Police Commission

LACONIA POLICE COMMISSION MARCH 16, 2017, MINUTES CONFERENCE ROOM #200A, LACONIA CITY HALL 45 BEACON STREET EAST, LACONIA, NH – 3:00 P.M. CALL TO ORDER – Chairman Douglas 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 (Via Satellite) Chairman Whittum recognizes Staff Present – Chief Christopher A. Adams, Captain Matthew J. Canfield, Lieutenant Richard E. Simmons, Lieutenant Allan L. Graton, 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 – Lieutenant Allan Graton advised Sergeant Kevin Butler and Detective Kendra Neri are attending a two-week supervisors training program and three Officers will be going to the Sig Sauer Academy as Lieutenant Richard Simmons and Lieutenant Thomas Swett will no longer be firearms instructors. Commissioner Thomas Tarr inquired about Sig Sauer and if the moving of the Academy will change their operations. Lieutenant Simmons advised their ammunitions are moving, but not the academy itself. C. Miscellaneous – Laconia Links. Chief Christopher Adams advised there was an article referencing the Friendship Club Luncheon which was a great event with plenty of food and presentations of gifts. The Chief advised one of our volunteers, Carole Veer, is also a member of this club. Chief Adams advised there was also an article and photograph of the presentation of the Lifesaving Award given to Bryson Reed. D. Resignations/Retirement – Chief Christopher A. Adams. Chief Adams advised it has been truly an amazing twenty-three years with the Department and is announcing his retirement to be effective May 1, 2017. Commissioner Tarr Laconia Police Commission Minutes March 16, 2017 Page 2 inquired if there will be an official commendation ceremony, and was advised it is hoped. Commissioner Tarr thanked the Chief for his service to the community, both as a citizen and a taxpayer. Chief Adams advised the group of people who work here are truly amazing and praised the support provided by the City Council as well. The Chief noted we have our challenges, but we have risen above and done a lot to tackle them, and it has been a wonderful experience. Chairman Whittum noted the Commission accepted his retirement with regret and expressed appreciation for his service to the City of Laconia, as echoed by Commissioner Armand Maheux. E. Hirings – Lieutenant Graton advised the two newest Officers have completed their in-house training and started field training on the road which is going well. F. Promotions/Reorganization – 1) Sergeant. Chief Adams advised he has completed the Sergeant position interviews and as there are a lot of great candidates to choose from, it was a very difficult decision. Chief Adams advised Officer Gary Allen has been chosen as the next Sergeant. 2) Lieutenant. Chief Adams advised again this was a difficult choice based on the candidates, and Sergeant Finogle will be promoted to the position. Chairman Whittum inquired about the promotional process. Chief Adams advised for the Sergeant position, there is a written examination and oral board comprised of Officers from other agencies, along with staff points based on longevity, sick time, previous evaluations, and physical fitness. The Chief advised he is given a list of the top three candidates and they are then interviewed. Commissioner Maheux inquired if you have to be a Master Patrol Officer to be a Sergeant, and was advised no, but there is a requirement of five years of full time employment as a Police Officer with the Department. II. Division/Bureau Commander’s Forum A. Division/Bureau Commander. Captain Matthew Canfield advised there will be a Triathlon held on August 12 and 13 which will take the place of the Timber- land Triathlon, Motorcycle Week planning is well underway and most recently, the Department assisted the Town of Gilford with some coverage due to the regretful passing of a Gilford Police Dispatcher’s daughter. Commissioner Maheux inquired if there is anything out of the ordinary to expect for Motor- cycle Week and was advised no. Chairman Whittum inquired about the Winni Dip which took place last week. Chief Adams advised the Winni Dip is in support of Special Olympics for New Hampshire, and we had six Officers who jumped into the frigid lake. Chief Adams advised the temperature was so cold, but there were probably seventy plus who took the plunge. B. Support Division – No Discussion Laconia Police Commission Minutes March 16, 2017 Page 3 C. Operations Division. Lieutenant Richard Simmons advised the D.A.R.E. Program is going very well at the Middle School and Officer Moynihan is assisting Officer Cardinal with that program as he will be our next D.A.R.E. Officer. The Lieutenant advised he recently attended a Youth Suicide Prevention Group along with approximately eighty others who were in attendance and talked about some of our policies, death notifications, and the work done with NAMI NH. D. Detective Division – No Discussion E. Legal Division. Prosecutor James Sawyer advised he has received word that the intern who was going to be here for the summer has accepted a paying job so he will not be here. The Prosecutor advised he had taught two of the classes at the Huot Technical Center and there are some young individuals participating in the class who are interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement. Commissioner Maheux inquired about the internship program and was advised there are law students, but it has been two or three years since we have had one. III. Orders and Bulletins – No Discussion IV. Commission Action A. Acceptance of February 16, 2017, Minutes (Public and Non-Public). V. Review of Monthly Activity Reports A. Department Monthly Highlights. Chief Adams advised there were 19 Domestic Violence incidents, 72 general disturbances, one suicide and only one violation of a restraining order, 7 volunteer hours for Police Officers/employees, 15 volunteer hours, and 13 victims were served. Chief Adams advised suicide is always a real issue and he would like to recognize Lieutenant Simmons and all the work he has and still continues to dedicate to Suicide Prevention. Chief Adams advised we are constantly trying to deal with this as well as the family members who are left after a suicide, and consider this a very serious issue. B. Monthly Fleet Report. Commissioner Maheux inquired how many cars we can expect to receive for the next Fiscal Year and was advised hopefully three. C. Criminal Investigative Unit Statistics – No Discussion D. Monthly Patrol Division Statistics. Chief Adams advised the Crimes against Persons has shown a sizable decrease, Crimes against Property has also experienced a decrease, and overall we are down in most categories. Chairman Laconia Police Commission Minutes March 16, 2017 Page 4 Whittum inquired what this might be attributed to. Chief Adams advised he hopes it can be due to our initiatives and perhaps people not reporting, but would like to believe it is as a result of the efforts of the Department and working on the issues as they rise. Chief Adams advised a lot of crimes are directly associated with substance abuse, and with the PET position, maybe we are making some headway in crime stats. E. Budget Print-Out. Captain Canfield advised he met with the City’s Financial Advisor last week, we are in good shape, and should be able to wrap up the year with no problems. F. Monthly Traffic Statistic. Chief Adams advised the accident numbers are up slightly which may be a direct result of the snow we are getting. Lieutenant Simmons wanted to note the traffic enforcement numbers are up considerably from last year which shows the Patrol Officers are out there working and stopping cars on a regular basis. VI. Correspondence to and from the Department. Chief Adams advised there was the actual invitation we had received from the Friendship Club, a thank you for Sergeant Noyes as he had participated in their Oral Board promotional process, a thank you to Lieutenant Swett for a presentation at the Granite State Children’s Alliance, and a thank you to Lieutenant Simmons for his latest suicide prevention presentation. VII. Chief’s Report A. Performance Assessment Report Cards. Chief Adams advised the report cards received were all A’s. Commissioner Maheux inquired if we can expand this program at all. Chief Adams advised they are given to the victims of offenses as well as those involved in accidents, but believes the majority of the people just aren’t returning them. The Chief advised he takes this to mean they are satisfied with the services rendered and even though the return is limited, it is a great service that we provide. Chairman Whittum noted this speaks highly of the Department. B. Senator Maggie Hassan Visit. Chief Adams advised he was pleased to host a visit from the Senator and there was discussion about what is going on in our community and the impact of the affordable care act. The Chief advised it was very worthwhile and there was a lot of information which came out of it. Chief advised they are familiar with the initiatives in our community and this is one of the reasons why they came here. Commissioner Tarr inquired if Governor Sununu had put any money in for a drug court for the Belknap County Superior Court and the Chief advised he believes there is funding for all recovery courts in the State. Prosecutor Sawyer advised we have recently applied for State Funding, Laconia Police Commission Minutes March 16, 2017 Page 5 but we were recently denied a Federal Grant as we did not meet the necessary criteria. Commissioner Tarr noted the Department is doing a great job with the financial resources being made available. Chief Adams advised there were quite a number of groups present, including Officer Adams who discussed the PET Project, and the Senator seemed very impressed with the progress we have made here in Laconia. VIII. Old Business – Commissioner Maheux also inquired about the Citizen’s Police Academy as he would like to see a lot more people involved, especially as the last class was quite a small group. Lieutenant Simmons advised we had a little snag with the way the program was run last time, but we will be going back to the way it was originally. Commissioner Maheux advised this is a good program and gives the public a good idea of what we are involved in. IX. New Business – No Discussion X. Confirm Date of Next Regular or Special Meeting – April 20, 2017 XI. Other Business - Commissioner Maheux inquired about the Explorer Post. Lieutenant Simmons advised we are working in conjunction with Belmont, Gilford and possibly Alton, in the near future, and the meetings will be held at the Laconia Police Department as we are more centrally located. The Lieutenant advised it is still kind of early as there have only been four meetings, but it is an active program with six youth involved at the present time. Chairman Whittum inquired of the age range, and was advised about 14 to 18. 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. Meeting adjourned at 3:30 p.m.