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Deputy police chief ordinance approved
FITCHBURG, Mar 12, 2010 (Sentinel and Enterprise - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
The Committee on Legislative Affairs, a subcommittee of the City Council, has officially approved an ordinance outlining a deputy chief position for the Fitchburg Police Department.
Chief Robert DeMoura, who appointed Peter Bergeron as a provisional deputy chief over the summer, explained to members of the committee that the job will allow him to streamline the chain of command inside the Police Department, from the bottom to the top, and improve communication.
"This will clearly make that happen," DeMoura said.
Creating the position means everyone in the Police Department works for someone else, DeMoura said. DeMoura works for the City of Fitchburg, the deputy chief works for him, police captains work for the deputy chief, and so on, he explained.
The ordinance states that the deputy chief will be paid at a salary 15 percent higher than a police captain, DeMoura said, which will make the pay grade system uniform throughout the Police Department.
A full job description was not provided to the city councilors Thursday, which caused Ward 1 City Councilor David Clark to hesitate.
"I'd like to see the position before we take a blind vote," Clark said.
But City Solicitor Michael Ciota said the position is already on the books with the state Human Resources Division, because it's a Civil Service position, which satisfied Clark, and the committee voted unanimously to approve the ordinance.
The ordinance must
still be approved by the Public Safety Committee, and the full City Council at a later date, to be adopted.
Police Union President Christopher Garcia attended the meeting, and afterwards said this it's a positive step for the Police Department.
"It will strengthen the department in the day-to-day operations," Garcia said.
A Civil Service examination for the job is scheduled for May, as its set to become vacant with Bergeron's retirement. Captain Phillip Kearns, and the department's three lieutenants, are eligible to apply for the job, Garcia said.
In other business, the committee unanimously approved a nuisance ordinance that will allow city officials more authority in dealing with offenders, such as those who graffiti buildings, and property owners who do not maintain vegetation.
"What (the city) declares to be a nuisance is a nuisance, and this (ordinance) attempts to do it in one place," Ciota said.
The Board of Health, Police Department, city solicitor, and Department of Public Works have met on a biweekly basis to come up with a the ordinance, Ciota said Thursday, and how best to execute it.
The ordinance will allow officials from those departments to press charges, or have offenders do community service or clean-up, to correct the problems they inflict, Ciota said.
Clark wondered whether the ordinance will be enforced.
"Is this just a feel good piece of legislation, or does it really have some teeth?" Clark said.
Ciota told Clark that the police now have the authority to use legal force against offenders, and that the ordinance simply allows city officials to force offenders to bring their yards up to code, or remove graffiti.
The nuisance ordinance will be on the agenda for consideration by the full City Council at the next meeting Tuesday.
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