Cui Bono?

Cui Bono in Latin means “Who benefits?” It’s a principle that probable responsibility for an act or event lies with one having something to gain

What is a misuse of public funds? The starting point for any analysis concerning the misuse of public funds begins with the principle that public funds must be expended for an authorized public purpose. An expenditure is made for a public purpose when its purpose is to benefit the public interest rather than private individuals or private purposes.

The misuse of public funds occurs when the personal benefit conferred by a public expenditure is not merely incidental. The term “public funds” is not limited to money, but includes anything of value belonging to a public agency such as equipment, supplies, compensated staff time, and use of telephones, computers, and fax machines and other equipment and resources.

The city administration is poised to donate (we understand that it’s already committed) $8,477.00 of the taxpayer’s monies to a 501(c) 3 entity which created and is planning to have a month long “Christmas in Alexandria” celebration at the Village Green Shopping Center.

This is a collaboration of at least one elected city official and a city merchant.

What is the purpose of this event? If you answered, “advance self-serving commercial interests” go to the head of the class.

In this era of scarce resources for the city (or really at any time) this is a flagrant misuse of taxpayer’s money (and possibly illegal).

If merchants want to throw this celebration which is in their best interests then we say go for it but don’t ask the taxpayer to help finance it. Pay for it yourself just like any other advertising.

We know we will hear that this is all for charity but if they pull it off the taxpayer will still be out the $8,477.00 that at least one elected official wants the city to kick in. We’ll see if the rest of our elected officials support this and play loose with taxpayer’s monies. If they do, shame on them.

The city is already cutting $10,000.00 out of the budget that would discontinue funding dental insurance for all employees but funding this debacle instead.

Fix pot holes, finance the police department, provide for the health, safety and welfare of the citizens but don’t spend one dime of the taxpayer’s money to help finance this pie in the sky, feel good, self aggrandizing scheme.

Our take on the Police Merger Study

The past three posts:

Police Merger Study Cancellation Letter

Report cites management, morale issues in Campbell PD

Police study details morale issues

We were skeptical from the very beginning about this issue.

Any reasonable observer could tell you what an honest study would reveal.

Our primary concern during this process was would the study be honest or would Judge-Executive Steve Pendry get the results he wanted since he was funding this through taxpayer funds.

We wonder if he was surprised when the consultants called it like it was. He shouldn’t have been. He has been aware of these issues for several years and has refused to rise to the occasion, be strong, take control and make the hard choices that must be made if this sad state-of-affairs is ever going to change.

He’s spinning the results in his Police Merger Study Cancellation Letter by saying “Seventy-one percent of 417 respondents to the consultants’ online survey said they were satisfied with the current level of police services provided by either the county or Alexandria. Nearly 80 percent of 399 respondents said current police services matched the community’s needs”.

We have obtained a copy of the study and in regards to interpreting the results of the survey the consultants have this to say;

The online survey was developed to provide opportunities for citizen input; the survey, as it was constructed, was not intended to be representative of Alexandria residents or Campbell County (non-Alexandria) residents. Moreover, one cannot generalize the survey results back to the respective populations. Quantifying results of the survey is problematic; in no way should the aggregated results of the survey items-the individual questions-be construed as being indicative of the sentiments or attitudes of the citizens of Alexandria, Campbell County, or any group as a whole.

On the issue of “Performance Standards” which are in place within the Campbell County Police Department (CCPD) the consultants write;

As they are presently construed, it appears that CCPD assigns quotas to its patrol officers. Without embarking on a long discussion of the evolution of police practices in the United States, or discussing the associated perils of quantifying police stops, arrests or the like, it is still necessary to discuss the implications of quotas on the moral of the department and the perception of the general public. In the case of intra-departmental concern, assignment of quotas for objective behaviors ostensibly removes discretion from officers; removal of discretion is problematic in that it confines an officer to only a limited set of reactions to contact with an infraction or criminal event. The result of the interaction is very frequently dissatisfaction on the part of the officer and confusion and/or anger on the part of the private citizen with whom the encounter centered. For a variety of scenarios that could and likely have played themselves out, quotas are an antiquated practice of a bygone era of policing; contemporaneous utilization of quotas is not advised. Labeling them as something other that what they are is likewise a poor policy choice that assumes that subordinates and the general public are not capable of understanding what is in practice.

On “Transfers” or turnover at CCPD the consultants say in part;

CCPD has lost eight (8) officers to other agencies since 2003; three (3) others have left with unknown dispositions.

In the law enforcement community, turnover rate is a commonly accepted barometer of the conditions at a department.

Interviews suggest that CCPD’s internal culture under present leadership is a primary contributor to the turnover.

We suggest that CCPD and the Fiscal Court consider the turnover rate as a bell ringing.

The Alexandria Police Department (APD) has only had three transfers during the same reporting period. This was later corrected to one (1). While the two agencies differ in size – obviously a key factor in describing retention of incumbent officers – it should be noted clearly that APD has a remarkably high retention / low turnover rate.

A low turnover supports other data that suggests APD enjoys an environment and other circumstances that officers do not look to greener pastures often.

Low turnover and high retention factors considerably in reducing the expenses of hiring, training and equipping new officers.

APD personnel are self-actualized and confident in their organization; with no exception, APD articulated confidence in leadership and comfort the culture of the agency

Other comments of consequence in the study are;

Campbell County should consider engaging a management study based upon;

• Profound morale issues within its ranks,

• Leadership that does not appear to either be concerned about morale issues or does not understand them for what they are, and

• Persistence of these issues over an extended period of time that have not be addressed or rectified.

Elected officials within Campbell County should be aware of the issues within the police department and should avail themselves of the opportunity to address the issues substantively. CCPD has a strong, well-trained complement of officers who carry themselves in a professional manner and, based upon our interaction and citizen responses, are terrified of running afoul of leadership at the department.

Alexandria Police Department enjoys high morale, places a priority on community policing and has strong leadership in place.

Citizen responses indicate that there is a persistent concern of Alexandria residents that merger might cause their present level of services to be diluted or changed.

Intuitively, the City should be cautious of merger with another agency that would introduce issues that APD does not presently have.

The study consists of 31 pages not including the survey results. We have only hit the highlights and summarized here. But it begs the question; “What were they thinking?”

Judge-Executive Steve Pendery knows what’s going on. It’s been going on for a number of years. He’s had CCPD officer’s wives attend Fiscal Court meetings and publicly present grievances and pleadings on this issue.

We can only conclude that he does not have the fortitude to tackle this issue and tried to find some easy way to get rid of his problem.

Alexandria officials took the bait and came perilously close to making a major mistake for its citizens.

Alexandria officials failed to listen to the citizens from the get-go and stubbornly plodded forward wasting a year only to have consultants’ finally tell them what they were hearing from the community all the time.

Should Alexandria’s officials have been aware of the problems with the CCPD? Sure they should and they were. They should have never taken the City on this journey.

Police Merger Study Cancellation Letter

The letter by Campbell County Judge-Executive Steve Pendry to Alexandria Mayor Bill Rachford dated May 15, 2012 and read at Alexandria’s Council Meeting on Thursday, May 17, 2012 announcing the early cancellation of the study.

Report cites management, morale issues in Campbell PD

This is the second article to hit the internet on Tuesday, May 29, 2012 and appeared in print in The Kentucky Enquirer on Page 1, Wednesday, May 30, 2012.

Report cites management, morale issues in Campbell PD

Written by Amanda Van Benschoten • 7:56 PM, May. 29, 2012

Citing management issues and low morale within the Campbell County Police Department, two independent consultants have recommended against a proposed merger with the Alexandria Police Department.

The county and city had been exploring a potential merger since October, but the county shelved the idea two weeks ago. Documents recently obtained by The Enquirer shed more light onto that decision.

“Merger may be a sound public policy choice, but its benefits and likely some of its problems are all but completely obscured by the morale and leadership issues at CCPD,” the consultants concluded in a report dated April 22. “Until the issues with CCPD are acknowledged and resolved, merger would be similar to diving into muddy water, uncertain of the depth and objects below the surface.”

The consultants, David Hobson and Lee Ann Morrison from Richmond, Ky., have law enforcement experience. They conducted one-on-one interviews with sworn and non-sworn personnel in both departments, interviewed departmental leaders as well as local elected and appointed officials, and conducted an unscientific online survey to gather community input.

They found “profound morale issues” within the ranks of the county police department, including a lack of confidence in leadership and a perception among the rank-and-file that their issues are not being addressed, according to the report.

A central issue is officers’ dissatisfaction with “performance standards” which require them to conduct five business checks and two vacation checks each week. Officers are also required to write at least two tickets per week, though officials shy away from the use of the word “quota.”

“The idea is to get them thinking about the kinds of things a good cop would be doing,” Campbell County Judge-executive Steve Pendery said. “In the public imagination, when you hear the word ‘quota’, you’re thinking about tickets and you’re thinking about an officer writing a whole lot of them. But in Kentucky, local governments don’t get money from tickets we write.”

Pendery said the issues raised in the consultants’ report have not affected the level of police service provided to the public. The 32-person department serves unincorporated Campbell County and communities not served by other agencies; in 2011, it responded to 44,654 calls for service.

“We have an issue that needs to be addressed, but I have faith in the professionalism of our guys, including the command staff, that this is not resulting in poor service for the community,” Pendery said. “And that faith is bolstered by the fact that we haven’t been getting complaints about any problems in our relationship with the public.”

Seventy-one percent of 417 respondents to the consultants’ online survey said they were satisfied with the current level of police services provided by either the county or Alexandria. Nearly 80 percent of 399 respondents said current police services matched the community’s needs.

Pendery said county officials will work to address the issues raised in the report and have already reached out to a professional police trainer experienced in management issues.

“We’ll come up with a prescription for what needs to be done and do it,” he said.

The feasibility study found few issues with the 16-person Alexandria Police Department, though the consultants identified “cultural differences” between the two departments that could provide another barrier to a merger.

The report said Alexandria “promotes officer discretion and community policing through proactive problem solving,” while Campbell County “takes a more traditionalist approach and conveys a more rigid orientation with public interaction.”

Police study details morale issues

This is the first article to hit the internet on Tuesday, May 29, 2012 and appeared in print in the Alexandria Recorder on Page 1, Thursday, May 31, 2012

Police study details morale issues

Written by Chris Mayhew • 11:57 AM, May. 29, 2012

ALEXANDRIA — While disagreeing with some of the findings, Judge-executive Steve Pendery still heeded the advice of a consultant’s report about the Campbell County Police Department that suggested ending merger talks with the Alexandria Police Department.

Morale and leadership issues at the county police department were going to obscure any further pursuit of a merger with the Alexandria Police Department, according to the conclusion of an independent consultant’s 31-page report.

Alexandria publicly released the report Friday, May 24.

Alexandria and Campbell County hired David Hobson and Lee Ann Morrison out of Richmond, Ky., in October to study the two police departments. The consultants interviewed police officers, elected officials and select community members and reviewed both departments’ records as part of their work.

Pendery ended the merger talks with Alexandria in a May 17 letter to Alexandria Mayor Bill Rachford after hearing the results of the consultants’ report in April.

The consultants recommended that the county engage in a management study because of issues including “profound moral issues within its ranks” and that officers are “terrified of running afoul of leadership at the department.”

The report also recommends that elected officials should be aware of issues within the police department and “take the opportunity to address them substantively.”

The consultants listed the county’s performance standards as a cause for frequent dissatisfaction on the part of officers and citizens. The consultants say in the report that the county’s performance standards are “quotas” and “an antiquated practice of a bygone era of policing.”

Labeling them as standards, or something other than quotas is a poor policy choice and assumes subordinates and the public are not capable of understanding what is in practice, according to the consultants’ report.

Pendery said he does not agree with the consultants on the issue of performance standards, and does not agree the policy is the cause for a moral issue.

“We are going to address the situation, and I’m not going to get into details,” he said. “We are already addressing the situation by reaching out to outside experts and so far they agree with us that these are not quotas.”

Performance standards primarily require officers to do security checks of businesses, and vacation checks, he said. Officers are also supposed to write one ticket every other shift, and officers work four shifts in a seven day week, he said.

“When the public hears the word quota they think that someone is there is writing tickets left and right,” he said.

That’s not what is happening, and money from writing all tickets goes to the state and not the county, Pendery said.

Campbell County Police Department Chief Keith Hill did not immediately respond to a voice message requesting comment about the the consolidation study.

Concerning Alexandria’s police department, the report said, “(The) Alexandria Police Department enjoys high morale, places a priority on community policing, and has strong leadership in place.”

The consultants go on to point out Alexandria is stretched thin in resources and personnel, and a merger would benefit the department by providing more resources and an opportunity for more specialization. The consultants conclude that Alexandria “has little other reason to merge.”

The consultants’ report lists negative issues pertaining to Alexandria including the appearance the department is a “top heavy” on management, and being “too soft” in its policing approach.

Alexandria Police Chief Mike Ward took issue with the department being “too soft.”

“We have an unwritten policy of ‘We’d rather talk for an hour than fight for a minute,’” Ward said.. “I challenge anyone to review our use of force reports, which would support this statement.”