Council Subcommittee

MINUTES OF THE GILBERT TOWN COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEE ON TEEN VIOLENCE, IN SPECIAL MEETING OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2024, AT 6:00 P.M., SOUTHEAST REGIONAL LIBRARY, 775 N GREENFIELD ROAD, GILBERT, ARIZONA COUNCIL PRESENT: Vice Mayor Scott Anderson, Councilmembers Chuck Bongiovanni and Jim Torgeson COUNCIL ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: Town Clerk Chaveli Herrera, and Police Chief Michael Soelberg CALL TO ORDER Subcommittee Chair Anderson called the meeting to order at 6:07 p.m. ROLL CALL Town Clerk Herrera declared a quorum present. AGENDA ITEMS 1. Consider approval of the minutes of the Subcommittee on Teen Violence Meeting of January 31, 2024. A MOTON was made by Councilmember Bongiovanni, seconded by Councilmember Torgeson, to approve the minutes of the Subcommittee on Teen Violence Meeting of January 31, 2024. 2. Discussion on progress of actionable items and next steps. 1 Subcommittee Chair Anderson welcomed everyone and acknowledged the partners from school districts in attendance and asked that they stand and introduce themselves. Members of various school boards in attendance stood and stated their name and which school board they represented. Subcommittee Chair Anderson said he wanted to put efforts together to craft a plan that focused on solutions to present to the Council. 3. Statement from Police Chief Michael Soelberg. Police Chief Soelberg thanked everyone for being at the meeting and helping to come up with solutions to address teen violence in the community. He expressed his appreciation for the community and said he valued their opinions. He said there were three cases in which Gilbert Police Department (GPD) was seeking assistance in identifying the subjects involved and encouraged everyone to continue to report crimes. He said GPD was committed to addressing all acts of violence and would continue to investigate and make arrests. He stated 28 incidents were investigated related to teen violence since February 2022. He said of those investigations, 42 arrests had been made and said seven of those cases involved incidents that were not reported until late December 2023 and early January 2024. He said there were 12 active investigations, and they would continue to pursue justice for all victims. He discussed the programs and activities provided by GPD to engage and interact with the youth. He spoke of the Gilbert Youth Leadership Academy (GYLA), Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee (MYAC), and Aspire Academy programs. He said GPD had daily interaction with 12 Student Resource Officers (SRO) and discussed presentations from Crime Prevention Unit for schools and upcoming online safely classes available for parents and kids. He stated they were committed to working with the community. 4. Public Comment. Alan Fitzgerald, Gilbert resident, asked about the resources needed to execute a plan and if the Subcommittee had a date for a presentation. He asked how the Subcommittee would get 2 necessary resources of time, people, and money to execute what they deemed important in combating teen violence in the community. Chair Anderson stated the timing was perfect as the Town was entering the budget period and said the ideas for the Council to consider would be part of the budget process for resources to be carried out. Councilmember Bongiovanni said he had heard great ideas and wanted the focus to remain on possible solutions, and when recommendations were made to the Council, they would fight hard for resources that were needed. He mentioned the option or possibility for a task force. Charisia Arnold, Gilbert resident, asked about options for helping sexual assault victims and for clarification on the plan for the victim resource center. Chief Soelberg said the Gilbert Advocacy Center had two phases. Phase I, which was funded, provided victim services for primarily sex crimes, domestic violence, violent crimes, and some teen violence could be applicable and said some services were forensic exams and interviews. He said Phase II was not funded yet, but would provide victim services through counseling, follow up investigations, assistance housing, therapy, resources for a path to success, and working with other non-profits. He said the Advocacy Center would be for the whole community, adding the Town currently used Chandler and Mesa centers, since it did not have its own. Charisia Arnold asked if the services provided by the Advocacy Center would be free. Chief Soelberg responded yes. Councilmember Bongiovanni said he saw the Advocacy Center in Dallas and said it was planned out very well. He said he looked forward to having Phase II funded for Gilbert. Charisia Arnold said she wanted solutions for schools and school districts to be held responsible for discipline. She said as a parent, she could not get a hold of what discipline 3 was at school and said the Administration used discretion on which students to discipline. She said there was minimal discipline on campus and clear-cut policies were needed. Councilmember Torgeson said unfortunately, the Town did not have control over schools. Charisia Arnold said there needed to be more rigid activity involved with schools and said the community was looking for partnerships between schools and the Town. She said she had hoped Gilbert schools would be at the meeting and said not having those guidelines made it difficult. Councilmember Bongiovanni said he was happy to see school board representatives present and involved at the meeting. Eric Herbert, not a Gilbert resident, said he was humbled to be part of a movement to make children feel safe in community and schools, adding East Valley families were very connected. He spoke of the efforts from the team of moms who had come together to bring awareness to teen violence and mental health issues. He said he had confidence in the Subcommittee and was focused on action items and not criticism. He suggested Student Resource Officers (SRO) as an urgent action item. Risa, another attendee who did complete a card, spoke of drug programs in schools, the Council working with teens on solutions, Police Cadet programs, working with schools to get involved in public service, visits to Public Safety Training Facility (PSTF), and businesses to host nights in the summer to give the youth places to go and things to do. Chair Anderson asked if he could make the programs he discussed available to the Subcommittee. Ann Doucette, Gilbert resident, said she believed leadership in the community was essential for change and growth. She shared her personal experiences with struggles and finding healing. She spoke of her and her husband’s services with recovery groups and ministries with local churches and support given to transforming the lives of families. She said leadership without love was lack of genuine care and spoke of the importance of advocating for support 4 resources needed and taking action to make a positive impact. She said she hoped and prayed they could work together to make a difference. Lindsay Lysdal, Gilbert resident, said she had reached out and got feedback from students and said their number one complaint, other than food, was bathroom situations in the schools. She said kids were holding going to the bathroom because they feared fights, drug use, and sexual assaults occurring in the bathrooms. She said the resources available through the Town were difficult to find online and suggested sharing the information with the schools on a Quick Response (QR) code that the SROs could hand out or be included in the school handbook, and added teens were scared to ask for help. She spoke of fentanyl laced vapes going around school, and the importance of parents being made aware of alerts and notifications from the Police Department. She discussed options for school suspensions and suggested offering part of the suspension to be spent in a diversion program, participating in mentorships, anger management, and other resources available to provide an incentive to go that route. She added it would also allow for parents to be involved by providing transportation to those resources. Doralise Machado-Liddell, Gilbert resident, spoke about where teen violence was taking place, and asked who was responsible for patrolling those areas. She suggested Park Rangers to report to the Chief of Police and emphasized the importance of better communication and accountability. She mentioned she was not familiar with the Town’s curfew and suggested resolving probation problems. Bridget Vega, Gilbert resident, asked for clarification for sexual assault victims. She asked if the victim rights advocacy was provided throughout the process or if it was based on investigation and evidence provided. Chief Soelberg stated the resources applied to everyone involved and said victim rights guided through the legal process and, once the case was filed, help was provided from that point forward. 5 Bridget Vega asked about bringing in churches and youth groups to celebrate recovery. She asked to provide resources on the teen violence website and also to schools and districts to bring the community together. She spoke about diversion programs for adults and youth and including all available resources on the teen violence page on the Town website. She discussed the 2022-2023 Executive Summary report on non-profit funding and requested a breakdown and presentation of the resources and solutions available through the non-profits. She stated Perry High School provided prevention services and presentations on drug abuse and asked how other schools could be informed of those programs. She asked if school staff and administrators were trauma informed. She asked if task forces, gang units, or other experts were involved in looking over the current cases. Chief Soelberg said a lot of what was mentioned was available in the Community Resource guide on gilbertaz.gov along with a QR Code. Bridget Vega said information was hard to find and requested that information to be shared on the teen violence page. Chief Soelberg discussed the different task forces and said while there was not a task force for teen violence, they partnered with other agencies such as Mesa, Chandler, Queen Creek, Pinal County, and state task forces and experts and worked together to gather intel. Bridget Vega spoke about trends in the cases and asked for clarification on drug trafficking as well as weapons. She asked for clarification on clear policy, accountability, and presence of social media in the cases, and the way charges were being brought upon certain people. She asked for clarification on doxing and cited state statute. She said in regard to “intent to harm”, were there going to be charges if addresses where doxed on social media of kids who went to parties where there was assault and murder. Chief Soelberg said each case was unique and cited a section from state statute related to doxing. He said charges could be made where they could show that information was provided online and it resulted in threats and harassment. 6 Bridget Vega said there was some gray on that topic and requested that information to be added to a briefing for clarification. She also asked for clarification on probable cause and requested a press briefing on the terms being used. She asked if K-9 dogs could assist with vaping issues and about curfew enforcement. She thanked Chief Soelberg for answering her questions. She asked to take a moment of silence. Bill Conley, Gilbert resident, said he felt embarrassed by his emotional remarks at the previous meeting and apologized. He emphasized focusing on what could be done and spoke of his efforts with promoting the Subcommittee meeting. He spoke about a community forum on teen violence he attended hosted by former prosecutors and police officers and said he was fascinated to learn about the different perspectives about their experiences. He encouraged getting to know neighbors and discussed ways of protecting your home with signs, gates, motion detector lights, and surveillance cameras. He said curfews were hard to manage because it was not easy to tell someone’s age and suggested mobile block watches and volunteering. He spoke about gathering information and best practices for a program to recognize students who did a good job. Katey McPherson, not a Gilbert resident, gave handouts to Subcommittee members with ideas and suggestions. She said she wanted to validate the community’s grief and acknowledged emotions were high. She discussed the suggestions and said criminals needed to be held accountable and victims supported. She spoke of health crisis, suicide prevention, and intervention programs. She discussed responsibilities of Mayor and Council, business leader s, schools, and faith and youth groups and engagement and communication needed from those groups. She discussed addressing systemic issues, empathetic listening, and directing energy towards collaboration and processes. She spoke about the impacts of social media and gaming and expressed interest in furthering the conversation with the town. Tami Smull, Gilbert resident, said Gilbert faced similar issues years ago with the “Devil Dogs” but without the social media component. She said she wanted to make sure Chief Soelberg knew about available resources such as grants, community action networks, and corporate sponsorships. 7 Angela Rogers, Gilbert resident, said the community had not fully succeeded in certain areas, and acknowledged her part in collective oversight, adding she was committed to rectify moving forward. She spoke of environmental changes as a preventative strategy by modifying physical and social environment to exposure to violence. She said education played a pivotal role in prevention and each city should be at a meeting and collaborating at least once a month. She spoke about living in a society of anger and violence among teens and the importance of safe avenues for children to release anger and process emotions. She asked about implementing teen boxing centers and rage room outlets for youth. Kristine Brennan, Gilbert resident, spoke about living in a desert community and seeing a rise in teen violence. She said both the problem and solution were complex and not an easy fix. She spoke of the need for places for teens to go and engage in healthy ways and noted there was no community center in southeast Gilbert. She spoke of proactive engagement from schools and community leaders and consequences for teens. She discussed juvenile redirection programs and community service, then suggested providing SROs with trauma training. Anna VanHoek, Gilbert resident, spoke about House Bill (HB)2502 and read the description of doxing. She discussed The Trevor Project and expressed concern with the website instructing children how to quickly exit their website if a parent walked in. She discussed the importance of stronger family bonds and said resources telling kids to hide things from parents was a problem. She talked about school districts enforcing discipline policies and addressing bullying issues. She spoke of HB1459 and said it was related to school letter grades being tied to discipline and encouraged everyone to email House Representatives to get the bill passed. Chair Anderson thanked the speakers and said there were good resources offered through the Town Manager’s Office and said Volunteer and Community Resources Manager Melanie Dykstra was the contact for more information. Councilmember Bongiovanni talked about holding one more Subcommittee meeting before developing suggestions to present to the Council and said the rest of the Council wanted to 8 be involved and work together on solutions. He said he was proud of the community, noting they had been through grief as a town. He shared the “5 Stages of Grief: DABDA” acronym by Psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. He said Katey McPherson provided a good ten-point program and discussed working with elementary schools. He discussed working with Chief Soelberg on mobile block watch programs and said Chandler and Gilbert schools were taking the Arizona Youth Survey. He mentioned an UpStander Easter Event honoring Preston Lord to be held on March 24, 2024, at Rancho Del Pacifico. He spoke about viewing a five second video and said he hoped to never experience that again. He talked about a task force and being actively involved in solutions. Councilmember Torgeson asked Mark Jacobo to stand and introduce himself. Mark Jacobo, not a Gilbert resident, said he was there to show support and did not intend to speak but was glad Councilmember Torgeson called on him. He shared his story of losing his son to murder and spoke about parent accountability and discipline. He shared his personal experiences of disciplining his son and changing his behavior. He said he was the President of Stephen Benito Jacobo Foundation which offered redirection to put kids in the right path to making right choices. Councilmember Torgeson spoke of the love Mark Jacobo had for his son and the loss; he hoped everybody in the room came to a point of trust and knew everybody wanted the same things. He said everybody needed to be vigilant about things that needed improvements. He spoke of appreciation for Councilmember Bongiovanni and thanked everyone for being present. Councilmember Bongiovanni shared an analogy and said the buffalo was the only animal that charged toward thunderstorms while every other animal ran and hid to seek shelter. He said the thunderstorms came at the animals who hid harder than if they had met it halfway like the buffalo. He said in life we needed to charge at issues like a buffalo. 5. Set next Subcommittee Meeting and location. 9 Subcommittee Chair Anderson thanked everyone in attendance for coming and said some Councilmembers were liaisons to school districts and used to be more active a couple of years ago; he said it was a wonderful opportunity for communication. He said the Subcommittee would hold one more meeting before developing a plan based on all input given, including input provided online. He also spoke in support of a task force and said he expected to bring forward recommendations to the Council in the next few weeks. Bridget Vega said she wanted to share the resources for therapy from a community standpoint. She shared the website Justice4Preston and said a lot of kids were suffering in silence and she wanted to offer support that was available. ADJOURN Subcommittee Chair Anderson adjourned the meeting at 7:52 p.m. ATTEST: ___________________________ ___________________________________ Scott Anderson, Vice Mayor Chaveli Herrera, Town Clerk CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the special meeting of the Subcommittee on Teen Violence of the Town of Gilbert held on the 26th day of February, 2024. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present. Dated this ____ day of ____________________2024. 10 ___________________________________ Chaveli Herrera, Town Clerk 11