Public Health & Safety Committee

TUMWATER PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING FEBRUARY 11, 2025 Page 1 CONVENE: 8:01 a.m. PRESENT: Chair Peter Agabi and Councilmembers Leatta Dahlhoff and Kelly Von Holtz. Staff: City Administrator Lisa Parks, City Attorney Karen Kirkpatrick, Fire Chief Brian Hurley, Information Technology Department Director Lance Inman, Deputy Fire Chief Shawn Crimmins, Deputy Police Chief Jay Mason, Police Lieutenant Jennifer Kolb, Police Lieutenant Carlos Quiles Jr., and Police Administrative Supervisor Laura Wohl. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: PUBLIC HEALTH & SAFETY COMMITTEE, JANUARY 14, 2025: MOTION: Councilmember Dahlhoff moved, seconded by Councilmember Von Holtz, to approve the minutes of January 14, 2025 as presented. A voice vote approved the motion unanimously. INTERLOCAL Fire Chief Hurley reported the funding agreement is one of two AGREEMENT WITH primary agreements with Thurston County Medic One. The other THURSTON COUNTY agreement is the Advanced Life Support (ALS) providing paramedic FOR BASIC LIFE services. The proposed agreement cover basic life support (BLS) SUPPORT FUNDING: services in support of Emergency Medical Technicians and other fire personnel providing emergency medical services. BLS services support units responding to all calls with additional response by Paramedics to more serious calls. The City’s agreement with Medic One through the countywide EMS levy supports the Tumwater Fire Department to provide BLS services. Two components of the agreement include supplies and equipment for the provision of basic medical services at a cost of $65,000 in 2024. The second component of the agreement is a payment the City receives from Medic One based on a per capita call volume basis. In 2024, the payment was approximately $65,000. Payments are based on previous year’s EMS call volume. The call volume in 2025 is unknown but would likely be higher than in 2024. The term of the agreement is a five years with an option to extend the agreement for two additional years. The request to the committee is to recommend placement of the Interlocal Agreement with Thurston County for Basic Life Support Funding on the February 18, 2025 City Council Consent Calendar with a recommendation to approve and TUMWATER PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING FEBRUARY 11, 2025 Page 2 authorize the Mayor to sign the agreement in substantially similar form as approved by the City Attorney. Fire Chief Hurley invited questions. Councilmember Dahlhoff asked about the potential impact to the City if the agreement did not exist. Fire Chief Hurley responded that over 80% of services provided by the fire department are in response to medical calls. BLS response is provided for all emergency medical calls. Lacking the funding, the City would need to fund the equipment and supplies required for BLS response. Chair Agabi referred to the fiscal amounts in the agreement and questioned whether the call volume is factored on a specific number of calls anticipated in 2025. Fire Chief Hurley responded that 12 agencies in Thurston County share in the funding. The Fire Department reviews annual call volume. Thurston County allocates funds based on the distribution of calls to the 12 agencies. The amount will increase slightly in 2025 for the direct payment. MOTION: Councilmember Von Holtz moved, seconded by Councilmember Dahlhoff, to place the Interlocal Agreement with Thurston County for Basic Life Support Funding on the February 18, 2025 City Council Consent Calendar with a recommendation to approve and authorize the Mayor to sign the agreement in substantially similar form as approved by the City Attorney.. A voice vote approved the motion unanimously. POLICE BODY Deputy Police Chief Mason reported the Council approved the CAMERA AND IN-CAR purchase of body-worn and in-car cameras in the 2025-2026 budget. CAMERA Preliminary considerations in designing the program are staffing levels IMPLEMENTATION and direct needs for oversight and technical support to ensure a PLAN: successful program. Previously, the police department staffed appropriate technical support but not necessarily at the leadership or supervision level. The plan includes a component of community engagement and Council engagement for expectations of the program. It is important to consider concerns and positives to include within the program to ensure its success. The plan includes equipment identification and the procurement process, policy, training, and the project launch. The budget approved staffing costs for an Administrative Sergeant and a Police Service Specialist effective July 1, 2025. Development of the timeline included meeting with partner agencies that have implemented and deployed a body-worn camera program. Staff contacted Lacey, Olympia, and Yelm Police Departments and the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. The agencies provided information on their respective programs. Lacey and Yelm Police Departments TUMWATER PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING FEBRUARY 11, 2025 Page 3 indicated the implementation process spanned a year with Olympia Police Department and Thurston County Sheriff’s Office requiring 18 months to implement. Thurston County is transitioning to a different camera vendor with the Sheriff’s Office anticipating a 12-month process despite having existing policies and infrastructure in place. Staff identified 21 tasks for implementation within the process covering a span of 45 months; however, implementation will be shortened recognizing the number of steps necessary to implement the plan. Staff initiated implementation in January 2025 with full deployment targeted in June through August 2026. Deputy Police Chief Mason shared and described the timeline of implementation tasks from January 2025 through August 2026. Staff plans to explore efficiencies throughout the implementation of the program recognizing that many tasks require adequate time. The first task is recruitment of IT staff and establishing a promotional list for the Sargent position. In the second quarter of 2025, the schedule calls for filling the position to include contracting with a project manager to assist in navigating the selection, procurement, and implementation activities. Other input from agencies stressed the importance of camera vendors providing demonstrations, which can require three months to schedule due to rapid changes in technology and demands on vendors from other agencies across the country. The department’s contracts are small compared to other contracts vendors are negotiating with other law enforcement agencies across the country. Another surprising aspect of the process was the length of time to secure the equipment as experienced by other departments after the final selection. Each agency spoke to several months before all equipment was received. The schedule identifies timing for initiating the program, which is based on a conservative estimate with a goal to adjust the schedule to the extent possible. Additionally, the department is undertaking deployment of the new records management system. The police department is the lead entity for implementation of the new system within the regional consortium of six agencies. The implementation plan covers a span of 18 months. Currently, agencies are formalizing a regional SWAT Team with Tumwater Police Department serving as the lead for establishing the team and the governance structure. The department is also deploying a communications plan developed from the department’s strategic plan to improve communications with the community. As the program nears completion, staff must also consider facility needs for new staff. The department is currently staffed at maximum capacity within its allocated building space. Additional staff to support TUMWATER PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING FEBRUARY 11, 2025 Page 4 the program will require office space. The City is working to secure additional facilities for the department later in the year. The most critical component of implementing the program is ensuring adequate staffing is in place. Although the budget for the IT position is effective January 1, 2025, hiring of the position has been delayed because some differences in the position title. The IT and HR Departments are working to finalize the position description and advertise the position. Staff does not anticipate filling the position until later in the first quarter or at the beginning of the second quarter. Deputy Police Chief Mason invited questions. Councilmember Von Holtz asked about the number of agencies in Thurston County that have deployed body-worn cameras. Deputy Police Chief Mason said the cities of Lacey, Olympia, and Yelm, Thurston County, and The Evergreen State College have instituted body-worn cameras. Councilmember Von Holtz suggested following up with the agencies to assist the department in accelerating the program. Deputy Police Chief Mason concurred that some aspects of each agency’s experience could assist the department in reducing time recognizing that the department’s request for proposal (RFP) process is different due to the size of the contract, required tasks, and City procedures. Councilmember Dahlhoff asked about the timing if the implementation plan was less conservative. Deputy Police Chief Mason responded that an aggressive timeline would likely require 12 months following the hiring of the sergeant position. Councilmember Dahlhoff asked that the committee receive a copy of a more aggressive timeline as the two-year timeline is too lengthy. Staff could also identify tasks that could be removed to reduce the timeline while still meeting the metrics of the program. Additionally, she questioned whether the purpose of implementing the regional records management system was to provide regional access to information for agencies in the county. Supervisor Wohl explained that the regional records management system was initiated in part to share data across the jurisdictions. However, each jurisdiction is able to operate the system differently to adhere to the needs of each community and workflow. Several different pieces of the system are not shared. One example is the evidence module used by two agencies while other agencies use another module based on needs of each department. The same concept applies to cameras, as each community is different. The department’s current vendor offers a full camera system of both in-car and body- worn cameras. The vendor will be invited to bid on the RFP. Agencies TUMWATER PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING FEBRUARY 11, 2025 Page 5 currently using body-worn cameras have contracted with two different agencies. Councilmember Von Holtz questioned the response rate to an emergency event that includes another law enforcement agency and the benefits if each agency was outfitted with the same type of body cameras. Supervisor Wohl advised that although some agencies may use the same camera system, each department has an independent database for the camera system. In moving forward with 365LABS, the police department is building interfaces with the various camera systems for agencies that have requested them, which requires a different interface for each police department using the same system. The systems cannot be shared as the cameras store digital evidence that is not shared between agencies. Councilmember Dahlhoff asked whether staff is aware of the market presence of 365LABS for vehicle or body-worn cameras. Supervisor Wohl said the systems have been on the market for several years; however, the systems are the company’s secondary product line. Chair Agabi questioned the timing for the needs assessment. It appears the hiring is the first step prior to completing the needs assessment. Supervisor Wohl responded that the needs assessment is complex and detailed. The department identified the need for a body camera system that ties in with mobile videos. The RFP documents define the specifications required of the camera system to ensure systems will meet the department’s needs. Chair Agabi asked whether camera footage from police responses on the scene automatically transmits to City Hall as a live feed or whether the video data is stored and processed later. Deputy Police Chief Mason advised that current technology would enable a live feed to the department dependent on policy and negotiations with the Police Guild. Downloading data at the station is another option. The needs assessment will evaluate the level of technology that could be utilized and whether the department wants specific capabilities. He shared some examples of specific capabilities of camera systems. Many body-worn cameras are also automatic license plate readers with the license plate processed while the officer is on the site. The needs assessment identifies technology capabilities and determines what is best for the community. Councilmember Von Holtz agreed with Chair Agabi, as she believes the need assessment should be completed during the recruitment process. She asked how new officers participating in the basic law enforcement academy are receiving training on body-worn cameras and the type of equipment used in the training. Deputy Police Chief TUMWATER PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING FEBRUARY 11, 2025 Page 6 Mason offered to follow up with the information after contacting the academy. Councilmember Dahlhoff commented on her understanding of the complexity of Tumwater and the nuances, inputs, and outputs of the process. She supports the department in this particular endeavor and asked how the committee could help the department with the policies to ensure the department is successful. As the timeline is linear, the department should consider how the actions could be completed concurrently as the timeline is extensive and results in hiring staff nearly one year prior to implementing the system. She requested a quarterly updates to track progress on the timeline and offered to participate in the vendor demonstrations. She recommended inviting the Council to participate in the demonstrations to share information about the nuances the department is experiencing and how staff is adapting the systems to meet Tumwater needs. She supports the department’s project and requested feedback on ways the committee can support efforts to shorten the timeline and schedule tasks concurrently to the degree possible. She obtained policies from the cities of Lacey, Olympia, and Yelm and Thurston County Sheriff’s Office and suggested the committee work with staff on drafting the policies to compare with the different policies. ADDITIONAL ITEMS: Councilmember Dahlhoff referred to recent activity at the federal level and questioned the City’s stance on immigration policies. Previously, Police Chief Weiks stressed that the Tumwater Police Department would not interact with ICE. She asked that the committee receive an update at the next meeting on the City’s immigration policy. City Administrator Parks responded that in terms of a general administrative position, staff is monitoring and observing. Staff is also communicating with colleagues and partners. In 2017, the Council adopted a resolution on the City’s immigration position. The City follows the policies previously adopted. City Attorney Kirkpatrick advised of the process undertaken by the Council several years ago. Federal orders issued in 2017 have been reissued by the new Administration. The Council adopted Resolution R2017-004 Commitment to Diversity and Safety addressing immigration situations. The resolution remains in effect today with procedures remaining the same as well. Councilmember Dahlhoff recommended sharing the information with the community and within the City. Councilmember Von Holtz cited recent social media reports of ICE personnel appearing at Home Depot, Costco, and Walmart in TUMWATER PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMITTEE MINUTES OF VIRTUAL MEETING FEBRUARY 11, 2025 Page 7 Tumwater. To manage expectations and limit fear, the City should have released information shortly after all the social media coverage. She recommended including the resolution on an agenda to remind the community of the City’s policies. She visited the businesses after learning about the comments and observed no presence of ICE personnel at any of those businesses in the City. It is important to halt a rumor mill before it escalates to something more serious. City Administrator Parks advised that staff discussed the matter with the Mayor and agreed existing policies should stand recognizing that communicating with the public more frequently would be helpful. ADJOURNMENT: With there being no further business, Chair Agabi adjourned the meeting at 8:50 a.m. Prepared by Valerie L. Gow, Recording Secretary/President Puget Sound Meeting Services, psmsoly@earthlink.net