Watertown police department details strengths, weaknesses in 21 page SWOT analysis (Audio)

August 17, 2020
Mike Tanner

WATERTOWN, S.D.—The Watertown City Council heard what was essentially a State of the Police Department Report at their meeting Monday night.

The details are laid out in a 21-page document known as a SWOT analysis.

SWOT is an acronym for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

Captain Steve Rehorst told the council one of the weaknesses identified is the police reserve program.

Right now, the Watertown PD has six reserve officers. Rehorst says they’d like to have more than that….

Another weakness cited in the report is the lack of a designated mental health officer within the police department.

On the strengths side, Assistant Chief Tim Toomey cited the Employee Assistance Program—which is free of charge for officers and their family members to use……

Toomey also cited a high officer retention rate, high morale and competitive salary as strengths of the Watertown Police Department.