HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Protection Committee 06-10-03PUBLIC PROTECTION MEETING
JUNE 10TH, 2003 8:30 a.m.
CALL TO ORDER
ADOPTION OF AGENDA
DATE OF NEXT MEETING: July 9th, 2003 8:30 A.M.
ACTION ON MINUTES OF MAY 8TH
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
1. Visions
2. Public Safety/Health Sanitarian, Lori Diaby - Gassama
3. Traffic Tickets Collection Update/ ATM Machine
NEW BUSINESS:
1. Bills and Vouchers
2. Budgets /Position Requests*
3. Medical Examiner's Report
4. Child Support Administrator
5. District Attorney /Victim Witness
6. Sheriff, Chief Deputy, Patrol Captain, Jail Captain and Office Manager.
a. Jail Assessment
b. Expenditures; Drug fund/Confiscated Account
ANNOUNCEMENTS 7 CORRESPONDENCE:
AGENDA ITEMS FOR THE NEXT MEETING:
ADJOURNMENT
[Agenda not necessarily presented in this order.]
SUBMITTED BY: Julie C. Speer
DATE: May 22, 2003
COPIES TO: Respective Department Heads, County Board Chair, Administrator
Coordinator, County Clerk, Public Protection Committee, News Media and News Board.
*These will be presented by each department at the time of their reports.
PUBLIC PROTECTION COMMITTEE MEETING
June 10, 2003
MEMBERS PRESENT: Julie Speer, Mary Louise Olson, Chuck
Mehls and Denise Gunderson. Dan Raebel is excused.
STAFF PRESENT: Sheriff Dennis Hillstead, Jail Captain Karen
Humphrey, Chief Deputy Ron Volkert, Sheriff's Department
Office Manager Mary Martell, Child Support Administrator
Katy Kapaun, District Attorney Eric Johnson, DA's Office
Manager Jane Esbensen Moore, Intern Karin Holt and Renee
Carufel.
Meeting called to order at 8:30 a.m. Motion by
Gunderson / Mehls to approve the agenda. Carried. Date of
the next meeting will be July 9 th at 8:30 a.m. and the
August meeting is scheduled for August 6 th at 8:30 a.m.
Motion to approve the minutes of May 8 th by Gunderson / Mehls.
Carried.
DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S REPORT: Johnson presented the bills
of $1758.73. Motion by Mehls /Speer to approve. Carried.
Johnson introduced Karin Holt. She is a law student and
interning in the District Attorney's office. This is of no
expense to the County and she is earning college credits
while she is here.
Johnson requested an additional legal secretary. There is
a real need for this position. The District Attorney's
office has added one support staff since 1989. The caseload
has increased. With the increase of officers in the
Sheriff's Department more work is coming into the District
Attorney's office. Also with the increase of a Judge the
office has to have the work prepared quicker than in the
past. The cost of this position would be about $32,000.
Jane Esbensen explained why this new position is so
critical at this time. Motion by Mehls /Gunderson to accept
the position and send this request to Personnel Committee.
Carried.
Johnson also requested a Diversion Program Coordinator
position. The utilization of a diversion agreement program
is an alternative system to incarceration for non - violent
offenders that is both cost effective and reduces
recidivism rates. This program pays for the position by
the fees paid. LaCrosse and Eau Claire Counties have this
program in place and it has been very successful. Some of
the benefits of this program would be offenders treatment
needs are addressed, first time offenders are provided an
opportunity to avoid criminal record, avoid jail
overcrowding and Court backlog. This program would ensure
offenders are accountable for criminal behavior. The
committee feels there should be more information and
discussion on this position. No action was taken at this
time.
CHILD SUPPORT REPORT: Kapaun reported she has no need for
capital outlay items at this time. She is considering
leasing a copy machine. She presented the monthly budget
status report and explained where the department was
according to budget. She presented the expenditures for
the month of May. Child Support training is available on
the web, conference calls or television. Most training is
offered in Eau Claire and her staff will attend.
Memorial Blood Center will no longer do paternity testing
so we have to find a new lab effective July 15, 2003.
Orchid Lab is an alternative because they do most of the
paternity tests in the State. Their cost is less than we
have been paying now. She will contact a lab and bring the
information back to the committee.
Kapaun was contemplating reducing staff. As an
alternative, two staff persons are interested in cutting
their hours. This is voluntary. If the need arises, the
staff would be called back to full time status. One staff
would be working a four -day workweek and the other would
take one afternoon a week off. The caseload went down
about 3% and this reduction in staff comes out to 3 %.
Motion by Olson /Gunderson to approve the reduction of
voluntary hours for the staff as discussed and also the
mandatory reinstating the forty hour work week if need be.
Carried.
Speer reported Victim Witness received a VOCA grant check
of $8494.14 for the period of January through March 31,
2003.
MEDICAL EXAMINER'S REPORT Motion by Gunderson /Olson to
accept the bills of $7625.05. Carried.
Mehls was excused at 10:25.
SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT REPORT: Hillstead explained we have
been approved for three officer positions from the COPS
grant. Discussion on how to use this grant was held. We
could use these positions for security in the Government
Center. When extra security is unnecessary, this officer
could serve arrest warrants. Motion by Gunderson /Olson to
approve one security officer from the COPS grant, which
will furnish courtroom security. Carried.
Hillstead reported the County will collect about $30,000
from the proceeds of the sale of two houses that were
confiscated due to drug arrests. This money will go into
the Drug Confiscated Fund.
VISIONS Visions has completed their web browser program.
Martell reported we do not like their version and could do
the same with our Computer Services Department. What
Visions has created does not meet our needs at this time.
We will use the money set aside for this program to find a
web browser that will be more compatible to what we want.
Consensus of committee is to inform Computer Services to
find someone to create a web browser we can use. The money
for this is in the Computer Services budget. Within two
years the Sheriff's Department has to be on a statewide
program and we do not know if Visions will be able to
provide that for us.
The Sheriff reported on the two Somerset concerts. The one
at Float -Rite generated 80 arrests. Most of the problems
were at the campgrounds. One of the new towers was lit on
fire but did not burn to the ground. The concert at
River's Edge had about 12,000 people. Traffic was about
the only problem at that concert. Discussion of future
concerts and how the Sheriff's Department will handle these
was held.
BILLS & VOUCHERS Motion by Gunderson /Olson to accept the
Jail bills of $58,431.31. Motion by Gunderson /Olson to
accept the Sheriff's bills of $44,097.82. Carried. A report
was presented to the committee showing the revenues from
1999 to the present date.
Hillstead reported the used squad cars were sold to the
public and the Sheriff's Department received about $1200
more per car than if we would have sold them as a fleet.
Towing rotation is working relatively well. We are working
through the problems. We have had only one complaint in
the past month.
Average daily population of the Jail for the month of May
was 92. Six were paying inmates, 62 were county inmates
and 23 were Huber inmates. We have eleven fatalities as of
May in the county.
Hillstead reported the need for a Barta alarm, which is a
motion sensitive system that can be set up if there have
been several burglaries in a business. We have been using
the City of Hudson's alarm and should really have our own.
The cost of this alarm is $3087.50 plus shipping and
handling. Motion by Olson /Speer to purchase this alarm
from the Drug Confiscated Fund. Carried.
Hillstead explained from the last squad cars we bought, two
were fine and one was a lemon. The dealer is replacing
that car plus all the graphics and equipment we put on it.
JAIL CAPTAIN'S REPORT: Humphrey reported we will be
breaking ground for the Huber facility on July 7 2003.
January 4 2004 is the scheduled completion date for the
facility.
Motion to adjourn at 11:30 a.m.
Mary Louise Olson, Secretary
Renee Caruf el, Recording Secretary