Belmont Public Safety Committee Meeting - September 30, 2024
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Belmont Public Safety Committee Meeting - September 30, 2024
The Belmont Public Safety Committee met on Monday, September 30, 2024, at 2:30 PM in the EOC on the second floor of City Hall. The meeting included special presentations recognizing outstanding police personnel, a quarterly update from the Police Chief, and approval of previous meeting minutes. No public comments were made.
Special Presentations & Awards
- Employee of the Quarter: Police Records Specialist Dana Herrera was recognized for her diligent work, including thorough verification of evidence and reports in a May 2024 homicide case, and her positive attitude and commitment to accuracy.
- Certificate of Commendation – Corporal Brian Vogel: Recognized for successfully de-escalating a dangerous situation involving a man threatening his family with a knife and attempting arson. Corporal Vogel used crisis negotiation skills over 45 minutes to convince the man to peacefully surrender and receive psychiatric care.
- Certificate of Commendation – Detective AJ Chen: Recognized for his compassionate response to a suicidal woman at the Hyatt House on September 9, 2024. Detective Chen established rapport with the woman despite her bipolar disorder and sleep deprivation, eventually convincing her to step away from a ledge, ending her suicide attempt.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public spoke during the public comment period.
Consent Calendar
- Meeting Minutes (June 17, 2024): Moved and seconded for approval. The minutes were approved without discussion or modification.
Discussion Items
- Chief's Quarterly Update: The Police Chief presented an overview of personnel, training, statistics, major case updates, and community engagement for the quarter.
- Personnel: New officer Mohamed Silby graduated the academy and began duty. Two recruits are still in the academy (projected graduation end of October and January). The department also mourned the loss of two community service officers, Brian Widell and someone (name garbled, likely Tangalala as noted later), due to health issues.
- Training: 452 hours of additional training were completed, slightly below the typical 600–1,000 hours for this period.
- Statistics: Calls for service, RIPA (Racial Identity Profiling Act) contacts, mental health evaluations, and arrests were on par with previous quarters. Overall thefts decreased, but retail theft increased.
- Major Case Updates:
- 2019 Central Homicide (Alpha Homicide): Trial projected for March 2025.
- 2020 O'Donnell Park Homicide (May 2024): All individuals identified; active investigation.
- 2023 Hyatt House Kidnapping: Trial projected for early 2025.
- Hit-and-run fatal collision on El Camino and Fifth Avenue: Suspect identified, active warrant.
- Ilya Hagner (Missing since 1996): Active investigation with new leads being processed.
- Community Engagement: Events included San Mateo Disaster Preparedness Day, National Night Out, Belmont Police Community Academy (5th year), Pizza with the Police for seniors, and the Caltrain Electrification Celebration.
- Upcoming Events: School Leadership Luncheon (October 8), Belmont Water Dog Run (October 12), Veterans Day Ceremony (November 11), and the 5th Annual Santa Parade (date TBD).
- Committee Questions and Feedback:
- Council Member McQueen (also a committee member) asked about the department's response to retail theft. The Chief confirmed they respond and investigate when called, and noted the San Mateo County District Attorney is proactive in prosecuting such cases.
- Council Member McQueen shared a positive experience with the non-emergency line for a welfare check and praised the dispatcher's response.
- Committee Member (unidentified) asked about the MyBelmont 311 app, questioning if seniors can also request vacation checks by phone. The Chief stated that while the online portal is preferred, phone requests are still accepted.
- The same member relayed a request from a resident for additional traffic enforcement at Hiller and Mountain View between 3–5 PM. The Chief suggested reporting via email to the traffic division for triage.
Key Outcomes
- Minutes Approved: The June 17, 2024 meeting minutes were approved unanimously.
- Information Received: The committee received the Chief's Quarterly Update, including personnel changes, training, statistics, and case updates, as information.
- Commendations Acknowledged: The committee acknowledged the Employee of the Quarter and two Certificates of Commendation.
- Future Action: The committee encouraged continued use of the 311 app and directed staff to provide the traffic concern email address for residents.
Committee Updates & Staff Items
- Committee Member Josie mentioned the MyBelmont 311 app, noting that discussion had already occurred during the Chief's update.
Adjournment
- The meeting adjourned with expressions of condolences from the committee for the loss of two community service officers, Brian Widell and Tangalala, who had passed away in the previous quarter.
Meeting Transcript
Recording in. All right. Great. Awesome. So I'm going to call to order. Thanks, everyone, for being here today. In addition to attending these public speaking here in the EOC on the second floor of City Hall, they're also at the unless otherwise noted, broadcast live to Belmont residents on Zoom, meeting ID 882 68225021. Folks here will have an opportunity to speak on the items on the agenda or in public comments. If you're participating virtually, do we have people? I don't have anyone right now. They can raise their hands. All public comments are subject to a three-minute time limit unless I determine otherwise. You can also submit written public comment. And if you send an email to clerk at Belmont.gov and three hours before the meeting starts, then the then the committee will get them and uh it'll be made part of the record. Um so can we have roll call, please? Yes. Um committee members McHugh. Here, yeah, we are here. Um so let's start with a special presentation. All right, thank you. Um I'm gonna start this uh afternoon with our employee the court. I'm gonna go ahead and embarrass her a little bit now. Uh Dana, could you come on up? Even better. Dana's a dedicated and hardworking employee whose attention and detail has been tremendous asset to the Belmont Police Department. A noble example of her diligence occurred during the review of all reports, evidence of attachments related to a homicide case in May of 2024. Dana took the initiative to throw thoroughly verify the accuracy of the information, reaching out to each officer involved for a meticulous approach and simplifies the critical work performed by our records bureau. Dana consistently checks and double checks the work of her colleagues, demonstrating a commitment to thoroughness and accuracy that should not go unnoticed. Beyond her professional capabilities, Dana is friendly, reliable, and always approaches her responsibilities with a positive attitude. She eagerly embraces the challenges and is thoughtful in her work, striving for excellent in every term. This dedication helps uphold the stellar reputation of the Belmont Police Department with the public and other agencies. Dana embodies the mission by the police department and she deserves recognition as an employee of the work. Congratulations. I wonder congratulations. And then we have some more certificates of commentation. Corporal Bobo responded to the residents and learned that the man had threatened his family with a knife earlier in the day to try to set fire to the bed in the home. Man told the officers that he would have to kill me before they could detain me. And he would not answer his phone to further communicate with the deputies. After getting briefed on the situation, Corporal Vogel developed a plan and gained access to the neighbor's yard and use the ladder to speak with the man over the fence. Corporal Bogle utilized the skills as a crisis negotiator and develop a relationships, relationship and trust with the man. He spoke with him for 45 minutes and was able to convince the man to peacefully walk to an ambulance apart in front of the house where he is ultimately detained in place on a psychiatrical Corporal Vogel was instrumental in producing a safe outcome for this very dangerous situation. Had it not been for the excellent communication skills and execution, the incident could have advanced into much more dangerous situation. Congratulations, thank you. That was awesome. That's amazing. Thank you for that extraordinary result for sharing that with us. Congratulations. So any announcements from our committee members. And then I'll say, please. No, I just the Belmont Heights Civic Improvement Association, our neighborhood association had their annual social event at Fox School about a week ago.
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