November 1, 2013 The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch Page 31 Council Approves Police General Order Requests Taser Use, Hands-Free Phone Use Among Changes By JOANNE SHRINER STAFF WRITER Regional Digest FROM PAGE 30 due to a couple of construction projects in the area of King Richard Road in Ocean Pines through late November. The county’s Public Works Department last week started two simultaneous construction projects in the area of King Richard Road expected to cause traffic delays. The first project requires replacing water service lines over the next three weeks to eliminate leaks that have caused excessive maintenance costs in other areas throughout the Ocean Pines system. The second project includes installing a six-inch in diameter sewage force main to connect the Casino at Ocean Downs to the Ocean Pines wastewater system. When the projects are completed, likely in mid- to lateNovember, King Richard Road will be reconstructed and repaved. The contractor’s intent is to maintain one active lane of traffic during the projects. Complete road closures will be avoided during construction unless absolutely necessary. County Public Works officials hope to limit disruptions to the public be performing the two projects concurrently. OCEAN CITY – Ocean City Police Department’s General Orders received several updates this week, including advancements in mobile wireless technology as well as requiring police officers to follow the same hands-free cell laws as ordinary citizens. Ocean City Police Department Captain Greg Guiton requested approval of the Mayor and City Council on Tuesday to update six General Orders (G.O.) policies and rescinding one policy due to outdated practices. In a memo submitted to the Mayor and City Council, OCPD Chief Ross Buzzuro outlined each policy matter. G.O. 100 A-1, Department Direction and Organization is an update to reflect the organizational structure of the department. Community service-related matters will remain an integral part of the Office of the Chief while all other aspects of the department will be managed at the divisional level. This policy also includes the newly created Selective Enforcement Unit, which is another investigative component of the Criminal Investigation. This new unit will address investigative needs arising out of intelligence-gathering efforts that directly impact quality of life and safety issues for residents and visitors. G.O. 100 D-2, Employee Recognition, is a policy that was originally published under the title of “Commendation Board” in 1999. The policy now addresses other aspects of commendation and recognition to include retiree recognition. The update also streamlines the nomination process for commendation recommendations, avoiding multiple approval steps. This update was ini- tiated through the Joint Labor/Management Committee as part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. G.O. 200 H-2, Biased Based Profiling, requires a minor update to properly reflect new terminology used in conjunction with traffic stop data collection and proper reference to a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) used to provide direction to police officers applying the requirements set forth in a Maryland Vehicle Law. The specific term updated in the policy is Traffic Stop Data Form (TSDF). This form is used by officers who are not using the computerized data entry known as E-TIX when issuing traffic enforcement actions. The form allows the Records Management Section the ability to enter captured data required for compliance with the law without burdening police officers with administrative tasks. G.O. 200 U-1, Use of Force, is updated for the purpose of terminology change, a reference to new less-lethal weapon introduced to the department, and a notation from a 2011 Maryland Court of Appeals case regarding a TASER use. Regarding terminology, TASER, has changed from using the term Electronic Control Device (ECD) to the term Conducted Electrical Weapon (CEW) to identify their product line. The terminology change has been made in this policy as well as in the SOP that governs CEW use. There is an additional reference in the policy to a less-lethal launcher under section, Impact Weapon. This device was introduced to the department several years ago but was not placed in service until June 2013. The guidelines for the weapon’s use are found in the SOP. An addition to the policy is a reference to a Maryland Court of Appeals case that was decided in 2011. The court ruled that the use of 30-Year Career Recognized Bill Bratten has retired after nearly 30 years with the Town of Ocean City, and he received a key to the city from Mayor Rick Meehan and the City Council in honor of his service. Bratten has spent his career working in the Department of Public Works, including supervising over 30 employees and managing the fleet and construction divisions of public works. Before becoming the construction manager for public works, Bratten was a crew leader, equipment operator and a storm drain foreman. Submitted Photo a CEW for the purpose of stopping a fleeing suspect may be considered an arrest and said detainment would need to be supported by probable cause. Since this is the “rule of the land,” OCPD elected to note this in the policy referencing the case by name, which is Reid v. Maryland. Training in this area has been done with each CEW class that has been taught since the department adopted the weapon for use. G.O. 600 J-1, Juvenile Custody and Care, is an update to a policy that was originally published in 1990. Over 23 years the policy has been in place and several Chief of Police Memorandums have been published to accommodate changes regarding juvenile law without updating the actual policy. The policy update now incorporates all best practices pertaining to care and custody of juveniles, in compliance with State and Federal laws. G.O. 800 I-2, Mobile Wireless Communication Device Use, is a policy originally published under the title “Cellular Telephone Use” in 2005. As technology advanced with the increase use in handheld devices and smart phone systems as a means of communication, the revision to the original policy now accounts for these technology advances. Guiton furthered a state law enacted on Oct. 1 outlaws drivers from talking on cell phones while driving unless it is on a hands-free device. However, police officers are exempt from the law. “We as an agency felt that we didn’t want to go down that road. We wanted to be more restrictive. Our restriction is in cases of an emergency an officer can use a cell phone without a hands-free device but once that immediate emergency is over they either go to a handsfree device or some other type of communication,” Guiton said. Councilman Brent Ashley was happy to hear about this and pointed out Anne Arundel County has recently done the same. Lastly, G.O. 400 A-1, AIDS, is a 1988 policy that is specific to only one form of pathogen that any one of the department’s employees could be subjected to while working. As time has progressed, the reality is that there are several bloodborne pathogens that require precautionary measures and the department, with the aid of the fire department, has elected to address these matters through an SOP titled Communicable Disease Prevention and through frequent training. The new SOP is relevant to situations faced by the department’s employees and is more far reaching than the current General Order as published. Guiton requested the AIDS policy be rescinded to be replaced with a new SOP. The council voted unanimously to approve all six OCPD policy updates and the one policy rescind. Real Estate Data Up OCEAN CITY – In a report released this week by a major regional real estate company, home sales and a variety of other indicators showed positive trends through September for Worcester County. Long And Foster this week released its “Market Minute” report for September 2013, providing a snapshot look at real estate trends for the month, which reveals positive trends in home sales and other important indicators across Worcester. The report is a compilation of all real estate transactions in the region, not just those handled by Long and Foster, and revealed an increase in the number of homes sold compared to the same levels a year ago. The report for Worcester shows 158 units were sold in September 2013, representing a 14-percent increase over the same month last year. The median sale price in Worcester in September 2013 was $229,000, compared to $246,000 in September of last year. The inventory total for Worcester in September 2013 was 1,635, down about 3 percent from September 2012. There were 235 new listings in Worcester in September 2013. For the homes sold in Worcester during the month, the actual sale price came in at just around 95 percent of the requested list price, which is another positive trend. The average number of days a listed property has stayed on the market in Worcester is 194 days.