SIMI POLICE CHIEF URGES OVERHAUL TO TACKLE PROBLEMS.

Byline: Enrique Rivero Daily News Staff Writer

The Police Department could more easily focus on gangs and other local problems if the City Council accepts a proposed department reorganization plan, Chief Randy Adams said.

By dividing the department from two to four divisions and hiring a third captain, administrators will do less ``paper pushing'' and work more closely with the officers and staff they oversee, Adams said.

And that, in turn, will give administration and staff more time to beef up existing programs, such as Problem Oriented Policing and initiate new projects that will benefit the community, he said.

``We hope we can develop new and innovative programs that can address additional concerns like that in the community,'' Adams said.

Adams' reorganization proposal will go to the City Council on Monday.

Adams said the changes are needed to handle growth since 1986 in both the Police Department and the city.

In that time, department staff has swelled from 126 employees to the current 176, he said. Meanwhile, the city's population has swelled from approximately 90,000 to about 105,000.

Yet the department has not been reorganized to accommodate the changes, and administrators find themselves bogged down with paperwork - and don't have the time they should to work more closely with their staffs, Adams said.

Currently, one captain each is assigned to oversee the operations and the support services division.

Under Adams' proposal, two more divisions would be added - the investigative and administrative divisions - and another captain would be hired to oversee the investigative division.

The current administrative officer's position, which is staffed by a civilian, would be upgraded to senior administrative officer, he said. The person in that position would have charge of the administrative division.

Adams said the plan should create a better working relationship between administrators and staff, making for a more efficiently run Police Department.

As a result, programs such as Problem Oriented Policing or the Volunteer Services Program will get more of the attention they deserve, Adams said.

``What we're trying to do is fully implement those programs and all this organization will help in (their) full implementation,'' Adams said.

The reorganization plan would cost the city an additional $40,800 for the remainder of fiscal 1996-97 and $21,300 in annual recurring costs, according to a report from Adams. Part of the cost would be covered by deleting an unfilled sergeant's position, with the rest coming from the city's general fund, Adams said.

Mayor Greg Stratton said the reorganization could make it easier for police to focus on the community. ``The gang task force, parking enforcement - you name it they do it, and the management's attention will, I believe, cause all those things to be done smoother.''

The City Council will meet Monday at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 2929 Tapo Canyon Road.