A survey developed by the Clarkston Police Services Committee is nearing completion and will arrive in residential and business mailboxes soon, said Committee Chairman Scott Meyland in a preliminary report to the city council Monday.
The committee is also in the process of organizing a public forum that will provide residents with an opportunity to speak up, ask questions and voice concerns about law enforcement issues in the city.
The forum is tentatively scheduled for late February.
‘The committee is making good progress,? said Meyland, explaining that he hoped the group would arrive at a formal recommendation for the council by April 9. ‘Obviously we’re going to have a very busy month gathering information.?
The police committee was established after the November mayoral election fostered debate over whether the city should save taxpayer money by lopping the police department from the city budget.
The main goal, said Meyland, is to research and review the services Clarkston residents expect, how they believe those services should be provided, and whether the police are currently providing services in the expected manner.
In an effort to ensure that the survey becomes an accurate assessment tool, the committee has asked an unbiased third party to have a look at the wording.
‘We want to make sure it’s as effective as possible,? said Meyland. ‘This is an important issue and we’re expecting to get a fairly high response.?
Once data has been collected, the committee will make a recommendation to the council on whether the city should consider changes to the department, including the possibility of reverting to pre-cityhood subcontracting with Independence Township for services provided by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
The committee hopes to sit down and talk with Lt. Dale LaBair, commander of the OCSO Independence Township substation sometime within the next month or so.
Last month, Clarkson Police Chief Ernest Combs was invited to attend the Dec. 12 committee meeting, where he presented a vision of what he believed the city’s police department should look like.
Combs described himself as a working chief, and said he arrives at work in uniform, goes out on patrol, and performs all the functions of a regular officer. In addition, he also oversees the department and keeps it operating on a limited budget.
The Clarkson Police Department is made up of two full time officers, including the chief, plus four part time and seven reserve officers. The chief said he is in favor of a larger force.
‘I would very much like to expand the department,? he said at the December meeting. ‘I’d like to bring back the midnight shift and maybe hire a part-time investigator.?
Prior to the Dec. meeting, the committee asked Combs to provide a copy of the department’s policies and procedures manual, which he did not bring, saying the committee would just get ‘bogged down? by the manual.
Meyland said that although the chief agreed to produce the document, it has not yet appeared as promised.
Combs contends that his department does a good job of protecting the city’s residents through proactive patrolling and a higher officer to resident ratio.
‘The city has the perception of safety,? he said, ‘and that, as they say in the commercial, is priceless.?