Return to Committee on Public Safety, Judiciary, and Homeland Security
Live reporting by Nadia Ziyad
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The committee approved a two-year contract extension with funding increase from about $24 million to $55 million for maintenance at the new Criminal Justice Complex through 2028

Nadia Ziyad

Good morning starshine, the earth says hello! What’s up #Detroit ?!
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Today at 11:00am I’ll be reporting Wayne County Commission’s Committee on Public safety, Judiciary, and Homeland Security! Tune in!
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#DetroitDocumenters

06:22 AM Feb 26, 2025 CST

Nadia Ziyad @nadiaziyad.bsky.social 3/27

Here’s the link to today’s agenda!!
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www.https://www.waynecounty.com/elected/commission/public-safety-judiciary.aspx’m interested in their New Buisness (E), but I can’t claim to understand most of it- more on that later.

Nadia Ziyad @nadiaziyad.bsky.social 4/27

Located some context on (E), the OVC (office for victims of crime) is asking for a grant for THIS project here so they can host public events, advertise , and distribute awareness materials.
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https://ovc.ojp.gov/program/national-crime-victims-rights-week/overview

Nadia Ziyad @nadiaziyad.bsky.social 5/27

Meeting starting soon! Hearing chatter in the zoom!
Very blurry view of the room!
…something else that also rhymes!

Nadia Ziyad @nadiaziyad.bsky.social 6/27

The meeting has started! 11:04am!

Nadia Ziyad @nadiaziyad.bsky.social 7/27

There is no unfinished business, and the minutes were approved- straight into new business!

Nadia Ziyad @nadiaziyad.bsky.social 8/27

Apparently this NCVRW grant is an annual thing, so it’s not exactly new business. A joke is made about ‘not knowing how long grants are going to last.’ Funny. It passed!

Nadia Ziyad @nadiaziyad.bsky.social 9/27

Item 2, which was NOT on the agenda for the public to view before the meeting and is just now being submitted- is about renewing a contract with Friedman Real Estate.

Nadia Ziyad @nadiaziyad.bsky.social 10/27

Friedman coordinates property management within the CJC (criminal justice center) complex, in efforts to properly organize groups and maintain the building up to standard.

Nadia Ziyad @nadiaziyad.bsky.social 11/27

I can’t tell who’s speaking, but he says it’s his responsibility to make sure that 14 hundred inmates are safe and cared for- which is a task he takes with grave seriousness.

Nadia Ziyad @nadiaziyad.bsky.social 13/27

Friedman also solved a sprinkler head related issue, replacing faulty ones with standard issue ones in the CJC, as well as a few cleanliness problems.
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It sounds like they have a huge impact on how fluently this system runs.

Nadia Ziyad @nadiaziyad.bsky.social 14/27

‘We need to drastically improve/enhance the service maintenance agreements we have in this facility’ paraphrasing the speaker

Nadia Ziyad @nadiaziyad.bsky.social 15/27

Ultimately it sounds like they’re asking for this renewal in order to keep paying the people who are trade certified or getting trained to be as such, around and working in the centers.
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As well as improving detention equipment, such as locks, that need regular service and preventative care.

Nadia Ziyad @nadiaziyad.bsky.social 16/27

Maintaining the technology is also a covered in the service and maintenance agreement- the people need their TVs! Speaker coins Friedman as ‘the first line of defense’ in keeping this system running.

Nadia Ziyad @nadiaziyad.bsky.social 17/27

Having the team on site, with workers from the county is highlighted a couple times for being a very important factor in renewing this contract.

Nadia Ziyad @nadiaziyad.bsky.social 18/27

They’re asking for roughly a 126% increase, which confuses Allen R.Wilson as he cracks a couple jokes about how jail should be a deterrent for people breaking the law- as in some of these items he considers to be too luxury.
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Calling the budget increase ‘astronomical’.

Nadia Ziyad @nadiaziyad.bsky.social 19/27

A rebuttal saying that ‘we are under federal guidelines to treat these people humanely’ . Well. Said. Well said.

Nadia Ziyad @nadiaziyad.bsky.social 20/27

‘You got to treat em humane even if it costs us an arm and a leg’
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- paraphrased from Chair Clark Coleman , who also goes into how everyone in their facilities are innocent until proven guilty, and deserve the best we can offer them.

Nadia Ziyad @nadiaziyad.bsky.social 21/27

Alex Garza asks how do we hold our contractors and subcontractors accountable, and make sure they’re doing their jobs and spending where they’re supposed to be.
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Responded to by saying that the county can terminate the contract the moment they decide it’s necessary.

Nadia Ziyad @nadiaziyad.bsky.social 22/27

Also saying that in the contract Friedman agrees to being responsible for their own subcontractors on our behalf.

Nadia Ziyad @nadiaziyad.bsky.social 23/27

Also included in the resolution is that the subcontractors must report periodically back to the county, so that it’s not a completely separate machine that starts running on its own after getting approved.

Nadia Ziyad @nadiaziyad.bsky.social 24/27

It passed!

Nadia Ziyad @nadiaziyad.bsky.social 25/27

It is now time for public comment !

Nadia Ziyad @nadiaziyad.bsky.social 26/27

Nevermind 😔 I guess no one had anything to say. Not even an email!! Public comment was closed!
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This meeting was adjourned at 12:04pm!

Nadia Ziyad @nadiaziyad.bsky.social 27/27

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