Public Safety Committee (Meets 3rd Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m.)

Proceedings of the Public Safety Committee February 17, 2021 Members Present: Councilor Elm Councilor Sutherland Councilor Dalbec Councilor Bender Others Present: Chief Gordon, Chief Alexander, Capt. Winterscheidt, Officer Brad Jago, Shelley Nelson, Mayor Paine, Nick Raverty Participants joined the meeting via Google Meet. Councilor Sutherland called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. and asked that Donna Swanson record all participants for roll call. Approval of minutes: November 18, 2020 Motion by Councilor Dalbec, seconded by Councilor Elm and carried to approve the Public Safety meeting minutes from November 18, 2020. Standing Agenda items: 1. Fire Department Update Chief Gordon said that most department members have now completed their second dose of the COVID vaccine. Douglas County is administering vaccines in the Government Center on Tuesday and Thursdays. The Fire Department has been supporting this effort, having an off duty firefighter present while vaccinations are being given. Chief Gordon told the committee that the Fire Department works with a company that gets equipment that they are no longer able to use, typically because of OSHA standards, to other countries that are in need. They recently gave a large truckload and it went to firefighters in Nicaragua. Chief Gordon talked about the Child Death Review Team that is active in Douglas County. They review all infant and child fatalities in Douglas County. This data is reported to the state. 2. Police Department Update Chief Alexander said the department’s vaccinations are also complete. About 85% of our department was vaccinated. Some members have had COVID, so the chief said he hopes we are on the other side of this virus and hopefully safer now that the vaccine has been available. Chief Alexander gave a brief synopsis of two current important items in the department and turned over the meeting to Capt. Winterscheidt and Officer Jago who will give presentations on these subjects. No action New Business 1. Virtual Reality equipment/software Capt. Winterscheidt gave a Powerpoint presentation on virtual reality software and its benefits. After considering several different software companies, the software the department would like to purchase is Survivr. Capt. Winterscheidt answered questions about the capabilities of this product. Motion by Councilor Elm, seconded by Councilor Dalbec and carried to approve the purchase of virtual reality equipment/software. 2. Social Worker/Community Outreach Specialist Officer Jago gave a Powerpoint presentation on a Social Worker/Community Outreach Specialist joining the police department. Officer Jago explained how this position would be helpful to the department and the community, and would work together with local organizations/resources. Officer Jago suggested a title of Coordinated Response Specialist and asked for any other suggestions or comments. Officer Jago answered several questions from Councilors, and said he hopes we can get this position filled by this summer. Motion by Councilor Elm, seconded by Councilor Dalbec and carried to approve this new position and send it on to Human Resources Committee. Meeting adjourned at 6:59 p.m.