Agenda Packets - 1992/12/28 - Laserfiche WebLink

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In recent years, the Police Department has realized a significant increase in "calls for service". Officers are spending more time in responding to calls. Consequently, less time is being spent in the enforcement and prevention area of police work. To help supplement the manpower shortage, the Department created a Reserve Unit in 1986. The Reserve Unit presently consists of seven members who regularly patrol with sworn officers. Reserve Officers will also be available in the event of disasters or civic events. Reserve Officers and/or part-time officers should not be considered as a replacement for a regular full-time officer. Their authority, duties, and responsibilities are very limited. The current ratio of one officer per 1,000 inhabitants is below the State average of 1.2 officers per 1,000 inhabitants for Class V cities. In response to national and local concern about drug abuse, the Police Department will attack the problem in two ways. On the prevention side, we will be working with school officials on a drug education program at Pinewood School. Project D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is a substance use prevention program designed to equip elementary school children with skills for resisting pressure to experiment with tobacco, drugs and alcohol. This Fall we will have an officer teaching five fifth grade classes for a period of seventeen consecutive weeks. The D.A.R.E. Officer will spend a minimum of two days a week at Pinewood School during this seventeen week period. On the enforcement side, the Police Department will try to assign an officer to the Ramsey County Drug Task Force. This assignment will be for a minimum period of three months. An assignment for a longer period would be of a great benefit for Mounds View, but without hiring additional staff. Both the Drug Task Force and Project D.A.R.E. would be in jeopardy. Poli I - • • u - : • u - County are and will continue to discuss and study the possibilities of consolidation of services. Communications, crime lab and training are the topics being discussed. Ramsey County has updated their dispatching equipment resulting in a substantial increase for this service for 1993. Recently purchased Mobile Data Terminal will also increase communication costs for 1993. Our current computer system has been in place since 1986. The hardware in this system has not been upgraded. The Police Department will propose purchasing two P.C. terminals and a laser printer. With an increase in population and a commercialdrbusiness districcrwprdlygrowing, police activity is increasing. Cutbacks in police services may be realized if revenues remain constant. Services such as unlocking car doors, property damage accidents, and vacation house checks 21