Police Committee asks Chief to justify need for another officer

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[A special meeting of the Fire Department, Police Department and Public Safety Committee was held on Monday, February 13 to discuss the need for a new police officer and whether a vacancy in the police department exists.

During the 2 hour meeting McKinney was asked to justify the need of another officer.

"Our biggest issue is covering the shifts," said McKinney. "We need to staff our shifts. We have a hard time filling shifts."

Part-time officers were a big conversation at the meeting. McKinney was asked why the part-time officers hired never work. He was then asked if he has ever had a staff meeting with the part-time officers, to which he responded no.

In regards to having staff meetings, McKinney said " No, I don't. We are too small of a department."

McKinney was then told to have a meeting with his part-time staff to see if they were available to work.

"If you've never had a meeting with the part-timers then how do you know they are not available or willing to work?" Asked Alderman Nancy Crossland. "We go on what you (McKinney) tell us and you are telling us they aren't available to work. Have the meeting, they may be available."

Resident Tom Search asked McKinney "If you're short and got a good group of part-time people to choose from, why are you not choosing them?"

"You're the administrator. You need to sit down with your part-timers and figure out a plan, said Blechle. " We told Ryan to make it work and he made it work. You have got to make it work. If you wanted the job as administrator then you need to do your administrative job."