Public Safety Committee's Recommendations

I felt our first Public Safety Committee meeting on April 26, 2007 was productive and informative. Several suggestions and comments were made by retired Barstow police officers Ron Paddack and Art Hibbetts. The following direction was given to the city staff;

• Draft of a survey we would like to send to former Barstow police officers.
• If city paid for the academy tuition for new recruits, can we have a contract to insure the city retains their services for more than one year. We requested a legal opinion.
• Information to study a cadet program for local high school graduates.
• Make sure an invitation is extended to the Barstow Police Officers Association, Police management and fire department.

I will continue to keep you up to date as we progress. Joe

City already receiving PD chief applicants By AARON AUPPERLEE Staff Writer April 27, 2007 - 6:47AM BARSTOW - Less than 48 hours after Barstow Police Chief Lee Gibson announced his retirement, the city has already received applications for the position. According to John Rader, a spokesman for the city, several people have applied for the position, which is posted on the city's Web site, www.barstowca.org, as well as at www.calopps.org, a public employment Web site. Efforts are also underway to boost numbers in the understaffed police department. The department has 38 positions budgeted with 29 currently filled, City Manager Hector Rodriguez said to the new Public Safety Committee. Lt. Richard Harpole updated the committee on recruitment for the nine vacant officer positions at the department. Harpole said the department has many applicants, both experienced and entry-level, for the open positions. "I'm optimistic we'll have three candidates soon that we can bring on board," Harpole said. "We are trying to condense down the time it takes to process candidates." The department has also taken action to find out why officers are leaving. Harpole said he has solicited information from officers on staff about what would keep them on the force. Based on e-mail responses at the department, Harpole said that many officers would like: o Opportunities other than patrol; o Salary considerations; o Flexibility in the work schedule; and o Flexibility in the uniform. Harpole said the uniform is so hot one could "bake bread in it in July." "I understand your need and desire to look at the past, but I think we need to look at the future," he said. The committee - Council members Joe Gomez and Steve Curran, Paul Courtney of the Fire Protection District Gover ning Board and Barstow residents William Harmon and Dave Strachan - spent a considerable amount of their inaugural meeting discussing ways to right staffing woes at the department. Gomez asked the city to look into establishing a cadet program for local high school graduates as an avenue into the police department. Courtney brought up that the department appeared to be successful in recruitment and filled nearly all the vacancies created since 2005. However, retention remains a problem. Since 2004, the department has lost 21 sworn members. "Officers are leaving for a reason," Courtney said. "If we're going to be effective, we need to get past all the gravy and straight into the potatoes." The Police Officers Association has not taken any action yet regarding Gibson's retirement, said union president Det. Andrew Espinonza. The union will be meeting soon to see how members can be involved in deciding who the new chief is. Citing a desire to spend more time with his family, Gibson announced his retirement on Tuesday afternoon. The online posting asks for chief of police applicants with "a strong commitment to teamwork, a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in law enforcement or an Advanced Certificate issued by POST, eight years of demonstrated supervisory/management skills and a valid, unrestricted, California driver's license." According to Rader, these requirements have not changed from the last time Barstow looked to fill the position in 2003. The committee asked the city to develop various reports on police staffing and will meet in two weeks to process the data.