CITY OF EAST PROVIDENCE
RHODE ISLAND
JOURNAL OF COUNCIL WORKSHOP
COMMUNITY POLICING (COP) GRANT
MONDAY,
Present: Mayor Rolland R. Grant City Council
Gerald R. Lynch
Peter F. Midgley
Norman J. Miranda
Paul E. Lemont City Manager
William J. Conley, Jr. City Solicitor
Valerie A. Perry City Clerk
Absent: Joseph S. Larisa, Jr. City Council
Mayor Grant calls the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m.
Police Chief Gary Dias, Lt. Norman Miranda, Jr., and Community Relations Officer Robert Rock address the Council and answer questions about the program. Chief Dias says that they are proposing five (5) positions to be funded and the officers will be taken from within the ranks. Mr. Lemont says he would support five (5) new positions but would be more comfortable with four (4).
Chief Dias says there is no truth to rumors that the officers will be special people with special uniforms, or that they would be working strictly during the day.
Responding to a question from Mr. Midgley, Mr. Lemont says there is money to accomplish what is agreed to regarding the program. Chief Dias states that there will be no penalty if the program is dropped after the three year period.
Mayor Grant voices his concerns about the program and asks Chief Dias what has been done in the Department to train the officers to accept the program and the officers in it. Chief Dias says once the program is formulated, the officers will be educated about the program. Mr. Lynch says the Police Chief is well qualified to run his department and choose the officers who will participate.
Chief Dias responds to a question from Mr. Midgley by saying that if one of the program's officers is needed elsewhere in an emergency situation, the officer will respond to the emergency. Also, the uniforms will be no different from the regular police uniform.
Mr. Midgley says he would rather wait until the next Council meeting when Mr. Larisa is present. Mr. Lemont says he spoke to Mr. Larisa today, who said he would be supportive of the inclusion of four (4) additional people in the program.
Mayor Grant says he wants to tighten up loose ends. He says he wants it in writing that the people will be responsible directly to the Shift Commander in the absence of the Community Policing Commander.
Chief Dias says the Citizens Police Academy will eventually be involved in the program. Jean Valles, a graduate of the East Providence Citizens Police Academy, addresses the Council and praises the program. She states that an East Providence Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association is being formed, which will be involved with the Police Department's programs.
After further discussion, it is decided that the Police Chief will contact the Police Academy to ask that four (4) slots for the Fall session be held and to defer the matter to the next Council meeting (June 17, 1997) for a more positive answer.
The meeting adjourns at 8:30 p.m.
Attest:
Valerie A. Perry, CMC
City Clerk Approved:_______________________