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News Release Flow-Through:
News Release/News Article LSA Metric
Ernest F. Martin, Jr., Ph.D.
Associate Professor
School of Mass Communications
Virginia Commonwealth University
PO Box 842034
Richmond, VA 23284-2034
Telephone: 804-827-3733
FAX: 804-828-9175
Email: [log in to unmask]
Submitted to
AEJMC, Public Relations Division 2004
News Release Flow-Through:
News Release/News Article LSA Metric
Abstract
This paper describes the exploration of latent semantic analysis (LSA) as
possible automated, statistically reliable metric for measuring the degree
to which a particular news release influences a particular news article or
story.
In the exploratory study, LSA provides a useful evaluative metric to
indicate whether the news release impacted a news article. Additionally,
the LSA metric is useful for relative scoring – potentially indicting
strong, medium or weak coherence between news releases and news stories.
News Release Flow-Through:
News Release/News Article LSA Metric
Introduction
As a part of media relations, getting the message from a news release to a
reader or viewer via a news source is a strategic task for public relations
practitioners. (Newsom & Haynes, 2005) The objective, quite simply, is to
affect media – to get our skillfully crafted message into a news article or
story in a comprehendible way for the reader or viewer. Wilcox (2001)
points out that news releases often form the basis of stories – creating
awareness about ideas, situations, services and products. While some news
releases are not serious – only lightweight efforts to attract attention to
the company or organizations name on a slow news day – generally news
releases are serious public relations activities. (Schenkler & Herrling, 2004)
We work hard in our media relations to build relationships with the media.
We work hard to construct the perfect news release to tell our story. We
not only want our story carried, but we also want our story told as closely
as possible to our news release. We recognize, of course, that the final
determination of what is used, when it is used, and in what form it is
used, is the gatekeeper's decisions – not ours. (Newsom & Haynes, 2005) In
a Louisiana study, Turk (1985) found that only about half of the
information provided to journalists by state government public information
officers was used in published stories. Our stories are often incomplete –
usually with us happy to have any mention.
While public relations practitioners cannot simply get anything they want
in print or on the air, strategic decisions about message, medium and
public require accountability through strategic evaluation. A sampling of
generally used methods for media analysis and some of the companies
involved include: 1) clipping / monitoring (www.burrellesluce.com,
www.metromonitor.com ); 2) content analysis (www.ogilvypr.com,
www.impacon.com; and 3) a variety of dashboard metrics.
(www.measuresofsuccess.com, www.echoresearch.com ). We need to improve our
evaluation techniques constantly. We need to be developing useful and
efficient methods to add to our public relation's evaluation and research
toolbox.
What if we had a statistically reliable metric for measuring the degree to
which a particular news release impacted a particular news article or
story? This paper describes the exploration of a statistical technique
called latent semantic analysis (LSA) to measure semantic relatedness of
news releases in corresponding journalistic articles.
Previous Research
Most of the academic research on news releases focuses on identifying
formative and situational characteristics of news release success or
failure. Reasons for news release inclusion or rejection include source
location and orientation toward consumer information and coming events
(Morton, 1986). Turk (1985, 1986) identified newsworthiness and timing as
critical. In other studies, reasons for news release rejection include poor
execution (Williams, 1994), poor syntactical structure (Walters and
Walters, 1992), length and clarity (Marken, 1994), content relevance to
community (Griffin and Dunwoody, 1995), lack of local angle (Minnis and
Pratt, 1995) and public agenda mismatch (Walters, Walters and Gray, 1996).
Bollinger (2001) defined news release success as generating many articles
from one release, and determined likelihood through content analysis based
on dynamic social impact theory: strength, immediacy, and message number.
She found higher impact for generating multiple articles from an active
activity, celebrity involvement, upcoming events, quotations and occurrence
in the local area.
During the past few decades, cognitive scientists and computational
psycholinguistics developed LSA as a statistical model for comparing
semantic similarity of units of text to each other. The LSA statistic
computations represent the contextual-usage meaning of words in a text
(Landauer & Dumais, 1997). A more complete description of LSA is found in
Landauer, Foltz & Laham (1998) and the seminal article of Deerwester,
Dumais, Furnas, Landauer and Harshman, (1990).
LSA provides an automatic method for comparing units of textual
information to each other in order to determine their semantic
relatedness. Deerwester, Dumais, Furnas, Landauer and Harshman (1990)
originally designed LSA to improve information retrieval methods by
performing retrieval based on derived "semantic" content of words in a
query (e.g. "Googling") as opposed to performing direct word matching.
"We would like a representation in which a set of terms, which by itself is
incomplete and unreliable evidence of the relevance of a given document, is
replaced by some other set of entities which are more reliable indicants.
We take advantage of the implicit higher-order (or latent) structure in the
association of terms and documents to reveal such relationships."
(Deerwester et al. 1990)
The development of LSA was at Bellcore (now Telcordia) in the late 1980s.
The United State Patent 4,839,853 was granted on June 13, 1989 to inventors
Scott C. Deerwester, Susan T. Dumais, George W. Furnas, Richard A.
Harshman, Thomas K. Landauer, Karen E. Lochbaum, Lynn A. Streeter. A
cross-language information retrieval patent followed (US Patent 5,301,109,
April 5, 1994).
The specific application of LSA for informational retrieval is now called
latent semantic indexing (LSI). What is the difference between LSA and LSI?
Simply, LSI refers to using the approach for indexing or information
retrieval; LSA refers to all other applications. The Telcordia LSI
reference site provides excellent background materials.
(http://lsi.argreenhouse.com) Additionally, a very comprehendible
discussion of the information retrieval process using the technique is from
the National Institute of Technology in Liberal Education,
javelina.cet.middlebury.edu/lsa/out/lsa_intro.htm
The theoretical assumption of LSA is there is some underlying or "latent"
structure in the pattern of word usage across documents. Meanings of a word
modify as we use a word in different contexts. Similarly, different words
sometimes have the same meaning depending on contexts. The idea of latent
semantic analysis is that the aggregate of all the word contexts in which a
particular word does, and does not, appear provides a set of mutual
constraints that reflects the similarity of meaning of words to each other.
(Foltz, 1996)
Since LSA is automatic, without human coders, there are no constraints on
the size of the text analyzed. This permits efficient and economical
analysis of the semantic structure of large bodies of text.
In short, this measure is based on a powerful statistical analysis of
direct and indirect relations among words and passages in a large text
corpus and can capture the extent to which two text units are discussing
semantically related information.
Research Questions
Can LSA be adapted to help some aspects of public relations evaluation? The
beginning exploration asks:
1. Can LSA provide a metric to indicate relatedness of a news release to a
news article?
Exploration 1: Can LSA metrics identify different news articles impacted by
the same news release?
Exploration 2: Can LSA metrics identify when a news release does not impact
a news article?
2. Is there discriminating LSA scoring for news releases/ news articles
with varying relatedness?
Exploration 3: Do LSA metrics provide a range of metrics to discriminate
semantic impact of a news release on a news article?
Exploration 4: Can the LSA cosine ranges be evaluative -- indicating
strong, medium, weak or minimal impact of a news release on a news article?
Method
In this study, we use latent semantic analysis to determine the coherence
of news releases and news articles. Varieties of news release/news article
situations were used in the exploratory study. The method is described in
Foltz (1996) and more completely summarized in readings at
http://lsa.colorado.edu/.
As previously mentioned, LSA is an automatic statistical technique for
inferring relations for expected contextual usage of words in passages of
text. This application of LSA takes as its input only raw text parsed into
words, defined as unique character strings and separated into groupings
(news releases and news articles.) It uses no humanly constructed
dictionaries, semantic networks, grammars, syntactic parsers, etc.
Inference of semantic relatedness is from contextual usage.
The first step is to select the news release and relevant news article for
comparison.
Using LSA software, the second step is to generate a matrix of occurrences
of each word in each document. Text is represented as a matrix with each
row standing for a unique word and each column stands for a text passage.
Each cell contains the frequency with which the word of its row appears in
the passage denoted by its column.
Next, the cell entries undergo a preliminary transformation with each cell
frequency weighted by a function that expresses both the word's importance
in the particular passage and the degree to which the word type carries
information in the discourse domain in general.
LSA applies singular value decomposition (SVD) to the matrix. This is
similar to factor analysis. In SVD, the rectangular matrix is decomposed
into the product of three other matrices. One component matrix describes
the original row entities as vectors of derived orthogonal factor values,
another describes the original column entities in the same way, and the
third is a diagonal matrix containing scaling values. SVD decomposes the
word-by-document matrix into a set of k orthogonal factors (generally 100
to 300) from which the original matrix can be approximated by a
least-squares best fit.
The result of the SVD analysis is a k-dimensional vector space containing a
vector for each term and each document. The vector location reflects the
correlations in their use across documents. The location of document
vectors reflects correlations in the terms used in the documents. In this
space the cosine between vectors corresponds to estimate semantic
similarity. The theoretical cosine range can be from +1.00 to -1.00,
although in practicality, even two completely different English language
texts will, at most, fall into the teens. Our concern is generally at the
other end of the spectrum. A higher cosine (closer to 1.00) means higher
shared meanings. For a visual representation of the cosine and vector
relationship, see http://www.ies.co.jp/math/java/trig/cosbox/cosbox.html.
In short, determining the cosine of vectors of two pieces of textual
information allows us to determine the semantic similarity between them.
Findings
We select news releases and news articles on the same topic from
Lexis-Nexis to conduct several LSA explorations into news release/news
article relatedness.
Research question 1 asks: Can LSA provide a metric to indicate level of
relatedness of a news release to a news article?
First, we explore whether LSA metrics are similar for similar stories based
on the same news release. In exploration 1, an Office Depot news release
(12/22/2003) is compared with two articles about Office Depot. (Palm Beach
Post 12/23/2003; Waste News 1/5/2004). The cosine for release/Waste News
article is .76; cosine for release/Palm Beach Post article is also .76.
(See Appendix 1 for text of release and articles) The cosine represents the
angles of the vectors and corresponds to estimate of semantic similarity. A
higher cosine (closer to 1.00) means higher shared meanings. In this
exploration, LSA identifies relatedness of a release with similar semantic
texts (news articles).
Second, we explore whether LSA metrics can show when a news release does
not contribute/relate to a news story. In Exploration 2, we compare a
Cargill news release with the two articles about Office Depot. The cosine
for the Cargill release/Waste News article is .45; cosine for Cargill
release/Palm Beach Post article is .44. (See Appendix 2 for text of Cargill
release).
Since this is a known to be an "unrelated" news release to the two news
articles, the mid-.40s level is at or below the relatedness threshold. If
we look at the LSA literature, we find that .60 cosine has been previously
used as a minimum level indicating relatedness (Blackmon, Kitajima & Polson
2003).
Our second research question is: Is there discriminating LSA scoring for
news releases/news articles with varying relatedness?
For Exploration 3, seven sets of 3M news releases and news stories from the
corporate web site and Lexis-Nexis are matched. The following were the news
release dates and cosines for the related news articles.
7/21/03 cosine = .77
7/22/03 cosine = .81
7/22/03 cosine = .85
8/12/03 cosine = .78
8/22/03 cosine = .67
8/25/03 cosine = .69
9/26/03 cosine = .67
The range is from a low of .67 to a high of .85 for the related news
releases/ news articles.
An additional five sets of 3M news releases were matched with articles
about other topics. This is a variation of Exploration 2 with the Cargill
news release and Office Deport stories. Even though the news releases are
not on the same topic, they were all 3M news releases so the expectation is
the cosines will be higher than the totally non-related sets.
The following were the news release dates and cosines for the non-related
news articles.
7/24/03 cosine = .55
8/05/03 cosine = .44
9/13/03 cosine = .53
9/18/03 cosine = .51
10/08/03 cosine = .50
The range is from a low of .44 to a high of .55 for the non-related,
related company release/article sets.
As we look at the range of LSA metrics for news releases/news articles,
some news releases are strongly related (coherent) to the article, others
have more moderate coherence and some are weakly related. In Exploration 4,
three examples from Bangor Hydro-Electric Company news releases and news
articles in the local press, wire services, or trade magazines point to the
potential usefulness of LSA metrics in evaluation. Cosines range from a
strong impact (.86), to medium impact (.72), to weak coherence (.63). Each
are briefly described below and included in the appropriate Appendix.
On May 21, 2003, a news release from Brascan Power and Bangor
Hydro-Electric announced a joint project to build a new transmission line
system. The May 22, 2003 article in the Bangor Daily News was strongly
impacted by the release (LSA cosine = .86). Appendix 3 shows the text of
the release and article.
On March 27, 2002, Bangor Hydro-Electric announced restructuring, including
early retirement and severance packages. The news story in Electrical Week
on April 1, 2002 has an LSA cosine = .72, reflecting inclusion of
information from other sources and medium semantic coherence from the news
release. Appendix 4 shows the release and article.
On June 6, 2002, Bangor Hydro-Electric announced the Maine Public Utilities
Commission's alternative transmission rate plan. An AP story, also on June
6th, has an LSA cosine = .63, indicating weak semantic coherence. Appendix
5 includes the release and article.
Discussion and Conclusions
This exploratory project utilizes news releases in a variety of
configurations. It raises a number of possibilities about the possible use
of automated LSA scoring to provide metrics of the impact of news releases
on news articles.
The first research question is positively answered in the explorations.
Exploration 1 provides an initial indication that the LSA metrics can
score release/story relatedness on underlying semantic structure rather
than word matching. The LSA metrics are identical (cosine = .76) showing
semantic coherence, but the articles are written differently. The
expectation would be for both news articles to show up together in a
database search. This is why LSA, originally developed to improve indexing,
provides such good contextual search capabilities. More importantly,
however, it initially demonstrates that although two articles are written
very differently, LSA can provide a reliable metric measurement of
relatedness of the source news release to the target news article.
Exploration 2 helps in probing the lower end LSA scoring of semantic
relatedness with a test of the two Office Depot news articles with a
Cargill news release. The test is of known unrelated news release. With
cosines of .45 and .44 the levels are below anticipated minimum levels of
.60. The .60 cosine is a minimum level indicating relatedness established
by Blackmon, Kitajima & Polson (2003) relating to web pages and hyperlinks.
Future test can determine if the .60 level is an appropriate standard.
Minimally this exploratory test points to the ability of LSA to detect
non-relatedness of news releases to news articles.
The second research question is also positively answered. LSA can provide
a useful relative score, showing the degree of semantic relatedness of a
news release and a news article.
Exploration 3 involves 3M news releases and news articles. From the 3M
topic-related news releases/news articles selected, the range (.67 - .85)
demonstrates a level of discrimination of the scale. Again, while more
research needs to be done to establish the appropriate scale levels, this
exploratory study has semantically related measures in the .60's, .70's and
.80's, tentatively defined as weak, medium and strong relatedness or
coherence respectively.
The five sets of articles matched with 3M news releases about other topics
add additional insight into the minimum cosine level of
relatedness/coherence. The range (.44 - .55) corresponds to previous LSA
research. It is also higher than the earlier exploration of totally
unrelated news release/news articles (.44 and .45).
Examples from Exploration 4 demonstrate a range of LSA cosines from strong
impact (.86), to medium impact (.72) and to weak coherence (.63). It is
clear from the exploratory study that LSA has the ability to differentiate
levels of coherence, although, because of the limitations of an exploratory
study, additional research will be needed to verify and clarify LSA usage,
especially the gradation of cosine levels.
To summarize (Figure 1) a possible automated LSA process for scoring news
releases impact on news articles, step one is to determine the source news
release and the target news article to be scored.
Step two is to perform LSA matrix comparison, document-to- document.
Step three is to interpret the scale of the document-to- document
comparison for news release flow-through. As an exploratory level for
future study, if the cosine is less that 0.60, there is minimal/no
relatedness (release/article coherence). The message from the release is
probably not flowing through the article to the reader. The scale of
release/ article coherence range is from the .60s to the .80s in the
related set explorations.
The integration of LSA can add to our evaluation toolbox and become a new
strategic tool. Future research will expand the applications of latent
semantic analysis in public relations evaluation.
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http://www.burrellesluce.com/ Burrelle's / Luce
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Institute of Technology in Liberal Education
http://www.lsa.colorado.edu/ SALSA Lab, University of Colorado at Boulder
http://lsi.argreenhouse.com/lsi/LSI.html Telcordia
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Appendix 1: Office Depot News Release 12/22/03 and News Articles from Palm
Beach Post 12/23/03 and Waste News 1/5/04 (Test 1; cosines = .76; .76)
Office Depot Announces ''Green Book'' Catalog
Sets Milestone as First Catalog Exclusive to Environmentally Preferable
Products Printed on Elemental Chlorine Free 100% PCW Recycled Paper
DELRAY BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 22, 2003-- Office Depot, Inc.
(NYSE:ODP), one of the world's largest resellers of office products, is
coloring the New Year green with the launch of The Green Book, the
industry's first catalog consisting solely of environmentally preferable
products that is printed on elemental chlorine free, 100 percent
post-consumer waste (PCW) recycled content paper.
The catalog will be available to Office Depot's Business Services Division
contract customers in time for the New Year and will contain more than
1,000 products ranging from paper and filing to storage, dated goods and
machine supplies.
"We are pleased to be the first in our industry to provide an easy-to-use,
streamlined and environmentally responsible vehicle for our customers to
purchase products containing recycled content," said Tyler Elm, Director of
Environmental Affairs for Office Depot. "This is another great advance in
Office Depot's commitment to helping our customers improve their company's
environmental sustainability and helping them make their own office an
'office for the environment'."
Elm noted that "as the industry leader in environmental stewardship, it is
important for Office Depot to communicate the scope of our environmentally
friendly product offerings to our customers in a manner that substantially
conserves natural resources."
According to Elm, compared to catalogs printed on virgin paper, the 100
percent post-consumer recycled content paper used for The Green Book:
is 44% more energy efficient;
resulted in 37% fewer greenhouse gas emissions;
generated half as much solid waste and water effluent; and
required no new trees to be cut down.
Further, because The Green Book is printed on paper made entirely from PCW
recycled fiber manufactured without using elemental chlorine, Office Depot
conserved the following resources:
275 fully grown trees
116,900 gallons of water
193 million BTU's of energy
12,400 pounds of solid waste
24,000 pounds of CO2 greenhouse gasses, and
800 pounds of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) waterborne waste.
To put this into perspective, Elm noted that:
The 275 trees conserved by printing on recycled paper absorb the carbon
released by 475 cars in a year - driven 15,000 miles each.
The water conserved by printing on recycled paper is equal to the amount
consumed each day by 1,800 people.
The energy saved by printing on recycled paper is equivalent to 1,544
gallons of gasoline - or the amount of energy used each day by 2,000 people.
The waste reduced by using recycled paper is equivalent to the trash
discarded each day by nearly 3,000 people.
The green-house gasses not emitted into the air because of the use of
recycled paper are equivalent to permanently taking an SUV off the road.
"The creation of The Green Book is Office Depot's latest reinforcement of
the company's recycling and pollution reduction initiatives, and is an
excellent example of the steps we are taking to promote and develop markets
for environmentally sound products," Elm concluded.
About Office Depot
With annual sales of nearly $13 billion, no one sells more office supplies
to more customers in more countries than Office Depot. Founded in 1986 and
headquartered in Delray Beach, FL, the company conducts business in 22
countries and employs nearly 50,000 people worldwide.
Office Depot is an industry leader in every distribution channel - from
retail stores and contract delivery to catalogs and e-commerce. The company
is the world's number two online retailer - on target to generate $2.5B in
sales for FY'03. In North America, Office Depot has more than 870 retail
stores in addition to a national business-to-business delivery network
supported by 24 delivery centers, more than 60 local sales offices and 13
regional call centers. The company's common stock is traded on the New York
Stock Exchange under the symbol ODP and is included in the S&P 500 Index.
Additional press information can be found at:
http://mediarelations.officedepot.com. CONTACT: Office Depot, Delray
Beach , Brian Levine, 561-438-2895, [log in to unmask] SOURCE: Office
Depot, Inc."Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding Office
Depot, Inc.'s business which are not historical facts are "forward-looking
statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such
risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from
those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in
the Company's Annual Report or Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal
year.
Office Depot launches Green Book
By Palm Beach Post Staff Reports
Tuesday, December 23, 2003
Office Depot Inc. (NYSE: ODP, $16.32) is making another appeal to the
environmentally conscious with the launch of The Green Book, a new catalog
for its business customers.
The catalog, which goes out next week, offers 1,300 environmentally
friendly products and was printed on recycled paper.
Printing the catalog on recycled paper saved 275 trees, 16,900 gallons of
water and 12,400 pounds of solid waste, said Tyler Elm, the company's
director of environmental affairs.
Elm said the Delray Beach-based office supply giant has a built-in customer
base for the environmentally friendly products in government agencies,
universities and school districts that are mandated to buy recycled products.
Office Depot offers 1st green catalog
By Waste News
January 5, 2004
Delray Beach, Fla. - Office Depot Inc., a retailer of office products, is
introducing the industry's first catalog consisting entirely of
environmentally preferable products printed on chlorine-free, 100 percent
post-consumer recycled-content paper.
The catalog, called The Green Book, will contain more than 1,000 products
and will be available to business customers by Jan. 1, according to the
company.
Office Depot operates more than 870 retail stores in addition to a national
business delivery network.
Appendix 2: Cargill News Release for the Two Office Depot News Articles
(Test 2; cosines = .44; .45)
Cargill To Temporarily Shut-down Guntersville, Ala. Soybean Processing Plant
Dec. 19, 2003 Contacts: David Feider, (952) 742-6910
GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. — Effective Monday, Jan. 5, 2004, Cargill will
temporarily shut down processing activity at its Guntersville, Ala. soybean
crushing facility.
Company officials point to the rapid disappearance rate of this year's
drought-reduced soybean crop and the expected market ramifications entering
next spring and summer as key factors in idling its Alabama crush operations.
"It makes no sense for us to produce exportable surpluses in the short
term, only to exacerbate the problem of dwindling domestic supplies we'll
face next spring, so we are taking appropriate action now," said R. Wayne
Teddy, president of Cargill's North American Grain & Oilseed Crushing
business. "We anticipate that supply constraints will impact our soybean
crush activities throughout the coming spring and summer," he said.
"Current conditions of poor margins and carrying charges support these
actions."
Teddy indicated that Guntersville customers would be served by other
Cargill crush plants with no interruption in service.
The Guntersville plant has 39 employees, who will not be laid off but
continue to report to work.
Cargill, Incorporated is an international marketer, processor and
distributor of agricultural, food, financial and industrial products and
services with 98,000 employees in 61 countries. The company provides
distinctive customer solutions in supply chain management, food
applications, and health and nutrition.
Appendix 3: May 21,2003 Bangor Hydro-Electric Company Release (cosine =
.86 with May 22, Bangor Daily News story which follows)
Brascan Power and Bangor Hydro Open New Transmission Line in Maine
Contact for Brascan Power : Jeff Martin (207) 723-4341 ext. 100 Contact for
Bangor Hydro-Electric Company: Rob Bennett (207) 973-2841
MILLINOCKET, Maine, May 21, 2003 Brascan Power Corporation and Bangor
Hydro-Electric Company today announced that a joint project to build a new
transmission line system, interconnected with the New England power grid,
is now complete and operational. The new line stretches 25 miles and
includes two new substations, with a 126-megawatt (MW) capacity. The total
project cost was US$17 million.
This is an important project for the Katahdin area. The expanded
transmission capability has fueled the economy in the area and provided
several jobs during the life of the project. It also provides a more
flexible and reliable source of energy for the region's industrial base and
will enable us to attract new businesses commented Ray Robinson, Chief
Operating Officer of Bangor Hydro.
The construction of this transmission line follows the acquisition by
Brascan Power in January 2002, of six hydroelectric generating facilities
in Maine from Great Northern Paper Company including a 20 MW
interconnection to Bangor Hydro. The expansion of the existing transmission
line to 126 MW was completed by Brascan and Bangor Hydro within 15 months
from the planning stage, which is half the time normally required for a
project of this size and scope.
Brascans business strategy is to own and operate high quality assets in key
North American markets. This project with Bangor Hydro enhances the
companys generating facilities in Maine and strengthens the reliability of
the regional power supply by accommodating 126 MW of power flow to and from
the New England power grid concluded Richard Legault, President and Chief
Operating Officer of Brascan Power.
Brascan Corporation is a North American based real estate, power generation
and asset management company. With US$15 billion of invested capital,
current operations include 55 premier properties and 39 power generating
facilities. Brascan is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the
symbol BNN.A and the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BNN.
Bangor Hydro-Electric Company is a regulated electric transmission and
distribution utility wholly-owned by Emera Inc. BHE serves a population of
192,000 in an area encompassing 5,275 square miles in eastern and east
coastal Maine. BHE is a member of the New England Power Pool and is
interconnected with other New England utilities to the south and with the
New Brunswick Power Corp. to the north. Visit us at www.bhe.com.
About Emera Inc.: Emera Inc. (EMA-TSX) is a diversified energy and services
company, with 550,000 customers and $4.0 billion in assets. The company has
two wholly-owned regulated electric utility subsidiaries, Nova Scotia Power
Inc. and Bangor Hydro-Electric Company. Nova Scotia Power supplies over 95%
of the electric generation, transmission and distribution in Nova Scotia.
In addition, Emera Energy manages Emera's growing gas infrastructure
investment portfolio, including its 12.5% interest in the Maritimes &
Northeast Pipeline, which delivers Sable natural gas to markets in Maritime
Canada and the northeastern United States and an 8.4% interest in the
Sable Offshore Energy Project offshore platforms and sub-sea field
gathering lines. Emera Energy also incorporates Emera Energy Services,
Emera Fuels, and Emera's business development activities. Visit Emera on
the web at www.Emera.com.
Electricity, money to flow along new Brascan power line
Bangor Daily News (Maine)
May 22, 2003 Thursday All Editions,Section: A Pg. 1
Dateline: Millinocket
Electricity generated along the West branch of the Penobscot River can now
flow into the New England power grid, creating a new flow of cash for a
Canadian power conglomerate, it was announced Wednesday.
Work on a 25-mile-long power line and two new substations capable of
transmitting 126 megawatts of electricity is complete and operational,
Toronto-based Brascan and Bangor Hydro Electric Co. announced in a joint
statement.
The $17 million joint project, which took 15 months to complete, enables
Brascan to sell power as a generator in the New England market. Brascan
will reportedly pay Bangor Hydro, which constructed the line, the full cost
of the project.
Brascan's business strategy is to own and operate high quality assets in
key North American markets, said Brascan President and Chief Operating
Officer Richard Legault, in a prepared statement. This project with Bangor
Hydro enhances the company's generating facilities in Maine and strengthens
the reliability of the regional power supply.
Brascan subsidiary Great Lakes Power Inc. purchased six hydroelectric
generating facilities and 11 dams along the West branch of the Penobscot
from Great Northern Paper Co. in January 2002 for $156.5 million. The
purchase included a 20-megawatt interconnection to Bangor Hydro and some
rights-of-way required to increase the line's capacity to 126 megawatts.
The new line runs between a substation in Chester and one in East Millinocket.
Because power flows both ways along the new line, the New England power
grid will provide stable service to Katahdin Paper Co., formerly Great
Northern, and the surrounding area during times when the river's flow is low.
"This is an important project for the Katahdin area", said Bangor Hydro CEO
Ray Robinson in a prepared statement. "The expanded transmission
capability has fueled the economy in the area and provided several jobs
during the life of the project. It also provides a more flexible and
reliable source of energy for the region's industrial base and will enable
us to attract new businesses."
For Brascan and Great Lakes Hydro, the financial benefits of the new line
could amount to at least $15 million a year if it sells all the power
produced at wholesale rates of 4 cents per kilowatt hour.
Brascan is a real estate, power generation and asset management company
with $15 billion of invested capital. It owns 39 power generating
properties in North America. Brascan also owns Katahdin Paper Co., having
recently purchased the paper mills in Millinocket and East Millinocket for
$103 million.
Bangor Hydro Electric Co. is a utility wholly owned by Emera Inc. and
serves a population of 192,000 people in an area encompassing 5,275 square
miles in eastern and east coastal Maine. It is a member of the New England
Power Pool and is also interconnected with New Brunswick Power Corp. in Canada.
Emera is a diversified energy and services company with $4 billion in
assets and 550,000 customers. In addition to Bangor Hydro, Emera also owns
Nova Scotia Power Inc.
LOAD-DATE: May 23, 2003
Appendix 4 March 27, 2002, Bangor Hydro-Electric Company Release (cosine =
.72 with April 1, 2002 article in Electrical Week.
Bangor Hydro Announces First Phase of Company Restructuring
March 27, 2002
For more information contact
Alison Gillan, Manager, Corporate Communications, Emera Tel: (207) 941-6608
cell: (902) 483-1516
Bangor, Maine, March 27, 2002
Bangor Hydro-Electric today announced to employees the first phase of its
planned restructuring. The restructuring is part of the Companys efforts to
develop a long-term strategy, which includes a commitment to provide stable
rates for customers for the next six years.
We are re-focusing the company around its core strengths in the areas of
transmission and distribution and we are committed to maintaining and
improving services for customers, says Carroll Lee, President and COO of
Bangor Hydro. We are working with employees to minimize the restructurings
impact, where possible, by exploring options with other subsidiaries, and
by using early retirement and severance packages.
Key to the restructuring is the formation of two streamlined business
units: T&D Asset Management and Business Services. T&D Asset Management is
focused on all aspects of transmission and distribution planning,
engineering and operations, including construction and maintenance.
Business Services provides all of the support services for the company,
including customer services, financial services, information technology and
human resources.
The restructuring also includes a new focus on Bangor Line Company, a
non-regulated subsidiary of Bangor Hydro. Bangor Line will become a
transmission and distribution services firm available to provide design,
engineering, outside electrical and line work and meter reading for Bangor
Hydro-Electric and other companies. Bangor Line offers a way to provide
flexibility for the regulated Bangor Hydro to adapt quickly to changes in
its business environment and reduces the negative impact of employee job
loss by creating more than fifty jobs.
It is expected that Bangor Line will become an active and successful
business by offering competitively priced T&D services, delivered by highly
skilled professionals, says Mr. Lee. Some employees who currently work for
Bangor Hydro will have an opportunity to bring their skills and expertise
to this company. As part of the restructuring, an Early Retirement Plan was
offered this week. 71of Bangor Hydros 425 employees are eligible to take
advantage of this offer. Further details of the restructuring are still
being developed and will be communicated with employees as plans are
finalized.
In February Bangor Hydro and Emera Executives met with the Maine Public
Utilities Commission to begin discussions toward an Alternate Rate Plan
(ARP) that would see Bangor Hydro freeze its distribution rates for six
years, effective January, 2002. The resulting revenue shortfall of about
$6.4 million annually necessitates a reduction in operating costs of about
20%, requiring this significant restructuring within the Company.
About Bangor Hydro Bangor Hydro (www.bhe.com) is an electric utility wholly
owned by Emera Inc. Bangor Hydro serves a population of 192,000 in an area
encompassing 5,275 square miles in eastern and east coastal Maine. Bangor
Hydro is a member of the New England Power Pool and is interconnected with
other New England utilities to the south and with the New Brunswick Power
Corp. to the north. Visit Bangor Hydro at http://www.bhe.com.
About Emera Inc. Emera Inc. (EMA-TSE) is a diversified energy and services
company, with 550,000 customers and $4.0 billion in assets. The company has
two wholly-owned regulated electric utility subsidiaries, Nova Scotia Power
Inc. and Bangor Hydro-Electric Company. Nova Scotia Power supplies over 95%
of the electric generation, transmission and distribution in Nova Scotia.
Bangor Hydro provides electricity transmission and distribution service to
110,000 customers in eastern Maine. It is a member of the New England Power
Pool, and is interconnected with the other New England utilities to the
south and with New Brunswick Power to the north. In addition, Emera Energy
incorporates Emeras business development activities, and manages its
growing gas infrastructure investment portfolio, including Emera Fuels,
which delivers bunker oil, diesel fuel and light fuel oil throughout the
Maritimes a 12.5% interest in the Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, which
delivers Sable natural gas to markets in Maritime Canada and the
northeastern United States and an 8.4% interest in the Sable Offshore
Energy Project offshore platforms and sub-sea field gathering lines. Visit
Emera on the web at www.Emera.com
BANGOR HYDRO TO CUT STAFF BY 37%, CREATE NEW T&D, BUSINESS SERVICE UNITS
Electric Utility Week (formerly Electrical Week)
April 1, 2002, Section: Management Pg. 11
Bangor Hydro Electric announced a major restructuring plan March 27 under
which it will cut up to 160 jobs, or about 37% of its staff, and divide its
regulated utility operations into a transmission and distribution asset
management unit and a business services unit.
Bangor Hydro -- acquired by Nova Scotia-based Emera last October -- said
the savings from the plan would reduce operating costs by 20%, or about $
6.4-million/year, allowing the company to avoid asking state regulators for
a rate increase and freezing rates for six years.
An unregulated subsidiary called Bangor Line will also be launched to
provide T&D design, engineering and construction services and meter reading
services both to Bangor Hydro and outside customers. It would also be under
contract to provide storm damage repairs.
Bangor Hydro believes the new group will provide more flexibility and allow
the regulated operations to adapt more quickly to changes in the business
environment.
The company said that it has already proposed early retirement packages to
71 of its employees but has not yet receive responses. It will cut another
89 utility jobs, but the new Bangor Line may hire up to 45 unionized
workers dropped by the other units as well as several non-unionized staff.
Bangor Hydro requested a $ 6.4-million, roughly 11%, rate hike from the
Maine Public Utilities Commission late last year, but in February it
withdrew the proposal and promised to draw up a cost cutting plan after the
commission threatened to audit the utility.
The PUC is expected to decide in late April whether to accept the new plan
or go ahead with an audit. The PUC will also have to approve the formation
of Bangor Line and any service contract between the new company and the
utility.
Bangor Hydro officials said they have begun discussions with the PUC and
other state groups about the plan and hope to win approval in April.
Bangor Hydro serves 119,000 retail users over a 5,275 square mile area and
consumer representatives in the state immediately questioned whether the
company could keep up service standards while cutting so many jobs. Company
officials vow to maintain current high service levels under the plan.
In another development, Bangor Hydro president Carrol Llee announced March
21 that he would retire this summer. Lee, a 32-year veteran of Bangor
Hydro, assumed the top job in October, 2001 at the time of the Emera
takeover, replacing Robert Briggs. Lee gave no specific reason for his
decision to leave.
Emera will ask the Bangor Hydro board to name Ray Robinson, currently Emera
vice president for utility integration, to be Bangor Hydro chief operating
officer, effectively replacing Lee. Robinson has been involved in Bangor
Hydro operations since the merger was completed.
Observers in the state speculated that the increased direct intervention by
Emera management in local Bangor Hydro issues -- including the
restructuring and getting state approvals for a controversial new
transmission link to New Brunswick -- may have led to Lee's decision to leave.
Earlier in the year, Emera transferred management of the stalled
transmission line project away from Bangor Hydro managers to Chris
Huskilson, an Emera vice president in who runs its large Nova Scotia Power
subsidiary.
URL: http://www.platts.com
Appendix 5: June 6, 2002, Bangor Hydro-Electric Company Release (cosine =
.63 with AP article June 6, 2002)
Maine Public Utilities Commission Approves Bangor Hydro - Electric's
Alternative Rate Plan
June 06, 2002
For more information contact
LuAnn Williams, Communications Officer, Bangor Hydro-Electric, (207)
941-6651 or Judy Steele, Director, Investor Relations, Emera Inc., (902)
428-6999
Bangor, ME: Bangor Hydro-Electric (BHE) today announced that the Maine
Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has approved an Alternative Rate Plan
(ARP) effective immediately through December 31, 2007.
This Alternative Rate Plan includes scheduled decreases in the Distribution
component of BHE's rate of approximately 12% over the term of the
Plan. Bangor Hydro is committed to providing stable and predictable rates
to its customers and I'm confident that our customers will be very well
served by the implementation of this Plan. says Ray Robinson, Bangor
Hydro's Chief Operating Officer. The first rate reduction will occur on
July 1, 2003.
The Plan also includes provisions to ensure that service quality is
maintained or improved. A renewed focus on the customer through resource
management strategies designed to maintain or improve service levels is a
top priority, notes Robinson.
The ARP negotiation was a collaborative process and we would like to
express our appreciation to all the involved parties for their efforts in
bringing us to this positive final result, states Robinson.
An audio transcript of the PUC deliberations is available on their website
at: http://www.state.me.us/mpuc/audio.htm
About Bangor Hydro-Electric: Bangor Hydro-Electric (BHE) is a regulated
electric transmission and distribution utility wholly-owned by Emera Inc.
BHE serves a population of 192,000 in an area encompassing 5,275 square
miles in eastern and east coastal Maine. BHE is a member of the New England
Power Pool and is interconnected with other New England utilities to the
south and with the New Brunswick Power Corp. to the north. Visit us at
www.bhe.com.
About Emera Inc. Emera Inc. (EMA-TSX) is a diversified energy and services
company, with 550,000 customers and $4.0 billion in assets. The company has
two wholly-owned regulated electric utility subsidiaries, Nova Scotia Power
Inc. and Bangor Hydro-Electric Company. Nova Scotia Power supplies over 95%
of the electric generation, transmission and distribution in Nova Scotia.
In addition, Emera Energy manages Emera's growing gas infrastructure
investment portfolio, including its 12.5% interest in the Maritimes &
Northeast Pipeline, which delivers Sable natural gas to markets in Maritime
Canada and the northeastern United States and an 8.4% interest in the Sable
Offshore Energy Project offshore platforms and sub-sea field gathering
lines. Emera Energy also incorporates Emera Energy Services, Emera Fuels,
and Emera's business development activities. Visit Emera on the web at
www.Emera.com
PUC says approval of Bangor Hydro plan should bring customer savings
The Associated Press State & Local Wire
The materials in the AP file were compiled by The Associated Press. These
materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The
Associated Press.
June 6, 2002, Thursday, BC cycle
SECTION: State and Regional
LENGTH: 404 words
HEADLINE:
DATELINE: AUGUSTA, Maine
BODY:
State regulators signed off on a negotiated deal Thursday that is expected
to produce modest price reductions for Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. customers.
Approving a 5 1/2-year alternative rate plan, the Maine Public Utilities
Commission also canceled a pending management audit of the company.
Sometimes, as here, the threat of regulatory intervention into a
utility's management can be as effective as the intervention itself, said
Commissioner Stephen Diamond.
Commission officials said annual rate changes beginning on July 1, 2003,
applying to the distribution portion of customer bills, could produce a
total reduction of about 12 percent over the term of the plan, which would
run through Dec. 31, 2007.
The plan benefits customers by ensuring price decreases, barring major
unforeseen events outside the control of (Bangor Hydro), for the next
several years, Commission Chairman Thomas Welch said in a statement
announcing the panel's unanimous approval.
The plan also gives the commission the ability to measure the quality of
service provided to Bangor Hydro customers and to impose financial
penalties should service quality prove to be substandard, Welch said.
The plan, which establishes performance standards for service reliability
and customer service, had been brought before the commission in a
stipulation signed by the Maine public advocate's office, Bangor Hydro and
Georgia Pacific and had been endorsed by the commission's staff.
The company's request for a sixth rate hike in as many years prompted
discussions that led to a proposed agreement.
We believe that the threat of the commission audit, combined with the
substantial public outcry against the rate increased proposed by (Bangor
Hydro) last fall, has contributed to achieving a resolution to this case
that is clearly in the public interest, Diamond said Thursday.
The stipulation includes provisions for adjusting rates if return on equity
on the company's distribution investment for any calendar year exceeds 17
percent or falls below 5 percent, commission officials said.
Earnings sharing will not apply to earnings during 2002 and will begin to
be calculated in 2003 for inclusion in the 2004 price change.
Commission officials said the first two basic rate changes are reductions
set at 2.5 percent for 1003 and 2.75 percent for 2004.
Subsequent changes will depend on the level of inflation.
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF
Mission
The Mission of the Miami Beach Police Department is to provide quality
police services to our community by promoting a safe environment through
police and citizen interaction, with an emphasis on integrity, fairness and
professionalism.
The Office of the Chief of Police is responsible for the fulfillment of the
Mission of the Police Department through leadership, direction and
establishing policies, procedures, rules and regulations. Additionally:
• The Chief 's Office administers, supports and coordinates the activities
of the Chief of Police and the Assistant Chiefs of Police.
• The Public Information Office coordinates the Department's media activities.
• The Financial Management Unit develops, implements and administers the
Department's accounting, budgeting, procurement and travel activities. The
Unit, previously named the Budget Unit, was renamed to signify its extended
objectives and responsibilities. The unit is the Financial center for the
Department.
• The Police Athletic League (P.A.L.) manages a wide range of youth
programs for the Department and the City of Miami Beach.
• The Internal Affairs Unit investigates allegations of misconduct and
maintains records of all allegations of misconduct.
• The Fraternal Order of Police (F.O.P.) President coordinates union
business and negotiations.
• Create a Special Projects Division oversees the development of
preparedness and training for anti-terrorism efforts.
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CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
DEPARTMENTAL SUMMARY
Fiscal Year 2002/03
TECHNICAL SERVICES
Mission
The Technical Services Division is comprised of three Units. They are the
Public Safety
Communications Unit, the Professional Standards Unit and the Information
Resources
Unit.
The Public Safety Communications Unit provides uninterrupted, around the
clock public safety services to the citizens and visitors of Miami Beach to
include receiving, classifying and dispatching requests for police, fire
and fire rescue services; ensures command and control communications
capabilities for the Miami Beach Police Department and the City of Miami
Beach government to include disaster emergency operations; responds to the
requests for administrative information and support outside the normal
business hours of the City government; interfaces with national and state
level computerized crime information systems (FCIC/NCIC) to ensure
immediate access to system information to law enforcement agents in the
field; upon request, provides audio tape recordings of all City
communications to the public, law enforcement agencies, the media, as well
as private and governmental legal representatives; and maintains ongoing
electronic monitoring of the environmental status and security of City
properties.
The Professional Standards Unit is responsible for the management of the
Department's Accreditation function, the Planning and Research function,
and Staff Inspections.
The Information Resources Unit (IRU) is responsible for managing the
information resources of the Department including collection, storage,
retrieval, dissemination and reporting. It undertakes these functions
through both manual and automated systems and processes. The unit is also
responsible for researching, procuring, developing and managing
computerized systems, equipment and applications. This unit is divided into
two sections: the Records Section and the Information Systems Management
Section.
Records Section: Receives, stores, maintains, and retrieves all Police
Department records and files; ensures compliance with all state reporting
requirements under the Uniform Crime Reporting system; responds to all
public records requests, both from citizens and other City departments;
oversees the Alarms Office and Validations Office.
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CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
DEPARTMENTAL SUMMARY
Fiscal Year 2 002/03
SUPPORT SERVICES
Mission
The Support Services Division provides varied administrative services to
the other Divisions within the Police Department and the City Government.
The Division is comprised of three units: Personnel, Property & Evidence
and Fiscal Affairs.
The Personnel Unit manages the human resource function of the Police
Department. It is comprised of the Background Section and the Training Section.
The Background Section is responsible for background investigations on
Police Department applicants as well as selected other applicants for other
departments, post-hiring tests, performance appraisals, hiring of all sworn
and non-sworn employees and all aspects of the department's promotional
processes.
The Training Section is responsible for the firearms qualification of all
sworn personnel and the maintenance of the range and related specialized
equipment. All departmental training is coordinated through this section.
This training includes in-service instruction, Miami Beach Police
Department hosted schools, schools conducted by other agencies outside our
city and the Police Academy.
The Property and Evidence Unit (P.E.U.) manages four (4) general areas of
responsibility.
• PEU's primary responsibility is the reception, processing, storage and
final disposition of police evidence such as drugs, guns, cash and jewelry.
Additional items include property kept for safekeeping that is found at the
scene of a 'dead on arrival or DOA, victim. The PEU is also responsible for
securing bio-hazardous material pending analysis or destruction.
• PEU manages the Department's fleet which includes; pool vehicles, take
home vehicles, motorcycles, boats, ATC's, trucks, bicycles, electric cars
and trailers. They are the liaison between the Department and Fleet Management.
C:\temp\Temporary Internet Files\0LK34\POLICE 2003 FINAL SUMMARY FOR
PUBLIC PRINT.doc
PATROL
Mission
The Patrol Division is the largest and most visible component of the Police
Department. The function of the Patrol Division is to provide a safe
environment for City residents, businesses and visitors through a
comprehensive, uniform police response philosophy. The following steps will
be implemented to achieve the Division's philosophy:
• Maintaining public order by:
1. Responding to citizens calls for service in a timely and professional manner
2. Providing directed patrol in areas of responsibility aimed at crime
prevention, increased visibility and traffic enforcement
3. Providing enhanced patrol service through ATV Beats, Marine Patrol,
Bicycle Patrol,
K-9 Unit, S.T.E.P. (Strategic Traffic Enforcement Plan), Neighborhood Resource
Officers, the Crime Prevention/Crime Watch Offices and the Accident
Investigations
Unit.
4. Providing specialized service such as the Special Response Team, the
Crisis Response Team and Hostage Negotiators
5. Addressing 'Quality of Life' related issues through assignments such as
the Homeless Outreach Team, Neighborhood Resource Officers and specific
proactive details
• Developing action plans and establishing guidelines to address special
events, major planned events, critical incidents, hurricane
threats/landfall, holiday details and threats of terrorism.
• Providing ongoing proficiency training through:
1. The Field Training Program
2. In-service off icers skills training
3. Facilitating specialize training provided by outside agencies
4. K-9, Bicycle, Special Response Team and Field Force training
C:\temp\Temporary Internet Files\OLK34\POLICE 2003 FINAL SUMMARY FOR
PUBLIC PRINT.doc
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS
Mission
The Criminal Investigations Division (C.l.D.) functions as the
investigative arm of the
Police Department at the direction of the Chief of Police and Assistant
Chief of Police.
The division is comprised of two units, the Criminal Investigations Unit
(C.l.U.) and the
Strategic Investigations Unit (S.l.U.). Each unit is responsible for
specific, investigative
functions.
The Criminal Investigations Unit is divided into three sections and each
section is responsible for specific types of investigations and/or
responsibilities. The first section in C.I.U. is the Violent Crimes
Section. This group of investigators is responsible for all violent crime
investigations including homicides, robberies, sexual batteries, arsons,
kidnapping, aggravated batteries and domestic violence.
The second section is the Property Crimes Section and is responsible for
the investigation of burglaries to structures, economic crimes, cyber
crimes, thefts, auto crimes, and tracking area pawn-shop transactions. The
Crime Scene Squad, which processes crime scenes and collects evidence, also
reports to this section.
The third section of the C.I.U. is the Juvenile Crimes Section and is
comprised of the
Juvenile Squad, Special Investigations Squad, and School Resource Officers.
This
section also supervises the V.I.S.A. (Visual Identification Systems
Analysis) and Crime
Analysis Units.
The Strategic Investigations Unit is responsible, for the review and
investigation of all narcotics, money laundering, prostitution, vice,
organized crime activity, and investigations related to terrorism. It also
conducts sensitive investigations at the direction of the Chief of Police,
Assistant Chief of Police or the C.I.D. Commander. Additionally, the unit
conducts intelligence gathering activities and works closely with other
agencies on cases of mutual interest. The unit also has a contingent of
detectives detached to various multi-agency task forces in South Florida.
The unit conducts prelicensing screening of nightclub establishments in
conjunction with the City's licensing department. The Strategic
Investigations Unit investigates violations by local establishments of the
Nuisance Abatement Ordinance. The Unit coordinates confiscations of
properties and cash assets derived from the illegal sale of narcotics.
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CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
DEPARTMENTAL SUMMARY
Fiscal Year 2002/03
PEU is responsible for the headquarters building, furniture, equipment and many
various systems such as alarms, intercom, air conditioning, water, etc. A
major component of this responsibility is the upkeep of a public building
which is opened and functioning twenty-four hours daily, throughout the
year. PEU is responsible for hurricane preparation for the station and
storage of hurricane supplies.
PEU is also responsible for inventorying all Police property and is a
liaison with the Property and Maintenance Department.
• PEU is in charge of the Department's quartermaster function. This
includes inventory and issuing uniforms and uniform accessories, shoes,
boots, leather, bulletproof vests, riot helmets, guns, ASP's and badges.
The Business Resource Unit plans, prepares and manages certain aspects of
the Department's fiscal affairs which include paying salaries and overtime.
The Business Resource Unit also assist in the preparation of the
Department's annual overtime budget. This unit is also responsible for
acquiring and managing the policies of all Federal, State, Local, and
Private Grants for the Department. The Business Resource Unit maintains
Secondary Employment Forms as well as all Accreditation Reports (monthly,
quarterly, semi annually, and yearly) for the Division. The Unit is
comprised of the following sections: Payroll, Court Liaison, and Off-Duty.
The Payroll Section is responsible for the monitoring, critiquing,
processing and auditing all data related to the monetary and leave earnings
of each employee assigned to the Police Department as well as distributing
lunch money. This section assures the Department's compliance in the areas
of contractual obligations, city regulations and departmental guidelines.
It also serves as a liaison between the personnel of the Police Department
and other departments (i.e. Human Resources, Finance, Insurance and Risk
Management).
The Court Liaison Section assures attendance by Police Department personnel
at all judicial proceedings arising from the law enforcement efforts of the
Department. This office represents the Police Department to the State
Attorney's Office, Public Defender's Office, Judges, Clerk's Office and any
other organization involved in the Criminal Justice System, as related to
Court appearances and employee conduct, The Court Liaison Section is
responsible for all subpoenas and entering them into a computerized
tracking system, and delivering them to the appropriate police division.
This section provides notification of all assignments and schedule changes
to the Metro-Dade computer system enabling appearances to be coordinated
with each officer's on-duty schedule wherever possible. For appearances
that are off-duty, this office approves the overtime and ensures that
departmental guidelines are being adhered to. The Court Liaison section
provides reports pertaining to failures to appear and sick call-offs" for
court.
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