HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-CPB-1999-01-28 •
C "F ifr , CITY OF ITHACA
'4,' F1/4 y' ;18 North Albany Siruti It haci. Nen lark 11850
il ti
•R ' 0°
comm NI'I V POLICl IiOARI)c� , ; e
�RdTEO
[(RH.,. oa)- -,,, , ,
ITHACA COMMUNITY POLICE BOARD MEETING
MINUTES: Ithaca Community Police Board
PLACE: Second Floor Conference Room, City Hall
TIME & DATE: January 28, 1999 at 3:30 p.m.
PRESENT: Commissioners Graham, Jones. Killeen, Laskowitz, Nelson, Pryor
Chief Basile, Alderperson Shenk.
Deborah Clover, CPB Staff; Nancy Falconer, incoming staff
1 Commissioner Pryor called the meeting to order. Introductions were made, as
this was the first meeting for new Commissioners.
2. Resolution: Recognize appreciation for the good job done by outgoing
staffperson Deborah Clover, and particularly for her work in setting up the new
office at GIAC.
By Commissioner Pryor, seconded by Commissioner Jones
Carried unanimously.
3. Approve Minutes of Meeting of December 17 1, 998.
By Commissioner Jones, seconded by Commissioner Killeen
RESOLVED, That the minutes of the December 17, 1998 Community Police
Board Meeting be approved as published.
Carried Unanimously
4. New CPB Notebooks were distributed and reviewed. These include the CPB
charter and bylaws, policies and procedures, sample forms, and minutes.
5 Comments from the Public: No one from the public was present.
6. Report from Common Council: Alderperson Sara Shenk is the new liaison
from Council. She did not present a report at this time.
7. Report of the Chief: Chief Basile reported on the following:
• Two new officers have been hired, Robert Brotherton and Jack Bradley
Nelson. The are presently in the Onondaga Police Academy for
approximately four-five months, then will do their field training and rotate
through all the tours and units.
• Chief Basile attended a two-weekend FBI academy for Law Enforcement
Executive Development (LEEDS) in Virginia. This was excellent training and
allowed him the opportunity to meet with other chiefs and sheriffs from all
ITHACA COMMUNITY POLICE BOARD Page 2
Meeting Minutes
June 25, 1998
over the country Discussion ensued regarding the training and trends in
policing and criminal activity nationally. Chief Basile noted that almost
everyone is doing some form of community policing, and many communities
have experienced the same conflicts around issues as we have in Ithaca.
Some of the departments represented have Civilian Review Boards, but no
other had a CPB similar to Ithaca's.
• Sgt. Williams will be rotating into the Community Police Unit as of January 1,
1999.
• A permanent position in Community policing has been posted. There has
never been all four full-time positions active in the past, and hiring for this
position will being the unit to full force of four permanent officers and a
rotating staff sergeant. Kathy Torres is currently on leave. Chief Basile hopes
to fill her position temporarily until she returns.
• Negotiations will resume with the PBA on February 16
• The Police Explorers are holding their annual pancake breakfast on Sunday,.
February 14 at the VFW. Police Explorers is a co-ed group of 14-20 year olds
associated with Boy Scouts. Commissioner Pryor asked about concerns in
having a group such as this associated with an organization [Boy Scouts]
which actively discriminates against gay people. This is an especially relevant
consideration given the large gay population in Ithaca. Chief Basile was
unaware of this BSA policy and will look into it.
• Regarding drugs: the diligence within the city is being effective; however,
drug dealers are now moving out of the city into the surrounding area.
• Incident tracking will begin in February rather than January as originally
planned.
• Deputy Chief Barnes spoke briefly about Walter Pagliaro, past deputy chief
and acting chief for the IPD, who recently passed away. A memorial
gathering was held on January 23.
7. Comments from PBA President: There was no one from the PBA present.
Doug Wright is the newly elected PBA president. He was contacted and invited
to attend the meeting. Commissioner Pryor reported that she has spoken with
Officer Wright about the CPB and PBA working together to address suggestions
raised by officers and listed in the diversity training report issued by Zelda
Lockhart; however, he's been too busy to look at it. Commissioner Pryor will
continue to pursue this and hopes it will still be possible to work with Ofcr. Wright
and community volunteer Wally Woods.
8. Old Business: The CPB reported on the following topics.
• Appeals process was tabled until a future meeting.
• Commissioner Killeen suggested that CPB brochures and complaint forms
should be made available at both Cornell and Ithaca College.
• Nancy Falconer has been hired for the staff position. Current staffperson
Deborah Clover will aid in the transition.
ITHACA COMMUNITY POLICE BOARD Page 3
Meeting Minutes
June 25, 1998
• The Board reviewed a summary report of letters of recognition for police
action received since April 1998. The CPB would like to publish an
acknowledgement of this recognition in the Ithaca Journal, but there was
concern that incomplete information may lead to some officers being
offended for not being acknowledged. It was decided to proceed with what is
currently available, making note that the information is for only part of the
year.
• A draft of a report to Council summarizing office activity and complaints
received was distributed and reviewed. This information will be presented at
the February Community Issues meeting. Commissioner Jones noted that the
CPB would never be able to prepare this type of comprehensive report
without a staffperson. It was also noted that the number of complaints
received in 1998 is consistent with previous years and should ally the fear of
the PBA that a CPB office in GIAC would encourage complaints.
• Discussion on the Cultural Awareness Workshop Report was tabled until next
month.
9. New Business:
• Election of Officers:
Pat Pryor, chairperson; Herbert Nelson, Vice-Chair.
Moved by Commissioner Jones, seconded by Commissioner Laskowitz.
Carried Unanimously
• Commissioners extended their gratitude to Commissioner Pryor for her hard
work and accomplishments as chairperson. Staffperson Clover commented
that the two worked well together and Commissioner Pryor has provided good
leadership and oversight.
10. Adjournment: The next meeting of the Community Police Board is scheduled to
be held February 25, 1999 at 3:30 p.m. in the Second Floor Conference Room at
City Hall.
On a motion by Commissioner Killeen, seconded by Commissioner Jones, the
Community Police Board adjourned into Executive Session.