Of the 36
resolutions and 2 Ordinances on the Agenda Fixing meeting’s docket there are
about 8 that will require no deep thought and belong on the Consent Agenda. A
few "do-gooders” that are memorializing something or body or other should
not merit Council action. Too many such resolutions cheapen their importance.
For once the
public’s viewing copy at the Library contains a plethora of material. Some
should have been proof read before submission since they contain statements
that are erroneous or misleading.
Resolution “J” authorizes the Mayor
and City Clerk to sign an agreement with the County to “modify the “Inter-Local
Services” agreement. This “Services” agreement is for sheltering the homeless
or for emergency shelter. However the modifications and/or list of County responsibilities
are not available.
Another Resolution “S” which is to
amend the 2013 Budget to include many dollars in Grant funds contains various errors including one for a
grant for years 2012-13 lists Zelinski
as the CFO; he was long gone.
To return briefly to “V”; The Certification
of the Police Department; Since the City abolished the Chief of Police position;
why should we care if the state organization of police chiefs approves our
Civilian headed Department.
I know that it will not initially
cost the City a penny since the funds will come out of a County held abundant City
fund. However it is not a one shot program and there are annual costs that are
not specified after the 3rd year. Are there better uses that we could be permitted to use that six figure fund?
I am against giving away money just because
it is not coming out of our pocket. The question someone should answer is would
the Council find this program worthwhile if it did cost taxpayer’s money?
I have no problem with the list of
educational programs that are part of the certification process and the ongoing
reinforcement material. Since they are basic instructions for performance of duty; I am sure that in a department of Plainfield's size all have received such training. Unless the Department’s
administration been negligent in their application these past years.
Once again should a “civilian” be the
day by day head of a Police Department?
More to come.
Old doc
ReplyDeleteYour scrutinizing City expenditures is very much appreciated and serves to keep everyone on their toes and the community informed as to the going on of City government. Your review of the Police Divisions desire for accreditation while well intended is flawed, I am sure, due to the lack of research on your part.
1st of all the Certification of a police department is a very valuable, tedious and time consuming process. Somewhat like private industry subscribes to national standards such as the ISO’s, these are the standards for Law Enforcement. Accreditation is supported by the Joint Insurance Fund (JIF)and studies by them have found “Nationally, it is well documented that Accredited police departments have fewer claims”.
The hiring of a consulting group does not alleviate work for the Police Division. It provides the tools necessary to assist the Division in the accreditation process. They provide model updated policy templates that are used to update our current and future standards. As each community requires, these policies are then tailored to the needs of Plainfield. They are not all inclusive. It will still require countless hours to review and update these items throughout the Police Division including Union participation.
They will provide a 3rd party independent assessment of our current condition and the needs for improvements with subject matter experts. They will provide staff that is trained in the various areas to conduct these evaluations. To conduct this assessment internally would require taking current staff, training them in the various elements to become subject matter experts, and then having them do the assessment. This would require countless hours beyond what would be required, otherwise. The Hiring of a group to assist with this process actually would save the Police Division money vs attempting to conduct the process themselves. They have done this numerous times in the past. In and of itself the process will consist of countless hours by Police Division staff to put the process in place. A consulting group will expedite the process and require less Police Division staff.
This accreditation will allow the Police Division to improve orders and directives and keep them updated on a rigid schedule. It will also give us the tools to properly distribute these items electronically to all staff and allow them to be able to receive them quickly and efficiently. The current process requires a printed version be made and distributed manually with manual sign off sheets. It would also allow staff efficiency by giving them the ability to seek out required items, when necessary, with a search engine capability such as we are used to with the internet. Currently that has to be done manually via three ring binders and files that become misplaced and missing pages. This would be like you’re having to go back to the library to obtain the council agenda that you currently receive electronically.
The funding for this process is from the Special Law Enforcement Fund which is intended for such Law Enforcement improvements such as this. The initial approval for this process from the Prosecutor’s office has been received. Your opinion that it would be better spent towards more patrolmen is flawed, in that, had you conducted more through research would have found that staffing is not supported through this program. I would urge you to study the matter further and become a supporter of this endeavor by the Police Division.
Capt Steven Soltys