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Meeting Minutes Public Safety Police Personnel Retirement Board Special Meeting April 18, 2024 | 9:00 a.m. Council Chambers Conference Room 88 E. Chicago St., Chandler, AZ Call to Order The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Turner at 9:03 a.m. Roll Call Board Attendance Staff Attendance Chairperson Steven Turner Rae Lynn Nielsen, HR Director Citizen Member Bill Crawford Nichole Bombard, Medical Leave Coord. Citizen Member Valerie Remington Christine Jarosik, Medical Leave Coord. Police Member Elect Daniel Shellum Police Member Elect Raymond Kieffer Others Present Andrew Apodaca, Board Attorney Absent Executive Session - Pursuant to A.R.S. Section 38-431.03 (A), the Chandler Local Police Public Safety Personnel Retirement Board may vote to convene in executive session to discuss or consider confidential records exempt by law from public inspection, and/or to consult with the Board’s attorney for legal advice and to consider the Board’s position and to instruct the Board’s attorney regarding its position on item 1. The Board will take action on those items in open session. Page of 2 3 Action Agenda Item No. 1 and Discussion 1. Accidental Disability Application Hancock Consideration, Discussion, and appropriate Action regarding the Application for an Accidental Disability for Shawn Hancock. Executive Session – Chairperson Turner asked for a motion to end the Open Session and to move into Executive Session for confidential legal advice. Citizen Member Crawford made a motion to end the Open Session and to move into Executive Session for legal advice in matter Action Agenda Item No. 1. Police Member Elect Kieffer seconded the motion, and the vote was unanimous to end the Open Session and move into Executive Session at 9:04 a.m. During executive session there was a recess from 9:53am to 9:56am. Open Session – Chairperson Turner asked for a motion to end the Executive Session and move into Open Session. Police Member Elect Kieffer made the motion to end the Executive Session and to move into Open Session; Citizen Member Crawford seconded the motion, and the vote was unanimous to end the Executive Session and move into Open Session at 10:19 a.m. Citizen Member Crawford stated that he considered the evidence and considered the timing of the application filing, and the dismissal notice. The case gives him pause and he is concerned and unsure what his decision is at this point and would like to hear the perspective of the other board members. Citizen Member Remington stated that, after listening to the testimony and reviewing the documents she has concerns about the timing of the application and felt some issues weren’t brought up in a timely manner which caused her to question the validity when looking at the order that things happened. Chairperson Turner looked at the evidence, testimony, documents, and medical records, and it is difficult to find a clear path forward. The timeliness of the application is highly suspect, and it weighs on him as the board has a responsibility to the PSPRS system and keeping the integrity of the system is extremely important to him as a member of the board and having that responsibility and taking an oath to uphold the purpose of a PSPRS Local Board. There was different information that was omitted throughout the process, going back to the IA and through some of the medical testimony seems like information wasn’t fully, clearly given in a succinct fashion. He is still very concerned on the direction of the application and whether it is worthy to move onto the next steps of the process but would like to hear from the rest of the board. Police Member Elect Kieffer has questions on the validity and timeliness of the application. The job as a police officer relies on ethics and morals. He questions the morals and ethics of the application, and it is concerning to him. He has concerns with the selectiveness of the information being provided to the medical providers and the things that were omitted by the applicant. The testimony of the individuals that the board heard, didn’t give a clear picture what the applicant may or may not be going through. The timeliness of the application when the applicant was aware of the dismissal upcoming and there were calculated steps taken by the applicant to get whatever the applicant felt he deserved. There is not a clear indication the board can provide a right decision as the board is a fiduciary for the officers that have come before us and will come after us. Police Member Elect Shellum stated the timeline of events from the onset of the incident working its way through the process is very suspect. He has reservations about the application because of the pre- term notice that was sent on October 16, 2023, the IA was completed at the end of September 2023 and the pre-term notice was sent a week later and that is when the applicant formally resigned from his Page of 3 3 position. The applicant was aware he was being terminated. The applicant was a CLEA (Chandler Law Enforcement Association) President, and he would have been aware of the serious ethical and integrity violation in the allegations, that the standard sanction would be dismissal and it would be extremely difficult to mitigate any of those violations to a suspension or demotion. Action Agenda Item No. 1 Motion and Vote Police Member Elect Shellum made a motion to deny the Application for an Accidental Disability for Shawn Hancock, based on the following finding: Mr. Hancock’s employment was not “terminated by reason of accidental disability”, as required by A.R.S. 38-844 (B) because when he resigned on or about October 23, 2023, he was aware that he was being terminated from his employment with the Police Department due to serious ethical and integrity violations; Police Member Elect Kieffer seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously (5-0) Executive Session – Police Member Elect Shellum made a motion to end the Open Session and to move into Executive Session for legal advice in matter Action Agenda Item No. 1. Police Member Elect Kieffer seconded the motion, and the vote was unanimous to end the Open Session and move into Executive Session at 10:32a.m. Citizen Member Crawford left the meeting at 10:35 a.m. Open Session – Chairperson Turner asked for a motion to end the Executive Session and move into Open Session. Police Member Elect Shellum made the motion to end the Executive Session and to move into Open Session; Police Member Elect Kieffer seconded the motion, and the vote was unanimous to end the Executive Session and move into Open Session at 10:46 a.m. Adjourn Chairperson Turner asked for a motion to adjourn. Police Member Elect Kieffer moved to adjourn the meeting; seconded by Police Member Elect Shellum, carried unanimously (4-0). The meeting was adjourned at 10:46 a.m. ______________________________ ______________________________ Nichole Bombard, Secretary Steve Turner, Chairperson