[Press Conference: “Law Enforcement De-Escalation Training Act”]
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LEMME JUST MAKE A FEW OPENING COMMENTS AND, AND THEN I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO SENATOR JOHN CORNYN.I WANNA, UM, WELCOME HIM BACK TO CITY HALL.
UH, THIS IS, UH, HE'S NOT A STRANGER HERE.
HE'S QUITE FAMILIAR WITH THIS PLACE.
UH, BUT, UH, AS RELATES TO, UM, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY, UH, WE WERE HERE ABOUT THREE, THREE YEARS AGO, HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH A NUMBER OF THESE LEADERS WHO ARE HERE TODAY, AND NOW WE'RE BACK AGAIN.
SO I WANNA START OFF AS MAYOR CITY OF HOUSTON.
I WANT TO THANK HIM, UH, FOR HIS, UH, PASSAGE OF THE LAW ENFORCEMENT DEESCALATION TRAINING ACT, WHICH WILL BENEFIT LAW ENFORCEMENT AND IT WILL BENEFIT THE GENERAL COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.
AND IT WILL HELP TO SUPPLEMENT, UH, WHAT WE ARE DOING, UH, HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
I THINK WE'VE MADE TREMENDOUS PROGRESS.
I WANT TO THANK, UH, CHIEF FINN WITH HPD, UH, CHIEF HATCHER IS HERE.
WANT TO THANK DOUG GRIFFIN, UH, PRESIDENT OF THE HOUSTON POLICE OFFICERS, UH, UNION.
UM, AND THEN OF COURSE, I WANNA THANK THESE COMMUNITY LEADERS, UH, BISHOP DIXON, UH, PRESIDENT OF THE N-A-A-C-P, JUSTIN ROBINSON, UH, PRESIDENT, CEO OF THE HOUSTON CHAPTER OF THE URBAN URBAN LEAGUE, UH, BRENDAN LAVAR, UH, WHO IS A BOARD PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF MENTAL ILLNESS OF THE GREATER HOUSTON AREA.
UH, AND THEN LARRY PAYNE, WHO CHAIRS THE MAYOR'S TASK FORCE ON POLICE REFORMS. UM, CRYSTAL, UM, UH, GOHAR, WHO IS THE DEPUTY INSPECTOR GENERAL THAT CAME OUT OF THE TASK FORCE REFORMS AS WELL.
UH, SO I WANNA THANK ALL OF THESE, ALL OF THESE LEADERS.
UM, UH, SENATOR CORNY, THIS ACT THAT HAS BEEN PASSED, UH, WITH YOUR NAME ON IT, THAT YOU HAVE, UH, UH, GET THROUGH THE SENATE, THEN THROUGH THE HOUSE SIGN, WILL BE OF TREMENDOUS BENEFIT TO THIS CITY.
AND SO I WANT TO, I WANNA, I WANT TO THANK YOU AS MAYOR OF THIS CITY, UH, FOR JUST THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT DEESCALATION.
LEMME TELL YOU, THERE ARE SO MANY DYNAMICS ON THE STREETS, SO MANY DYNAMICS THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT IS HAVING TO ENCOUNTER EACH AND EVERY DAY, 24 7.
UH, AND QUITE FRANKLY, FROM A HISTORICAL POINT OF VIEW, WE HAVE ASKED LAW ENFORCEMENT TO DO EVERYTHING WHERE NOW WE ARE TRYING TO, UM, DEESCALATE, BUT IN DEESCALATING, WE HAVE COME UP WITH BEST PRACTICES ON HOW TO DEAL WITH PEOPLE WHEN THEY'RE FACING MENTAL HEALTH, MENTAL, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ISSUES WHEN THEY'RE IN CRISIS, UH, WHEN IT DEALS WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE, HOMELESSNESS, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, AND ABUSE.
AND SO WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO, TO DO THAT.
AND THIS, THE LAW ENFORCEMENT DEESCALATION TRAINING ACT, I THINK WILL HELP US OUT QUITE A BIT IN DOING THAT.
AND THEN THE, THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS OF OUR POLICE OFFICERS, UH, THAT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.
I DON'T WANNA LOSE OUT ON THAT PIECE.
SO WE TALK ABOUT TRAINING, UH, BUT THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS, BECAUSE MANY OF THE SAME ISSUES THAT PEOPLE ARE DEALING WITH IN OUR COMMUNITY LAW ENFORCEMENT'S DEAL WITH IT AS WELL.
AND SOMETIMES WE ACT AS IF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ARE NOT A PART OF THE COMMUNITY, BUT THEY ARE SUBJECT TO THE SAME DYNAMICS THAT WE FACE EVERY DAY.
SO IT HAS TO BE A HOLISTIC, INCLUSIVE APPROACH.
AND, UH, SENATOR, UH, THIS BILL, THIS ACT, UH, THAT'S NOW INTO LAW WILL HELP US OUT QUITE A BIT.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEAD LEADERSHIP.
THANK YOU FOR NEVER FORGETTING ABOUT THE PEOPLE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND IT'S MY PRIVILEGE NOW TO BRING TO THEM, UH, TO THE PODIUM.
UH, THE HONORABLE, UH, SENATOR JOINED CORNING, WHO HAILS FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS.
WELL, MAYOR, I WAS, UH, I DON'T CURRENTLY LIVE IN HOUSTON.
BUT I WAS BORN HERE,
AND AS I SAID A MOMENT AGO, OUT OF IT, THE TRAGIC DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A LOT OF DESPAIR.
PEOPLE WONDERED, YOU KNOW, WHERE DO WE GO FROM FROM HERE? WELL, WE CAN'T CHANGE WHAT HAPPENED THERE, BUT WHAT WE CAN CHANGE.
AND WHAT, WHAT IT HAS CHANGED IS THE WORK THAT, UH, HOUSTON'S DONE UNDER THE, UH, MAYOR'S TASK FORCE.
THE WORK THAT THE MENTAL HEALTH COMMUNITY'S DONE, THE CHIEF, THE, THE PROFESSIONALS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT HERE AT THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT AND ELSEWHERE, TO TRY TO COME UP WITH THE BEST PRACTICES THAT WE CAN POSSIBLY TRAIN OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS TO,
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TO PROTECT THEMSELVES AND IN WHAT CAN BE A VERY DANGEROUS JOB, BUT ALSO PROTECT THE COMMUNITY AND INDIVIDUALS IN PARTICULAR WHO ARE UNDERGOING MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS.SO, NOT EVERY COMMUNITY, NOT EVERY CITY HAS THE RESOURCES THAT HOUSTON HAS OR THE ENLIGHTENED LEADERSHIP, UH, TO PROVIDE THESE RESOURCES TO THE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS.
BUT, UH, I WAS PARTICULARLY ENCOURAGED TO HEAR THAT HOUSTON IS OFFERING THIS TO OTHER MM-HMM
LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES WHO DON'T HAVE PERHAPS THAT, UM, THAT EXPERTISE OR THAT CAPABILITY TO HELP THEM LEARN THOSE BEST PRACTICES, UH, FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE OFFICERS IN THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE.
SO WE'RE GLAD THAT IN A VERY POLARIZED POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT, WE'RE ACTUALLY ABLE TO MAKE SOME PROGRESS.
AND CERTAINLY THIS DEESCALATION TRAINING ACT WILL SUPPLEMENT, UH, THE GOOD WORK BEING DONE HERE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, AND HOPEFULLY IN THE END, SAVE LIVES AND GET PEOPLE THE HELP THEY NEED IN ORDER TO, TO GET BETTER AND LIVE A MORE PRODUCTIVE LIFE.
AND AT THE SAME TIME, DEMONSTRATE THAT, UH, THE MEN AND WOMEN IN BLUE WHO KEEP OUR COMMUNITY SAFE, UH, GET THE KIND OF SUPPORT AND RESPECT THAT THEY DESERVE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY.
SO YOU GONNA ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS NOW? YES.
AND, AND, UH, CERTAINLY THE MAYOR, WE HAVE SOME OTHER GREAT EXPERTS HERE WHO CAN STEP UP AND ANSWER A QUESTIONS.
UH, THIS, THIS IS FOR THE SENATOR AND, AND THE MAYOR.
ONE, HOW DO YOU ANTICIPATE THIS $124 MILLION BEING SPENT IN TERMS OF ACTUAL USE? AND MAYOR, SHOULD HOUSTON GET ANY OF THIS MONEY? HOW WOULD YOU DEPLOY THOSE FUNDS? WELL, WE KNOW RESOURCES ARE ALWAYS AN ISSUE WHEN IT COMES TO GOVERNMENT AND SERVICES.
AND SO MUCH OF WHAT THIS $124 MILLION WILL DO IS TO, TO, TO PRIORITIZE, UH, THIS FUNDING.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ALREADY PROVIDES SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF FUNDS TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT.
UH, BUT HERE, JUST LIKE WE DID A FEW YEARS AGO AFTER THE TRAGIC SHOOTING IN COLUMBINE WHERE LAW ENFORCEMENT HAD TO LEARN A NEW TECHNIQUE TO DEAL WITH ACTIVE SHOOTERS, UH, THAT SORT OF TRAINING HAS GONE ON TO SAVE LIVES AND SUPPLEMENT WHAT CAN BE DONE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.
BUT AGAIN, ALL OF THIS IS, UH, IS, UH, YOU KNOW, WOVEN TOGETHER WHAT HAPPENS AT THE LOCAL STATE AND THE FEDERAL LEVEL.
BUT CERTAINLY THIS IS A ADDITIONAL RESOURCES THAT WE HOPE WILL SAVE LIVES AND, UM, AND, UM, HELP PEOPLE GET THE ASSISTANCE THAT THEY NEED AND PROTECT OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS.
WHAT I WOULD, WHAT I WOULD SIMPLY ADD IS THAT WE HAVE TAKEN GREAT STRIVES TO INCREASE, UH, TO PROVIDE ADDED FUNDING FOR OUR CRISIS INTERVENTION RESPONSE TEAMS AND OUR, UH, MOBILE CRISIS RESPONSE TEAMS. BUT THIS IS A CITY, THIS IS A LARGE CITY, 640 SQUARE MILES, AND THINGS ARE HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE CITY, SOMETIMES AT THE SAME TIME, ANY ADDITIONAL DOLLARS THAT CAN HELP US TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF SUPPORT, UH, INCREASE THE NUMBER OF, OF CERT TEAMS, UH, AND MOBILE TEAMS, ESPECIALLY FOR PEOPLE IN CRISIS, WILL HELP OUT QUITE A BIT.
ANY ADDITIONAL DOLLARS THAT WE CAN USE ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE WILL HELP OUT QUITE A, WILL WORK QUITE A BIT.
SO THOSE ARE GRANT OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HOPE THAT WE CAN OBTAIN AND INFUSE IN OUR EXISTING OPERATIONS TO EXPAND THEM.
ONE QUESTION FOR THE, FOR THE CHIEF, IF THAT'S OKAY? YES, SIR.
UH, THIS, THIS PAST WEEKEND, THERE WAS AN INCIDENT, UH, ON AITA LANE WHERE OFFICERS WERE NOT ABLE TO DEESCALATE.
WHAT DO YOU DO IN A SITUATION LIKE THAT? THAT'S, UH, TO, TO TEACH? YEAH.
LOOK, IT'S AN IMPERFECT WORLD AND I'LL GO HERE.
IT'S ALWAYS THE SANITY OF LIFE AND MAKE SURE WE DO ALL WE CAN.
UH, THAT'S AN ACTIVE INVESTIGATION.
AND THEN WE ALWAYS, AND OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTINGS, WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT IT VERY CRITICALLY, BUT I WANT TO, I WANT EVERYBODY TO KNOW THIS ONE THING, 4300 4400 CALLS A MONTH OF 50,000 INVOLVED IN CIT.
WE'RE NOT PERFECT HERE, AND NOBODY IS, BUT WE STRIVE TO BE THE BEST THAT WE CAN BE.
BUT GIMME A LITTLE OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK INTO THAT AND LET THAT, UH, INVESTIGATIONS GO FORWARD.
BUT I CAN TELL YOU, UM, OUR HEARTS AND, UM, THE GOAL OF OUR TRAINING IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN TO DEESCALATE NOW.
UM, WE ALL KNOW SOMETIMES IT, IT JUST DON'T END WELL.
BUT, UM, WHO'S TO BLAME? UH, WHO, WHO KNOWS RIGHT NOW? BUT, UH, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO, UH, MOVE FORWARD AND BE THE BEST AGENCY THAT WE CAN BE.
UM, BUT, UM, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE OUT OF 1.2, 1.3 MILLION CALLS OF SERVICE.
EVERYTHING'S NOT GONNA GO PERFECT, BUT, UH, WE TRY TO BE THE BEST THAT WE CAN BE.
AND THIS IS GONNA HELP THE, UH, TRAINING,
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UH, UH, THE FUNDING.AND, UH, HOPEFULLY WE GET SOME AND, AND, UM, WE'LL CONTINUE TO TRAIN OTHER AGENCIES AS WELL.
LEMME JUST ADD THAT IN SITUATIONS LIKE THAT, OR SIMILAR SITUATIONS, WE ALSO WANT, WANT, YOU NEED THE RESOURCES WHERE IN MANY CASES WHERE YOU CAN DIVERT THOSE CALLS AND IF NOT DIVERT, UH, SEND ADDITIONAL FOLK WHO CAN BE HELPFUL WITH PEOPLE IN CRISIS.
THAT'S SPECIFICALLY WHAT I WAS REFERRING TO ABOUT ADDITIONAL RESOURCES.
SO, BECAUSE POLICE ARE GONNA GET THOSE CALLS, FAMILIES IN CRISIS, WHO ARE THEY GONNA CALL? YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GONNA CALL POLICE.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, AS WE ARE GETTING THESE TYPE OF CALLS, WHEN PEOPLE ARE IN CRISIS, NOT ONLY DO WE WANNA SEND POLICE, BUT WE ALSO WANT TO SEND PEOPLE WHO ARE MORE SKILLED THAT CAN HELP TO DEESCALATE THOSE SITUATIONS.
YOU DON'T WANT THE PERSON WHO'S IN CRISIS TO BE A FIRSTLY IMPACTED.
AND AT THE SAME TIME, YOU DON'T WANT OUR POLICE OFFICERS, LIKE IN THIS CASE, TO BE INJURED OR FATALLY KILLED.
SO WHATEVER WE CAN DO TO DEESCALATE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE SENDING THE RIGHT RESOURCES, DEPENDING ON WHAT THAT CRISIS IS, THE BETTER IT IS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE BETTER IT IS FOR PEOPLE IN CRISIS AND THE FAMILY THAT HAPPENS TO BE IN CRISIS, THAT'S REACHING OUT FOR HELP.
SO WE NEED TO BE IN A MUCH BETTER PO POSITION TO DO A DIAGNOSTIC, A QUICK DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT, AND TO MAKE SURE THAT AS POLICE IS RESPONDING, WE'RE ALSO SENDING ADDITIONAL RESOURCES OUT THERE AS WELL.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE WE ARE TRYING, THAT'S WHERE WE ARE TRYING TO GO ONE THING RIGHT QUICKLY.
UM, AND IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE LOOK AT ALL THE ASPECTS AND EVERYTHING THAT LED UP TO THAT INCIDENT, THE, THE ORIGINAL CALL, AND MAKE SURE AS A COMMUNITY, AND I MEAN POLICE, FAITH-BASED, UM, OUR SOCIAL SERVICES, EVERYTHING, WHAT ARE WE DOING TO ASSIST THOSE FAMILIES THAT'S GOING THROUGH IT? UM, UH, WE SPOKE OF A 7-YEAR-OLD, UM, TODAY WITH A PARENT THAT WAS IN CRISIS.
UH, THE KID WAS IN, IN CRISIS.
SO WE GOTTA MAKE SURE AS A COMMUNITY AS WHOLE, WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING ON THE FRONT END TO HELP AVOID IT, UH, TO PREVENT THAT PERSON FROM ONCE THEY'RE IN CRISIS, WE STILL GOTTA DEAL WITH IT.
BUT I THINK WE GOTTA BE PROACTIVE GOING FORWARD, AND THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO DO IN OUR TRAINING.
AND I, I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT, BUT GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK DEEPLY, UH, INTO IT BEFORE I SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT? WE COULD HAVE DONE BETTER HERE.
WE COULD HAVE DONE EVERY INCIDENT IN THIS CITY.
WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT IT VERY CRITICAL FROM MY STANDPOINT AS A CHIEF OF POLICE AND, AND ALL THE LEADERSHIP HERE.
SO, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE LEND OUR HEARTS AND OUR MINDS TO THOSE FAMILIES THAT HAVE THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT, THAT ARE SUFFERING, UH, FROM MENTAL ILLNESS.
UH, AND THEN IT IS GOTTEN WORSE BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC.
WELL, IT'S REPRESENTATIVE OF THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS THAT STANDS UP FOR THE FAMILIES, NOT ONLY THE FAMILIES THAT ARE IMPACTED ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS, BUT ALSO THE FAMILIES OF THE OFFICERS.
DO YOU FEEL SENATOR THAT THIS DEESCALATION TRAINING WILL KEEP OFFICERS, THE ONES THAT WE WANT OUT THERE ON THEIR JOBS LONGER, FEELING MORE CONFIDENT THAT THEY CAN ACTUALLY HANDLE THESE CALLS? 'CAUSE THE CALLS ARE NOT GOING DOWN.
SO AS PART OF THE REASON FOR THIS LEGISLATION TO KEEP OFFICERS EQUIPPED WITH WHAT THEY NEED TO DO THEIR JOBS AND HELP OUR FAMILIES MORE APPROPRIATELY, ABSOLUTELY.
PART OF THIS IS TO TAKE SOME OF THESE CASES OFF OF THEIR PLATE BECAUSE AS THE MAYOR STARTED IT OUT TODAY, SAID, WE ASK OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS TO DO TOO MUCH.
AND UM, THE MAYOR INDICATED WHEN SOMEBODY'S IN TROUBLE, WHAT DO THEY DO? THEY CALL THE POLICE.
AND SO GETTING A MORE FLEXIBLE RESPONSE IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
BUT LET ME JUST SAY THAT IT IS ALSO, UM, THIS IS A TOUGH JOB AND RECRUITING IS NOT EASY BECAUSE IT IS A DANGEROUS JOB, CAN BE A DANGEROUS JOB.
AND WE WANT TO KEEP OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS WHO ARE ON THE JOB NOW, WE WANT TO KEEP 'EM AS LONG AS WE CAN.
AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH THE CHIEF AND OTHER, UM, OTHER COLLEAGUES IN CONGRESS TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR OUR EXISTING OFFICERS, UH, BECAUSE THEY SEE THINGS BY THE NATURE OF THEIR JOB AND THEY HAVE TO DO THINGS THAT MOST OF US ARE, DO NOT HAVE TO BE EXPOSED TO.
AND IT HAS AN IMPACT AND THAT WE ALL UNDERSTAND THAT.
SO WE WE'RE JUST LOOKING FOR ANY WAY WE CAN TRY TO PROVIDE THAT SUPPORT FOR, UH, UH, FOR THE MEN AND WOMEN IN BLUE, BUT ALSO KEEP 'EM ON THE JOB AND, UH, KEEP THE COMMUNITY SAFE.
IF YOU'LL JOIN ME IN, IN THANKING, UH, SENATOR JOHN CORNING.
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UH, I CAN'T THANK HIM ENOUGH BECAUSE IN A TIME WE WERE LIVING IN A VERY POLARIZED ENVIRONMENT.LEMME TELL YOU, YOU STILL CAN DO THINGS TOGETHER.
OKAY? YOU STILL CAN DO THINGS TOGETHER.
AND UM, AND HE'S AN EXAMPLE OF THAT.
I'VE KNOWN HIM FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, LONG TIME, A LONG TIME, BUT HE'S ALWAYS BEEN CONSISTENT AND THE RELATIONSHIP HAS ALWAYS BEEN VERY POSITIVE AND VERY CONSTRUCTIVE.
AND FOR, FOR THAT, I PERSONALLY AS WELL AS THE MAYOR OF CITY OF HOUSTON, I WANNA SAY THANK YOU.