07/17/13 Board of Public Safety Meeting Minutes

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PUBLIC AGENDA SESSION JULY 17, 2013 57 The Board of Public Safety met in the Public Agenda Session at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 17, 2013, in the 13th Floor Board Conference Room, County -City Building, 227 West Jefferson Blvd., South Bend, Indiana, with Board President Patrick Cottrell and Board Members John Collins and Luther Taylor present. Board Members Eddie Miller and Laura Vasquez were absent. Also present was Attorney Andrea Beachkofsky, Attorney Cory Hamel, Police Chief Ronald Teachman, and Fire Chief Stephen Cox. Board members discussed the following agenda items: Request to Remove Contractors from City Board -Up List — Fire Department On June 19, 2013, Fire Chief Stephen Cox sent letters to two companies on the City Board -Up list, informing them they were in violation of Resolution No. 73 -2010 regulating the operations of Board - Up companies. Chief Cox stated he received a response letter from Towne Fire and Water Restoration stating they have occasionally been unable to assist with board -ups when called and are unable to continue on with the program, but would appreciate the opportunity to apply again in the future. They also requested a copy of the report showing the number of refusals that should have been attached to the Chief's letter to them on June 19, 2013, but was not. Chief Cox stated Service Master contacted him by phone and were upset about being removed from the City's list, but did not deny their refusals to respond, and said they understood. Ms. Beachkofsky informed the Board that they would need to decide how to proceed with Towne Fire and Water since they are now asking to remove themselves from the list voluntarily. Chief Cox noted the resolution regulating the Board -Up list requires that once a company is removed from the list by the Board for failure to meet the guidelines of the resolution, they can't come back for a period of one (1) year. - Adopt New Oath of Office for the South Bend Fire Department Chief Stephen Cox stated Firefighter Fred Jaronik did research on the oath of office for the Fire Department and presented the Chief with ten (10) different Fire Department oaths used in cities such as Ft. Wayne, Elkhart, and Evansville, Indiana. Chief Cox noted the current oath used by the South Bend Fire Department is very short and doesn't say a lot. Chief Cox stated he sat down with the union and they agreed that the oaths presented by Firefighter Jaronik were better. He noted they all contained verbiage similar to the Police Department oath of office. Chief Cox stated he still had some question about using the line "so help me God" in the oath, but every oath presented, had that line. Mr. Cory Hamel, Assistant City Attorney, suggested sending the oath to the officers prior to the swearing -in for their review. He noted they could strike out that line if they object to it. Ms. Beachkofsky stated she would check with the City Clerk's office to see if that issue has ever come up in the past, and how it was handled. - Adjust Official Hire Date of Captain Brad Fuelling — Fire Department Chief Stephen Cox stated Captain Fuelling joined the Fire Department in 1993, left to take another job in 1997, and returned to the Department in 2001. At that time, he retook the hiring tests and was re- hired. Chief Cox noted Captain Fuelling bought back all of his PERF time lost during his absence from the department. He is requesting the Board acknowledge his buy back time and seniority. He is also requesting his prior badge number 379 be re- issued to him. Chief Cox noted that is a big deal on the Fire Department. Mr. Taylor asked if he has all of his documentation from PERF. Chief Cox stated he has all of his documentation confirming his buy -back of time. - Approval of Case Reporting General Order -- Police Department Police Chief Ronald Teachman stated he has presented the Board with a draft policy on case reporting which.is an effort to memorialize routine practice in the department. He noted the past practices will be put into writing in a formal policy, which is currently lacking. Chief Teachman stated the policy is an attempt to provide a control mechanism. He noted violent crimes against individuals require a Police report, but this policy will require the report to be approved by the officer's supervisor before the officer goes off duty. The goal is to place responsibility on the supervisor for their shift. Ms. Beachkofsky requested they have a roll -call to inform the officers of the requirements of the new policy so they can be made aware. - Discussion Regarding Special Events Policy — Police Department Attorney Beachkofsky requested this be tabled until a later date. - Employee of the Month — Police Department Chief Teachman stated Sergeant Joseph Leszczynski had two notable instances in the month of May; one apprehension of a burglary suspect and recovery of thousands of dollars of stolen merchandise, and another robbery and kidnapping suspect apprehension. Chief Teachman noted that in the robbery and kidnapping apprehension, Sergeant Leszczynski, while out on routine patrol, was flagged down for a robbery and kidnapping in progress. He brought his patrol car next to the suspects, blocking the exit door in the suspect's vehicle, which allowed him to make an arrest of the suspect.