Volume 2 No. 10

POLICE CONSULTANTS

$121,000 Evaluation Gives Department B+ or A

Sugar Land, TX – The Sugar Land Police Department has 112 sworn and 40 non-sworn officers and a comprehensive evaluation of the department was conducted by a private consultant. He issued recommendations that are to be implemented over a five year period. There were no major problems in particular that stood out. He found that the members of the department reported friction and fragmentation with in the department. He also found limited criminal analysis available, issues between supervisors and subordinates and a lack of support for civilian employees. The crime rate is 26.45 per 1000 citizens which beats the national average of 41.18 and the Texas average of 51.89.

The major recommendations were:

Shift schedules of detectives to include night shifts saying detectives who work later shifts could catch more aggravated assaults among other crimes.

The department should employ automated a finger print identification system to better solve crimes.

Implementing a beat coordinator concept in a Community Policing concept that could help citizens work the “maze” of local government to solve problems.

Department should examine its career ladder program for officers and establish a formalized test for the captain rank and implement physical training test for its officers.

Print brochures in various languages instructing citizens in filing formal complaints.

Department should consider hiring more civilians for technical administrator jobs and a deputy chief to work with technical administration.

Herald Coaster April 22, 2004

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The War on Drugs – Other Costs

Oakland, CA – At a forum organized by the Independent Institute the topic was the costs of the war on drugs. Each year the US Government spends $30 billion dollars on the war and 1.5 million people are arrested on drug related charges. The forum looked at the policy of drug prohibition and Joseph McNamara former Chief of the San Jose Police Department said that local police have been greatly impacted by the federal war on drugs. He enumerated the following:

Federal funding and training often focus on drug arrests and with budgets being tight some departments increase forfeiture operations to obtain funds. Police are under pressure from citizens to clean up outdoor drug markets and these are rightful concerns but the war on drugs has also increased police corruption and police abuses. Citing recent a New York City Police Department scandal in which police officers were robbing drug dealers and stealing their drugs he said police sometimes get the attitude that “its hopeless we can’t do anything about it, why shouldn’t we all benefit?”

Infoshop News May 10, 2004

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Study of Traffic Stops – Looking for Racism

Riverside, CA – In 2001 the Attorney General ordered the police department to study traffic stops for a period of five years as part of a reform agreement. The studies are to look at the race of the drivers who are stopped. In the last year traffic stops increased by almost 72 percent from 2002 and the rate police stopped black drivers remained nearly twice that of white and Hispanic drivers. The consultant, a professor from Cal State San Bernardino said the there is a significant relationship where the police performed the traffic stops and the areas with the highest calls for service and serious crime. The greatest number of patrol stops occurred in the black and Hispanic area. Each study cost $20,000.

The Press-Enterprise May 11, 2004

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Crown Victoria Cleared in Death of Trooper

St. Louis, MO – The gas tank of a Missouri’s State Trooper’s Crown Victoria cruiser was not the cause when the cruiser burst into flames when the cruiser was hit from behind during a traffic stop killing the officer. A report by the National Traffic Safety Administration said the gas tank was not compromised in the collision. These findings were the same as a consultant who had been hired by the Missouri State Patrol. The Patrol continues to use the Crown Victoria accounting for nearly all of its 800 car fleet.

AP April 8, 2004

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POLICE SURVEYS

Sexual Assault Victims Getting Younger – New Services Instituted

Parkersburg, WV – According to the West Virginia State Police Incident Based Reporting System, 65 per cent of victims of sexual assault in the year 2000 were younger than 18 and the most common age was 14 years old. The National Violence Against Women Survey (1195-2000) showed that one third of all sexual assault victims were younger than 12. Forty-two per cent were 6 years old or younger. 83 per cent of women who have reported that they were raped in their lives, the rape occurred when they were younger than 25. As a result Wood County has organized a Child Abuse Response Team that will focus on the younger victims.

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Police Survey Community for Feedback

Greenwich, CT – The Greenwich Police Department is surveying the citizens about its performance and what police services residents consider most important. The survey is a multiple choice survey and will be mailed to 600 homes and will be distributed at community groups and home owner associations. The questions ask the residents for their perceptions about quality of life issues like traffic congestion and noise, as well as their concerns about youth related problems such as underage drinking, loitering and disorderly conduct. The survey also asks if the citizens support community policing initiatives such as placement of an officer at the high school.

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Survey Results Show Community Concerns

Exeter, NH – The Exeter Police Department sent out a survey to one hundred homes looking for input from its citizens as part of strategic planning for the department. The main concerns of the community are children being exposed to drugs, having your home burglarized and strangers loitering near your home. Other problem areas are speeding cars, dilapidated streets and sidewalks and parking and traffic problems.

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Children First Use Alcohol between the Ages of 11-13

Lockport. IL – Survey data has stated that kids first use alcohol between the ages of 11 and 13. As a result an alcohol and drug prevention program was designed to be given to students in grades 5 through 8.