He said while in past years a Sergeant position was sufficient it no longer holds true as the responsibilities have increased because of the knowledge needed in his absence. He also reported that in the past there have been communication issues between allied agencies while he was away. “Two years ago when I went on vacation a serious personnel matter arose.” Morrison said the allied agency did not want to speak to the Sergeant in charge, but instead opted to wait until he returned from vacation.  “It could have been serious issue,” that had to be dealt with immediately.  He said that by reclassifying the position, a Captain may prove to be more respected among allied agencies as well as the fact that upper level police management training courses are specifically designed for second in command but are restricted to those who hold a rank above Sergeant.

Morrison then tackled how the funding for such a position would be covered. He said the “timing is perfect” as an administrative employee has moved on, therefore leaving a vacancy which will be eliminated under the funding proposal. The Police Captain would be assigned a number of records and management duties formerly performed by the Administrative assistance and realign other duties to the existing Clerk/Dispatcher Renee McKinney. The pay range for the Clerk/Dispatcher is proposed to be adjusted 10% and an additional part-time Clerk position of 20 hours a week added to make a permanent position for an already trained assistant clerk.

Morrison reported that the adjustment will not impact any service related concerns within the Department and although the shift sounds costly it actually presents a cost savings to the City of Jackson. “I came up with a $42,000 savings in the first year by making this move. But Manager Daly actually added in besides wages and basic medical benefits such as social security and PERS, and it totals up to a substantial savings of over $46,000 in the first year, averaging about $22,000 over a four year period.” Chris Mynderup, President of the Police Officers Association approached the council and said while he doesn’t object to the department’s need for a Captain, he is concerned about how the reclassification would leave a Sergeant vacancy. “We as the POA (Police Officers Association) agreed upon two Sergeants for during the day and night.

We don’t want to see the 2nd position go away.” Morrison responded by saying that the Sergeants position can be filled when necessary and that the Captain’s position will be fulfilling some of the Sergeant’s duties thus the increase in pay with the position.  By a unanimous vote it was decided to reclassify the Sergeant position to Police Captain therefore making former Sergeant Christy Stidger, now Jackson’s, and Amador County’s first ever female Police Captain.