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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPSC Minutes 12-1-16 approvedCouncil Public Safety Committee December 1, 2016 MINUTES Members: Councilmember Carmen Mendez (chair) Councilmember Kathy Coffey Councilmember Dulce Gutierrez The meeting was called to order at 3:00 p.m. Staff: City Manager Cliff Moore Chief Dominic Rizzi, Police Deputy Chief Ted VanderHouwen, Fire Scott Schafer, Public Works Cynthia Martinez, Prosecutor Helen Harvey, Legal Brett Sheffield, Engineering Brad Coughenour, SunComm Terri Croft, Police • Approval of minutes of November 3, 2016 Gutierrez noted that Brook Goosman was missing from the attendance list. It was MOVED by Gutierrez to approve the minutes of the November 3, 2016 meeting with the addition of Goosman to the attendance list. Motion was SECONDED by Coffey. Motion PASSED unanimously. • Domestic Violence Presentation Martinez gave an introduction to domestic violence, noting that "domestic violence" is a descriptor of a crime and not a crime in and of itself. Domestic violence can be attached to many different relationships. The police department approach to domestic violence crimes is to have all domestic violence crimes investigated by specially trained investigators. The legal department approach is to follow the charging and prosecution recommendations of the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys. Prosecution is declined in only 20% of DV crimes, and it was noted that prosecution is often hampered by uncooperative victims. Although the legal and judicial system try to get treatment for first time offenders, treatment is expensive and lengthy, and is not usually covered by insurance. 85-90% of DV defendants require public defenders. Those that Jo make it through the treatment program have good reports and it does reduce recidivism. Yakima County has a victim -witness program, and the City receives funding through a pass-through grant to fund YWCA advocacy programs. Municipal Court has additional powers in DV cases. They may order 5 year probation, surrender of weapons, and issue restraining orders. The method of case assignment in the legal department allows for continuity and for the prosecutors to remain aware of issues and offenders in the community. Abigail Mott of the YWCA gave a report on YWCA DV program. The YWCA has been in its current location since 2009 and has operated a DV shelter since 1978. The have a 24 hour shelter with priority given to victims of partner crimes. They do serve male victims as well as female victims, but finding housing for male victims is more difficult. The average stay at the temporary shelter is 5 weeks, and then victims can move into transitional housing, which is a 24 month subsidized housing program. The YWCA primarily serves as victim advocates and work in a non -controlling manner. They do not offer chemical dependency treatment, anger management, or sexual assault programs. They have partner agencies that they refer those issues to. They offer a mobile advocacy program that offers outreach and education. The do offer a prevention outreach program to school aged children at the Henry Beauchamp Community Center. They are not currently in the school system but are trying to find an avenue to introduce DV prevention in schools. Abigail stated that the YWCA considers domestic violence to be a public health crisis. Gutierrez asked what the training opportunities were for prosecutors. Martinez advised they attend the domestic violence symposium once a year, and also participate in the Community Crisis Response Team. Gutierrez also asked about uncooperative victims, noting that Seattle prosecutes DV cases without victim cooperation and asked how Yakima could do the same. Martinez advised we used to prosecute even without a cooperating witness. Prosecutors previously relied on "excited utterances", however, there are limitations on what constitutes an excited utterance. Officers have victims complete a Smith affidavit, which can be utilized in the prosecution. Gutierrez asked if we have ever had in-house victim advocates and what the cost would be. Martinez advised we had not, and the cost would be 1 full time employee. Gutierrez inquired if judges order other treatment to offenders. Martinez advised that they do, and will sometimes want to see one treatment completed before beginning another treatment type or program. Coffey wrapped up the topic by stating this was an educational process for the committee members and she would like to see the dialog on the topic continue. She recommended continuing on a path of prevention, education, and public service announcements. It was MOVED by Gutierrez and SECONDED by Coffey to keep the item on the January agenda for further discussion. Motion PASSED unanimously. • Ambulance Dispatch Fees Coughenour reported that a discrepancy was found in billing of agencies that SunComm supports in dispatch services. SunComm charges outside fire, police, and emergency service providers for services, however, does not charge private ambulance companies. Coughenour opened discussion if the ambulance companies should be charged for this service. He worked with the legal department to draft an agreement, which was presented to both private ambulance companies. Tony Miller, EMS Manager for Yakima County, expressed concerns that the ambulance companies decline to respond to calls for service if they are charged. David Lynde of American Medical Response stated that the ambulance companies pay fees for AVL, CAD, interfaces, etc., and have over $2 million annually in uncompensated services throughout Central Washington. Additional fees would require they evaluate their ability to respond to all calls. He requested the fees not be implemented. It was noted that the state of Washington requires 1 ambulance county -wide, and that the Yakima Fire Department is not licensed for patient transport. Gutierrez inquired if other cities were in a similar situation. Coughenour advised that Lewis County was the only other agency with a written dispatch contract with private ambulance companies. Coughenour also noted that the City charges fire districts for dispatch service, so it makes sense to charge the ambulance companies for the same service. Lynde stated that the contract created a $26,000 impact on their company, and they have almost no ability to collect on many charges. He also expressed concern with the impact of future cost increases if the fees were now mandated. Areas of compromise should be identified, for example, not charging the ambulance company if the patient refuses transport. There was discussion of gifting of public funds/services issues. Mendez suggested the topic be added to the quarterly County EMS meeting. It was MOVED by Coffey and SECONDED by Gutierrez to send the issue to full council for discussion on the December 13 meeting. Motion PASSED. • Proposed Update to YMC 6.45.015 Disclosing Intimate Images Goosman advised the proposed revision to the municipal code to adopt the RCW regarding disclosing intimate images without consent of the subject of the image. It was MOVED by Gutierrez and SECONDED by Coffey to move the issue on to the full council. Motion PASSED unanimously. Old Business • Collision Report Sheff ield provided a response to the inquiry of how many collisions had occurred at 40th Avenue/Chestnut, 16t" Avenue/Chestnut, and Lincoln/Custer in the past 2 years. • YPAL Contract Discussion Shoenbach introduced Joe Willis, the new executive director of YPAL. YPAL had provided additional information on the objectives, programs, and deliverables for the contract discussion. Some suggested or planned programs were a GED program, nutrition courses for adults, advocacy programs, violence prevention projects, and bringing an alcohol/drug counselor in one day per week. YPAL envisions utilizing the building more to provide weekend programs and establishing outreach to the neighborhood. Gutierrez noted that the informal recommendations had been incorporated into the draft agreement. She stated that it should be expressly stated that space needs to be made available for other agencies/partners. Willis advised that they have met with architects for reconfiguration and are developing phases for needed changes. Shoenbach noted the importance of maintaining the safety of the children in the facility when choosing partners. Mendez added that any partners using the facility need to be in line with the mission of YPAL. Gutierrez asked to have coordination with the facility and Miller Park, and to find a way for the community to have access to restrooms without disrupting the activities at the facility. Shoenbach advised this had been taken into consideration and a separate entrance for restrooms is planned. Priority schools are still being determined. Shoenbach noted that YPAL does currently have a relationship with Stanton Academy. Gutierrez inquired if domestic violence prevention programming or aggression replacement programs could be implemented. Partnerships with the YWCA and Farmworkers Clinic can be established to make referrals for these types of programs. Coffey asked about the number of program participants from outside of Yakima. Gutierrez recommended an increased fee for out of area participants. Coffey suggested that issue be addressed before the contract was finalized. Gutierrez recommended a $40 fee. Shoenbach stated he would take that to the YPAL board. Coffey inquired if the agreement met state requirements for grants, namely making sure evidence -based curriculums were included in the contract. She also noted that the contract needed to chance written notices from the Chief of Police to the City Manager. There was additional discussion to add the number of hours the facility would be open. It was MOVED by Mendez and SECONDED by Coff ey to move the contract to the full council for approval. Motion PASSED unanimously. It was MOVED by Coffey and SECONDED by Mendez to adjourn to the January zu, 2017 meeting. Motion PASSED unanimously. Meeting was adjourned at 4:54 p.m. Approved: