Everest Metro Police Commission

Minutes From Everest Metro Police Commission Meeting October 29, 2015 4:00 PM Meeting was called to order at 4:05PM by Ed Zagzebski Members Present: Ed Zagzebski, Gil Holcomb, Mel Podolske, Lisa Krause and Dave Eisenreich. Others Present: Chief Sparks, Captain Hull, Captain Schulz Motion by Holcomb with second by Podolske to accept the minutes from the March 9th and March 10th EMPD meetings. Motion approved. Chief Sparks, Captain Hull and Captain Schulz presented a review of the proposed changes to Policy # 5 (Motor Vehicle Crash Investigating and Reporting), Policy #7 (Uniforms, Equipment and Personal Appearance), and Policy #22 (Use of Force /Critical Incident Policy). The proposed changes to Policy #5 relates to the circumstances requiring a blood test following an accident. The revisions to Policy #7 relate to the requirement to wear a high visibility vest in accordance with OSHA standards and for the safety of the officer in specified situations. The recommended revisions to Policy #22 relate to the need to have an officer from another police agency investigate the use of force by an officer of the EMPD. In addition, the policy contains new guidelines for officer interviews following the use of force as well as specific “Public Safety Questions the Supervisor will ask the officer involved in use of force. There was also a recommendation to delete the requirement for a video recorded statement by the officer following the use of force incident. Following extensive discussions of the proposed changes to each of the policies, Holcombe moved to approve the changes as presented. The motion was seconded by Krause and approved by the commissioners. Chief Sparks, Captain Hull and Captain Schulz then presented a draft new policy for consideration. Policy #63 (Drug Recognition Experts). The purpose of the proposed policy is to establish guidelines to utilize the training and expertise of the Department’s Drug Recognition Expert (DRE). The Department DRE receives extensive training in drug and alcohol identification and it is felt that the proper use of this expertise will improve the chances for a positive result at trial. Following a lengthy discussion, Krause moved for approval of the policy as presented. Podolske seconded the motion. The motion was approved. The group had a discussion regarding the relative merits of the EMPD establishing a Facebook page. The consensus of the group was that the development of a department Facebook page was a positive step in communicating with the public in a manner that is the norm for the majority of the population, particularly the younger generation. We are expecting a retirement early in 2016 and with that in mind the commissioners discussed the process to hire a replacement officer to fill the anticipated vacancy. The group had established a “potential candidate” list from the candidates that were identified during the last recruitment process. After a discussion, it was decided to contact the candidates from the prior recruitment process and schedule them for interviews. Those interested will be interviewed in early November. Chief Sparks also led a discussion on the promotional process to be used in the event the above referenced retirement creates a need for a sergeant. The Commission has received a request for tuition reimbursement from Detective Shane Heilmann. The request conforms to the tuition reimbursement policy. Therefore, Krause made a motion to approve the request. The motion was seconded by Eisenreich. The motion was approved. Motion by Krause with a second by Podolske to adjourn. Motion approved. Meeting was adjourned at 5:45 PM. Respectfully Submitted, Dave Eisenreich