City of Yorkville Public Safety Committee met Sept. 1.
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
In Attendance:
Chairman Dan Transier/in-person
Alderman Seaver Tarulis/in-person
Alderman Craig Soling/in-person
Absent: Alderman Marek
Other City Officials in Attendance:
Police Chief Jim Jensen/in-person
Others in Attendance: None
The meeting was called to order at 6:02pm by Chairman Dan Transier.
Citizen Comments: None
Minutes for Correction/Approval: July 7, 2022
The minutes were approved as presented.
New Business:
1. PS 2022-21 Monthly Report Review for June 2022 – July 2022
Chief Jensen gave the statistics for June including overtime hours, vacation time, Facebook posts, training hours, etc. He also reported on the occasion of the Vice-President coming into town. The Chief also discussed the number of accidents, their attempts to slow speeders and the number of citations. Many background checks were conducted which require about 40 hours per person. In June there was increased squad mileage and gas usage, but maintenance was down. There were fewer crisis intervention calls this year.
The July report also had reimbursible overtime hours for events as well as the waterpark and he said the waterpark wishes to hire officers for weekends. There was also a firearms incident there. There were several social media postings, the department has a new hire and he reported on training hours, accidents, speeding tickets and the number of stops on the major routes. Crisis calls and voluntary commitments were down. The mileage and gas cost was up and three new squads were just received. Chief Jensen noted that the cost of squads for next year could reflect about a $9,000 increase per car and there was a discussion of additional squad car purchases. Staff will determine how long it will take to get new squads and the cost.
2. PS 2022-22 Adjudication Reports for July and August 2022
The Chief reported on the types of citations that were written including a noise complaint ticket written to the Pinz business owner. Alderman Soling said the owner had reached out to him and said a noise meter had been used to measure the level of noise.
Chief Jensen added a couple updates at this point and said body cameras have come in. WatchGuard cannot activate them immediately, but the cameras should be ready for use by November. In another matter, the accreditation module has been purchased and the contract will be signed soon. Mr. Jensen said the department will strive for the upper level of the accreditation process.
3. PS 2022-23 Drone Discussion – Police Use (Discussion Item Only)
Chief Jensen said there has been a push for drone usage, surveillance, etc., at major events due to recent violence in the Chicago area. Emergency plans have always been in place, but City staff members recently met with other department heads for additional planning, including the use of cement barricades in the future. A drone has also been purchased which can detect heat signatures and it can be zoomed into a crowd. FAA certification is required for use by law enforcement, so 4-5 staff will be trained. (It was noted private citizens can use drones without training). He said there are limitations as to where the drone can be used by the police including on rooftops, however, these laws will be changing in the new year. Staff will also be trained to use the drone for other purposes and drones can be pre-programmed to watch a certain area.
Old Business: None
Additional Business:
Alderman Soling received a call from a Gawne Lane resident regarding a safety situation on the street. Gawne is a private road while nearby Worsley St. is in the city and the city is currently repaving it. The resident said the paving will stop 15 feet short of Gawne Lane and a concrete barrier will be placed to prevent traffic flowing from Gawne to Worsley. Since Gawne is private, it is not plowed by the city and it becomes icy so the resident uses Worsley. The barrier will prevent the resident from using Worsley for egress. Chief Jensen said this is a matter for Public Works Director Dhuse since he has knowledge of the area history. Alderman Soling also said there is a telephone pole that sits in the middle of the road, however, it does allow one car to pass. The resident asked if the city would consider extending the pavement up to Gawne Lane so they can get out in case of emergency or if the hill is not passable. Alderman Soling said he has spoken with Mayor Purcell about this matter also. The city installed new storm sewers in this area 2 years ago and an easement was needed from this resident at that time. Alderman Soling said D Construction was told to stop paving at Gawne. The Chief will contact Mr. Dhuse and this matter will also be presented at Public Works.
In another matter, Chairman Transier has received phone calls and a video regarding ingress/egress issues at the Early Childhood Center at Garden St. and Wood Sage. The concerned residents will be asked to provide a time frame when the problems occur.
There was no further business and the meeting was adjourned at 6:55pm.
https://www.yorkville.il.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4862
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