* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:11] AND THIS IS PART OF OUR WORK TO BE HERE TO ANNOUNCE THE USE OF A FORMER SCHOOL IN HISD THAT BECAME THE PROPERTY OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON. PUBLIC WORKS USED IT FOR ITS PURPOSES, AND NOW IT'S GONNA BE TRANSFORMED INTO MODERN SOUTH CENTRAL POLICE STATION. THERE'S MANY CHALLENGES FOR HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT. THE GOOD NEWS IS WE'RE MEETING OUR CHALLENGES. I HAVE VISITED THE FORMER IN CURRENT LOCATION OF SOUTH CENTRAL MANY TIMES, OUTDATED. IT WAS A FORMER SCHOOL AND NEVER GOT THE REMAKE THAT THIS FACILITY IS GONNA RECEIVE. HOPE TO HAVE IT OPEN BY FALL OF 27. IT'LL NOT ONLY SERVE OUR RANK AND FILE, IT'LL SERVE OUR COMMUNITY. FARMER STATION WAS NOT USER FRIENDLY FOR THE PUBLIC RIGHT NEXT TO THE FREEWAY, HARD TO ACCESS. IT ACTUALLY DISCOURAGED PEOPLE, LACK OF PARKING, LACK OF LIGHTING. BUT IT DIDN'T STOP HPD ONE OF THE BUSIEST STATIONS IN THE CITY. BUT AS WE STAND HERE TODAY, IT'S NOT ONLY GONNA BE MORE FUNCTIONAL, IT'S GONNA MAKE A STATEMENT. THE EAST END, ITS GROWTH. ITS PEOPLE ARE A HIGH PRIORITY. WE WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT HPD IS OPEN TO RECEIVE COMPLAINTS, PARTNERSHIPS, AND SUPPORT. I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THE RANK AND FILE EACH AND EVERY DAY. THEY MEET CHALLENGES. I WATCH THEM. I WATCH THEM HAND OUT WATER TO CROWDS. I WATCH THEM PULL OVER WHEN THEY SEE A MOTHER AND HER BABY SELLING ROSES ON THE CORNER OF TWO 90 AND MANGO. AN OFFICER PULLS OVER LIKE IT WAS THEIR FAMILY AND GIVES THEM WATER AND SUPPORT AND URGES THEM TO FIND A SAFER ENVIRONMENT. I DON'T APOLOGIZE FOR BEING PROUD OF HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT HAD BREAKFAST WITH THE FIRE CHIEF THIS MORNING, OVER 800 NEW FIREFIGHTERS. PEOPLE WANT TO BE HOUSTON FIREFIGHTERS. AND SIMILARLY, PEOPLE WANT TO BE HPD OFFICERS. THANK YOU, CHIEF DIAZ. I'M PROUD OF YOU AND YOUR DEPARTMENT EACH AND EVERY DAY. OVER 900 NEW POLICE OFFICERS SINCE I WAS SWORN IN TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO. VERY FEW RETIREMENTS. WHY DO I MENTION THAT? BECAUSE IT ALLOWS ME TO SAY I'M MEETING CITY'S CHALLENGES AND MY COMMITMENTS. PUBLIC SAFETY IS OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY. IT ALLOWS US TO MOVE TO INFRASTRUCTURE. WHEN I KNOW I'VE GOT GOOD STEWARDSHIP AT HOUSTON FIRE AND HOUSTON POLICE. THEN WE CAN TALK ABOUT THE 1900 BROKEN WATER MAINS THAT WERE PRESENT WHEN I WAS SWORN IN. NOW IT'S A HUNDRED WATER BILLS, COMPUTER PROBLEMS. PEOPLE ARE GETTING $20,000 WATER BILLS, NO LONGER THE CASE. BUT TODAY IS A STATEMENT THAT WE'RE MEETING OUR CHALLENGES. THIS IS THE COMMUNITY'S POLICE STATION. WE CAN'T JUST HIRE MORE PERSONNEL UNLESS WE GIVE THEM THE RESOURCES, AND WE WON'T STOP WITH THE OPENING OF THIS NEW SITE. WE NEED MORE CARS. WE NEED MORE BULLETPROOF [00:05:01] VESTS. WE NEED MORE PEOPLE WITH LANGUAGE SKILLS. SO I'M VERY PROUD TO BE HERE. MANY, MANY CHALLENGES IN OUR CITY TODAY, BUT WE'RE GONNA GET THROUGH 'EM TOGETHER IN UNITY, RESPECTING EACH OTHER, SHOWING COMPASSION FOR FAMILIES THAT ARE HURTING OVER THE TRAGEDY THAT IS ON ALL OF OUR MINDS. WE'RE GONNA GET THROUGH IT BECAUSE WE'RE HOUSTONIANS AND WE MEET OUR CHALLENGES. WE'RE VERY TRANSPARENT. WE'RE GONNA DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO SUPPORT THE EAST SIDE AND QUITE FRANKLY, EVERYTHING WE CAN TO SUPPORT HOUSTONIANS. WE'RE NOT OTHER LARGE CITIES. WE'RE HOUSTON. WE COME TOGETHER AND I WANT TO CALL UP CHIEF DIAZ, WHO I KNEW WAS AN EXPERIENCED LAWMAN, A MAN OF FAITH WHEN I APPOINTED HIM. AND I CAN GO AHEAD AND THANK MY TWO COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT ARE PRESENT TODAY. COUNCILMAN RAMIREZ, FARMER PROSECUTOR THAT UNDERSTANDS THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM HAS TO BE FAIR, OPEN, TRANSPARENT, AND HELD ACCOUNTABLE. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN RAMIREZ FOR YOUR PUBLIC SERVICE. AND JOAQUIN MARTINEZ, THE MODEL OF A PUBLIC SERVANT. HE HAS ME IN THE COMMUNITY MORE THAN ANY OTHER PREVIOUS COUNCIL MEMBER, SATURDAY MORNING TOWN HALL MEETINGS, BRINGING PEOPLE FROM THE REGION TO EXPLAIN TO THEM THE CHALLENGES THAT WE FACE AS A CITY AND AS A DEPARTMENT. HE IS THE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN MARTINEZ. CHIEF. I KNOW IT'S HOT OUT HERE AND I APOLOGIZE FOR BEING VERY PASSIONATE THIS MORNING, BUT WE HAVE SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR AND I'M THANKFUL FOR THIS NEW USER FRIENDLY PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY. AND I'M GONNA ASK TWAH CARTER ANOTHER AND WILLIE DAVIS TO COME UP. TWO OF OUR FINEST CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS BOTH RUN CITYWIDE AND RECOGNIZE THIS IS THEIR DISTRICT AS WELL. COUNCILMAN CARTER'S TAKEN THE LEAD ON GETTING HOMELESS IN THE SHELTERS WHERE THEY CAN RECEIVE THE ASSISTANCE THAT THEY NEED SO BAD AND GET A SECOND CHANCE, THIRD CHANCE ON LIFE. AND COUNCILMAN DAVIS, A TRUE PUBLIC SERVANT, A MAN OF FAITH, PROBABLY HAD MORE TOWN HALL MEETINGS IN EVERY CORNER OF THIS CITY THAN ANYONE HAS EVER DONE. SO LIS, LET'S GET THROUGH THIS REALLY OUTSTANDING OPPORTUNITY TO SHOWCASE WE'RE IN THE COMMUNITY. AND THEN LET'S GO BACK TO WORK. CHIEF DIAZ, PLEASE. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY. THANK YOU. I'LL BE BRIEF. UH, IT'S REALLY HOT OUT HERE AND I WANNA FIRST THANK THE GOOD MAYOR FOR ALL THE, THE RAPID GROWTH IN YOUR TWO YEARS OF SERVICE COUNCIL MEMBERS. THANK YOU FOR THE HEARTS DOING THE HARD STUFF BECAUSE THIS IS A LOT OF INVESTMENT, A LOT OF TREASURE THAT THE COMMUNITY IS PUTTING FORTH SO THAT THIS OFFICE CONTINUES TO DWELL IN A GREAT, IN A GREAT SPACE. UH, TODAY THIS WILL BE OUR NEW SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION. IT'LL SERVE MULTIPLE COMMUNITIES, UH, DOWNTOWN THIRD WARD, THE MEDICAL CENTER, AND MANY MORE. THIS NEW FACILITY WILL ENSURE THAT WE'RE PROPERLY PLACED TO DETER CRIMINAL ACTIVITY AND QUICKLY RESPOND TO CALLS ACROSS THE STATION'S COVERAGE AREA. I ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE THE PARTNERSHIP WITH TXDOT. THEY'VE BEEN PHENOMENAL PARTNERS IN GETTING THIS PROCESS HAPPENING. UH, THEIR NORTH HOUSTON HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT IS THE CATALYST FOR THE RELOCATION OF OUR SOUTH CENTRAL STATION. THEY'VE BEEN GREAT PARTNERS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PROCESS. THIS WILL BE MORE THAN JUST A BUILDING FOR OUR OFFICER. OUR OFFICERS, WE'RE GONNA GO FROM 20,000 SQUARE FEET TO 28,000 SQUARE FEET, AND WE WERE VERY FIRM ON MAKING SURE THAT THERE IS A COMMUNITY SPACE MORE SO THAN FOR THE POLICE, WHERE THE COMMUNITY CAN, CAN COME HAVE THEIR HOA MEETINGS, THEIR, THEIR, THEIR BOARD MEETINGS, THEIR MUD MEETINGS HERE AT THE POLICE STATION SO THAT WE CAN GROW WITH THE COMMUNITY. THE GOAL IS TO UPGRADE THIS BUILDING. UH, HOPEFULLY IN THE FALL OF NEXT YEAR, WE'LL BE, UH, OPEN AND, AND TAKING, UH, TAKING CUSTOMERS. IN THE MEANTIME, SOUTH CENTRAL WILL CONTINUE [00:10:01] TO ADEQUATELY SERVE THE HOUSTONIANS OF OUR CURRENT AT OUR CURRENT STATION AT 2202 IN EMMANUEL STREET. BEFORE I WRAP UP, I ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE EVERYONE WHO'S WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES. THIS YOUNG LADY WITH THE HARDEST WORKING BOOTS IN THE DEPARTMENT FROM SPA. I WANT TO THANK, UH, MARTINEZ ARCHITECTS, UH, FOR JUST BUILDING SUCH A BEAUTIFUL STATION AND WORKING AND HELPING US AND LISTENING TO WHAT WE NEED TO MAKE IT FUNCTIONAL FOR THE STAFF. AND I WANT TO THANK THE STAFF THAT'S HERE WHO'S ACTUALLY DOING ALL THE WORK ON A DAILY BASIS. UH, WE SIT UP HERE IN FRONT OF MIKE'S, BUT THERE'S ACTUALLY PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY THAT ARE IN PATROL CARS RIGHT NOW ANSWERING CALLS ON EVENINGS, NIGHTS WITH TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAYS OFF. THEY DO ALL THE HARD WORK. SO I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR ALL THAT THEY DO IN THE COMMUNITY. UM, THE COMMAND STAFF, I, I CAN'T THANK CAPTAIN WINN ENOUGH FOR ALL HIS DILIGENCE IN THE COMMUNITY. WE HAVE HISTORIC LOWS AND CRIME IN THIS COMMUNITY. IT'S AS SAFE YEAR AS IT IS IN CLEAR LAKER KING, SECOND WARD, THE INVESTMENT, THE STAFFING, UPGRADES, CARS, VESTS, EVERYTHING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS HAS BEEN HAPPENING UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP MAYOR. AND THE OFFICE IS VERY GRATEFUL FOR ALL THAT YOU'RE PROVIDING TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. BUT IT'S, I KNOW IT'S COUNCIL COLLECTIVELY WORKING WITH, WITH THE GOOD MAYOR TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS OFFICE CONTINUES TO GROW, CONTINUES TO STAFF. WE HAVE ABOUT 240 ISH YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE ACADEMY NOW THAT'LL, THAT'LL COME OUT HERE REAL SOON. AND WE HAVE ABOUT A 10 WEEK BACKUP IN POLYGRAPH. SO WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE INTERESTED IN BECOMING HOUSTON POLICE OFFICERS, AND WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL AND MOST OF THEM ARE REFLECTIVE OF THE COMMUNITY. SO I WANNA THANK OUR MEDIA PARTNERS FOR SHOWING UP AND COVERING THIS EVENT BECAUSE THIS IS A BIG DEAL FOR US. THIS WILL SUSTAIN US FOR ANOTHER 25, 30 YEARS. UH, AND IT'LL BE A SHINING PIECE OF THIS COMMUNITY THAT PEOPLE CAN COME AND ENJOY IT, UH, AND, AND, AND ACTUALLY GROW WITH THIS COMMUNITY. MAYOR, THANK YOU COUNCILOR. MEMBER MARTINEZ. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, AND TO THE COMMUNITY, UH, AS THE MAYOR STATED, WE ARE GOING THROUGH SOME CHALLENGING TIMES, BUT TODAY IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR HPD TO CONTINUE TO SHOW ITS LEADERSHIP IN COMMUNITY AND WHAT THEY DO. AND SO TODAY'S E EVENT GROUNDBREAKING IS IMPORTANT. IT'S IMPORTANT TO ME AS SOMEONE THAT GREW UP NOT TOO FAR FROM HERE. MY ELEMENTARY IS ACROSS THE STREET. MY HIGH SCHOOL IS NOT TOO FAR FROM HERE. MY MIDDLE SCHOOL'S WALKING DISTANCE. AND WHEN YOU THINK OF WHAT COMMUNITY POLICING LOOKS LIKE, KNOWING THAT I'VE, I'VE PERSONALLY HAVE ATTENDED HUNDREDS OF EVENTS MEETINGS AS A FORMER STAFFER, BUT AS SOMEONE THAT CAME AND GREW UP THROUGH THESE STREETS, SEVERAL EVENTS, KNOWING THAT NOW THIS BUILDING COMPARED TO WHAT WE HAD AT SOUTH CENTRAL, OUR OUR CURRENT EXISTING BUILDING WILL HAVE ITS OWN COMMUNITY SPACE. A PLACE WHERE COMMUNITY CAN COME, GATHER, MEET, AND ENSURE THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY, COLLABORATIVELY WITH OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT. I STRESS DAY IN, DAY OUT THAT IT IS IMPORTANT AND IT'S INCUMBENT ON CITY AND SPECIFICALLY OUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TO CONTINUE TO BUILD TRUST. AND TODAY MARKS THAT AS A DAY TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT IN THE EAST END IN EASTWOOD SPECIFICALLY. BUT QUITE FRANKLY, AS AMERICAN CONTINUES TO SAY, AS PUBLIC SAFETY BECOMES, CONTINUES TO BE OUR PRIORITY, WE DO THIS ACROSS THE CITY AS WELL. SO I'M HONORED TO BE HERE. I WANT TO THANK OUR, OUR CAPTAIN, CAPTAIN WYN FROM SOUTH CENTRAL. I WANT TO THANK CHIEF DIAZ, THE REST OF, UH, RANK AND FILE FOR HPD, FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO, UH, SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY. I KNOW YOUR JOB IS TOUGH, BUT KNOW THAT YOU HAVE FOLKS HERE TO SUPPORT YOU AND HOW YOU PROTECT AND SERVE OUR COMMUNITY. AND FINALLY, JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO YOU, MAYOR. UH, THIS INVESTMENT IN THE EAST END IS IMPORTANT. THE EAST END DOES MATTER, AND THIS IS GENUINELY SHOWING THAT THAT INVESTMENT MATTERS HERE IN EAST END AS WELL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I THINK THE PROGRAM CALLS FOR US TO DO A WALKTHROUGH. UH, BUT IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS, ALSO, IT'S INTERESTING, AS THE COUNCIL MEMBER MENTIONED, UH, THIS IS JUST ONE, ONE FACILITY THAT'S IN, UH, PROGRESS OF BEING DEVELOPED. WE'RE DOING REALLY A NEAT FIRE AND POLICE, UH, FACILITY, UH, ON GESNER AND I 10. WE HAVE THE NORTH BELT FACILITY. SO WE REALLY ARE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION TO NOT ONLY WE BUILD THE RANKS, WHICH IS OVER 900 NOW SINCE, UH, AND THAT DOES MATTER. THOSE ARE NOT JUST NUMBERS, BUT TO HAVE ADDITIONAL 900 HPD OFFICERS ARE IMPACTING RESPONSE TIMES, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND JUST THE ENTIRE FUNCTION OF HPD. SO WITH THAT, UH, LET'S, UH, LET OUR [00:15:02] DEVELOPERS PLANNERS SHOW US WHAT THEIR PLANS ARE. THANK, THANK EVERYONE FOR BEING HERE. BUT BEFORE WE GO IN THE BUILDING, WE'RE GOING TO , WE'RE GONNA MOVE A LITTLE SAND OVER HERE. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.