Public Safety & Transportation Committee

Village of Lombard Village Hall 255 East Wilson Ave. Lombard, IL 60148 villageoflombard.org Minutes Wednesday, November 4, 2020 7:00 PM Lorraine G. Gerhardt Community Room Public Safety & Transportation Committee Trustee Dan Whittington, Chairperson Andrew Honig, Alternate Chairperson Jennifer Perkins, Michael Corso, John Larkin, Robert Corbino, Gary Cation, John Mullins and Rick Miller Public Safety & Transportation Minutes November 4, 2020 Committee 1.0 Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Whittington at 7:00 PM. 2.0 Roll Call Present 7 - Dan Whittington, Michael Corso, John Larkin Jr., Bob Corbino, Gary Cation, John Mullins, and Rick Miller Absent 1 - Jennifer Perkins 3.0 Public Participation 4.0 Approval of Minutes A motion was made by John Larkin, Jr., seconded by Bob Corbino, that the Minutes of the July 1, 2020 meeting be approved. The motion carried unanimously. 5.0 Unfinished Business 6.0 New Business 200366 14 W. St. Charles Road, Request for 15 Minute Parking A request from a business owner to install 15 minute parking for pick-up and delivery orders. (DISTRICT #1) Sgt. Menolascino reviewed the item. It makes sense with all of the curb side pick up now and it would be available for all of the businesses in that area. The Police Department does not have a problem with it. A motion was made by Gary Cation, seconded by John Larkin, Jr., that this Request be recommended to the Board of Trustees for approval. The motion passed by an unanimous vote. 200367 Patrol Car Cameras and Body Worn Cameras for the Police Department Request for a waiver of bids and approval of a five-year Agreement with Axon Enterprise, the sole provider of the type of body-camera technology sought by the Police Department, providing body-worn cameras, patrol car cameras, video storage, video redaction, supplies, equipment, warranty, and training to Police Department staff in the amount of $150,235.98 (year one) and $68,262.00 (for the following four years). Chief Newton thanked the committee for their dedication and reviewed the item. Lombard has not had any squad or body cameras in its lifetime. Over the Village of Lombard Page 1 Public Safety & Transportation Minutes November 4, 2020 Committee years we have not been in a position to need cameras as we haven't had citizen complaints of malfeasance, so we have not pursued purchasing them. At this time the tech is simple; it's been perfected over last few years and purchasing them now affords us the ability to bundle at considerable cost savings. We believe that the body camera is effective and the squad camera is equally important. The body cam only gives one motion. The squad cam will go 30 seconds in arrears once the lights are activated. The body cam will also activate when lights are activated, as well as when a taser is deployed or a weapon is drawn from the holster. That eliminates the risk of the officer forgetting to turn it on or it turning off during activity. Department staff have done diligent work in looking at manufacturers. Axon has the best bundle since we purchased Tasers through them and Taser is owned by Axon. We were able to purchase in one package, that's why it all works together. Axon is mid-pricing, but with the bundle feature it made the most sense. Mullins asked how it knows when a weapon is drawn. Chief Newton replied that there is a sensor on the holster. He went on to add that he would like to compliment the Village for hopefully an approval of this. It is a significant expense, but we are in a time when our word is not good enough and there's too much to be questioned. Matters can be resolved by having cameras available to us. Axon provided six cams to test and it has been remarkable. The Department is seeking a recommendation to proceed. Cation asked if the use of cameras is mandated. Chief Newton replied that a few years ago body cams were going to be mandated, but because Chicago started using them it didn't go to legislation. There is legislation that dictates rules if you have them, i.e. what's redacted, etc. He added that he sits on the legislative committee, so he's very aware of what Springfield does. The word is that body cams will become statutory for every department. Another point is that the federal government is offering grants for departments and one criteria is that you have to have body cams. Mullins asked if all of the equipment will age out at the same time so you can bundle them all again. Chief Newton answered that the intent is to purchase cams for each car and all field personnel. Detectives and Administration will just put one on if they go out to a scene. As tech changes over a 5 year period, it's almost like leasing a car, as better features become available you'll want to upgrade. Cation asked if, with the new tech, will we need additional resources to support it, i.e. IT person. Chief Newton replied that part of purchasing is that it will be uploaded into the cloud provided by the company. Where we'll have to do some work is in FOIA requests and redaction of video. We have records clerks in place to do that, but don't know how much work it will be. In asking other chiefs it's all over the place. If we determine during 2021 that Village of Lombard Page 2 Public Safety & Transportation Minutes November 4, 2020 Committee the clerks are overwhelmed, we'll look at it. Cation asked if it would be paid for out of this years budget or next year. Chief Newton answered that the Department is pursuing grant funds for 2021. We have federal seizure money available to us that will assist in paying for it, as well as a significant amount of money in the DUI fund that we can use a portion of. Corso asked how many would be purchased. Chief Newton replied that they would order 70 Tasers, but body cams would be around 65. Patrol staff will each have their own camera. Miller asked if they would be dash mounted. Chief Newton confirmed that the squad cams would be. Corso asked if the installation cost is included. Chief Newton replied that installation is part of it and that one of the Village's mechanics is a jack of all trades and installation would not be an issue for him. Corso asked how long the video is saved in the cloud. Chief Newton replied that it would be stored according to State statute. He added that another benefit of the body cams is that officers can immediately record evidence and upload it to the evidence file; as opposed to having to take digital photos. A motion was made by Gary Cation, seconded by John Mullins, that this Request be recommended to the Board of Trustees for approval. The motion passed by an unanimous vote. 7.0 Other Business 8.0 Information Only 150468 Fire Department Reports/Information Deputy Chief Kickert commented that things are ramping up again with COVID. There was a small outbreak in the Fire Department. Six people had it and two more had to quarantine. He added that when the durecho hit Lombard, the Department received 200 calls in 24 hours. There have also been a couple of fires, one being the building at the old Northern Baptist site. It was not a big fire, but it will be good to get that property developed. 150469 Police Department Reports/Information Sgt. Menolascino informed the committee that he spoke with a resident of the 400 block of W Meadow who was concerned about speeding. The Police Department did a speed study and directed patrol. She wanted a stop sign and she wanted to close access to Meadow at Route 53. The Department did put the speed sign out there with results being 84% were doing speed limit or under and 1.1% were doing up to 10 mph over. Officers only made two traffic stops in two months, so she was told that there doesn't appear to be a problem there. Village of Lombard Page 3 Public Safety & Transportation Minutes November 4, 2020 Committee We're currently doing another study on the 400 block of N Elizabeth. 95% of cars are going the limit or under, 4 were 6-10 mph over. The resident said one consistent offender was a maroon truck, so officers keep an eye out for those vehicles. The Department has purchased another radar sign. Although the signs help with resident complaints, a lot of times they don't want to believe the numbers and they usually don't agree. He added that understands when a car flies down a side street they're aggravated, however, a lot of times they want a stop sign and we can't do that. It was suggested by Detective Ranallo that when residents are complaining about a specific vehicle, we can put a license plate reader on the speed sign and then make contact with the offender. 9.0 Adjournment A motion was made by John Larkin, Jr., seconded by Gary Cation, that the meeting be adjourned at 7:29 PM. The motion carried unanimously. Village of Lombard Page 4