Stevens asks about pre-June 21 security and staff protocols
Stevens asks what security changes were made before the June 21 Horizon violence and whether earlier warnings were flagged. Administration witnesses say they would need to review history and provide information later, and describe scanners, training, staffing, and commissioner town halls with staff.
Prior to violence at Horizon on June 21st, several issues have been reported to ACS, including instances of assault on staff and attempted by young people to obtain keys.
How significant security or optional adjustments were made to prior to 21st incident?
Can you speak to early reports that had flagged concerns concerning security issues at Horizon?
I can't speak to, we would have to go through the history to provide that information to you.
Well, I would like that to be provided because that's one of the things that I'm concerned about, like, because according to staff, because like I said, they're coming and incoming, they're saying that they had been
really highlighting that this was an issue and these concerns weren't taken seriously.
According to the fiscal year 2026 mayor management report,
rate of youth on staff assaults and altercations were with injuries and detention fell to 0.21% to 1.
The tensions fell from 0.21% to 0.13%, indicating per 100 youth in the average daily population.
Social services employees, union, SEU, local 371, which represented many staff, has called for a review of safety protocol.
What specific steps has ACS taken in the past year to improve safety at Crossroads and Horizon?
What additional measures are planned?
So part of what is in place and in plan are the scanners and the hand wands and the examples that were provided.
I think the other pieces that we're doing is continuing to look for ways in which we are able to...
Both provide training to staff around safety protocols for themselves, the
conflict resolution efforts, and the additional
staff that we are hiring both from the youth development specialists and that line, but also our special officers just continuing to add
ways in which we are able to both do planned and unplanned scans.
The other piece for me that was really important was making sure to actually meet with staff.
So I've had the pleasure of having several town hall listening sessions to hear directly from the staff around what their concerns are, what are the things that they want me to keep top of mind.
And that has been really critical to my thinking.
and the conversation around what are the things that we need to be putting in place and the safety of our staff is just so critical.
Their ability to do their jobs, and it's a really, really, really, really hard job, is
top of mind for me and continuing to find ways that we are able to support them across the board is really critical and continuing to hear about what ideas actually staff have about solutions is actually also critical.
Yeah, I mean, I was very happy to hear that you, that's one of the first things you did was come in and like meet with staff, but I am sure today, as soon as we're done, we have a whole
list of people ready to testify.
So I'm sure you will hear additional things and concerns that they have because again, like I said, since that press conference, I have been bombarded with the amount of young people talking about how they feel young people aren't safe, the staff not feeling safe.
Again, I just got a picture of piles and piles of garbage that are outside of Hall A, I believe.
And just trying to understand, like, and I'll send this to you as well, outside of Hall A at Crossroads, there's piles and piles of trash.
How is that acceptable for young people to, like, have that?
How are we even addressing that?
So I'm really concerned.
So I'm sure today we're going to hear from a number of folks.
From local 371 to really kind of like speak to
some of that.