Kyle City Council OKs TxDOT cameras, discusses mental health

KYLE — At its Dec. 5 meeting, Kyle City Council voted to approve the installation of additional automated license plate reading systems and heard a presentation on solutions for the mental health crisis that is ongoing in the city.

As previously reported by the Hays Free Press, council voted to approve and install Flock Safety license plate readers throughout the city. Flock Safety is used not only nationwide, but in other cities within Hays County, including Buda. The system reads license plates through 12-foot mounted cameras in key points throughout the city, determined by both Flock Safety and Kyle Police Department. Activated by motion, the cameras photograph the vehicle to collect the following data: color, make, license plate number and how often they have passed through an area in the last 30 days. Data is then stored for 30 days, which would be available via the creation of case numbers through KPD.

The approval accepted a two-year agreement which would grant KPD $50,000 a year and exceed no more than $100,000 over the duration of the contract.

According to KPD Chief Jeff Barnett, the city already has multiple cameras in use, but the approval of this item would allow installation on Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) right-of-way, specifically IH-35 right-of-way, FM 1626 right -of-way and FM 150 right-of-way.

“In the few that we already have deployed that are not in the TxDOT right-of-way, we were able to get them off the roadway enough, we’ve already recovered several stolen vehicles and we think that certainly has an impact on crime in our community,” said Barnett.

Once the cameras are fully set up, KPD can run reports to send to staff sharing the number of successes, how they are being installed, the locations and the number of “hits.”

Council member Michael Tobias stated that he is in support, but understands the privacy concerns: “However, just seeing a news story yesterday on ABC News where there’s a serial criminal right now that’s on a crime spree, they were able to track his vehicles and his location with one of these.”

“So, we have to look beyond just the comfort zone on that. We have to look at it as not only just prevention, but also as our city continues to grow, we’re going to have these unfortunate situations and we [have to] have the tools — the new modern technology — to be able to help [the police in their] fight to bring these criminals to justice,” stated Tobias.

The item passed 7-0, with Mayor Travis Mitchell concluding that he is “not the biggest fan of the ALPRs, but if we’re going to use them, let’s put them in the right-of-way and get good pictures.”

Following this approval, council heard an item that would request a proposal to provide additional mental health services through a cooperative agreement between the city, county and any private partners that are identified.

“Mental health is an issue I deeply care about,” said council member Bear Heiser, the item’s sponsor. “Many of us have had discussions over the past year about how we can help kids and families who are struggling in our community. I called for this item tonight because I’m hoping we can take a first step toward finding a solution for our kids.”

Council member Ashlee Bradshaw questioned if the focus is strictly on children.

“I think it's unrealistic to expect us going from zero to 60 overnight in trying to create a solution for the totality of the problem. I just am a firm believer in incremental growth. I think knowing that [because] the data says that our kids are the most affected by this, it is a good place to start,” Heiser said.

He continued emphasizing that he is not asking for money, but for council and staff to keep an open mind about supporting the process to, hopefully, have a possible solution to consider. Over the last six months, the council member noted that he has met with stakeholders in the community to better understand the resources that residents may need — many of which are not readily available.

A report conducted by Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute addressed the mental health needs in Hays County, stating that 50% of all mental health issues are developed by the age of 14 and 75% by the age of 24, yet these symptoms typically persist for a year before help is sought out. Due to this, many children first receive treatment in juvenile detention centers, Heiser said.

“The Hill Country has strained capacity and is unable to meet the needs of the growing population in Hays County. There are rising community concerns relating to student substance abuse and mental health,” read the study.

It also commented on the limited communication between the community and the stakeholders, which is Heiser’s biggest concern.

He continued to comment on the children that were tragically lost to fentanyl this past year and that many parents discussed that they faced struggles when attempting to get help for their children. The barriers are constant when it comes to reaching out for help, whether it's lack of resources, a long waitlist or inability to financially support it.

“I’ve learned a difficult way to be very open with everybody about my own struggles with mental health. It can be a very lonely head space at times — knowing that I lived the overwhelming majority of my life, not even realizing that I battle depression and a serious case of ADHD,” said Heiser. “I want to do everything I can to create opportunities for our community to receive the care that [it needs].”

“I wouldn't be sitting here today had I not gotten help. I probably would be somewhere else stuck in what seemed like a never-ending spiral. Sitting here now, being in this position, we have the ability to make an impact on our kids that can last an entire lifetime,” emphasized Heiser.  “No, we're not doctors. So, we obviously cannot, ourselves, provide care, but what we are is decision makers who, tonight, I hope, will say yes to taking this first step.”

Michelle Zaumeyer, clinic director for Hill Country Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities Center, shared more statistics. One of them being that 26% of the crisis calls received at the location are from children, compared to 18% in San Marcos. Her reasoning was the lack of outpatient options available to residents, leading to the “first point of contact with mental health treatment [being] when they’re in a crisis. When they’ve deteriorated to that point.”

The Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute report can give background, as it stated that nearly half of the children in Hays County have experienced trauma. Zaumeyer noted that these responses are usually lower than the actual number due to stigma surrounding trauma and mental health. This stigma and the pressure to hide their struggles can often lead to children finding unhealthy ways to cope.

“We could still do better for the kids in this city. Especially in a city like Kyle, where there's just going to be continued growth and that is just going to create further strain on our local resources,” Zaumeyer said.

The item passed, motioning for staff to create a request for proposals referencing mental health services to cooperate with the city and other county partners, to come before council at a later date.