HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/05/1995, 3A - POLICE DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT REVIEW MEETING DATE:
7/5/95 /�
,11111111�Ip 111 city of San .AIS OBISPO ITEM NUMBER: .r7
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
FROM: James M. Gardiner, Chief of Police'
SUBJECT: Police Department Management Review
CAO RECOACM[ENDATION
Review P.O.S.T. management study of the Police Department, and approve implementation of study as modified
by the recommendation of staff.
DISCUSSION
Background
As part of the 1993-95 Financial Plan, a management review of the Police Department was conducted by the
Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST). The scope of this report was determined by the
Chief of Police with approval from the City Administrative Officer. Secondarily, as part of the review of the
City's fee levels, David M. Griffith and Associates (DMG) also conducted a management review of the
Department. Although less intensive, it covers many of the same key areas as the POST report.
On March 10, 1995 the POST report and recommendations were presented to the Chief of Police. They were
evaluated by management staff. Additionally, the report was given to the three employee associations which
represent employees who had an interest or would be impacted by the recommendations. Each of them provided
written responses and suggestions. The Association reports were carefully considered in developing the final
recommendations.
Overview
On June 13th the Chief presented his recommendations on the POST study to the CAO. The Chief concurred
(with some caveats) with 13 of the 15 recommendations. Additionally, he made one other recommendation based
on the study which calls for Council action. After reviewing these recommendations, the CAO concurred with all
recommendations.
The Chiefs report is attached along with the reports from involved Associations and individuals. Each of the
recommendations will be discussed more fully in the staff presentation at the Council meeting.
CONCURRENCES
The Personnel Director has reviewed the recommended personnel policy and concurs.
FISCAL 1MPACT
None of the recommendations are expected to have a significant fiscal impact on the 1995-97 Financial Plan.
Changes which may call for any increased funding during this period would be brought back to Council in the
normal budget review process.
ATTACHAIENTS
1. Chief of Police Report with attachments.
2. POST Report (Available for review in City Clerk's Office)
3. DMG Report (excerpts regarding Police Department)
* The report was provided to Council members on June 21, 1995. A ��
MEMORANDUM
TO: John Dunn, City Administrative Officer.
FROM: James M. Gardiner, Chief of Policee
DATE: June 26, 1995
SUBJECT: Police Department Management Studies
Over the past year, the Police Department has been involved in two separate management
studies. The most extensive review has been the management study conducted by the
Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). The second study was
completed by David M. Griffith and Associates (DMG) as part of their comprehensive review
of the City's fee levels. Both studies made observations about the current workloads and
organization of the Department. Additionally, the POST report includes 15 specific
recommendations for organizational efficiencies or economies.
The purpose of this report will be to (1) discuss these findings in general, (2) evaluate the
POST recommendations in light of feedback from Department personnel and employee
Associations, and (3) to provide specific recommendations for change in Departmental
operations, procedures, or other City policies.
Study Scope & Methodolopry
POST Study
The POST study areas were defined after discussion with the City Administrative Officer and
the Chief of Police. The areas of study focused on Organization Design, Workload
Distribution, Staffing and Personnel Scheduling in Patrol, Community Expectations,
Performance Measures for Patrol Personnel, and Use of Technology. Because of available
time and resource constraints, the report necessarily precluded an in-depth look at every job
or task of the organization.
The methodology for the study included interviews with the Chief, command officers,
independent unit supervisors, and line personnel as appropriate. Additionally, a patrol
workload analysis using a computer-generated database was conducted. This included an
evaluation of the capabilities of the current computer-aided-dispatch system. Finally, the
study reviewed the Department's 1988 public opinion survey on departmental performance.
Police Department Management Studies Page.2
DMG Study
As the DMG study was an adjunct to the more comprehensive fee report, it took a more
broad overview of the organization. It covered areas of organizational staffing, key service
areas, and overall service levels.
The methodology for this report included interviews with management staff, review of
budgetary and organizational materials, and evaluation of a self-diagnostic study completed by
departmental personnel.
General Fndines
Organizational Design
Both reports observed that the two bureau structure of the Department "is consistent with
principles of law enforcement organization and is comparable to other departments of the size
of San Luis Obispo ..." (POST). Stated somewhat differently, the DMG report noted that the
Chief and two Captains represents a "small top management team".
Scheduling
Both reports recommend staying with the 3/12 patrol schedule. The POST report offers a
specific recommendation to increase available time.
Available Patrol Time
DMG made the strongest observation when they evaluated an over-all available time of 30%
as "considered in the industry to be the minimum necessary to have any proactive capability
at all." They went on state, "This level must impact response times and the Dept's. ability to
implement any community policing program."
Although less specific on defining impact, the POST findings note the Department was below
the minimum 33% available time nearly 30% of the study period. The POST report states,
"When this occurs, the ability of the patrol force to respond expeditiously to calls for service
may be reduced, the response time may be increased, and the time available for directed
patrol and officer-initiated activity may be decreased."
Association Input
As was encouraged throughout this process, I asked the involved Associations to provide me
with feed back on the POST study. When the DMG report came in, I gave them a copy of
their organizational evaluation as well.
�A-3
Police Department Management Studies Page 3
The three Associations provided differing levels of feed back. The Staff Officers' Association
chose to respond specifically to those areas which were meet and confer issues. They
indicated that they felt is was more appropriate to discuss the other recommendations through
our normal management review process. The involved Middle Managers evaluated the
recommendations involving their positions as well as two recommendations which involved
structure and process. The Police Officers' Association decided to respond to each of the
recommendations. In order to provide more line level staffing, they also chose to offer
alternative organizational structures and staffing. Their respective reports are attached as
addenda to this report
Since each of these reports offers views from their Association's perspective, I have
considered each carefully. I have also had fallow-up discussions to clarify some of these
recommendations. While I will not deal with each of their recommendations directly, I will
reference those which are applicable in my observations and recommendations.
POST Recommendations
As the primary report driving this management review, I will first respond to the
recommendations of the POST report. As indicated previously, I will reference both the
Association reports and the DMG study as appropriate.
1. Assign all component units of the Investigative Division to the Administrative Services
Bureau.
The current structure of the Department was established in 1985. It was designed to
more clearly identify the roles and responsibilities of management personnel. Since
that time, the Department has experienced growth almost entirely on the Operations
side of the organization. While both sides of the organization have seen workload
increases, the report notes that we have become "unbalanced" in the overall workload
of the two Captains.
While there are both positive and negatives which could arise from this change, I
believe that it could increase communication and better balance the workload between
the two Captains. In checking with another agency which operates under this model,
they stated that it has not hindered the working relationships between Patrol and
Investigations.
I concur with the recommendation regarding the reassignment of the Investigative
Division and will implement at the beginning of the coming fiscal year.
Police Department Management Studies Page 4
2. Unless the Department can augment the patrol force (by filling vacant police officer
positions), reassign the three traffic officer positions (with their motorcycles, if
desired) to patml shifts.
The POST report acknowledges the importance of the Traffic Unit to meeting the
needs of the City's service population along with community programs and events.
They also pointed out, however, that when the Department is at critical staffing levels,
the maintenance of a separate Traffic Unit cannot be justified when basic calls for
service cannot be handled in a timely manner.
At the time of the POST study in 1993, the POST recommendation was, in fact, the
configuration of the Patrol scheduling. Due to the budget freeze, staffing cutbacks,
and disability injuries, the remaining two Traffic Officers had been included with
Patrol staffing. This demonstrated that, based on extremely dire staffing
considerations, we would chose to follow the POST recommendation.
The fallout of this staffing recommendation was also seen. During this time we saw
an increase in accidents, extremely low citation rates, and significant degradation in
traffic education and special event coordination.
I concur with the recommendation that when staffing levels are at critical levels
jeopardizing basic life-safety responses. Traffic Unit personnel will be used to augment
the Patrol function.
3. If the Department must permanently reassign the traffic officers to Patrol Division
(because it is unable to rill vacant police officer positions), eliminate the Traffic Safety
Unit peace officer supervisor position.
As noted in recommendation #2, POST identified the current responsibilities for the
Traffic Sergeant with the full deployment of the Traffic Unit. It was a logical
conclusion that if the Traffic Unit was eliminated, there would be no need for a Traffic
Sergeant. Again, as noted above, that was the case when POST evaluated the
Department.
The Traffic Supervisor position had been eliminated as part of the budget cuts during
the POST evaluation period. There were immediate and demonstrable impacts of these
collective changes. Of particular concern and problems were the loss of
communication and coordination of special events and the traffic education programs.
While we had tried to "parcel out" these assignments to Watch Commanders, the
constant pull of daily duties and shift work responsibilities frequently caused problems.
Police Department Management Studies Page.5
In the ten years since the reorganization which established the Traffic Supervisor
position, traffic related demands for service have continued to escalate. Beyond the
increases in traffic and accidents, the City has become increasingly concerned with
traffic flow (particularly in neighborhoods and collector streets). . This has been
mirrored by an equally strong request for enforcement and education for bicycles and
pedestrians. Finally, we have seen an even stronger increase in the demands for
special events which impact police services.
It is clear that I feel the Traffic Unit is essential to meeting the service needs of the
community. Similarly, the Traffic Sergeant is becoming increasingly valuable in
ensuring that community expectations and needs are translated into effective responses
by our Department.
I concur with the recommendation only if and when staffing is cut to force elimination
of the Traffic Unit This would also mean an elimination of the Department's ability
to consistently participate in special event planning and traffic education programs.
4. Assign the property function as a subordinate unit of the Records Division.
This recommendation comes from the strong desire to better define job tasks and
evidence/property responsibilities. This recommendation highlights an area of the
organization which has been highly impacted by the Department's increasing calls for
service. It is one of the line task areas which, because of the primary focus of the
study, could not be fully evaluated in the time frame of the study.
With two experts from the Police Officers Association on the evaluation team, the
Police Officers Association's report provides substantial support for the establishment
of a separate, new position of Property Clerk which should logically fall under the
Administrative Division. While a full workload analysis should be completed, based
on Departmental observations and POST's recommendations it is time to strongly
consider this position.
I concur with the recommendation in concept A Self-Directed-Work-Team will be
established to evaluate the necessity for the position establish appropriate Job duties.
and determine fiscal impacts for immplementation and to develoo alternate means of
meeting this objective. It is not anticipated that a new position would be
recommended during this two year budget cycle.
5. Combine both the Records and Communications Components into one division (the
Records and Communications Division) and assign one person to manage the
combined division, but only if the number of reports transcribed is significantly
reduced or eliminated.
Police Department Management Studies Page 6
This recommendation comes with a major qualifier - the removal of a significant
workload. As such, it is linked to recommendation #15. Even without the qualifier,
both the Middle-managers and the Police Officers Association feel that it would be an
unworkable span of control. While not specifically addressed by the Staff Association,
verbal discussions with the management group mirror the same concern.
At the present time the workload of both positions requires full time staffing. Indeed,
current staffing requires both supervisors to fill in for personnel when they are sick, on
vacation, or when a vacancy exists. This has been a particular problem in
Communications. Due to attrition, maternity leaves, and illness, we have not had full
staffing in the Communications unit for nearly three years. Therefore, even if the
number of reports can be reduced or eliminated, I am very dubious about this
recommendation.
I do not concur with this recommendation until and unless a demonstrated workload
reduction and adeauate staffing can be assured.
6. Continue to assign Captains as Bureau Commanders.
Both the POST and DMG studies support this recommendation. One model in the
Police Officers Associations evaluation suggested a model which only had one
Captain. This was how the organization was structured over a decade ago. I spent
quite a while trying to understand the facts and reasoning regarding overall workload
which supported their elimination of one Captain position. There were no facts
countering either the POST or DMG workload and organizational observations for the
two Bureau structure.
I concur with this recommendation.
7. Continue to assign four Lieutenants to Patml Division.
I believe the POST report strongly emphasizes the need for Lieutenant Patrol Watch
Commanders. The report cites the need for "management control and command
presence on all shifts". In addition to the management role, the report also notes the
additional administrative tasks which have been assigned to Lieutenants.
The Police Officers Association evaluation suggested a two Lieutenant model. This is
discussed in recommendation number 9.
I concur with this recommendation.
11
Police Department Management Studies Page 7
8. Continue to assign a lieutenant to Investigations Division.
Both studies and all reports and responses from the Associations support this
recommendation.
I concur with this recommendation.
9. Continue to assign four Sergeants to Patrol Division.
Both the POST and DMG reports support this structure. It is also supported by the
Staff Association.
The Police Officers Association's alternate model of two Lieutenants and six Sergeants
in the Patrol Division is an interesting concept. While it broadens the Lieutenant to
Sergeant ratio, it also acknowledges that there would be a lack of shift continuity for
the Watch Commanders and would, most likely, require the newly created Master
Officer III's to pick up some supervisory responsibility. In effect, their model would
add another level of supervision based on experience alone and without going through
the Department's normal intensive promotional process. It was acknowledged by the
Police Officers Association representatives that there were a number of considerations
which would have to be addressed to make their model viable.
I concur with the POST recommendation.
10. Eliminate the Training Sergeant position and replace the position with a non-peace
officer Training Coordinator. Note: this recommendation should be implemented by
attrition.
The basis for this recommendation is that a non-sworn Training Manager could
perform the Training Supervisor's tasks for less money. The arguments on both sides
of the issue can be persuasive. The final decision, therefore, rests on whether our
agency should move away from this model.
Both the Staff and Police Officer Associations addressed this issue. Staff pointed out
positive attributes that a sworn supervisor brings to the position, that it is the model
used by the majority of law enforcement agencies in the state, and that it is as an
important developmental position in the organization. The Police Officers Association
kept a sworn position but folded these responsibilities into their newly created
Administrative Lieutenant position.
Having been a Training Sergeant for a number of years, I look at the position as a
vital component of Departmental operations and administration. In each of these
aspects, the value of sworn experience cannot be understated. Well trained personnel
Police Department Management Studies Page 8
not only translates into better service to the community, but it is also the major
defense to the inevitable criticisms and lawsuits which are generated out of our work.
A thorough understanding of law enforcement practices and procedures is fundamental.
The other important aspect of the position is the important developmental opportunity
it represents in our organization. It is the only non-field assignment available for the
Sergeants. It brings them into contact with a new body of knowledge involving their
profession. Even more importantly the position requires interaction with other City
departments, community professionals, and a wide variety of people and organizations
who interact with the Department in a wide variety of areas. It has been very evident
that each supervisor who has gone into the position has come out of it with increased
understanding of the not only their profession, but also how the Department fits into
the City team of service providers.
One factor not noted in any of the reports is the maintenance of a fresh perspective in
the position. The current position is rotated every two years. On each occasion the
new incumbent has brought new ideas and areas of interest which have enhanced all
aspects of the job. If the position were "locked down", even with someone with a law
enforcement background, we would lose the opportunity for the healthy infusion of a
new perspective on a regular basis.
Based on the preceding, it is clear that I believe that the Training Sergeant is
particularly valuable as a sworn supervisory position. While there are some economies
which can be obtained by making it a non-sworn position, I believe the retention of
the present system provides the Department, the community, and the individual a
greater benefit in the long term.
I_do not concur with the recommendation and would retain the Training Sergeant as a
sworn supervisory position with the current two-year rotational cycle.
11. Change the Support Services Manager position to a non-supervisory classification
(such as `Support Services Technician') and modify the position description to reflect
the jobs present job responsibilities. Note: this recommendation should be
implemented by attrition
The POST report correctly identifies the changes which have occurred over the years
with the Support Services Manager position. It is the same observation which was
made by the Peat Marwick study for the City's MIS Masterplan.
The evolution of this position has reflected the growth of the Department and the
changes in technology. When the position was established in the late 1970% the
primary responsibilities were to manage the non-sworn units, budget, and the facility.
As the Department stepped into the computer age and the organizational structure
i
Police Department Management Studies Page 9
changed to meet needs for certain information, the position began to spend more and
more time on computer issues.
Several years ago, a "temporary" restructuring was made to give the position the time
necessary to deal with the computer system. The major work units, Records and
Communications, were shifted to report directly to the Administrative Captain.
Additionally, some of the Manager's specific work tasks were taken over by other
individuals. The Manager retained much of the budget, facility, and fleet
administration responsibilities. While there were other difficulties which caused strain
on this organizational structure (most importantly the personnel losses in the
Communications Unit), the reporting structure worked.
The Department is now on the verge of doing a major revision of our computer
hardware and software systems. This is planned to be a two year process for
acquisition and implementation. It is anticipated that the "new" system will bring a
different set of support and programming needs. Since the system has not yet been
selected, it is too soon to have a full idea of what will be required. Therefore, until
this is determined, we need to have the knowledge, capabilities, and commitment of
our current staffing to support the existing system and organizational needs.
We do not yet know the workload impacts of shifting responsibility for the
Investigative Division to the Administrative Captain. If they are not significant, then
the reclassification of the Support Services Manager to a Technician position is
appropriate. This must, however, be evaluated in conjunction with the new computer
system.and other organizational needs. The Support Services Manager has reviewed
this recommendation and has included his observations concerning the additional
workload which would have to be absorbed by the organization. If the change is
made, strong consideration must be given to the knowledge, expertise, and talents of
the incumbent.
With the above listed caveats I concur with the recommendation.
12. Continue the 12-Plan schedule, but adopt the alternative schedule presented in the
report It is particularly important that patrol lieutenants and sergeants be assigned to
this schedule, to maximize supervision and command.
The POST report does an excellent job of identifying Department workload and the
impacts of various scheduling systems. As this report notes, even at full staffing there
are significant blocks of time in which Departmental resources are stretched beyond
our 33% minimum available time goal. This was also confirmed in the DMG study
which noted that the overall available time is at "... the minimum necessary to have
any practical proactive capability at all".
Police Department Management Studies Page 10
Both POST and DMG recommend the 3/12 schedule. The POST report goes on to
recommend an option which would go to a more "team" approach with additional shift
hours to help cover peak activity periods. While this is one option, it would be more
expensive and we would lose some of our current flexibility in scheduling.
While both the Police Officers Association and Staff associations concur staying with
the 3/12 for patrol purposes, they were not in favor of the POST suggested approach.
After review by both Associations and evaluation using the POST data by Department
_management, we believe that the use of a "cover" shift could be a viable alternative
which would retain the benefits of the basic 3/12 while providing the additional
coverage during peak hours. Several models have been formulated and have been
favorably received by line and staff.
I concur with the recommendation to retain the 3/12 patrol schedule. Instead of the
proposed POST alteration. I recommend that we develop a "cover" shift using existing
personnel to provide better coverage during peak activity hours.
13. Use priority designations when dispatching calls for service, in order to provide a
means for calculating queue, travel, and response time averages for emergency and
non-emergency calls.
The POST report pointed out that designators should be identified to differentiate
between "priority" and "non-priority" calls. This would better allow the Department to
track responsiveness to emergency calls as well as evaluate who does or does not
respond to various calls.
I concur with the recommendation and it has already been 'implemented.
14. Assign dispatch priorities for in-progress and report-only incidents in the Computer
Aided Dispatch system database, and use the call priorities when dispatching calls for
service.
As noted in recommendation #13, this recommendation called for changes in the
computer programming to put the above designators into the Computer Aided Dispatch
system.
I concur with the recommendation and it has already been implemented.
15. Discontinue the cassette tape-recording system; institute the "One-Write"system of
handwritten reports, including field review by the reporting officer's supervisor, and
discontinue typing of police reports (except in unusual circumstances — for example,
lengthy homicide reports).
Police Department Management Studies Page 11
This recommendation is one of the most provocative in that it is seen as a step
backwards by most of the organization. In fact the Department went away from
handwritten reports to the dictation process over twenty years ago. At that time it was
seen as a faster system with a neater and more professional appearance. Except for
technology changes in the equipment used, the process has remained essentially the
same.
The problems inherent in the current system generally center around the delay in
transcribing and supervisory review. These are of particular concern when, during
peak periods or records personnel shortages, the "turn-around time" for a "routine"
report has been as high as three weeks. It is also a problem in that the person who
supervises the employee is often not the person who reviews the report.
Both the Mid-managers and the Police Officers Association evaluations focus on the
inherent problems they see in going back to handwritten reports. While we may save
some time in turn-around and supervisory review, we may take more time away from
field services. Both evaluations acknowledge the need to make some changes in our
current system but believe that all factors need to be fully evaluated. They also
suggest that a Self-Directed-Work-Team be established to fully look at the report
writing system. I concur.
One aspect which was not mentioned but which should be considered is the use of lap-
top or other computer technology. Many police departments, including this one, are
utilizing lap-tops for some report writing tasks. At least one major agency, the
Fremont Police Department, has made a complete changeover to lap-tops for report
writing. They have modified their patrol vehicles and have restructured their report
approval process. I believe that this is another option which should be explored,
particularly as we look ahead to new a Computer Aided Dispatch system and Records
Management System.
I concur that the report writing system needs to be improved to be more timely for
organizational and community needs. I recommend that a Self-Directed-Work-Team
be established to evaluate the reRoort writing system and provide recommendations for
appropriate modifications. The Team will be established in July and should be ready
to make recommendations no later than December.
Additional Recommendation
The two management studies and the evaluations by the three Associations have been
extremely valuable in providing insights into our organizational structure, service workloads,
and operational procedures. While I have addressed the specific POST recommendations,
discussions surrounding the studies and evaluations have identified the need to make the
following additional recommendation.
Police Department Management Studies Page 12
1. A Council policy should be established to allow, upon CAO approval, overstaff hiring
of public safety personnel when an employee filling a regular authorized position has
been disabled and will not be returning pending an industrial disability retirement
Over the past several years, the Department has been faced with situations in which
line personnel have received injuries which ultimately required disability retirement.
In almost every case the employee was off work for six months to a year while they
utilized their sick time and disability benefits.
This situation was exacerbated by the hiring freezes and budget cuts in FY 1992-93
and 1993-94. For the majority of both years the Department was critically short of
personnel available to provide basic public safety responses. It is the primary reason
that the Traffic Unit was virtually eliminated in late 1993. During these years there
were four officers who were on disability leaves at various times. This is one of the
reasons the POST survey showed such low available time even though we were using
overtime to fill minimum staffing levels.
This situation has continued into 1994-95. In early 1994 another officer was injured
in an on-duty motorcycle accident. Even after it was determined that he would be
retired, it took another six-months before he was 'off the books" in April 1995. This
meant another vacancy at the street level for a full year.
Even at current full staffing and with efficient scheduling, I believe both POST and
DMG point out that the Department is operating at the low edge of acceptable
response capabilities. This makes it even more critical to fill vacancies as soon as
they are identified. The delays caused by waiting until a disabled employee is "off the
books" creates a critical strain on the organization and a lower service level to the
community. While a change in this policy could cause some increased personnel
costs, with CAO review, each situation could be evaluated in light of the events and
needs at that time.
I believe that this policy change is a necessary and a reasonable approach in these
times of limited resources. The recommended policy has been reviewed by the
Personnel Director and she concurs.
Conclusion
As with most "outside" views of an organization, the POST and DMG studies have given us
the opportunity to evaluate some of the key aspects of our structure and procedures. For the
most part, the studies have supported our self image as'a "lean" organization which is
operating at maximum potential for available resources. The evaluations by the various
Associations were helpful in looking at the organization from our own internal perspectives.
While these evaluations both corroborated and contrasted with each other, collectively they
Police Department Management Studies Page 13
provided important information in formulating my final recommendations. Ultimately, of
the suggested recommendations in the POST report, I have concurred (with some caveats)
with 13 of the 15. We have also identified opportunities to take a more in-depth look at two
areas with our Self-Directed-Work-Teams.
For the future, both reports underscore that the Department's resources are stretched to meet
current needs and will be challenged to meet future demands without dropping service levels.
The DMG report also points out, and the Department concurs, that there are serious concerns
about the ability to maintain an effective Crime Prevention and Crime Analysis programs
without appropriate staff. While I do not believe that the 1995-97 Financial Plan can support
additional positions for these areas, we will be further evaluating our organization and
available resources to make specific proposals for the 1997-99 plan. Naturally, if we can find
a way to do this sooner, we will.
Finally, I look forward to discussing these studies and the organization in more depth at the
upcoming study session with the City Council. While the studies supply excellent
information, I believe they will be even more relevant in the context of past, current, and
future service demands.
ATTACl3MENTS:
SLOPSOA report
SLOPOA report
Mid-management report
Tom Stewart's report
TO: Chief Gardiner
FROM: Jim English, SLOPSOA President
DATE: April 23, 1995
SUBJECT: POST Report
Our association has discussed the POST report. We believe that
there were several items that we, as an association, should
address . Those items are as follows;
1. Training Sergeant's position
Clearly an organization of our size needs a full time person
assigned to training. As we have found out in several recent
lawsuits, providing good training and maintaining appropriate
records is crucial. It is true that in a few law enforcement
agencies, there are civilian training managers. In most,
however, the training manager is sworn and usually is a
sergeant. For example, the overwhelming majority of the
members of the California Association of Police Training
Officers are sergeants. Because of his extensive experience
as a sworn officer, a sergeant has an insight into training
needs that could never be present with a civilian employee.
Our association also sees this as an excellent developmental
position. The training sergeant performs planning and
administrative duties that he otherwise would not be exposed
to.
t
We believe that we should continue to rotate sergeants through
this assignment.
2. Implementation of 3-12 shift with ^teams^ .
We believe that the present 3-12 plan provides us with
excellent flexibility that allows us to assign officers to
paybacks (shift load) based on need. For the staff, the
current plan allows for payback time to be used to complete
assignments not related to our shifts . We see the "team"
concept recommended by the POST consultant as being
unnecessarily restrictive with little to be gained by it.
We recommend no changes in the present 3-12 system.
3. Traffic sergeant's position.
Even though the recommendation of eliminating the traffic unit
(and the traffic sergeant) does not apply under our current
economic climate, we feel that we need to address it since the
potential is there for a lost sergeant's position.
We believe that the there will be more and more demands on our
I
organization in traffic-related areas as our community grows.
Therefore, we feel that we should continue to maintain a
traffic unit with a full time sergeant assigned to it. We see
this as necessary for several reasons.
First, coordination of the traffic officers' response to
traffic problems is crucial in order to have an effective
traffic team.
Second, many of the duties of the traffic sergeant are
administrative. These include special event management,
liaison with organizations who's activities impact traffic,
accident review, tow policy management, etc. In order to
ensure consistency in these areas, it is important that these
duties remain the responsibility of one manager in the
organization. They should not be divided out as "side"
responsibilities of a variety of managers, which would occur
if the traffic sergeant's position was eliminated.
Finally, we also see this as an important developmental
position. In this assignment, a sergeant learns a specialized
area of law enforcement and has increased opportunity to work
with community groups and outside agencies.
This experience is invaluable in improving his value to the
organization.
We recommend that sergeants continue to be rotated through
this assignment.
4 . Assignment of Investigations to the Administrative Captain.
We agree with the POST report's recommendations to continue to
assign two captains to our 80 employee organization. We were
not convinced, however that moving the responsibility for
Investigations to the Administrative Captain accomplishes
much. We saw advantages and disadvantages to this proposal.
We recommend moving Investigations to the Administrative
Captain's area of responsibility for a trial period of a six
months or one year after which the change could be evaluated.
S. Assignment of balance of sworn staff
Our association agrees with the POST recommendation of keeping
the remainder of our staff in the organization's present
structure (4 lieutenants and 4 sergeants in patrol, a
lieutenant in Investigations, and a sergeant in charge of
SORT) . Where there are other ways that the organization could
be organized, the present system works well and does not need
to be changed for change's sake.
The other areas of the report will be getting our input, however we
see that input as most appropriately being given as managers in the
organization rather than through our association.
M E M O R A N D U M
to: Chief James Gardiner
from: The Executive Board
San Luis Obispo Police Officer's Rssociation
subject: POST REPORT
date: May 10, 1995
The Board wants to start by thanking you for the opportunity to review the POST report
and give you our ideas. We understand that much of the data used was a "snap shot"
of the Department on October 2, 1994. The report showed that the Department had 23
Officers with four vacancies. We understand most of those vacancies are now filled
and this changed some assumptions made by the author in the report
During our review of the report, we found some errors. As an example, the author's
discussion of this Department's handling of evidence and property was flawed. This
may have been avoided if the author had conducted a more thorough investigation.
On April 11, 1995, we received three pages of a report compiled by David M. Griffith
and Associates.We were unaware of this analysis, but thank you for sharing it with us.
We will attempt to incorporate the findings from that report into our response. The
Board found an interesting observation included in the Griffith report (item 2, page 4):
"THE PROJECT TEAM'S ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SAFETY SERVICES INDICATES
THAT THESE DEPARTMENTS AREPPERATTNG AT OR BELOW THE STAFFING
LEVELS REQUIRED TO PROVIDE`A OVEAVERAGE'SERVICE."
These reports provide all of us with an opportunity to reflect on current organizational
structure and the methods we use. We view this as a chance to improve the way we do
business. The Board's comments are not a criticism of you, the Department, or the
author of the POST report.
The Board will now address each recommendation in-the POST report and, where
appropriate, show if it is a "Meet and Confer" issue. Fnally, the Board will propose a
reorganization of the Department that will, we think, best use the budget available and
yet meet the growing needs of our community.
POST RECOMMENDATIONS
1. "We recommend the Investigations Division (including all the component units)
be assigned to the Administrative Services Bureau."
The Board disagrees with this recommendation. The POST report gives no justification
to move the Investigative Division. The author did not find any problem with the current
operation. The only reason cited was to give the Administrative Services Bureau
Captain more to do. This can only be seen as an attempt to justify the.position.
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Chief James Gardiner - 2- May 10, 1995
The current organizational structure with Investigations under Operations is working
well. It is our opinion that the recommended change could create a communications
problem between Patrol and Investigations. Most importantly, moving the Investigative
Division from the Operations Bureau to the Administrative Services Bureau appears to
be an attempt to justify the second Captain position. Please refer to recommendation 6
for further discussion.
2. "Unless the Department can augment the patrol force (by filling its vacant
police officer positions), we recommend the three traffic officer positions be
reassigned (with their motorcycles,if desired)to patrol shifts."
The Board agrees with you, as stated in the report, that traffic is an appropriate use of
resources. We also concur with the report's recommendation to reassign the Traffic
Officers to patrol shifts. The report listed four observations on page 8:
"a. Department policy is to assign Traffic Safety motorcycle units to patrol calls for
service 'when necessary.' in practice, motorcycle units are assigned to patrol calls for
service when patrol officers are unavailable.
°b. Traffic officers should be assigned to respond to patrol call for service. During the
time they are not answering calls, it may be appropriate, because of their training and
equipment, to direct their activities to traffic enforcement and collision investigation
duties.
"c. Any decision to assign patrol duties to an officer equipped with a motorcycle should
take into account the limitations on patrol performance inherent in the use of
motorcycles (e.g., transporting prisoners, carrying equipment or evidence, and officer
protection). i
"d. We were advised that reported traffic collision assignments are usually held for
traffic units. To the degree that this practice exists, the response time to collisions is
increased. All police officers have received basic training in traffic accident
investigation. Except for serious or complicated collision investigations, dispatchers
should make no distinction between patrol officers and motorcycle officers when
assigning traffic collision investigations."
The Griffith report incorrectly shows one Sergeant and two Police Officers deployed in
traffic.There are actually three Traffic Officers and-one Sergeant.
We recommend adding one additional Traffic Officer for a total of four. This fourth
position was lost in a previous budget cut. The cost of this position would be offset by
the elimination of the Traffic Sergeant position (See Recommendation 3). Reassigning
Traffic Officers to patrol shifts would reduce our response time to urgent calls and help
us meet your goal of 33% available time. The report broke down the 91 days of the
study into one hour time increments. Every seven days of the studied we failed to meet
the goal 50 times with 21 officers. The author went on to project that if we have 25
officers, the number of times we fail to meet the goal is reduced to 21. We have 27
Officers, which drops the number even more. If you add in four traffic officers, the
number of times we fail to meet the goal is reduced to about nine.
Chief James Gardiner - 3 - May 10, 1995
The Griffith report states, under the "Proact Time" heading, "Appears to be at about
30% overall. Considered in the industry to be the minimum necessary to have any
practical proactive capability at all. This level must impact response times and the
Dept's. ability to implement any community policing program." This supports our
recommendation to move traffic to patrol.
3. "If the Department must permanently assign the traffic officers to Patrol
Division because it Is unable to ffll its vacant patrol positions, we recommend the
Traffic Safety Unit supervisor position be eliminated."
We concur with the POST reports statement on page 8 that "if the Traffic Safety Unit is
permanently assimilated in the patrol force. . . there is no need for a full-time traffic unit
supervisor."The Board also concurs with the POST report, in that, the duties of the
supervisor, atogether with the special reports now prepared by the Traffic Sergeant,
can be assigned to the patrol commander, who could delegate them to the appropriate
watch lieutenant."The elimination of this position would save the Department $75,764
annually. This savings would allow the Department to add the fourth Traffic Officer
position lost in a previous budget cut. A patrol Sergeant would supervise the Traffic
Officers on the watch. In the past we had five Traffic Officers and no Sergeant.
4. "We recommend that the property function be assigned as a subordinate unit
of the Records Division."
The Board concurs with this recommendation. One Board member is the Evidence
Technician and another member is a Feld Services Technician; therefore, our review
of this recommendation is germane. Neither the Evidence Technician nor the Reld
Services Technicians were interviewed. The author was in error when he wrote on
page 9 that anon-evidentiary property is handled differently than evidence. . .," and,
awe have been assured, however, that in San Luis Obispo, evidentiary property is
secure and only the evidence technician has access to the property room."Actually,
evidence and non-evidence are processed in the same manner and stored in the
same facility. Besides the Evidence Technician, the Field Services Technicians and
the Support Services Manager have both keys and access. Property is released on a
"who's available" basis.
We agree with the POST report that those ° . . who are involved in collecting evidence
in the field and who subsequently may authorize release of these items, should not
also be given the responsibility to store or process evidence." These two functions
should be separated. Currently, these two separate unrelated functions are assigned
to the Evidence Technician: Crime Scene Investigation and Property Management. As
a Crime Scene Investigator he: collects and preserves evidence; performs laboratory
analysis; photographs crime scenes; and collects, develops, and compares
fingerprints. As the Property Manager he: inventories and maintains property; releases
property, purges property; and conducts a public auction.
We recommend the Evidence Technician continue to be assigned to Investigations
and that a new position of Property Clerk be created. The Property Clerk is a clerical
position and, therefore, should be assigned to Records as recommended by the POST
report. The Evidence Technician position is highly specialized requiring extensive
training and it offers technical support in the discovery of valuable evidence. The value
�iq�/9
Chief James Gardiner -4- May 10, 1995
of the position is hampered by the time spent in property management. With the
addition of a Property Clerk, the Evidence Technician would certainly increase
productivity and efficiency. Additionally, it would provide the Field Services
Technicians adequate time to perform their duties, and in tum, increase available time
for patrol officers.
The Griffith report did not mention either the Evidence Technician or the Field Services
Technicians.
5. "We recommend that both the Records and Communications components be
combined into one division (the Records & Communications Division) under one
supervisor, but only if the number of reports transcribed is significantly reduced
or eliminated."
The Board disagrees with this recommendation. A Communications Technician II has
recently been selected to fill the vacant position of Dispatch Supervisor. Adding
another layer of supervision on top of that is not advisable. In the past when the
Support Services Manager supervised both Records and Dispatch it proved
unworkable. Separate supervisors are needed in both Dispatch and Records.
The Griffith report recommended no changes to either Records or Communications.
6. "We recommend that the Department continue to assign captains as bureau
commanders."
The Board disagrees with this recommendation. The author writes on page 5: "We
know of no single organizational structure which is suitable for all agencies, nor a
structure which will forever remain suitable."The author goes on to say, "We believe
the responsibilities and work load of the two Captains are unbalanced."On page 6 the
author writes, "We find it difficult to justify the under-utilization of a peace officer
executive position to manage 19 employees in the Administrative Services Bureau,
only one of whom — the training sergeant— is a peace officer."You have explained to
us that the author meant under-utilized in terms of sworn employees supervised. In
other words, we are using a peace officer executive position to supervise one peace
officer, the training Sergeant.There are three logical solutions: Give the Administrative
Services Bureau Captain more of the work-load (which is the author's solution),
change the position to a Civilian Manager (which is more in line with the author's
recommendation to civilianize the training Sergeant's position), or look at a new
organization (which is our recommendation).
The POST report raised other issues to be considered. First it stated on page 6 that
keeping two Captains provides: the ability to rotate assignments,which enhances and
increases experience; and provides a benefit of varied perspectives. Additionally, he
asserts that it provides a career path opportunity. The author does not address these
issues in terms of the civilian side of the Department. If the position were changed to a
Civilian Manager, the career path for civilians might be enhanced and certainly a new
perspective would be represented.
�-ao
Chief James Gardiner - 5 - May 10, 1995
The author then addresses a Federal law suit in which the Administrative Captain is
"heavily" involved. Although this is a "significant burden," he tells us that the situation is
temporary. It would then appear that this should have no bearing on the decision.
The report tells us on page 6, that "simply eliminating the Administrative Services
Bureau captain position, and assigning the present dudes to the Operations Bureau
captain presents other problems."The author then refers us to page 10. However,
there, the author recommends keeping the two Captains only if the Department is
reorganized. He does not tell us what the "other problems" are. We propose
reassigning these present duties to a Lieutenant, not to the Operations Bureau
Captain.This would seem to negate this issue.
Next the POST report addresses "one-on one" supervisory relationships. The author
did not tell us what was inherently wrong with that, but simply stated that "In general,
principles of organization suggest that organizations be structured so that managers
and supervisors are responsible forseveral functions or persons.°The author ends the
section by stating "Eliminating the position would create just this structure and,
therefore, isnota satisfactory solution."Eliminating the Administrative Services Bureau
Captain's position would create a "one-on-one" supervisory relationship between you .
and the remaining Captain. You have pointed out that the POST report recommends
against this "one-on-one" relationship. A "one-on-one" supervisory relationship
currently exists between the Lieutenants and the Sergeants in patrol. To our
knowledge, this has not caused a supervisory problem.
The Board would propose changing the Operations Services Bureau Captain's title to
Assistant Chief (or whatever title you deem appropriate). We further propose
eliminating the Administrative Services Bureau Captain and assigning a Lieutenant to
Administrative Services. He would be in charge of Communications, Records, and the
Support Services Technician. The Assistant Chief position would be in charge of the
Day Watch Lieutenant, the Night Watch Lieutenant, the Investigative Lieutenant, and
the Administrative Services Lieutenant. A review of the 1979, 1981, 1982, and 1983
organizational charts for the Department reveals only one Captain. Yet the Department
had three Lieutenants, eight or nine Sergeants, and 34 Officers, a more balanced
organization.
Notwithstanding our stated position, we recognize your belief that a properly managed
Department must maintain the two bureau organization.. With that in mind, we have
included an additional organizational chart which contains the two bureau concept.
Eliminating the Captain position is a salary savings of$91,948 annually.
The Griffith report states, "The SLOPD has a Chief and two Captains in this 80 person
Department In this size range cities divide between 2-3 Captains." This seems to
conflict with the POST report.
7. "We recommend the Department continue to assign four lieutenants to Patrol
Division."
The Board disagrees with this recommendation. This is an inappropriate use of the
Lieutenants. Currently, there are two Lieutenants in charge of Days and two in charge
Chief James Gardiner - 6- May 10, 1995
of Nights. Each Lieutenant supervises one Sergeant. We would propose eliminating
one Lieutenant on each watch and making the remaining Lieutenant the watch
commander. In this way there would be only one Lieutenant in charge of each watch.
Each watch commander would supervise three Sergeants (Refer to our response to
Recommendation 9).The Lieutenants could adjust their work week in order to provide
leadership for the watch and monitor their Sergeants.
The elimination of these two positions would be a savings of$167,090 annually.
8. "We recommend the Department continue to assign a lieutenant to
Investigations Division."
The Board concurs. Although the position only supervises seven people, it is a
sensitive assignment justifying the use of a Lieutenant. We would recommend moving
the SORT team to Investigations. The SORT Sergeant would work directly under the
Investigations Lieutenant providing supervision to the six investigators as well as the
SORT team. This would enhance the relationship between SORT and Investigations.
We would further recommend increasing the SORT team from three to four Officers,
making it a viable unit This was the number originally approved by the City Council. If
case loads increase, the SORT team could handle cases as assigned by the
Sergeant, who would also supervise the Evidence Technician. Organizationally, the
Officer and Records Clerk assigned to the Narcotics Task Force would be under the
Sergeant
The Griffith report states, 'The SORT team gives the City a flexible resource to be
directed to a variety ofproblems.aThis report shows only two Officers assigned, which
is incorrect
r
9. "We recommend the Department continue to assign four sergeants to Patrol
Division."
The Board disagrees with this recommendation. As stated under our response to
Recommendation 7, we propose having three Sergeants on each watch for a total of
six. We also eliminated two Lieutenants in Recommendation 7. Our proposed
organization utilizes the same number of Sergeants that exist currently (Refer to
eliminated Sergeants positions in Recommendations 3 and 10). To augment the
supervisors we would recommend using MPO Ill's. This is a reasonable extension of
the MPO program. To achieve MPO III, the Officer must have at least 12 years of
experience, have successfully completed three specialized assignments, and possess
an advanced POST certificate. These Officers could approve reports, view arrestees,
present training, and perform as the acting field supervisor. Currently, in the absence
of a supervisor, the Department assigns a senior Officer to fulfill the responsibilities.
The Griffith report states, "Very small span of control (of two Sgts. each). Many smaller
depts. give Sgts. additional duty of shift mgmt"It also reports that there is a "6.6 Sgts.
to P.O."supervisory ratio. In reality, Traffic has one Sergeant to three Officers, SORT
has one to three, the Administrative Sergeant has no Officers, patrol has one to six,
and Investigations has no Sergeant.
Chief James Gardiner -7 - May 10, 1995
10."We recommend the Training Sergeant position be eliminated and replaced by
a non-peace officer Training Coordinator position. We recommend this position be
eliminated through attrition (Le.,when a sergeant's position becomes vacant)."
The Board concurs with the recommendation to eliminate the Training Sergeant
position, however, we disagree with the use of attrition to accomplish the change. The
author of the POST report gives a list of considerations.to justify this recommendation.
Although the author recommends using °a non peace officer employee,"we would
recommend moving the responsibilities currently being handled by this position to a
new position of Administrative Lieutenant (See Recommendation 6). We do not
believe the change should wait for attrition. Using attrition to accomplish
organizational changes would negate the cost savings involved and could take years.
If changes are appropriate,they should be implemented.
The elimination of this position would be a savings of$75,764 annually.
1 V'We recommend the Support Services Manager position be changed to a non-
supervisory classification (such as "Support Services, Technician") and the
position description modified to reflect the present job responsibilities. We
recommend these changes be made through attrition (i.e., when the position
becomes vacant):'
We concur with the recommendation to reduce the Support Services Manager position
to .Support Services Technician, however, we disagree with the use of attrition to
accomplish the change. The POST report tells us that "this position was originally
responsible for supervising a combined Records & communications Division.
Overtime, the responsibilities of maintaining the automated Records Managementand
Computer-Aided-Dispatch systems have increased so the incumbent can no longer
manage the Records and Communications units." We would place this position under
the new Administrative Lieutenant mentioned in our response to Recommendation 6.
We do not believe the change should wait for attrition. Using attrition to accomplish
organizational changes would eliminate the cost savings involved and, in this case,
take years. If changes are appropriate, they should be implemented.
The Support Services Manager position costs $71,820 annually. A Computer Systems
Technician II position costs $51,072. The reduction of this position would save
$20,748 annually.
12."We recommend the Department continue the 12-plan schedule, but adopt the
alternative schedule presented in this report. It is particularly important that patrol
lieutenants and sergeants be assigned to this schedule, to maximize supervision
and command presence."
The Board disagrees with the recommendation to adopt the proposed alternative
schedule. A police officer's job is stressful and, therefore, time off is valuable. The
author's plan builds in eight hours of overtime every 28 days for every officer. Yet, the
proposed plan still does not meet the "goal" of 33% available time. The author
recommends keeping overtime down by having officers only work 10 hours instead of
12 hours one day a week.
Chief James Gardiner - 8 - May 10, 1995
We feel modifications to the current 3/12 plan could be made. One idea would be to
have Officers report for a 20 minute briefing, but receive no overtime for the briefing.
Excluding paybacks, this amounts to four hours in each 28 day cycle. Officers would
then work one 12 hour payback instead of the current two eight hour paybacks. This
method is currently being used successfully by several other Departments. The
change would eliminate 3.5 hours of overtime for each Officer every 28 days. At time
and one half, for 31 Officers this amounts to $3,255 per 28 day cycle. This would
produce a savings of $ 42,315 annually. Additionally, it would reduce driving time, an
upcoming City issue as we attempt to meet Air Quality Management standards.
There was another deployment concern raised by both Officers and Supervisors alike,
the need for a cover watch. There is a plan which dovetails with the above idea, in
which cover watches, consisting of three or four Officers, would work a 4/10 plan. They
would provide the needed coverage during change of watch. We have reviewed the
actual schedules and find it plausible.
Regarding the 3/12 plan, the Griffith report states, "Represents a cost-effective plan
with value to the employee (days off)."
• The Board believes this to be a meet and confer issue.
13."We recommend the Department use the priority designations when
dispatching calls for service, in order to provide a means for calculating priority
queues, travel and response time averages for emergency and non-emergency
calls."
The Board concurs with this recommendation.
The Griffith report states, "Unknown--currently being documented in POSTrepor."
14."We recommend the process for assigning dispatch priorities for in-progress
and report-only incidents (described on pages 35-37 of this report) be included in
the CAD system database, and that the call priorities be used when dispatching
calls for services."
The Board concurs with this recommendation.
The Griffith report states, "Unknown--currently being documented in POST report"
15."...we recommend the Department: (a) discontinue the cassette tape-recording
system; (b) institute the "One -Write " system of hand written reports, including
field review by the reporting officer's supervisor; and (c) discontinue typing of
police reports (except in unusual circumstances — for example, lengthy homicide
reports.)"
We disagree with this recommendation, however, the Board believes it may be
appropriate to review our report writing system and thereby improve our final work
product.This may be a topic for a self-directed-work-team.
v�OW7 ��
Chief James Gardiner -9 - May 10, 1995
The POST report recommends changing to a "One Write" report system to increase
"efficiency in preparation, review and processing. . . "However, the underlying reason
to change our report writing procedure was stated earlier in the POST report when the
author wrote on page 10, " . . the Records and Communications divisions and the
Support Services Manager function can be combined into a single division (Records
and Communications Division), but only if the number of reports transcribed is
significantly reduced or eliminated." (The author also used bold type in the report for
emphasis.) If the problem is too much work for the record clerks, then the Board feels
the answer is the hiring of another clerk.
Those of us who have used a "One Write" report system know from personal
experience that the time spent handwriting a report is considerably longer than
dictating the same report. This increased time would negatively affect reaching your
goal of 33%, available time for patrol. Additionally, when used in court the typed report
is superior.
Another valid concern regarding the,."One Write" report system is officer safety. The
author suggests that officers write the report by hand in the field. However, it may not
be safe to sit in a patrol car and write a lengthy report. There are alternatives such as:
a new report face sheet combined with a "Scantron" type reading device requiring no
retyping or the use of laptop computers. Additionally, an increase in the use of
telephonic reporting, handled by dispatch, would reduce the number of reports taken
by officers.
PROPOSED ORGANIZATION
Our ultimate goal should be to provide our community with a feeling of security that
goes beyond the classic test: "the absence of crime and disorder." The presence of
uniformed Police Officers helps establish that feeling. This Department should be
moving toward a less top-heavy, more efficient organization. Emphasis should be on
increasing the field force to allow a faster response time, more community
involvement, and more proactive policework.
The Griffith report stated, gat[the] currentlevels ofproactivity[,]patrol[is] notcapable of
[a] more visible and proactive program." Under "Crime analysis", the report stated,
`[There is] No dedicated position" and `[This is a] Wide ranging and significant issue
potentially affecting operational efficiency, comm. policing efforts and crime prevention
needs." The report stated under. Crime Prevention Programs, With loss of [a]
dedicated position, [the] program [s] mainly handled by volunteers." and "While the
Dept has [a] dedicated core of volunteers, our experience in other cities suggests a
risk of losing program continuity, coordination, interest and support without a staff
position." The position referred to was the Crime Prevention Coordinator, lost in a
previous budget cut. The real issue is budgetary constraints.
The Board would propose eliminating the Administrative Services Bureau Captain and
assigning an existing Lieutenant to Administrative Services. This position would be in-
charge of Communications, Records, the Support Services Technician, and the
Custodian. The Communications Technician II and the Records Supervisor would
report directly to this Lieutenant who would also be responsible for the functions of the
eliminated Administrative Sergeant. He could also handle sensitive internal
Joe
Chicf James Gardiner _ 10- May 10, 1995
investigation, background investigations, etc. This proposal would be in line with the
POST report's comments on page 6 where the author writes: ° . . to provide the
fle)dbility to periodically rotate the assignment . . . maintaining career path
opportunities. . . and. . . avoids 'one-on-one'supervisoryrelationships."This would be
one of the four assignments available to Lieutenants. We propose changing the
Operations Services Bureau Captain's title to Assistant Chief. Under this position
would be the Day Watch Lieutenant, the Night Watch Lieutenant, the Investigative
Lieutenant,and the new Administrative Lieutenant
The patrol functions would be handled by two Lieutenants, one on days and one on
nights. The two extra Lieutenants currently on each watch would be replaced with an
existing Sergeant That would give each watch one Lieutenant and three Sergeants.
We would also recommend using MPO III's to assist the Sergeants. (This is a
reasonable extension of the MPO program. To achieve MPO III, the Officer must have
at least 12 years of experience, have successfully completed three specialized
assignments, and possess an advanced POST certificate. These Officers could
approve reports, view arrestees, present training, and perform as the acting field
supervisor). Under each watch we would deploy two Traffic Officers. This deployment
would provide a DUI team at night. There are currently three Traffic Officers; however,
we recommend eliminating the Traffic Sergeant and replacing him with another
Officer. Historically, the unit has had as many as five Officers and no Sergeant. Finally,
Day Watch would have the two Field Services Technicians.
As stated above, we recommend eliminating the Traffic Sergeant. The POST report
tells us " . . ., there is no need for a full-time traffic unit supervisor."The Board also
concurs with the POST report, in that, the duties of the supervisor, "together with the
special reports now prepared by the Traffic Sergeant, can be assigned to the . . .
appropriate watch Lieutenant"Eliminating this position would allow the Department to
add an additional Traffic Officer lost in a previous budget cut. A patrol Sergeant would
supervise the Traffic Officers on the watch.
The Board believes it is appropriate to assign a Lieutenant to Investigations. The
position will be in charge of 15 people and it is a sensitive assignment justifying the
use of a Lieutenant The Secretary currently assigned to the Administrative Captain
should be reclassified to Record Clerk and assigned to Investigations. All Investigative
typing would be handled by this position. This should help relieve Records. Further we
recommend moving the SORT team to Investigations. The SORT Sergeant would work
directly under the Investigations Lieutenant providing supervision to the six
investigators as well as the SORT team. This would enhance the relationship between
SORT and Investigations. We would further recommend increasing the SORT team
from three to four Officers,'makin g it a viable unit. This was the number originally
approved by the City Council. If case loads increase, the SORT team could handle
cases as assigned by the Sergeant, who would also supervise the Evidence
Technician. Organizationally, the Officer and Records Clerk assigned to the Narcotics
Task Force would be under the Sergeant.
We do not concur with the author that attrition should be used to carry out the changes.
These changes should take place immediately following past practices (i.e., the
Department's downsizing of 1992). Using attrition to accomplish organizational
changes would negate the cost savings of $87,944 annually, and take years to
coo
Chief James Gardiner - 11 - May 10, 1995
implement. If changes are appropriate, they should be made. Our organizational plan
would result in a significant salary savings with no layoffs. It would also provide a more
efficient organizational structure that has a clear chain of command with related
accountability.
In our review of the POST recommendations, we considered the positions rather than
the people who filled them. It was our intention to consider the impact on the
organization as a whole, instead of the individual personalities involved. However, we
understand that these "positions" represent people with families and responsibilities.
For that reason, using attrition to implement these changes would be most benevolent.
But with anticipated retirements just a few years away, the impact of immediate
implementation would only be temporary. It should also be understood that by
eliminating positions we negatively impact our members ability to promote. We tried to
give you our honest opinions about the recommendations in the POST report without
regard to their impact on specific individuals.
SPECIFIC PROPOSALS
1. Replacing the Administrative Services Captain with a Lieutenant.
The POST report is clear, "We find it difficult to justify the under-utilization of a peace
officer executive position to manage 19 employees in the Administrative Services
Bureau, only .one of whom -- the training sergeant — is a peace officer." This
Administrative Lieutenant would be under the remaining Captain (the-Assistant Chief).
The Administrative Lieutenant would be in charge of Communications, Records, the
Support Services Technician, and the 'Custodian. The Communications Technician II
and the Records Supervisor would report directly to this Lieutenant who would also be
responsible for the functions of the eliminated Administrative Sergeant. Additionally,
this Lieutenant could handle sensitive internal investigation, background
investigations, etc. This proposal would be in line with the POST report's comments on
page 6 where the author writes: " . . to provide the flexibility to periodically rotate the
assignment. . . maintaining career path opportunities . . . and. . . avoids 'one-on-one'
supervisory relationships."This would be one of the four assignments available to
Lieutenants. (See POST recommendation 6 for a further.discussion of the elimination
of the Administrative Services Captain position.)
2. Eliminating two Lieutenants in patrol.
Currently there are two Lieutenants in charge of Days and two in charge of Nights.
Each Lieutenant supervises one Sergeant. We would propose eliminating one
Lieutenant on each watch and making the remaining Lieutenant the Watch
Commander. In this way there would be only one Lieutenant in charge of each watch.
Each watch commander would supervise three Sergeants. The Lieutenants could
adjust their work week in order to provide leadership for the watch and monitor their
Sergeants. This is consistent with the Fair Labor Standards Act's definition of an
exempt employee (Lieutenant).
C;O"o2T
Chief James Gardiner .- 12- May 10'. 1995
3. Increasing the Sergeants in patrol to six.
We propose having three Sergeants on each watch for a total of six. Our proposed
organization utilizes the same number of Sergeants that exist currently. To augment
the Sergeants we would recommend using MPO III's. This is a reasonable extension
of the MPO program. To achieve MPO III, the Officer must have at least 12 years of
experience, have successfully completed three specialized assignments, and possess
an advanced POST certificate. These Officers could approve reports, view arrestees,
present training, and perform as the acting field supervisor. Currently, in the absence
of a supervisor, the Department assigns a senior Officer to fulfill the responsibilities.
4. Eliminating the Traffic Sergeant.
The Traffic Sergeant is currently in charge of three Officers. The POST report is clear
on page 8 that "if the Trafi`!c Safety Unit is permanently assimilated in the patrol force .
. ., there is no need for a full-time traffic unit supervisor."The Board also concurs with
the POST report, in that, the duties of the supervisor, "together with the special reports
now prepared by the Traffic Sergeant, can be assigned to the patrol commander, who
could delegate them to the appropriate watch lieutenant." The elimination of this
position would save the Department $75,764 annually. This savings would allow the
Department to add the fourth Traffic Officer position lost in a previous budget cut. A
patrol Sergeant would supervise the Traffic Officers on the watch.
5. Move SORT (including the Sergeant) to Investigations and increase it to four
Officers.
This would enhance the relationship and the communications between SORT and
Investigations providing additional supervision for both. The increase to four, the
number originally approved by the Cify Council, would make it a viable unit. If case
loads increase, the SORT team could handle cases as assigned by the Sergeant.
6. Increasing the Traffic Safety Unit to four Officers.
Under each watch we would deploy two Traffic Officers. This deployment would
provide a DUI team at night There are currently three Traffic Officers; however, we
recommend eliminating the Traffic Sergeant and replacing him with another Officer.
Historically, the unit has had as many as five Officers and no Sergeant.
7. Eliminate the position of Administrative Sergeant.
The author of the POST report gives a list of considerations to justify this
recommendation. However, instead of using "a non-peace officer employee," as the
author suggests, we recommend moving the responsibilities currently being handled
by this position to the new position of Administrative Lieutenant.
8. Change the Support Services Manager to the Support Services Technician.
The POST report tells us that `Phis position was originally responsible for supervising a
combined Records & communications Division. Overtime, the responsibilities of
maintaining the automated Records Management and Computer-Aided-Dispatch
Chief James Gardiner - 13 - May 10, 1995
systems have increased so the incumbent can no longer manage the Records and
Communications units."We concur with the POST report's recommendation to reduce
the Support Services Manager position to Support Services Technician. We would
place this position under the new Administrative Lieutenant.
9. Add a position of Property Clerk and assign it to Records.
The Property Clerk would inventory, maintain, release, and purge property; as well as.
conduct a public auction. This would be a clerical position requiring a great deal of
time to organize and control the property. We would recommend this position also
handle station duties such as finger printing, citation sign-off, dispatch relief, and other
in-house administrative functions. This new position should be assigned to Records,
as recommended by the POST report We agree with the POST report that those
who are involved in collecting evidence in the field and who subsequently may
authorize release of these items, should not also be given the responsibility to store or
process evidence." This change would be welcome relief for the overburdened
position of Evidence Technician. With the addition of a Property Clerk, the Evidence
Technician would certainly increase productivity and efficiency. Additionally, it would
provide the Feld Services Technicians adequate time to perform their duties, and in
tum, increase available-time for patrol officers.
CONCLUSION
These proposed changes would eliminate one Captain and one Lieutenant and
reduce the position of Support Services Manager to Computer Technician II. If the
revised 3/12 plan were implemented as well, the resulting savings would amount to
$238,556 annually. Our plan would then add one Police Officer to SORT, one Officer
to Traffic, and a new position of Property Clerk. Assuming the annual cost for the
position of Property Clerk would be fthe same as Record Clerk 11, the additional
expense for the three new positions'would be $150,612 annually. The difference
between the positions eliminated and the positions added still results in a significant
savings of$87,944 annually.
In summary, our proposed reorganization would consist of one Captain, four
Lieutenants, .seven Sergeants and 41 Police Officers. This plan would result in
significant annual savings with no layoffs.
See attached organizational chart.
The EKecutiue Board
San Luis Obispo Police Officer's Association
Gary Nemeth
President
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MEMORANDUM
TO: Chief Gardiner
FROM': Mid-Management Association, Police Department
C. �ec, R.��Rosenblum, T. Stewart
DATE: April 27, 1995
SUBJECT: POST AUDIT - RESPONSE
The Mid-Management group has reviewed our copy of the POST audit.
The following is our response to some of the recommendations made
by the Auditor. We will address each issue in numerical order as
in the "Summary of Recommendations . " We will address only those
recommendations that directly affect Communications, Records, and
Support Services .
Recommendation #4 . Assign the property function as a subordinate
unit of the Records Division.
We feel that this is not a feasible or workable recommendation and
would cause more problems than it would solve for the reasons
listed below.
In the current structure, the Evidence Technician and the Field
Service Technicians handle all property and evidence with the CSI
Officers also taking part in gathering crime scene evidence. In
the proposed structure, the Evidence Technician would be a
subordinate unit of the Records Division while the Field Service
Technicians remain assigned to the Patrol Division. This would
necessitate a division of duties for the Evidence Technician and
the FSTs. This would cause a lot of confusion and ' a lack of
consistency in the handling of property, be it evidence or stored
property.
Currently, the FSTs handle the lost/found property booking and
release and the Evidence Technician handles evidence booking and
release (and covering for the FSTs in releasing lost/found property
when they are busy in the field) . Per the recommendation, the
CSI/evidence work would stay in Patrol Division while the
lost/found/safekeeping property would be under the Records
Division. This would necessitate that the Evidence Technician's
crime scene work and evidence gathering/booking/analysis be
overseen and under the supervision of the Records Division while
the lost/found/safekeeping propertyfunction would be under the
control of the Records Division while the supervision of the FSTs
would still remain in the Patrol Division.
We do not agree that this is a viable recommendation. If this
recommendation is to be implemented, the FSTs would have to be re-
assigned to the Records Division or be relieved of their property
0A 3e2
function. The lost/found/safekeeping functions would then have to
be taken over by the Evidence Technician. This would be an
enormous workload and would be detrimental to the proper collection
and storage of property and evidence.
Recommendation #5. Combine both the Records and Communications
components into one division (the Records and Communications
Division) and assign one person to manage the combined division,
but only if the number of reports transcribed is significantly
reduced or eliminated.
We do not agree that this recommendation, as it is written, would
serve the Department well for the reasons listed below.
Currently, the Records Supervisor supervises four Records Clerks
(one position being lost during the budget crisis two years ago) .
This is one more person than is being supervised by the SORT
Sergeant 'position and the Traffic Division Sergeant position. If
recommendation #4 is implemented, this would increase by one to
include the Evidence Technician.
At this time, the Communications Supervisor (the position was not
filled during the time of the POST study as stated in the audit)
supervises 11 dispatchers . This number is approximately twice the
current level of staffing deemed necessary for the Patrol Division
(one Lieutenant and one Sergeant to supervise four to six Police
Officers on each watch) and more than three times the number of
personnel supervised by the SORT Sergeant and Traffic 'Sergeant
positions .
If the recommendation is implemented, this position would be
directly responsible for the supervision of four Records Clerks,
eleven Dispatchers, and one Evidence Technician for a total of
sixteen ( 16) people. Not only is the number of persons to be
supervised excessive, it could not be done in an effective manner.
The Communications Division is a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
function; the Records Division is currently an 11 hours a day, 7
days a week function. Both the Communications Supervisor and
Records Supervisor positions are 5 days a week, 8 hours a day.
The Chief has stated that it is important to him that the person
supervising the Communications Division be able to jump in to fill
in for ill Communications Technicians or when there is a vacancy.
We agree wholeheartedly with that assessment. It is lust as
important that the person supervising the Records Division be able
to fill in for ill Records Clerks or when there is a vacancy. It
would be impossible for the same person to fill in (for either
reason) on a night shift in Communications and then return to fill
in for Records the following day due to a shortage in that
Division. This could conceivably happen every week. There is also
2
r
the possibility that the same person is required in ,both Records
and Communications at the same time.
A survey of other agencies was conducted (by the Administrative
Captain) to ascertain if they had a Communications Supervisor and
if so, how many dispatchers were in the unit. It was also asked if
it was a combined dispatch center, whether or not the supervisor
was sworn, if the Supervisor worked shifts, what the technical
requirements were, who is responsible for evaluations, and
scheduling. All surveyed agencies had a Supervisor position that
was above the line and below the management level. All felt that
it was necessary for the Supervisor to have a solid hands-on
knowledge of dispatching. Thesurvey did not find any agencies
where a Records Supervisor was responsible for Dispatch, however,
it was learned of an agency where a Dispatch Supervisor was
partially responsible for Records. Both functions were in the same
area and because of the small size of the agency, Dispatchers
performed some Records duties . No agencies were found where they
anticipated any cuts from the Communications unit. Some agencies
were getting back frozen positions and aquiring additional
positions for the unit.
The Dispatch Supervisor position needs to act as a contact person
between the Fire and Police functions and other agencies both
locally and statewide. This position also must be active in the
Enhanced 911 Committee, the CLETS User Committee, Telephone User's
groups, and regional training committees.
There is currently a move toward the Emergency Medical Dispatch
(EMD) program. This change will require over a year of training to
certify and ongoing training. Additionally, there are monthly
audits of EMD and quality assurance reports. This is a very time
and effort intensive task. This move illustrates the need to have
a trainer and contact person who can respond to the needs of both
the Police and Fire Departments.
Flexibility is the most important function in the role of
Communications Supervisor. This role (as it is now functioning) is
responsible for filling in as a Dispatcher, being available as a
liaison between the Police and Fire Departments, the line
Dispatchers, and the hands-on ability to correct technical and
personnel problems.
Currently, the Communications Supervisor is working shifts to cover
for the personnel shortages therefore the administrative duties
fall behind and the Supervisor is unable to attend any of the above
stated committee meetings . Until the Supervisor is relieved of
shift work, this will continue to be the case.
Currently, the Records Division runs on a 7 day a week schedule.
This leaves two days a week (Monday and. Friday) when there are only
3 Clerks on duty. If someone is sick or has requested vacation
3
r
time, the Supervisor must fill in for at least 2-3 hours during
that day just to make sure that there are at least 2 Clerks in
Records at all times to take care of the 7 telephone lines that
come into the Records Division and to assist at the public counter.
While we do have the assistance of volunteers, we cannot rely upon
their showing up often enough to give much assistance in covering
the public counter. She is also required to pitch in and type
reports when we get behind (which is frequently) . This leaves very
little time to concentrate on other administrative duties and
therefore, they don't get done in a timely manner nor are they
given the attention they deserve.
The Records Supervisor must be proficient in the interpretation of
new legislation as it effects the release of Police records and the
requirements of reporting to the Department of Justice. As new
legislation is enacted, the Records Supervisor must create or
revise policies to comply with the new laws. The Records
Supervisor must also act as the advisor to the Chief of Police for
what information can or cannot be released and why. This requires
research into the laws regarding the release of records and is
fraught with liability issues. The Supervisor must also provide
training to the Watch Commanders, Field Training Officers, and
Records personnel when new policies are enacted.
While the logistic problems in combining the two positions are
imposing, there is also the vast amount of legal knowledge and
civil and/or criminal liability regarding the release of
information required to properly perform the duties of the Records
Supervisor. To add to that an equivalent number of laws regarding
the release and proper handling of property and evidence and the
legal requirements and ramifications of the Communications
Division, would require an immense dedication to the study and
implementation of current laws, pending legislation, and case law.
We recommend that the current staffing of a Communications
Supervisor and Records Supervisor remain even if the number of
reports typed is significantly reduced or eliminated.
Recommendation #11. Change the Support Services Manager position
to a . non-supervisory classification (such as "Support Services
Technician" ) and modify the position description to reflect the
present iob responsibilities.
We do not agree that changing this position to a "support
technician" would best serve the needs of the Department.
The Support Services Manager's position as Records and
Communications Supervisor was "temporarily" removed two and a half
years ago. This was done so that work on the computer system and
budget processes could be concentrated on. This change was to be
effective for approximately six months . This "temporary" change
has since evolved and become a permanent change. We feel that . it
4
�A 3S�
is time to put that position back to what it was originally
intended to be: a Support Services Manager.
We agree with the recent Management Information Systems plan that
recommends that Public Safety have a full-time technical support
person to service and administer our computer systems . It is not
necessary that this person be at the management level. It has only
been because of the personal interest and extra. work on the part of
the current Support Services Manager that we have not had to have
a position requested to take care of our computer systems sooner.
This has left us in the untenable position of having only one
person responsible (and knowledgeable about) our computer systems .
Unless someone is brought in and thoroughly trained on our software
soon, we could be in deep trouble if our systems crash without
someone well-versed with the system and software. It is only good
fortune that this has not happened as yet. There is currently no
back-up person sufficiently proficient in these areas .
It has been very frustrating for the current Support Services
Manager as he has not been provided with sufficient back-up and
this has hampered his ability to properly function as the Support
Services Manager. Volunteers to learn our systems and software
have come forward from the Departmental ranks but have not been
able to get the training or support necessary from the management
of the Department , to have a properly functioning or efficient
system. Additionally, requests from the City's technical staff
have been delayed and support from them has been marginal at best
as has been identified in current studies and documented in the
past.
The Support Services Manager position is in the role of providing
support to the Administrative Captain position. This includes
business office operation, radio maintenance, budget preparation,
CAO reports, purchasing, building maintenance, and coordination of
the Support Services Division (including Records, Communications,
and Custodial) . If this position is removed entirely, these
functions will have to go somewhere. This is not addressed in the
POST study.
The Support Services Manager position also provides continuity to
our organizational structure with the two Captain positions
alternating every other year. It is not practical. to expect a
person to get up to date every other -year with all the changes in
the operational aspects of the Division. This position provides
that continuity and support.
In our impression, the POST study failed to look at the total job
specifications of the Support Services Manager's position. What
was done was to look at the job as it is currently being conducted
and hence the recommendation was made to change the position. This
was evident because this Department has been using the "band-aid"
approach to deal with the overloading of responsibilities that were
5
��3�
added to this position when the systems support was initially
assigned there.
It is our recommendation that the Support Services Manager position
be relieved of the duties of providing technical support for the
Departmental systems and to add a technical support (non-
management) position to handle those increasingly complex systems.
.We also recommend that the duties previously assigned and
"temporarily" reassigned to the Captain's position be returned to
the Support Services Manager.
Recommendation #15 . Discontinue the cassette tape-recording
system; institute the "One-Write" system of handwritten reports
including field review by the reporting officers' supervisor: and
discontinue typing of police reports (except in unusual
circumstances--for example lengthy homicide- reports . )
We do not agree that the institution of the "One-Write" system of
handwritten reports would meet the needs of the Department as a
whole and would cost more Officer time and report congestion than
it would save in Records Clerk time.
The POST audit is incorrect in it's statement that "Department
policy provides that a reporting officer may hand-write the
narrative portion of the report only if it is one paragraph;
otherwise, the report is to be dictated. " Our policy has been that
if the report is a cold crime report or an incident report and is
less than one page, the Officer may hand-write it and the Records
Clerk will not type it; it will be attached "as is" to the report,
provided that it is reasonably legible.
The audit is also incorrect in stating that, "When a report is
required, the reporting officer usually hand-writes the first page
( "face sheet" ) . . . " The face sheet is not a handwritten form, it is
a "circle the correct item listed" form for the crime information,
motive, property type, location, etc. with only the property list
and people section being handwritten. (This is the "fill-in-the-
blanks" portion of the report. ) If the narrative portion is less
than one paragraph, it is written on this form and typed into the
CRIS face sheet as one report instead of typing a narrative into
WordPerfect.
In addressing the "One-Write" system, we feel that this system may
have been useful and effective when the report was written and
produced by POST (September 15, 1972) , but now the procedures are
out-of-date and ineffective. The report was produced prior to the
introduction of personal computers and is woefully inadequate given
today's technological tools . It is also out-of-date in today's
world due to the increase in the number of crimes, their
complexity, and law enforcement liability issues.
6
3ow7
The "One Write" System:
Unless we want to throw out our computer systems and databases, the
crime, people, and property information (from the face sheet) must
still be entered into the computer in order to generate
computerized UCR and Arrest & Citation Register information
required by the Department of Justice. If this information were
not available in the computer, these reports would have to be
generated by hand. The UCR report alone takes approximately 10
hours per week to produce. This information is also readily
available to Officers and Investigators and makes the job of
solving crimes much easier and infinitely faster.
The quality of the information entered is also much easier to
control when entered by only a few people. The consistency of
information is critical and must be entered precisely each time in
order to make the best use of the searching tools available. If
some people enter the hair color of person with blonde hair as BL,
BLN, BLDE, BLOND, BLONDE, etc. , you would have- to search each and
every permutation in order to achieve the most complete search
possible. We believe this department is best served by having
Records personnel entering face sheet information into the computer
system because of the consistency and quality of information.
We feel that a most critical aspect of having only handwritten
reports is the (not unheard of) possibility of having reports that
are lost, misplaced, misfiled, or destroyed and not being able to
reproduce them. With so many people that have access to the
original reports (it is not a frequent problem but one that does
exist) it happens that they may not get back into the correct file
or may be damaged. With handwritten reports, it would be
impossible to re-create these ireports . With typed reports, we are
able to re-create the face sheet (they are kept on a back-up tape
in a safe) and we can reprint the narratives (they are kept on a
diskette) . In today's litigious society, it is critical that we
are able to reproduce any report that is not readily available.
There has also been a concern expressed by Officers that if they
have to hand-write reports, the reports themselves will be shorter
and many important details could be left out in the pursuit of
brevity.
We would agree that not all narrative reports need to be dictated
and type-written by Records personnel but there are certainly many
other alternatives worth investigating that would not require that
we return to 1972 standards and practices .
With the "One-Write" system, the Officer completes his handwritten
report in the field and gets field supervisor (Sergeant) approval
of the report prior to it being turned it to Records personnel for
copying and filing. While this may seem like a good solution to
reducing the number of times a report is handled, this is not
7
�A%.70
workable given our computer system. The face sheet information
must still be entered into the computer, the report must still be
approved in the computer in order to release the information to the
database, to enter assigned follow-up investigation, and to enter
the status of the report (cleared by arrest, etc. ) into the
computer. While the computerized approval process and change in
the status of the report could be performed by Records personnel,
it would then be necessary for the approving Sergeant to write, in
the field, somewhere on the report what followup was to be
assigned, who is to perform it, and when the followup is due so
that information could be entered into the case tracking system.
All in all, a very cumbersome prospect.
We are not in disagreement with the POST audit in that some changes
need to be made in the way we produce reports but we do not agree
that it is necessary to take quite a few steps backwards in order
to effect those needed changes . We recommend that a working group
be organized to look at and work on ways to make use of today's
technological advances in order to improve our report writing
system.
8
��39
MEMORANDUM
TO: Chief Gardiner
FROM: R. Thomas Stewart, Support .Services Manage
DATE: May 22, 1995
SUBJECT: Analysis of Management Studies Report
Your thoughts and responses to the POST Report and the DMG Report
are very good and thorough. In our discussion you mentioned the
KPMG Report on Management Information and yet I did not see any
correlation to it in your responses except in the section covering
the Support Services position. I feel that the KPMG report has a •
significant impact on several other areas of the Management Study
report and should be included. Primarily the report writing
system, the Records and Communication overview and of course in
more depth on the Support Services Managers position.
Secondarily, if and when the Support Services Manager is reduced to
a technicians position, the impact on the Administrative Captain
will increase in other areas . These would include more direct
management of the Department's budget, the operation of the
physical plant (structure and components) and the overall operation
of. the Business Office. These were not highlighted in your report.
On the surface this does not seem to much of an impact, but from
experience, I can tell you it is.
The Fleet Management Committee is just one small area that needs
consideration. While this is a minor point, does not take much
time, and meets only quarterly, keep in mind that many of the
committees that I currently attend will need redirection. The
Records or Communications Supervisors are not the ones to attend
these meetings. If anything, both should be in attendance. The JPA
and TAG groups are just two examples for your consideration.
In order to achieve the goals that the POST Study recommended and
the DMG report included on a 33% available time factor for patrol,
analysis and reporting on the goal will need to be undertaken. A
technician can provide the statistics, but once again, a senior
management person will need to make interpretations and
recommendations.. Another task for the Captain.
Your report also seemed to indicate, by wording, that the CRIS
System CAD and Report Writing System will be replaced. I would
rather see wording that an analysis of the existing system and
others will be undertaken so that the best overall system for the
Department is selected. What may happen is that the CAD
environment to address the needs of the Public Safety element opts
to replace it's program, the Records Management function of the
Police Department may choose to continue with CRIS. While this
transition is going on, a manager. will be required. to interact
between departments and staff and line on both sides. My
understanding is that this process will be occurring in the next
two years. I would hope that I have this management role.
Finally,. I would suggest your carrying the minimum overstaffing to
more than just the officers. Records and Communications suffer
more directly than Patrol does when they are operating at a reduced
level. It will take several months to .train a replacement for Jan
Spurr and yet we have not been able to take any steps for her
replacement as yet so that she can train her successor.
t
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City of San Luis Obispo
--------------
the area of billing—utilities, meters, front counter roles, etc.). With 6
in accounting functions and 6 in billing/collections functions,
however, the Finance Department in San Luis Obispo is in the
middle of the range of similarly-sized communities examined by the
project team in the past three years (e.g., Poway, Newark, San
Rafael, San Clemente). Information Systems staffing also varies
greatly from one community to the next depending on the extent of
contracting for service, the extent of automated systems, the extent of
centralized versus decentralized systems, and the like. In
communities in this population range which provide centralized
information services (a concept supported by this project team), there
are usually between 2-4 staff allocated to this function. There are 3
staff in SLO's Information Systems Division.
The -major conclusion reached in this overall assessment of city
management and internal support functions is that these functions are not
unusually staffed. While we did no analysis of workloads in these functions, this
conclusion based on comparisons has a bearing on overall City overheads.
2. THE PROTECT TEAM'S ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC SAFETY SERVICES
IlVDICATES THAT THESE DEPARTMENTS ARE OPERATING AT OR
BELOW THE STAFFING LEVELS REQUIRED TO PROVID "ABOVE
AVERAGE"SERVICE.
The project team has conducted an analysis of the staffing levels, service
delivery targets and service levels of the City of San Luis Obispo's Police and Fire
Departments with the assistance of staff in those functions. In addition to
interviewing management staff, reviewing budgetary and organizational
materials assembled for us, the Departments provided additional information in a
self-diagnostic survey which was returned to us. It is also important to note that
both departments are currently being studied (the Police Department by POST and
the Fire Department by the Hunt Group). The paragraphs, which follow, provide
our assessment of a wide range of issues.
• Police Department: Current performance targets and estimated
actual delivery of services by the Police Department as well potential
issues associated with this group of public safety functions is
summarized in the table, below.
Analysis of Organizational Issues page 4
David DL Griffith and Associates �� �
City of San Luis Obibpo
Table 1
Police Department Organizational and Service Issues
Potential
Numberoftop The SLOPD has a Chief and two None, represents small top
managers Captains in this 80 person management team.
Department. In this size range
cities divided between 2-3 Captains.
PatrolOperations:
• Shift Schedule 12 plan. None. Represents a cost effective
plan with value to the employee
(days off).
• Supv.Ratio 6.6 Sgts. to P.O.s None. Low to middle of the range of
supervision.
v
• Watch Mgmt. Scheduled on each shift. Very small span of control (of two
Sgts. each). Many smaller depts.
give Sgts. additional duty of shift
mgmt.
• Special enf. The SORT team gives the City a None. In this Dept. there are few
flexible resource to be directed to a specialized resources. A small
variety of problems. One Sgt. 2 team.
P.0.s.
• Traffic staff The only other specialized resource None. Smallest team practical and
in the SLOPD.Staffed with 1 Sgt.,2 still have ded. enforcement of
_ P.0.s. traffic. Staff also do accident
investigation.
• Response time Unknown--currently being Unknown, pending results of other
documented in POST report. study.
• Proact.Time Appears to be at about 30%overall. Considered in the industry to be the
minimum necessary to have any
practical proactive capability at all.
This level must impact response
times and the Dept's. ability to
implement any community
policing program.
• Comm.Pol. Dept. has implemented an informal As described above, at current
problem-solving approach in a City levels of proactivity patrol not
with historically a high comm. capable of more visible and
orientation. proactive program.
• Traffic prod. Average citation production about Very low citation rate. Even with
2.5 per officer per shift. other duties (e.g., ac. investigation)
either indicates low productivity or
excessive coverage of patrol.
Analysis of Organizational Issues Page 5
_ David X Griffith and Associates
�A -Wag
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City of San Luis Obispo
:.1�mcttoa:"..:�; .,. , iG�urentPiactioe•=:.:� -,,:
Potential Issues..<
• Average cases On average, 18 cases assigned per High number of cases assigned
investigator per month. (typical is about 20 for property
crimes and less than 10 for person
crimes).
• part I Crnmesdnv Currently about 590 Part I crimes Average of all medium-sized depts.
per investigator. is 600 per working investigator.
• Case mgmt. Dept. has a computerized system to Combining the findings in the two
track cases with some coordination indicators above suggests that the
on patrol versus investigator Dept- may be over-assigning caseshandled cases.
with few leads and follow-up
Crime Ike ,o„hoa potential.
Programs With loss of dedicated position, While the Dept. has dedicated core
Program mainly handled by of volunteers, our experience in
volunteers. other cities suggests a risk of losing
Program continuity, coordination,
interest and support without a staff
• Crime anal position.
Yes No dedicated position (apart from
Admin. Sgt. and analysis Wide ranging and significant
conducted by other staff). issue potentially affecting
operational efficiency, comm.
Suvm.t Cp.,ri� policing efforts and crime
• Records 4 records Clerks and 1 Supervisor. prevention needs.
. CustodialNo issue.
1 Custodian.
Contracting for custodial services
represents a significant cost
• Communications Consolidated unit with Fire effectiveness alternative.
dispatch. Sufficient staff to provide None--although further, regional
2 per shift. consolidations should be examined.
1
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Analysis of Organizational Issues
David NL Griffith and Associates Page 6
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