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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Sfty Cmsn - 05/13/09 i' CITY OF PALM DESERT .�--��-��~�, REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING : APPROVED MINUTES Wednesday, May 13, 2009 — 3:30 p.m. Administrative Conference Room I. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Nethery called the meeting to order at 3:30 p .m. II. ROLL CALL ���-�����-�,�;;���ILACT((}� �-�"��l�t(�i�l?[) ���'"+1��'.�� Present: t?�.�[:iv�:����/� t��������:�t Commissioner James Butzbach�,��:.�,,��,���; t��aT � - Commissioner Gloria Kirkwood A����;. � � � Vice Chairman James Larsh �f��;�; ����� �— "`' Commissioner Rick Lebel AI������T; �i��� Chairman Martin Nethery Ap��;'�,�t�,T: ti!v � VEI216�tE�l) 13Y: l�.�r� Also Present: Originai an File with City Clcrk's Of`tice Sheila R. Gilligan, ACM/Community Services Lt. Andrew Shouse, Palm Desert Police Department Chief Dennis Dawson, Riverside County Fire Department Chief John Rios, Riverside County Fire Department Chief Jorge Rodriguez, Riverside County Fire Department Frankie Riddle, Director of Special Programs Steve Aryan, Assistant to the City Manager Hart Ponder, Code Compliance Manager Gary Rosenblum, Risk Manager Pat Scully, Senior Management Analyst Ryan Stendell, Senior Management Analyst Mary P. LaCross, Recording Secretary II1. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING MAY 13, 2009 IV. PRESENTATIONS A. Presentation Relative to "Every 15 Minutes" Program at Palm Desert High School Lt. Shouse provided the Commissioners with copies of the DVD that was made of this program. B. CERT Program Slide Presentation Mr. Stendell gave a brief slide presentation of the recent CERT training sessions, noting that semi-annual meetings would be held to keep the groups active. C. Demonstration of New Canine Skills by Officers Steve Rivera and Van Snapp Deputy Rivera demonstrated the new training that he and Canine Van Snapp had just completed, noting that Van Snapp's initial alert training was "aggressive," where he would scratch when drugs were found. His new alert was "passive," where he sits and stares at the location of the drugs. V. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Minutes of the Public Safety Commission Meetings of March 11 and April 8, 2009 Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. B. Palm Desert Fire Services Monthly Report for March 2009 Pulled from the Consent Calendar for separate consideration under Section VI, Consent Items Held Over. Please see that portion of the Minutes for Commission discussion and action. C. Palm Desert Special Enforcement Teams Monthly Statistics for April 2009 Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. 2 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING MAY 13, 2009 D. Traffic Team Report for April 2009 -- Includes Traffic Collision Statistics for March 2009 and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Statistics for April 2009 Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. E. Business District Team Report—April 2009 Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. F. Canine Report—April 2009 Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. G. Coachella Valley Violent Crime Gang Task Force Report for April 2009 Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. Commissioner Lebel asked that Item B be removed for separate consideration under Section VI, Consent Items Held Over. Upon motion by Commissioner Lebel, second by Vice Chairman Larsh, the remainder of the Consent Calendar was approved as presented by a 5-0 vote. VI. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER B. Palm Desert Fire Services Monthly Report for March 2009 Commissioner Lebel stated that Page 6 of this report indicated Chief Dawson had announced his retirement effective June 1, 2009, after 37 years with Cal Fire. He expressed his appreciation to Chief Dawson for his years of service. Chairman Nethery added that the Commissioners would miss Chief Dawson and appreciated the job he had done. Commissioner Butzbach moved to, by Minute Motion, receive and file the Palm Desert Fire Services monthly report for March 2009. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and carried by a 5-0 vote. 3 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING MAY 13, 2009 VII. NEW BUSINESS A. Request for Consideration of Continued Funding of the CERT Program in Fiscal Year 2009/2010 Mr. Stendell reviewed his report, noting that staff had a much better idea now of the costs for doing this training because of the two classes that had recently been held. He said it was hoped the City could recoup some of the costs with various grants such as the Homeland Security grant and Emergency Managers' grant. He noted that with regard to the Homeland Security grant, there was an allocation of approximately $6,000 set aside for Palm Desert if the grant is approved. Commissioner Lebel said the report indicated that, excluding any cost recovery and grants, it would be approximately $39,000 to run three CERT classes next year. Mr. Stendell agreed but noted that figure included a one-time expense of approximately $15,000 to cover the equipment purchase for the CERT program. He added that OES (Office of Emergency Services) had loaned its trailer to the City for the classes already held at College of the Desert, but it was necessary for the City to obtain its own equipment. He said that equipment would be valuable in other areas besides CERT. He added that with the recoveries and grants, the cost would be approximately $6,000 per class Chairman Nethery added that without any grants, the cost would be about $8,000 per class. Commissioner Lebel said he felt this program was very beneficial to the community, although we may or may not ever see the full potential use of this program if there is no disaster; however, he felt it was important for the Public Safety Commission to recommend to the City Council the continuation of this program for the City of Palm Desert. Upon question by Commissioner Butzbach, Mr. Stendell responded that the plan was to work with College of the Desert in the summer to come up with a schedule of classes and then use all of the advertising programs that COD has in place to get people to sign up. Registration would be through the COD website, and it was 4 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING MAY 13, 2009 anticipated classes would be held in November before the holidays and again toward the end of April before it gets too hot. Upon question by Commissioner Lebel, he said COD was very enthusiastic about this program and had expressed interest in helping the City any way it could. Mrs. Gilligan asked how COD would know it was Palm Desert residents who were benefitting and registering for the program. Mr. Stendell responded that the contract indicates that people who register for the class must be residents of Palm Desert only, and he would make sure a report is received from the College showing who was registered and where they resided. Mr. Rosenblum added that an exception was made for residents of Sun City Palm Desert. Chairman Nethery said it would not make sense to spend $15,000 for equipment unless the City was committed to doing this program for more than one year. He said he felt this needed to be at least a three-, four-, or five-year commitment. Commissioner asked whether the $6,000 class charge was a reduced cost for the City of Palm Desert. Mr. Stendell responded that it was a reduced fee, and another city coming in would probably be charged more. The program was tailored so that other cities could come in with their own contracts. Vice Chairman Larsh asked whether COD was going to purchase any equipment. Mr. Stendell responded that COD would not purchase any equipment, and anyone who wants this program will have to have their own equipment or perhaps use the City of Palm Desert's equipment at a cost. Chairman Nethery suggested locking in with COD for several years at this level. Mr. Stendell responded that the maximum time the City usually contracts is one year with an additional one-year extension so that future City Councils are not locked in. , Upon further question by Commissioner Lebel, Mr. Stendell responded that the $6,000 would cover the facility, instructors, supplies and materials. Commissioner Lebel moved to, by Minute Motion, recommend to the Palm Desert City Council approval of funding for the CERT Program in Fiscal Year 2009/2010. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Butzbach and carried by a 5-0 vote. 5 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING MAY 13, 2009 VIII. CONTINUED BUSINESS None IX. OLD BUSINESS A. Update on City Council Direction Relative to Police and Fire Budgets for Fiscal Year 2009/2010 Mrs. Gilligan noted that the Council had met in Study Session to review the proposed budgets for Fiscal Year 2009/2010. Staff provided to the Council the verbatim transcript of the meeting where the Public Safety Commission reviewed the proposed Police and Fire budgets, and the Council decided not only to keep the status quo and not make any reductions but to add a Narcotics Task Force officer. She expressed appreciation to the Commission for its work and valuable input. Upon question by Commissioner Lebel, Mrs. Gilligan responded that the Council appreciated the annual reports that are provided, and a comment was made that every committee and commission should do the same thing. She added that all of the annual reports (Public Safety Commission, Police, Fire, and Public Safety Subcommittee) had been put on the City's website. No action was taken or necessary on this item. X. REPORT ON CITY COUNCIL ACTION (S) None XI. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Citizens on Patrol Program 1. Monthly Reports for March 2009 (Continued from the meeting of April 8, 2009) and April 2009 Ms. Riddle reviewed the reports, noting that there were currently 34 COPS members. 6 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING MAY 13, 2009 B. Legislative Update 1. ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) CHRP (COPS Hiring Recovery Program) — continued from the meeting of April 8, 2009 Ms. Scully noted that she and Lt. Shouse had looked into the possibility of applying for funds through the stimulus package; however, the City did not qualify for this program. 2. SB663 — Low Speed Vehicle Pilot Program — continued from the meeting of April 8, 2009 Ms. Scully noted that this had been made a finro-year bill due to some technical snags with regard to the Vehicle Code, etc. She said it received such a positive response at the CVAG Executive Committee that the cities of Rancho Mirage, Palm Springs, and Indio had all requested to be added to the legislation, and the City of Palm Desert would be spearheading that effort over the next several months. C. Police and Fire Departments Chief Rios noted that, with regard to the recent vehicle fire at College of the Desert, the injured cadet involved was transported, treated, and released. He said the injury was no worse than a bad case of sunburn. Lt. Shouse added that it was a County vehicle that was involved. He said the Public Safety Academy was conducting training on Sunday and doing various scenarios. At one point, a role player, who was also at the Public Safety Academy, went to move one of the Sheriff Department vehicles. As he went to start the vehicle, he smelled a gas type odor, and there was a flash type fire. A cadet received first and second degree burns over approximately 40% of his body — arms, legs, face — like a severe sunburn. He was taken to the hospital, stayed overnight, and was released the next day. He said he could not report on the cause of the explosion and did not know the final outcome but believed it to be accidental. 7 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING MAY 13, 2009 D. Staff 1. Report Relative to Video Surveillance Pilot Program — continued from the meeting of April 8, 2009 (Pat Scully) Chairman Nethery noted the report in the packets from Ms. Scully and said he felt it was a very good report. Ms. Gilligan noted that surveillance had been added at the City's Visitor Center. She said a very unfortunate accident had taken place recently in the parking lot near Cuistot where someone had committed suicide. The Police Department, Fire Department, and City staff reacted exactly the way they should have in responding to such an unfortunate situation. Upon question by Vice Chairman Larsh, Ms. Scully noted that approximately three times as many applications for the video surveillance pilot program were issued as were returned. One of the biggest problems was that some of the applications got into the hands of people who went up and down EI Paseo telling businesses they were the official provider of the video surveillance equipment, which was not true. She said at this time there was no waiting list for this program. Because no new applications had been received for several months, staff felt it had accomplished what it wanted with this program, and no additional funding was requested in the upcoming fiscal year budget. Vice Chairman Larsh moved to, by Minute Motion, receive and file the report. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and carried by a 5-0 vote. 2. Report Relative to Code Compliance Department Activities (Hart Ponder) a. Quarterly Report— January to March 2009 Mr. Ponder reviewed his report and offered to answer any questions. Vice Chairman Larsh moved to, by Minute Motion, receive and file the Code Compliance Department Activity report. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and carried by a 5-0 vote. 8 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING MAY 13, 2009 b. Tobacco Youth Decoy Program Chairman Nethery said he felt this was a good report. Upon question by Chairman Nethery, Mrs. Gilligan suggested that the Commission receive and file this report with a comment that the retailers listed in the report have received firm notice from the City about the potential for fines in the future for repeat violators. Commissioner Butzbach asked whether there was any plan for Code Enforcement or the Police Department to have a similar sting operation regarding sale of alcohol to minors. Lt. Shouse responded that the Police Department typically works with ABC (Alcohol and Beverage Control) on these types of things. While there were no immediate plans to do a decoy operation, he said this was something the Police Department could look at. Commissioner Butzbach moved to, by Minute Motion, receive and file the report. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and carried by a 5-0 vote. 3. Oral Report from Senior Management Analyst Relative to Possibility of Changing POST (Peace Officer Standards & Training) Rules Disallowing Reimbursement to Contract Cities (Pat Scully) Ms. Scully noted that she had spoken with Senator Benoit and Assemblyman Nestande regarding this issue. Both of them understood the issue and appeared supportive of changing the legislation; however, it was something the City would have to spearhead to get the legislation changed. She said if the Commission wished, this matter could be referred to the Legislative Review Committee to see if this was something the City would want to undertake. Upon question by Chairman Nethery, Lt. Shouse noted that POST allows for reimbursement to law enforcement agencies only. In the case of cities that contract for law enforcement services (like Palm Desert does with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department), POST would only allow for reimbursement to the law enforcement agencies and not the 9 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING MAY 13, 2009 individual cities. He said the Sheriff's Department requests reimbursement from POST for basic law enforcement training, such as the Academy and other routine in-service training that is required of a basic peace officer. There is additional training over and above the basic training that is paid for by the City, but the City cannot be reimbursed for that by POST because it is not a law enforcement agency. If the City had its own police department, it could be reimbursed. In the case of motor training, Palm Desert's officers are sent to San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department for training. San Bernardino County does not charge for tuition and instead directly bills POST after the officer graduates. Chairman Nethery stated that basically contract cities are being treated differently in terms of reimbursement than cities that have their own police departments. Commissioner Kirkwood moved to, by Minute Motion, request that the Legislative Review Committee review this matter and take to the City Council a recommendation from the Public Safety Commission that the City look into the possibility of legislation to treat contract cities the same as cities with their own law enforcement departments. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Butzbach and carried by a 5-0 vote. 4. Report on Emergency Use Satellite Phones: Palm Desert's 12 Active Phones' Service to be Discontinued and a Plan for Their Disposition (Gary Rosenblum) Chairman Nethery stated that the report indicated staff was exploring options as far as what to do with these portable satellite phones. He asked that Risk Manager Gary Rosenblum keep the Commission updated as to what decision is made. Commissioner Lebel noted that he and Mr. Rosenblum had a conversation approximately a year ago about satellite phones and whether their value was limited. He asked whether the problem was just with the particular provider. Mr. Rosenblum responded that this was a budgeting issue. He said the City would be left with the hardware but would not be purchasing the service. If, in the future, the City goes back to satellite, new phones will have to be purchased because of technology. Instead of disposing of the current phones, staff felt they could be given to the Police Department or the Fire Department. Upon further question by Commissioner Lebel 10 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING MAY 13, 2009 regarding the limitations of these phones, Mr. Rosenblum said there were very few vendors that provided satellite service. Commissioner Lebel moved to, by Minute Motion, receive and file the report. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and carried by a 5-0 vote. 5. Update on Swine Flu (H1 N1) Outbreak (Gary Rosenblum) Mr. Rosenblum noted that the Swine Flu outbreak was not as bad as first feared. The other good news was that the public health system for responding to global pandemics seemed to be working very well. Because of the effort that went into gearing up for the Avian Flu pandemic a few years ago, a lot of procedures were put into place and actually used in this case. Fortunately, it turned out that the flu virus was not as contagious and not as deadly as it could have been. The system for alerting people (global response, Federal government response, local agency response, etc.) all went into effect and seemed to work very well. He added that the Swine Flu was currently in 45 states in the United States and 33 countries. A vaccine was being developed, but it would probably not be ready for at least six months. Vice Chairman Larsh moved to, by Minute Motion, receive and file the report. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and carried by a 5-0 vote. 6. Report on New CNG Ambulance (Steve Aryan) Mr. Aryan noted that at its February meeting, the Public Safety Commission recommended to the City Council refurbishment of the medic unit serving Fire Station 71 on Portola and Country Club. Council gave direction to staff to move forward and look at the feasibility of purchasing a new CNG/alternate fuel vehicle. A group was formed consisting of City staff, Fire Department, a consultant, and industry experts. He said this was a first of its kind program, as staff could not find any other city in the country that had done this. The group's consensus was that the City would best be served by a 2009 Ford E450, which had a larger chassis to accommodate the weight of the fuel tank. He distributed a photo of the proposed vehicle, noting that it would not be black in color but would instead be red to make it more identifiable as a Fire Department medic unit. One concern previously expressed was the range of such a vehicle, but the Fire Department had a policy of keeping its vehicle fuel tanks at least half full at all times. Given the nearby location of the 11 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING MAY 13, 2009 hospitals and 24-hour accessibility of the fueling station once the structure is in place, that was no longer a concern. He said if Council agrees next meeting to go forward with this proposal, the new unit should be ready by the end of summer or early fall of 2009. He said he felt it would bring a lot of positive attention to the City and the Fire Department. Upon question by Chairman Nethery, Mr. Aryan said staff proposed to have a six-month pilot program in order to identify and mitigate any issues that might arise. For that pilot program, staff was not recommending any infrastructure additions. Once the program was in place, staff was recommending a fast fill at Station 33 (Town Center), with a slow fill system at the other stations. In the interim, with this pilot program, there were different refueling stations in the Valley, including one at Burrtec and at stations in 1000 Palms, Indio, Cathedral City, and Palm Springs. Upon question by Commissioner Lebel, Mr. Aryan stated that this was for a complete vehicle rather than just a new chassis. It would be just like a regular ambulance but with CNG fuel. Chief Dawson added that the box would be approximately two feet longer than a regular ambulance. Mr. Aryan added that the cost difference between a CNG ambulance and a regular fuel ambulance was approximately $40,000. No action was taken on this matter by the Public Safety Commission — information item only. 12 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING MAY 13, 2009 E. Public Safety Commissioners 1. Commissioner Kirkwood thanked Chief Dennis Dawson for Chief Steve Brooker's participation in the recent CERT training held for the Community Association Institute and the Resort Communities Security Association. She said it was very well- received and well-attended (approximately 170 people). XII. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Lebel moved to adjourn the meeting at 4:55 p.m. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Butzbach and carried by a 5-0 vote. �� Mary P. La o , Recording Secretary 13