Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Youth topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mayor Franklin announces youth-safety directive and a police drone-as-first-responder pilot; council committee to brief public
Summary
Mayor Franklin announced a renewed city directive on youth safety including a partnership aimed at diverting Latino youth, and highlighted a new police drone-as-first-responder pilot that staff say could improve response times and officer safety.
Mayor Cassie Franklin used the council meeting’s opening remarks on April 2 to outline a renewed directive on youth safety and to describe a new police drone-as-first-responder pilot program.
The mayor said the youth-safety directive will concentrate on incident response, prevention, community engagement and partnerships. She described a partnership with the Latino Civic Alliance and a youth diversion effort she referred to in the meeting as “I Am Jaguar grama,” intended to steer Latino youth away from potential gang affiliation and toward alternative supports.
On public safety technology, Mayor Franklin said Chief Deroos briefed the Council Health and Safety Community Committee earlier in the day on a drone-as-first-responder pilot. “This pilot allows our police department to deploy drones to incident scenes ahead of ground units and ensure we can employ resources more quickly and have a much clearer understanding of incidents, which will increase officer safety and community safety for all,” she said.
Committee work and public engagement
Council members discussed the committee briefing and said that a live demo and Q&A at the committee meeting provided substantive information. Council member Tuohy and other council members said public briefings and community meetings on the drone pilot would start soon and that a multi-week pilot is anticipated. Council members also noted the need to address privacy and civil-rights concerns while assessing the technology.
Other mayoral remarks
Mayor Franklin also noted the April 1 groundbreaking for a new Jackson Elementary School and acknowledged the recent passing of local business owner Barry Boyle of the Irishman.
Ending
City staff recommended council members who want more detail view the Health and Safety Community Committee meeting recording. The council did not take an action on the directive or the drone pilot during the April 2 meeting; committee briefings and public outreach were described as the next steps.
