Berwyn Talk Forum

At the ABC candidates forum, District 98 board member Brian Swade provided some interesting information about District 98:

+ District 98 has had the highest growth in PARCC test scores (the state's testing) between 2015 to 2018 than any of the surrounding districts, including Oak Park.

+ The PARCC English Language Arts (ELA) scores in D98 over the last 2 years forhte meets/exceeds percentage is ABOVE the state's average.  D98 had 42% of its students meet or exceed the state's expectations while the state average is 37%.

+ Lincoln Middle School was recognized by the state as an "exemplary" school (a designation given to only 10% of the schools in the state)

+ Since 2009, the district's fund balances have INCREASED from $22.1 million to $50.3 million.

+ The district remains debt free.

+ The district maintains a balanced budget.

On April 2, 2019, voters will be going to the polls to vote on candidates for the school boards and park district boards. Early voting begins on March 18.

Here is a synopsis of two candidates who are running for the Morton High School district 201 based on presentations they made at the All Berwyn Committee candidates forum.

Edwin Robles:

Edwin Robles is a 2014 graduate of Morton East. He is 23 years old and a graduate of Univerisity of Illinois Springfield.

His mother is a Mexican immigrant who was pregnant with him when she came to this country. He was born in Chicago and raised in Cicero. He was part of the debate club at Morton East.

As a recent graduate, he believes the grading system works against the students and is geared toward achieving a higher graduation rate rather than educating the student.

He took a core course in his senior year rather than an AP course and stated that the core courses were not challenging the students. He was an active member in PASS (Parents Against Sinking Standards).

He said the current administration is not transparent and he wants more transparency and less "crony politics".

He also wants to start up an active alumni association.

Esteban Rodriguez:

He is running for the D201 board with Esteban Rodriguez, a 2006 graduate of Morton East. Mr. Rodriguez was part of a program in 2011/2012 that reduced teen pregnancy by 60% in the district. He has a bachelors degree in psychology and a masters in business administration. He is a life long Cicero resident.

Robles and Rodriguez are running against 3 incumbents who are backed by the Larry Dominick's Cicero Voters Alliance. Their petitions were challenged but they were able to stay on the ballot.


Also running for the District 201 board are Jeffrey Pesek, Mark Kraft and Lido Manetti.  All three are incumbents and are supported by Larry Dominick and the Cicero Voters Alliance. None of the incumbents appeared at the candidates forum.

Thanks, Ted, for the comprehensive and detailed report on the upcoming District 100 school board election, its issues, the candidates and their positions.

Vote on April 2, 2019!!

On April 2, 2019, voters in Berwyn will be voting to elect candidates to school boards and park district boards. This is a summary of the election for the South Berwyn District 100 school board.  There are 9 candidates on the ballot for 4 seats on the District 100 school board.

SYNOPSIS:

In the D100 election, there are two slates running as well as Chanda Szczeblowski.

This biggest issue facing the candidates is their position on the large property tax increase that occurred last year and how it should have been addressed last year and in future years.  The property tax increase occurred because of a referendum that was passed in 2017 that expected a $2.2 million dollar increase in revenue but actually resulted in a much larger tax increase because of a property value reassessment done in Berwyn and changes in the state's exemption laws.  The D100 property tax operational levy increased from $13.5 million to $19.6 million, causing an overage of $3.2 million dollars from what the levy would have been had the $2.2 million dollar number from the referendum had been met.  The questions facing the current board (as well as its actions) and what future boards will face are as follows:

1. Rebate current year overage to tax payer via abatement – One issue facing the current board was whether to rebate money from the current year overage of $3.2 million dollars back to the tax payer or whether to keep that money and use the excess money for education programs and teacher salaries. Some candidates running for office supported the abatement back to the tax payers. Other candidates supported keeping the excess money and using it for education programs and teacher salaries. In November the current board voted to rebate $2.1 million dollars back to the tax payer, based on actual taxes collected.

2. Underlevy and future year taxes – Another issue facing the board was how to handle future year taxes.  There were 3 options available to the board – One option was to lower the levy, which would in turn lower the tax rate. This was called the "underlevy" option.  The second option was to keep the levy and tax rate at its current level (increased each year by the cost of living) and use the extra money to decrease the district's debt payment.  This was the "levy with future debt abatement" option.  This option was not a permanent option in that future school boards could decide to not abate, which would cause the taxes to skyrocket back up to last year's tax level, increased by the cost of living each year. The third option was to keep the taxes at the current year's level permanently and use the extra money for education programs and teacher salaries.  This option was referred to as the "full levy" option. The board voted in December for the "underlevy" option, which lowered the levy from $19.6 million to a certified levy of $17.5 million and which also lowered the tax rate for future years.

3. "Lookback" – The current board voted in December to permanently lower the tax levy and lower the tax rate. However, the state of Illinois has a provision called "lookback" which would allow a future school board to nullify the board's decision in December to lower the levy and tax rate and revert back to this year's tax levy of $19.6 million, which in turn raises the tax rate. The "lookback" option is available for the next 3 years.

Here is a summary of the candidates and their position on the tax issues:

1 Comm-unity for bsd100
One slate of candidates is the Comm-unity for bsd100 slate, which consists of Laurence Disch, Elizabeth O. Jiménez, Desiree V. Robles, and Katherine "Kate" Zeitvogel.

Their positions on the tax issues are as follows:

+ Abatement – The Comm-unity slate supported the abatement of $2.1 million dollars for the current year back to the tax payer. Board member Elizabeth Jimenez voted in favor of the abatement.

+ Underlevy – The Comm-unity slate supported the under levy to lower the tax levy and lower the tax rate. Board member Elizabeth Jimenez voted in favor of the underlevy.

+ Lookback – The Comm-unity slate are opposed to the lookback and opposed to reverting property taxes to the current year's high tax level.

The Comm-unity slate has stated that the trust the community has in the board was breached by the tax situation and they want to repair the breach of trust between the district and the community.

2 Chanda Szczeblowski

Chanda Szczeblowski is a current board member who is running for re-election. Ms. Szczeblowski's positions and votes on the tax issues are as follows:

+ Abatement – Ms. Szczeblowski voted for the abatement of $2.1 million dollars for the current year back to the tax payer.

+ Underlevy – Ms. Szczeblowski voted against the under levy to lower the tax levy and lower the tax rate. She voted for the option to keep the levy and taxes at its current level and use the extra money to reduce the debt payment.

+ Lookback – Ms. Szczeblowski has stated she is opposed to the lookback.

3 Sobe Moms

Another slate is the Sobe Moms, which consists of Andrea Dressel, Amber Dawn and Sarah Lopez. Their positions on the tax issues are as follows:

+ Abatement – The Sobe moms opposed the abatement of $2.1 million dollars for the current year back to the tax payer.

+ Underlevy – The Sobe moms opposed the under levy to lower the tax levy and lower the tax rate. They supported the option to keep the levy at its current level and use the extra money to reduce the debt payment.

+ Lookback – The Sobe moms have stated that they "will not pursue the lookback."

Last fall, the Sobe Moms advocated against returning any money to the tax payer via a rebate or abatement.  Instead, they advocated for keeping the extra money and using the money for education programs and teacher salaries. In an email to the board on August 29, 2019, Andrea Dressel told the board to "keep the money".  Amber Dawn in an email told the board: "You do not sit on the Board of Tax Relief, you sit on the Board of Education."  Both Ms. Dawn and Ms. Dressel stated in emails in September: "Do not use surplus funds to partially pay the district's debt.  All surplus money should be used for school purposes."

Another candidate who will be on the ballot is Tony Harris, who has stated that he has dropped out of the race. He is urging people to vote for the Comm-unity slate.

ISSUES:
Here are some other issues beyond the tax increase that are affecting the district:

TEACHER RETENTION AND SALARIES – Since 2014, the teacher retention rate in the district has dropped from 84% in 2014 to 78% over the last 3 years. The state average retention rate is 85% The average teacher salary in the district is $54,000, which is much lower than the state average of $65,000.  As a point of comparison, North Berwyn District 98 has had a retention rate of 83% to 92% over the last 5 years, generally equaling the state's retention rate. The average teacher salary in District 98 is $63,000, which is $9,000 more than the average in District 100. In Lyons/Stickney District 103, the retention rate has been 88% to 92% over the last 5 years, compared to the state's retention rate of 85%.  The average teacher salary in District 103 is $56,000. District 103 has had a much higher retention rate than District 100 even though the salary levels are similar.

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT – Academic achievement on PARCC tests in District 100 have lagged the state average. In Math, only 22% of the district's students meets or exceeds and in English Language Arts (ELA) only 25% meets or exceeds.  The state average is that 32% meet or exceed in Math and 37% meet or exceed in ELA. As a point of comparison, in north Berwyn District 98, 41% meet or exceed in ELA (above the state average of 37%) and 26% meet/exceed in Math. In Lyons/Stickney District 103, 26% meet/exceed in ELA and 18% meet/exceed in Math.

FINANCE AND DEBT:
Because of a cutback is state funding and a change in the funding formula 5 years ago, the district experienced large deficits and an increase in its debt to cover expenses. That led citizens to put forward the referendum in 2017 to increase property taxes. In addition, the state has changed its formula for state funding.  The additional funding from the state and from the referendum has now brought in an additional $4 million dollars to alleviate the financial problems the district was experiencing.

According to the 2018 audit report, last year the district had revenue of $69 million dollars and expenses of $59 million dollars.  In 2018, the district had a prior period adjustment of $23 million due to a change in the way pensions are accounted for. That resulted in a decrease in the district's net position of $11 million dollars. The district's fund balances increased from $17.7 million to $28 million with revenues exceeding expenses by $9.4 million dollars in the general fund. The general fund ended the year with a balance of $21 million dollars.

The district's long term debt in 2018 was $65 million dollars, an increase from the 2017 debt, which was $47 million dollars. Of the total debt of $65 million dollars, $35 million were for general obligation bonds.   FYI, this year the state is changing the way pensions are accounted for and are pushing the liability for pensions as an accounting on the books of individual school districts (GASB 75), even though the state of Illinois is responsible for collecting and paying into most of the money into the teacher's pension fund.

EXPIRATION OF DEPOT DISTRICT TIF: 
  Another issue in this election will be the expiration of the Depot District Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district. The Depot District TIF was formed in 1997 to enhance businesses in the area along the Metra tracks. When the TIF district was formed in 1997, the Equalized Assessed Value (EAV) of the properties in the TIF was $18.2 million. Over the 20 years the TIF has existed, the EAV has increased to $24.9 million. District 100 gets the property taxes generated from the $18.2 million and the TIF gets the property taxes generated from the incremental increase in the EAV of $6.7 million.
 
  Last year, the TIF received $1.119 million in property tax revenue.  Over the life of the TIF, the TIF district will receive $19.313 million dollars.  The TIF will expire in 2020.  The city of Berwyn is asking for an extension of the TIF district for another 12 years. To extend the TIF, the city needs to get approval from all taxing bodies in the TIF.  If the TIF were extended, it is estimated that it would collect an additional $13.990 million in revenue from 2021 to 2032.  If the TIF expires, then District 100 will start collecting the property taxes that are now going into the TIF district. In the first year after the expiration, D100 would collect an additional $387,000.  If the TIF is extended, then District 100 would stand to lose an estimated $4.8 million dollars over the additional 12 years of the extension.

  The city wants to extend the TIF district because it believes the Great Recession caused the district to lose momentum in building up the district.  The vision for the TIF over the extension period would be to turn the TIF into an Arts District, including retrofitting the Berwyn Bank Building to be an "arts loft", redeveloping the lots where O'Brien's cleaners is located and redeveloping the lots where the Comcast building was at and which there were once plans for a charter school for. The other issue involving the TIF is the parking garage in the Depot District and the money to pay the debt off for building the garage.
 
  The BDC Director also stated that money from the TIF would be used for infrastructure projects such as sewers and water lines.

   The D100 board needs to decide on whether or not to approve the extension of the TIF.  The board will have 3 options – either explicitly approve the TIF extension or explicitly vote to not support the extension of the TIF or do nothing.  If the board does nothing, the TIF expires.  The board will need to decide whether it wants to forgo $4.8 million dollars over the next 12 years.

Board members Chanda Szczeblowski and Elizabeth Jimenez have stated they are undecided on the TIF extension.  Kate Zeitvogel spoke at a Committee of the Whole meeting where she advocated for ending the TIF district.  Larry Disch has also advocated for ending the TIF district.

THE CANDIDATES:

Comm-unity for bsd100 slate

The Comm-unity for bsd100 slate is a slate of candidates that formed to provide voters a set of candidates who supported the tax relief measures implemented by the school board last year. These candidates decided to circulate petitions and run for office when it became apparent that no candidates were running that supported tax relief measures and that there was another set of candidates (the SoBo Moms slate) that had advocated for no tax relief at all and who had advocated for keeping the excess tax dollars that resulted from the property tax overage last year.

The Comm-unity for bsd100 slate states in their literature that they want to "respect home owners by honoring the intent of the referendum as embodied in the underlevy to reduce taxes and restore fairness", "repair the breach of trust between the district and the community that occurred during the last referendum" and "ensure district financial accountability".

  1 Elizabeth Jimenez – Ms. Jimenez is a current district 100 board member who is seeking re-election.  She is a 20 year resident of Berwyn. She has worked in District 100 starting as a teaching assistant and went to school to get a degree to become a teacher. She became involved in the District 100 schools by getting involved in the PTA when her son entered kindergarten. Ms. Jimenez believes she is uniquely qualified to be on the board because she has experienced different aspects of District 100 – as a parent whose children went to D100 schools, as an educator and as a one time employee of the school district. She is involved in the All Berwyn Committee and was involved in passing the referendum in 2017. She wants to improve teacher retention and be an advocate for parents.  As a board member, she voted for the abatement to return money back to the tax payer and voted for lowering the tax levy and the tax rate. She is opposed to reverting the tax levy to last year's high level. She is undecided on whether to extend the Depot District TIF.

2 Laurence Disch – Mr. Disch is a co-parent to his 10 year old grandson and has had two generations of his family go to schools in District 100. He is concerned about the community tensions that resulted from the large tax increase last year. He supported the return of tax payer via an abatement and the lowering of the levy for next year, believing that "what's right is right" and that the promises and statements made during the referendum should be adhered to. He believes the intent of the referendum should be adhered to. He supports the underlevy that the board approved in December. He has stated that he is opposed to extending the Depot District TIF for another 12 years. He has stated that he is not blind to the fact that the district has significant problems. He wants to address teacher retention and better ways to improve student performance.  He wants to reduce the reliance on the "one-on-one" learning technology that the district implemented and find out whether it is really working. He also wants the district to develop a long term strategy for the district's financial health. Mr Disch works in the mental health field and wants to improve the social well-being of the children in the district. He believes that his best assets are the ability to examine a situation and assess a situation in totality.

3 Katherine "Kate" Zeitvogel – Ms. Zeitvogel grew up in New Hampshire and moved to Michigan when she was 12. She has been involved in Dance and Theatre throughout her life. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan. She has been involved in the arts as a career in Chicago.  She moved to Berwyn 3 years ago and loves the multi-culturalism of Berwyn. She has attended school board meetings and city council meetings since moving here. She has stated she wants to honor the intent of the referendum and supported the lowering of the tax levy and the return of money to the tax payer via abatement. She has spoken out against extending the Depot District TIF for another 12 years. She wants to advocate for ensuring emotional support for all students, stating that she was bullied as a youngster. She says her best asset is her critical thinking ability and that she is not afraid to challenge the status quo.

4 Desiree Robles – Ms. Robles is a military wife and mother of two daughters in the D100 school system. She has a diverse ethnic heritage. She was born in Pilsen and raised in Cicero. She has lived in Berwyn for 9 years. She works in the nursing field. She says her daughters would describe her as fierce, strong, direct and opinionated. She worked for the referendum in 2017 and worked to prevent the closing of schools when the merger of schools in central Berwyn was being discussed by the district. She wants to be an advocate for those without a voice – families and parents who are afraid to ask questions because of their cultural background or immigrant status. She want to support DACA children in the schools and give them an advocate on the board.

Chanda Szczeblowski

Chanda Szczeblowski is a current board member who is running for re-election. Ms. Szczeblowski is a 15 year resident of Berwyn who has been involved in District 100 for 14 years. She has been a graphic designer for 20 years and has two children in the District 100 school system. She was appointed to a vacancy on the board in 2017 and is running for re-election.

Ms. Szczeblowski was the driving force behind the citizen initiated referendum in 2017, believing that the district would pass a referendum if the money requested was smaller than the amount requested in the 2014 referendum. In 2014, she advocated and worked for a referendum that would have increased taxes in Berwyn by 20% and would have increased property taxes in District 100 by over 60%.  That experience made her believe that another referendum requesting a smaller amount could be supported by the voters. She has been involved in several advisory committees (gifted education, technology, budget, and referendum) and has been a member of the PTA and Berwyn CARES for 14 years. She believes in transparency and organized one-on-one sessions where school board members can sit down and have direct discussions with residents. She organized the school supply give back program and lobbied in Springfield against a bill that would have changed the referendum results and for a bill that would change the language of referenda to be based on the dollar amount requested in the referendum rather than a tax rate.

Ms. Szczeblowski believes the key issue the district faces is teacher retention. She supports the district's diverse student body and wants to close opportunity gaps. As a board member she voted to return $2.1 million dollars from the overage back to the tax payer. She voted against the underlevy that reduced the tax levy and tax rate and voted for the option to levy at the current tax level and use the extra money to abate future debt. She wanted to keep the tax level at its current level in case of a future emergency or if the state decided to cut back funding. She is opposed to "look back" option that would revert the taxes to last year's high levels and states she will abide by the levy and tax rate set by the board in December.  She is undecided on the issue of whether to extend the depot district TIF.

Sobe Moms

The Sobe Moms slate is a slate of candidates who advocated for keeping the excess money from the tax overage and using it for teacher salaries and education programs. Last fall, they lobbied against the abatement that rebated money back to the tax payer.  They also lobbied against the underlevy that the board approved in December, which lowered the tax levy and lowered the tax rate. Their literature states that they want to "develop a strategic plan for the district's future", "protect and allocate the districts resources responsibly", "enhance student development through experience based learning by creating public/private partnerships at no cost to tax payers" and "improve community relations through communication and greater transparency".

1 Andrea Dressel – Ms. Dressel has lived in Berwyn since 2012. She has a child in pre-school. She has a B.S. in Accounting and Finance and works as a real estate agent for Baird and Warner. She grew up in Toledo and saw her community decline. Her parents moved so that she could get a better education. The Toledo schools she went to have been shut down. She organized the Proksa Park neighbors group and was involved in the referendum in 2014 which would have raised taxes by 20%.  She was also involved in the 2017 referendum that passed. She supports more public/private partnerships, performance benchmarks, seeking out new sources of revenue such as grants and wants fiscal responsibility. She says she wants more transparency and more communication with the Spanish speaking population.

Last fall, Ms. Dressel advocated for keeping the surplus and using it for education programs and teacher salaries. In an email to the board in September, Ms. Dressel stated: "Do not use surplus funds to partially pay the district's debt.  All surplus money should be used for school purposes." In emails to the board she told the board to "Keep the money" and "Keep every penny". Ms. Dressel also lobbied against the board's decision in December to lower the tax levy and lower the tax rate. She says she supported the agenda item to keep the tax levy at its current level and use the extra money to reduce the debt payment for this year.  As a candidate for office, Ms. Dressel is now telling voters she has changed her position on taxes since last fall and agrees with the tax relief measures that the board approved. She states that she will not pursue the lookback that could be used to bring taxes back up to their current levels.

2 Amber Dawn - Ms. Dawn has lived in Berwyn since 2011. She has a child at Piper and has been involved in the Piper PTO. She grew up in Seattle as the child of a single mother. She left high school early but came back to get her high school degree. She has a degree in zoology from the University of Washington and is involved with the Shedd Aquarium. She was the driving force behind the Piper playground rebuild and is involved in creating the new Sobe Education Foundation. She states that teacher turnover rate is unacceptable and says that teacher salaries are falling. She says she is committed to protecting the district's resources and managing the district in a financially responsible manner. She stated that she wanted people on the board who value education.

Last fall, Ms. Dawn advocated for keeping the surplus and using it for education programs and teacher salaries. In an email to the board, Ms. Dawn stated: ""You do not sit on the Board of Tax Relief, you sit on the Board of Education."   She also sent the same email to the board as Ms. Dressel which stated:  "Do not use surplus funds to partially pay the district's debt.  All surplus money should be used for school purposes."  As a candidate, Ms. Dawn is now telling voters she will adhere to the intent of the referendum and will not pursue the lookback option that would nullify the board's decision in December to reduce the tax levy and tax rate.

3 Sarah Lopez - Ms. Lopez is a life long Berwyn resident who attended Pershing elementary school and Morton West High School. She attended Morton College and studied nursing. She has 3 children attending District 100 schools. She is involved in the Piper PTO and the playground committee. She says she wants to use the district's resources responsibly and supports more public/private partnerships. She points out that she "did not raise your taxes".  She is invested in the schools and believes strong schools equal a strong community. She states that she will not pursue the lookback option that would nullify the board's decision in December to reduce the tax levy and tax rate.

Anthony Harris
Also on the ballot is Anthony Harris.  Mr. Harris has dropped out of the race and is urging voters to vote for the Comm-unity for bsd100 slate.

Thanks, Ted, for posting all of the information, some of which is quite disturbing.

Here are some links to a public Facebook page about the Police Department Audit that was released in December 2018:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/berwynconnect/permalink/1190124351153031/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/berwynconnect/permalink/1214585988706867/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/berwynconnect/permalink/1193126780852788/



BERWYN POLICE AUDIT

The audit of the Berwyn Police Department by Chicago-based Hillard Heintz states that while the "citizen safety is not an issue," morale – closely tied to "labor management relations" is. The report also identifies data accounting and transparency within the department – the latter specifically in regards to discipline, crime data collection, internal investigations and promotions - as areas facing "challenges."

As it was discussed at a public meeting, the audit is legally a public document.

HH Vice President for Law Enforcement Consulting Robert Boehmer and Chief Legal Counsel Debra Kirby addressed the Dec. 26 Committee of the Whole meeting. Boehmer noted that the audit included more than 100 hours of interviews with the police chief, command staff, officers and civilian staff, the City Council, Fire and Police Commissioners and city officials. They conducted on-site reviews and did ride-alongs as well as collected and analyzed Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) data.

"At almost every interview I had, and I did most of them, morale and labor management practices came up," Boehmer said. "What I consistently heard without and within the department: The Berwyn PD responds quickly. They are there when you need them. Officers say the same about their coworkers. No matter what they feel about the culture and morale, they are going to be there when you need them to help.

"But something that stood out clearly," Boehmer added. "Labor management practices impact morale and efficiency."

Boehmer and Kirby said they would return in "mid January" to address staffing issues in the BPD. They were unable to address staffing in the 72-page "final draft" of the audit presented Dec. 26 because they were unable to find the data to effectively do so, Kirby said. "We were unable to clarify the difference between a sergeant and a lieutenant, for example," she said.

The following are points made at the Dec. 26 COW and in the audit. Note: The following is not a synopsis of the entire audit. It deals with a portion of the document discussed Dec. 26, primarily related to two of the report's six "key findings":
- Key Finding No. 4: "A challenging management labor environment contributes to significant morale issues."
- Key Finding No. 6: "The Department needs to establish formal communication strategy for both internal and external audiences."

Data collection and recommendations for "data-driven policing," which were also stressed at the meeting, is a separate post. The audit also contains numerous recommendations, which Kirby deemed "tough hitting" at the council's committee meeting.

AUDIT:

"A challenging management labor environment contributes to significant morale issues."

"We have conducted dozens of police assessments. The management labor relations at the BPD are among the more challenging we have observed.

"In the BPD, it is particularly challenging as individuals in supervisory and command roles tasked with the daily direction of officers are also elected union representatives.

"In the BPD, these same supervisors also file and negotiate grievances on behalf of officers that challenge those policies." (43)

"Productive, ongoing management and labor engagement, mediated by a neutral third party if necessary, is required to move the agency forward.

"The significant divisiveness between the collective bargaining agent and management negatively impacts management's ability to help advance the department.

"It also leaves officers, who legally rely upon the collective bargaining agent to represent their interests, in a poor position if their issues cannot be appropriately resolved." (43)

"We observed the impact of lack of timely resolution as it relates to the grievances filed by the collective bargaining agent. Relatively few formal grievances of record exist. Most relate to promotions and management decisions on appointments to positions.

"The positive takeaway from this fact is that is that management appears to administer the collective bargaining effectively as very few of the grievances are about day-to-day operations. The negative takeaway is that grievances tend to languish without resolution." (43)

"While some of the grievances we reviewed are several years old, the issues and controversies attached to them continue." (44)

"Failure to resolve grievances in a timely manner is not conducive to effective and efficient law enforcement operations nor to good employee management relations." (44)

"Communication on the resolution of grievances is limited, thereby leaving some officers to assume outcomes or determine that nothing occurred. " (44)

"As previously noted, many of the grievances indicate one level of resolution, but these agreements have yet to be formally agreed to and put into effect. It is not clear if this is due to the attorneys involved or their city counterparts." (44)

"The grievance records are incomplete. This may be because information rests with the attorneys who negotiate or try the grievances. However, several grievances we reviewed indicated they were resolved, but they have not been closed or the final steps to resolution have not been documented. This presents a challenge for the BPD as interpretation of the collective bargaining agreement is filtered through past policies, including grievance and arbitration decisions. (44)

"We noted that a supervisor filed a significant percentage of the grievances, which is unusual in law enforcement. (I)t should be noted that having a leader on the watch file grievances creates a challenge for command and leadership on the watch." (45)

"There is no dispute that the collective bargaining agent has the right to file grievances. However, having a leader on the watch file grievances on behalf of the unit presents a conflicting message to officers, as it might blur the leadership and union roles during the day-to-day operations of a shift." (44)

KIRBY:
"There are a lot of opportunities for advancement in the organization, but it is unclear how advancement happens. It is not clear how people are promoted. Appointments to specialty positions are not subject to a formal process, as they occur at the discretion of the chief."

AUDIT:

"Throughout the interview process, officers expressed their belief that promotions to specialty assignments are based on factors other than merit. Many claimed such appointments are political. This belied raises speculations about appointee' qualifications, which negatively effects morale." (48)

"Appointments to specialty positions are not subject to a formal process, as they occur at the discretion of the Chief. Transparency is limited regarding the process and the factors that contribute to appointments." (47)

KIRBY:
"No clear protocol exists on how inquiries and informal complaints are conducted and reviewed.
No performance evaluations have occurred since 2015. "

AUDIT:

"No clear protocol exists on how inquiries and informal complaints are conducted and reviewed." (45)

"Officers indicated that performance reviews have not been conducted since 2015." (46)

"Many Berwyn PD officers believe discipline is applied inconsistently." (45)

"The BPD does not routinely communicate its standards and expectations for officer behavior internally or externally." (45)

"No single comprehensive record for internal discipline records exists." (45)

"Since the current chief has been appointed, no internal investigation has been initiated. As a result, we were unable to assess how such an approach might impact transparency and consistency in an internal investigation. " (45)

"The BPD does not receive many formal complaints against its officers.

"Informal complaints and inquiries are...not readily accessible or consistently reviewed.

"Since the current chief has been in place, no formal complaints have been lodged." (45)

"The BPD does not have a disciplinary matrix or a range of allowable penalties based on the actions of an officer.

"While officers have opinions, they are not all informed by facts given the less than transparent nature of internal investigations." (45)

"The BPD made available its files for review, and members of the BPD acknowledged that some records appear to be missing." (46)


COUNCIL QUESTIONS

After the COW presentation, Ald. Jeanine Reardon (3rd) asked about a reference to "use of force." HH reps replied that the policies for use of force were well articulated and followed by members of the BPD, but that such policies were not always clear and/or followed by members of the auxiliary police.

Ald. Jose Ramirez (2nd) asked how recommendations will be implemented and improvement assessed. That process, HH reps said, falls to the city government and the police department.

AUDIT

"The Auxiliary Police Officers are armed, compensated volunteers with limited police powers as they do not have powers of arrest.

"We observed that not all patrol officers understood the function of the Auxiliary." (68)
After the COW presentation, Kirby noted that the audit does not make recommendations about specific cases, such as the sexual harassment lawsuit filed last year against Deputy Chief Joseph Drury. That lawsuit was settled earlier last year for about $135,000. Subsequently, the city's committee on Sexual Harassment presented a list of recommendations including an updated sexual harassment policy to the City Council in October 2018. The recommendations were referred to the City Attorney for review. There is no public record of any such review or further follow-up.



HERE ARE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS CONTAINED IN THE AUDIT OF THE BERWYN POLICE DEPARTMENT

The audit of Berwyn's police department (see posts from January 3, 5 and 7 for additional info) contains numerous recommendations from Chicago-based public safety specialists Hillard-Heintze. This post is about some of these recommendations, primarily those dealing with:

- The department's recording, retrieval and use of information and data
- The Department's communication policies (per the audit, page 54: "minimal ongoing communication regarding what is happening in the organization makes Berwyn notable.")
- The lack of a formal policy outlining the use deadly force use by the Auxiliary Police*
- The BPD's mission statement, which – per the Audit - differs depending on where you're reading it.
- Criminal investigations

Call city hall or your alderperson if you want a copy of the 72-page report. This post is by no means a synopsis of the entire thing. (See table of contents in screenshots.)

Auditors from Hilliard Heintze spoke to the city council Tuesday, Dec. 26. Their presentation did not address staffing. In a memo issued just under 90 minutes before HIllard Heintz began their Dec. 26 presentation, Chief Michael D. Cimaglia said there would be a "slight delay in the Staff Study" due to "some complications regarding the capabilities of recovering the necessary information" as well as with with the department's Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) report and Capers (case management) systems.

Hilliard Heintze told council members Dec. 26 that they'd be back in "mid-January" to address their findings about staffing at the police department. Hilliard Heintze did not publicly address the council in January. There have been no public updates on the audit's completion.

HH reps stressed Dec. 26 that citizen safety is not impacted by the issues the audit brings up. The audit addresses that as follows (all page 54, see screenshot for full text):

"While officers are committed to improving the department and serving the residents of Berwyn, issues related to poor communications and organizational structure continued to surface in our discussions."

"BPD members expressed strong perceptions of favoritism in promotions and other personnel decisions, which negatively impact morale."

"Officers reported that they policed with a professional approach and that they support each other when a crisis occurs to ensure their own safety and the safety of the residents of Berwyn. However they stated they had little direction and true support to perform the tough work required of them. "

"Most of the issues are centered on communication. We noted discord between management and unit officers in our discussions with department members.

"While this exists to some extent in all police departments, the minimal ongoing communication regarding what is happening in the organization makes Berwyn notable."


RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS:

"Ensure that the Criminal Investigations Unit focuses on using the case assignment criteria outlined in "Department policy." (23)

"Ensure case progression in a timely manner based upon management review of data and engagement. Establish general guidelines for case completion and mandate routine reporting of progress." (23)

Currently: "Detectives reported that they are assigned to investigate cases that have limited probability of being solved...The detectives believe that this process takes away time from addressing solvable cases. Detectives report that their caseloads can become large and limit their ability to focus on more seriously solvable cases when cases that are not solvable are assigned." (18-19)

RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT AUXILIARY POLICE

"Revise current (Auxiliary Police) policy (232.03) to provide specific guidelines regarding use of force, including deadly force, for auxiliary officers. Establish a formal strategy for the use and deployment of Auxiliary Police. " (31)

"Establish a formal strategy for the use and deployment of the Auxiliary." (31)

Currently:
- Policy (232.03) currently does not specifically reference the use of deadly force and provided limited guidance." (27).
- The Auxiliary Police Contingency consists of 58 employees including 45 officers (27)
- Berwyn Auxiliary Police "have only the same arrest powers as any private citizen." (27)
- "Auxiliary police officers are allowed to carry firearms while on the job." (27).

RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT DATA

- "Hold personnel accountable for failure to collect and enter necessary data accurately, timely or fully." (32)
- "Maintain a historic record of officer activity ensuring that activity by officers who are promoted reflects their star numbers when the activity occurred. "(33)

Currently: "In essence, once someone is promoted, the individual no longer exists in the system at his previous rank. This introduces inaccuracy to the data" (28)

- "Establish a data committee to identify problems (with data), provide training and address deficiencies." (32)

- "Do an annual data audit. Establish data standards for collection, entry and review of data. "(32)

- "Develop a process to regularly extract and analyze data for strategic and tactical purposes "(32)

Currently:
- "The BPD needs to prioritize the integrity of its data and the processes used to help analyze data." (29)
- "Our review of the Information Services Unit and BPD data...revealed that the BPD is still heavily dependent on physical paper, despite available technology." (28)
- "The staffing study revealed some issues that impact the accuracy of the data in CAD/RMS (Computer Aided Dispatch/Records Management System). (28)

RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING THE MISSION STRATEGY/STATEMENT(S) (pages 37, 38)

Come up with a strategic plan that incorporates the recommendations in this audit and that includes:
– A mission statement
- Three to five strategic priorities to focus on over a three-year period.
- Define specific, measurable, achievable realistic time-based objectives that clearly identify what will be done, who is responsible for doing it and when it will be done."
- "As a first step in committing to and engaging a structured strategic planning process to develop
- an overall strategic plan for the BPD, identify an organizational champion for strategic planning to provide overside and direction."
-
Currently:
- "The mission statement provided to officers is not the same as the mission statement that is displayed on the BPD's website." (33)

- "The BPD is missing the opportunity to communicate the department's mission and values clearly and consistently to its personnel and to the community at large." (33)

- "(P)roblem solving projects with the public remain a work in progress." (37)

- "The department should review its strategy and commit to ensuring that the department and its officers use partnerships and problem solving techniques to proactively address conditions that give rise to public safety issues such as crime, social disorder and and fear of crime " (37)

A recap of some of the issues noted in the audit:

- "The mission statement provided to officers is not the same as the mission statement that is displayed on the BPD's website." (P33)

- "In essence, once someone is promoted (within the BPD), the individual no longer exists in the system at his previous rank. This introduces inaccuracy to the data" (28)

- Tracking trends in crime is difficult because the BPD's doesn't fully leverage the technology it has for reporting and tracking crime data. (28, 35)

Everything below is a recap of issues covered in previous posts about this audit.

- "A challenging management labor environment contributes to significant morale issues." (9)
"The Department needs to establish formal communication strategy for both internal and external audiences." (9)

- "Officers reported feeling that they do not understand the path to advancement in the department and that good work and performance does not contribute to their opportunity to advance." (54)

- "Throughout the interview process, officers expressed their belief that promotions to specialty assignments are based on factors other than merit. Many claimed such appointment are political. This belief raises speculations about appointees qualifications, which negatively impacts morale." (48)

- "Officers indicated that there have been no performance reviews since 2015." (46)

- No one interviewed could specify the difference between the duties of a sergeant and a lieutenant. This difference is also not articulated in in any available documents provided by the BPD. (57, 62)

BERWYN has:
Per the 2017 census estimates:
55,550 people
14,258 people per square mile. (p10)

VIOLENT CRIME REPORTED INCIDENTS:
(All on page 10)

2016 - 170 incidents
2017 - 141 incidents

PROPERTY CRIME REPORTED INCIDENTS
2016 – 1,235
2017 – 1,117

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS (reported)
2016 – 73
2017 – 120

ARRESTS
2016 – 1,466
2017- 1,021

CALLS FOR SERVICE BETWEEN 2015 and 2017 (total):
Roughly 220,000

CALLS FOR SERVICE BETWEEN 2015 – 2017 – (patrol officers) - p60 -
Nearly 150,000

Among the patrol officers call for service – all p60 unless otherwise noted:
Premise check: 52,353
Traffic Stop – 15,638
["(T)traffic enforcement and stops at purely discretionary." – p61]
Accident – non-injury – 5,050
Disturbance -3,778
Domestic Disturbance – 2,933
Suspicious vehicles – 2,707
Loud noise complaints -2,580
Check The Well-Being -2,433
Alarm-Residential -2,244

CRIMINAL CASES ASSIGNED FOR INVESTIGATION, 2017 AND THROUGH JULY 24, 2018

2017 TOTAL – 1,618
2018 – 787
(p17)
*AUXILIARY POLICE TOP 10 CALL TYPES 2015 – 2017
Loud noise complaints – 3,008
Traffic assist – 893
Fireworks – 821
Parking complaints – 659
Fight/brawl/riot -380
Disturbance -368
Rowdy Youths -266
Police related activities - 252
Accident – non-injury -219
Suspicious persons -180


Some more info and crime stats from the Hillard Heintz audit of the Berwyn Police Department (see posts from 1/3 and 1/5 for additional info).

"The lack of reliable geocoded location data precluded us from reviewing the spatial dispersion of incidents and calls for service in Berwyn." - p59.

"Berwyn is considered "the most densely populated city in Illinois" according to Governing Magazine." (p10)

Lack of usable data also precluded HH from analyzing staffing in the "final draft" of the audit presented to the city council 12/26. The BPD's "heavy" reliance on paper and its "challenges" involving data collection and usage is addressed throughout the report and in earlier posts on this audit. The following is not a synopsis of the audit. For a full copy, call city hall. As it was discussed at a public meeting, the audit is a public document.

ALSO PER THE AUDIT:

BERWYN has:
Per the 2017 census estimates:
55,550 people
14,258 people per square mile. (p10)

"(T)he public does not fully understand that 80 percent of a police department's responsibilities are related to service rather than response to crime or calls for help." (p60)

Of the sworn personnel, BPD has a supervisory staff including 19 sergeants and six lieutenants. (10)

Command staff include:

The Chief (a sergeant)

Deputy Chief (lieutenant)

Page 13: "While the BPD does not specifically define the role, the Deputy Chief serves as the operational manager of the department and reports directly to the Chief."

HH Chief Legal Counsel Debra Kirby to the city council on 12/26: " "We were unable to clarify the difference between a sergeant and a lieutenant."

[Background on the Deputy Chief Position not in the audit: Mayor Robert Lovero recommended June 9, 2009 that the city council create the position of Deputy Chief and appoint Joseph Drury to that position. Prior to his appointment, Drury had filed eight workman's comp suits against the city and/or the BPD. See 9/1/2018 post for screenshots of those complaints. Drury was paid $150,000 in 2010 for one complaint and just over $183,000 in August, 2017 for another. See screenshots from Aug. 27 and Sept. 1, 2018 posts for settlement figures. Then-Alderwoman Marge Paul was the sole "nay" vote against the creation of the Deputy Chief post and the appointment of Drury to it.

In 2017, Drury was the target of a sexual harassment lawsuit initiated by the Illinois Department of Human Rights after Berwyn's attorneys deemed it "unfounded." See screen shot 9/1/2018 for the city's sole statement on the case. That suit - which alleges Drury made threats of rape against one of the officers he supervised - cost the city just over $195,000 (not including lawyer fees; also, I lowballed it in an earlier post. Sorry.), which was paid to the complainant in August. See Sept. 1, 2018 screenshot for settlement.

The Committee to Elect Robert J. Lovero paid Drury $2,400 in "consulting fees." Drury donated $250 to the Campaign to Elect Robert J. Lovero. See 9/1 screenshot for documentation of those transactions.

I have been unable to document Drury's current status with the department. Perhaps one of our city council members or the PD can do so. See link for sexual lawsuit complaint.]

FROM THE AUDIT

In addition to the patrol officers who statistically make up the bulk of the BPD, there are also:

20 Community Service Offices (p25) who wrote almost 45,000 parking tickets in 2017 and responded to 28,210 calls for service between 2015 and 2017 (p26.) Scroll down for Top 10 CSO call
breakdown. Page 68 puts the CSO numbers a "18 full time CSOs and one part time CSO."

58 employees in the Auxiliary Police. Berwyn Auxiliary Police have only the same arrest powers as any private citizen (27). Scroll down for Top 10 Auxiliary Police calls.

42 crossing guards

VIOLENT CRIME REPORTED INCIDENTS:
All p. 10 –

2016 - 170 incidents
2017 - 141 incidents

PROPERTY CRIME REPORTED INCIDENTS
2016 – 1,235
2017 – 1,117

MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS (reported)
2016 – 73
2017 – 120

ARRESTS
2016 – 1,466
2017- 1,021

CALLS FOR SERVICE BETWEEN 2015 and 2017 (total):
Roughly 220,000

CALLS FOR SERVICE BETWEEN 2015 – 2017 – (patrol officers) - p60 -
Nearly 150,000

Among the patrol officers call for service – all p60 unless otherwise noted:
Premise check: 52,353
Traffic Stop – 15,638
["(T)traffic enforcement and stops at purely discretionary." – p61]
Accident – non-injury – 5,050
Disturbance -3,778
Domestic Disturbance – 2,933
Suspicious vehicles – 2,707
Loud noise complaints -2,580
Check The Well-Being -2,433
Alarm-Residential -2,244

CRIMINAL CASES ASSIGNED FOR INVESTIGATION, 2017 AND THROUGH JULY 24, 2018

2017 TOTAL – 1,618
2018 – 787
(p17)

"Detectives reported that they are assigned to investigate cases that have limited probability of being solved...The detectives believe that this process takes away time from addressing solvable cases. Detectives report that their caseloads can become large and limit their ability to focus on more seriously solvable cases when cases that are not solvable are assigned." (18-19)

COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICERS TOP 10 CALL TYPES 2015 – 2017 (p26)

Parking Complaints 25.6 %
Animal Strays – 7.8%
Wheel lock applied – 5.8%
Animal complaint. 5.6%
Wheel lock removal – 5.4 %
Graffiti – 5.1 %
Traffic Control – 4.7%
Found Animal -3.4 %
Set animal trap 3.0%
Abandoned vehicles – 2.5 %

AUXILIARY POLICE TOP 10 CALL TYPES 2015 – 2017
Loud noise complaints – 3,008
Traffic assist – 893
Fireworks – 821
Parking complaints – 659
Fight/brawl/riot -380
Disturbance -368
Rowdy Youths -266
Police related activities - 252
Accident – non-injury -219
Suspicious persons -180
* After the Illinois Department of Human Rights initiated the investigation into Joseph Drury, the city formed a committee on Sexual Harassment. That committee presented a list of recommendations to the City Council in October. The recommendations were referred to City Attorney Anthony Bertuca and other city officials for review. There is no public record of any such review or further follow-up.

Quote from: berwynres on February 26, 2019, 11:39:02 AM

Ted,

I was not aware that the report has been released.  Is it posted anywhere on the City's website?  Thanks.

I do not know if the report is available in electronic form on the website.  The report was released in December and is public in at least a paper form.  There have been several write ups of parts of the report on Facebook by Catie Sullivan.

  I have started a new thread here on BTF that has her write up as well as a link to the public Facebook page.  One of the posts has photos of pages in the report.

Ted,

I was not aware that the report has been released.  Is it posted anywhere on the City's website?  Thanks.

Quote from: berwynres on February 21, 2019, 04:26:41 PM

Thanks, Ted, for the update regarding the last City Council Meeting.  What are your thoughts regarding the recent promotion of (3) patrolmen to sergeant?  It is my understanding that these promotions were approved prior to the release and dissemination of a City funded study to determine, among other issues, the appropriate staffing levels for the police department.  It would be nice if we could expect greater transparency from Berwyn's elected officials before they take actions that financially burden their constituents.

I agree.  The audit report of the police department was eye opening - especially the statements that rank and file police officers believe promotions are based on political connections.

Quote from: berwyn senator on February 22, 2019, 07:59:34 PM
Go to the Berwyn police dept. on Facebook.This information is there BERWYN is the most over crowed city in Illinois!!!!!!!!!! Big difference from the 50's&60's

The population between then and now is effectively the same. What is this "big difference" you speak of? Where's the post on the BPD Facebook page that explains it? Post a link, please.

I am simply holding you to the very high standards you were held to when you were a student in Berwyn.