Citizen Police Advisory Committee

CITIZEN POLICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES May 21, 2013 7:00 p.m. The Citizen Police Advisory Committee met in regular session on Tuesday, May 21, 2013, at 7:00 p.m. in the Executive Conference Room at City Hall, 800 Municipal Drive, Farmington, New Mexico, 87401. Members Present: Deb Dumont, Chairman; Chuck Culpepper, Joel Irvin, Patricia Simpson, Rosalie Maez, and Steve Grey Members Absent: None City Personnel Present: Kyle Westall, Police Chief Taft Tracy, Internal Affairs Lieutenant Dennis Ronk, K-9 Officer Jason Eley, Assistant City Attorney Kim Parrish, Administrative Assistant Guests: None I. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Chairman Deb Dumont at 7:00 p.m., and there being a quorum of members present, the following proceedings were duly had and taken. II. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING Chuck Culpepper moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of March 19, 2013 as presented. Steve Grey seconded the motion. Motion carried. III. OPEN MEETINGS RESOLUTION Chuck Culpepper moved to approve the 2013 Open Meetings Resolution as presented; Patricia Simpson seconded. All voted in favor; motion carried. IV. CHIEF’S REPORT, CHIEF KYLE WESTALL Chief Westall discussed the new lapel cameras that tie into the current mobile systems. They have been ordered and should be arriving before July. He stated that the video quality is very good. They will be doing training on operating these cameras. Chief Westall mentioned that there are 5 people remaining in the current Police Academy. Recruitment is going well. Seven women tested the previous weekend. The Police Department is now looking to partner with Presbyterian Medical Services to fund the new Case Manager position. The Police Department also started doing Level 2 VIN inspections, charging $50 per inspection, which is a reasonable fee compared to other agencies.  Chief Westall discussed the City’s preliminary budget which had been adopted by the City Council. He stated that there will be about 3 CSO-type positions that will be eventually transitioned into Police Officers, for those individuals who need a slower training program. Chief Westall invited the Commission to the PD Guns and Hoses tournament which is coming up this summer on June 8th at Rickett’s Park, also the same day as the Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl for the Kids’ Sake event. Steve Grey asked about the inebriate study and how the partnership will work with PMS. Chief Westall stated that he had tried to work it into the City’s budget, but since the budget is being cut, they realized they would no longer be able to fund it. They contacted several businesses, and PMS responded positively about the idea of doing a partnership. Mr. Grey mentioned that the Navajo Nation had a similar program in Shiprock, and stated that they may be able to help facilitate resources and funding. V. INTERNAL AFFAIRS REPORT, LT. TAFT TRACY Taft Tracy gave an overview of the March and April IA reports. The officer-involved shooting investigations from January that the State conducted have been wrapped up and the officers have been exonerated. There was another officer-involved shooting in March that involved 2 officers; the State police are reviewing the case. One significant event in April was a DWI pursuit, which ended in the death of the intoxicated individual. VI. TRAINING Officer Dennis Ronk gave an overview of the K-9 unit and what their role is within the Police Department. He stated that they normally have 4 dogs, but one dog was recently retired. They’re hoping to get a new dog in July. He mentioned that the K-9 units are usually called out for the most violent calls, including SWAT calls. All dogs are trained in retrieving hidden narcotics and other articles, and also finding people. The K-9 Unit also assists other agencies such as the Navajo Police, State Police, and County Sherriff, since we have the only K-9 Unit in the region. Officer Ronk stated that they do about 4 hours of training per week for different area businesses. They also train at all the schools, and provide demonstrations for several different groups each year. Joel Irvin asked how they know when to retire a dog and what happens to them after they are retired. Officer Ronk responded that sometimes they notice that the dogs just don’t want to do it anymore. Sometimes they start having physical problems from old age, or they just aren’t moving around as quickly. He stated that what happens after they retire is that they usually stay with their handler. They normally aren’t given to other people because of the liability from being “aggression-trained.” More discussion took place. VII. OLD BUSINESS None. VIII. NEW BUSINESS a. CITIZEN INPUT – None.  b. CASE REVIEW: Rose Maez made a motion to go into closed session, seconded by Patricia Simpson, to discuss a letter sent to CPAC regarding IA Case #2013-0010. All voted in favor; motion carried. Following the closed meeting, during which meeting the matters discussed were limited only to those specified in the motion for closure, a motion was made by Chuck Culpepper to open the meeting for further business. Patricia Simpson seconded the motion, and upon voice vote the motion carried unanimously. Patricia Simpson made a motion to send a letter back to Ms. Garrison saying that if she has a complaint she needs to be more specific and re-submit it to CPAC. Chuck Culpepper seconded, and with all in favor, the motion carried. IX. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Committee, and, upon motion duly made and seconded, the meeting was adjourned. ____________________________ ______________________________ Deb Dumont, Chairman Kimberly Parrish, Secretary