Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Sfty Cmsn - 10/13/2010 � � � r..�T,-.-� /'� : � CITY OF PALM DESERT I REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING APPROVED MINUTES Wednesday, October 13, 2010 — 3:30 p.m. Administrative Conference Room I. CALL TO ORDER Chairman James Larsh called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. II. ROLL CALL � � � " i Present: Absent: � � M � Commissioner James Butzbach Vice Chair R c L b I � � Commissioner Gloria Kirkwood I � Chairman James Larsh ;�, � Commissioner Martin Nethery `� o , �' Gzi � CJ =m: Also Present: � w � "" Assistant to the Cit Mana er � � � � `� � Stephen Aryan, y g �:, Frankie Riddle, Director of Special Programs ' � � � :J Lt. Andrew Shouse, Palm Desert Police Departm t � � u Chief Dorian Cooley, Riverside County Fire Dep�m n � =� Fire Marshall Steve Brooker, Riverside County Fi� e a ' � Lori Kritzer, Recording Secretary Q _ W - 3 � Q ` � w III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS � p A Q ; �,�� c = w � v UOw z zz � � None w �% �; �= � N •� � a„ v � w v �: .. ._ IV. PRESENTATIONS � a x � a � a e : c Citizens on Patrol (COPS) Public Service Announcement— Frankie Riddle Frankie Riddle announced that the Commissioners will be viewing the recently revised Public Service Announcement (PSA) for Citizens on Patrol. She said the PSA will be aired on Time Warner channels. Upon inquiry by Commissioner James Butzbach, Stephen Aryan responded that staff was working on migrating the Palm Desert Police APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING OCTOBER 13, 2010 DepartmenYs website into the City's website with an additional link. He believed that the PSA could be incorporated on that site. Commissioner Martin Nethery suggested that the PSA could have a link on the COPS web page. Ms. Riddle said that some COPS members would be going out to the gated communities to inquire about showing the PSA on those communities local television channel. V. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Minutes of the Public Safety Commission Meeting of September 8, 2010 B. Palm Desert Fire Services Monthly Report for August 2010 C. Palm Desert Police Department Specialized Units Monthly Report for September 2010 D. FBI Uniform Crime Report for 2009 Upon motion by Commissioner Gloria Kirkwood, seconded by Commissioner Nethery, the remainder of the Consent Calendar was approved as presented by a unanimous vote. VI. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER D. FBI Uniform Crime Report for 2009 Commissioner Butzbach congratulated Lt. Shouse and the men and women of the Palm Desert Police Department for their efforts and hard work ethic with regard to the City's lowest crime rate statistics in 14 years. Commissioner Kirkwood and Commissioner Nethery concurred with the comments of Commissioner Butzbach. Lt. Shouse thanked the Commissioners for their comments. He stated that his officers do a really great job. Crime, over all, was down throughout the United States. He said it was counterintuitive based on the economy as things get worse crime generally becomes more prevalent; however, the trend is that crime was moving downward. He said there was still a lot of work to do, but was pleased with the statistics and the downward trend. 2 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING OCTOBER 13, 2010 Commissioner Larsh complemented Lt. Shouse on the new design of the monthly report; it's easy to read. Lt. Shouse said they would continue the evolution by incorporating meaningful and informative information into the monthly report. Commissioner Butzbach moved, by Minute Motion, to receive and file the report. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and carried unanimously. VII. NEW BUSINESS 1. Recommendation to modifv United States Department of Justice BJA FY 2009 Recovery Act Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Proqram Local Solicitation (Award #2009-SB-B9- 0954 Lt. Shouse stated that grant funds were received last year as part of the Recovery Act passed by the Federal Government. The funds were initially designated for the following purchases: (1) an Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) card; and (2) funds for the Overtime Thief Suppression Program and the Vice Program. Both Programs were currently working very effectively without utilizing any Recovery Act monies. Lt. Shouse inquired of his sergeants what they needed in terms of equipment and they responded that they would like to update the older BMW motorcycles with enhanced wireless communication systems. Lt. Shouse introduced Cpl. Velasco and Officer Chlarson. Cpl. Velasco demonstrated how his current radio/communication . system operated. He stated that motor officers were usually first responders to a scene and it was difficult to do his job effectively with outdated equipment, i.e., handheld radios and the inability to remain connected to dispatch. Officer Chlarson uses the enhanced wireless communication system. He stated that his unit works like any blue tooth or cell phone wherein he can communicate directly from his helmet to his bike radio. He also has an ear piece and a mic as a back up system. He is always connected to dispatch; on or off his bike. Lt. Shouse added that further requests for modification of purchases were four ticket writers for the patrol cars and upgrades 3 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING OCTOBER 13, 2010 to two current Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) devices. Cpl. Velasco explained the difference between ticket writers and paper tickets. When an individual is stopped by an Officer, their driver's license is swiped and the ticket writer will download all of that individual's information. The ticket writer is more efficient and accurate than writing paper tickets. If the motorist does not have a California Driver's License the Officer will write a paper ticket. Lt. Shouse stated that the existing ALPRs were analog and the request is to upgrade them to digital. The photograph included in the staff report shows what the new ALPRs look like. The purchase of the ALPR would be the balance of the grant. Upon inquiry by Commissioner Kirkwood, Lt. Shouse responded that they have spent $6,958.98 of the grant. He said another part of this proposal was to spend $967.31 of Cal COPS funds because a little more was spent for helmets and car seats than was initially requested in the gcant. Upon inquiry by Commissioner Nethery, Lt. Shouse stated that he believed that they could sufficiently deal with any vice issues without dedicating any further monies by utilizing the SET Teams. Lt. Shouse asked that the Commissioners concur with staff's recommendation to modify the purchases originally allocated for the Grant. The modification would go back to the Federal Government and request that the Grant purchases be used for other purposes. Commissioner Nethery moved, by Minute Motion, to concur with the Police DepartmenYs recommendation to modify the program scope for the USDJ BJA FY 2009 Recovery Act Edward Byrne Memorial JAG Program Local Solicitation (Award #2009- SB-B9-0954); and concur with the Police Department's recommendation that an additional $967.31 in Cal COPS grant funds be used to complete the requested purchases. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and carried unanimously. 2. Every 15 Minute Program Funding Proposal for 2011 Lt. Shouse presented this program to the Cove Commission. The Commission voted to recommend that all three cities fund the program. He was now bringing the same request to the Commissioners. 4 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING OCTOBER 13, 2010 Upon inquiry by Commissioner Nethery, Lt. Shouse responded that this was the fifth time the program will be held. Commissioner Butzbach stated that he liked seeing the participation of fire and police not only on the street, but in the classrooms as well. Commissioner Butzbach moved, by Minute Motion, to approve the funding of the "Every 15 Minute" program. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and carried unanimously. 3. Shop with a Cop Funding Proposal — Christmas 2010 Commissioner Nethery commented that this was a great program. He inquired as to whether staff concurred with the staff report. Mr. Aryan responded, "Yes." The funds would come from the Police Department's existing contingency funding source. Lt. Shouse said that they went to the Cove Commission and asked for $2,000 to help fund the program, which would match the amount spent last year. The Cove Commission members were very impressed with the program and they voted to increase the recommendation to $10,000, which was great; however, taking 100 kids to Toys R Us would be extremely challenging logistically. He believed that they could take about 40 to 50 kids. So, they were recommending $5,000 to fund the program. Mr. Aryan reported that the City's share, based on the Cove Commission's formula, was approximately 70%. Commissioner Nethery said that would be $3,500. Lt. Shouse said they received word from Toys R Us that they were going to fund the program again for $1,000. So, that would leave $4,000 to be funded. Mr. Aryan stated that the City's cost would be around $2,800. Commissioner Nethery stated that it was such a great program and great public relations for the City. Lt. Shouse said he believed that Misty Reynolds showed pictures of last year's event. The parents and family members of the kids were very, very touched. It was a good day. 5 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING OCTOBER 13, 2010 Mr. Aryan stated that the "Every 15 Minute" and "Shop With a Cop programs wili be on the October 28, 2010, City Council agenda. Upon inquiry by Chair Larsh, Lt. Shouse said they used the COPS members last year and they enjoyed participating. Commissioner Nethery moved, by Minute Motion, to approve the funding for the "Shop With a Cop" program, not to exceed $2,800. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and carried unanimously. 4. Consideration of a Renovation Plan for Fire Station No. 33 (Project No. 613-09) and Fire Station No. 71 (Project No. 871-09) Mr. Aryan stated that the Renovation Plan for Fire Stations 33 and 71 were before them for their approval. Attached are the Fire DepartmenYs Proposed Renovation Priorities and the Fire Station Report from Public Safety Commissioner Rick Lebel. Both reports sited similar issues regarding renovation and repairs. Approximately $1.8 million has been budged under two separate RDA project areas. The City Manager has authorized approval of $1 million for these proposed renovations. Mr. Aryan stated that there has been constant raiding of the City's revenue stream, including RDA funds. The City has lost somewhere in the area of $25 million last year and there has been a shift in the need for capital projects. Staff was recommending moving forward with the renovation projects up to $1 million. The Public Works Department has also initiated their own review of the roofs on both of these stations. The findings were that the roof on Station 33 needs to be completely replaced and the roof on Station 71 needs some modification. An additional $300,000 will be identified with the roof project. To date, the rear and front apron project at Station 33 was completed this summer. Additionally, staff was requesting that the Public Safety Commission recommend to the City Council to approve the priorities as presented in the report and to authorize staff to move forward with the Request for Proposal (RFP), for architectural design services related to these improvements. Upon inquiry by Commissioner Nethery, Mr. Aryan said that doing all of these renovations for $1 million will be close, but felt confident that it could be accomplished. 6 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING OCTOBER 13, 2010 Upon inquiry by Commissioner Butzbach, Mr. Aryan stated that he believed Chief Cooley was in agreement with the priorities. Chief Cooley said that he re-reviewed both stations and produced the report that was attached. He also provided the list of priorities in the report. He was in agreement with the staff report and the priorities listed. Mr. Aryan stated that upon completion of these renovations, and once these RDA funds were utilized, they will come back to the Commission to re-examine the list and see if any conditions still exist. If so, the additional renovations will be identified, staff will request additional monies from any remaining RDA funds, and request that the Commission approve those items and move forward in an expeditious manner. Commissioner Kirkwood moved to, by Minute Motion: (1) approve the renovation plan and priorities recommended by the Palm Desert Fire Department for Fire Station Nos. 33 and 71; and (2) Authorize staff to issue a RFP for architectural services related to the proposed station renovations. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Nethery and carried unanimously. VIII. CONTINUED BUSINESS None IX. OLD BUSINESS None X. REPORT ON CITY COUNCIL ACTION (S) None XI. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Citizens on Patrol Program 1. Monthly Reports for September 2010 Ms. Riddle stated that the COPS members were interviewed by Jeff Davis from Eye on the Community. Ms. Riddle reported that now that the PSA was completed, recruitment for new COPS members would begin. 7 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING OCTOBER 13, 2010 2. Citizens on Patrol Newsletter Chair Larsh commented, "It's good as always." B. Legislative Update None C. Police and Fire Departments Lt. Shouse reported on the "Grand Opening" of the new Sheriff's Station. He said it was very well attended and had a number of dignitaries in attendance. He reported that they have found and released three baby rattlesnakes since moving into the new building. D. Staff Mr. Aryan stated that the final planning meeting with the Riverside County Sheriff's Association for the K-9 Trials was held this past week and he wanted to remind the Commissioners of the event. The K-9 Trials are scheduled on November 12-13, 2010, at Freedom Park from 8 a.m. — 5 p.m. E. Public Safety Commission None XII. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Larsh moved to adjourn the meeting at 4:15 p.m. Motion seconded by Commissioner Kirkwood and approved unanimously. ! n �; _ , �. Lori Kr�tzer, Recor�i g Secretary � 8