Public Safety Review Committee
Minutes of Meeting of August 6, 2002
Police Station, Training Room
Present: Ken Kimball, Chair; Richard Townsend, Lisa Brown, Matthew Frazier, Kenneth Roscoe, Kirsten Bakken, Berta Bruinooge; Sgt. Ron Fisette, Officer Mike Hurley, Chief Richard Rosenthal; Jeff Stewart, Mary and Brewster Fox
Absent: Linda Pickard, John Ferro
Ken Kimball convened the meeting at 7:00 p.m., noting that Committee minutes and agenda may be found on the Wellfleet town website. He introduced Officer Mike Hurley, who conducted a tour of the police facilities for the Committee.
Tour of Police Station: comments follow:
Training Room--The room in which the Committee met is a multipurpose room used for fire department training, as a police interview room, for civil defense, and for the Citizens' Police Academy meetings.
A secured back entrance leads into a hall from which open the Chief's Office, the sergeants' office, and a multi-purpose room used by 4 officers. Officer Hurley showed the committee equipment purchased with grant money: a night vision device, a sophisticated communications device, PBT machines. (In response to Lisa Brown's question about whether a commercial preparation claiming to neutralize breath alcohol worked, the Chief answered that it did not.) Chief Rosenthal congratulated Officer Hurley for obtaining a grant of $38,000 for the department this year, stating that Wellfleet had originally been slated for only $10,000 but that Hurley's hard work had paid off. Hurley added that credit was due to Representative Shirley Gomes and Robert O'Leary. The Chief
added that no town money has been spent on police department computers, which have all been purchased on grants.
Dispatch Area--Cindy Norris explained the workings of the police communication area, including the enhanced 911 system, and distributed a printout entitled Communications Overview Responsibilities, 911, Radio Dispatch, Scanners, Mutual Aid, CJIS, TTY, Business Phones, In House Computer, Reception, Resources, Training. In response to the Chief's request, she explained the dispatcher's computer system (DOS based, software cost $400, programmed in-house) as compared to PAMET software used by neighboring police departments (prefabricated, costing $50,000, yearly maintenance fee of $10,000) which can interface with criminal histories systems. She added that a newly designed Windows program could convert the Wellfleet DOS-based system, which does what is required of it but
for which the department must enter all data. The Chief noted that the dispatcher's system is not networked with any other system in the station.
Squad Room--8-10 people work out of this room, which contains an inadequately sized arms locker
Other Areas: Evidence Closet, Safety Station (used when removing ammunition from firearms), Lockers and Evidence Lockers.
Booking Area-- Detained persons are brought into this area from the garage area; they are fingerprinted and advised of their rights here; if drunk, they receive Breatholizer testing
Cells--separate (and out of sight of one another) for males, females, and juveniles. Hurley pointed out that one of the cells is used (in violation of regulations) for record storage, since the station has no other area in which to store old records.
The Committee returned to the training room for discussion. Berta Bruinooge asked if a questionnaire should be sent to officers in the department concerning the inadequacies of the facility; Lisa Brown suggested that a "needs list" might be developed. Chief Rosenthal stated that this was unnecessary, since he already has documentation of what is needed. He added that his talented people have "tweaked" an inexpensive computer system to provide necessary coverage and that he could not justify requesting from the Selectmen a $50,000 computer system such as that used by Truro and Eastham. Matt Frazier asked at what stage of police facilities' investigation the Building and Assessment Committee found itself and what part the Chief plays in their investigation. Chief Rosenthal
stated that he has spoken to the Town Administrator, who is looking at property, but that nothing can be done until the next Town Meeting. He added that he likes being in the same building with the Fire Department but can split if necessary.
Announcements: Chair Kimball noted that the next two meetings, August 20 and September 3, will be held at Town Hall. He added that he did not feel that holding tonight's meeting at the Police Station indicates that the Committee is too close to the Police Department but that this venue is justified as part of the Committee's wide-ranging general study of the department. He urged the members of the Committee to clear up public misconceptions as they occur. Lisa Brown asked about the proposed public survey; Kimball answered that Matt Frazier would make a report on progress.
Minutes of July 23, 2002: Ken Roscoe moved and Berta Bruinooge seconded the approval of the minutes of 7/23/02 as amended by the secretary and Ken Kimball. The motion passed unanimously, 7-0.
Old Business:
Ken Kimball returned the committee to a previous discussion of how to communicate with the public. He suggested subcommittees to meet with subgroups within the community:
Lisa Brown and Linda Pickard Children and Youth
Ken Roscoe and Kirsten Bakken Senior Citizens
Ferro, Townsend, Bruinooge, Brown Business and Trades
Frazier, Pickard, Townsend Community Service Questionnaire
Lisa Brown suggested that, since she would be visiting all the businesses in Wellfleet as Chair of the Oyster Festival, she would be able to interview tradespeople for the Public Safety Committee concerning their conceptions and attitudes toward the police. Berta Bruinooge, who is on the board of the Wellfleet Chamber of Commerce, volunteered to solicit reaction from Chamber members, using its monthly newsletter. Kimball stated that although these subcommittees would touch upon younger and older people, there was still a "big group in the middle" in the age group of 25-50, but that the committee has ten months to investigate this group. He also suggested speaking with members of fraternal organizations, church groups, and at community activities. Lisa
Brown moved that the subcommittees suggested by Kimball (listed above) be established; Ken Roscoe seconded; the motion passed unanimously, 7-0. It was agreed that when the subcommittees were ready to meet, they would call in the information to the secretary for posting at Town Hall
Kimball then invited Matt Frazier to report on progress on the public survey questionnaire that Frazier had proposed at the last meeting; he commented that surveys were serious business and urged the committee members to aid Frazier by telling him what they wanted to learn from it. Frazier stated that he was hoping for a brainstorming session in which to model questions; he added that consulting firms could be hired to create surveys, colleges also produced them, and boilerplate questions could be interspersed with customized questions. He read several examples of such boilerplate questions, one of which follows:
My contacts with Wellfleet police officers have been satisfactory.
Choose one answer: strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree
Ken Roscoe observed that such a choice from a group of answers for the public to react to was better than questions requiring narrative answers. Frazier agreed, stating that the last question of the survey might ask for a narrative answer.
Several topics emerged from the survey discussion, one of which was Frazier's report that some of the public perceive that the police receive too much overtime. Chief Rosenthal noted that paying overtime was cheaper than hiring another officer, and Berta Bruinooge drew upon her Finance Committee knowledge to commend the Chief's whittling down compensatory time from what it had been in the past. The Chief offered to bring the committee a spreadsheet for overtime and comp time. On the question of giving hiring preference to Wellfleet residents over others, which had been mentioned as a current topic of public concern, Ken Kimball wondered about the legality of such a preference. The Chief stated that it was his practice to choose the best candidate for the job. Kimball also mentioned that the subject of treatment of minorities needed to be investigated either through a questionnaire or discussion.
The method of disseminating the survey was discussed. Ken Roscoe suggested taking it to the various subgroups being interviewed by subcommittees. Ken Kimball urged sending the questionnaire to a random sampling (150 people) of the Wellfleet public, emphasizing that this should give the committee a fairly accurate idea of the opinions of a cross-section of the community. It was important, he stated, to get as many of these questionnaires returned as possible. Lisa Brown, referring to the Demographic table provided by Sgt. Fisette, pointed out that the majority of the Wellfleet population is between 25 and 54 years old and that this group needs to be well represented.
Frazier asked what the committee's policies would be concerning meeting with people in confidence, since people were sometimes uneasy making statements to a group of people. Kimball felt that a member could meet with an individual and then decide whether to bring the information to the committee. Richard Townsend asked if members could talk with police officers from other towns and with retired police officers; he was told he could talk with anyone he wanted to.
As a last item of Old Business, Kimball stated that his suggestions in "Proposed Procedures for Public Safety Review Committee's Work" (6/18/02) should be placed on the next agenda to aid in determining what the goals of this committee should be.
New Business: Chief Rosenthal stated that he would explain as much of three items: the mission statement, the monthly report, and payroll procedures, as the remaining time allowed, finishing up at the next meeting.
Mission Statement--The Chief stated that he created this mission statement in 1990 at the time he took the Chief's position; reviewing it several years ago, he felt it was still appropriate and left it as it was. Members of the committee commended the statement.
Jeff Stewart, from the audience, commented that the big areas of senior citizens and tourists are not considered in the mission statement. Chief Rosenthal asked if the committee wanted a revised statement. Matt Frazier pointed out that there were many versions of the mission statement and that some police departments have very short ones, almost mottoes.
Paragraph four of the statement elicited a discussion of police department interaction with local youth. Officer Hurley named various areas of interaction for the committee. Chief Rosenthal stated that changes in the number of department members living and raising families in town has caused a lessening of interaction, that the demographics of both the town and the department have changed and it is difficult to see how to bring large numbers of the department to live in a community as expensive as Wellfleet, and that the department is able to interact through the recreation department. Ron Fisette spoke of his individual involvement with youth in the community, and Lisa Brown cited the example of the D.A.R.E. officer at Nauset High, a highly visible presence who does
not wear a uniform when on duty at the school. Brown also mentioned the local youth "rating" the bike cop--an officer who will talk with them abut any subject humanizes the police role to them. Ken Kimball asked if a list of youth activities and youth contacts could be compiled; Sgt. Fisette volunteered to undertake this. Kimball also suggested a junior police organization for the Outer Cape. Chief Rosenthal stated that Nauset High has a program for students interested in law enforcement.
Monthly Report--Chief Rosenthal, commenting that he had been writing his monthly reports since 1990, regretted that he had not been reporting police/youth activities for the past 10 years. He continued that he now reported all the accomplishments of his staff for the month. Berta Bruinooge commended the department on the good traffic control after the fireworks, stating that getting out of town after the fireworks were over was extremely smooth and quick. Rosenthal stated that Sgt. Fisette was responsible for the plan; Fisette commented that individual responsibilities were defined on a document distributed beforehand and that the officers used bicycles for facility.
Chair Kimball said that people had asked him why Wellfleet had forty police officers on the force. The Chief stated that it doesn't; Sgt. Fisette explained that the source of confusion might have been that Wellfleet makes Special Officers of all full-time Truro and Eastham officers, of the Seashore Park officers, and the eight summer people at the same time; their names all go to the Selectmen together for approval.
Chief Rosenthal discussed his monthly overview, which includes overtime, compensatory time, arrests, 911 calls, citations, and impaired persons. Officer Hurley explained that the July increase in citations was part of a Umass program. The Chief commented that there is a general public perception that the police constantly give out citations to gain revenue; he pointed out, however, that his goal is to gain compliance for the public safety, not to generate revenue. Sgt. Fisette noted that warnings are given out as often as written complaints; the Chief, checking the records, concurred with Fisette's point. Chair Kimball agreed, citing his experience of this when riding on shift with an officer.
Lisa Brown stated that The Banner has started publicizing Truro arrests and asked if the Wellfleet department had ever considered this. Fisette replied that the police Daily Log is open to reporters but they have elected not to print this information. Brown asked if they should be publishing the numbers to erase misconceptions. Matt Frazier inquired whether there was a press officer. Officer Hurley, identifying himself as the public affairs officer, stated that in trying for positive publicity he had found that The Cape Cod Times does not want to publish positive items--and that his story had often been refused because it was preceded by one similar in nature from another town.
It was decided that Chief Rosenthal would talk about Payroll Procedures at the next meeting.
Lisa Brown moved adjournment; Ken Roscoe seconded; the meeting was adjourned at 10:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
__________________________________ _______________________________
Frances J. Castillo, Assistant to the Kenneth Kimball, Chair
Committee Secretary ________________________Date
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