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THIS CONFERENCE WILL NOW BE RECORDED.
[Civil Service Commission on August 31, 2021]
UM, WE WILL BEGIN WITH ITEM NUMBER ONE ON OUR AGENDA, WHICH IS TO CONSIDER ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA.I MOVE THAT WE ADOPT THE AGENDA.
I SECOND THAT ALL THOSE IN FAVOR.
SO OUR, THE AGENDA IS ADOPTED.
UM, NUMBER TWO IS RECOGNITION OF COMMISSIONER NOL FOR HIS YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE COMMISSION.
I CAN SPEAK TO THAT IF, IF I BELIEVE THAT HE DID, I DID HEAR HER MIND.
ROSIE, I THINK IN THE BEGINNING.
RICK, ARE YOU WITH US? YES, I AM.
MARISA, WOULD YOU MIND IF I START OFF THIS AGENDA ITEM? OKAY.
SO ACCORDING TO CHAPTER 1 43, EACH OF THE COMMISSION SEATS IS UP FOR APPLICATION OR REAPPOINTMENT EACH YEAR.
WE HAVE BEEN A LITTLE LAX IN THAT PART OF THAT IS SELFISHLY NOT WANTING ANYBODY ON THE COMMISSION TO LEAVE, BUT WE HAVE BEEN MORE CONSISTENT IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
SO FOR THIS YEAR COMMISSIONER NAZI, UM, WAS UP FOR REAPPOINTMENT, UH, AND HE HAS DECIDED AFTER SEVERAL YEARS OF BEING ON THE COMMISSION, UH, TO NOT SEEK A REAPPOINTMENT.
SO JUST WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE HIS YEARS OF SERVICE AND GIVE HIM AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO THE COMMISSION IF HE WOULD LIKE.
AND THEN ALSO TO LET THE REMAINING COMMISSIONERS KNOW THAT WE HAVE ACTIVELY, UM, REQUESTED APPLETS APPLICANTS, UH, TO REPLACE COMMISSIONER.
AND ALL WE CURRENTLY ARE IN THE PROCESS OF INTERVIEWING, UH, WITH THE CITY MANAGER OF FIVE, UM, APPLICANTS WHO WOULD LIKE TO BE CONSIDERED.
AND WE SHOULD HOPEFULLY HAVE A FINAL SELECTION MID SEPTEMBER BEFORE WE HAVE OUR NEXT MEETING.
SO WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO COMMISSIONER NOL IN CASE HE WANTS TO HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS.
IT'S BEEN AN HONOR TO SERVE WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE SO DEDICATED TO DOING A GREAT JOB, UH, FOR THE CITY OF GARLAND AND FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
UM, UM, I WAS THRILLED THAT I WAS ASKED TO BE ON THE COMMISSION AND ACCEPTED THE APPOINTMENT.
UM, I ALWAYS FELT LIKE IT WAS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR EVERYTHING I HAD INTO IT, UM, BECAUSE WHAT THOSE FOLKS ON THOSE DEPARTMENTS DO FOR THE REST OF US WITHIN THE CITY THAT WE NEEDED TO GIVE THEM BACK AS MUCH AS WE COULD IN TERMS OF HONESTY AND SINCERITY WHEN DEALING WITH THEIR ISSUES CAME BEFORE US.
THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR LETTING ME PARTICIPATE.
SO IS THIS OFFICIALLY HIS LAST MEETING AS COMMISSIONER? YEAH.
WELL, WE HATE TO SEE YOU GO, BUT YEAH, WE UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S TIME.
I AM ALSO AT THIS POINT IN TIME, UH, TRANSITIONING INTO RETIREMENT FROM WORK.
UM, I'M NO LONGER WORKING AT THE BAG'S CHICKEN IN HER HOUSE IN GARLAND.
I'M SPENDING PART-TIME HOURS WORKING FOR ANOTHER PART OF THE COMPANY IN FRISCO, TEXAS, WHICH CHANGES A LOT FOR ME.
AND THEN BY MARCH, I'LL BE COMPLETELY RETIRED AND FREQUENTLY OUT OF TOWN.
COMMISSIONER PRIOR, DID YOU WANT TO BE MADE THE PRESENTER FOR THIS AGENDA ITEM YOU HAD PROVIDED A TEXT MESSAGE, CHAT MESSAGE.
SO IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT ANYONE WANTS TO, TO SAY REGARDING, UH, COMMISSIONERS NOLS, UM, SERVICE WITH THE COMMISSION? IF NOT, THEN WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER THREE.
SO ITEM NUMBER THREE IS TO CONSIDER APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE
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COMMISSION MEETINGS ON MARCH 2ND, 2021 AND MARCH 16TH, 2021.I KNOW THAT WE CONSIDER APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.
THE MINUTES FROM THE TWO MEETINGS IN MARCH ARE APPROVED.
ITEM NUMBER FOUR ON OUR AGENDA IS TO CONSIDER APPROVAL OF ELIGIBILITY LIST FROM POLICE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION CONDUCTED ON JUNE THE FIFTH, 2021 AND AUGUST 21ST, 2021.
I MOVE THAT WE CONSIDER APPROVAL OF BOTH LISTS.
SO ALL OF THOSE IN FAVOR OR APPROVING THOSE TWO ELIGIBILITY LISTS.
SO THOSE TWO LISTS FOR THE, FROM THE POLICE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION ARE APPROVED.
ITEM NUMBER FIVE, MOVING ALONG IS, UH, TO REVIEW DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
ARE YOU ON MUTE ON YOUR END? CAN YOU HEAR YOU? ARE YOU CONNECTED VIA PHONE OR JUST VIA YOUR COMPUTER? YOU'RE UN-MUTED ON OUR SIDE.
WOULD YOU LIKE US TO PAUSE SO YOU CAN JUMP OFF AND MAYBE JUMP BACK IN OKAY.
WE LOVE IT, BUT ALSO HAS ITS PROS AND CONS.
RIGHT? WELL, WE CAN GIVE YOU A COUPLE OF MINUTES TO SEE IF YEAH.
IT LOOKS LIKE HE'S GETTING THE CONTACT INFORMATION, MIKE, I'M NOT SURE IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, BUT IF CHIEF BRIAN IS NOT ABLE TO RECONNECT, ARE YOU ABLE TO, I AM STILL HAVING AUDIO ISSUES.
WE HEAR YOU NOW YOU CAN HEAR ME.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN HEAR ME ON THE PHONE OR ON THE COMPUTER.
I'LL JUST LEAVE THEM BOTH ON, CAUSE I CALLED BY PHONE TOO, JUST TO MAKE SURE YOU CAN HEAR ME.
SO, UH, WE INDEFINITELY SUSPENDED OFFICER MITCHELL FOR TWO INCIDENTS.
UM, WHAT BOTH USE OF FORCE INCIDENTS? HE'S A RELATIVELY NEW OFFICER, BUT HE IS A LATERAL OFFICER FROM ANOTHER AGENCY.
UM, THESE INCIDENTS USE OF FORCE INCIDENTS WERE NOT WITHIN OUR POLICY AND WERE NOT WITHIN THE LAW.
AND IT WAS TWO INCIDENTS ON BACK-TO-BACK NIGHTS.
AND SO WE'VE DECIDED THAT HE OR I HAVE DECIDED THAT, UH, HE DOES NOT MEET OUR STANDARDS AND HE HAS BEEN INDEFINITELY SUSPENDED.
UM, IF YOU NEED TO KNOW DETAILS ON THAT, I CAN EXPAND ON THE DETAILS.
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BUT UH, THAT'S KIND OF THE OVERVIEW OF IT.ANY QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONERS? YEAH, HE HAS APPEALED AND HE HAS APPEALED BOTH SUSPENSIONS AND THOSE ARE COMING IN OCTOBER.
AND SO YES, WE WILL HAVE A ARBITRATION HEARING IN OCTOBER.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS REGARDING THE SUSPENSIONS OF OFFICER MITCHELL? OKAY.
THEN THAT BEING THE CASE, WE WILL MOVE ON TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SIX, WHICH IS TO REVIEW THE MONTHLY REPORTS OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
AND, UM, UH, AND I'LL, I'LL ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ON THOSE.
SO I HAVE BEEN, WE'VE HAD, UH, A TERRORIST ATTACK THAT HAPPENED A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO AND I'VE BEEN SO SWAMPED WITH THAT, UM, THAT I'LL HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, BUT I HAVEN'T, UM, I HAVEN'T REVIEWED THOSE IN THE PAST DAYS, BUT DO YOU HAVE THOSE, IF YOU CAN PULL UP CHRISTIAN BY ANY CHANCE, SORRY, I WILL NEED TO HAVE THOSE FOR REFERENCE.
THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THOSE VERY, VERY CRAZY WEEKS.
UH, BUT I KNOW THOSE ARE IN YOUR PACKET AND, UH, WE ARE SEEING AN INCREASE IN CALLS IN THE SUMMER.
WE'VE OUR OVERALL CRIME HAS BEEN DOWN.
OUR, OUR VIOLENT CRIME HAS BEEN DOWN.
OUR PROPERTY, CRIME HAS BEEN DOWN, BUT OUR HOMICIDES HAVE BEEN UP THIS YEAR, IN FACT, QUITE A BIT OFF AS THEY ARE ACROSS THE NATION.
BUT I KNOW YOU HAVE THE, UH, THE, UH, INFORMATION IN FRONT OF YOU.
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS IN THAT, UM, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER.
SO IT'S GOOD NEWS TO HEAR THAT VIOLENT CRIME HAS GONE DOWN OR I DON'T KNOW, GONE DOWN OR JUST KIND OF STAYED OUR, OUR ROBBERIES ARE DOWN.
UM, OUR CALL LOAD IS UP AND WE'VE HAD A VERY BUSY SUMMER AND, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE OF THOSE YEARS AND LAST YEAR WAS THE SAME WAY.
THERE'S SUCH AN ANOMALY BECAUSE NOTHING IS NORMAL RIGHT NOW.
YOU KNOW, WHEN KIDS ARE OUT OF SCHOOL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, INSTEAD OF IN SCHOOL AND WHEN, UH, PEOPLE ARE HOME OR WORKING FROM HOME, EVERYTHING JUST IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
AND, UH, SO IT'S, IT'S BEEN A VERY UNUSUAL YEAR.
IT'S BEEN IN A VERY UNUSUAL TWO YEARS AND, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE SEEING THAT IN OUR CALLS AND IN OUR CRIME AS WELL.
ANY, ANY QUESTIONS ON THE, UH, I HAVE THEM PULLED UP IN FRONT OF ME NOW.
ANY QUESTIONS ON IT? THE, THE THREE, UM, PERSON HOMICIDE THAT HAPPENED HERE, I DON'T KNOW, A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, THOSE NUMBERS ARE NOT REFLECTED IN THIS REPORT.
I ASSUME THE AUGUST NUMBERS ARE NOT REFLECTED IN THERE IN THIS REPORT.
UM, WE'VE HAD, UH, WE HAD THE THREE, THREE PERSON, UH, THAT WERE KILLED IN THAT ONE INCIDENT.
WE HAD A MOTHER THAT WAS KILLED IN OUR HOUSE.
AND THEN, UM, SUNDAY WE HAD THE, UH, THE INDIVIDUAL THAT WAS INSPIRED BY OVERSEAS ACTIVITY AND, AND, UH, KILLED A LYFT DRIVER.
SO WE'VE HAD A VERY BUSY MONTH THIS MONTH AND, UH, AUGUST NUMBERS ARE PROBABLY NOT REFLECTED IN THESE NUMBERS.
ANY QUESTIONS COMMISSIONERS REGARDING THE REPORTS? THE MONTHLY REPORTS.
SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, WHICH IS, UH, TO REVIEW LETTERS OF APPRECIATION RECEIVED BY THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
WELL, AND AGAIN, IT'S BEEN AN UNUSUAL YEAR IN OUR, OUR FOLKS ARE DOING UNUSUAL WORK AND, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S FUNNY WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE PANDEMIC, BUT WE'VE, WE'VE NOT SLOWED DOWN OR NOT STOPPED.
WE'VE BEEN HERE THE WHOLE TIME AND OUR OFFICERS, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE MASHED UP.
UM, MOST OF THEM ARE VACCINATED.
UM, A FEW OF THEM STILL ARE NOT BY THEIR CHOICE.
UM, BUT YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE GOOD WORK THEY'RE DOING THERE.
UM, UH, I WISH, UH, AT SOME POINT I MAY WOULD PROBABLY BE A GOOD IDEA TO SHOW YOU SOME OF THE VIDEOS OF SOME OF THE WORK THEY'RE DOING.
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THAT GOT OFFICER THE LAST MONTH SAVED THE LIFE DEEP, WAS ABLE TO DEESCALATE A SITUATION AND SAVE THE LIFE OF A YOUNG LADY WHO WAS TRYING TO TAKE HER OWN LIFE.BUT IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT, I'M HAPPY TO DISCUSS.
WE ALWAYS LIKE TO HEAR THE GOOD NEWS STORIES.
THEY ARE DOING SOME GREAT WORK AND DID THAT SEEM LIKE I DEAL MOST OF MY TIME WITH THE BAD, THE BAD NEWS, BUT THE GOOD NEWS OUTNUMBERS TEND TO ONE THE BAD NEWS.
YOU JUST DON'T HEAR ABOUT IT AS MUCH.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS REGARDING THE LETTERS OF APPRECIATION RECEIVED BY THE POLICE DEPARTMENT? YEAH, AS ALWAYS CHIEF, I MEAN, WE, WE'RE FORTUNATE TO HAVE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
WE HAVE JUST BY, FROM READING THESE KIND OF REMARKS AND, AND, AND, UM, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A VERY IMPRESSIVE, SO JOB WELL DONE TO THE, TO THE TEAM AND TO YOUR, INTO YOUR STAFF.
AND I WILL PASS THAT ALONG TOO TO THE TROOPS.
I'M DEFINITELY GONNA MISS THIS PART.
SO NUMBER EIGHT IS TO REVIEW THE MONTHLY REPORTS OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
ALL, UH, APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE THIS MORNING.
I WAS A LITTLE LATE GETTING INTO THE MEETING.
UM, CHIEF BRIAN JUST SAID THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ACTIVITY IS ALSO VERY ELEVATED.
UH, I WAS LOOKING AT EMS CALLS, UH, JUST A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO AND THE JULY NUMBERS OF THIS YEAR VERSUS JULY NUMBERS OF LAST YEAR, WHERE 200 CALLS PER MONTH UP MESSAGES ON EMS CALLS.
UH, THE REPORTS IN YOUR PACKET, YOU CAN SAY THAT FIRES ARE UP.
EMS CALLS ARE UP, ALL ACTIVITY IS, IS, UM, ELEVATED, UH, CAN'T REALLY PUT RHYME OR REASON WITH IT OTHER THAN CAL CHIEF BRIAN ALLUDED TO IS THAT PEOPLE, UM, ARE, ARE MORE PEOPLE THAT ARE AT HOME.
UH, WE'RE SEEING, UH, A LOT OF, UH, COVID, UH, ILLNESS AGAIN.
UH, WE, WE THOUGHT WE HAD KIND OF SEEN THAT DISAPPEAR FOR A LITTLE BIT, BUT IT'S BACK AND IT'S, IT'S RAGING THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY AGAIN.
UH, AND, UH, RESPONSE TIMES ARE UP, UH, WE'RE WE'RE SEEING AN ELEVATION THERE AS WELL.
AND PART OF THAT IS ATTRIBUTED TO, UH, THE MORE CALLS YOU HAVE IN YOUR BUSIER DISTRICTS, THEY'RE ALREADY ON A CALL.
ANOTHER CALL COMES IN A, A UNIT FROM ANOTHER DISTRICT HAS TO COME IN AND ANSWER THAT CALL FOR THEM.
SO, UH, THAT TENDS TO RAISE OUR RESPONSE TIMES USED TO THE NUMBER OF AMBULANCES.
WE HAVE 11 IN SERVICE SANDWICHES AT ALL TIMES, UM, ON DAYS WHERE WE HAVE A LOT OF TRAINING GOING ON, WE WOULD SEE, WE GO INTO WHAT IS CALLED AMBULANCE OVERLOAD, WHICH MEANS WE'RE DOWN TO THREE AMBULANCES TO SERVE THE CITY.
ALL THE OTHERS ARE INVOLVED ON CALLS OR TRAINING.
WE USED TO SEE THAT ONLY DURING THOSE TRAINING DAYS NOW ON A FRIDAY NIGHT OR A SATURDAY NIGHT, 10 O'CLOCK AT NIGHT, YOU'LL HEAR THE GUYS GOING INTO AMBULANCE OVERLOAD.
WE'RE TRYING TO MANAGE IT AS EFFECTIVELY AS WE CAN AND MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP OUR RESPONSE TIMES AS WELL AS WE CAN AS WELL.
SO IT'S BEEN QUITE A CHALLENGE.
THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO.
HE COMMENTS ABOUT THE MONTHLY REPORTS OF THE ART DEPARTMENT.
SO WE WILL MOVE ON TO NUMBER, NUMBER NINE ON OUR AGENDA, WHICH IS TO RECEIVE LETTERS OF APPRECIATION, UM, RECEIVED BY THE PART OF PARKER.
ONE OF THESE DAYS, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO GET ROSIE TO PUT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AHEAD OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
SO I DON'T JUST ECHO EVERYTHING.
YOU KNOW, LIKE I JUST SAID, THEY'RE, THEY'RE GETTING BEAT UP, UH, WITH A LOT OF CALLS, BUT THAT'S WHAT THEY SIGNED UP FOR.
AND THEY SIGNED UP TO HELP THE COMMUNITY.
AND THEY'RE FINDING EVERY OPPORTUNITY THAT THEY CAN FROM FIXING FLATS TO, UH, JUST EXTRAORDINARY CUSTOMER SERVICE WITH SOME REALLY, UM, SOMETIMES FOLKS WHO ARE REALLY
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ANGRY AND REALLY UPSET.AND, UH, DON'T WANT A LOT OF PEOPLE AROUND THEM AND OUR GUYS COME IN AND A LOT OF TIMES WE'LL HAVE THEM CHOCOLATE ON THE WAY TO THE HOSPITAL.
SO WE'VE HAD SOME REALLY NICE LETTERS TURNED IN AND, UH, BE GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE.
YOU GUYS ARE YOUR CHEEK, YOUR GUYS ARE FRONTLINE TRUE AND TRUE.
AND, AND, UH, WE, WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
AND AGAIN, LIKE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, YOUR GUYS ARE AWESOME AND WE'RE FORTUNATE TO HAVE THEM.
ITEM NUMBER 10 IS, UM, OTHER ITEMS AND WE HAVE THE POLICE CAPTAIN PROMOTIONAL EXAM SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY THE SIXTH, 2022.
THE, CHIEFEST THE LIKELY THE SOURCE LIST FOR THAT, WHICH WILL BE POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 1ST.
SO BOTH THE SOURCE LIST AND THE UPCOMING EXAM FOR JANUARY WILL BE POSTED THIS WEEK.
SO JUST INFORMATION FOR THE COMMISSION.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER INFORMATION ITEMS OR ANY QUESTIONS FROM ANYONE? ALL RIGHT.
SO, UM, I, UM, MOVE THAT WE ADJOURN.