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2026 02 24 BPAC Meeting
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE BAYTOWN POLICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF THE CITY OF BAYTOWN February 24, 2026 The Baytown Police Advisory Committee(BPAC)met in a Meeting on February 24,2026,at 6:00 P.M. in the Conference Room, Public Safety Building 3200 North Main Street, Baytown, Texas 77520 with the following in attendance: Kirk Russell Vice Chairperson Andrea Rice Committee Member Marga Matthews Committee Member Jose Ortega Committee Member Rex Elliott Committee Member Sgt. Steve Jones Committee Member Michael Springer Chairperson Gabriella Gonzales Assistant Secretary John Stringer Police Chief Chairperson Michael Springer convened the February 24, 2026, Baytown Police Advisory Committee (BPAC) Meeting with a quorum present at 6:06 P.M. All members were present with the exception of Committee Member Natalie Robinson. 1. CITIZEN COMMENTS Chairperson Michael Springer announced a citizen signed up to speak. Tammy Guidry,408 S. Circle Drive,expressed her concern regarding homeless individuals losing their identification when they are arrested and inquired about the process when they are removed from the camps. Ms. Guidry shared her intentions to meet with the representative of City of Bay- town Homeless Coordinator. Sgt. Steve Jones, provided clarification regarding the processes and procedures for arrest and re- moval of homeless individuals camps,moving forward. The Committee Members provided their recommendations regarding the homeless assistance pro- gram requirements. 2. MINUTES a. Consider approving the minutes of the Baytown Police Advisory Committee Meeting held on January 27, 2026. A motion was made by Committee Member Rex Elliott and seconded by Vice Chairperson Kirk Russell to approve the BPAC minutes for the January 27, 2026. The vote was as follows: Baytown Police Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes February 24,2026 Page 2 of 3 Ayes: Chairperson Michael Springer, Vice Chairperson Kirk Russell, Committee Member Andrea Rice, Committee Member Marga Matthews, Committee Member Jose Ortega, Committee Member Rex Elliot and Committee Member Sgt. Steve Jones Nays: None Other: Committee Member Natalie Robinson (Absent) Approved 3. CITIZEN INPUT a. Receive citizen input concerning police outreach, community policing, officer train- ing, as well as policies and procedures. Chairperson Michael Springer announced this item was discussed during citizen comments. 4. COMMUNITY INPUT a. Receive and discuss community input obtained by the Baytown Police Advisory Committee Members. Committee Member Kirk Russell shared a social media posting regarding a citizen's post accom- modating a Baytown Police Officer for assisting her during vehicle break down. Committee Members discussed a social media post regarding an address of concern, 1022 N 1 St Street, and were informed the Baytown Police Department is aware and addressing the residence. 5. BUSINESS ITEMS a. Discuss upcoming goals and consider setting any tasks and processes for future meet- ings. Committee Members expressed interest with getting involved in the Coffee with a Cop. Committee Members discussed amending the code for quarterly meetings instead of monthly to allow for more time to gather information and look into events such as Coffee with a Cop. 6. REPORTS a. Receive a report and discuss the status of police outreach, community policing, of- ficer training and policies and procedures. Police Chief John Stringer provided an overview regarding police outreach, community policing, officer training and policies and procedures. (Exhibit A) Baytown Police Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes February 24,2026 Page 3 of 3 7. NEXT MEETING a. The next Baytown Police Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at 6:00 p.m., in the Conference Room located at the Public Safety Building, 3200 North Main Street, Baytown, Texas 77521. Chairperson Michael Springer announced the next meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at 6:00 P.M., in the Conference Room located at the Public Safety Building. S. ADJOURN With there being no further business to discuss, Chairperson Michael Springer adjourned the Feb- ruary 24, 2026, Baytown Police Advisory Committee Meeting at 7:03 P.M. 3zza:N L' Angela Jac on, Seervt a City of Baytown s �r �/ EXHIBIT "A" BAYTOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT February 24, 2026 BAYTOWN JOHN D. STRINGER Chief of Police Recruitment and Retention 1. Staffing levels are currently 96%,with four retirements pending over the next two months 2. Staff is currently conducting interviews of applicants in civil service hiring process Administration 1. We are currently reviewing goals and objectives as we begin the process of preparing of the next fiscal year's budget. Policy • Continue preparing for Re-Accreditation with the Texas Police Chief's Association Training • Data is not available for this report. Beginning with the next BPAC meeting,data will appear in the same graphing formats as other metrics reported.With the data reflecting the previous month's total numbers, as opposed to the time elapsed since the last BPAC meeting.This will allow for consistency in reporting. Crime Rate • BPD record an increase violent crimes reported in January.The increase between December 2025 and January 2026 was 8 additional,but consistent with the previous time period in 2025.The SID, cooperating with CID and Patrol,recently arrested a subject responsible for multiple robberies which attributed to this increase in January. • The above mentioned arrest is the result of the use of Intelligence gathering and analysis applied to new strategies and fundamental police work.The organization will continue to use and expand new strategies and technology to address these issues and concerns. Violent Crime F 5(I } "."4* i P�M1'e'015.•P. M1 i "•PC'�vA P F P � M1 4?.16"� T 6*l ge �M1e P fl 34' .,,•0 rf ' v34 y+ c r°' ai x" ,s .d'• ra d oP a: .a rg d 1 ►Violent Criers • iolent Crime Violent Crime Year-to-Date Percent Change: Projected Average Annual Compounding Change since 2022: ©2% ©3% Target:Continuous Downward 'Geometric Mean:accounts for Trend compounding when calculating the overage annual rote of change by spreading the total growth or reduction evenly across years. 2025 is projected on current YTD rate. The previously reported year-to-date reflected CY 25 data. Current data shows a 2%decline in the current calendar year, which we expect to continue. Traffic Crashes Traffic Crashes 222 222 183 188 190 18s 1W 161 163171167 98 180 2°3175196176168173 711 195 160 16 151 141 151 140 161 151 168 138 1a 110 158 173 152 136 149 137 150 151 157 1B 158 137 134 130 131 6 i30 29 / 1 � 1 1 1 1 ? .1 1� I I ° 11 1 t2818 11 1 11 1 i3 1111L11LH11LL1111L1kLk111; Ur 1� 1� '� 23 „ 0 1;0 ryo0 0 0 ti00 0 0 h�O0 tis'ye tio0 0 0 0 0ti00 0 tio0 Doti'Doti'�0�0 Doti°tioti'tie�ti�o��etitioti yti�otitioti �e��ti�Oti'�oti'ti4,yoti'ti0^'�Oti��0,t'yrt' 1? o�� 94),e 0 00 )uc )° � '� °c )sc oie or, )°c °\fis orsc )ac Qf "epst 00 )°c �� °a yeC cf ° � )•rS °�4.0 7.4 )`§' �° °°ct pc`40'(pc Month #of traffic crashes #of DWI Violations and Arrests Traffic crashes continue a downward trend as well, but are primarily consistent with the same time periods in the previous year.Year to date data records a 13%decrease.This is attributed to data analysis that identifies areas with highest crash numbers for special enforcement details. • Traffic Fatalities Traffic Crashes 16 Year-to-Date Percent Change: IS 12 © 13% „ IO Target:Continuous Downward Trend 2022 2022 2024 2025 2026 Veal 'Data„pdated an,wally Community Engagement • Community Engagements are continuing at all levels of the department, but most often from Uniform Services, involving uniformed officers engaging with our citizens for non-enforcement interactions. Community Engagement • fi Yi 2b Sep:023 Ck't'025 Nov'2025 0ec2025 Date • Number of Cabs Mental Health Calls o Mental Health Calls increased in January of 2026 to levels above those of October of 2025 and along with increased responses to the BPD Jail for persons in mental health crises. BPD noted an 2%referral rate to Harris Health for follow up mental health care so far in 2026. o Many of our Mental Health Calls occurred during extreme winter weather conditions involving officers trying to provide services to homeless persons in our area,which may account for the sharp increase over December of 2025. 4 u 45 Ik 25 L20 15' 6 . . ■ JV2225 Wg25 S2pi025 0012025 Cote*1Ca s Cal 1 HsinsHaMllbknl Homeless Interventions, • Personnel made a total of 45 interventions in January of 2026, an increase of 50%over the entire 4th quarter of CY 25.As noted in the data on mental health responses,this may be attributed to officers providing services to homeless persons during extreme winter weather in January of 2025. • In some cases persons refused assistance to a shelter, but officers provided blankets that were obtained through the Baytown Emergency Operations Center. Homeless Intervention • SO k,• 25 z 0 O,Y2025 Nov12025 DeG2u25 ,an 202E nam Number of Calls • Coplogic,an online offense reporting system that assists citizens file police reports online continues to provide a convenient method of reporting"minor"crimes for citizens,while allowing officers to remain available for proactive patrol, response to calls for service,and community engagement tK ■