Campbell council amends duties of police chief

March 17, 2016 at 12:08a.m.

CAMPBELL

City council has voted to amend the duties of the police chief.

The amendment removes “unilateral command of the police department” from the police chief’s list of duties and eliminates a section of the ordinance stating, “The Chief of Police shall set his schedule in accordance with the best needs of the police department.”

The list of duties still includes “Fulfilling administrative duties as a department head” and “Serve as needed in a uniformed patrol capacity to meet needs of the police department.”

At council’s regular meeting Wednesday night. Mayor Nick Phillips said he sought the amendments to eliminate any “unnecessary language barriers” relating to department management “that may have been there under a previous administration.”

“It’s nothing against Chief [Drew] Rauzan,” Phillips said. “He does a great job. We need a working chief [like Rauzan], not one who’s just a figurehead sitting behind a desk. Chief Rauzan is out there on calls.”

Rauzan alluded to the mayor’s experience as a former police sergeant, saying, “Mayor Phillips is an asset to the city and it’s a blessing to have someone with law enforcement experience serving as its CEO.”

Phillips added, “I know what the day-to-day business of police work is like, and I intend to work with the department.”

In other business, council authorized the fire chief to purchase a used SUV with four-wheel drive for no more than $17,000 using monies from the city’s infrastructure fund. Council President George Levendis said the need for the vehicle became apparent when the chief reported having difficulty responding to emergencies during snowy weather.

Council voted to cancel its regular meeting set for Wednesday because it already has passed the city’s 2016 budget.