* 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. [Diversity and Inclusion Meeting on November 19, 2024.] [00:02:37] CAN YOU HEAR US, DAN? YES. OKAY, THANK YOU. UM, AND THEN THE OTHER, UM, UPDATE I HAD, IF, AND I BELIEVE, OH, SORRY. DID I, DID YOU GET AN AGENDA? I THINK WE HAVE ONE. I THINK I PRINTED BECAUSE ON THIS, ON YOUR SECOND PAGE, KIND OF THIS LIKE ATTACHMENT MM-HMM. , THE PROPOSED PROCLAMATION SCHEDULE. SO THIS IS WHAT, UM, OUR CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE IS CURRENTLY TRACKING COMING IN. THERE. IT, THANK YOU, UHHUH. OKAY, ONE SECOND. AND SO THE OTHER UPDATE THAT THE, UM, PROPOSED PROCLAMATION SCHEDULE THAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU IS WHAT THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE IS CURRENTLY TRACKING. UM, I KNOW THAT Y'ALL, THE COMMISSION, UM, VOTED TO FOCUS ON, I BELIEVE DECEMBER, JANUARY AND FEBRUARY. I'LL HAVE TO GO BACK AND SEE WHICH ONES. UM, BUT I WANTED TO PRESENT THIS TO Y'ALL AND TO REMIND YOU THAT AS A COMMISSION, UM, TO DISCUSS OR MAYBE HAVE AN ACTION PLAN ON HOW THESE PROCLAMATIONS WILL BE WRITTEN AND HOW THEY'LL COME ABOUT IF YOU NEED HELP WITH STAFF OR WHAT KIND OF ACTION YOU NEED FROM US ON AS STAFF. AND THEN, UM, COMMISSIONER BELL, I, BEFORE THAT WAS THE HOLIDAY REMINDER. SO YES. AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE NOW. UM, I DON'T, FIVE GENERAL COMMENTS FROM CITY COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES. UM, I DIDN'T REALLY HAVE MUCH FOR YOU GUYS, UH, RIGHT NOW. UM, ONE THING I CAN THINK OF THAT CAME UP IS THERE WAS SOME EXPLORATION OF ALLOWING, UH, RESIDENT ALIENS ON BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS. AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO BE PURSUED. UM, I DID THINK IF THAT'S AN AREA THAT YOU GUYS THINK NEEDS SOME PARTICIPATION, THAT IF YOU START DOING THE, THE KIND OF FOCUS GROUP TYPE THING, THAT THAT MIGHT BE AN AVENUE TO, TO GET THAT KIND OF PARTICIPATION, UM, IN FRONT OF THE BOARD. SO I THINK THAT'S STILL OPEN TO YOU GUYS. IT'S JUST THERE WILL NOT BE ANY, ANY, UM, [00:05:01] NON-CITIZENS AS BOARD MEMBERS. NOW, GENERAL COMMENTS FROM COMMISSION VOTERS. OKAY. I DON'T, I THINK EVERYTHING IS GONNA BE COVERED TODAY, SO I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING LEFT. OKAY. NOW WE'RE AT OTHER BUSINESS, THE 7.1 PRESENTATION AND UPDATE FROM HUDDLE. ISD . WELCOME. HI. UM, DO YOU WANT ME TO LIKE STAY? JUST WHATEVER YOU'RE COMFORTABLE WITH. OKAY. AND WHATEVER I WANT. SURE. WHATEVER YOU'D LIKE. I'M GONNA GET YOU UP HERE. WELL, EXCUSE MY CONGESTION. I AM VERY IN AT THE MOMENT. MY TWO BABIES GOT ME SICK. SO PLEASE USE VOICE . IS THERE A PRESENTATION USUALLY HAVE TO BE SIGNED IN? IT SHOULD BE THAT SAME BUTTON UP THERE NEAR SHARE. WILL IT WORK FOR ME TO CLICK THROUGH THE SLIDES LIKE THIS FOR YOU? THAT'S FINE. OKAY. YEAH, IT SHOULD BE FINE. OKAY. ALRIGHT. HELLO EVERYONE. MY NAME IS KEANA GGL. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION FOR HU ISD. AND I WANT TO GIVE YOU GUYS AN UPDATE ON WHAT WE'RE DOING AS A DISTRICT AND SOME OF THE CHALLENGES WE'RE FACING. AND THEN IF Y'ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME, UM, . ALL RIGHT. UH, SO I ALWAYS MAKE SURE TO EXPLAIN DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION TO OUR FAMILIES, TO OUR PARENTS, TO OUR STAFF MEMBERS, AND OUR STUDENTS, BECAUSE EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN INTERPRETATION OF WHAT IT MEANS. AND SO JUST MAKING SURE TO HAVE THAT, UM, OPEN, CLEAR, AND PRESENT. UM, SO OF COURSE DIVERSITY IS THE UNIQUE QUALITIES, PERSPECTIVES, AND LIVED EXPERIENCES THAT EVERY INDIVIDUAL HAS. UM, EQUITY IS PROVIDING SUPPORT BASED ON ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENCES. AND THEN INCLUSION IS JUST MAKING SURE EVERYONE FEELS LIKE THEY'RE VALUED, THEY'RE SEEN, AND THEIR HEARD. ALL RIGHT. SO WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? SO ON THE STUDENT SIDE, UM, WE DO WORKSHOPS FOR, UH, KINDERGARTEN THROUGH FIFTH GRADE. SO THESE WORKSHOPS FOCUS ON KINDNESS, POSITIVE WORDS, EMPATHY, CONFIDENCE. AND THEN FROM SIXTH THROUGH 12TH GRADE, WE WORK ON SOFT SKILLS. SO EYE CONTACT WHEN YOU'RE HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH SOMEONE, UM, SHAKING HANDS, HOW TO START AND HOLD A CONVERSATION ALONG WITH CONFIDENCE, BUILDING POSITIVE SELF-TALK, MINDFULNESS, UM, DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES THAT, THAT THEY WOULD USE AS ADULTS AS WELL. SO MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE DEVELOPING THOSE SKILLS SO THEY BE SUCCESSFUL BOTH IN THE CLASSROOM AND OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM. UM, I AM PART OF THE CAMPUS STUDENT GROUPS AT EACH OF THE CAMPUSES. UM, SO THEY ALREADY HAVE ESTABLISHED GROUPS. I JUST INSERT MYSELF AND DO DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES, GET FEEDBACK FROM THEM ON HOW THEY'RE FILLING AT THEIR CAMPUS AND WHERE THEY FEEL THERE ARE GAPS WHERE THE DISTRICT CAN STEP IN AND MAKE SURE THAT WE FEEL THAT SENSE OF BELONGING. UH, WE DO HAVE A WEBSITE THAT HAS A LOAD OF RESOURCES. I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT LATER. UM, AND THEN WE HAVE A PODCAST. AND SO THE STUDENTS CAN GET INTERVIEWED, UM, THEY CAN SHARE THEIR STORIES. IT'S JUST A DIFFERENT AVENUE THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO ENGAGE TO HAVE THEIR STORY TOLD. AND THEN OF COURSE, YOU CAN'T HAVE, UM, YOU CAN'T HAVE A PROGRAM WITHOUT DATA. SO WE DO SURVEYS, WE DO FOCUS GROUPS, DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT TO GET THAT DATA THAT WE NEED TO KNOW WHERE WE NEED TO GO. AS FAR AS INITIATIVES GO ON THE STAFF SIDE, WE HAVE HAVE AFFINITY GROUPS. SO THESE ARE BASICALLY EMPLOYEE RESOURCE GROUPS. UM, SO THESE ARE SEPARATED OUT BY IDENTITY, UM, BY INTERESTS, AND THEN BY EXPERIENCES. AND SO THERE'S THREE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES THAT OUR STAFF MEMBERS ARE ABLE TO CHOOSE FROM. UM, AND THEN WE HAVE A SAFE SPACE FORM. UM, SO I CREATED THIS JUST FOR STAFF TO HAVE AN AVENUE TO GET OUT ANYTHING THAT'S GOING ON WITH THEM, WHETHER IT'S POSITIVE, NEGATIVE, WHETHER IT HAS TO DO WITH THE STUDENT OR JUST SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE DEALING WITH DURING THE DAY. UM, AND SO THEY'RE ABLE TO FILL THAT OUT. IT CAN BE TOTALLY ANONYMOUS OR IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT THEY WANT ME TO FOLLOW UP WITH THEM ON, TO HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO LEAVE THEIR EMAIL ADDRESS AS WELL. UM, I DO A LOT OF TEAM BUILDING. UM, SO SOMETIMES WE HAVE DIFFERENT ISSUES WITH STAFF. WE MAY NOT BE GETTING ALONG. SO I'LL COME IN AND MAKE SURE THAT WE DO THOSE ACTIVITIES THAT WE NEED TO GET THAT, UM, COHESIVENESS BACK. UM, STAFF TRAININGS ARE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AND DURING THE SUMMER. WE ALSO HAVE TEACHER SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. SO I TELL THE TEACHERS, IF YOU'RE HAVING A BAD DAY, YOU NEED 30 MINUTES, YOU NEED 45 MINUTES. I'LL LITERALLY COME TO YOUR CLASS. I'LL SIT IN THERE, I'LL DO AN ACTIVITY WITH THOSE STUDENTS, AND I'LL GIVE YOU [00:10:01] THAT TIME TO BREATHE. SO JUST LETTING THEM KNOW THAT THE DISTRICT IS HERE TO SUPPORT THEM. UM, AND THEN OF COURSE, RESOURCES ON THE WEBSITE AS WELL. PODCAST OPPORTUNITIES FOR THOSE STAFF MEMBERS AND ADULTS IN THE DISTRICT AS WELL. AND THEN WE HAVE DISTRICT COMMITTEES. UM, SO MY DISTRICT COMMITTEE IS COMPRISED OF STAFF AT THE DISTRICT, FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS, FROM PARENTS. UM, WE ACTUALLY HAVE CHENEY WHO IS HERE. SHE'S ON MY COMMITTEE AS WELL. UM, AND THEN WE HAVE DEI, RELATED STAFF ISSUES. I WILL STEP IN AND PROVIDE MY DEI LENS AND MAKE SURE THAT THOSE ISSUES ARE HANDLED ACCORDINGLY. AND THEN AGAIN, WITH THE DATA COLLECTION, WE ALWAYS HAVE THAT FEATURE AS WELL. AND THEN ON THE DISTRICT LEVEL, UM, SO WE HAVE, UH, LIKE I MENTIONED OUR DEI CITIZENS COMMITTEE. UH, WE HAVE DATA COLLECTION ANALYZATION, WHICH IS ALWAYS HAPPENING, PRINCIPAL MEETINGS AT THE CAMPUSES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. UM, AND THEN SCHOOL SUPPORT MEETINGS. SO THESE ARE THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS THAT WE CONNECT WITH SCHOOL SUPPORT, CE AND I, UM, C-T-E-C-C-M-R MEETINGS. AND THEN OF COURSE, YOU GUYS HERE, CITY OF HU. UH, WE HAVE OUR INTERNATIONAL TEACHERS. UM, I HELP WITH NEW EMPLOYEE ORIENTATION, WITH STAFF RECRUITMENT. I SIT IN ON TERMINATION MEETINGS TO PROVIDE THAT DEI LENS AND MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS EQUITABLE. UM, AND THEN I AM IN CHARGE OF OUR HR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES, AS WELL AS MY OWN SOCIAL MEDIA, UM, AND WEBSITE. AND THEN WE HAVE OUR DEI PUBLIC FORUMS, WHICH I USUALLY HAVE ONE PER SEMESTER. AND IT'S OPEN TO THE ENTIRE PUBLIC. THEY'RE ABLE TO COME IN AND ASK ME QUESTIONS ON WHAT WE'RE DOING, OFFER GUIDANCE AND FEEDBACK ONTO, UM, HOW OUR INITIATIVES ARE GOING AS A DISTRICT. SORRY. GOOD LORD. ALL RIGHT. SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE FACED SO FAR, UH, WE DID HAVE A CHANGE WHERE OUR DIP GOAL EIGHT HAS BEEN, UM, INTEGRATED INTO OUR NEW STRATEGIC PLAN. AND THAT WAS NOT CONSULTED WITH OUR COMMITTEE WHO DEVELOPED THAT GOAL AND THOSE OBJECTIVES. AND SO WITH THAT, THERE'S A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY. THERE'S A LOT OF CONFUSION. THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT EMOTIONS THAT I'M TRYING TO HELP THE COMMITTEE WORK THROUGH. UM, BUT IT HAS BEEN A LITTLE DIFFICULT. UM, 'CAUSE THEY FEEL LIKE THERE ISN'T THAT TRANSPARENCY THAT NEEDS TO BE THERE SO THAT THEY UNDERSTAND WHY THIS DECISION WAS MADE AND WHERE WE'RE GOING AS A DISTRICT AS FAR AS DEI IS CONCERNED. UM, AND SO THE EXPLICIT DEI TERMINOLOGY IS NO LONGER THERE AS IT ONCE WAS. AND SO TO THEM IT'S LIKE, WELL, WHAT ARE WE DOING AS A DISTRICT? DO WE REALLY BELIEVE IN DEI LIKE WHAT'S HAPPENING? AND SO THAT TRANSPARENCY IS A HUGE ISSUE AT THE MOMENT THAT WE'RE TRYING TO WORK THROUGH TOGETHER. UM, SO THAT UNCERTAINTY IS ALSO THERE SURROUNDING THE NEW LEADERSHIP. UM, SO THEY WANT TO KNOW WHERE THEY STAND ON DEI AND SO THEY'RE ASKING FOR THAT CLARITY THERE AS WELL. UH OH, IS MY WEBSITE NOT THERE? OH, MAN. THAT'S OKAY. DO YOU, DO YOU WANT ME TO GO SOMEWHERE? YEAH. SO YOU CAN GO TO , ISD HR. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS WHILE WE'RE, WHAT IS DIP GOAL? LIKE WHAT IS IT? UH, SO OUR DIP GOAL EIGHT WAS BASICALLY, UM, ESTABLISHING THAT SENSE OF BELONGING FOR EVERY STUDENT AND STAFF MEMBER IN EVERY DISTRICT BUILDING, UM, AND SAFETY. AND SO WITH THAT, THERE WERE SEVEN PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES. AND SO EACH ONE WAS ESSENTIALLY RELATED TO MAKING SURE THAT OUR STAFF DEMOGRAPHIC AND STUDENT DEMOGRAPHIC WAS MATCHED AS FAR AS RECRUITMENT GOES. AND LIKE, SO THOSE DIFFERENT THINGS. SO LIKE CCMR RATES AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND THINGS LIKE THAT. AND SO IT WAS VERY, VERY DESCRIPTIVE. AND NOW SOMEONE WHO WAS IT THAT, WHO WAS IT THAT OVERRODE? MOVED IT? YEAH. WHO, WHO CHANGED IT? SO IT WAS, UH, VOTED ON. IT WAS VOTED ON. YEAH. OH, OKAY. MM-HMM. . AND WHEN YOU SAY NEW LEADERSHIP IS, WHAT IS THAT? OH, SO THEY'RE JUST WONDERING WHERE A NEW HEAD HIPPO. MM-HMM. , WHICH SHE HAS JOINED OUR LATEST MEETING. AND SHE WAS, SHE WAS GREAT, I WILL SAY. AND SO I GUESS JUST THAT LETTING US KNOW IT WAS MORE OF THE TRANSPARENCY THAT RIGHT. THEY FELT IT WAS CHANGED AND THEY DIDN'T MM-HMM. . GOT IT. YEAH. SO YOU CAN CLICK THAT LITTLE BUTTON DOWN HERE. IT SAYS CLICK TO VISIT THE HUDDLE. ISD, TALENT MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL SUPPORT. OH, GOT IT. YES. ORANGE. AND THEN, SO AT THE TOP WHERE IT SAYS YOUR SUPPORT TEAM, YOU'LL [00:15:01] JUST HAVE THAT DROPDOWN COME DOWN AND YOU'LL CLICK THAT FIRST ONE. ALL RIGHT. SO THIS IS OUR LOVELY DEI WEBSITE. UM, SO MY THING IS 100% TRANSPARENCY. SO WHATEVER I DO IS HERE. SO IF PARENTS ASK ME, WHAT ARE YOU TEACHING MY STUDENT? WHAT ARE Y'ALL TALKING ABOUT? IT'S HERE. EVERYTHING. AND FOR THE STAFF, FOR THE STUDENTS, FOR PARENTS, ALL OF THE DATA THAT WE'RE COLLECTING, EVERYTHING IS HERE. UM, SO IF YOU SCROLL DOWN, YOU SEE THAT THERE ARE FOUR BUTTONS THERE. SO PARENTS CAN, UH, YOU CAN CLICK THAT PARENT RESOURCES BUTTON. SO PARENTS WILL CLICK THIS AND THERE WILL BE ALL KINDS OF RESOURCES THERE FOR THEM. YOU COULD CLICK ONE OF THOSE DROPDOWN MENUS. AND SO THERE WILL HAVE, THERE WILL BE LINKS WITH THAT THEY CAN ACCESS FOR THOSE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT THEY NEED, UM, FOR THEMSELVES AND FOR THEIR STUDENTS. UM, IF YOU GO BACK TO THE MAIN WEBSITE TAB SPECIALIST, ALRIGHT. AND THEN OUR, WHAT'S HAPPENING, I ALWAYS MAKE SURE TO UPDATE THAT WITH THE MOST CURRENT, UM, THINGS THAT I'M WORKING ON AND THAT OUR COMMITTEE IS WORKING ON TOGETHER. UM, AND I'M SUPER, UM, SERIOUS. I THINK SHOWING RATHER THAN TELLING IS IMPORTANT. SO I LOVE PICTURES OF VIDEOS. SEEING THE WORK BEING DONE IS SUPER IMPORTANT TO ME. SO I ALWAYS MAKE SURE TO HAVE THAT THERE UPFRONT. UM, AND THEN AS FAR AS STUDENT WORKSHOPS GO, YOU CAN CLICK THAT STUDENT WORKSHOP LINK. SO I MENTIONED BEFORE THAT, YOU KNOW, THE THINGS THAT I PRESENT TO THE STUDENTS, I ALWAYS WANNA MAKE SURE TO BE SURE TRANSPARENT WITH THE PARENTS SO THEY CAN COME IN AND SEE THOSE DIFFERENT WORKSHOPS THAT I'VE WORKED ON. UM, YOU CAN CLICK THAT BOTTOM WORDS MATTER. AND SO I GO INTO THE CLASSES AND I DO DIFFERENT WORKSHOPS, OR I CREATE VIDEOS THAT CAN BE PLAYED, UM, DURING SPECIAL TIMES FOR THE STUDENTS. SO THIS IS ONE OF THOSE VIDEOS THAT I CREATED FOR STUDENTS. UM, I WAS TOLD THAT STUDENTS WERE HAVING TROUBLE WITH DEROGATORY TERMS. AND SO I CREATED THIS VIDEO THAT ADDRESSES THE WHOLE SCOPE OF THAT. UM, AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND, UH, YOU KNOW, IT MAY BE CULTURAL, IT MAY BE SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE USED TO HEARING, HOWEVER, IT DOESN'T BELONG AT SCHOOL. SO HELPING THEM UNDERSTAND THAT AND THE IMPACT OF THAT. IT MAY JUST BE A WORD TO YOU, BUT IT COULD COST YOU YOUR FUTURE. SO BE CAREFUL IN THE WAYS THAT YOU USE IT AND WHERE YOU USE IT. UM, AND YEAH, YOU CAN GO BACK TO THE REGULAR, I MEAN, YOU CAN IF YOU WANT TO. THERE'S SOUND TO IT. OH, OKAY. , I THINK IT'S LIKE EIGHT MINUTES AGO. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANNA PLAY. WELL, DO Y'ALL WANNA WATCH? I CAN SHARE THE LINK WITH EVERYONE. YEAH. YEAH. IT'S ON THE WEBSITE, SO YEAH. Y'ALL ARE ABLE TO CLICK THROUGH AND, AND FIND ALL THE THINGS. SO MY QUESTION AS FAR AS, UH, THE HUDDLE ISB WEBSITE. MM-HMM. , HOW IS IT LINKED TO THE CITY OF HUDDLE'S WEBSITE? IS IT LINKED ON THERE? IT'S NOT AS FAR AS I, IT IS NOT LINKED. WELL, IT, IT MIGHT BE, I'D HAVE TO DOUBLE CHECK UNDER, UM, PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS. POSSIBLY. WE DID JUST GET A NEW LIKE INTERFACE. MM-HMM. . SO, AND MIGHT NEED TO BE UPDATED, MORE UPDATES TO COME IN JANUARY, BUT ABOUT THE WHOLE WEBSITE DISCUSSION. GOTCHA. UM, WE'RE ALSO GETTING A, A NEW A FACELIFT. YEAH. . UM, AND SO IF YOU SCROLL DOWN A LITTLE BIT, UM, I HAVE A VIDEO UP THERE OF SOME OF THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TEAM BUILDING THAT I'VE DONE WITH CHILD NUTRITION DEPARTMENT. UM, SO I WAS TOLD, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HAVING TROUBLE WORKING TOGETHER, THERE'S MISCOMMUNICATION, THIS AND THAT. AND SO I MADE SURE THAT WE HAD DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES THAT WE COULD DO, UM, TO GET THAT COHESIVENESS BACK, UM, AND TO START EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATING WITH ONE ANOTHER AGAIN. UM, WHICH WAS SUPER BENEFICIAL BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES THEY DO GET LEFT OUT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES. UM, SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY AS WELL. IF YOU KEEP SCROLLING DOWN, , UM, THERE'S OUR DISTRICT CITIZENS COMMITTEE. UH, SO I PUT OUR AGENDAS THERE, UM, AT THE DROPDOWN. AND THEN WITH THE DEI PUBLIC FIRMS, I ALSO PUT OUR AGENDAS AND OUR PRESENTATIONS IN ENGLISH AND IN SPANISH. UM, AND THEN AT THE VERY BOTTOM THERE IS OUR PODCAST. AND SO IF ANYONE, EVEN YOU GUYS, IF Y'ALL WANNA BE INTERVIEWED, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SELECT THAT BUTTON AND I'LL SEND YOU AN EMAIL TO SCHEDULE THAT PODCAST INTERVIEW AND YOU'LL BE ABLE TO TELL YOUR STORY. AND, UM, DIVERSITY SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. SO I'M NOT ASKING ANY QUESTIONS, UM, I'M JUST WANTING YOU TO TELL YOUR STORY. UM, SO YEAH, THAT'S ALL. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME? SO HOW DID THE, THE CITIZENS COMMITTEES [00:20:01] WORK? HOW DOES IT WORK? YEAH. UM, SO EACH YEAR I WILL RECRUIT MORE MEMBERS, UM, USUALLY DURING THE SUMMERTIME. UM, SO I SEND OUT EMAILS THROUGHOUT. UM, I CAN HAVE THEM SENT THROUGH THE CITY OF HUDDLE AS WELL. I HAVE NOT USED THAT AVENUE YET. MM-HMM. . SO IT'S PROBABLY WHY YOU HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT IT. UM, BUT IT'S OPEN TO ANYONE IN THE COMMUNITY. MM-HMM. . AND SO THERE ARE THEY LIKE A, ON A SPECIFIC TOPIC OR? UM, SO IT DEPENDS. IT DEPENDS WHAT'S GOING ON AT OUR CAMPUSES. UM, SO IF THERE'S AN ISSUE THAT'S HAPPENING OR IF SOMEONE RAISES A CONCERN, UM, THAT WILL BE THE FOCUS OF THE MEETINGS. IT'S BASED ON THE NEED OF THE DISTRICT. YOU OBTAINED THE EMAIL ADDRESSES THROUGH, UH, SCHOOL REGISTRATION OR YOU SAID NO. WELL, YOU SAID YOU, YOU RECRUIT THIS COMMITTEE. MM-HMM. YOU SENT OUT AN EMAIL, RIGHT? OR YOU JUST UH, WE, I SEND OUT AN EMAIL TO, UH, THE CAMPUSES, UH, SO FOR ANY STAFF WHO WENT TO JOIN. AND THEN I ALSO HAVE OUR COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT POST ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA. GOTCHA. SO THAT'S OPEN TO, TO EVERYONE. WHAT DID THE COMMITTEES DO? UM, SO THEY HELP ME FIGURE OUT WHAT WE NEED TO DO AS A DISTRICT. THEY HAVE THOSE DIFFERENT LENSES. SO PARENTS, THERE'S PRINCIPALS, THERE'S SOMEONE FROM OUR, UH, HOW DO ISD POLICE DEPARTMENT THERE. UM, SO THEY GIVE ME THOSE DIFFERENT LENSES SO THAT WE KNOW HOW TO MOVE. WHAT DIRECTION DO YOU KNOW THE TOTAL STUDENT OF ROME? OF AUTO? I RIGHT NOW? 10,000 PLUS. 10,000 PLUS. DEFINITELY . AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN YOUR POSITION? I'VE BEEN HERE SINCE JANUARY. OF THIS YEAR? YES, SIR. AND DOES THAT INCLUDE THE, THE, THE, UM, STAR RANCH, BECAUSE THAT'S A, THAT'S HOW AN OUTLIER. YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S HOW I STAY AS WELL. SO THEY RECRUITED YOU AND YOUR TITLE? JA YOU STARTED JANUARY OF THIS YEAR? YES, MA'AM. SO WHO WAS IN YOUR ROLE BEFORE YOU? HER NAME WAS DR. TAI. DON. OKAY. OKAY. SO THEY'VE BEEN, SO, I GUESS SO I'M THE SECOND PERSON IN THIS POSITION. HOW, HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN? YEAH, I, I GUESS PROBABLY I'M THE SECOND PERSON. YOU'RE THE SECOND PERSON. AND SHE WAS HERE FOR A LITTLE OVER A YEAR, ABOUT THREE YEARS OR SO. YEAH. THANKS MR. OKAY. WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES? YEAH. WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE MY BIGGEST CHALLENGES? YES. OTHER THAN COMMUNICATION. RIGHT. ? TO BE HONEST, I DON'T, I HAVEN'T RECEIVED ANY PUSHBACK OR ANYTHING. IT, IT'S BEEN SMOOTH. PARENTAL COMPLAINTS? NO, I THINK IT'S BECAUSE OF THE TRANSPARENCY. MM-HMM. . LIKE, I MAKE SURE EVERY LITTLE, EVERY EYE THAT I PUT ON A DOCUMENT, YOU CAN SEE IT. MM-HMM. . AND SO THAT, THAT'S HOW I GO AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING IN ORDER. . SO YOU'RE, YOU'RE FINISHING UP A, A SCHOOL YEAR. MM-HMM. , LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS COMING 2025, WHERE YOU FINISH UP A CALENDAR YEARS ARE, WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING, WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST GOAL YOU'RE LOOKING TO ACCOMPLISH IN 2025 HMM. WITH YOUR PROGRAM? I THINK FOR THE STUDENT SIDE, I JUST WANT ALL THE STUDENTS TO FEEL THAT SENSE OF BELONGING. TO FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE A REASON TO GET UP AND GO TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY. UM, AND FOR THE STAFF SIDE DO THE SAME THING. I WANT THEM TO FEEL HAPPY TO GET UP ON A MONDAY MORNING. I DON'T WANT THEM TO GET OUTTA BED AND UGH, I'M SO LIKE, YOU KNOW, I WANT THEM TO HAVE A GOOD FEELING ABOUT WORKING IN HOW DO ISD THAT MAKES SENSE. I COULD SAY THAT. MM-HMM. AND I, WHILE HE WAS TALKING I DID THINK OF SOMETHING ELSE. SO I THINK YOU MENTIONED IT WAS LIKE AN ANONYMOUS FORM THAT THEY CAN ACTUALLY PUT THEIR INFORMATION ON. DO Y'ALL HAVE A STUDENT FORM? I KNOW THIS IS FOR STAFF. I KNOW THEY HAVE A, LIKE A FORM ON THE WEBSITE. UM, SO STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO USE THAT. BUT I DO NOT HAVE AN ANONYMOUS FORM. HOWEVER, I WOULD BE, I WOULD BE OPEN TO CREATING ONE. OKAY. YOU, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR BIGGEST SUCCESS? [00:25:03] I HONESTLY IT'S WORKING WITH THE STUDENTS AND SEEING THE SHIFT FROM WHEN I FIRST WALK IN THE CLASSROOM UNTIL THE END OF ANY OF THE, OF THE PRESENTATIONS THAT I DO. MM-HMM. . AND HOW THEIR EYES JUST BRIGHTEN UP AND THEY'RE GIVING ME FEEDBACK AND THEY'RE ENGAGING IN THE CONVERSATIONS AND THEY'RE ACTIVE AND THEY'RE LISTENING AND, MM-HMM. , I THINK THAT'S THE BEST PART. YOU WORK WITH THE HIGH SCHOOL TOO? YES, I DO. I WAS WONDERING WHAT THEIR THOUGHT OF WAS ON THE, THE VIDEOS ABOUT LANGUAGE. MM-HMM. AND PROFANITY AND ALL OF THAT. RIGHT. HOW, I MEAN, HOW DID THEY ACCEPT THAT? SO I HAD SENT THAT TO A PRINCIPAL. HE ASKED FOR A VIDEO, SO I WASN'T ABLE TO, TO BE THERE. MM-HMM. TO GET THAT FEEDBACK FROM THE STUDENTS. HOWEVER, THAT I CAN GO IN THOSE ROOMS AND, AND ASK WHAT DID YOU GUYS THINK? AND ASK SOME OF THOSE CLARIFYING QUESTIONS, UM, TO GAIN, YOU KNOW, FEEDBACK ON THEIR UNDERSTANDING AND INTERPRETATION. 'CAUSE IT DOES START, I THINK, A LOT WITH LANGUAGE STARTS. ABSOLUTELY. WITH LANGUAGE . AND IT'S REALLY ALL ABOUT HOW WE TREAT WOMEN. RIGHT. RIGHT. SO THAT'S WHY THOSE SKILLS ARE SO IMPORTANT. THAT'S WHY WHEN I TALK TO THE STUDENTS, I, I FOCUS ON THOSE, THOSE SKILLS. 'CAUSE THEY CARRY ALONG THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES. OKAY. I THINK THAT'S, THANK YOU. VERY GREAT. THANK YOU. UM, 0.2 PRESENTATION UPDATE FROM HUDDLE POLICE DEPARTMENT. GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. IT GOOD TO BE BACK HERE? I REACHED OUT TO CHRISTIE A FEW MONTHS AGO AND SAID, HEY, I WANNA GET BEFORE THE DEII WANTED TO TALK WITH, WITH YOU, AND TO GIVE YOU A GLIMPSE, OPEN UP THE CURTAINS TO KINDA SHOW YOU SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON IN THE HUDDLE POLICE DEPARTMENT. I KNOW IT'S REALLY EASY FOR PEOPLE TO SEE THE NEWS AND TAKE WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OTHER PLACES AND TRANSPOSE THAT TO YOUR COMMUNITY. AND WITHOUT THE COUNTERACTS SHOWING WHAT'S GOING ON, I THINK IT LEAVES PEOPLE BELIEVING SOME MISCONCEPTIONS. AND SO I WANT TO COME IN AND TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE HUDDLE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING IN THE AREA, SPECIFICALLY OF PEI AND WHERE YOU'LL SEE SOME OF THE ADDED VALUES WERE THE MANDATES OFFSHORE. SO I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE TRAINING THAT WE DO. I WANNA TALK ABOUT STAFFING, AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THE NEW POSITIONS THAT WE'VE GOT. SO THE REASON WHY I WANNA TALK ABOUT TRAINING IS I WANNA START OUT BY EXPLAINING THAT WHEN IT COMES TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION, OR ANY TYPE OF, UH, DIVERSITY TRAINING, THE STATE ONLY REQUIRES LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WHO HAVE A BASIC AND AN INTERMEDIATE TO TAKE WHAT'S CALLED, UH, CULTURAL DIVERSITY. SO THERE ARE, THERE ARE CERTAIN CATEGORIES. SO IF YOU, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU GET OUTTA THE POLICE ACADEMY, YOU GET A BASIC PEACE OFFICER'S CERTIFICATE AFTER A FEW YEARS, WHEN YOU REACH A CERTAIN LEVEL OF TRAINING, YOU GET AN INTERMEDIATE, THEN YOU GET AN ADVANCE AND YOU GET A MASTER'S. SO AS UNTIL YOU GET YOUR, GET PAST, YOUR INTERMEDIATE, EVERY FOUR YEARS IS THE REQUIREMENT TO TAKE CULTURAL DIVERSITY TRAINING. SO YOU'VE GOT OFFICERS ON THE STREETS THAT THEY GET, THEY'RE INTERMEDIATE IN SIX YEARS, AND THEY'VE ONLY TAKEN, UH, TWO DIVERSITY TRAINING COURSES, AND THEN YOU'RE NO LONGER REQUIRED. ONE OF THE THINGS IN, IN MY CAREER THAT I'VE LEARNED IS THAT, AND I THINK I SAW IT FROM A SHOW THAT SAYS, ATTITUDE REFLECTS LEADERSHIP. AND SO WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU AS A LEADER UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE PAST EXPERIENCES THAT PEOPLE HAVE GONE THROUGH, YOU UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'RE SERVING A DIVERSE COMMUNITY. PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES. PEOPLE THAT COME FROM DIFFERENT RACES, PEOPLE COME FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS AND RELIGIONS, UH, SOCIOECONOMIC, UH, EXPERIENCES. YOU REALIZE THAT THE RESPONSE THAT YOU EXPECT FROM PEOPLE AREN'T ALWAYS GONNA BE MYO MYOPIC BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT TRIGGERS, THEY HAVE DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES. AND SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND WHO YOU'RE DEALING WITH AND WHY YOU'RE DEALING WITH PEOPLE IN A CERTAIN WAY. FOR EXAMPLE, I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE, IF YOU GO TO MY FAMILY REUNION OR YOU GO TO WITH, UH, YOU'RE AROUND ME AND MY FAMILY, WE TALK LOUD, WE LAUGH, WE YELL, WE, IF SOMEBODY'S PLAYING DOMINOES, YOU SLAMMING IT. AND, AND PEOPLE MAY LOOK AT US AND THINK THAT WE ARE ANGRY. WE'RE NOT, AIN'T NOBODY'S ANGRY. NOBODY'S ABOUT TO FIGHT. THAT'S JUST WHO WE ARE. AND THE, AND THE LOUDER WE, THE LOUDER I CAN BE WITH MY FAMILY. I'M BEING HEARD, MY JOKES ARE BEING HEARD OVER EVERYBODY. BUT, YOU KNOW, BUT SOMETIMES THEY'RE LOUD, CAN BE TOO LOUD FOR PEOPLE THAT AREN'T USED TO 'EM. SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT DIFFERENT CULTURES HAVE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF EXPRESSION. DIFFERENT CULTURES HAVE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF TOLERANCE. AND ONCE YOU GET A CHANCE TO SEE PEOPLE FOR WHO THEY TRULY [00:30:01] ARE, THE VALUE LEVEL OF THOSE, OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS CONTINUE TO GROW. BECAUSE I, I, I, I WROTE A BOOK, AND IT, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, IT WAS THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER. AND, UM, IT, IT'S A SCHOOL SAFETY BOOK AND, UM, A TEXT TEXTBOOK. AND, AND I TALK ABOUT IN THERE HOW EVERYONE HAS CULTURAL CAPITAL. EVERYONE HAS VALUE, EVERYONE HAS NEED, AND EVERYONE COMES FROM DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES. AND ONCE YOU UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU CAN MAKE INROADS IN PLACES THAT PEOPLE USED TO CONSIDER TO BE GAPS. SO AS A LEADER OF THIS DEPARTMENT, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I DID IS I WANTED TO MAKE SURE OUR MAN STAFF AND OUR SERGEANTS, FIRST LINE SUPERVISORS WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND WHEN IT CAME TO GETTING TRAINING. AND SOME OF THE TRAINING THAT WE DID, WE STARTED OUT WITH RICE UNIVERSITY. RICE UNIVERSITY HAS A FOUR CORE SPECIALIZATION CERTIFICATION PROGRAM WHERE WE TOOK DEFINING DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND ORGANIZATIONS. THE SECOND COURSE WAS KEY CONCEPTS IN ORGANIZATIONAL DEI, ASSESSING CULTURAL CLIMATE. THE FOURTH ONE WAS BEST PRACTICES AND THEN PLANNING DEI INTERVENTIONS. SO WE WANTED TO LEARN WHAT IT TAKES TO SERVE A DIVERSE POPULATION, NOT ONLY A DIVERSE POPULATION, BUT TO SERVE A DIVERSE WORK ENVIRONMENT OR STAFF, AND TO LOOK AT OUR OWN SELVES AND SEE WHERE WE'RE MISSING IT. SO HOW WE CAN, HOW WE CAN LEARN TO CONNECT. AND WE ALSO WENT THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS, AND THEY HAD AN INCLUSION, DIVERSITY AND EQUITY AND ACCE AND ACCESS ESSENTIALS PROGRAM. UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS WENT THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. MY ASSISTANT CHIEF WAS SO IMMERSED IN THIS STUFF THAT HE TOOK A COURSE THROUGH UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO ON LGBTQIA PLUS. SO BECAUSE HE, HE SAID, YOU KNOW, CHIEF, WE'RE SERVING A LOT OF COMMUNITIES AND I DON'T WANT TO OFFEND PEOPLE BECAUSE OF MY LIMITED KNOWLEDGE. AND SO WE PUSHED THIS INFORMATION DOWN TO OUR SERGEANTS. AND THE GOAL IS, SO IT'S LIKE, WELL, OUR OFFICERS ARE MANDATED TO TAKE THOSE THAT HAVE THE BASIC AND INTERMEDIARY MANDATED TO TAKE CULTURE DIVERSITY EVERY FOUR YEARS. SO HOW CAN WE BRIDGE THAT GAP? BECAUSE WE WANT TO FERTILIZE FROM THE BOTTOM, BUT WE WANT TO AS FROM THE TOP, WE WANNA RAIN DOWN SO THAT YOU CAN GET GROWTH IN BETWEEN. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID WAS WE ACTUALLY TOOK ON A TRAINING PROGRAM IN OUR DEPARTMENT, WHICH WAS THE VIRTUAL ACADEMY. AND OSSI IS ANOTHER PROGRAM TRAINING PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES TRAINING COURSES. AND THERE'S ANOTHER ONE THROUGH EML, TEXAS MUNICIPAL LEAGUE WHERE OUR OFFICERS CAN GO AND WE ARE SIGNING THEM SPECIFIC TRAINING TO DEI. THEY CAN TAKE A VARIETY OF TRAINING, BUT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE RAISING THEIR, I THINK YOU BUILD CONFIDENCE THROUGH COMPETENCE. SO THE MORE YOU LEARN, THE MORE CONFIDENT YOU BECOME IN YOUR ABILITIES TO, UH, NAVIGATE YOUR, THE, THE CYCLES AND THE, THE ENVIRONMENTS THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE RELEGATED TO. ALSO, WHAT WE DID WAS, IN, IN ADDITION TO ALL OF MY OFFICERS THAT ARE SUPERVISORS, WE, AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR, OR THIS, THIS BUDGET YEAR, ACTUALLY IT WAS IN SEPTEMBER, WE HAD A, UH, A NATIONALLY RENOWNED SPEAKER WHO DOES EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE. UH, MARCEL BRUELL CAME AND HE DID A COURSE TRAINING COURSE FOR ALL OF OUR LEADERSHIP, OUR CODE ENFORCEMENT, ANIMAL CONTROL, EVERYONE. I WANTED EVERY LEADER IN THE DEPARTMENT TO BE PRESENT IN THAT TRAINING. SO WE WENT THROUGH EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE. WE WENT THROUGH C IN POLICING SO THAT PEOPLE CAN GET A CHANCE TO PUT EMPATHY IN ACTION. I, I, I TELL PEOPLE THAT THERE ARE, THERE ARE THREE THINGS THAT SHOULD BE DRIVING IN THE WAY YOU INTERACT WITH PEOPLE. AND THAT'S EMPATHY, SYMPATHY, AND COMPASSION. I WANT PEOPLE TO FEEL LIKE THEY'RE VALUED. 'CAUSE I'VE DEALT WITH PEOPLE IN MY LIFE TO WHERE HAD I GONE IN MAKING THEM THINK THAT I WAS THE BIG BAD POLICE OFFICER. I WAS GONNA HAVE TO FIGHT EM, . YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? BUT IF YOU GO IN AND YOU RESPECT THEM, YOU GOING TO GET A LONG WAYS DOWN THE ROAD BECAUSE PEOPLE MAY COME INTO YOU. I TELL, TELL PEOPLE IN OUR DEPARTMENT, PEOPLE MAY COME INTO OUR DEPARTMENT AND WANNA SPEAK TO AN OFFICER, AND THEY'RE ANGRY, THEY'RE FRUSTRATED. WE DON'T WANT 'EM LEAVING ANGRY AND FRUSTRATING. WE WANT 'EM TO FEEL LIKE, WELL, I MAY NOT HAVE GOT THAT RESOLUTION RESOLVED, BUT THIS PERSON TRIED TO HELP ME BECAUSE WE'RE IN THE HELP BUSINESS. WE'RE NOT IN THE HEALTH HURT BUSINESS. I'VE SEEN A LOT OF THINGS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT THAT IS COUNTER TO THAT. AND I WAS TEACHING A COURSE A WHILE BACK AND I WAS TELLING THEM ABOUT, WITH STUDENTS, FOR EXAMPLE, I SAID, YOU CAN'T POLICE SIXTH GRADE THE SAME WAY YOU POLICE SIXTH STREET. THEY MAY LOOK THE SAME, THEY MAY TALK THE SAME, THEY MAY ACT THE SAME, BUT THEY'RE NOT THE SAME. YOU GOTTA KNOW HOW YOUR ENVIRONMENT DICTATES YOUR ACTIC. AND SO WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH PEOPLE, YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THOSE PEOPLE HAVE FEELINGS. THE PEOPLE YOU'RE DEALING WITH HAVE PILLS. THEY HAVE PAIN, THEY HAVE HURT. WE DO TOO. LET 'EM KNOW. LET 'EM SEE THE PERSON BEHIND THAT BADGE SO THAT YOU CAN BUILD THAT RELATIONSHIP AND MOVE FORWARD. SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE IN OUR DEPARTMENT TO TRY TO CHANGE [00:35:01] THE EVOLUTION OF POLICING. AND IT'S SOMETHING CALLED THAT I CALL CONCEPTUAL CHANGE. AND, AND MANY OF YOU HAVE HEARD OF CONCEPTUAL CHANGE, BECAUSE WHEN WE ARE BORN, WE COME, WE GREW UP WITH IDEAS AND WE HAVE CONCEPTIONS THAT WE BELIEVE THAT ARE RIGHT. AND SOMETIMES THOSE CONCEPTIONS ARE MISCONCEPTIONS. SO OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE THROUGH OUR TRAINING, THROUGH OUR INTERACTION WITH EACH OTHER, THAT WE'RE LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER. WE'RE LEARNING AND REALIZING THAT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE TAUGHT WEREN'T CORRECT. SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE ENGAGED IN WEREN'T CORRECT. SO WE HAVE TO BE MALLEABLE IN, IN, IN SUCH A WAY WHERE WE CAN CHANGE AND TRANSFORM OUR APPROACH TO POLICING SO THAT WE CAN MAKE THE MAXIMUM BENEFIT FOR OUR COMMUNITIES, UH, STAND OUT. SO ONE OF THE THINGS TOO THAT WE'VE, THAT I AM VERY PROUD OF IN OUR DEPARTMENT. SO WE HAVE TO DO RACIAL PROFILING EVERY YEAR. WE, WE WE'RE, WE DATA COLLECT ON TRAFFIC STOPS INTERACTIONS WITH INDIVIDUALS, AND WE HAVE TO PULL THE RACE, THE GENDER, UH, LOCATIONS WHERE YOU'VE HAD THESE INTERACTIONS. AND WE COMPILE THOSE DA THAT THOSE STATS ANNUALLY. AND WE ALSO HAVE TO PULL IN WHAT'S CALLED OUR, UH, THE COMPLAINTS, RACIAL PROFILING COMPLAINTS. SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE, WE'VE HAD ZERO COMPLAINTS OF RACIAL PROFILING BECAUSE OUR OFFICERS ARE NOT OUT IN THE BUSINESS LOOKING TO, TO SEE WHAT COLOR IS THE DRIVER. THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE INFRACTION, THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE SITUATION, AND THEY'RE DEALING WITH THAT. AND YOU'LL REALIZE WITH OUR STATS, YOU'LL SEE IN OUR CITY, WE WRITE A LOT MORE WARNINGS THAN WE DO CITATIONS. THERE ARE TIMES WHEN PEOPLE GET CITATIONS, THERE ARE TIMES WHEN, BUT PEOPLE ARE GONNA GET PULLED OVER IF THERE ARE INFRACTIONS. BUT OUR GOAL IS TO TREAT PEOPLE IN SUCH A WAY. 'CAUSE I WANTED TO MAKE SURE WHEN I FIRST STARTED, I LET OUR OFFICERS KNOW, IF YOU GO OUT ON A CALL, YOU GOT A HUSBAND, YOU GOT A WIFE THERE, IT ALL, YOU BETTER TREAT THAT HUSBAND AND THAT WIFE. LIKE YOU'RE THE MEDIATOR BETWEEN YOUR BROTHER AND YOUR SISTER. IT'S GOTTA BE THAT WAY. THEY GOTTA AT LEAST FEEL THAT WAY. AND BECAUSE OF THAT, WE HAD A SITUATION, UH, ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, RIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, THERE WAS A VETERAN IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO WAS IN CRISIS. OFFICERS WENT THERE AND HE HAD A, HE HAD A GUN. HE WAS IN THE KITCHEN. HE HAD A GUN. OFFICERS WERE ON, ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE HOUSE. AND SOME OFFICERS WERE ABLE TO GET VANTAGE POINT THROUGH SOME WINDOWS AND SEE WHERE HE WAS AND COMMUNICATING THAT TO OUR OFFICERS. BUT OUR OFFICERS OUTSIDE THE DOOR, THEY WERE TALKING TO THE, UH, THE, UH, PERSON INSIDE. AND HAVE YOU EVER HEARD SOMEBODY CRY? IT'S ONE THING TO HEAR SOMEBODY CRY, BUT IF SOMEBODY WA INTO THE POINT WHERE THEY JUST, YOU COULD TELL THEY'RE IN PAIN AND THEY'RE AT THE BRIDGE OF DESPERATION. WELL, THAT'S WHAT HE WAS DOING. AND HEARING OUR OFFICERS TALK TO HIM, AND FINALLY THEY OPENED THE DOOR AND THEY WERE ABLE TO SEE 'EM IN THE KITCHEN. HE HAD THE GUN. IT TOOK A LITTLE WHILE FOR THEM TO GET THROUGH, THROUGH THE TEARS AND THE PAIN TO PUT THE GUN DOWN. HE FINALLY PUT THE GUN DOWN. HE PUSHED IT OVER TO HIM. THEY WALKED HIM OVER, THEY WALKED UP TO HIM, HE RAN UP AND HUGGED THE OFFICERS. AND WE GOT THE BODY CAMS OF MY OFFICERS AND THIS GUY JUST HUGGING AND HIM JUST CRYING. AND AFTER HE FINISHED, UM, THEY FINISHED GETTING HIM THE TREATMENT HE NEEDED, HE GOT BACK OUT. HE SENT A LETTER TO US THINKING OUR OFFICES FOR WHAT THEY DID COMPARED TO WHAT THEY COULD'VE DONE. MM-HMM. . AND THAT'S WHAT I THINK IS A GAME CHANGER. AND I THINK THAT IN LAW ENFORCEMENT, THAT'S WHERE WE'VE GOT TO MOVE TO. AND SO WE'RE WORKING THROUGH THOSE. AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING IS NOT ONLY IN OUR TRAINING PRACTICES, BUT IN OUR HIRING PRACTICES. WE CURRENTLY, UH, HAVE FIVE VACANCIES. FOUR, WE HAVE IN BACK BACKGROUND, WE HAVE FOUR OFFICERS IN BACKGROUND. SO, WE'LL, WE ESSENTIALLY, WE'RE GONNA HIRE THOSE FOUR. WE'LL HAVE ONE VACANCY, AND WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO FILL THAT WHEN THEY HAVE FULL STAFF. WE RECENTLY HIRED THREE OFFICERS, ONE FROM FLORIDA. UH, UH, UH, WE HIRED A GUY, UM, FROM NEW YORK PD WHO WORKS FOR, WHO WORKED IN BROOKLYN FOR, UM, FOR MANY, MANY YEARS. AND, UM, HE, HE'S GOT FRIENDS DOWN IN HERE AND HE'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, CHIEF, I WANNA SEE HOW WE CAN GET TO WEARING COWBOY HATS. I'M LIKE, MAN, YOU JUST GOT HERE YESTERDAY AND COWBOYS ALREADY. SO, BUT YOU KNOW, THIS IS THIS. AND, AND SO WHEN HE CAME, HE WAS SHOCKED WITH TEXAS. I MET HIS PARENTS. I GOT A CHANCE TO TALK TO THEM. AND THE MOM'S ALREADY SOLD. SHE'S LIKE, WE'RE MOVING HERE. THE DAD'S LIKE, I WAS LIKE, HOW, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT? WE MOVING HERE . SHE SAID IT. SO GUESS WHAT WE'RE DOING? SO WHEN YOU SEE THAT YOU CAN CREATE A SPACE AND AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY'RE WELCOME AND THEY'RE VALUED, AND YOU'RE NOT LOOKING AT WITH THE AIR OF SUSPICION, YOU LOOK AT WITH THE OPEN ARMS OF A, OF A COMMUNITY, I THINK SHOCKS PEOPLE, NUMBER ONE. NUMBER TWO, WHEN YOU CAN, YOU GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVE TO THEM THAT WHAT THEY SEE WAS NOT A MISTAKE, IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING IN OUR DEPARTMENT. WE'RE WE'RE SHIFTING THE, WE'RE WE'RE CHANGING THE GAME. AND I, I THINK THAT [00:40:01] THE ADDED VALUE THAT PEOPLE WILL SEE WILL BE SIMPLY AMAZING. WE PERFECT. NO WILL WE MAKE MISTAKES? YES. BUT I THINK THE CREDIBILITY THAT WE'RE BUILDING WITH OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR COMMUNITY'S BUILDING WITH OUR DEPARTMENT, THERE'S THIS THIS CYCLE OF VALUE AND APPRECIATION THAT CONTINUES DAY IN AND DAY OUT TO WHERE OUR COMMUNITY APPRECIATES OUR, OUR OFFICERS, OUR OFFICERS APPRECIATE OUR COMMUNITY. THE MORE WE GIVE 'EM, THE MORE THEY THEY GIVE BACK, THE MORE THEY GIVE BACK, THE MORE WE GIVE 'EM. SO WE ARE ALL GROWING TOGETHER IN, IN, IN UNITY. AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S SPECIAL AND RARE THAT, AND I'VE BEEN IN LAW ENFORCEMENT THREE YEARS AND I HAVE NEVER WORKED IN A PLACE THAT THAT HAS THE KIND OF SUPPORT WE HAVE IN THIS COMMUNITY. AND I'VE SEEN A LOT. I WORKED FOR THIS AGS OFFICE AND ALL I DID WAS TRAVEL THE STATE AND WORK CAPITAL, MURDER, MURDER CASES. I, I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE. I KNEW GEORGE FLOYD. SO I'VE GOT SOME UNIQUE EXPERIENCES THAT CAUSED ME TO SAY, AT THIS POINT IN MY CAREER, HOW CAN I MOVE THE GOLD POSTS BACK HERE SO THAT WE CAN TURN RIGHT AND GO STRAIGHT WHEN THERE TO CROSSROADS? YOU KNOW? AND THAT'S WHAT I, THAT'S WHAT I, I STRIVE TO DO. AND I'M UNAPOLOGETIC ABOUT IT. AND I THINK WE'VE BEEN SUCCESSFUL SO FAR IN THIS DEPARTMENT. ANOTHER THING, THE LAST THING I WANNA TALK ABOUT IN THE NEW POSITIONS IN OUR COMMUNITY, WHEN I FIRST GOT HERE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I SAW WAS WE HAD A GREAT NUMBER OF OUR CITIZENS THAT HAD SOCIALLY EMOTIONAL, BEHAVIORAL OR MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES OR SUBSTANCE ABUSE CHALLENGES. AND THE LAST THING I WANTED WAS SOMEONE IN CRISIS NEEDING HELP ENDING UP HURT. BECAUSE SOMETIMES A PERSON IN CRISIS THAT MAY HAVE A SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, MENTAL OR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ISSUE, IT MAY MIMIC CRIMINALITY AND SOMEONE MAY SEE THAT BEHAVIOR. THEY MAY GO THERE AND SEE SOMEONE THROWING A CHAIR THROUGH A WINDOW OR YELLING AND SCREAMING AND FRUSTRATION. AND THAT POLICE OFFICER'S ANXIETY GOES UP. THEY THINK THIS IS A VIOLENT, AGGRESSIVE PERSON WHEN IN REALITY THEY'RE JUST IN CRISIS. SO WE WORKED WITH OUR, UH, MR. EARTH AND WE WORKED WITH OUR CITY COUNCIL AND WE DEMONSTRATED THE NEED FOR THAT IN OUR COMMUNITY BECAUSE PER CAPITA, WE, OUR NUMBERS ARE HIGHER THAN MOST OF OUR, OUR PEERS IN, IN, UH, IN THE, IN THE AREA. WE WERE ABLE TO GET A CRISIS SUPPORT SPECIALIST FOR OUR DEPARTMENT. AND THAT CRISIS SUPPORT SPECIALIST GOES OUT AND THEY PROVIDE SOC SO THEY PROVIDE SUPPORT, ONGOING SUPPORT, SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, BEHAVIORAL, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, MENTAL HEALTH, UM, CALL OUTS. THEY ALSO PROVIDE THEIR ONGOING SUPPORT AND THAT WRAPAROUND SERVICES TO THE FAMILY, THEY PROVIDE INTERVENTION. AND SO WE SAW THE NUMBER OF CALL OUTS THAT OUR CURRENT, UH, CRISIS SUPPORT SPECIALIST WAS GETTING TO THE POINT TO THE CITY COUNCIL RECOGNIZED THAT VALUE AND THEY GAVE US ANOTHER PERSON SO THAT WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF HIRING ANOTHER CRISIS SUPPORT SPECIALIST. ANOTHER THING WE HAD WAS THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE WAS A, A VICTIM SERVICES ADVOCATE. AND WE FINALLY GOT A FIRST VICTIM SERVICES ADVOCATE. AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF CALL OUTS THAT OUR VICTIM SERVICES ADVOCATES NOT ON, WHEN YOU GOT PEOPLE THAT ARE THE VICTIMS OF CRIME, THEY CONNECT THEM WITH THE RESOURCES THROUGH THE STATE. THEY ALSO PROVIDE LOCAL SUPPORT. THEY ALSO, UH, SERVE AS THAT ADVOCATE FOR THEM IF THERE ARE SITUATIONS WHEN IT COMES TO COURT. WE'VE EVEN HAD, WE HAD A SITUATION WHERE AN INDIVIDUAL WAS HIT BY A VEHICLE HERE. NOW IT WASN'T, UH, IT WASN'T REALLY IN OUR PURVIEW, BUT OUR OFF OUR VICTIM SERVICES, ADV, UH, UH, COORDINATOR, SHE GOT WITH THE, THE, THE PERSON WHO LOST THEIR JOB BECAUSE THEY WERE INJURED AND THEY COULDN'T GET IN THEIR HOUSE. AND THEY WERE, THEY WERE LOSING, UH, ALL OF THOSE THINGS. SHE WORKED WITH THE, UH, VFW AND GOT THEM INVOLVED AND THEY GOT MONEY TO PAY FOR THIS PERSON'S BILLS AND THEIR, THEIR, THEIR RENT TO GET THEM BACK, UH, STABLE WITH THEIR HOUSE TO GET OUT. PEOPLE DON'T EXPECT THAT, BUT I START TELLING 'EM, START TO EXPECT IT BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE ARE IN THE BUSINESS FOR. IT'S A DIFFERENT TIME, IT'S A DIFFERENT CLIMATE. AND WE'RE EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO DO THOSE THINGS IN THIS COMMUNITY. AND, UM, WITH THAT, I WANTED GO, LIKE I SAID, I WANTED HIT THE TRAINING. I WANTED TO HIT THE STAFFING AND I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THOSE NEW POSITIONS. AND, AND WE'VE GOT AN ADDITIONAL VICTIM SERVICES ADVOCATE THAT'S STARTING, UM, HOPEFULLY BY THE BEGINNING OF JANUARY WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE APPLICATIONS AND HOPEFULLY THAT A PERSON HIRED BEFORE JANUARY SO THAT THEY CAN START ADDING THAT VALUE TO OUR COMMUNITY AS WELL. SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE GOT GOING ON IN HUDDLE POLICE DEPARTMENT. AND I'M OPEN TO ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. SO IS THERE SOME SORT OF, UM, UH, OVERVIEW OF PEOPLE THAT YOU HIRE? YOU KNOW, UM, THEY COME IN, DO YOU DO BACKGROUND CHECKS AND ALL THAT STUFF? YES, MA'AM. SO THE BACKGROUND PROCESS FOR HIRING AN OFFICER USUALLY TAKES ABOUT FOUR TO SIX MONTHS. OH, SO IT, IT IT IS, IT IS, IT IS A VERY SCRUTINIZED, UH, PROCESS. UM, WE GET MANY APPLICATIONS AND WE HAVE TO SAY NO TO MORE [00:45:01] THAN WE TAKE IN. AND BECAUSE THE STANDARDS ARE SO HIGH, UM, NOT ONLY ARE THE STATE STANDARDS, THE, THE DEPARTMENT STANDARDS ARE SO HIGH TO WHERE YOU CAN'T JUST TAKE ANYBODY. AND, AND BECAUSE THERE'S A, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO RISK MANAGEMENT, THERE'S A LIABILITY COMPONENT THAT COMES ON THIS. BUT I LOOK AT IT LIKE THIS. I TELL, I TOLD SOMEBODY THIS A WHILE BACK, OUR OPPORTUNITY WHEN IT COMES TO HIRING IS JUST LIKE ME WANTING TO HIRE A BABYSITTER FOR MY KID. I AIN'T GONNA TAKE JUST ANYBODY. I WANT SOMEBODY THAT'S GOING TO HAVE, THAT'S WELL VETTED, THAT'S GONNA BE CAPABLE. AND IF SOMETHING'S AMISS AND SOMETHING'S ABOUT TO HARM MY CHILD, THEY BETTER BE THAT TRIP WIRE. YOU KNOW, I WANT THEM TO TAKE CARE OF MY BABIES. AND SO THAT'S THE WAY WE, WE WANT OUR CULTURE TO BE IN, IN HUDDLE POLICE DEPARTMENT. IF SOMEBODY COMES INTO THIS DEPARTMENT, THEY'D BE ABLE BE WILLING TO TAKE CARE OF OUR FAMILY. I WOULD THINK THAT IT'S A LITTLE HARD TO, TO FIND BIAS IN, IN PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING IN THAT YOU'RE HIRING. SOMETIMES IT'S NOT APPARENT, YOU KNOW THAT. SO THAT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION. LEMME TELL YOU ONE OF THE SECRETS THAT PEOPLE OFTEN MISS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT WHEN IT COMES TO LIKE OUR DEPARTMENT. SO WE HIRED THE OFFICER FROM NEW YORK P WE ALSO HIRED THE OFFICER FROM FLORIDA. OUR BACKGROUND INVESTIGATORS WENT TO NEW YORK, OUR BACKGROUND INVESTIGATORS WENT TO FLORIDA. WE TALKED TO PEOPLE IN THEIR DEPARTMENT. WE PULLED THEIR FILE. WE ACTUALLY WENT THROUGH THEIR FILE, WE TALKED TO THEIR NEIGHBORS, WE TALKED TO FORMER NEIGHBORS, WE TALKED. IT'S BECAUSE WE HAVE WHAT'S CALLED A PERSONAL HISTORY STATEMENT THAT THEY HAVE TO PROVIDE. IT'S PROBABLY 30 PLUS PAGES. AND IN THAT WE ARE ASKING FOR EVERYTHING WE WANNA TALK TO. WE WANNA TALK TO THEIR FRIEND THAT WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL. IF YOU WERE IN THE MILITARY, GIMME WHO YOUR FRIENDS, WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR NEIGHBORS? WHO, WHERE DO YOU CURRENTLY LIVE? WHO DO YOU, WHERE DID YOU PREVIOUSLY LIVE? AND WE GO THROUGH AND WE TALK TO THESE PEOPLE BECAUSE WE WANT, IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT'S AMISS, WE WANNA FIND IT BEFORE WE GET 'EM IN HERE AND WASTE THEIR TIME AND WASTE OUR TIME. SO WE, WE HEAVILY SCRUTINIZE OUR OFFICE. VERY IMPRESSIVE. YES, MA'AM. AND THAT'S WHY YOU'LL FIND IN SOME AGENCIES THAT THEY DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES OR THEY DON'T DO THOSE TYPES OF IN-DEPTH BACKGROUND INVESTIGATIONS. AND SOMETIMES THOSE THINGS WILL COME BACK TO BITE YOU. AND WE DON'T WANT ANYBODY IN OUR COMMUNITY BITTEN BY OUR FAILURE TO CONTROL, UH, THE, THE TASKS AT HAND. I GUESS, MA'AM, YOU JUST REMINDED ME OF MY OWN HAPPENED 30 YEARS AGO WITH DPS. YEAH, THEY DO THAT. YEP. I CAN FOR YOU. I CAN FOR YOU. YEAH. YOU JUST PAY ME. SO YEAH, I WORKED FOR THE DOE FOR A WHILE. I SAY, YES, I KNOW WE HAVE A LOW LEVEL CLEARANCE, NOTHING LIKE THAT. SO WHAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD SAY NO HARD? NO, BECAUSE IF THAT EXTENSIVE OF A BACKGROUND, THAT'S, THAT'S A LOT. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE, WE WOULD, THAT WOULD BE A DISQUALIFIER ARE THINGS LIKE IF YOU WERE ARRESTED FOR CERTAIN THINGS RIGHT. OR IF YOU WERE INVOLVED IN CERTAIN BEHAVIORS THAT, UH, EVEN IF YOU WERE CHARGED WITH SOMETHING YOU WEREN'T CONVICTED, YOU KNOW, SOME THINGS THAT WE WOULD LOOK AT. IT'S LIKE, WELL, THESE THINGS MAY BE A DISQUALIFIED. YOU USE DRUG, CERTAIN DRUGS. UH MM-HMM. , IT'S A, IT IS A PERMANENT DISQUALIFIER. WE FIND OUT THAT YOU FALSIFIED OR YOU LIED AT ANY POINT IN THE INVESTIGATION OR WHEN WE, WHEN WE INTERVIEW PEOPLE. BLESS YOU. THANK YOU. WHEN WE DO INTERVIEWS, UH, AND WE HAVE THE ORAL INTERVIEW BOARD. SO IN ADDITION TO ALL OF THAT, WE HAVE, THEY HAVE TO COME INTO A PHYSICAL AGILITY. THEY DO AN INTERVIEW BOARD AS WELL. THEY DO A WRITTEN TEST. SO WE DO ALL OF THOSE THINGS BEFORE WE DO THE BACKGROUND. IF WE FIND OUT AT ANY POINT THAT SOMEONE FALSIFIED, UH MM-HMM. SOME OF THE INFORMATION, OR IF WE'RE ASKING 'EM FACE TO FACE AND THEY, THEY WILLFULLY TELL US, UH, UH, UNTRUTH, YOU'RE PERMANENTLY DISQUALIFIED. IN FACT, WE'VE HAD PEOPLE DO THAT. AND SO THERE ARE TIMES WHEN PEOPLE, LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, THEY WILL LEAVE OUT JOBS AND WE GO AND WE PULL BACKGROUND FROM A PREVIOUS AGENCY. AND WE ALSO WANT TO ASK, WHAT OTHER AGENCIES HAVE YOU APPLIED TO? BECAUSE WE'LL GO TO THOSE AGENCIES AS WELL. BUT SOMETIMES THEY'LL LEAVE OUT AGENCIES AND WE'LL FIND OUT THAT THEY WORKED AND WE'LL FIND, WE WANT TO KNOW WHY DID YOU LEAVE THAT OUT? AND IF IT'S AN INNOCENT REASON, IT'S AN INNOCENT REASON. IF YOU APPLY THAT IN A PLACE AND YOU, YOU LEFT THAT OUT, IF IT'S INNOCENT REASON, IT'S INNOCENT REASON. IF THERE ARE OTHER REASONS THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO CONCEAL, BECAUSE IT COULD BE UNDER THE INVESTIGATION THAT THEY ABSOLUTELY. THEY ON LEAVE OF ABSENCE OF THAT AGENCY. YES. YES. SO THAT'S SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO LOOK AT BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO GET SOMEONE WHO IS SO COMFORTABLE BEING UN UNTRUTHFUL SITTING IN FRONT OF PEOPLE THAT, THAT [00:50:01] IT JUST CAUSES A PROBLEM. AND IT'S LIKE MY, MY DAD ALWAYS TOLD ME, BECAUSE MY GRANDMA TOLD HIM, SON, LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHING, I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DO. YOU TELL ME THE TRUTH BECAUSE I'M THE ONE THAT'S GONNA HAVE TO DEFEND YOU. YOU TELL ME THE TRUTH AS MUCH AS IS GONNA HURT YOU TELL ME. SO IT'S INGRAINED IN ME, YOU KNOW, IT IS LIKE, I REMEMBER MY NEPHEW ONE TIME, I WAS LIKE, I TAUGHT HIM THAT. AND I WAS LIKE, AND HE WAS LIKE SEVEN, EIGHT. AND I WAS LIKE, WHO BROKE? SOMETHING THAT BROKE? HE SAID, I DID. I GOT FIVE GIRLFRIENDS. SO HE CHANGED THE SOMETHING REAL QUICK. , YOU KNOW, HE LIKE, HE ADMITTED IT, BUT NAH, HE WROTE THE CIRCLE. SO, BUT HE ADMITTED IT, YOU KNOW, SO THAT'S WHAT WE WANT, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IF SOMEBODY'S WILLING TO TELL THE TRUTH WHILE THEY'RE SITTING IN THE HOT SEAT, RIGHT. YOU KNOW, HEY, WE CAN WORK THROUGH SOME THINGS IF YOU'RE WILLING TO TRY TO CONCEAL IT. AND EVEN WHEN WE WERE SHOWING YOU THE PICTURE OF YOU DOING IT , YOU KNOW, THAT'S A WHOLE DIFFERENT DISCUSSION. I LIKE THAT PHRASE TOO. YOU SAID SOMEONE THAT IS SO WHAT? COMFORTABLE. COMFORTABLE LYING IN THE HOT SEAT. YEAH. YES MA'AM. SOMEONE IS SO COMFORTABLE TELLING UNTRUTHS. YES MA'AM. YES MA'AM. THAT'S A GOOD, I MEAN A GOOD THE DEPARTMENT EXPAND. IS THE DEPARTMENT EXPANDING WITH THE EXPANSION OF THE CITY? YES MA'AM. WE ARE. WE ARE, WE'RE, WE'RE GROWING WITH THE NEEDS OF THE CITY. UM, IT'S A CHALLENGE FOR EVERY COMMUNITY AND YOU KNOW, WITH THE COMMUNITY GROWING THIS FAST. RIGHT. YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT EXEMPT FROM THAT. SO WE ARE TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH THE GROWTH. AND THE CITY COUNCIL HAS BEEN REALLY GOOD BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, AGAIN, WE LOOK AT THIS PLACE AS A FAMILY, SO THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE MAY WANT AND SAY, WELL WE GOTTA HAVE THIS, GOTTA HAVE THIS. BUT THEN YOU HEAR THE PUBLIC WORKS IS NEEDING IT TOO, AND YOU ONLY GOT SO MUCH MONEY IN THE BUCKET. WE'LL SAY, OKAY, CAN YOU RUN ANOTHER YEAR? YEAH, WE CAN RUN ANOTHER YEAR SO THAT THEY CAN GET WHAT THEY NEED. AND THEN WHEN WE GET TO THE, WHEN WE GET TO THE NEXT BUDGET YEAR, WE'LL MAKE OUR REQUEST. AND OUR CITY COUNCIL HAS TIME AND AGAIN, SHOWN US THAT THEY VALUE WHAT WE REQUEST BECAUSE OF THE RETURN ON THE INVESTMENT THAT WE GIVE IS JUST, IT EXCEEDS WHAT WE'VE, WHAT WHAT THEY'VE EXPECTED AND WHAT WE'VE EXPECTED. SO WE ARE BEING ABLE TO RIDE THE WAVE. SOMETIMES WE, YOU KNOW, WE GET WATER HERE, BUT, BUT WE DON'T DROWN BECAUSE WE GOT THE SUPPORT WE NEED IN THIS COMMUNITY. AND, AND ON CITY COUNCIL, MANY DO YOU CURRENTLY HAVE. SO WE'VE GOT, UH, FULL STAFF WILL BE 51. SO DID YOU GET, 'CAUSE FROM THE, I REMEMBER THE BUDGET MEETINGS THAT WE HAD WAY BACK IN FEBRUARY. DID YOU GET WHAT YOU NEEDED FROM THE, THE BUDGET PROCESS AND ALL? YES MA'AM. WE DID. THERE WERE SOME THINGS THAT WE, WE LOOKED AT. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE WHOLE BUCKET, LIKE I SAID EARLIER, THAT WE SAID, WELL WE CAN DO WITHOUT, SO SAY FOR EXAMPLE, CHRISTIE AND HER DEPARTMENT CAN GET WHAT THEY NEED OR OTHERS. SO WE WERE ABLE TO PUT CERTAIN THINGS THAT WEREN'T LIKE, UH, JOB CRITICAL, MISSION CRITICAL. WE WERE ABLE TO PUT SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT, UH, ON ICE UNTIL THE NEXT BUDGET YEAR SO THAT OTHERS CAN GET. 'CAUSE I THINK THAT RIGHT THERE SHOWS OUR, OUR CITY. BUT IT ALSO SHOWS OUR, OUR FELLOW EMPLOYEES AND STAFF THAT THEY'LL DO IT FOR US TOO. AND WE'LL DO IT FOR THEM TOO, YOU KNOW? MM-HMM. BECAUSE IT IS, IT IS LEFT LEG, RIGHT LEG. WE'RE NOT GONNA GET TOGETHER IF WE'RE NOT WALKING TOGETHER. AND SO WE'RE NOT GONNA GET AHEAD IF WE'RE NOT WALKING TOGETHER. AND THAT'S HOW WE, THAT'S HOW MR. ERP HAS, HAS FASHIONED THIS DEPARTMENT, THIS, THIS CITY. AND THAT'S HOW WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE MARCHING TO THAT DRUM. AND IT'S A, UH, I THINK IT'S MUSIC TO A LOT OF PEOPLE'S EARS. YEAH. YOU FEEL LIKE THAT 51 IS ENOUGH FOR THE POPULATION AND THEN, UH, YOU HAVING PLANS TO INVEST MORE, IF YOU FEEL LIKE THE POPULATION GROWTH WITHIN THE NEXT THREE, FIVE YEARS, WOULD A 50 MINUTE ONE BE NUMBER WILL BE ENOUGH FOR YOUR DEPARTMENT? YEAH, SO WE DO KNOW THAT THE NUMBER OF 51 IS, IS A CHALLENGE BECAUSE ONE OF, THERE ARE SEVERAL THINGS THAT WE LOOK AT. SAY FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE RIGHT NOW BRAVO SHIFT IS ON RIGHT NOW. AND THAT SHIFT HAS ABOUT SIX OFFICERS. SO YOU WILL HAVE ABOUT SIX OFFICERS ON RIGHT NOW. AND SO OUR PEAK TIME, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, IN THE EVENING YOU GOT AT FIVE, FIVE O'CLOCK, FOUR, FOUR O'CLOCK UNTIL ABOUT 10 OR 11, YOUR PEAK TIME FOR THE EVENING. AND WE LOOK AT THINGS LIKE USED TO, THEY WOULD SAY, WELL, HOW MANY OFFICERS PER 1000 DO YOU HAVE? THAT'S ON PASSE, YOU KNOW THAT? YEAH. YEAH. THAT'S PASSE. SO WHAT WE LOOK AT NOW ARE FEEDBACK. YOUR EXACTLY YOUR RESPONSE TIME. MM-HMM. , SAY FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU GOT A CRITICAL INCIDENT, HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOUR OFFICERS TO GET THERE? SO WE, WE MEASURE AND SAY, WELL, IF WE CAN GET TO A PLACE THREE MINUTES OR, YOU KNOW, THREE MINUTES, THAT IS EXCELLENT. YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO FACTOR IN. YOU'VE GOT TWO SECTORS. SEVEN, NINE IS THE, IS THE, THE DEMARCATION LINE. SO YOU GOT NORTH, YOU GOT SOUTH. SO IF YOU GOT SOMETHING, YOU GOT OFFICERS IN THE NORTH AND THERE'S AN ACCIDENT, THEN YOU'VE GOT, AND THEY'RE ON THE ACCIDENT AND YOU'VE GOT A CALL FOR ASSAULT IN PROGRESS. DO YOU HAVE [00:55:01] THE STAFFING OR YOU HAVE TO CALL SOMEBODY FROM THE SOUTH? SO WE LOOK AT RESPONSE TIME. WE, WE ALSO LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF MAJOR INCIDENTS THAT WE CAN HANDLE PER SHIFT. AND SOME PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE IF YOU GOT A MAJOR ACCIDENT ON 79, NOT ONLY ARE YOU TAKING THE TWO OFFICERS INVESTIGATING IT, YOU GOTTA HAVE OFFICERS FOR TRAFFIC CONTROL. YEAH. SO RESPONSE TIME IS VERY DIFFICULT. THERE ARE TIMES WHERE MY LIEUTENANTS, I HAVE HAD TO COME IN OR OTHER OFFICERS HAVE HAD TO COME IN OFF DUTY TO HELP ALLEVIATE THAT. OR WE GET SOME ASSISTANCE FROM OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENTS BECAUSE WE WE'RE NOT QUITE WHERE WE, WE HAVE THAT INDEPENDENCE AND THAT THAT ABILITY TO HAVE MULTIPLE MAJOR INCIDENTS AND COME WITH GROWTH. THAT'S JUST THE GROWTH. IT IT IS. THAT'S THE 30 TRAFFIC. WHY THEY QUITE HAVE A GROWING COMMUNITY. ABSOLUTELY. THE LOCATION IS NOT THE GREATEST IN THE WORLD. YES MA'AM. WELL TO YOUR POINT, WE ARE IN THE PROCESS NOW OF, UH, DOING A, UH, STUDY ON A POLICE FACILITY. SO WE'RE WORKING THROUGH THAT RIGHT NOW TO FIND, BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT OUR FACILITY, WE'VE OUTGROWN THAT FACILITY. UM, AND I, I WELCOME ANYONE TO COME AND DO A A A A TOUR. Y'ALL DONE A TOUR OF OUR FACILITY AND YOU'LL SEE THAT WE'VE OUTGROWN THE FACILITY. WE, WE MAKE DO WHAT WE CAN UNTIL YOU CAN DO BETTER. AND THAT'S WHERE WE ARE WITH THAT. BUT WE'RE IN FACT THE BUILDER'S DOING A PRESENTATION THURSDAY TO COUNCIL ON THE FACILITY. I THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE A, A PRIMARY THING THAT WE NEED HERE IS BETTER POLICE STATION. THAT, THAT WAS THE JUSTICE CENTER, RIGHT? GET FROM GET ACROSS THE RAILROAD TRACKS. YES MA'AM. JUST IN CASE. YES, MA'AM. AND, AND TO MISS, UH, MISS COLEMAN'S POINT, THAT WAS, THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT UH, THAT WAS HIGHLIGHTED IN THE BUDGET WORKSHOPS THAT WE HAD EARLIER IN THE YEAR. YEAH, THAT'S GREAT. YEAH, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH WHAT I WAS THINKING. I'M JUST WITH THAT 51 CAN'T CURRENT CONSTANTLY ING THAT, SO YEAH. YES SIR. SIR. APPRECIATE Y'ALL WAS GREAT. THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH. THANK YOU. OKAY, LET'S SEE. UM, PRESENTATION AND SOME 0.3 PRESENTATION UPDATE ON HOLIDAYS AND HUDDLE EVENTS. UM, SO, UH, KATIE LET ME KNOW THAT SHE IS GOING TO BE RUNNING FROM ANOTHER MEETING. SHE SHOULD BE HERE RIGHT AROUND SEVEN O'CLOCK IF HE WANTS TO. OH, OKAY. MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ITEM. THE NEXT ITEM. WE COME BACK WHEN I GUESS YOU ARRIVE. OKAY. YEAH. 'CAUSE IT'S ALMOST SEVEN. OKAY. WE'LL SAY 7.4 CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE APPROVAL OF OCTOBER 15TH, 2024. MEETING MINUTES. I THINK WE HAVE, THANK YOU SO MUCH. SEE YOU HAVE A COPY OF THE MINUTES IF ANYONE NEEDS TO REVIEW THEM. NO, I GOT IT. THANK YOU. HAVE YOU FILL OUT, THIS IS, OH YEAH, THIS IS WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT. ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON THE MEETING? UH, THE AGENDA FROM LAST TIME? THANK YOU. . YES. SO WE JUST NEED, UM, TO MOVE AND ONE PERSON MOVE TO ACCEPT THE MEETINGS MOTION BY COMMISSIONER CAULFIELD AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER LEWIS . UM, COMMISSIONER COLEMAN. AYE. MR. ? YES. MR. SPOONS. MR. LEWIS? YES. MR. BOW. AYE. AND, UM, DISCUSSION ON ITEMS FOR THE NEXT MEETING. UM, SO JUST SO EVERYONE REMEMBERS, SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE OUR CONSULTANT STAFF, STAN KEMMER TO COME AND, UM, LEAD US THROUGH WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO SUPPORT THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND MOVING FORWARD. AND SO, IN FACT, I THINK WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO IS TO HAVE HIM, [01:00:02] UM, REVIEW THESE, THIS MEETING BECAUSE I THINK THERE WAS SO MANY GOOD THINGS THAT WE'RE TALKING. AND SO WE'LL BE DOING THAT NEXT, NEXT, UM, MONTH. AND, UM, IT JUST, EVERYONE IF WOULD GO OVER THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND WHAT WE DID BECAUSE THEN WE'RE GONNA START SAYING HOW WE ARE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD. AND ALSO WE'LL BE HAVING COMMUNICATION. SO THAT ACTUALLY, THAT DOVETAILS REALLY NICELY THAT, UM, WE'LL HAVE, UM, SHAY FROM UM, COMMUNICATIONS TO WORK WILL WORK WITH US AND SEE HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER. SO THAT'LL BE A GREAT MEETING FOR HER TO COME TO. SO CAN YOU THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE? ANYONE? WEBSITE I KNOW YOU TO WELL, THAT, THAT'S GONNA BE PART OF THE COMMUNICATION. UM, SO SHE'LL, UM, OKAY. MANAGER COMMUNICATION WILL BE HERE NEXT TIME. WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT. IS THERE ANY WAY, I GUESS WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT WHEN THE, UH, MANAGER OF COMMUNICATION GETS IN, BUT IT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE SOME LINKS FROM HOW ID YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT I WAS GONNA ASK YOU. YOU, IF YOU COULD SEND HAPPY TO SHARE AND THAT CONVERSATION ABOUT HAVING A RESOURCE LANDING PAGE IS IN THE WORKS. AND I'LL, I'LL LET SHAY YEAH, SHE'S GONNA GO. BUT WE WOULD DEFINITELY INCLUDE LIKE OUR PARTNERS WITH THE ISD AND THEN ALL THE OTHER RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE HERE AS WELL. RIGHT? YEAH. REFRESH MY MEMORY, HOW MANY MONTHS OUT DID WE APPROVE ATION UP TO WHICH MONTH THEY'RE LISTED EVERY QUARTER. WE NEED TO DO ANYTHING WITH THAT. OR SHE ASKED HOW DO WE, ARE WE GOING TO WRITE THEM HOW THE CITY CAN BEST SUPPORT US? MM-HMM. WRITING A PROCLAMATION, WHAT THAT LOOK LIKE. AND ALSO ARE WE, WILL WE USE ANY OF THE EXISTING PROCLAMATIONS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE ON THE TABLE? SO WE ARE LOOKING AT, IF WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS PROPOSED PROGRESS, YOUR, UM, PROCREATION SCHEDULE. YEAH. COMING UP IN JANUARY, YOU HAVE DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, UH, TODAY, THEN FEBRUARY, ARE WE TALKING ABOUT GO AHEAD AND APPROVE IN JANUARY, FEBRUARY, MARCH. I DO WANNA MAKE A CLARIFYING STATEMENT ABOUT THAT PARTICULAR DOCUMENT, AND I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT REPRINTING THE ONE THAT Y'ALL HAD TALKED ABOUT. THIS IS COMING FROM THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE FOR ALL PROCLAMATIONS THAT THEY ARE CURRENTLY TRACKING. AND THAT DOCUMENT OKAY. IS THE ONE THAT Y'ALL SPECIFICALLY CALLED OUT. SO I WANTED TO PROVIDE BOTH SO THAT YOU COULD KIND OF SEE IN YOUR PLANNING, LIKE, WELL, WE HAVE THESE COMING UP. WE MAY ALREADY HAVE PROCLAMATIONS FOR, I KNOW FOR LIKE BLACK HISTORY MONTH, WE HAVE ONE. BUT IF Y'ALL WANT TO REVIEW AND SAY, YES, WE STILL WANT TO USE THIS WORDING OR LANGUAGE OR WE WANT TO ADD OR UPDATE. SO THAT'S WHAT THE TWO DOCUMENTS ARE. SO FOR JANUARY, FEBRUARY, MARCH, YOU HAVE PROCLAMATIONS FOR THOSE RELEASED AT RA? NO, THESE ARE ALL JUST, JUST DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING AND UM, YES. SO THE ONES THAT ARE ON THE DOCUMENT I PROVIDED TODAY, THE PROPOSED PROCLAMATIONS, THOSE ARE WHAT ARE CURRENTLY KIND OF HELD ON THE CALENDAR. SO THOSE ARE ALREADY KIND OF PRESET WITHIN THE MEETING AGENDAS BEEN THOSE BEFORE. THANKS. YOU'RE WELCOME. OKAY. CAN I SHARE THIS? YES, PERFECTLY FINE. UM, DO YOU HAVE THIS DIGITAL OR DO YOU WANT ME TO SCAN AND I HAVE IT, I JUST SEARCH PROCLAMATIONS FROM, UH, IN MY EMAILS AND THAT'S WHAT I CAME UP WITH. OKAY. SO THIS ONE, WHICH ONE IS WHICH? I THINK THINK ONE OF THEM IS, UH, DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING AND THE OTHER ONE MAYBE BLACK HISTORY LOT. YES. OKAY. BUT UM, DO Y'ALL WANT TO ADD THAT FOR REVIEW AND DISCUSSION FOR THE NEXT YES. FOR DECEMBER MEETING? YEAH. OKAY. I WOULD EVEN SAY MAYBE, I THINK OUR PROCESS DURING THAT TIME WAS WE SENT THAT OUT AND PEOPLE DECIDED ON IF IT WAS, YOU KNOW, NEEDED ANY CHANGES, WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE. SO EVEN IF YOU LOOK AT IT AND SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? I DON'T THINK THIS IS A DIRECTION WE NEED TO GO IN. IT WOULD AT LEAST GIVE YOU A STARTING POINT FROM WHAT WAS DONE BEFORE. SINCE YOU'RE HERE, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK, HOW DO YOU, DO YOU KNOW PROCLAMATIONS OR DO YOU HAVE CALENDAR FOR ALL? YEAH, SO WE HAVE A RECOGNITION CALENDAR. UM, AND SO USUALLY DURING UH, THE SUMMERTIME WE'LL ALL GET TOGETHER. WE HAVE DIFFERENT MEMBERS FROM DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, UM, AND THEN WE FIGURE OUT WHAT OUR CALENDAR'S GONNA LOOK LIKE. SO WE INCLUDE THOSE REC, CULTURAL RECOGNITIONS. AND THEN WE [01:05:01] ALSO HAVE A SEPARATE CALENDAR FOR, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT WEEKS. SO WE'LL HAVE NURSES WEEK OR LIKE THOSE STAFF SPECIFIC RECOGNITIONS AS WELL. MM-HMM. . UM, SO WE HAVE CULTURAL, WE HAVE STAFF. WE MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE FEELS THAT THEY'RE SEEING PRESENTED. AND THAT'S DISTRICT WEBSITE. , WHEN SHANE SAID SHE WILL BE HERE, SHE'S ON HER WAY. SHE'LL BE HERE IN ABOUT FIVE MINUTES. OKAY. SO, SO BE SAFE. THANK YOU. 20 MINUTES JUST TO COME FROM MY HOUSE RIGHT HERE. SO IT WON'T HAVE ANY TRAFFIC, RIGHT? SO MUCH OUTSIDE OF BASRA. IS IT BA BASS? YEAH. LIKE YEAH, IT'S LIKE GOING SAN LIKE DIRECTIONALLY CHALLENGE. IT IS, IT IS. IT IS WAY I CAN GET THE, I CAN GET SO, SO, YEAH. MM-HMM? . KYLE'S LIKE, KYLE'S LIKE TAYLOR. MINUTES TIME. I POSTED. THAT'S GOOD TRACK. THAT'S A GOOD, THAT'S A GOOD HOUR. ALSO POSTED OUTSIDE THE, IF SHE GOES 35 HOUR, DO YOU WANNA TAKE DOING SO WE DON'T BREAK ANY STUFF. DO YOU WANT TO? YOU CAN RECESS IF YOU WOULD LIKE. YES. WELL, WE'LL JUST RECESS UNTIL 10 HITS HERE. YEAH. 7 0 7, YEAH. OKAY. I'M GONNA PAUSE. I REALLY WANNA SEND THAT TOSTAN. APPRECIATED IT. OKAY, WE'RE BACK TO RECORDING. UM, RECORDING. SO WE'RE BACK TO RECORDING. SO NOW WE WILL GO BACK TO ITEM SOME 0.3 STATION AND UPDATE ON HOLIDAYS IN EVENTS. YES. THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH. TAKE A BREATH. I IN THE LIKE HIGH FIVE EACH OTHER WAY EACH. UM, SO THANK Y'ALL FOR THE FIRST PRESENTATION, HEARING KIND OF SOME OF OUR THOUGHTS AND IDEAS ABOUT HOW TO IMPROVE INCLUSION EFFORTS IN OUR HOLIDAYS AND HUDDLE SERIES. UM, TOOK Y'ALL'S FEEDBACK THAT YOU DID SEND OVER. YEAH, NO WORRIES. RUNNING, UM, AND TALKED THAT OVER WITH THE TEAM AND TRIED TO FIGURE OUT DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE COULD TRY TO MAKE THE EVENT SERIES MORE INCLUSIVE TO OUR COMMUNITY. AND SO I WANTED TO CIRCLE BACK ON THAT AND SHARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE IMPLEMENTED THIS YEAR, UM, TO DO JUST THAT. SO AS YOU MAY HAVE SEEN IN SOME OF OUR SOCIAL MEDIA AND UM, NEWSLETTERS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, WE DID CHANGE THE NAME OF OUR SANTA CLAUS CRAWL TO HIPPO CLAUSE CRAWL. AND THAT SERVED TWO PURPOSES FOR US. ONE, IT DOES MAKE IT MORE INCLUSIVE. UM, TAKING SANTA OUT OF THAT NAME KIND OF BROADENS THE, THE APPEAL WE HOPE, UH, TO BE MORE INCLUSIVE TO OUR COMMUNITY. BUT IT ALSO HELPS OUR EVENTS STAND OUT FROM A LOT OF SANTA CLAUS CRAWL EVENTS IN THE AREA. SO IT REALLY WAS A WIN-WIN FOR US WHEN WE CONSIDERED IT. UM, SO WE DID GO AHEAD AND CHANGE THAT. UM, WE HAVE THIS YEAR SOME PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE MORE GENERAL IN NATURE. SO WE'LL HAVE ONE THAT, UM, JUST SAYS JOY. UM, I THINK IN YEARS PAST WE WERE PRETTY HEAVY ON THE, THE CHRISTMAS ASPECT OF IT, BUT REALLY TRYING TO SET UP AREAS WHERE PEOPLE CAN GATHER AND MAKE MEMORIES AND, AND HAVE THOSE KIND OF SOUVENIRS FROM THE EVENT, UM, AND TAKE THOSE PHOTOS THERE. SO, UM, ANOTHER THING THAT WE'VE DONE IS WE HAVE INCLUDED A CIGAR ROLLER AND WE HAVE BEER VENDORS THIS YEAR, SO WE'RE TRYING TO APPEAL TO MORE MASCULINE ENERGIES THAT MIGHT BE INTO INTO THOSE TYPES OF, OF, UM, UH, ACTIVATIONS. SO, UM, HAPPY ABOUT THAT. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE A VARIETY OF AFTER HOURS ACTIVITIES AT THE CRAWL. SO FROSTIES, THE WINE BAR AND HALL OF FAME ARE ALL HOSTING AFTER HOURS ACTIVITIES, SO HOPEFULLY, WE'LL, WE'LL ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO STAY AND, UM, [01:10:01] YOU KNOW, KEEP THE PARTY ROLLING THAT NIGHT, BUT GIVE PEOPLE MORE OPTIONS TO WHERE THEY FEEL COMFORTABLE AND, UM, PLACES THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO ENGAGE FURTHER WITH THEIR COMMUNITY, UH, AFTER THE EVENT COMES TO A CLOSE FOR THE EVENING. UM, WE ALSO HAVE A DJ THIS YEAR, SO, UM, IN PREVIOUS YEARS WE HAD HAD CAROLERS ATTEND THE EVENT AND SO, UM, THIS YEAR WE WENT THE DJ, UM, JUST TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE A WHOLE BROAD GENRES OF MUSIC TAKING REQUESTS, THINGS LIKE THAT. SO, UM, WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT. WE ALSO HAVE SOME NON-ALCOHOLIC VENDORS THIS YEAR. SO, UM, BEING MORE INCLUSIVE TO OUR FOLKS THAT DON'T DRINK THIS IS, YOU KNOW, FAIRLY FOCUSED ON, ON ALCOHOL AND DRINKING, UH, EVENT. BUT WE HAD SOME FOLKS ASK THIS YEAR IF THEY COULD PROVIDE A NON-ALCOHOLIC OPTION. WE SAID ABSOLUTELY. THAT'S A GREAT IDEA. . UM, THIS YEAR WE ALSO HAVE A DA DESIGNATED DROP OFF IN PARKING AREAS AS WELL AS RIDE SHARE. SO, UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA TRY AND SHARE THAT OUT WELL IN ADVANCE, BUT WAY PEOPLE ARE BEING SAFE ABOUT THEIR, THEIR ENJOYMENT OF THE EVENING . UM, BUT ALSO PROVIDING CLEAR OPTION FOR, UM, THOSE WITH DISABILITIES OR JUST CHALLENGES WITH MOBILITY THAT THEY HAVE A NICE CLOSE SPOT THAT THEY CAN BE DROPPED OFF AND PICKED UP AND IT'S VERY CLEAR. SO IF THEY HAVE SOMEONE THAT IS BRINGING THEM TO THE EVENT, THEY KNOW EXACTLY WHERE TO PICK UP AND, UM, DROP THEM OFF FOR THE EVENT. SO, UM, WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT FOR OUR HOLIDAY MARKET. UM, WE HAVE A THIRD PARTY IS DOING THAT EVENT WITH US, UM, BUT THEY'RE REALLY SPEARHEADING VENDOR RECRUITMENT AND MARKETING EFFORTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. UM, THEY'RE URBAN BLOOM MARKET IS THEIR NAME, UPM. AND UH, WHEN WE MET WITH THEM, WE DID COMMUNICATE THE IMPORTANCE OF TRYING TO ATTRACT DIVERSE TALENT, DIVERSE VENDORS, UM, DIVERSE FOOD OPTIONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO THEY'VE BEEN HARD AT WORK EX UH, EXECUTING ON THAT CHARGE. SO THEY DID ENGAGE IN A VARIETY OF, UH, DIVERSE PLATFORMS AND GROUPS ON SOCIAL MEDIA TO ADVERTISE THE EVENT. UM, ALL IN THE, ALL AROUND THE AREA. UM, AND THEN THEY'RE, THEY'RE STILL WORKING THROUGH THEIR PERFORMERS LIST, UM, BUT KEEPING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION KIND OF TOP OF MIND. AND THEY'RE ALSO FOCUSING ON RECRUITING SOME KIDPRENEURS. SO , WE'LL HAVE A, A KID PRESENCE THERE TOO TO KIND OF HELP INSPIRE THE YOUTH ABOUT THEIR ENTREPRENEURIAL ENDEAVORS AND KIND OF FRUITS OF YOUR LABOR, RIGHT? HARD WORK AND PRODUCE SOMETHING, YOU'RE ABLE TO SELL IT. AND UH, SO FOCUSING ON THAT AS WELL, THAT'S IMPRESSING. UM, AND THEN ALSO SIMILARLY WE'LL HAVE THE A DA DESIGNATED DROP OFF IN PARKING AREAS, UH, IN THE RIDE SHARE OPTION AS WELL FOR THAT EVENT. AND THEN WE ALSO ENGAGED IN SOME DIFFERENT MARKETING PLATFORMS FOR THE ENTIRE EVENT SERIES. SO WE PAID FOR SOME ADVERTISING ON AUSTIN 365 AND DO 5 1 2 JUST TO TRY TO REACH A DIFFERENT AUDIENCE. WE HADN'T USED THOSE PLATFORMS BEFORE, SO WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE WHAT THE ANALYTICS TELL US FOR THE EVENT AS FAR AS WHAT THAT REACH ENGAGEMENT WAS, UM, AND WHERE PEOPLE ARE ALL COMING FROM THAT ARE ATTENDING OUR EVENTS. SO WE DO HAVE THAT CAPABILITY WITH SOME DATA SOFTWARE THAT WE HAVE. SO I'M EXCITED TO, TO SEE WHAT, WHAT COMES OF ALL OF OUR EFFORTS THUS SUMMER. I MISS THE DATES FOR BOTH. WELL THE CALL IS UH, DECEMBER 7TH. TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW. WE ARE GOING TODAY, RIGHT? OR IS IT, WHEN DID THEY GO ON SALE? THEY WERE ON SALE LIKE TWO WEEKS AGO. TWO WEEKS AGO. SO WE ARE, TICKET SALES HAVE INCREASED, UH, PRETTY SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE LAST WEEK OR SO, UM, SINCE WE'VE STARTED SOME MORE ENGAGING MARKETING EFFORTS. BUT WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU IF YOU'RE INTERESTED BY SOON, BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO CAP THE TICKETS AND, AND THE SALES TO BE DETERMINED. WE HAVEN'T PICKED A DATE YET 'CAUSE OUR AUSTIN 360 IPAD ACTUALLY DROPS TOMORROW. SO WE WANNA SEE WHAT THE IMPACT IS FROM THAT. BUT UM, BY FRIDAY WE'RE GONNA DECIDE ON THE DATE. SO IF YOU HAVEN'T GOT TICKETS YET, PLEASE DO. UH, AND THEN THE MARKET IS THE FOLLOWING SATURDAY THE 14TH. AND THAT'S FROM NINE TO FIVE IS FROM FIVE NINE. NO, THAT'S . THEN THE, THE 14TH. YOU DON'T NEED TICKETS THAT IS OPEN. YEAH. YEP. OPEN TO WHOEVER WOULD LIKE TO COME ON BY. AND I DID HAVE A SNEAK PEEK PREVIEW VIEW JUST FOR THIS ORDER. SO NO ONE HAS SEEN THIS YET. NO ONE EVEN KNOWS WHAT COLOR OUR COMMEMORATIVE MUG IS FOR THE HIPPO CAUSE CRAWL. IT'S THE BRAND NEW LOGO. SO Y'ALL CAN TAKE A PEEK. WE'RE YOU WANT TEAL? ONE [01:15:01] LITTLE. SO PASS THAT AROUND IF YOU'D LIKE CLOSER. LOOK, UM, DECIDED TO UNVEIL THAT TO Y'ALL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. ISN'T YOU DRESSED FOR THE OCCASION? YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT. SO THAT , SO SHE'S MAKING HER PREMIERE MARKET NOW. IS IT IT DOWNTOWN? IT'S GONNA BE DOWNTOWN HERE, YEAH. MM-HMM. . IT'LL BE IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA. WELL, DID A GREAT JOB. I, YEAH. DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR WHAT'S THE WEBSITE AGAIN? WHICH, OH, IT'S JUST THE CITY OF HAD A WEBSITE BUT I, THERE'S A LINK ON THE, OR ON THE CITY WEBSITE. IT'S LIKE A BIG, BIG HOLIDAYS IN AND YOU CAN CLICK ON IT AND IT GOES TO ALL THE EVENTS. OR YOU CAN LOOK AT, IT'S ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM AS WELL. I LIKE THOSE INQUIRIES. THAT MEANS TICKET SALES, RIGHT? AND ATTENDANCE AT THE MARKET. YAY. ANYBODY HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? I APOLOGIZE. I WAS SO EXCITED AND OUT OF BREATH WHEN I GOT HERE. NO, MET ALL OF YOU. I'M KA GABO. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HERE FOR THE CITY OF HOW MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO KNOW WHO THE HECK. WE DO HAVE A FEW COMMISSIONERS SINCE YOU LAST, WOULD YOU GUYS MIND INTRODUCING YOURSELVES? I GUESS I'LL KICK IT OFF. I'M ERIC BELL FIELD AND I KNOW YOU J LEWIS. THANK YOU FOR COMING. SO YEAH. FOR NEW YEARS. WE DON'T HAVE . NO. WOULD THAT BE SOMETHING THE COMMUNITY WOULD BE INTERESTED IN? BECAUSE THINK SO. I THINK SO. YOU KNOW, IT JUST SEEMED LIKE MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT YEAH, NEW YEAR'S EVE. YEAH. SO THOSE BUDGET WORKSHOPS WE WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER, ACHIEVE THAT IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO VOICE THOSE BECAUSE A LOT OF THINGS ACTUALLY COME OUT OF THE BUDGET. BUDGET WORK. OKAY. UM, YEAH, THE BUDGET WORKSHOPS ARE REALLY GOOD. I ATTENDED, I THINK IN THE BEGINNING, IT STARTED IN FEBRUARY IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN. AND, AND UM, JAMES TOOK US THROUGH LIKE, HERE ARE THE THINGS THAT WERE PLANNED. HERE ARE THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE WANT. THERE WAS INPUT FROM THE WHO WAS THERE. MM-HMM. . AND, UM, I REALLY, I LEARNED A LOT FROM THOSE BUDGET WORKSHOP. EVERY SINGLE ONE. YEAH. SO, SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE US, YOU KNOW, TO TRY TO ATTEND AND YOU KNOW, OUR FAMILY CAN BRING EVERYBODY TO ATTEND. UM, BUT IT, HE WENT IN THERE 'CAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE FIRST, WELL FIRST I HAD HEARD OF THE JUSTICE CENTER WAS BEING, AND THEN IT WAS LIKE THE POLICE OFFICERS, HOW MANY POLICE OFFICERS THEY HAD AND DIFFERENT EVENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO ANYTHING ELSE? WHAT DOES THIS BUILDING WANT TO BE RIGHT HERE WITH THE ONE THAT'S ALREADY IN THERE? UH, SO THE ONE, SO WE HAVE THE PARKING GARAGE AND THEN DIRECTLY UM, WHAT IS THAT SOUTH? THAT IT'S A FOUR STORY OFFICE BUILDING YEAH. OR SOMETHING. OKAY. YEAH. THOSE ARE COMING. THEY'RE COMING ANOTHER GROCERY STORE. WE'RE WORKING ON THAT TOO. WHOLE S HOUSE. YOU CAN'T SAY IT. WE DON'T HAVE IT. A SPECIFIC TENANT. WE'RE JUST, WE'RE WORKING SOME JUST TRACK. THEY HAVE A THAT WOULD BE GREAT. SO GOOD. IN, SO WONDERFUL. THAT'S NOT ONE SO FAR, ESPECIALLY TO ADJOURN. SO WE JUST NEED A MOTION TO ADJOURN. MOTION TO ADJOURN. SECOND. OKAY. AND THAT WILL BE 7 23. OKAY. GOOD. LEARNED A LOT. * 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.