05/21/2014 Board of Public Safety Minutes

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PUBLIC AGENDA SESSION MAY 21, 2014 32 The Board of Public Safety met in the Public Agenda Session at 8:08 a.m. on Wednesday, May 21, 2014 in the 13th Floor Board Conference Room, County -City Building, 227 West Jefferson Blvd., South Bend, Indiana, with Board President Laura Vasquez and Board Members Eddie Miller, Luther Taylor, and Daniel Jones present. Board Member John Collins was absent, Also present was Fire Chief Stephen Cox, Police Chief Ronald Teachman, and Attorney Cory Hamel. Board members discussed the following agenda items: - Promotion to Captain — Police Chief Ronald Teachman informed the Board that on Friday, May 23, 2014, Lieutenant Scott Hanley would be officially promoted to Captain in the Training Auditorium at the Police Station. He invited those present to attend the ceremony. - Promotion to Patrolman 1" Class Chief Teachman stated all of the Patrolmen being promoted today have matured in tenure and work ethics and are more than deserving of the promotions. He added he will have more to say about the officers during the regular meeting. - Promotions to Lieutenant in Special Assignment Chief Teachman stated Division Chief Steve Smith will have more information at the regular meeting regarding each of these individuals being promoted. He noted that Sergeant Dominic Zultanski is the burglary unit commander, which is the crime category showing the greatest reduction statistically, due in part to Sergeant Zultanski's efforts. He noted Sergeant Zultanski is a teacher at a University and highly educated. Attorney Cory Hamel stated Sergeant Zultanski teaches classes on white collar crime in the area and is considered a regional leader in that area. Both the Chief and Attorney Hamel stated Sergeant Zultanski is very deserving of this promotion. Chief Teachman noted that Sergeant Amy Bennett is % of a Police family and is assigned to the Special Victims unit, one of the toughest units that deals with sexual assault, family violence, and other family crimes. The Chief and Attorney Hamel agreed she is very good at her job and very deserving of the promotion. Chief Teachman stated Sergeant Anthony Bontrager is a model detective and also very deserving of his promotion. - U.S. Department of Justice Assistance Grant Chief Teachman stated putting this grant application on the agenda fulfills the requirement of the grant to give Public Notice and allow the public to speak. He explained the grant is a joint grant with the county and the allocations have been agreed to by both the City and the County. - Monthly Statistical Analysis — Police Department Chief Teachman noted an overall reduction in crime statistics of 6% for the month of April. He stated he is still troubled by the increase in some crimes, particularly aggravated assault and rape. Chief Teachman stated with the new reporting criteria on rape outlined by the FBI earlier this year, the statistics have caught up and are finally a true comparison to last year's statistics. He suggested that rape is one crime that does not need to be reported for insurance purposes and that may be a factor in why it is not always reported. - Monthly Statistical Analysis — Fire Department Chief Stephen Cox stated overall fire volume was down in the month of April. He noted in 2013, arson was still being reported; now it is broken down into four (4) categories. He explained that an "undetermined cause" is still under investigation and eventually may be moved to another category once the cause of the fire is determined, so it may show up several times. PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR Fire Chief Stephen Cox stated due to ten (10) graduates next month he would like to request the meeting of June 18, 2014, be held at the Fire Department Training Center, subject to construction. He noted there will be an open house held at the center on July 1, 2014. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Board the meeting adjourned at 8:50 a.m. BOA 'OF PUBLIC SAFETY Laura A. Vasquez, President i i Eddie Miller, Member