11252008CouncilMinutes - Special Work Session.
CITY OF AMMON
CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
SPECIAL WORK SESSION
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2008
AGENDA:
CITY OF AMMON
2135 SOUTH AMMON ROAD
CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA – SPECIAL WORK SESSION
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2008 – 4:00 P.M.
DISCUSSION ITEMS:
1.Police Study (Kirkham)
MINUTES
City Officials Present:
Councilmember Dana Kirkham (left at 7:25 pm for another appointment)
Councilmember Lee Bean
Councilmember Brian Powell
Councilmember Randy Waite
Councilmember Rex Thompson (arrived at 4:25pm)
Councilmember D. Ray Ellis
City Clerk Leslie Folsom
City Officials Absent:
Mayor Bruce Ard
Councilmember Dana Kirkham opened the meeting at 4:00 p.m. at the City Office Building located at 2135 South Ammon Road.
1. Police Study (Kirkham):
Councilmember Bean introduced Steve Kent to the Council. Steve Kent led the discussion.
He introduced Jerry Summers and Rodney Brown as participants in the discussion. He asked the Council what they want the future to
look like for law enforcement for the City of Ammon. He has trained law enforcement officers in ten states at different levels. His
perspective is he doesn’t want any more parks, schools or roads unless people will be safe to be there and safe to use them. He will
come back in January with the Council’s solutions and final numbers for presentation.
Jerry Summers, an active duty police officer and chief of police in McCall, Idaho, greeted Council and discussed what a
public policy is. He explained it is a formal statement of how the governmental entity is going to operate. He explained we
sometimes overlook the operational side of local government. He stated no one knows how to do policing. He explained most people
don’t know what we need in regards to law enforcement and the City needs to establish what they want. There needs to be parameters
and expectations.
Jerry asked why Council why they want a police department. Councilmember Kirkham responded they are not sure they do
and this is why they want to conduct this study. She stated we need to see if we can get our own law enforcement for the same money
we are paying. Councilmember Bean said we don’t have control over what we would like our police force to look like. The Council
discussed we are covered by the County Sheriff right now and contract with them. Jerry inquired if they have required parameters.
Councilmember Kirkham stated we have and that is part of the problem. Jerry stated by State law you have to provide some sort of
law enforcement services. He stated you have to answer why people want to have law enforcement. It was discussed so that people
feel safe and their property is protected.
Jerry talked about ways to measure success and about the statistical numbers they get from the Sheriff’s office. He asked
Council how they analyze the numbers. Councilmember Kirkham stated she looks over the numbers and analyzes them. She looks at
the types of calls they have had and where. She talked about the discrepancies with the numbers.
Statement #1:
Jerry stated Public policy is a philosophical statement in how a governmental agency will operate. He gave
an example of a public policy statement. Council discussed the different examples. Jerry asked each councilmember to discuss how
they would measure quality of life. Steve stated that change is inevitable, progress is optional. Steve inquired how else you would
measure quality of life. Councilmember Waite said what people see, such as no chuck holes and the esthetics of the City.
Councilmember Kirkham stated a sense of community. Councilmember Bean said now we are getting into the warm and fuzzy things.
He wonders if they will look at affordable education. He stated a person does not move because of the school district. Steve asked if
you would move here if you felt you were unsafe. Steve stated that a well funded police force has an impact on your insurance.
Councilmember Kirkham said our low taxes trump out the insurance. Councilmember Ellis said they used to live in Idaho Falls
because of education but now Dist. 93 has improved and people have moved here. Councilmember Bean said it would be best for a
City for their leaders to look at their future and be able to move there. Councilmember Bean said if you don’t see a community
without any growth, then people don’t want to move there. Residents use 130% of the taxes they pay into the City and businesses use
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40% and industrial are about 10%. Jerry said perceptions make up other people’s reality. If they believe a City is progressive, this is
where they want to move. Steve said if you want crime to go to zero, get rid of all the cops, however, if the cops are doing their job
that’s why it looks like crime is going up.
Statement #2:
Police representatives will always remain cognizant that they are individually, first and foremost, a citizen
who is a part of the community; as a police officer they are only a citizen who is paid to provide a full-time service of responsibilities
that is incumbent on every member of the community.
It was discussed that the police officers are part of the City even if they do not actually live in the city limits and whether this
is a good public policy. Jerry said McCall said police officers serving the community should be members of the community; however,
they have to live within 10 minutes of the City not necessarily within the City. They asked the Council if they should only hire
residents. Discussion ensued. Steve said sometimes City homes are too expensive for the salaries of the police. Councilmember
Bean said they need to feel a sense of responsibility and ownership to the citizens they serve – not simply because they are a law
enforcement officer but because they are a citizen. Council liked this change.
Statement #3:
Police will be ever cognizant that their role is only one part of a social justice system; the police will
direct their efforts towards fulfilling their respective role and never usurp the powers or responsibilities of the other system
components (legislative and judicial). Rodney asked do you want them to enforce the spirit of the law or the letter of the law.
Councilmember Powell said law enforcement is supposed to enforce the ordinances, as well as, the law and to help out citizens; for
instance, helping at funerals. Councilmember Bean asked Rodney how he defined it. Rodney said he wrote this policy. He explained
the police officers had discretionary authority. Traffic enforcement is the prevention of accidents and education of the public. Jerry
said you can get compliance through enforcement or education and voluntary compliance. The officers can determine if they believe
you are going to learn from the warning. Councilmember Powell said he liked what the Shelley officer said about being proactive and
looking for potential problems. Steve finalized the language to be “police will be ever cognizant that their role is only one part of a
social justice system; the police will take initiative in their efforts towards fulfilling their respective role while adding discretionary
authority”.
Statement #4:
Police will establish community respect and support through absolute fairness and impartiality.
Councilmember Bean would like to remove the word absolute. It was changed to policy will establish community respect and
support through being fair and impartial.
Statement #5:
The success of policing services is wholly predicated on the public’s approval of their actions and methods.
Steve stated that if policing is successful the public will be aware of it. Steve said that people who have had a crime had less
satisfaction with law enforcement than those who have never had a crime. Councilmember Thompson said the numbers he remembers
are .06% of the calls per person in the City of Ammon. The County and Idaho Falls averages 1.2 calls per person so Ammon has half
the calls. Councilmember Powell said it all boils down to just because you have a police force doesn’t make you feel safe. Steve said
staffing should be based on calls for service, not population.
Councilmember Bean asked Rodney what he did in Salem for public education. He stated he would pick the hottest topic to
be discussed then three months later they would come back and address what the solutions have been.
They showed a website for McCall from Jerry that he updates quarterly. Jerry said they have 10,000 – 12,000 residents at
any one time but only 3,000 permanent residents. They currently have 12 sworn officers and are looking at adding 5 and their
budget is just under $2 million.
Statement #6:
Voluntary compliance to laws and the community’s willing cooperation with the police is in reverse
proportion to the need for the use of force. It was discussed that if you are good citizens, you do not need police force.
Councilmember Bean feels this is not user friendly.
Statement #7:
Use of force will be reserved as a last resort alternative to other methods to gain compliance to laws and
general order except when articulable exigencies dictate otherwise. Council would like #6 thrown out and to change #7 to say that
force will be used as a last alternative. Councilmember Bean asked clarification for articulable exigencies. It was explained that the
officer needs to be able to explain why he went to the extremes that he did. Steve gave an example. Rodney said you should be able
to go to the position to get control of the situation. Jerry said police officers need to be proactive not reactive or they will get killed.
Statement #8:
Police effectiveness will not be measured in quantifiable numbers nor will their visible presence in dealing
with crime and disorder, but by the lack thereof and the community’s sense of safety in their personal and property. Steve said on
average there are 15% of the people who have had a crime committed upon them. When asked if you were a victim, did you report it
– 14% did not report the crime. Councilmember Bean said can we change it to police effectiveness shall be measured in certain
quantifiable numbers in addition to public opinion about feelings of safety. It was questioned why the city would need a police
department.
Councilmember Ellis stated we can better serve the public if the Council is in direct control. Councilmember Thompson
said he had a neighbor come to him and say that two years ago he found a body in Palisades Reservoir. He found a swimming suit
with four ribs attached and took it to the Sheriff’s department. He was appalled at how they handled the situation. He stated they
yanked it out and didn’t watch the safety of the evidence. Steve stated that would be a training issue. Steve asked why we want the
police department. Councilmember Kirkham said we want to say we need law enforcement in this area and know it is done.
Councilmember Thompson stated he would also like to have a handle on the budget. Councilmember Ellis said the City would be
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able to better respond to our citizens’ demands. Jerry asked do you want to tell the Chief how to run the business or do you want to
give him direction and philosophy and tell them to make it happen. It was discussed you need to have that in your policy. Rodney
said he equates sausage to law enforcement. Everyone wants it the way they want it and how they want it but they don’t want to know
how it is made. You have to tell the police what you want before they can do it. Never ever hire someone who asks how much
budget we have. Councilmember Kirkham stated we aren’t convinced that we can’t provide better service for the same price but it is
important to keep good communication with the County. Councilmember Bean said we are looking more for patrol.
Rodney started to explain the service levels. They asked how quick we want a response. Councilmember Bean said
from Hitt Road to Quail Ridge and feels we can do it in 3 minutes. Councilmember Bean and Councilmember Kirkham stated 4
minutes. Councilmember Ellis said he would be comfortable with 10 minutes. Council compromised at 5 minutes for emergency and
high priority calls for the survey. 10 minutes to hand them off to another agency. This is holding the call in the dispatch center.
Councilmember Bean said our contract is not defined for level of service on the dispatch center. Rodney asked how the dispatch
center was formed in our area. The County is responsible for the equipment but the City of Idaho Falls handles the building and staff.
The County trades jail services with the City of Idaho Falls. Councilmember Bean said the fact of the matter is we wouldn’t be paying
anything, if Bonneville County controlled the dispatch center. The board only oversees the equipment. Rodney told Steve he has to
figure out how it is governed. Jerry asked how the system works. He stated the 911 system only is run by a board which reports to the
County Commissioners. The actual dispatch service is employed by the Chief of Police of Idaho Falls who reports to Idaho Falls City
Council. Councilmember Kirkham stated we have to sit down with the Chief of Police of Idaho Falls and he has authority.
Councilmember Bean stated we contract with the County for the dispatch. Rodney said the State of Oregon determines how many
public safety answering points will be in the State. The monies received for 911 fees are distributed to local governments for
enhancement purposes. Steve wonders if we could contract with ISP for our services. Jerry stated said they paid $18,000 and it’s
based on calls. The Council set it up for 90 minutes – held in the call center. General response protocols – Council decided that some
low priority calls for service are eliminated – example locked cars. It was discussed the line officer should make the choice on the
time of calls, not the dispatcher. The amount of police officers was discussed. General response protocols were discussed. Civil
versus criminal crimes were discussed. The policies were discussed. Councilmember Ellis said we can still do item 1 and 2 if we
choose 3. Forms can be made available online for issues as well, such as private property fender benders. It was discussed with
choice #3, you will be telling the citizens “no” on some things. Council agreed. It was discussed with Item #3 you can still do
number 2 and 1. Residential neighborhood patrols were discussed. He talked about how the patrol cars would look visible, non-
visible, etc. Rodney suggested making the cars marked and very visible not hidden. Council agreed. They asked about residential
neighborhood patrol and how often they want it. Council decided once per week. Rodney said sometimes they turn their lights on so
that the public knows they are here. Rodney talked about commercial/industrial areas and how often they want them around. Council
said once every 2 hours. Weekends were discussed and that teenagers are always loitering there. Rodney said a solution for kids in
parking lots is going to the stores and having them play classical music and it cleared out the parking lot. The perception of
compassion was discussed. 40-60% of all felons in a community are caught on a non-priority call. You will get a lot of pressure from
the public, if officers are making a lot of traffic stops. Councilmember Kirkham stated 30% seems reasonable. It was discussed it is a
budget concern. 40% was discussed as well. Councilmember Ellis stated he would like to see it more than 30%.
Non-citizens contacts were discussed as “stop and talks”. They get out and make contact with the citizens. They have a
certain amount of non-call contact. Councilmember Kirkham stated she liked the 30 minutes per shift. She talked about the beggars
on the corners. She feels it is good for citizens and the officers.
Pro-active citizen and community outreach was discussed. There are several areas to it. How much time would they
want them spending on educational programs. This is not like the DARE program. It was discussed about once per quarter.
Councilmember Kirkham commented about once per month would be a good amount.
Councilmember Kirkham excused herself from the meeting for another obligation.
Neighborhood Watch programs were discussed. It is different from the previous one. These need to be followed up on or the
programs get lost. It was discussed that they would like the third option for this.
National Night Out was discussed. The department actively promotes and participates or they do not. It is once per year.
Forums were discussed. Hot issues are discussed during these forums. They had them about every three months. They
found it valuable for an outreach to the community. This is mostly for the Chief of Police. Council discussed this would be a good
idea and should be done at least quarterly.
Service club participation was discussed. Do you want your police department to be more a part of a community? You
financially support them in these clubs. Lions Club was discussed. Councilmember Bean stated he does not them want to be forced to
be a part of these type of clubs.
The option of volunteers within your organization was discussed. Citizens’ academy was given as an example. The reserves
can be costly.
Crimes and investigation were discussed. Councilmember Bean stated he would not know how to answer if they need
detectives or not. Councilmember Bean stated the answer to #6 is “no”. He does not like the amount for school resource officers. It
was suggested to say one officer when it is subsidized by the school district. Jerry talked about what they did for his city which
designated one officer for the schools. The school pays his salary; the department picks up overtime, benefits, etc so they are basically
paying 40% of the salary with the benefits. In the summer, he is pulled out of the schools and put in the juvenile investigations.
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Traffic patrol was discussed. It is high on people’s list. Officer response calls were discussed. You have to decide if
you want officers doing insurance investigations which will be using public funds. An online form was discussed. Municipal code
enforcement was discussed which is currently performed by a City employee.
High priority issues were discussed. They talked about data from ICRMP and high liability issues. It was discussed to
go with number 4 on this one.
Non-sworn people for support services were discussed.
The amounts of officers per population or calls were discussed. You need to have staff support for the officers you have as
well. It was discussed to have 10 people for our 6,000 people. Councilmember Bean talked about having one full time person that
can fill more than one function and the need for cross-training. You are creating a policy for the police department for five years from
now. Council discussed that the Council will also be different in five years. We have no basis to make this decision. It was discussed
you just need a concept. Councilmember Bean understands they are trying to come up with a model. They have enough data to at
least give a recommendation.
It was discussed what positions would be needed. You will have a Chief Enforcement Officer (CEO), or Chief of
Police. It was discussed if they would want a lieutenant, etc. You need to decide what the CEO’s duties will be. You could have a
full time administrator and an administrative assistant. Jerry talked about what he has for his city.
Councilmember Bean inquired if there are individuals out there that we can hire as a Chief of Police. He is not sure our
salary range will get a qualified Chief of Police. Jerry stated he started at $62,000. He is currently making $80,000 a year. He
explained it is based on performance. Councilmember Bean stated we are asking someone to come in and start a department and they
are looking at least $80,000. Steve stated there are many out there who would love this opportunity. It was discussed that you have to
hand pick them – not advertise the job in the paper. You have to do open advertising, but let them look for your options.
Councilmember Bean stated he would like to turn it over to a group to set our department up.
Council inquired if they could come back with different options for Council when they come back. They stated they
will look at the options and the budget for Council. Steve went through what they will be going over for the study. He explained the
things they will calculate and consider. He explained the format they will give Council. Councilmember Bean inquired if they will
provide them with an estimated cost. They said yes. They explained they will be missing some numbers though.
Council thanked them for coming.
Councilmember Bean motioned for the meeting to adjourn. Councilmember Thompson seconded. Roll call vote.
Councilmember Bean – Yes, Councilmember Thompson – Yes, Councilmember Waite – Yes, Councilmember Powell – Yes and
Councilmember Ellis – Yes. The motion passed.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:39 p.m.
_______________________________________
Lee Bean, Councilmember
____________________________________
Leslie Folsom, City Clerk
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