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Police Advisory Commission Minutes 04-21-2010MINUTES MONTICELLO POLICE ADVISORY COMMISSION Wednesday, April 21, 2010 7 p.m. Academy Room Monticello Community Center Members Present: Brad Fyle, Brian Stumpf, Jim Roberts, and Jason Roubinek Members Absent: Leila McCarty Ex- Officio Representatives: Lt. Dan Anselment —Wright County Sheriffs Department Bruce Westby, City Engineer /Secretary Others Present: Tom Moores, Cathy Shuman, and Karen Ludvigson (minutes) — City staff Tom Perrault — Council member Patty Salzwedel — Animal Control Officer Mike Holker — City resident Call to Order Commissioner Brad Fyle called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. It was noted that a quorum was present. 2. Approval of minutes of January 20, 2010 regular Police Advisory Commission meeting. COMMISSIONER ROUBINEK MOTIONED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE JANUARY 20, 2010 REGULAR POLICE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING AS WRITTEN. COMMISSIONER FYLE SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY (4 -0). 3. Consideration of adding items to the agenda. • Commissioner Fyle — Outstanding Citizen Recognition Award nominee. • Commissioner Roberts — Resigning his seat after tonight's meeting. • Commissioner Stumpf— Concerns about Mn/DOT project on I -94. • Commissioner Stumpf — Drivers not stopping at Dundas /Edmonson stop signs. • Tom Moores — Speed trailer update. 4. Monticello Downtown Business Association introductions. Lynne Dahl - Fleming Secretary of the MDBA Board of Directors, intended to attend tonight's meeting but something else came up at the last minute so she provided a 2 -page handout for the Police Advisory Commission members to review. The handout explained the purpose of the MDBA, as well as its geographical boundaries (4°i Street, River Street, Elm Street, and Washington Street). Mr. Westby noted that if anyone had any questions on the materials they could contact Lynne Dahl - Fleming at the number on the handout. NO FORMAL ACTION REQUIRED /TAKEN. 5. Review of amended dangerous doe ordinance, City Ordinance No. 6 -2 -25. Cathy Shuman summarized the ordinance and noted that tonight's discussion was just meant to be an update since the ordinance was already adopted by the City Council. Commissioner Fyle asked if Wright County had a similar ordinance. Cathy Shuman confirmed that they do, and that we made changes to our ordinance to coordinate with their ordinance. Patty Salzwedel described that Wright County contracts with the Crossroads Animal Shelter, a non -profit animal shelter, on 3 -year terms. Lt. Anselment noted that the dog's owner is supposed to pay the boarding fees. Lt. Anselment briefly explained the Wright Co. Sheriff's Office process for enforcing the ordinance. Lt. Anselment then discussed an issue they had with a pit bull near a group home on Marvin Elwood. The Commission then asked for clarification on what the definition of a dangerous dog is. Patty Salzwedel explained that if a dog shows signs of aggression, or if a neighbor calls in to alert them (the Sheriffs Office or Patty) about an aggressive dog, then that dog can be labeled as potentially dangerous. As an example, if a dog shows signs of aggression toward someone when away from its owners property, or even if a dog jumps against a fence in an aggressive manner when someone walks by the fence, that is reason enough to label a dog as potentially dangerous. At that time a warning and /or a ticket could be issued to the dog's owner. On average, there are about 10 dangerous dog reports a year. It was noted that the City of Buffalo has a similar ordinance. Commissioner Fyle stated that he felt this was a good ordinance to adopt. Lt. Anselment noted that he forwards all dog reports to Patty. He also said that Patty has jurisdiction within Montissippi Park. Lt. Anselment then mentioned there have been several calls regarding a mountain lion sighting within the City limits, but that as of today no pictures had been taken to confirm that it is actually a mountain lion. Lt. Anselment also said the Sheriff's Office has not received any complaints lately about animal control issues in Monticello. NO FORMAL ACTION REQUIRED /TAKEN. (Item #8 was presented before agenda item #6 so Cathy Shuman could attend to provide information related to this item) Relocation of Sheriff's Deputies office to Prairie Center building. Lt. Anselment said he has not seen their new office at the Prairie Center building yet, so he wasn't sure of what would be needed for office furniture yet. However, he noted that the Wright County Sheriff's Office will supply their own computers, phones, and other electronic equipment. That said, he noted that they do need a 2 -way radio scanner. Cathy Shuman mentioned that Gary Anderson had one and that it should still be around somewhere so she will look for it. Lt. Anselment reiterated they don't need a phone, just a phone line for their computers. Cathy asked about their copier /printer needs. Lt. Anselment said the Wright County Sheriffs Office is moving towards being a paperless agency so they don't need a copier /printer to be provided for them. Cathy Shuman said they could use City Hall's copier whenever they needed to. Cathy also said there are several cubicles left over from the community center renovation that can be provided if needed. Commissioner Fyle asked about the type of keys they prefer to use. Lt. Anselment said they prefer a touch pad system over keyed locks since there will be over 20 deputies using the building. He noted they can look at any potential security issues related to the use of a touch pad system during the walk - through after tonight's meeting. Cathy Shuman asked if they'd need a bulletin board. Lt. Anselment thinks they have one from the fire hall. Mr. Westby asked about their use of the parking lot at the Community Center. Lt. Anselment said they still plan to use the parking lot at the Community Center to park cars when not in use. Mr. Westby asked how many cars would typically be parked in the MCC lot. Lt. Anselment thought about two to six cars would be present at any given time. Mr. Westby noted that at a recent City Council meeting, Kitty Baltos, MCC Director, said that sometimes their parking lot is filled to capacity during special events so space is at a premium. Lt. Anselment said they normally have about 2 to 6 cars in the MCC lot. Tom Moores said that for snow plowing purposes he prefers the squad cars to keep parking at the Community Center. Cathy Shuman asked about their mailbox at City Hall. She noted that FiberNet has a mailbox there. Lt. Anselment didn't think it would be a problem to pick their mail up at City Hall. Commissioner Fyle asked about the availability of the office space. Mr. Westby said it's unoccupied at present, but that there may be a delay while it is wired for telephone and computer hook -ups. Lt. Anselment said they would like a sign, and that he'd look at the building tonight, take some pictures, and see where their sign could be placed. He wants the public to know where they're at and to feel that they are welcome to stop in. NO FORMAL ACTION REQUIRED/TAKEN. 6. Wright County Sheriff's Department updates /O &A session. Lt. Anselment presented crime and service call statistics from 2009. Overall, 2009 was a quiet year. Crime was down about 17% in Monticello, and the total number of service calls dropped from 3,080 in 2008 to 2,878 in 2009. The lower munber of calls is likely due to the bad economy, which has reduced discretionary income. Lt. Anselment noted there was not as much construction traffic going through town last year, and that residents were calling in less to complain about speeding in neighborhoods. However, there was a small increase in vandalism, which again was likely due to the bad economy. Traffic crashes were also down. Lt. Anselment noted that vehicle thefts were up slightly last month but that several arrests were made in Otsego, Saint Michael and Delano, but none in Monticello. Lt. Anselment stated that their deputies are being directed to have more community involvement. This might include stopping to talk to people on street, or even joining in on a game of basketball. More neighborhood drive- throughs are also being promoted to increase visibility. Commissioner Fyle inquired about their working relationship with school liaisons. Does the Sheriff's Office contact them on a regular basis? Lt. Anselment said they do keep in constant contact with both school liaisons. He also noted that while there have been several larger fights lately, nothing else outside the ordinary has been happening in the schools recently. Mike Holker, who lives at 537 East Broadway, voiced his concern regarding traffic speeds on East Broadway. He thought speeds weren't being enforced enough, especially on East Broadway. Lt. Anselment said East Broadway is the most enforced street in the City. Mr. Holker said he has attended council meetings to state his concerns before, with little or no results. Torn Moores said he will place the City's speed trailer in front of Mr. Holker's house. Lt. Anselment asked Mr. Holker for his e -mail address so he could send him a copy of the speed trailer results, and noted that the average speeds are typically less than the posted speeds. NO FORMAL ACTION REQUIRED /TAKEN. Consideration of narking issues including: a. Winter on- street parking ban issues I. Warnings versus tickets ii. Private streets versus public streets Mr. Westby discussed that staff had recently been receiving complaints from residents about people parking on the streets overnight, even though the winter parking ban is still in effect. Lt. Anselment said their Sheriffs Deputies gave out 229 parking tickets since the first of the year. Lt. Ansehnent said they hand out a lot of warning tickets before the snow flies in an attempt to educate people about the parking ban. After the snow flies, the deputies have discretion as to whether tickets are issued. This is the same for private and public streets. Commissioner Stumpf mentioned he received a call from a resident on 6`h & Maple. There is a duplex there and the complaint was that sometimes multiple cars are parked on the streets overnight. Lt. Anselment didn't think they should target one particular neighborhood. Tom Moores noted that many people are losing their homes and that more people are living under one roof to be able to afford their home, which results in over - parked driveways. There was some discussion about revising the parking ordinance to better address this issue. Lt. Anselment asked for some direction of what to do in this instance? Mr. Westby thought maybe warnings should be issued in this instance, rather than tickets, at least at first. It was also discussed that the Sheriff s Deputies should talk to the resident who was complaining to provide them with a phone number for the sheriff's office in case this issue persists. b. Fallon Avenue on- street parking ban Mr. Westby stated the city has received many calls from Little Mountain Elementary school parents about trucks parking on Fallon Avenue while waiting to deliver or pick -up their loads from IRT, and that this is a safety issue. City staff then visited IRT to discuss these complaints. IRT said they'd have the trucks park on the south side of Dundas Road while waiting to weigh -in and unload. This seemed to work for a little while, but then the trucks started parking along Fallon Avenue again so the City posted Fallon Avenue as "No Parking" on both sides of the street from Dundas Road to Chelsea Road, Commissioner Stumpf brought up one of the added items at this time. Commissioner Stumpf noted that many drivers run or roll through the stop signs at the intersection of Edmonson Avenue and Dundas Road. Lt. Anselment made a note of this and said he would pass this information along to the deputies and ask them to keep their eyes open. C. Commuter lot parking violations Tom Moores said he has observed numerous trucks parking at the City's commuter lot overnight unhooked from the cab. The City has an ordinance that states trucks cannot park trailers in the lot unless the cab is attached. Tom Moores noted that when the trucks dolly down their trailers they leave large depressions in the asphalt, especially in the summer. Lt. Anselment was asked to remind his officers about this ordinance and to better enforce it. NO FORMAL ACTION REQUIRED /TAKEN 9. Consideration of improvements for TH 25 pedestrian underpass. Mr. Westby discussed the pictures that were included in the agenda packets in regards to the existing TH 25 pedestrian underpass between East and West Bridge Parks. The main issues with the underpass are that it has poor lighting at present, and that people often sit on top of the abutment wall between the bridge beams so when pedestrians approach the underpass they often see legs hanging down which doesn't make it feel very safe. As such, this underpass is not utilized as often as it might be. It was also noted that the chain link fence is not very appealing. Improvements to this underpass are proposed to be bid with the 2010 Street Reconstruction project and will include enhanced lighting, as well as replacing the chain link fence with a more decorative style fence. Mr. Moores noted that staff from Public Works frequently observes kids sitting between the beams. Mr. Westby noted that he contacted Mn/DOT and that they are against boxing in the rafters with any permanent device, but that they do occasionally install chicken wire between beams to prevent birds from nesting there, but that this would not likely prevent kids from getting up there. Lt. Anselment noted that enhanced lighting might also help deter graffiti. Commissioner Fyle asked whether a security camera could be placed under the bridge. Lt. Anselment said they could wire it into their office so they could monitor it, but he said he wasn't aware of any issues at the underpass so he didn't think it was a big enough issue to justify the expense. The consensus was to see what happens with the enhanced lighting and if issues arise a camera could then be purchased and placed under the bridge. NO FORMAL ACTION REQUIRED/TAKEN. 10. Discussion of added items. Outstanding Citizen Recognition Award nominee: Commissioner Fyle, who is also a local fire fighter, stated there was a recent incident with a car driving off County Road 39 and plunging into the Mississippi River. A passerby waded about 30 feet into the river to help rescue the driver and get her safely back to shore. Commissioner Fyle thinks this citizen should be nominated for the OCRA award. He also said he hoped this could be done quickly and that they shouldn't wait for the next meeting to do it. Lt. Anselment will check his police report and get Commissioner Fyle the name and information of this citizen. It was understood that both the driver and the rescuer are residents of Monticello. Commissioner Fyle will e -mail this information to Mr. Westby once he receives it so they don't have to wait until the next regularly scheduled Commission meeting to nominate the person. It was discussed that if the information in known quickly enough maybe an article could be run in the next city newsletter. It was also noted that the award is presented during a City Council meeting so the award recipient will also be recognized on local cable television, which is only fitting. Upcoming vacancy for Police Advisory Commission. Commissioner Roberts stated that he will not be unable to attend the PAC meetings over the next year so we will need to fill his vacant seat on the Commission. He said he enjoys being on the Commission and that he may apply for a seat on the Commission in the future when an opening exists. After a brief discussion it was decided that staff should advertise the vacant seat for a period of two weeks, as well as pull the applications from the previous vacancy and call those people to see if they are still interested. Mr. Westby was instructed to contact Chairman Fyle after the posting period was over to discuss whether a special Commission meeting would be needed to expedite filling the vacant seat. Concerns about 94 & 18 MN/DOTproject. Commissioner Fyle said he noticed that some Wright County Sheriff's Deputies were recently patrolling Interstate 94 and he was curious why they were performing duties on I -94. Lt. Anselment said the state gets grant money to enforce speed limits in construction zones, and that they enlist the help of County Sheriff's Deputies from time to time, based on the number of construction projects that are occurring at any given time. He also stated that only off -duty officers are used to avoid the need to pay them overtime. Commissioner Stumpf said he's seen the signs that say fines are doubled in work zones, and that people are driving way too fast through the construction zone. Lt. Anselment said this law applies to the Mn /DOT project in Monticello too. Speed Trailer. Tom Moores briefly discussed the City's use of the speed trailer. He said he used to prepare a schedule where the trailer would be located throughout the city during the year, but that he now usually just moves it from site to site based on complaints of excessive speed he receives from citizens, which are growing more and more numerous. Commissioner Fyle asked if the speed trailer could help Mr. Holker with his concerns. Torn Moores said he has placed the trailer on Broadway many times in the past and that the average speed is generally right around 30 mph. He also noted that the trailer needs to be placed directly in line with the cars coming at it for the trailer to accurately pick up the vehicles speeds. Tom stated the trailer will be deployed soon. 11. Schedule next meetine. The next regular Police Commission meeting was scheduled for Wednesday, July 21 st @ 7 PM. 12. Adiourn. MOTION WAS MADE TO ADJOURN BY COMMISSIONER ROUBINEK AND WAS SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER ROBERTS. MOTION WAS APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY AT 8:26 PM. Upon adjournment the police commission members walked over for a tour of the Prairie West Building to verify that the proper amenities existed to support the needs of the Sherriff's Deputies, particularly in regards to computers, telephones and other office equipment. Bruce Westby, City Enginee Recording Secretary