199 lines
9.8 KiB
Plaintext
199 lines
9.8 KiB
Plaintext
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May 1990
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G.R.A.M.P.A. COPS
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By
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Jere L. Spurlin
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Police Chief
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and
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Steve Schwein
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Captain
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Fort Myers, Florida, Police Department
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The School Resource Officer (SRO) Program is a valuable drug
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deterrence and safety program acclaimed by school teachers,
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administrators, school children, and parent associations.
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Unfortunately, limited financial resources in most jurisdictions
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prohibit administrators from staffing these programs adequately.
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Most chiefs and sheriffs feel compelled to assign personnel for
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``street'' patrol rather than for administrative and support
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positions, which are the categories under which most school
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resource officers fall.
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In an effort to expand the services of the School Resource
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Officer Program, yet live within the proposed budgetary
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constraints, the Fort Myers, Florida, Police Department took an
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introspective review of its 10-year program. It determined that
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the most essential component to the program's success was a
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patient, understanding officer who enjoyed being with children.
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This officer also needed sufficient job knowledge to provide a
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valuable learning experience to children of all ages and had to
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be totally committed to both law enforcement and education.
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While there were many officers who met the criteria, they
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were already assigned to critical positions within the
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department. Basically, the most qualified people for the job
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were the least affordable. This lead the department to turn to a
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readily available external resource, which resulted in the
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establishment of the G.R.A.M.P.A. Cop Program.
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WHO ARE G.R.A.M.P.A. COPS?
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As the name of the program implies, G.R.A.M.P.A. (Getting
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Retirees Actively Motivated to Policing Again) Cops are retired
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law enforcement officers who, for one reason or another, want to
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get involved in policing again. To tap this valuable resource,
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the department recruited retired police officers to work in
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schools, along with school resource officers, to carry the drug
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prevention message to youths.
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Essentially, police retirees are no different from those who
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retire from the public sector. Some cherish their free time and
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enjoy their retirement, while others are bored and miss the
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day-to-day camaraderie of their fellow officers.
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Under the G.R.A.M.P.A. Cop Program, retired police officers
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are certified as auxiliary officers, trained in the school
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resource function, and assigned to local schools. The primary
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mission of all G.R.A.M.P.A. Cops is to promote drug abuse
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prevention in all city schools through education and counseling.
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In Fort Myers, G.R.A.M.P.A. Cops deliver educational programs to
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youths through standardized programs that have been developed
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and approved by the police department. But, they still can be
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called upon to assist school resource officers in other programs
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like bicycle safety or child molestation prevention.
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RECRUITING
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Through contact with the community, the department
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identified nearly 1,000 senior citizens with varying degrees of
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law enforcement experience who lived within the Fort Myers area.
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Some of these law enforcement retirees even organized as a civic
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group so that they could hold monthly meetings to fraternize with
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fellow officers and to reminisce on their law enforcement
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careers.
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Advertising for applicants for the G.R.A.M.P.A. Cop Program
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through the printed and electronic media was also used to
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attract applicants. It also provided much-needed recognition to
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the School Resource Officer Program.
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OFFICER SELECTION CRITERIA
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In order to qualify for the G.R.A.M.P.A. Cop Program, all
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applicants must:
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* Have a minimum of 5 years' sworn law enforcement
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experience
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* Be at least 40 years of age at the date of hire
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* Be in good physical condition as determined by the
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departmental physician
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* Meet the basic requirements for admittance into the
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Florida Criminal Justice Standards and Training
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Commission Basic Recruit School for reserve and
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auxiliary officers
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* Have a Florida driver's license and a good driving record
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* Submit letters of recommendation from three superior
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officers from their former department who have knowledge
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of their work performance and character
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* Successfully pass a thorough background investigation,
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which will include a polygraph
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* Be screened by a police oral board which will be comprised
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of Fort Myers Police supervisory personnel and school
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resource officers representing various law enforcement
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agencies throughout the county. (Final appointment will
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be by the chief of police at the recommendations of the
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public information officer who is the supervisor of the
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School Resource Officer Program)
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* Submit dual applications to the City of Fort Myers and
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the Fort Myers Police Department
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* Realize that they are not subject to civil service
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protection
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TRAINING
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Because G.R.A.M.P.A. Cops are police retirees, most have a
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minimum of 20 years of law enforcement experience. Thus, formal
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training is not usually necessary. However, to ensure the
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continuity and integrity of the program, accepted applicants
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attend a 2-week training session at the police academy. There,
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they become familiar with the school resource officer function,
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policies of the school board, and current programs. Two days are
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dedicated to drugs and the prevention of drug abuse, how to
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recognize abusers, and steps to be taken to refer abusers to
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treatment programs.
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During the training, the duties, responsibilities, and
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community role of the reserve officer are outlined, because
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G.R.A.M.P.A. Cops become certified as reserve officers at the end
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of their training. This makes them eligible to participate in
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ride-along programs and crowd control at parades and sporting
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events. Also, administrative staff members and supervisors
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lecture on departmental policies, rules, regulations, and general
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and special orders.
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After graduating from the academy, G.R.A.M.P.A. Cops
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accompany experienced school resource officers for 1 week before
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assuming their regular assignments.
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FINANCIAL BENEFITS
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Aside from the obvious benefit of having experienced and
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qualified retirees interacting positively with the area's youth,
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G.R.A.M.P.A. Cops save the taxpayers money. In fact, the cost of
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manning the School Resource Officer Program with G.R.A.M.P.A.
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Cops instead of new, inexperienced police officers is half as
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expensive. (See Table A.)
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_________________________________________________________
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Table A
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COST COMPARISON
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G.R.A.M.P.A. Cop Police Officer
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Hourly $6.00 $ 9.06
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X Benefits (35%) None 3.15
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Total Cost $6.00 $12.21
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_________________________________________________________
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But, perhaps the greatest feature of the G.R.A.M.P.A. Cop
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Program is its ``easy financing.'' Not only is this program the
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most cost-effective means of providing children with drug abuse
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prevention counseling, but it is also eligible for funding under
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Florida Statute 932.704. Under the provisions of this statute,
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any department that has an aggressive policy in terms of seizing
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and selling contraband, vessels, motor vehicles, aircraft, and
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other personal property can finance their G.R.A.M.P.A. Cop
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Program with forfeited funds.
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CONCLUSION
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Without a doubt, the Fort Myers Police Department's
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G.R.A.M.P.A. Cop Program has greatly benefited the community. It
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has enabled experienced, seasoned officers to reenter the
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profession and has decreased operating costs to the department.
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It also allows the department to double the number of active
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school resource officers within its current budget or to
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significantly reduce the personnel costs of its respective SRO
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program.
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Police departments cannot afford to overlook or misuse
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valuable resources that are readily available to them. By
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employing retired law enforcement officers as auxiliary officers
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in service functions, a department not only gains a wealth of
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knowledge, ability, and expertise but also dedicated individuals
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who can contribute to the safety and well-being of the community.
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