Recommendation 48: Add staff positions in the Patrol function.
Some elected officials in the City have expressed reservations about increasing staffing levels in the Police Department. It is the prerogative of the elected body to determine the most effective allocation of resources. However, as long as a patrol function exists in the City of Richmond, it is vital that officers have the capacity to do their jobs effectively and get rest between shifts. Officers who are overworked and who do not have any capacity to build relationships with the community they serve do not effectively meet the needs of anyone in the community, regardless of their views on the role of police. Moreover, this is not a sustainable community policing practice.
The Matrix Consulting Group study reports that RPD patrol officers spent 43,024 hours 80 responding to reactive calls for service in 2021. The Matrix methodology used a 40% proactive policing goal, and, as discussed in the “Proactive Patrol Capacity” section above, the IACP’s methodology is to assume a 33% proactive policing standard.
Under the 33% standard, RPD should allocated approximately 43,000 of patrol officer hours per year to reactive response, 43,000 hours to administrative responsibilities, and 43,000 hours to proact ive policing: approximately 123,000 hours total.
In order to determine approximately how many patrol officers would be needed to create 123,000 hours of capacity, the project team calculated a staffing factor. A staffing factor is the number of FTEs needed to staff one shift 365 days per year. According to leave data provided by the City, between 2021 and 2023 patrol officers took an average of 310 hours of leave per officer per year. The Matrix report also estimates an additional 98 hours per officer per year of
80 Does not include administrative time
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training and court time. Patrol officers are scheduled for approximately 2,086 hours per year, but based on these estimates, they are only on patrol for 1,594 hours.
The following table calculates the staffing factor for 10-hour and 12-hour shifts.
Table 44: Patrol Staffing Factor for 10- and 12-Hour Shifts Shift Hours per Shift
per Year
Hours Worked
per Officer Staffing Factor
12-Hour Shifts 4,380 1,594 2.75
10-Hour Shifts 3,650 1,594 2.29
Based on these factors and based on the assumption that approximately 56% of officers will continue to work 12 - hour shifts (the current configuration), the Department needs a total of 82 patrol officers on duty to meet the 33% proactive policing target. This is 27 more positions than are currently authorized.
It is important to note that the project team did not do an in- depth staffing analysis, and these figures should be considered estimates. However, these calculations suggest that the Matrix report’s recommendation of 31 additional authorized patrol positions is generally appropriate.
Based on this analysis, as well as the overtime hours analysis in the “Overtime” section above, it is recommended that the City increase patrol staffing. The appropriate staffing levels depend on:
• The Department’s policy decision on capacity that should be allocated for proactive policing • If the Department opts to establish a non-sworn Community Service Officer program to respond to some low risk calls for service
• If the Department opts to decrease its minimum staffing levels for patrol officers
For these reasons, this report does not make a specific recommendation for a number of positions. However, both the Matrix Report and this project team’s analysis identified a need for approximately 30 additional positions given the current structure and service levels if the City seeks to get to the 33% proactive model outlined above.
It is important to note that there is already a high level of vacancies in the Department, so increasing authorized staffing alone may not impact actual staffing capacity. However, many RPD officers reported a perception that the City Council wishes to reduce the number of staff in the Department, and that this perception has influenced officers to leave and has deterred potential candidates from applying to the Department. If the City opted to increase staffing, it could change this perception, potentially supporting recruitment and retention. Another important strategy to support recruitment and retention is the development of a robust wellness program, as discussed in Recommendation 51 below.
The estimated cost at the median and with benefits to add 27 Officer positions is $4,254,362.
Recommendation 49: Add at least two Detective positions for additional capacity in the Investigations Bureau.
Employees assigned to the Investigative Division report limited staff capacity has meant that cases referred for investigations must be triaged. As a result, staff focus their time on investigating violent crimes, and many property crimes go uninvestigated. The case closure rate analysis conducted above , along with feedback from staff and the analysis in the Matrix report all suggest that RPD has the opportunity to add staff capacity to investigate property 1229
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crimes. With the additional investigative capacity is also the opportunity to re -assess case assignment based on solvability factors, create generalist detective roles versus specialized focus areas, and the ability to leverage civilian crime analysis to improve clearance rates.
It is important that RPD focus appropriate resources on investigating violent crimes. These crimes have the largest impact on overall community safety. However, property crimes are generally more common, and therefore are more likely to impact the average person in the community. This means that how RPD handles property crimes is more likely to influence the community’s perception of the Department than how it handles violent crimes. Property crimes also have a significant impact on quality of life. A person who has their car or bicycle stolen may have lost their only means of transportation. A person whose home has been burglarized may lose their sense of security.
For these reasons, it is recommended that RPD increase its staff capacity in the Investigations Bureau to address property crime more comprehensively. At least two Detective positions should be created, with a dedicated focus on property crimes. Additionally, case deferral and case closure rates by t ype of crime should be carefully tracked to evaluate how well existing investigative capacity is able to meet the community needs.
The estimated median cost with benefits for two positions is $315,138.
OPERATIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS
The recommendations below offer suggestions to improve operational efficiency and effectiveness.
Recommendation 50: Evaluate service levels in light of current staff capacity.
RPD has traditionally provided a high level of service to the community. However, as discussed in the “Staffing Level History” section above, RPD’s capacity to provide that service has dramatically decreased in recent years.
Between FY2020 and FY2024, RPD staffing was reduced by 36 positions, 33 of which were sworn. This reduction, plus the Department’s average of 50 vacancies at any given time, means that the Department is operating with 86 fewer positions than were authorized in FY2020. The current model of meeting minimum staffing requirements through significant reliance on overtime is not sustainable. Some Department services go unmet and most importantly, staff and community safety risk are elevated.
The reduction in current staffing levels is significant, and it is important that the Department comprehensively evaluate the level of service that can be provided with this staffing complement. RPD has already taken some steps, such as eliminating certain programs, but it still offers a high level of some core services. For example, even as staffing levels have been reduced, it has maintained a minimum patrol staffing level of nine officers on duty at any given time. As a result, between January and July 2 023, the Department maintained an average response time of 13 minutes or less, even for the lowest-priority incidents. 81 Timely response is important, but with current staffing levels, RPD can only achieve that response time by diverting resources from the Investigations Bureau, impacting case closure rates, and by relying on mandatory overtime, impacting officer effectiveness, morale, and retention.
Recommendation 48 above discusses increases to patrol staffing levels, but any increases will take time to implement, and it will likely be a long time before there are any meaningful increases to patrol staffing capacity. In the meantime, RPD should consider reducing minimum staffing levels or consolidating beat patrols to better balance officer workload.
Other opportunities to consider changes to service levels include:
81 “Richmond Police Department Crime Information Bulletin.” August 9, 2023. 1230
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Reducing the hours of the Records Bureau and moving away from 24/7 staffing. Since the pandemic, there has been some reduction in staff that have not allowed the unit to provide 24/7 service. It may be time to permanently adjust service hours.
Evaluating the benefits of providing services to other communities like El Cerrito, considering the staff capacity to provide these services.
Evaluating opportunities to allocate response to some low-risk calls for service to non-sworn Community Service Officers.
Service levels can be restored when there is greater staffing capacity and other available resources, but implementing these changes in the short term will help create a more sustainable workload across the Department. When determining where to make changes, the Department should rely on analytics such as those provided by the Crime Analyst in the Detective Bureau to understand where to target staff capacity to have the greatest impact, as well as where service levels could be reduced and reallocated elsewhere.
Recommendation 51: Cultivate a culture of wellness throughout the Police Department.
Staff wellness is a key component of a high -functioning police department. Officers, Dispatchers, and other employees are regularly exposed to dangerous, upsetting, and stressful situations. It is vital that police departments take steps to support these employees’ physical, mental, and emotional health. If employees are struggling, they may be less effective in their jobs, and more likely to leave and seek employment elsewhere.
RPD already has some wellness initiatives in place. The Department operates a peer support program, and contracts with mental health professionals. Staff are allowed between 10 and 20 free visits per year. 82 Officers can also take up
to 60 minutes additional time at lunch for exercise. The Department is also currently surveying its staff to help gauge current wellness and plans to institute additional programs based on this feedback.
The recommendations for additional staffing will help promote wellness by reducing the Department’s reliance on overtime and allowing officers to have more rest between shifts . The Department is also to be commended for the wellness initiatives that it already has in place and for its proactive efforts to understand employee wellness and build a program based on staff needs . It is important to foster a comprehensive culture of wellness across the entire department, including both sworn and non-sworn employees.
The Department of Justice recommends that a comprehensive wellness program be built around the following strategies:
83 Eliminate stigma surrounding mental health and other barriers to help -seeking. While RPD offers mental health services, staff report that many are unaware that these options exist, and that some fear being seen as weak for seeking out support. Stigma around seeking out support is common, and the Department can combat that by promoting these services regularly and working to normalize them in the organizational culture. Confidentiality for employees utilizing these services should be prioritized, as it mini mizes the stigma around seeking support.
82 10 for non-sworn staff, 20 for sworn staff
83https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-05/Sec.%204%28a%29%20- Report%20on%20Best%20Practices%20to%20Advance%20Officer%20Wellness_FINAL.pdf
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Demonstrate leadership and prioritize psychological health and well- being. RPD leadership have already taken steps to demonstrate their commitment to wellness through existing programs and by surveying staff on their wellness needs. It is important for leadership to regularly demonstrate a commitment to wellness by offering comprehensive programming and by ensuring that staff have the capacity to take advantage of it. If services are offered, but staff cannot take time away from their jobs to use these services, then the services are not effective.
It is also important for leadership at the Citywide level to demonstrate their support for RPD staff. There is a perception among many employees that the City Council does not care about the wellbeing of RPD officers, and this perception impacts morale, as well as recruitment and retention.
Utilize policy to advance health and well-being. While RPD’s policy manual includes a Wellness section with information on the peer support program, physical wellness, and debriefing after critical incidents, there may be opportunities to enhance this section to ensure that it is more comprehensive. For example, there is nothing in the section about access to mental health support. Additionally, while the section discusses holding debriefs after critical incidents, there is no language about securing employees’ ability to attend those debriefs. In interviews, some employees mentioned being unable to attend debriefs because of their work schedule, which should be avoided whenever possible.
Strengthen protections against stressors, trauma, and negative health outcomes. The RPD policy m anual states that employees are to be regularly trained on wellness topics like recognizing mental distress , combatting sleep deprivation, trauma reactions, and anger management. It is important for RPD to regularly offer training courses on these topics and to track how often they are offered. Additionally, R PD should publicize and promote its mental health visits as a tool to help manage stress; it is important that staff have the physical tools they need to maintain wellness, including access to exercise equipment and access to quiet wellness areas, separate from any communal rooms or break rooms.
Establishing a comprehensive wellness program that aligns with these best practices will help bolster staff efficacy and encourage retention. A comprehensive wellness program is also an effective recruitment tool, because it helps demonstrate the Department’s commitment to its employees.
Recommendation 52: Explore opportunities to regionalize or contract out some dispatch services.
As previously discussed, the Communications Center faces some of the same vacancy and overtime challenges as the Patrol Bureau. However, while staff report that vacancy challenges among sworn staff are relatively recent, spurred by the national climate after the murder of George Floyd and the City Council’s perceived lack of support, staff in the Communications Center report that recruitment and retention have been a longstanding issue. Receiving and dispatching calls requires individuals with a specific skillset, including the ability to remember specific protocols, the ability to quickly respond to ongoing situations, and the ability to remain calm under stressful or upsetting situations. Many prospective Dispatchers are unable to meet these requirements or, if they do, eventually move on to become a police officer or take another public safety r ole. A robust onboarding and training program for new dispatchers is vital. Early in their employment, they need to feel adequately supported to perform job responsibilities.
There may be some steps that the Department can take to encourage recruitment and retention in the Communications Center. The wellness program discussed in Recommendation 51 above, for example, should include Dispatchers, and they should be offered support after particularly challenging calls. Another consideration may be to create dedicated Call Taker positions, who answer emergency calls but are not responsible for dispatching services. These positions require a narrower range of skills, potentially increasing the pool of potential candidates. 1232
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However, given the longstanding challenges with recruitment and retention, the City should also explore opportunities to regionalize Dispatch services. Regional dispatch centers create efficiency, because staff can be allocated to the areas of highest need . They also have greater capacity to provide structured recruitment, training, and quality assurance programs, helping reduce turnover and ensure call consistency. Additionally, a larger dispatch function may offer more opportunities for advancement, encouraging retention and professional development.
A regionalized dispatch function will require buy -in from one or more neighboring communities, but it is an important strategy for the Department to explore moving forward.
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Conclusion
This workload analysis was undertaken to answer the State Auditor’s question as to the necessity of the City’s vacant positions, to assess staffing and service levels, and to identify opportunities to enhance succession planning and operational efficiency and effectiveness based upon a high-level review of all departments. The recommendations in this report were developed to build upon the City’s already high service level and community-focused approach to providing municipal services. It is fortunate to be staffed with employees, many of whom live in the City, who care deeply about the community and are passionate about meeting the community's expectations.
The City’s current menu of programs and services, combined with decreased authorized staffing levels in some areas and increased vacancies, has stretched remaining staff. For the past three years, the City has continued to provide service with just 82% of total authorized staff positions in place. This, combined with mandatory overtime and increasing service demands in some areas, has taxed remaining staff and lowered morale. The potential retirement of many senior staff members requires focus on the development of new leaders. Turnover requires the City to consider how best to recruit and retain new employees to continue the provision of services to residents.
In order to provide high-quality service for all existing City programs and services, the City should focus first upon filling the existing vacancies to get back to fuller staffing levels and provide some relief for other staff. In order to provide its current menu of services at a high level, the City will need an investment of approximately $12.5 million in additional staff positions. Some of this cost can be offset through increased grants and user charges and fees. In no case should additional staff pos itions be added without the knowledge of ongoing financial resources available to support them over the long term.
The total cost of the additional recommended 74 new positions is $12,532,145 as estimated in Table 45 below. These estimates are based upon the salary midpoint for each position plus the City’s 80% benefits multiplier (e.g., 1.8 times the midpoint salary). Information as to which positions in the City are funded outside the General Fund was unavailable during this review; it is likely that the cost of some positions can be offset through alternative revenues such as grants or user fees and charges.
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CITYWIDE WORKFORCE ANALYSIS 111
Table 45: Summary of Estimated New Position Costs
Department Position/Description Number of
FTEs
Estimated Cost
at Step 3
at 80%
Benefits
Community Development
Building Inspector 1.00 $157,569
Plan Check Engineer 1.00 $203,707
Code Enforcement Officer 3.00 $430,552
Assistant Planner - Transportation 1.00 $157,152
Economic Development Senior Business Assistance Officer 1.00 $251,658 Community Services
Recreation Program Coordinator 10.00 $1,312,157
Auditorium Leadworker 1.00 $131,216
Library Assistant II 3.00 $360,318
Management Analyst - Transportation Services 1.00 $189,074 Internal Services
Network & Systems Specialist II – Project Management 1.00 $207,745 Accountant II - Finance Grants Office 2.00 $378,148
Public Works Supervisor - Painters and Carpenters Crew 1.00 $207,745 Management Analyst - Contract Management 1.00 $189,074 Fire Department Firefighter 18.00 $3,786,531
Police Department
Officers – Patrol 27.00 $4,254,362
Detective - Investigations Bureau 2.00 $315,138
TOTAL 74.00 $12,532,145
While an in-depth financial analysis was outside of the scope of this review, we believe the City will need to reassess and identify those programs and services for which it no longer has the financial resources to offer. Service can be provided to residents using alternative models such as the County, local non-profits, or through regionalization and shared services with neighboring agencies. Investments in information technology to automate processes and improve data-driven management and performance tracking are encouraged to optimize operations.
Using this report as a guide, the City will be able to continue to improve operations and services for the benefit of the Richmond community. Prioritization of these recommendations and thoughtful, planned implementation will ensure ongoing service to residents in balance with the City’s finite financial resources and thought to its long-term financial sustainability.
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June 4, 2024
DATE: June 4, 2024
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Vice-Mayor, Claudia Jimenez, Councilmember Gayle
McLaughlin, and Councilmember Doria Robinson
Subject:
Traffic Calming Division within the Department of Public Works
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The hiring of 2 Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) in Public Works
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
The City Council allocated $1.2 million to create the initial traffic calming program and given the demand for
additional projects, $1.6 million is proposed in the draft FY 2024-25 Budget.
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
In 2022, the Council approved allocating $1.2 million to traffic calming projects. This led to a new traffic calming program to address the community's street safety
concerns. Since we want the program to work and timely
address residents' street safety concerns, P ublic Works requires additional capacity . The creation of a Traffic Calming Division will enable the Department of Public
Works to implement projects in time ly manner thereby
improving responsiveness to Richmond residents.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: RECEIVE a presentation outlining the proposal to create a Traffic Calming Division within the Department of Public Works to address street, pedestrian, and bicycle safety concerns in the City; and DIRECT the allocation of funds to hire 2 Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) in the Department of Public Works to manage the street calming, complete
streets in an integrated and environmentally sustainable manner – Vice Mayor Claudia Jimenez (510-620-6565),
Councilmembers Gayle McLaughlin (510-620-6636) and
Doria Robinson (510-620-6568).
AGENDA REPORT
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June 4, 2024
DISCUSSION:
In 2022, the City Council approved the allocation of $1.2 million dollars for street calming projects. Department of Public Works staff then proposed creating a Street Calming program where residents would have the opportunity to submit locations that need interventions to make them safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. Staff created a prioritization matrix to choose which intersections and locations to work on first. Using the matrix, the City Council approved the first 18 locations for Public Works staff to commence work. On May 28, after several meetings in which the City Council asked for information on when the 18 projects will be implemented, staff presented a detailed plan and timeline. All 18 projects are anticipated to be completed by the end of 2024.
Once the Initial 18 projects are completed, the City will begin another round of new projects. Still, better infrastructure within the Department of Public Works is needed to support this effort and move forward promptly. Staff created a website that enables residents to submit locations for improvement. Thus far, more than 300 locations have been submitted. Qualified personnel are necessary to manage the work of the street calming program.
Richmond residents increasingly advocate for traffic measures to reduce speeds and support street safety for pedestrians and cyclists. Addressing these safety issues requires a dedicated approach integrating planning, engineering, environmental sustainability, and community engagement. The establishment of a Traffic Calming Division will focus on creating safer streets and promoting sustainable solutions. It will also plan what new streets in Richmond will look like and how we can use opportunities such as street paving funding to improve street safety conditions.
The proposed Division could focus on traffic safety planning, infrastructure improvements, community outreach, coordination with existing city departments and external agencies, and help to move projects towards complete streets and green infrastructure while also addressing street safety concerns and adding capacity to research and attain state and federal funding available for these innovative projects. Dedicated staff will ensure that the City’s infrastructure meets current and future demands, aligning with a broader urban development goal, and maintain close communication with residents to address their traffic safety concerns. 1237