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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-10-14 PSC Regular Meeting Minutes CITY OF PALM DESERT PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING APPROVED MINUTES WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2020 – 3:30 p.m. Zoom Virtual Meeting https://palmdesert.zoom.us/j/89617580651 I. CALL TO ORDER Acting Chair Nethery called the meeting to order at 3:39 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Present: Commissioner Phyllis Harkins Commissioner Doug Luhring Commissioner Martin Nethery Commissioner Frank Taylor Absent: Chair Carole Schaudt Vice Chair Gloria Kirkwood Commissioner Terry Kramer Also Present: Councilmember Susan Marie Weber Randy Bynder, Interim City Manager Andy Firestine, Assistant City Manager Lori Carney, Director of Administrative Services Stephen Aryan, Risk Manager Lt. Matthew Martello, Palm Desert Police Department Sgt. Matt Koser, Palm Desert Police Department Battalion Chief Mike Beverlin, Riverside County Fire Department Battalion Chief Bryan White, Riverside County Fire Department Jeff Alley, Citizens on Patrol Brianne Lawson, Recording Secretary III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS NONE Public Safety Commission Approved Minutes October 14, 2020 Page 2 IV. PRESENTATIONS A. Introduction of Interim City Manager Stephen Aryan introduced Randy Bynder as Palm Desert’s Interim City Manager. Mr. Bynder then briefly introduced himself, stating that he worked at an adjacent Coachella Valley city for thirty-two years before retiring a year and a half ago. The Palm Desert City Council asked him to step in as Interim City Manager after Lauri Aylaian announced her retirement, and he is pleased to fill in for the position. V. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES of the Regular Public Safety Commission Meeting of July 8, 2020. B. PALM DESERT SPECIALIZED UNITS End of the Month Report for August, 2020. C. RIVERSIDE COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT/CAL FIRE End of the Month Report for September, 2020. D. CODE COMPLIANCE Weekend Reports for August and September, 2020. Item B of the Consent Calender was held over, at the request of Acting Chair Nethery. Commissioner Luhring moved to receive and file the items of the consent calendar. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Harkins and carried by a 4-0 vote (AYES: Harkins, Kramer, Taylor, Nethery; NAES: None; ABSENT: Kirkwood, Kramer, Schaudt). VI. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER B. PALM DESERT SPECIALIZED UNITS End of the Month Report for August, 2020. Acting Chair Nethery inquired about the year to date comparisons provided in the report, and the dramatic increase in assaults and vehicle theft from prior years. Mr. Aryan responded that the increase of assaults is due to a larger number of people being at home during the pandemic, which has caused an increase in cases of domestic disturbances. Public Safety Commission Approved Minutes October 14, 2020 Page 3 In relation to the increase in vehicle thefts, Lt. Martello stated that there are more people out on the street right now which has resulted in more crime. Sgt. Koser then added that another contributing factor to the rise in vehicle theft is that due to the pandemic, more families are leaving their homes all in one car rather than travelling separately to different locations. This means that more cars are being left unattended at their homes. This, combined with the larger number of people on the street with free time on their hands (and a higher number of people being released from prison) due to COVID-19, has lead to an increase in vehicle theft. Commissioner Taylor then suggested that the Sheriff’s Department could provide a report on the impact of staff reductions, now that it has been several months since those were implemented. Mr. Aryan responded that he and Lt. Martello had discussed the need for reports on this information, and that the Sheriff’s Department would be providing related data at an upcoming meeting. Acting Chair Nethery then inquired about how response times have recently increased, although calls for service have decreased. Mr. Aryan responded, stating that the data will be reviewed to determine a cause. Commissioner Harkins moved to receive and file item B of the consent calendar. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Luhring and carried by a 4-0 vote (AYES: Harkins, Kramer, Taylor, Nethery; NAES: None; ABSENT: Kirkwood, Kramer, Schaudt). VII. NEW BUSINESS A. Approve the purchase of three patrol BMW motorcycles for $87,214.62 for the Palm Desert Police Department, from BMW Motorcycles of Riverside, California. Mr. Aryan stated that the Traffic Enforcement Team is currently comprised of one Traffic Sergeant and four Motor Officers. Approximately eight years ago they switched from Honda motorcycles to BMW units as the primary response vehicles. However, there are still three older motors remaining in the fleet. The BMW units were chosen due to the fact that they are built specifically for police use, as well as for their design and safety ratings. Mr. Aryan then presented a modified motor replacement schedule, which reflects the reduction in units from nine to seven. This schedule would also involve purchasing three news units this year, and then replacing one motor unit per year through 2025. After 2025, motor units older than five years would be replaced when the cost of their maintenance reaches the cost of a new unit. Mr. Aryan then noted that last year Orange County bid and awarded the purchase of similar motors to BMW Motorcycles of Riverside. The Palm Desert Public Safety Commission Approved Minutes October 14, 2020 Page 4 Municipal Code allows the City to piggyback on contracts that have already been competitively bid, which is what would be done with this purchase. Citizens Option for Public Safety (COPS) funds would be used for the purchase of the three new units, and no General Fund appropriation is required. Commissioner Harkins moved to, by Minute Motion, recommend that the Palm Desert City Council approve the purchase of three patrol BMW motorcycles for $87,214.62 for the Palm Desert Police Department from BMW Motorcycles of Riverside, California. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Luhring and carried by a 4-0 vote (AYES: Harkins, Kramer, Taylor, Nethery; NAES: None; ABSENT: Kirkwood, Kramer, Schaudt). B. Approve and accept the City’s Citizens Option for Public Safety/Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund (COPS/SLESF) expenditure plan and funding for FY 2020-21. Mr. Aryan stated that we typically refer to COPS/SLESF as our CAL COPS funds, which are used to supplement funding currently available for public safety (including personnel, equipment, and programs). In 2012 the processing requirements for this grant changed, and now all that is required is the City Council’s appropriation of existing and anticipated award amounts exclusively to fund frontline municipal police services. Those services need to follow a written expenditure plan submitted by the Chief of Police, which in our case is the Captain of the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station. The majority of CAL COPS allocations for Palm Desert are dedicated to various equipment purchases, the remaining amount is for the City’s annual Holiday Theft Suppression Program and the purchase of miscellaneous services and supplies. The 2020 Holiday Theft Program may be modified due to the pandemic, but there is still a plan to move it forward. Commissioner Harkins moved to, by Minute Motion, recommend that the Palm Desert City Council approve and accept the City’s Citizens Option for Public Safety/Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund (COPS/SLESF) expenditure plan and funding for FY 2020-21. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Luhring and carried by a 4-0 vote (AYES: Harkins, Kramer, Taylor, Nethery; NAES: None; ABSENT: Kirkwood, Kramer, Schaudt). C. Approve an updated Public Safety Vendors List for equipment repairs, equipment purchases, and specialty services utilized by the Palm Desert Police and Fire Department in FY 2020-21. Mr. Aryan stated that this item is brought before the Public Safety Commission and the City Council every year. This is an updated version of the list that was Public Safety Commission Approved Minutes October 14, 2020 Page 5 previously approved, with the addition of Enterprise Holdings for police investigation car rentals and BMW Motorcycles for maintenance and repairs. Additionally, several vendors who are no longer used were also removed from the updated version of the list. Commissioner Harkins inquired as to how the vendors are chosen for the list. Mr. Aryan responded that they are typically identified as a sole source for the services they provide, or they are vendors that have already been approved by Riverside County. Commissioner Harkins moved to, by Minute Motion, recommend that the Palm Desert City Council approve and authorize an updated Public Safety Vendors List for equipment repairs, equipment purchases, and specialty services utilized by the Palm Desert Police and Fire Departments in FY 2020-21. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Taylor and carried by a 4- 0 vote (AYES: Harkins, Kramer, Taylor, Nethery; NAES: None; ABSENT: Kirkwood, Kramer, Schaudt). VIII. CONTINUED BUSINESS NONE IX. OLD BUSINESS NONE X. REPORTS ON CITY COUNCIL ACTION(S) Councilmember Susan Marie Weber thanked everyone for attending, and stated that there was nothing to report. XI. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Citizens on Patrol Program Jeff Alley reported that the Citizens on Patrol are still not patrolling due to COVID-19, and that an e-mail was sent out to get an idea of how many members are interested in going back on patrol once it is allowed. Options for virtual training are being explored, including conducting training sessions via Zoom and then posting the recordings on YouTube. B. Legislative Update Mr. Aryan stated that there was no update. Public Safety Commission Approved Minutes October 14, 2020 Page 6 C. Police and Fire Departments 1. Oral Report on Police Knox Box Request Mr. Aryan stated that before her retirement, Lauri Aylaian drafted a letter and sent it to the Fire Chief regarding the sharing of Knox Box keys between the Fire Department and Sheriff’s Department. A response to this letter has not yet been received. Battalion Chief Bryan White stated that there have been verbal conversations with the Fire Chief on this subject, but there is not yet a presentation or a letter with the Chief’s response. Several years ago Knox Box keys were assigned to individuals rather than vehicles, and during this time the Fire Department shared the keys with the Sheriff’s Department. Chief White then explained that the Fire Department lost track of accountability of those keys, which resulted in them having more keys than they could account for. This led to the overall suspension of Knox issuing the rapid access keys to the Fire Department. An overhaul had to be undertaken, in which the Fire Department had to prove to Knox that their system was secure and they could account for all of the keys. The keys are now mounted into a Fire Department vehicle, and each employee is given a unique code that is monitored by the IT Department. Following this, Chief White stated that the direction from the Fire Chief is that they will be consistent with their other twenty-one contract partners and will not share their keys with other agencies. This is solely due to the issue of accountability. Mr. Aryan then stated he would like to bring this item back at a future meeting for the Commission’s reconsideration. He then noted that there was an incident several weeks prior where the Sheriff’s Department was delayed on a call for service because they did not have a Knox Box key to get through a community’s entrance gate. D. Staff Lori Carney, Director of Administrative Services, announced that the City is starting the process of reopening. Many safety measures have been put in place inside City Hall over the last six months. This includes the installation of plexiglass barriers between desks and cubicles, reconfiguration of workspaces, signage for safety practices, and additional training. The City now feels ready for some soft openings of in-person services to the public. A report will be brought before the City Council tomorrow, letting them know that next week public services in Building & Safety, Business License, and Planning will begin to be offered by appointment. Public Safety Commission Approved Minutes October 14, 2020 Page 7 Ms. Carney then added that City Hall is an official Riverside County ballot drop box location. The drop box is set up in the Council Chambers lobby, and members of the public can safely and securely drop their ballots off there for the election. Mr. Aryan added that the state of California gives each County a pandemic risk level. Riverside County is currently in the red tier, which allows for more indoor retail and dining. However, it looks like we will be moving back into the purple tier soon, as the COVID-19 numbers have been increasing. E. Public Safety Commissioners Commissioner Harkins commented that as an HOA manager she has seen how the Sheriff’s Department has had a difficult time accessing communities when they do not have a Knox Box key. She added that the police often come at hours when the HOA office is not staffed, and she hopes that a resolution for this problem is found. XII. NEXT MEETING DATE – TBA XIII. ADJOURNMENT With commissioner concurrence, the meeting was adjourned at 4:46 p.m. ________________________________ Brianne Lawson