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HomeMy WebLinkAboutKnow your government Part 1 11.14.1974 K r t - '111.0" " 0- now our governmen Pa I and develop to serve this The starting salary of a promote good police- by city revenue. I fast growing "small -town- police officer on the S. C. community relations. Traf- mediate needs of t Editor's Note: During turned - city." force is $550 per month, fic violations are the most department, as fur. September of this year, the Presently the C.S.P.D. which is slightly lower common type of offense become available, a] League of Women Voters consists of seventeen than salaries in many handled in College Station. more officers, more pat of Brazos County complet sworn personnel, all of towns of comparable size. Burglaries, thefts and cars and a holding cell ed and published a survey whom are men; one is The average age of sworn vandalism are other of- the police station. So of the executive and black. Civilian personnel personnel is thirty years. fenses most often investi- federal funds are availa judicial systems of Brazos number six. Five of these A retirement {grogram is gated. "Leash law" invest for equipment. County. The purpose of the civilians are women. Be- available to all municipal igations are considered In 1973 (to'October) 11 study was to educate cause the department is employees. College Station tedious and time consum- traffic tickets were issu League members and the small, it is not divided into policemen do not belong to ing. 439 accidents were inve community as fully as specialized units. Each a police association. College Station uses the gated; 68 juveniles wl possible, to the facts and officer is trained to handle Policemen in College Brazos County jail to placed under arrest functions pertaining to law all types of offenses. Station answer an average detain offenders. A fee of College Station in 1973. enforcement agencies, the Recruitment and train- of 600 calls per month in $5 per day per person is The next installment courts, and other related ing of police officers are addition to their regular charged by the county for Know Your Governmm agencies in Brazos County. not considered problems in patrolling duties. They also use of its facilities. will provide informati The goals of the League College Station as there meet with school children Average cost of an arrest about the Bryan Pol were to understand the are many qualified appli- of all ages and community and booking is $10 -$12. Department. present system of adminis cants for every job groups in an effort to The C.S.P.D. is funded tering justice, and to opening. The city requires determine ways of creating state qualifications for more effective and respon- patrolmen which include sive judicial and executive high school graduation, or systems in Brazos County. its equivalent, a medical The material in the exam, written tests and no survey was obtained record of felony or major through private interviews misdemeanor. A patrolman and public meetings must be certified by the throughout the past year state within twelve months with many officials in after he has been hired. Brazos County. Copies of This includes 240 hours of the survey may be school, as well as on -the- purchased from League job training. Presently, all Publications Chairman officers have received Marcia Lankin at 693 - 2927. training and experience in The Pictorial Press will other cities before joining present portions of the the College Station force. survey beginning with There are many education - today's issue. al opportunities for in- service training. Funds are The task of the College available from the city and Station Police Department from the Brazos Valley is to keep up with the Development Council for mushrooming population of officers to attend school. A the city. Chief Marvin serious limitation to these Byrd has been with the opportunities is the small department for seventeen amount of time the depart - years. He is acutely aware ment can allow its officers that his force must grow _ to take from their duties. CHIEF OF POLICE Marvin Byrd Hired By: City of College Station Salary, $14,000 Dept. Budget (1974): $241,173 Percentage of city budget: 6.49% SWORN PERSONNEL CIVILIAN PERSONNEL 9 patrolmen 4 dispatchers 2 sergeants 1 secretary 1lieutenant 1 court cler 1 detective Base pay: $4,200 Base paY: $6,600 Part II Kn ow Y our government Ed. Note: This is the BRYAN POLICE $661,454. This amount The new patrolman works second in a series taken DEPARTMENT comes form the General with various policemen on from a survey compiled Fund of Bryan and the staff until he is able to and published by the Chief of Police represents a percentage of attend TAMU's Extension Or League of Women Voters Joe C. Ellisor the city budget: Service Police Academy. Brazos County on the Hired by: City Manager PCR Division: Under State law requires that a Executive and Judicial Salary Range: $13,740 - direction of Sgt. Gene trainee receive a minimum Systems of our county. A $16,560 Knowles. Police Com- of 240 classroom hours complete copy of the Asst. Chief of Police munity Relations within one year after survey may be obtained for Major Charles W. Phelps Uniform or Patrol Bur- employment. Currently 50 cents by calling Salary Range: $11,280 - eau: Under direction of educational incentives are Publications Chairman, $14,400 Capt. Howard Hill 3rd in in effect, although they Marcia Lankin at 693 -2927. Dept. Budget (1973 -74) command* have not yet affected pay Special Services: A raises. The department Lieutenant with 8 other does participate in special employees. Includes: Bud - police training programs at get, Records, Maintenance TAMU in addition to the of vehicles, Social services, Academy course. Some Court Bailiff* special training sessions Investigative Division: are funded by the Criminal A Lieutenant with 5 Justice Department. Fed - detectives. eral funding is channeled Civilian Personnel: 5 through the Texas Crim- clerks- secretaries, 4 dis- inal Justice Department. patchers, 2 animal control. This past August a session Salary ranges: $2.21 - on Police and Community $4.11 per hour. Relations was offered _ *Salary Ranges for: here, and in December of Capt.: $10,320 - $13,800. 1973 a 20 -hour course on Lieutenant: $9,420 - the new Penal and Family $11,880. Patrolmen: $7740 Code was held. In the - $9840. Bryan Department at the The Bryan police depart- present time some 30 of ment is responsible for the the 55 employees. have safety and protection of all some college work. persons and property of Starting salaries for the the City of Bryan. Bryan police trainees are Of the forty -eight sworn $590 per month; the personnel on the Bryan maximum pay is $820 police staff, five officers allowable, but most of the are black and four are patrolen earn $666 per Mexican - American. There month. The police depart- are nine Civilian employ- ment uses the city retire - ees which include two ment and pension plan, black persons. which is the Texas For the past three years Municipal Retirement Sys - the department has main - tem Mutual Fund. There tained a relatively full are numerous police asso- department. There are ciations at all levels . . currently no vacancies. local, county, regional, Most new recruits are state and national. The encouraged by word -of- department has a Bryan mouth communication with Police Benefit Association members of the police which remains non - force. Qualifications for political. The Brazos Val - Bryan officers are basically ley Police Association is I the minimum standards set regional. Chief Joe C. by the State Commission Ellisor is a director of the on Law Enforcement Texas Police Chiefs Asso- Standards and Education ciation. Police officers (1969). All patrolmen have belong to state and a high school diploma or a national organizations. GED with at least comple- Offenses most commonly tion of the 10th grade. handled within the juris- Currently several staff diction of the Bryan Police members have associate are traffic problems; about degrees, or B.A.'s. How- 39% of all calls at the ever, recruiters first look dispatch desk concern for common sense, then 6 look at educational credits. s P Government from p l family disputes and distur- bances. There are often times when calls can be referred to other agencies such as the County Welfare Department or the Central Brazos Valley Mental Health Center. Community Relations act- ivities are currently under the direction of Sergeant Gene Knowles. Safety pro- grams have been conduct- ed for schools and civic groups. The department feels that more educational programs directed to teen- agers would be useful in keeping them informed of new traffic regulations and changes in law, as well as for drug education. All officers are considered community relations offi- cers. Juvenile records are kept separate from others as directed by the Family Code. When a juvenile arrest is made, parents are called and 95% of the youth are released to the Juvenile Probation Dept. One problem area is the best way to care for run -a -ways. Bryan uses the Brazos County jail to house offenders at a cost to the police department of $5.00 per day for each prisoner. There is no city jail. In Bryan, after arrest, a person can make any number of calls he needs; and in felony or major mis- demeanor cases, he is warned of his constitution- al rights. It is the practice of the police department not to detain anyone in jail without a warrant for arrest (charge). Persons are not held for many hours unless they are picked up at night and have to wait until morning to be processed. Charges are filed as soon as a judge is available. A person is detained until he has satisfied the court's re- quirements. Bond is set by the judge, but the Chief of Police can raise this to a maximum of $200. The next installment of "Know Your Government" will feature the Brazos County Sheriff's Depart- ment. 7 (lays. From filing to the 1973: 780 criminal cast PART VI r/ � 1 11// Government first title Balled t takes 30 were filed; 95 civil case. daN, (9($' plead guilty at were filed; 5 cases we,. this point). 'Trial without pending from 1472; 1. Iiiosv your from p 1 jury from the first time cases were disposed of in called takes 2 to 3 weeks. 1973; 510 cases were and justice courts. Trial with a jury form the pending at the end of the government on docket call is held first time called takes 2 to year. Tuesdays; criminal 3 months. Budgeting is one of the docket call is held each Jury trials are usually many problems faced by Wednesday; and the jury held in the county court the county. There is a need Ed. Note: This is the for road bond retirement. trials are held on Thurs- once a month. Petit Juries, for expanded staff and sixth article in a series A person must be days. At docket call, an in the county court, are facilities. The county needs taken from a survey twenty-one years of age alleged offender in a six -man juries. They are a full -time county attorney compiled and published by and a resident of the misdemeanor case may selected by drawing from a and a full -time county the League of Women county to qualify for the Plead guilty and receive a container into which are judge with additional staff Voters of Brazos County on office of county judge. No fine or sentence at that placed the names of all and office space for each. time. If the pleads not registered voters in the Because of the increased the Executive and Judicial college or law degrees are Systems of our county. A required. Judge Vance, guilty, a trial date is then county. These lists are case load in the last few complete copy of the however, is a licensed set. Approximately 35-40 updated once each year. years, more court days are survey may be obtained for attorney. cases are heard on each Thirty -six names are needed. 50 by calling League Presently the county docket call day, according drawn. A person called for County Attorney Publications Chairman judgeship is a part -time to County Attorney jury duty may disqualify Brazos County Marcia Lankin at 693 -2927. position. Vance stated in Searcy. (When a person himself for specific rea- Roland Searcy our interview that the pleads innocent to a sons, or he may be COUNTY JUDGE judgeship should be a charge, he has the choice of automatically disqualifiedi Elected official: to serve The Hon. W. R. Vance full-time paid position. He a trial with or without a if he has already served a a four -year term. Elected Official: to serve also sees a need for a Time elements involved certain uain number of days on Salary: $12,000 paid by a four -year term. full -time county attorney. jury. The attorneys in the county. Salary: $13,500 paid by The Brazos County Judge in a criminal case from the case each have three Staff: 1 secretary. the county. wears many hats. His inception to completion pre-emptory challenges of Rud +TF t: "ten r< ost" Staff: 1 secretary; salary duties include administra- (average figures) in the the potential jurors. A from the otrnty commis $6,000. tive head of the county Brazos County Court: person chosen for jury sione•r, I 1 ' Jurisdiction: Brazos duget officer; head of From offense to the filing duty receives $10.00 for The county attorney County. county civil defense; chair- of the complaint takes 5 to each day that he serves. must be a licensed Location: Brazos County man of the Brazos County Persons awaiting trial attorney and a registered Courthouse. Health Board; presiding may be released on bail voter residing in Brazos County budget: officer of the county com bond or personal recogniz County. $1,546,530 and $135,980 missioners and judge of the ante, or they may be The office of county county court. Judge Vance detained in the county jail. attorney differs from also engages in the private Pre-trial release is not county to county. In some practice of law. It has been used. Any person who counties of Texas there are suggested that the "judge might be assessed a jail no licsned attorneys resid- of the commissioners sentence and cannot afford ing in the county; in others court" and the "county legal counsel must sign an the same person serves as judge" should be separated affadavit of indigence -- both the county attorney positions. then the court appoints and the district attorney. As administrator of the counsel to represent him. Some handle only civil Brazos County Commis-Attorneys are appointed cases. In Brazos County sioner's Court, the jduge is on a rotating basis from a the county attorney is a in charge of the budget; he list of thirty attorneys in part-time position; how coordinates all elected the county. These attorn- ever, Mr. Searcy stated offices of the county; he eys are paid (by the that the position requires coordinates government county) $50 for each court about 95% of his time. He agencies. He also repre appearance and $350 for has a private practice of sents the county on other appeals. $8,000 is allocated law also. committees, although pre- to the county court to The county attorney sent county commissioners cover these costs. (District takes complaints and files are doing more of this. The Court is also included in them against alleged viola - jduge negotiates and the $8,000 for indigent tors of the law in the works in acquisition of defense.)* justice and the county right of way, and handles *The Brazos County Bar courts. He prosecutes mis- problems of the county as a Association has a legal aid demeanors. He is the chief whole. program which renders legal advisor to the county In the county court the help in civil cases. This is ... i.d. he draws up papers judge presides over cases also set up on a rotating in such matters as the that involve: all civil suits basis from a list of proposed county park, and where the amount in attorneys. he is available to the controversy is not less In the county court in county commissioners for than $200 nor more than legal opinions. $1,000; midsemeanor trim Mr. Searcy stated that inal cases where the 7'lie next in he feels the county punishment does not ex o � talhnent of attorney should be a year in the county feature Govern futll time position, and that ceed one Y Y will eat the 85th more adequate staffing is jail and /or a fine of $2,000; s tric t C o and probate matters. All SYstem. needed for this office. The lunach cases are processed caseload handled by the by this court. Tlie court . also has appellate juris- diction over the municipal see p 7