Town of Poughkeepsie police will turn to a Warren County-based consulting firm to perform the first thorough review of department policies and procedures in more than a decade.
Police Management Services, run by a former police officer with more than 25 years of law enforcement-related experience, will begin its review of the department's guidelines in January.
The consultant could make suggestions on a wide range of procedures, covering topics such as proper use of force and proper traffic-stop techniques.
The move is an effort to decrease lawsuits against the department, which like many departments sees its fair share of litigation. Most of the cases are found to lack merit.
"It's one of the vital parts of any police agency," Chief Peter Wilkinson said of policies.
He called the upcoming review "a big step" for the department, one of the busiest in Dutchess County because of the town's size and the presence of large retail centers such as the Poughkeepsie Galleria and South Hills Mall.
Wilkinson said the department routinely performs limited reviews of its policies and procedures, but it has been more than 10 years since an outsider took a more substantial look.
"It's not a bad idea to bring someone in to look at what you have done," Wilkinson said.
"It's a fresh look and a different view from someone outside the department."
The town board last week approved hiring Michael Carpenter of Police Management Services to perform the review for $8,000.
Carpenter said he has worked with departments by performing management studies and in the areas of accreditation and risk management.
According to his firm's Web site, Carpenter also spent more than a decade working with the state Division of Criminal Justice Services, where he evaluated police departments of various sizes across the state.
Carpenter said having solid policies in place can protect departments from potential litigation.
"No matter how good the department is, they still face that risk," Carpenter said of lawsuits.
He said his work in Poughkeepsie will include time with officers to review the department's operation.
"It's on-site visits," Carpenter said. "Every department is different and they have individual needs and individual requests.
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Wilkinson said the thorough review is vital so the department can be "as current as you can possibly be."
A review of recent court cases affecting how police departments operate is also likely.
"It's basically to make sure you're performing at your peak as far as guidelines," Wilkinson said.
"You're constantly looking at court decisions."
The chief said having a consultant handle the work also allows police to perform other duties rather than spending time reviewing policies.
"It's a full-time job," Wilkinson said of the review.
"So we're not losing a full-time employee full time to this.
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