The Richmond Public Safety Standing Committee met on May 28, 2026, to receive public testimony on conditions at the Richmond City Justice Center, consider an ordinance to reroute 911 EMS calls to the Richmond Ambulance Authority, and hear presentations from the Fire and Police Chiefs on response times, traffic enforcement, and inter-agency collaboration.
Good afternoon. We will now call to order this meeting of the public safety standing committee. I will now begin by reading the announcements and the public speaker guidelines. Upon activation of the emergency alarm signal, all persons should immediately exit the building. Please use the exits to the left or right front of the council chamber or the north or south stairwell outside the rear doors of the chamber. Do not use elevators or escalators. At the exiting the building, security will direct everyone down 9th Street to the fenced area located between Clay and Lee Streets. Able persons should assist visually and hearing a pair of visitors with exiting the building. Persons wishing to speak during the public comment period and or public hearings are generally allowed three minutes to speak. Persons appearing before the committee are not allowed to campaign for public office, promote prior business ventures, use language or personal nature, which is also demeans any person, including commerce directed at public officials or staff members that are not related to their official duties or just to question staff members directly. All questions to be directed to the committee chair. Fair to adhere to the guidelines may result in speakers forfeiting any meeting time and further disciplinary action as necessary, which includes barring from attendance at future meetings of the committee for a period of six months. I will now move on to the approval of the minutes, the minutes to be approved or from the March 24th 2026 public safety standing committee. If there are no amendments or corrections, then those meeting minutes stand approved as presented. Those minutes have been approved. We would now open the floor for public comment. Is there anybody that would like to provide comment for things or items not on today's agenda? Please approach the podium and state your name for the record. Good afternoon. My name is Moni Guiatt. I'm speaking on behalf of inmates at the Richmond City Justice Center who have medical conditions and documented dietary requirements. I'm using my fiance's case as an example of systemic failures that need immediate policy intervention. At the Richmond City Justice Center, inmates and documented medical diagnosis are not receiving meals consistent with those diagnoses. Medical staff discontinued diagnosis without consultant treating providers. Inmates advocating for their own medical needs face retaliation, loss of commissary, solitary placement, intimidation. Facility staff failed to conduct required security checks and refuse necessary medical procedures like weight monitoring. This isn't individual staff failure. This is systemic. Between March and May 20 May of 2026, I documented a cardiac diagnosed inmate receiving non-compliant meals for months, despite providing medical documentation in person, medical staff refusing weight checks, a nerve stating that's making me work too hard when asked to conduct required medical protocols, staff staff failing required 15-minute security checks for over two hours, an inmate placed in solitary following medical advocacy, and most critically, that same inmate denied water for seven hours while in solitary confinement with a cardiac condition and blood pressure medication. He was transported to VCU Medical Center where physicians confirmed he was dehydrated and at a risk of kidney failure. This is not negligence. This is a medical emergency created inside this facility. A requirement that documented medical diets be strictly adhered to with weekly verification, a ban on retaliatory actions against inmates or families who advocate for the medical needs, mandatory hydration and medication monitoring protocols for inmates with cardiac conditions, monthly oversight reporting to this council. This protects all 400 plus inmates in that facility. Thank you. Ma'am. Excuse me. Ma'am. Have you spoken to the sheriff? Because she is here today. Yes, I have sent several letters. I believe I'm up to my fourth letter to the sheriff. I have yet to receive response even at the request and a response within 10 days. I mean, these are extremely extremely concerning. Cases that you're referencing, the subject that's very near and dear to my heart. And I know all of us care deeply about the safety, health, and welfare of our individuals that are incarcerated in Richmond City jail, particularly those that are medically complex or fragile for and mentally have co-quarimental disorders for which there are many. As to what maybe not now, that may not be appropriate, but here are some explanation or get a little bit more details as to what is going on here. I know that there's a long history that predates our current sheriff and that we well, long before I was on council that these types of really tragic circumstances and conditions existed. I think there is been a lot of progress made to resolve a lot of that and improve our systems, but would love to know what those have been and if there is an appropriate moment to bring forward the sheriff and have some of those concerns addressed. I I would like to get that information.