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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Michigan State researchers find Flint Police Department to be ineffecient, understaffed
Published: Sunday, February 19, 2012, 7:00 AM Updated: Sunday, February 19, 2012, 8:46 AM
By David Harris | dharris5@mlive.com
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(Flint Journal files)
FLINT, Michigan -- A nearly year-long study of the Flint Police Department by a team of Michigan State researchers determined the city's police department was woefully understaffed, inefficient and did not do the type of policing proven to reduce crime.
The report criticizes everyone from city administration to police management and unions, saying the department's last 25 years have "not been one of prosperity and progress," and blaming the problems on high turnover rate in upper and middle level administration.
Among the other findings: Staffing at the city's 911 center is below optimal levels and
the ratio of violent crime to detectives is twice as high as other comparable cities.
A team from Michigan State University spent 11 months starting in March 2010 studying the police department, interviewing staff and collecting data. The 107-page report was was funded by a grant from the C.S. Mott Foundation.
Nearly a year after the report was submitted, city and police union leaders say key suggestions to make the police department more efficient and improve community service have yet to be implemented.
The staffing levels in the patrol bureau and 911 center remain low, which the study called "critical threats to the agency." There are currently about 125 sworn police officers in the department, which is about the same as when the study was being conducted.
Only "a token amount of time" was devoted to community policing, which is key to fighting crime, the study says.
Officers devoted 2.5 minutes per hour doing community policing, the study said. The other time was spent reacting to calls.
The same remains true today, said Flint Police Officers Union President Terry Neeley.
"It's totally reactionary instead of proactive," said Neeley.
Flint police Chief Alvern Lock could not be reached for comment.
When Neeley was hired on the department in 1991, community policing was a common theme. Officers were assigned to the same area to cover and would attend block meetings and be familiar with the known criminals and good-doers, Neeley said.
"You knew who the players were and who was doing what," said Neeley. "It made a big difference because you could basically prevent from things happening because you knew what was happening. (Leaders) would come to you before problems would grow out of hand."
The city's police unions do not go unscathed in the report, which says unions did little to accommodate the administration in completing the layoffs, which were inevitable considering the budgetary crises in the city.
The report calls the relationship between the union and city "difficult at best."
"For the good of the employees, the unions have been a good protective measure to ensure that workers rights have not been violated by the city," the report says. "However, uncertainty exists whether union leaders fully appreciate the full extent of the budgetary crises that has come upon Flint over the last decade and the difficulties that are currently facing the city and department."
Neeley, who was elected union president two weeks ago but has held a board position for several years, said the union has always negotiated in good faith. He accused the city of mismanaging funds, citing the state financial team's report that recommended a state financial manager.
The two sides have not talked since June, Neeley said. They are awaiting a meeting with Emergency Financial Manager Michael Brown, he said.
Mayor Dayne Walling said the police union's unwillingness to change items in their contract, such as switching from 8-hour to 12-hour shifts, make it difficult to implement some of the suggested enhancements.
A 12-hour shift, according to the report, is more efficient than a 8-hour shift because the same amount of administrative time such as roll call is used, but more time is devoted toward patrol.
"There are a number of reforms that have to be made in police department, starting with the 12-hour shift schedule, and historically the three police unions were not willing to agree to a shift schedule change," said Walling.
Another inefficiency the report pointing out was something as simple as fingerprinting a suspect. The report said an officer would wait as long as an hour for an identification technician to fingerprint the suspect.
"When asked why the practice has not been abolished in favor of patrol officers fingerprinting their own custodies, we were advised that it would lead to a union grievance for violation of job classification," the report said.
One of the suggestions the study made that has been implemented is telephone police reporting.
The telephone program "Smart Response System," which was implemented last fall, allows residents with minor crimes to call in and receive a complaint number instead of waiting for a patrol vehicle.
The report also is critical of the geographic deployment of the officers, which calls for "immediate change." The deployment is determined by city ward, and should be by where crime is heaviest.
The study calls the staffing at the 911 center "far below the optimal level." It suggests merging with the county and city 911 centers. The move has been long talked about, but never followed through with. A merge would provide "better services" for the community, the report said.
Detectives have a "significantly high caseload," the report said. There are 15 detectives in the department, according to the sergeants union. The ratio of violent crimes to detectives is 118:1, twice as high as any comparable city, the report said
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"There is clear evidence, based on the ratio of (violent crimes) to detectives, that more detectives in the (criminal investigative bureau) to handle the volume of crime existing in the City of Flint would be beneficial."
Suggestions to relieve some of the detectives are to empower officers to do things such as closing cases that have no way of being solved.
Management
The report is critical of the department's management, which could be blamed, in part, because of high turnover rate at the top.
One of the things missing was a clear set of "organizational goals" that are obtainable and measurable. Another issue was the policy and procedure manual is long out of date. The department should "start from scratch" and create a new policy manual, the study suggests.
It also needs to hold employees more accountable, and needs to complete a review of positions and lines of authority. |
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Sun Feb 19, 2012 10:12 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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FOR MOST THIS REPORT IS WHAT EVERYONE ALREADY KNEW AND HAVE KNOWN FOR YEARS.
THE 12 HR SHIFT IS NOT ALWAYS THE BEST AND WAS TRIED IN FLINT AND CHANGED BACK. THIS WAS A TOPIC OF FLINT TALK DISCUSSION OVER A YEAR AGO.
WALLING SHOULD HAVE NOT BEEN ALLOWED TO COMMENT AS IT WAS HIS ADMINISTRATION USING POPLAR AND EASON THAT CREATED A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT IN THE UNION NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. THEY NEVER BARGAINED IN GOOD FAITH, SO THE MSU STUDY, ASSISTED BY OFFICER TANYA MEEKS, DID NOT QUITE GET IT RIGHT.
WHEN THE CITY HAS RECORD NUMBERS OF HOMICIDES AND VIOLENT EPISODES, HOW MUCH TIME IS THERE FOR COMMUNITY POLICING?
UNDER THE WALLING AND EMERGENCY MANAGER, MOST OF THE TOP ADMINISTRATION LEFT THROUGH RETIREMENT AND THIS LEFT A SERIOUS BRAIN DRAIN. CONTRACTUAL PENSION ISSUES WAS THE MAIN CONTRIBUTOR TO THE RETIREMENTS AS WELL AS A CHANCE TO BUY 3 YEARS OF RETIREMENT. THE EM HAD TO KEEP MARC ANGUS UNDER CONTRACT AS HE WAS ONE OF THE BEST HOMICIDE DETECTIVES THIS CIY HAD.
THE SO CALLED BLIGHT OFFICERS ARE EVEN CALLED OFF WHEN THERE ARE PRIORITY ONE CALLS. AND THAT ALSO APPLIES TO TASK FORCES AND THE OFFICERS WHO HAVE THEIR SALARIES PAID FOR BY HURLEY AND KETTERING.
THE REPORT IS PARTIALLY WRONG AS EFFICIENT CRIME FIGHTING TECHNIQUES WERE UTILIZED IN THE PAST AND THEY WORKED. THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO EMPLOY THEM AND THOSE WHO USED THEM IN THE PAST HAVE LEFT.
Last edited by untanglingwebs on Sun Feb 19, 2012 10:34 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Sun Feb 19, 2012 10:24 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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SOME COMMENTS FROM M-LIVE:
intheknow767 February 19, 2012 at 8:24AM
Ya think?
DWCBOB February 19, 2012 at 8:28AM
In other news, water is wet, the sky is blue, and grass is green.
bezarina February 19, 2012 at 8:36AM
Amazing it took Michigan State a year to come up with what we the people have known for a very long time!!!!! How much did that cost us tax payers for that??? Police officers, firefighters, good teachers, nurses, Emt and ambulance drivers should be making good money and benefits they are important to our society, but instead we pay the movie star or athlete and never bat an eye at their wages.
rabbidfoot February 19, 2012 at 9:17AM
@bezarina . . . . The study was paid for by the Mott Foundation.
Inefficient? You think. We expect them to do a job that calls for at least 500 officers, but don't give them any support and all the city wants to do is take, take, take! The Unions must stand their ground somewhere. Did the report include mutual assistance from outside agencies like the State Troopers, Deputies, Flint Twp., Burton, etc. ?
FPD is doing the best they can with what they have. It's been time for the citizens to step up. As long as nobody cares, what else can they do?
intheknow767 February 19, 2012 at 9:26AM
If you read the article and then the study, you'll find it is saying that they are inefficient because they are understaffed. However, they are not doing the best job they can mostly because of low morale and apathy, which is understandable. Sort of like being on a sinking ship. It's hard to be enthusiastic. The old "union" nonsense is what, in part, leading to their disbandment. See any GM plants around? And, those that are, do their employees a ridiculous hourly wage? Of course not.
The Flint Police Department will not exist 2 years from now. Why do you think their top detectives abruptly took a locked in retirement and bailed? They were around for years and were smart enough, and in the know enough, to see that coming. Goodbye FPD.
trla2682 February 19, 2012 at 9:19AM
Now that they have the data, what is going to be done, and when? When is this meeting with the Emergency Financial Manager? It appears that time is being wasted in trying to save Flint.
godraw February 19, 2012 at 9:33AM
Now that they have the data, what is going to be done, and when?
"A team from Michigan State University spent 11 months starting in March 2010 studying the police department, .......
Um, that would imply the report was finished and presented sometime in Jan/Feb/Mar of 2011.
Or, the parties received it roughly a year ago.
shanedr February 19, 2012 at 9:29AM
It's been obvious for years that the Flint Police Department needs to be re-organized from top to bottom. But trying to convince anyone at city hall that is an exercise in futility.
B17Bomber February 19, 2012 at 9:32AM
nothing is going to be done, there is no money to re-hire more police officer's because the tax base of that funky armpit city.
kemcha February 19, 2012 at 9:34AM
Really? They needed study to determine that the Flint Police Department is understaffed? They wasted taxpayer money for a study that every City of Flint resident already knew? This is a joke.
Mayor Dayne Walling was responsible for downsizing our police department as well as the fire department. So, what happened as a result? Crime increases in an out of control state, murders skyrocket, placing the City of Flint at the top of the crime statistics list and arsons grow out of control.
The only person who should be blamed for this is Mayor Walling. He put our city at risk and placed the residents of our city in harm's way. The man should be prosecuted.
offdahook February 19, 2012 at 9:35AM
The state of law enforcement in the City of Flint is not unique just to Flint. In an attempt to right many cultural injustices, Flint like many other cities, threw out the baby with the bath water, and became more concerned with being politically correct than providing a professional delivery of all city services. What was an attempt to bring a balance of cultures into government became a corruption of cronyism, nepotism and greed that systematically destroyed any chance of finding that balance of cultures and professional leadership that Flint so badly needed and that higher courts intended. Even today after so many documented injustices that have cost Flint taxpayers millions, Flint still struggles to find that balance. Until it does, Flint will never be in control of it’s own future. |
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Sun Feb 19, 2012 10:34 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| Flint's Police Department is still understaffed! What has MSU created to resolve the inefficeincy? |
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Sun Jul 01, 2012 4:11 pm |
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bigmouthconservative
F L I N T O I D
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Lock does not care. Over 100 pairs of fire boots purchased via a grant were sold by Ray Barton for 10 bucks and Barton pocketed the cash. The fraud investigator gave the information to Gary Bates and the New HR person Ericka Hunter and nothing was done. Some of the firefighters who bought the boots were re-selling them on Ebay for 60 bucks a pair!!
Then the fraud investigator was laid off!! Sounds like a retaliatory move!! |
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Sun Jul 01, 2012 7:20 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| Again! Where are the feds in this mess as it was probably a federal grany. |
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Mon Jul 02, 2012 7:07 am |
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