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younger officers. Their equipment and uniforms will be provided by the SBPD and we anticipate <br /> the officers to retain their uniforms. If this is approved by the Council, there will be a public job <br /> posting simply for qualification purposes. There would then be an interview process and finally a <br /> recommendation to the Board of Public Safety. The Board of Public Safety is the only legal <br /> authority to hire and swear-in police officers. <br /> Committeemember Johh Voorde asked, What shift would these police officers primarily <br /> supplement? <br /> Chief Lanchsweerdt replied, They won't be supplementing shifts or working beats. They will do <br /> walking patrols, special events,parades, and possibly be involved with different levels of <br /> investigations. This will also be a PR thing to let the community know we are there for them. <br /> Councilmember Tim Scott asked, Do you anticipate police officers from other communities to <br /> apply? And would there be a specialized training program associated with coming into a <br /> different community or department? Has the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) been involved with <br /> any of this and are they aware of this? <br /> Chief Lanchsweerdt replied, We do anticipate that and we will not preclude other officers. <br /> However, we would work with HR to see if the qualification calls for the officer to be from our <br /> community, first. With regard to training, that would have to be evaluated based on their time of <br /> separation from their department. The Police Department's Administration has been very open <br /> with the FOP. Their main concern was whether or not this would be used to make up the <br /> difference of current personnel and that answer is no. <br /> Councilmember Dr. David Varner asked, As part-time employees, would they be covered by <br /> collective bargaining?And what is the estimated budget amount for this program? <br /> Chief Lanchsweerdt replied,No,they would not. There are no benefits tied to this program as it <br /> is a flat-rate pay for the officers. As of now there is no analysis of what the expense would be. <br /> This program would be no more than twelve (12) officers but we are starting with six (6)to <br /> evaluate what we would need. <br /> Councilmember Regina Williams-Preston asked, Have other departments done this? Have they <br /> been successful? <br /> Chief Lanchsweerdt replied, Other agencies have used a reserve officer program. St. Joseph <br /> County does. The only difference between our program and theirs is that it will be an actual part- <br /> time job as opposed to a special deputy. That is allowed by having an ordinance and the Board of <br /> Public Safety swearing them in. <br /> Committee Chair Broden stated, I'm concerned with the timing and the rolling out of this <br /> program. If you don't know your potential pool of people who are ready to go, what is your <br /> sense of your ability to fill these five (5) or six (6)positions quickly? <br /> Chief Lanchsweerdt replied, We don't have any formal process through which we can gauge the <br /> interest. Through informal conversations we have had officers express an interest in joining this <br /> 2 <br />