City Council Approves Chelsea Police Department’s 2024-2029 Strategic Plan

At their meeting on April 1, 2024, the Chelsea City Council unanimously approved the adoption of a 2024-2029 strategic plan for the Chelsea Police Department. The plan was produced by the city’s Strategic Planning Group (SPG), which was formed at the recommendation of the Community Public Safety Task Force following the release of the “Bobcat Police Operational Audit” report in 2021. The SPG consisted of Chief of Police Kevin Kazyak, Mayor Jane Pacheco as a representative of the city council, City Manager Marty Colburn, and five community members.

“This is again an example of why it's great to live in Chelsea. People work together to solve problems,” said Councilmember Bill Ruddock. “This represents a great step forward for our community and for our police department,” he continued, before voting in favor of adoption.

Developed with experts at the Southern Michigan Criminal Justice Research Project (SMART), a group at Eastern Michigan University that focuses on criminal justice policy, the plan incorporates input from both CPD officers and employees and from the public, and includes a new CPD mission statement, the guiding values of the department, and several high-level goals. The goals are organized into three focus areas which include increasing employee engagement and success, enhancing operational efficiency and effectiveness, and building community partnerships and public trust.

CPD’s Mission and Values
Chelsea Police Department’s new mission statement reads, “It is the mission of the Chelsea Police Department to protect and to serve the community with integrity and professionalism. By working with our citizens and businesses, we aspire to maintain a safe, equitable and welcoming community for everyone who lives, works and visits Chelsea.”

The plan promises that CPD will adhere to a set of values while making decisions and providing services to the public. Those values are:

“Do the right thing” even when no one is looking. If we hold ourselves to the highest standards of Honesty and Integrity without compromise, then doing the right thing comes easy and trust in the police department will follow.

“Every citizen, every time.” We only get one chance to make a first impression. If we treat all citizens the same and provide superior customer service on every call, every contact, every interaction, we never have to worry about what people’s first impression of the Chelsea Police Department will be.

“The little things can make a big difference.” Opportunities for us to make a difference are everywhere, and they’re usually found in the little things. We may never know how the little things that we do can add up to make the big difference in someone’s life.”

Goals
Using information gleaned through surveys and discussions with CPD officers, staff, and the public, the SPG identified several goals in each focus area. Then for each goal, the detailed plan includes several specific initiatives, each with multiple action items, estimated timelines, and metrics for success.

Some of the most notable goals are from the “Building Community Partnerships and Public Trust” category. Not only will CPD seek to increase and improve non-crime interactions with Chelsea residents, business owners, and visitors but they will also expand training programs that improve the preservation of “human dignity and compassion in service delivery.”

Another important goal–somewhat hidden in the Operational Efficiency and Effectiveness area–is to align department policies to “reflect updated industry practices and meet community needs.” This goal is particularly important considering how many outdated policies were identified in the Bobcat Operational Audit report that was presented to the city council in 2021 and referenced in the strategic plan.

“Given the number of policies that our team found to be out of alignment with generally accepted police practices, we believe it would be best for someone on staff at CPD to ensure the Policy and Procedure Manual is tailored to reflect and meet the unique needs of the Department and community,” read the report. Some of the “high-risk” policies flagged in the Bobcat report include those related to use of force, handcuffing and restraint, use of control devices, use of energy devices, authorized firearms, vehicle pursuits, search and seizures, and standards of conduct.

The full CPD 2024-2029 strategic plan can be found on the CPD website and includes the specific information collected from officers, employees, and the public used to inform the areas of need and the specific goals.