Police chief has big plans
RIALTO: The new boss wants to step up recruitment to rebuild the city's department.
10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, August 23, 2006
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RIALTO - The man chosen to rebuild the city's Police Department began his first week on the job Monday with a goal of stepping up Rialto's recruitment program.
Chief Mark Kling, former head of the Baldwin Park Police Department, has spent his time meeting with officials, officers and interim Chief Frank Scialdone to get acquainted with programs and top issues.
Feedback from supervisors made it clear recruitment is the department's paramount issue so it will get immediate attention, Kling said.
"We are going to fire up the recruitment machine and start getting qualified officers," Kling said.
The department staff is down 25 percent, Scialdone said.
At full staff, the department has 115 officers. There currently are 88, Scialdone said.
To get prospective officers to the interview and background stage quicker, Scialdone said he has worked with human resources to cut the process down three to four months.
In the past, applications from officers working for other departments were held until there were 30 to process them all at once.
"Now, as soon as an officer from another department applies, the application is processed immediately," Scialdone said.
Kling said he agrees applications shouldn't be held and will meet with human resources this week to see if there are any other ways to expedite the process.
"A lot of Chief Scialdone's ideas ... will continue because I believe in the processes that he has started," Kling said.
The efforts made at Rialto's East Jackson Street and Willow-Winchester area have been good, Kling said.
East Jackson Street was the setting of high-profile raids in March that focused on crime and living conditions in apartment buildings.
The Willow-Winchester area also was plagued with crime and poor living conditions. It is now part of a $38 million project that will rehabilitate condominiums and offer social programs to residents.
As chief, Kling said he will work to continue those good efforts.
Getting to know officers' expectations of him also is important, Kling said, so he'll meet with small groups in the coming week.
Scialdone, whose last day was Wednesday, said he will be pushing Kling toward community policing, which encourages city officials, social service providers and the community to work with police to prevent crime.
Lt. Joe Cirilo, who has been with the department 27 years, said he believes Kling is going to bring the organization focus and direction.
"He comes with a lot of energy and excitement, and that is transcending to the organization because we see a leader who is ready to take this department on ... and elevate the standard to make us a premier organization once again," Cirilo said.
Rialto's new top cop helped rebuild the Baldwin Park Police Department when he was appointed chief there in April 2001, officials there said.
The year before, the Baldwin Park City Council was looking at disbanding the city's department and contracting with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
The council narrowly voted to keep the department despite recruitment problems and a lack of unity.
Today, the experience of getting Baldwin Park to that point will help in Rialto, Kling said.
Cirilo said the renovation of the Baldwin Park Police Department is a good indication of what will happen in Rialto's department.
"The city of Baldwin Park was under similar conditions and (Kling) took an organization that nobody had any hope in and he turned it around," Cirilo said.
"He said he would bring that same effect here ... and we look forward to the challenges that face us and we look forward to working with him."
Reach Massiel Ladrón De Guevara at 909-806-3054 or mdeguevara@PE.com
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Rialto Police Department has not been at this low of Police Officers since the Early to Mid Eighies!! Maybe the late seventies, that is how low the employment has been!! I certantly hope that they first thing that he does, is starts to think about getting people Hired!! The City Council would not allow Scaldone hire people he was just there to Head hunt the current people and clean up the "Corruption" and Clear out anyone that didn't "Really" want to be at Rialto, so now that he has done his job, and very well I might add. Frank Scaldone is a very good Police Chief, and He is probably very burned out doing it and that is why he had left and sought to get elected to the City Council of Fontana! Just to see what it is like at the real administration side of life. I mean if you think about it many chiefs do this Farmer from Rialto did it, he was Mayor for six years before hanging up his political career and becoming a PI, Like Magnum. LOL..
Seriously, They need to hire on at least twenty (20) to twenty five (25) people! This will not be an easy task there are a few brick walls that Chief Klink will have to go over and around. The first is that the city does not offer a good retirement Plan! Sure they offer a retirment plan and it is what it is, but it is not what 98% of the rest of the Califoria Depaprtments are offering now.
The other plans out there are the Plan that San Bernardino Police Department has and that is 3% at 55, so they can retire at 55 rather then at the other one which is 50. Rialto still has the old broken down system and Rialto city has not, will not write awayfrom it and that is the famous or not so famous 2% at 50. You can retire with this package when you are 62 with a full retirment. I am sorry, but I don't think that I could be a copper at the age of 59, chasing the children that are out there, but I guess you have to stay young in your mind and continue to march and then continue to work no matter what. Maybe the City Council, Personnel Manager, City Administrator, all are wantingto keep it at the current status quo! This will make it cheaper for the city since they only pay in that 9% towards their retirement, the only thing that they loose is when the City Employee gets an early out like mine did such as an accident or a shooting where the employee is cripled for the rest of their natural life. Then they can collect 50% of their income Tax Free, if it is a 100% disablity or even a 48% disablity for that matter can be approved for a 100% tax free disablity retirement, they better not get rid of this retirment espeically for the Employee that can no longer work again, such as my self.
I can never Work again and if I were to have to pay Taxes, forget it!! We ( my wife & I would never make it!! ) the small amount of pay that we get compaired to what I used to get or what I could be getting today!! instead of what I get now, I would be so much better Off!! Why I could afford that new pick up truck!! That Dodge 3500 Ram 1 Ton Flat Bed, W/Duels!! That is my next dream truck!! well it has been my dream truck since I had my old truck. My 1963 3/4 Ton Flat Bed w/Duels!! It had a Standard cab. The 3500 that I am talking about will have a slid in locking 5-wheel hitch lock/platform. it would be like the mini version of the big rig diesel King Pin hitch plate for the fifth wheel. he he he ..
I would have the back seak on this truck it would be white..THATS RIGHT!! A Stone White Dodge truck, with a crew Cab, not the Mega Cab, but the regular crew cab six speed diesel, and oooh yea, the Jake brrreak!! brrrrrrrrrr..I will be adding all the banks super suped up equipment to give my six speed all the power that I can ! I just wish I was ready to make the purchase of said new truck.
I don't know how we got to the subject of the truck when we should be talking about retirements and the like because Chief Kling will be having to make said changes to the department and hiring is one I wish that I was one of the people that he could makea posotion for, so that I could still be involved with the police department some how and in some way. Youknowhow it is when you are away it is ard and seeing the peoope that yoisu ee for a lon g time afr om a distance and teyare to willingto see you makes that even harder to want to go back to the police department. I love the department. I miss it and I really wish that some day that the Police department would feel like they could have some of the retired people around to be saround such as doing some kind of work at the police department that was good to the Police department. womething will have to come along??
BSRanch
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