Police Commission

POLICE COMMISSION December 23, 2015 Minutes PRESENT: Chairman Thomas O’Mara, Commissioner James Sponaugle, Chief F. Michael Catalano Deputy Chief Paul Sandy. EXCUSED: Commissioner Eric Prior and Secretary Diane Ferri. CALL TO ORDER The regular meeting of the Police Commission was held on December 23, 2015 in the Mayor's Conference Room, City Hall, 25 Court Street, Cortland New York. Comm. Thomas O'Mara called the meeting to order at 3:15 p.m. A. MINUTES – On the motion of Comm. Sponaugle, second by Comm. O'Mara, the Commission approved the minutes of the November meeting as written. B. BILLS –The Commission reviewed the November bills totaling $31,548.64 and on the motion of Comm. Sponaugle, second by Comm. O'Mara, were approved and placed on file. C. REPORTS – The following reports were highlighted: 1. Vehicle Maintenance - The Deputy Chief apprised the Commission on the status of vehicles. 2. Overtime – Accumulated hours worked for the month of November totaled 1882.75 hours, compared to 2086.50 hours for the same period in 2014, reflecting a 203.75-hour decrease for the month from 2014 and a 320.25-hour decrease year-to-date. The Cortaca Detail accounted for the majority of the difference, along with Detective Bureau cases. 3. Other Activities Report – The Commission reviewed the report while the Chief highlighted some of the statistical information. Overall, service requests decreased for the month by 148 calls, year-to-date decrease of 1538 calls. The Commission reviewed domestic incidents, totaling 499 year- to-date, and mental health reports, totaling 318 year-to-date. 4. SPCA Animal Control Report – The new report was reviewed, which elucidates the different nuances in the calls the SPCA receives. After-hours calls total 64 year-to-date; all of which the patrols would be answering without the SPCA contract. 5. Officers Activities Breakdown – Statistics highlighted by Chief Catalano included 6 DWI arrests for the month. He further noted the specific statistics of a number of the officers. 6. Arrest Breakdown - Chief Catalano reviewed this report with the Commission, noting the arrest totals in 12 of the 16 categories have decreased. On the motion of Comm. Sponaugle, second by Comm. O'Mara and carried, the reports were accepted for filing. 1 OLD BUSINESS ANTICIPATED HIRE DATE - The Chief updated the Commission on the status of the most recent candidate. As he has already been to an Academy, the only required training will be field training. NEW BUSINESS AWARDS RECOGNITION EVENT - The Chief apprised the Commission of an event scheduled in lieu of a Christmas Party, to recognize the outstanding performances achieved by many in the department for the year 2015. A small gathering is planned to fulfill these recognitions on January 7, 2016 in the City Court room here at City Hall. The event will begin at 5:00 pm, and all members of the Department (and their family members) are invited to attend if able. Light food and drink will be available. This invitation will also be extended to the Police Commissioners, City Administration, and Common Council members to attend if possible. Consideration will be made to invite local media as well. OTHER BUSINESS A. COMMENDATION, APPRECIATION, CORRESPONDENCE REPORT - 1. Sgt. Cheyenne Cute, Ptl. Robert Reyngoudt, Ptl. Chadd Hines, Ptl. Roger Stafford, Ptl. Jared Aiken, and Ptl. Patrick O'Donnell each received a Certificate of Completion from Glock for the Armorer's Course. 2. Sgt. Cheyenne Cute, Ptl. Andrew SanJule, Ptl. Chadd Hines, and Ptl. Joseph Peters received a Certificate of Completion from The Bureau of Justice Assistance for successful completion of Criminal Elements of the Sovereign Citizen Movement. 3. Chief Catalano sent a letter to Mr. Tyler Murray, congratulating him on the successful completion of his background investigation and approving Mr. Murray for employment/ 5. Sgt. Michael Nichols received a Certificate of Completion from NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services for successfully completing the BAC Certification Course. 6. Ptl. Robert Reyngoudt received a Certificate Completion from NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services for successfully completing the Criminal Justice Access Testing. 7. Ptl. Stephen White received a Certificate of Completion from Columbia Regional Learning Center for successful completion of Dealing with Disaster Related Trauma in Children. 8. Ptl. Stephen White received a Certificate of Completion from FEMA for successful completion of Terrorism and WMD Awareness in the Workplace Course. 9. Ms. Michelle Reakes sent a notice thanking Ptl. Jesse Abbott and Ptl. Joseph Peters for their assistance in locating their lost dog. 10. Mr. Cesar Perales, State of New York Department of State, sent a letter noting $21,000.00 will be provided to offset costs for a Joint Police and Fire Facility Project. B. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS – 1. Comm. O'Mara will be out of state for the January and February meetings. His plan, upon returning, after 30 years on the Commission, is to resign. 2 The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 27, 2016 at 3:15 p.m. in the Mayor's Conference Room. With no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned. Respectfully submitted, Diane L. Ferri Confidential Secretary 3