A five-year strategic plan for the Washington Police Department was approved by the city council Tuesday.
Chief Jim Lester mentioned that this plan has been in the works since his proposal during his interview for the job two years ago, and was drafted with input including the Washington Police Community Advisory Committee that was formed last fall and a public online survey conducted this winter. The plan details four strategic issues of community engagement and community policing, personnel/staffing, crime and investigations, and technology. Council Member Danielle Pettit-Majewski commented on an objective within the personnel section that states completing a staffing analysis by 2022 with the goal of hiring additional staff to improve the safety of the community. She asked if Lester would consider hiring a mental health professional to assist with any calls, which he said would be great but thinks it would be difficult to have them available in a timely manner.