Roy West Radio Show 12/29/24--with guests Shari Pullman, Dana Johnson, Lt Cody Courts, and Joe Evans
December 30, 2024 • 42 mins
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
You're listening to the Roy West Show here on News Talk.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Five sixty KLV, and folks, what an exciting time it is.
There is so much happening across our area, and there
has been something that happened this year that is very
significant in the entire state of Texas. And I have
Scherry Pullman with the Texas Family Care Network here with me.
(00:26):
And Cherry has been in this field for many years
and is well known here.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
In southeast Texas. Welcome to the show.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Thank you, marre Wes. It's I'm so happy to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Well, if you would help people explain or explain to
people so that they might be able to understand what
has happened here in the in the fostering and adoption
care in Texas.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Okay, I'll be happy to So. Texas Family Care Network
is a private company where are a single source can
Tenum contractor. We started taking case management from CPS on
April first of this year. So the Texas Department of
Family and Protective Services, where I spent all of my
career for twenty two years, now only handles investigations and
(01:17):
family based safety services. Once a child is removed from
a home and a judge signs off on that removal.
That child goes to foster care, whether that be placed
in a kinship home or a foster care home. That's
when Texas Family Care Network takes over all the case
management of that child, seeing that child in the home,
attending all the court visits if rights are terminated on
(01:39):
their parents, trying to get that child to permanency, whether
through adoption or through placement with a kinship relative.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Well.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
And so this was a big move for the State
of Texas, and I know I've gotten to follow it,
but I don't pretend to be able to explain it
or understand it.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
But I know y'all are having much success.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
We absolutely are. Like I said, we took over case
management in April. From that time, we have already been
able to consummate seventy nine adoptions. We have reunited some
children with their bio families where rights were terminated, which
is always exciting to us to put children back in
their families if it's safe for them. The State of
Texas will be all privatized by twenty twenty nine. Half
(02:28):
the state is already privatized, and I think people don't
really understand it or realize what is happening here. But
when a private company comes in and takes over case management,
there's just so many things that we're able to do
a little bit different than being managed by the state.
You know, our team is right here locally, we all
have child very strong child welfare backgrounds, and we're just
(02:52):
able to do things a little bit quicker and a
little bit faster. We don't have as much red tape
as working for the state. We don't have to wait,
you know, sometimes weeks and months for our answers, and
we are raising our children here locally, and I think
that's what makes a difference in community based care versus
state care well.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
And I think that's something that a lot of people,
unless they have experience in this or know somebody they don't,
may not understand that sometimes kids can get placed a
long way from or in the traditional system from where
they were brought up and removing them from a lot
of connections that could be really important for them to
(03:32):
continue in their life well exactly.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
I mean, when we you know, remove from chau from
a home, it's very serious, you know, very serious allegations
that child has gone through a lot of trauma and
so you know, the last thing we want to do
is take them from everything that they know and love,
their school, their community, their friends, their churches. So with
community based care, we're able to keep children here in
our community. We're working really hard to build capacity here.
(03:57):
We are needing more foster and adoptive parents. It's to
step forward. If you've ever thought about fostering an adoption,
now is the time to do that. We have some
great child placing agencies and Aerow Buckner Therapeutic Family Life
that are right here locally that we are working with
every single day, so we can have our children place
close to home. It benefits, you know, the child, especially
(04:19):
the family, and especially in a reunification situation.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Well was at a recent event where you had some
families come up and share and I think and it was,
it was beautiful and they did a great job of
articulating it. But oftentimes when we talk about this, I
don't think people don't understand what the process is going
to look like. And you know, it may you know,
oftentimes what they know is what they've seen on TV,
(04:46):
you know, made for TV movies or this or that,
And if you can help people understand how it would
work say they think they might be interested, but you know,
it's like, this is a big step. You know, I
hate to make a phone call and then you say no.
But y'all work with people through all this.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Absolutely we can hold their hand and walk them through
every single step. But you know the most important thing
is having love in your heart and want to bring
a child into your home to give them the best
environment that can possibly be. So all you need to
do is make that first phone call. It's not a
commitment for life. You go to an orientation meeting, you
hear all about fostering and adoption, the steps that you
(05:27):
have to take to complete everything. The child Placing agency
here in our area are very experienced. We can help
these people along the way, but we just need them
to make that first call and make that first step.
In Jefferson County alone, there are about two hundred and
fifty children in foster care. In Orange County. There are
eighty children. In Region five, the fifteen counties that Texas
(05:48):
Family Care Network serves, there are over eight hundred children
in foster care. And I think when people hear those
statistics mayor they're going to be shocked. They don't really
know the numbers of the children that actually live in
foster care every single day, and this is a very generous,
strong community. And I feel like if people can get
this message and they can realize if they can make
(06:10):
a difference in the life of a child, they just
need to make that first phone call. Fostering is hard,
you know, it's a calling. We understand that. But what
I also like to say is maybe not everyone's called
a foster or adopt, but everybody can do something. You
can mentor a child. You can financially help a child,
you know, have a great birthday party one year here.
(06:31):
You can help at Christmas time with Christmas gifts for kids.
So there's a lot of things that you can do
if you can't foster or adopt. And also just spreading
the information to family members, church members that there is
a need out there. I think that people see all
of the stories on TV, you know, from when a
child is removed from a tragic incident or you know,
from a horrendous home or things like that, and they think, oh,
(06:53):
how sad is that, But then they don't know what
happens to that child later on in life, or what
happens to that child. The very next month, they forget
about that story. But unfortunately, our kids, some of them
have been in the system for years. They've been in
their ten twelve years, the whole life. And what happens
is a child with age out of care at age eighteen,
without a family to call their own. And so what
(07:15):
happens is the cycle will repeat itself again. You know,
I've been here now long enough to see parents that
we had in foster care having children and now their
children are in foster care. And when I see that,
I feel like, you know, we fail that child, We
have failed that family because we didn't do enough. And
you know, sometimes we can do every single thing, but
(07:37):
I just feel like we have to get up every
single day and we have to do the best that
we can for these children families. Nobody wakes up in
the morning and says, oh, I'm going to abuse my
child today. It happens for a lot of different reasons.
Financial reasons. They were abused. They didn't have a good
you know, a good foundation in their own home. So
if we can get in there and put some services
(07:58):
around these families, that way we can try to change
the trajectory of their lives. These are our children. That
are going to be our own leaders one day, and
you know, we need to bring them up. And they're
in a loving strong community and in a loving strong family,
and that's what Texas Family Care Network is doing here
in community based care well.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
And you know, hearing some of the stories too, what
I think is important for people to realize is it
may seem overwhelming. It may see where you can't do it,
but hearing testimonies from people that stepped in and did
it that felt the exact same way, they can't do
that and they ended up and they wouldn't have done
it any differently, and it's really blessed their life. And
(08:41):
there are tremendous resources. You're not walking into this bline
that and y'all, the Texas Family Care Network stands shoulder
to shoulder with people and lets people know where resources
are to help meet those needs.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
Right, It's all about building a support system around this family.
You know, we can't do this job alone. It takes
every single one in our community to help raise these
children and build these strong family networks. You know, with KASSA,
our partners in the judicial system, you know, the DA's office,
our community partners with our emergency resource rooms, our child
welfare board members, and just like you yourself asking me
(09:19):
to come on this show and talk about foster care
and adoption. I think that some people, you know, they
don't want to. They think about it and then they're like, oh,
I just can't do it. I don't want to get
attached to that child. That's what we hear all the time.
And you know what, we want you to get attached
to that child because we want you to hopefully keep
that child forever. But if you can't, we want you
(09:40):
to be a resource for that child when they do
go home to their parent or they are adopted by
another family, just to have somewhere to somebody to call
if you need to talk, somebody to have a bond with.
All these children just want to be loved. They want
to be loved, They want to be cared for. They
don't want to be different than other children. They want
to fit in. They just want every everything that you know, Charlie,
(10:03):
they go to school with has. They're not asking for
the big home with a big picket fent, the white
picket fans and the perfect family. You can be single,
you can be married, you can be from a same
sex marriage, there's a lot of miss about foster care
that I think people, if you've if you've heard of
some of those, I think you need to just pick
up the phone and call us and ask us. Visit
our website TXFCN dot org and find out how you
(10:25):
can help a child and need right here in your
own community.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Well, we've got about ninety seconds left, and I want
people to know about where your website is, how to
find it, how to call, and if you go to
an orientation, you're not committed.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
It's just the first step.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
Absolutely not, You're not committed at all. You can walk
out of there and never, you know, think about it again.
But I bet you will. You know, just like you
heard Tibbet's testimony and she adopted one child, ended up
adopting another child, and thank God for foster parents and
adoptive parents like Tibbott. I mean, you saw those girls
were so bonded with her teenagers. She adopted those girls
(11:01):
as teenagers, and you know, they're living the dream now
and it's so amazing to see them happy and cared for.
But if you've ever thought about being a foster parent,
now is actually the time to please step forward. Visit
our website at t F tx FCN dot org, TXFCN
dot org. Also the Heart Gallery of Southeast Texas. You
(11:25):
can visit that website and see all the children that
are waiting here in our area. We have about fifty
children that parental rights have been terminated. They're looking for
their forever families. Some of these children have been in
care for years. So it's really important that we as
a community step up. And foster care is supposed to
be a temporary situation, not a lifelong situation.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Well, Sherry, we're about out of time, but I know
Southeast Texas knows how to give where they live and
show up and we've done it many times. And I
think as the word gets out, so reach out to
Sherry and have come to speak to organizations and church
groups and any group. Like you said, there is a need.
Thank you so much for your time today.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
Thank you so much, Mareor I appreciate you having me on.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
We are back with the Roy West Show here on
News Talk five sixty k LV, and folks, we are
right in the midst of the.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
Holiday season now and the election's.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Over, and I am talking to Dana Johnson with Remax
one realtor extraordinary here in Southeast Texas, and some people
have paused this year waiting for presidential elections. That's not
an uncommon thing where people are waiting to see what's
next and h but this is the time. We are
(12:50):
certainly in an economic boom here in Southeast Texas. But Dana,
welcome to the show.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
Hey, Roy, thank you. It's great to be here, and
it's great that the election is over.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
It is I think everybody was tired of all the
advertisements and texts you get. But let's talk about I
want during this time for you to talk to people
if they're thinking about buying or selling, and how you
help them, because oftentimes, certainly even creates anxiety thinking about it,
or for spouses or for somebody to be thinking about it.
(13:23):
It's like I don't even know where to begin, you know.
And but that's where you come in.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
Right absolutely, it all begins with a phone call. You
just call. We come out zero pressure. We understand that
buying and selling your house especially well I guess they're
both stressful, but getting your house ready for sale can
be very overwhelming. It's you know it, You've just put
up the Christmas stuff, and now what do I do,
(13:51):
because what are we going to do about the photographer?
And you know a lot of times there are repairs
that need to be made. And quite honestly, during the holidays,
if you're thinking about selling your house, after the first
of the month, which the many I mean first of
the year, during the holidays is the perfect time to
have me come out because I can walk through the
house make suggestions. You know, hey, when you take the
(14:14):
tree down, why don't you put this piece of furniture
here as well, or maybe put this piece of furniture
in storage, or let's have a contractor come and take
care of these repairs, because quite honestly, those contractors are
pretty hungry right now too, because it's a slow time
of the year for them as well. So it really
is a perfect time to start prepping your house to
(14:34):
go on the market.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
Well, in information's power, whether you're looking to buy, our sell,
it starts with understanding what's this process going to look like.
And when it gets broken down, it's they'll saying, how
do you eat an elephant one bite at a time.
It's a whole lot less intimidating when you realize, hey,
you don't have to have it all figured out today.
(14:57):
But if you understand the steps, it'll help you understand
when you're ready to decide when to start looking to
buy that house, what that's going to look like. Are
looking to sell your house, and oftentimes if you're looking
to sell, many times you might be looking to buy
as well.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
So you got you got to live somewhere right right, Well,
the thing that I hear often is, oh, no, you
can't come until, let's see two weeks from now, because
I've got to get the house ready. I'm like, wait, wait, wait,
stop right there. That's exactly why I need to come now,
because there are so many things that homeowners will say, oh,
(15:35):
you know this, this piece of trim has always bothered me,
and I've got to get somebody over here to fix
that before we can put the house on the market.
I'm like, oh no, we that that may never ever
come up as a concern for your buyer, and even
if it does, you know, we've lost marketing time waiting
on a contractor to come and fix the little tiny
piece of trim, because you know, they much rather have
(15:57):
the bigger jobs than the smaller jobs, right, So I
like to come in very early in the process when
they just start thinking about it, because we can overcome
so many of the things that do need to be
taken care of prior to putting the house on the market.
Little fits at a time, just like you said.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Well, and also the real important part too, is people
they're not looking at through the experience of a realtor's eyes.
And you know, the whole idea about depersonalizing your home
and all that, you know, they become important components because
when you're selling your home, you might be really proud
(16:36):
of your doll collection, but you're not selling dolls. You're
selling a house. You know, that's right, and you're going
to help people understand. And the things that people may
think is a problem, you're going to say, hey, that's
really not a problem. You know, people will to see
right by that you know, that won't keep them from
buying a house.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
Or things that they don't think are a problem that
could be. You know, I'd really like to point those
things out because again I can say to you a
lot of hassle and grief if we just address those
things up front, we do some prepacking and put your
collections away. And I had one one client she was
(17:16):
so proud of her chili pepper collection in her kitchen
and everything, the knobs on the cabinets, everything was chili
peppers and you walked in there and that was really
all you saw. Well, we had to have that conversation about,
you know, prepacking her collection so that it all stayed together,
and you know, it was a little hard to hear. Well,
(17:37):
you don't think people are gonna, you know, love that,
and you know some may, some may not, so we
have to kind of neutralize, try to appeal to the masses.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Well, and I think you know that's the important issue
in this. When somebody decides to sell a house, there's
an emotional attachment to the house.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
Usually when you're making a buye.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
I mean, if it's your where you're living, you've got
memories there and all of this. But this you've got
to I think that's one reason why it's so important
to work with the realtor that's a real professional that
does it day in and day out, because they can
help you remember why are we here? You know, what
are we what are we trying to do here? And
you and when people are doing this, they do have
(18:22):
an end goal. There's somewhere they're wanting to go maybe
it's to go where grandkids are, maybe they have a
new job opportunity, maybe they're downsize and whatever it is.
But you know, it's it's not getting hung up on
just one thing, right.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
And that's you know, that's where we come in. We
try to you know, keep it keep it objective, keep
keep the train on the tracks, and you know, keep
people focused on like you said, where where what's your goal?
What's your goal? Because that's that's my goal is to
help you accomplish your goal.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
Well, and if you would, I want you to share
your social media and your phone number because you know,
when people need to get started, they need to know
where to go.
Speaker 3 (19:04):
Okay, first and foremost, my cell number is four O
nine three five one two one three. That'll get you
straight to me. Dana Johnson Team on Facebook or Dana
Johnson Team dot com is our website. We're at Remax one.
You can call the main number at the office. They'll
put you straight through to my cell phone. Pretty much
(19:27):
twenty four hour access. At some point through some sort
of media, you can get to me. And I have
lots of insomnia, so I'm reading those emails at three
in the morning very often.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Well, and it is so important because when people are
buying the house, sometimes people are shift workers. They work,
you know, they work nights and you know, and when
they can communicate and I know that you get that.
I mean, it is an evening, it is a weekend
job because that's when many people are off work as well,
and that's when they have time to talk about it.
(20:00):
And you know, it can be really hard to disengage
sometimes when you're at work and refocus on all right,
and now I'm going to talk about my house, you know,
because you're worried about this challenge that you have or
your next appointment. So but you understand that and you're
happy for that.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Nights, weekends and holidays. You know, it's what makes the
world go around for the real estate industry as long
as you're working with a professional.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
Well exactly, And you know, and I want to I
want you to remind people too that the process.
Speaker 4 (20:31):
You know, if you.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Start with understanding the process and trusting and you know,
like dan at if somebody decides to wait two years,
you're going to still be by helping people buy and
selling two years. So you're happy to answer questions now.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
Absolutely, we can lay lots of groundwork now and when
the time is right. You know, I work with a
lot of senior citizens, and seniors don't make moves quickly,
you know, And that's perly fine with me, because whether
you're working first time home bar, move up, luxury home,
or senior that's moving into assisted living, I want you
to feel good about your move. I want you to
have nothing but positive things to say about your experience.
(21:14):
And so I'm going to work at the pace that
my clients need me to work at.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
Well, I know that the Roy West team Guild Mortgage
loves working with Dana Johnson and her team over at
Remax One because make transactions so smooth. Communication is the
key understanding next steps and everybody being on the same
page is so important because things happen in life, things
(21:39):
happen in transactions, but when you're aware of what's happening,
it makes it.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
So much better.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
Absolutely well, we love working with you too, Roy, your
whole team, your whole group is incredible. And when we
see a pre approval letter coming in from you, guys,
an immediate sense of relief.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
Well share it. Thank you very much and share your
contact if you will more time.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
Okay, my seldom. Number is the most important. Four O
nine three five one two one three Dania Johnson, Deane
Team dot Com.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Thank you so much. We're out of time, but it's
always good to.
Speaker 4 (22:12):
Talk to you.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
Always a treat. Thank you, Roy.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
Bye bye.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
We are back with the Roy West Show here on
News Talk five sixty klv I. And remember, folks, if
you're driving down the roads, you can always download the
free iHeartRadio app and stream the show live wherever you are,
or catch this show or any of our shows in
their entirety on the I Heart app, on podcasts on Spotify,
(22:38):
on Apple podcast or Android podcasts or any of those platforms.
And I have with me today somebody who is highly
sought after because this is one of the coolest things
in Beaumont, the Real Time Crime Center. It's Lieutenant Cody Kortz.
Welcome to the show.
Speaker 5 (22:56):
Hello, I'm happy to be here.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
Well, it's a pleasure to have you.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
And there's been a lot of talk about the Real
Time Crime Center, but I still run across people that
don't know what it is. So I want you to give,
if you will, that kind of five thousand foot view.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
Of what the Real Time Crime Center is.
Speaker 5 (23:13):
Well, the Real Time Crime Center is the newest unit
Involant Police Department, and our unit is in charge of
getting advanced technology installed throughout the city and actually monitoring
that technology. And that includes license plate readers, video cameras,
and several other things. And we've made a lot of
(23:34):
progress since January when we became a unit.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
Well it is I mean, it's amazing that it's only
been going on for basically a little less than eleven months.
We're in the eleventh month and the ribbon cutting for
the actual center didn't happen until this summer, so a
lot has already happened. But this is this revolutionizes law
enforcement in many ways.
Speaker 5 (23:58):
That yes, sir, it makes our clearance rates on our
cases much better when people can think of the crime
center a couple of different ways. There's the physical facility
where we have a lot of TV, computer monitors and
things like that, but also the crime center is all
the software and the training and the technology that goes
(24:19):
into it. Because while we can actually watch what's going
on from the crime center, all the officers at the
police department have access to this technology as well, so
they can actually use it in their police cars in
the detective's offices pretty much wherever they are. We try
to make everything part of the cloud, so that if
we have a detective who gets up in the middle
of the night and needs something, he can he or
(24:41):
she can go access that right now instead of having
a drive to our facility.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Well, and this not only makes the public more safe,
it enhances officer safety as well as and when they're
responding to calls, but it also stretches manpower as well,
because all of a sudden, you have a lot more
eyes all over the city.
Speaker 5 (25:03):
Yes, sir, And if I we're going to give an example,
if we have a caller that calls in and says
there's an illegally parked car at let's say thirty one
to fifty five down road, they're in a handicapped space.
Normally we would have to send up patrol officer over
there to see if it's still there and then issue
of citation. If we have cameras in that area, though,
(25:25):
we can go ahead and check the cameras and if
that car is already left, then obviously that car that
officer can disregard the call, which means he gets to
stay in his part of the city for more important
calls that might come in during that the same we're
trying to work with the fire department as well, very slowly,
so that if we get these repeated fire alarms, we
(25:46):
can actually check business cameras in that location and see
if there actually is smoke, which you may or may
not change their response because having to suit up with
all that fire gear every single time and run lights
and sirens to a fire never was.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
You know, that's very manpower intensive and.
Speaker 5 (26:04):
You know you're burning fuel, you're you're using a lot
of resources to go to something that's not actually an emergency.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
Well it is.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
It really does with technology oftentimes, you know, we can
we can get we can enjoy what our phones do
for us and how it appears to make our lives easier,
but also entertains us because things are at our foot,
you know, right there in our hands. But to me,
(26:32):
you know, when this kind of people worry about safety people,
you know, in terms of cities being able to provide
the best public safety and also keeping our officers safe
because you know there are bad people out there. This
this really makes great strides in that, and it also
allows to be able to solve cases that perhaps wouldn't
(26:54):
have been solved before.
Speaker 5 (26:56):
Yes, sir, absolutely, there have been several auto burglaries that
were so using the license plate reader system that we
would have never been able to solve without that technology.
And usually one auto burglar will commit a whole lot
more than just one auto burglary. So for each one
of those we get off the streets, we're saving, you know,
one hundred cars from being broken into, which is really
(27:17):
good for the city.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
Well, and that's something that a lot of people don't
realize is that when you catch a bad guy, usually they.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
Weren't just bad for that one incident, whether it was.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
A burglary of a business or or a car or
you know, if it's a violent action, it's usually you know,
something that people just participate in from time to time,
and for some it may be their way of life.
So with the license plate readers and these cameras all
over town, it becomes a lot more difficult to height,
(27:51):
isn't that true, Yes, sir, it becomes much more difficult.
Speaker 5 (27:55):
And we want this to at the end of the day,
be a deterrent so that there's less property crime and
less violent crime. And we're hoping by making it really
inconvenient to do those things, that those folks will either
find something else to do or move on because with
each step they have to take to commit whatever crime,
you know, it becomes, for one thing, a slower process
(28:16):
for them. And with them being likely to get caught
immediately instead of two months down the road, we're really
hoping that that will curb some of their behavior and
I get them to maybe pursue something less damaging to society.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Well.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
And with this much like putting lights on outside your
house and turning them on or business to keep people
from feeling comfortable to be up next to your house
and not getting caught. And you know, this is another
huge deterrent and people, businesses and individuals can partner with
the city for this real time crime.
Speaker 5 (28:52):
Right, I'm sorry, somebody knocking on my door?
Speaker 1 (28:54):
All right?
Speaker 2 (28:56):
And you know what's cool about this, and we're gonna
be talking to Lieutenant Courts about this is as a
business or a homeowner, you can partner with the Beaumont
Police Department with this real time crime center, whether it's
an integrated camera or just registrar.
Speaker 5 (29:12):
Yeah, yes, sir, and I apologize to somebody's.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Okay, that is all right?
Speaker 2 (29:17):
Well tell people about how they can get integrated our registrar.
Speaker 5 (29:21):
So if you want to register your camera and they're
pretty much the same way you can do either go
to connect Beaumont, Tx dot org and that has a
really easy link to follow. All it asks for is
your address, your name, your cell phone number, and how
many cameras you have. And camera registry is completely free.
It does not give us access to your camera or
(29:43):
to the recordings from your camera. However, it does put
a blue dot on our map so that we know
a camera is in that area, and it gives us
an easy way to reach out to you so that
we can send you an email with your case number
and a link for you to drop your own videos
into that evidence locker. So that's camera registring. Like I said,
it's free and it takes about one minute if you want.
(30:05):
If you have a business and you want to integrate,
that same website, Connect Beaumont, TX dot org has a
tab on it that says shop you can purchase a
FUSUS corps. They range from two hundred dollars up to
I think a few thousand dollars depending on how many
cameras you have, and then it's one hundred and fifty
dollars a year, so for about twelve dollars a month
(30:26):
and a one time two hundred dollar thing to buy
that device, you can have your local police department able
to monitor your location, you know, in the time of
a crime or if we're looking for someone who's violent
or committing property crimes, which I think is a really
good thing for the citizens to be able to do.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
And I know from just some inside info that's free
to the public is other cities have done this, but
it's really catching on here in Beaumont, and there's a
lot of cameras registered, and there's a lot of integrated
cameras which give makes things easier for the police.
Speaker 5 (31:05):
Absolutely, and we cannot do this without the help in
the community, and we appreciate all the partners we made
along the way. We really do want people not only
to be safe, but to feel safe, to feel like
they can walk to the store without having to watch
around the corner to make sure no one's doing something
to them we're going to snatch them. So we really
want felt safety in our community because we think that
(31:26):
is just about as important as actual actually being safe.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
Well, I know that Bama PD does a great job
with it, and this is I expect that it's going
to continue to grow and as more people become aware
of it, it's it's going to continue to make a
huge impact in criminal activity in Boma.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
And I'm think thankful and I congratulate you on being
over that unit.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
That's a big chore when you're getting off the ground
and you're doing a great job.
Speaker 5 (31:57):
Well, thank you so much. And I just want to
say that the what makes us work. And I have
some of the very best workers I've ever worked with
in any unit or in any place I've worked, so
I really appreciate them and all the hard work that
they put in.
Speaker 2 (32:11):
Well, Lieutenant Courtch we're out of time. Thank you so much.
I appreciate you. Thank you, mayor have a good day.
We are back with the Roy West Show here on
News Talk five sixty k l V I and I
have with me Joe Evans, the new executive director to
a brand new five oh one C three right here
(32:33):
in Justson County called Revision, and it Joe tell people about.
Speaker 4 (32:37):
Revision, Yes, sir, thank you so.
Speaker 6 (32:40):
Revision is a is a mentorship program that partners with
the community and primarily the faith based community, to work
with young people who have become either involved in the
juvenile justice system or are very vulnerable to become involved
in the juvenile justice system. And one of the primary
(33:01):
focuses is that we try to pair and a mentor
with a child to make a you know, six month
to one year commitment to meet with that child thirty
minutes to one hour per week.
Speaker 4 (33:15):
And the ultimate goal is to increase.
Speaker 6 (33:17):
Positive interactions between you know, positive adult figures in the
child themselves. And it's a positive interaction that doesn't come
from an authority figure, doesn't come from a parent, doesn't
even come from a teacher or a coach, but just
the person that's a that's a willing and able listening
ear and you know, someone prepared to give some guidance on.
Speaker 4 (33:37):
Real life situations and scenarios.
Speaker 6 (33:40):
So and of course along with that, we do some
programming out at the Juvenile Detention Center, We do some
work over at the Jefferson County Youth Academy, which is
the boot Camp, and then of course we're piloting a
program at Charleston Pollard right now. But we're trying to
do some work to start working with these young people earlier,
(34:01):
especially when we know the environments that they're coming from
are conducive, conducive of putting them in situations that will
ultimately lead to them being involved with the juvenile justice system.
Speaker 2 (34:15):
Well, and you know, oftentimes people when they hear about mentoring,
they may feel ill equipped. But what has been shown
and then you're using a model that has been used
successfully around around the country, and it's because what we're
seeing is so many of these juveniles, these young people,
(34:37):
these kids, let's call them what they are. You know,
don't have the life's skills to navigate through and oftentimes
don't have hope, hadn't let anybody show an interest in them,
so they you know, their approach to life is a
whole lot different. And this is a chance to show
people that they matter and giving them some skills to
(34:59):
help help them navigate through life in a more productive way,
which it in rocket science. You're not teaching you're not
having to teach them math or spelling. You're just talking
to them about their their challenges and things that you
might things that you might be able to offer them
that help them be more successful.
Speaker 6 (35:21):
Right right, You're absolutely correct, and uh, something that you
touched on was you know, we want to we want
to increase those positive interactions.
Speaker 4 (35:29):
With children who.
Speaker 6 (35:32):
May not ever come in contact early in life, with
adults who are doing positive things and things that probably
come as second nature to you and I, you know,
getting up to go to work, getting up to go
to church, working in the community, just doing something positive
with themselves and for others.
Speaker 4 (35:53):
You know, we want to we want to make sure
that we're exposing.
Speaker 6 (35:55):
Our kids to those types of situations versus some of
the things that they may encounter in their neighborhoods or
in their community. So once again, like so you you
touched on it, but I want to reiterate it's increasing
those positive interactions and imparting whatever wisdom and God.
Speaker 4 (36:10):
That you can.
Speaker 6 (36:11):
And for those who feel ill equipped, you know, trust me,
you're equipped to listen. And it could be just you know,
I have mentors that come play chess.
Speaker 4 (36:23):
I have mentors that come talk about horses.
Speaker 6 (36:25):
I have mentors who come talk about you know, pipe
fitting and welding, and so I have law enforcement who
come in and don't even talk about the law enforcement
aspect of their lives, but you know, they just talked
to the kid about what they've been through and then
once again listen just to listen. And one of the
(36:47):
things I like, I'll brag on on Chief Dante Miller
with the Sheriff's Department.
Speaker 4 (36:52):
He comes in and.
Speaker 6 (36:54):
He's not in his full uniform, but it's very apparent
that he is law enforcement because he's got on the
shirt or something.
Speaker 4 (37:00):
And he teaches our young people how.
Speaker 6 (37:02):
To interact with law enforcement because so often there's this
negative you know, or surrounding law enforcement, especially in the
black community. Well, he teaches young men and women that
you don't have to be afraid of law enforcement. Law
enforcement should be respectful to you. You should be respectful
for to law enforcement. We're all humans and at the
(37:25):
end of the day, there's a right and or wrong
with interact with people. So that's been very fruitful because
it warms our young people up to law enforcement to
let him know that law enforcement is not the bad guy.
Speaker 2 (37:36):
Right right, And oftentimes the culture that we're around, I mean,
we all are a victim of what we see every
day and what we hear, and oftentimes we believe that
is the reality of situations and sometimes it's just not.
And but the only way you're going to know that
is by being informed. And I know, you know, I
(37:58):
heard people say you've got to earn the right to
be heard, and I think that's true. And I think
by showing up and just by playing chess, by listening
to the kid, you're building a rapport with them that
they see that, hey, you've got no reason to take
time out of your schedule to come listen to me.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
So you're showing them that they matter.
Speaker 6 (38:18):
Right, absolutely absolutely, and that that means a lot to
show a kid that they matter and that they can
depend on you. And that's another thing too. We try
to tell the mentors, don't feel the need to over commit,
you know, just be honest and say, hey, listen, I
won't be here next week, but the following week I will,
or something comes up. Just be honest, but you know,
(38:40):
don't overcommit because a lot of times the kids are
already disappointed and so you don't want to be another disappointment.
But you know, I find that when you're honest and upfront,
it always works really well with them.
Speaker 1 (38:51):
Well, we've got just about a minute and a half left.
Speaker 2 (38:54):
But this holiday season, this Christmas season, oftentimes people and
as they approach the new year. It's about you know,
I want to live a more significant life. I want
to make a bigger impact in the world that I
live in. And not everybody has the bandwidth, but if
you have some extra time, it doesn't take much. And
how do they reach out to Revision to find out
(39:14):
how they might volunteer in what hours are available?
Speaker 4 (39:18):
In all of that?
Speaker 6 (39:19):
Sure, so the best way to reach out to Revision
is is one is through email. It's info at Revision
s e t X dot com. Of course we're on
social media on Facebook, Revision Southeast Texas. And then of
course if you if you want to call me, I'm
always open to phone calls. I may not answer right away,
(39:40):
but send me a text. And that's four o nine
four four four eight zero four eight give me a call.
But we would love to have you.
Speaker 4 (39:48):
We need you on board.
Speaker 6 (39:49):
And this program does not work with our community involvement,
So we encourage people to, you know, consider volunteering with Revision.
Speaker 1 (39:58):
And we know that it does.
Speaker 2 (40:00):
And that's the exciting point is let's do something that's
going to make a difference in these young people's lives
and let's change the direction of their lives, which also
helps change the direction of our community and decision being made.
Joe Evans, thank you very much and I wish you
a merry Christmas.
Speaker 4 (40:17):
Yes, sir, thank you.
Speaker 2 (40:20):
We are back and we are wrapping up the last
show of twenty twenty four. And we had with a
Sherry Pullman with the Texas Family Care Network and that
they work with placing children in foster care and adoption
and be sure to check them out if you have
any question. Texas Family Care Network they work with the
(40:41):
Child Protective Services now. And then in the second segment,
we had Dana Johnson Williams of the Dana Johnson Team
with Remax One talking real estate coming in to twenty
twenty five.
Speaker 1 (40:55):
It is an exciting.
Speaker 2 (40:57):
Time and folks, remember if you've missed any part of
this show, you can always download the free iHeart Radio app,
stream the show live wherever you are, or catch this
show or any of our shows in their entirety on
the Free iHeart Radio app, on the podcast on Spotify.
Speaker 1 (41:13):
Podcasts, on Apple podcasts, and on Android podcasts.
Speaker 2 (41:18):
Then we were talking with Lieutenant Cody Courts and the
Bauma Police Department, who is over the Real Time Crime
Center which is revolutionizing law enforcement because now they are
integrating the cameras of local businesses as well as other
cameras that the city has to have real time view
(41:39):
for the officers on the ground. Also includes their body
cam and their car cams, so you're able to get
real time for public safety and to be able to
respond appropriately. And then Joe Evans with a new five
oh one C three that is far at risk kids.
It is Revision and they are in need of mentors.
(42:00):
Office out of First and out of Methodist Church in
downtown Beaumont. You can pat them on Facebook and Prevision
or reach out to Joe Evans and folks. As we
join this new year, I just want to wish everybody
a very happy new year and God bless you all.
You're listening to the Roy West Show here on News Talk.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Five sixty KLV, and folks, what an exciting time it is.
There is so much happening across our area, and there
has been something that happened this year that is very
significant in the entire state of Texas. And I have
Scherry Pullman with the Texas Family Care Network here with me.
(00:26):
And Cherry has been in this field for many years
and is well known here.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
In southeast Texas. Welcome to the show.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Thank you, marre Wes. It's I'm so happy to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Well, if you would help people explain or explain to
people so that they might be able to understand what
has happened here in the in the fostering and adoption
care in Texas.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Okay, I'll be happy to So. Texas Family Care Network
is a private company where are a single source can
Tenum contractor. We started taking case management from CPS on
April first of this year. So the Texas Department of
Family and Protective Services, where I spent all of my
career for twenty two years, now only handles investigations and
(01:17):
family based safety services. Once a child is removed from
a home and a judge signs off on that removal.
That child goes to foster care, whether that be placed
in a kinship home or a foster care home. That's
when Texas Family Care Network takes over all the case
management of that child, seeing that child in the home,
attending all the court visits if rights are terminated on
(01:39):
their parents, trying to get that child to permanency, whether
through adoption or through placement with a kinship relative.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Well.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
And so this was a big move for the State
of Texas, and I know I've gotten to follow it,
but I don't pretend to be able to explain it
or understand it.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
But I know y'all are having much success.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
We absolutely are. Like I said, we took over case
management in April. From that time, we have already been
able to consummate seventy nine adoptions. We have reunited some
children with their bio families where rights were terminated, which
is always exciting to us to put children back in
their families if it's safe for them. The State of
Texas will be all privatized by twenty twenty nine. Half
(02:28):
the state is already privatized, and I think people don't
really understand it or realize what is happening here. But
when a private company comes in and takes over case management,
there's just so many things that we're able to do
a little bit different than being managed by the state.
You know, our team is right here locally, we all
have child very strong child welfare backgrounds, and we're just
(02:52):
able to do things a little bit quicker and a
little bit faster. We don't have as much red tape
as working for the state. We don't have to wait,
you know, sometimes weeks and months for our answers, and
we are raising our children here locally, and I think
that's what makes a difference in community based care versus
state care well.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
And I think that's something that a lot of people,
unless they have experience in this or know somebody they don't,
may not understand that sometimes kids can get placed a
long way from or in the traditional system from where
they were brought up and removing them from a lot
of connections that could be really important for them to
(03:32):
continue in their life well exactly.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
I mean, when we you know, remove from chau from
a home, it's very serious, you know, very serious allegations
that child has gone through a lot of trauma and
so you know, the last thing we want to do
is take them from everything that they know and love,
their school, their community, their friends, their churches. So with
community based care, we're able to keep children here in
our community. We're working really hard to build capacity here.
(03:57):
We are needing more foster and adoptive parents. It's to
step forward. If you've ever thought about fostering an adoption,
now is the time to do that. We have some
great child placing agencies and Aerow Buckner Therapeutic Family Life
that are right here locally that we are working with
every single day, so we can have our children place
close to home. It benefits, you know, the child, especially
(04:19):
the family, and especially in a reunification situation.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Well was at a recent event where you had some
families come up and share and I think and it was,
it was beautiful and they did a great job of
articulating it. But oftentimes when we talk about this, I
don't think people don't understand what the process is going
to look like. And you know, it may you know,
oftentimes what they know is what they've seen on TV,
(04:46):
you know, made for TV movies or this or that,
And if you can help people understand how it would
work say they think they might be interested, but you know,
it's like, this is a big step. You know, I
hate to make a phone call and then you say no.
But y'all work with people through all this.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Absolutely we can hold their hand and walk them through
every single step. But you know the most important thing
is having love in your heart and want to bring
a child into your home to give them the best
environment that can possibly be. So all you need to
do is make that first phone call. It's not a
commitment for life. You go to an orientation meeting, you
hear all about fostering and adoption, the steps that you
(05:27):
have to take to complete everything. The child Placing agency
here in our area are very experienced. We can help
these people along the way, but we just need them
to make that first call and make that first step.
In Jefferson County alone, there are about two hundred and
fifty children in foster care. In Orange County. There are
eighty children. In Region five, the fifteen counties that Texas
(05:48):
Family Care Network serves, there are over eight hundred children
in foster care. And I think when people hear those
statistics mayor they're going to be shocked. They don't really
know the numbers of the children that actually live in
foster care every single day, and this is a very generous,
strong community. And I feel like if people can get
this message and they can realize if they can make
(06:10):
a difference in the life of a child, they just
need to make that first phone call. Fostering is hard,
you know, it's a calling. We understand that. But what
I also like to say is maybe not everyone's called
a foster or adopt, but everybody can do something. You
can mentor a child. You can financially help a child,
you know, have a great birthday party one year here.
(06:31):
You can help at Christmas time with Christmas gifts for kids.
So there's a lot of things that you can do
if you can't foster or adopt. And also just spreading
the information to family members, church members that there is
a need out there. I think that people see all
of the stories on TV, you know, from when a
child is removed from a tragic incident or you know,
from a horrendous home or things like that, and they think, oh,
(06:53):
how sad is that, But then they don't know what
happens to that child later on in life, or what
happens to that child. The very next month, they forget
about that story. But unfortunately, our kids, some of them
have been in the system for years. They've been in
their ten twelve years, the whole life. And what happens
is a child with age out of care at age eighteen,
without a family to call their own. And so what
(07:15):
happens is the cycle will repeat itself again. You know,
I've been here now long enough to see parents that
we had in foster care having children and now their
children are in foster care. And when I see that,
I feel like, you know, we fail that child, We
have failed that family because we didn't do enough. And
you know, sometimes we can do every single thing, but
(07:37):
I just feel like we have to get up every
single day and we have to do the best that
we can for these children families. Nobody wakes up in
the morning and says, oh, I'm going to abuse my
child today. It happens for a lot of different reasons.
Financial reasons. They were abused. They didn't have a good
you know, a good foundation in their own home. So
if we can get in there and put some services
(07:58):
around these families, that way we can try to change
the trajectory of their lives. These are our children. That
are going to be our own leaders one day, and
you know, we need to bring them up. And they're
in a loving strong community and in a loving strong family,
and that's what Texas Family Care Network is doing here
in community based care well.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
And you know, hearing some of the stories too, what
I think is important for people to realize is it
may seem overwhelming. It may see where you can't do it,
but hearing testimonies from people that stepped in and did
it that felt the exact same way, they can't do
that and they ended up and they wouldn't have done
it any differently, and it's really blessed their life. And
(08:41):
there are tremendous resources. You're not walking into this bline
that and y'all, the Texas Family Care Network stands shoulder
to shoulder with people and lets people know where resources
are to help meet those needs.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
Right, It's all about building a support system around this family.
You know, we can't do this job alone. It takes
every single one in our community to help raise these
children and build these strong family networks. You know, with KASSA,
our partners in the judicial system, you know, the DA's office,
our community partners with our emergency resource rooms, our child
welfare board members, and just like you yourself asking me
(09:19):
to come on this show and talk about foster care
and adoption. I think that some people, you know, they
don't want to. They think about it and then they're like, oh,
I just can't do it. I don't want to get
attached to that child. That's what we hear all the time.
And you know what, we want you to get attached
to that child because we want you to hopefully keep
that child forever. But if you can't, we want you
(09:40):
to be a resource for that child when they do
go home to their parent or they are adopted by
another family, just to have somewhere to somebody to call
if you need to talk, somebody to have a bond with.
All these children just want to be loved. They want
to be loved, They want to be cared for. They
don't want to be different than other children. They want
to fit in. They just want every everything that you know, Charlie,
(10:03):
they go to school with has. They're not asking for
the big home with a big picket fent, the white
picket fans and the perfect family. You can be single,
you can be married, you can be from a same
sex marriage, there's a lot of miss about foster care
that I think people, if you've if you've heard of
some of those, I think you need to just pick
up the phone and call us and ask us. Visit
our website TXFCN dot org and find out how you
(10:25):
can help a child and need right here in your
own community.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Well, we've got about ninety seconds left, and I want
people to know about where your website is, how to
find it, how to call, and if you go to
an orientation, you're not committed.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
It's just the first step.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
Absolutely not, You're not committed at all. You can walk
out of there and never, you know, think about it again.
But I bet you will. You know, just like you
heard Tibbet's testimony and she adopted one child, ended up
adopting another child, and thank God for foster parents and
adoptive parents like Tibbott. I mean, you saw those girls
were so bonded with her teenagers. She adopted those girls
(11:01):
as teenagers, and you know, they're living the dream now
and it's so amazing to see them happy and cared for.
But if you've ever thought about being a foster parent,
now is actually the time to please step forward. Visit
our website at t F tx FCN dot org, TXFCN
dot org. Also the Heart Gallery of Southeast Texas. You
(11:25):
can visit that website and see all the children that
are waiting here in our area. We have about fifty
children that parental rights have been terminated. They're looking for
their forever families. Some of these children have been in
care for years. So it's really important that we as
a community step up. And foster care is supposed to
be a temporary situation, not a lifelong situation.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Well, Sherry, we're about out of time, but I know
Southeast Texas knows how to give where they live and
show up and we've done it many times. And I
think as the word gets out, so reach out to
Sherry and have come to speak to organizations and church
groups and any group. Like you said, there is a need.
Thank you so much for your time today.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
Thank you so much, Mareor I appreciate you having me on.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
We are back with the Roy West Show here on
News Talk five sixty k LV, and folks, we are
right in the midst of the.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
Holiday season now and the election's.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Over, and I am talking to Dana Johnson with Remax
one realtor extraordinary here in Southeast Texas, and some people
have paused this year waiting for presidential elections. That's not
an uncommon thing where people are waiting to see what's
next and h but this is the time. We are
(12:50):
certainly in an economic boom here in Southeast Texas. But Dana,
welcome to the show.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
Hey, Roy, thank you. It's great to be here, and
it's great that the election is over.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
It is I think everybody was tired of all the
advertisements and texts you get. But let's talk about I
want during this time for you to talk to people
if they're thinking about buying or selling, and how you
help them, because oftentimes, certainly even creates anxiety thinking about it,
or for spouses or for somebody to be thinking about it.
(13:23):
It's like I don't even know where to begin, you know.
And but that's where you come in.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
Right absolutely, it all begins with a phone call. You
just call. We come out zero pressure. We understand that
buying and selling your house especially well I guess they're
both stressful, but getting your house ready for sale can
be very overwhelming. It's you know it, You've just put
up the Christmas stuff, and now what do I do,
(13:51):
because what are we going to do about the photographer?
And you know a lot of times there are repairs
that need to be made. And quite honestly, during the holidays,
if you're thinking about selling your house, after the first
of the month, which the many I mean first of
the year, during the holidays is the perfect time to
have me come out because I can walk through the
house make suggestions. You know, hey, when you take the
(14:14):
tree down, why don't you put this piece of furniture
here as well, or maybe put this piece of furniture
in storage, or let's have a contractor come and take
care of these repairs, because quite honestly, those contractors are
pretty hungry right now too, because it's a slow time
of the year for them as well. So it really
is a perfect time to start prepping your house to
(14:34):
go on the market.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
Well, in information's power, whether you're looking to buy, our sell,
it starts with understanding what's this process going to look like.
And when it gets broken down, it's they'll saying, how
do you eat an elephant one bite at a time.
It's a whole lot less intimidating when you realize, hey,
you don't have to have it all figured out today.
(14:57):
But if you understand the steps, it'll help you understand
when you're ready to decide when to start looking to
buy that house, what that's going to look like. Are
looking to sell your house, and oftentimes if you're looking
to sell, many times you might be looking to buy
as well.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
So you got you got to live somewhere right right, Well,
the thing that I hear often is, oh, no, you
can't come until, let's see two weeks from now, because
I've got to get the house ready. I'm like, wait, wait, wait,
stop right there. That's exactly why I need to come now,
because there are so many things that homeowners will say, oh,
(15:35):
you know this, this piece of trim has always bothered me,
and I've got to get somebody over here to fix
that before we can put the house on the market.
I'm like, oh no, we that that may never ever
come up as a concern for your buyer, and even
if it does, you know, we've lost marketing time waiting
on a contractor to come and fix the little tiny
piece of trim, because you know, they much rather have
(15:57):
the bigger jobs than the smaller jobs, right, So I
like to come in very early in the process when
they just start thinking about it, because we can overcome
so many of the things that do need to be
taken care of prior to putting the house on the market.
Little fits at a time, just like you said.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Well, and also the real important part too, is people
they're not looking at through the experience of a realtor's eyes.
And you know, the whole idea about depersonalizing your home
and all that, you know, they become important components because
when you're selling your home, you might be really proud
(16:36):
of your doll collection, but you're not selling dolls. You're
selling a house. You know, that's right, and you're going
to help people understand. And the things that people may
think is a problem, you're going to say, hey, that's
really not a problem. You know, people will to see
right by that you know, that won't keep them from
buying a house.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
Or things that they don't think are a problem that
could be. You know, I'd really like to point those
things out because again I can say to you a
lot of hassle and grief if we just address those
things up front, we do some prepacking and put your
collections away. And I had one one client she was
(17:16):
so proud of her chili pepper collection in her kitchen
and everything, the knobs on the cabinets, everything was chili
peppers and you walked in there and that was really
all you saw. Well, we had to have that conversation about,
you know, prepacking her collection so that it all stayed together,
and you know, it was a little hard to hear. Well,
(17:37):
you don't think people are gonna, you know, love that,
and you know some may, some may not, so we
have to kind of neutralize, try to appeal to the masses.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Well, and I think you know that's the important issue
in this. When somebody decides to sell a house, there's
an emotional attachment to the house.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
Usually when you're making a buye.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
I mean, if it's your where you're living, you've got
memories there and all of this. But this you've got
to I think that's one reason why it's so important
to work with the realtor that's a real professional that
does it day in and day out, because they can
help you remember why are we here? You know, what
are we what are we trying to do here? And
you and when people are doing this, they do have
(18:22):
an end goal. There's somewhere they're wanting to go maybe
it's to go where grandkids are, maybe they have a
new job opportunity, maybe they're downsize and whatever it is.
But you know, it's it's not getting hung up on
just one thing, right.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
And that's you know, that's where we come in. We
try to you know, keep it keep it objective, keep
keep the train on the tracks, and you know, keep
people focused on like you said, where where what's your goal?
What's your goal? Because that's that's my goal is to
help you accomplish your goal.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
Well, and if you would, I want you to share
your social media and your phone number because you know,
when people need to get started, they need to know
where to go.
Speaker 3 (19:04):
Okay, first and foremost, my cell number is four O
nine three five one two one three. That'll get you
straight to me. Dana Johnson Team on Facebook or Dana
Johnson Team dot com is our website. We're at Remax one.
You can call the main number at the office. They'll
put you straight through to my cell phone. Pretty much
(19:27):
twenty four hour access. At some point through some sort
of media, you can get to me. And I have
lots of insomnia, so I'm reading those emails at three
in the morning very often.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Well, and it is so important because when people are
buying the house, sometimes people are shift workers. They work,
you know, they work nights and you know, and when
they can communicate and I know that you get that.
I mean, it is an evening, it is a weekend
job because that's when many people are off work as well,
and that's when they have time to talk about it.
(20:00):
And you know, it can be really hard to disengage
sometimes when you're at work and refocus on all right,
and now I'm going to talk about my house, you know,
because you're worried about this challenge that you have or
your next appointment. So but you understand that and you're
happy for that.
Speaker 3 (20:17):
Nights, weekends and holidays. You know, it's what makes the
world go around for the real estate industry as long
as you're working with a professional.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
Well exactly, And you know, and I want to I
want you to remind people too that the process.
Speaker 4 (20:31):
You know, if you.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Start with understanding the process and trusting and you know,
like dan at if somebody decides to wait two years,
you're going to still be by helping people buy and
selling two years. So you're happy to answer questions now.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
Absolutely, we can lay lots of groundwork now and when
the time is right. You know, I work with a
lot of senior citizens, and seniors don't make moves quickly,
you know, And that's perly fine with me, because whether
you're working first time home bar, move up, luxury home,
or senior that's moving into assisted living, I want you
to feel good about your move. I want you to
have nothing but positive things to say about your experience.
(21:14):
And so I'm going to work at the pace that
my clients need me to work at.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
Well, I know that the Roy West team Guild Mortgage
loves working with Dana Johnson and her team over at
Remax One because make transactions so smooth. Communication is the
key understanding next steps and everybody being on the same
page is so important because things happen in life, things
(21:39):
happen in transactions, but when you're aware of what's happening,
it makes it.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
So much better.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
Absolutely well, we love working with you too, Roy, your
whole team, your whole group is incredible. And when we
see a pre approval letter coming in from you, guys,
an immediate sense of relief.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
Well share it. Thank you very much and share your
contact if you will more time.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
Okay, my seldom. Number is the most important. Four O
nine three five one two one three Dania Johnson, Deane
Team dot Com.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Thank you so much. We're out of time, but it's
always good to.
Speaker 4 (22:12):
Talk to you.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
Always a treat. Thank you, Roy.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
Bye bye.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
We are back with the Roy West Show here on
News Talk five sixty klv I. And remember, folks, if
you're driving down the roads, you can always download the
free iHeartRadio app and stream the show live wherever you are,
or catch this show or any of our shows in
their entirety on the I Heart app, on podcasts on Spotify,
(22:38):
on Apple podcast or Android podcasts or any of those platforms.
And I have with me today somebody who is highly
sought after because this is one of the coolest things
in Beaumont, the Real Time Crime Center. It's Lieutenant Cody Kortz.
Welcome to the show.
Speaker 5 (22:56):
Hello, I'm happy to be here.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
Well, it's a pleasure to have you.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
And there's been a lot of talk about the Real
Time Crime Center, but I still run across people that
don't know what it is. So I want you to give,
if you will, that kind of five thousand foot view.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
Of what the Real Time Crime Center is.
Speaker 5 (23:13):
Well, the Real Time Crime Center is the newest unit
Involant Police Department, and our unit is in charge of
getting advanced technology installed throughout the city and actually monitoring
that technology. And that includes license plate readers, video cameras,
and several other things. And we've made a lot of
(23:34):
progress since January when we became a unit.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
Well it is I mean, it's amazing that it's only
been going on for basically a little less than eleven months.
We're in the eleventh month and the ribbon cutting for
the actual center didn't happen until this summer, so a
lot has already happened. But this is this revolutionizes law
enforcement in many ways.
Speaker 5 (23:58):
That yes, sir, it makes our clearance rates on our
cases much better when people can think of the crime
center a couple of different ways. There's the physical facility
where we have a lot of TV, computer monitors and
things like that, but also the crime center is all
the software and the training and the technology that goes
(24:19):
into it. Because while we can actually watch what's going
on from the crime center, all the officers at the
police department have access to this technology as well, so
they can actually use it in their police cars in
the detective's offices pretty much wherever they are. We try
to make everything part of the cloud, so that if
we have a detective who gets up in the middle
of the night and needs something, he can he or
(24:41):
she can go access that right now instead of having
a drive to our facility.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Well, and this not only makes the public more safe,
it enhances officer safety as well as and when they're
responding to calls, but it also stretches manpower as well,
because all of a sudden, you have a lot more
eyes all over the city.
Speaker 5 (25:03):
Yes, sir, And if I we're going to give an example,
if we have a caller that calls in and says
there's an illegally parked car at let's say thirty one
to fifty five down road, they're in a handicapped space.
Normally we would have to send up patrol officer over
there to see if it's still there and then issue
of citation. If we have cameras in that area, though,
(25:25):
we can go ahead and check the cameras and if
that car is already left, then obviously that car that
officer can disregard the call, which means he gets to
stay in his part of the city for more important
calls that might come in during that the same we're
trying to work with the fire department as well, very slowly,
so that if we get these repeated fire alarms, we
(25:46):
can actually check business cameras in that location and see
if there actually is smoke, which you may or may
not change their response because having to suit up with
all that fire gear every single time and run lights
and sirens to a fire never was.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
You know, that's very manpower intensive and.
Speaker 5 (26:04):
You know you're burning fuel, you're you're using a lot
of resources to go to something that's not actually an emergency.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
Well it is.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
It really does with technology oftentimes, you know, we can
we can get we can enjoy what our phones do
for us and how it appears to make our lives easier,
but also entertains us because things are at our foot,
you know, right there in our hands. But to me,
(26:32):
you know, when this kind of people worry about safety people,
you know, in terms of cities being able to provide
the best public safety and also keeping our officers safe
because you know there are bad people out there. This
this really makes great strides in that, and it also
allows to be able to solve cases that perhaps wouldn't
(26:54):
have been solved before.
Speaker 5 (26:56):
Yes, sir, absolutely, there have been several auto burglaries that
were so using the license plate reader system that we
would have never been able to solve without that technology.
And usually one auto burglar will commit a whole lot
more than just one auto burglary. So for each one
of those we get off the streets, we're saving, you know,
one hundred cars from being broken into, which is really
(27:17):
good for the city.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
Well, and that's something that a lot of people don't
realize is that when you catch a bad guy, usually they.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
Weren't just bad for that one incident, whether it was.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
A burglary of a business or or a car or
you know, if it's a violent action, it's usually you know,
something that people just participate in from time to time,
and for some it may be their way of life.
So with the license plate readers and these cameras all
over town, it becomes a lot more difficult to height,
(27:51):
isn't that true, Yes, sir, it becomes much more difficult.
Speaker 5 (27:55):
And we want this to at the end of the day,
be a deterrent so that there's less property crime and
less violent crime. And we're hoping by making it really
inconvenient to do those things, that those folks will either
find something else to do or move on because with
each step they have to take to commit whatever crime,
you know, it becomes, for one thing, a slower process
(28:16):
for them. And with them being likely to get caught
immediately instead of two months down the road, we're really
hoping that that will curb some of their behavior and
I get them to maybe pursue something less damaging to society.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Well.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
And with this much like putting lights on outside your
house and turning them on or business to keep people
from feeling comfortable to be up next to your house
and not getting caught. And you know, this is another
huge deterrent and people, businesses and individuals can partner with
the city for this real time crime.
Speaker 5 (28:52):
Right, I'm sorry, somebody knocking on my door?
Speaker 1 (28:54):
All right?
Speaker 2 (28:56):
And you know what's cool about this, and we're gonna
be talking to Lieutenant Courts about this is as a
business or a homeowner, you can partner with the Beaumont
Police Department with this real time crime center, whether it's
an integrated camera or just registrar.
Speaker 5 (29:12):
Yeah, yes, sir, and I apologize to somebody's.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Okay, that is all right?
Speaker 2 (29:17):
Well tell people about how they can get integrated our registrar.
Speaker 5 (29:21):
So if you want to register your camera and they're
pretty much the same way you can do either go
to connect Beaumont, Tx dot org and that has a
really easy link to follow. All it asks for is
your address, your name, your cell phone number, and how
many cameras you have. And camera registry is completely free.
It does not give us access to your camera or
(29:43):
to the recordings from your camera. However, it does put
a blue dot on our map so that we know
a camera is in that area, and it gives us
an easy way to reach out to you so that
we can send you an email with your case number
and a link for you to drop your own videos
into that evidence locker. So that's camera registring. Like I said,
it's free and it takes about one minute if you want.
(30:05):
If you have a business and you want to integrate,
that same website, Connect Beaumont, TX dot org has a
tab on it that says shop you can purchase a
FUSUS corps. They range from two hundred dollars up to
I think a few thousand dollars depending on how many
cameras you have, and then it's one hundred and fifty
dollars a year, so for about twelve dollars a month
(30:26):
and a one time two hundred dollar thing to buy
that device, you can have your local police department able
to monitor your location, you know, in the time of
a crime or if we're looking for someone who's violent
or committing property crimes, which I think is a really
good thing for the citizens to be able to do.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
And I know from just some inside info that's free
to the public is other cities have done this, but
it's really catching on here in Beaumont, and there's a
lot of cameras registered, and there's a lot of integrated
cameras which give makes things easier for the police.
Speaker 5 (31:05):
Absolutely, and we cannot do this without the help in
the community, and we appreciate all the partners we made
along the way. We really do want people not only
to be safe, but to feel safe, to feel like
they can walk to the store without having to watch
around the corner to make sure no one's doing something
to them we're going to snatch them. So we really
want felt safety in our community because we think that
(31:26):
is just about as important as actual actually being safe.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
Well, I know that Bama PD does a great job
with it, and this is I expect that it's going
to continue to grow and as more people become aware
of it, it's it's going to continue to make a
huge impact in criminal activity in Boma.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
And I'm think thankful and I congratulate you on being
over that unit.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
That's a big chore when you're getting off the ground
and you're doing a great job.
Speaker 5 (31:57):
Well, thank you so much. And I just want to
say that the what makes us work. And I have
some of the very best workers I've ever worked with
in any unit or in any place I've worked, so
I really appreciate them and all the hard work that
they put in.
Speaker 2 (32:11):
Well, Lieutenant Courtch we're out of time. Thank you so much.
I appreciate you. Thank you, mayor have a good day.
We are back with the Roy West Show here on
News Talk five sixty k l V I and I
have with me Joe Evans, the new executive director to
a brand new five oh one C three right here
(32:33):
in Justson County called Revision, and it Joe tell people about.
Speaker 4 (32:37):
Revision, Yes, sir, thank you so.
Speaker 6 (32:40):
Revision is a is a mentorship program that partners with
the community and primarily the faith based community, to work
with young people who have become either involved in the
juvenile justice system or are very vulnerable to become involved
in the juvenile justice system. And one of the primary
(33:01):
focuses is that we try to pair and a mentor
with a child to make a you know, six month
to one year commitment to meet with that child thirty
minutes to one hour per week.
Speaker 4 (33:15):
And the ultimate goal is to increase.
Speaker 6 (33:17):
Positive interactions between you know, positive adult figures in the
child themselves. And it's a positive interaction that doesn't come
from an authority figure, doesn't come from a parent, doesn't
even come from a teacher or a coach, but just
the person that's a that's a willing and able listening
ear and you know, someone prepared to give some guidance on.
Speaker 4 (33:37):
Real life situations and scenarios.
Speaker 6 (33:40):
So and of course along with that, we do some
programming out at the Juvenile Detention Center, We do some
work over at the Jefferson County Youth Academy, which is
the boot Camp, and then of course we're piloting a
program at Charleston Pollard right now. But we're trying to
do some work to start working with these young people earlier,
(34:01):
especially when we know the environments that they're coming from
are conducive, conducive of putting them in situations that will
ultimately lead to them being involved with the juvenile justice system.
Speaker 2 (34:15):
Well, and you know, oftentimes people when they hear about mentoring,
they may feel ill equipped. But what has been shown
and then you're using a model that has been used
successfully around around the country, and it's because what we're
seeing is so many of these juveniles, these young people,
(34:37):
these kids, let's call them what they are. You know,
don't have the life's skills to navigate through and oftentimes
don't have hope, hadn't let anybody show an interest in them,
so they you know, their approach to life is a
whole lot different. And this is a chance to show
people that they matter and giving them some skills to
(34:59):
help help them navigate through life in a more productive way,
which it in rocket science. You're not teaching you're not
having to teach them math or spelling. You're just talking
to them about their their challenges and things that you
might things that you might be able to offer them
that help them be more successful.
Speaker 6 (35:21):
Right right, You're absolutely correct, and uh, something that you
touched on was you know, we want to we want
to increase those positive interactions.
Speaker 4 (35:29):
With children who.
Speaker 6 (35:32):
May not ever come in contact early in life, with
adults who are doing positive things and things that probably
come as second nature to you and I, you know,
getting up to go to work, getting up to go
to church, working in the community, just doing something positive
with themselves and for others.
Speaker 4 (35:53):
You know, we want to we want to make sure
that we're exposing.
Speaker 6 (35:55):
Our kids to those types of situations versus some of
the things that they may encounter in their neighborhoods or
in their community. So once again, like so you you
touched on it, but I want to reiterate it's increasing
those positive interactions and imparting whatever wisdom and God.
Speaker 4 (36:10):
That you can.
Speaker 6 (36:11):
And for those who feel ill equipped, you know, trust me,
you're equipped to listen. And it could be just you know,
I have mentors that come play chess.
Speaker 4 (36:23):
I have mentors that come talk about horses.
Speaker 6 (36:25):
I have mentors who come talk about you know, pipe
fitting and welding, and so I have law enforcement who
come in and don't even talk about the law enforcement
aspect of their lives, but you know, they just talked
to the kid about what they've been through and then
once again listen just to listen. And one of the
(36:47):
things I like, I'll brag on on Chief Dante Miller
with the Sheriff's Department.
Speaker 4 (36:52):
He comes in and.
Speaker 6 (36:54):
He's not in his full uniform, but it's very apparent
that he is law enforcement because he's got on the
shirt or something.
Speaker 4 (37:00):
And he teaches our young people how.
Speaker 6 (37:02):
To interact with law enforcement because so often there's this
negative you know, or surrounding law enforcement, especially in the
black community. Well, he teaches young men and women that
you don't have to be afraid of law enforcement. Law
enforcement should be respectful to you. You should be respectful
for to law enforcement. We're all humans and at the
(37:25):
end of the day, there's a right and or wrong
with interact with people. So that's been very fruitful because
it warms our young people up to law enforcement to
let him know that law enforcement is not the bad guy.
Speaker 2 (37:36):
Right right, And oftentimes the culture that we're around, I mean,
we all are a victim of what we see every
day and what we hear, and oftentimes we believe that
is the reality of situations and sometimes it's just not.
And but the only way you're going to know that
is by being informed. And I know, you know, I
(37:58):
heard people say you've got to earn the right to
be heard, and I think that's true. And I think
by showing up and just by playing chess, by listening
to the kid, you're building a rapport with them that
they see that, hey, you've got no reason to take
time out of your schedule to come listen to me.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
So you're showing them that they matter.
Speaker 6 (38:18):
Right, absolutely absolutely, and that that means a lot to
show a kid that they matter and that they can
depend on you. And that's another thing too. We try
to tell the mentors, don't feel the need to over commit,
you know, just be honest and say, hey, listen, I
won't be here next week, but the following week I will,
or something comes up. Just be honest, but you know,
(38:40):
don't overcommit because a lot of times the kids are
already disappointed and so you don't want to be another disappointment.
But you know, I find that when you're honest and upfront,
it always works really well with them.
Speaker 1 (38:51):
Well, we've got just about a minute and a half left.
Speaker 2 (38:54):
But this holiday season, this Christmas season, oftentimes people and
as they approach the new year. It's about you know,
I want to live a more significant life. I want
to make a bigger impact in the world that I
live in. And not everybody has the bandwidth, but if
you have some extra time, it doesn't take much. And
how do they reach out to Revision to find out
(39:14):
how they might volunteer in what hours are available?
Speaker 4 (39:18):
In all of that?
Speaker 6 (39:19):
Sure, so the best way to reach out to Revision
is is one is through email. It's info at Revision
s e t X dot com. Of course we're on
social media on Facebook, Revision Southeast Texas. And then of
course if you if you want to call me, I'm
always open to phone calls. I may not answer right away,
(39:40):
but send me a text. And that's four o nine
four four four eight zero four eight give me a call.
But we would love to have you.
Speaker 4 (39:48):
We need you on board.
Speaker 6 (39:49):
And this program does not work with our community involvement,
So we encourage people to, you know, consider volunteering with Revision.
Speaker 1 (39:58):
And we know that it does.
Speaker 2 (40:00):
And that's the exciting point is let's do something that's
going to make a difference in these young people's lives
and let's change the direction of their lives, which also
helps change the direction of our community and decision being made.
Joe Evans, thank you very much and I wish you
a merry Christmas.
Speaker 4 (40:17):
Yes, sir, thank you.
Speaker 2 (40:20):
We are back and we are wrapping up the last
show of twenty twenty four. And we had with a
Sherry Pullman with the Texas Family Care Network and that
they work with placing children in foster care and adoption
and be sure to check them out if you have
any question. Texas Family Care Network they work with the
(40:41):
Child Protective Services now. And then in the second segment,
we had Dana Johnson Williams of the Dana Johnson Team
with Remax One talking real estate coming in to twenty
twenty five.
Speaker 1 (40:55):
It is an exciting.
Speaker 2 (40:57):
Time and folks, remember if you've missed any part of
this show, you can always download the free iHeart Radio app,
stream the show live wherever you are, or catch this
show or any of our shows in their entirety on
the Free iHeart Radio app, on the podcast on Spotify.
Speaker 1 (41:13):
Podcasts, on Apple podcasts, and on Android podcasts.
Speaker 2 (41:18):
Then we were talking with Lieutenant Cody Courts and the
Bauma Police Department, who is over the Real Time Crime
Center which is revolutionizing law enforcement because now they are
integrating the cameras of local businesses as well as other
cameras that the city has to have real time view
(41:39):
for the officers on the ground. Also includes their body
cam and their car cams, so you're able to get
real time for public safety and to be able to
respond appropriately. And then Joe Evans with a new five
oh one C three that is far at risk kids.
It is Revision and they are in need of mentors.
(42:00):
Office out of First and out of Methodist Church in
downtown Beaumont. You can pat them on Facebook and Prevision
or reach out to Joe Evans and folks. As we
join this new year, I just want to wish everybody
a very happy new year and God bless you all.
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