Agenda - Council - 06/10/2008 - Laserfiche WebLink

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This position was budgeted for 2008 with a July 1 start date. (See attached documentation from 2008 Budget discussion) Police Patrol Officer - July 2008 - Hiring Consideration By Police Chief Jim Way p: /policeadnun/personnel needs /July08Officerconsideration Is the position essential? Yes, I believe that this position is essential based on a number of factors. First and foremost, citizen demands for crime control and non -crime control /community services are very high. Citizens have come to expect a high level of service. In an effort to improve gnality of service, reduce response times to urgent calls and develop new strategies for crime prevention and community- police interaction, additional officers are essential to being able to complete these duties. The policing philosophy, priorities, policies and practices of the Ramsey Police Department play a vital role in meeting the needs of citizens. Having the necessary manpower to accomplish these needs is the first step. 2. Is the position critical? Critical positions do not meet the definition of "essential", but they are positions that warrant additional consideration because they are, for example, a one - position job class or the duties cannot be reassigned or eliminated. The following questions may assist in determining whether or not a position is "critical": • Can the duties be re- engineered or automated? No. Officers must respond to calls for service. • Can the duties be reassigned temporarily or permanently? Yes. Officers will still respond to emergency and non - emergency demands regardless of whether or not more officers are added at this time Proactive patrol tasks, including traffic enforcement and community policing, will receive less attention from officers if no additional officers are added. • Can the position remain unfilled temporarily or permanently? Yes, the position could go unfilled temporarily but not permanently. The needs and the demands for the position are currently there at this time and that will not go away as time goes on The calls for service have been on a gradual increase over the past 5 years. Part 1 (most serious criminal offenses) and 2 (less serious crimes) crimes continue to rise each year (See attached) The demands on the department, due to these increases, cannot be met. The effectiveness and productivity of the patrol operations decrease as officers spend greater amounts of time responding to and investigating the Part 1 and 2 crimes.