HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Committees - Public Safety Committee - 03/14/2017 (2)
Unless otherwise noted, the Public Safety Committee meets at 4:30 p.m. on the second
Tuesday of each month in Kent City Hall, Council Chambers East, 220 Fourth Ave S, Kent, WA
98032.
For additional information please contact Jennifer Hays at 253-856-5705 or via email at
jhays@kentwa.gov.
Any person requiring a disability accommodation should contact the City Clerk’s
Office at 253-856-5725 in advance. For TDD relay service call Washington
Telecommunications Relay Service at 1-800-833-6388.
Public Safety Committee Agenda
Councilmembers: Dana Ralph – Les Thomas – Jim Berrios, Chair
March 14, 2017
4:30 p.m.
Item Description Action Speaker Time Page
1. Call to order Chair Berrios 1
2. Roll Call Chair Berrios 1
3. Changes to the Agenda Chair Berrios 1
4. Approval of meeting minutes dated
February 14, 2017
YES Chair Berrios 1 1
5. Unmanned Aerial System Operations –
Information Only
NO Chief Thomas 10 3
6. Chief’s Report – Information Only NO Chief Thomas 10 9
This page intentionally left blank.
Public Safety Committee February 14, 2017
Minutes Kent, Washington
Approval Pending
Page 1 of 2
Date: February 14, 2017
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Place: Chambers East
Attending: Dana Ralph, Les Thomas, and Jim Berrios, Chair
Agenda:
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Changes to the Agenda
Item #7 was added, the Chief’s Report – Information Only.
4. Approval of Minutes dated November 8, 2016
L. Thomas moved to approve the Public Safety Committee minutes dated
November 8, 2016. D. Ralph seconded the motion, which passed 3-0.
5. School Zone Traffic Safety Camera Program Fund Expenditures -
Information Only
Chief Thomas provided an update on how funds will be used from the program
for criminal justice-related purposes. The approximate expendable funds are
$479,200, to cover the cost of:
$57,000 - installing substation security upgrades (three locations total),
$50,400 - purchasing unmanned aerial vehicles (two with associated
software, hardware, and training),
$106,000 - purchasing a 3D crime scene scanner,
$85,000 - technology updates (photo identification app and software
patches),
$60,800 - establishing and implementing the department marketing and
communication plan,
$20,000 - purchasing portable surveillance equipment (two mobile
cameras), and
$100,000 - setting aside funds for City Administration/City Council
emergent needs (committee members asked to be updated if/when this
amount is ever needed to be used.)
The Department will seek approval to use these excess funds at the March 7,
2017 Operations Committee meeting and will also be on the consent calendar
for the Council meeting that same evening.
1
Public Safety Committee February 14, 2017
Minutes Kent, Washington
Approval Pending
Page 2 of 2
6. Temporary Limited Term Position – Information Only
Chief’s next briefing was to inform members to a change in an existing position
to the Traffic School Program. The current temporary variable hour position
assists with administrative support tasks such as scheduling of classes,
processing traffic school applications, background checks and public customer
support. The Department would like to expand the traffic school services with
additional classes to increase accessibility to Kent residents, and contract with
surrounding municipalities that do not offer the program. This expansion would
be a trial project for the next two to three years and the program would be
monitored by Police Administration to determine if the increase in classes
offered results in increased demand for participation.
This work is designated as AFSCME (union) work and the current collective
bargaining agreement does not allow the City to maintain this position in its
current structure. The City is requesting the establishment of this new position
to both meet the community need for the Program and address union
concerns.
The Department will seek approval for the TLT position at the March 7, 2017
Operations Committee meeting and will also be on the consent calendar for the
Council meeting that same evening.
7. Chief’s Report – Information Only
Chief’s final report is in regards to two items, they are:
School Zone Traffic Safety Cameras – there were 935 tickets processed
through the court in January 2017, an increase from January 2016 when
there were 841 tickets.
Gun related crimes – the City has seen an uptick in related crimes
between 2015 to present. Compared to other cities between Seattle and
Tacoma, Kent is mid to low range for gun related crimes. Actual
numbers will be brought to a future Council meeting.
8. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 5:02 p.m. by J. Berrios.
J. Hays
Jennifer Hays
Public Safety Committee Secretary
February 14, 2017
2
POLICE DEPARTMENT
Ken Thomas, Chief of Police
Phone: 253-856-5800
Fax: 253-856-6802
Address: 220 Fourth Avenue S.
Kent, WA. 98032-5895
DATE: March 14, 2017
TO: Public Safety Committee
FROM: Chief Thomas
SUBJECT: Unmanned Aerial System Operations – Information Only
MOTION: Information Only
SUMMARY: n/a
EXHIBITS: n/a
BUDGET IMPACT: n/a
3
This page intentionally left blank.
4
Page | 1
Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Operations
Purpose: This policy is intended to establish guidelines for the use of
unmanned aerial systems, including retrieval and dissemination of images
and data captured by the UAS.
Policy: It is the policy of the Kent Police Department to utilize UAS to
enhance the department’s ability to save lives, protect property and
document crime scenes and collision scenes. Any application of the UAS will
be in accordance with Federal, State and City laws, to include constitutional
privacy rights, search and seizure regulations and Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) regulations.
Definition: An unmanned aerial system is an unmanned aircraft of any
type that is capable of sustaining flight, whether remotely controlled or
preprogrammed and all the supporting or attached hardware designed for
gathering information through photography, video recording or any other
means. UASs are also commonly referred to unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAV) or drones.
Privacy Considerations: Personnel operating an UAS shall be mindful of
privacy rights and absent a warrant or exigent circumstances shall not
intentionally record or transmit images in any location where a person would
have a reasonable expectation of privacy (e.g., inside house, fenced yard,
enclosed area only visible from an elevated position). Operators and
observers will take reasonable precautions to avoid inadvertently recording
or transmitting images in violation of privacy rights.
Authorized Uses:
o Crime Scene and Collision Scene Applications - A primary use
of the UAS will be to conduct crimes scene and collision scene
documentation. For these types of incidents, the UAS will be pre-
programmed with a flight plan specific to the scene that is being
documented. Use of the UAS in this capacity must be authorized by
someone the rank of sergeant or higher.
o Officer Safety Tactical Applications - A UAS may be deployed in
an effort to protect officers from unnecessary exposure to danger
and minimize the risk of injury to bystanders, officers and suspects,
5
Page | 2
and enhance the likelihood of bringing peaceful resolutions to
potentially deadly incidents. Use of the UAS for these safety
purposes should be limited to incidents involving violent felony
suspects or involving persons who are emotionally or mentally
debilitated and pose a risk of serious bodily injury or death to
themselves or others. Examples of these types of incidents include,
but are not limited to, armed barricaded suspects, armed suicidal
suspects, high risk search warrants, high risk violent offender
apprehension, hostage situations and bomb threat/improvised
explosive device investigations. These types of incidents will likely
require remote manual operation of the UAS. Use of an UAS in this
capacity must be authorized by someone the rank of commander or
higher.
o Mutual Aid – Valley SWAT - Deployment of the UAS as part of
mutual aid within our city limits to support a Valley SWAT operation
is authorized as long as its use meets the standards for “Authorized
Uses of UAS” listed above. Deployments inside buildings will be
subject to the restrictions currently in place for deploying robots,
pole cameras and other observation devices utilized by Valley
SWAT, to include search warrant requirement. Use of an UAS in
this capacity must be authorized by someone the rank of
commander or higher.
o Community Outreach Demonstrations – In an effort to
encourage public trust and effectively engage our community, the
use of an UAS as part of a community meeting or special event is
authorized. The UAS demonstration should be limited to
showcasing the department’s investigative capabilities and
educating the public on the UAS program. Use of an UAS in this
capacity must be authorized by someone the rank of commander or
higher.
Prohibited Uses:
The UAS shall not be used for the following.
o To conduct random surveillance activities
o To target a person based solely on individual characteristics, such
as, but not limited to race, ethnicity, national origin, religion,
disability, gender or sexual orientation
o To harass, intimidate or discriminate against any individual or group
6
Page | 3
o To conduct personal business of any type
Authorized Operators: Only personnel who have successfully completed
the required training shall be permitted to operate the UAS.
Flight Logs: Each authorized UAS operator will maintain a flight log.
Operators will log the date, flight time and locations of all UAS deployments.
They will also note, case number, incident type, automated flight or manual
flight, and whether photo images or video were captured during the flight.
Program Coordinator: The Chief of Police will designate someone the rank
of commander or higher to oversee the UAS Program. Their duties will
include the following:
o Ensuring that policies and procedures conform to current laws,
regulations and best practices.
o Establishing a training standard for operators that meets FAA
requirements
o Overseeing the selection and training of operators
o Maintaining and updating the Certificate of Authorization (COA)with
the FAA
o Overseeing procurement and maintenance of UAS equipment
o Review of UAS deployments to ensure compliance with policies and
operating procedures
o Conducting audits of flights logs semiannually
Retention of Data: Photographs and video collected by the UAS shall be
retained in accordance with Washington State Records Retention Schedules.
7
This page intentionally left blank.
8
POLICE DEPARTMENT
Ken Thomas, Chief of Police
Phone: 253-856-5800
Fax: 253-856-6802
Address: 220 Fourth Avenue S.
Kent, WA. 98032-5895
DATE: March 14, 2017
TO: Public Safety Committee
FROM: Chief Thomas
SUBJECT: Chief’s Report – Information Only
MOTION: Information Only
SUMMARY: n/a
EXHIBITS: n/a
BUDGET IMPACT: n/a
9
This page intentionally left blank.
10