Laserfiche WebLink
<br /> Chief Bolanos introduced Brown Taylor, consultant with DMG, retired Mountain <br /> View Police Chief, who brought the law enforcement manager's perspective to the <br /> project team. <br /> John Heiss presented the background on Council's decision to request a police <br /> staffing study and the direction given to DMG. He said the major focus was on <br /> "sworn line personnel in all units, non-sworn personnel assigned to Patrol and <br /> Investigations (Community Service Officers - CSO), supervisory personnel in all <br /> units, and Communications (dispatch) personnel." Mr. Heiss said they were also <br /> asked to offer recommendations on how best to utilize personnel, or utilize them <br /> differently, and to bring Council staffing or resource plans to resolve staffing issues <br /> short and long term. He said the Report provided a framework with which to measure <br /> staffing and resource needs in the future. <br /> Using overhead transparencies, Mr. Heiss said DMG did an extremely detailed <br /> analysis of police work load and staffing issues and "alternatives we think the Council <br /> needs to discover." He said there are clearly policy issues the Council must decide to <br /> resolve the personnel issues the Report identified. <br /> Mr. Heiss said the area where staffing issues are most significant involve the Patrol <br /> Division. He described the background of community oriented policing in the City <br /> and what Chief Bolanos is trying to do in terms of not only providing for traditional <br /> law enforcement demands but filling other types of public safety needs in the <br /> community. This would involve allowing time for officers to do proactive work and <br /> perhaps prevent crimes and eliminating the need for calls to the Patrol officers in the <br /> first place. <br /> Mr. Heiss said the critical issue in looking at Patrol staffing is: "What is the demand <br /> for Patrol officers when they are in the field, and how does that impact the time they <br /> have available to respond to calls, to follow-up on calls, to write reports, and how <br /> much uncommitted time do they have to provide not only community oriented <br /> policing, community contacts, attending meetings and so forth, but also conducting <br /> other kinds of self-initiated activities, which range from traffic enforcement through <br /> preventive Patrol. That division of time between committed time, time spent handling <br /> calls and all the other things officers have to do during their shift, the balance between <br /> that committed time and uncommitted time is really the base line for evaluating <br /> whether Patrol is overstaffed, understaffed, or has sufficient resources to really meet <br /> the community's law enforcement dernands, and the service policies associated with <br /> community oriented policing." <br /> Mr. Heiss described the origin of this particular measurement begun in the 1970s, <br /> known as the Kansas City Patrol Experiment, and refined over the years. He said, "It <br /> is generally indicated that if the Patrol force has about 35% of (hislher) time available <br /> SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING MINUTE BOOK NO. 55 OCTOBER 13, 1997 <br /> MINUTES Page No. 564 PAGE 3 <br />