGENDA CALL TO ORDER (4:00pm) CITIZENS COMMUNICATION (4:05pm-4:20pm) The first five speakers signed up prior to the Call to Order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES (4:20pm-4:25pm) Items for Presentations, Discussion, and Possible Action: 2. Building Materials Safety/Environmental Issue (4:25pm-4:50pm) Sponsored by Commissioners Tyree and Webber Speakers: - Kurt Stogdill, Austin Energy - Paul Robbins, Citizen 3. Update on APD Wellness Program (4:50pm-5:00pm) Sponsored by Commissioner Scruggs and Webber Speakers: - Rick Randall, Wellness Bureau Director, Austin Police Department 4. Update on Gun Violence Task Force (5:00 -5:10pm) Sponsored by Commissioner Scruggs and Webber Speaker: - Commissioner Ed Scruggs 6. Future Agenda Items (5:10pm-5:30pm) The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please call Janet Ja ckson at Austin Police Department, at (512-974-5747), for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. For more information on the Public Safety Commission, please contact Austin Police Department Assistant Chief, Troy Gay at 512-974-5030
