Use of force data may soon be included in the Vermilion Police Department’s annual reports, according to police Chief Chris Hartung.
Hartung presented this year’s report during a June 17 Health and Safety Committee meeting and discussed the inclusion of the data in future reports.
Last year, the Police Department recorded 18 times that physical interaction with a citizen was needed during an arrest.
“I’m a little more stringent on our use of force reporting,” Hartung said. “If an officer even pulls a taser and aims it at somebody, they’re required to fill out a use of force report.
“I don’t know of any other agency that requires that, but that’s just because I want to know that data.”
An officer used a stun gun once, while pepper spray and other weapons were not used in the 18 incidents, he said.
Releasing five years worth of data allows for a better understanding of the Police Department’s use of force, Hartung said.
“It’s definitely information that should be out there,” the chief said.
In this year’s report, an increase of fraud and juvenile complaints were found, Hartung said.
“We had a lot of activity with the student resource officer in the school system, so juvenile complaints are definitely up,” he said.
Additionally, railroad complaints doubled last year compared to 2017 numbers, jumping to 79 from 37.
In order to act on the complaints, Hartung said the city will need to work through the state to resolve issues pertaining to trains parked across tracks in Vermilion.
“A lot of municipal courts have been tossing out those train ordinances that we have where we can cite the railroad and the problem that they’re recounting to is that they’re federal,” he said. “We don’t have the authority to issue them citations, so judges have been throwing out those citations left and right.”
Hartung also said more guns were taken off citizens and forfeited to the agency compared to previous years.
There were three firearms displays last year, with two of the calls gun-related, he said.
Additionally, Hartung said repair costs made on the four new police interceptors were higher than anticipated.
In one instance, a 2015 model car with 51,000 miles driven by one officer has accumulated $2,800 worth of repairs.
“Those costs shouldn’t be that high and that’s a problem we’ve been seeing with that particular model and that body design,” Hartung said.
