HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-07-2021 Public Protection & Judiciary Minutes
MEETING MINUTES
PUBLIC PROTECTION & JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
January 7, 2021 8:00 AM
Room 1284-County Board Room
St. Croix County Government Center - Room 1284 -
Government Center - 1101 Carmichael Road, Hudson,
Wisconsin
NOTICE
Due to Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, Committee members and staff are encouraged to attend
the meeting via the use of technology utilizing the Zoom platform.
CALL TO ORDER
ROLL CALL
Attendee Name Organization Title Status Arrived
Cathy Leaf St. Croix County Vice Chair Remote
Paul Berning St. Croix County Supervisor Present
Bob Feidler St. Croix County Chair Present
Daniel Hansen St. Croix County Supervisor Remote
Shelly Tomtschik St. Croix County Supervisor Remote
Others present: Judge Scott Needham, CJCC Coordinator Mike O'Keefe, County
Administrator Ken Witt, Sheriff Scott Knudson, Captain Jeff Klatt, Child Support
Administrator Lisa Plunkett, Medical Examiner Patty Schachtner, meeting organizer Janet
Smith.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
1. Public Protection & Judiciary Committee Regular Meeting December 3, 2020 8:00
AM
Motion by Hanson , seconded by Berning to approve the minutes. Minutes were
accepted.
RESULT: ACCEPTED
PUBLIC COMMENT
No public comment was offered.
BUSINESS ITEMS
1. Financial Report for November 2020
County Administrator Ken Witt reviewed the November 2020 financial reports for the
reporting departments.
RESULT: DISCUSSED
2. Circuit Court update
The Hon. Scott R. Needham gave an update on the current status of circuit court
hearings and COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the WI Supreme Court. He also reported
there is currently an outage with CCAP due to a fiber optic cable being cut in WI/MN.
He states due to this issue the Courts are unable to access electronic files and
defendants can't receive a hard copy of their future court appearances.
RESULT: DISCUSSED
3. Community Justice Collaborating Council and Subcommittees Report
Mike O'Keefe, Community Justice Collaborating Council (CJCC) Coordinator, gave an
overview of the mission of the Council and announced the upcoming CJCC Council
meeting on Thursday, January 14, 2021 at 8:00 a.m., County Board room.
RESULT: DISCUSSED
4. Sheriff's Office update and review of upcoming annual Jail inspection
Sheriff Scott Knudson, attended the meeting via Zoom. The Sheriff addressed the
requirement for this committee to annually inspect the jail. The annual jail inspection will
be deferred to a later date due to current pandemic conditions.
RESULT: DISCUSSED
5. Traffic Safety committee update
Captain Jeff Klatt from the Sheriff's Office is the Chair of the St. Croix County Traffic
Safety committee. Captain Klatt reviewed the Traffic Safety committee reports included
in this meeting's agenda packet. The committee normally meets quarterly but due to
COVID the meetings have been reduced for 2020. Traffic Safety reviews crashes,
improvements and concerns expressed by the public. Discussion.
RESULT: DISCUSSED
6. Medical Examiner's Office Update
Medical Examiner Patty Schachtner reviewed the report included in this meetings agenda
packet. Comparison of scene investigations and cases from 2019 - 2020. Schachtner
foresees the department reaching 2,000 cases in 2021. In 2020 youth suicides decreased
significantly, the number is thought to be decreased due to less attendance in school
buildings and the social stresses involved in and associated with school. The department
will work with others to identify factors in youth suicides and work at preventing them.
Discussion.
RESULT: DISCUSSED
7. Introduction of incoming District Attorney Karl Anderson
District Attorney Karl Anderson reported the office is now fully staffed. DA Anderson
reported the office is facing the challenge of scheduling the jury trials that have been
postponed due to COVID.
RESULT: DISCUSSED
REQUEST FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
Chair Bob Feidler would like to discuss the current meeting time and if there would be interest in
changing the start time. Supervisor Berning requested the Medical Examiner to bring
information on the suicide campaign she was involved with and the results to the next meeting.
ANNOUNCEMENTS & CORRESPONDENCE
A Christmas card was received from the Dispatch staff.
ADJOURN
Meeting adjourned at 9:04 AM.
DATE OF NEXT MEETING FEBRUARY 4, 2021