Town of Cedar Lake Board of Safety Public Meeting Minutes

Call To Order / Pledge of Allegiance / Roll Call:

Public Comment:

Stick called for Public Comment. None was had.

Quorum and Officer Election Discussion:

Mr. Villalobos raised a point of order stating he was informed the Board needed to vote for officers at this meeting due to lack of quorum at the January meeting. The Board consulted with Ms. Dickson (Town Council).

Ms. Dickson commented she researched Robert’s Rules of Order and Indiana statutes. She found that the majority needed is a majority of those in attendance at the meeting, not a majority of total board members. The January vote of 2-1 with 3 members present constituted a valid quorum. For BZA and Plan Commission, statute specifically requires 4 members regardless of attendance, but no such requirement was found for Park Board, Stormwater Board, or Safety Board. The Board was satisfied that the officers elected at the January meeting (Norm Stick as President, Larry Nagy as Vice President) are legitimate.

Approval of Public Meeting Minutes:

January 22, 2026 Regular Public Meeting

A motion was made by Barbara Littles, seconded by Larry Nagy, to approve the January 22, 2026 Regular Public Meeting minutes.

Vote: 3-0.

VIPS January 2026 Report:

Lieutenant Jack Yauger reported:

• 12 hours in details
• 5 hours in training
• 15 hours in miscellaneous administration
• 30 hours total
• Mr. Miller is now cleared for patrolling
• Mr. Miller assigned to oversee vehicle upkeep

Police Department:

Communications

Police Chief Gruszka commented the department received a thank-you letter to the Town Manager praising police work in the Summer Winds area: stop sign placement, and enforcement for E-bikes and dirt bikes using sidewalks to bypass road closure.

Finances

Police Chief Gruszka commented the reports are on the iPad for review.

• Received a $2,500 K9 grant from MAC, providing funding for equipment and training for canine unit operations
• Submitted a non-matching grant for traffic cones to the Crown Point Community Foundation, awaiting approval
• Planning to apply for the SAFE Coalition grant in April to support K9 overtime and training needs
• These grants help offset costs without requiring matching funds or reimbursements
• The department follows a draft town-wide grant policy awaiting council approval to formalize procedures
• Current grant processes involve coordination with the Clerk-Treasurer to ensure fund availability
• The policy includes defined roles, such as a grant writer position, to streamline application and management
• Police Chief Gruszka emphasized the need for clear guidelines to ensure funding or compliance issues are avoided

Staffing

The department is updating and posting the application for new hires to build a candidate pool.

• Currently, there are no vacancies, but the department anticipates some and wants to be prepared
• The goal is to avoid being understaffed by having applications ready when needed
• The recruitment process has just started, with the intent to fill positions proactively

Training

Police Chief Gruszka commented:

• Exploring a new case law update training program costing about $2,300, supplementing mandated legal training
• This training targets consent searches, building searches, and stop-and-frisk procedures for officer updates
• The department values the case law review as a meaningful addition to improve officer knowledge
• Training reports show ongoing efforts with detailed hours documented on the iPad for transparency

Equipment

Deputy Chief Brittingham commented new squad car purchases are on hold pending state capital fund approval and updated bids due to stale pricing.

• Existing vehicles have mostly warranty-covered repairs; one engine required extra work after overheating
• Police Chief Gruszka commented the electric vehicle acquisition is progressing with more information expected at the next meeting
• The department is monitoring vehicle repair costs carefully to manage expenses

Monthly Activity Report

Police Chief Gruszka reported for January:

• 767 calls for service, 310 traffic stops, 294 warnings, and 99 citations issued
• 419 law incident reports and 30 arrests with 33 charges filed
• Ordinance enforcement included 27 warnings and 31 citations

Lexipol Policy Updates

Police Chief Gruszka presented comprehensive Lexipol policy updates. Key changes:

• Policy 310 – Canine Unit: Removed 3-year minimum handler requirement (handler stays until dog retires); clarified retirement/demonstrations approval by Chief; addressed reasonable time for handler to call dog off; handler can gain rank while in position
• Policy 332 – ADA Compliance: Regulatory changes, state compliance updates
• Policy 333 – Chaplains: Tightened language prohibiting fleet vehicle usage (chaplains use own vehicles, reimbursed through mileage)
• Policy 341 – Pursuit Policy: Lengthy update; condensed from 15 to 12 pages; CALEA recommendations; removed/changed definitions; NOW REQUIRES supervisory approval for PIT maneuvers, ramming, boxing, roadblocks (industry standard); changed many ‘should’ to ‘shall’ for clearer requirements
• Policy 401 – Bias-Based Policing: Minor updates for CALEA standards, wording changes
• Policy 407 – Crisis Intervention Incidents: Updated diversion section for policy references
• Policy 408 – Emergency Detention: Title renamed from ‘Involuntary’ to ‘Emergency’ Detentions; terminology updates, content unchanged
• Policy 424 – Medical Aid and Response: Updated section on persons refusing EMS care; aligned with state terminology
• Policies 430 & 431 – Camera Systems: Split from one policy into two separate policies (body worn cameras and dash cams)
• Policy 432 – Homeless Persons: Previously removed, now re-added because referenced in other policies (civil disputes, etc.); department does deal with homeless population
• Policy 710 – Facial Recognition: Reviewed by IT Director Cliff Wroe; department uses for redaction, usually outsources investigations to Real Time Crime Center at sheriff’s department; used approximately twice for investigations in past 12 months
• Policy 907 – CJIS Access Security and Maintenance: FBI modernization updates to CJIS security policy
• Policy 1000 – Temporary Custody of Adults: Updated individuals who should not be in temporary custody; wording changes
• Policy 1001 – Temporary Custody of Juveniles: Updated juveniles who should not be held; punctuation, pronoun changes
• Policy 1003 – Transporting Persons in Custody: Better aligned with state terminology; minor word changes
• Policy 1112 – Special Assignments and Promotions: Added grant coordinator/writer, evidence tech (accidentally left out from prior general order); added position definitions
• Policy 1129 – Speech, Expression and Social Networking: CALEA update; title changes, terminology updates; outdated examples corrected; content unchanged

A motion was made by Charlie Kaper, seconded by David Villalobos, to approve the above-mentioned Lexipol updates.

Vote: 5-0.

Other

Child Safety Seat Inspection Event: Friday, March 6th, 3:30–5:30 pm at the new fire department building. Cooperative event with Franciscan Health and the fire department. Flyer posted on social media. Includes seat inspections, installation instruction, and opportunities for seats for those in need.

Fire Department Reports:

Finances

Fire Chief Mager commented:

• Purchase order and expenditure reports in packet
• January POs: $54,836.24
• 8% of fiscal year complete, 12% of budget utilized
• Higher percentage due to known annual expenses – POs created at beginning of year to account for them

A motion was made by Mr. Nagy and seconded by Ms. Littles to accept the fire department’s report.

Vote: 5-0.

Staffing

Fire Chief Mager commented:

• All staff healthy and safe
• Hiring process: application period closed Friday, February 6th with six applicants
• All applicants new to fire service (none currently employed full-time elsewhere)
• Testing process beginning – expect completion in 30-45 days for presentation to board
• Firefighter EMT replacement hire: Oath of office at next council meeting, start date February 22nd

Training Report

474 hours of training for January. Reports in packet. No questions from board.

Equipment

• Annual PM, service, and DOT inspections ongoing
• Engine 1212 still out of service – anticipating return to service next day
• Rear suspension issue found during DOT inspection (fortunate catch)
• Repair costly but ensures safety and proper equipment function
• New engine arrived last week – available for viewing after meeting
• Month of training and outfitting planned for new engine

Operations Report

Board received report showing 227 incidents for January (full annual report not provided this month). Federal reporting transition to NEMSIS (from NFIRS) changed reporting codes/criteria – Chief rebuilding all reports to accommodate new system. Hopes to resume monthly detailed reports within next month or two.

Lift Assists Discussion

Mr. Villalobos questioned 58 lift assists for January. Chief Mager explained education efforts encouraging people to use family/friends if not injured are not going well. Two specific addresses are driving increased numbers. Council recently approved an EMS billing rate change – now charging for lift assists after 3 occurrences within 30 days.

Lexipol

No updates at this time.

Fire Department – Other

Chief Mager confirmed participation in the joint car seat inspection event on March 6th.

Town Council Liaison Report – Mr. Carnahan:

Council interested in addressing vehicles with Illinois plates in town not paying taxes. Chief working on enforcement plan. Initial soft approach through water billing notifications. Now planning field enforcement strategy.

Written Communications:

None was had.

Public Comment:

None was had.

Adjournment:

Meeting adjourned at 6:34 pm.