[00:00:17]
MY NAME IS COREY HARRINGTON, AND I AM THE CAPTAIN OF THE HPDS NORTH BELT DIVISION.
TODAY I HAVE THE, UH, PLEASURE OF WELCOME TO YOU, THE OFFICIAL GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY FOR OUR FUTURE HOME.
WE ARE GRATEFUL YOU COULD JOIN US FOR THIS VERY SPECIAL OCCASION TO KICK OFF TODAY'S CEREMONY.
IT'S A PRIVILEGE TO INTRODUCE TO YOU A VERY LONG TIME SUPPORTER OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AND YOUR RANK AND FILE.
NOT ONLY HPD, BUT HOUSTON FIRE THIS MORNING.
I COULD BE AT AT LEAST A HUNDRED LOCATIONS PROGRAMS THIS MORNING.
WE HAVE PUBLIC SESSION THIS AFTERNOON, BUT THIS IS WHERE I NOT ONLY WANTED TO BE, THIS IS WHERE I NEED TO BE BECAUSE THIS IS SYMBOLIC OF THE PROGRESS WE'RE MAKING IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
I WAS TAUGHT LONG AGO AS A YOUNG SENATOR BY A LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, SAID, IT'S AMAZING WHAT YOU CAN GET DONE.
WELL, YOU DON'T WORRY ABOUT WHO'S GONNA GET THE CREDIT, AND THAT CERTAINLY APPLIES THIS MORNING.
BEEN IN, BEEN IN THE PLANNING STAGES FOR A LONG TIME.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SALLY BRADFORD AND HER TEAM.
THEY'VE HAD A VISION, AND AS WE PROGRESSED, WE SAW THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE EFFICIENT COLLABORATION BETWEEN POLICE AND FIRE.
YOU KNOW, UH, THREE WEEKS AGO WE OPENED A FACILITY WITH PUBLIC WORKS IN HPD DOWN ON WASHINGTON.
WE'RE GETTING MORE BANG FOR THE DOLLAR, BUT NOT ONLY THAT, WE'RE SERVICING OUR COMMUNITY.
SO THANK YOU TO CHIEF MUNOZ, CHIEF DIAZ, EVERYONE THAT CAN HEAR MY VOICE, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, TO HOUSTONIANS.
WE'VE GOT A TEAM IN PLACE THAT IS ADDRESSING PUBLIC SAFETY.
ARE WE WHERE WE WANNA BE? NO, BUT THE MORALES AT AN ALL TIME HIGH IN POLICE AND FIRE RECRUITING IS AT AN ALL TIME HIGH.
YES, WE ARE ADDRESSING HOUSTON'S CONCERNS, AND I'M PROUD TO BE HERE AND, UH, LET'S GO TO WORK.
I, UH, YIELD BACK TO OUR CAPTAIN.
NOW, WOULD YOU PLEASE ENJOY ME IN WELCOMING SOMEONE THAT WORKS VERY TIRELESSLY, OUR CHIEF, NO IDS.
UH, THANK YOU FOR THE AIRPLANE FLYING OVER.
UH, NO, BUT THE, THE MAYOR SAID IT ALL TODAY IS MORE THAN JUST THE PROJECT, THE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT, RIGHT? IT IT, IT MARKS A TOTAL COMMITMENT FROM MAYOR JOHN WHITMEYER AND THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE EXCEPTIONAL POLICE SERVICES TO THIS PART OF THE CITY.
IT'S A GROWING PART OF THE CITY.
SO WE'RE COMMITTED TO BUILDING A SAFER FUTURE FOR THIS COMMUNITY.
IT'S NOT JUST A SLAB, BUT IT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE WHAT THE TRUST AND THE SERVICE, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT, ALONG WITH OUR BROTHERS AT THE HOUSTON FIRE WILL HAVE WITH THIS COMMUNITY FOR YEARS TO COME TOGETHER.
YES, UH, THE CONSTRUCTION GUYS WILL COME IN HERE AND DO ALL THE HARD WORK, BUT THEY TRULY ARE LAYING A FOUNDATION FOR A STRONGER AND SAFER TOMORROW.
SO I, I'D LIKE TO ADD, UH, THAT WE'VE BEEN IN DISCUSSION WITH THE MAYOR.
WE'RE GONNA ADD A HALF A MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF STAFFING TO THE NORTH BELT TO MAKE THIS COMMUNITY.
THAT'S THE COMMITMENT THAT WE HAVE TO THIS PART OF THE TOWN.
SO IT, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A MOVEMENT OF RESOURCES.
IT'S NOTHING NEW, BUT, BUT THE MAYOR'S COMMITMENT TO ADD ADDITIONAL STAFFING TO THIS AREA IS SERIOUS.
WE'RE SERIOUS ABOUT IT BEING SAFE.
SO IT CAN KEEP THRIVING, KEEP GROWING, UH, TOGETHER.
SO I'M GONNA TAKE IT OFF TO, TO THE FIRE CHIEF.
UH, MAYOR, MAYOR WHITMEYER FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND CONTINUED INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC SAFETY.
IRONICALLY, UH, APPROXIMATELY A YEAR AGO ON THE 14TH, IT'LL BE A YEAR THAT THE MAYOR APPOINTED, YOU KNOW, CHIEF DIAZ AND MYSELF.
AND I WAS VERY BLESSED THAT MAYOR WHITMEYER APPOINTED US.
BUT WITH THAT SAID, WE DEVELOPED A PARTNERSHIP, UH, WITH THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT AT THAT POINT.
AGAIN, IT'S AN HONOR TO STAND HERE WITH THE LEADERS THAT BELIEVE IN THE PUBLIC SAFETY THAT WE'RE DOING.
AND AS THE MAYOR WHITMEYER HAS ALWAYS SAID, PUBLIC SAFETY TOP PRIORITY, THIS DEFINITELY SHOWS THAT PRIORITY THAT HE DEFINITELY PLACES ON PUBLIC SERVICE.
TODAY'S GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY, UH, REPRESENT MORE THAN BRICKS AND MORTAR.
[00:05:01]
SYMBOLIZES OUR UNITED FRONT AS FIRST RESPONDERS.OUR FIREFIGHTERS AND MEDICS CONTINUES TO WORK SIDE BY SIDE WITH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS ON MEDICAL CALLS, ACCIDENT SCENES, AND DURING CRITICAL SITUATIONS.
BUT THIS RIGHT HERE STRENGTHENS OUR BOND.
WE'LL BE WORKING NEXT TO EACH OTHER.
WE HAVE A STATION RIGHT NEXT TO US THAT'S GONNA INCREASE SAFETY, GONNA INCREASE OBVIOUSLY RESPONSE, WORKING WITH HPD AND OUR MEMBERS.
AND IT'S AT UNITED FRONT THAT MAKES THIS CITY SAFE.
AND AGAIN, MAYOR WHITMEYER, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALLOWING US TO DO WHAT WE LOVE TO DO.
WE WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR COMING OUT.
NOW THAT WE'VE HEARD FROM OUR LEADERSHIP, WE, UH, WE WANNA INVITE YOU TO OUR CEREMONY, GROUNDBREAKING, UH, RIGHT HERE.
SO WE'LL START THAT RIGHT NOW.