05-21-12 Council Makes Inquiries on Policies, Procedures and Protocols Addressing Phone Calls and Recordings

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Memorandum Date: May 21, 2012 To: Mayor Pete Buttigieg Police Chief Charles Hurley Division Chief Gary Horvath From: The Undersigned Members of the South Bend Common Council Re: Policies, Procedures and Protocols Addressing Calls and Recordings Since March 29"' when the Mayor's News Release titled "Boykins Resigns Post as Police Chief' was released, the South Bend Common Council has been patiently and professionally monitoring information it has received from the Mayor's Office and that which has been reported in the various news outlets. Last Friday, the Mayor met with representatives from the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. The news media reported that the Mayor will join Rainbow PUSH representatives "...in calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to look into the content of the recordings ". In light of Friday's Mayoral announcement, the undersigned members of the Common Council believe that inquiries must be made to preserve the integrity and viability of the process and give clarity to those who have chosen to be part of the city workforce. This becomes a heightened concern in light of the latest Police Department Annual Report filed by the Mayor's Office on May 8, 2012 which reported that in 2011 there were: • 90,484 9 -1 -1 telephone calls received 79,063 Police Department administrative calls received • 44,944 Police Administrative outbound calls and that under the heading "Front Desk. Police Reports & Other Services to the Public" it listed: "Primary Call Takers for Police Administrative Telephone Lines 19.5 % of all `Code 2' Police Reports taken (3,438 out of 17,568) The process of receiving, screening and prioritizing the various calls for police service and of dispatching police units must be a smooth - flowing operation in order to address the needs of our citizens. The process of maintaining records of each of the calls listed in the most recent Police Department Annual Report must have protocols addressing roles of responsibility and authority, so that there is transparency and accountability. It is in that interest, that the undersigned Council Members request the following preliminary information: What protocols were in place prior to March 29, 2012, the date of the Mayor's press release referenced above, to order to maintain and protect the integrity of all calls and recordings? 2. What protocols were instituted after March 30, 2012, in order to maintain and protect the integrity of all calls and recordings?