Public Safety Committee

I have rcvicwcd thc minutes, and they corrcctly represent the actions taken by the committee Bill Wolf, olice Chicf PUBLIC SAFETY CO\INIITTEE IlIEETING April 9, 2026 7:00 PNI Members Present Chairman Jamie Clar Trustee Michael LaRosa Trustee Jack Sullivan Othcrs Prcscnt: Paula Hewson, Deputy Village Manager Bill Wolf. Police Chief Fabio Puccini, Fire Chief Frank Mucci, Medical Resen'e Corps. Michacl Tracy, Mcdical Rescrve Corps Rose, Medical Reserve Corps. APPROYAL OF NIINUTES: Chairman Clar called the Public Safe$ Meeting to order at 7:00 pm. Trustee LaRosa made a motion to approt'e the minutes from the meeting of March 12,2026. lllotion was seconded by Trustee Sullivan. Trvo aves. Nlotion carried. NE\1'BUSINESS: l. Illedical Rcserve Corps - Discussion Chairman Clar welcomed Mr. Mucci, thanked him for his time and service, and stated that the Board rvould hear his corrunents. Mr. Mucci cxpresscd conccm regard irg thc disbanding ofthc Mcdical Rcsen'e Corps (MRC), stating that when the decision was made approximately seven months prior, he immediately t'elt something was wrong. He noted that several years earlier, during a leadership transition, the MRC had shifted frorn being active and thriving to becoming inactive. He further stated that although he met with the Mayor. he had been promised twice to be placed on a meeting agenda, which did not occur. Mr. Mucci referenced the letter disbanding the MRC and meeting minutes that he believed contained inaccuracies. He specificatty disputed statements regarding training costs, explaining that the MRC had no formal budget and that any expenses were covered through grant funding. He also challenged claims that the MRC was not a formal Villagc organization, citing rcquirements such as fingerprinting, background checks, Village-issued identification, signed handbooks, and completion of ICS 100 and ICS 700 training. Public Safeq' Committee Meeting April 9, 2026 Page 2 Mr. Mucci questioned horv the decision was made based on what he described as inaccurate information. He referenced communication indicating that the Chicago Marathon no longer required MRC assistance, which he statcd was incorrect. Hc explaincd that the MRC had historically providcd trained volunteers for the event. includ ing med ical professionals, and that upon contacting marathon organizers, he leamed the group had not been uninvited. Chairman Clar asked how this information related to the Village's decision. Mr. Mucci stated that he u'as attcmpting to demonstrate that thc information prcsented to the Board was inaccurate and misrepresented the organization. He stated that if the Village no longer wanted the MRC, that should have been communicated directly. He described the process as insulting and hurtful to members, including thirteen registered nurses who volunteered their services at no cost. He also noted that membcrs attended conferences at their own expcnse and that the MRC had previously bcen a wcll- rccognizcd and rcspcctcd organizat ion. Chairman Clar acknowledged the MRC's years of sen ice and expressed appreciation. Hestated that circumstances, including liability considerations and the availability ofother resources, have changed over time. He noted that, based on information provided by staff,the Board determined that the MRC was no longer necessary. He emphasized that the decision was not personal. Mr. Mucci responded that a review of the MRC handbook and services would demonstrate the organization's value. Chairman Clar stated that the decision was not made hastily, but was reviewed by staff. a commiltee, and the Board. Discussion followed regarding legal and risk management considerations. Mr. Mucci questioned rvhy other volunteer groups, such as CPAAAS and the Amateur Radio Club, were not similarly disbanded. Chairman Clar explained that those groups d iffer significantly, as they do not provide medical care or advice and therefore do not carry the same liability risks. Mr. Mucci noted thattheMRC also providcd public education, ilcluding prescntations and outreach to daycare centers, and stated that materials developed by the MRC continue to be used. He emphasized that the group remained capable of providing valuable sen'ices to the Village. Mr. Tracy commented on lhe valuc of MRC programs! including Stop the Blecd training, and noted the organization's involvement in scarch and rcscuc eflbrts with Hoffman Estates. He stated that the group had been expanding beyond medical services and that trained prottssionals handled medical responsibilities. He also expressed that volunteers had not felt adequately recognized for their contributions. Chairman Clar reiterated the Board's appreciation. Mr. Tracy responded that members felt a lack of communication regarding their status. Rose stated that the MRC is part of a national network of approximately 300,000 volunteers and emphasized the importancc of trained volunteers during largc-scale cmergencies. She noted that In"*b"o arc certified in mental health first aid and askcd whether they could remain as adjunct volunteers, maintaining training and being available if needed. Public Safeg' Committee Meeting April 9, 2026 Page 3 Mr. Mucci discussed the role of volunteers in disaster response, including participation in the Highland Park incident, and referenced his experience integrating CERT training with MRC activities. He also referenced attending a National Homeland Security Convention, whcre the usc of volunteers was discussed. Chairman Clar stated that the Village has utilized Hanover Township, a volunteer-based organizarion, to provide similar sen'ices at no cost. He reiterated that the decision to disband the MRC was based on information providcd by staff. Chief Puccini stated that some issues predated his tenure. He explained that Schaumburg is a resource-rich community with existing services and mutual aid agreements in place. He noted thal liability considerations, available resources, and changes in Village participation in events such as the Chicago Marathon contributed to thc decision. He stated that the Village now relics morc on trained staff and neighboring agencies with standardizcd training. ChiefPuccini expressed appreciation fortheMRC'spast contributions and apologized ifthe decision was perceived as a lack of appreciation. noting that the organization had been valuable when there was a need. Mr. Mucci requested that the record reflect that the MRC was a formal organization and that training costs were not excessive. Chairman Clar thanked Mr. Mucci and the MRC fortheir service and stated that he could not speak to the specific language used in staff reports. Discussion Only 2. Recommendation to Approve a Contract Extension with JG Uniforms for Police Department Uniforms and Equipment Chief Wolf said in 2024 the dcpartmcnt went out to bid for uniforms. Wc had uscd JG Uniforms bcforc that and had rcnewed with them several timcs beforc. Thcy'vc bccn providing grcat customer service, but wanted to confirm that they were still providing competitive prices. They continue to provide the loivest cost for unifonns, they hal'e nol raised cosls in the last two years. However, rvith continued uniform price increases, they did increase prices. Although there is a price increase, they rcmain the lowcst cost vendor based on spot checks that were donc with other vendors online. We would likc to continuc to work with thgm and rcncw the contract for anothcr ycar. Trustee LaRosa asked .,r.hat the totalprice for all of the uniforms is. Chief Wolf explained that we get a unit price for each piece of unifbrm equipment that we get. Each budget year we have a portion allocated for our quartermaster program and stay within that budget. The total expended depends on what equipment is needed. how many new officers we hire, ctc. Trustee Sullivan made a motion to recommend the Village Board approvc ertending the agreement \r'ith JG Uniform of Chicago, Illinois for Police Department Uniform and Equipment through April 30, 2027 in an amount not to exceed the approved budget. Scconded by Trustee LaRosa Motion Carried. 3. Police Department Annual Report - Informational Public Safet) Committee Meeting April 9, 2026 Page 4 Chief Wolf talked about some highlights from the annual report. He said crime is at it's lowest level since the pandemic. During the pandemic, crime dropped significantly lorver because no one was out in thecommunity. Chief Wolf said our calls forservice went down slightly. In 2022, we started sceing an increase. last year we hit an all-time high in calls for service. They went down slightly from that, but we remain at the higher numbers we started seeing after the pandemic. Traffic crashes increased in 2025. Chief Wolf talked about that we are starting to look into comparing traffic volume to traffic crashes. Additionally, trying to get a better idea of where we have problems. Chief Wolf said it seems that traffic has continued to increasc, since the pandemic. We have technology that rve're using to try to see our traffic volume and to direct our traffic enforcement in areas where we're seeing a high ratio of crashes compared to the volume. Some additional items mentioned are advances we made with the real-time information center, recruiting changes that were made, things we were proud of with our community engagcment activities. Chief Wolf said a few years ago we expanded the annual report to beyond just statistics, to givc a better picture of cverything that is going on at thc police dcpartment. Chaiman Clar talked about the drone as a first responder program starting next month. Chief Wolf said that we're on track to go live in May. We officially received our license from the FAA. Chairman Clar asked about once the program is up and running to do a presentation on it. Chairman Clar talked about domestics being down. Chief Wolf talked about the partnership between quality of life, investigations and social services has made a diffcrence. Informational Onll'. OLD BUSINESS: CONTINUING ITEMS: l. Fire and Police Commission (No Report) 2. Disaster Preparedness Update (No Report) DEFERRALS: COMMENTS: NEXT VILLAGE BOARD MEETING: April28, 2026 ADJOURNMENT: Trustee Sulliyan made a motion to adjourn. Seconded by Trustee LaRosa Two ayes. Motion carried. The meeting adjoumed at 7:42 pm. Jennifer Hellmer Public Safcty Committee Secretary