Council eyeing device to track shots
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on March 25, 2015 1:46 PM
Technological improvements for the Goldsboro Police Department and future projects and concerns for the city's Public Works Department dominated the first day of the City Council's retreat.
The retreat was held at the Wayne County Museum, starting Tuesday.
Police Chief Jeff Stewart told council members that his department is considering implementing a shot spotter throughout the city, although no firm date has been set.
A shot spotter records when a shot is fired from a gun, triangulates the shot's position and immediately beams the location to officers in the area. This allows for a quicker response time and more accurately records exactly how many shots were fired.
But there are potential drawbacks to the system, including making citizens feel as though they no longer need to call the police when they hear shots fired, officials said.
"Politically, people will think the community is falling apart because each shot is recorded," said City Manager Scott Stevens. "But in reality it's the same number that has been being fired all along. There is the risk that the community might stop calling in because they believe officers are already aware of the shots being fired."
Implementing the system also runs the risk of putting officers in harm's way, Stevens said.
"Since they can respond quicker, there is the possibility officers will arrive at the scene when the shooter is still there," Stevens said. "If we corner someone, they might shoot at our guys and we will have to shoot back."
In other police-related matters, investigator Jason Adams followed Stewart's presentation with a proposal to implement more stringent laws regarding the sale of scrap metals.
"We had 11 homes broken into in 2014 where non-ferrous metal was stolen or A/C units were stolen and sold for scrap," Adams said. "Two vehicles have already been stolen in 2015 and sold for scrap."
Non-ferrous metals are metals such as copper or aluminum that do not contain a significant amount of iron or steel, but are still valuable when sold for scrap. The metals are found in items such as catalytic converters, lead-acid batteries, and stainless steel beer kegs.
Currently, if an item is taken to be sold as scrap, the seller of the item must only show a photo ID, and no permit is required. This causes problems with cars especially, as vehicles 10 years or older do not need to have a valid title to be scrapped.
To curb this problem, Adams suggested implementing a policy requiring the seller to obtain a permit for the material being scrapped.
He suggested permit prices be set at $15 per scrap item, reducing the profit made off stolen goods and, ideally, diminishing the appeal of selling stolen scrap metals.
"Right now, if someone were to go and sell stolen copper for scrap, they would get about $40 for it," Adams said. "If we require a permit at a cost of $15, we cut into the profit being made and ideally reduce thefts of non-ferrous metals."
Permits to sell scrap metal would be denied to people who have been charged with crimes related to metal thefts, such as breaking and entering, larceny or larceny of a motor vehicle.
Later on during the retreat, Public Works Director Jose Martinez discussed implementing a plan that would ensure Elmwood Cemetery does not run out of plots to sell within the next 35 years, assuming 65 lots are sold per year in the cemetery.
Currently, the cemetery has run out of plots to sell.
Martinez proposed a four-phase plan that would add 2,300 plots to the cemetery over the course of several years.
The city owns the land running from the front gate of the cemetery to U.S. 117 north of the cemetery. This is the land that would be used for expansion.
If implemented, the 2,300 lots would take up 8.9 acres and cost $586,000.
Changes to the cemetery would also mean changes to the way it operates, specifically in terms of employment.
Currently, employees who work funerals held after hours receive compensatory time, handicapping the maintenance crew when the time off is taken by an employee.
Initially, the plan will be able to be implemented without needing to hire additional employees, Martinez said.
But long-term, one full-time and one part-time position would need to be hired at a yearly cost of $51,670.
This allows for the additional plots added to be properly maintained and overtime pay to be used instead of compensating time.
"If workers are in the cemetery when a funeral is happening, they can't do any maintenance work," Martinez said. "You don't want a weed whacker going when a family is trying to have a funeral."
But removing compensatory time and instituting overtime pay would allow for workers to be paid when funerals happen and would not hinder the city as much as compensatory time does, Martinez said.
Martinez's plan also calls for an update to the headstone marking policy in the cemetery.
Families are currently allowed a flush marker that lies flat with the ground, a headstone monument and a free military marker if eligible.
"Because funeral costs are a big hit financially, families will often get a flush marker at first," Martinez said. "Then when they get more money, they'll come back and get a headstone, and then some families also add a military marker."
Martinez's plan suggests updating the policy to allow a one family headstone and one flush level marker for each grave, and a maximum of one flush or upright headstone per individual grave.
The city council discussed each proposal at the end of the first day of the retreat and confirmed that the proposals were moving the city in the correct direction, and should be implemented at some point.
The council meets again today for the second and final day of its retreat.