Public Safety Oversight Committee Meeting

CITIZENS PUBLIC SAFETY OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MINUTES February 9, 2017 The Citizens Public Safety Oversight Committee of the City of Norman, Cleveland County, State of Oklahoma, met at 4:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers located at 201 W. Gray Street on the 9th day of February, 2017, and notice and agenda of the meeting were posted at City Hall located at 201 W. Gray Street 24 hours prior to the beginning of the meeting. PRESENT: Chair Eddie Sims, Members Matthew Leal, Bill Scanlon, Melanie Hayes, Linda Price, Joan Goth, Mike McIlvoy, Lea Greenleaf, and David Wilson ABSENT: None COMMITTEE LIAISONS: Robert Wasoski, FOP Lindsay Echols, OU (absent) IAFF (position vacant) STAFF PRESENT: Suzanne Krohmer, Budget Manager Chief Travis King, NFD Asst. Chief Joel Chesser Detective Ron Collett, NPD Capt. Shawn Hawkins, NPD Courtney Foster, Rape Crisis Hotline Roger Gallagher, citizen Susan Stevens, citizen Mack Burke, Norman Transcript Item 2, being INTRODUCTION OF STAFF AND GUESTS Chair Sims called the meeting to order. He welcomed staff and guests to the meeting and asked them to introduce themselves. ******* Item 3, being APPROVAL OF THE CITIZENS PUBLIC SAFETY OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MINUTES OF DECEMBER 8, 2016. Member Price made a motion to approve the Citizens Public Safety Oversight Committee minutes of the December 8, 2016 meeting, which motion was duly seconded by Member Leal; and the Citizens Public Safety Oversight Committee Minutes February 9, 2017 Page 2 question being to approve the Citizens Public Safety Oversight Committee minutes of December 8, 2016, a vote was taken with the following result: YEAS: Chair Eddie Sims, Members Matthew Leal, Bill Scanlon, Melanie Hayes, Linda Price, Joan Goth, Lea Greenleaf, Mike McIlvoy, and David Wilson NAYES: None Chair Eddie Sims declared the motion carried and the Citizens Public Safety Oversight Committee minutes of December 8, 2016 are approved. ****** ITEM 4, being: MONTHLY UPDATES Finance Report Member Scanlon asked why patrol and internal services were high. Suzanne Krohmer stated that this charge was charged to all of the cost centers who have a radio to pay the salary of the Radio Communications Tech. This charge comes out only once a year. Member Scanlon then stated that there was a lot of overtime showing in this finance report. Krohmer stated that this report covered a holiday so there was an increase in holiday overtime. Member Greenleaf asked why there was an increase in internal services and for staff services. Krohmer stated the internal services charge was for the Radio Communications Tech that we talked about before, and the services and maintenance charges are for some shredding and for some type of add services. Member Greenleaf asked about the two breakouts for firearms and ammunition. He asked if there was a breakdown of what is being purchased since this is under two different cost centers. Krohmer stated that one was for patrol and one was for investigations. They are under two different cost centers. Member Greenleaf then asked about the two breakouts for recruits. Krohmer stated that one is for miscellaneous recruit supplies and one is for miscellaneous recruit apparel. Krohmer then stated this is the most detailed report we can run, so if you have questions about something you can ask her. Member Price stated that she believed there was a printout with all of the account numbers on them. Krohmer stated that this printout only has the last four digits in the account numbers and it is 20 pages long, but she would be happy to provide these for the Committee. Fire Department Citizens Public Safety Oversight Committee Minutes February 9, 2017 Page 3 Chief King made the presentation. The new aerial apparatus will be in service by Monday. A Pierce Manufacturing representative has been doing detailed training with the Fire Department on how to operate the apparatus. The new engine 5 will arrive in March or April and it will be in service by May. Two employees will go to Pierce Manufacturing. Member Greenleaf asked what station the new ladder would be based out of. Chief King stated this will be at Station No. 9. Member Leal asked about the status of moving Fire Station No. 5. Chief King stated that several other items and projects have to be purchased before it can be moved. Krohmer stated that right now it is programmed past 2020. Police Report Captain Hawkins made the presentation. He stated that this group of cadets in the Police Academy will be graduating on March 9th. COP hours for December were 233 and in January it went up dramatically at 598. This was due to a problem in a particular area in which the Police had to allocate more resources to calm the situation. The residents were pleased with the outcome. Chair Sims stated that a presentation on this situation at the meeting in April would be a good idea. Captain Hawkins stated that in December there was the standard Coffee with a Cop programs. Division I has created a partnership with Love Works and will be playing a basketball game in April to raise money for Love Works. The Police Department will be starting a program called Hide, Lock, Take to combat auto theft and larceny. This is a national program. Member Scanlon asked if we will be doing the presentation on the self-assessment at next month’s meeting. Captain Hawkins stated that we would. Member Scanlon then stated that he would like to have an assessment of the SRO program with the school year winding down. Captain Hawkins stated they could present an assessment on this program. Chair Sims stated that we should look into finding funding for the extra SRO officers that are needed. ****** ITEM 5, being: SEXUAL ASSAULT PANEL DISCUSSION Detective Ron Collett started the panel discussion. He stated that we would start with talking you through a typical response to a sexual assault call. The Norman Police Department is community partners on the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) team that was created 6 years ago. The community partners are Norman Police Department, the DA’s office, the Women’s Resource Center, Crisis Center, OU, OU Police Department, Norman Regional Hospital, the title 9 office, Norman Public Schools, and there is local clergy participation. A victim will go to the hospital or sometimes the home and report the assault. A patrol officer will go out and take an initial report and get the information from the victim. The questions asked are: 1. Has a crime been committed and what that crime is 2. Who has jurisdiction and is responsible for the investigation 3. Is it an unknown suspect and are there multiple crime scenes Citizens Public Safety Oversight Committee Minutes February 9, 2017 Page 4 At this time the rape crisis hotline is usually called and a medical exam will be performed. Courtney Foster with the Rape Crisis Hotline continued the discussion. She stated that they are responsible for what is called “aftercare”. In most cases they provide two advocates, one for the victim and one for the victim’s loved ones. If the victim would like an exam, a specialized sexual assault nurse performs the exam and the advocate is there the entire time to provide help and support. A police officer will pick up the kit once the exam is completed. Detective Collett stated that the advocate can be with the victim through all the interviews with the police department. The patrol supervisor will notify the detective supervisor if something has occurred recently. 1-2 detectives will go to the scene. If the crime occurred the previous day then a detective will be sent out the next day. Detectives are available for follow up care. The advocates at the Rape Crisis Center are available and the Crisis Center has counseling services available. This keeps the victims engaged for prosecution. This partnership leads to more successful prosecution. The detectives will have 1-2 meetings with the victim. The police department does not have the capability to process DNA evidence, which has to be sent off to a lab and can take months to receive results on. One detective puts the case together and then the case is reviewed by the DA and the prosecutor. Statistically, these crimes go largely unprosecuted. The majority of these types of crimes are committed by someone who the victim knows, not a stranger, and then it becomes a he said she said situation. It is not common to get DNA evidence. In situations where the victim says they were sexually assaulted but the suspect says it was consensual the DNA evidence may not be of value and may not be analyzed. Foster stated that as advocates, that is what they talk to victims about, to prepare them for what may happen with the case. Member Leal asked how long an advocate would stay with a victim. Foster stated that it would be as long as they need. It is usually 6 months to 1 year, but they do offer counseling which can take years. The whole process usually takes up to 2 years. Member Greenleaf asked how long would it be from the time the incident occurs until the victim gets to see a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) nurse and is there a shortage of SANE nurses. Foster stated that if the victim goes to the hospital they will call us in the first half hour to hour that the victim has arrived. People can also see a SANE nurse up to 5 days after the assault occurs. There is always a shortage of SANE nurses. We do have 7 SANE nurses but we do not have 24-7 coverage. Detective Collett stated that alternative SANE programs, such as the YMCA in the metro area, are available. The standard at the moment is 120 hours. There is now better research and procedures now. We have never turned anyone away even after the 5 day period. Some DNA can come weeks after the assault. Member Wilson asked what the nature of questions are that might make the victim feel like they are to blame for the event. Detective Collett stated that questions like, “How much have you had to drink?” would be questions that people are reluctant to answer but that the police have to ask because they could be why that person was targeted and be part of the prosecution. Member Wilson asked how the police department seeks to accommodate the victim’s condition after asking such difficult questions. Detective Collett stated that typically they do not ask those questions until days after the incident. Patrol will get the immediate answers first and the detective will meet with the patrol officer to get that information. If there are no needed immediate questions he will ask the victim and their advocate to meet with him next week at the office to ask the difficult questions. Citizens Public Safety Oversight Committee Minutes February 9, 2017 Page 5 Usually the victim has been up for over 24 hours and is traumatized so we won’t do the hard questions until days later. Member Wilson asked what the protocol is of victim support from an advocate. Foster stated that normally they will validate what happened, talk to the victim about options, and also reflect how the victim is responding to the trauma. Member Scanlon stated that he was impressed to hear that advocates were appointed to both the victim and the victims loved ones. He then asked if more immediate actions, such as restraining orders when there has been violence, are part of the options offered to victims. Foster stated that the Crisis Center would help victims fill out the Victims Protective Order, they will go to court with them, and also stand before the judge with them. Member Scanlon then asked how this type of situation would affect the investigation. Detective Collett stated that sometimes this type of situation could let the suspect know that the victim has gone to the police if they are served with a Protection Order. Foster stated this is the benefit of the partnership with the legal agencies. Detective Collett stated that the overall premise of this task force is victim centered and suspect focused. Taking care of the victim helps him with the investigation. This community partnership has helped him a lot. Mack Burke, of the Norman Transcript, asked what the police do in regards to a restraining order and the GPS app that is sometimes placed on the suspect’s phone. How do the Police monitor this? Detective Collett stated that a victim of sexual assault would get a Victims Protective Order not a Restraining Order. If the suspect breaks the protective order the first time it is a misdemeanor and the second time is a felony. Burke asked if there was an app that alerted the police if the suspect were to get too close to the victim. Detective Collett stated that we do not have that capability. Foster stated that the success of the VPO depends on if the suspect is a law abiding citizen. A VPO can make a person more dangerous in certain situations. In the last fiscal year there has been 3 times that a VPO has been violated. Member Price asked how Title 9 and OU Police work together on sexual assaults that happen to students that are not on campus at the time. Detective Collett stated that if the assault occurs on OU property then it is an OU investigation. If it is an OU student but not on OU property then the City Police Department is in charge. He would at this point be in contact with the Title 9 office and the OU Police Department would take an interest as well since it is one of their students. They would be very interested if both the victim and the suspect were OU students. OU is very active with the SART team. Member Leal asked if they could walk us through the training that the advocates receive. Foster stated that the Attorney General certifies them every 3 years. We do a 30-40 hour training where talk about sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking. Then they also go through the resources in the community and state that are available that they can offer to people. Member Goth thanked the panel for educating the Committee on this subject. Member Hayes asked how long the Rape Kits are kept. Foster stated that they do keep the kits up until the statute of limitations which is 12 years. The kits stay sealed until the victim decides to report. Citizens Public Safety Oversight Committee Minutes February 9, 2017 Page 6 Chair Sims asked about the frequency of reports in Norman. Detective Collett stated that in 2016 there were 91 reports of rape, sodomy, rape with instrumentation, and statutory rape. Foster stated that in the last fiscal year they provided 61 exams and service to over 100 people. Of the 61 exams completed, 27 were Norman Police Department. Chair Sims stated that unfortunately a large percentage of these are on juveniles. Foster stated they have a partnership with Mary Abbott House, who provides sexual assault exams up to age 12 and then the Rape Crisis Center does 13 and up. Chair Sims stated this was a wonderful presentation and it will be helpful to televise this panel discussion. ****** ITEM 6, being: DISCUSSION REGARDING PHASE II RADIO CONSULTANTS AND RADIO SYSTEM UPDATE Captain Hawkins stated that the City has selected Harris Corporation for the radio and are in the middle of contract negotiations. A contract will be submitted for approval within the next month. ****** ITEM 7, being UPDATE ON EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER (EOC) PROJECT An initial needs assessment has been completed and they are in the process of adjusting the square footage to meet the needs of the budget. ****** Item 8, being UPDATE ON POLICE BODY CAMERAS The contract with Watch Guard was signed and approved by Council. We will start receiving the product in six weeks, begin training, and will deploy the body cameras in April. Member Greenleaf stated that he would like a presentation on the body cameras. Member Leal asked if the presentation could be on Lindsey Street so the Committee could see behind the scenes and how the footage is downloaded. Captain Hawkins stated that we could possibly do the presentation on Lindsey Street and that the EOC will be the primary place for storage. Citizens Public Safety Oversight Committee Minutes February 9, 2017 Page 7 ****** Item 9, being ESTABLISH AGENDA TOPICS FOR THE NEXT MARCH 9TH MEETING AT POLICE GRADUATION-1717 W. LINDSEY STREET March meeting will have the Police Department Graduation and the presentation on the self- assessment. April will have the Use of Force Simulator at the range. May will be at the NIC and have the body camera presentation. June will have the SRO discussion at the Station No. 9 to see the new fire truck. Captain Hawkins stated that the Problem Oriented Policing Project was an area off Hal Muldrow that had gang problems and drive by shootings. Lieutenant Teuschman, the Gang Coordinator, put together a project using both plain clothed and uniformed officers in the area by using saturation patrol. They would talk to people and made a lot of good arrests. After the project was completed they had a community meeting with the residents who explained that they were very happy with the outcome of the project. All of the hours were logged as COP hours. Captain Green, Sergeant Wilson, Lieutenant Teuschman, and many beat officers attended the meeting. Captain Hawkins asked if the Committee would like to make the EOC/Radio a quarterly update. Member Greenleaf stated that the flow of information on this project has been sporadic and disappointing and he does not think going quarterly will make a difference. He believes that this Committee is always the last to know information on this project. Captain Hawkins stated that he will get the project heads to come give an in-depth presentation about the EOC project and then they can go quarterly. ****** Item 10, being MISCELLANEOUS COMMENTS Member Greenleaf stated that on January 17th he attended a public service banquet that honored the Police, Fire, OU PD, DA, EMT, and the Sherriff’s office. Please go to one of these banquets and listen to their stories. Thank them all. He would like to see more public involvement and understanding from the community for what these people do every day. Member Price stated that the two people who MC’d the banquet were the principals for Norman North and Norman High and they spoke very positively of the SRO program and how the officers make a huge difference. Citizens Public Safety Oversight Committee Minutes February 9, 2017 Page 8 ****** Item 11, being ADJOURNMENT Member Wilson moved that the meeting be adjourned. Member Price seconded the motion. Chair Sims declared the Citizens Public Safety Oversight Committee adjourned at 5:11pm.