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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFebruary 8, 2005 Agenda AGENDA CITY OF DENTON CITY COUNCIL February 8, 2005 After determining that a quorum is present, the City Council will convene in a 2nd Tuesday Session of the City of Denton City Council on Tuesday, February 8, 2005 at 4:00 p.m. in the City Council Work Session Room at City Hall, 215 E. McKinney, Denton, Texas at which the following item will be considered: NOTE: A 2nd Tuesday Session is used to explore matters of interest to one or more City Council Members or the City Manager for the purpose of giving staff direction into whether or not such matters should be placed on a future regular or special meeting of the Council for citizen input, City Council deliberation and formal City action. At a 2nd Tuesday Session, the City Council generally receives informal and preliminary reports and information from City staff, officials, members of City committees, and the individual or organization proposing council action, if invited by City Council or City Manager to participate in the session. Participation by individuals and members of organizations invited to speak ceases when the Mayor announces the session is being closed to public input. Although 2nd Tuesday Sessions are public meetings, and citizens have a legal right to attend, they are not public hearings, so citizens are not allowed to participate in the session unless invited to do so by the Mayor. Any citizen may supply to the City Council, prior to the beginning of the session, a written report regarding the citizen's opinion on the matter being explored. Should the Council direct the matter be placed on a regular meeting agenda, the staff will generally prepare a final report defining the proposed action, which will be made available to all citizens prior to the regular meeting at which citizen input is sought. The purpose of this procedure is to allow citizens attending the regular meeting the opportunity to hear the views of their fellow citizens without having to attend two meetings. Receive a report, hold a discussion, and give staff direction regarding the Police Department staffing study performed by Del Carmen Consulting, LLC, to include a staff analysis of the rolling stock in the Police Department fleet of motor vehicles. 2. Hold a follow-up discussion on the Council's 2004 Retreat considerations. Receive a report, hold a discussion, and give staff direction regarding a proposed reorganization of the Legal Department. Suggestions for Agenda Committee on future agenda items and/or placement of items for upcoming agendas. Following the completion of the Work Session, the City Council will convene in a Closed Meeting to consider specific items when these items are listed below under the Closed Meeting section of this agenda. The City Council reserves the right to adjourn into a Closed Meeting on any item on its Open Meeting agenda consistent with Chapter 551 of the TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, as amended, as set forth below. 1. Closed Meeting: Deliberations regarding real property - Under TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE Section 551.072, Consultation with Attorney - Under TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE Section 551.071. City of Demon City Council Agenda February 8, 2005 Page 2 Discuss and deliberate the potential value of and the sale or lease or other disposition of numerous tracts of certain real property and appurtenances, thereto, consisting of street right of way all owned by the City of Denton, Texas, being situated throughout the City of Denton, Texas relating to fiber optic operations both inside and outside the city limits of the City of Demon, Texas; including possible agreemems for use of this real property with Denton County and Denton Independent School District; and the receipt of legal advice from the City's attorneys on matters in which their professional responsibility to the City Council regarding real estate matters requires private legal consultation. B. Personnel Matters - Under TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE Section 551.074. Discuss the evaluation of the City Attorney including deliberation on the City Attorney's duties. 2. Discuss the duties and responsibilities of the City Manager. ANY FINAL ACTION, DECISION, OR VOTE ON A MATTER DELIBERATED IN A CLOSED MEETING WILL ONLY BE TAKEN IN AN OPEN MEETING THAT IS HELD IN COMPLIANCE WITH TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, CHAPTER 551, EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT SUCH FINAL ACTION, DECISION, OR VOTE IS TAKEN IN THE CLOSED MEETING IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF §551.086 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE (THE 'PUBLIC POWER EXCEPTION'). THE CITY COUNCIL RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ADJOURN INTO A CLOSED MEETING OR EXECUTIVE SESSION AS AUTHORIZED BY TEX. GOV'T. CODE, §551.001, ET SEQ. (THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT) ON ANY ITEM ON ITS OPEN MEETING AGENDA OR TO RECONVENE IN A CONTINUATION OF THE CLOSED MEETING ON THE CLOSED MEETING ITEMS NOTED ABOVE, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION §551.071-551.086 OF THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT. CERTIFICATE I certify that the above notice of meeting was posted on the bulletin board at the City Hall of the City of Demon, Texas, on the day of , 2005 at o'clock (a.m.) (p.m.) CITY SECRETARY NOTE: THE CITY OF DENTON CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION ROOM IS ACCESSIBLE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT. THE CITY WILL PROVIDE SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED IF REQUESTED AT LEAST 48 HOURS IN ADVANCE OF THE SCHEDULED MEETING. PLEASE CALL THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE AT 349-8309 OR USE TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVICES FOR THE DEAF (TDD) BY CALLING 1-800-RELAY-TX SO THAT A SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETER CAN BE SCHEDULED THROUGH THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE. AGENDA INFORMATION SHEET AGENDA DATE: February 8, 2005 DEPARTMENT: CM/DCM/ACM: Police Jon Fortune, Assistam City Manager SUBJECT Receive a report, hold a discussion, and give staff direction regarding the Police Department staffing study performed by Del Carmen Consulting, LLC, to include a staff analysis of the rolling stock in the Police Department fleet of motor vehicles. BACKGROUND Del Carmen Consulting, LLC was retained by the DeNon Police Departmem to conduct an assessmem of the Police Departmem staffing to determine appropriate staffing levels for sworn personnel assigned to the various componems of the Departmem as well as the Departmem's take home vehicle program. The consultams were asked to determine the following: 1. Does the Demon Police Departmem need additional support staff and officers in order to cominue to offer community policing services? 2. Does the Demon Police Departmem have an adequate number of support staff and investigators in it's investigative function? 3. Should the Take Home Vehicle Program remain in place? Patrol Staffing Analysis Determining the adequate number of police officers is one of the most difficult tasks faced by any municipality. There is no single, definitive industry standard for staffing due, in part, to the distinct differences in population, demographics, seasonal workload demands, and community standards and expectations that exist between cities across the United States. However, there are several methodologies that can be used to determine a minimum staffing level. One of the most common standards is to calculate the number of officers per one thousand residents and compare that ratio to other departments of comparable size using regional statistics provided by the United States Bureau of Justice Statistics. According to the 2002 Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics, the average for cities that serve a population of fifty thousand to ninety-nine thousand in the region consisting of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana is 1.80 officers per 1,000 population. According to the Police Department's 1999-2004 Strategic Plan, there were 131 authorized sworn police officers serving a population of 73,050 in 1998. This staffing level constituted approximately 1.79 officers per 1,000 citizens, which met the regional average at that time. The Strategic Plan projected that, based on population projections at that time, nineteen police officer positions would have to be added to maintain the 1.79 ratio through 2003. In an attempt to maintain the desired staffing level, the Department submitted several Federal COPS gram applications and supplememal funding requests for the required local match. These requests consisted of three officers in the FY 1999-2000 budget; six officers in the FY 2000-01 budget; seven in the FY 2001-02 budget; and five in the 2002- 03 budget. While none of these grants were funded, the Department was allowed to use the approved local match to add three police officer positions. Additionally, the Department received one additional position for an Environmental Crimes Unit through a regional Solid Waste grant program; one additional position for a traffic officer through a State Special Traffic Enforcemem Program (STEP) graM; and one additional position for a school resource officer through the Federal COPS in Schools gram program. While these grant positions did increase the overall staffing level of sworn officers, each position was specifically dedicated to an area outside the uniformed patrol function. By 2004, the Department had added six positions for a total of 137 sworn officers and the population was estimated at 96,167. According to the Department's 2005-2009 Strategic Plan, the ratio of officers to one thousand population had fallen to 1.41 officers and the Department needed an additional 35 officers, for a total of 172 officers, to achieve the average regional ratio of 1.80. The additional five police officer positions allocated in the 2004-2005 budget brings the total number of officers to 142, resulting in a ratio of 1.48. Therefore, using this methodology, the Department now needs 30 officers to achieve the average regional ratio of 1.80. The Del Carmen staffing study notes that the ratio of officers to population only presents a measure of the total available police resources within a jurisdiction. It does not reflect the number of officers that are assigned to patrol and actively engaged in the direct delivery of services to citizens. Further, simply considering the population does not take into consideration other factors that directly effect service demands such as the population demographics; seasonal or commuter populations; community expectations; and time-imensive community policing initiatives. The Del Carmen study focused on the number of patrol officers needed to adequately respond to calls for service. An analysis was performed that included the number of calls for service; the average time required to complete calls for service; and the number of hours officers are available, less authorized leave including sick and vacation time. The Police Department currently has 66 police officer positions allocated to the patrol function. The Del Carmen study concluded that the Department requires a minimum of 69 patrol officers to respond to calls for service. The initial recommendation of a minimum 69 patrol officers took into consideration that officers are, on average, away from work 23.3 percent of the time due to authorized leave. The Del Carmen study then added additional time that officers are unavailable, such as administrative duties, court appearances and meal breaks, which increases the time that patrol officers are unavailable for calls for service significantly, to an estimated 33 to 45 percent of the time. This factor increased the minimum staffing to between 92 and 100 patrol officers. The Del Carmen staffing recommendations are based solely on providing sufficient officers with which to answer calls for service. The time required to engage in pro-active community policing activities and initiatives was not factored into the minimum staffing recommendation. These activities and initiatives include consulting with citizens regarding problems in their neighborhoods; developing appropriate action strategies to address these problems, including traffic enforcement, anti-drug activities, and directed patrols toward the resolution of crime, disorder and quality of life concerns; and the dedication of personnel to implement these strategies. These have become routine activities that citizens expect from the Police Department and the Department believes are critical to the reduction of crime and disorder. The Police Department's current strategic plan includes a staffing methodology, the Allocation Model for Police Patrol (AMPP), which was developed by the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas at Sam Houston State University. Like the Del Carmen study, the AMPP determines the number of patrol officers needed to answer calls for service and includes the Department's desired response time to Priority 1 (life-threatening) and Priority 2 calls for service, and the percentage of time that an officer will be immediately available to respond to a Priority 1 call. It also considers time that officers are away from work and unavailable for calls. In addition to call data and response time variables, the AMPP allows a department to include desired time for self-initiated or directed patrol activities. It also addresses visibility objectives by calculating the miles of arterial and residential roadways and allowing departments to determine how often they want a police unit to be seen on those roadways. For the purposes of the AMPP, the Department used the following desired performance objectives: · Police visibility every 3.5 hours on arterial roadways and every 45 hours on residential roadways; · Average response time of 5 minutes to a Priority 1 call and 30 minutes to a priority 2 call; · At least one officer available to respond to a Priority 1 call 98 percent of the time; · Fifteen minutes every hour for self-initiated activities and directed patrol; and · Officers are unavailable to respond to calls for service 17.3 percent of the time. Using these desired performance objectives, the AMPP concluded that the Department needed a minimum staffing level of 89 patrol officers, an increase of 23 officers. Appendix A displays the staffing analysis contained in the current Police Department Strategic Plan. It provides several different scenarios, with differing response times for Priority 1 and Priority 2 calls for service and differing amounts of time officers would have for self-initiated activities and directed patrol. The total number of officers needed to achieve the performance objectives listed can be found at the end of each column. In summary, the Department is currently authorized 142 sworn positions, including all ranks. Using the ratio of officers to one-thousand population, the Department should have an authorized strength of 172 officers which would require 30 additional police positions. The Del Carmen study recommends a minimum staffing level of 69 in the patrol function, which would require only three additional officers. However, including additional time that officers are unavailable for calls for service increases the minimum staffing level to between 92 and 100 patrol officers, which would require an additional 26 to 34 officers, and bring the total authorized positions to between 168 and 176. The AMPP takes into consideration a variety of performance objectives and includes time for self-initiated and directed patrol activities. It recommends a total of 89 patrol officers, which would require 23 additional positions and bring the total number of authorized positions to 165. Therefore, the patrol staffing level needed for the Police Department to meet service delivery demands and continue to pursue pro-active community policing initiatives is between 89 and 100 officers, requiring an additional 23 to 34 police officer positions. None of these methodologies address the minimum staffing levels for patrol supervisors and include no recommendations for increases in patrol sergeants. As noted on page 32 of the Del Carmen study, a supervisory span of control of between five and seven subordinates is considered a universally accepted standard to assure efficiency and effectiveness of the work group. Currently, the Department has eight sergeants assigned to patrol resulting in a span of control of 8.25 officers per sergeant. The Department would need to add two sergeant positions to patrol to bring the current span of control within recommended range and five to seven sergeants for the recommended staffing levels. The chart below summarizes the number of officers needed to reach the recommended staffing level according to each staffing methodology. The first column details the current allocation of sworn positions and the remaining columns details the allocation of sworn positions for each methodology. The number of patrol sergeants was increased in proportion to the number of patrol officers added to achieve the recommended span of control. The Del Carmen staffing recommendations for the Investigative Services Bureau are discussed in the next section of this report and, therefore, are not included in the chart below. SWORN OFFICER STAFFING AND ALLOCATION POSITIONS CURRENT OFFICER/1000 DEL CARMEN (UNAVAILABLE TIME) AMPP STAFFING POPULATION 23.3% 33% 45% CHIEF 1 1 1 1 1 1 CAPTAIN 3 3 3 3 3 3 LIEUTENANT 7 7 7 7 7 7 SERGEANT 15 20 17 20 22 20 PATROL 8 13 10 13 15 13 TRAFFIC 1 1 1 1 1 1 ISB 3 3 3 3 3 3 OTHER/ADMIN 3 3 3 3 3 3 POLICE OFFICERS 116 141 119 142 150 139 PATROL 66 91 69 92 100 89 TRAFFIC 8 8 8 8 8 8 I NVESTI GAT© RS 26 26 26 26 26 26 SR© 6 6 6 6 6 6 AREA C©©RDINAT©R 3 3 3 3 3 3 ©THER/ADMIN 7 7 7 7 7 7 TOTAL 142 172 147 173 183 170 Investigative Services Bureau Staffing The Investigative Services Bureau (ISB) is currently allocated 26 investigator positions. These positions are allocated between the Family Services Section, which includes child abuse, domestic violence and juvenile investigations; the General Investigations Section, which includes crimes against persons, property crimes, financial crimes, and forensic analysis; and the Special Enforcement Section, which includes narcotics investigations, a street crimes unit and the K-9 officer. Additionally, the civilian Family Services Coordinator and the six school resource officers are assigned to the Family Services Section. One sergeant is assigned to each Section and there is one clerical position assigned to the Bureau. There is no definitive method of determining the number of police officers that should be assigned to the investigative function. As the Del Carmen study notes, there are many factors that determine that number, including the number and types of crimes reported and the demands and expectations of the community. While this study does not make any firm recommendations regarding the total number of investigators needed, it does make several recommendations that would require additional staffing. Under the current organizational structure, two of the sergeants are responsible for between 11 and 14 employees. The study recommends the addition of two sergeants so that the General Investigations Section could be divided into two sections, crimes against persons and property crimes, and the Family Services Section could be divided with domestic violence and child abuse in one section and the school resource officers and juvenile detectives in another. The additional sergeants would more closely align the span of control with the universally accepted level mentioned earlier in this report. The re-organization would group similar types of offenses and break out dissimilar jobs. While the Department does not have sufficient sergeants to assign additional positions to ISB, the Department is moving forward with a re-organization that divides the investigators into Crimes Against Persons and General Investigations Sections. This adjustment places similar offenses under the same supervisor and also evens out the number of investigators each sergeant supervises. Further, the Del Carmen report recommends assigning investigators to specified work areas to ensure that investigators in each Section are in close proximity to each other. To date, investigators who changed investigative assignments, such as moving from property crimes to crimes against persons, stayed in the same cubicle. The Department is following the recommendation of the study and moving the investigators to designated work areas in conjunction with the re-organization of the two divisions. The study also recommends that one investigator be assigned to a pawn shop detail to make weekly visits to each of the ten pawn shops toward the identification and recovery of stolen property; one full-time data entry clerk to input pawn ticket data into a computer database for easy retrieval of information; and one full-time clerical position to perform administrative clerical tasks that do not require the authority of a police officer but are currently performed by the investigators. Three additional positions would need to be added to meet these recommendations. The Del Carmen report notes that any further recommendation for additional investigative staff requires additional caseload analysis and the exploration of alternative responses to reported crimes. In response, the Department is exploring the alternatives for case management systems; analyzing the capabilities of the current records management system; and reviewing the case processing procedures. To date, minor revisions have been made in the case intake process to improve the efficiency of case assignments. The Department intends to move forward with the implementation of all of the recommendations contained in the report as resources allow. INVESTIGATIVE SERVICES STAFFING AND ALLOCATION PRE-DEL CARMEN STUDY February 1, 2005 DEL CARMEN RECOMMENDATION TOTAL 39 TOTAL 39 TOTAL 44 CAPTAIN 1 CAPTAIN 1 CAPTAIN 1 LIEUTENANT I LIEUTENANT I LIEUTENANT 1 GENERAL INVESTIGATIONS 12 GENERAL INVESTIGATIONS 13 GENERAL INVESTIGATIONS 9 SERGEANT 1 SERGEANT 1 SERGEANT 1 PROPERTY CRIMES 6 PROPERTY CRIMES 6 PROPERTY CRIMES 6 CRIMES vs. PERSONS 3 FINANCIAL CRIMES 1 FINANCIAL CRIMES 1 FINANCIAL CRIMES 1 JUVENILE CRIMES 2 PAWN DETAIL 1 FORENSIC ANALYSIS 1 MIDDLE SCHOOL SRO 3 CRIMES vs, PERSONS 5 FAMILY SERVICES 15 CRIMES vs, PERSONS 14 SERGEANT 1 SERGEANT 1 SERGEANT 1 CRIMES vs. PERSONS 3 FAMILYVIOLENCE 2 CRIMES vs. PERSONS 3 FORENSICS 1 CHILD ABUSE 3 FAMILY VIOLENCE 2 FAMILY SERVICES 7 JUVENILE 2 CHILD ABUSE 3 SERGEANT 1 FAMILY SERV'S COOR. 1 FORENSIC ANALYSIS 1 FAMILYVIOLENCE 2 SRO 6 HIGH SCHOOL SRO 3 CHILD ABUSE 3 SPECIAL ENFORCEMENT 9 FAMILY SERV'S COORD 1 FAMILY SERV'S COORD 1 SERGEANT 1 SPECIAL ENFORCEMENT 9 SCHOOL RESOURCE 9 NARCOTICS 3 SERGEANT 1 SERGEANT 1 STREET CRIMES 4 NARCOTICS 3 JUVENILE 2 K-9 1 STREET CRIMES 4 SRO 6 CLERICAL STAFF 1 K-9 1 SPECIAL ENFORCEMENT 9 ADMIN ASST 1 CLERICAL STAFF 1 SERGEANT 1 ADMIN ASST 1 NARCOTICS 3 STREET CRIMES 4 K-9 1 CLERICAL STAFF 3 ADMIN ASST 1 DATA ENTRY CLERK 1 SECRETARY 1 In addition to these recommendations, DISD will open Guyer High School in August 2005 and we anticipate the assignment of one additional school resource officer and resulting in seven total SRO's. NOTE: With the exception of the clerical positions included in the recommendations for ISB, the Del Carmen staffing study does not address current or projected needs for increased staffing in civilian positions. The Department's budgeted non-sworn FTE's have increased a total of 17.94 since FY 1994-95. The chart below details these increases. CIVILIAN SUPPORT STAFF POSITION 1994-95 1999-00 2005 Public Safety Communications 10 10 18' Civilian Manager 0 0 1 Lead Operator 3 3 3 Dispatcher 7 7 14 Records Section 6,5 7 7 Civilian Supervisor 1 1 1 Records Technician 5.5 6 6 Civilian Jailer 6 6 7 Duty Officer 4 6 5 Civilian Property Technician 0 I 2 Admin Asst/Exec Secretary 3 3 3 Civilian Warrant Clerk 0 0 1 Parkin9 Enforcement 2 2 2 School Crossin9 Guard 4.29 4.29 6.73 Admin Asst - Technology 0 0 1' Family Services Coordinator 0 I 1 Crime Analyst 0 1 0 TOTAL 35.79 41.29 53.73 *Thc eight additional Communications personnel were existing dispatcher positions transferred from the Fire Department budget. The Administrative Assistant for Technology was an existing position in the Technology Services Department that was transferred to the Police Department's budget. Therefore, nine of the FTE's added to the Police Department's budget were existing positions that were already supporting the Police Department's operation but were funded in other departments' budgets. Subtracting those nine positions and the 2.44 increase in school crossing guards results in an actual increase of 6.5 FTE's. The Department has consistently performed evaluations of positions to determine the most beneficial and critical use of personnel. For example, a dispatcher position was re- classified as a civilian communications manager so that the sergeant's position traditionally used for that position could be re-assigned elsewhere. In another instance, a lieutenant that had been assigned to manage the computer system retired. The lieutenant's responsibilities were assumed by other existing personnel and the vacated lieutenant's position was transferred into the Operations Bureau to manage the Special Enforcement Division. Recently, the crime analyst position was vacated. The Department identified a critical need for additional personnel in the Property/Evidence Room. The crime analyst position was subsequently eliminated, those duties were assigned to the Administrative Assistant for Technology and an additional property technician position was created. The Department has added 37 additional police officer positions since 1994 and has experienced an increase in calls for service, reported crimes and arrests. It is reasonable to conclude that the Department's support staff requires an increase in personnel also, specifically in the Communications Section and the City Jail. Additional clerical staff and records technicians may also be needed. However, as the Department continues toward increased automated records maintenance and field (paperless) reporting, the future needs in those areas are unknown. The Department will continue to evaluate workloads and efficiency and submit requests for additional personnel as such needs are identified. Police Department Vehicle Fleet and Take-Home Car Program The Police Department vehicle inventory consists of 134 vehicles. Current inventory does not reflect the five additional vehicles budgeted in FY 2004-05 that have not been received into our inventory at this time. Appendix B contains a complete inventory that includes the year, make, and mileage of each vehicle; whether it is marked or unmarked; its designation as a take-home vehicle; original purchase price; and maintenance and fuel costs. In summary, the Police fleet includes the following: · One van and trailer used to transport materials and equipment used for processing crime scenes. · One sign trailer used for traffic direction. · One concession trailer, two bicycle trailers, one golf cart with trailer, one all- purpose trailer, and one van used primarily for community events. · Six unmarked vehicles used by the Narcotics Unit, four of which were the result of asset forfeitures. · One pickup and trailer used by the Environmental Crimes Unit. · Three Suzuki SUV's used by Parking Enforcement Officers. · One Command Post with generator trailer. · One Tactical Unit vehicle. · One Kubota tractor used to maintain the Department's firearms range. · Two motorcycles. · One marked Hummer used to tow the Command Post and for recruiting. · One marked unit for the Municipal Court Bailiff. · One marked unit modified for use by the K-9 Unit. · Twenty-five unmarked units assigned to Investigative Services Bureau personnel. · Four unmarked units assigned to the Operations Bureau Command staff. · Thirteen unmarked units assigned to other administrative personnel and Support Services staff. · Two marked units assigned to School Resource Officers. · Sixty-one marked units assigned to patrol officers and the Traffic Unit. There are 79 vehicles that are designated as take-home vehicles. Seventy-three of the vehicles are assigned to officers as full-time take-home vehicles, including the Chief of Police, the Hummer, the K-9 officer, one school resource officer, four narcotics vehicles, eighteen unmarked Investigative Services Bureau officers, three Operations Bureau command staff, thirty-six patrol and traffic officers, and six Support Services personnel. Four employees are assigned full-time take home vehicles even though they live outside the city limits, including the Tactical Commander who must respond directly to the scene of a critical incident; two Narcotics Officers who do not office in the Police Department building and may be attached to a task force headquartered out of town; and the K-9 officer who drives a modified squad car to accommodate the transport of the police dog. Additionally, officers who are assigned a vehicle are allowed to take their vehicles to their residence outside the city limits while on-call. There are two accident investigators and four criminal investigators who rotate through an on-call schedule and are allowed to take their vehicles home during the week that they are on-call. The matrix below illustrates the allocation of these vehicles. Appendix B contains a detailed inventory of those vehicles assigned as take-home cars. TAKE HOME ASSIGNMENTS BUREAU MARKED VEHICLES UNMARKED VEHICLES In Town Out of Town In Town Out of Town Support 1 0 4 0 Investigations 1 1 23 7(4) Operations 35 2(2) 4 0 Chief 0 0 1 0 Total 37 3(2) 32 7(4) ) indicates a vehicle that ~s assigned to an accident investigator or a criminal investigator that is taken out of town only when that officer is on-call. As with staffing, there is no definitive methodology for the number of vehicles that a Department should maintain. Factors that may influence such a decision include the number of officers and their assignment; the geographic size of the jurisdiction; desired visibility; emphasis on the ability to activate a large number of officers in response to a critical incident; and the overall cost of fleet maintenance and operation. The Department surveyed several area departments to compare the size of police fleets. The chart below includes both agencies that maintain a take-home car program that includes marked units and those that do not. The total number of units includes marked, unmarked and specialized vehicles. 10 FLEET COMPARISON WITH OTHER AGENCIES PERCENT TAKE HOME SWORN TOTAL TAKE UNITS/ AGENCY MARKED UNMARKED TAKE CARS OFFICERS UNITS HOME OFFICER HOME 3enton YES 142 134 79 55 79 0.94 0.59 Carrollton NO 157 80 27 53 5 0.51 0.06 <illeen YES 171 142 58 72 81 0.83 0.57 _ewisville NO 132 99 65 34 6 0.75 0.06 VIcKinney NO 112 60 35 25 5 0.54 0.08 Vlesquite YES 214 164 113 51 116 0.76 0.71 ~lano YES 330 205 120 85 55 0.62 0.27 :~ichardson NO 100 110 32 79 15 1.10 0.14 Temple YES 138 136 97 39 87 0.98 0.64 ¢Vichita Falls YES 190 165 117 48 124 0.87 0.75 According to the chart, these departments maintain an average of 0.75 vehicles per officer. Considering only those departments with take home car programs, the average increases to 0.83. For those departments with take home car programs, an average of 58 percent of all vehicles are dedicated as take home cars. The data that was readily available from other departments does not provide a detailed inventory of the types of vehicles contained in each fleet. Therefore, the Department's ratio of vehicles per officer could be attributable to the number of specialty vehicles included in the fleet. However, the Department's percentage of vehicles dedicated to the take-home program is average for these departments. The current take-home vehicle program was implemented in July 1986. The primary purpose of a take-home car program is to provide greater visibility throughout the community and increase the Department's ability to rapidly deploy personnel in the event of a critical incident. With the exception of those officers in an on-call status or specialized positions, such as tactical team members and the K-9 officer, take-home vehicles are assigned only to officers residing within the city limits. The Department's policy is attached as Appendix C. The Del Carmen study examined several aspects of the Take-Home Vehicle Program to determine if the program should be retained. The study noted the following conclusions: The program provides increased efficiency, especially at shift change, as officers have their vehicles and all equipment ready and can be dispatched while en route to work. Police officers without take-home vehicles spend approximately 28 minutes per day checking out and loading equipment into a patrol or pool vehicle, resulting in 238,000 minutes per year at an estimated cost of $75,945. 11 Officers en route to and from work provide additional visibility and can respond to observed traffic violations, crimes in progress, or calls for service. The study estimated that the additional patrol while commuting provided approximately 3,536 hours per year with an estimated value of $127,296. The study notes that, over the past three years, officers have responded to 64 criminal incidents while in their take-home car. Using the estimates in the Del Carmen study, the Department compared the fuel and maintenance cost incurred while officers are operating their take-home vehicles while commuting or off-duty to the estimated productivity costs. The chart below details the savings and costs of reducing the current fleet by five, ten, and twenty marked units. If the fleet were reduced, take-home cars would have to be transferred into the pool to provide a sufficient number of vehicles for patrol and that number is reflected. The one-time capital savings consists of the average cost of a vehicle, not including the equipment, multiplied by the number of take-home cars that would be eliminated from the fleet. The annual fuel and maintenance savings is based on an officer driving a take-home vehicle 70 miles per week, while commuting and off-duty, at a cost of $0.25 per mile, multiplied by the number of take-home cars eliminated. For example, in the first scenario: (70 miles/week x 0.25/mile)(52 weeks)(8 cars) = $7,280 This analysis also considers the lost productivity at shift change as officers wait for their assigned vehicle and load and unload equipment. Using the Del Carmen estimate of 28 minutes per shift change, the lost time is calculated as follows: (28 minutes)(3 shifts/day)(365 days) = 30,660 minutes lost annually for every three take-home cars eliminated, which equates to 170 hrs annually for each vehicle eliminated. An average hourly rate of $25.00 was used to calculate the value of the lost productivity. The net gain/loss was calculated by subtracting the one-time capital savings and the annual fuel/maintenance savings from the lost productivity for the first year and only the annual fuel/maintenance and lost productivity in the second year. FLEET REDUCTION ANNUAL NET TAKE-HOME CAPITAL ANNUAL FUEL NET GAIN/ FLEET LOST GAIN/ REDUCTION SAVINGS & MAINT LOSS 2nd REDUCTION PRODUCT- LOSS 1st REQUIRED 1st YEAR SAVINGS YEAR IVITY YEAR 5 UNITS ~ UNITS 115,00C 7,280 34,00C 88,28C -26,72C 10 UNITS 14 UNITS 230,00C 12,740 59,500 183,24C -46,76C 20 UNITS __.8 UNITS 460,00C 25,480 119,000 366,48C -93,52C 12 In addition to the time lost at shift change is the delay in responding to calls for service. The Department's current average response time to a Priority 1 call is 9 minutes and the average response time to Priority 2 call is 27 minutes. Calls received at shift change could then hold an additional 28 minutes, making the response time 37 minutes for a Priority 1 call and almost one hour for a priority 2 call. The calculations noted above only address the cost/benefit of marked units. The majority of the unmarked units are assigned to investigators. Except for one evening shift investigator, these positions are scheduled for normal business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Therefore, almost all are working the same hours. Without individually assigned vehicles, the investigators risk wasting many hours looking for a vehicle or waiting for one to become available. Additionally, the take-home car program enables them to respond directly to the scene quickly when called out rather than go to the Police Department first to pick up a vehicle and equipment before responding to the scene. Though only one detective is on-call during any one week, the Department maintains a crime scene search team of specially trained detectives who are called to process major crime scenes. Again, eliminating their take-home cars would require all members of the team to first go to the Police Department prior to going to the scene. And finally, large crime scenes or critical incidents require a significant number of personnel who oftentimes leave the scene at different times and may or may not return. Individually assigned vehicles enable investigators and command staff to accomplish tasks without the added challenge of finding transportation. Therefore, while an estimated cost in lost productivity cannot readily be attached to the elimination of some of the unmarked vehicles, the Department's experience indicates that it would have a significant impact on the efficiency of the investigators and other staff members. The Department's experience indicates that the fleet should contain 2.5 vehicles for every five officers. The Department currently has 66 police officer positions and 8 sergeant positions allocated to patrol. Therefore, if the Department depended solely on a fleet, or pool, of vehicles, it would have to maintain a minimum of 37 marked police units to support the patrol function. Additional or spare vehicles should be also be maintained for times when a vehicle will be unavailable, including routine or extensive maintenance, accidents and training. Any subsequent staffing increases would require additional vehicles for the fleet. The average cost of a new, unequipped squad car is $23,000. Each car is equipped with a security cage, mobile police radio, emergency lighting and siren, mobile data computer, and in-car video system at an additional cost of approximately $23,000. Operable equipment in good condition is usually transferred from a vehicle to the vehicle replacing it and that cost may be saved for some or all vehicles in any given year. Take-home vehicles average 15,000 miles per year and are currently replaced every five years. Fleet vehicles driven 24 hours per day, seven days a week would require replacing every 1.6 years. Therefore, the Department would have to replace at least 18 to 19 marked units every year rather than the 12 to 13 vehicles currently replaced annually as part of the take-home car program. Based solely on the average base cost, the City spends approximately $299,000 annually to replace vehicles compared to at least $437,000 to provide fleet replacements if the take-home car program were eliminated. The following 13 chart illustrates the comparison of the replacement cost of a take-home car and the replacement cost of a fleet car. REPLACEMENT COST COMPARISON LIFE TOTAL AVG NUMBER TYPE EXPECT COST COST/ MILEAGE/YEAR REPLACED (YEARS) YEAR POOL CAR 1.6 37,500 19 23,000 437,000 TAKE-HOME 5 15,000 13 23,000 299,000 Another way to compare the replacement costs is to extend the cost analysis over the five-year life of a take-home car. For example, twenty police officers would require 2.5 fleet or pool vehicles for every five officers or ten total vehicles. The same twenty police officers would require twenty take-home vehicles. On a replacement schedule of 1.6 years, new pool vehicles would have to be purchased three times during the five-year life of the take home cars. At $23,000 per vehicle, the replacement cost for the pool cars would be $690,000 while the cost to replace the take-home cars once during that five- year period would be $460,000. Therefore, though the elimination or reduction in take- home cars would significantly reduce the total number of cars in the fleet, the more frequent replacement of the pool vehicles would significantly increase the capital expenditures over time. According to Department records, the actual maintenance expenditures for FY 2003-04 were $221,724 and the actual fuel expenditures were $127,083. The Department allocated $279,773 for maintenance and $145,550 for fuel in FY 2004-05. Appendix B details the maintenance and fuel costs for the life-to-date of each vehicle and, based on those costs and the current mileage, the average cost to operate each vehicle is $0.25 per mile. When the cost of the vehicle is included, the average cost to operate each vehicle increases to $0.78 per mile. It should be noted that including the cost of the vehicle in the cost of operation significantly impacts the cost of operation, especially with marked units which have an additional $23,000 in equipment and those newer vehicles that have low mileage. The Del Carmen study also includes a survey of all sworn personnel regarding the benefits of the take-home car program. The results show that the majority of officers believe that the program is effective in preventing crime; the program is cost effective; the program allows them to better perform their duties; the program allows for increased police visibility in neighborhoods; they are more likely to engage a criminal in a take- home car than if they were in their personal vehicle; the program prolongs the life of a police vehicle; they have encountered a situation in their assigned vehicle that required immediate attention while en route to work or their home; and the program should be preserved or enhanced. 14 In conclusion, the Del Carmen study concluded that the City of Denton benefits from the Take-Home Vehicle Program and recommended that the program should be retained and consideration should be given to expanding the number of vehicles included in the program. Respectfully submitted, Charles Wiley Chief of Police Prepared by: Joanie Housewright Captain Investigative Services Bureau Paul Abbott Captain Support Services Bureau Loyd Burns Lieutenant Support Service Bureau 15 APPENDIX A ALLOCATION MODEL FOR POLICE PATROL Source Document: 2004-09 Strategic Plan Calls for Service Variables of ~!~i~ Total number of days in the workload sample period (year) 365 365 365 365 365 365 Performance Objectives 98 98 98 98 98 Patrol Visibility Variables Response Time Variables Immediate Availability Variables ]6 Berce~tage of admi~istrat!ve ac~ivi~ie~ tha~ 25 25 25 25 25 2E a~ti~i~iestha~ca~o~bep~eempted(P~cy ~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~:~;~ o ,;e:, o ,;e:, o ;~,: % ~, % ~dditional Variables ~e ightS~(Tota!O~all fob~weigh~S ~b e ~00 weight for patrol ~iSibil!~Y objective 025 825 825 0;25 025 5bjb~ti~b 825 ~25 825 0:25 025 ~bjective 025 025 025 0:25 025 ~eig~t for immediate a~aila~ili~ to p~ied~ ~ ~11~ bbj~ti~ 825 825 825 0~25 025 825 B~do~e ~bje~tive F Self-i~itiated/directed patio! time i~ mi~u~e~ pe~ ~ou~ pe~ ~ffioe~ ~5 ~5 ~5 !5 5 ~edo~ma~c~ ~bj~ti~ ~ Administrative ~im~ i~ ~0 ~0 ~O 0~0 O0 O0 O0 O00~ &verage Work Week (hours) 40 40 40 40 40 46 ~io~ fi~liday,~ic~ ~inin~ ~ion) NeededT°tal Number of Patrol Officers 89 87 85 84 61 61 ]7 ooooooooooooooooo-oo~ ooooooo ~ 0 O0 O0 O0 O0 O0 O0 O0 O0 ~0 0 O0 O0 O0 0 : : X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X ~ X , X X X X X X X X X ~~ E E~~~~ e e~ : ....... ~ ~ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ~ ~ = ~ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 > ooooooooo ....... APPENDIX C DENTON POLICE DEPARTMENT REFERENCE GENERAL ORDER NUMBER: 03-2 EFFECTIVE DATE: SUBJECT: Assigned Police Vehicle & Take-Home Car 04/02/03 Program LAST REVISION DATE: This Order consists of the following numbered sections: I. PURPOSE II. POLICY STATEMENT III. TAKE HOME CAR PROGRAM IV. ON-CALL VEHICLE ASSIGNMENT V. GENERAL REGULATIONS VI. PROHIBITED ACTIONS VII. MAINTENANCE VIII. SUPERVISION IX. EFFECTIVE DATE I. PURPOSE This order establishes the Denton Police Department's Assigned Vehicle and Take Home Car Program, and establishes guidelines, restrictions, and eligibility criteria consistent with this policy. II. POLICY STATEMENT The Denton Police Department and the City of Denton has recognized the benefits of individually assigned cars for police personnel. The long-term asset value of such equipment is extended significantly because the cars are assigned to one operator, the mileage is extended, and vehicle maintenance and care is both improved and less costly. The assignment of police vehicles is designed to enhance public safety through increased police visibility, expand the ability of the Department to provide police services and to facilitate deployment of key Department personnel in the event of a major incident. Officers shall familiarize themselves with this policy and shall exercise good judgment while utilizing Department vehicles or equipment. Officers shall not commit any act or omission, which would reflect unfavorably on the Department or tend to cause the public to lose confidence in the Department. Replaces 89-12 Police/Policy/03-02.doc 22 The use or assignment of Department vehicles is considered a privilege and shall not be viewed as an earned benefit, right, or entitlement. Any privilege associated with this policy may, at the discretion of the Chief of Police, be suspended or revoked in part or in whole at anytime for violation of any provision of this order or other policies associated with vehicle care, maintenance, or operation. III. TAKE HOME CAR PROGRAM Minimum criteria to participate in this program includes: The officer shall have successfully completed the Department's Field Training program, completed his/her probationary period, and be in good standing with the Department. Vehicle assignments may be based upon job assignment, seniority, residence location, vehicle availability, or other factors deemed to be in the best interest of the Department as determined by the Chief of Police or his designee. Where there are two or more officers living in the same household, only one (1) marked police vehicle will be assigned for take home purposes. No more than two (2) marked vehicles will be assigned to officers living in the same apartment complex, mobile home park, or on the same street. However, officers who live in such close proximity to one another as to compromise the intent of this policy may not be eligible, and will be considered on a case-by-case basis. D. The officer must reside within the city limits of Denton. IV. ON-CALL VEHICLE ASSIGNMENT Due to job assignment and/or regular rotating on-call schedules necessary to ensure 24 hour coverage for specialized services, officers may be allowed to utilize or take a Department vehicle to his/her residence outside the city, but only on the days and times the employee is subject to availability and recall to duty, which could be temporary or long-term. Marked police vehicles will not normally be used for on-call assignment purposes when they must be taken outside the city limits unless extenuating circumstances exist, and then only with Chief of Police approval. Though not necessarily inclusive, Canine and Animal Control vehicles are examples of unit functions, which may be exempted as determined by the Chief of Police. V. GENERAL REGULATIONS A. Radio equipment shall be on and communication capability available at all times while a police vehicle is in operation. B. Off-duty officers operating marked police vehicles should initiate traffic or violator contacts in instances whereby hazardous offenses occur in his/her 23 Replaces 89-12 Police/Policy/03-02.doc presence, or instances of reported crime or felonious activity whereby the officer may be of immediate assistance. Officers operating unmarked police vehicles and wearing civilian attire should carefully consider the necessity of initiating traffic or violator contacts. Other options, such as requesting the assistance of a marked police unit may be the best course of action in instances where contact or enforcement is deemed essential. Officers who are not wearing a standard police uniform should not initiate such stops, contacts, or detentions merely for non-hazardous infractions. Operation of any police car as an emergency vehicle shall be in accordance with current Department policies, which address such issues. Officers who witness offenses outside the city of Denton that may require immediate reporting and/or attention should contact the communications dispatcher for assistance in notifying/acquiring jurisdictional police assistance. Officers, who reside in the city of Denton and have a take home vehicle assigned to them, may use the vehicle for personal errands within the city limits. Officers, who do not reside within the city of Denton and have been assigned a vehicle, may make personal stops or errands during travel to and from a work location or police headquarters within the city limits of Denton, or outside the city providing the personal stop is short in duration and does not unreasonably deter from the officer's normal travel route to his/her residence. Once the officer has arrived home, further use of the vehicle for personal errands is prohibited. Officers utilizing assigned or take home vehicles shall possess a valid Texas driver's license, their badge of office, official police identification, a Department approved firearm, and a portable radio (if not equipped with an installed or fixed radio transceiver). Officers shall be appropriately attired and maintain a favorable public, professional image. (No "T" shirts, shorts, sandals, etc.). Blue jeans in good condition are acceptable. Officers are reminded to conceal their firearms while wearing civilian attire in accordance with the Department's Firearms policy. Officers shall always wear their seatbelts and obey all traffic laws unless authorized otherwise due to emergency conditions as may be allowed by law or policy. Unattended police vehicles shall be secured (locked) and keys removed when not in use. Off-duty officers may allow immediate family members (of their own household) to ride in the police car within the city of Denton. Replaces 89-12 Police/Policy/03-02.doc 24 Officers/employees who are on leave and plan to travel (out of town) for more than three consecutive business days should leave their assigned vehicle parked/secured at the Police Department. Officers/employees, who are injured, sick, on light duty, absent under FMLA, etc., should not be driving their assigned take home vehicle. Anyone on extended leave or leave in excess of three consecutive business days should make arrangements for his/her assigned vehicle to be parked/secured at the Police Department. Atypical or extenuating circumstances should be discussed with his/her Bureau Commander. VI. PROHIBITED ACTIONS A. Officers utilizing unmarked vehicles should not initiate traffic or violator contacts for non-hazardous offenses unless he/she is in full police uniform. B. At no time will police vehicles be used to transport personal pets or other animals, with exception to police canines. Police vehicles shall not be utilized for carrying heavy or excessive loads, nor have objects protruding from the trunk or windows, unless such item or items is being transported in accordance with official police business. Officers shall not leave weapons or other equipment exposed in the passenger compartment of an assigned vehicle while parked and unattended. Weapons should always be removed while parked overnight or for an extended time, even if concealed inside the car. Weapons properly secured in locked racks or the vehicle trunk, are excluded from this provision. Only authorized persons are permitted to use and/or operate police vehicles, radios, or other police equipment, i.e., commissioned officers, approved non-sworn employees of the Department, authorized service/maintenance technicians, etc. No police vehicle will be used to patronize, nor parked on the lot of any establishment whereby its primary business/income is derived from the sale of alcohol; this includes clubs, bars, saloons, dance halls, and strip joints. Officers/employees are prohibited from using any police vehicle for the purpose of purchasing alcoholic beverages and/or transporting alcoholic beverages, unless such beverage is evidence in a police case. Officers/employees (on or off-duty), or passengers who intend to consume or possess any amount of alcohol or illegal substance, shall not drive or ride in any city owned vehicle. VII. MAINTENANCE Officers participating in the vehicle take home program or otherwise assigned a take home car in accordance with this policy, shall be responsible for ensuring that all routine upkeep and maintenance is performed on the vehicle when due, or sooner if immediate attention or repair is obvious, in accordance with existing department procedure. 25 Replaces 89-12 Police/Policy/03-02.doc Officers are responsible for the cleanliness and orderliness of their assigned vehicle, both interior and exterior. Damage to or major mechanical problems will be reported to a supervisor as soon as practical. Vehicles are subject to inspection by supervision at any time. C. Additional procedures regarding vehicle maintenance and upkeep can be referenced in the Fleet Management general order. VIII. SUPERVISION Patrol supervisors are responsible to inspect subordinate take home vehicles at least once a week. Staff cars and other assigned vehicles may be inspected at the discretion of the Bureau Commander or his designee. B. Off-duty officers/employees operating police vehicles are subject to supervision by on-duty supervisors. Any supervisory officer may stop a police vehicle operated by an off-duty officer/employee upon reasonable cause that the officer is operating the vehicle contrary to this policy or other regulations. If corrective action cannot be taken at the time, the vehicle shall be taken to police headquarters and parked. Violations of this policy or other deficiencies will be documented in writing by the supervisory officer and forwarded to the Chief of Police and/or Office of Professional Standards. D. Use of Department vehicles for purposes outside the parameters of this policy without prior supervisory approval is prohibited. IX. EFFECTIVE DATE This Order is effective April 2, 2003. Last revision date: Charles Wiley Chief of Police Denton Police Department Distribution: All Personnel Master File Replaces 89-12 Police/Policy/03-02.doc 26 Executive Summary Del Carmen Consulting, LLC was retained by the City of Denton and the Denton Police Department in order to provide an assessment of the Departmental staffing including the investigative component and the take home vehicle program. That is, the Del Carmen Consulting Group was asked to identify, acquire, and analyze the necessary data in order to determine the following: 1. Does the Denton Police Department need additional support staff and police officers in order to continue to offer community policing services? 2. Does the Denton Police Department have an adequate number of support staff and detectives in its investigative division? 3.Should the Take Home Vehicle Program remain in place? In an attempt to answer these, and other related questions, the Del Carmen Group met with the command staff of the Denton Police Department at the initial stages of the study. During this meeting, a series of requests were made by the Del Carmen Group relevant to the data, procedures, and policies pertaining to the components mentioned earlier. The Denton Police Department command staff was extremely helpful and responded promptly to all of the Group's requests. Members of the evaluation group traveled to the city of Denton numerous times during the course of the study. Members of the evaluation team participated in "ride- alongs" with officers of the Denton Police Department. In addition, the evaluators held frequent meetings with members of the command staff to discuss the progress of the study. Overall, the Del Carmen Group determined the following: Staffing · Based on the limitations of the data provided, the current actual number of officers assigned to the Denton Police Department, more specifically, officers authorized for the Patrol division, needs to increase to 69 from the current level of 66. · As the City of Denton continues to grow, this number will undoubtedly increase. Planning for this increase needs to begin immediately. · Data collection mechanisms should be standardized to provide for a reliable method to project further staffing needs in Patrol and other areas of the Department. · The Department should continue its effort to improve alternative call-response methods to enhance the current "Tele-Serve" system. Web-based reporting and other self-reporting systems, when implemented correctly, can mitigate the projected long-term demand on patrol response. · The Department needs to continue to enhance and strengthen its commitment to Community Oriented Policing. · The Department needs to add positions to the Investigative Bureau in the near future to meet their needs. Specifically, two Sergeant positions, a pawn detail investigator, and additional clerical staff positions are needed. (See Investigations Section below for further detail) Investigations · Implement a case management system for the Investigative Bureau. · Re-organize the Investigative Services Bureau to group similar types of offenses and break out dissimilar j obs. · Assign investigators to specified work spaces to ensure close proximity of investigators assigned to the same unit. · Create additional sergeant positions in order to maintain a manageable number of employees for each supervisor. · Create a dedicated pawn detective position · Create a data entry position or volunteer for pawn ticket data entry · Once caseloads can be determined, assign the appropriate number of investigators to adequately handle the caseloads based on the caseload guideline. · Create a clerical support position for Investigations. · Provide additional training to Investigators in the use of the Record Management System. · Maintain the integrity of job assignments by reducing the amount of routine crossing of case assignments and job duties. Monitor case activity and make adjustments to Unit assignments. Take-Home Vehicle Program · Retain and perhaps expand, the Take Home Vehicle Program. · Develop and implement a data capturing mechanism as it relates to criminal incidents responded by officers assigned a take home vehicle. · Record data relevant to the commute of each participating officer so that a cost benefit analysis is performed while taking into consideration the average miles commuted. Overall, the del Carmen Group is confident that the findings introduced in this study are substantiated by evidence produced which highlights areas of improvement for the Denton Police Department in the immediate and distant future. Members of the evaluation team feel that a subsequent study which relies heavily on more significant quantitative measures, most of which are expected to derive from the recommendations introduced in this report, is warranted. In addition, the del Carmen Group recommends the immediate implementation of evaluation components in all three areas of concern-- staff, investigation, and take home vehicles. This will give the command staff members, assurance that all components of the recommendations introduced in this report, are implemented. Further, it will allow for "real time" assessments which have the potential of highlighting issues that can be corrected immediately. Biographical Information Alex del Carmen, Ph.D. Dr. Alex del Carmen, founder of Del Carmen Consulting, LLC, has written 3 books and published over 17 articles in internationally recognized academic journals. He is currently an academic, consultant, and trainer for numerous police agencies in the United States. He has been interviewed by numerous newspapers and televisions in an array of criminal justice topics generally and law enforcement issues specifically. Dr. del Carmen is regarded as an authority in law enforcement issues relevant to, but not exclusive of, staffing assessments, racial profiling, and statistical analysis. Rick Smith. Ph.D. Dr. Smith was a member of the St. Petersburg, Florida, Police Department from 1971 to 1989. During his tenure with the Department he supervised one of the earliest efforts to use laptop computers, very primitive by today's standards, to capture incident data in the field by Patrol Officers. Dr. Smith joined the Arlington, Texas, Police Department in 1989 and, among other assignments, supervised the Department's migration from a mainframe system to a client server system. Rick was appointed as Director of the City's Technology Services Department in 1999 and remained in that position until 2001. In 2001 he was appointed as the Director of the City's Library System and retired from that position in April 2004. In October 2004 Rick Smith was appointed as the Interim Director of the Management Services Bureau of the Arlington Police Department. Dr. Smith is a graduate of the first class of the Senior Management Institute for Police in 1980. He earned an M.A. in Political Science from the University of South Florida and a Ph.D. in Humanities from the University of Texas at Arlington. Wade Goolsby, M.P.A. Wade Goolsby has twenty-four years of police experience. His law enforcement background started in 1980 with the Arlington Police Department where he served for fifteen years. As an officer, he worked in Patrol and Investigations. As a supervisor, he was assigned to Patrol, Investigations, Accreditation, and Internal Affairs. In 1995, he was hired by the Coppell Police Department for the position of Captain and has supervised every area of that Department. He currently serves as Deputy Chief in the Coppell Police Department and is responsible for Community Services, Training and Communications. Wade Goolsby has authored several articles related to law enforcement and has his own consulting business. He has earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Architecture and a Master's Degree in Public Administration, both from the University of Texas at Arlington PATROL STAFFING AND ALLOCATION Background As is the case with all municipal governments, the amount of resources allocated to the police department, and the patrol function in particular, is one of the most critical issues facing police and city administrators. In reality, there are actually three levels of decision-making required when considering this important issue. The first level involves a decision at a general level involving the total, or overall, number of police resources required to answer calls and complete all other required responsibilities in responding to demands from the public. Additional resources must also be provided to essential support services, e.g. investigations, training, internal affairs, administration, and other related functions. The second level of decision making involves allocating and re-allocating police resources within the police agency itself in order to balance workload demands and total police resources. The third level is more detailed in that it requires decisions to be made about allocating the resources assigned to patrol geographically and over time. As a practical matter, all these decisions are clearly linked. Regardless of the soundness of the decisions made at the third, or most detailed level, if the total number of resources allocated at the first and second decision levels are not adequate then it is simply not possible to effectively respond to calls for patrol services. In a similar manner, if resources within the police department are not effectively allocated internally then any patrol deployment plan utilized will be largely ineffective. With this general framework in mind, this section of the report will discuss two related topics. First, a general discussion of patrol allocation methods and the importance of utilizing appropriate methodologies. Second, a specific methodology for determining the number of patrol officers required to provide adequate levels of service for the City of Denton. Methodology_ In essence, patrol allocation models are best thought of as a demand and supply equation. In other words, calls for police service represent the demand side of the equation while available police resources represent the supply side. The two variables in this equation are different but closely related. Specifically, the number of calls generated by a community for police service (demand) is largely beyond the control of the police department. While the police department may not, and probably should not, respond to each call by dispatching a patrol unit to respond to each individual call, each call requires some type of police response. On the other hand, the police department's capacity to respond to this demand, in some form and fashion, represents the supply side of the equation. Therefore, while the demand for police service in most communities continues to grow (and that is certainly the case in Denton) the department's ability to respond to these demands must also grow in order to provide adequate levels of police response and provide for the public safety of the community. The issue, of course, is how to project and plan for this anticipated increase in demand in a defensible and logical manner. It is possible, of course, to utilize other means to determine the number of police officers required to provide an adequate level of police response rather than using this demand/supply analysis. The most widely used measure is to determine the ratio of officers per 1,000 residents in a given community and compare this number with other communities of similar populations. The result of this comparison provides more of a descriptive, as opposed to a prescriptive, analysis. In other words, this measure does not provide a sufficient level of detail to indicate how efficiently police patrol resources are being utilized within a given city. A department with a relatively high ratio of officers per 1,000 may, in fact, have these officers assigned to non-patrol related functions. While a department with a lower ratio of officers per 1,000 may have made more efficient use of its resources by appropriately assigning these officers to the patrol function and assigning fewer resources to less critical functions. In summary, this comparison of ratios has value as a gross measure of available police resources across a variety of cities. However, it does not provide a specific enough measure to determine the number of patrol officers required to respond to calls for police service. We propose that a better way to determine the actual number of police officers required for the patrol function is to utilize the demand/supply analysis described earlier in this section. Once this number is determined, a similar methodology may be used to determine the number of officers required for related operational support units, e.g. investigations and other support units. In effect, the number of officers required for patrol as determined by this methodology serves as the foundation for the department's total staffing needs. In determining the demand side of the equation we obtained the number of calls for police service from information provided by the Denton Police Department's Patrol staff. The following graph displays the monthly number of calls beginning in July 2001 and ending in October 2004. A full year's data was not available for 2001. TOTAL CALLS FOR SERVICE (July 2001 - October 2004) Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec As the graph indicates, the Denton Police Department experienced a moderate increase of 3.5% in the monthly average calls for service when comparing 2002 to 2003. However, this trend increased dramatically when comparing year to date monthly totals for 2004 compared to 2003. This increase of49.1% is statistically problematic. According to information we received from the Denton Police Department, this increase may be explained in one of two ways. First, the Denton Police Department has significantly improved its ability to track officer activity levels. Therefore, the Department's workload statistics for 2004 are more accurate than previous years. Whereas in previous years, 2001 through 2003, officers responded to a proportionately increasing level of calls, this information was not captured due to differences in the Department's call reporting and tracking systems. While we have no reason to doubt the 10 accuracy of this explanation it is beyond the consultant's ability to verify at this point in time given the limited time of engagement to complete our analysis. The second explanation is that the Department did, in fact, experience a significant increase in demand for patrol service because of a large increase in the population and growth experienced by the City of Denton. It is true that the city experienced a surge in growth over the recent past, but it is difficult to attribute this growth as the sole reason for the dramatic increase in calls for service experienced by the police department. While there certainly was a general increase in population and development, especially outside of the city's center, coupled with economic growth of the central business district, and growth at both the University of North Texas and Texas Women's University, it is difficult to attribute these growth factors as the sole source for such a significant increase in demand. Therefore, for purposes of this study, the consultants assume that a combination of these two factors attributed to the increase in 2004 over the previous two complete years of data. At this juncture, we simply have no way of verifying in a timely manner which of these explanations is accurate, partially accurate, or totally inaccurate. There is, obviously, significant risk in this assumption since future projections about the demand for police services are based on a rolling average that moves forward into subsequent calendar years. With this in mind, we strongly recommend that the Department continue its efforts to implement a firm, methodologically sound, and consistent method of data collection. This method should remain in place for the future utilizing 2004 as the base year. Further, that this methodology be utilized to verify the projections made in this 11 report in order to extend our projected patrol staffing requirements forward in subsequent calendar years. With all this in mind, it is still critical to establish a projected demand on the Denton Police Department's Patrol section based on the data we have to work with at this point in time. According to the Department, patrol officers spend about 32 minutes completing a Priority 1 call and 61 minutes completing a Priority 2 call. The time patrol officers spend completing a Priority 3 call was not available in time for the completion of this analysis. Therefore, we averaged the time required to complete Priority 1 and 2 calls to arrive at a general average of 47 minutes (46.5 minutes rounded up to the nearest whole minute) to complete a call for police service. This number is generally consistent with industry standards and our experience working in the police sector. Based on this average of 47 minutes, the total amount of demand for police patrol resources amounts to 9,151.14 hours per month or 109,813.6 hours per year. (47 minutes x 11,682.3 average calls per month in 2004 / 60 minutes x 12 months= 109,813.6 hours per year.) The supply side of this equation is determined by calculating the total number of hours a Patrol officer, or any employee for that matter, could potentially work and subtracting actual non-work hours (e.g. vacation and other authorized and unauthorized leave times) from this total. The potential number of work hours during a calendar year is 2,080 (40 hours per week x 52 weeks per year = 2,080 hours.) According to information supplied by the Denton Police Department, Patrol officers are unavailable for patrol shifts an average of 23.3%, or 484.64 hours, of the total available hours. Therefore, the average number of available hours per Patrol officer amounts to 1,595.36 hours per year (2,080 12 potential hours - 484.64 unavailable hours = 1,595.36 hours available for patrol activities per Patrol officer.) Finally, by dividing the amount of time required by the total number of calls for service by the number of available hours per Patrol Officer we determined that there is a requirement for a minimum of 69 Patrol Officers to respond to calls for service at the present time (109,813.6 workload hours / 1,595.36 available hours per Patrol Officer = 69 total Patrol Officers.) However, the Denton Police Department has an authorized strength of 66 Officers assigned to the Patrol function. In essence, the Department will begin next year with a deficit of 3 authorized Patrol Officers. Since there is every indication that calls for police service will continue to increase, though probably not at the level experienced between 2003 and 2004, the Patrol section of the Department will enter 2005 understaffed. This gap between increasing demand and decreasing supply will continue to widen as calls for service increase due to population growth and other contributing factors throughout the course of the year. It is important to consider several caveats in reference to the assumptions and projections listed above. First, using the average hours available per officer means that officers will spend all their time responding to and answering calls for service, including completing necessary reports and related activities. In reality, officers must complete other activities during the course of their patrol shift that take away from this available time. These activities include attending shift briefings, servicing vehicles, meal breaks, etc... It is beyond the scope of this engagement to accurately determine the amount of time required for these activities in the Denton Police Department. But, experience with other departments indicates that the total average available hours per officer could be 13 decreased by as much as 45% or as little as 33%. If we apply this factor to the 69 patrol officers required to respond to calls for service the number increases significantly. However, while there is validity to arguing for this higher range of officers required for patrol, we are reluctant to recommend these higher numbers at this point given the improvements made in capturing the calls for service data for 2004 compared to previous years. We also realize that by utilizing 47 minutes as the average time required to complete a call for service, again based on 2004 dispatch data, that some calls will require more time while others will require less. Finally, we realize that some months will generate more calls for service while others generate less than the average monthly workload total we utilized in this equation. Even considering these mitigating factors, the data still supports an increase in the actual number of Patrol Officers assigned to a minimum of 69. Considering the need to factor in required administrative time to this equation increases the number of patrol officers beyond this basic projection. In addition, the projected population and development growth for the City of Denton, especially in the central business district and areas some distance away from currently developed areas, e.g. Robson Ranch, will cause an increase in the demands for police service in 2005 and beyond. All things considered, there is sound justification to increase the actual number of officers assigned to patrol as soon as possible. Beyond this immediate requirement, there is a need to provide an orderly, fiscally responsible and administratively manageable method of significantly increasing the number of officers assigned to patrol for 2005 and 2006. 14 There are several other reliable and more complicated models available to determine the number of officers required for patrol than the basic model we used in this report. These models utilize a variety of factors including desired response time, size of patrol beats, travel distances to beats, and a variety of other relevant factors. We strongly encourage the Department to consider using these models to both validate the findings in this report and project future workload requirements. These projections should be completed as soon as possible in order to plan for future growth and develop long-range budget plans. Community Policing Initiatives The Denton Police Department has a consistent record of successfully implementing community oriented policing to address crime and quality of life issues in the community. The Department's on-going use of the "CAMStat" model to address community concerns and direct resources for solutions is an example of this commitment. However, one of the most interesting topics of discussion that consistently came up during the course of the consultant's discussions with the Patrol Staff was the perception that the Department no longer had sufficient resources to manage community policing initiatives and programs. The main reason for this widely held perception was the Department's lack of patrol resources to attend the many community and neighborhood meetings associated with community policing initiatives. As a matter of reference, rather detailed statistical information was provided to the consultants to document the amount of patrol officer time spent on community policing activities, e.g. community meetings, neighborhood events, etc... 15 The consultants strongly recommend that the Denton Police Department review and strengthen their operational definition of community oriented policing and how this definition is implemented in the community. Specifically, we believe that it is considerably more beneficial to view community policing as a part of, and not a separate activity apart from, providing police service to the community. Community involvement and utilizing a problem-oriented approach to providing routine police patrol service is simply the way to do business in today's increasingly complex community environments. This is, we realize, more a change of philosophy than actual practice since the Denton Police Department is, in the truest sense of the word, committed to providing excellent service to the community. However, the perception that the Department does not have the time or resources to practice community oriented policing will, in the long run, lead to a reduction in this high level of police service the Department strives to provide to the community. That is the consensus of our professional opinion as consultants for this project. Therefore, we strongly recommend that the City of Denton provide the recommended personnel in order for the Department to continue its existing community oriented policing philosophy that encompasses all activities and contacts with the community, not just community meetings and neighborhood events. Information Systems The Denton Police Department currently uses a management information system called "Vision." This system consists of an integrated computer assisted dispatch, or CAD system, and a records management system. There is also a jail management system and other sub-systems e.g. field reporting, related to the overall information needs of the 16 Department. Based on the information we received, other than the CAD system, the current information system does not adequately meet the information needs of the Denton Police Department. Every staff member we interviewed in the Denton Police Department supported this conclusion. We should point out that this is not a unique experience when dealing with information systems in general and police information systems in particular. Most progressive police agencies continually deal with gaps between the information systems they currently utilize and an ever-increasing demand for more timely, accurate, and complete information. The Denton Police Department is not alone in addressing this issue and should be complimented for taking the necessary steps to enhance and improve the information systems currently in use in the Department. In the Department's case, it is true that certain parts of the information system performed adequately. For example, the CAD system does an adequate job of handling the dispatch function, but extracting data from this system is somewhat problematic, e.g. response times, time spent on calls for service, etc... However, as a total and integrated system, the current information software does not meet the information needs of the Department. This deficiency has a significant impact on the investigative functions of the Department as will be discussed in another section of this report. Finally, there are parts of the information system that have never functioned properly (the field reporting module) and, for all intents and purposes, probably never will function properly. To the Department's credit, plans are under way to replace, or supplement, those parts of the current information system that are not functional. This is an appropriate strategy and should be pursued as expeditiously as possible. In order for the Denton 17 Police Department to develop, implement, and evaluate, effective patrol deployment strategies a consistent, reliable, and easy to use information system must be in place. Absent this system, the Department will continue to rely on inadequate, incomplete, and less than timely data to make critical management decisions. Finally, given the Department's commitment to community oriented policing and the "CAMStat" model in particular, the value of reliable and timely information is critical. One of the most effective ways to strengthen the value of "CAMStat" is to improve and expand the information systems used to assess, respond, and evaluate responses to community concerns. Recommendations In summary, the following recommendations are supported by the findings and conclusions listed in the preceding sections of this report: 1. There is a need to increase the number of officers assigned to the Patrol function. The authorized number of officers assigned to answer calls for service needs to increase from the current level of 66 to 69.This increase is justified by the current level of demand for police patrol services. This increase in authorized patrol officer strength needs to occur as quickly as possible. 2. The current method of collecting data to determine the actual number of calls for police service should be improved and standardized. It is difficult to make verifiable projections beyond the immediate need for additional officers based on the current systems and data. 3. The Department's current method of allocating available patrol officers based on the locations and times of calls for service is defensible. However, as additional 18 patrol resources become available this deployment system should be continually re-evaluated. 4. There is a very high probability that the Denton Police Department will require more than 69 officers to effectively respond to calls for service in 2005 and certainly by 2006. The exact number of patrol officers required will depend on a reliable dispatch data and additional analysis of patrol officer availability. 5. Depending on the results of the above referenced in-depth analysis, an orderly, cost-effective, and administratively manageable plan should be developed and implemented to increase patrol strength in an effective and efficient manner. 6. We strongly recommend that the Department strengthen the current "Tele- Serve" function. Additionally, the Department should pursue other citizen self- reporting process, to divert as many calls as possible from patrol field response. Regardless of the amount of resources allocated to patrol, now or in the foreseeable future, implementing effective alternatives to field response is a wise investment of the department's resources in an effort to continue supporting this particular program. 7. The Department needs to continue to build on and enhance its commitment to Community Oriented Policing. 8. Finally, the current information systems utilized by the Department are in need of improvement. The current efforts underway to correct this situation should be carefully and continuously evaluated and, where appropriate, accelerated. 19 INVESTIGATIONS Background Determining the correct number of investigators and specialized units in any Investigative Division or Bureau is more of an art than a science. There are many factors that can affect the determination of these numbers. The basic philosophy of a police department can affect the structure and numbers. Obviously, the community and the types of crimes committed within that community would drive some decisions related to investigations. The most visible factors are the numbers of offenses committed, the types of offenses committed, and demands from the community for certain types of responses to specified offenses. More subtle factors involve the philosophy of the Department toward Investigations, the retention of investigators, the training, and the supervision of the unit. As Community Policing has become a standard policing philosophy throughout the United States, the use of patrol officers to initiate and complete investigations can influence Investigations. On the surface, this approach appears to have far reaching effects but in essence, the encouragement of officers to investigate and close out investigations usually has minimal influence on an Investigations Division. The numbers and types of investigations that can be completed by Patrol Officers are limited. Few cases have specific suspects that can be both identified and located by the investigating patrol officers. Generally, the patrol officer must stay within the City to complete their investigation and depending on the patrol schedule the investigation could be adversely impacted by multiple days off. The other issue with the utilization of Patrol Officers to complete investigations is one of accountability. One of the psychological benefits to the 20 average Patrol Officer is the sense of completion at the end of each day. Most departments require their officers to complete their reports before they leave for the day and the result is that officers can leave their job behind them when they finish their shift. The introduction of case investigation into the Patrol environment brings a different psychology. With investigations, officers may not be finished at the end of the day and may need to "pick up where he left off' when they return to work. The cases investigated by Patrol need to be closely monitored to ensure that the officer continues to work on the case. Having said that, the use of patrol officers to complete investigations, can be beneficial to both Patrol and Investigations. The officer that completes an investigation gains a greater sense of satisfaction and "closure" to an offense. The officer gains experience and job knowledge that is related, but different, than those skills that he uses in his everyday patrol duties. The Investigations Division, providing guidance to the officer when needed and assisting the officer in completing the investigation, can also enhance the working relationship between Investigations and Patrol. Although not typically significant, the cases that are cleared by Patrol can benefit Investigations by reducing the workload. In general, the Community Policing philosophy, as applied, is not inclusive of the Investigative component of the police department. It emphasizes beat accountability and initiative on the part of the patrol officer to handle issues within his/her beat. It should be noted that many offenses require more investigative time than the patrol officer can commit to them. These offenses are referred to the Investigations Bureau for investigation. Over the past number of years, the role of Investigations has been minimized due to the emphasis on the patrol officer's role in Community Based Policing. 21 However, it still remains generally true that 90% of the offenses are committed by 10% of the population. Stemming from that assumption, it is critical to develop a skilled investigative unit that aggressively investigates crimes and obtains convictions on their cases. If efforts are focused on that 10% of society, then the department can affect 90% of the crime. Understanding that very few criminals commit only one type of crime, then the overall investigative function becomes an interwoven effort at pursuing the 10% and removing them from society. Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) provides a nationwide view of crime based on the submission of statistics by law enforcement agencies across the country. The crime data is either submitted to a state UCR program that is then submitted to a national UCR repository. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) administers the UCR and compiles the statistics for the United States. There are many varieties of statistics that could be used to portray crime in the United States including penal statistics, prosecution and conviction data, and offense/ arrest data. However, it was decided that the best portrayal of crime would consist of known offenses and arrested persons. It was felt that this data would provide the most utility for police administrators. As a result of this decision, identifying a number of offenses based on their seriousness and frequency developed a Crime Index. These specified offenses would create the Crime Index that would serve as indicators of the national crime situation. 22 The offenses to be used for the Crime Index were identified as follows: · Criminal homicide · Forcible rape · Robbery · Aggravated assault · Burglary · Larceny- Theft · Motor vehicle theft · Arson There are some obviously serious offenses (i.e. kidnapping) that are omitted from the list due to the infrequency of these offenses. It can be argued that some offenses should or shouldn't be included in the Crime Index but these eight offense types were defined as the "measuring stick" of crime occurrences throughout the nation. Many agencies focus their investigative efforts on these Index Crimes while not emphasizing time to the crimes that are not included in the Crime Index. This can be explained and there is some merit to that effort. First, the statistics on the Index Crimes are published and may be the only snapshot of crime information provided to the public. Therefore, the better the statistics related to the Index Crimes, the better the image of the department. The result is that a disproportionate percentage of investigators are assigned to Index Crimes while the remaining percentage of investigators is minimal. On the surface, this seems like a valid approach. Unfortunately, this approach is a superficial one. Truly serving the community requires a comprehensive approach to addressing the crime issue from multiple perspectives. Criminal-based trends suggest that most 23 criminals are involved in more than one type of crime. A burglar is not only involved with burglary, but is probably involved with thefts, assaults, and drugs. A conviction on an assault would indirectly have a positive effect on the burglary rate. In addition to the cross impact of one crime to another, there is an expectation from all victims that their cases be treated with importance. The overall aggressive approach to all offenses will eventually have an impact on the Index Crimes. Another intangible effect of aggressive investigations is an impact through reputation. Some argue that if a department is known for Rs aggressive investigations, quality of convictions, and multiple case filings, the criminal element becomes aware of it and minimizes Rs risk by committing crimes in other cries. While it is impossible to measure the impact of this type of reputation, it does exist through anecdotal evidence. By reviewing the UCR data provided by the department, we are able to identify some general trends in some of the specific offenses for the CRy of Denton. The following charts do not represent a comprehensive view of the crime in Denton; rather, they represent portions of that overall crime trend in the city. 24 Reported Aggravated Assaults 1995-2003 3OO 25O 2OO 150 lO0 5O 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 [] Reported Aggravated Assaults RepoSed Rapes 1995~003 7O 6O 5O 4O 3O LO RepoSed RapesJ 2O 10 0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 25 Reported Burglaries 1995-2003 7OO 600 5OO 4OO 3OO 2OO lO0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Reported Burglaries Reported Thefts 1995~003 3OOO 25OO 2OOO 1500 lOO0 5OO 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 Reported TheflsJ 26 As can be observed, there appears to be a slight increase in the more serious criminal offenses in the city of Denton. This translates to more offense reports being generated and more cases assigned to investigators. It should be noted that some increases in crime represent minor impacts on Investigations but others can represent a significant impact on the Investigative Services Bureau. Thefts and property crimes tend to have the fewest percentage of cases with significant solvability factors while crimes against persons usually have a high percentage of cases with significant solvability factors or are of a serious enough nature that they must be assigned for investigation regardless of leads or suspect information. Therefore, the majority of the cases shown in the charts for Aggravated Assaults and Rapes are those that must be assigned to investigators for follow up. Each case/offense must be handled differently. Not only does the complexity and nature of the offense drive the amount of time necessary to adequately investigate the offense. In addition, the seriousness of the offense also drives an expectation of time commitment. The general public has an expectation that more time per case will be spent on a sliding scale, from the most serious of offenses to the least serious of offenses. In other words, the public expects the most time to be spent on homicides and the least time spent on Class C misdemeanor offenses. When attempting to determine the appropriate number of cases for an investigator to handle on a monthly basis, it is important to identify the various factors that can affect the amount of time available to conduct an investigation. For simplicity, the investigative process can be broken down as follows: 27 Investigation · Contacting/interviewing the victim and witnesses · Reviewing physical evidence · Contacting/interviewing supplemental sources of information (i.e. other agencies, informants, known associates, potential witnesses) · Searching for suspect information, searching for suspects, interviewing suspects Case Administration · Logging of cases · Creation of investigative supplements · Creation of cases for filing with prosecutor's office · Transferring prisoners Prosecution · Serving warrants · Meetings with prosecutors · Court testimony It should be noted that these components are for the investigation itself and do not reflect the overall available time available to the investigation. This will be discussed later. When reviewing a case study by the components introduced earlier, it becomes apparent that the first category is the most critical for the investigator. If the amount of time used in the Case Administration function is excessive, it adversely affects the time needed for proper investigation. If the Prosecution function is excessive, it too adversely affects the Investigation time. 28 The Investigation component is critical if the Investigation Division is going to be successful in efficiently using each investigator's time and achieving the highest results with the least investment. Each assigned case will require a certain amount of time to conduct the components of that function. The number of witnesses may vary from none to a dozen. Making contact with the victim can sometimes be done quickly but can also be delayed due to a number of factors. In some cases, the victim may be hospitalized or may have fled, making it difficult for the investigator to proceed with the investigation. In others, the victim may not wish to cooperate, choosing to avoid the investigator instead of assisting with the pursuit of prosecution. Methodology_ The approach to this portion of the project began with an overall review of structure and program and progressed downward to specific processes. As noted earlier, a review of the Uniform Crime Reports was conducted and information was obtained from the Denton Police Department related to reported offenses, structure, policy, and procedure. In addition, interviews with Command Staff, supervisors, and investigators were conducted. Moreover, samples of investigative work were examined. Many aspects of work processes were beyond the scope of this study. For the purposes of this study, some of the general observations made and recommendations introduced, are based on the information both observed and provided by the police department. Interviews were conducted with the Captain and Lieutenant who supervise the Investigations Bureau. Additionally, the Property Crimes Sergeant and the Persons Crimes Sergeant were interviewed. Numerous investigators including the Records Supervisor were interviewed. A review was made of existing case loads and open cases 29 being held by each investigator. The working relationship between Records and Investigations was examined and a precursory examination was made of the Records Management System to explore the issues identified by the individuals who were interviewed. Specifically, the following persons were interviewed: Capt. Paul Abbott Investigator Mike Taylor Investigator Mike Leverton Investigator Keith Smith Records Mgr. Susan Hikon Lt. Scott Langford Investigator Jeff Wawro Investigator Joe Erwin Investigator Mike Stockard Investigator Gary Moors Findings Findings derive from the accumulation of aggregate data and through personal observations. That is, both quantitative and qualitative methodologies were employed. 30 Structure The current structure of the Investigative Services Bureau is as follows: Captain Lieutenant General Investigations Sergeant Property Crimes 6 Positions Persons Crimes 3 Positions Financial Crimes 1 Position Family Services Sergeant Family Violence 2 Positions Child Abuse 3 Positions Juvenile 2 Positions Narcotics 3 Pos~ Street Crimes Identification 1 Position Social Worker 1 Position School Resource Officers 6 positions 31 As it is evident in the organizational structure, two of the sergeants have 11- 14 people to supervise with a wide variety of job assignments. This span of control leads to a lack of involvement of the first line supervisor and a lack of expertise development due to the diversity of the workers that he/she supervises. Most supervisory guidelines recommend a number of subordinates to be between five and seven, allowing the supervisor to directly interact and monitor individual performance. The supervisor is not required to be an expert in the area that they supervise but should monitor work performance and direct efforts to maximize results from their unit. The current structure does not allow the supervisors to perform at this level due to the number and diversity that they supervise. It is recommended that the following changes be made to the organizational structure of Investigations. This new structure provides a better span of control for supervisors and groups similar jobs with one another while providing a close working relationship between different jobs that are strongly related. 32 Captain Lieutenant General Investigations Sergeant Crimes Against Persons Sergeant Special Enforcement Sergeant Family Services Sergeant Property Crimes 5 Positions Financial Crimes 1 Position Unassigned 1 Position Forensics Narcotics 3 Positions Street Crimes 4 Positions K-9 1 Position Child Abuse 3 Positions ~ Social Worker School Resource Officers 6 positions Juvenile 2 Positions The new structure distributes the workload more evenly than the current structure. Additionally, it allows for the number of subordinates to be more manageable so that the supervisor can be more active in supervision, case management, and the direction of efforts. The supervisor with the least number of subordinates is the Crimes Against Persons supervisor due to the seriousness of these offenses. Grouped with these investigators are the two positions for Forensics and Identification. These individuals need to have a close working relationship with the 'Persons' detectives. It should also be noted that the city is expecting a new high school to open within its city limits and this 33 may necessitate the addition of one school resource officer. The grouping of the 'Juvenile' investigators and the 'School Resource' Officers maintains a close working relationship between those officers that had daily interaction with juveniles and the investigators that are working juvenile-related cases. In most Investigative Bureaus, there are two basic types of investigative units. Investigative units either generate their own case load or their case load is determined by offenses reported by the public. The Special Enforcement Section is an example of units that generate their own case load. While they may respond to citizen complaints regarding drug trafficking, they work at creating cases instead of working existing cases. 'Property' crimes and 'Persons' crimes are examples of units whose work load is determined by the number of reported offenses that have leads to follow. Case Management The key to supervising the activities of investigators is a case management system. A good case management system allows the supervisor to monitor the number of cases that are assigned to each investigator and the results of those investigations. Along with assigned cases, the supervisor should monitor the number of cases that are over 30 days old. Regardless of the type of case, there is only a certain number of these that can be handled at a given time. Many investigators are often submerged in a particular case; thus, finding it difficult to close the case despite its expected limited success. If the case is not monitored, the load of cases continues to build and eventually, the investigator feels overwhelmed. 34 The Investigative Bureau does not currently utilize any form of case management system. A case management system is a rudimentary way of handling cases. It allows for the monitoring of case loads, case clearances, and provides statistical evidence of individual performance. Currently, the sergeants are provided with a printout of the offense reports generated by Patrol over the past 24 hours. Based on the offenses and their solvability, the sergeants then assign the cases to their investigators. However, there is no log or ongoing record of assigned cases. The only records of assigned cases exist in daily sheets that are not related in any fashion. The sergeants are not aware of the number of cases they have assigned each investigator, the number of open cases or the clearance rates being maintained by their investigators. Despite the fact that the sergeants review the investigative supplements and approve all case clearances, comprehensive records of those clearances are not created. A case management system can be simplified by using an Excel spreadsheet or can be incorporated as a mechanism in the form of a Records Management System (RMS). Other options can be explored. For instance, the Department currently uses Microsoft Access for various purposes and this databases program could be utilized for case management. The advantage to using the RMS is that the cases are already in the system and do not need to be entered. The efficiency of the system is dependent upon the design and functionality of the system. The strength of a system created in Excel relates to the simplicity of the system but it does require entering cases into the system. The need for some type of case management system and accountability cannot be overemphasized. Without it, there is no way to monitor performance or maintain any accountability of cases. 35 Performance Measures Along with a case management system, the supervisors in the Investigations Bureau need to implement performance measures that encourage the enhancement of cases, property recovery, and aggressive case filings. Under a traditional measurement of clearance rates, an investigator is credited the same for a case that is cleared by exception as a case in which the investigator obtains a written confession, recovers $10,000 in property and develops additional suspects. By using specific performance measures related to investigations, the quality of cases can be enhanced while recognizing the high performance can be rewarded. Specifically, the following criteria should be tracked and collected in monthly statistics: · Written confessions · Recovered property · Development of secondary case filings* · Other agency's cases cleared * Secondary case filings are additional cases that are filed with the District Attorney's office that were developed through the investigation of the assigned offense. Upon the development of secondary cases, these should be assigned to the investigator so that credit can be given for the clearance. This' measurement is' used to encourage actual filing of cases instead of clearing additional cases merely by exception. Case Assignments As previously stated, several interviews were conducted with the investigators who receive assigned cases. It was not surprising to discover that there were at least 36 some feelings that favoritism played into case assignments. Without documented caseloads and assignments, the investigators were left to predict the reasons why some may receive the most cases and why. The implementation of a case management system should alleviate this particular issue. In addition, there was also a strong sense of frustration among some of investigators. The investigators felt that their caseloads were excessive and yet, when asked about their actual caseloads, the numbers that they identified seemed manageable. In general, it seemed that the inefficiencies within the investigative framework were the real causes for the frustration. This will be discussed in more detail later in this report. For Investigative Units whose case loads are determined by reported offenses, there are two basic ways of assigning cases. Some agencies assign all cases to the investigators regardless of whether there are any suspects or leads. Other agencies use a screening process to determine whether a case gets assigned or not. The criteria for determining whether a case should be assigned varies from agency to agency. Some utilize a solvability formula with points awarded for different types of suspect information or evidence. A pre-determined number of points determines whether the case should be assigned. Other agencies use a less formal process but still perform the same process. Denton Police Department can be placed into this last category. 37 The Denton Police Department utilizes the following guideline in determining whether a case should be assigned: Solvability Factors* · The suspect can be named · The suspect can be identified · The address of the suspect is known · The suspect can be located · The vehicle plate number used in the crime is known · The vehicle can be identified · There is traceable property · There is identifiable latent prints · A significant modus operandi can be developed. · It is reasonably suspected that there was a limited opportunity to commit the crime. (ie. Employee, or suspect had limited access, etc.) · An offense of great public interest or concern · Seriousness of the offense (i.e. rape,homicide, robbery, aggravated assault, etc. ) *If any of the twelve solvability factors is present, the case will be assigned. If none are present the case will not be assigned, but the reporting officer may be sent back by, or a follow-up letter sent. In addition to assigning cases with suspect information to investigators, Denton Police Department also designates cases without leads to particular investigators. These cases are known as "FYI" cases and are distributed to investigators. While these cases are not assigned for actual investigation, they are distributed to have related information to the assigned cases. The "FYI" system is also used to identify a specific detective to direct a particular victim if an inquiry is made on a given case that has yet to be assigned. 38 The specific offense types that are assigned to the various investigators is as follows: Persons Crimes Death Investigations (Homicide, Natural unattended deaths, Accidental deaths, Suicide, any other unattended deaths) Adult Sex Offenses Assaults' Harassment Kidnapping Robbery Sex Off~enders Stalking Property Crimes theft Burglary Criminal Mischief (Vandalism) Fraud Computer Crimes Graffiti theft Family Services Family Violence Runaways Injury to Child Child Sex Offenses Child Pornography Internet Predators Any other offense committed against or by a juvenile or child Street Crimes - Not assigned cases Assist with search/arrest warrants' Develop informants' Generate investigations and arrests' based on intelligence, informants', neighborhood complaints'. Conduct surveillances While this structure represents a general guideline for the assignment of cases, interviews with the investigators revealed that these guidelines are flexible. If a property crime investigator is on call and is asked to respond to a robbery, that investigator will probably receive that case for investigation. 39 Case Loads Unfortunately, there is no perfect formula for determining the number of hours needed for each investigation. It is important to understand the dynamics of a typical investigation. Investigations are completed in fragments; determining the sum of the fragments is the challenge that has proven elusive. The process is simple once understood but difficult to identify in a standard format. A typical investigation begins with some administrative work (i.e. logging the case), an initial follow-up phone call and some preliminary suspect investigation based on the available leads. Depending on the outcome of the phone calls and the preliminary suspect investigation, it may be hours or days before any more progress can be made. The result is that after one phone call to arrange an interview, the investigator must move to the next assigned case. This fragmented process makes it very difficult to determine the actual amount of time needed for a case. However, based on the expectations of the Department, and the public, it is possible to set some reasonable norms for caseloads. As with patrol allocation models, the basic time available to each investigator must be factored with other activities. Training, special assignments and other related components can adversely affect the available investigative time. As with most agencies, many of the investigators are involved in other duties within the Department that affects their time. Investigators that are also on the Tactical Team must spend time training for that function. Likewise, investigators that are Hostage Negotiators must train for this particular task. Extra-curricular activities such as Citizen's Police Academy also affect the time available in overtime. Many investigators are also certified instructors in various subjects. Each hour instructing a class is an hour removed from the investigative time 40 available. All of these extra assignments have value to the Department and some dual assignments are necessary for the Department to properly function and achieve the desired goals. However, each of these extra duties adversely affects the time available for actual investigation. As discussed earlier, determining the appropriate workload for investigators is an incomplete and uncertain science. However, consistent with the practices of other police departments, the following caseload guidelines would be ideal: For the most serious and complex offenses: For Crimes against Persons with serious injury: For Property Crimes and less serious offenses: 15 cases per month 20-25 cases per month 30-35 cases per month Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to determine the current case loads of the investigators in the Denton Police Department. In order to determine a more appropriate case load for the circumstances for the Denton Police Department, the following formula has been developed and applied. For purposes of illustration, some reasonable percentages were identified for each component but a detailed work analysis, which can be complemented by more quantitative data, may reveal different percentages. The formula relies on the average time available per month as a basis minus the components of time that take away from available investigative time. The result is the number of cases that can be assigned with the time available or the amount of time allotted per case (if the number of assigned cases is known). 41 The average time available per month was determined as follows: 40hours/week x 52 weeks + 12 mos. = 173.33 hrs/mo. 173.33 [(.9TR) (.95p) (.9A) (.8pR)] = Nc XT TR- Training ~ 10% P- Prosecution ~ 5% A- Administrative/Other duties ~ 10% PR - Processing ~ 20% XT - Time allotted per case Nc - Number of cases that can be investigated in a month As with any staffing formula, there are certain assumptions that are made and these can be either verified or challenged after specific research is conducted. The above formula uses reasonable assumptions for the amount of time allocated for various functions. For this formula, we estimated that training consisted of 10% of the investigator's time. This would include internal training provided by the city, general training provided by the department, specific training related to that investigator's specialty, mandatory training from TCLEOSE (Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education) and training related to other assignments that the investigator may be involved in (i.e., SWAT, hostage negotiator, instructor, etc.). The total amount of time allotted for prosecution is 5%. This would include meetings with prosecutors, grand jury testimony, and court testimony. Administrative time and other duties are defined as time spent performing duties that include vehicle service, morning briefings, meetings and others performed in areas directly related to 42 investigations. Most of the investigators are involved in other duties such as the Crime Scene Team, Hostage Negotiators, Tactical Team, security surveys, etc. The amount of time that investigators spend processing their cases is significant. This includes the logging of cases, the typing of statements, the typing of investigative supplements, and the creation of prosecution and case reports. This is estimated to be 20% of the total time. Each of these time allotments has an impact on the overall time available for actual investigation. The manipulation of these components can either increase or decrease the available time. Obviously, a reduction of administrative time can lead to an increase in investigative time. Moreover, an increase in training time decreases investigative time. The most difficult time factor to identify for this formula is the value for "X". This represents the amount of unfragmented time allowed for each case. As discussed previously, investigations are worked in fragments and it is difficult to ascertain the aggregated amount of time necessary for each investigation. An additional difficulty is found in the assignment of the appropriate amount of time for the type of offense. In general, a crime against a person is deserving of more time than a property crime. However, caution must be used before making such sweeping generalizations. A financial embezzlement crime may take as much time as the most serious offense against a person even though it is a property crime. Computer crimes (i.e. identity theft, child pornography, sexual predators, etc,) can take a substantial amount of time due to the complexity and sophistication of the technology involved. Finally, by using the formula, the number of cases that can be worked in a month is identified by "Nc". By inserting 43 the value for the number of cases assigned, the actual time allotted per case (XT) can be determined. Pawn Detail The Denton Police Department has one investigator assigned to monitoring pawn shops but he also carries a case load. Additionally, there is no specific person assigned to entering pawn tickets into a database for investigation. The Captain's Administrative Assistant has entered the pawn tickets on occasion but there is no one specifically hired or assigned to this duty. According to investigators, there are approximately ten businesses in Denton that take property in for trade or pawn. This number of businesses provides enough activity for one full-time position for an investigator and one full time data entry clerk. Pawn shops often become a repository for stolen property and the identification, location, and recovery of property can easily be a full time assignment. The responsibilities of the pawn shop detective is to make regular (weekly) visits to each business, build a working relationship with each business, and recover copies of all business transactions conducted within that business. This investigator also is responsible for generating cases by locating stolen property that has been sold or pawned in the pawn shop. Based on the activity load, the supervisor must make a decision on whether to assign the case to the pawn detective or assign the case to a property crime detective, thus allowing the pawn detective to devote his time to locating property. The data entry clerk is needed to copy all of those transactions into a searchable database so that the data becomes useful. A burglary detective who receives information regarding a suspect can enter that suspect's name into the pawn database and see if any property has been pawned. Obviously, the pawned property can be compared to stolen property and 44 recoveries can be made in this manner. Additionally, the person who pawns the property is identified and provides suspect information for the investigator. Typically, the pawn detective does not receive assigned cases but generates cases by finding stolen property, monitoring pawn activity of known offenders, and receiving information from pawn shop owners. Efficiency The overall impression of the Investigations Bureau is that there are multiple areas that could be improved by enhancing efficiency. The first of these areas pertains to the absence of support staff for investigators. Other than the Captain's Administrative Assistant, there is no support staff to assist investigators. This means that investigators are performing clerical duties. The presence of support staff not only allows more time for actual investigation but is more fiscally responsible as clerical duties are performed by staff instead of investigators, who are paid higher salaries. It may be possible to utilize volunteers for some clerical assistance in Investigations. There may be a volunteer program through the City or Citizen Police Academy alumni that may be suitable to provide assistance in completing some of these duties. The Records Management System is used very little by the investigators and there are time lags in data entry, evidence comparison, and other aspects that affect the investigators' cases. The time lag involved with data entry has had a significant effect on the usability of the system. At this point, the investigators have used the RMS in such rare instances that they have very little knowledge in properly using the system. Once the data entry is current and data is present in the RMS, additional training should be provided to the investigators. 45 The Denton Police Department utilizes a self-reporting forgery form for businesses to utilize for reporting forgeries. The process provides the business with a guideline on the information needed in order to properly report a forgery. Typically, the business must have a forgery affidavit from the account holder and the name and contact information for the person who actually accepted the check before they report a forgery. The self-reporting forms are provided to the businesses and upon their completion, the business notifies the police department and the patrol officer either picks up the forms or the business merely mails them to the department. This process eliminates the time of the patrol officer to write an offense report and process the evidence. Unfortunately, this gain of time through the self-reporting process is merely misplaced. Once submitted to the Department, the offense report still has to be created and the evidence still has to be logged and submitted to the property room. The self-reporting process merely displaces activity that would be spread out over several patrol shifts to the one investigator responsible for financial crimes. The result is that the investigator spends a considerable amount of time creating offense reports and processing evidence instead of actually investigating the crimes. There is also a lack of structure that may be affecting some issues. Overall, there is a significant amount of experience in the Investigations Bureau; this is correlated to the fact that there is very little turnover in this particular component. Because of this, it appears that the reliance on that experience of personnel has led to a general feeling among investigators that very little guidance is needed. Each of these factors may be contributing to the overall attitude in Investigations. 46 Assignment Definitions One of the issues affecting Investigations is the lack of clearly defined roles. Even though an investigator may be assigned to 'Property' Crimes, it is possible for the investigator to get assigned offenses normally assigned to 'Persons' Crimes. These "fuzzy" lines exist throughout Investigations. The Forensics Investigator is not only responsible for handling evidentiary requests from other investigators, he is also subject to handling a case load. The 'Financial' Crimes investigator is not only handling the case load of all financial crimes, but is also still responsible for commercial security surveys. These are a few examples of the "blending" of roles and the crossing of responsibilities. While some flexibility is necessary in Investigations, too much of it leads to stress and impaks solving of crimes through expertise in particular crime types. This expertise is not only related to working particular crimes but also pertains to building working relationships with counterparts in other police agencies. The multiple roles and "blending" of case types and duties also complicate the process of evaluating workloads. It is difficult to determine the actual workload and demand for work from the Forensics Investigator if he spends the majority of his time working cases. Records Management System (RMS) The Records Management System (RMS) is an apparent source of frustration for Investigations, and for the Department. By all accounts, there is currently a backlog of 3- 4 months worth of offense reports that need to be entered into the RMS. This has actually improved from the past where the backlog was as much as nine months. The RMS has two basic functions. The first is to provide statistical information for the 47 Uniform Crime Report or the Incident Based Reporting. The second function is to provide historical data for investigations. Unfortunately, with a three-month backlog, the usefulness of the data is limited. At the time that this report was being constructed, steps to correct this were already being taken. A couple of part-time and temporary data entry clerks were being added in order to get the data entered and up to date. The challenge after this initial effort will be to continue staying current with the data entry. Related to the RMS dilemma, is the issue of case management. The issue of case management has already been discussed but it appears that the RMS has a case management component included in it. This component may be a valuable tool but the data must be up to date in the RMS and the supervisors must learn to utilize this component. Related to the case management is the number of open cases of each investigator. By not having a case management system, the supervisors cannot monitor how many open cases assigned to each investigator. One of the sources of frustration for the investigators comes from the perceived heavy caseload. However, a part of this is based on the number of open cases and not really on the number of cases assigned. Each investigator interviewed had a significant number of open cases that were not really active but had not been concluded or closed with investigative supplements. While their assigned number of cases for the month might be 25-30, the number of active cases still in his possession might be 50-60, thus leading to the feeling that he was overwhelmed. A paperless system has been experimented in the past and is still being pursued. The paperless system has its benefits and if implemented properly may enhance efficiency significantly. However, there are few examples where a "paperless" system becomes totally paperless. From the investigative perspective, the paperless system has 48 some advantages but they found that in the past that the process of case review became significantly longer when cases were reviewed by computer instead of hard copy. The supervisors found that they could scan through the cases more quickly if they had a hard copy instead of working through the various screens of the computerized version. In spite of this, even if the daily cases were printed out, the overall efficiency of the department would be significantly improved if the cases were directly entered into the system without delay. Physical Layout Any organization is limited by the physical framework of their facility. In the case of the Denton Police Department, the building space provides challenges for the police department to operate optimally. In Investigations, the arrangement of investigators hampers the efficiency of the units. Investigators have been allowed to choose the space that they work out of and this has created a scattering of related investigators. The result is that Crimes Against Persons investigators are scattered among the Property investigators and vice versa. While this is not a critical situation, it does prevent a unit from operating in an efficient manner. The close proximity of investigators working similar offenses allows better interaction between investigators and promotes the sharing of information that may link similar offenses. As stated, it is realized that this recommendation is tempered by the limitations that the facility and current design allows, but some improvement can be made by re-assignment of work spaces. 49 Recommendations Immediately implement a case management system for the Investigative Bureau. This' may be as simple as an Excel spread sheet, a program designed in Access, or a component of the Records' Management System. This' case management system should be used to monitor the number of cases assigned each month per investigator, cases cleared each month per investigator, the number of cases over 30 days' old per investigator, and performance indicators from each investigator. · In addition to tracking cases assigned, cases cleared, and cases over 30 days old, performance indicators should be added to the monthly performance report. Confessions, recovered property, secondary cases filed, and cases cleared for other agencies should be tracked. Re-organize the Investigative Services Bureau to group similar types of offenses and break out dissimilar jobs. · Separate Persons Crimes, Forensics, and Identification into a separate Unit · Separate the School Resource Officers into a separate Unit Assign investigators to specified work spaces to ensure close proximity of investigators assigned to the same unit. Create additional sergeant positions in order to maintain a manageable number of employees for each supervisor. · Create a new Sergeant position for School Resource Officers · Create a new Sergeant position for the Persons Crimes Unit (Forensics/ID included) Create a dedicated Pawn detective position Create a data entry position or volunteer for pawn ticket data entry Once caseloads can be determined, assign the appropriate number of investigators to adequately handle the caseloads based on the caseload guideline. Create a clerical support position for Investigations. · This position would assist in typing supplements, case assignments, preparation and assembly of prosecution cases, statements, and phones. Provide additional training to Investigators in the use of the Records Management System. Maintain the integrity of job assignments by reducing the amount of routine crossing of case assignments and job duties. Monitor case activity and make adjustments to Unit assignments. 50 TAKE HOME VEHICLE PROGRAM Objective: To assess the practice and perceived benefit of the Take Home Vehicle Program at the Denton Police Department. Study Design: In order to measure the perceived benefit related to the Take Home Vehicle Program, the authors identified critical areas of interest that, when assessed, were expected to provide sufficient insight in order to determine if in fact, the Denton Police Department generally, and the City of Denton specifically, are benefiting from the Take Home Vehicle Program. These areas include the following: 1. Number of officers and vehicles participating in the Take Home Vehicle Program 2. Average commute of officers participating in the Take Home Vehicle Program 3. Perception of police officers regarding the Take Home Vehicle Program 4. Criminal incidents addressed during circumstances associated with the Take Home Vehicle Program 5. Perceived benefits of the Take Home Vehicle Program including costs associated with transferring equipment, parking allocation, vehicle maintenance. 51 1) Number of officers and vehicles participating in the Take Home Vehicle Program The current Take Home Vehicle Program has been in place at the Denton Police Department since July, 1986. Although the policy has been modified at different times, it remains consistent with respects to the total number of vehicles allocated to participate in this program. According to the data provided by the Denton Police Department, a total of 134 vehicles are currently in operation. Of these, 78 are designated as "take-home" cars. That is, a total of 78 vehicles have been assigned to specific officers who participate in the Take Home Vehicle Program. Of these, several are assigned to detectives, traffic accident investigators, and tactical team members. The rationale is that, due to their specialized jobs, take home vehicles will allow them to respond to a call in a systematic manner. The assignment of vehicles and selection of officers to participate in this program, are subject to the discretion of the command staff. Components such as seniority, assignment, and overall officer performance are taken into consideration when considering a particular officer to participate in the Take Home Vehicle Program. Particularly, officers assigned to the evening and night shifts are prioritized in the assignment process. This is the case as most of these officers begin their shift with calls placed on hold. Thus, by assigning them a take home vehicle, they can respond directly to all designated calls. The current assignment of vehicles can be depicted in the following matrix: 52 Matrix of Vehicle Assignment Assignment Marked Vehicles Unmarked Vehicles In Town Out of Town In Town Out of Town Support 2 0 4 0 Investigations 1 1 23 6 Operations 35 1 4 0 Chief 0 0 1 0 2) Average commute of officers participating in the Take Home Vehicle Program Despite the fact the Denton Police Department does not have data relevant to the "average" distance commuted by each officer participating in the Take Home Vehicle Program, it is estimated that the average officer participant spends 2 hours per week commuting to and from the police department. Thus, at an average rate of speed of 35 miles per hour--a rather conservative estimate--it is contended that a total of 70 miles per week are patrolled by each officer participating in this program. Thus, a total of 2,380 miles per week or 123,760 miles a year are patrolled by all officers participating in the Take Home Vehicle Program. The assumption made when providing this estimated number of miles is that officers participating in this program will be vigilant during their commute to and from work; thus, providing an element of deterrence and apprehension to criminal elements. 53 Considering that participating officers spend an average of 2 hours per week in their commute to work, it is estimated that a total of 34 officers provide 68 hours a week or 3,536 hours a year of police visibility. In terms of cost-related benefits to the city of Denton and with an estimated overtime rate of $36 an hour, the total number of hours of police visibility amounts to $127,296 annually. 3) Perception of police officers regarding the Take Home Vehicle Program In order to measure the perception of Denton police officers regarding Take Home Vehicle Program, a survey instrument was designed and implemented to all 142 officers working for the Denton Police Department. The survey instrument was made up of 20 questions which offered nominal responses. It should be noted that no demographical information was obtained from respondents as this would have had a limited impact on the overall mission of the survey instrument. The surveys were distributed, during roll call, to all officers and a self- addressed envelope was enclosed. All responses were regarded as confidential and in observance of this mission, all envelopes were returned directly to the Del Carmen Consulting group through a member of the staff or via U.S. mail. Of the 142 surveys distributed, a total of 83 were returned during the two week period allowed for responses to be submitted. This constituted a 58% return rate; thus, providing a sufficient sample size for statistical purposes. 54 Although the frequencies of responses to each particular question is included in this report (along with the appropriate bar charts), the highlights of all response are noted. That is, the majority of respondents indicated the following: · They were familiar with the Take Home Vehicle Program · They were familiar with the policy of the Take Home Vehicle Program · The Take Home Vehicle Program is effective in preventing crime · The manner in which officers are assigned take home vehicles, is fair · They participated in the Take Home Vehicle Program · The Take Home Vehicle Program is cost effective for the Denton Police Department · Morale, among officers, would be negatively affected if the Take Home Vehicle Program is eliminated · They would not consider seeking a job elsewhere even if the Take Home Vehicle Program was removed · They did not entertain the benefits associated with the Take Home Vehicle Program when they considered applying for a job with the Denton Police Department · The Take Home Vehicle Program allows them to better perform their duties as police officers · The Take Home Vehicle Program allows for an increased police visibility in neighborhoods 55 · Despite being off their shift, participants of the Take Home Vehicle Program are more likely to engage a criminal than if they were to travel in their personal vehicles · Police vehicles have a longer life as a result of the Take Home Vehicle Program · Overall, the Department is more productive, due in part, to the Take Home Vehicle Program · They have not seen anyone abuse the Take Home Vehicle Program · When speaking to prospective police candidates, they often cite the Take Home Vehicle Program as a recruitment tool · The Department does an excellent job in monitoring the Take Home Vehicle Program · In the past 3 years, they have encountered, while on their assigned patrol cars and on their way home/work, a situation that has required immediate attention in their capacity as peace officers · The elimination of the Take Home Vehicle Program would not represent a significant financial hardship to them or their families · The Take Home Vehicle Program should be either preserved or enhanced to include all officers 56 Overall, it is clear that most respondents suggested positive responses with regards to the current implementation, administration, and overall purpose of the Take Home Vehicle Program. Further, they were equally balanced with respect to the absence of a potential hardship if the program is eliminated. As a whole, the survey allowed for researchers to assess the current attitude and the possible impact on morale, if the Take Home Vehicle Program was to be removed. 57 I am familiar with the Take Home Vehicle Program Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Valid True 81 97.6 97.6 97.6 False 2 2.4 2.4 100.0 Total 83 100.0 100.0 Familiarity w/policy of the THV Program 120 lO0 8O 6O 4O 2O 0 True False I am familiar with the Department policy regarding the Take Home Vehicle Program Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Valid True 79 95.2 95.2 95.2 False 4 4.8 4.8 100.0 Total 83 100.0 100.0 I am familiar with the THVP 120 lO0 8O 6O 4O 2O 0 True False 59 I feel that the Take Home Vehicle Program is effective in preventing crime Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Valid True 76 91.6 91.6 91.6 False 7 8.4 8.4 100.0 Total 83 100.0 100.0 Program Effectiveness lO0 8O 6O 4O 2O True False 60 The manner in which officers are assigned Take Home vehicles, as part of the Take Home Vehicle Program, is fair Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Valid True 70 84.3 85.4 85.4 False 12 14.5 14.6 100.0 Total 82 98.8 100.0 Missing -1 1 1.2 Total 83 100.0 Assignment fair 100 8O 6O 4O 2O True False 6] I participate in the Take Home Vehicle Program Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Valid True 50 60.2 60.2 60.2 False 33 39.8 39.8 100.0 Total 83 100.0 100.0 I participate in the THV Program 70' 60' 50, 40, 30' 20' 10, 0 True False 62 The Take Home Vehicle Program is cost effective for the Denton Police Department Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Valid True 68 81.9 87.2 87.2 False 10 12.0 12.8 100.0 Total 78 94.0 100.0 Missing -1 5 6.0 Total 83 100.0 The THV is cost effective lO0 8O 6O 4O 2O True False Morale, among officers, would be negatively affected if the Take Home Vehicle Program is eliminated Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Valid True 75 90.4 90.4 90.4 False 8 9.6 9.6 100.0 Total 83 100.0 100.0 Morale would be negatively affected lO0 8O 6O 4O 2O True False 64 I would consider seeking a job elsewhere if the Take Home Vehicle Program is removed Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Valid True 13 15.7 16.3 16.3 False 67 80.7 83.8 100.0 Total 80 96.4 100.0 Missing -1 3 3.6 Total 83 100.0 Would consider a job elsewhere if... lO0 8O 6O 4O 2O True False The Take Home Vehicle Program was a benefit I considered when I applied for a job with the city of Denton PD Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Valid True 35 42.2 43.2 43.2 False 46 55.4 56.8 100.0 Total 81 97.6 100.0 Missing -1 2 2.4 Total 83 100.0 The THV Program was considered 60, 50, 40' 30, 20, True False 66 The Take Home Vehicle Program allows me to better perform my duties as a police officer Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Valid True 60 72.3 76.9 76.9 False 18 21.7 23.1 100.0 Total 78 94.0 100.0 Missing -1 5 6.0 Total 83 100.0 The THV Program better performance 100 8O 6O 4O 2O True False 67 The Take Home Vehicle Program allows for an increased police visibility in neighborhoods Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Valid True 80 96.4 96.4 96.4 False 3 3.6 3.6 100.0 Total 83 100.0 100.0 The THV Program allows visibility 120 lO0 8O 6O 4O '~ 20 Q~ r~ 0 True False Despite the fact I may be off my shift, when I am in a police vehicle, I am more likely to engage a criminal than if traveling in my personal vehicle Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Valid True 66 79.5 82.5 82.5 False 14 16.9 17.5 100.0 Total 80 96.4 100.0 Missing -1 3 3.6 Total 83 100.0 More likely to engage criminals lO0 8O 6O 4O 2O True False Police vehicles have a longer life as a result of the Take Home Vehicle Program Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Valid True 75 90.4 93.8 93.8 False 5 6.0 6.3 100.0 Total 80 96.4 100.0 Missing -1 3 3.6 Total 83 100.0 Vehicles have a longer life w/THV lO0 8O 6O 4O 2O True False ?0 3verall, the Department is more productive, due, in part, to the Take Home Vehicle Program Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Valid True 72 86.7 88.9 88.9 False 9 10.8 11.1 100.0 Total 81 97.6 100.0 Missing -1 2 2.4 Total 83 100.0 The Department is more productive 100 8O 6O 4O 2O True False 7] I have not seen anyone abuse the Take Home Vehicle Program Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Valid True 62 74.7 74.7 74.7 False 21 25.3 25.3 100.0 Total 83 100.0 100.0 Not seen anyone abuse the THV 80, 60, 40, 20, True False 72 When speaking to prospective police candidates, I often cite the Take Home Vehicle Program as a recruitment tool Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Valid True 60 72.3 73.2 73.2 False 22 26.5 26.8 100.0 Total 82 98.8 100.0 Missing -1 1 1.2 Total 83 100.0 Prospective police candidates 80' 60' 40, 20, True False The Department does an excellent job in monitoring the Take Home Vehicle Program Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Valid True 65 78.3 81.3 81.3 False 15 18.1 18.8 100.0 Total 80 96.4 100.0 Missing -1 3 3.6 Total 83 100.0 Department monitors THV Program 100 8O 6O 4O 2O True False 74 In the past 3 years, I have encountered, while on my assigned patrol car and on my way home/work, a situation that required immediate attention in my capacity as a peace officer Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Valid True 55 66.3 73.3 73.3 False 20 24.1 26.7 100.0 Total 75 90.4 100.0 Missing -1 8 9.6 Total 83 100.0 Encountered situation 80' 60' 40, 20, True False 75 The elimination of the Take Home Vehicle Program would represent a significant financial hardship to me/my family Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Valid True 19 22.9 25.7 25.7 False 55 66.3 74.3 100.0 Total 74 89.2 100.0 Missing -1 9 10.8 Total 83 100.0 Hardship & elimination of the THV 80, 60' 40, 20, True False 76 Overall, the Take Home Vehicle Program should be Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Valid Preserved 43 51.8 51.8 51.8 Enhanced to 36 43.4 43.4 95.2 include all officers Eliminated 4 4.8 4.8 100.0 Total 83 100.0 100.0 Take Home Vehicle Program should be 60' 50' 40' 30, 20, 10, 0 Preserved Enhanced to include Eliminated ?? 4) Criminal incidents addressed during circumstances associated with the Take Home Vehicle Program Although the Denton Police Department no longer records aggregate data with respect to the number of criminal incidents addressed by officers in take home vehicles during their commute to work/home, a limited set of figures and specific cases have been provided to the Del Carmen Group for review. According to the records provided by the Denton Police Department, in the past 3 years, 16 responses to criminal incidents have been initiated by participating officers who live outside the city limits. Moreover, a total of 48 responses to criminal incidents have also been reported by officers who participate in the program and live inside city limits. With respects to the cases provided, several of these suggested that participating officers who were on their way home/work, encountered and responded to a criminal situation which resulted in the successful apprehension of the suspect. A sample of the cases described includes the following: · "An off-duty detective in his take-home vehicle alerted a patrol unit of a suspicious subject hanging around a store. The subject was wanted, and after an investigation, we cleared two armed robberies in Carrollton and Lewisville. He admitted to those and said he was about to rob the store where the off-duty detective saw him." 78 5) "During the armed robbery of a woman's clothing store on University Dr., one of the clerks hid in a back room and called police. The only one unit available was across town, but there were three off-duty officers in take- home vehicles that responded to the scene. The suspects were arrested as they exited the store." Perceived benefits of the Take Home Vehicle Program including costs associated with transferring equipment, parking allocation, vehicle maintenance. According to a recent study conducted by Mercury Associates, police officers spend approximately 28 minutes a day in checking out and loading equipment to a patrol/pool vehicle. For purposes of this study, when applied to the Denton Police Department, these figures suggest that an estimated total of 952 minutes a day would be spent on this particular task. Thus, an estimated 238,000 minutes (calculated on 50 working weeks per year) in a given year would be devoted to transferring equipment to a pool vehicle. Thus, given the entry-level salary of an officer ($38, 292.80) in the city of Denton, this would constitute an annual expense of $75,945.86. Although there are no concrete figures available with respect to the parking lot capabilities of the Denton Police Department, it is clear that on a given day several of the designated parking facilities for police officers, are filled to capacity. That is, police officers reportedly face a challenge in the existing absence of designated/paved parking space. Given the nature of their j ob, it is imperative, and consistent with other police departments through the United States, that adequate and secure parking facilities are provided to all officers. 79 Thus, given the current space allocation issues, it is estimated that if the Take Home Vehicle Program is eliminated, the city of Denton would be in need to make a significant investment in order to facilitate designated and secure parking facilities to all police officers including those currently issued a take home vehicle; thus, allocating for an additional 34 vehicles. With respect to vehicle maintenance, police records show that the Take Home Vehicle Program is cost effective when compared to the alternative pool vehicle program. That is, the Take Home Vehicle Program allows for police vehicles to be replaced every 5 years (at an average of 15,000 miles per officer and a replacement policy relevant to 75,000 miles per vehicle). The alternative, a pool vehicle program, would require the replacement of the vehicle every 1.6 years having attained 75,000 miles during this period of time. Thus, it is estimated that the City of Denton is benefiting from the current Take Home Vehicle Program as it is saving the cost associated with the replacement of 3 vehicles during the time (5 years) that it takes to replace 1 of the take home vehicles. According to the data provided, a 2004 police vehicle replacement value averages $26, 217.49. In terms of cost, the City of Denton would spend an average of $2,674,183.40 to replace 34 vehicles at three different instances during a 5-year period. Instead, it currently spends an average of $891,394.66 to replace all 34 participating vehicles in a 5-year period. The savings associated with this program are estimated to be approximately $1,782,789.30 in a given 5-year period. 80 Final Analysis In sum, this study has produced several key findings which are believed to be helpful in determining whether or not the Take Home Vehicle Program should continue to be offered to members of the Denton Police Department. The findings are as follows: 1. The majority of individuals participating in this program live inside city limits; thus, it is expected that the physical presence of vehicles in neighborhoods and other residential areas enhances the principles associated with community policing while offering a potential criminal deterrence effect. Further, the costs associated with offering this program are also reduced significantly as the majority of participants commute relatively short distances inside city limits. 2. It is estimated that the average participating officer spends 2 hours a week commuting to and from the Police Department. Thus, the authors of this study project that an additional 123,760 miles are patrolled by officers participating in the Take Home Vehicle Program. This service is being provided without any additional salary-related expenses incurred by the City of Denton. 3. The overall officer perception towards this program is very positive. In fact, most indicated that they would like for the program to be preserved or enhanced. Most notably, the survey findings suggested that most officers were more aware of criminal elements while traveling home/work in a police vehicle and viewed the removal of the Take Home Vehicle 81 o Program as negatively impacting the morale of officers. Most officers also felt that the program increased police visibility and allowed for the Department to be more productive. Finally, most respondents reported not having seen anyone abuse the Take Home Vehicle Program. Although the Department is relatively limited with respects to the data currently being captured relative to the number of criminal incidents addressed by participating officers, a few examples were made available suggesting that officers participating in this program are in fact addressing criminality while on their way work/home. Further, the data available suggested that in the past 3 years, a total of 64 criminal incidents had been addressed by officers participating in the Take Home Vehicle Program. With regards to the overall expense likely to be incurred by the City of Denton, if the Take Home Vehicle Program is removed, the figures are alarming. That is, given the estimated time needed to load equipment to a pool vehicle (20 minutes per officer), the City would spend an estimated $75,945.86 in officer salary for loading equipment to a vehicle. In addition, the City would need to accommodate (i.e., renovate) current parking facilities in order to provide paved and security parking areas for all police officers including the additional 34 vehicles likely to be introduced by officers who are currently participating in the Take Home Vehicle Program. Finally, the City of Denton would also spend an 82 additional $1,782,789.30 during a 5-year period replacing the 34 participating vehicles. As mentioned earlier, with the current 75,000 mile guidelines, it is estimated that the Department would be in need of replacing all 34 participating vehicles every 1.6 years. It is clear that the City of Denton benefits from the Take Home Vehicle Program. Thus, the recommendation by the Del Carmen Group is to retain and perhaps expand, in the near future, the current Take Home Vehicle Program. The question relevant to the number of vehicles that should be in place as part of this program should be regarded as an institutional decision based on the perceived needs of the Denton Police Department generally and the Denton Community specifically. The researchers of this study feel that making a specific recommendation relevant to the number of vehicles that should be assigned to the existing take-home vehicle program would rest on non-scientific measures which have the tendency of affecting the validity of a scientific study. In addition, the question relevant to the appropriate number of vehicles that should be in place at the Denton Police Department in order to continue delivering the same quality of service to the community is also subject to the discretion of the current police leadership. Further, this particular question falls outside the scope the overall goal and general mission of this study. Having said that, it is recommended that the Denton Police Department develop and implement a data capturing mechanism which records the number of criminal incidents responded by participating officers. Also, the Department 83 should record data relevant to the commute by each participating officer so that a cost benefit analysis is performed while taking into consideration average miles commuted. It is believed that these components will enhance future analysis performed on the Take Home Vehicle Program. 84 For more information on this report, please contact: Del Carmen Consulting, LLC dcconsulting~sbcglobal.net (817) 681-7840 Disclaimer: The authors of this report, A. del Carmen, Rick Smith, Wade Goolsby/del Caxmen Consulting, LLC, are not liable for a~y omissions or errors committed in the acquisition, analysis, or creation of this report. Further, the authors of this report are not responsible for the inappropriate use and distribution of information contained in this report. Further, no liability shall be incurred as a result of any harm that may be caused to individuals a~d/or organizations as a result of the information contained in this report. 85 AGENDA INFORMATION SHEET AGENDA DATE: DEPARTMENT: CM/DCM/ACM: February 8, 2005 City Manager's Office Michael A. Conduff, City Manager SUBJECT: Hold a follow-up discussion on the Council's 2004 Retreat considerations. BACKGROUND: The Denton City council held their annual retreat July 22 and 23, 2004, at the Lantana Lodge located in Pilot Point. At this meeting, Council discussed service to citizens, planning and development, city departments, and Council operating procedures. Due to lack of time, the Council was unable to have their discussion regarding environmental issues and rescheduled that discussion for the work session of August 10, 2004. Mayor Pro Tem McNeill provided the attached list of action items resulting from the retreat discussions. Respectfully submitted: Betty Williams Director of Management & Public Attachment: Action Items from Denton City Council Retreat II. III. ACTION ITEMS FROM DENTON CITY COUNCIL RETREAT JULY 22-23, 2004 City Council Governing Control Algorithm A. Council directs City Manager to Implement policies and procedures with feedback to insure compliance B. Feedback on the result of implementing policies and procedures needs to be improved i. Citizen input ii. Council observations iii.Staff information to Council Council Operating Procedures A. Citizen Reports i. Move to the end of the meeting ii. Legal announcement about Council responses iii.Legal announcement about consequences of violating Council rules iv. Reduce speaking time to four (4) minutes B. Interaction with City Staff i. Council to be more diligent in how and where they ask staff to provide information; follow "chain of command" ii. Try to "steer" citizens to the appropriate City official when possible iii. City Manager to work with Council Assistant to develop a procedure to log and notify Councilmembers of who and where official events are to insure adequate Council participation C. Council Planning and Work Sessions i. If involve a "white paper" to contain an executive summary ii. Only highlights to be presented by staff to Council iii.More time for discussions iv. Be cautious on use of outside experts City Departments A. City Manager will produce a grid of what and why Utility Department transfer were made to the General Government budget B. The Development Review process is not working and the City Manager was directed to find a solution to "fix" it C. The Engineering Department procedures concerning development are not working and the City Manager will work to find a solution to solve this challenge D. General Government departments have cut the "fat" but will be re- examined to see if there are additional efficiencies to be obtained E. Police protection will be evaluated i. Is the ratio of patrol to other officers appropriate for a city of our size ii. Move forward with the "red light" camera program IV. VI. F. Diversity in the City workforce i. Council to meet with the Diversity Committee to obtain an exchange of ideas and progress ii. Re-evaluate the hiring techniques for civil service positions to insure it is a fair and equitable process Planning and Development for the City A. Reevaluate the 60/40 ratio for residential to multi-family to determine if this is still appropriate for a city that has grown from 60,000 to 100,00 i. Should/can we limit the size of multi-family developments? ii. Are the existing development standards appropriate? B. Can/should Council create a minimum square footage for new single family houses C. City to become proactive in the economic development aspects of the proposed light rail system D. Pursue increased activity in the defined Downtown area for image building projects E. Develop a PR campaign about the safeguards of the new development code F. Directed City Manager to evaluate re-allocation of appropriate staff positions to focus on total development of the Downtown Master Plan G. Investigate techniques and procedures to target development of specific tracts and locations to meet the particular plans of the City Environmental Concerns A. This topic was moved to a separate work session to develop a plan for creating a new matrix oriented City department of Environmental Affairs and Enforcement B. This item to occur sooner rather than later Service to Citizens A. It was felt that the items listed under this topic were being addressed by the other topics and the scheduled work and planning sessions AGENDA INFORMATION SHEET AGENDA DATE: DEPARTMENT: ACM: February 8, 2005 Human Resources Kathy DuBose SUBJECT Receive a report, hold a discussion, and give staff direction regarding a proposed reorganization of the Legal Department. BACKGROUND As part of the City Attorney's 2004-2005 goals, Herb Prouty was requested to "Evaluate the structure and organization of the total Legal Department and recommend any needed changes." On December 3, 2004, Prouty presented the members of the City Council Appointee Performance Measures Committee (CAPMC) with a report outlining his proposal for the reorganization. His report along with an organizational chart and a recommendation memorandum from Perry McNeill, Chair of the CAPMC, was included in the January 7~h City Council packet. The same information was included in the back up information for the January 18, 2005, City Council meeting. Because of the nature of the discussion, it was suggested that this item be brought back to a closed session. As advised by the City Attorney, to comply with Attorney General Opinions on the use of the "personnel matters section" for executive sessions, the City Council must limit its discussion to the staffing and reassignment of duties specific to his evaluation or duties. Additionally, no action can be taken in the closed meeting. Therefore, this item is also being placed on the agenda in an open meeting so the Council will not be restricted in its discussions and/or can take action on this item. PRIOR ACTION/REVIEW Council was provided a copy of the Herb Prouty's reorganization memorandum, an organization chart, and a recommendation memo from Perry McNeill, Chair of the CAPMC, in the January 7~h City Council packet. Additionally, this item was placed on the January 18, 2005, City Council agenda for discussion. FISCAL INFORMATION There will be a fiscal impact associated with any increases or reclassifications of staff. Herb Prouty has identified the fiscal impact and any increases awarded this fiscal year will be covered by existing funds in the Legal Department. Agenda Information Sheet February 8, 2005 Page 2 EXHIBITS Recommendation Memorandum from Perry McNeill Legal Department Reorganization Memorandum from Herb Prouty 2005-2006 Legal Department Organization Chart 2004 Legal Department Areas of Responsibility Respectfully submitted: Carla J. Romine Director of Human Resources City Council, 215 E McKinney, Denton, Texas, 76201 Telephone (940) 349-8554 MEMORANDUM DATE: January 4, 2005 TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council FROM: Perry McNeill, Chair, City Council Appointee Performance Measures Committee SUBJECT: Reorganization of Legal Department As part of the City Attorney's 2004-2005 goals, Herb Prouty was requested to "Evaluate the structure and organization of the total legal department and recommend any needed changes." On December 3, 2004, Prouty presented the members of the City Council Appointee Performance Measures Committee (CAPMC) with a report outlining his proposal for the reorganization. A copy of his report is attached including the proposed Organizational Chart. I have also included the minutes from our last Committee meeting. In preparing his recommendation, Prouty conducted a comprehensive study that included: · Ten (10) North Central Texas cities that have approximately the same population or a similar size City budget, · The organization of the legal departments of both the City of Atlanta, Georgia and the City of Reno, Nevada due to their reputation of having a well-organized and well-run Legal department, and · Several law office management presentations made at legal seminars. · To help evaluate the organization of these Legal departments, Prouty requested copies of their organizational charts, mission statements, and staffing and performance indicators. Prouty's recommendations are included in his attached report. The committee met on December 16, 2004, with Prouty to review and discuss his proposed reorganization of the Legal department. As a result of our discussions, the committee is recommending the following: 1. Open Records Officer The CAPMC is in agreement with adding the duties of Open Records Officer to the Assistant City Attorney Eddie Martin's existing functions. These duties will Page 1 of 3 cover requests under the Open Records Act. They will encompass both written request for Texas Attorney General opinions as well as responses to information requests from the public. 2. Increase the Use of Software and Hardware Technology in the Legal Department The Committee was extremely supportive of increasing the use of technology as it has the potential to make the office more efficient. This change can provide the opportunity to make the flow of paperwork more efficient as well as potentially reduce the number of professional staff positions in the Legal Department. Designating one of the staff or professionals as the Technology Officer would be an essential component of this plan. An extremely important side benefit is the opportunity to reduce the $46,000 charge from Technology Services. It is the CAPMC's recommendation that this initiative be pursued. 3. Legislative Coordinator Function The CAPMC spent considerable time working on this concept. The four recommendations from Prouty were discussed at length. While the City needs to be a player in this arena, it was felt that utilization of current manpower could be accomplished in a more efficient manner with a change. The City PlO and the TML already provide a great deal of the efforts needed in this area. The recommendation is to move part of this function to the City PlO office. Also watch the TML legislative notices lists to see if added Lobbyists activity is needed at the State level on a particular issue. If deemed necessary, contract for such activity with an appropriate individual as DME currently does. It should be noted that Prouty's research did not find any other Cities of our size with a Legislative Coordinator in the Legal Department. The current Assistant City Attorney doing this function would be re-assigned other duties from existing staff, pending implementation of #7 below. 4. Reclassi _fy Staff Positions to Legal Assistant and Legal Secretary_ Prouty described the possibility of re-classifying the existing secretarial positions to those of Legal Assistant and Legal Secretary and naming an Office Manager. The CAPMC is strongly in favor of this action and recommends that this action be pursued through normal HR procedures. The possibility of having part of the work shifted to paraprofessionals is attractive as it can reduce the number of required licensed attorneys in the Legal Department. A companion recommendation to this is covered in #7 below. The funds needed to re-train the existing staff for these new positions are available in the current budget. 5. Full-time Police Legal Advisor The Committee did not feel that the current workload would justify a full time Assistant City Attorney assigned to the Police Department at this time. The CAPMC recommends that an evaluation during the coming year of this function continue and also include the need for a Legal Advisor for the Fire Department. Page 2 of 3 Given the fact that the City's Municipal Court cases are growing at a large rate, the duties of the current prosecutor will have to be evaluated to see if providing legal advice to the Police Department can continue. Prouty's report indicates that many cities the size of DeNon do have a full-time Police Legal Advisor. 6. Changes in Pay Scales and Position Remuneration Changes Prouty recommended a number of pay scale changes for both individuals and positions. While these may be justified changes, the Committee felt that these were managemem decisions that should be pursued through normal budget and HR procedures. 7. Changes in the Philosophy of City Legal Procedures and Practices As noted in the minutes, the CAPMC discussed the number of staff attorneys assigned to the Department and the mechanism of defending litigation against the City. The Committee is of the opinion that given the necessity of so many differem legal specialties needed, that the City should move toward one or two attorneys who are project and program managers for outside contract attorneys. The City will still need a Prosecutor and an attorney for the Utility Departmem. We recommend that the City pursue this technique as practiced by other Cities such as Bryan. This will entail a RIF for the legal department. 8. Proposed Reorganization Chart Assuming that the Legal Departmem is moved in the direction of the recommendation in #7, two project managemem attorneys, a prosecutor, a utility attorney and legal assistam and secretaries, the need to create the two divisions, Civil Law and Criminal Law made not need to be implememed. In summary the committee supports changes that would utilize the currem Legal staff more effectively and reduce the need for more permanem staff attorneys in the presem and future, including outsourcing, enhanced technology and enhanced training opportunities to certify more staff as Legal Assistams. We will be prepared to discuss these recommendations further at the January 18, 2005, work session. In the meantime, please let me or any of the other CAPMC members know if you have any questions. Attachments CC2 Michael A. Conduff Herb Prouty Page 3 of 3 City Attorney's Office City of Denton, Texas 215 East McKinney Denton, Texas 76201 (940) 349-8333 Fax (940) 382-7923 MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: Mayor Pro Tem Perry McNeill Council Member Bob Montgomery Council Member Jack Thomson Herbert L. Prouty, City Attorney January 31, 2005 Revised Reorganization of Denton Legal Department One of the Council Employees' Performance Measures Committee's goals for me was to look at the organization of the Legal Department and to recommend any changes. Attached to this memorandum is a new Organizational Chart for the office, along with a revised "Areas of Responsibility" Chart showing the assignments of each attorney and support staff member in the office. There are a number of changes in the Organization Chart as a result of a detailed study of the organization of legal departments of ten North Central Texas cities who have either approximately the same population or a similar size city budget. I also reviewed the organization of the legal departments of both the City of Atlanta, Georgia and the City of Reno, Nevada. Both of these cities are considered to have well organized and well run legal departments. Additionally, we reviewed several law office management presentations made at legal seminars. The primary changes to the organization are as follows: 1. The reclassification of Diane Presley to Legal Secretary. The reclassification of Stephanie Berry from Prosecutor to Prosecutor/Police Legal Advisor. o The reclassification of Jerry Drake from Senior Assistant City Attorney/Litigation Chief to Senior Assistant City Attorney/Litigation Chief/Technology Coordinator. The reclassification of Toni Reedy from Legal Secretary to City Attorney to Office Administrator/Legal Secretary to City Attorney. 5. The reclassification of Eddie Martin as Assistant City Attorney III/Open Records Officer. o Changes in job assignments in the "Areas of Responsibility" Chart to reflect changes in reorganization and to add responsibilities created by the Council's creation of new committees and the passage of new ordinances. R:\Agcndas\Fcbruary 8, 2005\Backup\Legal Rcorg~3 - BU Lgl Dcpt Rcorg.doc January 31, 2005 Page 2 The reasons for these changes are explained below: PROCESS AND OUTCOME OF ORGANIZATIONAL STUDY We requested information on municipal law office organization, including organizational charts, mission statements, staffing and performance indicators, from eleven North Central Texas cities that had approximately the same population or had a similar size budget as the City of Denton. Nine of those cities - irving, Plano, Grand Prairie, Waco, Lewisville, College Station, Garland, Mesquite, and Wichita Falls responded. The nine cities that responded were compared with the City of Denton to make ten cities in the organizational comparison. The cities of Reno, Nevada and Atlama, Georgia, both with considerably larger populations and much larger legal departments, were examined due to their reputation of having well-organized legal departments. The results of the cities surveyed were: Staffing: The staffing of the legal departmems varied from a low of 3.5 persons in the City of Lewisville to 16 in the City of irving. The average staff of the ten cities surveyed was 8.85 or 9 full-time equivalems (FTE). The City of Demon has a legal departmem often FTE, slightly above the average. DeNon is one of only two cities to provide legal services to an electric utility, one of few cities which handles most of its litigation in-house, and which provides legal advice to a complete utility department which has its own water, solid waste, drainage, and wastewater utilities and provides legal advice on a complete range of municipal services. Mike Copeland, who works for and is paid from the Utility Departmem budget, was not included as an FTE in the Legal Department. None of the ten cities, other than Denton, have a separate attorney working under and reporting to their utility department. · Strategic Plan: Of the ten cities surveyed, only the Denton Legal Department had a strategic plan. · Mission Statement: Denton was only one of two cities which had a mission statement, detailed departmemal objectives, and performance indicators. · Legislative Coordinator: Denton was the only legal department to have a legislative coordinator on staff to coordinate the City's legislative activities. Accredited Support Staff: The number of Denton support staff compares favorably with the other cities. But several of the cities have more legal assistants or about the same number of legal assistants as they have legal secretaries to augment the full-time lawyers on staff. Denton is the only legal department surveyed whose entire support staff has passed exams to gain the status of Accredited Legal Secretary or the title of Certified Legal Assistant for its professional support staff members. Some of the legal departments surveyed, like Plano, have created legal secretary steps - Legal Secretary i and ii and Senior Administrative Legal Secretary positions. Office Administrator: Denton is one of the few cities not to have someone in the office who is charged with the responsibility of being an office administrator. This is usually someone on the support staff who is in charge of generally administrating the support staff under the guidance of the City Attorney, scheduling, preparing office procedure manuals, organizing R:\Agcndas\Fcbruary 8, 2005\Backup\Legal Rcorg~3 - BU Lgl Dcpt Rcorg.doc January 31, 2005 Page 3 the filing system, coordinating the workload and generally supervising day-to-day office activities. Police Legal Advisor: A number of the larger legal departmems have a person who serves as Police Legal Advisor either directly under the Chief of Police or as part of the Legal Department. In situations where the Police Legal Advisor is under the Chief of Police, such as in Plano, the Legal Department is able to utilize a portion of this person's time to perform other legal services. Technology Coordinator: Although none of the departments surveyed has a technology coordinator, based on recommendations from recent law office management seminars, the importance of technology cannot be under-emphasized. The only way the Denton Legal Department has been able to keep up with its increased workload in the last four fiscal years is through the utilization of technology. Having a qualified person in the department to manage technology is a key to the future success of the department. Open Records Officer: Several of the departments had a person designated - either a lawyer or a legal assistam - as the Open Records Officer. This person is in charge of handling all public information requests including writing requests for opinions to the Attorney General. RECOMMENDATIONS Reclassify Diane Presley as Legal Secretary_: This is a function Diane has been performing for several years but she has not had the title or the salary to go along with this classification due to a number of budget cuts. This year Diane passed the difficult Accredited Legal Secretary exam on her first attempt and also achieved one of the highest scores on the test given as part of the graduation from the City's award winning STEP Academy Program. In view of this, we feel we would be foolish not to advance Diane Presley to Legal Secretary status. This will require a salary increase which can be covered from funds in the existing budget. The salary increase would be effective on January 1, 2005. Reclassify Stephanie Berry from Prosecutor to Prosecutor/Police Legal Advisor: This is a role that Stephanie Berry has been performing for many years without the recognition either in job title or salary. As indicated above, most of the larger cities have a Police Legal Advisor position either under the Chief of Police or under the Legal Department. In the last budget, Police Chief Wiley requested a Police Legal Advisor for his department. This was among the requests cut from his budget. I believe he intends to continue to keep requesting this position until the Council approves a full-time Police Legal Advisor for the Police Department. Denton has grown so that the need is probably here now for a full time Police Legal Advisor. Many cities of Demon's size have a full time Police Legal Advisor and another attorney who prosecutes cases in municipal court to avoid conflict of interest problems. But, until Chief Wiley's request is granted, Stephanie Berry will have to continue to play the dual role of Prosecutor/Police Legal Advisor to the extent she can perform this dual role without violating ethical duties and avoiding conflicts. This dual role is becoming increasingly difficult since the caseload of the Prosecutor has increased 200 percem R:\Agcndas\Fcbruary 8, 2005\Backup\Legal Rcorg~3 - BU Lgl Dcpt Rcorg.doc January 31, 2005 Page 4 during the time that Stephanie Berry has filled this position. Also, the Police Department, Code Enforcement, and the Municipal Court have increased their staffing by 34 percent, 100 percent and 40 percent, respectively, over the past ten years, while we have retained only one person to fill both the Prosecutor and Police Legal Advisor roles. This reclassification will involve a small step increase - five percent - to be effective April 1, 2005, which can be covered from the existing budget. Even with this increase - Stephanie's salary will be below the average salary paid to police legal advisors in other cities due to the importance for accurate legal advice to law enforcement. The Organization Chart has also been changed to place more emphasis and recognition on our criminal law, in addition to our civil law responsibilities. Technology Coordinator: During the past four fiscal years there has been no increase in the staffing of the Legal Department while there have been increases in the staffing of the Police, Fire and other departments to whom this department provides legal advice. Partially as a result of those increases, the enactment of new legislation such as the gas well ordinance which has expanded out duties, and the creation of new committees to which this department provides legal services, such as the Ethics and Tree Committees, there have been significant increases in the Legal Department's workload. This is demonstrated by the fact that in fiscal year 2000-2001 the Legal Department reviewed only 3,527 documents while in the latest fiscal year 2003-2004 that figure was approximately 8,900 documents - an increase of approximately 150 percent in the document production workload. Additionally, in litigation pending cases have increased from 9 to 17 and collections have almost quadrupled from a little over $200,000 in the 2000-2001 fiscal year to nearly $800,000 this last fiscal year. The only way we have been able to keep up with this increasing workload is through more efficient use of technology. Due to what we perceive to be a tight financial situation for the City of Denton in upcoming fiscal years, it will be very difficult for the Legal Department to add any additional staff despite the workload increases. Accordingly, we must be even more aggressive in the use of technology in order to continue to provide quality legal services while the City is growing. Jerry Drake, in addition to being an attorney, is a mechanical engineer. He is also extremely knowledgeable about computer technology. We feel we need to move away from the more generic computer technology services being provided by Technology Services. Although Technology Services does a great job and the programs they provided have been very helpful, these programs are not specifically tailored to the needs of the Legal Department. Law office management consultants indicate that legal departments - to be efficient in the future and to avoid malpractice - must obtain technology specific to the legal profession and should designate a person in charge of technology. We can accomplish this by designating Jerry Drake as Technology Coordinator. Both the Police and Fire Departments already have someone who is acting in the role of Technology Coordinator. This probably will also require the purchase of legal technology specific programs such as case management software similar to task specific programs which other departments like Police, Fire, Finance, Accounting and the Library Departments have already received, and moving away from dependence on the more generic programs provided by Technology Services. Since there is no money in our current budget for such programs, we will probably request such a technology package in our 2005-2006 budget request. Either through assignment pay or a reclassification, we R:\Agcndas\Fcbruary 8, 2005\Backup\Legal Rcorg~3 - BU Lgl Dcpt Rcorg.doc January 31, 2005 Page 5 would propose a step - five percent - increase in salary for Jerry beginning April 1, 2005. This increase is probably overdue since former City Manager, Mike Jez, had promised a reclassification and increase four years ago when Jerry took on most of our litigation services, which has not been implemented partially due to budget concerns. Office Administrator: Another primary need made apparent by our organizational study was the need to have someone designated as Office Administrator or Coordinator. Ed Snyder has been attempting to partially fill this need but his workload has become so heavy he can no longer be charged with this responsibility. Toni Reedy, my Legal Secretary, is the natural person for that job. Under this title she will be in charge of generally supervising two other support staff members and coordinating the activities of the office. Toni also has achieved her Accredited Legal Secretary status and, like Diane Presley, made one of the highest scores on the test given to graduates of the award winning STEP Academy Program. There is no money available in our budget for this fiscal year to increase her salary. Open Records Officer: Eddie Martin has been handling public information requests for several years. We need to designate him as Open Records Officer for the department in recognition of this role and to place the burden for responding to these requests primarily on one person. The number of these requests and their importance has steadily grown. Many of the legal departments surveyed have a person either on the support staff or an attorney who performs this function. Again, unfortunately, there is no money in the budget to award a salary increase for this change in function. Legislative Coordinator: Similar to the situation with Jerry Drake, at the time former City Manager, Mike Jez, asked Dottie Palumbo to assume the duties as Legislative Coordinator, due to her experience as a lobbyist for TML, she was promised a promotion in rank and an increase in pay which as not been forthcoming, again partially due to budget problems. We have never been able to fully fund this position due to the unavailability of funds. There is no money in the current budget to provide assignment pay or a five percent step increase for assuming these additional duties. Since no other legal department surveyed performs these functions, it may be time to determine if the City can provide assignment pay for this position, if we want to discontinue this position or to reassign it to someone on the City Manager's staff, or whether it is time for the City to outsource this function by hiring a full time registered lobbyist to assist us. The workload of this position has grown enormously over the past four years with numerous special sessions of the Legislature and more tracking of legislation at the state and federal level. Additional Legal Assistant: Based on the study and the trends in the legal profession, we need to have one of our three accredited legal secretaries obtain her certification as a legal assistant. Legal assistants can perform legal research and other functions an attorney performs under the supervision of an attorney. This will make us more in line with the staffing ratio of the legal departments we surveyed and help us meet increasing demands for legal services without increasing staff. Explore Steps in Legal Secreta _ry Positions: The study indicates several cities, like Plano, have steps in the legal secretary positions. I will explore with Human Resources the R:\Agcndas\Fcbruary 8, 2005\Backup\Legal Rcorg~3 - BU Lgl Dcpt Rcorg.doc January 31, 2005 Page 6 feasibility of adding Legal Secretary I and II positions with the II position being at a higher market band. If we implement this and move some personnel to the higher market band, there is no money in the current fiscal year budget to reward the employee with a corresponding step increase. Christine Dick, who has also passed the difficult Accredited Legal Secretary exam, would be one of the support staff considered for the Legal Secretary II position. Summa_ry: These changes in the organization and the reclassification and changes in job assignments will help bring the Denton Legal Department into the 21 st century. It will also assist us in continuing to provide quality legal services in the foreseeable future. Due to rapid changes in technology, one of the primary areas where the Legal Department will have to continue to improve is in efficiently using technology and becoming computer literate in new technology specific to our profession as it becomes available. Due to the tremendous increase in workload during the past four fiscal years and the anticipated future workload increase, with no foreseeable increases in staffing during the upcoming fiscal years, a shift from the generic type of technology provided by Technology Services to more legal profession specific technology is indicated. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you have in regard to these suggested changes or to make any comments concerning the proposed changes. If I do not hear from you to the contrary, I intend to implement these changes on or shortly after January 1, 2005. HLP:tr Attachments cc: Michael A. Conduff, City Manager Herbert L. Prouty R:\Agcndas\Fcbruary 8, 2005\Backup\Legal Rcorg~3 - BU Lgl Dcpt Rcorg.doc LEGAL DEPARTMENT STAFF AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY Herb Prouty City Attorney Ext. 7799 Ed Snyder Deputy City Attorney Ext. 8336 Jerry Drake Senior Assistant City Attorney/Litigation Chief/ Technology Coordinator Ext. 8333 · Acts as 0 0 0 0 0 0 Consultant for the following: City Council City Manager's Office Council Employee Performance Review Committee Finance Public Information Emergency Management · Reviews Gas and Electric Franchises and all Utility Rate Increase Requests. · Backup to Utility Attorney on Water, Wastewater, and other Utility Issues. · Backup to Deputy City Attorney on Economic Development · Backup for Utility Attorney on Public Utility Board. · Conflict of Interest/Ethics Questions. · Supervises all Attorneys and the Legal Assistant. · Prepares Semi-annual and Annual Reports and reports to the Performance Review Committee on the Departmental Strategic Plan. · Coordinates Departmental Budget Preparation. · Acts as Consultant for the following: o Airport o Economic Development o Engineering o Materials Management o Parks & Recreation o Planning o Facilities Management · Real Estate, Eminent Domain and Transportation Matters including DCTA. · Backup for and Acting City Attorney in City Attorney's Absence. · Supervises Support Staff. · · · Heads and Coordinates all Litigation except Eminent Domain. Handles Claims Against the City. Coordinates with Assistant City Attorney III as Consultant for Fire and Police except first backup on Civil Service issues. Acts as Technology Coordinator; Formulates Technology Programs and Services for the office. Reviews Hotel Occupancy Tax Fund Contracts. Serves as Second Backup to Municipal Prosecutor. Revised as of 12/15/04 R:\Agendas\February 8, 2005\Backup\Legal Reorg\5 - BU Areas ol'Responsibilty 2004.doc Legal Department Staff Areas of Responsibility Page 2 Dottie Palumbo Senior Assistant City Attorney/ Legislative Coordinator Ext. 8393 Eddie Martin Coordinates all Legislative Activities for State and Federal Issues. · Acts as Consultant for the following: o Development Code o Planning © Building inspections o Code Enforcement · Approves Construction and Development Contracts. · Approves Gas Well Contracts, Permits and Bonds. · Approves Cable Franchises, Telecommunication Access Line Payments and Cable Franchise Payments and Disputes. · Serves as Backup for Board of Adjustment, Community Development, Code Construction Board, and Economic Development Partnership Board. · Acts as Consultant for the following: Assistant City Attorney III/ Open Records Officer Ext. 8239 Board of Adjustment Community Development Historic Landmark Commission Human Resources Library Main Street Civil Service Code Construction Board Fire Department · Responds to Public information Requests; Chief Open Records Officer. · Handles Employee Terminations, Disciplinary Actions, and EEOC Complaints. · Handles Claims by the City, Bankruptcies and Related Collections. · Reviews Personnel Policies. · Serves as First Backup for Prosecutor. Stephanie Berry Assistant City Attorney ii Prosecutor/ Police Legal Advisor Ext. 8334 · Municipal Court Prosecutor/Police Legal Advisor · Chief Prosecutor for all Municipal Court Cases. · Acts as Consultant for the following: o Animal Control o Code Enforcement · Police Legal Advisor o Police Open Records Requests © Drafts Law Enforcement Related Ordinances © Advises on Search and Arrest Warrants © Advises Police Department on Legal Issues Revised as of 12/15/04 R:\Agcndas\Fcbruary 8, 2005\Backup\Legal Reorg\5 - BU Areas ol'Responsibilty 2004.doc Legal Department Staff Areas of Responsibility Page 3 Mike Copeland* Utility Attorney Ext. 8158 Stephanie Ford Legal Assistant Ext. 8143 Toni Reedy Office Administrator/ Legal Secretary to the City Attorney Ext. 8335 Christine Dick Legal Secretary Ext. 8397 Diane Presley Legal Secretary Ext. 8130 Acts as Consultant for Denton Municipal Electric, Solid Waste, Water and Wastewater. © Rate Ordinances o Impact Fee Ordinances Amendments and Disputes © Complaints and other matters © Utility Bankruptcy Collections © Oversize Lines and Pro Rata Utility Matters o Utility Professional Service Comracts © Public Utility Board Legal Advisor Certified Legal Assistant. Assists Attorneys in Defending and Prosecuting Litigation. Performs Legal Research Regarding Various issues Under Supervision of Attorneys. Coordinates with Outside Counsel. · Accredited Legal Secretary and Serves as Secretary to the City Attorney. · Serves as Office Administrator under City Attorney; Assisting Deputy City Attorney Supervise Support Staff. · Serves as Secretary to the Assistant City Attorney ii. · Budget Officer under City Attorney's Supervision. Oversees Filing System. · Accredited Legal Secretary. · Serves as Secretary to the Deputy City Attorney. · Backup Secretary to Litigation Chief · Assists with Claims Filed Against the City of DeNon and Prepares Monthly Report. Oversees Codification of City of DeNon Ordinances. · Accredited Legal Secretary. · Serves as Secretary to the Assistant City Attorney iii and Senior Assistant City Attorney. · Responsible for Updating Law Library. · Serves as Legal Department Receptionist. · Processes all Purchases and invoices. · Property Collections Assistant-Prepares Monthly Report *Although Mike Copeland is an Assistam City Attorney, he is assigned to Utilities and works under the supervision of the Assistam City Manager for Utilities. Revised as of 12/15/04 R:\Agcndas\Fcbruary 8, 2005\Backup\Legal Reorg\5 - BU Areas ol'Responsibilty 2004.doc