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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1/23/2024 Item 6a, Scott - Staff Agenda CorrespondenceCity of San Luis Obispo, Council Memorandum City of San Luis Obispo Council Agenda Correspondence DATE: January 23, 2024 TO: Mayor and Council FROM: Rick Scott, Police Chief VIA: Derek Johnson, City Manager SUBJECT: ITEM 6A - POLICE DEPARTMENT 5-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN Staff received the following questions, regarding items contained in the 5-Year Strategic Plan. The questions are below with staff’s response shown in italics: 1. On step 5 of the approval process, there is a note about the plan going back to stakeholder groups for edits and approval by January 31st. Does this step require approval from the stakeholders before implementation? If so, is there a threshold for what percentage of the groups need to sign on to the plan? The final strategic plan was routed to both the PAC and Roundtable groups for review. This has already occurred and there was not a specific vote or approval process, but more of a circling back with these individuals as many of them and the groups they represent provided direct input in the creation of the strategic plan. There were no objections or suggested changes from the members of these groups. The “January 31st” date reflected the anticipated acceptance and file from Council on January 23rd and then the dissemination of the plan by the end of the month, but we were able to get it on the January 23rd agenda. We put the extra step in with PAC and Roundtable to provide an additional level of oversight and inclusion of the work items identified as important by their constituents. 2. Please provide more details about the SWAT/Patrol Medic program with the Fire Dept. Can you provide a few more specifics on what that would look like or other municipalities where this is in place? The SWAT/Medic program used to exist back in the early part of the 2000’s as a way to integrate paramedics, specially trained in TEMS ”Tactical Emergency Medical Services” into the Regional SWAT Team to provide immediate lifesaving support to victims, suspects and SWAT operators during an activation. The program ended due to limited resources and the FD staff was recalled. There has been mutual interest in rebuilding the program with the prior challenges in mind, and this action item on the strategic plan will develop operating procedures that will ensure that all parties are in agreement and understand the benefits and costs of the program and outline a path forward to include training, equipment and deployment procedures. A swat medic program consists of 2-4 (current/existing) Item 6a. Police Department 5-Year Strategic Plan Page 2 paramedics (no additional FTEs) that accompany the team during call-out situations and who are trained to provide immediate life saving measures, in the field, and in advance of the full medic team that would cost precious minutes being cleared and escorted into a hostile situation. Medics could also treat injured non- law enforcement people who may have become injured in a crisis situation. The County SWAT team also utilizes a swat medic program as do many if not most swat teams. These medics gain a thorough understanding and practice of movements, tactics, and objectives to include receiving heavy body armor so they can enter a hot zone to provide immediate field care. Here is the California POST requirements for the program: https://post.ca.gov/tactical-medicine. 3. On page 23 goal 5 there is mention of incentivized or mandatory annual mental health check ins. Is there a model in place already for how this would work? The concept of preventative health, wellness, and peer support is a fast-growing area for Law Enforcement agencies. The City currently contracts with The Counseling Team International (TCTI) to provide 10 (voluntary) free counseling sessions to all Fire and PD employees for use as needed. There are programs at other agencies that provide an annual mental health checkup as a way to offer employees an additional opportunity to talk to a mental health professional, without signing up for a more formal procedure. These can be beneficial to both the employee and the Department as a means to help encourage employees to discuss the stressors of their jobs/life etc. and help resolve small issues before they develop into larger ones. These annual checkups can be mandatory or optional, it would depend on the design of the program and subject to meet and confer with the Officers Association. This action item will seek examples of annual check-ins from other Departments to find a program that has proven to be successful and adapted for use here at SLOPD. Current Agencies who have a program include: Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Oxnard that I am aware of. Santa Maria and the Santa Barbara Sheriffs Office, I’m told, are researching similar programs. The following is an excerpt from the Department of Justice Federal Office of Community Oriented Policing hearings: 4.2.5 Law enforcement agencies should establish policies that mandate an annual mental health check for all sworn law enforcement officers and relevant civilian staff. Similarly, mandatory mental health checks should be required after a critical incident or traumatic incident. This recommendation has been widely discussed within the field of law enforcement; however, it has yet to be implemented across all law enforcement agencies. Law enforcement officers and other criminal justice personnel (e.g., prosecutors, civilian investigators, forensic examiners, dispatchers, evidence collection specialists, and victim witness staff) are regularly exposed to traumatic situations that negatively affect their resiliency. A mental health check is a narrowly defined nondiagnostic meeting that is conducted on agency time Item 6a. Police Department 5-Year Strategic Plan Page 3 with a designated agency wellness representative (i.e., peer support officer) or mental health clinician. This type of mental health check should be used to inform law enforcement officers and other relevant criminal justice professionals about available wellness resources. The mental health check should also educate the officer about signs of and risk factors associated with psychological distress or impairment. An annual mental health check is not a fitness-for-duty evaluation; it should remain mutually exclusive and separate. A person who has conducted the fitness-for-duty evaluation of a specific employee should not conduct annual mental health checks for the agency of that employee. Additionally, there should be clearly defined policies related to what the annual mental health check involves and the responsibilities of those who conduct them. 4. Can you tell me a bit more about the drone as first responder program? I know it was discussed at our last meeting, but I would love a reference to other places it’s being used or some literature on it if it's available. Many departments are beginning to explore and institute Drone as a First Responder (DFR) programs. Chula Vista PD, California, is among the top examples of a very successful program that others are modeling nationally, which went live way back in 2018. This program which is supported by the FAA is invaluable in providing first responders with immediate life/safety information about situations they are about to enter. Having critical information early, improves decision making, allocation of proper resources, and promotes de-escalation options regarding the level and necessity of engaging in a critical incident, even reducing code 3 (lights & siren) responses. The program would also fly on serious fire situations such as wildland fires or structure fires, where fire professionals could gain information within minutes to begin sizing up the emergency, well before the first unit physically arrives on the scene. This will help better determine what equipment is needed and exactly where it is required. https://www.chulavistaca.gov/departments/police-department/programs/uas- drone-program. Here is an overview article from the National League of Cities: https://www.nlc.org/article/2023/08/21/reimagining-emergency-response- drone-as-first-responder/. Other cities include Fremont, Santa Monica, Clovis. https://www.fremont.gov/government/citywide-initiatives/public-safety- initiatives/drone-as-first-responders-dfr. Grover Beach is in the process of researching and developing a similar program. Item 6a. Police Department 5-Year Strategic Plan Page 4 5. What outreach occurred with the LGBTQ+ community? Extensive community outreach was conducted as part of the strategic planning process. Specific outreach with the LGBTQ+ community included members of the GALA Pride and Diversity Center, Tranz Central Coast and the Pride Faculty Staff Association of Cal Poly. 6. What EAP or peer support do we give today? The City of San Luis Obispo offers all employees EAP resources, coordinated through the Human Resources Department. Aetna Resources For Living is an employer sponsored program, available at no cost the employee and all members of their household. That includes dependent children up to age 26, whether or not they live at home. Services are confidential and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In addition to the City EAP program, Police and Fire employees receive additional wellness benefits through TCTI that were previously described in question 3. The Police Department has also created a Peer Support Program that is comprised of Department employees who are trained to provide direct support to employees through outreach newsletters, and personal contact during times of need such as in response to critical incidents at work, struggles in personal life, etc. The Peer Support Program has been a continuous evolution since its inception in 2020 and has proven extremely valuable as an in-house resource for our employees. 7. Clarify when we offer incentives for new hires and officers in particular. Hiring incentives have been authorized as part of a City Manager approved Emergency Staffing Plan, that provides monetary bonus incentives for lateral Police Officers and Dispatchers to attract experienced employees to join the San Luis Obispo Police Department. New hires are not eligible to receive the monetary bonus incentives but may receive other incentives including relocation reimbursement and accelerated vacation accrual depending on their prior experience.