Police and Fire Commission

City of West Allis Meeting Minutes Police and Fire Commission Thursday, April 15, 2021 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 5:35 pm B. ROLL CALL Present (in person): Commissioners Amy Heron and Kurt Kopplin Present (Zoom): Commissioners Mark Manthei and Danielle Romain Also Present (in person): Fire Chief Mason Pooler, Deputy Chief Kyle Novak, Deputy Chief Armando Suarez Del Real, Captain Mallory Stiglitz, Lieutenant Matthew LaDousa, Firefighter Garrett Schaefer - Fire Department; Bridget Morawetz, Recording Secretary Also Present (Zoom): Police Chief Pat Mitchell, Deputy Chief Robert Fletcher, Deputy Chief Chris Marks - Police Department; Lieutenant Jesse Schwark - Fire Department; CAO Rebecca Grill - City of West Allis C. POLICE AND FIRE COMMISSION 1. Closed Session: Fire Battalion Chief candidate interview City of West Allis Page 1 Printed on 5/27/2021 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes April 15, 2021 D. CLOSED SESSION PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Board of Police and Fire Commissioners of the City of West Allis will meet on Thursday, April 15, 2021 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 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 and seconded, the meeting convened into closed session at 5:36 pm On a motion made and seconded, the meeting reconvened into open session at 6:08 pm E. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approval of the March 18, 2021 Regular and Closed Session Meeting Minutes A motion was made by Commissioner Kopplin and seconded by Commissioner Heron to approve the March 18, 2021 Regular and Closed Session Meeting minutes as presented. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 4, Commissioners Heron, Kopplin, Romain and Manthei Nay: 0 City of West Allis Page 2 Printed on 5/27/2021 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes April 15, 2021 F. POLICE DEPARTMENT 2. Police Department Financial Report Chief Mitchell stated financials to date are in line with expected spending. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 3. Monthly Performance Report Chief Mitchell stated that the Police Officer job recruitment information was disseminated recently and the Commissioners will be contacted via a doodle poll for best dates in late May or early June to conduct interviews. Chief Mitchell stated that off-site training has slowly started back up in the state and a number of officers attended training sessions to include: Ø80-hour front line supervision school at WCTC; Ø8-hour elder abuse course at MPD; ØThe SWAT Crisis Negotiators team attended a 20-hour conference in Oshkosh Lastly, chief Mitchell noted in this report that the department is wrapping up in-service training which focused on de-escalation training, ground stabilization refresher and CPR/First Aid/Narcan refreshers. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 4. Patrol Activity Report Chief Mitchell stated that road rage incidents involving gun fire has escalated stating that the department responded to such an incident in early March on 74th and Lincoln. He stated that the shots were fired at a vehicle and although no one was injured, a house was hit by the gunfire. He stated that three people were taken into custody and booked on various charges accordingly. Chief Mitchell also discussed briefly a car jacking incident that happened in Waterford, but the car’s OnStar service pinged the car in West Allis. Chief Mitchell stated that after a brief chase, both suspects were arrested without incident. Lastly, Chief Mitchell referenced the Hwy 100 Cruising Initiative, noting that although the department did receive some negative publicity, overall the initiative was successful in decreasing disorderly behavior and activity on Friday and Saturday nights. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 5. Communications Activity Report Chief Mitchell stated that the dispatch center currently has two full-time dispatch positions open but anticipated that those positions will be filled in the near future. City of West Allis Page 3 Printed on 5/27/2021 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes April 15, 2021 The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 6. Community Services Bureau Report Chief Mitchell stated that recently the neighborhood specialists team removed 12 graffiti-type incidents around West Allis. He stated that graffiti had been on the decline but appears now to be increasing in incidents. He noted that last year, a suspect was arrested specific to lewd graffiti and it is suspected he may be at it again. Chief Mitchell also noted that the bridge at McCarthy Park was severely tagged by graffiti and will take a lot of cleaning and paint to cover the damage. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 7. Criminal Investigations Unit Activity Report Chief Mitchell did not speak to anything included in this report. Commissioner Heron asked for an explanation relative to a swatting incident included in the report. Chief Mitchell stated that these types of incidents occur when someone calls to report a horrible crime has happened or is happening, such as multiple killings of family members, threatening and/or menacing type behavior, etc. However, the call is not real and is a ploy for the department to dispatch the Swat team or other large police presence at the caller’s location. Chief Mitchell stated that this is a very dangerous event for everyone involved and recently a statute has been enacted to make such calls illegal. The Commissioners had no additional comments or questions and the report was placed on file. 8. Tavern Violation Report Chief Mitchell did not speak to anything included in this report and the report was placed on file. 9. Training Report Chief Mitchell stated that Officer Joel Kosinski recently submitted his letter of resignation to the department. He noted that Officer Kosinski was one of two lateral transfer new hires who had started in January of 2020. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. City of West Allis Page 4 Printed on 5/27/2021 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes April 15, 2021 G. FIRE DEPARTMENT 10. Request for approval: Promotion to Battalion Chief A motion was made by Commissioner Kopplin and seconded by Commissioner Heron to approve the promotion of Ct. Mallory Stiglitz to the rank of Battalion Chief. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 4, Commissioners Heron, Kopplin, Romain and Manthei Nay: 0 11. Request for approval: Promotion to Captain Chief Pooler stated that with the promotion of Ct. Stiglitz to Battalion Chief, Lt. Matthew LaDousa has been promoted to the rank of Captain. He stated that there was not approval needed as Lt. LaDousa was the next eligible candidate for promotion via the Captain’s promotional list established in July of 2019. 12. Operations Division Report Chief Pooler stated that the BLS contract between Milwaukee FD and Paratech ambulance service was recently terminated leaving Milwaukee with only two companies to service calls. Chief Pooler stated that the potential for West Allis to assist on more mutual aid calls given this situation is likely and will be monitored closely to ensure the City of West Allis is adequately covered. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 13. EMS Bureau Report DC Novak noted that all three highlighted incidents in his report consisted of great teamwork with West Allis PD as well as a mutual aid call in the City of Milwaukee. He stated that in all three incidents, the patients were given life-saving CPR prior to our arrival and all were transported to respective hospitals for additional treatment. The Commissioners had no additional comments or questions and the report was placed on file. 14. EMS Revenue Report DC Novak stated that revenue is ahead of projection relative to EMS revenue collection and he expects that trend to continue. Additionally, EMS billing in collections is subject to collection via the state’s Tax Refund Interception program. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 15. QPR Monthly Report: March The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. City of West Allis Page 5 Printed on 5/27/2021 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes April 15, 2021 16. QPR 1st Quarter Report: January-March The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 17. Training Bureau Report Chief Pooler stated that the entire department was involved in live burn fire training that focused on fire attack, search and rescue, ventilation and forcible entry. Chief Pooler stated the new recruits that started on April 5th have transitioned to the Joint Fire Training Academy and will be in training for the next 6 weeks. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 18. Community Risk Reduction/Support Services Report AC Schaak stated that a new system to request fleet service repairs and station facility requests has been created within the new Office 360 program and will help to streamline and facilitate these requests in a more effective and efficient manner. AC Schaak stated that March showed a slight increase in overdoses and in comparing past data, appears to be a trend going into the summer months. He did state that 2020 was a difficult year for overdoses and due to COVID-19 lock-down and the lack of accessible services during much of the year. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 19. Fire Prevention Bureau Report AC Schaak stated that the DC Wright and Lt Dombrowski are authorized plan reviewers for the State of Wisconsin and to date have collected approximately $7000.00 in state plan review fees for the City AC Schaak stated that the bureau is planning a smoke/CO detector install event in June. He stated this will be the first one taking place since 2019. AC Schaak noted that past events, Commissioners and Alderpersons have been invited to attend, but they will not be this time in order to stay in compliance with safety and health protocols. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 20. Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) Bureau Report DC Suarez Del Real stated that the MIH bureau in collaboration with the city’s health department made contact with 80 plus home-bound citizen’s and were able to provide them with the COVID-19 vaccination shot. DC Suarez Del Real also spoke to the start up of the distracted driver course presented by the MIH team as part of the teaching curriculum at Central High School’s health department. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. City of West Allis Page 6 Printed on 5/27/2021 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes April 15, 2021 21. Communication: MIH program presentation Acting MIH Lieutenant Garrett Schaefer presented to the Commissioners his MIH initiative which focuses on those patients diagnosed with heart failure. A/LT Schaefer stated that the goal is to educate both the patient and family members on how to treat this disease once released from the hospital to include review of their medications, follow-up appointments and their diets. DC Suarez Del Real stated that the department has an intern dietitian working with MIH and she has been going with the MIH staff on these types of visits to review a patient’s current diet and makes recommendation for improvement and change. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 22. Request for approval: BAA with Greenfield Fire Department A motion was made by Commissioner Kopplin and seconded by Commissioner Heron to approve the BAA with Greenfield Fire Department as presented by DC Suarez Del Real. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 4, Commissioners Heron, Manthei, Kopplin and Romain Nay: 0 23. Fire Department Financial Report Chief Pooler did not speak to anything contained with the financial report. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 24. Master Plan Performance Report Chief Pooler did not speak to anything contained with this report. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. City of West Allis Page 7 Printed on 5/27/2021 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes April 15, 2021 H. POLICE AND FIRE COMMISSION 25. Communication: Introduction of new Commissioner, Lev Baldwin This introduction was tabled until the May 20, 2021 meeting. 26. PFC Financial Report The Commissioners had no comments and the report was placed on file. 27. Closed Session: Discussion and review of questions as it relates to the Board of Police and Fire Commission interviews of selected recruit candidates for the police and fire departments 28. Request for approval: Revised fire and police department candidate interview questions On a motion made by Commissioner Heron and seconded by Commissioner Kopplin, the revised fire and police department candidate interview questions were approved as presented. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 4, Commissioners Heron, Kopplin, Manthei and Romain Nay: 0 I. CLOSED SESSION PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Board of Police and Fire Commissioners of the City of West Allis will, upon conclusion of open session, consider and vote on a motion to convene in closed session at said time and place to discuss and develop questions for the Police and Fire Commission interviews of selected recruit candidates for the police and fire departments. A closed session for the above purpose is authorized pursuant to the provisions of Section 19.85(1)(e) of the Wis. Stats. which permits a governmental body upon motion duly made and carried, to convene in closed session for the purpose of deliberating or negotiating the purchasing of public properties, the investing of public funds, or conducting other specified public business, whenever competitive or bargaining reasons require a closed session. Immediately upon completion of the closed session, the Board of Police and Fire Commission will reconvene in open session at said time and place to consider any other matters on the agenda On a motion made and seconded, the meeting convened into closed session at 7:31 pm. Closed session topic discussed On a motion made and seconded, the meeting reconvened into open session at 7:35 pm. City of West Allis Page 8 Printed on 5/27/2021 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes April 15, 2021 J. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, on a motion made and seconded, the meeting adjourned at 7:36 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 9 Printed on 5/27/2021