John Hoover was sworn in as the new California police chief Monday at the California Board of Aldermen meeting. Later that evening, he spoke of his review and updating of police procedures for the city.
Other items high on his agenda are to recruit two officers to bring the police department to full capacity of eight people and seek to replace outdated ballistic vests (body armor) in use by the local department. The useful life of the vests is about five years, although with proper care and storage they may last a few years longer. California’s are older than that.
The cost of new vests is lower, Hoover said. Good ones may cost more than $1,000. There is a grant available for assistance in purchasing new ballistic vests, but the cut-off is near. The board decided to discuss applying for the grant during an Aug. 20 special meeting.
The board also plans to discuss the possibility of a school resource officer at the special meeting.
California R-1 Superintendent Dwight Sanders and two of the three school subcommittee members were present at the city aldermen meeting to answer questions regarding the proposed partnership between the city and school district.
The memorandum of understanding draft the school submitted to the city in July has been reviewed. The full board will continue to look at the MOU and offer changes in areas marked for additional input.
“The city will continue to work with the school on security,” Mayor Norris Gerhart said. He spoke of walk-throughs, drive-bys and other means by which the school and city, including the police department, have cooperated over the last few years.
The Board of Aldermen will take up the SRO MOU with school representatives following the tax levy hearing special session at 6:45 p.m. Aug. 20.
The legal contract between the city and school will be discussed in closed session, while the details of an SRO officer position and expectations will be discussed in open session.