NEWSLETTER 12/11/01

The Transition Team

Who We Are, Where We Are, What We Do, How To Communicate With Us:

WHO: The Sheriff’s Dept. members of the team are: Capt. Al Waters, Lt. Nelson Williams III, Sgt. Martin Lee, and Senior Deputy David Hardy. Representing the I.P. supervisors are Lt. Gary Kong and Sgt. Ralph Restauro.  As noted below, 8204 IPO’s will have representation on the team as well.

WHERE: Sheriff’s Lt. Williams is in Capt. Wright’s former office, Sheriff’s Sgt. Lee is in Sgt. Restauro’s former office and the rest of the team is located in Bldg. 10, Room 1111.

WHAT WE DO: The team’s goal is to develop and implement plans, policies, procedures and conduct feasibility research focused on the proposed SFIP/SFSD merger. We are also working to improve officer safety, departmental resources, and organization. The team is also responsible for the management of DPH/IP Operations for at least the term of the transition period.

HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH US: Call 206-6146 or 206-4927, or stop one of the team members when you see us. Our fax number is (415) 206-4928. We also have mailboxes in the SFGH / IP station.

NEWS

Uniforms: The team has been working with Butler’s Uniforms in an effort to improve the delivery of uniform items to officers. We have confirmed that Butler’s does not have IP patches but that they are “on order.” A new uniform policy has been presented to IP which will hopefully streamline the request process. Officers at LHH should fax a copy of the uniform request to Capt. Al Waters at (415) 206-4928. The team created a draft, new Uniform Policy which was distributed to staff for input. We hope to implement the new policy in the near future, incorporating some of the input received from officers.

8204 Institutional Police Officer representation on the Transition Team:  All IPO’s working for DPH were given an opportunity to apply for appointment to the team. Initially, the team intended to have ALL the applicants work a month on the team, but during a meeting with labor and members it was decided to appoint Officer Ken Nichols full time to the team and have the other members rotate through on a partitime basis. The other members who applied for the team are: Kelly Francisco, Gordon Low, Jose Martinez, Michael Tong and Mark Mesquite.

Initial Improvement Package: In an effort to improve the working conditions and safety for IP members, the team has requested several items be budgeted for fiscal year 02/03. These items include: five new vehicles, additional radios, upgrading access control and surveillance (CCTV), and safety equipment to protect officers from biohazards. A strong push for additional staffing is also being made. Other suggestions will be developed as the transition team continues its work.

Staffing: The team has encouraged administration at both SFGH and LHH to open up vacant positions for hiring. Recognizing that Officer Safety and Public Safety is heavily dependent on adequate staffing, and that workload issues become problems with understaffing, improving staffing levels has been a priority for the team to address. LHH recently agreed to upgrade two part-time, as-needed officers to fill two provisional, full time positions.  Officers Thomas Yee and Donald Richardson are now being processed.

Meeting: The transition team met with officers, supervisors and representatives from the SFIPOA and SEIU Local 790 on 12/04/01. Business Rep. Faye Roe indicated that the meeting was considered “meet and confer” and several issues were discussed including the appointment of SEIU Shop Steward Ken Nichols to the team on a full time basis. Other issues were discussed and a follow  up meeting is scheduled for 12/13/01. This meeting opened the door for continuous dialog between the team, IP members, and labor.