Town of Cedar Lake Board of Safety
Regular Meeting Minutes

Pledge of Allegiance

Mr. Stick called the meeting to order and led those present in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Roll Call

Members Present: Norman Stick, Chairman; Larry Nagy, Vice Chairman; Barbara Littles; David Villalobos; Lester Kaper.

Staff Present: John Gruszka, Police Chief; Carl Brittingham, Deputy Police Chief; Nick Mager, Fire Chief; Cheryl Hajduk, Recording Secretary.

Staff Absent: Benjamin Eldridge, Town Manager; David Austgen, Town Attorney.

Town Council Liaisons Present: Robert Carnahan; Chuck Becker.

Town Council Liaisons Absent: Mary Joan Dickson.

Public Comment

Mr. Stick called for public comment three times. No public comment was received.

Approval of Minutes

Minutes of the March 11, 2026 regular meeting were presented for approval.

Motion to approve the March 11, 2026 regular meeting minutes made by Mr. Nagy; seconded by Ms. Littles

Motion carries, 5–0.

VIPs — March 2026 Report

The VIPs (Volunteers in Police Service) report for March 2026 was presented:

• 1 call out; 6 details
• 2 hours on calls; 32 hours on details; 17 hours miscellaneous
• Total: 51 hours for the month

Mr. Stick thanked the VIPs for their continued service.

Police Department — March 2026 Report

Communications

No communications.

Finances

Purchase orders and expenditure reports were distributed. The department is currently operating at 24.66% of the annual budget, which is on schedule with the fiscal year. An appropriation transfer request will be submitted to move funds from the full-time officer’s line to the PTO payout line to cover Sergeant Fisher’s retirement payout.

The Crown Point Community Foundation grant was received and used to purchase approximately 300 traffic cones for EVOC (Emergency Vehicle Operations Course) training. The department previously had to borrow cones from other departments.

Deputy Chief Brittingham noted his attendance (alongside Administrative Assistant Sarah Moore, on Chief Gruszka’s behalf) at a Crown Point Community Foundation event at Avalon Manor. The event drew approximately 400 attendees from nonprofits, government entities, and schools. The Foundation is offering a $1,000,000 collaborative grant for South Lake County communities. Mr. Kaper noted that the Cedar Lake Community Foundation is a subsidiary of the main Crown Point Community Foundation — donations directed to Cedar Lake are credited locally while benefiting from the larger Foundation’s investment management. Mr. Carnahan noted that the Foundation has previously supported Project Love Food Pantry with $20,000 toward a $200,000 building and a replacement freezer.

Staffing

The department is mid-process in a hiring cycle. As of the meeting, 19 applications have been received. The application period runs through April 30, 2026. No official notifications of lateral transfers or resignations from current officers have been received. Officer Randy Lukasik completed his probationary year and his status has been updated from Probationary Patrolman to Patrolman.

Training Report

Deputy Chief Brittingham attended Public Information Officer (PIO) training presented by the Indiana State Police. Training covered press release preparation, media relations, and incident communication, including case studies of recent officer-involved incidents in Indiana (e.g., Chesterton). The Indiana State Police also offer services to assist communities during major events.

Equipment

The electric patrol vehicle is at the upfitter in Southern Indiana. The department has received paperwork and is processing the title. The vehicle is expected to be available for pickup in 2–3 weeks. A 220-volt charging line will need to be installed at the station; staff have contacted the appropriate party and are awaiting a response. Vehicle repairs for the month were routine with nothing unusual.

A meeting is scheduled with Clerk-Treasurer Sandberg to discuss the status of a second vehicle purchase and whether an order can be placed.

Monthly Activity Report — March 2026

Police Department statistics for March 2026:

• Calls for service: 841
• Traffic stops: 331; Warnings issued: 352; Citations issued: 109
• Law incident reports: 499
• Arrests: 40
• Code enforcement warnings: 63; Code enforcement citations: 51

Lexipol Policy Updates

Three Lexipol policy updates were reviewed. Due to the small number, the policies were distributed by email to the reviewing subcommittee members (Mr. Villalobos and Mr. Nagy) rather than in a formal meeting. Updates were as follows:

• Policy 210 — Uniform Statewide Defensive Tactics Training Program: State-mandated update; language inserted directly into existing policy with minimal changes.
• Policy 805 — Personal Protective Equipment: Updated to reflect OSHA changes; one superseded Code of Federal Regulations reference removed.
• Policy 1000 — Temporary Custody of Adults: Minor changes, including language addressing securing a person in custody to a fixed object (e.g., a bench in a holding cell or courthouse).

Motion to accept the Police Department’s March 2026 report and to approve Lexipol policy updates for Policy 210, Policy 805, and Policy 1000 as outlined by Chief Gruszka made by Ms. Littles; seconded by Mr. Kaper.

Motion carries, 5–0.

Other — Police Department

Chief Gruszka reported two additional items:

• Out-of-State Plate Enforcement: The department has identified six vehicles with unregistered out-of-state plates and provided a grace period to update registration. The grace period has ended. Corporal Machalk, one of three officers assigned to this effort, will begin filing with the prosecutor’s office next week. The department will continue to identify additional vehicles.
• Cops and Bobbers Fishing Event: The June 6, 2026 date has been canceled due to scheduling conflicts. A roundtable meeting is planned for April 22 to set a new date. The Board expressed enthusiasm for the community fishing event concept.

Fire Department — March 2026 Report

Communications

No communications.

Finances

Purchase orders for March 2026 total $3,046.05. Expenditure report was distributed. The department is operating at just under 23% of the annual budget, consistent with approximately 25% of the fiscal year being complete.

Motion to accept the Fire Department’s finances report made by Ms. Littles; seconded by Mr. Nagy

Motion carries, 5–0.

Staffing

Letter of Resignation — Agenda Amendment

A letter of resignation had not been included on the printed agenda. Mr. Stick noted this was not Ms. Hajduk’s fault as the letter had not been provided to her. The Board voted to amend the agenda to add the letter of resignation for reading and action.

Motion to amend the agenda to add reading and acceptance of the letter of resignation made by Ms. Littles; seconded by Mr. Nagy.

Motion carries, 5–0.

Chief Mager read the letter of resignation into the record:

Saturday, March 21, 2026. I am submitting this as my two weeks’ notice of resignation from the Cedar Lake Fire Department. My intended termination date is April 5, 2026. It has been an honor to have been chosen to be part of this fire department and this community. I have learned a great deal, met some incredible people, and experienced some interesting circumstances. Thank you all for your support, your professionalism, and your dedication to this department. — Firefighter/Paramedic Collin Turner, March 21, 2026.

Ms. Littles asked whether any follow-up or exit communication was received from the two applicants who failed to appear for the physical agility test. Chief Mager reported that he notified both of their disqualification following the no-call, no-show; neither responded. He subsequently learned that one applicant had accepted a full-time position at another department. Mr. Turner’s resignation was noted as amicable; his letter speaks for itself.

Motion to accept the letter of resignation of Firefighter/Paramedic Collin Turner, effective April 5, 2026, made by Ms. Littles; seconded by Mr. Nagy.

Motion carries, 5–0.

Discontinuance of Current Hiring Process

Chief Mager reported that the two eligible applicants in the current hiring process failed to appear for the required physical agility test, disqualifying both. No reason was provided by either applicant. Accordingly, Chief Mager requested discontinuance of the current hiring process.

Motion to discontinue the current Fire Department hiring process made by Ms. Littles; seconded by Mr. Kaper.

Motion carries, 5–0.

Approval of New Hiring Process Advertisement

Chief Mager outlined a new hiring advertisement strategy developed in consultation with Clerk-Treasurer Sandberg:

• Phase 1 — Emergency Lateral Transfer: Advertise immediately for lateral transfers (Firefighter/Paramedic or Firefighter/EMT-Basic). Deadline: April 17, 2026. If a qualified lateral transfer applicant is received by that date, an executive session and public session would be convened prior to the April 21 Town Council meeting to make a favorable recommendation to Council. Lateral transfer eliminates the full hiring process and reduces overtime costs.
• Phase 2 — General Applications: If no lateral transfer applicant is received by April 17, or simultaneously with Phase 1, the advertisement will shift to a general open application process with no fixed deadline — until all three open positions are filled.

The Board discussed the short April 17 window; Chief Mager explained that a genuinely interested lateral transfer candidate would apply quickly given the emergency hire designation. Mr. Stick noted that interview availability will need to be coordinated among Board members for any lateral transfer applicant.

Motion to approve the new Fire Department hiring process advertisement as described by Chief Mager, including the April 17, 2026 lateral transfer deadline and open-ended general application process until all three positions are filled, made by Ms. Littles; seconded by Mr. Nagy.

Motion carries, 5–0.

Training Report

Training report for March 2026 was included in the Board packet: 562 hours of training across 78 sessions.

Equipment

New Engine 1211 was officially placed in service on the afternoon of April 1, 2026. The engine has responded to numerous calls; pump deployment to date has been limited to minor wash-downs. Chief Mager expressed satisfaction with its performance. No major equipment repairs were reported.

Monthly Activity Report — March 2026

Fire Department statistics for March 2026:

• Total incidents: 228
• EMS calls: 175
• Fire-related calls: 51
• Vehicle accidents: 2

Mr. Kaper noted that lift assist calls continue to be a recurring issue. Chief Mager confirmed this is an ongoing concern. Regarding one specific problematic address, Chief Mager has been in contact with Township Trustee Kevin Toth; the case involving APS (Adult Protective Services) has been closed for the second time.

Lexipol Policy Updates

Chief Mager confirmed there are no Lexipol policy updates for the Fire Department at this time. Legislation affecting Fire Department policies has not yet been incorporated into the Lexipol platform.

Town Council Liaison Report

Chuck Becker

Mr. Becker raised concerns about the new public safety building (police and fire stations) based on observations from a previous on-site visit. Items noted:

• Sleeping Quarters: The fire station has five sleeping rooms; however, one is too small to be functionally usable, leaving effectively four. The mattresses in the sleeping quarters were described as extremely firm — comparable to a jail cell mattress. Mr. Becker noted this would need to be addressed before staff could reasonably use those quarters. Mr. Villalobos asked whether the department is planning to move operations to the new station; Mr. Becker indicated not anytime soon, given that over 60% of Fire Department calls originate from the west side of Cedar Lake (west of Cline Avenue, which serves as the general east-west dividing line for the town). Mr. Villalobos acknowledged that the mattress issue is therefore not an immediate concern, though Mr. Becker noted it should be addressed before any future transition.
• Apparatus Bay — No Water Fill Station: Mr. Becker reported that no water fill station was installed in the apparatus bay of the new fire station, meaning the fire engine cannot be filled with water at that location and would need to return to the existing station for that purpose. The Board discussed responsibility for this specification gap and whether it could be attributed to the contractor. It was noted that the building is already out of warranty, with siding reportedly failing as well.

Public Comment

Mr. Stick called for public comment three times. No public comment was received.

Executive Session

Mr. Stick announced that an executive session with the Fire Department would be held immediately following adjournment of the regular meeting.

Adjournment

Mr. Stick adjourned the meeting at 6:33 p.m.