Laserfiche WebLink
City Council Meeting Minutes May 18, 2021 <br />Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Scott stated he has been receiving many calls regarding <br />increases in crimes and he is not targeting the cite and release ordinance, which has <br />been a good impact and the reform has to happen, however It is hard to pinpoint what <br />the cause is for theis increased crime. The City recently hired a new Police Chief and he <br />wants to allow him time to do his job and see what he can do to get a grasp of the needs <br />of our community. He inquired if we should suspend this ordinance to give our new <br />Chief six months to review which could improve the ordinance. His intent is not to get <br />rid of cite and release. <br />Mayor Hughson asked Mr. Cosentino what a suspension of an Ordinance entails? Mr. <br />Cosentino stated a suspension of an ordinance would be temporary and during that <br />time the ordinance would not be in effect. A repeal of an Ordinance would get rid of the <br />Ordinance entirely. <br />Mayor Pro Tem Derrick stated council approved the Cite and Release Ordinance prior <br />to hiring the new Chief and he was in support of this. She thinks the proper process for <br />conversations about Cite and Release should be with Criminal Justice Reform (CJR) <br />Committee. <br />Council Member Gonzales stated he does not want to suspend or repeal the Ordinance. <br />He wants to receive more data on the crime statistics. He wants to see what is working <br />and what is not. <br />Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Scott stated he brought this up to get more information and <br />maybe this could go to the CJR Committee, but they do not have the experience like a <br />long term officer does. He stated Chief Standridge has a plan but has no room to work. <br />He would like to see where the crime wave is coming from. He would like to allow the <br />chief to tackle the crime and put his vision to work in the community. <br />Council Member Garza stated there needs to be data in order to find out where the <br />crime increase is coming from. She noted that cite and release is not for all levels of <br />crimes. She stated that we need the data before we make any decision on the cite and <br />release ordinance. <br />Chase Stapp, Director of Public Safety, stated the conversation related to supporting <br />the chief may be a separate discussion from the cite and release ordinance. He also <br />stated that a dashboard on Cite and Release has been created and is active on the San <br />Marcos Police Department's website. <br />City of San Marcos Page 22 <br />