HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-26-18 Health and Public Safety U . d
\PEACE
% x
1865
OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK
KAREEMAH N. FOWLER, CITY CLERK
HEALTH &PUBLIC SAFETY MARCH 26, 2018 3:50 P.M.
Committee Members Present: Jo M. Broden, John Voorde, Karen White, Oliver Davis,
Genevieve Crum (citizen member)
Committee Members Absent: None
Other Council Present: Tim Scott,Dr. David Varner, Gavin Ferlic, Sharon L.
McBride, Regina Williams-Preston(late)
Other Council Absent: None
Others Present: Kareemah Fowler, Bianca Tirado, Graham Sparks, Bob
Palmer
Presenters: Laura O'Sullivan, Ashley Colbom, Scott Ruszkowski
Agenda: Bill No. 18-12- Interlocal Agreement between the City of
South Bend and St. Joseph County Metro Units.
Committee Chair Jo M. Broden called to order the Health and Public Safety Committee meeting
at 3:50 p.m. She introduced members of the Committee and proceeded to give the floor to the
presenters.
Bill No. 18-12-Interlocal Agreement between the City of South Bend and St. Joseph County
Metro Units.
Laura O'Sullivan, Chief of Staff to the Mayor of the City of South Bend with offices on the 14''
floor of the County-City Building, stated, The Prosecutor,the South Bend Police Department, and
the City have written this agreement to formalize what already was occurring between the parties.
Since the creation of the Metro Units, the SBPD has served an important role in the Unit by the
assignment of different officers to the different units. This Interlocal agreement provides stability
for those Metro Units and defines the role and expectations of all parties. It maintains the integrity
of the Metro Units which helps promote safety of the community. The agreement solidifies the
local relationship between the Prosecutor's Office and the SBPD and it is mutually beneficial.The
Interlocal Agreement covers the Metro Homicide Unit, the Drug Investigation Unit, and the
Special Victims Unit. Under the terms of the agreement,the SBPD will provide thirteen (13)full-
time officers to the unit while providing funding for three (3) additional officers to be hired at the
discretion of the Prosecutor. Police recruiting is difficult and it takes approximately a year for a
new officer to become fully independent.
INTEGRITY1 SERVICES ACCESSIBILITY
JENNIFER M.COFFMAN BLANCA L.Tnw)o JOSEPH R MOLNAR
CHIEF DEPUTY/D==R OF OPERATIONS DEPLny/Dnu=oR or Poucv ORDINANCE VIOLAnON CLERIC
EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT
455 County-City Building 1 227 W.Jefferson Blvd.I South Bend,Indiana 466011 p 574.235.92211 f 574.235.9173 1 www.southbendin.gov
®CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OFTHE CLERK
Committee Chair Broden opened the floor to questions from Committee and Council members.
Councilmember Tim Scott stated, I asked Laura and I sent it on to you all. Just to clarify, the
Special Victims Unit has four(4) officers from South Bend, two (2) from Mishawaka and two (2)
from the County. Metro Homicide has four(4)officers from South Bend,one(1)from Mishawaka
and one (1) from the County. All officers there have been there about three (3) years. Some of the
officers on the special units have been there over three (3) years. For Drug Investigation,there are
five (5) officers from South Bend, one (1) from Mishawaka, and one(1)from the County. So,just
with all this,we would fund three(3)and three would come back to us,and we would do the hiring
process, correct?
Ashley Colborn, Assistant City Attorney for the City of South Bend with offices on the 12th floor
of the County-City Building,replied,That is correct. There are currently three(3)vacancies in the
Metro Units that the City will not be filling. The officers assigned to the SBPD,through the Metro
Units from the SBPD, go through our hiring process. The three (3) officers to be hired by the
Prosecutor would be at their discretion.
Councilmember Dr. David Varner asked, Has our Council Attorney reviewed the document?
Council Attorney Bob Palmer replied, Yes.
Councilmember Dr.Varner followed up, So what is the total number of officers in the Metro Unit?
Ms. O'Sullivan replied,For the Special Victims Unit there are four(4)South Bend Police Officers,
two(2)from Mishawaka and two(2)from the County. For Metro Homicide there are four(4)from
South Bend, one(1)from Mishawaka and three (3)from the County. Then Drug Investigation has
five(5) South Bend, one (1)Mishawaka and one(1) County. That is current. So,there are thirteen
(13)total South Bend officers.
Councilmember Dr. Varner asked, And we will be funding three additional officers? So that is
funding for sixteen(16)?
Ms. O'Sullivan replied, That is correct.
Councilmember Dr. Varner asked, So if you analyze crime statistics, does this warrant that much
participation relative to the other cities in the County? It appears there is a pretty heavy
concentration of South Bend officers. How did we arrive at these numbers? What have we based
this on? It seems like in a County of 275,100 and with 100,000 people in South Bend, we are
funding the vast majority of this, yet our population doesn't reflect that as a majority.
Asst. Attorney Colborn replied, The information that we have received from the Prosecutor's
Office is what that information is based on. He has presented that those numbers are consistent
with our needs.
Councilmember Dr. Varner stated, That is not good enough. What are our needs that he defines?I
just think there is a whole lot more. These have come up before and I think some more information
on this would help it make sense.
EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT
455 County-City Building 1 227 W.Jefferson Bvld I South Bend,Indiana 466011 p574.235.9221 If 574.235.9173 1 TM 574.235.5567 j www.southbendin.gov
2
OCITYOF SOUTH BEND OFFICE OF THE CLERK
Councilmember Regina Williams-Preston arrived at the meeting at 3:57 p.m.
Committeemember Karen White asked Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski to share his thoughts on
the matter.
Scott Ruszkowski, Police Chief for the City of South Bend with offices located at 701 W. Sample
Street, stated, We still need some sort of mutual agreement. That is without a doubt. I know our
Legal Department has put it into the correct format it is supposed to be in. It has been done
historically by an MOU or an LOU, now it is an Interlocal which is a more legal type document.
There is importance to this. As you all know, our number one (1)priority is violence,particularly
gun violence. All the other issues can't just go away. Things like family violence, drugs and
homicide, they can't go away. They have to be addressed too. We are currently at two hundred
and thirty(230)police officers. We have eight (8) in the FTO and five (5) at the Academy. So we
are at two hundred and forty-seven (247) but we are still going to be short. We are still in the
Recruiting and Hiring Process as well. We have a huge portion of our Police Department that are
eligible to retire. So that all being said, yes, there is absolutely a need for this, but we just cannot
move our personnel now. The three (3) positions we currently cannot fill, we are going to keep
and fill them internally.
Committeemember John Voorde stated, I wanted to speak to the same thing Councilmember Dr.
Varner brought up. I want to make sure we are paying our fair share and how that share is being
determined.
Committeemember Oliver Davis asked, How soon can we get that information?
Asst.Attorney Colborn replied,We can talk to the Prosecutor's Office about it and see how quickly
we can get that information. I can't make any guarantees on his behalf.
Councilmember Scott stated, Since I have been on Council,this has been an issue every time we
come up on negotiation. I truly believe we have to have cooperation with the County. We are the
biggest gorilla in the County as far as this issue is concerned. I know we are asking a lot of
questions but we really don't see the metrics of this. I did like to see the biannual report instituted
with this because I think there have been issues in the past that these officers were just there and
never moved, and never did anything else. So I think from a Council perspective, a few more
metrics for this would go a long way. I love the idea that we are getting three (3) officers back.
With all due respect,the County needs to fund the programs that the County has initiated. We need
to have the metrics of what we put out to what we get back. The Prosecutor sets the agenda. I don't
know if we are ready to vote on this right now. I am supportive of it for the three (3) officers
coming back. I want those officers back. But, we also need to see metrics on this as well.
Committee Chair Broden stated, I honestly don't know where to begin because of the lack of
information. And I apologize but I concur with everything that has been said. Has the agreement
that we have had in the past timed out? What is our current status?
Asst.Attorney Colborn replied,There are several MOUs that are drifting around but this Interlocal
will terminate upon the passage of this agreement.
EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT
455 County-City Building 1 227 W.Jefferson Bvld I South Bend,Indiana 466011 p 574.235.9221 If 574.235.9173 I T 0574.235.5567 j owwv southbendin.gov
3
r
®CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK
Committee Chair Broden followed up, So one (1) positive of this is actually the consolidation of
all the other agreements. However, fiscally and operationally,I'm not really certain about this and
it lacks the detail for my comfort.
Councilmember Dr. Varner asked, With this new agreement, does it stipulate the funding the
Council is obligated to provide or is it simply left to our discretion?
Asst. Attorney Colborn replied, It will be covered by what was passed in the 2018 budget.
Committee Chair Broden followed up, A basic organizational chart would help. Whatever
agreement that we are currently operating under,the number thirteen(13)was mentioned but does
that include the three (3) vacancies or not?
Chief Ruszkowski replied, Initially, for four (4) years, we had sixteen (16). With people coming
out and with some promotions, we just have not been able to fill those three (3) positions since
they have been vacated. So we have gone from sixteen (16) and are now at thirteen (13). We did
not replace those other three (3) because we can't. With that being said, we are at thirteen (13)
right now and we do not intend to add more to that.
Committee Chair Broden then asked, When did those three (3) vacancies occur? How long have
they been in effect?
Chief Ruszkowski replied, It has been going on for a couple years now.
Committee Chair Broden followed up, So we have been supporting the thirteen(13)officers?And
while we take away,there is still the requirement to fund the three (3)positions and reimburse the
County for those positions? And the total for that was $308,500?
Asst. Attorney Colborn stated, At the highest level,that is correct. There are different salary caps
outlined in Appendix II. She then provided copies of Appendix II (available in the City Clerk's
Office)to the Committee and Council members. Appendix II was not included before the original
deadline of March 21St, 2018. It was received March 26th, 2018 and is officially added to the
original filing of Bill No. 18-12.
Councilmember Scott asked, Is this time-sensitive?
Asst. Attorney Colborn replied,Not necessarily,no.
Committee Chair Broden stated,Please chase all of your thoughts and questions into me and I will
direct them to the Legal Department.
Committeemember Davis made a motion to continue Bill No. 18-12 to the April 91h,2018 Common
Council meeting. Committeemember Gavin Ferlic seconded this motion which carried by a voice
vote of five (5) ayes.
With no further business, Committee Chair Broden adjourned the Health and Public Safety
Committee meeting at 4:10 p.m.
EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT
455 County-City Building 1227 W.Jefferson Bvld I South Bend,Indiana 46601'I p 574.235.9221 If 574.235.9173 1 TTD574.235.5567 lwww.southbendin.gov
4
®CITY OF SOUTH BEND I OFFICE OF THE CLERK
Respectfully Submitted,
. 7��
Jo . Broden, Committee Chair
EXCELLENCE I ACCOUNTABILITY I INNOVATION I INCLUSION I EMPOWERMENT
455 County-City Building 1 227 W.Jefferson Bvld I South Bend,Indiana 466011 p 574.235.9221 If 574.235.91731 TM 574.235.55671 www.southbendi n.gov
5