DuPage County Judicial and Public Safety Committee met June 20
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
1. CALL TO ORDER
8:00 AM meeting was called to order by Chair Lucy Evans at 8:01 AM.
2. ROLL CALL
Speaker: State's Attorney Robert Berlin
Other Board members present:
Member Cindy Cahill, Member Kari Galassi, Member Paula Garcia and Member Sheila Rutledge.
Staff present:
Nick Kottmeyer (Chief Administrative Officer), Joan Olson (Chief Communications Officer), Conor McCarthy (State's Attorney Office), Paul Bruckner (State's Attorney Office), Barb Reynolds (State's Attorney Office), Lisa Smith (State's Attorney Office), Bernard Murray (State's Attorney Office), Nick Alfonso (State's Attorney Office), Jason Blumenthal (Policy and Program Manager), Evan Shields (Public Information Officer), Craig Dieckman (Director, Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management), Mia Gerace (Emergency Management Specialist), Edmond Moore (Undersheriff), Dan Bilodeau (Deputy Chief-Sheriff's Office), Eric Swanson (Deputy Chief-Sheriff's Office), Jeff Martynowicz (Chief Financial Officer), Nick Etminan (Procurement) and Zachary Frye (County Board intern).
Others present:
George DeTella (Integrated Solutions Consulting)
PRESENT Chaplin, Childress, DeSart, Eckhoff, Evans, Gustin, Krajewski, Schwarze, and Yoo
ABSENT Tornatore
REMOTE Zay
LATE Ozog
MOTION TO ALLOW REMOTE PARTICIPATION
Member Childress moved, seconded by Member Gustin to allow Member Jim Zay to participate remotely.
The motion was approved on a voice vote, all "ayes".
3. PUBLIC COMMENT
No public comment was offered.
4. CHAIR REMARKS - CHAIR EVANS
Chair Evans opened her remarks by inviting Undersheriff Edmond Moore to the podium. Undersheriff Moore, joined by Deputy Chief Dan Bilodeau and Deputy Chief Eric Swanson, provided a brief overview of the tragic shooting that occurred on June 18 in unincorporated DuPage County. He indicated that there were twenty-two gunshot victims with one fatality and offered his sympathies to the deceased's family. Undersheriff Moore informed the Committee that the DuPage County Sheriff's Office and MERIT are continuing to pursue all leads regarding this incident and encouraged anyone with information pertaining to this matter to call 630-407-2343.
Chair Evans then offered a brief summary of the County's Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan that is on today's agenda for consideration. This Plan is required by federal law in order to be eligible for federal hazard mitigation assistance grant funding and must be updated every five years. This Plan assesses risk and vulnerability for up to 16 different natural hazards and was one of the first in the nation to be reviewed by FEMA under the newest policy guidelines which became effective in April 2023. Chair Evans thanked the staff of the DuPage County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, together with the staff from Integrated Solutions Consulting, for their hard work in completing this very important document.
At this time, Chair Evans introduced DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin and offered a brief background on his career.
5. PRESENTATION
5.A. State's Attorney Robert Berlin - Overview of State's Attorney Office
State's Attorney Robert Berlin presented a brief outline of what the statutory and constitutional duties and functions are within the State's Attorney's Office (SAO). The mission of SA Berlin and his staff is to protect the public, defend the rights of victims and seek justice for the residents of DuPage County with integrity, courage and professionalism. The various divisions within the SAO include Civil, Criminal, Investigations and Administration, as well as the Children's Advocacy Center (CAC). The SAO, together with the CAC, is comprised of 167 personnel. SA Berlin then explained the functions of the various types of courts and units within each division, the number of active cases and how many Assistant State's Attorneys (ASA) are assigned to them. In 2012, SA Berlin started the SAO's first Diversion Program. He went on to explain the details of how this program works as well as how many cases have been accepted into the program.
In addition to the statutory and constitutional duties of the SAO, SA Berlin and other members of his staff sit on a number of committees, task forces and commissions. Specifically, he mentioned the School Safety Task Force, the HOPE Task Force, DuSmart, MERIT, the Resentencing Committee, the Senate Presidents Committee to Amend the Pretrial Fairness Act and the Family Violence Coordinating Council. Further, SA Berlin stated that his office has a very robust training program which includes providing their own in-house legal education throughout the year. In closing, SA Berlin recognized his staff for the tremendous work they do for the residents of DuPage County.
Members Schwarze, Krajewski and Childress raised questions about a variety of topics including staff shortages and how the SAO plans to attract qualified candidates, as well as how a municipality's attorney compares with an attorney from the SAO. SA Berlin responded to each question.
At this time, Chair Evans paused the question and answer session with SA Berlin in order to proceed with the agenda. She stated that further questions would be asked during the New Business portion of the meeting.
6. APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
6.A. 23-2139
Judicial and Public Safety Committee - Regular Meeting - Tuesday, June 6, 2023. The motion was approved on a voice vote, all "ayes".
RESULT: APPROVED
MOVER: Brian Krajewski
SECONDER: Patty Gustin
6.B. 23-2140
Judicial and Public Safety Committee - Executive Session - Tuesday, June 6, 2023. The motion was approved on a voice vote, all "ayes".
RESULT: APPROVED
MOVER: Patty Gustin
SECONDER: Yeena Yoo
7. RESOLUTIONS
7.A. JPS-R-0062-23
Adoption of the 2023 DuPage County Multi-Jurisdictional Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan. (Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management)
The motion was approved on a voice vote, all "ayes".
RESULT: APPROVED AT COMMITTEE
MOVER: Patty Gustin
SECONDER: Liz Chaplin
8. BUDGET TRANSFERS
8.A. 23-2147
Transfer of funds from account no. 6000-1195-53828 (contingencies) to account no. 6000-1161-53370 (repair & maintenance - other equipment) in the amount of $466,817 to upfit the 35 patrol vehicles that were received early. Cars that were backordered were received as well as cars that were not expected until FY2024. This will cover the costs of the equipment necessary to upfit the vehicles. (Sheriff's Office)
Member Krajewski inquired as to how long it will take to get these vehicles upfitted and on the street. Jason Blumenthal responded that if all of the equipment needed to upfit the vehicles is in stock, then it is anticipated that approximately two to three vehicles will be completed and ready to go per week. The goal is to have all of the vehicles upfitted and ready by the end of this year, provided that all of the necessary equipment is available. Member Krajewski questioned why the upfitting process cannot be completed sooner. Mr. Blumenthal informed him that the administration team at the Sheriff's Office is looking into options to expedite this process.
Member Chaplin stated that the FY2024 budget will reflect that these vehicles were purchased in FY2023.
Member DeSart confirmed that, per a recent discussion she had with the Sheriff's Office, about 2.5 cars will be upfitted per week. Public Safety Direct is one of the only companies in the area that perform this kind of upfitting on law enforcement vehicles and they are short staffed which is preventing the process from moving along more quickly.
The motion was approved on a voice vote, all "ayes".
RESULT: APPROVED
MOVER: Dawn DeSart
SECONDER: Liz Chaplin
9. ACTION ITEMS
9.A. JPS-CO-0005-23
Recommendation for the approval of an amendment to Resolution JPS-P-0275-22, for a change order amending Purchase Order 6096-0001 SERV, issued to Public Safety Direct, to increase the contract in the amount of $466,816.70, resulting in an amended contract total amount not to exceed $726,816.70, an increase of 179.54%. (Sheriff's Office)
The motion was approved on a voice vote, all "ayes".
RESULT: APPROVED AND SENT TO FINANCE
MOVER: Dawn DeSart
SECONDER: Liz Chaplin
9.B. 23-2141
County Contract 5656-0001 SERV, issued to Northeast DuPage Family & Youth Services, to decrease the total contract amount by $12,440 and close the contract. (Probation & Court Services)
The motion was approved on a voice vote, all "ayes".
RESULT: APPROVED
MOVER: Brian Krajewski
SECONDER: Yeena Yoo
10. GRANTS
10.A. 23-2019
GPN 032-23: Paul Coverdell Forensic Science/NFSIA FFY22 - Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) - U.S. Department of Justice - $178,733. (Sheriff's Office)
The motion was approved on a voice vote, all "ayes".
RESULT: APPROVED AND SENT TO FINANCE
MOVER: Yeena Yoo
SECONDER: Liz Chaplin
11. INFORMATIONAL
11.A. 23-2142
Public Defender's Office May 2023 Monthly Statistical Report (Public Defender's Office) The motion was approved on a voice vote, all "ayes".
RESULT: ACCEPTED AND PLACED ON FILE
MOVER: Yeena Yoo
SECONDER: Liz Chaplin
12. OLD BUSINESS
No old business was offered.
13. NEW BUSINESS
At this time, the question and answer session with State's Attorney Berlin continued. Questions were raised by Members Garcia, Yoo and Cahill. The topics discussed were: ensuring there are enough attorneys to handle the caseload at the SAO, public awareness of Firearm Restraining Orders and amendments to the SAFE-T Act. At the conclusion of the discussion, Chair Evans thanked SA Berlin for his presentation and for keeping the residents of DuPage County safe.
Further discussion then took place regarding the recent shooting that took place in the southeast corner of unincorporated DuPage County with Members Chaplin, Krajewski, DeSart, Ozog, Gustin, Eckhoff and Chair Evans offering comments. Member Chaplin felt that it would be appropriate for the Sheriff to present an update at an upcoming meeting.
14. ADJOURNMENT
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:07 AM. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 11, 2023 at 8:00 AM.
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