Police Commission

LACONIA POLICE COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES AUGUST 23, 2019 11:00 A.M. 8/23/2019 - Minutes 1. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Whittum called the meeting to Order at the above date and time. 2. SALUTE TO THE FLAG Boden Gagne (Grandson of Chairman Whittum) lead the Pledge of Allegiance. 3. RECORDING SECRETARY Executive Assistant Lori Marsh 4. ROLL CALL 4.A. Chairman Whittum recognized Commissioners present - Chairman Douglas Whittum, Commissioner Thomas Tarr and Commissioner Frank Mello. 4.B. Chairman Whittum recognized Staff present - Chief Matthew Canfield, Prosecutor James Sawyer, Lieutenant Richard Simmons, and Lieutenant Michael Finogle. 4.C. Chairman Whittum recognized a quorum has been established and there are three Commissioner members present. 5. PERSONNEL MATTERS 5.A. Commendations & Awards No discussion. 5.B. Training Chairman Whittum recognized Lt. Finogle. Lt. Finogle advised we have just finished body camera training and everyone has been issued a camera. He also advised we are working on the cruiser cameras and we are now moving into the fall training period and starting to schedule monthly training. 5.B.i. Orders & Bulletins Chief Canfield advised there are a couple of Orders for training included in the packet. Commissioner Tarr inquired if the Drone Operator Training is specifically for law enforcement personnel only or if it's a general training to learn how to operate a drone. Chief Canfield advised he doesn't believe it is just geared toward law enforcement and is for public safety. He advised this is an initiative that Rob Sedgley has been working on for a long time and that Drones (or otherwise known as an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) have become a very big thing in modern day law enforcement, particulary for monitoring crowds. He advised it was talked about for the Chaos & Kindness event to check roof tops and give us an aerial view. He advised operators need to go through a number of certifications through the FAA in order to fly in a law enforcement capacity. He advised Rob has done a couple of them on his own, but there are other certifications, including this one, that are necessary to fly over crowds. 1/6  Commissioner Tarr inquired if this is a department supplied drone and Chief Canfield advised it is and that we purchased a basic drone to start the program. He advised we are working with Homeland Security and the Grants Management Unit to obtain funds for a commercial drone, which can go upwards from $100,000 to $120,000 dollars. He advised it will also be utilized for the Accident Reconstruction Team for aerial photos of fatal accidents which are completed with the use of the the ladder truck from the fire department now. Commissioner Tarr inquired if he will be training with the equipment we have or other equipment. Chief Canfield advised he doesn't believe it will be actual training with the equipment, but rather book work and the certification process through the FAA. Chairman Whittum inquired if he will be certified upon completion of the class and Chief Canfield advised that is correct. 5.C. Miscellaneous 5.C.i. Laconia Links Chairman Whittum recognized Chief Canfield. Chief Canfield noted there were a couple of advertisements in the Laconia Links for National Night Out, which was held on Strafford Street and had a fair attendance. 5.D. Resignations/Retirement Chairman Whittum recognized Chief Canfield. Chief Canfield noted Lt. Simmons is retiring as of today and Officer Judy Walsworth submitted her resignation and will be going to the Strafford County Sheriff's Office. 5.D.i. Resignation - Patrol Officer Judy Kosman-Walsworth 5.E. Hirings Chairman Whittum recognized Lt. Finogle. Lt. Finogle advised we have two graduating today from the Police Academy and we have two coming on board on September 3rd and will start their training and attend the academy in January. He also advised we have one in the background phase that we're also hoping to get into the January academy as well, and that we will start recruiting again in October. 5.F. Promotions/Classification Change Chairman Whittum recognized Chief Canfield. Chief Canfield advised we will be announcing the promotions this weekend with a swearing in ceremony set for Thursday, September 5th at 10:00 at a Special Meeting of the Laconia Police Commission. 5.F.i. Swearing In of Newly Promoted Supervisors 6. COMMAND STAFF REPORTS 6.A. Captain No discussion. 6.B. Operations Lieutenant No discussion. 6.C. Training Lieutenant No discussion. 6.D. Investigations Lieutenant 6.D. Investigations Lieutenant 2/6  Chairman Whittum recognized Chief Canfield. Chief Canfield noted Lt. Butler is on vacation in Rhode Island. He advised Lt. Butler headed up our body camera program and now everyone has been trained and been issued a camera. He advised we have also begun our in-car camera system and two of our vehicles have been equipped with cameras and will go though a 4-6 week trial period to work the bugs out prior to installing them in the rest of the vehicles. 6.E. Legal Prosecutor Chairman Whittum recognized Prosecutor Sawyer. Prosecutor Sawyer advised that in reference to the body cameras, Jeff Wholley and Kira Goodheart have been doing a lot of work with reviewing and redacting for privacy issue matters and confidential matters. He advised it does take a lot of work and Kira will be going back to patrol in a couple of weeks. He indicated we have been talking about how we are going to fill that gap. He advised he has seen benefits with the camera on some cases, with there being more clarity, and some cases it is not helpful. He advised he likes the program and thinks it will be very valuable to the Police Department and Laconia. He advised he has viewed one of the cruiser cameras and it sounds like it will work seamlessly with the body cameras, having the same provider and same console where you can pull them all up and view them all at the same time. He advised it is helpful not only for the cases, but will be an immense help for training. Chairman Whittum inquired of Prosecutor Sawyer if he needed training to use the system. Prosecutor Sawyer advised it's pretty intuitive and not difficult to use. He advised it's a well made software, so once you have an understanding of it, it's easy to find and view a video. He advised the redacting takes a little more finesse and experience. 7. COMMISSION ACTION 7.A. Acceptance of minutes from previous meeting On a Motion by Commissioner Tarr, seconded by Commissioner Mello, and passed unanimously, the meeting minutes of July 17, 2019 were accepted. 7.B. Out-of-State School(s) Chairman Whittum recognized Lt. Finogle. Lt. Finogle advised Sgt. Carlson will be added to this school, so the final figure will be final figure would be $1,432.44. 7.B.i. Pennsylvania State Police 2019 Collision Reconstruction Seminar - Captain Allan Graton After brief discussion, Chairman Whittum entertained a Motion made by Commissioner Tarr to approve the above listed school with the addition of Sgt. Carlson, seconded by Commissioner Mello, and passed unanimously. 8. REVIEW OF MONTHLY ACTIVITY REPORTS 8.A. Department Monthly Highlights Chairman Whittum recognized Chief Canfield. Chief Canfield reviewed the Department Monthly Highlights report. No further discussion. 8.B. Criminal Investigative Unit Statistics Chairman Whittum recognized Chief Canfield. Chief Canfield reviewed the Criminal Investigation Unit Statistics report. No further discussion. 8.C. Monthly Traffic Statistics Chairman Whittum recognized Chief Canfield. Chief Canfield reviewed the Monthly Traffic Statistics report. Commissioner Mello inquired about the driver inattention figure and if it was due 3/6  to the use of a phone. Chief Canfield advised it could be due to a number of reasons, but cell phone usage is a leading cause of accidents. Commissioner Tarr noted the traffic enforcement section and inquired if radar is still used as primary tool for traffic enforcement. Chief Canfield advised it is and advised all of our marked cruisers have permanently installed radar. He advised we also have a hand held radar that can be utilized by the motorcycle unit or bike patrol and one laser device, but the majority is radar. 8.D. Monthly Fleet Report Chairman Whittum recognized Lt. Finogle. Lt. Finogle advised we just took possession of the new Animal Control vehicle, which is a Ford Ranger with a crew cab and a commercial grade cap for the back that has doors that can be opened on the back. He advised it just needs lettering and a radio installed. Chairman Whittum inquired about the old ACO vehicle and Lt. Finogle advised we will surplus one of our old vans and will be moving our old ACO van to a utility type vehicle for the range and other collateral uses. Commissioner Tarr inquired if there are a lot of general animal enforcement issues in the City. Chief Canfield advised yes and that the ACO deals primarily with cats and dogs. 8.E. Budget Print-Out Chairman Whittum recognized Chief Canfield. Chief Canfield advised the budget looks good with only a couple of weeks in new budget year. Commissioner Tarr inquired with the reorganization and promotional activity that is underway if it is likely that we'll save money on personnel costs. Chief Canfield advised he wouldn't necessarily say savings, as people who get promoted move onto Step 1 of the next pay scale. Commissioner Tarr inquired of Chief Canfield if he is required to start someone at Step 1 if they are at the top step of their previous position. Chief Canfield responded that he is not required contractually to do so, but that is typically how it is done. He explained they will go from their step on the Patrol Officers scale to Step 1 as a Sergeant or Step 1 as a Lieutenant, as the Step 1 at the Sergeant level is higher than the top step on the Patrol Officers scale. Commissioner Tarr inquired how much that is and Chief Canfield advised he believes it is 5%. 9. CORRESPONDENCE TO AND FROM THE DEPARTMENT Chairman Whittum recognized Chief Canfield. Chief Canfield advised we received a nice thank you for Off. Rouse from a family visiting from Texas, who had several opportunities to speak with him and were very impressed with him. They sent a very well thought out thank you letter recognizing his professionalism. 10. CHIEF'S REPORT Chairman Whittum recognized Chief Canfield. 10.A. Overdose Statistics Chief Canfield reviewed the Overdose Statistics Report and advised it is suspected that the total overdose deaths will be at three pending the results of an autopsy report, noting they are down very significantly from last year. Commissioner Tarr inquired if there are any thoughts about why they are down. Chief Canfield advised it is due to a combination of things. He advised Eric Adams is doing a lot of great work and we are also seeing a lot more use of methamphetamine and the transition to methamphetamine. He indicated some is due to supply and demand, as far as getting 4/6  it. He also indicated some is awareness with people realizing that Heroin is cut with Fentanyl and the fluctuations with purity, causing us to see a lot more methamphetamine use because of that. He noted an article in Union Leader about Merrimack and some of their hotels and their serious issues. He advised we are fortunate not to have those issues and that we used to have it at one of the hotels in the City; however, it has since been bought and re-done and we haven't had any issues there since. 10.B. Laconia Police Officers' Association Memorandum of Understanding for Pistol Lights Chief Canfield advised the Laconia Police Officers' Association approached him in reference to the need for pistol lights, which would increase officer safety and is something that wasn't budgeted. He advised the LPOA is willing to purchase lights for all LPOA members in exchange for the Department maintaining those lights and purchasing lights for any new hires. He noted this is a very generous act by the LPOA and speaks volumes of the people who work for us. He advised this is a very positive idea and good for the department Commissioner Tarr noted he doesn't recall this being brought up in negotiations. Chief Canfield advised this is something that just came to light. He advised we've had an optional light policy where Officers could purchase the lights themselves and go through the training for it, but we've never mandated the lights, purely from a cost perspective. He advised now it is something they are interested in doing and they brought it forward. Commissioner Tarr inquired if there is now a requirement for low light shooting training and Chief Canfield advised we have always had low light training; however, this is a mounted light, which makes is easier to manipulate the weapons system versus holding a separate flashlight and is certainly safer. Commissioner Tarr inquired if the equipment the LPOA is purchasing is the same equipment the police department is buying and Chief Canfield responded yes. Chief Canfield advised we have a policy that governs weapon mounted lights and there is one approved model for a light for the department, which officers could purchase on their own up to this point if they so wished, but had to go through the training. He advised this is the same light that the LPOA will purchase. Commissioner Tarr inquired about equipment in general and if the LPOA can go out and purchase a specific type of equipment they might indicate a need for without the Chief's approval. Chief Canfield advised everything an officer wears on their uniform needs to be approved and the majority of it requires some type of training program. 11. OLD BUSINESS Chief Canfield advised Laconia Multicultural Day is September 7th from 10am to 4pm downtown. He advised the Weirs Beach Blues Festival that will be taking place on Weirs Beach on September 21st from 11am to 11pm. He advised they intend to close the whole beach and parking lot area and have a blues festival on the beach. Commissioner Tarr inquired if this is another venue where the sponsors are reimbursing the department for coverage. Chief Canfield advised yes, aside from the planning portion leading up to the event. He advised there has been a lot of work by the Captain on this and Lt. Finogle has also been involved. He advised all of these special events involve a lot of meetings and thought process to plan, which is not covered, but the actual day of the event is covered. Chief Canfield also advised that same weekend is the Chaos & Kindness event in Lakeport Square , along with the Laconia High School Homecoming, so it will be a busy weekend. Chief Canfield also advised Biketemberfest is scheduled for September 13th through the 15th, so September appears to be a very busy month event wise. Commissioner Tarr inquired if we ever have to chase around the vendor for payment. Chief Canfield advised there was one event where the City did not get reimbursed. He advised since that occurred, most of these events have had to have an escrow account ahead of time and we draw from that. 12. NEW BUSINESS 5/6  No discussion. 13. CONFIRMATION OF NEXT MEETING DATE The next Regular Meeting Date scheduled for September 18, 2019 was confirmed and a Special Meeting Date of September 5, 2019 was confirmed. 14. OTHER BUSINESS No discussion. 15. CITIZEN COMMENTS No citizen comments. 16. NON-PUBLIC SESSION (According To RSA 91-A:3, II) No need for Non-Public Session. 17. ADJOURNMENT On a Motion by Commissioner Tarr, seconded by Commissioner Mello, and passed unanimously, the meeting was adjourned at 11:33 am. 6/6