Agenda - Council - 02/25/1997 - Laserfiche WebLink

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BACKGROUND The long-time Police Chief of Ramsey is retiring at the end of February, 1997. Before deciding on a process to fill the vacancy created by this retirement, the City Council asked for information about what other metro-area communities expect from a police chief, how the Ramsey Police Department is currently working, and what the City should be looking for in its next Police Chief. The Council will review this information, then decide whether the current job description for the position needs to be revised to better reflect the City's needs. After revisions, if any, are made, the Council will determine how to fill the position. This report summarizes the information collected by City staff. Job descriptions from other communities were solicited by fax from all cities on the mailing list for TUG, the professional development group for metro-area human resources personnel. A significant number of communities did not have a current job description for Police Chief. A smaller number were in the beginning stages of revising descriptions that were last revised in the late 1970s. Information from the 17 cities that did respond to the request was summarized in a matrix that compares major responsibilities; necessary knowledge, skills and abilities; minimum requirements for education and experience; and preferred qualifications. Information about the current status and future needs of the Police Department and the City was collected through structured interviews conducted jointly by the City Administrator and the Administrative Services Manager with all members of the department and all members of the City Council. People being interviewed were assured that their responses would be used in summary form only and no names or interview dates were used on the interview notes, in the hope that people would respond candidly to the questions. Interview results are presented under headings that correspond to the questions asked during the interviews. The final section of the report includes the conclusions and recommendations of the City Administrator and Administrative Services Manager, based on the information collected. COMPARISON OF POLICE CHIEF JOB DESCRIPTIONS Major responsibilities. A review of job descriptions showed little variation in major responsibilities among Ramsey and the other 17 cities listed in the matrix. The variations from Ramsey included: * Police Chief functions as a Public Safety Director overseeing police, fire, and emergency medical services (Plymouth and Red Wing); * Police Chief participates in labor negotiations (Anoka); * Police Chief reviews all license, permit applications (Bayport); * Police Chief oversees grant application preparation and administration (Maplewood).