HomeMy WebLinkAboutPolice Committee Minutes 12.13.1983r ? M I N U T E S
POLICE COMMITTEE
DATE Dec. 13, 1983 TIME 10:00 a.m.
PLACE OF MEETING FAP Complex
A. Members present: Chairman Bill Brennan
Mary Korth Alan Crowe ,
B. Other's present: Darrell McGillen Paul Peterson Mike Atkinson
A quorum (3 or more) present the following action was taken by
the committee:
The committee discussed the consolidation proposal by the
Interlocal Cooperation Committee. Attached to this report
is a list of just some of the committee's disagreements
with the plan as proposed.
The Police Committee recommends passage of a resolution by
the Laurel City_Council opposing Law Enforcement Consolida-
tion at this time.
Meeting adjourned at 12 noon.
Respectfully submitted,
Bill Brennan, Chairman
The "Service PLan" does not address the type of service the city
of Laurel can expect as compared with what they now have.
A. Manpower: How many patrol officers will the City of
Laurel have on the streets at any given time. At
present the Laurel Police Department can have two
and three patrolmen working during week nights and
four on weekends. At present we always have at least
one on during the daytime with the Chief available.
B. Area of Jurisdiction: Being that law enforcement
boundries would be abolished as far as the City of
Laurel is concerned the alocated manpower would be
spread over a greater area, this decreasing the
the coverage of patrolman in the city limits.
C. Animal Control: In the last eleven months of 1983
we have averaged 50 animal calls per month. We
now have an animal control officer that works strictly
within the city limits. The county has two animal
control officers that as a general rule, answer only
complaints. It is the belief of the Chief of Police
that the dog problem would only worsen because the
jurisdiction into the county.
D. Response time, Area Familiarity: Our local officers
are retained within the city limits and are knowledgeable
of the City of Laurel. During emergency situations
our officers can respond within a matter of just a
few minutes to anywhere in Laurel. Under consolidation
it is within reason that we would have other officers
from the City of Billings and the Sheriff's Office_
responding to situations in Laurel. Along with not
being familiar with the city, the increased jurisdictional
area to be covered would reduce response time.
E. Court fines/City Codes: The ICC has now suggested that
court revenues be turned over to the consolidated law
enforcement agency. It is felt by the Chief of Police
that local city ordinences would not be written into
court under the city code. It would also be questionable
whether officers from Billings and the County would
familiarize themselves with codes specific to the City
of Laurel.
F. Reserve Police: The reserve police organizations for
Billings, Yellowstone County and Laurel have not been
addressed in the plan. Laurel relies heavily on the
services of the police reserve force. These are
volunteers, who for the most part do'not wish to be
full time sworn officers. Billings Police, however,
limit their reserve police to members who will eventually
become regular sworn officers. If Laurel loses their
reserve police force it would put an additional Strain
on the law enforcement coverage for the Cith of Laurel.
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G. The issue of substations was addressed in the plan but
very briefly. It stated substations may be formed.
The issue of the use of our FAP facility has not been
addressed regarding upkeep, management, ownership.
H. Local Control: it is felt that local control of law
enforcement would be greatly reduced in Laurel. At
present the Chief of Police asnwers to the Mayor and
the City Council who represent only the city of Laurel.
I. Communications: The service plan does not address the
communications problem for Laurel. INcluded in the
communications issue is other emergency services such
as fire and ambulance. As it appears now communications
would be handled through the communication center in
Billings. They operate on high band radio. Our local
fire department operates with low band radio. It is
forseen that there would be additional major expense to
the City of Laurel to change over the fire department
to the high band radio system. Also the expense of
"additional" services such as dispatching the fire and
ambulance services has not been addressed. If the
FAP Complex were to become a substation of the consolidated
agency, staffed with dispatchers, this would not be a
problem, however this has'not been specifically addressed
in the service plan. It is felt that without local .'
dispatch the chances of error are greatly increased in
an emergency situation not only for police but for fire
and ambulance services as well.
At present the City of Laurel is serviced full time by some of
the best trained officers and dispatchers in the state. When
we do need additional assistance the Sheriff's Office, Highway
Patrol and the Billings Police Department have always cooperated.
We have immediate access to the county "Emergency Response Team",
to the Billings Police Departments crime scene unit and to the
Billings P.D. fingerprint and identification division. In
addition we have a resident deputy stationed in Laurel and the
county civil process deputy works out of Laurel on a regular
basis. With the continued cooperation of these agencies along
with the local control and services provided by the Laurel
Police Department it is felt that consolidation would not offer
more then what we now have.
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