(A) The Board of Public Works and Safety shall consist of three voting members, who shall be the Mayor and two persons selected by the Mayor who shall each serve at the Mayor's pleasure, the Clerk-Treasurer who shall serve as the Clerk of the Board, and the City Attorney who shall serve as legal counsel for the Board.
(B) It shall be the function of the Board of Public Works and Safety to preserve order, enforce all ordinances and laws in the city and the areas wherein it has jurisdiction, preserve the peace, mitigate the results and render aid in the case of disaster or accident, and extinguish destructive fires.
(C) The Department of Public Safety shall be comprised of the:
(1) Police Department.
(a) Chief of Police.
1. The Chief of Police shall be appointed by the Mayor subject to requirements of statutes and ordinances and shall serve at the pleasure of the Mayor. He or she shall direct the police work of the city and be responsible for the maintenance of law and order. He or she shall be the head of the Department and shall be responsible for and have supervision over all officers and members thereof. Following him or her in rank shall be the Assistant Chief, Captain, sergeants, and patrolmen, in order of seniority in each group. He or she shall attend all meetings of the Common Council in uniform and shall function as Master at Arms. He or she may, with the consent of the Mayor, appoint another commissioned officer to attend such meetings in his stead.
2. The Chief shall assign officers to each division of the Department. Reassignment from one division to another shall only be made by him or her. He or she shall assign the officers to the work schedule.
3. The Chief of Police shall have the custody of all lost, abandoned or stolen property recovered in the city.
(b) Divisions of the Department of Police. The Department of Police shall be divided into the following divisions and supervisors thereof:
1. Records Division, supervised by a commissioned officer who shall have charge of the central complaint desk and of dispatching police records, criminal and non-criminal identification, the identification of property, the custody of property, and the operation of detention quarters.
2. Patrol Division, supervised by a commissioned officer who shall have charge of the motor and foot patrol units, and routine investigations not assigned to the investigation division.
3. Investigation Division, supervised by a commissioned officer who shall have charge of the investigation of crimes, the elimination of illegal liquor traffic and vice, and the preparation of evidence for the prosecution of criminal cases.
4. Crime Prevention Division, directed by a supervisor who shall have charge of the coordination of community agencies interested in crime prevention, the removal of crime hazards, and the handling of cases in which women are involved.
5. Traffic Division, supervised by a commissioned officer who shall have charge of the control of traffic, the traffic education program, the school patrols, and the coordination of traffic accident prosecution.
6. Juvenile Division, supervised by a commissioned officer who shall coordinate departmental activities with all other agencies having any interest in and/or jurisdiction over all matters pertaining to minors, juveniles, and delinquents.
7. Radio Division, supervised by the Chief Dispatcher, who shall have charge of the maintenance and operation of radio plant and equipment and coordination with all other agencies regarding electronic communications.
8. Auxiliary Police. Any person of good character having duties which require it may be appointed an auxiliary police officer by the Mayor, provided that, except upon authorization by the Common Council, no such auxiliary police officer shall be entitled to any compensation from the city. Auxiliary police officers shall obey all rules of the Police Department applicable to them, and may be deprived of their appointment by the Chief at any time.
9. Matron. The Mayor, with the consent of the Common Council, may appoint a police matron, who shall perform such duties as may be assigned to her by the Chief of Police or by the Mayor.
(c) Conduct of members of Police Department. All members of the Police Department shall serve subject to the orders of the Chief.
1. Members. It shall be the duty of the members of the Police Department to see to the enforcement of all of the ordinances of the city and all statutes applicable therein and to preserve order and prevent infractions of the law and arrest violators thereof.
2. Serving process. No member of the Police Department, except the Chief, shall serve any process except on command of the Chief of the Police Department.
3. Conduct of members. It shall be the duty of every member of the Police Department to conduct himself, or herself, in a proper and law abiding manner, at all times, and to avoid the use of unnecessary force. Each member of the Department shall obey the orders and directions of his or her superior.
4. Witness fees. Every member of the Police Department shall appear as witness whenever this is necessary in a prosecution for a violation of an ordinance or of any state or federal law.
No such members shall retain any witness fee for services as witness in any action or suit to which the city is a party; any fees paid for such services shall be turned over to the Chief, who shall deposit the same with the Clerk-Treasurer.
5. Rules and regulations. The Chief may make or prescribe such rules and regulations as he shall deem advisable; such rules, when approved by the Board of Public Safety, shall be binding on such members. Such rules and regulations may cover, besides the conduct of the members, uniforms, and equipment to be worn or carried, hours of services, vacations, and all other similar matters necessary or desirable for the better efficiency of the Department.
(2) Fire Department.
(a) Chief of Fire Department.
1. The Chief of the Fire Department shall be appointed by the Mayor subject to requirements of statutes and ordinances and shall serve at the pleasure of the Mayor.
2. The Fire Chief shall have the control, subject to the order and direction of the Board of Public Safety, of the Fire Department and all fire apparatus belonging to the city. Whenever any fire apparatus needs repairing, the Fire Chief shall cause the same to be done without delay.
(b) Command at fires. In case of fire, the Fire Chief and his or her assistants shall rank in the order named and the officer of the highest rank at the fire shall take command of the Fire Department and direct the suppression of the fire in the best manner possible. When it may be necessary for the protection of other property and to prevent the spread of the conflagration, the officer in command may cause buildings to be removed, torn down, or destroyed in the best manner possible.
(c) Duties of spectators. Every male person above the age of 18 years who shall be present at a fire shall be subject to the orders of the officer in command at such fire and shall render all assistance in his or her power and in such manner as he or she may be directed in the extinguishment of the fire and in the removal of and protection of property.
(d) Entering firehouses. It shall be and hereby is declared unlawful for any person or persons to enter the Fire Department house or any place where the equipment and apparatus of the Fire Department is stored, at any time, except on business pertaining to the Fire Department or other city business.
(e) Service outside corporate limits. Members of the Fire Department are authorized to go outside the corporate limits of the city for the purpose of rendering aid to other fire departments or of extinguishing fires or rendering aid in the case of accidents. The Fire Department shall not render such service outside the corporate limits excepting upon orders of the Fire Chief, the Assistant Chief, or the Mayor. Where the city has undertaken by contract to render service to property outside the corporate limits of the city, the Fire Department may leave the corporate limits in the fulfillment of such contract.
(f) Membership and organization. The Fire Department shall consist of so many members as may be decided upon by the Mayor and the Common Council. The Fire Department may have any organization approved by the Common Council and may hold meetings and engage in social activities. The Fire Chief shall keep a record and shall make a report to the Common Council of all activities of the Fire Department.
(g) Records. The Fire Chief shall keep or cause to be kept a record of all meetings of the company and the attendance of the members, a record of all fires, and, during the last week of each year, file with the City Clerk a full report of such records and attendance and fires, which report shall be under oath.
(h) Duties. It shall be the function and duty of the Fire Department and every member thereof to extinguish accidental or destructive fires and to prevent the spread of such fires.
(i) Obedience to orders. Any firefighter in attendance at a fire who shall neglect or refuse to obey the orders of the officer in command at such fire shall upon conviction be dismissed from the Department.
(D) The Department of Public Works shall be comprised of the following divisions:
(1) (a) Division of Engineering, which shall perform all engineering services for the Department of Public Works and for such other departments of the city as may from time to time require such services.
(b) Bureau of Permits and Inspection shall issue all permits for, and inspect the work involved in, the construction of sewer and water services, sidewalks, curb cuts, and street cuts.
(2) Division of Parks and Buildings which shall operate and maintain all city parks and playgrounds, lands, and buildings not by law assigned to some other officer or body for use, care, and control.
(3) Division of Signal Service which shall construct, install, repair, and maintain all facilities of the fire and police signal systems, traffic control signals and other electrically operated signals, but excluding the police radio system. The services of this division shall be available to other departments when so ordered by the Mayor.
(4) Division of Municipal Garage which shall operate the municipal garage and shall maintain and provide maintenance services for all automotive equipment owned by the city and its utilities.
(5) Refuse Disposal Division, which shall collect garbage and rubbish, and operate the city waste disposal and recycling programs.
(6) Street Maintenance Division which shall maintain all streets, alleys, ditches, gutters, culverts and bridges and traffic signs, markings and parking meters connected therewith. It shall also provide for the clearing of improved streets and removal of snow from improved streets.
(7) Off-street Parking Division, which shall operate and maintain all municipal off-street parking lots and areas.
(8) Remedial Division which shall construct, operate and maintain the pumping station and drainage ditches.
(`94 Code, § 30.16) (Ord. 5-1992, passed 6-15-92)
Cross-reference:
Police Department, see Ch. 34
Fire Department, see Ch. 35