Law Enforcement Committee

DATE: January 9, 2007

The regular meeting of the Sauk County Law Enforcement Committee was held on Tuesday, January 9, 2007, in room D102A-Community Room, 1300 Lange Court, Baraboo, Wisconsin.

The meeting was properly posted and all interested parties were notified.

Members Present: D. Stevens, R. Sinklair, C. Montgomery, J. Wheeler, P. Tollaksen

Members Absent: none

Members Excused:

Others Present: R. Stammen; R. Meister; M. Hafemann; J. Spencer; B Hinze; J. Huelsemann, Sauk County Humane Society; T. Liebman; T. L. Bychinski; K. Schauf; K. Beghin; J. Gaalswyk; K. Fults; M. Koehler; B. Manning; Media

  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 Chair Donald Stevens at 9:50 AM.
  2. Agenda : Motion by Montgomery, seconded by Tollaksen, to adopt the amended agenda as written and mailed.
    Motion carried.
  3. Approve Minutes of Previous Meeting(s): Motion by Tollaksen, seconded by Montgomery, to approve the minutes of the regular Law Enforcement Committee meeting held on December 12, 2006.
    Motion carried.
  4. Communications :
    1. Sheriff Stammen gave the committee members a packet of copies of communications, one of which was a copy of a letter from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. The letter reports that Sauk County will be receiving $31.94 per day per person detained on probation and parole holds. State statutes require boarding days to be paid at $40 per day although this year’s payment is substantially below that.

      Also included was a letter of commendation for Deputy Hannagan from a person who was stopped by him.

      Deputy Sheriff/Jailor Kris Mondloch wrote a letter of resignation. He has accepted a job with the Wisconsin State Patrol and his last date of work will be January 14, 2007.

      The 2007 Tribal Law Enforcement grant will be $27,295.

  5. Public Comment : There were no public comments.
  6. Appearances :
    1. Sauk County Animal Shelter Operations Update

      The Shelter update was presented by Animal Control Officer Justin Huelsemann. He reported that bite cases in 2006 totaled 84, which is down from 150 in 2005. One of the local veterinarians has worked with Shelter employees to set up first aid kits, which allow the workers to do some minor procedures rather than having a veterinarian perform all the routine duties. Shelter employees also received training at a First Aid for Pets workshop on January 6, 2007.

      There were 397 more animals coming into the shelter in 2006 than in 2005.

  7. Review and Approval of December, 2006, and January, 2007, Bills for Coroner and Sheriff’s Department :

    Motion by Montgomery, seconded by Tollaksen, to approve payment of the December, 2006, bills for the Coroner in the amount of $261.51.
    Motion carried.

    Motion by Tollaksen, seconded by Sinklair, to approve payment of the Sheriff’s Department’s January, 2007, expenses in the amount of $1,214.00 and the December, 2006, expenses in the amount of $94,374.88.
    Motion carried.

  8. Consideration and Approval of Agreement Between Sauk County Coroner and American Tissue Service Foundation : This resolution was drafted by Corporation Counsel and formalizes an agreement already in place. The resolution promotes the continued recovery and utilization of human tissue for the purposes of transplantation, research and medical education. The American Tissue Services Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides tissue harvest and matching services.

    Motion by Montgomery, seconded by Tollaksen to approve the Agreement Between Sauk County Coroner and American Tissue Service Foundation and to take the resolution to the Sauk County Board of Supervisors at their meeting January 16, 2007.
    Motion carried.

  9. Consideration and Approval of Resolution of Commendation for Joseph Prantner : The resolution recognizes Joseph Prantner’s 34 years of service. Prantner will retire on January 11th, 2007.

    Motion by Tollaksen, seconded by Montgomery, to approve Resolution of Commendation for Joseph Prantner and to take the resolution to the Sauk County Board of Supervisors at their meeting on January 16, 2007.
    Motion carried.

  10. Opening of Bids for 2007 Marked Squad Cars and Possible Resolution Authorizing Purchase of 2007 Squad Cars :

    The following bids were received for nine police specification squad cars:

    Motion by Tollaksen, seconded by Montgomery, to accept the low bid from Koenecke Ford of Reedsburg for the purchase of nine 2007 Ford Crown Victoria police package squad cars provided all specifications and pricing are verified and to take the resolution Authorizing Purchase of 2007 Squad Cars to the Sauk County Board of Supervisors at their meeting January 16, 2007.
    Motion carried.

  11. Update on Sauk County’s Participation in TraCS (Traffic and Criminal Software) Grant : Lieutenant Fults reported that Sauk County has been awarded a grant for implementation of the TraCS system for electronic transmission of information from citations from the issuing officer to the computers in the Sheriff’s Department. However, the amount needed for complete utilization may be $10,000 short. Sauk County has been approved for three highway safety grants and monies from the awards could be used to make up a deficiency if there is one. The final figures on the grant award will be available by February 25, 2007.

    No action by the committee. This was an informational item.

  12. . Update and Discussion of Possible Opening of A Pod: Comptroller Kerry Beghin presented a 14 page document she had prepared projecting initial costs and projected revenues if A Pod were to be opened with a contract with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections at a daily rate of $51.46 for 2007, and a guaranteed lease for all 94 beds. After the matter was discussed, it was decided to invite a representative from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections to the February, 2007, meeting to gather information.
  13. Discussion and Consideration of Weston School’s Security Officer’s Indemnification Agreement : Corporation Counsel has revised the Indemnification Agreement with the Weston School District. Sheriff Stammen reported that a Security Officer has been hired and that person is the retired Chief of Police for the Jefferson, Wisconsin, Police Department, Michael Steinhorst. Steinhorst has moved back to the Sauk County area since he’s retired. The agreement requires that the Weston Security Officer be deputized by the Sheriff while holding Sauk County harmless for any actions taken by the Weston Security Officer

    Motion by Tollaksen, seconded by Montgomery, to approve the Indemnification Agreement and to take it to the Sauk County Board of Supervisors at the meeting on January 16, 2007.
    Motion carried.

  14. Discussion and Review of Animal Licensing Fees Being Turned Over to Sauk County Humane Society For Operational Expenses : Corporation Counsel Todd Liebman informed the committee that state statutes require that monies collected for cat and dog licenses have to be turned over to the entity responsible for maintaining the animal shelter. If there is no shelter or agency then the monies are kept in a separate account under the purview of the county and can be used to reimburse dog damage. Sauk County has an animal shelter and is, therefore, required to turn the license proceeds over to them to offset operating expenses.

    The committee said they understood the process and the statutory provisions.

  15. Sheriff’s Report :
    1. Jail Report

      The committee was given a copy of the printout of the offenses for which people were booked into the Jail in December.

      The committee will do their annual inspection of the jail in March. The inspection will include having a lunch identical to the one served to the inmates on that day.

      Captain Hafemann reported that three more inmates had earned their GED ’s, bringing the total to approximately 30 since the inception of the GED program.

      The 2006 total for housing out-of-county inmates is $1,165,716.67.

    2. Communication Center

      The committee received a report generated by the Communication Center Supervisor showing a break down of the calls for service for the month of December, 2006, for Sheriff’s deputies. Two dispatchers have been hired and a third is expected to begin within the next month.

    3. Field Services Report

      Sauk County finished the year with a total of 11 fatalities.

    4. Administration Report

      There were 127 transports done in December, bringing the total for the year to 1,510. There were 1,421 in 2005.

      There were three Triple III reports of employee injuries in December, two knee injuries and one back injury due to a fall. None of the injuries were serious and no loss of work time occurred as a result of any of the incidents.

      There were 116.5 hours of overtime paid to supervisors in December; 83.5 for holidays worked, 12 for team call-outs or training; 17 hours for investigative duties and 4 for working highway safety grants.

      Deputy Scott Dadam has been promoted to the Detective Division. Testing for the position of Field Services Captain is underway. Detective Kim Wasilewski has transferred to the new Court Security position.

      There has been some tentative conversation with officials from the Township of LaValle regarding possibly contracting with the Sauk County Sheriff’s Department for police services.

  16. Adjourn to Date Specified : The next meeting of the Law Enforcement Committee was set for Tuesday, February 13, 2007, at the Law Enforcement Center.

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

Respectfully Submitted: Robert Sinklair, Secretary