Posted: 2/20/07
Police chief: female officer is needed
Chief Shefelbine asks City
Council to retain Ofc. Lewis
By Andrew Miller
Interim News Editor
Sheís invaluable to the Caledonia Police Department, not to mention "an excellent shot" with her handgun.
Thatís the opinion Caledonia police Chief Randy Shefelbine has of Ofc. Jessica Lewis, whose position is slated for removal from the 2007 police budget.
On Feb. 12, Shefelbine asked the Caledonia City Council to reconsider eliminating the position, which costs the city about $12,000 annually.
The cityís need to cut the part-time position has to do with "finances, mostly," according to City Clerk Bob Nelson, and not with Ofc. Lewisí job performance.
"Itíd really be a hardship on my department to let her go," Shefelbine said. "On paper youíre gonna save $12,000, but in reality I think youíre gonna lose more than that."
As the only female officer with Caledonia police, Ofc. Lewis is especially useful when the department investigates sexual assaults, Shefelbine said.
In sexual assault cases, "a lot of times the victims prefer to speak to a female officer than a male officer," he said. With Ofc. Lewis on those cases, "itís been comforting for the victims."
And letting Ofc. Lewis go could end up costing the city more money in the long run, Shefelbine added. Currently, Ofc. Lewis works every other weekend alongside one of the departmentís full-time officers. That full-time officer has told Shefelbine heís looking at taking another job elsewhere in Minnesota and may leave Caledonia police before summer.
If that happens and a replacement canít be found immediately, Caledonia police would need to have a full-time officer from another local law enforcement agency work weekends, and that scenario would require the department to pay that officer overtime rates.
Shefelbine said heís willing to look at cutting items from the police budget if it means the department gets to keep Ofc. Lewis. Specifically, he said, "weíll give up our office chairs."
But Shefelbine was skeptical that heíd be able to make budget cuts totaling $12,000. "I donít know possibly where we can cut that," he said.
City Council members said theyíd be amenable to re-examining the budget in order to retain Ofc. Lewis.
"Letís see what we can come up with," City Councilman Paul Fisch said. "We need to look and see if we can find the money."
The City Council will report its budget findings in two weeks, Fisch said.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com