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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/04/2016 05A Council Public Safety Committee Minutes for March through July 2016 70t:, • -' 4' . , BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL YAKIMA, WASHINGTON AGENDA STATEMENT Item No. 5.A. For Meeting of: October 4, 2016 ITEM TITLE: Accept Public Safety Committee Meeting Minutes of 3/24/16, 4/28/16, 5/26/16, 6/30/16, and 7/28/16 SUBMITTED BY: Terri Croft, Police Administrative Assistant SUMMARY EXPLANATION: See attached minutes. ITEM BUDGETED: NA STRATEGIC PRIORITY: Public Safety -4 ' APPROVED FOR f SUBMITTAL: fr City Manager STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Accept minutes BOARD/COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION: ATTACHMENTS: Description Upload Date Type D Public Safety Committee minutes 3/24/16 9/21/2016 Backup Material D Public Safety Committee minutes 4/28/16 9/21/2016 Backup Material D Public Safety Committee minutes 5/26/16 9/21/2016 Backup Material D Public Safety Committee minutes 6/30/16 9/21/2016 Backup Material 1) Public Safety Committee minutes 7/28/16 9/21/2016 Backup Material Council Public Safety Committee March 24, 2016 MINUTES Members: Staff: Councilmember Kathy Coffey (chair) Jeff Cutter, Interim City Manager Councilmember Dulce Gutierrez Chief Dominic Rizzi, Police Councilmember Carmen Mendez Chief Bob Stewart, Fire Prncari itnr (:vnthia MartinP7 I anal Helen Harvey, Legal Terri Croft, Police The meeting was called to order at 3:04 p.m. • Mutual Aid Agreement between YPD and City of Cleveland Rizzi provided an overview of the request from the City of Cleveland for mutual aid during the Republican National Convention. The benefits to the Yakima Police Department are gaining training and exposure to managing large events and crowd control. All costs are reimbursed, including any overtime to backfill for officers attending. Gutierrez inquired how many officers would be sent. Rizzi advised 10 officers total, not all from the patrol division, would be attending for 5 -6 day, including travel days. The City of Yakima would not be left short- covered during this time Mendez recommended the agreement be forwarded to the full council with the support of the committee. • Budget Restraints impacting YPD Rizzi reported that the Police Department has been working with the interim city manager to address any budget issues the department is having, but overall the department is doing well operating within the current budget constraints. There will be some details to work out when a new city manager is hired. Gutierrez asked if the Public Information Officer position was providing any visible differences. Rizzi explained that the PIO position does more than just issue press releases. The PIO is actively involved in community outreach, such as the Coffee with a Cop and Roll Call Cookout events. He also handles all of the department's social media outreach, which is creating overwhelming positive feedback within the community. A recent post of YPD command staff with a prayer blanket that was to be sent to a police officer shot in the line of duty (who was originally from Yakima) received over 38,000 positive hits and responses. An integral part of the PIO job is to enhance the image of the PD and we are seeing those results. • GFI Status Rizzi reported that his understanding was that the GFI was disbanded when Perry Tarrant resigned. All police department involvement with the program was terminated when Tarrant was brought in as GFI Manager. Contracts were approved under GFI in 2015 with YPAL and People for People. Those programs are continuing, however there is no one person assigned to coordinate the efforts. Rizzi advised the programs are still viable, but not under the GFI heading. The agencies are still delivering their reports with invoicing, which are going directly to Finance. Martinez volunteered to coordinate having representatives from YPAL and People for People at the next Public Safety Committee meeting to address the committee. • Update on Homeless Policy Rizzi presented the police department's approach to homeless issues. Homelessness in and of itself is not illegal, however, it does tend to lead to illegal activity such as littering, trespassing, etc. The police department becomes involved when illegal activity occurs. Officer do attempt to connect homeless persons with resources when appropriate, such as drug and alcohol treatment or mental health services. Coffey stated that there is a perception among downtown business owners and managers that homelessness is increasing downtown, and everyone is searching for the answers to address the issue. Rizzi brought up that the bicycle patrol last summer had a tremendous impact on complaints of homeless activity, as the officers had the opportunity to get to know the individuals, the areas they frequented, etc., and were able to get many homeless people connected with resources. He hopes to have the downtown bicycle patrol again this summer and is looking into a long term downtown foot/bike patrol officer on a permanent basis. Gutierrez asked if the bicycle officers received specialized training to deal with mental illness, drug addiction, etc. Rizzi advised that all officers are trained in these areas, but they may not use the information they learn on a regular basis. Since the bicycle officers were using the skills and knowledge on a daily basis, they became very adept with their interactions with homeless persons. Cutter noted that this is an issue with many facets and will continue to be addressed on several fronts. • Neighborhood Policing Coffey stated that she would like to begin a conversation within the committee about neighborhood policing and how we can further outreach efforts despite budget constraints. Rizzi advised that there are "criminal subcultures" within the community that will continue to conduct criminal activity, but that does not diminish responsibility of the police to serve all residents. Sir Robert Peele stated, "The police are the public, and the public are the police. The police are the only members of the public who are paid to give full -time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the intent of the community welfare." The police can only be successful in addressing issue with the cooperation of the public. Police lost their interaction with the public in the 1960's when they were transitioned from foot beats to cars. We are now trying to transition back to regain the community interaction. The benefits of this interaction are not just for the community members, but for the police officers as well, who begin to change their perception of the community and see the positive and not merely the negative. This conversation will be continued in the upcoming Public Safety Committee meetings. Rizzi distributed police training information to the committee members for their information. • Fire personnel issues Stewart reported that 4 new fire fighters would be hired and beginning the 8 -week academy on April 1. Due to retirements and transfers, the fire code inspection compliment has gone from 3 code inspection officers to 1. Human Resources is working to fill those vacations. There will be several fire promotions April 1. • Fire apparatus update The engine and ladder truck is under construction — construction time is 1 year. The apparatus should be received around December. Fire district 11 has contributed $7500 toward the purchase of a water tender. Chief Soptich is looking at a tender unit in Texas that may serve the department purposes. • Good of the order It was noted that the committee would like to have a complete packet one week prior to the meeting. Mendez requested minutes from the last 3 -4 Public Safety Committee meetings be included in the next packet. Mendez asked if the police department was assisting with the Bernie Sanders visit. Rizzi advised that there was a large contingency of officers who was working with the secret service on this visit. It was MOVED by Mendez and SECONDED by Gutierrez to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 3:50 p.m. Approved: SAW .,.�_. Council Public Safety Committee April 28, 2016 MINUTES Members: Staff: Councilmember Kathy Coffey (chair) Cally Price, City Manager's Office Councilmember Dulce Gutierrez Capt. Jeff Schneider, Police Councilmember Carmen Mendez Chief Bob Stewart, Fire Prosecutor Cynthia Martinez, Legal Brad Coughenour, SunComm Joe Rosenlund, Streets Terri Croft, Police The meeting was called to order at 3:00 p.m. It was MOVED by Mendez and SECONDED by Gutierrez to approve the minutes of the March 24, 2016 meeting. • Updated lighting analysis Rosenlund advised the committee his department is finalizing a report on lighting needs in high crime areas. Not much has changed in regard to the areas needing lighting. The report is expected to be presented at the June 2016 Public Safety Committee meeting. Coffey stated that approximately 4 years ago, lighting was installed in high crime /violent crime areas and she is interested in a report on the crime statistics in those areas before and after the lighting installation. Crime Analyst Joe Brown will be tasked with creating the report and presenting it at the May 2016 committee meeting. Brown will also provide information about research on what type of crime lighting does and does not impact. • Joint Task Force update Schneider reported that the Yakima Police Department is part of two federal task forces: the DEA task force and the gang task force. DEA provides overtime reimbursement, vehicles, and some training for the officers participating in the task force. The gang task force consists of 2 sergeants and 6 detectives. One of the detectives is sponsored by the FBI, which provides overtime reimbursement, a vehicle, and some training. A second detective is sponsored by Homeland Security Intelligence, which provides overtime reimbursement and some training. The department does not participate in the Safe Streets Task Force, which is designated by the FBI. Mendez inquired if the DEA task force is part of HIDTA, which it is. Coffey inquired if the department's participation in the task forces are fiscally sustainable. Schneider advised that the DEA task force is sustainable through forfeitures. The gang task force is sustainable as long as the federal agencies want to sponsor it. For the foreseeable future, the gang task force is sustainable. Coffey stated that the state provided gang funding of $500,000, most of which went to Seattle. There were changes in the legislation to disperse funds in a more equitable manner. She asked if Yakima had received any of those funds. Price will follow up on that issue. • YPAL Presentation Ed Shoenbach and YPAL staff gave a presentation on YPAL activities and reported on intervention practices. Mendez inquired how many children from outside of the city limits of Yakima participate in YPAL activities and if their participation is subsidized with city funds. There are some children from outside of the city who participate. Mendez requested a report with the distribution of participants according to their residency inside or outside of the city limits. The committee inquired what the success rate had been for YPAL referrals through the People for People 211 line. Shoenbach reported that YPAL had only received two referrals through 211, which he attributed to the public awareness project for 211 falling through. Most YPAL referrals come through schools or parents seeking resources. Mendez asked how the children were determined to be "at risk ". Staff reported that information from the schools is utilized to make that determination. She inquired about changing the name from YPAL to something that was more of a community center due to lack of police involvement. Shoenbach advised that being part of the national Police Athletic League group provides for reduced insurance on the participants and the building and operations. Mendez also felt that the building is being under - utilized. Staff reported on some additional programs they are working on bringing to the center during the day, such as a Mommy and Me class. There was discussion if YPAL had an advisory board, as the Southeast Community Center has. Shoenbach advised there is a board of directors. Coffey advised that YPAL is set up differently than the SECC. SECC representatives will be invited to the next meeting for a presentation on their activities. Gutierrez inquired about the deliverables in the YPAL contract. She asked about the use of the WARNS screening system, how many youths did the system flag as at risk specifically for gang involvement, and asked if it is an efficient tool or not. Staff reported that it not entirely accurate or efficient for recognizing that particular risk, as many responding to the questions are not completely honest. The committee requested information on the WARNS data. Shoenbach advised that WARNS is a research tool which may or may not be accurate for assessing risk. He will follow up on the process status. Gutierrez also requested information about the gang awareness seminars required by the contract. It was also noted that all deliverable reports are required by the contract to go to the City Manager's office. The City Manager's office will ensure that the information is distributed to the council members. • Good of the order Shoenbach stated concerns he and YPAL staff have over the homeless activities at Miller Park. Mendez mentioned the 100 Jobs for 100 Kids fair on Monday, May 2 from 12:00 noon to 5:00. People for People will be invited to the next meeting to present on their activities. The meeting was adjourned at 4:15 p.m. Approved: t 10 Vl Council Public Safety Committee May 26, 2016 MINUTES Members: Staff: Councilmember Kathy Coffey (chair) Jeff Cutter, City Manager's Office Councilmember Dulce Gutierrez Chief Dominic Rizzi, Police Councilmember Carmen Mendez Chief Bob Stewart, Fire Prosecutor Cynthia Martinez, Legal Brad Coughenour, SunComm Scott Schafer, Public Works Brooke Goosman, Legal Joe Brown, Police Terri Croft, Police The meeting was called to order at 3:00 p.m. The committee members reviewed the minutes of the April 28th meeting. Items identified for follow up were state gang grant funding and reports from YPAL. It was decided by consensus to approve the minutes of the April 28, 2016 meeting. • Proposed amendment to YMC trespass ordinance Goosman advised the committee that the current YMC trespass ordinance was missing important language and an update was required. She recommended adopting the RCW. She further recommended adopting the RCW for both trespass 1st and 2nd degree. The committee approved this item to be forwarded to the full council for consideration. • Text to 911 Coughenour updated the committee with the progress toward implementation of text to 911 technology. He noted some of the traditional elements of voice calls that first responders rely on are not available on a text notification. Text to 911 calls will have the same retention period (90 days) of voice recordings. There will not be a real "test" period, once implemented, the system will be live. Coughenour hopes to have a period of public promotion and have implementation in August or September. Gutierrez inquired if the system was accessible to the Spanish speaking community. Coughenour advised if there is not a Spanish speaking team member on duty, the text messages will be routed through Language Line, a contract company currently used by SunComm for similar instances with voice calls. • People for People Presentation Stacy Kellogg presented background information on People for People's 211 program. The system was developed as a one stop resource center for services, including referrals for gang intervention services. Calls are currently slow, which she attributed to a lack of active media outreach. They continue to function as a resource referral center, and have worked with emergency management during recent flooding events. Gutierrez inquired if 211 might be able to take non - emergency calls to relieve the 911 system. Kellogg advised the system is not designed for those types of calls. Staff discussed some of the other options for non - emergency public safety calls. Kellogg further advised 211 utilizes Language Line as well, although all current staff are English /Spanish bilingual. Gutierrez asked how many callers are former gang affiliated. Kellogg advised that is not one of the screening questions used, their focus is on getting callers referred to the proper resources. Gutierrez asked how 211 impacts or contributes to gang prevention. Kellogg advised that People for People's deliverables were to maintain a call center and provide screening, work with other service providers, provide crisis response, and marketing of the system. People for People has been working toward those goals and providing reports to the city manager's office of their progress. People for People has made 10 referrals to YPAL since implementation, 2 of which have been in the past year. Coffey discussed the GFI report. Although there are some elements of the GFI plan in place, there is no coordinated program or manager to oversee the elements. GFI needs to be reviewed and it determined if the City should keep it, reinstate it, or revamp it. Kellogg provided some additional statistics regarding calls received before and after the City of Yakima's gang awareness campaign. Prior to the campaign, 211 received one call for gang intervention services. In the four months after the campaign, 45 calls were received. The committee inquired if People for People would continue to provide this service without the funding from the City. Kellogg advised they would, but not to the extent that they currently provide it. • OIC presentation Steve Mitchell and Adrienne Garner presented a report on the activities of the Southeast Yakima Community Center. Garner invited all to an open house at the SEYCC to see what services are provided there. Report included information on spending, funding, programs provided and available, and contracts and partnerships with other entities for space usage within the center. SEYCC staff have worked to identify areas where money can be saved, but funds have had to be redirected from some projects to address more urgent needs. Mitchell stated that most of the work and programs done at the SEYCC are geared toward getting youth off the street and gang prevention and intervention. • Lighting analysis Brown reported to the committee an overview of how lighting can impact crime. Lighting does little to deter violent crime, but plays an important part of Community Policing Through Environmental Design (OPTED). Lighting can impact crimes of opportunity, such as theft, but is not a solution in and of itself. The committee requested this issue be brought back to the next meeting, as it did not address their initial question of crime statistics before and after installation of the targeted areas. It was requested that the council districts also be overlaid onto the maps. Brown noted that the methodology for identifying areas of poor or inadequate lighting were not consistent and suggested a more scientific method for identification be determined. • Community Diversion Program Martinez presented the committee with a brief history and update of the efforts to implement a community diversion program in Yakima. She had been working on this project when funding was cut. The City now has a pledge to fund the program for 6 months from a private source, however the source is requesting the City commit to funding the program for an additional 6 months. Martinez recommended funding the program as part of the 2017 budget. The committee inquired if the program had police support. Rizzi advised that the police department does support the program. It is an opportunity to identify individuals with certain needs and get them the assistance they need, and alleviates the some of the burden on the police. Martinez advised that there are some coordination efforts underway and she will continue working with partner agencies. Gutierrez asked if the program would be just for City of Yakima of offenses. Martinez advised it was, it would be run out of Municipal Court and thus only eligible to mitigate offenses that occurred in the city. The committee recommended moving the item to the full council for consideration. • Miller Park concerns There was discussion regarding the need for the public to notify the police of issues occurring not just at Miller Park, but whenever they observe crime. Even if police are not able to respond immediately, if it's not reported, it can't be tracked to deploy resources to affected areas. Rizzi also advised that the department would be implementing online reporting for minor crimes (thefts with no suspect information, etc.) which would aid in tracking problem areas. Gutierrez asked if signs could be posted in Miller Park with specific offenses that should be reported, with a dedicated line to report those issues to Rizzi advised he would discuss that with SunComm and IT The meeting was adjourned at 4:55 p.m. Approved: ci!, t (t r Council Public Safety Committee June 30, 2016 MINUTES Members: Staff: Councilmember Kathy Coffey (chair) Chief Dominic Rizzi, Police Councilmember Dulce Gutierrez Chief Bob Stewart, Fire Councilmember Carmen Mendez Acting City Attorney Mark Kunkler, Legal Scott Schafer, Public Works Joe Rosenlund, Public Works Joe Brown, Police Terri Croft, Police The meeting was called to order at 3:00 p.m. The committee members reviewed the minutes of the May 26, 2016 meeting. It was MOVED by Mendez and SECONDED by Gutierrez to approve the minutes of the May 26, 2016 meeting. Motion PASSED unanimously. • Homeless encampment Coffey opened discussion regarding moving the homeless encampment on Chestnut Avenue to the parking lot at 3rd Street and Walnut Street. Reasons cited for moving the encampment from the current location were the increasing violence surrounding the encampment, providing relief to the surrounding neighborhood, and the ability of the police department to better patrol the proposed 3rd St/Walnut location. Rizzi provided reasons why the 3rd St/Walnut location would not be feasible and would impact police operations. There was continued discussion of other possible city -owned locations, including a location on Fair Avenue near the freeway on ramp. It was MOVED by Gutierrez and SECONDED by Mendez to ask the full council for a special session within the next week to address moving the encampment, with a recommendation from the Public Safety Committee to move to the Fair Avenue location. Motion PASSED unanimously. It was MOVED by Gutierrez and SECONDED by Mendez that the Police and Street Departments conduct a basic traffic safety assessment of the Fair Avenue location prior to the special session. Motion PASSED unanimously. Maxine Carter of Yakima spoke against relocating the encampment to the Fair Avenue location. Jodi York of Yakima spoke against relocating the encampment to the Fair Avenue location. It was MOVED by Mendez to have an assessment conducted on the 3rd St/Walnut location. Motion died for lack of second. It was MOVED by Coffey to bring back the report by Joan Davenport of the pros /cons of each potential location for reconsideration at the special meeting. Motion was SECONDED by Mendez. Motion PASSED unanimously. • Pit Bull Ordinance Coffey addressed those present at the meeting that the pit bull issue is fully off the full council agenda, however the Public Safety Committee would like to discuss the issue further in committee. She would like the issue to be presented at the July 28, 2016 Public Safety Committee meeting. She offered the audience members the opportunity to speak regarding the issue after the remaining agenda items. • Lighting Update Joe Brown reviewed the report on crime statistics in areas where lighting had been installed. He noted that lighting has the most positive effect on perception of safety. Coffey asked what the next step would be to fight the negative perception. Brown advised that a more in -depth study could be conducted, and Rizzi added that the type of crime to be addressed must be specifically identified. Schafer advised he had a budget initiative for 2017 that would be brought to the committee at the July meeting. Gutierrez requested the discussion be continued at the July meeting. • YPAL The committee noted that Ed Shoenbach from YPAL was present and advised they did not have any questions of him. • Audience participation Jodi York spoke in favor lifting the ban on pit bulls. Cassie Frail spoke in favor of lifting the ban on pit bulls. Maxine Carter spoke in favor of lifting the ban on pit bulls. Audience members expressed their desire to continue the discussion and get the issue back before the full council. Kunkler noted that the ordinance had been modified to allow pit bulls as service animals with certain requirements on microchipping, fencing, and muzzling. It was MOVED by Mendez to have the pit bull ordinance reviewed at the next Public Safety Committee meeting for further discussion. Coffey SECONDED the motion and requested Kunkler provide the materials previously submitted to Council. Motion PASSED unanimously. It was MOVED by Coffey and SECONDED by Mendez to adjourn to the July 28, 2016 meeting. Motion PASSED unanimously. Approved: Council Public Safety Committee July 28, 2016 MINUTES Members: Staff: Councilmember Kathy Coffey (chair) City Manager Cliff Moore Councilmember Dulce Gutierrez Chief Dominic Rizzi, Police Councilmember Bill Lover (alt.) Chief Bob Stewart, Fire Scott Schafer, Public Works Cynthia Martinez, City Prosecutor Joan Davenport, Community Dev. Joe Caruso, Code Enforcement Joe Rosenlund, Public Works Brett Sheffield, Engineering Terri Croft, Police The meeting was called to order at 3:03 p.m. • Proposed Street Lighting upgrade Schafer presented a proposal to upgrade lighting using statistics of crimes of opportunity as a basis for installation prioritization. The proposal was for $100,000 per year for the next 5 years and will be included in the 2017 budget requests. Schafer advised that he did not believe budget cuts in other areas of his budget could be identified to cover the request, but upgrades will need to be done and prioritized with whatever funding is awarded. The committee requested that reports be submitted of the areas upgraded and crime statistics in those areas. Schafer provided additional information about individual citizen requests for lighting. Any individual requests for lighting that are currently pending would be processed and then the new crime statistically driven prioritization method would be implemented. The committee inquired if grant funding was being sought. Schafer advised the available grants are not as robust as they have been in previous years. There are some rebates available through Pacific Power and there is cost savings in operations once the lighting is switched over to LED. It was MOVED by Gutierrez and SECONDED by Lover to move this issue to the budgeting process. Motion PASSED unanimously. Moore stated that there would be prioritization of all strategic initiatives during the budget process. • Complete Streets Ordinance Sheffield presented the proposed Complete Streets Ordinance, advising the Transportation Improvement Board has a new funding mechanism and the complete streets ordinance was needed to be eligible for funding. He requested the ordinance be placed on the August 16 full council agenda, which would allow the city to be eligible to apply for funds. Lover inquired about recent Supreme Court rulings that might impact the Complete Streets Ordinance, that the ruling would require bicycles to be addressed within the ordinance. He expressed concerns over risk management and inquired if Seattle consultants could be kept on to advise on these issues or if there was time to address bicycle issues in the ordinance while still maintaining the timelines for grant submission, or if grant funding could be applied for to address the bicycle issues. Sheffield advised he would research the issue and if there was any additional information that could or should be included, it would be added prior to submission to the full council. Gutierrez requested clarification on exemptions to the ordinance. Sheffield advised all exemptions would go before the Bicycle /Pedestrian Committee. There was additional discussion regarding the Bicycle /Pedestrian Committee. The ordinance was moved forward to the full council for consideration. Coffey additionally requested that the placement of the Bicycle /Pedestrian Committee discussion be placed on the August 2 full council agenda. • Grafitti Coffey commended city staff and all of the volunteers participating in graffiti abatement work. There has been a notable decrease in graffiti in the downtown area. Coffey requested that action be taken to recognize all who have contributed to this effort. • Homeless Encampment Martinez updated the committee on the master leasing program (commonly known as the "voucher program "). The program is on schedule and people should be moving into house next week. Davenport reported that the city maintains a good working relationship with Neighborhood Health, which is coordinating the housing intake. There was discussion of: next steps if there is not enough housing available or if people do not wish to participate, the need for the city to provide a location for a homeless encampment until transitional housing was available, options for encampment locations, inability to enforce the "no camping in the city" without a referral location for homeless people, and a future resolution to terminate the current encampment permit once the transitional housing is available. The committee advised the resolution timing would be discussed after the leasing program was in effect and could be evaluated. There was additional discussion of the participation of the Yakima County Conference of Governments and Yakima County. Davenport advised the City is working with both YCCOG and Yakima County. Coffey inquired if the City could lease a facility or property and utilize it as a referral location. She was advised this was a possibility. Moore advised he would have updated information on the topic for the August 2 full council meeting. • Pit Bull ordinance Coffey requested the pit bull discussion be moved to the August Public Safety Committee meeting, as Mendez was not able to be present. There was discussion of how the item came to the committee after the full council voted to end discussion on the topic. After discussion, it was MOVED by Gutierrez and SECONDED by Lover to remove the pit bull ban discussion from future agendas. Motion PASSED with two aye votes. • GFI Budget information It was MOVED by Gutierrez and SECONDED by Coffey to move the GFI budget information to the August 25 Public Safety Committee meeting. • Audience participation Joey Anderson spoke regarding the graffiti abatement. An unnamed citizen spoke regarding the various issues discussed during the meeting. • Other Business Martinez had additional information regarding Uber coming to Yakima. Gutierrez requested this topic be moved to the August 25 meeting. It was MOVED by Lover and SECONDED by Coffey to adjourn to the August 25, 2016 meeting. Motion PASSED unanimously. Approved: At k , I