[Public Safety Town Hall Meeting on July 9, 2024.]
[00:00:06]
THANKS FOR COMING OUT TO OUR PUBLIC SAFETY TOWN HALL. WE USUALLY DO IT EARLIER IN THE YEAR, BUT WE HAD SOME ISSUES, AND WE HAD TO CONTINUE TO CONTINUE. AND RESCHEDULE. AND SO WE'RE HERE TONIGHT ON JULY 9TH. AND SO I'D LIKE TO START OFF BY WELCOMING OUR CITY MAYOR, MAYOR RACHEL PROCTOR. SHE'LL COME UP AND SAY A FEW WORDS TO START US OFF. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY. HOW'S EVERYBODY DOIN? GOOD, GREAT. GOOD TO SEE YOU ALL. AND, I JUST WANT TO GREET THOSE THAT MAY BE WATCHING ONLINE AS WELL. WE'RE HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO OFFER THAT OPTION FOR THOSE THAT MAY NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE IT HERE IN PERSON, BUT IT'S MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME EACH OF YOU TO OUR PUBLIC SAFETY TOWN HALL. IT'S WONDERFUL TO SEE SO MANY OF YOU HERE TONIGHT THAT ARE ALSO CONCERNED AND HAVE A COMMITMENT TO THE WELL-BEING AND SAFETY OF OUR COMMUNITY, BEFORE I PROCEED, I WANT TO TAKE JUST A QUICK MOMENT TO ACKNOWLEDGE SOME OF OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS AND I'M GOING TO ALSO ASK IF YOU ARE CITY STAFF TO STAND AFTER I ACKNOWLEDGE THE COUNCIL MEMBERS SO WE CAN RECOGNIZE YOU AS WELL. WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER PERRY PARKER WHO REPRESENTS PLACE TWO.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER PARKER. AND WE ALSO I THINK, HAVE YES, THERE WE ARE, DOCTOR DIANA MARKS WHO REPRESENTS PLACE FIVE. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. DOCTOR MARKS.
AND I BELIEVE THAT'S EVERYONE. IF YOU ARE A COUNCIL MEMBER AND YOU HAVE NOT, STOOD. YES. THAT'S IT. ALL RIGHT. AT THIS TIME, IF YOU ARE A CITY STAFF MEMBER, WE KNOW WE HAVE OUR CITY MANAGER.
THAT JUST WALKED IN, WE'LL BE HEARING FROM HIM IN A FEW SHORT MOMENTS, BUT IF YOU ARE A STAFF MEMBER, PLEASE JUST WAVE YOUR HAND. SO WE CAN GREET YOU. AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AS WELL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR DEDICATION AND HARD WORK, TO THE ONGOING DEVELOPMENT AND SAFETY OF OUR COMMUNITY AS WELL. AND SO TONIGHT, AS WE KNOW, OUR CHIEF IS GOING TO BE SHARING LOTS OF INSIGHTS AND SOME STATS AND SOME FACTS, BUT HE'S ALSO GOING TO BE SHARING SOME ACHIEVEMENTS, AND SOME THINGS THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH OVER THE PAST YEAR IN THE AREA OF PUBLIC SAFETY. AND SO, AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE BECAUSE YOU'RE ENGAGEMENT, AND MOST OF ALL, YOUR FEEDBACK, AND WORKING WITH US TO ENSURE DESOTO REMAINS SAFE AND THRIVING COMMUNITY, FOR EVERYBODY, IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE. SO LET'S HAVE A PRODUCTIVE AND INFORMATIVE MEETING TONIGHT. THANK YOU. CHIEF, ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I'D LIKE TO WELCOME OUR NEW CITY MANAGER, MAJED AL-JAFARI. COME ON UP AND SAY A FEW WORDS AND LET EVERYBODY SEE YOU. I KNOW YOU GOT A BAD BACK, BUT COME ON UP. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE, NO. THE CITY OF DESOTO DIDN'T CAUSE THAT. THIS IS. THIS HAS BEEN A RECURRING PROBLEM FOR ME. SO THANK YOU FOR, SO MUCH.
MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR, FOR HAVING THE TRUST IN ME TO SELECT ME AS YOUR NEW CITY MANAGER. I'M VERY EXCITED TO WORK WITH THE CHIEF AND OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE REST OF THE CITY DEPARTMENTS, TO CONTINUE MAKING THIS CITY MOVE FORWARD. SO WE DEFINITELY APPRECIATE THAT, APPRECIATE THE CHIEF AND HIS TEAM FOR DOING A GREAT JOB. AND WE'RE GOING TO EVEN DO MORE. SO, WITH THAT. APPRECIATE IT, CHIEF. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE YOUR WELCOME ABOARD, TONIGHT WE'RE GOING TO DO TWO THINGS. WE'RE GOING TO DO CODE ENFORCEMENT AND ANIMAL CONTROL, SOME INFORMATION AND IMPART SOME THINGS TO YOU THAT'S GOING TO BE HANDLED BY ASSISTANT CHIEF RYAN CHESNIC. AND THEN I'LL GO OVER OUR STATS AND SOME ACCOMPLISHMENTS. AS THE MAYOR SAID, SOME THINGS THAT, OCCURRED LAST YEAR, WHAT WE'RE DOING THIS YEAR AND, AND HOW WE'RE LOOKING AS, AS A CITY WITH, WITH CRIME AND, AND ISSUES THAT, THAT ARISE. SO WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO ASK, OH, I'D LIKE TO KEEP YOUR QUESTIONS UNTIL THE END. SO THAT WAY WE'VE GOT A MIC UP HERE THAT'S LIVE. AND WE'LL, WE'LL PASS IT AROUND IF WE NEED TO.
BUT IF YOU WANT TO LINE UP AT THE END OF THIS, AND ASK QUESTIONS AS MANY AS YOU WANT TO ASK, WE'RE GOING TO TRY AND STOP BY EIGHT. BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM THAT, WE CAN WE CAN TAKE THEM AFTER WE'RE DONE. AND WE CAN ALSO, YOU CAN EMAIL US OR, YOU KNOW, CALL ME AND WE'LL WE'LL ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS FROM WHATEVER YOU HAV. AND THIS PRESENTATION WILL ALSO BE ONLINE. SO IF YOU DON'T CATCH IT, YOU WON'T YOU WON'T MISS IT. IT'LL BE ONLINE. LATER TONIGHT OR TOMORROW MORNING. SO WITH THAT ASSISTANT CHIEF CHESNIC. THANK YOU. SIR. THANK YOU, I APPRECIATE THAT, AGAIN, LET ME REITERATE, THANK YOU FOR TAKING SOME OF YOUR EVENING TIME TO BE WITH US HERE TONIGHT, WHETHER IN PERSON OR ONLINE, MY NAME IS RYAN CHESNIC. I AM THE ASSISTANT CHIEF OF POLICE HERE FOR YOUR DESOTO POLICE DEPARTMENT. AND TONIGHT, I'M GOING TO BE COVERING THE CODE ENFORCEMENT ANIMAL CONTROL PORTION OF THIS PRESENTATION. AND, AGAIN, AS THE
[00:05:02]
CHIEF MENTIONED, WE HAD RESCHEDULED THIS A COUPLE OF TIMES. I APOLOGIZE IF THIS INCONVENIENCED ANYONE, WHAT? WE'RE GOING TO BE FOCUSING ON TONIGHT, AS FAR AS CODE IS CONCERNED, IS REALLY OUR OUR YEAR OF 2023 AND SOME UPDATES THERE, THIS PRESENTATION WAS, CONSTRUCTED BY OUR CODE ENFORCEMENT MANAGER, TAMMY WASHINGTON, WHO COULDN'T BE HERE TONIGHT. SO I WILL DO MY BEST T, TO FILL IN AND ASSISTING ME ALSO, WE DO HAVE CODE SUPERVISOR HEATHER LANHAM HERE IN THE BACK, AND HEATHER'S WAVING TO YOU. ALL RIGHT. NOW, SHE WILL BE HELPING ME OUT ON THIS, SPECIFICALLY ON THE QUESTIONS PORTION. SO, AS I MENTIONED, 2023, WE HAD A NUMBER OF CHALLENGES AS, AS ORGANIZATIONS DO, CHARLES HUMPHREY, WHO MOST OF Y'ALL IN THIS ROOM PROBABLY KNOW LONG TIME, CODE AND ANIMAL CONTROL MANAGER. HE RETIRED AND LEFT US IN NOVEMBER 2023. SO BIG CHALLENGE, BIG SHOES TO FILL, WE FILLED THOSE SHOES AT THAT TIME WITH TAMMY WASHINGTON AND MADE HER INTERIM. AND WE HAVE ACTUALLY, BROUGHT HER INTO THAT POSITION FULL TIME AS, AS, 2024 ROLLED AROUND, WE BROUGHT HER FROM WITHIN, OBVIOUSLY, SHE HAS THE EXPERIENCE OF DEALING WITH OUR CITY AND OUR CITIZENS. AND SO WE FELT VERY COMFORTABLE MOVING HER INTO THAT POSITION. AND, AND I THINK SHE'S DONE A LOT OF GREAT THINGS SO FAR, WE ADJUSTED IN 2023, LATE IN THE YEAR, OUR STAFF SCHEDULE FOR PARKING VIOLATIONS. SPECIFICALLY IN COMMERCIAL AREAS OF THE CITY. WE WERE HAVING, REPEATED COMPLAINTS ABOUT COMMERCIAL VEHICLES IN OUR, INDUSTRIAL AREAS. AND SO WE ACTUALLY, HAD FOLKS WORK A LITTLE BIT LATER INTO THE EVENING SO WE COULD ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE ISSUES. AND, WE HAVE SOME STATISTICS THERE UNDERNEATH. I WON'T GO INTO THOSE, IN DEPTH, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE PUT SOME NO PARKING SIGNS OUT. WE ISSUED A BUNCH OF RED TAGS. WE TOWED SOME VEHICLES, AND OVERALL, I THINK, WE WERE ABLE TO COMBAT THAT ISSUE EFFECTIVELY. ANOTHER CHALLENGE THAT WE FACED, WE HAD A PART TIME VACANCY THAT CAME OPEN IN OCTOBER 2023. THAT POSITION WAS FILLED, JUST RECENTLY HERE. AND, ACTUALLY, CURRENTLY WE HAVE TWO FULL TIME POSITIONS OPEN AND THAT ACTUALLY, WE HAD A RETIREMENT LAST YEAR. AND THEN ALSO WE PROMOTED FROM WITHIN. SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE ANOTHER OPENING FROM FROM THAT STANDPOINT, OUR VIOLATION TYPES IN 2023, AGAIN, I WON'T GO OVER EACH OF THESE INDIVIDUALLY. THE NUMBER THAT I WANT YOU TO FOCUS ON IS THAT TOTAL TOPIC COUNT THERE DOWN AT THE BOTTOM, THAT'S, 12,000 VIOLATIONS THAT WERE WERE NOTICED. THAT'S A THOUSAND VIOLATIONS A MONTH ON THE AVERAGE. SO THAT'S A THAT'S A LOT OF WORK. THAT'S A LOT OF OBSERVATION THAT THAT WENT INTO, DETECTING THOSE. AND, YOU KNOW, WE DO GET COMPLAINTS FROM THE COMMUNITY. OBVIOUSLY, THAT'S A LARGE PORTION OF, HOW WE LEARN ABOUT THESE CODE VIOLATIONS. BUT, ACTUALLY, THE NUMBERS OVER THE LAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS SHOW US THAT, IT'S 70 OVER 30. WE ACTUALLY SELF-INITIATE ABOUT 70% OF THOSE CODE VIOLATIONS.THAT'S JUST OUR OFFICERS OUT THERE IN THE COMMUNITY DRIVING AROUND IN THEIR ASSIGNED AREAS AND VIEWING THOSE VIOLATIONS. THE OTHER 30% WE GET THROUGH OUR VARIOUS, COMMUNITY REPORT PORTALS. SO OUR RENTAL REGISTRATION PROGRAM IN 2023, WE ENDED THE YEAR. ACTUALLY, I SHOULD SAY THIS NUMBER IS TO DATE, WE'VE WE HAVE ALMOST 2000 PROPERTIES HERE IN THE CITY, THAT ARE PART OF THE PROGRAM. AND THAT INCLUDES OUR ACTIVE PENDING DUPLICATES AS WELL AS OUR CLOSED PROPERTIES, WE HAD 331 NEW LICENSE PROPERTIES LAST YEAR THAT THAT WE ADDED INTO THAT GROUP, WE CONDUCTED NEARLY 2000 INSPECTIONS LAST YEAR. HEATHER DID MOST, IF NOT ALL OF THOSE INSPECTIONS. AND THAT INCLUDES, INSPECTIONS. AND THERE'S A THERE'S A
[00:10:04]
RE-INSPECTION IF THE INITIAL INSPECTION IS FAILED, THERE'S A FINAL INSPECTION, IF THAT RE-INSPECTION IS FAILED AND THAT'S, I SHOULD SAY, THE, THE THREE INSPECTION PROCESS, THAT IS THAT'S ONLY FOR OUR, NEW REGISTRANTS. OKAY ANY OF OUR FOLLOW UP, INSPECTIONS? THERE ARE TWO. THEY DON'T THEY DON'T GET THE BENEFIT OF THREE. THEY GET THE BENEFIT OF THREE AS THEY REGISTER FOR NEW TIME, FOR NEW FIRST TIME REGISTRANTS, OUR TOTAL NUMBER OF FAILED INSPECTIONS FOR 2023 WAS 474. AGAIN, KEEP IN MIND THAT THOSE COULD BE DUPLICATE PROPERTIES.THAT DOESN'T MEAN 474 PROPERTIES FAILED INSPECTIONS. THAT COULD BE THEY FAILED. THE FIRST INSPECTION. THEY FAILED THE SECOND INSPECTION. THEY FAILED THE THIRD INSPECTION. ALL OF THOSE ARE ARE INCLUDED IN THOSE NUMBERS. AND SO AS YOU CAN SEE, THAT'S THAT'S ABOUT A QUARTER TO A THIRD. INSPECTION FAILURES, OUR LICENSE TABLE THERE, YOU CAN SEE THE VAST MAJORITY OF OUR PROPERTIES ARE CURRENTLY LICENSED. THE INACTIVE. THAT'S JUST GOING TO INCLUDE OUR DUPLICATES AS WELL AS OUR CLOSED PROPERTIES. SO WE DO KEEP TRACK OF, YOU KNOW, ANY PROPERTY AND WHAT A CLOSED PROPERTY IS. IS IT WAS INITIALLY A, A RENTAL PROPERTY THAT ULTIMATELY WAS, WAS THEN SOLD. THE OWNER CHANGED THEIR MIND AS TO THE USE OF THE PROPERTY, DECIDED TO SELL IT, SO THAT CONSTITUTES THOSE INACTIVE PROPERTIES. OUR SHORT TERM RENTAL PROGRAM, AS OF THE END OF LAST YEAR, WE WERE AT 26 TOTAL SHORT TERM RENTALS, 17 OF WHICH HAD BEEN ISSUED PERMITS AT THAT TIME, NINE HAD BEEN ISSUED CITATIONS FOR NONCOMPLIANCE. AND TWO OF THOSE CITATIONS ULTIMATELY WERE WERE DISMISSED. I DON'T HAVE THE DETAILS ON THA, BUT, THOSE WERE OUR 26 AT THE END OF 2023. THAT SNAPSHOT AND MOVING ON TO OUR ANIMAL CONTROL TEAM AND SO WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT EARLIER ABOUT THE CHALLENGES THAT WE HAD IN CODE SERVICES, WE HAD SOME SPECIAL CHALLENGES LAST YEAR IN IN ANIMAL CONTROL, WE CAME INTO THE YEAR IN 2023 ALREADY WITH ONE ANIMAL CONTROL FULL TIME POSITION VACANT AND THEN TWO MONTHS LATER IN MARCH, WE LOST OUR SECOND FULL TIME ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER. AND SO AT THAT TIME, WE ONLY HAD A PART TIME OFFICER. FAST FORWARD FOUR MONTHS TO, ABOUT A YEAR AGO, THIS MONTH, WE HAD A FULL TIME CODE OFFICER AT THE TIME WHO HAD ANIMAL CONTROL EXPERIENCE AND WHO HAD BEEN HELPING US OUT AND THEN IN JULY, HE RETIRED, LEAVING US AGAIN WITH A PART TIME OFFICER ONLY, LATER ON THAT MONTH, WE HIRED A PART TIME TEMPORARY ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER WHO WAS ACTUALLY EMPLOYED BY ANOTHER AGENCY FULL TIME. SO THEY BROUGHT A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE AND REALLY HELPED US OUT, AND I SHOULD MENTION OUR BEST SOUTHWEST PARTNERS AS WELL. DURING THIS, THIS PERIOD OF TIME WHERE WE WERE UNDERSTAFFED, WE REALLY RELIED ON, THE TRI CITY ANIMAL SHELTER, AS WELL AS DUNCANVILLE AND CEDAR HILL TO HELP US OUT. AND THEY DID A FANTASTIC JOB DOING SO. SO, THEY THEY DESERVE OUR KUDOS ON THAT.
THEY KEPT US AFLOAT FOR A WHILE AND, SO SEPTEMBER OF LAST YEAR, FINALLY WE GET TWO FULL TIME ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICERS IN, AND THOSE ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICERS ARE STILL WITH US TODAY. THEY'VE DONE A FANTASTIC JOB. I, I THINK IN FACT, WE'RE WE'RE BETTER THAN WE EVER HAVE BEEN. AND I'VE CONTINUOUSLY HEARD POSITIVE THINGS FROM THE COMMUNITY, BUT WE, YOU KNOW, WE LOVE THE JOB THAT THEY'RE DOING. RIGHT NOW, SO WE HAD TWO PART TIME ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICERS, ONE LEFT. WE REMAINED WITH, WITH TWO FULL TIME AND ONE PART TIME. AND WE ULTIMATELY WERE FULLY STAFFED BY OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR. SO REALLY A NINE MONTH CHALLENGE. WE GOT WE GOT BACK TO WHERE WE NEEDED TO BE. AND YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, IN MY OPINION, BETTER THAN WE HAD BEEN. AND UNFORTUNATELY DIDN'T LIST IT ON HERE. BUT WE, WE JUST, WE LOST OUR, OUR PART TIME ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER.
[00:15:08]
AGAIN, SHE'S WORKING FULL TIME. SHE HAS, SEVERAL DIFFERENT ENDEAVORS. AND SO IT JUST GOT TO BE A LITTLE TOO MUCH, WHICH WE UNDERSTAND. BUT SHE REALLY KEPT US AFLOAT. AND, WE'LL GET HER REPLACED QUICKLY. SO ON TO, ABATEMENTS AND LEAN PROCESSING. AND THIS IS ANOTHER THING KIND OF BEHIND THE SCENES THAT, PEOPLE DON'T NECESSARILY THINK ABOUT. SO WE ISSUED 757 CONTRACTOR WORK ORDERS IN 2023. RESULTING IN 515 DIFFERENT ABATEMENT INVOICES AND BASICALLY WHAT THOSE ARE IS WE HAVE CERTAIN CODE NUISANCE NUISANCES THAT WE CAN ABATE OR OR FIX OURSELVES WITH THE HELP OF OUR, OUR CONTRACTOR PARTNERS AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS, WE INVOICE THE PROPERTY OWNER, FOR THE, THE PRICE OF, YOU KNOW, THE CONTRACTOR COMPLETING THE WORK, AS A RESULT OF THAT, WE HAD ABOUT $51,000 COME IN FROM PROPERTY OWNERS TO PAY FOR COMPLETED WORK ORDERS, THAT'S PRIOR TO ANY LIENS BEING FILED. AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LIENS. SO THAT'S THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THOSE INVOICES DON'T GET PAID. WE, WE PLACE LIENS ON PROPERTY AND WE PLACED 456 LIENS LAST YEAR IN 2023 ALONE. AGAIN. THAT'S A THAT'S A LARGE NUMBER.IT'S A LOT OF WORK. THAT'S A LOT OF WORK BEHIND THE SCENES WITH WITH DOCUMENTATION. OF, OF THOSE LIENS AND WE RELEASED 252 LANES, ALSO LAST YEAR. AGAIN, YOU KNOW, A VERY EXHAUSTIVE PROCESS, IN THE AMOUNT OF AROUND $90,000. OKAY. SO THAT'S $140,000 THAT CAME IN AS A RESULT OF ABATEMENTS AND LEAN PROCESSING LAST YEAR. AND THAT GOES INTO THE GENERAL FUND. OKAY SO THAT DOESN'T IT'S NOT LIKE WE GO OUT THERE AND SEEK THAT, THOSE REVENUES, YOU KNOW, AND THAT GOES INTO CODE'S POCKET. IT DOES NOT THAT GOES TO THE GENERAL FUND OF THE CITY. SO JUST WANTED TO PUT OUR CURRENT STAFF UP THERE. SO EVERYBODY CAN KIND OF SEE WHERE WE'RE AT RIGHT NOW.
I'M SORRY. AGAIN, OUR CODE AND ANIMAL CONTROL MANAGER IS TAMMY WASHINGTON. OUR WE HAVE, TWO ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS, A FULL TIME, CARMEN HUMBLE AND PART TIME. AND JEANETTE TRIVETTE, OUR CODE AND ANIMAL CONTROL SUPERVISOR IS HEATHER LANHAM. HERE IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM, WE HAVE, CODE OFFICERS. NESTOR KING, CHERYL WASHINGTON, MONIQUE COLLINS, NORRIS BOOTH, AND PART TIME CODE OFFICER EDWARDS. SAVANNAH. AND WE CURRENTLY HAVE TWO FULL TIME ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICERS, MICHELLE ROMOALDO IBANEZ AND NOAH CHERRY. AND, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE ALL DONE AN OUTSTANDING JOB FOR US. AND I'LL CONCLUDE WITH THIS. SO, ONE OF THE NICE THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO CODE LAST YEAR IS THEY WERE ON THE RECEIVING END OF THE SOARING FOR EXCELLENCE AWARD. AND THIS IS A THIS IS AN INTERNAL AWARD THAT'S GIVEN TO, ONE DEPARTMENT WITHIN, POLICE THAT EXEMPLIFIES OUR, OUR CORE VALUES. AND IN 2023, CHIEF COSTA CHOSE TO RECOGNIZE, CODE ENFORCEMENT AND ANIMAL CONTROL FOR THEIR SERVICE TO THE CITY OF DESOTO. AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE HEARD SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THEY FACED. THEY THEY CAME OUT, PUSHED THROUGH THAT AND CAME OUT ON A POSITIVE END. SO I THINK THEY DID A GREAT JOB. AND WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO CHIEF COSTA AND HE WILL GET INTO OUR PUBLIC SAFETY STATISTICS FOR 2023. THANK YOU.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR THAT TRY AND REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE. HOLD THEM UNTIL WE'RE DONE WITH THE SECOND PART. AND THEN WE'LL WE'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE. SO EVERY YEAR I LIKE TO DO A COMPARISON. THE LAST FIVE YEARS OF WHAT OUR CRIME STATS ARE AND WHAT, WHAT THE NUMBER OF CRIMES WERE. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, FROM 19 TO 23, WE
[00:20:03]
ARE, UP 0.4% JUST A LITTLE BIT. WE'VE BEEN DOWN THE LAST FEW YEARS, THERE WAS ONE, ONE CRIME STAT THAT, THAT PUT US OVER THE TOP THIS LAST YEAR. AND, THIS LAST YEAR, 2022, WE HAD 1692 AND THEN 1858, IN 2023. AND SO THAT THAT WAS A LOT. IT WAS A BIG CHANGE. WE WERE DOWN, WE WERE DOING WELL. AND THEN, WE JUST HAD SOME THINGS HAPPEN IN THE CITY, AND WE'RE GOING TO GET INTO SOME OF THOSE OF WHAT, WHAT THOSE CRIMES ARE AND WHAT HAPPENED. SO THIS IS, FIVE YEAR COMPARISON, 16 TO 2020, AS YOU CAN SEE, AGAIN, GOES UP AND DOWN 16. WE WERE WAY UP OVER THE TOP.I SHOWED THIS SO THAT, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE WERE WAY BACK IN 2016 AND WHERE WE ARE TODAY. WE HAD 1858, AS I SAID, THIS PAST YEAR. BUT IN 2016 WE WERE 2689 CRIMES, WHICH IS, WHICH IS A LOT FOR OUR CITY. SO WE CAME DOWN, CAME DOWN AND GRADUALLY CAME DOWN. AND THEN WE SPIKED UP A LITTLE, AS I SAID LAST YEAR. BUT, WE'RE COMING DOWN THIS YEAR SO FAR, AND YOU'LL SEE THAT, A LITTLE HARD TO SEE. BUT, I TRY TO COMPARE THE CRIMES BY DISTRICT. SO, AS YOU ALL KNOW, IF YOU REMEMBER THE DISTRICTS IN THE CITY, THIS IS OUR, OUR MIDDLE LINE. AND THIS IS, THIS DIVIDES IT INTO GRIDS. AND ONE IS DOWN HERE, TWO, THREE AND FOUR, AND WE KEEP TRACK OF OUR CRIMES BY THOSE DISTRICTS. WE HAVE A LIEUTENANT, WHO'S IN CHARGE OF EACH ONE OF THOSE DISTRICTS, AND THEY, THEY WORK ON THE CRIMES THAT ARE IN THEIR DISTRICT, ALONG WITH THEIR THEIR SHIFT THAT THEY'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR. SO IF WE HAVE A SPIKE IN SOMETHING AND WE, WE ASK THEM TO COME UP WITH STRATEGIES, EVERY MONTH WE HAVE A MONTHLY, COMMAND STAFF MEETING. WE'LL HAVE HOURS TOMORROW FOR THIS MONTH. AND WE DISCUSS THOSE CRIMES. WE DISCUSS ANY ISSUES, ANYTHING THAT GOES ON IN THE DISTRICT, AND WE TRY TO WORK THROUGH THEM AS A TEAM. AND ALSO, GET THAT LIEUTENANT T, BE BETTER AT WHAT, WHAT THEY'RE DOING WITHIN THEIR DISTRICT AND WORK WITH THEIR SHIFT AND WITH THE OTHER LIEUTENANTS, DURING THE OPPOSITE SHIFTS. SO, AS YOU CAN SEE, 1692, SORRY. GETTING AHEAD OF MYSELF. 1692, LAST YEA. AND YOU CAN SEE WHAT EACH DISTRICT ONE, TWO, THREE AND FOUR, AND THEN YOU CAN COMPARE THEM DOWN BELOW, THERE'S ONE, TWO, THREE AND FOUR. WHAT WENT UP AND DOWN. AND, OUR BUSIEST DISTRICT IS USUALLY DISTRICT TWO. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THAT THAT STAYED THE SAME. AND THAT DISTRICT AGAIN IS THIS QUADRANT RIGHT HERE, WHICH IS NORTH OF, PLEASANT RUN AND EAST OF, HAMPTON ROAD, THAT, 235 BUSY QUARTER. WE'VE GOT A LOT OF RETAIL, A LOT OF HOTELS, BUSINESSES ALONG THAT ROUTE. AND SO THEY'RE PRIMED FOR, FOR, OPPORTUNITIES FOR CRIME. SO THIS FOR 24, WE LOOK AT WHERE WE WERE LAST YEAR AS I SAID, IT WENT, CRIME WENT UP LAST YEAR AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO TREND DOWN AND NOT GET ANY MORE THAN WHAT WE DID LAST YEAR. AND SO IF YOU LOOK AT THAT AND COMPARE IT, THE YELLOW, THE, THE STATS THAT ARE IN THE YELLOW MEAN THAT THEY CAME DOWN AS COMPARED TO LAST YEAR, FROM JANUARY TO JUNE. AND AGAIN, YOU CAN LOOK AT YOUR, YOUR DISTRICTS AND YOU CAN SEE WHERE WE STAND AND WHAT CAME DOWN. SO DISTRICT TWO IS DOWN. AND I SAID THAT'S OUR BUSIEST DISTRICT. AND YOU CAN SEE HOW THE OTHER DISTRICTS FARE AGAINST, LAST YEAR. BUT WE, COME DOWN IN, WELL, WE HAD NO HOMICIDES, LAST YEAR. AND SO FAR WE HAVE NO HOMICIDES THIS YEAR. THAT'S GREAT. VIOLENT CRIME IS DOWN AS YOU YOU'LL SEE HERE. ROBBERIES ARE DOWN, SEX OFFENSES ARE DOWN, BURGLARIES ARE DOWN.
LARCENY AND MOTOR VEHICLE. A LASTING FROM MOTOR VEHICLE. AND, ALL THE LARCENIES ARE DOWN.
SHOPLIFTING AND MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT. AND SO WE'RE DOWN BY 20, WHICH, WHICH IS NOT SUBSTANTIAL, BUT WE'RE HALF THE YEAR, SO HOPEFULLY WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO, TO TREND DOWN. HIS VIOLENT CRIMES, WHICH IS, THE THING THAT MOST, MOST SERIOUS IN ANY CITY AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THREE OUT OF THE FOUR THAT WE, WE RATE, CAME DOWN LAST YEAR, AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS ARE DOWN, HOMICIDES, AS I SAID, WERE DOWN, WE HAD ZERO LAST YEAR COMPARED TO THE AVERAGE OVER FIVE YEARS.
THAT'S 400, WE WERE DOWN, ROBBERIES WERE DOWN, AND, SEX OFFENSES WENT UP. AND WE'RE GOING TO WE'RE GOING TO DIVE INTO THOSE SEX OFFENSES AND DO A LITTLE ANALYSIS ON THAT. AND OUR
[00:25:01]
THEFTS IN THE CITY AND, EXPLAIN TO YOU, MAYBE WHAT HAPPENED AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO TRY AND MAKE SURE THAT THOSE DON'T GO UP AND THEY STAY DOWN. PROPERTY CRIMES. THOSE ARE YOUR, BURGLARY OF MOTOR VEHICLES. BURGLARY BUILDING, BURGLARY OF A HABITATION RESIDENCE AND CRIMINAL MISCHIEF AND LARCENY. AND THOSE THOSE TRENDED UP AS YOU CAN SEE, LAST YEAR, 8.8% AND, 6.3 OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS. SO IT'S TRENDED UP STEADILY, THERE'S A COUPLE OF THOSE CRIMES THAT HAVE GONE UP, BUT, BURGLARY AND MOTOR VEHICLES HAD GONE DOWN OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. BURGLARY OF A BUILDING WHERE THEY WERE DOWN AND, HABITATION WERE DOWN. CRIMINAL MISCHIEF AND THE LARCENY OVERALL HAVE GONE UP. AND THAT'S WHAT THAT'S WHAT FUELED THOSE, THOSE CRIME STATS. CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS, THIS IS THE VIOLENT CRIMES, INCLUDING WITH THOSE HOMICIDES THAT WE SAW EARLIER, BUT ALSO ANY CRIMES AGAINST PERSON, THEY'VE STAYED PRETTY MUCH THE SAME THROUGHOUT THE LAST FIVE YEARS, THEY'VE TRENDED UP LAST YEAR 2.1. AND THEN WE'RE DOWN OVERALL THOSE FIVE YEARS, 2.6. SO WE'RE, GOING DOWN AS GOOD. IF WE GO UP, WE GO UP BY A LITTLE, THEN THAT'S, WE DON'T LIKE IT TO GO UP, BUT WE'LL WE'LL TAKE A LITTLE BIT IF WE'VE GOT TO GO UP AND THAT WAS FUELED MAINLY BY THOSE SEX OFFENSES. WE HAD 71 OF THOSE LAST YEAR. AND YOU'LL SEE, COMPARED TO OTHER YEARS, THAT WAS ABOUT 30 OVER WHAT IT WAS THE YEAR BEFORE. AND AS WE GET INTO IT, HERE'S OUR ANALYSIS OF OUR SEX OFFENSES. SO WHAT WE DID, WE LOOKED AT THOSE CRIMES THAT WERE THAT WERE, THAT TRENDED UP HIGH SEX OFFENSES WERE, THE MOST THAT TRENDED UP OVER THE YEAR. AND WE SAID, WELL, WHY WAS THAT? AND I HAD, LIEUTENANT SUMMERS, WHO'S OVER OUR CID, DO AN ANALYSIS OF THAT AND COMPILE SOME, SOME STATS FOR US AND SEE IF WE CAN LOOK AT THAT AND, AND MAYBE TRY AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO BETTER, IN THE YEAR TO COME THIS YEAR, TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE DON'T GO UP AND THEY IN FACT, GO DOWN. SO WHAT WE FOUND WAS THAT 17 OF THOSE WERE UNFOUNDED, MEANING THAT THERE WERE THERE WERE A FALSE COMPLAINT OR WE COULDN'T PROVE THAT ANYTHING HAPPENED WITH THAT COMPLAINT. TEN OF THOSE WERE, THEY WEREN'T RECENT. THEY HAPPENED OVER, YEARS, YEARS AGO. THEY OCCURRED. AND SO THEY GOT REPORTED. AND THAT HAPPENS FROM TIME TO TIME, THOSE OFFENSES HAPPEN OVER YEARS. AND PEOPLE BECOME MORE AWARE. IF THEY'RE YOUNGER PEOPLE, THEN THEY THEY MAKE AN OUTCRY AND THEY MAKE A REPORT. AND SO WE TAKE THAT REPORT NOW IT BECOMES A STAT FOR THAT YEAR. 56 OF THOSE, WERE THE VICTIM KNEW THE PERPETRATOR, 29 WERE FAMILY VIOLENCE. FAMILY VIOLENCE IS OUR NUMBER ONE CALL FOR SERVICE. AND OUR MOST DANGEROUS CALL. AND, WE GET, WE GET SOMEWHERE AROUND 6 OR 7 OF THOSE, A WEEK. SO PROBABLY ABOUT ONE A DAY. WE'RE ANSWERING A FAMILY VIOLENCE CALL THAT RESULTS IN IN A REPORT. AND THAT'S A LOT. AND WE TRY TO, SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO BRING AWARENESS, TO OUR VICTIMS AND, AND ALSO TO, TO THE PUBLIC TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND, WHAT, FAMILY VIOLENCE DOES TO A FAMILY AND TO THE COMMUNITY. SO, WE'RE WORKING ON THAT WITH OUR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, AND THEY KNOW THE STATS. WE'LL SEE WHAT WHAT WAS TOTALED IN A LITTLE BIT. BUT WE WORK HARD TO TRY AND FIND PROGRAMS AND STRATEGIES TO KEEP THAT DOWN. EIGHT OF THOSE OFFENSES INVOLVE DRUGS OR ALCOHOL. AND THAT'S WHAT WAS REPORTED. SO IT COULD HAVE BEEN MORE. BUT WHAT WAS REPORTED OR WHAT WE LEARNED IN OUR INVESTIGATION THAT, DRUGS AND ALCOHOL WERE ONLY IN THOSE OFFENSES, THOSE, THAT NUMBER FOR FOUR OF THOSE WERE REFERRED TO US FROM A HOSPITAL. SO SOMEONE WENT TO A HOSPITAL AND THEY MADE AN OUTCRY AT THE HOSPITAL. AND SO THAT HOSPITAL OR MEDICAL FACILITY, CAME TO US AND GAVE US THE INFORMATION. AND THEN WE FOLLOWED UP ON IT, AND WE HAD, WE HAD AN INVESTIGATION ON IT. SEVEN OF THOSE WERE INDECENT ASSAULTS. FIVE OCCURRED IN ANOTHER CITY, BUT THEY REPORTED TO US, 12 CASES WERE FILED BY OUR CID INVESTIGATORS, AND, RESULTED IN ARRESTS AND WARRANTS AND INDICTMENTS. AND, WE'RE STILL WORKING ON SOME OF THE REMAINING ONES THAT WERE EITHER NOT FOUNDED OR THAT WE HAVE EVIDENCE AND WE HAVE SOME PROOF THAT WE CAN GO AND FOLLOW UP ON. AND THOSE WILL, WILL THE OUTCOME WILL BE EITHER AN ARREST OR AN INDICTMENT OR A WARRANT. AND WE'LL BRING THOSE TO FRUITION.SOME OF THOSE OTHER ONES WERE WAITING ON OTHER INFORMATION FOR THE REST OF THE PENDING CASES THAT THAT ARE THERE, THEFTS, AS I SAID, THEFTS WENT UP. LARCENY, SHOPLIFTING. AND SO WE LOOKED
[00:30:01]
AT, HOW CAN WE HOW CAN WE PUT SOMETHING OUT TO THE PUBLIC TO TELL THEM, HOW TO BEST PROTECT THEMSELVES? SO SHOPLIFTING, THE BIGGEST DAYS WERE FRIDAY, AND SUNDAY BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 3 P.M. AND 8 P.M. AND THE BIGGEST, AMOUNT THE LARGEST AMOUNT WAS IN DISTRICT FOUR. AND IN DISTRICT FOUR, WE HAVE TWO WALMARTS, ONE MAJOR WALMART AND ONE NEIGHBORHOOD. WALMART. AND SO THEY, THEY HAVE A TON OF SHOPLIFTING AND THEFTS, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE. AND SO WE GET WE GET THOSE REPORTS AND WE WORK WITH THEM SO THAT THEY CAN BRING PEOPLE TO COURT ON THEIR OWN.BUT MOST OF THE TIME WE GET INVOLVED WITH THAT. AND EITHER HAVE TO MAKE AN ARREST OR WE, HAVE TO WRITE A CITATION. MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, FIVE A TO £0.03 IN DISTRICT TWO TALKED ABOUT DISTRICT TWO, WHERE ALL THE HOTELS ARE AND THE RETAIL. AND THAT'S THE MOST OPPORTUNISTIC, SPOTS FOR OUR CRIMINALS TO STEAL VEHICLES. NOT SAYING THEY DON'T GO THROUGHOUT THE, THE CITY, BUT THAT'S THAT'S WHERE THEY, STEAL THE MOST CARS IN THE CITY.
BURGLARY, HABITATION. WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, FIVE A TO £0.03, AND THAT'S IN DISTRICT TWO. AND, THAT'S WHEN THEY'RE FOUND AND THAT'S WHEN THEY'RE REPORTED. SO IT COULD HAPPEN DURING THE, THE MORNING OF WEDNESDAY, OR IT COULD HAPPEN OVERNIGHT ON A TUESDAY AND BE REPORTED ON, ON THAT FOLLOWING DAY. SO, THINGS THAT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT WILL GET REPORTED THE FOLLOWING DAY AND WE'LL KEEP TRACK OF THAT. AND LOOK AT THE TIME OF DAY WHEN IT'S REPORTED. AND THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO GO BY. BURGLARY AND MOTOR VEHICLE THURSDAYS AND FRIDAYS, WE TALKED ABOUT THAT DISTRICT TWO, ALL OTHER THEFT, MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, TEN A TO 8 P.M, DISTRICT TWO AND FOUR. JUST ABOUT ANY TIME DURING THOSE DAYS, YOU'RE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GOING TO YOU COULD BE THE VICTIM OF SOME TYPE OF A THEFT AND, DISTRICT TWO AND DISTRICT FOR THE MOST OF WHERE THOSE THOSE OCCUR. SO, WE HAD, OUR GPS, MANAGER DO A HEAT MAP FOR US FROM FROM IT. AND JERRY PUT THIS TOGETHER FOR US, TRACKING OUR MOTOR VEHICLE BURGLARIES. SO MOTOR VEHICLE BURGLARIES HAS SAID, HAVE GONE DOWN OVER THE YEARS, AND, WE'VE BEEN DOING REAL WELL AT TRACKING PEOPLE. VIDEO SURVEILLANCE FROM RING CAMERAS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE HAVE HELPED US QUITE A BIT. AND, WE PUT A HEAT MAP TOGETHER TO SAY, OKAY, WHERE ARE THEY ALL HAPPENING? AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE RED, THAT'S WHERE THE HIGH CONCENTRATION IS, AND THOSE RED, RED SPOTS. DISTRICT TWO. AS I SAID, LIEUTENANT WALKER IS THE DISTRICT, LIEUTENANT FOR THAT DISTRICT. HE GETS A LOT OF HEAT WHEN WE HAVE OUR MEETINGS BECAUSE IT IS A BUSY AREA. HE DOES WHAT HE CAN TO KEEP CONTROL OF THE CRIME, BUT, IT, IT SEEMS LIKE, IT'S JUST, PRIME FOR, FOR SOME OF THESE CRIMES. THE RED SPOTS,S YOU CAN SEE, BOTH MAPS. AND THEN WE DID, MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT AND, MOTOR VEHICLE THEFT HAS GONE THROUGH THE ROOF, NOT ONLY IN THE CITY OF DESOTO, BUT ALSO IN THE REGION, IN THE STATE, AND IN THE UNITED STATES, IT'S A HUGE CRIME. IT'S GONE UP, TREMENDOUSLY. AND, SO FAR THIS YEAR WE'RE TRENDING DOWN. BUT LAST YEAR WE HAD QUITE A FEW. SO WE WANTED TO SEE, OKAY, WHERE ARE VEHICLES BEING STOLEN FROM. AND AS YOU CAN SEE ALL OVER THE CITY, JUST ABOUT EXCEPT FOR DISTRICT THREE, WHERE THERE'S A LOT OF, MAJOR COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS AND THINGS. SO THERE'S NOT A LOT OF CARS THERE, BUT YOU CAN SEE IN DISTRICT TWO AGAIN, DISTRICT ONE WAY UP IN DISTRICT THREE AND PARTS OF DISTRICT FOUR. SO, IT'S THROUGHOUT THE CITY, WE DO WHAT WE CAN TO WE PUT WE DO BAIT, VEHICLE, INVESTIGATIONS. WE'LL DO SURVEILLANCE IN DIFFERENT AREAS WHERE WE'RE GETTING HIT. WE DO DIFFERENT STRATEGIES, DIFFERENT THINGS TO COMBAT THAT AND CATCH SOME THIEVES, AND AT LEAST STOP THEM BEFORE THEY CAN STEAL VEHICLES. AND THAT'S JANUARY TO JUNE OF THIS YEAR. SO FAR, THAT'S NOT LAST YEAR. THAT'S JANUARY TO JUNE. FAMILY VIOLENCE. WE TALKED ABOUT THIS EARLIER. SO YOU CAN SEE HOW IT'S, TRENDED UP AND DOWN OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS. WE WERE DOING GOOD LAST YEAR. WE TRENDED DOWN INTO THE FOUR HUNDREDS. AND, THIS YEAR WE JUMPED BACK UP INTO 508, 6.9% LAST YEAR, JUMPED FROM 473 TO 508. AND THEN WE'RE DOWN 3.2% OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS. SO WE WERE DOING SOME GOOD THINGS, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT KIND OF GOT AWAY. AND SO NOW IT'S, IT'S TRENDING DOWN SO FAR
[00:35:03]
THIS YEAR, BUT WE JUMPED UP LAST YEAR. RESPONSE TIMES. WHEN A, WHEN A CALL COMES IN AND WHEN IT DISPATCH OR DISPATCHES THAT CALL TO OUR OFFICERS, OUR OFFICERS WILL GET IT ON THEIR MOBILE COMPUTER TERMINAL IN THEIR VEHICLE, IT TAKES ROUGHLY. NOW, THIS IS AN AVERAGE OF EVERY CALL THAT WE GET, THAT'S DISPATCHED TO US SIX. SIX MINUTES AND 40, 48 SECONDS FOR, THAT CALL TO, GO FROM THE DISPATCHER TO OUR OFFICER TO WHEN THEY ARRIVE ON THE SCENE. SO I LOOKED AT THAT AND I SAID, WELL, WHAT ARE OUR OFFICERS DOING? HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE OUR OFFICERS TO GET TO THOSE CALLS? ON AN AVERAGE. AND THE AVERAGE IS TWO, TWO MINUTES, 39 SECONDS, FROM WHEN THEY GET THE CALL TO WHEN THEY ARRIVE AT THE SCENE. AND, THAT'S, THAT'S THAT'S GREAT. THAT'S REAL QUICK.AND OUR OFFICERS ARE OUT THERE, THEY MAY BE RIGHT CLOSE TO A SCENE WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENS AND THEY MAY GET THERE WITHIN LESS THAN A MINUTE, WITHIN SECONDS. AND SOMETIMES THEY HAVE TO COME FROM ANOTHER AREA BECAUSE THEY'RE BUSY ON SOMETHING ELSE. AND SO THAT THAT WILL ADD TO THAT TIME. BUT ON THE AVERAGE FOR ALL OUR CALLS FOR SERVICE, THAT'S WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE US 2.39 SECONDS FOR, FOR OUR OFFICERS TO ARRIVE ON THE SCENE. AND I'LL TELL YOU, THAT'S THAT'S THAT'S GREAT TIME. BUT IF YOU NEED US, TWO MINUTES IS A LONG TIME WHEN YOU NEED US. AND SO THEY ALL KNOW, THEY GOT TO GET THERE AS QUICK AS THEY CAN, AS SAFE AS THEY CAN. AND THAT'S THE MAIN THING, GETTING THERE SAFELY. BECAUSE IF THEY DON'T GET THERE IN A SAFE MANNER, THEY CAN'T HELP YOU. THEY CAN'T HELP ANYBODY IF THEY DON'T MAKE IT THERE SAFELY. SO AND THE TOTAL TIME THAT IT TAKES FROM THE TIME OF THAT CALL TO THE FINISH OF THE CALL, IS, 27 MINUTES, ALMOST 28 MINUTES. THAT'S A LONG TIME. BUT IF YOU GET AN ACCIDENT, WE COULD BE OUT THERE FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS. IF YOU GET A MAJOR CALL, THEY'RE GOING TO BE OUT THERE FOR WELL OVER 2 OR 3 HOURS. AND SO THAT ALL FACTORS INTO, OUR CALLS FOR SERVICE AND WHAT THE, THE AVERAGE OF THE CALLS ARE. ALL RIGHT. ACCOMPLISHMENTS 2023 ZERO HOMICIDES. THAT'S HUGE. WE'VE HAD I'VE BEEN HERE 12 YEARS, MY 13TH YEAR. AND OVER THE 12 YEARS WE'VE HAD ZERO HOMICIDES TWICE LAST YEAR AND 2014, I BELIEVE. SO, THAT'S HUGE. AND, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T TAKE CREDIT FOR THAT.
WE CAN JUST SAY THAT WE'RE WE'RE DOING SOME GOOD THINGS, BRINGING AWARENESS TO PEOPLE. AND WE'RE WE'RE VISIBLE AND WE'RE WE'RE WE'RE OUT THERE. BEING VERY PROACTIVE. SO HOPEFULLY WE'VE STOPPED SOME OF THOSE AND SOME OF THE STRATEGIES AND THE THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE WITH GUN VIOLENCE, I THINK THAT WE'VE WE'VE HELPED THAT OUT. AND SO WITH ALL THAT, WE'RE GOING TO SAY, YEAH, WE PLAY A PART IN THAT, BUT IT'S ALSO OUR COMMUNITY, WHEN THEY SEE SOMETHING, THEY SAY SOMETHING. THEY CALL US, THEY LET US KNOW AND HOPEFULLY WE STOP THINGS BEFORE THEY, THEY OCCUR. SO I APPRECIATE THAT. AND, THAT'S HUGE FOR US. HOPEFULLY WE STAY THAT WAY. THIS YEAR WE BECAME MORE AGGRESSIVE WITH TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENTS. OUR OFFICERS, WE FOUND, WERE GIVING OUT A LOT OF VERBAL WARNINGS. NOW THAT'S GOOD. IF YOU GET STOPPED BY OUR OFFICERS FOR SPEEDING OR RUNNING A STOP SIGN OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. BUT THERE WERE TOO MANY.
AND SO WE STARTED LOOKING BACK ON SOME OF THE VIDEO AND SOME OF THE, THE REPORTS THAT WE WERE GETTING, AND WE FOUND THAT, OUR OFFICERS COULD DO BETTER, AT GIVING CITATIONS, YOU KNOW, IT'S TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT. WE WANT TO WE WANT TO STOP THE, THE VIOLATION AND MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT TO JUST GIVE THEM A VERBAL WARNING, AND THEN THEY THEY DRIVE AWAY AND THEN THEY DO THE SAME THING AT THE NEXT CORNER OR THE NEXT BLOCK.
SO, I THINK THAT THAT'S GOING TO HELP WITH OUR TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT WITH SPEED, AS WE KNOW, SPEEDING IS OUR NUMBER ONE COMPLAINT IN ANY COMMUNITY EVENT THAT I GO TO ANY HOA, AND SO WE HAD TO LOOK AT WHAT CAN WE DO BETTER AND SO WE'RE ISSUING MORE CITATIONS AND WE STOPPED GIVING OUT VERBAL WARNINGS, THAT MAY NOT BE FOREVER, BUT RIGHT NOW WE NEEDED TO BE BETTER. IF WE'RE GOING TO STOP A VEHICLE, THEN WE'RE GOING TO GIVE THEM A WRITTEN WARNING INSTEAD OF A VERBAL WARNING. AND A WRITTEN WARNING IS FINE. AND, BUT I WANT THEM TO HAVE SOMETHING WHEN THEY, WHEN THEY LEAVE THAT, THAT INTERACTION, WE HAD 80 MORE 80 DWI ARRESTS IN 2023. DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE, DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED, IS VERY DANGEROUS AS WE KNOW. AND SO OUR OFFICERS HAVE BECOME BETTER AT DETECTING DWIS. AND, MAKING MORE ENFORCEMENT, MORE ARRESTS ON THAT. SO THAT'S THAT'S VERY GOOD. WHEN I FIRST CAME TO DESOTO, WE WERE, LUCKY IF WE HAD TEN OF THOSE IN A YEAR. AND WE GRADUALLY WENT UP AND UP AND UP, AND WE'VE BEEN UP AROUND 70, 80, THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS. SO, OUR OFFICERS ARE DOING REAL WELL WITH THAT. WE PUT OUT 64. WELL, WE BOUGHT 64 SPEED RADAR SIGNS FOR THE CITY. WE'VE DEPLOYED SIX OF THEM THROUGHOUT DIFFERENT
[00:40:05]
AREAS OF THE CITY. YOU MIGHT SEE THEM ON COCKRELL HILL. WINTERGREEN, CHATTY AND WE DO A SURVEY OF THE AREA. IF SOMEONE IN AN AREA WANTS, WANTS THOSE SIGNS, OR IF THE CITY COUNCIL WANTS US TO LOOK AT A CERTAIN AREA OF THE CITY, WE THEN DO A SURVEY. OUR TRAFFIC OFFICER WILL GO OUT, AND, WE HAVE A FORMULA THAT WE LOOK AT TO SEE. IS IT WORTHY OF PUTTING THOSE SIGNS OUT? AND, SO WHEN WE DO GET THAT, WE PUT THE SIGNS OUT. AND WHAT I LIKE TO DO IS PUT AN OFFICER OUT, AFTER THOSE SIGNS. SO, WHEN WE CAN, IF YOU GO BY THOSE SIGNS, A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T PAY. PAY ATTENTION TO THEM. AND SO IF THEY KNOW THAT THERE'S AN OFFICER, MAYBE, AT SOME POINT IN TIME, THEY COULD GET STOPPED BY AN OFFICER WHEN THEY GO THROUGH THAT SIGN SPEEDING, THEN THAT MAY MAKE THEM THINK ABOUT SLOWING DOWN, WHETHER THERE'S AN OFFICER THERE OR NOT. AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE WANT. AGAIN, IT'S ABOUT SLOWING PEOPLE DOWN. IT'S ABOUT ENFORCEMENT. IT'S ABOUT MAKING PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT THEY HAVE TO SLOW DOWN. WE HAVE TO BE BETTER AT OUR TRAFFIC. AND WHAT WE DO IN THE CITY, WHILE WE'RE DRIVING. SO, WE'VE GOT THOSE AROUND THE CITY, WE PLAN TO PUT MORE OUT AND WE'RE DOING MORE STUDIES. IF YOU ARE PART OF A GROUP THAT WANTS ONE ON A MAJOR ARTERY, YOU HAVE TO LET US KNOW AND WE WILL DO A STUDY IN THAT AREA, AND WE WILL PUT THEM OUT THERE, TRAFFIC UNIT, WE FORMED OUR TRAFFIC UNIT, A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. WE PUT ANOTHER PERSON IN THERE. SO WE HAVE, A CORPORAL AND WE HAVE ONE, ONE OFFICER WITH THAT CORPORAL. AND THAT'S WHAT THEY DO. TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT, THEY DO HIT AND RUN INVESTIGATIONS. IF OUR OFFICERS, PATROL OFFICERS HAVE TO HIT AND RUN INVESTIGATION, THAT THEY'RE CALLED TO, THEN THEY WILL CALL OUT OUR, ACCIDENT INVESTIGATORS, OUR TWO TRAFFIC INVESTIGATORS, AND THEY WILL FOLLOW UP AND THEY'LL DO THAT INVESTIGATION AND PUT IT TO COMPLETION. AND THEY'RE ALSO OUT THERE DOING, RADAR AND TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT, THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND OUR SCHOOL ZONES ESPECIALLY. BUT THERE ARE ONLY TWO OF THEM. SO THEY'RE THEY'RE SPREAD THIN THROUGHOUT THE CITY AS THEY CAN BE, WE HOPE TO ADD SOMEONE ELSE TO IT AS SOON AS WE GET, FULLY STAFFED AGAIN. SO WE CAN HAVE, THREE PEOPLE IN THAT UNIT. FIVE MORE FOR, FULL TIME SWORN OFFICERS LAST YEAR, THE CITY COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER APPROVED, THE DEPARTMENT TO HAVE FIVE. WE COULD OVERHIRE BY FIVE OFFICERS. SO, WE HAD 83 BUDGETED POSITIONS AT THAT TIME. AND WITH THAT EXTRA FIVE BUDGET POSITIONS, WE COULD OVERHIRE BY FIVE. WELL, WE DID THAT. AND I DON'T THINK THAT THE CITY MANAGER THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO DO IT AT THE TIME, AND SO WE DID IT. WE, WE FILLED THOSE AND WE WERE AT 88 FROM DECEMBER OF 22 UNTIL SEPTEMBER OF 23 AND, SINCE SEPTEMBER OF 23, WE'VE LOST SOME OFFICERS THROUGH, THROUGH ATTRITION. AND SO WE'RE DOWN NOW TO 79 OFFICERS WHERE WE HAVE, NINE VACANCIES AS OF TODAY. AND YOU'LL SEE THAT IN A MINUTE. BUT THAT GIVES US MORE OFFICES AND MORE, MORE VACANCIES TO FILL, PUTS MORE OFFICERS ON THE STREET AND MORE VISIBILITY. AND WE CAN BE A LITTLE MORE PROACTIVE WITH SOME OF THE UNITS AND THE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO DO. AS FAR AS, ENFORCEMENT IN THE CITY, TWO OFFICERS WERE ASSIGNED TO, HIGH INTENSITY CRIME REDUCTION UNIT, AND THAT UNIT, THEY WERE RESPONSIBLE JUST TO, TO GO OUT IN THE CITY WHERE WE HAVE HOT SPOTS OF MAYBE BURGLARIES, OF MOTOR VEHICLES, MAYBE, THEFTS.AND THEIR JOB IS TO DO SURVEILLANCE, GATHER INFORMATION, COME BACK TO THE DEPARTMENT, AND LET'S PUT TOGETHER A PLAN TO, ABATE THAT THAT CRIME OR GO OUT AND MAKE SOME ARRESTS. THEY'RE DOING DRUGS. THEY'RE DOING, THEFTS, THEY HANDLED JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING. AND, WE HOPE TO INCREASE THAT WHEN WE GET FULLY STAFFED AGAIN, AS WE WILL WITH OUR TRAFFIC. ENFORCEMENT, WE ASSIGNED AN OFFICER, A LIEUTENANT TO A JAIL COMMANDER, A JAIL COMMANDER WAS A CIVILIAN, BRETT EVANS. HE RETIRED AFTER OVER 20 YEARS. AND SO IT WAS A GOOD TIME FOR ME TO, GO TO THE CITY MANAGER TO REQUEST, THAT THAT, COMMANDER OF THAT JAIL BE A SWORN OFFICER. AND WE CAME UP WITH A LIEUTENANT RANK, BECAUSE THEY'RE PART OF OUR ADMINISTRATION, AND THEY WILL CARRY MORE WEIGHT WITHIN THE WITHIN THE JAIL AND ALSO WITH THE OTHER CITIES THAT WE ARE PARTNERED WITH IN THE JAIL. SO THAT WAS ANOTHER, LIEUTENANT'S POSITION THAT WE WERE ABLE TO GET. AND, LEN CHADWICK IS THE LIEUTENANT THAT TAKES CARE OF THE JAIL. HE, HE OFFERED TO GO DOWN TO JAIL AND TAKE THAT OVER. AND HE'S DOING A GREAT JOB DOWN THERE. AND I THINK, THE MORALE HAS, HAS COME UP AND THEY'VE CHANGED. THEY'VE GOT MORE STRUCTURE AND MORE ORGANIZATION DOWN THERE. SO IT'S RUN MORE LIKE A POLICE AGENCY AND NOT A
[00:45:02]
CIVILIAN AGENCY. SO THAT'S THAT'S REAL GOOD DOWN THERE. AND IT'S A SAFE PLACE FOR, FOR ALL THE PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF, WHEN THEY COME IN MATTER OF FACT, WE GOT SOME COMMENTS THAT PEOPLE, IF THEY GET ARRESTED, THEY LIKE TO COME TO OUR JAIL BECAUSE WE TREAT THEM WELL. SO, YOU KNOW, YOU GET YOU GET A HAM AND CHEESE FOR LUNCH AND YOU GET A CHEESE AND HAM FOR DINNER AND, SOME WATER WILL TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOU AND SHOTSPOTTER. WE, WE WORKED FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF, ASSISTANT CHIEF CHESNIC WAS OVER THAT PROGRAM, AND WE'VE GOT A PROGRAM CALLED SHOTSPOTTER IN THE CITY. IT'S ONLY IN ONE SECTION IN THE CITY, TWO MILES.RECTANGLE, NOT A RECTANGLE. A, YEAH, I GUESS IT'S LIKE A RECTANGLE, TWO MILES, IN THE UPPER END OF THE CITY, WINTERGREEN, DOWN TO DOWN A PLEASANT RUN AND OVER TO 35 AND, IN HAMPTON IN THAT WHOLE THIS WHOLE AREA, THAT'S COVERED BY THAT. WHAT THAT DOES, IS IT DETECTS GUNSHOTS WHEN THEY GO OFF. AND OUR OFFICERS CAN RESPOND A LOT QUICKER AND A LITTLE MORE DIRECT. SO THEY GET THEY GET THE CALL. DISPATCH WILL GET IT, BUT THEY'LL ALSO GET IT ON THEIR PHONES AND THEY CAN RESPOND QUICKER AND THEY'LL KNOW EXACTLY WHERE THAT GUNSHOT TOOK PLACE, WE'VE WE'VE SAVED A LIFE. AT LEAST ONE LIFE. WE'VE MADE SOME ARRESTS AND WE'VE, GATHERED A LOT OF EVIDENCE FOR GUNSHOTS THAT WE CAN, COMPARE TO OTHER CRIMES. AND, IT IT'S BEEN A VALUABLE SYSTEM SO FAR. WE LOOK TO EXPANDING THAT, IN THE FUTURE. AND, CHIEF CHESNIC DID A PRESENTATION ON THAT EARLIER IN THE YEAR, AND WE'LL DO ANOTHER ONE. PROBABLY BY THE END OF THE YEAR. AND GIVE YOU AN UPDATE ON HOW THAT ALL THAT'S GOING. CITIZENS POLICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, WHO'S HERE FROM THE CITIZEN POLICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND TONY TYSON.
MICHAEL AND MYRA RAN, THEY'RE ON OUR CITIZEN POLICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE. WE WORK WITH THEM TO GO OVER OUR POLICIES AND OUR PROCEDURES AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING WHAT WE SAY WE'RE DOING AND THAT THEY REVIEW, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO AS POLICE OFFICERS AND SOME OF THE TOOLS THAT WE USE AND RESOURCES, AND WE HAVE SOME GOOD, GOOD DISCUSSIONS DURING THOSE MEETINGS, MEET ONCE A MONTH AND CONSISTS OF 11 MEMBERS. SEVEN ARE APPOINTED BY THE COUNCIL EACH COUNCIL MEMBER, APPOINTS ONE OF THOSE, THOSE MEMBERS, DEEPAK DE SOTO, POLICE, CLERGY AND COMMUNITY. POINTS TWO AND WE HAVE TWO NON-VOTING MEMBERS FROM THE SCHOOL, FROM DISD. AND THEY THEY FINALLY JUST APPOINTED A COUPLE LAST YEAR. AND THEY'VE BEEN, THEIR EYES HAVE KIND OF BEEN OPENED TO WHAT WE DO AND, AND THE THINGS THAT, THE CPAC REVIEWS, AND THEY MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO OUR POLICIES, TO OUR PROCEDURES. WE HAVE SOME GOOD DISCUSSIONS. AND I THINK THAT IT'S, IT'S VERY HEALTHY AND VERY VALUABLE TO US AS THE DEPARTMENT AND ALSO TO THEM, BECAUSE NOW THEY CAN BECOME OUR AMBASSADORS AND THEY THEY KNOW THAT WHAT WE SAY WE'RE DOING AND OUR POLICIES THAT WE ARE DOING, AND IF WE AREN'T, THEN THEY CAN SEE WHY WE DIDN'T DO THAT. AND DO WE NEED TO MAKE A CHANGE IN OUR POLICY? AND IF WE HAD TO HAND OUT DISCIPLINE, WE TELL THEM WHAT THAT IS. SO THEY THEY GET TO SEE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT FROM THE INSIDE. AND I THINK THAT THEY, THEY ENJOY THAT. THIS HAS A LOT OF INFORMATION, BUT THIS IS OUR RACIAL PROFILE REPORT THAT I HAVE TO, FILE WITH THE STATE EVERY YEAR, IT HAS TO BE FILED BY MARCH OF EVERY YEAR.
AND WE JUST FILED THIS ONE, IN THIS MARCH THAT JUST PASSED. AND SO THAT'S JANUARY TO DECEMBER IN 2023. WE HAD 14,063 TRAFFIC CONTACTS, TRAFFIC STOPS BY OUR OFFICERS FOR ALL VARIOUS REASONS, AND YOU CAN SEE THE, THE, THE GENDER AND THE RACE OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE STOPPED IF THE RACE WAS KNOWN. MOST TIMES IT'S NOT, REASON FOR THE STOP. AND, WE HAVE TO CAPTURE ALL THIS INFORMATION AND MAKE THIS REPORT TO THE STATE. IF THERE WAS AN ARREST, WHAT WAS THE RESULT OF THE STOP? AND AS YOU CAN SEE, I TALKED ABOUT VERBAL WARNINGS, VERBAL WARNINGS HERE AT 9165, VERBAL WARNINGS. AND THEY STILL WROTE 1296 WRITTEN WARNINGS AND CITATIONS. ONLY. 3000. AND SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THAT, THAT'S WHEN WE SAID, WELL, THERE'S SOMETHING A LITTLE ASKEW ABOUT THAT. MAYBE THEY JUST TAKING, TAKING THE VERBAL WARNINGS BECAUSE IT'S, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE EASIER TO GIVE SOMEONE A VERBAL WARNING, SAY SLOW DOWN AND TAKE IT EASY, THEN TAKING THE TIME TO MAKE SURE THAT, PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT THEY GOT STOPPED FOR A VIOLATION. AND EVEN IF IT'S A WRITTEN WARNING, THEN THEIR TIME IS GOING TO BE HELD UP A LITTLE SO THAT THEY CAN, FINISH THROUGH THAT, THAT CONTACT AGAIN, THIS WILL ALL BE ONLINE. SO IF YOU WANT TO LOOK
[00:50:05]
AT THAT ONLINE AND DIGEST A LITTLE BIT MORE, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, YOU CAN, GIVE ME A CALL, EMAIL ME OR TEXT ME. EVERY YEAR I ASK ABOUT I ASKED ABOUT THE DIVERSITY IN THE DEPARTMENT.YOU KNOW WHAT, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? WHAT'S THE RACE? WHAT'S THE ETHNICITY? THE GENDER? SO I BREAK IT DOWN, WHENEVER WE HIRE SOMEBODY NEW, THERE'S ALWAYS A NEW BREAKDOWN. THIS THIS THIS HAS CHANGED. THREE TIMES BECAUSE WE JUST HAD TWO PEOPLE LEAVE RECENTLY, SO I HAD TO REDO THIS SLIDE. BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, WE ARE NOW A MAJORITY MINORITY DEPARTMENT. OUR MINORITIES ARE 64.5. THAT'S HUGE, YOU KNOW, WE TRY TO WE TRY TO HIRE THE BEST NO MATTER WHAT THEIR ETHNICITY, THEIR, THEIR RACE. AND, WE'RE DOING A GOOD JOB AT RECRUITING MORE MINORITIES, AS YOU CAN SEE BY OUR NUMBERS. AND COMPARED TO 2015, WE'RE DOING A GOOD JOB, IT CAN'T BE DONE OVERNIGHT. AND WE LOSE PEOPLE AS WE AS EVERY YEAR GOES BY. AND SO IT CHANGES UP AND DOWN. BUT FOR THE MOST PART, WE'VE WE'VE BEEN, OVER 60% MINORITY FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS, AND THEN IT'S BEEN OVER 50 FOR PROBABLY THE LAST SEVEN YEARS. AND THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE CITY ARE THERE, AS YOU CAN SEE DOWN HERE. AND THAT, THAT DOES NOT CHANGE THAT MUCH EVERY YEAR. EXCEPT FOR THE HISPANIC RACE IS GROWING IN THE CITY, AND THE HISPANIC RACE HAS GROWN IN OUR DEPARTMENT, AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S 27.0. I DID THAT AGAIN. 27 POINT, 8% OF HISPANICS IN OUR DEPARTMENT IN 2015, IT WAS 11.
SO WE ARE WE'RE DOING SOME GOOD THINGS OUT THERE AND ATTRACTING SOME GOOD PEOPLE, ALL WALKS OF LIFE, AND INCIDENTALLY, WE HAVE, AS I SAID, WE HAVE 88, FULL TIME BUDGETED OFFICERS. WE HAVE NINE CURRENTLY VACANT. SO OUT OF THE 79, THAT'S WHERE THESE ALL THESE FIGURES COME FROM. CITIZENS ON PATROL. I SEE THEY'RE HERE IN THE AUDIENCE. CAN YOU STAND UP SO EVERYBODY CAN SEE YOU AND YOUR NICE UNIFORMS? COME ON, STAND UP FOR ME. THESE ARE OUR CITIZENS ON PATROL. THESE ARE OUR VOLUNTEERS THAT HELP US OUT. THEY'RE OUR EYES AND EARS OUT IN THE STREET. AND THEY HELP US OUT IN ALL DIFFERENT AREAS. AND THAT'S ONE OF THEIR VEHICLES THAT THEY DRIVE AROUND. SO IF YOU SEE THEM OUT IN THE CITY, THEY'RE THEY'RE JUST, YOU KNOW, BEING VISIBLE, HELPING US, BE BETTER AT WHAT WE DO, GETTING INFORMATION. GOING AROUND TO CERTAIN AREAS OF THE CITY WHERE WE NEED TO HAVE MORE VISIBILITY AND WE DON'T WANT THEM TO GET OUT AND DO ANY ENFORCEMENT, BUT JUST BE OUT THERE AND BE VISIBLE AND LET PEOPLE KNOW, HEY, WE ARE OUT IN THE CITY AND LET, MAYBE SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING TO COMMIT CRIMES SEE THE CAR, SEE SEE THE PERSON IN THE CAR AND SAY, I'M NOT GOING TO DO THAT HERE. THEY MIGHT HAVE SEEN ME OR GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. GO TO LANCASTER OR CEDAR HILL OR BACK TO DALLAS, BUT NOT HERE. THE 23 VOLUNTEERS THAT WE HAVE AND, THE DIRECTOR OF THAT GROUP IS LIEUTENANT CHRIS HUERTA AND MYRA RAND. SHE'S HERE TODAY WITH US, SHE IS THE COORDINATOR OF THE CITIZENS ON PATROL. THIS IS SOME OF THE NUMBERS. SO LAST YEAR THEY DID 3,162.5 TOTAL HOURS. THEY DONATED TO THE CITY. AND THEY DID IN THE DEPARTMENT. ANY ACTIVITY, YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY DO. THEY'RE OUT IN PATROL A LOT. AND THEY GO TO BRIEFINGS. THEY SOMETIMES DO A RIDE ALONG, BUT THEY DON'T REALLY NEED TO DO A RIDE ALONG EVERY NOW AND THEN, THAT'S JUST IF THEY, THEY COME OUT ALONE AND IT'S AT NIGHT AND WE WANT THEM JUST TO BE OUT THERE TO, GO OUT WITH ONE OF THE OFFICERS AND RIDE ALONG WITH THEM AND, SPECIAL REQUEST SPECIAL THINGS THAT WE DO, SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS. THEY DO THOSE, MISCELLANEOUS. IF THEY DO OTHER THINGS IN THE DEPARTMENT THAT DOESN'T RISE TO ANY ONE OF THESE, THESE TASKS.
AND THE TOTAL IS DOWN THERE FOR EVERY MONTH, THEY'RE PRETTY BUSY. THEY COME OUT AND THEY REALLY AND THEY, THEY DON'T GET THE ACCOLADES THAT THEY DO. THAT'S WHY I WANTED TO MENTION THEM TONIGHT. THEY DIDN'T KNOW I WAS PUTTING THIS IN HERE. SO I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU. I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THAT YOU DO, WITH EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO AND, IT JUST HELPS US OUT, NOT ONLY AT SPECIAL EVENTS, BUT JUST, LIKE I SAID, NORMAL PATROL AND THE THINGS THAT YOU DO. SO WE APPRECIATE THAT. FLOCK CAMERAS. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS, THE LAST FIVE YEARS OR SO SINCE WE'VE COME INTO BUYING THESE, WE'VE GOT FOUR THAT WE HAVE OUT IN THE CITY. THEY ARE, LICENSE PLATE READER, CAMERA. AND SO THEY'RE IN CERTAIN AREAS SO THAT WE CAN GO, GO BACK AND
[00:55:04]
LOOK AT, VEHICLES IF THERE'S A VEHICLE IN QUESTION THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, WE CAN GO BACK AND WE CAN LOOK AT THAT AND SEE IF WE CAN LOCATE, WHAT, WHERE THAT VEHICLE WAS IN THE CITY. AND TRY TO FIND IT, ON SOME OF OUR CAMERAS. BUT THE BIGGEST THING THAT IT DOES IS IF, IF A STOLEN CAR IS ENTERED IN THE STATE, IT'S ENTERED INTO THIS CAMERA SYSTEM, AND, SOMEONE WITH A WARRANT THAT'S ENTERED INTO THIS CAMERA SYSTEM. SO IF IT GOES THROUGH THAT CAMERA AND IT PICKS UP THAT LICENSE PLATE, THEN IT'S ON THAT HOT LIST, THEN IT'S GOING TO POP UP THROUGH OUR OFFICES. THEY GET THEY GET A NOTIFICATION THAT THAT VEHICLE WENT THROUGH. AND SO IF THEY'RE CLOSE BY, A LOT OF TIMES THEY'LL, THEY'LL CATCH UP WITH THAT CAR. AND, IF IT'S STOLEN, THEY'LL, HOPEFULLY NOT GET IN A PURSUIT, BUT THEY'LL STOP THE VEHICLE AND MAKE AN ARREST AND GET THE CAR BACK TO ITS RIGHTFUL OWNER. AND IF THERE'S A WARRANT ON SOMEBODY IN THE CAR, THEN THEY'LL MAKE A STOP. AND IF THAT PERSON'S IN THE CAR, THEN THEY WILL GET ARRESTED ON THOSE WARRANTS. SO IT'S VALUABLE TOOL. WE'RE USING IT MORE AND MORE AND MORE CITIES ARE USING THEM, WE PUT THAT OUT TO THE HOAS, I BELIEVE THAT $2,500 A YEAR TO HAVE THOSE CAMERAS. AND IF AN HOA CAN AFFORD IT, THEY CAN PUT THEM AT, THEIR ENTRANCE, IF THEY HAVE 1 OR 2, PUT THEM AT THE ENTRANCES AND THEY CAN CAPTURE PEOPLE COMING AND GOING. AND IF SOMETHING HAPPENS IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD AT A CERTAIN TIME, WE CAN GO BACK AND LOOK AT THAT. IF THEY GIVE US ACCESS TO THAT VIDEO AND WE CAN HOPEFULLY GET SOME SUSPECTS OR AT LEAST START AN INVESTIGATION, GET US A START TO AN INVESTIGATION. THEY'RE A VALUABLE TOOL. AND WE'RE TRYING TO BUILD UP MORE AND MORE, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE BUDGET FOR THAT, THAT AMOUNT FOR EACH CAMERA EVERY YEAR. TIP 411847411. IF YOU. TEXT 847411 AND IN THE BODY OF YOUR, MESSAGE YOU PUT IN DESOTO, AND THAT MESSAGE WILL COME TO, SOME OF US THAT THAT GET THAT IMMEDIATELY, BUT IT'LL ALSO GO TO DISPATCH.SO IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH US, THAT'S, NOT AN EMERGENCY, THAT WE CAN SEND SOMEONE TO A DISPATCH ON A LOW PRIORITY CALL. IT'LL REMAIN ANONYMOUS. AND IN THE IN THE PHONE NUMBER LINE, THE CONTACT LINE YOU PUT 847411, AND THEN IN THE BODY OF THE MESSAGE, YOU PUT DESOTO AND PUT WHATEVER YOUR MESSAGE IS, AND THAT WILL COME TO US, AND WE WILL WE WILL GET ON IT. I GET, A NUMBER OF THOSE CALLS EVERY DAY AND, DISPATCH GETS THEM. AS I SAID, IT ALSO. AND THEY'LL PUT IT OUT IF WE SEE SOMETHING THAT LOOKS LIKE IT'S GOT CONTINUAL, PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE IN THE CITY, THEN WE'LL LOOK AT IT THE NEXT DAY OR THAT DAY IF IT'S EARLY ENOUGH, AND WE'LL WE'LL TRY TO, YOU KNOW, ADDRESS IT ON THAT DAY. VALUABLE TOOL. AND IT'S JUST GOOD FOR, FOR PEOPLE TO STAY ANYMOUS AND GET US THE INFORMATION THAT WE NEED. AGAIN, WE NEED THE COMMUNITY TO BE OUR EYES AND EARS. NOT ONLY OUR COPS, BUT ALSO EVERY CITIZEN. IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHIN. AND THIS IS JUST ONE WAY TO DO THAT. AND THAT IS THE END FOR TODAY, AND, HOPEFULLY THAT YOU GOT SOMETHING FROM THIS. AND I WILL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS, ANY SUGGESTIONS, IF YOU WANT TO COME UP TO THE MIC, I WOULD APPRECIATE THAT. AND IF YOU'RE ONLINE, IF YOU WANT TO GIVE US , AN EMAIL, I DON'T THINK WE CAN ANSWER IT TODAY BECAUSE I DON'T THINK ANYONE'S MONITORING THAT. BUT, IF YOU GIVE US AN EMAIL TO MY EMAIL, JAY COSTA AT DESOTO, TEXAS.GOV, THAT'S JAY COSTA AT DESOTO, TEXAS.GOV I'LL MAKE SURE I GET IT ANSWERED. AND, WE'LL WE'LL ADDRESS WHATEVER THE ISSUE IS THAT YOU HAVE. ALL RIGHT. I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO WIN.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? I CAN HEAR YOU. I HAVE A BIG VOICE ANYWAY, IN YOUR REPORT. CONCERNING CRIME REPORTS, YOU SAID SOMETHING ABOUT IT DIDN'T HAPPEN IN DESOTO, BUT IT WAS GIVEN TO DESOTO. SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES CAN YOU SPEAK MORE ABOUT THAT? SO THOSE WERE THE, SEX ASSAULTS. SO IT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED IN IN MESQUITE. BUT THE PERSON LIVES IN THE CITY, SO THEY DIDN'T MAKE A COMPLAINT IN MESQUITE. THEY MADE THE COMPLAINT OR THE OUTCRY. IN THE CITY OF DESOTO, WE WILL TAKE IT. WE WILL DO AN INFORMATION ONLY, REPORT, OR WE MIGHT HANDLE IT, DEPENDING ON WHAT THE SITUATION IS. BUT MOST LIKELY WE'LL WORK WITH THAT OTHER CITY AND WE'LL, WE'LL GET, GET THE INVESTIGATION GOING. MISS MURCHISON, NO.
[01:00:13]
GOOD EVENING. I WANT TO SAY FIRST, CHIEF COSTA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND TO, TAMMY WASHINGTON. THANK YOU FOR HANDLING THE DOG PROBLEM. I CERTAINLY APPRECIATE IT. I'M HERE BECAUSE OF FIREWORKS, AND IT'S EVERY. IT'S EVERY NEW YEAR'S CHRISTMAS, WHAT HAVE YOU, IT'S AN ONGOING PROBLEM. OH, LET ME STOP. I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO MISS RAND, BECAUSE EVERYTHING THAT I HAVE SAID TO HER, SOMETHING HAS HAPPENED. AND, MISS RAND, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THAT, FOR PASSING IT ON. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. THE FIREWORKS, THEY ARE SO LOUD.THEY START EARLY. THEY GO AFTER 12:00. THE WINDOWS RATTLE. I'VE HAD, CONCRETE STUFF TO FALL FROM THE HOUSE BECAUSE OF IT. I CALL IT IN. NOTHING IS DONE. I CALL IT BACK. AND I'M TALKING ABOUT THIS PREVIOUS VOICE. I CALLED IT BACK AND I TOLD THE PERSON THAT ANSWERED, PERHAPS THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING THIS HAVE CONNECTIONS IN DESOTO BECAUSE YOU ALLOW THEM TO DO IT AND IT'S CONTINUOUS NOT ONLY JULY 4TH, BUT JULY 5TH. OKAY. FOURTH IS OVER AND THEY'RE STILL DOING FIREWORKS. I FIND THE EVIDENCE IN MY YARD ON MY DRIVEWAY AND I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE ELSE HAS SAID ANYTHING ABOUT IT, BUT I WOULD CERTAINLY APPRECIATE IF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE DOING IT, THEY DON'T DO REPAIRS FOR YOU. SO I CERTAINLY LIKE TO SEE THAT THEY'RE STOPPED. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. I'M GOING TO HAVE ASSISTANT CHIEF JUST TELL YOU WHAT WE DID THIS YEAR FOR FIREWORKS. WE GET A TON OF THOSE CALLS, BUT YES. AND I DON'T WANT TO GET PERSONAL WITH THIS, BUT THE FACT IS, THE FACT WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT HAVE AREAS I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THEY DON'T SEE ANYTHING. AND I'M NOT SPEAKING OF ALL, BUT SOME BECAUSE THINGS THAT I HAVE SEEN THAT I REPORTED TO MISS RAND, YOU ALL DID SOMETHING ABOUT IT. SO I KNOW SHE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT IT BECAUSE YOU HAD IT. OKAY AT THE CORNER OF BELT LINE AND COCKRELL HILL AND THAT LITTLE SHOPPING CENTER AREA. BUT THERE'S SOME GUYS THERE SELLING DRUGS OUT THERE, AND THEY'LL COME WHEN YOU GO THROUGH. THEY'RE GOING TO GOLDEN CHICK OR TO THE SUBWAY. THEY'LL RUN UP TO YOUR CAR AND THEN THEY I SEE THEM EVERY DAY. THEY'RE THERE AND SO I'D APPRECIATE IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THAT. WHEN YOU SPEAK ON THE PHONE. SO THANK YOU, MISS MURCHISON. AND, NO, YOU YOU ARE CERTAINLY NOT THE ONLY PERSON WHO HAS EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT THE FIREWORKS. WE HEAR A LOT OF THAT. AND WE DO HEAR YOU, WE DID A NUMBER OF THINGS THIS YEAR. INCLUDING A COUPLE OF, OF NEW THINGS THIS YEAR. WE ACTUALLY, WE PUT A COUPLE OF OFFICERS OUT TO RESPOND TO ONLY FIREWORKS AND SHOTSPOTTER CALLS. AND ACTUALLY, WE LEARNED THAT WE PROBABLY NEED TO PUT A COUPLE MORE OFFICERS OUT TO DO THAT BECAUSE THE OFFICERS WE PUT OUT THIS TIME AROUND, YOU KNOW, RESPONDED TO WE HAD FIVE SHOTSPOTTER CALLS THIS 4TH OF JULY. AND SO THEY SPENT THE MAJORITY OF THEIR TIME OUT THERE INVESTIGATING, YOU KNOW, THOSE OCCURRENCES. WE KNOW THAT, IN CONJUNCTION, YOU KNOW, WITH FIREWORKS IS ALSO THAT CELEBRATORY GUNFIRE. AND, YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY THAT THAT HAPPENS, WE ARE WE'RE SEEING THAT WITH SHOTSPOTTER. SOME OF THE DATA THAT COMES IN, AND, AND WE ACTUALLY DISCOVERED, YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR THAT THAT, LIKE, YOU SAID, NEW YEAR'S EVE, JANUARY 1ST, FOR CELEBRATORY GUNFIRE. IT IS A PRETTY BIG ISSUE. SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP SOME STRATEGIES THERE. LIKE I SAID, WE STARTED THIS
[01:05:03]
JULY 4TH. AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE OFFICERS OUT THERE WHO COMPLETELY TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY OFF OF OUR PATROL SHIFT AND SHIFT IT ON TO, YOU KNOW, THAT SPECIAL GROUP. AND THEN THEY THEY CAN GO AND SOLELY RESPOND TO THOSE CALLS, ANOTHER THING THAT THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT DOING, WE HAVE A, A UAS PROGRAM, A DRONE PROGRAM. AND I JUST RECENTLY SAW, ARLINGTON, WHO OBVIOUSLY IS A LARGER CITY, WITH, WITH MORE RESOURCES IN REGARDS TO THEIR UAS PROGRAM.THEY ACTUALLY PUT OUT SIX DRONES OVER THE CITY AND HAD THEM RESPOND TO SOME OF THESE ILLEGAL FIREWORK PARTIES AS THEY WERE CALLING THEM. AND, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN ACTUALLY SPEAK TO THOSE FOLKS OVER THE OVER THAT UAS SYSTEM. THEY CAN DELIVER A MOBILE PHONE CALL, JUST KIND OF LETTING FOLKS KNOW, HEY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE WATCHING YOU. AND SO THEY PROFESS GREAT SUCCESS WITH THAT. OBVIOUSLY OUR RESOURCES AREN'T AS SIGNIFICANT, BUT OUR CITY ISN'T AS LARGE AND WE DO HAVE A UAS PROGRAM. SO WE WOULD WE WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT AS WELL, THIS YEAR, AS YOU KNOW, WE HAD THE EVENT ALSO THAT WE WERE DEALING WITH. SO WE HAD JUST ABOUT THE ENTIRE POLICE DEPARTMENT OUT, EITHER WORKING THE EVENT OR WORKING PATROL THAT NIGHT. BUT YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR RESOURCES GET SPREAD THIN BECAUSE OF THE SHEER VOLUME, THIS YEAR, WE HAD IN THAT 12 HOUR SHIFT BETWEEN 6 P.M. AND 6 A.M. ON THE FIFTH, WE HAD 85 FIREWORKS COMPLAINTS THAT THAT CAME IN. OKAY. SO THAT THAT SPREADS OUR PATROL SHIFT VERY THIN, THAT THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE ALL OF THE OTHER NORMAL CALLS FOR SERVICE THAT THEY'RE GOING TO RECEIVE ON THAT EVENING. AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S A RESOURCE GAME. WE KNOW THAT WE NEED TO PUT MORE RESOURCES TOWARD THAT.
AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT. YOU KNOW, THIS YEAR, WE ALSO TRIED TO CONCENTRATE ON MESSAGING THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, AND, YOU KNOW, THROUGH OUR VARIOUS, MEDIA STREAMS. RIGHT? I ACTUALLY, I DID DISCUSS IN DEPTH TWO SOLID WEEKS IN A ROW. WHICH IS NOT MY FAVORITE THING TO DO.
GO, GO LIVE AND STREAM OUT THERE, BELIEVE ME. BUT YOU KNOW, I'M I'M WILLING TO DO THAT IF MAYBE IT'LL MAKE A DIFFERENCE. AND SOME FOLKS WILL WILL LISTEN, YOU KNOW, SO WE PUT THAT MESSAGE OUT FOR TWO SOLID WEEKS. WE PUT OUR WE PUT OUR MESSAGING TRAILERS OUT AND GOT THE MESSAGE OUT THERE TO FOLKS, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER ISSUE THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH, AS YOU ALL KNOW, SO FIREWORKS ARE ILLEGAL IN MOST OF THESE MUNICIPALITIES, BUT THEN YOU CAN GO RIGHT DOWN THE STREET AND BUA TRUNK FULL OF THESE. AND, YOU KNOW, IN AN UNINCORPORATED COUNTY AREA.
RIGHT. AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF MIXED MESSAGING OUT THERE TO, TO FOLKS RIGHT THERE. THERE ARE CERTAIN AREAS THAT IT'S LEGAL. THERE ARE CERTAIN AREAS THAT IT'S ILLEGAL. AND, YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE DON'T MAKE THAT DIFFERENTIATION, RIGHT? THEY THINK, YOU KNOW WHAT IF I WENT OUT AND I BOUGHT IT LEGALLY, THEN GUESS WHAT? YOU KNOW, THEN I'M GOING TO SHOOT THESE OFF WHEREVER I SIT. SO DEFINITELY UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT CONCERN, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THAT WE ARE TRYING TO STRATEGIZE ABOUT AND DO A BETTER JOB WITH. HOPEFULLY THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION, MA'AM. THANK YOU. I THINK YOU'RE NEXT, MA'AM, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. I WAS VERY, HAPPY TO HEAR ABOUT THE BREADTH AND DEPTH OF A RANGE OF EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO, BECAUSE I HONESTLY DIDN'T KNOW YOU DID ALL THAT, SO. OKAY, GOOD. I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. MY CONCERN HAS TO DO WITH THE LIGHT. THAT'S ON. CHATTY AND PLEASANT. RIGHT. ONE OUT OF THREE TIMES THAT I AM STOPPED AT CHATTY. I DO NOT DARE MOVE WHEN THE LIGHT TURNS GREEN BECAUSE SOMEBODY IS RUNNING THAT ■LIGHTH PERCENTAGE OF TIME THAT PEOPLE ARE RUNNING THAT LIGHT. AND IT'S NOT JUST THE YELLOW, IT'S THE RED. AND IF I MOVED, I'M GOING TO GET HIT. SO I NEVER MOVED. SO I HAVE TO WAIT A FEW SECONDS BECAUSE TRAFFIC IS NOT STOPPING AT THAT CORNER AT THAT INTERSECTION. SO I AM JUST REALLY CONCERNED WITH THAT INTERSECTION AND HOW DANGEROUS IT IS. SO I'VE SEEN IT TOO. I'VE BEEN THERE TOO. WHEN PEOPLE HAVE GONE BY AND I'VE MADE A COUPLE
[01:10:05]
OF TRAFFIC STOPS MYSELF, TWO THINGS THAT WOULD WE'RE GOING TO DO, ONE, I'VE PASSED THAT ON TO OUR OFFICERS AND, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN'T SIT THERE AND WATCH IT, BUT IF THEY'RE THERE, ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS JUST PULL UP AND JUST, YOU KNOW, STAY BACK A LITTLE. THEY'LL SEE SOMEONE GO THROUGH ON PLEASANT RUN. I THINK THE YELLOW IS JUST TOO QUICK. AND SO WHAT HAPPENS IS IT CHANGES, FROM, FROM RED TO, I MEAN, FROM GREEN TO YELLOW. AND THAT YELLOW LIGHT IS TOO QUICK.THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THEY, YOU KNOW, IT'S GOING TO STOP THEM FROM GOING THROUGH A RED. BUT I THINK IF WE CAN, MAKE THAT A LITTLE BIT LONGER, THEN THAT'LL HELP. BUT WE ALSO NEED TO ENFORCE, RUNNING THAT RED LIGHT. AND THAT'S, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE JUST PUT FORWARD TO, TO OUR OFFICERS. SO WE'LL BE WE'LL BE MORE DILIGENT AT THAT AND WE'LL TRY TO, GET THAT YELLOW LIGHT CHANGED. THANK YOU. I'VE SEEN THAT TOO. YES SIR. I JUST HAD A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. ONE, WHAT ARE THE SPECIFIC STEPS THAT POLICE AND DESOTO TAKE WHEN CITIZENS ARE FILING FALSE POLICE REPORTS OR THREATENED TO FILE FALSE POLICE REPORTS AGAINST OTHER CITIZENS WHEN THEY FILE A FALSE POLICE REPORT? CORRECT. SO WE TELL THEM THAT, IF IT'S, IF IT'S UNFOUNDED AND IT'S DEFINITELY A LIE, IT'S A FALSE POLICE REPORT, THEN WE'RE GOING TO CHARGE THEM WITH FILING FALSE POLICE REPORT. AND WHEN THAT HAS BEEN REPORTED TO YOU ALL AND NOTHING HAS HAPPENED, WHAT ARE THE STEPS THAT CITIZENS SHOULD TAKE? YOU SAY THAT AGAIN WHEN IT HAS BEEN REPORTED TO YOU THAT SOMEONE HAS FILED A FALSE POLICE REPORT AND NOTHING HAS HAPPENED, WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP THAT CITIZENS SHOULD TAKE? A CITIZEN SHOULD TAKE, OR WE SHOULD TAKE, THE CITIZEN SHOULD TAKE. IF YOU'VE DONE NOTHING, THEN OBVIOUSLY YOU'RE WHAT IS THIS? WHAT IS THE STEP THAT THE CITIZEN SHOULD TAKE? SO IF A CITIZEN THINKS THAT SOMEONE FILED A FALSE POLICE REPORT, WE LOOK INTO IT AND WE CAN'T PROVE IT. AND THERE'S NO EVIDENCE THAT IT DID.
WE CAN ONLY PROVE THAT MAYBE IT'S UNFOUNDED OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN THE WAY THAT BOTH PARTIES SAY. THEN WE'LL REFER YOU OVER TO THE DA'S OFFICE. AND UNLESS IT'S A SMALL CRIME, WE'LL REFER YOU OVER TO MUNICIPAL COURT AND COME IN HERE AND TALK TO THE JUDGE ABOUT IT. AND WHEN CITIZENS FILE COMPLAINTS AND CALL IN ABOUT BEING HARASSED AND HAVE THE CALL LOGS SHOWING THAT THEY'VE MADE THESE CALLS, AND NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE HARASSING THEM, WHAT STEPS SHOULD THE CITIZENS TAKE? SO WE LOOK AT THOSE. IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT WHAT YOU VIEW AS HARASSMENT AND WHAT THE LAW SAYS IS HARASSMENT. SO WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THAT. AND IF WE DON'T DEEM THAT IT'S A HARASSMENT, ACCORDING TO THE LAW AND WE CAN'T ENFORCE THAT, THEN THERE'S NOT A WHOLE LOT WE CAN DO. DO YOU HOLD YOUR FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS IN THE CITY WHEN THEY'VE COMMITTED CRIMES? DO WE HOLD HU ACCOUNTABLE? YOUR FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES, MY FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES, WE HOLD EVERYBODY ACCOUNTABLE THAT THAT COMMITS CRIMES. ALL RIGHT. COOL. THANK YOU. OKAY. THEN THE SUMMERS. YES, AND CHIEF JUSTICE'S PRESENTATION, HE MENTIONED SEVERAL TIMES ABOUT THE TURNOVER AND CODE ENFORCEMENT, THE TURNOVER AND ANIMAL CONTROL. ALSO IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, YOU MENTIONED THAT Y'ALL HAVE 88 AUTHORIZED POSITIONS, BUT YOU'RE DOWN TO 79. ALSO WHEN, RESPONDING TO MISS MERCHANT, YOU MENTIONED THE OVERTAXATION. TAXATION MAY NOT BE THE WORD THE, OVER, NOT HAVING ENOUGH RESOURCES TO RESPOND TO THE DIFFERENT EVENTS IS THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND ITS ANCILLARY SERVICES ADEQUATELY STAFFED? NO, I'M ASKED THAT QUESTION ALL THE TIME, YOU KNOW, WE WERE UP TO 88 OFFICERS WHEN WE WERE FULLY STAFFED, AND, THAT'S NOT ENOUGH EITHER. YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD WE SHOULD BE WELL OVER 100 OFFICERS. AND SO IF WE LOSE SOME OFFICERS, IT WOULDN'T BE, AS TRYING AS IT IS NOW TO MAINTAIN WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH OUR VISIBILITY, I HOPE TO GET BACK TO 88, AND I HOPE TO, MAYBE GET THE COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER TO APPROVE ANOTHER FIVE OVER. BUT WE GOT TO GET BACK UP TO OUR FULLY STAFFED, WHEN WE DO BECOME FULLY STAFFED. AND IF WE DID HAVE MORE OFFICERS, THEN WE COULD DO OTHER THINGS THAT WE WANT TO DO SOME SPECIALTY UNITS, SOME PROACTIVE STRATEGIES, AND SOME THINGS THAT WE CAN DO TO BE MORE VISIBLE OUT IN THE STREET AND HOPEFULLY DETER CRIME AND NOT HAVE TO DEAL WITH INVESTIGATING IT AFTER IT'S HAPPENED. ONE THING I DIDN'T MENTION TO YOU, SID, THEY REVIEWED, IN 2024. SO FAR THEY'VE REVIEWED 3151 CASES. 1698 OF THOSE, REPORTS, ARE RESULTED IN ARRESTS AND ENFORCEMENT, 857 CASES WERE ASSIGNED. THEY MADE 615 ARRESTS, 97 WARRANTS WERE ISSUED, 210 EMERGENCY DETENTIONS AND, OTHER THINGS THAT THEY'VE DONE. WHILE THEY WORK EVERY DAY. AND WE'VE GOT EIGHT OFFICERS IN THAT UNIT, EIGHT NOW. RIGHT? EIGHT, EIGHT OFFICERS IN THAT UNIT. AND,
[01:15:06]
THAT'S A LOT OF WORK. SO, WHEN PEOPLE THINK THAT WE'RE WE'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING, WE GET COMPLAINTS THAT SAY THAT WE'RE NOT INVESTIGATING THINGS, THE PROOF IS IN ALL THE STATS AND ALL THE ALL THE REPORTS THAT WE GET AND ALL THE CASES THAT WE HAVE TO INVESTIGATE. WHAT ELSE? YES, SIR. I JUST HAVE ONE MORE. I'M VERY NEW TO THIS. ONE WEEK OLD RESIDENT. OH, WOW. WELCOME ABOARD. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. THE GRADE CONCERNED ME BECAUSE I'M THINKING I'M IN GRADE TWO.WHERE CAN I FIND THE INFORMATIO? SO I CAN SIT WITH ALL THE ALL THIS DATA THAT HAS BEEN COLLECTED. SO THIS WILL BE ON A WEBSITE, IF IT DIDN'T GO ON TODAY, WE'LL GET IT ON TOMORROW.
WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT IT'S ON THERE. YOU CAN GO UP AND YOU CAN PULL THIS UP THERE. AND WE ALSO DO IT. THERE'S AN ANNUAL REPORT. SO IF YOU GO TO THE WEBSITE, YOU GO TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT PAGE, THERE'S AN ANNUAL REPORT THAT WE PUT OUT EVERY YEAR. SO THERE'S AN ANNUAL REPORT WITH A LOT OF THIS INFORMATION IN THERE ALREADY, FROM 2023. AND SECOND QUESTION, DOES THE CITIZEN PATROL COME AND DO PRESENTATIONS? I'M THE NEW LEAD PASTOR OF THE VILLAGE. OKAY.
1121 WINTERGREEN ROAD. YES, SIR. I WOULD LOVE FOR SOMEBODY TO COME AND DO A PRESENTATION LIKE THIS FOR MY CONGREGATION. I'LL GIVE YOU MY CARD AFTER, AFTER THIS, WE DO THAT, I GO OUT TO A TON OF COMMUNITY MEETINGS, CHURCHES, HOA'S, MY ASSISTANT CHIEF DOES. AND IF WE'RE NOT AVAILABLE, WE'LL GET SOMEBODY THERE FOR YOU, OUR OUR, COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICER, NIKKI GILES, IS HERE IN THE CROWD. SHE GOES OUT. SHE'S VERY ENTERTAINING. SHE SINGS, SHE DANCES, SHE DOES A LOT OF THINGS, ALL OF THAT. AND DOES A REPORT TOO. SO. BUT BUT WE ALL DO IT. SAME INFORMATION, DIFFERENT INFORMATION DEPENDING ON WHAT, WHAT YOU NEED. WE CAN TALK TO YOU ABOUT CRIMES AROUND YOUR AREA, AROUND IN THE WHOLE CITY AND, AND OTHER THINGS THAT, THAT YOU MIGHT FEEL IMPORTANT. THANK YOU. REPRESENTATIVE CARL SHERMAN IS HERE IN THE HOUSE. I JUST SAW HIM. ANYTHING ELSE? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? YES. OR AGAIN? YES, SIR. THAT WOULD FOLLOW UP.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE IS A REASONABLE TIME FRAME FOR CITIZENS TO EXPECT A RESPONSE WHEN THEY REACH OUT TO YOU DIRECTLY FOR A CITIZEN TO GET A RESPONSE FROM, FROM YOU. FROM ME, AS SOON AS I CAN GET TO IT, I USUALLY ANSWER, ANSWER WHAT I CAN. I'LL. I'LL ANSWER IT ONCE.
I WON'T KEEP ANSWERING. IF IT'S THE SAME QUESTION OVER AND OVER AND SO THE REASONABLE TIME FRAME WOULD BE WHAT EXACTLY? AS SOON AS I CAN GET TO IT, IS THAT MONTH. IS THAT YEARS? WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? NO, USUALLY IT'S USUALLY HOURS OR DAYS. I DON'T THINK THAT HAS BEEN THE CASE FOR SEVERAL OF THE PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM, BUT I APPRECIATE YOU ANSWERING THAT. OKAY. ONE LAST THING, DOCTOR MARK. SO GOOD TO SEE YOU. I'M GLAD YOU'RE HERE. I WANT YOU TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU LET ALL THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS KNOW THAT WE WANT HOUSTON, TEXAS, TO FIND THEIR OWN POLICE CHIEF, AND WE WANT THEM TO LEAVE OURS ALONE. OKAY, CHIEF CASTOR, YOU JUST CANNOT LEAVE US. THANK YOU. OKAY. I APPRECIATE THAT. I MEAN, I'M SORRY, NOT HOUSTON. AUSTIN.
AUSTIN. OKAY YOU CAN'T. YOU CAN'T DO IT FOR US. THANK YOU, MISS MURCHISON. I APPRECIATE THAT. ANYTHING ELSE? ALL RIGHT, WITH THAT, WE'RE GOING TO CONCLUDE OUR APPRECIATE Y'ALL COMING OUT. THANKS TO ALL OUR STAFF AND OUR VOLUNTEERS, IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO SEE EVERYBODY. AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WATCHING ONLINE, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I GAVE MY EMAIL OUT AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO TALKING WITH YOU AGAIN. AND MAKING OUR NEXT PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. BE SAFE
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.