BACKGROUND:
As part of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 biennial budget process and timeline, this is the opportunity to brief City Council and our constituents on the roles and responsibilities of the Police Department.
DISCUSSION:
The Police Department currently includes the following divisions:
1. Administration
2. Field Services
3. Investigations
4. Emergency Communications
5. Animal Control
The following table compares authorized staffing in the Police Department in FY2013/2014 to the present. The table shows the staffing reductions made in June 2020 due to the COVID revenue reductions, which resulted in the elimination of (3) positions. In that same year, the Police Department hired (4) limited term STVR Officers and a limited term STVR Office Assistant. The STVR employees were transferred to Code Compliance during the FY 2021/2022 budget. The FY 2013/2014 numbers are from the printed budget revised only to reflect organizational structure changes that have occurred in the interim.
FY13-14 FY20-21
COVID
FY22-23
Adopted
Current
(Including Sept.
Amend.)
Change from
FY 13-14
Sworn Police 47.00 48.00 50.00 52.00
Dispatch 16.00 15.00 15.00 12.00
Records and Support 11.50 14.50 18.50 17.50
Police Total 74.50 77.50 83.50 81.50 9.40%
The additional staffing added over the last two years is reflective of the City Council approving two (2) additional police officers in the adopted FY 2022/2023 budget. The only new positions included in the September budget amendments are two sworn positions placed on the East PACT Team (Post Release Accountability and Compliance Team).
Administration
Administration includes the following positions:
•Chief of Police
•Commander
•PSB Sergeant
•East PACT Sergeant
•East PACT Detective
•Senior Analyst
•Administrative Assistant I
The Office of the Chief of Police includes Police Administration, which provides policy and leadership direction. Administration includes the Professional Standards Bureau, media relations, budget, and financial management, grant administration, court services, records management, and project coordination. The Professional Standards Bureau (PSB) is responsible for conducting internal audits, body-worn camera evidentiary requests, handling public record requests and conducting internal affairs investigations of alleged misconduct of sworn and non-sworn personnel. The East PACT Team is a multi-agency Task Force housed at the Police Department and their primary function is managing post-release offenders on probation or parole in the Coachella Valley. The East PACT Sergeant reports directly to the Chief of Police. Two major projects are being managed by Administration which include the department’s transition from ERICA to PSEC as well as the county mandated emergency medical dispatching (EMD) training and implementation.
Field Services
The Field Services Division includes the following positions:
•(2) Commanders (7-day coverage)
•(5) Sergeants (7-day coverage)
•(26) Patrol officers (7-day coverage)
•(2) Homeless Liaison Officers (6-day coverage)
•(3) Records Specialists (5-day coverage)
•(2) Community Service Officers (7-day coverage)
•(10) Citizens on Patrol
The Field Services Division is the largest division within the Police Department. This division consists of the Patrol Bureau, Traffic Bureau, and Homeless Liaison Officers.
This division is responsible for the following: first police response to emergency and non-emergency calls for service, preliminary and follow-up investigations on property crimes, crimes against persons and auto theft crimes as well as basic police services. In addition, they engage in proactive policing which includes but is not limited to traffic enforcement, DUI enforcement, drug enforcement and Municipal Code enforcement.
Patrol Officers interact with the public, discuss crime prevention techniques, and attend community events throughout the year.
The Commanders and Sergeants assigned to Field Services are responsible for the daily operations of the Patrol Bureau and any collateral assignments. The Field Training Officer (FTO) program provides training to new police recruits upon graduation from an academy and experienced officers who lateral to our department. The Traffic Bureau provides enforcement, education, parking, 30-day impounds and accident investigation follow-up. The Homeless Liaison Officers are primary responders to calls for service regarding our unhoused population. The Community Service Officers handle non- emergency calls for service, write crime reports, enforce CCMC violations and assist with traffic control at motor vehicle crash sites as well as tow vehicles, as necessary.
Our Citizens on Patrol provide our community with a valuable resource of volunteers to assist the department with vacation checks, illegally parked vehicles, and non- emergency calls for service.
The Patrol Bureau is comprised of four patrol teams managed by (2) Commanders. •Team 1 is a Sergeant and 5 Officers (Th,F,S-Days) (Every other Sunday) •Team 2 is a Sergeant and 6 Officers (M,T,W-Days) (Every other Sunday) •Team 3 is a Sergeant and 6 Officers (Th,F,S-Nights) (Every other Sunday) •Team 4 is a Sergeant and 6 Officers (M,T,W Nights) (Every other Sunday) •(2) Homeless Liaison Officers (6-days coverage) (Monday through Saturday) •(3) Officers are currently in FTO training
•(2) Community Service Officers (7-day coverage)
•Sergeant is assigned as a cover sergeant
Investigations
The Investigations Division includes the following positions:
•Commander
•Sergeant
•(4) Detectives
•Detective assigned to CVNTF
•Detective assigned to CVVCGTF
•Detective assigned to GIT
•School Resource Officer
•Crime Analyst
•Evidence Technicians
•Part-time Background Investigators
The Investigation Division consists of a Commander, a Sergeant, seven Detectives, one School Resource Officer, one Crime Analyst and three part-time Background Investigators. Four Detectives work at the Department, one Detective is assigned to the Coachella Valley Narcotics Task Force (CVNTF), one Detective is assigned to the Coachella Valley Violent Crime Gang Task Force (CVVCGTF) and one Detective is assigned to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office Gang Impact team (GIT).
The Detectives are responsible for conducting critical incident investigations, follow-up criminal investigations, and preparing cases for prosecution. The Detective Bureau investigates a wide variety of crime, to include homicides, assaults, armed robberies, sexual assaults, domestic violence, fraud, computer crimes, hate crimes and identity theft to name a few. The specialized detectives assigned to task forces investigate narcotics related crimes and gang related crimes.
The School Resource Officer is assigned to Cathedral City High School to liaison with PSUSD on matters involving students, parents, and staff at the school. During the times the SRO is not at school he is assigned to assist the Detective Bureau with investigation of cases. The Crime Analyst collects and analyzes crime data and statistics to provide crime patterns and crime trends to police personnel. The Evidence Unit supports the Detective Bureau by collecting and processing crime scene evidence and managing all evidence maintained at the department.
Emergency Communications
Emergency Communications includes the following positions:
•Sergeant
•(11) Public Safety Dispatchers
•(4) Part-time Public Safety Dispatchers
The Emergency Communications Center answers all 9-1-1 emergency calls for service and non-emergency telephone calls for the City of Cathedral City. All emergency requests for police, fire and medical aide services are routed through the Communication Center. Additional services rendered include but are not limited to, maintenance and management of all radio system infrastructure, emergency telephone communications equipment and FCC radio licenses. In 2021, the dispatch center handled 49,378 9-1-1 calls and 86,358 non-emergency calls for a total of 135,736.
In 2022, the dispatch center handled 48,115 9-1-1 calls and 78,894 non-emergency calls for a total of 127,009. It should be noted during 2021 and 2022, the dispatch center also dispatched emergency and non-emergency calls for service for the City of Desert Hot Springs, who has since opened their own Emergency Communications center.
Animal Control Services
Animal Control Services is currently contracted through the County of Riverside Department of Animal Services and is responsible for the enforcement of state and city animal control laws and codes. Animal Control has the following responsibilities:
•Administering a rabies control program.
•Investigating reports of animal bites to humans by both domestic and other animals.
•Locating and detaining stray animals.
•Locating and detaining indigenous wildlife and then relocating them. •Issuing citations to owners of animals who are in violation of the city or state animal control regulations.
•Removing dead animal carcasses from city streets and private properties. •Operating, cleaning, and maintaining the animal control kennel. •Returning found animals to their owners.
•Adopting out found animals.
•Euthanizing animals and disposing animal carcasses.
•Receiving fees paid by citizens for impounding, boarding and adopting animals.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The original published budget for the Police Department (all divisions) for FY 2022/2023 was $21,991,231.00. The total amended budget (all divisions) for FY 2022/2023 reflecting amendments through 12/31/-2022 is $21,367,995.61.