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Police report: five vehicles stolen in June; chief seeks e-bike rules, meter batteries and camera funding
Summary
Chief Barth reported five vehicles stolen in June (four recovered), outlined staffing gaps and policy rollouts, and described initiatives under consideration including an ordinance for e-bikes/scooters, sourcing parking-meter batteries locally, and pursuing grants for vehicle camera packages that cost about $14,000 per car.
Police Chief Barth told council the department responded to 1,226 calls in June, an increase of 36 calls from May, and provided a detailed breakdown of incidents. "We had five stolen vehicles during in the month of June primarily down in the 16, 17 of Monroe, Madison in that area," he said, adding that four of those vehicles had been recovered.
Barth described suspects captured on video as youths wearing masks and gloves, sometimes taking key fobs from unlocked cars. He also outlined personnel strains: officers out on work-related injuries, a part-time officer who resigned after training, and significant overtime usage. The chief said the department is about 40% through a rollout of revised policies and is recruiting part-time officers.
Barth said he is researching an ordinance to regulate electric scooters and e-bikes and will bring examples from neighboring municipalities for council review. He also reported outreach about parking-meter battery shortages: Rochester-area vendor Hazlow (H-A-Z-L-O-W) can supply locally made batteries that may last longer than units previously purchased from POM, though shipping of lithium batteries complicates logistics.
On equipment, Barth discussed body- and vehicle-camera options and funding: he said quotes put car-camera packages at roughly $14,000 per car but noted financing options that amortize costs over five years and include a refresh of equipment at the end of the term. Barth and council agreed staff should pursue grants and contractor proposals and return with cost estimates and possible grant applications.
