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| NEWS > 15 April 2007 |
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 Article sourced from
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Wilkes Barre Times-Leader - Wi
15 April 2007
This article appeared in the above title/site.
To view it in its entirity click this link.
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Police study urges change in S
In a report the township refused to release, consultant finds out-of-date policy manuals, unsecured evidence.
SUGARLOAF TWP. – A consultant for the Governor’s Center for Local Government Policy last year found several serious problems with the operation of the township Police Department. He made 73 recommendations for improvements.
The state recently released the study that township officials previously refused to turn over to the Times Leader.
The Times Leader reported in February that township officials might be violating state law by refusing to turn over the study, which a consultant conducted for the Governor’s Center for Local Government Policy -- an arm of the state Department of Community and Economic Development.
Township solicitor James Schneider denied the newspaper’s request for the study, saying that it was not a public record because it is not an account, voucher or contract, nor a minute, order or decision of the board of supervisors.
He didn’t buy the newspaper’s argument – provided by Pennsylvania Newspaper Association media attorney Melissa Melewsky – that the report is an account of how, where and why public money is spent on police activity in the community.
The state, however, determined that the record was public and provided a copy after reviewing the newspaper’s written request.
Study begins in May ’05
Township supervisors in September 2003 asked the Governor’s Center to study the management and operation of their police department – a service the center provides for free.
Police management consultant Brian A. Champaign initiated a study in May 2005, wrote a report and, after it was approved by state officials, presented it to the supervisors by mid-2006.
Champaign, a 20-year law enforcement veteran with a master’s in public administration, had conducted numerous similar studies for the state since 2001.
He made four on-site visits to the township to research and gather information, and interviewed the township secretary, the records clerk, Chief of Police John Hudson and the department’s three patrol officers.
The study notes that many of the problems found with the Sugarloaf Police Department’s operations and management have been found in other police departments throughout the state.
They range from having an outdated policy manual with undefined procedures for hiring and promotion to scheduling issues and finding unsecured evidence in the police locker room.
The first problems addressed – under the “Organization and Staffing” section – were the lack of sufficient job descriptions for department personnel and an organizational chart that shows the chain of command.
The consultant also noticed that officer Tommy Brown was allowed to wear one chevron – a rank insignia – on his uniforms. Hudson explained that he “unofficially considered Brown to be a ‘Patrol Officer First Class,’” so he allowed the wearing of the chevron.
The consultant also noticed that “there appeared to be some confusion” among other patrol officers “as to the nature of this ‘rank,’ the criteria for such a ‘promotion’” and where the rank fell in the chain of command.
Champaign wrote that in small departments where the opportunity for advancement is very limited, resentment on the part of officers who have not been allowed equal opportunity to fill and/or compete for such positions “can cause internal strife to build to the point where … providing quality patrol service to its citizens suffers.”
Champiagn identified other areas that could lead to resentment to build among officers, and later in the report, recommended that Hudson and township supervisors undertake a “detailed analysis and examination into the underlying issues associated with the department’s poor morale level and employees’ interpersonal relationships.”
Champaign also recommended the chief consider reorganizing the schedules so shifts don’t overlap, changing his shift – 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday – to an earlier shift, and establishing at least 10 set hours per week for the records clerk.
Detail costs in police budget
Under a “Current Costs” section, Champaign recommended that the supervisors include “hidden costs” of the police department, such as medical insurance, in the police budget, rather than the general budget.
He also recommended that the chief provide an annual financial plan for the department’s operation to supervisors, rather than just a “wish list.”
Based on the information available to him, Champaign said he couldn’t accurately determine the “cost per incident” to the township for operating the department.
Another problem was that “data regarding the actual number of incidents handled by township police during 2005 was unreliable.”
Champaign said “non-incidents” such as fingerprinting defendants and various headquarters duties were assigned incident numbers.
He also found many instances in which data for Uniform Crime Reports the department provides to state police and ultimately the Federal Bureau of Investigation were entered incorrectly, which was noted in the “Agency Effectiveness in Field Operations” section.
The practice can “inflate the department’s workload” and also make it appear that the municipality has a lower crime rate than it actually has, according to the report.
There was also a problem with information entered in incident reports.
“In a review of only one month’s worth of incident reports, … the consultant found a significant number of mistakes with regard to incident classification and/or crime classification,” the report states.
Champaign also found cases where “individuals had later gone back and made changes in an incident report. … The notes were obviously made in different handwriting and in different color ink.”
“Such a practice is improper, as once a report is officially entered into record, no one but the chief of police should be allowed to change the record,” the report states.
Champaign noted that most automated police reporting systems “lock officers out,” and the chief must enter a computer password to make changes. “Such measures are necessary to protect the integrity of the department’s records system,” he wrote.
Champaign recommended that all township officers be trained or retrained in filling out incident reports, and all department personnel, including the records clerk, be trained or retrained in entering Uniform Crime Report information.
Advice for supervisors
In addition to making recommendations for improving department operations, Champaign also made some recommendations for the supervisors.
Champaign wrote that the board never officially authorized a police department, other than passing a 1959 ordinance appointing the township’s first police chief. He recommended that the board adopt an ordinance formally establishing the police department.
He also recommended that the supervisors enter into formal mutual aid agreements with neighboring townships whose police officers provide back-up for Sugarloaf officers and vise-versa. If an officer was injured while assisting in another municipality, such agreements would spell out which municipality would cover medical costs for the officer, he explained.
Champaign also wrote that the board should take steps to “entirely revamp and reorganize the department’s record-keeping system, and that it institute regularly-scheduled police committee meetings.
Supervisor Chairman Robert Stanziola said he was advised by counsel not to answer any of a reporter’s questions about the report or whether any of Champaign’s recommendations have been implemented.
Chief Hudson did not return a call seeking the same information.
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