BOFPC Q'ly. meeting: 8 min.

The three-man Woodstock Board of Fire and Police Commissioners met in their first quarterly meeting of 2011 this afternoon at 5:00PM, and by 5:10PM they were ready to head out the door.

After the approval of the September Minutes, a short discussion ensued about the eligibility list for patrol officers. The Woodstock Human Resources Director has said it is okay to extend the current list, but Commissioner Howell asked several questions, resulting in the chief's statement that he will get a legal opinion about whether the list can be extended for 12 or 24 months. Chief Lowen said that there are good candidates and that most are still available.

The Woodstock Police Department is short four officers, and there is a hiring freeze in effect. One commissioner asked about Ofc. Harmon, and another commissioner said that was covered in the Minutes that they had just approved. Of course, this caused me to wonder whether the Minutes, which were distributed just minutes before, had been read and understood before they were approved.

Chief Lowen reported that one officer had been suspended for one day and that the officer had accepted the suspension. The Board asked no questions about the identity of the officer or the circumstances, and no information was offered. It was an FYI only, since the Board only gets involved in suspensions of five or more days.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:08PM.

For a few minutes I thought I was back in a McHenry County courtroom. I hadn't had any difficulty in hearing the chairman of the Board before the meeting started or during it, but it was nearly impossible to hear Chief Lowen's low voice as he addressed the Board.

Maybe next quarter I'll take a sign that reads, "LOUDER, PLEASE". It's nice that the meetings are now conducted at City Hall, but all comments should be spoken loudly enough to be hear in the room.