11-22-04 Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETING NOVEMBER 22,2004 the board in disciplinary proceedings. In all other matters the public safety officers of this city— and by extension the citizens we are sworn to protect—would benefit from adoption of the ideas this bill suggests. It is in the interest of all parties that appointments to the Board of Public Safety be made without placing on the Mayor unnecessary requirements that restrict his ability to fill these seats as he sees fit. It is not restrictive to ask a candidate for appointment to undergo an application process, nor is it restrictive to suggest that the council could request informational discussions concerning appointees. The term limits suggested would ensure that the board has an opportunity for fresh vision and since as each appointee has the opportunity to serve over a decade, excessive turnover is unlikely. The parameters laid out in the bill give voice to those public safety personnel who do their jobs everyday. They further assure that the council is given the courtesy of discussion prior to any appointments. They do not remove from the Mayor the right to appoint individuals of his choosing, excepting the appointment of one individual of good character with first hand knowledge of the public safety sector. We urge your careful consideration of this bill and would welcome the opportunity to discuss it further. There was no one else present wishing to speak in favor of this bill. The following individuals spoke in opposition to this bill. Mayor Stephen J. Luecke, 1400 County-City Building, South Bend, Indiana, stated that he appreciated the spirit with which this bill is offered, however, disagrees with the bill. It creates unnecessary requirements. It should not be a requirement to have a former public safety official or limit selection of board members. In regards to having good information about the operations of the police and fire departments,the board members will be asked to take part in the citizens police and fire academies to become much more familiar with the daily operations and wonderful job that our firefighters and police officers do. In the future, suggestions of having a budget for the board to hire an advisor, if they so choose. That person could be someone with a public safety background. Mayor Luecke wanted to affirm that he has in the past appointed a public safety official to the board and expected that he will probably sometime in the future, but he does not believe that it should be a requirement for him or future mayors to do so. Mayor Luecke asked the Council to vote in opposition to this bill. Linda Hopkins, 1134 Canterbury Drive, South Bend, Indiana, stated that she could recognize the value that a retired police officer or fire official could bring to the board of safety with their knowledge and expertise in the field of making any type of a decision that requires that experience. However, with the current relationships with the community and the police department, it is important to keep the Board of Public Safety independent. If we hope to build trust in this community, this bill does not offer that by having a member as a retired police officer or fire official on the board. She encourages the Council to look at alternatives such as an advisory position, where people could be relied upon when their expertise would be needed instead of an actual appointment to the board. Trina Robinson, President, NAACP, (no address given), speaking on behalf of the NAACP, stated that they oppose any bill that would mandate a member of the Board of Public Safety be a retired police office or firefighter. On numerous occasions we have voiced our opposition to the current process for filing complaints with SBPD. We feel that to do anything other than to create a civilian review board or revisit the process currently in place would further divide a segment of the community that feel that their rights as citizens are being violated by the SBPD. We are outraged to know that over a ten year span, $579,734.90 was paid out by the City to settle claims brought against the SBPD. If the City is paying this kind of money to settle claims then we have to believe that the current process of filing complaints and submitting them to the Board of Public Safety has failed. Ms. Robinson advised that mandating a member of the Board of Public Safety to be that of a retired firefighter or police officer would serve no purpose other that to further divide our community. Please consider the real issues of the Board of Public Safety which is not who holds a seat but rather how to enhance and improve a process that has gone flawed for too many years. We know that you want to do the right thing and we are sure that you will oppose this bill as well. 8