Mammoth’s Police Chief and POST, the state commission known as Police Officers Standards and Training have now issued analyses of Town officials’ proposal to cut 7 officers and minimum needs for the town protection. These reports were just going on to the Town website at about 4pm before Wednesday night’s Council meeting. Few citizens would have had time to absorb the data. See the Chief’s statement below this story and see all the new documents, including the POST report here –
http://www.ci.mammoth-lakes.ca.us/index.aspx?NID=498 . Go down to October 3, 2012 documents and click on them. MLPD Management study is the POST report.
The POST report on the Mammoth Police Department recommends “no fewer than 17 sworn officers” this fiscal year. Their report says freeze things as they are and develop a service delivery plan to determine future needs of numbers of police based on real data. POST recommends a base of 20 sworn officers as a starting point for creating a staffing profile, with a long-term goal of 25 sworn officers and 4 non-sworn. Their report details numbers of calls and crimes and requirements on current police.
POST notes that in comparison cities, population does not triple and quadruple with skiers as Mammoth Lakes does. POST also notes that Mammoth Lakes Police operate in a remote location where immediate back-up is not available from other local agencies.
Mammoth Police Chief Dan Watson issued a two page statement of impacts from restructuring. He says that 15 of Mammoth’s 17 sworn staff are assigned to patrol. This means two on duty, 2am to 9pm. From 9pm until 2am, four officers work the busiest hours of the day.
Chief Watson says the proposal to reduce the MLPD to 10 sworn personnel will mean 7 officers for patrol instead of 15. Only one officer will be on duty a number of days of the week. Chief Watson says it is his opinion that this scenario “puts the safety of visitors, residents, and officers at risk.” The cuts, he says, will mean delays in response and some incidents won’t result in a police response. Watson goes on to say, “We can anticipate an increase in illegal drug activity, juvenile crime and at-risk behavior by youth.” He says there will be less preventative patrol and less visibility of the police throughout the Town. Traffic enforcement and DUI enforcement will be reduced. Service responses of all kinds won’t happen. Neither will current protections for Mammoth Hospital, Mammoth School District and Mammoth Mountain Ski Area.
More was expected at Wednesday night’s meeting, but it’s not until the last item on the agenda.
Mammoth will become a HAVEN for drug and violent criminals without the police force. Think about what youre doing Mammoth.
I think the general public should understand that the ramifications of the decision made to let go of 7 officer is going to bite them in the butt. These officers are trained to serve and protect. Mammoth has more problems than Bishop when it comes to drugs and crime. Without… Read more »
I’d Cut 10, I mean come on,, now that Jack Colby is in the Bridgeport waterloo, I feel safer already 🙂
Hey concerned citizen – good points. I still remember the taste of a crazy person who cut his ear off and was flinging blood at me as I had to take him down (I didn’t have a taser 🙁 but wish I did). As I was giving him orders his… Read more »
When I hear concern that police officers make too much money, I think, yeah but they risk serious permanent injury and death every single day as part of their job. That’s not something one should do for minimum wage. And do you really want to arm the guy who’s willing… Read more »
Council Members are so concerned with what an officer’s wage and benefit package is! Law enforcement is an essential funtion and high priority for the Town of Mammoth Lakes. These officers face danger every day of their lives and then some. They deserve a decent living. They walk into suicides… Read more »
This is a good opportunity to clean house and cut the positions of those officers who have demonstrated that they are troublesome to the Department.
Just a little info for you tm,
The officers will be let go from the bottom up in order of hire date.
It won’t necessarily be the ones that you feel should go.
Rather than loosing any more police simply don’t pay Ballas,.
That is what bankruptcy is for.
The town doesn’t have to loose here,
Unless of course it decides too.
Best wishes to Mammoth.
=
You have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about MJA…
Now that is a chief! He knows facts speak for themselves! Too bad sheriff Scholl doesn’t have one tenth of his intelligence! That is me being polite.
As a former cop if my agency tried to make me work alone without back-up available ( or close by ) I would leave that department. If I were killed or hurt on duty as a result of low staffing I or my wife would have a legal case against… Read more »
Sean- what’s your opinions on how the shriff dept’s ability to take over law enforcement in Mammoth?
I am 100% for keeping the PD inplace. The officers know the people who live in the city and have more of a personal investment in keeping things safe. It is counter intuitive but the better job a local PD does the lower the crime rate will be. Cops need… Read more »
Thanks for answering Shawn. I agree with a lot your opinions more so now.
The reason the cop sits there is for the safety of the children that are walking to school, in the path of scores of moms who are late, dropping the kids off at school in their SUVs. If he is not there, they will blow through the stop sign and… Read more »
What happened to the crossing guard lady who used to control that intersection?
Wow, is POST going to help fund the increase? Not to be a jerk Tourbillon, but the Chief is admin and not union. He got it done so quick because it is to his benefit. His Union Officers have been trying to issue a renewal permit to Mammoth Wellness for… Read more »
If you watch the Council Meeting, Chief Watson said he asked for the POST report in the Spring of 2011 and just received it a few days ago.
I’d like to hear what the police chief thinks they really do to help at “at risk kids”??? I don’t see it.
I agree 100 % with that statement and would love to hear the response if there ever was one. It only sounds like fear mongering to me to state ” we anticipate a increase in illegal drug activity, and juvenile crime and at risk behavior by youth”. So then I… Read more »
Wow, that was fast! Who says public unions can’t react with vigor and speed?
Chief Watson is simply smart enough to look down the road and see which way the wind is blowing. He asked POST to do the study several months ago and it recently came in with the actual facts that will be difficult for anyone to refute. The primary responsibility of… Read more »
Did I miss something, Tourbillon? What in the world did this story have to do with unions@