Village of Manteno Committee of the Whole Public Safety Committee met June 10.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
Attendance
| Committee Members: | |
| Timothy Nugent, Mayor | X |
| Timothy Boyce, Trustee | X |
| Todd Crockett, Trustee | |
| Diane Dole, Trustee | X |
| Joel Gesky, Trustee | X |
| Sam Martin, Trustee | X |
| Wendell Phillips, Trustee | X |
| Other attendees: | |
| Chris LaRocque, Village Administrator | X |
| Jim Hanley, Supt of Public Works – via Zoom | X |
| Al Swinford, Chief of Police | X |
| Ryan Marion, Building Official – via Zoom | X |
| Sarah Marion, Event Coordinator | |
| Sheila Martin, Treasurer – via Zoom | X |
A motion was made by Mayor Nugent, seconded by Trustee Dole, to approve the minutes of the May 13, 2020 as presented; motion carried by voice vote. All ayes, no nays.
Public Participation: None
Items for Discussion:
• Monthly Stats – Chief Swinford presented the May 2020 stats. Some activity is still lower than normal due to Coronavirus, but traffic stops are starting to pick back up.
• Significant Case Update – Chief Swinford stated that the burglary crews have been quiet this month. A bait car was out this month.
• Employee Updates – The department is now at full staff.
• Protest Update – There have been two (2) incidents where more officers were called in due to protests. There were no issues. Chief Swinford has been informed that there is a potential protest on Saturday at Steam Hollow Brewery. The business was planning a customer appreciation day, so the department will contact them to see if they will continue with the event. There is no information on the organizer of Steam Hollow Brewery protest.
Chief Swinford’ s philosophy concerning protests is that if no property damage is happening or the hurting of individuals, the protest may block traffic or occupy the street for a time. The department does not want to arrest anyone. Two officers have helped in other municipalities for traffic control but were sent back since they were not needed.
Chief Swinford meets regularly with other law enforcement officials and the NAACP. Future meetings will be held at the Sheriff’s Department so that the meetings can be put on YouTube. The most recent meeting held discussions on the protests and traffic issues.
Chief Swinford stated that he sees changes in law enforcement coming for use of force and identifying officers that use force too often and severely. Illinois outlawed choke holds years ago, but some states still allow. Chief Swinford stated that the department and village will continue to be open to discuss all these issues with the public.
Chief Swinford stated that KANCOMM is switching over to a new system. It has not gone very smoothly. The new system will allow all cars to talk to each other through out the whole state. The Public Works department will also be part of this new system. Radios for them are still being programmed.
Chief Swinford stated that he had just had a recent incident where a resident had complained about an officer during a traffic stop. Chief Swinford meet with the individual, showed the bodycam and in car video. After discussing the incident and viewing the video the individual did not pursue it any further. The video shows that the officer did not do anything wrong. All officers have body cams and all vehicles have in car video capabilities. During the most recent protest, there were six body cams and five in car videos to cover the event.
A motion by Trustee Dole and seconded by Mayor Nugent to adjourn the meeting at 7:21 a.m. Voice vote – all ayes.
https://villageofmanteno.com/vm_media/6.10.20-Minutes.pdf
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