Apr 07, 2022 Criminal Justice Coordinating Council

WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY.

[00:00:01]

HE'S GOT A LIFE'S BODY OF WORK IN DEALING WITH CRIMINAL JUSTICE RELATED MATTERS.

BUT I WOULD BE REMISS IF WE DID NOT ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT HE IS 68 YEARS YOUNG TODAY.

AND SO THAT'S WHY I WAS JACKET WITH HIM BY PUTTING HIS HEARING DATE IN.

BUT HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COMMISSIONER ELLIS.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY. AND TOO BAD YOU AIN'T IN TOWN, SO WE CAN EITHER SPANK YOU OR FEED YOU WITH SOME CAKE. BUT LISTEN, MAN, HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

MANY BLESSINGS, MANY MORE.

AND GOD LOVE YOU.

AND GOD BLESS YOU, MAN. WE WISH YOU CONTINUED HEALTH SO THAT YOU CAN CONTINUE TO SERVE THIS MAN. SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY FRIEND.

WITH THAT, I'LL CALL TODAY'S COORDINATING COUNCIL CRIMINAL JUSTICE COORDINATING COUNCIL MEETING TO ORDER.

AND WE HAVE A LOT TO ADDRESS.

I WANT TO THANK SEE CHIEF FENDER.

I WANT TO THANK HIM FOR HIS LEADERSHIP.

WE'VE ALL BEEN IN THE LIMELIGHT RELATED TO PUBLIC SAFETY MATTERS.

OBVIOUSLY, THOSE THAT IMPACT THE LIVES AND HEALTH OF THOSE IN OUR COMMUNITY ARE ALWAYS TAKING FRONT AND CENTER TO US.

I DO WANT TO MENTION THAT OUR HEARTS REMAIN HEAVY WITH THE RECENT LOSS OF DEPUTY DEPUTY CONSTABLE CHAVIS AND AND DEPUTY ARMENDARIZ.

AND AND THE CHALLENGES CONTINUE.

OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS ARE ALWAYS FRONT AND CENTER.

AND SO WE KEEP THEM IN OUR THOUGHTS AND OUR IN OUR PRAYERS.

AND SO, AGAIN, CHIEF, I APPRECIATE THE BADGE YOU WEAR.

SOME DAYS IT GETS A LITTLE HEAVIER WITH THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES, BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP. WITH THAT BEING SAID, THIS COORDINATING COUNCIL.

IS ONE THAT CAN BRING A LOT OF PROMISE TO A VERY COMPLICATED SYSTEM.

IT IS A SYSTEM THAT OR A COUNCIL, RATHER, THAT CAN IMPACT SO MUCH, THAT AFFECTS OUR QUALITY OF LIFE AND THAT OUR CONSTITUENTS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT AND THAT AND OBVIOUSLY OUR STAKEHOLDERS ARE COMMITTED TO.

AND SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO BUILD ON THE COMMITMENT TO MAKE HARRIS COUNTY THE SAFEST PLACE TO LIVE, WORK AND PLAY.

BUT WE ALSO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO IMPACT THE HEALTH AND SAFETY AND AND CREATE A CONTINUED, THRIVING COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT HARRIS COUNTY, INCLUDING THE CITY OF HOUSTON.

AND BY LOOKING AT THINGS LIKE EVIDENCE BASED STRATEGIES AND CREATE GREATER TRUST, PUBLIC TRUST IN OUR SYSTEM.

IDEALLY, FOCUS ON VIOLENCE AND PREVENT IT REDUCING TRAUMA, REDUCING RACIAL AND ECONOMIC DISPARITIES, AND MINIMIZE THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM EXPOSURE WHERE AT ALL POSSIBLE.

AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE TODAY, TO WORK TOGETHER TO ADDRESS THE MAJOR CHALLENGES IN THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM.

AND AS I MENTIONED, PUBLIC SAFETY IS FIRST AND FOREMOST.

WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT THERE'S QUALITY REPRESENTATION.

I WANT TO THANK MR. BUNDY AND HIS OFFICE FOR ALL THEY DO ON A DAILY BASIS.

EQUITABLE, EQUITABLE OUTCOMES FOR VICTIMS AND THE ACCUSED REGARDLESS OF RACE, ETHNICITY, SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUND, REDUCING RACIAL AND ETHNIC DISPARITIES, AND IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE OVERALL CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.

SO WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE BIG CHALLENGES.

THIS PANDEMIC, HURRICANE HARVEY, THE PANDEMIC ARE THINGS THAT HAVE MADE THINGS MUCH MORE COMPLICATED FOR US.

SO AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK COMMISSIONER ELLIS FOR HIS LEADERSHIP.

HE IS THE CHAIR.

BUT BECAUSE OF TECHNOLOGY REASONS, I WILL BE STEPPING INTO THE ROLE AS THE VICE CHAIR TO CONTINUE WITH THE MEETING.

[2. Approval of previous Meeting Minutes 01.04.22]

THE PREVIOUS MEETING WAS HELD IN JANUARY.

AND SO I WANT TO ASK IF ANYONE'S GOT ANY CORRECTIONS OR QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE MEETING AT THE MINUTE MEETINGS.

AND IF NOT, I'LL WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ACCEPT.

NO MOVED MOTIONS HAVE BEEN MADE BY MR. BUNIN. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. SECOND.

MADE BY. I'M SORRY.

I DIDN'T CATCH. WHO MADE THE SECOND CHARGE?

[00:05:03]

SECOND BY JUDGE JOHNSON.

ALL IN FAVOR. ANY VOTES TO OPPOSE THE BILL. PLEASE WATCH YOUR MICROPHONE AGAINST A BACKGROUND NOISE.

DON'T HEAR ANY OPPOSE.

SO MOTION CARRIES.

THANK YOU. NEXT ITEM IS THAT I WANT TO RECOGNIZE AND INTRODUCE AND ALLOW HIM THE FLOOR.

[3. Introduction of Deputy County Administrator, Perrye Turner]

I KNEW HIM AS SAC, NOT BECAUSE HE CARRIED ANYTHING AROUND IN A PAPER SACK, BUT BECAUSE HE WAS A SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE OF THE HOUSTON FBI FIELD OFFICE.

AND SO I WANT TO THANK MR. PERRY TURNER FOR JOINING HARRIS COUNTY AS THE NEW COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR OVER THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.

AND SO I WANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT HE IS HE, TOO, HAS A BODY OF LIFE'S WORK IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND IN LAW ENFORCEMENT IN PARTICULAR, WHICH IS WHY I'M EXCITED TO HAVE HIM HERE. HE BEGAN HIS CAREER 30 YEARS AGO.

IT FOUND HIM ON THE DOORSTEPS IN A IN A BASKET.

AND THEY NURTURED HIM AS A YOUNG MAN AND TO INTO THE FORMER FBI AGENT THAT HE IS.

BUT WE'RE EXCITED BECAUSE HE'S WALKED ACROSS FROM ALABAMA TO WASHINGTON, D.C.

AND FOCUS ON AREAS OF HIS WORK INCLUDED FOCUSING ON AREAS OF VIOLENT CRIME, DRUG TRAFFICKING, GANG CASES.

AND HE IS HIS WORK.

HE'S DONE IT ALL, FOLKS.

HE'S DONE IT ALL. AND AND SO NOW IN HIS ROLE, HE WILL BE HELPING US ADDRESS THE IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC ON OUR JAIL POPULATION, THE MASSIVE CRIMINAL COURT CASELOAD, AND OBVIOUSLY CONCERNED ABOUT A CRIME THAT ARE AFFLICTING IT'S AFFLICTING SO MUCH OF HARRIS COUNTY. SO WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO THANK HIM FOR HIS WILLINGNESS TO SERVE US HERE IN HARRIS COUNTY AND ALLOW HIM A FEW MINUTES TO PROPERLY INTRODUCE HIMSELF.

MR. TURNER. SIR.

COMMISSIONER GARCIA, EVERYBODY.

GOOD AFTERNOON. I WANT TO THANK COMMISSIONER GARCIA FOR THE GRACIOUS INTRODUCTION.

I ALSO WANT TO WISH COMMISSIONER ELLIS HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

HAPPY 68 BIRTHDAY FOR A GUY 68 YEARS OLD.

HE DOES A GREAT JOB IN RIDING A BICYCLE.

BUT I KNOW I MET SEVERAL OF YOU AND HAVE WORKED WITH A BUNCH OF YOU.

MY SEVEN YEARS HERE IN HOUSTON.

AND I'M JUST GRATEFUL AND THANKFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE TO SERVE THE CITIZENS OF HARRISON COUNTY OF HARRIS COUNTY AND LOOK FORWARD TO TO TO WORKING WITH YOU AND CONTINUING TO BUILD AND ENHANCE THOSE PARTNERSHIPS.

SO THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS.

ADRIAN, THANK YOU AGAIN.

I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU.

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, MR. TURNER. AND A MAN OF FEW WORDS, BUT OBVIOUSLY 30 YEARS OF ACTION.

SO THANK YOU, MR. TURNER.

WE'RE EXCITED TO HAVE YOU ON OUR TEAM.

[4. Criminal Justice System Overview Final Report]

THE REVIEW FOCUSED ON ON 17 AGENCIES AND DEPARTMENTS, AS WELL AS ONE OUTSIDE ORGANIZATION, THE HARRIS CENTER.

THESE REPORTS PROVIDE SHORT AND LONG TERM RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS COUNCIL, COMMISSIONERS, COURT AND SPECIFIC AGENCIES TO IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE HARRIS COUNTY CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM FOR SURVIVORS, DEFENDANTS AND THEIR FAMILIES.

SOME OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE CURRENTLY UNDERWAY.

OTHERS WILL BE NEW ENDEAVORS FOR THE COUNTY.

MANY OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS NEED THE BUY IN AND COLLABORATION OF ALL MEMBERS OF OF THIS COUNCIL TO BE IMPLEMENTED.

I'VE ASKED DAVID TO JOIN US AND SHARE IT.

[00:10:02]

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER.

AND GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE.

MY NAME IS DAVID EICHENBAUM, MANAGING DIRECTOR WITH FWM AND WAS THE ENGAGEMENT MANAGER FOR THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE REVIEW THAT WE CONDUCTED.

I'M GOING TO BRIEFLY INTRODUCE THE THE OTHER THREE MEMBERS OF OUR TEAM AND THEN REALLY TURN IT OVER TO SARA SCHIRMER FOR THE PRESENTATION.

SARA SCHIRMER IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FMS CENTER FOR JUSTICE AND SAFETY FINANCE.

SHE'S ALSO DIRECTOR WITH THE FIRM, IN ADDITION TO THE WORK THAT SHE LED AS PROJECT MANAGER IN HARRIS COUNTY.

SARA IS THE PROJECT MANAGER AND MANAGER IN WORK THAT WE HAD PREVIOUSLY DONE BOTH IN DALLAS AND RAMSEY COUNTIES.

AND BEFORE SHE CAME TO US, SHE HAD BEEN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADVISOR TO THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS WHEN MITCH LANDRIEU SERVED IN THAT ROLE.

SETH WILLIAMS IS A DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR JUSTICE AND SAFETY FINANCE, ALSO A DIRECTOR AT FM.

HE HAS BEEN OUR LEAD PROJECT MANAGER ON A NUMBER OF ENGAGEMENTS RELATED TO CITY AND COUNTY CRIMINAL JUSTICE WORK, INCLUDING WORK WITH THE CITY OF BALTIMORE POLICE DEPARTMENT, CUYAHOGA COUNTY, AND LED OUR WORK ON THE PUBLIC SAFETY SECTIONS OF THE TEN YEAR FINANCIAL PLAN THAT WE DID FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.

AND THEN FINALLY, DR.

RONALD SERPAS IS THE FORMER CHIEF OF THE WASHINGTON STATE POLICE CHIEF OF POLICE IN NASHVILLE AND POLICE SUPERINTENDENT IN NEW ORLEANS.

HE'S A PROFESSOR OF PRACTICE FOR CRIMINOLOGY AND JUSTICE AT LOYOLA UNIVERSITY.

THE AN HONORARY PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE AND BOARD CHAIR OF THE NATIONAL POLICING INSTITUTE.

AND WE'VE BEEN FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE RON AS OUR SENIOR ADVISOR SINCE 2017.

SO WITH THAT, LET ME LET ME TURN IT OVER TO SARA SCHIRMER.

THANK YOU, DAVID. AND THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER GARCIA.

COMMISSIONER ELLISON. I WILL ECHO THE HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALL AROUND.

IF WE COULD MOVE AHEAD TO SLIDES, I WILL.

WE CAN JUMP IN. GREAT.

THANK YOU. SO WE'RE EXCITED TO BRING OUR FINAL RESULTS TO YOU TODAY.

AS COMMISSIONER GARCIA MENTIONED, THIS WORK HAS REALLY SPANNED ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF PROCESS OF INTERVIEWING AND GETTING TO BECOME VERY, VERY FAMILIAR WITH A NUMBER OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCIES WITHIN HARRIS COUNTY.

OVER THE SPAN OF ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF, WE DID DEPARTMENT LEVEL AND SYSTEM WIDE ASSESSMENTS FOR 17 CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCIES IN THE COUNTY, INCLUDING THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, THE COURTS, ALL EIGHT CONSTABLES, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, PUBLIC DEFENDER, DISTRICT CLERK, COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTS AT LAW, CRIMINAL DISTRICT COURTS, PRETRIAL SERVICES, CCD AND JAB THE MOUTHFUL TO LIST THEM ALL OFF.

AND WE PRODUCED THE WORK OVER SEVEN DIFFERENT REPORTS AND FIVE OF THEM WERE VERY FOCUSED ON DEPARTMENT LEVEL FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.

SO REALLY FOCUSING ON THE OPERATIONS, THE POLICIES AND THE PRACTICES OF THOSE INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENTS. WE ALSO PRODUCED TWO REPORTS THAT WERE AT A SYSTEM LEVEL.

SO TAKING A STEP BACK FROM INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENTS AND CONSIDERING THE TOTALITY OF OPERATIONS, THE TOTALITY OF IMPACT AND PERFORMANCE OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AS A WHOLE, AND MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE SYSTEM.

NEXT SLIDE. BUT IN TOTAL, ACROSS THOSE ACROSS THE REPORTS THAT WE PROVIDED AT BOTH THE DEPARTMENT LEVEL AND THE SYSTEM LEVEL, WE IDENTIFIED MORE THAN 70 RECOMMENDATIONS WITH MORE THAN 250 DETAILED ACTIONS THAT INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENTS AND THE COUNTY COULD MOVE FORWARD ON TO IMPROVE THE OPERATIONS AND THE POLICIES AND PERFORMANCE OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. WE DEVELOPED BOTH OUR FINDINGS AND OUR RECOMMENDATIONS OVER A LARGE NUMBER OF INTERVIEWS THAT WE CONDUCTED WITH THE DIFFERENT CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCIES AND COMMUNITY BASED SERVICE PROVIDER ORGANIZATIONS.

WE HELD MORE THAN 81 INTERVIEWS WITH THOSE WITH THESE DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS AND TO ROUNDTABLES WITH JUSTICE INVOLVED INDIVIDUALS TO UNDERSTAND THEIR PERSPECTIVE OF HOW THEY INTERACTED WITH THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AND RECEIVE SERVICES BOTH WHILE IN THE SYSTEM AND AND UPON REENTRY AS WELL.

SO WE ULTIMATELY PRODUCED A FINAL REPORT THAT SUMMARIZED ALL OF OUR HIGHEST IMPACT RECOMMENDATIONS ACROSS ACROSS THE DEPARTMENT AND AT A SYSTEM LEVEL, AND IDENTIFIED WAYS THAT THE COUNTY COULD TAKE ACTION TO ADDRESS ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES THAT WE IDENTIFIED FROM A COORDINATED AND COLLABORATIVE, COLLABORATIVE PERSPECTIVE.

NEXT. ULTIMATELY, WE IDENTIFIED EIGHT CATEGORIES OF FINDINGS.

[00:15:05]

AND THEN AGAIN, WE HAD MORE THAN 70 RECOMMENDATIONS, WHICH, OF COURSE, THERE'S NO WAY WE COULD COVER ALL OF THAT TODAY.

AND SO WE REALLY PULLED OUT THE MOST SALIENT POINTS TO TO IDENTIFY THE CROSS-CUTTING, BOTH CHALLENGES AND RECOMMENDATIONS ACROSS THE ENTIRE SYSTEM.

AND SO AS WE DID THAT, WE FOUND THESE EIGHT CATEGORIES THAT OUR FINDINGS REALLY FELL INTO. FIRST IS THAT THE COUNTY ACTUALLY HAS A VERY STRONG FOUNDATION FOR FOR REFORM AND FOR IMPROVEMENT. AND WE FOUND A STRONG HISTORY OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCIES COORDINATING TOGETHER AND COLLABORATING TO IMPLEMENT NEW INITIATIVES AND TO TAKE ON THE DIFFERENT CHALLENGES THAT HAVE AFFECTED THE COUNTY.

HOWEVER, GIVEN EVEN WITH THIS, WITH THE CHANGES THAT WE HAD SEEN IN RECENT YEARS, THERE WERE STILL VERY SUBSTANTIAL, SUBSTANTIVE CHALLENGES THAT WERE RELATED TO AND IMPEDING THE SAFETY AND JUSTICE OF OF OF THE SYSTEM AND OF THE COUNTY AS A WHOLE.

AND THESE ARE LONGSTANDING ISSUES THAT HAVE EXISTED IN THE COUNTY.

THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY NEW.

DEEPLY INGRAINED AND MUST BE ADDRESSED.

WE ALSO FOUND THAT A LOT OF THE LAW ENFORCEMENT RESOURCES THERE ARE A LOT OF A LOT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT RESOURCES IN THE COUNTY, AND THERE'S LITTLE COORDINATION AMONG THEM.

SO WE FOUND DISPARITIES AND DIFFERENCES IN POLICIES THAT ARE APPLIED THE WAY THE INFORMATION IS COLLECTED AND THE WAY THAT THAT OFFICERS ARE DEPLOYED.

AND THIS MAY BE CONTRIBUTING TO THE INEQUITY.

WE ALSO FOUND CONSISTENTLY ACROSS THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCIES THAT THERE IS LITTLE USE OF DATA FOR MANAGEMENT AND TRANSPARENCY.

AND ALTHOUGH WE HAVE SEEN IMPROVEMENTS OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, THERE'S LITTLE, LITTLE CULTURE OF BOTH COLLECTING AND REVIEWING THE DATA WITHIN INDIVIDUAL AGENCIES TO UNDERSTAND HOW THEY'RE PERFORMING AND THEN TO USE THAT DATA FOR MANAGEMENT PURPOSES AND TO IMPROVE OPERATIONS.

BUT. WE ALSO FOUND THAT THAT SUPERVISION PRACTICES ARE ARE THAT BOTH SUPERVISION PRACTICES AND DIVERSION OPPORTUNITIES IN A COUNTY, ALTHOUGH A NUMBER HAVE BEEN IMPROVED AND INCREASED OVER IN RECENT YEARS, THERE ARE STILL STILL GAPS IN ALIGNMENT WITH WITH BEST PRACTICES OF WHAT WE WHAT WE FIND NATIONALLY.

THERE'S ALSO A LACK OF COORDINATION AMONG THE SERVICES THAT ARE PROVIDED, BOTH THE DEFENDANTS AND TO VICTIMS AND TO FAMILIES.

SO THERE ARE A LARGE NUMBER OF SERVICES AND SUPPORT SYSTEMS IN PLACE AND TREATMENT THAT PROVIDED, BUT IT'S NOT DONE IN A VERY COORDINATED FASHION.

SO IN SOME CASES YOU HAVE DUPLICATION AND THEN IN OTHER CASES YOU ACTUALLY HAVE GAPS THAT ARE APPARENT. AND SO THIS LACK OF A LACK OF COORDINATION ACTUALLY EXACERBATES THE CONDITIONS OF BOTH VICTIMS AND DEFENDANTS AS THEY GO THROUGH THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.

AND THEN FINALLY, WE FOUND THAT ACROSS THE DEPARTMENT THAT THERE ISN'T SUFFICIENT GOVERNANCE AND POLICIES AND PROTECTIONS AROUND THE TECHNOLOGY THAT EXISTS.

AND THIS IS WITHIN INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENTS.

AND THEN ALSO AGAIN AT A AT A SYSTEM LEVEL.

SO WE FOUND THAT WITHIN INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENTS THERE ARE SECURITY CONCERNS, LACK OF SOME STRUCTURE AND GOVERNANCE.

AND THEN ALSO JUST MORE GENERALLY A LACK OF DATA SHARING ACROSS THE DIFFERENT AGENCIES ACTUALLY. AND ONE MORE.

THANK YOU. SO AS I MENTIONED, WE IDENTIFIED MORE THAN 70 RECOMMENDATIONS ACROSS ACROSS THE DEPARTMENTS THAT WE LOOKED AT IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.

THE FINAL REPORT IS REALLY WHERE WE FOCUSED ON THESE CROSS-CUTTING THEMES, AND THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT WE'RE HIGHLIGHTING FOR YOU TODAY.

ONE THING I WANT TO NOTE IS THAT WE WE DELIVERED OUR FINAL REPORT AT THE END OF MAY OF 2021. SO UNDERSTANDABLY, OF COURSE, THINGS HAVE SINCE THAT TIME.

WE UNDERSTAND THAT SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE STARTED TO MOVE FORWARD AND TO BE IMPLEMENTED, AND THEN OTHERS MAY NEED TO BE RECONSIDERED OR EVOLVE IN THEIR DETAIL AS THE LOCAL CONDITIONS HAVE EVOLVED AS WELL.

SO WHAT WE'RE PRESENTING ON TODAY ARE THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE PROVIDED IN MAY OF LAST YEAR, AND WE BELIEVE THAT THE THAT THEY'RE THE CORE OF THEM ARE STILL COMPLETELY APPLICABLE TO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.

BUT WE UNDERSTAND THAT SOME OF SOME COMPONENTS OF IT MAY NEED TO SHIFT AS AS RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE MOVED FORWARD OR THINGS HAVE CHANGED ON THE GROUND.

LOOKS LIKE. SO SIMILAR TO TO THE FINDINGS, WE ALSO GROUPED OUR RECOMMENDATIONS INTO EIGHT CATEGORIES AND MUCH OF THE LANGUAGE ON THE SCREEN IN FRONT OF YOU SHOULD FEEL VERY FAMILIAR. MOST OF THESE CATEGORIES ALIGN WITH THE COMPONENTS OF THE COUNTY'S GOAL FOR JUSTICE AND SAFETY.

AND SO AND THE ONES THAT WE'LL TALK ABOUT TODAY REALLY FOCUSED ON THESE FOR THE FOUR THAT ARE BOLD ON THE SCREEN, FOSTERING PUBLIC TRUST, PREVENTING VIOLENCE AND TRAUMA, STRENGTHENING ACCESS TO JAIL BASED AND COMMUNITY BASED SERVICES, AND IMPROVING THE COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE ENTITIES.

[00:20:03]

GREAT. THANKS, SARA.

SARAH MENTIONED ONE OF THE MAJOR THEMES THAT WE IDENTIFIED WAS INITIATIVES TO HELP FOSTER PUBLIC TRUST IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND LEGAL SYSTEM.

AND ONE OF THE FIRST RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE WANT TO TOUCH ON TODAY IS A COURT WATCH PROGRAM. AND MOST COURT PERFORMANCE MEASURES REALLY SHED A LITTLE LIGHT ON ON HOW VICTIMS AND WITNESSES AND DEFENDANTS ARE TREATED BEFORE INDIVIDUAL JUDGES.

WELL, COURTS ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND THERE'S A RECORD OF COURT PROCEEDINGS.

IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT TO ASSESS THE PERFORMANCE OF THE COURTS IN FURTHERANCE OF ITS GOAL TO INCREASE THE PUBLIC TRUST AND HOLD GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS ACCOUNTABLE.

WE RECOMMEND THAT THE COUNTY SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COURT WATCH PROJECT AND A NOT FOR PROFIT ORGANIZATION, OR PERHAPS AN INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.

THERE ARE SIMILAR AND SOMEWHAT SMALLER COURT WATCH PROGRAMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

PROBABLY THE BEST KNOWN REALLY ARE COMING OUT OF BROOKLYN, CHICAGO, LOS ANGELES, NEW ORLEANS. AND ONE OF THE HALLMARKS IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S AN INDEPENDENT STATE COURT PROGRAM LIKE GOVERNMENT SHOULDN'T OPERATE OR FUND A COURT WATCH PROJECT ITSELF, BUT IT CAN HELP TO FACILITATE THE CREATION OF SUCH A PROGRAM.

FOR EXAMPLE, A LOCAL LEADERSHIP COULD COULD TAKE OWNERSHIP OF THE COURT WATCH PROGRAM, AND GOVERNMENT CAN HELP TO CONNECT THAT ORGANIZATION TO POTENTIAL FUNDERS OR PHILANTHROPIC ENTITIES AND CAN REALLY FUND THE THIRD PARTY TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE NECESSARY TO START IT UP. ANOTHER ITEM TO HELP FOSTER THE PUBLIC TRUST IS TRANSPARENCY AND IN THIS INSTANCE, SUPPORTING AN INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND OTHER CRIMINAL JUSTICE ENTITIES.

ONE OF THE ELEMENTS OF THE OPERATIONAL REVIEW FOR THE COUNTY WAS THE RECOMMENDATION TO CREATE AN INDEPENDENT INSPECTOR GENERAL AND TO THE EXTENT PERMISSIBLE BY LAW, THAT THAT INDIVIDUAL AND THAT OFFICE SHOULD HAVE JURISDICTION.

THAT INCLUDES THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY ENTITIES FUNDED BY THE COUNTY.

IN ADDITION, THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO FOR THE COUNTY, I SHOULD SAY, TO MOVE TO CREATE A CIVILIAN OVERSIGHT ENTITY WITH JURISDICTION OVER THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, THE CONSTABLES TO IMPROVE TRUST AND TRANSPARENCY AND OVERSIGHT, TO AGAIN, ENGENDER SOME OF THAT TRUST THAT THAT HELPS CREATE A ROBUST AND STRONG CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. ONE OF THE OTHER PILLARS THAT SARAH MENTIONED WAS A FOCUS ON PREVENTING VIOLENCE AND TRAUMA.

AND WITHIN THAT, I WANT TO TOUCH ON TWO SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS TODAY.

THE FIRST REALLY FOCUSES ON A COMPREHENSIVE, CROSS-CUTTING WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT APPROACH TO TO REDUCE CRIME.

AND WHAT WE KIND OF THINK OF THAT AS AS A PREVENTION FIRST CRIME REDUCTION STRATEGY.

AND FOR HARRIS COUNTY, WHAT WE FOUND IN OUR WORK IS A WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT APPROACH TO ENSURING THAT ADEQUATE SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE TO ADDRESS THE UNDERLYING CRIMINAL GENIC AND SOCIAL RISK FACTORS THAT ARE SPECIFIC TO HARRIS COUNTY WOULD BE ONE OF THE PLACES TO START. TO BE CLEAR, THIS PLAN WOULD HAVE A SIGNIFICANT LAW ENFORCEMENT COMPONENT.

BUT LAW ENFORCEMENT ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH.

THE WHOLE OF COUNTY GOVERNMENT WOULD BE ENLISTED SO THAT SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS, THE HEALTH ACCESS AND PROGRAMS AND REGULATORY DEPARTMENTS, THE FULL SERVICES OF THOSE ENTITIES ARE BROUGHT TO BEAR TO PROVIDE A COORDINATED AND ACCOUNTABLE RESPONSE THAT REDUCES THE RISK FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO CRIME AND DISORDER, ULTIMATELY SEEKING TO PREVENT THOSE VERY ACTIONS BEFORE THEY OCCUR.

SO IT'S PREVENTIVE, NOT A REACTIVE STRATEGY.

SEPARATELY, WE ALSO IDENTIFIED OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM'S ROLE IN VICTIM SERVICES.

AND SPECIFICALLY, I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE HIGHLIGHT FIVE SPECIFIC THINGS.

FIRST, THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENSURE THAT EVERY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY IN THE COUNTY HAS STANDARDIZED AND APPROACHES, TRAININGS AND RESOURCES THAT ARE COORDINATED TOO

[00:25:06]

THIRD, IMPROVING THE USE AND CONSISTENCY OF DATA ACROSS AGENCIES.

THIS VERY CONSISTENT WITH SOME OF THE FINDINGS THAT SARA HIGHLIGHTED EARLIER.

FOURTH, INCREASE THE FUNDING AND THE CAPACITY AMONG THE CURRENT EXISTING COUNTY FUNDED VICTIM SERVICES.

AND FIFTH.

IMPROVE THE COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION WITH COMMUNITY BASED SERVICE PROVIDERS TO ENSURE THAT THE GAPS THAT EXIST TODAY IN VICTIM SERVICES ARE CLOSED AND THAT THOSE SERVICES REACH CURRENTLY UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES AND POPULATIONS.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO AS WE THINK ABOUT STRENGTHENING ACCESS TO BOTH JAIL BASED AND COMMUNITY BASED SERVICES, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT STOOD OUT TO US IS THAT THERE IS A LOT OF CONVERSATION ABOUT THE SERVICES THAT ARE OFFERED WITHIN THE JAIL.

AND WHEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT REENTRY, OFTEN THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT SERVICES THAT ARE OFFERED WITHIN THE JAIL. BUT THE COUNTY REALLY NEEDS A MORE COORDINATED AND COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO REENTRY THAT IS BOTH TAKE PLACE WITHIN THE JAIL, BUT ALSO CONNECT PEOPLE TO SERVICES. UPON RELEASE FROM THE JAIL AND FROM STATE PRISON.

AND A REENTRY COALITION OR REENTRY NETWORK ALLOWS FOR COORDINATION BETWEEN CRIMINAL JUSTICE ENTITIES, COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS, ALSO STATE OFFICIALS AND FORMERLY INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS TO PARTNER TOGETHER TO CREATE THESE PATHWAYS BETWEEN THE CORRECTIONAL SETTING AND COMMUNITY AND COMMUNITY BASED SUPERVISION, BASED SERVICES AND SUPPORT. AND SO WHAT WE ENVISIONED FOR THE COUNTY IS A STEERING COMMITTEE THAT LEADS THIS PROCESS AND SETS THE SETS THE HIGH LEVEL GOALS FOR REENTRY AND SUPPORTED BY WORKING GROUPS THAT ARE DEDICATED TO MANY OF THE AREAS OF REENTRY THAT ARE CORE TO SUCCESS.

SO EMPLOYMENT AND EDUCATION, HOUSING TREATMENT, COLLATERAL CONSEQUENCES AND IMPORTANTLY, DATA COLLECTION. BECAUSE AN EFFORT LIKE THIS MUST COLLECT AND REVIEW THE DATA RELATED TO REENTRY TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THERE ARE GAPS AND MORE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL SERVICES AND WHERE WHERE THE PROGRAMS ARE BEING SUCCESSFUL.

NOR ARE THE THEME REALLY FOCUSED ON SOME PROGRAMS THAT ARE EXISTING IN PHILADELPHIA AND NEW YORK CITY HAVE VERY ROBUST PROGRAMS, BUT ALSO COUNTIES ACROSS TEXAS, BEAR COUNTY, DALLAS, TRAVIS COUNTY, TARRANT COUNTY, THEY ALL HAVE REENTRY COALITIONS OR COUNCILS THAT DO THIS TYPE OF WORK. AND SO HARRIS COUNTY HAS LOCAL EXPERIENCE TO LOOK TO IN BUILDING THIS TYPE OF A COALITION.

RELATED TO THE REENTRY COALITION AND THE WORK OF OUR REENTRY COALITION.

WE'RE ALSO RECOMMENDING THAT THE COUNTY LOOK INTO DEVELOPING AND INVESTING IN NEIGHBORHOOD RESOURCE CENTERS.

THIS IS NEIGHBORHOOD BASED SERVICES THAT ARE ACCESSIBLE TO PEOPLE LIVING WITHIN A PARTICULAR COMMUNITY, AND IT'S A COMBINATION OF BOTH THE SERVICES THAT ARE PROVIDED AND EASIER, MORE GEOGRAPHICALLY ACCESSIBLE ACCESS WITH SUPERVISION.

AND SO AS AS AS MORE PEOPLE ARE PLACED ON PRETRIAL RELEASE AND RECEIVE SERVICES THROUGH PRETRIAL SERVICES.

AND AS CCSD LOOKS TO EXPAND ITS USE OF NEIGHBORHOOD BASED SUPERVISION, NEIGHBORHOOD RESOURCE CENTERS REALLY ALLOW FOR CO-LOCATION OF ALL OF THESE SERVICES AND AND SUPERVISION ONE PLACE THAT ALLOWS FOR MUCH EASIER ACCESS AND THIS TYPE OF WORK EVEN THOUGH TO LOOK AT SOME OF THE EXAMPLES YOU MIGHT SEE LARGE, LARGE RESOURCE CENTERS MULTIPLE YEARS AFTER THEY'VE BEEN LAUNCHED.

I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT AND I THINK CONSIDERING THIS APPROACH TO THINK ABOUT HOW YOU START AND HOW YOU LEVERAGE EXISTING SPACE WITHIN THE COUNTY TO START CO-LOCATING SOME SERVICES THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO NOW WITH A LONG TERM VISION OF WHERE YOU WANT TO GO NEXT.

AND THEN FINALLY, IF WE THINK ABOUT COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION, THIS WAS A BIG A BIG PIECE OF OUR OF OUR WORK THROUGHOUT THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE REVIEW IS TRYING TO FIND OPPORTUNITIES FOR FOR OTHER CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCIES TO IMPROVE THEIR COORDINATION WITH ONE ANOTHER AND TO COLLABORATE FOR BIGGER AIMS. TWO OF THE THINGS THAT REALLY STOOD OUT TO US IS A NEED FOR GREATER GREATER DATA GOVERNANCE IN THE COUNTY AND MORE SHARING OF INFORMATION BOTH AMONG AGENCIES AND WITH THE PUBLIC. AND SO THE RECOMMENDATION TO CREATE A CRIMINAL JUSTICE, CRIMINAL JUSTICE INFORMATION STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE ICC IS RELATED TO RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE MADE, BOTH IN THE OPERATIONAL REVIEW AND IN THIS REPORT FOR AN OPEN DATA PORTAL.

AND SO FOR THE COUNTY TO ESTABLISH A DATA GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE THAT IS NOT JUST ABOUT THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, BUT ABOUT SHARING INFORMATION FOR THE COUNTY AS A WHOLE AND CREATING SUBCOMMITTEES THAT ROLL THAT ARE FOCUSED ON SPECIFIC AREAS OF FOCUS LIKE CRIMINAL JUSTICE. AND SO THE JUST STANDING COMMITTEE WOULD PARTICIPATE IN TRYING TO MAKE

[00:30:01]

BUT ALSO IT WOULD FOCUS ON CREATING DATA GOVERNANCE FOR THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AS A WHOLE. AND SO THE ROLE OF THAT OF THAT COMMITTEE IS TO DEVELOP A PLAN AND DEVELOP A STRATEGY THAT ENABLES MORE CONSISTENT AND STRATEGIC APPROACHES AND CONSISTENT APPROACHES TO HOW DATA IS SHARED ACROSS THE DIFFERENT AGENCIES.

AND THEN FINALLY CREATING A AN INFORMATION SYSTEM, MULTIYEAR STRATEGIC PLAN.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE SAW IS THAT NEW PRIORITIES OR SORT OF NEW ISSUES THAT COME UP CAN REALLY CAN REALLY CHANGE THE DIRECTION OF OF INFORMATION INFORMATION SYSTEM AND TECHNOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS ACROSS THE SYSTEM.

AND A MULTI-YEAR PLAN WOULD ALLOW THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCIES TO TO BOTH TO SET PRIORITIES FOR WHAT IS NEEDED MOST URGENTLY TODAY AND IN THE FUTURE, AND TO START TO THINK ABOUT WHAT A FUNDING STRATEGY WOULD LOOK LIKE OVER TIME AS WELL FOR THAT STRATEGIC PLAN TO DECIDE HOW TO INVEST TODAY AND TO START TO CONTINUE TO BUILD ON THAT INVESTMENT AND AND BUILD OUT GREATER SYSTEMS IN THE FUTURE.

AND I SHOULD SAY THAT THIS STRATEGIC PLAN WOULD WOULD FOCUS NOT JUST ON THE ACTUAL SYSTEMS THEMSELVES, BUT ALSO, AGAIN, HOW TO HOW TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF INTEGRATIONS BETWEEN THEM FOR BOTH OPERATIONAL AND DATA SHARING REASONS.

SO WE WANTED TO JUST TOUCH ON A NUMBER OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS, THE KEY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE MADE IN THE FINAL REPORT.

AS I NOTED, THIS IS IS A SUBSET OF A MUCH LARGER SET OF REPORTS.

AND AS COMMISSIONER GARCIA MENTIONED, SEVERAL REPORTS, 1600 PAGES.

THERE'S A LOT OF REALLY IMPORTANT INFORMATION IN THERE.

BUT WE WANTED TO DISTILL IT AS MUCH AS WE COULD FOR THIS GROUP AND FOCUS ON THINGS THAT THE COUNCIL IN PARTICULAR MAY BE INTERESTED IN, IN TAKING LEADERSHIP ON AS WELL GOING FORWARD. SO WE'RE HAPPY TO DISCUSS ANY OF THE OTHER ITEMS EITHER THAT YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT TODAY OR OTHER ITEMS IN THE REPORT, BUT ARE ARE HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU.

WONDERFUL. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

AND YOUR YOUR FINDINGS ARE ARE GOING TO BE HELPFUL, NO DOUBT.

SO I'D LIKE TO OPEN IT UP IF ANYBODY'S GOT ANY QUESTIONS FOR ANY OF OUR PRESENTERS ON FROM FMS ON ON THEIR REPORT ON THEIR MASSIVE REPORT.

ANY ANY QUESTIONS? I'M SORRY. WHOEVER THAT IS, YOUR AUDIO IS NOT COMING IN WELL AT ALL.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YES, NOW. IT'S JUST ME, COMMISSIONER.

OKAY, KATHY, WE COULDN'T HEAR YOU.

HELLO AND HAPPY. CATHY.

YOUR CATHY, YOUR AUDIO'S NOT WORKING WELL AT ALL.

I'M SORRY. AS.

I'M AT THAT.

KATHY. AH, MY APOLOGIES, BUT WE CANNOT MAKE OUT ANYTHING YOU'RE SAYING.

BUT THANK YOU.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM ANY OF THE OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS? NOT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

TO SARAH SETH.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR YOUR PRESENTATION.

AND. AND DAVID, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.

REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK YOU'VE DONE.

AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR REPORT.

I'M SURE WE'LL BE IN CONTINUED DISCUSSIONS GOING FORWARD.

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANKS SO MUCH, COMMISSIONER.

THANK YOU ALL. ALL RIGHT.

THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS OUR IS TO ANNOUNCE THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE COORDINATING

[5. Announcement of established committees]

AND I WANT TO THANK COMMISSIONER ELLIS AND HIS STAFF BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN MEETING INDIVIDUALLY WITH MANY OF US AND THEY'VE BEEN GETTING FEEDBACK ON WHAT THE COMMITTEES SHOULD LOOK LIKE AND WHAT COMMITTEES WE WANT TO SEE AS A PART OF THE COORDINATING COUNCIL. AND HIS PARTICULAR FOCUS IS ENSURING THAT THE COORDINATING COUNCIL AS A WHOLE IS FUNCTIONAL, IS RESULTS ORIENTED, IS INCLUSIVE IN ITS BROAD THINKING AND IN WORKING TO

[00:35:01]

SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, HE HAS IDENTIFIED SOME KEY THEMES THAT HAVE EMERGED FROM THE FEEDBACK THAT MANY OF US HAVE PROVIDED THEM.

I KNOW THAT MY STAFF HAS BEEN WORKING WITH BOTH DR.

AGNES CORREA AND COMMISSIONER ELLIS'S STAFF.

SO AMONG THE TOP PRIORITIES THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED, THEY INCLUDE ADDRESSING VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY.

THAT ONE WAS MINE.

IT'S BEEN REDUCING THE COURT BACKLOG, ENSURING THAT PRETRIAL DECISIONS FOR CHILD RELEASE DECISIONS, RATHER, ARE BASED ON PUBLIC SAFETY AND PROVIDING QUALITY REPRESENTATION OF ALL PEOPLE, REGARDLESS OF WEALTH.

MANY OF YOU HAVE EXPRESSED THAT YOU WANT THE PEOPLE WHO WILL BE IMPLEMENTING SOLUTIONS AND ARE CAPABLE OF MAKING KEY DECISIONS THAT THAT IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.

AND THAT'S WHY COMMISSIONER ELLIS'S STAFF HAS HAS COME UP WITH SOME OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, BECAUSE WE WANT TO GET THINGS DONE.

THAT MEANS INCLUDING STAKEHOLDERS BEYOND JUST THE COUNCIL MEMBERS.

YOU SAID YOU WANT IT SMALL GROUPS, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY WE HAD A MASSIVE NUMBER OF PEOPLE.

WE JUST COULDN'T GET THE GET THE WORK DONE WITH THAT MANY FOLKS.

SO IT'S BEEN MUCH MORE STRATEGIC, MUCH MORE SURGICAL AND MUCH, MUCH MORE ACTION ORIENTED THAT HAS EMERGED FROM THESE DISCUSSIONS.

AND FINALLY, YOU MADE CLEAR THAT COMMITTEES ONLY WORK WHEN PEOPLE PARTICIPATE.

SO OBVIOUSLY, ENSURING THAT THERE IS BUY IN IS CRITICAL SO THAT WE CAN ACHIEVE THE RESPECTIVE GOALS THAT WE ALL HAVE.

SO THE COMMITTEE'S, BASED ON YOUR FEEDBACK THAT ARE BEING PROPOSED TODAY, ARE TWO NEW STANDING COMMITTEES WITH BASIC CHARGES AT THIS TIME.

THEY'LL GET REFINED AS WE AS WE MOVE ALONG.

BUT THE FIRST COMMITTEE IS THE VIOLENCE PREVENTION COMMITTEE.

THE SECOND COMMITTEE WOULD BE THE CASE BACKLOG AND COURT RESOURCES COMMITTEE.

THESE COMMITTEES WILL NOT BE NOMINAL.

THESE COMMITTEES ARE OUR REAL WORK IS WHERE THE REAL WORK WILL BE DONE.

WE EXPECT THE PROBLEM SOLVING SOLVING TO HAPPEN HERE.

WE NEED EVERYONE'S PARTICIPATION, ALONG WITH MANY OTHER STAKEHOLDERS, TO MAKE SURE THESE GROUPS ARE TRULY EFFECTIVE.

AND I KNOW THAT THEY CAN BE.

THE CHARGE FOR THE CASE BACKLOG AND COURT RESOURCES COMMITTEE IS TO PROPOSE, IMPLEMENT AND MONITOR PROPOSALS TO DECREASE THE CRIMINAL CASE BACKLOG, INCREASE CASE PROCESSING EFFICIENCY, AND IMPROVE COORDINATION BETWEEN THE COURTS AND THE CRIMINAL LEGAL AGENCIES.

SO THE NEXT STEPS ARE THE FOLLOWING.

COMMISSIONER ELLIS WILL ASSIGN THE CHAIRS OR THE COUNCIL.

THE COORDINATING COUNCIL WILL ASSIGN THE CHAIRS AND THE MEMBERSHIP TO EACH OF THESE COMMITTEES. COMMISSIONER ELLIS WILL ENSURE THAT CHAIRS HOLD MEETINGS TO REFINE THE COMMITTEE CHARGES, ESTABLISH ANY NEEDED SUBCOMMITTEES, AND ULTIMATELY BRING RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE FULL COUNCIL.

COMMISSIONER ELLIS WILL EXPECT THE COMMITTEE CHAIRS TO BEGIN SCHEDULING INITIAL COMMITTEE MEETINGS WITHIN THE NEXT MONTH.

TO ESTABLISH PRIORITIES.

LET ME JUST SAY, INSTEAD OF THE NEXT MONTH, OBVIOUSLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, BUT NO LATER THAN WITHIN 30 DAYS, EACH COMMITTEE WILL REPORT BACK TO THIS COUNCIL AT THE NEXT FULL JCC MEETING.

COMMISSION WILL LIKELY ANNOUNCE MORE COMMITTEES AT FUTURE MEETINGS.

BUT WE WANTED TO START WITH THE ISSUES THAT ALMOST ALL MEMBERS SAID WERE OF THE HIGHEST PRIORITIES. AGAIN, WE EXPECT THAT THESE COMMITTEE MEETINGS WILL BE ACTIVE AND PRODUCTIVE.

WHILE THERE ARE WHILE THERE MAY BE DISAGREEMENTS AND NO DOUBT WE MIGHT HAVE SOME.

I EXPECT OPENNESS, RESPECT AND A WILLINGNESS TO WORK TO MAKE OUR COMMUNITY FAIRER AND SAFER. SO COLLECTIVELY, THIS COUNCIL, ALONG WITH SUPPORT FROM EXPERTS, ADVOCATES AND

[00:40:01]

IF ANYONE WANTS TO BE ON A COMMITTEE OR NOMINATE SOMEONE ELSE AS A COMMITTEE MEMBER, PLEASE REACH OUT TO COMMISSIONER ELLIS'S STAFF OR TO DR.

ANNI CORREA SO THAT THAT CAN BE MATRICULATED UP THE CHAIN, IF YOU WILL, AND MAKE IT ON THE AGENDA FOR FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS.

ANY DISCUSSIONS ON THESE COMMITTEES BEFORE WE MOVE ON? DO WE NEED TO TAKE A VOTE ON THESE TWO COMMITTEES AS AS PRESENTED? DR. JANICE CORREA.

WE BELIEVE THAT THAT YOU HAVE THE CHELSEA.

THEY THE CHAIR THE PARTICULAR TIME CAN ACTUALLY IMPLEMENT THE COMMITTEES AS A JJC.

DO WE NEED TO TAKE A VOTE ON THESE TWO NEW COMMITTEES? LET ME LET ME CONFIRM.

WHAT IS REQUIRED AT THIS TIME? NO. NOPE. VERY GOOD. THEY CAN JUST BE GREAT.

YOU'RE QUITE WELCOME. ALL RIGHT, SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ITEM.

AND AGAIN, LOOK, SOME OF YOU HAVE PARTICIPATED IN MEETINGS THAT THAT I HAVE HELD AND TRYING TO CREATE SOME FORWARD PROGRESS ON DIFFERENT ISSUES THAT HAVE EMERGED.

I WANT TO THANK CHIEF FENNER BECAUSE AS AN EXAMPLE, HE BROUGHT FORWARD ISSUES RELATING TO THE DIGITAL EVIDENCE AND THE PROCESSING OF.

AND WE GOT TO TACKLING THAT FAIRLY, FAIRLY WELL, FAIRLY QUICKLY.

BUT THERE'S STILL MORE.

THERE IS A UNIVERSAL OFFENSE REPORT THAT WE'RE THAT I'M STILL HOPEFUL FOR AND LOOK, LOOKING FORWARD FOR THAT BEING ADDRESSED TO THIS COORDINATING COUNCIL.

SO SO AGAIN, I KNOW WE'RE ALL BUSY, BUT I KNOW THAT THERE'S THERE'S GREAT, GREAT OPPORTUNITY THAT IN SPITE OF HURRICANE HARVEY, IN SPITE OF A PANDEMIC AND IN SPITE OF THE BACKLOG AND IN SPITE OF THE IMMEDIATE CHALLENGES THAT SOME ARE POSING TO OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS, THAT THERE'S GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE PROGRESS AND AND ACCELERATE THE PROGRESS THAT'S ALREADY TAKING PLACE.

SO WITH THAT, WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ITEM, WHICH IS TO FOLLOW UP ON ON ITEMS FROM

[6. Follow-up on Action Items from the previous meeting]

JANICE CORREA TO LEAD US ON THIS DISCUSSION.

THANK THE COMMISSIONERS. SO WE HAD A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS THAT THIS BODY ASKED US.

THE FIRST ONE DEALT WITH WHAT IS THE PROCESS OF THE STRATEGIC PLANNING? AS YOU RECALL, COMMISSIONER GARCIA, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, WE NEED TO GET THE STRATEGIC PLANNING GOING.

SO I HAVE SOME REALLY GOOD NEWS.

NEWS NUMBER ONE, WE FOUND THE MONEY.

YAY! SO WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO BE ABLE TO HAVE SOMEBODY COME IN AND HELP US.

THE OTHER GOOD NEWS IS THANK YOU TO OUR COUNTY ATTORNEY WHO IS HELPING US WITH OUR PERSONAL SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH THE JUSTICE MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE TO HELP US WITH STRATEGIC PLANNING. MANY OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE LAW, JAMIE, SO WE'RE REALLY HAPPY THAT THEY'RE TAKING THAT THEY'RE HELPING US OUT.

THE OTHER COMPONENT THAT YOU ASKED US IS YOU WANTED TO KNOW HOW WE AS THE COUNTY ACTUALLY COMPARE IN TERMS OF JAIL POPULATION.

SO I WANT TO THANK STEPHANIE ALMOND AND REGINA RYAN BECAUSE THEY LOOKED AT FAIR COUNTY, DALLAS COUNTY, TARRANT COUNTY, TRAVIS COUNTY, COOK COUNTY, HARRIS COUNTY, MARICOPA COUNTY. THEY LOOKED AT THE MAXIMUM CAPACITY, THE AVERAGE DAILY POPULATION, THE PERCENTAGE OF THE CAPACITY, THE PERCENTAGE OF PRETRIAL POPULATION.

AND BOTTOM LINE, HARRIS COUNTY IS NOT AN OUTLIER, AN OUTLIER COMPARED TO OTHER JURISDICTIONS. AND I BELIEVE YOU HAVE THIS ALL OF YOU HAVE THIS IN YOUR THERE'S A PRESENTATION THAT SHOWS ALL OF THESE STATS.

SO YOU CAN TAKE A LOOK AT IT.

IF YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT TO US.

BUT FOR THE MOST PART, HARRIS COUNTY WAS NOT AN OUTLIER IN COMPARISON TO ALL OF THE OTHER JURISDICTIONS, AND THERE WAS A LOT OF WORK THAT WAS PUT INTO THAT.

COMMISSIONER GARCIA, YOU ALSO HAD A GREAT INTEREST ON FIGURING OUT WHAT ARE SOME OF THE COURTS THAT ARE HAVING HIGH CLEARANCE RATES, WHAT ARE THEY DOING THAT IS DIFFERENT THAN THE OTHER ONES? IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, YOU ASKED US TO LOOK AT THE NEWLY CREATED COURT THAT WAS CREATED

[00:45:02]

AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE FOUND IN THAT PARTICULAR COURT IS THAT THE COURT DOCKET WAS ESTABLISHED BY EACH COURT ALLOCATING A PERCENTAGE OF THEIR CASES.

AND SO THE NEW JUDGE INHERITED CASES AT DIFFERENT STAGES, AND SOME OF THOSE CASES WERE CLOSER TO DISPOSITION.

AND SO THAT WAS AN INTERESTING FINDING IN THAT PARTICULAR COURT.

WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO DO IS LOOK AT OTHER COURTS AS WELL TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS THE SECRET IN IN THESE COURTS THAT HAVE ALSO A HIGHER A HIGHER CLEARANCE RATE.

SO THAT WAS THE REALLY WE APPRECIATE THE ASSIGNMENT.

THE OTHER ITEM THAT YOU ASKED US TO LOOK INTO IS WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF SB SIX? AND WE DON'T KNOW, IT IS TOO SOON.

BUT WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT THIS IS THE VERY SAME QUESTION THAT OTHER JURISDICTIONS ARE ASKING THEMSELVES, AND THE DART TEAM IS GOING TO BE ATTENDING A CRIMINAL JUSTICE PLANNERS CONFERENCE THIS MONTH.

AND THIS IS GOING TO BE THIS IS GOING TO BE ONE OF THOSE TOPICS WHERE ALL OF THE URBAN COUNTIES ARE GOING TO BE MEETING.

SO WE'RE GOING TO COLLECT THAT INFORMATION.

WE'RE GOING TO SPEAK WITH OUR COLLEAGUES AND DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THERE HAVE BEEN SOME WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF SB SIX IN TERMS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION COMPONENTS? AND LASTLY, YOU ASKED US REGARDING THE PRETRIAL POPULATION TRENDS, WHETHER, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE PRETRIAL POPULATION.

AND WHAT WE CAN TELL YOU IS THAT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC, THE JAIL POPULATION DID TREND DOWNWARD.

AND IT DID TREND DOWNWARD BY 16%.

AND I BELIEVE THE SPEAKER AT THE TIME IT WAS MR. SIMPSON WHO ASKED THIS QUESTION, WANTED TO KNOW, WELL, HOW HAS PIERS COUNTY BEEN ABLE TO SUSTAIN THAT TREND? AND THE ANSWER IS NO. WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO SUSTAIN THAT TREND.

THAT TREND THAT DECREASE WAS BECAUSE OF SEVERAL FACTORS.

ONE OF THEM IS THAT THE ARRESTS WERE DOWN BECAUSE WE WERE IN THE HIGHEST OF COVID.

SO THE ARREST HAD BEEN DOWN.

SO AT THE TIME WE ACTUALLY WENT FROM 7995 INDIVIDUALS TO 6700 INDIVIDUALS.

SO THAT WAS THE OTHER QUESTION THAT THAT WAS BEING ASKED OF US IS WHAT WAS THE TREND? SO THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE FOR YOU.

IF YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS, YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND US.

AND WE'LL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO TO TO ANSWER THEM.

GOOD DEAL. THANK YOU, DOUG.

ANY QUESTIONS FOR DR.

SCOTT? ALL RIGHT, HERE.

NOW WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM SEVEN.

[7. Notification of proposed meeting schedule]

CORREA STAFF HAS CIRCULATED A PROPOSED MEETING SCHEDULE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR.

THE MEETINGS WILL BE HELD EVERY OTHER MONTH.

AND I EXPECT THE OR WE EXPECT THE COMMITTEES TO MEET, AT LEAST DURING THE MONTHS THAT THE FULL COUNCIL DOES NOT MEET.

SO THAT WAY YOU'RE NOT WE'RE NOT HAVING TO DO MORE WORK ON TOP OF OTHER WORK, BUT TRYING TO MAKE IT AT LEAST SOMEWHAT COORDINATED.

SO AND ALTHOUGH WE SUSPECT THAT YOU ALL WILL PROBABLY IDENTIFY THE NEED TO MEET MORE FREQUENTLY, THAT WILL BE TOTALLY UP TO THE COMMITTEES AND THE CHAIRS TO MANAGE.

BUT NONETHELESS, THE PROPOSED COUNCIL MEETINGS, THE FULL JCC MEETINGS WILL BE HELD ON JUNE THE NINTH, AUGUST THE 18TH, OCTOBER 20TH AND DECEMBER THE 15TH, AND IS SEEN ON THE SCREEN. THIS WILL BE THE LOCATION OF THE MEETINGS.

1019 CONGRESS WILL BE THE CONFERENCE CENTER OR AT THE CONFERENCE CENTER WILL BE WHERE THESE MEETINGS WILL HAVE 1230 TO 2 WILL BE DESIGNATED DESIGNATED FOR THAT.

WHEREAS AS WE ALL SEE RIGHT NOW, WE'RE MEETING VIRTUALLY THESE WILL ALL BE IN-PERSON, HOPEFULLY IN PERSON, ASSUMING THAT ALL THINGS CONTINUE ON THE TRACK THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY ON. SO THANK YOU, DR.

QUORUM, FOR THAT.

AND FINAL MEETING IS A FINAL POINT, RATHER.

IT'S A THANK YOU ON BEHALF OF COMMISSIONER ELLIS FOR EVERYONE JOINING US TODAY.

AND LOOK, THERE'S A LOT OF CHALLENGES, A LOT OF PRESSURE, A LOT OF CONCERN.

BUT I'M JUST GRATEFUL FOR FOLKS LIKE CHIEF FENNER AND.

[00:50:02]

HE JUST HE'S GOT THAT BIG OFFICE.

I SEE. I SEE A PUTTER OR BY HIS DESK THAT HE SPENDS HIS DAYS JUST PERFECTING THAT PUTT BECAUSE HE'S HE DOESN'T HAVE ANY ON HIS PLATE.

ANYTHING ON THIS PLATE.

WE KNOW THAT'S NOT THE CASE.

WE KNOW EVERYBODY IS WORKING HARD.

AND SO. SO WE'RE GRATEFUL TO HAVE THIS MEETING.

HAVING THEM IN PERSON, I THINK, WILL HELP US ACCELERATE THE PROGRESS AND THE DISCUSSION AND THE DECISIONS OF MOVING FORWARD, UNDOUBTEDLY.

SO OBVIOUSLY, WE'RE WE WANT TO GET OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM TO BE THE MODEL OF THE NATION, NOT JUST THE REGION.

AND THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT THAT'S WITHIN OUR GRASP.

SO EVERYONE, WHEN WE WORK TOGETHER, WE WILL OBVIOUSLY GET IT DONE AND WE'LL FIGURE A WAY TO DO IT, COLLABORATE, SUPPORT, RESPECT AND MOVE ALL OF THIS, ALL THESE ISSUES FORWARD.

SO I KNOW THAT COMMISSIONER ELLIS AND I AND OTHERS ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH EVERY ONE OF YOU.

AND I DO.

I DID HAVE ONE LITTLE BIT OF A ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUE.

I KNOW THAT I HAD IDENTIFIED AS MY ALTERNATE IN THE EVENT THAT I CANNOT ATTEND.

AND THAT WAS FORMER POLICE CHIEF CHUCK MCCLELLAND.

HE'S AGREED.

SO I'D LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT HE'S INCLUDED IN FUTURE AGENDAS AND SCHEDULES AND AND THAT HE'S CERTAINLY THAT HE'S ENGAGED IN THE IN THE COMMUNICATIONS.

SO WITH THAT, THERE'S NOT ANY OTHER ITEM THAT NEEDS URGENT ATTENTION.

ANYBODY. A COMMISSION.

I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU AND EVERYBODY ON.

I SEE SOME OLD FRIENDS, ALEX AND JUDGE.

I JUST THINK YOU ALL KNOW WE'RE ALL UP UNDER A LOT OF STRESS.

BUT THAT IS NOT FORGET.

AND I'M SPEAKING FOR MYSELF TOO.

WE ARE ONE FAMILY IN HARRIS COUNTY, AND IF WE DO IT THE RIGHT WAY, I KNOW THERE'S TOUGH TIMES RIGHT NOW.

BUT JUST THINK, HOW ARE WE GOING TO LOOK AS A TEAM, AS A FAMILY WHEN WE COME OUT OF THIS? AND I KNOW WITHOUT A DOUBT WE WILL.

WE DIDN'T CREATE A LOT OF THIS SITUATIONS, DID THAT WE DIDN'T CONTROL.

AND WE JUST GOT TO FIND A WAY TO DIG OURSELF OUT.

AND THAT'S GOING TO BE IN COMMITTEES LIKE THIS WITH HONEST COMMUNICATION AND RESPECT FOR ONE ANOTHER. AND I'M EXCITED ABOUT IT.

DEAL, CHIEF, THANK YOU.

AND WE'RE LOOKING TO BRINGING THAT STRESS DOWN SO THAT THAT HAIR CAN GROW BACK.

IT'S GONE, BUDDY.

SO WITH THAT.

THANK YOU, CHIEF. YOUR.

YOUR YOUR REMARKS HIT THE HEART, MAN.

ANYBODY ELSE GOT ANYTHING? IF NOT, THIS IS BILL KELLY FOR MAYOR TURNER'S OFFICE.

JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WORK.

AND IN THE MIDST OF YOUR COMMENTS, JUST JUST SAW ON THE NEWSWIRE THAT WE HAVE A NEW SUPREME COURT JUSTICE.

WATCHING IT OVER HERE, MAN.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR COUNTRY.

BEAUTIFUL DAY. BEAUTIFUL DAY.

ALL RIGHT, ANYONE ELSE? BUT I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ADJOURN THIS MEETING.

MR. GARCIA. THANK YOU, EVERYBODY.

ALL RIGHT. I GUESS THERE WAS A MOTION THE SECOND ALL IN FAVOR.

ALL RIGHT. TAKE CARE, EVERYBODY.

GOD BLESS. BE SAFE.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.