Speaker 1: On the record is brought to you by Steve and Adele duke.

Hello, San Antonio is a fast growing fast moving community with something new happening every day.

And that's why each week we go on the record with the Newsmakers who are driving this change.

Then we gather at the reporters round table and talk about the latest news stories with the journalists behind those stories.

Join us now as we go on.

Speaker 2: Hi everybody.

I'm Randy Beamer.

And thank you for joining us for on the record.

And this week in the spotlight here in San Antonio is a problem that's gotten worse during the pandemic, and that is domestic abuse and there is a backlog of cases waiting for the courts to deal with because of the pandemic.

Partly because of that, joining us is county commissioner recently elected Trisha to marry and years and years ago, a TV colleague as well, but that's long past together, back, back in the day.

But now, first of all, I'm telling you the stories I promise, or this would be a very short.

So, uh, this is one of the issues, one of the issues that you ran on to deal with domestic abuse and elder abuse, and what are you pushing for right now?

Speaker 1: Well, it's interesting.

I had a great conversation with the district attorney.

Uh, let's talk about elder abuse first.

So I went to a adult protective services, task force meeting.

I learned there that we haven't had a prosecutor nor an investigator in the DA's office, probably in five or six years.

And I don't blame the da for that.

His hands are full.

I just don't know that he was aware of the issue.

So from an elder abuse standpoint, we've got a backlog of 100 cases or more one of them dating back to 2013.

And as you know, with elder abuse, it's not like they've got the luxury of time to be able to resolve these cases or get restitution or prosecution.

So we talked about, Hey, we need a prosecutor.

And he was like, I also need an investigator because a lot of these elder abuse cases involve a paper trail, you know, bank fraud, that kind of thing or whatever.

So we did, we worked together, worked with the county manager, you know, he's going to include in the budget and we're going to get those two positions funded because it's that critical in the course of that conversation, we also dug into domestic violence and that's when he said, Hey, if you think the backlog on elderly abuse is big, you ought to see the domestic violence cases.

We have a backlog of 5,600 cases.

Speaker 2: That's more than a thousand or two that's astounding.

Speaker 1: Yeah.

I'm really an increase of 1400 just in the past year due to COVID.

So it's complicated, right?

We had people that were sheltering in place as a result of, COVID not able to escape, you know, abusive situations coupled with the fact that the courts were not hearing cases as a result of COVID.

So now we have this huge backlog.

So, you know, as I talked to the da, he said, you know, look, is there any way that you might be able to do something?

Um, it's a little bit complicated for the court because everybody thinks we had, the court has purview over everybody in the county.

We really don't.

We had purview over about 1500 people.

So Speaker 2: What we do, but what we do control for everybody Speaker 1: Or the purse strings, right?

Yeah.

So the opportunity to really draft a resolution that said, Hey, you know, we have two domestic violence courts that are, you know, fully staffed and dedicated to hearing domestic violence cases, but that's not going to be enough to make the backlog.

So my resolution was really about, we need all county court at law judges to be hearing these cases in an equitable fashion.

I mean, obviously Speaker 2: 15, right?

He had to officially, we have a total of 15, but there were last year, as I understand it, some of those judges went through special training, like six of them.

So they were adding that already to what they're doing.

Right?

You want all of them to do that.

Speaker 1: You know, I want all of them to do it because we've got to be able to prosecute these cases.

If they need to be prosecuted, we have women that are living in danger in our right now.

Uh, we need to hire more victims, advocates.

I mean, if we're going to do it, the county's gotta step up and we gotta be able to offer many resources associated with it, understanding that it's only temporary until we move to Speaker 2: And people might wonder, okay.

Then what about the other cases that those judges are now doing?

W there's going to be a backlog?

Speaker 1: Well, I mean, everybody's going to have to work harder.

Yeah.

Because we're getting, look, they've got big dockets.

I understand.

But domestic violence cases need to be heard.

They don't need to be dismissed.

They don't need to be discounted because we are talking about women who had been really intimidated by the process to begin with.

Um, so the good news is, you know, we can use ARPA, federal stimulus monies to be able to pull in monies for these victims advocates to be able to get, you know, women to court, to be able to do that.

So part of the hitches, we've had a couple of judges that have been very forthcoming regarding I'm going to step up, I'm going to hear these cases, but we have some it issues of the county.

They stopped hearing those cases because they're like, look, they're not being equitably distributed.

Like we're getting a, lion's share a couple of courts despite the way they're distributed.

So I'm working with the county right now to make sure if we're going to do this.

And like, just because I introduced the resolution doesn't mean it's going to happen, but we can work together and we can fix the glitches and figure out a way to do it.

Right.

Speaker 2: What does, what would change, what do you want to see change in terms of the money?

And can you get more judges?

Speaker 1: Uh, we can't get more judges, but w you know, we might be able to, and what I've done at probate court too, is that we might be able to pull together some more associate judges to be able to help with the backlog too, because there, again, there's a lot of paperwork.

And even in the probate courts, you know, we approved staffing at the MES office because of COVID because of, you know, the death toll that COVID took at the MES office.

But what people don't understand is there's a trickle down effect from the Emmy's office to probate court, you know, as we deal with the, of deaths, as we look at making sure that, you know, we're, um, trusts and wills, you know, are being heard.

And so anyway, there's a, there's a whole direct impact on all of the courts regarding that, right.

Speaker 2: And when you ran, and this is incidental to it, but you and Rebecca Clay Flores for the first time in 20 years, two women on the court right out of four.

And then the county judge is this, one of those things that you see as a success that you're able to focus on domestic violence, whereas in the past, it may or may not, it was a focus definitely.

But are you bringing a different perspective?

Speaker 1: I certainly think that it's a different perspective.

I think as a female, it's a passion point.

Yeah.

For me personally, because nobody wants to see a woman, you know, abused.

Um, and so, and even from an elderly situation, um, we, we have a tremendous number of elderly in this community.

And especially when we look at the silver tsunami, that's coming with aging, baby boomers, it's only gonna get worse.

And so we need to make sure we're protecting the most vulnerable in this community.

And so I feel really proud about the opportunity to be able to move the needle forward.

All right.

Speaker 2: Well, thank you very much.

Trisha Berry come a long way from TV.

You have.

All right.

Thanks very much.

Appreciate it.

Commissioner attrition.

The Barre.

Yes.

Thank you.

Over the weekend.

If you were down on the Riverwalk, you might've noticed some hats, extra cowboy hats down there, but these people wearing those hats also wore badges.

That is Sheriff's department badges.

Joining us now to tell us about hats on the Riverwalk is sheriff Javier Salazar.

Thank you very much for coming in.

Thanks for having me.

First of all, tell us about this program, where you have deputies down on the river, walk on the weekends, I guess, over the summer.

Why, why, how did this come about?

Merchants came to us, a group of folks from the Riverwalk, uh, Marco bottles and company came to us and they said, Hey, you know, we've seen what's going on in, in Houston.

There's been a recent shooting, sixth street.

How do we, how do we prevent that from happening here?

And obviously the SAPB park police are doing a great job downtown, but they said, what does the Sheriff's office we can, what more can you do to help us out with just an added layer?

So we said, well, let's, let's go visibility.

Let's put some deputies on foot patrol on the Riverwalk.

I know from my days foot patrolling on the Riverwalk that it works.

And so that's what we did, uh, very well received.

The business community, loves it.

The tourists love it, and the deputies are having a great, And now this is kind of limited.

It's not where everybody goes down there at any time of day on the Riverwalk.

It's just for now, It's my score unit, which is my community policing, but we're also using it as an opportunity to train our cadets because that's community policing at its finest that's communities or that's, uh, uh, customer service at its finest.

So what better way to train our cadets in dealing in mass with tourists?

And, you know, when you give the directions to the Alamo 20 for the 20th time in a day, that's customer service right there.

And so we're using it as an opportunity to help with, with what's going on down there with prevention, but we're also using it to train our cadets.

Some might wonder, well, is that I don't want to say a waste of resources, but is it taking away any deputies from other things that they would Have been doing?

Now, these are our community policing deputies.

Our score deputies are proactive in nature, so they don't respond to nine 11 calls.

They are always, uh, out there just initiating activity and they go wherever we need them, uh, hotspot.

So right now that's a hotspot for us on Saturdays.

Right now.

We send them out there and have them doing it.

It's no overtime involved.

That's their regular shift.

It's just that instead of driving through a neighborhood, okay.

Walking to the river, what people Think now you mentioned the police park police doing a great job, but people think that's their turf.

Sheriff's deputies out in the county, as we say, outside the city limits, uh, how is this coordinated with police and did the businesses go to them and not get enough of what they wanted?

No, not at all.

Uh, we all gave chief McManus and Ron Nuremberg a heads up that, Hey, you're going to see deputies.

It's not that you're doing anything wrong.

We're just, we're just doing a little extra, doing our part to, to help out.

Uh, our deputies are monitoring the SAPT radio and, and they're, they're under strict orders that if you hear something going on up there, if you have a park police officer chasing a suspect, you better jump in there and, and, and help out.

And so, so that's exactly what we're doing.

Is this just another Way of working again, but now you, as Sheriff's deputies, can't enforce the city ordinances as the police department can, and that's a large part of what they're dealing with at the time, almost Sure.

But, but if w if there's, for example, some sort of a disturbance in a restaurant, we can handle that.

If it's a, you know, if it's a, somebody that fell down and skinned a knee, we can call EMS.

If it's just visible presence and preventing that's exactly what we're setting out to do.

So, so really there's no downside to having deputies out there visible with hats, uh, you know, tourists come to Texas expecting that, and here they are, oh my gosh, the cowboy cops, you know?

So, uh, they kind of love it.

And so we're, we're loving the interaction, the extra interaction, There'll be some expansion of this right now, just Saturdays right now, It's Saturdays.

And then throughout the week, sporadically, as we're able to.

So I tell the score, if you don't have something else going go park your car downtown and walk up and down the Riverwalk and say hello to the Riverwalk merchants.

Why Riverwalk Specifically, instead of a general, Because the Riverwalk is not as easily accessible to everybody.

Uh, you know, patrol officers are driving by, uh, you know, even the bike patrol guys, don't always come down onto the Riverwalk.

So I said, well, let's get down there on foot.

I know from personal experience, I was actually a beat cop.

I walked a beat downtown, uh, many years ago.

Uh, but so I know how effective it is.

And so when the Riverwalk merchants asked for something extra, I knew exactly what to do.

And now this is hats on the Riverwalk, uh, which is something, as you probably remember, hats were banned by the Sheriff's department, from the nineties for awhile.

And you, I don't want to say as the bald sheriff, you didn't, you didn't bring them back, but it was sheriff Pomerleau, Criminal brought them back.

Uh, but, but of course I use it.

I call it my Texas to pay cause I'm a bald guy.

Uh, but yeah, it's, it's something that's very easily recognizable and people that come to Texas from other parts of the country, they just think that cops here ride horses all the time and work cowboy hats all the time.

So they're pleasantly surprised to see that here we are, here's, deputy's easily recognizable by that Stetson By the first Saturday, how much of it is public relations and then telling people here's the Alamo, that's where you're going out of that restaurant and how much is dealing with homeless and crime?

How much do you run it?

Well, it's probably, it's probably 90% dealing with tourists, right?

But, and then, and then a lot of it is just visible presence.

How do we, how do we measure the number of crimes that we prevented simply by being there?

You know, nobody's going to try anything.

Cause here's three guys walking around in a cowboy hat, six guys walking around in a cowboy hat, but some of it is dealing with the homeless population and we're under strict orders that, look, it's not the homeless issue is not something that we can arrest away.

So we've got our, we've got our mental health unit, uh, on speed dial.

And if we get, if we've got to get somebody, some resources, ID recovery, get them to a shelter somewhere or help them out with getting to the, uh, to the Haven for hope.

That's what our mental health unit is there to do to act as a resource so that these guys can hand somebody off.

Yes, Central San Antonio, another group downtown, they already have these kinds of people working there as the Sheriff's department.

People might wonder, are you just moving people along and off the river?

So it's less visible.

We're trying to solve the problem.

We're trying to solve the problem.

And so, so, you know, we've got an ID recovery program set up with this with the Sheriff's office, that if somebody says, wow, I'm just down on my luck.

I need a job.

I don't have an ID.

We can actually help them get an ID and help them get started.

We'll even give them the ride to wherever it is.

They need to go whatever government office it is to help solve the issue at hand Cadets when you mentioned cadets.

So those are people in training and you need more people in training right now because of staffing you're understaffed.

And so you're paying more overtime.

Now, just this week, asking for more overtime money from county commissioners for the jail staffers, that's where people work first, right?

And the most part for the most part, we will hire directly to law enforcement in some cases.

But for the most part, we're hiring for the jail right now, a $2,000 signing bonus for people to come on.

We're just like every other company, every other major law enforcement is the country where we're grabbing for bodies.

Right now we need bodies and we need qualified bodies.

So this weekend, the 17th, we're having a career fair.

It's at the Y YMCA try point, uh, 20 30, 2 33 north St. Mary's right there at 2 81 St. Mary's right.

It's from eight in the morning until one, you can actually knock out the first three steps in the process to get hired on.

But again, we have that $2,000 signing bonus.

However, if you have your peace officer license already, you can come apply and possibly go straight to patrol after the training.

All right.

Well, thanks Sheriff.

That's at the old Albertsons 2 81 right off the St. Mary's strip into there.

So thank you very much.

Thank you.

And I didn't mean to call you the ball chair.

No worries.

You're the current I've been, I've Been called worse this week, which is another story we'll get to.

Thanks, sheriff Javier Salazar for 10 minutes.

Thank you, operations.

Continue now for the renovation of Alamo Plaza, preparations are also continuing for the museum, which will be across the street from the Alamo and the Woolworth building.

And the other two buildings there joining us now is Aaron Netta, Pierce, who is a tri chair or the Alamo advisory committee.

And also is an advocate community advocate for African American arts and culture.

Thank you very much for coming in.

Now this summer, there are seven different sessions, uh, about how this should be interpreted.

One of them just this week.

What are they focused on?

I found the history of it just presented in one of those just fascinating.

Well, Speaker 1: These are designed to help inform the committee and the recommendations that they'll be making, and also listening in our, our interpre interpretive, uh, companies.

One is Gallagher and associates.

One is, uh, PGA V and, uh, they are listening for ideas on how to design the interpretive materials that will go into the museums and into the Plaza.

Okay.

Now Speaker 2: Historians may agree on incredible wealth of information about what was the background of the Alamo at the time, the, the reasons for the push for independence of Texas at the time in 1835, but politicians don't agree on that.

And that's one of the reasons that you're, you're going through this and allowing people to present this.

What do you think of that controversy right now?

Um, the governor or a Lieutenant governor, uh, basically shutting down a book presentation on a book called forget the Alamo.

Speaker 1: Well, I believe that, um, in this day in time, uh, I've always liked to go to my good friend, Maya Angelo for a good quote.

And she says the truth is a stubborn fact.

And what we are finding is that as years go by historians learn more, uh, materials are uncovered, uh, new interviews, diaries appear, and we get more information and we learn more.

And as we learn more, it is important to have that information present it, Speaker 2: But it may tarnish that, uh, that story of the heroic Davy Crockett, William Barrett, Travis, that there was a background, not maybe just specifically at the Alamo itself, but the whole movement for Texas and independence and throughout Mexico, there were other areas that had rebellion in 1835.

Is this going to be a problem going forward, putting it, you know, getting some kind of a cohesive message and all those stubborn facts out there Speaker 1: It's work, but we will have to do the work.

And that's what these interpretive sessions are helping us to do.

We have, uh, enormously qualified experts who are coming in to present the facts to us.

And those facts will help us to understand the history as we know it today.

And I always say, when you know, better, you do better.

And the facts are becoming more realistic.

It is there's less, uh, honor sometimes, but it's not going to be a time of finger-pointing, but we are going to reveal more truths.

One of the harshest realities is the fact that slavery played a great role in Texas rev in the Texas revolution and the history of Texas at that time because of the production of cotton and the colonists, uh, created by, uh, uh, Stephen F. Austin and his father wanted to come into, uh, Mexico, which was, this was Mexico then and, um, grow cotton.

And they knew that that the only way that they want it to do it profitably was with enslaved people.

And that has always been downplayed.

I did not know that.

And probably many listening don't know that as a fact, which was a part of our last night session with experts from around the country.

Speaker 2: And that was fascinating.

And now there's the book, forget the Alamo, but there's another book out, Speaker 1: Another book out called on June teeth.

And it's an interesting story because it's told by a young woman from Conroe, Texas, and she grew up in Conroe her family.

She can trace her family to coming to her answers, just coming to Texas with one of the colonies as enslaved people and working here on the cotton farms.

And her family has remained in Texas, which is why this is so important because without this understanding, we don't really understand how African-Americans came to Texas.

And this was the, they went, it went from say a 19, uh, 32, a cup from a couple of thousand two after the revolution to maybe 185,000 enslaved people.

Speaker 2: We went from like 20, uh, I don't want to say a few percent, but 5,000 or so at around 1835 to that number.

And to 27, 30% of the Texas population were enslaved people.

Now they may not have been called slaves, but they were indentions indentured servants, right.

That had to sign a contract.

Speaker 1: That it didn't.

Your part was a description that was created to satisfy the Mexican government because Mexico had a disclaimed, a surgery.

They had, uh, slavery and they no longer wanted slavery in Mexico.

And so in order to get around that, they worked with, uh, some of the colonists and they created this discussion on indigent people, but after, but every, it was what it was.

And certainly the enslaved people's lives were no different with the name.

And it continued after the revolution and was so starkly written into the constitution of the, Speaker 2: Uh, of the state of Texas.

Now it's fascinating that history, and yet, again, you're having seven meetings about this, this you've had four of them they're online right now.

If you want to watch them at the city's website.

And then there are three more, the next one is on Fort Alamo and July 27th.

Yes.

Speaker 1: And it's talking about the military attachment that became a part, a serious part of the Alamo that led it to be the location that was then the, where the battle would take place.

So we're going to learn a lot of information about all of the interpretations or iterations that the elbow had that relate to military.

Speaker 2: And it's going to take a while, or it's going to take awhile to present this and prepare this kind of information, but it's also, it has a while because the lease for the building across the street where their museum is, uh, that goes to, I think, 20, 27.

So it could be at least a couple, three, five years before.

Speaker 1: Yes.

Unless the, uh, tenants, uh, are able to, um, unless they able to work out a different arrangement with the tenants, but certainly they have been, they're serving this community and they are definitely to be considered, but I hope that the museum is ready sooner than later, but also we will be, uh, redesigning the Plaza.

And so some of this information will inform what goes on and how the Plaza looks going forward, Speaker 2: Not just the museum.

All right.

Well, thank you very much, Aaron, here, the peer says it was said here, a royalty in San Antonio.

Thank you very much on reporters round table this week covering the big story of the state.

And that is more than 50 Democrats leaving the state for Washington to block that a voting bill that would ban drive through in 24 hour voting expand the role of partisan poll Watchers as well.

And covering it from Austin is Taylor golden steam, the Austin bureau reporter for Hearst newspapers, the Chronicle, and the San Antonio express.

Thank you for joining us.

What is it like as we tape this, I should say on Wednesday, what, uh, what can we expect?

It looks like there's an impasse right now for a while.

Definitely at a stand still.

It is quiet, quieter than it's been, you know, since, since we came back, um, you know, so far there's really nothing that the house can do with, with Democrats away.

Really, all they can do is say the morning prayer and then except excused absences, But there has been what they are.

What do they call it?

A call officially for the house where, uh, members who are there have to get permission slips to leave.

Uh, but basically to record the Democrats are gone, Correct.

Kind of like back in school every morning, they need to come up and ask the speaker for an excuse and, and get that slip in order to leave.

But the Texas Senate is continuing, uh, to work on bills, unclear what's going to happen to them.

Do you think this will drag out through the scheduled end of this special session and there will be another special session called right away?

Well, that's the plan Democrat say they expect, I'll probably have to be there through the end of this special session, which ends in early August.

And the governor has committed to continuing to call these special sessions for as long as he needs to in order to get this done.

And now he's talked about arresting or detaining and cabining them at the capital, um, whenever they come back, uh, and that's really caught people's attention, is that likely Speaker 1: To happen?

Speaker 2: Well, so the DPS, the Texas police, the state troopers only have jurisdiction in Texas.

So that would really only apply if they, if, and when they do return.

So, um, it's yet to be seen when that would happen and how much, uh, realistically, how much time there would be for, for, you know, that situation where they weren't just coming voluntarily.

Is this hardening opinions even more in Austin or the Republicans you talk to there.

And some Democrats are there still as well, right?

Yeah.

They're frustrated yesterday.

Uh, the GOP caucus held a press conference and, and went over all the different kinds of bills that were being left on the wayside with, with Democrats off the job, um, talking about, um, you know, bills that would improve the foster care system, um, give tax relief, teachers, retirement funds, um, a lot of different topics that were on the governor's agenda.

What are those house Republicans doing then for this time, Texas Senate's working, but the Republicans in the house There's really not much they can do.

Um, unfortunately for them, there's, you know, there's no business that can take place, no committee meetings, all of those have been canceled.

Okay.

But they are expecting bills.

So whatever bills that they had written or that the Senate comes up with, they know what they'll be dealing with as soon as whatever ends or however it ends.

Right.

Right.

Although if Democrats do, you know, hold off the whole rest of this session and there didn't need to be another special session, you know, anything that passed through the Senate, they'd have to do that all over again.

All right.

Well, Taylor golden Steen in a much quieter Austin, at least for now, while the action has moved to Washington, DC.

Thanks very much for coming in or for talking to us today from Austin.

And thank you for joining us for on the record.

The show airs Thursday nights at seven, as well as on the weekends, usually Saturday at five 30 and Sunday at 1:00 PM.

You can also see a repeat of the show or find the podcast at rn.org.

We'll see you next time.

on the record is brought to you by Steve and Adele duke.

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