Board of Commissioners – Special Meeting – June 22, 2020
Meeting Agenda
| The Board of Commissioners met with Police Chief Clark Pennington and staff to discuss current events.
This document was used by Chief Pennington during his presentation
Matthews Police Department Presentation Regarding Policies and Procedures
0:00:07 | Open Meeting
0:00:27 | Introduction of meeting participants
0:01:03 | Police Chief Clark Pennington begins presentation
0:02:33 | Overview of topics that will be presented
Evolution of Internal Affairs / Discipline in MPD
Office of Professional Standards / Internal Affairs
Early Intervention Activation System
Complaint process; from reception to review
Hiring practices and current demographics of the agency
“8 can’t wait”
De-escalation and CIT response model; Implicit Bias Training
Multiple hats of law enforement (social work vs. enforcement)
Chief’s Forum (Citizen advisory committee)
What’s next
0:04:18 | EVOLUTION OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS – Matthews Police Department Complaint Process – History
Review of the Chief’s accomplishments since appointed on 1/2018
1st General Order was to revise Internal Investigation Policy
What has changed since Chief Pennington was installed
Question: Mayor Higdon – When will complaints be reviewed with elected officials
Reply: Hazen Blodgett – Town Manager
General discussion begins
Streamlined the ability of individuals to submit compliments / complaints
Comment: Commissioner Renee Garner – Also wishes to have elected officials informed on a timely basis
Matthews Police Department Complaint Reception Process
Displaying the pamphlet “In Partnership With The Community” which details complaint process.
0:21:40 | OFFICE OF PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
CALEA coordinator position filled (Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies)
Explanation of the value of CALEA accreditation (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforement Agencies)
Comment: Commissioner Larry Whitley – Agrees on the importance of prestige of a CALEA accreditation
Reponse: Chief Penningion
Explanation of the process to obtain CALEA accreditation
0:29:10 | EARLY INTERVENTION SYSTEM
Adoption of IAPro software (Internal Affairs Pro) to track incidents
Explanation of first level of Early Intervention System – Detect officer behavior patterns
Explanation of second level of Early Intervention System – Tracking of incidents
Procedure to resolve incidents which activate the Early Intervention System
Explanation of the Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Question: Commissioner Larry Whitley – Does EAP provide counseling for officers that may have been in a stressful situation while on duty
Reponse: Chief Penningion
0:39:37 | COMPLAINT PROCESS FROM RECEPTION TO COMPLETION
How are complaints processed
How are anonymous complaints processed
Explanation of types of complaints
Performance complaint
External complaint
Internally generated complaint
Professional standards complaints
What happens when an investigation is completed – How is the investigation classified
Exonerated
Non-sustained
Sustained
Unfounded
Flow chart of the complaint process
Drawing and flow chart of which personnel handle each aspect of the complaint
Additional steps taken during the complaint process
0:49:40 | HIRING PRACTICES
Question: Commissioner Larry Whitley – what is the name of the HR attorney and police department attorney
Reply: Hazen Blodgett
Additional comments: Chief Pennington
Recruitment policy
Job fairs
21st Century Policing Initiatives
Demographics of the police department by ethnicity compared to community
Demographics of hiring since 2018
Question: Mayor Higdon – How many police officers are on the force
Reply: Chief Pennington
0:58:38 | 8 CAN’T WAIT
A campaign to reduce force used by officers
1:00:06 | CIT RESPONSE MODEL (CRISIS INTERVENTION TEAM)
Question: Mayor Higdon – Are there any areas that the MPD does not meet 8 Can’t Wait guidelines
Reply: Chief Pennington
Explanation resumed of CIT Response Model
Question: Commissioner Ken McCool – Are there any social workers on or assigned to the force or are any officers trained as social workers
Reply: Chief Pennington
Question – Commissioner Renee Garner – About training of officers to recognize mental health issues
Reply: Chief Pennington
General discussion ensues
CIT Response Model training for the Matthews PD
Implicit Bias Training
Question: Commissioner Renee Garner – Is there always a CIT officer on duty
Reply: Chief Pennington
General discussion ensues
Implicit Bias Training – resumed
Unconscious Bias Training
Question: Mayor Higdon – Are unconscious bias and racial bias the same
Reply: Chief Pennington
1:13:38 | MULTIPLE HATS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT (SOCIAL WORK VS. ENFORCEMENT)
1:17:35 | CHIEF’S FORUM (CITIZEN ADVISORY COMMITTEE)
The advisory committee will be made up of community members (residents / business owners / community leaders / religious leaders)
Action items
Encourage public engagement
Establish citizen advisory committees
1:20:40 | WHAT’S NEXT
1:22:14 | Open for question and answer period
Comment: Commissioner Larry Whitley – Commending Chief Pennington for having an action plan for the department
Comment: Chief Pennington – Asking board members to visit the station and support the officers
Comment: Commissioner Renee Garner – How can the board of commissioners express their confidence and appreciation to the officers and staff of MPD
Comment: Mayor Higdon – Commending Chief Pennington regarding the low number of complaints and the high number of positive comments coming from the citizens
Comment: Hazen Blodgett – Reiterating the To Do for the town staff is to find a way to report police related incidents to the board of commissioners on a more timely basis