Public safety committee praises snow response, hears crime and operations updates

Chair opened the meeting and asked department heads to summarize their response to the recent two-wave snow event.

Alderman Gould thanked crews for clearing streets and trail pathways quickly, saying the amount of snow made rapid recovery to bare pavement ‘‘pretty remarkable.’’ Public works director Dan reported roughly 9–10 inches of snow (an official 9.5 inches at nearby Richmond Heights), A/B crew 12-hour rotations through the weekend, modified trash schedules and extensive plowing across Brentwood’s approximately 44 lane miles. Dan described recurring challenges: narrow streets, vehicles parked on routes, low visibility at night and salt being less effective below about 15°F, and he noted sidewalk work and some repairs are scheduled once weather permits.

Police Chief reported that during the 48-hour storm period the department responded to 48 incidents and handled two accidents (one snow-related) with minimal overall impact to city operations. The chief outlined several recent criminal cases: a Jan. 13 incident in which corporal Hoppler was struck while attempting to stop a vehicle (the suspect is held on $100,000 bond); a Jan. 14 incident at the YMCA that led to a midnight search warrant and a suspect held on $250,000 bond; a debit-card cloning case tied to a regional organized group with arrests; and a domestic case that produced felony warrants and an out-of-area arrest. "We had 48 incidents we responded to and handled during that period of time," the chief said, adding officers and other jurisdictions worked together to limit harm.

The chief also summarized annual trends: Brentwood saw an approximately 21% reduction in reported crimes in 2025 compared with 2024 (about 80 fewer offenses), with retail theft accounting for more than 250 of 326 reported crimes. Motor-vehicle-related crimes fell from 169 (2020) to 62 (2025). The department cited stronger prosecution partnerships, targeted retail detectives in high-hour windows, traffic enforcement and Flock camera hits as contributing factors.

Fire leadership described operational changes during the storms: staffing a UTV with two additional personnel to assist ambulance access and patient loading, limiting the use of large fire apparatus on slick streets, and running modified dispatch response profiles. The fire chief reported eight calls for service over the 48-hour period, three assists to other agencies and a frozen-sprinkler incident at 533 Hanley Industrial that required coordination with public works to manage runoff. The department also provided hiring and equipment updates, including testing and promotion activity, an upcoming tower training delivery, and an engine inspection and acceptance planned for February–March.

The committee asked staff to follow up on specific neighborhood issues: a citizen report of a person photographing condominium front doors (Oriole Place) claiming occupancy-inspection reasons, and a report of flooding on North Swan (between Renwood and the high school) where staff agreed to inspect and treat once standing water abates.

The committee closed department reports with general thanks and moved on to other agenda items.