Police Commission

LACONIA POLICE COMMISSION FEBRUARY 18, 2016, MINUTES CONFERENCE ROOM #200A, LACONIA CITY HALL 45 BEACON STREET EAST, LACONIA, NH – 3:00 P.M. CALL TO ORDER – Chairman Whittum called the Meeting to Order SALUTE TO THE FLAG – Chairman Whittum led the Pledge of Allegiance RECORDING SECRETARY – Deborah M. Simkins, Administrative Assistant ROLL CALL – Chairman Douglas A. Whittum, Clerk Armand E. Maheux, and Commissioner Thomas K. Tarr CHAIRMAN WHITTUM RECOGNIZES STAFF PRESENT – Chief Christopher A. Adams, Captain Matthew J. Canfield, Lieutenant Allan L. Graton, and Lieutenant Thomas E. Swett Chairman Whittum stated there are three (3) members of the Commission present and a quorum is established I. Personnel Matters A. Commendations & Awards – No Discussion B. Training – Lieutenant Graton advised he received an out-of-State Training Request at the Taunton Holiday Inn in Taunton, Massachusetts, for a total cost of $535.38. Lieutenant Graton advised we are hosting a verbal judo class on the 23rd of this month and Officers are coming from throughout the New England States and several of our Officers will be attending as well. Lieutenant Graton advised the instructor will cost approximately $3,200, but this will be covered by the tuition of the others attending and there will be no charge for our Officers to attend. C. Miscellaneous 1) Laconia Links – Chief Adams advised Coffee with a Cop was hosted by the Soda Shoppe on January 20 and again was well attended. The Chief thanked Commissioner Maheux for his presence as well. Chief Adams advised the 8th Annual Winni Dip for Special Olympics will be on March 19th at Noon at the Margate Resort. Chief Adams advised Officers are looking for sponsors and are sporting their “beards” for the occasion, so please donate. Chief Adams advised we shared our 2015 Goals and Objectives Update as well as the 2016 Goals and Objectives in a recent edition as well. D. Resignations/Retirement – No Discussion Laconia Police Commission February 18, 2016, Minutes Page 2 E. Hirings – Chief Adams advised we had a lot of qualified candidates and the three here today rose to the top. Chief Adams advised Ann Kaligian is here today to do the honor of swearing in our new Officers. The Chief also noted that Ann swore him in twenty-two years ago when he started his career with the Laconia Police Department. The swearing-in commenced and congratulations were offered all around. 1) Officer Shawn J. Kelly. Lieutenant Graton introduced Officer Shawn J. Kelly. The Lieutenant advised Shawn joins us from Abington, Massachusetts, and that he had previously attended Northeastern University where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice. Lieutenant Graton advised Shawn had most recently worked for the Whitman, Massachusetts, Police Department on a part-time basis and before that, was employed at the Longwharf Hotel in Boston as a Security Officer. The Lieutenant advised Shawn’s wife joins him today and introduced Hannah Kelly. 2) Officer Guy A. Leva, III. Lieutenant Graton introduced Officer Guy A. Leva who joins us from Bradford, Massachusetts. The Lieutenant advised that Guy served in the U.S. Army from 2009-2012 and was stationed in Colorado and did complete a tour in Afghanistan. Lieutenant Graton advised Guy received an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado and most recently was working in a security position at Massport. The Lieutenant introduced Guy’s parents, Guy and Leslie Lexa, and his sisters, Michelle and Ashley, who join him today. 3) Officer Sean P. McCormack. Lieutenant Graton introduced Officer Sean P. McCormack who joins us from Epping, New Hampshire. The Lieutenant advised Sean attended Norwich University where he receives a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications. Lieutenant Graton advised Sean is currently a member of the Army National Guard and was previously employed at the Walmart in Epping. The Lieutenant introduced Sean’s parents who are joining him today as well as other family members being present. F. Promotions/Reorganization – Chief Adams advised the Officers are doing well in their new positions. The Chief advised he has taken the retirement of Captain Clary as an opportunity for a Department Reorganization. For further, see Agenda Item VII.B. II. Division/Bureau Commander’s Forum A. Division/Bureau Commander. Captain Canfield advised he has been working on the budget with the Finance Department and using this opportunity to refresh his Laconia Police Commission February 18, 2016, Minutes Page 3 memory as well. The Captain advised Motorcycle Week is in full swing with the promise of bigger events this year. Captain Canfield advised we are in the process of preparing for the Mock Assessment in April for Re-Accreditation which will take place in August. Commissioner Maheux inquired how often we are Re- Accredited and was advised after this one, it will be every five years. Commissioner Tarr inquired if Captain Canfield has assumed all of the same duties as well as previous duties being performed by Captain Clary. Captain Canfield advised he has assumed the duties of the Administrative Division Commander and a lot of his previous duties have been divided amongst the other Bureau Commanders. B. Support Bureau. Lieutenant Graton advised we are in the process of completing another hiring process and just completed the Oral Boards for the eighteen who passed this week; and these will be scheduled for interviews with the Chief tomorrow and Monday. Commissioner Maheux inquired when the new Officers will be going to the Academy and was advised in May. Chairman Whittum inquired when the psychological exam is scheduled and was advised this is done during the background investigation. C. Operations Bureau. Captain Canfield advised Lieutenant Simmons is working as Shift Supervisor today. D. Detective Bureau. Lieutenant Swett advised Sergeant Butler and the other Detectives are very easy to work with and it has been a seamless transition so far. E. Legal Bureau – No Discussion III. Orders and Bulletins – Lieutenant Graton advised the Orders were the three promotions which became effective on February 1, 2016. IV. Commission Action A. Acceptance of January 21, 2016, Minutes – Minutes accepted as distributed. Chairman Whittum entertained a motion to approve the out-of-State Training Request, moved by Commissioner Maheux, seconded by Commissioner Tarr, and passed unanimously. V. Review of Monthly Activity Reports A. Department Monthly Highlights. Chief Adams advised the civilian volunteers within the Department sacrificed 421 hours of their own time to assist in various Laconia Police Commission February 18, 2016, Minutes Page 4 duties within the Department, which is huge and for which we are very grateful. B. Monthly Fleet Report. Lieutenant Graton advised the new van is on line and is just waiting for a camera to be installed. The Lieutenant advised we will be taking the ACO van to be used as a utility vehicle, the ACO will get the old Supervisor’s van and the current utility van will be taken off line due to extensive rust issues. C. Criminal Investigative Unit Statistics. Lieutenant Swett advised activity is remarkably steady, but everything seems to be flowing very nicely. Chairman Whittum inquired about computer-related crimes. Lieutenant Swett advised there are a lot of harassment cases, fraud cases, and mostly people just not getting along and using the Internet as their crux. Chairman Whittum inquired about the Drug Intel Sheets. Lieutenant Swett advised we encourage these from civilians and follow-up on intelligence information received on a regular basis. Commissioner Tarr inquired about shift changes within the Detective Bureau. Lieutenant Swett advised the schedule is predominately Monday through Friday, and even though it may sound counter-intuitive, it is very beneficial. Commissioner Tarr inquired if an incident occurs during the evening shift and a Detective may be required, is that an overtime shift and how is it decided who responds. Lieutenant Swett advised if there is a need for a call out, the Detective has the option of being paid overtime or receiving comp time. Captain Canfield advised the schedule can also be changed and depending on the seriousness of the incident, this would depend on the number of Detectives needed to be called. D. Monthly Patrol Division Statistics. Chief Adams advised Crimes against Person noted 365 cases compared to 371 in 2015, Aggravated Assaults which are Felony level offenses showed a slight increase in 2016, Simple Assaults decreased slightly, Intimidation was up slightly; and overall, Crimes against Persons were down by twenty-one percent. The Chief advised we had a slight increase by two percent for Crimes against Property; Robbery showed a significant decrease and Burglary was also a lower number. Commissioner Tarr inquired if the Chief is surprised with these numbers based on the amount of drug activity in the City. Chief Adams advised a lot of communities are seeing an increase in Crimes against Property based on this as the addicts are performing these crimes to support their habits, but we are pretty fortunate we have not received a tremendous increase. Commissioner Maheux noted the increase in the activity at Walmart based on the location of the entrance to the store which is now in Laconia. Chief Adams advised overall there were no surprises and we are always looking to lower our crime rate by looking at the numbers and trying to be proactive instead of reactive; with hopes the numbers will continue to decline. Commissioner Maheux inquired about the housing on Messer Street for Laconia Police Commission February 18, 2016, Minutes Page 5 rehabilitation. Chief Adams advised he has not heard anything negative from any civilians, but it has been brought up at some meetings, always in a positive way. Chief Adams advised we could possibly set up a meeting to view the facility as well. Chairman Whittum advised at some point there was a discussion with regard to the number of incidents we are responding to at Walmart and possibly being able to work with them to decrease some of these numbers. Chief Adams advised there is a conference coming up to see if we can come up with a game plan to maybe lower some of these numbers so it is beneficial to Walmart as well as the Department. Captain Canfield advised there is a very aggressive Loss Prevention Team who work at Walmart as well. Commissioner Tarr inquired if the Walmart Stores are experiencing these high numbers throughout. Chief Adams advised he doesn’t know if this is unique to this area. Captain Canfield advised we also did a POP Project regarding Retail Thefts. E. Budget Print-Out. Captain Canfield advised he has been working closely with the Finance Department at City Hall. Commissioner Maheux inquired when we may be presenting our Budget to the Council. Chief Adams advised he believes it will be in June and really doesn’t see any issues as it is pretty much level funded. Commissioner Tarr inquired about training funds and was advised we do have the ability to transfer funds if necessary as long as we live within the existing budget. Chief Adams advised our training line item is pretty low and does include ammunition. Chief Adams advised due to the changes taking place at Police Standards and Training, we will be also responsible for additional training expenses. F. Monthly Traffic Statistics. Chief Adams advised there has been a decrease in the number of accidents and again believes this is as a result of the weather. Chairman Whittum inquired if there has been any outcry from the City regarding the ticketing for the Snow Ban and was advised no. VI. Correspondence to and from the Department. Chief Adams advised an e-mail was received from Steve Loughlin which included a photograph of Officer Cardinal offering her babysitting services during voting, a thank you was sent to the Soda Shoppe for hosting Coffee with a Cop, and Officer Adams met with a group of people in Somersworth regarding the Heroin issue, Detective Carsen and Detective Neri received a thank you for helping out with a situation on Academy Street, Sergeant Hubbard was thanked for giving a safety talk, CNN came and visited highlighting the Heroin issue within the State and Nation, and what we are doing, and expressed appreciation for our assistance while they were in Laconia. Chief Adams advised there was an on-air as well as on-line story and the on-line story highlighted what Officer Adams and the Laconia Police Department is doing. Chief Adams advised we received an e-mail from an Attorney in Portland, Oregon, who saw the CNN piece and was commenting on our Laconia Police Commission February 18, 2016, Minutes Page 6 balanced approach, and a thank you was received from a parent involving their child. Commissioner Maheux inquired if the State is still expressing an interest in what Officer Adams is doing and was advised yes they are definitely interested in our program. Chief Adams advised we also received an invitation regarding the Police Cadet Training Academy. Chief Adams advised Officer Callanan has been on their staff and they requested her assistance again. VII. Chief’s Report A. Performance Assessment Report Cards. Chief Adams advised we received twenty-four assessment cards that were all A’s. B. Department Reorganization. Chief Adams advised we are now going with a single Captain and three Lieutenants which he believes will help with communication within the Department. Chief Adams advised he is pleased so far and has received positive comments. Chief Adams outlined the new Organizational Chart. Commissioner Maheux inquired if the new structure will also be cost savings and the Chief advised yes as there will be only one Captain position. Commissioner Tarr inquired if there has been much discussion with regard to the new structure and the limited possibility of promotion. Chief Adams advised he has been doing a lot of one-on-one interviews and a lot of the discussions have been predominately about communication and has not received any negative comments, but this is a legitimate concern. Commissioner Maheux inquired if there was any reaction from the City Officials and Chief Adams advised he doesn’t see any concerns. Commissioner Tarr inquired if the funds saved will stay within the Department and was advised it will stay within our budget. C. Year End Crime Stats – See Agenda Item V.D. D. Laconia – How it Works. Chief Adams advised this is a new program that the Community Action Program will be doing and they will be reaching out to Department Heads and employees, including the history of the Police Department, and how we have morphed. Chief Adams advised at 6:00 and 6:30 tonight, they will be airing the episodes. Chairman Whittum inquired about the new organization working with the homeless on Court Street. Chief Adams advised we have indirect connection with it, but we do have problems with the homeless and those who couch surf. Chief Adams advised he believes this will be geared more to families and it is believed they will be opening in October. VIII. Old Business – No Discussion Laconia Police Commission February 18, 2016, Minutes Page 7 IX. New Business – No Discussion X. Confirm Date of Next Regular or Special Meeting – March 17, 2016 XI. Other Business – No Discussion XII. Citizen Comments – Dennis Lintz inquired about the shoplifting stats. Chief Adams advised there were 206 in 2015. Dennis advised it seems during the holiday season, there is an increase in this type of criminal activity. Chief Adams advised the numbers appear to increase and would agree. Dennis spoke about the assault on the Audette residence and inquired where the intelligence came from regarding the home. Captain Canfield advised this is an on-going investigation and cannot be discussed in a public forum. XIII. Non-Public Session – No Discussion RSA 91-A:3II(a) – The dismissal, promotion, or compensation of any public employee or the disciplining of such employee or the investigation of any charges against him or her unless the employee affected (1) has a right to a meeting, and (2) requests that the meeting be open, in which case the request shall be granted. Meeting adjourned at 3:50 p.m.