Police and Fire Commission

City of West Allis Meeting Minutes Police and Fire Commission Thursday, November 19, 2020 5:30 PM West Allis Fire Department 7332 W. National Ave. CLOSED SESSION AND REGULAR MEETING A. CALL TO ORDER Commissioner Kopplin called the meeting to order at 5:30 pm B. ROLL CALL Present (in person): Commissioners Amy Heron, Mark Manthei and Kurt Kopplin Present (via Zoom): Commissioners Danielle Romain and Kimberly Cosby Also Present (in person): Fire Chief Mason Pooler, Assistant Chief Jason Schaak, Captain Dan deSnoo, Captain Armando Suarez Del Real - Fire Department; Bridget Morawetz, Recording Secretary Also Present (via Zoom): Police Chief Pat Mitchell, Deputy Chief Robert Fletcher, Deputy Chief Chris Marks - Police Department; Lieutenant Jesse Schwark - Fire Department; Rebecca Grill, CAO - City of West Allis C. POLICE AND FIRE COMMISSION 1. Closed Session: Fire Battalion Chief candidate interview 2. Closed Session: Fire Deputy Chief candidate interview City of West Allis Page 1 Printed on 12/18/2020 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes November 19, 2020 D. CLOSED SESSION PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Board of Police and Fire Commissioners of the City of West Allis will meet on Thursday, November 19, 2020 at 5:30 pm at 7332 W. National Avenue, West Allis Wisconsin, 53214 in open session to consider and vote on a motion to convene into closed session at said time and place to interview candidates for the position of Fire Battalion Chief and Fire Deputy Chief and to take such further action as may be necessary and appropriate in this matter. A closed session for the above purpose is authorized pursuant to the provisions of Section 19.85(1)(c) of the Wis. Stats. which permits a governmental body upon motion duly made and carried, to convene in closed session for the purpose of considering employment, promotion, compensation or performance evaluation data of any public employee over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or exercises responsibility. Immediately upon completion of the closed session, the Board of Police and Fire Commissioners will reconvene in open session at said time and place to consider any other matters on the agenda. On a motion made by Commissioner Kopplin and seconded by Commissioner Manthei, the meeting convened into closed session at 5:35 pm Interviews conducted On a motion made and seconded, the meeting reconvened into open session at 6:28 pm E. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approval of the October 15, 2020 Regular Meeting Minutes as well as the November 11, 2020 and November 12, 2020 Special Meeting and Closed Session Meeting Minutes. A motion was made by Commissioner Kopplin and seconded by Commissioner Manthei to approve the minutes as presented. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 5, Commissioners Heron, Manthei, Kopplin, Romain and Cosby Nay: 0 City of West Allis Page 2 Printed on 12/18/2020 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes November 19, 2020 F. FIRE DEPARTMENT 3. Request for approval: Promotion to Battalion Chief Chief Pooler requested the approval of Captain Dan deSnoo to the position of Battalion Chief. He stated that if approved, the promotion would be effective at 0800 hours on November 21, 2020. A motion was made by Commissioner Kopplin and seconded by Commissioner Heron to approve the promotion as requested. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 5, Commissioners Heron, Manthei, Roman, Cosby and Kopplin Nay: 0 4. Request for approval: Promotion to Deputy Chief Chief Pooler requested the approval of Captain Armando Suarez Del Real to the position of Deputy Chief. He stated that if approved, the promotion would be effective at 0800 hours on January 2, 2021 A motion was made by Commissioner Manthei and seconded by Commissioner Kopplin to approve the promotion as requested. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 5, Commissioners Heron, Manthei, Roman, Cosby and Kopplin Nay: 0 5. Request for approval: ET3 Agreement Chief Pooler submitted an agreement for approval to participate in the Center for Medicare’s Emergency Triage, Treatment and Transport (ET3) trial. He stated that the department was one of 206 EMS agencies to be selected to participate in the trial. He stated that the purpose of this test is to determine if transport to an alternative destination and/or treatment in place would reduce avoidable transports of Medicare beneficiaries to ED’s and/or utilization of other covered services. Chief Pooler stated that the agreement was reviewed and approved by the City Attorney. A motion was made by Commissioner Manthei and seconded by Commissioner Heron to approve the agreement as presented. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 5, Commissioners Heron, Manthei, Roman, Cosby and Kopplin Nay: 0 6. Request for approval: Amendment to software agreement with ImageTrend Chief Pooler shared an amended software services agreement established with ImageTrend software. He stated that the amendment establishes an electronic connection that will allow for the digital exchange of protected health information City of West Allis Page 3 Printed on 12/18/2020 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes November 19, 2020 between the department and the Milwaukee VA hospital. There is a cost associated with this connection but will be paid by the VA and no charges incurred by the city. A motion was made by Commissioner Manthei and seconded by Commissioner Heron to approve the amendment as presented. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 5, Commissioners Heron, Manthei, Roman, Cosby and Kopplin Nay: 0 7. Request for approval: Proceed with a Firefighter recruitment and selection process Chief Pooler requested approval to proceed with a firefighter recruitment and selection process. This will be a joint hiring recruitment to include Wauwatosa, North Shore and St. Francis. He stated that PFC interviews will be scheduled in late January 2021. A motion was made by Commissioner Kopplin and seconded by Commissioner Romain to approve the recruitment process as presented. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 5, Commissioners Heron, Manthei, Roman, Cosby and Kopplin Nay: 0 8. Operations Division Report Chief Pooler stated that a noticeable rise in calls was apparent after the stay at home order was lifted and warmer weather brought people outside. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 9. EMS Bureau Report Chief Pooler briefly reviewed one the highlighted calls contained in this report. He stated that this was an automatic aid request to the City of Milwaukee where staff assisted with a self-inflicted gunshot wound situation. Commissioner Heron asked Chief Pooler if WAFD has responded to the alternate care facility at State Fair and Chief Pooler stated that the department has not to date. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 10. EMS Revenue Report Chief Pooler stated that revenue relative to bill collection is trending on budget and is expected to continue to do so thru the end of the year. City of West Allis Page 4 Printed on 12/18/2020 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes November 19, 2020 The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 11. QPR Monthly Report - October The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 12. Training Bureau Report Chief Pooler stated that with safety issues relative to COVID-19, staff training has been limited to online exercises, however, recently members participated in a search and rescue live training exercise conducted at the police department’s training facility. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 13. Community Risk Reduction/Support Services Report Assistant Chief Jason Schaak stated that the annual testing of apparatus and other key pieces of equipment took place in October and except for some minor correctable issues, all tested product passed with flying colors. He stated that Fleet Manager, Jeremiah Behrs, has been instrumental over the last year to ensure maintenance is properly conducted on these apparatus and equipment pieces. AC Schaak noted that required fire hose testing also took place in October as well. He stated that this is conducted in-house by on-duty crews and is overseen by Lt. Matt LaDousa. He noted that in-house fire hose maintenance and testing continues to save the city money that would otherwise be spent on outsourcing to a company. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 14. Fire Prevention Bureau Report Chief Schaak stated that the beginning of October is usually fire prevention week and fire prevention staff would have been out and about presenting fire safety talks to students in grades K thru 3. He noted that this year, due to COVID-19, this program was accomplished by an online fire safety video as well as coloring pages and worksheets provided to the schools to handout during the video presentation. Chief Schaak stated that approximately 2200 students were still able to participate. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 15. Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) Bureau Report MIH Captain Suarez del Real shared with the Commissioners that the MIH team has partnered with a homeless outreach group called Street Angels to assist with providing help to those residents in need of shelter or other necessary City of West Allis Page 5 Printed on 12/18/2020 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes November 19, 2020 services. He noted this is once-a-week event for approximately two hours. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 16. Fire Department Financial Report Chief Pooler stated that COVID has increased the OT hours, but the city is hopeful to receive reimbursement from the government at some point in the future. Overall he stated the department is running on budget to date. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 17. Master Plan Performance Report Chief Pooler did not speak to anything contained within this report. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. City of West Allis Page 6 Printed on 12/18/2020 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes November 19, 2020 G. POLICE DEPARTMENT 18. Communication COVID-19 Quarantine Guidelines Chief Mitchell shared with the Commissioners a communication overview regarding guidelines established relative to required COVID-19 quarantine. He stated that represented employees who are forced to quarantine due to off-duty exposure to COVID-19 will be allowed to use up to 80 hours per instance or a total of 240 hours (max three quarantine instances). He stated that after that, the employee would be required to use vacation, etc. Chief Mitchell stated that this is a change in procedure directly related to COVID-19 and is not setting a precedent. He noted that the same type of procedural change is used by surrounding departments as well. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 19. Communication and request for approval: Sergeant Eligibility List Chief Mitchell stated that the Sergeant promotional process has been completed and he is requesting approval to establish an eligibility list which will be effective thru November 19, 2022. A motion was made by Commissioner Kopplin and seconded by Commissioner Heron to approve the Sergeant eligibility list. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 5, Commissioners Heron, Manthei, Cosby, Romain and Kopplin Nay: 0 20. Communication and request for approval: Police Officer Candidate List Chief Mitchell requested approval of a Police Officer candidate list to fill current and anticipated future police officer positions. A motion was made by Commissioner Kopplin and seconded by Commissioner Heron to approve the list as presented by Chief Mitchell. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 5, Commissioners Heron, Manthei, Cosby, Romain and Kopplin Nay: 0 21. Communication: Report on Administrative reductions Chief Mitchell stated that in 2016 the department reorganized and eliminated two (2) Captain positions and in 2018 reorganized the Communications Unit to eliminate and replace seven (7) sworn positions with civilian supervisors. He stated that any additional cuts would directly affect the administrative staff. Chief Mitchell did state that the crossing guard contract has been transferred to the responsibility of the WA/WM school district resulting in an annual savings of $140,000 for the city. City of West Allis Page 7 Printed on 12/18/2020 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes November 19, 2020 Chief Mitchell stated that technical advancements relative to electronic parking citation systems and other parking control avenues may assist at some point, in the reduction of administrative staffing. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 22. Police Department Financial Report Chief Mitchell stated that to date, the police budget was on track. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 23. Monthly Performance Report Chief Mitchell made note of information contained within this report to include: Ø Current staffing and a recent resignation of an officer; Ø Noted that even though COVID-19 has resulted in the cancellation of many community outreach programs and school closings; he stated that the community service unit and school resource officers continue a presence in the community and conduct student welfare checks on a frequent basis. He stated that additional cameras have been installed around the city’s skate park to improve security. Additionally, he stated that troublemakers have been notified via mail indicating they are no longer welcomed at the park. Chief Mitchell stated that if such a person is found at the park, they can and will receive a ticket for trespassing. Commissioner Manthei stated that he has seen a pair of tennis shoes lodge in a light pole by the skate park and Chief Mitchell stated he will have them removed. 24. Patrol Activity Report Chief Mitchell shared with the Commissioners a thank you message to the department with a specific shout-out to Officer Lane Olson for his direct help relative to an incident that involved the letter writer. He stated that the message was shared with the department and discussed at roll call. Chief Mitchell and the Commissioners engaged in a brief conversation relative to the recent civil unrest in the City of Wauwatosa and how West Allis assisted Tosa PD with this situation and were able to maintain a presence in West Allis as well. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 25. Communications Activity Report Chief Mitchell did not speak to anything contained in this report. City of West Allis Page 8 Printed on 12/18/2020 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes November 19, 2020 The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 26. Community Services Bureau Report Chief Mitchell did not speak to anything contained in this report. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 27. Criminal Investigations Unit Activity Report Chief Mitchell stated that those responsible for recent damage to the Reservoir Park bathroom building were quickly identified and apprehended after on-site surveillance cameras captured clear footage of the offenders and was then posted to the ring Neighbor’s app. He stated that among numerous calls received, a parent of each suspect notified the department as well after seeing the posted footage. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 28. Tavern Violation Report Chief Mitchell did not speak to anything contained in this report. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 29. Training Report Chief Mitchell did not speak to anything contained in this report. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. H. POLICE AND FIRE COMMISSION 30. PFC Financial Report The Commissioners had no questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 31. 2020 PFC Holiday Dinner Commissioner Kopplin stated that on the advice of CAO Rebecca Grill and with current COVID-19 general restrictions, the PFC holiday dinner event after the December meeting will not take place. City of West Allis Page 9 Printed on 12/18/2020 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes November 19, 2020 I. ADJOURNMENT There being no further discussion, on a motion made and seconded, the meeting adjourned at 7:49 pm 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 10 Printed on 12/18/2020