City may restructure police force

HIGH SPRINGS – A workshop on Thursday, March 6, scheduled as the first of two on the reorganizational needs of the High Springs Police Department (HSPD) got off to a rocky start as audience members and some commissioners expressed concern over the continued absence of High Springs Police Chief Steve Holley.

According to earlier comments from City Manager Ed Booth, Holley had vacation time coming to him and requested 30 days leave, which he was granted on Monday, Jan. 27. Although those 30 days have passed, Holley has not returned to active duty. Antoine Sheppard remains acting police chief until either Holley returns to his position or a new chief of police is named.

While speculation as to his continued absence is rampant, city staff are tight-lipped about the details. City Attorney Scott Walker said Holley's attorney had contacted him. Although he did not reveal their conversation, Walker did say he had assured Holley's attorney that his client was not the topic of the workshop. He stressed several times during the workshop, as questions kept cropping up about Holley, that it was not fair to Holley to discuss his position, which he termed a “personnel issue,” without Holley or his attorney being present.

Booth said he had not spoken with Holley or his attorney so had nothing to add, but redirected the topic to the needs of the police department. Pointing to this workshop as one of several leading up to the budgeting process in a few months, Booth said he wanted to make the commissioners aware of the city's needs prior to asking them to make decisions about next year's budget.

Booth said when he was hired that he would see how the departments worked, but would make no substantive changes to the running of the departments until he had been with the city for at least a year. Having recently passed the one-year point, and consulting with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and others on the structure of police departments in other cities of the same size, he recommended the addition of a detective and lieutenant.

He said he wanted to share his findings with the commission prior to the budgeting process. The cost of adding the two positions would be approximately $150,000. An increase in the millage rate from 6.15 to 6.85 would be required to make up those salaries, he said.

Pointing to too much work on the police officers because they were having to take on the detective duties in addition to their regular duties, Booth said officers are not able to complete their reports in a timely manner and morale is not as good as it could be.

The addition of a lieutenant's position would provide some added structure and support to younger officers, especially on the night shift, he said.

The installation of emergency dispatch services returning to High Springs cost the city $300,000, Booth said. He compared that with $85,000, the cost of having the Alachua County Communications Center handle all 911 calls. “I am just presenting the facts,” he said. Although it is up to the commissioners as to how they want to proceed, he indicated he wanted them to be aware of the facts and figures when they make their decisions.

A few audience members and Commissioners Bob Barnas and Linda Gestrin expressed concern, saying that they had never heard there was any problem with the way the police department was being run. Commissioner Barnas said the money, if it was budgeted, would probably end up in the sewer fund instead.

Walker said he would be happy to meet with the commissioners on a one-to-one basis to discuss the situation further, but reiterated that it was not fair to Holley to discuss issues associated with his position in an open meeting.

Another workshop discussing the needs of the police department will be held on Thursday, March 20.

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