City Manager's IFYI
Dec. 20, 2007
DATE: December 18, 2007
MEMO TO: Mayor & City Council
FROM: Mitchell Johnson, City Manager
SUBJECT: Items For Your Information
Resolution of Nuisance Abatement Issue:
During the Emergency Meeting of Council, an issue came up regarding the Police Department’s desire to use the Nuisance Abatement laws to address crime related to specific nightclubs. I do not believe it is productive to further debate who should handle the actual legal work involved in this process as the state law allows for several alternatives. My goal is for us to address the problem. As a result of the public discussion, I was contacted by Reid Phillips, a local attorney with Brooks, Pierce. His firm has worked in this area before and he offered to provide legal support for this process on a pro-bono basis. I immediately contacted the City Legal Department and asked that they set up a meeting with all of the stakeholders to define a process. Based on the preliminary discussion of the following stakeholders: GPD Assistant Chief Harold Scott, DA Doug Henderson, Alan Fields of ALE, Reid Phillips of Brooks Pierce, and GPD Attorney Maurice Cawn, I believe that we have a good resolution to this issue and the stakeholders will be meeting tomorrow to flesh out the process.
City legal will lead the process with significant legal assistance from Mr. Reid’s law firm as well as ALE and the Police Department. The District Attorney fully supports this approach. I will report back to Council after the holidays with a full description of the process. I would like to thank Mr. Reid and Brooks Pierce for the very critical support his firm will be offering for the public good of this community. I would also like to thank the Guilford County District Attorney, Doug Henderson, for his support as we move forward.
Progress on Council’s Request to fund a $500,000 transfer to the GPD:
Since our meeting last Tuesday, staff has been working to address this request. I believe we have several alternatives available to Council to achieve this goal. At tonight’s meeting, I will very briefly review the following and ask our Budget Director, Larry Davis, to provide the more detailed report. In very general terms we can accomplish this as follows:
• Use a hiring freeze across the board of general fund departments, with the manager un-freezing positions if necessary to address critical issues (this could create approximately $250,000 over the next six months),
• Reallocate funding held in the Council Contingency Fund ($30,000),
• Remaining Balance in Non-Departmental Misc. ($20,000),
• Reallocate funding in the Parks and Recreation property fund ($175,000),
• Draw down our Capital Reserve fund for the full or a partial portion of the request ($25,000 to $500,000).
I should note that while we are dealing with this specific request, we also have to address the significant over run in our fuel budgets across the organization, which is projected to be in excess of $700,000 by year end for the General Fund. As Council knows, we also had to fund the payment of overtime due to Police officers who attended their PBIC training during 2004 and 2005. Due to accounting requirements, this amount had to come from a draw down of the General Fund Capital Reserve. As a result, I strongly suggest that we do not address any further funding shortfalls from Capital Reserve as this could negatively impact our bond rating over time. Per Council’s request, I have attached the memo from Chief Bellamy to Council regarding the proposed use of the funds requested.
Date: December 18, 2007
To: City Manager
From: Chief of Police
Subject: CRIME SUPPRESSION STRATEGIES
The Greensboro Police Department will institute a major initiative to reduce homicides and other violent crimes. Upon City Council and City Manager approval of $500,000, the department will aggressively work to reduce crime using the following strategies.
• Provide high visibility uniformed patrol in high crime areas during peak times of criminal activity, utilizing off-duty work assignments
• Continue the work of the Robbery Suppression Unit and “back-fill” patrol vacancies with overtime pay
• Augment Patrol Staffing during peak manpower shortages
• Identify persons wanted for violent criminal acts and track them down and arrest them using overtime funding for the Warrant Squad
• Identify crime trends and hot spots for criminal activity and direct resources to these identifiable locations of activities
• Division Commanders will direct crime suppression strategies and personnel to abate crime
• Use overtime funding for detectives to aggressively follow-up on new violent crime trends resulting in arrest and incarceration of suspects
• Provide foot patrol in densely populated areas that have been identified as drug or gang areas
• Target areas that are the source of frequent “shots fired” locations or reported armed subjects
• Have extra Crime Scene Investigators available to investigate violent crime scenes during peak call loads
These strategies are designed to reduce and deter violent and other crimes in the City of Greensboro. These strategies are also put into place to provide a more proactive approach to crime fighting initiatives and make our city safer.
T.R. Bellamy
Chief of Police
CC: City Council Members
Hiring Freeze
At its meeting last night, City Council voted unanimously to implement a six-month hiring freeze, along with various program reductions and reallocations, to provide $500,000 to the Police Department to supplement patrols during peak times of criminal activity and to provide overtime pay for detectives to follow up on new violent crime trends. Read Chief Bellamy's memo regarding how the money will be spent.(See above)
Council also directed City Manager Mitch Johnson to reduce the number of full-time employee positions from 2,924 to 2,875 through retirements and attrition by the end of the fiscal year. (Dec 19, 2007)
City holiday schedule
City offices will be closed on Monday and Tuesday, December 24 and 25, and on Tuesday, January 1. The trash collection schedule for both weeks will change as follows: Tuesday's trash collection will take place on Wednesday. Monday, Thursday and Friday collections remain on schedule.
Bicentennial Calendar
The Greensboro Bicentennial Commission has produced a 2008 calendar, now on sale at the Greensboro Historical Museum Shop. The calendar includes facts and photos from City departments, including GDOT and Parks & Recreation, and the public. The calendars are $10 each. Museum shop hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday from 2-5 pm
The calendar cover.
For more information go to http://citynet/
MEMO TO: Mayor & City Council
FROM: Mitchell Johnson, City Manager
SUBJECT: Items For Your Information
Resolution of Nuisance Abatement Issue:
During the Emergency Meeting of Council, an issue came up regarding the Police Department’s desire to use the Nuisance Abatement laws to address crime related to specific nightclubs. I do not believe it is productive to further debate who should handle the actual legal work involved in this process as the state law allows for several alternatives. My goal is for us to address the problem. As a result of the public discussion, I was contacted by Reid Phillips, a local attorney with Brooks, Pierce. His firm has worked in this area before and he offered to provide legal support for this process on a pro-bono basis. I immediately contacted the City Legal Department and asked that they set up a meeting with all of the stakeholders to define a process. Based on the preliminary discussion of the following stakeholders: GPD Assistant Chief Harold Scott, DA Doug Henderson, Alan Fields of ALE, Reid Phillips of Brooks Pierce, and GPD Attorney Maurice Cawn, I believe that we have a good resolution to this issue and the stakeholders will be meeting tomorrow to flesh out the process.
City legal will lead the process with significant legal assistance from Mr. Reid’s law firm as well as ALE and the Police Department. The District Attorney fully supports this approach. I will report back to Council after the holidays with a full description of the process. I would like to thank Mr. Reid and Brooks Pierce for the very critical support his firm will be offering for the public good of this community. I would also like to thank the Guilford County District Attorney, Doug Henderson, for his support as we move forward.
Progress on Council’s Request to fund a $500,000 transfer to the GPD:
Since our meeting last Tuesday, staff has been working to address this request. I believe we have several alternatives available to Council to achieve this goal. At tonight’s meeting, I will very briefly review the following and ask our Budget Director, Larry Davis, to provide the more detailed report. In very general terms we can accomplish this as follows:
• Use a hiring freeze across the board of general fund departments, with the manager un-freezing positions if necessary to address critical issues (this could create approximately $250,000 over the next six months),
• Reallocate funding held in the Council Contingency Fund ($30,000),
• Remaining Balance in Non-Departmental Misc. ($20,000),
• Reallocate funding in the Parks and Recreation property fund ($175,000),
• Draw down our Capital Reserve fund for the full or a partial portion of the request ($25,000 to $500,000).
I should note that while we are dealing with this specific request, we also have to address the significant over run in our fuel budgets across the organization, which is projected to be in excess of $700,000 by year end for the General Fund. As Council knows, we also had to fund the payment of overtime due to Police officers who attended their PBIC training during 2004 and 2005. Due to accounting requirements, this amount had to come from a draw down of the General Fund Capital Reserve. As a result, I strongly suggest that we do not address any further funding shortfalls from Capital Reserve as this could negatively impact our bond rating over time. Per Council’s request, I have attached the memo from Chief Bellamy to Council regarding the proposed use of the funds requested.
Date: December 18, 2007
To: City Manager
From: Chief of Police
Subject: CRIME SUPPRESSION STRATEGIES
The Greensboro Police Department will institute a major initiative to reduce homicides and other violent crimes. Upon City Council and City Manager approval of $500,000, the department will aggressively work to reduce crime using the following strategies.
• Provide high visibility uniformed patrol in high crime areas during peak times of criminal activity, utilizing off-duty work assignments
• Continue the work of the Robbery Suppression Unit and “back-fill” patrol vacancies with overtime pay
• Augment Patrol Staffing during peak manpower shortages
• Identify persons wanted for violent criminal acts and track them down and arrest them using overtime funding for the Warrant Squad
• Identify crime trends and hot spots for criminal activity and direct resources to these identifiable locations of activities
• Division Commanders will direct crime suppression strategies and personnel to abate crime
• Use overtime funding for detectives to aggressively follow-up on new violent crime trends resulting in arrest and incarceration of suspects
• Provide foot patrol in densely populated areas that have been identified as drug or gang areas
• Target areas that are the source of frequent “shots fired” locations or reported armed subjects
• Have extra Crime Scene Investigators available to investigate violent crime scenes during peak call loads
These strategies are designed to reduce and deter violent and other crimes in the City of Greensboro. These strategies are also put into place to provide a more proactive approach to crime fighting initiatives and make our city safer.
T.R. Bellamy
Chief of Police
CC: City Council Members
Hiring Freeze
At its meeting last night, City Council voted unanimously to implement a six-month hiring freeze, along with various program reductions and reallocations, to provide $500,000 to the Police Department to supplement patrols during peak times of criminal activity and to provide overtime pay for detectives to follow up on new violent crime trends. Read Chief Bellamy's memo regarding how the money will be spent.(See above)
Council also directed City Manager Mitch Johnson to reduce the number of full-time employee positions from 2,924 to 2,875 through retirements and attrition by the end of the fiscal year. (Dec 19, 2007)
City holiday schedule
City offices will be closed on Monday and Tuesday, December 24 and 25, and on Tuesday, January 1. The trash collection schedule for both weeks will change as follows: Tuesday's trash collection will take place on Wednesday. Monday, Thursday and Friday collections remain on schedule.
Bicentennial Calendar
The Greensboro Bicentennial Commission has produced a 2008 calendar, now on sale at the Greensboro Historical Museum Shop. The calendar includes facts and photos from City departments, including GDOT and Parks & Recreation, and the public. The calendars are $10 each. Museum shop hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday from 2-5 pm
The calendar cover.
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