City of Yorkville Public Safety Committee met July 7.
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
In Attendance:
Chairman Dan Transier/in-person attendance
Alderman Seaver Tarulis/in-person attendance
Alderman Matt Marek/in-person attendance
Alderman Craig Soling/electronic attendance
Other City Officials in Attendance:
Police Chief Jim Jensen/in-person attendance
Others in Attendance: None
The meeting was called to order at 6:02pm by Chairman Dan Transier and he stated those who were present.
Citizen Comments: None
Minutes for Correction/Approval: May 17, 2022
The minutes were approved as presented.
New Business:
1. PS 2022-18 Monthly Report Review for April 2022 - May 2022
For April, Chief Jensen reported on the number of officers and also said 2 hires are pending. He also discussed the summer intern program, saying the intern did a great job for the department. There was also a prescription take-back program, 444 training hours, 39 vehicle accidents and the new city hall police area is progressing. Several violations occurred at Rt. 47 and Rt. 71 resulting in warnings and citations and directed patrols were conducted at Rt. 47, 71 and 34 with several hours spent there. A message board was placed in targeted complaint areas to display speeds. Several warnings were given for the month. Sex offender cases and calls for service were up for the month. He said there should be a decrease in the Part I and II crimes for 2022. Crisis intervention calls were averaging 12 per month, with 8 in April. Vehicle maintenance costs decreased, however, the gas costs increased.
For May, Chief Jensen reported one of the initiatives being May designated as Autism Awareness Month with many registrations. Police relied on the health department to conduct interviews of child victims of sex offenders and officers also being trained to do the interviews. Two department members graduated with degrees. He reported on the number of stops and hours spent at Rts. 34, 47 and 71. The portable speed signs were placed in areas of complaints and traffic enforcement resulted in an increase in warnings. He discussed an aggravated battery and a resulting serious injury that occurred. There was also a reduction in the Part I and II crimes. Mental health calls also decreased and overall calls for service were up. Mileage and gas costs are both increased for the month compared to 2021, while the maintenance costs were down due to having newer vehicles. New vehicles are expected hopefully in July.
2. PS 2022-19 Adjudication Report for May and June 2022
There was an increased number of complaints about parking in Yorkville Marketplace handicapped spots so police have stepped up monitoring there. A dumpster stored in the roadway on Honeysuckle resulted in continuous complaints. Other violations included dogs at large, impounded vehicles, possession of tobacco by a minor, sale of liquor to minors and weed violations.
Chairman Transier asked if the citations for cannabis and tobacco for middle school kids were entered into LEADS. They are all ordinance tickets and not entered into LEADS, said Chief Jensen.
3. PS 2022-20 Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (ILEAP) Accreditation (Discussion Item Only)
Chief Jensen said at the end of July, the department will begin the Illinois accreditation process which provides the framework for addressing high risk situations. He said this is best practice for the department and he said there are many benefits for this program. He said the department is already following standards in relation to the police reform act and the accreditation process will verify. As new standards are issued, they are included in the general operating procedures. Yorkville will seek the Tier II accreditation that has 181 compliance standards which the department must put into policy and then prove they are adhering to the standards.
He said the department policies are currently written based on national accreditation, however, national accreditation is very expensive to attain. Also, the current police facility would not be eligible for national accreditation based on certain standards needed.
He said there are 48 towns in Illinois with state accreditation and only 22 states have state programs. The annual cost is $800 which is budgeted. At the end of 4 years, an inspection is done to verify the standards are being met. An additional cost is for a power DMS module relating to state accreditation. For future costs, he will look at an IMRF grant to help fund this. He hopes to achieve the state accreditation in 1.5 to 2 years, though 3 years are allowed.
Alderman Tarulis asked about one of the standards relating to the United Nations. Chief Jensen replied that people from other countries who reside here, have certain rights based on their country of origin.
Old Business: None
Additional Business
Alderman Marek asked if any speeding inquiries have been received about Whispering Meadows, specifically Alan Dale and Sumac, where there are signs posted. Chief Jensen will research and reply to Alderman Marek.
Alderman Soling said he was approached about a 4-way stop at Pleasure and Hillcrest. He said that is the township, but asked if the city could reach out to them. High school kids use this area and have been disregarding the 2-way stop sign. People have almost been hit, cars go into yards and cars have hit trees. Some residents have placed re-bar in their yards to keep cars out. The Chief will contact the township official and he said the township will place signs without doing a study.
There was no further business and the meeting was adjourned at 6:32pm.
https://www.yorkville.il.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4734
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