Good morning.

Today is Wednesday, April 1st, 2026.

The time is actually about 10.04.

I'd like to call this meeting in order.

Welcome to the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee.

I'd like to introduce City Attorney Jennifer Vega.

Ms.

Vega, please explain the role of the public comment.

Chair Robinson and Committee members.

During citizen comment, members of the public may address the subcommittee for up to three minutes on issues of interest or concern to them.

The Arizona Open Meeting Law permits the subcommittee members to listen to the comments, but prohibits members from discussing or acting on the matters presented.

Members of the public may speak for up to two minutes to comment on agenda items to be discussed.

Comments must be related to the agenda item and the action being considered by the subcommittee.

The city council and staff cannot discuss or comment on matters relating to pending investigations, claims, or litigation.

The city code requires speakers to present their comments in a respectful and courteous manner.

Profane language, threats, or personal attacks on members of the public, council members, or staff are not allowed.

A person who violates these rules will lose their opportunity to continue to speak.

Thank you.

Thank you very much, Ms.

Vega.

I would also like to introduce our interpreter, Elsie Duarte.

Elsie, could you please provide a brief announcement?

Yes, thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Uh good morning.

As mentioned, my name is Elsie Duarte, and I will be providing Spanish interpretation during today's public safety and justice subcommittee session.

I will now take a moment to address our Spanish speaking audience.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you, Elsie.

There are students at Arizona Preparatory Academy and the public affairs class are actually taking college level courses in their senior year at Arizona Prep.

It's their public safe public service and American Democracy class.

I'd like to welcome Ryan, Jaden, Ethan, Uraldo, and Natalie.

You guys thank you very much for being here.

Now he's teaching at ASU.

I asked them, did they know who the second well I said that Professor Gates was the second best professor at ASU.

I asked them if they knew who the first who the best professor at ASU was, and they answered correctly.

They said it was me.

So we're we're finish with that, and that is a joke.

So thank you.

And real quick, I'm gonna go into as is or change it.

Okay.

We're gonna go out of order a little bit.

And the first um item is listed as item number two.

It's an update on the police department's public safety efforts in the downtown area.

This is an item that was carried over from last month, and we'll welcome Assistant Chief Brian Lee and Commander David Cedar to the table.

Thank you for the opportunity to be with you here today to provide an overview of the Phoenix Police Department's downtown operations unit, commonly referred to as DOU.

I intend to share an overview of the unit as it's currently comprised, review their responsibilities, and to share some of the recently implemented changes to the unit.

Here with me today is Commander Dave Cedar, who oversees DOU.

The Downtown Operations Unit has focused responsibility on the city's downtown core, which is defined as the approximate one square mile bounded between 7th Avenue to 7th Street, Lincoln Street on the south, north of the railroad tracks, to Moreland Street on the north, as illustrated by the map.

There are many City of Phoenix buildings, local and county courthouses, sporting event arenas, hotels, residences, and many commercial businesses that comprise the city's downtown corps footprint.

The downtown operations unit is currently comprised of a police commander, three lieutenants, 12 sergeants, supervising 50 plus officers, and multiple civilian and support staff.

These personnel oversee two special event squads, two patrol squads, two crime suppression squads, a misdemeanor repeat offender program, two infrastructure protection squads, one judicial process and one court services squad, and then one community engagement enforcement team squad.

As the members of the subcommittee are aware, the population of the city's downtown corps has increased dramatically in recent years, not only in terms of the additional pedestrian and vehicular traffic during the day, but also in the number of citizens who reside full time in the downtown area.

We've continued to see rapid growth in the city's nightlife, as well as the number of sporting and event venue activities that continue to grow annually.

On June 1st of 2025, the downtown operations unit began a crime suppression pilot program during Shift 3 hours to focus specifically on the late evening activity generated by the numerous restaurants and active downtown nightlife.

This pilot squad was responsible for calls for service and business and community engagement in the downtown area during the Shift 3 overnight hours to alleviate the need for response from the Central City Precinct Officers when DOU personnel were not on duty.

This pilot program was an immediate success, and the new X-ray 91 Shift 3 squad went live on August 20th of 2025.

This squad operates Wednesdays through Saturday from 6 p.m.

to 4 a.m.

with one sergeant and four officers permanently assigned.

Since implementing this new third shift squad, it has made an immediate impact in addressing calls for service while enhancing business and community engagement.

The X-ray 91 squad has produced the following results from August 1st of 2025 to March 23rd of 26, which resulted in 96 arrests.

They've authored 259 incident reports, they've issued 61 citations and 22 notices of violation, investigated six traffic accidents, and recovered five firearms from the area.

In August of 2025, the Central City Precinct officially assumed responsibility for the downtown shelter area.

Prior to August, this was a function assigned to the downtown operations unit, but it fell well outside of DOU's downtown core area of responsibility.

In the months leading up to this transition, DOU staff worked hand in hand with Central City Precinct's walking beat squad, neighborhood enforcement team, community action officers, and third shift patrol squads to provide training on interacting with those experiencing homelessness as well as squad responsibilities and expectations.

Previously under DOU, the shelter area was staffed with only one to two officers due to manpower shortages and only during the first and second shifts, with Central City Precinct personnel covering the area during Shift 3 hours.

This transition provided a more effective and efficient use of personnel and resources from the precinct to address the area, while bringing the areas of responsibility for DOU and the precinct into a more equitable balance and proper alignment.

Central City Precinct has more resources available to work the shelter area by utilizing their walking beat, net, CAO, and Shift 3 patrol squads.

Next, the Downtown Operations Unit Commander and Event Lieutenant were assigned to working groups that focused on updating the department's policy and training related to public safety response team and First Amendment demonstrations.

They served as subject matter experts and helped guide policy to align with current national best practices and the current capabilities of the Phoenix Police.

The PSRT deployment model was modified to increase the mobility and the flexibility of PSRT operations in accordance with Operations Order 1.10, which included some of the following enhancements.

Creating smaller squads that are more agile and self-sufficient, implementing a layered and methodical approach to deploying PSRT resources.

We modified law enforcement focus from just enforcement to more of a support function utilizing enforcement or the appearance of enforcement as a last resort.

We added new less lethal deployment systems that add additional layers and options prior to the deployment of PSRT personnel.

We implemented an introductory PSRT class to the post academy curriculum.

We developed and presented PSRT training for supervisors during the annual supervisors retreat.

We also developed web-based video training addressing PSRT operations and expectations, First Amendment rights, best practices for patrol and supervisors.

And we're currently working with the Academy on PSRT and First Amendment training for the 2026 annual module.

Updated the annual PSRT recertification course classroom portion, which now includes policy updates, deployment model updates, national trends and best practices, and current applicable case law.

The scenarios have been updated and now reflect a more realistic approach and better align with the current policy and standard operating procedures for PSRT operations.

The Downtown Operations Unit continues to manage all security and traffic control for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Phoenix Suns, and Phoenix Mercury Home Games.

During calendar year 2025, DOU is responsible for managing 434 special events and is currently on track to support more than 260 special events in 2026.

These events range from local community events, conferences, First Amendment demonstrations, concerts, to recent high-profile sporting events such as Super Bowls, the MLB All-Stars, NBA All-Stars, men's NCAA Final Four, and now this week, the women's NCAA Final Four.

The 2026 NCAA Women's Final Four is now in town, beginning operations from March 30th through April 5th of 2026.

This event features two national semifinal games on Friday, followed by the championship game on Sunday.

Other events scheduled in the downtown Phoenix area include Tourney Town at the Phoenix Convention Center, which contains interactive games, giveaways, photo opportunities, basketball contests, food and licensed merchandise.

To the Super Saturday concert at Hans Park in the women's Final Four bounce event.

DOU has been a participating member of the planning committee along with multiple other city departments.

The NCAA, the Phoenix Downtown Inc., and the Phoenix Local Organizing Committee, all of whom are essential partners in this process.

They're also working with the Phoenix Fire Department to develop public safety staffing plans for all affected locations in positions requiring police and fire personnel, such as convention center, mortgage matchup center, team hotels, multiple traffic control and EMS positions.

And DOU and Public Safety participated in a citywide tabletop with the NCAA to review the city's operational state of readiness.

The goal is to develop a comprehensive staffing plan that is robust, that includes off-duty, on duty, police reserves, civilians, and police assistants, while remaining fiscally responsible.

The Downtown Operations Unit would like to acknowledge the partnership with the Western Alliance Bank, Phoenix Downtown Inc., Phoenix Police Foundation, as well as a special thanks to Councilmember Ann O'Brien for their support to help the Downtown Operations Unit implement the department's new e-bike program earlier last month.

DOU sought feedback from neighboring jurisdictions like Tempe and Scottsdale to gain valuable insight and identify best practices as Phoenix developed its own policy and program.

Through these donations, 10 e-bikes were purchased and were deployed for the first time in support of the waste management open in early February.

The e-bike patrol unit will increase officer visibility, enhance community engagement, and help deter crime through increased accessibility and positive interactions.

These partnerships reflect our shared commitment to a safe and vibrant and welcoming downtown for residents, businesses, and visitors.

This investment strengthens our ability to enhance public safety around Phoenix's popular downtown destinations, and we are deeply grateful to all of our partners for making this possible.

This concludes my presentation, and I'd be happy to take any questions at this time.

Okay, thank you very much.

I'll go to Councilwoman O'Brien with some questions.

Thank you so much for that presentation.

Um commend you on the pilot program for the Shift 3 squad that became permanent, and I noticed in the packet and talked about umbringing initi additional squad, so that would be 24-7 coverage sometime this year.

Is that what that is?

Is it referencing this particular type of squad, making it 24-7?

For this squad, we were actually allotted uh eight positions.

We currently only have four full-time, so yes, we would like to add four additional positions, which would give us uh enhanced coverage.

And enhance 24-7 coverage or just enhanced coverage during these particular hours.

If we were able to staff the squad with eight, that would give us 24-hour coverage, but we would still have a couple of days uh during the week that we would not have coverage.

In order to have full 24-hour coverage, seven days a week would require the addition of a second shift three squad.

Okay.

Um, uh thank you to this unit for all the work it is doing.

Our downtown has grown um intensely uh and thanks to a bunch of work by a lot of people, and we're very excited about that.

But I know it has um increased the need for additional public safety personnel in our downtown area, and and you all have stepped up and are working very hard to make sure that our folks are safe 24-7.

So I appreciate it.

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, Councilwoman.

Councilwoman Gordado, do you have any questions?

Not at the moment.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Um, I just have a more than not necessarily any questions, but a comment more than anything else.

I want to join with Councilwoman O'Brien and I'm sure the rest of the subcommittee and thanking you guys for the hard work that you're doing.

I'll take us back several years, probably, and take you back a couple of decades to what um downtown operations used to be and where you are at now as head and shoulders over where we had ever been, and not that we were doing a bad job then, but what is very clear that you guys have recognized and sought out what's the best thing for the downtown area because so many people come to this to our downtown area, and you know, they're impressed with what they see.

My wife and I are somewhat regulars at Suns Games, that's her, not so much me.

And um, she always comments about the courtesy and the professionalism of the officers that we run into and how everybody treats um the visitors to the downtown area.

So, commander, the your folks, you guys are doing a great job.

You're leading by example.

So thank you very much for that.

Chief, the presentation was um exceptional.

You've answered all the questions, and I know our partners in the downtown area are very happy with everything.

The response from the units back to Commander Cedar, the response from the from your unit whenever there's an issue raised in the downtown area.

I know you guys are on top of it because I hear it firsthand from a lot of different folks that I deal with because I sit on the board for um visit Phoenix.

So there's a lot going on there.

So thank you all very much for all the work you're doing, and please pass it on to your um to your folks and tell them we're very appreciative of their actions.

So if there are no more questions, none.

Okay.

Thank you very much for the presentation.

Thank you, sir.

And as I mentioned, we are skipping around a little bit.

The next item is listed as item number three.

It's an update on the Phoenix Community Court for its two-year anniversary.

Presenting on this item is OHS Deputy Director Scott Hall and Office of Public of the Public Defender David Ward and Chief Assistant City Prosecutor Sarah Dejong.

So please welcome to the dais.

Okay, thank you.

Scott, it's all yours.

Good morning.

Uh Chairman Robinson, members of the subcommittee.

My name is Sarah DeYoung.

I'm the chief assistant.

It's totally fine.

You're not the first one to mispronounce.

Uh, I'm the chief assistant with the prosecutor's office, and I'm joined here today with representatives of our community core team.

Uh, first and foremost, without the support of this committee, the mayor and full council, and particularly at the advocacy of councilwoman O'Brien, uh, we would not be able to be present here today.

Uh we're tremendously grateful for the opportunity provided to us and to the city uh with regards to this program.

Our goal today is to provide a brief overview of our progress over the last two years, highlight the impact we're seeing, and outline how we provide meaningful support to participants to reduce offenses, improve public safety, and strengthen the neighborhoods we serve.

Uh, today we're gonna have you meet some members of the team.

Essential to any treatment court is to have trusted and collaborative members.

Uh, and each member of this uh type of team has to work hard to ensure that each participant receives a level of support they need while also maintaining and needing clear court obligations.

The trusted members of our team here today uh are the municipal court, which is led by the honorable James Hernandez.

He's the primary judicial officer responsible for uh community court.

The prosecutor's office is led by Jin Sampanis.

Uh Paul Vullemar is here today.

He uh handles the day-to-day operations of the court, um, but he's supported by all the members of uh small but mighty community bureau uh that review cases and handle court when Paul's unavailable.

Uh the public defender's office, uh Mr.

Dave Ward, uh Ted Cruz, Brandon Cody, and Claudia Leva.

Again, Mr.

Cody and Claudia are um the primary individuals who are responsible for staffing and coverage.

Office of homeless solutions is Rachel Milney, Scott Hall, and Tanya Allegria, and then community bridges is Echo Kwaikowski, Katie Asnado, and Desiree Robinson.

I can't stress enough that without CBI, we would not be able to be successful as they are the primary individuals who are maintaining contact with the participants.

Um Mr.

Ward will be next.

He'll um he's with the public defenders office, and we'll walk you through the overview of how community court works.

My name is David Ward, I'm the director of the public defender's office.

I'm really excited to be here.

This has been an amazing uh couple of years.

Uh I don't like to read stuff, but let me read this.

This is the purpose of our court.

Is that Phoenix Community Court is a transformative justice initiative committed to creating long-term solutions for people experiencing homelessness.

In the two and a half years or a little over two years, we've seen incredible uh results in people's lives, and things are happening.

It was launched in January 2004, and I would be remiss if we did not say that this was done through the vision and the leadership of Councilmember O'Brien.

It was her vision, her leadership that pushed this forward.

We looked through other two other cities to other courts, we figured out what worked, we took the best of them, we discarded the rest, we made it fit to our city, and something really good is happening.

Very exciting is happening.

We're looking forward to seeing it grow.

This is a collaborative effort from the municipal court, the city prosecutor's office, the public defender's office, and most importantly, the Office of Home Solutions and CBI community bridges.

Their efforts are what makes this thing work.

One statistic that I wanted to let you know that in a regular courtroom, the court told me that in regular court, we expect about a 66% of the people will show up.

But in with a homeless uh population, in a regular courtroom, it's in single digits.

Five percent or six percent.

Currently, and I just got this number today.

In our community court, we're expecting 72% of the people of the res of the defendants to show up, which is an amazing number.

And that's why that's happening is no secret.

It's because of the efforts of CBI and OHS.

And they're here today, the team that that uh makes that happen.

They are really the driving force.

I can tell you as I walk by their offices near our uh where we walk into our suite, and the number of times I've heard them genuinely outraged that someone did not come to court.

We're going to find that.

I work so hard, and I appreciate that.

It's an amazing thing.

The referral process is in various different places in the court on the second floor at the Raymond Desk or in a regular courtroom when somebody one of the attorneys will discover that someone is homeless and might be a good candidate.

That is a person who's referred.

We take that name and case number, we give it to the prosecutors, but they can do a check to see if they think it was reappropriate.

We have community court documents twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursday afternoons.

Each client is assigned a CBI case manager.

Again, the reason for success is because we have that, because we have them.

The other reason I believe as strong as I can is that it works is because of the dedication.

I said uh early on when this thing happens, if the reason it will work is if we tell people we're going to help you, and then we help you.

Because so many times a lot of these people have been told we're gonna help you, and then they give them a list of phone numbers to call.

And that's not help, that's just advice.

And the CBI and OHS team have been amazing at actually providing assistance.

Of course, starting with with shelter, and we'll go into each of those uh the things that they provide.

The second part that then happens is the CBI case manager gets with the client, they develop a customized service plan.

Not everyone needs the same thing, but a lot of people need the exact same thing.

One of those is identification to paperwork shelter if they haven't already received it.

I think probably at the top of the pile.

And then as they go through the uh the process, then there's considerations uh for graduation.

And I believe that's my part.

Thank you.

Thank you, David.

So with the services offered, first we go through each participant's goals and needs.

We start with the basics and work our way from there.

Shelter and other housing placement are usually the first steps that are needed to be taken.

Then the team works with each person to ensure that they have all the vital documents that are needed, as David mentioned.

This includes ID, social security cars, birth certificates, while also ensuring each participant is connected to mainstream benefits.

The team also provides the transportation needed to get to these appointments.

Mental health, substance use treatment, and employment assistance are other resources used to help participants and the path on the path to success.

These are just some of the services that are offered to everyone.

And as with every project with the Office Homeless Solutions, the ultimate goal is always permanent housing because that's what ends homelessness.

And here we're gonna go over just some of the key measures that we do we take a look at within community court and some of the outcomes from that.

First thing we want to always look at is the number of participants that are uh actively participating in community court, the number of participants reaching the graduation, number and types of services provided, securing uh permanent and or temporary housing, and a very vital one is whether or not they re-entered the justice system uh in Phoenix within the last year.

And here we'll look at two days, two years' worth of data and review.

So to date, we've had 554 people conclude uh their cases within community court.

Of that 554, we've had 214 graduations, 32 cases that were dismissed prior to graduation, eleven pled guilty to a reduced sentence, twenty-nine placed in other specialty courts, forty-three returned to regular court for noncompliance, and then 225 people opted out of community court for regular court.

And let me explain why that's the case.

This isn't easy.

When someone uh agrees to participate in community court, there's a lot more work to be done than just going through the regular court process.

So for an individual to accept these services means they're willing to take the extra step needed to end their homelessness and resolve these cases.

And some of the accomplishments within that, as I mentioned before, we've had 554 conclude, but we've worked with a total of 804 participants and the 214 graduations, as I mentioned.

But one key factor you can see up there, we've only had 18 people recidivate out of the two 14 uh into uh court.

That's an 8% recidivism rate.

I think that's pretty good.

And then of the services provided, we provided uh identification and documents for 234 of the individuals, 358 individuals were placed into shelter and housing, 172 people were placed into mental health and substance use treatment, and 98 are participating in employment services.

And here we're gonna talk about some of that success.

And in the stories I'm about to read to you, you're gonna hear the desire to change, the connection to benefits, and uh full services and supports that are provided.

First, we're gonna talk about a 62-year-old gentleman.

We're gonna call him Mr.

Smith.

Mr.

Smith enrolled in community court in April of 2025.

During intake, he shared that he was a veteran, but was not receiving any benefits because he was unaware of his eligibility.

Through community court, he was connected to CBI veteran program.

With the support from his case manager, he obtained all necessary legal documents and applied for Social Security Disability Bits and ultimately received those benefits.

He attended every court hearing, stayed in constant contact with his case manager, and demonstrated patience and gratitude throughout the community court process.

Mr.

Smith moved into his own apartment in October of 2025 through Rapid Rehousing Program and continues to receive the sport services needed to continue to success.

His case manager stated that it was an honor to work with him through this process.

Next, we have a 42-year-old woman.

We'll call her Miss Smith.

Miss Smith was enrolled in community court program in August of 2025 after being referred by the City of Phoenix's heat relief site.

Staff identified there that uh at the time she uh was there, she had received a citation while experiencing homelessness.

Her CBI case manager had to place her in two different shelters in an effort to keep her off the streets and connected to the program.

Miss Dope has an SMI determination, and initially her work with her case manager presented many challenges.

Although she had previously received a housing voucher, it was close to expiring when she joined the program.

After community court staff assisted her in reengaging with their clinic, things started to change dramatically.

She developed a strong working relationship with her case manager, who helped her overcome these challenges.

Despite multiple serious medical issues, her case manager visited her in the hospital and continued supporting her through the process.

Her case manager also identified suitable housing options and ultimately helped her secure an apartment.

She moved into her new apartment on December of 2025 and now has permanent housing supports in place.

Mrs.

Smith has learned to advocate for her health and seek care when it's needed.

Something she struggled with before community court.

Ms.

Smith has graduated community court and still stable and housed.

Community court has made a profound impact on the lives of its participants.

Community court is more than uh in a therapeutic court program.

It is building an actual community where people know they can find support when they need it.

It is common for past graduates to stop by and say hello and give community court staff a life update.

A graduate from September of 2024 stopped by recently to thank the case manager and let everyone know uh that he had been clean since his graduation date.

He was on the street for three years when he entered community court and he was struggling with addiction, and now he owns his own home.

We can count the court appearances, case dismissals, legal documents obtained, and the many service interactions provided, but we cannot measure the intangible benefits of a restorative justice program that holds people accountable while lifting them with compassion, encouragement, and support.

And with that, we'll be happy to take any questions.

Thank you very much.

Councilwoman O'Brien, questions?

Councilwoman O'Brien.

Thank you so much for the presentation.

Um, it is wonderful to hear the results after the program has been in place for for two years.

And I know, Scott, that you touched a little bit on the people who opt out and about it just being more work to stay in the program.

Do we ask for any other data about why they choose to opt out or collect anything that would help us understand if there's a gap we need to fix?

Uh Chairman Robinson, Councilwoman O'Brien.

Uh, that is a great question.

And we're always looking at ways to help better engage individuals and get them into court.

Uh I don't I'm not an expert on the legal system itself.

Uh work more with uh trying to end people's homelessness and be happy to uh uh hand it over to my partners after I make this comment.

Is sometimes when people are going to that court, they're just looking to get out quickly, and whatever the quickest avenue of that is, a lot of times people hang on to that.

But when they have a time uh chance for either the prosecutors, the public defenders, or our team to engage with them and explain to them what can be uh the outcome if they participate in it, is usually when we start seeing uh that much greater acceptance rate.

Uh, but a lot of people do turn it down right in the very beginning.

I don't know if anybody wants to.

Sorry, I should have addressed that to David or Sarah.

I apologize.

I I think you'd Scott's absolutely right.

Uh I think there's a couple things.

A lot of our clients, especially or the homeless clients, uh, are fairly skeptical of the process.

And so they're wanting to get out of the process as quickly as they can.

I also don't think that they actually believe that the services and the help are really going to be coming.

And so they just want to get it done and want to get back out to their life and they want to get back on the where they're where they were before.

Um, there comes a certain level of comfort with familiarity, even if that comfort that familiarity is not particularly comfortable.

And so I think that that's part of the problem is that they are just used to it.

Also, it does take time, and you have to come back to court.

You have to there, you there are things you have to do.

You have to stay in contact with your case manager.

You have to do what they tell you to do.

You have to go to your if they tell you you have to go to the doctor, you have to go to the doctor.

If you have to come to court, you have to come to court.

And if you don't want to do that, uh, then you're not going to be eligible to be in the program.

And so sometimes it's just easier.

Uh maybe not the best thing, but it's easier just to say I just want to be in a regular courtroom.

Okay.

And I just want to, I'm I'm sure you're leaving no stone unturned, but it's good to ask and know from your perspective if there are some additional barriers we need to look at, but it sounds like this really just is a commitment on their part and a distrust of the system, which certainly in some of their cases, I'm sure is understandable.

Um relative to the folks who are sent back to regular court for not meeting expectations.

Can you just elaborate a little bit more on what that can look like or or yeah, what that looks like, why we send them back?

Uh Chairman Robinson, uh, councilwoman O'Brien.

Uh they just have chosen not to participate in community court.

They'll go back to a regular division, they'll get a regular offer at that point, taking into account criminal history, the facts of the case.

Um a little bit to piggyback on your last question.

All the prosecutors are aware of community court, all the defense attorneys are aware of community court.

So if they make a decision in this particular instance that they don't want to participate in community court, if they get arrested the next time and perhaps they have a less desirous plea offer, there's an opportunity to go back to community court.

We kind of have to meet the person where they're at and when they're ready.

Uh, and so um we do our best to educate everyone in the courthouse about the opportunities of community court and that um in certain circumstances they are eligible to come back.

Okay, I appreciate that.

Um I I would, and I know the folks at the table probably would as well like to see us do all we can to get folks to choose to opt in because it is um what's best for not only them but but for the community as a whole.

Um it's expensive to have them in and out of the system, it's not good for them, uh and it's not good for our community.

So any efforts we can continue to make to educate and and but I do not want to lower the bar of the system because I think it is important that they do these steps and have the success rate.

The success rate of 92 percent um staying out of the system for at least one year is amazing.

I'd like to see us look at um as the program continues looking at those numbers over how many folks stay out for three years and then five years, so that we have long-term um numbers as opposed to just one year as we go forward, if we could incorporate that.

Um, I couldn't be more thankful for all of the people who are working in this program.

Um the municipal court, the city prosecutor's office, the office of public defenders, and obviously the Office of Homeless Solutions, as well as our partnership with CBI.

It couldn't happen without this team effort.

Um, when we work together uh as in public-private partnerships, we are so much more successful.

Um, and and that is uh just it warms my heart given the kind of people that we are helping and the the folks who you know maybe get reunited with the family or the veteran that you just talked about, the woman with health problems who now knows how to advocate for herself and has a roof over her head.

Um but data is important, and and I appreciate that you have also done such a great job and keeping the data on this.

So I couldn't say more about community court and the power of it.

Um you're just you all are amazing.

Sorry, um this is a little emotional because I I know you're impacting real people's lives, and I'm thinking about some of the graduations I've I've gotten to go to where kids are impacted as well because they get their parents back.

So thank you for all of the work and and please don't stop.

Great.

We still have a lot more hard work to do.

Thanks.

Thank you, Councilwoman.

Councilwoman Gordado, do you have any questions?

Not any questions, just a couple of comments.

I just want to thank everyone.

Um, this has been life-changing for a lot of the families.

I think between the work that you guys are doing with our community and the work um that our office of homeless solutions is also doing.

I think we're definitely making an impact with all of our residents, with folks um that just need a hand to get back on their on their feed, um, to be able to be back with their families, the impact that this is having on our children.

Um, can I thank you guys enough for all of the work um that you guys have done and that we'll continue to do?

Um very appreciative for all of that and anything that you guys need from our office.

Please feel free to reach out and let us know how we can be helpful.

Um, but once again, thank you guys.

Thank you, team.

Thank you for everything that you guys do.

Um, thank you, Chair.

Thank you, councilwoman.

I just have one quick comment.

And you know, both my colleagues who spoke kind of mentioned it.

But I once read that a community can is judged by how much it helps those who are the least amongst us.

You guys are leading the charge and truly appreciate everybody's hard work as councilwoman O'Brien and Councilwoman Gardado said.

Um you're doing a great job.

Thank you very much and appreciate the presentation.

So thank you.

So next up is item number four, which is the approval of the public safety and justice subcommittee meeting subcommittee mean minutes from March 4th, 2026.

Do I have a motion?

Approved.

Second.

Have a motion and a second.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

The chair votes aye, passes unanimously.

Thank you for that.

Items number five, six, seven, and eight.

Are um information only.

Do either of my colleagues or any of my colleagues have any questions or comments about the Levine Tower update, fire staffing and response time, community assistance program, expansion of implementate implementation, implementation report.

Say that five times.

Can I do number six?

Yes, council.

Councilman Waring on the fire staff and response time report.

Well, thanks, Mr.

Chair.

Uh thanks, Chief.

I appreciate coming up.

Um so last uh whatever it was that we were talking about the budget.

I asked a question about some of the things we were doing regarding to fire.

Uh but specifically if you could go over briefly what we're doing with the new operations in district two, where that stands, and I believe that's supposed to be up and running by the end of the fiscal year, correct?

Chairman Robinson, Councilman Waring, members of the subcommittee.

That is correct.

The fire department is working hard on pursuing additional facility space to put a 24-hour medical response vehicle at station 45.

Station 45 is currently housing uh engine company and an ambulance company.

They also have a brush truck there.

The engine company that runs out of there is technical rescue capable.

They're a busy company, and we believe that adding a 24-hour medical response vehicle to the area will have a very positive impact.

And do you have any idea?

Uh Mr.

Chair, sorry.

Uh I was probably an unfair question.

Like, is that gonna shave 30 seconds or a minute, or is that an unknown from the area?

I mean, if I ballpark it, that'd be great if you don't feel comfortable.

Uh for Chairman Robinson, Councilman Warrior, forgive me.

I do not recall those numbers off the top of my head.

We can ask our technical services folks and follow up with you if you'd like.

Okay, thank you.

Or maybe next time.

Uh we also uh by we, I mean I think you were on uh the chief and so forth.

Talk to Mayo Clinic about the potential for a new station.

Uh in I guess it would be their property.

So what what is next steps?

How could we help as a committee?

How could I personally help to advance that forward?

It was left a little bit open-ended at that meeting.

Chairman Robinson, uh Councilman Waring.

Uh we're working with community and economic development on the pursuit of that property in the area to construct fire station 71.

As far as any assistance from your office at this point, it'd be probably a little too early for me to say your assistance has been appreciated.

I know you were at the meeting that we had with Mayo uh recently, so we appreciate that very much.

And I don't have an answer right now as far as um what we would need.

We're we're working with CED and pursuing that property very aggressively, sir.

Okay, I appreciate that, Mr.

Chair, and uh call any time.

Uh that meeting was was kind of a long time.

We've kind of been laying the groundwork on that for a while.

Uh so uh coming out of it a little uncertain about exactly where we're through no fault of our own.

Uh you know, we're not the only uh people involved in that meeting, or the only I don't want to say side, that seems adversarial, but I think you know what I mean.

Want to make sure we can advance that.

Uh that would be something I'd really like to have locked down before I leave, and that's hold your applause one year and two weeks from now.

So uh I just I'd love to get that done.

So uh anything we can do, I mean, today, tomorrow, please let me know.

Thank you, sir.

Will thank you.

I appreciate it.

Councilman, Councilwoman Gardado, do you have any questions about any of those items?

No, thank you so much.

Thank you, everyone.

Okay, all right.

Let me go back to Chief.

Thank you very much.

Appreciate that.

Let me go back to item number one, which was a consent item directing staff to develop an updated ordinance to return to the public safety and justice subcommittee at a later month for action.

And do I have a motion?

We have a motion to approve.

Do I have a second?

Second.

Motion and a second.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Chair votes aye.

Motion carries.

Thank you very much for that.

And at this point, the last item on the agenda today is a call to the public.

Do we have any additional registered speakers?

There are none.

And are there any requests from my colleagues on any future agenda items that have not already been discussed?

Hearing none.

That being the case, the time I have is 1050.

The meeting is adjourned.

Thank you very much for your time.