MELBOURNE, Fla. – In the wake of "recent misadventures" within the Melbourne Police Department, City Hall leaders are bringing in an outside consultant to interview officers and produce a report detailing the agency's leadership strengths, weaknesses and cultural norms.

Of particular worry: City leaders believe police employees work in fear of retaliation from higher-ranking officers.

According to News 6 partner Florida Today, Tuesday night, the Melbourne City Council hired Management Partners, Inc. of Cincinnati, Ohio, to conduct the $48,990 police department review. The firm will conduct hour-long one-on-one interviews with workers; organize two-hour focus groups; and conduct an anonymous employee survey. The report is due by the end of July.

Noting the $48,990 price tag, City Manager Mike McNees remarked that he has never devoted such resources into examining one department in his career.

"The value of the outcome is enormously high. The stakes here are enormously high. This is the most important public service you provide, along with the firefighters," McNees told council members.

"This is the most visible, constant, critical public service you provide on a daily basis. And we have to get this right," he said.

The City Council voted 6-1 to hire the consultant. Teresa Lopez voted no, saying she preferred to retrain police commanders instead.

Vice Mayor Dan Porsi said McNees and City Council should support the consultant's recommendations, "even if they end up being severe." Councilwoman Molly Tasker said the review was money well-spent.

“There may have been some internal management problems, people thinking they were doing favors to brothers and sisters in blue. That just needs to squared away. Cleaned up. Done with,” Tasker said.

McNees cited "the recent misadventures" of the Special Investigations Unit, which takes on narcotics, gambling and prostitution cases. ​In January, two SIU detectives were suspended without pay for buying and drinking 12-packs of beer and Jack Daniel's Black Tennessee Whiskey during an undercover prostitution operation.

Then in February, SIU supervisor Sgt. Jeff VanGilder retired effective immediately amid a probe of his activities. The resulting 317-page report — based on testimony from two dozen current and former law enforcement officers — concluded that VanGilder violated 10 departmental policies, such as drinking on the job and sexual harassment.

"There were subordinate members of that unit who knew things and saw things — and said nothing. Their reason was, 'We thought if we spoke up, things would happen to us.' Here's what those things were: They were afraid they would lose the duties that they preferred. Or, they would be given a bad shift," McNees said.

McNees promised council members that police employees who tell the truth will not be harmed. However, Lopez doubted that police officers would accurately report each other's misconduct during interviews.

“There is such a thing as a 'code blue' in the police department. I'm sure you know what that means. And they're going to stick to it. They are going to be afraid of losing their job. And they're going to know — somehow, some way — they're going to be identified," Lopez said.

McNees said the organizational assessment was Police Chief Steve Mimbs' idea. Mimbs did not comment during Tuesday's council discussion.

"The chief is very appreciative of the council supporting this endeavor," Police Cmdr. Daniel Lynch said Wednesday afternoon. "And he and members of the command staff look forward to getting the process started.