I. RECOMMENDATION:
The Chief of Police Request the City change the police department's minimum staffing level from 2 sworn officers on a patrol shift to 3 sworn officers per shift and a supervisor the exception to this policy would be when an officer, is sick, injured, attends training, or goes on vacation.
II. BACKGROUND:
For more than 10 years, the police department's policy regarding "Minimum Staffing Level" for a patrol shift has been set at 2 sworn officers per shift.
III. DISCUSSION:
The police department has worked for years with the current minimum staffing level set by policy at two sworn officers per shift and tries to make every attempt to have a sergeant on duty which could be one of the two officers on duty.
Over the past year violent crimes with in the city has increased mostly due to the states realignment, zero bail and now the release of 1000's of state inmates due to Covid-19.
The department has tried to stay up with the release of all these people with a minimum staffing level of 2 sworn officers on each shift. The police department currently has 16 sworn officers working including the police commander and the chief of police who also respond to calls for service at times and 1 officer out on medical leave.
Because of the current staffing levels, the department has no full time investigators and the department relies on its patrol officers to respond to a call for service, take the initial report, process the scene, write the report and between answering additional calls for service, they try and conduct follow up on the cases to require it.
The Chief of Police request the council make the move for the safety of community and police department personnel and allow the police department to raise the minimum staffing level from two sworn officers per shift to 3 sworn officers and a supervisor per shift for a total of 4 officers on every patrol shift and three officer in investigations.
To accomplish this task the police department would need 20 patrol officers not including the commander or chief. At this staffing level the department can have a supervisor and three officers on every patrol shift excluding an officer calling in sick, on vacation or at training. If this occurs the patrol shift can operate with the three officers and would not have pay overtime to back fill the shift. I would also be able to reopen my investigations division with 2 officers once I am fully staffed and be able to provide the college and school district with an officer next school years as long as the students are back in the class room.
If council agrees to the staffing level I plan on building up the staffing level starting this current fiscal year with one additional officer, and the three additional officers in fiscal year 21/22.
IV. ALTERNATIVES:
The council can decide to keep the minimum staffing level at the current staffing level of 2 sworn officers per shift
V. FISCAL IMPACT:
Approximately $36,000 to the City's General Fund for the current Fiscal Year, which is not budgeted.
In the next Fiscal Year (2021-2022), the three additional Police Officers would be hired and the cost for all four positions would be approximately $410,000.
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