CITY OF PACIFICA
COUNCIL AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT
4/25/2022
1 SUBJECT:
Pacifica Police Department Annual Report
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Receive the Pacifica Police Department Annual Report
STAFF CONTACT:
Daniel Steidle, Chief of Police
650-738-7314
[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> Chris Clements, Police Captain
650-738-7314
[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> Bill Glasgo, Police Captain
650-738-7314
[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION:
On April 12, 2021, staff presented to City Council a Pacifica Police Department Annual Report.
This report covered short term and long term items largely focused on police officer training and community engagement. While short term items were completed at the time of the previous report, several long term items remained in progress or unscheduled.
This second Annual Report will provide updates in the areas discussed in the previous report, with the addition of information on the newly implemented Racial Identify and Profiling Act (RIPA) requirements.
Racial Identity and Profiling Act (RIPA)
In 2015, Assembly Bill 953 was passed, creating certain data collection and submission responsibilities for California law enforcement agencies. The Bill requires each state and local agency that employs peace officers to annually report to the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General, data on all stops, as defined, conducted by the agency’s peace officers, and require that data to include specified information. The required reporting timeline is based on the size of the law enforcement agency. As is the case with other San Mateo County agencies, the first reporting date to the Department of Justice for the Pacifica Police Department is April 23, 2023, to include data collected for calendar year 2022. Beginning in Janaury 2022, the Pacifica Police Department began reporting to the Department of Justice, well ahead of the legal mandate.
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April 25, 2022
Pacifica Police Department staff spent the majority of 2021 preparing to meet the requirements of RIPA data reporting. This process involved the purchase of upgrades to the Police Department records management system, training of personnel, and extensive testing to assure required data is being captured, processed, and transmitted to the Department of Justice. Final testing of the program was conducted in the final quarter of 2021. This testing involved assuring officers were entering the proper data after each stop, that supervisors were able to view and approve the data entered in the records management system, and Records personnel were able to review data and successfully transmit to the Department of Justice. The final portion of the testing was to assure the Department of Justice agreed that the data submitted met the requirements provided by AB 953. While RIPA data collection has increased the workload of staff, particularly Records personnel, the Department has been successful in implementing this important program.
RIPA data is required to be collected by an officer during any stop. “Stop” means (1) any detention by a peace officer of a person; or (2) any peace officer interaction with a person, in which the peace officer conducts a search, including a consensual search, of the person’s body or property in the person’s possession or control. A “detention,” means a seizure of a person by an officer that results from physical restraint, unequivocal verbal commands, or words or conduct by an officer that would result in a reasonable person believing that he or she is not free to leave or otherwise disregard the officer.
The following data is required to be collected on each stop:
• Perceived age, race, gender, disabilities of the person stopped • Date, time, and location of the stop
• Reason for the stop
• Actions taken during the stop
• Search information
• Evidence found
• Property seized
• Result of the stop
While there are only (8) items listed above, each item has sub-categories that must be addressed by officers. Each stop requires 21-35 questions to be answered, with at a maximum, up to 125 data points for the officer to consider and determine if applicable to report.
Police Department staff is currently reporting required data to the Department of Justice at least twice per month, well ahead of the April 2023 legal requirement.
The next phase of the Pacifica Police Department RIPA data collection program has begun and is focused on taking raw data reported to the Department of Justice (all categories listed above) and compiling it in an easy to read and understandable format that can be presented to the community via the Police Department website on a quarterly basis. The data will be posted quarterly, beginning with the second quarter of 2022. Links will be provided for the community to view each quarterly report, with an annual report posted at the end of each calendar year.
While not required by law, the quarterly posting of data will serve to increase transparency.
For the purposes of this report, staff has compiled data regarding the first quarter of 2022 related to perceived race and gender of persons stopped. This information has been broken down into officer initiated stops (stops not related to active calls for service) and calls for service stops (stops directly associated with community initiated calls for service).
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Race Total
Asian 305 273 12.5% 32 1.5%
Black/African American 146 101 4.6% 45 2.1%
Hispanic/Latino 508 427 19.6% 81 3.7%
Middle Eastern or South Asian 112 96 4.4% 16 0.7%
Native American 6 4 0.2% 2 0.1%
Pacific Islander 51 41 1.9% 10 0.5%
White 1023 759 34.8% 264 12.1%
No Race Perceived or Reported 28 14 0.6% 14 0.6%
Total Stops 2179 1715 78.7% 464 21.3%
Gender Total
Female 666 523 24.0% 143 6.6%
Gender-Non Conforming 0 0 0.0% 0 0.0%
Male 1483 1176 54.0% 307 14.1%
Trangender Male/Boy 1 1 0.0% 0 0.0%
Transgender Female/Girl 0 0 0.0% 2 0.1%
No Gender Reported 29 14 0.6% 14 0.6%
Total Stops 2179 1714 78.7% 466 21.4%
*Percentages are rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent
0.0%
68.1%
0.0%
0.0%
1.3%
3.4%
46.9%
1.3%
Total % of Stops
30.6%
0.3%
6.7%
23.3%
5.1%
Total % of Stops
14.0%
Officer Initiated Stops Calls For Service Stops
Officer Initiated Stops Calls For Service Stops
2022- First Quarter RIPA Data
A common question that will be asked about RIPA Data is how it compares to racial demographics from the U.S. Census. However, this is not a simple comparison because it would require all stops conducted to be only persons residing within Pacifica, yet it is clear that Pacifica receives a significant number of out-of-town visitors. In addition, RIPA reporting requirements do not require officers to obtain addresses from all persons stopped, nor would it be legal for an officer to require this information from a person stopped in all instances. For example, if a person is stopped for a vehicle code violation and the officer elects to verbally warn the person for the violation rather than issue a citation, no address would be collected.
Staff has reviewed collected data and determined the following for this first quarter of 2022:
• 2179 RIPA stop data entries were collected
• Of all stop data entries, 1169 have associated addresses entered, a rate of 54%. • Of those 1169 entries, 699 were Pacifica residents
According to the United States Census website (www.census.gov), the racial demographics related to Pacifica are as follows:
White alone: 60.3%
Black or African American alone: 2.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.5%
Asian alone: 21.0%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: 1.7%
Two or More Races: 8.5%
Hispanic or Latino: 18.6%
White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 51.4%
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Given the above, while RIPA data collection does not provide a perfect opportunity for analysis, it does provide the opportunity to determine if there are large discrepancies in the Census versus stop data comparisons, as well as significant changing trends as time progresses that could indicate a bias issue. Moreover, this data has proven to be valuable in understanding how the department may be perceived by the community regarding bias-free policing, providing opportunity for continued discussions with department staff related to bias, and as a tool for Police Department Command Staff to identify potential bias issues. It is understood that all persons have biases, and the goal of bias-free law enforcement efforts at the Pacifica Police Department has been to spark self-reflection by officers regarding potential unconscious bias, officers to be aware of their decisions and what factors are influencing their decisions while serving the community.
LONG-TERM ACTIONS
Below listed are long-term actions previously identified and progress on each item. COVID concerns have continued to play a role in the delay of some items. 1) Bias Training with Entire City Staff: In 2021, the City provided a webinar based bias training available to all employees. While schedules did not allow all to attend, future training in this area is currently being identified.
2) Bias Training with the Police Department and Community Members: The purpose of this training is to provide a facilitated program to create dialogue between officers and community members. This type of event is best conducted in person. COVID19 variants have continued to push this event further into the future. With the apparent stabilization of the COVID19 virus, staff is currently working to identify a facilitator for the event, with the target completion date of August 2022.
3) Community Police Academy: A Community Police Academy is an educational community outreach tool that allows community members to learn about the operations of their police department, as well as what drives law enforcement decision making. It serves as a mini course on law enforcement practices, allowing community members to better understand the many facets of law enforcement. Topics commonly included in Community Police Academy curriculum include criminal law, traffic law and enforcement, domestic violence law/protocol, community-oriented policing techniques, court systems, and use of force considerations. Curriculum is developed to address current issues in law enforcement and the community. In-person classes are required for this program which have not been viable until recently. The target date for the first class is October 2022.
4) Continue to Proactively Seek Community Outreach Opportunities: Specifically targeting different ethnic groups, religions, age groups, etc. to engage in communication opportunities to foster a better understanding of the community and its needs from law enforcement. This is item is continuous, with no end date. 5) Creation of a Police Chief’s Advisory Panel: This item is based on the community engagement discussion with City Council in February 2021. The purpose of the panel is to assemble a diverse group of community members (residents and business owners) to meet monthly with the Chief of Police to discuss and address community issues and issues related to policing in Pacifica. Solicitation for panel members will begin in May 2022.
OTHER RELATED PROGRESS
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In addition to the work on long-term actions, the Police Department has worked to increase training emphasizing de-escalation tactics. While de-escalation tactics have long been a part of firearm and defensive tactics trainings, in-house instructors continue to address de-escalation in a more emphasized fashion in each training session. Firearms and defensive tactics trainings are conducted to ensure proficiency with firearms and arrest/self-defense techniques.
Department-wide training has also been conducted on the issue of bias and cultural diversity in order to further our commitment to bias-free policing.
Law enforcement response to mental health crisis related incidents have continued to remain at the forefront of Department priorities. The Police Department has continued toward its longstanding goal of having 100% sworn staff members attend Crisis Intervention Training (CIT).
Last year, we reported 81% of officers have been CIT trained. As of this report, 88% of Police Department staff have received this training. The departure of some personnel and the addition of new officers in 2021 has affected this percentage.
The Department has experienced several incidents recently where CIT training as well as participation in numerous mental health and risk assessment programs within San Mateo County has provided for positive outcomes in critical situations. In one example, officers dealt with a male adult that was naked and armed with an axe on the bluff area between Rockaway Beach and Linda Mar Beach. Officers utilized CIT techniques and successfully communicated with the individual to drop the axe and allow officers to assist him in obtaining mental health assistance. In a second serious incident, officers worked for over 24 hours in a case involving a female adult that had stabbed her roommate resulting in serious injury.. After the person refused to come out of the residence and surrender to officers, officers utilized the assistance of a mental health clinician to assess the situation. Based on information obtained, officers were able to develop and successfully implement a plan to take the person into custody in a fashion least likely to further escalate the situation.
Future Opportunities
In 2021, (4) cities in San Mateo County implemented a pilot program where mental health professionals are embedded within their police departments to assist officers with mental health related calls and issues. These professionals are available when needed to neighboring agencies. Daly City and South San Francisco both have mental health professionals embedded within their police departments. The Pacifica Police Department will not hesitate to call upon their services when needed.
Related to the above pilot program, Stanford University is conducting research on the (4) communities that are part of the program. In effort to further research countywide needs, (9) jurisdictions, including Pacifica, have been identified for further research. Completion of an Agreement for data sharing to further this research in is progress. It is the hope of law enforcement in San Mateo County that research will result in the expansion of this important program.
As a continued effort, staff will continue to be looking for opportunities to provide effective, innovative training for officers related to de-escalation, bias, and social justice issues.
RELATION TO CITY COUNCIL GOALS AND WORK PLAN:
Continued staff work in the areas addressed in this report resonate with City Council Goals of An Engaged Community, Healthy and Compassionate Community, and Maintaining a Safe Community.
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April 25, 2022
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact to receiving this report.
ORIGINATED BY:
Police
ATTACHMENT LIST: