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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Public Safety Commission 04/12/06CITY OF PALM DESERT PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION APPROVED MINUTES Wednesday, April 12, 2006 - 3:30 p.m. Administrative Conference Room 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 3:30 p.m. by Chairman Lebel. II. ROLL CALL Present: Absent: Commissioner James Butzbach Commissioner Martin Nethery Vice Chairman Gloria Kirkwood Commissioner Jim Larsh Chairman Rick Lebel Also Present: Sheila R. Gilligan, ACM for Community Services Steve Thetford, Asst. Chief, Palm Desert Police Department Ignacio Otero, Chief, Palm Desert/Riverside County Fire Dept Hart Ponder, Code Compliance Manager Gary Rosenblum, Risk Manager Mary P. Gates, Recording Secretary III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None IV. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Approval of Minutes of the February 8, 2006, Public Safety Commission Meeting Rec: Approve as presented. APPROVED MINUTES PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION APRIL 12, 2006 B. City Manager Approval of Request from Palm Desert Police Department to Expend Contingency Funds in the Amount of $1,776.25 to Repair the Palm Desert Police Golf Cart Rec: Receive and file. C. Palm Desert Fire Department 2005 Annual Report Rec: Receive and file. D. Palm Desert Police Department 2005 Annual Report Rec: Receive and file. E. Informational Items The Desert Sun Newspaper Article Relative to New Palm Desert Fire Station North of Frank Sinatra Drive Upon motion by Commissioner Butzbach, second by Commissioner Larsh, the Consent Calendar was approved as presented by a 4-0 vote, with Commissioner Nethery ABSENT. V. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER None VI. NEW BUSINESS A. Report and Presentation Relative to an Emergency Communication Service for the City of Palm Desert to Reach the Public in Emergencies Risk Manager Gary Rosenblum briefly reviewed his report dated April 4, 2006, noting that this matter would be brought back to the City's Marketing Committee for other outreach opportunities the City might be interested in doing. MR. CHAD CASTRUITA, Manager, CC Education Services, LLC, 10945 Bluffside Drive, Suite 247, Studio City, CA 91604, gave a more detailed presentation and demonstration of the Connect CTY service. He noted that this system was exclusively for counties, cities, and municipalities and could be used in several different ways, including communication with residents and businesses on time -sensitive 2 APPROVED MINUTES PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION APRIL 12, 2006 issues and in emergencies. He noted that with this system, any authorized individual could pick up any standard telephone, regardless of where they are, have complex access to their citizenry, businesses, and staff members, and be able to record a message to pass on information in a matter of minutes. The system would not require installation of any hardware, there was no software to upgrade, and there were no phone lines or ports to install. His company managed and maintained a complete telecommunications infrastructure, with five data centers. He noted they currently served 5,000 public entities across 28 states, with 38,000 public officials and administrators using the system daily; eight million messages a month were being delivered, from emergency messages to outreach communications. He said the system was used for Amber Alerts to get the word out to citizens when a child is missing. Other areas where the system could be utilized would be storm warnings, hazmat- related issues, escaped convicts, water contamination, public works detours and road blocks, etc. He said they would provide all of the data for the City (except staff information) and would work with local exchanges (i.e., Verizon, SBC, etc.) and other sources to extract resident and business information; they would refresh and cleanse that data every 30 days to make sure it is as up-to-date as possible. After every delivered call, his company would provide a data analysis that would tell who received the message live, how many answering machines were reached, and how many people did not receive the message. There was also a geo-calling mechanism. For example, in a hostage situation, the address of the house or business could be typed in, and then calls could be made to every household and/or business within a specified radius to make them aware of that situation. The same thing could be done in case of a fire, flood, or other such event. Upon question by Commissioner Butzbach, Mr. Castruita responded that both listed and unlisted phone numbers would be included in the data, although they would flag all of the "do not call" numbers. The City would know which ones were so flagged so that informational - type messages would not be sent to those individuals; however, emergency messages could still be sent to them. There were also people who might want to "opt out" of the system, and that could be done as well. Mr. Castruita also reviewed the survey feature of the system, which would allow the City to ask a question of the community and receive quick feedback. Upon question by Lt. Thetford relative to local agencies using this service, he stated that school districts in Coachella, Lake Elsinore, Victorville, Rialto, Colton, and Fontana were 3 APPROVED MINUTES PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION APRIL 12, 2006 all currently participating. He said the program had just been launched in California four months ago, and there were currently no California cities participating, although they did have four cities in Massachusetts, six or seven in North Carolina, and several in Texas. He added that he would provide a list of references to Lt. Thetford. Upon question by Chairman Lebel, he responded that the cost was $3.60 per address; for Palm Desert, the cost would be approximately $82,000 per year. Commissioner Butzbach moved to, by Minute Motion, receive and file the report providing information on the services of NTI Group to provide a system to rapidly communicate with the public during emergencies. Motion was seconded by Vice Chairman Kirkwood and carried by a 4-0 vote, with Commissioner Nethery ABSENT. Upon question by Commissioner Butzbach, Mr. Rosenblum noted that if the City were to support this program, his intention would be to do a trial run for a year to see how it works. He felt purchasing the system strictly for the potential use in an emergency limited its use and was not a worthwhile investment. He said there were a lot of other uses that were broader than just public safety, and he would be looking to see if there were other areas of the City where this system could be utilized (i.e., Marketing Committee and City Management) before taking the program to the City Council. Upon question by Lt. Thetford regarding school district privacy issues, Mr. Castruita responded that privacy laws did not allow contact information to be disseminated to any agency outside of the school district, and that is why school districts have separate contracts apart from cities for this system. Mrs. Gilligan asked whether Desert Sands Unified School District had been approached, and he responded that he had not yet met with representatives of that district. Vice Chairman Kirkwood asked whether U. Thetford and Chief Otero could see any benefits with this system as far as police and fire. Lt. Thetford stated that while he could see a benefit, especially in the case of missing children; however, he was concerned the Police Department might be inundated with calls from senior citizens who feel they need assistance, and this would mean more staff was needed to handle those calls. Chief Otero noted this was similar to the reverse 911 systems many cities have where they can get information out to the public; however, it did take a long time to get the message out. He said he felt this would be better than the systems that are in place now. 4 APPROVED MINUTES PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION APRIL 12, 2006 B. Palm Desert Fire Services Monthly Report - January and February 2006 Chief Otero stated the January report included information about Station 33's charity dinner for The Red Cross. He said this was something they do approximately four times per year, where they have a silent auction and donate a really nice dinner for six people at the Fire Department. He noted several of the firefighters had attended culinary school and were great chefs, and the event raised $4, 000 to $6, 000. He also noted a recent bomb scare at the Portola/Country Club station where a lady dropped off a box of donuts at the front door, and the bomb squad was called. He said the Fire Department had a history of this person making calls and leaving a six -page letter at the Station, and there was an ongoing investigation at this time. Chief Otero further noted that firefighters from Palm Deserts sister city of Iztapa-Zihuatanejo would be visiting from May 6-13th. The Marriott had provided two rooms for five nights free of charge, Club Intrawest was providing a two -bedroom condo for five nights, and local restaurants would be providing some of the meals, with the fire stations hosting some meals as well. Mrs. Gilligan added that there would also be a barbecue and Firefighters Recognition event in the Civic Center Park at 5:30 p.m. on May 10t', and she invited Commissioners to attend. Chief Otero said he felt this would be a good opportunity for the Public Safety Commission to meet the visitors from Iztapa-Zihuatanejo. Chief Otero also updated the Commission on the status of the Palm Desert firefighter injured last month in a house fire, noting that he had shattered his foot and would be off work for approximately six months. Commissioner Butzbach noted that it appeared 65-70% of the calls to the Fire Department were for medical aid. He asked if there were sufficient resources for the City of Palm Desert to cover those calls or if other resources had to be called in. Chief Otero responded that even though each city had its own fire departments, resources were still shared. Regardless of what City the emergency is in, the closest unit will be sent. Commissioner Butzbach moved to, by Minute Motion, receive and file the Palm Desert Fire Services Monthly Reports for January and February 2006. Motion was seconded by Vice Chairman Kirkwood and carried by a 4-0 vote, with Commissioner Nethery ABSENT. 5 APPROVED MINUTES PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION APRIL 12, 2006 C. Palm Desert Special Teams Monthly Statistics -January and February 2006 Commissioner Butzbach asked whether the Target Team was dedicated specifically to Palm Desert or if they covered the Cove Communities as well. Lt. Thetford responded that, although they were dedicated specifically to Palm Desert, they did not have boundaries within the City and could go wherever they needed to. Commissioner Larsh moved to, by Minute Motion, receive and file the Palm Desert Special Teams Monthly Statistics Reports for January and February 2006. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Butzbach and carried by a 4-0 vote, with Commissioner Nethery ABSENT. D. Palm Desert Station - Traffic Collision Statistics for December 2005 and January 2006 Commissioner Butzbach moved to, by Minute Motion, receive and file the Palm Desert Station Traffic Collision Statistics for December 2005 and January 2006. Motion was seconded by Vice Chairman Kirkwood and carried by a 4-0 vote, with Commissioner Nethery ABSENT. E. Consideration of Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2005/06 for Police Services Lt. Thetford noted the budget which had been included in the packets. Upon question by Chairman Lebel, he said he was estimating a 5% increase for next year. He said he had projected an increase of approximately 8% for last year, and it was only about 3.47%; however, staffing was being increased starting July 1 to create a North End Beat, which would add six more deputies and 30 more hours to the contract. While there was a substantial increase, the majority of that was already dedicated to that new beat approved by the City Council last fiscal year. Upon further question by Chairman Lebel, he said the budget that was going to the City Council per the City Manager would include the Proposal B for the K-9 Position (City of Palm Desert to pay 50%, Indian Wells 20%, Rancho Mirage 30%). If Council approved that portion, it would be contingent on the Police Department obtaining approval from the other two cities. The budget going to Council also included Option 2 for the Dedicated Coachella Valley Gang Task Force Officer. Upon question by Commissioner Butzbach relative to the cost of a dedicated vehicle for the K-9 position, he responded that the retrofit of the vehicle was built into the C. APPROVED MINUTES PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION APRIL 12, 2006 budget. He said if the dedicated position is approved, they will pull a car with that position and retrofit it. He added that the way the City would be billed for the vehicle would be per mile, which is the same as the other patrol vehicles. Upon further question regarding the amount of the budget, he said what was being presented to the Council for consideration was a total $13,485,000, which included the 50% option for the K-9 and the full dedicated Gang Task Force position. Upon question by Mrs. Gilligan, Lt. Thetford responded that while there had never been a Gang Task Force officer dedicated to Palm Desert, one of deputies assigned to the Target Team was Palm Desert's liaison to any Gang Task Force in the Coachella Valley and the State of California. In addition, the City of Palm Desert supported that effort by providing funding for the T-1 line, computer lines, and data system, providing access to Palm Desert Police crime analysts, and providing access to manpower for sweeps. He noted that as the Valley continues to grow, gang violence continued to grow in certain areas. Although the Police Department had done a good job of keeping it out of Palm Desert, approval of a dedicated Palm Desert Gang Task Force Officer would allow the Department to continue doing so. Mrs. Gilligan asked if this was coming as the result of the CVAG Public Safety Commission or because the Police Department felt there was a great need. Lt. Thetford responded that the Police Department felt there was a need to be supportive of it; however, it was being driven by CVAG. He said the original request came from Councilman Spiegel, who sits on the CVAG Public Safety Commission. He added that this was a hot topic in the Coachella Valley for all of the Police Chiefs with officers on the Task Force. He added that it would definitely be beneficial to the City of Palm Desert. Commissioner Butzbach moved to, by Minute Motion, recommend to the City Manager acceptance of the proposed Police budget for Fiscal Year 2006107 in the amount of approximately $13,485,000, including Option 1 B for the K-9 Position and Option 2 for the dedicated Gang Task Force Position. Motion was seconded by Vice Chair Kirkwood and carried by a 4-0 vote, with Commissioner Nethery ABSENT. F. Consideration of Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2005/06 for Fire Services Upon question by Chairman Lebel, Chief Otero responded that the proposed budget was approximately ten percent higherthan last year, most of which was for the employee Memorandum of Understanding and a significant raise. He noted that as the contract would expire in June, he did not anticipate any significant increases in the next 7 APPROVED MINUTES PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION APRIL 12, 2006 several years. He said the Fire Department's truck company was shared by the Cities of Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, and Palm Desert. The amount shown on the proposed budget Exhibit "A" was the full cost to Palm Desert, and it did not show that Palm Desert would bill the other two cities approximately $500,000 for their share of the truck company. In addition, costs were also shared for the paramedic coordinator position, with Palm Desert paying 60%, Indian Wells 20%, and Rancho Mirage paying 20% (Palm Desert has three ambulances, while Indian Wells and Rancho Mirage has one each). Instead of the $8.2 million shown on Exhibit "A", the budget would actually be approximately $7.1 million. Chairman Lebel noted the separate memorandums/requests attached to the proposed budget . Chief Otero responded that the front page was primarily staffing and operations, while the other items would be direct bill to the City (primarily maintenance and repairs to City fire stations). Commissioner Larsh moved to, by Minute Motion, recommend to the City Manager acceptance of the proposed Fire Department budget for Fiscal Year 2006/07 as presented (including the additional maintenance and repair items noted in memorandums attached to the proposed budget) in the amount of approximately $7.1 million after billing the Cities of Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells for their share of the ladder truck company and paramedic coordinator position. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Butzbach and carried by a 4-0 vote, with Commissioner Nethery ABSENT. G. Consideration of 2006 Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Funding Proposal for Target Team Equipment Commissioner Butzbach moved to add this item to the Agenda. Motion was seconded by Vice Chair Kirkwood and carried by a 4-0 vote, with Commissioner Nethery ABSENT. Lt. Thetford reviewed his memorandum dated April 12, 2006, and offered to answer any questions. He noted it was time -sensitive, and he hoped to forward the Public Safety Commission recommendation to the City Council at its meeting of April 27, 2006. Vice Chair Kirkwood moved to, by Minute Motion, recommend that the Palm Desert City Council concur with the Police Department's proposal to accept approximately $11,000 in Edward Byrne Memorial - Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Funds for 2006 to fund the purchase of Target Team bicycles, one video camera, and three digital cameras for Patrol operations. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Larsh and carried by a 4-0 vote, with Commissioner Nethery ABSENT. APPROVED MINUTES PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION APRIL 12, 2006 VII. CONTINUED BUSINESS A. Consideration of Convenience Store Video Surveillance Ordinance (continued from the meeting of February 8, 2006) Lt. Thetford noted that he, Ms. Scully, and Code Compliance Manager Hart Ponder had met to discuss this matter. There were concerns relative to the ability of the City to make such an ordinance mandatory and retroactive for all businesses. Mr. Ponder suggested that the City could make this a proactive incentive program rather than penalizing businesses for not having video surveillance. He said they would like to come back to the Commission with details and a budget for a pilot incentive program with a limited amount of funds for a year to see if businesses will participate. Upon question by commissioner Butzbach relative to what the incentives would be, Lt. Thetford responded that perhaps the City could pay for a portion of the cost to install a video surveillance system. He suggested perhaps doing ten businesses for the pilot program for the first year and see what type of response is generated. If the pilot program receives a positive response, perhaps the City would then want to go and make it a more City-wide program. Mrs. Gilligan noted that funds for such a program would come from the City's General Fund. Commissioner Larsh moved to, by Minute Motion, direct staff to move forward with development of an incentive pilot program and report back to the Public Safety Commission. Motion was seconded by Vice Chair Kirkwood and carried by a 4-0 vote, with Commissioner Nethery ABSENT. Vill. OLD BUSINESS A. Report Relative to Weil Institute of Critical Care Medicine's "CPR Anytime" Training Kit Mr. Rosenblum reviewed his memorandum dated March 13, 2006, and offered to answer any questions. Commissioner Larsh moved to, by Minute Motion, receive and file the report. Motion was seconded by Vice Chair Kirkwood and carried by a 4-0 vote, with Commissioner Nethery ABSENT. APPROVED MINUTES PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION APRIL 12, 2006 IX. REPORT ON CITY COUNCIL ACTION (S) Mrs. Gilligan noted that the Telecommunications Act controls television services. The City of Palm Desert has a non-exclusive franchise with Time Warner, the result of which the City receives almost $1 million annually in franchise fees. She said the Federal Government will probably take over the franchising of cable companies and keep the money for itself if it can beat out the State of California, which is trying to do the same thing. That means Palm Desert would lose the franchise fees. The way the Federal legislation is worded right now, as long as a telephone company does not offer cable services within a community, the cable company must continue to pay franchise fees. However, as soon as a phone company comes in and provides that service, that requirement is gone. She added that the legislation is very confusing, and there are changes to the language every day, but it will have a significant impact on Palm Desert and other cities in the Coachella Valley. She said cities would be fighting this legislation from the National League of Cities standpoint for Federal and the League of California Cities for State. X. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Update on the Citizens on Patrol Program Mrs. Gilligan noted the Citizens on Patrol had some new trainees. She said there was a need to expand the program, as there was a real need to have some park patrol. She said there were some issues in the City Park (i.e., killing of animals, destruction of swan nests, etc), and situations like that could be reduced with the addition of uniformed Citizens on Patrol members and golf carts. Upon question by Commissioner Butzbach, she said staff would be making a recommendation to the City Manager for approval of two golf carts. Commissioner Butzbach noted that he would look into the possibility of getting several used golf carts donated. Mrs. Gilligan said a report would be provided to the Commission at its next meeting. She also suggested inviting two or three of the recent Academy graduates to the next Commission meeting to thank them and welcome them to the Palm Desert Citizens on Patrol program. 10 APPROVED MINUTES PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION APRIL 12, 2006 B. Code Violations Mrs. Gilligan suggested that Code Compliance Manager Hart Ponder attend the Public Safety Commission meetings on a quarterly basis to report on Code violations and other Code Compliance issues in the City. Mr. Ponder responded that he would be happy to do so. He noted his department had a very positive impact on the West Nile virus situation in the City of Palm Desert and had immediately eliminated all "green" pools. As a result, the County Health Officer said Palm Desert had the lowest rate of West Nile virus incidents in the Coachella Valley. XI. ADJOURNMENT Upon motion by Commissioner Butzbach, second by Vice Chair Kirkwood, and a 4-0 vote (with Commissioner Nethery ABSENT), Chairman Lebel adjourned the meeting at 5:18 p.m., with the next meeting scheduled to be held on May 10, 2006. Respectfully submitted, MARY P. GA S RECORDING ECRETARY 11