SR-031108-3BCity Council Meeting: March 11, 2008
Agenda Item:
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Timothy J. Jackman, Chief of Police
Subject: Police Department Staffing Needs Assessment
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that City Council receive this report.
Executive Summary
The Police Department has completed a comprehensive, one-year analysis of
anticipated staffing needs for the next five years beginning with fiscal year 2009/2010.
The needs assessment takes into consideration community priorities, new time-
intensive requirements imposed on local. law enforcement by Federal and State
agencies and staffing of a new community policing program.
The Police Department has determined that over the course of the next five years,
staffing levels will need to increase by 31 sworn officers and 14 civilians in order to
optimally serve the community.
The results of this expansion will serve to better achieve the goals laid out in the City's
five-year strategic plan, specifically related to traffic concerns, youth intervention and
issues associated with homelessness. The recommended staffing increase will enable
the Police Department to improve upon the existing high level of customer service
delivered to the community, while enhancing public safety.
The fiscal impact of the recommended staffing over the next five years is estimated to
be $4.9 million ongoing and $1.5 million one-time, for an estimated total of $6.4 million.
Background
In years past, staffing levels were typically determined by using an officer-to-population
ratio. Using that formula, staffing levels have seen virtually no appreciable increase
over the past five years despite the imposition of new regulations and a sea change in
1
policing methodology. New community policing philosophies, in addition to prioritization
of other key issues. such as traffic, homelessness and youth and gang violence have
driven the need for an increase in staffing. Police Department staffing levels have been
relatively flat for the prior six years. Therefore, the Police Department has developed an
incremental five-year staffing plan.
Discussion
Incremental staffing increases identified as needed to optimally serve the community
are shown in the following table:
2009/2010 2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014
Sworn 13 10 7 1 0
Civilian 5 1 2 2 4
These incremental increases are spread over a five year period in order to
accommodate the fiscal requirements and operational logistics germane to such an
increase. Positions necessary to the Department's optimal effectiveness and efficiency
were identified. Existing vacancies in critical areas must first be filled, such as the Jail,
followed by the additional positions needed to optimally staff the Police Department
along with the support staff that those positions demand.
Once those positions were identified, the best methodology to incrementally increase
staffing was developed. Department priorities, such as fully staffing the new Community
Oriented Policing plan, followed by the community priorities of homelessness, traffic and
youth and gang violence and how they could be best incrementally added to existing
staffing needs, were then taken into consideration.
Consideration was also given to the manner in which to best add additional staff at a
rate that the Department and other City Departments could absorb without requiring
substantial additional resources.
2
• Eight Police Officers have been assigned to the newly implemented
Neighborhood Resource Officer program. These positions are temporarily being
filled by Police Officers pulled from other assignments, thereby creating a ripple
effect of vacant positions across the organization. The newly vacant positions
must be refilled, since the work they were performing is vital to the ongoing
operation of the Department. These positions are presently being filled via
overtime and ultimately must be staffed with permanent Police Officers.
However, filling the Neighborhood Resource Officer positions is a higher priority.
Thus, the use of overtime is sufficient for now.
• Based on a workload analysis, the Police Department has .reassigned staff to the
Uniformed Patrol Division by eliminating and/or downsizing certain units. Despite
the reassignment of Police Officers to the Uniformed Patrol Division, a shortage
of 4 Police Officers and two Police Sergeants remains.
• One of the most significant complaints from the community is the large number of
traffic violations that occur on a daily basis. A direct correlation exists between
the failure to enforce traffic laws and an increase in traffic collisions. Additionally,
3
Sworn
The following chart depicts sworn staffing levels during the last six years, and indicates
needed staffing level increases for the next five years.
traffic congestion detracts from the ability of the current traffic officers to enforce
traffic laws on a full time basis. An analysis of traffic enforcement efforts and
results, as well as a necessary expansion of outreach to the schools and elderly
identified the need for six additional Police Officers and one Police Sergeant.
This will provide the community with a level of traffic enforcement necessary to
effectively improve traffic safety.
• Advancements in technology such as DNA testing now enable law enforcement
to investigate previously unsolvable cases, thus increasing the Investigation
Division's workload. There are presently over 70 unsolved homicides and over
500 unsolved sexual assault cases. This extensive case load will exist in
perpetuity. Also, cases are solved at different rates depending upon their
complexity. Based on the volume of cold case files, it has been determined that
two additional detectives are needed.
• A single detective assigned to handle identity theft cases has an average case
load of approximately 125 cases at any given time. An exponential increase in
reported identity theft crimes necessitates an increase of one additional detective
dedicated to this discipline.
• Gang and youth violence is a community priority. Due to the increasing
sophistication of gang operations and their increased use of technology as a
means of communication, there is a need for improved intelligence and an
increased need to liaison both internally and externally. Gang officers are often
called upon to testify as experts in court proceedings involving gang members.
This expertise requires almost singular focus. The gang officers must also
interact with the schools and other City Departments and their programs, as well
as non-profit organizations dedicated to ending gang violence. The workload of
a gang officer has increased exponentially over the last few years. Newfound
interagency relationships have fostered a collaborative approach to gang
4
enforcement and youth intervention. In order to meet the increased demand and
resulting workload, two additional Police Officers are needed.
• The Police Department presently has. two School Resource Officers providing
services to nearly 11,000 students in 15 schools, including three high schools,
two middle schools and ten elementary schools. Increased sensitivity to potential
threats at our schools and the increasing awareness of the problems of youth
delinquency and vulnerability at the middle school level, necessitate the addition
of two additional Police Officers for the School Resource Officer program.
• The Department's Homeless Liaison Program (HLP) Team has been
exceptionally successful in working with social service agencies and the
homeless through a combination of enforcement and intervention. The HLP
Team has now added an outreach component to their efforts to address
homelessness. The additional time dedicated to outreach demands addition of
two additional Police Officers to continue to maintain the team at an optimum
level. The two additional officers would allow the Department to assist with the
refinement and changes to the current service delivery systems based on
recommendations of the 2006 Urban Institute Evaluation of Homeless Services.
• Based upon the previously described staffing increases, one additional Police
Officer would be needed to conduct the necessary background investigations
and coordinate mandated training.
Civilians
The following chart depicts civilian staffing levels during the last six years, and indicates
needed staffing level increases for the next five years.
5
mitigated by using Police Officers and other staff on an overtime basis. Based
on the amount of consistent overtime and best practices, ten additional jailers are
necessary to properly and safely operate the jail.
• Community Service Officers have proven to be invaluable to the Police
Department by handling non-enforcement related issues, thereby allowing sworn
officers to be available to respond to emergency calls and handle other
enforcement related activity. As the Police Department reassigns non-
enforcement responsibilities to civilian staff that are presently handled by Police
Officers, it is anticipated that two additional Community Service Officers will be
needed. Typical tasks offloaded from a Police Officer to a Community Service
Officer would include staffing the front desk, preliminary investigations of traffic
collisions and preparing a variety of police reports.
• An increase in the number of Police Officers will result in an increased workload
for support staff. With the exception of the Records Section, all support units in
the Police Department are capable of taking on the additional workload created
by the additional Police Officers. Recent advances in technology and
implementation of automated systems has increased the efficiency of the
6
• Despite the nearly 200% increase in jail capacity since the move to the Public
Safety Facility, Jailer staffing levels have remained the same, thereby creating a
safety issue for both inmates and staff. This issue has been temporarily
Records Section. Despite the efficiencies of the automated systems, it is
anticipated that an increase of 31 officers over the course of five years will
require the addition of two Police Records Technicians.
Other Department Impacts
Assuming that the staffing levels are increased as recommended, additional police
vehicles would be necessarily added to the fleet. The Community Maintenance
Department anticipates being able to accommodate this potentially increased workload
without an increase to their staffing levels.
The Human Resources Department anticipates that additional workload created by the
potential staffing increase would be minimal and anticipates being able to accommodate
the work without an increase to their staffing levels.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
There are no budget actions required at this time, as the report is to provide information
on the ideal staffing level for the current workload needs. Staff recommends phasing in
additional positions and related equipment over the next five years through the annual
budget process. The anticipated costs are projected on the attached table. In FY2006-
7
The following chart depicts Police Department staffing levels during the last six years,
and indicates needed staffing level increases for the next five years.
07 the Police Department overspent the Salaries and Wages budget by $1.2 million due
to unbudgeted overtime details. If approved, the staffing plan will provide relief to the
unbudgeted overtime if not completely eliminate it. However, more analysis is required
to determine the impact, and the information will be provided in the annual budget
process when available.
The five-year forecast presented to Council on February 19, 2008 projected a baseline
scenario which results in a deficit of $16.4 million annually by FY 2012-13, without the
addition of any new positions. The proposed staffing plan for the Police department
would increase this deficit by $5.8 million annually by the end of the forecast period. In
addition, there will be estimated one time costs of $1.4 million. In order to implement
this proposed plan, the City would need to either reduce other general fund supported
services or identify additional revenue sources to cover the cost.
The Police Department recognizes the impact that this optimal solution may have on
other Departments and will work with the City Manager and the other Departments to
minimize the impact.
Prepared by:
Eric Uller, Lead Public Safety Systems Analyst
Approved:
Chief of Police
8
Gity Manager
Anticipated Costs:
- - - - -----_..- . _ ,.......,... , v ..,,,.,.,, u r , c nn wunt r i ~ Amount
On oin Costs:
Salaries and Benefits
Sworn Positions 13 $1,685,642 10 $1,434,275 7 $1,072,807 1 $157,038 0 $ - 31 $4,349,762
Civilian Positions 5 $374,367 1 $81,016 2 $174,064 2 $179,018 4 $388,281 14 $1,196,746
E ui ment:
Patrol Vehicle Re lacement $ 67,375 $ 48,125 $ 38,500 $ - $ - $ 154,000
Total On oin Costs: $2,127,384 $1,563,416 $1,285,371 $336,056 $388,281 $5,700,508
One-time Costs:
Patrol Vehicles $ 269,500 $ 192,500 $ 154,000 $ - - $ 616,000
Communication E uipment $ 210,040 $ 153,600 $ 112,880 $ 5,000 - $ 481,520
Uniform and Protective Gear $ 117,000 $ 90,000 $ 54,000 $ 9,000 - $ 270,000
Total One-time Costs: $ 596,540 $ 436,100 $ 320,880 $ 14,000 $ - $1,367,520
Grand Total: $2,723,924 $1,999,516 $1,606,251 $350,056 $388,281 $7,068,028
9