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<br /> Poliee Chief Bolanos presented the staff report and introduced John Heiss, DMG Project <br /> Manager. Chief Bolanos said the supplemental study had resulted in a revision to the <br /> original recommendation adding one more traffic officer. The proposed hiring plan <br /> recommended to Council at this time was: three sergeants, four officers, one detective, <br /> three CSOs, two dispatchers, three overhires, and now two traffic officers to be hired by <br /> the end of the fiscal year 1999-2000. <br /> In response to Couneil Member Buehan's questions regarding the Study's assumptions <br /> used to suggest the appropriate number of tickets a solely dedicated traffic officer would <br /> issue, Chief Bolanos and Police Patrol Captain Warner advised that other <br /> organization's statistics and the 150-170 traffic citations historically issued per month <br /> (moving and non-moving) in Redwood City were used as the basis for the Study's <br /> recommendation of one additional Traffic Officer. Captain Warner said it is reasonable to <br /> assume that one ticket would be issued per shift. <br /> Captain Warner answered further that performance goals are distinguished from quotas <br /> in that traffic safety statistics are used to see if performance goals are met. He described <br /> the Traffic Sergeant's review of traffic statistics every month and the support given to an <br /> Officer who is having difficulty meeting his/her performance goals. Captain Warner listed <br /> the number of officers who would work each shift when the Police Department becomes <br /> fully staffed, and said there would be between two and three more officers during the <br /> swing shift. <br /> Captain Warner said that currently the safety needs of the City were being met, but the <br /> preferred goal of 35% availability was not being rnet. He reminded everyone that the 35% <br /> availability goal allowed proactive police work and flexibility in the ways the Department <br /> can address specific issues, and get to the root of crime rather than just responding to calls. <br /> Couneil Member Hartnett said he hoped the Chief would call upon the whole City, as a <br /> team, to assist in recruiting officers to Redwood City. <br /> In response to Council questions regarding the plan to hire Sergeants in the second year of <br /> the hiring plans, Poliee Chief Bolanos said Sergeants were generally promoted from <br /> within, and since the Staffing Study identified the most crucial need was for Police <br /> Officers, it made sense to hire Officers first, and then concentrate on Sergeants the <br /> following year. <br /> In response to Council questions, Poliee Chief Bolanos said DMG had provided the <br /> mechanisms to accomplish continuous monitoring of staffing levels and effectiveness, <br /> including the availability factor and the traffic index as welL Police Chief Bolanos said he <br /> was committed to continued monitoring on a yearly basis to avoid a situation of <br /> understaffing in the future. Police Chief Bolanos also suggested that a report on the <br /> impacts of the additional Police personnel would be more valuable if it were done after the <br /> Department had completed, or was reasonably close to completing, the proposed Hiring <br /> Plan. <br /> REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTE BOOK NO. 56 DECEMBER 8,1997 <br /> MINUTES Page No. 092 PAGE 7 <br />