Minutes - Council Work Session - 10/07/2014

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Task Force Officer and a Citizens Academy. While a canine unit would be high on the list, he said he recognizes the cost of the dog and the care of it would be very expensive. 4. The Ramsey Police and Fire Departments are known to work very closely together in protecting the community. As Police Chief what goals would you have regarding the future relationship between the two departments in servicing the community? Captain Katers noted his department works very closely with the Fire Department. The departments have shared interests in public safety. The department heads work well together and both departments understand and respect the others' goals. He expects that to continue. 5. What resources would you employ as a new Chief to help you succeed in this challenging role? Captain Katers commented he would like to sit down with each staff person and see what they think the goals and direction of the Police Department should be. He said he did not want to set goals for someone else. He said he would rather come up with goals together with his staff. 6. What direct contributions have you made to improve the skill and performance of officers under your command? Captain Katers explained while he was on patrol with a staff person years ago, he realized that employee did not support the mission of administration. He said he saw a lot of potential in this officer. He did not think this officer was challenged enough A spot opened up in investigations and Captain Katers encouraged the officer to apply for that job. The officer did and got the job, and there was a great change in his attitude toward management. He became a leader in his department. Captain Katers commented finding what motivates different people is a challenge. In this case, the mentoring and coaching helped that officer and the department. 7. Please tell us about a situation that occurred under your leadership that yielded a positive result or outcome. Now tell us about a situation under your leadership that yielded a negative result or outcome. Was there something that you did differently between the two situations? What did you learn? Captain Katers stated the officer- involved shooting was a tough time. The City of Ramsey has gone through some very high profile cases such as drug crimes and a building explosion. Through these cases, there has been a positive outcome. This has to do with neighboring agencies. He said there is a lot of care and understanding for each other. He explained he was the fifth officer on the scene of the officer- involved shooting. There was gun powder in the air. He stated he had to make command decisions and delegate the work. His first concern was if the officers were okay. The officers patrolled the scene and gave information out appropriately to media. That was a positive outcome. Captain Katers stated there is nothing that sticks out in his mind that was a negative outcome. He said his department is constantly changing things as a result of feedback or debriefing. City Council Work Session / October 7, 2014 Page 3 of 10