FOR THE RECORD MY NAME IS HENRY SANTANA AT LARGE CITY COUNCILOR AND I AM THE CHAIR OF THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE. TODAY IS MARCH 12TH 2026 AND
THE EXACT TIME IS 9:35 A.M.. THIS HEARING IS BEING RECORDED . IT IS ALSO BEING LIVE STREAMED AT BOSTON.COM/CITY COUNCIL DASH TV AND BROADCASTED ON MY
CHANNEL EIGHT RCN CHANNEL 82 AND FILES CHANNEL 964. WRITTEN COMMENTS MAY BE SENT TO THE COMMITTEE EMAIL ASK@BOSTON.GOV AND WILL BE MADE
AND WILL BE MADE PART OF THE RECORD AND AVAILABLE TO ALL COUNCILORS. PUBLIC TESTIMONY WILL BE TAKEN AT THE END OF THIS HEARING. INDIVIDUALS WILL BE CALLED ON IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY SIGNED UP AND WILL HAVE TWO
MINUTES TO TESTIFY. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN TESTIFYING IN PERSON, PLEASE ADD YOUR NAME TO THE SIGN UP SHEET NEAR THE ENTRANCE OF THE CHAMBER. IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO TESTIFY VIRTUALLY, PLEASE EMAIL OUR
CENTRAL STAFF LIAISON MEGAN MEGAN CARUSO BOSTON.GOV FOR THE LINK AND YOUR NAME WILL BE ADDED TO THE LIST. TODAY'S HEARING IS ON DOCKET
NUMBER 0167. ORDER FOR A HEARING TO DISCUSS PROGRESS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADDRESS ADDRESSING DRINK SPIKING AND DRUG FACILITATED A SEXUAL ASSAULT.
THIS MATTER WAS SPONSORED BY COUNCILOR GRAVITY PARTNER AND WAS REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE ON JANUARY 28TH 2026. TODAY I AM JOINED IN MY BY MY COLLEAGUES IN ORDER OF ARRIVAL
COUNCILOR AT FLYNN. COUNCILOR ERIN MURPHY AND COUNCILOR PARTNER. WE'VE ALSO RECEIVED A LETTER OF ABSENCE FROM COUNCILOR PEMBERTON.
I WILL, UM, ALLOW COUNCILOR CURIOUS ABOUT THAT AND MY COLLEAGUES TO GIVE OPENING REMARKS AND I'LL GIVE A FEW OPENING REMARKS AND THEN WE'LL GO TO, UM, A FIRST ROUND OF PUBLIC TESTIMONY FIRST. ACTUALLY TODAY I MISSPOKE
EARLIER AND THEN WE'LL GO TO PANEL DISCUSSION. SO COUNCILOR POTTER, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. CHAIR UH, FOR HOLDING TODAY'S
HEARING AND I WANT TO THANK MY COLLEAGUES FOR BEING HERE AS WELL, UH, TO DISCUSS THIS IMPORTANT ISSUE AHEAD OF A REALLY IMPORTANT WEEKEND HERE IN BOSTON. I WANT TO EXTEND MY GRATITUDE TO THE ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS WHO ARE HERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
BOSTON POLICE. UM, MEMBERS OF THE HC ADVOCATES AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO ARE HERE TO SHARE THEIR EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCES AS BOSTON HEADS INTO SAINT
PATRICK'S DAY CELEBRATIONS ONE OF THE BUSIEST WEEKENDS FOR NIGHTLIFE IN OUR CITY. WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO GO OUT, CELEBRATE AND HAVE A GREAT TIME SAFELY. THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WELL AND WE KNOW BOSTON IS
SAFE, BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT DRINK SPIKING HAS BEEN A CONCERN IN THE CITY OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, WHICH IS WHY THIS CONVERSATION IS SO IMPORTANT. PUBLIC SAFETY MEANS MAKING SURE PEOPLE IN OUR CITY CAN ENJOY
WITHOUT WORRYING THAT THEIR DRINK COULD BE TAMPERED WITH. SINCE 2022, BOSTON HAS SEEN DOZENS OF REPORTED INCIDENTS OF SUSPECTED DRINK SPIKING EACH
YEAR 116 REPORTS IN 2022, 107 IN 2023 AND 71 IN 2024. AND I HOPE TO GET UPDATED NUMBERS DURING THIS HEARING. WHILE THOSE NUMBERS HAVE GONE DOWN.
EXPERTS BELIEVE THAT MANY CASES GO UNREPORTED. ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES IS THAT SUBSTANCES COMMONLY USE AND DRINK SPIKING LIKE HYPNO COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS ROOFIES
AS WELL AS GHB OR KETAMINE METABOLIZED QUICKLY. THAT MEANS BY THE TIME SOMEONE REALIZES SOMETHING IS WRONG AND SEEKS HELP, IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO COLLECT EVIDENCE OR TO
CONFIRM WHAT HAPPENED. OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS THE CITY HAS TAKEN STEPS TO RESPOND. MY OFFICE HAS WORKED WITH THE BOSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT TO IMPROVE HOW THESE INCIDENTS ARE TRACKED AND INVESTIGATED
THROUGH THE MARK 43 SYSTEM, INCLUDING UPDATING INTERNAL REPORTING SYSTEMS AND EXPANDING OFFICER TRAINING. WE HAVE ALSO PARTNERED WITH THE LICENSING BOARD AND THE OFFICE OF NIGHTLIFE ECONOMY TO WORK
WITH BARS AND VENUES ACROSS THE CITY TO DISTRIBUTE DRINK COVERS AND EXPANDING SAFETY TRAINING FOR NIGHTLIFE STAFF. WE ALSO KNOW THERE ARE STILL GAPS. SURVIVORS CAN FACE BARRIERS
WHEN TRYING TO ACCESS TIMELY TOXICOLOGY TESTING AND THERE ISN'T ALWAYS A CLEAR PROTOCOL FOR HOW SUSPECTED DRUG SPIKE IN CASES SHOULD BE HANDLED. TODAY'S HEARING IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE CURRENT
LANDSCAPE, IDENTIFY CHALLENGES THAT REMAIN AND EXPLORE WHAT ADDITIONAL STEPS BOSTON CAN TAKE TO STRENGTHEN PREVENTION EFFORTS AND SURVIVOR SUPPORT. MY HOPE TODAY IS THAT TODAY'S
DISCUSSION HELPS US IDENTIFY PRACTICAL STEPS THAT THE CITY CAN TAKE MOVING FORWARD. ULTIMATELY THE GOAL IS SIMPLE PEOPLE SHOULD BE ABLE TO ENJOY BOSTON'S NIGHTLIFE SAFELY.
THANK YOU AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM OUR PANELIST. THANK YOU CHAIR. THANK YOU COUNCILOR. LET US ABOUT UH. UM I'M JUST GOING TO GO TO COUNCILOR MURPHY. UM, WHO WAS HERE FIRST? COUNCILOR MURPHY, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR AND THEN I'LL GO TO
COUNCILOR FLYNN. I KNOW COUNCILOR FLYNN'S ALWAYS FIRST. THROWS PEOPLE OFF WHEN I GET HERE BEFORE I'M. UM. THANK YOU, CHAIR, FOR HOLDING THIS. AND I KNOW THIS IS SOMETHING
WE'VE COME TOGETHER FOR BEFORE AND AN ISSUE. I'M GLAD WE'RE, LIKE GETTING UPDATES AND SEEING THE PROGRESS THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON SINCE THE LAST TIME WE MET. UM, KIM, I KNOW WE SPOKE. BRIEFLY BEFORE THIS HEARING BUT
LOOKING FORWARD TO YOU HAVE SOME UPDATES ON THIS NEW ROLE WHICH WAS KIND OF NEW LAST YEAR NOW IN A YEAR AND NOW SO LOOKING FORWARD JUST TO HEARING FROM THE PANEL SEEING WHAT MORE WE CAN DO ON THE COUNCIL TO
SUPPORT THIS BECAUSE LIKE IT WAS SAID WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE HAVE FUN BUT FEEL SAFE WHEN THEY'RE OUT THERE AND KNOW WHAT SUPPORTS IF NEEDED UM IF SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS TO THEM.
SO THANK YOU CHAIR. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR MURPHY. COUNCILOR FLYNN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU, MR CHAIR. DRINK SPIKING OCCURS WHEN A
PERSON DELIBERATELY PUTS ALCOHOL OR DRUGS INTO SOMEONE ELSE'S DRINK WITHOUT THEIR KNOWLEDGE OR PERMISSION. THESE DRUGS CAN INCLUDE ROOFIES ,GHB OR OTHER DRUGS.
INSTANCES OF DRINK SPIKING CAN OCCUR AT BARS, PUBS, NIGHTCLUBS, EVEN PRIVATE HOUSES OR PARTIES. PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS OF SPIKING
CAN INCLUDE CONFUSION, NAUSEA AND VOMITING LOSS OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION MEMORY LOSS. IF SOMEONE SUSPECTS THAT THEY OR SOMEONE ELSE HAS BEEN SPIKED
. IT IS CRITICAL TO TELL THE ESTABLISHMENTS MANAGER OR PARTY HOST AND SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION . LAST YEAR I SPONSORED A UNANIMOUS RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT
OF EXPANDING PREVENTION PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN REGARDING DRUG TRACK SPIKING. THIS IS ONE OF THE ISSUES I'VE WORKED ON FOR EIGHT YEARS
INCLUDING MAKING MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS, SAID THE BOSTON POLICE CRIME LAB. I THINK IS ALSO PART OF THE CONVERSATION. I WORKED ON THIS ISSUE AS A PROBATION OFFICER AT SUFFOLK
SUPERIOR COURT FOR EIGHT YEARS ,BUT I LIVE IN A NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE THERE'S A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE YOUNG WOMEN. UM, A LOT OF RESTAURANTS AND
BARS OFF OF WEST BROADWAY. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THIS. I DON'T THINK WE TAKE THIS ISSUE AS SERIOUSLY AS WE SHOULD. I THINK WE NEED MORE OVERSIGHT
FROM THE CITY OF BOSTON. UM, AS IT RELATES TO RESTAURANTS AND BARS AND WE MUST HAVE ZERO TOLERANCE FOR ANY TYPE OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES
SUCH AS SPIKING SOMEONE'S DRINK . UM, THIS IS AN ISSUE. UM, I'VE BEEN MEETING ON MONTHLY WITH THE BOSTON POLICE AND WITH, UM, COMMUNITY PEOPLE
GOING INTO THE SOUTH BOSTON PARADE BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S AN ISSUE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. I'M NOT GOING TO DENY IT. IT'S NOT AN ISSUE. SO I'M GOING TO DO EVERYTHING I
POSSIBLY CAN TO, UM, SUPPORT WHAT THE CITY IS DOING ON THIS ISSUE. THANK YOU, MR CHAIR. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR FLYNN. UM, AND AS THE CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE, UM, I'M
ACUTELY AWARE OF THE THREATS THAT DRINK SPIKING AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE POSE TO OUR RESIDENTS ESPECIALLY, UM, UH, WHEN IT RELATES TO DRUG FACILITATED SEXUAL ASSAULTS. WE MUST ENSURE THAT OUR CITY
HONORS SURVIVORS BY APPLYING BEST PRACTICES AND SHARING TIMELY EVIDENCE COLLECTION AND EMPHASIZING PREVENTION WITH STRONG INTER-AGENCY COORDINATION AND STANDARDIZED PROTOCOLS FOLLOWING REPORTS.
WE CAN BETTER PROTECT OUR SURVIVORS BOTH IMMEDIATELY AFTER DRUG SPIKING OR DRUG FACILITATED DRUG FACILITATED SEXUAL ASSAULT AND IN THE LONG TERM. WOMEN AND GENDER MINORITIES ARE
AT AN INCREASED RISK OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND THE PERPETRATORS OF THIS VIOLENCE OVERWHELMINGLY MALES. WHILE THIS HEARING IS ON PREVENTION IN RESPONSE TO DRUG FACILITATED SEXUAL ASSAULT, I WANT TO TAKE THIS TIME TO BRING LIGHT TO THE SYSTEMATIC ISSUES
. THE BROADER ISSUES ARE PARTICULARLY AND THE NORMALIZATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GENDER MINORITIES, WHICH UNDERLINE MANY OF THESE CRIMES. I LOOK FORWARD TO LEARNING HOW
WE CAN BETTER PROTECT SURVIVORS OF DRINK SPIKING AND DRUG FACILITATED SEXUAL ASSAULTS FROM OUR PANELISTS AND THROUGH OUR, UM, PUBLIC TESTIMONY. UM, SO BEFORE WE GO TO OUR UM,
PANEL, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU ALL BEING HERE. UM, WE ARE GOING TO TAKE, UM, PUBLIC TESTIMONY. UM, WE'RE WANT TO TAKE THREE. WE WILL UM, STARTING WITH I
THINK YOU'RE GOING TO READ UM, UM, SENATOR PAUL FEENEY'S UM, LETTER TO THE RECORD. UM, COUNSELOR THEN. OKAY. AND THEN WE HAVE UM TWO ALSO WE HAVE JESSICA S AND ALANA KATZ.
KATZ UM, IF YOU ALL COULD COME TO THE PODIUM IN THE BACK HERE. UM, AND YOU WILL BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO TESTIFY. RIGHT UP TO.
>> YEAH. YEAH. COME ON UP AND YOU STATE YOUR NAME AND THEN YOU CAN, UM, GIVE YOUR TESTIMONY. MY NAME IS ELENA KATZ KATZ AND
I WAS DRUGGED IN LATE 2022 AT AGE 56. ENDED UP IN THE AIR MASS GENERAL WHERE I WAS REFUSED A TOXICOLOGY SCREEN BECAUSE I HADN'T BEEN RAPED. I'M GRATEFUL I WASN'T, BUT A
VICTIM SHOULD NOT HAVE TO EXPERIENCE THE WORST CASE SCENARIO TO RECEIVE BASIC MEDICAL EVIDENCE COLLECTION. ROOFIES ARE AN EPIDEMIC SINCE MAY 2022, A SINGLE BOSTON
FACEBOOK GROUP WITH MORE THAN 19,000 MEMBERS DEDICATED SOLELY TO DRINK SAFETY TRACKING DRUGS AND SEXUAL ASSAULTS AT MORE THAN 100 BOSTON AREA VENUES IDENTIFIED NOT INCLUDING THE
RAMPANT UNREPORTED INCIDENCES AT OUR UNIVERSITIES OFTEN LEADING TO RAPE, ROBBERIES AND EVEN DEATH. I'M HERE BECAUSE THERE IS A DANGEROUS DISCONNECT BETWEEN THE CITY'S RHETORIC ON SAFETY AND THE RELIABILITY.
THE REALITY ON THE GROUND. WHILE MAYOR WU AUTHORIZED 225 LIQUOR LICENSES IN LANDMARK LEGISLATION WHICH SHE BOASTED AND I QUOTE INTRODUCED THE MOST LIQUOR LICENSES TO BOSTON SINCE
PROHIBITION. HER NIGHTLIFE DIRECTOR CORINNE REYNOLDS, WHO IS RESPONSIBLE PARTIALLY FOR SAFETY POLICIES, HAS FAILED TO BACK THAT GROWTH WITH PROTECTION DESPITE HER
CLAIMING SAFETY IS A HIGH PRIORITY. NOT A SINGLE OF THE 42 GRANTS PUBLICLY LISTED ON HER $300,000 ARPA BUDGET WAS ALLOCATED TO VICTIMS SAFETY INSTEAD
OF PROTECTING PATRONS AND OPERATORS. SHE FUNDED ICE CREAM SOCIALS, A TRICK CALLED FUNK FEST, BLAIR PRODUCT AND MORE ALL LISTED ONLINE SAFETY MUST COME FIRST. RATHER THAN SHOWBOATING ABOUT
LIQUOR LICENSES AND WHERE YOU CAN EAT LATE AT NIGHT AND GET ALCOHOL. HOW ABOUT SHOWING TANGIBLE EFFORTS TO PREVENT LIKE THIS LIFE RUINING CRIME? THE CITY CLAIMS THEY HAVE DISTRIBUTED 30,000 DRINK LIDS. WHERE ARE THEY?
I LIVE IN BOSTON. GO OUT OFTEN. HAVE NEVER SEEN ONE FRUSTRATED WITH THE LACK OF PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DATA. I FILED MULTIPLE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUESTS
THROUGH AN ATTORNEY ON AUGUST 21ST, 2025. LEGALLY THE CITY HAS 20 WORKING DAYS TO COMPLY. IT HAS BEEN 136 FEDERAL CALENDAR WORKING DAYS.
THE CITY HAS MISSED EVERY DEADLINE, REFUSING TO EVEN PROVIDE AN ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE. IF THE CITY IS TRULY COMMITTED TO SAFETY, WHY THE STONEWALLING ? I HAVE COPIES OF THE FOYER REQUEST RIGHT HERE WHICH I.
WILL LEAVE HERE AND UM FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS. I'M NOT A POLITICIAN. I'M A CITIZEN WHO HELPS SHATTER VICTIMS WHO ARE AFRAID TO COME FORWARD. I MADE MY OWN PUBLIC SERVICE
ANNOUNCEMENT VIDEOS BECAUSE THE CITY WOULDN'T. WE CANNOT LET THE NIGHTLIFE ECONOMY ABOVE THE SAFETY OF THE PEOPLE WHO SUSTAIN IT. ANY ONE OF YOU COULD BE DRUGGED TODAY VIA A GLASS OF WATER,
COFFEE, WINE, YOUR TEENAGE DAUGHTER, YOUR SON, YOUR MOTHER, YOUR FATHER. NOBODY'S UM. YOU STOP THE SHOWBOATING. STOP THE LIP SERVICE. IT'S TIME FOR CONCRETE TANGIBLE SAFETY MEASURES AND TOTAL
TRANSPARENCY. I THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS. I WILL LEAVE THESE HERE FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS. AND THANK YOU. SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND I URGE YOU TO BE SAFE.
THANK YOU ALANA FOR YOUR TESTIMONY. NEXT UP WE HAVE JESSICA S. MY NAME IS JESSICA AND I'M
SPEAKING TODAY AS A PRIVATE CITIZEN FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE NOT IN ANY PROFESSIONAL CAPACITY OR ON BEHALF OF ANY ORGANIZATION. THREE YEARS AGO I WAS DRUGGED AND RAPED BY SOMEONE I MET THROUGH A DATING APP.
I REPORTED THE INCIDENT TO THE POLICE BUT THE ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY WHO HANDLED MY CASE TOLD ME THAT WHAT HAPPENED TO ME DOES NOT MEET THE LEGAL DEFINITION OF RAPE IN MASSACHUSETTS BECAUSE OUR LAWS DO NOT CONSIDER CONSENT AND
BECAUSE I WASN'T FEARING FOR MY LIFE THROUGH THE VIOLENCE I FACED AT THE HANDS OF THE MAN WHO HURT ME. THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS I WISH I COULD SHARE WITH THIS COMMITTEE, BUT THE POINT I WANT TO EMPHASIZE WITH RESPECT TO
PREVENTION IS THAT THESE DRUGS IMPAIR JUDGMENT AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING. THEY MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO THINK CLEARLY AND PERCEIVE DANGER.
THERE WAS A MOMENT THAT NIGHT BEFORE THE ASSAULTS WHEN I WAS DISORIENTED AND VOMITING IN A PUBLIC RESTROOM, BARELY ABLE TO SPEAK OR STAND. WHEN THE VOICE. >> OF A STRANGER ASKED ME IF I NEEDED HELP AND.
>> I SAID NO. NOT BECAUSE I DIDN'T NEED IT BUT BECAUSE I COULD NOT. CONSCIOUSLY GRASP THE DANGER THAT I WAS IN. I REMEMBER FEELING AFRAID BUT NOT OF HIM. NOT YET.
I DID NOT UNDERSTAND HIS ROLE. IN WHAT WAS UNFOLDING BUT WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT I WISH THAT CAME STRANGER HAD IGNORED WHAT I SAID AND HE CALLED 911
ANYWAY. THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS TO. RESPOND TO INJUSTICE. YOU CAN BRUSH IT OFF. SEARCH FOR ANSWERS. TRY TO. >> FIND. A SCAPEGOAT. >> TO BLAME BUT A PATTERN TELLS
A STORY. AND WHEN PERPETRATORS OF DRINKS ,BIKING AND RAPE ARE REPEATEDLY ABLE TO EVADE ANY FORM OF ACCOUNTABILITY IN OUR STATE, WE HAVE TO ASK WHY.
JUST AS THIS COMMITTEE IS DOING TODAY. I I'M. ONLY ONE. >> SURVIVOR WITH ONE UNIQUE EXPERIENCE AND I. CANNOT OFFER SOLUTIONS. I CAN ONLY. POINT TO GAPS.
MY EXPERIENCE REVEALED. I HOPE THE COMMITTEE WILL ALSO HEAR FROM PEOPLE WITH RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL. EXPERTISE DOCTORS AND BARTENDERS. POLICE DETECTIVES AND PROSECUTORS.
RESTAURANT MANAGERS AND TOXICOLOGISTS. THEY HAVE IMPORTANT INSIGHTS TO OFFER AND THEY DESERVE TO BE HEARD JUST AS WE DO. THANK YOU FOR HEARING MY TESTIMONY.
THANK YOU JESSICA. WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE WITH PUBLIC TESTIMONY. UM, WE HAVE TWO OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE SIGNED UP. UM PLEASE EXCUSE MY MY MY
PRONUNCIATION. I THINK WE HAVE NEVE, UM, PAUL MARY AND CAROL BLUE. AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO GO INTO OUR PANEL DISCUSSION TODAY.
HI MY NAME IS PAUL MARY AND I'M A JUNIOR AT PROVIDENCE COLLEGE. AND FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS I'VE BEEN WORKING TO COMBAT DRINK SPIKING THROUGH BOTH THE DEVELOPMENT OF A DETECTION DEVICE AND. ADVOCACY WITHIN COLLEGE
COMMUNITIES. ONE OF THE MOST CONCERNING. REALITIES OF DRINK SPIKING IS THE UNDERREPORTING OF THESE CRIMES. DRINK SPIKING. OFTEN EXISTS IN A GRAY AREA. WHERE VICTIMS SUSPECT THEIR. >> DRINK WAS TAMPERED WITH, BUT
HAVE NO WAY TO CONFIRM IT. THROUGH MY RESEARCH, I'VE SPOKEN WITH MANY UNIVERSITY. OFFICIALS WHO OFTEN SAY THEY HAVE. NEVER HAD A DRINK SPIKING INCIDENT ON THEIR CAMPUS. BUT THE QUESTION IS HOW WOULD
THEY KNOW WHEN THE VICTIMS THEMSELVES OFTEN HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING? AS A STUDENT, MANY CLASSMATES HAVE. SHARED STORIES WITH ME ABOUT SUSPECTED. >> DRINK SPIKING. MOST NEVER REPORTED THE
INCIDENT TO THEIR SCHOOL, THE POLICE OR WENT TO A HOSPITAL. AND WHEN ASKED WHY MANY SAID THEY DIDN'T. SEE THE POINT. SO I POSED THE QUESTION TO YOU . WHAT IS. >> THE POINT? THE POINT IS ACCOUNTABILITY.
THE POINT IS FLAHERTY. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY THE POINT IS PREVENTION. IN TODAY'S WORLD DATA OFTEN DETERMINES HOW AND IF INSTITUTIONS ALLOCATE RESOURCES ,SHAPE POLICIES AND SET
PRIORITIES. SIMPLY BECAUSE DATA SURROUNDING THIS CRIME IS MORE DIFFICULT TO TRACK THAN MOST. DOES NOT MEAN INSTITUTIONS NOR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIALS WILL BE RIGHT TO DENY ITS EXISTENCE AND
FAIL TO PROTECT THOSE IN THEIR COMMUNITY. PREVENTING DRINK SPIKING REQUIRES A SYSTEMATIC. RESPONSE ONE THAT INCLUDES TESTING AVAILABILITY. MOST IMPORTANTLY STANDARDIZE
REPORTING PROCEDURES AND COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN UNIVERSITIES, HOSPITALS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT. SO THE POINT OF THIS CONVERSATION AND THE POINT OF MY WORK FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS INCLUDING POLICY
DISCUSSIONS, RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN THIS SPACE IS SIMPLE TO MAKE THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE AND TO ENSURE THAT NO STUDENT IS LEFT. WITHOUT ANSWERS. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. SO WE HAVE CARA BLUE. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS CARA BLUE AND I'M
THE SENIOR DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS AT THE BOSTON AREA RAPE. CRISIS CENTER. ALSO KNOWN AS BARK. BARK HAS. >> SUPPORTED THOUSANDS. OF SURVIVORS DURING OUR 50 PLUS YEARS IN SERVICE. WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT SEXUAL. VIOLENCE IS THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF SURVIVORS KNOW
THEIR PERPETRATOR. WHAT WE ALSO KNOW WHEN TALKING ABOUT DRINK SPIKING OR USING ALCOHOL TO FACILITATE SEXUAL VIOLENCE IS THAT THIS HAPPENS IN BARS AS WELL AS HOMES AND OTHER PRIVATE SETTINGS.
THE CONVERSATION ABOUT DRINK SPIKING IN OUR CITY USUALLY LANDS ON MANY CONSIDERATIONS AROUND BARS AND CLUBS AND HOW POTENTIAL VICTIMS SHOULD BE USING DRINK COVERS AND TESTING STRIPS AND OTHER MEANS TO PROTECT THEIR DRINKS.
WHILE THESE ACTIONS ARE ONE PIECE OF THE PREVENTION PUZZLE. TREATING SPIKING. SOLELY AS A POLICING OR NIGHTLIFE SECURITY ISSUE MISSES THE MARK ON WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT. WHEN THE PRIMARY ADVICE IS
DON'T GO TO THIS BAR OR BE SURE TO TEST YOUR DRINK, WE ARE SUBTLY TELLING SURVIVORS THAT SAFETY IS THEIR PERSONAL BURDEN TO CARRY. THIS REINFORCES A DANGEROUS VICTIM BLAMING NARRATIVE. WE DON'T SOLVE COMMUNITY HARM
BY ASKING SURVIVORS TO BE MORE HYPER VIGILANT. WE SOLVE IT THROUGH COLLECTIVE ACCOUNTABILITY AND ROBUST SUPPORT SYSTEMS. AT BOK WE KNOW THAT ALCOHOL IS THE MOST COMMONLY USED SUBSTANCE USED TO FACILITATE
SEXUAL ASSAULT AND THE DRINK SPIKING IS NOT NEW. BOK FOCUSES ON THE COMMUNITY'S ROLE IN PREVENTION THE ROLE OF BARS AND CLUBS, THEIR STAFF ,THE TRAINING THAT THEY SHOULD BE RECEIVING AND THE MANY WAYS THAT. WE AS. >> A COMMUNITY CAN DO A BETTER
JOB OF WATCHING OUT FOR ONE ANOTHER. WE ARE ASKING THE CITY OF BOSTON TO EXPAND THE LENS OF ENFORCEMENT AND LOOK AT IT THROUGH A LENS OF PUBLIC HEALTH. WE NEED THE CITY TO INVEST IN PUBLIC HEALTH THROUGH.
COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS, MEDICAL ADVOCATES, BYSTANDER INTERVENTION TRAINING AND EDUCATION RESOURCES FOR HOSPITALITY WORKERS. LET'S INVEST IN A CITY WHERE THE RESPONSE TO HARM IS CARE AND NOT A CHECKLIST OF THINGS THAT THE SURVIVORS SHOULD HAVE
DONE DIFFERENTLY. I WANT TO END BY STATING THAT IF SOMEONE YOU KNOW HAS HAD THIS EXPERIENCE, BOK IS HERE AS A RESOURCE. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO CALL OUR
HOTLINE (800) 841-8371 TO TALK THROUGH OPTIONS. WE STAND READY TO WORK WITH THE CITY TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE ALL STANDING UP TO SUPPORT SURVIVORS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WE APPRECIATE, UM, THOSE WHO CAME AND UM, SHARE THEIR STORIES UM, WITH US TODAY. UM, WE'RE NOW GOING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH OUR PANEL. UM, I'M GOING TO INTRODUCE
TODAY'S PANELISTS. UM, WITH US TODAY WE HAVE UM KIM MENDOZA, ARI KEITA, DIRECTOR OF DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE PREVENTION INITIATIVE WITH THE BOSTON PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION.
WE HAVE HAVE THE CAPTAIN DETECTIVE TERRY THOMAS WITH THE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIVE SERVICES, COMMANDER OF THE FAMILY JUSTICE DIVISION WITH THE BOSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT. UM, WE HAVE UM LIEUTENANT
DETECTIVE JOSE TEIXEIRA, COMMANDER OF THE SEXUAL ASSAULT UNIT WITH THE BOSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT. WE HAVE KATHLEEN JOYCE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND LICENSING AND
CHAIRWOMAN LICENSE AND BOARD WITH THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY INCLUSION. AND WE ALSO HAVE KARIN REYNOLDS WHO IS THE DIRECTOR OF NIGHTLIFE ECONOMY UH, WITH
THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC UM OPPORTUNITY INCLUSION. SO, UM, REALLY APPRECIATE YOU ALL BEING HERE. OBVIOUSLY JUST GOT GROUNDED IN SOME PUBLIC TESTIMONY IF WE CAN ACTUALLY. UM I DON'T KNOW WHAT ORDER
Y'ALL WANT TO GO. TO, BUT IF YOU IF YOU CAN GUESS THE, UM, THE NAMES AND TITLES FOR THE RECORD AND, UM, I'LL PROVIDE YOUR TESTIMONY FOR TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. >> GOOD MORNING. UH, TO, UH, MEMBERS OF THE
COUNCIL. UH, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. >> TO TESTIFY TODAY. REGARDING CONCERNS ABOUT DRINK SPIKING. >> IN BOSTON. MY NAME IS KIM MENDOZA. RIGHT. UH. I SERVE AS. >> THE. DIRECTOR OF THE. >> DOMESTIC SEXUAL AND GENDER BASED VIOLENCE PREVENTION INITIATIVE WITHIN THE OFFICE
OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION AT THE BOSTON PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION. UH, I'M JUST GOING TO CALL IT THE DSG FOR SHORT. IT'S A VERY LONG PROGRAM AND. UH. >> TODAY I'M. >> HERE TO SHARE MY. PROFESSIONAL MY PUBLIC HEALTH. >> AND PUBLIC. >> HEALTH PERSPECTIVE. UM, AND WHAT THE RESEARCH TELLS
US ABOUT DRINK SPIKING AND DRUG FACILITATED SEXUAL ASSAULT. UH. >> AS UH, COUNCILOR, AS I SAID BEFORE, DRINK SPIKING OCCURS WHEN SOMEONE INTENTIONALLY ADDS ALCOHOL OR DRUGS TO ANOTHER PERSON'S. DRINK WITHOUT THEIR. KNOWLEDGE OR CONSENT.
AT ITS CORE, DRINK SPIKING REMOVES A PERSON'S ABILITY TO MAKE. INFORMED DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT THEY CONSUME UM AND WHAT'S HAPPENING AROUND THEM. WHILE THE TERM DRINK SPIKING FOCUS. >> IS ON.
BEVERAGES, IT IS IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT. DRUGGING SOMEONE. WITHOUT THEIR CONSENT CAN OCCUR . ACROSS MULTIPLE FORMS OF CONSUMPTION. SUCH AS ADDING DRUGS. >> TO FOOD, FOOD, ADDING UNKNOWN DRUGS TO OTHER
SUBSTANCES THAT ARE BEING KNOWINGLY INGESTED LIKE CANNABIS. THE UNDERLYING ISSUE IS THE SAME SOMEONE'S AUTONOMY AND ABILITY TO CONSENT IS BEING VIOLATED. RESEARCH CLEARLY SHOWS THAT
DRINK SPIKING AND DRUG FACILITATED SEXUAL ASSAULT ARE REAL AND IT IS HARMFUL. SURVIVORS EXPERIENCE SERIOUS PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES BECAUSE OF IT AND WE MUST TAKE THOSE SERIOUSLY
AND AT THE SAME TIME IT IS CHALLENGING TO CONCLUSIVELY DETERMINE THE FULL SCALE AND SCOPE OF THE ISSUE. THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT LIMITATIONS IN TALKS A LOT TOXICOLOGICAL CONFIRMATION MANY
DRUGS ASSOCIATED WITH DRINK SPIKING HAVE VERY SHORT DETECTION WINDOWS. SOME MAY LEAVE THE SYSTEM WITHIN HOURS. IN ADDITION, THERE ARE MANY SUBSTANCES THAT COULD BE USED AND ROUTINE HOSPITAL PILLS ARE
NOT ABLE TO TEST FOR EVERY SINGLE POSSIBLE SUBSTANCE. AS A RESULT, A NEGATIVE TEST DOES NOT CONCLUSIVELY MEAN THAT SOMEONE WAS NOT DRUGGED. AS NATHAN BREWER, DIRECTOR OF THE SURVIVOR ADVOCACY
RESPONSE AND PREVENTION CENTER AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY EXPLAINS, ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES WE RUN INTO IS THAT THE PERSON WHO SUSPECTS US SPIKED DRINK WILL WANT TO KNOW CONCLUSIVELY IF THEY'VE BEEN DRUGGED. HOWEVER, THIS IS EXCEEDINGLY
DIFFICULT TO CONFIRM. THE DRUGS USED OFTEN HAVE A VERY SHORT HALF LIFE. MANY DIFFERENT SUBSTANCES CAN BE USED AND IN BOSTON MOST EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS WILL NOT CONDUCT SPIKED DRINK TESTING
UNLESS IT IS A PART OF A FORMAL SCENE EXAMINATION. EVEN THEN, A NEGATIVE RESULT DOES NOT CONCLUSIVELY MEAN THAT THE PERSON WAS NOT DRUGGED. IT MAY SIMPLY MEAN THAT THE SUBSTANCE WAS NO LONGER DETECTABLE OR NOT INCLUDED IN
THE TESTING PANEL. THIS MEANS SURVIVORS CAN OFTEN LEAVE MEDICAL SETTINGS WITHOUT CLEAR ANSWERS AND THAT UNCERTAINLY CAN COMPOUND TRAUMA. I WANT TO COMMEND MY FELLOW DEPARTMENTS FOR THEIR EFFORTS
ON THIS ISSUE, WHICH YOU'LL BE HEARING MORE ABOUT IN A MOMENT. INDIVIDUAL RISK REDUCTION TOOLS SUCH AS DRINK COVERS TEST KITS ADVICE LIKE WHAT YOUR DRINK CAN BE PART OF THE PREVENTION
PREVENTION PUZZLE. UM HOWEVER, THESE STRATEGIES ARE MOST EFFECTIVE WHEN IT IS PAIRED WITH PSYCHOEDUCATION WHICH COMBINES ELEMENTS
OF COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY ,GROUP THERAPY, EDUCATION, COMMUNITY ACCOUNTABILITY PREVENTION STRATEGIES THAT THINK ABOUT MORE UPSTREAM UH
THAT ADDRESS PERPETRATION. UM, THAT'S WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT THE DEPARTMENTS HERE TODAY ARE WORKING TOGETHER USING DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO ACCOMPLISH THE GOAL OF PREVENTING DRINK SPIKING AND SEXUAL ASSAULT.
I SEE WE FOCUS ON UPSTREAM PREVENTION APPROACHES. FOR EXAMPLE, OUR TEEN DATING VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAM START STRONG SUPPORTS YOUNG PEOPLE IN DEVELOPING HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS UNDERSTANDING
CONSENT, BUILDING HEALTHY SOCIAL NORMS AROUND BOUNDARIES. PREVENTION REQUIRES STRONG PARTNERSHIPS. WE WORK CLOSELY WITH DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE PROGRAMS SUCH AS BARC, THE BOSTON AREA
RAPE CRISIS CENTER AND INTERNAL PARTNERS LIKE BPD TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT ARE THOSE EMERGING TRENDS, UH, THAT FOLKS ARE SEEING ON THE GROUND. TO STRENGTHEN REFERRAL NETWORKS, ENSURE SURVIVORS HAVE THAT THEY CARE THAT THEY NEED
AND THEY WANT. BOSTON'S RESPONSE MUST REFLECT BOTH SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE AND SURVIVOR CENTERED CARE. WE CAN ADDRESS COMMUNITY CONCERNS WITHOUT CONTRIBUTING TO PANIC, AND WE CAN STRENGTHEN
SAFETY SYSTEMS WITHOUT SHIFTING RESPONSIBILITY TO THE VICTIMS. THANK YOU AND I WELCOME YOUR QUESTIONS. AWESOME. >> THANK YOU. AS WHEN I PAUSE AND SAY THAT WE'VE BEEN JOINED BY COUNCILOR UM SHARON DURKAN.
UM, SORRY. DO YOU WANT TO GO NEXT? UH, WHAT I WOULD I DO THINK I'M HAVING A LITTLE UH OH. I'M BACK. SORRY ABOUT THAT.
UM, MY. NAME IS TERRY THOMAS. I'M A CAPTAIN DETECTIVE OVER AT THE COMMANDER, UH, COMMANDER OF THE FGC FAMILY JUSTICE CENTER. UM, SOME OF THE THE INVESTIGATIVE UNITS THAT WE
HAVE OVER THERE IS THE SEXUAL ASSAULT UNIT, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE UNIT, HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN. WITH ME TODAY IS LIEUTENANT DETECTIVE JOSE TECH SARAH. HE'S THE COMMANDER OF THE SEXUAL ASSAULT UNIT.
UM. >> START BY THANKING THE CITY COUNCIL FOR INCLUDING US IN THIS HEARING. AND I'LL I'LL SHARE SOME LATEST STATISTICS. OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS THERE HAVE BEEN APPROXIMATELY 266
DRINK SPIKING INCIDENTS REPORTED DURING THAT TIME. THERE HAVE BEEN 25 DRUG FACILITATED SEXUAL ASSAULTS REPORTED. WE CONTINUE TO SEE CASES INVOLVING DRINK SPIKING AND DRUG FACILITATED SEXUAL
ASSAULTS. THESE INCIDENTS ARE CERTAINLY A PRIORITY AND AN ISSUE THAT WE EXPECT WILL CONTINUE. THAT BEING SAID, WE'VE TAKEN STEPS TO MAXIMIZE OUR IMPACT ON ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM.
THERE ARE SEVERAL AREAS THAT WE FOCUS ON TRAINING TRACKING PUBLIC AWARENESS AND PARTNERSHIPS. OUR TRAINING CONSISTS OF SEVERAL DIFFERENT THINGS. WE PROVIDE PRESENTATIONS AT THE
BOSTON POLICE ACADEMY FOR RECRUIT TRAINING OFFICERS. WE HAVE PROMOTIONAL CANDIDATE TRAINING AND THEN OUR ANNUAL IN-SERVICE TRAINING TO HIGHLIGHT THIS ISSUE. WE'VE DISSEMINATED TRAINING
BULLETINS THROUGHOUT THE BOSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT. BOTH PRESENTATIONS AND BULLETINS PROVIDE OFFICERS WITH INFORMATION TO HELP THEM RECOGNIZE AND ILLUSTRATE BEST PRACTICES FOR DOCUMENTING
INCIDENTS. IN PARTICULAR, THERE ARE SPECIFIC PHRASES AND TERMS THAT MAY INCLUDE THE INVOLVEMENT OF A DRUG AS OPPOSED TO ALCOHOL THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN A REPORT.
THE TRAINING IS ALSO USEFUL TO INVESTIGATORS WHO ARE ASSIGNED THESE INCIDENTS. WE HIGHLIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES THAT MAY INDICATE THAT SOMEBODY MAY HAVE HAD THEIR DRINK SPIKED. EXAMPLES MAY BE VICTIMS GET
SEPARATED FROM FRIENDS. SUSPECT OFFERING TO HELP A VICTIM LOCATE TO FRIENDS OR ASSIST WITH A RIDE. THE VICTIM LEAVES THEIR DRINK UNATTENDED. A SUSPECT IS IN A RUSH TO LEAVE THE BAR FOLLOWING HAVING A
DRINK. UH. THERE ARE ALSO CLUES WITH CELL PHONE ACTIVITY FOLLOWING SOME OF THESE REPORTED INCIDENTS HAS OFTEN BEEN DISABLED. AS THE ID BEEN CHANGED, HAS ANY
MONEY BEEN TRANSFERRED FROM ANY ACCOUNTS? ANOTHER IMPORTANT PIECE IS TRACKING INCIDENT. OUR REPORTING SYSTEM THE MARK 43 HAS AN EVENTS STATISTIC BOX.
IT'S A CONTAMINATED DRINK THAT OFFICERS CAN CHECK WHEN, UM, COMPLETING AN INCIDENT REPORT RELATING TO THIS. THIS WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 2023. JUST FLAGGED THE INCIDENT AND
ALLOWS FOR TRACKING EVENTS AND HELP ENSURE THAT REPORTS ARE SHARED WITH SPECIALIZED UNITS AT THE FCC. WE HAVE A BOSTON REGIONAL INTELLIGENCE CENTER ANALYST WHO TRACKS THESE EVENTS.
THIS ASSISTS IN IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL PATTERNS AND PERSONS OF INTEREST. PUBLIC AWARENESS IS ALSO PIVOTAL. BPD MEDIA RELATIONS IS EXTREMELY ACTIVE. THEY ISSUE AWARENESS ADVISORIES
PRIOR TO LARGE EVENTS INVOLVING INVOLVING ALCOHOL. PROVIDE NOTIFICATIONS WHEN APPROPRIATE. THERE IS UH THEY ARE VERY ACTIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA CONSTANTLY SHARING INFORMATION
. UM RELATIVE TO THIS IN AN EXCELLENT AND EXCELLENT POINT I READ IT IN THE SENATE DOCKET ILLUSTRATE HOW IMPORTANT THE EDUCATION PIECE IS MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW HOW TO PROCEED AND
THE RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO TO THIS TO VICTIMS . UH, AS PROPOSED HAVING ONE PORTAL HOTLINE THAT WOULD STREAMLINE THINGS AND ALLOW ALL VICTIMS TO ACCESS NEEDED UH, RESOURCES.
PERHAPS THE MESSAGING IN THE LICENSED PREMISES ADVISING TO CALL 911 AND TO SHARE THAT HOTLINE NUMBER. FINALLY, THE MAINTAINING PARTNERSHIPS OUTSIDE OF THE BPD
IS PARAMOUNT TO SUCCESS. OUR LIFE'S, UH, LICENSE PERMIT YOU PROMISE UNIT WORKS HAND IN HAND WITH THE CITY OF BOSTON LICENSING BOARD ON A DAILY BASIS. IT'S ALSO IMPERATIVE TO HAVE
CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH, UH, NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS WHO HAVE THE EXPERTISE TO SUPPORT VICTIMS. THEY ARE INVALUABLE TO US. WE HAVE AN ADVOCATE AT THE UH FAMILY JUSTICE CENTER WHO CAN
ASSIST AND COORDINATE RESOURCES WITH THESE, UH, SERVICE PROVIDERS. WE ALSO HAVE EXCELLENT RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE LOCAL COLLEGES AND WE SHARE INFORMATION, INFORMATION AND MESSAGING WITH STUDENTS.
UNFORTUNATELY, THERE ARE LAW ENFORCEMENT BARRIERS THAT INHIBIT INVESTIGATIONS AND POTENTIAL CRIMINAL PROSECUTION . DELAYED REPORTING OF INCIDENTS . USER ERROR REPORTING INCIDENTS
AS IN SPECIFIC FACTS OR OBSERVATION THAT SHOULD THAT HAVE BEEN OMITTED FROM POLICE REPORTS. LAW ENFORCEMENT ARE NOT EXPERTS ON UH WHO CAN DEFINITIVELY DETERMINE WHETHER A DRINK SPIKING DRUG OR INHIBITOR.
THEREFORE, TOXICOLOGY TESTING IS A NECESSITY AND SHOULD BE DONE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. HOSPITALS VARY ON WHETHER THEY CAN PROVIDE THESE TOXICOLOGY TESTING TO VICTIMS.
INVESTIGATORS CAN ONLY ACCESS TOXICOLOGY RESULTS IF THE VICTIMS SHARE THE RESULTS WITH US. FOR AN, UH, DRINK SPIKING CAN RESULT IN MEMORY LOSS AS DISCUSSED.
THIS CAN BE CONFUSING, EMBARRASSING AND FRUSTRATING TO VICTIM SURVIVORS WHICH MAY DISCOURAGE THEM FROM WANT TO SPEAK WITH DETECTIVES. SO IN CONCLUSION I THANK YOU AGAIN AND IF THERE ARE ANY
QUESTIONS OR YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS AS TO HOW WE CAN PROCEED, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING.
THANK YOU. MY NAME IS KATHLEEN JOYCE AND I'M CHAIR OF THE BOSTON LICENSING BOARD. HOPEFULLY YOU CAN HEAR ME. THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TODAY ABOUT THE ISSUE OF DRINK SPIKING. AND THANK YOU FOR THE PUBLIC
TESTIMONY. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR US TO HEAR THAT THE BOSTON LICENSING BOARD TAKES ANY REPORT OF A DRINK SPIKING INCIDENT EXTREMELY SERIOUSLY.
OUR GOAL EVERY DAY IS TO KEEP EVERY SINGLE PATRON SAFE IN OUR BOSTON BAR IN OUR BOSTON BARS. WE WORK CLOSELY WITH THE BOSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT'S LICENSED PREMISE UNIT TO INVESTIGATE ANY
SUCH INCIDENT AT A LICENSED PREMISES ESTABLISHMENT, AND WE WORK CLOSELY WITH OUR NIGHTLIFE MANAGER TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC AND WORK WITH OUR BARS AND CLUBS. I DO BELIEVE A. LOT OF THESE CASES.
ARE UNREPORTED. OFTEN THESE SUSPECTED CASES THAT COME TO US OR AFTER A WALK AND REPORT AT A POLICE STATION. WHAT WE ARE SEEING IS THAT IN MANY CASES THE SUSPECTED
SUBSTANCE IN A DRINK SPIKING INCIDENT METABOLIZES QUICKLY, WHICH CAN MAKE THESE CASES DIFFICULT TO SUBSTANTIATE. VICTIMS MAY ALSO UNDERSTANDABLY BE RELUCTANT TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY INVESTIGATION.
BUT REGARDLESS OF THOSE CHALLENGES, WE TAKE THESE REPORTS VERY SERIOUSLY EVEN IN SITUATIONS WHERE THE EVIDENCE DOES NOT ULTIMATELY ESTABLISH THAT A DRINK WAS SPIKED OR THAT A VIOLATION OCCURRED.
THE LICENSING BOARD WILL STILL BRING THE MATTER. FORWARD FOR A PUBLIC HEARING. BECAUSE OUR ROLE IS NOT ONLY ENFORCEMENT. IT'S ALSO WORKING WITH LICENSEES TO ENSURE THAT EVERY PATRON IN BOSTON'S NIGHTLIFE
ESTABLISHMENTS ARE SAFE. WE WANT TO REINFORCE EXPECTATIONS FOR LICENSE HOLDERS AND ALLOW US TO PUBLICLY DISCUSS THE STEPS ESTABLISHMENTS SHOULD TAKE TO PROTECT THEIR PATRONS.
SAFETY BEGINS WITH AWARENESS AWARENESS AMONG STAFF WHO ARE TRAINED TO RECOGNIZE SUSPICIOUS BEHAVIOR AWARENESS AMONG LICENSEES ABOUT THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAINTAIN SAFE ENVIRONMENTS AN AWARENESS AMONG
PATRONS THEMSELVES. IN ADDITION TO THE LICENSED PREMISES UNIT, THEY MAKE THEMSELVES AVAILABLE TO LICENSEES TO PROVIDE ONSITE GUIDANCE AND TO TRAIN ESTABLISHMENTS ON SAFETY
PRACTICES, REPORTING PROTOCOLS AND HOW TO RESPOND IF A SUSPECT SUSPECTED INCIDENT OCCURS. EVEN WHEN INCIDENTS INCIDENTS CANNOT ULTIMATELY BE SUBSTANTIATED, BRINGING THEM INTO THE OPEN THROUGH
INVESTIGATION AND PUBLIC DISCUSSION ENCOURAGES ESTABLISHMENTS TO ADOPT STRONGER SAFETY PRACTICES. WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE BOSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF NIGHTLIFE ECONOMY AND OUR LICENSEES TO
INVESTIGATE SUSPECTED INCIDENTS PROMPTLY AND TO ENSURE ESTABLISHMENTS REMAIN VIGILANT TO PROTECTING THE SAFETY OF OUR PATRONS. I'M HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AND HAPPY TO, UM, LISTEN TO ANY ADVICE YOU HAVE
FOR US. THANK YOU. >> GOOD MORNING CHAIR. AND THE MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME. >> IS. KAREEN REYNOLDS AND I SERVE AS A. DIRECTOR OF NIGHTLIFE ECONOMY WITHIN THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY. >> AND INCLUSION.
OUR OFFICE IS FOCUSED ON ENSURING THAT BOSTON'S NIGHTLIFE IS NOT ONLY VIBRANT BUT SAFE AND WELCOMING FOR EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATES IN IT. THAT'S THE WORKERS THAT OPERATORS AND THE PATRONS
ALIKE. A CORE PART OF THIS WORK IS COLLABORATION. WE WORK CLOSELY WITH VENUE OWNERS, PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES ,PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, ADVOCATES, UH WORKERS ACROSS
THE NIGHTTIME ECONOMY TO IDENTIFY CHALLENGES AND IMPLEMENT PROACTIVE SOLUTIONS. ONE EXAMPLE OF THIS WORK IS NIGHT U WHICH STANDS FOR THE NIGHT INDUSTRIES TRAINING AND
EDUCATION, A NEW INITIATIVE THAT CONNECTS NIGHTLIFE WORKERS TO PRACTICAL TRAINING AND SAFETY. RESOURCES THROUGH. PARTNERSHIPS WITH ORGANIZATIONS LIKE BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL.
UH STEPPING STRONG CENTER FOR TRAUMA INNOVATION. WE HAVE ALREADY BEGUN OFFERING TRAININGS SUCH AS STOP THE BLEED AND WE ARE EXPECTING TO INCLUDE CPR AND OTHER SAFETY
FOCUSED PROGRAMS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE BOSTON PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION AND BOSTON EMS. PREVENTING DRINK SPIKING IS ANOTHER IMPORTANT PART OF THE SAFETY ECOSYSTEM IN FALL AND
WINTER OF 2024, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND LICENSING AND THE SMALL BUSINESS OFFICE. OUR OFFICE DISTRIBUTED 33,000 DRINK SPIKING PREVENTION COVERS
TO 40 BOSTON BARS AND NIGHTCLUBS AS A SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE PROACTIVE TOOL FOR PATRONS. IN 2026 WE WILL DISTRIBUTE 100,000 ADDITIONAL COVERS AND
HOST DRINK SPIKING PREVENTION TRAININGS FOR NIGHTLIFE STAFF. IN FACT, WE WILL BE DISTRIBUTING COVERS TONIGHT IN SOUTH BOSTON AT THE PARADE SAFETY MEETING HOSTED BY LOCAL
AND BPD. ADDITIONALLY, THE CITY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BPD HAS DOCUMENTS OUTLINING BEST PRACTICES FOR CREATING SAFE ENVIRONMENTS IN LICENSED PREMISES.
IT'S A DOCUMENT THAT'S BEEN SHARED WIDELY UM, FOR MANY YEARS NOW. THESE EFFORTS REFLECT OUR. BROADER APPROACH. SUPPORTING OPERATORS WITH THE
TOOLS, TRAINING AND PARTNERSHIPS THEY NEED TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE WHILE SUSTAINING A THRIVING NIGHTTIME ECONOMY. OUR SAFETY IS WHEN SAFETY IS PRIORITIZED. EVERYONE BENEFITS.
WORKERS FEEL SUPPORTED. PATRONS FEEL CONFIDENT IN GOING OUT AND BUSINESSES CAN CONTINUE TO CONTRIBUTE TO BOSTON'S CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC VITALITY . THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE OUR WORK. AND I.
>> LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO COLLABORATE WITH THE COUNCIL ON STRENGTHENING SAFETY ACROSS BOSTON'S NIGHTLIFE. THANK YOU. >> UH YEAH. JUST.
DETECTIVE JOSE TECH SARA, UH, JUST THE COMMAND OF THE SEXUAL ASSAULT UNIT. UM, AS A CAPTAIN SAID, WE CONSTANTLY MONITOR THE CASES THAT DO COME IN THROUGH SEXUAL ASSAULT THAT HAVE DRINK SPIKING
ASSOCIATED WITH IT. BUT OBVIOUSLY HAVING AN ANALYST WHO'S THERE ON A DAILY BASIS WHETHER THE OFFICERS CHECK THE BOX ON MARK 43 AND THERE ARE ALSO A LOT OF REPORTS THAT THEY
DON'T WHICH SHE'S CONSTANTLY JUST MONITORING KEYWORDS AND IF THAT YOU KNOW WE GET AND WE'RE IN COLLABORATION WITH THE DIFFERENT DISTRICT DETECTIVES WHO HANDLE THOSE CASES JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE ALSO AWARE OF IT.
AWESOME. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND AGAIN THANK YOU TO OUR PANELISTS, UM, FOR BEING HERE. UM, WE'VE BEEN ALSO JOINED UM BY COUNSELOR CULPEPER. UM AND THOSE WERE UM LOUIJEUNE.
UM I'M NOT GOING TO GO UM THE FIRST ROUND OF QUESTIONS UM, FROM MY COLLEAGUES I'M GOING TO GIVE SIX MINUTES UM, ROUGHLY ONE SIX MINUTES UM PER PERSON. UM, WHEN I GO WE'RE GOING TO GO TO ORDER IN THE RIGHT ORDER
OF ARRIVAL. UM BUT WE'RE GOING TO START WITH THE LEAD SPONSOR, UM, COUNSELOR COLLETTE US ABOUT THAT THE OTHER FLOOR. THANK YOU. >> CHAIR I. >> JUST FIRST. >> WANT TO THANK. UM, THE INDIVIDUALS.
FOR WHO CAME TODAY. TOOK TIME OUT OF THEIR DAY FOR THE PUBLIC TESTIMONY. IT TAKES A LOT. TO BE HERE TO TALK ABOUT YOUR STORY. SO I JUST WANT TO. SAY THANK YOU FOR. YOUR COURAGE AND FOR YOUR BRAVERY AND ROOTING US. >> INTO WHY. UM. >> TALKING ABOUT THIS IS SO
IMPORTANT. I THINK I WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT THE BURDEN. >> OF. PREVENTION SHOULD NEVER FALL ON VICTIMS. AND SO THAT'S WHY WE NEED TO BE FOCUSED ON PREVENTING THESE INCIDENTS IN THE FIRST PLACE AND ENSURING PEOPLE HAVE A CLEAR PATHWAY FOR CARE AND
SUPPORT. IN THE EVENT THAT SOMETHING HAPPENS. I DO JUST ALSO WANT TO CALL OUT AND THANK UH, SENATOR PAUL FEENEY FOR HIS, UH, DOGGED EFFORTS IN THE STATE
LEGISLATURE FOR PUSHING A SENATE BILL UH, CALLED AN ACT SAFEGUARDING VICTIMS OF ILLICIT DRINK SPIKING. JUST THIS WEEK THE BILL REACHED A MAJOR MILESTONE IN THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS.
THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON HEALTH CARE FINANCING HAS RECOMMENDED THAT THE LEGISLATION OUGHT TO PASS AS WRITTEN AND WHAT THIS BILL DOES AND I WILL TRY TO, UH ,SUMMARIZE BECAUSE I KNOW MY
TIME IS LIMITED. UH, BUT THE BILL, UM, ADDRESSES THE ALARMING PREVALENCE OF ILLICIT DRINK SPIKING INCIDENTS ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH BY ESTABLISHING A COMPREHENSIVE FRAMEWORK FOR RESPONSE BY OUR HEALTH CARE
SYSTEM. THE BILL CREATES AN ILLICIT DRINK SPIKING RESPONSE AND INNOVATION TASK FORCE WITH THE DPI TO STUDY AND RECOMMEND REGULATIONS FOR A UNIFORM STANDARD OF CARE FOR PATIENTS
FOLLOWING AN ILLICIT DRINK SPIKING INCIDENT. SECOND, THE BILL ENABLES TO REQUIRE ALL HOSPITALS TO ISSUE AN EVIDENCE BASED TESTING SAMPLE TO TEST FOR THE PRESENCE
OF A SUBSTANCE. UH USED IN ILLICIT DRINK SPIKING REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT A SEXUAL ASSAULT HAS OCCURRED. UM, SO THIS IS GOING TO BE IN THE RECORD IF FOLKS WANT MORE INFORMATION AGAIN, THAT BILL IS
UH, SENATE BILL 1537. SO THANK YOU TO SENATOR PAUL FEENEY. UH. SO I'LL GO TO THE BPD FIRST JUST FOR SOME MORE INFORMATION AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR
WORK. ARE THERE ANY HOT SPOTS IN THE CITY OR UH THAT YOU CAN TALK ABOUT THAT WE SHOULD BE AWARE OF AND ARE THERE PROTOCOLS FOR IDENTIFYING REPEAT LOCATIONS OR
PATTERNS ACROSS VENUES AND WHEN A DRINK SPIKING REPORT IS FILED, CAN YOU JUST LET US KNOW WHAT THE FULL INVESTIGATIVE PROCESS FROM INITIAL UH, REPORT TO CASE CLOSURE LOOKS LIKE?
UH, THERE'S NOTHING IN PARTICULAR. UM UH. THE THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE IT'S PRIMARILY IN A LICENSED PREMISE AS OPPOSED TO A PRIVATE RESIDENCE.
AGAIN, OF THOSE I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE THE NUMBER BUT IT'S SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER WITH THE LICENSED PREMISES. THERE ISN'T A PARTICULAR LOCATION UH, OF CONCERN UH, WITH REGARD TO THAT. UH, FROM.
>> A REPORTING STANDPOINT OR INVESTIGATIVE STANDPOINT IT INITIATES UH HOWEVER THE IF IT WHETHER WE GET CALLED TO THE SCENE OR A LOT OF TIMES UNFORTUNATELY IT IS REPORTED A
DAY OR TWO LATER. UM, IT DOES GET ASSIGNED TO A DETECTIVE UH LICENSING UNIT. UM, THEY'RE AWARE THE LICENSED PREMISE UNIT. THEY'RE AWARE IF THERE'S ANY PARTICULAR ISSUE WITH THAT THEY
CAN PROCEED WITH UH WITH A LICENSED PREMISE, UH, HEARING THROUGH THE CITY AND AND THE BOARD. UM. >> IT IS ASSIGNED A DETECTIVE AS FAR AS WHAT WHAT WE DO WITH THAT IT'S IT'S REACHING OUT TO TO VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS AND
AND TRYING TO GET INFORMATION. UM, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT INVESTIGATIVE LEAD TO IF WE DON'T HAVE THOSE TOXICOLOGY RESULTS TO PROCEED CRIMINALLY. UH, I HATE TO SAY THAT THAT
THAT'S AN ISSUE, BUT THAT'S A THAT'S A REALITY. AND UNFORTUNATELY THERE ARE TIMES WHERE THEY'RE NOT PROCEEDING WITH CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS BASED ON DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT WE'RE
REACHING OUT AND UH, AGAIN, WE HAVE WE'RE TRYING TO TRACK AS WELL. UM, SO IF WE DO IDENTIFY ANY REPEAT OFFENDERS AND MOST RECENTLY I THINK ON SOCIAL MEDIA THERE WAS SOME SOME
INFORMATION BROUGHT FORWARD. UH. >> OUR MEDIA RELATIONS WAS INVOLVED IN THAT. UM. >> WE DID INVESTIGATE, UH, HUMAN TRAFFICKING. IT WAS AWARE OF THEY SENT OUT A BULLETIN UM AN INFORMATION
BULLETIN THROUGH UH, UH, BRICK AND I WAS SHARED AMONG THE DEPARTMENT AND SOMEBODY I LOOKED AT AND NOTIFIED AND IDENTIFIED THIS INDIVIDUAL AND WHEN WE INVESTIGATED IT WAS
SOMEBODY THAT THAT CAME UP PREVIOUSLY IN YEARS PAST THAT HAD SOME SOME SUSPECT ACTIVITY. UM, SO WHAT WE DO IS WE'LL WE'LL TAKE THAT FURTHER. UM. >> AS OF RIGHT NOW WE BASICALLY
JUST KIND OF MONITOR THAT PERSON AND AND TRY TO ALMOST THEY REFER TO IT AS KIND OF A DAY IN THE LIFE AND KIND OF FOLLOW THAT PERSON, SEE WHAT THE ACTIVITY THEY'RE DOING. IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT WE CAN
TAKE IT THERE'LL BE COMMUNICATION WITH THE DA'S OFFICE AND ANYTHING CRIMINAL AND WE CAN GO FROM THERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND I HAVE SEEN THAT SOCIAL MEDIA POST AND SO I'M GRATEFUL THAT THERE'S ACTION BEING TAKEN
ON THAT. SO YOU'RE MONITORING THAT INDIVIDUAL AND THEN IF ANYTHING WERE TO HAPPEN FURTHER IT WOULD BE. REFERRED TO THE DA'S. OFFICE AND THEY SAY OKAY. AND YOU HAD MENTIONED SOMETHING
UM TO THE EFFECT OF THAT. UH, IT'S REALLY HARD TO MOVE FORWARD CRIMINALLY WITHOUT THAT TOXICOLOGY REPORT. AND WE'VE HEARD FROM FOLKS THAT UH THERE IS NO STANDARD THERE'S
NO PROTOCOL WHEN THEY GO TO AN EMERGENCY ROOM. MANY EMERGENCY ROOMS DO NOT HAVE THESE SORT OF. UH THESE TEST THESE ARE AVAILABLE WHICH HOPEFULLY THIS LEGISLATION. WILL CHANGE.
UM ARE THERE. UH IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU CAN GO ON BEYOND THE TOXICOLOGY REPORTS? I UM ANY LIKE BEHAVIORS ANY UH ,EYEWITNESSES THINGS THAT YOU USUALLY FOLLOW UP ON IN THE
EVENT THAT YOU DON'T HAVE A TOXICOLOGY REPORT? YES. >> WE COULD ALWAYS WITH JUST OBSERVATIONS AGAIN THE TRAINING PIECE OF OF RECORDING DIFFERENT THINGS IT CAN ALL BE UM, KIND
OF CIRCUMSTANTIAL STUFF THAT WE CAN WE CAN BUILD UM, YOU KNOW INTERVIEWS WITH VICTIMS WITH WITH UM, EVEN SUSPECTS IF SOMETHING CAME DOWN THAT WE'VE DONE THAT AS WELL THAT THAT
THERE'S BEEN ACCUSATIONS OF THIS SO THERE ARE WAYS. UM LIKE ANYTHING ELSE, JUST HAVING THAT EVIDENCE MAKES THINGS VERY, VERY MUCH EASIER.
BUT UH NO, WE CAN STILL CONTINUE THE INVESTIGATION WITHOUT THAT. THANK YOU. I KNOW MY TIME IS UP. I DO HAVE QUESTIONS BUT I WANT TO. >> BE RESPECTFUL TO MY COLLEAGUES. I THINK TO. COME BACK. THANK YOU. UM, COUNCILOR GLASS ABOUT THAT.
UM, I'M GOING TO DO SOMETHING I KNOW, UM, COUNCILOR CULPEPER DOES HAVE TO GO. I WANT TO ALLOW, UH, A BRIEF UM ,UM, STATEMENT FROM YOU, COUNCILOR AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO GO UM THANK YOU, COUNCILOR MURPHY I'M GOING TO
GO TO COUNSELOR MY FEELINGS. SO COUNCILOR CULPEPER, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. CHAIR SANTANA HOLDING THIS HEARING AND THANK YOU. TO COUNCILORS THE PART OF DURKAN FOR SPONSORING THIS
IMPORTANT DISCUSSION GROUP. REPORTS OF SUSPECTED DRINK SPIKING AND DRUG FACILITATED SEXUAL ASSAULT CONTINUE TO RAISE SERIOUS CONCERNS IN
BOSTON'S NIGHTLINE SPACES. IT'S CRITICAL THAT THE CITY RESPOND WITH A COORDINATED WITH A COORDINATED, COORDINATED, SURVIVOR CENTERED APPROACH. I READ THE LETTER FROM UH,
SENATOR FEENEY AND I LOOKED AT SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT HE RAISED WITH REGARD TO THE LEGISLATION THAT IS IN THE SENATE.
UH, AND I REALLY THINK IN TERMS OF PUBLIC AWARENESS THAT WE MAKE EVERY EFFORT THAT WE CAN TO MAKE SURE THE PUBLIC IS
AWARE OF HOW SERIOUS THIS IS AND HOW IT COULD HAPPEN TO ANYONE. AND SO I THANK YOU FOR COMING IN THIS MORNING. I'M NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO HEAR YOUR PRESENTATIONS ANY
FURTHER. I DID HEAR WHAT YOU SAID AFTER WE WENT TO A FUNERAL. I'VE GOT SOME QUESTIONS BUT I WILL SUBMIT THEM TO EACH OF YOU IN WRITING. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU FOR HOLDING THIS
SIGNIFICANT AND IMPORTANT AREA COUNCIL MEMBERS SANTANA ZAPATA AND DEREK AND THANK YOU. THANK YOU COUNCILOR CULPEPER. UM FEEL FREE TO UM SEND THOSE QUESTIONS ALSO TO THE COMMITTEE. WE'LL BE HAPPY TO FOLLOW UP.
UM COUNCILMEMBER YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. UM, THIS IS. A MANY POSITIVE THINGS HAVING A REVEREND AS A COUNCIL NOW BUT ONE OF THEM IS THAT HE'LL BE GOING TO MANY FUNERALS I THINK
SO THANK YOU FOR. UM I. >> THINK IT'S A GOOD THING TO BE THERE FOR FAMILY. UM, SO. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TESTIMONY, BUT I DO WANT TO, UM. THANK THE.
BRAVE WOMEN. WHO SPOKE AND. CONTINUE TO SPEAK UP OBVIOUSLY. NOT JUST. >> FOR YOURSELF BECAUSE YOU WANT TO SUPPORT THOSE BEFORE YOU AND THOSE WHO WE KNOW UNFORTUNATELY WILL COME.
AFTER YOU. AND I MEAN LOTS OF THINGS I WAS ALREADY THINKING BUT JUST. KIND OF. >> MORE FRUSTRATED ABOUT. I'LL JUST START WITH LIKE THE DRINK. COVERS AND I DON'T DRINK I
DON'T GO TO BARS THAT OFTEN BUT I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYONE. HOLD IT. LIKE WHAT. >> I WOULD CONSIDER LIKE A KIDDY CUP WITH A CAP. SO DO WE HAVE DATA? I MEAN NOW WE'RE GOING TO HAND
OUT 100,000 HOW MANY TIMES AND IN BARS DID WE COLLECT DATA ON HOW OFTEN THEY'RE USED AND MAYBE ANY OF YOU OUT MAYBE IN BARS MORE FOR. THE PERSONAL. >> OR PROFESSIONAL REASONS DO. YOU SEE THEM. BEING USED? >> I'VE NEVER.
>> ONCE SEEN ONE BEING USED ACROSS. >> THE CITY. UM EXACT DATA WE CAN GET BACK TO YOU. IT'S MORE ANECDOTAL. WE GO TO BARS, THEY OFFER THEM THEY THEY MAKE IF THEY GO TO A PATRON AND THEY CAN SAY HEY DO
YOU WANT THIS OR PAY DRINK AND COME AND SAY HEY DO YOU HAVE ONE OF THESE? CAN WE PUT IT ON? CAN I UH UTILIZE IT ON MY CUP? IS THERE A WAY FOR PATRONS TO KNOW IS THERE LIKE SIGNS UP AT BARS?
UH, AT THE MOMENT WE DO NOT HAVE SIGNS. THE SIGNS WILL BE ACCOMPANIED WITH A NEW BATCH OF THEM. SO THE FIRST BATCH WAS KIND OF LIKE A PILOT CASE TO SEE IF THERE WAS A NEED AND SEE IF
BARS WERE COULD GET USED TO USING IT AND NOW IT'LL BE MORE COORDINATED ROLLED OUT. UM. ,OKAY. I MEAN OBVIOUSLY. YOU DO. >> HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR. YOUR OWN. >> SAFETY BUT AT THE SAME TIME
I THINK IT'S KIND OF BUYING INTO THAT THE VICTIM NEEDS. >> TO. CONTINUE TO. ACT DIFFERENTLY RIGHT. AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. UM, SO JUST WISHING TO AND WHEN
IT WAS SAID AND I MAY NOT HAVE ALL THE CORRECT FACTS THAT IF THE HOSPITAL IF YOU TELL THE HOSPITAL THAT YOU DON'T BELIEVE YOU'VE BEEN RAPED THEY WILL NOT DO THE. TOXICOLOGY TEST.
SCREENINGS ARE TRUE. SO DO WE ENCOURAGE I MEAN BUT IF YOU'RE UNCONSCIOUS OR BLACKED OUT HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU'VE BEEN RAPED OR NOT? WE'VE HAD SOME REPORTS THAT
COME IN WHERE VICTIMS HAVE SAID THAT THEY WERE DENIED, UH, ANTACID BECAUSE THEY SAID THEY WEREN'T ASSAULTED. >> RIGHT. I MEAN, OUR PUBLIC TESTIMONY RIGHT HERE TELLS US THAT. >> AND SO. WHAT ADVICE OR WHAT POLICY
CHANGES DO WE WANT TO MAKE SO THAT IT'S NOT ON AN ISSUE. BECAUSE FOR MANY REASONS A WOMAN MIGHT SAY NO ONE SHE DOESN'T REMEMBER TO SHE'S
EMBARRASSED MAYBE AND MANY TIMES IT'S LIKE THE THIRD ESPECIALLY I MEAN WE'RE FORTUNATE TO BE IN A CITY WHERE WE'RE YOU KNOW, OUR HOSPITALS ARE COLLEGES WHERE THERE'S A LOT OF UM, STUDENTS.
RIGHT? BUT MANY OF US KNOW THAT THAT MEANS THREE, 4 OR 5 TIMES SOMEONE ELSE COMES IN AND ASKS YOU. >> TO REPEAT. THE EXACT SAME THING OVER AND OVER AND I BET, UM, KIM, IS
THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU HEAR THAT YOU CAN HAVE ONE VISIT AT THE HOSPITAL AND YOU CAN HAVE 5 OR 6 DIFFERENT PEOPLE WALK IN AND ASK YOU TO. REPEAT THE. >> SAME TRAUMATIC. THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN FOR
NO REASON OTHER THAN IT'S JUST SOMEONE NEW WALKING IN. UM CAN I YEAH. PLEASE. >> YEAH. SO WELL. I. >> I ALSO WANT TO ECHO THANK YOU TO THE. FOLKS IN THE PUBLIC JESSICA. ATLANTA FOR.
YOUR TESTIMONY BECAUSE I THINK WHEN UM. I THINK IT TAKES. >> A LOT OF BRAVERY TO. TO TALK ABOUT. >> YOUR STORY AND ALSO. IT IS. SOMETIMES SOMETHING THAT FOLKS JUST ARE NOT COMFORTABLE EVER
DOING RIGHT. AND I THINK TO YOUR POINT OF, YOU KNOW, BEING ABLE TO GO TO UM TO A STRANGER AND LET THEM KNOW THAT SOMETHING SO VIOLATING HAPPENED TO YOU AND YOUR BODY AND YOU MIGHT NOT
KNOW IF IT HAPPENED OR NOT. UM, I WILL SPEAK ON UM. SO I. >> HAD A CONVERSATION I THINK I SPOKE ABOUT NATHAN BRUNER WHO IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE SA PROGRAM AND BILL AND SOMETHING
THAT HE MENTIONED WAS THAT. HE ABOUT A YEAR AGO HE CALLED THE HOSPITALS BECAUSE THERE. IS UH WHAT HE. >> WAS NOTICING ON THE GROUND FROM SUPPORTING UH. STUDENTS AT THE. CAMPUS WAS THAT THEY WERE COMING. FORWARD.
>> UH, ABOUT DRUGGING. INCIDENTS BUT THEY. WEREN'T UNSURE OR THEY WERE SAYING. SEXUAL ASSAULT WAS NOT. >> PART. OF THIS. UH, THEY WANTED TO GET TESTED.
UM, SO HE CALLED AROUND ALL THE OTHER BOSTON AREA HOSPITALS AND THEY SAID THAT THEY DO NOT DO TESTING OUTSIDE OF THE SAME KITS. UM. >> HE ALSO SAID. THAT HE WANTED TO.
HE WANTED TO. CAUTION OVER. SORT OF OVER. ONLY FOCUSING ON ON JUST TESTING UM, BECAUSE THE
PSYCHOEDUCATION THAT GOES ALONG WITH IT AND I THINK TO. UH THE PUBLIC. TESTIMONY FROM THE PARK UM FROM KARA UH, THAT MENTIONED HOW WE CAN INVEST IN COMMUNITY HEALTH
WORKERS AND MEDICAL ADVOCATES THAT CAN DO THAT PSYCHOEDUCATION WITH SOMEONE WHO'S COMING INTO THE. HOSPITALS TO. UH, TO ASK. >> FOR TESTING. UM, BECAUSE THAT SORT. OF THAT SUPPORT. >> THAT EMOTIONAL SUPPORT FOR
SOMEONE THAT'S COMING IN UM TO EXPLAIN TO THEM EVEN IF YOU DO TEST IT MIGHT COME OUT NEGATIVE BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOUR EXPERIENCE IS INVALID OR THAT IT DIDN'T HAPPEN TO YOU.
UM I DO KNOW THAT THE RESEARCH IS AND FROM THE LITERATURE THAT I THAT I WAS ABLE TO SEE THERE ARE CONSISTENT THEMES THAT COME OUT UH, THE FIRST RIGHT IS THAT
ALCOHOL ITSELF REMAINS THE MOST COMMONLY DETECTED INTOXICANT AND REPORTED. CASES OF SUSPECTED. >> DRINK SPIKING AND AGAIN RIGHT IT'S LIKE THAT CATCH 22 BECAUSE. MOST OFTEN THAN NOT THE DRUGS MAY BE OUT OF THE SYSTEM ALREADY BUT THE ALCOHOL STAYS
IN LONGER RIGHT. SO I YOU KNOW I'LL SORT. >> OF. ASTERISKS THAT UM IN TERMS OF RESEARCH UM AND WHEN WE SORT OF SHIFT AWAY FROM WHAT DID. THE YOU KNOW, SURVIVOR OR THE
VICTIM WHAT THEY DID TEST THEY THEY HAVE THE COVERS OF THEY YOU KNOW, ALL OF THESE UH, SORT OF AGAIN FOCUSES ON WHAT THE VICTIM SHOULD BE DOING. IT'S VERY SIMILAR TO DON'T WALK ALONE OUTSIDE. MAKE SURE YOU BRING A PEPPER
SPRAY OR LIKE A RAPE WHISTLE. RIGHT. IT'S LIKE WHEN WE FOCUS ON THAT ,UM, IT CAN SORT OF MISS A WHOLE SCOPE OF THINGS. SO ANOTHER SORT OF RESEARCH UH, THEME THAT WE SAW WAS THAT WHEN
THEY WERE LOOKING AT INDIVIDUALS WHO ADMITTED TO SPIKING DRINKS UM, WHICH THEY GATHERED FROM FOLKS WHO HAD BEEN UM, UH, ARRESTED OR FOUND
TO HAVE SPIKED DRINKS, UH, THEY'VE DONE AN ANONYMOUS SURVEY TO SEE LIKE HAVE YOU EVER PUT A DRUG INTO SOMEONE'S DRINK OR. UH. >> FOOD AND OR LIKE A SUBSTANCE THEY THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE TAKING UH, CANNABIS BUT THEN
YOU PUT SOMETHING EXTRA ON IT, RIGHT? SO THEY ASKED THESE QUESTIONS, UM, IN ONE STUDY FOR 3% OF PEOPLE WHO DRUGGED OTHERS REPORTED THAT THEY DID IT FOR FUN, THAT THEY DID IT TO UH,
SEE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN, UH, THAT THEY DID IT UH, TO SORT OF RELAX OR RELAX THE PERSON UH AND. UH EVEN IF WE TAKE OUT THE SEXUAL ASSAULT MOTIVATION
BECAUSE OFTEN WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT DRUGS LIKE THE BIG THREE THAT YOU MENTIONED THE GHB, THE KETAMINE, THAT HYPNO UM. WE'VE SORT OF. ASSOCIATED THOSE THREE SPECIFIC
BIG THREE DRUGS WITH WITH LIKE IT EQUALS SEXUAL. ASSAULT AND IN THAT ISN'T WHAT THE. UH, SORT OF. UH RESEARCH SHOWS THAT IT'S NOT JUST THESE THREE BIG RIGHT
THESE THREE BIG DRUGS. IT IS ALSO UM COMMON OVER-THE-COUNTER UH, LIKE BENADRYL. RIGHT. UM AND SO IT'S IT'S IT'S HARD
WHEN FOLKS ARE GOING INTO THE. UM INTO THE HOSPITALS TO ASK FOR A TESTING, UM. TO TEST FOR. EVERY SINGLE DRUG THAT CAN SORT OF DO THE SAME TYPE OF SYMPTOMS
,UM, I WILL SAY IS IMPOSSIBLE. UM, AND I DON'T THINK I THINK THE EFFORTS TO TO TRY TO. UM, UH. STRENGTHEN THE PATHWAYS TO GET SOMEONE TESTED.
IS ABSOLUTELY STILL NEEDED UH, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT FOLKS ON THE GROUND ARE SEEING THAT FOLKS ARE REQUESTING AND IN NOT GETTING IT. UH, BUT I THINK THE THE LAST THING I'LL SAY IS THE THIRD UM. UH. >> WHEN THIS THIRD THEME WE'RE
SEEING IN THE RESEARCH IT UM. IT SHOWS THAT UM. FREQUENTLY UH, MOST CONSISTENTLY SURVIVORS KNOW WHO
IS THE PERPETRATOR UM AND MOST FREQUENTLY THEY OCCUR IN PRIVATE SETTINGS NOT IN PUBLIC. SETTINGS OR. >> PUBLIC VENUES LIKE NIGHTLIFE. DRINK SPIKING IS OFTEN. TALKED ABOUT OR. ASSOCIATED WITH NIGHTLIFE INVOLVING STRANGERS, BUT THE
RESEARCH SHOWS IT'S ACTUALLY A LOT MORE COMPLEX THAN THAT. UM, AND SO PREVENTION EFFORTS WHEN WE THINK ABOUT HOW WE ARE CHANGING SOCIAL NORMS UM, I THINK ONE OF UM UH SOMEONE
MENTIONED UH THE SORT OF GENDER IMBALANCES I THINK IT WAS UH YOU COUNCILOR SANTANA MENTIONED THAT THIS. >> IS SORT OF A BIG A. SMALL SLIVER OF A BIGGER ISSUE . UM, YOU KNOW, I I I APPRECIATED
THAT, UH, BECAUSE I THINK IT IS ABSOLUTELY WHEN WE THINK ABOUT. UH. >> WHO IS. MOST UM. IMPACTED YES, IT IS YOUNG WOMEN AND. UH I'VE. >> ALSO READ IN THE LITERATURE THAT UM, YOUNG MEN WHO ARE
IDENTIFIED AS LGBTQ PLUS HAVE ALSO BEEN SEEN UM TO UH BE UH VICTIMS OR SURVIVORS AND AND HUGE CAVEAT THERE'S NOT ENOUGH
RESEARCH UH TO BE TO FOLLOW WHO ARE THE FOLKS WHO ARE MOST IMPACTED IN TERMS OF SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS IN TERMS OF UM OF OF RACE OR ETHNICITY?
UM, IT'S A VERY UH LIMITED THE RESEARCH THAT UH WE. NEED TO. >> DO MORE UM THERE'S MORE I CAN SAY BUT I'LL PAUSE THERE IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS. OKAY. >> THANK YOU FOR YOUR ANSWER. THANK YOU CHAIR I. >> DO. JUST WANT TO AND ON THE
STATEMENT IT'S DIFFICULT TO BE A WOMAN RIGHT. EVEN NOW I HAVE TO WAIT AN HOUR LATER IN THE MORNING WITH THE TIME CHANGE TO GO OUT AND WALK MY DOG. I USED TO LEAVE AT 530. THE SUN WAS COMING UP LIKE JUST
EVEN SEEING MY DAUGHTER IN HER LATE 20S WITH HER FRIENDS JUST GETTING READY TO GO OUT THAT THEY HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ALL OF THIS. SO I THINK WE HAVE TO. CONTINUE TO. UM, ADVOCATE AND HAVE POLICIES
THAT DON'T PUT THE BURDEN ON THE VICTIM. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR MURPHY. UM, COUNCILOR UM, FLYNN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU, MR CHAIR.
FIRST I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE THE PUBLIC THAT PROVIDED TESTIMONY THAT WAS CRITICAL TO THIS DISCUSSION TO SURVIVORS. UM, THAT THAT TESTIMONY WAS WAS
CRITICAL AND VERY, VERY HELPFUL TO US. UM, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT. A FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST FROM ONE OF THE
SURVIVORS THAT'S BEEN THAT'S BEEN OVER A YEAR. UM, I DO I DO THINK WE SHOULD PROVIDE INFORMATION THAT IS
REQUESTED BUT MR CHAIR, UM, YOU KNOW, THROUGH THE CHAIR AM I ABLE TO GET, UM, ALL RECORDS ABOUT ANY TRAINING AND ALL TRAINING THAT THE NIGHTLIFE UM
,DIRECTOR AND TEAM HAVE DONE TO BARS AND RESTAURANTS FROM THE DAY THEY STARTED UH, TO THE PRESENT. SO THEY'LL BE TRAINING AND WHERE WHO THE TRAINING WAS WITH
AND UM. YOU KNOW, REGARDING UH, MATERIALS UH, DRINK SPIKING PREVENTION I WANT TO I WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT DATA ON
EXACTLY WHAT THIS, UH, DEPARTMENT HAS DONE. IS THAT A IS THAT OKAY? FOR FOR THE CHAIR? THANK YOU, COUNCILOR FLYNN. UM, WE CAN PUT IN THAT REQUEST ,UM, TO THE COMMITTEE. >> THANK YOU.
UM, TO THE NIGHTLIFE DIRECTOR. HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ON YOUR STAFF? I AM A. PART SO DEDICATED TO NIGHTLIFE MYSELF, BUT I'M A PART OF THE
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND. INCLUSION TEAM. SO JUST ONE PERSON, IS IT JUST ONE PERSON? YES. OKAY. AND YOU SAID YOUR NEW INITIATIVE ON TRAINING THAT YOU
ARE PROVIDING TO RESTAURANTS. YES SO BUT. >> BUT DID THAT DID THAT START YET. SO RIGHT NOW IT'S AN ONLINE. RESOURCE THAT WE LAUNCHED LAST YEAR. WHERE FOLKS CAN GO IN AND AND FIND RESOURCES THAT ARE
PUBLICLY. AVAILABLE FOR RESTAURANTS AND. FOR FOR. >> RESTAURANTS WORKFORCE FOR CITIZENS WHOEVER WANTS THAT TRAINING WHO IDENTIFIES AS A NIGHTTIME UM HUMAN BEING. >> COULD I COULD THROUGH THE
CHAIR COULD I GET A. A UH RECORD OF RESTAURANTS AND UH, BARS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE TRAINING? SO CAN I CLARIFY SO NIGHT YOU
IS AN ONLINE. RESOURCE WHERE WE HAVE DIFFERENT LINKS TO DIFFERENT TRAININGS THAT WERE DONE BY THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION THAT
UM, THAT. OTHER FOLKS HAVE DONE. SO I CANNOT PERSONALLY TRACK WHETHER SOMEONE HAS USED THAT RESOURCE AND COMPLETED ANY OF THOSE RESOURCES.
I UNDERSTAND I UNDERSTAND UM I JUST WANT TO I JUST WANT TO GET MORE DATA. THAT'S MY POINT. I WANT TO GET MORE DATA ON THIS SUBJECT BECAUSE I THINK AND LISTENING TO SURVIVORS AND
LISTENING TO OTHER PEOPLE THIS IS A CRIME A MAJOR CRIME THAT GOES UNREPORTED AND WHEN SOMETHING GOES UNREPORTED IT IT
DON'T IT ENCOURAGES THE PERSON THAT KEEPS DOING IT TO CONTINUE AND CONTINUE AS IF THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE STOPPED. UM SO I WANT TO I WANT TO LEARN
ABOUT HOW WE'RE ABLE TO PREVENT THIS PROVIDE THE TRAINING. SO LET ME ASK CAPTAIN IF SOMEONE IS ARRESTED FOR SPIKING A DRINK WHAT WHAT CRIME DID THEY COMMIT?
WHAT IS THE ACTUAL UH, CRIME? UM. WITH THERE ARE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT THEY CAN POSSIBLY DO. DEPENDS ON WHAT? THE CIRCUMSTANCE. OKAY.
UH, I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE IF IN PARTICULAR IF IT WAS JUST, UH UM LIKE WHAT EXACTLY THE CRIME ON THAT WOULD BE COUNSELOR I I COULD UH. I IMAGINE THAT THERE ARE DIFFERENT LIKE I SAID,
DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES WITH THAT. OKAY. >> UM, MAYBE. THROUGH THE CHAIR MIGHT ABLE TO GET. A, UH, A A LIST OF ARRESTS BOSTON POLICE HAVE DONE OVER
THE LAST TWO YEARS ON PEOPLE THAT WERE OR HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED AND WHERE UM, THEY WERE ARRESTED FOR SPIKING DRINKS. I'LL WORK. >> ON THAT.
OKAY. OKAY. UM, ONE OF THE ISSUES I REALLY FOCUSED ON IS THE BOSTON POLICE CRIME LAB AND I AND I KNOW
CAPTAIN AND LIEUTENANT, I KNOW YOU DO IT. YOU'RE DOING THE BEST YOU CAN. UM, I AM CONCERNED THAT WE DON'T HAVE A STATE OF THE ART, UH, CRIME LAB IN THE CITY OF BOSTON.
I WANT TO SEE THAT. I WANT TO SEE BOSTON HAVE THE BEST CRIME LAB, THE MOST ADVANCED CRIME LAB LIKE NEW YORK CITY DOES. WE'RE NOT TESTING SEXUAL
ASSAULT KITS ON THE MOST UPDATED, UM, TECHNOLOGY, WHICH IS WHY SCREENING. I'VE BEEN A STICKLER ON THE BOSTON POLICE CRIME LAB FOR FOR
YEARS, AND I DO THINK WE NEED TO DO MORE IN TERMS OF HOW WE TEST SEXUAL ASSAULT KITS AND PROVIDING THE RESOURCES AND
SUPPORT FOR SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT AS WELL. UM. CAPTAIN, DO YOU HAVE ANY ANY INTERACTION AT ALL?
WHAT THE CRIME LAB AS IT RELATES TO THESE SEXUAL ASSAULT KITS OR LIEUTENANT. UH. >> I DO UH OBVIOUSLY I KNOW I'VE HEARD YOU MENTIONED A LOT ABOUT THE WIDE SCREEN AND JUST TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THROUGH
VARIOUS DIFFERENT GRANTS WE ARE WORKING ON IMPLEMENTING A WIDE SCREEN IN THE CRIME LAB, UM, IN THE NEAR FUTURE AND ALL RECENTLY THROUGH ANOTHER FEDERAL GRANT WE'VE AGAIN
INITIAL TESTED FOR THESE KITS, BUT WE'VE SENT OUT UH, 150 KITS TO UH OUTSIDE LAB TO RETEST SOME OF THESE KITS UH, FOR Y SCREENINGS FOR THE SOME OF OUR
UM, OLDER SEXUAL ASSAULT KITS. BUT WE ARE WORKING TOWARDS AGAIN TO OUR TO OUR CRIME LAB OF HAVE A WIDE SCREEN WHERE WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO THAT ALL IN-HOUSE. OKAY. >> THANK YOU LIEUTENANT.
UH, MR CHIEF, FOR THE RECORD, COULD I, UM, ALSO GET A, UM, AN UPDATE OF THE ORG CHART AT THE BOSTON POLICE CRIME LAB?
UM, THANK YOU, MR CHAIR. I WANT TO BE RESPECTFUL TO MY COLLEAGUES. I'M OUT OF TIME. THANK YOU, MR CHAIR. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR FLYNN. WE WILL PUT THAT QUESTION TO THE COMMITTEE. UM, NEXT UP WE HAVE COUNCILOR DURKAN. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. >> SO MUCH, CHAIR.
I'M PROUD TO BE A CO-SPONSOR OF TODAY'S HEARING AND I WANT TO THANK COUNCILOR CLOUD AS A PARTNER FOR HER WORK AND LEADERSHIP ON THIS ISSUE AS A SURVIVOR OF DRINK SPIKING, UM, I REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS LIKE WHEN I HEARD THAT.
COUNCILOR CLOUD AS A PORTER WAS WORKING ON THIS ISSUE AND UM IT IT IS INCREDIBLE TO SEE THESE SURVIVORS HERE TALKING TO THEIR EXPERIENCE. UM, I KNOW THAT WHEN I FIRST
SPOKE ON THE COUNCIL FLOOR ABOUT THIS UM, I DEFINITELY WAS REALLY TRIGGERED BACK FROM LIKE AFTER SIX YEARS AND I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT I WOULD HAVE THAT IMPACT ON ME BECAUSE I HAD PUSHED THE MEMORIES DOWN SO FAR
. AND SO I WANT TO THANK THE BOSTON POLICE LIEUTENANT DETECTIVE CAPTAIN DETECTIVE CHAIR JOYCE CURRAN REYNOLDS, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. UM, AND DIRECTOR MENDOZA I
RIGHT, UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK. UM, I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE TO BETTER EQUIP SMALL BUSINESSES AND OUR NIGHTLIFE ECONOMY TO HANDLE THESE INCIDENCES. PEOPLE DESERVE TO GET TESTED IF
THEY BELIEVE THEIR DRINK HAS BEEN TAMPERED WITH REGARDLESS OF WHETHER SEXUAL ASSAULT WAS INVOLVED. SO I'M GRATEFUL TO SENATOR FEENEY FOR HIS BILL AND HOPEFULLY THAT PASSES SOON.
UM, I KNOW FOR ME I CALLED THE POISON CONTROL HOTLINE TO DETERMINE WHETHER I THOUGHT MY DRINK WAS SPIKED THE NEXT DAY. I HAD VERY FEW MEMORIES OF WHAT HAD HAPPENED AFTER THE FACT.
MANY MEMORIES CAME FLOODING BACK AND UM I, I BELIEVE NOW I CAN PIECE TOGETHER ALL OF THE BUT I WAS NOT READY TO BE QUESTIONED BY THE POLICE. I WAS NOT READY TO WALK INTO A POLICE STATION AND I I DIDN'T
DO THAT BECAUSE I DIDN'T FEEL COMFORTABLE AND I KNOW WHEN I'VE SHARED UM THIS MY INCIDENT WITH UH, THE BOSTON POLICE AND OTHERS THIS DID HAPPEN ACTUALLY IN CAMBRIDGE BUT WHEN I'VE
TALKED TO BOSTON POLICE OFFICERS IT IS ALWAYS UNCOMFORTABLE TO GET LIKE QUESTION AFTER QUESTION ABOUT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED TWO YEARS AGO THAT IS TRAUMATIC. AND SO I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE
THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE 100% OF PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING TO STEP FORWARD BECAUSE FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE IT IS JUST SO RETRAUMATIZING TO HAVE TO GO THROUGH THAT AND EVEN NOW IT'S
LIKE I DON'T I DIDN'T REALIZE I WAS GOING TO GET EMOTIONAL TODAY TALKING ABOUT THIS, BUT IT'S SUPER EMOTIONAL SEEING PEOPLE THAT HAVE DEALT WITH THE SAME THING AND I KNOW AS A CITY WE NEED TO WORK ON THIS ISSUE. SO I'M REALLY GRATEFUL TO
COUNCILOR CLAUDIUS POTTER FOR ALL OF HER WORK. UM, I KNOW IN MY DISTRICT I HAVE A TON OF STUDENTS. I HAVE 12 COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS THAT TOUCH DISTRICT EIGHT. UM ALANA KATZ CATS IS MY
CONSTITUENT SO THANK YOU. UM, FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP. UM, I KNOW THAT I, I THINK MY DISTRICT RIVALS, UM, COUNCILOR FLYNN'S FOR THE MOST LIQUOR LICENSES IN THE CITY. WE'RE ALWAYS GOING BACK AND
FORTH. I HAVE A VERY COMMERCIAL DISTRICT CAUSEWAY STREET, LANSDOWNE STREET, NEWBURY STREET, BOYLSTON STREET. UM, I HAVE A TON OF, YOU KNOW, LIQUOR BEING SERVED.
I'M JUST CURIOUS, CHAIR JOYCE WHAT THE RESPONSES WHEN. YOU WHEN THERE ARE INCIDENCES AND SORT OF HOW THE POLICE AND UM AND LICENSING ARE WORKING
TOGETHER ON THESE ISSUES ONCE AN INCIDENT HAS OCCURRED BECAUSE I KNOW A LOT OF US I KNOW UM COUNCILOR CLOUD AS A POTTER LIKE WE'RE FOLLOWING ALL THESE CHAINS AND LIKE ONLINE LIKE I'M TAKING SCREENSHOTS
OF THINGS. I'M JUST CURIOUS. HOW HOW WE'RE MONITORING SOCIAL MEDIA AND IF THE BRICK IS ALSO INVOLVED IN SORT OF MONITORING SOCIAL MEDIA. SO I GUESS I'LL START WITH CHAIR JOYS AND.
THEN UM. UM I CAN SAY WE IT'S NOT A PERFECT SCIENCE. WE'RE WORKING UM TOGETHER VERY CLOSELY. I PERSONALLY. DON'T DO A LOT OF, UH, SOCIAL MEDIA MONITORING.
I KNOW THE POLICE HAVE PEOPLE THAT DO THAT ALL THE TIME WHEN. WE'RE MADE AWARE. >> OF. IT WE. SHARE INFORMATION. UM, IF IT'S REPORTED. >> TO THE. LOCAL POLICE. DISTRICT, OUR LICENSED PREMISES UNIT WILL THEN GO AND FOLLOW. >> UP AT THE LICENSED. PREMISES AFTERWARDS. SO IT'S KIND OF LIKE. FIGURE OUT THE BEST.
>> WAY. TO RESPOND IF IT'S AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION, WE WON'T EVEN. >> GET THE REPORT. UNTIL THE INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED. SO SOMETIMES YOU MIGHT SEE SOMETHING ON SOCIAL MEDIA OR I MIGHT WE. MIGHT GET A REPORT OF SOMETHING. THAT WAS SIX MONTHS AGO BECAUSE
UNTIL. IT'S CONSIDERED. BASICALLY CLOSED WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE A PUBLIC. HEARING ON IT. UM I DON'T. >> KNOW IF. YOU HAVE ANY. >> MORE THAN. THE OTHER THING THAT I WOULD ADD IS I KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF VERY RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS
OWNERS IN MY DISTRICT WHO HAVE HAD THESE INCIDENCES OCCUR ON THEIR PREMISES BECAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT WANT TO DO BAD THINGS THAT ARE SEEKING OUT CROWDED BARS AND PLACES WHERE
IT'S HARD TO MAINTAIN. UM SO I JUST LIKE I, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE CREATE, YOU KNOW, SPACES AND TRAINING AND INFORMATION SO THAT IT'S
NOT SIMPLY A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE BUSINESS BUT ALSO ABOUT I MEAN OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE CASES WHERE THERE ARE. PEOPLE THAT ARE DOING THIS IN A IN A BUSINESS.
UM, BUT I BUT I DO WANT TO SAY THAT LIKE FROM MY EXPERIENCE AND FROM TALKING TO FOLKS, IT'S LIKE IT HAPPENS TO A LOT OF WOMEN WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, CONSENSUALLY HANGING OUT WITH SOMEONE AND THEN SUDDENLY
SOMETHING IS HAPPENING. AND SO I JUST THINK AND I THINK EVERY SINGLE CASE IS DIFFERENT . UM, SO AT LEAST I'LL JUST BE VERY TRANSPARENT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO ME.
I ACTUALLY ENDED UP BUYING THIS PERSON A DRINK AND THEY ASKED ME TO TRY THEIR DRINK BECAUSE THEIR DRINK WAS REALLY STRONG. I DIDN'T THINK TWICE ABOUT IT TOOK A SIP AND SO IT'S LIKE I JUST WANT TO SHARE THAT THAT
LIKE SOMETIMES YOU CAN DO EVERYTHING RIGHT AND IT'S LIKE A SPLIT SECOND DECISION UM THAT YOU MAKE AND YOU KNOW AND YOU KNOW SO I JUST I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM THE BOSTON POLICE
DEPARTMENT SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE I KNOW WE'VE. TALKED A LOT ABOUT SOCIAL. MEDIA ON. THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE TYPES OF UM, WORK THAT THE BRICK IS DOING TO MONITOR SOCIAL MEDIA. SO I'M JUST CURIOUS HOW THAT
RELATES TO THESE INCIDENTS AS. >> I. CAN I THERE'S A FEW THINGS I WANTED TO TOUCH ON. UM, WE'RE WELL AWARE OF HOW DIFFICULT IT IS. YOU KNOW UH I'LL JUST IN RELATION TO SEXUAL ASSAULT HOW
DIFFICULT IT IS FOR SOMEBODY TO COME IN AND SURVIVE OR TO COME IN AND REPORT THIS SO WE UNDERSTAND THAT EVERYBODY HAS A DIFFERENT TIMELINE AND AND UH,
REPEATED ALMOST VICTIMIZATION. YOU KNOW, WE'VE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT WE WORK WITH THE DA'S OFFICE WITH REGARD TO MINIMUM FACTS, UH, INVESTIGATIONS AND WE DO OUR BEST WITH THAT. UH. >> TRY TO LIMIT PEOPLE TRYING TO.
>> YOU KNOW. CONTINUALLY TELL THEIR STORY WITH REGARD TO A SEXUAL ASSAULT. BUT I CAN SEE THIS BEING, UH, THE SAME THING UM. WITH WITH DRINK SPIKING AS WELL LIKE YOU YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ON A
TIMELINE WHEN YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE YOU WANT TO. >> COME. IN AGAIN THE BIG PIECE WITH THIS JUST READING SOME OF THE STUFF AND AND SOME OF THE REPORTS THAT WE HAVE IT IS A MEMORY PIECE. WE'RE TRYING TO PIECE THIS
TOGETHER WHERE IT COULD TAKE. FOR UH, HOWEVER LONG YOU KNOW, YEARS AND SO YOU DON'T HAVE THE INFORMATION TO SAY, HEY, I NEED THIS, UM, TOXICOLOGY REPORT OR
I JUST THE CONFUSION WHATEVER THE CASE MIGHT BE. SO WE'RE WELL AWARE OF THAT WE TREAT WELL. ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE'S DRINKING INVOLVED LIKE YOU'RE LIKE I HAD ONE DRINK OR I HAD TWO DRINKS AND THAT WAS NOT MY
NORMAL REACTION TO HAVING TWO DRINKS AND SAY YOU'RE LIKE DID I DRINK MORE THAN I THOUGHT I DID? YOU KNOW IT'S LIKE THERE'S A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS BUT I THINK FOR THE WOMEN THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS THEY ALL KNOW
THAT SOMETHING HAPPENED THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED AND UM THEY ALL KNOW THAT THEIR REACTION TO IT YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY IT'S LIKE WHEN YOU DO EVERYTHING RIGHT AND YOU GO TO THE HOSPITAL AND THAT HOSPITAL IS NOT REQUIRED TO
TEST YOU. UM, THAT I MEAN THAT IS THE EXPERIENCE AFTER TALKING ON ABOUT THIS ON THE COUNCIL FLOOR, THAT IS WHAT UM PEOPLE HAVE COME FORWARD WITH IS I WASN'T ABLE TO GET TESTED
WHEN THIS DID HAPPEN TO ME AND UM, IT JUST FEELS LIKE CONSTANT GASLIGHTING FOR FROM YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY YOU YOU YOU CAN'T VERIFY WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU.
UM, UNFORTUNATELY I WAS NOT I WAS NOT READY THAT WHEN THIS HAPPENED TO ME BUT I THINK FOR ANYONE THAT IS THEY SHOULD BE OFFERED ALL OF THE RESOURCES. AND SO I'M GRATEFUL THAT THIS BILL HAS REACHED A MILESTONE AT
THE STATE HOUSE. I'M GRATEFUL FOR THE CITY COUNCIL AND COUNCILOR CLOUD AS FAR AS ROLE AND MOVING THIS FORWARD. AND I'M GRATEFUL TO MY CONSTITUENTS AND UM AND TO TO ALL OF THE STUDENTS WHO HAVE
REACHED OUT TO ME CONCERNED ABOUT THIS ISSUE. PEOPLE SHOULD BE ABLE ESPECIALLY AHEAD OF SAINT PATRICK'S DAY WEEKEND. PEOPLE SHOULD BE ABLE TO PARTY SAFELY HOPEFULLY VERY SAFELY.
UM AND UM AND I'M GRATEFUL TO ALL OF YOUR WORK BECAUSE I THINK IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND I'M SORRY I WENT OVER SO THANK YOU CHAIR. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR DEREK AND UM I APPRECIATE YOU YOU SHARING
YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH THIS UM, COUNCILOR LOUIJEUNE YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. >> VERY MUCH. UH, COUNCILOR SANTANA, I WANT TO THANK YOU, COUNCILOR CLOUD AS. >> A PARTNER. FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP. UM. YOU'VE BEEN.
DOGGED ABOUT. THIS SINCE YOU'VE ENTERED THIS . CHAMBERS AND I WAS, UM. LUCKY ENOUGH TO. >> PARTNER WITH YOU ON THE FIRST HEARING. ORDER ON THIS LAST YEAR. I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR WHO YOU ARE. >> AND EVERYTHING THAT. >> YOU BRING INTO THIS CHAMBER. UM, I WANT TO APOLOGIZE ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WHO SHARE
THEIR OWN TESTIMONY. >> FOR BEING LATE. OUR HEARINGS USUALLY START AT TEN AND I. DIDN'T GET THE MEMO, SO, UM. YEAH, BUT. >> I HOPE AND I UNDERSTAND WHY WE STARTED. >> AT 930. SO, UM. >> REALLY APPRECIATE THE. FLEXIBILITY AND WANT. >> TO THANK THIS INCREDIBLE TEAM. I JUST WANT TO. YOU KNOW. >> STATE THAT I.
KNOW IT'S WE ARE TALKING ABOUT. ISSUES THAT ARE NUMBER ONE. INCREDIBLY HARD, INCREDIBLY HEAVY. AND INCREDIBLY HARD TO SOLVE. UM, BUT JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE INCREDIBLY HARD TO SOLVE DOESN'T MEAN THAT THEY DON'T DESERVE OUR ATTENTION. AND UM.
ATTEMPTS TO SORT OF. WRITE CULTURE. AND UH, DO WHAT WE CAN VIA LAWS AND POLICIES TO WRITE, UM, A TOXIC CULTURE. SO THANK YOU. EVERYONE FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO. DO I THINK COUNCILOR DURKAN
MENTIONED SAINT PATRICK'S DAY ON THE TOP OF MY MIND, ESPECIALLY AS A CHAIR OF TOURISM ENTERTAINMENT EVENTS . IT'S A LONG TITLE. I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW IT CONTAINS SPECIAL EVENTS. UH, WE HAVE THE WORLD CUP COMING.
WE HAVE TALL SHIPS COMING. WE HAVE. AND UH, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT CULTURE, WE'RE BRINGING IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT CULTURES TOGETHER HERE IN THE CITY OF BOSTON. UM, AND A LOT OF THESE LARGER EVENTS OFTEN YOU HAVE INCREASED
HUMAN TRAFFICKING, YOU HAVE INCREASED UM ASSAULTS AND UM, ASSAULTS ON WOMEN. >> AND SO JUST. WONDERING ARE WE DOING ANYTHING SPECIFIC TO PREPARE FOR THESE LARGE EVENTS AND UM, IF SO, WHAT ARE THEY? YES, MA'AM.
UH. THANK YOU. WE HAVE ONE OF THE UNITS THAT WE HAVE IS THE HUMAN TRAFFICKING UNIT AND, UH, THEY'RE EXTREMELY PROACTIVE. IT'S A SMALL UNIT. UM, FORTUNATELY WE HAVE CROSS TRAINING WITHIN, UH, THE FAMILY
JUSTICE CENTER. UH, SOME OF THE DETECTIVES HAVE WORKED IN DIFFERENT CAPACITIES WITHIN THE BUILDING, SO IT'S VERY HELPFUL. BUT AGAIN, WE'RE VERY PROACTIVE . WE DO DEMAND REDUCTION UM, OPERATIONS.
WE JUST HAD ONE YESTERDAY. UH, WE DO THEM ALL VERY OFTEN. SO FROM A FROM A SKILL POINT, UM, ALL THESE DIFFERENT CULTURAL UH, EVENTS COMING IN
UH, IT IS WE'RE ANTICIPATING A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE, YOU KNOW, WITH THE INVESTIGATIVE BUREAU OF THE BOSTON POLICE WE'RE TRYING TO FOCUS OUR PIECE ON THAT AND YOU KNOW THAT WE CONTINUE TO DO WHAT WE NEED TO
DO AS WELL AS PROVIDE, UH, THE PUBLIC PROTECTION FOR FOR THE LARGE CROWDS AND DIFFERENT EVENTS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE HAVING. SO WE ARE WELL VERSED UH, WE HAVE COMMUNICATION ALREADY WITH FIFA. UH.
>> WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN SO FAR INTO DIFFERENT GRANTS AND AND DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT THAT WE'RE TRYING TO OBTAIN. BUT RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A SOLID STRATEGY THAT WILL ADDRESS AND AGAIN WE'RE JUST GOING TO SCALE
IT FROM OPERATIONS WE'RE DOING AND AGAIN WE DO THEM IN CHARLESTOWN DOWN IN. MASS AND CHAOS. SO BOSTON WE HAVE UH DIFFERENT DIFFERENT AREAS THAT WILL UM UH
CONDUCT THOSE OPERATIONS DOWN IN A LOT OF THAT. YOU KNOW THAT WITH MASS AND CHAOS IT'S DISTRICT FOUR, DISTRICT SIX, DISTRICT TWO. UM, SO WE'RE AWARE OF THAT. WE HAVE THE TRAINING LIKE I
SAID, WITHIN THE BUILDING AND WE'RE UM WE'RE READY FOR THE FIFA. THANK YOU. >> TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING. THANK YOU. >> CAPTAIN, I'VE I'VE FLOWN THROUGH, UH, RECENTLY, UM, AIRPORTS DOWN IN FLORIDA AND
THEY DO I MEAN, LIKE, LOOK, I'M NOT A FLORIDIAN. I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS BUT LIKE WHENEVER I'M IN THE BATHROOM I SEE SIGNS LIKE ARE YOU A VICTIM OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING? AND IT'S IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES AND I THINK THERE'S LIKE A
PUBLIC AWARENESS AND AN AD CAMPAIGN. SO I HOPE THAT ONE THAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT AS WELL UM, THAT WE YOU KNOW, ANTICIPATE BECAUSE WE ANTICIPATE SO MANY PEOPLE COMING THAT WE ALSO ARE PREPARING A PUBLIC AWARENESS
CAMPAIGN AROUND RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE IF THEY FIND THEMSELVES RIGHT. AND AND IT'S SMART THAT IT HAPPENS IN A BATHROOM. RIGHT. BECAUSE MAYBE THAT IS THE ONE MOMENT THAT SOMEONE WHO IS A VICTIM OF A HUMAN TRAFFICKING
OR SOMETHING HAS A MOMENT TO THEMSELVES AND THEY CAN READ A POSTER INSIDE OF A BATHROOM STALL THAT SAYS ARE YOU A VICTIM OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES? HERE'S A NUMBER THAT YOU CAN CALL HERE RESOURCES AVAILABLE
TO YOU IT LOOKS LIKE CAPTAIN IF YOU'D LIKE TO ANSWER AS HE CAN CAN THANK YOU FOR ALL THE INCREDIBLE WORK THAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING AND WHAT. >> YOU SAY REAL BRIEFLY YOU KNOW WE WE SAY ONE OF THE SLOGANS WE'VE HAD FOR A LONG TIME TO SEE SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING YOU KNOW, IN
NEIGHBORHOODS WITH WITH THIS CRIME IF YOU SEE SOMEBODY BREAKING INTO A CAR IT'S THE SAME CASE IN HERE WHERE IF YOU SEE SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T LOOK RIGHT THEN SAY SOMETHING YOU KNOW AND MAYBE WITH DIFFERENT
THINGS AND WE PROVIDE THAT WITH THE SENATE LIKE I SAID WITH THAT HOTLINE YOU KNOW IF THINGS MAY BE EASIER TO REPORT SOMETHING LIKE THAT CALL 911 BUT ALSO GET THOSE IMMEDIATE
RESOURCES THAT YOU MAY NEED. BUT WE ARE WE ARE HAVE HAVE THAT PUBLIC CAMPAIGN AS WELL. UH JUST ON. UH COUNCILOR. DEREK AND LEFT ONE PIECE I'LL JUST ADD WITH WITH REGARD TO YOU KNOW SOME OF THESE
ESTABLISHMENTS ARE BEING RESPONSIBLE SOME OF THE FEEDBACK I RECEIVED FROM THE BOARD UH A LICENSE PREMISE UNIT WAS THAT THEY'RE NOW UM ON RECEIPT THEY'RE WRITING REPLACEMENT DRINKS ON THE
RECEIPTS. SO IF IF FOLKS BELIEVE THAT MAYBE THEIR DRINK HAS BEEN SPIKED AND THEY BRING IT UP TO THE BAR TO REPLACE UM, THOSE DRINKS. SO THERE ARE MEASURES I THINK THAT PEOPLE ARE BEING
RESPONSIBLE ON LICENSED PREMISES. SO WE'LL CONTINUE THAT AND SHARE THAT I, I WASN'T AWARE OF THAT PRIOR TO TRYING TO GATHER SOME INFORMATION ON THIS HEARING. SO I'LL SHARE THAT WITH OTHER PLACES AND WE'LL TRY. >> TO.
GET THAT WORD OUT AS WELL. THANK KIM. YEAH THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM I THINK I WANTED TO SAY TWO THINGS THAT SORT OF CAME UP AS FOLKS. WERE WERE TALKING AND I'LL TALK ABOUT FIFA AS WELL BECAUSE THE
DSG IS DEFINITELY UM TAKING UH A LEAD ON THAT UM, ESPECIALLY AROUND PUBLIC AWARENESS AROUND UH THE SUMMER EVENTS THAT ARE COMING UP. UM, BUT THE FIRST IS UM THE SYMPTOMS THAT FOLKS MAY.
UM BE. UH. >> EXHIBITING AFTER BEING SPIKED. UH. >> OFTEN MIMIC SYMPTOMS OF ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION AND INTOXICATION. SO WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT LIKE SUDDEN DIZZINESS,
CONFUSION, LOSS OF COORDINATION ,NAUSEA, DROWSINESS, MEMORY GAPS, UH, FEELING MORE INTOXICATED THAN YOU EXPECTED OR YOU KNOW, UH, THAT WE KNOW OUR BODY BEST, RIGHT?
UM, AND BECAUSE THEY CLOSELY RESEMBLE EFFECTS OF SUBSTANCES WE DID VOLUNTARILY TAKE UM PARTICULARLY ALCOHOL. UM, IT IS I THINK SOMETHING UH,
TO SORT OF UPLIFT WHEN UH, YOU KNOW, JUST THINKING ABOUT IF SOMEONE IS EXHIBITING THOSE SYMPTOMS IT CAN EASILY GO WELL, THEY JUST GOT TOO DRUNK AND AND THEN SORT OF DISMISS IT. AND SO I THINK WHEN THINKING ABOUT.
UH MORE TRAININGS OR AWARENESS FOR FOLKS WHO MIGHT BE IN SETTINGS THAT YOU KNOW, THEY'RE SEEING THAT WHETHER IT'S PRIVATE WHICH WE KNOW MOST MOST OFTEN HAPPENS IN PRIVATE. SETTINGS SOMETIMES. AND UH, OR PUBLIC THAT YOU
KNOW, THAT IS SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND. SO I WANTED TO PUT THAT ON THE RECORD AND THEN SECOND TO FIFA . SO THE OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION UM AWARDED THE
DOMESTIC SEXUAL AND GENDER BASED VIOLENCE PREVENTION INITIATIVE UM 80,000 TO SUPPORT THE PREVENTION AND RESPONSE OF DOMESTIC AND. SEXUAL AND SEX TRAFFICKING. UM, SO THERE'S THREE BUCKETS.
>> OF WORK. THAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW. FIRST WE CONTRACTED WITH UH JANE DOE INC. SO THAT'S THE FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED, UM, A COALITION OF DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE ORGANIZATIONS,
UM, IN BOSTON, UM, IN THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS. EXCUSE ME. UM, AND. UH THROUGH. >> THIS PARTNERSHIP WE'RE FOCUSING ON THREE BUCKETS OF WORK. >> SO THE. FIRST IS THAT COORDINATION AND REFERRAL SYSTEM. SO WE KNOW THAT THERE. >> THAT. GREATER BOSTON BOSTON IS GOING
TO BE A HUB OF OF JUST. UH ALL. >> OF THE FANFARE ALL OF THE ACTIVITIES THAT ARE COMING. UM, I THINK I SAW ON NPR THE OTHER DAY THAT WAS LIKE WE'RE ANTICIPATING UH IT'S LIKE BASICALLY SUPER BOWLS.
200,000 PEOPLE FROM SCOTLAND ALONE TARTAN ALONE. RIGHT. >> UM AND SO JUST LIKE THINKING ABOUT JUST THE THE SORT OF MASSIVE INFLUX OF PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING IN UM, SO JUST. UH SO. >> PART OF THAT BUCKET OF WORK
IS UM AWARENESS FOR THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT MIGHT BE SEEING AN INCREASE IN SERVICES NEEDED. UM AND SO COORDINATING ACROSS NOT JUST GENDER BASED VIOLENCE UH, SO DOMESTIC SEXUAL SEX
TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATIONS BUT ALSO HOW ARE WE CONNECTING HUMAN SERVICES PROVIDERS THAT ARE GOING TO BE A NIGHTLIFE THAT ARE GOING TO BE IN HOSPITALITY, UM, THAT ARE GOING
TO BE YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY UH, INTERFACING WITH THE SURVIVOR FOLKS HERE AT 311 THE MAYOR'S OFFICE. RIGHT. LIKE UM AND I'LL ALSO JUST SHOUT OUT UM, THIS IS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF WOMEN'S
ADVANCEMENT, UM, THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE'S DOMESTIC GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE PREVENTION INITIATIVE. UM, WE'VE ALSO ARE IN CONVERSATIONS WITH THE GOVERNOR'S COUNCIL TO PREVENT SEXUAL ASSAULT, DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING . THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND. UH UM YES, UM, FORGETTING THEIR INITIALS.
SO MANY INITIALS. UM AND I, UH YOU KNOW, I'LL I'LL SAY THAT UH, THE. STATE AT THE STATE LEVEL THERE IS WORK THAT IS ALSO BEING DONE UM AROUND FIFA AND WE WE
ACTUALLY ARE IN CONVERSATIONS I THINK EMILY OVER THERE IS IN A MEETING WITH THEM RIGHT NOW UM ,AND UH WE ARE COMPLEMENTING EACH OTHER'S WORK BECAUSE I THINK THEY TO UH, ARE DOING A
PUBLIC AWARENESS AROUND SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING, CALL 911 AND WE KNOW THAT AS WE'VE SAID THAT A LOT OF SURVIVORS WHO HAVE BEEN HARMED OR MAYBE, UH, MAY NEED HELP MAY NOT FEEL
COMFORTABLE GOING TO THE POLICE. AND SO HOW TO READ EQUIPPING THE DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATIONS UH, TO BUILD THE CAPACITY TO RECEIVE THOSE RETENTION INFLUX .
WE DO KNOW THERE IS RESEARCH THAT IS DONE THAT HAS BEEN DONE THAT UM UH THAT SHOWS THAT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INCIDENTS DO GO UP UM, WHEN THERE ARE MAJOR SPORTING EVENTS.
UM AND SO I YOU KNOW, JUST UH PREPARING UH THE CAPACITY OF THE COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS THERE ARE THREE UH, CONVENINGS THAT JANE DOE WILL BE HOLDING. TWO OF THEM WILL BE SPECIFICALLY FOR GENDER BASED
VIOLENCE SPECIFIC ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS DOMESTIC SEXUAL AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING. AND THEN ONE OF THEM WILL BE FOR NON GENDER BASED VIOLENCE PROVIDERS WHO JUST WANT TO LEARN MORE.
UM ADD THAT UM ADD THAT UM NON GENDER BASED VIOLENCE CONVENING THAT WILL HAPPEN IT WILL BE ALL THREE WILL BE VIRTUAL UH WILL BE READY TO GIVE OUT UH SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLKITS THAT FOLKS CAN
USE ON THEIR SOCIAL MEDIAS UM, THAT UH FOLKS CAN POST UM, UH AND WE'RE HOPING, YOU KNOW, TO TAP INTO UH, CITY HALL BECAUSE I THINK, YOU KNOW, PUTTING THOSE SIGNS IN BATHROOMS, BEING
ABLE TO PUT THEM IN PLACES UH, YOU KNOW, AT THE FAN FEST JUST AS WELL YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE WORK ALSO SHOUT OUTS TO THE PROGRAMS OF THE BOSTON PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION THAT ARE DOING WORK ON EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, INFECTIOUS DISEASE .
RIGHT. UM, THERE IS A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT WILL BE GOING OUT AND I HOPE TO CROSS-POLLINATE AND ALL OF THAT UM, ALL OF THOSE EFFORTS THAT ARE HAPPENING UM, UH, IN OUR
TEAM AT THE COMMISSION UM AND SO UH, PUBLIC AWARENESS UH, IS BUILDING THE CAPACITY OF THE COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND REALLY SUPPORTING THE COORDINATION OF SYSTEMS, UM,
UH, AND ACROSS SECTORS IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW AND WE ARE I I THINK ISAAC LEFT BUT HE DID CONFIRM THAT WE BOOKED UM ON THE 20TH NEXT FRIDAY AT 1 P.M.
THE EAGLE ROOM SO THAT WE CAN GO MORE INTO DETAIL ABOUT UH UM ABOUT THIS PROJECT THAT WE'RE DOING. SO JUST WANTED TO. THANK YOU. I KNOW MY TIME IS UP, BUT I JUST WANTED TO THANK ALL OF YOU. THANK YOU. UM.
UH, LIEUTENANT. DETECTIVE, IS THAT THE RIGHT TIME? OKAY. LIEUTENANT DETECTIVE AND DIRECTOR JOYCE AND, UH, CORINNE REYNOLDS FOR ALL THAT YOU'RE DOING. CORINNE, I KNOW THAT YOU ARE A TEAM OF ONLY ONE, BUT YOU ARE PUNCHING WAY ABOVE YOUR WEIGHT
AND HAVING TO UPHOLD BOTH THE JOY OF TRYING TO BUILD NIGHTLIFE BUT ALSO IN THESE VERY DIFFICULT ISSUES. I KNOW, UM, CHAIR AND UH, TO LEAD SPONSOR MY QUESTIONS WERE NOT NECESSARILY RELATED TO
DRINK SPIKING BUT THERE IS DEFINITELY A CORRELATION. UM AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE DO EVERYTHING WE CAN. WE HAVE A I HAVE A HEARING ORDER ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT ITSELF. UM, BUT I THINK THAT THERE WE
WILL BE SEEING THERE IS A CORRELATION AND WE WILL BE SEEING A CORRELATION MORE DURING THESE LARGER EVENTS. CAM I THINK THE DATA THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING FOR YOU KNOW, THESE LARGE SPORTING EVENTS, HEAVILY MALE DOMINATED EVENTS
BRING MORE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMAN. UM AND AS WE'RE CELEBRATING AND I'M EXCITED TO CELEBRATE THE WORLD CUP, I'M ALSO VERY ANXIOUS AND WORRIED ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE AND FOR PEOPLE WHO WILL BE BROUGHT HERE AGAINST THEIR
WILL. AND SO WHATEVER WE CAN DO ON THE COUNCIL TO SUPPORT YOUR WORK, WHATEVER FUNDING THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HELP AUGMENT OR TO PROVIDE MORE TRAININGS OR TO GET MORE TO DO MORE PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS
TO THE FOLKS AT THE PUBLIC. UM UM FOR OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT JUST CONSIDER US HERE AS ARE OURS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR LOUIJEUNE. UM, WE'RE NOT GOING TO GO BACK,
UM, TO THE LEAD SPONSOR COUNSELOR CLASS ABOUT THAT FOR ,UH, SECOND ROUND OF QUESTIONS . THANK YOU SO MUCH, CHAIR. AND I. >> JUST WANT TO THANK ALL MY COLLEAGUES FOR THEIR. AMAZING QUESTIONS AND TO ALL OF YOU FOR AGAIN FOR. >> YOUR WORK I DO HAVE JUST A COUPLE QUICK QUESTIONS AND I
WILL KEEP IT SIX MINUTES. UM I KNOW AND APPRECIATE THAT YOU'VE TAKEN TIME TO BE HERE TODAY TO TALK THROUGH THIS. UM I FORGOT TO ASK ONE QUESTION OF THE BPD BEFORE I GO TO THE BUS PUBLIC HEALTH. COMMISSION AND THEN.
TO THE LICENSING BOARD AND OFFICE OF NIGHTLIFE ECONOMY. UM, WHAT ARE THE MOST RECENT DATA TRENDS THAT WE'RE SEEING FROM 2024 TO NOW? YOU WOULD YOU HAD MENTIONED UM AND I APOLOGIZE THAT I DIDN'T GET THE EXACT NUMBER BUT
ANYTHING FROM 2024 UH, TO NOW OR THE FY 25 THAT WE CAN POINT TO OF UH REPORTS UM OR UH ANYTHING THAT'S BEEN TRACKED
WITHIN THAT MARK 43 SYSTEM. I'M SORRY I DIDN'T HEAR THE FIRST PART OF IT. WHAT WAS IT? UH. >> IT WHAT ARE THE MOST RECENT DATA TRENDS LIKE LIKE WHAT IS THE NUMBER BETWEEN YOU KNOW. HOW MANY SO SO FAR SINCE, UH,
IN 2026 FOR FOR SPIKED CHICKEN INCIDENTS. UH, THIS IS FROM THE BEGINNING OF MARCH. THERE WERE SEVEN ALL OF 2025. THERE WERE 78 ALL OF 20 2473.
UM DRINK SPIKING UM SEXUAL ASSAULTS UH DRUG FACILITATED SEXUAL ASSAULTS 2026 HAS BEEN
ONE REPORTED 2025 720 2410 I CAN I CAN EMAIL THOSE NUMBERS TO YOU AS WELL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I THINK THAT'S KIND OF ALONG THE LINES OF WHAT COUNSELORS ONE WAS WAS ASKING FOR. SO THANK YOU.
UM HOW AND JUST HOW OFTEN DO YOUR. UM. >> INVESTIGATORS ENCOUNTER CASES WHERE THE TOXICOLOGY EVIDENCE IS. NOT COLLECTED DUE TO A DELAY IN REPORTING OR UH, UH, RELUCTANCE
NOT RELUCTANCE BY UM THE HOSPITAL NOT HAVING. JUST JUST DRINK SPIKING, YOU KNOW, SAY ALMOST NOT NOT HAVE TOXICOLOGY RESULTS NOW YOU. >> KNOW WITH SEXUAL ASSAULTS WE USUALLY HAVE UH THE TOX KITS
WHEN IT AND IT'S INVOLVED IN A SEXUAL ASSAULT CASE. AND AND AGAIN, I'M REALLY GRATEFUL FOR, UH, SENATOR FEENEY I THINK THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION EARLIER, BUT WHAT HE HIS LEGISLATION WILL DO IS
MANDATING THAT STANDARD TESTING PROTOCOL IN UNIFORM STANDARD OF CARE SO THAT VICTIMS CAN GET THE TESTING THAT THEY NEED TO PREVENT FUTURE CRIMES AND HOLD PERPETRATORS ACCOUNTABLE. SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE RECORD WAS CLARIFIED ON THAT.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND YOUR WORK UM FOR THE AC UH, JUST APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING. UM YOU HAVE AN INCREDIBLE
COMMAND ON THIS ISSUE AND YOU ARE CLEARLY JUST AN EXPERT IN YOUR FIELD AND JUST AGAIN, JUST GRATEFUL FOR YOUR TESTIMONY HERE. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT COULD BE MADE OR ANY IMPROVEMENTS FROM A POLICY
STANDPOINT AT THE MUNICIPAL LEVEL WHILE WE DO AWAIT PENDING UM PASSAGE AT THE STATE HOUSE FOR THIS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT QUESTION. UM, SO I THINK UH, WHEN THINKING ABOUT POLICY IN
PARTICULAR I MEAN THE DATA DATA COLLECTION PIECE UM, A THAT'S BROADER UM THAN JUST FOLLOWING DRINK SPIKING RELATED TO SEXUAL ASSAULT IS NEEDED. SO I THINK WHEN I TESTIFIED
LAST YEAR IN APRIL, UH, THERE WAS A DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE HEARING UM, I HAD TALKED ABOUT UH, THE NEED AS I WAS PREPARING FOR THAT HEARING
I, UH IT WAS NIGH IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND RATES OF DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE UM, AT THE LOCAL LEVEL. UM, SO THE RESEARCH IS UH, IF IF YOU'RE LUCKY AT THE STATE LEVEL AND MOSTLY NATIONAL
LEVEL. UM, AND SO I THINK WHEN WE'RE WE'RE THINKING ABOUT COLLECTING DATA FOLLOWING DATA RELATED TO DRINK SPIKING SEXUAL ASSAULT, UM, IF WE CAN TAKE IT, YOU
KNOW, ONE STEP BROADER. UM, SO THE DSG WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ALONGSIDE THE BREAK TO THINK ABOUT, UH, WHAT ARE THE BEST WAYS THAT WE CAN SHARE INFORMATION AND DATA?
UM, MOST RECENTLY OUR SISTER PROGRAM WITHIN THE OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION, THE CAPACITY BUILDING AND TRAINING INITIATIVE UM, WAS UH UH WAS ABLE SO YOU KNOW, I'LL BE TRANSPARENT THE DSG UH DOESN'T
HAVE A LOT OF FUNDING. UM AND SO WE ARE TRYING TO SORT OF PIECEMEAL TOGETHER UM, WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN DO PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS IN WHICH WE CAN UH, SORT OF BUILD A ROBUST
DATA INFRASTRUCTURE THAT CAN BUILD BECAUSE WE ARE. WE ARE A TEAM OF TWO. UM AND OUR CAPACITY BUILDING TRAINING INITIATIVE COLLEAGUES, UH, HAVE SOME MONEYS IN FOR
DATA COLLECTION AND SO WE ARE THINKING RIGHT NOW, UM, ABOUT UH HOW WE CAN SUPPORT AN EVALUATION TEAM TO TO DO UH, A LOT OF THE SORT OF CONNECTORS THAT NEED TO BE HAPPENING AT
THE STATE LEVEL UH, WITH HOSPITALS WITH COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS. UM AND SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT UH, DRINK SPIKING, UM, AND DATA COLLECTION, I WAS REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT BECAUSE I
THINK DATA COLLECTION IS NEEDED. AND SO HOWEVER WE CAN SORT OF UH, DECREASE BARRIERS TO DATA SHARING. I KNOW DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE DATA IS IS SUPREMELY
UH, SENSITIVE AND CONFIDENTIALITY UM AND SURVIVOR SAFETY UH IS ALWAYS UH SORT OF AT THE TOP OF OUR OUR NEED UM OF THE NEED OF ALL OF THE DATA COLLECTION THAT WE DO AND
I THINK UH, AS A PUBLIC HEALTH UH, PROGRAM WE'RE UNIQUELY SITUATED TO SORT OF COLLECT THAT DATA. UM, I THINK IN REGARDS TO. SORT OF SOME PREVENTION UM, UH
,IDEAS I THINK THE PRIMARY PREVENTION STRATEGIES THAT COME TO MIND IS REALLY THAT CONSENT EDUCATION, BYSTANDER INTERVENTION PROGRAMING AND REALLY ADDRESSING THE PEOPLE
WHO ARE SPIKING BECAUSE I THINK WHEN FOLKS YOU KNOW, AS I WAS READING THE RESEARCH IT FELT REALLY DISGUSTING TO TO THINK THAT UH, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO THINK THAT IT'S OKAY TO VIOLATE
SOMEONE'S AUTONOMY FOR FUN OR JUST TO SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING OR TO MAKE THEM, YOU KNOW, TO RELAX THE MOOD OR WHATEVER IT IS. AND I THINK UH, THAT REALLY UH SORT OF UH FOR ME IT'S LIKE THE
UNDERLYING CONTEXT OF LIKE WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THAT ENVIRONMENT THAT ALLOWS SOMEONE TO FEEL THAT THAT'S OKAY. UM, AND SO HOW WE CAN ADDRESS THAT PERPETRATOR BEHAVIOR, UM, IS REALLY THINKING ABOUT WHAT
ARE THE LAWS THAT THEY ARE UH, BREAKING. RIGHT. SO THAT IS THAT POISONING ARE THEY POISONING SOMEONE? IS THAT TAMPERING WITH SOMETHING THAT THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE? SO I THINK REALLY UH, ESPECIALLY AS WE WE KNOW THAT
UH I THINK UH, COUNCILOR LOUIJEUNE MENTIONED THERE'S 100,000 FOLKS FROM SCOTLAND COMING UM, OR FOLKS WHO ARE UH, YOU KNOW, FOLKS WHO ARE COMING INTO THE U.S FOR
THESE SPECIFIC TO HAVE FUN. RIGHT. AND SO THERE MIGHT BE ALREADY A CULTURE OF LIKE OF DRINKING OF YOU KNOW, USING RECREATIONAL DRUGS WHATEVER IT IS AND RIGHT AND PEOPLE HAVE THE RIGHT TO
HAVE FUN PEOPLE HAVE THE RIGHT TO DRINK AND NOT TO BE RAPED OR SEXUALLY ASSAULTED OR OR TO BE HAVING AUTONOMY TAKEN FROM THEM. UM AND SO HOW EVER WE CAN SORT
OF IF YOU DO THIS EVEN IF IT'S JUST FOR FUN, EVEN IF THE MOTIVATION ISN'T TO ASSAULT SOMEONE JUST TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS, YOU'RE STILL BREAKING THE LAW, RIGHT? AND SO I THINK THAT SORT OF ADDRESSING PERPETRATOR
BEHAVIOR IS IMPORTANT. UM, BUT I THINK FOR ME I'M ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT HOW DO WE STOP THIS FROM EVER HAPPENING IN THE FIRST PLACE? SO THAT PRIMARY INTERVENTION I MENTIONED START STRONG UM, WHICH IS A NATIONAL LEADER UM,
AND SUPPORTING UH, SORT OF YOUTH UH, IN LEARNING ABOUT HEALTHY BEHAVIORS, HEALTHY BOUNDARIES, CONSENT. UM, AND THAT'S THE TYPE OF WORK THAT I HOPE THAT WE CAN EXPAND
ON BECAUSE THAT'S HOW WE BREAK NORMS, THAT'S HOW WE CHANGE NORMS. UM, AND UH, WE WE START CREATING THE THE FUTURE THAT WE WANT. UM YEAH. SORRY. >> THANK YOU. OH, NO. YOU'RE GOOD.
THANK YOU. I JUST I UM UM EVERYTHING THAT THAT YOU'RE SAYING IS RESONATING WITH ME JUST TALKING ABOUT, UH, THE PRIMARY PREVENTION STRATEGIES, STRATEGIES, CONSENT EDUCATION. WE JUST HAD A HEARING ON.
>> THE BUDGET. ASK AND ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I ASKED IS IS BOSTON ABIDING BY, UH, NEW LEGISLATION THAT WAS PUT INTO PLACE A COUPLE YEARS AGO, THE HEALTHY YOUTH ACT THAT WAS SPONSORED BY
SENATOR DOMINICO. AND WITHIN THAT EDUCATION THERE ARE CERTAIN UM STANDARDS AND AND METRICS THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE MEETING UH WITHIN HEALTH
EDUCATION AND SEX EDUCATION. AND I KNOW TALKING ABOUT SEX EDUCATION IS LIKE THE THIRD RAIL IN POLITICS, BUT IT IS SO IMPORTANT BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT IT INCLUDES CONSENT AND
ALSO INCLUDES UM INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE FOR LGBT YOUTH AND HOW TO BE IN HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS. SO UH, IT EVERYTHING ALWAYS CONNECTS AND UM I'M JUST GRATEFUL FOR YOUR WORK ON THAT I APPRECIATE IT. I AM GOING TO GO TO THE
LICENSING BOARD JUST REALLY QUICK UM UH, TO ASK MY LAST QUESTIONS. I KNOW THAT YOU ALL HAD TALKED ABOUT STAFF TRAININGS AND UH, BRINGING AWARENESS TO UH,
LICENSED PREMISES AND UM, EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS ARE HAS THERE BEEN ANY FEEDBACK FROM THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY. ABOUT UM. PROVIDING OR SORRY EXCUSE
ME LET ME START FROM THE BEGINNING. WHAT FEEDBACK HAS THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY PROVIDED REGARDING IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES LIKE ARE THERE ANY CHALLENGES THAT THEY'VE TALKED ABOUT WITH YOU ALL? UM HAS THERE BEEN ANYTHING THAT THEY'VE ASKED OF THE CITY IN
TERMS OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE THAT WE COULD BE UH, PROVIDING THEM IF JUST GIVEN UH, A MAGIC WAVE OF THE ONE WE HAVE ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD LIKE WHAT CAN WE BE DOING AS A CITY TO TO
BETTER HELP OUR, UM OUR LICENSED PREMISES? OKAY, I'LL LET QUINN TALK A LITTLE BIT, BUT ONE THING I WILL SAY IS OUR LICENSED PREMISE UNIT WORKS DIRECTLY AND NIGHTLY WITH THE LICENSED
PREMISES THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND IN REAL TIME THEY'LL EDUCATE AND TRAIN. UM, THAT BEING SAID, WHAT SAID WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT LICENSEES WISH THAT MORE PEOPLE
REPORTED TO THEM RIGHT AWAY THAT THEY BUT AGAIN IT'S PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE WHAT'S HAPPENING TO THEM. UM, AND AS COUNCILOR DURKAN SAID A LOT OF OUR LICENSEES ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING.
THEY ARE THEY DO HAVE COVERS ON HAND. UM, A LOT OF THEM DO HAVE SIGNS IN THEIR IN THEIR BATHROOMS. A LOT OF THEM DO UH WEEKLY SHIFT TRAININGS ON THIS AND
THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO DO MORE. BUT I THINK THE MISSING PIECES UM THEY DON'T KNOW EXACTLY THAT THIS IS GOING ON. SO CONTINUING TO RAISE AWARENESS TO EDUCATE, TO TRAIN
KAREEN HAS UM SOME EXAMPLES. SHE WORKS WITH THEM ALL THE TIME AS WELL FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE SHE CAN SHARE WHAT SHE'S SEEING UP THERE. YEAH. UM WHAT ELSE? I'LL SPEAK.
ONE TO THE DIFFICULTY ON MY END OF REACHING. LICENSES TO OFFER THE TRAINING . SO LIKE I SAID, WE HAD WE REACHED OUT TO ALL OF OUR LICENSEES AND WE SENT AN EMAIL
SAYING. WHAT KIND OF TRAINING WOULD YOU WANT AND DRINK STRIKING PREVENTION TRAINING WAS ON THERE. THE UH DO YOU WANT TO SIGN UP FOR FOR THE DRINK COVERS IS ON THERE CPR YOU NAME IT STOP THE
BLEED I WAS ON THERE. WE ONLY RECEIVED 47 RESPONSES FROM LICENSED PREMISES. I WANT TO BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT THAT. AND SO REALLY THE RELATIONAL THING IS REALLY WHAT WORKS.
BUT THAT MEANS I'M OUT ALL THE TIME TRYING TO GET PEOPLE ON BOARD AND TO RESPOND. TO TO UM SCHEDULE THESE TRAININGS. AND WE'VE SEEN DIFFICULTY IN OUR PARTNERS AT BRINGING ON
WOMEN WHERE WE SAY HEY, THESE PEOPLE SAID THEY WANT THIS BUT IT'S HARD TO SCHEDULE WITH THESE FOLKS BECAUSE OF THE ISSUES THAT THE LICENSEES HAVE SAID. THERE'S A LOT OF TURNOVER IN THE INDUSTRY AND SO A LOT
OF THEM ARE LIKE WELL WE TRAIN OUR STAFF UP BUT THEN THERE IS A SHIFT IN OUR STAFF SO WE LOSE THAT TRAINING WITH THAT INDIVIDUAL. THE WAY I SEE IT IS IF WE CAN
TRAIN EVERYONE IT DOESN'T MATTER IF THEY'RE AT THIS RESTAURANT A AND THEN THEY GO TO RESTAURANT B THE EDUCATION IS STILL STAYING WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEM OF NIGHTTIME
WORKFORCE. UM IT'S ALSO LIKE SOME OF THE BEST PRACTICES AND I'M TALKING ABOUT SAFETY IN GENERAL LIKE THE ACCESS TO THE RESOURCES. SO LIKE UH WE HAD AN INCIDENT
WHERE THERE WAS A THERE WAS A HEART ATTACK IN AT A CLUB AND UH, A PERSON REACHED OUT AND WAS LIKE WE WANT TO GET A DEFIBRILLATOR BUT IT'S SUPER EXPENSIVE. IS THERE A WAY WE CAN OFFSET
THOSE THOSE COSTS? AND SO EVEN HAVING THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT IS A BARRIER FOR THESE THESE FOLKS TO CREATE SAFE ENVIRONMENTS.
HAVE YOU UM HEARD OF ANY OR IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION BECAUSE THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT WE HAD TALKED ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO WHERE UH, THERE WAS AN INSTANCE WHERE WE WERE ABLE TO CATCH
THIS PERPETRATOR DROPPING SOMETHING IN THE DRINK BECAUSE IT WAS A CAMERA, IT WAS ON CAMERA WAS UNDENIABLE. UM, IT DO A LOT OF THE PREMISES HAVE THAT LIKE HOW CAN WE HELP THEM EVEN WITH SOMETHING AS
SIMPLE. AS THAT IN THE LEGISLATION THEY TALK ABOUT LIKE YOU NEED TO HAVE SIGNAGE, YOU NEED TO HAVE THIS HOW CAN WE DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT? WE DON'T. MANDATE CAMERAS IN LICENSED PREMISES. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.
BUT AGAIN IF THAT SOME OF THESE CAMERAS IF THEY VARY THEY'RE NOT AS SOPHISTICATED FROM ONE PLACE TO THE NEXT SOME PLACE IS AUTOMATICALLY RIGHT OVER THEM AND TEN HOURS OVER LIKE TEN DAYS.
SOME OF I WILL SAY ONCE ASKED TO PRESERVE VIDEO THE MAJORITY OF LICENSED PREMISES GO TO GREAT LENGTHS TO PRESERVE THE VIDEO UM IN THE THE WHAT YOU'RE
DESCRIBING IS WHEN THEY ACTUALLY HAD THE EVIDENCE OF THE PERSON DROPPING IT INTO THE DRINK. THAT'S THE EXCEPTION TO THE RULE. UM, GENERALLY THEY'RE NOT ABLE
TO DETERMINE IN REAL TIME LIKE WHEN IT HAPPENED TO WHERE THE PERSON WAS BUT THAT VICTIM WAS WAS LUCKY IN THAT SITUATION. I KNOW A LOT OF LICENSEES AS LIKE WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE DO? WHAT CAN WE DO?
UM AND I ALWAYS SAY TO THEM PLEASE CALL THE. POLICE EVEN IF YOU DON'T THINK AN ACTUAL. ASSAULT HAPPENED. AND IF POLICE SHOW UP AT YOUR LICENSED PREMISES PLEASE PRESERVE VIDEO THAT NIGHT.
YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN IT'S GOING TO BE REQUESTED OF YOU BEFORE THE LICENSING BOARD OR FIRE DETECTIVE FOR AN INVESTIGATION . AND I EMPHASIZE THAT AT EVERY SINGLE HEARING TO PRESERVE
VIDEO AND TO CONTACT THE POLICE ,IT GOES A LONG WAY IN THE EYES OF THE BOARD IF THE LICENSED PREMISES THEMSELVES CALLED THE POLICE IT WAS RESPONSIVE BUT NOT A NOT A BYSTANDER, NOT THE VICTIM
THEMSELVES WHEN THEY GOT HOME. SO IT IS ACTUALLY LIKE HELPS THEM AS FAR AS UM DISCIPLINE IF THEY'VE CALLED THE POLICE THEMSELVES IN A VIDEO. I CAN I CAN SHARE JUST ON THAT THE THE LEVERAGE THAT THE
LICENSING BOARD HOLDS OVER THEM. THEY ARE VERY COMPLIANT WITH DIFFERENT THINGS WHEN WE ARE ASKING NOT JUST SITUATIONS LIKE THIS FOR OTHER INCIDENTS ANYTHING WITH WITH REGARD TO TRY AND SEE FILM UM IT'S
THEY'RE VERY VERY UH COGNIZANT OF THE LICENSING BOARD SO THEY DO A GREAT JOB HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE. I JUST HAD ONE RECOMMENDATION YOU KNOW I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PARENTS ARE HERE BUT UH YOU KNOW, I COACH MY KIDS IN
DIFFERENT THINGS. I HAD TO GET CERTIFIED EVERY YEAR TO TO COACH. UM, I DON'T KNOW IF MAYBE WE CAN IMPLEMENT SOMETHING IN THAT SAYING THAT IF YOU ARE A NIGHTTIME WORKER THAT YOU TAKE
A COUPLE OF ONLINE COURSES THAT YOU THINK MIGHT BE IMPORTANT THAT WAY YOU'RE NOT TRYING TO CHASE EVERYBODY AND YOU KNOW, WE YOU YOU GO TO ONE BAR TO ANOTHER OR ANOTHER CLUB AND JUST SAY I MY CERTIFICATION
NUMBER IS THIS MAYBE MAYBE THAT COULD BE THE ANSWER TO GETTING SOME TRAINING. YEAH AND WE'VE. WE'VE LOOKED INTO THAT LIKE. >> SO BECAUSE EVERYBODY. >> HAS TO DO SERVICES AND TIPS AND ALL THAT STUFF AND THE CITY HAS PROVIDED TIPS TRAINING TO
UM. PEOPLE WHO. WORK IN THE NIGHTLIFE INDUSTRY. WE ALSO WANT TO WE ALSO WANT TO ENSURE THAT FOLKS ARE TAKING AGENCY OF THEIR OWN LICENSED
PREMISES AND IT'S NOT ON JUST US UM, CREATING. SAFE ENVIRONMENTS. BECAUSE THAT IS A PART OF THEIR LICENSE AND ENSURING THAT THEY'RE CREATING SAFE, UM, SAFE
NIGHTLIFE EXPERIENCES. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU FOR THAT RECOMMENDATION. I WOULD HOPE TO LIKE I MEAN I WOULD NEVER WANT TO GO IN FRONT OF CHAIRWOMAN JOYCE. KNOW IF I'VE DONE. SOMETHING WRONG? SHE DOES A GREAT JOB.
UH, AND THEY AND I DO KNOW THAT THERE WAS SOME INTERNAL REFORM. UH, WHERE. THERE WAS MAYBE SOME PUNISHMENT IF LICENSE OF PREMISES CAME FORWARD. AND SO I KNOW THAT YOU'VE. >> BEEN. WORKING ON THAT WHERE INSTEAD OF THEM FEELING LIKE OH WELL I
GET IN TROUBLE AS THE OWNER OF THIS IF IF I WANT TO REPORT IT. SO I APPRECIATE THAT TOO. >> YEAH. I LIKE TO THINK THE CULTURE OF THE LICENSING BOARD UNDER MY LEADERSHIP IS. PLEASE COME FORWARD AND CALL THE POLICE. WE'RE NOT GOING TO HOLD IT AGAINST YOU.
UH, WE WANT TO WORK WITH THEM. I FEEL LIKE WE'RE PART OF THEIR MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS. UM, THEY HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE RESPONSIBILITY IS WITH THEIR LICENSE. SO I REALLY DO TRY TO BE IN A IN THE THE BEST DEFINITION
OF IT A FRIENDLY BOARD TO LICENSEES BECAUSE WE WANT EVERYONE TO BE. TO BE SAFE. AND I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY EVERY LICENSED PREMISE IS TRYING TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE THERE. IT'S IT'S A VERY DIFFICULT TIME
OUT THERE FOR THEM. UM, I THINK THEY WOULD GO TO GREAT EXTREMES TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE WHO ENTERS A LICENSED PREMISES IN THE CITY OF BOSTON IS SAFE WHEN THEY ENTER AND SAFE WHEN THEY LEAVE. AND I ALWAYS SAY IT'S NOT ABOUT
WHO'S DRUNK INSIDE YOUR PREMISES MAKING SURE PEOPLE DON'T COME IN THAT ARE ALREADY OVERLY INTOXICATED. AND I KNOW IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT TO COUNCILOR FLYNN AND NOT TO GO ON AND ON BUT IT'S NOT JUST WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE AS WELL. LET'S MAKE SURE THEY GET HOME
SAFELY. MAKE SURE THEY'RE GETTING INTO A SAFE UBER. DON'T JUST LIKE EXPEL SOMEONE FROM YOUR LICENSED PREMISES AND THINK YOU'VE DONE YOUR JOB. UM, IT'S MORE THAN THAT. THANK YOU.
UM AND I KNOW WE ARE JUST FOCUSING ON ON BARS AND NIGHTLIFE AND PREDOMINANTLY BASED ON THE DATA THIS DOES HAPPEN IN PERSONAL SITUATIONS WHERE SOMEBODY IS MEETING UP WITH SOMEBODY ON ON AN APP AND
IT HAPPENS IN A IN A HOME OR EVEN ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES AND I KNOW THAT WORK IS BEING DONE, UM, FROM ALL OF YOU TO JUST HELP PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING IN THE FIRST PLACE.
UM, I, I APPRECIATE MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES QUESTIONS ABOUT UH, SAINT PATRICK'S DAY AND AS WE MOVE FORWARD INTO SOME OF THESE BIG EVENTS, UM, I DO LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING THIS CONVERSATION. I DON'T HAVE ANY MORE
QUESTIONS. CHAIR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR, UH, GRACE AND THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR YOUR WORK. THANK YOU COUNCILOR POLITICAL PARTY AND I THANK YOU FOR UM, MEETING UH AND FOR YOUR
LEADERSHIP ON THIS ON THIS MATTER. UM, I WANT TO THANK AGAIN ALL OF OUR PANELISTS, UM, AND, UM, WANT TO EXPAND ESPECIALLY THANK UM, THOSE WHO GAVE PUBLIC
TESTIMONY. UM, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE TAKE ACTION TO PREVENT SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN THE CITY OF BOSTON AND THESE CONVERSATIONS INFORM AND INSPIRE THAT MUCH NEEDED ACTION. UM, IT'S ALSO CRITICAL TO RAISE
AWARENESS ON THESE ISSUES AND HOSTING THIS HEARING AHEAD OF SAINT PATRICK'S DAY AND ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT FOR BRINGING THIS TO THE FOREFRONT OF OUR PUBLIC, UM, CONSCIOUSNESS. UM, THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR INSIGHTS.
I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO WORK ON THIS AS A CITY AND AS A COUNCIL ON THIS MATTER. I WANT TO THANK OUR PANELISTS. UM AND THERE IS NO MORE PUBLIC TESTIMONY.
SO UM, THIS HEARING ON DOCKET NUMBER 0167 IS ADJOURNED. THANK YOU. ALL. >>