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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1/14/2025 Item 7a, Scott and Amoroso - Staff Agenda CorrespondenceCity of San Luis Obispo, Council Memorandum City of San Luis Obispo Council Agenda Correspondence DATE: January 14, 2025 TO: Mayor and Council FROM: Rick Scott, Chief of Police Prepared By: Brian Amoroso, Deputy Chief of Police VIA: Whitney McDonald, City Manager SUBJECT: ITEM 7A - PRESENT THE 2024 POLICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING STUDY Staff received the following questions, regarding the 2024 Police Department Staffing Study. The questions are below with staff’s response shown in italics: 1) Page 236 mentions a “real-time crime prevention program.” What is this? Can you tell me a bit more about what that means and how it differs from our current practices? A real-time crime prevention program utilizes an analyst to aggregate available data from numerous sources, including call details, call history, video from public cameras, open-source internet searches and drone-as-a-first-responder technology to provide critical information to officers in the field, in “real-time”, as they are responding to in-progress calls for service. This is different from a “Crime Analyst” who looks at historical data, trends, and long-term strategies. 2) The property crime rate is reported to be higher than peer communities (see page 262). Why is this the case? Do we have disaggregated data that gives more specific insight? The annual crime statistics are reported to the Department of Justice each year. These crime statistics (referred to as Part 1 Crimes) are reported by crime in the department’s annual report. The City of San Luis Obispo has typically exceeded the property and violent crime rates in comparison to the state-wide average by population. We believe this higher average is due to the impact of increased daily and seasonal populations in the city, not counted or reflected in our census numbers (mainly college students and tourism). The City of San Luis Obispo has seen large decreases in crime over the past few years (24% overall part 1 crime decrease in 2023 from 2022). Item 7a. 2024 Police Department Staffing Study Page 2 3) One of the recommendations suggests that we should “require more department influence on timing and selection of vehicles, especially non- hybrid vehicles. Can you explain more clearly what is meant by this recommendation? The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant delays in ordering, receiving and upfitting new police vehicles. The staffing study recognized the impacts of these delays on the PD fleet. The Police Department partners with the Fleet Division within Public Works to order and upfit vehicles. Based on the significant delays seen in prior years, the recommendation was made to further communication and planning efforts with Fleet for new vehicles, especially related to potential purchases of alternative patrol vehicles including fully electric vehicles, as the viability of Electric Vehicle’s for patrol officers is still being tested (available charging infrastructure, charge times, mileage estimates and performance characteristics). 4) What is the difference between larceny and robbery? They are tracked differently in the data tables, but seem similar. Larceny is generally referring to any theft (an example is someone stealing items from an unlocked vehicle). A robbery is defined as the taking of property from another person by force or fear (an example is someone taking the purse from another by ripping it off their shoulder). 5) Recommendation 53 on page 342 discusses the creation of a cadet program to help with front desk, records assistance and other duties. What is the department’s view of this recommendation? The Department is very interested in starting a cadet program as a means to introduce new potential employees to the career opportunities available in policing, while providing additional personnel to less sensitive tasks. 6) Can you clarify what is meant by creating a senior officer program that has supervisory training and responsibility and explain how that is different than how our current senior officer role works? The department currently has a defined Senior Police Officer (SPO) program that is codified in the Police Officers Association Memorandum of Understanding with the City. The current program awards a final pay step to those meeting criteria for experience, education and specialty service. The CPSM recommendation was to look at expanding the SPO role, or creating a Corporal rank, to fulfill lower-level supervisory duties and add additional career development opportunities within the department. The department has worked with the POA in the past to evaluate the viability of a Corporal program, but implementation was forecast to be difficult with current staffing levels. Item 7a. 2024 Police Department Staffing Study Page 3 7) Commentary on the duties assigned to CSOs shows up in a couple of sections. How would you describe the way duties are currently assigned to CSOs? Do you feel that the department has a clear vision for how it would like to utilize CSOs? The duties of Community Services Officers (CSOs) have been carefully designed from the ground up to align with a vision of addressing quality-of-life issues and non-emergency calls while fostering strong community partnerships. From the start, we have worked toward this vision, but we have also embraced a philosophy of learning and adapting as we go. When necessary, the department has made thoughtful adjustments to ensure the program remains effective and responsive to the community’s needs and it will continue to adapt. This measured and strategic approach has allowed the program to achieve significant successes while maintaining flexibility. Looking ahead, any changes to deployment of the CSO team will enable the department to explore new ways to utilize this team and broaden its positive impact. By balancing a strong commitment to our vision with the willingness to evolve, we ensure the CSO program continues to meet and exceed its goals, contributing to a safer, more vibrant community. 8) On page 257 there are suggestions about written policies for internal affairs investigations regarding misconduct. How do those differ from our current policies? Current internal affairs investigations processes are outlined at a high level in our policy manual through Lexipol. Much of our investigations processes are known in great detail by employees who work in internal affairs, but not fully detailed in the Lexipol manual. The department has already begun work on creating an internal affairs manual to help employees more fully understand the internal affairs process from start to finish, as well as maintain continuity when investigative personnel change roles. 9) There is a recommendation to procure 4 additional patrol vehicles. Can you remind me of the lifespan of those vehicles? The City Fleet replacement policy stipulates that patrol vehicles should be replaced at 5-years or 100,000 miles. The 4 additional vehicles are recommended additions to the fleet to provide enough vehicles for new employees should additional positions be created. These are projected to be phased in conjunction with any increased staffing.