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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Sfty Cmsn - 02/10/10 «� �, ! �,*.. I� � � �`r,� ; � a � ! � � /� � 1 ���- i ! CITY OF PALM DESERT � I �� , ; � REGULAR � ' y PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION ME�'�1 �,� � �: � APPROVED MINUTES �: ; a ;� � � � Wednesday, February 10, 2010 — 3:3�p. . � � Administrative Conference Roo� � ;� v .. L CALL TO ORDER � _ � '� Uc�, o � = � � w Chair Larsh called the meeting to order at 3:35 p.r� �; � v �. _ � e C ? > z .,, E;,; 7 w o G �"` "'i �"° r II. ROLLCALL �. � �; � fv � � �w- = E.. � V �' t:: �-' ✓; v.� w �on Present: Absent: U4C� � Qz ¢ Q > O Commissioner James Butzbach Commissioner Martin Nethery Commissioner Gloria Kirkwood Chairman James Larsh Vice Chairman Rick Lebel III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Josanne Crisp, 77065 Florida Avenue, Palm Desert, addressed the Commission. She gave a brief overview of the Palm Desert Country Club's Homeowners Association's first Family Fair. The purpose for the Fair was to bring together their community. The Fair gave residents an opportunity to get acquainted in an atmosphere of fun, and games. There were food vendors and vendors with a slant toward living green, as well as emergency information handouts. She called attention to the hero's that attended the Fair, police department, volunteers, vendors, etc. Although the Fair was a big success, she said the Fire Department was greatly missed. She extended an invitation to the Fire Department to attend the next Family Fair scheduled for Saturday, April 24, 2010. Ms. Crisp thanked the Commissioners for their time. IV. PRESENTATIONS A. Kevin McNally— Certificate of Achievement Chairman Larsh presented the Certificate of Achievement Certificate to Kevin McNally. Mr. Larsh thanked Mr. McNally for everything he does for the Department. Kevin McNally stated it was a privilege and an honor to serve. APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 10, 2010 Vice Chairman Lebel commented that there are few people who stand out in an organization and Mr. McNally was one of those people. The Commissioners notice and appreciate his commitment and dedication. B. CNG Ambulance Chairman Larsh adjourned the meeting to the Palm Desert Civic Center parking lot so that the Commissioners, guests and staff could view the new CNG Ambulance. V. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Minutes of the Public Safety Commission Meeting of January 13, 2010 Rec: Approve as presented. B. Palm Desert Fire Services Monthly Report for December 2009 Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. C. Pafm Desert Special Enforcement Team Monthly Report for January 2010 Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. D. Traffic Team Report for January 2010 -- Includes Traffic Collision Statistics for December 2009 and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Statistics for January 2010 Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. E. Business District Team Report— January 2010 Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. F. Canine Report— January 2010 Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. G. Coachella Valley Violent Crime Gang Task Force Report for January 2010 Upon motion by Vice Chairman Lebel, and seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood, the remainder of the Consent Calendar was approved as presented by a vote of 4-0. 2 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 10, 2010 VI. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER A. Minutes of the Public Safety Commission meeting of January 13, 2010 Commissioner Kirkwood requested changes to the minutes regarding the spelling of her name. Vice Chairman Lebel made a couple of changes also. Vice Chairman Lebel moved to, by Minute Motion, approve the minutes of the January 13, 2010, meeting as corrected. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and carried 4-0. VII. NEW BUSINESS A. Coachella Valley Regional Earthquake Warning System Chairman Larsh asked if everyone had an opportunity to look over the materials and if there were any comments. There were none. Vice Chairman Lebel moved, by Minute Motion, to support the passage of the CREWS Support Model Resolution by the City Council. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and carried 4-0. B. Coachella Valley Narcotics Task Force —January 2010 Upon question by Chairman Larsh, Lt. Shouse responded that there was one officer assigned to the Narcotics Task Force. He stated that in the future, the report will be included with the routine reports in the Public Safety Agenda packet. He wanted to draw attention to this particular report because it will be heavily redacted due to the sensitive nature of investigations conducted by the Narcotics Task Force. This report will not be as detailed as the Gang Task Force report due to the sensitive nature of disclosing information about these investigations to the public would be detrimental to those investigations. Upon inquiry by Vice Chairman Lebel, Lt. Shouse responded that names will be disclosed when no further investigation is being done on that subject person. 3 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 10, 2010 Vice Chairman Lebel moved, by Minute Motion, to receive and file the Coachella Valley Narcotics Task Force report. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and carried 4-0. C. Request to expend funds for purchase of File For Life materials. A discussion was held regarding the File of Life Foundation's registered trademark. Lt. Shouse explained that the program began at the Palm Desert Police Department in 2005. At that time, the Department purchased 5,000 packets, which has taken five years to distribute. After researching various vendors and receiving quotes, he recommended that the Department continue the program as it currently exists. He recognized that there were some additional costs to do that; however, he thought it was important to maintain consistency with the program. Upon inquiry by Chairman Larsh, Lt. Shouse responded that all costs would be paid from CAL Cops funds. He also stated that the purchase of 1,000 packets would be more reasonable than the cost of 5,000. Upon inquiry by Chairman Larsh, Lt. Shouse responded that the File For Life materials were distributed at Police Substations by its CSO I staff. They have not advertised lately, but it would be prudent to do so in order to draw attention to the Program. Upon inquiry by Stephen Aryan, Lt. Shouse responded that they were completely out of materials. He would check with the vendor to see if they could get them printed before the Family Safety Festival in March. Upon inquiry by Commissioner Butzbach, Lt. Shouse responded that they probably did distribute mass quantities to the community and he did not think they would distribute 1,000 in a year. He was also concerned about expending that amount of money for 5,000, when he felt ordering 1,000 would be adequate. Vice Chairman Lebel moved, by Minute Motion, to authorize the total cost of $2,297.46 for File For Life materials expending CAL Cops funds, upon the contingency that the materials be viewed by the City Attorney and receive his approval. Motion seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and approved 4-0. 4 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 10, 2010 D. Authorized Motorcycle Repair Center List Upon inquiry by Chairman Larsh, Lt. Shouse responded that the three new Honda motorcycles were under warranty. The 2004 BMW motorcycles were out of warranty and were a little more expensive to service. Lt. Shouse stated that the list contains all authorized repair centers and dealers. The Hondas were purchased at Huntington Beach Honda. We have had great luck with the Hondas we purchased. We have had several issues with the electronics on those motorcycles and will have to make some modifications to those bikes to get them functioning properly. Huntington Beach Honda is one of the top two police bike distributors in Southern California. They have done a great job for us. In fact, when we were purchasing the bikes the owner called me personally and wanted to make sure that we were happy. Upon inquiry by Commissioner Butzbach, Lt. Shouse responded that a Sheriff's truck and trailer take the bikes to Huntington Beach Honda for repair. There is a back-up motor when others are in the repair shop. Commissioner Kirkwood moved, by Minute Motion, to recommend that City Council authorize staff to utilize vendors on the Authorized Motorcycle Repair Center List for repairs to city-owned motorcycles. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Butzbach and carried 4-0. E. Request to expend funds for purchase of Surveillance Items Lt. Shouse reported the Department receives $100,000 annually in CAL Cops funds. To date, they have expended $32,000 for the Holiday Theft Suppression program and $24,000 to $25,000 for other miscellaneous items. There was also a carry over of about $20,000 from last year. Commissioner Butzbach moved, by Minute Motion, to recommend the purchase of surveillance equipment in the amount of $1,149.00 to support front line law enforcement officers to be expended from CAL Cops funds. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and carried 4-0. F. Request to expend funds for California lnjury Prevention Network Conference at the San Francisco Airport Marriott (Burlingame, CA) March 14-16, 2010 Lt. Shouse reported that a grant from the San Diego State University Research Foundation, in the amount of $272, can be 5 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 10, 2010 used for part of the cost of this training. There is a requirement in the grant that states that a governing body's approval of using the grant funds for training be included in the grant application. Commissioner Kirkwood moved, by Minute Motion, to approve the grant from SDSU Research Foundation in the amount of $272, and authorize the total cost of the training conference in the amount of $718.93 to be expended from CAL Cops funds and said grant. Motion seconded by Commissioner Butzbach and carried 4-0. VIII. CONTINUED BUSINESS G. Report on Police Officers Standards & Training (POST) Reimbursement (Update to April 1, 2009, report) Lt. Shouse stated that initially they tried to deal with this issue internally through administrative procedures. The City Manager asked that the Department retroactively bill the City so that any Post reimbursement, which is eligible to be received by the Sheriff's Department, be captured, and the City will not have to pay for that expense. Commissioner Butzbach thanked Lt. Shouse, Mr. Aryan and Mr. Rosenblum for looking into the Post reimbursement matter. He was very happy with the results. Commissioner Butzbach moved, by Minute Motion, to receive and file. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and carried 4-0. IX. OLD BUSINESS None X. REPORT ON CITY COUNCIL ACTION (S) A. Pool Safety Ordinance — Stephen Aryan Mr. Aryan reported that the Pool Safety Ordinance was continued to the City Council meeting of February 11, 2010, so that Council member Kelly would be present to hear the discussion. XI. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Citizens on Patrol Program 1. Monthly Report for January 2010 6 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 10, 2010 2. COPS Caller Newsletters Chairman Larsh reported that he read with fascination the COPS Caller Newsletter and found it to be very beneficial. Upon inquiry by Chairman Larsh, Mr. Aryan responded that it was being distributed to the City Council. Chairman Larsh stated that he believed the citizens of Palm Desert should be receiving the COPS Caller Newsletter. Commissioner Kirkwood also thought the information was very informative and would be valuable to the residents. Commissioner Butzbach inquired as to whether it could be duplicated and included with the Palm Desert Post (Palm Desert edition). Mr. Aryan said that that could be investigated; however, it may be cost prohibitive. A discussion ensued about the means in which the COPS Caller Newsletter could be available to the residents of the City. Ms. Riddle stated that the Newsletter would be available on the City's website. B. Legislative Update Gary Rosenblum reported that bill AB 36 h was submitted regarding a surcharge on commercial and residential property insurance of a certain percentage to create funding for a State Fund for emergency services, mitigation and outreach. It would pay for a wide variety of items relating to fire and disasters. It started out as a concept to help the State Fund wildfire costs, but has been expanded to also include earthquake disaster issues as well as other items. He said the City would be tracking that bill. Upon inquiry of Vice Chairman Lebel, Mr. Rosenblum responded that the fund would be administered by the Office of Emergency Services. It is an additional revenue source, a non-taxed fee surcharge based on the cost of your property insurance. The money would go to the insurance company who would then deliver it to the State. Mr. Rosenblum stated that he was sure that the League of California Cities would be tracking this bill. 7 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 10, 2010 C. Police and Fire Departments 1. 2009 Holiday Theft Suppression Program Report — Lt. Shouse Lt. Shouse summarized the effectiveness of this year's program. For the past three years there has been a consistent decline in calls for service during the Holiday Theft Suppression Program period. There has been a 16% reduction in calls for service this year. Having said that, it looks like crime in Palm Desert is going to be down again in 2009, as well as many other cities in the Valley. The good news was that he believed the Program was effective during the holidays. His recommendation would be that they continue the Program as long as there was funding for it in the CAL Cops budget next year. 2. Request to expend funds for Basic Motorcycle Academy Training at the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department's EVOC Center (San Bernardino, CA) January 11-22, 2010 Mr. Aryan stated that the event was held during the week � of the last Public Safety Commission meeting so there was insufficient time to bring it forward. . Lt. Shouse reported that the Police Department just filled its last vacant motor position with Cpl. Troy Lawrence. A former Palm Desert Police Officer and mator here in Palm Desert. He has been working with the Special Enforcement Bureau (SWAT) Team for the past couple of years and just transferred back to Palm Desert. He is fully motor trained so they will not have to send him to motor school. He has been to several traffic collision schools already and will actually save the Department those costs for training. He is also the husband of a city employee. Upon inquiry by Chairman Larsh, Lt. Shouse responded that rental fees for the motorcycles were very expensive. They are rented for pre-training and rented again during the training courses so they don't crash their own bikes. The officers's going through the course drop and crash the bikes moving at low speeds and it's less expensive to rent than to replace them. 8 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 10, 2010 Upon inquiry by Commissioner Butzbach, Lt. Shouse responded that the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department provides the training. D. Staff 1. CNG Desert Sun article — S. Aryan Mr. Aryan spoke to the article that was in the Palm Desert Sun. 2. K-9 Trials — S. Aryan Mr. Aryan reported that staff has met with the Riverside Sheriff's K-9 Association. The Annual K-9 Trials will be held in Palm Desert this November 12-13. 3. Family Safety Festival — S. Aryan Mr. Aryan reported that the date for the Family Safety Festival was scheduled for March 27, 2010. The Festival will be held at the Civic Center Park from 9 to 1 p.m. 4. Update on Joe Mann Park Incidents (Phyllis Harkins) — S. Aryan Mr. Aryan reported that he and Lt. Shouse meet with Ms. Harkins and Robin Brianda. They had a good discussion regarding the excellent relationship they already have with the police and what they could further do to eliminate the perception of crime in that area. On March 20, at 8:30 a.m. the annual Palm Desert County Club Association neighborhood watch pancake breakfast will be held at their clubhouse. The Sheriff's Department, staff and Public Safety Commissioner's are invited to attend the breakfast. Ms. Harkins was very pleased with the meeting and felt it was very productive. It covered a wide range of ideas and she gathered and learned a lot of information from the meeting. 5. Annual Reports — S. Aryan Mr. Aryan stated that Police and Fire Department annual reports will be on the March 10 agenda. 9 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 10, 2010 As a side, he spoke with Ms. Crisp after her comments and exchanged information with her regarding their upcoming fair, which will be held on April 24, 2010. He spoke with Chief Cooley and they will have fire apparatus there for the public to view. The Fair will be held from 11 to 3 p.m. E. Public Safety Commission None XII. ADJOURNMENT Chairman Larsh moved to adjourn the meeting at 4:35 p.m., seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood, and approved 4-0. ; C���( �7� ��� L i Wimbish, Recording Secretary 10