2021 05 11 BPAC MinutesMINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BAYTOWN POLICE
ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF THE CITY OF BAYTOWN
May 11, 2021
The Baytown Police Advisory Committee of the City of Baytown, Texas, met in a Regular Meeting
on Tuesday, May 11, 2021, at 6:00 P.M. in the Council Chamber of the Baytown City Hall, 2401
Market Street, Baytown, Texas with the following in attendance:
Raphael D. Montgomery
Eric Bolenbaucher
Dr. Marissa Moreno
Dr. June Stansky
Richard Hunsinger
Yulanda Braxton
Cpl. Steve Ocanas
Kevin Troller
Angela Jackson
Mike Holden
Karen Horner
Chairperson
Vice -Chairperson
Committee Member
Committee Member
Committee Member
Committee Member (Teleconference)
Committee Member
Assistant City Manager
Acting City Clerk
Interim Police Chief
City Attorney
Chairperson Raphael D. Montgomery convened the May 11, 2021, Baytown Police Advisory
Committee Meeting with a quorum present at 6:06 P.M., all members were present with the
exception of Lt. Rene Hinojosa, who was absent.
1. MINUTES
a. Consider approving the minutes of the Baytown Police Advisory Committee Meeting held
on January 26, 2021.
b. Consider approving the minutes of the Baytown Police Advisory Committee Meeting
held on February 23, 2021.
C. Consider approving the minutes of the Baytown Police Advisory Committee Meeting
held on March 30, 2021.
A motion was made by Vice -Chairperson Eric Bolenbaucher and seconded by Committee Member
Dr. June Stansky to approve the meeting minutes with regards to agenda items La. through l .c., as
submitted. The vote was as follows:
Ayes: Chairperson Raphael D. Montgomery, Vice -Chairperson Eric
Bolenbaucher, Committee Member Yulanda Braxton, Committee
Member Marissa Moreno, Committee Member June Stansky, Committee
Member Richard Hunsinger, and Committee Member Cpl. Steve Ocanas
Nays: None
Baytown Police Advisory Committee Regular Meeting Minutes
May 11, 2021
Page 2 of 6
Other: Committee Member Lt. Rene Hinojosa (Absent)
Approved
2. BUSINESS ITEMS
a. Discuss and consider recommendations regarding mental illness, transparency and
accountability, positive engagement and /or training and development to be presented to the
City Council.
Chairperson Raphael Montgomery introduced the item by thanking the staff members who helped
create the PowerPoint presentation, and provided an overview of the Committee's quarterly report to
be presented to City Council on Thursday, May 27t1i. He requested the committee's input as to
whether they just wanted to present to Council the Committee's activity or if they also wanted to
request for Council to look into the financial aspect to bring some of their recommendations into
fruition.
In regards to the mental illness decals, Chairperson Montgomery stated that the committee should
review how other cities handle decals, how the committee would like the decal to look, and the cost
that would be incurred if the City were to move forward with the creation of decals. Vice -Chairperson
Eric Bolenbaucher began the discussion with the committee's concerns being the financial aspect,
uniformity, and possibly obtaining more information through Harris County.
Interim Police Chief Mike Holden introduced Lieutenant Steve Dorris, who is the lieutenant of the
Operations Bureau, who oversees the mental health officers and has been in contact with Harris
County. Mr. Holden asked Lieutenant Steve Dorris to explain the programs that have been discussed
and to provide the committee with suggestions and ideas that correlate with such programs.
Lieutenant Dorris provided an overview of the mental health programs that the Baytown Police
Department has been exploring and how they want to handle mental health issues in the community,
and has reached out to the Harris County Sheriff's Department. He stated that Harris County has a
program named the Clinician and Officer Remote Evaluation ("CORE") Program. The program puts
tablets in the hands of officers on the streets, assisting them in having a clinician in the pocket of
every officer with a tablet. The Wad links up with a clinician through the Harris Health System, which
allows the clinician to have an active evaluation on scene. The clinician can then offer guidance to
the officers on how to proceed in the situation. The clinician will assist on the scene then offer a
follow up, which would assist in the numerous returns of the officers to the same person. The clinician
will follow up, assure the consumer is on the right track, and assure they have the help and resources
they require. The CORE program also assists in contacting the families of the consumers and offering
them resources, whether they are long-term or short-term needs.
The cost for the CORE program is available to be covered through grants provided by Harris Health
which will be at no cost to the city. Lieutenant Dorris states that grants are not always guaranteed,
and if it were to go away it would be around $9,000 per iPad. The City of Baytown Police Department
would realistically like twenty (20) iPads for the Crisis Intervention Team ("CIT") members, and to
be able to spread them across shifts and the Field Training Instructors ("FTIs"). The FTIs would assist
Baytown Police Advisory Committee Regular Meeting Minutes
May 11, 2021
Page 3 of 6
in assuring the rookies, and new officers get introduced to it on the front end.
Committee Member Dr. June Stansky requested clarification on the cost to collaborate in the CORE
program, to which Lieutenant Dorris confinned that in entering into an MOU grant with the County,
then the program would not cost the City of Baytown anything. She then inquired that if a person is
not registered with Harris County Health, but is being treated by a private psychiatrist or psychologist,
would they be in the system, to which Lieutenant Dorris stated that they may not be as the concept is
for the consumer to interact with a clinician and they would get them in the system. The City of
Baytown may deal with one person one day, and Harris County may deal with them a following day
or vice versa but as long as someone deals with them they will be introduced to the clinician and put
into the system. Lieutenant Dorris states that the Police Department is already working on some things
to track cases, identify addresses, and individuals to assist in having mitigation factors in place before
the officers arrive.
Vice -Chairperson Eric Bolenbaucher questioned whether there is an appropriate way of getting
information to the officer as the officer comes on scene, to which Lieutenant Dorris stated that the
information shared with the clinician is HIPPA protected and the clinician would only speak to the
officer to whom the Wad is assigned to in order to maintain patient confidentiality. Lieutenant Dorris
goes on to state that the flow of information would occur from the reporting side, which would include
the CIT officers and the officers on the scene addressing the issues within the department. The Police
Department would generate a report, which would allow for the person's name, address, and details
of the encounter to be listed to assist in future calls.
Vice -Chairperson Eric Bolenbaucher asked how long Harris County has been utilizing the system, to
which Lieutenant Dorris answered that they started the CORE Program around 2012, but have been
collaborating with Harris Health since 1991. Harris County currently has 100 iPads in the hands of
deputies across the county including full time CIT officers, field training instructors, and regular
patrol officers. Vice -Chairperson Eric Bolenbaucher questioned whether other municipalities are
currently working with Harris County Sheriff's Department. Lieutenant Dorris states that Precincts
11 2, and 3 and several constable departments are onboard with Harris County. The use of the iPads
reduced the transportation to a hospital for emergency detention orders by 42% due to having a
clinician talk to them on the front end and form an assessment.
Committee Member Richard Hunsinger asked in regards to the officers that obtain specialized
training and Lieutenant Dorris stated there are two different specific trainings for mental health issues,
one being the Crisis Intervention Training ("CIT"), which all officers must take, and another is the
Mental Health Police Officer Certification, which is a Texas Commission on Law Enforcement
(TCOLE) recognized course. Committee Member Hunsinger then asked whether these trainings are
required in order to participate in the CORE program, and Lieutenant Dorris noted that in order to be
a CIT officer the officer would have to go through the Mental Health Police Officer Certification, but
that all officers require the CIT training, therefore, the training itself does not preclude an officer from
being assigned a tablet. The program requires an officer obtain a four-hour training to learn to utilize
the Wad, and the security and privacy concerns. There is not a specific certification or accreditation
to be able to take an Wad out at the scene and have the consumer speak to a clinician.
Lieutenant Dorris confirmed that the cost per unit per year would be $9,000, and would include the
training. Committee Member Hunsinger stated if 20 units would be sufficient to which the Lieutenant
Baytown Police Advisory Committee Regular Meeting Minutes
May 11, 2021
Page 4 of 6
stated the ideal amount would be one for every officer, however, the Police department feels twenty
is a comfortable number for everyone to digest and down the road if the department finds that it needs
more then it could be revisited in the future.
Committee Member Dr. June Stansky asked other programs besides the CORE program were the
ones the department looked at. Lieutenant Dorris answered that the Harris County Sheriffs
Department has a very broad behavioral services unit. The Sheriff's Department addresses things
such as autism, senior citizen dementia, and other things as such. Project Guardian is the program in
regard to autism which allows for decals such as the stickers the committee has already discussed.
The decals would allow for identification of houses and cars where people with autism reside.
Vice -Chairperson Eric Bolenbaucher asked for a synopsis of the CORE prograrn to be able to
recommend to City Council which would be vital. Mr. Bolenbaucher went on to ask if the grant were
to fall through what would occur, and both Lieutenant Dorris and Chief Holden stated that the police
department would not have sufficient funds to support the iPads on their own.
Interim Police Chief Holden discussed that many of these programs come from out of state and the
only stipulation would be that the iPads are provided by Harris County and would not be able to be
used in Chambers County. The Police department has been looking at other avenues and other
agencies are hiring clinicians to ride with officers in the Patrol Unit. The numbers would be one
clinician to seven or eight iPads. The autism program is done in other states and in such states use the
puzzle pieces symbol which is the national standard. Chairperson Montgomery questions the
differences between Project Guardian and the Core Program to which Interim Police Chief Mike
Holden stated Project Guardian focuses on Autism while the Core Program handles mental health in
general.
Chief Holden stated that the decals are applied by residents, however, many do not apply the decals
to the vehicle as participation is optional. The homes that participate in the decals allows the officer
on the scene to recognize there is a person with autism in the home. Committee Member Dr. Marissa
Moreno asked if there were any other decals for different illnesses other than autism, such as
schizophrenia, depression, suicidal ideation, and so forth. Chief Holden stated there is not a national
decal for those mental health issues, but the current system does allow for notes to be added in certain
cases to provide future officers the infonnation necessary for those types of situations.
Committee Members Dr. June Stansky and Richard Hunsinger suggested a voluntary registration set
up in doctors' offices and mental health professionals to allow for citizens to fill out a brochure to
put information in regard to their mental health issues and provide it to the police department and put
it in the system. Chief Holden noted that validation would be required in order to properly process
the information and assure it is all correct.
Lieutenant Dorris stated that there are currently five (5) CIT members, but ideally ten (10) fully
trained mental health officers would be needed to specifically respond to mental health calls and only
such calls.
A motion was made by Vice -Chairperson Eric Bolenbaucher and seconded by Committee Member
Dr. June Stansky to approve and request for City Council to support such recommendations as noted.
The vote was as follows:
Baytown Police Advisory Committee Regular Meeting Minutes
May 11, 2021
Page S of 6
Ayes: Chairperson Raphael D. Montgomery, Vice -Chairperson Eric
Bolenbaucher, Committee Member Yulanda Braxton, Committee
Member Marissa Moreno, Committee Member June Stansky, Committee
Member Richard Hunsinger, and Committee Member Cpl. Steve Ocanas
Nays: None
Other: Committee Member Lt. Rene Hinojosa (Absent)
Approved
b. Discuss and consider the presentation of the Baytown Police Advisory Committee's
quarterly report to the City Council.
City Attorney Karen Horner presented a slide showing the prioritized buckets of concern being
Mental Illness and how it would be presented to the City Council. The three (3) items discussed and
supported by the Baytown Police Advisory Committee being the Clinician and Officer Remote
Evaluation (CORE) Program, Project Guardian, and a Database for all Mental Illnesses.
A motion was made by Vice -Chairperson Eric Bolenbaucher and seconded by Committee Member
Dr. June Stansky to approve the Committee's quarterly report presentation to be presented to Council
with the amended slide as provided by Karen Horner. The vote was as follows:
Ayes: Chairperson Raphael D. Montgomery, Vice -Chairperson Eric
Bolenbaucher, Committee Member Yulanda Braxton, Committee
Member Marissa Moreno, Committee Member June Stansky, Committee
Member Richard Hunsinger, and Committee Member Cpl. Steve Ocanas
Nays: None
Other: Committee Member Lt. Rene Hinojosa (Absent)
Approved
C. Consider setting any tasks and processes for future meetings.
The committee members discussed items that they would like for the Committee to focus on and they
were as follows:
a) Mental Illness - Primary Concern
➢ Decals
➢ Lapel Pins
➢ Pamphlet
b) Mental Health Training
Baytown Police Advisory Committee Regular Meeting Minutes
May 11, 2021
Page 6 of 6
➢ 911 Center / Emergency Communications Dispatch Department
c) Community Outreach/Relations
➢ Police Presence in the Communities
➢ More Active on Social Media
➢ Focus on Teens and Young Adults
d) Consider a Collaboration with Harris County Sherriff s Dept.
➢ CORE Program (Clinician and Officer Remote Evaluation)
➢ iPads/Tablets
e) More in depth Use of Force Training - Presentation from Corporal Kenneth
Hockless
➢ Committee
➢ Possible Community Service Activity
3. MANAGER'S REPORT
a. The next Baytown Police Advisory Committee Meeting is scheduled for May 25, 2021, at
6:00 P.M., at the Baytown Police Academy, 203 Wye Drive, Baytown, Texas 77521.
Assistant City Manager Kevin Troller reminded the committee members of the next Baytown
Police Advisory Committee regular meeting scheduled for May 25, 2021, and that the
Committee's quarterly report presentation to Council would be at the Council meeting to be held
on Thursday, May 27, 2021 at 6:30 P.M., in the Council Chamber at the Baytown City Hall.
4. ADJOURN
With there being no further business to discuss, a motion was made by Vice -Chairperson Eric
Bolenbaucher and seconded by Committee Member Dr. June Stansky to adjourn the May 11, 2021,
Baytown Police Advisory Committee Regular Meeting at 7:26 P.M. The vote was as follows:
Ayes: Chairperson Raphael D. Montgomery, Vice -Chairperson Eric
Bolenbaucher, Committee Member Yulanda Braxton, Committee
Member Marissa Moreno, Committee Member June Stansky, Committee
Member Richard Hunsinger, and Committee Member Cpl. Steve Ocanas
Nays: None
Other: Committee Member Lt. Rene Hinojosa (Absent)
Approved
1 J 0� 6pYTC14Vey06 ,.•°
h°
Angela Jabkson, Acting City Clerk
City of Baytown.; 7�'`*� ?
�lj� L F