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May 28, 2024 St. Anthony Council Work Session - 2 <br />As formal and informal conversations taken place and community feedback has been received on this <br />topic, three areas of concern have been raised to mitigate: <br />Ensure participating City Councils foster an effective partner relationship – The three participating City <br />Councils should establish a formal or informal commitment to regularly communicating and building <br />relationships i.e. coordinating attendance at conference and events or an annual joint formal meeting <br />that may or may not focus on police services. The overall objective to be that the policy-makers that <br />ultimately control the partnership establish continuity as members change and each community evolves <br />so there is stability for the Police Department and the Police Officers that would serve the combined <br />communities of St. Anthony Village, Falcon Heights and Lauderdale. <br />Clearly defined service expectations, chain of command and authority over policing strategies – The <br />top administrative personnel from each city and the chosen command staff from the Police Department <br />should meet and discuss police services and community needs on a regular basis. The current contract <br />with Lauderdale, which is the basis for a renewed contract with Falcon Heights, includes a section on a <br />Joint Advisory Committee. Staff would reword this section and utilize it as a regular meeting of staff <br />from all partners to discuss police services operations and the objectives from all three partner Council’s <br />are being met. The objective would be to simplify communication between the partner cities and ensure <br />expectations of the Police Department are clearly understood and balances consistency with the unique <br />needs of each partner city. <br />Appropriate sharing financial impact of extraordinary incidents – City Staff from St. Anthony and <br />Falcon Heights are coordinating with our respective City Attorneys and the League of Minnesota Cities <br />Insurance Trust to draft language to address this concern. That draft language is not ready for review <br />but all parties are in agreement in concept and will present language when a draft contract is ready for <br />all Council’s review. <br />Police Chief Spiess presented the Police Department SWOT Analysis and Benefits to City & Police <br />Departments. <br />Strengths <br />Proximity <br />Familiarity <br />Police Culture <br />Community Engagement Philosophy. <br />Data Driven Approach <br />Transparency <br />Reputation <br />Weaknesses <br />Currently short staffed (Officers, Detectives, Admin) <br />Historical Impact <br />Facilities (Space, Function, Evidence) <br />Opportunities <br />Department Resiliency <br />Schedule Flexibility <br />Career Growth & Enrichment <br />Recruitment & Retention