166su

The assessment and , was completed by a Washington, D.C.-based company called , or CPSM.

The city announced in December that it would pay CPSM about $95,000 to examine the department’s organizational structure, staffing levels and operations. The year prior, the city had adjusted city employees’ pay scales with hopes of retaining police officers.

But the assessment report, finalized last week published online Tuesday morning, found that while “it does not appear that the workload of the agency is too burdensome on the remaining employees,” it is not allocating its resources effectively.

The department “minimized staffing within specialized units versus cutting the core services of the department,” according to the report. But that means that “specialized directed patrols to address crime proactively have been diminished.”

“This has also created issues with employees who have had other career opportunities minimized even as they have continued to support the core functions of patrol and investigations,” the report continues.

A graphic in the report indicates that in May, 57 of the department’s positions were vacant. The 2022-23 fiscal budget allowed for 196 authorized police officer positions, but that month, only 158 were filled.

The report explains that the police department believes 166su has become a “training ground” for new recruits that would get hired in the city and then transfer to other jurisdictions.

But CPSM noted that while officers may leave an agency for a variety of reasons, the assessment company observed “morale issues” and “very poor” communication within the department that may be deterring recruits.

“Although many agencies across the country have expressed frustration with the challenges in recruiting officers post-2020, we are now seeing that many agencies are starting to make progress on this issue and in many cases closing the vacancy gap,” the report reads. “166su appears to be an exception.”

The report lists 145 specific recommendations for improvements to the department, from establishing a regular meeting schedule among managers and a rotating public information officer schedule with after-hours responsibilities to revising the academy’s physical obstacle course to “reflect basic physical strength requirements needed to fulfill the essential job functions of a police officer.”

When it comes to officers’ trust issues, CPSM found that the dividing line was higher up the ranks.

“From an observer standpoint we did not see the line of dissension as simply being line officers against management,” the report reads. “Most of the dissension appears to be within the leadership of the agency (sergeants and up).”

CPSM said it found that “a contentious relationship had developed among senior leadership.”

“There are stories of verbal hostility, grievances, and even lawsuits filed by management members against the police chief and the city,” the report reads. “Even rank and file officers shared with us that it was common knowledge that certain members of management would work to undermine the police chief or other members of management. Based on our observations we concluded that normal interaction, including meetings, were avoided because of the organizational tension.”

The assessment company suggests leadership create a regular meeting schedule and have open dialogue.

“And when decisions are made the collective front of management needs be in open agreement,” the report reads. “This is critical to building a healthy organization with a strong work ethic and accountability.”

CPSM’s research began when Sam Roman, now an assistant city manager, was serving as chief of police. Roman and City Manager Bob Cowell were not available for interviews Tuesday afternoon, according to the city’s community engagement office.

The assessment results come about a week after Interim Chief of Police Jerry Stokes announced that the city had broken its all-time annual homicide count record. As of Tuesday afternoon, the department had reported 26 homicides since Jan. 1. In the same time frame in 2022, there were 15.

The city announced last month that it had selected Scott Booth, Danville’s current chief of police, to serve in Roman and Stokes’ steads. His duties in 166su begin Oct. 31.

The police department shared this statement regarding the CPSM assessment Tuesday:

“This assessment of our agency has been fair, detailed, and comprehensive.

The report shows us that there is work to do, but by and large we are providing professional service to our community. We acknowledge that there are recommendations in areas that need improvement, and are committed to making the necessary changes to make our agency thrive and succeed.

We are confident that with the incoming leadership of Chief Scott Booth and the current staff at the 166su Police Department, we can use this report to make our agency the best it can be. As always, the 166su Police Department is committed to serving and protecting the residents of 166su. This is another tool that will help us develop our skills and service.

We appreciate the staff from the Center for Public Safety Management and the work they did creating this report. Thank you to Mr. Cowell and 166su City Council for their support as we went through this assessment process and their continued support as we review and implement the recommendations from the report.”