City of Bloomington, MN Q & A with BPD, 28 Sep 2020

Previous Meeting Next Meeting

⏯

youtube image

►

From YouTube: Q&A with BPD: Performance evaluations and officer wellness resources

Description

Chief Jeff Potts answers your questions about how the Bloomington Police Department evaluates the performance of its officers and what mental health resources are made available to them.

A

(Music) hi everyone, I'm jeff, potts, the chief of police at the bloomington police.

A

Department and we're back for another week of q, a with bpd. We continue to receive great questions from our residents.

A

And I'm happy to take some time here with you today to answer some of these questions about our policies and procedures and really anything that you guys want to ask us we're ready to ask so.

A

Answer those questions here at the bloomington police department, how does the bloomington police department evaluate the performance of the bloomington police officers? The bloomington police department is.

A

Really lucky in that we are considered to be a top tier police department. Here.

A

In the state of minnesota, and so because of that, we attract many.

A

Officers really good officers from other police departments.

A

And when we run hiring processes, we really are able to hire the cream of the.

A

Crop and law enforcement candidates, and so that really kind of starts and.

A

Sets the stage for how we can evaluate our staff very professionally, because.

A

Everybody who comes here and wants to work at the bloomington police department. They know that the standards are high and that we have high.

A

Expectations and they want to make sure that they do the best job they possibly can for our residents, and so there's really.

A

Three pieces to how we evaluate our staff first.

A

We require our supervisors to meet with their officers.

A

Every month to talk about their performance to talk about how things are.

A

Going for them on duty, we also have acquired some.

A

Software called guardian tracker and so those monthly meetings that our.

A

Staff have with their supervisors, we enter information in the guardian.

A

Tracker that we think will help improve the officer that help create kind of an early warning system for the officer, so that.

A

If there's trends that we can become aware of using that.

A

Software, they will be picked up on very quickly and the third thing is, we have an annual evaluation that all officers are.

A

Evaluated basically, the same way, we evaluate them.

A

In the areas of attitude, communication, leadership, community.

A

Engagement and several other categories, and by.

A

Doing that we're able to give constant feedback to our officers.

A

Our officers are able to meet with their supervisors on a very regular basis.

A

Through those monthly meetings through monitoring of the guardian tracker.

A

Software and really importantly, that annual evaluation form helps us continue to provide feedback to our.

A

Officers and make sure that they're doing the best job that they possibly can and that's how we evaluate the performance of the bloomington police officers. Our officers provided with mental health resources, the bloomington.

A

Police department has a program to help provide.

A

Our police officers with mental health resources.

A

We do several things for our officers because we know.

A

And history has taught us that law enforcement work.

A

Can be very traumatic and police officers over the course of a long.

A

Career can carry a significant amount, significant amount of baggage in the course of a long career.

A

Because they see so many different, traumatic and tragic.

A

Situations, and so what we're doing for the bloomington police departments here is, whenever they're involved in a critical incident or a very significant incident where they may.

A

See something that is very traumatic: we provide them with an opportunity for a.

A

Critical incident stress management debriefing. Now we call that a.

A

Cism debriefing and we work with trained professionals.

A

Who are able to come in and facilitate a discussion with all of the officers.

A

That are involved in that particular critical incident.

A

In this debriefing helps them process that.

A

In a way where they learn how to deal with their feelings and emotions,.

A

As they are associated with that critical incident, we feel that this is a.

A

Significant this has made significant process and how police.

A

Officers process critical incidents in the exposure.

A

To traumatic scenes that they see during the course of their career.

A

That's just one area of support that we provide for our officers.

A

We also have a physical fitness program that we believe.

A

Does help with an officer's mental health now annually we require officers.

A

To take a physical fitness assessment just to see how they rate with their physical fitness level, we.

A

Also allow the officers to use a fitness.

A

Center gym equipment located within civic, plaza.

A

Here at the city of bloomington, during their lunch breaks, so that they.

A

Can stay in physical fitness, a high level of physical fitness.

A

And make it very convenient so that they can do it right here during their shift.

A

On their lunch break the third thing and we're very excited.

A

About this component of our mental health program- and that is annually, our officers are required to get what we call a mental.

A

Health checkup or a checkup from the neck up.

A

This is also done with a trained professional. We just signed the contract.

A

So that beginning here very soon, all of our officers.

A

Will meet with a trained uh professional to have a mental health checkup to kind.

A

Of assess their mental well-being and providing them with some tips.

A

And techniques for how they can better process the things that they see and.

A

Things that they're involved with during their long career now this is a.

A

Very new program, but we're very excited about how it will pay off in the long run as I've said, police officers do see a lot.

A

Of very traumatic things during the course of their career, and so these are three things that the bloomington police department does to.

A

Help provide mental health services to our police officers. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to share some details about.

A

Our work with you, we are here to serve the residents and visitors of bloomington and we aim to do so with integrity and.

A

Transparency, remember if you have any questions you'd like to like us to answer here at the bloomington police department.

A

Please send them to the link below stay safe and stay healthy.

A