Summary
The Kensington Police Chief and General Manager, Barry Garfield walked off the job at the end of May after a discussion about $1,317 allocated to the park for the construction of a footpath by the Eagle Scouts. Chief Garfield is now on sick leave, and has made a workers' compensation claim against the department. Prior to his departure, three young police officers have left the department in the past 14 months. Their reasons for leaving have never been made public.
An ad hoc committee of the KPPCSD board is now searching for a longer term interim chief who the board hopes will be a retired police chief from outside the area. This person will take on the role of interim police chief and general manager. It is also the intention of the board to have this person conduct an audit or investigation of the police department. Areas this investigation will cover include the workings of the department, the reasons for the departure of so many officers, and the relationship between the board and the chief and general manager. The board has allocated $100,000 in the 2006/2007 budget to cover the costs of this temporary contract.
Should one person act as the interim Police Chief/General Manager while simultaneously investigating the department and the recent departures? Or should these jobs be done by two persons, independently of each other? This is the question for Kensington in this issue of Kitchen Democracy.
Pros and Cons: Our current choice
We read every comment. When we find a particularly compelling one, pro or con, we post it here.
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Don't forget to check back in a few days. Our favorites can change as more Kitchen Democracy citizens submit even more persuasive arguments.
Robert and Simona
Kitchen Democracy
Should the Kensington Police Department be audited by someone other than the interim police chief?
| Yes | No |
|---|---|
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To accomplish its twin goals of (1) ensuring a successful tenure for the interim police chief, and (2) a useful and objective assessment of the Kensington Police Department (KPD), the KPPCSD should engage an independent individual or organization to complete the KPD assessment. Given the abrupt departure of the Police Chief/General Manager, the recent turnover among the officers, the need to effectively train new officers, deploy the remaining officers, and finalize and oversee the 2006-2007 budget, the interim police chief will need to focus on gaining the confidence of the officers, scheduling and deployment, and preparation and implementation of the budget. An assessment of the KPD, on the other hand, needs to be performed objectively and independently in order to, at a minimum: * identify the reasons for the turnover among officers over the past two years, assess the KPD's staffing and budget in relation to similar, high quality police departments located in communities comparable to Kensington elsewhere in California; and * recommend improvements that would reduce turnover, and maximize public safety. The skills, perspective, focus and priorities required to successfully build the confidence of the police officers, train and deploy them, and oversee the budget; are distinct from those required to effectively and objectively assess the reasons for turnover and identify recommended improvements. To be credible, an independent assessment by its nature requires objectivity, and a certain distance from the department, the budget, and the officers. The interim police chief, on the other hand, needs to be a very interested and hands on leader, cultivating the officers' confidence and working closely with the KPPCSD to implement the budget. Both functions will be accomplished more efficiently and with better results if they are completed by different individuals. Carla I. Javits Kensington July 1, 2006 Carla Javits |
This may duplicate legal advice & enquiry; it purports to obtain information useful to the future of the department, but its hope, as I read it, is to expose personnel problems that are no longer current. monsieur boudu |