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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03162022 Board of Public Safety Meeting17 I.EXECUTIVE SESSION The Board of Public Safety met in Executive Session on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, at 8:38 a.m. with Board President Daniel Jones (virtual), and Board members Melissa Colpitts, Darryl Heller, Lee Ross, Al Kirsits, and Board Attorney Danielle Weiss. The meeting was held in the 13th Floor Boardroom, County-City Building, 227 W. Jefferson Blvd., South Bend, Indiana, and virtually via Microsoft Teams for the purposes specified in I.C. 5-14-1.5-6.1(b)(6)(A) regarding disciplinary action and I.C. 5-14-1.5-6.1(b)(7) regarding confidential records. The meeting ended at 9:04 a.m. BOARD OF PUBLIC SAFETY Daniel Jones, President Melissa Colpitts, Member _________________________________ Darryl Heller, Member ______________________________ Lee Ross, Member ______________________________ Alfred Kirsits, Member ATTEST: ___________________________ Theresa Heffner, Clerk II. REGULAR MEETING March 16, 2022 The Board of Public Safety met in the Regular Meeting at 9:17 a.m. on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, with Board President Dan Jones (virtual), and Board members Melissa Colpitts, Darryl Heller, Lee Ross, Al Kirsits present. Also present were Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski, Fire Chief Carl Buchanon, and Attorneys Danielle Weiss, Christina Shakour, and Kylie Connell. Board Clerk Theresa Heffner was also present. The meeting was held on the 4th Floor Council Chambers Room, 227 W. Jefferson Blvd., South Bend, Indiana, and virtually via Microsoft Teams at the following link: https://tinyurl/BPS03162022Hybrid Attorney Weiss asked that everyone mute their microphone when not speaking and reminded attendees that comments from the public should be saved for the Privilege of the Floor portion of the meeting. Attorney Weiss then read through the agenda to note any additions or corrections. With no additions noted, Attorney Weiss welcomed the public, called roll, and confirmed the presence of all Board Members. A.APPROVE MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGUpon a motion by Mr. Ross, seconded by Mr. Kirsits and carried by roll call, the Boardapproved the Minutes of the February 16, 2022 regular meeting. B.POLICE DEPARTMENT 1.APPROVE HIRING OF PROBATIONARY POLICE OFFICER SUMMER LINDSEYPolice Chief Scott Ruszkowski submitted to the Board a letter of recommendation thatSummer Lindsey be accepted for employment as a probationary police officer effective March 16, 2022. Chief Ruszkowski stated Officer Lindsey has met the requirements of theapplication process and was a sworn officer at the Notre Dame Police Department fromOctober 1, 2020 to January 3, 2022. Upon a motion by Mr. Heller, seconded by Ms. Colpitts,and carried by roll call, the Board approved the hiring of Probationary Police OfficerSummer Lindsey. REGULAR MEETING MARCH 16, 2022 18 2.SWEARING IN OF PROBATIONARY POLICE OFFICER SUMMER LINDSEYOfficer Chris Brady gave a brief biography of Officer Lindsey highlighting her talents,achievements, education, and interests. City Clerk Dawn Jones administered the oath. 3.APPROVE PROMOTION TO PATROLMAN 1ST CLASS RONDALL CLARK JR.In a letter to the Board, Chief Ruszkowski requested the Board approve the promotion ofPatrolman 2nd Class Rondall Clark Jr. to Patrolman 1st Class effective March 18, 2022. Upona motion by Mr. Ross, seconded by Mr. Kirsits, and followed by a roll call, the promotion toPatrolman 1st Class was approved. 4.ACCEPT LETTERS OF RESIGNATIONJoshua FaseBlake PaturalskiChief Ruszkowski submitted Letters of Resignation to the Board for Officer Joshua Fase and Office Blake Paturalski. Officer Joshua Fase’s resignation was effective February 11, 2022.He stated Officer Fase was sworn into the department on December 15, 2021. ChiefRuszkowski stated Officer Blake Paturalski’s effective resignation date was March 3, 2022and he was sworn into the department on June 6, 2007. On behalf of the Board, PresidentJones accepted the Letters of Resignation. 5.APPROVE LEXIPOL POLICY UPDATE – 306 VEHICLE PURSUITSChief Ruszkowski submitted a request for approval of an Updated Lexipol Policy-306Vehicle Pursuits. Chief Ruszkowski reminded the Board there is a meeting every Tuesdaywith command staff for general department issues and then with captains and above. Chief Ruszkowski stated all pursuits are reviewed by a committee which their findings go back tothe command staff for further review. He assured the Board that the Use of Force andVehicle Pursuits policies are constantly being reviewed and adjusted to make sure thecommunity and the officers are benefitted equally. Upon a motion by Mr. Kirsits, secondedby Mr. Heller, and followed by a roll call, Lexipol Policy Update-306 Vehicle Pursuits was approved. 6.APPROVE LEXIPOL POLICY UPDATE – 433 SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERSChief Ruszkowski submitted a request for approval of an Updated Lexipol Policy- 433School Resource Officers. Assistant City Attorney Kylie Connell explained that there was a presentation of the School Resource Officers Policy in March 2021 and it was recommendedto wait until the final agreement between the South Bend Community School Corporationand the South Bend Police Department was finalized. Attorney Connell confirmed that theagreement has been finalized, and was approved by the Board in December 2021, and thepolicy that goes in the police department’s manual, references that agreement. Mr. Heller questioned section 433.5 on qualifications and asked whether the specializedtraining was more clearly designated in the agreement between the school corporation. Toclarify, Mr. Heller asked if all or part of the training is required. Attorney Connell advisedthat this is covered by statute, so all of the training is required before an officer can be certified as a School Resource Officer. Upon a motion by Mr. Kirsits, seconded by Ms. Colpitts, and followed by a roll call, LexipolPolicy Update 433 School Resource Officers was approved. Mr. Heller voted nay. 7.FILE MONTHLY STATISTICAL ANALYSIS REPORT FEBRUARY 2022Chief Ruszkowski stated this would be the SBPD’s February 2021 to February 2022comparison. Chief Ruszkowski referred to page two (2) of the report to point out that there isa twenty-nine percent (29%) reduction in Part One (1) crimes; a large part of that is becauseof the review that was done and is currently being done with the SBPD. Chief Ruszkowski gave an example of how the SPBD’s Information Technology (IT) Department has membersthat are uninformed on classifying a report but are challenged to read police reports and have that picture painted for them. IT staff would be given a definition of an aggravated assault,etc. and by reading that definition based on the FBI, determine if the definition matches thereport; if they don’t match, they are revisited. REGULAR MEETING MARCH 16, 2022 19 Chief Ruszkowski provided another example where there are three (3) people in a basement and a bullet enters a house in a second-story window, typically the three (3) people in the house would be listed as victims which is no longer the case for reporting. If they were in close proximity to where the bullet entered, they would be listed as a true victim. Chief Ruszkowski continued with another real-life example from the field three (3) days ago where there were four (4) people in a house and a wall stopped the incoming bullet, but because they were on the opposite side of the wall, they would still be considered victims. He clarified that in this example, it’s reasonable to assume that the bullet could have deflected or not been stopped by the wall and then hit someone. Chief Ruszkowski assured the Board that the PD was working hard to transition from Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) reporting, but it has not been a seamless transition. Finally, Chief Ruszkowski finished up by saying he hopes the twenty-nine percent (29%) reduction in Part One (1) crimes will continue or at the very least be maintained. C.FIRE DEPARTMENT 1.ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COMMENDATIONS Jared Pearish REGULAR MEETING MARCH 16, 2022 20 Matt Baker Patrick Kelly Chief Carl Buchanon submitted a commendation for the above firefighters. Chief Buchanon introduced Captain Jared Pearish, Pump Engineer Matt Baker and Firefighter first Class Patrick Kelly and asked them to stand. Chief Buchanon went on to read the detailed events that took place the evening they were being commended for: On December 8, 2021 at 02:20 hours, engine seven (7) was dispatched to the 1200 block of Riverside Drive for a residential fire alarm. This fire alarm first appeared to be a routine residential alarm but quickly escalated into a residential fire with heavy smoke and a working fire on division three (3). Captain Pearish had the situational awareness to not only switch from investigative to offensive strategy but also upgrade the alarm to a full response to get additional resources in route. Captain Pearish’s diligence to the training and preparation of his crew’s readiness was demonstrated as this event unfolded. Due to the keen awareness for Pump Engineer Matt Baker as he walked around the home, he recognized the working fire conditions on division three (3) that were initially unnoticed during the investigation. Firefighter Kelly’s discipline and attention to detail dressed in full personal protective equipment (PPE) with air pack, afforded him the ability to immediately ascend to division two (2) for search and effect rescue of an elderly man asleep in bed while two (2) elderly females were escorted out of the home. Furthermore, because of Pump Engineer Baker’s Job, knowledge, and ability to work independently, he had an attack line stretched to the front door. Engine seven (7) was able to make a quick efficient attack on the fire before other inbound units arrived. Engine seven (7) A-shift acted without hesitation, and because of their teamwork and crew resource management, lives were saved, and a great deal of personal property preserved. Chief Buchanon concluded by honoring Captain Pearish, Pump Engineer Matt Baker, and Firefighter First Class Patrick Kelly and asked that they be commended and recognized for their courage, dedication, and professionalism by the City of South Bend and the Board of Public Safety. President Jones noted that the commendations were well deserved. Chief Buchanon added that the plaques and letters for the commendations will be presented at the Central Fire Administration Office once signed by the Board. Mr. Kirsits, a former firefighter, stated that in his former occupation, he had the opportunity to serve with these firefighters and wanted to commend them and thank them for their service in this run where they brought their best and saved lives. 2.ACCEPT LETTER OF RESIGNATION – NICHOLAS HOUSERChief Buchanon submitted a letter of Resignation for Firefighter First Class NicholasHouser. Chief Buchanon asked that the Board to accept the letter of Resignation. On behalf of the Board, President Jones accepted the letter of resignation. 3.FILE MONTHLY STATISTICAL ANALYSIS REPORT FOR FEBRUARY 2022Fire Chief Buchanon submitted the monthly statistical analysis report for February 2022. Henoted that property damages did increase, but he partially attributed that to the increasing costs of materials. He noted that this year’s completed inspections had decreased comparedto last year, however, more re-inspections were completed this year which he attributed tothe end of COVID-19 restrictions as more business open and people go back to work. Chief Buchanon noted that on the documents submitted, all of the incidents that were responded to in February of 2022 totaled 4,014 calls. He said that total provides a viablenumber that shows the SBFD continues to respond adequately and effectively to South Bend residents. REGULAR MEETING MARCH 16, 2022 21 PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR Attorney Weiss reminded the public to use the hand-raising function of Microsoft Teams to indicate their desire to speak during Privilege of the Floor. She reminded attendees that they would be allotted three (3) minutes to speak. Terri Bays (Faith in Indiana) asked if the agenda being displayed on the screen throughout the meeting was policy or a technical error. Ms. Bays said the agenda was preventing the view of Board members and other documents. Attorney Weiss said that it was not the intention to prevent Board members from being visible during the meeting, but since this was the first hybrid meeting after being completely virtual, the kinks were still trying to be worked out. She mentioned going forward, the agenda would not be displayed. Attorney Connell added that no documents were being shared during the meeting, only the agenda. Chief Scott Ruszkowski asked how meeting locations would be picked moving forward. He mentioned that in the past, meetings would be conducted wherever there were more officers/firefighters present for hirings and promotions. He felt it was important for firefighters and officers to have in-person presence for hiring and promotions as well as having the Board members present to interact with the firefighters and officers. Attorney Weiss noted the Council Chambers were reserved for the remainder of the year for meetings; however, she said the Board could decide on whether they wanted to travel around for the different departments. Ms. Colpitts, Mr. Heller, and Mr. Kirsits agreed they wouldn’t mind traveling to the different departments. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Board, upon a motion by Ms. Colpitts, seconded by Mr. Heller, and carried by roll call, the meeting was adjourned at 10:15 a.m. REGULAR MEETING MARCH 16, 2022 22 BOARD OF PUBLIC SAFETY Daniel Jones, President ______________________________ Melissa Colpitts, Member ______________________________ Darryl Heller, Member ______________________________ Lee Ross, Member ______________________________ Alfred Kirsits, Member ATTEST: ______________________ Theresa Heffner, Clerk