Fort Walton Beach Council agenda — 11-26-2007 special agenda — reading text

recommendation for a reduction of sworn positions. I believe that the recommendation to reduce the number of police officers resulted from incorrect data input, incorrect analysis, misinterpretation, or some combination thereof. I will attempt to demonstrate how this may have occurred, as well as to present a more relevant analysis based on pertinent data which is directly applicable to the issue. The response to the recommendation is substantially longer, and includes greater detail than the other recommendations because it is the most significantly detrimental to the effective operation of the Police Department and its ability to carry out the police mission to protect the public (citizens and visitors in the City), prevent and investigate criminal offenses, c apprehend criminals, and to serve the public. The Study's summary for Section 9 ( page 9- 11) showed the number of high priority calls decreasing by 15 percent and the number of medium/ low priority call responses increasing by approximately 8 percent. While that information is relatively accurate, it is somewhat misleading. o Actually: high priority calls decreased by 15.4 percent; medium/low priority calls increased by 8. 5 percent. o In order to put this information in perspective, however, it must be recognized that the number of high priority calls are approximately half the number of medium/ lowpriority calls. Therefore, smaller numbers represent larger percentages. High priority calls decreased from 11, 680 in 2003, to 9, 885 in 2006 ( a reduction of 1, 795). Medium/ low priority calls for the same years increased from 21, 951 to 23,813 ( an increase of 1, 862). Consequently the actual change was 67 more responses in 2006 than 2003, which represents a 0.2 percent increase. o The summary also notes that the number -of traffic citations, offenses cleared, and investigations completed, all decreased during that same period. Such decreases can be directly related to the reduction in c available officers, because of high turnover, and a sustained high number of vacancies, during 2005. 39  The summary also notes that the number of traffic citations, offenses c o cleared, and investigations completed, all decreased during that same period. Such decreases can be directly related to the red uction in available officers, because of high turnover, and a sustained high number of vacancies, during 2005. Analysis of the reduction in high priority responses showed that the reduced numbers were attributable to fewer traffic stops which also directly relates to understaffing) and a decline in false alarms ( a desired goal), The MAG Study Report presents data, in exhibit 9- 2, showing that the number of full time police officers per 1, 000 residents is 2. 5 for all cities and 2.0 for cities our size, on average, Calculations regarding sworn officers contained in the Study were based upon that table, The data contained in that table was taken from statistics published by the United States Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics' 2003 report: Local police Departments. That information was taken from the cited report' s Table 71. The most recently published edition of the same report is for the year 2006. I am not certain why 2003 data was used, rather than the data from 2006, Even though the 2006 report is available, the response discussion herein will also use data from the same 2003 report that the Study used. C o Table 71 ( for 2003) does reflect an average of 2. 0 officers per 1, 000 population as the national average for cities our size, However, the table further breaks down the data, grouping the cities from which it is derived by region. o The average number of officers per 1. 000 population for cities our size and in our region ( South Atlantic) was listed as 2. 7, a figure which is 35 percent higher than the average used in the MAG Study, Where the MAG Study used 2. 0 for the (national average) and arrived at 42 officers, the same published table reflects 2. 7 for our regional average, which would result in 57 officers~ Comparisons should be made to agencies within the same region - with which we share a more similar environment than those in the Northeast, Midwest, or other regions of the Country. Additionally, the same report cited by the MAG Study indicated that on]y 64 percent of those departments practiced the Community Policing style, which we do. The report stated that departments who practiced Communjty Policing averaged seven ( 7) police officers assigned for that purpose, The averages used in our comparison would be further enhanced, if compared only against those who devote resources to c 40 c Community Policing, as we do, Community Policing Style, as opposed to the Traditional Policing Style, is more labor intensive and requires a higher staff ratio, Officer safety is a primary concern of a law enforcement chief executive. It is a well established professional and cqmmon sense standard that, at a minimum, two officers are required for safety on any disturbance type call, of which there are many, o Except where the Swing and Midnight shifts overlap. there are a total of five officers ( one of which is the supervisor) on street duty at a time. o And, that is correct only when everyone is present ( Le" no absences due to vacation, sick leave, training. court,.et cetera). o This staffing reality limits the department' s response to two disturbances or to a traffic stop, a routine call, and one disturbance call, at a time. o Any further reduction in the number of the available personnel reduces those response capabilities, o Sixteen percent ( 16%) of an officer' s scheduled hours are unavailable for primary assignment duty, They are consumed by mandated training, c various types of leave, developmental training, et cetera, o When that fact is extrapolated for the five ( 5) officers comprising a work unit, it is clearly noted that a work unit of five ( 5), in reality, only has 4, 2 officers on duty at a time. When I was appointed Chief of the Fort Walton Beach Police Department, there were a number of vacancies, personnel staffing of on duty shifts were at unsafe levels ( such as two individuals on the midnight shift after 2: 00 am), the quality of service response was diminished, and there were no qualified applicants in the hiring process to fill the many vacancies, To address these issues: o Significant efforts were made to recruit a reasonable pool of good candidates. o Personnel were temporarily transferred from Investigative and Community Policing assignments to Street Patrol. o Officers were temporarily redeployed, from three shifts to two shifts, with extended ( overtime) hours. o Additional shortages in staffing, falling below safe strength, were covered by the use of additional overtime, c~ 41 c o Training days were cancelled, and required training was postponed until regular schedules could be resumed. o Officers. werefatigued, but remained. motivated while relying on leadership' promises that: when recruiting efforts were successful and s vacancies were filled, normal schedules and training would resume. Officers responded admirably under these adverse conditions, Concurrently, the study for alternative service delivery was commissioned, the Legislature announced plans to reduce the availability of general revenue funds to the City, and Communication Services Tax revenues were reduced ( plus requiring repayment further reduced those revenues); the winds for " a perfect storm" began to form. I decided to forego fully staffing our positions, until the uncertainty associated with these matters could be resolved, My reasoning, for following this strategy, was two-fold: o This strategy would help to offset the budget deficiencies we faced in the final quarter of Fiscal Year - 2007 due to the aforementioned factors, o Over reliance on, and overrun of, the overtime budget ( as noted above) had exacerbated budget depletion, requiring the abatement/deferment of equipment purchases c The three current vacancies continue to strain operations of the department' s Patrol Divisions, and have precluded me from making an assignment to the Joint Drug Task Force ( C- Square) as discussed above, However, I did not want to hire individuals, recruited from other agencies or fresh from the academy, and then have to inform them that they no longer have a job. I chose to continue carrying the vacancies until the issue is resolved. Recommendation # 30: consider reallocation of an officer position to the position of C..; Squared (sic) Detective. I am in agreement with the recommendation to select and assign a detective to the County- City Joint Drug Task Force, which is commonly known as UC- Square." In fact, this assignment/position appears on the organizational chart which was submitted to the MAG representative during our interview, However, that organizational chart was not the one published on page 9- 3 in the MAG Study, While there are some differences, the organizational structure shown in the report is not significantly different and will only be referenced herein where I believe distinction is particularly germane, At one time, the Fort Walton Beach Police Department ( FWBPD) participated in C- Square with the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office ( OCSO) and other law enforcement agencies, As a result of a serious decline in the working relationship between OCSO and the FWBPD, participation was withdrawn. c Since my appointment as Police Chief, and with the leadership & support of Sheriff Morris, the working relationship between the Okaloosa County Sheriffs 42 c Office and the Fort Walton Beach Police Department - at all levels: street, command, and administrative - has substantially improved and has elevated to one which could be