Dear Members,
We would like to thank everyone for their participation with the BPOA (membership) survey that was completed in June. As previously discussed, the survey was intended to assess the concerns of our membership with regard to a variety of factors associated with working conditions, leadership, and service delivery. The response from our membership signified a unified voice of significant concern.
Just prior to, and following the release of the survey results, President Jay Hawver and Sergeant Representative Sean Kelley began meeting with the Chief and the Deputy Chief to discuss the issues that were identified by our members. Chief LaChasse expressed that he wanted the opportunity to work with the BPOA to address our concerns. Suffice it to say that while ultimately productive, the meetings took time and were spaced to allow for consultation and reflection. The BPOA Board greatly appreciates your patience and understanding during this time.
As a direct result of these meetings, we are encouraged by some of the changes that Chief LaChasse has agreed to make. As you are all aware by now, two SRO positions have been restored and those positions should be filled immediately. Likewise, we are also pleased with the addition of the hybrid gang detail. We are hoping a full-time gang detail will be instituted in the near future. We are excited with the opportunity these positions bring to our membership, as well as the increased level of service we will now be able to provide to our community.
In addition, the Chief has agreed to installing two members (primary and secondary)on the Critical Incident Review Board. Both members will be included in the discussion of the reviewed incidents, however, only the primary member will have the ability to cast a vote. We are hoping the addition of peer members to this process will open the door to a greater level of interaction. We originally proposed a model that is similar to a program called "Shared Leadership." The Shared Leadership Program is currently in place at the Broken Arrow Police Department in Oklahoma. I would encourage you to review the Shared Leadership Program concept that is summarized in this article (www.policechiefmagazine.org). There is no-doubt the addition of peer members to the CIRB is a step in the right direction.
As you may already be aware, PredPol has been suspended. A review of this program will be forthcoming once a permanent crime analyst has been hired. Hopefully, the review will include a substantive assessment into the efficacy of the program and the applicability to cities such as Burbank. The BPOA will be conducting a comparative survey of other (similar sized) cities to determine their experience with the the system from the perspective of the end user. In the meantime, it is important that officers remain vigilant and aware of issues within their assigned areas. PredPol reports will still be sent and will need to be reviewed for deployment applicability. However, the requirement to be present within the PredPol boxes is now suspended. Officer initiated missions will be taking the place of PredPol assignments. Please take your assignments seriously and work to solve police related problems and reduce crime through self-initiated proactive enforcement.
We have been assured that the current patrol log will be replaced by a computer version within the next 60 days. The computer log will be automated based on CAD activity and should require minimal manual input. We are excited about this change and are eagerly awaiting implementation.
Several recommendations for improvements to our equipment have also been implemented. We have returned to a full slug load for our shotguns. Optics for the patrol rifle program are being researched, and will hopefully be implemented/deployed in the near future. We will continue to bring suggestions/concerns regarding our equipment to the command staff for review and discussion.
Again, we would like to thank all of our members who took the survey and helped to make it a success. We understand there are other issues, such as policy changes, that are equally important to our membership. We will continue to work toward meaningful and productive changes in all of the areas that were identified by our members. We ask for your patience as we engage in future discussions with our command staff in these areas. Please understand that it took time to implement our current policies and it will take time and justification to make any meaningful changes/adjustments to them.
As always, the BPOA (Board of Directors) is here for you. Please do not hesitate to speak with your representative if you have any questions or you are curious about a particular process or procedure. Please keep up the good work.
Burbank Police Officers' Association
Board of Directors