Tucumcari police chief outlines virtual academy, new scheduling app, kennel enforcement and policy overhaul

Police Chief Lorenzo Camino updated the commission on several departmental changes intended to modernize training, scheduling and policy.

Chief Camino said the department will subscribe to a virtual academy that carries a one-time city cost of $1,035 and will allow the department to meet eight of the 12 state-required training classes in-house while officers are on-duty. "For $1,035 to carry PDQ now, meet 8 of the 12 requirement or required classes in house on the leisure of the shift," the chief said.

The chief said the department has deployed a scheduling application called When I Work so officers can submit time-off requests and swap shifts without relying on an old dry-erase board; he said that change has reduced phone calls and will help limit overtime demands. He also told commissioners the department is exploring schedule options to reduce consecutive 12-hour shifts for officers.

Chief Camino said kennel and animal-control capacity is a pressing issue: the kennel fills quickly and animals are staying indefinitely, creating a bottleneck. "We could fill that kennel every day with a fresh 7 animals, and the problem that we're having out there is that these animals are staying there for indefinite amounts of time," he said. He said the department will follow existing ordinances and meet with volunteer groups to develop a plan that balances ordinance requirements with available kennel space.

Policy modernization and equipment The chief said many department policies date back 20 years and that the department will pursue accreditation through the New Mexico Municipal League to help update policies and reduce liability and insurance costs. He described accreditation as a multistep effort that will bring outside assistance in drafting modern policies.

On equipment, the chief said the department purchased cameras this fiscal year and that installation will be a first spending priority when the new budget takes effect in July.

Provenance Topic intro: "On to mister chief Lorenzo Camino. Good morning, data pro tem, data commissioners." (transcript time ~00:338.93–00:347.35). Topic finish: "And then the last thing to report to you folks is that come July, the the next week or so, when the new budget hits, the first priority for an expenditure for me out of that budget is to install the cameras..." (transcript time ~00:667.39–00:686.18).

Speakers - Chief Lorenzo Camino — Police Chief — affiliation: government — first_reference timecode: 00:338.93–00:347.35

Clarifying details - Virtual academy cost (one-time): $1,035 (as stated by Chief Camino). - Virtual training will cover 8 of 12 state-required classes in-house (as stated by Chief Camino). - Scheduling app deployed: "When I Work" (named by Chief Camino). - Department policy updates: last substantive modifications described as circa 2006; accreditation through the Municipal League proposed. - Camera purchases: cameras bought this fiscal year; installation planned as a first priority in July budget.

Proper names - When I Work (scheduling application) - New Mexico Municipal League - Tucumcari (location)

Searchable tags ["police","training","virtual academy","When I Work","animal control","Tucumcari"]

Meeting context engagement_level: {"speakers_count":1,"duration_minutes":55,"items_count":1}, implementation_risk:"low"