The N.C. Association of Chiefs of Police conducted an assessment of the Franklin Police Department over several weeks beginning in March and presented their report at the June 6 Town Council meeting.
“The purpose of the assessment was to look at the operations of the police department, look at some of the issues identified,” said Bill Hollingsed, executive director of the association.
He said the process began with interviews with officers, supervisors, command staff and Police Chief Bill Harrell. He said by identifying areas that need improvement it will help ensure the police department is “operating under best practices and best standards.”
The association reviewed seven areas as requested by the town manager. Those areas were then prioritized by Level 1, immediate (0-6 months) attention recommended, intermediate (6-18 months), and long term (18-36 months and ongoing). The deficiencies identified as Level 1 were presented to the police department early in the process so they could begin to take action on those items.
The areas assessed were Level 1 – evidence inventory and audits, policy review and revision for consistency, criminal case files, internal communications; Level 2 – body worn and in-care camera systems, training, promotional policy and process; Level 3 – external communications, police vehicles and equipment, and accreditation.
Blair Myhand, the police chief in Hendersonville and second vice president of the association, said the association saw a need for departments to be reviewed by outside chiefs. He presented the findings of the Level 1 issues identified at FPD.
“Nobody’s perfect,” Myhand said. “Franklin is in really good shape; we obviously have identified areas that we recommend the town really focus on. But, again, its ultimately up to the police chief and the town manager to decided what they want to do with this report.”
Employee compensation was not one of the areas assessed, but it was a common topic of employee dissatisfaction during the interviews. According to the report, departments across the state are operating at a 10% vacancy rate. Approximately 60% of those vacancies are due to people leaving the profession or going to another agency, often for more money.
Hollingsed said recruiting and retaining officers is the #1 crisis facing police departments across the country. “We have a lot of great people leaving the profession.”
Biltmore Forest Chief Chris Beddingfield said during interviews and ride-alongs with FPD officers, they focused on morale and “things that make you happy.”
“The market for police officers right now – it’s a really hard time to find officers and to keep them happy and retain them,” he said.
He said some of that goes back to issues such as promotional processes, training and equipment, “Things that are not so high-liability, but they are important enough that we need to fix them fairly quickly after we get our priorities straight.”
Mayor Jack Horton asked the police chiefs what they found are the best ways to build trust with the community.
Hollingsed, who served as police chief in Waynesville, said transparency and accountability is important. “We’re going to make mistakes. We’re going to do things that we need to improve upon. We’re upfront with that. We acknowledge those mistakes, and we learn from it, and we ensure the public that it will never happen again, and that’s all as a police chief that I can do,” he said. “Things happen that are out of our control, but we’re going to acknowledge them, we’re going to fix them, and we’re going to make sure they don’t happen again.
Myhand agreed saying when the department makes a mistake, to get out in front of it, own it and that means being vulnerable with your community. He said as long as the department is not intentionally doing anything wrong, people will be more understanding with honesty. “We’re real people too, we make mistakes just like everybody else does.”
Beddingfield said along with transparency, communication is key. “You’ve got to be in touch with your community leaders, you got to be in touch with your citizens and have that open dialogue of what you’re doing, what programs you have going and getting their feedback.”
The association is in the process of launching a voluntary accreditation program. “It’s a great management tool,” Myhand said, adding that accreditation symbolizes to the community that the department is operating at high standards.
There are 515 agencies in the state and the association’s goal is to complete accreditation for 100 agencies a year and have all that want to be accredited complete within five years.
“The ultimate goal of any agency in our state should be to be a full accreditation,” said Hollingsed. He said if FPD makes the changes outlined in the assessment report, he sees no reason why the police department could not be accredited in the future.
Assessment findings
North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police (NCACP) reported the following during their assessment of the Franklin Police Department.
Level 1
Evidence inventory and audits – The report states the FPD submission process is sound, but the associated policy needs to be revised, specifically regarding the inventory and regular audits of the evidence room and function. Hollingsed said the supervisor had left the department and not much information was passed down to those now responsible.
Chief Harrell said they have already started training the new evidence supervisor and will continue to do so. They also plan to conduct an annual evidence inventory as well as spot inventories throughout the year.
Policy review and revision for consistency – Inconsistencies were found within the FPD and Town of Franklin personnel policies with respect to promotions and selections. The report stated the inconsistencies “may expose the department and the town to undue liability and litigation”
Criminal case files – The report states there were issues with respect to the storage of criminal case files and that the files should be secured, adequately maintained and managed in accordance with applicable laws.
Internal communications – The report recommended that agency staff meetings begin immediately and be held regularly.
Level 2
Body-worn and in-car camera systems – The report recommended FPD budget and implement this equipment including syncing and internal server or cloud storage.
Harrell said things such as equipment, vehicles and the camera systems are somewhat out of his hands because they require budgeting at the town the level. However, he said they will continue to pursue grants to help pay for upgrades.
Cameras for the cars can cost $5,000-$8000 each. The department has a fleet of 13 cars, and none have cameras at this time.
Body-worn cameras are included in the upcoming year’s budget. “Their ability is light years ahead of what we’ve had up to this point,” Harrell said.
Training – NCACP recommended that the department develop a training program to include emerging topics such as racial sensitivity, de-escalation and use of force.
Promotional policy and process – The report stated that the department’s lack of a standardized process for selecting and promoting people creates confusion and frustration among staff. NCACP recommended the adoption and implementation of policies and procedures and that they be known by all personnel.
Level 3
External communications – The report commended the department’s use of Facebook, its website, and the new Instagram account, but suggested an increased use of all forms of social media “to meet the changing demands of its’ constituents.”
Police vehicles and equipment – NCACP recommended that the department develop a method for continually evaluating vehicles and equipment that best suit officer needs and budgetary restrictions.
Harrell said they have set benchmarks to reach the goals outlined in the assessment and every six months will reevaluate where they are with the for the Level 1 concerns, while the Level 2 and Level 3 issues may take longer to solve.
“It is going to be a constant work in progress to try to attain all those things,” the chief said.