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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Safety Cmsn - 09-11-2013 .��« �"� CITY OF PALM DESERT REGULAR �'�"'� PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING � � APPROVED MINUTES , WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 —3:30 p.m. Palm Desert City Hall 73-510 Fred Waring Drive, Paim Desert, CA 92260 Administrative Services Conference Room I. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Kirkwood called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. II. ROLL CALL CTTY COUNCIL ACTION APPROVF.D Present: DENTF.D Commissioner James Butzbach RrCENED�Fi e. OTHEtt Commissioner Phyllis Harkins Commissioner Terry Kramer MFETING DATE la-�a -aoi3 Vice Chairman Doug Luhring AvrS: r�rn'� S�i�a�� -��,�,�� Commissioner Martin Nethery NO�S:�°nP. Commissioner Frank Taylor A�SrNT: vr��°, Chairman Gloria Kirkwood A�5TA1N: N o vrltlFtEu I3v: D t"c Ori�;inal on File with City Cicr�'s Of�cc � Also Present: Councilman Robert A. Spiegel Councilmember Susan Marie Weber Stephen Y. Aryan, Risk Manager Frankie Riddle, Director of Special Programs John M. Wohlmuth, City Manager Chief Bill Hunley, Riverside County Fire Department Lt. William Sullivan, Palm Desert Police Department Mary P. LaCross, Recording Secretary III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 IV. PRESENTATIONS 1. Introduction of Jillian Frisbee, Forensic Technician Forensic Technician Jillian Frisbee was not able to attend this meeting and will be introduced at a future Public Safety Commission meeting. 2. Introduction of Cpl. Brian Berryman (PACT Team Member) Please see notes under Reports and Remarks below. V. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES of the Regular Public Safety Commission Meeting of May 8, 2013. Rec: Approve as presented. B. PALM DESERT SPECIALIZED UNITS End of Month Reports for April, May, June, and July 2013. Rec: Receive and file. C. PALM DESERT FIRE SERVICES Monthly Report for March, April, May, June, and July 2013. Rec: Receive and file. Upon motion by Commissioner Butzbach, second by Commissioner Nethery, the Consent Calendar was approved as presented by a 7-0 vote of the Commission. VI. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER None VII. NEW BUSINESS A. UPDATE on Assignment of a Patrol Officer to Post-Release Accountability and Compliance Team (P.A.C.T.). Mr. Aryan reviewed the staff report, noting that in an effort to mitigate post-realignment impacts of AB109, specifically the release of various inmates into our communities, these new probationers would 2 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 need to be supervised. In an effort to do that, these P.A.C.T. teams were created. Palm Desert belongs to the East P.A.C.T., which is various Coachella Valley cities. The City of Palm Desert is participating by providing a Corporal (Corporal Brian Berryman) to this program. Cpl. Berryman, along with the rest of the P.A.C.T. team, will be responsible for supervising probationers within our community. Participation in this program will result in a savings of approximately $200,000 in the FY 2013/2013 budget, as this amount was earmarked to the Palm Desert Police Department. He added that this is a three-year program; however, there was no guarantee there would be State funding beyond this first year. Mr. Aryan clarified that the City of Palm Desert did not actually receive the $200,000 from the State. The City of Beaumont is serving as the fiscal agent for this program, and the Sheriff's Department will be invoicing the City of Beaumont each month for the cost of that position in Palm Desert. Upon question by Commissioner Taylor, Lt. Sullivan stated that updates on this team will be included in the monthly reports that are submitted to the City. Upon question by Councilman Spiegel, Lt. Sullivan responded that approximately 1,500 inmates had been released locally in the Coachella Valley; however, he was not sure how many were in Palm Desert. Commissioner Nethery moved to receive and file the report. Motion was seconded by Vice Chairman Luhring and carried by a 7-0 vote of the Commission. VIII. CONTINUED BUSINESS None IX. OLD BUSINESS None 3 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 X. REPORT ON CITY COUNCIL ACTION(S) Councilman Spiegel noted that the City Council had approved this P.A.C.T. position. Mr. Aryan added that Council had also approved various budget items, including Kevlar leggings for the Motor Officers, mobile ticket writers, and nine body cameras. Lt. Sullivan stated that the cameras would be in service within the week. He added that the County of Riverside was doing a research project, and it is possible in the future that funds may be available to have cameras for every officer. XI. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. Citizens on Patrol Program Ms. Riddle noted that the Citizens on Patrol had moved to the Portola Community Center. Things seemed to be working well now, although initially there were problems with slashed tires. With regard to the COPS Caller newsletter, she noted that the COPS member Belva Baltzar had requested a leave of absence and had not yet returned. She said she was hoping to have someone else do the newsletter in the near future. 1. Monthlv Reports for April, May, June, and July 2013 Rec: Receive and file. Upon question by Commissioner Harkins, Ms. Riddle said she would do the vacation check program again next summer. Ms. Riddle added that the Citizens on Patrol are geared up for the Holiday Theft Suppression Program. Councilman Spiegel noted that the number of warning citations issued by COPS members was a pretty large amount, and a good percentage of those citations were for people parking in handicapped spots. They cannot write actual tickets, and he asked if COPS members could call the Police Department and request that an officer come out and issue a ticket. 4 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 Ms. Riddle said they already do that; however, sometimes officers are not able to respond due to other duties. Upon question by Commissioner Butzbach regarding what would preclude non-sworn individuals from writing citations, Ms. Riddle responded that it has been the policy to date that this is not something we want to do. Lt. Sullivan added that he would rather have sworn officers issuing the citations and did not feel comfortable putting COPS members in these types of situations. Commissioner Taylor commended the COPS members and said he felt they do a fantastic job for the City; however, it did not appear that there is a lot of reporting going on to the Police Department from the COPS members. He suggested that more information needed to be provided to the swom officers that these individuals are available to call and help in certain situations. Commissioner Harkins moved to receive and file the monthly reports for April, May, June, and July 2013. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Butzbach and carried by a 7-0 vote of the Commission. 2. COPS Team Vehicle Fire Update Ms. Riddle reported that one of the Citizens on Patrol vehicles had bumed recently at the entrance to the mall. That vehicle and another Ford Contour vehicle were removed from service and were replaced by two of the City's fleet vehicles, both Honda hybrids. In addition, the City obtained an SUV from the County that had been surplused. There are now a total of eight vehicles in the COPS program. 3. COPS Team Vehicles Vandalism Update See notes above. B. Legislative Update Mr. Aryan provided an update on the status of AB 604 regarding medical cannabis and said he had prepared a letter of opposition for the City Manager's signature to the Governor and local representatives. 5 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 C. Police and Fire Departments Lt. Sullivan introduced Cpl. Berryman and asked him about the number of inmates released in the Coachella Valley. Cpl. Berryman responded that the number varies from day to day. He estimated 1,500 Valley-wide and perhaps 12 in Palm Desert. Lt. Sullivan distributed and reviewed the "Clearance Rate Report for Palm Desert Police Department" for the time period from May 28 through August 27, 2013 (attached as Exhibit "A"). Chief Hunley stated that it had already been a busy fire season. During the recent Mountain Fire and Silver Fire, the department used every piece of available equipment. D. Staff 1. Strategic Planning Committee Mr. Aryan stated that the Strategic Plan Subcommittee on Public Safety was still meeting and had a tour last week of the Sheriff Station as well as Fire Station 33. Because some subcommittee members were not able to attend, another tour will be scheduled in a few weeks. 2. Police Bicycles Purchase Mr. Aryan stated that as part of the Holiday Theft Suppression program, the City was looking at purchasing bicycles. One problem is that quotes were received in January, and the bikes on the quote are no longer available. Senior Management Analyst Ryan Stendell is working to identify an alternate bicycle to purchase. 3. Fire Station No. 67 Medic Unit Refurbishment Mr. Aryan noted that he would be requesting approval at the next City Council meeting for refurbishing of the Medic Unit at Fire Station 67. He said he had put together a schedule of refurbishment for all of the units and would provide it to the Commission next month. 6 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 4. Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training Mr. Aryan reviewed the status of the upcoming CERT Training next week in the Council Chamber. 5. Disaster Preparedness Town Hall Meeting Update Mr. Aryan noted that the Disaster Preparedness Town Hall Meeting held on June 25 was very successful, with approximately 110 people attending. Upon question by Commissioner Nethery, Mr. Aryan provided an update on flooding in the City caused by the recent rainstorms, noting that he anticipated the clean-up costs would be approximately $80,000. E. Public Safety Commissioners Commissioner Nethery noted that because of recent construction on Portola Avenue, Highway 111, and Monterey Avenue, the signals were no longer synchronized, and he asked whether this would be done soon or if it would wait until the construction is completed. Mr. Wohlmuth responded that the controls are modified during the construction period to allow for more through traffic on Highway 111. It was his understanding that the installation of the loops was completed yesterday. He added that the signals were on timers between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.; however, between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., they were traffic-activated. Commissioner Harkins stated that, as a new member of the Public Safety Commission, she had the opportunity recently to take a tour of the Sheriff Station and ride in a patrol car. She thanked Lt. Sullivan for making those arrangements for her. In addition, Chief Griggs had given her an outstanding tour of all four Palm Desert fire stations. She further noted a recent medical situation at Hometown Buffet where one of the COPS members was assisting and providing traffic control. Commissioner Kramer stated that he saw a story on the news today about Walnut Creek, where several of the fire stations were broken into, and personal items belonging to the firefighters were taken. He 7 APPROVED MINUTES REGULAR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 said he just wanted to alert the Fire Department to be aware of these types of situations. XII. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Butzbach moved to adjourn the meeting at 4:28 p.m. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Kramer and carried by a 7-0 vote. Q�-�-ra� �'-��� Mary P. a oss, Recording Secretary 8 Clearance Rate Report for Palm Desert Police Department ,�� � from 5/28/2013 - 8/27/2013 �.�``�c�� Cy � Crime Type '1-ota! CGi CO<' RT�� �us ��rr [xc �Jnfi Op�n Cli�ar��d Clear�an�:e� 'i_« Aggravated Assault 6 0 2 0 1 2 1 0 2 3 75.00% Arson 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 50.00% Assault 27 0 1 1 2 11 7 4 2 18 85.71% Battery 34 1 2 1 3 9 18 0 4 27 90.00% Burglary 123 0 1 2 86 24 9 1 3 33 27.73% Drunk driving 14 6 0 0 0 6 2 0 6 8 100.00% Embezzlement 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 3 100.00% Larceny 295 2 2 10 228 37 12 3 14 49 17.639�0 Liquor Laws 8 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 8 100.00% Motor Vehicle Theft 27 0 0 0 23 0 4 0 0 4 14.81% Offenses Against Children 8 0 1 1 0 0 3 3 2 3 100.00% Rape 3 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 50.00% Robbery 7 0 3 0 1 3 0 0 3 3 75.00% Runaway 7 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 7 100.00% Stolen Property 3 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 3 100.00°/a Threats 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 100.00% Vandalism 16 0 0 0 15 0 1 0 0 1 6.25% Vehicle Burglary 53 0 0 1 51 0 1 0 1 1 1.92% Weapons Violations 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 100.00% Granci Total 639 9 13 16 412 105 70 12 38 175 � . 2°/ Tuesday,August 27, 2013 Page 1 of 1