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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1-30-18 PSC agenda packet Council Public Safety Committee 2nd Floor Conference Room City Hall January 30, 2018 10:30 a.m. Members: Staff: Others: Councilmember Mendez (chair) City Manager Cliff Moore Councilmember Coffey Police Chief Dominic Rizzi Councilmember D. Gutierrez Fire Chief Bob Stewart Councilmember Hill (alternate) City Prosecutor Cynthia Martinez Brad Coughenour Scott Schafer Agenda 1. Approval of December 7, 2017 minutes 2. New Business a. Election of committee chairperson b. Determine 2018 meeting dates/time c. Governor’s Yakima budget proviso – City Manager’s Office d. Firefighter live fire training burns – Stewart e. 2018 FEMA SAFER Assistance to Firefighter Grant – Stewart f. Private ambulance fees - Stewart 3. Old Business a. Public forum planning b. Domestic violence 4. Other Business 5. Information items 6. Recap of future agenda items 7. Audience Participation 8. Adjournment Council Public Safety Committee December 7, 2017 MINUTES Members present: Staff: Councilmember Carmen Mendez (chair) City Manager Cliff Moore Councilmember Kathy Coffey Asst. City Mgr. Ana Cortez Councilmember Dulce Gutierrez Chief Dominic Rizzi, Police Chief Bob Stewart, Fire City Attorney Jeff Cutter, Legal Prosecutor Cynthia Martinez, Legal Brad Coughenour, SunComm Sgt. Jim Moore, Police Terri Croft, Police The meeting was called to order at 3:05 p.m. 1. Approval of minutes of October 26, 2017 It was MOVED by Coffey and SECONDED by Gutierrez to approve the minutes as presented. Motion PASSED unanimously. 2. New Business 2.a. Bail Reform Jaime Hawk of the ACLU had sent Mayor Coffey a position paper on bail reform. The paper did not make it into the packet for review prior to the meeting, but was provided to the members at the meeting. Cutter suggested using this meeting as an introduction to a later discussion. He summarized the report, stating that the ACLU’s position is that the current bail system unfairly incarcerates people of lower economic classes and minorities. Cutter stated from a legal department perspective, relaxed bail results in recidivism. Yakima County currently has a pre-hearing release program with subjects charged with felonies out on their own recognizance. The police are seeing crimes committed by these subjects while they are on pre-hearing release. Cutter believes any further discussion needs to include the judges, as they have a more balanced perspective on the issue. Cutter further stated that the report solely considers the perspective of the offender, and there is a responsibility to the community to consider as well. The ACLU is proposing legislative changes, which is broader than the scope of city government. Gutierrez inquired as to why this was being sent to our city leaders or if it was being sent to all cities in Washington. She asked where our city’s policy falls on this issue. Coffey stated that when the information was sent to her, she thought is merited review to determine if the city should take action on it. If the city moves forward on the issue, more time would be needed to educate ourselves on the issue. Cutter advised he thought the ACLU was looking to form a coalition on bail reform. Moore added that the cost of indigent defense was also a driving factor in this initiative. He discussed people who are jailed for failure to pay fines and the impact that has. He believes the point would be to effect legislation to give judges more latitude in dealing with these types of cases. Martinez noted that the City of Yakima does not jail subjects for failure to pay fines. She noted that subjects are jailed for Driving While License Suspended 3rd degree, which is a suspension for failure to pay fines. She added that the attorney general’s office is addressing changing in that area. Cutter advised that judges take multiple factors into consideration when imposing or determining bail. The committee asked Rizzi for his opinion on the matter. Rizzi stated he believes the Washington state bail system creates disparity. The current bonding system perpetuates the cycle of inability to pay. Mendez requested that discussion be continued. Moore advised he would inquire of other jurisdictions of their take on the subject at the AWC board meeting. Gutierrez asked if it should be added to the legislative priorities. Mendez felt it could be looked at for 2019 to take a position. Coffey asked staff could follow up with Jamie Hawk to determine the intent of the paper. 3. Old Business 3.a. Governor’s forum Moore reported that he heard from Sonja Hallum, who asked what Yakima would do with $200,000 in funding for gang initiatives. She will be looking into funding, which will not necessarily be earmarked for Yakima but we could be competitive for funding. Coffey stated that we need to regroup to firm up a strategic plan with our partners. She would like to see action taken on implementation. Gutierrez discussed the benefits the State Council on Juvenile Justice and our community forums have in formulating a strong plan and demonstrate our leadership. She felt the need to have a report ready to go when requested. Coffey stated the need to make this a priority. Moore advised he has spoken with the Yakima School District and several non-profit organizations, and has a meeting scheduled with United Way. He suggested a forum of these stakeholders could be pulled together to discuss what everyone is doing. Gutierrez stated that forums shouldn’t be necessary, what the committee wants to see is a document that addresses who the stakeholders are, what actions are being currently taken, what actions have previously been taken, and what our projections are. Mendez felt a two pronged approach would be beneficial moving forward. The first would be what we are doing as a city, and the second would be to identify stakeholders and determine their participation in our plan. It was decided that the three committee members would meet with the city manager to hammer out the document. Gutierrez requested reports from the city manager’s meetings with the stakeholders. Moore reported on the Yakima School District’s three-prong plan to address youth violence. Coffey suggested creating a plan and then asking the school district to come on board. Gutierrez would like to share an update at the Juvenile Justice Council meeting on January 25. She shared that there is still unallocated grant money for racial disparity and reentry/rehabilitation programs. 3.b. Neighborhood Forum Planning Gutierrez reported two more forums have been held for a total of 5 forums. Approximately 35 people attended the forum at the HBCC. A representative from Senator Murray’s office was present. There was good feedback on this forum. The Robertson Elementary forum was attended by approximately 15 people, all were from that neighborhood. This forum was attended by Representative McCabe. Our legislators are taking notice of the forums. We need to improve outreach and notification for future forums. The forums have been shortened per recommendations. There is one outstanding request from Dave Purcell to hold a forum at McClure Elementary. We need to select dates and set attendance goals. Mendez suggested utilizing the schools’ robo-caller systems and reader boards. Also recommended partnering with PTAs or school clubs to provide childcare for attendees. Gutierrez discussed documenting the forum process for any future committee members. Discussed attempting to schedule another district 3 before the end of the year. Discussion was that it wasn’t realistic to get another scheduled by the end of the year. There should not be an issue with extending a few months into the next year to get a few more forums scheduled. She thought it would be beneficial to have Gutierrez continue as the facilitator of the forums. She also suggested filming a forum to air on YPAC if there is a large group. 4. Other Business 4.a. Traffic signals Coffey reported she had been asked by several members of the public to address the topic of people running red/yellow lights. Sgt. James Moore advised that it is not illegal to enter an intersection on a yellow light. Enforcement of red light violations is difficult because it can create a more hazardous situation for officers to “turn on” a violator. Utilizing an officer to monitor an intersection and a second to pull over violators is less hazardous but more labor intensive, and they can only focus on one intersection. Coffey discussed a red light camera study that was conducted several years ago, with the intent to increase intersection safety, however there was not support for it. 4.b. Domestic Violence Gutierrez, Coffey, and Rizzi reported on a discussion with Representative McCabe regarding domestic violence policy. Gutierrez proposed a discussion with legal team to determine what should be included in a policy. Coffey discussed suggestions that the City of Yakima could pursue independently. Martinez had no updates to report. Coffey suggested making legislative recommendations that could impact not just our community but be beneficial statewide. She suggested sending the suggestions from legal and the police department to our lobbyist to write up for our legislators. The issue will be brought forward under committee reports. 5. Information items 5.a. Text to 911 Coughenour reported that Text to 911 has been operational for a year. SunComm is receiving more legitimate calls than accidental calls. The software does not support bilingual services, however, SunComm has 6 bilingual employees and also maintains 2 contracts for translation services. Call takers still try to get the subjects to call, but the text service is still beneficial. 6. Recap of Future Agenda Items  The three current members will create a recap of this committee’s work for any new members. No new agenda items are proposed at this time. 7. Audience Participation There was no audience participation 8. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 4:23 p.m. Approved: A Comprehensive Approach to Reducing Gang and Gun Violence in Washington Communities As cities in Washington state grapple with issues related to gang and gun violence, the first reaction is often to increase the number of police officers and focus on suppression activities. While suppression is a critical component of a community’s response to gang and gun violence, for there to be long-term, sustainable change, research from the Federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), asserts that for communities to be successful in reducing gang and gun violence, suppression must be accompanied by prevention and intervention activities. Young, entrenched gang members and those young people living in circumstances that make them vulnerable to gang recruitment, need positive alternatives. Evidence-based programs provided by a network of community partner agencies, in collaboration with local law-enforcement agencies, have proven effective in many communities. The key element that is often missing is the capacity for a single lead agency to serve as the convening, coordinating, managing and data collection entity. In Yakima, for example, many of the strategies that are recommended in the OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model are being deployed throughout the community in an ad hoc manner, with no central coordination. The City of Yakima has been hosting community forums on public safety; local churches are adopting elementary and middle schools and offering support in many ways to students; local non-profit agencies are offering innovative programs for young people such as cooking and late night open gyms; the school district has indicated an interest in providing tutoring, mentoring and social activities during after-school hours. Unfortunately, there is no single entity that has knowledge of all these activities; there is no coordination with regard to planning and scheduling events; there is no consistent approach to recruiting, training and retaining community volunteers; and there is no shared method for collecting and reporting data on program inputs or outcomes. Funding that would enable a community to identify a lead agency, hire a project coordinator, connect the existing provider network and strategically deliver research- proven prevention and intervention strategies, in collaboration with local law enforcement, would be extremely helpful. Budget: One project Coordinator (salary and benefits @ 30% of salary for 24 months): $143,000 Indirect costs for 24 months (supplies, utilities, computer): $ 24,000 Activities/Events/Conferences/Travel $ 33,000 Total: $200,000 This budget assumes that a temporary Project Coordinator position would be created in an existing organization, perhaps a municipality, perhaps a non-profit organization and that the hosting agency would provide in kind support in the form of space, telephone, administrative assistance, legal counsel and access to a vehicle. Administration Fire Suppression Fire Investigation Fire Training Fire Prevention Public Education 401 North Front Street, Yakima, WA 98901 (509) 575-6060 Fax (509) 576-6356 www.yakimafire.com   “The Yakima Fire Department is dedicated to providing quality public safety services to our community.” Page 1 of 1 Memorandum DATE: January 24, 2018 TO: City of Yakima Public Safety Committee FROM: Patrick Reid, Deputy Fire Chief SUBJECT: Firefighter Live Fire Training Burns Background: The City of Yakima Fire Department (YFD) is required by Chapter 296-305-05502 of the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) to provide firefighters with continued education that includes live fire training at a minimum of every three years. The YFD has not been able to meet the full intent of this WAC because of the restrictions that Yakima Regional Clean Air Agency (Yakima Clean Air) is placing on YFD and other local fire departments. Yakima Clean Air will not issue YFD a permit to conduct live fire training because we are in an Urban Growth Area which impacts our ability to effectively train YFD firefighters and prepare them to mitigate the various types of structure fires they will encounter in the performance of their duties, which in turn has a direct finical impact on the City of Yakima residents and business community. Solution:  The YFD is seeking support and approval from the Public Safety Committee to ask the City Council to send a letter to Yakima Clean Air requesting their assistance in developing a remedy which will allow YFD to conduct Class “A” structure burns with the City Limits when air quality permits. YFD would like to be able to conduct live training burns annually for its firefighters in cooperation with Yakima Clean Air. Administration Fire Suppression Fire Investigation Fire Training Fire Prevention Public Education 401 North Front Street, Yakima, WA 98901 (509) 575-6060 Fax (509) 576-6356 www.yakimafire.com   “The Yakima Fire Department is dedicated to providing quality public safety services to our community.” Page 1 of 1 Memorandum DATE: January 24, 2018 TO: City of Yakima Public Safety Committee FROM: Patrick Reid, Deputy Fire Chief SUBJECT: 2018 FEMA SAFER Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Background: The City of Yakima is a diverse community that has social and economic issues that impact the residents. Collectively, the Yakima Police Department (YPD) and the Yakima Fire Department (YFD) are responding to an increased number of incidents each year that involve active shooters and gunshot injuries to our residents. The reason that YFD responds to these types of emergencies is to provide emergency medical care to those that are injured. YPD provides over- watch protection to fire department personnel rendering the medical care; however we currently do not provide YFD personnel with proper protective equipment when they respond to these types of emergency incidents, which is required in Chapter 296-305-02012 of the Washington Administrative Code (WAC). Solution: YFD is seeking the support and approval of the Public Safety Committee to submit to the full City Council a request to apply for the 2018 FEMA SAFER Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) that will be awarded in 2019. This grant would allow YFD to purchase 100 sets of Level 4 Ballistic protective equipment for personnel who are tasked with responding to emergency incidents involving active shooters or gunshot injuries. The total purchase cost of 100 vests is $166,040.00. The grant would provide 75% of the funding ($124,529.00) and the City will be required to provide the remaining 25%, which is $41,511.00. The intent of YFD is to identify the matching funding in the 2019 City Council approved budget. Administration Fire Suppression Fire Investigation Fire Training Fire Prevention Public Education 401 North Front Street, Yakima, WA 98901 (509) 575-6060 Fax (509) 576-6356 www.yakimafire.com   “The Yakima Fire Department is dedicated to providing quality public safety services to our community.” Page 1 of 2 Memorandum DATE: January 24, 2018 TO: Council Public Safety Committee FROM: Bob Stewart, Fire Chief RE: Fees for Private Ambulance Staff from SunComm 911 Communications and the Yakima Fire Department (YFD) spoke previously with the Public Safety Committee regarding the implementation of a modest per-call fee assessment to private ambulance companies who rely upon the services of SunComm to operate their for-profit businesses, but currently provide no financial support for the operation of SunComm. Conversely, Fire and Law Enforcement agencies across the Yakima Valley pay a per- call user fee for those services. Subsequently, the PSC forwarded this issue to the full Council for consideration where it was tabled pending further discussions among the stakeholders. Shortly thereafter, a meeting of those stakeholders was convened to discuss options. In attendance were the City Manager, City Attorney, the City Fire Chief, representatives from the private ambulance companies, the county EMS Director, and county fire chiefs and fire commissioners. With the ambulance companies not in favor of paying for the use of SunComm resources, the City asked them to provide a counter proposal. Months later, a letter from the county fire commissioners – a group that has no governance over the SunComm operation – made the determination that ambulance companies should not be responsible for any financial contribution to support the SunComm operation. Late in 2017 a meeting was convened by staff from YFD and SunComm to include representatives from the private ambulance companies and the county EMS Director. Chief Stewart led the discussion, and shared with the group that lacking a counter-proposal from the ambulance companies, staff would move forward with a request that Council pass an ordinance amending Yakima Municipal Code 5.96.040 to provide for assessing a modest per-call fee. The desired outcome of this presentation is for members of the PSC to once again believe this to be a prudent course of action, and consequently provide staff with the authorization to take the issue before the full Council. Below is a brief summary of SunComm’s operations and the user fee issue: Page 2 of 2  History SunComm is the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for Yakima County. This division serves the dual role of answering 911 calls and providing dispatch/call processing services for Fire, Law Enforcement and Private Ambulance agencies in the upper Yakima Valley. SunComm is a City division, and through a contractual agreement provides for the operation of Yakima County E911. Funding for SunComm is accomplished through:  City General Fund and agency user fees  A telephone line excise tax collected by Yakima County Challenge/Opportunity Each Fire and Law Enforcement agency within the upper Yakima Valley pays SunComm a user fee that is assessed on a per-call basis. Conversely, private ambulance companies also rely upon SunComm to receive their emergency calls, yet they pay nothing for that service. Proposal Private ambulance companies are a SunComm user agency in the very same manner Fire and Law Enforcement agencies are users, and consequently they should pay for the services received. Being proposed is a fee of $5.78/call that applies to only 6 specific “nature codes” or call types that warrant an urgent response. $5.78 is the amount assessed for dispatching/processing calls for a law enforcement traffic stop – which generally correlates with the resource efforts of dispatching an ambulance call. In 2016 there were approximately 11,000 dispatches for these 6 nature codes between the two private ambulance companies. An assessment of user fees based upon those 2016 numbers would provide $63,580 to help offset the service costs associated with processing those calls. By comparison: Fire pays a per-call dispatch fee of $51.82 Law Enforcement pays a per-call dispatch fee of $14.00 1 City of Yakima Public Safety Neighborhood Forum Summary The City of Yakima has hosted and facilitated a number of Public Forums, including: June 17 – corner of 8th Street October 14 – St. Michael’s Episcopal October 25 – Garfield Elementary November 15 – Henry Beauchamp Community Center December 6 – Robertson Elementary The following notes are taken from comments that community members provided in response to questions asked at each of the events. 1.) Do you recognize any of your neighbors here today? At each of the Public Forums, there were a number of people who acknowledged they knew other people in the room. 2.) Do you think it would be useful to know your neighbors' name and/or phone number? o At each of the Public Forums, there were a number of people who did acknowledge that they knew some of their neighbors, some of whom were also present. There was general consensus at each forum that knowing your neighbors does make the community safer. 3.) What is most important for the safety of this neighborhood? o Ensuring the safety of our children and our neighbors. o When crime occurs, that police keep in touch with the family of victim to share updates (relatives may know information helpful to the investigation). o Arresting criminals before they become embolden to harass, threaten, or taunt the family members of victims. o When parents have any information on the homicide of their child, that detectives listen respectfully and investigate information thoroughly. o Ensure police have the ability and time to build positive relationships with residents and bridges of communication prior to crime occurring in the neighborhood. o Homicide victims be cared for and transported from the scene in a respectful and reasonable timeframe. o Communication is necessary. o Action is key. o Extend the downtown district to Walnut. o Use churches – hub of activity. 4.) What challenges do we face in reducing violence? o If no arrest is made after a homicide, those close to the deceased victim feel compelled to retaliate against suspected individual, even if unlawfully. o Reports of a family party are sometimes responded to within a shorter timeframe than reports of gunshots. o Some residents may feel resentment towards LEO for underperforming in duties (specifically, delayed police response time). 2 o There's more talking about the problem than action being taken to solve the problem. o Some residents have felt disregarded by detectives when reporting new or additional information related to a crime committed against their family member. o Inadequate lighting in district 1. o Lack of programs for kids after school and on weekends. o Schools need to be more involved, especially in the after-school hours. o Not enough police officers in neighborhood. o People need to care and intervene. o Not everyone is on the same page. o Police cannot be everywhere. o There is a lot the public can do to reduce incidents of crime but we need to know what that is. o Young people need wider range of activities. o Home ownership is a challenge for many. o Takes YPD a long time to respond in districts 1 and 2. Should staffing patterns be changed to support these areas? 5.) What positive things do we have as a neighborhood that can help reduce violence? o Once community conversations begin, communication among neighbors is positive and unified because of shared experiences of neighborhood violence. o Lots of community activity – Henry Beauchamp, churches. o The parkway is an asset. o Block watches and bringing families to events. o School building and gyms could be more available. o Art Club at the school run by PTA. o Leadership schools – Habits of Highly Successful People. 6.) As neighbors, what do we need in order to keep violence and crime down? o More lights because it is too dark. o Have activities for kids while they're still young because some kids in Yakima begin to witness violence from a young age. These kids need protection and prevention work so they don't become violent, as well. o Have curfew for delinquent youth. o More neighbors involved in making criminals feel unwelcome in the neighborhood. o Address and hold responsible landlords who own rental property and constantly rent it out to gang members or drug dealers. o Having a police officer station his/her vehicle near areas of suspected of criminal activity to discourage overt criminal activity, even if for a short period. o Crack down on school truancy; enforcement needed. o Neighbors need to call police and report crimes as they happen. o Neighbors need to know one another better. o Cameras located on street intersections that can read vehicle license plates. o Camp Hope has not reduced homeless in area. 7.) Would "Street Captains" be helpful for fearful witnesses who wish to report crime? o Yes, affirmative support from residents to establish "Street Captains." 3 o Neighborhood watches could help. o Some might help but would they be vetted? o Klickitat posse program is one model. o Use magnetic stick ons on cars to identify posse or block watch members.. o Have “baseball” cards for cops. 8.) What are short term needs? o More neighborhood forums to continue this conversation on public safety. o "Night Out" gatherings for neighbors to meet neighbors. o Inform neighbors of the wanted criminals on Yakima's Crime Stoppers list. o Identify "Street Captains" and create "Street Coordinated Phone Lists." o Get to know your neighbors. Have churches get involved. o Need managed surveillance cameras. o Need volunteers for block watches, community policing, and program leaders. o Keep schools open in the evenings (gyms, studying, sports, etc). o Sidewalks on Powerhouse Road 9.) What are long term need? o More police/patrolling in residential streets. o Focus on gang prevention and drug prevention with youth. o Enable older youth to provide mentorship for younger youth. o Redirect city investments from wine/alcohol events to youth centers/programming. o Improve lighting. o Naches Parkway needs to be treated as an asset and be honored. o Need an eastside pool for kids – giving them something to do. o City frequently says it doesn’t have enough money to do things. o Alley Cats program. o Provide transportation to facilities – free bus passes. o Build and enhance resources in community. o Offer free mentoring. o Sidewalks and lighting. Do a better job on code enforcement (junk vehicles and abandoned homes). o Help people escape homelessness. o Useful to know your neighbors. 10.) What else needs to be addressed for public safety? o (Parental Discipline): Can parents legally discipline by spanking? How does the YPD handle a call made by a minor who is being spanked/disciplined by their parents? How do YPD officers deal with parents in this scenario, specifically how do YPD officers deal with parents who are undocumented immigrants? o (Witness Safety): If someone calls 911 to report a crime, do police officers disclose at the scene who called 911? Is it necessary for police officers to speak with the individual who called 911 at or near the scene of the crime? Is there a way for witnesses to report a crime immediately as it occurs without speaking with LEO in front of neighbor? 4 o (Street Captains): How should a street captain report a crime on behalf of a primary witness? What is the best way for a "Street Captain" to be an effective liaison for his/her neighbors? o South 5th Avenue is very dark – needs lighting. o Volunteer neighborhood cleanups o Continue to have codes work on abandoned houses. o Nuisance ordinance – do we have a legislative approach? o Share with public when calls are made about a drug house, etc. o Need faster response, or even a response, from police when they are called. o Police shouldn’t look so intimidating. o Need people to answer 2-1-1 calls. o Talk with kids in juvenile detention and ask them how we failed them. o Need better collaboration with the school district. o Help, protect, and engage children. o Open up gyms and churches for use. o City and school district need to get on the same page when dealing with kids getting involved in gang activities. o Ask kids what they think they need to keep them safe. Other comments, ideas, requests, etc o What are we doing in terms of a strategic plan resulting from these forums? o City pay rent for officers who agree to live in District 1 or 2. o Council shouldn’t just focus on “my district” – lift your head up o As a result of this meeting, report back on these meetings and focus on highlights of what we learned. o Show that Council has made this a priority. o Lincoln should be three lanes – reduce from 4 to 3 to improve walkability. o Why doesn’t police department return calls after an incident? o Why don’t police just reach out? o What happened to Earl Lee’s gang prevention program? o Can community members provide an anonymous tip or request? Yes, but value is less because it can’t help in prosecution. o Do cases get a case number to follow up on? o Is there a division where they deal with family victims? Yes, we do have a victim advocate who reaches out to family members and we have chaplains. o We have low manpower and shortage of police officers but people should call anyway. o Should there be a community volunteer group to help with recruiting and training? o YPAL needs to be advertised in the middle schools and high schools. o Can residents film crimes in process and submit it to support prosecution? o Speed bumps in local areas for traffic control. o Clean up neighborhoods and pick up illegal dumps – “We don’t have enough money to send someone to pick up trash” and “Garbage truck drivers say they can’t tell their supervisors when they see trash.” City staff needs to meet us halfway. o Graffiti should be reported via Yak-Back. o Use a substation in the area in the evening. 5 o City frequently says we don’t have enough money to do things – Lincoln underpass – sidewalks and bike lane had to be done over. City should be more careful. o Plaza only benefits businesses. o March 2018 is next joint meeting with school district. o Police need the public’s help – photos of graffiti hear the scene of a recent incident – each small piece of the puzzle is helpful. o Get police officers to volunteer at community centers. o We recognize the community concern and we are not treating this uptick in violence as business as usual. o We have dedicated and moved around resources to address this situation – with a special focus on breaking what looks like a cycle of retaliation. o Recommend Council become more involved in supporting federal immigration reform. o Prioritizing Bridge and RAC Acts less so on Farm Relief Act. o Need to have a non-emergency number and text number. o Need more Spanish speaking officers. o Yakima Association of Churches do blessings where there is an act of violence – it would be nice to help publicize these moments of blessing. o YPD responds to a high percentage of drug and alcohol calls – more treatment options at churches would help. o Need to break cycle of retaliation. o We need more community involvement. o Crime Stoppers is part of the answer. o We call cops and they don’t respond – there has to be more done. o Continue to have codes work on abandoned houses.