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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Public Safety Commission 04/13/2005-SZT-c� CITY OF PALM DESERT PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION APPROVED MINUTES Wednesday, April 13, 2005 - 3:30 p.m. Administrative Conference Room I. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 3:30 p.m. by Chairman Larsh. II. ROLL CALL Present: Commissioner James Butzbach Commissioner Gloria Kirkwood Vice Chairman Rick Lebel Commissioner Martin Nethery Chairman James Larsh Also Present: Councilman Richard S. Kelly Carlos L. Ortega, City Manager Sheila R. Gilligan, ACM for Community Services Paul Gibson, Finance Director Mark Greenwood, City Engineer Mark Diercks, Transportation Engineer Robert Kohn, Director of Special Programs Pat Scully, Senior Management Analyst (left the meeting at 4:00 p.m.) Steve Thetford, Asst. Chief, Palm Desert Police Department Captain Craig Kilday, Commander, Palm Desert Police Department Ignacio Otero, Fire Chief, Palm Desert/Riverside County Fire Dept. Craig Anthony, Riverside County Fire Chief Tony Mecham, Fire Captain, Palm Desert/Riverside County Fire Dept. David Avila, Fire Marshal Mary P. Gates, Recording Secretary III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None APPROVED MINUTES PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION IV. CONSENT CALENDAR APRIL 13, 2005 A. Approval of Minutes of the March 9, 2005, Public Safety Commission Meeting (Item A) Commissioner Kirkwood noted a correction on page 8 of the Minutes, Item X-B, and said "Community Security Association (CSA)" should actually read "Resort Communities Security Association (RCSA)." Commissioner Butzbach asked that page 1 also be corrected to show that Fire Chief Ignacio Otero was not present at the meeting. Commissioner Butzbach moved to approve the Minutes of the March 9, 2005, Public Safety Commission as corrected. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and carried by a 5-0 vote. V. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER None VI. NEW BUSINESS A. Palm Desert Fire Services Monthly Report - February, 2005 (Item B) Chief Otero reviewed the report, noting a correction on page 3 to reflect a total of 1,144 year-to-date responses rather than 144 as shown on the report. He noted an increase in calls for public assistance as a result of the recent heavy rains. Chief Anthony noted that staff had successfully implemented a new computer dispatch program and upgrade; the old process entailed writing down the information on cards, but the new system was paperless. He reviewed the system in detail, noting that it was saving a minimum of 30 seconds on each call. He added that Palm Desert Station 33 was one of the ten test sites up and running. Commissioner Nethery moved to, by Minute Desert Fire Services Monthly Report for February, Commissioner Kirkwood and carried by a 5-0 vote. Motion, receive and file the Palm 2005. Motion was seconded by 2 APPROVED MINUTES PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION APRIL 13, 2005 B. Palm Desert Target Team Monthly Statistics - March, 2005 (Item C) Vice Chairman Lebel noted that he continued to be impressed with the Target Team's level of activity and successful stops. Commissioner Butzbach moved to, by Minute Motion, receive and file the Palm Desert Target Team Monthly Statistics for March, 2005. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Nethery and carried by a 5-0 vote. C. Palm Desert Station - Traffic Collision Statistics for February, 2005 (Item D) Commissioner Butzbach moved to, by Minute Motion, receive and file the Palm Desert Station - Traffic Collision Statistics for February, 2005. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and carried by a 5-0 vote. D. Discussion of Traffic Signalization Issues at Various Locations Throughout the City of Palm Desert (Requested at Meeting of January 12, 2005) (Item E) Commissioner Nethery noted there were a number of signals in the City where drivers cannot get across the intersection before the light turns yellow — Portola and Highway 111, El Paseo and Highway 74, Hospitality Way and Highway 111, etc. City Engineer Mark Greenwood responded that all of those signals were controlled by Caltrans. He stated that possible reasons might be that the cycle length is changing during the day or an emergency vehicle has gone through the intersection and thrown off the timing. He noted that staff had asked Caltrans to look into this situation, and the City was hiring a consultant this year to look at it as well. Upon question by Vice Chairman Lebel, Mr. Greenwood responded that the signal at Monterey and Avenida Del Sol was controlled by the City of Palm Desert. It was his understanding that the detectors had been damaged by the Southern California Edison underground work in that area, and repairs would be done shortly. Mrs. Gilligan noted that the City Council would be receiving a presentation from the Public Works Department relative to the City taking over control and ownership of the signals on Highway 111 as well as on Highway 74, whether it would be feasible and whether the City Council wanted to do so. That same presentation could be made 3 APPROVED MINUTES PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION APRIL 13, 2005 to the Public Safety Commission at its next meeting so that its recommendation could be included. With Commission concurrence, staff was directed to schedule, for the next Public Safety Commission meeting, a presentation by Public Works staff relative to the Citytaking over ownership and control of signals on both Highway 111 and Highway 74. E. Consideration of Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2005/06 for Police Services (Item F) Lt. Thetford reviewed the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2005/06, a copy of which had been provided to each Commissioner. Commissioner Nethery asked how the Police Department would deal with the situation if the requested increase in General Law Enforcement Hours were not approved. Lt. Thetford responded that existing staff would do what they could, but call response time would increase. The Target Team statistics would probably go down as well because members would have to be the backup on regular beat calls. Commissioner Nethery asked where the figure of 1.5 sworn officers per 1000 residents came from. Lt. Thetford responded that the FBI does a national study every year, and the national average for west coast law enforcement was 1.8 sworn officers per 1000 residents. Although he would like to have the 1.8 officers, he felt his department was effective at 1.5, and given the cost, he felt that was appropriate. He noted that the west coast average was based mostly on Southern California. Upon question by Commissioner Butzbach, Lt. Thetford responded that no overtime had been factored in because there was no way to predict what emergencies will come up. Upon question by Commissioner Nethery with regard to City staffs position on the proposed budget, Mr. Ortega responded that it had been discussed by City staff and would be taken to the City Council as part of the overall budget review for Fiscal Year 2005/06. He said the cost estimate for the requested increase in level of service was based on just the last quarter of the year due to the length of time before the deputies would be available for service; the concern was the full cost for the following year. Commissioner Nethery stated he felt the Commission almost did not have enough information to do anything but say yes to the request and make sure the proper analysis has been done by Lt. Thetford. APPROVED MINUTES PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION APRIL 13, 2005 Vice Chairman Lebel noted that the Commission was being asked to make a recommendation to the City Manager, not to the City Council. Commissioner Nethery moved to, by Minute Motion, recommend to the City Manager approval of the budget request as set forth in the March 7, 2005, report from Captain Craig Kilday with the increased level of service as indicated in the report. Motion was seconded by Vice Chairman Lebel and carried by a 5-0 vote. F. Consideration of Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2005/06 for Fire Services, Including: 1) 2005/2006 Staffinq Requirements; 2) Station Relocation; 3) Mobile Computer) (Item G) Mr. Ortega noted that the City was planning to take an agreement to the County in May whereby the City would contract directly with the County for fire services. The proposed budget would continue the same level of service for the City as it had under the Cove Commission. Fire Chief Otero reviewed the proposed budget, noting that Option 1 included the cost for Fire Marshal services, while Option 2 did not. He said under Option 1, the City of Palm Desert would assume the Fire Marshal services, which are currently being provided by the Fire Department. Fire Marshal David Avila added that the City would be responsible for most of the services currently provided by the Fire Marshal (business inspections; new construction inspections; special events such as parades and 41h of July; fire safety for residences and businesses, etc.). Fire Marshall services the City would not take over would include inspection of schools, hospitals, and universities and law enforcement issues such as fire investigation. Chief Anthony noted that if the City were to take over Fire Marshall services from the Fire Department, a number of existing department staff would most likely interview for the position and would be tough to compete against. Vice Chairman Lebel expressed concern with the City taking over these services. Commissioner Nethery asked for staffs position on this matter in terms of staffing and funding. APPROVED MINUTES PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION APRIL 13, 2005 Mr. Ortega responded that this could be provided to the Commission at its next meeting. He noted that it was his understanding that the City Council would not be reviewing the total proposed budget and white papers for the City until after the Commission's next meeting. Commissioner Nethery moved to continue the matter of the transfer of Fire Marshal services to the next meeting. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and carried by a 5-0 vote. The Commission discussed the Fire Station Relocation Plan and the various scenarios included in the staff report. With regard to relocating Station #71, Mr. Ortega noted that it was important to keep in mind that the objective is to provide protection for the City's North Sphere. Upon question by Vice Chairman Lebel, Mr. Ortega responded that this would be tied in with the City's Capital Improvement Program. Vice Chairman Lebel expressed concern with the proposed new station and said he would rather see a new station serve Palm Desert than Indian Wells and La Quinta. Commissioner Butzbach moved to, by Minute Motion, concur with the comments of the City Manager, recognizing future needs of the City and prioritizing Station 71. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Nethery and carried by a 5-0 vote. Captain Tony Mecham showed a powerpoint presentation of the new Computer Aided Dispatch System (CAD). He noted that the GIS files and mapping would reside on each individual machine, and if the commercial cell sites were down for any reason, the computers would still have access to the necessary City information. Upon question by Vice Chairman Lebel, Mrs. Gilligan noted that the Fire Department had budgeted $70,000 to be included in this year's budget ($10,000 per unit for three fire trucks, one ladder truck, and three ambulances). Chief Otero noted that the Department had also applied for Tribal Gaming grants for half the cost and should hopefully have a response in June. Upon question by Vice Chairman Lebel, he said he had approached all of the cities in the Coachella Valley and hoped to eventually have them all on the same system as well as the County. Vice Chairman Lebel moved to, by Minute Motion, support this proposal in the amount of $70,000. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Butzbach and carried by a 5-0 vote. C. APPROVED MINUTES PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION APRIL 13, 2005 G. Consideration of "Safely Surrendered Baby" Program (Item H) Chief Anthony reviewed the staff report, noting that adoption of the program would require no additional personnel costs. Commissioner Nethery moved to, by Minute Motion, support the recommendation from the Fire and Police Departments and recommend that the City Council adopt the "Safely Surrendered Baby" Program. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and carried by a 5-0 vote. H. Request for Ratification of City of Palm Desert Public Safety Goals for Fiscal Year 2005/06 (Item I-J) Mrs. Gilligan noted that this request had come from the Public Safety Committee of CVAG. She said because the deadline for submittal of the City's goals was priorto the Commission's meeting, she had taken the liberty of asking Lt. Thetford to complete the form, which had then been forwarded to CVAG. She asked that the Commission ratify the goals as submitted by Lt. Thetford. She noted that if the Commission chose to add to, delete, or reprioritize the goals, a letter could be sent to CVAG advising of same. Ms. Scully agreed but said any such letter would be put on the CVAG agenda as an information item for the record. Commissioner Nethery moved to, by Minute Motion, ratify the City of Palm Desert Public Safety Goals for Fiscal Year 2005/06 as submitted by the Police Chief and authorize staff to send a letter to CVAG advising of the Commission's ratification. With Commission concurrence, staff was directed to include a copy of the CVAG letter in the Agenda packet for the next meeting. Consideration of AB1127 Relative to Establishment of Conference Call Courts (Item K) Ms. Scully reviewed the staff report, noting that Mrs. Gilligan had met with Lt. Thetford, whose concern was that no time would be saved by having his deputies attend such a court in Palm Springs or Indio; however, if it was possible to have a conference call court in Palm Desert, he would be in favor. She noted that CVAG Executive Director John Wohlmuth had agreed to allow use of a conference room for a conference call court, but his concerns were: 1) scheduling; 2) do the deputies have to be in the room alone? 3) are there security requirements? She said these were issues that would have to be addressed through the language of the bill. 7 APPROVED MINUTES PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION APRIL 13, 2005 Upon question by Commissioner Nethery as to the position of the courts on this bill, Lt. Thetford responded that the courts had been doing video interviewing for a long time. Ms. Scully added that the bill had not yet gone before the Assembly Public Safety Committee and could be amended between now and September 20, 2005. Commissioner Nethery stated that if this was an unfunded mandate, he would not be in favor. He said he would want to see how it would be funded first. Ms. Scully noted that if the program were expanded to include a Palm Desert location, she was sure the City would have to participate in the funding. Upon further question by Commissioner Nethery, Lt. Thetford stated that he felt it would be fair for the Police Department to pay for part of it through grant funding to support allowing front line law enforcement to stay in the City rather than having to leave the City to provide testimony. Ms. Scully stated that this matter had also been agendized for the next Legislative Review Committee meeting, and that committee was interested in the recommendation from Public Safety Commission. Commissioner Nethery moved to, by Minute Motion, support AB 1127 in concept but with concerns relative to funding and cost of implementation as well as its impact on the City and local police agency. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Butzbach and carried by a 5-0 vote. Consideration of Request from the Palm Desert Police Department for Computer Equipment (Item L) Lt. Thetford reviewed the staff report and recommendation. Vice Chairman Lebel moved to, by Minute Motion, recommend that the Palm Desert City Council concur with the Police Department's proposal to expend approximately $11,728.59 in Cal COPS (Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Funding - SLESF) Grant funding to purchase computer equipment. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and carried by a 5-0 vote. 12 APPROVED MINUTES PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION APRIL 13, 2005 VII. CONTINUED BUSINESS A. Report Relative to Staffing Levels at the Fire Department (Continued from the Meeting of March 9, 2005) (Item M) Vice Chairman Lebel noted that he had requested this information, which was provided in the Agenda packets. Vice Chairman Lebel moved to, by Minute Motion, receive and file this report. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and carried by a 5-0 vote. VIII. OLD BUSINESS None IX. REPORT ON CITY COUNCIL ACTION (S) Councilman Kelly reported that he had attended the Chamber of Commerce breakfast yesterday where retiring District Attorney Grover Trask and Assistant District Attorney Rob Pacheco had addressed the group. He felt Mr. Pacheco should be educated about the Coachella Valley; his information was vastly inaccurate. X. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Update on the status of the new Police Department facility No report B. Update on the Citizens on Patrol Program (COPS) Mr. Kohn distributed copies of an update of the COPS program, highlights, and activities. C. Legislative Update Ms. Scully noted that there were not a lot of public safety issues this year. D. Report on Scheduling of Public Safety Forum(s) Mrs. Gilligan noted that Councilman Kelly had metwith Commissioner Kirkwood regarding the scheduling of the next public safety forum. The recommendation was that it be held in October, although the 9 APPROVED MINUTES PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION APRIL 13, 2005 location was yet to be determined. She asked for the Commission's concurrence. Commissioner Butzbach moved to, by Minute Motion, concur with staffs recommendation to hold the next public safety forum in October, with the location to be decided at a later date. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and carried by a 5-0 vote. XI. ADJOURNMENT Vice Chairman Lebel moved to adjourn the meeting at 5:45 p.m. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and carried by a 5-0 vote of the Commission. Respectfully submitted, MARY P. GAT RECORDING SECRETARY 10