Civil Service Commission

City Hall City of Olympia 601 4th Avenue E Olympia, WA 98501 Contact: Tami Micheau Meeting Minutes 360.753.8343 Civil Service Commission Tuesday, May 13, 2014 8:30 AM Room 112 Special Meeting 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 8:31 a.m. 1.A ROLL CALL Present: 3 - Chair Linda Villegas Bremer, Commissioner Reiko Callner, and Commissioner Oscar Soule STAFF PRESENT Amy Cleveland, Chief Examiner/Secretary Tami Micheau, Human Resources Larry Dibble, Fire Chief Ronnie Roberts, Police Chief 2. BUSINESS ITEMS 2.A 14-0688 General Discussion with Police and Fire Chiefs On May 13, 2014 the Civil Service Commissioners met with Police Chief Ronnie Roberts and Fire Chief Larry Dibble. Police Chief Ronnie Roberts started the discussion by stating that it is an amazing transition time as an organization, having hired over 20 officers in the past couple of years. He also reported Olympia Police Department (OPD) supervisors recently completed leadership training so the department’s supervisors and managers have clarity about the mission. Chief Roberts stated that the department’s goal as an organization is to create public trust with the end result being the support of the Council and the community. The Chief reported he wants to create an organization that is diverse, that represents a wide segment of the community, and that has ideals of service on the forefront of what OPD does. Chief Roberts stated that he believes the department must be adaptive and flexible as well as responsive and proactive. He discussed the difference that downtown foot City of Olympia Page 1 Civil Service Commission Meeting Minutes May 13, 2014 patrols have made in the safety of the area. Commissioner Callner asked if designated outreach people are reaching out to the community or if the department is developing the skills of people who happen to be good at outreach. Chief Roberts responded that the department is developing organizational capacity and developing trust with the community. He noted that this happens when officers interact with people on a day to day basis, solving problems, and developing a reputation so that people learn to trust law enforcement. He explained that specific officers are assigned certain responsibilities and at the same time the department is developing the capacity of new officers. Commissioner Soule asked if the force represents the diversity profile of the community and/or the percentages of offenders. Chief Roberts responded he believes it is comparable. He also noted that Olympia is the only city in this region with a downtown, and that many of the people OPD deals with are not Olympia residents. He noted that the jail population is not a very diverse population, but the jail staff is a diverse work group. Commissioner Villegas-Bremer asked about the makeup of recruitment panels and wondered if more citizens or more Olympia Downtown Association members could be on the panel. Chief Roberts responded that the most recent hiring panel included a community member he met at Olympia School District. Through a conversation about removing a school resource officer because of staffing Chief Roberts invited her to participate on the interview panel. Chief Roberts excused himself from the meeting prior to Olympia Fire Department's presentation. Fire Chief Larry Dibble provided a handout to the Commission and stated that the City has spent the last eight years on a wave of expanding the department including opening Fire Station 4 and hiring 15 additional firefighters. This expansion was based on the community voting yes on bond issues for the station fire apparatus and the multi-million dollar training center. The citizens have voted with about an 80% yes vote, and taxed themselves so that the Olympia Fire Department (OFD) could be prepared to provide service to the community. City of Olympia Page 2 Civil Service Commission Meeting Minutes May 13, 2014 Chief Dibble reported now that a very functional fire department is in place, service is provided quickly, the department is trained very well, has very good equipment, and has a great fire prevention division. He stated those are the four measurements of a fire department’s effectiveness. The fire chief also reported that the department is considering a change in service delivery from an emergent to a prevention method with home health care with the fire department getting out to the community before they need to dial 911. Chief Dibble explained that the community can be targeted fairly clearly about medical conditions. On the Westside, the City has a large number of senior care complexes and apartment complexes that generate a large number of calls. If OFD can get into those complexes and work with the citizens to prevent the response, some capacity can be realized back into the system. OFD also operates a regional fire vehicle mechanic service serving Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, Medic One, and some of the smaller fire districts in Thurston County. OFD operates it, collects the revenue from it, and provides services for fire engines, ladder trucks, and medic units. Because it must be 100% paid for to have that service the fire department is always looking for revenue and searching for customers. Chief Dibble reported this program currently supplements the general fund, which opens up money for other City needs. Chief Dibble also highlighted the Mark Noble Regional Fire Training Center (MNRFTC), which has allowed the department to enhance its training program. The MNRFTC is the only one in Washington that has a command training center for officers and senior officers to learn the incident command system. Commissioner Villegas-Bremer asked if OFD responds to highway calls. Chief Dibble replied that OFD does respond to highway calls and this consumes a large amount of resources. The City receives reimbursement from the State Capitol Campus. The discussion was completed. 3. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 11:15 a.m. City of Olympia Page 3