Rockford Sun

Village of Winnebago Police Committee met April 29.

Here is the minutes provided by the committee:

Present on telephone conference or GO TO Meeting Application: Trustees Stan Maligranda, Don Kimes, Julie O’Rourke, Village President Frank Eubank, Interim Chief Jeff White and Officer Nick Haff.

1. Call to Order – 5:02 p.m. 

2. Public comment – None 

3. Disclosure of Conflict of Interest – None Identified 

4. Lexipol Policy Review – Chief White discussed a conversation with Attorney Gaziano regarding the review of updates Lexipol policies by the Police Committee as a whole. Discussions took place regarding how that process would be implemented. Policy update comparisons will be forwarded to Police Committee members via email when they are released. Committee members will review the updates and provide input on the policy changes suggested by Lexipol. Discussion will be had during the next scheduled Police Committee Meeting. Any changes or updates will then be made and forwarded to Attorney Gaziano for review, prior to implementation. 

5. Vacation Accrual – Chief White suggested the suspension of the limit to the amount of vacation hours regular hourly employees my bank. Officer are not taking time off due to COVID-19 restrictions and 3 have reached the threshold of accrual. Options were discussed. 

6. 2020 Tahoe Update – Chief White advised the Tahoe should be finished with the installation of all the equipment on 04/30/2020. Delays occurred due to shipment of equipment such as the antenna for the computer and the power source for the computer. Once the vehicle is picked up, it would be available for utilization in the patrol functions. Graphic will still need to be installed on the vehicle and a date for that process needs to be determined with Pro-Graphics, the vehicle graphics vendor. 

7. Solicitor Update – Chief White spoke about the solicitor applicants. 1 had been denied prior to the passage of Resolution 2020-06R due to an incomplete application. Chief White spoke about his conversation with that applicant and the reason for denial. All other applications received after the passage of the Resolution were notified via mail of the prohibitions of door-to-door soliciting due to the COVID-19 restrictions. A copy of Resolution 2020-06R was included in those mailings. 

8. Chief White’s Report – Chief White informed the committee of a teleconference with area Chiefs of Police and the Sheriff’s Office regarding the enforcement of latest Gubernatorial Executive Order which is set to be implemented on 05/01/2020, the requiring of persons to wear face coverings while in public under certain circumstances. President Eubank said he would be on contact with area Village and City leaders on 04/30/2020 and the implantation of an ordinance covering this specific topic would be discussed during that interaction. Chief White will report back to President Eubank regarding any recommendations or issues discussed during the teleconference with the area Chiefs and Sheriff. Chief White then spoke about a scheduled event by School Staff and Administrators to occur on 05/08/2020 between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00p.m. School Superintendent Schwuchow had sought guidance for the ability of facility members to stand outside their respective school, with proper face coverings and social distancing, and allow parents to drive by the schools so students can acknowledge and see their teachers. This is in consideration of Teacher Appreciation Week. Vehicles will not be allowed to stop during this activity. The police department will monitor traffic on adjacent street to ensure traffic patterns are safe and no congestion occurs. An update was received by Chief White from Glenn Trommels regarding the scheduled implementation date for the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) and the Records Management System (RMS) that had been set to be in place and operational by 04/07/2020. The new implementation date has not been set, but expectations at this point are for an early August 2020 “Go Live” date. The committee was advised of the opening of the Bullet Proof Vest Partnership (BVP) program which the police department has obtained funding from in the past. Chief White indicated current bullet proof vests in service would be inspected and determined if any would need to be replaced during the upcoming 2 years or new vests ordered for any new officers. The program covers 50% of the costs of new vests for officers. 

9. New Business – None 

10. Executive Session 

11. Adjournment 

https://villageofwinnebago.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/04-29-2020-Police-Committee-Minutes.pdf