CITY OF
LONG
March 21, 2023
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
City of Long Beach
California
RECOMMENDATION:
Office of the Chief of Police
400 West Broadway Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 570-7301
Receive and file a presentation on public safety communications from the Long Beach Police Department. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
On February 21, 2023, the City Council requested the City Manager work with the Police Department to provide a presentation on information contained in the February 9, 2023 memorandum on public safety communications (Attached).
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Arturo D. Sanchez and Budget Management Officer Nader Kaamoush on March 6, 2023.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action on this item is not time critical.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal or local job impact associated with this recommendation. This recommendation has no staffing impact beyond the normal budgeted scope of duties and is consistent with existing City Council priorities.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Approve recommendation.
WALLY EBEISH
CHIEF OF POLICE
Attachment - Public Safety Communication Update Memo
APPROVED:
THOMAS B. MODICA
CITY MANAGER
CITY OF
LONG
Date:
To:
From:
For:
February 9, 2023
Thomas B. Modica, City Manager -z;t,!t{_
Wally Hebeish, Chief of Police ~
Mayor and Members of the City Council
Subject: Public Safety Communications
Memorandum
On December 6, 2022, the City Council directed the City Manager to work with the Police Department to provide an update regarding an evaluation and possible enhancement of real time public safety communications.
The Police Department (PD) utilizes numerous forms of communication to inform the community of police activity within Long Beach. These tools are an effective way to communicate real time public safety concerns such as road closures, police activity, safety advisories, and the ability to seek the public's help in locating a suspect or missing person. The following information provides descriptions of the forms of communication used by the PD.
Community Liaison Officer
When the PD has a critical incident, such as an officer involved shooting, or a SWAT call-out, there may be a significant impact to the immediate neighborhood during the initial investigation.
In these instances, a Community Liaison Officer (CLO) is assigned to the incident. The CLO, along with officers assigned to perimeter positions, are tasked with engaging community members to provide them with a general account of what occurred and determine if there are additional witnesses to the incident. This type of outreach is an effective tool in reducing the effects of an incident on the surrounding neighborhood, helps to strengthen our relationship with the community and also assists us in developing a more thorough investigation.
City Council Notifications
When critical incidents occur within Long Beach, Patrol Watch Commanders will provide preliminary information to the City Manager, Mayor, Councilmembers, and Department Directors via email. The notification will be made in a timely manner, concurrent with the critical incident. Councilmembers are encouraged to call their division commander's directly with any clarifying questions regarding the notification updates.
Alert Long Beach
Alert Long Beach is an emergency notification system used by the City of Long Beach (City) to issue emergency alerts to residents and businesses. The system has the capacity to send thousands of messages within minutes via phone, email and text. The system is managed through the Department of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications.
Public Safety Communications
February 9, 2023
Community members can sign up online by going to the City's Alert Long Beach site, or by downloading the CodeRED Mobile Alert App. The primary use of the system is to disseminate messages pertaining to the health, safety or welfare of the community that is being affected by a perceived, emerging, or imminent emergency event.
Social Media
In addition, the PD utilizes social media to share important notifications and updates to the community. Social media is used to provide real-time information regarding situations that are impacting a specific area, or enhance investigations by seeking the community's help with identifying suspect(s). Social media platforms are also utilized to provide general safety tips and information on upcoming community events. Please see the links listed below. • Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LongBeachPD.CA
• Twitter https://twitter.com/LBPD
• lnstagram https://www.instagram.com/longbeachpd.ca/
Media and News Releases
Upon inquiry, PD Public Information Officers (PIO's) and Patrol Watch Commanders provide preliminary information to the media for breaking news incidents. In addition, news releases are regularly published on the PD website and shared with the community via Twitter and email to media.
LBPD Blotter
At approximately 10:00 a.m. each day, community members can read preliminary information about incidents that occurred the previous evening, including shootings, traffic fatalities, murder investigations, and any other notable incidents. This page is a resource for the community to learn more about enforcement efforts, arrests, and commendable events and is updated as new incidents occur. The Blotter also includes links to all PD social media accounts and allows the user to "submit a tip", "submit a commendation" or "file a complaint".
Analysis and Recommendation
Our Office of Constitutional Policing (OCP) reached out to other Southern California law enforcement agencies to understand how they share information regarding significant events. The responding agencies used similar methods as the LBPD. Agencies also often used a local phone application for emergency preparedness, similar to Alert Long Beach.
Agencies also discussed the importance of utilizing Nextdoor to provide local neighborhood level information to community members on what is impacting their community. In addition, OCP did learn about San Diego Sheriff Department's application used by their air unit that broadcasts the purpose of their flight to members of the public who request information.
Public Safety Communications
February 9, 2023
PD is currently exploring messaging platforms, such as Ring and Nextdoor.com as additional communication tools and will also be looking at the feasibility of implementing a similar notification application being used by the San Diego Sheriff's Department, as explained above.
In addition, PD will conduct a citywide, aggressive education campaign to promote all PD communication platforms, including encouraging community members to register their phone numbers and email addresses with Alert Long Beach.
If you have any questions, please contact me or my Chief of Staff, Commander Michael Solomita, at (562) 570-7301.
Cc: DAWN MCINTOSH, CITY ATTORNEY
DOUGLAS P. HAUBERT, CITY PROSECUTOR
LAURA L. DOUD, CITY AUDITOR
LINDA F. TATUM, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
TERESA CHANDLER, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER
KATY NOMURA, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER
APRIL WALKER, ADMINISTRATIVE DEPUTY CITY MANAGER
KEVIN LEE, CHIEF PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER
MONIQUE DE LA GARZA, CITY CLERK
DEPARTMENT HEADS