Police and Fire Commission

City of West Allis Meeting Minutes Police and Fire Commission Thursday, March 19, 2020 6:00 PM West Allis Fire Department 7332 W. National Ave. REGULAR MEETING PLEASE NOTE MEETING LOCATION CHANGE A. CALL TO ORDER Commissioner Kopplin called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm B. ROLL CALL Present: Commissioners Amy Heron, Mark Manthei, Kimberly Cosby (via Zoom), Danielle Romain (via Zoom) and Kurt Kopplin Also Present: Police Chief Pat Mitchell (via Zoom), Deputy Chief Chris Botsch (via Zoom), Deputy Chief Bob Fletcher (via Zoom) - Police Department; Fire Chief Mason Pooler - Fire Department; CAO Rebecca Grill (via Zoom) - City of West Allis; Bridget Morawetz, Recording Secretary C. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approval of the February 20, 2020 Regular and Closed Session Meeting Minutes A motion was made by Commissioner Kopplin and seconded by Commissioner Heron to approve the February 20, 2020 Regular and Closed Session Meeting Minutes as presented. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 5, Commissioners Heron, Manthei, Cosby, Romain and Kopplin No: 0 City of West Allis Page 1 Printed on 4/17/2020 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes March 19, 2020 D. POLICE DEPARTMENT 1. Communication: COVID-19 Update Chief Mitchell updated the Commissioners on the Police Department’s efforts to continue working effectively and safely and within stated directives and mandates from the City as well as the Governor’s office. Some efforts included: Ø Closing the front lobby area as all business conducted can also be done online; Ø Officers will attempt phone contact to resolve or assist if appropriate; Ø Officers will request a citizen come outside vs. the Officer entering a residence; Ø For traffic stops, request individuals place their license on hood of car vs. hand to hand contact Chief Mitchell stated that Detectives will be working inside the building and will be available to cover for Police Officers in the event they become ill and/or quarantined. Commissioners inquired if a decrease in crime has become apparent and they were also concerned about the possibility of looting issues. Deputy Chief Botsch stated that currently the department had not noticed a significant decrease and they were not concerned about looting. Chief Mitchell stated that he will continue to keep the Commissioners updated as appropriate. 2. Communication: Deficit Reduction Exercise Paper (3% and 5%) Chief Mitchell summarized two deficit reduction options in reference to the City’s current structural deficit discussions: Ø A budget reduction of 3% would require elimination of $598,880 from the department’s overall budget or; Ø A budget reduction of 5% would require elimination of $998,133 from the department’s overall budget Chief Mitchell addressed each budget reduction scenario individually and explained the programs and other areas that would be affected by taking action on either budget reduction plan presented. Chief Mitchell stated that reductions were part of an exercise requested by the City and the department’s current focus and attention is on the COVID 19 pandemic. He stated that 2021 budget discussions will be forthcoming however, and these recommendations will most likely be revisited at that time. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. City of West Allis Page 2 Printed on 4/17/2020 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes March 19, 2020 3. Communication: Fatal Overdose Investigative Response Chief Mitchell stated that overtime related to fatal overdoses has risen dramatically over the last few years as overdose related deaths continue to rise within the city and generally all over the county. Chief Mitchell stated that the department is currently reviewing how to address these types of calls to not only reduce overtime incurred but to keep the integrity of investigation of OD cases intact and continue to arrest drug offenders accordingly and on a timely basis. 4. Request for Approval: Begin Police Officer recruitment process Chief Mitchell requested approval to begin a Police Officer recruitment process. He stated that the goal will be to start recruits in the August Police Academy however, that is all pending given the current health situation and a start date could be moved to January of 2021. Chief Mitchell indicated that recruitment now would be necessary to hold positions for new members to fill quickly and immediately. A motion was made by Commissioner Kopplin and seconded by Commissioner Romain to approve the recruitment process as requested by Chief Mitchell. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 5, Commissioners Heron, Manthei, Kopplin, Romain and Cosby No: 0 5. Request for Approval: Purchase of Patrol Police Vehicles Chief Mitchell requested approval for the purchase of two (2) patrol cars to include the necessary vehicle set-up accessories such as emergency lights. Chief Mitchell stated that money for the purchase had been budgeted in 2020 and approval is necessary to move forward with the purchase. A motion was made by Commissioner Manthei and seconded by Commissioner Heron to approve the vehicle purchases as presented by Chief Mitchell. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 5, Commissioners Heron, Manthei, Kopplin, Romain and Cosby No: 0 6. Communication: WAPD 2019 Annual Report Chief Mitchell presented the WAPD 2019 Annual Report for their review. He stated that the report has been uploaded to the City website as well and is available to the public. City of West Allis Page 3 Printed on 4/17/2020 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes March 19, 2020 7. Police Department Financial Report Chief Mitchell noted that this information had not been received by the Finance department. 8. Monthly Performance Report Chief Mitchell did not highlight any information presented in this report. 9. Patrol Activity Report Chief Mitchell brought to the Commissioners attention two compliments received relative to public interactions with Police Officer Lonnie Christianson and Police Officer Brandon Rapp. He noted that both were from citizens who had experienced severe distress due to a family member’s unexpected passing and both officers were thanked for their sincere, helpful and calming presence. 10. Communications Activity Report Chief Mitchell stated that the department has been investigating a 9 1 1 product that would have the ability to provide a link to a dispatcher or officer and turn the call essentially into a camera. Chief Mitchell stated that the video would be saved in a secure environment and could be added to the final police report. 11. Community Services Report Chief Mitchell stated that unfortunately the 2020 Citizen Police Academy has been postponed indefinitely due to COVID 19. He stated it was disappointing because Angelica Sanchez from Fox6 had committed to running a bi-weekly story about the academy and would have been an excellent way to share this program and its efforts to a very large audience. 12. Criminal Investigations Unit Activity Report Chief Mitchell stated that the recent WA/WM school district fraud incident was briefly investigated at a local level, but has since been turned over to the FBI as it has evolved into an international fraud investigation. 13. Tavern Violations Report Chief Mitchell did not highlight any information presented in this report. 14. Training Report Chief Mitchell did not highlight any information presented in this report. City of West Allis Page 4 Printed on 4/17/2020 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes March 19, 2020 E. FIRE DEPARTMENT 15. Communication: COVID-19 Update Chief Pooler updated the Commissioners on the Fire Department’s efforts to continue working effectively and safely and within stated directives and mandates from the City as well as the Governor’s office. Some efforts include: Ø Working with surrounding departments to create four-six COVID-19 specific med rigs; Ø Front door triage if possible and request someone come to the door prior to entrance into a residence; Ø Phone screen prior to MIH home visits; Ø All CPAT testing has been put on hold for 2020 Chief Pooler noted that securing of protective gear for personnel has become a priority and Assistant Chief Jason Schaak has been working with various companies as well as purchasing to secure the necessary product in as timely a fashion as possible. Chief Pooler noted that he will continue to keep the Commissioners updated as appropriate. 16. Operations Division Report Chief Pooler reviewed the garage fire that was included in AC Scharfenberg’s report. He noted that this was a CBRF facility and they are required to have a sprinkler system in the facility (to include the garage). Chief Pooler noted that investigation into the fire determined that it was started by careless use of smoking material however further investigation relative to the sprinkler system found that the sprinkler heads had been improperly installed by the building owner and were rendered useless. 17. EMS Bureau Report Chief Pooler briefly reviewed the department’s involvement in the active shooter incident that took place at Miller Brewery. He noted that crew members were inadvertently placed directly in the line of fire when attending to a victim. Chief Pooler noted that although the department, and all departments for that matter, conduct training for these incidents, the reality of chaos that ensues is overwhelming and very stressful. 18. EMS Revenue Report Chief Pooler did not highlight any information presented in this report 19. National Q Dispatch Performance Report Chief Pooler did not highlight any information presented in this report 20. Training Bureau Report Chief Pooler noted that February training included ice rescue practical City of West Allis Page 5 Printed on 4/17/2020 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes March 19, 2020 exercises which took place in a pond located on the Quad Graphics property in West Allis. 21. Communication: Update on Firefighter recruits Chief Pooler stated that with the COVID 19 pandemic, the recruit training program has been shortened to four weeks vs. the usual six weeks. He stated that training days will be six days a week until completion of the training program. 22. Request for Approval: Probationary firefighters to permanent roster Chief Pooler submitted overviews of the following probationary firefighters and requested approval for them to be placed on the department’s permanent roster: Ø Nicholas Batts Ø Timothy Bollom Ø Joseph Breznik, Jr. Ø Quinn Dombrowski Ø Lucas Houk Ø Rachel Lensing Ø Justin McMenamin Ø Lucas Nault A motion was made by Commissioner Heron and seconded by Commissioner Kopplin to approve Chief Pooler’s request as presented. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 5, Commissioners Heron, Manthei, Kopplin, Romain and Cosby No: 0 23. Request for Approval: Participation in a Joint Firefighter Recruitment Process Chief Pooler requested approval to participate in a Joint Firefighter Recruitment process with Wauwatosa and North Shore Fire Departments. A motion was made by Commissioner Heron and seconded by Commissioner Cosby to approve participation as presented by Chief Pooler. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 5, Commissioners Heron, Manthei, Kopplin, Romain and Cosby No: 0 24. Community Risk Reduction/Support Services Division Report Chief Pooler did not highlight any information presented in this report 25. Fire Prevention Bureau Report Chief Pooler did not highlight any information presented in this report City of West Allis Page 6 Printed on 4/17/2020 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes March 19, 2020 26. Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) Bureau Report Chief Pooler did not highlight any information presented in this report 27. Fire Department Financial Report Chief Pooler noted that this information had not been received by the Finance department. 28. Master Plan Performance Snapshot Chief Pooler did not highlight any information presented in this report 29. Communication: Retirement of Firefighter Chief Pooler stated that Firefighter Craig Pitman retired from the department on March 13, 2020 after 18 years of service. F. POLICE AND FIRE COMMISSION 30. PFC Financial Report The report was not provided to the recording secretary by Finance. G. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, on a motion made and seconded, the meeting adjourned at 7:30 pm City of West Allis Page 7 Printed on 4/17/2020 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes March 19, 2020 All meetings of the {bdName} are public meetings. In order for the general public to make comments at the committee meetings, the individual(s) must be scheduled (as an appearance) with the chair of the committee or the appropriate staff contact; otherwise, the meeting of the committee is a working session for the committee itself, and discussion by those in attendance is limited to committee members, the mayor, other alderpersons, staff and others that may be a party to the matter being discussed. NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT The City of West Allis does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, color, religion, age, marital or veterans' status, sex, national origin, disability or any other legally protected status in the admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its services, programs or activities. AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT NOTICE Upon reasonable notice the City will furnish appropriate auxiliary aids and services when necessary to afford individuals with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in and to enjoy the benefits of a service, program or activity provided by the City. LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY STATEMENT It is the policy of the City of West Allis to provide language access services to populations of persons with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) who are eligible to be served or likely to be directly affected by our programs. Such services will be focused on providing meaningful access to our programs, services and/or benefits. City of West Allis Page 8 Printed on 4/17/2020