May
Funny title huh? Think that it’s a joke well it’s not. Back at the end of 2006 the city had new City Code books printed. I became aware of this as did people in Animal Control. We both asked for a copy of the new City Code book. Click City Code Book Email 113006 to Chief Long to see the response from the City Clerk’s Office.
Now as a Law Enforcement Officer you need to have knowledge of the laws you are tasked with enforcing. But again it becomes a money problem, it cost money to print code books and apparently the City of Portsmouth does not think that it’s important enough to fund such a outlandish concept as providing the City Code to the very people that are charged with enforcing it.
The City of Portsmouth and the Portsmouth Police Department also do not provide copies of the Commonwealth of Virginia Criminal or Traffic Code Books to the Police Officers either. Some of us used the internet access on our personal cellphones to lookup the State codes on the Commonwealth Website Link to the Code of Virginia . The City of Portsmouth uses “Municipal Code Corporation - Virginia” which is a private company to publish the City code on the internet. Because of the way the site is setup it is not easy to use via a cellphone.
The Portsmouth Police Department provides a City and State Code Cheat Sheet for it’s Officers to use. Unfortunately all the cheat sheet provides is the Code section and the title of the code. It does not contain any of the text of the code. For some codes that’s ok, they are not that complicated, i.e. Speeding 25 in a 35 MPH zone but others are very complicated and you really need access to the text to understand the law.
The department installed Mobile Data Terminals (MDT i.e. Laptop computers) in most of the Uniform Patrol vehicles a couple years ago. These terminals are tied into the Computer Aided Dispatch System (CAD), the Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). The MDT’s are interfaced with these networks and are not allowed to have internet access for security reasons. Because of this restriction they are unable to use the MDT’s to query any of the resources available via the internet that provide access to the City or State code.
I find it remiss that again officers in the City of Portsmouth Police Department are not provided with the tools to accomplish their job and it comes down to money. It is extremely difficult to enforce laws if you are not provided with anything more then a “cheat sheet” to refer to. This issue puts the City of Portsmouth and the Portsmouth Police Department in a situation where there could be a liability concern. If an Officer makes an arrest which had he or she been able to read the code before making that arrest the officer might have chosen a different course of action.
2 Responses so far to "Who needs a City Code book to enforce the law - Not Portsmouth PD"
May 2nd, 2008 at 7:14 am
I used to live in Portsmouth and even back then, LE had their hands full. During a recent visit it was apparent that LE has even more challanges to deal with. Given the environment and resource issues, the odds are often against LE.
I’ve posted my latest press release that describes a four-year first responder survey:
First Responder Survey shows Inadequacies in Training and Readiness.
The Homeland Security Group conducted a four-year survey addressing training, readiness and a variety of challenges faced by First Responders. Respondents of the survey included law enforcement, security, intelligence, emergency management personnel and other members engaged in homeland security and first response duties. The results of this survey show that after the attacks in September 2001, inadequacies remain regarding first responder preparation.
PRLog (Press Release) - April 30, 2008 - The survey focused on three main areas of concentration: Training, Hindrances and whether first responders feel they are adequately protected from a secondary attack. The questions posed during the survey address levels of readiness contrasting criminal vs. terror investigations.
Training
Respondents were asked if they believe their agency has received proper training to determine differences between a criminal vs. terror incident. Of those responding to the survey, 58 percent stated they lack sufficient training. Many respondents indicated they lack sufficient training in WMD-related preparedness. Others described information sharing issues. While this initially appears to fit within the category of hindrances, many indicated that they lack proper training regarding who to share with, how to initiate and maintain communication and what issues specifically require external coordination.
Hindrances
Respondents were asked three questions regarding whether the media, public or their own self-expectations hindered a criminal vs. a terror investigation. Responses indicate that 91 percent consider that the media poses a hindrance; 87 percent believe public expectations hinder an investigation, and 94 percent blame their own personal expectations as an encumbrance.
Preparation for Secondary Attack
Respondents were asked if they believe they are adequately protected from secondary attacks during a possible criminal or terrorist incident. The survey shows that 91 percent of those responding feel they are not protected. Numerous comments by respondents indicated they actually expect a secondary attack during a terrorist incident but they lack training, resources and personnel for such an event.
Homeland Security Group founder, Anthony M. Davis began this survey four years ago intending to measure the readiness level of first responders. “I hoped to find some successes throughout the survey that could be translated to agencies nationwide”, he said. “Yet, throughout the measurement period, the numbers remained constant. While we’ve been very busy as a nation, we may not have been overly successful in preparing and protecting our personnel. There’s plenty of work to be done still.”
Mr. Anthony M. Davis began publishing the Homeland Security Report as a free service to law enforcement, intelligence, security and emergency management personnel in October 2001. Each report is an open source view of homeland security issues and provides select officer safety information. Based on the ongoing results of the survey and discussions with first responders worldwide, Anthony M. Davis began authoring “Terrorism and the Maritime Transportation System.”
According to Mr. Davis, “This book is not so much about terrorism. It is intended as a guide to provide first responders a view of the perspective need for readiness in the face of a potential attack.”The expected availability of the new text, “Terrorism and the Maritime Transportation System” is in May 2008.
More information on the Homeland Security Group is available at http://www.homelandsecuritygroup.info
Contact Information
admin@homelandsecuritygroup.info
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May 2nd, 2008 at 8:00 am
I solved the problem. I don’t arrest under city code for any reason whatsoever. No state code? No arrest.
The city then receives NO MONEY from court costs or other fines or costs levied.
Screw Portsmouth.