HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR POLICE DEPARTMENT?
A MESSAGE FROM THE POCATELLO POLICE CHIEF J.R. MILLER

In October 2007 I became your Police Chief, with an ambition to establish goals that would facilitate the growth of the Pocatello Police Department, provide police services second to none, and establish a leadership model that would provide for the succession of the department's next generation of command. I wasn't sure how the community would support change, but my initial realization was the Pocatello Police Department needed decisive leadership and a plan and direction for future progress. All aspects of the department would be reviewed. Service to the community would be a priority. Input from the department membership was going to be critical, as well as input from the community itself.

Within the first few months, it was learned the Pocatello Police Department had several positive community programs underway. The department had been nationally recognized for its volunteer program. This has been one of the departments “diamond” programs, and it continues to be recognized for its efforts within the community. Another invaluable program is the School District 25 School Resource Officer program and the D.A.R.E. program.

After meeting with all department personnel, it was evident some problems existed within the department. After the problems were identified a plan was developed to address them. The changes that needed to occur were much greater than initially anticipated. As in any organization, I knew these changes were not going to be an easy task to accomplish. It would require the full support of all personnel, from the newest officer to the most senior officer, and from the lowest subordinate to the highest command level.

Currently the department has 130 designated positions, ninety of those positions are for sworn personnel, and the remainder makes up the support staff of the department. Included in this support staff is our Telecommunications Operators, Personnel Support Specialists, Code Enforcement and Parking Enforcement personnel to name a few. Each one of these support functions has a specific role, but the “heartbeat” of the Pocatello Police Department is the Communications Center. Calls for service are received, processed, and assigned through this center. The communications facility has been under staffed for years. With over 35,000 dispatched calls for service annually, and over 150,000 inbound and outbound telephone calls processed, the minimum staffing levels are barely tolerable, and at times limit the emergency response capabilities of the City. The Communications Center also provides communications capabilities for the Pocatello Fire Department and the Bannock County Ambulance District.

The department is organized into three divisions; (1) Patrol/Traffic, (2) Investigations and (3) Support Services. Each division within the department has specific staffing needs. The department currently has a 1.6 officer per 1,000 person population ration. The Idaho average is 1.8 officers per 1,000 and the National average is 2.1 officers per 1,000. Additionally, the department now has a specific function that addresses the emergency response capabilities of the department as well as providing interaction with other city departments and community partners.

After two years, the Pocatello Police Department is beginning to realize the benefits from the changes and accomplishments that have been made. The department policy manual has had a major and historical re-write, involving all staffing levels within the department. Our new policy manual will be consistent throughout and the department now provides “Daily Training Bulletins” for each policy and its relative impact within the department. The new manual will be implemented in January 2010.

The investigative component of the department has experienced significant training and technical enhancements. Efforts continue to enhance the forensic capabilities of the department, both from the scientific realm to electronic data recovery. The department has increased its capabilities in handling computer crimes, child abuse and domestic abuse cases as well as addressing our unresolved homicide cases. Our annual “Training Needs Assessment” continues to identify our needs for training, and as funds permit, training is obtained. Also our new “team training concept” allows us to training more frequently and at a reduced cost, yet it does not adversely affect our staffing levels for complaint response.

Technology is an important component of the Pocatello Police Department. We are a “charter” member of the Idaho Intelligence Center which is located and housed at the Idaho State Police in Boise. Additionally, the department now receives information and actionable intelligence bulletins from all over the country. In the future the department will expand this capability by enhancing our analytical abilities to predict criminal events and conduct “link-analysis” for events that have already occurred. In an effort to make our citizens more aware of the calls for service and crime occurring in their own neighborhoods we incorporated an automated “crime activity” report on the department website. This automated program not only informs the citizens of our activity, but it is also being used as a management analysis tool for the deployment and assignment of personnel for problem solving and enforcement efforts.

The most important aspect of your police department is its personnel. Keep in mind our officers and staff deal with “other people's” problems on a daily basis. Remember also we have our own problems as well. We are “normal people,” but we are limited as to how we share our thoughts and feelings. We cannot be as open as the average citizen; our behavior is always under the microscope. The Pocatello Police Department is an agency with the highest levels of integrity and we are committed to the service and welfare of our community. The Pocatello Police Department is a “Values” driven agency, which includes: (1) Human Life, (2) Professional and Personal Excellence, (3) Integrity, (4) Loyalty and (5) Courage. Several of our personnel have been featured in the “Faces of Idaho” section of the Idaho State Journal, Sunday edition. These individuals not only exemplify the department and City of Pocatello, but they represent a specialized component of the department, from School Resource Officer, our Crime Intelligence function, our D.A.R.E. component or one of our most important “jewels” our Volunteer and Neighborhood Watch Program. All of the functions we perform are community service oriented.

We have developed many business and personal relationships within the community, not just the criminal justice community. We focus on neighborhood associations, various advisory boards, and other government relation groups. We are a municipal agency, but our efforts have the potential to affect the entire state and sometimes outside of our jurisdictional boundaries. We are not blind to the needs of other agencies and our levels of cooperation and collaboration have increased our service abilities because of the relationships that have been formed.

In closing, let me express how much I have enjoyed being your Police Chief, and leading the department through these times of change. I am encouraged by the energy displayed within the department and the opportunities that will occur in the coming months and years. I stand proudly with the members of the Pocatello Police Department, knowing the ultimate mission for the community is achieved through our “professionalism and community service.” I look forward to continuing our work within the community, and establishing new relationships for the betterment of our community. Our doors are always open, and it is never an inconvenience for you to contact us.

Pocatello Police Chief J.R. Miller has been involved in the law enforcement profession for over 38 years. He has worked in both municipal and state government, retiring from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in 2007. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Leadership Center. Chief Miller currently represents Southeast Idaho as the District 5 Vice President of the Idaho Chiefs of Police Association. Further, he represents State of Idaho law enforcement by filling a governor's appointment to the Idaho Public Safety & Information Systems Committee. You can reach J.R. Miller at chief@pocatello.us.