Public Safety Committee
May 10, 2022
City Administrator Date
Approval Apr 21, 2022
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Edward D. Reiskin
City Administrator
FROM: LeRonne L. Armstrong
Chief of Police
SUBJECT: Action Plan Regarding Recruitment,
Hiring And Retention Plans And
Strategies Supplemental Report
DATE: April 12, 2022
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That City Council Receive A Report Detailing Recommendations For An Action Plan From The City Administrator And The Oakland Police Chief Regarding Recruitment, Hiring And Retention Plans And Strategies To Recruit Police Officers, As Well As Data On Attrition For The Past Ten Years Including Demographics, Tenure And Specific Reasons For Leaving; Costs Of Academies; And Costs Of Pre-Academies. For Officers Who Cite “Lack Of Confidence In OPD Leadership” Provide Specific Reason For Leaving, Including Discipline By OPD/Chief Or Community Police Review Agency All To Protect The Citizens Of Oakland Prior To Engaging Additional Consultants And Making Financial Commitments.
REASON FOR SUPPLEMENTAL
Staff presented the report “Action Plan Regarding Recruitment, Hiring And Retention Plans,” dated February 17, 2022, at the March 8, 2022, Public Safety Committee. The report covered strategies for funding and implementing police academies, which are required to prepare trainees to become fully operational police officers. The report also detailed the following related topics:
• M
easures to increase police academy matriculation for greater efficiency and higher graduation rates
• Oakland Police Department’s (OPD) recruitment plan as well as efforts to recruit for race and gender diversity
• OPDs Pre-Academy Program to better prepare police officer trainees for academy success
• Enhanced support for trainees in academies and field training to improve graduation r
ates and needed support for long term career success
• Attrition and retention analysis – why officers are leaving OPD and measures taken to m
itigate these losses
• Police academy fiscal information
Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: Action Plan Regarding Recruitment, Hiring And Retention Plans And Strategies Supplemental Report
Date: April 12, 2022 Page 2
Public Safety Committee
May 10, 2022
The members of the Public Safety Committee requested staff to do the following:
1. Work with Job Training Organizations for OPD Recruitments
2. Engage media platforms focused on people of color and LGBTQ+ communities for OPD recruitment and marketing
3. Provide an analysis of OPD Personnel Departures
4. Provide information detailing Child Care Opportunities for OPD Personnel
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
Working with Job Training Organizations for OPD Recruitment
In order to increase the pool of qualified candidates for vacant positions within OPD, the Department has partnered with the Economic & Workforce Development Department (EWD) to advertise and recruit for vacant positions, including Police Officer Trainee (POT), Police Cadet and Police Communications Dispatcher (PCD). This partnership will allow OPD to continue to invest in the growth of the Department and expand job opportunities to residents of Oakland.
Additionally, as other positions become vacant and recruitments open, the Department will continue to advertise and recruit for these positions with EWD. OPD will leverage the relationship of EWD with local job training organizations to support these recruitment efforts, as EWD maintains historical relationships with organizations such as the Oakland Private Industry Council
1 and the West Oakland Job Resource Center2. OPD will collaborate with EWD on advertising and recruitment through these and other local organizations. OPD will also meet with EWD staff on a regular basis to strengthen the relationship and work collaboratively to develop creative ways to recruit and hire locally.
In addition to working with EWD, OPD has also begun advertising POT positions with The Unity Council3, the Fruitvale Neighborhood Career Center, and Youth Employment Partnership – all local Oakland community organizations that serve diverse communities. Each of these organizations provides employment and educational opportunities as well as other resources to Oakland residents to help transform and improve their quality of life. Working with these organizations can assist with increasing the pool of qualified POT candidates who have a personal connection to the city of Oakland. This personal connection can support the building of strong relationships and mutual trust between the police and the community. Greater trust and engagement is critical to maintaining public safety and effective policing.
Engaging Media Focused on Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and LGBTQ+ Communities for OPD Recruitment and Marketing
Developing and maintaining a diverse workforce is critical to understanding and meeting the needs of the Oakland community. Diversity in the workplace also supports positive relationships and communication. OPD recognizes that hiring staff from diverse cultural backgrounds and perspectives leads to a variety of ideas, knowledge, and creative ways of accomplishing
1 https://www.oaklandpic.org/employment-services
2 https://www.wojrc.org/
3 https://unitycouncil.org/
Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: Action Plan Regarding Recruitment, Hiring And Retention Plans And Strategies Supplemental Report
Date: April 12, 2022 Page 3
Public Safety Committee
May 10, 2022
objectives – OPD leadership believe that the Department will benefit from such innovation.
Leveraging diversity will also lead to more creative solutions and innovative ways to address some of the challenges facing law enforcement, including strengthening police-community relations, training, development, officer safety, health, and wellness.
OPD recognizes that engagement with mainstream media outlets offers some channels in support of diversity goals – but other channels must be leveraged to reach diverse audiences.
OPD must also advertise with platforms that serve underrepresented populations in Oakland and the Bay Area. For this reason, OPD has increased its advertising and recruiting network to ensure vacant positions are publicized in a manner that reaches as many potential applicants as possible. The Recruiting and Background Unit staff have begun advertising vacant OPD positions with the following organizations:
• Campus Pride – works to directly connect young adults with LGBTQ+ friendly and inclusive careers and makes job searches easier and more accessible • LGBT Connect – connects employers with the LGBTQ+ community • Out and Equal – premier organization working exclusively on LGBTQ workplace equality
• Black Career Network – African American job board geared towards recruiting diverse candidates of African American descent
• Professional Diversity Network (PDN) Recruits – a list of job boards geared towards hiring people of color and BIPOC candidates
• Women for Hire – a list of job boards geared towards hiring women • iHispano – a list of job boards geared towards the Latino Community • Women’s Career Channel – connects women with diverse talents with career opportunities
• Military 2 Career – connects veterans with career opportunities • Asian Career Network – connects Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders with career opportunities
OPD is committed to diversity and inclusion and attaining top talent for the Department’s team of excellence.
OPD Personnel Departures
OPD recognizes the value of exit interviews, as they can provide insight into ways to increase employee engagement and retention. These interviews elicit information regarding:
• Why employees voluntarily separate from the organization • How the Department can make improvements to retain employees • Help to ensure that employees who leave the organization feel good about their service • When possible, encourage the employee to stay with the Department.
Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: Action Plan Regarding Recruitment, Hiring And Retention Plans And Strategies Supplemental Report
Date: April 12, 2022 Page 4
Public Safety Committee
May 10, 2022
Individual, confidential exit interviews are conducted by the OPD Human Resources Manager.
Below are a series of questions asked in the interview:
1. Why are you leaving the Department?
2. What is your general opinion of OPD?
3. What do you like most about the Department?
4. What do you like least about the Department?
5. If you could improve one thing about the Department, what would it be?
6. Would you return to the Department at a later date, circumstances permitting?
7. Is there anything the Department could change that would have prevented you from leaving the organization?
8. Did your current work environment impact your decision to leave? If so, please elaborate.
9. Did the inability to work remotely contribute to you leaving the Department (professional staff only)?
Since mandating exit interviews, the top four reasons for voluntary separations are:
1. Dissatisfaction with OPD Leadership
2. Dissatisfaction with City Leadership
3. Heavy Discipline
4. Family
OPD will continue to assess information from exit interviews in order to address attrition and make improvements, where possible, within the organization.
Child Care Opportunities for OPD Personnel
Balancing a career and children is difficult for many working parents, and the field of law enforcement is not exempt from this challenge. OPD has looked into possible ways to address this issue in order to meet the needs of current members and those considering entering the Police Officer Trainee Academy.
During the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Oakland YMCA offered childcare to first responders, so they could continue to provide essential services. OPD looked into whether it could replicate something like this. The childcare services offered to first responders was provided from March 2020 through May 2020, however, due to low utilization the service was discontinued after two months. This service was not free and those that used it had to pay the requisite fees to the YMCA. This service is no longer available, and at this time, there is no conversation or plan to bring it back in the near future.
Staff reached out to the Oakland Parks and Recreation Youth Development (OPRYD) to discuss the possibility of using a current City facility for the purpose of childcare. Staff was provided with factors that should be considered when determining whether this is feasible, which include:
• Facility set up
• Staff to participant ratio
Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: Action Plan Regarding Recruitment, Hiring And Retention Plans And Strategies Supplemental Report
Date: April 12, 2022 Page 5
Public Safety Committee
May 10, 2022
• Determining programing
• Age ranges
• Hours of operation
• Security
• Staff costs
These factors can make offering onsite childcare extremely cost prohibitive and pose possible risk management issues for the City and Department. However, an alternative to providing onsite childcare is to look into the possibility of a stipend offered by the City or grant opportunities that may assist in this area. A stipend or grant would minimize any associated risks or liability with using a City owned facility, and participants would be allowed to select the provider of their choice. The Department would therefore be assisting with childcare payments instead of offering this service.
Things to consider when determining if a stipend or grant are appropriate include the amount that will be given to each employee, whether the amount will be per child or one set amount, and whether this benefit will be offered to all City employees or only OPD employees.
OPD will continue to research the feasibility of offering a stipend and pursuing grant opportunities to assist with childcare related needs.
Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: Action Plan Regarding Recruitment, Hiring And Retention Plans And Strategies Supplemental Report
Date: April 12, 2022 Page 6
Public Safety Committee
May 10, 2022
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE
Staff Recommends That City Council Receive A Report Detailing Recommendations For An Action Plan From The City Administrator And The Oakland Police Chief Regarding Recruitment, Hiring And Retention Plans And Strategies To Recruit Police Officers, As Well As Data On Attrition For The Past Ten Years Including Demographics, Tenure And Specific Reasons For Leaving; Costs Of Academies; And Costs Of Pre-Academies. For Officers Who Cite “Lack Of Confidence In OPD Leadership” Provide Specific Reason For Leaving, Including Discipline By OPD/Chief Or Community Police Review Agency All To Protect The Citizens Of Oakland Prior To Engaging Additional Consultants And Making Financial Commitments.
Written by:
Kiona Suttle, Deputy Director
OPD, Bureau of Services