Two months into an evaluation of the Columbus Police Department, police consultant K.B. Turner has heard public input and plans to turn his attention to getting the community engaged with the police through volunteering while recruiting more officers for the department.
At a series of public meetings held in each ward throughout the month of February, Turner and other city administrators heard from citizens about concerns and suggestions for improving public safety in the city.
“I’m still very encouraged by what I have heard from the meetings during last month. Citizens have come out to express themselves and they honored my request … not to just talk about their frustrations but also to provide some recommendations and some suggestions as well,” Turner said.
“I think the meetings went well,” CPD Chief Oscar Lewis agreed. “There were different things that came out of the meetings. … It was far-reaching as far as community concerns.”
Compiling public feedback
To get a comprehensive view of the public’s concerns, Turner had attendees fill out surveys about crime and safety in the city, getting input on concerns ranging from concerns about drugs and gangs to the last time the person filling out the survey talked to a police officer to whether street lighting is adequate.
Turner got approximately 180 surveys back from the six meetings. He’s “perused” the answers, but plans to run a more in-depth analysis on the responses in the coming weeks, comparing answers across different demographics and looking for central themes.
“How was it different between Ward 1 and Ward 6, for example? How about people who are retired versus those who are working? What about those who are below the age of 30 versus those who are over age 30?” Turner said.
Citizen involvement
The analysis will be part of his overall evaluation of the police department, but could take several weeks or even months to complete. In the meantime, he plans to keep getting civilians involved with CPD.
About 30 people from the combined six meetings signed up to volunteer with CPD, Turner said — though he added a handful of people who hadn’t signed up had expressed interest.
These volunteers could make up a civilian report-writing unit or man the CPD’s property room, looking out for lost and found-type items turned in to the department. Volunteers could also role play as civilians in training sessions for officers, Turner said.
“It could be something as simple as a traffic stop,” Turner said. “It could be more complex by having several citizens involved in a scene where there are a lot of individuals who may be involved in some conflict. I think it’d be great to have citizens involved in that capacity and see how officers respond.”
What they won’t be doing is handling evidence in criminal cases or strapping on weapons.
“They would be in a non law enforcement capacity,” Turner said. “They will not have access to weapons or any other items that identify them as a law enforcement officer. A lot of (what they do) will be clerical in nature.”
They also won’t be paid, he said — they’re not city employees.
Apart from citizen engagement, Turner’s other priorities include recruitment and retention in CPD.
Personnel
“We’re going to continue to engage in what I call this ‘aggressive’ form of recruiting for new officers,” he said.
About 50 people attended a CPD Career Day on February 25, Turner said. According to CPD’s Twitter, the department handed out 45 applications in about four hours. Before the day was up, 15 had been filled out and returned, City Public Information Officer Joe Dillon said, while more have come in since.
Turner plans to hold another career day on March 25 — and it won’t be the last, he added. Dillon said the department will coordinate with universities to determine a good time closer to graduation when potential applicants could attend a career day.
Seventeen potential recruits took the department’s Physical Training test Saturday, said Dillon, including some who had filled out applications on February 25. Preliminary results suggest that 14 passed, meaning they can move on to the next phase of the application process.
Turner also wants to recruit from universities and military bases and institutions. He wants everyone who might be interested to know CPD is hiring officers.
He’ll also continue to work with officers already at the department, riding with them on patrols and talking with them in focus group meetings. Many of them have the same concerns as the public, he said — specifically staffing.
Overall, Turner’s pleased with the response he’s had from citizens — not only that they’ve attended meetings and listened to him and each other, but because they’re willing to volunteer with the department.
“In terms of the future, we are going to continue to look ahead,” he added. “…What can we do for 2017 to enhance conditions to make sure we improve upon our staffing numbers and make this place a greater place to live? In terms of the department, we’re going to make Columbus the department destination for folks who want to work as an officer.”
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