Has Whitewater Police Chief Jim Coan already hired a trainer for Whitewater’s Police and Fire Commission members?
Earlier this week, on May 20th, 2009, Whitewater’s Police and Fire Commission met for a quarterly meeting. They met in a small conference room, rather than a chamber suitable for public attendance, and unlike so many other public meetings in Whitewater, the public portions of their proceedings were untelevised.
Two days later, in his Weekly Report, Whitewater’s City Manager, Kevin Brunner, announced the results of a portion of that meeting’s agenda: the hiring of two new officers. Here’s what he wrote in his weekly report:
Police Chief James Coan and the Whitewater Police and Fire Commission announce that conditional offers of employment as police officers for the City of Whitewater have been made to John Kleinfeldt and Terrence (TJ) Sullivan. The employment offers are contingent upon successful completion of medical examinations and psychological testing. If all goes well, both candidates will begin field training with the department on June 8th.
John Kleinfeldt graduated from UW-Eau Claire with a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice. John also worked as a Community Service Officer for the Eau Claire Police Department. Terrence is a recent graduate of UW-Whitewater and is a veteran of the United States Air Force. Both candidates have graduated from recruit academies and are eligible to be certified as police officers in the State of Wisconsin.
There are some details that he left out.
The agenda for that Police and Fire Commission, written before the meetings, tells how much time the PFC planned to give to this matter. (It’s their plan for the evening, only.)
Here’s the full agenda, also available online:
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
7:00 p.m.
CITY MANAGER’S CONFERENCE ROOM
312 W. Whitewater Street, Whitewater, Wisconsin
I. Call to Order, Roll Call
II. Election of Officers
III. Oath of Office
IV. Adjournment to Closed Session,
to Reconvene per Wisconsin State Statute §19.85(1) (c) “Considering
employment, promotion, compensation or performance evaluation data
of any public employee over which governmental body has jurisdiction
or exercises responsibility.”
A. Items to be discussed: Interview of Patrol Officer Candidates – 2
V. Reconvene into Open Session at 7:20 p.m.
VI. Announcement of recommendation to Chief of Police concerning
Patrol Officer candidates
VII. Approval of minutes of February 18, 2009
VIII. Citizen Comments
IX. Old Business – None
X. New Business
A. Chief’s Report
1. Staffing Update
2. PFC Training Availability.
XI. Adjournment
Amazing!
The meeting plan had the PFC starting at 7:00 p.m., and a Call to Order, Roll Call, Election of PFC Commission Officers, and Oath of Office, and Interview of Two Patrol Officer candidates, all in 20 minutes.
How could anyone meaningfully plan to accomplish all these duties — consideration of two candidate interviews included — in just 20 minutes?
There is a way, perhaps.
Later in the agenda, at item X. A. 2., the agenda lists ‘Training Availability.’ Perhaps the training already took place, and Coan, and all the Whitewater Police and Fire Commission members, took training from this gentleman:
Once again, as so many times before, Jim Coan and the Whitewater Police and Fire Commission lead the nation — that’s all 306,500,137 people in America — in a new and innovative way to conduct a meeting.
Unique as always.
There might be a different way, though, more intelligible and consistent with current public meeting practices in America — allot more time in the agenda, hold the meeting in a suitable chamber, and televise the open proceedings.
Take these duties seriously.
Something one might want to consider, perhaps, just perhaps.