Public Safety Committee
April 9, 2024
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Jestin D. Johnson FROM: Darren Allison
City Administrator Interim Chief, OPD
SUBJECT: SUPPLEMENTAL – OPD Biannual
Staffing Report
DATE: March 15, 2024
City Administrator Approval Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That The City Council Receive An Informational Report Of The Oakland Police Department’s 2023 Biannual Staffing Levels As of September 30, 2023.
REASON FOR SUPPLEMENTAL
At the February 13, 2024 Public Safety Committee Meeting, Councilmembers requested additional information as follows:
• Clarity around when and whom the Human Resource Management department communicated that they were no longer focused on 5 hiring priorities, but beyond that
• Clarity regarding all the position in table 9, professional staff vacancies identified as 'new recruitment needed' is this a result of not having sufficient HR capacity, or the eligible list expiring
• Request for information on table 2A, why the average response times for priority 1 calls jumped from 23 minutes in 2022 to 50-61 minutes in 2023
• As to table 9, the civilian investigator classification, the vacancies, the FTE authorized, as it comes forth the status updates for criminal investigators
• As to table 10, to include outside the number of officers assigned by each area the vacancies outside of BFO 1& 2
• Maximizing the academy's authorized capacity and,
• Further information regarding telecommuting & technology to allow remote work
Jestin Johnson (Mar 28, 2024 20:47 PDT)
Mar 28, 2024
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: SUPPLEMENTAL – OPD Biannual Staffing Report
Date: March 15, 2024 Page 2
Public Safety Committee
April 9, 2024
OPD’s responses are as follows:
Retirement Projections for 2024
The following numbers, listed by sworn classification, reflect the potential retirements for 2024 based on age and with at least five or more years of service.
• There are 91 possible retirees in 2024:
o 1 Interim Chief of Police
o 1 Interim Assistant Chief of Police
o 3 Deputy Chiefs of Police
o 3 Captains of Police
o 9 Lieutenants of Police
o 27 Sergeants of Police
o 47 Police Officers
Update On 5 Hiring Priorities
The Human Resources Management Department (HRM) was unable to provide any written documentation to either implement or revoke a limit of five hiring priorities. Additionally, per HRM, the process for the five hiring priority limit was removed in October 2022.
Table 9: Professional Staff Vacancies, Status Updates identified as New Recruitment Needed
Professional staff vacancies are identified as needing new recruitments when an eligible list has been exhausted (all names have been referred the maximum number of times as outlined in the Civil Service Rules) or when the eligible list has expired. These recruitments provided to HRM are listed by priority ranking and have not been assigned to an HRM Analyst.
Table 2A: Average Response Times For Priority 1 Calls
The average increase in Priority 1 calls between May 2022 and May 2023 in Areas 1-6 was about 2%. Although there was a slight surge, no significant trends or patterns were discovered to explain the increase.
Table 9: Professional Staff Vacancies, Update For The Civilian Investigator Classification
OPD is collaborating with HRM to create the civilian investigator position. HRM is preparing to engage with OPD Subject Matter Experts to define the duties and responsibilities associated with this role. The position will be assigned to both the Criminal Investigation Division and Traffic Division.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: SUPPLEMENTAL – OPD Biannual Staffing Report
Date: March 15, 2024 Page 3
Public Safety Committee
April 9, 2024
Table 10: Police Beat Patrol Data, To Include The Number of Officers Assigned By Each Area And The Vacancies in the Bureau of Field Operations 1 & 2
The table below provides information on beats by area and patrol data, including the number of filled and vacant sworn positions. The totals are based on permanent positions and do not account for employees who are on leave or loaned to other units. Among the employees permanently assigned to patrol, 12 police officers in BFO 1 and nine police officers in BFO 2 are currently on medical leave and not working. Additionally, there are eight police officers in BFO 1 and four police officers in BFO 2 who are on transitional assignment, working out of patrol due to an injury.
Area 1 Area 2 Area 3 Area 4 Area 5 Area 6
Police Beats by Area 1-7 8-13 14-19 20-25 26-30 31-35
Number of officers assigned to
patrol: 310 Total 59 Total 49 Total 47 Total 51 Total 51 Total 53 Vacancies 0 1 1 2 1 0
Number of officers assigned
as
Community Resource Officers
BFO 1 and BFO 2
BFO 1 Total – 9
9 Filled
0 Vacant
BFO 2 Total – 8
8 Filled
0 Vacant
Number of officers assigned
to the Crime Reduction Teams
(under direction from BFO 1
and 2)
21 Filled
0 Vacant
Maximizing The Academy's Participants to Authorized Capacity
OPD has identified several strategies to ensure a healthy and diverse candidate pool, with a focus on increasing the number of female police officers and officers from diverse cultural backgrounds:
• Collaborating with the 30x30 initiative, a coalition of police leaders, researchers, and professional organizations, to increase the representation of women in police recruit classes to 30% by the year 2030. This initiative also aims to ensure that police policies and culture support the success of qualified women officers throughout their careers.
• Establishing a mentorship and networking program.
• Offering preparatory programs, workshops, and physical fitness training sessions to help candidates understand the job requirements of a Police Officer and develop necessary skills.
• Working with the Police Activities League (PAL) to reinstate the Explorer Program at local high schools in Oakland, opening the pipeline for youth to gain law enforcement experience.
• Continuing efforts to target former Armed Forces members through attendance at military events where they have successfully recruited applicants.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: SUPPLEMENTAL – OPD Biannual Staffing Report
Date: March 15, 2024 Page 4
Public Safety Committee
April 9, 2024
• Establishing partnerships with local and national institutions offering internship programs to assess potential talent.
• Utilizing social media marketing to increase presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, attracting a larger and more diverse candidate pool.
Telecommuting & Technology To Allow Remote Work
OPD will launch a 90-day telecommuting pilot program. However, to comply with Department of Justice (DOJ) requirements, the Department must restrict the databases accessible to employees while working remotely. If the pilot program proves successful, the Human Resources Section will collaborate with the incoming Chief to develop a more comprehensive telecommuting program.
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Receive An Informational Report Of The Oakland Police Department’s 2023 Biannual Staffing Levels As of September 30, 2023.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Amber Fuller, Acting Human Resources Manager, OPD Human Resources Section, at (510) 238-3733.
Reviewed by:
Kiona Suttle, Deputy Director
OPD, Bureau of Services
Tracey Jones, Police Services Manager
OPD, Research and Planning Unit
Prepared by:
Amber Fuller, Acting Human Resources
Manager
OPD, Human Resources Section