Public Safety
Before I describe the great police force and volunteer firefighters we have, I have to comment on the following from Mr. Nordman’s website:
“…Our police department continues to patrol/protect new areas with no new equipment or staff. And our very small fire department is lacking the resources needed to keep civilians safe. “
I am running a positive campaign however I feel compelled to address these baseless accusations, that the police have “no new equipment”, and the fire department is “very small” and is unable to “keep civilians safe” because of lack of resources.
When I saw this post I spoke with both the police chief and fire chief about the conversation each had with Mr. Nordman and how he could come to these conclusions. I found that neither of the chiefs had spoken to Mr. Nordman.
These statements are uniformed at best; irresponsible and reckless at worst.
NOVEMBER 7th IS NOT THE TIME TO TAKE A CHANCE ON INEXPERIENCE.
Police Department
The police department is in the best financial shape it has been in. 75% of general fund revenues ($724,000) are dedicated to police.
Equipment:
- New patrol cars are purchased on a regular basis through the long term capital improvements budget
- Dash cameras and computers are in all patrol cars
- Body cameras were just added in August in time for use during the Sweetcorn Festival
Our Police Department has as much of the leading edge equipment a force our size could have.
Staffing:
Compared with surrounding police departments to cities of similar size the per capita ratio is the lowest indicating our force is fully staffed as demonstrated by this table:
Resource Officer:
In 2006 we partnered with the ADM School District to assign a Resource (uniformed police) Officer in the school while classes are in session. I can’t stress enough the importance of this partnership and how beneficial it has been to both the school and city.
Crime and Arrests:
This chart tracks the more serious crimes against persons such as assault and abuse along with crimes against property such as burglary and theft. While there has been a slight uptick in in the last three years these types of crimes trending down since 2006. Increased construction activity has contributed to the upward trend.
This chart tracks the arrests each year. The downward trend is reflective of the expectations I have communicated to the police chief. If situations can be handled without taking someone into custody that’s the approach I prefer, however always deferring to the officer’s judgement.
Fire Department
The Fire Department is fully funded and has the resources to “keep civilians safe”:
- 25 volunteer firefighters is the most ever (three new firefighters moved to town this year)
- New fire engine purchased in 2015
- Fire equipment and firefighter gear is on regular replacement upgrade schedule
Compared to surrounding fire departments to cities of similar size the per capita ratio is second only to Carlisle indicating we are not “a very small fire department”:
I honor our public safety departments’ commitment and sacrifice to keep us safe.