>> Thank you so much.
>> My name is Todd Hileman.
I'm the city manager.
I'd like to thank all of you for
joining us for our initial
mayor's committee on the use of
force policies with the Denton
police department.
I would like to -- how this is
going to work tonight for the
first couple of items, I will
sort of introduce those until we
get a chair selected.
So I will ask that Mayor Watts,
he would like to welcome the
chair to come up and give you the
purpose and charge of the
committee, why we're established,
and what our charge is from the
city council.
So mayor, I'll go ahead and turn
it over to you.
>> Thank you.
Thank you, Todd.
Well, first of all, I just want
to really say thank you to
everyone who's agreed to serve on
this committee.
I think this is a very important
committee.
And truthfully, we could form 10
other committees like this with
people who are willing to serve.
So I just want to say that to all
those people who've reached out
to me and their willingness to
serve, and thank you all for
spending your time and your
energy here on a very important
part of our city and a part of
our city governance, and that is
to look at the use of force
policies with the Denton Police
Department.
As you know, I signed on to the
mayor's pledge, which is a
collaboration with the Obama
Foundation and my brother's
keeper alliance, use of force
policies here in the Denton
Police Department.
This committee has four tasks in
regards to those use of force
policies.
The first one is simply review
the policies, become familiar
with them, use the chief as a
resource and the experts that
you need to do that.
Then, it's probably one of the
most important is to engage the
community by including a diverse
range of input, experiences, and
stories in your review.
Let's see what people in our
community think about use of
force here in the Denton Police
Department in Denton.
Thirdly, to report those
findings of your review back to
the community and receive the
community's feedback.
This is very community-centric.
That's why we have a wide,
diverse range of members here
because we want to draw in as
much of the community as we can.
And finally, once you've done
that review, the engagement, and
the report back to the
community, we're going to look
for recommendations for reform
from this committee.
This is a very tight timeframe,
so I really appreciate the time
that you all are committing to
this.
The report, I believe, is due
back by about the middle of
September, and we look forward
to that report.
I look forward to that report.
I really want to encourage you
to stay really focused on what
the task is at hand, and that is
specifically the use of force
policies and those four items.
Of course, there's a lot that is
entailed in those four items.
I also really want to encourage
you, because I've had people
reach out who want to be on the
committee that are experts in
their field here in the
community, whether it deals with
family violence, whether it
deals with had a gentleman
contact me, he's done hearings,
administrative hearings for use
of force incidences in prisons.
So there is just a tremendous
amount of expertise in our
community that I think that you
can draw upon as you begin to
look at the policies and engage
the community and report that
back and as you develop your
reforms.
Again, thank you so much.
The staff is here as a resource.
Use them as you need to because
they're here to help, they're
here to support and provide
information that you need.
This is your committee, and I'm
really excited about moving
forward and seeing what you all,
the work that you all do, and
the stories that you all receive
and the different types of input
that you receive, because that's
going to be probably one of the
most vitally important things
that we can have in this
committee and that we can present
to the community is what do
people really think about use of
force in this city and the
Denton Police Department.
And the conversations are going
to be candid, and I just ask that
you do that.
Be candid, be honest, be
respectful, but don't think that
there's not any bad question and
there's not any bad comment.
So I'm not going to take up any
more of your time.
Thank you all so much for
serving.
It's an incredible testament to
this community.
We have people that will step up
and perform probably one of the
most important works that we're
going to do in this city in a
long, long time.
So thank you.
I hope you have a great meeting,
and I look forward to your
progress.
Thank you all so much.
>> Thanks, Mayor.
Sarah Keickler, our Chief of
Staff, is going to ask everyone
to briefly introduce themselves.
She's got a list and kind of --
we know that some of you can
only see one or two people on
the screen, so she's going to
call your name and just ask you
to briefly tell us a little bit
about yourself and your
interest in serving on the
committee.
>> Want to get some water?
>> Hi, Sarah Keickler, Chief of
Staff.
I'll go through the list of
committee members, and I
apologize in advance if I
mispronounce any names.
I'll start with Willie
Hutspeth, although he doesn't
look to be on the call yet.
So I will go down to the next
member, is Lillian Parado-Carrillo.
>> Hi, everyone.
My name is Lillian.
I've lived for about 35 years.
I've been in education about 16
years, ranging from elementary
all the way through college.
I'm currently a teacher, a
bilingual specialist right now.
I also serve as president of
LULAC, which is the League of
United Latin American Citizens,
and we've been in existence
here in Denton for about 40
years.
Next year, we'll turn 40,
nationally in 91 years.
So I'm glad to be here, and I
look forward to having dialogue
with all of you.
>> Thanks, Lillian.
The next member is Deontay
Long.
Is he on the call yet?
Do not see him, so I'll come
back to him.
The next member is Cheryl
English.
>> Hi, Sarah.
This is Cheryl English.
I'm a local realtor here in
Denton, involved on many
committees and boards.
I am also a member of the
Denton Police Department
Academy Advisory Board, as well
as the Denton Housing
Authority Board and a number of
other boards, and I'm happy to
serve.
Thank you.
>> Thank you, Cheryl.
The next member is Cameron
Combs.
>> Hi, everyone.
My name is Cameron Combs.
I am the current vice
president for UNC's SGA.
I'm a senior at UNC studying
organizational behavior and
human resource management, and
yeah, I'm just a concerned
student as far as just with
everything that's been going on
in our nation.
>> Thanks, Cameron.
The next member is Delana
Diamond-Tyson.
>> Hi, guys, and my name is
Dada Diamond-Tyson.
No, it's fine.
I'm the student regent for
Texas Bowman's University.
I am also the Senate pro tempore,
and I'm really excited to be
here and to solve some issues,
and it's my first time being a
part of a committee like this.
So, yeah.
>> Thank you, and welcome.
The next member is Chevion Moore.
>> It's Chevion.
It's all good.
>> I like that.
>> All right.
Well, I'm a member of the
community here in Denton.
I grew up here.
I moved here when I was about
three.
The public education system I
graduated from Denton High
School.
I ended up going to North
Central Texas College where I
got an associate's, and then
after that, I transferred as a
Terry Scholar to the University
of North Texas.
There I'm studying history.
I'm studying to be a high
school history teacher.
I'm like -- I guess Cameron
Combs described it pretty well
whenever he said that he's just
like an interested student.
I would put myself in that same
category as someone who cares
about the issues going on and
would like to know more about
them and see how I can learn and
also teach people in my
community how we can be more
effective as far as the issue
that our nation is seeing right
now.
So, thank you.
>> Great.
Thank you.
The next member is Angela Ricks.
Is Angela there?
Yep.
>> Yes, yes.
Good evening.
I'm Angela Ricks.
I am currently Director of
Student Support Services with
the Denton Independent School
District.
I have been with the district
for 23 years, very invested in
my community, and excited about
being a part of this community.
>> Thank you.
The next member is Dr.
Carmen Cruz.
>> Hi, everybody.
I'm Carmen Cruz.
I'm a psychologist here in
Denton.
I've done private practice, but
mostly my work has been at
Texas Women's University for the
last 23 years where I serve the
student body by providing
therapy as well as training
graduate students and socializing
them into our profession.
On the side, I'm an activist in
town and really have used a lot
of efforts to try to make things
better for multiple communities,
but most specifically LGBTQ+
members of our community in
Denton, and so I'm currently on
the Pride Denton Committee, and
it's a nonprofit.
We're really proud of it, and
so my interest in serving is
just service in general.
I lead with a service heart.
I think it's important.
But beyond that, I'm obviously
beyond troubled by the impact of
policing on black and brown
communities and would like to
have my voice, I suppose, as
part of our process.
So thank you for welcoming me,
and I look forward to being with
everybody.
>> Thank you.
The next member is Kamiyan
Connor.
>> Hey, everyone.
Good evening.
My name is Kamiyan Connor.
I use she/her pronouns.
I am the executive director of
the Texas Equal Access Fund.
I am also on the board for Pride
Denton.
I have lived in Denton since I
came here for college in 2001,
fell in love and didn't want to
leave, so it's really important
to me to make an impact in the
community where I live.
I am a women's rights,
reproductive rights, LGBT rights,
very pro-black,
unapologetically, and all
around human rights advocate.
My background is in social work.
I have been a social worker here
in Denton for the entire time
that I have been a social
worker, and during that time,
I have worked with people
experiencing homelessness,
experiencing mental health
issues, our elderly population,
our folks living with
disabilities, people with
disabilities, I have worked at
a low-income healthcare clinic
here for many years, and now I
work in abortion rights, so I
really wanted to get involved
because I want my voice and my
lived experience to be heard as
a member of this community and
how I have been impacted by the
force of police here.
>> Thanks, Camion.
The next member is Reverend
Cedric Chambers.
>> Hi, good evening.
My name is Pastor Chambers.
I'm the pastor of the Mount
Cavalry Baptist Church here in
Denton as well as the president
of the Denton vicinity
ministerial allowance, and I'm
certainly excited to be part of
this committee.
Thank you.
>> Thank you.
The next member is Reverend Bo
Hughes.
>> Hi, I'm Bo.
I'm the pastor of the village
church here in Denton, and like
you all, just eager to serve to
promote a more just community
here in Denton.
So, thanks for letting me be
with you.
>> Thank you.
The next member is Jamie Walker
Blanton.
>> Yes, that's me.
As she mentioned, my name is
Jamie.
I've lived in the city of
Denton since 2011 when I came
to work at the University of
North Texas.
However, most recently I serve
as the chief advancement
officer at the Cumberland
Presbyterian Children's Home,
and I'm pleased to join this
committee because I have spent a
lifetime advocating for people
with disabilities, and I
believe that they have an
important voice in these
matters and in lots of the
different equity and social
justice conversations in our
community, and so I'm happy to
be a contributing member and to
add that perspective.
>> Thank you.
The next member is Pam Gutierrez.
>> Hi.
I'm so happy to be part of this
committee.
I'm the executive director of
Denton County MHMR, and I'm
part of the Denton behavioral
health leadership team, and I've
been with the center for 34
years, and I am very, very part
of human rights.
I support human rights every day
with what we do with mental
health, so I want to see what
we're doing here to support our
mental health population, and
I'm just happy to be part of
this committee, so I thank you.
>> Thank you.
The next member is Yancey Green.
Yancey, are you there?
Hey, there you go.
I can't hear you yet.
Okay, we'll come back to Yancey.
Looks like he has some problems
with the audio.
The next member is Travis
Nichols.
Travis, are you there?
The next member is Yancey Green.
Looks like he may be delayed
somewhat.
We'll go on to the -- I think I
can see him talking, but I can't
hear.
The next member is John Baines.
>> Good evening, everyone.
My name is John Baines.
I try not to put myself in a box,
but I'll give you a few things
you can put in the box.
I hope I have more than these
things.
Firstly, I would describe myself
as a lover of mankind.
I've been a practicing Christian
now for 50 years.
I'm a U.S. Army veteran.
I was an infantry soldier during
the Vietnam era.
I have a master's degree in
business and a CPA certificate.
I've owned a small business now
for 36 years, and I've been
involved in the Denton community
since 1986.
My wife and I have lived here
since 1983, married for 42 years
with five grandchildren.
And I just want to see the
community do its very best, and
I'm looking forward to working
with all of you.
Thank you.
>> Thank you.
>> The next member is Rhonda Love.
Rhonda, unmute.
>> Yeah, that would help, wouldn't it?
>> There you go.
>> Thank you.
Sorry about that.
>> No, you're good.
>> Well, I was -- I have a PhD
in psychology like Carmen does.
I also had some private practice
experience, but mostly I taught
public health for 34 years at the
University of Toronto.
I'm not from Canada.
I'm actually from Texas, but I
went there to work and came back
to Texas, to Denton, 10 years ago.
And since then, I've been involved
in women's health issues, housing
and feeding for the homeless,
involved with Denton County Friends
of the Family, the only county
agency that works with the issues
of domestic violence.
I'm on a steering committee that
works with Children's Mental
Health, with Cook's Children's.
And I started a few years ago
gatherings for International
Women's Day, and I run a local
Facebook page to talk about
women's issues.
And I, too, am happy to be here.
Okay, the next member is Gary
Henderson.
>> Thank you, Sarah.
Very happy to be here also.
I'm the CEO of United Way of
Denton County.
I've been there for almost 10
years before coming to United
Way of Denton County.
I led communities and schools of
North Texas, which is a dropout
prevention program for at-risk
youth and students.
United Way of Denton County has
been in the community for over
60 years.
Our focus is improving and
transforming lives in ways that
allow all of our community
members to succeed at their very
best.
So this effort is at the center
of what we believe and what we
want to see happen for our
community.
So thank you for inviting me and
United Way at the table.
>> Thanks, Gary.
The next member is Katina Stone
Butler.
>> Hi there.
Can you guys hear me?
>> Yes.
>> Okay.
My name is Katina Butler, and I
came to UNT, the School of
Music, 25 years ago.
After college, we stayed, got
married, had three sons, and so
I'm a mother, an advocate, an
activist, specifically in issues
pertaining to the African
American community, and even
more specifically, issues that
pertain to Black women.
I have an organization called
The Fountain, and it is an
organization that gives space,
that curates safe spaces for
African American women and women
of color to lament and grieve and
be sad about the times in which
we live in, but also to
encourage them to dream and
imagine themselves beyond
marginalization and oppression,
and that's via the intersection
of faith, culture, and
creativity.
I'm also part of the Christian
community.
My pastor's on here, Bo Hughes.
I attend the Village Church.
I've been, as a creative, I've
sang at most of the churches in
Denton, black or white, and I've
been choir director at two
churches in the Denton area, and
I lead worship, and I perform a
lot, so thank you.
I'm glad to be here.
>> Thank you.
The next member is Jamel
Butler.
>> Hello, this is Jamel Butler.
>> You want to try that again,
Jamel?
>> Okay, he's coming over here.
Sorry.
>> I'm Jamel Butler.
I've been here in Texas probably
about 23, 24 years, originally
from Arkansas, grew up in a
little town in Arkansas, went to
Arkansas State University, and
I'm just here and ready to
serve.
>> Thank you.
>> Right.
>> Is there any of the committee
members I may have missed or
that we need to come back to,
loop back to that are ready?
>> Willie is here.
>> Willie is driving.
>> Yeah.
We'll wait on him.
Is Yancey or Travis?
>> Can you hear me now?
>> Yes, I can.
>> Okay, hi, I'm Yancey.
Sorry about the technical
difficulties earlier, but I'm
Yancey Green.
I have been a law enforcement
officer for the past 12 years,
eight and a half, which have
been here at the City of Denton.
I'm currently assigned to the
traffic enforcement unit where
my primary job is DWI
enforcement as well as fatality
crashes and serious bodily
injury crashes.
Some of my background, I was
called a drug recognition
expert as well as a mental
health peace officer.
Prior to serving here in Denton,
I served in East Texas in Tyler,
Texas at the sheriff's office
over there.
My primary focus here is to
listen to the community.
As you know, you have a good
police department and we always
admire your feedback.
Your concerns is also my
concerns, but I also want you
guys to just be aware and just
have an open mind during the
discussions that some of the
things that's going on in the
nation is not happening here in
Denton, so don't just do a
broad stroke and paint your
police department as what's
going on in Minneapolis or
wherever else.
So, like I said earlier, just
have an open discussion and
hopefully we can learn from one
another and we'll go from
there.
On top of that, I'm an FTO as
well as an instructor here at
the academy, so some of your
questions I might be able to
answer to give you a better
understanding of what's actually
going on.
Thanks.
>> Thank you.
I think that might be everyone.
Deontay Long, I think you may
have joined in.
I don't see him now.
So, we'll move on to our ex-
officio members, if they want
to quickly introduce themselves
as well.
Chief Dixon, do you want to
kick that off?
>> Sure.
Good evening, everybody.
Frank Dixon.
I've been your chief of police
since October of 2018.
Previously, you come in here, I
served 23 years in the city of
Austin, Texas police department
where I achieved the rank of
assistant chief.
Looking at all the committee
members, there is absolutely no
way we're going to leave out of
here without having some great
things happen, so I'm really
excited about it.
And just can't wait to get to
work, so thank you guys all for
choosing to serve.
It's going to mean a lot.
>> Thank you.
Dr. Richard Williams.
You're still on mute.
>> You hear me now?
>> Yes.
>> Good evening, everyone.
My name is Richard Williams, and
I am the accreditation and
compliance specialist for the
Denton police department.
Prior to joining the Denton
police department, I served the
New Orleans police department
for over 25 years in various
capacities.
I have a passion for community
engagement and community
involvement, so I'm looking very
forward to working with you all
and identifying the things that
we're doing very well and the
things that you think we can
improve in your police department.
So I commend you all for doing
the same, for taking your time
to participate in this very
important work, and I'm very
proud of you all and I'm very
proud of you all, and I'm very
, uh, I'm very proud of you.
>> Thank you so much.
>> Thank you very much.
>> Thank you.
>> Thank you, Mayor Watts.