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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council - 09/03/2019 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP & OPEN PODIUM TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2019 CITY CENTER 5:00 – 6:25 PM, HERITAGE ROOMS 6:30 – 7:00 PM, COUNCIL CHAMBER CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Ron Case, Council Members Brad Aho, Mark Freiberg, PG Narayanan, and Kathy Nelson CITY STAFF: City Manager Rick Getschow, Police Chief Greg Weber, Lieutenant Matt Sackett, Lieutenant David Becker, Fire Chief Scott Gerber, Public Works Director Robert Ellis, Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah, Parks and Recreation Director Jay Lotthammer, Administrative Services/HR Director Alecia Rose, City Attorney Ric Rosow, and Recorder Kyle Salage. Workshop - Heritage Rooms I and II (5:30) I. POLICE SECURITY AT EVENTS Case called the meeting to order at 5:29 p.m. Getschow noted the issue of security and police presence was raised at the August 13th City Council Meeting. He then introduced Lieutenants Becker and Sackett. Weber stated Police has been able to properly equip and train its staff because of the City and its good budgeting. Becker noted the distinctions between a “mass shooter” and an “active shooter,” noting shootings have been more common in the United States since 2000. He then provided a breakdown of where these shootings are happening, in terms of type of building or location. He defined “vehicle ramming” and indicated it is a term coined by the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Aho inquired as to what threat vectors Police looks at, and what information sources they utilize to assess and anticipate threats. Becker indicated the City gathers information from state and federal authorities. Aho followed up by asking whether these authorities have good intercommunication. Becker indicated communication and collaboration between these authorities has gotten better over the years, but it could still be improved. Part of the difficulty lies in the fact they do not all have a threat or crime analyst on staff. Getschow noted the City’s Law Enforcement Analyst, Ryan Kapaun, often tracks leads through social media. Freiberg asked for “UTV” to be defined. Becker indicated it is a Utility Task Vehicle. Gerber added here are good working relationships between City staff, and this helps us to prepare for events and ensure the right resources are in the right places. Aho asked whether the City still maintains a list of all the places and businesses that may have hazardous materials on site. Gerber indicated this list is still kept and maintained. Becker stated officers at City events would support the use of long guns in a limited capacity. Narayanan asked for clarification as to what a “long gun” is. Becker indicated City Council Workshop Minutes September 3, 2019 Page 2 it is anything larger than a handgun, which can usually be accurate up to 150 yards. Aho inquired as to whether the City has any sniper rifles. Becker indicated that the City’s S.W.A.T. Team does have some sniper rifles, but officers normally do not. Weber added snipers are useful for the intelligence they can gather from their vantage points, not necessarily for shooting. Nelson inquired as to whether drones are in use yet. Becker indicated a drone program is in the works for 2020, and there has been collaboration with the Flying Cloud Airport in the process of developing this program. Narayanan asked what the Police response time would be for an incident when there is no existing presence at an event. Weber indicated response would be between three (3) and four (4) minutes, depending on where the event is. Narayanan followed this up by raising the question of what an event sponsor’s responsibility is in terms of providing security or police presence. Weber indicated there is no such required responsibility, but sometimes private entities or sponsors will pay the Police department to have staff on site for events. Case expressed his appreciation for and pride in the work of the City’s Police Department. He noted the comment at the previous Council meeting which raised this Workshop agenda item was not intended to change policy or procedure immediately, but to start a conversation about an important topic. He suggested perhaps setting event attendance thresholds that trigger additional police presence. Some people feel safer when there is an armed presence on site, though long guns may not quite be necessary yet. Weber indicated some cities have such thresholds established in mandate or ordinance form. Aho stated it would be helpful to know what the cost or financial impact of additional Police staffing at events is. He added he is particularly concerned about safety in schools, and suggested a joint meeting between the school district and Police. There are also concerns about crime around the incoming Light Rail Transit stations. Case added private events on private property are not necessarily the City’s concern, but the responsibility of policing an event on the City’s property should fall on the City. Narayanan suggested the Stop the Trafficking 5K run be added to the list of events in the City requiring additional police presence. Weber noted businesses sometimes ask Police to escort out employees being laid off. Nelson asked whether there is a full-time Police officer at the elementary school. Webber indicated there is not, but officers make rounds at the schools throughout the day. The school could choose to have a permanent presence at all five (5) schools if they wished. Case indicated the school district is hesitant to disrupt the learning experience by having visible deterrents such as Police. Freiberg expressed doubt as to whether the school district would be willing to have this conversation. Nelson stated she would like to see the City’s drone program up and running by next year. She then asked for clarification as to whether police presence for presidential candidate events and fundraisers are already included in the budget. Weber indicated they are, and they are staffed by S.W.A.T. team members. Nelson noted she believes bicycle cops are able to appear friendlier at events when used. She asked whether local churches hire Police to staff events when they are not comfortable handling security internally. Weber indicated the churches do, but it is more likely they hire the Police for City Council Workshop Minutes September 3, 2019 Page 3 traffic control than for event security. However, he noted off-duty officers are not required to carry when going to church. Aho stated he would like to see the Council Chambers better secured and protected, and requested information regarding the costs of making such security improvements. Getschow indicated quotes are being acquired, so an update on those costs will be available soon. Narayanan inquired as to whether there are any signs outside City Hall about guns not being permitted on the premises. Nelson indicated state law prevents cities from putting up such notices. Case noted part of the use of the bond recently acquired by Eden Prairie School District is to secure and strengthen the school’s buildings. Case requested ideas for improving Police policy for event security be brought to the Council at a future workshop, with costs of these ideas and options included. Weber noted in regards to City Council meetings, there are additional officers present when it is anticipated one or more of the items could be contested. Getschow stated it will need to be considered how to better allocate resources to make City events on public property safer, not necessarily to add resources. Follow-up will be provided on this at the October 1st meeting. II. POTENTIAL FUTURE ORDINANCE REVISIONS This topic was rescheduled for the October 1st Council Workshop. Open Podium - Council Chamber (6:30) III. OPEN PODIUM IV. ADJOURNMENT Case adjourned the workshop at 6:29 p.m.