Police Shooting Report

Well, it is time to write about the Police shooting experience. Now that the County Attorney has issued his findings, we can express our feelings and opinions about the situation.

I remember the night of September 22. The back door was open and I could hear sirens – one after another. After hearing what seemed like four different series of sirens, I thought I ought to call dispatch and ask what was going on. As I moved to get out of my chair, I heard another siren. I knew that dispatch was still busy and I would be hearing from someone soon. I was right.

Detective Mike Copple called a few minutes later with the news that there had been an “officer involved shooting.” I am not sure whether I verbalized my thought or not but the first questions was the safety of our officers. At that point hundreds of crisis management questions begin to kick in.

My first action was calling Mayor Joe Jindra. I think one of the first rules of any city manager is that no matter how bad the situation, call the Mayor first and alert him/her to what is happening. There is nothing worse than finding out from someone else about a problem. As I called Joe, he was hearing about the event from his son who was listening on a scanner.

The next step was to pack up my laptop and head to the Police Station. I knew I would be in the Public Information Officer role as well as the City Manager role. Mike and I went to the scene. I didn’t see anything except for a large number of people standing about the police lines that were set up. After conferring with the other Sheriff Deputies we brought our officers back to the station. What I saw impressed me regarding the professionalism of these men.

The attention to detail that I heard and learned about in the military was evident. The weapons were cleared and placed in evidence cases. KBI was present, interviewed each officer and secured the weapons.

As we sat waiting for the KBI agent to arrive, we talked. Some of it was small talk other times it related to some of the cases they were working on. What was obvious was we didn’t talk about. As I watched and gathered my own impressions, I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on in the minds of these two guys. Moments earlier a gun was in their face, they responded as they had been trained, a man dying at the hospital.

After they were interviewed by KBI, the officers were taken home. They, more than likely, hugged their wife and kids a little tighter and wondered how the world would treat them when the sun came up.

I asked questions about their care in the next few days. We had been talking about it all night but now that the officers were on their way home, it was time to be frank. In these situations, crisis teams are brought in to work with the officers. We requested the State Highway Patrol team to come and assist.

In my next posting, I will talk about the press relations side of this event.

Before I sign off here, I did want to reflect upon an observation about the police profession. I think every officer joins a department with that vision of making a difference in the community where he or she works. From before they fill out their job application, through their time at the police academy and after they get out on the street, there is this understanding that someday they might have to use their firearm in a combat situation. I don’t think they want to use it. However, being trained and prepared is part of the toolkit.

Having to fire your weapon is a situation that all of us who are not in the law enforcement business will not understand. It is something you plan for but you hope never happens. Our Police Department puts their life on the line every day to protect our community. We need to pause and reflect upon that responsibility for awhile. I am pleased our department has people who are willing to put themselves in harms way as a means of providing community protection. Our thanks need to go out to those who provide our safety. If you are inclined, pray for their continued safety as they insure ours.

Fun with Blogging

Fun with Blogging

Last week, I attended the annual conference of the League of Kansas Municipalities. I was asked to be a presenter for one of the Sunday Roundtable discussions concerning my Blog. It was fun sharing what I have learned and the local benefits of getting out a story that the local press cannot cover the way I can in the Blog setting.

In the three sessions (30 minutes each), I talked to governing body members, City Clerks and City Managers. During the second session, I was urging the group to begin their own Blog and out of the blue, I said if they did that would make me a “Blog-father!” (My favorite type of humor is expressed in that last line.)

My friends at the League office have given me another opportunity to promote Concordia. Telling them the cost of doing promotion like this is well within the budget of the smallest community was enjoyable too. By the way, it is free. Most of the time, I write these while I am at home (all but three).

Boomtown Blog Recognition

You all need to go to the BoomTown USA Blog. http://boomtownusa.blogspot.com/ Concordia received what Mayor Jindra calls “National Attention.” As I was looking at the list of subscribers, I found the email address for Boomtown USA author Jack Schultz. I was amazed to see his address there.

I took the time to write a thank you. I also took the time to write about the good things happening in Concordia. (Part of the City Manager’s job is to promote his community!) I shared information about our Tuesday Morning Chamber Coffee and the entrepreneurial activity that I call “signs of life.”

He responded last week and said he would be writing about us.

Readers interested in economic development need to subscribe to Jack’s Blog and also read his book. I know there are several copies circulating in the community.

Thanks Jack for highlighting Concordia!

Police Chief Search Narrows

October 5th came and went. October 5th was the deadline for applications for Police Chief. 25 individuals expressed interest in the position. 17 filed both a resume and the City’s application form. It reminds me of the birthday boy sitting in the horse barn sifting straw saying “there’s got to be a pony in here somewhere!” In the list of 17 there is a new Police Chief. I do not know his/her name yet but I am confident the result will be positive.

The group included 8 from Kansas, Colorado (2), Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New Jersey, Oregon and Pennsylvania (2). Some of the out of state candidates have worked in Kansas before. The qualifications are impressive.

The next step in the selection process is to review the resumes and applications in detail and develop a “short list.” For this step, I asked several people to help me. I have two police chiefs and two from the community reviewing the documents. I found the last time I selected a chief when I was employed in Baldwin City, having a law enforcement executive at the table was priceless. Being able to get a community perspective is just as valuable.

Once the “short list” is developed, we will be conducting interviews here in Concordia. I have tentatively set October 21st or October 24th for the interviews. Getting all the schedules coordinated will be the final factor there.

Following the interview will be the selection and negotiation phase. I am hoping to be finished by the end of the month. As usual, there will probably be something to change the schedule. The key point is to find an exceptional individual that is the perfect fit for Concordia. I am confident in the outcome.

In the last posting C. Morrison wrote “Larry, what do you mean we have places we do not want to acknowledge? I would think the city police chief would only be concerned with places that are a source of criminal activity. Of Course, the Chief of Police is really interested in the entire community. However, there are places that we are not proud to take visitors but I did anyway. A chief needs to see the good, the bad, and the ugly. The point was being made by my back seat driver that I shouldn’t be showing this part of the town as a means of impressing the spouse. A new Chief has to see all of it (and we didn’t show all of it due to the lack of time).

Over the weekend, I will be making a presentation to the League of Kansas Municipalities about Blogs. If you have any impressions, add them to the comments area for other Kansas community leaders to see.

Police Chief Update

Among all the activities of the past week, I have tried to focus on the process of finding a new Police Chief. Joe Strecker has a favorite saying that applies here. A dog that chases two rabbits catches neither one!

So, what does that have to do with the Police Chief? Everything!

As I mentioned in the last Blog posting, I had a number of outlets for finding the new chief. Even during the shooting incident, I had to focus on the process of getting a new Chief. Yes, it would have been easy to refocus on the officers and their plight but finding their leader is my responsibility.

The application process concludes Wednesday afternoon. There are a number of people who have expressed interest from all over the United States. This weekend, I played host to a visitor who wanted to see our community before submitting a resume/application.

It was an interesting tour around town. Susan accompanied me on the tour with our guest and spouse. Susan was amazed at the places I have not shown her in Concordia but are important for a Police Chief candidate to see. Even here, there are places we do not want to acknowledge. At the end of the tour, I received the resume/application as if to say we passed the test.

The next step in our chief selection process is a written assignment. It will give me an opportunity to see how the candidates can write – if you can’t write, you can’t teach an officer how to prepare a good police report. The other part of the task is to see how they think. This part will be the first indication of how the candidates will fit in our community.

My plan is to have interviews mid month and a selection before the end of October.