HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes City Council - 12/18/2001 - JointI HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Joint
Council Meeting of the City of Corpus Christi of December 18, 2001, which were approved by the
City Council on January 8, 2002.
WITNESSETH MY HAND AND SEAL, this 8th day of January 2002.
v'm96-‘2----
Armando Chapa
City Secretary
SEAL
1 T-
MINUTES
JOINT MEETING OF THE
CORPUS CHRISTI CITY COUNCIL AND
CRIME CONTROL AND PREVENTION DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
December 18, 2001 - 12:07 p.m.
CITY COUNCIL
Mayor Samuel L. Neal Jr.
Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Noyola
Brent Chesney*
Javier Colmenero
Henry Garrett
Bill Kelly
Rex Kinnison
Mark Scott*
City Staff Present
City Manager David R. Garcia
City Attorney James R. Bray Jr.
City Secretary Armando Chapa
Police Chief Pete Alvarez
Police Cmdr. Bryan Smith
Recording Secretary Rachelle P. Ramon
CRIME CONTROL DISTRICT BOARD
Linda Bridges, President
Vicky Alexander
Larry Baker
W.L. Hermis
Danny Mora*
Butch Pool*
Rose Marie Soto
Isaac Valencia
ABSENT
John Longoria (City Council)
John Heldenfels (Crime Control)
Mayor Neal called the meeting to order in the Basement Training Room of City Hall. City
Secretary Chapa checked the roll and verified that quorums of both the Council and the Crime
Control Board were present to conduct the meeting.
Ms. Bridges said the board provided the Council with a resolution they passed on November
28, 2001 reflecting the board's unanimous support for a 10 -year renewal of the Crime Control and
Prevention District. She said the board is asking that the Council place that referendum on the
November 2002 ballot. She said in January 2002, the board members will begin meeting with service
clubs and organizations to educate the community about the district's accomplishments. She said
another idea is to identify patrol cars that have been purchased with district funds.
*Council Members Chesney and Scott and Board Member Mora arrived at approximately
12:10 p.m. Mr. Pool arrived at approximately 12:15 p.m.
Police Commander Bryan Smith, Crime Control District Coordinator, gave the quarterly
update of the district's efforts. He said the Police Department is currently fully staffed with 397
officers paid for through the General Fund and 40 through the Crime Control District (CCD). In
April 2002 there will be another police academy with 10 officers to compensate for attrition and the
last 10 CCD officers for a total of 50 funded by the district. Cmdr. Smith noted that it takes 13
months to approve, hire and train police officers. He added that Corpus Christi has the top police
academy in the state. Council Member Garrett pointed out that it is very difficult to hire qualified
Minutes - Joint Meeting
December 18, 2001
Page 2
officers. Cmdr. Smith agreed, saying that the city starts with 700 to 750 applicants in order to get 20
members of the academy.
Cmdr. Smith also discussed the directed patrol program and neighborhood clean-ups on the
following streets and neighborhoods: Main, San Juan, Cynthia, Wynn Seale, Mary, and Marguerite.
He said the CCD purchased 20 radars as well as Nextel phones and a community policing vehicle.
Ms. Mariah Boone, Director of the Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC), said their staff has
provided assessment and comprehensive case management to almost 2,000 at -risk youth and their
families since the center opened in September 1999. She said that in over 88% of those cases, they
were able to break the cycle of delinquency, which has gained the attention of the Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention in Washington, D.C. She said the center obtained a Title V
delinquency prevention federal grant which provided funds to hire a municipal juvenile judge and
four additional JAC case managers. Ms. Boone further described the progress of the municipal
juvenile court, which has already cleared its backlog, and she replied to Council members' questions.
Cmdr. Smith then showed a video presentation entitled "Keeping the Promise" about the
accomplishments of the CCD thus far. Ms. Bridges said public opinion about the district's efforts
has been basically positive but the board feels there is still not a clear understanding of the district's
scope. A discussion ensued about the issue of crime rates and specific actions of the directed patrol
program. Cmdr. Smith pointed out that directed patrol officers work closely with city departments
such as Code Enforcement.
There was also discussion about the November 2002 election. Council Member Kinnison
requested a time line of events that need to occur with regard to the CCD prior to the election. He
added that the Council used to receive copies of the minutes from the board's meetings and he asked
that they again be provided.
Responding to Mayor Neal, Ms. Bridges said the board feels there are two phases prior to the
election --educating the public about the CCD and coordinating the campaign elements. Mr. Garrett
asked about support personnel. Police Chief Alvarez replied that additional support personnel were
hired but those positions were cut due to budget constraints. Cmdr. Smith also discussed efforts to
address crime at the middle school level, including moving the DARE program from the fifth to the
sixth grades and establishing Campus Crime Stoppers programs in middle schools. He added that
the school district police departments work closely with the city's police department.
There being no other business, Mayor Neal adjourned the joint meeting at 1:00 p.m. on
December 18, 2001.
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