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Councilmember Shachner asked if the use of ARPA dollars affects base pay, and Mayor George <br /> confirmed it does not. <br /> Chair Baker asked if the measure would increase head count from 95 to 98. Mayor George stated <br /> that the use of the ARPA dollars would be applied to increase the department's strength <br /> (staffing). Council does not have to approve of the increase in strength,just the allocation of <br /> dollars. <br /> Discussion ensued on the role of school resource officers and DARE officers, and their presence <br /> in schools. Chief Kaucheck stated staffing in the schools should be on the rise as the department <br /> has hired 18 officers in the last 20 months, adding that many are in the academy or FTO <br /> program. A DARE officer has already been appointed but cannot go operational until the fall. <br /> LPD is hoping to have 2 in the fall with 4 full-time neighborhood patrol officers. He added that <br /> the long onboarding process makes it hard to staff up right away after hires. LPD staff spoke to <br /> how the DARE officer roles allow the department to build report with kids in the community, <br /> teach them the dangers of drugs/guns, and show healthy habits that they can fall back on as they <br /> get older. <br /> Chair Baker shared a belief that the city is in for a pretty aggressive summer with state-imposed <br /> open carry laws set to be prevalent and added that having law enforcement around helps the <br /> community. LPD is looking for direction from the state on how to deal with open carrying <br /> individuals, as concealed carry laws are no longer in effect starting June lst <br /> Councilmember Shachner bemoaned the prevalence of open weapon carry, as it has spurred self- <br /> defense claims in most shootings, putting the burden on prosecutors to prove otherwise. He <br /> highlighted the strategy behind the use of ARPA dollars to replace officers prior to there being a <br /> need to do so and asked what cost savings there might be to the city. Mayor George noted a <br /> potential reduction in overtime would save the city money. <br /> Councilmember Kepple requested that the ward officer program be fully staffed and shared <br /> positive feedback from Lakewood students regarding their school resource officers. <br /> Councilmember Shachner asked where the use of ARPA dollars is acceptable in the final <br /> guidance on them. Chief of Staff Storey cited page 71 of the final guidance document produced <br /> by the Treasury. He noted that the Treasury gives wide latitude to ARPA expenditures aimed at <br /> addressing violence and community policing. <br /> Discussion then transitioned to the Parks Ambassador program run by the Downtown Cleveland <br /> Alliance (DCA). Ed Eckhart and Lisa Krieger of DCA gave background on the non-profit <br /> organization that originated in a downtown Cleveland special improvement district. DCA created <br /> the Clean Neighborhood Ambassador program which augments city services by picking up <br /> debris, removing graffiti, sanitizing public touch points, escorting individuals to their vehicles, <br /> and acting as the eyes and ears of local law enforcement. It started in downtown in 2006 and has <br /> expanded to 10 neighborhood contracts in surrounding suburbs. The Parks Ambassador program <br /> was created in the last few months and looks to support law enforcement with a softer, <br /> community-based approach. Mr. Eckhart noted that the Parks Ambassador position would serve <br /> 2 <br />