Argos Town Council members discussed some specifics related to the Town’s crossing guards when they met for their second meeting of the month last Wednesday.
Police Commission Liaison Shawn Harley noted that currently, crossing guards fall under the jurisdiction of the Police Department. He told members he was looking for the council’s blessing get those positions incorporated into the Department’s standard operating procedures (SOP), as they’re currently not mentioned.
Town Council President George Null noted that in the past, Police Chief Corey Bowman has been in charge of dealing with all matters related to the position.
Chief Bowman chimed in saying since they will be under his Department he feels having them listed in the SOP would be beneficial so they could officially establish certain rules to govern the employees.
He added that he also could not locate any policies about the crossing guards in the most recent employee handbook, even though they were included in past versions.
Lisa Mulaney explained that since she’s been clerk-treasurer, those positions have always been handled by the police department.
She also noted that while the new employee handbook was being created, crossing guards were left off due to a question of whether they should be listed in a subcontractor, 10-99 category or as town employees under the Police Department, as they have been in the past.
Town Attorney Derek Jones told the council members that even if the crossing guards were listed in the 10-99 category, they could technically still be bound by the rules set forth in the employee handbook.
Councilman Harley said that that he wasn’t so much worried about the distinction between a 10-99 employee and a department employee, he just wanted to make sure that crossing guards were included under the Police Department’s SOP.
No official actions were taken but no opposition was presented either. Before the council moved on to other matters, Councilman Charles Randy Snead indicated he felt it would be fine for Harley to proceed with incorporating crossing guards into the PD’s standard operating procedures.
