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Long -Term Financial Plan <br />Page Twelve <br />To help supplement the manpower shortage, the <br />Department created a Reserve Unit in 1986. The <br />Reserve Unit presently consista of seven mL,nbers who <br />regularly patrol with sworn officers. Reserve <br />Officers will also be available in the event of <br />disasters or civic events. <br />Reserve officers and/or part-time officers should not <br />be considered as a replacement for a regular full <br />time officer. Their authority, duties, and responsi- <br />bilities are very limited. The current ratio of one <br />officer per 1,000 inhabitants is significantly below <br />the State average of 1.2 officers per 1,000 <br />inhabitants for Class V cities. Serious considera- <br />tion should be qiven to increasing the Department's <br />strength in the coming years. <br />The Police Department will be evaluating the <br />feasibility of a Joint Powers Agreement with the City <br />of New Brighton for a School Liason Officer. The <br />Liaison Officer would be officed at Irondale High <br />School but would regularly visit at the Junior High <br />and Elementary Schools. The Officer's primary duties <br />would be to assist school -aged children with their <br />problems and to assist in juvenile crimi-al <br />investigation. <br />In response to national and local concern about drug `- <br />abuse, the Department will be working with school <br />officials to implement a drug education program at <br />Pinewood School. Project DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance <br />Education) is a substance use pervention program <br />designed to equip elementary school children with <br />skills for resisting pressure to experiment with <br />tobacco, drugs and alcohol. DARE is a seventeen week <br />program taught by Police officers to fifth grade <br />students. <br />Ramsey County is currently studying its dispatching <br />and communication systems. There is a good <br />Possibility that Ramsey County will update its <br />dispatching capabilities with computer aided <br />dispatching and changing radio frequencies to a <br />different band. If this occurs, new radios would <br />have to be purchased and additional costs will be <br />required. <br />With an increase in population and a commercial and <br />business district rapidly growing, police activity is <br />increasing. Cutbacks in police services may be <br />realized if revenues remain constant. Services such <br />as unl°ckJnz car joors, property damage accidents, <br />