Police Commission

LACONIA POLICE COMMISSION MAY 19, 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 Richard E. Simmons, 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 Allan L. Graton advised this week we are completing our use of force and Spring Firearms Qualifications for less lethal and rifle as well. The Lieutenant advised there will be a patrol rifle class held next week for those who have not qualified. C. Miscellaneous 1) Laconia Links – Chief Christopher A. Adams advised we again participated in the drug take back program on April 30, 2016, and noted last year throughout America they took in over 300 tons in prescription medications. The Chief advised the last Coffee with a Cop was held at the Laconia Police Department and it was a smaller crowd, but still very positive. Chief Adams advised the Annual Bicycle Safety Rodeo will be held this weekend at the Opechee Park Clubhouse and the Laconia Police Department is a proud sponsor of this event. D. Resignations/Retirement – No Discussion E. Hirings – Lieutenant Graton advised after an exhausting hiring process, we have hired three new Officers who join the Department and are present today. 1) Patrol Officer Kira L. Goodheart – Lieutenant Graton advised Kira has Laconia Police Commission Minutes – May 19, 2016 Page 2 participated in gymnastics since she was eighteen months old, but always knew she wanted to be a Police Officer and to work for the Laconia Police Department. Kira attended the Interlakes High School in Meredith and graduated in May from the Plymouth State University with a BA in Criminal Justice. Kira graduated summa cum laude and achieved the President’s List all four semesters. Congratulations were offered to Kira as well as her parents who were in attendance, Timothy and Carla Goodheart. 2) Patrol Officer Matthew T. Wolak – Lieutenant Graton advised that Matthew is currently living in Laconia, but is originally from Thompson, Connecticut. Matthew attended the Worcester State University and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice. Matthew most recently worked in the Secure Psychiatric Unit at the New Hampshire State Prison for men, but has always had a strong interest in Law Enforcement and serving the community. Congratulations were extended to Matthew. 3) Patrol Officer Holly C. Gage – Lieutenant Graton advised Holly graduated from the Merrimack High School and recently from Hesser College with an Associates Degree in Criminal Justice. Holly worked at JC Penney for three years and Hannaford’s for three years as Loss Prevention and has always had a strong desire to be a Police Officer. Holly did an internship with the Merrimack Police Department in 2009 and has a strong desire to be a Police Officer. Holly spends her free time with family and friends; parents present were Dawn and Bill Gage and all were offered congratulations on this accomplishment. F. Promotions/Reorganization – No Discussion II. Division/Bureau Commander’s Forum A. Division/Bureau Commander – Captain Matthew J. Canfield advised the Motorcycle Week Plan is well underway and has been spending extra time this year due to the events being held during this event. The Captain advised the Motorcycle Week Briefing will be held on May 25, 2016, to wrap up major plans. The Captain advised we are fortunate to have four Community Resource Officers with us for the summer and they will be concentrating on parking enforcement. Commissioner Maheux inquired if there will be additional training for the new Officers during Bike Week. Captain Canfield advised those in the Academy will not be available, and the three new ones will be assigned with Training Officers during the week. Commissioner Tarr inquired if we have been appraised of the number of tickets that have been sold for the concerts to aid in policing the event. Laconia Police Commission Minutes – May 19, 2016 Page 3 Captain Canfield advised we will get those numbers as they come up, but is sure there will be walk-ups as well. B. Support Division – Lieutenant Graton advised he is in the process of organizing things needed for Bike Week, including equipment and supplies to set up the Command Post in the Drive-In and Station W at the Weirs Community Center. C. Operations Division – Lieutenant Richard E. Simmons advised we are starting to get busier; including, the in-house training as well as the Memorial Day Parade coming up and planning and scheduling for bike week. D. Detective Division – Lieutenant Thomas E. Swett advised we are scheduling for the Grants we have received, including Border to Border, Click-It or Ticket and Operation Safe Driving. E. Legal Division – No Discussion III. Orders and Bulletins – Commissioner Tarr inquired of the training Officer Adams is attending and inquired if this is new training. Lieutenant Graton advised that Officer Adams is obtaining his LADAC (Licensed Drug & Alcohol Counselor) Training which gives him credit hours towards his Certification. IV. Commission Action A. Acceptance of April 21, 2016, Minutes V. Review of Monthly Activity Reports A. Department Monthly Highlights – Chief Adams advised the Calls for Service are up, with some of this relating to alcohol and drug incidents, and problems associated with needles. The Chief advised the criminal numbers are not huge, with 26 domestic related calls and 96 general disturbances. Chief Adams advised 12 suicidal subjects is a concern and reiterated the importance of Lieutenant Simmons working with this issue, there were 6 Violations of Restraining Orders, 25 ¾ volunteer hours and 11 victims were served. Commissioner Maheux inquired about the shooting incident the other day and if we have a program in place for an Officer to be able to sit down with someone. Chief Adams advised one of our goals is establishing a wellness program for our employees; to discuss any issues they may be having, whether at home or work related. Chief Adams advised we have Officers in-house who have received training in reference to this and there are resources available. Chief Adams advised it is important we take care of ourselves as we do see a lot of things that most people do not see and an Officer with children may have a difficult time dealing with an incident involving Laconia Police Commission Minutes – May 19, 2016 Page 4 children. B. Monthly Fleet Report - No Discussion C. Criminal Investigative Unit Statistics – Lieutenant Swett advised the Detective Unit is generally busy and we are down a Detective at the time. Chairman Whittum inquired about the increase in the number of Juvenile Petitions. Lieutenant Swett advised this may be attributed to the change in the age of an adult by adding another year as well as the scheduling of Juvenile cases through the Court System. D. Monthly Patrol Division Statistics – Chief Adams advised there are increases and decreases in all categories. E. Budget Print-Out – Captain Canfield advised the budget is on track and he met with Donna this week who assured him we are going to be fine. Chief Adams advised we are presenting our Budget to the Council on June 6, 2016. Commissioner Tarr inquired about any significant changes and was advised most of the line items are level funded; but we may be asked to address specific concerns from the Mayor and Council. F. Monthly Traffic Statistics – Chief Adams advised there was a slight decrease in the number of accidents and he is anticipating an increase in the number of parking tickets being issued with the Community Resource Officers back on duty and working with parking enforcement. VI. Correspondence to and from the Department – Chief Adams advised the Department received a complimentary an e-mail from a gentleman in reference to the Police Athletic League and our participation with the Boys and Girls Club. The Chief advised Officer Cardinal received a thank you from the Irwin Automotive Group for her participation at a “Know the Law” Seminar for the Ladies in the Lakes Region. Chief Adams advised that Officer Cardinal will also be presenting to youth regarding upcoming events; Halloween, etc., and safety issues. Chief Adams advised the goal of the Police Athletic League is to teach life skills and have the youth of the Community interact in a positive way with Police Officers. Chief Adams advised Lieutenant Swett received a thank you for the assistance he provided at Temple B’nai and how to remain safe in the case of an intruder. The Chief advised he also received a thank you from the Good Shepard Church in reference to a meeting that had taken place. Chief Adams advised Captain Canfield had also sent out a thank you regarding the critical incident on Country Club Road. VII. Chief’s Report A. Performance Assessment Report Cards. Chief Adams advised we received seven Laconia Police Commission Minutes – May 19, 2016 Page 5 report cards and they were all A’s. B. Government Task Force on Substance Abuse. Chief Adams advised this was a day-long conference in Manchester and was part of a panel for a framework for the school districts to create a positive environment. C. Awards Banquet. Chief Adams advised we had 60-70 people attending our banquet and Officer Kyle A. Jepsen was named Officer of the Year. Chief Adams advised it is a great night to get together with families to celebrate the members of the Department. D. Mock Assessment – April 22, 2016. Chief Adams advised the assessors were confident we will be good to go for our assessment in August. E. Chief Adams advised he recently participated in a Table Talk Conversation at the Laconia Fire Department which was sponsored by Homeland Security to discuss weather related incidents at the concert venue during Motorcycle Week. Chief Adams advised it is always good to get the agencies together to go over scenarios to make sure our Operational Plans are sufficient. Commissioner Maheux inquired about the program for Motorcycle Week and was advised there will be concerts every night. F. Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony. Chief Adams advised the Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony will be in Concord tomorrow and we will be paying respect to Officer Dolloff who was a former Police Officer and had died in the line of duty. G. NAMI. Chief Adams advised that Lieutenant Simmons was nominated for an award based on his extensive work regarding suicide prevention in coordination with NAMI and the Laconia Schools, etc. Chief Adams advised Lieutenant Simmons has been working forward and will be presenting at the Police Standards and Training Council’s Suicide Conference. VIII. Old Business – No Discussion IX. New Business – Commissioner Maheux inquired if someone should be going to the schools to speak with students about what to do if they see a needle. Chief Adams advised this is an issue and he has been in contact with the School Department to prepare a pamphlet for educational purposes. The Chief advised that Sergeant Hubbard is currently working on this. X. Confirm Date of Next Regular or Special Meeting – June 23, 2016 Laconia Police Commission Minutes – May 19, 2016 Page 6 XI. Other Business – Commissioner Tarr inquired about the drug sweep which took place on March 9, and those who were released on cash Bail and PR. Lieutenant Swett advised they were scheduled for arraignment on May 12, 2016. Commissioner Tarr inquired if there were any no-shows for the scheduled Arraignment. Chief Adams advised he will get that information. XII. Citizen Comments – Gail Ober, Ward 5. G. Ober advised she wished to thank Chief Adams for doing his best to keep us informed during the incident on Country Club Road. G. Ober advised she would like to thank the Officer who was involved as great restraint was shown, especially in the climate we are in where Police are constantly being scrutinized for doing something wrong. G. Ober advised she would like to focus when Police do something right and as a citizen, extend a thank you to the Officer for doing such a great job. Dennis Lintz, Laconia. D. Lintz advised he spoke before about the different statistics, and has noticed the City of Laconia’s crime rate has risen to be the 2nd highest in the State according to the reporting statistics for assaults, intimidation, and drugs. D. Lintz advised the crime rate has increased, there seems to be an over reliance on the last drug raid, inquired if confidential informants were used there too, and if they are exempt from other crimes. D. Lintz advised as crime rates have increased, certain people are excused for it which seems to be a high reliance on criminals who toss out information and were career criminals used as informants. Chief Adams advised we had 535 simple assaults which was down by almost 200 from last year, and there have been significant decreases in certain categories. Chief Adams advised the listing of most dangerous Cities is usually based per capita and certain major incidents. Chief Adams advised it has to be put in perspective and if we have one murder, that will increase our stats dramatically. Chief Adams advised we are seeing a decrease in criminal activity and the increase in shoplifting is primarily as a result of Walmart. 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 3:40 p.m.