Police Department Merit Board Meeting Minutes – June 15, 2021

News, Police Department

Call to Order

President Jamie Haywood called the meeting to order.

Roll Call

Members Present:

  • Dave Chatten
  • Natalie Coffin
  • Jamie Haywood
  • Gary Lafary

Members Absent:

  • Chad Selch

A quorum was declared present.

Consideration of the Minutes

A motion was made by Gary Lafary to a accept the minutes of the May 18, 2021 meeting as presented.  David Chatten seconded the motion.  The motion passed unanimously.

Chief of Police’s Report

  • Police Chief John Richards reported that the department is in the process of selecting new officers for the force. There are five candidates under consideration
  • Performance Evaluations and vehicle inspections are almost completed.
  • For the month of May 2021 there were 736 incidents handled by the department, which included 31 arrests, 102 citations, 179 warnings, and 13 pending investigations. Operation Pull-Over may have contributed to the increase of incidents.
  • Traffic issues remain an issue in the city. Specifically, the one-way traffic on Mulberry Street; speeding issues on numerous streets, and the overall increased volume of traffic on city streets.

Consideration of Officer Promotion

Chief Richards presented the recommendation that Officer Ryan Manley be promoted from Patrol Officer to Sergeant.  Officer Manley was next in line based on the list developed in 2020.  A motion to accept the recommendation was made by Gary Lafary with David Chatten making the second.  The motion was approved unanimously.