Thursday, June 17, 1999
Florence has new police team
Pair have plan for retooling
BY KRISTINA GOETZ
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FLORENCE — The city's police department has a new leadership team.
Mayor Diane Ewing Whalen announced Wednesday that Lt. Col Tom Kathman will take over as chief and Sgt. Tom Szurlinski will serve as assistant chief.
“It's a very good management team,” Ms. Whalen said. “We came up with the answer that everybody thought was right.”
The two take office immediately, but city council will give final approval at a meeting Tuesday.
The two have worked on a plan they say will make the 54-member department more efficient and responsive to the public. That plan includes some restructuring.
Three lieutenants who are now shift supervisors will be responsible for divisions within the department. One will oversee patrols, another administrative matters and the third will be in charge of support services, which handles investigations and the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program.
“The lieutenant who oversees administrative matters will be in charge of all purchasing, applying for grants and crime analysis,” for example, Chief Kathman said.
Another program that may be implemented as early as next month is a telephone crime reporting system. “You may wake up one morning and someone has stolen something out of your yard,” he said. “You need to report it more for insurance purposes rather than in hopes of catching somebody.
“It will obviously help patrol because we won't send an officer out for 40 minutes when people can do it in 15 minutes over the phone.” The department's clerical staff will have to be trained to take reports before the program can be implemented, he said.
The department will also be looking into the effectiveness of DARE.
“We're going to be talking to some officers about improving the DARE program,” Chief Kathman said. “In some older grades, we don't think the message is getting through. We may end up looking at the program and tweaking it a bit.”
Florence has been without a police chief since February, when Paul Buelterman resigned under pressure from the city.
The mayor asked for his resigna tion during her first week of office in January, and Mr. Buelterman refused. Officers had complained to the mayor that morale in the department was low and that Mr. Buelterman did not listen to his subordinates. The city was bringing charges to try to force Mr. Buelterman out when a deal was struck.
Mr. Buelterman, who is now the city's liaison to the new county dispatch center, will hold that position for 18 months until he is eligible for his pension and then will leave.
Chief Kathman said the department is ready to move forward with the changes and to reach out to the community. “These kinds of things are good for us and good for the community,” he said.
Hotel tax hike to aid Sabin
Grade 4 reading scores improve
4th-graders test better overall
Students tested in March
City, schools agree to $100 million plan
Democrats ask Mallory to go against Rep. Chabot
Parking hits $10 at some downtown garages
Pregnant teens have loving home
Sending warmth to Kosovo
Drive-in heading to court
Love expresses surprise at notoriety
Lucas backs delay on car emissions test
Mass-transit agencies join forces to get ready for light rail
Picketing Teamster faces assault charge
With canes, he's able
Erich Kunzel pops with enthusiasm
Local girls take message about diabetes to Washington
Raising big bucks is as easy as HUC
GET TO IT
Older, wiser Deters back in politics
13 want chance to run schools in Lebanon
4 police officers honored
Bus route to mall will be discussed
City in no rush to hire administrator
Elder-Beerman reopening delayed
Florence has new police team
Florence says farewell to truck stop
Lakota Online looks at selling ads
Lincoln Court plan is object of suit
Man dies in fiery crash
New building brings life to sciences
Ohio studies ways to spend budget surplus
Owners, developers sue in zoning denial
Panel to support hillside rules
Parish Kitchen marks 25 years of dishing out respect
Top road improvements identified for Boone Co.
Toyota donates $20,500 to Blue Ash tornado relief
TRISTATE DIGEST
Western land-use plan proving hard sell
