Body cameras have been ordered “and will be implemented in days to come” by the Stanley Police Department, Police Chief Lance Weiland told the Council in his regular bi-monthly report. Staff who had trialed the Axon body 2 had “extremely favorable” feedback to offer,” Weiland said. At the same time, the department has struggled to cover shifts with absences due to quarantine and also getting the full-time department officers “the time off they are allotted,” Weiland said in his report. Then there was the snow: just 24 hours to remove, or be charged for city worker’s services. With ninety-one written warning notices sent out by Chief Weiland as of December 29, the next time is a charge for city removal— fifty dollars each time.

Alongside snow, meanwhile, 13 ‘junk notices’ have been served recently by the local police, with one property on Barber Street receiving “multiple citations on multiple days for lack of compliance.” By Tuesday, December 239, Chief Weiland noted in his most recent report to the council that “I observed multiple individuals at the residence (on Barber Street) removing multiple loads of items from the outside of the property.” Among the six households recently noticed by police for posting presidential yard signs, please make the job of the local Men In Blue easier and remove those presidential yard signs. According to state statute 12.04, the “election campaign period” during which such signs are licit runs from “the period beginning on the first day for circulation of nomination papers by candidates, or the first day on which candidates would circulate nomination papers were papers to be required,” but then ends “on the day of the election,” or in this case nine weeks ago. While specific state-level penalties are not listed under the attached “penalties” section of 12.60, municipal governments can still impose their own local penalties for non-compliance, being separate from but under the state government.

In somewhat better news, meanwhile, there’s the Holiday meal program to update on: thanks to local donors, the Stanley Police Department was able to serve “an incredible 42 meals during the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas for 2020,” Chief Weiland told the Common Council in his bi-monthly written report. At the same time, the department had collected $1,200 which will be used to purchase items for donation to the local food pantry. From police we move into fire department territory, with Stanley Fire Chief Korey Hagenson updating the Council as well. Alongside ordinary maintenance like changing water truck ‘tender’ batteries and doing hose testing along with cleanup and fire reports, Hagenson had a long-term request from the City.

“I would like to have a meeting with the Fire and Police board to start planning for a new pumper in the coming years or getting help on finding a grant to help pay for a new pumper,” the fire chief said in his bi-monthly council report. Down at firetruckmall.com, a relatively low-priced 2020 E-One Freightliner Pumper Tanker with 1,787 miles was listed on Friday January 8 for a cool $234,900—ladder not included.

An Axon 2 body camera shown at the company website.