HOLYOKE — City councilors, the mayor and the police chief vowed this week to work together to fix shortcomings highlighted in a consultants’ report that found substantial “physical, financial and reputational risk” in the Police Department’s current operations and practices.

“We all have a shared desire to see things be better,” Mayor Joshua Garcia said at Monday’s City Council public safety subcommittee meeting, where three of the consultants hired by the city presented their report. “A path has been created to start these discussions, identify what we’re doing well and where we’re falling short. My goal is to continue to assess services, offer solutions so we can discuss them, and move forward together.”

The report, first released last month, focused on training and accreditation as key areas where Holyoke needs to improve.

Sean Kelly of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire, firm Municipal Resources Inc. said the consultants found policies on the department’s books but not substantial compliance with those policies.

The consultants’ PowerPoint presentation described the department’s policy on use of force as aged and subpar.

“I don’t know if there’s any more critical policy in this day and age,” said Dave Kurz of MRI, a retired police chief.

The report found no policy on the use of tasers and no policy on when use of force must cease, and noted that the instructor on the use of tasers was not certified.

Breaking down the time patrol officers spend on various tasks, the report found at least one-third of Holyoke officers diverted to other tasks, far more than in most communities, and that only half their time was spent on patrol work, with leave, training, court and compensatory time accounting for the rest.

Kurz said it appears younger officers want time off rather than overtime, an option he said must have been negotiated many years ago as a way to offer a benefit without raising taxes.

“Now it’s come home to roost,” Kurz said. “Somebody gave the farm away and now you’re paying for it.”

He said the city won’t be able to change things with the old guard, but it will need to start over with the newer recruits.

These issues bleed over into the budget, where the consultants saw a pattern of supplemental funding requests and an overtime budget that’s underfunded by hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to Michael Magnant of MRI.

“It makes it difficult for the chief to administer the budget,” Magnant said.

Payroll — still done on paper — and the evidence room were cited as other areas in need of attention. MRI also encouraged the city to look at turning over some jobs within the department to civilians, such as managing the evidence room.

Kelly emphasized accreditation as a key step that would help identify deficiencies and provide transparency along with proof of meeting industry standards.

“This is a high-risk business,” he said. “Any time you can reduce your liability simply by having accredited standards is incredibly helpful.”

More training

Although the consultants credited Chief David Pratt with doing what he can with regard to training, the report cites a need for more training at all stages, a shortcoming that also emerged in officers’ responses to a survey of the department’s strengths and weaknesses.

Some 66% of those who answered said they felt under-trained, and 58% said they would leave the department given a similar opportunity elsewhere. The survey found 69% believe the department is not well managed, and 70% say it’s not keeping up with technological advances.

“This is a very tired workforce,” Kelly said.

On the plus side, the report found that officers love the city, they love police work, and camaraderie is high, especially at the lower levels.

“These officers are intensely proud of being Holyoke police officers,” Kelly said. “The level of commitment they have to this city is truly impressive.”

Councilors react

Councilors offered a variety of responses, though several mentioned that they had been labeled a threat by some of the officers who responded to the MRI survey of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

Councilor Jose Maldonado Velez noted that he had been named a threat before, in September, after he called the police a gang during discussions over the department’s use of ShotSpotter technology, which is designed to notify police of suspected gunshots and pinpoint the location.

“I hope the Police Department is realizing we are trying to make things better,” Maldonado Velez said, referring to several of the problems in the report.

“My hope is this report will be used to take the low-hanging fruit and fix some things right away,” said Councilor Linda Vacon, citing policies that are missing and the antiquated payroll system.

Councilor Kocayne Givner said she was interested in addressing sagging morale, as well as making contract changes.

“I hate to think the police feel unappreciated,” she said.

Pratt termed the report “a great baseline for us to look at.”

“Our plan is to dig through this, get some small victories right out of the gate,” he said.

He said some of the smaller items are already done, and the department is on track to meet its hiring goals by fall.

“We’re going to do our best,” he said. “We’re making strides.”

City Council President Todd McGee noted that it’s not easy to ask a department that’s already overworked to tackle putting procedures in place. He also made reference to the impression that councilors are a threat.

“Moving forward, it needs to be positive,” McGee said. “There’s no easy way to do this. Together, we can find a way to make it work.”

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