HomeMy WebLinkAbout29- City Administrator CITY OF SAN BERN#4RDINO - REQUEST I=vR COUNCIL ACTION
From: Fred Wilson Subject: Police Department Management Audit
Assistant City Administrator
Dept:
Date: April 26 , 1995
Synopsis of Previous Council action:
9/19/94 -- Resolution #94-287 authorized performance of Police Department
Management Audit.
Recommended motion:
1. That the Police Management Audit Report conducted by Ralph Andersen and Associates be received and
filed.
2. That staff be directed to meet and confer with the appropriate bargaining units on the impact of the
proposed staffing changes.
3. That the City Administrator and the Acting Chief of Police be directed to oversee the implementation of
the audit recommendations.
4. That Ralph Andersen and Associates be authorized to conduct a supplemental analysis of the potential —
consolidation of the Police and Fire Dispatch operations at a cost not to exceed $5,000.
Crl�—
Contact person: Fred Wi 1 ann
Phone: 5122
Supporting data attached: 4Z e Ward:
FUNDING REQUIREMENTS: Amount:
Source: Acct. No.
(Acct Description) -
Finance:
Council Notes:
Agenda Item No.
STAFF REPORT
The City initiated a management audit of the police department in
August 1994 at the request of the Mayor and Council in order to
identify methods of improving delivery of law enforcement services,
identify resource needs and identify potential opportunities to
improve its allocation of law enforcement resources. A series of
evaluation objectives were outlined to the consultant, Ralph
Andersen and Associates, which included:
1. Identify areas for improvement in the efficiency and
resource allocation practices of the Police Department.
2 . Evaluate and assess current policies, strategies and
practices in relation to current and future demands for
service.
3 . Evaluate current practices for the deployment of
personnel.
4 . Determine the ideal balance of staffing and levels of
service including the Dispatch operation.
5. Provide recommendations for improvement in the
organization and operation of the department.
6. Develop a specific implementation plan based on the
findings and recommendations of the audit and provide
assistance in the implementation process.
7 . Evaluate the advantages of a vehicle locator system.
The audit process conducted by Ralph Andersen and Associates
included a large amount of data collection and analysis and the
participation of a large number of employees in the department
through either attending briefing sessions, completing an
organizational climate survey form and being interviewed by the
consultants.
In January 1995, Ralph Andersen and Associates completed the
interim draft report which was reviewed by the Police Department.
The comments received from the Police Department were subsequently
incorporated into the Final Report which was submitted to the Mayor
and Common Council and Police Commission.
OVERVIEW OF AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS
The audit report, while acknowledging that the Police Department
has many strengths including the quality of its employees and their
commitment to providing efficient police services to the community,
also noted that the department faces challenges in adequately
addressing the policing needs of the community. The audit
recommendations which are provided in summary form in Attachment I
identify opportunities for the department to make changes to its
organizational structure, reallocate its resources, and improve
internal administration and communication.
It is important to note that one of the major issues which was to
be addressed in the management audit was the Patrol Division
staffing levels. The basic unit of measurement necessary to
undertake this analysis is Calls-for-Service (CFS) . Statistical
information on the demand for police service (CFS) is obtained from
computer records in the Computer Aided Dispatching System (CAD) .
Due to many programming changes on the CAD system over the years,
the consultant was unable to obtain reliable data on calls for
service that would allow them to make an analysis relative to the
appropriate level of staffing in patrol. The department has
recognized this problem and is currently working with the MIS
department to resolve these issues. The department has purchased
the Police Response Optimization System (PROS) to generate patrol
workload data from which to conduct staffing and deployment
analyses. Based on the reliable data extracted from the PROS
system, the consultant will provide additional findings relative to
appropriate staffing levels in patrol services.
The summary of the audit recommendations which are contained in
Attachment I have been organized under the following categories:
• Organization
• Staffing
• Communications
• Technology
• Strategies
• Internal Administration
It is recognized that a number of the recommendations in the
organization and staffing categories will involve a meet and confer
process with the appropriate bargaining units. Some of these
staffing changes include a recommendation to delete the Assistant
Chief of Police position, a recommendation that the Services
Division should be headed by a civilian Manager position rather
than a Captain position, civilianizing the existing Sergeant
position heading the Property and Evidence Section and
consideration of reassigning the Administrative Sergeants in the
Patrol and Services Divisions to the Patrol or Investigative
Divisions.
With the exception of the consolidated Police/Fire Dispatch, the
majority of the other recommendations focus on operational,
administrative and organizational changes which can be implemented
by the Chief of Police in conjunction with the City Administrator.
Provided in Attachment II are the Police Department's comments on
the audit.
Although the consultant was not asked to directly evaluate the
consolidation of communications between the Police Department and
2
the Fire Department, based on their observations, it was felt that
a significant opportunity for cost savings and operational
efficiencies existed through consideration of such a consolidation.
Preliminarily, it was their observation that certain positions
could be eliminated through a consolidation which could potentially
result in salary and benefit savings. Because consideration of
such a consolidation involves a number of issues including employee
training, organizational and management issues, workload and
staffing issues, facility needs and classification issues, it was
felt that a supplemental analysis would be beneficial. Ralph
Andersen and Associates has indicated that they could conduct this
analysis for a not-to-exceed figure of $5, 000.
An implementation plan has also been provided as part of this audit
which outlines responsibilities and timing issues. It is our
intention to utilize this plan as the schedule for audit
implementation.
A copy of the Police Management Audit is on file in the City
Clerk's Office.
3
ra
S
ATTACHMENT I
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
SAN BERNARDINO POLICE DEPARTMENT
MANAGEMENT AUDIT
This executive summary provides an overview of the Final Report on the
Management Audit of the San Bernardino Police Department. The executive
summary is brief and is focused upon the major findings and recommendations of
the audit results. The final report document is more comprehensive and contains
more detailed information which should be consulted for more specific information
about the highlights presented here.
The organization and format of the executive summary mirrors that of the final
report document which includes separate chapters on:
• Introduction;
• Organization and Operations Profile;
• Organization Climate Survey;
• Survey of Other Agencies;
• Issues and Directions;
• Findings and Recommendations;
• Implementation.
The final report document also contains appendices illustrating the questionnaires
and survey forms used in the management audit. An appendix to the report also
shows the results of the organization climate survey.
Background, Objectives and Scope
The City of San Bernardino initiated a management audit of the Police Department
in order to identify potential opportunities to improve its allocation of resources,
to identify resource needs, and to identify methods of improving the delivery of law
enforcement services. The audit was conducted with specific objectives. The audit
objectives were to:
S a c r a m e n t o D a I I a s N e w p o r t B e a c h
1446 Ethan Way, Suite 101 Sacram(3nto CA 958P5 (916)%�)-2075
San Bernardino Pok 7epartment
Executive Summary
Page ii
• Identify areas for improvement in the efficiency and resource allocation
practices of the Department;
• Evaluate and assess current policies, strategies and practices in relation
to current and future community demands for service;
• Evaluate the advantages of a vehicle locator system;
• Evaluate current practices for the deployment of personnel including
special assignments, utilization of overtime and use of non-sworn
personnel;
• Determine the optimum balance of staffing and level of service including
the dispatch operation;
• Provide specific recommendations for improvements in the organization
and operation of the Department;
• Develop a specific implementation plan based on the findings and
recommendations of the management audit and provide technical
assistance in the implementation process.
The audit process was comprehensive and included the major tasks of audit
initiation, data collection, analysis, and the preparation of reports. A large number
of employees of the Department participated in the management audit by attending
a briefing session at the beginning of the audit, by completing an organization
climate survey form, and/or by being interviewed by the consultants.
Management Audit Context
The management audit of the Police Department was not conducted in a vacuum.
During the time the management audit was conducted the Police Department not
only provided all of the assistance required by the consultants, it also continued to
provide normal services. During this same time the Department was settling in to
a temporary facility, was in the planning stages for the new police facility, and its
employees were engaged in labor negotiations with the City. In addition, due to
retirements and injuries, the Department had several key positions filled on a
temporary basis with certified employees. Operationally, the Department had
embarked upon the Operation Safe Streets (OSS) Program immediately prior to
beginning the management audit. The OSS Program was staffed with employees
from throughout the Department and, together with staff from the San Bernardino
San Bernardino Pol' Department
Executive Summary
Page iii
County Sheriffs Department and the California Highway Patrol, deployed them to
address specific street crime problems. The point of this brief description of the
organizational and operational context of the management audit is to acknowledge
that it may have had an affect on the Department. To the extent possible the audit
considered the organizational and operational context.
Audit Results
Management audits tend to focus upon the issues that need attention and
improvement. This management audit of the San Bernardino Police Department
is similar in that regard as the findings and recommendations address what the
consultants believe are opportunities for improvement. The areas of the Police
Department that do not need specific improvements and are functioning well and
as intended are generally not reported.
Because the focus of the management audit is on the identification of improvement
opportunities does not mean the San Bernardino Police Department is not effective.
The Department has many strengths including the quality of its employees and their
commitment to providing efficient and effective police services to the community.
It has other strengths including its long history of embracing the community policing
concept and, more recently it implementation of the problem-oriented policing
strategy. The Department is also highly flexible and has demonstrated its ability
to address emerging priorities through tactics such as the implementation of the
OSS Program. It is also reasonably well equipped and will soon have a modem
new police facility from which to better serve the public.
The Police Department faces a considerable challenge in adequately addressing the
policing needs of the community. While it has generally done so in an effective
manner it can improve by making significant changes to its organization structure,
reallocating its resources, improving internal administration, and improving
communications. The Department's policing strategy of problem-oriented policing
in the context of community policing has been effective and provides the basis for
further improvements. The specific improvement opportunities identified in this
management audit are described below and,are described in more detail in Chapter
VI of the report.
San Bernardino Po; Department
Executive Summary
Page iv
Recommendations
Chapter VI of the Final Report on the Management Audit of the San Bernardino
Police Department contains findings and recommendations described under the
following categories:
• Organization;
• Staffing;
• Communications;
• Technology;
I ■ Strategies;
• Internal Administration.
In summary, the recommendations of the management audit include the following:
ORGANIZATION
• The top level organization structure of the Department should be revised
so that the Chief of Police directs the Department's three Divisions;
• The Services Division should be headed by a civilian manager position
rather than by a sworn captain position;
• The Department should create a planning and research section with a
direct reporting relationship to the Chief of Police;
• Provide one or more lieutenants with training in strategic planning such
as that provided at the POST Command College;
• The Department should form a professional standards and inspections
section;
• The position currently assigned to public information activities should be
reassigned to the Patrol Division;
• New employee background checks should be contracted and should be
coordinated by the Professional Standards and Research Section;
• A Professional Standards and Research Section should be created by
incorporating existing resources from Internal Affairs, Personnel and
Training, and the Services Division;
San Bernardino Po Department
Executive Summary
Page v
• Strengthen the problem-oriented policing strategy by transferring all
community programs(DARE,Mall Services,and crime prevention)to the
area commands;
• The supervision of the front counter staff should be transferred from the
Patrol Division (watch commanders) to the Services Division (Records
Manager);
• With the move to the new police facility in August 1995, reduce the hours
of operation for the front counter;
• The Department should fill all currently vacant supervisory and
management positions on a permanent basis as soon as possible;
• The new Professional Standards and Research Section should be given
responsibility for succession planning in the Department;
• In the future, the Department should consider physically moving the
District/POP Crimes Detail(Investigative Division)to the are commands;
• The Department should develop an internal system to better document
and communicate the allocation of resources;
• The roles of the area commanders and watch commanders should be
clearly articulated, documented and communicated throughout the
Department;
• Internal communications in the Department need to be improved and the
Chief of Police should play a major role in making the improvements;
• The Department should use the results of the management audit to
improve organizational effectiveness;
• The Department's recently completed draft training guidelines should be
expanded to include the relationship of goals and objectives to employee
development;
• The Department should adopt a training master plan with specific goals
and objectives and report on the goal and objective achievement;
• The qty should consider combining police and fire communications
dispatch services to realize significant savings.
San Bernardino Poll.- Jepartment
Executive Summary
Page vi
■ The functional reporting relationship of the Chief of Police to the City
Administrator should be reinforced to provide consistency with other
operating departments.
STAFFING
• The recommended Professional Standards and Research Section should
be given responsibility for the maintenance and use of the PROS system
to conduct patrol workload and deployment analysis;
■ The position heading the Property and Evidence Section (Investigative
Division) should be converted from a sworn (sergeant) to a civilian
position;
• Currently vacant positions in the Dispatch Center should be filled and
Dispatch Supervisor positions should be assigned to a dispatch console
position;
• Division managers should carefully review current work schedules for all
units not currently working around-the-clock schedules;
• After full implementation of the PROS system the Department should use
calls for service date to determine the impacts of various shift alternatives
on operations;
• After the completion and settling in at the new police facility the
administrative sergeants (two)in the Patrol and Services Divisions should
be reassigned to line activities in the Patrol or Investigative Divisions.
COMMUNICATIONS
• The Chief of Police should take the lead in the improvement of
communications in the Department;
• The Department needs to provide a uniform reporting and evaluation
system on the effectiveness of special programs and strategies,particularly
POP, and transmit those evaluations to Department staff.
San Bernardino PoL Department
Executive Summary
Page vii
TECHNOLOGY
• The Department should develop and adopt a technology master plan that
guides the acquisition of computer systems and applications and the
associated training of staff;
• The acquisition of a vehicle locator system should be considered as a part
of the technology master planning process.
STRATEGIES
■ The Department's policing strategy has been effective and it should seek
additional opportunities for the implementation of the problem-oriented
policing strategy;
■ Because special operations (such as OSS) require a high level of
coordination and communications, the Department should improve its
internal communications regarding the objectives and activities of future
special operations;
■ The Department should form a temporary (available for deployment as
needed) special enforcement unit from existing resources (MET,Vice and
Narcotics, POP Teams).
INTERNAL OPERATIONS
• The Department should adopt a uniform goal and objective setting process
that results in a comprehensive and useable document disseminated to the
Department staff, City management staff, the Mayor and City Council;
• Current work on a policy regarding special assignments should be
completed so that a clear policy relating to special assignments exists and
that provides maximum opportunities for qualified individuals and
enhances morale and employee development;
• The Department should make the timely completion of employee
performance evaluations a performance objective for all supervisors and
managers;
San Bernarriino Police Department
Executive Summary
Page viii
• Additional reviews for employees in highly sensitive assignments such as
vice and narcotics investigations and intelligence should be implemented;
• A physical fitness and w-111ness program based upon the POST Basic
Academy Physical ConwLioning Manual should be adopted by the
Department.
More detailed information regarding the findings and the recommendations from
the management audit are contained in Chapter VI of the Final Report.
Implementation
Chapter VII of the Final E, port document contains a plan for the implementation
of the recommendations resulting from the management audit. The plan of
implementation lists each of the recommendations and suggests both timing and
action responsibility. The implementation plan should be used by the Department
to guide its actions regarding the recommendations made in the report. The Mayor
should receive periodic reports based upon the implementation plan from the Police
Department to monitor progress.
A management audit cannot be completed without the cooperation and assistance
of a large number of individuals. The consultants received the full cooperation and
assistance from Police Department employees at all levels in the organization. We
particularly appreciate the cooperation of Chief of Police Dan Robbins and his
command staff of Assistant Chief of Police Wayne Harp, Captain Bob Curtis,
Captain Wes Farmer, and Captain Larry Richards.
Ralph Andersen & Associates
Sacramento, California
March 17, 1995
City of San Bernardino
San Bernardino Police Department
Interoffice Memorandum ATTACHMENT II
J
To: Mayor Tom Minor
From: a Wayne ne HP, Assistant Chief of Police
Subject: Police Department Response to Ralph Anderson & Associates Management
Audit
Date: March 29, 1995
Copies: Fred Wilson, Assistant City Administrator
Management and supervisory level personnel of the police department's three divisions have
reviewed the final report management audit of the San Bernardino Police Department as
conducted by Ralph Anderson & Associates. Each division has provided the Chief's Office
with written comments reference those portions of the audit specific to their division. This
document will represent a synthesis of those comments and my personal recommendations.
For purposes of organizing this document, I will respond to each of the recommendations
beginning on Page IV of Ralph Anderson's Executive Summary.
ORGANIZATION
The top le ,el organization structure of the Department should be revised so that the Chief of
Police directs the Department's three divisions.
The Department recommends the organization option described as Option A on Page 77 of
the management audit. This recommendation would "assign direct management
responsibility to the Assistant Chief or one of the three Divisions":
I feel that this is an appropriate assignment for an Assistant Chief of Police when
considering the extraordinary complexity of the Department's Patrol Division.
This division alone has a budget in excess of $11,750,000, thus representing a
division with a total budget larger than most of the City's departments.
Furthermore, when the recommendations of this audit are complete, additional
responsibilities, for example Mall Security,DARE, and crime prevention, will also
be transferred to this division. By placing the Assistant Chief in this position
organizationally,the concern of the audit team that "a direct reporting relationship
between the Chief and the three divisions exists" will be met. Moreover, a chain
of succession will be officially established when the Chief is absent from the
Department due to vacations or other reasons.
THE SBPD IS COMMITTED TO PROVIDING:
PROGRESSIVE QUALITY POLICE SERVICE;
A SAFE ENVIRONMENT TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE;
A REDUCTION IN CRIME THROUGH PROBLEM RECOGNITION AND PROBLEM SOLVING
Police Department Response to Ralph Anderson & Associates
Management Audit
Page -2- !
The Services Division should be headed by a civilian manager position rather than a sworn
captain position:
I have some concerns about this recommendation. While I certainly do not quarrel
with Ralph Anderson's recommendations that this is doable, I am fearful that
several issues were not fully explored. The current recommendation would remove
all sworn personnel from the Services Division. It is required that all lateral and
pre-service applicants for police officer positions be interviewed as part of the
employment process. This has always been done by either the lieutenant or the
captain in the Services Division as part of their role in the Department's personnel
process. When all sworn personnel are removed from this division, it becomes
unclear as to who will conduct these interviews. As approximately 300 such
interviews are conducted annually, it would be inappropriate for this role to be
handled exclusively by the Chief of Police particularly in light of the additional
responsibilities shifted to that position by other audit recommendations. Leaving
a sworn captain in the position would provide a person to fulfill this role. Also,
having this division headed by a civilian manager would tend to diminish its
importance to the rest of the Department. I believe this would serve as a
detriment to the Services Division and possibly adversely impact interdivisional
communications.
I also note that City Charter Section 186 may impact this recommendation.
Specifically, Charter Section 186 states that captains and the superintendent of
records and identification will be a P-5. It has always been the policy of the police
department that the Services captain is the P-5 articulated in the City Charter.
I feel that a more appropriate course of action would be one consistent with the
recommendation made by Ralph Anderson & Associates in their March 2nd final
draft of the police audit. In this document they state, "This report does not
recommend an immediate conversion of the captain position in Services Division
to a civilian manager. Because of the changes in top management that have
occurred over the past year, it is important that the Department have stability in
the future. The conversion of this position should be studied by the Department
in from two to three years. By that time the Department will have implemented
the recommendations in this report and settled into its new facility and had an
opportunity to operate with a new organization structure."
Another concern of mine is a reduction in department sworn command staff from
five to three will very seriously impair the department's emergency response
capabilities. The department's current emergency response plan requires the Chief
to serve on the City's policy group, a captain to function in the EOC, a captain to
function as an incident commander, and a captain to remain at the department to
Police Department Response to Ralph Anderson & Associates
Management Audit
Page -3-
run the organization. Obviously, this deployment requires at least four sworn
command staff members. This can not be accomplished if the Ralph Anderson
recommendations are implemented. Furthermore, for approximately five months
a year, one of those three command staff members will be on vacation, so only two
will be available for emergency responses. This will have a similarly adverse impact
on the department's duty chief program. That program requires a member of the
command staff to serve as the "duty chief" one weekend out of every four to five.
Under this recommended structure, the duty chief will be assigned weekends every
two to three weeks. Quite frankly this is an unfair burden to place on the
command staff.
One final note, it appears that the management audit team is unaware of the fact
that, when the Department moves into its new facility, the Services Division will
also be in charge of a jail. I believe it will be very difficult to find a person with
all the qualities they mention in the recommendation for this change and a person
with experience running a jail.
The Department should create a Planning and Research Section with a direct reporting
relationship to the Chief of Police:
I believe this is an appropriate recommendation. In fact,this recommendation was
made at my insistence. I am concerned, however,that the resources transferred to
this function are not adequate. In the recommended Table of Organization in
Exhibit VI-C, this unit is described. It appears that this unit is comprised of the
lieutenant transferred from Personnel and Training along with several other
currently existing units. All of these units bring with them a full range of duties.
The only additions to the unit are the aforementioned lieutenant. It appears then
that this lieutenant will have supervision over Professional Standards and
Inspections and the Planning and Research Units. This supervision alone will
consume a great deal of the lieutenant's time. As the current supervisor of the
Internal Affairs Unit, I can attest to the fact that Internal Affairs supervision and
review of their work products is extremely time consuming. This task will be
reassigned to the aforementioned lieutenant. I am concerned that the lieutenant
in question will not have adequate time to fulfill the mission of this unit.
I am also concerned about positioning of the Typist Clerk III in the Professional
Standards/Inspections area. This TC III is apparently transferred from Personnel
and Training. This TC III has a wide range of responsibilities in the Department's
Personnel Unit. The absence of this TC III from Personnel will create a void
which must be back filled. The audit does not appear to address who
organizationally will accomplish these tasks. It is also not clear to me what the
role of this TC III in the Professional Standards/Inspections Unit will be.
Police Department Response to Ralph Anderson & Associates
Management Audit
Page -4-
Provide one or more lieutenants with training in strategic planning such as that provided at
the POST Command College:
The Department agrees with this recommendation.
The Department should form a Professional Standards and Inspection Section:
The Department agrees, with the aforementioned reservations.
The position currently assigned to public information activities should be reassigned to the
Patrol Division:
On Page 94 in the recommendation discussing this issue, it states that this position
should be reassigned to a currently vacant position in Patrol enabling a net
reduction in positions. The tasks currently handled by the public information
officer would then be assigned to the Department's top managers and to the
Professional Standards and Research Section. It has been my experience that many
times the media's interest in police operations is highest when the Department's
managers are required to be involved in hands on Department management. Thus
they are not available to interact with the media. Additionally, the public
information officer has a very large role in communicating the mission and
accomplishments of the Department to the public we serve. This role would go
unaddressed. Finally, assigning PIO responsibilities to the Professional Standards
and Research Section will only diminish the ability of this unit to accomplish its
prime mission. (Note my earlier concerns about the inadequacy of proposed
staffing for this area.) I am very concerned that the removal of this position will
adversely impact the Department's ability to communicate with the public we
serve. I would suggest that consideration be given to the Table of Organization
as described in the draft audit on Page 95. The draft audit placed the public
information officer under the lieutenant in Standards and Inspections.
New employee background checks should be contracted and should be coordinated by the
Professional Standards and Research Section:
In the findings of this Section on Page 94 of the audit it states, "This staff is
assisted by the detectives assigned to the Internal Affairs Section." By this is meant
that Internal Affairs has a role in background checks. This is not correct. The
Internal Affairs Unit has never been involved in background checks of people
applying for positions with the San Bernardino Police Department. However, the
Department supports having background checks contracted out. The Department
has considered doing so in the past, but has been prevented from moving forward
Police Department Response to Ralph Anderson & Associates
Management Audit
Page -5-
because of budget constraints. The Department has checked with companies who
do police backgrounds. The average costs, based on our inquiries, are $900 for
sworn personnel and $675 for non-sworn personnel (Note: These are only rough
estimates given over the phone.) Based on our 1994 personnel activity, we would
need to do backgrounds on approximately 69 sworn personnel and 25 non-sworn
for a total cost of $95,575. However, POST is recommending that police
departments do their backgrounds at the beginning of applicant processing rather
than at the end as is our current practice. This POST recommendation is based on
their interpretation of Americans With Disabilities Act requirements. If the
Department is required to comply with the POST recommendations, our costs will
go up to $379,166 per year for contract backgrounds.
A Professional Standards and Research Section should be created by incorporating existing
resources from Internal Affairs, Personnel and Training, and the Services Division:
Again, the Department supports this recommendation consistent with my earlier
comments.
Strengthen the problem-oriented policing strategy by transferring the community programs
(DARE, Mall Services, and crime prevention) to the area commands:
The police department once had a component of community programs situated
within the area commands. This consisted primarily of community service
representatives who were trained in the presentation of the neighborhood watch
programs. They also did a small amount of business and residential inspections and
a few other smaller programs. A decision was made to centralize these functions
to insure consistency in presenting programs and better support the neighborhood
watch association. It is certainly possible to return back to this configuration and
see if it can be made to work.
With reference to DARE, it is my belief that this unit must remain intact; i.e., all
of the four DARE officers reporting to the same supervisor. Thus, if they are to
be assigned to Patrol, the unit will need to be assigned intact to one area
commander. This is certainly feasible but will not be consistent with the area
command philosophy.
Included in community programs are alarm permits, citizen patrol, volunteer
coordination and other similar programs. My staff and I have some concerns about
the appropriateness of transferring these functions to the area command.
Police Department Response to Ralph Anderson & Associates
Management Audit
Page -6-
The supervision of the front counter staff should be transferred from the Patrol Division
(watch commanders) to the Services Division (records manager):
The Department can do this and, in fact, has considered doing it. I do have some
concerns about insufficient supervision for evaluation purposes specifically the fact
that these employee's immediate supervisors will not functionally supervise them
With the move to the new police facility in August 1995, reduce the hours of operation at the
front counter:
The Department believes this is a good recommendation with the one caveat that
it will result in a service reduction level to the public.
The Department should fill all currently vacant supervisory and management positions on a
permanent basis as soon as possible:
The Department agrees.
The new Professional Standards and Research Section should be given responsibility for
succession planning in the Department:
The Department agrees with this recommendation, as long as it can be done
consistent with the City's Civil Service rules.
In the future, the Department should consider physically moving the district/POP crimes
detail (Investigative Division) to the area commands:
This has been tried in the past and, probably due to the technological shortcoming
described in the audit, has failed. Nevertheless, when technology comes on line to
make this recommendation workable, the Department will certainly support it.
The Department should develop an internal system to better document and communicate the
allocation of resources:
The Department supports this recommendation.
The roles of the area commanders and watch commanders should be clearly articulated,
documented and communicated throughout the Department:
The Department agrees with this recommendation and is already taking steps to
comply with it.
Police Department Response to Ralph Anderson & Associates
Management Audit
Page -7-
Internal communications in the Department need to be improved and the Chief of Police
should play a major role in making the improvements:
The Department agrees.
The Department should use the results of the management audit to improve organizational
effectiveness:
The Department agrees.
The Department's recently completed draft training guidelines should be expanded to include
the relationship of goals and objectives to employee development:
The Department agrees.
The Department should adopt a training master plan with specific goals and objectives and
report on the goals and objective achievement:
The department agrees.
The City should consider combining police and fire communications dispatch services to
realize significant savings:
The police department does not entirely control the implementation of this
recommendation. The police department does believe that it is worth exploring
and is currently working with the fire department towards that end.
The functional reporting relationship of the Chief of Police to the City Administrator should
be reinforced to provide consistency with other operating departments:
1 agree.
STAFFING
The recommended Professional Standards and Research Section should be given responsibility
for the maintenance and use of the PROS system to conduct patrol workload and deployment
analysis:
I agree.
Police Department Response to Ralph Anderson & Associates
Management Audit
Page -8-
The position heading the Property and Evidence Section (Investigative Division) should be
converted from a sworn (sergeant) to a civilian position:
The department has already incorporated this recommendation in their 5-year Plan.
Currently vacant positions in the Dispatch Center should be filled and Dispatch Supervisory
positions should be assigned to a dispatch console position:
I agree.
Division managers should carefully review current work schedules for all units not currently
working around-the-clock schedules:
I agree.
After full implementation of the PROS system, the Department should use calls for service
data to determine the impacts of various shift alternatives on operations:
I agree.
After the completion and settling in at the new police facility, the administrative sergeants
(two) in the Patrol and Services Divisions should be reassigned to line activities in the Patrol
or Investigative Divisions. On Page 114 in the recommendation associated with this item, it
states that these reassignments will enable a net reduction of two sergeant positions.
I believe there is some misunderstanding on the part of the audit team as to the
genesis and role of these two positions. In their findings it states that "The
administrative sergeant in Patrol Division had major responsibility for the move
to the interim facility and will have a similar role in the move to the new facility."
This is not exactly accurate. The administrative sergeant in the Patrol Division has
effectively no role in the construction of the new facility. The Patrol
administrative sergeant had a very limited role in the move to our current interim
facility. This role was for a period of approximately two to three weeks while the
department was in the process of moving in and refurbishing the facility. Thus,
I am concerned that there is some misunderstanding as to what the Patrol Division
administrative sergeant does.
The actual assignments to this position are as follows: managing the Reserve
Officer Program, managing the Reserve Officer Training Program, managing the
H-9 Program including budget and records, managing the Chaplain Program,
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Management Audit
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Disaster Preparedness and training to include training in the Standardized
Emergency Management System and the Incident Command System, managing and
following up on those employees on injury on-duty status including liaison work
with Risk Management and medical treatment centers ('Phis liaison role with Risk
Management is designed primarily to expedite the return of injured employees to
light or full duty status. Our increased efficiency in following up on these
employees probably exceeds the entire salary and fringe benefit load paid to the
Patrol administrative sergeant), conducting and managing the Department's
volunteer Honor Guard, conducting divisional inspections and audits, producing
status reports, monthly reports and inventories.
As I noted earlier in this report, the Patrol Division is far and away the
Department's largest division; larger then most City departments. I have
discovered that the Riverside Police Department, which has a Patrol Division of
approximately 10% larger than ours, is run by two Captains. I believe this
recommendation needs to be reconsidered. This position, as the Mayor knows, is
a long standing one in the department and one which I feel the workload
thoroughly justifies.
There also appears to be some misunderstanding as to the role of the sergeant
assigned to the Services Division. In the audit it states that "One sergeant assigned
to the Services Division is currently working full time on the new facility." That
is correct. However, this position is not an administrative sergeant to the Services
Division. No such position has ever been permanently incorporated into the
Department's Table of Organization. Rather, this is a position which was
temporarily transferred from Patrol to Services for the aforementioned purpose of
working on the construction of the new police facility. It was always the
Department's intention to return this position to Patrol when the facility is
completed and the department has occupied it. If this recommendation is complied
with, it will simply result in reducing the number of sergeants assigned to the
Patrol Division by one. A recommendation that I understand if it is made solely
for cost saving purposes.
COMMUNICATIONS
The Chief of Police should take the lead in the improvement of communications in the
Department:
I agree.
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Management Audit
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The Department needs to provide a uniform reporting and evaluation system on the
effectiveness of special programs and strategies, particularly POP, and transmit those
evaluations to Department staff:
I agree.
TECHNOLOGY
The Department should develop and adopt a technology master plan that guides the
acquisition of computer systems and applications and the associated training of staff:
I agree.
The acquisition of a vehicle locator system should be considered as a part of the technology
master planning process:
I agree.
STRATEGIES
The Department's policing strategy has been effective and it should seek additional
opportunities for the implementation of the problem-oriented policing strategy:
The Department agrees.
Because special operations (such as OSS) require a high level of coordination and
communications, the Department should improve its internal communications regarding the
objectives and activities of future special operations:
The Department agrees.
The Department should form a temporary (available for deployment as needed) special
enforcement unit from existing resources (MET, Vice and Narcotics, POP Teams):
The Department agrees conceptually with this recommendation. However, it is
noted that some of the manpower numbers are inaccurate. The Department would
also suggest that Traffic and the Volunteer Honor Guard be included in this special
enforcement unit.
Police Department Response to Ralph Anderson & Associates
Management Audit
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INTERNAL OPERATIONS
The Department should adopt a uniform goals and objective setting process that results in a
comprehensive and useable document disseminated to the Department staff, City management
staff, the Mayor and City Council:
The Department agrees and such a document has been in progress for several
months.
Current work on a policy regarding special assignments should be completed so that a clear
policy relating to special assignments exist and that provides maximum opportunities for
qualified individuals and enhances morale and employee development:
Such a document has been completed and is presently awaiting Meet and Confer
with affected employee organizations.
The Department should make the timely completion of employee performance evaluations a
performance objective for all supervisors and managers:
I agree and this has been done.
Additional reviews for employees in highly sensitive assignments such as vice and narcotics
investigations and intelligence should be implemented:
This is a good recommendation. We have been working towards drug testing for
narcotics officers. However, it has been suggested by City personnel that we wait
until they complete the Meet and Confer process with the City drug testing policy.
We are currently researching our ability to require a financial interest statement.
A physical fitness and wellness program based upon the POST Basic Academy Physical
Conditioning Manual should be adopted by the Department.
This recommendation is already in progress and well on its way towards
completion.
WH/Pg