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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Public Safety Commission 11/10/2004aCE3 CITY OF PALM DESERT PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MINUTES NOVEMBER 10, 2004 - 3:30 p.m. Administrative Conference Room I. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Martin Nethery called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Present Absent Commissioner James Butzbach Commissioner James Larsh Commissioner Martin Nethery Commissioner Rick Lebel III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Ms. Gilligan introduced guests Leon Bennett, Jim Lewis, and John Fanning_ IV. CONSENT CALENDAR All matters listed on the consent calendar are considered to be routine and will be enacted by one roll call vote. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless members of the Public Safety Commission or audience request items be removed from the consent calendar for separate discussion and action under Section V. Consent Items Held Over, of the agenda. A. Approval of Minutes from September 8, 2004, Public Safety Commission Meeting. Rec: By Minute Motion, approve Minutes as presented. G.1CiryChklkarrn Russo\Public Safety Commission 2004Wovember Minutes. wpd 1 PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION NOVEMBER 10, 2004 Minutes Motion by Commissioner Lebel, seconded by Commissioner Butzbach, to approve the Consent Calendar. Motion carried 3- 0, with Commissioner Nethery abstaining. V. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER None. VI. NEW BUSINESS A. Crime Statistics Update 2003 Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file report. Motion by Commissioner Lebel, seconded by Commissioner Butzbach, to receive and file the report. Motion carried 4-0. B. Palm Desert Fire Services Report for the months of August and September, 2004. Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. Battalion Chief Witten announced that there are five Fire Department employees who will be receiving an award at the November 23 Peace Officer and Public Safety Officers Appreciation Day Awards Luncheon. The Commission offered their congratulations. A question was asked as to whether there is a charge for the CPR Training, and the response was yes, it is a self-supporting program. There is a minimum attendance of five with a maximum of eight per program. The American Heart Association allows one instructor per eight students. Motion by Commissioner Butzbach, seconded by Commissioner Larsh, to receive and file the reports. Motion carried 4-0. C. Palm Desert Police Department Crime Stats; January -September, 2004. Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. G.\Cit}Clrk\Karen Russo\Public Safety Comnussion 2004Wovember NLnutes wpd 2 PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION NOVEMBER 10, 2004 Minutes A question was raised as to whether there is an increase in burglaries in Palm Desert this time of year, and Lt. Thetford responded that there is a small spike because of the number of people coming back to town to their second homes. The only significant pattem was during October when there were multiple license plates stolen (15-16). There has not been any residual crime as a result of this; i.e. increase in robberies. There was discussion about the gross numbers; i.e. burglaries. The statistics do not appear to reflect the increase in population. A question was asked as to whether there is a way to provide annual comparisons. Lt. Thetford responded that the Crime Statistics Report correlates population over a five-year period. Palm Desert is the largest retail area in the valley, and the figures do not account for all the people who come into our City on a daily basis to shop and work, and it does not take into consideration the clearance rate. Lt. Thetford reported that the Department is working on incorporating recovery statistics. The majority of the theft crimes come from the retail centers and calls for service from Loss Prevention. The Crime Statistics Update for 2003 showed that although over the last five years there has been an increase in population, the numbers have stayed about the same. The City of Palm Desert has done an excellent job in staffing the Department which allows the numbers to remain stable. Motion by Commissioner Butzbach, seconded by Commissioner Larsh, to receive and file the report Motion carried 4-0. D. Palm Desert Target Team Monthly Stats for the month of September, 2004. Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. The Target Team is dedicated to patterned crimes and handles matters that the regular patrol officer does not handle. There is a definite value in having a Target Team. Motion by Commissioner Lebel, seconded by Commissioner Larsh, to receive and file the report Motion carried 4-0. G \CityClrk1Karen Russo\Public Safety Commission 2004\November trfinutes wpd 3 PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION NOVEMBER 10, 2004 Minutes E. Palm Desert Police Traffic Operations Plan; Non -Compliance by the Motoring Public in the Use of Safety Restraints. Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. Motion by Commissioner Larsh to receive and file. A question was raised as to whether the Department has a schedule of holiday D,U,I, checkpoints. Lt. Thetford responded that this year the Department will be doing something different without taking away from the D.U.I. enforcement program. The focus this year will be on traffic movement during the holidays. Reports are being reviewed as to when gridlocks occurred to try to divert traffic to keep the flow moving. There is approximately $16,000 still available from the Crossroads Program and this can supplement manpower to put the motors out on extra duty. Second to the motion to receive and file made by Commissioner Butzbach. Motion carried 4-0. F. Palm Desert Police Traffic Operations Plan; School Safety Program. Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. Motion by Commissioner Lebel, seconded by Commissioner Larsh, to receive and file the report Motion carried 4-0. G. Palm Desert Station Monthly Traffic Collision Statistics for the months of August and September, 2004. Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. There was discussion about DUI's and the breathalyzer test level. The legal limit is .08. An individual can be under the legal limit and still be found reckless,at the discretion of the officer based on driving actions, the individual's demeanor when exiting the vehicle, and the sobriety test. Motion by Commissioner Larsh, seconded by Commissioner Buizbach, to receive and file the report. Motion carried 4-0. G.\CityClrklKaren Russo\Pub(ic Safety Commission 2004\November Mimnes. wpd PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION NOVEMBER 10, 2004 Minutes Vil. CONTINUED BUSINESS A. None. VIII. OLD BUSINESS A. Public Safety and Public Welfare Ordinances Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. Ms. Gilligan stated that this item came up as a result of an inquiry from Commissioner Lebel. Steve Aryan, Assistant to the City Manager, worked with the City Attorney in reviewing current ordinances and has prepared a report. Commissioner Lebel commended and thanked Mr. Aryan for his report. Mr. Aryan met several times with the City Attorney and several department heads and did a thorough review. As indicated in the report, although the review was time consuming, it was a very beneficial exercise for the staff to undertake. It was determined that the majority of the ordinances are still appropriate today and do not require change at this time. Commissioner Lebel mentioned there were comments and suggestions that came about as a result of the review. The report provides that a number of standards were reviewed and some may need another review. Examples are the valet parking permit provisions and security standards for buildings. Motion by Commissioner Lebel, seconded by Commissioner Butzbach, to receive and file the report. Motion carried 4-0. IX. REPORT ON CITY COUNCIL ACTION(S) The Commission congratulated Councilman Kelly on his re-election. X. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Letter of appreciation to Town Center Fire Station The Commission commented that the letter was well -deserved. G.1CityCGk\Karen Russo\Public Safety Commission 20041November Minutes wpd PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION NOVEMB.ER 10, 2004 Minutes B. Peace Officers & Public Safety Appreciation Day Awards Luncheon November 23, 2004, 11:30 a.m. - Hyatt Grand Champions Ms. Gilligan mentioned that Commissioners who have not RSVP'd could still do §o by contacting City Hall. C. Westfield Shoppingtown Sub -Station A question was asked as to the status of the proposed new sub- station. Lt. Thetford reported the lease agreement has been received, is being reviewed, and the sub -station should be operational by Thanksgiving. This will be a temporary location. At the September, 2004, Public Safety Commission meeting, there was discussion about the possibility of opening a sub -station at the Visitor Information Center at Monterey and Highway 111 once it has relocated to the Entrada del Paseo site. The Council has not taken any action on the Visitor lnformation Center location. D. Councilman Kelly asked if a representative from the Citizens on Patrol was in attendance. John Fanning, Captain, was in attendance and gave a summary of current programs. Mr. Fanning discussed the active recruiting that is taking place. There are currently 12 volunteers, and the goal is to have a membership of 20-25 full-time volunteers. Six new members are going through the 8-week Police Academy Training. Mr. Fanning mentioned that Deputy Bishop is assigned to the program and Bob Kohn's office provides support. There are two vehicles assigned to the program that are identified and marked with "Citizens On Patrol". They are in the process of building a website. E. Vacant Property Check Program Commissioner Lebel mentioned that while touring model homes in Indian Wells, publications provided by the builder indicated that Indian Wells has an excellent vacation property check program and citizens could register at City Hall. F. Vacancy on Public Safety Commission Ms. Gilligan reported that the City Council will review applications and conduct interviews with the goal of having the position filled by January, 2005. G:lCityCUlrlKarcn Russo \Pub is Safety Commission 2004\November Minutes wpd PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION NOVEMBER 10, 2004 Minutes Ms. Gilligan shared the membership requirements for the Commission: 1 Commissioner with law enforcement background, 1 Commissioner with Fire protection background, 1 Commissioner who represents the retail business community, and 2 Commissioners who represent the community at large. The vacant position is "retail". XI. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Commissioner Butzbach, seconded by Commissioner Lebef, to adjourn the meeting. Meeting adjourned at 4:20 p.m. by a vote of 4-0. Karen Russo, Recording Secre, G:1CityCUk\Karen Russo\Public Safety Commission 20041November Minutes.wpd