Apr 12, 2022 Baytown Crime Control and Prevention District

[00:00:19]

ORDER THE BAYTOWN CRIME CONTROL PREVENTION DISTRICT REGULAR MEETING FOR APRIL 12TH, 2022.

THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS

[1. MINUTES]

IF YOU HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE.

I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.

THANK YOU.

SECOND.

SECOND.

ALL IN FAVOR INDICATE BY SAYING AYE A AYE.

MOTION IS APPROVED.

[a. Receive the CCPD Financial and Investment Reports for the Quarter Ending December 31, 2021.]

THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT.

THIS IS YOUR FIRST QUARTER REPORT.

I'M GLAD TO SAY SALES TAX REMAINS INCREDIBLY STRONG, UH, ABOUT 14 AND A BIT PERCENT UP YEAR OVER YEAR IN THE FIRST QUARTER.

UH, IN THAT SAME PERIOD, YOUR EXPENDITURES HAVE BEEN LIMITED SOLELY TO THE STAFF THAT ARE EMPLOYED THROUGH THE CCPD.

UH, WE HAVE YET TO EXPEND, UH, OR AS OF THE END OF DECEMBER, WE HAD YET TO EXPEND, UH, IF THE OTHER MONEY SET ASIDE FOR SUPPLIES, CAPITAL, EQUIPMENT, ET CETERA, UM, YOUR OWN COURSE FOR ANOTHER VERY GOOD YEAR.

IT SEEMS TO ME, UM, I'LL CERTAINLY BE TALKING WITH THE CHIEF AND HIS COMMAND STAFF ABOUT THE POTENTIAL TO ACCELERATE SOME EXPENDITURES OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR AS WE DID OVER THE COURSE OF LAST YEAR.

THAT'S ALL I HAVE.

MAD PRESENT.

DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS I'LL HAPPILY ASK SOMEBODY ELSE? DO YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT THAT RIVETING INVESTMENT EARNINGS? OH, YEAH, I WILL.

FOR $14.

YES.

YOU'RE VERY WELCOME.

RIVETING AMOUNT OF DOLLARS THERE.

YEAH.

WELL, I'M HOPING THAT WILL, THAT WILL RISE ALSO WITH THE, UH, WITH THE SALES TAX GROWTH OVER THE YEAR.

BUT, UH, YEAH, I JUST SAY OVERALL YEAH.

WE ALL KNOW ABOUT INVESTMENT MONEY RIGHT NOW.

OVERALL, I'M GETTING NOTHING FOR IT.

YEP.

ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? OH, NO.

DO WE NEED AN ACTION ON THAT? MM-HMM.

NO.

NO.

ALL RIGHT.

[b. Presentation of the Baytown Crime Control and Prevention District Street Crime Unit, Traffic Management Team, and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement (CVE) statistical reports. ]

SORRY.

WELL, ALRIGHT, SO ADLIB THERE.

SO, UM, I WON'T, UH, I WON'T SIT HERE AND TRY TO DAZZLE YOU.

THERE'S A LOT OF NUMBERS.

UH, HOPEFULLY YOU HAVE THE, UH, THE SHEETS THAT WERE SENT OVER WITH ALL OF THE STATISTICS YEP.

FROM EACH ONE OF THE COMPONENTS, UM, THAT MAKE UP THE OFFICERS THAT ARE ASSIGNED TO, TO THIS DISTRICT.

YOU KNOW, THAT, UH, THE OFFICERS HAVE BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD AND YOU CAN TELL BY THE NUMBERS THERE.

SO I WON'T, I WON'T TAKE A LOT OF TIME GOING THROUGH THE NUMBERS, BUT I JUST WANTED TO HIT ON A COUPLE OF HIGHLIGHTS.

UH, FOR THE FIRST QUARTER, WE'VE MADE SOME CHANGES IN OUR STREET CRIMES, UH, UNIT.

UH, ACTUALLY ONE OF MY, MY LIEUTENANT THAT'S OVER THAT UNIT IS HERE.

UH, AND, AND HATS OFF TO HIM AND, AND ALL OF THOSE OFFICERS WHO HAVE WORKED REALLY HARD TO MAKE THESE CHANGES.

BUT WE ARE SETTING OUT ON A REALLY LARGE SCALE GANG IDENTIFICATION INITIATIVE.

GOOD.

MOST OF THE VIOLENT CRIME THAT OCCURS HERE IN THE CITY OF BAYTOWN AND ACROSS HARRIS EAST, HARRIS COUNTY, WEST CHAMBERS COUNTY IS GENERALLY ALL GANG RELATED.

SO WHAT WE HAVE DONE IS WE HAVE EMBARKED ON A MISSION TO IDENTIFY, UH, TO DOCUMENT AND TO BEGIN TO COME UP WITH, UH, PLANS TO, UH, PUT THEM OUTTA BUSINESS.

AND SO, UH, THEY'VE BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD TO DO THAT.

ONE OF THE OTHER ASPECTS THAT YOU'LL SEE IN YOUR PACKET IS THE, THE FORMATION OF WHAT WE CALL OUR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT TEAM.

AND SO IT'S DIFFERENT FROM A TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT TEAM BECAUSE FROM A TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT PERSPECTIVE, YOU'RE OUT THERE AND YOUR BIG GOAL IS TO WRITE TICKETS.

OKAY.

SO, UM, THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF OUR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT TEAM AREN'T NECESSARY TO BE OUT THERE WRITING TICKETS, ALTHOUGH THAT'S WHAT THEY DO.

THEIR JOB IS TO IDENTIFY TRAFFIC PROBLEM AREAS IN THE CITY ALONG WITH, UH, THE CITIZENS TO COME UP WITH, UH, WAYS TO, UH, TO ADDRESS THOSE.

AND SOMETIMES THEY'RE NOT ALWAYS ENFORCEMENT RELATED ISSUES.

UH, BUT WE'RE REALLY PROUD, I'VE SEATED THAT UNIT WITH TWO, ONE SERGEANT AND ONE OFFICER RIGHT NOW, AND WE MERGED THEM WITH THE COMMERCIAL VEHICLE ENFORCEMENT UNIT.

AND SO THEY'RE WORKING TOGETHER NOW ON DIFFERENT PROJECTS.

'CAUSE YOU'LL SEE IN YOUR STATISTICS THAT THE COMMERCIAL VEHICLE ENFORCEMENT UNIT HAS PUT PROBABLY CLOSE TO 200 TRUCKS OUTTA SERVICE FOR THE FIRST QUARTER.

AND THAT MEANS A LOT OF, PROBABLY A LOT OF LIVES SAVED AND, UH,

[00:05:01]

SO WE'RE IN THE VERY EARLY STAGES OF, OF THAT UNIT.

UH, I EXPECT TO SEE SOME AWESOME THINGS TO TAKE PLACE OUT OF THESE GROUPS OF OFFICERS THAT WE HAVE SELECTED.

AND THAT'S ALL, UH, IS POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF THIS CRIME COM CRIME CONTROL AND PREVENTION DISTRICT.

AND WE THANK EACH ONE OF YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND THE THINGS THAT WE DO AND THE INITIATIVES THAT WE TAKE ON.

SO THOSE ARE JUST SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF SOME OF THE THINGS THAT BEEN WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON IN THE FIRST QUARTER.

I WOULD BE CERTAINLY HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE, UH, EITHER RELATED TO THE STATISTICS OR THE NEW INITIATIVES THAT WE'VE UNDERTAKEN.

I MIGHT ALSO ADD THAT LAST MONTH WE HAD, WE WORKED OVER 30 DWIS.

UH, AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT IN, IN, IN HARRIS COUNTY, THE DWI FATALITY RATE IS EXTREMELY HIGH INCLU.

UH, AND THAT'S EVEN, UH, UH, RELATED TO NATIONWIDE STATISTICS.

SO THAT IS A MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR, UH, OUR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT TEAM.

WE, WE WILL CONTINUE TO, UH, BRING THAT UP AND, UH, YOU KNOW, OUR, YOU KNOW, THE CHIEF STRINGER'S, UH, PRIORITY IS TO MAKE THIS THE SAFEST CITY IN HARRIS COUNTY.

AND CERTAINLY TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT, UH, FALLS WELL INTO THAT AS WELL AS OUR GANG INITIATIVE.

SO, ANY QUESTIONS? I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.

HOW MANY OFFICERS DID YOU SAY WAS ON TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT TEAM? RIGHT NOW? I'VE SEE, I ACTUALLY HAVE, THERE'S THREE COMMERCIAL VEHICLE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, AND THEN I HAVE ONE SERGEANT AND ONE OTHER OFFICER.

I HAVE PLAN ON PUTTING FOUR MORE OFFICERS IN THAT UNIT, UH, AS SOON AS WE GET OUR MANPOWER STABILIZED, WHICH WE'RE WORKING ON.

BUT RIGHT NOW WE'RE COVERING, UH, WHAT WE'RE MISSING IN THOSE OFFICERS WITH OVERTIME FUNDS.

SO, UH, DOING A LOT OF GOOD STUFF.

AND HOW DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE GONNA GET THE BACKING OF THE DA ON THE GANG STUFF? I KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN, UH, SOME FRUSTRATION THERE WITH, UH, FAILURE TO BRING CHARGES, UH, IN SOME INSTANCES, SO, SURE.

UH, AND, AND I, I, I'LL PROBABLY ASK LIEUTENANT KROLL TO, TO HELP ME ADDRESS THAT.

WE ARE ACTUALLY WORKING WITH A SPECIFIC, A SPECIAL, UH, SET OF DAS IN THE DA'S OFFICE WHO SPECIALIZE IN PROSECUTING, UH, CRIMINAL STREET GANGS.

AND WE ARE ALREADY INCLUDING THEM IN OUR DISCUSSIONS, AND I THINK THEY'RE ON BOARD.

AND YOU, YOU'RE MORE THAN WELCOME TO COME UP AND, AND, UH, EXPOUND ON THAT JUST A LITTLE BIT.

SURE.

ABSOLUTELY.

UH, MY NAME'S AARON KROLL.

I'M A LIEUTENANT WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.

UM, WHAT WE'RE DOING IS A MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL APPROACH.

SO IN ADDITION TO THE RESOURCES WE HAVE AT OUR AGENCY, WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH OTHER SURROUNDING LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IN MULTIPLE COUNTIES.

WE'RE INCLUDING THE DA'S OFFICE IN THESE DISCUSSIONS FROM THE VERY START.

SO WE'RE WORKING WITH A SPECIALIZED DA WHO ONLY FOCUSES ON GANG CRIME, AND THEN IN ADDITION TO THAT, CHAMBERS COUNTY, DA'S OFFICE AS WELL.

UM, AND THEN IN ADDITION TO THAT, THE US ATTORNEY'S OFFICE ON THE FEDERAL SIDE.

COOL.

SO WHAT WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO DO IS MITIGATE THOSE ISSUES WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST, EITHER WITH THE LACK OF CHARGES BEING FILED OR VERY LOW BONDS BEING SET.

AND WE'RE GONNA TRY AND COME AT 'EM FROM MULTIPLE ANGLES TO MAKE 'EM STICK.

SO KNOCK ON WOOD, WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

DO YOU FIND THAT'S A FUNCTION OF WORKLOAD AS WELL? I MEAN, TO YOUR POINT, A LOT OF TIMES WE DON'T GET THE SUPPORT THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR IF THEY'RE OVERLOADED.

IT IS, UM, THE, THE, THERE'S A HUGE BACKLOG RIGHT NOW IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM IN HARRIS COUNTY.

UM, AND SO THE MORE OF A BOW WE CAN WRAP ON THIS PRESENT AND GIVE THEM TO PROSECUTE, WE'RE GONNA DO THAT AND IT'LL MAKE IT EASIER ON THAT END AS WELL.

ARE Y'ALL BRINGING THESE, UH, DEFENDANTS TO A CERTAIN COURT OR IS IT JUST, UH, POTLUCK ON WHICH JUDGE ASSIGNS THE, UH, THE BAIL ISSUE? IT'S GENERALLY POTLUCK.

AND SO IN THE HARRIS COUNTY SYSTEM, UH, THEY HAVE A 24 HOUR A DAY ONCALL MAGISTRATE WHERE THEY'LL, THEY'LL BE ARRAIGNED 24 7.

AND THEN DEPENDING ON HOW THE CHARGE IS FILED, IT'LL DEPEND ON WHERE THAT CASE GETS ASSIGNED.

THERE'S EITHER 16 OR 18 DISTRICT COURTS, I BELIEVE MM-HMM .

IN HARRIS COUNTY FOR FELONIES, THEN ANOTHER 12 COUNTY COURTS FOR MISDEMEANORS.

SO IT JUST CAN GO ANYWHERE.

I JUST KNOW IT'S BEEN A ROTATING DOOR AT THE, AT THE COUNTY JAIL.

SO WE WE'VE SEEN THAT.

YEAH.

WELL, IT HELPS US AS AMBASSADORS FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT WE CAN KIND OF HELP EXPLAIN IN THE COMMUNITY THAT Y'ALL ARE WORKING HARD, EVEN THOUGH, UM, YOU'RE ONLY KIND OF HALF THE HALF THE SOLUTION.

UH, SO, UM, ANYWAY, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

THE GOAL IS, UH, THANK YOU, AARON.

YOU KNOW, YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD THAT WE'RE ONLY ONE PART OF THAT MM-HMM .

BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT, THAT, UM, IDENTIFYING ALL OF THESE MEMBERS AND MAKING IT, IT EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE FOR THEM TO DO BUSINESS IN OUR CITY OR IN THE SURROUNDING AREAS, UH, TO WHERE THEY KNOW, WELL, WE, WE BETTER NOT COME TO BAYTOWN.

WE BETTER GO ELSEWHERE.

THAT IS OUR GOAL, TO MAKE IT AS UNCOMFORTABLE AS WE CAN.

AND

[00:10:01]

AND THIS IS GONNA, NOT GONNA BE JUST AN US INITIATIVE.

THIS IS GONNA BE AN AREA WIDE INITIATIVE SO THAT, UH, WE CAN RUN THESE, UH, FOLKS OUT OF OUR AREAS 'CAUSE THEY'RE COMMITTING THE BULK OF THE CRIME.

UH, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S BEING COMMITTED HERE IN THIS AREA.

SO, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS AND REGARDS TO ALL OF THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER THEFTS THAT HAVE BEEN GOING ON IN THE ENTIRE REGION? UH, IS THIS GOING TO BE ADDRESSED WITH THIS, UH, POSSIBLY ADDRESSED OF THE STREET CRIME? IT SEE, THAT IS ALSO A SYMPTOM OF THE MUCH LARGER PROBLEM.

MM-HMM .

YOU'LL FIND THAT, UH, THAT THE, THAT THEY'RE, THAT'S HOW THEY MAKE THEIR, UH, REVENUE IN A LOT OF CASES.

MM-HMM .

UH, I THINK THE BIGGEST THING WITH THESE CATALYTIC CONFERRED THIEVES, UH, IS WE'VE GOTTA WORK ON LEGISLATION TO WHERE THE FOLKS ON THE OTHER END OF THIS WHO ARE ACTUALLY MAKING THESE PURCHASES, MAKE IT HARD, HARDER ON THEM, AND ACTUALLY PROSECUTE THEM FOR KNOWINGLY TAKING THAT STOLEN PROPERTY.

YES, THAT'S GONNA CUT DOWN A WHOLE LOT ON THE THEFTS THEMSELVES.

BUT YES, WE'VE BEEN FINDING THAT THERE ARE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THIS ORGANIZED CRIMINAL ACTIVITY, THE SHOTS FIRED CALLS THAT WE HAVE, THE SHOOTINGS THAT WE HAVE IN THE CITY.

THEY ALL GO RIGHT BACK TO ORGANIZED CRIMINAL ACTIVITY.

AND A LOT OF IT IS LINKED RIGHT BACK TO THESE, THESE GANG MEMBERS.

AND SO WE'RE GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE COVERT WITH OUR, UM, WITH OUR INITIATIVE THIS TIME, RATHER THAN, YOU KNOW, 25, 30 YEARS AGO, WE JUST GO OUT AND START PUTTING HANDCUFFS ON PEOPLE AND THROWING THEM IN JAIL.

BUT WE'RE DOING IT A LITTLE BIT SMARTER THIS TIME.

THEY'RE NOT EVEN GONNA KNOW WE'RE COMING.

SO GOOD.

ANYTHING ELSE? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, CHIEF ER, MR. TRAER, YOU'RE UP.

THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH.

WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

CAN'T SAY THAT OFTEN ENOUGH.

WE CAN'T DO THE WORK THAT THE CITY DOES WITHOUT OUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.

SO THANK YOU FOR VOLUNTEERING AND TAKING THE TIME THAT Y'ALL DO HERE.

THANKS TO STAFF FOR THE PRESENTATIONS.

GINA THERESA, GLAD TO SEE Y'ALL BACK THERE.

I KNOW THAT Y'ALL HAVE BEEN HEAVY, HEAVILY INVOLVED IN BUDGET, AS Y'ALL KNOW, WE'RE IN THAT KIND OF SEASON.

IF YOU CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW MANY MEETINGS THEY HOLD WITH THE 14 DEPARTMENTS BEFORE THEY GET TO US, BEFORE THEY COME TO Y'ALL.

SO REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT Y'ALL DO.

THEY'RE DEFINITELY EARNING THEIR MONEY THIS TIME OF YEAR.

OUR NEXT, UH,

[a. The next Baytown Crime Control and Prevention District special budget meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 13, 2022, at 4:30 P.M., in the Council Chamber located at City Hall, 2401 Market Street, Baytown, Texas 77520. ]

I HEAR IT'S JUNE 14TH.

MM-HMM .

4:30 PM HERE IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER.

AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE TONIGHT.

.

ANYONE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, THEN I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ADJOURN.

ALL IN FAVOR? AYE.

DONE.

AYE.

THANK Y'ALL ALL FOR BEING HERE.

I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.