03-26-1990 CC MIN - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

City Council Minutes March 26, 1990 Page 6 e Chief Zerwas began his annual report for 1989 by presenting a general overview of the year. Tom informed the Council that 1989 was the first year in a number of years which the department did not loose any personnel. This is a result of a better selection process by the Police Department and the fact that benefits and wages are in closer proximity to the wages and benefits for Police Departments in the metropolitan suburban areas. Chief Zerwas indicated that calls for services took a dramatic increase in 1989. Calls for services increased by 18 percent over 1988. Total calls for services (CFS) in 1989 amounted to $9,632. CFS over the last ten years has averaged an 11 percent increase. Using this figure as a projection factor, it can be anticipated that CFS by the year 2000 will approach 30,000. e As with CFS, the Chief noted that Part I crimes increased significantly. In 1989, Part I crimes increased by 21 percent over 1988. Total Part I crimes for 1989 amounted to 504. On the positive side, the Chief stated that 23 percent of these Part I crimes were successfully cleared. This compares very favorably to the 22 percent experienced in 1988. Addi tionally, this high clearance rate was also experienced in 1987. Regarding past trends and projections for Part I crimes, the Chief noted that these crimes have increased an average of 13 percent over the last five years. Using 13 percent as a growth factor, it can be projected that the Part I crimes could approach 2,300 by the year 2000. Using this 13 percent growth factor would represent a 10 year increase of approximately 400 percent. Chief Zerwas stressed to the City Council that these facts highlight the need for additional manpower in the Police Department. It was noted that the current manpower is stretched to its very limits and that the City still does not have two police officer on duty 24 hours per day. The City will need to position itself in terms of police manpower to deal with the inevitable increase in crime that is a direct result of growth in our community and our proximity to the metropolitan area. Additional information regarding activities in 1989 that the Chief presented included the initiation of a canine unit; the very high and unusual approval rating of the Elk River Police Department that was documented in the community survey conducted by Decision Resources, Inc.; and the continued significant manpower assistance of the Elk River Reserve unit. e Before elaborating on the calls for services and Part I and II crime in 1989, Chief Zerwas discussed with the City Council parking enforcement and parking fines. It was noted that parking fines have not increased for several years and that the City's level of $5.00 per offense is rather low in comparison to neighboring communities. The Chief noted that a higher fine level is often times needed in order make the local drivers respect city rules and regulations. Sometimes the fine level can be so small that it is insignificant. It was the consensus of the City Council to have the Police Department staff prepare a brief