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UH, THIS MEETING IS CALLED TO ORDER, UH,[Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee on March 9, 2023. ]
ON MARCH 9TH, 2023 AT 2:01 PM TODAY WE'RE GOING TO HEAR FROM HPD ASSISTANT CHIEF MARTIN AND HPD CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER MIKE BELL, UH, BOTH ONLINE.UH, WE ARE GOING TO BE PRESENTING, UH, AND HEARING AN OVERVIEW OF HP'S RECORD MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND AN OVERVIEW OF HP'S REAL-TIME CRIME CENTER, UM, WHICH HAS AN UPCOMING UPGRADE PROCUREMENT.
SO WE'RE GONNA BE VERY BRIEF ON THAT ONE, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE'RE HEARING ABOUT THE RMS SYSTEM, UM, HUGE OVERHAUL, UH, FOR HPD, UH, IMPACTING ALL OF THEIR OPERATIONS, UH, BOTH INTERNALLY AND OUTSIDE WITH THE COMMUNITY INTERFACING.
UH, WE ARE JOINED IN CHAMBERS BY MY COLLEAGUE, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN AND ONLINE BY COUNCIL MEMBER PECK, EXCUSE ME.
WE ALSO HAVE IN CHAMBERS STAFF FROM, UH, VICE CHAIR KNOX'S OFFICE, AND, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER JACKSON'S OFFICE AND ONLINE.
UH, WE'RE JOINED BY STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS POLLARD, CIS AND CIRO'S OFFICE.
IS THERE ANYONE I AM MISSING FOR ROLL CALL FOR, UH, SEEING NONE? UH, I DO WANNA MENTION WE HAVE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WATCHING ONLINE AND ON HTV.
PLEASE NOTE THE PRESENTATIONS ARE UPLOADED ON THE COMMITTEE'S WEBSITE AS WELL.
UH, WE WILL TAKE QUESTIONS AFTER EACH PRESENTATION TODAY, AND THEN WE HAVE, UH, I BELIEVE TWO, UH, PUBLIC SPEAKERS YOU'LL BE CALLED AT THE END OF, UH, TODAY'S, UH, PRESENTATIONS, UH, TO SPEAK IF YOU ARE PRESENT.
UH, WITH THAT, UH, AT THIS TIME, THE CHAIR RECOGNIZES, UH, ASSISTANT CHIEF MARTIN AND CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER BELL.
UM, AS YOU SAID, MY NAME IS MIKE BELL.
I'M THE CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER OF HPD AND CO-PRESENTING WITH ME TODAY IS ASSISTANT CHIEF MARTIN, WHO I BELIEVE YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH.
UH, THE FIRST PRESENTATION WE'D LIKE TO START WITH IS THE RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM PROCUREMENT UPDATE, AS YOU MENTIONED.
UM, WE CAN GET THAT SLIDE DECK UP.
UH, THE CURRENT RECORD MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR HPD WAS, UH, UH, A CONTRACT SIGNED BACK IN MAY OF 2009.
UH, THE CONTRACT IS SCHEDULED TO END IN MAY OF 2023, WHICH IS NEXT MONTH, BUT WE ARE GONNA APPROACH CITY COUNCIL FOR A ONE YEAR EXTENSION ON THAT TO GIVE US TIME TO IMPLEMENT THE NEW SYSTEM THAT WE'RE GONNA DISCUSS TODAY.
A YEAR AGO, WE PUBLISHED AN RFP FOR A NEW RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.
UH, THE REQUIREMENTS IN THAT RFP WERE BASED OFF THE NEW IG STANDARDS THAT HAD JUST BEEN PUBLISHED, UH, IN MAY OF 21.
THE BID RESPONSES CLOSED IN JULY OF 22 AFTER A, AN EXTENSION REQUEST BY THE VENDOR COMMUNITY.
AND SINCE LAST AUGUST THROUGH JANUARY, WE'VE RE UH, WE'VE EVALUATED THOSE BID RESPONSES.
SO, I'M GONNA BRIEFLY GO THROUGH THESE FUNCTIONAL GOALS, AND THEN I'LL LET CHIEF MARTIN TALK TO THE BENEFITS AND SOME OF THE, UH, APPLICATION OF THE RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.
UH, THE RFP ASKED FOR A TURNKEY RMS THAT SUPPORTS STATE AND FEDERAL LOCAL COMPLIANCE REGULATIONS, BUT IT MUST HAVE A PROVEN TRACK RECORD OF WORKING WITH LARGE AGENCIES SUCH AS THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT.
WE ASK FOR A SYSTEM THAT WOULD BE HIGHLY CONFIGURABLE.
HAVE USER-FRIENDLY INTERFACES WITH FEATURES LIKE FIELD VALIDATION, SMART SUGGEST, AND CONTEXT SENSITIVE HELP.
THESE ARE FEATURES THAT ARE NOT AVAILABLE IN OUR CURRENT SYSTEM AND WILL GREATLY HELP US MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE ACCURATE AND USABLE DATA IN THE SYSTEM.
WE ALSO ASK FOR A CO SYSTEM COMMERCIAL OFF THE SHELF WITH CONTINUOUS SUPPORT FROM THE VENDOR, UH, THROUGH ACROSS THE LIFECYCLE OF THE SYSTEM.
WE ASKED FOR THE FUNCTIONALITY TO HAVE COMPREHENSIVE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS BUILT INTO THE SYSTEM AND USER DEFINED REPORTS.
AND THEN LASTLY, WE ASKED THAT THE VENDOR BUILD THE INTERFACES THAT ARE REQUIRED FOR THE SYSTEM TO FUNCTION.
UH, WITH ALL OF THE EXTERNAL SYSTEMS THAT WE INTERFACE WITH CURRENTLY, UH, I BELIEVE WE SPECIFIED 27 INTERFACES IN THAT RFP.
UH, WITH THAT, I'LL PAUSE FOR CHIEF MARTIN TO ADD ANY BENEFITS AND CONTEXT HE WANTS TO, BUT Y'ALL ARE PROBABLY IN, IN REPEATED, UH, PRESENTATIONS THAT WE MADE, EITHER STATISTICAL PRESENTATIONS ON CRIME OR OTHER FUNCTIONS THAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO BRING IN TO THE DEPARTMENT.
TECHNOLOGICAL ENHANCEMENTS TO, UH, GIVE OUR PERSONNEL, UH, THE BETTER TOOLS TO DO THEIR JOB MORE EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY.
EVERY SINGLE BIT OF THAT, THAT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED IN THE PAST, AND THEN SOME IS TOUCHED ON BY THE SYSTEM.
UH, IT'S CALLED A RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.
BUT THAT NAME IS REALLY, UM, A MISNOMER.
IT IS NOT JUST SIMPLY SOMETHING WE USE TO TRACK DOCUMENTS AND RECORDS AND DO REPORTS.
THE SYSTEM INTERFACES WITH ALMOST EVERYTHING OUR OFFICERS DO ON A DAILY BASIS, UH, WHEN THEY'RE RUNNING SOMEONE ON THE COMPUTER TO CHECK THEIR CRIMINAL HISTORY, UH, CHECKING DRIVER'S LICENSE, CHECKING DRIVER'S LICENSES, LICENSE PLATES, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
THE SYSTEM THAT WE CURRENTLY USE INTERFACES WITH THOSE EXTERNAL
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DATABASES THROUGH THE RMS, BUT THE ONE WE CURRENTLY HAVE, UH, LET'S, LET'S THINK ABOUT TECHNOLOGY IN TERMS OF HOW IT ADVANCES.THIS IS GONNA BE A GENERATIONAL SHIFT IN TECHNOLOGY.
WHEN I STARTED THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, NOT TO MAKE MYSELF OLDER THAN I AM, UH, WE STILL WROTE OUR OFFENSE REPORTS BY HAND ON A FORM, TURNED IT IN AND A RECORDS CLERK TYPED IT INTO A SYSTEM SO THAT WE COULD HAVE ACCESS TO IT LATER ON.
SAME WITH OUR CRASH REPORTS FOR CAR CRASHES AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
UH, EARLY ON IN MY CAREER, WE SWITCHED TO COMPUTER-BASED REPORTING WHERE WE WOULD TYPE IN OUR OWN REPORTS DIRECTLY IN THE SYSTEM.
THE LEVEL OF ACCURACY WENT UP BECAUSE YOU WEREN'T DEALING WITH SOMEONE ELSE TRYING TO DECIPHER YOUR HANDWRITING AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET IT TYPED INTO A SYSTEM.
WE WERE ABLE TO PUT IT IN OURSELF, BUT IT WAS STILL SIMPLY JUST A SYSTEM THAT LETS YOU TYPE IN A REPORT.
UH, WE MOVE FORWARD TO OUR CURRENT RMS, WHICH GAVE US SOME ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONALITY, BUT IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE CELL PHONES YOU HAVE IN YOUR POCKET AND HOW QUICKLY THAT TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES, THIS IS LIKE GOING FROM, YOU KNOW, HAVING THE OLD, UH, MOTOROLA BRICK PHONE THAT ONLY US OLD PEOPLE REMEMBER, UH, TO A SMARTPHONE.
UH, THE, THE FUNCTIONALITY THAT'S GONNA BE AVAILABLE TO OFFICERS IN THE FIELD WILL MAKE THEM SO MUCH MORE EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE THAN THEY ARE NOW.
UH, WE ALWAYS NEED MORE PEOPLE.
WE'RE ALWAYS SAYING WE NEED MORE PEOPLE, BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT EVEN IF WE DECIDED TO HIRE A THOUSAND MORE COPS TODAY, IT WOULD BE YEARS BEFORE THOSE OFFICERS WERE ACTUALLY IN SERVICE AND ON THE STREET BENEFITING THE CITIZENS.
SO IF WE CAN GIVE THE OFFICERS WE HAVE TODAY BETTER TOOLS TO BE ABLE TO DO THEIR JOB MORE EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY, UH, IT'S GONNA BE, UH, MORE VALUABLE THAN REALLY I CAN EVEN DISCUSS.
CAN WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE? SO, THE SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS, AND WE'RE GONNA SPEAK AT A HIGH LEVEL BECAUSE WE ARE IN A QUIET PERIOD OF THE PROCUREMENT, UH, CHAIR CAYMAN.
UH, WE ASKED FOR AN ARCHITECTURE THAT WOULD INCLUDE A MOBILE APPLICATION AS CHIEF MARTIN MENTIONED FOR USE ON THE, UH, HPD ISSUE, SMARTPHONE.
BUT WE ALSO ASKED FOR, UH, A SYSTEM THAT HAD A PROVEN TRACK RECORD OF RELIABILITY AND THAT THE ARCHITECTURE WAS FAULT TOLERANT BEHIND THE SYSTEM.
UH, AGAIN, WE ASK THAT IT COMPLY WITH ALL STATE, FEDERAL AND LOCAL LAWS AND, AND INCLUDES COMPLIANCE WITH THE FBIC JUST SECURITY POLICY.
UH, LASTLY, WE ASKED THAT IT INTEGRATE WITH OUR NEW DIGITAL EVIDENCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, WHERE WE STORE A LOT OF OUR BODY-WORN CAMERA VIDEO AND OUR IN-CAR VIDEO, AND THAT WE, THAT THE VENDOR CONVERT OUR EXISTING DATA FROM OUR CURRENT RMS INTO THE NEW RMS SO THAT WE DON'T LOSE THE VALUE OF ALL OF THAT WORK AND ALL OF THAT DATA THAT WE'VE ACQUIRED OVER THE YEARS.
SO THE NEXT STEP IS WE WILL BE COMING TO CITY COUNCIL, UH, TO CITY COUNCIL FOR A REQUEST TO APPROVE OUR NEW RMS CONTRACT.
ONCE CITY LEGAL AND, UH, PROCUREMENT DEFINE THAT CONTRACT AND WE GET IT APPROVED, UH, I'LL PAUSE AND ASK CHIEF MARTIN IF HE WANTS TO ADD ANYTHING TO THAT.
IT WAS, UH, MIKE MENTIONED ALSO THE, THE EXTENSION FOR THE EXISTING CONTRACT.
UH, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS WITH THIS NEW PROCUREMENT IS THAT IT'S, IT'S DONE RIGHT.
WE'VE PUT A LOT OF EFFORT INTO, UH, EVALUATING THESE VENDORS, TRYING TO GET THINGS GOING FORWARD.
UH, THESE SYSTEMS ARE NOT CHEAP, BUT IT'S GONNA BE, IT'S GONNA BE BENEFITING US GOING FORWARD OVER, OVER THE NEXT DECADE OR MORE.
UH, WE'VE BEEN USING THE CURRENT SYSTEM FOR A DECADE.
WE USE THE PREVIOUS SYSTEM TO THAT FOR 30 YEARS.
AND SO, UH, THIS IS NOT A, A ONE TIME WE'RE GONNA BUY IT, USE IT, AND THEN REPLACE IT AGAIN.
UH, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE GET THIS CORRECT.
SO GETTING THAT EXTENSION IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE WHICHEVER VENDOR WE END UP GOING WITH, WHATEVER CONTRACT WE GET, WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO TAKE THE TIME TO IMPLEMENT THIS PROPERLY.
UH, ONE OF THE THINGS MIKE MENTIONED EARLIER WAS THE STATISTICAL REPORTING AND THE DATA ANALYSIS.
Y'ALL HAVE HEARD ME REPEATEDLY SAY THAT CERTAIN REPORTS THAT WE GENERATE ARE VERY TIME CONSUMING BECAUSE THEY'RE HAND COUNTED.
I HAVE AN OFFICER SITTING THERE MANUALLY READING OFFENSE REPORT AFTER OFFENSE REPORT AFTER OFFENSE REPORT, PULLING DATA OUT OF IT.
UH, WE DON'T REALLY HAVE THE ABILITY TO GO IN AND JUST SAY, SHOW ME A REPORT OF THIS JUST ON A CUSTOM BASIS, NOT AS ROBUSTLY AS WE WOULD LIKE.
AND THIS IS GOING TO MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THAT AS WELL.
SO, SO NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, UH, CHAIR KAMAN.
WE'LL PAUSE FOR ANY QUESTIONS THAT COUNCIL MEMBERS MAY HAVE.
UM, AND BEFORE WE GET TO QUESTIONS, I WANNA RECOGNIZE THAT ONLINE WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER KUBOSH AND ROBINSON WHO HAVE JOINED US AS WELL AS STAFF FROM MAYOR PROTON, MARTIN COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER, UM, AND COUNCIL MEMBER PLUMMER'S OFFICE.
UH, WITH THAT COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, THANK YOU CHAIR, AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
WHAT, WHAT ARE WE CURRENTLY PAYING ANNUALLY FOR OUR CURRENT SYSTEM? THE CURRENT ANNUAL MAINTENANCE ON OUR SYSTEM IS ABOUT $1.5 MILLION A YEAR.
AND THIS GENERATES THE OFFENSE REPORTS, CORRECT? I MEAN, THIS IS THE OFFENSE REPORT AND EVERYTHING THROUGH IT.
I KNOW THERE'S BEEN DISCUSSIONS WITH, WITH HARRIS COUNTY ABOUT KIND OF UNIFORM OFFENSE REPORTS.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S A SEPARATE THING OR IF THAT'S PART OF THIS, OR IS THERE ANY BENEFIT TO ALL BEING ON THE SAME SYSTEM? I KNOW WE'RE
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STILL PICKING THE EXACT SYSTEM, UM, FOR, YOU KNOW, THE DA AND FOR EVERYBODY ELSE THAT DEALS WITH ALL THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IN THE, IN THE AREA.SO WE ARE WORKING WITH, UH, OUR COUNTERPARTS AT HARRIS COUNTY TO DEVELOP A UNIFORM OFFENSE REPORT.
I BELIEVE THAT'S THE LANGUAGE THAT'S BEING USED.
UH, IN ORDER TO GENERATE THAT REPORT, WE DON'T HAVE TO BE ON THE SAME VENDOR SYSTEM.
UH, WE WILL HAVE TO AGREE ON WHAT DATA ELEMENTS THAT WE WILL SHARE, UH, ACROSS SYSTEMS SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, UH, ACCURATE AND THAT WE'RE GETTING ALL THE DETAIL NEEDED.
UH, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE THE SAME SYSTEM, AND THERE HASN'T BEEN ANY INITIATIVE TO, UH, ENSURE THAT WE'RE BOTH USING THE SAME VENDOR.
SO THAT IT CAN STILL BE A UNIFORM REPORT WITHOUT BEING ON THE SAME SYSTEM.
AND I KNOW YOU'RE STILL NEGOTIATING AND FIGURING OUT WHO'S DOING WHAT AND DON'T WANNA GIVE TOO MUCH AWAY.
BUT, UM, CAN YOU GIVE ME KIND OF AN EXAMPLE OF THE JUMP IN PRICE FOR THIS BETTER SYSTEM? IF YOU ARE PAYING A MILLION AND A HALF MAINTENANCE NOW? I MEAN, YOU CAN GIMME A RANGE OR WHATEVER IF THAT'S, IF, IF YOU CAN.
I DON'T BELIEVE WE'RE ALLOWED TO DISCUSS THAT AT THIS TIME.
AND, AND TO, TO TACK ON WHAT MIKE SAID, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, AS FAR AS THE DATA ELEMENTS CROSS BETWEEN THE TWO, UH, AGENCIES OR BETWEEN AGENCIES IN THE AREA, UH, THAT IS SOMETHING THOUGH THAT A NEWER SYSTEM IS GONNA HELP US WITH OUR CURRENT SYSTEM.
TRYING TO, UH, MATCH THOSE THINGS UP AND SHARE DATA SYSTEM TO SYSTEM BETWEEN AGENCIES IS MUCH MORE DIFFICULT.
THE NEWER SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE ON ALL OF THE MORE MODERN SYSTEMS, THEY COMMUNICATE MUCH BETTER WITH OUTSIDE SYSTEMS. THE INTERFACES ARE MUCH MORE ROBUST.
UH, SO THE UPDATE IS CRITICAL TO BEING ABLE TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION.
AND, AND YOU MIGHT HAVE SAID IT, BUT WHEN DO YOU EXPECT THIS TO A CHOICE TO BE MADE AND BROUGHT TO COUNCIL A TIMEFRAME? WE BELIEVE IT'LL HAPPEN IN THE NEXT MONTH OR SO.
AND, UM, AGAIN, JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, SO THAT IT'S IN LAYMAN'S TERMS, UM, WE'RE GONNA SEE A, A REQUEST FOR EXTENSION BECAUSE IT'S GONNA TAKE TIME FOR THIS NEW SYSTEM TO BE IMPLEMENTED RIGHT OVER THE NEXT YEAR.
UM, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, CHIEFS IN TERMS OF DATA TRA JUST DATA ALONE, BUT SY SYSTEM TRANSITION.
UM, SO WE'LL HAVE THAT EXTENSION AND WHAT'S ALSO BROUGHT BEFORE US WILL BE THE NEW, UH, SELECTED VENDOR AS WELL FOR THE NEW RMS SYSTEM.
AND I KNOW THAT A LOT OF THIS I WANNA RECOGNIZE WAS COVERED IN TTI IN TERMS OF THE TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF THE PROCUREMENT.
BUT GIVEN, UM, ALL OF THIS FALLS UNDER ALSO ONE SAFE HOUSTON AND THE IMPLEMENT AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR CHIEF MARTIN, I'M GETTING TO MY QUESTION FOR YOU.
UM,
UM, YOU TOUCHED ON THE DATA POLLS.
UH, RIGHT NOW, I KNOW WE ALL ARE ASKING, YOU KNOW, HEY, IN OUR DISTRICTS, WHAT IS THAT DATA AND SHOW US THESE NUMBERS.
AND IT, LIKE YOU'RE SAYING, IT'S TAKING A VERY LONG TIME.
SO ONE, WELL, THIS, I HEARD YOU SAY THIS WILL ENABLE FASTER DATA PULLS.
UM, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE INTERPLAY WITH ONE SAFE HOUSTON, THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY, UM, FROM A A PUBLIC STANDPOINT AND ALSO THE CUSTOMIZATION.
I'M GETTING A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT WE CAN BE TRACKING.
UH, I KNOW YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GO INTO SOME OF THAT, BUT IF YOU COULD TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.
WELL, JUST IN GENERAL, JUST IN GENERAL TERMS, UH, WHAT WE DO NOW AND WHAT WE TRY TO DO, UH, CURRENTLY IN LAW ENFORCEMENT IS BE DATA-DRIVEN, INTELLIGENCE LED POLICING, DATA-DRIVEN POLICING.
THOSE ARE THE, THE WORD OF THE, THE WORD OF THE DAY.
BUT I DON'T THINK THEY'RE GOING ANYWHERE BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE'VE GOT.
WE'VE GOT TO TAKE THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE AND APPLY THEM WHERE THEY ARE MOST NEEDED.
AND IN ORDER TO DO THAT, YOU HAVE TO HAVE INFORMATION.
UH, WE BROUGHT INFORMATION TO COUNCIL RECENTLY ABOUT, UH, A BREAKDOWN OF CRIME NUMBERS BY COUNCIL DISTRICT.
WE'VE, WE'VE DONE THAT TWICE NOW.
THAT WAS A, A REPORT THAT IT TOOK SOME TIME TO PUT TOGETHER.
NOW WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO FINALLY GET SOME OF THAT STANDARDIZED.
BUT IT TOOK A LOT TO PUT THAT TOGETHER TO HAVE, UH, THE RIGHT TRACKING FOR THE RIGHT INFORMATION.
UH, QUESTIONS THEN WERE BROUGHT UP.
ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I REMEMBER BEING ASKED WAS A BREAKDOWN OF HOMICIDES.
YOU KNOW, UH, WHICH ONES ARE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, UH, WHICH ONES WERE CON WERE WITH FIREARMS, WHICH ONES WERE WITH KNIVES, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
OUR CURRENT SYSTEM MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT TO GENERATE THOSE REPORTS, BUT THOSE DATA FIELDS WITH THE NEWER SYSTEMS ARE MUCH MORE ACCESSIBLE TO YOUR REPORTING PROCESSES.
IT'S EASIER TO GO IN AND CUSTOMIZE YOUR REPORTING PROCESSES AND PULL ADDITIONAL DATA POINTS OUT.
THE NEW SYSTEMS CAPTURE MORE DATA POINTS TO ALLOW US TO BETTER ANALYZE CRIME IN THE COMMUNITY AND THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON IN THE COMMUNITY AND BE MORE TRANSPARENT, PUT OUT, UH, MORE INFORMATION TO PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING.
UH, LET OUR OFFICERS KNOW MORE ABOUT WHAT, WHAT'S HAPPENING.
THEY'LL HAVE RIGHT THERE IN THEIR HAND A MOBILE
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DEVICE THAT HAS ACCESS TO ALL THE DATA IN THIS SYSTEM, OR A SIGN, SIGNIFICANT, SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF THE DATA THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE, WHICH CURRENTLY THEY WOULD HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE STATION TO ACCESS FOR THE MOST PART.SO THERE'S A, IT'S, IT'S A, AS I'VE MENTIONED BEFORE, IT'S A GENERATIONAL CHANGE IN THE ACCESSIBILITY OF DATA, BOTH TO THE OFFICERS IN THE FIELD AND THE LEVEL OF INFORMATION THAT WE CAN PROVIDE OR WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE TO THE PUBLIC, UH, ABOUT CRIME AND, AND THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING WITHIN THIS CITY.
AND, UM, IN TERMS OF EFFICIENCY, UH, YOU MAY HAVE TOUCHED ON IT, BUT IF Y'ALL COULD ALSO GO BACK OVER, I MEAN, HOW LONG IT'S TAKING SOME, RIGHT, WITH THE CURRENT SYSTEMS, YOU MAY HAVE TO, I SEE SOME OFFICERS HAVING TO, YOU KNOW, PULL OVER, GO TO A RESTAURANT IN THE DISTRICT TO START INPUTTING THINGS.
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT? THE, THE SYSTEM INTEGRATION? UH, DIRECTOR BELL MENTIONED THE, UH, 26, 27 DIFFERENT INTERFACES THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
THE FACT THAT THE NEWER SYSTEMS WILL BE ABLE TO INTEGRATE WITH ALL OF THE SUBSYSTEMS THAT OUR OFFICERS USE WILL GIVE THEM THE ABILITY TO, IN THE FIELD, LET'S USE A BICYCLE OFFICER, FOR EXAMPLE.
CURRENTLY, IF A BICYCLE OFFICER WAS TO MAKE AN ARREST OR, UH, EVEN NEED TO JUST TAG EVIDENCE OR GENERATE AN OFFENSE REPORT, UH, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO CALL A PATROL UNIT OVER THERE WITH A COMPUTER OR ELSE MAKE THEIR WAY BACK TO THE STATION IN ORDER TO GENERATE THAT REPORT.
UH, PUT THAT INFORMATION TOGETHER, TAG THE EVIDENCE, ANYTHING ELSE THAT THEY WOULD NEED TO DO.
UH, YOU TAKE THE SYSTEM WE MENTIONED THERE BEING A MOBILE COMPONENT.
IF AN OFFICER CAN GENERATE THE MAJORITY OF, OR EVEN ALL OF THEIR, UH, OFFENSE REPORTS IN THE FIELD, THEY DON'T, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NEVER HAVING TO LEAVE THEIR PATROL AREA.
UH, THEY'RE NOT HAVING TO BE OUT OF SERVICE AS LONG.
THEY'RE GONNA GET BACK IN SERVICE QUICKER.
THE SYSTEMS, AS FAR AS ACCESSING THE INFORMATION THAT YOU NEED THROUGH YOUR REPORTS, THEY COMMUNICATE BETTER.
UH, ALL OF THE MORE MODERN SYSTEMS THAT WE VIEWED FROM ANY OF THE VENDORS, UH, GIVES THEM OFFICERS ACCESS TO INFORMATION THAT THEY'VE LOOKED AT IN THE PAST IN THEIR WORK TO ADD TO THEIR OFFERING REPORTS.
IT'S JUST A MUCH MORE EFFICIENT PROCESS.
UH, I THINK THE BEST ANALOGY THAT I COULD USE WOULD BE TO REITERATE WHAT I SAID ABOUT THE OLD MOTOROLA BRICK BRICK PHONE OR THE FLIP PHONE VERSUS A SMARTPHONE.
THE ACCESS YOU HAVE TO INFORMATION IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND IS SO VASTLY DIFFERENT, UH, NOW THAN IT WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, 12, 13, 14 YEARS AGO.
THAT'S THE TYPE OF LEAP WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
AND LASTLY, HOW OLD IS THE CURRENT SYSTEM? SO THE, THE CONTRACT WAS SIGNED FOR THE CURRENT SYSTEM IN 2009.
UH, THERE WAS A LENGTHY IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD, UH, DIDN'T GO LIVE UNTIL 2014.
UH, HOWEVER, THAT PRODUCT, UH, WHEN THE DEPARTMENT PURCHASED IT, IT WAS LATE IN ITS LIFECYCLE.
SO THAT GIVES YOU SOME, UM, FEELING FOR WHAT CHIEF MARTIN'S TALKING ABOUT AS FAR AS THE GENERATIONAL CHANGES THAT A NEW SYSTEM WILL BRING TO HPD.
AND JUST TO BUILD ON WHAT HE WAS SAYING ABOUT THE INTEGRATIONS, THE NEW SYSTEM WILL ALLOW OFFICERS TO INPUT THE DATA ONCE AND BECAUSE OF THE TIGHT INTEGRATION, THE DATA FLOWS THROUGH TO ALL THE SUBSYSTEMS. AND SO THEY'RE NOT HAVING TO RE-KEY VITAL INFORMATION LIKE THEY HAVE TO DO TODAY.
SO THAT SHOULD HELP WITH DATA ACCURACY, BUT ALSO HELP WITH TYING.
SO, AND SO, RIGHT NOW, JUST TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND YOU, THE CERTAIN DIVISIONS ARE HAVING TO RECREATE DOCUMENTS, UM, AND THIS SYSTEM WILL ENSURE UNIFORMITY THAT'S IT'S DONE ONCE, UH, WHICH I'M ALSO ASSUMING WILL HELP WITH ACCURACY AS WELL, RIGHT? YES, MA'AM.
UM, AND THIS LASTLY, I KNOW I SAID ONE LAST QUESTION.
THIS WILL BE ABLE TO INTEGRATE WHEN WE FINALLY GET A NEW CAD SYSTEM, JUST FOR THE RECORD.
THAT ACTUALLY WAS ONE OF THE, THAT ACTUALLY WAS ONE OF THE FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS THAT EVERY VENDOR HAD TO ADDRESS WAS THE ABILITY TO INTEGRATE WITH CAD WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT A NEW CAD SYSTEM WAS ON THE HORIZON.
WELL, THIS IS ALL VERY EXCITING.
I DO WANNA RECOGNIZE WE HAVE STAFF FROM VICE MAYOR PRO TEM CASTEX TATUM'S OFFICE THAT HAS ALSO JOINED US.
UM, AND I THINK WE ARE READY TO MOVE.
I DON'T SEE ANYONE ELSE IN QUEUE.
UH, LET'S GO ON INTO THE NEXT PRESENTATION.
THE SECOND PRESENTATION WE HAVE TODAY FOR THE COMMITTEE IS THE, UH, AN UPDATE ON OUR PROCUREMENT FOR THE REALTIME CRIME CENTER.
UH, THE REALTIME CRIME CENTER FOR THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT, UH, WAS IMPLEMENTED BACK IN 2008, UH, WITH THE GOAL TO IMPROVE RESPONSE OUTCOMES FOR OUR OFFICERS IN THE STREET.
UH, IT SERVES AS AN INTELLIGENCE CENTER, REALLY AS A CROSSROAD FOR CRITICAL INFORMATION DURING A MAJOR EVENT, UH, SO THAT WE CAN RESPOND TO THOSE, UH, WE CAN PASS THAT INFORMATION ONTO THOSE RESPONDING OFFICERS, ANALYSTS IN THE REALTIME CRIME CENTER LOOK UP LOCATION AND SUSPECT HISTORY, AND THEY RELAY IT TO THE RESPONDING OFFICERS, UH, ON THEIR WAY TO THE CALL.
UH, AS I SAID, UH, THE REALTIME CRIME CENTER, IT'S KIND OF A HUB.
YOU CAN SEE IN THE CASE OF HURRICANE HARVEY HERE, UH, IT WAS MANNED.
UM, IT'S HARD TO READ IN THAT PICTURE, BUT THAT
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FIRST, UH, STATION THERE IS FOR THE RED CROSS WHO WAS COORDINATING WITH US IN THE HURRICANE HARVEY RESPONSE.AND YOU CAN SEE THAT ALL THE OTHER STATIONS ARE MANNED WITH STAFF TO REALLY HELP FACILITATE GETTING THOSE URGENT RESOURCES TO WHERE THEY'RE MOST NEEDED.
THIS IS A PICTURE OF A MODERN REALTIME CRIME CENTER.
UH, THIS IS THE MEMPHIS POLICE DEPARTMENT'S REAL-TIME CRIME CENTER VIDEO WALL.
AND WITH THE EXPANSION OF VIDEO CAMERAS AVAILABLE IN THE PUBLIC SPACE, NOT ONLY TO SAY RELIANT STADIUM OR OTHER BIG VENUES, THIS TECHNOLOGY GIVES US THE ABILITY TO LOOK AT MANY CAMERAS AT ONE TIME TO GET A BETTER PICTURE, UH, OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS OF WHAT'S GOING ON, UH, IN THE ENVIRONMENT.
CHIEF, I'LL, I'LL PAUSE THERE BECAUSE YOU GUYS USE THIS EVERY DAY, RIGHT? UH, REAL, AS MIKE SAID, THE REALTIME CRIME CENTER IN ITS CURRENT ITERATION CAME INTO BEING IN 2008.
PRIOR TO THAT, WE HAD WHAT WE REFERRED TO AS THE COMMAND CENTER, WHICH WAS REALLY JUST MORE OF A CALL HUB.
UH, IT WAS WHERE WE HAD A GROUP OF OFFICERS THAT WOULD, THAT SAT THERE, AND WHENEVER SOME SIGNIFICANT EVENT WOULD OCCUR, OFFICERS IN THE FIELD WOULD CALL THEM AND THEY WOULD PICK UP THE PHONES AND START CALLING ALL THE CRITICAL PEOPLE AND TELLING THEM, HEY, THERE'S THIS INCIDENT THAT'S OCCURRING, YOU NEED TO RESPOND.
AND THAT WAS THE EXTENT OF WHAT IT DID.
UH, WHEN WE STOOD IT UP AS A REAL-TIME CRIME CENTER, UH, WE WERE NOT THE FIRST, BUT WE WERE ONE OF THE FIRST AROUND THE COUNTRY TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
THE GOAL THEN WAS TO INTEGRATE DIFFERENT DATA SOURCES TOGETHER.
AND SO THAT WHEN CRITICAL CALLS WOULD DROP, UH, YOU KNOW, A AN IN PROGRESS SHOOTING CALL, UH, HEAVEN FORBID IT WAS AN ACTIVE SHOOTER OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT PEOPLE IN THE REAL TIME CRIME CENTER WOULD IMMEDIATELY START GATHERING DATA REGARDING THE FACTS OF THAT CALL.
UH, WHO THE CALLER IS, UH, WHAT IS THE LOCATION, WHAT IS THE HISTORY AT THAT LOCATION, WHAT TYPES OF INCIDENTS HAVE HAPPENED THERE RECENTLY, YOU KNOW, WAS THERE A SHOOTING THERE YESTERDAY? YOU KNOW, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND THEN IF THEY CAME UP WITH SOMETHING CRITICAL, THEY WOULD IMMEDIATELY, IN REAL TIME, HENCE THE NAME, PUSH THAT INFORMATION OUT TO THE RESPONDING OFFICERS IN THE FIELD SO THAT AS THEY RESPONDED, THEY WOULD HAVE THE INFORMATION THEY NEEDED TO GAUGE THEIR RESPONSE, A APPROACH WITH THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF CAUTION, AND ALSO KNOW WHAT THEY WERE STEPPING INTO A LITTLE MORE WHEN THEY ACTUALLY SHOWED UP.
UH, IT, IT IS ANOTHER THING SIMILAR TO WHAT WE SAID WITH RMS, WHERE ADVANCING TECHNOLOGY HAS LEFT US BEHIND, BUT WE STILL HAVE, WE ACTUALLY HAVE NEW PROJECTORS, 'CAUSE THE OLD ONES FAILED, BUT WE'RE STILL USING A PROJECTION TV SYSTEM RIGHT NOW.
UH, THAT PROJECTS ON THE WALL, YOU KNOW, THREE DIFFERENT PROJECTORS PROJECTING UP IMAGES, WE DON'T HAVE NEAR THE VIDEO CAPABILITY THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE.
AND THE AVAILABILITY OF DIFFERENT SOURCES OF DATA HAS JUMPED, TAKEN AN EXPONENTIAL LEAP FORWARD.
THE FLOCK CAMERA SYSTEMS THAT, UH, COUNCIL RECENTLY INVESTED IN AROUND THE CITY, UH, THOSE ALERTS, WE CAN CURRENTLY LOOK AT 'EM, BUT ALL WE HAVE IS A PC WHERE WE LOOK AT 'EM ON A PC THERE IN A REAL TIME CRIME CENTER, AND THEN IF THAT OFFICER CHOOSES TO PUT IT UP ON THE BOARD, THEY CAN.
BUT HAVING THAT LEVEL OF INTEGRATION WHERE THAT WOULD COME IN, IT WOULD LINK TO A MAP, IT WOULD TELL 'EM WHERE THAT ALERT HAD OCCURRED.
YOU KNOW, BEING ABLE TO TAKE DIFFERENT DATA SETS SUCH AS THAT LINK THEM TOGETHER TO PROVIDE A, A SOLID OPERATIONAL PICTURE FOR THE RESPONDING UNITS IN THE FIELD, UH, IS SO MUCH MORE, THERE'S SO MUCH MORE CAPABILITY NOW THAT'S OUT THERE THAT WE DON'T HAVE, UH, AS ONE OF THE EARLY ADOPTERS, IT, IT'S, IT IS WELL PAST TIME FOR US TO REFRESH THAT SYSTEM TO INCREASE ITS CAPABILITIES.
SO, WE'RE ABOUT TO GO OUT WITH AN RFP, UH, TO PROCURE AND UPGRADE TO OUR REAL-TIME CRIME CENTER.
THESE ARE OUR MAJOR OBJECTIVES.
WE WANNA OPTIMIZE OUR MULTI-AGENCY EFFORTS TO IDENTIFY, DETER, AND REALLY DISMANTLE CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS.
UH, WE WANNA, AS THE CHIEF SAID, MANAGE THOSE CRITICAL SITUATIONS, PROGRESS MORE EFFECTIVELY, BUT ALSO ACCELERATE OUR INVESTIGATIONS BY HELPING CONNECT THOSE DOT DOTS FASTER.
AND THEN LASTLY, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, IMPROVE THE SAFETY AND SITUATIONAL AWARENESS FOR OUR RESPONDING OFFICERS.
SO THE NEXT STEPS IS WE HAVE SENT OUR STATEMENT OF WORK TO SPD, WE'RE WAITING ON THEM TO RELEASE THE RFP, AND THEN WE WILL SPEND TIME EVALUATING THOSE PROPOSALS AND SELECTING THE RIGHT VENDOR.
CHAIR CAYMAN FOR ANY QUESTIONS.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS OR STAFF? ANY QUESTIONS? SEEING NONE, I HAVE JUST A FEW.
UM, YOU ALL TOUCHED ON, UH, THE FACT THAT THIS PROVIDES, UH, GREATER SAFETY AND SITU SITUATIONAL AWARENESS FOR OFFICERS.
UM, WE'VE RECEIVED SOME QUESTIONS OF, WELL, DOESN'T THAT POTENTIALLY MAKE IT MORE DANGEROUS FOR SOMEONE THEY'RE INTERACTING WITH, RIGHT.
GOING IN, UM, HOTTER THAN THEY NEED TO BE, ET CETERA.
CAN YOU TOUCH ON THAT MORE IN TERMS OF THE SAFETY ASPECT OF WHAT THIS ALLOWS OFFICERS TO DO, BUT ALSO WHAT THAT MEANS FOR THE PUBLIC? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
UH, I WOULD ACTUALLY VENTURE TO SAY THAT IT'S ALMOST THE OPPOSITE EFFECT OF WHAT YOU JUST MENTIONED.
UH, I'VE HEARD THAT, I'VE HEARD THAT STATEMENT
[00:25:01]
MADE WHERE THEY, THEY THINK THE OFFICERS WILL APPROACH, YOU KNOW, SOMEHOW MORE HYPED UP.BUT IT'S THE UNKNOWN THAT CAUSES THE PROBLEMS THAT WE SEE.
WHEN AN OFFICER IS GOING INTO A COMPLETELY UNKNOWN SITUATION, THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY'RE STEPPING INTO.
THEY DO NOT KNOW WHO'S INVOLVED, WHAT'S INVOLVED, AND EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING ON.
THEY ONLY HAVE MAYBE BRIEF DATA THAT WAS COLLECTED BY THE CALL TAKER FROM THE CALLER, ESPECIALLY IN A, IN AN ONGOING EMERGENCY.
SOMETIMES THE CALLERS DON'T HAVE THE TIME OR THE CAPACITY TO GIVE US THE INFORMATION THAT WE WOULD REALLY NEED TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENING.
IT'S THAT UNKNOWN THAT THAT CAUSES CONFLICT.
THE OFFICER DOESN'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE STEPPING INTO.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE HAVING TO TRY AND WATCH EVERYWHERE AT ONCE.
THEY'RE CONCERNED, THEY DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN.
AND WHEN THEY ARE TAKEN BY SURPRISE OR TAKEN UNAWARES, UH, YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO SEE CRITICAL INCIDENTS OCCUR.
WHEN AN OFFICER STEPS INTO THAT SITUATION, KNOWING WHAT THEY'RE STEPPING INTO, KNOWING THE DANGERS THAT THEY MAY BE FACING, THEY CAN PLAN AHEAD, TAKE EXTRA STEPS TO APPROACH WITH THE, WITH MORE EVEN MORE CARE THAN THEY NORMALLY WOULD.
YOU KNOW, WE TRAIN THEM TO APPROACH WITH DUE CAUTION AND CARE AT ALL TIMES.
BUT WHEN YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GETTING INTO, YOU ARE, YOU FEEL MORE IN CONTROL, YOU FEEL MORE LIKE YOU CAN ADDRESS THE SITUATION EFFECTIVELY.
AND SO WHAT HAPPENS ON THAT SCENE IS LESS LIKELY TO TAKE THAT OFFICER UNAWARES, TAKE THEM BY SURPRISE.
YOU'RE LESS LIKELY TO SEE A SITUATION WHERE A CRITICAL INCIDENT OCCURS.
WE'VE SEEN, YOU KNOW, IT USING OUR SHOT SPOTTER SYSTEM AS AN EXAMPLE,
THAT ARGUMENT WAS MADE THERE TOO.
WE'VE NOT SEEN THAT MATERIALIZED, UH, AS IT IS.
WE ALL OF THE, OF ALL THE ARRESTS THAT WE'VE MADE, UM, THE ONLY SHOOTING THAT EVER OCCURRED FROM THAT SYSTEM WAS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO WE BELIEVE DELIBERATELY LURED OFFICERS IN TO FACILITATE THAT INCIDENT.
SO THE MORE INFORMATION AN OFFICER CAN HAVE GOING INTO A SITUATION, THE SAFER THEY ARE, THE MORE CONFIDENT THEY ARE THAT THEY CAN ADDRESS THE SITUATION EFFECTIVELY, AND THAT IS GOING TO MAKE IT SAFER FOR THE CITIZENS AS WELL.
AND LASTLY, UH, YOU TALKED, I KNOW THERE WERE SOME ANECDOTES ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS DURING HARVEY IN NATURAL DISASTERS.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER KIND OF REAL LIFE EXAMPLES YOU CAN PROVIDE AS TO THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS UM, CENTER TO PUBLIC SAFETY? UH, ONE THAT'S HAPPENED VERY RECENTLY, UH, YOU KNOW, ANY TYPE OF MAJOR ONGOING EVENT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE, UH, PERSONNEL IN THE REAL-TIME CRIME CENTER IMMEDIATELY START EVALUATING THAT EVENT AND TRYING TO GATHER ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
WHEN WE HAD THE THANKFULLY HOAX, UH, ACTIVE SHOOTER CALL AT THE HIGH SCHOOL THERE IN THE HEIGHTS, UH, IMMEDIATELY, UM, THE REALTIME CRIME CENTER WAS UNDER ME AT THE TIME.
UH, I WENT THERE AND IMMEDIATELY HAD THEM START, THEY WERE ALREADY DOING IT BEFORE I EVEN ARRIVED, UH, GATHERING ANY INFORMATION THEY COULD, NOT ONLY ABOUT THE SCHOOL, THE LOCATION, THE CALL ITSELF, WHERE DID IT COME FROM, TRY AND PICK UP THE NUMBER WHERE THE CALL CAME FROM AND SEE IF WE COULD EVALUATE IT FOR ITS VALIDITY, LOOK FOR ANY RELATED CALLS THAT WERE COMING IN TO SEE IF WE COULD GET ANY CONFI CONFIRMATORY INFORMATION TO LET US KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING, AND IMMEDIATELY START TO LOOK FOR OTHER RESOURCES AND OTHER INFORMATION THAT WE COULD FEED TO THE RESPONDERS IN THE FIELD SO THAT THEY WOULD KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON AND HAVE A GOOD IDEA ABOUT WHAT, WHAT WAS GOING ON.
UH, THE, THE THANKFUL THING IN THAT SITUATION IS WE WERE ABLE TO VERY RAPIDLY DETERMINE THAT WE BELIEVED IT WAS A POSSIBILITY THAT THIS WAS A HOAX, THAT IT WAS NOT A VALID SHOOTING.
WE STILL HAD TO RESPOND TO THE LOCATION, STILL HAD TO RENDER IT SAFE, STILL HAD TO CLEAR IT BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE DEFINITIVE INFORMATION OF THAT.
BUT WE COULD PUSH THAT INFORMATION OUT THAT, HEY, YOU KNOW, HERE'S WHAT WE'RE SEEING.
HERE'S WHERE THE CALL CAME FROM, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GETTING IN FROM OTHER AGENCIES.
AND TRY TO START THAT COORDINATION OF INFORMATION.
'CAUSE THE OFFICERS RESPONDING IN THE FIELD, THEY'RE BUSY GOING TO THE SOUND OF GUNFIRE, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN FRONT OF THEM.
AND SO IT WAS A REAL TIME CRIME CENTER'S JOB BEHIND THEM TO START GATHERING BETTER INFORMATION, UH, TO FEED TO THEM SO THAT THEY COULD GO FORWARD AND, AND BEGIN TO RESOLVE THAT SCENE EFFECTIVELY.
AND, UM, I KNOW HOW CHAOTIC IT WAS THAT DAY.
UH, I WAS DOWN WITH THE FAMILIES ON THE FIELD, SO I APPRECIATE THAT INSIGHT IN TERMS OF THE INVOLVEMENT IN THAT SCENARIO.
UM, I'M SEEING NO OTHER QUESTIONS IN THE QUEUE, WHICH CONCLUDES THE PRESENTATION.
UH, CHIEF MARTIN, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED, UM, EFFORTS AND ENGAGEMENT ON THIS.
AND I, MIKE, I WANTED TO SAY A SPECIAL WORD TO YOU, UM, FOR EVERYTHING YOU HAVE BEEN DOING, UH, IN YOUR ROLE WITH HPD, IT'S BEEN AN HONOR AND PLEASURE TO WORK WITH YOU, UM, AND TO KNOW YOU.
SO THANK YOU FOR THE DIFFERENCE THAT YOU'VE MADE FOR OUR CITY AS WELL.
UM, AND I I YOU, I WISH YOU NOTHING BUT THE BEST OF LUCK WITH EVERYTHING IN YOUR FUTURE ENDEAVORS.
UM, WITH THAT, WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO, UH, PUBLIC SPEAKERS.
WE HAVE TWO PUBLIC SPEAKERS TODAY.
[00:30:01]
AND, UM, SO DOMINIC, YOU'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES.OKAY, NAME HERE IS DOMINIC MAZAK.
I'M HERE AT, IN THIS COUNCIL OF CHAMBERS.
WHAT I TALK ABOUT TODAY IS, UM, AN INCIDENT WHICH IS OCCURRING AT THE NORTHLINE TRANSIT CENTER.
I HAVE, I HAVE APPROACHED METRO ON THIS, AND THEY SEEM LIKE THEY DON'T WANNA DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
THEY ARE, THIS, THIS PICTURE HERE IS THE FIRST PICTURE I TOOK ON A TRAIN THIS MORNING COMING HERE.
AND WHAT'S HAPPENING IS ILLEGAL MERCHANTS ARE PARKING THEMSELVES ON THE SIDEWALKS, BLOCKING THE SIDEWALKS.
SOMEBODY IN A WHEELCHAIR CAN'T EVEN PASS BETWEEN THIS TRANSIT CENTER.
AND THIS IS A MAP, DREW A MAP WHERE IT'S HAPPENING, OKAY? AND THE THING I'M GETTING FROM METRO IS, WELL, IT'S ON THE CITY, CITY PROPERTY.
MY NUMBER ONE, MY THING IS IF THEY'RE BLOCKING ACCESS TO TRANSIT, THAT'S A METRO PD.
PROBLEM NUMBER TWO IS, AND I THINK THIS GOES TO THIS NEW CRIME THING, IS ARE WE SHARING INFORMATION? WE HAVE MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS IN THIS AREA BETWEEN, UH, THE COUNTY, THE CITY, AND THE, AND THE HARRIS COUNTY.
I MEAN, UH, COMMUNITY C COLLEGE.
CAN'T WE GET THE, CAN'T EVERYBODY JUST SIT DOWN TO THE TABLE AND, AND SAY, IN THIS ONE AREA, THE FIRST ONE THERE SEES A PROBLEM, THEY DEAL WITH IT, THEY CALL THE OTHER AUTHORITIES.
AND THAT'S THE THING WITH THIS THING YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, ARE YOU, ARE WE GONNA BE SHARING INFORMATION WITH THE SYSTEM OF OTHER ENTITIES? AND, AND I THINK PART OF THE PROBLEM IS, UH, SINCE METRO'S BEEN DOING WITH THE NEW, UH, METRO NEXT, I THINK THEY'RE BEGINNING TO DROP THE BALL ON BASIC SERVICES.
AND THE SAD THING IS, WITH ALL THIS, I'LL BE FRANK, HONEST HERE, I'M NOT TRYING TO BE, YOU KNOW, UH, RACIST HERE, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTUALLY DOING THIS ARE NON-CAUCASIAN AND THEY'RE DOING IT TO NON-CAUCASIAN.
AND MY THING IS, IF WE'RE GOING TO ADOPT, WANT PEOPLE TO WRITE TRANSIT, THEY HAVE, THEY HAVE TO BE COMFORTABLE WITH IT.
AND I THINK THIS, AGAIN, I'M COMING TO YOU BECAUSE THIS IS A, I THINK THIS IS A MULTI JURISDICTIONAL PROBLEM.
AND SINCE YOU'RE ALSO A PART OF METRO, I THINK, AND YOU PUT FIVE MEMBERS ON THE BOARD, I THINK YOU COULD PUT, MAYBE PUT A PUSH AND SAY, HEY, DOMINIC HAS AN ISSUE HERE.
AND I'LL, UM, JUST FOR THE RECORD, CAUTION IN TERMS OF, LET'S ALL LOOK AT THIS, BUT LET'S NOT, UM, STEREOTYPE OR LABEL ONE I IDENTITY IS, UH, BEING THE PRIMARY ACTOR IN THIS, BUT THANK YOU DOMINIC.
AND I GOT SOME EXTRA COPIES HERE FOR THE COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO WEREN'T OR WHO ARE.
ALRIGHT, NEXT AND FINAL SPEAKER.
JOHNSON, MYRON, IF YOU'RE ONLINE, IF YOU COULD UNMUTE OR HIT STAR SIX GOING ONCE, TWICE.
UM, I WANNA THANK AGAIN HPD FOR THE PRESENTATION, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF FOR ATTENDING, AND EVERYONE LISTENING IN FOR TODAY'S MEETING.
UH, SPECIAL THANKS TO IT AND HTV FOR ALWAYS BEING THERE TO HELP.
UH, OUR NEXT SCHEDULED MEETING IS ON APRIL 20TH.
UH, THE AGENDA AND PRESENTATIONS FOR TODAY CAN BE FOUND ONLINE, AND A RECORDING OF THE MEETING WILL BE POSTED ON HTVS WEBSITE.
THE MEETING IS ADJOURNED AT 2:34 PM THANK YOU.