* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [Press Conference: "Mayor Whitmire Announces Independent Review Committee"] [00:00:18] GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. I HAVE ANNOUNCED LAST WEEK THE NAMING OF A INDEPENDENT REVIEW COMMITTEE TO BE ANNOUNCED TODAY. WHILE HPD LEADERSHIP AND I VISITED OVER A HUNDRED OFFICERS MONDAY AT FIVE LOCATIONS, I WAS NOT AT ALL LOCATIONS. BUT WE HAVE LOCATIONS ACROSS THE CITY WHERE OFFICERS ARE REVIEWING THE SUSPENDED CASES, CONTACTING SEXUAL ASSAULT VICTIMS AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS. FIRST, I WANT TO APOLOGIZE TO THOSE VICTIMS. THE CITY OF HOUSTON, LET THEM DOWN UNDER FOUR POLICE CHIEFS, A ADMINISTRATION SERVING EIGHT YEARS. THIS WRONGFUL COATING OF INCIDENTS AND SUSPENDED BECAUSE OF LACK OF STAFFING WAS A TERRIBLE MISTAKE, WILL BE INVESTIGATED, REVIEWED, FIXED, AND PREVENTED FROM GOING FORWARD. LET ME JUST DIGRESS FOR A BRIEF MOMENT BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE AS CHAIRMAN OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE FOR MANY YEARS, CRIMINAL JUSTICE IS A SYSTEM. ANY COMPONENT OF IT THAT IS BROKEN AFFECTS THE ENTIRE SYSTEM, AND WE HAVE DISCOVERED A TERRIBLY BROKEN COMPONENT IN OUR LOCAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. IT'S AFFECTING THE VICTIMS, IT'S AFFECTING THE MORALE OF OFFICERS. IT'S AFFECTING HOLDING PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTS AND CRIMES. I BELIEVE IT'S MANIPULATED OUR CRIME RATE. I THINK THE CREDIBILITY OF PREVIOUS STATEMENTS BY THE CITY OF HOUSTON ABOUT CRIME WAS GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. IT'S BEEN REVEALED THAT THAT WAS A SPIN BECAUSE THE CREDIBILITY OF THE DATA COLLECTED BY HPD AND RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC FOR AT LEAST THE LAST EIGHT YEARS IS FLAWED AND BEEN MISREPRESENTATIVE OF THE TRUE FACTS. HOUSTONIANS, LIKE ME, KNEW THAT WE HAD A CRIMINAL JUSTICE, CRIME PROBLEM IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. I RAN ON THAT. WE HAD NO IDEA HOW BAD IT WAS IN TERMS OF DATA COLLECTION AND SUSPENSION OF INCIDENTS. SO I AM PLEASED TODAY TO ADD ADDITIONAL EYES AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE TO REPRESENT HOUSTONIANS AS WE GO FORWARD AND REVEAL THE DATA, FIX IT, AND PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING BEFORE I REACHED OUT TO INDIVIDUALS THAT I HAVE WORKED WITH, PEOPLE THAT HAVE A REPUTATION OF THE HIGHEST INTEGRITY AND OUR TRUE PUBLIC SERVANTS. THE COMMITTEE WILL BE CHAIRED BY MY LONGTIME FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE, FORMER STATE REPRESENTATIVE, FORMER CITY COUNCIL, FORMER MAYOR PRO TEM ELLEN COHEN, NOT ONLY AS ELLEN SERVED IN ELECTED OFFICE FOR MANY YEARS, BUT SHE'S ALSO SERVED 18 YEARS AS PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE HOUSTON AREAS WOMEN'S CENTER, FOCUSING ON ELIMINATING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULTS AGAINST WOMEN IN THE HOUSTON AREA. ELLEN IS A TIRELESS WORKER ON BEHALF OF PROTECTING WOMEN AND FAMILIES, AND I TRUST HER TO LEAD THIS OUTSTANDING GROUP OF PUBLIC SERVANTS. NEXT, CAPTAIN JEFF OWLS. CAPTAIN OWLS IS THE TEXAS RANGER. BEEN WITH THE RANGERS FOR 12 YEARS, 21 YEARS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT, HAS THE INVESTIGATIVE TOOLS TO WORK WITH THIS PANEL AND IS A TRUE PUBLIC SERVANT AND FIGHTS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY EACH AND EVERY DAY. CHRISTINE NOACK. CHRISTINE WAS APPOINTED DEPUTY INSPECTOR GENERAL, THE OFFICE OF POLICING AND REFORM ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON IN SEPTEMBER, 2023. VERY DILIGENT, VERY [00:05:01] HIGH INTEGRITY, A NO NONSENSE PERSON OF HOLDING POLICE ACCOUNTABLE DATA COLLECTION, AND SHE'S ALREADY AT WORK ON COLLECTING THE NECESSARY INFORMATION THAT THIS GROUP WILL USE IN GOING FORWARD. ARTURO MICHELLE, OUR OUTSTANDING CITY COUNCIL MEMBER, WILL BE THERE TO GIVE ALL THE LEGAL ADVICE TO SHARE THE WORKINGS OF MY ADMINISTRATION AND TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT EVERYTHING IS DONE IN COMPLIANCE WITH CITY LAWS ORDINANCES, AND WILL CERTAINLY REPRESENT CITY GOVERNMENT. ON THIS PANEL. REVEREND LEON PRESTON, LONGTIME PASTOR OF YALE STREET BAPTIST CHURCH, RECOGNIZE C LEADER, OUTSPOKEN VOICE FOR THE COMMUNITY. AND WE WILL ASSURE THAT NO ONE IS FORGOTTEN IN THIS REVIEW. I'VE ASKED THEM TO COLLECT THE DATA, REVIEW HPD, LOOK OVER THEIR SHOULDER, MAKE CERTAIN THAT THE PROCESS IS TRANSPARENT, REPORT BACK TO ME, I'LL REPORT TO HOUSTONIANS, AND WE WILL LET THEM KNOW EXACTLY WHEN AND WHERE AND WHO HAD ACCESS TO THIS SUSPENSION. GOING BACK TO 2016 WHEN IT FIRST APPEARED, AND HOW IN THE WORLD, I WANT THE PANEL TO FIND OUT HOW IN THE WORLD THIS EXISTED FOR EIGHT YEARS. WITHOUT SOMEONE HAVING THE GOOD SENSE OF SOUNDING THE ALARM, YOU CAN NEVER, NEVER, NEVER NOT INVESTIGATE AN ALLEGATION, AN INCIDENT REPORT, BECAUSE A LACK OF STAFFING, THAT'S WHEN YOU GO AND TELL YOUR SUPERIORS, YOU TELL YOUR COWORKERS, YOU FOR SURE TELL THE PUBLIC, THE UNION, YOU TELL THE MAYOR, MAYOR, WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO INVESTIGATE THESE INCIDENTS. YOU CAN NEVER CODE IT THAT IT'S NOT FOLLOWED UP ON BECAUSE OF LACK OF STAFFING. THAT IS AN INJUSTICE TO THE VICTIMS. IT'S AN INJUSTICE TO THE OFFICERS THAT ARE WORKING IT, CERTAINLY THOSE THAT ARE ON THE STREET THAT BRING THIS INCIDENT FORWARD, AND IT'S AN INJUSTICE TO HOUSTONIANS. SO WITH THAT SAID, WE'RE READY TO GO TO WORK. I HAVE CONFIDENT IN THIS GROUP. IT'S AN INDEPENDENT, THOROUGHLY PREPARED, EXPERIENCED GROUP WITH THE HIGHEST INTEGRITY, TRANSPARENCY WILL BE OUR CODE EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. WITH THAT SAID, I'LL BE GLAD TO YIELD TO OUR CHAIR PERSON ALAN COHEN. I'M EXCITED WHAT SHE BRINGS TO THIS LEADERSHIP POSITION BECAUSE SHE'S BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF PROTECTING WOMEN AND FAMILIES AND ALWAYS HAS SUPPORTED OUR PUBLIC SAFETY. ELLEN, I'LL BE GLAD TO APPEAL TO YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I JUST WANNA SAY THAT I'M VERY HONORED TO HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO CHAIR THIS PANEL. I APPRECIATE WHAT THE MA MAYOR HAS DONE FOR YEARS IN THE FIELD OF PUBLIC SAFETY. I THINK THE PANEL REALLY REPRESENTS A CROSS SECTION OF THE CITY, AND I KNOW WE'RE GONNA GET STARTED. WE'VE ACTUALLY DONE SOME THINGS ALREADY, BUT WE'RE GONNA BE HAVING A MEETING, I THINK IT'S GONNA BE NEXT WEDNESDAY, UM, AND START TO SET OUT OUR GOALS AND OUR DATES THAT WE'RE GONNA BE MEETING. AND, UH, I THINK, YOU KNOW, I KNOW, I KNOW WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE KIND OF MATERIAL AND INFORMATION THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO PASS ON TO THE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU MAYOR VERY MUCH. YOU BERO YOU, UH, CERTAINLY I'LL YIELD TO YOU. OKAY. WITH YOUR VAST EXPERIENCE OF DEALING WITH, UH, CITY GOVERNMENT, UH, I KNOW THE MAYOR'S COMMITTED TO RUNNING A THOROUGH BUT EFFICIENT OPERATION, BOTH EFFICIENT IN TERMS OF THE PROCESS AND IN TERMS OF THE COST. UM, CHRISTINA NOAC WITH THE OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL AND MYSELF ARE THERE REALLY AS RESOURCES TO BRIDGE THE INFORMATION FROM HPD TO THE OTHER MEMBERS WHO ARE OPERATING FROM A COMPLETE, INDEPENDENT POINT OF VIEW. AND THE MAYOR IS COMMITTED TO RESTORING THE PUBLIC TRUST, UM, A ESTONIANS IN OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT IN OUR CRIME FIGHTING EFFORTS. VERY GOOD. ANY QUESTIONS? WHAT WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS, UH, INVESTIGATION? YOU KNOW, IT'S TO, UH, TO REPORT BACK TO ME THAT THINGS ARE BEING HANDLED CORRECTLY AND TRANSPARENT AND ACCURATE. I, UH, AM A HUGE SUPPORTER OF HPD. I THINK CHIEF FINNER IS PROVIDING THE LEADERSHIP, BUT I WANT HOUSTONIANS TO KNOW THAT WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO [00:10:01] REVEAL TO THEM THE FULL EXTENT, THE CIRCUMSTANCES, WHO KNEW WHAT AND WHEN WE WILL HOLD THOSE IN INDIVIDUALS ACCOUNTABLE. I'M GONNA REPORT TO HOUSTONIANS WHAT WE DISCOVER. I DON'T WANT JUST THE DEPARTMENT TO REPORT TO ME. I WANT THESE INDEPENDENT REVIEW PANELS TO LOOK AT IT. AND, UH, I TRUST THEM. TRUST THEM COMPLETELY. SO ONCE THEY ARE WORKING WITH HPD, OBSERVING HPD, COLLECTING THE SAME SET OF DATA AND USING THEIR JUDGMENT, YOU HAVE CAPTAIN OWLS WITH THE TEXAS RANGERS AND, UH, IT'S AMAZING TO ME THAT SOME IN THE PRESS SAID, USE THE RANGERS, WONDER WHAT THEY THINK I'VE BEEN DOING THE LAST, UH, TWO WEEKS I'VE BEEN WORKING TIRELESSLY WILL NOT REST UNTIL WE GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS, PREVENT IT FROM GOING FORWARD. I DO WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT APPARENTLY THIS WAS BROUGHT ABOUT WRONGFULLY BECAUSE SOMEONE JUST DIDN'T THINK THEY HAD ENOUGH STAFF. AND I'M GONNA BE ADDRESSING IN FUTURE MONTHS, THE NECESSITY OF GETTING HPD AND HOUSTON FIRE, THE NECESSARY RESOURCES TO HAVE A PUBLIC SAFETY SYSTEM THAT IS FULLY PREPARED TO MEET ANY ENCOUNTER. WE MUST HAVE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES IN HPD. WE HAVE FEWER OFFICERS THAN WE HAD 25 YEARS AGO. AND IF THIS DOESN'T DEMONSTRATE THE IMPACT THAT HAS ON THE RANK AND FILE, THEN NOTHING ELSE WILL. PUBLIC SAFETY HAS TO BE OUR FIRST RESPONSIBILITY. THAT'S THE REASON I RAN FOR OFFICE. AND, UH, THE PUBLIC UNDERSTOOD THAT WE HAVE CHALLENGES WITH PUBLIC SAFETY AND WE'RE GONNA ADDRESS THOSE, AND THIS IS A HUGE COMPONENT OF IT. MAYOR, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE FORMAT THIS, UH, GROUP IS GONNA INVESTIGATE? WILL IT BE, WILL THEIR MEETINGS BE PUBLIC? WILL THERE BE HEARINGS? ARE THEY WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES? THEY'RE, THEY'RE WORKING TOGETHER AND CERTAINLY GONNA REPORT TO ME. AND MOST OF IT'LL BE DONE IN IN COMMITTEE WORK. UH, NOT PUBLIC MEETINGS. THEY'RE GONNA BE INVESTIGATIVE TOOLS BEING USED AND DATA THAT CERTAINLY WILL MAKE VERY OPEN AND TRANSPARENT. BUT, UH, I'M GONNA LET THEM DECIDE NEXT WEEK IN THEIR FIRST WORKING SESSION. AND ARTURO WILL ADVISE US MAKING CERTAIN THAT WE'RE IN COMPLIANCE WITH OPEN MEETINGS LAW, ALTHOUGH THEY'RE NOT ELECTED, BUT WE STILL WANT TO FOLLOW THE, THE, UH, PURPOSE OF THE OPEN MEETINGS. WE, WE WILL HAVE PUBLIC DISCUSSIONS, BUT, BUT TO KEEP IN MIND, A LOT OF THIS WILL BE POLICE WORK AND THERE WILL BE, AND THERE'S AN ACTIVE INVESTIGATION, UH, AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT RIGHT NOW. SO WE'LL BE VERY SENSITIVE TO THE VICTIMS. TO SEND THE VICTIM'S PRIVACY IS CRITICAL. I KNOW FOR A FACT THE COMMITTEE PLANS TO INTERVIEW AND MEET WITH VICTIMS AND TO SEE THAT IN FACT THEY WERE CONTACTED AND THAT THEY FEEL LIKE, WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO FOR THEM TO BRING CLOSURE? BUT, UH, I KNOW, I KNOW, UH, CHAIR PER COHEN HAS ALREADY SAID WITH HER EXPERTISE AND SENSITIVITIES TO WOMEN AND THE CHALLENGES THEY FACE COMING FORWARD, SHE PLANS TO INTERVIEW AND CONTACT THE VICTIMS THEMSELVES. QUESTION FOR COHEN, COULD YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, WHEN YOU GOT THE, THE QUESTION TO COME AND SERVE ON THIS PANEL AND THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS OF DECIDING IF THIS WAS THE RIGHT FIT FOR YOU? FOR ME PERSONALLY, WELL, I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE MAYOR TO ASK ME IF I'D BE INTERESTED AND BASED ON MY LIFE EXPERIENCES. UM, AGAIN, I SERVED ON THE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ADVISORY TASK FORCE UNDER OBAMA IN WASHINGTON, AND THEN MY 18 YEARS AT THE HOUSTON AREA WOMEN'S CENTER. THE EXPERIENCES I'VE HAD IN PASSING LEGISLATION THAT AFFECTS WOMEN AND GIRLS, UM, AND, AND MAKE THE MISTAKE, OF COURSE MEN AS WELL. UM, BUT VICTIM SURVIVORS ARE THE ONES THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED AND WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO FIND OUT THE POLICE SAY THAT THEY ARE TALKING TO THESE SURVIVORS, THEN WE WANNA BE SURE THAT IN FACT THEY WE'RE TALKING TO THESE SURVIVORS. UM, SO I THINK, I THINK IT'S A GOOD FIT AND I'M GONNA TRY TO MY VERY BEST TO MAKE SURE IT ALL WORKS. WHEN WERE YOU ASKED TO COME ON? I'M SORRY? WHEN DID YOU GET THE PHONE CALL ASKING YOU TO COME ON? WHEN DID, WHEN DID THE MAYOR ASK ME? UM, LAST WEEK? YEAH, ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE DAYS AGO. BUT I HAD BEEN TALKING TO PEOPLE THAT WORK WITH HIM ABOUT THE IDEA OF IT, BUT HE CALLED ME AND SO MENTIONED THAT I WANT TO EMPHASIZE SOMETHING. THE REASON HELEN COHEN IS SO IMPORTANT. YOU CAN HAVE [00:15:01] POLICE OFFICERS WHO ARE SENSITIVE AND TRAINED SEXUALLY, THE SEXUAL ASSAULT TEAM, BUT IN ALL DUE RESPECT TO THEM, THEY'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO MATCH ELLEN'S WORK AT THE WOMEN'S CENTER. HER LIFE EXPERIENCES AND HER SKILLSET TO REACH OUT AND TALK TO THESE VICTIMS. IT'LL BE ONE OF A KIND APPROACH THAT WILL COME BACK AND LET ME LET HOUSTONIANS KNOW THAT WE'VE DONE EVERYTHING WE CAN FOR THE VICTIMS. LIKEWISE, WE WILL BE HOLDING HBD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR REPORT. THAT IT'S ACCURATE, TRANSPARENT, AND CORRECT. AND THEN CAN YOU KIND OF TALK ABOUT, YOU SAID YOU WERE ALREADY KINDA ON YOUR FIRST ASSIGNMENT OR KIND OF ALREADY WORKING WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. WHAT HAVE YOU ALREADY BEEN ABLE TO DO? WELL, I, I'M, I THINK WHAT THE MAYOR WAS SAYING IS THAT ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF IT IS ALREADY PUTTING TOGETHER SOME STATISTICS. I HAVE NOT MET WITH THE PANEL. WE'RE GOING TO BE MEETING NEXT, UH, HOPEFULLY NEXT WEDNESDAY, AND THEN WE'LL SET OUT THE, THE SCHEDULE. CHICO. HOW LONG DO YOU EXPECT THIS OVERALL REVIEW TO TAKE? I'M GONNA REVIEW, WELL, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE GONNA GO WHEREVER IT TAKES US. WE DON'T HAVE A TIMELINE, OBVIOUSLY. WE WANT TO DO IT AS QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE, AND A LOT OF IT WILL DO, UH, WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE, THE WORKLOAD AND THE, UH, TIME LATE TABLE FOR HPD. YOU KNOW, THEY'VE BEEN AT IT FOR, UH, ABOUT 10 DAYS, ALMOST TWO WEEKS NOW. SO WE WANNA REVIEW THEIR WORK PRODUCT AND, UH, BUT WE WON'T BE HELD BACK BY THEIR SCHEDULE. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE DO WANT, NOT COLLABORATION PER SE, BUT MORE OVERSIGHT OF THEIR WORK PRODUCT. SO THAT WILL DIRECT US, UH, I BELIEVE IN TO A LARGE EXTENT. IS THERE ANY OF THEIR WORK PRODUCT THAT THIS PANEL WILL NOT HAVE ACCESS TO OR IS IT A HUNDRED PERCENT AVAILABLE TO THE PANEL? THEY, YOU KNOW, I'VE TALKED TO THE CHIEF, HE KNOWS HOW STRONGLY I FEEL ABOUT THIS. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO, AND, AND SOME WOULD SAY RESTORE THE CONFIDENCE. I BELIEVE HOUSTONIANS STILL HAVE CONFIDENCE IN HPD, BUT WE WANT TO STRENGTHEN IT AND REMOVE ANY DOUBT, BUT THAT WE HAVE A TRANSPARENT FUNCTIONING, PUBLIC SAFETY MINDED HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT. AND I WILL MAKE CERTAIN THAT THE PUBLIC KNOWS IN REAL TERMS, WHAT THE RESOURCES ARE THAT THEY NEED. YOU GOT TO UNDERSTAND, LOOK AT THE, UH, REASON FOR THE SUSPENSION IN THE CODING, LACK OF STAFFING. THAT IS SHOCKING. I DON'T EVEN KNOW, AS I MENTIONED TODAY, WHY SOMEONE DIDN'T BRING IT TO ME AS CHAIRMAN OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN AUSTIN. I WORKED WITH HPD CITY OFFICIALS ON A REGULAR BASIS WHEN I WAS IN AUSTIN. ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS BRING THIS TO US. WE WOULD'VE SOUNDED THE ALARM. WE WOULD'VE HAD HEARINGS IN HOUSTON, A SENATE COMMITTEE HEARING IN HOUSTON TO TALK ABOUT, AS WE HAVE ABOUT CATALYTIC CONVERTER THEFTS AND OTHER CRIMINAL JUSTICE ISSUES, JAIL BACKLOGS, BACKLOG OF COUNTY COURT CASES. TELL US THAT YOUR SUSPENDING ALLEGATIONS AND INVESTIGATIONS, BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE RESOURCES, YOU KNOW, THE STATE'S BEEN RUNNING SURPLUSES THE LAST COUPLE OF SESSIONS, GONNA HAVE A BIG ONE NEXT YEAR. YOU CANNOT HAVE A FUNCTIONAL POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT IS NOT DOING SOMETHING WITH THE INCIDENT REPORTS. IT'S, IT HURT SOME MORALE OF OFFICERS AND IT'S CERTAINLY NOT AN, IT'S AN INJUSTICE TO THE PUBLIC AND WE'RE NOT HOLDING THE VIOLATORS ACCOUNTABLE, THE CRIMINALS ACCOUNTABLE. MAYOR, HAVE YOU CONSIDERED AN INDEPENDENT AGENCY TO RUN AN INVESTIGATION SUCH AS THE TEXAS RANGERS OF THE FBI OR THE RANGER? UH, RANGER ALS IS AN EXPERIENCED NO NONSENSE INVESTIGATOR, AND HE'S ON THIS PANEL FOR THAT REASON. DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH POWER WILL THIS PANEL HAVE? HOW MUCH POWER? YEAH, I'VE TALKED TO OTHER, UH, PEOPLE THAT HAVE TAKEN PART IN THESE TYPES OF THINGS. THEY WERE ABLE TO DO DEPOSITIONS, SUBPOENAS, DO. WE DON'T FORESEE THAT RIGHT NOW. NO, THIS IS NOT A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION. THIS IS A DATA COLLECTION, A REVEALING OF THE INFORMATION THAT THE PUBLIC IS ENTITLED TO. IT'S ALSO TO VALIDATE, VALIDATE WHAT HPD IS DOING AND THE REPORT THAT THEY GIVE. WE WANT ANOTHER SET OF EYES AND EXPERIENCED INDIVIDUALS TO SAY, YES, THEY DID IT RIGHT. YES, THEY'RE GIVING YOU ACCURATE INFORMATION. YES, THEY'VE TAKEN STEPS TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN. AND, YOU KNOW, LORD KNOWS SOMEBODY NEEDS TO REPORT THAT. THEY CAN'T EVEN STOP DOING IT NOW BECAUSE IT'LL CRASH THEIR PROGRAM, THEIR COMPUTER, THEIR RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. CAN YOU IMAGINE THIS? DO YOU THINK HOUSTONIANS REALLY UNDERSTAND THE GRAVITY OF A FACT THAT YOU CAN'T ADJUST YOUR MANAGEMENT OF YOUR RECORDS BECAUSE YOUR SYSTEM MIGHT FAIL? UNACCEPTABLE. DO YOU KNOW WHO'S BEEN TO THIS CODE [00:20:01] AND HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO THEM TO ASK THEM, GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHY THIS THIS HAPPENED, THAT THAT'S PART OF AN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION? I KNOW THE DATE, I KNOW THE PEOPLE THAT WERE RESPONSIBLE, BUT I'M NOT GONNA GET AHEAD OF THE HBD INTERNAL INVESTIGATION. I DO UNDERSTAND THE PERSON'S NO LONGER WITH HPD AND UM, THAT'S GOOD. HOW DO YOU THINK IT STAYED IN THAT DARK FOR SO LONG? LIKE YOU SAID IT WENT ON FOR EIGHT YEARS. I MEAN, WAS IT JUST LIKE A SMALL CIRCLE THAT WAS INVOLVED IN IT? YOU KNOW, UH, THAT'S SOMETHING WE'D LIKE TO FIND OUT THROUGH, THROUGH THIS COMMITTEE'S WORK IN, IN, IN INQUIRIES AND INTERVIEWS. CERTAINLY I'VE ASKED THAT QUESTION. UH, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD FOUR POLICE CHIEFS WHILE THIS CODE HAS BEEN BEING USED. THEY'VE ALL, BUT ONE TOLD ME, AND I I HAVEN'T TALKED TO ALVO, BUT THE OTHER SAY WE KNEW NOTHING ABOUT IT. UH, OBVIOUSLY CHIEF NER SAYS NOVEMBER, UH, 2021, WHERE HE INSTRUCTED HIS COMMAND STAFF TO REMOVE IT, CORRECT IT AND TALK TO THE VICTIMS. UH, THAT'S ALL UNDER INVESTIGATION. AND I'M CERTAIN AT THE END OF THE INVESTIGATION, YOU'LL KNOW THE, UH, PERSON THAT USED THIS FIRST. BUT RANDY, THE, THE CRAZINESS IS IT'S BEEN USED THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF TIME. AND YOU WOULD THINK THE RANK AND FILE WOULD CREATE CHATTER, PERHAPS EVEN THE UNION, PERHAPS EVEN THE LEGISLATURE, CITY OFFICIALS. HOW ABOUT THE MAYOR WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN THAT YOU'VE GOT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF CASES THAT BEING CODED, THAT YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH STAFF. WE ALL KNOW THAT HPD IS UNDERSTAFFED, THAT'S BEEN DISCUSSED PUBLICLY FOR YEARS, BUT MAN, THIS IS, THIS IS THE EXTREME THAT HAD TO BE CORRECTED AND WE'RE FIXING TO DO IT. IT WILL NEVER, NEVER BE USED WHILE I'M MAYOR. WE WILL TALK TO THOSE VICTIMS IN THE INCIDENTS, AND I WANT THE RANK AND FILE TO KNOW, DO YOUR HARD WORK, KEEP INVESTIGATING CASES, AND WE WILL FOLLOW UP ON 'EM. MAYOR, UM, GOVERNOR ABBOTT TWEETED SOMETHING ABOUT THIS, UH, CONTROVERSY LAST WEEK. SURE. YOU'VE MENTIONED THE LEGISLATURE TWICE NOW. DO YOU EXPECT THIS IS GOING TO RESULT IN, YOU KNOW, YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT THE LEGISLATURE WILL DO. CAN WE AGREE ON THAT ONE? ? UH, IT'S A VERY SERIOUS MATTER. I'VE HAD MEMBERS OF THE DELEGATION ASKED TO BE ON THIS PANEL. PEOPLE ARE RIGHTFULLY ALARMED, YOU KNOW, IF, IF YOU CAN'T DEPEND ON INCIDENT REPORTS BEING INVESTIGATED AND REVIEWED, YOU GOT TO UNDERSTAND MANY OF THEM NEVER BECOME INVESTIGATIONS BECAUSE ON THE FACE OF 'EM, YOU SEE, THERE'S JUST NOT EVIDENCE. YOU WANT TO BELIEVE YOUR HBD DATA AND REPORTS. YOU WANT TO BELIEVE YOUR CRIME RATE REPORTS. SO LEGISLATORS BEING PUBLIC, SERVANTS, HAVING A RESPONSIBILITY ARE GOING TO BE REVIEWING THIS. AND I DO NOT KNOW WHAT LEGISLATIVE STEPS IT WOULD TAKE. YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK IT SHOULD BE POLITICIZED. AND, UH, WE'RE GONNA DO OUR WORK LOCALLY AND THEN WE'LL WORK WITH THE LEGISLATURE IF THEY DESIRE TO DISCUSS IT ANYTIME. DO YOU WORRY THAT THIS IS GONNA CREATE RIPPLES OF DISTRUST WITH OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS? IT SHOULDN'T IMPACT. I I, I'M NOT SURELY I DON'T FULLY UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION. THE TRUST IN OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT SANITATION. I, I MEAN IN PARKS, I MEAN, I HAVE A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH CITY DEPARTMENTS. WE'RE REVIEWING ALL THE DEPARTMENTS, MEETING WITH THE DIRECTORS TO LET THEM KNOW THERE WILL BE ACCOUNTABILITIES. WE WILL BE VERY TRANSPARENT WHAT THESE DEPARTMENTS NEED TO DO THEIR JOB. BUT I DON'T SEE THIS IMPACTING, UH, PUBLIC WORKS OTHER THAN EVERYBODY'S GONNA SEE, I WANT 'EM TO DO THEIR JOB. MAYOR, CONSIDERING THAT THIS HOUSTONIANS DON'T REALLY TRUST HPD RIGHT NOW, HAVE YOU CONSIDERED TO MAKE CHANGES IN LEADERSHIP OR RESTRUCTURE HPD LEADERSHIP? WELL, WELL FIRST OF ALL, I'M GONNA DIFFER WITH YOU. WHETHER HOUSTONIANS TRUST THEIR POLICE, WE HAVE TO TRUST OUR POLICE. OUR SOCIETY DEPENDS ON US TRUSTING THEM. NOW, THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH TRUSTING AND VERIFYING, AND THAT'S WHAT THIS STEP IS ABOUT. WE TRUST OUR POLICE, WE'RE GONNA VERIFY THEIR WORK PRODUCT, CERTAINLY THEIR DATA AND CRIME COLLECTION DATA. SO IN TERMS OF THE LEADERSHIP, EVERYONE'S GONNA BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. CERTAINLY THE LEADERSHIP IN HPD, CERTAINLY I WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE AND THAT'S A GOOD THING. MAYOR, YOU STARTED TALKING ABOUT, YOU SAID BASICALLY YOU DIDN'T TRUST THE CRIME STATS THAT HAVE BEEN PUT OUT. I, I'D SAY WE HAVE, WE HAVE. WE CAN JUSTIFY [00:25:01] QUESTION 'EM. DID YOUR GUT TELL YOU ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT YOU THINK THE CRIME STATUS? REALLY? WELL, YOU KNOW, AS YOU KNOW, I RAN ON PUBLIC SAFETY. I WAS SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE I THINK I KNEW WHAT HOUSTONIANS WERE CONCERNED ABOUT. AND I COULD GO THROUGH GARBAGE PICKUP AND BROKEN WATER MAINS AND STREETS AND PARKS. BUT I SAID ALL ALONG, IF WE DON'T HAVE PUBLIC SAFETY, NOTHING ELSE MATTERS. AND I STILL FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT THIS. THIS IS A POSITIVE STEP TO MAINTAIN THAT TRUST THAT THE PUBLIC MUST HAVE IN THE POLICE. BUT THE PUBLIC HAS TO BE GIVEN AN ACCURATE PICTURE OF THE CONDITION OF HPD. YOU CAN'T FIX SOMETHING IF YOU DON'T ADMIT THAT IT'S BROKEN. IF YOU CAN'T GO AROUND LIKE WE HAVE IN RECENT YEARS WITH THE LEADERSHIP SAYING, OH, WE GOT ONE SAFE HOUSTON, NO, WE HAD CHALLENGES TO PUBLIC SAFETY AND YOU CAN'T HAVE SPIN LIKE A GUN BUYBACK. LIKE IT'S GONNA SOLVE SOMETHING. YES, WE WANT GUNS OFF THE STREET, BUT THE BAD GUYS DON'T TURN IN THEIR GUNS. THE COURT BACKLOG, FORENSICS, I COULD START NAMING A LIST OF THINGS WE HAVE TO DO TO IMPROVE PUBLIC SAFETY. THE COURT BACKLOGS, WE'VE GOT 900 PEOPLE CHARGED WITH MURDER OR CAPITAL MURDER ON THE STREETS OF HOUSTON TODAY THAT ARE EITHER OUT ON BOND OR THEY'RE FUGITIVES AND WE DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY ARE. THAT'S THE REPEAT VIOLENT OFFENDERS THAT I'M GONNA CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT. WE'VE GOT TO FIX SET, WE GOTTA FIX OUR FORENSICS. IT TAKES A YEAR TO GET A BALLISTIC TEST DONE FOR A CASE THAT CREATES A BACKLOG OF GOING TO COURT AND HOLDING PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE. AND IT'S SO UNFAIR TO THE VICTIMS. DO YOU THINK THE VIOLENT CRIME RATE ACTUALLY WENT UP IN HOUSTON? I THINK THAT'S, UH, SOMETHING THAT HAS TO BE REVIEWED. I THINK, UH, WE'VE BEEN SHOWN THAT CRIME RATES WERE GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, AND I THINK WE HAVE A RIGHT TO QUESTION THAT, LOOK AT THE VALIDITY OF IT. AND I THINK THE PANEL WILL BE WORKING WITH HPD TO SEE WHAT THE TRUE PICTURE OF THE CRIME RATE IS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. I WOULD BELIEVE THAT IF YOU'RE NOT FOLLOWING UP ON INCIDENT REPORTS THAT BECOME CASES WHO BECOME CONVICTIONS, IT COULD VERY EASILY IMPACT YOUR CRIME RATE. BUT I THINK WE NEED TO LEAVE THAT TO THE INVESTIGATION AND THE REVIEW OF NOT ONLY THIS PANEL, BUT CERTAINLY HPDI DO NOT BELIEVE THAT YOU POLITICIZE OR PLAY GAMES WITH PUBLIC SAFETY. YOU LET PEOPLE KNOW THE SERIOUSNESS OF IT, THE TRUE NUMBERS, BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT? IT'S BEEN MY EXPERIENCE. OFTENTIMES THE PUBLIC IS A LOT SMARTER THAN THE POLITICIANS ARE. PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY. THEY KNOW THE RESPONSE TIME IS UP. THEY KNOW THE CLEARANCE RATE IS LOWER THAN IN RECENT YEARS. AND YES, THEY'RE CHANGING THEIR LIFESTYLES BECAUSE THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT REPEAT VIOLENT OFFENDERS. ANYONE THAT MIGHT'VE AT ONE TIME FELT SAFE GOING OUT AT NIGHT SHOPPING, GOING TO THE GROCERY STORE, OR CHANGING THEIR ROUTINES AT THE YALE STREET PHARMACY, I HAVE SENIORS COME UP TO ME AND SAY, SENATOR MAYOR, YOU'VE GOTTA DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE CRIME RATE. WE DON'T LEAVE THE HOUSE AFTER FIVE O'CLOCK. THAT'S NOT THE WAY GREAT CITIES OPERATE, AND WE HAVE A GREAT CITY AND GREAT PEOPLE, BUT WE HAVE CHALLENGES. AND THIS RIGHT NOW IS OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY. COHEN, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT, UH, DAY ONE, THIS COMING WEDNESDAY? WHAT ARE WE EXPECTING FOR YOU TO DO? I'M SURE IT'S GONNA BE FAIRLY ADMINISTRATIVE, BUT GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF AN INSIGHT INTO WHAT DAY ONE IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE. YOU WANNA MUTE? WELL, FIRST, FIRST OBVIOUSLY I, I WANT COUNCIL TO BE INVOLVED AND SO I'VE ALREADY ASKED THE CHAIR AND, AND THE PANEL TO MEET WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBERS. AND THEN THEY CAN USE MY OFFICE FOR THEIR FIRST, WHAT I WOULD CALL THEIR REAL ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING. THEY'RE COLLECTING DATA AS WE TALK. UH, THEY'RE NETWORKING. BUT NEXT WEDNESDAY, UH, BECAUSE OF THE SPRING BREAK, ALTHOUGH THE WORK HAS TAKEN PLACE AS WE TALK, WE'VE MET, UH, CITY ATTORNEY, UH, MICHELLE AND ALL HAVE, HAVE, AND I VISITED. BY THE WAY, CAN I GO AHEAD AND SAY WE FINISHED THE FIREFIGHTER CONTRACT. WE, WE WORK HARD DOWN HERE AND, UH, WE, UH, ARE INTRODUCING THE PANEL INTO THE EXPECTATIONS, WHICH WE'VE HANDED OUT TO YOU. BUT, UH, THERE'S TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS, CAPTAIN ALS IN AUSTIN, AND, UH, OUR FIRST FACE-TO-FACE IS GONNA BE NEXT WEEK, CERTAINLY [00:30:01] IN COLLABORATION WITH CITY COUNCIL. ANYTHING ELSE? IF NOT, UH, LET'S GO TO WORK. THANK Y'ALL. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.