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The Libertarian Party of Okaloosa CountyThe Party of Principle - Individual Rights, Free Markets, and Limited Government |
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LPOC proxy vote instructions 16 Feb 2011 Any Libertarian qualified to vote in an LPOC election may give the power of their vote to another libertarian qualified to run in an LPOC election. To do so, the person giving the proxy to another must: - Provide a record or receipt that says “LPOC proxy” - Their signature - The proxy giver’s name - The proxy giver’s address - Date the proxy was signed - Any time or use restrictions on the proxy (the proxy will automatically expire after 180 days) The person seeking a proxy must provide to the proxy giver: - Their name - Their address - Their phone or email A person using a proxy must have it in their possession at the time of voting or the proxy votes will be declared invalid. Copies of proxy votes are not allowed. All proxy votes are subject to verification, if necessary. A proxy vote will be valid for a maximum of 180 days after date of signature. A proxy vote may be revoked for any reason. It is the responsibility of the proxy giver to notify the proxy user before any election if it is being revoked. Proxy votes may not be used in conjunction with absentee votes. Absentee vote instructions It has always been the tradition of the Libertarian party of Okaloosa County to allow any qualified Libertarian to present himself at the election meeting, announce his candidacy, and have it voted on at that meeting. Since absentee voting requires a foreknowledge of who are the candidates, absentee votes will be prepared and advertised to Libertarian voters two weeks in advance only for any LPOC position for which there are more than one announced candidate. Any candidates that do not announce their candidacy at least two weeks prior to the scheduled election will not be able to use absentee voting. However, such a candidate may use proxy voting. It is the responsibility of the candidate to notify the LPOC executive committee, in a timely fashion, by either phone, email or letter that he intends to run in an LPOC election. The LPOC EC will use every reasonable means to notify the libertarian public two weeks ahead of the election date of the election date, the candidates, and the means of contacting the candidates. Libertarian Party InformationBooks
15 Sep 2010 Statement of Principles, Constitution, Bylaws, and Standing Rules of the Libertarian Party of Okaloosa County Statement of Principles We, the members of the Libertarian Party, challenge the cult of the omnipotent state and defend the rights of the individual. We hold that all individuals have the right to exercise sole dominion over their own lives, and have the right to live in whatever manner they choose, as long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of others to live in whatever manner they choose. Governments throughout history have regularly operated on the opposite principle, that the State has the right to dispose of the lives of the individuals and the fruits of their labors. Even within the United States, all political parties other than our own grant to government the right to regulate the lives of individuals and seize the fruit of their labor without their consent. We, on the contrary, deny the right of any government to do these things, and hold that where governments exist they must not violate the rights of any individual: namely 1) the right to life – accordingly we support the prohibition of the initiation of physical force against others; 2) the right to liberty of speech and action – accordingly we oppose all attempts by government to abridge the freedom of speech and the press, as well as government censorship in any form; and 3) the right to property – accordingly we oppose all government interference with private property, such as confiscation, nationalization, and eminent domain, and support the prohibition of robbery, trespass, fraud and misrepresentation. Since governments, when instituted, must not violate individual rights, we oppose all interference by government in the areas of voluntary and contractual relations among individuals. People should not be forced to sacrifice their lives and property for the benefit of others. They should be left free to deal with one another as free traders; and the resultant economic system, the only one compatible with the protection of the individual rights, is the free market. Article 1. Name and Object Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the Libertarian Party of Okaloosa County hereinafter referred to as the LPOC Section 2. The object and purpose of the LPOC is to engage in political action in Okaloosa County of the State of Florida, to serve as an affiliate organization of the Libertarian Party of Florida in State Politics, and to serve the Libertarian Party in national politics. Section 3. The purpose of the LPOC is to implement and give voice to the principles embodied in the Statement of Principles currently adopted by the LPOC by:
Article 2. Membership Section 1.*** LPOC membership is open to whomever signs the pledge: “ I hereby certify that I do not believe in or advocate the initiation of force as a means to achieve political or social goals.” , and resides in one of the following Florida counties: Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa,Walton, Holmes, and Washington. The use of force in defense of one’s person, one’s property or one’s rights is consistent with this pledge. Section 2. Matters pertaining to membership classification shall be prescribed in the Standing Rules Article 3. Officers and Executive Committee Section 1. The officers of the LPOC shall be a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. The duties and election of the Officers shall be specified in the By-Laws. By amendment to these articles by the 1994 Party Convention, provisions may be made for additional officer positions. Officers shall comprise the Executive Committee. Section 2. The powers of the Executive Committee shall be prescribed in the By-Laws and Standing Rules, to provide the control and management of all the affairs, properties and funds of the LPOC consistent with this Constitution. Article 4. Meetings *Section 1. The LPOC shall hold a General Meeting at least two times a year to be scheduled by vote of the Executive Committee. Every reasonable means will be used to notify the general membership 15 days in advance of the General Meeting date. Section 2. The conduct of the business and meetings of the Executive Committee shall be prescribed by the By-Laws and Standing Rules. Article 5. Statement of Principles Section 1. The Statement of Principles of the Libertarian Party is hereby ratified Article 6. Adoption and Amendments Section 1. This Constitution shall be adopted when approved by a simple majority of the members of the April 1994 meeting. Section 2. Amendments to the Constitution may be made by the General membership as proscribed in the By-Laws. The By Laws Article 1. Membership** Section 1. Suspension of Officers and members shall be reserved to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall have the power to suspend Officers or members by two-thirds vote. Article 2. Officers and Executive Committee Members Section 1. Election * Non-Officer members of the Executive Committee will be elected at the annual election meeting for a term of one year. The term begins at the close of the election meeting and ends at the adjournment of the next election meeting. Officers will be elected for two year terms. The office of Chairperson and Treasurer will run staggered to the offices of Secretary and Vice-Chairperson. To implement this structure, the 1994 annual election meeting will elect the officeholders of Chairperson and Treasurer for one year. A simple plurality is required for the election. A tie will be broken by a toss of the coin.
Section 2. Vacancies
Section 3. Duties*
Section 4. Meetings of the Executive Committee
Section 5. Unable to form a quorum/non scheduled elections* In the event the Executive Committee is permanently unable to form a quorum, remaining members of the Executive Committee, or volunteers from the general membership, will advertise and stage new elections within 60 days of the date the quorum became ineffective. A) All Executive Committee members shall undergo elections, including those who are still active B) If the date the quorum became ineffective is within six months of the date of scheduled elections, the term of the elected officers will extend to a maximum of two years and six months. C) If the date the quorum became ineffective is greater than six months from the date of scheduled elections, the officers shall campaign for reelection at the scheduled time. D) In order to maintain staggered election times, in the event a non scheduled election must be held, the Chairman and Treasurer will have a term of one year (maximum of one year and six months in office) to be followed by a normal two year term if they are reelected and the quorum remains effective. E) Every reasonable means will be used to notify the General membership 15 days in advance of the non scheduled election, and rules regarding proxy and absentee voting. Article 3. Meetings : Objects of Action Section 1. Agenda
Section 2. General – Robert’s rules of Order shall be the Parliamentary authority for all matters not covered by the Constitution, By-Laws and Standing Rules. Section 3. Finance and Accounting
Article 4. Adoption and Amendments* Section 1. Adoption of the By-Laws shall be consistent with the adoption of the Constitution. Section 2. Amendments may be made by a proposal from the floor of any General Meeting and is approved by a majority vote of the membership in attendance, and by any proxy or absentee votes cast in accordance with established rules. The proposal must be made in writing. The Standing Rules Article 1. Membership** Section 1.*** Any individual who is either registered to vote as a Libertarian in Okaloosa County, or has joined the LPOC as a registered Libertarian from the Florida Counties listed below has the privilege of voting in the annual elections, the right of appointment to committees, the right to attend committee meetings or be an observer or witness to the right of nomination to the office for which they are qualified by law. - Escambia, Santa Rosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington Section 2***. Membership shall be reviewed annually through the voting list of the Supervisor of Elections for the appropriate county. This membership shall be credential for all meetings and elections of the LPOC. Article 2. Fees and Donations** Donations should be made to the LPOC in keeping with the laws governing donations to political parties and candidates. Such funds shall be expended at the discretion of the Executive Committee. Article 3. Election of Officers, Nomination of Candidates.** Section 1. All candidates for any office or political office will be asked to confirm libertarian principles before nomination and support by the LPOC Executive Committee. Candidates must have qualifications according to the law for the office they seek. A majority vote of the Executive Committee is necessary to nominate a candidate for public office. Section 2. All candidates nominated must be able to serve if elected. Article 4. Executive Committee Meetings Section 1. The Executive Committee shall meet at such time and place as directed by the Chairperson, or at the written request of one-third or more of the Executive Committee. Notice shall be given in such manner to insure a quorum. Section 2. The Executive Committee may without meeting, conduct business by communication, voting on questions put to them by or with the approval of the Chairperson. Such vote shall be kept by the Secretary until the next meeting and then such vote shall be incorporated in the minutes. A majority vote of the Committee shall prevail. If an affirmative majority vote of more than one-half the members is not recorded within thirty days (30) the question will have failed. Section 3. Proxy voting shall not be allowed, but members can vote on specific questions by written notice. Voting by telephone can be conducted if no objections are raised. Section 4. The Executive Committee, after review with the member concerned, may, by a two-thirds vote, suspend a member of the party, or an officer of the Executive Committee. Section 5. The immediate past Chairperson shall serve on the Executive Committee and be entitled to all due notices, but shall not have the right to vote. Article 5. Spokesperson Section 1. The Chairperson shall speak for and at the direction of the Executive Committee and the Party. Section 2. Persons speaking for the LPOC shall have the express approval of the Chairperson, or reserve their comments to personal comments. Article 6. Annual election Meeting Agenda Section 1. The Executive Committee shall manage all election meetings. Section 2. Any members may request the Executive Committee to include on the agenda any item. Such requests shall be made in writing to the Chairperson within seven days of the election meeting. Section 3. The agenda must include all items required by the By-Laws and the Standing Rules. Article 7. Annual Election Date* Section 1. The annual election date shall be within the first calendar quarter of each year as determined by the Executive Committee. Under no circumstances will the annual election date be extended past the first quarter. Every reasonable means will be used to notify the General membership 15 days in advance of the annual election date. Section 2. Special elections of the LPOC may be called by the Executive Committee whenever necessary and appropriate. Article 8. Nomination of Political Candidates Section 1. Nominees for political office must be members of the LPOC, the LPF and the LP. Section 2.*** The LPOC may endorse and support political candidates who express support for individual rights, free markets and limited government if they run as candidates with No Political Affiliation (NPA). Due to the compromising nature of financial support and the adoption of political party titles other than libertarian, the endorsement of political candidates from other political parties is not permitted. A majority vote of the Executive Committee shall be required. Article 9. Amendments to the Standing Rules Section 1. Adoption of the Standing Rules will be consistent with the Constitution. Section 2. The Standing Rules may be changed by a majority vote of the members at a General Meeting. Section 3. No change in the rules of the Executive Committee may have the effect of imposing a head tax on the membership. Section 4. No change in the rules by the Executive Committee shall have the effect of disenfranchising a member. Section 5. No change in the rules shall deny the autonomy of the individual member, except as provided in the Constitution and By-Laws. * indicates sections changed at the 10 Sep 09 General Meeting ** indicates sections changed at the 5 Jan 08 General Meeting ***Indicates section changes at the 15 Sep 10 General Meeting
Destin City Police Department Proposal by Sky Monteith Foreword First I must start by thanking the people who helped me put this thing together. Without whom I would not have been able to get this in on time. Thank you all. Thank to you Rey Bailey, Destin City clerk for his work and patience. Bob Christiansen and especially Larry Guillot at American Classifieds for believing I have skills and putting me in an environment to develop them. Pete Blome, chair or the LPOC for his encouragement and support in this project. Holly Forster for her speedy work in helping to transcribe all this material. Next, my uncle Chuck Sobolewski, whose time and effort in developing the budget and spreadsheet is price-less. Of course my wife Cindy, without her getting behind this I would have had a hard time. Finally, above all else, my Lord Jesus Christ, without His teaching and guidance I never would have gotten involved like this in our community. Now to the issue at hand, police service for Destin. How much should the city pay to an outside agency for this service? One and one score years ago the city elders decided to go with this outside agency for simplicities’ sake and meager savings. The line drawn by the OCSO is $1.5 million this year. If this 28% increase is any indication of their intent and fiscal policy can expect another 15-20% increase over the next four years coming to near $7.2 million. pays for 17 officers to service two daily patrols of three deputies and a supervisor, one evening and one day shift. This requires 16, number 17 is beach patrol or fill-in, we are not sure since a breakdown on man hours in relation to were deputies are assigned and where and when calls are serviced is complicated answer for the OCSO and would require extra man power to determine. Just as the amount of time that is done through contract work by OCSO deputies is not readily available. This would not be so with a department that serves the city directly and exclusively. The LPOC’s plan for the creation of the Destin Police Department (DPD) and the Destin Police Reserve (DPR) would operate, with the optimal pay and benefits package, at $1.7 million and at a 2% increase every over the next four years would bring the costs to $6.9 million. With this plan there is room for adjustments, however I don’t think you’ll want to mess with this much, it is practical and appealing to potential candidates and most importantly the people of Destin. For $7.5 million (this includes $600,000 start-up costs) verses the mystery number for the OCSO, we’re again going with $7.2 million, we would have the dedicated service of 24 full-time officers and our own dispatch services. We would have 15 patrol cars and 10 motorcycle patrol bikes plus an array of equipment that is here in Destin and stays here. We wont have to ask where something is and if we can use it. We would also maintain a reserve force of 10-12 sworn officers. It is exciting. It is Destins’ if you so choose. We’re not even sure still if this is the bottom line. The LPOC believes there is still more money out there to cover perhaps all of the start-up and training costs. You see, roughly 24% of all citation money comes to the city. Out of this let’s say $143.00 ticket that was written on main street $20.07 goes to the Destin general fund, $12.50 goes to community improvement, can anyone say DPD, and $2.00 is marked for LEO training. So if we could some how find out what that total number is from say 2002-2010 we may find some funds that would be available for this project. The LPOC feels we have come up with a cohesive and desirable plan for Destin to improve the all around quality of life for it’s citizens and guests. We hope you realize there is room for tweaking in this plan and it can be a great tool.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR DESTIN P.D. The City of Destin was approached by the Libertarian Party of Okaloosa County (LPOC), on 13 June 2011, to consider a hometown, community policing department. The reason is simply to improve service while cutting costs. The current sheriff wishes to cut service or dramatically raise the rate (28%) to maintain the current service levels, the quality of which are questionable, especially from an administrative view point. For that price the LPOC believes we can and ought to do better. This report intends to prove our position. The LPOC examined the City of Destin, reviewed how police services are currently being provided to the city by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) under contract, and spoke with city and community leaders about their concerns and desires. This information was used to construct a model for a police department for Destin. LPOC created two basic models, one an optimal pay and benefits model, the second a minimal pay and benefits model. Each projected a need to staff three patrol beats 24 hours a day, seven days a week deploying four officers a shift. The difference is the salary and benefits package although both plans include a dispatching service that could be eliminated for an arrangement with an existing department. These models were developed with dispatch services and marine/beach patrols integrated into a Destin Police Department. Another possibility is whether beach patrol is staffed with full-time officers who can be utilized in other ways during the off-season or by seasonal civilian personnel. In this model the LPOC numbers use F/T dispatch staff and seasonal marine/beach patrol (Apr-Sep). Since we do not have numbers from the OCSO for dispatch services, we could not reasonably give any other model consideration. Model Ideal Salaries Lower Salaries Start Up Costs
THE COMMUNITY The City of Destin is located in the southeastern quadrant of Okaloosa County, Florida along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Destin is considered to be a premier tourism destination location in Okaloosa County. The community is situated on the barrier islands between the Gulf of Mexico and the Choctawhatchee Bay. Due to its proximity to deep (100 fathoms) water, Destin has an expansive sport fishing industry and is described as “The world’s luckiest fishing village.”1 (Emerald Coast, Online / www.emeraldcoast.com,” 1999) The City of Destin has a permanent population of approximately 12,305. The current population total is a 10% increase over the reported 2000 population total of 11,200. There is an adjacent unincorporated residential area (Kelly Plantation) not part of Destin with approximately 9,000 residents. The city currently has 7.6 square miles inside its borders. Residential and commercial growth of the community is limited to currently undeveloped areas within the city limits or to areas not currently incorporated into the city. The total potential growth area is finite due to the adjacent Gulf and Bay waters to the north, south, and west, and the county line to the east. During the peak of Destin’s tourist season, the city may have an additional 60,000 temporary residents. The tourism industry’s impact is also identified by the high percentage of seasonal housing units in the city. Of the approximately 10,600 housing units, almost 6,000 are listed as vacant in the most recent census report.3 (U.S. Census Bureau, General Housing Characteristics, 2000). Of those shown as vacant in the census report, almost 3,000 units are designated as seasonal or rented housing. In all probability, most of the rest of the “vacant” units are in use seasonally, also. The ethnic makeup of Destin is considered to be relatively homogenous in that 97% of the householder population are Caucasian, 2% Hispanic and the remainder divided between Native Americans, Asians and African Americans. School age juveniles (1,916) compose approximately 17% of the current population. The City of Destin is governed by a city council – city manager structure, with a part-time mayor and a seven-member city council. Department heads are accountable to the city manager. CURRENT LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES FOR DESTIN The City of Destin contracts for public safety services with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) in its incorporated area. There are no specific service delivery goals or objectives that have been agreed to between the city and OCSO in the current service agreement other than “a minimum of forty (40) hours per week per deputy.”5 (Law Enforcement Service Agreement, p.1) which the LPOC finds inadequate. The one-year cost of the service contract was $1.22 million for the services of 17 deputies for the previous budget year and has been set at $1.56 million. for the current budget year. Indications are that if this trend continues the next contract offered would be approximately $1.72 million. The OCSO assumes all personnel-related costs, insurance protection, expenses related to vehicle maintenance as well as any other liability issues as part of the agreement. Article VII of the Service Agreement establishes the Destin City Manager as the city’s liaison. The document specifies that the city manager will meet and confer with the Sheriff of his designee on a “regular basis to review activity and other city-related activities.” The current agreement requires the OSCO to provide 13 patrol deputies, two beach patrol deputies, one investigator, one clerical person and one marine patrol office (who may also be used in the off season for patrol and/or investigation). (The previous contract also called for two additional positions that were to be funded under the COPS Universal Hiring agreement. However, that grant was not received and the positions were not funded.) The total number of hours of service, by sworn officers, that was specified for the current agreement can be calculated to be 35,360 hours (17 deputies X 52 weeks X 40 hours per week). Scheduling needs and peculiarities may cause actual hours to vary. Deputies work a twelve-hour shift schedule. Currently, the Sheriff’s Office maintains three patrol beats in Destin, one for west Destin, one for east Destin, and one for the unincorporated areas. A fourth unit is assigned as a “rover” car primarily to back up the units which patrol the city. These patrol deputies are supervised by a sergeant on each shift who spends a majority of his time in Destin, although the sergeant does have supervisory responsibilities outside Destin. These personnel are housed in a former fire station in the City of Destin that has been converted for use as a police facility. The facility is outfitted with OCSO owned telephone and computer systems. The Sheriff provides all cleaning and building maintenance, except for repairs more than $1,500 which are the responsibility of the city. The facility is also home to other Sheriff Department personnel, including K-9 and traffic. Though these deputies are assigned to areas outside the city, their being housed at the Destin facility increases the amount of time they are actually working and available for back-up in Destin. Police support services, that will not be duplicated by the DPD, provided by the Sheriff include the Emergency Response Team, the Crime Scene Unit, and investigative support for major criminal investigations. We believe these are the sort of services that the sheriff ought provide in support of Destin PD for the city’s ad valorem taxes regularly received. Because the city has entered into a contract for police services, the State of Florida declines to provide traffic enforcement and crash investigation services on U.S. Highway 98 which runs through the city. Supervision for the personnel contracted to Destin comes from other non-contractual OCSO supervisors and command level officers. Two OCSO captains share temporal responsibility for a geographic area that includes Destin’s city limits. Day to day coordination of policing needs is communicated by city officials to these captains or their immediate superior, a major. The OCSO is responsible for patrol and other police services in the unincorporated area which they will still be responsible for unless Destin makes a contract with these areas. In addition to on-duty county deputies, many of the gated communities and commercial establishments in the unincorporated area employ their own security personnel and off-duty deputies. These contracts will also be bid on by Destin PD. This is also the case within the city limits at various hotels, condominiums, resorts, bars and dance clubs. Deputies contracted to the city are dispatched, as all other deputies, by a Central Communication Center where Fire Department, EMS, and OCSO call takers and dispatchers share responsibilities. Though the contract calls for a specific number of deputies to be assigned to Destin, the Computer-Aided-Dispatch system selects nearest available back-up units, irrespective of their contract/non-contract status. In the same regard, Destin’s contract deputies may be selected by the computer as the most appropriate back-up for deputies assigned to handle calls in the unincorporated area of Destin. As per the contract, the Sheriff provides take-home vehicles for the contract deputies and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and all terrain vehicles (ATVs) us use on the beach. Although not described in the current contract, the city from time to time has agreed to reimburse the OCSO for the cost of vehicle replacement as needed for the deputies assigned to the city. Vehicles are properly outfitted for patrol and investigative functions. The city has provided funding for three (3) vehicles from In FY 2006 the city provided $55,000 for the
ESTABLISHING A DESTIN CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT City officials indicated concern about the rising cost of the contract for police services. The increase for the current contract ($1,560,000) from the previous one ($1,220,000) represents a 28% increase. The sheriff has said “85 percent of our budget is made up of personnel cost while operational cost, including fuel, continue to rise,”. Additional costs, outside the contract, include the cost of vehicle replacement. Many of the city officials and citizens seem to share the belief that the city could establish its own police department with lower operating costs than expended on the contract with the OCSO. This view largely stems from their understanding that other comparable cities, with their own police departments, are spending less for law enforcement than Destin. A second observation was that if Destin had a police department, residents of the unincorporated area would be more supportive of annexation. The third recurring remark has to do with the amount of control city officials feel, justifiably so, they should have over the operations of their police. Some felt there was a need to have greater direct control over traffic enforcement and beach patrol issues. For example, some officials indicated that sometimes they see too many deputies on the beach while traffic seems unregulated. Several officials reported times when they only see two deputies on duty in the city, this could be resolved by the direct accountability of a Destin police department. Overall, they would like to see the city have a greater role in establishing police priorities. Virtually none of the officials have publicly expressed any dissatisfaction with the level or quality of service provided by the deputies assigned under the Destin contract (when present). Most reported being especially pleased with the deputies assigned, noting their seniority, experience and exceptional demeanor. Accountability and transparency from OCSO seem to be the main sticking points beside costs. Destin is relatively free of serious crime. However, the growth it has experienced and its seasonal increase of about 60,000-70,000 people, substantiate the need for a police presence that adequately addresses city beat patrol, traffic enforcement, crash investigation, and beach patrol. According to the OCSO, the city is the recipient of services and benefits beyond those stipulated in the contract. When contract deputies are consumed by calls, investigations or otherwise unavailable, and when peak season demands exceed deputy availability, other county deputies are available for backfill. If and when the DPD plan is implemented backfill would come from the city reserve force. Beach patrols, often two to four deputies, are reportedly provided outside of the contract requirements – without additional cost. In determining the expenses, calculations were made for both the initial start-up costs for the department as well as an initial annual budget. The cost estimations made certain assumptions:
RESOURCE ALLOCATION The most essential and costly, resources are the sworn and civilian employees of the agency. Therefore, effectively matching personnel resources to workload demands is a critical component for efficient and effective delivery of police services to the members of the Destin community. Number of Sworn Staff The first step in the allocation of personnel is to determine the number of officers needed to staff the patrol function. Key elements that are frequently used to help determine the appropriate number of sworn officers for a law enforcement agency include the current and forecasted population of the community, the number of patrol areas that the jurisdiction wants covered, the quickness of response that the community expects from the police (the quicker the response desired, the more officers needed), the average number of officers that would be expected to be on patrol at any given time taking into account absences due to vacation, illness, and other leave, the amount of work that needs to be performed, and the type of services that the community wants from its police department. Assessing Staff Numbers through Community Population A commonly used, shortcut method for assessing the number of officers required for a community, is to utilize an “officer per thousand population” ratio. For Destin, which has a population of nearly 11,200 residents, a ratio can be determined using a variety of sources. For example, the U.S. Department of Justice has published materials8 (Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 1997: Data for Individual State and Local Agencies, US Dept. of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, April, 1999.) which describe the rate of officers per 1,000 inhabitants.
Chart 1 Source Rate per 1,000 Population Number of Officers for DPD based on rate
While seemingly a quick and easy “rule of thumb,” the officer-per thousand method is of little real utility. It does not take into consideration the type of community (urban, suburban or rural), nor the variety and intensity of the officers’ workload, expectations and goals of the community nor the demographics of the community’s residents. These limitations are important factors which require additional assessment of local circumstances. However the LPOC has taken these factors into consideration in making this proposal. Officer Availability An additional staffing factor that must be considered is how much of an officer’s time is consumed by non-operational activities such as vacation, other personal leave, holidays, training time, court, briefings, etc. that could directly reduce the officer’s time on street patrol. Since Destin does not have a personnel history to determine the specifics for the actual number of hours officers are unavailable, some assumptions were made based on “normal data” from similar sized departments. In Destin, it is estimated that patrol officers will be unavailable for street deployment an average of 400 hours per year (as shown in Chart 2). Chart 2
Allocation of Sworn Personnel The next step in assessing the allocation of personnel for the patrol function is to determine the number of officers needed to staff this activity. This analysis, beginning in Chart 3, examines the time needed to staff the patrol function compared to the number of hours Destin officers are to work in a year. Chart 3
Although officers would be employed to work 2,080 hours per year, in reality, 400 hours must be subtracted from this figure due to normal schedule disruptions (Chart 2). The result is that each officer is actually available for 1,680 hours per year. Accordingly, the average amount of time that officers would be expected to “show up” for work is approximately 81% of their scheduled time (1680/2080). The normal range for “show up” percentages ranges between 75% and 85% of scheduled work time. An 81% show up rate is toward the high end of this range. Chart 4
Using the fairly liberal show-up rate of 81% shows that each 24-hour beat would need 5.2 officers. Rounding down to five officers would create frequent shortages and subsequent overtime costs, rounding up to the closest whole number results in a need to assign six officers for each full time beat. The more conservative number of 75% would also require six officers per full time beat to avoid shortages and overtime. The most liberal assumption, 85% show up, results in a need to assign only five per full time beat. Few departments have a patrol show-up rate of 85%. This rate is usually on a particular shift that is composed of young officers with little leave time accumulated. The more common show-up rates are in the 75% to 80% range. To cover three beats around the clock, both the 75% and 81% rates would require 18 officers to be assigned to the patrol function (six officers times three beats). The 85% rate would require 15 officers (five officers times three beats). However, another critical factor in determining the number of officers needed for patrol is the shift structure used. Current Workload The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has not yet provided LPOC with a summary of calls for service for 2010. Therefore the numbers in the chart below are those that they responded to within the city limits in 2001. Calls for the year totaled 16,638 which equates to an average of just under two calls per hour. Such a workload level is generally considered to be a fairly light workload for a staffing level of three units. The table below shows the top 25 types of calls for service: DESTIN CFS 2001 INCORPORATED AREA The top five calls – traffic stops, assist citizen, 911 verification, traffic crash, and alarm calls, disturbances of various types (disturbances, noise complaints, suspicious vehicles and persons, loud music, suspicious activity, and disturbance/family) and traffic issues accounts for the majority of police calls for service. This is typical of communities like Destin with resort activity and a largely middle to upper class population. Distribution of Sworn Personnel Small police departments usually use one of three scheduling patterns: In general, most police officers favor a compressed schedule, with either 10 or 12 hour days, so that they have more time off. The OCSO deputies assigned to Destin work 12 hour shifts. The LPOC proposal is based on twelve hour shift configuration. The following is a summary of possible shift configurations: The shift structure is important because of its impact on the number of personnel needed to staff the beats. It is also an important factor in trying to schedule personnel to match peaks in workload. One factor to consider is the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) which allows public safety employees to work 171 hours in a 28-day cycle before they are required to be paid overtime. A 12 hour shift that uses a 2 day on 2 day off sequence would result in 168 hours in a 28-day cycle (12 hours for each of 14 days worked). A 10 hour shift with a four days on, three days off sequence results in 160 hours during a 28-day cycle (10 hours for four days for four weeks). An eight hour shift with a five days on, two days off sequence also would result in 160 hours (eight hours for five days for four weeks). In Destin, to staff three beats continuously, in all practicality, four officers would need to be assigned to each shift (a 75% show-up rate). In the 12 hour shift schedule, using a four squad configuration, 16 patrol officers would be needed. Using a fixed shift system and two shifts per day, the first squad of four patrol officers would work two day shifts followed by two days off. A second squad would work the two midnight shifts followed by two days off. A third and fourth squad would work when the first two squads are off. Each squad would have four patrol officers assigned for a total of 16 city-wide. A four-10 schedule has three shifts per beat each day. This shift plan provides 30 hours of coverage over the 24-hour day for the three daily shifts thus allowing overlap to meet peak periods. Four officers must be scheduled per shift in order to continuously cover three beats. Each week needs 28 shifts per week covered (4 positions times 7 days). Given that each officer works 4 shifts per week, each shift needs to be staffed by 7 officers (28 divided by 4 shifts per officer). A total, then, of 21 officers would need to be assigned to cover three beats continuously. The five days off, eight hours per day shift also requires that 28 weekly slots be staffed in order to have four officers assigned to have three beats continuously filled. Under this model, each officer has five shifts per week so six officers per shift are needed (five shifts per officer times six officers equals 30 slots to cover the 28 needed). For the three daily shifts, a total of 18 officers are needed (six officers times three shifts). Therefore, in order to minimize the number of officers needed, Destin should consider using 12 hour shifts. In the calculations that follow LPOC uses the number of patrol officers needed for a three beat structure (16) for budget planning purposes. Although the number of calls-for-service can vary greatly by hour of the day, day of the week and location of calls, distributing patrol officers evenly between shifts is necessary due to the limited number of officers available for shift work and to address officer safety concerns. Exact proportional staffing of shifts based solely on workload or calls for service is not feasible for departments with a small number of officers. For a police department in Destin, assignment based on geographical beats rather than “calls for service” workload would work best due to the size and shape of the city. Officer Safety Considerations Enough personnel must work each shift to ensure an acceptable level of officer safety. This is of greatest concern on the midnight shift when the only personnel working the street are patrol officers and a supervisor. This contrasts with days and evenings when there may be other supervisors and detectives available to assist with emergencies or other critical situations. Therefore, to meet this important need, the number of officers assigned to the midnight shift in most communities usually exceeds that required by the workload. The increased staffing on midnight shift is normally meant to accommodate two assumptions about late night calls: A Destin Police Department should have parallel objectives of providing an adequate number of officers to efficiently respond to calls for service while also providing the community with an effective level of problem solving capacity. 1. In order to achieve both goals, the department must have patrol officer “schedule integrity.” An effective schedule will not have routine gaps for officer availability and will be staffed sufficiently to support necessary non-patrol activities (training, development, community interaction, problem solving community policing, etc.). The Destin Police Department will need to have at least 10 patrol officers in reserve in order to meet a staffing target of 4 officers on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for a 12 hour schedule. The reserve would be used in 1) any natural or man-made disasters (hurricane or oil spill et cetera.), 2) to fill-in for injured, sick, or vacationing officers, 3) special events such as parades and festivals, 4) reserve members would also have first consideration for full-time employment to replace any retiring, transferring, or otherwise departing officers, and 5) fill any extra security contracts that the DPD may have. 2. The patrol section should not depend on utilizing other F/T sworn staff to fill holes in the schedule that were unanticipated, rather look to the reserve. 3. The department should try to promote “squad integrity.” Officers should have the same supervisor/sergeant for an extended period of time. The supervisor/sergeant should be their primary source of assistance and information. The supervisor/sergeant should also be the key person for the completion of evaluations in order to provide both developmental information as well as future direction. Shifts should be fixed for at least six months to a year. Frequent rotation is detrimental to long term health and generates fatigue due to constantly interrupted sleep patterns. Long-term scheduling provides continuous supervisory/officer relationships for performance evaluation, allows officers to establish more predictable off-duty routines and diminishes rotation fatigue. 4. The department should prepare annual and multi-year staffing projections based on actual calls for service experience. The calculations should include the amount of time needed to complete the calls for service as well as the staffing requirements for each shift. This will require the creation of a system to record, store, and analyze calls for service, officer initiated, and administrative activity. Geographic Deployment / Beat Design The LPOC proposes that Destin be divided into three police beats. The boundaries of these beats should be east, west, and south to include highway 98 (this would be two traffic control focused motorcycle units. To the extent possible, workload should be about the same for each beat. Travel time from one point in a beat to others should be a factor, also. Officers and neighborhood residents will probably understand the boundaries that would encompass “natural” neighborhoods. Their opinions and suggestions should be sought out and utilized for establishing new beats. Patrol Staffing Targets With the proposed schedule of four patrol officers assigned to each 12 hour shift in order to have four officers on duty, maintaining full staffing becomes of great importance. A shortage of one or two officers, due to unfilled vacancies, or long term injuries will result in patrol strength periodically below the targeted level. If the department does not create a reserve force, which would be a 503c, and hiring process that is both expedient and effective (with good background investigations, etc.) it would have to cover resulting staffing gaps by having the detective, or other officers on overtime fill-in, or risk missing service goals.
Supervisory Staffing With the 12 hour, four squad approach, the Destin Police Department would have one officer out of the four be the supervisor for each squad. In addition, a fifth sergeant/supervisor who would be available Wed-Sat, the two F/T Sgt’s, and from the reserve, as needed for relief when one of squad sergeant/supervisor is on vacation or is on other leave and for fill-in during peak season. On the occasional days when neither a squad supervisor nor a relief sergeant is available form the reserve unit, the senior officer on the squad would service as the supervisor. The patrols would be 16 men divided into 4 patrols (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta), two units would P71 patrol cars & two units would be KZ1 motorcycle units per patrol. During inclement weather the motorcycle patrols would get a reserve unit to drive along or sign out a back-up vehicle. Alpha and Charlie patrols would be the day shifts and Bravo and Delta night shifts. Non-sworn Staffing Non-sworn employees could be utilized to provide services in the areas of answering emergency and non-emergency phone calls, dispatching officers, administrative support, and parking enforcement. Therefore, the optimal police department models include five dispatchers and one administrative clerk. Our model uses four full-time dispatchers with relief also coming from the reserve. Many small police departments also include non-sworn staff for functions such as animal control and parking enforcement. Reserve Staffing The LOPC model incorporates a reserve force established as a 503c LLC. It would consist of sworn volunteers that would agree to donating 20hrs of their time a month to be a member in good standing. The incentive for being such a member enables the reservist to fill in for a paid position when an officer is on vacation, sick, in court, or is otherwise indisposed. The department would also look first to the reserve for any new hires. Plus they would as be eligible for paid extra duties at area clubs and resorts that are interested in contracting extra uniformed security. Of course the reservist would need to have the same certification and have gone through the same background check, unless volunteering for a non-sworn position, then only a background check that would be required, beside the on the job training for the position being filled. The reserve unit would also have the responsibility for arrestee transportation over to the jail. Since the demand for this service could be called seasonal, this is a great way to incorporate services between DPD &DPR (Destin Police Reserve). Ranks in the chain of command a captain, 3 sergeants, and 10-12 patrol for effective staffing. Non-sworn would need six to be completely effective. The non-sworn reservist would operate in the same fashion as the sworn reservists albeit for non-sworn positions such as dispatch, admin, and arrestee transportation. As mentioned earlier, all reservist would be ready, through regular training, to respond to any emergency faced by the city. Extra Security Contracts The LPOC suggest that the DPD seek to serve the community with the availability of extra security services for private functions and establishments. This would be at the current market rate of $25 per hour. We would like to suggest the split be $22.per hr for the working officer, $2 per hr back to the DPD, and $1 per hr to the chief. This is a great incentive for the departments personnel and keeps their income from being limited by being a government employee. A great recruiting tool. We do not currently have the number of contracts that the OCSO is currently serving in Destin since they have not yet made a response to our inquiry. We know they have a few but no details.
Record Management and Dispatching Ideally, a Destin police department should control its own dispatching operations. This would ensure that local priorities can be set and maintained. This would require a minimum of four full-time call-taker/dispatchers. They would be backed up by at least two reservist. They could also be responsible for front desk/walk-in complaints, if the clerk is not available. Based on similar sized police agencies, estimates are 30 to 50-people daily would come to the front desk to request services such as information requests, requests for copies of reports and to file reports of criminal activity. Again based on other similar departments, a Destin police department could expect that the dispatchers’ workload would consist of 50% dispatch duties and 50% administrative and front desk activities during normal business hours. During the nighttime, workload is likely to be approximately 75% dispatch duties and 25% administrative and front desk activities. Design of the front desk and dispatch console areas is important to avoid having dispatchers losing contact with the radio consoles to deal with requests from those who walk into the police department. Dispatchers’ work shifts should parallel the same shift hours as the officers, with one dispatcher working the same sequence as each of the four squads. The fifth dispatcher would act in a relief capacity and fill-in for absences. The clerical person should be cross-trained and able to perform dispatch duties as an additional backup.
Administrative Functions The DPD should employ a full-time clerk who will be responsible for a wide variety of clerical, administrative duties and for providing back up for dispatchers. There should be sufficient clerical support to accomplish necessary functional tasks (i.e., maintaining daily records, permit processing, support walk-in requests for service, etc.). Additional duties to be assigned to this position could include: greeting and supporting walk-in activities, selling fishing licenses, preparing copies of reports, report filing, statistical documentation, transcribing necessary reports, and assisting sergeants with programmatic administrative functions (schedules, routine documentation, reports, civilian contacts, etc.). The “Rules and Regulations Manual” of the Destin Police Department should provide detailed job descriptions for all department positions as well as limited descriptions of the various divisions of the department. The description would include appropriate statements about the duties and responsibilities for each job assignment and unit. If accepted the LPOC would be willing to work on this as well. Facility and Equipment A Destin city police department would occupy the current facility used by the Okaloosa County Sheriff. This city-owned building was built as a fire station and remodeled for law enforcement services. Although the facility is acceptable for a city police department, the building does not have a holding cell. Because of the substantial prisoner transport distances to the county jail, the department would need a secure room / cell that would be used to temporarily hold arrested persons for later transport to county jail. The construction costs for a holding cell are estimated to be approximately $25,000.9 (“Public Safety Element – Preliminary Analysis Report,” Hartman and Associates, December, 2001, p.6.) Another alternative would be to have a paddy wagon, est. cost $8,000, to run to the jail in Shalimar as needed. After looking at the arrest reports that would only be twice a shift during the height of spring break
Mission and Goal Statements The Destin Police Department needs a Mission Statement to provide direction for its employees as well as providing the community with a clear declaration of intent. The following is an example of the type of statement that is should be used.
Mission The mission of the Destin Police Department is to provide effective and courteous community policing services in collaboration with our community; to preserve the rights of all individuals and to prevent and control crime and disorder by citing and/or arresting offenders so that both residents and visitors feel safe and secure. Duties & Challenges The Destin Police Department will organize to maximize their resources under a high-energy, results-oriented three-tiered organization:
Tier-1 Patrol Unit Responds to incoming calls - from standard police-related services to initial response of homicide investigations and emergency assistance calls. On a daily basis patrol would: Manage traffic enforcement and control Tier-2 Investigative Unit Conducts investigations concerning adults or juveniles as victims or as the perpetrator Tier-3 Admin & Dispatch Maintains database of crime patterns to conducts crime analyses based on this data Development of the department’s mission statement should be a high priority. If, as in the example, the statement incorporated a community policing perspective, the department’s proactive policing efforts should be supported and directed to this value. Officers and civilian staff should be held to the standard defined by the statement as well as rewarded for positive behavior that supports the mission statement. The mission statement should be inculcated into the day-to-day work performance of all department employees and should be made a specific portion of each position’s evaluation. The evaluation should enumerate specific items that would demonstrate that each employee both understands as well as performs according to the values expressed in the statement. The chief should also formally and publicly acknowledge the individual acts or general activities which support the mission statement. This recognition could be in the form of internal memos, awards, or public statements. The chief should provide clear, annual goal statements that service to incorporate both what the public views as important and the need to provide department employees with direction and priorities each year. Such annual goals should be assessed at the end of each year to help the Destin Police Department continuously improve its efforts to keep the community safe and secure. Patrol Activities / Community Oriented Policing Program If Destin forms its own police department, the department should adopt a community oriented policing (COP) approach. As a fundamental effort, the department should establish and maintain a collaborative problem-solving relationship with the community. The department should establish specific goals that are designed to support and enhance a COP program. As officers are recruited, they should demonstrate a commitment to the fundamental philosophy and goals of community policing. Community policing oriented goals will help focus the efforts of officers, especially within specific assigned geographic areas. They can provide guidance for increasing officer/citizen interactions and resolving non-criminal problems which citizens encounter. Goals can be general (“.. get to know people and businesses in your area”) or more specific (“.. walk foot patrol twice a shift”; do two crime prevention programs a month”). Traffic Enforcement Since traffic is one of the greatest concerns for our year round residents Destin police department would need to devote considerable time and attention to traffic and traffic safety. An early task for the new Chief should be the development of a plan for traffic safety and management program. Speeding issues during wintertime and volume and congestion in the summer months need to be addressed in order for the police department to be regarded as responding to public concerns. The department should provide a periodic report, perhaps monthly, to city officials that show the department’s level of traffic management effort correlated with the results such effort is designed to achieve. Criminal Investigations A Destin Police Department should have one investigator position. The detective should review all reports of criminal activity submitted by patrol officers and conduct investigations of those deemed to have a high solvability score. Some investigations may be referred to senior patrol officers, if it appears that they have sufficient time to conduct follow-up. The chief should institute managerial processes that will allow a periodic audit on case status and the detective’s work activities. The chief should help the investigator establish case investigation priorities and determine targets for the maximum number of cases undergoing active investigation at any one time, to prevent overloading the detective Crime/Problem Analysis A Destin police department should create a crime and problem analysis function at the outset. The purpose of this function is to provide information about crime and disorder problems on a timely basis to help guide how patrol officers spend the time they are not responding to calls for service. Multiple calls to the same motel in a short time period may indicate a motel management problem. Locations of persistent traffic problems and violations may indicate a need for focused patrol. Also, such a system should include information about criminal activity including method of crime, time, date, location, suspect, vehicle or other types of information that should routinely be captured in offense reports. This type of information will help link multiple crimes to a single offender, or group of offenders. There are several ways a crime/problem analysis problem function can be staffed in a small department. The function could be assigned as part of the duties of the administrative clerk, or, perhaps, to the relief sergeant, since this position would not have the performance appraisal duties that the squad sergeants have. Volunteers might be used, under the supervision of the relief sergeant. A volunteer program, when properly managed, offers the department the opportunity to expand its operation in other areas, also. Volunteers could provide valuable assistance in the areas of crime prevention, and could be trained to deliver a variety of crime prevention programs. Some of the duties the volunteers could perform would include vacation house watch, non-enforcement patrol, assisting officers with their community policing projects, fingerprinting for non-criminal purposes, clerical support, and traffic direction. Education and Training Destin officers will need training from both internal and external sources. Department management should identify annually training priorities. Training should cover both ongoing reinforcement of fundamental practices as well as professional development topics. Officers need training to keep up with changing law enforcement procedures, techniques, philosophies, legal mandates and court decisions. On-going training needs include: civil liability issues, overcoming performance deficiencies, ethical behavior, and review in the areas of deadly force and vehicle pursuits. The use of firearms, defensive tactics, and driving are key skills that need continual updating. Officers should be receiving continuing updates on key court findings that affect their daily decision making. The department should undertake specific career development activities for officers and supervisors. Each supervisor should conduct annual meetings with individual subordinates to discuss current weaknesses that could be addressed in training as well as assisting the employee with identifying and preparing to meet future goals. Citizen Complaints / Procedural Questions An early task for a Destin Police Department is to establish procedures for handling both formal and informal citizen complaints. The department should make the process for submitting complaints readily available to the public. Many police departments have created brochures which outline the complaint process and identify the steps and timetable which will be followed in the processing of the complaint. The department’s complaint taking process should include not only formal but also informal complaints. Tracking both major and minor citizens’ concerns about officer behavior will help to identify patterns of problem behavior among officers early enough so that the department can intervene before the problem becomes severe. Inventory, Evidence and Property Storage Another critical early task is to create procedures to manage evidence and property including recovered, seized and evidentiary property and abandoned, lost and found property. Sound procedures are important to supporting investigations, guaranteeing successful prosecutions and ensuring timely return of property to the rightful owner. The Destin police facility should include a purpose-built evidence and property storage room and a ventilated “Hazmat” area for storing combustibles, fireworks and other unstable materials. While open shelving is used for most items, the evidence area should also have a small safe for narcotics and currency over $100. Administrative logs must be kept for items such as currency, narcotics, weapons, etc. The department should develop and implement a full-scope policy on evidence/property management that provides effective guidance to all department employees on the collection, retention and clearance of collected materials. The department should institute effective restrictions on access to the secured portion of the evidence/property room. By using a combination of physical controls and adequate record keeping, the department should ensure that all employees with access keys can account for trips into the secure room. The department should develop formal procedures for conducting frequent and random internal audits of the records and materials located in the evidence/property room. While focusing on the integrity of the evidence/property room, the policy may want to include random testing of the controlled substances and money counts of available currency. Procedurally, the department should have a single key available for use by sergeants or other supervisors. Access to the key could be controlled / monitored in order to preserve the integrity of the evidence area. If the key’s use is monitored through a checkout process, there will be a record of entrance and exit to the controlled space. POLICE DEPARTMENT BUDGETS Annual Budgets Two separate annual budgets have been developed for the proposed police department. Each budget includes two options based on differing salary levels. The higher salary level is designated so that Destin will be at, or near the top compared to the departments it is competing with for good officers. The lower levels would mean that Destin would have to hire larger numbers of new officers or less experienced officers. Two levels of benefits are also presented, again one set at or near the top, and the second at lower rate. Budget One is based on the optimal level of staffing that the community should have for effective policing and law enforcement with coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Staff includes a chief (Mon.-Fri.), two sergeants (Wed.-Sat. two ten hour shifts 1 day, 1 night), 16 patrol officers(four of which would be shift supervisor, one detective, a marine patrol officer, two beach patrol officers, an administrative clerk, and four call-takers/dispatchers. Detailed budget estimates are shown in Appendix 1. · At optimal salary/benefits levels, the first year cost is estimated to be $1,737,893.32. Approx $1.75 million. The above figures include Dispatch services and arrestee transportation (opt/min) if the council decided to still negotiate with OCSO for dispatch services it might actually cost a nickel more in the end. We do not make such an offer because we have no numbers from OCSO to give you. The numbers below are from the 2002 budget proposal from PERF. · At optimal salary levels, the first year cost is estimated to be $1,893,920. Included with this report is the proposal made by Waldroff Insurance & Bonding Inc The information provided by them is used in our budget proposal. In the second proposal the budget is simply a 12% cut in the salary and benefits offered. In this offering the department still pays 100% of the benefits package and still has four full-time dispatchers. The LPOC strongly believes having a complete department is the most efficient and therefore economic choice for the city. All budgets have been established with a take-home car fleet. While the initial costs of the fleet may seem high, the long-range costs for maintenance and replacement are actually lower than other police fleet models. Cars would be retained for three to four years (rather than the standard one-year rotation) and would have a low mileage count as compared to the miles driven by the OCSO deputies. Plus there is direct accountability through officer-monitored maintenance and care. The take-home fleet also provides a high visibility presence in the community and serves as a recruitment incentive. Both budget also have an amount for transition. Expenses will be incurred while creating the Destin Police Department. Overlap coverage will be necessary between the Sheriff’s Office and the DPD as the Destin department is being established. For example, the Chief should be hired six to nine months in advance of the “cut-over” date. The exact amount of this cost will depend on how quickly the city and the chief can hire qualified employees, secure the necessary equipment, and provide needed orientation training. At least two full weeks of patrol overlap should occur to give Destin officers the opportunity to learn the city and meet key community members. Approximately $40,000 should be allotted for the contract overlap along with $70,000 to cover other transition expenses including salaries for the chief, senior staff, and officers as well as other expenses that are part of the operating budget but which start before “cut-over.” \ Smaller police agencies usually rely on larger departments for specialized services that the smaller agency finds cost prohibitive and unpractical to maintain. Sometimes agreements for such services as canine, S.W.A.T. units, hostage negotiators, serious crime investigations, crime scene specialists, and use of firing ranges to meet firearm qualifications standards are informal. Other times they are part of a mutual aide agreement. Some jurisdictions charge for such services if the beneficiaries are a separate taxing jurisdiction. When the taxpayers in the small jurisdiction pay the same county taxes as those in unincorporated areas such services are provided at no extra charge as part of the county’s obligation to its taxpayers. In this latter situation, excessive demands on specialized services may result in charges. If Destin establishes its own police department, it will need to negotiate with the OCSO and perhaps create a memorandum of understanding relating to this issue. Small police departments in Florida can draw on the services of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for assistance in serious crime and/or complex investigations. Frequently such investigations occur through the formation of a team with representatives from the local police department, the sheriff’s office, and FDLE working together. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY AND START UP TASKS To create and effective police department for Destin, there needs to be a close and ongoing relationship between the police and the public. City government and city residents should have continuous opportunities to provide suggestions and input to the department. The police department, under the direction of the chief, must meet the expectations of the City Manager and elected officials. It is important, therefore, that the Mayor and City Council develop a clear set of expectations for the Destin Police Department. These expectations then must be put into performance targets by the City Manager for the police chief to achieve. The following are tasks that should be performed to start up a police department in Destin: CONCLUSION LPOC’s cost estimates for a Destin Police Department range from a minimum of $1,525,377 to an optimal staffing model which would cost $1,737,893 per year. Start up costs remain the same, $600,00, for the variation on the minimal salary/benefits plan. This is because we keep a full staff, both sworn and non-sworn. Some more cost savings are possible. For example, we save $25,000 on start up by not building a holding cell. We could just send the paddy-wagon over to the jail as needed. The city could use its code enforcement boat for police patrol, and there are still grants to apply for. The start-up costs could get closer to $500,000 than the almost $600,000 currently proposed. Attempting, however to create a “bare-bones” police agency is likely to result in “bare-bones” police services. We are seeking to provide a service that exceeds our neighbors, fellow citizens, and visitors expectations. First, by providing full accountability of personnel and equipment. Secondly, providing a greater sense of security by having fully staffed patrols not leaving the jurisdiction of Destin resulting in quicker response times and a greater overall presence. Lastly, the pride and satisfaction that comes to a community by knowing they have a department that is always there to listen to and address their concerns. Some portion of the costs of a Destin Police Department may be offset by the city keeping a larger portion of traffic fines generated by having its own officers. The city already gets some portion of these fines from the citations issues by OCSO deputies. Although it may be tempting to plan on such sources of revenue as a way to help fund the police department, such revenue sources can vary widely. Care must be taken to ensure that officers do not work to a citation quota. Many factors affect citation issuance and therefore it can not be considered a “source of revenue”. As a matter of fact if done in an irreverent manner it could cost the city, however it will lighten the cities out of pocket costs to some degree. It really comes down to just two choices, as is so often the situation, either the city goes with the offer from OCSO or we go with the plan offered by LPOC. If the city goes with the OCSO offer you count on annual rate hikes or the threat of reduced service. Whereby if you go with the LPOC’s proposal, you will own it and the city will have better than it has ever seen. The OCSO has a lot of great stuff that they feel Destin should pay for. The LPOC believes in ownership and that means responsibility. Let’s own it and provide the responsible leadership and service that Destin deserves. God bless Destin.
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Join Our Yahoo Group! At Bottom of the Page LPOC Statement of Principles, Constitution, Bylaws, and Standing Rules of the Libertarian Party of Okaloosa County 15 Sep 2010 The Destin City Police Department Proposal by Sky Monteith
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