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2023 05 23 BPAC Minutes MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE BAYTOWN POLICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF THE CITY OF BAYTOWN May 23, 2023 The Baytown Police Advisory Committee (BPAC) met in a Meeting on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at 6:07 P.M. in the Pentecostals of Baytown Church, located at 5303 N Highway 146, Baytown, Texas, with the following in attendance: Sgt. Steve Jones Committee Member Michael Springer Vice Chairperson Dr. June Stansky Committee Member Kirk Russell Committee Member Natalie Robinson Committee Member Dr. Marissa Moreno Chairperson Angela Jackson Secretary John Stringer Police Chief Chairperson Dr. Moreno convened the May 23, 2023, Baytown Police Advisory Committee (BPAC)Meeting with a quorum present at 6:07 P.M.All members were present with the exception of the absence of Committee Member Richard Hunsinger. 1. MINUTES a. Consider approving the minutes of the Baytown Police Advisory Committee Meeting held on April 25,2023. A motion was made by Committee Member Dr. June Stansky and seconded by Vice Chairperson Michael Springer to approve the minutes of the Baytown Police Advisory Committee Meeting held on April 25, 2023, as submitted. The vote was as follows: Ayes: Chairperson Dr. Marissa Moreno, Vice Chairperson Michael Springer, Committee Member Sgt. Steve Jones, Committee Member Kirk Russell, Committee Member Dr. June Stansky, and Committee Member Natalie Robinson Nays: None Other: Committee Member Richard Hunsinger(Absent) Approved 2. CITIZEN INPUT a. Receive citizen input concerning police outreach, community policing, officer training, as well as policies and procedures. Baytown Police Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes May 23,2023 Page 2 of 7 Vice Chairperson Springer announced Mr. David Isaac had signed up to speak on the item. Mr. Isaac first commended the Police Chief and the BPAC for addressing and handling the kids from IMPACT Early College High School carefully at their last meeting. He also congratulated them for the progress they were making, especially in terms of mental health. With that said, Mr. Isaac shared his concerns over the rehiring of Officer Nathaniel Brown.During the officer's tenure, he had communicated with the police over the officer's performance. Mr. Isaac understood that they were sending him out in to neighborhoods that "required a tough arm." He commented that he had philosophical differences with police officers about whether or not somebody was "giving lip"to an officer, and whether or not that warranted an arrest or retaliation from an officer. Mr. Isaac then referenced a video footage that was currently being investigated at that time. He expressed it was the responsibility of those in power to take full responsibility if that gentleman violated the laws or liberties of any sovereign individual in the City. Mr. Isaac also addressed the budget. Sixty percent (60%) of the City's budget went to the police, fire, and public safety. How- ever,the City's Master Plan did not mention public safety.Nevertheless,he agreed it was important and that the BPAC could help their City Government address what would be their long-term goal for public safety. Mr. Isaac was about to speak on the hiring of three(3)new officers when he was informed that his time was up. He requested an extra thirty(30) seconds which was granted. Mr. Isaac proceeded to note that the newly hired police officers were all white. While he was not prosecuting them,he commented that he looked forward to having more diversity on the force. On the makeup of the BPAC, he noted there were a lot of police officers on the Committee. If they were to have that,he wished they would keep the citizens' perspectives on the Committee as well. Chairperson Dr. Moreno announced Pastor Eric Bolenbaucher had signed up to speak on the item. Pastor Bolenbaucher welcomed the BPAC to the Pentecostals of Baytown Church. As he was a pastor,he shared a call he received from a gentleman in the act of wanting to harm himself. Pastor Bolenbaucher was able to call Communications and request a welfare check because he knew that the Baytown Police Department (BPD) had mental health officers and the Clinician and Officer Remote Evaluation (CORE) tablets. The individual went under an Emergency Detention Order (EDO)and was checked in to Houston Methodist.The family of the individual,once Pastor Bolen- baucher explained the process of the CORE program, were overwhelmingly thankful. Therefore, there were positive results coming from their mental health initiative and the CORE tablets. 3. COMMUNITY INPUT a. Receive community input obtained by the Baytown Police Advisory Committee Members. Committee Member Dr. Stansky shared slite had seen Facebook posts on Officer Nathaniel Brown l and his partner arresting a man on a staircase. In the recording, it was said that the man's head was hit on a car and an ambulance was called.The man also had an asthma attack. Committee Member Dr. Stansky had encouraged people to come to the meeting regarding this situation; however, no one was present from that incident. She lastly expressed that it was disturbing to see that footage. Baytown Police Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes May 23,2023 Page 3 of 7 Committee Member Robinson, a Baytown Police Department (BPD) officer, addressed the situa- tion. She had been working that evening and noted there were things that had not been posted on social media. The gentleman had an asthma attack and his inhaler was not provided to him by his family.After several requests that were made by the police,the man was taken care of.Regardless, Committee Member Dr. Stansky noted that the man was still handcuffed on the ground next to the stretcher in the video. Committee Member Robinson could not speak on that part. But, as far as the asthma attack, his inhaler was asked for repeatedly by police and they had been refused. Committee Member Sergeant Jones added his comment on the situation. He assured they wanted to have a good Police Department. If an officer was not doing their job, BPD would take care of that problem. He thanked Mr. David Isaac for how he presented himself and for his concern on Officer Brown in the previous item. He noted that Mr. Isaac had also thanked them for the good things that they were doing. Committee Member Sgt. Jones shared that was what they really needed. Police Chief John Stringer lastly assured everyone that when they get information on the possibil- ity of wrongdoing, misconduct, or any questionable circumstances involving Officers, it did get reviewed. In that review, they would ensure that their professional standards would be upheld. 4. BUSINESS ITEMS a. Follow-up on the facilitated brainstorm and consensus building sessions from the Baytown Police Advisory Committee's February and March meetings regarding their focus and commitments for this year. Chairperson Dr. Moreno opened the item discussing over their presentation to the City Council. In that presentation, they discussed their Buckets of Concern and commitments for 2023 which the BPAC would solidify that evening. The referenced list presented to Council was as follows: POSITIVE TRAINING& TRANSPARENCY& OUTREACH & ENGAGEMENTS DEVELOPMENT ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNERSHIPS BPD actively engage 100%of BPD officers Quarterly BPAC BPAC and BPD with local apartment trained in inclusivity/ meetings in target collaborations on complexes for events diversity community locations specific projects Invite business Monthly meetings be- Identify and establish stakeholders to BPAC tween BPD,GCCISD, stakeholder resources and Lee College for homelessness Increase BPD visibility and patrol Explore alternate outside of cars *Seems Easy mechanisms for citizen input and feedback Proactively submit *Requires more i i positive stories to press work/higher level of privc community collaboration engagement through open meetings Baytown Police Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes May 23,2023 Page 4 of 7 Positive Engagement With regard to inviting businesses to their meetings, Chairperson Dr. Moreno noted they needed to identify who would invite those businesses. She asked Police Chief John Stringer if they had a list of potential business owners they could reach out to and invite to their meetings. Chief Stringer did not have a list at that time, but he noted they could probably get one. If they were to have a list, Committee Member Sgt. Jones did not mind reaching out and calling them. Chief Stringer also encouraged the BPAC Members to engage them too, as well as other civic organizations and whatnot. As Committee Member Sgt. Jones was willing to do that with his troops, he suggested they divide and conquer with the BPAC Members. Chairperson Dr. Moreno hoped at their next meeting they would have that list and further discuss what those conversations would look like. Next, Chairperson Dr. Moreno discussed increasing the Baytown Police Department's (BPD)vis- ibility and patrolling outside of cars. She questioned if BPD had an opportunity to brainstorm since that professional development. Chief Stringer replied they had and mentioned a program that would encourage officers to have one (1) non-enforcement and positive contact with citizens. It would either be per officer or per shift every day. BPD was still deciding on what metrics they would use to measure what they were looking for. Chief Stringer relayed that would be tied to their Clinician and Officer Remote Evaluation(CORE) services and their five (5) year strategic plan. Training and Development On the item of one hundred percent (100%) of BPD officers trained in inclusivity and diversity, Chairperson Dr. Moreno noted Chief Stringer's person sent an email to her and her associate. However, she needed to follow-up with her associate to see where they were on that. Transparency and Accountability Chairperson Dr. Moreno addressed having quarterly BPAC meetings in targeted community loca- tions and requested suggestions. Vice Chairperson Springer believed their Lee College meeting was one of their best ones. Chairperson Dr. Moreno asked what month the BPAC wanted to go to Lee College so she could start requesting their space.July and August were offered as suggestions. Furthermore, Chairperson Dr. Moreno discussed the monthly meetings between BPD, Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District (GCCISD), and Lee College. She knew Chief Stringer had been talking with GCCISD and questioned if he had talked to the college. Chief Stringer responded that Assistant Chief David Alford was assisting them with their active shooter response and maintained a regular liaison with the college's Chief of Security. The three (3) enti- ties have not had monthly meetings yet, but they were working on that. Chairperson Dr. Moreno recommended they have meeting minutes posted so people would know that they were meeting. Outreach and Partnerships Chairperson Dr. Moreno then highlighted having the BPAC anc1 BPD collaborate on specific pro- jects.The BPAC Members proceeded to discuss matters concerning events, such as National Night Out and Citizen Appreciation Day. Chairperson Dr. Moreno suggested they brainstorm other op- portunities for the BPAC to be present at, such as an UNIDOS meeting. Committee Member Rob- inson noted their next meeting was tentatively set for July 18, 2023, at the Community Center. Baytown Police Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes May 23,2023 Page 5 of 7 With that settled, Vice Chairperson Springer revisited their presentation to Council. On the dis- cussion topic of having an extra seat for a student, Council countered by saying that the BPAC could create their own subcommittee of students. Secretary Angela Jackson noted that they would need to bring that before Council. Vice Chairperson Springer thought the subcommittee was a good idea because it could be flexible and he mused over a few ideas on what they could do. 5. REPORTS a. Receive an update regarding the status of police outreach, community policing, officer training and policies and procedures. Outreach Police Chief John Stringer began his report on the Baytown Police Department's (BPD)outreach. Since their last meeting, BPD hosted or attended events that connected them with an estimate of one thousand eight hundred and forty-two(1,842) citizens. The events mentioned were as follows: • Rape Aggression Defense Classes; • Campus Crim Stopper Student Meetings • Pop-Up Parks; (on a monthly basis); • Child Car-Seat Safety events; • Child Safety Identification events; and • Neighborhood Watch events; • Meetings with Apartment Property Managers to improve safety. Chief Stringer further reported that BPD was updating their Crime Stoppers and Baytown's Most Wanted Programs. On recruitment,BPD's lateral hiring process was moving along well. As of that morning, they potentially had seven (7) applicants ready for hire. Chief Stringer noted that would bring them from one hundred sixty-nine(169)to one hundred seventy-five(175) sworn personnel. Policies and Procedures BPD had no new policies nor procedures for Chief Stringer to report to the BPAC Members. Training In the last month, the Baytown Police Academy hosted eleven (11) classes for BPD and outside agencies. They recorded forty-one thousand six hundred and fifteen (41,615) total training hours across the department of one hundred and sixty-two (162) sworn personnel for their two (2) year training cycle. Chief Stringer relayed that was an average of one hundred and twenty-eight (128) hours per officer per year. In addition, new standardized self-defense classes were taught to offic- ers monthly. They were on track to have all officers certified in that by the end of the year. Chief Stringer shared they were planning a small-scale field training exercise along with Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District's (GCCISD) Police Department, Baytown Fire, and Baytown Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The Constable's Office from Precinct Three (3) would be in attendance, but would not be participating. The exercise would test their initial response and threat mitigation with their integrated teams between the departments as well as the establishment of the Unified Command System (UCS) and BPD's and Fire's Rescue Task Force. Baytown Police Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes May 23,2023 Page 6 of 7 Lieutenant Mark Freeman proceeded to provide more details on that exercise and described it as a small-scale active shooter training. Officers would respond to the situation and BPD would assess their initial response, the integration of the different departments, Fire's alert systems, and the Rescue Task Force. BPD would also evaluate their Incident Command structure. Lt. Freeman re- layed they would correct anything that needed to be fixed or expanded on. The training was set towards the end of July and they picked a couple of weekends for the availability of the schools. Chief Stringer highlighted the importance of the Rescue Task Force which had evolved since the alert protocol was developed. Law enforcement realized, through self-critiques on their responses to active shooters,that they were good at mitigating the threat but not in stopping the bleeding and dying. Thus, they would bring medics in to what they called "warm zones."The zones would not be completely safe, but the medics would not be brought in to where the bad guy would be either. As they would stop the killing, they would now also stop the dying. The medics would be suited up in bodyline elements and would almost be like a combat medic in a semi-hostile environment. Furthermore, Chief Stringer relayed the reason the training would be small was to see how every- thing that was mentioned would work together. They would then build off of it for a larger event later on down the line. The current training would be coordinated off a particular area of a school to keep it containable and to make sure the scope would not be too big for them. Chief Stringer did note that the training was built off of a tabletop exercise that they did last year with the School Systems, Constables, Fire Departments, Police Departments, and their City Administration. Committee Member Russell questioned matters concerning the Incident Command System (ICS) and the Unified Command System (UCS). Chief Stringer responded that all of BPD was trained on that and would be tested through the alert protocol. With all the different entities coming to- gether, Committee Member Russell questioned who would take the lead. Chief Stringer replied it depended on the scope of the event. However, BPD would probably take over Incident Command. Committee Member Dr. Stansky inquired over the equipment that would be used. Lt. Freeman explained they would use simunitions which functioned like live rounds but were hard soap pellets. 6. NEXT MEETING a. Consider setting date, time and location for the next Baytown Police Advisory Com- mittee meeting, along with any related tasks and processes. Chairperson Dr. Moreno proposed they meet at City Hall next so they could prepare to meet at Lee College later on. The date for their meeting would be on Tuesday, June 27, 2023. A motion was made by Vice Chairperson Michael Springer and seconded Committee Member Kirk Russell to approve Tuesday, June 27, 2023, at 6:00 P.M. in City Hall as the next Baytown Police Advisory Committee meeting date, time, and location. The vote was as follows: Ayes: Chairperson Dr. Marissa Moreno, Vice Chairperson Michael Springer, Committee Member Sgt. Steve Jones, Committee Member Kirk Russell, Committee Member Dr. June Stansky, and Committee Member Natalie Robinson Baytown Police Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes May 23,2023 Page 7 of 7 Nays: None Other: Committee Member Richard Hunsinger(Absent) Approved 7. ADJOURN With there being no further business to discuss, Chairperson Dr. Moreno adjourned the May 23, 2023, Baytown Police Advisory Committee Meeting at 6:55 P.M. �,NYTowiv 'y4 A---, ••e••eaee•e.p ft .1. I :. a. . %..4'0,110-. Angela '.cks 44 ,,ecr- �, m,,H City of Bayto i ti;p !''� n y' 1 1