Hainesville sped through process

Elected officials must consider many important issues when deciding to start and maintain a police department. While finances are a key component, what you're getting for your money also has to be examined, particularly when most of the staff will be only part-time employees.

For many years, Hainesville had a part-time police department. I became a village trustee in 1995 and was able to observe the caliber of the members of our department. After being appointed police commissioner, I spearheaded a committee whose purpose was to enhance the professionalism of our officers.

In 1996, a state statute went into effect specifying standards that a part-time department had to adhere to. Officers who were not certified with the proper amount of training were allowed to be tested and could be waived if they passed. I made the announcement of the test, which almost all of our officers were required to pass. And that was the last time I saw many of those officers. This made the committee's job easy since upon reviewing most of their personnel files, it was scary to think that some were allowed to carry a gun and badge.

Because of growth, the calls for service increased and the need for additional hours of coverage was obvious. We expanded hours and professionalized the department with new staff and equipment. But this could not change the fact they were still only part-time employees.

When the majority of a police staff is part-time, the turnover will be significant. They will get tired of working two jobs, they will call in unable to make it to work because of their full-time job or because they will be too tired. They may not be able to make their court appearances. High-caliber officers will get promoted or have other opportunities and resign. The ones who remain will have questionable motives for wanting to work in our agency.

While it is common practice for police agencies to hire part-time officers, they usually make up only a fraction of the total police force. In Hainesville, the part-time officers are the main force. This situation will be ripe for abuse, with officers working with little or no supervision a great deal of the time. This no doubt will be a major step backward and will negatively impact our residents' safety.

More importantly, when there is an emergency and you dial 911, do you want well-trained officers with accessible supervision or the "officer of the month" responding?

I'm not saying Hainesville can never have its own police agency or provide protection from other sources. However, I do know that Hainesville moved much too fast in deciding to form its own department.

When elected officials make decisions on important issues faster than the speed of thought, it's the residents that usually end up paying for the mistakes.

Linda Soto

Former trustee,

former mayor

Village of Hainesville