Police Commission

LACONIA POLICE COMMISSION JUNE 23, 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, Lieutenant Thomas E. Swett and Prosecutor James A. Sawyer Chairman Whittum -- A quorum has been established and there are three Commission members present I. Personnel Matters A. Commendations & Awards -- No Discussion B. Training -- Supervising Patrol Critical Incidents -- Sergeant Gary A. Hubbard. Lieutenant Allan L. Graton advised a request is being submitted for an out-of- State school for Sergeant Gary Hubbard to attend the Supervising Patrol Critical Incidents Seminar on July 11 and 12, 2016, at a total cost of $1,317.84. Commissioner Tarr inquired about the training request and if there is usually more information included. Lieutenant Graton advised when a request is submitted, the Supervisors discuss how the training will benefit the Department. Chief Adams advised a training request goes through various levels before it is finally approved by the Chief and in the case of out-of-State, the Commissioners. Commissioner Maheux inquired if Officers request to attend different classes and seminars. Chief Adams advised absolutely, we are always receiving requests and depending on the appropriateness, the majority are approved. Chairman Whittum inquired how many schools are specifically requested by Officers. Chief Adams advised if we don’t receive any requests, Supervisors will speak with the Officers to inquire if there is an interest in a particular area to further their career. Commissioner Tarr asked if this training is posted by the Department and if everyone is given the opportunity or if they find out on their own. Chief Adams advised the Sergeants have training materials that are handed out and some training is geared to specific individuals. Laconia Police Commission Minutes – June 23, 2016 Page 2 C. Miscellaneous 1) Laconia Links -- Chief Christopher A. Adams advised there was an article with regard to the Law Enforcement Memorial held in Concord, which was also attended by a family member of Officer Dolloff and is a great opportunity to honor those who died in the line of duty. Chief Adams advised we participated in the annual barbeque at the Woodland Heights School with Officers working the grill and serving the food. Chief Adams advised he also ran in the Specific Olympics Torch Run along with about twelve Law Enforcement Officers from the Lakes Region. D. Resignations/Retirement -- Officer Holly Gage. Chief Adams advised that after approximately three weeks, Holly had decided that Police work was not for her. Chief Adams advised it was fortunate she learned this early on and we thanked her for her time as she moves forward doing something else. Commissioner Maheux inquired about the Citizens Academy and recommended information be disseminated to the school. Commissioner Tarr advised in the minutes from the last meeting, Lieutenant Graton had provided a biography for Holly which indicated she had a strong desire to be a Police Officer. Lieutenant Graton advised he had spoken with Holly for an extended period of time and she had given it a lot of thought, but realized it was just not for her. E. Hirings -- Lieutenant Graton advised we will be looking at another hiring process later on. F. Promotions/Reorganization -- No Discussion II. Division/Bureau Commander’s Forum A. Division/Bureau Commander -- Captain Matthew J. Canfield advised Motorcycle Week finished under budget by approximately $17,000; there being 66 total arrests, 32 Protective Custodies, and 1 Aggravated DWI. Captain Canfield advised he doesn’t have the total number of summonses yet, but there were 27 accidents and 10 with injury, and no fatalities during the week. Commissioner Maheux inquired about the accident at Friendly’s and was advised that was on Thursday, prior to the beginning of Motorcycle Week and is not included in the statistics for the actual Bike Week. Commissioner Maheux advised he highly recommends the City go back to having a four-day event as this has to cost the City a ton of money. Chief Adams advised this is not a decision for the Police Department, but the City Officials and the Laconia Police Commission Minutes – June 23, 2016 Page 3 Motorcycle Week Association. Commissioner Tarr inquired of the number in attendance this year and the Chief advised he has not gotten a count yet from Charlie St. Clair. Chief Adams advised there were people here enjoying themselves and the weather was nice, but it is not the same crowd as we used to have. Chairman Whittum said he went up to the Weirs with his grandson and there was a noticeable Police presence which was good. Chief Adams advised it was a great success based on the numbers, the crowds were decent and extremely respectful, and everyone worked a lot of hours between regular duties as well as details. Chief Adams advised Captain Canfield did a fantastic job with the planning of Laconia Fest as well and worked very closely with the promoters to cut the numbers as we could. Commissioner Maheux advised the safety services geared up for a week costs money and if it was just four days, it could save the City some money. B. Support Division -- Lieutenant Graton advised we have completed the rifle training with the assistance of Lieutenant Simmons; ten completed the class and we only have three or four others who did not complete the course to date. Commissioner Tarr inquired if there are qualifications that need to be met and was advised yes, it is an eight hour class to be initially qualified on the rifle. C. Operations Division -- Lieutenant Richard E. Simmons advised the 4th of July festivities are being geared up and we will be pulling Detectives and Staff to keep overtime hours down. National Night is scheduled for August 2, but no particular location has been set yet. D. Detective Division -- Lieutenant Thomas E. Swett advised the Detective Unit was basically shut down to aid in covering for Bike Week, so they will be spending time catching up. E. Legal Division -- Prosecutor James A. Sawyer advised Felony First will be here next week and we have been presented with some new forms. Jim advised he attended a meeting with Lieutenant Swett and on Thursday, there will be an introduction of the topic to the Supervisors; it will be different for administrative staff as well as Officers. Prosecutor Sawyer advised hopefully the Bail Commissioners are also trained to determine which Court the defendant will be reporting to. Commissioner Maheux inquired if this will lighten Jim’s load, and was advised a little as far as time that is spent waiting around, but an Arraignment for a Felony is the same as for a Misdemeanor. Jim advised the preparation for the Probable Cause Hearing is typically one Officer so this will save some time and the Probable Cause Hearings will be scheduled for ten days out if the individual is incarcerated and 20 days out for those who are not incarcerated. Jim advised he is required to be prepared for the Hearing and Laconia Police Commission Minutes – June 23, 2016 Page 4 very few actually go to a Probable Cause Hearing. Jim advised Officers are paid for their appearance, so hopefully this will save some money. Commissioner Tarr inquired if the Felony cases will go directly to the County Attorney’s Office and was advised yes. The Prosecutor advised there are a large number of cases that he will be able to pull out, but if it is appropriate to be a Felony, it will be determined by the County Attorney’s Office. Jim advised he does have some discretion now, but this will make a difference in the way Felony cases are handled. Jim advised we are the only County in the State that has a Recovery Court which is located in a District Court and was initiated by Judge Carroll. III. Orders and Bulletins -- No Discussion IV. Commission Action -- Chairman Whittum entertained a Motion to approve the out-of- State school request, moved by Commissioner Maheux, seconded by Commissioner Tarr, and passed unanimously. A. Acceptance of May 19, 2016, Minutes V. Review of Monthly Activity Reports A. Department Monthly Highlights -- Chief Adams advised there were 33 domestic violence incidents, 128 general disturbances, 11 suicidal subjects and one suicide, along with 12 violations of Restraining Orders. Commissioner Maheux inquired if there is a specific age group who are more prone to committing suicide. Lieutenant Simmons advised we have had teenagers and elderly people, it really expands all ages. B. Monthly Fleet Report -- Chairman Whittum inquired about Car #11. Lieutenant Graton advised the mileage is almost 100,000 and the whole steering rack had to be replaced along with four-wheel alignment. Commissioner Maheux inquired if it comes to a critical point when a vehicle is not worth the cost for repair. Lieutenant Graton advised when they reach 70,000 plus miles, they are starting to cost more money and are then placed on the schedule to be out of rotation. C. Criminal Investigative Unit Statistics -- No Discussion D. Monthly Patrol Division Statistics -- Chief Adams advised Crimes Against Persons showed a slight decrease, with Crimes Against Property showing an increase of 35%, and Group B Crimes showing an increase of 18%. Laconia Police Commission Minutes – June 23, 2016 Page 5 E. Budget Print-Out. Captain Canfield advised we are right on track and will be closing out the budget within the next few days. F. Monthly Traffic Statistics -- No Discussion VI. Correspondence to and from the Department -- Chief Adams advised a thank you was received regarding assistance provided during a neighbor dispute and Officer Eric Adams received a thank you for teaching at the Lakes Region Community College in one of their chemical dependency classes. Chairman Whittum advised Officer Adams’ position is turning out to be one of the Department’s finest initiatives ever. Chief Adams advised it is really working wonders and ‘‘knock on wood’’ we have had a pretty quiet month as far as overdoses go, and this plays a part in that. Chief Adams advised we also received a letter from Congressman Frank Guinta praising the work being done by the Department. VII. Chief’s Report A. Performance Assessment Report Cards. Chief Adams advised there were ten report cards and they were all A’s. Commissioner Tarr inquired about Officer Kimtis’ position within the Department and advised he is a part-time Officer and he works mostly in the summer months and in the Weirs. Commissioner Maheux advised Officer Kimtis is very well liked at the University of New Hampshire. B. Motorcycle Week 2016 -- Chief Adams praised the Command Staff, Officers and all the employees of the Department for an outstanding job. C. Re-accreditation -- Chief Adams advised we are getting ready for the Re- accreditation process and will be joined by the Assessment Team very soon. Chief Adams advised we are very confident following our Mock Assessment. VIII. Old Business -- No Discussion IX. New Business -- No Discussion X. Confirm Date of Next Regular or Special Meeting -- July 21, 2016 XI. Other Business -- No Discussion XII. Citizen Comments -- Dennis Lintz, Laconia. Mr. Lintz asked what the cost was for Officers to cover Laconia Police Commission Minutes – June 23, 2016 Page 6 Laconia Fest. Chief Adams advised we submitted an initial budget to the City and promoters based on what the numbers were estimated to be. Chief Adams advised once we learned the number of attendees was less, we lowered our numbers. Chief Adams advised $35,000 was given to the City to cover the initial cost, but now we are trying to figure out how to recoup the money for the details. Mr. Lintz inquired the amount of duty rate the Officers receive. Captain Canfield advised we bill out at $65 per hour, but the other Departments are different. Mr. Lintz noted that security was doing the frisking at the tents. Chief Adams advised we did not get involved in any of the frisking for the events. Chief Adams advised once we realized the numbers were not even close, we cut a significant number of Officers from the details. Chief Adams advised Steven Tyler probably had 4,000 and Ted Nugent had 5,000 in attendance. XIII. Non-Public Session. 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. Chairman Whittum entertained a Motion to enter into Non-Public Session, moved by Commissioner Maheux, seconded by Commissioner Tarr and passed unanimously at 3:40 p.m. At 3:45 p.m., the Non-Public Session ended. Chairman Whittum advised the Commission was unanimous in supporting the job done by the Chief of Police and recommends an increase of 2.5%, moved by Commissioner Tarr, seconded by Commissioner Maheux, and passed unanimously. Meeting Adjourned