Colfax police chief questions records policy

COLFAX - The chief of police in Colfax is questioning a recent decision by the city to have the police department complete all redactions of public records.

Police Chief Rick McNannay told the city council Monday night that new responsibilities regarding public records requests are keeping him from patrols, and with his department facing staff cuts, officers have less time to patrol the streets.

McNannay said public records requests left him unable to go on any patrols last week. And with one police officer going on maternity leave and two others in the background phases for future employment at other agencies, the department soon could be down to McNannay and three other officers.

McNannay told the council he was not trained in the release of public records and asked why redaction of records was no longer being done by City Clerk Lynda Kramlich.

The sudden change regarding public records comes after McNannay went into a $37,000 hole in 2017 and about two weeks after McNannay told the council aging equipment, a tight budget and understaffing are leading to low morale within his department.

He also raised concerns of rumors he heard that city officials would like to see the department dissolved.

McNannay argued Monday that a new public records clerk is needed so he can go on regular patrols.

Mayor Pro Tem Jim Kackman, sitting in for Mayor Todd Vanek, seemed to disagree.

"That seems like regular police work to me," Kackman said.

"Investigating crimes is police work to me," McNannay replied. "The expense of taking an officer of the road is not a good expense."

McNannay, who has been the police chief for six years, told the Tribune redaction was never done on his end, and Kramlich was always responsible for records redactions. He doesn't know what led to the sudden change, and couldn't say if it was related to the recent budget woes in his department.

At the council meeting, Kramlich said nothing has changed.

McNannay told the Tribune he's not trained in the release or redaction of public records, and that Kramlich was sent to training on his department's dime in the fall.

Budget issues re-emerged as the meeting came to a close.

McNannay said he's been "portrayed as reckless spender," but three line items in his budget that were not under his control put his department $40,000 over budget.

Chris Mathis, the city's finance director, said she wanted to note that $19,000 of insurance money for a Ford Taurus Interceptor that was crashed last year did go back into the department's budget.

McNannay previously told the Tribune money for the car never made its way back to the department to purchase a new vehicle.

"Is it there still?" McNannay asked.

"You went over budget, so probably not," Mathis replied.

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Babcock may be contacted at jbabcock@lmtribune.com or at (509) 339-3423.