AGENDA #11b

BUDGET WORKING PAPER

TO:                  W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

FROM:            Gregg Jarvies, Chief of Police

SUBJECT:       Options for Reassigning Officers to Patrol

DATE:             April 27, 2005

The purpose of this memorandum is to respond to questions raised at the April 6 budget work session regarding the potential options for reassigning administrative officers to patrol operations.

Eight of the 112 budgeted police positions are assigned to administrative duties.  Four of these eight are command positions:

• Chief of Police
• Operations Commander (Police Major)
• Division Commanders (Two Police Captains)

The remaining four positions assigned primarily to administrative functions are:

• Training Officer (Lieutenant)
• Career Progression Officer (Police Officer IV)
• Special Events Coordinator/Court Liaison Officer (PO III)
• Technical Services Officer (PO IV)

Less than ten percent of our sworn positions are assigned to non-operational duties.  This figure is far less than the fifteen to eighteen percent that is more typical for most police agencies. 

Over the past fifteen years many positions previously held by sworn personnel have been reclassified to civilian positions (including police planner, front desk receptionist/call taker, records supervisor, technical services supervisor, and budget/finance manager).  

I believe that the four non-command officers who are assigned to administrative duties are critical to the effective operation of the department.  They are:

Training Officer:  This position supervises all in-service training in the department and is responsible for ensuring that all officers meet the annual requirements set forth by the State Training and Standards Division.  This position also supervises the application, hiring, recruitment, and recruit training processes for new officers.  The state requires that this position be a certified law enforcement instructor and school director under the auspices of the Training and Standards Division.     

Career Progression Officer:  This position is responsible for managing the out-of-department training and the career progression of 112 officers.  In calendar year 2004 that training totaled over 5,500 hours.  This position also oversees the background and testing processes for all police applicants.  This position also serves as an assistant to the school director (as required by state standards) and must therefore also be certified as a law enforcement instructor and as an assistant school director.

Special Events Coordinator/Court Liaison Officer:  This position is responsible for coordinating all special events.  In addition to two street fairs, Halloween and NCAA celebrations this position is anticipated to coordinate over 115 events in FY 2004-05.  This position also manages the department’s off-duty work assignments.  The court liaison component of this position includes the management of the court docket and the coordination of officers’ court appearances to ensure that officers don’t report to the courtroom until they are actually needed to testify. 

Technical Services Officer:  This position is the only sworn employee assigned to the three-person Technical Services Unit.  In addition to working with the department’s extensive computer network, including the server, mobile terminals in cars, and the records management system, this position also serves as the computer expert in criminal investigations including child pornography, internet fraud, and identity theft.  Because these responsibilities often include the need to secure search warrants and to conduct searches of computer systems, the position should be filled by a sworn employee.

If all four non-command, administrative officers were reassigned to patrol, overall staffing levels would increase by less than one officer per twenty-four hour period.  This minimal benefit would be significantly outweighed by the lack of oversight provided to critical, and in some cases state-mandated, responsibilities.