HPD Grants Will Update Stats, Move on Accreditation

Beacuse of manpower shortages, the Hamden Police Department has had a tough time keeping up with the crime statistics the department is supposed to maintain and submit to federal officials. But grant money coming its way will mean it can finally get caught up, police officials say.

The Legislative Council Monday approved accepting a $40,000 grant from the Criminal Justice Policy & Planning Division of the state Office of Policy and Management. It will be used for the collection of data on crimes and arrests that will be reported to the FBI's National Incident-Based Reporting System.

NIBRS is a collection of data on each single crime occurrence in a given jurisdiction. Its collection is more detailed than other crime databases such as the Uniform Crime Report.

"The NIBRS collects data on each single incident and arrest within 22 offense categories made up of 46 specific crimes called Group A offenses. For each of the offenses coming to the attention of law enforcement, specified types of facts about each crime are reported," according to the FBI website. "In addition to the Group A offenses, there are 11 Group B offense categories for which only arrest data are reported."

"The process requires more work and is more labor intensive -- it's just not catagorizing robberies and burglaries but why it happens," Chief Thomas Wydra said. "It takes a lot of staff hours to do that."

But because the Hamden department is short-staffed, that data has not been properly collected and reported, Wydra said, which has hurt the department's eligibility for certain kinds of funding. The grant will allow that to happen, he said, and open up more potential revenue streams.

Councilwoman Kath Schomaker said she was happy to see the department qualify for the state grant.

"It's a great grant and I appreciate that you have a rappor with the state that they are willing to do this so we can catch up," she told Wydra.

An additional $11,207 grant will allow the department to go through the process of accrediation to the Washington, DC based Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies

It's long been a goal of the department to gain that accrediation, Wydra said, but the department hasn't been able to invest in the outside manpower necessary to guide the process.

The funds will pay for an "accrediation manager" who would probably work several hours a week for three years, Wydra said. That would cost about $10,000, he said, and then there would be about $4,000 in additional costs for the yearly fees for a four-year period.

That means it's likely the department would need additional funding to finish the process, Wydra told the council. When it comes to accrediation, it's an ongoing process that needs to be renewed yearly, he said.

"Some agencies employ a full time accrediation manager because it's not a one-time process but an ongoing process," he said. "But that's not realistic here."