Police Commission Minutes

Rochester Police Commission

Rochester, NH 03867

Lucien G. Levesque, Chairman

Bruce E. Lindsay, Commissioner

Derek J. Peters, Commissioner

MINUTES OF THE POLICE COMMISSION MEETING

            The Rochester Police Commission held their regular monthly meeting at City Hall, Council Chambers on Wednesday, September 2, 2015. Present at this meeting was Comm. Levesque, Comm. Lindsay, Comm. Peters, Chief Allen, Dep. Chief Dumas, Capt. Boudreau, Chaplain Lachapelle and Secretary Warburton as well as invited guests, members of the Department and the media.

            The meeting was called to order at 7:00 P.M.

            A. Pledge. All participated in the Pledge of Allegiance. 

            B. Prayer. Chaplain Lachapelle led the opening prayer. 

  C. Roll Call. The clerk called the roll marking all Commissioner’s present. 

2.        PUBLIC COMMENT: 

There was no public comment.

3.        ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES: 

A.  August 5, 2015 regular meeting

Comm. Peters MOVED to accept the minutes of the August 5, 2015 regular meeting as presented. SECOND by Comm. Lindsay and PASSED unanimously.

4.        OLD AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS:                        

            The Commission noted that school started and asked if cruisers are in the school areas to watch for school speed zones.

            Chief Allen confirmed the cruisers are monitoring school speed zones as well as traffic congestion as school opens for another year. He also confirmed that we have a full complement of crossing guards.

5.        NEW BUSINESS:           

            A.  Community Outreach – Bridging the Gaps. Coordinator Molly Martuscello noted that Bridging the Gaps is now under the City and the Police Department. We are thankful for that having the City and the Police Department supporting this program in the community.

            This is a collaboration in the community to address drug and alcohol prevention. We meet and discuss what programs we need to address. What in the community causes and attributes to drug and alcohol use and how can we change that. We can address through environmental strategies, community attitudes, standards and policies to change perceptions and educate the public what is going on in the community.

            The police as our partners decrease access and availability, and businesses and store clerks are using best practices to limit access.

            We give back to the community and at events we are seeing people take advantage of resources through community and health partners.

          We will be participating in Drug Take Back Day on September 26, 2015. This event is sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration to get unused, unneeded and expired medication out of circulation. They bring it to the Police Department on the designated date and time and we will dispose of it properly.

          We are also hosting Red Ribbon week which is a national drug prevention week celebrating drug fee lifestyles. We encourage the entire community to be involved and promote a healthy lifestyle.

          Through partnerships we can reach out to landlords and tenants to show them safe ways to go about their business in their apartments and to be a good neighbor and good tenant; let landlords know of high-risk behaviors that will keep their property safe. There are varieties of materials we can access.

          All of these projects are aimed to change the environment of substance abuse for our youth.

          Comm. Lindsay asked about the board of directors.

          Ms. Martuscello said they are working with an advisory group. We have a minimum of twelve members representing the 12 sectors. We have someone from each sector of the community. We don’t want to leave anyone out. We want opinions from the community as a whole.

          Comm. Peters inquired into the survey at the high school. Where do we stand?

          Ms. Martsucello said the YRBS (Youth Risk Behavior Survey) under the grant is done every two years. So we will not do it this year. We can track prior year’s progresses and see what needs to be addressed further.

          Chief Allen said that data is used by others as well, such as the hospital and other service organizations in the community.

          These outreach programs instituted by the Police Department staff, and approved by the Commission are done to help education the public and others on matters that affect the community. They specifically help to bring better relationships with the officers. They are human; mothers, fathers, sons, daughters; brothers, sisters, husbands and wives. They are your neighbors and your friends. All are part of the community. We all have a common interest and work toward that.

          B. Bid Awards. Dep. Chief Dumas noted that the last bid to be awarded is the uniform and equipment bid. It was complicated by a couple of factors, including that our current vendor missed the bid deadline. We changed it up this year and broke up the bid to get the best value for our dollar. We will use four vendors and the items were fairly even split between them. We recommend awarding to the four vendors.

          Comm. Levesque asked if we were seeking Commission action?

          Dep. Chief Dumas said you have in the past but you don’t have to as this is a day to day function of the finance office. This is more for your information.

             C.  Monthly Reports

            1. Operations.  Capt. Boudreau said that three of the six wards met this period. A variety of topics discussed included crime statistics, traffic enforcement, drug activity, and the new hands-free law.

          The TAR team had two calls out this period including for a car vs. bicycle accident on the Milton Road and a fatal accident in Somersworth.

          The K9 team attended community events and also had two tracks of people running from officers through swampy areas. Both tracks were successful.

          We continue to be pleased with our comp stat results. Motor vehicle stops are up 76% over last year. Arrests are up 50% and DWI apprehensions are also up for the year making the roads safer.

          Comm. Peters noted the next Ward 1 meeting is September 16, 2015 at 7:00 P.M. at Tara Estates.

          Chief Allen said violent crime is also down 1% for the year. It would be further reduced if not for increases and arrests in domestic violence incidents. This is an area we focus on and we have an officer assigned specifically to that through the Family Justice Center.

          Capt. Boudreau noted that the investigations bureau is also busy. They did some proactive work on sex offender compliance (one arrest) and pawn shop compliance (no issues.)

          Det. Steven Bourque was in Georgia for three weeks for an ICAC sponsored certification training. He was advised that there is a 50% failure rate for these two sessions and he passed both of them.

          Specialist Jen Holman is moving to her second stage of training and is doing an excellent job. She is picking up the skills quickly.

          We held a written test for dispatching this period and following oral boards there are two individuals in the background stage.

          Sgt. Deluca met with EMS staff to review dispatching procedures. We will be holding quarterly meetings moving forward to strengthen lines of communication and to maintain our good working relationship.

          Diversion had a busy month. We held an abbreviated version of National Night Out that was very successful and well attended. The pilot program of the Rochester Teen Travel Camp through the Recreation Department, mirroring Teen Night was very successful and allowed us to make connections with at-risk youth.

            2. Administration. Dep. Chief Dumas noted that the budget spending is where it should be. Any lines that proportionally overspent are due to encumbrance or that the bills have been paid in full. The overtime line on the police side is 15% spent year-to-date. Adding in comp time it is 20%. We look at this every payroll and do a detailed spreadsheet.

          The Dispatch overtime is alarming and is 68% spent year to date. We are still down two positions and having difficulties keeping those positions filled. We first use TAD officers, then per diem, then dispatchers on overtime followed by officers trained in there on overtime. The per diem line is already spent. We have to keep this center manned with minimum staffing.

          Comm. Peters inquired if we can transfer funds?

          Dep. Chief Dumas said that we finished the year in the black with good budget management. But most of that was drawn from savings in salaries and benefits.

          Comm. Peters asked if there are any officers on TAD right now?

          Dep. Chief Dumas said there are not. Chief Allen added that we get spikes like that which as stated are offset by the salary and benefits lines. It is not a dollar to dollar wash but it does help that deficient at the end of the year.

          Comm. Levesque asked how long until we are fully staffed?

          Chief Allen replied that we are hopeful for the two vacancies to be filled within the next six weeks.

          Comm. Levesque asked if salaries was a reason we don’t fill them as quickly?

          Chief Allen said partly. A bigger reason is finding qualified quality candidates. We routinely washed candidates or let them go at some point in the process. It perpetuates the problem if you have to start over. We are not unique in that regard. It is happening all over the state. It's difficult to find and not settle for candidates that don’t meet the high standards we have here in Rochester. Because of that, we have difficulty finding those candidates. Shift openings are then backfilled with officers and others on overtime.

          The Commission asked to define a typical shift.

          It is typically 8 hours; there is a one hour overlap for the oncoming specialist. Shifts are 7-3; 8-4; 3-11; 11-7; and 12-8. Our goal is to have 3-3-2 at full staff on most days.

          Dep. Chief Dumas said that the crisis intervention team that was developed some time ago, and we were the first in the State to have one, was primarily handled by Sgt. Burke, who has since retired. We are working to create a curriculum to ensure the program is not lost and to ensure that trained officers receive at least 8 hours of training each year to maintain the certification. We hope to host a training through the host training line. We will keep you posted moving forward.

          Comm. Peters asked if we would send what we develop to Memphis to have it certified so that we can continue to annually offer this?

          Dep. Chief said that we would. We suspect that the training will involve some of the same trainers as the first time. Our goal we love to have all of our officers CIT certified. The mental health first aid is a great initiative to recognize and de-escalate someone in a psychosis episode.

          Comm. Peters said that we have a lot invested in this and we certainly don’t want to lose it.

          Dep. Chief Dumas said as an agency we have been at the forefront of getting Narcan in the hands of law enforcement. All but five of our officers have completed the process and we are waiting for the return of the licenses from the State. Frisbie has been an excellent partner in this.

          Comm. Lindsay asked if there are other uses for Narcan on the Street beside heroin?

          Dep. Chief Dumas said it can be used for any opiate. It is an opiate inhibitor. It replaces the receptors on the brain and brings them back from the euphoric state, depending on how much of the opiate they have they ingested. They can go back to an opiate overdose even after Narcan, so they should seek medical attention. We are fortunate that Fire and EMS have the tools to react quickly and maintain until EMS can arrive on scene and medically assess the situation.

          D. Other.

          1. Homeland Security Grant. Chief Allen said that a homeland security grant went before the Council the prior evening for permission to apply. The Deputy Chief worked on this with Julian Long. We found in late July funding for a competitive grant and one of the areas of qualification was the regional component of the communications center.

          We moved into this facility in the summer of 2004. Some of our equipment came from the old police department and much of the remainder has run its lifetime or been exceeded by technology advances in those 11 years. We can replace things piecemeal like we usually do but changes and improvements in technology have us chasing upgrades. If we can build it from the ground up with grant funds, as if it didn’t exist, from hardware, software and furniture we are going to be so much further ahead of the game.

          Interoperability was one facet you could apply for under the grant. We received letters of support from Frisbie Hospital and from the Fire Department. One thing that didn’t exist for us eleven years ago was radio transmitting via microwave technology. This is coming in the future and it is our understanding that there will be requirements in that area by 2018 for interoperability. When we go to upgrade the radios if we already have that ability it will reduce costs.         

          Julian Long did a great job in writing the grant. Sgt. Deluca did a lot of research as well. The grant has a requested value of $455,000.00. It would be wonderful if we got the full award. It’s been eleven years and our center was state of the art at that time. We will keep you apprised as this moves through the processes of the grant office.

          Comm. Peters asked if this is a matching grant.

          Chief Allen said it is not. It is a competitive grant. The State was awarded approximately 3.7 million to be distributed through the competitive process. It will depend on how many people are vying for the available funds.

          2. ‘Panhandling” Ordinance. Chief Allen said the Council passed a new ordinance regulating the passing of items to and from an occupied motor vehicle in the roadway at their meeting the previous evening. This mirrors Concord, NH’s ordinance. We will be getting that info out on the new language and doing some training in the department and start enforcement efforts.

          Will we need to create a standard operating procedure?

          That is not needed. The ordinance covers that enforcing local law related to that.

          Comm. Levesque said that the ordinance is not clear cut. It’s kind of confusing.

          Chief Allen said that is where the training aspect will come in to play. It is easy to read a lot of interpretation a certain way which is wy we don’t do things that way. When a new law is implemented we have a training standard and we sit down with the officers to ensure they understand it. We use the PowerDMS software program for this.

          Comm. Peters inquired who sets the fines.

          Chief Allen said the judge will. Hopefully, this will take care of a few issues we have been having. We posted it on Facebook and the comments on there about an officers’ discretion – officers always have that discretion. We are trying to change the behavior without fining people. We will, but up to this point, we are looking to curb the behavior we are seeing.

6.        CORRESPONDENCE:

            Correspondence for the month included:  Off. Mangum is recognized for superior teamwork and in particular, willingness to respond to assist with active investigations. End 68 Hours of Hunger thanks the Chief and Off. Mackenzie for participating in the stuff the fire truck event, a vital program to provide food to children during the school year.  Lt. Gould is recognized for her participation and ongoing support of the Police Cadet Academy.

            Comm. Lindsay participated in a ride along and recognizes Off. Turner for her professional demeanor and dedication. He said I wrote this letter for her file because I saw first-hand community policing at its finest that night. The calls the officers responded to were very diverse and it was great to see how the officers worked together. There were citizens in high crime areas that were open to providing information that officers need and I was really impressed for many days following the ride along. I thank Officer Turner and the Chief for allowing me to participate.

          Chief Allen said it is always great to hear about the good work that is being done in the Department and community. When you get to see first hand the quality of the men and women we hire it gives you a truer appreciation for the work the officers do on the street. Thank you for writing the letter.

7.        INFORMATION:

          Chaplain Lachapelle noted that he met with Reverend Ed Cilley and together they went to see Officer Funk recovering from recent surgery. He was thankful to have us there.

          It was noted that the Department appreciates the added value the Chaplain program provides to the Department. These things don’t happen that often but when they do this is an invaluable service provided to the men and women of the Department.

8.        NON-PUBLIC SESSION: (Pursuant to:  RSA 91-A:3)    

Commissioner Peters MOVED to enter a nonpublic session at 8:03 P.M. pursuant to RSA 91-A: 3, paragraph II, section A (personnel) and section E (legal.) SECOND by Comm. Lindsay. The motion PASSED by roll call vote 3 – 0 with Commissioner Peters, Commissioner Lindsay and Comm. Levesque voting in the affirmative.  Three-minute recess. The non-public session closed at 8:29 P.M. on a MOTION by Comm. Peters, SECOND by Comm. Levesque and PASSED unanimously.

9.        ADJOURNMENT:

Comm. Peters MOVED to adjourn. SECOND by Comm. Lindsay at 8:31 P.M.

                                         Respectfully Submitted

Rebecca J. Warburton

Secretary