Vallejo Police Department2023 Staffing and Response Update Jason TaInterim Chief of Police
Agenda•Police Staffing Update•Recruitment and Resignations•Response Times and Call Priorities•Calls for Service (CFS)•Crime stats•Consequences of Continued Staff loss•Morale •Accomplishments Despite Challenges•Recommended Next Steps•Support and Relationship Building•OIR Update
•How many officers are needed to handle one event?•How many officers are needed for the entire shift/day?•Variables to consider:–Types of crimes; level of seriousness–Response times–Volume of calls for service (CFS) The primary responsibility of a police department is to ensure community safety and respond to calls for service Staffing
StaffingCurrent•82 Sworn –All ranks •3 Traffic (1 Lt., 1 Cpl, 1 Ofc.)•7 Detectives (1 Lt., 1 Sgt., 1 Cpl, 4 Ofcs.)•1 Kaiser Officer•3 Internal Affairs (1 Lt., 2 Sgts.) •4 DOJ Task Force (1 Capt., 1 Sgt., 2 Ofcs.)•5 Police Assistants•15 Injured / Modified (13 DIS; 2 MOD)•2 Executive Staff•67 Full Duty Sworn –All Ranks•36 Ofcsin Patrol; 8 SupervisorsVacancies•42 Funded -Sworn•8Police Assistants•8 Dispatchers
Officers Hired & Lateraled Away 2018 to 2023
21 Officers Lateraled to Other Police Agencies 2020 to 2022•9.5% (2/21) had 22.5 years of service•19% (4/21) had less than 17 years but more than 10 years of service•33% (7/21) had less than 10 years but more than 5 years of service•38% (8/21) had 5 years or less years of service•71% (15/21) of the officers that lateraled away had 10 years or less of service Officers Lateraled to These Specific Agencies 2020 to 2022•Napa PD 9.5% (2/21) •Napa SO 28.6% (6/21)•Napa Combined 38% (8/21)•Solano County SO 14.3% (3/21)•Solano County DA 14.3% (3/21)•Solano Combined 28.6% (6/21)
Resignations•Three officers have resigned YTD•Two currently in background with other agenciesRetirements•Six are eligible now; eight will be eligible this yearTraining•One recruit officer has starting Field TrainingAcademy•One recruit officer will complete academy June 2023Police Officer Recruitment –Continuous•Three in process Current Officer Resignations, Retirements & in Training & Recruitment Recruitment Efforts•Outside Recruiter•Colleges -Job Fairs•Police Academy Graduations•Military Bases•Farmer’s Market•Community Events•Flyers & Other Advertising •Looking into: Billboard Advertisements Sgt. Betsy Smith with the National Police Association says more mid-size cities are seeing a rise in crime from homicides to carjackingsand sexual assaults, all while the nation faces a shortage of police officers. “American law enforcement is seeing record numbers of resignations and retirements and we just can't get young people interested in coming to the profession,” Smith said. “We need to lift up law enforcement officers and encourage more to stay.” (December 21, 2022)Source: Many mid-size cities struggle with spikes in violent crime, police shortages | WPMI (mynbc15.com) Work Flow Call Received to Conclusion
Priority 1 Calls-The highest priority calls are those in which the physical well-being of a person is in jeopardy, or an in progress property crime (domestic violence in progress, medical calls, etc.) Priority 2 Calls-These calls for service do not require an immediate response. All calls of this type must be carefully and accurately evaluated by the call taker to ensure no person is in immediate danger. If a circumstance causes a priority 2 call to be upgraded to priority 1, the dispatcher has the authority to modify the call priority. (415v, 594p, etc.)Priority 3 Calls-These calls for service are report calls or calls where no person or property is in jeopardy. If it appears there will be a delay of over an hour then the call-taker should attempt to call the reporting party back to advise them of the delay and is noted in the call. (cold reports, property, etc.) Response Times & PrioritiesMar 2022 to Feb 2023
Mar 22 ART# ofincidentsApr 22ART# ofincidentsMay 22ART# ofincidentsJun 22ART# ofincidentsJul 22ART# ofincidentsAug 22 ART# ofincidents Priority111.1412710.1413514.1812810.231099.4015010.12156 Priority2106.43221888.122040122.262087140.212159126.582041133.262051 Priority3160.262114119.252067182.061966228.322010161.042003174.182058 Sep 22ART# ofincidentsOct 22ART# ofincidentsNov 22ART# ofincidentsDec 22ART# ofincidentsJan 23ART# ofincidentsFeb 23 ART# of Incidents Priority116.0017110.3613112.1015413.0413310.081267.51100 Priority2145.292077122.252063116.371956124.04195797.002020108.531678 Priority3210.111977174.401983166.281623174.461877145.061871167.521770 Response TimesMar 2022 to Feb 2023
With Appropriate Staffing…Priority One Target Response•Six minutes (2022 Ave. 11.18 min)Priority Two Target Response•11 minutes (2022 Ave. 121.89 min)GOAL: Retain/Recruit enough staffing to:1.Reduce Priority 1 response time by ~5 minutes2.Reduce Priority 2 response time by ~110 minutes Target Response Times
Highest Dispatched IncidentsDec 2022 to Feb 2023
0 200
400
600
800
1000
1200
10331033 P1033 V1085 11085 1R1085 2J1124117911811182 B1183 B11962000 1J2000 2J2250 02311 02311 0P242I242P245I246273.5273.5J273.6273.6P415C415F415FT415N415V422459J459V459VP5150 C594J597597P602LP CAD Highest Incidents Dec 2022 to Feb 2023
Total
•Alarm calls•Suspicious persons / Vehicles•Traffic offenses•Verbal disputes•Mental distress•Trespassing Year End Crime Stats 2022
Murder•24Fatal Collision•24Aggravated Assault•+ 10%
Priority One•Six minutesPriority Two•11 minutesSource: www.city-data.com Crime Index
Possible Service & Staffing Responses with Decreased Staff Capacity
1.Service model reduction–triggered at ~67full duty-sworn officers2.Intermittently rotating officers to patrol–triggered at ~65full-duty sworn officers3.Collapsing traffic & detectives–triggered at ~60full-duty sworn officers4.Modifying all patrol shifts to 12-hour tours–Triggered at ~56full-duty sworn officers * In addition to staffing, Response Times will be primary evaluation metric to determine necessary phase Possible Service & Staffing Response
Phase 1•Service Model Reduction–Can implement immediately–Provides additional time for officers to investigate higher priority events–Provides more time for visible patrolling–Events with No Response (NR) may escalate to a higher priority–Will cause additional community dissatisfaction* Response Times will be primary evaluation metric Possible Service & Staffing Response
Phase 2•Intermittently rotating officers to patrol shifts (Traffic & Detectives)–Provides additional patrol resources–Will detract from the officer’s current responsibilities–Will cause additional community dissatisfaction in specialty areas–Consideration: Will shift less experienced officers to the same shift–Will likely accelerate employee dissatisfaction and resignations Possible Service & Staffing Response
Phase 3•Completely Collapsing Traffic & Detectives–Provides additional patrol resources–Will eliminate the officer’s current responsibilities–Will cause significant community dissatisfaction in specialty areas–Consideration: Will shift less experienced officers to the same shift–Will likely accelerate employee dissatisfaction and resignations Possible Service & Staffing Response
Phase 4 •Modifying all patrol shifts to 12-hour shifts–Provides additional patrol resources–Will cause significant community dissatisfaction in specialty areas–Consideration: Will shift less experienced officers to the same shift–Will greatly affect employee dissatisfaction and accelerate resignations* This response goes against the current MOU and will require a Declaration of a State of Emergency to impose Consequences of Continued Loss of Staff
•If Vallejo PD cannot provide its residents with basic police services, the Solano County Sheriffs Office may be asked to assume policing services for the city of Vallejo•Loss of local control•The Sheriff will deploy their policing resources based on their policies•Fiscal Impact Other Issues to Address
•Public Safety Morale –Baker Tilly Survey-Identified morale issues related to: •Lack of community and council support •Lack of movement on police headquarters building•Lack of contract•Unachievable expectations:–Priority 1 vs. 2 & 3–Only responding to P1–Quality of Life vs Violent Crimes Accomplishments Despite ChallengesIn addition to daily duties and patrol:•Continued Reduction in Use of Force•No officer Critical Events•Grants-iHART; Mobile Mental Healthresponse•Community Engagement •Increased patrols relating to crime–Prostitution–Businesses •District clean ups initiated Ongoing Support and Next Steps•Phase 1 –Service Model Reduction•Recruitment & Retention bonuses to retain/attract officers •Baker Tilly Strategic Plan & Team Building –February surveys of all staff–April/May teambuilding activities•City Council Interactions-Ride-a-Longs, Use of Force Simulator training, Dispatch Sit-a-longs, Facility tours•Additional Community Outreach; Citizens Academy•Secure a Police Headquarters Building•Ongoing Support & Relationship Building•Additional trainings for staff •Measuring outcomes and morale moving forward Ca. Department of JusticeCollaborative Agreement Possible Outcomes •Current agreement expires May 31, 2023–Requesting time extension •Current status–Task Force is working towards completion–Staff will return to Council with an update on status of tasks in May Questions?
Jason TaInterim Chief of Police