PUBLIC SAFETY LIAISON TEAM MEETING MINUTES. May 19, 2005 Fire s Third-Floor Conference Room City Hall Building No. 2

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1 PUBLIC SAFETY LIAISON TEAM MEETING MINUTES May 19, 2005 Fire s Third-Floor Conference Room City Hall Building No. 2 Present: Councilmember David Eberle Councilmember Vern Bisterfeldt Chief Renn Ross, Boise Fire Department Chief Michael Masterson, Boise Police Department Mayor s Assistant Jade Riley, Mayor s Office City Attorney Cary Colaianni, Legal Department Assistant City Attorney Alison Tate, Legal Department Assistant City Attorney Kevin Borger, Legal Department Programs Analyst Mandee Russell, Legal Department I. Legal Issues A. Justice Center Update Cary Colaianni City Attorney Cary Colaianni has spoken to Greg Bower, and they are interested in signing up with the City. Ted Argyle has things lined-up, and we need to negotiate the terms with the building. Mayor s Assistant Jade Riley wants a draft of the plan and signatures. Councilmember Eberle said that most of the work is done. He also said that he has worked with Judy Peavy-Derr, County Commissioner, and she has been very cooperative, but he also feels the County will steal our glory and we need to figure out what we want out of the County. Councilmember Bisterfeldt mentioned that if we grant licenses to both hospitals, then we are stuck. We need to get with Judy to help her understand that we want to participate in good partnerships. Councilmember Eberle said that the City is not showing leadership in this issue. He will call Judy and set the tone and get an operating and business plan together. Assistant City Attorney Alison Tate said that the models are run by the City and it does not fit nationally. Mayor s Assistant Jade Riley questioned how Nampa has set theirs up and whether we should look into that. Councilmember Bisterfeldt asked whether the City was committed in doing this. He feels that it is an important function and wants to make sure we are committed to this. He does not want the victim to end up 1

2 being victimized again. Chief Masterson mentioned that when it is not localized, it causes problems. Assistant City Attorney Alison Tate stated that when there are sexual assault cases where a nurse is on call, it saves a lot of time. Councilmember Eberle said this fits the County s role. II. Boise Fire Department Chief Renn Ross A. Constant Staffing Chief Ross said the Boise Fire Department still has people out on long-term medical leave, military leave, or admin leave with pay while being investigated. They have used the first half of funding for ladder trucks and will not be hiring the first round of people in May to save some money. Chief Ross felt optimistic in getting back to normal by July 1, Mayor s Assistant Jade Riley stated that they have put some money away for an emergency. B. Ladder Truck Bids Chief Renn Ross Chief Ross stated that so far, Crimson has been the low bidder on getting a new truck. He asked them to hold the price for 90 days and Crimson gave them 300 days. Mayor s Assistant Jade Riley stated that it needs to be ordinary and necessary. We need Jeff Faw, Department Head of Finance and Administration, to check with CCDC and prepare some documentation and have Legal sign off on it. We need the green light before we purchase the truck. C. A/C EMS/Paramedic Pilot Project Chief Renn Ross Chief Ross agrees to the $3 million to support this program but nothing more. Chief Masterson said we could put it under the sheriff and fund it as general tax dollars, but Councilmember Eberle said that was a shortterm strategy only. Mayor s Assistant Jade Riley commented that we should talk about consolidating. It would not strain the general fund. III. Police Issues Chief Mike Masterson A. Compliments/Complaints/Accommodations Chief Masterson reports that they have received 185 compliments and complaints. Broken down, they were 50 inter-department and 135 citizen inquiries. The complaint numbers are down from last year. The complaints are all citizen, officer, or department initiated. The public s perception is that the police cannot do it themselves. 2

3 Councilmember Eberle said that it is a good start. We need crime statistics by neighborhoods. We should look at it as a performance measure. We need to be careful in how we phrase the report. Councilmember Bisterfeldt agrees and said that the public needs reassurance. Mayor s Assistant Jade Riley said that the public can pull all the information off the web because all the statistics are out there. Councilmember Eberle stated that we need to be careful how we send out the information to the public and council. Chief Masterson stated it would come as a direct report to Mayor and Council. B. Neighborhood Survey Process Chief Mike Masterson The Police Department would like to survey 8 high schools and BSU in September. This survey would include parents and students. Chief Masterson will also ask some of the NCO Officers to choose two neighborhoods out of their district and work with the association and residents to get in-person surveys as well. Chief Masterson is hoping to get at least 30 surveys per neighborhood back, and he will be able to write a report for Mayor and Council. He thinks Boise is only getting bigger and will soon only be known by neighborhoods as the City grows. Mike is working with Theresa McLeod to get quick surveys done with each department and bring those back to EMT. C. Governor s Office Concerns with Connector Chief Mike Masterson Chief Masterson spoke with Richard Powell with the Idaho Department of Transportation. He had some issues with the apple truck that overturned on the Connector and closed it down. The State wants the authority to close down the streets, not the City. The State would like a meeting about the events that happened that day. Chief Masterson said that the State should not have the authority to close the roads for political decisions. Mayor s Assistant Jade Riley said if we do not have a policy, then we need to create one. D. Downtown Boise Committee Chief Mike Masterson The reporting on the crime in the downtown core area is 100% different between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. The crime numbers show it over a period of time. The Downtown Business Association is willing to work with us. Chief Masterson is meeting with the State and Local Legislature next week to try and fix the system Statewide. The bars are creating lots of problems themselves. If the bars and DBA cannot agree, then we have to create an ordinance. The DBA has helped in defraying the police cost, and coming up with rules and training for bar staff will help also. Pete 3

4 Ritter is heading the committee and looking forward to getting a resolution. Councilmember Eberle stated that we need better venues for kids to keep out of trouble. We need to put steps together to get a better positive image of pro-active behavior out to the public. There is a possibility of working with the downtown and entertainment district to reach out to involve neighborhoods. Chief Masterson stated that we need to be careful because the media puts crime on the front page of everything, and it can scare people. C. Boise River Float Update Chief Mike Masterson Chief Masterson stated that he got some signals that the County did not like the idea of enforcing the ban on alcohol on the river. He will meet with the Sheriff and the Parks Director on Tuesday and hopes it will accomplish something. Assistant City Attorney Alison Tate stated we should look at the City s lines regarding air hoses at Barber Park. Chief Masterson wants to try and get something out before Memorial Day, but if that does not happen, he will try and push it before school is out June 2, Mayor s Assistant Jade Riley said that we need to take it to Council. It is about the safety of the people. We need to focus on littering, public urination, and public intoxication. Chief Masterson stated that we need to educate and regulate. Excessive drinking on the river is dangerous. D. Gangs Chief Mike Masterson The police think they know who the parties are in the gang shooting/murder at the Albertson s at Cole and Fairview. Right now they are working on trying to prove it. Councilmember Eberle said that this is important to the counties and the news media. We need to be careful about what we say to the public. He believes we are doing an incredible job with public safety in our city. Councilmember Bisterfeldt feels that the gang violence may become more prevalent if people think we are losing the fight. This lead to a discussion about officer training facilities and where the Boise Police Department is at with looking for a new facility for target practice. Councilmember Eberle stated that we have the possibility of purchasing Shooting World for a small price. Chief Masterson stated that he has looked into it and the facility is good, but they also need areas where they can have tactical shooting practice as well. It is not 4

5 cost effective to have separate shooting ranges. Steve Pyle is looking into it. There is no deadline right now. We pay $20,000 in rent to shoot at the current location. The City does not own it. Minutes Approved: Mandee Russell, Programs Analyst Date 5