When I had the honor of being selected as the Chief of Police of an agency which I had been involved with since 1977 (as an Explorer Scout) I remembered a wise thing that someone said about organizations; “if you are not changing, you are dying.” One of my goals was to examine practices and to make efficiency changes if they made sense. Don’t get me wrong, the agency has been in great hands of past Chiefs for many decades, but each Chief has the ability to make changes to keep up with changing times and hopefully improve service to our community.
Part of my plan was to work with staff and make at least one major positive and innovative change a year during my tenure. The first year, we implemented technology to rid Police Officers from the time consuming task of report writing. The second year, we implemented a Districting plan of policing and expanded the Office of Professional Standards. This year, the third of my tenure, we are anticipating the addition of an electronic citation system which will dramatically cut the time an officer keeps a citizen at the scene of a traffic stop, and automates citation filing at the station house as well as within the court system. This is being paid for through a Federal grant. In addition to this grant, we are also looking forward to the addition of video technology for our officers, the addition of eight patrol cars, two additional Animal Control Officers, two dispatchers and an evidence technician, all fully funded by grant money. This is exciting news in light of budget constraints. Without those grant dollars, it would be impossible to obtain these people and the equipment we need to conduct service at a high level of efficiency.
The motto of the Nampa Police Department is “Verum, Muneris Virtus” This is Latin for speaking the truth, service to our community and courage in our duty. These words are linchpins of any Law Enforcement agency. We need to always be mindful that we are called to be “Peace Officers” and not always “Police Officers” what’s the difference you ask? A Peace Officer uses their discretion to take certain actions during each contact with a person in the public. A Peace Officer asks themselves, “what is best for the community, for the people involved and for the suspects themselves?” By being a pure “Police Officer” we can be drawn into the aspect of Law Enforcement in which things are no longer “gray” based on the totality of circumstances, but are now “black and white.” The “spirit of the law” disappears. An Officer who is without the ability to decide the best course of action based upon what is best for everyone involved will not be an effective change agent.
I am very proud of each and every person here at the Nampa Police Department. I believe that each person is a true servant. We enjoy great community support here in Nampa. The goal of the command staff is to foster that support and to not let you down. We are committed to strong law enforcement and real involvement in issues within our community.
Thanks for your interest in our web site and God bless you and your family.
Bill Augsburger
Chief of Police
