Public Safety Committee  — Charleston, WV
Date: 2023-04-17
Time: 17:30

CITY OF CHARLESTON
  10
 West Virginia
 Council Member – 10th WARD


Shawn Taylor Public Safety Committee, Chair
501 Virginia St. E Finance Committee
Charleston, WV 25301 Parking Committee
Telephone: 304-414-6019
E-mail: shawn.taylor@cityofcharleston.org




TO: Public Safety Committee
FROM: Shawn Taylor, Chair
RE: Committee Meeting


 There will be a Committee meeting of Public Safety on April 17, 2023 at 5:30 PM
 City Hall, 501 Virginia St. E.
 AV Room #308

 AGENDA

 APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES
 1. 1-17-2023

 TO HEAR FROM PUBLIC SAFETY RELATED DEPARTMENTS
 1. Charleston Police Department

 2. Charleston Fire Department

 3. CARE Office

 Adjournment
 THE AGENDA WAS AMENDED ON 4-13-2023 TO CHANGE THE MEETING TIME


ST/ns

*Meetings may be recorded and broadcast via internet https://charlestonwv.civicclerk

CITY OF CHARLESTON
  10
 West Virginia
 Council Member – 10th WARD


Shawn Taylor Public Safety Committee, Chair
501 Virginia St. E Finance Committee
Charleston, WV 25301 Parking Committee
Telephone: 304-414-6019
E-mail: shawn.taylor@cityofcharleston.org




TO: Public Safety Committee
FROM: Shawn Taylor, Chair
RE: Committee Meeting


 There will be a Committee meeting of Public Safety on April 17, 2023 at 5:30 PM
 City Hall, 501 Virginia St. E.
 AV Room #308

 AGENDA

 APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES
 1. 1-17-2023

 TO HEAR FROM PUBLIC SAFETY RELATED DEPARTMENTS
 1. Charleston Police Department

 2. Charleston Fire Department

 3. CARE Office

 Adjournment
 THE AGENDA WAS AMENDED ON 4-13-2023 TO CHANGE THE MEETING TIME


ST/ns

*Meetings may be recorded and broadcast via internet https://charlestonwv.civicclerk




 Page | 1 of
 MINUTES
 PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING

 6:00 P. M., JANUARY 17, 2023
 AV ROOM, CITY HALL


Shawn Taylor, Chairperson, called the meeting of the Charleston City Council
Committee on Public Safety to order at 6:00 p.m., JANUARY 3, 2023.

Present:
Shawn Taylor, Chair
Chuck Overstreet, Vice Chair
Mary Beth Hoover
Bruce King
Beth Kerns
Kathy Rubio

Absent:
Caitlin Cook


Other Councilmembers Present:
Joe Solomon
Frank Annie
Chad Robinson
Chelsea Steelhammer




 1. Approval of Previous Minutes –
Councilmember Hoover moved to approve the minutes of the previous meeting on 7-11-
2022. Councilmember King seconded the motion. There was no objection, and the
minutes were approved.




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 1. Introduction and discussion of previous meetings and any possible items for
 future meetings

Councilmember Taylor stated that he wanted public safety departments (such as CPD,
CFD and CARE) to be able to come to the Committee with their needs and concerns. It
is an opportunity for the Committee to be responsive to the needs of the Community.

Councilmember Kerns asked if the Committee had an official mission statement. Mayor
Goodwin added that part of the purpose of the Committee is to hear from
Councilmembers, the Administration and the public as to their concerns. This could
cover a wide variety of topics that touch on the safety, health and wellness of the
Community.

Councilmember Taylor added that he had anticipated hearing about the circumstances
on Spring Street and the Officer involved death. Their job is not to solve the situation,
but to be prepared to provide information if they get questions. Some potential topics
are vape shops, the status of Kanawha Boulevard’s roads, etc.

Councilmember Hoover added that those issues frequently overlap between two
different Committees, such as with vape shops and scooters, and it is helpful to get a
variety of input in those instances.

Councilmember Kerns added that warming and cooling centers might be a public safety
issue for the Committee (finding a permanent location for them, for example).

Councilmember King suggested getting updates from Police, Fire and the CARE team
at the meetings. Mayor Goodwin added that the Committee could benefit from receiving
a brief of the Directors’ reports, as a lot of that information would be there as well.

The Fire Chief invited the Committee members to go on a ride along.



 2. Set dates for possible recurring meetings

The Committee agreed to set a goal of meeting at least quarterly before the 2nd monthly
Finance Committee meeting, schedules permitting.




Councilmember Hoover motioned to adjourn. Councilmember Kerns seconded. Meeting
adjourned.

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MINUTES
 PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING

 5:30 P. M., APRIL 17, 2023
 AV ROOM, CITY HALL


Shawn Taylor, Chairperson, called the meeting of the Charleston City Council
Committee on Public Safety to order at 5:30 p.m., APRIL 17, 2023.

Present:
Shawn Taylor, Chair
Chuck Overstreet, Vice Chair
Mary Beth Hoover
Bruce King
Beth Kerns
Kathy Rubio

Absent:
Caitlin Cook


Other Councilmembers Present:
Joe Solomon
Chelsea Steelhammer
Frank Annie




 1. APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES –
Councilmember Hoover moved to approve the minutes of the previous meeting on 1-17-
2023. Councilmember King seconded the motion. There was no objection, and the
minutes were approved.



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 2. TO HEAR FROM PUBLIC SAFETY RELATED DEPARTMENTS -

Councilmember Taylor stated that it is the Committee’s obligation to regularly touch
base with the Fire Department, Police Department, etc. for the Committee to be
responsive and help them better serve the public.


Police Chief Hunt submitted to the Committee the Statistical Data Overview for 2022.
He summarized that while they could always do better, the Police Department was in a
good place. They are doing well with the current plan that is in place, and will continue
to strengthen their partnerships within the City. Some highlights from the presentation
include:
 • All areas of Type 1 crimes, except for Murder, are at Low/Near Low. Good
 communication in the community leads to trust in law enforcement.
 • Two areas higher than previous years are Burglary and Larceny. These are still
 lower when compared to pre-Covid years.
 • There is a signification increase in the number of Traffic Citations, and a
 reduction in Crashes. He cited the increase in citations (and citizen contacts) as
 the reason for the significant decrease in crashes. The number of Arrests has
 increased, which is related to the increase in citizen contacts.
 • MDENT has allowed for major federal cases, and he credits them for helping to
 keep violent crime down.
 • There has been a 15% increase in contacts, and a 7% decrease in the number
 of times they had to respond to suspect resistance or aggression.
 • They have an 87% solve rate, which is much higher than the national rate of
 54%.

Councilmember King confirmed that Robbery meant armed or threatening to be armed.

Councilmember Taylor pointed out that compared to 2016, there was a significant
reduction in Robbery, Malicious Wounding, Burglary/B&E, Larceny, B&E Auto and
Motor Vehicle Theft. Chief Hunt added that Covid did play a part, but attributed the
change mostly to good community relations.

Councilmember King asked what were some of the major drug problems. Chief Hunt
replied that they have been seeing heroine, fentanyl, meth and xylazine (which is the
next big danger).

Councilmember King confirmed with Chief Hunt that the Department does not have a
dedicated Cold Case unit, but Senior Detectives and Supervisors get involved with that.


Fire Chief Matthews stated that they are authorized to staff 168 people, and are
currently staffed at 148. There are 21 new recruits. They have recently retooled training
to retain recruits, and have seen success with that. The department has historically high
numbers of paramedics, with 86 members and 9 in training. They are expected to have

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5-7 retirements within the next 12 months. Chief Matthews is currently working to
realign the Command staff and to reassign key personnel to increase firefighter safety.
There will be a new EMS Division that will focus on the planning, training and operations
of the EMS Units to be headed by Assistant Chief Chad Jones. It will also include a
Health and Safety Officer whose main focus will be the mental and physical wellbeing of
their employees and will conduct quality reviews. The position will also serve as a
liaison with the CARE team. Chief Matthews added that there will be a Safety Office on
each shift that will be on every scene that will command any additional safety operations
that arise.

Councilmember Overstreet asked what was the Civil Service Commission’s process for
deciding if someone could come back after leaving. Chief Matthews replied that if
someone resigns after one year in good standing, they may petition the Commission
within two years to return.

Councilmember Kerns expressed concerns about bicycle safety, and suggested “bicycle
rodeos,” that involve the Fire and Police Departments. Chief Hunt added that the Hybrid
Unit does a lot of bicycle safety by handing out helmets, sharing information, etc. He
encouraged any known violations of the law to be called in.

From the audience, Councilmember Solomon asked how Councilmembers could be
helpful to the Fire Department. Chief Matthews replied that they will be coming to
Council with their mental health program.


Mayor Goodwin added that the CARE team has added news members to work nights,
weekends and holidays. With the growing staff, they are looking for a new space for the
department. They have been coordinating with the Fire and Police Departments. The
Mayor added that there have been 121 treatments and referrals for recovery since the
beginning of the year.

Councilmember Taylor added that the CARE Office is vital to the City to the Community
and its individual citizens.




Councilmember Kerns motioned to adjourn. Councilmember Hoover seconded. Meeting
adjourned.


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