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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-01-13 PSC Regular Meeting Minutes CITY OF PALM DESERT PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING APPROVED MINUTES WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2021 – 3:30 p.m. Zoom Virtual Meeting https://palmdesert.zoom.us/j/87167781319 I. CALL TO ORDER Chair Kirkwood called the meeting to order at 3:34 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Present: Commissioner Phyllis Harkins Chair Gloria Kirkwood Commissioner Terry Kramer Vice Chair Doug Luhring Commissioner Martin Nethery Commissioner Frank Taylor Absent: Commissioner Carole Schaudt Also Present: Sabby Jonathan, City Council Member Andy Firestine, Assistant City Manager Lori Carney, Director of Administrative Services Stephen Aryan, Risk Manager Ryan Stendell, Director of Community Development Pedro Rodriguez, Code Compliance Supervisor Michael Ornelas, Emergency Services Coordinator Lt. Matthew Martello, Palm Desert Police Department Battalion Chief Mike Beverlin, Riverside County Fire Department Sgt. Matt Koser, Palm Desert Police Department Jeff Alley, Citizens on Patrol Brianne Lawson, Recording Secretary Public Safety Commission Approved Minutes January 13, 2021 Page 2 III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS NONE IV. PRESENTATIONS NONE V. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES of the Regular Public Safety Commission Meeting of December 9, 2020. B. PALM DESERT SPECIALIZED UNITS End of the Month Report for November 2020. C. RIVERSIDE COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT/CAL FIRE End of the Month Report for December 2020. D. CODE COMPLIANCE Weekend Reports for December 2020. E. EMERGENCY SERVICES COORDINATOR Monthly Report for December 2020. Commissioner Kramer moved to receive and file the items of the consent calendar. Motion was seconded by Vice Chair Luhring and carried by a 6-0 vote (AYES: Harkins, Kramer, Luhring, Nethery, Taylor, Kirkwood; NAES: None; ABSENT: Schaudt). VI. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER NONE VII. NEW BUSINESS A. Recommend the City Council authorize the reinstatement of a Business District Team Office position and appropriate $178,500 from the unassigned general fund for funding of one Business District Team Officer through June 2021. Stephen Aryan stated that the Public Safety Commission received an oral presentation on this matter at the previous meeting, and it is now being brought back for an official recommendation to the City Council. The Council will hear this item at the second Council meeting in January. Public Safety Commission Approved Minutes January 13, 2021 Page 3 Mr. Aryan then added that a contract with the Riverside County HHOPE Program was approved in December 2019. The HHOPE Program assists the homeless with finding permanent housing, and works together with the Police Department to help meet the needs of the homeless. Following this, Mr. Aryan provided a PowerPoint presentation that included photos and statistics from the “30 Beat” in Palm Desert, which primarily encompasses the business district quarter along Hwy 111 and El Paseo. Mr. Aryan stated that the City is receiving increased complaints from businesses and residents regarding transient activity. To address this matter, staff recommends continuing the collaborative approach between law enforcement and social services in assisting those who are seeking permanent housing. In addition to this, the Police Department is requesting to fill the Business District Team Officer position that was previously vacated as a cost savings measure in 2020. The number of transients in Palm Desert has been increasing, as more individuals travel to Palm Desert from out of state. This is impacting the ability of the Police Department to handle transient issues, as they currently have a reduced number of staff on the Business District Team. Reinstating one Business District Team Officer position would help meet the increased need. Mr. Aryan then added that the annual cost for a Business District Team Officer is approximately $357,000. For this fiscal year, that cost should not exceed $178,000. An appropriation will be required from the unassigned General Fund balance to cover this cost. Lt. Martello added that the Police Department is seeing a significant increase in crime and complaints. Sgt. Koser responded that he has also noticed a large amount of comments from visitors to Palm Desert regarding the increase in the presence and visibility of transients. Many of these complaints involve individuals panhandling at intersections, as well as traffic issues caused by jaywalking. Sgt. Koser then added that having an additional Officer on the Business District Team would make a huge difference, as it would put another person out there to handle these calls for service and help businesses as a direct point of contact. Commissioner Kramer inquired if the additional Business District Team Officer would provide coverage throughout the entire City, or just in the area of the Business District. Lt. Martello responded that the Officer would help with coverage for the entire City of Palm Desert. Commissioner Taylor then commented that he noticed the presence of shopping carts and Burrtec containers in the photos of homeless encampments that Stephen had shared. He inquired if there was a way to partner with Burrtec to prevent these containers from being used by transients. Sgt. Koser responded that legislature changes now prevent the Police from citing individuals for the Public Safety Commission Approved Minutes January 13, 2021 Page 4 possession of shopping carts, and they can now only cite shopping cart theft if they catch individuals in the specific act of removing the carts from their assigned retail locations. The Police also cannot force the homeless to throw their collected items away. Councilmember Jonathan then stated that data does not support there has been an increase in homelessness. He asked if there had been an analysis conducted to conclude the best solution to the problem is spending the money on a new Business District Team Officer, and if other alternatives had been investigated. Mr. Aryan responded that the homeless count was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, which is why that data is not included. Councilmember Jonathan responded there is other data, and it does not support a conclusion that there is an increase in homelessness. He then asked again if other alternatives to hiring an additional Officer had been considered. Mr. Aryan responded that the issues examined were the increase in complaints and calls for service related to transient presence. The collaborative efforts between the HHOPE Program and the Police Department have continued, but there are still individuals who choose to remain homeless and do not want to be connected with resources. Councilmember Jonathan responded there are programs in place with CVAG, behavioral resource specialists, staff, Code Enforcement, and Parks and Recreation. However, he is not hearing that if homelessness has in fact increased, other alternative solutions have been looked into besides hiring another sworn Officer. Councilmember Jonathan asked if this new Business District Team Officer would be dedicated exclusively to homelessness. Lt. Martello responded, stating that the position being discussed is the same as the Business District Team Officer position that was vacated last July. Due to the staff deficit, the current Business District Team Officers are dedicating a majority of their time to transient issues. He then added that transients are also becoming more aggressive, and they are intimidating residents and businesses. Councilmember Jonathan asked what is done with transients who are acting aggressively. Lt. Martello responded that this depends on what they are doing. Homelessness is not a crime, but enforcement can be carried out against trespassing. When it comes to individuals camping out on someone’s property, they can try to get them connected with resources or have them move along to another location. Following this, Councilmember Jonathan stated that the traditional approach is to arrest or cite an individual, and then they are back on the street within a few hours. He inquired why a sworn officer was needed. Lt. Martello responded that this recommendation is to fill a position that was vacated, which was a sworn officer position. There is currently not a position designed for unsworn officers to handle homeless issues. Public Safety Commission Approved Minutes January 13, 2021 Page 5 Councilmember Jonathan commented that other cities are using dedicated unsworn personnel to address homeless issues, and that unsworn officers cost one-third of the amount of a sworn officer. Sgt. Koser responded that homelessness is just a portion of the issues that the Business District Team handles. In some instances calls for service require officers to perform an arrest, and unsworn officers are not able to make arrests. Councilmember Jonathan stated the City is currently facing over twenty percent revenue loss just for this fiscal year. The City is dipping into reserves to close the budget gap, so we have to look at any recommendation from the Commission in relation to the potential financial impact. This makes decisions difficult, as the importance of different expenses need to be evaluated. Commissioner Kramer stated that while he could not speak for an increase in homeless numbers, he and other Palm Desert residents have observed a notable increase in transient activity. This is especially apparent with the presence of panhandlers at intersections. Commissioner Kramer then added that it is going to take law enforcement to address this problem, and he would not be in favor of having an unsworn officer handling transient issues due to the risk of confrontation and aggression from transient individuals. Commissioner Nethery reemphasized that while data may not support an increase in the homeless population, the reports received from the Sheriff’s Department do indicate an increase in activity. Calls for service related to reports of trespassing have gone up over sixty percent. Reports of suspicious persons and vandalism have also increased. After a brief continued discussion amongst the Commissioners on the increase in transient activity and visibility, Councilmember Jonathan suggested that the Public Safety Commission have a representative attend the CVAG Homelessness Committee meetings. He stated that attending these meetings would provide insight on what is taking place in the Coachella Valley, and also provide information about current techniques that different communities are using. Councilmember Jonathan added that the public is welcome to attend these meetings, and they are accessible by Zoom. Following this, he stated that the City is currently looking at how to allocate a staff position dedicated to homelessness and also the possibility of forming a Homelessness Committee. Public Safety Commission Approved Minutes January 13, 2021 Page 6 Commissioner Nethery moved to, by Minute Motion, recommend that the City Council authorize the reinstatement of a Business District Team Officer Position and appropriate $178,500 from the unassigned general fund for funding of one business district team officer through June 30, 2021. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Harkins and carried by a 6-0 vote (AYES: Harkins, Kramer, Luhring, Nethery, Taylor, Kirkwood; NAES: None; ABSENT: Schaudt). VIII. CONTINUED BUSINESS NONE IX. OLD BUSINESS NONE X. REPORTS ON CITY COUNCIL ACTION(S) Councilmember Jonathan stated there were no reportable actions. XI. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Citizens on Patrol Program Captain Jeff Alley stated that the COPS are eager to get back out on patrol. They are hoping they can resume patrol once they start getting their COVID-19 vaccines. B. Legislative Update Mr. Aryan stated there were no updates. C. Police and Fire Departments Sgt. Koser shared that the Shop With a Cop program was carried out in December, and thanked Stephen Aryan for his help in making it happen. Battalion Chief Mike Beverlin provided an update on the ambulance program, stating that the private contractor AMR is having a difficult time keeping up with demand on the west side of Riverside County. The Fire Department ambulances have so far been able to keep up with calls for service, and response times are still mostly under five minutes. Public Safety Commission Approved Minutes January 13, 2021 Page 7 D. Staff Mr. Aryan stated that the City is working with Curative to set up a COVID-19 testing site at the Palm Desert UCR campus parking lot. The Curative location in Rancho Mirage is currenting testing about eight hundred patients per day. The new Palm Desert location would gradually increase from a maximum of three hundred tests per day to five hundred, with the potential for increasing to even more. There has been an increase in Palm Desert City Hall staff who have tested positive or have been exposed to COVID-19. At this time, approximately ten percent of staff has either tested positive or is at home caring for a family member who tested positive. E. Public Safety Commissioners Chair Kirkwood thanked the Fire Department for sending their team out to a vehicle fire in her community the previous day. Following this, Commissioner Nethery inquired about the City’s involvement in COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Mr. Aryan responded that the vaccines will be handled directly by the Riverside County Public Health Department. XII. NEXT MEETING DATE – February 10, 2021 XIII. ADJOURNMENT With commissioner concurrence, the meeting was adjourned at 4:41 p.m. ________________________________ Brianne Lawson