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RECORDING? OKAY.[Public Safety Committee on July 31, 2023.]
SO THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.THIS IS THE, UH, JULY 31ST, 2023 MEETING OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE.
UH, JOINING US ARE COUNCILMAN BJ WILLIAMS, CHIEF BRIAN, CITY, ATTORNEY SEAN ROTTEN, AND OUR SECRETARY LAURA VILA.
AND WE WILL START WITH APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM LAST MEETING, MADAM CHAIR.
I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM THE APRIL 18TH MEETING.
THAT MOTION IS PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
OUR NEXT ITEM IS ITEM B, PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE WILL REVIEW THE FIREWORKS PROHIBITED CITY ORDINANCE.
THIS WAS AN AGENDA ITEM BROUGHT FORTH BY COUNCILMAN BJ WILLIAMS FROM THE JULY 10TH WORK SESSION.
AND I WILL HAND THIS OVER TO CHIEF BRIAN.
UH, SO WE'RE HERE TO REVIEW THE ORDINANCE.
I CAN SPEAK ABOUT THE LAW AND THE ORDINANCE.
I'VE GOT SEAN ROTAN HERE, ATTORNEY.
YOU CAN ALSO SPEAK ON IT, BUT PROBABLY THE MOST OF THE CONVERSATION IS GONNA BE ABOUT THE ENFORCEMENT OF IT.
SO I'LL BE HAPPY TO TALK ABOUT THAT AS WELL.
UH, BUT LET'S LOOK AT THE, WHAT THE ORDINANCE SAYS REAL QUICK.
AND HERE'S OUR CITY ORDINANCE.
UM, COUNCILMAN WILLIAMS HAS A QUESTION.
I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION, MADAM CHAIR.
JUST, JUST SINCE I REQUEST SET THE PLATFORM CHIEF, YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT.
AS YOU GO THROUGH THIS, THE REASON THAT I BROUGHT THIS BOARD WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE ENFORCEMENT.
I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT MADAM CHAIR.
AM I WANNA PUSH MICHAEL ON YOUR TAPE.
DO YOU MIND REPEATING THAT? COUNCILMAN WILLIAMS? WE GET ON THE RECORDING.
UH, WHAT I WAS SAYING, I IS THAT AS, AS CHIEF GOES THROUGH THIS, MY AREA OF CONCERN WAS ENFORCEMENT AS IT RELATES TO THIS ORDINANCE.
WELL, THANKFULLY, I'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS ENOUGH TIMES.
I, I PREDICTED THAT WAS PROBABLY THE, THE PRIMARY AREA WAS THE ENFORCEMENT AREA.
UM, SO THE CITY ORDINANCE, BUT I WILL GO THROUGH IT REAL QUICK TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS.
UH, BUT IT'S UNLAWFUL FOR ANY PERSON TO TRANSPORT, CELL OFFER FOR SALE, OFFER TO ANOTHER, RECEIVE, POSSESS, KEEP STORE USE, HANDLE, DISCHARGE, DETONATE, EXPLODE, IGNITE, OR OTHERWISE SET INTO ACTION FIREWORKS WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS.
NOW, THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS TO THIS, UH, FOR THE FIREWORKS SHOW, SOMEONE THAT HAS A PERMIT.
UM, AND THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS OR DEFENSES THAT IF YOU'RE TRAVELING THROUGH THE CITY, UH, AND, AND, UM, THE FIREWORKS ARE IN A PASSENGER COMPARTMENT OF THE VEHICLE, THERE'S THE DEFENSE THERE.
BUT FOR THE MOST PART, UH, YOU CANNOT POSSESS, OR, UH, SPECIFICALLY YOU CANNOT IGNITE FIREWORKS WITHIN THE CITY OF GARLAND.
SO, I'LL PAUSE THERE TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ORDINANCE.
UM, BUT IT'S A PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD ORDINANCE.
ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT? NO, SIR.
SO LET'S TALK ABOUT THE, UM, ENFORCEMENT OF IT.
SO EVERY YEAR, AND WE'RE TALKING TWO NIGHTS A YEAR THAT WE'RE HAVING ISSUES WITH FIREWORKS JULY 4TH AND NEW YEAR'S EVE.
UH, TWO NIGHTS A YEAR WE INITIATE A FIREWORKS TASK FORCE.
AND SO WE TAKE SIX OFFICERS AND ONE LIEUTENANT THAT CREATES THIS TASK FORCE.
AND THEY ROLL OUT EVERY NEW YEAR'S EVE AND EVERY JULY 4TH EVENING TO DO NOTHING BUT ENFORCE FIREWORKS.
UM, JUST TO GET GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF OUR CALL LOAD, UH, THIS JULY 4TH EVENING, WE RECEIVED, UH, 272 CALLS RELATED TO FIREWORKS.
UH, THE FIREWORKS TASK FORCE RESPONDED TO 76 OF THOSE CALLS.
THEY ISSUED 31 CITATIONS ON THAT EVENING, AND THEY ISSUED 50 CITATIONS FOR FIREWORKS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE WEEKEND.
UH, THEY DID MAKE ONE ARREST FOR DISCHARGING A FIREARM.
UH, AND THEN THEY, UH, SEIZED A LARGE NUMBER OF FIREWORKS.
THERE'S A PICTURE OF THEM THAT AT SOME POINT WILL BE DISPOSED OF BY OUR BOMB UNIT.
NOW, OUR TASK FORCE, UH, ALTHOUGH IT'S MADE OF SIX OFFICERS AND ONE LIEUTENANT, AND THEY ARE DEDICATED TO FIREWORKS ENFORCEMENT, IT ALWAYS CHANGES SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.
WE KNOW IT'S GONNA HAPPEN, BUT AT SOME POINT IN THE NIGHT, USUALLY AROUND MIDNIGHT, OUR PRIORITY ONE AND PRIORITY TWO CALLS START TO OVERWHELM US.
UM, CALL LOAD WISE, WE ARE RESPONDING TO ABOUT TWICE AS MANY CALLS AS WE DO ON YOUR AVERAGE WEEKEND NIGHT.
AND FOR EXAMPLE, WE RESPONDED TO 1,221
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CALLS FOR SERVICE THIS JULY 4TH GOING INTO JULY 5TH.AND SO THAT'S FAR MORE THAN DOUBLE, UH, NOT QUITE TRIPLE, BUT IT'S A HEAVY CALL LOAD.
OUR PRIORITY ONE CALLS AND OUR PRIORITY TWO CALLS, UH, ARE GONNA TAKE PRECEDENT OVER OUR FIREWORK CALLS.
SO WHAT, AS THE CALLS START TO BUILD UP, AS THEY START TO HOLD, INEVITABLY WE PULL OFF OUR FIREWORKS TASK FORCE TO ANSWER THOSE FAMILY DISTURBANCE CALLS, UH, DRUNK DRIVER CALLS, ACCIDENT CALLS, WHATEVER THE PRIORITY ONE AND PRIORITY TWO CALLS ARE.
AGAIN, THESE ARE JUST THE FAR THE MOST BUSIEST.
IT'S A A NIGHT FOR PARTY AND ENJOYMENT AND GETTING WITH FAMILY, BUT IT'S ALSO A NIGHT THAT SOMETIMES THOSE TYPES OF EVENTS GET OUTTA HAND.
THERE WERE NO FIRES RELATED TO FIREWORKS.
THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT INJURIES, AND EVERYONE LIVED.
UH, BUT WE DID HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF FIREWORKS COMPLAINTS.
UH, BUT THIS IS WHAT WE DO EVERY JULY 4TH.
EVERY, UH, NEW YEAR'S EVE IS CREATED THAT TASK FORCE.
BUT LIKE I SAY, AT SOME POINT WHEN OUR CALLS START TO STACK UP, THEY ARE PULLED OFF FROM THAT TO ANSWER THOSE HIGHER PRIORITY CALLS.
THERE IS SOME FIRE CODE IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THAT.
I DON'T THINK THAT'S, UH, THAT WE CAN ALSO ENFORCE AND THE FIRE MARSHALS ENFORCE.
UH, BUT IT'S, THE CITY ORDINANCE IS OUR PRIMARY DRIVING, UH, LAW ENFORCEMENT, UM, LAW THAT WE'LL ENFORCE FOR FIREWORKS.
SO WITH THAT, I'LL PAUSE AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS.
UM, WHAT ARE THE TYPICAL MARKETING MATERIALS THAT YOU HAVE TO KIND OF DISSUADE PEOPLE FROM USING FIREWORKS? UH, WELL, WE PUT OUT PUBLICS SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENTS.
UM, AND WE HAVE SIGNS THAT WE PUT UP, UH, AT THE ENTRANCES TO THE CITY, AND WE ALLOW RESIDENTS FREE OF CHARGE IF THEY WOULD LIKE A SIGN TO PUT IN THEIR YARD, UM, THAT SAYS FIREWORKS WERE ILLEGAL.
UH, WE ALSO GIVE IT TO NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS AND WE'LL PUT IT UP IN SOME PARKS.
UM, BUT I, AT THIS POINT, I DON'T KNOW, YOU HAVE TO IGNORE PRETTY MUCH, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE IN THE CITY OF GARLAND AND YOU HAVE FIREWORKS, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE BREAKING THE LAW.
AND, UH, THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT FIREWORKS IS THE PEOPLE THAT SHOOT 'EM, UH, FOR THE MOST PART ARE 100% LAW ABIDING CITIZENS, 363 DAYS OF THE YEAR.
BUT, UM, THEY LOVE THEIR FIREWORKS ON JULY 4TH AND NEW YEAR'S EVE.
SO, UH, BUT OUR, OUR CAMPAIGN IS SOCIAL MEDIA AS WELL AS THE SIGNS THAT WE PUT UP ACROSS THE CITY.
HAS THERE, UM, HAVE YOU ALL EVER CONSIDERED USING LIKE AN ADVOCATE TO MARKET THOSE, UM, LIKE POSTERS? SOMEONE WHO MAY BE A VICTIM OF FIREWORKS, UM, MAYBE LOST A BODY PART, OR A FAMILY MEMBER OF A VICTIM OF FIREWORKS OR A PUPPY THAT
IT'S NOT SOMETHING WE'VE CONSIDERED.
UM, LIKE I SAY, I THINK WE'VE, OUR MESSAGE IS REACHED JUST ABOUT EVERYONE WITH THEIR AGREE.
NOW THERE IS BIGGER, THERE ARE LARGER CAMPAIGNS OUT THERE, LARGER THAN THE CITY, THE CITY'S CAMPAIGN THAT TALKS ABOUT THE DANGERS OF FIREWORKS.
BUT USING AN ADVOCATE TO MAKE LIKE A COMMERCIAL, IT'S NOT SOMETHING WE'VE, WE'VE CONSIDERED DOING AT THIS POINT.
I DON'T KNOW THAT WE MAY HAVE AN EXAMPLE THAT HAPPENED IN OUR CITY.
I'M JUST NOT SURE OF WHO THAT IS.
THAT MAY BE A QUESTION FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
DO YOU KNOW WHEN THE LAST TIME THERE WAS A FIRE OR A SIGNIFICANT INJURY CAUSED BY FIREWORKS? NO, I, I THOUGHT MARK LEE WAS GONNA BE HERE TODAY.
UH, UH, HE CAN BRING IT BACK NEXT TIME IF YOU WANT, BUT, UH, NO, I, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WILL RESPOND TO THOSE.
I KNOW HE TOLD ME THERE WAS NONE THIS YEAR, BUT WE HAVE HAD SOME IN THE YEARS PAST WHERE SOMEONE HAD A FIREWORK BLOW UP IN THEIR HAND OR A SMALL FIRE BREAKOUT, OR EVEN A HOUSE FIRE MAY BREAK OUT.
SO IT HAS HAPPENED, BUT I, I COULDN'T TELL YOU WHEN THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED.
DO, DO YOU, DO YOU HAVE ANY, ANY, UM, DATA INDICATION ARE MOST OF OUR TRENDS ARE CALLS COMING FROM SINGLE FAMILY OR COMING FROM MULTIFAMILY.
DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA MOST OF, OR IS IT LEANING EITHER WAY? MOST ARE SINGLE FAMILY.
MOST, UH, MOST ARE SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTS.
THEY'RE HAVING A PARTY OR HAVING A GET TOGETHER AT THEIR HOUSE.
UH, BUT MOST OF OURS ARE WITHIN THE NEIGHBORHOODS.
I, BUT I DON'T, I COULDN'T GIVE YOU THE NUMBERS OFF END, O O O.
AND YOU'RE RIGHT ON THE SIGNS.
WE, WE, I A PERSON, YOU KNOW, LOADED MY TRUNK AND PUT SIGNS OF, AND SOME PEOPLE HAVE PULLED THEM UP, SOME PEOPLE HAVE PUT UGLY MESSAGES
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ON THE SIGN, THEY SPRAY PAINTED THEM.BUT MY INSURANCE CHIEF, IT'S USED OF RESOURCES AND I HAVE, I HAVE SOME COMPLEX, SOME, UM, AREAS THAT BACK UP TO, TO NEIGHBORHOODS THAT, THAT HAVE HEAVY SENIOR CITIZENS LIVING IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND THAT'S WHERE I'M CERTAIN YOU GET A LOT OF COMPLAINTS FROM THE, FROM THE SENIORS, EVEN THE DAY AFTER THE FOURTH.
THAT LIKE, IF THE FOURTH IS, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FOURTH WAS, THE FOURTH IS ON A SATURDAY OR IT'S ON A TUESDAY, IT, YEAH.
USUALLY THE DAY AFTER, UM, AFTER THERE'S, THERE'S STILL A COMPLAINT AND I KNOW, UH, THE NPOS OR GETTING INVOLVED 'CAUSE I'VE, UM, GOTTEN CALLBACKS, VERY POSITIVE CALLBACKS BY THE WAY, CHIEF ON THE NPOS THAT HAVE, THAT HAVE STOPPED BY TO SORT OF CALM THE, CALM THE WATERS.
WELL, MY CONCERN IS, I KNOW ABOUT THE PRIORITY ONES, THE HIGHER PRIORITY CALLS, AND, UH, CAN YOU GIVE US SOME IDEAS FOR AS RESOURCES CHIEF, UH, AND WHAT, IF ANY, IMPACT THAT, AND I KNOW IT DIFFERS FROM YEAR TO YEAR, BUT TO THE EXTENT THAT, UH, WE'RE CALLED TO, TO YOU CALLING RESOURCES IN YOUR DEPARTMENT AND YOUR MANPOWER.
ANY IMPACT AT ALL AND ANY THOUGHTS ABOUT ANY CHANGES THAT YOU THINK WE CAN MAKE TO, UH, MINIMIZE ANY IMPACT THAT IT MAY HAVE ON, ON YOUR RESOURCES TO RESPOND TO A HIGHER, UH, PRIORITY, UH, CALLS? 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, I'VE, I, YOU KNOW, I LIVE THERE SOME FOLKS AND THEY DO IT EVERY YEAR.
THEY'VE GOT A BUNCH OF TREES IN THE YEAR, ONE YEAR THEY CUT THE TREES A FIRE KIND OF THING.
SO, UM, ANY THOUGHTS CHIEF, AS FAR AS NUMBER ONE, IS THERE ANY IMPACT ON YOUR MEN, YOUR RESOURCES TO RESPOND TO THOSE CALLS? AND IF SO, ARE THERE ANY THOUGHTS, ANYTHING YOU THINK WE CAN DO DIFFERENTLY TO, UH, YOU KNOW, TO HELP GET THE WORRIED OUT ABOUT ENFORCEMENT? THOSE, MY TWO QUESTIONS.
UH, WELL, THE BEST THING THAT WE COULD HAVE DONE, WE DID, UH, AND IT'S SOMETHING WE ASKED FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO, AND THAT'S TO STOP HAVING THE JULY 4TH CELEBRATION ON JULY 4TH.
UM, WE JUST COULD NOT, UM, WE COULD NOT, MAN, THE JULY 4TH EVENT, WHICH TOOK ABOUT A HUNDRED POLICE OFFICERS, RIGHT.
UM, 70, 75 TO 80 POLICE OFFICERS TO DO THAT AND TO KEEP UP WITH THE CALL LOAD ON THE SAME NIGHT, UM, WE WERE JUST STRETCHED IN.
SO WE ASKED ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO IF WE COULD DO THE JULY 4TH CELEBRATION ON A DIFFERENT NIGHT THAN JULY 4TH.
THAT WAS THE BIGGEST THING THAT FREED UP OUR RESOURCES.
NOW, OUR TASK FORCE THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE, WE'RE GONNA PUT THOSE OFFICERS OUT ON THE STREET, WHETHER WE HAVE A TASK FORCE OR NOT.
WE, UM, WE ARE DOUBLING THE NUMBER OF OFFICERS WE HAVE ON THOSE TWO, TWO NIGHTS, UM, WITH THIS.
BUT THE TASK FORCE FOCUSES IS ON FIREWORKS.
BUT AT SOME POINT, LIKE I SAY, WE GOTTA PULL 'EM OFF TO ANSWER THOSE PRIORITY ONE AND PRIORITY TWO CALLS.
SO YOUR QUESTION, DOES IT IMPACT OUR RESOURCES? IT DOES BECAUSE WE'RE MAKING FIREWORKS A HIGHER PRIORITY.
UM, BUT THERE'S, THERE COMES A POINT WHERE THE, THE ONES AND TWO PRIORITIES ARE GONNA HAVE TO TAKE PRECEDENT.
I HOPE I ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION.
BECAUSE I'M ALSO GETTING A MIXTURE CHIEF OF FIREWORKS AND GUNFIRE, BUT, YOU KNOW, SAME NIGHT.
WELL, AND FIREWORK AND GUNFIRE IS A PRIORITY ONE CALL.
SO IF YOU'VE GOT AN INCIDENT OF GUNFIRE, IT DOESN'T MATTER IF THERE'S A TASK FORCE OR NOT, WE'RE SENDING OFFICERS OUT IMMEDIATELY.
UM, NOW ON JULY 4TH, IT'S KIND OF HARD TO TELL SOMETIMES.
UM, BUT WHEN YOU SEE SOMEONE AND THE CALL WE GET IS, I, I'M SEEING SOMEONE IN THEIR BACKYARD SHOOTING A GUN THAT'S COMING OUT AS A PRIORITY ONE CALL.
WE'RE RESPONDING QUICKLY TO THAT.
UM, AND LIKE I SAID, WE MADE AN ARREST ON THAT THIS PAST JULY 4TH.
AND MY LAST QUESTION IS TO SEAN, SIR, ANY, LIKE I SAID, WE PUT THE SIGNS OUT, WE PUT 'EM ON THE PARAMETERS WITH THE MAJOR ENTRY POINTS.
WE'RE COMING IN FROM MESQUITE, THE DALLAS.
WELL, WE DON'T PUT 'EM ON PRIVATE PROPERTY.
WE DON'T PUT 'EM ON PRIVATE BUSINESSES UNLESS THE BUSINESS PERSON WANTS THEM.
ARE THERE ANY THINGS THAT WE CAN DO, UH, TO, UM, INCREASE THE VISIBILITY OF THOSE SIGNAGE ON OUR, ON OUR ENTRY POINTS? ENTRYWAYS WITHOUT, OF COURSE WE DON'T, YOU KNOW,
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WE DON'T DO IT ON PRIVATE BUSINESSES UNLESS THEY WANT IT.ARE THERE ANYTHING THAT'S NOT ALLOWABLE? WE USUALLY PUT ONE WE USE TO PUT THEM IN THE, IN THE CENTER EASEMENT, BUT ARE WE LIMITED IN ANY WAY, SEAN, FROM DOING ANYTHING IN ADDITION TO JUST PUTTING THE SIGNS OUT IN THE EASEMENTS, UH, AND OUR RIGHT OF WAYS? ARE THERE ANY THINGS THAT WE CAN, ARE, ARE THERE ANY OTHER THINGS THAT WE COULD DO IN ADDITION TO THAT? SEAN, I'M NOT SURE OF WHAT OTHER THINGS YOU MIGHT WANT TO DO.
WE AREN'T RESTRICTED IN WHAT WE'RE DOING.
UM, I KNOW THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS THE ELECTRONIC SIGNS NOW THAT COULD BE PUT OUT IF THEY'RE NOT ALREADY USING THEM FOR THAT.
UM, THAT WE USE 'EM AT WARRANT ROUNDUP ON THE MARSHALL SIDE SAYING, HEY, COME IN THIS WEEK, PAY YOUR TICKETS.
WELL, YOU COULD USE THOSE SAME SIGNS TO HAVE, REMEMBER FIREWORKS ARE ILLEGAL OR SOMETHING FLASHING ON THEM.
AND THAT MIGHT GET MORE PEOPLE'S ATTENTION THAN JUST A, A SIGN PUT IN THE MEDIAN POSSIBLY.
UM, BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS ON ANYTHING DIFFERENT THAT COULD BE DONE THAN ISN'T ALREADY BEING DONE.
AND I KNOW THAT, THAT SIMPLY HAVING FIREWORKS ON YOUR POSSESSION IS NOT A VIOLATION OF A CRIME.
WELL, IT DEPENDS IS THE ANSWER.
IF IT'S IN THE COMPARTMENT OF YOUR VEHICLE, THEN IT'S NOT.
BUT IF YOU'RE SETTING UP FIREWORKS IN YOUR POSSESSION, YOU HAVEN'T LIT 'EM YET, UM, YOU'VE OPENED THEM THEN, THEN YOU COULD BE IN VIOLATION.
I'LL ADD TOO TO, TO THE COMMENT, UM, WHEN WE WRITE THE CITATIONS, I DON'T, YOU KNOW, ACCORDING TO MY OFFICERS GIVING ME FEEDBACK, NO ONE IS SAYING, OH, I THOUGHT THESE WERE LEGAL.
I DIDN'T KNOW I COULDN'T SHOOT 'EM HERE.
THEIR, THEIR EXCUSE IS, WELL, EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING IT.
UM, BUT YEAH, THE MESSAGE IS, IT SEEMS LIKE THEY'RE GETTING THE MESSAGE.
THEY'RE JUST TAKING THE RISK AND SHOOTING THEIR FIREWORKS BECAUSE THEY'RE, FOR THE MOST PART, I THINK THEY FIGURE FIGURING THERE'S NO RISK.
THERE'S, THERE'S, YEAH, THAT SHOULDN'T BE THE ATTITUDE.
THERE'S, I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO DO IT, BUT THERE'S NO, SO WHAT IF I DO IT? WE, WE ISSUE ABOUT 50, 60 CITATIONS A YEAR FOR THIS.
UH, SO WE'RE ISSUING A BUNCH OF CITATIONS WE'RE RECEIVING, SEIZING A BUNCH OF FIREWORKS.
UM, BUT YEAH, THE PERCEPTION IS YOU COULD, IF YOU CATCH ME, YOU GOTTA CATCH EVERYBODY ELSE.
AND ARE THE FOLKS RESPONDING TO THE CITATIONS THAT THEY RECEIVE? ARE THEY PAYING THE CITATIONS? YES.
UH, THE MAJORITY ARE, IT'S VERY RARE THAT WE HAVE A WARRANT OUT FOR, I COULD SAY FOR THE MOST PART, THESE ARE LAW ABIDING CITIZENS.
THESE AREN'T, UH, CAREER CRIMINALS.
UM, AND USUALLY, IN FACT, WE'VE HAD SOME PEOPLE TELL US, UH, YEAH, I'LL PAY THE FINE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, I'LL, I'LL ISSUE.
THEY PROBABLY SPENT MORE IN FIREWORKS THAN THEY, UH, THAN THEY PAY FOR THE FIRE.
AND SOME OF THE FIREWORKS THAT WE SEIZE, THEY'RE VERY EXPENSIVE FIREWORKS.
IT'S, THEY INVEST A LOT OF MONEY IN THOSE FIREWORKS.
THEY PROBABLY LOSE MORE IN THAT THAN, THAN IN THE CITATION.
SO CHIEF, WHAT I'M HEARING YOU AND, AND, UH, I JUST, UM, CITY ATTORNEY IS SAYING WE SHOULD JUST LEAVE, LEAVE IT BE IS IS THAT PRETTY MUCH, WELL, IT'S ONE OF THOSE ISSUES.
WHAT, WHERE DO I PUT MY RESOURCES TOWARDS? AND I CAN TAKE, I CAN BUILD A 20 MAN FIREWORKS TASK FORCE AND WE CAN ATTACK THIS, BUT WHAT AM I IGNORING IN THE MEANTIME? IT'S WHAT DO I PUT MY RESOURCES FOR? AND ON THIS NIGHT, UH, THE, THE SAFETY AND THE LIFE AND PROPERTY ARE OUR PRIORITIES.
ALTHOUGH WE CREATE THE TASK FORCE AND WE'RE WRITING CITATIONS AND WE'RE SENDING A MESSAGE, ULTIMATELY PROPERTY AND LIFE ARE GONNA TAKE OVER FOR THOSE PRIORITY CALLS.
AND THAT'S WHERE OUR RESOURCES WILL BE REDIRECTED TO.
I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE A SOLUTION BEYOND THAT.
UM, WE'RE NOW JOINED BY COUNCILWOMAN KRISA.
DUTTON, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR CHIEF BRIAN? UM, I DON'T.
I APPRECIATE THE REPORT AND, UM, MAYBE GIVE US SOME STATISTICS ON JUST THE, MAYBE THE LAST FIVE YEARS OF HOW MANY INJURIES WE'VE HAD FROM LIKE, MAJOR INJURIES OR, AND OR FIRES.
UM, I THINK THAT'S REALLY THE ONLY KIND OF MISSING DATA THAT WE HAVE.
UM, I KNOW THAT SINCE 2020 THE INSTANCES OF FIREWORKS USAGE HAVE BECOME, UH, HAVE INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY.
SO, UM, MAYBE JUST THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
IT'S JUST AN INTERESTING, YOU KNOW, STATISTIC TO HAVE AS FAR AS THIS DISCUSSION GOES.
SO I'LL DEFINITELY GET THE, I'LL TALK TO THE POLICE, UH, FIRE CHIEF AND GET THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU.
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SO MS. LUCK BEFORE WE YES SIR.HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO WRAP THIS, THE TOPIC UP? UM, IS THERE ANYTHING WE NEED TO REPORT BACK TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL? I DON'T BELIEVE, I DON'T BELIEVE SO.
UM, I THINK ONCE WE GET THOSE STATISTICS, THEN THAT'S WHAT I'LL REPORT BACK.
UM, OTHERWISE THERE HAVEN'T BEEN ANY CHANGES MADE, SO.
ALRIGHT, WELL I WILL CALL THIS MEETING ADJOURNED AT 4:21 PM THANK YOU.