In addition to pinpointing problems, the reportalso offers a revealing look at the day-to-dayoperations of the department and staunchly--and attimes humorously--defends Riley.
Officers told Kelling that the chief ignoreshis staff and does not gather their input on keypolicing decisions.
The criticism "must be taken seriously,"Kelling's report says, but concludes "it is acomplicated problem."
Noting that "Riley is not inaccessible," Kellinglocates the root of the problem at theinstitutional tensions between the chief and hiscommand staff.
Additionally, "[o]ne of Chief Riley's vagariesis that he tends at times to be preoccupied and doseveral things at the same time," Kelling wrote."At times, he doesn't follow through withanything."
Kelling's recommendations include that Rileyhire a staff assistant and "that he spend moretime `on the ground' with officers."
The report further backs Riley, concluding thatcharges of favoritism leveled against him areuntrue and stem from the department's small sizeand history of internal quarrels.
And the charge that Riley is humorless is alsofound to be baseless in Kelling's study. "ChiefRiley regularly comments about the world andevents with a Jack Benny-like droll humor that, ifone listens carefully, is self-mocking....He is abit of a character," the report states.
10-4 for the Future
As apparent in yesterday's staff cuts, many ofthe report's recommendations have already begun tobe implemented.
Still, the report does not offer such concretesolutions for at least one major controversy: thefuture of Harvard's security guard force.
While it recommends that the guards be fullyintegrated into the force's policing plan, thereport does not outline an agenda for doing sosuccessfully.
Other goals--like training all officers incommunity policing programs, teaming officerstogether so that they gain familiarity with aspecific area of the campus, and creating seniorstaff sergeant positions--are in the works for thefall, HUPD and administration officials said.
"We plan to put into practice each and everyone of George's recommendations," Riley said.
There may be an immediate backlash, however.
University officials acknowledged thatyesterday's firing of the lieutenants was abrupt,although they stress that generous severancepackages were offered, and that the University hasoffered to assist them in finding new work.
Moreover, the younger department officers eagerfor traditional police work may also be "upset,"Kelling said.
"In the long haul, officers are going to findthat working in an organization in which there isone clear sense of what the mission [will maketheir jobs] more pleasant," he said