* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:02] OKAY. [Civil Service on May 5, 2026.] UH, GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. THIS IS THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE CIVIL SERVICE BOARD SCHEDULED FOR TODAY, MAY 5TH, 2026. THE TIME IS NOW 9:34 AM I'M CALLING THE MEETING TO ORDER. UH, MR. CASTO, DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC SPEAKERS? NO. OKAY. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES, APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE MARCH 3RD, 2026, REGULAR CIVIL SERVICE BOARD MEETING. ONE. JUST ASK IF HE MAY, ANY QUESTIONS FIRST? ANY BOARD MEMBERS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS WITH THE MINUTES? NONE. NO. OKAY. HEARING NONE, MR. BERG CONCERN MOVED. MOVE. MS. GERBER HAS NO FURTHER APPROVAL OF MINUTES. IS THERE A SECOND TO THAT? SECOND. MS. SPEAR HAS SECOND TO THAT MOTION. ANY DISCUSSION ON THE MOTION? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVAL OF MINUTES. AND THE MARCH 3RD, 2026 LETTER. SO, SERVE BOARD MEETING. RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND OR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OBJECTIONS? HEARING NONE. THE MATTER PASSES SIX TO ZERO. OUR MAJOR ITEM WILL BE DO TODAY AT THE HEARING. UH, IT'LL CONDUCT GRIEVANCE OF APPEAL HEARING TO RICKY SCOTT, IN WHICH HE CLAIMS THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT VIOLATED CITY OF DALLAS PERSONNEL RULE 34 DASH 38 4 A AND DISCRIMINATED AGAINST HIM BY NOT PROMOTING HIM FROM THE 2024 DEFENDANT PROMOTIONAL ELIGIBILITY LIST BECAUSE OF A DISABILITY. UH, ARNIE'S RIGHT HERE. IS EVERYBODY READY TO GO FORWARD? YES, SIR. OKAY. BEFORE WE GO, WE START THE PROCESS OF, UH, SWEARING IN WITNESS. SO BOTH RULE, IS THERE ANYTHING WE NEED TO ADDRESS BEFOREHAND IN TERMS OF EVIDENCE, IN TERMS OF OTHER ISSUES, ? NOT THAT I'M AWARE. OKAY. DO YOU WANT TO DO BOTH PARTIES WANTS TO MOVE THE ADMISSION OF THE, OF THE EXHIBITS THAT THEY'VE PROVIDED TO THE, TO THE BOARD? YES. YES. OKAY. ANY OBJECTIONS TO THE OTHERS' EXHIBITS? NO. NO. OKAY. THE EXHIBITS ARE FOR BOTH PARTIES ARE ADMITTED. UM, I THINK AT THIS POINT IN TIME, I ASSUME YOU LOOK THE RULE. YES. OKAY. UH, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE A WITNESS HERE, THE RULE HAS BEEN INVOKED. THAT MEANS THAT, UH, YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO BE IN HERE DURING THE COURSE OF TESTIMONY, AND YOU WILL ALSO ARE NOT PERMISSED TO SPEAK WITH ONE ANOTHER ABOUT TESTIMONY THAT YOU MAY GIVE TO DISCUSS, BUT POTENTIAL TEST TESTIMONY FOR ANYTHING WHEN YOU'RE OUT OF THE HALL, WHEREVER YOU MAY BE INTO YOUR CALL TO TESTIFY. SO THE RULE HAS BEEN INVOKED. AND FOR THOSE I, I ASSUME, I DON'T KNOW WHO ALL THE WITNESS OR NOT, WE CAN SWEAR THEM IN RIGHT NOW IF WE, IF YOU WOULD LIKE. SO ANYBODY WHO'S A WITNESS, AND OBVIOUSLY MR. SCOTT, YOU GET TO STAY IN FOR EVERYTHING. THAT'S NOT A PROBLEM. SO FOR THE WITNESSES HERE, WE, IF YOU WOULD STAND, WE CAN SWEAR YOU. OKAY. I RAISE YOUR HAND. DO YOU SWEAR OR AFFIRM THAT THE TESTIMONY YOU GIVE WILL BE THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH? I DO. YES. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT I DON'T KNOW WHO, WHO'S GONNA BE THE FIRST WITNESSES? I DON'T KNOW IF ALL WOULD YOU, YOU'LL START THOUGH, MS. MARTIN. I BELIEVE THAT, SORRY. BECAUSE HE HAS THE BURDEN. UH, RIGHT. UM, I JUST DO WANNA SAY, UH, MR. CASTANO, I THINK I'VE TOLD ALL MY WITNESSES WHO ARE ON WEBEX THAT THEY DO NOT NEED TO PARTICIPATE. OR IS, IS THIS THE FULL PEN? I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THERE'S NOT SOMEBODY THERE. UH, YES. OKAY. THAT'S ALL THAT HAVE. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I DIDN'T HAVE WITNESSES THAT WERE OKAY. OKAY. AND THESE WITNESSES HERE, UM, I, I, I, NONE OF THOSE ARE MY WITNESSES. OKAY. WE'LL HAVE TO HAVE THEM LEAVE THE ROOM WHEN WE START THE TESTIMONY. YES. OKAY. YOU DON'T RIGHT OUTSIDE. , PLEASE. YOU BACK. . OKAY. THANK YOU. WASN'T SURE WHERE WE WERE GOING FOR A MINUTE. . OKAY. OKAY. DO YOU WISH TO DO ALL OPENING STATEMENTS? YES. OKAY. PLEASE PROCEED. UM, YOU, I GUESS YOU HAVE THE BURDEN OF THIS. YES, SIR. YES. WILL YOU GO FIRST? YES. UH, THANK YOU, UH, TO ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE TRIAL COURT THAT ARE HERE TODAY. AM I SPEAKING LOUD ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE TO HEAR ME ON THE, UH, I THINK IN THE ROOM IS FINE. UH, HOPE EVERYONE CAN HEAR ME OKAY. BOARD MEMBERS. CAN YOU HEAR MR. SNYDER? OKAY. OKAY. YEAH. OKAY. IF YOU, IF THERE'S EVER AN ISSUE, RAISE YOUR HAND OR SOMETHING TO GET OUR ATTENTION, WE WILL, WE [00:05:01] WILL CERTAINLY, UH, TRY TO ADDRESS IT. CONCERNED YOU HAVE, AND THANK YOU ALL. OKAY, MR. STEINER. THANK YOU. SO, I'M HERE. I'M REPRESENTING DALLAS POLICE SERGEANT RICKY SCOTT TODAY, AND ONCE YOU WILL HEAR TODAY, IT'S GONNA, THE TESTIMONY YOU'RE GONNA SEE EVIDENCE ABOUT, UH, SOME, ABOUT, IT'S GONNA BE ABOUT THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT'S, UH, POLICY ON LIGHT DUTY OFFICERS. OKAY? THERE'S, UH, IT'S A TERM WITHIN THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT. IT'S IN, IN THE DALLAS POLICE GENERAL ORDERS, WHICH ARE IN MY EXHIBITS. UH, THAT ESTABLISHED ABOUT A QUARTER CENTURY AGO. IT ESTABLISHED THIS PERMANENT LIGHT DUTY PROGRAM. UH, THIS WAS ESTABLISHED AS PART OF A SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT FOR A FEDERAL LAWSUIT, UH, THAT ALLOWED OFFICERS THAT WERE PERMANENTLY, PERMANENTLY DISABLED FROM DOING PATROL FUNCTIONS TO REMAIN WITHIN THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT. SO, AS A RESULT OF THE SETTLEMENT THAT WAS ENTERED INTO BY THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT, UH, SOME DALLAS POLICE OFFICERS AND THE DALLAS POLICE ASSOCIATION ESTABLISHED THIS LIGHT DUTY PROGRAM. AND SERGEANT RICKY SCOTT WAS ONE OF THE LIFE DUTY OFFICERS. HE WAS INJURED, UH, AND, UH, HE WAS IN THE PERMANENT LIFE DUTY PROGRAM. NOW, IN, UH, IN, UH, HE'S GOT THE RANK OF SERGEANT RICK. HE TESTED FOR THE RANK OF LIEUTENANT. HE PASSED THE EXAMINER. HE ENDED UP ON THE PROMOTIONAL LIST, AND THE, HE WAS SITUATED ON THE LIST IN A POSITION WHERE HE WAS EXPECTED TO BE PROMOTED. UM, THE PROMOTIONS BEGAN TAKING PLACE, AND AS HE ENDED UP AT ABOUT THE NUMBER ONE OR TWO POSITION ON THE LIST, AFTER SUBSEQUENT PROMOTIONS, THE DEPARTMENT STOPPED PROMOTING PEOPLE. AND WE BELIEVE, AND WE INTEND TO PROVE THAT IT WAS BECAUSE OF HIS, LIKE DUTY STATUS. AND THIS IS DISCRIMINATION AGAINST HIM BASED OFF OF HIS DISABILITY. SO WHAT YOU WILL FIND OUT TODAY IS THAT LAST YEAR IN 2025, THIS WAS DURING THE TIME THAT RICKY SCOTT WAS ON THE PROMOTIONAL LIST, THAT THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT DECIDED THEY WEREN'T GOING TO PROMOTE OFFICERS WHO WERE LIGHT DUTY. UM, THEY WERE, THEY JUST, THE, THE DECISION WAS MADE. IF A, IF A LIGHT DUTY OFFICER WAS ON PRO PROMOTION, THEY WEREN'T GONNA BE TOLD UNLESS IF YOU REMAIN LIGHT DUTY, YOU CANNOT PROMOTE. NOW, WHAT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT DID IS THEY ACTUALLY INFORMED TWO INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE TO BE PROMOTED OF THAT. THAT HAPPENED LAST SUMMER. THIS WAS BEFORE. THIS WAS WHILE THE PROMOTIONAL LIST THAT RICKY SCOTT WAS ON WAS STILL EFFECTIVE. NOW, ONCE THEY TOLD THESE TWO, UH, DALLAS POLICE OFFICERS, THEY COULD NOT PROMOTE TO A SUPERVISORY RANK BECAUSE OF THEIR LIFE DUTY AS ASSIGNMENT. UH, THAT GOT RECTIFIED, UH, BECAUSE OF THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT THAT WAS IN PLACE. NOW, UM, WHAT THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT LEARNED FROM THAT, WE BELIEVE IS THEY LEARNED, WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TOLD THEM WHY WE'RE NOT PROMOTING THEM. SO WHEN IT CAME TIME FOR RICKY SCOTT TO BE PROMOTED, THEY DIDN'T MAKE THE STATE SAME MISTAKE TWICE. THEY DIDN'T TELL HIM WHY THEY WERE PROMOTING HIM. THEY DIDN'T CALL HIM INTO THE OFFICE AS THEY DID TO TWO PREVIOUS, UH, INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE PROMOTING TO A SUPERVISORY RATE TO TELL THEM WHY THEY WERE PROMOTING. INSTEAD, THEY SIMPLY STOPPED PROMOTING OFF OF THE LIST, EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD NUMEROUS POSITIONS TO PROMOTE, UH, IN THE, BUT THEY STOPPED PROMOTING HIM, AND THEY LET, LET HIS LIST EXPIRE DIE. AND THEN AFTER HIS LIST EXPIRED, THEY THEN PROMOTED INDIVIDUALS BASED OFF OF THE NEXT LIST THAT CAME OUT THAT HE WAS NOT A PART OF. UH, AND YOU WILL SEE THAT, YOU WILL SEE THAT AT THE TIME OF THE, OF RICKY SCOTT'S PROMOTION, THE LIST, UH, WHEN IT, WHEN IT WAS EFFECTIVE, THERE WERE EFFECTIVELY NINE POSITIONS THAT HE COULD HAVE TAKEN, BECAUSE THE DOCUMENTS ARE GOING TO SHOW, THE STRENGTH REPORT REFLECTS THAT THERE WERE SIX VACANT LIEUTENANT POSITIONS. AGAIN, HE WAS NUMBER ONE OR TWO ON THE PROMOTIONAL LIST. AND THEY HAVE SIX VACANCIES FOR LIEUTENANT, AND THEY HAVE TWO FOR MAJOR, AND THEY HAVE TWO FOR DEPUTY CHIEF. [00:10:01] AND I THINK WHAT THE, YOU'LL, YOU'LL NOTE FROM THE TESTIMONY IS, IS THAT WHEN THEY PROMOTE A DEPUTY CHIEF, THEY'RE, THEY'RE CREATING A VACANCY FOR MAJOR, AND THEN WHEN THEY PROMOTE TO MAJOR, THEY CREATE A VACANCY FOR LIEUTENANTS. SO THERE'S THIS RIPPLING EFFECT. SO WHEN YOU HAVE ONE VACANCY FOR DEPUTY CHIEF, YOU HAVE TWO VACANCIES FOR MAJOR, AND YOU HAVE SIX VACANCIES FOR LIEUTENANT IN OCTOBER OF 2025. THAT MEANS THERE'S EIGHT POSSIBLE POSITIONS FOR LIEUTENANT. AND RICKY SCOTT WAS, AGAIN, NUMBER ONE OR TWO ON THE LIST TO PROMOTE. BUT INSTEAD OF FILL THE FILLING THOSE VACANCIES THE DEPARTMENT DIDN'T PROMOTE. AND THEY DIDN'T PROMOTE BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T WANT RICKY SCOTT, A LIGHT DUTY OFFICER TO BE PROMOTED TO LIEUTENANT. AND THEY SHOWED THAT. BUT WHAT THEY DID BEFORE, AND THEY SHOWED THAT SINCE. ANOTHER THING THIS, UH, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT TODAY IS AFTER RICKY SCOTT'S PROMOTIONAL LIST EXPIRED IN OCTOBER, IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR, THE CITY STATED THEIR INTENT TO CANCEL, UH, TO TRY TO TERMINATE THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT. THEY CREATED THE LIVE DUTY PROGRAM. SO THE CITY'S HOSTILITY TOWARD THE PROGRAM IS EVIDENT. IT'S EVIDENT IN NOT TELLING THE OTHER TWO OFFICERS THAT THEY WERE GOING TO PROMOTE THEM. IT'S EVIDENT IN NOT PROMOTING RICKY SCOTT, EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE, UH, SIX LIEUTENANT VACANCIES, TWO MAJOR VACANCIES IN ONE DEPUTY CHIEF VACANCY. AND THEN THEY MADE IT ABUNDANTLY CLEAR WHEN THEY WROTE A LETTER TO THE DALLAS POLICE ASSOCIATION SAYING, WE'RE GOING TO TERMINATE THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT THAT ESTABLISHED THE LIGHT DUTY PROGRAM. SO I THINK THAT THE EVIDENCE IS VERY CONVINCING. IT'S OVERWHELMING OF THE, WHAT THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT INTENDED TO DO. THEY INTEND NOT TO PROMOTE OFFICERS WHO ARE LIGHT DUTY. THEY DID IT. THEY TRIED IT BEFORE THEY DID IT WITH RICKY SCOTT, AND THEY'RE TELLING EVERYONE THAT THEY'RE GONNA DO IT AGAIN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. MR. MARTIN. THANK YOU. UH, MR. CHAIR. UH, THIS IS A PRETTY SIMPLE MATTER. I KNOW WE JUST ASKED THE CIVIL SERVICE BOARD TO FOCUS ON THE ACTUAL QUESTION PRESENTED BEFORE THEM, WHICH IS, WAS HE MR. SC, SERGEANT SCOTT NOT PROMOTED BECAUSE OF DIS BECAUSE OF DISCRIMINATION DUE TO HIS DISABILITY? HE WAS NOT AS, I KNOW THAT MOST OF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THIS, BUT IT'S IN THE CIVIL SERVICE RULES AS EXHIBIT FIVE CITY'S EXHIBITS. SERGEANTS WILL TAKE A TEST FOR THE LIEUTENANT PROMOTIONAL ABILITY BASED ON YOUR PERFORMANCE ON THE TEST. YOU WERE PUT ON A LIST WITH THE NUMERICAL SCORE. SERGEANT SCOTT WAS 29TH ON THAT LIST DURING THAT PROMOTIONAL PERIOD. DURING THAT, UH, UH, APPROXIMATELY 18 MONTHS, THEY PROMOTED 27 LIEUTENANTS. SO THERE WERE TWO THAT, YOU KNOW, HE WAS, HE WAS, HE WAS SECOND IN LINE. THIS IS THE THIRD APPEAL I'VE DONE FOR PEOPLE WHO WERE DUE UP TO BE PROMOTED. AND THAT'S JUST WHEN THE LIST EXPIRED. THE LAST PROMOTIONS HAPPENED ON OCTOBER 3RD, 2025. THAT LIST EXPIRED OCTOBER 12TH, 2025. NOBODY WAS PROMOTED IN THAT PERIOD. NOBODY WAS PROMOTED. THAT WAS LOWER ON THE LIST THAN HIM. AND THE NEXT PROMOTIONAL ROUND ACTUALLY DIDN'T OCCUR UNTIL FEBRUARY OF THE NEXT YEAR. HE WAS NOT SKIPPED OVER. HE WAS JUST SIMPLY THE NEEDS OF THE DEPARTMENT DID NOT REQUIRE A LIEUTENANT TO BE PROMOTED DURING THAT PERIOD. DURING THAT, THAT LIST, HE WAS 29TH OF THE LIST AS WE DISCUSSED. AND MR. SO DISCUSSED LAST APPEAL THAT A FEW MONTHS AGO, THE IDEA THAT THESE LISTS EXPIRE FOR A REASON. THEY DON'T WANNA BECOME WHAT THE FORM CALLS A STALE. WE WANNA HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE, HAVE THE HIGHEST RATINGS TO BE ABLE TO BE PROMOTED TO THOSE POSITIONS. HE WAS NOW SKIPPED OVER FOR A DISABILITY. MR. SNYDER DISCUSSED, UH, A LOT ABOUT SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT OR TWO OTHER PEOPLE WHO WERE PROMOTED SOMEHOW AS EVIDENCE OF DISCRIMINATION. THAT'S ALL IRRELEVANT TO MR. SCOTT. WAS HE SKIPPED OVER? NO. WAS ANYBODY BELOW HIM PROMOTED? NO. WAS HE EVER PRESENTED TO THE CHIEF TO BE PROMOTED? NO. THE NEXT LIST THAT OCCURRED, THAT'S WHEN THE NEXT PROMOTIONS OCCURRED. MONTHS AND MONTHS LATER, THERE WAS NO DISCRIMINATION. HERE THEY HAVE THE BURDEN TO SHOW THAT THERE WAS 'CAUSE OF A DISABILITY. THERE. YOU WILL SEE THE EVIDENCE THAT THERE HAS NEVER BEEN UNDER CHIEF CUOMO'S WATCH A PERSON SKIPPED OVER PROMOTION BECAUSE OF A DISABILITY. AND I THINK THAT IT SAYS IT ALL, THAT'S NOT A COMPLICATED MATTER. I THINK THAT ANY EFFORT TO MAKE IT COMPLICATED IS A LITTLE BIT OF A SMOKE SCREEN. WAS HE PASSED OVER? NO, HE WAS JUST SECOND ON THE LIST WHEN IT EXPIRED. AND THAT UNFORTUNATELY, HE IS STILL ELIGIBLE DETECTIVE TEST AND COULD [00:15:01] BE ON THE NEXT LIST. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, THAT LIST EXPIRED AT THE TIME WHERE HE WAS STILL, THERE WAS ONE PERSON ABOVE HIM. AND THEN IT, THE LIST EXPIRED BEFORE NEW PROMOTIONS WERE NECESSARY. I DO WANNA MAKE CLEAR MR. STEINER REFERRED TO VACANCIES. UH, IN TERMS OF POSITIONS, THESE ARE NOT VACANCIES. THE THE POSITIONS MIGHT BE CREATED AND MIGHT BE, UM, AND, AND, BUT WE'LL HAVE TESTIMONY WITH REGARDS TO, THIS MIGHT BE CREATED WITH REGARDS TO THE BUDGETING OFFICE, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THERE'S A NEED THERE. IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT NEEDS TO BE FILLED. IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THERE IS A LIEUTENANT, WHICH HAS TO BE WHO, WHO IS OVER A UNIT. THERE IS NO UNIT FOR A LIEUTENANT TO BE OVER, THEN THERE'S NOT GONNA BE A PROMOTION THERE. UH, AND SO THERE'LL BE TESTIMONY JUST WITH REGARDS TO THE BUDGET OFFICE CREATING AND WHAT'S REFERRED AS PM NUMBER FOR POSITION. THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT'S VACANT AND IT DOESN'T MEAN IT NEEDS TO BE FILLED. AND SO I THINK THAT THE, THE TESTIMONY WAS SHOWN HERE. I I WOULD ASK YOU JUST TO ANY TALK OF SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT OR, YOU KNOW, THESE OTHER PEOPLE THAT WERE PROMOTED FOCUS ON THE QUESTION AT HAND, WAS HE PASSED OVER BECAUSE OF DISCRIMINATION PERIOD OR DISABILITY? AND I THINK THE ANSWER WILL BE CLEAR THAT IT'S, THE ANSWER IS NO. THANK YOU, MR. MARTIN. I FORGOT I ASKED ONE QUESTION SINCE THIS IS GONNA BE OPEN OR CLOSED FOR PURPOSE OF THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT, THIS HEARING, FORGOT TO ASK THAT QUESTION. OPEN. OPEN. OKAY. WE GET THE DELIBERATION. I'LL ASK THE SAME QUESTION. OKAY. MR. STEINER, YOUR FIRST WITNESS? , PLEASE. OKAY. WE GIVE A CALL. OKAY. SO THIS IS BEATRICE . WHERE DO WE WOULD HAVE TO SWEAR HER, CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT, YES. OKAY. HEY, RIZ, UH, YOU'RE UP IF YOU WANNA JOIN THE MEETING. THANK YOU. I'M JUST SAYING IT MIGHT BE, ESPECIALLY IF THERE'VE BEEN A DVD HEADQUARTERS SOLVE. LET ME ASK STATEMENT, THE QUESTION. SAW THE PAPERWORK 300 AND SOME PAGES. WHERE IS THE, WHERE IS THE PAGE FOUR? IS IT EXHIBIT AND YOUR WIFE BY YOUR NOTEBOOK? AND THAT THE CHAIR'S GONNA BE PAST, UM, TAB NUMBER TWO. TAB TWO. OKAY. THANK YOU. OH, THERE. OKAY. THANK YOU. 22 PAGES. YOU DID NOT, I DID. MR. CHAIR, UH, JUST TO MAKE SURE THE BOARD MEMBERS REMOTELY COPY THE STATEMENT OF QUESTIONS. THEY, THEY'VE RECEIVED ALL THE PAPERWORK, CORRECT? YEAH. SUBMITTED WITH ALL OF THE, THOSE 300 PAGES THERE. IF I SAW ON THE GLASS, I WROTE IT. JUST FORGET WHAT PAGE IT WAS. [00:20:05] BEATRICE, CAN, UH, YOU HEAR US? YES, I CAN HEAR YOU. UH, FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE MEMBERS WHO ARE REMOTE, CAN YOU HEAR BEATRICE? YES. MS. ALVAREZ, I'M OVER HERE. . I'M TERRY. WELCOME TO CHAIR THE CIVIL SEARCH BOARD. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY. AT THIS POINT IN TIME, WE'RE ASKING YOU TO BE SWORN IN BY A COURT REPORTER WHO'S HERE IN THE ROOM WITH US. ALL RIGHT. UH, MS. ALVAREZ, WILL YOU, UH, RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND PLEASE? DO YOU SWEAR OR AFFIRM THAT THE TESTIMONY YOU GIVE WILL BE THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH? YES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, MS. OLIVER. OKAY, PROCEED. GOOD MORNING. UH, MS. ALVAREZ, I'M JOHN SNYDER, REPRESENTING RICKY SCOTT, TODAY'S HEARING, UM, I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS FOR YOU. CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOUR POSITION IS WITH SIDNEY? DO? UM, MY NAME IS BEATRICE ALVAR AND I WORK HERE WITH EMPLOYEE RELATIONS, UM, WITH THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT AND PERSONNEL SERVICES UNIT. ARE YOU A MANAGER? YES. MANAGER. AND FOR THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT? YES, SIR. ALRIGHT. SO WHAT IS YOUR INVOLVEMENT WITH, UH, WITH PROMOTIONS WITHIN THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT? SO I AM, UM, THE MANAGER, UM, UNDER ME IS ANOTHER SUPERVISOR WHO'S OVER SPECIAL RESEARCH UNIT. SPECIAL RESEARCH UNIT IS OVER THE PROMOTIONS FOR THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT. OKAY, HOLD ON. SHE'S SAYING, UH, SOMETHING RE RE SOMETHING UNIT. I DON'T, I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THAT. SOMETHING RESEARCH UNIT, SPECIAL RESEARCH UNIT. SO OUR SPECIAL RESEARCH UNIT, UM, IS, UH, THE ONES WHO DO THE PROMOTIONS FOR THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT. THAT'S THE GROUP THAT, UH, WORKS ON THE PROMOTIONS. THANK YOU. SO THERE'S A GROUP THAT IS INVOLVED IN PROMOTIONS WITH THE DELTA POLICE DEPARTMENT, IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? THE SPECIAL RESEARCH AND THE ONE THAT IS OVER THE PROMOTIONS FROM THE GROUP IS, UH, NATALIE. NATALIE RAMIREZ. AND DOES MS. RAMIREZ WORK FOR YOU? YES, SIR. OKAY. AND WHERE IS YOUR OFFICE LOCATED? IS IT IN THE, IN THE HEADQUARTERS BUILDING? YES, SIR. IN THE SECOND FLOOR OF HEADQUARTERS AND PERSONNEL. ALRIGHT. SO I WANTED TO, UH, DO YOU HAVE ANY, UM, DO YOU REVIEW VACANCIES WITHIN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR DIFFERENT RANKS? YES, SIR. SO WE HAVE, UM, THE PM NUMBERS, RIGHT? UM, VACANCIES OF PM NUMBERS AND, UM, USUALLY, UM, WHEN THEY WANT TO DO PROMOTIONS, YOU KNOW, WE GO AND GIVE THOSE VACANCY NUMBERS TO, UM, CHIEF'S OFFICE. YOU SAID WHEN THEY WANT TO DO PROMOTIONS, YOU ISSUE PM NUMBERS, IS THAT RIGHT? NO. SO THEY NEED, THE PM NUMBERS ARE VACANT, SIR. SO WE JUST RUN A LIST TO SEE WHAT OUR NUMBERS ARE, VACANT NUMBERS ARE. OKAY. SO I'M TALKING WE'RE, I, I THINK WE'RE TALKING, ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THE STRENGTH REPORT WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT VACANCIES? IS THAT RIGHT? YES, SIR. OUR STRENGTH REPORTING VACANCIES. OKAY. SO HOW OFTEN IS THE STRENGTH REPORT SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE INVOLVED IN? UM, YES. PERSONNEL, OUR TEAM. SO, UH, WE KNOW ABOUT THE, THE PM NUMBERS, UH, ABOUT THE STRENGTH REPORTING. YES. WE'RE KNOWLEDGEABLE OF THAT. SO A STRENGTH REPORT, DOES THAT SHOW ALL POLICE OFF OR ALL SWORN PERSONNEL WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT? YES. UH, AND, AND DOES IT SHOW THEIR RANKS? YES, SIR. DOES IT ALSO SHOW VACANT POSITIONS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT AND THE RANK WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT THAT'S VACANT? UM, YES, SIR. AND IT ALSO, WHAT IS AN ORG CODE? AN ORG? UM, SO WE HAVE, UM, DIFFERENT ORGS THROUGHOUT THE DEPARTMENT. UM, SO USUALLY, WELL, WE HAVE A VACANCY. UM, WE DON'T HAVE AN ACTUAL STRENGTH IN EACH DEPARTMENT, BUT WE DO HAVE VACANCIES. OKAY. UM, [00:25:01] SO IN THE STRENGTH REPORT, IT'S, IT'S MEANT TO GENERATE A REPORT OF THE POSITIONS THAT ARE FILLED AS WELL AS VACANT POSITIONS. IS THAT RIGHT? YES, SIR. AND IS IT, IS IT YOUR JOB TO MAKE SURE THAT THE STRENGTH REPORT IS ACCURATE? UM, YES. IT'S MY UNIT, MY PAYROLL UNIT. DOES THE STRENGTH QUOTE, DOES THE STRENGTH REPORT INCLUDE, UH, FICTITIOUS POSITIONS? UH, WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT? WELL, SO THE STRENGTH REPORT SHOWS POSITIONS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT, WHETHER THEY'RE FILLED OR NOT, RIGHT? MM-HMM . IS THERE ANY, ANYTHING ON THE STRENGTH REPORT THAT IS JUST MADE UP? NO. SO I WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT, UM, THE LIGHT DUTY PROGRAM OKAY. WITHIN THE DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT. ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT? YES, SIR. OKAY. SO DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE SOME OFFICERS, SWORN OFFICERS, NOT NECESSARILY POLICE OFFICERS, BUT VARYING RANKS THAT ARE SWORN PERSONNEL THAT ARE PART OF THIS LIGHT DUTY PROGRAM. DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? YES, SIR. AND DO YOU RECALL LAST YEAR, UH, DURING THE SUMMER PROMOTIONS THAT WERE TAKING PLACE FOR THE RANK OF SERGEANT? DO YOU REMEMBER THAT? YES, SIR. SO I WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT, UH, A SENIOR CORPORAL THAT WAS PROMOTING TO SERGEANT NAME JESSICA FIDDLE. DO YOU REMEMBER THAT? SENIOR CORPORAL? YES, SIR. DID YOU, DID YOU HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH, UH, SENIOR CORPORAL FLL WHERE YOU TOLD HER THAT SHE WOULD NOT BE PROMOTING? NO, I HAD A CONVERSATION. I DON'T RECALL SAYING THAT. UM, I DO REMEMBER CALLING HER IN TO MY OFFICE TO TALK TO HER ABOUT THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS THAT SHE DID SIGN OFF ON. AND CHIEF HAD QUESTIONS. UM, SHE SIGNED AN ESSENTIAL FUNCTION SAYING THAT SHE CAN PERFORM. RIGHT. UM, THERE'S TWO TABS ON THERE. ONE OF THEM IS, UM, IF YOU'RE ABLE TO PERFORM, AND THE OTHER ONE IS, SAYS THAT YOU, I'M SORRY, LET ME GET THAT FORM OUT. UH, MS. ALVAREZ, PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T LOOK AT ANY DOCUMENTS THAT, UH, ARE NOT PRESENTED FOR YOU. SO I DID CALL MS. JESSICA 'CAUSE THERE WAS QUESTIONS, UM, RIGHT, IF SHE WAS ABLE TO PERFORM. I ASKED THE QUESTIONS. UM, I DID, UH, LET THE CHIEF KNOW, AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, CHIEF DECIDED TO PROMOTE HER. OKAY. SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTION. SO ARE YOU SAYING THAT, UH, IT, SO, UH, SENIOR CORPORAL FEAL NOW, SERGEANT FEAL, HAD INDICATED THAT SHE COULD NOT PERFORM ALL THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE PATROL, CORRECT? NO. SHE INDICATED THAT SHE COULD, THAT SHE COULD CORRECT SHE, THAT, THAT SHE COULD DO. OKAY. IS THAT WHAT YOU SAID? YES, SIR. SHE CALL HER IN. IF SHE INDICATED SHE COULD PERFORM ALL THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS, WHY DID YOU CALL HER IN TO YOUR OFFICE? YES. SO SHE JUST HAD QUESTIONS THAT IF SHE WAS, UM, ABLE TO PERFORM ALL THIS, WE TALKED ABOUT IT, ME AND HER TALKED ABOUT IT. UM, AND I WENT BACK AND TOLD THE CHIEF LIKE, UM, WHATEVER WE HAD DISCUSSED, AND THE CHIEF AT THE END OF THE DAY DECIDED TO PROMOTE HER. DID YOU TELL HER SHE WASN'T PROMOTING BECAUSE OF THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS? I DON'T RECALL STATING THAT YOU CALLED HER IN. YOU HAD A CONVERSATION WITH HER WHEN SHE LEFT THAT MEETING. DID SHE, DID YOU, HAD YOU, HAD YOU GIVEN, GIVEN HER WHAT YOU SAID TO HER, LED HER TO BELIEVE SHE WANTS TO BE PROMOTED? THAT CORRECT? UM, NO. I, AT THE END OF THE DAY, I TOLD HER THAT IT WILL BE THE CHIEF'S DECISION AND WE'LL GET BACK WITH HER. WHY? WHAT WOULD THE, WHAT DID THE CHIEF NEED TO DECIDE? UH, I GUESS ABOUT THE PROMOTION, I ASKED THE QUESTIONS, WENT BACK, I ASKED MREL THE QUESTIONS, AND I WENT BACK AND TOLD THE CHIEF. AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, CHIEF SAYS THAT HE WAS DECIDING TO PROMOTE HER. I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT YOUR CONVERSATION WITH . REMEMBER THAT ONE SENIOR CORPORAL THAT WAS PROMOTED SERGEANT? WELL, [00:30:01] I COULDN'T HEAR, SIR. I'M SORRY. CAN YOU HEAR ME? UH, WHAT ABOUT YOUR CONVERSATION WITH ANOTHER SENIOR CORPORAL THAT WAS SLATED TO PROMOTE TO SERGEANT NAMED MARIA TORRES? DO YOU REMEMBER THAT? YES, SIR. YOU HAD CONVERSATION? I'M SORRY, WHAT? YES, SIR. IT WAS, UM, MS. JESSICA FMO AND MS. MARIA TORRES. BUT YOU DIDN'T SPEAK TO THEM AT THE SAME TIME, RIGHT? NO, SIR. SO YOU CALLED MS. TOR, UH, SENIOR CORPORAL TORRES INTO YOUR OFFICE TOO? YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT. AND WHAT DID YOU TELL SENIOR CORPORAL TORRES ABOUT HER PROMOTION? UH, IT WAS ALSO TO TALK ABOUT THE, THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS. UM, SHE AS WELL HAD CHECKED THAT SHE COULD PERFORM ALL. SO, UH, I CONVERSATED WITH HER. AND IT WAS THE SAME THING AS MS. VENMO WENT BACK AND TOLD THE CHIEF AND CHIEF DECIDED TO PROMOTE BOTH OF THEM. WELL, WHAT DID, WHAT DID YOU, WHAT WAS THE CONVERSATION ABOUT? YOU'RE SAYING THAT NOW FLORES TOLD YOU, OR, OR INDICATED ON THE PAPERWORK THAT SHE COULD PERFORM ALL THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS. IS THAT RIGHT? YES, SIR. AND WHAT DID YOU TELL HER? UH, WE SPOKE DID YOU QUESTION THAT? DID YOU QUESTION I'M THAT, DID YOU QUESTION HER ABOUT HER INDICATION THAT SHE COULD PERFORM ALL THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS? MR. CHAIR, AT A CERTAIN POINT, COULD WE ACTUALLY DISCUSS WITH RICK SCOTT? WELL, LET'S, LET'S, LET'S GO ON FROM THE TIME GAP OBJECTION. FROM THE TIME BEING, MAKE IT OKAY FOR THE RECORD? YES. OBJECTION. OKAY. UH, MS. ALVAREZ? YES, SIR. YOU SPOKE TO MS. TORRIN, YOU WERE QUESTIONING HER ABOUT HER INDICATION THAT SHE COULD PERFORM ALL THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS. IS THAT RIGHT? YES. SHE CHECKED THAT SHE COULD PERFORM AND I ASKED HER IF ANYTHING HAD CHANGED RIGHT IN HER CAPACITY, AND SHE SAID NO. SO I SAID, OKAY. AND THAT'S WHAT I WENT BACK AND TOLD, UH, CHIEF'S OFFICE. AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, CHIEF DECIDED TO PROMOTE BOTH OF THEM. WHY DID YOU CALL THOSE TWO INDIVIDUALS INTO YOUR OFFICE TO QUESTION THEM? UM, BOTH OF THOSE, UH, INDIVIDUALS ARE, UH, ON OUR PERMANENT LIGHT DUTY. SO THAT'S A DISCUSSION WE HAVE WHEN WE DOING PROMOTIONS. AND SINCE BOTH OF 'EM HAD CHECKED THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO PERFORM IN A FULL DUTY CAPACITY, UM, WE WEREN'T SURE IF SOMETHING HAD CHANGED IN THEIR CAPACITY. SO THAT'S WHY THEY WERE BROUGHT IN AFTER SPEAKING WITH THEM, NOTHING HAD CHANGED. THEY WERE STILL PERMANENT. AND THAT'S WHAT I WENT BACK AND TOLD CHIEF'S OFFICE AND CHIEF DECIDED TO PROMOTE MS. ALVAREZ. WERE ANYBODY PROMOTED BELOW THOSE INDIVIDUALS ON THAT LIST? YES. NO. I'M SORRY FOR THE LIST OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS, WERE THEY SKIPPED OVER AT ALL IN TERMS OF PROMOTION? NO. AND THEY WERE AND THEY ULTIMATELY WERE PROMOTED, CORRECT? CORRECT. I'LL PASS SCHNEIDER. ANYTHING FURTHER? NO. MS. ALVAREZ, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TESTIMONY TODAY. WE GREATLY APPRECIATE IT. YOU HAVE A GOOD DAY. THANK YOU. YEAH. , OTHER WITNESSES? OKAY, I THINK MAYBE IF WE CAN HAVE A SIGN, WHY DON'T WE TAKE A SHORT RECESS AND MR. , YOU CAN TRY TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE FOLKS. JUST LET US KNOW WHEN WE NEED TO. THANK YOU. WE'LL TAKE A FEW MINUTES HERE WHILE YOU CONTACT YOUR FOLKS. THANK YOU. WE'RE A SHORT RECESS WHILE THEY, UH, THEY'RE IN TOUCH WITH THE NEXT WITNESS. THANK YOU. TALK NINE 30. I WOULD, YEAH, I, I, IF, IF THE, IF CIVIL SERVICE BOARD AND MR. CIDER AND, UH, SERGEANT SCOTT ARE COACHABLE. NINE, I WOULD SAY LIKE MAYBE TRYING TO GET US STARTED A LITTLE EARLIER, JOHN, HOW THAT'S FINE BE I DON'T, EITHER WAY IS FINE, JARED, IT'S NOT A FINAL BECAUSE I JUST, SO MAYBE WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE LEEWAY TO AVOID THE SITUATION AGAIN. WELL, I MEAN, WHENEVER YOU CHIEF, YOU KNOW, THINGS HAPPEN. PLAN, WE, WE WILL, WE'LL DO WHAT WE CAN DO, BUT REALLY GOOD. IT LOOKS LIKE SLATED FOR MAY 20TH. AND THIS IS TENTATIVE PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT'S BRIEF TO COUNCIL. IT'S A BRIEFING DAY. YEAH. THE [00:35:01] STATUS OF CITY HALL. OKAY. AND EXECUTIVE SESSION MISSION. OKAY. THAT, THAT LOOKS PRETTY GOOD THEN. UM, CAN YOU ALL HEAR ME OKAY? WE RECORD? NO, NOT, NOT YET. UM, WE ARE HAVING AN ISSUE WITH THE CHIEF IS GONNA BE ATTENDING THE MEMORIAL SERVICE AND HE WILL BE OUT HERE IN ABOUT HALF AN HOUR. SO HE, WE HAVE, WE HAVE AN ISSUE WITH WITNESSES. WE'RE LOOKING AT RESETTING THIS UNTIL MAY 20TH, STARTING, STARTING AT 9:00 AM ARE, ARE, WE NEED TO HAVE A FORUM HERE, OF COURSE, THAT THIS WOULD BE A SPECIAL MEETING. UH, AND IT DOESN'T COUNT IF YOU CAN'T MAKE, IT DOESN'T COUNT AGAINST YOUR ATTENDANCE, BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT MAY 20TH AT 9:00 AM AND JUST WANT TO CHECK WITH YOU ALL, SEE HOW THAT WORKS WITH YOU BEFORE WE COMMIT TO ANYTHING. BOARD MEMBER. CHRIS, I'M GOOD ON MAY 20TH. GOOD. OH, HI, THIS IS BRIDGET MITCHELL. I'M GOOD AS OF TODAY ON MAY 20TH AT 9:00 AM OKAY. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . MS. PIER, I GOT YOU. YES, I THINK I'M, I'M GOOD. I, YES. OKAY. OKAY. SO LET'S GO BACK ON THE RECORD AND ANYONE REPORT ANYTHING? JUST, JUST, AGAIN, I, I APOLOGIZE, THIS WAS SO BIG THAT I WAS AWARE OF EARLIER. YOU JUST SCREWED UP ALL OUR AFTERNOONS, SO THAT'S OKAY. WE'RE BACK ON THE RECORD. THE TIME IS 10:31 AM AND WE'VE HAD SOME ISSUES IN DISCUSSION DURING A RECESS ABOUT SCHEDULING AND HAD SOME ISSUES WITH, UH, WITH WITNESSES APPEARING TODAY AT APPROPRIATE TIME. UH, THE BOARD IS GOING TO RECESS THIS HEARING UNTIL, OKAY. IT'S SO MAY 20TH, WHICH IS A WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY, MAY 20TH, 9:00 AM AND SO I REQUEST THAT FOR ATTORNEY, LET WEDNESDAY KNOW THAT WE'RE OFF DONE FOR TODAY. WE'LL BE BACK HERE AT 9:00 AM ON MAY 20TH. AND HERE TO REVIEW THE APPROPRIATE POSTINGS, ET CETERA, ARE THE APPROPRIATE POSTINGS. I JUST WOULD LIKE TO REMIND BOTH THE CITY AND THE APPELLANT THAT IT'S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO NOTIFY YOUR SUBPOENA WITNESSES OF THE CHANGE OF DATE, UM, AND TO CONFIRM WHAT VENUE THAT WE ARE SET FOR. AND SO WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE POST THAT, WE'LL LET YOU KNOW SO YOU CAN COMMUNICATE. THAT DOESN'T BOTHER SO NEAR PROXIMITY TO THE JUNE 2ND, GREG, SCHEDULE A MEETING. UM, I WILL ENDEAVOR TO BRING WHATEVER I WOULD HAVE FOR JUNE, THE MAYS MEETING AFTER ON THE BACKSIDE OF OUR HEARING. SO WOULD NOT REQUIRE US TO HAVE A, PERHAPS A JUNE REGULAR SCHEDULED MEETING UNLESS YOU ALL CAN OTHERWISE AND ADVISE ME DIFFERENTLY. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH THAT, GIVEN? JUST MY THOUGHTS ARE THAT IF WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA FINISH CONCLUDE OUR MEETING TODAY, WHICH WOULD BE SHORT REST OF OUR MEETING. I SEE NO POINT TO MEETING ON JUNE 2ND, AND THEN HAVE ME JUST TAKE CARE, MEET A SECOND. IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT COMES UP THAT WE'D ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO MEET, SO BE IT. RIGHT? WE DON'T HAVE TO, WE CAN, WE, IF WE NEED TO ASK HIM TO THE MAY 20TH AGENDA, WE COULD. I'LL DO THAT. UH, AND THAT'S ONLY TWO WEEKS AWAY. I DOUBT THERE'LL BE MUCH, BUT, UM, I SEE NO POINT HAVING A, A JUNE 2ND MEETING IF THERE'S NOTHING TO TELL. I MEAN, I, THERE'S JUST DEPARTMENTAL UPDATES. YOU CAN SEND THAT OUT. OKAY. YES, SIR. ALRIGHT. THAT'S OKAY. OKAY. SO WE'RE DONE FOR TODAY WITH THE HEARING. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT IT? AND BOARD? WE HAVE, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE WITH OUR MEETING. UH, CONTINUE KNOW THAT, WHICH I SHOULDN'T DON'T, SHOULDN'T THINK WE TAKE TOO LONG. ANY QUESTIONS? NO, SIR. OKAY. WELL, THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MR. SHA. THANK YOU. WE'LL PLAN ON SEEING EVERYBODY ON MAY 20TH AT 9:00 AM READY TO GO, COUNSEL? YES. UM, UM, I'LL, LEMME JUST, I'LL, UH, YES, WE'LL MAKE SURE YOU GET THAT. I, I WANNA TALK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE WHEN WE GET TO IT, BUT YES. OKAY. OKAY. SO THIS IS THE END . YEAH, SURE. SHE'S GONE. SORRY. THANK YOU. TAKE CARE OF YOUR HOLLER. UM, GOOD. THANKS LAURA. SECOND. THANK YOU, GREG. THANK YOU. [00:40:01] THANK YOU MR. MO. THANK YOU MR. THANK YOU LESLIE, NICE TO SEE YOU. I KNOW HOW YOU GOT THE MICROPHONES OUT IN HERE, BUT WELL DONE. AND LESLIE, WE'LL GIVE YOU A FEW MINUTES. YEAH, I'LL TRY NOT TO MAKE TOO MUCH. YOU, YOU'RE FINE, YOU'RE FINE. YEAH, YEAH, SHE'S FINE. OKAY. OKAY. OKAY. I JUST HAVE A COUPLE UPDATES JUST, AND THEY WERE SENT OUT TO YOU ALL BY WAY OF DEPARTMENT UPDATES, UM, FOR JUST, WE ARE CONTINUING OUR HIRING EVENTS, UM, AND JOB FAIRS WE'RE GONNA BE TAKING, AS YOU ALL HAVE HEARD, UM, BOARD MEMBERS, UM, LINE IN THE NEWS THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN, WE'RE THE CITY CURRENTLY UNDER THE ADVICE AND THE DIRECTION OF CITY MANAGERS IN HIRING THREE STAGE FOR, UM, GENERAL FUND DEPARTMENTS, WHICH ARE THE BULK OF HOME EQUIPMENT. SO THE TEAM INTERNALLY AND I WE'RE WORKING TO, UM, REVIEW OUR JOB FAIRS WHERE WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING THE MOST BANG FOR OUR BOOK. WE'RE ALSO GOING TO USE THIS TIME, THIS INTERVENING TIME TO LOOK AT INTERNAL PROCESSES AND CONTINUE OUR CONTINU IMPROVEMENT WORK. A LOT OF OUR SHARED IN DEPARTMENT PRIORITIES SO THAT WE'RE THAT SIDE OF THIS HIRING, UH, FREEZE THAT WE CAN DEPLOY OUT AT A VERY, UM, EFFECTIVE WAY, TIME TO REALLY TRY TO IMPROVE AREAS THAT WE NEED IMPROVEMENT ON. SO WE'VE, UM, WE HAVE TWO SCHEDULED FOR MAY, BUT WE'RE REALLY KIND OF RAMPING DOWN, REEVALUATE WHERE WE ARE WITH JOB FAIR. 'CAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO BE OUT IN THE PUBLIC, UM, ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE RIGHT NOW. SO WE'RE GONNA DO, WE'RE GONNA DO SOME OF THAT. UH, PRIOR WE HAD, WE HOSTED OUR PRIOR LIEUTENANT EXAM ON APRIL THE 14TH, AND IT SUPPORTED APPROXIMATELY 174 CANDIDATES. OUR DRIVER ENGINEERING EXAM, UH, WAS CLOSED ON APRIL 15TH AND THAT THAT WAS, AND THAT'S SCHEDULED TO TAKE PLACE ON THE 14TH. WE'VE HIRED TWO NEW TEAM MEMBERS, SCOTT NEWMAN, TO WORK WITH OUR TESTING AND VALIDATION GROUP AS IT SUPPORTS OUR FIRE AND PROMOTIONAL TESTING. MICHELLE BOROUGH AS A SENIOR ADMINISTRATOR ASSESSMENT, REALLY HELPING US WITH OUR CALENDAR OPERATION. UH, ALSO AT OUR VERY NEXT MEETING, UM, YOU WILL PROBABLY GET A CALENDAR INVITE. SO WHEN YOU ASK THAT QUESTION ABOUT A CALENDAR INVITE, YOU MOST LIKELY WILL GET A CALENDAR INVITE. UM, YOU WILL GET IT FROM EMMANUEL, BUT THE GENTLEMAN THAT SOME OF YOU WHO WERE PHYSICALLY HERE AND SAW, HIS NAME IS RYAN DAVIS. UM, HE'S INTERNAL TO THE DEPARTMENT. UH, EMMANUEL'S LAST DAY WITH THE DEPARTMENT WILL BE MAY 23RD. HE WILL BE TRANSFERRING TO DALLAS WATER UTILITIES. UH, AND SO I WILL, UM, UM, WE WILL BE BACK FILLED POSITION WITH, UM, RYAN DAVIS, WHO CURRENTLY SERVES AS A COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST AT BOTH OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS' OFFICES. SO THAT WOULD BE BOTH COUNSEL MEMBERS DOWN HERE TO SUPPORT OUR HEARINGS IN SOME UPDATES. SO, WE'LL, MANUEL, WE JUST, WE JUST GOT TO KNOW YOU. , THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING AND CONGRATULATIONS ON TIME. I HOPE A PROMOTION. SO THANK GOOD, THANK YOU. MAKING MORE MONEY IF YOU'RE GETTING A PROMOTION. YES. AND SO PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, WE ALWAYS VALUED UP AND SO THAT TALENT REMAIN HERE IN THE CITY AND SO DEFINITELY NEEDS SOME SHADOWING AND SOME COST TRAINING TO MAKE SURE IT'S A SEAMLESS TRANSITION FOR EACH OF YOU. UM, AND I HOPE LESLIE HEARD THAT IN THE ROOM AS WELL. SO AS WE COORDINATE, UM, SHE'LL EXPECT TO HEAR FROM, FROM, FROM DIFFERENT PEOPLE. SO WITH THAT MR. CHAIR, THOSE ARE DEPARTMENT UPDATES AND UM, I THINK THE WAY WE'VE LEFT THINGS TODAY, WE'LL BE BACK WITH ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WE NEED FOR YOU ON THE MARK ON MAY 20TH. I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION FOR YOU. YES, MA'AM. IS IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO ATTEND ONE OF THOSE JOB FAIRS TO DRIVE BY AND ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY. ONCE WE DECIDE WHERE YEAH, WHERE WE'LL BE, THAT'D BE GREAT. WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT WE SHARE THAT OUT. UM, SO FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO, TO COME IN, YOU KNOW, THERE'S STILL GONNA BE SOME THAT I'M SURE THAT WE'LL STILL DO. UM, I KNOW WE PARTICIPATE VERY CLOSE IN THE MAYORS BACK TO SCHOOL JOB FAIR AS WELL AS THE, UH, AS THE COUNTY JUDGES, UM, COUNTY JOB. CHRIS, WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT WE, UM, SHARE THAT INFORMATION. WE'LL LET YOU GO. YES, I'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT'S WORKING. OKAY. SO TO SPEAK. YEP. SO BOARD MEMBERS, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PATIENCE TODAY. THIS KIND OF TURNED OUT A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY THAN WE HAD ANTICIPATED, UH, BUT WE WILL CONTINUE BACK ON A SPECIAL MEETING ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 20TH AT NINE O'CLOCK. AND AGAIN, WE ANTICIPATE WE'LL NOT HAVE A JUNE BOARD MEETING BECAUSE EVERYTHING WILL HAVE BEEN COVERED. IF ANYTHING CHANGES, WE'LL CERTAINLY LET YOU KNOW. BUT OTHERWISE, SEE YOU IN ABOUT TWO WEEKS. SO THANK YOU ALL. WE APPRECIATE IT. GOOD SEEING YOU ALL. THANKS ALL. THANK YOU. I'LL SAY HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY BECAUSE WE'LL BE TOGETHER BEFORE. BEFORE. OKAY. THANKS Y'ALL. BYE-BYE. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.