02-08-2007 MinutesP OLICE A DVISORY C OMMITTEE
S ALINA P OLICE D EPARTMENT
F EBRUARY 8, 2007
The Police Advisory Committee met in the SPD Conference Room #207 at 0700 on Thursday,
February 8, 2007. Members Present: James D. Hill, Earle Bess, Tony Blair, Lucila Corley, Richard
Frye, Bill Gerry, Luci Larson, Recording Secretary Ann Haden.
Lucy Corley distributed copies of the latest issue of La Voz de Salina. She advised the article on page
8 includes instruction on when and how to contact the police department. Contacting the police for
assistance is difficult for Mexican citizens unfamiliar with local law enforcement and La Voz will
continue to encourage a trust of police officers.
A Crime Stoppers tip led to the arrest of two Sacred Heart students and one South High student in
connection with a weekend break-in that resulted in nearly $17,000 in damage to Sacred Heart Junior-
Senior High School.
The City has updated the government web site with links to the various departments. The SPD has a
number of forms and informational pages the public can access on the City of Salina website. Go to
www.salina-ks.gov and click on Departments/Police. Hopefully this will assist in recruitment efforts.
Items of interest noted by members:
Q. Will the committee become involved if there is a reported racial profiling case? A. This
would be an excellent reason to call a quick meeting of the committee to apprise members of
the facts. Committee members can assist law enforcement in assessing community issues at an
early stage and help to dispel incorrect rumors.
Q. Is Salina a regional drug distribution center? A. Yes. Sitting at the intersection of two
major interstate highways, there are a large amount of drugs imported and exported. The 10-
member I-135/I-70 Drug Task unit, comprised of officers from the Salina Police Department,
Saline County Sheriff’s Office, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Dickinson County Sheriff’s
Office, and the Abilene Police Department, has been very successful in addressing our drug
problem. Officers of this unit are supervised by a police lieutenant. Officers submit an interest
to serve in the unit and can only serve 3 year intervals in the unit.
Q. What kind of working relationship exists between the police and sheriff’s departments?
A. The working relationship between these two departments is excellent. The Sheriff’s deputies
often respond to police calls in the city and all police officers are deputized so they can assist
with issues in the county.
SRO salary for 4 officers is paid by USD 305 for the 9 months that officers are in the schools.
Officers are well received in the schools and enjoy a good relationship with students.
Q. How many officers have less than a year experience on street? A. Average years of
experience among sworn officers: 10.44. Seven officers (to include one that just graduated
from the police academy) have less than one year of experience.
Q. Could committee members ride along with an officer? A. Absolutely. Another area of
interest might be for members to attend the Citizens’ Academy. Most citizens find this very
informative.
Q. Should we post committee member names/biography on the department website? A. There
was thought that remaining anonymous might make it easier for citizens to approach the
members with concerns.
th
North 9 Street between Pacific and I-70 has no cross walk signals. Chief Hill will review and
advise what might be done.
We have in place a Personnel Early Warning (PEWS) System, which assists in early detection of
potential problems with personnel, allowing closer supervision and guidance for the employee.
All classification codes will be reviewed to determine if some changes should be made to priority
times. There may be some calls that could be reclassified to priority 2 status.
Next meeting: March 8, 2007 at 7:00 a.m. at Salina Police Department