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Regular City Council Meeting <br /> Monday,January 13, 2014 <br /> Page 6 <br /> Public Comment <br /> Roger Hess, 1930 Shady Beach Avenue <br /> Regarding the squad car crash, Mr. Hess requested that the public be made aware <br /> of a description of what happened to avoid people jumping to conclusions; and <br /> whether or not the City had been reimbursed from the other driver's or City insur- <br /> ance; or if taxpayers were required to pay for it. When something like this hap- <br /> pens, Mr. Hess requested that the public and taxpayers be provided with more de- <br /> tailed information. <br /> Regarding replacement of vehicles of squads at 75,000, Mr. Hess noted his obser- <br /> vations that some officers monitored traffic from the side of the road, while others <br /> appeared to drive constantly all night long until they found someone to pull over. <br /> Mr. Hess opined that this obviously created more wear and tear for vehicles; and <br /> questioned if the Police Department had a preferred way for their officers, or if <br /> there was a way to make squads last longer. <br /> Regarding the Fire Chief Vehicle on the list for replacement, Mr. Hess questioned <br /> the type of vehicle being purchased, and whether it was the smallest, most fuel ef- <br /> ficient vehicle possible that would still do the job. <br /> At the request of Mayor Roe, Chief Mathwig responded to Mr. Hess regarding <br /> Police Department practices and additional information. <br /> Chief Mathwig advised that reimbursement for squad accidents would typically <br /> and eventually be reimbursed by either the other party's insurance or under the <br /> City's League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust (LMCIT) deductible. Without <br /> being able to get into details of the accident due to data privacy restrictions, Chief <br /> Mathwig advised that the person hitting the squad was found at fault, and unfor- <br /> tunately had no insurance. While not able to clearly identify the process from a <br /> financial or risk management perspective that were outside his knowledge, Chief <br /> Mathwig advised that funds would probably come from the Risk Management <br /> Fund held by the City for cases such as this; with the other party required to pay <br /> damages by typical Minnesota no-fault rules. However, since the party did not <br /> have insurance, a more prevalent situation than may be evident, Chief Mathwig <br /> advised that he was unable at this time to provide any further information on the <br /> subsequent outcome. <br /> Mayor Roe asked that Chief Mathwig provide information to the City Council and <br /> public on the Police Department's practice for patrolling and other uses typical for <br /> emergency squads. <br /> Regarding the Fire Department command vehicle proposed for replacement, Mr. <br /> Trudgeon advised that the vehicle would be a Suburban-type vehicle able to carry <br />