Let’s keep the Clarkston Police, and let’s keep them on duty 24-hours a day. But let’s make significant changes to departmental operation and supervision policies’or lack thereof.
The Clarkston Police Services Committee delivered those recommendations in a long-anticipated, emotionally-charged city council meeting Monday.
In an oral and written report, the committee presented a five-point list of recommendations, then answered questions and responded to comments from the council and others.
In addition to retaining the police department and reclaiming the midnight shift from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, the committee also advised council to conduct a ‘prompt and thorough? public search for a qualified police chief.
Interim Chief Jim Thompson, who served as the city’s only full-time officer under the previous administration, was appointed to hold down the position after Ernest Combs was fired from the position March 5.
Several members of council expressed belief that Thompson is a viable candidate for a permanent chief’s position.
The committee also asked council to follow city charter doctrine when supervising the police department.
Last, the group recommended establishment of a citizen’s board to partner with the police chief and city manager to establish and monitor departmental standards, and review complaints made against the city’s police force.
Such a board, explained committee member Tom Stone, would let officers and the department know the city’s 962 residents are part of the police process.
‘Comments (currently and previously) go to the chief and nothing is heard thereafter, good or bad,? said Stone, noting such committees are not unusual in communities across the country. ‘We felt this would encourage officers to be more sensitive to the reality that they are serving the people on the street.?
It would also add an additional and much needed step to due process of complaints, he said.
The committee also wanted to establish a citizen’s board for record keeping purposes.
‘What we envisioned was all complaints getting addressed that way,? said Charles Inabnit, police committee chair. ‘Whether the chief acts on it, or it needs to go further, that way there’s a record kept on all incidents.?
Currently, he said, no such records exist.
‘There’s a lot of good that doesn’t go reported,? he said. ‘As a matter of fact, nothing goes reported. That was one of the key complaints (of residents), that nothing is showing up in the sheriff’s log. Nothing.?
Although some committee members previously expressed trepidation over a recommendation to retain the department, results of a survey indicated a majority of residents’about 65 percent, according to the report’favored continuing with coverage by the Clarkson Police during the day, and the OCSO on the 11 p.m.-7a.m. shift.
Of those respondents, about 50 percent said returning the midnight shift to Clarkston’s own police would be even better.
About 25 percent of respondents who returned surveys to the committee favored policing by the OSCO, while another 10 percent were undecided, the report said.
Although a written report provided to the council stated ‘the current status and performance of the CPD is NOT acceptable? no specifics were provided by the committee, nor were specifics requested by the council.