450 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond, CA 94804-1630
Telephone: (510) 620-6512 Fax: (510) 620-6542 www.ci.richmond.ca.us CITY MANAGER’S OFFICE
July 2, 2025
Peter Appert, Foreperson
2024-2025 Contra Costa County Grand Jury
725 Court Street
P.O. Box 431
Martinez, CA 94553-0091
RE: City of Richmond’s Response to Grand Jury Report 2503 – Staffing Challenges Facing the Richmond Police Department: Diminishing Funds and Fewer Officers
Dear Foreperson Appert:
In accordance with California Penal Code Sections 933.05(a) and 933.05(b), please find below the response of the City of Richmond to the findings and recommendations of the Grand Jury. The responses from the Richmond City Council and Richmond Chief of Police are listed separately, in italics directly below each finding or recommendation.
FINDINGS
1. Despite a decrease in absolute number of homicides from 18 to 11, violent crimes in Richmond, which include homicide, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault have increased from 2021-2024.
Richmond City Council Response: The City agrees with the finding.
Richmond Police Chief Response: The Chief agrees with the finding.
2. In 2021, the City of Richmond reallocated $3 million in Richmond Police Department (RPD) funding to community services and alternative policing proposals in Richmond.
Richmond City Council Response: The City agrees with the finding.
Richmond Police Chief Response: The Chief agrees with the finding.
3. The City received two expert reports that studied staffing levels in Richmond, the Matrix report (March 2023) and the Raftelis report (May 2024).
Response: The City agrees with the finding.
Richmond Police Chief Response: The Chief agrees with the finding.
CoR Response – RPD Staffing Challenges
4. Both the Matrix and Raftelis reports found that there should be an increase in RPD sworn officers.
Richmond City Council Response: The City agrees with this finding.
Richmond Police Chief Response: The Chief agrees with this finding.
5. The City Council has not taken any action on police staffing as recommended in the Matrix and Raftelis reports.
Richmond City Council Response: The City disagrees with this finding. The City implemented a comprehensive virtual marketing campaign for Public Safety positions, which included social media outreach. The campaign was successful and resulted in over forty hires in 2022 and 2023, and 24 vacancies as of May 31, 2025. The City plans to implement another more robust campaign this year.
In addition, the City provided 21% raises between 2022 and 2025, as well as other incentives such as the ability to take home police vehicles.
Richmond Police Chief Response: The Chief agrees with the finding.
6. An improvement in recruiting measures has resulted in an increase of hiring of new RPD officers, although staffing remains below approved levels.
Richmond City Council Response: The City agrees with the finding.
Richmond Police Chief Response: The Chief agrees with the finding.
7. The RPD has the ability to train only 10 new officers at a time, using the available Field Training Officers, resulting in a limitation on the number of officers that could be hired.
Richmond City Council Response: The City partially disagrees with this finding.
As officers gain experience, they can become Field Training Officers.
Richmond Police Chief Response: The Chief partially disagrees with this finding.
As new officers gain experience there is the potential to add officers to RPD’s training cadre. RPD hopes to increase the number of trainers in the coming year.
8. Reallocation of RPD funds resulted in the downsizing or elimination of specialized investigative units.
Richmond City Council Response: The City disagrees with the finding. The reallocation of RPD funds was not the sole determining factor in the need to CoR Response – RPD Staffing Challenges
downsize or eliminate specialized investigative units. This could have occurred due to the lack of candidates interested in the police profession, internal decisions regarding staffing, budget constraints, timing of hiring, onboarding and training RPD staff, etc.
Richmond Police Chief Response: The Chief agrees with the finding.
9. Since the reallocation of RPD funds, mandatory overtime for police officers has increased.
Richmond City Council Response: The City partially disagrees with the finding.
The need for overtime can vary due to several factors such as staffing levels and community demands. While the overtime for police officers has increased each year from FY 2020-21 to FY 2023-24, it is notable that similar increases in overtime occurred pre-COVID between FY 2017-18 and FY 2020-21.
Richmond Police Chief Response: The Chief agrees with the finding.
10. Subsequent to the reallocation of RPD funds in 2021 the City Council approved the formation of the Community Crisis Response Program (CCRP).
Richmond City Council Response: The City agrees with the finding.
Richmond Police Chief Response: The Chief agrees with the finding.
11. The CCRP was formed to respond to calls involving mental health and quality of life incidents not requiring the RPD.
Richmond City Council Response: The City partially disagrees with the finding.
As shown below, the September 13, 2023, staff report provided an overview of what the Community Crisis Response Program could entail.
CCRP provides a diversion model to reduce reliance on police and criminal justice responses by offering a public health response. A proposed CCRP program would provide an opportunity to improve access to mental health and other community services in Richmond and would also navigate people to the right services at the right time by utilizing community responders with strong ties and connections to Richmond that can respond in a respectful and non-stigmatizing manner.
Some of the desired impacts of CCRP are to reduce the engagement of frequent utilizers of emergency services with Richmond Police Department (RPD) and Richmond Fire Department (RFD); reduce the number of behavioral health and lower acuity calls traditionally responded to by the RPD and RFD; and provide communities with a supportive response CoR Response – RPD Staffing Challenges
option that enables connection to services. CCRP is an opportunity to provide community-focused, trauma-informed, and healing-centered call responses by well-trained non-police personnel who can increase impacted individuals’ access and connection to timely, appropriate and safe community-based services and resources.
The specific types of calls will be developed by the key stakeholders (CCRP staff, RPD, RFD and 911 dispatchers).
Beginning in March 2025, CCRP staff convened a working group which meets twice monthly to share updates and receive feedback, suggestions, and directions from front line and command staff from both RPD and RFD, as well as other city staff. The group is working together to determine the type of calls best suited for CCRP. There is an understanding that working with RPD, on specific types of calls and under certain circumstances, will be necessary to best meet the needs of the community. The expected outcome is to launch the program with a solid foundation that is inclusive and considerate of all city and county departments to integrate and ultimately sustain the CCRP program within the city service structure.
Richmond Police Chief Response: Please refer to the City Council’s response regarding this finding.
12. As of April 2025, the CCRP is staffed with three people, a program manager and two staffers.
Richmond City Council Response: The City partially disagrees with the finding.
As of April 2025, the CCRP is staffed with two (2) full-time employees, including a program manager and an administrative analyst. A student administrative intern provides additional support on a part-time basis.
Richmond Police Chief Response: Please refer to the City’s response regarding this finding.
13. As of April 2025, the CCRP is not receiving calls for service via police dispatch.
Richmond City Council Response: The City agrees with the finding.
Richmond Police Chief Response: The Chief agrees with the finding.
CoR Response – RPD Staffing Challenges
14. The need for agreement between the City and RPOA on duties to be performed and union representation of the CCRP is contributing to CCRP’s slow rollout.
Richmond City Council Response: The City partially disagrees with the finding.
The City acknowledges that the unit determination matter paused progress with regards to hiring for the Community Intervention Specialist for approximately one year. However, it was resolved by a City Council vote at a Public Hearing on April 22, 2025.
Richmond Police Chief Response: The Chief partially disagrees with the finding.
This issue has now been resolved and the CCRP is continuing with the rollout process.
15. As a result of a legal settlement between the City and Chevron Corporation, $550 million will be coming to the City of Richmond over the next 10 years, starting in June 2025, resulting in increased revenue for the City.
Richmond City Council Response: The City partially disagrees with the finding.
The City will receive revenue from Chevron starting in July 2025. In addition, the settlement funds are one-time money (starting in July 2025 and ending in 10 years). Staffing costs are not one-time costs, but ongoing and continuous costs.
It would not be fiscally responsible for the City Council to spend one-time money on ongoing costs.
Richmond Police Chief Response: Please refer to the City Council’s response regarding this finding.
16. As of April 2025, The City Council has not determined how any of the Chevron settlement funds will be used.
Richmond City Council Response: The City agrees with the finding.
Richmond Police Chief Response: The Chief agrees with the finding.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. By January 1, 2026, the City Council should consider placing a review of the Matrix and Raftelis reports on a City Council agenda.
Richmond City Council Response: The recommendation has been implemented.
The City Council received and reviewed reports and presentations from the Matrix Consulting Group (Matrix) and Raftelis Financial Consultants (Raftelis) CoR Response – RPD Staffing Challenges
during open session. The report from Matrix was presented to City Council on September 12, 2023. The report from Raftelis was presented on June 25, 2024.
Richmond Police Chief Response: The recommendation has not yet been implemented but may be implemented in the fall.
2. By January 1, 2026, after a City Council meeting review of the reports, the City Council should consider following the recommendations for police officer staffing and hiring made in the Matrix and Raftelis reports.
Richmond City Council Response: The recommendation requires further analysis. The City faces fiscal uncertainty, such as potential federal funding cuts due to its status as a Sanctuary City. To maintain financial stability and continue providing services, the City will need to compare budget to actual expenditures carefully. Additionally, the City should prioritize filling existing vacancies.
Additional vacancies must be added strategically otherwise an influx of new positions could strain the budget and leave positions unfilled due to economic factors.
Richmond Police Chief Response: The recommendation requires further analysis. City Council will need to assess the feasibility of adding additional staff to include a fiscal assessment.
3. By January 1, 2026, the City Council should consider directing the City Manager to establish a timeline to implement the operations and functions of the CCRP.
Richmond City Council Response: The recommendation has been implemented.
The City has continued the rollout process of CCRP. The Community Intervention Specialist (CIS) recruitment is in process. It is anticipated that CIS positions will be filled, training will commence, some vehicles will be available, and the call types for CCRP will be determined. Therefore, City staff estimate that the CCRP should be operational within the first quarter of 2026.
Richmond Police Chief Response: Please refer to the City Council’s response regarding this finding.
4. By January 1, 2026, the City Council should consider directing the City Manager to work with the RPD to establish a training program for dispatchers to enable dispatchers to properly send appropriate personnel to incidents for CCRP and RPD.
Richmond City Council Response: The recommendation has not yet been implemented. Planning for the training of the dispatchers is underway.
CoR Response – RPD Staffing Challenges
Richmond Police Chief Response: This recommendation has not yet been implemented; however, the planning process is underway for dispatcher training as it relates to the CCRP.
5. By January 1, 2026, the City Council should consider directing the City Manager to work with the RPD to develop a plan to increase the number of Field Training Officers.
Richmond City Council Response: The recommendation has not yet been implemented. The City Manager will work with the Police Chief to develop a plan on how to increase the number of Field Training Officers by the end of the calendar year 2025.
Richmond Police Chief Response: This recommendation has not been implemented but the Police Chief will make recommendations on how to increase the training cadre, to the City Manager, by September 30, 2025.
6. By January 1, 2026, the City Council should consider directing the City Manager to work with the RPD to establish a plan to reduce officer mandatory overtime.
Richmond City Council Response: The recommendation has been implemented.
The City Manager is currently working with the Police Chief regarding the reduction of mandatory overtime.
Richmond Police Chief Response: This recommendation has been implemented. The City Manager and Police Chief have monthly meetings that include strategies to reduce overtime.
7. By January 1, 2026, the City Council should consider whether to allocate some of the Chevron Corporation settlement funds to the RPD to hire and retain more officers.
Richmond City Council Response: The recommendation will not be implemented.
The Chevron Corporation settlement funds are one-time money (starting in July 2025 and ending in 10 years). Staffing costs are not one-time costs, but ongoing and continuous costs. It would not be fiscally responsible for the City Council to spend one-time money on ongoing costs.
Richmond Police Chief Response: This recommendation has not been implemented and requires additional analysis.
_________________
CoR Response – RPD Staffing Challenges
The Richmond City Council reviewed and approved these responses at their meeting on July 1, 2025. Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this very important issue.
Please contact me at (510) 620-6512 or at [email protected] if you have any additional questions.
Respectfully,
Shasa Curl
City Manager
cc: Eduardo Martinez, Mayor
Dave Aleshire, City Attorney
Bisa French, Chief of Police