Okaloosa County BOCC — December 31, 2012 — OCAP reserve white paper

The goal of this request is to present an option for implementation by the Okaloosa County Airports Police in order to continue providing effective law enforcement services to the citizens and visitors of the Okaloosa County Airports during challenging fiscal times. Definitions: Reserve Law Enforcement Officer -means any person employed or appointed less than full time, as defined by an employing agency, with or without compensation, who is vested with authority to bear arms and make arrests and whose primary responsibility is the prevention and detection of crime or the enforcement of the penal, criminal, traffic, or highway laws of the state. Purpose of Reserves: The purpose of a reserve officer is to supplement the agency's day-to-day delivery of law enforcement services. Augmenting the agency’s regular daily activities and providing support services. Police departments use reserve officers to provide additional manpower in times of need, and also on a daily basis to extend the coverage provided by regular officers. Budget considerations, emergency and crowd control situations, and community involvement in policing are all valid reasons for establishing and maintaining a reserve officer program. Decreasing budgets, with the possibility of no corresponding drop in crime or calls for service, and stretching police manpower and resources are another factor for a “force multiplier”. Enacting a reserve program from a budgetary standpoint is quite cost effective, as evidenced by the difference in costs between hiring a regular officer and appointing a reserve. Based on providing all uniforms, equipment, training, and salary, the cost to hire one regular officer for the Okaloosa County Airports Police is $33,939.36 plus additional benefits cost, while appointing one reserve officer would cost between $1,500 and $2,500 depending on the level of training received, and the amount of equipment supplied by the department. Reserve officers are not eligible for benefits extended to full-time employees of the Okaloosa County Airports. These figures were based on direct and indirect costs. The total cost of class training was used in this example, not the cost of training per officer. Consequently, the larger the class, the less training will cost per officer. Training costs were normally minimal, as reserve officers were trained in-house by officers of the department for which they worked. Also, especially in some smaller, budget conscience departments, reserve officers could have served as the "experts" the agency could never have afforded. Advantages and Disadvantages: The primary advantages of reserve officer programs are in terms of budget and manpower. Reserves cost far less to equip and train than did regular officers, especially in situations where officers purchased some or all of their equipment and/or uniforms. Increased manpower was an equally important and often cited advantage of using reserve officers. Reserve officer programs also provided a trained and ready pool of personnel that could be utilized in times of emergency or disaster. Very few disadvantages in the use of reserve officers were found. Most disadvantages pertaining to the use of reserves originated in the departments themselves. Maintaining reserve officer programs but using the officers for menial duties and assignments only served to alienate reserves from the regular component of a department. Departments that did not train their reserves to a standard approximating that of regular officers, or did not have a detailed plan for their use and structured operation brought problems on themselves. The OCAP reserve program will be required to adhere to the policies and procedures that govern the regular officers. The OCAP will stay consistent in aspects of recruitment, education, training, and basic utilization of reserve officers. The “force multiplier” is the emphasis of our request for a reserve program and the full time officers have expressed strong support for the concept and operation of reserve officer program. Officers agreed that the role of reserve officers was to supplement, not replace, regular officers, and that with proper training, evaluation, and accountability, reserve officers could progress to the point of being able to perform duties on their own. As stated in the abstract, the purpose of this request was to consider the background information and research conducted in order to develop an appropriate reserve officer program for the Okaloosa County Airports to implement. The use of fully trained, empowered, and certified reserve police officers is recommended for the Airport Police. Eligibility and Selection: Reserve Officers shall comply with the same eligibility requirements and standards established for a regular full-time sworn police officer. The selection criteria for Reserve Officers are the same as full-time police officer candidates. With the approval of the Chief of Police, prior and current Airports Police Officers who meet Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission (CJSTC) requirements may transfer from full-time status to Reserve Officer. Training and Minimum Standards: Reserve officers must meet state minimum standards as established by the CJSTC. Reserve officers must complete all in-service and mandatory training required by CJSTC for full-time officers. Should the reserve officer be unable to meet required training criteria, the reserve officer must notify a supervisor immediately. Reserve officers must pass the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security clearance standards and pass a background check in order to obtain unrestricted airport access in accordance with the Okaloosa County Airports Security Program. Upon completion of all required CFR Chapter 49, and Florida Statues training reserve officers will then be issued Secured Identification Display Area (SIDA) credentials. Reserve officers must pass all other applicable hiring standards in effect by OCAP. Authority and Restrictions: Authority Reserve officers will have full police powers (to include arrest) while on and off duty, and will carry department approved firearms. Pursuant to Florida Statute 943.13 and 943.10(6) Restrictions Reserve officers will only perform duties for which they have been specifically trained and certified. Reserve officers will be assigned duties with a certified officer at all times, unless they have completed all required training and are approved by the Chief of Police to work alone. Reserve officers shall be assigned to a position most beneficial to the Department. Work hours and schedules shall be at the discretion of the Chief of Police or designee. Reserve officers will not engage in any activity, by means of employment or association that may bring discredit or criticism to the Department. Reserve officers shall not exploit their association with the Department to promote political influence, for personal gain or to seek personal publicity. Reserve officers cannot be a sworn officer for another Florida law enforcement agency while concurrently acting in the capacity of a sworn law enforcement officer for the Okaloosa County Airport Police. Article II Section 5(a) of the Florida Constitution, “No person shall hold at the same time more than one office under the government of the state and the counties and municipalities therein”. Reserve officers serve at the pleasure of the Okaloosa County Airports Director or his designee. Duties and Responsibilities: The mission of the reserve officer program is to provide effective law enforcement services to the citizens and visitors of the Okaloosa County Airports through increased manpower and support to the OCAP during both day to day operations, and in the event of a major emergency or disaster. Reserve officers will only perform duties for which they have been specifically trained and certified. Reserve officers will be assigned duties with a certified officer at all times, unless they have completed all required training and are approved by the Chief of Police to work alone. Reserve officers will be required to perform 8 hours of duty per month officers may volunteer and be requested to work additional hours. Reserve officers cannot be ordered to perform additional duty except under two circumstances: (a) remedial training is required as a condition for continuance as a reserve officer, as approved by the Chief of Police or his designee; and (b) during any city, state, or federal emergency declared by competent, legal authority. Reserve officers will perform all duties required of regular officers and will be responsible for maintaining the standards of Okaloosa County and the Airports Police. All reserve officers will be expected to be familiar with, and comply with all provisions detailed in the Policy and Procedures Manual of Okaloosa County, Okaloosa County Airports and Airports Police and any attachments, supplements, or changes. Officers will also be required to abide by all applicable federal, state, county, and municipal laws, statutes, ordinances, and directives. Failure to maintain standards or comply with the guidelines stated above may be grounds for discipline, remedial training, and dismissal. Reserve officers will have full police powers (to include arrest) while on and off duty, and will carry department approved firearms. Pursuant to Florida Statute 943.13 Should court attendance be necessary Reserve Officers shall follow court attendance procedures in accordance with department policy. Reserve Officers are permitted to wear their uniform to and from court when subpoenaed to appear in cases which originated as a result of official duties as a Reserve Officer. If a uniform is not worn, the Reserve Officer must wear appropriate business attire. Reserve officers will be compensated at the current starting pay hourly rate for but not limited to required training, court where the officer is subpoenaed to appear, schedule fill in or any additional manpower supplement as required by the Airports. Reserve Officers must notify the Chief of Police in writing of any change in address, telephone number or employment. Any Reserve Officer who is arrested, or is the subject of a police report, shall immediately notify their Supervisor of such incident. Failure to comply may result in dismissal. The Reserve Police Program maybe discontinued at anytime with or without cause. Legal Considerations: Although not full time employees, reserves are considered to be representing the County and the Airports Department. Therefore liability coverage is the responsibility of Okaloosa County in cases where a reserve officer acted in the lawful performance of his or her duties. Recruitment: Recruitment of potential reserve police officers should be done in accordance with county and airports police recruiting efforts geared toward regular officers. The selection pool for reserve officers should mirror the one used for regular officers, therefore the same recruiting process and technique should be followed. This reserve collection of officers can be utilized as an opportunity for vetting new officers for open full time positions. This will not take the place of the Okaloosa County Hiring policy and is not intended to short cut the recruitment procedures. Uniforms and Equipment: Uniforms worn by reserve officers will be the same as those worn by regular officers. Upkeep and maintenance of uniforms is the responsibility of each officer, and the department incurs no expenses for dry cleaning. All uniform items will be turned in at the time of resignation or dismissal. Equipment will be the same as that issued to regular officers excluding firearms, and will be paid for by the department and issued to each reserve officer. Firearms will be paid for each officer and will remain their property. Reserve officers will be held accountable for the maintenance and serviceability of their equipment. Lost or damaged equipment is the responsibility of each officer, who will reimburse the department for such lost or damaged items. Issued equipment will also be turned in at the time of an officer's resignation or dismissal. A listing of equipment issued to each reserve officer. : M. Smith Tennyson, Police Chief