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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Sfty Cmsn - 02-12-2013 CITY OF PALM DESERT X—� SPECIAL MEETING ����� PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING � � I _ APPROVED MINUTES , Tuesday, February 12, 2013- 3:00 p.m. Palm Desert City Hall 73-510 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, CA 92260 Administrative Services Conference Room I. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Butzbach convened the meeting at 3:02 p.m. CITY COUNCtL ACTInN II. ROLL CALL AI'PROVF,D D�;1VIF,D.__ RECEIVED��F�1�^����H�;,k Present: Vice Chairman Gloria KirkwooctM�;,FTING DATE �3- 8-� Commissioner poug Luhring qyr�;������� n �- 1 �-�� Commissioner Martin Nethery NOEs: NnhP. Chairman James Butzbach AB5CNT: �1��� —� Al3STAIN: � ^ � Also Present: VERIFIED BY: c Councilmember Susan Marie V'�bi�na�on Fi1e with City c��;-k�s i'fice John M. Wohlmuth, City Manager Stephen Y. Aryan, Risk Manager Chief Bill Hunley, Riverside County Fire Department Lt. William Sullivan, Palm Desert Police Department Sgt. Mike Bianco, Palm Desert Police Department Sgt. David Smith, Palm Desert Police Department Deputy Donald Isaacs, Palm Desert Police Department Mary P. LaCross, Recording Secretary III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS MS. PHYLLIS HARKINS, Palm Desert Country Club Association, extended an invitation to the 6t" Annual Neighborhood Watch Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, March 9, 2013, at Alice Marble Hall, 77-800 Country Club Drive, Palm Desert Country Club, from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Mr. Aryan noted that both the Police and Fire Departments had indicated they would be participating in this event. IV. PRESENTATIONS None APPROVED MINUTES SPECIAL PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 12, 2013 V. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Minutes of the Public Safety Commission Meeting of November 14, 2012. Rec: Approve as presented. B. Palm Desert Specialized Units End of Month Reports for October, November, & December 2012. Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. C. Palm Desert Fire Services Monthly Report for October, November, & December 2012. Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. Commissioner Nethery asked that Item C be held over for discussion under Section VI, Consent Items Held Over. Vice Chairman Kirkwood moved to approve the remainder of the Consent Calendar as presented. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Nethery and carried by a 4-0 vote. VI. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER C. Palm Desert Fire Services Monthly Report for October, November, & December 2012. Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. Commissioner Nethery stated he felt response times were key in emergency situations. The percentage of calls on scene in five minutes was very good as noted in the reports, although Station 71 was sort of the laggard with 82% compared with 84% for Station 67 and 92% for Station 33. He said his understanding was that Station 71 gets the most calls by far, and he asked if the staffing at that station was the same as the other two stations in terms of medical/EMT. Chief Hunley responded that Station 71 has a paramedic unit and an engine with three-person staffing, but that station is by far the busiest in the City. He explained that the delay in response time the result of calls coming in while the units are already out on other calls. The 2 APPROVED MINUTES SPECIAL PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 12, 2013 only thing that could get the response time closer to the 90% would be to put another medic unit at Station 71, which is a huge expense. Commissioner Nethery asked whether the Indian Wells station could handle some of those calls for service in the North Sphere. Chief Hunley responded that the way the system works is that when a call comes in, the closest unit is dispatched. Commissioner Nethery stated that perhaps it is not in this year's budget, but he would like Mr. Aryan and the Fire Department to look into what can be done to increase response times for Station 71 and what the costs would be, short of adding another unit. He also asked if the incident report could be broken down by city so that we have a better idea of response times for Palm Desert calls, and Chief Hunley responded that could be done. Commissioner Luhring asked if there had been resolution to the Desert Willow palm tree fire issue. Chief Hunley responded that as far as he knew, there had been no additional palm tree fires. Commissioner Nethery moved to, by Minute Motion, receive and file the Palm Desert Fire Services Monthly Report for October, November, and December 2012. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Luhring and carried by a 4-0 vote. VII. NEW BUSINESS A. APPROVAL OF ORDINANCE NO. TBD, AN ORDINANCE OF THE GTY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING SECTIONS 2.48.110 & 2.48.090 OF THE PALM DESERT MUNICIPAL CODE (AMENDING ORDINANCE NOS. 758 & 116), RELATIVE TO DISASTER ADMINISTRATION AND EMERGENCY RELIEF. Mr. Aryan reviewed the staff report and offered to answer any questions, noting that this set forth the process for the proclaiming of a local emergency.Upon question by Commissioner Nethery, Mr. Aryan responded that this had not yet gone to the City Council. Commissioner Nethery moved to, by Minute Motion, recommend that the Palm Desert City Council waive further reading and pass Ordinance No. TBD to second reading. Motion was seconded by Vice Chairman Kirkwood and carried by a 4-0 vote. B. REQUEST TO TRANSFER MOBILE TELEPHONE CONTRACTUAL SERVICE FROM SPRINT/NEXTEL TO VERIZON WIRELESS TO ACHIEVE AN ANNUAL COST SAVINGS. Lt. Sullivan reviewed the staff report, noting that Sgt. Mike Bianco had recognized that the City was being overcharged for the phones 3 APPROVED MINUTES SPECIAL PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 12, 2013 being used by the Special Teams and supervisors. He recognized that upgrading the phones and switching providers from SprintlNextel to Verizon Wireless would result in an annual savings of approximately $4,000. Upon question by Chairman Butzbach, Sgt. Bianco responded that this pricing included five Smart Phones for the supervisors at $600, and the rest would be "push to talk" phones at no charge. Commissioner Nethery moved to, by Minute Motion, recommend that the City Council approve a contractual change to the cellular service provider for the Palm Desert Police Department from Sprint/Nextel to Verizon Wireless and purchase twenty new mobile smart phones. Motion was seconded by Vice Chairman Kirkwood and carried by a 4-0 vote. C. CONSIDERATION OF A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE CITIES OF INDIAN WELLS, PALM DESERT, AND RANCHO MIRAGE FOR THE FUNDING OF A DEDICATED FORENSIC TECHNICIAN POSITION. Mr. Aryan reviewed the staff report, noting that this position was a proactive effort to mitigate residential and commercial burglaries, armed robberies, and similar types of crimes. The position would serve the Cove Communities of Palm Desert, Indian Wells, and Rancho Mirage and would be under the supervision of the Palm Desert Sheriff's Department. The Forensic Technician would also be able to train patrol officers on more advanced evidence gathering techniques. Commissioner Nethery questioned the fact that the MOU indicates the City of Indian Wells is going to pay for the position and then seek reimbursement from the other cities. Lt: Sullivan responded that Indian Wells was the city with the least amount of calls for service, so they will do all of the paperwork behind the scenes. Upon further question by Commissioner Nethery as to whether this person would be just be dedicated to "burglaries" or if there would be other crimes this person would work, Lt. Sullivan responded that the person would be used wherever needed. Mr. Aryan stated that this was considered by Cove Communities Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), which is made up of City Managers of each city. TAC unanimously agreed that rather than distributing cost based on population of each city, an equitable cost distribution would be based on each city's proportional share of burglary response service calls, and the breakdown was included in the staff report. The data provided by the Sheriff's Department 4 APPROVED MINUTES SPECIAL PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 12, 2013 included commercial burglaries, residential burglaries, burglaries of garages, and other similar crimes. Mr. Wohlmuth noted that the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was his suggestion so that Palm Desert does not have to pay the full cost of the position in the event Rancho Mirage or Indian Wells were to back out prior to July 1, 2013, which is the date by which the Sheriff wanted to have the position filled. Vice Chairman Kirkwood moved to, by Minute Motion, recommend that the Palm Desert City Council approve a Memorandum of Understanding for the funding and coordination of a dedicated Forensic Technician Position. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Luhring and carried by a 4-0 vote. 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 November& December 2012 2. C.O.P.S. Caller-November/December 2012 Ms. Riddle highlighted the following Citizens on Patrol (COPS) activities: • Members participated in the 2012 Holiday Theft Suppression program. • The City now has a COPS office program where some of the members come in on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week. They have their own work station at City Hall and act as dispatch for COPS and also provide assistance to the Special Programs Department and other departments as needed. 5 APPROVED MINUTES SPECIAL PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 12, 2013 • As of April 1, the COPS wiil be moving from the old Corporation Yard on Joni Drive to the Portola Community Center and will be sharing office space with other organizations in that building. This will allow them to be more centrally located. • Another program the COPS are involved with is the residential vacation check program with the Police Department. She said she would provide an update as the details of this program are worked out. Chairman Butzbach noted he was able to observe members of the Citizens on Patrol directing traffic during the Golf Cart Parade in October. He felt they were very professional and did an outstanding job both before and after the Parade in providing direction to drivers. Commissioner Nethery stated that per the report, the Citizens on Patrol members logged 9,000 hours in December, and he felt they deserved a lot of credit, as did Ms. Riddle. B. Legislative Update Mr. Aryan noted that Councilmember Spiegel attended the CVAG Public Safety Commission meeting and wanted the City's Public Safety Commission to have the report from Sheriff Stan Sniff entitled "AB 109 Realignment: Riverside County Sheriff's Review of Issues and Recommended Legislative Changes." C. Police and Fire Departments 1. 2012 Holiday Theft Suppression Program Report Lt. Sullivan reviewed the report in the packets for the 2012 Holiday Theft Suppression Program, which ran from Friday, November 23, 2012, through Sunday, January 6, 2013. He noted that $1,000 was donated to the Cabazon Posse to provide additional patrol, as it was less expensive to make this donation than to pay for additional police officers. Citizens on Patrol were also involved in this program. Calls to 9-1-1 during this period were reduced by 131 calls compared with the same time period last year, and he attributed that reduction to the Citizens on Patrol. 2. 2012 "Shop with a Cop" Report Sgt. Bianco reviewed the report. He noted that the program was only able to accommodate 47 of the 70 children nominated. 6 APPROVED MINUTES SPECIAL PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 12, 2013 Funds remaining after the shopping spree, along with money donated by a spontaneous citizen donor shopping in Wa1Mart that day, were used to purchase bicycles and additional toys that were then distributed to those children who were not selected to participate. 3. Samuel Lawson Arrest Sgt. Smith updated the Commission on the arrest of Samuel Lawson. Mr. Lawon was a burglar in the area starting over a year ago, and the burglaries progressed to robberies. The Burglary Suppression Team was finally able to take him into custody, and 49 counts were filed against him. Of those, 19 were burglaries prepared and filed by the Palm Desert Burglary Suppression Team. The Investigations Team for Palm Desert got four robberies filed against Mr. Lawson, and the other counts were enhancements as well as other neighboring law enforcement departments. 4. Burglary Suppression Unit Arrests Press Releases (x3) Lt. Sullivan reviewed the report, noting that as of 2012, the Burglary Suppression Team had made 295 felony filings, and there had been 102 felony arrests. 5. Coachella Valley Violent Crime Gang Task Force Press Release Lt. Sullivan noted the press release in the packets. 6. Lt. Sullivan reported on the following: • The Sheriff has adopted a new bullet-proof motor uniform made of Kevlar fibers. • Traffic stops generate approximately 80% of citizen complaints. Currently, everything that happens with the motor officers on traffic stops is recorded audially; however, there are sometimes gaps in the recording. Video cameras are now a viable option for the motor officers, and he will be looking into those. Upon question by Commissioner Nethery, he responded that there is currently no video recording in Palm Desert units. • The Police Department will be requesting two new motors in this next fiscal year, and a grant application has been filed to pay for a third motor. He noted that, due to the age of the motorcycles, maintenance was becoming extremely costly. 7 APPROVED MINUTES SPECIAL PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 12, 2013 Mr. Wohlmuth clarified that these are new motorcycles to replace existing older units, not three new officers. • Police Department staff is working on the 2012 Annual Report, which should be available next week. • The Police Department will be including in the budget a request for funds to replace existing bicycles for Sgt. Smith's team. • The Department is talking about possibly purchasing ticket writers, which would save time when officers are issuing tickets. • Department staff is working on the 2013/2014 Budget • Deputy Isaacs showed a Powerpoint presentation regarding the Business Alert Network System (BANS), which would allow businesses on EI Paseo to communicate with each other in the event of an emergency, suspicious person, etc. A business would need to have a physical address to join, and the City could control who was allowed to join. Deputy Isaacs noted that the businesses on EI Paseo were excited about this program, as were businesses on Highway 111. He added that it was a bit more difficult to get corporate stores like Target on board. 7. Fire Department Chief Hunley reported that the Fire Department was also working on its Annual Report and the 2013/2014 budget. Interviews were conducted for the Deputy Fire Marshal position. Sonia Cooley had been offered the position, had accepted, and would be starting on February 21. He also noted that the newly refurbished medic unit was now here in Palm Desert. D. Staff 1. Update on City Council Public Safety Commission Appointments Mr. Aryan noted that a vacancy had been created by the resignation of Rick Lebel, and Council had recently appointed Mr. Terry Kramer to the Public Safety Commission to fill that vacancy. As a result of recent Council interviews of individuals interested in serving on the Public Safety Commission, staff would be preparing an amendment to the bylaws to increase 8 APPROVED MINUTES SPECIAL PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 12, 2013 membership from five to seven. At the same time, consideration would be given to changing the meeting time from 3:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. After Commission discussion, it was agreed the meeting time would remain at 3:30 p.m. unless it was necessary to call a Special Meeting at an earlier time (i.e., for budget discussions). 2. Update on Fire Cooperative Agreement Mr. Aryan reported that the City had been without a Fire Cooperative Agreement since it expired in 2010. A new agreement will be coming to the City Council next month with an effective date of July 1, 2013, and he will also bring it to the Public Safety Commission. 3. Update on 2013 Family Safety Festival Mr. Aryan noted the 2013 Family Safety Festival was scheduled for March 23. This will be the last year we have funding for the bicycle safety helmets and car seats, and we will have to determine whether to continue these programs next year. 4. Scheduling of Next Public Safety Commission Meeting Mr. Aryan stated that Police and Fire Departments will be meeting with the City Manager on March 15 and the City Council on April 4 to discuss the Fiscal Year 2013/2014 Budgets. The Public Safety Commission needs to meet sometime between March 15 and April 4 to discuss these budgets. The regular meeting will be canceled. Commissioner Nethery asked that the budgets be provided to the Commissioners as far in advance of the meeting as possible so that everyone has time to review them. 5. Selection of Chairman and Vice Chairman for 2013 Mr. Aryan stated that this would be on the next Agenda. 6. Purchase of Satellite Phone Mr. Aryan reported that the City Council had authorized the purchase of a satellite phone. He said it was being paid for through a grant from the County. One of the requirements was that the City commit to a two-year maintenance agreement, which is approximately $440 per year. The County was paying 9 APPROVED MINUTES SPECIAL PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 12, 2013 for the first year, and the City would pay for the second year. The phone has already been received and will be stored in the City's Emergency Operation Center and used only in emergencies/disasters. E. Public Safety Commissioners Commissioner Luhring stated that in his review of the October, November, and December Police reports, it looked like the CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) program was moving right along. He asked Lt. Sullivan if the program was as effective as he thought it might be. Lt. Sullivan responded that the first data was just coming in. He reviewed the history of how the CPTED program came about. He noted that the Community Service Officers will go out and work with homeowners and business owners to help make their homes and businesses more safe and secure and help deter crime. Chairman Butzbach asked about the "Every 15 Minutes" program, and Sgt. Bianco responded that it was scheduled for February 26-27. XII. ADJOURNMENT Vice Chairman Kirkwood moved to adjourn the meeting at 4:30 p.m. Motion was seconded by Commissioner Luhring and carried by a 4-0 vote. � � Mary P. La ros , Recording Secretary 10