Police Activities League: an ongoing saga
So today's story made a few things clear: The PAL league doesn't exist yet, but newly on-board parks chief Kevin Hawkins hopes to have the organization's leadership assembled in January. The police brass have agreed to start an insurance program that protects off-duty officers while they volunteer.
There were some important points that wound up on the cutting room floor. Here they are:
* After weeks of uncertainty, Chief Michael Billdt confirmed for this reporter yesterday that every visit for ping pong and pool tournaments at the Phoenix center was made by uniformed, on-duty officers. The PAL program was pitched as being based on volunteerism by officers. An argument could be made, and has been made Councilman Neil Derry, that directing on-duty officers to play with kids cannot be considered a start of PAL activities.
* At a November council meeting, Billdt told the council and the public that PAL activities had already begun at the Operation Phoenix Center.
“We had our first PAL program at the Operation Phoenix Center,” Billdt told the council and public Nov. 19.after a councilmember asked about the program’s progress.
“We’ll have another program next week," Billdt added.
A week later, Lt. Scott Paterson, speaking on Billdt’s behalf, confirmed that the program had been launched at the center.
Asked last week about Billdt's statements, Assistant Chief Frank Mankin said the chief accurately portrayed what had occurred.
“I’m confident that the chief always presents factual information to the extent that he can,” Mankin said.
“He was probably referering to PAL-style activities. Those are part of the programmatic outcomes of the Police Activities League.”
Billdt echoed that explanation yesterday, going one further. He insisted that the on-duty officers performed PAL activities last month. His quotes argue that point in the printed story.
Councilman Neil Derry disagrees, arguing that the chief misled he and the public by portraying on-duty officers' work as evidence of PAL's progress.
"The chief said we were ready to go and that he had a person working on it back when we approved the money," Derry said. “It’s obvious the program wasn’t ready to go, and isn’t ready to go, and we were being fed inaccurate information.”
Below is the full story in today's paper.
SAN BERNARDINO - More than 10 months after the City Council allocated $75,000 for a Police Activities League and approved a site, the organization seems poised for launch early next year, city officials say.
Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Director Kevin Hawkins is assembling a PAL board of directors and seeking an executive director. Candidates for both roles are under consideration and could be named as early as January, he said.
"We're taking on a larger role" in building the program, Hawkins said, noting that Police Chief Michael Billdt asked for his aid two to three months ago.
Assistant Police Chief Frank Mankin said he is optimistic the league will be launched soon.
"The league doesn't exist yet. However, the time is coming when we'll have all the pieces assembled and we'll be ready for our kickoff," Mankin said. "The members of the SBPD are interested in making a difference in the lives of the youth in our city."
Development of the league was stalled by a lack of volunteers and the absence of an agreement about how those volunteers would be protected if they are hurt or sued while participating in league activities.
Police leaders and police union officials are optimistic that those and other divides will soon be bridged.
Mankin said liability risks to officers volunteering during their off-duty hours is no longer a roadblock. An insurance plan will protect officers against liability while they work with inner-city youth, he said.
The league's development has not been without some controversy.
The council approved funding in February with the expectation that the league would be launched in the Delmann Heights area.
When the City Council asked Billdt for a status report last month, the chief said league activities were under way at the Operation Phoenix Center, which is in another area of the city.
Council members Wendy McCammack, Chas Kelley and Neil Derry questioned switching the site from the city's troubled Westside.
Derry later complained the chief had misled the council about the program's progress.
Billdt said he accurately stated what had occurred.
"The board of directors and the person who will run the program have not been finalized," Billdt said. "But that doesn't mean you can't have (PAL) activities, and we have had two at the Operation Phoenix Center."
Billdt said the department has been methodical in building a program.
"Parks and Rec will be a prominent partner in our league, which we plan on working also in the western and eastern districts," he said. "To build this program and reach the youth of our city ... it's not something you can do in just a short period of time."
The chief is a liar, plain for all to see. He stood in front of the council and the whole city and said something that wasnt true. ANy chief can order his on duty officers to go play with kids, but that doesnt mean they have a "program."
http://www2.sbsun.com/sanbernardino/ci_7820684
Maybe Chief Billdt should read this article from the Sun about an ACTIVE Police Activities League - Banning is not too far away for a "field trip" if the Chief and his PAL staff get the motivitaion to get off their A*SES and actually do something for the community.