Police Commission

LACONIA POLICE COMMISSION JANUARY 19, 2017, 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. Sawicki ROLL CALL – Chairman Douglas A. Whittum, Commissioner 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 -- Chief Christopher Adams welcomed Commissioner Armand Maheux back with us and noted it is not the same without him, and it is also his birthday today. Chief Adams advised Commissioner Maheux gives Birthday cards to all of our employees on our birthdays and we wish to recognize him on his special day. Chief Adams advised the Commissioner is doing great at 87 and is truly a champion to all of us….Happy Birthday! B. Training -- Lieutenant Allan Graton advised all Officers were re-certified on Tasers and this month we are working on CPR Recertification as well. C. Miscellaneous -- Laconia Links. Chief Adams noted the Links had an article and photograph of those who participated in the annual Christmas shopping event to benefit those in need and also a photograph of our recent graduates from the 171st Police Academy. The Chief welcomed back Officer Kira Goodheart and Officer Matthew Wolak and commended them on a job well done. D. Resignations/Retirement -- Special Officer Michael A. Moyer. Chief Adams congratulated Sheriff Michael Moyer on his newest endeavor and looks forward to a continued close working relationship with the Belknap County Sheriff’s Department. Laconia Police Commission January 19, 2017, Minutes Page 2 E. Hirings -- Lieutenant Graton advised we have two Officers who will be starting on February 6, 2017, and unfortunately the certified applicant had backed out of the process. Lieutenant Graton advised Officer Goodheart and Officer Wolak will also be venturing out on their own on this date. F. Promotions/Reorganization -- No Discussion II. Division/Bureau Commander’s Forum A. Division/Bureau Commander. Captain Matthew Canfield advised we continue to work on the active shooter training and there will be a table top exercise drill with the schools and Fire Department to take place at the Woodland Heights School. The Captain advised we are also working with Homeland Security to come up with a full-scale exercise involving a lot of different agencies in conjunction with active shooter. Captain Canfield advised we continue to do the active shooter presentations to civilian groups, the Sled Dog Races are scheduled for the weekend of February 10, and lastly the School Department has reactivated their Emergency Planning Group, talking about preparations on a regular basis, and we are working closely with them. Commissioner Maheux inquired about the starting line for the Sled Dog Races and the Captain advised it will be on North Main Street across from the State Facility. B. Support Division. Lieutenant Graton advised as far as maintenance in attempts to save some expense, all the aerators in the shower heads are being replaced. The Lieutenant advised it has been noted there are some bare spots on the roof after a snow storm, so they will be looking at that as well. Lieutenant Graton advised the Fleet seems to be in good order and we are just working to fill the current positions. C. Operations Division. Lieutenant Richard Simmons noted the number of calls for service is basically the same, but the number of crimes investigated and those cleared by arrest are up which is a credit to our Officers. The Lieutenant advised there has been an increase in the number of Criminal Trespass calls which can be attributed to calls from landlords as well as Officers being aware of where issues are taking place. Lieutenant Simmons advised Officers are out of their cars and doing some good work and even though motor vehicle enforcement and accident numbers are down, they have been generating more Search Warrants as a result of the more serious incidents they are investigating. D. Detective Division. Lieutenant Thomas Swett advised we have received a grant from Homeland Security and also received data back from the Highway Safety Laconia Police Commission January 19, 2017, Minutes Page 3 Grants, showing we had met our goals. Commissioner Tarr inquired about the grant funding available. Lieutenant Swett advised the Granite Hammer Grant will be strictly for overtime. Commissioner Maheux inquired about the status on the bank robbers and Lieutenant Swett advised the circle is closing in on them. E. Legal Division. Prosecutor James Sawyer advised there has been an increase in the number of Criminal Trespass offenses which can be attributed to the landlords being more diligent about issuing No Trespass Notices and calling when subjects are found on their property. Commissioner Tarr inquired if it is policy, when responding to a Criminal Trespass complaint, to inform them to leave. Lieutenant Simmons advised the landlord is initially told to advise them they are not permitted on the property and after that, they are subject to arrest. Prosecutor Sawyer advised we will not ask a tenant to leave their home and it is up to the Officer to determine if it is a landlord/tenant issue in some cases, but there are very few incidents when this is the case. Commissioner Tarr noted there are a lot of the same people who are caught trespassing time and time again, and is there a point where they can be arrested. Lieutenant Simmons advised we typically give them an option to leave the property, but after they have been served a No Trespass Order, they are subject to arrest if they return. III. Orders and Bulletins - Commissioner Tarr inquired about the training for Officer Eric Adams on the Certified Recovery Support Worker Performance Domains. Chief Adams advised this has been around for a relatively short period of time and this gives Officer Adams a little more support with the adoption of the program by the Fire Department. Chief Adams advised he is very pleased and everything has been very positive with the new position at the Fire Department and Eric is happy to be working with him and the support being afforded. IV. Commission Action A. Acceptance of December 15, 2016, Minutes. V. Review of Monthly Activity Reports A. Department Monthly Highlights -- Chief Adams advised we had 35 domestic disturbances, 70 general disturbances, and 9 suicidal subjects, as well as 56 Police volunteer hours and 15 ¾ victims service unit volunteer hours. Commissioner Maheux inquired if Peggy Selig ever came in to volunteer and was advised she did and the process has started. B. Monthly Fleet Report -- No Discussion Laconia Police Commission January 19, 2017, Minutes Page 4 C. Criminal Investigative Unit Statistics -- No Discussion D. Monthly Patrol Division Statistics -- (See Chief’s Report) E. Budget Print-Out -- Commissioner Tarr noted a concern regarding the overtime line item. Captain Canfield advised that Grant Funding is used to reimburse overtime so will research this and report at the next Commission Meeting for clarification. F. Monthly Traffic Statistics -- Chief Adams advised unfortunately we did have a fatal accident last week, but the accident numbers are down for the month of December. Chief Adams wished to remind the motoring public to slow down during inclement weather. VI. Correspondence to and from the Department. Chief Adams advised the Department was awarded $10,000 from the Children’s Auction for which we are very appreciative and noted this money is used to assist families in need throughout the year. The Chief advised Lieutenant Simmons received a thank you from a member of the Citizen’s Academy, letters were received from the Newmarket Police Department for our assistance during their promotional process, and there was also a thank you from the Finogle family for the support offered after they suffered a loss in their family. VII. Chief’s Report A. Performance Assessment Report Cards. Chief Adams advised they were all A’s. B. Commission Attendance Report -- 2016. Chief Adams advised everyone was here for all of the meetings with the exception of Commissioner Maheux missing one meeting which is clearly an excused absence, and thanked the Commission for their continued support of the Department. C. Coffee with a Cop. Chief Adams advised he recently went to enjoy a cup of coffee and a chat with the residents of Sunrise Towers. The Chief advised there were some great questions asked and obvious concerns raised with regard to crime trends and the opiate crisis. Chief Adams advised he provided some creative solutions on how to address these issues. D. MLK Day Celebration. Chief Adams advised there was a celebration on Sunday at the Middle School and there was a panel discussion on what it is like to be Muslim in New Hampshire. The Chief advised there were some great Laconia Police Commission January 19, 2017, Minutes Page 5 questions, and it was a great evening. E. 2016 Crime Statistics. Chief Adams advised overall, crimes against persons are down 5%, but aggravated assaults were up 37% which is troubling and may be attributed to the drug scene. The Chief advised criminal threatening cases were down, crimes against property were up 33%, and there was a significant increase in the number of robberies. Commissioner Tarr inquired if this is armed or unarmed and the Chief advised this category includes both, and noted burglary and shoplifting offenses showed a decrease, whereas, counterfeiting and forgery offenses showed a significant increase. Commissioner Maheux noted there had been an increase in shoplifting when Walmart changed their main entrance. Lieutenant Simmons advised this is dependent on the Loss Prevention Officer as this changes the number of calls we receive. Chief Adams advised crimes against society showed a slight increase, drug arrests are also on the rise as well as weapon laws. The Chief advised there is no doubt there are more weapons related calls with subjects potentially armed with guns and knives, and once again related to the drug trade. Chief Adams advised the Group B Crimes also show an increase, with intoxicated subjects being down, and criminal trespass up 62%. The Chief advised overall, these statistics are not terrible as there are some slight decreases and some slight increases, and overdose numbers were at approximately 80 with 5 suspected deaths as a result of overdoses. Commissioner Maheux noted DWI being down and asked what this might be attributed to. Chief Adams advised he would like to think it is people being wiser and making better choices regarding drinking and driving. Commissioner Tarr inquired how the Chief would rate the state of the City relative to the crime activity. Chief Adams advised it would be naïve to say Laconia doesn’t have issues with substance misuse and per capita we are slightly higher than other communities, however, we are still a very safe community when it comes to violent crimes, the homicide rate, stranger on stranger crimes, and the chances of being robbed are slight as most of these offenses are related to drug activity. Chief Adams advised there is a lot of good stuff happening and we take a very proactive step with enforcement and other initiatives. VIII. Old Business -- No Discussion IX. New Business -- No Discussion X. Confirm Date of Next Regular or Special Meeting -- February 16, 2017 XI. Other Business -- Commissioner Tarr inquired if there was a need for any out-of-State Training requests. Lieutenant Graton advised they had all been approved last month Laconia Police Commission January 19, 2017, Minutes Page 6 and the General Orders were follow-up to the approved schools. Commissioner Maheux inquired if we have a new D.A.R.E. Officer yet. Lieutenant Simmons advised we do not, but we are hoping to do the D.A.R.E. Program in the Middle School this year, and Officer Cardinal is willing to assist with this training. XII. Citizen Comments -- No Discussion 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. The meeting was adjourned at 3:45 p.m.