[Houston Forensic Science]
[00:00:11]
UH, UH, MEETING TO ORDER.SO THE TIME IS 9:00 AM AND, UH, WE'RE GONNA RECALL THIS REGULAR MEETING OF THE HOUSTON FORENSIC SCIENCE CENTER BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO ORDER.
MADAM SECRETARY, WOULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLE, PLEASE? ALRIGHT.
WHERE'S CHAIRWOMAN MITCHELL, VICE CHAIR LYNCH.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE TODAY, WE ARE WITHOUT CHAIRWOMAN MITCHELL.
SO I'M STEPPING IN AS A, AS THE PRESIDING OFFICER.
I WILL TRY TO KEEP US MOVING THROUGH THE AGENDA JUST AS SHE WOULD, AND IF WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ALONG THE WAY, I KNOW OUR STAFF WILL HELP US GET THROUGH IT.
SO, WITH THAT, LET'S PROCEED TO THE NEXT AGENDA, WHICH IS AGENDA ITEM, WHICH IS PUBLIC COMMENT.
WE NOW OPEN THE FLOOR FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
THE BOARD INVITES ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC THAT WISHES TO SPEAK TO COME TO THE PODIUM AND DRESS THIS BODY.
WE ASK ALL SPEAKERS TO SIGN IN AT THE FRONT OF THE ROOM SO WE ARE AWARE OF YOUR PRESENCE, AND PLEASE LIMIT ALL COMMENTS TO THREE MINUTES.
YOU MAY SPEAK ON ANY MATTER CONCERNING THE BOARD IN HFSC AT THIS TIME, DO WE HAVE ANYONE IN THE AUDIENCE WHO HAS SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? SEEING NO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY WHO HAVE SIGNED UP? I WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD.
THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD WILL BE CLOSED AT THIS TIME.
NEXT, ON THE AGENDAS ITEM NUMBER FOUR, WHICH IS THE READING OF, UM, THE DRAFT MINUTES FROM MARCH 11TH, 2022.
HOPEFULLY EVERYONE HAS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO RE TO REVIEW THEM.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY CORRECTIONS OR ADDITIONS TO THE MINUTES AS PRESENTED? HEARING NONE AT THIS TIME, WE'LL CONDUCT A VOICE FO VOICE.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THE MINUTES? OKAY.
I BELIEVE THAT IS THE MOTION, UM, FROM DIRECTOR MOORE.
UH, UH, SECOND FROM DIRECTOR HILDER.
ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
ALL OPPOSED? THE MOTION CARRIES.
AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FIVE, WHICH IS THE CONSIDERATION OF THE ANNUAL APPOINTMENT OF CORPORATE OFFICERS, UH, WHICH INCLUDES DR. PETER STOUT AS PRESIDENT, DR. AMY CASTILLO AS VICE PRESIDENT, MR. DAVID LEACH AS TREASURER.
AND MS. AMANDA DEBERRY AS SECRETARY MEMBERS.
AS YOU KNOW, THE BOARD APPOINTS THE CORPORATE OFFICERS ANNUALLY.
WE USUALLY CONDUCT THESE APPOINTMENTS DURING THE JUNE MEETING, BUT SINCE WE ARE MEETING EVERY TWO MONTHS NOW, WE WILL NEED TO TAKE UP THIS MATTER ONE MONTH EARLIER THAN IN PREVIOUS YEARS.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE OUR SLATE OF CORPORATE OFFICERS AS PRESENTED? OKAY.
AND DO I HAVE A SECOND? UH, DIRECTOR VASQUEZ.
AND AT THIS TIME WE WILL HAVE A VOICE.
MADAM SECRETARY, WILL YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLE? YES.
MADAM CHAIR, CHAIRWOMAN MITCHELL, VICE CHAIR LYNCH KEY? YES.
THE MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY.
THANK YOU ALL AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH EVERYBODY FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER YEAR.
UH, WE'RE GONNA CONSIDER THE ANNUAL SELECTION OF THE VICE CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AND, UM, I'M GOING TO INTRODUCE, UM, UM, VANESSA GOODWIN.
UM, AND I'M GONNA OPEN THE INTRODUCE VANESSA GOODWIN.
UH, DIRECTOR GOODWIN, I SHOULD SAY,
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UH, TO, UH, PRESENT THE NOMINATION, I GUESS FOR THE VICE CHAIR.UM, MEMBERS, WE REALLY HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE TO HAVE DIRECTOR, UH, MARY LINSKY SERVE IN THE ROLE FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS.
UH, SHE'S DONE A GREAT JOB DURING HER TIME AT HFSC, INCLUDING OUR EFFORTS TODAY.
UM, I, UH, HAVE IT ON GOOD AUTHORITY THAT CHAIRWOMAN MITCHELL HAS ASKED VICE CHAIR LINSKY TO CONTINUE IN THIS ROLE FOR ANOTHER TERM.
UM, IF THE BOARD MEMBERS THAT ARE PRESENT TODAY ARE IN AGREEMENT, UM, UH, I'M IN FAVOR OF NOMINATING AND SELECTING VICE CHAIR LINSKY TO SERVE FOR ANOTHER TERM IN THIS ROLE UNTIL OUR NEXT ANNUAL APPOINTMENT IN 2023.
IS THERE AN OBJECTION OR DISCUSSION, UM, FROM THE DIRECTORS WITH RESPECT TO THIS NOMINATION? A MOTION? SEEING NONE.
UH, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE SELECTING DIRECTOR, VICE CHAIR LINSKY, UM, AS VICE CHAIR FOR THE 2022 TO 2023 TERM? SO, MOVED.
AND I HEAR THE MOTION FROM DIRECTOR, UM, HILDER AND THE SECOND FROM DIRECTOR MOORE.
UM, AT THIS TIME, UH, THERE'LL BE A VOTE ON THE MOTION.
UM, ALL OF THOSE WHO ARE IN AGREEMENT SAY, AYE.
UM, THOSE WHO ARE IN DISAGREEMENT, SAY NAY.
THE MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY AND I TURN IT BACK TO OKAY.
CHAIR, DO WE HAVE TO HAVE A VOICE VOTE? UH, NO.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DIRECTOR GOODWIN.
AND THANK YOU TO THE BOARD AND CHAIR WOODMAN MITCHELL FOR YOUR VOTE OF CONFIDENCE.
UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO SERVING IN THIS ROLE AGAIN AND HELPING HFSC IN ANY WAY THAT I CAN.
WE WILL NOW MOVE TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, WHICH IS A REPORT FROM DR. PETER STOUT, CEO AND PRESIDENT, INCLUDING, UM, UH, IMPACTS TO HFSC, THEN RECENT CRIME TRENDS, AND A DISCUSSION REGARDING THE 2023 BUDGET, ALSO KNOWN AS DR.
UM, COUPLE OF THINGS TO CATCH YOU UP ON AND REITERATE WITH YOU, PARTICULARLY AS IT PERTAINS TO BUDGET.
AND WE'VE TALKED SOME, IT WAS THE LAST MEETING ABOUT THE BUDGET.
WE PASSED THE BUDGET, UM, MOVE THAT OVER TO THE CITY.
UH, AND TUESDAY THE CITY ANNOUNCED THE, THE BUDGET THAT WILL BE CONSIDERED BY CITY COUNCIL.
UM, JUST SO YOU'RE AWARE, OUR BUDGET IN THAT AT THE MOMENT IS SITTING AT 28 MILLION, WHICH MEANS IT WAS HELD EVEN WITH FY 20 TWO'S BUDGET, UM, NOT WHAT WE PASSED.
SO THERE'S LOTS OF CONVERSATIONS GOING ON, AND I PREFACE ALL OF THIS WITH, I FULLY APPRECIATE WHAT FINANCE IS DOING, WHAT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE IS DOING.
I DO NOT ENVY THEM THE DECISIONS AND THE COMPLEXITIES THAT THEY HAVE TO TRY AND NAVIGATE.
UM, SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THEM ABOUT THIS.
BUT AS WE TALK THROUGH THIS, I THINK WE ARE NOW, WE TALKED SOME LAST TIME ABOUT TALKING WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
WE'RE, WE'RE NOW AT A GOOD POINT TO, YEAH, WE NEED TO TALK WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I FORWARDED YOU SOME OF THE INFORMATION THAT I HAVE CIRCULATED WITH FINANCE AND ANDY AND THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.
UM, AND CERTAINLY HAPPY TO CHAT WITH EACH OF YOU ABOUT HOW MAYBE WE CAN BREAK THIS UP.
I'VE GOT A NUMBER OF CONVERSATIONS GOING WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, EVEN JUST YESTERDAY AND INTO NEXT WEEK, TRYING TO HELP EDUCATE AND MAKE SURE THEY ALL UNDERSTAND WHAT, WHAT THE CHOICES ARE IN THIS.
UM, SO THAT WILL BE UNFOLDING.
AND I'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH HPD AS WELL.
SO I THINK PART OF WHAT I WANTED TO DO HERE IS JUST WALK THROUGH SOME OF, OF, SINCE OF THESE SLIDES BEFORE, UH, BUT WALK THROUGH, 'CAUSE THIS EXPLAINS KIND OF IN MORE DETAIL THE PIECES THAT ARE IN OUR BUDGET.
UM, I ALSO WANTED TO POINT OUT WHERE WE'VE GOT SOME IMPACTS, UM, THAT AREN'T ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE BUDGET, BUT I MEAN, THESE ARE GOING TO BE COSTS THAT WE WILL SEE THINKING ABOUT THINGS IN TERMS OF THE LAST 24 MONTHS.
AND COVID, UH, THE TOXICOLOGY BACKLOG IS THE MOST DIRECTLY RELATABLE TO COVID.
WE WERE UNABLE TO PROCEED WITH VALIDATIONS TO IMPLEMENT THE NEW INSTRUMENTATION.
AND EVEN MORE SO, WE WERE UNABLE TO GET THE ACCREDITING BODY AN A TO COME IN AND DO THE SCOPE EXPANSION UNTIL JUST THIS LAST SUMMER BECAUSE OF COVID.
SO THE BUILDUP IN THOSE DRUG TOXICOLOGY CASES ARE THE MOST DIRECTLY RELATED.
SO THE 1.5 MILLION THAT WE HAVE UNDER ARPA MONEY, THERE'S ABOUT 700,000
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OF THAT THAT GOES TO OUTSOURCING TOXICOLOGY BECAUSE OF THIS VERY DIRECT CLEAN LINE TO COVID IMPACTS FOR TOXICOLOGY.UM, CLEARLY THE RISE IN HOMICIDE HAS AN ENORMOUS IMPACT TO US.
NOW, IS THAT A DIRECT IMPACT TO US OF COVID? I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF DISCUSSION IN THAT, BUT HOMICIDES INCREASED 71%.
WE ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED BY HOMICIDES.
SO YES, ALL CRIME IS DOWN, HOMICIDE IS UP.
THAT MEANS OUR WORK IS DISPROPORTIONATELY UP COURT OPERATIONS.
AND THIS IS ONE THAT GETS REALLY SLIPPERY FOR EVERYBODY TO UNDERSTAND BECAUSE COURT IS SIGNIFICANTLY DELAYED BEHIND US RIGHT NOW.
OUR FOLKS ARE LARGELY TESTIFYING IN CASES FROM 20 17 20 18.
THAT IS BEFORE HOMICIDE RATES STARTED GOING UP.
THAT LEVEL OF TESTIMONY SUPPORT IS ALREADY BURYING US.
SO I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPACTS OF COURT TO US IN THE COMING 24 MONTHS BECAUSE THE COURT HAS ONLY ONE DIRECTION IT CAN GO.
AND THAT IS TO ACCELERATE AND INCREASE THE WORK DEMAND, BECAUSE FROM 2018 ON HOMICIDES GO UP BY 71%, THAT'S ALL GONNA LAND ON US SOMEWHERE IN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 MONTHS.
SO I FULLY EXPECT THAT COURT DEMANDS COULD EASILY EAT A THIRD OF OUR LABOR THAT'S AVAILABLE.
AND THAT'S NOT JUST TESTIMONY IN COURT THAT'S SITTING AROUND WAITING TO TESTIFY AT COURT.
THAT'S ALL OF THE COURTS SUPPORT THAT WE NEED TO PROVIDE BECAUSE REALITY FOR ALL OF US IS WE'VE GOT JUDGES THAT ARE PRETTY INEXPERIENCED AT TRYING HOMICIDES AND VIOLENT CRIMES.
WE'VE GOT ADAS THAT ARE VERY INEXPERIENCED.
IT'S THE NATURE OF WHAT'S THERE.
SO THERE IS A LOT OF WORK THAT OUR FOLKS ARE DOING IN DOCUMENTATION SUPPORT AND QUESTIONS AND SUPPORT AROUND THAT.
SHIFTS IN OUR LABOR FORCE AND SUPPLY HAVE ENORMOUS IMPACTS ON US.
WE STILL, I MEAN, IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, WE'VE GOT PRETTY GOOD RETENTION.
UH, WE'RE SITTING AT ABOUT A 12% VOLUNTARY TURNOVER RATE, BUT THAT'S DOUBLE WHAT IT'S BEEN FOR US IN THE PAST.
UM, YEAH, IT'S, IT'S HAVING AN IMPACT ON OUR ABILITY TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN.
AND THEN SUPPLY LINES ARE AFFECTING EVERYTHING.
UH, WE JUST ORDERED SIX VEHICLES THAT WE ARE GETTING ROUGH ESTIMATES OF.
UM, AND WE ORDERED SIX WITH THE HOPES THAT MAYBE WE CAN FIND THREE.
SAME THING IS HAPPENING WITH INSTRUMENTS AND REAGENTS AND CONSUMABLE PIECES AND SUPPLY ISSUES POP UP RANDOMLY, GO AWAY, COME BACK ALL OVER THE PLACE.
THIS HAS A HUGE IMPACT ON OUR ABILITY TO PLAN AND HOW WE PLAN WHERE MONEY GOES.
ALL OF THESE THINGS FOLD INTO WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN TO US IN THE NEXT 24 MONTHS.
LIKE I SAY, I CAN USUALLY SPOIL ANYBODY'S GOOD DAY.
UM, IF WE LOOK AT THE TRENDS OF THE CASE WORK COMING IN, SO THE GRAPH THERE ON THE RIGHT IS WHAT WE SEE COMING IN FROM CSU.
IS THAT A PREDICTOR FOR EVERYTHING IN THE LABORATORY? NO, BUT IT IS KIND OF A ONE-STOP SHOP, SOMEWHAT FORWARD-LOOKING INDICATOR OF WHAT'S GONNA COME INTO THE LABORATORY BECAUSE AGAIN, WE ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED BY HOMICIDE.
THAT IS MOSTLY WHAT CSU GOES TO.
THAT IS A PRETTY STEEP UPHILL TREND THERE.
I DON'T SEE THAT SLOWING DOWN.
HOUSTON, THE RATE OF INCREASE HAS SLOWED.
HOUSTON, LAST I LOOKED AT THE COMPARISON OF MAJOR CITY HOMICIDE RATES.
WE'RE NO LONGER ACCELERATING AT 40, 50%, BUT HOUSTON IS STILL UP 10% IN HOMICIDES OVER LAST YEAR.
SO THIS IS STILL HAVING A HUGE IMPACT AND WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON THE LABORATORY.
UH, THE BOTTOM GRAPH THERE IS COURT SUBPOENAS, SPOT THE PANDEMIC.
FEBRUARY LAST YEAR WE HAD A GRAND TOTAL OF 23 SUBPOENAS THAT CAME IN FEBRUARY THIS YEAR WAS CLOSE TO 600.
HUGE SPIKES LIKE THAT ARE VERY DIFFICULT FOR US TO MANAGE.
AND I DON'T SEE, I MEAN, THERE'S ONLY ONE DIRECTION THAT TREND CAN GO BECAUSE WE ARE TESTIFYING RIGHT NOW IN 20 17, 20 18 CASES, 2019, THOSE CASES GO UP IF THE COURTS ARE GONNA GET OUT FROM BEHIND THIS
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ENORMOUS BACKLOG.COUPLE OTHER THINGS TO POINT OUT, AND ERICA HAS A FEW MORE DETAILS IN THIS.
I'VE, UM, SENT YOU STUFF ABOUT THIS IN MY WEEKLY UPDATE.
I'LL HAVE SOME MORE IN MY WEEKLY UPDATE NEXT WEEK.
BUT, UM, I'VE MENTIONED ABOUT THIS OF THE COLOGNE CASE.
THIS WAS A CASE IN JEFFERSON COUNTY, AN ANALYST THAT WORKS FOR US.
THIS IS WHEN THEY WORKED FOR DPS, THAT THEY WORKED THIS CASE BACK IN 2013.
A TESTIMONY THAT WENT BADLY SIDEWAYS.
UM, AND WE DID A DISCLOSURE AT THE LAST TFSC MEETING, UH, TO HAVE TFSC HELP IN THE INVESTIGATION OF THIS, OF POTENTIAL PROFESSIONAL MISCONDUCT OR PROFESSIONAL NEGLIGENCE.
UM, THAT INDIVIDUAL WORKED 1,280 CASES WHILE WORKING FOR US.
DO YOU HAVE YOUR HAND UP THERE? OKAY, Y'ALL LOOK LIKE YOU'RE
THOSE 1300 CASES ARE NOW AN ACTIVE CONVERSATION WITH THE DA'S OFFICE ABOUT WHAT WE DO ABOUT THOSE.
THERE IS THE POTENTIAL THAT WE MAY BE BACKED INTO HAVING TO REWORK ALL OF THOSE.
NOW KEEP IN MIND THIS CASE WAS NOT OURS.
THEY'VE GOT A WHOLE NOTHER SET OF STUFF THAT THEY'VE GOTTA WORK THROUGH.
BUT BECAUSE HE'S WORKED THOSE CASES FOR US AND HOW THIS STUFF WORKS OUT, WE'VE GOT POTENTIALLY 1300 CASES THAT WE MAY HAVE TO REWORK.
THAT'S PROBABLY ABOUT $5 MILLION WORTH OF WORK.
SO THAT'S ON TOP OF EVERYTHING ELSE THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT.
I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT COMES FROM.
YEAH, I ALREADY TALKED ABOUT IT, BUT I'LL MENTION IT AGAIN.
COURT IS GONNA EAT OUR LUNCH AND THERE'S NOT REALLY ANY WAY AROUND IT.
THAT'S ULTIMATELY WHERE THIS STUFF GOES.
IF YOU CAN'T GET A PROSECUTION OUT OF IT, WHY DOES ANY OF THE REST OF THE SYSTEM DO ANYTHING THAT IT DOES? THAT'S THE POINT OF ALL OF THIS IS TO ADJUDICATE THESE CASES.
BUT, AND WE, WE ARE ACTIVELY WORKING ANY PLACE WE CAN WITH THE DA'S OFFICE, BUT I APPRECIATE, YOU KNOW, THEY ARE UNDERWATER.
IT IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO TRY AND PREDICT AND HELP SCHEDULE OUR FOLKS SO THAT THEY'RE NOT SITTING OVER THERE IN THE COURTHOUSE ALL DAY WAITING TO TESTIFY.
I GET THE CHALLENGES, BUT IT IS A HUGE IMPACT FOR US.
WHEN OUR FOLKS SPEND SIX, EIGHT HOURS AT THE COURTHOUSE END UP NEVER TESTIFYING.
THAT'S SIX, EIGHT HOURS THAT THEY'RE NOT BACK IN THE LAB DOING CASE WORK.
AND THIS IS ACCELERATING ON US RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT? SO THIS ONE, ONE WALKS THROUGH TRYING TO POINT OUT BUDGET.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT 5.9 MILLION WILL WE THINK STABILIZE THE BACKLOGS, BUT IT'S NOT GONNA REDUCE THEM.
SO THE TABLE DOWN DOWN TO THE BOTTOM GIVES YOU A PICTURE OF HOW MUCH THOSE BACKLOGS INCREASED OVER THE COURSE OF COVID IN THOSE, YOU KNOW, 18, 24 MONTHS OF COVID.
THOSE ARE ALL THE EXPENSIVE DISCIPLINES.
AND THIS IS PART OF WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND.
THE MIX OF WORK CHANGES ON US AND THE MIX OF WORK HAS SHIFTED TO THE MORE EXPENSIVE DISCIPLINES.
SO OUR WORK GOT MORE EXPENSIVE OVERALL.
THAT MAKE SENSE TO EVERYBODY? HOPEFULLY I'M EXPLAINING IT 'CAUSE AND I'M, AND I'M TRYING SOME OF THIS OUT 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, I'VE GOTTA GO TALK WITH ALL THESE COUNCIL MEMBERS ABOUT TRYING TO GET THEM TO UNDERSTAND HOW THIS IMPACT IS UNFOLDING ON US.
UM, SO WE'VE PUT STUFF IN A RANK ORDER OF WHAT CONCERNS US THE MOST IN TERMS OF THE BACKLOGS, GUNS, MULTIMEDIA, KINDA YOU, YOU CAN THINK ABOUT IT.
IF WE HAVE TO CONCEDE ON PARTS OF THE BUDGET, THE BOTTOM OF THAT LIST IS WHERE I'D RATHER CONCEDE THE TOP OF THAT LIST IS WHERE I'D RATHER NOT.
BUT THE REALITY OF THIS IS, AND HOW I'M TRYING TO EXPLAIN IT, THE COURT IS THE HEADLINE RIGHT NOW.
THE BACKLOG IN THE COURT IS THE HEADLINE RIGHT NOW.
CHOICES THAT WE MAKE ABOUT THE BUDGET NOW WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE OF WHETHER WE ARE THE HEADLINE IN ABOUT 12 TO 24 MONTHS FROM NOW OR NOT BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN THE COURT WILL CATCH UP TO WHERE WE'RE AT AND THEN WE WILL BE THE ROADBLOCK.
SO THE CHOICES ABOUT THE BUDGET RIGHT NOW, IF WE, IF WE STICK WHERE WE'RE AT, WE ARE GOING TO BE THE HEADLINE 12 TO 24 MONTHS FROM NOW THAT WE ARE.
WHY THE COURTS CAN'T DO ANYTHING BECAUSE WE WILL BE YEARS BEHIND AT THAT POINT WITH THE CHOICES WHERE WE'RE AT RIGHT NOW.
SO THE PIECES INSIDE THAT 5.9, 2.6 OF IT
[00:20:01]
IS AN ATTEMPT TO STABILIZE OUR WORKFORCE.UM, WE'VE TALKED SOME ABOUT THIS THAT PARTICULARLY DISCIPLINES LIKE MULTIMEDIA.
WE, WE ARE, WE ARE NOT COMPETITIVE IN MULTIMEDIA.
UM, THE FEDS BASICALLY RECLASSIFIED ALL OF THEIR MULTIMEDIA SPECIALISTS AS GS FIFTEENS, MEANING IN MANY PLACES THEY ARE ABLE TO PAY 40 GRAND MORE PER YEAR FOR SOME OF THESE FOLKS THAN WE'RE PAYING THEM.
THERE'S NO EARTHLY WAY WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO COMPETE WITH THAT.
BUT WE GOTTA MAKE AN ATTEMPT AT SOME OF THIS STUFF OF HOW WE DO THAT.
SO YEAH, WE LOST A GOOD CHUNK OF THE MULTIMEDIA UNIT, NOW WE'RE GETTING SOME PEOPLE BACK IN.
WE'VE BEEN DOING PRETTY WELL AT RECRUITING, NOT AS WELL AS WE NEED TO BE, PARTICULARLY IN ADMIN POSITIONS.
IT'S GETTING VERY DIFFICULT TO RECRUIT IN SOME OF THE MORE ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT POSITIONS.
SO THINK ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS.
THAT'S CLIENT SERVICES AT A POINT WHERE WE ARE GETTING MORE REQUESTS FOR DOCUMENTATION AND SUPPORT IN COURT.
WE WERE REALLY FORTUNATE ACTUALLY AUSTIN RAN A STATEWIDE UM, SURVEY OF COMPENSATION, UH, THIS LAST YEAR AS THEY'VE BEEN WORKING ON REBUILDING.
SO THEY SHARED THOSE RESULTS WITH US.
WE HAVE ALWAYS TARGETED TRYING TO BE ON THE UPPER END OF COMPETITIVE.
WE ARE NO LONGER AS COMPETITIVE IN TEXAS.
THE REST OF 'EM HAVE CAUGHT UP TO US.
SO THE REALITY IS PEOPLE CAN STEP OUTTA HFSC AND GO TO POSITIONS AT DPS AND IFS AND OTHER LABS IN THE STATE THAT HAVE MANY OPEN POSITIONS AND BE AT OR ABOVE WHERE THEY'RE GETTING PAID WITH US.
SO THAT'S 2.6 MILLION IN THAT BUDGET.
CSU IS ABOUT A MILLION IN THAT BUDGET.
THE IDEA IS TO ADD NINE HEADSS IN THERE.
MIXTURE OF CSIS AND ADMIN SUPPORT.
UM, THEN THERE'S THE VEHICLES IF WE CAN FIND THEM IN OTHER CAPITAL PIECES THAT WE NEED TO SUPPORT 'EM.
BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE TREND THERE AND YOU JUST DRAW THE TREND OUT OVER THE NEXT YEAR, IT GOES UP.
AND TRYING TO DO THAT IS A DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO TRY AND KEEP UP WITH WHAT YOU CAN SEE OUT OF THE TREND FROM THE LAST COUPLE YEARS OF WHAT THEY'RE GONNA BE FACED WITH OVER THE NEXT YEAR.
FIREARMS, WE'VE GOT ABOUT A HALF A MILLION BUILT IN THERE FOR FIREARMS. SO WHAT WE'VE PLOTTED OUT HERE, THE SOLID PART OF THAT LINE IS ACTUAL DATA.
THE DOTTED PART IS WHAT WE'RE PROJECTING.
YES, THAT IS AN UGLY PROJECTION.
SO WITH THAT 500,000 WE WILL EXPECT TO SEE BACKLOGS AND FIREARMS GO UP DRAMATICALLY FOR QUITE SOME TIME UNTIL WE CAN START TO TURN IT AROUND.
WHY THIS IS IS BECAUSE IT IS A VERY LONG ARC TO TRAIN FIREARMS EXAMINERS.
IT IS A VERY LONG ARC TO BRING THOSE SCOPES ONLINE.
THERE'S NOT MUCH OF A WAY AROUND THIS.
NOW WE WILL DO EVERYTHING ELSE THAT WE CAN.
WE WILL LOOK TO DO SOME LEAN SIX SIGMA RE-ENGINEERING, SEE LOOK FOR EFFICIENCIES ANY PLACE AND EVERY PLACE WE CAN.
BUT WITHOUT THE MONEY, BASICALLY THAT LINE NEVER TURNS AROUND WITHOUT THAT MONEY, WE ARE PROBABLY LOOKING AT A BACKLOG THAT WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RECOVER FROM FOR AT LEAST A DECADE.
WITH THAT MONEY WE CAN SEE HOW WE CAN TURN IT AROUND, BUT WE'LL BE BACK BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO GROW IT MORE.
AND WHAT I ALSO KEEP TRYING TO POINT OUT IN THIS IS EVEN IF THE MAGICAL MONEY BUST BACKED OVER MY HEAD TOMORROW AND GAVE ME EVERY DOLLAR THAT WE COULD THINK THAT WE MIGHT NEED 45 MILLION, WE CAN'T SPEND IT BECAUSE THESE PEOPLE DON'T EXIST.
THE EQUIPMENT DOESN'T EXIST ANYWHERE ON THE PLANET.
WE CAN'T SPEND IT THAT FAST BECAUSE THE RESOURCES JUST DON'T EXIST OUT THERE.
WE'VE GOT TO BUILD THEM ON THE WAY.
AGAIN, THE SOLID PART IS ACTUAL DATA TO THIS POINT.
THE DASHED PART IS WHAT WE PROJECT.
WE'VE GOT ABOUT 300,000 BUILT IN THERE FOR ADDED ANALYSTS.
UM, BACKLOG IS GONNA CONTINUE TO GO UP.
IT'S SHORTER AND WE CAN PROJECT WHERE WE'LL START TO TURN THAT AROUND BECAUSE IT'S SHORTER TO GET THEM SIGNED OFF TO DO WORK.
NOW IT'S A GAMBLE OF HOW QUICKLY WE LOSE THEM ONCE WE GET THEM TRAINED BECAUSE THEN THEY BECOME REALLY VALUABLE ELSEWHERE.
BUT AGAIN, WITH THE MONEY WE CAN SEE HOW WE CAN ULTIMATELY TURN IT AROUND.
IT'LL STABILIZE IN THIS NEXT YEAR WITHOUT THAT MONEY.
THAT LINE JUST KEEPS GOING UP.
SEIZES DRUGS IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
WE'VE GOT ABOUT 230,000 IN THERE, SEIZE DRUGS.
OUR CHALLENGE IS NOT SO MUCH THE INCREASE IN CASELOAD BECAUSE
[00:25:01]
YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE THE NUMBER OF REQUESTS IS KIND OF STEADILY DECREASING OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS.WHAT THE TRICK IS, IS EVEN THOUGH THOSE REQUESTS ARE DECREASING, THE COMPLEXITY OF THOSE INCREASE OR THOSE REQUESTS IS INCREASING.
PILLS, PILLS, PILLS, PILLS AND MORE PILLS.
THOSE PILLS ARE WILD, WILDLY COMPLEX CASES.
THE AMOUNT OF TESTING THAT WE'RE HAVING TO DO WITHIN EACH IS INCREASING.
WE'VE GOT TO FIND SOME TECHNOLOGICAL FIXES TO TRY AND MAKE THAT EASIER ON PEOPLE.
UM, I WILL TAKE A MOMENT FOR THE PSA HERE BECAUSE I CAN'T HELP MYSELF.
JAMA ARTICLE TWO WEEKS AGO, DRUG USE AMONG EARLY TEENS AND TEENS IN THIS COUNTRY IS DOWN TERRIFIC.
DRUG OVERDOSE DEATHS IS DRAMATICALLY UP.
SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS, PARTICULARLY AMONG CHILDREN, A FANTASTICALLY DANGEROUS DRUG SOURCE THAT WE'VE GOT OUT THERE IS KILLING THEM.
I TRY TO STAY APOLITICAL AS MUCH AS I CAN.
MY PARTY IS FEWER DEAD KIDS, PLEASE.
THAT RUNS STRAIGHT THROUGH US TOXICOLOGY.
THIS IS A SPOT THAT WE'VE GOT SOME MONEY FROM ARPA THAT WE CAN OUTSOURCE.
BUT WE'VE GOT TO CATCH UP OUR ABILITY TO DO THE WORK.
'CAUSE IF WE EXHAUST THAT ARPA MONEY AND DON'T GET STUFF BUILT, THE LINE JUST KEEPS GOING UP.
'CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO ACTUALLY ABSORB AFTER WE CLEAR THAT BACKLOG FROM OUTSOURCING.
SO WE'VE GOT ABOUT 640 IN THERE.
THAT'S SOME INSTRUMENTATION IN ANALYSTS.
AGAIN, SAME STORY AS EVERYTHING ELSE.
SOLID LINE IS REAL DATA DOT DASH LINE IS WHAT WE'RE PROJECTING WITH THE MONEY.
WE CAN SEE WHERE WE CAN STABILIZE IT AND TURN IT AROUND WITHOUT IT, THE LINE JUST KEEPS GOING UP.
THIS ONE IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT BECAUSE WE'VE STARTED TO MAKE SOME PROGRESS ON THE BACKLOG, WHICH IS TERRIFIC.
WE'VE, THAT HAS INVOLVED, UH, CASE ACCEPTANCE POLICIES, A LOT OF RE-ENGINEERING IN THE PROCESS.
A LOT OF GOOD WORK THAT'S GONE IN THERE.
SO BASICALLY WHAT THE DIFFERENCE OF THE MONEY MEANS THERE IS HOW STEEPLY DOWN THAT LINE GOES WITH OR WITHOUT THE MONEY.
SO THE DOTTED LINE THERE IS A PROJECTION WITH THE MONEY.
WITHOUT THE MONEY, IT'S SOMETHING FLATTER.
WE WON'T MAKE AS GOOD A PROGRESS AGAINST THAT.
AND THAT IS ASSUMING WE DON'T SEE INCREASES BEYOND WHAT WE'RE PREDICTING IN THE INCREASE IN THE WORK.
I HAVE TALKED WITH COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER.
I'VE GOT MEETINGS WITH CAYMAN ALCORN, POLLARD HUFFMAN JACKSON.
UM, I THINK WHAT I'LL DO IS I'LL REACH OUT TO Y'ALL AND SEE HOW WE CAN MAYBE DIVVY UP SOME OTHER CONVERSATIONS THERE.
UH, HPD IS CERTAINLY AN ADVOCATE FOR US IN THIS.
WE CAN'T BE COMPLACENT ABOUT IT.
I MEAN, I THINK, I THINK ULTIMATELY THINGS WILL WORK OUT OKAY.
UM, AND I'M SURE THERE'S STAFF WATCHING THIS THAT ARE GONNA GO BONKERS.
I THINK IT WILL WORK OUT, BUT WE CAN'T BE COMPLACENT ABOUT IT.
SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU ALL ARE EQUIPPED TO BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN HOW WE NEED THINGS, WHAT WE NEED.
THERE'S A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT WAYS AND YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS PROVIDE WAY TOO MUCH INFORMATION AND WAY TOO MUCH COMPLEXITY.
BUT WHAT WE DO IS FANTASTICALLY COMPLEX AND I GET IT IS VERY DIFFICULT WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THIS FROM FINANCE'S PERSPECTIVE AND HOW THEY'RE TRYING TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS.
THEY SPEND MONEY WITH US RIGHT NOW FOR REALLY NOT MUCH CHANGE TO HAPPEN RIGHT NOW.
THE CHANGE HAPPENS TWO YEARS FROM NOW.
IF YOU DON'T SPEND THE RUNNING MONEY RIGHT NOW, REALLY BAD THINGS HAPPEN TWO YEARS FROM NOW.
NO, WE, WE, WE ARE LOOKING AT THE ARPA MONEY IS SEPARATE.
SO THAT 1.5 MILLION, WHICH IS TREMENDOUS, APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH.
BUT THE INTERPRETATIONS OF WHAT IS FUNDABLE UNDER ARPA, BECAUSE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT A LOT OF DIFFERENT POSSIBILITIES.
BASICALLY EVERYTHING THAT'S IN THERE, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT COULD WE FOLD THAT INTO ARPA, WHAT WE HAVE COME DOWN TO AN AGREEMENT WITH THE MAYORS.
I MEAN, THEY'VE GOT A MARVELOUS TEAM WORKING ON THIS.
I, I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH GOOD ABOUT THE FOLKS THAT ARE WORKING ON ALL THIS.
WE'VE COME DOWN TO, UH, MONEY TO COVER OVERTIME IN CSU AND NIVAN FIREARMS MONEY FOR OUTSOURCING OF TOXICOLOGY SAMPLES AND MONEY FOR FUNDING TWO OF THOSE 3D SCOPES IN FIREARMS.
[00:30:04]
WELL, WE'VE GOT VOTING ITEMS HERE FOR GEARS THAT HAVE TO BE IN PLACE FOR THAT MONEY TO GET TO US.WE, WE ARE IN A POSITION BASICALLY TO SPEND IT ABOUT AS QUICKLY AS WE POSSIBLY CAN ONCE THOSE FUNDS ARE RELEASED TO US.
BUT WE STILL HAVE SOME WORK TO DO WITH THIS CITY TO BE ABLE TO RELEASE THOSE FUNDS TO US.
NOW I AM RAISING, NOW YOU ARE RAISING YOUR HAND.
I JUST WANNA BE CLEAR WITH ALL THE NUMBERS, HOW MUCH MONEY DID WE ASK FOR? WE ASKED THE, THE BUDGET THAT WE PROPOSED AND WE PASSED IS FOR 34 MILLION, WHICH IS 5.9 MILLION MORE THAN THE FY 22 BUDGET.
AND BOTTOM LINE, THE, THE COM COMPELLING, UH, ARGUMENT TO ME THAT YOU MADE IS THE FACT THAT 12 MONTHS TO TWO YEARS FROM NOW, IF WE DON'T GET THE INCREASES THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, WE'RE GONNA BE THE HEADLINES.
CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE VERY SENSITIVE TO THE FACT THAT THE CUT LINE BEFORE BELOW THE HEADLINE IS GONNA SAY BECAUSE CITY COUNCIL DIDN'T FUND YES.
I MEAN, SO I, AND I'VE BEEN THE RECIPIENT OF YOUR PRESENTATIONS
RIGHT? NO, THEY REALLY HAVE BEEN VERY COMPELLING.
AGAIN, A LOT OF INFORMATION BUT MEAN VERY COMPELLING.
THE ATTENTION SPAN IS NOT HUGE.
SO TO ME THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES REALLY COMES DOWN TO THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE GONNA BLAME THE CITY.
I MEAN WE MAY BE THE TOP HEADLINE, BUT IT'S GONNA BE CLEAR THAT WE CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT THE MONEY AND THOSE NUMBERS, YOU KNOW, 5.9 MILLION MORE TO JUST ESSENTIALLY STAY EVEN.
I I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO YEAH.
UM, STRESS WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I'M, I'M HOPEFUL HPD IS PRESENTING THEIR BUDGET TO CITY COUNCIL NEXT TUESDAY.
UM, I'VE BEEN TALKING WITH THEM ABOUT HOW I'M EITHER THERE TO HELP ANSWER QUESTIONS OR, YOU KNOW, GET A COUPLE OF MINUTES OUT OF THAT TO HELP EXPLAIN.
I MEAN, NOT A BAD WAY TO THINK ABOUT IT.
HPD IS A NEARLY BILLION DOLLAR VERY EXPENSIVE AIRPLANE.
WE ARE THE $2 NUT HOLDING THE WING ON WITHOUT THAT $2 NUT HPD IS IN A LOT OF TROUBLE.
SO YEAH, THAT'S ABOUT THE LOOK I'VE HAD FOR THE LAST WEEK.
COUNCIL MEMBER COHEN, I THINK I MAY REACH OUT TO YOU TO SEE MAYBE A COUPLE OF THESE FOLKS THAT WE CAN REACH OUT TO.
ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD ON THIS? YEAH, DEAD SILENCE.
THAT'S A, LIKE I SAY MY WIFE HATES TAKING ME OUT BECAUSE THE CONVERSATION USUALLY GOES, WHAT DO YOU DO? I RUN THE CRIME LAB.
OH, WHAT'S THE MOST INTERESTING THING? YOU'VE SEEN FIVE MINUTES CONVERSATION WITH ME.
THEY WANNA GO HIDE UNDER THE COVERS.
SO
TALKING WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS, GOING WITH YOU TO MEETINGS, WHATEVER, WHATEVER WE NEED TO DO.
UM, SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT FURTHER.
AND IF THERE'S NO OTHER QUESTIONS, UM, WE'RE GONNA HAVE THE A VOICE VOTE ON THE FIRST OF SEVERAL AGREEMENTS AND WE'RE GONNA START OFF WITH AGENDA ITEM NUMBER EIGHT.
UM, AGENDA ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, UH, IS TO CONSIDER APPROVAL OF A SUB-RECIPIENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND THE CORPORATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF ENHANCING THE LABORATORY'S ABILITY TO PROVIDE FORENSIC SERVICES RELATED TO PUBLIC SAFETY.
THAT SAFETY NEEDS THAT HAVE ARISEN OUT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, UH, TOLL APPROVED BUDGET, NOT TO EXCEED 1.5 MILLION, WHICH IS THE AMOUNT FUNDED BY THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OR ARPA.
UH, IF THE BOARD WILL RECALL, WILL RECALL, WE HAVE HEARD REPORTS FROM DR. STOUT OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS ABOUT HFSC RECEIVING ADDITIONAL FEDERAL FUNDS THROUGH THE CITY.
WE ARE ALMOST TO THE FINISH LINE NOW, AND DR. STOUT HAS THE FINAL DETAILS FOR US TO CONSIDER IN THE AGREEMENT THAT WILL GET US ONE STEP CLOSER TO RECEIVING THESE MUCH NEEDED FUNDS.
WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO DR. STOUT TO PRESENT.
UM, MEMBERS, TODAY YOU HAVE THE PRIMARY AGREEMENT TO CONSIDER FROM THE CITY IN ORDER FOR US TO BEGIN RECEIVING THE FUNDS FROM ARPA.
[00:35:01]
THE FUNDS, UH, WERE PROVIDED TO STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, WHICH DOESN'T INCLUDE US.AND SO FOR THE CITY TO BE ABLE TO NOT ONLY ALLOCATE THEIR FUNDS TO US AS WELL AS GIVE US ADDITIONAL FUNDS OUTSIDE OF THE BUDGET, WE NEED TO HAVE A SEPARATE AGREEMENT.
SO WE'VE WORKED WITH CITY LEGAL, C CITY FINANCE, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE TO COME UP WITH THIS AGREEMENT.
IT WILL ALLOW FOR US TO HAVE THE $1.5 MILLION AND THEN THE SUBSEQUENT AGENDA ITEMS YOU'RE GONNA CONSIDER, CONSIDER WILL, UH, BEGIN TO SORT OF DIVVY THOSE UP IN THE AREAS THAT WE'VE BEEN APPROVED.
SO, UH, STEP ONE FOR US TO EVEN, UH, BE ELIGIBLE TO BRING IN THESE DOLLARS IS GONNA BE THIS OVERARCHING AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? AND MADAM, MADAM, VICE CHAIR, JUST FOR ONE POINT OF CLARIFICATION, IF THE BOARD APPROVES THIS AGENDA, I'M SORRY, APPROVES THIS AGREEMENT TODAY, IT WILL THEN HAVE TO GO ON TO CITY COUNCIL FOR THEIR APPROVAL.
UH, WE WOULD EXPECT AND ANTICIPATE THAT IT'LL BE THE NEXT AVAILABLE, UM, AGENDA.
HOWEVER, WE KNOW THAT WE'RE JUST ONE MINOR PART OF A MUCH LARGER, UM, AGENDA FOR THE CITY, BUT FORTUNATELY THEY DO MEET WEEKLY AND SO WE EXPECT THAT THE CITY WOULD TAKE THIS UP, UM, WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS.
BOARD HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY.
WE'LL CONDUCT A VOICE, VOICE VOTE AT THIS TIME.
UH, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE SUB SUB RECIPIENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE CORPORATION RELATING TO THE REIMBURSEMENT OF UP TO 1.5 MILLION IN EXPENDITURES THROUGH THE ARPA FUND? UH, DIRECTOR COHAN.
UH, DO I HAVE A SECOND? UH, DIRECTOR MOORE.
UH, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? OKAY, IF YOU'LL UNMUTE YOUR MICS AT THIS TIME FOR THE VOICE VOTE ALL IN.
GONNA MOVE ON TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER NINE.
WE'RE GONNA CONSIDER DELEGATING AUTHORITY TO DR. STOUT TO NEGOTIATE AND ENTER INTO A CONTRACT FOR TOXICOLOGY OUTSOURCING SERVICES BETWEEN THE CORPORATION AND NATIONAL MEDICAL SERVICES TO BE FUNDED BY THE CORPORATION SUB-RECIPIENT AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND DESIGNATED 2021 AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT FUNDS, UH, OR ARPA.
UM, TOTAL BUDGET NOT TO EXCEED $700,000 MEMBERS.
AGENDA ITEM NUMBER NINE ALONG WITH ITEM NUMBER 10 ARE BOTH EXPENDITURES WE WILL INCUR UNDER THIS SUB-RECIPIENT AGREEMENT WE APPROVED A FEW MINUTES AGO.
THIS PARTICULAR LIE ITEM IS TO ALLOW DR. STOUT TO NEGOTIATE AND EVENTUALLY ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH NMS TO CONTINUE OUTSOURCING DRUG CONFIRMATION IN OUR TOXICOLOGY SECTION.
I CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH HOW IMPORTANT OUTSOURCING IS FOR THIS SECTION.
SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE DR. STOUT HAS THE AUTHORITY HE NEEDS TO EXECUTE THIS AGREEMENT AS SOON AS THE CITY SIGNS OFF ON THE RELEASE OF THE ARPA FUNDS.
STA, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD ON THIS? HOPEFULLY ALL, REMEMBER WE'VE DONE BUSINESS WITH NMS FOR YEARS.
THEY HAVE BEEN, WELL, WE'VE USED THEM FOR TOXICOLOGY OUTSOURCING BECAUSE NATIONWIDE, THEY PRETTY MUCH ARE THE OPTION TO OUTSOURCE TOXICOLOGY.
UM, EVERYBODY IN THE COUNTRY OUTSOURCES TO 'EM.
SO, I MEAN, THIS IS, I'VE GOT A LOT OF CONFIDENCE IN WORKING WITH THEM.
WE'VE, WE HAVE WORKED WITH THEM FOR YEARS ALREADY AND DONE A LOT OF BUSINESS WITH 'EM.
ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, DR. STOUT? ALL RIGHT.
WE WILL CONDUCT A VOICE VOTE AT THIS TIME.
AND DO I HAVE A MOTION TO DELEGATE AUTHORITY TO DR. STOUT TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT BETWEEN THE CORPORATION AND NMS FOR TOXICOLOGY OUTSOURCING THE TOTAL, WHICH HAS A TOTAL CONTRACT VALUE OF $700,000.
I HAVE A MOTION FROM DIRECTOR MOORE.
UH, DIRECTOR VASQUEZ, UM, HAS A SECOND.
PLEASE UNMUTE YOUR MICS AT THIS TIME FOR THE VOICE VOTE.
ANY OPPOSED? OKAY, THE MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY.
CONSIDER DELEGATING AUTHORITY TO DR. STOUT TO PROCURE AND SELECT TWO 3D MICROSCOPES TO BE FUNDED BY THE CORPORATION'S SUBRECIPIENT AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND THE DESIGNATED 2021 AND AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT FUNDS OR ARPA.
UH, THE TOTAL BUDGET IS NOT TO EXCEED $500,000.
SO WE ARE CONSIDERING A VOTE TO DELEGATE AUTHORITY TO DR. STOUT, WHICH WILL ALLOW HFSC
[00:40:01]
TO BEGIN THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS AND SELECTION OF TWO 3D SCOPES IN OUR FIREARMS SECTION.IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THIS PROCESS WILL TAKE SOME TIME.
SO WE'RE TAKING THIS MATTER UP IN A FEW PHASES TODAY.
DR. STOUT IS SEEKING AUTHORITY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PROCESS, SO I WILL TURN IT BACK OVER TO HIM TO EXPLAIN THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE.
SO WE'VE NOT TYPICALLY COME TO THE BOARD TO AUTHORIZE STARTING A PROCUREMENT 'CAUSE WE, WE CAN DO THAT.
WE'VE DONE IT IN THIS CASE BECAUSE OF THE TIE TO ARPA.
AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE GOT EVERYTHING CLEAR AND CLEARLY DOCUMENTED BECAUSE FOR THE CITY, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE AN AWFUL LOT OF AUDIT REQUIREMENTS AROUND ARPA AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE GOT ALL THE DOCUMENTATION AROUND.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHY WE'RE COMING THIS WAY.
BUT THESE ARE, WE ALREADY HAVE RFPS DESIGNED.
UM, WE WILL PROCEED ALONG TO BE AS CLOSE AS WE CAN GET BEFORE FUNDING IS RELEASED SO THAT WE CAN SPEND THAT MONEY AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN ONCE FUNDING IS RELEASED.
UM, LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE WE DO, THERE ARE TWO MANUFACTURERS.
SO IT'S KIND OF A CHOICE OF WHAT THE GROUP REALLY VIEWS WORKS FOR US.
UM, BUT IT'S NOT LIKE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT GOES OUT TO A HUNDRED DIFFERENT POTENTIAL MANUFACTURERS.
THERE ARE A VERY SMALL HANDFUL OF MANUFACTURERS.
SEEMS LIKE THERE'S ALWAYS JUST A SMALL NUMBER OF FOLKS.
THIS IS THE WORLD OF FORENSICS
ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR DR. STOUT OR ANYTHING ABOUT THIS AGENDA ITEM? ALL RIGHT.
WE'LL CONDUCT A VOICE VOTE AT THIS TIME.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO DELEGATE AUTHORITY TO DR. STOUT TO PROCURE AND SELECT TWO 3D MICROSCOPES? TOTAL CONTRACT VALUE OF $500,000.
OKAY, I HAVE A MOTION FROM DIRECTOR MOORE.
I HAVE A MO A SECOND FROM DIRECTOR GOODWIN.
PLEASE UNMUTE YOUR MICS AT THIS TIME FOR THE VOICE VOTE.
ANY OPPOSED? OKAY, THE MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY.
THIS IS A PRESENTATION FROM MR. DAVID LEACH, TREASURER AND CFO REGARDING APPROVAL OF A PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET, REALLOCATION AND POSSIBLE RELATED ACTIONS.
AND THEN ALSO AN AGENDA ITEM 11 A, WHICH IS CONSIDERING APPROVAL OF A PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 20 20, 22, BUDGET, REALLOCATION, AND POSSIBLE ACTION.
SO, MR. LEACH, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND THE VOTING ITEMS. THANK YOU.
DAVID LEACH, CFO FOR HOUSTON FORENSIC SCIENCE CENTER.
AS YOU KNOW, OUR YEAR END ENDS IN JUNE.
AND BY, UH, RULE, EACH LINE ITEM IN OUR BUDGET, UH, NEEDS TO, UH, WELL, WE CAN'T OVERSPEND ANY INDIVIDUAL LINE ITEM IN OUR BUDGET, RIGHT? SO EVERY YEAR TOWARDS THE END OF THE YEAR, I COME TO YOU AND ASK FOR YOUR APPROVAL TO MOVE THINGS AROUND.
SO ON THE FIRST SLIDE, WHAT'S IMPORTANT IS YOU'LL SEE IN THE FIRST COLUMN, THE STANDING APPROVED FISCAL YEAR 22 BUDGET.
AND THEN YOU'LL SEE WHAT I HAVE AS OUR LATEST FORECAST FOR SPENDING ALL THE DIFFERENT LINE ITEMS COME UP TO A TOTAL SPENDING.
THE IMPORTANT NUMBER IS THE ADJUSTMENTS IN NET ARE ZERO.
SO IT'S JUST, IT'S MOVING THINGS AROUND.
AND THEN WHAT I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO APPROVE THE NEW FISCAL YEAR 22 BUDGET IS THE SAME NUMBER IN TOTAL AS WHAT YOU'VE ALREADY APPROVED.
SO THOSE OF YOU HAVE DONE THIS BEFORE.
MY ANALOGY IS I'M JUST MOVING MONEY AROUND INTO DIFFERENT POCKETS.
UH, THE TOTAL AMOUNT REMAINS UNCHANGED.
SO TO GO THROUGH IT, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS WILL, WELL, CAN YOU JUST ADVANCE THE SLIDE ONCE IT SHOWS THE, THE FIRST SLIDE WILL SHOW, UH, WILL IT ADVANCE ONCE? OKAY.
SO I, I'M JUST GONNA WALK YOU THROUGH ALL THE DIFFERENT LINE ITEMS. AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF LITTLE MOVING PIECES, NUMBERS MOVING AROUND.
JUST TO GET IT TO WHERE MY FORECAST OF WHERE I THINK WE WILL ACTUALLY FIN FINISH THE YEAR IN SPENDING ISN'T BIGGER ON ANY INDIVIDUAL LINE ITEM THAN WHAT I'M ASKING YOU TO APPROVE.
TOTAL NUMBER, UH, OF THE CHANGES, ZERO REVENUE STAYS THE SAME.
UH, ALMOST EACH INDIVIDUAL LINE ITEM, YOU JUST SEE A BUNCH OF SMALLER MOVING NUMBERS, RIGHT? NEGATIVE 24, POSITIVE 15, POSITIVE 10.
[00:45:01]
THAT'S THE WAY IT WORKS.THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN HERE HAVE SEEN ALL THIS BEFORE, AND IT COMES TO THE LAST COLUMN.
ON THE RIGHT IS THE NEW NUMBER THAT I'M ASKING YOU TO APPROVE.
YOU HAVE THIS INFORMATION AND IT'S THE SAME AS IN PRIOR YEARS.
AND THEN AT THE END YOU SEE THAT THE NET NUMBER OF THE CHANGE THAT I'M ASKING YOU TO MAKE IS ZERO.
THE BIGGEST NUMBER ON THERE IS A NEGATIVE 1.6 MILLION UNDER GRANT FUNDING.
REMEMBER, WHEN WE DO THE BUDGET, SINCE I DON'T KNOW WHERE GRANT MONEY WILL BE SPENT, IT'S A LUMP SUM.
AS WE SPEND THE MONEY, IT GETS ALLOCATED TO THE INDIVIDUAL LINE ITEMS. SO THAT'S WHERE THE BIGGEST ADJUSTMENT IS.
I, I'LL GO INTO AS MUCH DETAIL AS YOU WANT, UM, OR WE CAN LEAVE IT THERE, BUT I'LL OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE FOR ME REGARDING THE REALLOCATION.
ANYONE HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR MR. LEACH? OKAY.
ANYTHING, ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD? NO.
JUST I'M ASKING YOU FOR AN APPROVAL OF A NEW FISCAL YEAR 22 BUDGET.
THE NET NUMBER'S THE SAME, DOESN'T CHANGE.
I'M JUST ASKING YOU PERMISSION TO MOVE THINGS AROUND AND DR. STOUT AND I HAVE ALREADY GONE OVER IT AND HE'S APPROVED IT.
UH, WE'LL HAVE A VOICE, VOICE VOTE TO APPROVE THE PRO PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET REALLOCATION.
UM, BOARD MEMBERS, PLEASE UNMUTE YOUR MICS AT THIS TIME.
AND DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE, UH, BUDGET REALLOCATION AS PRESENTED? MOVE? OKAY.
I HEARD A MOTION FROM DIRECTOR COHEN.
UH, DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND.
I HEAR SECOND FROM DIRECTOR HILDER.
UM, WE'LL HAVE THE VOICE VOTE.
CONSIDER AUTHORIZING THE PRESIDENT AND CEO TO ENTER INTO A LEASE AGREEMENT WITH THE OPTION TO PURCHASE BETWEEN DE LODGE, LANDON FINANCIAL SERVICES INCORPORATED AND THE CORPORATION FOR ONE LC DASH QQQ OR TRIPLE QUAD, I BELIEVE IS THE CORRECT OR OUR NAME EXACTLY FOR IT.
A DEVICE, UH, RELATED COMPONENTS AND SERVICE TOTAL CONTRACT AMOUNT OF $451,738 AND 20 CENTS.
THIS IS OUR LAST, UH, AGREEMENT TO VOTE ON THIS MORNING.
IT'S A REQUEST TO OBTAIN MUCH NEEDED EQUIPMENT FOR THE LAB.
IF YOU RECALL, WE APPROVED SIMILAR LEASE AGREEMENTS FOR LC TRIPLE QUADS AND THEY HAVE REALLY MADE AN IMPACT ON THE WORK WE DO.
STAT HAS BEEN WORKING ON THIS WITH OUR GENERAL COUNSEL AND CFO, SO I WILL LET HIM UPDATE US ON THE CURRENT PROPOSAL.
THIS ONE'S PRETTY MUCH THE SAME GIZMO THAT WE'VE GOT, THREE OTHERS THAT WE'VE DONE.
UM, IT'S ALL ABOUT HAVING ENOUGH STRAWS TO SHOVE STUFF, SHOVE STUFF THROUGH.
UM, I WILL SAY THIS ONE IS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THE OTHERS, BUT SEE MY COMMENT ABOUT SUPPLY ISSUES, UH, THESE INSTRUMENTS ARE LONG LEAD TIME TO GET TO AND THEY ARE GETTING MORE EXPENSIVE.
SO YEAH, WE NEED TO ACT ON THIS.
OTHERWISE IT'S GONNA BE MORE EXPENSIVE STILL WHEN WE GET BACK TO IT.
AND YES, WE DO ALL OF THESE ON LEASES 'CAUSE THIS IS PART OF HOW WE TRY AND JUGGLE THESE LARGE CAPITAL INVESTMENTS, UM, ON NOT ENOUGH BUDGET.
ALRIGHT, ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? ALRIGHT, WE WILL CONDUCT A VOICE VOTE AT THIS TIME.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO DELEGATE AUTHORITY TO DR. STOUT TO ENTER INTO A LEASE AGREEMENT WITH DIAGE LANDON FINANCIAL SERVICES FOR ONE LC TRIPLE QUAD DEVICE RELATED COMPONENTS AND SERVICE TOTAL CONTRACT AMOUNT OF $451,738 AND 20 CENTS.
I HAVE A MOTION FROM DIRECTOR.
AND DO I HAVE A SECOND? I HAVE A SECOND FROM DIRECTOR MEDINA.
LET'S UNMUTE YOUR MICS AND DO A VOICE VOTE.
THE MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY.
WE'RE NOW GONNA PROCEED TO OUR FINAL REPORT AND PRESENTATION FOR TODAY.
AND IT'S GONNA BE OUR QUALITY DIVISION UPDATE.
MS. ERICA ZAC, I, I HAVE TO ANNOUNCE YOUR NAME, SORRY ABOUT THAT.
SO FIRST I WANNA PRESENT JUST OUR GRAPHICS FOR THE BLIND QUALITY CONTROL PROGRAM FOR THE HOUSTON FORENSIC SCIENCE CENTER.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THE QUALITY DIVISION MET ALL OF THEIR TARGET GOALS FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH AND THEN ALSO IN APRIL.
AND I WANTED TO SHARE SOME INFORMATION
[00:50:01]
WITH THE BOARD ABOUT OUR BLIND QUALITY CONTROL PROGRAM.I KNOW I SHARED RECENTLY THAT WE HAD A PUBLICATION, IT WAS SPECIFIC TO OUR FIREARM SECTION AND ALL THE BLIND QUALITY CONTROL SAMPLES THAT WE HAVE SUBMITTED THROUGH THE FIREARM SECTION.
THAT MANUSCRIPT WAS PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE ONLINE.
HFSC ENSURED THAT IT WAS OPEN ACCESS SO THAT IT WOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC TO VIEW.
AND THAT PUBLICATION IS NOW ACTUALLY IN HARD COPY PRINT.
THE JOURNAL ITSELF HAS PRINTED.
SO THAT'S EXCITING NEWS FOR US.
BUT IN ADDITION TO JUST THAT, I WANTED TO SHOW THE BOARD THAT OUR ARTICLE IS ACTUALLY PICKING UP SOME TRACTION WITHIN THE FORENSIC COMMUNITY.
DR. STOUT AND I RECENTLY ATTENDED THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CRIME LABORATORY DIRECTORS MEETING THAT TOOK PLACE IN RENO, NEVADA.
AND ONE OF THE PRESENTATIONS AT THAT MEETING, IN FACT, SHOWCASED OUR PUBLICATION AND SPOKE TO THE IMPORTANCE OF NOT ONLY IT, BUT TRIED TO DRUM UP ENCOURAGEMENT, IF YOU WILL, AND, UM, INCENTIVE TO OTHER LABORATORIES TO EMBARK ALSO IN ON OTHER BLIND QUALITY CONTROL PROGRAMS AND ON SIMILAR PUBLICATIONS.
WE ALSO HAVE OUR QUALITY ASSOCIATE POSITION.
UM, SHE WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN HAVING THAT PUBLICATION, UM, COLLECTING THAT DATA AND HAVING THAT, UM, ARTICLE PUBLISHED.
SHE IS GOING TO BE GIVING A WEBINAR, UH, IN JUNE BASED SOLELY ON THAT MANUSCRIPT, THE DATA AND OUR BLIND QUALITY CONTROL PROGRAM.
THAT MANUSCRIPT, OR SORRY, THAT WEBINAR IS GONNA BE HELD THROUGH THE CENTER OF STATISTICS AND APPLICATIONS IN FORENSIC EVIDENCE.
CSAFE, THAT'S THE ORGANIZATION THAT FUNDS HER POSITION HERE AT THE HFSC.
AND ALSO SHE WILL BE MAKING A PRESENTATION AT THE ASSOCIATION OF FIREARMS AND TOOLMARKS EXAMINER CONFERENCE.
THAT'S AN ANNUAL CONFERENCE, AND WE HAVE BEEN INVITED.
SHE WILL GO AND AGAIN, MAKE A PRESENTATION ABOUT THAT ARTICLE, OUR BLIND PROGRAM, AND ALL OF THE DATA THAT WAS COLLECTED.
SO THIS IS A HUGE, UM, HONOR, IF YOU WILL, TO BE ABLE TO PRESENT OUR DATA AND OUR PUBLICATION AT SO MANY EVENTS.
AND THEN ALSO, AND POSSIBLY MOST SIGNIFICANTLY, UH, WE WERE CONTACTED BY NIST, THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY.
THEY ARE IN THE PROCESS OF DOING A SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION REVIEW OF THE FIREARMS DISCIPLINE.
NOW, THEY HAVE RECENTLY DRAFTED OR PUBLISHED A DRAFT OF THEIR, A VERY SIMILAR REVIEW FOR DNA MIXTURE INTERPRETATION THAT HAD A VERY LARGE IMPACT WITHIN THE FORENSIC COMMUNITY.
JUST EARLIER THIS WEEK, THEY WENT AHEAD AND PUBLISHED A DRAFT OF A VERY SIMILAR REVIEW FOR THE DIGITAL AND MULTIMEDIA SECTION.
AND THEY'RE IN PROGRESS ON A, AGAIN, A THIRD REVIEW, THIS ONE HAVING TO DO WITH FIREARMS. AND THEY REACHED OUT TO HFSC IN ORDER TO TRY AND HELP DIG MORE DEEPLY INTO THE DATA THAT WE USE TO PUBLISH THAT PAPER.
AND SO, AGAIN, A TREMENDOUS HONOR TO EVEN BE CONSIDERED AS THE HAVE, AS HAVING EMBARKED ON A PROJECT THAT WOULD HAVE SUCH A GREAT IMPACT AND BE SO USEFUL TO THE FORENSIC COMMUNITY.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ON THE BLIND QUALITY CONTROL PROGRAM BEFORE I MOVE ON? DR.
SOUT HAD MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY ABOUT A DISCLOSURE THAT WE HAD WITH THE TEXAS FORENSIC SCIENCE COMMISSION.
THAT MEETING TOOK PLACE ON APRIL 22ND.
AND WE DISCLOSED, UM, UH, REGARDING OUR HOUSTON FORENSIC SCIENCE CENTER ANALYST WHO TESTIFIED FOR A DPS CASE.
HE WAS AN ANALYST AT DPS IN 2013 WHEN HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR EVIDENCE EXAMINATION IN THE COLOGNE CASE.
HOWEVER, IN 2017, HE WAS AN HFSC EMPLOYEE WHO THEN GAVE TESTIMONY FOR THAT DPS CASE.
IN MARCH OF 2022, THE TEXAS COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS ISSUED AN OPINION, AN OPINION AND MANDATE OVERTURNING THE DEATH SENTENCE CONVICTION.
AND THAT OPINION AND MANDATE VERY SPECIFICALLY DISCUSSED THE TESTIMONY GIVEN BY THE ANALYST.
AND SO WHY, WHILE NORMALLY IF THERE WAS A CONCERN WITH ANY OF THE TESTIMONY GIVEN BY AN H OF C ANALYST, IT WOULD BE H OF C'S RESPONSIBILITY TO PERFORM THAT INVESTIGATION.
LIKELY IT WOULD BE THE QUALITY DIVISION WHO WOULD THEN PERFORM THAT INVESTIGATION, REVIEW THE CASE FILE, INTERVIEW THE ANALYST, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.
AS, AS, AS, AS IS OUR STANDARD PRACTICE.
BECAUSE THIS CASE SPANNED MULTIPLE AGENCIES.
IT WAS TRIED SOMEPLACE OTHER THAN HARRIS COUNTY, BUT IT HAS AN HFSC ANALYST.
IT BECOMES TO GET VERY COMPLICATED.
AND SO WE REQUESTED THAT THE TEXAS FORENSIC SCIENCE COMMISSION BECAUSE THAT THEY ARE MORE APTLY POSITIONED, IF YOU WILL, WITHIN THE STATE TO PERFORM THAT INVESTIGATION.
WE ASKED THEM FOR THEIR HELP AND ASSISTANCE IN PERFORMING THAT INVESTIGATION.
[00:55:01]
THE APRIL 22ND MEETING, TFSC VOTED TO FORM AN INVESTIGATIVE PANEL FOR THREE OF, WITH THREE OF THEIR COMMISSIONERS.AND THEY ARE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND PURSUE THAT INVESTIGATION ESSENTIALLY ON OUR BEHALF, IF YOU WILL.
AND PART OF THAT INVESTIGATION WILL BE TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT A FINDING OF PROFESSIONAL NEGLIGENCE OR PROFESSIONAL MISCONDUCT FOR THE HFSC ANALYST IS APPROPRIATE.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS I CAN ANSWER REGARDING THIS DISCLOSURE? WE HAD A SECOND DISCLOSURE ON THE AGENDA.
THIS ONE ALSO HAVING TO DO WITH FORENSIC BIOLOGY, UH, AND ALSO REVOLVING AROUND TESTIMONY.
BUT THIS ONE IS FAIRLY DIFFERENT.
UM, IN THIS INSTANCE, THERE WAS A TRANSCRIPT THAT WAS REVIEWED DURING OUR TRANSCRIPT REVIEW PROJECT WHERE, UM, THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS NOTED THAT THERE WAS SOME CONCERNS AROUND THE STATISTICS WHEN THEY WERE DISCUSSED WITHIN THE TESTIMONY.
AND WHILE THE ANALYST ORIGINALLY STATED THE STATISTICAL EVALUATION APPROPRIATELY, THE STATISTICS WERE THEN REPHRASED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS BY COUNSEL AND THEY WERE REPHRASED INAPPROPRIATELY.
AND THE ANALYST FAILED TO RECOGNIZE THAT AND CORRECT THAT WHILE ON THE STAND.
AND THE ANALYST IS A FORMER FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE WHO IS CURRENTLY A CONTRACT EMPLOYEE WITH THE HOUSTON FORENSIC SCIENCE CENTER AND WAS A CONTRACT EMPLOYEE AT THE TIME OF THAT TESTIMONY.
AND SO WE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF REVIEWING FURTHER TRANSCRIPTS FROM THIS EMPLOYEE TO TRY AND DETERMINE WHETHER THIS WAS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT, A ONE TIME EVENT AFFECTING ONLY THIS TRANSCRIPT, OR IF THERE'S A LARGER BROADER CONCERN.
IN THE MEANWHILE, THE ANALYST WILL BE RETRAINED ON STATISTICS AND STATISTICAL EVALUATION.
AND THEN ALSO, UH, THE, WHAT'S THE WORD I'M LOOKING FOR, UM, THE WAY TO RELAY THAT INFORMATION.
SO, UM, THE COMMISSION VOTED THAT NO FURTHER ACTION WAS NEEDED AT THIS TIME.
MEANING BASED ON THE ACTIONS THAT WE HAVE TAKEN SO FAR AT THE LABORATORY, UH, THEY HAVE NO CONCERNS.
THEY'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, INTERESTED IN FORMING AN INVESTIGATIVE PANEL OR ANYTHING OF THAT NATURE.
AND WHEN OUR CORRECTIVE ACTION IS FINALIZED, WE WILL PROVIDE THAT TO THE COMMISSION FOR REVIEW.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS I CAN ANSWER REGARDING THAT DISCLOSURE? OKAY.
I WANTED TO UPDATE THE BOARD ABOUT OUR INTERNAL AUDIT PROGRAM.
SO FAR WE HAVE COMPLETED OUR INTERNAL AUDITS IN THE SEIZE DRUGS, MULTIMEDIA FIREARMS, LATENT PRINT, AND TOXICOLOGY SECTIONS.
IN TOTAL, THERE HAVE BEEN SIX FINDINGS, THREE OF WHICH ARE IN THE MULTIMEDIA SECTION, AND THREE OF WHICH WERE IN THE LATENT PRINT SECTION.
AND THERE'S ONE OF THOSE FINDINGS THAT I WANTED TO DISCUSS WITH THE BOARD TODAY, AND THAT'S ONE THAT'S IN THE LATENT PRINT SECTION.
NOW, HFSC IS BOUND, AS YOU KNOW, BECAUSE OF ACCREDITATION TO CERTAIN STANDARDS AND REQUIREMENTS.
AND BECAUSE WE ALSO AGREED TO IMPLEMENT ANY OF THE OSAC STANDARDS, WE ARE BOUND TO THOSE AS WELL.
BUT IN ADDITION TO ALL OF THOSE STANDARDS AND ALL OF THOSE REQUIREMENTS, WE ALSO HAVE REQUIREMENTS THAT WE CREATE IN-HOUSE.
NOT BECAUSE THEY'RE TIED TO ANY KIND OF NATIONAL STANDARD, BUT BECAUSE THEY'RE WHAT WE CONSIDER TO BE BEST PRACTICE.
AND WHAT WE FOUND IN THE LATENT PRINT SECTION IS THAT THEY HAD A FINDING TO ONE OF THOSE REQUIREMENTS, AN HFSC REQUIREMENT.
AND WHILE THERE'S NO, IT'S NOT, IT'S BLACK OR WHITE, THEY CLEARLY HAVE A FINDING TO IT.
BUT WHAT IT REALLY DOES IS START A CONVERSATION AROUND, EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS CERTAINLY AT THE TIME THAT IT WAS CREATED, CONSIDERED BEST PRACTICE.
THE QUESTION IS, DOES IT STILL SERVE US TODAY? THIS SPECIFIC REQUIREMENT WAS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE OUTPUTS FROM ONE OF OUR LSS PROJECTS AND PART OF THE LSS PROJECT WAS ALSO TO GATHER DATA.
AND SO IT, NOW WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE A LOOK BACK AND SAY, NOW THAT WE'VE BEEN COLLECTING DATA, THIS REQUIREMENT THAT WE CREATED, IS IT STILL SERVING US? DO WE STILL WANT THIS TO BE AN ANNUAL REQUIREMENT OR, YOU KNOW, A REQUIREMENT WITHIN OUR QUALITY MANUAL? AND SO WE WOULD PLAN TO HAVE A CONVERSATION OF SORTS, IF YOU WILL, WITH SOME OF THE MEMBERS OF THAT LSS TEAM, SELECT MEMBERS FROM THE EXECUTIVE TEAM, AND CERTAINLY SOME OF OUR MANAGERS FROM DIFFERENT SECTIONS.
SO WE CAN TAKE A LOOK BACK AND SAY, IS THIS STILL SERVING US? DO WE STILL WANT THIS TO BE A REQUIREMENT? AND SO I KNOW NONE OF THE TECHNICAL SECTIONS ENJOY HAVING FINDINGS.
SOME OF THEM TAKE IT QUITE PERSONALLY, WHICH IS UNDERSTANDABLE.
BUT I REALLY THINK THAT THIS EXACT SITUATION, UM, HELPS TO EXEMPLIFY THAT, YOU KNOW, A STANDARD, UH, A FINDING A NON-CONFORMANCE OF ANY KIND IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY TAKE A LOOK AND
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SEE, DO WE NEED TO MAKE AN IMPROVEMENT HERE? AND IN SOME INSTANCES, THAT IMPROVEMENT IS REMOVING SOMETHING FROM A REQUIREMENT AND TAKING A LOOK BACK ON SOMETHING THAT WE DID PREVIOUSLY AND DECIDING WHILE IT WAS DONE WITH ALL BEST INTENTIONS, IT'S NO LONGER SERVING US AND MOVING FORWARD.SO WE STILL HAVE THE FORENSIC BIOLOGY AND CRIME SCENE UNIT SECTIONS.
UH, WE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE MIDDLE OF THOSE INTERNAL AUDITS.
THOSE ARE SLATED TO WRAP UP ON MAY 27TH.
AND SO AT THE NEXT BOARD MEETING, I'LL BE ABLE BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON THOSE TWO INTERNAL AUDITS.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS I CAN ANSWER REGARDING INTERNAL AUDITS? OKAY.
AND NEXT I WANTED TO GIVE THE BOARD AN UPDATE ON THE ORGANIZATION OF SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEES OR OSAC.
AS THE BOARD KNOWS, WE HAVE VIOLENT VOLUNTARILY CHOSEN TO IMPLEMENT ANY OF THE OSAC STANDARDS THAT ARE PUBLISHED, SORRY, ANY OF THE STANDARDS THAT ARE PUBLISHED ON THE OSAC REGISTRY WITHIN ONE YEAR OF PUBLICATION.
AND SO WE HAVE CURRENTLY DECLARED CONFORMANCE TO 18 STANDARDS, THE LAST THREE BEING ONE FROM THE FORENSIC BIOLOGY SECTION AND TWO FROM THE FIREARM SECTIONS.
IT TAKES A LOT OF TIME AND ENERGY AND COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE QUALITY DIVISION AND THOSE SECTIONS IN ORDER TO DECLARE COMPLIANCE TO THESE STANDARDS.
AND SO WE APPRECIATE ALL OF THE TIME AND ENERGY THAT GOES INTO THAT, BUT ARE EXTREMELY DEDICATED TO MAINTAINING THAT WE ARE DECLARING CONFORMANCE TO ANY OF THOSE PUBLISHED STANDARDS.
AND SO ALONG THOSE LINES, I WANTED TO MAKE THE BOARD AWARE THERE ARE MORE STANDARDS COMING.
OUR DEADLINE FOR, UM, FORENSIC BIOLOGY STANDARDS, THERE ARE FOUR OF THEM THAT ARE ALL, UM, THEY THAT ARE ALL REGARDING TRAINING WITHIN THE FORENSIC BIOLOGY SECTION.
THE DEADLINE FOR THOSE IS COMING UP ON AUGUST 3RD.
AND THERE IS ALSO ONE THAT SPEAKS TO QUALITY ASSURANCE STANDARD WITHIN THE SEIZES DRUG SECTION.
THE DEADLINE FOR THAT IS NOVEMBER 2ND.
NOW, WHILE OF COURSE I AND QUALITY WOULD LOVE FOR CONFORMANCE TO BE DECLARED WELL AHEAD OF THOSE DEADLINES, THE REALITY IS IT TAKES A LOT, LIKE I SAID, TIME OF ENERGY IN ORDER TO DO THAT.
AND SO QUALITY AND THE RESPECTIVE SECTIONS ALREADY HAVE, UM, COLLABORATIONS GOING BACK AND FORTH AND TIMELINES AND MILESTONES.
AND SO WE, WHILE I'M NOT SURE THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO DECLARE CONFORMANCE PRIOR TO THE DEADLINE, WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO DECLARE CONFORMANCE BY THE DEADLINE.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS I CAN ANSWER ABOUT OSAC STANDARDS? OKAY.
AND LAST, I WANTED TO GIVE THE BOARD AN UPDATE ON TESTIMONY SO FAR FOR THIS YEAR.
WE'VE HAD 29 ANALYSTS TESTIFY.
25 OF THOSE 29 WERE MONITORED.
THE FOUR THAT WERE NOT MONITORED WILL EITHER BE MONITORED IF THEY TESTIFY AGAIN WITHIN THE CALENDAR YEAR, OR WE HAVE THE OPTION OF REQUESTING THE TRANSCRIPT AND REVIEWING THAT TRANSCRIPT TO SUPPLEMENT THAT IN-PERSON MONITORING.
AND AS WE KNOW, BECAUSE OF THE TWO DISCLOSURES THAT I, UM, SHARED WITH YOU EARLIER TODAY, REVIEWING TESTIMONY IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
AND SO WE AS THE QUALITY DIVISION TAKE THIS REQUIREMENT EXTREMELY SERIOUSLY.
AND JUST AS AN UPDATE FROM 2021, WE HAD 50 ANALYSTS TESTIFY, 42 OF THEM WERE MONITORED DURING TESTIMONY IN PERSON, AND THE REMAINING EIGHT HAD NOT BEEN.
BUT WE HAVE SINCE, UM, ACQUIRED ALL OF THOSE TRANSCRIPTS AND PERFORMED THE REQUIRED REVIEW.
AND SO WE HAVE, UH, SATISFIED OUR REQUIREMENT FOR 2021.
AND THEN LASTLY, WE HAVE OUR TRANSCRIPT REVIEW PROJECT.
WE HAVE FOUR TRANSCRIPTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY BEING REVIEWED BY OUR COMMITTEES.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS I CAN ANSWER REGARDING TESTIMONY? OKAY, THANK YOU.
I JUST WANNA SAY EXCELLENT WORK AS USUAL.
UH, IT'S AMAZING THE THE WORK THAT THAT GOES ON DESPITE, UH, SOME LOOMING BUDGET CONCERNS, UH, THAT WE HAVE.
BUT, UM, EXCELLENT WORK, EXCELLENT PRESENTATION AS USUAL.
AND I WILL EXTEND THAT TO MY TEAM AS WELL WHEN I GET BACK.
PLEASE, PLEASE, WE APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT GOES INTO ALL OF THAT.
ALL RIGHT, ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, THOUGHTS FROM THE BOARD? OKAY, HEARING NONE.
UM, WE'RE GONNA CALL FOR ADJOURNMENT THROUGH A VOICE VOTE.
SO I NEED A MOTION, UH, UH, FOR THE ADJOURNMENT.
DO I HAVE A SECOND? THAT'S FROM DIRECTOR MOORE.
PLEASE UNMUTE YOUR MICS AND ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
AND I THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
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IN, UH, WHAT'S THE DATE OF OUR NEXT MEETING IS JULY, RIGHT? JULY.THIS IS FASTEST WE'VE EVER HAD.
I LIKE TO ROCK AND ROLL IF I CAN.