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Roseville Human Rights Commission Minutes January 11, 2011 Page 2 of 5 Police Chief Mathwig introduced himself and spoke about Roseville's Police Department. He has been in law enforcement for 23 years, with 22 years in Roseville. He started as a patrol officer and moved up the ranks to Police Chief in June, after serving as Acting Chief for nine months. The Roseville Police Department is budgeted for 49 sworn officers, seven civilian staff and two part -time Community Services Officers. The City also has 20 volunteer reserves who have varied interests some giving back to the community and some working toward a career in law enforcement. He said the Department relies on the volunteers for many things, and their service greatly enhances the department's service to the community. Chief Mathwig said the police do about 18,000 19,000 traffic stops and 18,000 19,000 calls for services each year. These range from vandalism, thefts, burglaries, firearms and other calls. He said because Roseville has such a strong retail presence, stores draw criminals to the area. Most of those arrested are people who are not from Roseville. Mathwig compared Roseville's crime rate to that of Richfield and Bloomington. Mathwig explained that 87% of the Police Department's budget is spent on personnel and the remaining costs pay for dispatch services, vehicles, K -9 units and the East Metro SWAT. Chief Mathwig highlighted recent activities that the Department has undertaken to meet with the community. These include the New American/Karen Community dialogue cosponsored with the Human Rights Commission, holiday Adopt -a- Family program in which officers donated their own money to sponsor families, Shop With a Cop program, St. Bernard's Church partnership to provide food and clothing for members of the Karen community, and Street Crime IMPACT. IMPACT targets areas deemed high risk or areas that have seen a recent increase in crime. Officers devote extra time and resources to the areas to get to know community members and to work together to prevent crime. Chief Mathwig also mentioned their efforts to work with local hotels and motels to promote safety and to build relationships. Chief Mathwig said the department is starting a mentoring program for high school students interested in law enforcement. Chair Singleton opened the floor for discussion. Commissioner Grefenberg asked whether the Community Relations Coordinator position is funded on an ongoing basis. Chief Mathwig affirmed that it was. Commissioner Grefenberg asked whether gay employees get the same bereavement leave as all other employees. Chief Mathwig said the City will soon release a new employee handbook, but he believed that all members of a household received the same benefits. Commissioner Grefenberg asked whether the Explorer Scout program was still going on. Chief Mathwig said it was and explained that it is a program for young men and women interested in a career in law enforcement. He credited Sgt. Greg Levendoski for developing the program and keeping it running.