Okaloosa County BOCC — December 31, 2012 — reading text

enhance cooperation with other organizations in the criminal justice system. The accreditation guidelines pinpoint much of the procedural implementation difficulties as those in which the agency is required to reconstruct building specifications and/or equipment requirements. With a dedicated new public safety facility still in the pre-construction phases, the option to pursue accreditation alongside its formation poses a unique situation which presents us with an ideal opportunity to achieve accreditation, and construct out facility via the most efficient route. Having the advantage to erect our station in accordance with State standards will allow us to preserve much needed time and finances in the beginning phases of our establishment. In accordance with the Florida State Law Enforcement Accreditation standards, the birth of accreditation begins with executive level approval, at which point the meticulous task of its development can begin. As with any commendable achievement, this will involve a significant amount of time and resources. The initial process will chiefly require manpower, as the primary focus of the initial process is to appoint an Accreditation Manager(s). Standards clearly state that this must be a full-time position to have a truly comprehensive approach to the process. Not only will this person need to write, edit, and maintain policies, conduct staff inspections, perform Packet Pg. 305  6.7.d.a general and specialized audits, but also ensure the sworn officers and rest of the agency are prepared and willing to cooperate with the detailed changes made within the unit. All of these activities ensure that the department meets, and continues to comply with some of 263 State standards set forth by the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA). The achievement of accreditation in an 8-10 month time frame is not possible without the full-time focus of an Accreditation Manager. Attachment: CFA request (1217 : Airport Police Accreditation and Reserve Officer Program) The necessary financial investments are as follows (for a department of 10-24 sworn officials); • A non-refundable $500 application fee • $300 annual charge for The Accreditation Manager© software • All travel expenses and accommodations for 3 assessors’ (3 day) on-site mock evaluation with an approximate total of $4,500 • All travel expenses and accommodations for 3 assessors’ (3 day) on-site evaluation with an approximate total of $4,500 • Salary expenses for the Accreditation Manager with an approximate total of $21,600 • Training and travel expenses for periodic Accreditation Management conferences/trainings with an approximate total of $5,000 • Miscellaneous office supplies with an approximate total of $500 The comprehensive expense estimated liberally totals $35,000-$40,000 for the project. The previously mentioned benefits largely outweigh the upfront investment. Accreditation will ultimately grant our County airports police department a substantially positive step toward true professionalism in police service over and above itself. This will truly be a dynamic process with vast reaching potential. It has proved to foster interaction between local, regional, state, and national levels through coalitions and help groups. These priceless interactions with other agencies will provoke the ever-increasing exchange of information and ideas, in turn promoting responsive cooperation within the local communities. For our Police Department, achieving accreditation will result in unequivocal remuneration. I sincerely appreciate your consideration and support toward attaining this professional milestone. V/R, _____________________________ M. Smith Tennyson, Chief of Police Packet Pg. 306  6.7.d.b 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: Attachment: OCAP reserve white paper (1217 : Airport Police Accreditation and Reserve Officer Program) 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. Packet Pg. 307  6.7.d.b 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. Attachment: OCAP reserve white paper (1217 : Airport Police Accreditation and Reserve Officer Program) 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. Packet Pg. 308  6.7.d.b 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 Attachment: OCAP reserve white paper (1217 : Airport Police Accreditation and Reserve Officer Program) 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