Test

Some of you at our last ward meeting shared some questions and concerns that you have. Here are some of the answers I have received.

Keith Majors is sending letters to homeowners and trimming trees which extend onto Emeis Drive.

A possible change in the snow route on Linwood will appear on the next cycle.

The following is a response to a question on staffing from Police Chief Michael Bladel:

To give you some perspective of the shifting of staff in the PD during the last 5 years, I was able to find a memo responding to a similar request by your past 2nd Ward Alderman, George Nickolas, who made the request at a Committee of the Whole meeting held on December 12, 2002. Using that response as a "baseline" here are the changes in the PD's staffing assignments since 2002:

2002/159POs* 2006/160POs
Numbers/Percentage** Numbers/Percentage**
Sworn Personnel
in support of Field 96 / 60% 102 / 64%
Uniformed Operations:

Criminal Investigations: 42 / 26% 38 / 24%

Support Services, (NETS)***,
and Community Policing: 17 / 11% 17 / 11%

Administration: 4 / 3% 3 / 2%


Be advised that this is a breakdown of only sworn personnel. However, the organizational chart does show that: the Police Department has flattened its rank structure (compared to a 2002 chart) by eliminating two command positions and adding those positions back in at the Officer level, that civilian positions were added in support of our officers in the field, that more supervisors are being assigned back to field duties and that the primary trend continues to be focused on The Uniform Patrol Division.


* Difference in percentages are the result of rounding
** Percentages based only on sworn personnel. In 2002 159 Sworn Officers probably reflected 2 openings as the original number
of sworn officers before the start of the budget cuttings was 161
***NETS Officers work primarily in the field, in 2002 a number of these positions were assigned to our schools in the DARE program


I will report future answers as I receive them.

Shawn Hamerlinck