NEWINGTON POLICE COMMISSION
MINUTES

There was a meeting of the Newington Police Commissioners on Tuesday, April 3, 2018 at 4:00 p.m. at the police department.

PRESENT:  Commissioner Steven Prefontaine, Commissioner F. Jackson Hoyt, newly appointed Commissioner Brenda Blonigen, Chief Michael Bilodeau, Captain Michael Sullivan, and Admin Assistant Diana St. Laurent.

The Selectmen appointed town resident Brenda Blonigen as police commissioner to complete the 2-year term vacated by Kenneth Latchaw.

I
CALL TO ORDER

Chairman Prefontaine called the meeting to order at 4:05 p.m.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS:  On a MOTION by Commissioner Hoyt and seconded by Commissioner Blonigen, Commissioner Prefontaine was elected Chairman. On a MOTION by Commissioner Blonigen and seconded by Commissioner Prefontaine, Commissioner Hoyt was elected Vice Chairman. On a MOTION by Commissioner Hoyt and seconded by Commissioner Prefontaine, Commissioner Blonigen was elected Secretary.

II
MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS

On a MOTION by Commissioner Hoyt and seconded by Commissioner Prefontaine, the Commissioners voted to accept the minutes from the March 20, 2018 meeting as written.

There were no other minutes.

III
POLICE COMMISSION INFORMATION

Staff Update – Chief Bilodeau brought Commissioner Blonigen up to date on Officer Gregor’s position. He explained that she was sworn in on April 3, 2018 as a full-time officer from part-time status and will be attending the full-time academy at the end of April. In the meantime Officer Gregor is receiving FTO training here at the department and still attending the part-time academy until the end of April. The Chief said that he is looking to hire a certified officer to fill the vacancy in patrol as soon as possible. The Chief said he has 4 or 5 candidates to consider and they will all be put through the PT test and an oral board consisting of a couple of Newington Officers, a resident from the town, a resident from the business district and a member from the Air National Guard. Commissioner Prefontaine said that the Commissioners will interview the final candidates. The Chief said he will be doing advertising within the next 2 weeks and asking for certified officers with 2-5 years experience to apply. There was a discussion about the starting pay rate, which will be decided once a final candidate is under consideration. Commissioner Prefontaine asked how many candidates will the Chief be presenting to the Commissioners for their consideration. The Chief said he is hoping to have at least 3 candidates.

Other Police Commission Business –

Purchase Order File – The Commissioners reviewed and signed the purchase order file.
Budget Review – The Commissioners were given a copy of the 2018 budget print out. The Chief said that the overtime needs to be watched closely due to all the unexpected vacancies. The Chief said he is monitoring the overtime as best he can. He said we are trying to allow the officers to take annual leave where possible. The Chief said we are also covering for 2 officers who are in the military.

The Chief told the Commissioners he is looking into having Rockingham Dispatch handle our dispatch and the IMC software which might save the department a few thousand dollars a year. He said he just got the figures today and has not had a chance to look over them closely.

IV
OLD BUSINESS

None at this time.

V
NEW BUSINESS

The Chief said there will be a department meeting on Thursday, April 5, 2018 at the police department at 6:00 involving critical incident debriefing. The Chief said that all members of the department did a fantastic job handling the incident involving the loss of one of our officers. The Chief said that all the members will receive a debriefing at this training and he is keeping an eye on the officers who were deeply affected by this incident. Commissioner Hoyt suggested that a letter be put in all the employees’ files commending them on a job well done. Commissioner Hoyt presented the Chief with a check for a donation for the officer’s children. The Chief also said that, because the town refused to pay for the expenses incurred by having the family flown in for the funeral, he paid for the hotel on his own. The staff and officers at the police department are donating to help with this expense. The Chief said he is considering a line item in the 2019 budget to help cover emergencies such as this one.

Commissioner Hoyt asked if there are any non-public minutes that need to be reviewed. It was determined that there were no minutes to be reviewed at this time.

The Chief said that Martha would like the police department to send her the agenda to be posted on the Town’s website. There were no objections to this request.

VI
NON-PUBLIC SESSION

RSA 91-A:3 II(c) Personnel Matter – not needed.

VII
NEXT MEETING DATE/TIME/LOCATION

The next Commission meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at 4:00 p.m. at the police department.

VIII
ADJOURNMENT

On a MOTION by Commissioner Hoyt and seconded by Commissioner Blonigen, the Commissioners voted to adjourn at 4:25 p.m.

                                 For Commissioner Brenda Blonigen, Secretary                                                                                                                                                          by Diana St. Laurent