CALL TO ORDER:

Mr. Moran called the St. John Town Safety Board Regular Meeting to order on Monday, January 16, 2023 at 6:00 p.m., and led all in the Pledge of Allegiance.

ROLL CALL:

Safety Board Members present: Brian Daniell, Board Member; Patrick Moran, Board Member; Randolph Palmateer, Board Member; and Ronald Scott Swets, Board Member. Also present: Steven Flores, Police Chief; Kevin LaDuke, Fire Chief; Adam Decker, Attorney; Michael Schilling, Town Council Liaison; Joseph Wiszowaty, Town Manager; and Beth Hernandez, Clerk-Treasurer. Absent: Raymond Paradiso, Board Member. A quorum was attained.

INTRODUCTION OF NEW BOARD MEMBERS:

New Board Members Randolph “Randy” Palmateer and Ronald “Scott” Swets were introduced to the public. Both Board Members provided a synopsis of work and life experience. Mr. Moran thanked Robert Kmetz for his service to the Board of Public Safety since its inception.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS:

Mr. Moran entertained a motion for election of Officers. Mr. Palmateer nominated Mr. Moran for President with second made by Mr. Daniell. All were in favor by voice vote. Mr. Daniell nominated Mr. Paradiso for Vice President with second made by Mr. Swets. All were in favor by voice vote. Mr. Moran nominated Mr. Daniell for Secretary with second made by Mr. Palmateer. All were in favor by voice vote.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Mr. Moran entertained a motion to approve the minutes for the December 18, 2022 regular meeting. Mr. Swets made a motion to approve with second made by Mr. Daniell. Voice vote was 3 in favor with Mr. Palmateer abstaining.

NEW DEPARTMENT HIRES:

Chief Flores stated that the two conditional offers of employment were conducted according to the last meeting. He introduced Ryan Boss to the St. John Board of Safety who is the top candidate on the General Hire Eligibility List. Officer Boss comes to the St. John Police Department with 8 years of experience. Chief Flores worked with Officer Boss during countywide saturation patrols and praised his work ethic. Chief Flores requested that the Board approve his hire. A motion was made by Mr. Daniell to approve Ryan Boss to Probationary Police Officer, Badge 40, to the St. John Police Department. Mr. Palmateer made the second. All were in favor by voice vote. Clerk-Treasurer Hernandez provided the Oath of Office to Mr. Boss.

Chief LaDuke stated that his new hire was approved at the last meeting and started work on January 2, 2023. He introduced Firefighter/EMT T.J. Wilson, Badge 30, to the St. John Board of Safety who has worked for Gary and Hammond Fire Departments. Clerk-Treasurer Hernandez provided the Oath of Office to Mr. Wilson.

MONTHLY REPORTS:

Fire Department

For the month of December 2022, the St. John Fire Department responded to 169 EMS calls with 129 being transported to area hospitals. Of the 129 calls, 101 were ALS-1 cases, 4 were ALS-2 cases, and 24 were BLS cases. Residents comprised 73% of the EMS calls with 27% from non-residents. Franciscan Health Crown Point, Franciscan Health Dyer, and Community Hospital Munster continue to be the three major transport hubs. There is a pending Medicare certification related to generated billing, and other monies received were $28,778. Fire calls totaled 219 with 206 calls within the Town of St. John, 4 calls for unincorporated St. John Township, and 9 calls for mutual aid. The Fire Department ended the year with 2,216 calls being 16 more than the previous year.

Police Department

From December 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022, the members of the St. John Police Department logged 18,283 miles and responded to 590 law incidents. The investigation of these incidents led to 18 arrests with 44 charges being filed. There were 110 traffic citations issued, along with 182 written warnings, for a total of 292 citations being issued during the month. Vehicle thefts totaled $0, other thefts totaled $9,654, and recovered property totaled $334. Comparing 2022 to 2021, there were 397 more cases reported. Chief Flores thanked the Department for a job well done.

OLD BUSINESS:

Fire Department

Chief LaDuke reported that an offer of employment was made to Brian King. The Department is waiting for status from PERF. He anticipates Mr. King being sworn in next month.

Police Department

Chief Flores reported that the Department’s second hire has to go through the application process with PERF. He is waiting for status and anticipates swearing in next month.

2023 Corporal Promotion Eligibility List interviews were conducted. At the conclusion, four candidates made the list as presented to the Board this evening. The date of expiration is January 16, 2025. Chief Flores requested approval. Mr. Moran entertained a motion to approve the 2023 Corporal Promotion Eligibility List with motion made by Mr. Palmateer and second by Mr. Swets. All were in favor by voice vote.

Corporal Promotion was introduced by Chief Flores with the top candidate being Officer J. Burk. Officer Burk has 23 years of experience with 6 years in a supervisory capacity. Chief praised his experience that includes field training and mentoring other officers. He requested that the Board approve Officer Burk’s promotion to Corporal. Mr. Moran entertained a motion to approve the promotion. Mr. Daniell made the motion to approve with second made by Mr. Swets. All were in favor by voice vote.

NEW BUSINESS:

Fire Department

General Order 4.05 Probation Period was revised to include the change as discussed from previous meeting. Full-Time Firefighters who transfer to St. John, with completing one (1) year or more at another department, shall serve a probationary period of six (6) months. Chief LaDuke requested approval from the Board. Mr. Moran entertained the motion to do so. Mr. Swets made the motion to approve with second made by Mr. Palmateer. All were in favor by voice vote. Chief LaDuke concluded by stating that this matter affects two Firefighters; T.J. Wilson who just started serving his probationary period, and Frank Pukoszek who started July 1, 2022.

Police Department

None

PUBLIC COMMENT:

None

ADJOURNMENT:

At 6:24 p.m., Mr. Moran called for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Palmateer made the motion to adjourn with second made by Mr. Daniell. All were in favor by voice vote.

Respectfully submitted:

Amy J. Gross, Recording Secretary
St. John Safety Board

CALL TO ORDER:

Mr. Moran called the St. John Town Safety Board Special Meeting to order on Monday, February 6, 2023 at 7:00 p.m., and led all in the Pledge of Allegiance.

ROLL CALL:

Safety Board Members present: Randolph Palmateer, Board Member; Ronald Scott Swets, Board Member; Brian Daniell, Secretary; Raymond Paradiso, Vice President; and Patrick Moran, President. Also present: Steven Flores, Police Chief; and Adam Decker, Attorney. Absent: Michael Schilling, Town Council Liaison; and Joseph Wiszowaty, Town Manager. A quorum was attained.

POLICE DEPARTMENT SPECIAL BUSINESS:

Approval to Accept Officer Fabian’s Resignation

Chief Flores announced that Officer Fabian submitted his resignation today and requested that the Safety Board approve said resignation. Mr. Moran entertained a motion to approve the acceptance of Officer Fabian’s resignation. Mr. Paradiso made the motion with second made by Mr. Swets. All were in favor by voice vote.

Approval to Extend a Conditional Offer of Employment to Candidate #3, Applicant #6 on the 2022 Police Eligibility List

Chief Flores then requested that the Safety Board approve to extend a Conditional Offer of Employment to Candidate #3, Applicant #6 on the 2022 Police Eligibility List. Mr. Moran entertained a motion for approval to extend a Conditional Offer of Employment to said Candidate/Applicant. Mr. Palmateer made a motion to approve with second made by Mr. Paradiso. All were in favor by voice vote.

ADJOURNMENT:

At 7:03 p.m., Mr. Moran called for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Palmateer made the motion to adjourn with second made by Mr. Swets. All were in favor by voice vote.

Respectfully submitted:

Amy J. Gross, Recording Secretary
St. John Safety Board

CALL TO ORDER:

Mr. Moran called the St. John Town Safety Board Regular Meeting to order on Monday, February 13, 2023 at 6:00 p.m., and led all in the Pledge of Allegiance.

ROLL CALL:

Safety Board Members present: Randolph Palmateer, Board Member; Ronald Scott Swets, Board Member; Brian Daniell, Secretary; Raymond Paradiso, Vice President; and Patrick Moran, President. Also present: David Demeter, Deputy Police Chief; Kevin LaDuke, Fire Chief; Adam Decker, Attorney; and Joseph Wiszowaty, Town Manager. Absent: Steven Flores, Police Chief; and Michael Schilling, Town Council Liaison. A quorum was attained.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Mr. Moran entertained a motion to approve the minutes for the January 16, 2023 regular meeting. Mr. Paradiso made a motion to approve with second made by Mr. Palmateer. All were in favor by voice vote.

Mr. Moran entertained a motion to approve the minutes for the February 6, 2023 special meeting. Mr. Swets made a motion to approve with second made by Mr. Palmateer. All were in favor by voice vote.

MONTHLY REPORTS & UPDATES:

Fire Department

For the month of January 2023, the St. John Fire Department responded to138 EMS calls with 107 being transported to area hospitals. Of the 138 calls, 84 were ALS cases, and 23 were BLS cases. Residents comprised 78% of the EMS calls with 22% from non-residents. Franciscan Health Crown Point, Franciscan Health Dyer, and Community Hospital Munster continue to be the three major transport hubs. Total monies generated at $122,019 and received at $15,402. Fire calls totaled 169 with 157 calls within the Town of St. John, 8 calls for unincorporated St. John Township, and 4 calls for mutual aid.

Chief LaDuke added that some report changes will occur with the billing software for the next meeting. Also, there is a Medicare audit and Chief provided a letter from EMS Team Consulting to explain the process for Fiscal Year 2022. Mr. Moran asked about the money approved for the station and if work started. Chief explained that part of this was done for the grant last Friday. Downstairs will be a clean-gear storage area, but nothing more for the design at this time. Board Members will be included as requested. Mr. Daniell asked about the Medicare audit. Chief said that they are unsure what it entails, although, they were chosen, and they were not been able to get into the program by Federal Government standards. Access was gained just last week and the Fire Department is on page 20 of 500. Hopefully there will be more information to report at the next meeting.

Police Department

From January 1 through January 31, 2023, the members of the St. John Police Department logged 20,914 miles and responded to 491 law incidents. The investigation of these incidents led to 20 arrests with 29 charges being filed. There were 166 traffic citations issued, along with 300 written warnings, for a total of 466 citations being issued during the month. There were no vehicle thefts reported. Property thefts totaled $18,978, and there was no recovered property reported during the month.

OLD BUSINESS:

None

NEW BUSINESS:

None

PUBLIC COMMENT:

None

ADJOURNMENT:

At 6:05 p.m., Mr. Moran called for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Paradiso made the motion to adjourn with second made by Mr. Daniell. All were in favor by voice vote.

Respectfully submitted:

Amy J. Gross, Recording Secretary
St. John Safety Board

CALL TO ORDER:

Mr. Moran called the St. John Town Safety Board Regular Meeting to order on Monday, March 20, 2023 at 6:02 p.m., and led all in the Pledge of Allegiance.

ROLL CALL:

Safety Board Members present: Randolph Palmateer, Board Member; Ronald Scott Swets, Board Member; Brian Daniell, Secretary; and Patrick Moran, President. Also present: Steven Flores, Police Chief; Kevin LaDuke, Fire Chief; Adam Decker, Attorney; and Joseph Wiszowaty, Town Manager. Absent: Michael Schilling, Town Council Liaison. A quorum was attained. Board Member Raymond Paradiso appeared at 6:06 p.m. Clerk-Treasurer Beth Hernandez was present to conduct Oaths of Office.

CEREMONIAL OATHS OF OFFICE:

Firefighter/EMT Brian King was presented by Chief LaDuke. Mr. King served in the U.S. Marine Corps for five years and served two years with the Munster Fire Department. He began working for St. John on February 4, 2023. Clerk-Treasurer Hernandez conducted the Oath of Office followed by Chief LaDuke presenting Mr. King with Badge 31.

Police Officer Colin Studer was presented by Chief Flores. Mr. Studer began February 27, 2023 and will attend the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy in August. Mr. Studer worked for Lake Central School Corporation as a substitute teacher and assistant baseball coach.

Police Officer Zachary Vassar was presented by Chief Flores. Mr. Vassar came from the Dyer Police Department and has been very active in his law enforcement role. His family has two other members in law enforcement serving on Munster and Highland Police Departments. Mr. Vassar began working on March 6, 2023 for St. John.

Clerk-Treasurer Hernandez conducted the Oaths of Office for both Officer Studer and Officer Vassar followed by disbursement of their badges; Unit 41 and 42 respectively.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Mr. Moran entertained a motion to approve the minutes for the February 13, 2023 regular meeting. Mr. Palmateer made a motion to approve with second made by Mr. Paradiso. All were in favor by voice vote.

MONTHLY REPORTS & UPDATES:

Fire Department

For the month of February 2023, the St. John Fire Department responded to 107 EMS calls with 91 being transported to area hospitals. Of the 107 calls, 77 were ALS cases, and 14 were BLS cases. Residents comprised 73% of the EMS calls with 27% from non-residents. Franciscan Health Crown Point, Franciscan Health Dyer, and Community Hospital Munster continue to be the three major transport hubs. Total monies generated at $105,005 and received at $64,977. Fire calls totaled 151 with 130 calls within the Town of St. John, 3 calls for unincorporated St. John Township, and 18 calls for mutual aid.

Chief LaDuke presented some slides regarding updated software. This app allows heat mapping of calls showing the most frequented locations requesting assistance. There are also charts with a breakdown of incident types from NIBRS (National Incident-Based Reporting System). Other slides reflect activity based on shifts, call volume by year, and other pertinent information. Mr. Moran requested the information to be sent to the Safety Board via email.

Regarding other news, the new Osage ambulance is anticipated for late 2024 delivery. Chief LaDuke may request another order with the Town Council as the time frame is two to three years for delivery. This would be included with the 5-Year Capital Plan. The new engine was ordered last year also, and the Department is on track for receipt from May to July 2024. Once delivery is accepted, the engine will go to an up-fitter for mounting of storage and tools for anticipated use of August 2024. The 2021 AFG grant (Assistance to Firefighters Grant) was awarded, therefore, the purchase request will be presented this month to the Town Council for about $120,000 of additional air pack funding.

Chief LaDuke added that he submitted the Town-Wide Disaster Plan to the Town Council. He is waiting on some revisions and direction from them, and it will come to the Safety Board thereafter. He also reported about ESBC (Emergency Services Billing Corporation) for fire billing. There is an Indiana Code that allows the Fire Department to bill insurance companies for some fire services, such as a motor vehicle accident. Other communities are practicing this step as well. He is waiting for legal review. Furthermore, another SAFER grant (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) was submitted for a total of 4 positions. He hopes that the Town will continue funding a new firefighter every two years. An AFG grant for cancer prevention was submitted. There is also an upcoming meeting for the building upgrades.

Police Department

From February 1 through February 28, 2023, the members of the St. John Police Department logged 23,711 miles and responded to 537 law incidents. The investigation of these incidents led to 32 arrests with 47 charges being filed. There were 264 traffic citations issued, along with 438 written warnings, for a total of 702 citations being issued during the month. There were no vehicle thefts reported. Property thefts totaled $8,550, and there was no recovered property reported during the month. Chief Flores added that the largest property theft concerns an incident with an alleged caregiver. He also thanked the Safety Board for supporting the two officers presented tonight. There are now 26 full-time officers on the Department.

OLD BUSINESS:

None

NEW BUSINESS:

Fire Department Approval to Begin Process for Officer Testing

Chief LaDuke reported that there are some open positions and a list for officer positions. The General Orders state that the Fire Department is supposed to have an active list. A few months ago, the Safety Board revised some of the points to make the process more available for achievement. Chief’s proposal consists of filling one Captain Position, and possibly two Lieutenant Positions. This would place two Line Officers on each shift as according to the General Orders, an active list should exist at all times. Chief LaDuke would like to post the testing announcement, job descriptions, and timeline for the list to be active for two years. The applications would then be accepted from March 22 to April 19. Application review would occur April 20 with examination on May 23. Interviews would be June 13 with the certification of the list taking place at the Safety Board meeting on June 19.

Mr. Moran entertained a motion to approve the process for the Officer testing. Mr. Swets made the motion with second made by Mr. Daniell. All were in favor by voice vote.

Police Department Notification of Town Hall Informational Meeting on April 11, 2023

Chief Flores reported that there will be a Town Hall-type informational meeting on Tuesday, April 11 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall Chambers. The meeting will inform the public about current trends in crime, traffic-related issues, and tips on preventing fraud. The Safety Board was invited to join Chief Flores and the public.

PUBLIC COMMENT:

None

ADJOURNMENT:

At 6:30 p.m., Mr. Moran called for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Palmateer made the motion to adjourn with second made by Mr. Swets. All were in favor by voice vote.

Respectfully submitted:

Amy J. Gross, Recording Secretary
St. John Safety Board