In an effort to gain accreditation among other law enforcement agencies, the Columbia Police Department adopted a new policy manual, which calls for demands including the use of a helicopter.
Ashley Cuttle, executive director of the Columbia Police Officers Association, said the police department is not ready for the new manual, which she described as essentially a cookie-cutter set of policies that are unrealistic for Columbia’s law enforcement.
CPD’s new manual, which was implemented March 1, works as a code of conduct that instructs police officers on how to act when facing specific tasks and responsibilities. Sgt. Jill Schlude said a major advantage of the new system is that it is completely web-based, which allows police officers to quickly access old and new policies whenever they want.
“The manual that we (used) had many policies that needed to be reviewed,” Schlude said. “There was just a recognition that a lot of the (old manual) seemed to be behind.”
The new manual requires police officers to request a helicopter in particularly urgent situations, but CPD does not have any air support. Cuttle said officers are willing to abide by the new manual, but that following the rules becomes difficult when the department is not equipped to do so.
The policy manual was adopted as a major step in allowing CPD to apply for accreditation with the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.
“Accreditation is helpful in a lot of ways,” Schlude said. “It helps recruitment, and I think it also gives you a lot more credibility with the community.”
Before gaining that credibility, Cuttle said the new manual needs work to fit CPD’s specific needs. She also said a major problem was that officers have not received enough training on the manual’s newest requirements.
“If the officers are going to be held accountable for everything and anything in (the new manual), they need to know all of it,” Cuttle said. “It’s not like they have chunks of time to just sit there and read over 500 pages of material.”
One of the new rules requires police officers to place a wristband on inmates, including their name and date of birth for identification purposes. Another change asks officers to keep a spare tire in their patrol cars. Schlude said many officers don’t comply with this rule because CPD offers a service that changes flat tires if necessary.
“I’ll be honest, some of the officers were upset,” Schlude said. “I think some of them were worried they’d get written up for not having a spare tire, but no one would ever write them up for that.”
CPD’s new guidelines were created by Lexipol, a California-based company that offers state-specific management policies for public safety organizations. CPD will pay roughly $13,000 for its first year of subscription to Lexipol, though that number is expected to decrease.
Cuttle criticized CPD for taking too long to amend requirements that do not apply to its needs and resources. She said the downside of having a third party create this manual is that Lexipol’s cookie-cutter policies are not tailored specifically to the department.
“(CPD) just lets it sit the way it is,” Cuttle said. “When you work in law enforcement, you need to be a little bit more proactive.”
Schlude said everybody struggles with novelty, and that time would be key in adapting to CPD’s new policy manual.
“It’s a learning process,” Schlude said. “A few years from now we won’t be able to remember what it was like (before the new manual).”