Kankakee Times

Village of Manteno Committee of the Whole - Public Safety Committee met Aug. 19.

Here is the minutes provided by the committee:

Attendance

Committee Members:
Timothy Nugent, Mayor	X
Timothy Boyce, Trustee
Todd Crockett, Trustee 7:08 am	X
Diane Dole, Trustee	X
Joel Gesky, Trustee
Sam Martin, Trustee	X
Wendell Phillips, Trustee	X
Other attendees:
Chris LaRocque, Village Administrator	X
Jim Hanley, Supt of Public Works	X
Al Swinford, Chief of Police	X
Ryan Marion, Building Official	X
Sarah Marion, Event Coordinator	X
Sheila Martin, Treasurer	X

Trustee Dole called the meeting to order at 7:00 a.m.

A motion was made by Mayor Nugent, seconded by Trustee Dole, to approve the minutes of the July 8, 2020 as presented; motion carried by voice vote. All ayes, no nays.

Public Participation: None

Items for Discussion:

• Significant Case Update – Car Burglaries are sporadic but still happening. An arrest was made in Ohio for the ruse burglary that happened earlier this year.

• Monthly States - Chief Swinford presented monthly activity report for July 2020. Activity by the officers have increased over previous months. A listing of Park Rangers and Crossing Guards was presented. With school starting the schedule for the park rangers will be adjusted. All intersections are fully staffed by crossing guards for the time being.

There were some issues with the tornado sirens during the storm last week. Braniff will make repairs. Thor Guard is working but there may be some IT issues. The school has been informed.

• Departmental Meeting – Chief Swinford reviewed some of the items that are discussed at their department meetings. The bike patrol, golf cart patrol and ATV patrol are working well. Detective hours have been up due to several significant cases. Reviewed with officers the position of cameras throughout the village that the department has access to. Chief Swinford went over COVID-19 updates with the officers. Training is primarily being done on-line. Chief Swinford reminds officers about issues that an officer may get in trouble for, such as social media posts on their private accounts. Lexipol does a good job on updating and highlighting policies and procedures that are relevant for current issues.

Body cameras in the department are in full use. Chief Swinford presented an incident where having a body camera was valuable. A resident made a complaint against an officer for: 1) reckless driving; 2) conduct unbecoming of an officer; 3) swearing; and 4) excessive force.

On first complaint, the camera shows the officers speed limit at 20.1 mph. Second and third complaint - camera shows that the officer did not swear or act in anyway unbecoming as an officer. Fourth complaint – suspect was searched, officer put the suspect in a safe position to search. This incident showed the value of body cameras. After reviewing the camera footage with the resident, the complaints were dropped.

Chief Swinford stated the department has looked at the use of force policies and have made changes to the policy. Chief Swinford reminded his officers that the George Floyd incident does not need to define police departments if changes are made.

Chief Swinford is researching a mechanism that can be implemented in incidents like the George Floyd incident called “crew resource management”. This allows an officer to intercede in an incident with a fellow officer or superior officer to make a change on the handling of the incident.

A motion by Mayor Nugent and seconded by Trustee Dole to adjourn the meeting at 7:49 a.m. Voice vote – all ayes.

https://villageofmanteno.com/vm_media/8.19.20-Minutes.pdf