Fallsnewspress.com - Police operating with less following personnel cutbacks

by Steve Wiandt

Reporter

Cuyahoga Falls -- Following recent changes in personnel, the city's Police Department is operating more efficiently with less officers, according to a police captain.

As of Jan. 11, the department instituted changes in how they will respond or not respond to non-emergency calls and minor crimes, said Police Capt. Jack Davis. Most of the residents will not know the difference, Davis said.

"If you call 911, you're going to get police response," Davis said. However, he added, if the call is about a car break-in overnight, it may have to wait if something of a higher priority is ahead of it.

Last month three police officers and one community service officer were laid off after the police's local unions refused to take concessions to their current contract as part of the city's efforts to reduce expenses in this year's General Fund. On Feb. 1 four sergeants were demoted to the rank of patrolman to further cut costs. Also prompting adjustments in staff has been the retirement of a lieutenant who was a shift commander.

The Police Department has also temporarily suspended its canine program and its police in the classrooms (school resource officer) program, Davis said. This will enable the canine handler and the three school resource officers to spend all their time on the road patrolling. Davis said the adjustments being made will keep the number of officers assigned to the road at 54.

Davis said both of these programs had value to the department and "hopefully down the road" they can both can be reinstated.

Among calls that will no longer be answered is vehicle lockouts, Davis said, who added exceptions would be made for emergencies, such as a small child locked in a car or a trapped pet on an extremely hot or cold day. If the call sounds potentially serious, the dispatcher can make a judgment call.

"We've left leeway for our dispatchers and shift commanders to make some decisions," Davis said. Lockouts, however, have become more difficult in recent years, he said, because vehicles are built with guards to block the use of a lockout tool. "Most departments have quit doing lockouts years ago," Davis said.

Davis said there will no longer be follow-up investigations into bicycle thefts or lost or stolen cell phones. He said if there is a lead, the responding patrolman will look into it, but the reports will not be forwarded to the police's detective bureau. Davis noted that often reports on missing cell phones are filed only for insurance purposes.

Welfare checks will now be handled by the Fire Department. Most of the time when someone calls to report not hearing or seeing someone for a while the case is related to medical issues, Davis said.

Davis said the Police Department will no longer deliver messages.

Deliver messages?

"You'd be amazed," Davis said. "Because we're open 24 hours, people tend to rely on us for everything." Officers will continue to deliver messages for other law enforcement agencies, he added.

Hit-skip accidents will not be investigated unless there are leads when the report is taken. Public appearances will be handled only by on-duty personnel so that no one is given overtime.

Officers will not respond to fireworks calls on Fourth of July unless there is an injury, Davis said. Instead, calls will be logged into the computer system so officers can keep an eye out. Davis noted, however, that if officers see anyone setting off fireworks they will be cited. Calls of a suspicious car or person in the area will not be responded to, Davis said. Typically, he said, these come 20 minutes after the car or person is gone anyway.

Police will no longer be sent to a water main break. "We can't fix it," the captain said. "Dispatch will now send the calls to the Water Department." If parents need a police officer on standby for a child custody transfer, parties involved will be asked to come to the station. The same for the transfer of personal property.

Reckless operation calls will be logged in as informational, but officers will not respond to the area. The driver is usually not there when police get there anyway, Davis said.

"It's these kinds of things that probably aren't going to impact most people, just little things we're doing to save time so officers can follow up on more important stuff," Davis said.

"The focus will be on investigation and putting time into the more serious offenses," said Capt. Tom Pozza, commander of the Police Department's investigation division. "The investigation of more serious crimes will not be lessened," said Pozza, whose division is short five detectives who were transferred to the patrol division.

"They will always take precedent and always get the attention that is needed," Pozza said. "Some of the minor incidents may not get the attention that they have gotten in the past."

The responsibility for follow-ups on minor calls where there are leads will fall to the patrol officer, Pozza said. "It used to be patrol officers would take reports and forward them to the detective bureau for follow-up," he said. Pozza said that forwarding fewer calls to detectives will give patrol officers the opportunity to follow up and investigate calls they first responded to. "They may enjoy that," he said.

Davis said changes were made in how calls are handled because patrol officers have the added responsibility of follow-ups. "For some of the patrol guys, it will be refreshing," he said. "There are guys who enjoy the follow-ups."

The department currently has 78 officers, Davis said, with 54 assigned to the road on three shifts. Davis added that the department is eventually going to have five overlapping shifts. The department had 92 officers in 2007, Davis said, only three short of the department's authorized strength. He said city ordinance allows up to 95 in the department, but there is no minimum.

E-mail: swiandt@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3141