Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Safety Cmte - 10/08/08 CITY OF PALM DESERT ; �, �/"�-.. �"'�� I ,,a � REGULAR � o PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING � � � x c.f APPROVED MINUTES v � Wednesday, October 8, 2008 —3:30 p.m. w a � Administrative Conference Room z x I � Ao o � .. , o � , � N � s Qa� I. CALL TO ORDER � � Y�-+ a ?� w � . Chair Kirkwood convened the meeting at 3:30 p.m. z � � ' �. o � . II. ROLL CALL � y y �� �; � � � O F'� H e o •• � K� �1 "r� v'�'+ (1'i [�1 E� LQ 1� s's� E� H b) Present: Absent• �' a � � � �' �' � � •�' :� ww wr+ � � �: w s� � � a �: �; .': �=, �'v ,"'r :', Commissioner James Butzbach Vice Chairman Martin Nethery Commissioner James Larsh Commissioner Rick Lebel Chair Gloria Kirkwood Also Present: Councilmember Cindy Finerty Councilman Richard S. Kelly Sheila R. Gilligan, ACM/Community Services Division Lt. Frank Taylor, Palm Desert Police Department Lt. Andrew Shouse, Palm Desert Police Department Chief Dennis Dawson, Riverside County Fire Department Chief John Rios, Riverside County Fire Department Gary Rosenblum, Risk Manager Pat Scully, Senior Management Analyst Mary P. Gates, Recording Secretary III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None Lt. Taylor noted that he had recently been transferred to the Indio Station, and he introduced the City's new Assistant Chief of Police, Lt. Andrew Shouse. APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING OCTOBER 8, 2008 Deputy Steve Rivera reported that Van Snapp had recently graduated from narcotics school and had been trained to alert to the odor of heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana. He said some items were hidden in the conference room prior to the meeting (i.e., a cotton swab that was inside a marijuana bag; a jar with an ounce of marijuana) , and he showed how commands are given to Van Snapp to search specific areas. Van Snapp was able to immediately locate both items when given the commands to search. Deputy Rivera added that the K-9 Trials were scheduled to be held in Temecula November 14-15, 2008, and Van Snapp would be competing. Chair Kirkwood suspended the remainder of the Agenda at this point for consideration of New Business Item H. Please see that portion of the Minutes. IV. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Minutes of the Public Safety Commission Meeting of September 10, 2008 Rec: Approve as presented. B. I nformational Items: 1. Correspondence Relative to O�ce of Traffic Safety (OTS) Approval of Traffic Safety Grant 2. Report Relative to Mini-Muster and 2008 Mini-Muster Schedule 3. Letter of Commendation from College of the Desert to the Fire Department for Outstanding and Professional Service Rec: Receive and file. Mrs. Gilligan asked that the Commission continue approval of the Minutes to its next meeting. Commissioner Butzbach moved to, by Minute Motion, continue Item A to the next meeting and approve the remainder of the Consent Calendar. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Lebel and carried by a 4-0 vote, with Vice Chairman Nethery ABSENT. 2 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING OCTOBER 8, 2008 V. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER None VI. NEW BUSINESS A. Palm Desert Fire Services Monthly Report for August 2008 Chief Dawson reviewed the report and offered to answer any questions. Commissioner Lebel noted that October 9, 2008, was the 137tn anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, which began the focus for Fire Prevention Week. Mrs. Gilligan added that at its meeting of October 9, 2008, the City Council would be presenting a proclamation declaring this week "Fire Prevention Week" in the City of Palm Desert. Commissioner Lebel moved to, by Minute Motion, receive and file the Palm Desert Fire Services monthly report for August 2008. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Larsh and carried by a 4-0 vote, with Vice Chairman Nethery ABSENT. B. Palm Desert Special Enforcement Teams Monthly Statistics for September 2008 Lt. Taylor reviewed the report. Commissioner Larsh moved to, by Minute Motion, receive and file the Palm Desert Special Enforcement Teams monthly statistics for September 2008. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Butzbach and carried by a 4-0 vote, with Vice Chairman Nethery ABSENT. C. Traffic Team Report for September 2008 -- Includes Traffic Collision Statistics for August 2008 and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Statistics for September 2008 Lt. Taylor reviewed the report, noting that the Department hoped to have all of the vacancies filled by December or January. Upon question by Councilmember Finerty, he responded that there were currently three vacancies. Commissioner Lebel stated that one statistic not reflected in the reports was the fa�t that during times of a down economy, the 3 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING OCTOBER 8, 2008 number of vehicle arsons increases. He said he would be interested to see if that happens. Commissioner Butzbach moved to, by Minute Motion, receive and file the Traffic Team report for September 2008. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Larsh and carried by a 4-0 vote, with Vice Chairman Nethery ABSENT. D. Business District Team Report— September 2008 Lt. Taylor reviewed significant activities of the Business District Team and noted that Deputy Hignight was scheduled to have shoulder surgery in the next month or so. Upon question by Chair Kirkwood, he responded that she would be back in time for the Holiday Suppression program but that she would probably not be replaced while she was out. Commissioner Lebel moved to, by Minute Motion, receive and file the Business District Team report for September 2008. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Butzbach and carried by a 4-0 vote, with Vice Chairman Nethery ABSENT. E. Canine Report— September 2008 Lt. Taylor reviewed the report, noting that Deputies Steve Rivera and Van Snapp were currently attending Narcotics School. Commissioner Larsh moved to, by Minute Motion, receive and file the Canine report for September 2008. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Butzbach and carried by a 4-0 vote, with Vice Chairman Nethery ABSENT. F. Coachella Valley Violent Crime Gang Task Force Report for September 2008 Lt. Taylor reviewed the report and offered to answer any questions. Commissioner Butzbach moved to, by Minute Motion, receive and file the Coachella Valley Violent Crime Gang Task Force report for Sep#ember 2008. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Lebel and carried by a 4-0 vote, with Vice Chairman Nethery ABSENT. 4 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING OCTOBER 8, 2008 G. Report from Police Department Relative to Part I Crimes Statistics (from the Meeting of September 10, 2008) Lt. Taylor asked that this matter be continued to the meeting of November 12, 2008, due to the recent assignment changes. He said Lt. Shouse would have a report for that meeting. Commissioner Butzbach moved to, by Minute Motion, continue this matter to the meeting of November 12, 2008. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Larsh and carried by a 4-0 vote, with Vice Chairman Nethery ABSENT. H. Presentation by FAE Kevin McNalley, Liaison to Fire Department Volunteer Company#71 Engineer McNalley introduced several members of Fire Department Volunteer Company #71: Ryan Martley (Firefighter), Saul Minarez (Firefighter), and Jody Wybly (Volunteer Firefighter and President of Volunteer Company in Palm Desert). He noted the company currently consisted of 15 volunteers, seven of whom were enrolled in medic school. He gave a brief slide presentation o#the program and offered to answer any questions. Commissioner Lebel asked how many volunteer hours are provided on an annual basis. Engineer McNally responded that the number of hours depends on the time of year. He said the volunteers participate in every special program the City has, and they average 400-600 hours per month. Mrs. Gilligan noted that when she started working for the City of Palm Desert in 1975, there was only one paid fire�ghter, and the rest of the company was volunteer. Until the City adopted the fire tax in 1981/82, volunteers were the main source of fire defense. I. Request for Acceptance of "Click It or Ticket" Mini-Grant Funding Supplied by the California Office of Tra�c Safety Lt. Taylor reviewed the report included in the packets. Commissioner Lebel moved to, by Minute Motion, recommend to the City Council acceptance of funding supplied by the California Office of Traffic Safety, specifically earmarked for implementation of the "Click It or Ticket" seat belt compliance program in the amount of $28,910.00. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Larsh and carried by a 4-0 vote, with Vice Chairman Nethery ABSENT. 5 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING OCTOBER 8, 2008 VII. CONTINUED BUSINESS None VIII. OLD BUSINESS None IX. REPORT ON CITY COUNCIL ACTION (S) Councilman Kelly noted that he was working with Putts #or Pets to raise money for the Animal Foundation, and he had volunteered to have Van Snapp visit them at lunch time. He said someone would be calling Lt. Taylor to make those arrangements. He felt this was a way to get some good publicity and raise money for animal control efforts. Lt. Taylor added that now that Deputies Steve Rivera and Van Snapp had returned from Narcotics Training, there was going to be an increase in the near future of tours and demonstrations at the elementary and middle schools in the City. Mrs. Gilligan noted that the City had recently had professional photographs taken of Officer Rivera and Van Snapp and would also have t-shirts made up for the schools. X. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Comments by Public Safety Commissioners 1. Commissioner Lebel updated the Commission on the issue raised at the last meeting dealing with CERT Training. He distributed a memorandum dated September 23, 2008, that he had sent to Gary Rosenblum, Ryan Stendell, Clayton Mayes of College of the Desert, and various Fire Department personnel (on file and of record in the Community Services Division). Mr. Rosenblum said because of progress made with College of the Desert, City staff would be pursuing that as its prime option right now. He said the consultant work would probably be taken off the CERT program and moved to the other program to train City employees. He said the next step would be to set up a meeting between the City and the people Commissioner Lebel mentioned in his report to set parameters as far as what can be done to move the program forward. 6 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING OCTOBER 8, 2008 Mrs. Gilligan noted that this was something the Public Safety Commission had been interested in for some time, and she felt it would be helpful to have a subcommittee of Public Safety Commission representatives, City Council, and staff to identify overall needs, goals, and objectives and work with College of the Desert to see if we can get a program going. Mr. Rosenblum noted that the report from the last Public Safety Commission meeting on this topic was on the Consent Calendar of the City Council Agenda for tomorrow's meeting with a recommendation to receive and file. He said he would be happy to have a formal meeting at some point in time. Councilmember Finerty noted that she still had issues as far as the emergency generators being available for rent. She added that she was looking for a more comprehensive emergency preparedness program. Mrs. Gilligan stated that, with Commission concurrence, staff would bring to a future meeting the presentation Mr. Rosenblum was making to the City Council tomorrow. In the meantime, she felt a subcommittee could go over the report and give an update on where we are, what has been done, etc. Councilmember Finerty suggested including Public Works Director Mark Greenwood on the subcommittee as well as someone from the Fire Department. Mrs. Gilligan suggested Chief Steve Brooker. With Commission concurrence, the subcommittee was formed to include Commissioner Lebel, Councilmember Cindy Finerty, Councilman Richard Kelly, Public Works Director Mark Greenwood, and Risk Manager Gary Rosenblum. 2. Commissioner Butzbach noted that the City Council recently approved the purchase of an additional base station for the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) that would be in direct contact with the security departments of private communities in the City. He said he already had his radios programmed at BigHorn, and he knew of other private communities that had done the same. He asked if there would be monthly tests, and Mr. Rosenblum responded that staff would try to do monthly testing. He said there was a lot of interest from other entities besides gated communities, and anyone who wished to purchase a radio with that frequency could join. He said we 7 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING OCTOBER 8, 2008 would have our own City-wide radio communication channel between the public and the City for emergencies. 3. Chair Kirkwood noted that Deputy Lauer recently made a presentation at a CAI (Community Association Institute) function. She said it was a wonderful presentation that was well-received. She said he was encouraged to write an article for their Community Association Forum magazine, as he had a lot of good information that would be beneficial for all of those people who were not able to attend. B. Citizens on Patrol Program 1. Monthly Report for September 2008 Mrs. Gilligan noted that the members of the Palm Desert Citizens on Patrol were working hard in the community. She said she had asked Captain Dan Wilham not to let this program go with the departure of Lt. Taylor, and he assured her the program would not go by the wayside because it is of great benefit to the community. C. Legislative Update Ms. Scully reviewed the report she provided to the Commission and offered to answer any questions. D. Comments by Police and Fire Departments 1. Chief Dawson noted that the Governor had recently signed a bill related to theft of fire hydrant parts. He said the thefts were increasing because of the amount of brass inside the parts. 2. Lt. Shouse said it was great to be part of the City of Palm Desert and the Public Safety Commission. He asked that the Commissioners contact him if there were any issues they would like him to look into. Mrs. Gilligan thanked Lt. Taylor for his service to the City of Palm Desert and said he had been a joy to work with. She noted that he was responsible for bringing many things to the City, including grants, license plate scanning, and K-9 Van Snapp. 8 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING OCTOBER 8, 2008 Lt. Taylor noted that he had been in law enforcement for 25 years, 15 of those in Palm Desert. He said he was proud of all the quality of life things that had been done in Palm Desert since he arrived, and he appreciated the opportunity to work with City Staff, the Public Safety Commission, and the citizens of Palm Desert. He said the last two years had been a most fun and most fulfilling time for him. He added that he believed Lt. Shouse would continue that tradition. 3. Lt. Taylor passed around one of the embedding devices to put microchips in cacti and plants. E. Comments by Staff 1. Reminder Relative to Annual Peace Officers and Public Safety Appreciation Day Awards Luncheon on November 25, 2008 Mrs. Gates reminded the Commission of the upcoming Annual Peace Officers and Public Safety Appreciation Day Awards Luncheon scheduled for November 25, 2008, and asked that Commissioners conta�t Karen Russo, the City Manager's Secretary, if they were interested in attending. 2. Mr. Rosenblum noted that the Emergency Operations Center was open and available if the Commission wished to take a brief tour following this meeting. XI. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Butzbach moved to adjourn the meeting at 5:15 p.m. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Lebel and carried by a 4-0 vote, with Vice Chairman Nethery ABSENT. � Mary P. G te , Recording Secretary 9