A Bridgewater-based company made a presentation Monday on a "Safe City Assessment" program, but declined to discuss costs and had not previously contacted Police Director Martin Hellwig regarding its services.Former Public Safety Director Jiles Ship is president and CEO of Highland Global Strategies and Michael Jackson is executive vice president of the firm. Click here for their web site.
Councilwoman Bridget Rivers, chair of the council's 2010 Public Safety Committee, invited the pair to make the presentation to the council last year, but it was postponed. On Monday they said they could collect and collate crime data and then review and analyze it. One of their goals is to foster 'intelligence-led policing" based on information and analysis.
Ship and Jackson mentioned many new techniques for crime-fighting and security, all of which are at the link above. Should they bring their expertise to Plainfield, they promised a "true plan for execution."
However, they did not respond when Councilwoman Rebecca Williams asked for names of other cities that have used their services, although they mentioned the Essex County Jail, which they described as a $500 million, 800,000-square-foot facility.
Councilman Reid asked about costs of the program, but apparently it would depend on several factors.
Acting City Administrator Dan Williamson asked, "Have you had this conversation with the police director?"
They had not, but left a business card for Hellwig as Williamson suggested.
This writer does not recall the city ever hiring an outside consultant on crime strategies, although there have been studies of the Police Division's operations conducted by law enforcement agencies. One surprising allegation the presenters made was that crime rates had gone up. But Hellwig had reported a decline in the city crime rate as measured by the Uniform Crime Report in 2009.
--Bernice Paglia
The mention of Essex County Jail was that Jackson was a project manager on some of the security functions associated with that. They didn't say that Essex County was a client so it was unclear when Mr. Jackson worked on that project. The impression was that Highland Global is a recent venture.
ReplyDeleteCould it be the same Essex County Jail that Martin Hellwig became the warden of in 2000?
ReplyDeletePlainfield should become a ward of Essex County. Could it be that it already is?
What's the game here? Crime strategies or a little appetite for some taxpayer money?
Jiles Ship briefly served as Plainfield's director of public affairs and safety and only came up with the bright idea of dividing policing up by the city's wards. He didn't seem to understand, as Plainfielders do, that crime is a citywide problem. Why bring him back to do whatever it is he wants to do, for more taxpayer dollars this time?
ReplyDeleteThis is what happens in Plainfield all the time! When your city salary isn't enough, you open up your own "Consulting Firm" and miracuously get a contract in Plainfield which pays you double or triple what you earned while a City employee. If Ship didn't give this valuable information in the past, what has changed in the years he has been away that now make him an expert worthy of what I am sure will be a hefty fee for consulting! Let's spend the money on policing and not analyzing data! If we dig, we will surely find a connection to someone...perhaps Sharon!
ReplyDeleteShip was appointed by McWilliams. He left when it became clear that McWilliams was going to lose. Now he wants to come back as a "consultant," but why would we want him?
ReplyDeleteThe HighlandGS website has no biographies of the principals, no client list, no case studies, no news releases, no completed or planned events, no evidence of any actual activity. So I guess that would make Plainfield their first client. OK, let them consult on spec: when our crime metrics markedly improve as a result of their strategies, then they'll get paid. But not before.
ReplyDeleteBTW, what's the relationship of Councilperson Rivers to the principals? And why is any group allowed to give a sales pitch (let's call it what it was) to the council without the relevant administrator (the Public Safety director) first checking out their credentials so as not to waste the valuable time of the council and public.
What a farce! An unqualified patrol officer, from Edison is allowed to pitch a consulting contract before the Council, without an RFP or anything from the City and without the input of the current Public Safety Director. But we will not be surprised to see this on the agenda, as a contract for services to another unqualified individual/firm. Please refer to "Incubator" contract for further analysis. Pobre Plainfield, alas I knew you well, when we were Queen>
ReplyDeleteThey kept calling it "intelligent-led" policing when the term is "intelligence-led" policing.
ReplyDelete