Public Safety Committee Minutes 2023 11-02-23APPROVED 1/4/24
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UNITED CITY OF YORKVILLE
PUBLIC SAFETY MEETING
Thursday, November 2, 2023 6:00pm
City Hall East Conference Room #337
651 Prairie Pointe Drive, Yorkville, IL
In Attendance:
Alderman Seaver Tarulis
Alderman Chris Funkhouser
Alderman Craig Soling
Absent: Alderman Dan Transier
Other City Officials in Attendance:
Police Chief Jim Jensen
Others in Attendance: None
The meeting was called to order at 6:00pm by Vice-Chairman Seaver Tarulis.
Citizen Comments: None
Minutes for Correction/Approval: September 7, 2023
The minutes were approved as presented.
New Business:
1. PS 2023-17 Monthly Report Review for August 2023 – September 2023
For both months, Chief Jensen reported on the number of employees, community
policing, initiatives, community participation and training hours. Directed patrols,
accidents, criminal cases and total calls for service were also reviewed. In addition, he
said officers were in 5 schools at the school year start. A new crossing guard is stationed at the
high school and the department is saving $30,000 since it is now a school function. Alderman
Tarulis asked about the process when a driver ignores a crossing guard and Chief Jensen
explained. The Chief also shared information about a recent major arrest and crisis calls. He
said that a social worker works with the department 8 hours a week on domestic calls. He hopes
for a grant to increase those hours.
2. PS 2023-18 Adjudication Reports for September 2023 – October 2023
There were violations for cannabis, curfew, expired registrations and water usage. Alderman
Soling asked about an alleged noise complaint at a nearby car place which the Chief briefly
addressed.
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3. PS 2023-19 Pre-Order of Police Vehicles for the FY25 Budget
Chief Jensen commented that there is money in the current budget for one car and two
cars are budgeted in FY25. He also said the officers like the feature of a single cage in
the back seat. A van was originally desired, however, a retired ambulance may be
purchased instead to save money and it would be shared with the Parks Department.
Normally the PD goes with the state bid and after discussions with Sutton Ford, there are
no vehicles available at this time and a 5-6% increase is possible. Morrow Brothers
(located in Greenfield) currently has vehicles, the price will stay the same and is $4,400
less than the anticipated Sutton increased price. The Chief would like to purchase from
Morrow Brothers, ordering them now with delivery after May 1. Morrow does the
outfitting while Sutton does not.
Alderman Funkhouser asked if the same vehicle color package would be used and if
“ghosting” would be used. The cars will have the same colors and Chief Jensen noted
that the officers like the black and white. He said the ghosting is beneficial at night. In
relation to the “ghosting” markings, Alderman Funkhouser said the public perception is
that the PD is bad and not there to protect. Vice-Chair Tarulis commented that
Alderman Funkhouser's statement warrants a future discussion.
In summary, theChief would like to purchase squads from Morrow Brothers and it would
require a Council majority vote to be placed on a list to pre-order 3 vehicles. Possession
cannot be taken until May of 2024.
4. PS 2023-20 Taser Lease Agreement – Discussion
The current taser lease agreement expires May 14, 2024. The Department currently has
eight X2's. The X2's are no longer being supported and Chief wishes to move to an X10
model which is the newest version and officers will require updated training. He wishes
to lease 8 of the X10's which is $34,000 over a 5 year-period and he will apply for a
grant. The training is an added cost and he would like 2 officers to be trained. He said he
would keep the X2's as well which would give 18 total tasers with the new ones. Chief
Jensen said paramedics remove the taser probes which can be considered as evidence.
He said tasers are the most effective non-lethal method they have. This item moves
forward to City Council.
5. PS 2023-21 Meeting Schedule for 2024
All committee members concurred with the proposed 2024 meeting schedule. This
moves forward to City Council.
Old Business: None
Additional Business:
Chief Jensen wrote a grant last year for funding to purchase a training simulator for de-escalation
of mental health calls. The grant was written for the “Virtra” system. He went to a conference
that presented a real-life scenario on a computer screen, giving a 300 degree view and is state of
the art. Chief Jensen wrote the grant so that all Kendall County PD's would have access to this
training. He was informed last week that a grant of $241,000 was awarded. A 30' x 30' fixed
space is needed because the cost to move the equipment is $5,000. Several spaces are being
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considered. An IGA will be needed with all other agencies who use the equipment and the Chief
wants 24/7 access to use it. A press release will be issued and a media day will be held.
Alderman Funkhouser said this is one of the biggest grants ever received.
In another matter, committee members accompanied Chief Jensen to the second floor of city hall
for a tour of the open space near the PD administrative offices. The purpose was to discuss a
potential information center for major incidents within the county. He is considering converting
the space into a real-time information center, funded with a private donation along with a possible
grant he would write. He met with all Chiefs of Police recently and all were very receptive. He
discussed other advantages of such a system including intelligence-gathering and for use during
special events. Staffing ideas were briefly discussed. He would like to see the center opened by
February or March and he will provide an update in January
There was no further business and the meeting was adjourned at 7:39pm.
Respectfully submitted by
Marlys Young, Minute Taker