Friends,
We recently presented the City’s 2022 budget – an unprecedented plan for investment in sustainability and inclusion for our community. Housing support for the un- and under-housed. Job support for the recently incarcerated, the underemployed, the new economy. Infrastructure investments in healthier water, multi-modal paths and trails, and energy efficiency. All made possible by the Biden/Harris/Pelosi/Schumer American Rescue Plan and our local community. Thank you!
One area that has gotten a lot of attention – and the biggest number of new positions in the budget – is public safety. I want to share at a high level our administration’s progressive approach to public safety. It’s certainly been a challenging several years for the police department component of public safety – national tragedies and abuses have shone a bright light on the importance of dealing with legacies of racism and inequity in public safety.
Our Bloomington Police Department has a long tradition of innovating. We were among the first in the state to adopt body cameras, de-escalation and mental-health training, and community policing and dedicated downtown resource officers. We’ve explicitly embraced best-practices like the 21st Century Policing and 8 Can’t Wait reports. We were the first in the state to employ a full-time social worker. (And we’re hosting a groundbreaking national conference on the subject this month.) We’ve recently added Community Service Specialists – non-sworn, non-armed employees to respond to certain kinds of calls. I believe we have the best police department in the state.
Nonetheless, national and regional trends challenge us. It’s more difficult to hire officers, and current officers are being recruited by other cities with more money and benefits. Along with department leadership, we’ve developed a 3-pronged approach to move forward that is reflected in the 2022 budget:
Retain: We’re offering all current front-line officers $5,000 retention bonuses to be paid over the next 15 months. We’re providing housing allowances and take-home cars to many. We’re increasing compensation to assure we keep our excellent department leadership as well (based on a recent salary study). We’re accelerating labor negotiations to remain competitive and effective for the future. We’re also providing every city employee with a $500 pandemic bonus.
Recruit: We’re developing a proactive recruitment effort to bring new, highly qualified officers to Bloomington through direct outreach and with the new “Retain” efforts above, as well as new programs designed to appeal specifically to rising newly sworn officers, such as additional housing supports, training, and other benefits.
Innovate: We’re continuing to develop new models of public safety, including non-sworn officers and other personnel outside traditional police and firefighting positions. We’re adding four more Community Service Specialists -- non-armed personnel who can respond safely and effectively to certain 911 calls and meet other public safety needs. We’ve expanded to three full-time social workers. We’re adding two fire department positions focused on preventive, proactive health interventions to improve community outcomes and reduce repeated 911 calls.
These three prongs will, I believe, serve our community well. And we’re looking for continual community feedback with the resident-led “Future of Policing” task force that has supported this approach and will continue to recommend innovations and evolutions.
Public safety is a first-level responsibility of city government. I am very proud of our police and fire departments, and I am proud of how we are evolving. We are Indiana’s only city with a nationally accredited police department and a top-rated fire department. The only one. We will continue to be a state and national leader in progressive public safety. Thank you for your support of that, and continued involvement as we learn and improve.
Democratically yours,
John
P.S. Our fire department just earned the top rating from the Insurance Service Office (ISO), a 1/1x. It joins our nationally CALEA-accredited police department to make Bloomington unique in the state by carrying both credentials. Please take an occasion to thank and congratulate our fine public servants when you see them out and about.