09-21>9-23-2001 City Council Retreat

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• can provide the caller with an award if an arrest or case is resolved based on the information provided. Lt. Carl Crisp will be the designated liaison with the Crime Stopper programs. The Department has expanded its Citizens Police Academy to two Basics and an Advanced class. In addition, staff is evaluating the concept of a Junior Citizens Police Academy. We have not had very much success in getting members of the Northside Community to participate in these classes but feel that due to our programs with the youth in the area we can have a greater degree of success with the advent of the Junior Citizens Police Academy. Our Crime Prevention Officers will be attempting to contact members of the community to see if they can develop an interest in the program. We have been in the past two summers working closely with the youth in the Northside community in conjunction with the Parks and Recreation Department. This has been a very effective program and the Police Staff will start planning now how to make it more effective. Plans are be developed for my consideration to present a DARE Summer Camp Program for the youth in our communities. In regards to the reference in the plan regarding our filling our existing vacancies, I can report that we have only one other officer to hire to return to full strength. A selection board has already been set to review a number of applicants for selection. If the selected applicant is untrained we will send him to the next Police Academy and upon his graduation he will enter the Field Training Program. An additional note is that with the approval of hiring three Public Safety Attendants in next year's budget, Officers will no longer be required to spend as much time off the street as they are now to handle the Jail. The Police Department has also instituted a Mobile Laptop Program for the officers in the car. Utilizing grant funds the Department bought this equipment and with the acquisition of H.TE Report Writer will become fully operational with the maximum effect. This program also allows officers to remain in the field longer and have information readily available to them in the field. We will continue our efforts to keep the pressure on those that would deal drugs in our community and make La Porte a safe place to live and raise their children. We will work with anyone, or any organization that is willing to work toward the same goal. • 6.13