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PSCC Minutes 02/29/2008 -Task Force February 29, 2008 MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE COLLIER COUNTY PUBLIC SAFETY COORDINATING COUNCIL REGIONAL TASK FORCE Naples, Florida, February 29,2008 LET IT BE REMEMBERED, that the Collier County Public Safety Coordinating Council Regional Task Force, in and for the County of Collier, having conducted business herein, met on this date at 10:00 AM in TASK FORCE SESSION., at the North Collier Regional Park Exhibit Hall, 15000 Livingston Road, in Naples, Florida, with the following members present: CHAIRMAN: Commissioner Fred Coyle Chief Judge Keith Cary Judge Hugh Starnes Stephen Russell Kathleen A. Smith Mindy Collier Chief Scott Salley, Collier County Chief Greg Smith, Collier County Jeff Nichols (alternate for Scott Wilsker) Jon Embury Len Price David Schimmel Bruce Louchs Pete Winton ALSO PRESENT: Mike Sheffield, Assistant to County Manager Ray Lannen, Court Administration Public Safety Coordinating Council Regional Task Force Meeting February 29, 2008 10:00am North Collier Regional Park Exhibit Hall 1. Call to OrderlWelcome 2. Participant introductions to include each participant stating two areas of possible collaboration 3. General Discussion 4. Public Comment 5. Set meeting schedule 6. Adjourn February 29, 2008 1. Call to OrderfWelcome Chairman Fred Coyle called the meeting to order at 10: 14 AM. 2. Participant Introductions The members of the Regional Task Force introduced themselves. 3. General Discussion Chairman Coyle stated the purpose of this meeting was to try to identify and prioritize the areas in which the members of the Regional Task Force can work together. Jeff Nichols, Deputy Criminal Justice Director for Lee County Probation Department, stated his department has instituted a new program to identify those misdemeanor defendants who show a pattern of alcohol and drug abuse, and related offenses such as theft. He reported: . 3-person team was recently established . More contact between officer and offender . Closer monitoring of offender in treatment program(s) . Goal is reduction of jail population . Formed an alliance with a treatment provider in Lee County · Cooperation from Judges is key to having offenders sentenced to program Pre-Trial Diversion/Criminal Division: · Differentiating Case Management - new program implemented January I, 2008 . Felony level . Concentration is on oldest cases on docket where defendants have been sitting in jail for 364 days or more . Reduction of24% in that group . Working in conjunction with Lee County Sheriff Salley . Goal is to reduce the Judges' dockets and number of people injail for extremely lengthy times Mr. Nichols stated he knew Collier County was working on a similar program but may not have as many personnel assigned as in Lee County. He stated the focus of the program was to determine why inmates have been incarcerated for as long as they were, and to get them through the criminal justice system and placed either in prison or in a treatment program. David Schimmel stated Lee, Collier, and Charlotte counties are in different stages of investment into diversion, but not all tax payers feel the program is cost effective. He suggested the various Counties could best collaborate by sharing the data collected to put together a case for the taxpayers on why the program is cost-effective. He stated it is more cost effective to divert a chemical dependant individual into a treatment program than to keep that individual incarcerated. He suggested that common data sets should be agreed upon and also suggested the possibility of establishing a regional diversion program. 2 February 29,2008 Bruce Louchs suggested the first step is to identify the existing programs on a per County basis because not all Counties have the same programs or the resources to implement them. He also suggested identifying sites for a potential regional jail facility. Len Price stated one goal should be to obtain a clear picture of the common goals. She asked if collaboration allow them to do what they are already doing only better or are they trying to find other ways to accomplish the goals. She suggested one goal could be to identify what the stumbling blocks are to pre-trial diversion. She suggested interviewing the jail personnel to obtain their suggestions on what actually works and what doesn't. Contributing factors to pre-trial diversion programs include the availability oflocal support networks consisting of family and friends, as well as work release programs and chemical dependency treatment programs. There was discussion about how to obtain grant money as the first step necessary. Also discussed was whether or not each County could contribute a specific component to avoid duplication of efforts, i.e., one County could build a chemical dependency treatment facility for the entire region. Chairman Coyle pointed out that the important phrase in all Grant applications is 'collaboration' and he reviewed the topics discussed, i.e., "Regional Grant Applications," "Regional Diversion Programs and "Regional Jail Facilities." It was suggested that a common language needs to be developed because the various programs in existence were operated by different departments within each County. For example, the Pre-Trial Release Program in Collier County is overseen by the Sheriffs Department but in Lee County it is overseen by the Administrative Offices of the Courts. Len Price suggested it could be possible to regionalize the process and procedures, even ifit was done by different groups and functions. It was suggested that collecting common data sets would eliminate the 'apples to oranges' comparisons. Discussion ensured about the next phase in Lee County which was the opening on a new jail wing. An Oregon program was cited as an example ofa successful work-treatment release program. The Oregon program had its own facility (an old motel which was converted) to remove the eligible candidates from the jail population. While there, the inmates also receive daily counseling. It was suggested that perhaps a regional system with multiple facilities might be another option. Judge Starnes stated that the community needs to be educated because not all offenders belong in jail- an individual who has no insurance coverage for his automobile should not be injail next to a drug dealer. 3 February 29, 2008 He also stated that sometimes 30 to 40 percent of a Court docket is filled with cases derived from drivers' license problems, i.e., lost licenses or no license, or fines not paid. He suggested when the public safety is not an issue, there should be a change oflaw or another way of processing these individuals through the system without necessitating a stay in jail. Chairman Coyle added the topics of "Regional Work Centers" and "Regional Legislative Issues" to the list of topics discussed. Chief Salley stated the main jail problem in Collier was overcrowding in addition to managing the inmate population. He stated work-release programs were of interest to Collier County. He stated all Counties share the same problem of overcrowding. Chief Salley stated Collier County has a large population of illegal aliens. Members of the Sheriffs Department completed cross training with ICE and, as a result, have been able to decrease the jail population over the last seven months. His department is now readily able to identify the illegal aliens who are career criminals and gang members. These individuals serve their sentences in Collier County and, upon completion, are released to immigration for deportation. ICE makes the determination regarding who should be deported, but 300 individuals have been removed from the jail system. There was discussion concerning the ICE program and the types of individuals being deported. The FBI maintains a database which is referenced during all investigations. ICE will not overrule a Judge's sentence. Jon Embury stated that Charlotte County did not have an illegal alien problem that had been identified but it did have an issue with the female jail population. He stated there were over 100 women in custody and he has not be able to determine a cause for this large number. He stated out-patient treatment programs for substance abuse and mental health issues are under-funded, and regional cooperation might provide answers. It was suggested that closer case management was a possible way of getting people through the system. Chairman Coyle summarized the topics discussed: . Jail population was one of the most important issues . Minor offenses could be handled differently . Illegal aliens were a problem for certain Counties . Managing jail populations/jail facilities Jeff Nichols stated Lee County has initiated a successful weekend work-restitution program for offenders who are in custody but not incarcerated. The program allows the individual to fulfill his/her legal obligation while still maintaining a job. He stated there is a 67% compliance rate for this program. Chairman Coyle stated another goal is to inventory the current jail population to determine who the inmates are and why they are incarcerated. He added "Data Collection and Information Sharing" to this list of topics discussed. 4 February 29, 2008 Jeff Nichols stated that while there is a large cocaine problem in Lee County, not all drug offenders belong injail and jail is not the solution for treating addition. There was a discussion of the type of offender who would benefit from a treatment program and the type of offense that would allow such a sentence: misdemeanor vs. felony. He suggested that a different type of consequence could be instituted such as a graduated sanctions system. Scott Salley stated reducing the population would free up staff for training and would allow for the development of other programs. Chairman Coyle suggested prioritizing the topics discussed: 1. Jail population is one of the mostimportant issues in all of the jurisdictions . Identify who is there and why · Minor offenses have resulted in unnecessary jail sentences . Illegal immigrant offender population in some Counties 2. What are regional efforts to manage jails/accommodate population . Larger jail facilities are not a solution . Regional work-center . Reduce the growth of the population 3. Regional Data Collection and Information Sharing - a process to support all priorities · What programs have been successful and why . Best management practices 4. Regional Legislative Issues and Grant Applications/ Funding Opportunities . Driver's licenses and suspended sentences 5. Regional Drug offender treatment programs · Cooperation with local mental health providers/use of facilities 6. Weekend-work release program · Weekend work detail in custody of Sheriff but not incarcerated (Community-service based program) It was determined that the focus of this meeting should be data collection and information sharing as its first goal, and second should be investigation ofregionallegislative issues pertaining to funding. Commissioner Coyle asked Mike Sheffield to assist with the collection of reports from existing agencies, and to identify the common elements of the various programs, and he will contact each County individually to obtain their information. 4. Public Comment - None 5 February 29, 2008 S. Meeting Schedule - will be scheduled for May. Mike Sheffield and Ray Lannen will coordinate. There being no further business for the good of the County, the meeting was adjourned by order ofthe Chair at 12:00 PM. COLLIER COUNTY PUBLIC SAFETY COORDINATING COUNCIL REGIONAL TASK FORCE Commissioner Fred Coyle, Chairman These Minutes were approved by the Board/Committee on as presented or as amended 6