Good afternoon.

We've been now called to order this meeting of the public safety standing committee.

I will now begin by reading announcements and public speaker guidelines.

Upon activation of the emergency alarm signal, all persons should immediately exit the building.

Please use the exit to the left or right front of the council chamber or the north or west stairway or north or south stairwell outside of the rear doors of the chamber to not use elevators or escalators.

At the exiting the building, security would direct everyone down 9th Street to the fence area located between Clay and Lee Streets.

Able person citizens visually and hearing impaired 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 now allowed to campaign for public office, promote private business ventures, use language of a personal nature, which is also demeans any person, including comments about that public officials or staff members that are not related to their official duties, or just to question staff members directly.

All questions are to be directed to the committee chair.

They'd say here to the guidelines may result in speakers forfeiting any remaining time and further discipline action as necessary, which could include barring attempt from attendance at future means of the committee for a period of six months.

This includes the announcements.

We will now move on to the approval of the minutes.

The minutes to be approved are from the June 23rd, 2026 public safety standard committee meeting.

If there are no amendments of corrections, then those meeting minutes stand approved as presented.

Those minutes have been approved.

We will now move on to the public comment period.

Is there anyone that would like to address the committee regarding items not on today's agenda?

Please approach the podium and state your name for the record.

Keith Andes, President of Richmond Professional Firefighters Association.

Safety Committee Chair of Tramble, Honorable Member Abbacher.

My name is Keith Andes.

I'm honored as president of Richmond Professional Firefighters Association, IFF Local 995, to represent the most dedicated firefighters and DECPR 911 dispatchers in the public safety workforce.

Yesterday I reached out to three of our RFD fallen brothers' families to notify them of some additional benefits through the public safety officers program that they may be entitled to.

It is some of the most difficult calls that I make because we are basically saying to that fallen family who misses, aches, and grieves every day over their loved one.

Here's a check for their sacrifice.

We miss our three brothers, as we do all our 55 Richmond Fire Department fallen heroes.

May they never be forgotten.

As union president, it is my utmost responsibility to protect the health and safety of my members, a mission that is number one in my heart.

I hate when money plays a factor into decision making, especially when it alters the operational performance, proficiency, and ultimately jeopardizing my members' safety in an already dangerous and demanding profession.

Unfortunately, money plays a part into a lot of decisions, decisions, which brings me before you today.

On February the 28th, Chief Siegel invited local 995 to a meeting that included CAO Donald, Deputy CAO Wiggins.

Not having an agenda going in.

We learned through Chief Siegel's opening remarks that due to RFD's overtime budget overage.

He had been asked sometime prior to this meeting to formulate a plan that would offer cost-saving measures to meet the request.

This plan would entail cutting from the normal safe staffing level of 118 on a daily basis down to 115, which we feel is an unsafe level.

These three vacant positions would impact three different companies randomly selected on a when needed basis, which started out as a when needed basis now has turned into almost daily needed basis.

The affected companies that run with three represents a 25% drop off of company efficiency.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology and National Fire Protection Association highlights the mathematical and operational differences between being staffed at four-person crews versus three-person crews.

30 seconds.

Without getting too technical, this two in two out rule allows the first arriving company on a structure fire to enter with two firefighters while two remain outside.

May I the two outside crew members have additional functions that deal with water supply, a vitally important component to firefighting, but also at a second's notice are able to perform rapid intervention for the crew for the inside crew if and when needed.

The two uh outside crew members have additional functions that deal with water supply, a vitally important component to firefighting, but also at a second's notice are able to perform rapid intervention for the crew for the inside crew if and when needed.

There are enough risks that air members take on a structure fire under normal staffing uh conditions, reducing three companies down to three crew members or asking those companies to do more with less, which puts additional stress to their health and safety.

Working with a three-person crew is an unsafe practice for a city that presents many challenges.

Every minute, every set and every set of extra hands matters tremendously.

Chief Siegel is doing what is being asked of him.

He knows the importance of a four-member crew.

As I start stated earlier, money influences decisions that impact safety.

And that's a hard pill to ask my fire chief and my RFD sisters and brothers to swallow.

You may hear that surrounding jurisdictions run with three on a rig.

Some rural areas even run with two.

It's not for urban response models, and data shows why.

Just a downtown high-rise response puts stress on the overall fire deployment model and optimal response per the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Requires about 43 personnel to execute all of the critical tasks, such as evacuating occupants and extinguishing smoke removal as a small-scale fire of a small-scale fire with the continuing growth in Richmond, which we welcome.

More high rises will look to transition to affordable housing opportunities, putting more stress to our first responders.

When May the 28th, Chief Siegel gave a presentation to this committee titled Preparing a Safe Future for Richmond.

In this presentation, he laid out a vision that would adapt our department with the growth of our city and what the staffing model should look like to keep up with that growth.

I asked everyone to go back and look at this presentation.

It was well put together, well articulated, and quite frankly, makes their case.

And I know that he gets along with you know with you and all the members of the firefighters.

And I just don't understand how come we didn't know that this was happening, especially with the population that's growing in our city and all these apartment buildings, high-rise apartments, buildings, and all of that.

How do you how do you cut the firefighters or or your equipment or take somebody and when you have like you said four people to the fire truck, correct?

Is it two in the that's a normal staffing?

Yes.

Okay, and then I heard yesterday, I don't from somebody that's a firefighter thought there's two inside, two outside, but he couldn't explain it because I was in a council meeting.

Um, what is what is it two people on the fire truck and then two people?

No, four people arrive to a house fire.

And two people if we have a four-person crew, two of those go for extinguishment or life safety, and two remain outside.

One usually is a water supply and the other is pumping.

But if something should happen for that company inside that gets into trouble before any arriving other companies come there, they are there for safe and rescue and things of that nature as well.

I want to know more about this because I don't I don't remember seeing that this that this was happening and I and this is not acceptable.

And I know my colleague has got something to say too.

Um thank you, President Andes, and thank you for uh always for your advocacy of the men and women of RFD.

Um I I know that maybe this is probably a bigger topic that we could maybe um uh Chair Tramil, if you're amenable, we could um give Chief Siegel uh some time in the September public safety meeting to you know fully brief us.

I don't want to put them on the spot too much, but I mean I think as uh President Andy said, uh Chief Siegel having been a firefighter, having watched uh his leadership with the men and women of RFD.

give chief siegel uh some time um in the september public safety meeting to you know fully brief us i don't want to put him on the spot too much but i mean i think as uh president andy said uh chief siegel having been a firefighter having watched uh his leadership with the men and women of rfd um i know it is not his modus operandi to put anybody in harm's way and um i think this is the result unfortunately of systemic and historical underinvestment in richmond fire um which we are i think doing a great job of working our way out of it but we've got to you know just like just like public utilities we're we're behind the ball so we're we're this is it's hard when you're playing catch up like this and so I don't I don't envy his job at all at all um no and we're not here in bash right no and and and you know you've been nothing but just he I love him to death yeah um I think this is a this is on us and this is on the the administration um when I think about what government is here for I would say that the number one thing is to take care and protect people right and to serve directly the citizens of this city um and I can't think of something that's more direct and needed and and compulsory than fire and and police um and so if we are in tight budget times because we had an assessment freeze which I would I would argue that um everything is about prioritization prioritization we should be prioritizing direct services to our residents um so we I'm sure we will be I I know that my colleague um feels the same way and we'll be uh looking into this and um I want to give again Chief Siegel an opportunity to to prepare and come speak to that and then um I think we have to have some really hard conversations about what are we using our budget money for because it should it should nobody should be coming to fire for for cost savings.

I'm sorry there's there's a there's a efficiency yes cost savings because we're having a tight budget I could find you two million dollars tomorrow in the city's budget if you needed it and not only that I like to know what is happening now um because this is a public safety concern for all of our citizens in Richmond so if you only got three you're saying there's only three on the fire truck it's it's three companies riding with three so how do we fix it in the meantime with you know summertime is still here and I mean I don't that's that's a like I said I think it's pretty bad that this happened without our knowledge um and it should be I mean we don't meet again until September so it's kind of like is there anybody from the administration that can help us with this no do we have somebody no I know the chief is here but I'm just talking about you know you didn't do this chief this system fell on you which is a a shame and Keith I thank you for bringing this to us and I thank you for you know always being on top of it because the firefighters mean everything to you and the chief like it does to us and to the citizens but um I like to have maybe if you can get us some more information the chief can get us some more information maybe we can meet with you or something before September and see what how we can figure this out because we do not want something to happen where it's like where the chief gets blamed for it and it's not your fault.

Well we get blamed for it because we didn't take any legal we didn't take any action and we we now got firsthand of all this information.

Yep it's a way higher pay grade than me so uh I think if both for your time thank you for the uh uh extra time that was granted to me I greatly appreciate it please stay safe and madam clerk I think there might be somebody virtually that um is is trying to speak okay we didn't have anybody that signed up for the deadline to speak virtually up by a comment virtually thank you is there anyone else present in the chamber that would like to put provide comment to the committee good afternoon how y'all doing um my name is Ron Dale Johnson and um January the 18th I was homeless and my truck got repo three days at the my truck was repo I went to the touring company in Richmond to get my stuff back and they said I didn't they have my stuff and they say that the finance company Westlake Financial company has it.

And January the 18th, I was homeless, and my truck got repoled.

Three days after my truck was repo, I went to the touring company in Richmond to get my stuff back.

And they said I didn't they have my stuff.

And they say that the finance company, Westlake Financial Company, has it.

I called Westlake Financial Company, you know, asking about my stuff.

They said they don't they don't have it.

Um being homeless, I was in and out of hotels.

Most of my personal stuff was in my truck.

Um my mother, she died three years ago of COVID, and she was cremated.

I had her earn in my truck.

Also, I had a lot of stuff that you can't put a price on.

Um three weeks ago, I was driving and I had a blowout on my tires.

And the state police came to help me out, and when he asked me for my registration, I told him I don't have it.

When he checked my place, he said the place don't belong to your truck.

I said, I know.

I told, I said, officer, um, when I paid to get my truck back, that's when I got my disability money.

I was able to get my truck back.

All of my stuff is still missing.

Um, he would get ready to impound my truck and lock me up.

But I had a police report that I'd done at the hotel where my truck got repo at.

And that was the only thing that saved me from being locked up and getting my truck impound.

But in the process, I have numerous tickets that I have racked up for the simple fact of if I drive my truck anywhere to a doctor appointment, whatever, I'm taking the risk getting pulled over.

I had handicapped stand and a handicapped parking that's gone.

I have called people back and forth, back and forth to try to see.

Listen, my personal property, I'm trying to get back.

Um, what y'all took from me means a lot.

My mom, that's my that's my everything, my mother.

I went to DMV three times to try to get new plates to try to get my handicap sticker.

30 seconds.

They say it was nothing that they can do.

I can't even park my truck.

I have an apartment now, but I can't even park my truck in front of my apartment because I don't have proper decals, place, or anything.

I have to park it way down the street.

My truck just got broken into four days ago.

I'm going through a lot right here, but nobody wants to take, you know, consideration.

Like where can I go?

Where can I do?

What can I do to get some help?

I want to um I want to thank you for reaching out to me and for you know telling me what had happened.

My heart goes out to you, especially the when you're you told me that all your stuff was taken out, stolen, and your mom that was a part of you that's gone now.

Who was the towing company?

Who was the towing company?

It was Mark's Torrin.

Mark's touring was right on Mark Street.

And I I've been up there several times.

Like, please, listen, I'm not trying to press no charges on nobody.

Just let me get my stuff back.

They say they don't have it.

What was the truck towed from?

It was told from um Motel 6 on West Broad.

Um, it's like a studio uh hotel.

Is that in the city or Himaica?

No, it was in Henryco.

That's where I did a police report at in Rico.

And also when I did a police report, I I've been checking and checking what's going on.

They didn't even get an investigator on it.

They just pushed it aside like they don't care.

You know, and I understand that some people are more fortunate than me.

Um I don't have no income.

I don't have no parents that I can lean on for help.

I'm out here struggling by myself and my stuff is gone.

And I I need somebody that can help me.

Well, you have us now, and you live in my district, you live in Port City, and you have the chief, and I believe that the major Ronnie Armstead reached out to you.

Yes, I spoke with him certain time.

He was very helpful.

He was very helpful, but when I went to DMV, I spoke with their manager.

The manager says nothing they can do, and I'm suffering.

I'm suffering right now.

Um Luke, is there any anything you can help us with right now for him?

Did some advice or something?

Because it happened in Him Michael County.

Did you reach out to the police chief in Him Rico County, Chief English?

Did you reach out to him?

You know they keep passing the book.

They're not gonna let me talk to them.

I'm just a no bad to them, honestly.

Uh have a um wondering if we could get some uh somebody on staff to reach out to DCAO, Popovich, um and get some support services, um, at least to help navigate through all this.

Because in the DMV is a state thing, but I know that you know the human services arm should be able to to help you kind of walk through this.

I tell you what, um our chief is back there, and I know this happened in Him Michael County, but if you're still getting stopped in the city and you cannot park your truck at Port City because you don't have the right decals and you are disabled and you have to walk blocks away from there, and not only that, it's been broken into, as you told me.

Yes, and it this is unfair to you.

And I don't know how it happened with with the tolling company that towed towed it away, all your stuff disappeared because I didn't even know that could happen.

And my heart goes out to you.

That's why I called you and told you, come down here, because our police chief is always here.

We have resources in this city hall that will that should be able to help you.

Plus, our attorney is over here that maybe can give me some information that I can carry back to you or help you with it too with my colleague.

I'm so sorry this happened to you because this breaks my heart.

Thank you.

The chief will talk to you.

And I'll I'm gonna call you this afternoon after I get in touch with Amy, she's good, and with our attorney and with my colleague.

I promise you, we're not gonna let this go.

I promise you.

If I gotta call the chief in Hemichel County myself to find out, do you have any information you can leave with us while you write here?

Yes.

Um thank you, Nadia.

Yes, it could.

Thank you.

This is a police report with the oh police report.

Oh, no more.

Thank you.

I'll definitely I'll definitely call and I'll I'll speak to the police or police chief before I do this, okay?

And he's back there, and I know he'll and and like I said, I thank um Major Ronnie Armstead for reaching out to you because he told me that he would, and he said you are a very, very nice person.

He enjoyed speaking with you.

Okay.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

All right, God bless you, honey.

God bless you.

And I'll promise you I will call you.

Promise you.

Anyone else that would like to give comment to the committee?

Hello.

My name is Sharing Wen.

I am a fashion designer and a film director, but my most important job is being a mentor to young students and teens.

Whether I like it or not, I am responsible for them, and that's why I'm here today because responsible responsibility with the youth doesn't stop with the people directly around me or my family members.

So my main concern is the semi-annual crime stats.

In February 2026, ABC 8 News published an article saying that there were 300 missing children in the state of Virginia on national missing persons day.

The fact that we even have a national missing persons day should be a wake-up call.

Um, but here's my question.

How many of these cases are Richmond children?

There's no public annual missing report with aggregate aggregate statistics.

I think these actually need to happen quarterly, but I know that's a lot to ask for.

So I think we should start with semi-annually.

Um the Willingsburg Yorktown Daily reported that VSP said that nearly all missing children are investigated at a local level.

I want to see these numbers, and I think that the public wants to see these numbers too.

Um, I don't think we need to release minor information.

I know how investigations work and how sensitive that is, but I do think it would be helpful to break these sections, to break these reports into sections.

Runaways, custody disputes, abductions, etc.

Um when I was doing research on this, I actually found very litigal articles talking about the increase of missing children's reports.

I even had to use Google, and I'm very anti Google.

Um I actually found more articles with the police denying these speculations than the actual articles on the missing children themselves.

And I can't help but think that maybe there would be a little bit more concern if the majority of these missing children were product were not predominantly black.

Um and call me crazy, but I do feel like these missing children's case is related to the fact that Virginia is a sex trafficking hub.

You can't look at me and tell me that these two are not related when you know that they're from the same pipeline.

And I think that the public deserve a sex trafficking stats too.

I know it's difficult, I know it's not easy, but these are just reports that are known.

And I think there needs to be a way that we need to hold politicians and law enforcements accountable, and these they need to be trained, right?

So that 30 seconds, they can look out for these the signs of sex trafficking.

So I'm asking for three things today.

A semi-annual report of public missing children with with aggregate stats.

Uh, these stats should include breakdowns of runaways, cussing disputes, abductions, and et cetera, and sex trafficking data that hold both law enforcement and politicians accountable and protect survivors at the same time because public safety starts with our most vulnerable.

I want to thank you for bringing this to us because no one else has ever done this, and I appreciate this.

And if you can give me a call after six o'clock tonight, I would appreciate that.

I'm gonna give you give something right, my number.

Uh 804.

I think I have your number because I have sent you some angry time before.

Okay, but uh just in case I don't, what's your number?

It's 804.

Uh-huh.

Uh 240.

5050, 240 5050.

That's my personal sale.

Yeah, I have you saved.

Okay.

So um, you'll be hearing from me.

Thank you.

I really appreciate you bringing this to us because, like I said, there's some great questions.

And um, when I look at Richmond Highway and I look at uh Millothian and Broadrock, and I see some of these young girls out there that don't look over 15.

And I know the chief can testify to what I'm saying.

Yeah, they're out there doing what they have to do.

Yeah.

Um, it breaks my heart because some of them probably don't want to be out there, but they have no other resource to go to and don't know how to get help.

And some don't want help because I know our police chief has reached out to try to get some of them help, but you can't make them get help if they don't if they refuse.

Yeah.

And um, my therapist actually told me that, and I know she's not lying because this is her line of work where her therapy work is for survivors, and it's literally happening at our local schools.

And I couldn't find any reports on this.

It's literally happening at Godwin High School.

That's down the street from us.

Like our children are being raped and killed, and literally nobody gives a fuck.

We care.

We care.

I think we need to start here.

We care, and not only that, we appreciate you bringing to us, and I hope you'll come back to our next meeting in September, the fourth, Tuesday.

Okay, okay.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Doesn't appear that anyone else from the public would like to adjust the committee.

The public comment period is now closed.

We will now move on to boards and commission reports.

Good afternoon, Councilwoman Trammell, Ms.

Abba Bacher, Pamela Nichols, Council Management Analyst.

The uh vacancy report before you has vacancies with applications for the civilian review board and the community criminal justice board.

And starting with the civilian review board, we have one vacancy for a city resident who meets the criteria for appointment, and we have a reappointment application from Rafaela Sale and an initial application from Tasha Cox and Ryan McGuinness.

We have been talking to Mr.

Lowry, and he supports the reappointment of Mr.

Sale.

And then also just want to note that there are two mayor vacancies for CRB, and we have been working, Mr.

Lowry and I have been working with the mayor's office to get those vacancies filled.

And then moving to the community criminal justice board.

There's a vacancy for an at-large member, and we have a reappointment application from Helen McDonald, and then an initial application from Samuel Batchman and Diane O'Lunick.

We did not receive any opposition for the reappointment of Ms.

McDonnell.

So and then on to Nicholas Oson, the local educator.

We did not receive any objection for him being considered for that position as well.

So it's the recommendation for Miss McMcDonnell and Mr.

Olson.

And the reappointment of Mr.

Sell.

Thank you.

Um we have a public hearing.

Do we have a public hearing on this?

Just a motion, no ma'am.

Just the motion and a second.

I move to approve these appointments.

Second.

The committee is voting on the motion to forward his actions for the boards of commissions as stated to counsel.

Ms.

Abu Backer.

Aye.

Chair Trammel.

Aye.

That motion has been approved.

Thank you.

Thank you.

You will now have a presentation from RPD semi-annual crime statistics update.

Good afternoon.

I'm Rick Edwards, the chief of police for the city of Richmond.

Today we'll start with an update and answering some of the questions that have previously been requested by by members of council.

So at our mid year point, we have some good news to report regarding violent crime in our city.

Down 33% in homicide, 26% down in non-fatal shootings, 55% reduction in commercial robberies, 28% reduction in robbery individuals, rapes are down 25%.

Aggravated assaults are down 6%.

And as you can see, we have a hundred percent increase in aggravated assault domestics.

But the majority of this is related to an uh reporting change.

56% of all those felony aggravated assaults involve some sort of strangulation, which previously, if it didn't lead to uh loss of consciousness, it was a simple assault.

Now any grabbing of the throat by a domestic partner is now considered aggravated.

So it's a it's a reporting change.

We're happy to do that.

Uh we believe that uh that that is an indicator of future and escalatory violence, so we want to take those cases very seriously.

Um, with an overall reduction of 4% in the mid-year.

So pleased with those numbers, and if we were on track with the aggravated assault, we would have seen double digit digit reductions.

Property crime is somewhat more mixed.

Arsons down 27%, burglary residential 14% reduction, burglary commercial down 2%.

But if you remember when I previously spoke about that, we're seeing a sharp increase.

Much of that is driven by the vape shop burglaries that we're commercial burglaries.

We were seeing, we've addressed that pretty effectively.

Uh, we are seeing an increase in burglary outbuildings of 83%.

While we still encourage the community to lock their sheds, uh this is more in line with previous years.

Last year was a was a real outlier low for that.

This is more in line with the other uh situations, but we are still recommending folks lock their their uh their sheds as well as have uh lighting present.

Theft of buildings up 5%, theft for motor vehicle down seven percent, theft of motor vehicle parts down eight percent, all the larcenies four percent reduction, motor vehicle thefts down sixteen percent, theft of mopeds or other vehicles up 13 percent, but again, that's a very small number, 18 to 16.

Where we're continuing to struggle, and I spoke about this at the press conference is shoplifting up 22 percent.

It is now by far the largest crime in Richmond.

There are 1,217 shoplifting cases year to uh mid year.

That's up from 997 in uh last year at the same time.

So that is something we're working very diligently on.

The majority of those continue to be at ABC stores, but we are seeing drug stores being targeted as well.

We've made several arrests every time we make a referral to the Richmond Commonwealth Attorney's Office when we make those arrests to ensure that people are held accountable.

Those stores, particularly on Richmond Highway on Chamberlain, are needed in our community.

So we work very closely with the management to ensure they are calling our detectives directly when they see these prolific shoplifters before they steal the first thing.

They call them directly and we start there.

We're banning them once we charge them.

So if they come back on the property, they can be arrested for trespassing, even if they don't steal anything.

But it is it does continue to be an incredible challenge for us.

As you know, the law changed in 2021.

It used to be your third offense, regardless of cost was a felony.

Now there is no limit.

You can steal and steal and steal and steal, and you will be charged with a misdemeanor each time.

So I was also asked to discuss our clearance rates.

So year to date in 2026, that can be a bit misleading because we still are having uh some of those cases are active, but the murder case, the murder clearance rate from last year was 81%.

As you can see, that's well above the national average of 61%.

I was asked to comment on that previously.

Uh the Richmond Times Dispatch did a recent article on this topic.

Uh, there's nothing more concerning to us than speaking for the dead and speaking for those families that have suffered the ultimate loss.

So we take those cases very seriously, and we have seen an increase in the last several years.

I attribute that to the great work of our patrol officers and our detectives, but certainly the investment in technology we've made is paying real dividends when it comes to specifically this uh most important of crimes.

Uh, particularly uh we can not only see the clearance rate improving.

So last year, mid year we were at, or we finished the year with 23 murders in the big six and RHA communities, 21 of those cases were solved.

That's because we've invested heavily along with RRHA and technology there.

This year, mid year we had 15 murders in the big six.

This year we've had three.

So not only are we clearing more cases, but we're seeing less gun violence.

Our aggravated assaults have a 54% clearance rate, that's above the national average.

Robbery in all categories, 39% clearance rate, that's above the national average.

Arson, 55%, that's above the national average of 28%.

Burglary, 25%, that's above the 15% national average.

Overall larceny, which includes shoplifting, theft from buildings, and all other larcenies.

Um our clearance rate last year was 8%.

That's a seven, that's below the only thing we're below in, which is 17% the national average.

Those are very difficult cases often to solve.

Um, but but we're trying to work very diligently on that, as I mentioned.

And motor vehicle thefts.

Our average last year was 12%.

The national average is 9%.

The benefit of that too is the the LPR we are using to not only find and recover those stolen vehicles, but to catch people actively driving them.

It's a great tool for us, and that's why we're seeing an increase in that motor vehicle theft clearance rate.

We are funded this year for 650, and today we sit at, well, that's different.

So it was 602.

We just uh hired five officers yesterday that started with us, so that's I guess 607 right now.

That's a fluctuating number.

And the vacancy remains about 20 percent.

Our civilian uh authorized strength is 124.

We're funded for 124, and we're sitting at 112 right now, so about 10% reduction.

Um, and as you know, as I've discussed previously, many of the things I've had to do since taking into this position when my predecessor Gerald Smith started in 2020, we had 740 sworn officers.

Two and a half years later, when I took over, we had 603.

And we're sitting at this right now.

So we've made a lot of strives in a lot of uh areas.

That's one place we continue to struggle.

But as I always say, we're playing money ball in the Richmond Police Department.

We're looking to be smarter and leaner and to use technology, and also to civilianize positions.

If I open a position in the real-time crime center, we have hundreds of applications for those positions, and we can we have the pick of the litter with that.

With our officers, we're still struggling.

Although out of the five people we just hired yesterday, three of those we we do a lot of things to attract talent to hire new officers.

But those three people came to RPD because they were recommended by another member of our department, and we're paying those officers $500 when they get hired, and then another $500 when they graduate the academy because our officers know who would make a great Richmond police officer, and we continue to encourage them to recruit.

Nothing is more important.

I talk all the time about technology.

I talk all the time about crime fighting, but nothing is more important to us than rebuilding our our staffing.

And again, here's some of our recruiting efforts.

So the RPE officer makes 60 almost 66,000 to start off.

We'll pay you while you're in training for over 63,000.

We have competitive pay with the region for the first time in several years.

And we offer a policing environment that's unlike any other police department in the Commonwealth.

Big city policing in a smaller city.

And to the right type of person, it's it's really attractive.

And then that doesn't even encapsulate the compensation that can be significantly higher with pay premiums, such as night shift or specialized units, and certainly overtime.

So we have many officers that make significantly more than that starting salary.

So we the last walk, Miss Trammell, you attended that on July 15th.

And we will have a pop-up today at Randolph Neighborhood, assuming the weather holds out.

That's an event where people from the community come out, meet our officers, see the drones, see the horses.

We get to engage with our community when there's not crime scene tape up, which which is, as you know, really important for us.

And of course, we are still taking locations for national night out.

We currently have 34 events planned.

That's August 4th.

People can still come to our website and register their locations, and we will be happy to stop by and have an officer come by and speak to the community.

One thing I did also talk about was our increase we're seeing significant increase in accidental shootings.

So 619 gun safes have been distributed.

You can call this number if you're a city resident.

We'll do an assessment and show you how to use this safe.

It's keeping people safe, we believe, and it's worth the money, time, and resources we believe.

This trammel, we had a killing in your district and in the um in Woodland Crossing.

That turned out to be a person playing with a firearm right after I gave this speech, talked about the gun safety rules.

A person was playing with a gun and shot his friend in the and killed him.

Um totally preventable.

And we're seeing too much of that, where people are misusing firearms, not storing them safely, and those guns end up in the hands of people that should not have them.

We're trying to do our part to stop that.

I believe that's that's all I have, but certainly I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thanks, Chief.

Um, in terms of like the the thefts from outbuildings, what I mean, do you have any hypothesis as to what it was last year that had them the significant decrease?

No, there weren't significant arrests.

Um, we've always encouraged our officers on patrol to go through the alleys and look for people hanging out in certain alleys.

Um, but that is something we've traditionally been at this level.

So I don't know what drove it down last year specifically, though.

Okay.

And then a perennial issue, you know, is thefts from vehicles, but specifically what always terrifies me, and I at least put it into my newsletter once a year, is thefts of firearms from vehicles.

Um, are you seeing any sort of changes in the statistics around that?

They're continuing to drive down.

Now, part of that I think is our obviously we had the mass shooting in Chaka Bottom this year in February.

Since then, we've been putting resources in Shaka Bottom, significant resources every Friday and Saturday night.

And that was a number one spot for motor vehicle thefts or theft from motor vehicles where firearms were taken.

And for the first time in years, it's not shock of bottom, it's not shackled slip, it is the fan where we're seeing firearms stolen out of cars.

The one also Scott's edition is is number two.

But what what we're seeing is the the trend is people who have firearms that they carry, they cannot get into a club and they leave them unlocking the car.

And certainly thieves are aware of that.

And that is the ultimate prize for any thief.

It's not money, it's not even drugs, it is getting firearms out of out of uh out of cars because then they become untraceable to the criminal.

They can carry them, and if they use that crime, it doesn't link if they use it in a crime, it doesn't link back to their name.

So it's highly desirable.

But we are seeing an overall reduction, which is positive news.

So people they can keep them in their trunks.

Yeah.

Um, just lastly, just uh uh request.

Last year on your national night out, I just checked the website.

Um you had a listing of all the locations.

Can you do that again this year?

Um or just let the council members know so that we can.

I know that there's some neighborhood associations and non-neighborhood associations that are interested in doing it, but I just want to make sure that they actually officially signed up so that they get the resources.

Yes, ma'am.

We'll we'll we'll update our website and send you a link.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chief.

Yes, ma'am.

Chief, I want to thank you for this report and also for clearing up the um so many people in Woodland Cross and said it was a homicide, and you just cleared it up the exactly what it happened.

Also, um I appreciate you know all that you do and your officers that what they do.

Um, the population is growing every single day.

I see it in my district.

Um, 13 developers building right now, and I'm not talking about single family homes.

I'm talking about apartments, apartments, apartments.

And we know most of them are 200 plus.

So that puts a strain on our police officers and also on the firefighters, um, 911, also Richmond Emily, that they have to go out there and help when there's a shooting or a crime's been committed, or just someone that wants to take a ride to the hospital.

Um you know that I've asked and asked over, I think it was in 2012.

There was a um a manager at the family dollar store that was shot in the head, he was killed for no reason, he had no money, nicest guy two blocks from my house.

He'd give you the shirt off his back if he could.

That case has not been solved.

Jimmy, the guy on the on the lawnmower that used to cut my grass.

He was also shot, not but two blocks from my house, not been solved.

Also, the young Hispanic um young man that was killed right there on Castlewood.

You've been with his father, our officer's been with the father talking to him, trying to find closure, find out what happened, why?

If we only had more technology at the time, lock cameras or whatever it took, maybe those, and that's what they tell me.

Maybe it would have been solved.

How come it didn't happen then?

I said we didn't have a chief that looked into it like we do now.

And I said, especially when he's asking where he knows that every tool that he has that can help solve crimes, he's for it, not to invade anybody's privacy or whatever.

I mean, my God, you go in a grocery store, you're right there on camera.

You come in here in this council chambers.

Are we on camera, Candace?

Do we have cameras up in here?

We have cameras.

So guess what?

If you're doing something wrong, don't come in this council chambers because it goes everywhere.

I think about two, three thousand people look at us with all those calls I was getting last night.

Anywhere you go, every neighborhood that I go in, ring camera, ring camera, and it before I even get up the step.

What are you doing?

Who are you?

I'm Reva.

What do you want?

I want to talk to you.

But to me, whatever I can do, and and I know my colleague Sarah's with you too, because you know, we want to see the numbers go down.

Yes, ma'am.

We want to see our city where people were talking about how great our city is as far as not with the taxes.

We know we understand that fully, but with crime and other things.

That it's you know, it's a good place to come to live, have a family, our schools, all of that.

So I just want to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

And also to the speaker that spoke about something that I'd never even really paid attention to that young kids, because I just got a text from someone that wants to get involved to help her, and I will speak to her after the meeting.

But again, whatever I can do and whatever Sarah can do, we're here to help you and to support you.

Ms.

Trammell, I obviously I was at uh council last night.

I heard speakers talking about our LPR.

Uh, there's a lot of good people who have significant uh and legitimate concerns about this technology, but I think something that that often gets missed is the cost-benefit analysis that we do as a police department when we when we invest in this type of technology.

And I've given examples up here before.

I've given we every time we're committed when we use that technology, we put it in our press release so the community's aware of it.

But the example just 11 days ago, we had an individual in our city.

This was a Saturday night, two in the morning.

I get woken up about the first stabbing.

The second stabbing at 6 a.m.

myself and deputy chief collier are on Carey Street with a dead person who was just sleeping, a homeless individual.

Both these individuals were homeless and were targeted and stabbed.

Right away, we knew we had a significant problem.

I called Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Popovich for homeless services.

We were going to go to all of the homeless uh shelters and all the homeless encampments to make sure that they were safe and that they were going to have a place to go tonight because with this technology we identified a vehicle of interest and a person of interest.

And once we identified that person, we know where that he was wanted.

I called in the U.S.

Marshals Task Force.

I called in our street crimes unit.

We were not going to arrest until that person was caught.

And if the technology enabled us to find his vehicle in your district.

Yeah.

We found him there, and he almost killed a Virginia State trooper when we tried to put him in custody.

But I met with that trooper at the hospital, and he was glad it was him and not one of our community members.

So I know there are concerns about this, but I can just promise you, as a chief of police and as a former homicide detective myself, that case does not get solved that quickly without the technology.

We had a blur, like a little video of a car leaving that you couldn't.

We weren't even going to show it to the media because it wouldn't have helped us.

But then it made the mistake of going past a flock camera and we knew the tag.

Then we had high resolution photos of that vehicle.

Before this person uh was stopped by the Marshall's task force.

I was set to do a press conference.

I was that worried about it.

We're gonna put his picture out there, we're gonna show this vehicle, we're gonna tell the community to be aware.

We were calling people in to safeguard the homeless community.

Um so I just know that case wouldn't have been solved as quickly, and there are cities around the country, whether it's Austin, Texas, who had a flock contract and canceled it, and then had a series of shootings they couldn't solve, or even Seattle this weekend.

There was a mass shooting.

They didn't have the technology they needed to catch all those people.

So I'm willing to meet with anyone.

I'm willing to talk with anyone to ensure that we're doing the right things with this technology, but it is a critical part of the infrastructure for keeping a city like Richmond safe.

Well, Chief, I'll tell you this that when that happened Saturday, just before the horrible storm, this the couple was sitting on the porch, their seniors, when all this happened, and it we hadn't if you hadn't got that person with the cameras, whatever, no telling what he would have done to that couple and their son lives next door because all this happened right there in front of they had just went in the house because they saw the storm coming up, and she said, I better cook my supper before it gets worse, and then all this happened.

And they those neighbors were calling me, telling me how thankful they were after they heard exactly what had happened, and they were like, Thank God, because it could have been one of us because we're outside, it could have been one of you know, any anybody.

That's that's one case, but I encourage people, I encourage the media to sit through that trial uh that is going to be upcoming for that case, and you will see step by step how we got from point A to point B.

And to me, uh if if you're against this technology, you should at least see the other side of it.

And then it's and and then you'll understand it from the perspective of public safety.

I know there's a there's a theoretical concern of uh privacy, and certainly I'm uh I consider that, but there is a tangible benefit to the life and safety of some of our most vulnerable members of our community.

Well, I'll tell you this, Chief.

One of the ones, the homeless person that was stabbed, I think on Broad Street, this family member lives in my district, and they called me and wanted me to thank you and your officers for catching the person so quickly.

And their loved one is still critical, but improving.

Well, to be clear, both of those individuals were not bothering anyone, they were cutting.

I did, I guess they were just sleeping, just you know, one was in a parking deck and one was laying on the bench.

Yes, ma'am.

But she thank you.

And um, if you can maybe in September give us an update or something on some cold cases, because I know that um myself and I still I'm still in touch with those family members, and I tell them all the time, I don't know.

I still carry his picture with his wife in my pocketbook right here since 2012.

The wife came to our meeting at the satellite crying and begging us please find information that killed my husband.

Well, everyone deserves that.

Everybody deserves it.

And if and anybody that's against this technology, if I pray it never happens to you or any your loved ones, and then you have to wait years like since 2012, and that's other cases too that has not been solved, not just since 2012, but they're the ones that I know that was only two blocks.

There's probably more from my there's only two blocks of my house, especially some of the pros uh some of the ladies of the night that had been raped or or strangled to death right there on Richmond Highway back in the day, it was Jefferson Davis.

Yes, ma'am.

Thank you, Chief.

Thank you.

Afternoon, I'm sorry.

My name's Colette Nikitchin.

I'm the Commonwealth's attorney for the City of Richmond.

Um with me is my colleague, Rupa Murphy, who is the CEO of the YWCA Richmond.

I will also probably at some point with your permission counselors be asking Chief Richards, Chief Richards, Chief Edwards to join us to help answer any questions and express his support for a City of Richmond Family Justice Center.

I'll begin by saying that I know council, especially my council person, Ms.

Abu Baker and Ms.

Trammel have expressed their support for the creation of a family justice center in the city of Richmond.

And we have seen the same report, same support from Mayor Abula, CAO Donald, and a number of other local and private community stakeholders.

So we wanted to come before council to give you an update on our ongoing drive to see a family justice center created in the city of Richmond.

There should be an addition to the YWCA.

There's also a separate one.

All right, you want to start with this?

Okay.

Okay.

So I won't take you through the whole uh the whole presentation, but I did want you to have this information.

It's important around how we got here.

The YWCA has been in our community for over 137 years, and this is the work that we do.

The work around domestic violence has been in partnership.

I have extras, yeah.

Um, in partnership with uh, like our Commonwealth attorney said, in partnership with our city, with our Commonwealth Attorney's Office, with our police department.

Um, and we could not do this work without uh many, many partners in our community, including Safe Harbor, who does incredible work in sex trafficking.

The work that we do for our domestic violence survivors is outlined here.

Um, and I just want to point you to the hotline number 804 612-6126.

Uh, that hotline number is a 24-7 regional hotline for anyone who's experiencing domestic or sexual violence uh and needs support today.

Uh, we also have a myriad of other other supports.

And what I can tell you is it's not enough.

You can see these numbers continue to grow.

Um, we are working very hard, our case management team to ensure that there's safety planning available.

So emergency shelter um numbers are going down, but that is also uh an indicator that we need to collaborate more with our police department, um, especially as they go out and see domestic violence cases and they um you know at all times of the day.

You've seen those numbers today from Chief Edwards.

I also want to indicate that we are in our court system today.

Um, you can see that those numbers are staggering, and we need help to serve survivors.

We have bilingual uh court advocates that continue to do this work and sit in our court systems, and it's not enough.

What I can tell you is the multi-uh, the family justice center is a uh multi-agency uh and multidiscipline approach.

There's a hundred and thirty-seven of them across the community.

And so you can see here that our survivors have been part of the planning process.

Just some words that they have shared.

Uh they continue to uh come together and have their voice uh uplifted as we continue to build what we know will be transformational for survivors in our city.

Um I'm not again gonna read all of this to you, but I hope you'll take the time to read it.

Um, and I want to thank many, many folks who have been part of that planning process.

We started a long time ago, and I'll tell you, we have been throughout the country uh to see family justice centers.

The numbers are staggering.

Homicide does drop.

Uh the collaboration that happens with uh not just the folks up here, but also other safety net providers from um you know our our uh continuum of care to other domestic violence agencies to folks like real life who are doing incredible work in our courts in our uh in our prison systems.

We have got to come together in one way to be able to serve a survivor and their children in one location and really be able to break down those barriers.

So again, we're our work continues.

We do need support to make that happen.

The work that we see will ensure efficiency and collaboration.

It will reduce the fear and anxiety of survivors.

This is work that has been funded from the Department of Justice, the Office of Violence Against Women.

There is an alliance that is will accredit the organization here in Richmond to ensure sustainability beyond one person, one agency, one group doing this work.

This is something that will bring Richmond a whole new perspective on how we can serve folks today.

Again, a lot of information about how you're going to break down barriers by bringing this model together.

And the reality is we do need funding to make that happen.

So I'm gonna turn over the mic and thank you very much for letting me present.

But I stand here, you know.

If you have any questions at the end, know that I'm I'm here to do whatever I can to move this forward.

Can you put up the other?

Uh thank you, the other first presentation.

You've got the same one.

Yeah.

So it's crucial that the Commonwealth Attorney's Office and the Y and the Richmond Police Department stand before you as the three legs of this stool.

And the point of our collaboration is to show how important each of us realize the investigation, the prosecution, and the support and resources all come together to support any victim of domestic violence, male or female or trans or non-gendered.

So, what is a family justice center?

You all have heard me say it is a one-stop shop where a victim of domestic violence or sexual partner violence or family abuse can go and get all of their needs taken care of.

And the example you have heard me use is that a usually woman with children does not have to go to MCV to get her injuries taken care of, and then go to the magistrate's office to get a protective order, and then go to Richmond Public Schools to let each individual school know that her child and she are homeless because they have fled an abusive situation, and then go to the police department to talk with an investigating officer, and then figure out how they're going to get housing or transportation.

Instead of the woman having to make all of those steps, she can come to a place that the city of Richmond has provided for her and her family.

And that one stop shop would provide all of those resources.

There we go.

So looking at that one red arrow on violent crime, aggravated assaults and domestics have gone up 100% this year.

Richmond needs and deserves a family justice center.

And I want the citizens of Richmond to know that police officers, um, if they encounter domestic violence at a home will take out a charge regardless of whether or not it occurred in their presence.

And that is not the case with most misdemeanors.

Generally, they have to occur in the police officer's presence for the officer to take out the charge, not with domestic violence.

Suffocation charges filed in the city of Richmond.

Uh the uh 2024 is at about 80, and 2025 is approaching 140.

We are halfway through 2026, and we already have, as I've said, almost 140 charges filed.

Here is a chart that shows all of the agencies at the top that are willing to be involved and would be involved with the Family Justice Center.

This first chart talks about the needs of the survivor, and so agencies like RUPAS, the YWCA, Victim Witness, the police, hospitals, Richmond Ambulance Authority, Department of Justice Services, all of these agencies would be involved in the creation and support of individuals who came to the Family Justice Center.

And then once those needs of stabilization and protection were taken care of, they can remain at the Family Justice Center because it's a one-stop shop, and their investigatory needs can be taken care of.

Their prosecution needs can be taken care of.

And so Richmond once again needs and deserves a family justice center.

Oh, okay.

Did you have anything?

Just that it's it's incredibly important for us to do this.

What happens right now is the police are mandatory uh we we mandate arrests.

So what happens if there's not support is oftentimes the survivor comes to court and doesn't want to cooperate because of the other needs that aren't being met.

So if we can take those needs off the table, we can truly hold the abuser accountable.

I'm gonna see if I can get the slide deck to um advanced, but until we do on the back page of the YW presentation, there we go.

Um you can see the uh request that we need for to build a family justice center.

I will also say the YW is committed to bringing in philanthropic support, bringing in outside grants from our state and and federal government.

We do that today.

That's how we solve these issues.

It has to be in conjunction with all of us putting in the dollars to be able to serve survivors.

And then finally, because I think it's always helpful to have an actual uh example of a case that would be perfect for the Richmond Family Justice Center to use.

This is an event that occurred in the city of Richmond in January on Keswick Avenue.

Units responded to the magistrate's office to assist a victim in swearing out warrants.

The female victim advised that on a date in January, around two in the morning, she was assaulted and strangled by her ex-boyfriend.

She advised that during an argument he got physical by throwing her around the house and choking her.

She had visible marks on her neck and an injury to her leg.

She was transported to MCV to be seen by a forensic nurse.

Warrants and a protective order were obtained.

Officers went to the address on Keswick Avenue to attempt to locate the offender.

The offender originally would not come to the door.

Units set up a perimeter.

After about 30 minutes, the offender finally came to the door.

After being taken into custody, he admitted to having a firearm in the house, but said that it wasn't his.

Thank you, all of you.

I think it is telling that the three of you know are standing up here today and advocating and singing from the same sheet of music.

I'm sure that is half the battle is coordination amongst uh so many uh partners and agencies.

Um I obviously um have talked to um CA McKeachin before about this and and support the the idea of a family justice center.

Um, and I I wish I could go to the field trip tomorrow um to see it.

Um two million dollars.

I guess I'm just trying to figure out is that annual operating budget, is that for the startup costs?

Does that fluctuate based on sort of what the physical space is?

It is startup cost, and and we will continue to fund, for instance, intake through our hotline or making sure that there's resident services there that we're not asking the city to support.

So there's um there's startup cost, and then there's also ongoing costs baked in because we've got to get started.

But we all know this is gonna be a lot of work up front to get us started.

And so what we've done is put together a budget that is very thoughtful and also allows us to bring our own resources that we already have budgeted to be able to serve survivors to the table as well.

So this is two million dollars extra that we will we will need to get started.

That's right.

And then I think it would be helpful just the way that my brain works is in five-year cycle.

So, like if there was sort of a it doesn't have to be five years, but three year sort of projection.

Again, it can be very rough numbers.

I think that would be helpful just to have um as we go into budget season, and as you, you know, as you all start advocating in earnest again for this.

I know that this was something that came up last year.

Um, I would also encourage you, um, you know, it's always easier if it's in the budget when the budget is presented.

So, you know, as you know, we uh the council had the the most money we've ever spent, you know, gotten to move around in a budget season was this year, and it was around four million dollars.

So, you know, if if this were one of the priorities, that would take up half of all that council got to play with.

Um so just I think it's important to always kind of sit in that context of by the time it gets to us, you know, it's it's baked.

Um I'm hoping that changes, but I I think that you know, a multi-pronged advocacy approach is important.

Um and then I I did have questions.

Uh, you know, I I thought it would it's just interesting that um the young woman came to speak today um about sex trafficking and abductions, because as I I know many abductions are the result of either sort of domestic disputes, domestic violence.

Um, and so if there is any sort of information or ties you have that you can share with her with us so that we can kind of I think pull that circle together, that would be helpful.

Um, but that's those are my only thoughts at this juncture.

Thank you.

Thank you, Sarah.

Um, I had some questions, but you've already answered them.

So I just um is there a hotline?

Will there be a hotline?

Will be a hotline.

Yes, the hotline is 804-612, 6126.

It's 24-7.

People can call today and we will get them services.

Coordinating those services is the work that we want to do in earnest to create one-stop shop for survivors in our community.

But the hotline is working today, people can call it today.

And um, is there a location that y'all are looking at per se?

We are we are trying to kick the tires on a location that is close to the courthouse, close to our offices.

Um, we're hoping uh that we can look at the RTD building.

We have not begun those discussions because DSS is also located that there, and so being able to co-locate with services that folks need is really important.

I think there are some other locations that might work as well.

We want to continue that cons conversation with our city.

I just want to say that I know that we just brought up about $2 million.

Um that $2 million is nothing considering you three working together.

And what in this one shop, I mean, Colette, I loved everything that you said about you know, bringing, I mean, I know that happened in my district.

I mean, Colette, I loved everything that you said about, you know, bringing, I mean, I know that happened in my district.

I know it did.

I heard about it.

But you know, whatever, you know, you're working with the police department, that that helps them, you know, not be tied up for hours with the with the case or the situation when you all can step in and you know, help the person, male or female, children, whatever, and then all the things that y'all are going to do to let the schools be notified, you know, because a lot of times the schools do not know why that child or those children are not in school.

They do not know what happened the night before with the with the parent or the parents per se.

And this right here, this, I mean, that's why when you brought it to our eighth district meeting, I said we're in support, and everybody said, Yeah, when are you gonna have it?

When I'm sorry I can't be on the trip tomorrow, but I know you're you and I are gonna meet and we're gonna have a conversation about this.

And chief, I want to thank you for supporting them because a lot of times I've seen in the past with chiefs are like, no, that's your area, this is my area, we're not doing this.

And here you are bringing everything, all this together.

And this is, I mean, we can find the two million dollars.

And I know you'll be out there trying to raise some money and trying to, you know, you won't have a hard time selling those.

What you just did to us this um presentation, it'll sell by itself.

But thank you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Counselor Q.

Um, we do have a discussion item for calls for fire and police services that the committee has requested.

I did have um, there was someone that wanted to speak and could not get through, and his name was Bill Pantley.

I don't know if he's still on, but I know that he was the deadline um passed.

Um, just by comment virtually, we received no um word of Mr.

Paneley wanted to speak to the committee.

He's not answering.

I I can't just we'll move on.

We move on.

Good afternoon.

I'm Tori May, Deputy Director of Operations for Emergency Communications Preparedness and Response.

Uh the data that was provided to council was in regards to uh some quality assurance scores for our uh emergency police and fire dispatch calls that we take.

Uh DCPR contracts directly with our priority dispatch to provide independent case reviews for our quality assurance program.

Uh the data provided to the committee last week reflects the DC DCPR continues to trend in a positive direction.

Uh, it outlines different percentages for categories that's uh graded from priority dispatch.

Uh it's evidence again that the program that we are partaking in currently is effective.

Uh as you'll see in some of the data provided, there are percentages that are shared that show uh non-compliance in certain areas, kind of what that addresses is the process that priority dispatch uses to uh critique calls.

Uh when we have those calls, the employee receives an incident report of anything that's non-compliant, and they're met with uh they're supervised and provided coaching and feedback on those cases.

Uh, we'd be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding the data.

I've looked at this report, and I will tell you right now, I do not fully understand this report.

If I can find with all this stuff right here.

Um I'm just not I'm not I'm not happy with it at all.

So the key sections to follow the the top boxes is show how compliance the numbers just do not add up right.

I mean, it was it's confusing.

Um I have the questions right here.

I think we're gonna pause on those that data until the next next public safety meeting.

So we'd be happy to come back in September to provide a lot of things.

Yeah, yeah, I think that's uh that's the move.

Uh we we did have a few questions around like general calls and services.

And so um, I know one of the things that has recently come up is is sort of AI's role and and call taking.

So I I would love to just sort of know how DEC is using um AI, you know, what the rate um of AI is in those 911 calls, and you know what sort of like measures of assurance are being put into place so that the public knows that they they're when they're when they're calling for an emergency, they they get a live person.

We'd be pre uh happy to provide that date in September.

Uh just a general overview of that it's only for our non-emergency calls, it's not for emergency calls at this time.

Right, and I have questions right here that I do not understand this because I do not read these charts, and would have been nice if um somebody would have reached out to me and went over it some of this because like I said, when I look at it, it doesn't make doesn't make any sense.

I have my notes right here, and I'm not happy with this at all.

And I appreciate my colleague bringing up that AI because that's what I'm hearing that when you call there, you're getting the eight, you're getting you're not getting a live a live dispatcher that answers the phone, especially when they're like say there's a shooting or there's a car accident and multiple people are calling in.

If you can help me with that, Jackie, I would appreciate that.

And I will be calling you so that you can go over this with me.

Thank you.

Yeah, Jackie Krause, deputy director for the technology division.

Uh yeah, Miss Tremble.

Um reach out to me directly if you want, and we could talk about it.

But just for not for the eight, sorry, the AI is for non-emergency only.

None of the 911 is the one AI.

So Jackie, when someone calls from a cell phone, because I know the chief's not here.

I had an incident that happened in my district uh maybe three or four weeks ago um on the street that I never ever get any calls off of Dorset.

And the the husband was outside at night at midnight with the person that trespassed in his yard with the gun on him.

The wife was in the house calling 911 from her cell phone.

And the next day I was calling the chief because they hung up on her.

And then they she called back, and then she didn't get somebody, and then she called back again.

And I think the chief, when I gave him the number, I had given him the husband's number.

Y'all had no record of it.

Then I called the the husband and wife back, and he said, No, you gave them, she wasn't calling from my number, she was calling from her cell.

So then the chief got her sale and called, and then they I think they realized something happened.

Yeah, if you could get to our you give me all the information, we will investigate that particular.

I don't know who I know that the chief, this all happened on a Saturday night.

I got contacted Sunday morning.

The chief was on on it all afternoon that's Sunday, and then he said, Yeah, something happened, but he's not here, and I don't want to speak for him to tell exactly because he you'd have to.

I'd have rather for him to tell you what exactly the chief is here now.

Chief, can you help me with this, please?

Over the nine over the 911 call that was given from the the husband and wife in my district on that Sunday.

Sorry, I was in the hallway.

I'm sorry, Chief.

What happened that Sunday um when I called you and you got involved because then we found out it was not the husband's phone, it was the wife that was in the house trying to get a hold to 911 on her cell phone.

She said they called her back, hung up on her, then she called back and it said something about leave a message or whatever.

Yes.

So we looked at at that.

She you sent me the video, she corroborated it.

I spoke with Ms.

Lewis and Mr.

Lewis.

They talked about the um, you can see on the video there's an individual in their back courtyard on the clearly on their property.

And uh the homeowner, Mr.

Lewis walked out with his firearm and confronted him.

The wife, you could hear on the the ring camera called 911.

She informed me that when she called, uh it went to voicemail and it says press one.

If this is an emergency, she says she pressed one and it hung up.

And the computer called her back, and the same prompt came, she pressed one and it hung up again.

And she assumed we were coming.

So she assumed, and that would have happened had there been a landline call, but with the cell phone, there wasn't.

So I I sent it to Tori for Mr.

May for uh uh assessment to see if there was a technical problem with that.

So I don't know if you've discussed that yet.

Chief, that's what we got to clear up because people are saying, because I got I put it on Facebook and then I got some information fed back to me that I was wrong that when you call um 911 from your cell phone, they can track you, they can find you.

We were told that's not the case.

If you call from a cell phone, if you call from your landline, if it's working, um, they can they can track, they know that you're calling from that number from that that location, that home.

But if I'm on a cell phone and I'm over here and I'm calling 911, if I if I've been shot or something, they can't they can't trace me on this phone.

I was always told that they could, but now we're hearing that's not true.

That's not true, correct?

I'll let him.

I need some help with this because I I got attacked about that I was wrong.

So in this particular case, what it looks like occurred is when the citizen called 911, they didn't remain on the line, that's why that information wasn't passed on.

Uh, in the event that you remain on the line, yes, that GPS location does work.

But you're saying if you stay on the line, suppose she doesn't suppose you'd have passed out, and somehow or another your phone died.

If it dies out in that manner, then it's just as if no one ever died.

There's no way that you can find me.

Correct, because the call doesn't come through.

Is that true?

Um correct, right?

Only if the fault if the c if the line does not connect.

If it connects with our center, then yes, we can still find you.

So I I wanna I want to add one thing.

So as the chief described, in that scenario, call her hung up before she got to the call taker.

So that's why they got an automatic call back.

That's the way the system's designed.

So if you call 911, you hang them up, sale or whatever, whether it's land line or sale, you hang up.

The system's gonna automatically call you back.

And it's going it's gonna give you an option to press one if you really meant to call 911.

So that's why they got that prompt.

But it sounds like and I don't know about the specifics of this, but uh just to be clear, it sounds like with this one, she did hit one, she did prompt one, and it it wasn't that she hung up, it was that it was disconnected.

Is that she if she got that recording, the only way she could have got that recording is if she called 911 and they hung up.

That's the only way they would have got that option.

And it sounds like the review that was done by ATT afterwards, instead of pressing one, she disconnected again and got another call back.

Okay.

And again, disconnected prior to pressing one, and so that never came through to the center.

But the problem was she was she they were there waiting for the police, and the police never came.

So then that's why they called, that's why the neighbor said, call Riva.

She said, I'm not calling her this time of night.

Call Riva, tell Riva what just happened, because the police did not come.

Well, the police didn't get to call to come.

So what so where what happened?

I mean, uh So the biggest advocacy here that we would ask everyone to participate in is when you call 911, just remain on the line.

And it could have alleviated a lot of the technical issue that occurred.

Uh, in this particular case, because she disconnected, that's why she didn't get that response that she needed.

So we love to pass on everyone to make sure you remain on the line and make sure you can get the service that you need.

Okay, I'm gonna um just back away from that for a second and ask a question around um uh going back to the like the GPS and and sort of address issue.

I know that clarified that if somebody stays on the line with 911, they their phone is then you know, tracked their location is tracked.

One of the things that I've learned um in talking to first responders is that um sometimes people call in, you know, they're they're the observer of a crime or or maybe somebody's about to, you know, um they're thinking somebody's going to jump and end their life on a bridge or something, and so they're driving by and they say, Hey, I see somebody, you know, they call 911.

That that the call takers are sort of they're pinging the the caller, not necessarily the location of the problem.

Um have you heard anything about this, or is this something that you're aware of?

And are you do you have any measures or trainings to kind of ensure that we're getting the location of the incident itself, not the caller?

Appreciate the question.

That's a good question.

Uh so what happens in that case is you have the actual phone location of the caller, and then the caller, let's say the caller witnessed someone on the Lee Bridge.

The call is now on the south side of the bridge.

Once they notify us is it that it's on the north side of the bridge, then we can send to that location.

So we can either enter the location of the cell phone device or where they told us that the incident uh occurred.

Sometimes people are driving and they they don't want to pull their phone out while they're driving.

So they may wait until they get a block or two down the road.

Once they give us that location, then all of that information is entered in our remarks field and it helps the offices with finding the location of the incident.

And given that um I'm just thinking about sort of summertime and lots of people being on the river.

Is there, I mean, is there any sort of additional training you do around you know, orienting um call takers so that they're asking the right questions about location on in areas like our James River Park system where there is no block number um and you know, in drownings, as we talk about seconds matter.

So you know, what kind of additional training are you doing to give callers that ability to orient um and make sure that we're deploying resources exactly where they need to go?

So that information is built into the uh call take it protocol system that we utilize.

Uh in addition, there's a bunch of call boxes that are down on the islands as well that can be used as landmarks.

Uh typically when someone's down on the river, uh it's going to be an incident normally where the fire department has to respond for something.

Uh, there's also an application called what three words that's frequently used to be able to kind of pinpoint exactly where the caller is, and we do uh fairly well with finding people that way.

Okay.

Um, and then my last question is I know that this time last year we were talking about sort of you know, 911 calls, uh, you know, going to voicemail.

And I know you guys we talked about this and you adjusted the the timing for um it's like the lead time so that there's a little bit of more time before that that automated message came up.

Um what are those rates looking like today versus last year?

So I guess the the key thing to address there is voicemail.

So we don't have an actual voicemail where something sends you to a place where you can leave a message or things that is sure.

Automated there's that automated message that comes up, which most people refer to as a voicemail, and it's typically when we have an abundance of calls coming in.

Uh that technology does does exist.

We don't necessarily keep records of each time that occurs, but we can go back if we have specific instances that need to be investigated.

We can go back and look at those times based off of the actual date and time of the uh incident in question.

I think that might be data that we want to aggregate and have because especially I mean, just thinking about the conversation we had when I visited DEC about the adjustment and the timing and and how that you know that did seem to adjust those those numbers.

I I just think that that's a one of those like longitudinal studies I'd like to have a year, you know, year after year is is how many times that is happening.

Um, because it gives us an ability to say, okay, is this a is this anecdotal?

And am I just is it feeling like a lot because that's a that's a that's a very specific thing that somebody that's a hard thing for somebody to know that happened to them, or is it is it low rates that just feel that way?

Um so I mean I would just love to see that data.

Yeah, but just to add the messages that kick in is so they don't hear ringing.

So, you know, they they hear that.

So, hey, your your call is being answered, stay on the line.

So it's important for them, as Tori indicated before, to remain on the line and don't hang up.

Thank you.

Jackie, um I just got to ask someone wants me to ask a question.

Did you uh you said stay on the line?

Don't all right.

Why is it saying to push number one?

If if you I mean in those in that situation, in the situation we're talking about, you only are gonna get that option if you you dial 911 and you hang up.

Because it's gonna automatic the system's gonna automatically call you by instead of instead of the she says she didn't hang up until she hit until she pushed one, and then she was waiting for a call back for the police to come, but they didn't come because she thought they had her phone, they thought they had her address on that cell phone, which they did not evidently.

I don't know all the particulars of that situation.

I know that we have tested the system numerous different occasions, and even when this situation, the system is is working as it's supposed to work.

I just want to get it cleared up because it could have been he it could have been it could have been horrible.

That person could have had a gun too, and the and the homeowner who was telling him begging him to get off the property, you can hear him, and he could have shot him easily.

And it could have been it could have been it could have been worse than what it turned out to be.

Thank God the guy did leave.

But I want to just say too that I don't want to put the blame on our dispatchers because I know that they work hard, and I know that a lot of them, you know, they're made to work overtime, made to do this, do that, and some of the calls that they hear, and and I know that some of the calls I deal, and I'm not even taking those calls like that.

hear him and he could have shot him easily and it could have been it could have been it could have been worse than what it turned out to be thank god the guy did leave but I want to just say too that I don't want to put the blame on our dispatchers because I know that they work hard and I know that a lot of them you know they're made to work overtime made to do this do that and some of the calls that they hear and and I know that some of the calls I deal and I'm not even taking those calls like that I have a hard time dealing with it like with the person that came down here and cried because his mom's ashes got stolen in his vehicle I can only imagine some of those calls that they have to take and they have to go from hang up that call to take another one that could be worse than this one or that one but I just want to make sure that you let them know we appreciate the dispatchers too and I just want to just reiterate that AI is only handling the non-emergency calls when you call I'm going to make it call 5 when you call 646100 that's been handled by the AI not 911.

Thank you thank you it appears that there are no more items on today's agenda other than a staff report that was provided to you by council staff thank you the uh report that we did for you it's we delivered earlier I did want to mention that um you made some changes about your request in future uh so September I which I think will spill into October or other meetings so I will uh reach out to you about the order of the presentations that we had established with you by uh giving you a report of the uh requested presentations from now into next year okay I know that um in September we I've added a couple of things on like with the chief so he can give us another report on the um on some cold cases also I'm quite sure you took all that information down and then with the um our with the firefighters also Bill Pantley just text me to say please let Keith and somebody know I'm with them and whatever he could do to help to give him a call and he'll be there for you.

All right but we're definitely talking yes thank you thank you and there is no meeting in August thank you so much thank you all thank you Greg thank y'all meetings are joined thank you Sarah my sister thank you