[00:00:01]
GREAT TO SEE EVERYONE.JUST AS A REMINDER TO THE BOARD, WE HAVE FIVE VOICE
[Houston Forensic Science]
VOTES TODAY AND LOOKING FORWARD TO MOVING FORWARD.UH, MS. HENRY, WOULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLE? YES, MA'AM.
SO WE'RE GOING TO MOVE TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER THREE.
THIS IS TO CONSIDER THE APPOINTMENT OF MS. ASHLEY HENRY AS INTERIM SECRETARY OF THE CORPORATION AND OUR POSSIBLE RELATED ACTION MEMBERS.
AS YOU KNOW, OUR BOARD SECRETARY, MS. D BERRY, RESIGNED AT THE END OF LAST YEAR.
WE THANK HER AND WE APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT SHE DID FOR HFSC AND THE ASSISTANT SHE PROVIDED TO THE BOARD DURING HER TENURE WITH US.
I KNOW WE ALL WISH HER WELL IN HER FUTURE ENDEAVORS AS A RESULT OF MS. D BARRY'S DEPARTURE.
WE DO HAVE A VACANCY TO FILL AND SEVERAL, SEVERAL LEGAL OBLIGATIONS THAT MUST BE CARRIED OUT DURING THIS INTERIM PERIOD.
HFSC IS CURRENTLY SEEKING QUALIFIED CANDIDATES FOR THE POSITION.
HOWEVER, WE DO NEED TO APPOINT AN INTERIM SECRETARY TO FILL THE ROLE.
WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE MS. ASHLEY HENRY HSCS, MANAGER OF CLIENT SERVICES AND CASE MANAGEMENT WHO GRACIOUSLY AGREED TO ASSIST US.
IF YOU RECALL, MS. HENRY UH, HELPED US DURING A SIMILAR INTERIM PERIOD IN 2021.
SHE HAS ALREADY STEPPED IN TO ASSIST US WITH BOARD MEETING PREPARATION OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, AND SHE IS A WONDERFUL ASSET TO THIS BODY.
SO THANK YOU FOR BEING WILLING TO STEP IN.
UM, WITH THAT, I WILL OPEN THE FLOOR FOR A MOTION RELATED TO THE APPOINTMENT OF MS. HENRY AS INTERIM SECRETARY FOR THE CORPORATION.
CONGRATULATIONS MS. HENRY, AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR BEING WILLING TO HELP US.
THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM IS, UH, AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FOUR, PUBLIC COMMENT.
UH, WE NOW OPEN THE FLOOR FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AND INVITE ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC THAT WISHES TO SPEAK TO COME TO THE PODIUM AND ADDRESS THE BOARD.
WE ASK THAT ALL SPEAKERS TO SIGN IN IN THE FRONT OF THE ROOM SO WE ARE AWARE OF YOUR PRESENCE AND THAT ALL COMMENTS BE LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES.
YOU MAY SPEAK ON ANY MANNER MATTER CONCERNING THE BOARD IN HFSC AT THIS TIME, DO WE HAVE ANYONE IN THE AUDIENCE WHO HAS SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT DOES NOT APPEAR SO, OKAY.
SEEING NO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AND OUR AUDIENCE TODAY WHO HAVE SIGNED UP FOR COMMENT, I WILL GO AHEAD AND CLOSE THE COMMENT, PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD.
AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FIVE IS THE DRAFT MEETING MINUTES FROM NOVEMBER 18TH, 2022.
MEMBERS TODAY WE WILL CONSIDER THE MEETING MINUTES FROM OUR LAST MEETING OF 2022, NOVEMBER 18TH.
UH, DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY CORRECTIONS OR ADDITIONS TO THE MEETING MINUTES AS PRESENTED? READ THE MEETING MINUTES.
UM, HEARING NONE, WE WILL PROCEED WITH A VOTE.
UM, SEE, WE WILL DO A VOICE VOTE TO APPROVE THE MEETING MINUTES.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THE MINUTES? A DIRECTOR COHEN MADE THE MOTION.
SECOND DIRECTOR GOODWIN MADE THE SECOND.
ANY OTHER FURTHER DISCUSSION OR ANYTHING THAT NEEDS TO BE UPDATED? OKAY.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.
THIS IS THE CHAIR'S REPORT, WHICH WILL INCLUDE A MONTHLY UPDATE OF ACTIVITIES AND OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE BOARD FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THE HFSC HOLIDAY STAFF PARTY IN DECEMBER.
BY ALL ACCOUNTS, THE EVENT WAS A HUGE SUCCESS AND EVERYONE HAD A GREAT TIME TO OUR STAFF.
WE HOPE THAT YOU ALL KNOW HOW MUCH WE APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU DO, AND THE HOLIDAY PARTY IS JUST ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE LIKE TO RECOGNIZE YOUR EFFORTS.
I ALSO WANNA THANK THE STAFF VOLUNTEERS WHO HELP PLAN AND ORGANIZE THE EVENT, ESPECIALLY THE EMPLOYEE EVENT COMMITTEE.
AND MS. CARESS YOUNG, OUR HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR, AND I BELIEVE CARESS IS HERE.
LOOKING AHEAD TO OUR NEXT BOARD MEETING, I DO WANT TO REMIND MEMBERS THAT WE ARE ENTERING INTO THE BUDGET PROCESS YET AGAIN.
UH, I KNOW IT SEEMS LIKE THIS CYCLE COMES ALONG VERY QUICKER, MORE QUICKLY EVERY YEAR, AND IT FEELS LIKE IT.
UM, IT FEELS LIKE WE JUST PASSED THE MOST RECENT BUDGET.
HOWEVER, WITH THE NEW BOARD MEETING SCHEDULE, MARCH IS GOING TO BE OUR BEST OPPORTUNITY TO WORK THROUGH THESE DISCUSSIONS.
SO WE WILL NEED A QUORUM FOR MARCH,
[00:05:01]
FOR THE MARCH 10TH MEETING.SO PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE BE HERE.
UH, 'CAUSE THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
AS ALWAYS, OUR CFO, MR. LEACH WILL WALK US THROUGH EVERYTHING AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK BEFORE TAKING A VOTE.
UH, LASTLY, I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT HFSC WILL BE CLOSED FOR BUSINESS ON MONDAY THE 16TH IN OBSERVANCE OF THE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
I KNOW MANY OF US MAY BE CELEBRATING DR.
KING'S LEGACY THROUGH VARIOUS EVENTS, CEREMONIES, AND PARADES AROUND THE CITY.
HOWEVER, THE HOLIDAY IS ALSO A NATIONAL DAY OF SERVICE.
SO WHETHER YOU ARE AT AN EVENT THAT DAY OR GIVING BACK TO THE HOUSTON COMMUNITY, HOPEFULLY WE ARE ALL ABLE TO OBSERVE THE HOLIDAY IN SOME WAY.
AND WITH THAT FINAL ANNOUNCEMENT, WE WILL PRO, UH, PROCEED TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SEVEN.
UH, AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SEVEN IS A STATUS REPORT FROM THE BOARD WORKING GROUP ON THE CRIME SCENE UNIT, FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND IMPROVEMENTS AND POSSIBLE RELATED ACTIONS.
IF YOU RECALL, I APPOINTED A BOARD WORKING GROUP TO TAKE A LOOK AT RECOMMENDATIONS RELATED TO OUR CRIME SCENE UNIT.
THIS GROUP HAS CONTINUED ITS EFFORTS OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE HFSC EXECUTIVE TEAM.
THIS PROJECT HAS GONE THROUGH A FEW PHASES OVER TIME, AND WE ARE EAGER, EAGER TO HEAR WHAT NEW MILESTONES HAVE BEEN REACHED ALONG WITH THE PLAN GOING FORWARD.
I CANNOT STRESS HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS FOR THE BOARD TO SEE TO CONCLUSION, AND I'M VERY GLAD AND I THANK VICE CHAIR LYNCH, DIRECTOR HUFF AND DIRECTOR GOODMAN, WHO ARE AT THE HELM OF THIS.
WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO VICE CHAIR LINSKY FOR OUR STATUS REPORT.
UM, YOU KNOW, AS YOU KNOW, UM, UH, CSU, UH, UH, BROUGHT FORTH SOME ISSUES, UH, BACK IN 2021 AND, YOU KNOW, AFTER INVESTIGATIONS BY OIG AND, AND, UM, UM, ALL THE ENSUING, UM, ISSUES THAT WERE BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION.
UM, AS, UH, AS PRE AS, UH, CHAIR MITCHELL ADVISED, UH, SHE POINTED A, UH, CSU BOARD WORKING GROUP.
AND THAT WORKING GROUP HAS, UH, ACCOMPLISHED, UM, QUITE A FEW THINGS, UH, WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF, OF, OF THE FOLKS AT, UH, THE HFSC.
AND, UM, SO WE'RE KIND OF IN THE, IN THE LAST PHASE OF, OF, UH, WHERE WE'RE GOING.
UH, PREVIOUSLY, UH, THE BOARD WORKED WITH AND, AND, UH, HELP COORDINATE WITH, UM, UH, THE STAFF ON THE CSU IN TERMS OF THEIR SCHEDULING, UH, ADDING MORE SUPPORT STAFF, MORE SUPERVISOR, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
AND SO WHERE WE ARE NOW IS TAKING A LOOK AT, UH, HOW WE CAN IMPROVE SOME OF THE REPORTING PROCESSES FOR, UH, FOR NOT JUST CSU, BUT FOR, UH, ALL THE TEAMS AT THE FORENSIC SCIENCE CENTER.
AND SO THERE'VE BEEN SEVERAL FOCUS AREAS THAT, UH, UH, THE WORKING GROUP HAS COORDINATED AND, AND BEEN ASSISTED WITH, UM, IN TERMS OF WORKING WITH THE EXECUTIVE TEAM TO DEVELOP, UM, UH, INCREASED, UH, AWARENESS WHEN, WHEN ISSUES OCCUR.
AND SO, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE, THAT THE, UM, WORKING GROUP AND, AND THE EXECUTIVE TEAM IS WORKING ON IS IDENTIFYING SOME OF THE POLICIES THAT ARE AT, UH, UH, WITHIN H-S-F-H-F-S-C, UH, THAT MAY NEED REVISION, THAT MAY NEED TO BE LOOKED AT, THAT MAY NEED TO BE, UM, UH, IMPROVED UPON OR, OR AT LEAST EVALUATED TO SEE IF THEY ARE STILL RELEVANT.
UH, AND THOSE POLICIES ARE RELATED TO, UH, YOU KNOW, THE RESOLUTION OF ISSUES, UH, HOW TO REPORT WORKPLACE CONCERNS, UH, THE CORRECTIVE ACTION PROCESSES AND, AND WHAT SHOULD BE LEGALLY MANDATED IN TERMS OF REPORTING.
UH, SO THAT IS ONE AREA THAT IS BEING LOOKED AT.
UM, AND THE TEAM, THE EXECUTIVE TEAM IS GONNA EVALUATE THOSE POLICIES, UM, AND C UH, IF, AND, AND MAKE SURE THE POLICIES ARE STILL RELEVANT, IF NOT, IMPROVE THEM, AND THEN CONTINUE, UM, TO ENSURE THAT THE STAFF IS AWARE OF THOSE POLICIES AND HOW TO IMPROVE THEM.
UH, SECONDLY, UH, THE EXECUTIVE TEAM IS LOOKING AT INCREASING TRAINING ON COMMUNICATION AND LEADERSHIP FOR, UH, NOT JUST THE EXECUTIVE TEAM, BUT FOR THE SUPERVISORS AND THE LEADERS ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION.
UM, AND, UH, TAKE A LOOK AT HOW THEY CAN IMPROVE, UM, UH, LOST MY PLACE HERE.
UM, HOW THEY CAN BRING TRAINING IN, HOW THEY CAN, UH, ADD WORKSHOPS, HOW THEY CAN IMPROVE AND INCREASE, UH, THE PROFESSIONALISM OF EVERYONE.
UM, UH, ACROSS THE BOARD, UM, ONGOING CONVERSATIONS HAVE BEEN, HAVE BEEN OCCURRING WITH LEADERSHIP.
AND SO THERE HAVE BEEN SOME TRAININGS THAT HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED BOTH FROM INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL SOURCES.
BUT WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO LOOK AT THOSE AND ENSURE THAT THERE IS A PROCESS IN
[00:10:01]
PLACE TO CONTINUE, UM, THAT TRAINING.UM, ONE OF THE, UM, OTHER THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT IS IN TERMS OF, OF THE BOARD, IN TERMS OF, UM, HOW, HOW AND IF SHOULD THE BOARD BE BROUGHT INTO THE FUTURE, UH, ON PERSONNEL ISSUES THAT, UH, NEED TO BE ELEVATED FOR MORE IN-DEPTH CONSIDERATION.
UM, OBVIOUSLY, UH, THE WAY THE CSU ISSUE CAME ABOUT, UM, WHEN THE BOARD RECEIVED A, A LETTER FROM, UH, AT THAT TIME, AN ANONYMOUS SOURCE, UH, THAT'S HOW WE GOT INFORMED OF THAT ISSUE.
SO WE WANNA LOOK AT HOW WE CAN, UM, UH, MAYBE INCORPORATE THE BOARD INTO, NOT NECESSARILY THE DAY-TO-DAY PERSONNEL DECISIONS, BUT IN, IN, IN SITUATIONS WHERE THE, THE SITUA THE, UM, ISSUE MAY BE, UH, MAY NEED TO BE ELEVATED TO THE BOARD.
SO, UM, SO THERE'S GONNA BE SOME DISCUSSIONS OF WHETHER OR NOT THE BOARD HA IF THE BOARD SHOULD BE INVOLVED.
IF SO, HOW, AND, YOU KNOW, CAN WE CONSIDER, UM, UM, MAYBE A DIFFERENT APPROACH FOR ISSUES WITH POTENTIAL IMPACT ACROSS THE ORGANIZATION? SO, UM, UH, SO WE'RE GONNA TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AS WELL.
SO REALLY WHAT IT HAS COME DOWN TO IS WE'RE STILL LOOKING AT THE POLICIES.
WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT CONTINUED TRAINING AND, UH, IN TERMS OF COMMUNICATION AND LEADERSHIP.
AND WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT THE BOARD'S ROLE IN, UH, IN, IN HOW SOME OF THE MORE SIGNIFICANT ISSUES MAY, UH, WARRANT, UM, UM, CONSIDERATION BY THE BOARD, UM, IN TERMS OF HOW TO ADDRESS.
SO, UM, SO MOVING FORWARD, UH, WE'RE GOING TO, UH, CONTINUE WITH THE WORKING GROUP AND WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO GET UPDATES, AND THEN WE'LL PRESENT ANOTHER, UM, UH, PROVIDE ANOTHER PRESENTATION ONCE WE, ONCE WE HAVE SOME, SOME, UM, UM, UH, MORE STRUCTURE AROUND THOSE, THOSE ITEMS. OKAY.
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR BOARD WORKING GROUP AND THE EXECUTIVE TEAM FOR ALL OF YOUR EFFORTS ON THIS.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE UPDATES FROM YOU OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
ALRIGHT, NOW WE ARE GOING TO PROCEED TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, WHICH IS A REPORT FROM DR. PETER STOUT, OUR CEO AND PRESIDENT, INCLUDING AN OVERVIEW OF THE 2022 OPERATIONS, TECHNICAL UPDATES, OUTREACH EFFORTS, STAFFING CHANGES, AND INCLUDING THE QUALITY DIRECTOR POSITION AND OTHER CORPORATE BUSINESS, DR. STOUT.
AM I CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE MICROPHONE FOR YOU TO HEAR THERE? OKAY, GOOD.
SO FIRST UP, I DON'T KNOW, READ IT ON THE SCREEN THERE FOR YOU.
WELL, I THINK YOU'VE ALL GOT THE SLIDES IN FRONT OF YOU THERE.
UM, I MOSTLY WANTED TO COVER JUST KIND OF 2022 IN REVIEW.
GOT A CHANCE TO WORK BACK THROUGH SOME THINGS HERE.
SWITCH THOSE SCREENS, THAT'S A LITTLE BETTER.
UM, SO WE ASSEMBLED SOME STATISTICS ACROSS HOW SOME THINGS HAVE PERFORMED ACROSS THE YEAR, AND I'VE, I'VE TALKED WITH STAFF A LOT THAT 2022 WAS A COMBINATION OF SOME REMARKABLE ADVANCEMENT AT THE SAME TIME, IT KEEPS FEELING LIKE WE'RE GETTING THE CRAP KICKED OUT OF US.
UM, SO TRY TO REMIND AND POINT OUT TO PEOPLE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE REALLY WORKED WELL.
BUT YES, THERE HAVE BEEN SOME VERY SERIOUS CHALLENGES FOR US IN 2022.
A COUPLE OF JUST NOTABLE THINGS THAT AREN'T NECESSARILY NUMBERS TO POINT OUT.
WE HAD AT LEAST FOUR PUBLISHED MANUSCRIPTS.
I I KINDA LOST COUNT IN THERE.
UM, BUT FOUR PUBLISHED MANUSCRIPTS IN PEER REVIEW JOURNALS IN 2022.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT FOR LIKE AN ACADEMIC DEPARTMENT, UM, THAT'S NOT VERY MANY PUBLICATIONS, BUT FOR A PRACTITIONER LABORATORY WHO'S FIRST AND FOREMOST RESPONSIBILITY IS PRODUCING CASEWORK RESULTS TO GET FOUR PUBLICATIONS OUT THERE IS PRETTY REMARKABLE.
UM, TWO OF THOSE WERE IN TOXICOLOGY AND TWO OF THOSE WERE OUT OF OUR QUALITY GROUP.
UM, THAT'S, THAT'S PRETTY GOOD PRODUCTION FOR A GROUP THAT IS DOING THIS BASICALLY ON THEIR OFF TIME.
UM, YASMINE, OUR NEW ASSISTANT GENERAL COUNSEL ARRANGED, UM, THE FIRST THE FIRST COURTROOM TOUR FOR ALL OF STAFF, UH, WHICH SHE DID A MARVELOUS JOB OF INCORPORATING IN JUDGES.
UM, I TAGGED ALONG ON ONE OF THOSE TOURS.
IT WAS REALLY, I THINK, HELPFUL, UH, FOR OUR STAFF.
CERTAINLY IT WAS HELPFUL FOR ME.
I I HAD NOT BEEN IN THE FAMILY OR JUVENILE COURTS BEFORE.
[00:15:01]
DO ROUTINELY TESTIFY IN FAMILY AND JUVENILE COURT.SO, UH, WE'RE LOOKING TO MAKE THIS A SUSTAINABLE THING.
I THINK IT'S VERY HELPFUL FOR STAFF TO JUST HAVE MORE FAMILIARITY WITH THE COURTROOMS THAT THEY MAY OR MAY NOT BE GOING INTO.
AND I THINK IT HAS ALSO HELPED.
WE, WE'VE HAD A VARIETY OF WAYS AND HAVE MADE A REAL PUSH THIS LAST YEAR FOR MORE VISIBILITY AND COLLABORATION WITH ALL OF THE ASPECTS OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.
UH, I THINK IN THE EIGHT YEARS I'VE BEEN HERE THIS LAST YEAR, HAS HAD THE MOST INTERACTION WITH THE JUDGES, UM, THAT WE'VE HAD YET, WHICH I THINK IS EXTRAORDINARILY HELPFUL IN TRYING TO MANAGE THE, REALLY, THE CATASTROPHIC CIRCUMSTANCE THAT OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM HERE IN HARRIS COUNTY FINDS ITSELF IN.
I DO NEED, AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE, OUR VOLUNTARY TURNOVER RATE PRETTY MUCH HAS DOUBLED ON US.
IT USED TO BAT ABOUT 6%, UH, THIS LAST YEAR HAS BEEN OVER 12%.
UM, WHEN YOU LOOK AT NATIONAL AVERAGES OF TURNOVER RATE MORE GENERICALLY, THAT IS STILL EXTRAORDINARILY GOOD.
UH, ON AVERAGE, NATIONALLY, IT'S MORE UP 20, 25% IS THE TURNOVER RATE, BUT THAT 12% REPRESENTS 24 PEOPLE THAT IF YOU USE THE BACK OF THE ENVELOPE COST OF ANALYST TRAINING, UM, THAT LABORATORIES USE, AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE, THAT THAT'S SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 300 AND $500,000 AHEAD.
THAT MEANS WE'VE GOT ABOUT A $12 MILLION REPLACEMENT COST THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO ABSORB OVER THE NEXT TWO TO THREE YEARS.
UM, THAT TURNOVER RATE IS PROBLEMATIC FOR US.
SO I THINK WE'VE GOT SOME WORK TO LOOK AT WHAT'S IN THAT.
I, I THINK WE DO AN AWFUL LOT OF THINGS AND WE DO PRETTY WELL AT RETENTION, BUT WE'RE IN A WORLD WHERE THERE ARE SOME PERVASIVE MACRO TRENDS THAT ARE DRIVING CHANGES IN THE JOB MARKET THAT ARE REALLY DIFFICULT TO MANAGE.
UM, SO ONE OF THE THINGS I HAVE ALREADY STARTED TALKING WITH THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION COMING UP, AND I'M TALKING WITH LABORATORIES AND TEXAS FORENSIC SCIENCE COMMISSION, IS WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT THE PIPELINE OF EMPLOYEE TRAINING? UM, MAYBE JUST, MAYBE THERE ARE SOME THINGS WE CAN LOOK AT FOR RELIEF FROM THE STATE AND HOW WE DO THIS BETTER.
BUT THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT WAS A BIG NOTABLE THIS LAST YEAR, LAST ONE I'VE GOT UP THERE AND I WILL LEAVE IT TO ERICA TO DO A LITTLE BIT MORE INTRODUCTION.
BUT YES, UH, ERICA IS UNFORTUNATELY FOR US MOVING ON, SHE'S GOING UP TO UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS, UM, WITH MIKE COBEL, UH, WHO'S THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR HUMAN IDENTIFICATION UP THERE.
I'VE KNOWN MIKE FOR A LOT OF YEARS.
MIKE AND I, UH, FIRST GOT TO KNOW EACH OTHER ON THE FORENSIC SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD FOR THE STATE LABORATORY IN NORTH CAROLINA.
UH, MIKE IS A FORENSIC BIOLOGIST.
YOU CAN'T OVERSTATE MIKE'S INFLUENCE IN THE FORENSIC BIOLOGY REALM.
UM, SO I WOULD, AS MUCH AS I HATE TO LOSE ERICA, I WOULD BE ANGRY WITH HER IF SHE DIDN'T TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY.
IT IS A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY FOR HER.
BUT, UH, JACKIE MORRELL, YOU COULD STAND UP OVER THERE.
SHE'S BEEN WITH THE LABORATORY, UM, SINCE EVEN BEFORE IT WAS HFSC.
UM, WE ARE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE JACKIE AND HER, UM, VAST EXPERIENCE AND ABILITY TO STEP INTO THIS ROLE.
UM, BUT LIKE I SAY, I'LL LEAVE, LEAVE IT TO ERICA TO DO MORE OF THAT INTRODUCTION.
ANY QUESTIONS ON ANY OF THOSE ITEMS? I ASSUME WE DO EXIT INTERVIEWS AND SURVEYS WHEN PEOPLE LEAVE.
WHAT ARE YOU ASKING? EXIT INTERVIEWS FOR THOSE WHO LEAVE? OH, YEAH.
UM, HAVE WE FOUND ANY TRENDS? ARE THERE THINGS THAT WE CAN TAKE THAT WE CAN ADDRESS IMMEDIATELY? AND I SUPPOSE THERE'S LARGER ISSUES THAT MAYBE WE SEE PERVASIVE THROUGHOUT FORENSIC SCIENCE THAT MAY NOT BE, THAT MAY BE A LITTLE BIT MORE DIFFICULT.
UM, SOME OF MY PERCEPTION AND THEN CARESS, IF YOU'VE GOT SOME ANSWERS ON THIS, THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL.
BUT ONE, ONE OF THE THINGS I HEAR FROM STAFF A LOT IS IT IS NOT SO MUCH SALARY.
I MEAN, CLEARLY SALARY IS ALWAYS AN ITEM IN THERE.
UM, AND THERE ARE SOME PARTICULAR AREAS, LIKE FOR TOXICOLOGY, AND THIS, THIS IS, AGAIN, IT'S WAY BEYOND US, BUT A LOT OF THE HIGHLY EXPERIENCED TOXICOLOGISTS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO GET HOLD OF OFTEN WORK IN MEDICAL EXAMINER OFFICES.
AND THEY REALLY HAVE LITTLE TO NO REASON TO LEAVE A MEDICAL EXAMINER OFFICE BECAUSE TO BE A TOXICOLOGIST IN A MEDICAL EXAMINER OFFICE, YOU ARE FAR LESS EXPOSED TO TESTIMONY.
AND WHY WOULD YOU WANNA STEP OUT OF THAT TO BE IN THE FULL CONTACT BLOOD SPORT OF A CRIME LAB WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE TO? UH, BUT I THINK THAT KIND SPEAKS TO THE FAIRLY PERVASIVE TREND OF,
[00:20:01]
YOU KNOW, THE PANDEMIC TRIGGERED PEOPLE REALLY EVALUATING THE RISK, REWARD OF THE STRAIN OF A JOB.AND CRIME LABS ARE A STRESSFUL PLACE TO WORK.
SO HOW WE BEST MITIGATE THAT, HOW WE BEST HELP MANAGE THAT, I THINK IS ONE OF THE TOOLS TO BRING TO THE TABLE.
AND YES, SALARY IS ONE TOOL, BUT WE COULD PAY PEOPLE 20, 30% MORE.
AND IT'S NOT NECESSARILY GONNA SOLVE IT.
BUT CARESS, I DON'T IF YOU'VE GOT SOME INPUT, UH, NO, YOU HIT THE, HIT THE BUTTON THAT'S ON IT.
UM, RESH YOUNG, I'M THE DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES.
WE DO EXIT INTERVIEWS AT EVERY TIME SOMEONE GIVES US A RESIGNATION NOTICE THEY ARE VOLUNTARY, UH, BUT FOR THE MOST PART, PEOPLE PARTICIPATE.
UH, THERE'S SPECIFIC QUESTIONS THAT WE ASK ABOUT SALARY.
WHY ARE YOU LEAVING? THERE'S A LIST OF REASONS.
WHAT'S THE PRIMARY REASON, THAT SORT OF THING.
AND THEN EITHER MYSELF OR OUR HR GENERALIST, YOLANDA KEMP, MEET WITH THAT PERSON AND THEN TALK THROUGH THOSE ISSUES.
SO SALARY HAS BEEN AN ISSUE IN ONE SECTION IN PARTICULAR, UH, MULTIMEDIA, WE BROUGHT THAT TO YOU AT THE TIME THAT IT HAPPENED.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT KIND OF STOLE OUR FOLKS, UM, AND PAID 'EM RATES THAT WE COULDN'T TOUCH.
BUT OTHER THAN THAT AREA, I HAVEN'T REALLY SEEN THAT COMPENSATION IS AN OVERRIDING ISSUE.
LIKE PETER SAID, UH, SOME OF OUR FOLKS LEFT FOR LESS MONEY, UH, BECAUSE OF THE STRESS.
SOME OF OUR FOLKS GOT OUT OF FORENSICS, UH, WENT INTO DIFFERENT AREAS.
SO SOME OF THE THINGS WE'VE DONE TO LOOK AT THAT, WE NOW HAVE A PEER SUPPORT GROUP.
UH, WE HAVE A COUNSELOR THAT IS AVAILABLE TO US THAT ACTUALLY HAS WORKED WITH PEER SUPPORT BEFORE.
SHE HAS BEEN COMING IN ON A REGULAR BASIS, MEETING WITH GROUPS AS THEY REQUEST THAT.
UM, SHE'S ALSO AVAILABLE TO MEET WITH INDIVIDUALS.
WE'VE TRIED TO TALK TO OUR EMPLOYEES MORE ABOUT WHAT THOSE ISSUES ARE.
AND OF COURSE, AS, AS MARY SAID EARLIER, UH, WORK WITH OUR MANAGERS ON COMMUNICATION AND HOW TO WORK WITH OUR EMPLOYEES.
I MEAN, THE 12.2% IS NOT A NUMBER I LIKE TO SEE.
UM, BUT NATIONALLY, IT'S, IT'S REALLY NOT BAD.
AND 24 PEOPLE OUT OF ALMOST 200, WE HATE TO LOSE THEM.
BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, IT'S, IT'S REALLY NOT A BAD STAT.
UM, IN TERMS OF RECRUITMENT, WE DO NOT HAVE ISSUES RECRUITING FROM, UH, RIGHT OUTTA COLLEGE.
AND SOME OF OUR MANAGERS ACTUALLY PREFER BRINGING IN PEOPLE RIGHT OUT OF COLLEGE THAT THEY CAN MOLD AND HELP AND THAT SORT OF THING.
WHEN IT COMES TO FINDING EXPERIENCED PEOPLE, THE MARKET IS REALLY, REALLY TOUGH.
UH, LATENT PRINT EXAMINER RIGHT NOW, FORENSIC ANALYST IN BIOLOGY, UH, SOME OF THOSE POSITIONS ARE VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TO RECRUIT.
UM, WE SOMEHOW MANAGED TO DO IT
UH, WE ARE ABLE TO FILL JOBS IN LESS THAN 60 DAYS AND THEN GET PEOPLE HERE.
DO Y'ALL HAVE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS I MIGHT BE ABLE TO ANSWER? ONE OF THE THINGS I'D POINT OUT IS OUR AVERAGE TENURE IS FOUR AND A HALF YEARS.
SO FOR AN ORGANIZATION THAT IS ONLY EIGHT YEARS OLD, TO HAVE THE AVERAGE TENURE BE FOUR AND A HALF YEARS IS PRETTY GOOD.
AND I, I, I KEEP COUNT OF THOSE OVER FIVE YEARS BY THE NUMBER OF BOXES I BUILD.
AND I'VE BUILT MORE THAN A HUNDRED BOXES NOW.
SO ABOUT HALF THE ORGANIZATION HAS BEEN WITH US FIVE YEARS OR MORE.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON ANY OF THOSE? ALL RIGHT.
SO OTHER STATISTICS, IF ANYBODY HADN'T NOTICED, COURT IS BACK IN SESSION.
UM, AND WE SURE AS HECK NOTICE THAT IS SO, SO LOOKING AT SUBPOENAS DOESN'T NECESSARILY EQUATE TO TESTIMONY THAT WE'RE DOING, BUT SUBPOENA THE NUMBER OF SUBPOENAS COMING IN IS A GOOD SURROGATE INDICATOR OF HOW MUCH DEMAND IS SHOWING UP FROM THE COURTS.
AND SUBPOENAS ARE MORE THAN 84% MORE THAN IT WAS PRE PANDEMIC.
UM, THIS MAKES SENSE GIVEN THE JUST CATASTROPHIC BACKLOG IN THE COURT SYSTEM THAT THE ENTIRE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM IS STRUGGLING WITH HOW TO MANAGE.
BUT THAT SUBPOENA LOAD IS DAUNTING.
AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS PLENTY OF TIMES BEFORE THAT IT'S NOT LIKE THE INVESTIGATIVE LOAD OF REQUESTS FOR SERVICES HAS GONE DOWN.
WE GET ALL OF THIS DEMAND ON THE STAFF IN ADDITION TO THAT.
UM, SO THIS IS ADDITIONAL REQUESTS FOR ANALYSIS, BUT EVEN MORE SO, I THINK IT'S REQUESTS FOR DOCUMENTATION AND INPUT ON TRIAL PREPARATION AND TESTIMONY AND ALL OF THE THINGS THAT COME FROM THE DA'S OFFICE.
[00:25:01]
I REALLY DON'T ENVY THE DA'S OFFICE IN THEIR STRUGGLES.UH, WHEN I WAS IN AUSTIN A COUPLE, FEW WEEKS AGO, TESTIFYING TO THE SENATE CRIMINAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE, UH, I CAME JUST AFTER A GROUP OF STATEWIDE DISTRICT ATTORNEYS, INCLUDING DISTRICT ATTORNEY KIM OGG.
AND, YOU KNOW, THEY ARE, THEY ARE JUST, AS WE ARE STRUGGLING TRYING TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN, THEY ARE STRUGGLING TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN.
SO THE INEXPERIENCE OF THE ADAS CREATES ISSUES FOR US, AND THE DEMAND OF THOSE SUBPOENAS AND THE DEMAND ON OUR PEOPLE TO HELP AN INEXPERIENCED A DA PREPARE FOR A TRIAL IS VASTLY MORE NOW THAN IT WAS BEFORE THE PANDEMIC.
UM, SO THIS IS A VERY REAL PRESSURE AND IT IS A VERY REAL PRESSURE THAT IS GONNA BE THERE FOR YEARS.
ANY WAY YOU LOOK AT THIS, THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM HERE IN HARRIS COUNTY IS GONNA STRUGGLE WITH THIS BACKLOG FOR YEARS.
UM, WE WILL EVENTUALLY GET THROUGH IT, BUT THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA END IN MONTHS.
OTHER OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2022.
IN SPITE OF ALL OF THIS, OUR BACKLOG IN TOTAL WENT DOWN BY 20%.
AND I HAVE TO STOP AND REMIND MYSELF, YOU KNOW, DAY TO DAY FIRES AND EVERYTHING THAT YOUR NOSE DOWN TRYING TO SURVIVE WHEN YOU STOP AND LOOK AT THE FACT THAT WE KNOCKED NEARLY 2000 REQUESTS OUT OF THE OVERALL BACKLOG IS REMARKABLE, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU THINK EVERYTHING ELSE THAT WE'VE HAD GOING ON THIS YEAR.
NOW, THE BULK OF THAT DECREASE CAME FROM LATENT PRINTS, WHICH YOU'LL RECALL.
WE DID A SIGNIFICANT LEAN SIX SIGMA RE-ENGINEERING OF THAT PROCESS.
AND THEY HAVE BEEN MAKING ASTONISHING PROGRESS ON THAT LEGACY BACKLOG THAT'S BEEN THERE FOR QUITE A FEW YEARS.
UM, LONG STORY ON THAT HAPPENED TO, HAPPY TO REFRESH MEMORIES ON THAT STORY IF ANYBODY WANTS.
UH, ANOTHER IS CSU AND WHAT THEY'VE CALLED THEIR OPERATION MACHETE, WHICH THEY HAVE MADE REMARKABLE PROGRESS ACROSS, UH, GETTING CARVED THROUGH STALE REPORTS, BACKLOG REPORTS THAT THEY'VE HAD.
AND THEN WE ARE NOW STARTING TO SEE REAL PROGRESS ON THE DRUG TOXICOLOGY BACKLOG, WHICH WE'VE TALKED ABOUT EXTENSIVELY.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'VE HAD, UH, SOME OF THE ARPA MONEY TO USE TO HELP IN THE OUTSOURCING AND ADDRESSING THAT BACKLOG.
ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? YES, MA'AM.
I JUST HAVE A QUICK QUESTION ON DOES THAT INCLUDE THE RAPE KIT BACKLOG? SO THAT OR NOT, OR I MEAN, YEAH, I'LL, I'LL, I'LL GET TO THAT IN A MINUTE.
UM, WE'VE, WE'VE HELD ABOUT EVEN ON SEXUAL ASSAULT KITS.
UH, AND YOU THINK, WELL, WHILE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IT, LET ME GO ON DOWN HERE.
SO, FORENSIC BIOLOGY IS CERTAINLY ONE OF THE CHALLENGING PLACES.
UM, YOU THINK 2022 STARTED OFF WITH ADAM VINCENT AND THE COLOGNE CASE, UH, WHICH IF YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS IN THE DETAILED DATA IN THE OPS REPORT RIGHT THERE IN MARCH, THERE IS A REAL INFLECTION POINT.
UM, WE WERE HEADED DOWN AND IN MARCH WE STARTED HEADING BACK UP BECAUSE WHEN THAT CAME DOWN, WE HAD TO TERMINATE ADAM.
HE WAS A VERY PRODUCTIVE ANALYST.
BUT THAT HAD HUGE IMPACTS ON OUR THROUGHPUT THERE.
AND THEN THE EXTENDING IMPACTS OF COLON AND THE POTENTIAL REWORK HAS BEEN DEVASTATING TO THE UNIT.
AND THEN WE HAD THE INDIVIDUALS THAT WE HAD TO TERMINATE BECAUSE OF THEIR CONFLICT OF INTEREST IN THE OUTSIDE COMPANY.
UM, SO THAT HAS CREATED SOME SERIOUS CAPACITY HOLES FOR US AS WELL AS REWORK AND IMPACTS.
SO YOU THINK ALL OF THAT, AND THE FACT THAT OUR TOTAL DNA BACKLOG HAS ONLY INCREASED BY 16% IS PRETTY REMARKABLE, RIGHT THERE.
YOU KNOW, ALL THE, ALL THE OTHER STUFF OTHER THAN SEXUAL ASSAULT KITS, SEXUAL ASSAULT KITS HAVE STAYED RIGHT ABOUT EVEN WE, WE HEADED INTO THE YEAR WITH ABOUT 300 THAT WERE OVER 30 DAYS.
AND RIGHT NOW WE'VE GOT ABOUT 300 THAT ARE OVER 30 DAYS.
BUT, SO WE'VE HELD ABOUT EVEN ON THAT.
I, I, BIOLOGY IS A WORRY, AMY AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THAT.
I MADE THAT ONE OF HER PRIMARY GOALS OVER THIS NEXT YEAR IS HOW DO WE WORK WITH BIOLOGY AND STRUCTURE BIOLOGY SO THAT IT IS A UNIT THAT IS SUSTAINABLY MANAGEABLE.
UM, IT IS VERY LARGE UNIT, IT'S 40 PLUS PEOPLE.
IT IS VERY HIGH IMPACT AND IT IS VERY
[00:30:01]
STRESSFUL ON TRYING TO MANAGE THAT UNIT.UM, WE'VE GOTTA DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO DISTRIBUTE THE LOAD FOR MANAGING THAT UNIT.
'CAUSE IT, IT EATS OUR MANAGERS ALIVE.
ALRIGHT, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THAT? THAT WAS A GOOD, VERY GOOD QUESTION.
UH, LATENT PRINT BACKLOG ACROSS THE YEAR WENT DOWN BY MORE THAN HALF.
I MEAN, YOU, YOU, YOU THINK ABOUT THIS FROM LIKE AN ENGINEERING OR, YOU KNOW, CORPORATE MANUFACTURING PRODUCTION STANDPOINT.
THOSE ARE JUST UNHEARD OF NUMBERS.
THAT IS A GIGANTIC DECREASE IN THAT.
UM, SO THEY'VE DONE A MARVELOUS JOB ON THAT.
I, I REALLY COMMEND WHAT LATENT PRINCE HAS DONE WITH THAT CSU BACKLOG IS EQUALLY, IF NOT MORE SO PRODUCTIVE, IMPRESSIVE THAT THEY HAVE ACROSS THE YEAR REDUCED THAT BY 92%.
AND THIS IS IN ADDITION TO, YES, THE, THE TOTAL HOMICIDE RATE FOR 20, UH, 22 WAS DOWN BY ABOUT 10% OVER 2021, WHICH IT'S AMAZING HOW 40 FEWER HOMICIDES HAS FELT LIKE SUCH A GIFT TO US.
UM, IT HAS BEEN A REAL RELIEF TO HAVE EVEN JUST A LITTLE RESPITE IN THE MARCH OF THAT DEMAND.
UM, AND THIS IS BASICALLY WHAT THEY WERE ABLE TO DO WITH IT.
DRUG TOXICOLOGY IS DOWN ALMOST 30% AND YOU, YOU CAN KINDA SEE THAT THAT IS REALLY, UM, IMPACTED BY THE OUTSOURCING WHEN THE MONEY BECAME AVAILABLE FOR OUTSOURCING.
AND I THINK I'VE, I'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE RIGHT NOW FOR TOXICOLOGY, IT IS NOT SO MUCH THE LABORATORY WORK THAT IS OUR CHALLENGE WITH IT.
ONCE WE GET DATA BACK FROM THE OUTSOURCE LABORATORY, REVIEWING THOSE DATA, GENERATING THE REPORT, GETTING THE REPORT OUT, THAT'S NOW REALLY MORE WHERE OUR CHALLENGE IS.
ANY QUESTIONS ON ANY OF THOSE? SO TRYING TO PICK THE HEAD UP AND LOOK DOWN THE FIELD.
JUST A LITTLE BIT OF STUFF I SEE COMING.
AND IT'S INTERESTING, WE GOT ASHLEY HERE.
SO ASHLEY LIVES AND BREATHES THIS.
UM, WE ARE GONNA BE LIVING WITH THE IMPACTS OF COLOGNE FOR FOREVERMORE.
I, I, TEXAS HAS FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGED IN HOW WE LOOK AT STUFF FROM COLOGNE.
AND HONESTLY, I GET QUESTIONS INTERNATIONALLY AND NATIONALLY ABOUT IMPACTS OF WHAT'S HAPPENED WITH COLON.
BECAUSE FUNDAMENTALLY, COLON IS REALLY ANOTHER DECISION AROUND BRADY AND DISCLOSURE OF RECORDS.
UM, AND SO IT HAS BROUGHT TO LIGHT SOME OF THE WEAKNESSES IN DEALING WITH DISCLOSURE OF RECORDS ACROSS THE SYSTEM, ACROSS LABORATORIES.
IT'S NOT STRICTLY SPEAKING OUR ISSUE.
UM, JUST LIKE IT WASN'T OUR CASE OR OUR WORK THAT BLEW ALL THIS UP, BUT YOU LOOK AT THAT ORANGE BAR.
SO THIS, WHAT I PULLED OUT HERE WAS JUST THE DISTRIBUTION OF REQUESTS FOR DOCUMENTS, STUFF THAT FLOWS THROUGH CLIENT SERVICES.
UM, AND YOU CAN SEE THE SCALE OF DOCUMENT REQUESTS, AND THIS ISN'T EVEN ALL THE DOCUMENT REQUESTS AGAINST THIS.
THESE ARE JUST THE TWO BIGGEST CHUNKS.
ARS ARE ADMINISTRATIVE, ADMINISTRATIVE LICENSE REVOCATIONS.
UM, AND UP TO 2019, THAT WAS THE CHUNK OF RECORD THAT WAS A BIG DEMAND AND WAS THE SINGLE MOST COMMON REQUEST THAT WE GOT IN 2019.
WE WORKED OUT WITH DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY THAT WE SEND THE ORIGINAL REPORT JUST AUTOMATICALLY TO THEM.
SO THAT DRAMATICALLY DECREASED THE, THE BASICALLY THE MANUAL PRODUCTION OF RECORDS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE LICENSE REVOCATIONS, UH, ON THE UNIT.
WE SOLVED THAT ONE JUST IN TIME TO NOW BE CONFRONTED WITH THE RISING ORANGE BAR.
THERE IS IN OUR RECORDS, IT'S KIND OF A CATCHALL OF DOCUMENT REQUESTS.
SO THESE ARE DOCUMENT REQUESTS THAT AREN'T A COURT ORDER OR THERE'S SOME OTHER CATEGORY THAT WE TRACK.
BUT I'M AFRAID WHAT WE ARE GOING TO SEE FROM HERE ON OUT IS THAT ORANGE BAR REALLY RISING BECAUSE NOW, AND WE'RE ALREADY SEEING THE MIXTURE OF WHAT'S IN THAT ORANGE BAR.
ASHLEY AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS A FAIR BIT IS LOTS OF REQUESTS, PARTICULARLY FROM PROSECUTION SAYING JUST GIMME EVERYTHING IN THE CASE RECORD BECAUSE THEY ARE CONCERNED TO TRY AND HEAD OFF THE NEXT COLOGNE THAT THEY'VE GOT ALL OF THE NOTES, ALL OF THE DOCUMENTS, ALL OF THE EVERYTHING TO ENSURE THAT THAT'S ALL BEEN DISCLOSED, WHICH MEANS THE COMPLEXITY OF WHAT'S IN THAT ORANGE BAR IS INCREASING EVEN FASTER THAN THE NUMBER OF REQUESTS ARE INCREASING IN IT.
THE AMOUNT OF DOCUMENTATION THAT'S GONNA HAVE TO BE PROVIDED IS GROWING RAPIDLY.
THIS IS GONNA BE A REAL CHALLENGE FOR US AT SOME POINT, I THINK IN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 MONTHS, WE ARE GONNA HAVE TO
[00:35:01]
FIGURE OUT THE EXERCISE OF HOW DO WE BASICALLY MOVE THE ENTIRE CASE RECORD INTO SOMETHING THAT IS MORE ACCESSIBLE ON EVERY REQUEST.UM, AND THERE'S SOME DISCUSSIONS WITH TEXAS FORENSIC SCIENCE COMMISSION AND THE STATE ABOUT HOW WE DO THIS STATEWIDE.
BUT EVEN IF THERE ARE SYSTEMS STATEWIDE TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS, THERE IS STILL GONNA BE A DEMAND ON HOW THE LABORATORY FEEDS THAT INFORMATION IN.
SO E EXPECT THE DOCUMENT FULFILLMENT IS GONNA BE A TOPIC OF DISCUSSION ACROSS THIS NEXT YEAR.
ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? SO I THINK THE LAST ONE I'VE GOT IN HERE, IS IT, OH NO, I'VE GOT SEIZE DRUGS AND THEN MULTIMEDIA.
SO SEIZE DRUGS, UH, BIG STAFF TURNOVER IN SEIZE DRUGS.
UM, SO RIGHT NOW WE STILL ONLY HAVE FOUR SEIZE DRUGS ANALYSTS THAT ARE SIGNED OFF AND, UH, AUTHORIZED TO BE ABLE TO SIGN OUT REPORTS.
WE'VE GOT A NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN TRAINING, WHICH IS MARVELOUS.
LIKE CHRIS SAID, WE, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO FILL BEHIND, BUT THERE'S A LONG TRAINING ARC WITH THEM.
UH, SO YEAH, THE BACKLOG AND SEIZE DRUGS WENT FROM 451 AT THE START OF THE YEAR TO 1300 BY THE END OF THE YEAR.
A LOT OF THAT IS MARIJUANA, WHICH IS STILL, UH, I DON'T HAVE A GOOD ANSWER FOR MARIJUANA.
UM, BUT, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS REALLY, I I I AM VERY OPTIMISTIC.
I, I THINK I PUT THIS IN ONE OF, AT LEAST ONE OF THE LAST WEEKLY, UH, UPDATES.
THIS INCREASING COLLABORATION WITH HPD, WITH THE DA'S OFFICE AND WITH THE JUDGES, I THINK IS REALLY PAYING OFF HERE.
WE JUST ROLLED OUT THIS LAST WEEK THAT WHEN WE ARE ACCEPTING A CASE IN, WE DO THE RESEARCH IN THE PUBLIC RECORDS, IF THAT, IF THE CHARGES HAVE BEEN DISMISSED, WE SEND A NICE LITTLE LETTER THAT SAYS, WE'VE CANCELED THAT REQUEST.
IF YOU REALLY NEED IT, COME BACK TO US AND REQUEST IT.
UM, I CAN'T QUITE SAY HOW BIG AN IMPACT THAT'S GONNA HAVE IN OUR BACKLOGS, BUT WE'VE HAD A COUPLE OF TEST CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE SPECIFIC TYPES OF REQUESTS LIKE MARIJUANA, IT'S BEEN 80% OF THE REQUESTS IN SOME TEST SETS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO CANCEL AND SEND BACK.
SO I THINK THIS MAY HAVE A REAL IMPACT ON THE BACKLOG.
IT IS WHAT WAS KEY TO CARVING AWAY THE BACKLOG.
HISTORICALLY, ABOUT 10, 15 YEARS AGO, THE BACKLOG AND SEIZE DRUGS WAS 45,000 CASES.
AND MUCH OF HOW THAT WAS WRESTLED TO THE GROUND WAS THIS COLLABORATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN THE VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS IN THE SYSTEM TO CARVE AWAY WASTED WORK THAT THE LAB WAS DOING, TESTING ON DISMISSED CHARGES, OR THEY WERE DOING WORK ON CASES THAT WERE NEVER GOING TO BE CHARGED.
THIS IS A MUCH SMALLER EFFORT, BUT IT'S VERY SIMILAR.
SO I I REALLY APPRECIATE THE TENACITY AND THE WILLINGNESS OF THE DA'S OFFICE AND HPD TO STAY IN THE, THE MESSY CONVERSATION TO GET TO SOME OF THESE CIRCUMSTANCES.
AND MULTI MULTIMEDIA, I DON'T KNOW, THIS ONE IS ALMOST AS MUCH OF A POINTING OUT A REALLY GOOD NEWS STORY AS IT IS.
UM, THE CHALLENGE, AGAIN, MULTIMEDIA, BIG TURNOVER.
WE LOST HALF THE STAFF IN MULTI IN MULTIMEDIA AT ABOUT THE START OF THE YEAR.
UM, OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR, THEY HAVE MANAGED TO REPLACE THOSE FOLKS, START TO GET THEM TRAINED AND SIGNED OFF IN VARIOUS COMPONENTS AND HAVE ACTUALLY STARTED TO MAKE, UH, IMPROVEMENTS IN THEIR BACKLOG.
SO ACROSS THE YEAR, THEY, THEY BASICALLY BUILT UP A BACKLOG AND HAVE STARTED TO CARVE AWAY THE BACKLOG.
THEY'VE ACTUALLY REDUCED THAT BACKLOG BY ABOUT 40% NOW.
UM, SO I, I THINK REALLY REMARKABLE WHAT THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO IN, UM, THE SPACE OF ONE YEAR WITH THAT KIND OF LOSS OF STAFF.
AND AS, AS CHRIS MENTIONED, THIS WAS THE SPOT, UM, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RECLASSIFIED ALMOST ALL OF THEIR DIGITAL MULTIMEDIA ANALYSTS AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL AS GS FIFTEENS, WHICH IS A SUBSTANTIAL SALARY.
NOT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN EVEN HAVE A PRAYER OR GETTING CLOSE TO, BUT WE DID MAKE SOME MARKET ADJUSTMENTS IN THERE, UM, AND IT SEEMS TO BE PAYING OFF FOR US.
SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE BIG HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2022.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS I CAN ANSWER FOR ANYBODY? NO, I THINK THE WORK ON THE BACKLOGS HAS BEEN TREMENDOUS AND, UH, CONSIDERING 2022 AND THE CHALLENGES WE'VE HAD,
SO CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE IN THOSE SECTIONS.
AND YEAH, TA TALK, TALKING WITH COURTNEY WHO MANAGES BIOLOGY.
IT WAS ROUGH ENOUGH THAT SHE SAID, PLEASE GIVE ME 2020
[00:40:01]
AGAIN.UM, HEMP IS STILL JUST A HORRIBLE TANGLE.
UM, IT IS, THERE, THERE IS NO GOOD SOLUTION YET.
AND I, I'M AFRAID IN THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION, IT MAY GET WORSE.
IT IS WORSE IN THE MARKET BECAUSE OF THE COMPLEXITIES AND THE PREVALENCE OF DELTA EIGHT TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL AND THE GRAY INDETERMINATE OF IS IT LEGAL OR IS IT NOT? AND ACTUALLY IN TEXAS IT IS, IN, IT IS INTERNALLY INCONSISTENT IN THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE TEXAS CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE ACT AND YOU LOOK AT THE HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE, WHICH ARE THE TWO COMPONENTS THAT GOVERN THE LEGALITY OF MARIJUANA, YOU COULD BASICALLY READ IT AND SEE DELTA EIGHT AS LEGAL UNDER ONE PART AND ILLEGAL UNDER THE OTHER, OTHER PART.
SO IT STILL IS A CIRCUMSTANCE OF, I FIND IT VERY DIFFICULT TO JUSTIFY, UM, THE SUBSTANTIAL INVESTMENTS THAT WE WOULD NEED TO MAKE TO TEST MARIJUANA AT THE SCALE THAT WE WOULD NEED TO, WHEN I'M NOT SURE I KNOW WHAT I'M ANSWERING AND WHATEVER WE ARE ANSWERING THE LEGIS, THE LEDGE MAY CHANGE IT.
SO YEAH, IT'S, IT IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE A BACKLOG PROBLEM.
I ALSO HAVE REAL DIFFICULTY UNDERSTANDING, YOU KNOW, THESE, THERE, THERE ARE VERY REAL OFFENSES, THERE ARE VERY REAL THINGS THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT AND PROSECUTION NEED TO ADDRESS WITH IT.
BUT WHEN WE'VE GOT MOUNTAINS OF PILLS THAT ARE VERY CLEARLY KILLING PEOPLE, AGAIN, IT'S DIFFICULT TO JUSTIFY SPENDING MONEY ON MARIJUANA WHEN I NEED TO SPEND MONEY ON HOW DO WE DO PILLS BETTER.
PETER, YOU MAY HAVE, UM, YOU MIGHT BE A, OKAY, UH, PETER, YOU MIGHT BE ADDRESSING THIS IN, IN A LITTLE BIT, BUT AS LONG AS YOU'RE BRINGING UP UP THE LEGISLATURE, WHAT, WHAT ARE THE MAIN TOPICS THAT THIS LEGISLATURE WILL BE ADDRESSING THIS SESSION AS IT IMPACTS UPON, UM, OUR OPERATION? GOOD QUESTION.
UH, SO, UM, WHAT I'VE GOT THAT I'M TRACKING SO FAR, I'VE GOT ABOUT 60 BILLS THAT I'M TRACKING RIGHT NOW.
OUT OF THOSE THAT I'M TRACKING, PROBABLY THE BIG ITEMS ARE, UM, A CARVE OUT FOR FENTANYL TEST STRIPS, UH, RIGHT NOW FENTANYL TEST STRIP, BASICALLY TESTING DEVICES THAT COULD BE USED BY AN INDIVIDUAL TO SEE IS THE, DOES THE PILL THAT THEY'RE GONNA, THEY'RE GONNA STICK IN THEIR MOUTH, HAVE FENTANYL IN IT OR NOT? THOSE KINDS OF THINGS ARE, UM, PARAPHERNALIA UNDER TEXAS LAW AND, UH, A CLASS B MISDEMEANOR.
SO THERE ARE, UH, I THINK ABOUT 10 BILLS THAT I'VE SEEN THAT ARE LOOKING TO MAKE A CARVE OUT FOR THAT.
AND I KNOW GOVERNOR ABBOTT HAS ACTUALLY MADE SOME COMMENTS ABOUT BEING SUPPORTIVE OF THAT.
SO I THINK THAT MAY ACTUALLY BE ONE THAT HAPPENS THIS SESSION, WHICH WOULD BE GOOD.
I MEAN, I, I KNOW THE TERM HARM REDUCTION IS, IS DIVISIVE, BUT WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
I MEAN, WE'RE KILLING PEOPLE LEFT, RIGHT, AND CENTER WITH THIS STUFF.
I'M, I'M NOT, I'M NOT SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW WHAT ALL THE ANSWERS ARE, BUT SOME ABILITY FOR PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S IN THAT THING THEY'RE ABOUT TO SHOVE IN THEIR MOUTH IS PROBABLY A GOOD IDEA.
UM, I HAVE SEEN A NUMBER OF BILLS AROUND HEMP.
UH, HONESTLY, I HAVEN'T SPENT ENOUGH TIME WITH THE BILLS AND I HAVEN'T, THE, THE SESSION JUST STARTED THE 10TH.
I NEED TO START PROBABLY HEADING OUT TO AUSTIN AND TALKING WITH SOME OF THE STAFFERS ABOUT WHAT THEY THINK THEY'RE TRYING TO DO.
I'M NOT SURE ON SOME OF THESE BILLS IF THEY'RE GONNA HELP OR HINDER YET.
UM, THEY SEEM TO BE TRYING TO REVISE SOME OF THE THINGS AROUND, LIKE I SAY DELTA EIGHT, DELTA NINE, BUT I'M NOT QUITE SURE YET.
BUT I THINK HEMP IS GONNA BE AN ISSUE IN THERE.
I MENTIONED ABOUT THIS RECORD MANAGEMENT AT THE STATE LEVEL.
SO THAT HAS STARTED AT TFSC, UM, IN RESPONSE TO COLOGNE, YOU, THE, THE, THE CONCEPT IS LABORATORIES OFTEN HAVE RECORDS THAT LURK IN, IN LABS, THAT THE LABS HAVE NO EARTHLY WAY OF KNOWING THAT RECORD MAY ULTIMATELY BE GRADABLE MAY
[00:45:01]
ULTIMATELY BE MATERIAL TO THE CASE.SO NONE OF US HAVE THE CAPACITY TO PRODUCE THE FULL DOCUMENTATION, ALL OF THE CASE RECORD ON EVERY REQUEST, KNOWING THAT A VERY SMALL FRACTION OF OUR REQUESTS ARE ACTUALLY GONNA GO TO TRIAL.
SO IT'S A LOT OF POTENTIALLY WASTED WORK FOR US TO PRODUCE ALL OF THE DOCUMENTS WHEN THERE MAY NOT EVEN BE DEFENSE COUNSEL ASSIGNED.
UM, SO THE IDEA IS AT THE STATE LEVEL, CREATING A REPOSITORY OF LABORATORY RECORDS THAT'S MANAGED BY THE STATE, FUNDED BY THE STATE, THAT LABORATORIES CAN HAVE AUTOMATED SYSTEMS THAT MOVE THESE RECORDS THERE.
AND THEN REALLY IT SHIFTS THE RESPONSIBILITY TO LEGAL COUNSEL TO ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE REVIEWED THOSE RECORDS.
UM, YEAH, THAT'S A BIG PROJECT, BUT THERE IS MONEY IN DPSS LAR TO START THIS, UH, SENATOR.
HE IS LOOKING TO CARRY SOME LEGISLATION AROUND THAT AND WORKING WITH TFSC AND I'VE ALREADY HAD A FEW CONVERSATIONS WITH STAFFERS THERE ABOUT THAT.
UM, THAT COULD DEFINITELY HAVE SOME IMPACTS ON THE LAB.
UM, FROM THE NATURE OF QUESTIONS THAT I WAS GETTING AT THE TESTIMONY TO SENATOR WHITTIER'S COMMITTEE, UM, BOTH SENATOR WHITMEYER AND UM, SENATOR HUFFMAN WERE ASKING A LOT OF QUESTIONS AROUND TRAINING AND THE PIPELINE OF PERSONNEL.
AND THAT THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS.
SO, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M PRESIDENT OF TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF CRIME CRIME LAB DIRECTORS, THE SEEMINGLY PERENNIAL AND PERMANENT 'CAUSE I THINK I'VE BEEN THE PRESIDENT NOW FOR ABOUT SIX YEARS.
UM, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE, WE'RE WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DON'T LOBBY, WE EDUCATE, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE TRYING TO EDUCATE ON IS IT WOULD BE MARVELOUS IF THERE WERE SAY A SYSTEM OF FELLOWSHIPS FOR NEW EMPLOYEES THAT BASICALLY THERE'S A WAY I COULD PAY FOR THE SALARY OF THAT NEW PERSON FOR THE FIRST COUPLE OF YEARS THAT WE'RE TRAINING THEM.
IF THERE WERE A WAY TO DEFRAY THAT COST, THAT WOULD BE HUGE.
AND YOU THINK IF THERE WERE SAY MAYBE 200 OF THOSE POSITIONS AVAILABLE STATEWIDE, ANNUALLY, THAT WOULD BE HUGE BENEFIT TO LABORATORIES.
THERE'S ABOUT 1500 PEOPLE THAT WORK IN TEXAS LABORATORIES.
YOU FIGURE, YOU KNOW, WE GOT A 10, 12% TURNOVER RATE TALKING WITH SOME OF THE OTHER LABORATORIES.
THEY'VE HAD UPWARDS OF 30% TURNOVERS IN SOME OF THEIR UNITS.
UM, YOU KNOW, BEING ABLE TO EFFECTIVELY DEFRAY THE TRAINING COSTS OF NEW PEOPLE, ABOUT 10% OF THE WORKERS IN FORENSIC LABORATORIES, AND THAT WOULD BE HUGE AND REALLY NOT THAT EXPENSIVE FOR THE STATE.
UM, THOSE ARE A FEW THINGS THAT I KNOW OF RIGHT NOW.
YOU NEVER QUITE KNOW WHAT'S GONNA TAKE ROOT AND TAKE OFF AND WHERE WE'RE GONNA BE.
UM, BUT THAT'S WHAT I'M, I'M WATCHING SO FAR.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THAT'S WHAT I GOT.
AGENDA ITEM NUMBER NINE IS TO CONSIDER THE APPROVAL OF AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT FOR FLEET SERVICES BETWEEN THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND THE CORPORATION RELATING TO THE UPKEEP, MAINTENANCE, REPAIR, AND SERVICE OF HFSC VEHICLES AND POSSIBLE RELATED ACTION.
UM, AT THIS TIME, DR. STOUT, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU THE FLOOR BACK AGAIN TO TALK ABOUT THIS PROPOSED AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY FOR FLEET SERVICES.
THIS IS PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD.
UM, YOU WILL MAYBE RECALL, ACTUALLY, UH, SOME OF YOU PROBABLY RECALL ON THIS ONE WHEN HFSE WAS FORMED, UH, THE VEHICLES THAT WERE MOSTLY CS VEHICLES WERE ACTUALLY PART OF THE HPD FLEET.
WELL, WE HAVE COMPLETELY REPLACED THAT FLEET.
ALL OF THOSE VEHICLES HAVE GONE BACK BACK TO HPD AND WE'VE GOT, EH, DAVID, YOU'LL HAVE TO REMIND ME, I THINK WE'VE GOT ABOUT 25 VEHICLES IN OUR FLEET, UM, DEALING WITH THE ONGOING JUST COST OF FLEET MAINTENANCE, UM, AND HOW WE DO THAT.
WE HAVE BEEN USING CITY FLEET SERVICES AND THIS IS JUST THE AGREEMENT THAT BASICALLY FORMALIZES HOW THAT WORKS.
UH, SO THIS WOULD MAINTAIN THE, AND, AND SET ALL OF SQUARE US UP WITH CITY FLEET SERVICES.
SO WHEN WE ADD VEHICLES, WE GET SHOP NUMBERS FOR 'EM.
IT'S REFLECTED IN ALL THEIR SYSTEMS. JUST LETS OUR PEOPLE GO USE FUEL DEPOTS FOR THE CITY, UM, YOU KNOW, MAINTENANCE OF THE VEHICLES.
IT ALSO GIVES US SOME ACCESS TO THEIR, UM, I FORGET WHAT THEY CALL IT, BUT BASICALLY IT'S THEIR, THEIR AVAILABLE FLEET OF VEHICLES.
UM, THAT THERE'S AN APP FORM AND THINGS LIKE THAT THAT WE, WE COULD CONCEIVABLY USE THAT.
SO IT'S, IT'S REALLY PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD OF JUST SQUARING THAT UP.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FOR DR. STOUT?
[00:50:03]
OKAY.HEARING NONE, WE WILL NOW HAVE A VOICE VOTE TO APPROVE THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT FOR FLEET SERVICES BETWEEN THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND THE CORPORATION AND AUTHORIZE DR. STOUT TO EXECUTE THE AGREEMENT UPON CITY COUNCIL'S APPROVAL.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? SO MOVED.
DIRECTOR HILDER, DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND.
MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY, DR. STOUT.
SO THAT WILL THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT, NOW THAT WE'VE, UH, APPROVED THAT THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT WILL GO TO CITY COUNCIL YES.
FOR THEIR SIDE OF THE APPROVAL.
IT WILL GO OVER THERE AND THEN ONCE THAT'S DONE, THEN YOU CAN SIGN OFF.
OKAY, NOW WE'RE MOVE TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 10.
THIS IS TO CONSIDER THE APPROVAL OF A CONTRACT FOR DNA OUTSOURCING SERVICES BETWEEN THE CORPORATION AND SIGNATURE SCIENCE TO BE FUNDED BY THE FY 2022 BUREAU OF JUSTICE ASSISTANCE, B-G-A-B-J-A, THEIR DNA CAPACITY ENHANCEMENT AND BACKLOG REDUCTION FEDERAL GRANT WITH A TOTAL BUDGET NOT TO EXCEED $1,108,934.
UH, DR. STOUT, WILL YOU ALSO PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF THE CONTRACT? YEP.
AGAIN, UH, PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD ONE HERE.
WE HAVE USED SIGNATURE SCIENCE, UM, WHICH IS A TEXAS BASED LAB HERE.
UH, WE DID A COMPETITIVE SOLICITATION, UH, IN ACCORDANCE WITH FEDERAL RULES 'CAUSE THIS IS ALL FEDERAL FUNDING SELECTED SIGNATURE SCIENCE, UM, VERY SIMILAR CONTRACT TO WHAT WE'VE DONE BEFORE.
THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IN IT 'CAUSE ALL ALL THE TERMS ARE WHAT WE'VE USED FOR YEARS.
THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IN THIS ONE IS WE WROTE THIS CONTRACT TO ALLOW US TO SEND OTHER THAN SEXUAL ASSAULTS.
SO WE, WE, WE CAN SEND SEXUAL ASSAULT KITS, BUT GIVEN WHERE WE'RE AT IN THE WORLD OF FORENSIC BIOLOGY, THE ABILITY TO SEND EVIDENCE OTHER THAN SEXUAL ASSAULT KITS WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL.
AND JUST FOR A LITTLE BIT OF PERSPECTIVE ON THAT AND BACKGROUND, SEXUAL ASSAULT KITS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE EASIEST TO CONTRACT OUT BECAUSE THEY ARE CONTAINED, THEY'RE, THEY'RE EASY TO SHIP.
I MEAN, IT JUST MECHANICALLY THEY'RE EASY TO SHIP, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE IN A BOX, THEY'RE ALL SEALED UP.
IT'S EASY TO BASICALLY JUST PUT THAT IN THE MAIL AND SEND IT.
UM, THEY'RE PRETTY STANDARDIZED, WHICH MAKES IT MUCH EASIER FOR THESE COMMERCIAL LABORATORIES.
AND OVER THE YEARS, THE FEW COMMERCIAL LABORATORIES THAT ARE OUT THERE, BASICALLY THEY HAVE SURVIVED AND THEY'VE GOT A BUSINESS BECAUSE THEY HAVE TARGETED EXACTLY THIS FEDERALLY FUNDED UNDER THE CAPACITY ENHANCEMENT, BACKLOG REDUCTION, FEDERAL MONEY FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT KITS.
SO THEY'VE STANDARDIZED THEIR PROCESSES AND THEIR HANDLING TO OPTIMIZE FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT KITS.
IT'S BEEN THE EASIEST THING TO SEND OUT.
UM, BUT IT CERTAINLY WILL HELP US TO BE ABLE TO SEND EVIDENCE.
OTHER THAN THAT WE WILL, YOU KNOW, WORK THROUGH SENDING STUFF THAT IS AS EFFECTIVE AS WE CAN AND WHERE WE NEED TO.
UM, BUT THAT'S HOW THIS CONTRACT'S WRITTEN.
HEY, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FOR DR. STOUT? OKAY.
SINCE THERE ARE NO ADDITIONAL ANY QUESTIONS, WE WILL NOW HAVE A VOICE VOTE TO APPROVE THE CONTRACT FOR DNA OUTSOURCING, UH, SERVICES BETWEEN THE CORPORATION AND SIGNATURE SCIENCE TO BE FUNDED BY THE FY 2022 B-J-A-D-N-A CAPACITY ENHANCEMENT AND BACKLOG REDUCTION FEDERAL GRANT WITH THAT TOTAL BUDGET NOT TO EXCEED THE $1,108,934.
AND AGAIN, AUTHORIZED DR. STOUT TO EXECUTE THIS CONTRACT ON THE CORPORATION'S BEHALF.
UH, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? OKAY, DIRECTOR COHEN MADE THE MOTION.
SECOND, UH, DIRECTOR GOODWIN SECONDED.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION OR QUESTIONS? A ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE.
ANYONE OPPOSED POST? ALRIGHT, GREAT.
ST WE'LL GET THAT ONE UNDERWAY.
THAT $34, THAT'S THE IMPORTANT PART.
ALRIGHT, NOW WE'LL MOVE TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 11, WHICH IS OUR QUARTERLY TREASURER TREASURER'S REPORT FROM MR. DAVID LEACH, TREASURER AND CFO REGARDING COMPANY FINANCIALS AND OTHER FISCAL UPDATES.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE, UH, SINCE I'VE BEEN UP BEFORE YOU AND WITH THE BUDGET SEASON UPON US, WHICH SEEMS LIKE IT'S ALWAYS UPON US, UH, I WANTED TO USE THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO KIND OF GIVE YOU A REFRESHER OF WHERE WE ARE AND THEN GIVE YOU AN UPDATE.
SO IN THE BUDGET PROCESS, I WILL PROVIDE YOU A POWERPOINT WITH A VOICEOVER WHERE I WALK YOU THROUGH IN DETAIL WHAT WILL BE PRESENTED AT THE BOARD MEETING.
IT JUST SAVES A LOT OF TIME, ESPECIALLY
[00:55:01]
IF THERE'S SOMETHING IN THERE THAT YOU DON'T LIKE OR YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION ON IT.SO AFTER I SEND THAT TO YOU, IF YOU COULD TAKE THE TIME TO LISTEN TO IT AND REVIEW IT, AND THEN SEND BACK TO ME ANYTHING THAT YOU HAVE, UH, QUESTIONS ON OR WANT MORE INFORMATION ON.
OR IF YOU THINK THESE ARE SPECIFIC, YOU KNOW, MAYBE HOT TOPICS THAT WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO ADDRESS THAT WOULD ALLOW ME TO FACILITATE A BETTER USE OF YOUR TIME WHEN WE ACTUALLY GO THROUGH THE BUDGET.
SO THAT WILL BE COMING, UH, FOR TODAY.
JUST A, A LITTLE BIT OF A BACKGROUND, A REMINDER, REALLY NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED IN THE WAY WE SPEND MONEY.
THE PERCENTAGES HAVE CHANGED A LITTLE BIT, BUT 70% OF OUR EXPENSES ARE PEOPLE COST, RIGHT? SO THAT, THAT'S BEEN, THAT'S WHAT IT'S BEEN ALL ALONG AND WE'VE STABILIZED.
AND THEN YOU'VE GOT ABOUT A 24% ARE FOR SERVICES AND THEN A LITTLE BIT FOR SUPPLIES.
THE ONLY NUMBER THAT REALLY CHANGES YEAR OVER YEAR MIGHT BE CAPITAL SPENDING.
AND IT JUST DEPENDS ON HOW THE BUDGET WORKS.
AND IF WE'RE GONNA GET SOME MONEY TO BE ABLE TO, UH, REALLY WE DON'T PURCHASE MACHINES ANYMORE BECAUSE THEY'RE SO EXPENSIVE, WE LEASE THEM.
SO THAT, THAT'S REALLY THE ONLY NUMBER IN THAT PIE CHART THAT MIGHT MOVE A LITTLE BIT.
AND USUALLY IT WILL SQUEEZE SUPPLIES AND SERVICES, UH, FROM A PERCENT STANDPOINT.
WHAT I DID WANNA SHOW YOU IS A LITTLE BIT OF A CHANGE.
LOOK AT IT A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY.
IN EACH OF THE AREAS, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THINGS ARE PRETTY CONSISTENT, EXCEPT FOR TWO YEARS AGO THERE WAS A $3 MILLION INCREASE IN REVENUE, AND I'LL GO OVER WHAT THAT WAS.
BUT THE NUMBERS ARE PRETTY MUCH THE SAME.
NOTHING CHANGES IF REVENUE DOESN'T CHANGE, RIGHT? YOU'VE GOT, YOU'VE GOTTA LOCK IN ON YOUR EXPENSES.
AND WITH MOST OF OUR COSTS BEING PEOPLE COST, UH, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT AS REVENUE CHANGES, UH, CO UH, TOTAL EMPLOYEE COST, WE'LL CHANGE ALSO.
YOU'LL ALSO NOTICE THAT THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF A CHANGE IN CAPITAL.
LAST TIME WE RECEIVED REVENUE INCREASE, WE'RE ABLE TO LEASE MORE OF, UH, MACHINES FOR, UH, UH, DR.
LEE'S GROUP IN TOXICOLOGY, THE TRIPLE QUADS, WHICH ARE EXPENSIVE AND THEY'RE ON LEASES AND THINGS SUCH AS THAT.
AND TO PURCHASE VEHICLES FOR THE INCREASED HEAD COUNT IN CSU.
THESE, THIS, THIS CHART IS DESIGNED TO SHOW YOU THAT CHANGE.
THERE WAS A $3 MILLION INCREASE, UH, IN 21 HALF OF THAT WAS A BUDGETARY INCREASE.
IT'S, IT'S MAINTAINABLE, UH, IT KEEPS GOING.
THE OTHER OF THAT WAS BACK TO CARES.
WE DID NOT RECEIVE THAT AGAIN THE FOLLOWING YEAR, BUT WE DID RECEIVE A SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET INCREASE THAT, UH, COUNTERACTED THAT.
SO IT'S KIND OF MOVED US TO THE $30 MILLION RANGE IN TOTAL FOR OUR BUDGET.
UH, THIS YEAR, UH, WE DO HAVE APPROVAL FOR $3 MILLION AND I'LL SHOW YOU THAT IN, UM, ARPA FUNDS, WHICH WE'RE SPENDING AGAINST.
SO THAT'S NEW TO THE BUDGET THIS YEAR.
AND AGAIN, THAT WILL EITHER ALL BE SPENT IN FISCAL YEAR 23 OR A LITTLE BIT OF THAT MAY LEAK OVER INTO FISCAL YEAR 24.
IT JUST DEPENDS RIGHT NOW, UH, THIS SHOWS YOU A CHART BY OUR, UH, OUR LAB UNITS ON WHERE THE MONEY GOES.
UH, HALF OF OUR MONEY GOES TO F BIO AND CSU.
AND AS YOU WOULD EXPECT WITH MOST OF OUR COST BEING PEOPLE COST, THOSE ARE OUR LARGEST STAFFED AREAS.
AND THEN THE OTHER AREAS FALL IN BEHIND THAT.
SO I, I JUST WANTED TO KIND, IT IS BEEN A WHILE.
I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF BRING YOU UP TO SPEED AND THAT REALLY, UH, SELFISHLY SPEAKING, THAT'S ALSO TO KIND OF HELP, YOU KNOW, GREASE THE SKIDS A LITTLE BIT FOR THE BUDGET THAT'S COMING.
SO BEFORE I GET INTO THE SPECIFICS OF WHERE WE ARE THIS YEAR, WE'RE HALFWAY THROUGH THE YEAR.
ANY QUESTIONS JUST KIND OF ABOUT THE GENERAL STATE OF FINANCIAL AFFAIRS? OKAY.
I KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE.
IT'S KIND OF MORE OF THE SAME, WHICH FROM A FINANCIAL STANDPOINT MAKES IT EASY WHEN THERE AREN'T A WHOLE LOT OF NEW THINGS.
THE NEXT CHARTS ARE WHAT HISTORICALLY I HAVE PRESENTED TO YOU, JUST TO SHOW YOU THE WAY TO LOOK AT THAT.
THE COLUMNS ON THE LEFT ARE YEAR TO DATE, SO THAT'S HALF OF THE YEAR.
IT'S ACTUAL, WELL, NOT ACTUAL SPENDING.
DECEMBER IS AN ESTIMATE 'CAUSE WE HAVEN'T CLOSED THE BOOKS FOR DECEMBER, BUT IT'S ACTUAL SPENDING FOR THE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR.
IF YOU JUST TAKE THE TOTAL BUDGET THAT YOU GUYS HAVE APPROVED, TAKE SIX MONTHS OF IT, THAT'S HOW MUCH THERE IS.
AND THEN THERE'S A COMPARISON TO THE PRIOR YEAR, HALF OF THE PRIOR YEAR.
AND THEN THERE'S JUST VARIANCES NOTED AND IT'S ALL PRETTY CONSISTENT, ESPECIALLY WITH, UM, PAYROLL.
BUT YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN WE'RE
[01:00:01]
EXPERIENCING A 10 TO A 12% DROP, WE DON'T MAKE THOSE SALARIES.SO IT'S NOT GOOD FROM A BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE NOT TO HAVE PEOPLE.
UM, BUT FROM A FINANCIAL STANDPOINT IT GIVES US A LITTLE BIT OF A CUSHION.
'CAUSE YOU DON'T PAY THE SALARIES, BUT YOU HAVE THE BUDGET FOR IT.
UH, SO YOU SEE THE NEXT SEVERAL SLIDES ARE JUST THE DETAILS.
ALL THE ACCOUNTS THAT ARE ON OUR INCOME STATEMENT WHERE, UH, IF YOU WANNA LOOK AT THE DETAIL OF THE SPENDING, YOU CAN SEE IT LINE BY LINE, BUT JUST, UH, TO SAVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF TIME IF YOU WANT.
THERE AREN'T ANY SURPRISES IN THERE.
IF THERE WAS ANYTHING IN THERE THAT WAS UNUSUAL, PLUS OR MINUS, I'D BRING IT TO YOUR ATTENTION AND WE'D SPEND TIME ON IT, ON WHY IT WAS DIFFERENT.
THINGS ARE GOING AS EXPECTED FINANCIALLY, WHICH IS GOOD.
DOWN AT THE BOTTOM ARE THE GRANTS.
THE FIRST ONE YOU SEE THERE IS THE ONE, UH, THAT WAS APPROVED.
AND SO WE HAVE ABOUT 3.8 MILLION IN ACTIVE GRANTS THAT WE ARE SPENDING AGAINST.
AND THOSE ARE THE LAST TWO PAGES.
ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME ON DETAILS, OR YOU CAN CALL ME OR EMAIL ME LATER IF THERE'S SOMETHING IN THERE THAT YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC QUESTION ON.
BUT AT THIS POINT, ANYTHING THAT I CAN TRY TO HELP WITH.
NOW WE WILL PROCEED TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 12, WHICH IS OUR REPORT FROM MS. ERICA ZEEK, OUR QUALITY DIRECTOR, INCLUDING AN OVERVIEW OF THE BLIND QUALITY CONTROL PROGRAM, UH, TEXAS FORENSIC SCIENCE SUBMISSION DISCLOSURES, SURVEY RESPONSES, AND SOME TESTIMONY METRICS.
HOW ARE YOU? UM, THE FIRST THING I WANNA DO IS JUST THANK THE BOARD.
UM, FOR THE TIME THAT I HAVE SPENT HERE, I HAVE ALWAYS FOUND THE BOARD MEETINGS TO BE SUCH AN, AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY TO GET TO INTERACT AND GET FEEDBACK ON NOT ONLY MY PERFORMANCE, BUT ALSO JUST THE WORK THAT MY TEAM IS DOING.
AND THE BOARD HAS ALWAYS BEEN EXTREMELY SUPPORTIVE AND ENCOURAGING, AND I'VE ALWAYS BEEN IN A POSITION WHERE I COULD SHARE THAT FEEDBACK WITH MY TEAM, AND THEY'VE ALWAYS FOUND IT ALSO VERY SUPPORTIVE AND REWARDING.
AND I KNOW THAT I AM LEAVING AND THAT IS MAKES ME VERY SAD IN A LOT OF WAYS.
THERE'S A LOT ABOUT HFSC THAT I'M, I'M REALLY GONNA MISS, BUT I AM LEAVING YOU IN THE EXCELLENT AND COMPETENT HANDS OF JACKIE.
UM, I WOULDN'T BE LEAVING UNLESS I DIDN'T FEEL ABSOLUTELY CONFIDENT THAT SHE'S GOING TO BE ABLE TO STEP INTO MY ROLE AND IT WILL BE A, A SEAMLESS TRANSITION OR AS CLOSE TO SEAMLESS AS POSSIBLE.
AND QUITE FRANKLY, I THINK THAT THIS IS AN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A FRESH PAIR OF EYES COME IN AND TAKE A LOOK AND MAYBE EVEN SHAKE A LITTLE BIT OF THINGS UP EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.
UM, SO I, I APPRECIATE, UM, JACKIE HAS RISEN TO THE CHALLENGE.
SHE DOESN'T HAVE A, A WHOLE LOT OF TIME IN ORDER FOR ME TO TRY AND PROVIDE HER ALL THE INFORMATION I NEED TO, IN ORDER FOR ME TO LEAVE AND FEEL LIKE I HAVE HER IN A POSITION WHERE HFSC WILL BE WELL POSITIONED FOR SUCCESS.
BUT SHE HAS STEPPED UP TO THE CHALLENGE AND I'M EXTREMELY CONFIDENT THAT BY THE TIME I LEAVE, SHE'LL BE ABLE TO TAKE OVER THE REALM, TAKE OVER THE BRAINS, AND THAT EVERYTHING IS GOING TO TRANSITION VERY SMOOTHLY.
AND OF COURSE, I'M STILL GOING TO BE IN THE STATE, SO IF ANYBODY NEEDS ME FOR ANYTHING, I'M ONLY A PHONE CALL AWAY.
I KNOW WHERE YOU'RE AT
SO THANK YOU JACKIE, FOR BEING ABLE TO DO THAT FOR AND THE TEAM.
HOW LONG? UH, I'VE BEEN THE QUALITY DIRECTOR FOR ABOUT THREE AND A HALF YEARS, AND I'VE BEEN AT HFSC IN TOTAL FOR FIVE.
THE FIRST I WANTED TO GO OVER AS OUR USUAL ARE BLIND QUALITY CONTROL METRICS.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THE QUALITY DIVISION MET ALL OF OUR SUBMISSION GOALS FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER, AND THEN OF COURSE, AGAIN FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER.
AND THEN I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT ONE CHALLENGE OR OPPORTUNITY, IF YOU WILL, THAT THE QUALITY DIVISION IS EMBARKING ON, AND IT HAS TO DO WITH OUR LATENT PRINT SECTION.
SO I KNOW THAT DR. STOUT JUST PRESENTED ABOUT LATENT PRINT BACKLOGS BACKLOGS IN GENERALS, BUT SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE LATENT PRINT BACKLOG.
AND THAT'S ACTUALLY GONNA BE A REOCCURRING THEME IN MY PRESENTATION TODAY.
YOU'LL SEE IT ON A COUPLE OF SLIDES, BUT THE FIRST ONE IS HOW IT AFFECTS OUR BLIND QUALITY CONTROL PROGRAM.
SO THE LATENT PRINT SECTION UNDERWENT A PROCESS IMPROVEMENT PROJECT THAT MADE SOME SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE WAY THEY HANDLE CASE WORK, NOT THE ACTUAL NUTS AND BOLTS OF THE ANALYTICAL PROCESS, BUT MORE OF THEIR WORKFLOW PROCESS.
AND THIS HAPPENED, UM, ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, I THINK MAYBE IF MY MEMORY IS SERVES CORRECTLY.
AND THEY HAVE SEEN SOME TREMENDOUS EFFICIENCY GAINS SINCE THEN.
[01:05:01]
TIMES HAVE IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY, AND AS DR. STOUT SHARED, THEIR BACKLOG IS BEING DECREASED RAPIDLY.SO THAT IMPROVEMENT PROJECT HAS BEEN A PHENOMENAL, UM, IMP IMPROVEMENT, NOT TO USE THE SAME WORD, BUT HAS BEEN VERY POSITIVE FOR THE SECTION AS IT DIRECTLY AFFECTS CASEWORK.
BUT THAT IMPROVEMENT PROJECT ESSENTIALLY RENDERED THE WAY IN WHICH WE SUBMITTED BLIND QUALITY CONTROLS AS NO LONGER EFFECTIVE.
AND SO WHILE THERE ARE STILL SOME BLIND QUALITY CONTROLS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED, AND THEY'LL STILL BE WORKED BY THE SECTION SECTION MANAGEMENT AND THE QUALITY DIVISION ALONG WITH THE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND DR.
SAT HIMSELF DISCUSSED WANTING TO SEE IF THERE WASN'T ANOTHER WAY IN WHICH WE COULD BASICALLY ACHIEVE OUR GOAL, WHICH WAS AT LONG TERM, TRYING TO DETERMINE AN ERROR RATE FOR OUR LATENT PRINT SECTION AND GO ABOUT IT A DIFFERENT WAY AND ENGINEER AROUND THEIR NEW WORKFLOW.
AND SO WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT WITH A LOT OF COLLABORATION, NOT ONLY FOR MEMBERS AT HFSC, BUT WE'VE ALSO REACHED OUT TO CSAFE, WHICH IS THE CENTER OF STATISTICS AND APPLICATIONS FOR FORENSIC EVIDENCE TO HELP US DESIGN A STUDY WHERE WE'RE GOING TO BE SUBMITTING, UM, TEST SAMPLES ESSENTIALLY OVER A NUMBER OF YEARS AND ALL TOLD AND HAVE PARTICIPATION REQUIRED BY ALL PRACTITIONERS.
AND SO THE, THE END GOAL WILL BE TO TRY AND DETERMINE AN ERROR RATE FOR THE SECTION.
AND LIKE I SAID, IT'S, IT'S NOT THAT WE WANT TO DO THIS, UM, IT'S NOT THAT WE SAT DOWN AND AND SAID, HEY, WE WANNA CHANGE THINGS UP, BUT IT'S RATHER BECAUSE OF THE EFFICIENCY GAINS AND BECAUSE OF THEIR NEW WORKFLOW, WE HAVE NOW BEEN FACED WITH CHALLENGES AND WE FEEL THAT THIS IS OUR BEST WAY TO WORK AROUND THOSE CHALLENGES AND YET STILL ACHIEVE OUR ULTIMATE GOAL.
SO THE, THE STUDY HAS NOT ACTUALLY COMMENCED YET.
WE ARE STILL IN THE PLANNING PHASES, BUT I'M SHARING IT WITH THE BOARD BECAUSE AT THIS POINT OUR STRUCTURE IS SOLID ENOUGH WHERE WE FEEL CONFIDENT THAT THIS IS GOING TO EXECUTE IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
AND OF COURSE, WE WILL UPDATE THE BOARD.
JACKIE WILL HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF UPDATING THE BOARD WITH OUR PROGRESS AS THAT PROJECT MOVES FORWARD.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS I CAN ANSWER ABOUT THE BLIND PROGRAM? OKAY.
I WANTED TO LET THE BOARD KNOW THAT WE HAVE A DISCLOSURE IN OUR SEIZE DRUG SECTION.
THIS DISCLOSURE WILL BE FEATURED ON THE AGENDA FOR THE UPCOMING TEXAS FORENSIC SCIENCE COMMISSION MEETING ON JANUARY 27TH.
WE ARE HOPING TO HAVE ALL OF OUR FINAL DOCUMENTATION TO THE COMMISSION EARLY NEXT WEEK SO THAT THE COMMISSION WILL BE IN A POSITION TO REVIEW OUR FULL RESPONSE AND EVEN VOTE AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THE LABORATORY DID EVERYTHING NEEDED IN ORDER TO, UM, RESOLVE THIS ISSUE.
SO THIS DISCLOSURE, LIKE I SAID, IS FROM OUR SEIZED DRUG SECTION, AND IT INVOLVES A REPORT THAT WAS ISSUED BACK IN MAY OF 2022 WHERE A SUBSTANCE WAS ACCIDENTALLY OR INADVERTENTLY IDENTIFIED AS ALPRAZOLAM, WHICH IS XANAX.
WE NOW KNOW FROM REVIEWING THAT CASE THAT THAT SUBSTANCE THAT WAS CHARACTERIZED AS ALPRAZOLAM IS ACTUALLY AN ISOMER OF ALPRAZOLAM.
SO I'M NOT A CHEMIST
SO AN ISOMER IS ESSENTIALLY HAS THE EXACT CHEM MOLECULAR WEIGHT AS ALPRAZOLAM, BUT IT HAS A DIFFERENT CHEMICAL STRUCTURE.
AND AS FAR AS WE KNOW, THE FIRST TIME THAT THIS ISOMER WAS REPORTED WAS IN AUSTRALIA IN JUNE OF 2022, WHICH, WHICH MEANS THAT IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THIS IMR DIDN'T EXIST PRIOR TO THAT.
AND THAT'S PART OF AN ONGOING RISK THAT THE SEIZE DRUG SECTION HAS TO FACE, IS THAT THERE ARE NEW DESIGNER DRUGS THAT ARE BEING ENGINEERED ALL THE TIME.
IT'S THE WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN AT THIS POINT.
AND SO WHILE THIS IS AN UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCE FOR THE SEIZE DRUG SECTION, BECAUSE THERE'S THIS CONSTANT RISK OF HAVING NEW DRUGS COME ONTO THE SCENE, UM, IN THIS INSTANCE, WE WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE ONE CASE IN WHICH WE HAD THE ISOMER OF ALPRAZOLAM, BUT OR INADVERTENTLY REPORTED IT AS ALPRAZOLAM.
SO WE HAVE CONTACTED THE DA'S OFFICE, WE HAVE MADE THEM AWARE THAT REPORT HAS NOW BEEN AMENDED.
UM, THE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ALPRAZOLAM AND ITS ISOMER IS THAT ALPRAZOLAM IS A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, WHEREAS THE ISOMER IS NOT.
BUT I SAY THAT IN THE SENSE OF IS NOT YET AS THESE NEW DRUGS ARE DESIGNED AND CREATED, THERE'S A A A TIME GAP BETWEEN WHEN THEY ARE CREATED AND WHEN THE LEGISLATURE CAN ACTUALLY CATCH UP TO THE FACT THAT THEY'VE BEEN CREATED.
SO IT IS LIKELY AND POSSIBLE THAT THIS DRUG WILL IN FACT BE A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, BUT IT'S GOING TO TAKE A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THE LEGISLATION COULD CATCH UP TO IT.
SO AS I SAID, THE REPORT HAS BEEN AMENDED AND THE SEAS DRUG SECTION
[01:10:01]
ALSO DID A CASE REVIEW OF ALL CASE WHEN 2022, WHERE ALPRAZOLAM WAS REPORTED, AND THEN ALSO OUT OF AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION EXTENDED THAT REVIEW BACK TO ALL CASES WHERE APPRAISAL LAM WAS REPORTED IN 2021, AND WERE ABLE TO CONFIRM THAT THIS WAS THE ONLY CASE IN WHICH IT WAS THE, THE I SUBSTANCE WAS ACTUALLY THE ISOMER OF ALPRAZOLAM AS OPPOSED TO ALPRAZOLAM ITSELF.HOW DO YOU DISCOVER SOMETHING LIKE THAT? I MEAN, HOW DID YOU KNOW AN ERROR WAS MADE IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS YOU WERE LOOKING FOR? THAT'S A, OR WHY WERE YOU LOOKING FOR? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
UH, THERE WAS A COMMUNICATION FROM ANOTHER LABORATORY TO OUR TOXICOLOGY MANAGER WHO THEN PASSED THAT INFORMATION ALONG TO THE SEAS MANAGER.
SO IT, IT'S, YOUR QUESTION HIGHLIGHTS A REALLY SERIOUS NEED FOR COMMUNICATION AMONGST THESE DISCIPLINES, TOXICOLOGY AND SEIZE DRUGS TO SHARE THIS INFORMATION AS IT BECOMES KNOWN IN CERTAIN LABORATORIES OR IN A SPECIFIC LABORATORY TO, TO COMMUNICATE THAT TO ALL OTHER LABORATORIES SO THAT WE DO HAVE THAT INFORMATION AND THERE IS SOME WAY OF COMMUNICATING THAT.
WE, WE ALSO, AS A PART OF THIS, EVALUATED THE POTENTIAL FOR THIS PARTICULAR ISOMER TO INTERFERE IN OUR TOXICOLOGY ANALYSES FOR BENZODIAZEPINES.
AND WITHOUT WASTING THE REST OF YOUR DAY ABOUT HOW ALL THE CHEMISTRY WORKS ON IT.
THERE, THERE'S A QUIRK OF HOW IT SHOWS UP IN TOXICOLOGY THAT WE'RE CONFIDENT THAT WE CAN IDENTIFY IT IN TOXICOLOGY, AND WE DIDN'T HAVE, UH, POTENTIAL MISIDENTIFICATION IN TOXICOLOGY BECAUSE THIS AFFECTS BOTH OF THOSE DISCIPLINES.
UM, BUT IT, IT IS, THIS STARTED TO BE A PROBLEM ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO WHEN WHAT WE REFER TO AS NEW PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES IN PSS REALLY FIRST STARTED TO COME ON TO THE SCENE.
AND HERE IN HOUSTON, KUSH IS THE, THE KIND OF GENERIC TERM FOR THESE THINGS.
THEY ARE COMPOUNDS THAT ARE DELIBERATELY TARGETED TO BE OUTSIDE OF REGULATORY CONTROL THAT HAVE SOME INDICATION THAT THEY MAY BE PSYCHOACTIVE AND THAT CAN BE SYNTHESIZED.
AND QUITE FRANKLY, THE CAPABILITY TO SYNTHESIZE COMPOUNDS INTERNATIONALLY IS VAST AND ROBUST.
THERE'S SOME VERY SMART MEDICINAL CHEMISTS THAT ARE IN PAKISTAN, INDIA, CHINA, OTHER PLACES WHERE THE, JUST AS VERY LITTLE OVERSIGHT, THEY MANUFACTURE THESE THINGS, SHIP THEM INTO THE US, THEY WILL SHOW UP ON THE MARKET FOR A PERIOD.
SOMETIMES THEY TAKE HOLD AND STICK, SOMETIMES THEY COME AND GO RAPIDLY.
UM, WE, WE DON'T KNOW YET WITH THIS ONE.
IT, IT SHOWED UP ABOUT THE START OF 2022.
WE, THE, THE, BUT THIS IS A CONSTANT FIGHT FOR US.
AND SO IN SUMMARY, LIKE I SAID, WE, UM, WE INTEND ON PROVIDING ALL OF OUR FINAL DOCUMENTATION TO THE COMMISSION TO GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW, UM, HSCS RESPONSE TO THIS ISSUE AND CONFIRM THAT WE HAVE RESOLVED IT APPROPRIATELY.
THAT'S ALSO ON, UH, ON MY LIST OF THINGS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE TAKE CARE OF BEFORE I LEAVE.
SO THAT, THAT'S ONE LESS THING THAT JACKIE WILL HAVE TO, UM, TAKE OVER FOR, IF YOU WILL, MOVING FORWARD.
IT'S A, IT'S A VERY LONG LIST.
UM, SO AS PART OF, UM, A TAG ALONG, IF YOU WILL OR AN ADD-ON TO DR.
STOUT'S URINE REVIEW, I WANTED TO JUST PROVIDE THE BOARD WITH A YEAR REVIEW OF DISCLOSURES THAT WE HAD FOR 2022.
SO I WILL GIVE A BRIEF SUMMARY.
I KNOW THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED THESE ALL BEFORE, BUT JUST SO THAT THE BOARD REMEMBERS.
UM, THE FIRST ONE WAS IN OUR FORENSIC BIOLOGY SECTION WHERE WE RECOGNIZED THAT HISTORICALLY WE HAD BEEN ENTERING PROFILES INTO CODIS INCORRECTLY, AND NOT ALL PROFILES, BUT PROFILES THAT WERE MIXTURES OR PARTIAL PROFILES.
AND THE RISK IN THAT IS THAT IF YOU ENTER A PROFILE INCORRECTLY INTO THE CODIS SOFTWARE, THE RISK IS THAT YOU, UH, MAY MISS A POTENTIAL ASSOCIATION WITHIN THE SOFTWARE DEPENDING ON THE ALGORITHM OF HOW THAT SEARCH IS PERFORMED.
AND SO WE WENT BACK AND DID AN AUDIT OVER MANY, MANY, MANY YEARS.
THERE WERE ABOUT 1200 PLUS PROFILES IN TOTAL THAT WE REVIEWED, AND WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE THOSE CORRECTIONS AS NEEDED AND MOVING FORWARD HAVE MECHANISMS IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT OUR ENTRY OF THOSE PROFILES INTO THE SOFTWARE IS CORRECT.
WE HAD A FIREARMS DISCLOSURE THAT WAS ORIGINALLY DISCOVERED BECAUSE OF A SAMPLE SWITCH IN TEST FIRES THAT ULTIMATELY LED TO TWO CASE REVIEWS.
AND WE, UM, WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY ANY POTENTIAL CASES THAT HAD BEEN AFFECTED BY THAT DISCLOSURE.
UH, THE FIRST DISCLOSURE, AND THIS SECOND ONE, ALL OF OUR DOCUMENTATION HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO THE TEXAS FORENSIC SCIENCE COMMISSION.
AND THEY HAD VOTED THAT, UH, TF THAT, SORRY, HFSC HAD DONE EVERYTHING NEEDED IN ORDER TO APPROPRIATELY RESOLVE THOSE DISCLOSURES.
[01:15:03]
WE HAD ANOTHER DISCLOSURE IN OUR FORENSIC BIOLOGY SECTION WHERE THERE WAS AN INADVERTENT CONSUMPTION OF EVIDENCE.A CASE REQUIRED THE CONSUMPTION OF THE LEFT HAND FINGERNAIL SCRAPINGS AND THE FORENSIC BIOLOGY SECTION ACCIDENTALLY CONSUMED THE RIGHT HAND FINGERNAIL SCRAPINGS.
AND WHILE THERE WAS NO TECHNICAL IMPACT TO THAT SPECIFIC CASE, IT PROVIDED AN OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE A SET OF CHECKS AND BALANCES AND QUALITY CONTROLS WITHIN THE FORENSIC BIOLOGY SECTION TO, TO ASSURE THAT IF A SAMPLE IS GOING TO BE CONSUMED, WE KNOW FOR A FACT THAT THE APPROPRIATE AND CORRECT SAMPLE IS THAT SAMPLE BEFORE WE CONSUME IT.
WE HAVE A VERIFICATION STEP IN PLACE.
WE HAD A DISCLOSURE WHERE THE FORENSIC BIOLOGY SECTION INADVERTENTLY UPLOADED THREE OF OUR BLIND QUALITY CONTROL PROFILES TO THE CODIS SOFTWARE.
WE RECOGNIZED THAT THOSE THREE PROFILES WERE UPLOADED.
WE HAD THEM REMOVED IMMEDIATELY.
ONE OF THOSE PROFILES RESULTED IN A HIT TO A CONVICTED OFFENDER IN TENNESSEE AND ALSO TO A, UH, UH, CASEWORK SAMPLE FROM A SEXUAL ASSAULT CASE IN TENNESSEE.
UM, AGAIN, ALL OF THE APPROPRIATE NOTIFICATIONS WERE DONE, THOSE PROFILES WERE REMOVED, AND IT WAS OBVIOUSLY A, AN, AN ACCIDENTAL UPLOAD OF THOSE PROFILES.
AND WE NOW HAVE, UM, QUALITY CONTROL MECHANISMS IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT SOMETHING LIKE THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN AGAIN, AND THAT OUR BLIND QUALITY CONTROL PROGRAM DOESN'T EVER BLEED INTO OUR CASEWORK.
I I ALWAYS HAVE TO ADD ON THAT PARTICULAR ONE, ERICA LIKES TO TRY AND TAKE OWNERSHIP THAT THAT WAS QUALITY'S ERROR.
I BLAME THE FBI THAT IS A DIRECT OUTGROWTH OF DIFFICULTIES AND ACTUALLY IN LATENT PRINTS, THE REDESIGN THAT WE'VE HAD TO DO IN HOW WE HANDLE BLINDS AND LATENT PRINTS IS FBI IS RETICENT TO COOPERATE WITH US IN HOW WE MANAGE SAMPLES THROUGH THESE DATABASES.
AND I THINK, AND I TAKE ALL OPPORTUNITIES I CAN TO POINT OUT WITHOUT THE COLLABORATION OF FBI AND HOW THESE ARE MANAGED IN THESE DATABASES.
WE'VE GOT A NATIONALLY, A BIG BLIND SPOT ON THIS.
SO I AM CONTINUE TO TRY AND ENCOURAGE FBI TO PARTICIPATE WITH US IN HOW WE DO THESE BLIND TESTS SO THAT WE CAN INCLUDE USING THESE THINGS THROUGH THESE DATABASES.
BUT THAT ONE IS A DIRECT OUTCOME OF THE FACT THAT WE CAN'T DO THIS STUFF IN THE DATABASE THE WAY IT SHOULD BE.
OUR NEXT DISCLOSURE WAS IN FORENSIC BIOLOGY.
SAT REFERENCED IT IN HIS PRESENTATION JUST EARLIER TODAY.
UM, IF YOU RECALL, UH, THAT DISCLOSURE HAD TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT THE TRIAL COURT CHARACTERIZED ONE OF THE HFSC ANALYST'S TESTIMONY AS EVASIVE, FALSE, AND MISLEADING WHEN HE TESTIFIED ON A CASE THAT HE HAD BEEN A PART OF IN HIS PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT.
AS A REMINDER, THE COMMISSION FOUND THAT HE, UM, COMMITTED PROFESSIONAL NEGLIGENCE AS WELL AS PROFESSIONAL MISCONDUCT, AND HIS LICENSE WAS REVOKED FOR 60 DAYS.
HE IS NO LONGER EMPLOYED AT HFSC.
HE WAS, UM, TERMINATED IN MAY OF 2022.
AND LASTLY, OUR OTHER, UM, DISCLOSURE WAS IN FORENSIC BIOLOGY.
AND IT, UH, INVOLVES CONCERNS THAT WERE NOTED DURING OUR TRANSCRIPT REVIEW PROJECT ABOUT THE ANALYST'S EXPLANATION OF STATISTICS IN RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS THAT SHE WAS ASKED BY A PROSECUTOR.
UM, WE HAVE UNDERGONE RETRAINING WITH THIS ANALYST THAT WAS SPECIFIC TO STATISTICS AND TESTIMONY, AND THAT RETRAINING IS IN ITS FINAL STAGES RIGHT NOW.
AND SO WE'LL BE CONCLUDING ALL OF OUR DOCUMENTATION AND PRESENT TO THE COMMISSION ALL OF THE ACTIONS THAT WE TOOK IN ORDER TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE.
AND WHILE I'M NOT POSITIVE THAT THAT ONE WILL BE PRESENTED ON THE AGENDA IN THIS UPCOMING, UM, MEETING, I'M, I'M VERY HOPEFUL.
SO WE WILL SEE IF WE CAN GET ALL THAT TIED UP.
I ALSO WANTED TO PRESENT TO THE BOARD A YEAR IN REVIEW FOR 2022 SURVEY RESPONSES.
OVERALL, WE HAD 11 RESPONSES AND 10 OF THOSE RESPONSES.
THE RESPONDER SELF-IDENTIFIED AS EITHER SATISFIED OR VERY SATISFIED.
SO THAT IS AN IMPRESSIVE YEAR FOR US.
HOWEVER, THERE WAS ONE RESPONSE WHERE THE RESPONDER IDENTIFIED AS VERY DISSATISFIED AND HE WAS VERY DISSATISFIED WITH THE LATENT PRINT SECTION, SPECIFICALLY THE TURNAROUND TIME FOR ONE OF THE CASES THAT HE HAD.
AND SO IT, HE PROVIDED CONTACT INFORMATION.
UM, HE'S A SERGEANT FROM THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND I, I WANT TO BE, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I EVEN PUBLICLY EXPRESSED, AND I EXPRESSED TO HIM ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS MY APPRECIATION THAT HE PROVIDED US WITH HIS CONTACT INFORMATION.
[01:20:01]
IF THERE'S ONE THING I WILL HAVE TO SAY, WHILE WE DO GET A LOT OF RESPONSES, THEY ARE TYPICALLY ANONYMOUS.AND WHILE IT'S HELPFUL AND CERTAINLY IF THEY'RE VERY SATISFIED, I'M, I'M, I WOULD LIKE CONTACT INFORMATION, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S OKAY THAT WE DON'T HAVE IT.
BUT WHEN SOMEONE EXPRESSES DISSATISFACTION, IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR HFSC TO BE ABLE TO FOLLOW UP AND GET MORE INFORMATION AND REALLY DIG IN AND, AND DRILL DOWN ON WHAT IT IS EXACTLY THAT THEY ARE DISSATISFIED WITH.
AND I AM VERY APPRECIATIVE THAT THIS SERGEANT WAS PROVIDED HIS CONTACT INFORMATION AND ALLOWED FOR THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
OVERALL, ESSENTIALLY HIS CONCERN WAS, LIKE I SAID, THE LATENT PRINT BACKLOG.
UM, HE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT WAS TAKING FOR HIM TO GET RESULTS ON HIS CASE, BUT IT OFFERED US AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLAIN TO HIM THAT WE ARE NUMBER ONE, WELL AWARE OF THE ISSUE FOR THE LATENT PRINT BACKLOG.
AND THAT NUMBER TWO, WE HAD THAT CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PROJECT IN THAT SECTION AND ARE IN THE PROCESS OF CHIPPING AWAY AT THAT BACKLOG, BUT ALSO MAKING GREAT EFFICIENCY GAINS WITH CURRENT CASEWORK AS WELL.
SO IT ALLOWED A LINE OF COMMUNICATION THAT I DON'T THINK OTHERWISE WOULD HAVE HAPPENED, AND IN MY OPINION, THOSE FRUSTRATIONS WOULD HAVE JUST MOUNTED.
AND SO INSTEAD OF THAT, WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE A DIALOGUE AND OPEN DIALOGUE WITH THIS INDIVIDUAL AND, AND PROVIDE HIM SOME INSIGHT AS TO OUR PROCESSES AND WHAT WE ARE DOING TO TRY AND PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING TO OTHER SERGEANTS AT HPD.
SO I INCLUDED HIS, UM, SURVEY RESPONSE FOR THE BOARD TO SEE, I, I'M NOT GOING TO READ THROUGH IT AND I HAVE IT IN YOUR BOARD PACKET SO THAT YOU CAN READ THROUGH IT IF YOU SO CHOOSE.
BUT ESSENTIALLY, LIKE I SAID, HE WAS, UM, DISSATISFIED WITH THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT WAS TAKING FOR HIM TO GET HIS RESULTS FOR LATENT PRINTS.
AND THE LAST INFORMATION I WANTED TO PRESENT TO THE BOARD WAS ABOUT TESTIMONY.
WE HAD 69 ANALYSTS TESTIFIED THIS PAST YEAR AND 67 OF THEM WERE MONITORED OF THE TWO THAT WEREN'T MONITORED.
ONE, OBVIOUSLY AWARE THAT HE WASN'T MONITORED, WENT AHEAD AND REQUESTED THE TRANSCRIPTS OF HIS TESTIMONY IMMEDIATELY.
UM, WE HAVE DOCUMENTATION TO SUPPORT THAT HE WAS ACTIVELY IN, AND THE SECTION WAS ACTIVELY TRYING TO GET THOSE TRANSCRIPTS FROM THE COURT REPORTER WITHIN 24 HOURS OF THAT TESTIMONY, I BELIEVE.
UM, UNFORTUNATELY, THE COURT REPORTER WASN'T ABLE TO TURN AROUND THE TRANSCRIPT THAT QUICKLY OUTSIDE OF OUR CONTROL AND COMPLETELY UNDERSTANDABLE.
UM, BUT BECAUSE WE SEE THAT THE SECTION WAS MAKING SUCH AN EFFORT, WE RECOGNIZE THAT ALTHOUGH WE HAVE THAT CUTOFF OF ONE YEAR, IF YOU TESTIFY WITHIN THE YEAR, IF YOU ARE NOT REVIEWED, THE QUALITY DIVISION TYPICALLY TRACKS THAT AS A NON-CONFORMANCE.
BUT THIS ISSUE HAS HIGHLIGHTED THAT PERHAPS THAT'S A LITTLE TOO RIGOROUS OF A CUTOFF, AND WE'RE MISSING THE SPIRIT OF THAT REQUIREMENT.
THE SPIRIT IS TO BE REVIEWED AND IF THE ANALYST IS MAKING EVERY ATTEMPT POSSIBLE TO HAVE THAT REVIEW TAKE PLACE, IT SEEMS DISINGENUOUS TO TRACK THAT AS A, A FINDING AGAINST OUR QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.
AND SO WE ARE GONNA USE THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE REQUIREMENT LANGUAGE IN OUR MANUAL AND SEE IF WE CAN'T CREATE A LITTLE MORE LEEWAY THERE.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, AS LONG AS THE REQUEST IS MADE FOR THOSE TRANSCRIPTS WITHIN SOME TIME PERIOD AFTER TESTIMONY, IT WON'T BE TRACKED AS A FINDING PER SE, AND IT'LL ALLOW FOR THOSE REVIEWS TO TAKE PLACE, WHICH AT THE END OF THE DAY IS WHAT WE REALLY WANT.
WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO REVIEW THAT TESTIMONY.
UM, THE OTHER ANALYST WAS NOT MONITORED, AND IN FACT, WE JUST LEARNED ABOUT THIS TESTIMONY IN THE LAST WEEK.
SO THAT ALSO PROVIDES ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE SYSTEM THAT WE'RE USING TO TRACK TESTIMONY.
IT RELIES ON AN ANALYST SUBMITTING THAT INFORMATION TO THE QUALITY DIVISION.
SO IT NOW PROVIDES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE A LOOK AND SEE WILL WE, IS THERE ANY WAY TO MITIGATE THAT RISK? WILL WE ALWAYS JUST BE DEPENDENT ON THE ANALYST REMEMBERING TO DO THAT, OR IS THERE A MECHANISM THAT WE CAN PUT IN PLACE TO HELP DRIVE THAT OR FORCE THAT MORE THAN WE'RE DOING NOW? SO AGAIN, THROUGH OUR INVESTIGATION, ONCE WE DIG DOWN TO THE ROOT CAUSE, I THINK WE'LL BE IN A REALLY GOOD POSITION TO KNOW WHAT CHANGES WE NEED TO PUT IN PLACE FOR NEXT YEAR'S TESTIMONIES.
AND THEN LASTLY, FOR OUR TRANSCRIPT REVIEW PROJECT, WE HAVE 10 TRANSCRIPTS THAT ARE IN REVIEWED IN REVIEW, SORRY, AND THEY'RE IN THE FINAL STAGES WHERE THOSE EVALUATIONS ARE BEING DISCUSSED WITH THE WHO TESTIFIED.
AND THEN I WANTED TO PROVIDE THE, THE BOARD WITH JUST SOME DATA AROUND TESTIMONY AND TRANSCRIPTS.
THIS IS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF TRANSCRIPTS THAT WE REVIEWED WITHIN 2022, AND YOU CAN SEE WHAT SECTIONS WERE INCLUDED IN THOSE REVIEWS.
WE HAVE A, A BLIND SPOT, IF YOU WILL.
WE DON'T HAVE ANY, UH, SEIZED DRUGS TRANSCRIPTS.
WE DON'T HAVE ANY TOXICOLOGY TRANSCRIPTS.
[01:25:01]
WE DON'T HAVE ANY MULTIMEDIA TRANSCRIPTS.AND I THINK THAT HIGHLIGHTS THAT, UH, HIGHLIGHTS THE NEED TO TRY AND LAY EYES MORE FREQUENTLY ON THOSE TRANSCRIPTS.
AND SO WE HAVE A, A LITTLE BIT OF A BUDGET, VERY, VERY HUMBLE, MODEST BUDGET, BUT TO BE ABLE TO TRY AND PROACTIVELY REACH OUT AND REQUEST TRANSCRIPTS THAT FALL FROM THOSE DISCIPLINES AS OPPOSED TO BEING IN A POSITION WHERE THE TRANSCRIPTS THAT WE ARE GETTING FOR NO COST HAVE TO BE FROM CASES THAT ARE OUT BEING APPEALED.
SO IT'LL REMOVE THAT OBSTACLE FROM US.
THIS IS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF TESTIMONIES THAT OCCURRED IN 2022.
AS YOU CAN SEE, BIOLOGY AND CRIME SCENE ARE OUR TWO HEAVY HITTERS.
AND HISTORICALLY CRIME SCENE WAS, WAS NOT SO HIGH IN DEMAND.
SO IT'S VERY INTERESTING TO SEE THAT THAT CHANGE IN THE NUMBER OF TIMES THAT THEY'RE BEING ASKED TO TESTIFY.
AND AGAIN, OUR MULTIMEDIA AND LATENT PRINT SECTIONS FALL ON THE, THE LOWER SIDE OF THOSE TESTIMONIES.
AND THEN LASTLY, THIS IS THE NUMBER OF ANALYSTS THAT TESTIFY FROM EACH SECTION.
SO IT'S THE SAME DATA ULTIMATELY, BUT A A DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT IT.
THIS IS THE NUMBER OF ANALYSTS IN EACH SECTIONS THAT GET CALLED OUT OF THE OFFICE HAVE TO WALK AWAY FROM CASE WORK IN ORDER TO DEDICATE TIME TOWARDS TESTIMONY AT SOME POINT IN TIME THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
SO AGAIN, I MEAN, THE NUMBERS MAKE SENSE.
AGAIN, IT'S THAT BIOLOGY SECTION AND ALSO THE CRIME SCENE SECTION THAT ARE THE HIGHEST FOLLOWED VERY CLOSELY BY THE FIREARM SECTION.
AND THAT IS ALL THE SLIDES THAT I HAVE FOR THE BOARD TODAY.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS THAT I CAN ANSWER AT ALL? I HAVE A QUESTION.
UH, YOU'LL HAVE TO GIMME ANY NAMES, BUT WHO MONITORS THE ANALYSTS AND THEIR QUALIFICATIONS? SURE.
UM, ANALYSTS HAVE TO BE MONITORED BY SOMEONE WHO IS ALSO AUTHORIZED AS A TECHNICAL EXPERT IN THAT SECTION.
AND THAT'S ACTUALLY A, A RELATIVELY NEW IN THIS GRAND SCHEME OF ACCREDITATION.
PREVIOUSLY, WE HAD ANALYSTS WHO WOULD TESTIFY AND THEY COULD BE REVIEWED BY THE PROSECUTOR IN THAT CASE OR THE DEFENSE ATTORNEY IN THAT CASE.
BUT NOW WE HAVE TO HAVE THAT REVIEW DONE BY SOMEONE WHO'S A TECHNICAL EXPERT.
SO THEY CAN NOT ONLY GIVE FEEDBACK ON, YOU KNOW, WHERE THEY ARE STRONG OR DID THEY MAKE GOOD EYE CONTACT WHERE THEY DRESSED APPROPRIATELY, BUT ALSO A REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT PIECE AROUND IS WHAT THEY SAID TECHNICALLY ACCURATE? DID THEY REPRESENT THE SCIENCE CORRECTLY? AND WERE THEY ABLE TO RELAY THOSE EXTREMELY TECHNICAL CONCEPTS TO THE LAY PEOPLE IN THE JURY? DID THE JURY UNDERSTAND? DID IT, DID IT SEEM AS THOUGH THE JURY UNDERSTOOD WHAT WAS BEING DISCUSSED? MM-HMM
THE BOARD WANTS TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.
YOU HARD WORK, YOUR DEDICATION TO HFSC IS JUST IMMEASURABLE YOUR LEADERSHIP WITHIN QUALITY.
I MEAN, YOU HAVE TAKEN THAT QUALITY DIVISION AND REALLY EXPLODED OF WHAT IT'S DOING, YOU KNOW, JUST GETTING THE WORD OUT THROUGH PUBLICATIONS.
YOU GUYS HAVE DONE SOME AMAZING PUBLICATIONS, AMAZING PRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE GREAT WORK THAT QUALITY HAS DONE AND THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A QUALITY DIVISION WITHIN A CRIME LAB AND HOW IT'S SO ESSENTIAL TO THE FUNCTIONS OF, OF WHAT A CRIME LAB DOES, UM, BECAUSE THAT QUALITY IS, AND HERE I'M GONNA BE A SYMPATHETIC CRIER IN JUST A SECOND HERE, SO I'M JUST SAYING RIGHT NOW.
UM, WE THANK YOU AND WE WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK.
I HAVE, I HAVE GIVEN THIS JOB EVERYTHING THAT I HAVE, AND I'VE LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT.
IT'S BEEN THE MOST REWARDING THING THAT I HAVE DONE IN MY PROFESSIONAL CAREER, SO THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WELL, WE CAN TELL YES, BY THE QUAL BY THE QUALITY OF YOUR WORK,
I'M GONNA OPEN THE FLOOR FOR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS ANY OTHER COMMENTS.
NO, I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU ERICA.
I, I, I SECOND EVERYTHING STACY SAID.
SO, UM, WHILE, UH, WE SUPPORT MOVING ON AND, AND CONTINUING TO, UM, DEVELOP AND ENHANCE YOUR CAREER, WE WILL, WE WILL MISS YOU.
AND, UH, BUT I WILL TELL YOU YOUR ENDORSEMENT OF JACKIE, UH, IS, UH, UH, VERY CREDIBLE.
UM, AND SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH JACKIE AND, AND, UM, AND JACKIE, I KNOW WILL BRING HER OWN STYLE AND HER OWN, UH, UH, WAYS OF PRE PRESENTING AND, AND, AND PROVIDING US THE INFORMATION AND, AND DOING THE THINGS THAT YOU STARTED.
AND LIKE YOU SAID, I, I, AND I AGREE WITH YOUR STATEMENT ABOUT A NEW SET OF EYES.
YOU CAN SEE THINGS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY AND WE CONTINUE TO IMPROVE.
[01:30:01]
THAT AND, AND GETTING JACKIE PREPARED FOR, UH, WHAT SHE'S ABOUT TO STEP INTO.AND, UH, BUT JUST THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING AND, UH, WE JUST REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS GREAT REPORT AND
WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR REPORTS AND WORKING WITH YOU.
UM, AND PLEASE KNOW THAT THE BOARD IS AVAILABLE TO YOU IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS.
UM, AND SO AGAIN, WE ARE AGAIN, THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR STEPPING INTO THIS ROLE.
ALRIGHT, NOW MOVING ON TO AGENDA ITEM 13, WHICH I'M SURE EVERYONE HAS BEEN AWAITING FOR WITH ABATED BREATH, UH, WHICH IS OUR ADJOURNMENT.
UM, DO WE, DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? OKAY.
UH, MOTION BY DIRECTOR MEDINA, A SECOND.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ALL RIGHT.
WE'LL GO AHEAD AND CLOSE THE BOARD MEETING AT 10 31.