Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Police Department topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Police chief: accreditation maintained, staffing transitions and Axon taser lease planned
Summary
Police Chief Kenny told the committee the department earned state accreditation in the past year, is preparing for reaccreditation, is replacing end-of-life tasers via a 10-year Axon lease, and is proposing a full‑time records clerk to handle growing records requests; the department also reported recent retirements and active hiring.
Police Chief Kenny delivered a brief update to the Health, Safety and Sanitation Committee, outlining accreditation, staffing, records and equipment changes.
Kenny said the agency received state accreditation this past year and expects to pursue reaccreditation in three years. He reported two retirements (one already effective, another upcoming) and said one officer is finishing the OSP Police Academy and will begin field training next month; the department has started testing and hiring to fill vacancies.
On records management, Kenny said the department is receiving a large volume of public records requests and is discussing with the law director a proposal to combine two part‑time records clerks into a single full‑time custodian-of-records position to centralize redaction and video requests; that change would come to finance or a committee for approval.
Kenny described training and equipment upgrades: the department recently conducted active-shooter training at Sydney Fenn School, invested in drones and paved part of the range (funded by Park Foundation donations), and plans to acquire new taser systems through a 10-year Axon lease because the vendor no longer sells devices outright. On deer management, Kenny said the bow program culled 114 deer this year and the department is exploring combined approaches to reduce deer-vehicle crashes and property damage.
Committee members thanked the chief and staff; there were no formal votes during the presentation.
