RAYTOWN'S LEADING NEWS SOURCE
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| BY GREG WALTERS |
Personnel
Policy Review
Late last year the Raytown Board of Aldermen consolidated
the Personnel Code for the City of Raytown. The task was long overdue.
Raytown’s personnel code was a hodge-podge of different rules for different
departments.
The new Personnel Code as approved by the Board
was a well-defined set of rules that fit all employees of Raytown City Hall.
At a work session of the Board last Tuesday, a number of
representatives of different departments of the city came forward to make
suggestions on how to fine-tune the new document. Some of the changes were
minor, some were more far reaching. This article will deal with two of the
areas of contention brought forth by the Raytown Police Department.
GPS FOR POLICE VEHICLES
New technology has been a blessing for those who work in law
enforcement. Which causes us to wonder why the police department has dug its
heels in when it comes to using GPS to track police vehicles.
Nationwide there has been a trend to use GPS to monitor
police vehicles. The reasons are many. St. Louis is one such city.
St. Louis Chief of Police Dan Isom believe the GPS system
will reduce response times, an improved safety factor for officers, and help in
the pursuit of felons on the run.
REDUCE RESPONSE TIMES: When a police officer is dispatched
to a crime scene, precious minutes are lost determining who is the closest to
respond. With GPS tracking, the location of individual police cars can known in
a heartbeat.
OFFICER SAFETY: Most Raytown officers patrol alone. If one
of them should be injured and unable to use his or her radio, the GPS will show
their exact location, expediting the appropriate response.
PURSUIT OF FELONS: High speed chases can more easily be
monitored, enhancing a swift conclusion.
ACCOUNTABILITY: How many readers know there have police
vehicles involved in car accidents in which children were in the car? Officers
who take their vehicles home can be monitored to make certain police equipment
is only used for police business. GPS technology can also be used to protect
officers against false accusations.
STOLEN POLICE CARS: Yes, it has happened. With GPS
monitoring, the car thief will not get too far.
We live in the 21st Century. It is time to put the
technology available to our city to work to make Raytown a safer community. The
Police Department should drop its obstructionist action against the use of GPS
technology in police cars.
VEHICLE TAKE HOME POLICY
If there is an accounting of what vehicles are taken home by
city employees is a closely held secret. Usually the argument in favor of such
policies has to do with emergency response by emergency personnel.
Fair enough, the Board of Aldermen should ask for a
breakdown of the times and incident so they can make a determination of what is
the best policy for the City.
We often hear how Raytown is faced with tight budgets. If we
take that statement to be true, then the Board should be made aware of what
areas could safely be curtailed in expenses.
We live in the 21st Century. It is time to put the
technology available to our city to work to make Raytown a safer community. The
Police Department should drop its obstructionist action against the use of GPS
technology in police cars.
The Board put together a well thought out personnel code. We
have reviewed it, and frankly, we see no reason to change any of the policies
put into place late last year.
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Comments
When I look at the pages of requirements that the chief has dreamt up to prevent an outsider from running. There are about 8 pages, it is crazy. No one other than a current member of the force can meet all the standards and requirements.
The requirements for police chief may not have been directly authored by police personnel but the fact hat they are so limiting, I think, leads to an inbreeding influence. And what present member of the force that may have the rare qualifications wants to take on their boss?
This is just one of many problems with Raytown that has taken root over the years that will be nearly impossible to cure.
On the other hand.... I have met both the present police chief and the former police chief (now mayor), and both seem like pretty good men. So things could be worse.
Now get ready for the nut case to come out of the wood work, accusing you of being a "tough guy" cop hater who should just go down there and apply if you think you can do it better.
Go to http://www.moga.mo.gov/mostatutes/chapters/chapText079.html
City marshal, training requirements, fourth class cities.
79.055. 1. Any person who is elected to his first term as city marshal in a general election or in a special election in any fourth class city of this state shall, within six months of such election, cause to be filed with the city clerk of the city and director of the department of public safety proof that he has completed the training program formulated pursuant to sections 590.170 and 590.175, or some other comparable training program of not less than one hundred twenty hours' instruction approved by the director of the department of public safety. If the newly elected city marshal is unable to complete the training program within six months due to the proper course not being available from the department of public safety, an extension may be granted until such a course is made available.
2. Whether any person elected to his first term as city marshal attends such a training program prior to or after assuming the duties of his office shall be left to the discretion of the governing body of the city from which he was elected. During the time that a marshal-elect is enrolled in such a training program, he shall be hired as a city employee and receive as full compensation from the city from which he was elected, compensation at a rate equal to that of city marshal.
(L. 1997 H.B. 69 & 179 & H.B. 669 § 2)
I hope you guys give a full report of what all the voting was about last night. You are our only hope -- you know it will not be in the Raytown Times.
Did you even watch the whole meeting or just watch and not listen? The personnel code IS finished, they were just discussing points to be amended. Councilman Green made an excellent point, why discuss and entertain things that could be passed into policy which would have legal implications WITHOUT an attorney going over those potential amendments? Get a clue!
Wasn't it stated last night that for MPR to look at it that it didnt cost additional money, oh wait it was. Dont see the problem with them looking at it.
Does this mean we can go before the judge and decide what should be enforce upon us - NO
Which means the officers and management within the police department that don't like what is in the employee handbook need to either grow up or find employment some other place.
Bob's comments against Muslims reminds me of the hate against my own religion.
For those that are not Catholic you might not know the hate and unjust clams spread against us during the 1960 Presidential elation. Mostly by good old groups of people claiming to be Christians.
However, we were hunted down in the 1920s by the Klan, because they didn't approve of our religion and stand by it was their calling as Christians.
The last time I checked the Catholic church is the oldest Christian religion and all other religions clamming to be Christian split from it.
Claiming being the correct term when none of them include Bob Phillips recall the following Bible verses:
Mark 12:30-31
30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[a] 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] There is no commandment greater than these.”
Maybe when folks like Bob Phillips get right with God they world will be a peaceful place to live, but until that time I fear the actions of people like Bob Phillips.
You bring up interesting facts about the ugly history of those who clam to be "Christian"
You might also remind them of John 8:7
I encourage anyone who has wondered about how the police do things to enroll. Classes are held at the Raytown library on Wed nights. This is a FREE program. Watch for the city newsletter for more info about signing up.
If the police dept is a "kingdom" why do they have VOLUNTEERS helping to plan the Safety Fair, Coffee with a Cop, Citizen's Academy, etc. The volunteers are citizens just like you who want to bring the police and the community closer together.
What I cannot understand is the sloppy work being done on 59th Street. I drive in Kansas City and Raytown all day long. When I come across a steel plate in Kansas City it is neatly placed on the hole it is covering. it is recessed into the ground so you do not have a 1" + hit by your cars tires when you drive over it. it is then sealed with asphalt around the edges. Go look at the one on 59th Stsreet in Raytown. It looks like someone threw it at the hole and missed. It is not recessed in to keep the street ride smooth. It has loose gravel around the edges of it that literally gets spread every where but where it belongs to protect motorists vehicles.
Why can't they do it right in Raytown like they do in Kansas City?
They won't get involved. They'd rather sit at home and gripe on here and on Facebook about how bad things are. It's just like the woman that showed up at the city council meeting Tuesday complaining about super splash closing. She's the same one who went to the tv station and gave channel 9 all the misinformation. She complains that her lifeguard friends can't get jobs where they feel important. It's rare for a teenage to be important in anything, except maybe in their own minds. If they want a job, go to Taco Bell, Apple Market, McDonalds or Hy-Vee. All these places are hiring. It is not the city's responsibility to provide them with a "fun job".
It's their mess
Have you ever dealt with Neil Cleavenger at Raytown Water Co.? He will smile to your face when you have a problem with his water co and pretend like he cares and doesn't do a damn thing to fix your problem. The city will have to put pressure on him to fix the mess on 59th st. Oh, wait, the city put pressure on Neil? Why would the city do that when the city and Neil are in "bed" with each other. We, the city, will inherit this mess with his aging water line infrastructure, you just wait and see.
Oh wait, hardly any of our top city staff live in Raytown either. This little burg is only 10 square miles folks
Seriously, why not find out how many are going home with cars. Then find out how far away they live. THEN find out how many times they have actuaully responded to an emergency from their home.
I think that would carry more weight than what you gathered from an Alderman. For goodness sake, what if the one alderman were jim aziere?
And yet one of the primary requirements of a candidate for police chief is that they are resident of Raytown. I think for a year before the election.
Makes for a tiny pool of potential candidates.
But the salary keeps going up.
Hey Aldermen... please look into this waste of our tax payer money.