Fire and Police Commission Minutes 2001 12-03-01Yorkville Police and Fire Commission
Meeting Minutes a 0 0 0 IDecember3, 2001
Roll Call: Commissioner Johnson
Commissioner Putzler
Commissioner Jensen
Chief Martin
Minutes
Commissioner Putzler moved to approve meeting minutes for 11-19-01.
Second by Commissioner Jensen, All approved.
Communication
Copies of hiring ad placed in Beacon News and Kendall County Record.
Chief Martin said this ad was also in a number of web sites.
Bills
No Bills
Unfinished Business
Chief Martin said we would be getting a copy of the vision validation
contract. $2500 was the cost for the first year with an addition $1200 renewal to
cover court costs each year. Up to 10 hours.
Commissioner Johnson asked if the contract has a termination clause. Chief Martin
said that he sent the contract to the attorney, advising that it had a termination
clause.
Commissioner Putzler asked the length of the contract. Chief Martin said 1 year.
Commissioner Johnson asked if Oswego does the physical agility and orientation the
same day. Commissioner Jensen said yes.
Commissioner Johnson asked if we need to be at physical agility. Commissioner
Jensen said no we don't have to but it would be a good idea.
Commissioner Johnson believes it is important because of potential problems. At
least one of us needs to be there.
The discussion went back to the Vision Contract.
Commissioner Putzler asked if there was an hourly rate if we did not pay the $1200
renewal fee. Chief Martin said he thought so, possibly $250 an hour.
Commissioner Jensen stated he believed this would be a better idea than paying a
1200 renewal fee, especially if it is not used.
Commissioner Johnson said it sounds like an insurance policy.
Chief Martin said Seyfarth and Shaw has the contract and that he will get it back to
us with their comments.
Commissioner Johnson asked if it was a contract, does the committee of the whole
or public safety have to approve it. Chief Martin said that he was meeting with the
COW committee Thursday. Chief Martin believes the commission comes up with
the budget, the City approves it then the commission pays its own bills. Possibly as
a subsidiary of department.
Commissioner Johnson asked if the bills come to us as they do for a department.
Chief Martin stated he believed so, advising that we can approve up to $1000,
beyond that it goes to the committee chairman. Chief Martin did not know the
police commission level.
Commissioner Johnson asked if the commission was allowed to enter into a contract
on behalf of the city.
Chief Martin said that as a department head you should be able to.
Commissioner Johnson said we should check with Plano, Oswego etc and see what
they do.
Chief Martin said they probably don't spend much. According to Chief Martin,
there should be very few times we spend over a $1000 at a time. Chief Martin
believes that we as the commission are in charge of our own budget. May 1,2002 we
should have roughly $10,000-$15,000 in it. Once we expend the initial $20,000.
After firstY ear we should have only up keep and continuing education.
Commissioner Johnson then asked when we should have the contract. Chief Martin
said maybe 2 days.
Commissioner Johnson said we would like everything in place.
Chief Martin said he spent $560 for initial tests and instructors guide for written
exam.
Commissioner Jensen asked if that included the oral interview questions.
Chief Martin said no. If we do interview questions for both initial and written
COPS will send us oral questions at no charge.
Commissioner Jensen said he does not feel comfortable doing the oral interview for
Sergeants. He stated that other departments have other sergeants from other
department's do the oral interviews with the commissioners sitting in.
Commissioner Johnson thought that for the first round of promotions the
commission should do the interviews.
Chief Martin said COPS will provide the oral questions for new hires, our
commission would conduct the interviews.
Commissioner Johnson requested in writing verifying that the oral questions are
validated.
Chief Martin said that once he gets a commitment from the commission he will get
both oral validation and written validation in writing. Chief Martin asked when we
wanted to do the physical agility.
Commissioner Johnson said at the beginning we were discussing doing the physical
agility on the same day as the orientation.
Commissioner Jensen said that way we do not have to be at the testing two weeks
straight. In addition if both tests are done on two separate weekends, people have
time constraints; they may not show both weekends.
Chief Martin asked when the written would be.
Commissioner Johnson said the next weekend.
Commissioner Jensen said he likes the orientation and physical agility on the same
day and the written the next Saturday. This way only two weekends are used, not
three.
Commissioner Johnson asked how long the written would take.
Commissioner Jensen said approximately 2 hours.
Commissioner Johnson asked if there was a time limit.
Chief Martin believes the written test for hire has a three-hour time limit, however,
it should be done in two hours.
Commissioner Johnson asked where the test would be given.
Commissioner Jensen said in the squad room or classroom.
Chief Martin said we could probably use a classroom at the high school for the
written and orientation and the weight room and track for the physical agility.
Commissioner Jensen said the SRT could conduct the physical agility at no cost.
Commissioner Johnson said if we do our own we would want someone who has done
it before.
Chief Martin said Rich and Don do the testing every time advising he would use
them again.
Commissioner Johnson asked if we needed to make a decision about COPS now.
Chief Martin said yes advising we need to determine which oral interviews you will
be doing.
Commissioner Jensen said again that he believes the commission should do the
initial oral, but not the promotional.
Commissioner Johnson said the commission should do all the orals.
Commissioner Putzler said she agreed with Johnson for the first round of
interviews.
Commissioner Jensen said we might have a better feel if we have sergeants from
other departments, advising they know what is job related and we can watch other
responses. Their answers to the questions could be evaluated by the sergeants who
could tell us if they are reasonable for a police department. I believe the sergeants
could add things we don't know.
Chief Martin said that COPS would use two chiefs and one deputy chief.
Commissioner Johnson asked what the costs were.
Commissioner Jensen said we could use sergeants from local departments.
Chief Martin said it would cost $2100 for promotional tests.
Commissioner Johnson asked Chief Martin for his opinion.
Chief Martin said he wanted to make sure the questions and response time is the
same. Chief Martin said he has a lot of faith in the commission to conduct the
interviews. Chief Martin said that if the sergeants have never done an assessment
before that could be a problem.
Commissioner Jensen asked if we would get a list of ranked acceptable answers to
the oral interview questions.
Chief Martin said yes.
Commissioner Johnson said he believes the Chief can give input as to good answers
and we will have ranked the acceptable answers. Commissioner Johnson said we
will need the initial oral and written tests and promotional oral and written
questions.
Chief Martin said okay.
Commissioner Johnson asked assuming the applications are in by 12-28-01 do you
have a date in mind for orientation and physical.
Chief Martin said the third week in January will give us (January 14-18) enough
time to get notices mailed.
Commissioner Jensen asked if we needed exact dates now.
Commissioner Johnson said no, advising we need to prepare for these things,we
need to get oral questions and meet about those first then make sure everything is in
place.
Chief Martin set January 19, 2001 for orientation and physical. Martin will check
with the high school to verify it is okay. If this date works, the next week we will do
the written.
Commissioner Jensen asked when the written results would be back.
Chief Martin said 5-10 days after the test. Then we need to set up the oral dates.
Commissioner Jensen asked how long the background would take.
Chief Martin said we would like to do it once we have a list established. According
to Chief Martin within the last two years the state statutes have changed, advising
we can hire someone with experience no matter where they are on the list if they
have police experience.
Commissioner Johnson requested a copy of that statute.
Commissioner Jensen believes the background will take at least a week per person.
Chief Martin said he would like to do the backgrounds after the initial list is
established. Chief Martin said he would take approximately three weeks for
backgrounds. A polygraph has never been done before.
Commissioner Putzler asked where the polygraph is conducted.
Chief Martin said Theodore Polygraph Services will come to the police department,
however, he will verify it.
Commissioner Johnson said to recap the one thing we need to focus on is the oral
interview. Commissioner Johnson would be leading the orientation with Chief
Martin. Chief Martin would talk about the department at orientation.
Chief Martin said he had an individual call today that resigned from Aurora PD.
He was 20 hours away from his associate's degree.
Commissioner Johnson asked what else we needed to accomplish.
Chief Martin said that the commission has answered a lot of questions and that he
needed to get some answers.
Commissioner Johnson asked Chief Martin could help us draft a budget.
Chief Martin said sure.
Commissioner Johnson said the next meeting we will have a contract to look at and
questions to answer.
Chief Martin said yes along with a draft of a budget, an okay from the high school
officials and a copy of the statute.
Commissioner Putzler asked who sets up all the tests, the Chief or the Commission.
Commissioner Johnson said the Chief sets up all testing.
Commissioner Johnson asked if experienced police officers have to take the physical
agility test.
Chief Martin said he would check with Powers and Jim and get back to us.
Commissioner Jensen said we have it in our rules and regulations that they must
complete the physical aptitude even if they are an experienced officer.
Commissioner Johnson agreed, advising everyone will take the physical aptitude.
Chief Martin said next Monday December 10, 2001 at 6:30 if everything is back he
will have it delivered to the commissioners.
Commissioner Jensen wanted to verify who picks the candidate for promotion out of
the top three on the list. Commissioner Jensen believes the Chief picks from the top
three.
Commissioner Putzler said she would ask John.
Commissioner Johnson said the next meeting will be Monday December 10, 2001
6:30p.m.
Commissioner Putzler moved to adjourn, second by Commissioner Jensen
Meeting adjourned 8:10 p.m.
Minutes Submitted by: Commissioner Jim Jensen
12-05-01
1
P
55
15°Uq FLl
a, UNITED CITY of YORKVILLEQP -
a F
Y f`', ' 12-19-01 13 . 09 RCVD
i County Seat of Kendall County
O 800 Game Farm Rd.
I Yorkville, IL 60560IL630-553-4350E
HOED IN
Eeb
Potrc9f
l-
We; the members of the k(t comm,ff/ Jhave reviewed the
draft of the minutes from the /0-25, /A 7, I/-i V meeting.
t- /.2 -3 - .00 /
XWe have approved the minutes.
We have asked for the minutes to be revised.
4 iildicating you have reviewed the minutes:
ip
7— A1 r.—
Submitt- :.by:
l I
All L-1,
ommittee Ch. ' 6 er on