Several recent staffing rotations at the Columbus Police Department may bring the station one step closer to receiving state accreditation, according to CPD Chief Joseph St. John.
Beginning this week, several CPD officers will switch roles in an effort to bring greater efficiency to the department”s divisions, St. John said during a Monday morning city department head meeting.
“Starting over from scratch isn”t really the right phrase. I would say we are starting the department back at the beginning and working our way up from there,” St. John told city officials.
“The next two months, we will be in a real learning curve, so you all will have to bear with us,” the chief added.
As part of the changes, former administration commander Lt. Carroll Culpepper, former training commander Lt. Selvain McQueen and former commander of professional standards Lt. Keith Worshaim all will be placed in control of the department”s patrol divisions.
Sgt. James Grant will be placed in charge of the CPD”s officer training programs, Sgt. Neil Taylor will be in charge of the department”s finances, Lt. Randy Karg will head the CPD firing range and Community Work Program and Lt. Oscar Lewis will be in charge of the station”s accreditation programs, St. John explained.
By shuffling personnel, the CPD will operate “more efficiently,” and will be able to focus on one of the department”s previous problems.
In June, CPD officers arrested a Community Work Program participant after police discovered the man and two other suspects may have been involved in a gun theft from the department”s firing range off Martin Luther King Drive.
Through the work program, offenders charged with misdemeanors in the Columbus Municipal Court are allowed to work off their fines at the firing range.
After the theft, CPD officials “retooled” the work program before appointing Karg direct supervisor of the range and program participants, St. John previously said.
“The program will have a lot more supervision,” St. John said. “We”re also going to get the participants out there in the neighborhoods picking up trash and stuff.
“They won”t be out there with a back hoe or anything crazy like that,” the chief laughed. “But some of the people at the ward meetings have been talking about cleaning up their neighborhoods, so I think cleanup would be an appropriate job for that program.”
St. John said the myriad staffing and program changes will help the station take its final step toward achieving state accreditation for the first time.
“We are coming down to the final stretch right now, and this will help us to get there,” St. John said. “I”m not sure on an exact timeline, but we”ve been working on getting accredited for several years.”
Before the station is accredited, officials with the Mississippi Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission will judge the CPD on several criteria.
During the review, the commission will determine if the CPD has department goals it regularly updates and determine if the department is using its resources to further the goals, according to a commission accreditation handbook.
The accreditation commission also will review the department”s efficiency and effectiveness, according to the handbook.
“Accreditation increases the law enforcement agency”s ability to prevent and control crime through more effective and efficient delivery of law enforcement services to the community it serves,” the handbook says.
“The reason we want to be accredited is because we are setting our own standards higher,” St. John said. “Once we make all the changes and get accredited, we will be a better department.”
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