Police and Fire Commission

City of West Allis Meeting Minutes Police and Fire Commission Thursday, October 20, 2022 6:00 PM West Allis Fire Department 7332 W. National Ave. REGULAR MEETING AND CLOSED SESSION A. CALL TO ORDER Commissioner Manthei called the meeting to order at 6:02 pm B. ROLL CALL Present: Commissioners Amy Heron, Kurt Kopplin, Danielle Romain and Mark Manthei Excused: Commissioner Lev Baldwin Also Present: Police Chief Pat Mitchell, Deputy Chief Robert Fletcher - Police Department; Fire Chief Mason Pooler, Assistant Chief Jason Schaak, Firefighter Quinn Dombrowski - Fire Department; City Administrator Rebecca Grill - City of West Allis; Bridget Morawetz, Recording Secretary C. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approval of the September 15, 2022 Regular Meeting Minutes A motion was made by Commissioner Kopplin and seconded by Commissioner Romain to approve the 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 1 Printed on 11/18/2022 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes October 20, 2022 D. POLICE DEPARTMENT 1. Request for purchase approval: Axon Officer Safety Plan Chief Mitchell reviewed with the Commissioners the Axon Safety Plan 10-year contract. He stated that he is requesting the approval to enter into this 10-year contact with Axon in anticipation of the funding to be included in the 2023 city operation budget. A brief discussion ensued between Chief Mitchell and the Commissioners relative to upgrading, technology changes and annual product maintenance. Chief Mitchell was able to answer all questions to the satisfaction of the Commissioners. A motion was made by Commissioner Kopplin and seconded by Commissioner Heron to approve this request as presented by Chief Mitchell. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 4, Commissioners Heron, Manthei, Kopplin and Romain Nay: 0 2. Request for purchase approval: Three (3) special investigation unit vehicles Chief Mitchell requested purchase approve of three (3) used undercover vehicles. He stated the funding for this purchase would come from the Federal Equitable Sharing Funds. A motion was made by Commissioner Kopplin and seconded by Commissioner Romain to approve this request. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 4, Commissioners Heron, Manthei, Kopplin and Romain Nay: 0 3. Request for purchase approval: SWAT team protective gear Chief Mitchell requested approval to purchase tactical helmets and ballistic gear for 17 members of the WAPD SWAT team. He stated that the funding would come from the awarded ARPA funds. A motion was made by Commissioner Romain and seconded by Commissioner Kopplin to approve this request. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 4, Commissioners Heron, Manthei, Kopplin and Romain Nay: 0 4. Request for purchase approval: Six (6) high gear training suits Chief Mitchell requested approval to purchase six (6) high gear training suits to be used during defense and arrest tactics training. He stated that the City of West Allis Page 2 Printed on 11/18/2022 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes October 20, 2022 funding would come from the awarded ARPA funds. A motion was made by Commissioner Kopplin and seconded by Commissioner Romain to approve this request. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 4, Commissioners Heron, Manthei, Kopplin and Romain Nay: 0 5. Request for purchase approval: Two (2) speed monitor 18-speed trailers Chief Mitchell stated that with the implantation of the reckless driving deterrence campaign, the department is requesting to purchase two speed monitor trailers. He noted that these speed trailers collect traffic and speed data in areas around the city. Chief Mitchell stated that the current speed trailers are reaching end of life usage and need to be replaced. Chief Mitchell stated that the cost of these trailers with be reimbursed to the city via ARPA funding that the WAPD was recently awarded thru the Department of Administration. A motion was made by Commissioner Romain and seconded by Commissioner Kopplin to approve this request. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 4, Commissioners Heron, Manthei, Kopplin and Romain Nay: 0 6. End of probation approval: Officer Ian Evans and Officer Reid Seghers Chief Mitchell requested that probationary Officers Ian Evans and Reid Seghers be assigned to permanent status with WAPD. A motion was made by Commissioner Kopplin and seconded by Commissioner Heron to approve this request. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 4, Commissioners Heron, Manthei, Kopplin and Romain Nay: 0 7. Police Department Financial Reports Chief Mitchell did not speak to any information contained in this report and there were no additional questions or comments. 8. Monthly Performance Report Chief Mitchell stated a probationary police officer recently tendered his resignation. He noted that the officer was doing a good job in training but had decided that the job was not a good fit for him and his family. Chief Mitchell noted that all officers, expect for the newest, have participated and completed crisis intervention training (CIT). Chief Mitchell stated that City of West Allis Page 3 Printed on 11/18/2022 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes October 20, 2022 the department is not able to pick and choose select members to address these types of calls making it imperative that all members are trained adequately. Lastly, Chief Mitchell discussed with Commissioners how the homicide clearance rate for 2022 was at 150%. He stated that crimes are counted as cleared when the case has been solved and closed. For example, he stated, if a homicide occurred in 1990 but is solved in 2022, that success is added to the 2022 clearance rate number. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 9. Patrol Activity Report Chief Mitchell stated that, in the past, the department had received outside funding that was dedicated to alcohol compliance checks however in 2020 that funding source was dissolved. He stated that these alcohol compliance checks will now be funded thru the department’s patrol division budget and store checks will be conducted quarterly and tavern checks semi-annually. Chief Mitchell also noted that the ROPE program has been reinstated and that once a month an agent from Probation and Parole will conduct home visits of their clients who reside in West Allis. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 10. Communications Activity Report Chief Mitchell stated that hiring for the communications center continues to be a challenge. He stated that currently the department has an ongoing hiring process and background checks for two part-time dispatchers are in progress. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 11. Community Services Bureau Report Chief Mitchell stated that the department participated in a number of community events in September such as the 40th anniversary celebration of the Senior Center and Pawtoberfest activities. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 12. Criminal Investigations Unit Activity Report Chief Mitchell did not speak to any information contained within this report and there were no additional questions or comments. City of West Allis Page 4 Printed on 11/18/2022 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes October 20, 2022 13. Training Report Chief Mitchell stated that the department’s fall in-service training focused on outdoor firearms training, de-escalation tactics and active shooter training. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 14. Tavern Violations Report Chief Mitchell did not speak to any information contained within this report and there were no additional questions or comments. City of West Allis Page 5 Printed on 11/18/2022 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes October 20, 2022 E. FIRE DEPARTMENT 15. Operations Division Report Chief Pooler stated that since the full integration in May and utilization of the fatpot software program, the automatic aid numbers continue to align more accurately and distribution of calls between participating communities has become more manageable. Chief Pooler highlighted a number of benchmarks contained in this report signaling out the dispatch center for a great month relative to call processing times. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 16. EMS Bureau Report Chief Pooler noted a slight reduction in EMS calls for September however noted that 2022 year-end EMS numbers will certainly be higher than in 2021. Chief Pooler then went on to review briefly the highlighted calls that were included in Chief Novak’s report. Chief Pooler also reviewed the residential living facilities report included in this report. He stated that Chief Novak has been persistent with working with these facilities to reduce the number of calls received from these facilities. He stated a challenge has been that many of these facilities have instituted no-lift and no-CPR (if someone goes into cardiac arrest) policies. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 17. EMS Revenue Report Chief Pooler stated that EMS revenue continues to exceed the projected budgeted numbers. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 18. Training Bureau Report Chief Pooler stated that the month of September covered many different types of training to include: Ø Participation in a pilot curriculum to identify and report elder abuse; Ø Vehicle stabilization and extrication training with cars provided by N&S Towing; Ø Rope rescue training inside the water tower located on Rogers street. The Commissioner had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. City of West Allis Page 6 Printed on 11/18/2022 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes October 20, 2022 19. QPR Performance Report - September Chief Pooler did not speak to any information contained within this report and there were no additional questions or comments. 20. Community Risk Reduction/Support Services Division Report Assistant Chief Jason Schaak stated that recently WAFD met with members of American Medical Response located in California. Chief Schaak stated that AMR has included buprenorphine in conjunction with naloxone as part of their overdose response protocol. Chief Schaak went on say that use of both overdose withdrawal medications will go live in March of 2023. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 21. Fire Prevention Bureau Report Chief Schaak stated that 92% of fire inspections have been completed and it is anticipated that 100% inspection completion will take place within the first two weeks of November. Chief Schaak also noted that with the introduction of the false alarm fee at the beginning of 2022, there has been a decline in these calls noting that was the purpose of instituting this fee. Chief Schaak also mentioned that smoke and CO detector installs have been stymied by the high cost of the combined units. He stated that the department continues to work with the Red Cross and other sources to secure more units to begin installs in 2023. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 22. Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) Bureau Report Chief Schaak noted that the MIH division is investigating the increase in the HUG number for September indicting that a few factors might include the weather change and new residents to the city. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 23. Fire Department Financial Report Chief Pooler did not speak to any information contained within this report and there were no additional questions or comments. 24. Master Plan Performance Snapshot Chief Pooler did not speak to any information contained within this report and there were no additional questions or comments. City of West Allis Page 7 Printed on 11/18/2022 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes October 20, 2022 F. POLICE AND FIRE COMMISSION 25. PFC Financial Report The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments regarding the this report and it was placed on file. 26. Closed Session: Discussion of Promotional Battalion Chief candidacy and qualifications G. 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 a promotional Battalion Chief candidacy and qualifications. 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 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 7:17 pm On a motion made and seconded, the meeting reconvened into open session at 7:51 pm H. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, on a motion made and seconded, the meeting adjourned at 7:52 pm City of West Allis Page 8 Printed on 11/18/2022 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes October 20, 2022 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 11/18/2022