Board of Police Commissioners

BROWNSBURG METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT Joseph A. Grimes Office: (317) 852-1109 Chief of Police Fax: (317) 858-2023 BROWNSBURG POLICE COMMISSION MINUTES These are the Minutes of the regularly scheduled meeting of the Brownsburg Police Commission held at the Brownsburg Town Hall on September 10, 2024 at 6:00PM. MEMBERS PRESENT: Ray Kotarski, Tim Cooper, Allan Bolante, Matt Simpson and Sam Lowe ALSO PRESENT: Chief Joseph Grimes, Major Andy Watts, Major Bryan Fultz and Secretary Kellie Cummins ABSENT: Attorney Jayson Marksberry _______________________________ BPD Chaplain Jim Littlejohn from Connection Pointe gave the invocation. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. Roll Call was conducted Attorney Jayson Marksberry was absent. A quorum was formed. Ray Kotarski requested a motion to approve the agenda for today’s meeting. Allan Bolante made a motion to approve the agenda as posted. Matt Simpson seconded the motion. Motion carried 5-0. Ray Kotarski requested a motion to approve the minutes from the August 13th Police Commission meeting. Tim Cooper made a motion to approve the minutes as presented. Allan Bolante seconded the motion. Motion carried 5-0. Board of Police Commissioners Attorney Ray Kotarski 31 N. Green Street Jayson Marksberry Allan Bolante Brownsburg, IN 46112 Tim Cooper www.brownsburgpolice.org Matt Simpson Sam Lowe  BROWNSBURG METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT Joseph A. Grimes Office: (317) 852-1109 Chief of Police Fax: (317) 858-2023 -2- OLD BUSINESS CHIEF OF POLICE Chief Grimes asked if there were any questions regarding the Expense Report. There were no questions. Chief Grimes said that on August 16th BPD participated in “Cop of a Rooftop” at the Brownsburg Dunkin Donuts. This event is to raise money for Special Olympics Indiana. Captain Pat Bullock organized our group and served coffee at the drive-up window while Chief Grimes and Major Fultz and Major Watts were on the rooftop when weather allowed. Chief thanked the Civilian Staff for also attending. Chief said that we were able to raise $1100 that morning and state wide Special Olympics raised $21,000. Chief said that US Nationals took place over Labor Day weekend; this is one of the largest sporting events held in Hendricks County. Chief reported that there was a high level of presence by law enforcement and fire personnel. There were no arrests. Chief Grimes reported that 1040 hours went into coverage for Nationals. Chief added that the department budgeted for this event within the 2024 salaries. Chief Grimes stated that he had applied for a Grant through Walmart. Chief Grimes said the maximum is $5000 and is available each quarter. Chief reported that the department was granted $2,375. This money has been utilized for technology and investigatory tools and will assist with community programs as well. Chief said that he would apply again next quarter. Chief updated the group on the 2025 Proposed Budget. Chief Grimes said at the next Town Council meeting all of the proposed budgets will be presented for First Reading. Town Councilman Liaison, Matt Simpson added that there would be a meeting before the Town Council meeting that is open to the public. Chief said that he and Major Watts met with Town leadership in first round meetings, revised the budget and resubmitted. Chief added that they were attempting to get a 5% increase on the base pay raise. Chief Grimes said they have compared our rate with other Hendricks County LE agencies and there is a need to be Board of Police Commissioners Attorney Ray Kotarski 31 N. Green Street Jayson Marksberry Allan Bolante Brownsburg, IN 46112 Tim Cooper www.brownsburgpolice.org Matt Simpson Sam Lowe  BROWNSBURG METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT Joseph A. Grimes Office: (317) 852-1109 Chief of Police Fax: (317) 858-2023 -3- competitive. Chief said that our department has lost officers going into the private sector for better pay. Chief added that he is aware LE cannot compete with private sector but we have to be competitive with other public safety. Town leadership did not favor 5%; it was suggested to do 3%. Chief Grimes said he tried to work longevity differently to aid in an increase and that was not favored either. Chief said that currently it is 3% pay raise, one civilian and four sworn officers, based on the communications with Town council in 2023. Chief Grimes added he would continue advocate for the department. Town Council Liaison Matt Simpson added that he has been in discussions with Town Manager, Debbie Cook regarding salaries for everyone. Matt Simpson said that Bailey Remender from HR has been asked to collect surrounding communities’ base salaries to do comparisons on. Matt Simpson said that they are not looking at just base pay but also benefits. Chief Grimes said that next year Brownsburg PD is going to be at the lower end of the spectrum and the benefits is not going to compensate. Chief Grimes updated the group on the current lateral recruitment process. Chief said that we had eighteen pre-applications; some were not law enforcement officers. Chief said there are currently six with complete applications that have been invited to the interview. OLD BUSINESS COMMISSION Ray Kotarski read information from the August PC minutes: “Chief Grimes discussed employee retention. Chief said that officers that are leaving a law enforcement career is becoming more common. Chief said that resignation letters he recently received have a common financial reason for leaving. Chief Grimes stated that our department cannot compete with the private sector regarding salaries but the Town leadership needs to be aware of what is taking place and our department needs to be able to be competitive with law enforcement and local governments. Chief stated this is not just the police department, but important for all town employees.” Ray Kotarski thanked Matt Simpson for his input in the earlier discussion. Board of Police Commissioners Attorney Ray Kotarski 31 N. Green Street Jayson Marksberry Allan Bolante Brownsburg, IN 46112 Tim Cooper www.brownsburgpolice.org Matt Simpson Sam Lowe  BROWNSBURG METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT Joseph A. Grimes Office: (317) 852-1109 Chief of Police Fax: (317) 858-2023 -4- NEW BUSINESS CHIEF OF POLICE Chief Grimes discussed Critical Incident Response trends. Chief said that each month the department has dealt with more and more incidents that require a specialized team. Our Emergency Response Team has been deployed for these incidents. The team is part time. It consist of full time officers that are assigned to shifts. The past month has required ERT to respond to incidents that involve people with mental illness or substance abuse issues. Chief advised that our department is fortunate to have the trained personnel that respond to these incidents to de-escalate the situations. Chief Grimes said that the department would be participating in S.T.A.R soccer again this year. Captain Bullock is organizing personnel to participate in the fun. The event is at Parkside soccer fields on Saturday, September 28th if anyone would like to join. Chief discussed ICJI granted equipment the department received. Chief said that the department is always looking at grants that assist on purchasing equipment. Major Fultz applied for grant money to assist in purchasing portable breath tests. Money was received for five portable breath tests, they cost $500 each. This will save the department $2500 and will not have to come out of the budget. Chief Grimes said that Brownsburg Narcotics Unit (BNU) attended the National Interdiction conference in California in August. BNU Officers received training and received an award for the largest US Currency Drug Seizure in 2023. This came from a traffic stop in 2023 that had $1.7 million dollars in US currency and approximately 132 pounds of marijuana. Chief Grimes stated the group does a phenomenal job in disrupting the drug trade and help protect our community. Chief discussed a multi-jurisdiction narcotics investigation that involved BNU Officers and DA Office-Indianapolis. Chief stated that August 12-14th BNU Officers and DA traveled to Winnsboro, KY to assist in a large scale take down with DA Office-Evansville involving several cities in Indiana and Kentucky. Twenty-five search warrants were served and thirty-seven individuals were arrested; thirty-seven pounds of methamphetamines and twenty-four firearms were confiscated. Chief said a large amount of cocaine and fentanyl and US currency was also seized. Chief Grimes stated that he is allowing our personnel to go to the source in order to curb the drug trade. Board of Police Commissioners Attorney Ray Kotarski 31 N. Green Street Jayson Marksberry Allan Bolante Brownsburg, IN 46112 Tim Cooper www.brownsburgpolice.org Matt Simpson Sam Lowe  BROWNSBURG METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT Joseph A. Grimes Office: (317) 852-1109 Chief of Police Fax: (317) 858-2023 -5- Chief discussed recent pursuits: Chief said the first pursuit was terminated due to safety concerns and the immediate need to attempt to make apprehension. However, the individual was identified and later located and taken into custody. Chief Grimes acknowledged Sgt. Nelson, Cpl. McCoy and K9 Officer Heather Foote for a job well done. The second pursuit was assisting another agency on I74 in regards to a stolen vehicle. The vehicle was stolen from the airport. The pursuit had to be terminated due to mechanical issues on two squad cars. Chief said that the third pursuit in August involved a stolen vehicle. The pursuit began on the south side of Brownsburg. Officer Christian-Moss demonstrated a calm composure during the pursuit. The suspects ran off the road to try to elude personnel. In doing so they crashed the vehicle, no one was injured. The driver and passenger were both juveniles. Both were taken into custody. Chief Grimes said that on August 7th East McDonalds had an attempted robbery. There was a delay on reporting the incident due to a language barrier. Chief said that the suspect did have a handgun and pointed it at the employees. The suspect was not able to get any money from the cash registers and fled the scene. No one was harmed. Chief Grimes discussed construction zones and traffic patterns. Chief said that he is aware of all of the construction happening in and around Brownsburg. Chief encourages drivers to be patient with other motorist and construction workers. Chief suggested trying to find alternative routes to their destinations. Chief Grimes said that heavy patrols have been conducted in construction and detour areas. Chief reported that four new hires are attending ILEA will be graduating on December 13th. The four our replacing personnel, not expanding. After graduation, they will have over 500 hours of field training with a FTO (Field Training Officer). Officer Bryce Plichta was hired earlier this year graduated from ILEA and has now completed his field training of 596 hours he is now on solo patrol. Board of Police Commissioners Attorney Ray Kotarski 31 N. Green Street Jayson Marksberry Allan Bolante Brownsburg, IN 46112 Tim Cooper www.brownsburgpolice.org Matt Simpson Sam Lowe  BROWNSBURG METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT Joseph A. Grimes Office: (317) 852-1109 Chief of Police Fax: (317) 858-2023 -6- Chief Grimes announced that on Tuesday, October 29th from 10:00AM – 12:00PM the Securities Division of the Secretary of State’s Office would present Shielding the Community. This free event is available to anyone and will give you the opportunity to learn how to protect yourself against fraud. The event will be held at Eaton Hall located at 61 N. Green Street, Brownsburg. Reserve your seat by contacting Kellie Cummins at 317-852-1109, Ext. 2127 or email at kcummins@brownsburgpolice.org NEW BUSINESS COMMISSION There was nothing to report. DIVISION REPORTS & MONTHLY STATS All reports were provided to the Commissioners. Ray Kotarski read the Department Donation Report. Centier Bank and Hendricks County Bank donated to National Night Out. FLOOR Paul Whalen, 116 Westmore Drive, Brownsburg, expressed his concerns and his opinion on officer safety. Board of Police Commissioners Attorney Ray Kotarski 31 N. Green Street Jayson Marksberry Allan Bolante Brownsburg, IN 46112 Tim Cooper www.brownsburgpolice.org Matt Simpson Sam Lowe  BROWNSBURG METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT Joseph A. Grimes Office: (317) 852-1109 Chief of Police Fax: (317) 858-2023 -7- ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 6:47PM THESE MINUTES SO APPROVED THIS 8TH DAY OF OCTOBER 2024. ___________________________ Ray Kotarski, President ___________________________ Tim Cooper, Vice President ___________________________ Allan Bolante, Commissioner ___________________________ Matt Simpson, Commissioner __________________________ Sam Lowe, Commissioner ATTESTED: _____________________________ Kellie Cummins, Secretary Board of Police Commissioners Attorney Ray Kotarski 31 N. Green Street Jayson Marksberry Allan Bolante Brownsburg, IN 46112 Tim Cooper www.brownsburgpolice.org Matt Simpson Sam Lowe