RICHMOND POLICE DEPARMENT
STAFFING UPDATE DECEMBER, 2021
ACTING CHIEF LOUIE TIRONA
1 OVERVIEW
• Historical staffing comparisons
• 2021 sworn staffing separations
• Current staffing situation
• 2022 priorities, modifications and resource allocation • Recruiting efforts
2 OUR MISSION
The mission of the Richmond Police Department is to prevent crime and maintain order. We work in partnership with our diverse community to help solve neighborhood problems and improve the quality of life in Richmond. We will perform in a manner that promotes public trust, confidence and a sense of safety and security.
OUR VALUES
Integrity, Professionalism, Service, Leadership and Respect We hold these Core Values as fundamental beliefs that form the foundation on which we perform work and conduct ourselves. They require constant abidance in an ever- changing world. They are practices we strive to use everyday in everything we do. 3 196
188 182 177 178 178
157
145
182 182
167 169 168 164
149
130
0 50
100
150
200
250
FY 2014-2015 FY 2015-2016 FY 2016-2017 FY 2017-2018 FY 2018-2019 FY 2019-2020 FY 2020-2021 FY 2021-2022 SWORN POSITIONS BUDGETED VS. ACTUAL
Budgeted Actual
4 1
1 1
1 2
2 2
10 0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Sonoma County
El Cerrito
Sacramento
Nevada County
Pittsburg
Antioch
San Pablo
Retired
2021 SWORN SEPARATIONS
5 CURRENT STAFFING SITUATION
Current vacancies are the result of separations that occurred after the beginning of this current fiscal year in addition to beginning the year with two carry-over management level vacancies.
Additionally, we currently have fourteen sworn personnel on injury leave, four sworn personnel on long term sick leave and three sworn personnel on modified duty.
RETIREMENT ANALYSIS
Currently, 21 officers are eligible for retirement.
By December 2023, 33 current sworn personnel will be eligible for retirement. 6 2022 PRIORITIRES 7
• Staffing patrol to provide the greatest level of direct action service to the community
• Enhanced training for our officers
• Comprehensive investigations will be a priority for patrol officers due to changes in Investigative resource allocation
• Policy development, updates and legislative compliance will be a priority • Development of an improved return to work program for injured employees • Retention, Recruiting and Hiring
2022 MODIFICATIONS
• Regulatory Unit will be eliminated, services transferred to Code Enforcement.
• Robbery and Property Units will be combined under one unit, the General Crimes Unit.
• Crime and Violence Reduction Team personnel are being transferred back to patrol with one sergeant focused on intelligence gathering and information sharing for focused patrol/investigative efforts.
• Specialty units such as Traffic and Youth Services will maintain vacancies. • An analysis of calls for service and resolutions will be conducted to better inform our efforts.
8 2022 SWORN DEPLOYMENT
Patrol
1 Captain
5 Lieutenants
12 Sergeants
54 Officers
2 Trainees
Traffic
1 Sergeant
4 Officers
Investigations
1 Vacant Captain
1 Lieutenant
5 Sergeants
16 Detectives
Administrative
1 Chief of Police
1 Assistant Chief
1 Captain
1 Lieutenant
5 Sergeants (Admin, Records,
Policy Review/Development and
the Office of Professional
Accountability)
3 Officers (one assigned to the jail)
9 72 Patrol
23 Investigations
12 Admin
2 Training 16 Injured
5 Traffic
2022 SWORN PERSONNEL
ALLOCATION
Patrol Investigations Administration Training Injured Traffic 10 65 Patrol
32 Investigations
10 Admin
2 Training 16 Injured
5 Traffic
2021 SWORN PERSONNEL
ALLOCATION
Patrol Investigation Administrative Training Injured Traffic
RETENTION, RECRUITING AND HIRING
National Climate
1. Do people even want this career?
Regional Challenges
1. Comparative Pay and Benefits
Local Challenges
1. Why do candidates not choose Richmond?
11 “In 2020, there were more assaults and murders of police nationally than any other previous year, and the increase has been steep and swift. There were 4,071 more officers assaulted in 2020 than 2019, according to the FBI’s Law Enforcement Officer Killings and Assaults database.” CPR News, 11/2/21
“Nationwide, interest in becoming a police officer is down significantly. In Nashville, job applications dropped from 4,700 in 2010 to 1,900 last year. In Seattle, applications have declined by nearly 50 percent in a department where the starting salary is $79,000.” Washington Post, 12/4/18
“In many places, police morale has plunged and retirements and resignations have soared. A June survey of nearly 200 departments by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), a nonprofit think tank, shows a startling 45% increase in the retirement rate and a nearly 20% increase in resignations in 2020-21 compared to the previous year.” NPR, 6/24/21 NATIONAL CLIMATE 12
REGIONAL CHALLENGES
BART PD - $15,000 hiring bonus
Trainee pay $72,900/year
Alameda Sheriff - $10,000 to $15,000 hiring bonus
Trainee pay $80,891/year
Contra Costa SO -$3,000 hiring bonus
Trainee pay $52,390/year
RICHMOND PD – No hiring bonus
Trainee pay $48,000/year
13 REASONS FOR WITHDRAWALS FROM OUR TESTING PROCESS
Compensation and benefit package at RPD lacking compared to other like-sized police agencies.
New hire pay is significantly less than comparable police agencies.
The perception that there is a lack of support from the city leadership.
Concern over reprisals and retaliation from the city leadership regarding complaints. “Your city is probably going to lay off officers next contract.” “I’m going to work for an agency where police work is still respected.” 14 245
86 81
117
72 43
11 7 7
0 50
100
150
200
250
300
2019 2020 2021
POLICE OFFICER CANDIDATES
NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS RECEIVED NUMBER OF CANDIDATES PROCESSED CANDIDATES HIRED 15 RECRUITING EFFORTS
16 CENTRALIZED “RECRUITING” PAGE FOR CANDIDATES– JoinRichmondPD.com • Basic overview of positions (Trainee, Academy Grad, Lateral) • Benefits/Perks of Richmond PD
• FAQs, including minimum qualifications, hiring process overview
GOALS OF THE RECRUITING SITE
• Answer candidates’ common questions
• Engage with candidates! “Why Richmond PD?”
17 Immediate Action:
• Coordinate anticipated timeline of application and testing dates • Gather and create visual content
• Identify anticipated audience groups
• Edit and revise COR site and recruiting website
Intermediate Action:
• Identify and attend recruiting events, specific to target audiences • Launch campaign on media and/or ad sites
• Market Richmond as an attractive community for candidates • Gather applications and facilitate testing processes
• Hiring procedure – documentation and revision
Future Action:
Ongoing – Assess results and revise as necessary
18 FINAL THOUGHTS
Barry Kinsberg, a senior fellow at the University of California at Berkeley law school was quoted in 2015, “If you were looking for what police ought to do, I would send you to Richmond.” Additionally, the department was described as a “model of community policing.”
Loretta Lynch, former President Obama’s Attorney General, even visited Richmond PD to highlight the department as a national example of community policing. She is quoted as saying, “Through the Richmond Police Department’s community policing model, you are showing how developing positive relationships between law enforcement officers and the residents, businesses, schools, faith organizations and community groups in their jurisdiction can create benefits for the entire community.” We are still the same department with many of the same employees who implemented the strategies that garnered national acclaim. We are committed to the mission of providing exemplary policing services to the Richmond community.
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