Law Enforcement Committee Meeting Minutes

DATE: July 14, 2005

The regular meeting of the Sauk County Law Enforcement Committee was held on Thursday, July 14, 2005, at 9:30 A.M., in the Community Room, D102A, 1300 Lange Court, Baraboo, Wisconsin.
The meeting was properly posted and all interested parties were notified.

Members Present: Carlson, Fordham, Tollaksen, Sinklair

Members Excused: Montgomery

Members Absent: NONE

Others Present: R. Stammen; B. Hinze; H. Weinke; W. Schneider, Sauk County Humane Society; J. Welsch; R. Meister , W. Wenzel; G. Wiegand; B. Manning

1. Call To Order and Certification of Open Meeting Law: The meeting was called to order and compliance with the Open Meeting Law was certified by Vice Chair Arthur Carlson at 9:30 A.M.
2. Agenda: Motion by Fordham, seconded by Sinklair, to adopt the agenda.
   Motion carried unanimously.
3. Approve Minutes of Previous Meeting(s): Motion by Sinklair, seconded by Tollaksen, to approve the minutes of the regular Law Enforcement Committee meeting held on Thursday, June 9, 2005.
   Motion carried unanimously.
4. Communications:
   1. Sheriff Stammen read a letter from Rock County inmate Harrison Rice who wrote to request information on the name of Sauk County’s insurance provider. Rice had some issues related to his health care while he was in the Sauk County Jail. The letter was referred to Carl Gruber.
   2. Rich Evans, Park Warden at Devils Lake State Park, sent a letter complimenting Deputy Mark Rabata’s handling of a domestic violence complaint at the park.
   3. A fax from Denise Reppen of the Sauk County Clerk’s Office expressed sympathy for the death of Deputy Diane Slaney.
   4. A letter in the Spring Green Home News from Luke Olson related what he believed were irregularities in which he was subjected to a K9 search of his vehicle during a drug interdiction. Olson gave the deputies permission to search his car and contraband substances were found during the subsequent search. After the fact he appeared to have had second thoughts about the process. The drug interdiction was done by officers from the Spring Green Police Department, the Sauk-Prairie Police Department and the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office.
5. Appearances:
   1. Presentation of Officer of the Month Award for May, 2005
      Deputy Harold Weinke was selected as the Employee of the Month for May, 2005. He was nominated for his work with Wisconsin COPS (Concerns of Police Survivors) of which he’s the president. He’s also on the Board of Directors of the National COPS organization, and is a member of the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Death Response Team. This organization provides assistance to police agencies who lose an officer in a line of duty death. Deputy Weinke is often the first person outside the agency to arrive and the last to leave, helping to organize funerals, providing backup and support to the officer’s family and coworkers and helping with the many details needed to provide necessary information and assistance. Deputy Weinke is also very involved in the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Memorial committee and each year is very active in fund raising for the memorial. The memorial itself and its maintenance are supported completely through donations. Each year Deputy Weinke and his wife also attend the National Law Enforcement Memorial ceremonies in Washington, D.C.

      Deputy Weinke thanked Sheriff Stammen and Captain Meister for allowing him to assist other agencies who lose an officer, as well as being supportive of his activities for the Wisconsin COPS, the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Memorial fund raising programs and other activities. He stated he wouldn’t be able to participate in the programs and organizations without their support.

6. Review and Approval of June, 2005, bills for the Coroner and Sheriff’s Department: Coroner Hinze reported that several autopsies had driven up her monthly expenses. All other expenses were routine.

   Motion by Tollaksen, seconded by Sinklair, to approve payment of the Coroner’s June, 2005, bills in the amount of $3,674.45.
   Motion carried unanimously.

   There were no unusual items in the Sheriff’s bills.
   Motion by Fordham, seconded by Tollaksen, to approve payment of the Sheriff’s June, 2005, bills in the amount of $139,138.43.
   Motion carried unanimously.

7. Presentation and Approval of 2006 Sauk County Animal Shelter Operating Budget Request and Monthly Operating Report: Shelter Director Wendy Schneider presented the 2006 Animal Shelter operating budget request to the committee. The request was broken down to reflect the five programs that comprise the shelter budget and Schneider pointed out that four of those programs are mandated. The five programs are the Bite Check Program, Rabies Control Program, Animal Pick-Up, Animal Housing and Adoption of Healthy Animals. The overall increase in the 2006 budget request is 21%. Schneider said the 2005 budget request had already been modified and the Board of Directors believed the budget request was realistic and necessary, since it included an overdue pay increase for the shelter workers and accurately reflected the cost of fuel, heat, insurance, etc., as well as taking into account the reduced revenues coming into the Shelter from private donations and fund raising efforts. The total amount requested for 2006 is $99,953.

   Motion by Tollaksen, seconded by Sinklair, to approve the 2006 proposed budget request of $99,953, and to refer the request to the Finance Committee.
   Motion carried unanimously.

8. Approval of 2006 Mission Statement for the Sauk County Coroner’s Office and the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office: The Coroner’s mission statement and vision statement has remained the same for a number of years. There was a discussion concerning the fact that there’s only one Deputy Coroner. Either Betty Hinze or Mike Young are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This makes scheduling vacations difficult. Hinze said she has been approached at times by people who express interest in being a deputy coroner but the hours and on-call requirements don’t appeal to many people and it requires a certain kind of person to do the job. Betty Hinze said that she wants the people to have sensitive, caring and professional assistance and she would not consider making any compromises in quality just to try to expand the number of deputies. She now has one more year to serve in a two-year term, and the next election will be for a four-year term the same as the Wisconsin Sheriffs’ terms.

   Motion by Tollaksen, seconded by Sinklair, to approve the Coroner’s Mission and Vision Statements.
   Motion carried unanimously.

   The committee was given a copy of the Sheriff’s Department’s Mission and Vision Statements, along with a draft copy of the 2006 budget proposal. The Sheriff asked the committee to review the draft budget at their leisure. The Sheriff’s Mission and Vision Statements are also the same as they’ve been the past several years.

   Motion by Fordham, seconded by Sinklair, to approve the Mission and Vision Statements for the Sauk County Sheriff’s Department.
   Motion carried unanimously.

9. Consideration an Approval of 2006 Capital Improvement Projects: There were no proposed capital improvement projects for either the Sheriff’s Office or the Coroner’s Office.
   
10. Consideration and Approval of Resolution Authorizing Detective Sergeant Joseph Welsch to Attend Specialized Training Protecting Children Online/Unit commander Policy Training in Alexandria, Virginia: The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Alexandria, Virginia, is offering a three-day training session in September, 2005, for supervisors whose units investigate the victimization of children online. The Internet is increasingly employed by those perpetrating crimes against children to make contact with children and has added a new level of enforcement needed to protect kids from predators who contact them electronically. The entire cost of the training is covered by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, as well as the air fare and lodging expenses. The only cost to the county would be for a rental car for Sergeant Welsch to use and some miscellaneous meal expenses, the total cost of which is expected to be under $350. The committee agreed this is an excellent opportunity for training at almost no cost.

    Motion by Sinklair, seconded by Tollaksen, to approve the resolution Authorizing Detective Sergeant Joseph Welsch to Attend Specialized Training Protecting Children Online/Unit Commander Policy Training in Alexandria, Virginia, and to take the resolution to the Sauk County Board of Supervisors at the July 19th, 2005, meeting.
    Motion carried unanimously.

11. Possible closed session pursuant to Wis. Stats. s. 19.85(1)(f), consideration of financial, medical, social or personal histories or disciplinary data for specific person, preliminary consideration of specific personnel problems or the investigation of charges against specific persons except here par. (b) applies, which if discussed in public would have a substantial adverse effect upon the reputation of any person referred to in such histories or data, or involved with such problems or investigations: Motion by Fordham, seconded by Tollaksen, to go into closed session.
    • Fordham, yes
    • Sinklair, yes
    • Carlson, yes
    • Tollaksen, yes
    • Wenzel, yes

    Motion carried unanimously.

12. Reconvene in Open Session: Morton by Sinklair, seconded by Fordham, to return to open session.
    Motion carried unanimously.
    
13. Sheriff’s Report:
    
    1. Jail Report

       Sheriff Stammen reported the previous day, July 13, 2005, there were 249 inmates in custody, 11 on electronic monitoring; 95 in Huber; 35 Dane County inmates, 31 Rock County inmates; 1 Iowa County inmate; and 76 Sauk County inmates.

       Sheriff Stammen said he had a second meeting scheduled with both Rock and Dane County regarding the opening of A Pod. There are no specific price discussions going on at present but he wanted the committee to know that there is no possibility of opening A Pod this year.

       There were two more inmates who completed their GED’s while in custody.
       There were 378 days for electronic monitoring in June.

       • $6,063.00 collected
       • $2,035.50 paid for lease of equipment
       • $4,027.50 balance

       Inmate meals in June numbered 22,071.
       There have been 10 to 12 inmates working at the landfill doing clean up and maintenance. In addition inmates were used to clean up the grounds after the 4th of July fireworks in Baraboo and the Chamber of Commerce expressed appreciation for their help.

       Out-of-county housing of inmates from Dane County, Rock County and Iowa County totaled $114,930.61 for June, bringing the year-to-date total to $568,327.32.

    2. Communication Center Report

       Sheriff Stammen informed the committee of the increasing contact between dispatchers and non-English speaking callers to the 911 Center. The department is addressing needs for training in basic Spanish for all divisions, due to the increasing cultural diversity of the population of Sauk County and the many tourists and visitors.

    3. Field Services Report

       Deputy Joel Vodak’s squad windshield had to be replaced.
       Deputy Dave Riedel’s squad car was keyed while at Koenecke Ford for service. The vehicle received a 36-inch scratch.
       Deputy Harold Weinke’s squad was vandalized while it was parked at his residence in the City of Reedsburg.
       Deputy Todd Bychinski’s squad car had the tires slashed while it was parked at his residence in the City of Reedsburg.
       Deputy Dale Hackbarth was scratched by barbed wire while he was in pursuit of a suspect.
       A window in the jail was cracked.
       With the landfill closing ,the Landfill Committee was unanimously in favor of giving the buildings and the parking lot to the Sheriff’s Department. This would be an ideal place for training and for expanding the range program. This will be further discussed with the Property and Insurance committee.
       There was a fatal car crash in June, bringing the total traffic fatalities for the year to eight.
       A young male died from injuries he suffered when he jumped off the Highway 23 bridge near Spring Green into the Wisconsin River. The low water at that location caused the fatal injuries.

    4. Administrative Report

       There were 1,346 hours of paid overtime in June, 2005, and 419 hours of banked compensatory time, bringing the month’s total to 1,765. The Circus Parade accounted for 606 hours, 119 in compensatory time and 487 in paid overtime hours.

       Sheriff Stammen said the Baraboo Police Department is planning on scaling down police presence for next year’s parade, if one is held.

       For supervisory overtime, there were 84 hours worked on highway safety grants, 81 for the parade, 6 hours for a drug investigation and 33 hours of holiday pay.

       There were 115 transports in June, bringing the year-to-date total to 718.

       Oral Board examinations for jailor applicants are being scheduled.

       Jail Sergeant Mary Ward’s last day of employment with Sauk county is August 6, 2005

       Jail Sergeant Mary Andrews has been on Family Medical Leave. She’s scheduled to return August 2, 2005.

14. Adjourn To Date Specified: The next regular meeting will be held on Thursday, August 11, 2005, at 9:30 AM.

Motion by Tollaksen, seconded by Sinklair, to adjourn the meeting.
Motion carried unanimously.

Respectfully Submitted: Joan Fordham, Secretary (minutes taken by B. Manning)