More New Jersey towns are poised to join a growing lawsuit seeking to overturn the state’s affordable housing law, Gothamist has learned.
Town officials from Woodland Park, Little Falls, and Warren Township confirmed that they have passed local resolutions to join 26 other New Jersey municipalities that claim the state is unfairly requiring them to build more and more housing without accounting for how much development they can support.
“I think that the burden that’s going to be placed on small municipalities is just far too overwhelming,” said Little Falls Mayor James Damiano.
Damiano said his town, which is only about 3 square miles and has a population of 14,000, has been asked to build 285 new affordable homes by 2035 – which he called “beyond overwhelming.”
“We don’t have any vacant land. [In] Little Falls … 90% of developable land [is] developed. Where is this supposed to go?” he said.
The lawsuit was initially filed in Mercer County Superior Court by nine towns in September. Since then, several amended complaints have been filed with 17 other towns officially joining the case so far. The coalition is led by Montvale Mayor Mike Ghassali, who told Gothamist earlier this month that other town officials are calling him “four or five times a week” to inquire about the lawsuit and how to join it.
The lawsuit is playing out in court as cities and towns around New Jersey are preparing for New Jersey’s next 10-year round of state-mandated affordable housing development under the Mount Laurel doctrine, which states that all municipalities must contribute their “fair share” of low-priced housing.
In October, New Jersey officials released ambitious target numbers to develop more than 84,000 affordable homes in the state’s suburbs by 2035. Officials are also hoping to rehab another 65,000 affordable apartments in urban municipalities around New Jersey.
These calculations were derived from guidelines spelled out in a new affordable housing law passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in March. Each town is being asked to generate about 150 affordable homes on average between June 2025 and 2035, according to an analysis of the data by Gothamist, though some towns are being asked to develop more.
Woodland Park is obligated to develop 346 for the next round, according to data released by the state’s Department of Community Affairs.
Mayor Tracy Kallert said she thinks those calculations were “flawed,” adding that she felt obligated to join the lawsuit to “protect the town.”
“Not from affordable housing, but from changing the landscape of what our town is,” she said.
Kallert added that she thinks the state misidentified certain areas of Woodland Park as potential sites for affordable housing because they’re near rivers or reservoirs and include steep slopes that can’t be developed.
“They’re just flying over these towns, taking aerial pictures, but they’re not really seeing what’s in our neighborhoods,” she said.
Warren Township is being asked to build 262 new units during the next affordable housing round, according to state data.
Daniel Croson, an incoming Warren Township Committee member who was elected in November, said the township wanted to join the lawsuit because of concerns with “high-density overdevelopment” that could come with trying to meet its obligation.
Croson and Deputy Mayor Lisa Lontai noted that in order for Warren to meet its requirements by building market-rate apartment buildings with either 15% or 20% set aside for affordable housing, it would have to build over 1,000 new apartments.
“And it’s unfortunate that oftentimes folks that utilize the affordable housing units are getting the blame here because it’s really not them driving the density here, it’s the market rates,” Croson said.
None of the three towns that confirmed they will join the lawsuit are officially part of it yet. But the officials said they’ve agreed to contribute $20,000 to the legal fund. The towns currently listed as official plaintiffs in the case are: Montvale, Washington Township, Norwood Borough, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Franklin Lakes, Cedar Grove, East Hanover, Holmdel, Wall, Allendale, Westwood, Hanover, Wyckoff, Wharton, Mendham, Oradell, Denville, Florham Park, Hillsdale, Manningham, Millburn, Montville, Old Tappan, Totowa, Closter, and West Amwell.
Attorneys for the towns and the state attorney general’s office clashed in Mercer County Superior Court on Friday in the first official hearing since the lawsuit was initially filed. Judge Robert Lougy heard arguments from the towns regarding their request to halt the state’s next round while the lawsuit plays out.
At the hearing, attorney Michael Collins said the state’s deadlines for towns to plan to meet their affordable housing obligations were unrealistic. He said a Jan. 31, 2025 deadline for towns to either accept their quota or present an alternative for the state to review puts “a gun to their head.”
Levi Klinger-Christiansen from the AG’s office told the judge the law’s guidelines present a tight, cost-effective and efficient plan “so we can get to work” on the next round of affordable housing development in New Jersey.
The judge said he would decide that motion by Jan. 1.
“Toriaezu, biru,” Elena Yamamoto said to our server on Sunday evening as we scooted into our seats at The Izakaya NYC. The popular Japanese phrase roughly translates to “let’s start with beer,” and it’s how you begin your time at an izakaya in Japan while you look over the menu.
I’d never been to an izakaya before. Sure, I’ve had ramen and sushi, but izakaya is different from your average Japanese restaurant.
Izakayas are Japanese bars or pubs, popular after work spots to go with friends or coworkers to drink and eat. They’re informal and typically inexpensive and, according to Yamamoto, they are “the heart of drinking and food culture” in Japan, where people often go from one izakaya to the next, almost like bar hopping.
Bites from The Izakaya NYC’s “Japanese Tapas” selection
Photo by Helen Ho for Gothamist
Yamamoto is the executive chef at Bessou, a Japanese eatery located in Market 57 at Pier 57. She’s also my cousin and someone that I love cooking and eating with — and I figured she’d be the perfect companion to show me what izakaya is all about.
We were excited to try The Izakaya NYC because we’d heard that the food there was among the best (juicy and crisp tonkatsu and fried chicken, plus an ever-changing menu of small vegetable dishes), and that the sake is also incredible.
Owner Yudai Kanayama moved to New York from Japan to study fashion in 2009. Around 2013, he was working for a high-end denim company and his roommate at the time, chef Dai Watanabe, saw his ability to sell products. Watanabe urged him to open a Japanese restaurant with him. Thus, in 2014, they opened The Izakaya NYC on 6th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues in the East Village. They’ve since opened another in the East Village.
Owner Yudai Kanayama
Photo by Helen Ho for Gothamist
We went to the original location on 6th Street. On Sunday night, the restaurant was quiet and the simple wooden tables and chairs — made by Kanayama — gave the space an informal vibe. The kind of place you can sit back, relax, and order some drinks and snacks — exactly what you want to do at an izakaya.
Kanayama strongly suggested ordering the “addictive cabbage.” Many izakaya serve a similar dish, and he said it’s the dish he uses to judge how the rest of the food will be at a spot.
The cabbage at The Izakaya is simple: just green cabbage and salt with sesame oil and seaweed. The cabbage is massaged by hand to break it down with the salt. It’s crunchy and refreshing, rightfully named “addictive” as I couldn’t stop snagging pieces of it with my chopsticks.
We also ordered the burdoc salad, fried smelt, agedashi tofu, mabo tofu, tonkatsu, bonito carpaccio, and the crab and egg fried rice.
Bonito carpaccio
Photo by Helen Ho for Gothamist
Mabo Tofu
Photo by Helen Ho for Gothamist
I love the Chinese dish mapo tofu, and the version at The Izakaya was one of my favorite things we ate. Chūka ryōri, or commonly just referred to as Chūka, is what the Japanese call Chinese food in Japan. Chūka are Japanese-style Chinese dishes; dishes that originated in China, but have been adapted slightly to better suit the palate of Japanese people.
Loaded with ginger, Izakaya NYC’s mabo tofu sauce lacked the usual Szechuan peppercorns that you’ll find in the classic Chinese dish because, according to Kanayama and Yamamoto, Japanese people don’t really love the numbing sensation that you’ll get from them.
Fried smelt and agedashi tofu
Photo by Helen Ho for Gothamist
The ginger provided the “spice” one might want in this dish. The food at an izakaya, Yamamoto explained, is meant to make you want to drink more. The flavors are strong and robust, stronger than what you’ll typically encounter in Japanese dishes. There is no subtly to izakaya, she said.
The bonito sashimi was incredible — there was thinly sliced shiso on top and crispy garlic floating in the ponzu that it sat in on the platter. Most people don’t typically think of sashimi as being “dressed,” but this version, with sliced and seared fresh bonito, was light. That crispy garlic and ponzu helped to mellow out the strong flavor of the oily fish.
Chef Elena Yamamoto
Photo by Helen Ho for Gothamist
At some stage during our evening, we switched from beer to sake. The sake at The Izakaya NYC is one you’ll only find there; Kanayama has it made specifically for the restaurant. It was light and sweet and cold; the perfect accompaniment to our snacks and stories.
Eventually, full and maybe a little bit tipsy, Yamamoto and I left. She looked at me slyly, and asked, “Should we go for one more drink?
Amadu Rahaman had a master’s degree in economics, but loved driving a taxi so much that he stuck with it for more than 40 years after emigrating from Ghana to the United States, his family said.
He could make his own schedule, and used the money to achieve the American dream by putting his two daughters through college.
The dream came to an abrupt end last week. Rahaman, 75, was attacked in his cab by an angry customer, police and family members said. He was taken to a hospital with severe head injuries, and died three days later, on Dec. 16 – making him the second taxi driver to be killed in a crime-related incident so far this year, according to the Taxi and Limousine Commission.
“The attack was very senseless,” Ayisha Rahaman, one of his daughters, said in a phone interview. “He was just trying to earn a living. … This is what he’s done since the ’70s.”
Police said Amadu Rahaman picked up a 36-year-old man around 3 a.m on Dec. 13 near Bleecker Street and Thompson Street in Greenwich Village. The customer got into the cab and asked to be dropped off in the Bronx, but Amadu Rahaman said he couldn’t go that far, police said. After that, the man allegedly attacked the driver, striking him with his fists and throwing him out of the car.
Police arrested Bronx resident Malachi Cintron at the scene. He was charged with assault in the second and third degrees.
Amadu Rahaman was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was conscious enough to give doctors his daughter’s name and phone number, Ayisha Rahaman recalled. But by the time she got there, he’d slipped out of consciousness, and never woke up.
“At the end of the report and medical autopsy and everything, they concluded it was blunt-force trauma to the head,” Sekina Rahaman, Ayisha’s sister, said. “I’m coping. I’m trying to put on a strong face. … It’s not easy.”
Sekina Rahaman said her father’s work ethic and principles stuck with his daughters the most.
“He instilled intelligence in us about education, about independence, not to rely on anybody about anything,” she said.
Now, she will pass those values on to her children. She said Amadu Rahaman’s four grandchildren, all under the age of 5, are too young to understand what happened.
Naveed Afzal, a 52-year-old rideshare driver was the first driver to die in a crime related incident this year in June, after he was shot in the face as part of an attempted robbery near Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza, police said.
“Violence-related deaths are unusual, but incidents of drivers being assaulted and robbed are unfortunately more common,” Jason Kersten, a spokesperson for the Taxi and Limousine Commission, said.
David Do, the commission’s chair, said in a statement that assaults against drivers, “who place their trust in the riding public, are completely unacceptable.”
“This was a hardworking man with an excellent driving record, working late nights at an age when most of us think about retirement,” Do said. “He deserved so much better.”
Two days before Amadu Rahaman died, Cintron was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on the assault charges. Judge Nicholas Moyne set bail at $7,500, and Cintron paid it, according to online court records. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Amadu Rahaman’s daughters said they hope he will face upgraded charges in the wake of their father’s death. Assaulting a Taxi and Limousine Commission driver is punishable by up to 25 years in prison.
“You can’t just go about assaulting innocent people when somebody tells you ‘no,’” Sekina Rahaman said. “I just want justice for my dad. Because this is not fair.”
The NYPD’s chief of department Jeffrey Maddrey abruptly resigned Friday night, police officials confirmed, prior to a bombshell report alleging he repeatedly sexually abused a subordinate officer in exchange for overtime pay.
Maddrey was the highest ranking uniformed police officer in the department. The accuser, Lt. Quathisha Epps told the New York Post that he had asked her to perform various sexual acts at NYPD headquarters.
“He wanted to have anal sex, vaginal sex, oral sex,” Epps told the outlet. “He was always asking me to kiss his penis.”
Maddrey has previously been accused of sexual misconduct. In 2013, he was sued by a police officer who said he demanded sex in his office.
In a statement, the NYPD confirmed that Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch had accepted Maddrey’s resignation Friday night and would “thoroughly investigate” the matter. .
On Saturday, the NYPD announced that John Chell, the chief of patrol, would serve as the interim chief of department, and Phil Rivera, the chief of transportation, would take over as interim chief of patrol.
“The interim Chiefs of Department and Patrol will continue to lead the efforts to reduce crime and disorder and build public trust,” Tisch said in a statement.
New Yorkers woke up to the first snowfall of winter on the first official day of the season Saturday.
Around 2 inches of snow had fallen in many parts of the city, including Central Park, according to the National Weather Service, and as much as 4 inches in parts of New Jersey.
Snow is expected to end by 10 a.m. but the winter wonderland may get frozen in place with temperatures barely above freezing Saturday and dropping to the teens Saturday night.
Sunday’s high is expected to reach 25 and Monday will barely crack 32 degrees.
All told, the city could see around 2 inches to 3 inches, according to meteorologist Bill Goodman.
The forecast calls for a chance of snow showers early next week but Goodman said there’s a slim chance of a white Christmas on Wednesday because of higher temperatures.
“Maybe a little bit of a shot,” he said.
Last winter, the city went more than 700 days without seeing any significant accumulation, smashing the previous record of 400 days without snowfall.
City officials are asking New Yorkers to stay off the roads to allow sanitation workers to operate salt spreaders.
The state’s highest court has sided with New York City municipal retirees who have been resisting the city’s plan to move them onto a privatized version of Medicare.
The Court of Appeals, in a unanimous decision, ruled this week that local law requires the city to pay the full cost of any health plan it offers the retirees, up to a statutory cap. That means the city can’t require retirees to pay more to stay on their existing insurance, as Mayor Eric Adams has attempted to do.
The ruling was the latest in a series of blows to the planned Medicare Advantage switch, which Adams inherited from former Mayor Bill de Blasio. The plan initially had the support of the leaders of the city’s largest municipal unions, despite pushback from many of their former members. Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, reversed his endorsement in June, saying the plan had “created all this fear and anxiety” among retirees.
With two related lawsuits still pending, an Adams administration spokesperson said the mayor’s not giving up on the effort to shift some 250,000 municipal retirees and their dependents off of traditional Medicare, with supplemental insurance paid for by the city, and onto a Medicare Advantage plan operated by Aetna.
The city has estimated the move would save about $600 million a year, which could help offset the cost of health care for current city employees.
“While we are disappointed in the court’s decision today, we will continue to pursue the Medicare Advantage plan – which would improve upon retirees’ current health plan and save hundreds of millions of dollars annually – and await the court’s next decision in the coming year,” mayoral spokesperson Liz Garcia said.
Adams and union leaders who support the move have sought to convince retirees the switch won’t diminish their coverage — and will even provide enhanced benefits. But many retirees have pushed back, expressing concerns that their doctors won’t accept the plan and that it could come with more delays or denials of care, an issue that has come up with other Medicare Advantage plans.
“The city’s plan to defund retiree healthcare has now been analyzed by 13 different judges across all three levels of the state judiciary,” Marianne Pizzitola, president of the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees, said in a statement. She formed the group she formed to fight the Medicare Advantage switch. “Every single judge — all 13 of them — have concluded that the city’s plan is unlawful.”
Pizzitola called on the city and union leaders who have endorsed the plan to “end their ruthless and unlawful campaign to deprive retired municipal workers of the healthcare benefits they earned.”
City Councilmember Christopher Marte introduced a bill in October that seeks to preserve retirees’ option of staying on traditional Medicare with supplemental coverage funded by the city, regardless of what other health plans are introduced in the future.
The bill would require the city to offer eligible retirees and their dependents at least one so-called Medigap plan that provides benefits equivalent to or better than those that were offered in 2021, the year the city first started pushing the shift to Medicare Advantage.
“ Why are we going to wait for the courts to tell us what to do when we can do it right now and be creative on how we get there?” Marte said.
The bill currently has just seven sponsors. Marte said he is seeking to gin up more support before pushing for a hearing on the bill.
What killed Daniel Prude? The 41-year-old died in March 2020 after cops pinned him down during a drug-induced mental health crisis. For three minutes, Rochester, New York, police officers pressed Prude’s head and torso into the street, continuing their hold for nearly a minute after he began vomiting. It was one of the highest-profile deaths in police custody in a year that saw a historic nationwide movement against police brutality.
According to a state investigation, an autopsy, and the cops who held him to the ground, Prude was killed by something called “excited delirium.” The condition is said to turn people into erratic aggressors and can supposedly lead to cardiac arrest.
Authorities cited excited delirium in other notorious Black Lives Matter-era deaths in police custody, including those of George Floyd, Elijah McClain, and Angelo Quinto. The purported diagnosis had become so popular among first responders that, in Rochester, paramedics speculated even before they saw him that Prude was likely experiencing the condition, according to the state investigation.
Yet in the last four years, a vast swath of the U.S. medical establishment has rejected excited delirium as a diagnosis. Six leading national medical associations have fully disavowed it, while another two have distanced themselves from it. Floyd’s home state of Minnesota, McClain’s Colorado, and Quinto’s California have barred public officials from citing the syndrome.
A “Debunked” Theory
Medical experts say excited delirium is a theory, not a recognized disease with a specific physiological cause. And they have argued it can obscure the actual causes of deaths, especially when police are involved.
Now, a training document obtained through a public records request by New York Focus and The Intercept sheds new light on how the disavowed diagnosis infiltrated the Rochester Police Department before Prude’s death.
Advocates and researchers blame the initial popularization of the excited delirium diagnosis on a corporate-backed campaign to absolve cops of responsibility for deaths in their custody. In Rochester, the training document, created in 2016 and last edited in late 2020, lifts directly from materials disseminated by an organization linked to Taser, producer of the eponymous stun gun. The document warns officers that the syndrome’s sufferers experience a “diminished sense of pain” that could render police batons ineffective. And it claims that “saying ‘I can’t breathe’” is a sign of excited delirium.
“It displaces any sort of blame from the perpetrator of violence — in this case, the police — to the person who’s on the receiving end.”
“It displaces any sort of blame from the perpetrator of violence — in this case, the police — to the person who’s on the receiving end, but under the guise of this diagnosis,” said Altaf Saadi, a neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, of the training document. Saadi, who has done research on how excited delirium rose to prominence, reviewed the training materials for New York Focus and The Intercept.
The document comes to light as New York grapples with its role in promoting excited delirium as a cause of death. After Prude died, state Attorney General Letitia James encouraged first responders to embrace the disputed concept.
“Personnel must be trained to recognize the symptoms of excited delirium syndrome and to respond to it as a serious medical emergency,” she recommended in a 2021 report.
Demonstrators at the site where Daniel Prude was arrested on Sept. 3, 2020, in Rochester, N.Y. Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
It’s unclear how many police departments in the state have trained officers on the theory — though the largest one has. Last year, New York Focus uncovered New York City Police Department training materials that provide guidance on excited delirium similar to what is in the Rochester document. (The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment.)
Internally, the attorney general’s office has softened its stance.
In a statement, the office said, “Causes of death are solely determined by medical examiners, not OSI” — James’s Office of Special Investigation — “however we have not recognized ‘excited delirium’ or similar terms as a cause of death for several years because we are acutely aware of the scientific discourse and concerns regarding the term.” Her office did not comment on her use of the term in the Prude investigation nor her guidance that officers should be trained on the theory.
“It’s pseudoscience that all too often provides cover for fatal police tactics.”
With James avoiding a full-throated rejection of excited delirium, state lawmakers are taking up the fight. Citing New York Focus’s report on the NYPD, Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas introduced legislation in March to ban government agencies from referencing excited delirium.
“The term has been debunked by the major medical associations,” said González-Rojas. “It’s something that has to be done.”
She said, “It’s pseudoscience that all too often provides cover for fatal police tactics.”
“No Such Medical Disease”
“Excited delirium syndrome” was scientifically suspect from the start. In the 1980s, doctors studying cocaine use in Miami coined the term to describe how, in their observations, the drug could make men “psychotic” and potentially cause women to die during sex. The deceased women the doctors initially studied were later found to be victims of a serial killer. Other subjects had been restrained by police in positions that can obstruct breathing.
Still, the notion gained traction, and in 2005, a forensic pathologist and psychiatric nurse published a book on the syndrome. In the opening pages, it reads, “This book is dedicated to all law enforcement and medical personnel who have been wrongfully accused of misconduct in deaths due to excited delirium syndrome.” The publication caught the eye of Taser.
Amid increased scrutiny over its stun guns’ role in deaths involving police, Taser became one of the excited delirium theory’s biggest boosters. The company distributed the book and other literature on the syndrome. Taser-backed research made its way into first responder training materials, which recommended tactics to subdue excited delirium sufferers — including by using Taser stun guns.
The company hired experts who testified in police killing trials that the syndrome, and not stun guns or other uses of force, caused the victims’ deaths. Some of the same experts inundated medical journals with studies making the same arguments. Taser, now known as Axon, did not respond to a request for comment.
Taser concentrated much of its advocacy on medical examiners, whose autopsies play a key role in legal proceedings for police killings. Between 2000 and 2017, medical examiners listed excited delirium as a factor in at least 276 deaths that followed Taser use, a Reuters investigation found. (Little to no public data exists on how many overall deaths are attributed to excited delirium.)
Joye Carter Rush, a forensic pathologist and former longtime medical examiner, remembers receiving Taser materials on excited delirium, including the 2005 book. The dedication jumped out at her.
Taser’s medical examiner advocacy was peculiar, Carter Rush said, because there’s no special way for medical examiners to diagnose the syndrome. Rather, as a “syndrome,” it’s a list of simultaneous symptoms.
“There is no such medical disease as excited delirium,” Carter Rush said.
Excited delirium is sometimes linked with drug use, but the behaviors police have come to associate with it can result from a wide variety of underlying causes, medical experts said.
“Maybe they have dementia, maybe they have autism with behavioral issues,” said Saadi, the neurologist. “If they’re having fever and muscle rigidity” — among excited delirium’s listed symptoms — “it could be encephalitis. There’s literally so many different diagnoses.”
“‘Superhuman strength’ and ‘unlimited endurance’ we know are racist tropes.”
That murkiness is what prompted some of the top medical associations, including the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association, to fully disavow the diagnosis.
Excited delirium’s reputation for endowing sufferers with super strength and imperviousness to pain can fuel more aggressive police responses, Saadi said.
“‘Superhuman strength’ and ‘unlimited endurance’ we know are racist tropes that have been typically used against Black men,” said Saadi. “It sends the message that it is okay to justify having this super aggressive escalation when that is often not the case.”
Zombie Pics
The Rochester materials obtained by New York Focus and The Intercept highlight critics’ concerns about excited delirium.
Look out for subjects who look like they “just snapped,” the training warns. Excited delirium may render “pain compliance techniques” like batons ineffective.
To reinforce the unearthly qualities of people experiencing the syndrome, the training presentation includes melodramatic photos and illustrations: deranged people screaming; a naked, bloody zombie eating a corpse; the Incredible Hulk. In one image, two cops pin a naked, wide-eyed Black man to the ground.
Slides from a Rochester Police Department training on excited delirium. Obtained by New York Focus and The Intercept
The training file’s metadata indicates that it was created in 2016 and last edited in late 2020, meaning it was likely offered to officers before Prude’s death.
The metadata also shows that the file was created by the Monroe County Office of Mental Health’s former chief of clinical and forensic services, Kimberly Butler, who also headed the county team that accompanies police on mental health crisis calls.
Butler, who did not respond to interview requests, resigned in 2020 after it was revealed that she sent privileged information about Prude’s mental health care to Rochester police officials after his run-in with the cops. She was one of at least 16 public officials, including the Rochester police chief, to resign, retire, or get fired in connection with their handling of the Prude case.
Both the Rochester Police Department and the Monroe County Office of Mental Health said that they don’t currently offer the excited delirium training. (The police department sent the file to New York Focus and The Intercept in response to a request for “currently used” training materials related to excited delirium.)
“It was co-sponsored by the county Office of Mental Health, and we do have officers who attend Office of Mental Health trainings, but I have no idea if they still use it or not,” Greg Bello of the Rochester Police Department said.
A spokesperson for the county Office of Mental Health said that the training document is from a prior administration — the current director took over in February 2021 — and the office can’t be sure when the last time it was used. Neither the police nor the mental health office responded to follow-up questions about their stances on excited delirium.
Taser Tag
Most of the Rochester training presentation’s first half — including the line that lists “saying ‘I can’t breathe’” as a sign of excited delirium — appears to lift directly from an informational poster published by a group called the Institute for the Prevention of In-Custody Deaths.
The group was co-founded by a former Taser-paid expert named John Peters and a Taser attorney around the same time that the company’s excited delirium campaign was in full swing. The informational poster, written by Peters, touts that Taser’s stun guns “have been shown to be the most effective to quickly capturing” excited delirium patients.
In an interview with New York Focus and The Intercept, Peters, a longtime police administrator, said he now agrees with many of the medical establishment’s concerns about the diagnosis. The IPICD has recommended against using the term for nearly 15 years, he said. The organization now teaches officers to address what it calls “agitated chaotic events,” while leaving medical diagnoses to medical professionals.
The IPICD’s website, however, still boosts the theory. An advertisement for a current institute police training course, for example, decries pushback against excited delirium as a result of “post-George Floyd societal culture.”
The IPICD also still publishes the informational poster that appears to have inspired the Rochester training presentation. The poster is nearly two decades old and cites the 1980s cocaine research. Peters said that he planned on replacing the poster after the IPICD’s annual conference in November, but it remains on the group’s website.
State Attorney General Letitia James speaks at a news conference about the ongoing investigation into the death of Daniel Prude on Sept. 20, 2020, in Rochester, N.Y. Photo: Joshua Rashaad McFadden/Getty Images
Attorney General Report
Taser’s connections to the Prude case extend beyond the IPICD-inspired Rochester police training.
In 2021, Gary Vilke, a San Diego-based emergency medicine doctor, became the New York attorney general’s chief medical expert in the Prude case. As a frequent paid expert witness in police killing trials, including for Taser, Vilke has earned notoriety as one of the most influential members of a cadre of hired guns whose testimonies help absolve officers.
In a deposition last year, Vilke reportedly said he consults on more than a dozen cases a year and can earn as much as $50,000 per case. He said in a 2021 deposition that for nearly two decades he never blamed a cop for a death, according to the New York Times. (He told the Times that he did not recall the statement and disagreed with it.)
He was also one of excited delirium’s most visible proponents, co-authoring a seminal white paper on the theory at an early IPICD conference.
In Prude’s case, Vilke, who did not respond to a request for comment, was confident that police weren’t at fault. He told the grand jury, convened to examine whether the cops should be charged with negligent homicide, that Prude died of excited delirium and not at the hands of the officers.
“I wouldn’t do anything differently,” he told a grand juror who asked if officers could have treated Prude better. The body voted 15–5 against charging the officers.
The office of James, the attorney general, retained Vilke to advise on its investigation into Prude’s death, making him its sole cited outside medical expert.
The Monroe County medical examiner, who still works in that role and whose office declined to comment, ruled that Prude had died from “complications” from asphyxiation, excited delirium, and intoxication from PCP, the dissociative drug he was using. While a police practices expert hired by the attorney general said that pinning Prude on his stomach for three minutes was “unreasonable” and likely caused his death, Vilke steered investigators back toward excited delirium.
“Vilke noted that Mr. Prude displayed many symptoms consistent with Excited Delirium,” the attorney general’s office reported. The syndrome, brought on by his PCP use, “caused Mr. Prude to suffer cardiac arrest.”
In its final report, issued in February 2021, the attorney general’s office dedicated nine pages to the topic of excited delirium. It acknowledged the controversy around the syndrome and its racial implications but declared that excited delirium is real and can cause sudden death.
It was in the report that James’s office made its recommendation that first responders be trained in excited delirium. The report said the Rochester police academy barely taught the syndrome. It did not account for the police training materials produced by the Office of Mental Health.
GILLESPIE — The following has been reported by the Gillespie Police Department for the period of November 10 to December 7, 2024 and are as follows:
November 10
An officer was dispatched to the 100 block of South 7th Street in Benld in reference to a traffic crash.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of North Lincoln Street in Eagarville in reference to a domestic. Levi T. Kroll, 35 of Carlinville, was arrested for aggravated battery to a police officer, aggravated domestic battery, and obstructing a peace officer.
Amanda L. Broderick, 36 of Benld, was arrested on a warrant out of Edwardsville Police Department for forgery.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of West Easton Street in reference to an animal complaint.
An officer was dispatched to the 700 block of Abba Street in reference to a domestic dispute.
November 11
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of North Hard Road in Mt. Clare in reference to theft and criminal trespass.
An officer initiated a traffic stop at Staunton Road and Henrietta Street. Jennifer Arnotti, 34 of Gillespie, was issued a citation for driving on a suspended registration.
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of North 4th Street in Benld in reference to a theft.
An officer was dispatched to Route 4 just North of Dollar General in East Gillespie in reference to a traffic crash.
An officer was dispatched to the 700 block of North 7th Street in Benld in reference to an animal complaint.
An officer was dispatched to the 700 block of Springfield Road in East Gillespie in reference to a civil standby.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of North Lincoln Avenue in Eagarville in reference to a well-being check.
An officer was dispatched to the 600 block of Litchfield Road in East Gillespie in reference to an alarm call.
November 12
An officer was dispatched to a business in the 100 block of South Hard Road in Mt. Clare in reference to found property.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of Shelby Street in reference to a suspicious noise.
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of East Walnut Street in reference to a suspicious person.
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of North 4th Street in Benld in reference to a well-being check.
An officer spoke with a female at Gillespie Police Department in reference to a civil issue.
An officer was dispatched to South Kentucky and Hickory Street in Benld in reference to an ordinance issue.
An officer was dispatched to the 100 block of South Main Street in Benld in reference to a 911 call.
An officer was dispatched to the Ben-Gil Elementary School to assist with a juvenile issue.
November 13
An officer was dispatched to a business in the 500 block of Broadway Street in reference to a juvenile fight.
An officer was dispatched to Madison Street and Spruce Street in reference to a suspicious vehicle.
An officer was out with a suspicious vehicle in Benld City Park after dark, individuals were advised that the park was closed after dark.
An officer was dispatched to Staunton Road in reference to reckless driving.
An officer was dispatched to a business in the 100 block of South Hard Road in Mt. Clare in reference to a commercial alarm sounding.
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of East Elm Street in reference to a theft.
An officer was dispatched to the 700 block of North 6th Street in Benld in reference to suspicious activity.
An officer was out with a suspicious vehicle parked on Eagarville Road in Eagarville.
November 14
An officer was dispatched to Madison Street and Southern Street in reference to property damage and a hit-and-run.
An officer spoke with a female at Gillespie Police Department in reference to harassment.
An officer was speaking with a female in the 200 block of Southern Street in reference to a suspicious vehicle at Easton Street and Second Street.
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of West Easton Street in reference to a civil issue.
An officer initiated a traffic stop at Macoupin Street and Pine Street. Travis E. Bowling, 41 of Gillespie, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, and a muffler violation.
An officer initiated a traffic stop at Macoupin Street and Pine Street. Jessie E. Smith, 31 of Staunton, was issued a citation for operating an uninsured motor vehicle.
An officer was dispatched to the 300 block of Western Street in reference to a theft.
An officer was dispatched to Macoupin Street and Oak Street in reference to a found item.
An officer spoke with a female at Gillespie Police Department in reference to harassment by telephone.
An officer was dispatched to Easton Street and Second Street in reference to a suspicious vehicle.
November 15
An officer was dispatched to the 500 block of East Elm Street in reference to a domestic dispute.
An officer spoke with a female in the 1100 block of South Second Street in reference to a missing person who was later found.
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of South Main Street in Benld in reference to a child custody issue.
An officer was dispatched to the 300 block of South Macoupin Street to speak with a male in reference to harassment. Terry A. Whitlow, 59 of Gillespie, was cited for disorderly conduct.
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of Springfield Road in East Gillespie in reference to suspicious circumstances.
An officer was dispatched to South Hard Road and Mt. Clare Drive in Mt. Clare in reference to a well-being check.
An officer was dispatched to Springfield Road and Maple Street in reference to a found item.
An officer was dispatched to the 500 block of Lynn Street in reference to a 911 call.
November 16
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of East Oak Street in reference to criminal trespass. Timothy D. Conlee, 29 of Gillespie, was arrested on a Macoupin County warrant for criminal trespass.
An officer was dispatched to South 1st Street and Oak Street in Benld in reference to a suspicious fire.
An officer initiated a traffic stop at Central Avenue and Main Street in Benld. Earnest L. Stevenson, 21 of Staunton, was issued citations for improper use of evidence of registration, no driver’s license, and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.
An officer was dispatched to the 500 block of Lynn Street in reference to a medical call.
An officer was dispatched to the 900 block of Adams Street in reference to a 911 call.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of West Spruce Street in reference to an animal complaint.
An officer was dispatched to the 300 block of South 4th Street in Benld in reference to a civil standby.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of North 7th Street in Benld in reference to juvenile issues.
An officer was dispatched to the 600 block of Charles Street in reference to a domestic dispute.
November 17
An officer initiated a traffic stop at Macoupin Street and Pine Street. Michael C. Malone, 59 of Melbourne, Florida, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and disregarding a stop sign.
An officer was dispatched to the 300 block of South Illinois Street in Benld in reference to criminal trespass to property.
An officer was dispatched to the 500 block of Henry Street in reference to suspicious persons.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of West Hickory Street in Benld in reference to a suspicious noise.
An officer was dispatched to South Second Street in reference to reckless driving.
An officer initiated a traffic stop at Springfield Road and Illinois Avenue in East Gillespie. Matthew R. Bowen, 18 of Fairview Heights, was issued a citation for operating an uninsured motor vehicle.
An officer was dispatched to the 500 block of East Pine Street in reference to a medical assist.
November 18
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of Park Street in Benld in reference to a domestic dispute.
An officer was dispatched to the 500 block of East Chestnut Street in reference to a medical assist.
An officer was dispatched to the 500 block of East Chestnut Street in reference to a juvenile issue.
An officer initiated a traffic stop at Elm Street and Clinton Street. Samantha L. Jansen, 53 of Gillespie, was issued a citation for operating an uninsured motor vehicle.
An officer was dispatched to Staunton Road in reference to reckless driving.
An officer was dispatched to Gillespie Police Department to the 200 block of East Locust Street in Benld in reference to trespassing.
November 19
An officer was dispatched to the 600 block of Charles Street in reference to a suspicious person.
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of East Oak Street in reference to a well-being check.
An officer was dispatched to the 800 block of Broadway Street in reference to a business security check.
An officer initiated a traffic stop at Green Street and Easton Street. McKenna N. Kampwerth, 21 of South Roxana, was arrested on multiple warrants. The South Roxana warrant was for failure to appear for traffic leaving the scene, the warrant out of Wood River was for possession of meth, and the warrant out of Collinsville was for possession of meth.
An officer was dispatched to East Gillespie on Route 16 East to Assist an Illinois State trooper with a call.
An officer was dispatched to a business in the 300 block of North Macoupin Street in reference to an electrical fire.
An officer was dispatched to the 500 block of East Walnut Street in reference to a battery.
Keshawn K. Bush, 40 of Gillespie, was arrested for criminal trespass to state supported property.
An officer was dispatched to the 300 block of East Oak Street reference criminal trespass to property.
Brandon L. Smith, 29 of Gillespie, was arrested on a warrant out of Macoupin County for failure to appear on a traffic offense.
Ryan D. Shoger, 37 of Gillespie, was arrested on a warrant out of Macoupin County for failure to appear on possession of methamphetamine.
An officer initiated a traffic stop at Macoupin Street and Elm Street. Jesus E. Cabrera-Ramirez, 33 of Gilbert, AZ, was issued a citation for disregarding a stop sign and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.
An officer initiated a traffic stop at Macoupin Street and Elm Street. Alison M. Whitehead, 29 of Staunton, was issued a citation for expired registration.
An officer was dispatched to the 300 block of East Willow Street in Benld in reference to a suspicious vehicle.
An officer spoke with a female at Gillespie Police Department in reference to an order of protection in the 700 block of Springfield Road in East Gillespie.
November 20
An officer initiated a traffic stop at Broadway Street and LJ Avenue. Layla R. Eden, 18 of Bunker Hill, was arrested for driving while license was suspended and possession of alcoholic liquor under the age of 21.
An officer was dispatched to Easton Street and Macoupin Street in reference to a traffic crash.
An officer was dispatched to Oak Street and South 1st Street in Benld in reference to a fire. The officer discovered it was a control burn.
An officer was dispatched to a business at East Central Avenue in Benld in reference to a suspicious person.
An officer was dispatched to the 1100 block of Abba Street in reference to an alarm.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of Broadway Street in reference to a medical assist.
An officer spoke with a male in the 200 block of Hickory Street in Benld in reference to a civil issue.
November 21
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of Illinois Street in Benld in reference to a domestic dispute.
Ashleigh K. Bethel, 40 of Benld, was arrested on a Macoupin County warrant for failure to appear while driving while license are revoked.
The school resource officer was contacted by the high school counselor and advised him of a sexual assault.
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of Springfield Road in East Gillespie Street reference a burglary.
An officer was dispatched to a business in the 400 block of South Macoupin Street in reference to retail theft. David A. Orear, 33 of Gillespie, was arrested for retail theft.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of North Illinois Street in Benld in reference to a domestic. Donald E. Ruyle, 51 of Benld, was arrested for domestic battery.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of South Jersey Street in reference to reckless driving.
An officer was dispatched to the 300 block of West Easton Street in reference to an animal complaint.
An officer spoke with a male in the 300 block of East Spruce Street in reference to a civil issue.
An officer was dispatched to Pine Street and Shelby Street in reference to an ordinance issue.
An officer was dispatched to a business in the 500 block of East Elm Street in reference to a suspicious person.
An officer was dispatched to 6th Street in Benld in reference to a suspicious person.
An officer initiated a traffic stop at Springfield Road and Illinois Avenue in East Gillespie. Bruce E. Jackson, 64 of Benld, was issued a citation for speeding.
An officer was dispatched to the 800 block of Broadway Street in reference to a suspicious person.
November 22
An officer was dispatched to the 600 block of Charles Street in reference to a well-being check.
An officer spoke with a female at Gillespie Police Department in reference to a civil issue.
An officer initiated a traffic stop at Broadway Street and LJ Avenue. Joseph W. Webb, 37 of Gillespie, was arrested for no valid driver’s license and driving while license was suspended.
An officer was dispatched to the 100 block of Park Avenue in reference to an animal complaint.
An officer was dispatched to Route 16 East in East Gillespie in reference to a domestic dispute.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of East Elm Street in reference to a 911 call.
An officer spoke with a female at Gillespie Police Department in reference to a civil issue in the 700 block of Springfield Road in East Gillespie.
An officer was dispatched to Gillespie Police Department to speak with a female in reference to a civil issue in the 300 block of Park Avenue.
November 23
An officer was dispatched to the 300 block of East Oak Street in reference to criminal trespass to property.
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of South 8th Street in Benld in reference to a 911 call.
An officer was dispatched to the 500 block of East Chestnut Street in reference to a death investigation.
An officer was dispatched to the 500 block of Henry Street in reference to a well-being check.
An officer was dispatched to a business in the 100 block of South Hard Road in Mt. Clare reference a civil issue.
An officer was dispatched to the 700 block of Plum Street in reference to a 911 call.
An officer was dispatched to Grace Street and Clinton Street in reference to an animal complaint.
An officer was dispatched to the 300 block of West Walnut Street in reference to a domestic dispute.
An officer was dispatched to the 700 block of Springfield Road in East Gillespie in reference to a civil standby.
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of Springfield Road in East Gillespie in reference to a business check
November 24
An officer initiated a traffic stop at Macoupin Street and Pine Street. Jaylen M. Ronald, 22 of Gillespie, was issued a citation for speeding.
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of North 4th Street in Benld in reference to a theft.
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of Shelby Street in reference to animal neglect.
Walter L. Vester, 30 of Benld, was arrested on a Macoupin County warrant for failure to appear for domestic battery.
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of Berry Street in Mt. Clare in reference to a suspicious vehicle.
An officer spoke with a male at Gillespie Police Department in reference to a civil issue.
An officer was dispatched to the 300 block of North Hard Road in Mt. Clare in reference to a well-being check.
An officer was dispatched to the 700 block of Litchfield Road in East Gillespie in reference to a home security check.
November 25
An officer was dispatched to Gillespie Police Department to speak with a male in reference to telephone harassment.
An officer was dispatched to Gillespie Police Department to speak with a male in reference to a child custody issue.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of West Hickory Street in Benld in reference to a civil issue.
An officer was dispatched to the 100 block of North 8th Street in Benld in reference to an unwanted solicitor.
An officer was dispatched to the 600 block of Broadway Street in reference to an animal complaint.
An officer was dispatched to the 300 block of West Easton Street in reference to an animal complaint.
An officer was speaking with a female in the 200 block of North Mt. Olive Road in Eagarville in reference to a civil issue.
An officer spoke with a male at Gillespie Police Department in reference to harassment by telephone.
An officer was dispatched to the 15000 block of Western Drive at Gillespie Lake in reference to neighborhood trouble.
An officer was dispatched to the 300 block of South 4th Street in Benld in reference to an animal complaint.
November 26
An officer was dispatched to Gillespie Police Department to speak with a male in reference to a child custody issue.
An officer was dispatched to the 500 block of East Chestnut Street in reference to a suspicious person.
An officer spoke with a subject at Gillespie Police Department in reference to identity theft in the 200 block of Park Avenue.
An officer spoke with a male at Gillespie Police Department in reference to spam callers.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of West Walnut Street in Benld in reference to an animal complaint.
An officer was dispatched to the 300 block of Henrietta Street in reference to a suspicious circumstance.
An officer was dispatched to the Gillespie bike trail in reference to a suspicious person on a motorized bike.
An officer spoke with a female at Gillespie Police Department in reference to a juvenile issue.
November 27
An officer spoke with a female at Gillespie Police Department in reference to a civil issue in the 100 block of Maple Street in Benld.
An officer was dispatched to a business in the 900 block of North Hard Road in Mt. Clare in reference to a traffic crash.
An officer was dispatched to the 300 block of Park Avenue in reference to criminal trespass to property. Joseph F. Frew, 49 of Gillespie, was issued a citation for littering prohibited.
An officer was dispatched to the 111 South 6th Street in Benld in reference to a civil stand by.
An officer was dispatched to the 10000 Friese Lane at Gillespie Lake in reference to a theft.
An officer was dispatched to Gillespie Police Department to speak with a male in reference to a civil issue.
November 28
An officer was dispatched to Gillespie Police Department to speak with a male in reference to a theft in Benld.
An officer was dispatched to the 300 block of Francis Street in reference to a domestic dispute.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of North 8th Street in Benld in reference to a theft.
An officer was out in the 100 block of South Hard Road in Mt. Clare with a suspicious vehicle.
An officer was dispatched to North 7th Street in Benld in reference to a suspicious vehicle.
An officer was dispatched to Macoupin Street and Walnut Street in reference to a suspicious person.
An officer was dispatched to the 600 block of Litchfield Road in East Gillespie in reference to a 911 call.
November 29
Juan A. Cortez, 40 of Danville, was arrested on multiple warrants. Cortez had warrants out of Collinsville for possession of methamphetamine, Sangamon County for failure to appear for drugs, and Coles County for failure to appear for traffic.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of Southern Street to speak with a male in reference to a civil issue
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of North 7th street in Benld in reference to a 911 call.
An officer was dispatched to the 300 block of West Park Street in Benld in reference o a medical assist.
An officer was dispatched to the 1100 block of South Macoupin Street in reference to a well-being check.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of Hickory Street in Benld in reference to a civil issue.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of North 8th Street in Benld in reference to a civil issue.
An officer was dispatched to the 100 block of West Elm Street in reference to an alarm call.
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of North 4th Street in Benld in reference to a civil issue.
An officer met with a female at Gillespie Police Department to collect an item that she found.
An officer was dispatched to the 100 block of East Maple Street in reference to an alarm sounding.
An officer was dispatched to Staunton Road and Heritage Health in reference to a suspicious vehicle.
An officer was dispatched to South 4th Street and East Spruce Street in Benld in reference to recovered stolen property.
An officer was dispatched to the 100 block of North Jersey Street in reference to a suspicious vehicle.
November 30
An officer was dispatched to the 500 block of West Walnut Street in reference to a hit and run traffic crash.
An officer was dispatched to Maple Street and Oregon Street in reference to found property.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of North Hard Road in Mt. Clare in reference to a suspicious female in a vehicle. Kourtney K. Claro, 33 of Benld, was issued citation for no valid driver’s license.
An officer was dispatched to a business in the 900 block of Springfield Road in East Gillespie in reference to an alarm sounding.
An officer was dispatched to the 300 block of Park Avenue in reference to juvenile issues.
An officer was dispatched to the 100 block of East Maple Street in reference to an alarm sounding,
An officer was dispatched to the 500 block of North 4th Street in Benld in reference to a fire call.
An officer was dispatched to the 100 block of East Maple Street in reference to an alarm sounding.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of West Hickory Street in Benld in reference to a medical assist.
December 1
An officer initiated a traffic stop at Macoupin Street and Elm Street. A 17-year-old male from Staunton was arrested for improper lane usage and illegal transportation of alcohol.
An officer was dispatched to the 300 block of Henrietta Street in reference to a domestic dispute and criminal trespass to property.
An officer was dispatched to the 500 block of West Baker Street in reference to a theft.
An officer was dispatched to the 1300 block of Staunton Road in reference to a suspicious person.
An officer was dispatched to the 100 block of South Main Street in Benld in reference to an unwanted subject.
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of Henry Street in reference to a well-being check.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of North Illinois Street in Benld in reference to a 911 call.
An officer spoke with a female at Gillespie Police Department in reference to a civil issue at Broadway and LJ Avenue.
December 2
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of East Oak Street in reference to a theft.
An officer was dispatched to Eagarville Road and Henderson Road in Eagarville in reference to a traffic crash.
An officer was dispatched to the 100 block of East Maple Street in reference to a domestic dispute.
An officer was dispatched to the 900 block of Madison Street in reference to a domestic dispute.
An officer was dispatched to the Gillespie Police Department to speak with a female in reference to a scam/fraud in the 300 block of West Oak Street.
An officer was dispatched to Gillespie Police Department to speak with a female in reference to a scam in the 500 block of Lynn Street.
An officer was dispatched to West Chestnut Street in reference to an assault and disorderly conduct.
Anita S. Northcutt, 48 of Mt. Clare, was arrested on a warrant out of Glen Carbon for possession of methamphetamine.
An officer was dispatched to Gillespie Police Department to speak with a female in reference to a juvenile issue.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of East Maple Street in reference to a noise complaint.
An officer was dispatched to the 300 block of Park Street in Benld in reference to a mental subject.
An officer was dispatched to the 300 block of South Street in reference to a 911 call.
An officer was dispatched to Gillespie Police Department in reference to a civil issue in the 400 block of East Elm Street.
An officer was dispatched to Gillespie Police Department to speak with a male in reference to a violation of an order of protection.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of East Maple Street in reference to a domestic dispute.
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of Park Avenue in reference to a suspicious person.
December 3
An officer was dispatched to the 100 block of East Maple Street in reference to criminal trespass.
An officer was dispatched to a business in the 500 block of East Central Avenue in Benld. Timothy J. Dalpozzo, 57 of Benld, was arrested for criminal damage to property and resisting/obstructing a peace officer.
An officer was dispatched to a business in the 300 block in North Macoupin Street in reference to criminal trespass to property.
An officer spoke with a female at Gillespie Police Department in reference to a criminal sexual assault that took place in the 100 block of Madison Street in Benld.
An officer was dispatched to Osie Street and Madison Street in reference to a traffic crash.
Nicholas O. Landolt, 36 of Gillespie, was arrested on multiple warrants; a Macoupin County warrant for failure to appear for possession of methamphetamine, a Montgomery County warrant for failure to appear on a traffic offense, and a St. Clair County for failure to appear for possession of methamphetamine.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of East Oak Street in reference to criminal damage to property.
An officer was dispatched to the 100 block of East Maple Street in reference to criminal damage to property.
An officer spoke with a male at Gillespie Police Department in reference to a civil issue in the 800 block of Madison Street.
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of Francis Street in reference to a 911 call.
An officer was dispatched to Gillespie Police Department to speak with a male about a neighbor dispute.
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of West Easton Street in reference to criminal trespass.
An officer was dispatched to the 100 block of East Maple Street in reference to criminal damage to property.
December 4
An officer initiated a traffic stop at Staunton Road and Baker Street. Corey D. Norton, 32 of Benld, was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of Francis Street in reference to a suspicious vehicle.
An officer spoke with a male at Gillespie Police Department in reference to suspicious activity.
An officer spoke with a female at Gillespie Police Department in reference to a civil issue.
An officer was dispatched to a business in the 200 block of East Walnut Street in reference to a motion alarm sounding.
December 5
An officer was dispatched to the 600 block of West Baker Street in reference to a 911 call.
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of East Elm in reference to a suspicious person.
An officer was dispatched to a business the 400 block of East Central Avenue in Benld in reference to a suspicious person.
An officer was dispatched to the 1100 block of South Macoupin Street in reference to a civil issue.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of Henry Street in reference to a 911 call.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of West Walnut Street in reference to an item that was found in their front yard.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of East Locust Street in Benld in reference to a 911 call.
December 6
An officer spoke with a female at Gillespie Police Department in reference to fraud in the 300 block of Park Avenue.
An officer was dispatched to Gillespie Police Department to speak with a female in reference to criminal damage to property in the 300 block of Francis Street.
An officer initiated a traffic stop at Staunton Road and Gillespie Street. Bonnie M. Kirk, 48 of Benld, was issued citations for suspended registration and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.
An officer was out with juveniles in Pomatto Park and advised them it was closed after dark.
An officer was dispatched to the 200 block of South Hard Road in Benld in reference to a medical ass
December 7
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of Springfield Road in East Gillespie in reference to a suspicious person. Thor S. Barnes, 44 of Forest Grove, OR, was arrested on a Macoupin County warrant for failure to appear on a control substance.
An officer was dispatched to the 100 block of South 6th Street in Benld in reference to a civil standby.
An officer was dispatched to Gillespie Police Department and spoke with a couple in reference to fraud in the 200 block of South 6th Street in Benld.
Daniel L. Baglin, 43 of Gillespie, was arrested on a Macoupin County warrant for failure to appear on a traffic offense.
An officer was out with a vehicle on Springfield Road in East Gillespie with motorist assist.
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of East Chestnut Street in reference to juvenile issues.
An officer was dispatched to the 500 block of West Burton Street in reference to a medical assist.
An officer was dispatched to the 300 block of North 8th Street in Benld in reference to a well-being check.
An officer was dispatched to the 400 block of East Walnut Street in reference to a well-being check.
An officer was out at Clark Street and Macoupin Street in reference to juvenile issue.
All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
For more Macoupin County news, follow Heartland Newsfeed @HLNF_Bulletin on Twitter.
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NOKOMIS — Grants were among the business items the Nokomis City Council discussed at its December 7 meeting.
One grant on the docket was for the business district grant for Bernardini’s, 116 W. Front. A previous grant for the building was approved for $9,000 and was already awarded. The new application related to additional unrelated work on the building and will bring tax revenue to the city.
The contractor has damaged the sidewalk in front of the building during the work covered in the previous grant application. The new grant was approved, contingent on the contractor signing an agreement with the city to repair the sidewalk. The total amount on the two grants will not exceed $25,000.
Another grant application submitted by Joseph Clavin was discussed. The work on the project involving the grant has already been completed. Further discussion and action will be determined at the next meeting.
The city has applied for a downtown grant. The council will hear more details as they become available next month.
The streets department is hanging more lights downtown, which were donated by Camren’s Causes.
Nokomis monthly financials
The city received $83,211.77 in revenues from various sources, which include the following:
Illinois Department of Revenue – MFT Renewal for November: $4,337.38
Illinois Department of Revenue – MFT Allotment for November: $4,413.30
Illinois Department of Revenue – Personal Property Replacement Tax: $1,268.97
Illinois Department of Revenue – Business District Tax: $6,609.32
Illinois Department of Revenue – 1% Sales Tax: $20,197.32
Other revenues: $46,484.48
Bills in the amount of $35,811.84 were authorized to be paid.
New business
Proposals for the renovation project at City Hall were tabled until the next meeting.
The council is awaiting on the cost of subdividing the city property near the water treatment plant.
Joe Cervi will begin with the removal of the trailer located at 511 1/2 S. Spruce.
The council approved the purchase of control panels for the generators located at the wastewater plant and City Hall. When the construction at the wastewater plant is complete, the control panel will be moved to the water treatment plant.
A letter was received from the Nokomis-Witt Area Ambulance Service requesting a letter of recommendation to appoint Joletta Hill to represent the City of Nokomis on the board. The letter was approved and will be drafted.
There was discussion but no action on upgrading the Civic Systems community portal. The reasoning for the tabling is that the council needs more information on the cost and the current cost of the program the city is currently utilizing.
The proposed upgrade would allow for more automatic data entry compared to the current system, which requires a lot of manual data entry. It would also provide more spreadsheets to better assist in calculating the budget.
The council approved the purchase of a new printer/copier at a cost of $5,165. The printer the city uses is 12 years old and parts are no longer available to facilitate repairs.
The council also approved a consent order executed by Mayor Dylan Goldsmith for violations recorded by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency in the amount of $5,500.
The city will now have a part-time office assistant at City Hall. Madison Musser will be hired to work four days a week in the city clerk’s office.
The next meeting will be Monday, December 23 in the city council chambers. Present were Mayor Goldsmith, Commissioners Michael Glenn, Lou Stauder, Tisha Morris, and Scott Arkebauer, City Clerk Rachel Cassidy, and City Attorney Chris Sherer.
This article was updated before publication with correct information. We were going off of first-hand knowledge that the trailer at 511 1/2 S. Spruce had not been demolished as of the 11 a.m. draft of this article. As of 5:30 p.m. Friday, it had become apparent that the trailer had been demolished.
For more Montgomery County (IL) news, follow Jake Leonard on Twitter @JakeLeonardJRN and Heartland Newsfeed @HLNF_Bulletin on Twitter.
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CHICAGO — The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) reminds consumers that Illinois’ winter weather rule will take effect from December 1 to March 31. The winter weather rule prohibits utilities from disconnecting eligible customers who use electricity or gas as their primary source of home heating.
“Frigid winters are a given in Illinois. The state’s winter weather rule offers peace of mind for individuals and families who might otherwise struggle to stay warm during the coldest months of the year,” said ICC Chairman Doug Scott.
To protect Illinoisans during dangerous cold, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) participants; electric space heating customers; and military personnel and veterans cannot be disconnected if they fall behind on their utility bills. The rule excludes disconnections related to theft, tampering, or safety.
The cold weather rule also protects residential customers from disconnections when temperatures are forecasted to be at or below 32 F, and on days preceding holidays and weekends when the forecast is expected to drop to freezing.
To protect against disconnection, customers with past due balances should contact their utility to enroll in a Deferred Payment Agreement (DPA). If your electric or gas service has already been disconnected, contact your utility directly to see if you qualify for reconnection at less than the full amount owed.
Other residential customers or master-metered apartment buildings who used gas or electricity as the primary source of space heating equipment during the previous winter cannot be disconnected for non-payment unless: the utility has offered the customer a DPA with a maximum down payment of 10 percent; provided the customer with contact information for public and private aid agencies; the customer refused to enter a DPA; and all disconnection notices provisions have been met.
Households struggling to pay their utility bills are encouraged to apply for LIHEAP annually with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
Ameren, Nicor, North Shore, and Peoples Gas natural gas customers who qualify for LIHEAP or whose incomes are at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty line are eligible for a monthly discount on their gas bills through the state’s new low-income discount rates.
Enrollment in the programs mentioned above is free of charge, and customers can access LIHEAP benefits regardless of immigration status.
Contact the ICC’s Consumer Services Division at 1-800-524-0795 for further guidance or to file a complaint against your utility.
About the Illinois Commerce Commission
The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) is a quasi-judicial body made up of five Commissioners. Through its Public Utility Program, the Commission oversees the provision of adequate, reliable, efficient, and safe utility services at the least possible cost to Illinois citizens served by electric, natural gas, telecommunications, water, and sewer public utility companies. Through its Transportation Regulatory Program, the Commission oversees public safety and consumer protection programs with regard to intrastate commercial motor carriers of general freight, household goods movers, relocation towers, safety towers, personal property warehouses, and repossession agencies. The Commission’s Rail Safety Program also inspects and regulates the general safety of railroad tracks, facilities, and equipment in the state.
