CITY OF COUNTRYSIDE

MINUTES OF THE POLICE COMMITTEE MEETING

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2013 – 6:00 PM

COUNCIL CHAMBER ROOM

CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL:

Meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. Those present were: Chairman Pondelicek, Aldermen Jasinski and Michalczyk. Also present: Police Chief Ford, Deputy Chief Novak, Erik Peck, and Secretary Carey.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

The minutes of July 16, 2013 were signed and dated by Chairman Pondelicek.

REQUEST TO PURCHASE 2 NEW SQUAD CARS FROM WESTFIELD FORD.

Chief Ford reported that 3 squad cars in the fleet have reached the end of their life expectancy, and due to costly maintenance, are in need of replacement. He requested to waive the formal bidding process and award the contract of 2 vehicles to Westfield Ford since their price matched the State program. The purchase is for (2) 2013 Ford Interceptor SUV’s. The total cost of $40,750.00 includes the purchase of extended service contracts for each vehicle and the trade-in of 3 vehicles; (2) 2010 Ford Crown Victorias and (1) 2007 Ford Expedition. The expenditure is less than the $80,000.00 that was budgeted in the FY14 Asset Forfeiture Fund. The Committee concurred with the staff’s recommendation.

REQUEST TO PURCHASE EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT FOR 2 NEW SQUAD CARS.

Chief Ford requested to waive the formal bidding process and award a contract to the low quote from Police Department Systems for the purchase, installation, and removal of emergency police equipment. The total cost of $22,240.00 includes removing existing equipment from 3 vehicles and the purchase and up-fit of emergency equipment for 2 vehicles. The expenditure has been budgeted in the FY14 Asset Forfeiture Fund. The Committee concurred with the staff’s recommendation.

DISCUSSION OF OVERNITE PARKING SITUATION AT ROSE AND LORRAINE DRIVES.

Chief Ford reported that the police department processes an excessive amount of overnight parking requests from the area of Rose Avenue and Lorraine Drive. Requests for this specific location account for over 55% of all requests for the entire City. The reason for the large number of calls is due to the fact that apartment buildings at 5815 Rose and 9709 Lorraine do not have enough parking spaces for their tenants. Currently, there is no limit to the number of times a resident is granted permission to park overnight. The City had previously discussed the parking situation at this location, but a decision was not determined. The issue has gained momentum once again due to the switch to Southwest Central Dispatch. SWCD requires residents to call every night for permission to park overnight. Previously, the police department granted permission for 3 nights at a time. After the switch to SWCD, the police department’s records management system quickly became inundated with all of the requests. As a result, the task of processing overnight parking requests has been temporarily moved back to the police department until a solution can be determined.

Chief Ford suggested implementing a parking permit program for that specific area. Committee members suggested that research be done to ensure that we can implement the program in just one section of the city; and that our current ordinance(s) will allow for such a provision.

Chief Ford proposed an alternate solution involving the creation of additional parking. It appears that there is space between the two apartment buildings where parking spaces could be created. It would be the responsibility of the building owners to finance the project. The Committee directed Chief Ford to gather additional information from the Building Department and Code Enforcement; and to contact the owners of the 2 apartment buildings to propose the idea and gather feedback.

This agenda item has been tabled until additional information is gathered.

SHOP WITH A COP PROGRAM.

Chief Ford presented the details of a new police department program, Shop with a Cop. This is a program that provides ten underprivileged children with $100 to go shopping with a police officer for holiday gifts. The police department is working with Ideal School to select the qualifying children. This is a need based program and is targeted to 5^th grade students. There is no financial impact to the City. The Countryside Business Association has offered to contribute $1,000 to cover (10) gift cards. Westfield Ford has offered to provide lunch for the shoppers. TJMaxx has offered a 10% discount for the children. The Committee requested that qualifying children be residents of Countryside.

ORDINANCE AMENDMENT 13-49-0-TELEPHONE AND ELECTRONIC HARASSMENT.

Chief Ford requested amending City Code #4-2-3-7 Telephone Harassment to include electronic communications such as computers and cell phones. The revision would be more in line with the Illinois State Criminal Code and would give officers additional charging options that could be adjudicated locally as opposed to the criminal court building. The Committee concurred with the staff’s recommendation.

ORDINANCE ADDITION 13-50-0-WEAPONS.

Chief Ford requested the addition of a new Weapons ordinance #13-50-0 (City Code #3-9-10) that would cover non-gun weapons (air guns, pellet guns, paint guns, etc.). The City does not currently have an ordinance that covers such weapons. The new ordinance would include provisions from the Illinois Compiled Statutes UUW 720 ILCS 5/24-1 and Air Rifles 720 ILCS 5/24-8. The new ordinance would allow officers to charge at the adjudication level. Under the new ordinance, it would be illegal to sell the specified items to children under the age of 18. It is permissible for individuals to own existing non-gun weapons, but gives officers discretionary enforcement for concealing, possessing in a vehicle, or selling certain non-gun weapons. The Committee concurred with the staff’s recommendation.

CRIME MAPPING SOFTWARE.

Chief Ford presented a crime mapping software from PublicEngines that he plans to add to the department’s webpage. Crime Report will replace the current Eye on Countryside link. The new product presents police activity and crime data in a more user-friendly and interactive format. The Crime Report product is free. There is no budgetary impact to the City. PublicEngines also offers add-on products that build on the initial software. The additional products provide more in-depth analysis of crime data. This information is beneficial to both residents and officers. The add-on products are available for an additional fee. Chief Ford plans to install only the free Crime Report product at this time. He has budgeted for the Reports Plus add-on product in FY2015 and will present it to the Committee for approval at a later date.

OTHER BUSINESS.

Alderman Jasinski inquired about license plate readers for squad cars. Chief Ford estimated the average cost at approximately $35,000 per car for a 4-camera system. There are less expensive options available. The readers are a very useful tool in law enforcement. They are helpful in checking for suspended license plates. They could also be programmed with our own wanted list. They are also a good investigative tool because the data that is gathered can be queried to run a report of license plates that were captured at a specific location and time. Aldermen Jasinski and Michalczyk suggested that Chief Ford gather information about the plate readers and possible grant funding. Chief Ford will research and report back to the Committee.

ADJOURN.

There being no further business to discuss, Alderman Jasinski moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Alderman Michalczyk. The meeting was adjourned at 6:45 PM.

Dated: å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_å_______________________ _______________________________

Alderman Robert Pondelicek, Chairman