Police and Fire Commission

City of West Allis Meeting Minutes Police and Fire Commission Thursday, March 16, 2023 6:00 PM West Allis Police Department 11301 W. Lincoln Ave. REGULAR MEETING A. CALL TO ORDER Commissioner Manthei called the meeting to order at 6:03 pm B. ROLL CALL Present: Commissioners Mark Manthei, Danielle Romain,Lev Baldwin, Kimberly Cosby and Kurt Kopplin Also Present: Fire Chief Mason Pooler, FF Quinn Dombrowski - Fire Department; Police Chief Pat Mitchell, Deputy Chief Chris Marks, Deputy Chief Robert Fletcher - Police Department; Bridget Morawetz, Recording Secretary C. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approval of the February 23, 2023 Regular and Closed Session Meeting Minutes as well as the February 27, 2023 Special Meeting and Closed Session Minutes A motion was made by Commissioner Romain and seconded by Commissioner Kopplin to approve the minutes as presented. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 5, Commissioners Manthei, Romain, Baldwin, Cosby and Kopplin Nay: 0 City of West Allis Page 1 Printed on 4/21/2023 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes March 16, 2023 D. FIRE DEPARTMENT 1. Operations Division Report Chief Pooler stated that there were no working structure fires for the month of February as well as no injuries. He also noted that mutual aid given in February was a bit on the high side, but nothing that warranted a review or other follow-up at this time. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 2. Bureau of Training and EMS After speaking briefly about each of the highlighted EMS calls included in DC Novak’s report. Chief Pooler then moved on to talk about the February training exercises. He stated that WAFD was given access to a vacant housing structure which is the best venue to simulate “real-life” scenarios. He stated that the crews were working on the VEIS (Vent-Enter-Isolate-Search) technique which involves searching for victims in areas of a building that may be blocked by fire. Chief Pooler also reviewed some of the benchmarks included in the report. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 3. EMS Revenue Reports Chief Pooler stated that although EMS revenue was slightly down for the month of February, he was not concerned and expects an upturn as the year progresses. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 4. QPR Performance Report - February The dispatch center continues to strive for the 7% goal to be eligible for accreditation. 5. Community Risk Reduction/Support Services Division Report Chief Pooler stated that getting valid data information from PulsePoint continues to be a challenge but the priority continues to focus on increasing the number of followers with CPR alerts enabled on their app. Chief Pooler also spoke to benchmark information capturing numbers of drug overdoses and resident vs. non-resident incidents. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. City of West Allis Page 2 Printed on 4/21/2023 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes March 16, 2023 6. Request for approval: Amended agreement between the WAFD and the Medical College of Wisconsin A motion was made by Commissioner Baldwin and seconded by Commissioner Kopplin to approve the amended agreement as presented by Chief Pooler. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 5, Commissioners Manthei, Baldwin, Romain, Kopplin and Cosby Nay: 0 7. Fire Prevention Bureau Report Chief Pooler stated that after the completion of the most recent Survive Alive instruction, the fire prevention bureau conducted a Survive Alive for 25 special need students at the request of Nathan Hale. He stated that it was very successful and the students were able to feel comfortable and be on their own terms during the instruction. Chief Pooler was pleased to share that the fire prevention bureau applied for and was awarded a $10,000 grant from the Community Development Block Grant. He stated that this award will afford the bureau to purchase approximately 200 combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and will benefit those residents in areas that have been found to have a higher risk of fire incidents. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 8. Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) Bureau Report Chief Pooler thanked Ct. LaDousa and MIH for their due diligence and efforts to work effectively with a resident who was part of the 911 high utilizer group (HUG). He stated that Ct. LaDousa was able to transition the resident to a location better suited to her needs and provided additional support services to the resident. The resident has since improved mentally and physically and no longer calls 911. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 9. Fire Department Financial Report Chief Pooler did not speak to anything contained in the financial report and it was placed on file. 10. Master Plan Performance Snapshot Chief Pooler did not speak to anything contained in the performance snapshot report and it was placed on file. City of West Allis Page 3 Printed on 4/21/2023 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes March 16, 2023 11. Communication: Promotion to Equipment Operator Chief Pooler stated that with the recent retirement of EO Steve Peterson, FF Ian Wolfe was the next on the most current eligibility list for promotion to EO. He stated that the promotion was effective March 4, 2023 and is probationary for one year. City of West Allis Page 4 Printed on 4/21/2023 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes March 16, 2023 E. POLICE DEPARTMENT 12. Communication: WAPD 2022 Annual Report Chief Mitchell highlighted some of the top initiatives the department focused on in 2022 to include: Ø Reduction of reckless driving; Ø Mental health statistics and continued use of the CART unit; Ø Continued reduction in crime numbers. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 13. Request for approval: Chief Mitchell’s revised 2023 goals Chief Mitchell stated that at his annual review in February, the Commissioners discussed and suggested some modifications to his presented 2023 goals. Chief Mitchell presented the modified goals to the Commissioners and reviewed the modifications individually. The Commissioners agreed with the modifications and a motion was made by Commissioner Romain and seconded by Commissioner Cosby to approve the modified 2023 goals as presented by Chief Mitchell. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 5, Commissioners Manthei, Baldwin, Romain, Cosby and Kopplin Nay: 0 14. Request for approval: Initiate promotional process for Sergeant of Police Chief Mitchell requested approval to begin a promotion recruitment process for the position of Sergeant of Police. A motion was made by Commissioner Manthei and seconded by Commissioner Romain to approve the request as presented. The motion carried by the following votes: Aye: 5, Commissioners Manthei, Romain, Baldwin, Cosby and Kopplin Nay: 0 15. Police Department Financial Reports Chief Mitchell did not speak to anything included in the financial reports and the reports were placed on file. 16. Monthly Performance Report Chief Mitchell stated that residents continue to struggle with winter parking rules especially when a major snow emergency is declared. This resulted in an uptick of citations during the month of February. City of West Allis Page 5 Printed on 4/21/2023 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes March 16, 2023 The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 17. Patrol Bureau Activity Report Chief Mitchell stated that a February traffic initiative focused on a targeted part of Greenfield Avenue and resulted in 41 citations as well ten arrests involving weapons and/or drugs. He stated that this initiative spanned a 4-hour timeframe with 2nd shift officers and three troopers from the Wisconsin State Patrol. Chief Mitchell also discussed briefly a traffic stop that resulted in the driver fleeing after crashing into a snowbank. He stated that the department deployed K9 KC and the fleeing suspect was found hiding in bushes in front of an apartment complex. He stated the case has been referred to Children’s Court due to the age of the offender. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 18. Communications Center Activity Report Chief Mitchell was pleased to share with the Commissioners that the dispatch center is almost fully staffed and currently has only one vacancy at the full-time level. He also noted that there are three part-time dispatchers in training and two have completed their training. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 19. Community Services Unit Activity Report Chief Mitchell spotlighted all the community events that took place in February noting that officers and the community are happy to be participating in these types of functions again. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. 20. Criminal Investigations Unit Activity Report Chief Mitchell reviewed with the Commissioners a shooting incident that took place at local bar establishment in late February. He stated that during a confrontation between party members, two people were shot, one fatally. Chief Mitchell stated that the shooter has been arrested and charged accordingly. Additionally, Chief Mitchell indicated that the owner of the establishment has been notified of potential consequences stemming from this incident. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. City of West Allis Page 6 Printed on 4/21/2023 Police and Fire Commission Meeting Minutes March 16, 2023 21. Tavern Report Chief Mitchell did not speak to any information contained in this report and it was placed on file. 22. Training Unit Activity Report Chief Mitchell stated that Spring Officer Inservice training has begun and focus will be on the introduction, implementation and instruction on several new Axon products such as new camera systems and the Taser 7 device. The Commissioners had no additional questions or comments and the report was placed on file. F. POLICE AND FIRE COMMISSION 23. PFC Financial Report The Commissioners had no questions or comments regarding their financial report. G. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, on a motion made and seconded, the meeting adjourned at 7:03 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 7 Printed on 4/21/2023