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HomeMy WebLinkAbout13 - Reassignment of Police Officer Mike LaVigneCITY OF NEWPORT BEACH CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT Agenda Item No. 13 September 23, 2008 TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: Police Department John Klein, Chief of Police, 949 - 644 -3701, JKlein @nbpd.org Jim Kaminsky, Captain, 949 -644 -3720, JKaminsky @nbpd.org SUBJECT: REASSIGNMENT OF FULL -TIME OFFICER MIKE LAVIGNE TO PART -TIME STATUS UPON RETIREMENT ISSUE: Should full -time Officer Mike LaVigne, currently assigned to Airborne Law Enforcement (ABLE), be reassigned as a part -time officer for a six -month period upon his retirement? RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that full -time Officer Mike LaVigne be reassigned as a part -time officer upon retirement so that, as a certified flight instructor, Officer LaVigne can be utilized to train a new ABLE pilot. DISCUSSION: In March of this year, ABLE Bureau Commander Tim Starn was directed to study the pending pilot retirements at ABLE. It was our desire to develop a feasible plan for the future that would enable the air program to continue operations with minimal disruption. Commander Starn provided the Department with training and retirement timelines, each of which affects the other. ABLE has an established training program that consists of a three - phase, eighteen - month timeline. The first phase consists of six months of tactical flight officer (TFO) training, the second includes six months of flight school, and the last phase consists of a six month, in -house training program with ABLE's Certified Flight Instructors (CFI). Reassignment of Full -Time Officer September 23, 2008 Page 2 In January 2008, a pilot position opened at ABLE. NBPD Officer Kent Eischen was selected to fill the position. Officer Eischen recently completed the first phase, TFO training, and on June 9, 2008, began his second phase of training, the flight school at Helistream. Officer Eischen should return to ABLE for the third and final phase of training in December of 2008, or sooner. It is anticipated that in the final phase he will fly with an ABLE Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) until May or June 2009. According to Commander Starn, ABLE is facing four retirements by November 2009, which will present significant challenges for the program. In November 2008, CMPD Officer Vem Hupp and NBPD Officer Mike LaVigne will retire. Officer LaVigne's retirement presents a particular challenge for the program, in that LaVigne is a CFI that is used to train our pilots locally in their third phase of training. Officer LaVigne is partnered with Paul McCarthy from CMPD, and they are the CFIs for the third phase. During this phase, both CFIs and the trainee pilot work on the same shift, which enables the trainee to always work with a CFI. This allows them to fly without interruption from scheduled days off. Officer LaVigne will retire at the precise time that Officer Eischen will enter his third phase of training, which calls for an ABLE CFI. Officer LaVigne is one of two CFIs that comprise Officer Eischen's flight training staff. With his departure on November 30, 2008, ABLE will need to make concessions to the training program in the form of extended training times (e.g., more than the normal 18 -month training period currently used). With a pilot shortage and longer training times, a significant increase in overtime would be expected. Subsequent to Officer LaVigne's retirement, ABLE will also need to train a new CFI to conduct the in- house, third phase training. As one would imagine, the new CFI would not immediately possess a high level of experience, as this comes with time. It is recommended that Officer LaVigne be reassigned as a part -time Pilot/CFI at the hourly rate of $46.95 for a period not to exceed 960 hours following his retirement. His role would involve working as a line pilot and completing Officer Eischen's final phase of training. Upon completion of Officer Eischen's training, Officer LaVigne's services would no longer be required. The ABLE Commander has made a proposal to the Costa Mesa Police Department to send an officer from that agency to Helistream to obtain a CFI endorsement. This would once again restore ABLE's CFI team to its original number. FUNDING AVAILABILITY: As a full -time Pilot/CFI, Officer LaVigne is currently compensated $83.94 per hour. If approved and he is reassigned as a part -time officer, his hourly rate would drop to $46.95 per hour. It is expected that he would be reassigned for no more than 960 hours. This would amount to a total compensation of $45,072. If approved, this amount could be paid out of salary savings created by the vacancy of Officer LaVigne's full- Reassignment of Full -Time Officer September 23, 2008 Page 3 time status. In the event that Officer Eischen's training is completed ahead of schedule, the total compensation would be less. Our alternative is to use another ABLE pilot or CFI at an overtime rate of $125.91 per hour to train Officer Eischen, which would amount to approximately $120,873, or $75,801 more than outlined in the Recommendation. Prepared by: Jim Kaminsky, Captain Submitted by: John Klein, CHIEF OF POLICE