Metro East Sun

City of Belleville Police & Fire Committee met Oct. 6

Here are the minutes provided by the committee:

Alderperson Mary Stiehl called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.

Committee Members Present: Bryan Whitaker Carmen Duco Scott Ferguson Johnnie Anthony Kathy Kaiser Phil Elmore Kara Osthoff

Excused: Mary Stiehl

Department Head/Staff: Fire Chief Lougeay Deputy Fire Chief Garnica

Police Chief Eiskant

Guest Alderperson: Kent Randle

Police and Fire Committee Meeting – October 6, 2025

• Meeting called to order on October 6th.

• Roll call: Whitaker, Ferguson, Kaiser, Elmore, Duco, Anthony, Ostoff, and guest Alderperson Randall present.

• Department heads present: Assistant Police Chief Heffernan, Fire Chief Lougeay, and Deputy Chief Garnica.

Public Participation and Approval of Minutes

• No public participation.

• Alderperson Elmore made a motion second by Alderperson Kaiser to approve the minutes of the September 2, 2025, meeting.

• All members voted aye.

• Motion carries.

Old Business

• None.

New Business - Fire Department

• Fleet situation: Refurbished vehicle returned after 1005 days with deficiencies.

○ Vehicle to be tested and potentially put back in service.

• Truck committee designing a new truck. Price increased (10% increase a handful of times a year).

• Staffing: Two candidates for interviews with the Fire and Police Commission next week.

○ Two members graduating from Fire Academy at the end of the month, returning in the first week in November.

• Contract for Vector Solutions Premium Software renewal for $1,552.29.

○ Fire Chief Lougeay: This is where we track all our training and vehicle maintenance and all that stuff.

○ Alderperson Elmore made a motion second by Alderperson Ferguson to approve the Vector Solutions renewal.

○ All members voted aye.

○ Motion carried.

Police Department Update

• Police Chief Heffernan:

• Crime statistics are trending positively:

○ Crimes against Persons are down 4.1%.

○ Crimes against Property are down 29.53%.

○ Crimes against Society are down 15.87%.

• There has been an increase in criminal activity in the Memorial Drive area.

○ The police are working with Illinois State Police to manage juveniles in the area.

○ One of the juveniles from that neighborhood brought a gun to Belleville West.

○ Police have engaged with parents in the neighborhood.

• A community member reported rumors and scare tactics in the neighborhood, with people considering moving.

• The police department has been actively engaged in the area to address these concerns.

School Gun Incidents

• One gun was recovered at Belleville West, and the student lived in the Memorial Drive area.

• Another gun incident occurred at Belleville East a week later, but that student was not a Belleville resident.

• Early indications suggest positive results from engaging with the parents.

New Recruit Testing

• Eligibility testing was held, with twenty-seven candidates currently in the process.

• Candidates who pass the written test will proceed to oral interviews with the Police and Fire Commission.

• The goal is to have background investigations completed and candidates from this list in the Academy in January.

Upcoming Events

• Chili Cook-Off is coming up.

• Oktoberfest was very successful.

Octoberfest Feedback and Chili Cook Off

• Positive feedback from citizens, vendors, and committee members about Octoberfest.

• Hoping for similar success with the Chili Cook-Off, using similar measures.

• There will be a Belleville East football game on Friday night, and personnel will shift from Octoberfest to Carlyle Avenue to monitor businesses after the game.

• Some youngsters with backpacks were escorted out of Octoberfest with no incidents.

Requests for Children's Activities

• Numerous requests for more activities for young children.

• Rides were removed due to past issues, and Tribouts no longer handles the carnival.

• The committee is working on adding activities for kids next year.

Carlyle Avenue Parking Concerns

• Concern about parking on Carlyle Avenue during football games.

• A few years ago, Chief Eiskant didn't see it as a problem, but parking has increased.

• Parking on the shoulder from Sherman to West Boulevard was "solid."

• Question of whether to allow parking on the shoulder or address it, with concerns about accidents.

Potential Solutions

• No changes are planned for parking this season, but it may be discussed for next season.

• Research and discussion with the school district are needed.

• Schnucks has restricted their parking lot, which used to hold several hundred cars.

• District 201's policy of only accepting students from the schools that are playing is beneficial in preventing problems.

General

• Octoberfest was done exceptionally well by the committee, City, Police, and First Responders.

• Positive media perception, including the policy of charging parents if their kids created problems.

Chili Cook-Off

• Question of whether the same effort is needed for Chili Cook-Off as was done for Oktoberfest.

• Similar messaging will be put out on social media as was done for Oktoberfest.

• The no bag policy is still in place, with signage at major entrances.

• Messaging and PR surrounding the bag policy was great, taking a hard line to prevent issues.

Social Media Messaging

• Messaging will continue to be put out on social media later this week, similar to the Oktoberfest effort.

Intergovernmental Agreement

• An Intergovernmental Agreement allows access to the Housing Authorities' video surveillance to investigate crime on or near their property.

• Alderperson Whitaker made a motion second by Alderperson Ferguson to approve the Intergovernmental Agreement as presented.

• All members voted aye.

• Motion carried.

Adjournment

• Alderperson Elmore made a motion second by Alderperson Ferguson to adjourn at 6:17pm.

• All members voted aye.

• Motion carried.

https://www.belleville.net/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11032025-3609