Introduction to the PS-22 Plan
During the past four years, I’ve been grateful for the opportunity to learn about the city’s public safety needs and challenges. I greatly appreciate the excellent quality and dedication of our 70+ public safety professionals and support staff. I also I see the challenges inherent in our current PSO Model. As the city’s Chief Executive Officer, I am ultimately responsible for the safety and security of Cedar Falls residents, and also need to be responsive to the concerns of residents about this experimental program.
Some aspects of the current “PSO Model” are great -- I fully support cross-training and believe our smart and motivated officers have the skill and will to serve ably in that capacity. Cedar Falls Public Safety has hired top-notch officers; this certainly isn’t about “them”, and I’m very proud of them and the excellence they bring to their critical safety roles every day.
That said, Public Safety 2022 - A Citizen-Centered Model for Cedar Falls is a response to the concerns that the current PSO Model lacks inherent accountability to certify that personnel maintain the perishable law enforcement, firefighting, rescue, and emergency medical skills needed to protect Cedar Falls residents, workers, and visitors, and their property.
I will seek Council adoption of this plan beginning January 2022, and will create a detailed timeline to provide clarity to those impacted, and to minimally disrupt lives and livelihoods during the transitional phase. Most transition items will occur within the first year of adoption, so that voters can evaluate the effectiveness of these changes before the November 2023 city election.
An up-to-date PDF diagram of the PS-22 Plan is available at https://bit.ly/cfps-2022.
Five Key Actions for PS-22
Five key actions are needed to implement Public Safety 2022: A Citizen-Centered Model for Public Safety, They are:
1. Restore the Firefighter Job Classification.
Law enforcement and fire / rescue are two separate professions. Firefighters will not be required to become police officers as a condition of employment and vice versa.
Council approval of the new job classification will be required for this change.
2. Adopt profession-specific physical fitness standards.
Lives may well depend on the physical capabilities of our public safety professionals. Firefighters will meet fire/rescue-specific physical fitness standards (via CPAT or another test), and police officers will meet law enforcement-specific physical fitness standards (via Cooper Test or other). Officers desiring certification as a PSO will meet both standards.
Council direction to staff will be required for this change.
3. Re-Program ‘Public Safety Officer’ from a job class to a biannual certification.
The PSO designation will be a certification earned by high-performing firefighters and police officers, with supplemental pay and other incentives to do so. Existing PSOs will transition to the Police Officer or Firefighter job class, and then would be granted a one-year PSO certification in order to prepare for the recertification process, and to lessen the immediate impact of the transition.
Every two years, personnel will renew their PSO certification through examination, physical fitness testing, and practical exercises. They will demonstrate their currency in law enforcement, firefighting, rescue, and emergency medical procedures using a graded, comprehensive pass / fail task guide (which would need to be developed). A PSO not desiring to, or not able to, continue in the PSO program would de-certify and continue serving as a Police Officer or Firefighter with no penalty (aside from the loss of supplemental pay)
City Council approval will be required for this change.
4. End the ‘Public Safety Supervisor’ Job Classification.
Career police officers will lead police shifts; career firefighters will lead fire shifts. Current Public Safety Supervisors would transition to either police supervisor or fire supervisor depending on expertise. This transition would occur over an extended time to minimize the impact on personnel.
City Council approval will be required for this change.
5. Re-program the Public Safety Director role as a supplemental duty, not a full-time position.
The Mayor will appoint either the Police Chief or Fire Chief with the administrative title of Public Safety Director. Supplemental pay will be provided to the Police Chief or Fire Chief for the duration of time that they perform this non-operational role on top of their regular duties. The Chief not serving as Public Safety Director will be appointed as the Deputy Public Safety Director -- fully qualified and empowered to carry out the Public Safety Director’s duties in the director’s absence or incapacity. This approach will increase the city’s resiliency in a disaster, and save more than $150K in salary and benefits each year.
The City Council will need to update the City Code to enact this change.
Next Steps...
As you can see, nearly all of these changes require the approval of the majority of City Council members AND a supportive mayor to ensure the plan isn’t vetoed. If you agree with this plan, please seek out council candidates who support it as well. I hope to earn your vote November 2nd.