Questionnaire from LCPOA (League City Police Officer’s Association)

LCPOA PAC 2008 Questionnaire

 1. If elected/re-elected will you support designating (if a Mayoral candidate) or voting for (if a Council candidate), in our next meet and confer agreement, at least one member of the League City Civil Service Commission as an Officer's Representative to be nominated by the LCPOA?

ANSWER: When the issue came up about replacing the chief I never really thought about who should be included and who not to include in the process.  I thought it was clear consensus that the officers thought a change was needed.  When I first heard the name Jez being thrown around I made several phone calls and asked questions; and the reviews were overwhelming.  This is where I made a mistake; because I was so enamored by the product, I never concerned myself with the process.  I just assumed everybody would be happy.  After discussing this issue with several officers, it's clear that the process we used could be improved. In hindsight, the LCPOA, in addition to other key members of our community, should have been consulted about the hiring of such an important position in the city.

If there is another Chief's position open in my term, the President of the LCPOA will be consulted to weigh in with the input of the officers. I would suggest that they actually make a presentation to council in a workshop. I am willing to add that provision to the next meet and confer.
 
 
3. Would you support recruitment bonuses for new hires and retention bonuses for veteran officers (in addition to the current longevity, education, and certification pay) as a means of addressing our chronic manpower shortage? 

ANSWER: Yes. Public safety is and has been my number one priority while on council and having enough officers on the street is a key part of the city's public safety strategy. I see my role on council as a two-part process. The first is supporting the police management when they request new positions, which I have done every year of both of my terms on council. I have never voted against any request for officers made by the Chief of Police. Secondly, I would be in favor of recruitment and retention bonuses to help us compete with other agencies in filling the slots that we do have.

 
4. Will you support the City removing the crossing guard function from the LCPD and placing it with CCISD or the Galveston County Sheriff's Department's Liaison deputies that work at the schools? 

ANSWER: Yes. It seems to me that if the Galveston County Sheriff's Department bid for the CCISD job, they (or CCISD) should be required to perform the entire enforcement part of the job, which includes crossing guards. I think that CCISD often takes advantage of the city under the guise of “the kids”. I would work with the LCPOA to educate my fellow councilmen on the issue and would support directing city staff to make that position known if the majority of council agree.


5. Are you in favor of a 3-year meet and confer agreement that runs concurrently with the Mayor's term? 

ANSWER: Yes I would. A three year-agreement makes economic sense, so we don't have to negotiate a new agreement every year and aligning it with the term of the mayor allows for certainty in the public safety priorities of one administration. Although you might want to consider what might happen with a new mayor that has no experience.  He may be best to handle this toward the end of the mayor’s term.  But whatever you feel comfortable with is fine by me.


6. Will you support the City working with the Sheriff's department to allow prisoners to either remote bond from the LC jail or to have Sheriff's deputies transport county prisoners to the county jail on Galveston Island to eliminate League City officers from having to leave the city once, and sometimes twice, per night to transport prisoners? 

ANSWER: Yes. Anything we can do to reduce the amount of time our officers spend out of service out of the city I am in favor of. I would be in favor of opening up discussions of this issue with the new sheriff.