Public Safety Committee

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE AGENDA COMMISSION CONFERENCE ROOM 4243 REMEMBRANCE RD. NW. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2025 5:00 PM Call Meeting to Order - Record Attendance 1. Committee Members: Mayor Carey (Chair), Thom Burke, Jessica Babcock, and Elaina Huizenga-Chase Discussion Items 1. Approval of Minutes from October 13, 2025 2. Fire Chief Updates 3. Police Chief Updates 4. Public Safety Space Needs Study Presentation Adjournment Page 1 of 4  PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES COMMISSION CONFERENCE ROOM MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2025 5:00 PM Call Meeting to Order - Record Attendance Committee Members: Mayor Carey (Chair), Thom Burke, Jessica Babcock, and Elaina Huizenga-Chase In Attendance: Frank Wash, Rusty Shoultz, Keith Mankel, and Melanie Grooters. Discussion Items Approval of Minutes September 22, 2025 Motion by Thom Burke, seconded by Jessica Babcock to approve the September 22, 2025 meeting minutes. Motion Carried. Police Department Updates Police department updates were provided by Chief Mankel. He reported that the replacement drone is expected to be in service by the end of the month, and the department is looking for a third drone to add to its fleet. Regarding the Kent County Real Time Crime Center, Chief Mankel shared that all Kent County school districts are participating. The center plans to begin promoting to private businesses in January 2026. Chief Mankel spoke about the department's accreditation renewal process, noting that assessors are scheduled to be on site November 25, 2025. Discussion was held regarding increased call volume, with retail fraud identified as the primary area of growth. He also spoke about department staffing levels, stating that the department currently has 39 of the needed 44 staff members with two conditional offers extended last week. Additional discussion focused on recruitment and succession planning. Public Safety Committee Minutes 10-13-25 Page 1 of 2 Page 2 of 4  Fire Department Updates Chief Rusty Shoultz provided the committee with an update on the fire department. He stated that 24-hour coverage and unit dispatch went into effective on October 4, 2025. These changes have led to reduced response times citywide, with especially significant improvements in the First Ward. Chief Shoultz spoke about the ISO representative visit on October 7, 2025. During the visit, the department provided all available records from the past 5 years, along with documentation outlining current initiatives and strategic plans. Discussion followed. Chief Shoultz introduced a proposed reorganization plan for the department. He highlighted changes to supervisory roles and identified department needs, including the addition of three full-time firefighters and access to a ladder truck in both the Standale and Alpine corridors. Further discussion took place regarding the department’s staffing and the city’s commitment to purchasing a new ladder truck. Additional discussion was held regarding emergency and strategic planning sessions, as well as the possibility of receiving a presentation about the Real Time Crime Center at a future City Commission meeting Adjourned at 6:18 p.m. Public Safety Committee Minutes 10-13-25 Page 2 of 2 Page 3 of 4  CITY OF WALKER ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM TO: Public Safety Committee FROM: Scott Conners, P.E., City Engineer/Director of Public Services DATE: November 3, 2025 RE: Public Safety Space Needs Study On March 13th of this year, we kicked off a Space Needs Study for the Fire and Police Departments. The study included the Public Safety building on our city campus, Fire Station #2 in Standale, and Fire Station #3 on Three Mile Road. The Studio GC team was engaged in this effort as a companion to their work on the Walker Library. Pat Callahan and Craig Meadows were the primary team members on this additional task. They both have a bevy of experience in working with police and fire departments across the Midwest. The 1st draft of this study will be presented to the Public Safety Committee on Monday, November 10th. The study will be broken out in short term and long term recommendations. One of the key concepts that we should be prepared to discuss is to define these terms. For the purposes of this study, the terms were used in very general way. We may find that short vs. long term have different timetables for different facilities. I suspect that we may be able to adjust the recommendations and hybridize the eventual solution to fit the vision of the City Commission and the available funding. The study group included significant contributions from Chief Mankel, Chief Shoultz, and our City Manager, Darrel Schmalzel. We are excited about the results, but the challenging work is just beginning. We look forward to meeting with the Committee on November 10th to talk through the study and set a vision for the future of Public Safety. Cc: Darrel Schmalzel, City Manager Keith Mankel, Police Chief Russell Shoultz, Fire Chief Page 4 of 4