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Public Safety Minutes 2004 03-25-04 a L APPROVED Page 1 04-22-04 UNITED CITY OF YORKVILLE PUBLIC SAFETY MEETING Conference Room March 25,2004,6:30pm In Attendance: Alderman Larry Kot Alderman Rose Spears Alderman Paul James Lt. Don Schwartzkopf(for Police Chief Martin) Guests: Attorney Kelly Kramer David Moyer Nathalee Moyer The meeting was called to order at 6:30pm by Alderman Kot. APPROVAL/CORRECTION OF MINUTES: JANUARY 22,2004 The minutes were reviewed and Lt. Schwartzkopf identified numerous changes/corrections to the minutes. Alderwoman Spears also noted a number of corrections. These changes were given to the minute taker for revision prior to the next meeting. The minutes were tabled until the revised minutes are completed. LIQUOR ORDINANCE UPDATE Attorney Kramer said she had met with Chief Martin regarding the sampling ordinance. On page 3 of the ordinance,the number of wines which may be tasted at any one event, was increased to 25,beers increased to 25,or 2 liquors may be tasted. The Mayot had expressed concern about the wording of the original ordinance where it stated beers" and"wines. Section 3-3-4(B), "g",points 1, 2 and 3 were changed to read "or"rather than "and". Vat and Vine, who originally brought this to the City's attention, stated they would be limiting their sampling to one-half of one ounce of hard liquor or liqueur. The Mayor questioned how a very large event would be handled, it for example, a business wished to have 50 wines for sampling. Attorney Kramer stated that the event coordinators would have to petition the Mayor for approval. Alderman Kot asked for clarification of which class-of license-this applied to. Ms. Kramer said it applied to Class B and further stated that there is a separate ordinance for Class A. Page 2 Alderman Kot asked which stores were affected by the sampling ordinance. Some of those businesses are Jewel, Vat and Vine and Comer Liquors and Ms. Kramer believes Speedway is also included in the Class B licenses. The discussion turned to possible revisions of classifications of liquor licenses. She also noted that Alderwoman Ohare wished to revamp the classes of liquor license. Ms. Ohare had found an article from Mokena which outlawed liquor sales at gas stations. Attorney Kramer stated there would need to be a 5 year"sunset"clause since such a ban would take away a right which the gas stations already possess. Attorney Kramer also noted that she had obtained copies of documents from Geneva and Batavia which detailed liquor license classifications. She included those in each agenda packet for the committee to review before the next Public Safety meeting. A list of liquor licenses was requested by Alderman James. This list and the current ordinance will be obtained for each committee member prior to the next meeting. It was noted that the Mayor had some concerns about restaurants and bars which have no physical separation of facilities where liquor is served. Alderman Kot then suggested that the item be placed on the next C.O.W. agenda on April 6th. At 6:45 Mayor Prochaska joined the meeting for a few minutes and was apprised of this discussion. UPDATE ON DOG ORDINANCE The committee moved ahead to this agenda item as David and Nathalee Moyer, Yorkville citizens,joined the meeting at this point. Alderman Kot stated that Alderwoman Burd had informed the committee of a continual problem with a dog in the Moyer's neighborhood. Alderman Kot's concern is the role of the various government bodies in this type of situation. He asked Lt. Schwartzkopf to summarize what occurs when an animal call is received by the Police Department. The Lieutenant stated the following guidelines: 1. If an animal is contained, Animal Control will respond 2. If the Police Department catches the animal, they turn it over to Animal Control 3. Animal Control will respond to calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week if an animal is confined Mr. And Mrs. Moyer summarized the events leading up to their dog complaint. He reported a stray dog was in some bushes near his home, growling at his 12 year old daughter after she got off the school bus. The same dog has been in their neighborhood prior to this occasion. Mr. Moyer followed the dog in an attempt to find the owner without success and then called the police. The police would not come to the location of Mr. Moyer who was following the dog, since the dog was not confined. An officer did later meet Mr. Moyer in his driveway. He feels there is no recourse other than to "take Page 3 care of the dog himself'which is against the law or he takes the chance of his daughter being harmed. He feels he has exhausted the available options. Lt. Schwartzkopf reported he had spoken with the Director of KenCom and asked why an officer had not been dispatched. The Lieutenant felt he had not been given a conclusive answer. The Police Department is aware of the dog in question and many officers have pursued the animal in an attempt to catch it. The owner is unknown. Mr. Moyer further stated the dog is very aggressive and he has not been able to get close enough to check for tags,but he said the dog appears to be well cared for. After further discussion, Alderman Kot asked if a formal letter to KenCom would be appropriate to clarify or review the policy of sending an officer on a call such as this one. Mr. Moyer asked why there is not a person trained to handle such a situation. This possibility will be investigated. Dog collars mounted on a pole are another consideration. Alderman Kot suggested possibly finding out who owns dogs within a certain radius of the location. Attorney Kramer stated that records at Animal Control should be checked to include dogs that may have had chips implanted. The Citizens Policy Academy patrol was mentioned by Alderwoman Spears as another means of monitoring this situation. Mr. Moyer reiterated that he would like to see one person on each shift be trained to handle such a situation or subdue the animal. He does not want to see the animal shot in the presence of his children. However,that option is not out of the question if a person is being attacked. Lt. Schwartzkopf said the police have also tried the less lethal method of "beanbagging"the dog with no success and that the PD has had 8 or 9 calls on this dog. The possibility of a tranquilizer gun was raised by Alderman James. It is unknown if Animal Control has this available and further,the issue of monitoring the drug to use in these guns was brought up since it is a controlled substance. At this time Alderman Kot summarized the situation as follows: 1. The animal in question needs to be identified,possible owner etc. 2. Citizens Academy can assist 3. Continued discussion with KenCom regarding their policy, i.e. have officer meet with complainant if not jeopardizing officer's safety to meet the citizen 4. Look at City of Yorkville's response, i.e. hire canine officer, collars on poles, training certain officers,tranquilizer guns, etc. It was questioned whether or not the police had dog collars on poles. Lt. Schwartzkopf stated that at one time,the squad cars did carry them, but it is not known what has happened to the collars. Mr. Moyer was instructed to call 911 anytime he sees the dog and KenCom will be further informed of this potential danger. The Police Department has spoken with KenCom and Lt. Schwartzkopf has spoken with the Director of KenCom and the Undersherif .. Alderman Kot noted that he is on the executive committee which oversees KenCom and he will also bring it to the attention of the Director. Page 4 In another attempt to identify the dog's owner, Alderwoman Spears suggested fliers be distributed in the area of this dog problem. Mr. Moyer asked for a phone call from the Police Department if and when the problem is rectified. Mr. And Mrs. Moyer and Attorney Kramer left the meeting at 7:1 Opm. The dog ordinance will be placed on the agenda for next month. SENIOR DRIVERS SAFETY INITIATIVE INFORMATION Lt. Schwartzkopf reported that Chief Martin is working with the Illinois Department of Aging and IDOT to make the signage on Rtes. 34 and 47 more"senior friendly". Currently the signs are very small and there is an effort to make the street and informational signs larger and the lighting better. The funds will come from IDOT and the Department of Aging but,IDOT is the organization which can change the signs. Alderwoman Spears added that only three communities in Illinois were selected for such funding. This funding idea originated from the Senior Services provider meetings which she attends. She quickly forwarded the information to Chief Martin. Sidewalks are also being studied for safety in conjunction with the senior housing and accessibility to growing commercial areas. Alderman Kot has spoken with Chief Martin regarding the sidewalks in the high traffic areas on such as Rte. 34. He felt money should be put aside for such uses as well. There was some discussion about a footbridge over busy Rte. 47 but,the extreme cost was prohibitive. This agenda item will be brought back to the committee next month for an update. UPDATE ON WEATHER WARNING SIREN AREAS Alderman Kot noted that the siren was removed from the old fire barn on Fox St. The idea was to relocate it somewhere near the riverfront by the park. Fulton Contracting, who oversees the contract maintenance,proposed that the siren be placed near the Heartland subdivision which is near the pool. The status of relocating it was unknown. Alderman Kot stressed the need to have the siren installed since tornado season is approaching. He believes money is available to have this done,though it cannot come from developers' fees since it is an existing siren and area. Alderman James felt that placing a siren on the river would carry the sound up and down the river. The contract, which was in the agenda packets, will be moved forward to C.O.W. after the funding is ascertained. Page 5 BIDS FOR THE DIGITAL RECORDING OF THE INTERVIEW ROOM Alderman Kot provided an overview of this agenda item. The State has mandated any homicide or serious felony investigation must be videotaped. Oswego Police Department was used for the most recent homicide investigation in Yorkville. The Sheriff's Department has received funding to build an interview room and each Police Department will be required to have an interview room as well. Two bids were received for the necessary videotape equipment. The bids were from Communications Direct and Thomas Alarm and both were very similar in cost. Alderman James asked if it could be determined if the PD must have a special room or just have one available and what would happen if there were 2 homicides. Lt. Schwartzkopf was asked for his recommendation on the two bids received. He noted that the Panasonic recording equipment by Thomas Alarm was preferred by S/Sgt. Ron Diederich in a memo to Chief Martin. Alderwoman Spears asked about a possible deadline for having this equipment in place. It was decided the following questions needed to be answered: 1. How soon does the equipment need to be installed? 2. Is the equipment absolutely required or can the County's be used? 3. What funds can be used? Ticket money? Alderwoman Spears expressed concern about transporting suspects to other locations and specifically, Yorkville's most recent homicide suspect. It was also mentioned that a suspect might start talking during this transportation time and then change his mind in that time span. There was discussion on how this recorder is set up and used. Lt. Schwartzkopf said the equipment must be set up in an unimposing manner in an undecorated,non-threatening environment and the suspect is aware of the videotaping process. This item will be brought back for discussion next month. POLICE REPORTS—FEBRUARY 2004 Lt. Schwartzkopf reported on the amount of money actually received by the Police Department for the following tickets: for a$105 ticket-police receive $28.92 and for a $75 ticket-police receive $20.03. There was also discussion about an increase in overtime. Part of this was due to the recent homicide investigation and also due to court time for fatal investigations having occurred a few months ago. f, Page 6 Alderman Kot asked about the status of the new police vehicle. It was reported that the Expedition was in full service. Lt.-Schwartzkopf said that a statewide notice had been received regarding the 2003 Crown Victorias. The drive train has premature axle bearing wear and the back wheels could potentially fall off. The cars will be checked by RiverView Ford and parts will be replaced at a charge of$950 per vehicle. These parts are not under warranty, but receipts will be kept in the event that reimbursement is possible later. It was noted that previously there had been a gas tank problem with these cars as well. ADDITIONAL BUSINESS Larry Kot reported that Chicago Police Department is now allowing local police agencies access to some records through their LEADS terminal. Presently, all LEADS information comes from KenCom since Yorkville PD currently has no terminal. Information such as the following is received through LEADS: Secretary of State information, outstanding warrants,missing persons etc. It is linked with police departments nationwide. In order to stay current with technology, he would like to see Yorkville have direct LEADS accessibility. The other option is the Police Department having access from a direct line from the County. He brought this information to the committee to see if the system could be procured at a reasonable cost. He will work with the Chief and Lieutenant. Lt. Schwartzkopf also reported it would be helpful to have a"Soundex". The Soundex allows the Police Department to obtain information on a particular individual. He cited an example when District 5 State Police needed to be used for obtaining confidential information in the internal investigation of a former Kendall County deputy. He also stated that Soundex is on a secure line. Mobile data terminals are also used by the City officers,however, printed copies of information must be obtained through the County Sheriff. By having a local LEADS terminal,the police department can receive the information directly. Another computerized system for the City at a cost of$120,000 was discussed. Chief Martin will be consulted about the status. This will be discussed next month. As there was no additional business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:42pm. Minutes respectfully submitted by: Marlys Young, Minute Taker