TO: HONORABLE MAYOR FROM: Lee Wilcox
AND CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT: SEE BELOW DATE: August 15, 2023
Approved Date
8/16/23
SUBJECT: POLICE DEPARTMENT REFORM AND OPERATIONAL
IMPROVEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS STATUS REPORT
SUPPLEMENTAL
REASON FOR SUPPLEMENTAL
At the May 18, 2023 Public Safety, Finance, and Strategic Support (PSFSS) Committee meeting, the Police Department brought forward a report on the status of police reform efforts and other efforts for operational improvement. As part of that report, staff in the City Manager’s Office provided an update on three planned projects that advance recommendations from the Reimagining Public Safety Community Advisory Committee (Reimagining Committee). At the time of the May PSFSS meeting, work plans and timelines for these projects had not yet been established; however, in the intervening time, staff established work plans and commenced work on these projects. This memorandum provides an update on the work plans and timelines for these projects.
BACKGROUND
The Reimagining Committee was a community-led body that developed a set of recommendations related to police reform and alternative approaches to public safety that do not involve the police. These recommendations were transmitted in a report to the City Council 1 at
the May 10, 2022 City Council meeting.
Staff in the City Manager’s Office began engaging members of the Racial Equity Action Leadership (REAL) Coalition in early 2023 to determine which of the recommendations from the Reimagining Committee should be prioritized for additional research and implementation. As a result of these discussions, and pursuant to direction from the City Council as part of the budget process, staff identified three priority projects for the 2023-2024 Fiscal Year: 1) community-based solutions to domestic violence, 2) 911 Call Analysis, and 3) local government
1 Item 4.2 from the May 10, 2022 City Council meeting can be found at the following address:
sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=10860951&GUID=67148606-483F-4E54-B28F-3492A9FD7886 COUNCIL AGENDA: 8/22/23
FILE: 23-1089
ITEM: 4.1
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
August 15, 2023
Subject: Police Department Reform and Operational Improvement Recommendations Status Report
violence prevention research. This memorandum provides brief descriptions and work plans for each of these projects.
ANALYSIS
Community-Based Solutions to Domestic Violence
As directed in the Mayor’s March Budget Message for Fiscal Year 2023-2024, and subsequent approval and direction from the City Council, $400,000 was included in the 2023-2024 Adopted Operating Budget for a Community-Based Solutions to Domestic Violence program. This project was inspired by Recommendation 9 from the Reimagining Committee’s final report, which proposed engaging residents across the community to prevent violence through community trainings and provision of community-based services and resources. Using the budgeted funds, staff will procure a consultant to develop a service model and tools needed to implement a community-based violence prevention and intervention program. The consultant will conduct a public outreach process as part of the program development, to ensure that survivors of domestic violence and other interested community members are able to help shape the program. After the consultant’s work is completed, the remaining funds may be used to support a pilot program implementing the service model developed by the consultant.
The below work plan extends to the point at which staff brings a consultant under contract. The project approach from that point forward will be determined by the work plan jointly developed by the consultant and the City. Staff will provide an update on the status of this project and overview of the consultant work plan as part of the annual report to the PSFSS Committee on the status of police reform efforts in spring of 2024.
Community-Based Solutions to Domestic Violence Work Plan
Task Description Timeframe
Initial Research Staff is currently conducting initial
research on community-based
approaches to domestic violence
used by other cities to help inform
drafting of the Request for Proposal
(RFP).
August 2023
Draft RFP Staff will draft an RFP that outlines
requirements for a consultant to
conduct community outreach and
develop a proposed program.
September-October 2023
Issue RFP Staff anticipates issuing the RFP by
the end of October 2023.
October 2023
Accept Proposer
Responses
Staff will answer questions from
potential proposers and accept
responses to the RFP.
November 2023-December
2023
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
August 15, 2023
Subject: Police Department Reform and Operational Improvement Recommendations Status Report
Task Description Timeframe
Evaluate RFP
Responses
Staff will establish an RFP review
panel, score the RFP responses, and
select a consultant.
January-February 2024
Negotiate and
Execute Consultant
Contract
Staff anticipates having a consultant
under contract by March of 2024.
March 2024
PSFSS Committee
Update
Staff will update the PSFSS
Committee on the status of this
project and the consultant work plan
as part of the annual update on the
status of police reform efforts.
May 2024
911 Call Analysis
The Council approved Mayor’s March Budget Message recommended, and the City Council approved direction, to initiate an analysis of 911 calls received by the Police Department. The purpose of this analysis is to identify calls that might be assigned to alternative responders, including in partnership with the County of Santa Clara and other service providers, and to evaluate potential staffing and cost implications. This project aligns with several Reimagining Committee recommendations, in particular Recommendation 1, which involves an alternative service model for responding to mental health issues, and Recommendation 3, which involves alternative models for responding to homeless individuals.
911 Call Analysis Work Plan
Task Description Timeframe
Best-Practices
Research
Staff will conduct research on best practices
for alternative response models from other
local agencies and from academic research.
August-October 2023
Data Analysis Staff will analyze Police Department call data to understand which categories of calls
may be appropriate for an alternative
response model.
August-October 2023
Coordination with
Local Partners
Staff will identify local partners, including
the County of Santa Clara, who may have a
role in implementing alternative service
models and will coordinate with these
partners on conducting analysis and
developing recommendations, where
appropriate.
September-November
2023
Develop
Recommendations
Based on an understanding of best practices
in other cities and analysis of Police
Department call data, staff will develop a
set of recommendations for calls that could
October-November 2023
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
August 15, 2023
Subject: Police Department Reform and Operational Improvement Recommendations Status Report
Task Description Timeframe
potentially be handled by alternative service
models.
Draft Report Staff will draft a report outlining
recommendations for alternative response.
December 2023
Final Report to
City Council
Staff will bring forward the report to the
City Council.
January 2024
Local Government Violence Prevention Research
The Reimagining Committee and the REAL Coalition expressed interest in expanding the City’s efforts at violence prevention and pointed to innovative approaches currently being pursued by other local government agencies across the country. In order to pursue this idea, staff proposed adding an item on the August-December 2023 PSFSS Committee Work Plan that would provide a research report on violence prevention programs currently being pursued by other local government agencies, as a way to identify opportunities to expand the City’s efforts in this area.
This item is included on the PSFSS Committee Work Plan approved by the Rules and Open Government Committee on August 2, 2023.
Local Government Violence Prevention Research Work Plan
Task Description Timeframe
Best-Practices
Research
Staff will conduct research on
best practices in violence
prevention efforts implemented
by other local agencies and will
review relevant academic
research on the topic.
August-October 2023
Questionnaire and
Interviews
Staff will reach out to staff at
other local agencies with notable
violence prevention programs and
seek to understand their efforts
via questionnaires and through
interviews.
August-October 2023
Draft Report Staff will compile findings from
research and conversations with
other local agencies into a report.
November 2023
Report to PSFSS
Committee
Staff will bring the report forward
to the PSFSS Committee.
December 2023
Continued Collaboration with the REAL Coalition
As noted above, staff collaborated with the REAL Coalition to identify the three priority projects discussed in this memorandum. Staff is continuing to meet with the REAL Coalition as these projects proceed and will welcome input and continued participation from its members in
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
August 15, 2023
Subject: Police Department Reform and Operational Improvement Recommendations Status Report
guiding this work. In particular, staff welcomes assistance from the REAL Coalition on all three projects in identifying service models from other cities that may be useful models for San José.
The REAL Coalition also expressed interest in comprehensively reviewing the statuses of the Reimagining Committee’s recommendations, as presented in Attachment A to the original memorandum for this item, for the purpose of ensuring that the statuses of the recommendations are consistent with the original intent of the Reimagining Committee. Staff is also committed to collaborating with the REAL Coalition on this matter and is willing to adjust recommendation statuses, as needed.
COORDINATION
This memorandum has been coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office and the City Manager’s Budget Office.
LEE WILCOX
Assistant City Manager
For questions, please contact Peter Hamilton, Assistant to the City Manager, at [email protected] or (408) 582-3455.