Police

 

DEPARTMENT FUNCTION

 

The Hastings Police Department is the law enforcement division of the City of Hastings.  The department is responsible for the enforcement of Federal and State law, as well as local ordinances. The department serves and protects all persons and property within the city limits of Hastings. 

 

Police Patrol Services:Police Patrol Services:

 

The department is the primary investigative agency of traffic crashes, both property damage and injury type.  As the result of crash investigations, civil infraction citations may be issued and/or criminal charges referred to the Barry County Prosecutors Office. Mandatory crash information is processed in-house and forwarded to Lansing by office personnel.

 

The police department investigates suspected criminal activity, suspicious situations, and other calls for service.  These calls for service may be called in to dispatch by witnesses, concerned parties, or initiated by police officers during the course of patrol.  Officers routinely patrol when they are not actively involved in other tasks, such as responding to a call for service, assisting other departments, affecting an arrest, policing an accident, etc.  Routine patrol, along with traffic enforcement, is performed by means of officers in patrol cars, on police bicycle, police motorcycle, and at times on foot.

 

As a result of officers investigating reported or suspected criminal activity, they also generate official investigative reports, forwarding investigative reports to the City Attorney's office, the Prosecuting attorneys office, or other appropriate agencies, for the possible initiation of a criminal or civil process.  Following issuance of formal criminal charges, officers of the department effectuate arrests and incarcerate criminal suspects.  Mandatory court appearances often follow and are required of officers for testifying purposes.

 

Investigative reports, arrest reports, names, dates, places, property, vehicles, warrants, etc. are placed into the in-house records and incidents management system.  This in-house database is called  "DDP".

 

There is currently one staff employee responsible for entering data into the records system. This position is responsible for entering additional information, as appropriate, along with relevant case disposition and other information.

 

Dare Officer:Dare Officer:

 

          The Department has one Officer involved in teaching our D.A.R.E. program (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) to 5th graders.  The program is taught in conjunction with other obligations as school liaison officer.  The D.A.R.E. program is taught to all 5th grade level classes in the City of Hastings, including Central, Northeastern, Southeastern, and St. Rose schools.  The Department also teaches DARE to Star Elementary as well as Pleasantview Elementary Schools, which  are  outside  of  the  City  but remain  a part of the Hastings School

District.  Following successful completion of the DARE program,  students are allowed to attend

 

a special graduation ceremony.  There are several graduation programs each school year, depending upon the school and semester involved.

 

Clerical:  Service Window Attendant/Secretary Clerical:

 

There are currently two clerical employees in the department. One clerical employee primarily attends to the service window and walk in clients, handling such items as parking ticket entry and payments, requests for police reports, issuing handgun purchase permits after giving a test, logging of civil infraction notices, keeping rack of police data, monthly Council reports, phone answering, and acting as a liaison between the Prosecutor’s Office, courts, and private attorneys, etc.  This clerk also researches all freedom of information requests, forwarding them to the Chief or Deputy Chief as required for necessary responses. The clerk also performs fingerprinting of various applicants as is necessary.  The other Clerk is responsible for data entry and is the Terminal Agency Coordinator (TAC).  This position monitors the process of the legal system as warrants are approved or disapproved, and records final dispositions of these charges.  This TAC position is also responsible for forwarding required information to Lansing on a monthly or as needed basis.  Additional statistical information is recorded by either of the clerks.

 

Clerical: Data Entry/Terminal Agency Coordinator:Data Entry / Terminal Agency Coordinator (Clerical):

 

With the installation of mobile data terminals in the patrol cars several years ago, the department is required by law and L.E.I.N. (law enforcement information network) policy to have a designated Terminal Agency Coordinator (TAC).  This position is responsible for conducting our annual L.E.I.N. audit conducted by the Michigan State Police.  The TAC also manually verifies all L.E.I.N. entries once per month as required, and is responsible for maintaining the integrity of our L.E.I.N. access.  They are responsible for conducing all necessary L.E.I.N. update training for the department and its employees.

 

Additional Police Services:Additional Police Services:

 

          Although limited by overtime concerns, police officers of the department occasionally perform speaking engagements in areas ranging from drunken driving enforcement, crime prevention, D.A.R.E., police work in general, driver’s education, substance abuse education, or other topics pertaining to police services when requested.  They also conduct licensed liquor establishment inspections, searching for and arresting wanted individuals, specialized traffic enforcement as needed, transporting individuals on special occasions for mental health reasons, and various other special tasks in addition to their normal patrol function.

 

Investigative Services:Investigative Services:

 

          Separate from those investigations that are conducted by patrol officers, the Detective Sergeant is the sole officer assigned to conduct follow up, covert, or special investigations. The Detective Bureau  is responsible  for  furthering investigations  of a more  serious  nature.  The

Detective Sergeant performs multi-jurisdictional operations with other agencies on occasion and  conducts in-house investigations as necessary.  The Detective Sergeant makes contact with outside operatives, maintains evidence from investigations, assists the Prosecutor’s Office as necessary, and works closely with victims. The Detective Sergeant has been used in the past, and will be used in the future, for road patrol in the event that additional officers are needed, and/or if there is no immediate need for investigative services.  

 

Administrative Services:

 

The Police Chief and the Deputy Police Chief administer the police department.  The Deputy Chief of Police works for, and reports directly to, the Chief of Police.  The Police Chief's administrative tasks include; developing policies and procedures for staff, monitoring compliance and the training in those policies, preparing and maintaining a budget, administrating disciplinary action if required, acting as a public liaison between the police department and the general public, acting as a grant writer and grant administrator as required, acting as a deputy FOIA coordinator, Emergency Management Coordinator, and Deputy City Manager.  The general overseeing of police department staff is the general responsibility of the Chief.  The Chief’s office is responsible for guiding and directing the police department and its employees, in the attempt to provide the best law enforcement for the Citizens of Hastings. 

 

The Deputy Chief of Police is directly responsible for the "day in and day out" workings of the police department, the supervision of five Sergeants, and overseeing the work performance of all patrol officers and office staff.  The Deputy Chief is in direct charge of the evidence tracking system, entering evidence into the computer, maintaining a proper chain of evidence, and determining final disposition for all items logged in.  This office oversees all undercover operations, both in concert with, and independent from, other departments.  The Detective Sergeant reports directly to the Deputy Chief of Police. He also maintains the work schedule for the department's patrol officers, in addition to the scheduling of vacation, training and overtime.

 

Supervisory:Supervisory:

 

There are four patrol Sergeants in the department and one Detective Sergeant.  One patrol Sergeant is assigned to each of three shifts.  The forth patrol Sergeant is assigned to a swing shift position, which may be used to fill in for vacationing or sick patrol officers as required.  This swing shift sergeant fills in on the pass days of the afternoon and midnight Sergeants. By using the swing shift sergeant in this capacity, the department has a supervisor on duty most of the time.  Patrol Sergeants have the responsibility of supervising the patrol officers assigned to their respective shifts.  They are directly responsible for the work ethic and performance of their subordinates.  The Sergeants act as one of the two or three-officer- team that makes up every shift.  They patrol, respond to complaints, and enforce traffic regulations in the same manner as patrol officers, but also carry the added responsibility of supervising the shift’s activities.  Sergeants form the direct line of information into the Chief's or Deputy Chief's office.

 

School Liaison Officer:School Liaison Officer:

 

This position has an officer working within the entire Hastings School district (including Pleasantview which is miles out of Hastings and Star Elementary), as well as St. Rose Catholic School.  The position is dedicated to the school district for the entire school year.  The school system has recently has speculation that they may not be able to support the position in the next school year due to budget limitations.  The program has, however, been working very well since its implementation six years ago.  The existence of a police officer in the schools on a full time basis not only contributes to the security of the premises, but to the perception of a safer school.  This officer performs a myriad of functions, most of which allow the department’s regular patrol officers additional patrol time, ue to the school officer being present to handle minor school issues.  Additionally, this officer is now responsible for instructing the D.A.R.E. classes to all the 5th grade classes in the Hastings School District.  The liaison position has been used furing the summer months, when not involved with the schools, to augment the road patrol and to focus on problem ares throughout the City.

 

DEPARTMENT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

 

Goals:GOALS:

 

1.  Continue to provide emergency response to all life threatening incidents.

 

2.  Continue to respond to all non-life-threatening incidents in a quick and timely manner considering the urgency and priority of the call.

 

3.  Continue to train officers in all investigative and patrol areas.

 

4.  Continue community policing activities as opportunities allow.

 

  1. The school liaison officer position will continue to be utilized to the fullest extent possible, if funding continues to be available.

 

6.  The use of the police bicycle patrol will continue with the assistance of the police reserve unit.

 

7.  Continue to provide the citizens and community of Hastings a safe environment to live and raise their families.

 

8.  Continue and expand in-house training as funding and staffing allows.

 

9.  Continue to send officers to specialized training, as training funds allow.

  

   10.  To reduce speed-related property damage and personal injury automobile crashes, while promoting safer streets for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.

 

Objectives:OBJECTIVES:

 

1.  To enhance speed monitoring and enforcement through continued enforcement of traffic statutes and ordinances, and utilization of the radar trailer within areas of the city that generate concerns.              

 

2.  To encourage use of seat belts, child restraints, and motorcycle helmets.

 

3.  To promote and educate citizens within the community with current crime prevention ideas and methods.

 

4.  To furnish officers of the department with additional tools and equipment, such as the police tasers, which will provide officers with an additional means to do their jobs in a safe and effective manner.

 

5. To upgrade the current recording devices (in car cameras) with state of the art digital recorders, which will enhance the capturing of evidence in an effective manner.