[Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee on June 2, 2014.]
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GOOD MORNING.UH, APPRECIATE EVERYONE BEING HERE THIS MORNING.
UH, WE WILL GO AHEAD AND CALL THIS, UH, MEETING OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE MEETING TO ORDER.
UH, MY NAME IS ED GONZALEZ, AND, UH, GLAD TO BE IN ATTENDANCE THIS MORNING AND JOINED BY MY COLLEAGUES.
UH, WE HAVE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS, COUNCIL MEMBER KUBOSH, UH, VICE CHAIR, STAR AND STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER CHRISTIE, COUNCIL MEMBER MARTIN, COUNCIL MEMBER COSTELLO, AND COUNCIL MEMBER PENNINGTON.
AND WE WILL RECOGNIZE, UH, ANY, UH, OTHER OFFICES, UH, THAT SHOW UP DURING THE COURSE OF THE MEETING.
WE'VE ALSO BEEN JOINED BY, UH, STAFF FROM, UH, VICE MAYOR PRO TEM DAVIS' OFFICE.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS MOMENT BEFORE WE BEGIN A RECOGNIZE VICE CHAIR COUNCIL MEMBER, BRENDA STAREK, UH, UH, TO MAKE SOME, UH, BRIEF REMARKS.
I, I'M, UM, I'M GLAD WE'RE HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS, AND WE'VE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY, A BRIEF OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THE INFORMATION.
SO, UM, I, I, LOOK, LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING, UH, THE PRESENTATION LIKE THIS.
I, UH, I SPENT A LOT OF TIME WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OVER THE WEEKEND WITH THE MEMORIAL, AND, UM, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO BETWEEN THE POLICE AND FIRE.
SO, UM, PLEASE, UH, NOTE THAT I'M VERY INTERESTED IN THE INFORMATION AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THE PRESENTATION, BUT I WILL HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS.
AND, AND TO THAT POINT AS WELL, UH, WE, WE DID RECEIVE THE, THE REPORT THIS FRIDAY, SO, UH, MANY OF US HAVEN'T HAD A TIME TO REALLY DIGEST EVERYTHING AND LOOK THROUGH IT.
SO, UH, YOU KNOW, ANY OTHER ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, IF THEY COULD PLEASE REACH OUT TO, UH, EITHER VICE CHAIR, STARK'S OFFICE, MYSELF, SO WE COULD FOLLOW UP WITH, UH, ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS THAT WE NEED ANSWERS TO.
UM, TODAY'S PRESENTATION WILL BE REGARDING THE WORK DEMAND ANALYSIS OF THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND IT WILL BE GIVEN BY EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT CHIEF, UH, MEYER WITH THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT.
AND HE IS BEING JOINED BY MR. CRAIG FRAZIER, WHO IS THE DIRECTOR OF MANAGEMENT SERVICES AT THE POLICE EXECUTIVE RESEARCH FORUM IN WASHINGTON DC AND DR. LARRY HOOVER, PRESIDENT OF JUSTICE SYSTEMS, INC.
AFTER THIS PRESENTATION, WE'LL HEAR FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS OR REPRESENTATIVES FROM THEIR OFFICES WHO WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT ON THIS ITEM.
WHEN THEY HAVE CONCLUDED, WE'LL HEAR FROM PUBLIC SPEAKERS.
UH, GENTLEMEN, IF YEN JOIN US AT THE CHIEF AMAR, THE FLOOR IS YOURS.
I JUST WANNA MAKE A FEW BRIEF, UH, COMMENTS AND KIND OF PUT THIS PROJECT IN PERSPECTIVE, UH, SO EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS HOW WE'VE GOT HERE, AND THEN WE'LL TURN IT OVER TO OUR TWO COLLEAGUES WHO WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR CONDUCTING THIS PROJECT.
MY FIRST POINT IS A VERY IMPORTANT ONE FOR EVERYBODY TO MAKE SURE THEY UNDERSTAND.
THIS IS A RESTRICTED OPERATIONAL STAFFING STUDY.
WHAT THAT SIMPLY MEANS IS WE DID NOT ASK OUR VENDORS TO COME IN AND LOOK AT STAFFING ISSUES AS IT RELATES TO EVERY SINGLE DIVISION OR ORGANIZATIONAL ENTITY IN THE DEPARTMENT.
WE ASKED THEM TO FOCUS SOLELY ON PATROL AND INVESTIGATIVE SERVICES.
AND THE REASON FOR THAT IS BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE WE BELIEVE THE GROWTH DEMANDS FOR THE DEPARTMENT ARE GOING TO OCCUR IN THE FUTURE.
AND THOSE ARE THINGS THAT LIE OUTSIDE OF OUR CONTROL.
THE ADMINISTRATIVE AND SUPPORT ENTITIES WITHIN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT ARE, UH, CONSIST OF, UH, RESPONSIBILITIES THAT CAN BE STAFFED IN ACCORDANCE WITH DECISIONS MADE BY MANAGEMENT.
IN OTHER WORDS, WE HAVE MORE CONTROL OVER HOW MUCH OR HOW MANY RESOURCES WE WANT TO COMMIT TO HANDLE THOSE RESPONSIBILITIES, WHEREAS OPPOSED TO PATROL AND INVESTIGATIONS, THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE SAME CASE.
SECOND POINT I'D LIKE TO MAKE IS THIS IS A PRETTY COMPLICATED AND COMPLEX UNDERTAKING, AND WE WANTED TO BE VERY THOROUGH.
NOW, LET ME BE THE FIRST TO, UH, ADMIT THAT WE WERE AUTHORIZED TO BEGIN THIS, UH, PROJECT WAY BACK IN, UH, JULY OF 2010, WHICH I BELIEVE IS THE BEGINNING OF FISCAL YEAR 2011.
ONCE WE RECEIVED AUTHORIZATION, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF STEPS THAT WE BEGAN TO TAKE, AND LET ME JUST SHARE WITH YOU WHAT A FEW OF THOSE ARE.
ONE, WE REVIEWED THE PAST WORK DEMANDS PROJECTS THAT OCCURRED WITHIN THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS.
UH, WE WENT AHEAD AND SPENT SOME TIME STUDYING AND DOING SOME RESEARCH ON THE ISSUE OF THE IMPACT OF HAVING MORE TWO OFFICER UNITS.
THAT WAS EXPRESSED TO US AS BEING AN IMPORTANT VARIABLE TO WHICH WE AGREED, AND WE WANTED TO SEE WHAT, IF ANYTHING, HAD OCCURRED ACROSS THE COUNTRY WITH RESPECT TO THAT ISSUE.
WE WANTED TO LOOK AT WORK DEMANDS
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ANALYSIS THAT WERE CONDUCTED IN OTHER CITIES COMPARABLE TO HOUSTON.WE SPENT TIME INTERVIEWING KEY STAKEHOLDERS WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT.
THESE WERE THE FOLKS WHO ARE CLOSEST TO KNOWING WHAT THE NEEDS ARE, AND WE ANTICIPATED THAT WHEN THE VENDORS CAME ON BOARD, DAY TWO WOULD BE SPENDING TIME WITH THEM.
WE ALSO WANTED TO SPEND SOME TIME DEVELOPING THE METHODOLOGY FOR THIS PROJECT.
WE KNEW WE WERE GONNA HAVE ONE SHOT AT THIS, AND WE WANTED TO TRY AND GET IT RIGHT.
AND THEN LASTLY, WE SPENT SOME TIME PREPARING THE RFP.
NOW, MOST OF THIS WORK, AS I INDICATED, BEGAN IN, IN 2010 AND SPREAD INTO 2011.
THIS IS NOT AN EXCUSE, BUT IT IS A REALITY.
IN 2011, WE HAD TO DEAL WITH THE MASSIVE LAYOFFS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT, AND, UM, THAT TOOK UP SOME TIME, AND THIS PROJECT TOOK A BACK KIND OF A BACK, UH, DOOR ON, ON OUR ABILITY TO GET THIS DONE MORE QUICKLY.
SO, UH, I'M PARTIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT JUST BECAUSE MYSELF AND OUR OTHER COLLEAGUES WERE BUSY WORKING ON OTHER PROJECTS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT.
BUT EVENTUALLY, WE GOT THROUGH THAT AND WE WERE ABLE TO PUT THIS BACK ON THE FAST TRACK.
THE, UH, RFP WAS RELEASED IN FEBRUARY OF 2012.
THE VENDORS ACTUALLY STARTED WORK IN JANUARY OF 2013.
NOW, UM, THE REPORT CAME OUT, THE FINAL REPORT CAME OUT MAY 16TH, UH, 2014, AND WE GOT YOU ALL A COPY ROUGHLY ABOUT A WEEK LATER.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, THE PRESENTATION TODAY, LET ME INDICATE THAT DURING 2013, A PORTION OF THIS PROJECT FOCUSED ON INVESTIGATIVE OPERATIONS.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT WE BELIEVE THIS.
WE ARE THE FIRST MAJOR DEPARTMENT IN THE COUNTRY THAT IS ABLE TO COME BEFORE YOU AND ACTUALLY TALK CONCISELY AND ACCURATELY AND PRACTICALLY ABOUT STAFFING DEMANDS FOR INVESTIGATIVE PERSONNEL.
THAT HAS TYPICALLY BEEN A BLACK BOX IN POLICE ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS YOU'RE REALLY NOT SURE WHAT'S GOING ON.
YOU JUST HOPE THAT EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON IS, IS OCCURRING THE WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO WITH AN ADEQUATE NUMBER OF PERSONNEL.
SO, UH, THERE'LL BE A, UH, A, A DESCRIPTION ABOUT THE METHODOLOGY THAT WAS USED THEN, BUT THAT IS ALSO A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR AS TO WHY IT TOOK US SO LONG TO GET TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
WITH RESPECT TO THE VENDORS, WE HAD, UH, EIGHT VENDORS ACTUALLY, UH, RESPOND TO THE RFP.
UH, WE WERE, UH, INITIALLY, UH, AUTHORIZED TO SPEND UP TO APPROXIMATELY $200,000 ON THIS PROJECT.
I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU, WE WERE A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT THE BUDGET IMPLICATIONS WHEN WE PUT THE RFP OUT.
WE HAD EIGHT RESPONDERS, AND, UH, THE, THE, UH, RANGE OF, OF COST AMONGST THESE EIGHT WENT FROM APPROXIMATELY 98,000 TO $2.4 MILLION.
WE ENDED UP SELECTING THE POLICE EXECUTIVE RESEARCH FORUM.
THEY, UM, ARE A, A THINK TANK, UM, OPERATION IN WASHINGTON DC.
THEY HAVE A WELL RENOWNED REPUTATION ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS BEING A LEADER IN WORKING WITH MAJOR POLICE DEPARTMENTS.
UM, THEY HAVE HAD EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN CONDUCTING STUDIES LIKE THIS.
WE ALSO, UH, ENTERED INTO A PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CONTRACT WITH JUST TECH SYSTEMS INCORPORATED.
THEY'RE LOCATED UP IN HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS.
THEY, TOO HAVE HAD EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN WORKING WITH POLICE DEPARTMENTS ON PROJECTS LIKE THIS.
WHAT'S A LITTLE UNIQUE FOR US THIS TIME AROUND IS WE'VE ASKED TWO VENDORS EACH WITH, UH, EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE, BUT WITH DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES IN TERMS OF HOW TO LOOK AT THIS OVERALL PROJECT.
AND WE WANTED TO TAKE THE VALUE OF THEIR COLLECTIVE RESPONSE OR THEIR COLLECTIVE WISDOM AND EXPERIENCE, AND HOPEFULLY BLEND THAT TOGETHER AND PRODUCE A FINAL PRODUCT FOR US.
SO, AT, AT THIS POINT, LET ME INTRODUCE THE, THE TWO GENTLEMEN THAT WILL COME UP HERE AND MAKE THE PRESENTATION TO YOU.
UM, THE FIRST IS MR. CRAIG FRAZIER.
HE IS THE DIRECTOR OF MANAGEMENT SERVICES WITH THE POLICE EXECUTIVE RESEARCH FORUM.
AND OUR SECOND GUEST IS DR. LARRY HOOVER, WHO'S THE PRESIDENT OF JUST TECH SYSTEMS UP THERE IN HUNTSVILLE, GENTLEMEN.
AND AS THE, UH, MAKE THEIR, UH, WAY UP, I DO WANNA RECOGNIZE MY COLLEAGUES THAT JOINED US EARLIER.
COUNCIL BER COHEN, COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON, COUNCILMAN BRADFORD, AS WELL AS STAFF FROM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER WYNN, AND COUNCIL MEMBER LASHER'S OFFICE.
AND COUNCIL MEMBER COSTELLO'S OFFICE.
SO WE'RE READY FOR THE FIRST SLIDE, THE INTRODUCTION.
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AS CHIEF MEYER MENTIONED, OUR FOCUS HERE WAS OPERATIONAL STAFFING.UH, WE NEED TO GO BACK TO THE OTHER PRESENTATION.
THIS IS SORT OF A BLENDED PROJECT, SO IF WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF, UH, SYNC PROBLEMS, THEN, THEN WE'LL, WE'LL DEAL WITH THAT.
BUT AS, AS, UH, CHIEF MEYER SAID, THIS IS A OPERATIONAL STAFFING.
AND SO, WHAT WE WERE LOOKING AT IS WE WERE LOOKING AT UNITS THAT PROVIDE DIRECT SERVICES TO PEOPLE IN HOUSTON, AND THAT REALLY WAS FIELD OPERATIONS.
WE LOOKED AT, UM, THOSE UNITS ASSIGNED TO THE 13TH GEOGRAPHICAL DIVISIONS THAT DO PATROL.
WE ALSO LOOKED AT THE TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT DIVISION IN STRATEGIC OPERATIONS.
WE LOOKED AT THE AIRPORT DIVISION, AND WE ALSO LOOKED AT SPECIAL OPERATIONS DIVISION.
THE SPECIAL OPERATIONS DIVISION HAS A NUMBER OF UNITS THAT FOCUS PREDOMINANTLY ON THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT AND DOWNTOWN.
THAT'S PARTLY A PATROL OPERATION, BUT PARTLY SOME OTHER SPECIAL SORTS OF THINGS THEY DO.
AND THEN FINALLY, IN INVESTIGATIVE OPERATIONS, WE WANTED TO LOOK AT THOSE UNITS ASSIGNED.
WE WERE ASKED TO LOOK AT THOSE UNITS ASSIGNED TO THE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION, AND THOSE WITH SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS COMMAND, THOSE TWO COMMANDS.
SO THOSE WERE THE UNITS THAT WE FOCUSED ON.
THOSE ARE OPERATIONAL UNITS, SORT OF DIRECT SERVICES PROVIDING THINGS FOR THE PEOPLE OF, UM, UH, THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND THE WAY THIS IS SORT OF, UM, ESTABLISHED IS THERE ARE SORT OF THREE AREAS OF POLICING THAT WE LOOKED AT.
FOR EXAMPLE, THERE ARE THOSE UNITS THAT ARE REACTIVE.
THAT IS, SOMEBODY CALLS THE POLICE AND ASKS FOR A POLICE OFFICER.
THAT'S RELATIVELY EASY TO LOOK AT IN SOME WAYS.
IN OTHER WAYS, IT'S FAIRLY COMPLEX.
AS YOU'LL SEE, WHEN DR. HOOVER MAKES THIS PRESENTATION, WE ALSO ARE ASKED TO LOOK AT PROACTIVE UNITS.
THOSE ARE UNITS THAT GO OUT AND LOOK FOR CRIME PROBLEMS, NARCOTICS UNITS, VICE UNITS TO SOME EXTENT.
UM, TRAFFIC IS SORT OF A PROACTIVE UNIT LOOKING FOR OFFENDERS, LOOKING FOR WAYS TO REDUCE CRASHES.
AND THE THIRD GROUP, SOMEWHAT SMALLER, ARE THOSE THAT HAVE A REGULATORY FUNCTION.
THOSE ARE UNITS THAT PROVIDE OVERSIGHT FOR BUSINESSES THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL, IF NOT EXAMINED CAREFULLY FOR INFILTRATION OF CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE.
SUCH THINGS AS THE SEXUALLY ORIENTED BUSINESSES, UM, ALCOHOL OUTLETS, THE, UM, GAMBLING, THE LEGAL GAMING ENTERPRISES, SOME THINGS WITH CHOP SHOPS AND OTHER SORTS OF AUTOMOBILE SORTS OF THINGS.
SO THOSE ARE THE SORT OF THREE AREAS THAT WE LOOKED AT, REACTIVE, PROACTIVE, AND REGULATORY.
NOW, THE DIFFICULTY FOR US, AND THIS WAS A CHALLENGE, IT'S, IT'S, UM, NOT OFTEN WE GET A PROJECT THAT WE, I THINK, UH, DR. HOOVER ENJOYED IT AS MUCH AS WE DID THAT IT'S A BIT OF A CHALLENGE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE COME UP WITH WAYS TO MEASURE THINGS THAT ARE SOMETIMES DIFFICULT TO MEASURE.
THERE'S FAIRLY ESTABLISHED METHODOLOGY FOR REACTIVE POLICING.
ALTHOUGH THE MEASUREMENT OF INVESTIGATIVE WORK IS NEW, UM, IT'S MUCH HARDER TO COME UP WITH SOME MEASURES IN PROACTIVE WORKLOAD AND THE REGULATORY FUNCTION.
SO, WE WANTED TO LOOK AT REACTIVE, OFTEN THE COMPUTER, THE, UH, COMPUTER AIDED DISPATCH SYSTEM.
THE CRIME REPORTING SYSTEM PROVIDES LOTS OF DATA FOR THAT.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT JUST TEXT AND DR. HOOVER DID THAT'S DIFFERENT IS THEY ACTUALLY GOT INFORMATION FROM DETECTIVES TO SEE HOW THEY'RE SPENDING THEIR TIME.
THAT'S A GREAT HELP AT BEGINNING TO GET AN IDEA OF, OF THE DETECTIVE STAFFING, UM, REACTIVE INVESTIGATIONS.
WE'VE GOT THE IDEA OF HOLLER CLASSIFIED AND THE DETECTIVE WORKLOAD.
PROACTIVE, IT'S A LITTLE BIT TOUGHER TO MEASURE.
UM, TRAFFIC OPERATIONS USUALLY ARE MEASURED BY THE NUMBER OF CITATIONS OR BY THE NUMBER OF, UM, UM, DRUNK IMPAIRED DRIVER ARRESTS.
BUT IN REALITY, THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE OUTCOME THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
SO WE TRY TO SEE TO WHAT EXTENT MIGHT THERE BE A WAY TO LOOK AT TRAFFIC FROM THE IDEA OF THE NUMBER OF CRASHES THAT COULD BE REDUCED BECAUSE OF ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES, OR IS THERE A WAY TO FIND MEASURES TO REDUCE TRAFFIC CONGESTION IS ANOTHER SORT OF REGULATORY OR, OR SORT OF ONGOING PROACTIVE FUNCTION OF TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT GANG UNIT IS ANOTHER ONE THAT WE TRY TO LOOK AT TO SEE ARE THERE OUTCOME MEASURES AS OPPOSED TO JUST MEASURES OF ACTIVITY.
THE NUMBER OF ARRESTS, UM, WE LOOKED AT, COULD YOU MEASURE IT BY REDUCING GANG RELATED SHOOTINGS, BY REDUCING THE NUMBER OF GANGS AND THE NUMBER OF GANG MEMBERS, UH, THE OVERALL REDUCTIONS IN GANG CRIME? WOULD THOSE BE WAYS THAT THAT WOULD HELP MEASURE TASK FORCES IN HOUSTON AS, UH, WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT BEFORE, HAS AT LEAST 13 TASK FORCES INTER-AGENCY TASK FORCES, AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE DIFFICULTIES OF MEASUREMENT WITH THEM WHEN WE GET TO THEM SPECIFICALLY.
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STARTED THINKING ABOUT COULD WE LOOK AT A TASK FORCE THAT HAS MULTIPLE AGENCIES, FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, AND THINK ABOUT ARE THEY REDUCING CRIME IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON? ARE THEY ARRESTING OFFENDERS THAT HAVE A HOUSTON BASIS? ARE THEY HAVING AN IMPACT ON THE CRIMES COMMITTED IN HOUSTON? UM, IS THERE SOME ISSUE IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE A NEXUS IN HOUSTON THAT THEY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REDUCE? SO THAT BECOMES A FAIRLY IMPORTANT WAY, A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT THAT.USUALLY WHAT WE GET IS THE NUMBER OF ACTIVITIES THEY COMPLETE REPORTS, WRITTEN CASES REVIEWED, ARRESTS MADE SO FORTH.
UM, THERE'S NOT MUCH EMPHASIS IN THE MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS IN MAJOR POLICE DEPARTMENTS IN THE COUNTRY ON THE OUTCOME.
AND THE NUMBER OF OFFICERS ASSIGNED IN MOST PLACES IS PRIMARILY A MANAGEMENT PREFERENCE BASED ON HERE CALLED STAFF HISTORICAL STAFFING.
THAT SEEMS TO BE THE RIGHT NUMBER.
AGAIN, THIS PROJECT IS, IS TO SOME EXTENT TRYING TO, UM, FIND WAYS TO GET PAST THAT.
RE REGULATORY WORK IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT BECAUSE NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT SUCH THINGS AS THE NUMBER OF INSPECTIONS MADE, THE NUMBER OF VIOLATIONS DISCOVERED, NEIGHBORHOOD COMPLAINTS THAT ARE ADDRESSED A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT WAY WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT REGULATION AS OPPOSED TO CRIME.
WE THINK THAT THERE ARE SOME WAYS TO BEGIN TO MEASURE THAT THE SIZE OF THE UNIT BY THINKING ABOUT, OKAY, DOES THE UNIT HAVE THE ABILITY TO PROMPTLY RESPOND TO NEIGHBORHOOD COMPLAINTS, INCREASE TRAFFIC, INCREASE DISORDER, INCREASE, NO NOISE, ARE OFTEN THE, UM, SYMPTOMS OF A, A VICE OR A REGULATORY ACTIVITY THAT HAS BECOME PROBLEMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE IN THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS? IS THERE SOME ABILITY TO STILL CONDUCT PROACTIVE INVESTIGATIONS LOOKING FOR PLACES WHERE THERE'S BEEN CRIMINAL PRE, UM, PENETRATION OF A REGULATED ACTIVITY? IS THE VOLUME OF INSPECTION SUCH? IS IT HIGH ENOUGH? AND ARE THE SANCTIONS ENOUGH THAT MOST OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE INSPECTED ARE VIOLATION FREE? IF YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF VIOLATIONS, YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT DOING ENOUGH INSPECTIONS, OR THERE MAY NOT BE ENOUGH PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS WHEN THEY OCCUR.
SO THE STUDY WAS COMPLETED THIS WAY.
WHAT WE DID IS WE SORT OF DIVIDED THINGS DR. HOOVER AND JUST TEXT LOOKED AT THE PROACTIVE, UM, PARTS OF THE DEPARTMENT, THE GEOGRAPHICALLY BASED PATROL DIVISIONS, UH, THE REACTIVE UNITS IN THE INVESTIGATIVE OPERATIONS, CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS COMMAND.
THEY HAVE TWO PARTICULAR MODELS THAT DR.
HOOVER'S GONNA LOOK, UH, TALK ABOUT THAT THEY'VE DEVELOPED OVER THE YEARS.
AND THEN THE PERF PORTION, OUR PORTION OF IT WAS THE PROACTIVE AND REGULATORY FUNCTIONS UNITS WITHIN TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS COMMAND.
THAT'S, UM, UH, THOSE UNITS THAT ARE NOT SORT OF DELIVERING PATROL SERVICES.
AND THEN WE ALSO LOOKED AT, UH, AIRPORT AND, UH, SPECIAL OPERATIONS DIVISION.
WE DID ALSO SPEND TIME, AND I, I SEE A FEW FAMILIAR FACES THAT WE TALKED WITH A NUMBER OF PEOPLE HERE TO GET AN IDEA.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE POLICY PREFERENCES THAT GUIDE THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT? WHAT ARE SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT WHEN WE'RE DOING THE STUDY? WE TALKED WITH THE COMMAND STAFF OF THE DEPARTMENT.
WE TALKED WITH A NUMBER OF CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.
WE TALKED WITH AN, UH, A PRETTY WIDE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN THE HPD, THE HEADS, ALMOST EVERY UNIT.
UM, WE TALKED WITH SOME RANK AND FILE OFFICERS TO TRY TO GET AN IDEA WHAT WERE THOSE POLICY PREFERENCES THAT WERE VERY IMPORTANT TO PEOPLE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND IN THE DEPARTMENT.
THIS IS A LITTLE BIT BUSY, BUT I'LL SORT OF SUMMARIZE THE THINGS THAT WE FOUND.
ONE IS, THERE'S DEFINITELY AN INTEREST IN VISIBILITY AND POLICE OFFICER VISIBILITY.
UM, IT'S AN IMPORTANT SORT OF THING.
AND IT WAS BROUGHT HOME TO US EVEN MORE WHEN WE FOUND THERE ARE STILL SOME AREAS WITHIN THE CITY OF HOUSTON THAT HAVE A CONTRACT WITH CONSTABLES BECAUSE THEY WANT THAT VISIBILITY.
THAT'S A, THAT'S A BIT UNUSUAL.
WE DON'T SEE THAT IN A LOT OF PLACES.
UM, IT'S ALSO UNIQUE THAT IN HOUSTON AND IN THE METROPOLITAN AREA, THERE ARE MUCH MORE, UM, WORK DONE BY CONSTABLES IN MOST OTHER PLACES, EVEN WITHIN TEXAS.
AND WE'VE DONE WORK IN OTHER CITIES IN TEXAS, IN AUSTIN, FORT WORTH AND SO FORTH, WHERE THE CONSTABLES DON'T HAVE THE SAME SORT OF PRESENCE AND ACTIVITY THEY DO HERE WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT.
THERE WAS A PREFERENCE TO LOOK AT AND, AND CHIEF MEYER REC, UH, MENTIONED, UH, ADDITIONAL TO OFFICER CARS, THE IDEA BEING THAT THAT MIGHT THAT BE A RESOURCE ENHANCEMENT, MIGHT THERE BE, UH, TASKS, UH, OFFICER SAFETY ENHANCEMENT FROM THAT.
SO THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS ALSO THERE.
THERE WAS ALSO CLEARLY A DESIRE TO IMPROVE INVESTIGATIONS.
THERE WAS A FEELING THAT THERE WERE CASES
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THAT HAD SOLVABILITY FACTORS THAT HAD LEADS THAT WERE NOT BEING ACTIVELY INVESTIGATED BECAUSE THERE WERE NOT ENOUGH INVESTIGATORS.THERE WAS DEFINITELY A FELT DESIRE FOR COMMUNITY POLICING, FOR CRIME PREVENTION AND PROBLEM SOLVING.
THIS AGENCY HAS A LONG HISTORY AND TRADITION OF BEING ONE OF THE FIRST IN THE COUNTRY TO MOVE IN THAT DIRECTION.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IS PART OF THE INBRED CULTURE, I THINK, OF THE CITY AND OF THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT IF PEOPLE WANTED TO SEE, MAKE SURE THAT WAS CONTINUED.
THERE'S ALSO A DESIRE TO SEE THE DEPARTMENT BE, HAVE TIME TO BE MORE PROACTIVE WITH YOUTH, TO BE ABLE TO BE PART OF, UH, A SYSTEM OF AGENCIES THAT CAN WORK WITH KIDS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY, WELL, YOU CAN'T MAKE SURE, BUT TO HELP THEM NOT GO DOWN A ROAD OF, OF, UH, CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR.
THERE WAS, UM, WE HEARD SOME, SOME, UM, UH, A NUMBER OF PEOPLE TELL US THAT THERE, THEY THOUGHT MAYBE IT'S A TIME TO BEGIN TO REEXAMINE HOW THE STOREFRONTS OPERATE.
IT'S BEEN A LONG HELD TRADITION WITH THE STOREFRONTS.
BUT THERE WAS SOME PEOPLE THAT SAID, WELL, LET'S, LET'S RE-LOOK AT THEM.
DOESN'T MEAN THERE'S GONNA BE CHANGE, BUT WE, THERE WAS SOME ISSUES.
WE FOUND THAT THERE WAS A, A FELT NEED TO DO SOME REEXAMINATION.
THERE WAS A CONTINUING EMPHASIS ON HAVING A DECENTRALIZED APARTMENT.
THIS IS A HUGE CITY, YOU'RE FOURTH LARGEST IN THE COUNTRY.
AND THERE WAS A, A DESIRE TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S DECENTRALIZATION TO MEET LOCAL NEEDS IN THE LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS.
THERE WAS ALSO A CONSENSUS THAT REALLY WAS BUILT THAT SAID, WE WANT TO MAINTAIN THE CURRENT LEVEL, AT LEAST WE MAINTAIN THE CURRENT LEVEL OF OPERATIONS.
WE, WHICH MEANS WE NEED TO FILL VACANCIES THAT OCCUR THROUGH ATTRITION.
SO THERE IS, THERE IS A VERY STRONG DESIRE IN THE PART OF MOST EVERYBODY WE TALK WITH TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT HAPPENS.
THERE WAS A DESIRE TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THE DEPARTMENT HAD THE ABILITY TO RESPOND TO THE SORT OF QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES, THE NEIGHBORHOOD COMPLAINTS THAT WOULD BE NOISE OR DIS DISORDER OR TRAFFIC SORTS OF THINGS.
UM, THERE WAS ALSO A DESIRE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS RESOURCES TO DEAL WITH THE, UM, CRIMINAL AND REGULATORY ENFORCEMENT OF VICE OPERATIONS WITH SEXUAL ORIENTED BUSINESSES, WITH GAMING INSTITUTIONS WITH ALCOHOL.
THERE WAS A DESIRE TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WAS AN ABILITY TO COMBAT ORGANIZED CRIME AND GANGS.
AND FINALLY, THERE WAS A REAL DESIRE, UH, IN THE FIRST THREE MONTHS.
IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING, THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAD MORE TRAFFIC FATALITIES THAN HOMICIDES.
SO THERE WAS THIS IDEA OF, UH, WE OFFER SOME RECOMMENDATIONS OF RETHINKING TRAFFIC TO FOCUS ON CRASH REDUCTION.
AND WE WILL THEN MOVE TO TALK ABOUT REACTIVE POLICING AND READY TO SWITCH THE SLIDES TO THE JUST TEXT SLIDES IN DR.
AS MR. FRASER INDICATED, UH, JUST X WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR EXAMINING IN DETAIL, UH, PATROL OPERATIONS AND INVESTIGATION REACTIVE INVESTIGATIONS.
UH, WE HAVE OVER A PERIOD OF YEARS DEVELOPED TWO COMPUTER MODELS, SIMULATION MODELS, UH, TO ACCOMPLISH THAT PURPOSE.
THE ALLOCATION MODEL FOR PATROL BEGAN AS, UH, IN THE EARLY 1990S, UH, FUNDED BY THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, AND WAS INITIAL PAPER COPY WAS DEVELOPED AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, UH, JUST SIX SYSTEMS. UH, HAD A ONE YEAR VERY EXTENSIVE CONTRACT WITH THE FORT WORTH POLICE DEPARTMENT IN 2001, UH, TO DO A FULL SCALE OPERATIONS ANALYSIS OF THAT AGENCY.
AND WE, UH, COMPUTERIZED THAT MODEL AND ADDED TO IT.
UH, SUBSEQUENT TO 2001, THE, THE MODEL'S BEEN IMPROVED, UH, TWO OR THREE TIMES WITH ADDITIONAL VARIABLES, UH, ADDED, UH, TO, UH, AND I'LL GET INTO MORE DETAILED EXPLANATION OF WHAT IT TELLS YOU, UH, MOMENTARILY.
UH, CLEARLY IN DEVELOPING THE ALLOCATION MODEL FOR PATROL, UH, WE RECOGNIZE THE NEED FOR SOMETHING SIMILAR FOR INVESTIGATIONS.
AND AS MR. FRAZIER'S INDICATED, THERE SIMPLY ISN'T ANYTHING THAT, UH, QUANTIFIES INVESTIGATIONS IN AN ACTIONABLE WAY, UH, SO THAT YOU HAVE SOME SENSE OF WHAT YOU'RE BUYING WHEN YOU, UH, HIRE AN ADDITIONAL OR APPOINTED ADDITIONAL DETECTIVE.
UH, AND, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH, UH, HOUSTON, UM, WAS WELCOMED BY US.
AND, UH, THAT MODEL REFLECTS CONDITIONS, UH, IN THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT.
A FREQUENTLY USED MEASURE OF WHETHER OR NOT AN AGENCY HAS ADEQUATE STAFFING IS POLICE CITIZEN RATIO.
IN FACT, IT'S A PERVASIVE, UH, MEASURE USED AGAIN AND AGAIN.
UH, THERE'S MYTHS THAT FLOAT AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT THE FBI RECOMMENDS A CERTAIN, UH, POLICE CITIZEN RATIO.
THE JURORS NEVER, UH, PROMULGATED ANYTHING AND THAT SORT OF RECOMMENDATION.
UH, AND THE IMPORTANT POINT IS THAT THERE IS NO RIGHT,
[00:25:01]
CORRECT, UH, OR ADEQUATE POLICE CITIZEN RATIO.UH, IT VARIES SUBSTANTIALLY AROUND THE COUNTRY.
UH, IF YOU EXAMINE THE, THE MAP, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT UP IN THE NORTHEAST RATIOS, TYPICALLY IN MAJOR CITIES, TYPICALLY EXCEED FOUR PER THOUSAND POPULATION.
UH, BY THE TIME YOU GET TO CALIFORNIA, THEY'RE, UH, AT 1.5 TO TWO POINT, UH, UH, OFFICERS PER THOUSAND POPULATION.
IF YOU DIA DRAW A DIAGONAL LINE FROM BANGOR, MAINE ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO, UH, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, UH, YOU FIND AN INCREASINGLY DECREASE, UH, IN POLICE CITIZEN RATIOS.
UH, NOW THERE'S A NUMBER OF REASONS FOR THIS.
UH, THE PRIMARY REASON IS THAT VERTICAL CITIES TAKE MORE POLICE THAN HORIZONTAL CITIES.
UH, BASICALLY CITIES WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI ARE HORIZONTAL CITIES WHERE THE, WE HAVE AN IMPRESSIVE SKYLINE, UH, CERTAINLY THAT THEY'RE NOT HIGH RISES HERE, UH, BUT POPULATION DENSITIES ARE NOT NEARLY AS HIGH IN HOUSTON AS THEY ARE IN NEW YORK OR PHILADELPHIA, OR EVEN CHICAGO, ST.
UH, SECOND, THERE IS A STRONG TRADITION OF USING TWO OFFICER PATROL UNITS IN, UH, NORTHEASTERN CITIES.
UH, AND, UH, THAT HAS BEEN SLOW TO, UH, SLOW TO ERODE.
UH, THERE IS A TRADITION IN NORTHEASTERN CITIES OF USING THE POLICE FOR BROADER FUNCTIONS, UH, MORE REGULATORY FUNCTIONS PLACED ON THE POLICE AND, UH, AND, UH, THE LIKE.
UM, SO THE, THERE IS, THERE IS, IF ONE RUNS A CORRELATION COEFFICIENT, UH, BETWEEN, BETWEEN POLICE SYSTEM RATIOS AND CRIME RATES, UH, YOU GET NEAR ZERO CORRELATION.
UH, IT WOULD APPEAR AS THOUGH MORE POLICE DON'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
BUT IF YOU EXAMINE THAT, THAT, UH, PHENOMENON MORE CAREFULLY, UH, YOU DISCOVER THAT, UH, THAT THERE ARE EXPLANATORY FACTORS FOR THAT SYSTEMATIC, UH, DECREASE IN SYSTEM RATIOS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, UH, STATED SIMPLY, UH, THAT'S AN INADEQUATE MEM UH, MEASURE.
AND, UH, UH, WE DID NOT EMPLOY THAT IN OUR, UH, STUDY.
PRIMARY DETERMINANTS OF PATROL STAFFING.
FIRST OF ALL, UH, MR. FRAZIER ALREADY INDICATED VISIBILITY OF OFFICERS.
UM, I'VE NEVER WORKED IN AN AGENCY IN A COMMUNITY, UH, THAT, UH, VIOLATED THE PRINCIPAL THAT PEOPLE WANNA SEE MORE POLICE OFFICERS, THEY WANNA SEE A PATROL CAR DRIVE BY THEIR, THEIR HOUSE ON SOME SORT OF A, A REGULAR BASIS.
UH, WHEN WE WORKED IN, UH, FORT WORTH, IN PARTICULAR, DEVELOPING THE ALLOCATION MODEL FOR PATROL, UH, THAT WAS CLEARLY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAD TO BE BUILT INTO THE, THE INITIAL MODEL, ADDED TO THE INITIAL MODEL, UH, TO REFLECT ADEQUATELY, UH, THE DESIRE OF THE DESIRE OF THE CITIZENS, UH, ABILITY TO MEET RESPONSE TIME GOALS FOR PRIORITY ONE AND PRIORITY TWO.
THE STANDARD NATIONALLY FOR PRIORITY ONE CALLS IS FIVE MINUTES.
PRIORITY ONE IS LIFE-THREATENING CALLS.
YOU WANT AN OFFICER THERE VERY QUICKLY.
AND, UH, PATROL SHOULD BE STAFFED SO THAT, UH, AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE SITUATION, OFFICERS CAN RESPOND WITHIN, UH, WITHIN FIVE MINUTES.
PRIORITY TWO CALLS ARE NOT QUITE AS URGENT, BUT HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR VIOLENCE.
UH, SO THAT DOMESTIC DISPUTES, UH, WELL, IT'S A RANGE OF DISPUTE.
CALLS TYPICALLY FALL INTO PRIORITY TWO.
CALL, UH, CALL CATEGORY, UH, OR TRAFFIC JAMMED.
UH, MAYBE NOT PERSONAL INJURY, BUT, UH, HIGHWAYS JAMMED IS A PRIORITY TWO CALL.
AND TYPICALLY 15 MINUTES IS ALLOTTED FOR PRIORITY TWO.
AFTER THAT, THERE'S A WIDE RANGE OF, UH, PRIORITY LEVELS AND STAFFING, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS.
UH, THE, UH, FIFTH BULLET DOWN SUFFICIENT TIME TO EFFECTIVELY HANDLE A GIVEN CALL FOR SERVICE, A QUALITY RESPONSE.
UH, YOU DON'T WANT OFFICERS UNDER SUCH PRESSURE TO GET BACK INTO THE PATROL CAR, UH, BECAUSE THERE MAY BE IN AN EMERGENCY GENUINE 9 1 1 EMERGENCY COMING THAT THEY DON'T ADEQUATELY HANDLE A DOMESTIC DISPUTE, UH, BECAUSE IF IT'S DOMESTIC DISPUTES NOT HANDLED ADEQUATELY, THEY'RE GONNA BE BACK WITH A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE COMPLAINT.
UH, SO YOU WANT REASONABLE PERIOD OF TIME FOR OFFICERS TO PROVIDE MEANINGFUL, UH, RESPONSE TO QUAL CALLS FOR SERVICE THAT DO COME IN.
NOW, THAT'S THE, THE, THE CALL FOR SERVICE RESPONSE IS THE REACTIVE PART OF NORMAL PATROL.
UH, AND WHAT WE TYPICALLY THINK OF, UH, WHEN WE THINK OF PATROL, BUT PATROL IS TWO COMPONENTS, UH, REACTIVE AND THE PROACTIVE, THE ENFORCEMENT SIDE.
AND YOU ALSO WANT OFFICERS TO HAVE SUFFICIENT TIME TO ENGAGE IN SELF-INITIATED ACTIVITIES.
SUSPICIOUS PERSONS, UH, FOCUSED DETERRENCE ON PARTICULAR AD ADDRESSES OR LOCATIONS, UH, PRESENCE THERE, TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT, CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT, PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION, NOTIFICATION, SO FORTH.
UH, THERE'S PATROL UNIT IS NOT SITTING STILL.
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NOT, THAT UNIT'S NOT ASSIGNED TO A CALL FOR SERVICE, WE EXPECT ACTIVE, UH, FOCUSED ENFORCEMENT, UH, FROM THAT, UH, FROM THAT UNIT.FOR THE CALCULATIONS OF PATROL STAFFING, UH, UH, THAT WERE DESIGNED TO MEET ALTERNATIVE, UH, PERFORMANCE LEVELS, NOT ANY GIVEN PERFORMANCE LEVELS, BUT ALTERNATIVE PERFORMANCE LEVELS.
UH, WE RAN, UH, UH, UH, SIX, UH, PERFORMANCE LEVELS AMONG 11 DIFFERENT SCENARIOS.
I'M NOT GONNA GO OVER EVERY ONE.
UH, AFTER A POINT, UH, WE'LL USE A COUPLE OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
UH, FIRST WE ADDED A SECOND BACKUP OFFICER RESPONDING CALLS FOR SERVICE THAT HPD POLICY CALLS FOR A SECOND OFFICER.
BUT, UH, IN 2012 OR 2013, UH, A SECOND OFFICER WAS NOT DISPATCHED DUE TO NONE WERE AVAILABLE.
UH, WE, UH, UH, EXPECT POLICE OFFICERS TO, UH, RESPOND, UH, FIRST IN TERMS OF, UH, CITIZEN SAFETY AND CITIZEN WELLBEING, AND AN URGENT CALLS WHEN CITIZENS ARE AT RISK.
UH, IF A SECOND OFFICER IS NOT AVAILABLE, UH, USE SOME POLICE OFFICERS, UH, RESPOND TO THAT CALL BY THEMSELVES, UH, AND APPROACH THE, THE, UH, SCENE, UH, ALONE.
UH, THAT'S NOT A DESIRABLE SITUATION TO HAVE.
UH, WE RAN THE COMPUTER MODEL AND IN ORDER TO, UH, HAVE SUFFICIENTLY STAFF PATROL THAT, UH, UH, BACK UP OFFICER WAS DISPATCHED TO EVERY ONE OF THE CALLS OR POLICY CALLS FOR THIS BACKUP OFFICER DISPATCH, UH, REQUIRED 311 ADDITIONAL OFFICERS AND 54 SERGEANTS, UH, TO MEET THAT, THAT VERY IMPORTANT, THAT CRITICAL GOAL.
SECOND, WE VARIED THE AMOUNT OF PROACTIVE PATROL TIME, INCREASING PROACTIVE PATROL TO 15 MINUTES PER HOUR INSTEAD OF THE CURRENT 10 MINUTES.
UH, OUR ANALYSIS OF CURRENT SITUATION AND CURRENT USE OF PATROL TIME INDICATED THAT, UH, IT'S ABOUT, UH, ABOUT 10 MINUTES NOW IN AN EIGHT HOUR SHIFT, UH, HOUR AND A HALF, UH, THEREABOUTS, UH, SPENT ON, UH, PROACTIVE, UH, PATROL, UH, THAT'S MORE DESIRABLE AT 15 OR EVEN 20 MINUTES, UH, PER HOUR, UH, TO ENGAGE, UH, HAVE SUFFICIENT STAFFING TO ENGAGE IN PROACTIVE PATROL.
WE AUDIT VISIBILITY INTERVAL FOR BOTH ARTERIAL AND RESIDENTIAL STREETS.
YOU CLEARLY CANNOT HAVE A PATROL UNIT DRIVE BY ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET AS OFTEN AS, UH, THEY DO ON AN ARTERIAL STREET.
UH, THE VISIBILITY NUMERIC TAKES THE NUMBER OF MILES OF ROADWAYS OF BOTH TYPES IN THE CITY AND CALCULATES, UH, HOW MANY OFFICERS WOULD BE, HOW MANY PATROL UNITS WOULD BE NECESSARY IF YOU WERE STANDING ON A PARTICULAR CORNER.
UH, HOW LONG WOULD YOU HAVE TO WAIT TO SEE A PATROL CAR, UH, DRIVE BY? AND, UH, UH, THE, UH, WE INCREASED THE DRIVE BY FROM ONCE EVERY FOUR HOURS TO ONCE AN HOUR ON OUR ONTARIO THROUGH AFFAIRS, AND FROM ONCE EVERY 24 HOURS TO ONCE EVERY 12 HOURS ON RESIDENTIAL STREETS.
THE ONCE EVERY FOUR HOURS AND ONCE EVERY 12 HOURS WERE, UH, SIMULATION ESTIMATES THAT WE MADE BASED UPON THE TIME AVAILABLE TO OFFICERS AND, UH, INTERVIEWS WITH, UH, WITH PATROL.
UH, NOW THAT'S EXPENSIVE, UH, TO INCREASE, UH, FROM, UH, FOUR TO ONE AND 24 TO 12, IT WOULD REQUIRE 883 ADDITIONAL OFFICERS.
UH, IT IS TIME CONSUMING, UH, TO MAINTAIN THAT VISIBILITY.
WE INCREASE RESPONSE TIME TO PRIORITY TWO CALLS FROM 10 TO 15 MINUTES.
NOW, THIS IS, THIS IS, UH, THE REVERSE OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING UP TO THIS POINT.
UH, SO INSTEAD OF INCREASING AMOUNT OF PATROL TIME OR INCREASING VISIBILITY, WE DECREASED, UH, UH, OR INCREASED, INCREASED RESPONSE TIME.
UH, IT WON'T MAKE MUCH DIFFERENCE.
UH, SO POLICY COULD CHANGE FROM 10 TO 15 MINUTES, AND YOU SAVE A MODEST 29 POSITIONS IN PATROL.
UH, THE SIXTH MODEL, WE INCREASED RESPONSE TIME.
PRIORITY ONE CALLS FROM FIVE TO 10 MINUTES, UH, AND AGAIN, UH, 39 OFFICERS IN THAT, THAT SITUATION.
UH, AND THOSE ARE, WE, WE RAN THOSE NUMBERS SO THAT YOU COULD SEE WHAT IT TAKES, UH, UH, UH, HOW MUCH MONEY YOU'RE SPENDING, SO TO SPEAK, UH, TO ACHIEVE THE RESPONSE TIMES THAT YOU ALREADY HAVE.
AND IT TURNS OUT, UH, THAT IT'S NOT WORTHWHILE TO REDUCE THOSE, UH, TO INCREASE THOSE NUMBERS SO THAT YOU REDUCE THE, UH, SERVICE TO CITIZENS.
AND THERE ARE A NUMBER OF TABLES IN THE FINAL REPORT.
THIS IS JUST SIMPLY ADDS, UH, TAKES OUT OF ONE TABLE.
[00:35:01]
NUMBERS IN THAT TABLE.UH, THE BENCHMARK IS WHAT WE CURRENTLY ESTIMATE, UH, UH, THE, UH, SERVICE LEVELS TO BE GIVEN, UH, 2,512 PATROL OFFICERS AND SERGEANTS ASSIGNED TO PATROL.
UH, NUMBER B ADDS THE TWO OFFICER CALLS SO THAT EVERY O CALL THAT RE THAT POLICY SAYS TWO OFFICERS SHOULD GO ON CALLS.
TWO OFFICERS DO GO ON, AND THAT WOULD REQUIRE 365, UH, ADDITIONAL OFFICERS.
THERE WAS A TY ONE INITIAL REPORT.
BY THE WAY, THE PHYSICIANS REQUIRED SHOULD BE 28, 7 7.
IF, IF YOUR REPORT SAYS 32 42, THAT'S WRONG.
UH, ARITHMETIC ERROR, IT'S 28 77 AS IN A SLIDE.
UH, AND THEN FINALLY, UH, SELF-INITIATED PATROL, UH, TO INCREASE FROM 10 TO 15 MINUTES WOULD REQUIRE AN ADDITIONAL 699 POSITIONS.
NOW, THAT'S ADDITIVE OF, UH, HAVING ENOUGH OFFICERS TO RESPOND TO ALL CALLS THAT CALLS THAT, UH, POLICY SAYS, SHOULD HAVE TWO OFFICERS.
UH, SO IT'S NOT IN ADDITION TO, BUT THAT'S INCORPORATED IN THAT.
SO WE TOOK THAT NUMBER, AND THEN WE ADDED TO THAT NUMBER ON DOWN THE LIST.
NOW WE TURN TO INVESTIGATIONS.
UH, THEY LOOK NICE, BUT THEY DON'T TELL US A LOT EXCEPT THAT, UH, THE AMOUNT OF TIME SPENT ON CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS, UH, DOES NOT REFLECT, UH, THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS THAT COME IN.
NOW, THAT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS ON HOMICIDE.
UH, YOU GET RELATIVELY FEW COMPLAINTS, UH, INCIDENTS OF HOMICIDE IN A YEAR, AND YOU EXPECT THE TIME SPENT ON IT TO BE SUBSTANTIAL.
UH, BUT IT ALSO VARIES, UH, BY A NUMBER OF OTHER, IN A NUMBER OF OTHER CATEGORIES THAT ONE WOULD NOT NECESSARILY IMMEDIATELY EXPECT.
AND THOSE, THAT CATEGORY WE HAVE FOUND IS SUSPECT, UH, STATUS AT THE TIME OF THE INITIAL REPORT IS TAKEN, UH, SO THAT THE INVESTIGATIVE TIME REQUIRED FOR ANY PARTICULAR OFFENSE IS DEPENDENT, FIRST OF ALL, ON THE OFFENSE, QUITE OBVIOUSLY, THE NATURE OF THE OFFENSE AND THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE OFFENSE AND, AND, UH, THE VIABILITY OF, OF LEADS.
UH, BUT THERE'S ENORMOUS VARIATION NO MATTER WHAT THE OFFENSE, UH, BETWEEN A SITUATION WHERE THE SUSPECT IS UNKNOWN, AND WE HAVE NO SUSPECT INFORMATION.
A BURGLARY CALL, UH, CITIZENS GONE FOR THE WEEKEND.
THEY COME HOME ON, UH, SUNDAY EVENING, AND THEIR HOME HAS BEEN BURGLARIZED, AND THERE'S NO INDICATION OF WHO MIGHT HAVE DONE IT, WHO DONE IT.
UH, THAT SUSPECT UNKNOWN, A POSSIBLE SUSPECT ID, WHERE THERE'S SOME INFORMATION THAT COULD LEAD TO, UH, A FOCUSED INVESTIGATION ON A PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL.
INDIVIDUALS, UH, IS NUMBER TWO, A KNOWN SUSPECT AT LARGE.
NUMBER THREE, AND NUMBER FOUR, SUSPECT IN CUSTODY.
NOW, WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE ABOUT THE INVESTIGATIVE ROLE IS WE'VE COME TO RECOGNIZE OVER THE YEARS THAT, UH, THE WHOLE SHERLOCK HOLMES IMAGERY, OR IF YOU WOULD BRING IT MORE CURRENT, UH, THE WHOLE CSI, UH, TV SERIES IMAGERY, UH, OF THE POLICE IS FANTASY.
UH, THAT'S NOT REAL DETECTIVE WORK.
UH, THE BULK OF DETECTIVE WORK, UH, IS MOVING A CASE FROM PROBABLE CAUSE REASON FOR AN ARREST TO PROOF BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT STANDARD FOR A COURT, UH, UH, DISPOSITION, UH, A GUILTY, UH, VERDICT.
UH, SO THAT MORE TIME THAN YOU MAY RECOGNIZE IS SPENT ON NUMBER FOUR, SUSPECT IN CUSTODY.
UH, THE INITIAL REACTION IS, WELL, THAT MUST BE THE LEAST AMOUNT OF TIME YOU'VE ALREADY MADE AN APPREHENSION.
UH, BUT THERE'S THE CONFIRMATORY WORK THAT HAS TO BE PUT INTO THAT, THAT TYPE OF, UM, OF SITUATION.
UH, AND THEN CLEARLY, UH, NUMBER TWO, POSSIBLE SUSPECT ID IS, IS WHAT WE THINK OF AS, UH, THE SHERLOCK HOLMES SIDE OF, UH, DETECTIVE WORK.
AS CHIEF MEYER INDICATED, UH, JUST X IN CONSULTATION WITH HPD DEVELOPED A TIME LOG, A VERY DETAILED TIME LOG, UH, AND WE REQUESTED, UH, INVESTIGATORS TO KEEP TRACK OF HOW THEY SPENT THEIR TIME ON WHAT KIND OF CASES.
UH, OVER A PERIOD OF, UH, 60 DAYS, TWO MONTHS, UH, WE HAD 167 USABLE RETURNS, OR A FEW OTHER RETURNS THAT WERE VERY FOCUSED, VERY SPECIALIZED, UH, BUT 167 USABLE RETURNS, UH, TO THE BEST OF OUR KNOWLEDGE, THIS IS THE MOST DETAILED STUDY OF WHAT DETECTIVES DO THAT'S EVER BEEN CONDUCTED, UH, AND, UH, IS A RICH, MY OTHER WORLD IS THE ACADEMIC WORLD THAT, UH, SAM USED TO STATE UNIVERSITY.
AND, UH, WE ARE WORKING WITH HPD TO, UH, PUBLISH THE RESULTS OF THAT BECAUSE IT'S VALUABLE INFORMATION ON A NATIONAL BASIS.
UH, IN TERMS OF, UH, INVESTIGATIONS, UH, AVERAGE FIRST STEP TO REVIEW THE, THE EXTRAPOLATION FROM THOSE,
[00:40:01]
UH, AMONG THE VIOLENT CRIME CATEGORIES, WE'VE FOUND THE AVERAGE HOURS FOR POSSIBLE SUSPECT ID CASES.NOW, THESE ARE CASES WHERE THERE'S SOME LEADS, UH, WHERE, UH, WITH FOLLOW UP WORK, DETECTIVE WORK, UH, A SUSPECT MAY BE IDENTIFIED, BUT SURELY IS NOT GONNA BE IDENTIFIED WITHOUT SOME EXTRA EFFORT OF BEING DEDICATED TO INVESTIGATIONS.
UH, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE'S SUBSTANTIAL VARIATION AMONG VIOLENT CRIME WITH MURDER AND, AND AGGRAVATED ASSAULT ON THE HIGH SIDE AND ROBBERY AND FORCIBLE RAPE, UH, ON THE LOW SIDE.
WE THEN TOOK INTO ACCOUNT OTHER ELEMENTS OF THE, THE ALLOCATION MODEL FOR INVESTIGATIONS, UH, TO DETERMINE HOW MANY ADDITIONAL DETECTIVES WOULD BE REQUIRED, UH, TO INCREASE THE AVERAGE TIME ON ROBBERY TO SOMETHING MORE COMPARABLE TO THAT SPENT ON OTHER VIOLENT CRIME AND ON FORCIBLE RAPE, UH, TO, UH, A MORE ACCEPTABLE LEVEL.
UH, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, FOR ROBBERY, WHICH TO REQUIRE 12 ADDITIONAL ROBBERY INVESTIGATORS AND FOR, UH, FORCIBLE RAPE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, UH, NINE ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATORS, UH, PREMISED UPON PROFESSIONAL JUDGMENT, UH, INFORMED BY THE ACTIVITY LOGS, WHAT THE, NOT JUST HOW LONG THE INVESTIGATORS WERE SPENDING ON, ON CASES, BUT, UH, AMONG 17 CATEGORIES, UH, WHAT WERE THEY DOING, UH, ON THOSE CASES.
UH, AND SO IT'S A COMBINATION.
A SUBJECTIVE ELEMENT IS, IS, UH, INTRODUCED AT THIS STAGE.
I WANNA MAKE BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT THAT.
UH, THIS TAKES INTO ACCOUNT, UH, THE FACT THAT DETECTIVES, UH, SPEND A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME AT HEADQUARTERS GETTING BRIEFED.
UH, THEY SPEND A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME IN COURT, UH, ON, UH, TRIALS AND ARRAIGNMENTS AND, UH, AND THE LIKE.
THEY SPEND A LOT OF TIME DRIVING TRAVELING.
THEY SPEND A FAIR AMOUNT OF TIME FINDING SOMEONE.
UH, AND ALL THOSE FACTORS ARE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT TO EXTRAPOLATE HOW MANY INVESTIGATORS WOULD BE NECESSARY TO INCREASE THE ACTUAL TIME ON INVESTIGATIONS, AS IS STIPULATED ON THE SLIDE.
SECOND, WE CALCULATED THE STAFFING TO INCREASE TO, TO INCREASE POST CUSTODY INVESTIGATIONS FOR ROBBERY.
UH, ROBBERY WAS OBVIOUSLY ONE OF OUR CONCERNS, UH, FROM, TO INCREASE THE TIME SPENT FROM 19 TO 30 HOURS, BRING ROBBERY CLOSER IN LINE WITH THE OTHER THREE PART ONE OFFENSES WOULD REQUIRE EIGHT MORE INVESTIGATORS, UH, AND, UH, TO PURSUE A NUMBER OF A HIGHER, LARGER PERCENTAGE OF BURGLARY THEFT CASES WITH LEADS, UH, WOULD REQUIRE 27 MORE INVESTIGATORS.
UH, LEMME COMMENT UPON THE, THE ROBBERY SITUATION FIRST.
UH, AGENCIES AROUND THE COUNTRY HAVE FOUND A GREAT DEAL OF VALUE IN TALKING TO ARRESTED SUSPECTS.
UH, ARRESTED SUSPECTS WILL TELL YOU MORE THAN YOU THINK THEY MIGHT, UH, PARTICULARLY IF IT'S APPROACHED TO APPROPRIATELY.
UH, UH, THERE'S A WEALTH OF INFORMATION TO BE GATHERED, UH, AND, UH, RECOGNIZING THAT THEY'RE A VALUABLE SOURCE OF INFORMATION, UH, OFTEN BRINGS SURPRISING, UH, RESULTS.
UH, IN ADDITION, UH, THERE IS THE SIMPLY THE POST-ARREST PROCESSING FOR BETTER ASSURANCE OF, OF CONVICTION, UH, AND THE STRONGER THAT POST-ARREST PROCESSING IS, UH, THE MORE LIKELY, UH, THE, UH, A DEFENSE ATTORNEY IS TO, UH, NEGOTIATE A PLEA FAVORABLE TO THE PROSECUTION, UH, AS OPPOSED TO PURSUE THE CASE TO TRIAL.
UH, SO IT'S A GOOD INVESTMENT OF FUNDING.
IT'S A CRITICAL PART OF INVESTIGATIVE WORK, UH, TO, UH, SPEND TIME WITH CASES.
VIOLENT CRIME, IN PARTICULAR, ON POST-ARREST PROCESSING.
AND, UH, UH, BURGLARY AND THEFT SITUATION IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
UH, WE FOUND THAT, UH, UH, IN A NUMBER OF THE INVESTIGATIVE DIVISIONS, UM, CASES WITH LEADS WERE NOT BEING FOLLOWED UP, UH, HAD TO BE SKIPPED OVER.
UH, JUDGMENTS ARE MADE ABOUT THE IMPORT OF THE CASE, ABOUT THE PROBABILITY OF CLEARANCE, BUT, UH, IN BURGLARY AND THEFT IN PARTICULAR, THE NUMBER IS EXCESSIVELY HIGH AND MADE A SPECIALIZED RECOMMENDATION FOR 27 ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATORS TO THAT UNIT.
WE THEN LOOKED AT THE STANDARD CRITERIA FOR, UH, MOVING, UH, SPENDING ADDITIONAL TIME ON CASES, UH, ACROSS THE SUSPECT CATEGORIES, UH, TO BETTER STAFF, UH, INVESTIGATIVE UNITS, AND, UH, MADE A RECOMMENDATION THAT THERE BE IN EFFECT, UH, AND ACROSS THE BOARD INCREASE, UH,
[00:45:01]
TO PARTICULARLY ALLOW MORE POST-ARREST PROCESSING.UH, AND, UH, THE VIOLENT CRIME OFFENSES ARE LISTED IN THIS SLIDE.
HOURS SPENT, UH, ON SUSPECTING CUSTODY CASES.
AS YOU CAN SEE, AS ONE MIGHT EXPECT IT'S QUITE HIGH FOR, UH, MURDER, CRIMINAL HOMICIDE, UH, BUT INORDINATELY LOW FOR ROBBERY AND, UH, AND, UH, SEXUAL ASSAULT.
DATA FROM THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT, UH, INDICATING CASES NOT INVESTED IN, INVESTIGATED IN 2013 DUE TO LACK OF PERSONNEL INDICATES, AGAIN, BURGLARY THEFT, UH, A VERY HIGH 15,000 CASES, NEARLY 3000 ASSAULT CASES, UH, HANDLED BY THE HOMICIDE DIVISION.
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT CASES, NEARLY 3000 HIT AND RUNS WERE NOT FOLLOWED UP, UH, WHERE THERE WERE LEADS, AND I EMPHASIZE WHERE THERE WERE LEADS, UH, NOT SIMPLY CASES THAT WERE DEAD IN THE WATER, NO PLACE TO GO WITH THEM, UH, UH, SO THAT, THAT IS A SITUATION, UH, WHICH CRIES FOR, UH, ATTENTION.
UH, AND WE MAKE THE OBSERVATION IN A SECOND TO LAST BULLET, EVERY UNIT SHOULD BE STAFFED SUCH THAT ALL CASES WITH LEADS RECEIVE AT LEAST SOME ATTENTION, UH, RATHER THAN GO, UH, IN THE FILE CABINET.
SO, INCREASED STAFFING TO ACHIEVE BOTH AN INCREASE IN PERCENTAGE OF CASES WITH LEADS INVESTIGATED AND QUALITY PREPARATION WOULD REQUIRE AN ADDITIONAL 45 INVESTIGATORS ACROSS ALL DIVISIONS.
UH, IN PARTICULAR THE, UH, ROBBERY AND, UH, SEXUAL ASSAULT, UH, SITUATIONS AND THE DO SOME CORRECTION AND BURGLARY AND THEFT.
THOSE FOUR PRIORITIES, UH, WOULD REQUIRE 56, UH, INVESTIGATIVE POSITIONS.
ADDING THE 45, UH, IS A RECOMMENDATION THAT, UH, 101 NEW PO THE OBSERVATION, LET ME REPHRASE THAT.
THE OBSERVATION THAT 101 NEW POSITIONS WOULD BE REQUIRED TO ADEQUATELY STAFF REASONABLY STAFF INVESTIGATIONS.
NOW, WE CONCENTRATED OUR EFFORT AND OUR RECOMMENDATIONS UPON FOLLOW UP OF CASES WHERE THERE'S SOME LEADS, BUT, BUT THERE'S INADEQUATE STAFFING TO DO THAT FOLLOW UP.
UH, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THE OTHER THREE CATEGORIES ARE ADEQUATELY STAFFED, AND I JUST SIMPLY WANNA MAKE THAT POINT.
UH, BUT, UH, VIRTUALLY EVERY ONE OF THE FOUR SUSPECT CATEGORIES, UH, COULD BENEFIT FROM ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATIVE ATTENTION.
AND AGAIN, THIS IS A SUMMARY, UH, ENUMERATION, UH, OF, UH, THE RECOMMENDATIONS ON INVESTIGATIONS THAT, UH, ARE FOCUSED ON PARTICULAR ACTIVITIES, PARTICULAR, UH, UH, ADDITIONAL EFFORT THAT, THAT, UH, COULD BE MADE, SHOULD BE MADE.
FINALLY, UH, TO MAKE A POINT, REITERATED A POINT I BEGAN WITH, UH, THERE IS NO CORRECT LEVEL OF EITHER PATROL OR INVESTIGATIVE STAFFING.
UH, WHAT WE'VE ATTEMPTED TO DO IS TO PROVIDE THE DEPARTMENT AND THE HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL WITH A MECHANISM TO, UH, BE VERY SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT THEY WERE PURCHASING WITH ADDITIONAL POLICE RESOURCES DEDICATED TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, UH, SUCH THAT, UH, WORKING WITH DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT, UH, STAFFING INCREASES CAN BE FOCUSED UPON PARTICULAR PROBLEMS, AND, YOU KNOW, PRECISELY WHAT IT IS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BUY PURCHASE IN ADDITIONAL POLICE SERVICES.
UH, SO THAT RATHER THAN GENERICALLY, WE NEED MORE PATROL OFFICERS OR DETECTIVES, THE MODEL MOVE DISCUSSIONS TO, AS IT'S QUOTED ON THE SLIDE, WE NEED TO INCREASE THE TIME FOR PROACTIVE PATROL FROM 10 MINUTES TO 15 MINUTES AN HOUR, OR WE NEED TO INCREASE THE TIME SPENT ON ROBBERY CASES WITH LEADS.
UH, AND THERE'S SPECIFICITY IN THAT, IN THAT, UH, RECOMMENDATION.
WITH THAT, I'M GONNA TURN IT BACK OVER TO MR. FRAZIER.
WE'RE READY TO SWITCH BACK TO THE, UH, OTHER SLIDES.
WHEN WE LOOK AT PROACTIVE AND REGULATORY POLICING, I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT SEVERAL AREAS.
ONE IS INTERAGENCY TASK FORCES.
THIRD, THE REGULATORY FUNCTIONS.
THEN WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE OTHER UNITS WE LOOKED AT, UH, SORT OF UNIT BY UNIT.
MOST DEPARTMENTS HAVE A VARIETY OF PEOPLE THAT ARE PART OF AN INTER-AGENCY TASK FORCE.
WE COUNTED SOME 200 EMPLOYEES IN HOUSTON THAT ARE ON SOME 13 TASK FORCES.
TASK FORCES, LIKE THE MULTI-AGENCY GANGS
[00:50:01]
TASK FORCE, THE HIGH INTENSITY DUG, UH, DRUG TRAFFICKING AREA, UM, TASK FORCE, THE JOINT, UM, TERRORISM TASK FORCE, THE VIOLENT CRIMES TASK FORCE.AND THEN THERE ARE A WHOLE SERIES OF OTHERS AS WELL.
THE DIFFICULTY WITH THESE TASK FORCES IS THERE'S NO WAY, LET ME PUT IT THIS WAY, THERE HAS NOT BEEN A SYSTEMATIC ASSESSMENT OF THE VALUE OF THE CONTRIBUTION THAT HOUSTON MAKES TO THAT TASK FORCE.
WE DON'T KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, HOW MANY CASES THAT TASK FORCE SOLVED OR, UM, DEALT WITH THAT HAD A HOUSTON, A CITY NEXUS.
WE DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE THAT TASK FORCE ERECTED, UH, UM, I'M SORRY, UH, ARRESTED THAT WERE PEOPLE THAT COMMITTED CRIMES IN HOUSTON.
TASK FORCES DON'T KEEP THOSE KINDS OF, OF, UM, UH, DATA.
UM, WE REALLY PROPOSE THAT EACH TASK FORCE NEEDS TO CREATE A DATA SYSTEM TO PROVIDE SOME MEASURES OF ITS OVERALL MISSION.
WHAT ARE YOU ACHIEVING? WHAT'S THE OUTCOME? ARE YOU MAKING THINGS BETTER? AND SPECIFICALLY OF THE OFFICERS FROM HOUSTON? ARE YOU GETTING CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THEM THAT ARE WORTHWHILE TO KEEP THOSE PEOPLE IN THOSE TASK FORCES? WE THINK THE TASK FORCES ARE VALUABLE.
IT'S THE DIFFICULTY OF TRYING TO MEASURE HOW MANY PEOPLE THAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON SHOULD DEVOTE TO THOSE TASK FORCES.
IT'S, IT'S A DIFFICULT PROBLEM.
AND, BUT WE THINK THAT THERE ARE WAYS TO DEVELOP A MEASUREMENT SYSTEM THAT WILL HELP THE CITY MAKE SOME ASSESSMENTS WITH THAT.
TRAFFIC, WE LOOKED AT TRAFFIC.
THERE ARE SORT OF TWO PRIMARY DIVISIONS WITHIN THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT DIVISION, AND THE VEHICULAR CRIMES DIVISION.
A TOTAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE THERE ABOUT, UM, UH, WELL, 200 IN TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT, 121.
SO YOU'RE LOOKING AT OVER 300 PEOPLE, AND WE'RE SORT OF INDICATING THERE MIGHT BE AN OPTION TO COMBINE THOSE TWO TO LOOK AT TWO KEY THINGS, TRAFFIC CRASH REDUCTION AND TRAFFIC, TRAFFIC FLOW IMPROVEMENT.
NOT NECESSARILY JUST WRITING CITATIONS, NOT JUST, UM, UH, LOOKING AT D-W-I-R-S, BUT ALSO CREATING A DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT THINGS.
AND WE THINK YOU COMBINE THOSE TWO UNITS INTO A NEW DIVISION.
THAT WOULD BE THE CRASH REDUCTION DIVISION.
THE FOCUS THEN BECOMES VERY MUCH ON CRASH REDUCTION AND CONGESTION ABATEMENT BY REDESIGNING IT SO THAT THERE ARE UNITS IN EACH ONE OF THE PATROL COMMANDS.
EACH UNIT THERE WOULD HAVE A LIEUTENANT SERGEANTS OFFICERS, MOTORCYCLE OFFICERS, AND THE KEY IS THERE'LL BE A TRAFFIC ANALYST, TRAFFIC CRASH ANALYST IN EACH ONE OF THOSE, UM, UH, DIVISIONS, EACH ONE OF THOSE UNITS.
THE FOCUS REALLY IS ON THE ANALYSIS TO UNDERSTAND WHY AT THIS LOCATION THERE ARE CRASHES.
THEY'RE NOT ACCENTS, THEY'RE CRASHES.
PEOPLE ARE DOING BAD DRIVING AT SOME POINT, AND THAT'S WHY THERE ARE CRASHES.
IT'S REALLY TRYING TO FOCUS MORE ON MODIFYING BEHAVIOR.
WHAT YOU WANNA DO IS FOCUS ON HIGH CRASH LOCATIONS, LOOK AT THE SORT OF PRECURSOR EVENTS AND BEGIN ISSUING CITATIONS AND FOCUSING ON ENFORCEMENT THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THOSE CRASHES AS OPPOSED TO JUST ISSUING, UH, CITATIONS ALL OVER.
AND THE REALLY MEASURE OF EFFECTIVENESS THERE IS DECLINE, ARE THE NUMBER OF CRASHES GOING DOWN FROM YEAR TO YEAR, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHEN THERE'S A, A HEAVY, HEAVY FOCUS.
WE ALSO THINK, AND, AND THIS IS SOMETHING JUST DRIVING AROUND, COMING IN FROM THE AIRPORT, OR WHEN WE WENT ON RIDE-ALONGS ON THE, UH, SYSTEMS. THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT AGENCIES WITHIN THE CITY OF HOUSTON THAT DO SOME TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT, THE SHERIFF, UH, METRO, THE, THE, UH, CONSTABLES.
AND WE THINK THAT THIS NEW DIVISION SHOULD TAKE THE LEAD AND BEGIN THINKING ABOUT AN AREA WIDE CRASH REDUCTION COMPONENT.
EVERYBODY'S SORT OF WORKING TOGETHER TO FIND WAYS TO DEAL WITH THE, UH, THE CRASHES, THE FATALITIES THAT ARE ON HOUSTON'S ROADWAYS.
UM, IT MIGHT BE SORT OF, UM, A, UH, PIPE DREAM, BUT WE THINK THAT GETTING PEOPLE WORKING TOGETHER ON THAT ISSUE IS A VERY IMPORTANT ONE TO TRY TO REDUCE CRASHES.
WE TALKED, I TALKED A LITTLE BIT BEFORE ABOUT REGULATORY FUNCTIONS ABOUT THE AUTO PARTS DEALERS, UM, SEXUALLY ORIENTED BUSINESSES, GAMBLING, ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE, AND WE THINK THERE'S A REAL BENEFIT IN HPDS PRACTICE OF USING THE REGULATORY POWER TO IDENTIFY, INVESTIGATE CRIMES THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE OTHERWISE LEGAL ACTIVITIES.
THAT INSPECTION, THAT REGULATORY FUNCTION HAS SOME REAL PAYOFF.
WE THINK THAT THERE'S, THAT THE MEASURE, AND I I MENTIONED THIS EARLIER, IS THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE SORT OF THREE CRITERIA TO DETERMINE, DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH? CAN
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YOU RESPOND TO THOSE NEIGHBORHOOD COMPLAINTS PROMPTLY? AND THAT'S NOT TWO OR THREE WEEKS DOWN THE LINE.IT'S, IT'S WITHIN PROBABLY A, A MATTER OF A WEEK OR 10 DAYS.
SECONDLY, CAN YOU STILL DO PROACTIVE INVESTIGATIONS LOOKING FOR PLACES WHERE CRIME IS INFILTRATED, INFILTRATED THOSE ACTIVITIES.
THIRD, CAN YOU HAVE INSPECTIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE BUSINESS IS OPERATING LEGITIMATELY? WE THINK THE DEVICE DIVISION ESPECIALLY NEEDS, AGAIN, TO GET ADDITIONAL MEASURES TO DETERMINE HOW OFTEN THEY RESPOND TO THOSE NEIGHBORHOOD COMPLAINTS.
UM, THOSE QUALITY OF LIFE SORTS OF THINGS TO BE ABLE TO SEE ARE THEY EFFECTIVE IN BEING ABLE TO MAKE CHANGES IN THOSE AREAS THAT ARE, UH, ENHANCED COMPLAINTS OF TRAFFIC NOISE DISORDER.
THE OTHER UNITS WE LOOKED AT WERE THE AIRPORT DIVISION, THE SPECIAL OPERATIONS DIVISION, AUTO THEFT DIVISION, GANG DIVISION, MAJOR OFFENDERS AND NARCOTICS.
WE LOOK AT THE AIRPORT AT BOTH THE, UM, UM, BUSH AND AND HOBBY, AND AS A RESULT OF THE SHOOTINGS IN THE LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, LAX.
NOW, ABOUT A YEAR AGO, TSA HAS A NEW SET OF STANDARDS THAT THEY'RE REQUESTING FOR INCREASED APPAR, UH, AIRPORT SECURITY AT CHECKPOINTS AND TICKET COUNTERS.
AND OUR ESTIMATE IS THAT IN ORDER TO COMPLY WITH THOSE NEW, UH, STANDARDS, THE AIRPORT DIVISION NEEDS 20 OFFICERS MORE AT, AT, UM, BUSH AND FOUR AT HOBBY.
ADDITIONALLY, AS HOBBY BUILDS OUT AND THERE'S THE NEW INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL, OUR CALCULATIONS ARE, THERE'LL BE ANOTHER FOUR OFFICERS THAT WILL BE NEEDED TO EFFECTIVELY PATROL THAT AIRPORT.
WHEN WE LOOKED AT SPECIAL OPERATIONS DIVISION, UM, DR.
HOOVER'S, UH, ANALYSIS COVERED THE PATROL PART FOR THE DOWNTOWN PATROL.
WE LOOKED AT SEVERAL AS SPECIAL UNITS.
A SPECIAL EVENTS UNIT, FOR EXAMPLE, IS A SMALL UNIT, BUT THAT'S ONE THAT WE THINK COULD BE CIVILIANIZED IS PREDOMINANTLY A PLANNING FUNCTION.
WE THINK THAT COULD BE CIVILIANIZED.
WE THINK MOUNTED PATROL STILL ADDS VALUE.
THERE'S A LOT OF BENEFIT DERIVED FROM THAT.
THERE'S ANOTHER UNIT NOT MENTIONED HERE, THE BICYCLE, UM, I'VE FORGOT THE NAME OF IT, UH, BUT IT'S, UH, PRIMARY BICYCLE TRAINING AND MAINTENANCE UNIT, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
WE THINK THAT COULD BE CIVILIANIZED AS WELL.
AUTO THEFT IS LOOKING AT BOTH SOME REACTIVE THEFT.
THAT'S SOME OF THE THINGS THAT DR.
HOOVER'S MODEL LOOKED AT, BUT THERE'S ALSO PROACTIVE INVESTIGATIONS LOOKING AT RINGS OF ORGANIZED, UM, AUTO THEFT, LOOKING AT USING BAIT CARS, FOR EXAMPLE, AS A WAY TO DETER AUTO THEFT.
WE THINK THAT THE NUMBER OF PROACTIVE INVESTIGATORS THERE FOR WHAT THEY'RE DOING FROM THE DATA THAT THEY, THEY SUPPLIED US ARE ADEQUATE.
GANG DIVISION IS KIND OF MULTILAYERED.
THEY'RE AN AWFUL LOT OF PEOPLE ON THE GANGS TASK FORCE, BUT WE LOOKED AT THE CRIME REDUCTION UNIT, WHICH LOOKS AT GANG HOTSPOTS.
IT'S, IT'S A RE, IT'S A PROACTIVE UNIT THAT GOS AND LOOKS AT PROBLEMS BASED ON ANALYSIS.
THERE ARE SIX SERGEANTS, 67 OFFICERS, UM, OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR IN 2013, EACH OFFICER JAILED AN AVERAGE OF 43 SUSPECTS.
IT'S A PRETTY PRODUCTIVE UNIT.
NOW, YOU THINK 43 PER OFFICER FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR IS NOT THAT MANY, BUT YOU GOTTA REALIZE THEY WORK ON TEAMS. THEY WORK AS A TEAM BASED ON THE, UH, DANGER AND THE OFFICER SAFETY AND COMMUNITY SAFETY.
SO WE THINK THAT THESE, THIS UNIT ALSO IS PRODUCTIVE, AND AGAIN, BASED ON THE DATA THAT WE WERE ABLE TO LOOK AT, UM, IS ADEQUATELY STAFFED.
THE MAJOR OFFENDERS DIVISION HAS THREE, THREE SEPARATE UNITS.
TWO REALLY ARE, UM, TASK FORCES AND TARGETED OFFENDERS.
THOSE ARE BOTH IN TASK FORCES, BUT THEN THERE'S ALSO THE SPECIAL THEFTS GROUP.
NOW, IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE THERE ARE A SERIES OF DIFFERENT THINGS, ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS, UH, POLICE IMPERSONATION, SQUAD, SWINDLE SQUAD, CARGO THEFT SQUAD AND LIVESTOCK ANIMAL CRUELTY SQUAD.
THESE ARE VERY SPECIALIZED AND THERE ARE NOT VERY MANY PEOPLE IN MOST OF THOSE UNITS.
BUT THE DATA THAT THEY SUPPLIED TO US INDICATES THAT THERE'S A FAIRLY HIGH DEGREE OF PRODUCTIVITY.
UM, THE VOLUME OF THE CASES THEY WORK, THE DOLLAR VALUE OF RECOVERED PROPERTY, THE NUMBER OF CITATIONS THEY ISSUE ENVIRONMENTALLY, ALL WE THINK JUSTIFY THE FIVE SERGEANTS, 16 OFFICERS AND CIVILIANS ASSIGNED TO THE SPECIAL THEFTS GROUP.
NARCOTICS IS, AGAIN, THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN TASK FORCES THAT ARE NOT PART OF, THERE ARE SORT OF HOUSED, SORT OF IN THE NARCOTICS DIVISION, BUT THERE ARE SORT OF DETAILED AWAY ON TASK FORCES.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THERE ARE TWO SECTIONS THAT ARE PART OF GENERAL ENFORCEMENT SQUADS, AND THERE ARE PROACTIVE, AGGRESSIVE LOOKING FOR, UM, AGGRESSIVE NOT THE WORD, BUT ACTIVELY LOOKING FOR PROBLEMS. THEY, THE
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PROBLEMS COME FROM A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PLACES.UM, SOMETIMES THERE'LL BE COMPLAINTS, SOMETIMES THERE'LL BE THINGS THAT THEY FIND WE FOUND BASED ON THE DATA THAT YOU SUPPLIED, THAT THEY'RE SEEMINGLY, UM, UH, APPROPRIATELY STAFFED.
THERE'S THERE, THERE'S PRODUCTIVITY THERE THAT WE THINK IS IMPORTANT AS WELL.
AND LET ME SORT OF CONCLUDE WITH ANOTHER SORT OF THING THAT AS WE LOOKED ACROSS THE DEPARTMENT, WE THINK THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR INCREASED USE OF IZATION.
THE DIFFICULTY, AS YOU'LL FIND IN MOST ANY DEPARTMENT IN THE COUNTRY, WHEN THERE IS A BUDGET PROBLEM, THE FIRST POSITIONS THAT GET ELIMINATED ARE CIVILIAN POSITIONS.
AND OFFICERS HAVE TO BE USED TO BACKFILL THOSE POSITIONS BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT TIAL POSITIONS.
THEY'RE IMPORTANT THINGS THAT CAN BE DONE BY TRAINED, WELL-EQUIPPED CIVILIANS.
OFTEN THEY MIGHT BE RETIRED POLICE OFFICERS.
THEY'RE A NUMBER OF THOSE SORTS OF THINGS THROUGHOUT THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT WE DISCOVERED, WE THINK NEED TO BE EXAMINED MORE CLOSELY.
UM, WITH, UM, UM, THE DEPARTMENT'S PLANNING COMPONENT PROBABLY NEEDS TO REVIEW VERY CAREFULLY TO DETERMINE WHERE AN OFFICER COULD BE REPLACED WITH A CIVILIAN EMPLOYEE TRAINED.
IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.
IT WOULD HAVE TO BE PHASED IN OVER A PERIOD OF YEARS BECAUSE YOU DON'T GET THAT EXPERIENCE, UH, AUTOMATICALLY.
BUT WE THINK THERE ARE A NUMBER OF POSITIONS THAT MIGHT BE GAINED THERE THROUGH A IZATION EFFORT.
AND THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATIONS.
AND DR. HOOVER AND I WILL ENTERTAIN QUESTIONS.
I'M NOT SURE IF THERE'S A, WELL, I'LL GIVE IT TO YOU, MR. GONZALEZ, FOR WHATEVER FORMAT YOU CHOOSE TO DO.
UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION AND, AND JUST WANNA TAKE A MOMENT TO, TO ALSO THANK, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER BRADFORD.
I KNOW HOW MUCH HE'S ADVOCATED FOR THIS, AND, UH, WE COULD SEE THE TYPE OF, OF INFORMATION WE CAN GET FROM THIS.
AND SO, UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND, AND COUNCIL MEMBERS, I REMIND YOU THAT EACH OF YOU ON FRIDAY SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED THE FULL REPORT.
UH, AND WHILE THIS WAS VERY, UH, VERY LENGTHY PRESENTATION, UH, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, HAVING SOME OF THE, THE BULLET POINTS, SOME OF THE KEY, UH, POINTS OF THE STUDY, UH, ARE VERY HELPFUL TO US.
UM, ALSO WANNA, UH, REMIND EVERYONE, PLEASE SIGN UP IF THEY HAVE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS UP HERE REGARDING THE REPORT.
AND BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO QUESTIONS, WANNA RECOGNIZE COUNCIL MEMBER BOYKINS THAT HAD JOINED US EARLIER.
UM, JUST SOME BASIC QUESTIONS FIRST.
UH, WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA BE, UH, MOVING FORWARD HOPEFULLY IN, IN SUPPORTING OR, OR LOOKING AT YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS.
I THINK IT'S REAL IMPORTANT TO THE CITIZENS AND TO THE COUNCIL THAT WE UNDERSTAND YOUR BACKGROUND.
DO YOU HAVE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR COMPANY AND, AND YOUR BIOS AND YOUR EXPERTISE IN, IN DEALING WITH THESE, UH, TYPE OF REPORTS THAT YOU COULD PROVIDE THE COUNCIL AND THE CHAIR AND, UH, SHARE WITH US? UH, IT, IT WAS, IT IS DEFINITELY, IT'S, IT WAS IN OUR REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS WHEN WE SUBMIT OUR PROPOSAL.
BUT, UH, THE POLICE EXECUTIVE RESEARCH FORM, WE'RE A PRIVATE NONPROFIT HEADQUARTERED IN WASHINGTON, DC 5 0 1 3 AGENCY.
WE'VE BEEN THERE 30 SOME ODD YEARS.
UH, I'VE BEEN THERE A TOTAL OF ABOUT 16 YEARS.
UH, MY BACKGROUND CODES, I WORKED IN FOUR DIFFERENT POLICE DEPARTMENTS.
I HAD APPOINTMENTS AT FIVE UNIVERSITIES AND FOUR POLICE RESEARCH AND SOLELY, NOW THAT MAY SOUND LIKE I CAN'T KEEP A JOB, BUT SOMETIMES I DID TWO THINGS AT ONCE, SO IT'S NOT QUITE THAT BAD.
UM, I'VE BEEN IN PROBABLY 300 DIFFERENT POLICE DEPARTMENTS, UH, DOING STUDIES OVER THE LAST 15, 16, 17 YEARS.
UM, WE HAVE DONE, UH, UH, QUITE A FEW OF THE STAFFING STUDIES VERY SIMILAR TO THIS ONE.
WE DID A VERY IN-DEPTH ONE IN SAN FRANCISCO.
AND IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE AS WE'VE DONE THESE SORTS OF THINGS, UM, OUR METHODOLOGIES, UH, CONVERGE WITH DR.
SO WE'VE GOT A, A GREAT DEAL OF EXPERIENCE DOING, UH, STUDIES LIKE THIS.
UM, THIS ONE, THE HARDER PART, I MEAN, I, I, I WOULD, I LIKE TO DO STAFFING STUDIES.
'CAUSE I THINK IT'S VERY INTERESTING.
IT'S KIND OF A PUZZLE TO SOLVE, TO SEE WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS, WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES THAT, UH, DEPARTMENTS SHOULD CONSIDER.
AND I THINK DEVELOPING MEASURES FOR PROACTIVE POLICING AND REGULATORY STUFF.
DO YOU MIND IF I RECLAIM SOME OF MY TIME? SORRY, I APOLOGIZE.
IT'S JUST WE DON'T HAVE, WE WE'RE LIMITED ON OUR TIME.
AND, AND I APPRECIATE THE INFORMATION.
UM, ALSO IN YOUR, IN, ONCE AGAIN, WE DIDN'T HAVE THE BENEFIT OF A LOT OF TIME, WERE THERE ANY RECOMMENDATIONS ON, UH, WERE THERE GAPS IN TECHNOLOGY THAT ARE AVAILABLE OUT THERE WITH YOUR EXPERTISE AND IN YOUR, IN YOUR EXPERIENCE AND HISTORY OF, OF GOING, DOING THESE STUDIES THAT THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT MIGHT, MIGHT CONSIDER? UM, ALSO BEING A COUNCIL MEMBER FROM THE NORTHWEST SIDE OF TOWN, WEST SIDE, NORTHWEST, I HAVE NORTH AND, AND, UM, I DID HAVE WEST, BUT WE HAD NORTH AND NORTHWEST COMMAND, SO WE ARE OUT FURTHER.
UM, A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THAT WHEN THEY CONSIDER THE CITY OF HOUSTON, IT'S INSIDE THE SIX 10 LOOP, BUT IT'S
[01:05:01]
MUCH TO CONSIDER.I WANTED TO, UM, GET A RESPONSE AS TO ARE, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU SAY PER THOUSAND CITIZENS, ARE WE PER THOUSAND? YOU KNOW, IS THAT, IS THAT, UH, IS THE SAME? IS A CITIZEN OUT IN SPRING BRANCH BEING PROTECTED THE SAME AS A CITIZEN, UH MM-HMM
DOWN ON BAGBY? AND THAT'S, I GUESS MY QUESTION.
UH, LET ME, LEMME RESPOND TO THE
GO AHEAD AND ANSWER THE YEAH, GO AHEAD AND ANSWER.
UH, THE ALLOCATION MODEL FOR PATROL IS DONE BY DIVISION.
SO THERE'S STAFFING RECOMMENDATIONS PER EACH DIVISION.
I'D HAVE TO LOOK TO SEE, UH, HOW ANY PARTICULAR DIVISION IS TREATED.
UH, WE DID NOT CALCULATE CITIZEN RATIOS BY DIVISION.
HOWEVER, UH, DID NOT, DID NOT.
UH, SO WE, WE HAVE STAFFING DATA AND WE, AND WE HAVE RESPONSE TIME, DATA AND SO FORTH BY DIVISION.
BUT BECAUSE OF THE, THE LIMITATIONS ON THAT NUMBER AND WHAT IT MEANS, UH, WE DID NOT, UH, CALCULATE IT.
BUT IT WAS JUST A COMMENT THAT, THAT WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THESE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU TALKED, YOU, YOUR OBSERVATION WAS, JUST TO TIE UP YOUR OBSERVATION WAS THAT A LOT OF THE AREAS OF TOWN HAVE ADDITIONAL PATROL BY OTHER ENTITIES.
WELL, A LOT OF MY AREA HAS HIRED ADDITIONAL PATROL FROM CONSTABLES AND PRIVATE ENTITIES BECAUSE OF THE PERCEPTION OF NOT HAVING THAT COVERAGE.
NOW, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, YOU, UM, YOU SAID THIS STARTED JULY THE 10TH, JULY OF TWO OF 2010? NOT, NOT OUR PARTICULAR PART OF IT.
SO, SO THE STUDY, THE STUDY BEGAN, UM, FROM WHAT POINT TO WHAT POINT, WHAT TIME PERIOD? JANUARY, 2013 THROUGH, UM, MAY, 2014.
UM, DID YOU FIND THAT, UM, OUR COMMAND STAFF WAS ADEQUATELY, UH, UH, STAFFED? WE WERE LOOKING AT OPERATIONAL UNITS.
UM, WE DIDN'T LOOK SPECIFICALLY AT COMMAND STRUCTURE.
THAT WAS NOT PART OF OUR SCOPE.
YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE OUT THERE LIKE, LIKE I AM AS A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THERE'S TOO MANY CHIEFS AND NOT ENOUGH INDIANS, YOU KNOW? SO, AND, AND OBVIOUSLY YOU'RE SAYING THAT WE'RE, UH, UNDERSTAFFED.
WE'RE NOT MEETING THE, THE TSA, UH, REQUIREMENT FOR THE NUMBER OF, OF OFFICERS AT THESE AIRPORTS AT THIS VERY TIME.
ARE WE, THEY HAVE NEW RECOMMENDATIONS OUT.
AND WHEN WE DID THE ANALYSIS, THE AIRPORT DIVISION NEEDS ADDITIONAL, UH, STAFF IN ORDER TO MEET THOSE NEW RECOMMENDATIONS FROM TSA.
SO THE ANSWER IS WE'RE WE'RE NOT MEETING THOSE, THOSE REQUIREMENTS.
NOW, YES OR NO, YOU ARE NOT MEETING THEM NOW.
ALSO, BECAUSE WE NEED TO KNOW THAT, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, UH, THE NEED FOR, UH, THREE I I KEEP PICKING UP THIS 365 POSITIONS THAT, THAT WE'RE STILL NEEDING.
UH, WE NEED THAT, THOSE FOLKS RIGHT NOW, TO REALLY ADEQUATELY PROTECT OUR CITIZENS.
IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.
AND, UM, AND, AND I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THAT.
WHEN I, WHEN I WENT THROUGH THIS REPORT AND I SAW HOW MANY OF THESE THINGS ARE NOT SOLVED, NOT WORKING.
I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S LIKE, GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY, DON'T TELL THE CRIMINALS THIS.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S HOW I FELT WHEN I SEEN IT.
AND I'M SURE THE PUBLIC, IF THEY, IF THEY BEGIN TO SEE IT, OF COURSE, IT WAS ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE CHRONICLE THIS WEEK.
IF YOU SAW IT ON SUNDAY, UH, THE NUMBER OF HOMICIDE, UH, CASES THAT, THAT WERE INADEQUATELY WORKED.
AND IT CONCERNS THE CITIES, THE CITIZENS.
I, I THINK POLICE, UH, VISIBILITY IS VERY IMPORTANT.
UH, WE NEED TO SOMEHOW OR ANOTHER ENHANCE THAT.
UH, WE HAVE GOT TO, UH, UH, WE'VE GOT TO INCREASE THE TSA BECAUSE ISN'T THIS PAID FOR THROUGH THE, OUR ENTERPRISE FUND ANYWAY, OUR UNDERSTANDING IS THAT'S CORRECT.
SO, SO I WONDER WHY WE'RE NOT ADEQUATELY FUNDED THERE.
I MEAN, NOT FUNDING THEM IF IT'S PAID FOR THROUGH OUR ENTERPRISE FUND.
I THINK THAT THIS IS A RELATIVELY NEW REQUIREMENT.
I'M NOT SURE TO WHAT EXTENT THE DEPARTMENT'S, UM, RESPONDING TO IT.
IT'S, IT'S WITHIN THE LAST SIX TO NINE MONTHS THAT THIS HAS COME OUT.
AND, AND ALSO, UM, UH, I, I LOOK AT IT MANPOWER, UH, AND PATROL.
UH, WHERE, WHERE ARE THE MOUNTED POLICE, UH, CONSIDERED IN, IN, IN, IN ALL OF THIS? THEY'RE, THEY'RE PART OF THE SPECIAL OPERATIONS DIVISION.
H HOW MANY ARE IN OUR MOUNTED POLICE? I'M, I'M GONNA HAVE TO, I DON'T, I DON'T REMEMBER THE EXACT NUMBER.
I'M GONNA PULL IT OUTTA THE AIR.
IT SEEMS TO ME IT WAS 32, BUT I'M NOT SURE.
WELL, I, I KNOW THIS WHEN YOU NEED THEM, YOU REALLY NEED 'EM.
UM, MY, I'M NOT CERTAIN IF THESE QUESTIONS ARE, UH, WHETHER THERE'S ONE QUESTION, UM, YOU CAN ANSWER OR, BUT IT, IT'S TIED TO REGULATORY FUNCTIONS.
UM, I WAS READING IN THE PRESENTATION WHERE ONE OF THE, UH, PAUL POWERPOINT BULLETS ARE REFER TO CAN A NEIGHBORHOOD COMPLAINTS
[01:10:01]
BE DEALT WITH PROMPTLY? AND THEN IT TIES INTO WHERE THE VICE DIVISION GOES INTO, UH, YOU KNOW, TRAFFIC COMPLAINTS, NOISE COMPLAINTS IN NEIGHBORHOODS DURING THE EVENING AND LATE HOURS.I HAVE A SITUATION IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD IN, IN, IN, IN THE, UM, UH, DIXIE DRIVE AREA WHERE WE HAVE A LOT OF, WE HAVE A LOT OF, UM, RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, GOING TOWARDS THE MCGREGOR AREA.
BUT BEHIND, UM, IN THE MIDDLE, YOU HAVE RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS.
YOU HAVE MAJOR THOROUGHFARE, AND YOU HAVE DIXIE DRIVE, WHICH IS A MAJOR THOROUGHFARE, AND IT'S MAJOR DISRUPTION EVERY SATURDAY, FRIDAY, THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY TO THE NEIGHBORS BECAUSE OF THE NOISE AND THE TRAFFIC.
FROM A POLICE PERSPECTIVE, WHAT COULD BE DONE OR BE LOOKED INTO? I KNOW STUDIES AND, AND, AND, AND, AND WE ARE, WE'RE, WE'RE MAKING CERTAIN THAT THE FOOD TRUCKS ARE, YOU KNOW, OR IN REGULATION.
AND, BUT FROM A RESIDENTIAL PERSPECTIVE, WHAT COULD BE DONE OTHER THAN TRYING TO PULL BACK PERMITS OR, YOU KNOW, PREVENTING THEM FROM BEING RENEWED ON THE, ON THE LIQUOR LICENSE? I DON'T KNOW.
BUT IT'S CREATING A MAJOR DISRUPTION IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.
UH, BUT FROM A VICE PERSPECTIVE, I DON'T KNOW.
AND I GUESS I SHOULD HAVE ASKED MY ASKED THE FORMER CHIEF WHO'S SITTING THIS CLOSE TO ME, UM, AND HE LIVES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AS A MATTER OF FACT,
BUT FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, WHAT, UH, WHAT, UH, C COUNCILMAN IT, THE ANALYSIS REALLY SHOULD COME PROBABLY OUT OF THE PARTICULAR DIVISION.
AND ONCE THEY CAN IDENTIFY THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEMS, THEN IT MIGHT BE A REGULATORY OPERATION THAT CAN LOOK FOR PERMITS, THAT CAN LOOK FOR THAT.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HOUSTON IS, IS, I DON'T KNOW, FAMOUS OR NOTORIOUS FOR, IS THE LACK OF ZONING.
SO YOU HAVE, UM, BUSINESSES SOMETIMES RIGHT UP TO NEIGHBORHOODS, AND A LOT OF IT IS LOOKING TO DETERMINE CAN YOU USE REGULATORY POWERS TO CALM THAT DOWN WHEN IT'S A CONSTANT, UH, COMPLAINT IN THAT PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND I SUSPECT THAT A WAY TO DO THAT IS WITH APPROPRIATE REGULATION, BUT IT MAY NOT BE A VICE UNIT.
IT DEPENDS ON WHAT THE SOURCE OF THE NOISE AND DISORDER IS, HOW YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT.
NOW, FOR THE SAKE OF MY TIME, I JUST WANT TO, WHAT, WHAT GRABBED MY ATTENTION, UH, SIR, IS WHERE IT SAYS THE VICE DIVISION SHOULD ESTABLISH ADDITIONAL MEASURES.
AND I'M WONDERING WHAT THEY ARE TO HELP CAPTURE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE INVESTIGATION, SPECIFICALLY REGARDING QUALITY OF LIFE, WHICH IS THE ISSUE.
WE HAVE COMPLAINTS INVOLVING NOISE AND TRAFFIC COMPLAINTS DURING EVENING AND NIGHTTIME HOURS.
AND I'M JUST TRYING TO, UH, POSITION, I WANNA BE ABLE TO TAKE A MESSAGE BACK TO MY NEIGHBORS AND LET THEM KNOW, CAN I GET BACK IN? CAN, CAN YOU ANSWER THAT QUESTION? UH, MS DO YOU WANNA ANSWER IF YOU, YOU HAVE AN ANSWER FOR THAT? YEAH, PLEASE DO.
THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE DID NOT SEE WOULD BE A RECORDING OF A COMPLAINT OF NOISE, THAT KIND OF DISTURBANCE, THAT QUALITY LIFE COMPLAINT THAT'S, THAT'S RELATED TO A, A, UH, REGULATORY FUNCTION, SEXUALLY ORIENTED BUSINESS, ALCOHOL ESTABLISHMENT, UH, GAMBLING, UM, UH, LEGITIMATE GAMBLING FACILITY.
THE IDEA WOULD BE TO CREATE THEN, UM, A A WAY TO DETERMINE, WE'VE IDENTIFIED THIS PROBLEM.
HERE'S HOW WE ADDRESSED IT, AND HERE'S WHAT THE OUTCOME WAS.
SO OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR, YOU LOOK TO DETERMINE HOW MANY OF THOSE PROBLEMS CAME UP WERE IDENTIFIED, HOW MANY WERE ADDRESSED, AND HOW MANY WERE SUCCESSFULLY CONCLUDED.
AND THANKS AGAIN FOR THE PRESENTATION.
AND ON SIMILAR QUESTIONS AS MY COLLEAGUE REGARDING, UH, POTENTIAL FOR NEIGHBORHOOD RELATIONS TO BE IMPROVED, UM, A RECENT, UM, UM, AT LARGE ELECTED CITY COUNCIL MEMBER CITYWIDE, BUT I'VE, I'VE GOT VARIOUS NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WE KNOW WELL.
AND HAVING DONE A DRIVE ALONG RECENTLY WITH, UH, CAPTAIN EDWARDS AND, AND OFFICER MIKE DONATO, WE'VE TRAVELED VARIOUS PARTS OF TOWN THAT HAVE HAD TROUBLE WITH REGULATING CLUBS, THE NOISE ORDINANCE, AND RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES AND ADJACENT RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND I'M WONDERING, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTANDING THE COMPLEXITY OF WHAT A DECIBEL METER CAN DO FOR, UH, AN OFFICER OR A CONSTABLE PATROL, HOWEVER WE AUGMENT THAT.
AND IF YOUR RECOMMENDATION FOR IZATION, UH, HOW DOES THAT WORK? AND IS, IS THERE, CAN YOU EXPLAIN OR MAYBE ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT ON YOUR POINT ABOUT THE VICE DIVISION AND REGULATORY FUNCTIONS? IF THERE IS, WHAT, HOW WOULD A COLLABORATION WITH A NEIGHBORHOOD WORK BETTER? I, I THINK IT, IT'S A COMBINATION OF THINGS AS, AS I RE REPORT, UH, KIND OF RESPOND TO, UH, COUNCILMAN KINS.
IT'S, IT'S USING THE DIVISION, THE PATROL DIVISION, MAKE SURE IT'S GOT ADEQUATE RESOURCES TO HELP IDENTIFY THOSE PROBLEMS.
[01:15:01]
AND IT BECOMES A COMBINATION OF A PATROL FUNCTION AS WELL AS A VICE FUNCTION.SO YOU'VE GOT THE ABILITY TO WORK TOGETHER.
AND PART OF WHAT DR. HOOVER IDENTIFIED IS THE NEED FOR MORE TIME FOR OFFICERS TO BE ABLE TO SPEND ON THOSE SORTS OF THINGS.
SIMILARLY, UM, UH, HE ALSO HAS SOME RECOMMENDATIONS THERE FOR THE SPECIAL UNITS THAT WORK INSIDE THE, THE DISTRICTS ALSO, OR THE DIVISIONS, SO THAT THERE IS THE ABILITY TO HAVE THE RESOURCE TO ADDRESS THOSE.
I THINK THE KEY IS THAT YOU MEASURE AND RESPOND TO THOSE, BECAUSE THERE'S NO CENTRAL WAY THAT, UM, YOU CAN DETERMINE HOW MANY OF THOSE OCCUR, HOW MANY WERE IDENTIFIED, AND, AND SOME OF IT'S KEPT IN, IN DIFFERENT PLACES, BUT THERE'S NO SORT OF CENTRAL WAY TO DO THAT.
SO IT, IT BECOMES THEN ADEQUATE TIME OF PATROL ADEQUATE FOCUS THROUGH THE REGULATORY FUNCTION TO DEAL WITH THOSE ISSUES.
IS IT, IS THERE ANYTHING GIVEN OUR, UH, MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS OR TSS THAT SOMETIMES FUND THE ADDITIONAL CONSTABLE PATROLS OR THE OTHERWISE UNFUNDED SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE PREVALENT ACROSS OUR CITY, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT COULD BE IMAGINED IN TERMS OF THEIR INVOLVEMENT OR INTEGRATION WITH THE SYSTEM? THAT REALLY IS NOT PART OF OUR SCOPE? THAT WAS REALLY NOT PART OF OUR SCOPE TO LOOK AT THAT.
I, I CAN ADD THOUGH, THAT IT'S CAPTURED BY THE PHRASE, IN OUR FIELD OF PROBLEM ORIENTED POLICING, AND A KEY COMPONENT OF PROBLEM ORIENTED POLICING IS SPECIFICITY, UH, FOCUS, UH, AND THEN THE USE OF MULTIPLE, NOT ONLY POLICE UNITS, BUT BUT COMMUNITY RESOURCES TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM, PROBLEM FOCUSED POLICING.
AND THAT'S THE PROACTIVE ELEMENTS OF WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT? YES, SIR.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, BEEN AFTER FIVE MONTHS OF BEING IN OFFICE.
I HAVE THE, UH, CENTRAL, DOWNTOWN, CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT, UH, IN DISTRICT I, AND, UH, AFTER FIVE MONTHS IN OFFICE, I ALREADY HAD FOUR MEETINGS, UH, WITH EITHER RESIDENTS, UH, A HOTEL OWNER, UM, ALSO A LEASING COMPANY, UH, WITH TENANTS FROM THAT BUILDING, UH, WITH CONCERNS IN REGARDS TO CRIME IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
UM, AND I KNOW THAT JUST RECENTLY, CITY COUNCIL APPROVED THE DOWNTOWN LIVING INITIATIVE FOR 5,000 MORE UNITS IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
UH, SO WITH THIS STUDY, I NOTICED THAT ON YOUR PAGE NUMBER TWO, AND HERE IT SHOWS THE SPECIAL OPERATIONS DIVISION, WHICH PROVIDES PATROLS FOR CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT IN DOWNTOWN.
NOT ONLY DO THEY PATROL DOWNTOWN, THEY ALSO HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE PARADES, THE FUN RUNS, UH, HEADS OF STATE THAT COME INTO THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
UH, I KNOW THEY ALSO HAVE THE MOUNTED UNITS.
AND I'D LIKE TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN, OR, OR YOUR PROPOSAL IN REGARDS TO INCREASING MAYBE THE MOUNTAIN MOUNTED UNITS OR OFFICERS THAT ARE ACTUALLY PATROLLING, UH, YOU KNOW, FOOT PATROL OR BICYCLE UNITS IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
UH, DID YOU ACTUALLY SPEND TIME IN THE DOWNTOWN IN REGARDS TO FIGURING OUT WHAT WOULD BE BEST IN REGARDS TO PATROLLING THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT? DR.
HOOVER'S MODEL INCLUDES LOOKING AT, AT STAFFING WITH THE SPECIAL OPERATIONS DIVISION, THE PATROL SIDE, THE NORMAL PATROL SIDE.
WE LOOKED AT SOME OF THOSE ADJUNCT UNITS.
UH, WE LOOKED AT MOUNTED, AND BASED ON THE DATA THAT, THAT WE SAW, THEY WERE ADEQUATELY STAFFED.
NOW, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IF THERE'S AN ADDITIONAL, IF THERE'S GROWTH OF 5,000 MORE RESIDENTIAL UNITS, UM, THERE'S, UH, THERE MAY VERY WELL MIGHT BE A NEED FOR ADDITIONAL PARTS OF THAT.
SAME THING WITH SOME OF THE, UH, SPECIAL UNITS.
UM, UH, WE, WE WEREN'T AWARE THAT THERE WOULD BE THAT KIND OF GROWTH DOWNTOWN.
'CAUSE I, I NOTICED THAT ON, UH, ONE OF YOUR PAGES OVER HERE IN, IN, IN THE, UH, INFORMATION YOU PROVIDED, UH, YOU WERE SUGGESTING MAYBE USING CIVILIANS FOR PARADES, FUN RUNS? NO, NO.
WE'RE SUGGESTING FOR THE PLANNING PURPOSES.
NOT, NOT ACTUALLY FOR THE PLANNING.
I MEAN, IN THE, UH, IN THE, UH, FOR THE, IN THE REPORT, WE TALK ABOUT SPECIFICALLY THOSE UNITS THAT ARE A PLANNING FUNCTION THAT ARE BEING DONE BY UNIFORM OFFICERS.
THAT COULD BE DONE BY TRAINED CIVILIANS.
NOW, DID, DID YOU BY CHANCE LOOK AT IT POSSIBLY USING, UH, COLLABORATION WITH THE METRO POLICE? UH, WITH CONSTABLES SCOPE ALSO IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA? THAT SCOPE? THAT WAS NOT PART OF OUR SCOPE.
WE FOCUSED JUST ON HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT.
COUNCIL MEMBER BRADFORD, UH, UH, THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN.
GOOD SENIOR AGAIN, MR. FRAZIER.
UH, LIKEWISE, I GUESS IT'S FAIR TO SAY, MR. CHAIRMAN, THAT, UH, GOOD THINGS, UH, COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT,
I HAD A CHANCE TO PERUSE THROUGH IT, UH, THIS WEEKEND AND, AND, AND TRY TO, YOU KNOW, BECOME INFORMED AS TO WHAT THE DOCUMENT, UH, REPRESENTS.
[01:20:01]
UH, LET ME, LEMME JUST SIMPLY BEGIN BY SAYING THAT THE WHOLE IDEA OF TRYING TO MEASURE POLICE WORKLOAD IS, IS A COMPLEX PROCESS IN THAT.AND, AND CITIZENS AND MY COLLEAGUES HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT WHAT YOU ARE PRESENTING ISN'T A SIMPLE PROCESS AT ALL, PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU ARE MEASURING WHAT YOU'VE IDENTIFIED AS SOME OF THE, UH, REACTIVE ACTIVITY, PROACTIVE REGULATORY, AND THEN THERE'S THE INVESTIGATION ACTIVITIES AS WELL.
AND I'M PLEASED TO SEE THAT YOU'VE EMBARKED UPON, UH, DR. HOOVER, PARTICULARLY THE INVESTIGATIVE, UH, UH, PIECE.
AS HAS BEEN SAID, I THINK IT'S BEEN MOVED ACROSS THE NATION.
THERE ARE, I THINK YOU SAID 11 SCENARIOS, AND YOU OPTED TO PRESENT A COUPLE HERE.
AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE SCENARIO YOU CHOSE? BECAUSE THE ONE YOU CHOSE, I HAVE CALCULATED A NEED FOR, UH, AN ADDITIONAL 800 OFFICERS BASED ON THE MODEL THAT YOU PRESENTED TODAY.
AND THAT SEEMS, IT MAY BE, UH, IN THE MIDDLE, UH, I DON'T KNOW.
BUT WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS PARTICULAR MODEL? LET ME START THERE.
I THINK THE, THE PATROL MODEL THAT WAS CHOSEN WAS THE FIRST, UH, UH, POINT A IS THE CURRENT SITUATION, WHAT WE CALL THE BENCHMARK.
AND THEN POINT B IS STAFFING ADEQUATELY TO HAVE TWO OFFICERS RESPOND TO ALL CALLS THAT THAT POLICY DICTATES THEIR TWO OFFICERS.
THEN AFTER THAT, EVERY OTHER MODEL AFTER THAT ADDS THOSE, THOSE 365 POSITIONS, OR IT'S 365.
SO THAT THE, THE, THE MODEL AT 699 POSITIONS INCLUDES THE 365, SO 365 PLUS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THAT AND 6 99, WHATEVER THE ARITHMETIC IS, BECAUSE WE, WE SAW THAT AS THE FIRST PRIORITY, UM, ALMOST WITHOUT QUESTION, IF PATROL STAFFING WERE, WERE INCREASED, THAT'S WHAT WOULD HAPPEN ON THE STREET.
UH, CERTAINLY IS, IS WITH MORE PATROL OFFICERS, TWO OFFICERS WOULD BE DISPATCHED TO THOSE CALLS.
AND, UH, THIS PARTICULAR SCENARIO, I THINK IS WELL SUITED TO, UH, PUT HOUSTON ON NOTICE AS TO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE, AT LEAST FROM A MINIMUM STANDPOINT TO GET TO WHERE WE NEED TO BE.
IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT, UH, UH, AN ADDITIONAL 800 OFFICERS, UH, ROUGHLY $100,000 PER SALARY AND BENEFIT, UH, THAT TELLS US TODAY, IF WE WERE TO DO THAT TODAY, WE NEED ABOUT $80 MILLION, UH, IN THE HOPPER TODAY.
SO WE REALLY NEED TO START LOOKING AT WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING FROM A PUBLIC SAFETY STANDPOINT AS IT RELATES TO POLICE.
LET, LET ME POSE THIS QUESTION.
UH, ON THE LAST PAGE OF, I BELIEVE IT WAS DR.
FRAZIER'S PRESENTATION, UH, HE INDICATED PRIOR TO REQUESTING ADDITIONAL OFFICES, THE DEPARTMENT SHOULD FIRST IDENTIFY THOSE ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS THAT COULD BE STAFFED BY SWORN OFFICES THAT, THAT, THAT ARE STAFFED BY SWORN OFFICER.
I THOUGHT THE DEPARTMENT HAD DONE THAT ALREADY.
WE FOUND, AS WE WERE LOOKING AT, UH, THE VARIETY OF SORTS OF THINGS, THIS WAS SORT OF A, A, A SECONDARY OR COLLATERAL OBSERVATION.
WE FOUND A NUMBER OF UNITS, ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS, AND A NUMBER, NUMBER OF DIVISIONS THAT STILL HAVE SWORN OFFICERS IN THOSE UNITS.
WOULD YOU PUT ME BACK IN, PLEASE, MR. CHAIR? YES.
BEFORE WE GO TO ROUND TWO, I DO HAVE A FEW, UH, QUESTIONS AND, AND A FEW COMMENTS.
SO I'LL GO AHEAD AND, AND, UH, UH, CHIME IN AT THIS POINT.
UM, I THINK ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE HERE IS THAT, UH, IF YOU LOOK AT THE WHOLE CHAIN OF POLICING HERE FROM, FROM BEGINNING TO GETTING INTO INVESTIGATIONS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT.
IT'S VERY COMPLEX AS, UH, FORMER CHIEF BRADFORD STATED, FOR EXAMPLE, JUST WITH OUR, OUR, IN OUR RECRUITING, YOU KNOW, WE'RE FINDING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO COMPETE WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO ATTRACT CADETS TO THE FRONT END.
WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT? WELL, THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE THOSE ARE YOUR FUTURE INVESTIGATORS.
SO IF YOU CAN'T BRING 'EM INTO PATROL, NOT ONLY DO YOU NEED TO MAINTAIN 'EM IN PATROL TO BE ABLE TO GIVE 'EM MORE TIME TO DEAL WITH THE PUBLIC, BUT IF YOU EVENTUALLY WANNA MOVE 'EM, YOU KNOW, TO, TO INVESTIGATIONS FOR EXAMPLE, THEN, THEN THOSE POSITIONS AND PATROL NEED TO BE FILLED.
UM, I NEED, I KNOW A FEW YEARS BACK, OUR AVERAGE AGE FOR A POLICE OFFICER WAS AROUND THE 54 YEARS OLD RANGE, 55 NOW.
SO AT ANY GIVEN TIME, YOU KNOW, UH, THAT, THAT'S WITHIN THE AGE OF RETIREMENT, MANY OF THEM COULD LEAVE.
NOW, I'M NOT SUGGESTING WE'LL HAVE A MASS EXODUS, BUT IF WE DID, THAT WOULD BE A HUGE BURDEN ON THE DEPARTMENT.
NOW, WE ALSO HAVE TO BE MINDFUL THAT WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT ANY INVESTIGATION, FOR EXAMPLE, IN ADDITION, JUST TO THE CLASSIFIED PERSONNEL THAT YOU MENTIONED, IF YOU'RE GONNA ADD CLASSIFIED, YOU ALSO NEED SOME SUPPORT PERSONNEL THAT GO WITH THAT.
WHY? BECAUSE ANY INVESTIGATION ALSO NEEDS SUPPORT STAFF, FOR EXAMPLE, CRIME ANALYSIS.
SO WHILE YOU MAY SUBMIT SOMETHING, YOU'RE WAITING FOR FIREARMS EXAMINERS TO DO A, YOU KNOW, THEIR, THEIR ANALYSIS, YOU NEED, UH, INFORMATION ON, ON A LICENSE PLATE, MAYBE YOU ONLY HAVE A PARTIAL PLATE.
WELL, THAT MIGHT TAKE A, YOU KNOW, A WHILE.
[01:25:01]
THOSE THINGS ALSO NEED TO BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION.I THINK Y'ALL DID YEOMAN'S WORK HERE, UH, WITH THE LIMITATIONS THAT Y'ALL HAD ON YOUR SCOPE.
I THINK WE HEARD THAT THE RANGE COULD HAVE BEEN FROM 98,000 TO 2 MILLION.
RIGHT? AND SO, UH, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY FOR YOU TO GET INTO THE WEEDS AND BE ABLE TO GIVE VERY SPECIFIC DETAILED PROPOSALS, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT'S GONNA TAKE SOME ADDITIONAL WORK IF WE'RE LOOKING TO EXTRACT THAT FROM A REPORT.
BUT WHAT WOULD BE YOUR RECOMMENDATION ON HOW WE COULD BEST USE THIS REPORT? HOW CAN, DO YOU RECOMMEND THAT HPD CAN NOW USE THIS REPORT AND KIND OF SAY, WHAT ARE SOME KEY AREAS HERE THAT WE CAN, CAN GROW BECAUSE, UH, TAKE BURGLARY AND THEFT? YOU KNOW, THE CHALLENGES THAT THEY HAVE, INVESTIGATING IDENTITY THEFT, FOR EXAMPLE, I'M SURE HAS CHANGED NOT ONLY HERE, BUT ACROSS THE NATION.
INVESTIGATE INVESTIGATING IDENTITY THEFT CASES.
THAT'S VERY FRUSTRATING BECAUSE WHERE DOES THE INVESTIGATION START? DOES IT START WHERE THE HOME, WHERE THE, WHERE THE CITIZEN, UH, THAT GOT THEIR IDENTITY STOLEN? OR IS IT SOMEWHERE ACROSS THE WORLD WHERE THE ACTUAL TRANSACTION HAPPENED AND MAYBE THE TRANSACTION HAPPENED SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN THROUGH SOME IT COMPANY THAT'S HAS, YOU KNOW, A PRESENCE SOMEWHERE ELSE.
THAT'S BEEN AN ISSUE FOR A VERY, VERY LONG TIME.
THOSE ARE YOUR POTENTIAL MORE EGREGIOUS CASES DOWN THE ROAD IF THEY WEREN'T INVESTIGATOR HANDLED PROPERLY UP FRONT.
AND SO THERE'S JUST SIMPLY NOT THE MANPOWER AND STAFFING TO HANDLE THOSE PROPERLY AT THE BEGINNING, WHERE MANY OF THOSE COULD HAVE MAYBE BEEN PREVENTED FROM BECOMING SOMETHING GREATER.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT COMPLEX ISSUES, BUT HOW CAN WE BEST USE THIS TO USE IT AS A TOOL TO FIND OUT WHERE HPD CAN CHANGE SOME POLICY DECISIONS, MAYBE, OR WHERE DO THEY NEED THE RESOURCES? I WOULD SUGGEST THAT IT BECOMES A DOCUMENT FOR HPD TO USE AS SORT OF A REFERENCE GUIDE.
AS THEY BEGIN TO DETERMINE WHERE FOR THE COMMUNITY OFFICERS NEED TO BE ADDED FIRST.
OBVIOUSLY WHAT DR. HOOVER DISCOVERED IS THERE'S A DEFINITE NEED IN PATROL.
THERE'S ALSO DEFINITE IN INVESTIGATIONS.
I THINK WE ALSO LEARNED THAT TO BE AN EFFECTIVE POLICE DEPARTMENT, YOU HAVE TO HAVE PROACTIVE STRATEGIES, BUT YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO MEASURE THE OUTCOMES OF THOSE.
SO THERE'S A MEASUREMENT SYSTEM THAT PROBABLY NEEDS TO BEGIN TO BE THOUGHT THROUGH AND FOCUSED TO PROVIDE A BETTER WAY OF JUDGING IF WE PUT MORE PEOPLE INTO TASK FORCES, WHAT DO WE GET BACK IN TERMS OF CRIME REDUCTION WITHIN THE CITY OF HOUSTON? IF WE PUT MORE PEOPLE IN A REGULATORY FUNCTION, CAN WE DEAL WITH THE PROBLEMS THAT, UM, UH, MR. BOYKIN AND, AND, UM, MR. ROBINSON I IDENTIFIED? BUT THAT REQUIRES A BIT OF A DIFFERENT MEASUREMENT SYSTEM.
AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I WILL CONTINUE TO BE DEVELOPING WITHIN THE HOUSTON DEPARTMENT, BECAUSE THIS IS A VERY SMART AGENCY.
UM, THIS IS AN AGENCY, I THINK STILL HAS AN EXCELLENT NATIONAL REPUTATION MM-HMM
AND I THINK THE, UH, THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE THERE THAT WE DEALT WITH, UM, IS GONNA BE, WILL SERVE THE CITY VERY WELL GOING FORWARD.
BUT I THINK THAT THAT'S THE SORT OF WAY I WOULD LOOK AT IT, HAVING TAKEN THE, THE BROAD VIEW, LOOKING AT THOSE AREAS THAT DID NEED FOCUS IN THE SHORT TERM.
BEGIN TO THINK SOME IN TERMS OF A LONGER RANGE TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT COMBINATION.
BECAUSE A MODERN POLICE DEPARTMENT, MODERN CITY LIKE HOUSTON, HAS TO BE A GOOD COMBINATION OF THOSE THREE THINGS.
YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO REACT, YOU HAVE TO HAVE PROACTIVE ACTIVITIES, AND YOU NEED TO PERFORM WELL, THE REGULATORY FUNCTION.
I THINK IF YOU CAN DO THOSE THREE THINGS AND HAVE THE RIGHT SORT OF BALANCE, UM, I THINK OUR REPORT GIVES CLUES SOME WAYS TO BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT THAT, THAT, UM, THE DEPARTMENT WILL USE.
I THINK THAT THIS REPORT HAS HELPED ME A LOT.
UH, DR. HOOVER, I, YOU LOST ME ON THE VERTICAL VERSUS HORIZONTAL.
CAN YOU BRIEFLY EXPLAIN THAT TO ME AGAIN? THE, UH, CITIES ON THE EAST COAST DEVELOPED EARLY IN THE COUNTRY'S HISTORY.
UH, AND, UH, AS SUCH, UH, ARE DENSELY POPULATED NUMBER OF CITIZENS PER SQUARE MILE IS MUCH HIGHER IN NEW YORK CITY.
THINK THE EXTREME IS NEW YORK, BUT PHILADELPHIA, BOSTON, UH, WASHINGTON, DC AND SO FORTH.
AS YOU MOVE WEST, POPULATION DENSITY DECREASES.
UH, AND HENCE, YOU HAVE WHAT'S FREQUENTLY REFERRED TO AS VERTICAL CITIES EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI, UH, THE NORTHEAST IN PARTICULAR, UH, WITH HIGHRISE, UH, APARTMENT DWELLING.
SOMEHOW OR ANOTHER, I, MAYBE THIS COLD KIND OF BLOCKED MY HEARING ON THAT, BUT I MISSED IT.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS I'M, I'M INTERESTED IN, I I'VE, I'VE BEEN DEALING WITH, WITH THE CRIMINAL ELEMENT IN, IN HARRIS COUNTY FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS, AND I KNOW THE DA'S OFFICE HAS INVESTIGATORS,
[01:30:01]
UH, HOW INVOLVED ARE THESE INVESTIGATORS? DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT, DID YOU LOOK INTO THAT? DO THEY, DO THEY HELP THE, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, HPDO ON THEIR INVESTIGATIONS OF SOME OF THE SERIOUS CRIMES? NO, WE DID NOT EXAMINE, NOR THE DA'S OFFICE.THE OTHER THING IS, I'LL, I'LL RESPOND TO JUST, JUST REAL BRIEFLY, SIR.
ONE, ONE THING TO THINK ABOUT, AND, AND, UH, MR. GONZALEZ HAS MENTIONED THIS AS WELL, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE DONE IN PREVIOUS STUDIES IS, UM, WHEN WE HAVE LOOKED AT INVESTIGATIONS, WHEN WE'VE LOOKED AT INVESTIGATIONS VERSUS DR. HOOVER, WE SOMETIMES HAVE INVESTIGATE, UM, RECOMMENDED NEW POSITION INVESTIGATIVE AIDS.
THAT IS PEOPLE THAT CAN TAKE A LOT OF THE CLERICAL COMPUTER, UM, BURDEN TELEPHONE CALLS OFF OF INVESTIGATORS AS A WAY TO MAKE THEIR JOB MORE PRODUCTIVE.
AND OFTEN RETIRED OFFICERS, OR WELL-TRAINED CIVILIANS, WILL DO A VERY GOOD JOB.
INVESTIGATIVE AIDS, THERE'S SOME DEPARTMENTS HAVE USED THAT CIVILIAN POSITION VERY WELL, MOSTLY ON THE WEST COAST ALSO.
UM, THE, THE PAGES AREN'T, NOT PAGES.
UH, PAGE 12, WHEN IT TALKED ABOUT HOURS DEDICATED, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M LOOKING AT THESE, THESE FOUR LISTING AREAS AND, AND I'M THINKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT MOST OF THESE, MOST OF THE CRIMINALS THAT I'VE DEALT WITH ARE REPEAT OFFENDERS.
THIS ISN'T THEIR FIRST TIME TO DO SOMETHING BEFORE THEY GET CAUGHT.
ARE WE, IS THERE SOME SOMETHING WE CAN DO OR THAT HAS BEEN DONE WHERE WE CAN COMPUTERIZE BETTER SO THAT SOME OF THESE, YOU KNOW, MODUS OPERANDI CAN BE DE CAN BE DETERMINED TO HELP OUR INVESTIGATORS.
DID YOU LOOK INTO ANY OF THAT? THAT WAS NOT PART OF OUR SCOPE.
BUT THERE ARE TASK FORCES THAT ARE DEALING WITH REPEAT OFFENDERS, ARE LOOKING FOR REPEAT OFFENDERS.
THE, THE OTHER, THE OTHER QUESTION I, I HAVE IS CHICAGO IS A CITY VERY SIMILAR TO THAT OF THE UNITED OF OF HOUSTON.
AND, AND THEY HAVE, THEY HAVE 11,000, ALMOST 12,000 OFFICERS.
AND WE HAVE A LITTLE OVER 5,000.
AND AND IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE WOEFULLY, UH, UNDERSTAFFED THERE.
AND, AND WOULD THEY BE CONSIDERED A VERTICAL CITY AS WELL? YES.
YOU KNOW, AND, AND, UH, THE, JUST HAVING POLICE PRESENCE, UH, I BELIEVE IS A BIG PART OF DETERRENT.
BUT, UH, I WOULD, I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO, UH, MAKE NOTE OF THAT.
I DO WANNA, I DO WANNA COMMEND YOU THAT THIS, THIS IS WELL DONE.
AND, AND FOR, FOR THOSE OF US THAT, YOU KNOW, DIDN'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET INTO THE DETAILS, I CAN LOOK AT A GLANCE AND, AND TELL MY, MY, UM, MY CONSTITUENTS THAT, LOOK, THE BENCHMARK IS THIS, THIS IS WHAT YOU, YOU GET FOR THIS MONEY FOR AN ADDITIONAL, AS MY COLLEAGUE SAID, A HUNDRED THOUSAND PER FTE, WE'RE LOOKING AT AN ADDITIONAL 365 OFFICERS TO PUT TWO OFFICERS, UH, PER CALL OR PER UNIT.
IS THAT PER PER CALL, PER CALL THAT THEY CAN FOR THAT ADDITIONAL MONEY? THEY GET THIS FOR THIS, THIS MUCH MORE MONEY.
AND I THINK SOMETIMES THE FRUSTRATION IS, IS, IS, IS IN ANY CITY, I'M SURE THAT WHEN YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR CHOICES ARE, THAT YOU CAN'T, UM, UNDERSTAND, UH, TO TRUST THE, THE, THE ADMINISTRATION OR COUNCIL MEMBERS OR THOSE, THOSE POLITICIANS.
SO I THINK THIS GIVES THE CITIZENS THE CHOICES TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE GETTING FOR THEIR, FOR, FOR THEIR TAX DOLLAR.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT'S CRITICAL HERE, THAT WE CAN, WE CAN EXPRESS THAT IN A WAY THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THAT IF YOU DON'T WANNA SPEND MORE TAX DOLLARS, THEN THIS IS THE EXPECTATION.
IF YOU SPEND MORE TAX DOLLARS, X NUMBER OF DOLLARS, THAT YOU'RE GOING TO GET THIS LEVEL OF SERVICE.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE DO WHEN WE GO SHOPPING ANYWHERE.
AND I HATE TO SIMPLIFY IT THAT MUCH, BUT, UM, SOME OF US ARE WILLING TO PAY A PREMIUM FOR THAT ADDITIONAL CONSTABLE PATROL OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE.
AND THEN THERE'S OTHERS THAT JUST CAN'T.
BUT IF WE CAN, CAN WE GET THE EXTRA TWO, UH, TWO OFFICERS PER CALL, THEN I WOULD RATHER HAVE THAT PERSONALLY, YOU KNOW, FOR MY CONSTITUENTS, BUT CAN WE AFFORD IT? SO WE HAVE THEN, AS COUNCIL, WE HAVE TO ADJUST OUR WAY OF LOOKING AT THINGS WHEN WE GO INTO THIS BUDGET CYCLE SO THAT WE CAN HAVE, YOU KNOW, A GOOD IDEA OF WHAT THE EXPECTATIONS ARE AND WHERE WE NEED TO MAYBE SHIFT OUR PRIORITIES IN MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THAT LEVEL OF SERVICE.
BECAUSE BOTTOM LINE IS PUBLIC SAFETY FOR OUR CONSTITUENTS AND OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT AND OUR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES.
SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN.
AND THAT'S THE THING THAT I'VE BEEN UNCOMFORTABLE WITH, IS NOT UNDERSTANDING WHAT WE WERE, YOU KNOW, FACED WITH AS FAR AS, BECAUSE I WAS HERE DURING 20 10, 20 11, WHEN WE HAD TO DO THE CONSIDERATIONS OF LAYOFFS AND WHAT THAT WOULD DO TO OUR CITIZENS AND THE PUBLIC, THE PUBLIC SECTOR.
[01:35:01]
THAT THAT'S WHAT, YOU KNOW, I CAME HERE ON THE AS A, AS A JUST AN ORDINARY CITIZEN FROM THE WEST SIDE.AND, UH, IT'S ALL ABOUT, YOU KNOW, TAKING DOWN, TAKING ON THE SLUMLORDS AND TAKE CLEANING UP OUR CITY.
'CAUSE I'M, I AM A PROUD HOUSTONIAN, AND I, YOU KNOW, I, I DO CARE ABOUT MY NEIGHBOR, AND WE WANT TO PROTECT THE GOOD NEIGHBORS AND THE STINKERS GO TO DALLAS.
SO, UM, BUT I APPRECIATE THIS.
AND I THINK THE CITIZENS NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT.
THEY CAN SEE THAT THERE IS A, THAT THERE ARE CHOICES HERE.
GOING BACK TO THE, UH, CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT ONCE AGAIN, UH, ONE OF THOSE MEETINGS THAT I HAD WAS WITH THE, UH, LEASING COMPANY OF A, AN OFFICE BUILDING.
AND, AND, AND IN THAT MEETING, THEY HAD SEVERAL TENANTS.
UH, ONE OF THE TENANTS ACTUALLY, MO, CAME TO HOUSTON, MOVED TO HOUSTON, THE COMPANY MOVED TO HOUSTON TO THAT BUILDING INTO, IN DOWNTOWN.
UH, BUT DUE TO SOME CRIME ISSUES, UH, THEY'RE ACTUALLY CONSIDERING MOVING OUTTA DOWNTOWN AND, AND GOING TO ANOTHER PART OF THE CITY.
UH, AND AGAIN, IN THIS STUDY, THE STUDY FOCUS OPERATIONAL UNITS, UH, THERE, THERE'S OVER 150,000 INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE WORKING IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA IN A CONDENSED, YOU KNOW, AREA, UH, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.
UH, AND THEN WITH THE DOWNTOWN LIVING INITIATIVE OF ANOTHER 5,000 UNITS.
UH, AND THEN THERE'S A LOT OF AMENITIES THAT ARE COMING TO DOWNTOWN.
THERE'S NEW HOTELS BEING BUILT IN DOWNTOWN.
UH, ARE YOU, YOU FOCUSING ANY IN REGARDS TO THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT AND THE TYPES OF PATROLLING THAT SHOULD BE DONE IN DOWNTOWN? MORE MOUNTED UNITS OR BICYCLES, MORE FOOT PATROL, UH, IN, IN ORDER FOR, TO TRY TO PROTECT THE EMPLOYEES THAT ARE WORKING IN DOWNTOWN DURING THE DAY, AND ALSO THE RESIDENTS THAT WILL BE MOVING INTO DOWNTOWN, AND THE VISITORS THAT ARE, THAT WILL BE COMING INTO DOWNTOWN.
THERE'S A NEW HIGH SCHOOL, THE HIGH SCHOOL OF PERFORMING ARTS, UH, THAT'S GOING TO BE BUILT IN DOWNTOWN.
UH, SO THERE'S A LOT GOING ON IN DOWNTOWN.
IS, IS THIS STUDY INCLUDE ANYTHING IN REGARDS TO THE BEST WAY OF PATROLLING THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER? IF I COULD JUST RESPOND REAL QUICKLY, I, I DON'T THINK THE SCOPE OF THEIR STUDY WENT INTO THAT LEVEL OF DETAIL.
THAT WOULD PROBABLY, AND I'LL LET THEM GIVE IT A SHOT IF THEY WANT.
BUT, UH, MAYBE, MAYBE AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE SPEAKER, UH, OF OUR COMMENTS, MAYBE IF CHIEF MEYER COULD MAYBE JUST JOIN US BRIEFLY JUST TO TELL US HOW THEY INTEND TO USE THIS AS A RESOURCE, MAYBE.
AND, AND THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE SOMETHING THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO VISIT WITH YOU ABOUT SPECIAL OPS AND ANY OTHER SPECIFIC TYPE OF CRIMES THAT ARE HAPPENING, IS WHAT I WOULD IMAGINE.
MAYBE, MAYBE SOMETHING TAILORED TO THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT.
I'VE HEARD CONCERNS ABOUT THE CBD AS WELL, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, BUT, BUT I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY KNOW SPECIFICALLY WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE AT THAT LEVEL, BUT IS THAT CORRECT? GONZO? YOU'RE CORRECT.
THAT'S, THAT'S NOT STRICTLY WITHIN OUR SCOPE.
UH, YOU'LL FIND WITHIN THE, THE, THE VARIOUS DIVISIONS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PATROL STAFFING IN THE, UH, UH, CENTRAL IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
BUT, BUT THAT WAS IN OUR SCOPE TO LOOK AT THE SPECIFIC PROBLEMS OF DOWNTOWN.
YOU'LL FIND THAT THAT'S AN ALLOCATION ISSUE, PERHAPS.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICTS ACROSS AMERICA, YOU'LL FIND THAT HOUSTON IS ONE OF, IF NOT THE SAFEST CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT, UH, ACROSS AMERICA.
UH, I THINK IT WAS DR. HOOVER THAT MENTIONED THE, THE STAFF ANALYSIS, UH, BASED ON THE POLICE CITIZENS RATIO IS NOT A GOOD THING.
THANKS FOR MISSING THAT BECAUSE THANK, THANK YOU FOR, THANK YOU FOR MENTIONING THAT.
'CAUSE IT'S EASY FOR SOMEBODY TO SAY, WELL, HOUSTON HAS THIS NUMBER OF OFFICERS PER THOUSAND, THIS CITY HAS THAT.
WE, WE, WE STOPPED DOING THAT LONG, LONG TIME AGO.
UH, BECAUSE, UH, AS YOU'VE INDICATED, THAT DENSITY IS A DRIVER OF THAT ISSUE.
OUR POLICING MODEL IS A DRIVER OF THAT ISSUE.
THEN THERE ARE OTHER FACTORS, UH, THAT SIMPLY GO INTO, UH, THE OFFICER PER CITIZEN RATIO.
JUST SIMPLY THE NUMBER OF REGULATORY ISSUES THAT THEY GET INVOLVED IN IMPACTS THAT AS WELL.
SO FOR THE PEOPLE WHO SAY, WELL, HOUSTON HAS 2.4, AND THIS CITY HAS FOUR POINT, THAT WE DON'T MEASURE POLICE STAFFING, UH, WITH THAT PARTICULAR MODEL, THE FBI USED THAT YEARS AGO, AND I THINK THEY SHOULD STOP THAT COUNT TOO.
BUT IT'S EASY TO DO, YOU KNOW, JUST DO THE TWO NUMBERS AND DIVIDE.
BUT, BUT, BUT THANKS FOR PUTTING THAT ON THE RECORD, THAT THAT'S NOT HOW WE DO, UH, WORK DEMAND, UH, ANALYSIS.
ALSO, WHYS ARE NOT, UH, AN ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THE REPORT, UH, AVAILABLE OR WILL.
BECAUSE I THINK THAT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL, UH, AS WELL.
UH, THE OTHER THING I'D LIKE TO, UH, MENTION HAS TO DO WITH, UH, THE WEIGHT FACTOR FOR, UH, TECHNOLOGY.
[01:40:01]
H HOW, HOW IN YOUR FORMULAS ARE YOU WEIGHING IN TECHNOLOGY AS A FORCE MULTIPLIER AS YOU MOVE FORWARD LOOKING AT OUR POLICE DEPARTMENTS, WHETHER THAT IS, AS AN EXAMPLE, HOUSTON, UH, WHETHER THAT'S OUR C SMART, OUR COURT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, UH, OUR RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, WHETHER IT'S CAD, WHETHER IT'S A TICKET WRITING DEVICES.DO YOU LOOK AT TECHNOLOGY, UH, AS A FORCE MULTIPLIER WHEN YOU ARE DOING YOUR ANALYSIS BASED ON NUMBERS NEEDED? NOT, NOT SPECIFICALLY, UH, MR. BRADFORD.
BUT, UH, GENERAL OBSERVATION IS THAT, UH, WHILE TECHNOLOGY CAN IMPROVE EFFECTIVENESS, UH, IT'S SELDOM REDUCES STAFFING NEEDS.
UH, INDEED, DEPENDING ON THE, IF WE TALK ABOUT TECHNOLOGY, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A VERY BROAD RANGE OF TECHNOLOGIES.
IT'S ALREADY BEEN MENTIONED, THE WHOLE IDENTITY THEFT ISSUE.
UH, PRESENTING NEW CHALLENGES FOR, UH, FOR POLICING.
UH, SO TECHNOLOGY, UH, CAN SAVE RESOURCES.
IT ALSO, UH, UH, BEGETS ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES FOR POLICE.
CERTAINLY, UH, UH, TECHNOLOGIES BRING ABOUT EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS AS WELL, UH, IN OFFICE THAT CAN WRITE, UH, QUITE A NUMBER MORE TICKETS TODAY WITH THE, WITH THE ELECTRONIC TICKET WRITING, UH, DEVICE, THAN RIGHT IN THE OLD PEN AND PAD WE USED BACK IN THE DAY.
SO I WOULD THINK THAT AN OFFICER, UH, CAN, THE, THE FORCE TO MULTIPLY CAN BE USED IN SOME ASPECTS, EVEN HOW THE CALLS ARE PROCESSED AND WHAT THE OFFICER NEED TO PROCESS.
THE CALL FOR SERVICE IS ENHANCED BY TECHNOLOGY.
MR. FRAZIER, I THINK, I THINK WHAT'S HAPPENED IS THE, THE SYSTEMS PROVIDE BETTER INFORMATION TO THE OFFICER TO ACT ON.
SO I THINK THE OFFICERS BECOME MORE EFFECTIVE NOW JUST BECAUSE THEY CAN WRITE MORE CITATIONS GOES.
UM, IT NEEDS TO BE THAT THE CITATIONS ARE FOCUSED ON MODIFYING THE BEHAVIOR THAT CAUSES CRASHES.
SO I THINK THE ANA, THE ANALYTICAL COMPONENT FOR TRAFFIC CRASHES AND CITATIONS IS JUST BEGINNING TO EMERGE AS WE'RE GETTING BETTER AND BETTER AT BEING ABLE TO MEASURE THOSE SORTS OF RESULTS AND MAKING THOSE THOSE DETERMINATIONS.
UM, I THINK THERE IS A GREAT VALUE IN TECHNOLOGY, BUT I THINK AS, AS MUCH AS A WORKFORCE MULTIPLIER, IT IS DIRECTING POLICE DEPARTMENTS WHERE TO SPEND, WHERE TO FOCUS RESOURCES.
'CAUSE YOU CAN'T FOCUS RESOURCES EVENLY BECAUSE PROBLEMS AREN'T FOCUSED EVENLY.
YOU STILL WANNA PROVIDE A GOOD LAYER OF RESOURCE TO EVERYONE.
EVERYBODY DESERVES POLICE PROTECTION.
BUT SOMETIMES THERE IS A NEED TO CONCENTRATE ON AREAS THAT DEVELOP PROBLEMS. BECAUSE IF YOU CAN DEAL WITH THOSE PROBLEMS AS, AS YOU KNOW, FROM YOUR TENURE, UM, THE, UH, THE, UM, CALLS FOR SERVICE WILL GO AWAY.
IF YOU PUT ME BACK IN, PLEASE.
COUNCILL MEMBER KUBOSH, IN ORDER FOR HPD TO FOLLOW THEIR OWN POLICY OF SENDING TWO OFFICERS, UH, FOR BACKUP TO HIGH PRIORITY DANGEROUS CALLS, THE DEPARTMENT WOULD NEED AN ADDITIONAL 365 POSITIONS.
AND I BELIEVE THAT'S PRETTY MUCH WHAT YOU SAID, ISN'T IT? THAT'S CORRECT, SIR.
UH, I, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY, BUT, BUT I THINK ALL OF US HERE SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT POLICE SAFETY, YOU KNOW, AND, AND REALLY ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS PLACES A POLICE OFFICER CAN GO IS INTO A DOMESTIC DISPUTE, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY'S GONNA GO TO JAIL AND, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT ESCALATES.
AND, UH, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THAT.
I, I I, IN READING YOUR TRAFFIC, UH, CRASH REDUCTION IN CONGESTION, OF COURSE, EVERY DAY THAT I'M IN TRAFFIC AND, AND IT'S REAL CONGESTED, I REMEMBER WHAT MY DAD SAID.
HE USED TO SAY, MAN, THAT'S WHAT MAKES HOUSTON SO GREAT IS EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE HERE,
SO, YOU KNOW, OTHER STATES THOUGH, HAVE THAT I'VE BEEN IN, HAVE DANGEROUS SIGNS THAT'LL SAY THIS, THE NEXT 10 MILES IS A DANGEROUS AREA.
I NOTICED, UH, UP ON 1960, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY STILL DO THAT UP ON THE NORTH SIDE OF TOWN, THEY'LL HAVE THAT.
THERE'S BEEN X NUMBER OF, OF HOMICIDES AS A RESULT OF ALCOHOL RELATED DEATHS, UH, HAVE, HAVE THESE SIGNS OF DANGEROUS INTERSECTIONS, DANGEROUS ROADWAYS.
HAS THIS REDUCED, UH, ACCIDENTS IN OTHER STATES SINCE YOU, YOU'VE STUDIED THESE THINGS THERE, THERE'S, THERE'S BEEN VERY LITTLE ATTENTION FOCUS IN THOSE SORTS OF THINGS.
UM, I THINK THERE'S ONLY AN EMERGING SENSE THAT WE NEED TO DO A MUCH BETTER JOB OF DEALING WITH BOTH CONGESTION ABATEMENT AND CRASH REDUCTION.
IF YOU REDUCE CRASHES DURING RUSH HOUR, GUESS WHAT? YOU REDUCE, UH, CONGESTION AS WELL.
SO IT'S A FOCUS ON IDENTIFYING THOSE PROBLEMS AND DOING ANALYSIS THAT VERY FEW AGENCIES HAVE DONE TO THIS POINT.
UM, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU SAID, I BELIEVE THAT WAS YOU THAT SAID IT WAS THAT OUR TRAFFIC DEATHS INCREASE ARE MORE THAN OUR HOMICIDES IN THE FIRST THREE MONTHS.
IN THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF THE YEAR, I THINK THERE WERE MORE TRAFFIC FATAL FATALITIES IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
THERE WERE HOMICIDES, BUT I BELIEVE EVEN THOSE ARE ALCOHOL RELATED DEATHS.
[01:45:01]
AND THAT'S A CONCERN TO ME TOO, BECAUSE THAT GOES BACK TO REGULATION AND DEALING WITH THE, THE, UH, THE WHOLE SITUATION OF, OF DRINKING AND DRIVING IS A REAL PROBLEM.UM, AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW, OUR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR LOST HIS FATHER WHEN HE WAS TWO YEARS OLD AS A RESULT OF A DRUNK DRIVER.
IN FACT, OUR DISTRICT CLERK, UM, HAD LOST HIS FATHER WHEN HE WAS A YOUNG MAN.
UH, I, I THINK WE NEED TO SOMEHOW OR ANOTHER IDENTIFY HOW TO REDUCE THAT AS WELL, UH, BECAUSE DRINKING AND DRIVING AND CAUSING, UH, DEATHS.
WHEN YOU STUDIED THE HOMICIDES, WAS ANY OF THE, DID YOU TAKE ANY OF THE, THE, THE NUMBER OF SUICIDES, ARE THEY PUT IN AS HOMICIDES AS WELL? NO, WE WERE JUST LOOKING AT THE HOMICIDES.
I THINK THE, THE, THE, THE, THE, UH, UH, EVENTS HAVE BEEN CLASSIFIED AS HOMICIDE.
WE WEREN'T LOOKING AT THEM SPECIFICALLY.
WE'RE LOOKING AT THEM JUST IN COMPARISON TO THE TRAFFIC FATALITIES.
WELL, YOUR REPORT HAS BEEN A, A GREAT HELP TO ME, AND I THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
UH, JUST, JUST TWO ADDITIONAL, UH, AREAS OF, UH, INQUIRY.
WE, WE NEED TO STAFF OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT ADEQUATELY.
AND, UH, TO SOME OF US, THIS IS NO, YOU KNOW, BIG REVELATION THAT WE ARE SEVERAL HUNDRED OFFICERS, UH, SHORT ON THE DEPARTMENT.
UH, WE ARE FEWER POLICE OFFICERS TODAY THAN THE DEPARTMENT HAD BACK DURING MY TENURE.
US POLICE CHIEF AND SIMPLY WITH THE GEOGRAPHY HAS INCREASED, THE POPULATION HAS INCREASED, THE SERVICE DEMANDS, UH, HAVE IN FACT, UH, INCREASED.
SO IT SEEMS TO ME THAT, UH, CLEARLY, UH, THERE'S A NEED TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF OFFICERS FOR OFFICER SAFETY PURPOSES AND TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CITIZENS ARE RECEIVING SERVICE IN A TIMELY MANNER, UH, UH, AS WELL REGARDING THE TWO OFFICER UNIT STAFF IN NEED.
THAT FORMERLY WAS BASED STRICTLY ON WHAT HPDS CURRENT POLICY DICTATES A TWO OFFICER UNIT MUST RESPOND TO.
CORRECT? THAT'S, THAT'S RIGHT.
NOT A TWO OFFICER UNIT, BUT TWO OFFICERS.
I'M SORRY, I MAY OFFICER BACKUP.
YES, BUT WELL, YOU NEED TWO OFFICERS ON THE SCENE.
AND, AND CURRENTLY WE HAVE PRIMARILY A ONE OFFICER UNIT OPERATIONAL, EXCEPT FOR A TRAINING UNIT AND SOME SPECIALIZED, UH, UNIT.
AND I, I DO BELIEVE, UH, THAT, UH, A BETTER, UH, FORMULA WOULD BE A MIXED FORCE.
NOW, WHAT THAT NEEDS TO LOOK LIKE, WE CAN HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH, IT OUGHT TO BE, UH, 20%, TWO OFFICER UNIT, 80% 25, 7 5.
DID YOU LOOK AT THE DATA, EITHER ONE OF YOU, WHICH SUGGESTS THAT A ONE OFFICER UNIT, UH, FORCE, UH, PRIMARILY IS, IS, IS, IS SAFER, IS INCREASE VISIBILITY, IT INCREASES PRODUCTIVITY.
THERE'S SOME DATA WHICH, UH, STATES THAT, UH, WOULD YOU TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT? THE, THE, THE RESEARCH, THERE'S NOT BEEN CURRENT RESEARCH LOOKING AT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TWO OFFICER UNITS AND ONE OFFICER UNITS.
THERE'S, UH, PERCEPTIONS THAT A TWO OFFICER UNIT CAN GO INTO A MORE DANGEROUS SITUATION MORE QUICKLY, WHERE A ONE OFFICER UNIT SHOULD WAIT FOR A BACKUP FOR OFFICER SAFETY AND FOR COMMUNITY SAFETY CONCERNS, ONE, THE DIFFICULTIES, AND I THINK YOU PERHAPS PUT YOUR, YOUR FINGER ON A A, ON A GOOD POINT, THAT IT BECOMES THINKING ABOUT WHAT THE MIXTURE SHOULD BE BY TIME OF DAY, BY AREA OF THE CITY, BY A NUMBER OF KEY VARIABLES TO DETERMINE WHAT IT SHOULD BE.
BECAUSE ONE OF THE PROBLEMS YOU HAVE IS, ONE OF THE FELT NEEDS THAT EVERYBODY EXPRESSED WAS VISIBILITY.
WELL, IF YOU HAVE ONE OFFICER GOING TO A CALL THAT REQUIRES TWO OFFICERS, ONE CAR GOING WITH, WITH TWO OFFICERS, YOU REDUCE VISIBLY BY HALF.
BECAUSE WHEN YOU HAVE TWO OFF TWO CARS GOING WITH ONE OFFICER, EACH, YOU'VE DOUBLED THE VISIBILITY AND VISIBILITY BASED ON, UH, RESEARCH IS PEOPLE SEE POLICE CARS, THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE CAR IS DOING, BUT THE OVERALL VISIBILITY BECOMES VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.
EVEN IF THEY'RE RUNNING TO A CALL, THAT'S STILL, THEY SEE THAT THOSE OFFICERS.
SO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO WEIGH THOSE CONSIDERATIONS.
YOU LOSE VISIBILITY IF YOU GO TO ALL TWO OFFICER CARS AND YOU BECOME INEFFICIENT BECAUSE NOT ALL CALLS NEED THAT.
BUT I THINK WHAT YOU SAID WAS EXACTLY RIGHT, OBVIOUSLY, THAT YOUR, YOUR TENURE AS CHIEF SPEAKS TO THAT, THAT SORT OF DEVELOPING A MIXTURE OF WHEN YOU NEED THOSE TWO, TWO OFFICERS IN A CAR VERSUS WHEN YOU WANT AN OFFICER IN A BACKUP CAR.
'CAUSE PRODUCTIVITY IS UP THE ONE OFFICER UNITS AS WELL.
WHEN YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THAT ONE LAST AREA, MR. CHAIRMAN OF INQUIRY.
ON PAGE EIGHT OF YOUR REPORT, UH, YOU TALKED ABOUT, UH, ENHANCEMENT, UH, WITH THE YOUTH, UH, UTILIZING ON-DUTY OFFICES, UH, THE SPONSORSHIP OF AFTER SCHOOL AND SUMMER PROGRAMS. YOU CAN'T LEAVE HERE WITHOUT ME MENTIONING THAT.
'CAUSE I THINK THAT, UH, THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT AND POLICE DEPARTMENTS ACROSS AMERICA SIMPLY DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE AND DOES NOT PUT ENOUGH RESOURCES ON THE FRONT END TO ALLOW OFFICERS TO, UH, ON DUTY PROACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN ACTIVITIES TO HELP PREVENT YOUNG BOYS AND GIRLS FROM GETTING ON ON THE WRONG TRACK.
BUT YOU, BUT YOU COMMENT ON THAT, PLEASE.
I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE POLICY PREFERENCES
[01:50:01]
THAT WE SAW.UM, WE DIDN'T RELATE NECESSARILY THE STAFFING OF THOSE POLICY PREFERENCES ANY DIRECT MANNER.
BUT I THINK WHAT WE SAW IN SOME OF THE UNITS IS NOT MUCH OF THAT GOING ON.
BUT THAT'S PART OF WHAT DR. HOOVER WAS LOOKING FOR IN TERMS OF PATROL STAFFING, IF THERE'S ABILITY FOR OFFICER TO SPEND SOME OFF-DUTY ON DUTY TIME DOING THOSE THINGS.
GENTLEMEN, UH, THANK YOU CALENDLY.
UH, THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF OTMAR.
THANKS FOR ADVOCATING FOR THIS.
I THINK A FINAL QUESTION FOR ME HAPPENS TO DO WITH THE DAY, REALLY, AND AGAIN, THINKING ABOUT THE UNKNOWN, BEING PROACTIVE FOR WHAT WE CAN'T ANTICIPATE.
AND, AND IN THAT REGARD, I, I FEAR, I MAY KNOW THAT THE SCOPE OF URINALYSIS DIDN'T INCLUDE THIS, BUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT HURRICANE SEASON AND OTHER UNKNOWNS, I KNOW A LOT OF OUR DISASTER PREPAREDNESS IS THINKING ABOUT HURRICANES IN HOUSTON, BUT WE'VE ALSO TALKED ABOUT OTHER THINGS, THE DIRTY BOMB IN THE PORTS, OTHER, UM, YOU KNOW, POTENTIAL CONCERNS FOR US THAT WOULD CLEARLY IMPACT HPD.
IS THERE ANYTHING, PROVE ME WRONG, IS THERE ANYTHING IN YOUR ANALYSIS THAT, THAT LOOKED AT A POTENTIAL SPIKE IN THE NEED FOR OFFICERS LIKE THAT, OR RECOMMENDATIONS THAT YOU'D MAKE? NOT REALLY.
I THINK, I THINK WE, UH, IDENTIFIED THAT ONE OF THE THINGS, ONE OF THE PLACES YOU LOOK AT THAT IS, IS THROUGH SOME OF THE TASK FORCES, JOINT TERRORISM, TASK FORCE DOES PLANNING, DOES OPERATIONAL SORTS OF THINGS.
UM, I THINK THERE'S A NEED FOR THOSE SORTS OF THINGS, BUT EVERY, EVERY CITY HAS DIFFERENT PROBLEMS. CHICAGO WORRIES ABOUT SNOWSTORMS, YOU WORRY ABOUT HURRICANES.
WELL MAKE, I APPRECIATE THE POINT ABOUT IT.
LEMME COMMENT, PLEASE, DR. HOOVER.
UH, WE STAFF FIRE DEPARTMENTS TO SPEND A GREAT DEAL OF TIME ON EMERGENCY STANDBY.
AND THAT'S NOT A CRITICISM IN ANY SENSE.
UM, THERE IS LESS ACCEPTANCE OF THE FACT THAT POLICE DEPARTMENTS NEED TO BE STAFFED IN SUCH A WAY THAT THEY'RE ON EMERGENCY STANDBY.
UH, NOW YOU, YOU CAN'T STAFF DAY TO DAY FOR HURRICANE IKE COMING UP I 45.
UH, BUT THERE ARE CERTAIN MINIMALS THAT NEED TO BE IN PLACE IF DURING ONE OF THOSE EVENTS, ONE TO EXPECT, UH, EFFECTIVE POLICE RESPONSE.
WELL, I THINK THAT'S A GOOD COMMENT.
AND, UH, DR. FRAZIER, IN TERMS OF PREPAREDNESS, WHAT YOU SAY IN TERMS OF TASK FORCES, I THINK, UM, OUR MAYOR HAS, UH, CONVENED A DISASTER PREPAREDNESS TASK FORCE BY ANOTHER NAME, UH, THE HOUSTON, UM, COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS COALITION.
AND IN THAT REGARD, I THINK WHERE ARE NEIGHBORHOODS OR CIVILIAN IN A COLLABORATIVE WAY, THAT'S VERY MUCH A HOUSTON RESPONSE TO DISASTER PREPAREDNESS.
AS KATRINA CERTAINLY CAUSED CERTAIN INFLUX OF NEW HOUSTONIANS.
WE RESPONDED IN KIND, I THINK IN A FAMOUSLY HOUSTON WAY WITH A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN THE COUNTY AND THE CITY.
AND IN FACT, THERE MAY BE SOME WAYS TO BE PROACTIVE, AGAIN, WITH TASK FORCES OR OTHERWISE EDUCATING OUR, OUR PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT TO DO.
SO, UH, ANY LAST THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT? I WOULD, I'D LOVE TO ENTERTAIN.
I, I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE NOTED THROUGHOUT THE STUDY, THAT THERE IS A LOT OF COLLABORATION AT, AT, AT A VARIETY OF LEVELS.
UM, I THINK THERE'S ADDITIONAL PLACES WHERE YOU COULD DO THAT.
THAT'S WHY WE RECOMMENDED IN TRAFFIC THAT THERE BE COLLABORATION WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT AGENCIES THAT HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY IN CRASH REDUCTION AND, AND, UH, CONGESTION ABATEMENT.
COUNCILOR KOSH, UH, I NOTICED THAT ON, UH, PAGE 76.
UM, YOU SAID, UH, HERE THAT THIS WAS, IT SAYS HOW IT SAYS, WE ARE MINDFUL OF THE BUDGETARY CONSTRAINTS OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, THUS THE FOCUS OF OUR ANALYSIS AND IDENTIFICATION ARE THE MOST CRITICAL AND COST EFFECTIVE, UH, ALTERNATIVES.
IN OTHER WORDS, YOU'RE BEING, IT SAYS YOU'RE GONNA BE CONSERVATIVE.
SO IF THIS IS, IF THIS IS CONSERVATIVE AND YOU SAY WE NEED 365 OFFICERS, AND, UH, AND IF WE PAY 'EM, AS CHIEF SAID, FORMER CHIEF, A HUNDRED THOUSAND NEEDS, THAT'D BE $36 MILLION IN ADDITION.
AND, UM, I'M CONCERNED THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH POLICE OFFICERS.
I LOOKED AT PAGE 66 AND, AND ON PAGE 66, UH, THERE WERE SOME GOOD LEADS, BUT NOT ENOUGH INVESTIGATORS TO WORK A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF THE INCIDENCES.
AND, AND THAT, THAT CONCERNS ME, THAT, THAT CASES ARE GOING WITHOUT.
THE CITIZENS WANT TO KNOW THAT THEIR CASES ARE BEING INVESTIGATED.
I WAS A VICTIM OF AN ARMED ROBBERY, UH, ABOUT SEVEN YEARS AGO.
[01:55:01]
I, I, I OWN A SURETY COMPANY, I WAS ABLE TO DO MY OWN INVESTIGATION AND HAD 'EM ALL LOCKED UP WITHIN A FEW HOURS.BUT I'M JUST TELLING YOU THE, THE PUBLIC DOESN'T HAVE THAT ACCESS.
AND IT'S CONCERNS ME THAT, THAT THINGS ARE LIKE, UH, THE, THE BURGLARY AND THEFT, THEY'RE 15,000, THE HOMICIDE, 3000 VEHICULAR CRIMES, 300, I MEAN 3000 HIT AND RUNS.
I WANT OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT TO DO THE VERY BEST IT CAN WITH THE MONEY THAT WE HAVE SPENT.
BUT, UH, I'M CERTAINLY, UH, FOR MAINTAINING A, A, A, AN ADEQUATE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE TODAY, AND THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING US WITH SUCH GOOD INFORMATION.
'CAUSE WE'RE ABOUT TO GO INTO A BUDGET TIME IN THE CITY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCILOR BRADFORD.
JUST FOR THE RECORD, AND THOSE WHO MAY BE BE WATCHING, I WANT TO TRY TO MAYBE CLARIFY WHAT, WHAT MY COLLEAGUE KU JUST INDICATED.
UH, BECAUSE THE 356 IS, IS 1 365 IS ONE COMPONENT OF THE SCENARIO THAT THEY PRESENTED.
THE COMPLETE SCENARIO THAT WAS PRESENTED TODAY WOULD REQUIRE AN ADDITIONAL STAFFING LEVEL OF 800 POLICE OFFICERS AND JUST A BALLPARK ISH, UH, COST, SALARY AND BENEFITS PER OFFICER WOULD BE A BALLPARK IS $100,000.
SO THEREFORE IT WOULD BE SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF $80 MILLION, UH, TO DO THE SCENARIO THAT WAS A PROFIT, UH, BY THE PRESENTERS.
THANK YOU KINDLY, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER PENNINGTON.
UM, GENTLEMEN, COULD Y'ALL ADDRESS THE ISSUE, I DUNNO IF Y'ALL WERE TASKED TO DO THIS OR NOT, BUT COULD YOU ADDRESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SECURITY CAMERAS? THAT'S NOT PART OF OUR SCOPE.
Y'ALL HAVE NO, DID Y'ALL HAVE ANY PAST EXPERIENCE WITH THEM IN OTHER CITIES, WHETHER THEY'RE EFFECTIVE OR NOT? IT, I, I HATE TO SAY THIS WAY.
OR IS EVERY CASE DIFFERENT? I HATE TO SAY THIS WAY.
IT, IT SORT OF ALL DEPENDS ON HOW THEY'RE LINKED AND HOW THEY'RE USED.
THEY CAN BE VERY EFFECTIVE WHEN THEY'RE, UM, A NETWORK.
UH, THEY BECOME EVEN MORE EFFECTIVE WHEN THEY'RE USED, NOT JUST FOR POST-EVENT INVESTIGATIONS, BUT THERE'S NOW INCREASINGLY TECHNOLOGY THAT ALERTS SOMEBODY WHEN SOMETHING IS ACTIVELY HAPPENING.
OBVIOUSLY WITH A BANK OF CAMERAS MONITORING THEM IS A DREADFUL SORT OF TASK.
UM, THERE'S INCREASINGLY TECHNOLOGY THAT ALLOWS THEM TO BE PROGRAMMED TO DRAW ATTENTION WHEN THERE'S AN ABER ACTIVITY.
AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS, THAT THEN ALERTS SOMEBODY TO A CRIME IN PROGRESS OR AN EVENT IN PROGRESS THAT CAN BE DEALT WITH.
BUT IT'S, IT'S, IT'S AN EMERGING FIELD.
UM, I DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S ANYTHING SET YET, BUT THERE'S, UH, A FAIR AMOUNT OF RESEARCH GOING ON.
A LOT OF THE RESEARCH THAT THAT IS, IS COMING OUT IS FROM, UH, THE UNITED KINGDOM, BECAUSE THEY HAVE USED SECURITY CAMERAS IN A WAYS THAT ARE WAY BEYOND MOST OF WHAT WE DO IN THIS, IN THE US.
SO YOUR ANSWER IS BASICALLY, IT'S TOO EARLY TO TELL.
UH, FINAL QUESTION IS THE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER MEMBER WIND'S OFFICE.
WHAT IS THE SHELF LIFE OF THIS REPORT? UM, OR HOW COMFORTABLE ARE, ARE, ARE YOU WITH THIS? HOW, WHAT'S THE VALIDITY? I GUESS BECAUSE HOUSTON'S CHANGING A LOT, WE'RE BECOMING A MORE VERTICAL CITY.
SO OVER THE, THE NEXT FEW YEARS AS THOSE DEMOGRAPHICS SHIFT, HOW VALID IS THIS STUDY GONNA BE?
I GIVE IT A, TO PICK A NUMBER, UH, TWO YEARS.
UM, THE BASIC CORE ANALYSIS METHODOLOGY IS GONNA LAST LONGER THAN THAT, BUT THE NUMBERS, THE SORT OF STAFFING NUMBERS, THE SORT OF POPULATION NUMBERS WILL CHANGE.
UM, BUT THE CORE APPROACH IS, IS, I WON'T SAY TIMELESS, BUT IS, BUT IS WILL BE VALID FOR LONGER THAN THAT.
BUT I WOULD AGREE WITH DR. HOOVER TWO YEARS PROBABLY.
UH, WE'RE ABOUT TO TURN TO PUBLIC SPEAKERS.
UM, YOU SPOKE ABOUT MIXED USE EARLIER.
UH, AND I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S A GOOD IDEA.
UH, I'M GONNA COMMEND, UH, I KNOW HE'S IN THE AUDIENCE, ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE, ASSISTANT CHIEF MEYER.
I KNOW HE WAS VERY INSTRUMENTAL IN THAT WITH THE CREATION OF THE INVESTIGATIVE FIRST RESPONDER.
I THINK THOSE ARE VERY HELPFUL.
WHERE THEY TRAIN, UH, STREET LEVEL PATROL OFFICERS TO BE ABLE TO DO SOME INVESTIGATIVE WORK AT THE STREET LEVEL INSTEAD OF JUST RUNNING IT UP THE CHAIN TO THE, UH, CONCERNED DIVISION.
UH, IT'S GOOD FOR THEM TO GET THAT ADDITIONAL, UH, TRAINING.
AND IT OBVIOUSLY HELPS THE INVESTIGATIVE DIVISIONS AS WELL.
AND IT'S A GOOD, UH, TRAINING GROUND, IF YOU WILL, FOR THOSE FUTURE, UH, INVESTIGATORS.
SO THAT'S A, I THINK A, A GOOD MODEL.
I'M, I'M, I'M SURE HOPEFULLY THAT THERE'S SOME GOOD INFORMATION THAT IT'S WORKED.
BUT, UH, GENTLEMEN, THANK YOU BOTH FOR THE, UH, PRESENTATION, UH, AND, AND ANSWERING ALL THE QUESTIONS.
IF, IF YOU MIND JUST STEPPING ASIDE FOR A SECOND, AND WE'RE GONNA CALL ON OUR PUBLIC SPEAKER
[02:00:04]
CHAIR RECOGNIZES MR. RAY HUNT, PRESIDENT OF THE HOUSTON POLICE OFFICERS UNION.COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, OUR PREACHER ON SUNDAY ALWAYS PREACHED FOR ABOUT AN HOUR, AND THEN HE GIVES US A TAKE HOME AT THE END, A TAKEAWAY.
SO I'M GONNA TRY TO GIVE YOU THE TAKEAWAY FROM WHAT I GET FROM ALL OF THIS.
AND WE HAPPEN TO GET THE REPORT ON FRIDAY AS WELL AND GOT TO GO OVER IT.
I HOPE THAT NO ONE, ESPECIALLY THE MEDIA LEAVES HERE WITH THE TAKEAWAY THAT WE NEED 365 OFFICERS.
AS THE CHIEF MADE IT VERY, VERY CLEAR THAT WAS SIMPLY TO COMPLY WITH A POLICY TO RESPOND WITH TWO PERSONS FOR THOSE VERY SERIOUS CALLS.
ONE LITTLE NUGGET OF THIS ENTIRE REPORT.
THE NUMBER THAT WE'VE BEEN SAYING, AND, AND I THINK THIS IS, UH, FINALLY CONFIRMED BY THIS REPORT, IS ABOUT 1500 POLICE OFFICERS.
AND LEMME TELL YOU WHERE I GET TO THAT.
IF YOU LOOK AT PAGE 14 ON YOUR REPORT, IT'LL SHOW THAT IF THE DEPARTMENT IMPLEMENTS THE BACKUP REQUIREMENTS IS LISTED ABOVE, INCREASES PROACTIVE TIME FOR 20 MINUTES PER 20 MINUTES PER HOUR FOR POLICE OFFICERS, AND INCREASES THE VISIBILITY ON ARTERIAL STREETS AND RESIDENTIAL AREAS, WE WOULD NEED 1,383 PATROL OFFICERS.
THEN GO TO THE INVESTIGATIVE SECTION.
YOU WILL SEE THAT IT SAYS WE NEED 101 INVESTIGATORS, AND WE NEED 24 AT THE AIRPORT.
THAT GETS YOU TO THE 1500, AND I HOPE THAT'S YOUR TAKEAWAY, THAT THIS DEPARTMENT NEEDS AT LEAST 1500 OFFICERS JUST TO KEEP THE STATUS QUO WHERE WE ARE.
UH, AND THAT DOES NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE 200 OFFICERS PER YEAR THAT WE LOSE TO ATTRITION.
SO YOU HAVE TO ADD THAT IN EACH YEAR ALSO, WHICH COULD BE 401 YEAR OR A HUNDRED ANOTHER YEAR, BUT I DON'T ANTICIPATE IT TO BE LESS THAN 200.
AND THE LAST THING I WANNA TALK ABOUT IS ONE OF THE, UH, PRESENTERS TALKED ABOUT CRIES FOR ATTENTION THAT REALLY DIDN'T GET THE CRIES FOR ATTENTION THAT I EXPECTED TO GET FROM Y'ALL.
AND ONE OF 'EM WAS CASES WITH WORKABLE LEADS THAT ARE NOT BEING INVESTIGATED BY THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE OF MANPOWER 15,000 IN MURDER AND THEFT.
IF YOU'RE WATCHING THIS AT HOME AND YOU'VE HAD SOMETHING STOLEN, YOU PROBABLY KNOW THAT'S THE CASE.
WE DON'T HAVE THE MANPOWER TO INVESTIGATE 'EM.
3000 ASSAULT CASES AND 3000 HIT AND RUNS.
THOSE ARE WORKABLE LEAD CASES NOT BEING INVESTIGATED, AND THEY ARE CRY CRIES FOR ATTENTION.
ANOTHER CRY FOR ATTENTION THAT WASN'T TALKED ABOUT BUT IS IN YOUR REPORT, IS CRIME TRENDS COMPARING TEXAS WITH OTHER CITIES BETWEEN SAN ANTONIO, DALLAS, AUSTIN, FORT WORTH, AND HOUSTON.
HOUSTON HAD THE HIGHEST VIOLENT CRIME RATE.
PAGE 27, HOUSTON'S VIOLENT CRIME RATE IS 9.9 PER THOUSAND CITIZENS.
MORE THAN DOUBLE THAT OF AUSTIN, STILL WELL ABOVE DALLAS AND FORT WORTH WHO HAVE 6.7 AND 5.9.
SO BASICALLY WHAT THIS IS SAYING IS NOT ONLY DO WE NOT HAVE ENOUGH OFFICERS TO SUPPRESS VIOLENT CRIME, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TO INVESTIGATE IT WHEN IT HAPPENS.
I HOPE THIS GETS THE ATTENTION THAT IT NEEDS.
I APPLAUD CHIEF BRADFORD FOR ASKING FOR THIS SEVERAL YEARS AGO.
I APPLAUD CHIEF, FORMER CHIEF HURT WHO SAID ON HIS WAY OUT THIS WAS A, A CRISIS.
I APPLAUD OUR CURRENT CHIEF MCCLELLAN WHO HAS NOTIFIED THE MAYOR AND OTHERS.
THIS IS A STAFFING CRISIS, AND I HOPE THIS DOES NOT JUST GET PUSHED UNDER A ROAD SOMEWHERE AND FORGOTTEN ABOUT.
IT IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
UH, MR. HUNT, WE DO HAVE A QUESTION.
COUNCILMAN BRADFORD? YEAH, THANK YOU.
UH, UH, RAY, THANKS FOR COMING DOWN.
AND I WANNA SAY THAT, UH, UNDER THE SCENARIO THAT I CAME UP WITH WHEN I FINISHED READING THE REPORT, I HAD, UH, 1383 NEEDED IN PATROL AND 167 IN INVESTIGATIONS.
A TOTAL OF 1,550 OFFICES IS WHAT I CAME UP WITH HERE.
UH, THE 800 IS, IS IS THE SCENARIO THAT THAT THEY'VE PRESENTED, AND I THINK THAT'S A GOOD STARTING POINT.
UH, BUT MY QUESTION IS, WHAT ARE THE OFFICERS SAYING IN THE FIELD AS IT RELATES TO, UH, ADEQUATE STAFFING? ARE THE OFFICERS SAYING THAT THEY'RE ADEQUATELY STAFFED? DO THEY FEEL SAFE? ARE THEY ENCOUNTERING SITUATION WHERE THEY FEEL THAT THEY ARE HAVING TO JEOPARDIZE THEIR PERSONAL SAFETY DUE TO THE LACK OF BACKUP? TALK TO US FROM THAT STANDPOINT.
EVERY SINGLE DAY OUR OFFICERS JEOPARDIZING THEIR SAFETY.
AND, AND I AGREE WITH A PRESENTER THAT WE SHOULD HAVE OFFICERS THAT ARE SITTING OUTSIDE ON CALLS WAITING FOR BACKUP TO GET THERE.
BUT WHEN YOU HEAR A LADY SCREAMING INSIDE OF A HOUSE AND YOUR BACKUP'S THREE OR FOUR MINUTES AWAY, YOU'RE NOT WAITING TO GO IN.
THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE SWORN TO DO.
WE GO IN THERE AND DO THAT WHEN WE HAVE TWO PERSONS IN ONE CAR THAT PRESENT PREVENTS THAT FROM HAPPENING.
WHEN THAT FIRST UNIT GETS THERE, THEY CAN GO IN THERE AND TAKE CARE OF THAT.
NO OFFICER IN HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT IS GONNA BE SURPRISED BY THIS.
JUST LIKE YOU WEREN'T SURPRISED BY IT, JUST LIKE I WASN'T SURPRISED BY IT.
UH, OUR OFFICERS ARE OUT THERE RISKING THEIR LIVES EVERY SINGLE DAY IN VERY VIOLENT SITUATIONS ON ONE MAN UNIT CALLS, AND SOMETIMES THEIR BACKUP IS THREE OR FOUR MINUTES AWAY.
WELL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK AND THANK YOU FOR THE HP U'S WORK.
AND I, I SHALL CONTINUE TO DO WHAT I CAN DO AS A COUNCIL MEMBER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE MOVE THIS ISSUE FORWARD AND SEE THAT OUR SAFETY SERVICES COMPONENT OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UH, DO RECEIVE PRIORITY AND THAT THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT IS AT A POLICE STAFF.
COUNCIL COUNCILOR BRADFORD, I MEAN, SORRY, UH, KUBOSH, WHY WOULD YOU THINK THAT
[02:05:01]
OUR VIOLENCE, UH, CRIMES ARE TWICE AS HIGH AS THESE OTHER CITIES? WHAT CONTRIBUTING FACTORS DO YOU, DO YOU RECOGNIZE ANY? WELL, YOU'VE GOT, UH, 600 SQUARE MILES.YOU'VE ONLY GOT 5,300 POLICE OFFICERS AND LESS THAN HALF OF THOSE ARE THE ACTUAL ONES OUT THERE ON THE STREETS.
UM, IT DOESN'T TAKE A GENIUS TO FIGURE OUT THAT, THAT THAT'S WHY YOU, YOU DON'T HAVE THE, WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE THE VISIBILITY TAKING PLACE LIKE WE NEED WITH THE, WITH MORE POLICE OFFICERS, YOU'RE, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE MORE VIOLENT CRIME TAKING PLACE.
UH, DO YOU NOTICE, UH, I MEAN, CAN YOU INFORM COUNSEL IN THE CITY OF WHAT THE MORALE OF THE POLICE OFFICER OR POLICE DEPARTMENT IS NOW? UH, I CAN SAY THAT WE, WE DO, UH, WE HAVE A DECENT MORALE, BUT IT'S BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT EVERYBODY HERE IS SUPPORTING EACH OTHER.
UH, WE DO NOT FEEL THAT THE CITIZENS OF HOUSTON GET IT, THAT WE NEED MORE POLICE OFFICERS AND THAT THIS IS AN URGENT CRY FROM US SAYING, WE NEED MORE PEOPLE OUT THERE TO KEEP YOU SAFE AND TO KEEP US SAFE.
UM, AND, AND FROM THAT STANDPOINT, IT CAN, IT CAN LOWER MORALE DRASTICALLY WHENEVER YOU, YOU DON'T FEEL THAT, UH, THAT YOU'RE BEING ADEQUATELY STAFFED OUT THERE.
YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT THE, THE BROWNOUTS BEFORE.
I'VE SAID BEFORE WHEN, WHEN AN OFFICER'S SICK OR AN OFFICER'S HURT FOR THREE OR FOUR MONTHS, THAT THAT POLICE CAR SITS THERE AND THE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE BEAT IN THE, IN THE DISTRICT TAKE UP THAT SLACK.
WE DON'T PUT SOMEBODY IN THAT POSITION TO, TO TAKE UP THEIR SPOT WHENEVER THEY'RE OFF OR, OR SICK OR, OR INJURED ON DUTY OR WHATEVER IT MAY BE.
UM, AND WHEN THOSE KIND OF THINGS HAPPEN, IT, IT IS A, A, A MORALE DOWNER.
WELL, I WANT YOU TO KNOW I'M IN SUPPORT OF IT, OF, OF BRINGING IN MORE POLICE OFFICERS AND I'M CERTAINLY SUPPORTIVE OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CHAIRMAN.
UM, IN CLOSING, UH, CHIEF MEYER MENTIONED EARLIER ABOUT MAYBE JUST HAVING YOU, UH, HAVE A LAST WORD.
UH, MAYBE NOTHING TOO SPECIFIC AT THE MOMENT.
I, I KNOW WE HADN'T, MAYBE YOU'RE NOT PREPARED TO ADDRESS IT, BUT, UH, HOW CAN WE BEST UTILIZE THIS AS A, AS A TOOL OR AS A RESOURCE JUST GOING FORWARD? WHAT ARE, WHAT'S THE DEPARTMENT'S PLAN AT THE MOMENT, SIR? WELL, FIRST LET ME SAY THANK YOU TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU FOR PARTICIPATING.
UH, THIS IS, UH, LIKE I SAID EARLIER OF THE FIRST STUDY OF ITS KIND, NOT, NOT SO MUCH FOR HOUSTON, BUT FOR THE COUNTRY.
AND THAT'S PARTICULARLY BECAUSE OF THE INVESTIGATIVE COMPONENT.
UH, I WAS SITTING BACK THERE LISTENING TO THE CONVERSATION AND THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALL ASKED WERE JUST OUTSTANDING.
THAT CONVEYED A MESSAGE TO US THAT YOU'RE PAYING ATTENTION, THAT YOU ARE, YOU UNDERSTAND, UH, WHAT THIS REPORT CONTAINS.
AND FOR THAT, WE TIP OUR HAT TO BOTH DR. HOOVER AND CRAIG FRAZIER.
THIS IS A LOT OF INFORMATION COUNCIL MEMBER FOR US TO, TO DIGEST.
UH, WE JUST GOT THE REPORT A WEEK BEFORE WE PASSED IT OUT TO YOU.
MATTER OF FACT, AT TWO O'CLOCK THIS AFTERNOON, WE'RE ASKING, UM, OUR, OUR GUESTS TO MAKE A PRESENTATION TO OUR COMMAND STAFF SO THEY WILL BE EXPOSED TO WHAT YOU WERE EXPOSED TO THIS MORNING.
THE CHIEF THEN WILL PROBABLY GO INTO SESSION AND CONSULT WITH VARIOUS, UH, PERSONNEL IN THE DEPARTMENT, HPOU, AND COME UP WITH A RECOMMENDATION GOING FORWARD.
I DO NOT KNOW AT THIS POINT IN TIME WHAT THE TIMELINE IS FOR THAT.
UH, THE CHIEF HAS MENTIONED THAT HE SUSPECTS THERE MAY BE SOME QUESTIONS ASKED OF HIM ABOUT THIS WHEN HE COMES AND MAKES HIS BUDGET PRESENTATION.
BUT EVEN THEN, IT'S JUST GONNA BE A LITTLE, A LITTLE TOO EARLY FOR US TO HAVE A A A SOLID SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS GOING FORWARD.
BUT LET ME, LET ME JUST CLOSE BY SAYING THIS IS AN EXCELLENT PIECE OF WORK.
WE'RE VERY, VERY PROUD, UH, OF THE WORK THAT THEY'VE DONE, AND WE'RE GONNA DO OUR BEST TO ANALYZE IT AND COME FORWARD WITH RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE THINK ARE PRACTICAL AND WORTHWHILE.
THANK YOU, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT CHIEF, UH, OTMAR.