PV Monthly Meeting Notes – August 12th 2021
Below are the notes from Project VISION’s monthly meeting held on August 12th, 2021. To download a document file of these notes, click here. 35 people attended this meeting in-person at the Calvary Bible Church. 28 attendees joined for the online screening via Zoom.
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Welcome
- PV Chair – Mark Stockton
- PV Executive Director – Gregory Sheldon
- Leadership philosophy of Mark Stockton and Cmdr Sheldon
- Build upon the success and longevity of PV through continued collaboration, neutrality, inclusiveness, and innovation
- Lead by example, maintain positive attitudes, and encourage increased participation
- More than 500 people connected with PV, with about 30 individuals consistently engaged in projects
- Advance the PV mission statement, vision, and two key values: collaboration for the greater good; focus on the positive
- Leadership philosophy of Mark Stockton and Cmdr Sheldon
- Introductions of new attendees (Mark Stockton)
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Mayor David Allaire remarks
- Many events in Rutland this summer
- Main St Concerts in the Park have garnered high attendance so far
- 175th Vermont State Fair starts mid-August
- Parade of Heroes to honor front-line workers in September
- Friday Night Live returns in September
- Many events in Rutland this summer
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Chief Kilcullen remarks
- Statewide staffing shortage in local police departments
- Typically, 75 police officers are added statewide annually
- Since 2018, between 20 and 50 more officers have left VT policing each year than new recruits gained
- As of May 2021, there were 815 police officer positions in the state (98 fewer than in 2018) with 745 actively filled
- Typically, 75 police officers are added statewide annually
- RCPD is budgeted for 39 officers
- 30 currently filled
- RCPD is less able to fulfill its response to nonfatal overdoses, though there is communication with the VT Dept of Health to fill this role
- Sgt Dickerson of the Community Response Team is temporarily reassigned to fulfill other RCPD work areas
- Will have less engagement with Project VISION potentially until late spring 2021
- Fewer new recruits
- VT Police Academy will only have one session this year due to Covid reductions, when typically there are two
- 22 new officer certifications this year
- 90% of police officer applicants do not reach the stage of the Police Academy
- There are discussions on whether the standard requirements for applicants accurately reflect what is demanded from officers on the job
- 2 applicants with a pending offer of employment with the RCPD will be in the October session of the VT Police Academy
- If certification is finalized, their employment will begin in May 2021 with the RCPD
- VT Police Academy will only have one session this year due to Covid reductions, when typically there are two
- Statewide staffing shortage in local police departments
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New Meeting Structure – PV Executive Director Greg Sheldon
- Rebooting the PV Steering Committee
- Consists of Mark Stockton and Cmdr Sheldon; Jamie Bentley, Traci Moore, and Sarah Roy of the Health Committee; Alis Headlman; Joan Gamble
- Meets monthly to address internal PV direction and ensure a seamless outward position
- Calvary Bible Church is the new location for the monthly PV meetings
- Committees schedule have their own meetings and committee worktimes
- Committees and subcommittees have semiannual report outs during the PV meetings as needed
- Monthly PV meeting is now 12 – 1:15pm each second Thursday of the month, as opposed to ending at 1:30
- 1:15 – 1:30 now reserved for informal committee meet-ups and conversations
- PV meetings will now be limited to one presentation topic per month
- Aimed to limit the meetings from becoming too long and too detailed
- At some meetings committee updates will serve as this presentation
- PV meeting announcements must be kept brief and not become an additional presentation
- Feel free to submit a slide ahead of time for your announcement
- There will be people greeting in-person attendees at the door
- In the future, there will be occasional evening meetings throughout the year
- Rebooting the PV Steering Committee
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Presentations
- Community Policing Subcommittee – Co-Chair Pat Hunter
- Cmdr Sheldon and Pat Hunter are co-chairs of this subcommittee
- Overarching objective is to bring recommendations outlined in the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing report into PV and the Rutland community
- The subcommittee identified 3 goals to begin this work
- 1. Enhance the rapport and relationship between PV and rank-and-file RCPD police officers
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- A focus is that any activities spearheaded by the committee does not increase the workload of officers
- Bring back ride-alongs for subcommittee members to ride with officers on patrol
- Host meet-and-greet snack parties between subcommittee members and officers during various shifts
- Improve the communication of RCPD-related events to encourage community attendance and participation
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- 2. Further diversity, equity, and inclusion in the RCPD and PV
- Bring the declaration of inclusion, endorsed by the Rutland Board of Alderman, into the activities of PV and the RCPD
- Identify community events and gatherings where the subcommittee can engage with community members who otherwise may not be connected with PV
- 3. Enhance the knowledge and skills of this subcommittee and key city leaders to further promote and support excellent community policing practices
- Involve committee members and city leaders in police trainings
- Currently, this includes DEI training, de-escalation training, crime prevention through environment design
- Subcommittee members serve as a liaison between the RCPD and the community
- Involve committee members and city leaders in police trainings
- 1. Enhance the rapport and relationship between PV and rank-and-file RCPD police officers
- Neighborhood Engagement Subcommittee – Co-Chair Alis Headlam
- Subcommittee projects
- Neighborhood walks
- PV members and a few RCPD officers who participate in walks in various communities in Rutland throughout the year
- Meant to engage with community members in a one-on-one manner
- Subcommittee developed talking points to help participants approach community members
- 8 walks in the past year
- At least one walk in each sector of Rutland City, plus one in Mendon and one in Rutland Town
- PV members and a few RCPD officers who participate in walks in various communities in Rutland throughout the year
- Welcome bags
- Deliver bags filled with information to help new community members integrate
- Intention to expand this program to include follow-ups and PV invitations
- 13 bags distributed so far
- Deliver bags filled with information to help new community members integrate
- Future projects ideas
- Community block party
- Informal meet-and-greets and the VISION Center
- Neighborhood walks
- Subcommittee objectives
- Build community relationships between neighbors
- Build community relations between citizens and the RCPD
- Subcommittee projects
- Community Policing Subcommittee – Co-Chair Pat Hunter
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Announcements
- Alis Headlam – Project VISION history book
- 156-pages of PV history written over the course of 3 years
- The materialization of PV standing up and telling its own story
- A wide array of community members and partners who collaborate to improve the city and surrounding towns across all focus areas
- This book is an opportunity for us to tell and share the story of PV
- Physical copy books are available for $20 at Phoenix bookstore in Rutland
- All proceeds will support youth projects within Rutland City
- An online version of the book is available on the PV website
- Alis Headlam – Project VISION history book
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Uplifting or positive story