Officer hired by city (08/10/07)

City officials have established a new employment agreement to prevent the loss of more than $9,000.

The new employment contract requires newly-hired Portland police officers to stay with the department for at least three years after completing training at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. If the police officer leaves before the three years have expired, he or she must reimburse the city for the training. Fifteen weeks of training costs $9,315, a city official said at Thursday's Portland Board of Works meeting. The amount the police officer owes decreases by one-third at the completion of each year of service.

"We feel our interests need to be protected," Bob Sours, chief of Portland police, said after the meeting. Once someone has graduated from the academy, he or she can easily get employment elsewhere, he said. The city has been burned in the past.

Board of works members voted Thursday to hire a new full-time police officer. Ryan J. Moore, 23, Berne, is the first new patrolman to sign this contract. He signed it during the meeting.

Sours said Dunkirk police have had a similar agreement for several years.

Moore is a 2002 graduate of South Adams High School, and attended Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana. He has served as a reserve officer for the Berne Police Department for two years. He plans to move to Portland.

His first day on the job likely will be some time during the first week of September. He is replacing patrolman Ron Mower, who submitted his resignation in early July to seek employment elsewhere. Mower had been with the Portland Police Department for seven years.

Also Thursday, board members:

•Voted to hire a new volunteer firefighter for the Portland Fire Department.

John Stipp, 34, 960 S. Shank St., was chosen for the position. He volunteered for the city's fire department 15 years ago, said Mike Thomas, Portland fire chief.

Volunteer firefighters are paid on a per-run basis. They are paid $11 per hour for the first hour, then $2.75 for each additional hour.

Board members Dolphus Stephens and Bob McCreery voted to hire Stipp. Bruce Hosier, mayor of Portland, abstained from voting. Hosier said after the meeting that he abstained because he didn't have time to review the applicant and his background before the meeting.

•Approved the purchase of two air packs and a thermal imaging camera for the fire department.

The air packs will be purchased from Towers Inc., Indianapolis. One pack with extended air will be purchased at a cost of $3,790 and another without extended air will cost $3,490. Donley Safety, Indianapolis, also submitted a quote of $4,565 per pack, and 5 Alarm Fire and Safety Equipment, Fort Wayne, quoted $4,947.

Thomas said the packs the fire department currently has will expire in two years. Because the equipment is so expensive, he plans to gradually replace the packs, which are used with the ladder truck.

The Bullard T3 camera will be purchased from Hoosier Fire Equipment, Indianapolis, at a cost of $9,178. Towers Inc. also submitted a quote of $10,400; Donley Safety, quoted $8,700; and Hoosier Fire also submitted a price of $11,129 for another model.

Thomas suggested the Bullard T3 be purchased because it has the best video quality. The camera will replace one the department has had for about 10 years. Thomas said the camera's hard drive is going bad.

Stephens asked Thomas which situations would require a thermal camera. Thomas said a camera is used for search and rescue, to check for hot spots and to look for missing people. It is primarily used for structure fires, he said.

•Voted to hire Andy Landon Excavation, Portland, to demolish two houses located at 429 and 433 S. Wayne St. at a cost of $10,250.

The houses and the land were purchased by local investment banker Barry Hudson. He then donated the land and structures to the city to use for Hudson Family Park. The company expects to begin work Aug. 21 and complete it within two weeks.

LPI Limestone Products, Portland, also submitted a quote of $12,745.[[In-content Ad]]