HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-08-03 Agenda with BackupCity Council
City of Denton
Meeting Agenda
City Hall
215 E. McKinney St.
Denton, Texas 76201
www.cityofdenton.com
Council Work Session Room11:30 AMMonday, August 3, 2020
WORK SESSION BEGINS AT 11:30 A.M. IN THE COUNCIL WORK SESSION ROOM
THE CLOSED MEETING WILL BE HELD FOLLOWING THE WORK SESSION IN THE
COUNCIL WORK SESSION ROOM
Note: Mayor Chris Watts, Mayor Pro Tem Gerard Hudspeth, and Council Members Keely Briggs, Jesse
Davis, John Ryan, Deb Armintor and Paul Meltzer will be participating in the work session and closed meeting
via video/teleconference.
After determining that a quorum is present, the City Council of the City of Denton, Texas will convene in a
Work Session on Monday, August 3, 2020, at 11:30 a.m. in the Council Work Session Room at City Hall,
215 E. McKinney Street, Denton, Texas at which the following items will be considered:
WORK SESSION
3. Work Session Reports
Receive a report, hold a discussion, and give staff direction regarding the Police
Department Staffing Study conducted by the Matrix Consulting Group.
ID 20-1469A.
Exhibit 1 - Agenda Information Sheet - PD Staffing Study
Exhibit 2 - Denton Police Department Study Results
Exhibit 3 - Report on the Denton Police Department Study
Attachments:
Receive a report, hold a discussion, and give direction regarding the FY 2020-21 Police
Operating Budget.
ID 20-1412B.
Exhibit 1 - Agenda Information Sheet
Exhibit 2 - Police Presentation.pdf
Attachments:
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, or as otherwise allowed by law.
1. Closed Meeting:
Consultation with Attorneys - Under Texas Government Code Section 551.071.
Consult with the City’s attorneys on the legal status, expenses, strategy and options for
resolution of the appeal in Docket No. 20-40432, styled “Emily Brown v. Eric Coulston
and the City of Denton” pending in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth
Circuit; where public discussion of these legal matters would conflict with the duty of the
ID 20-1411A.
Page 1 Printed on 8/11/2020
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August 3, 2020City Council Meeting Agenda
City’s attorneys to the City of Denton and the Denton City Council under the Texas
Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct of the State Bar of Texas, or otherwise
compromise the City’s legal position in the pending matter.
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
decision, or vote is taken in the Closed Meeting in accordance with the provisions of Section 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 Texas Government Code, Section 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 Sections 551.071-551.086 of the Texas Open Meetings Act.
C E R T I F I C A T E
I certify that the above notice of meeting was posted on the bulletin board at the City Hall of the City of
Denton, Texas, on the 31st day of July, 2020 at 11:27 a.m.
__________________________________________
CITY SECRETARY
NOTE: THE CITY OF DENTON'S DESIGNATED PUBLIC MEETING FACILITIES ARE
ACCESSIBLE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT. THE CITY
WILL PROVIDE ACCOMMODATION, SUCH AS 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 940-349-8309 OR
USE TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVICES FOR THE DEAF (TDD) BY CALLING 1-800-RELAY-TX
SO THAT REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION CAN BE ARRANGED.
Page 2 Printed on 8/11/2020
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City of Denton
Legislation Text
City Hall
215 E. McKinney St.
Denton, Texas 76201
www.cityofdenton.com
File #:ID 20-1469,Version:1
AGENDA CAPTION
Receive a report, hold a discussion, and give staff direction regarding the Police Department Staffing Study conducted by the Matrix
Consulting Group.
City of Denton Printed on 7/31/2020Page 1 of 1
powered by Legistar™3
City of Denton
_____________________________________________________________________________________
AGENDA INFORMATION SHEET
DEPARTMENT: Police Department
CM/ DCM/ ACM: Todd Hileman
DATE: August 3, 2020
SUBJECT
Receive a report, hold a discussion, and give staff direction regarding the Police Department Staffing Study
conducted by the Matrix Consulting Group.
BACKGROUND
The Matrix Consulting Group was retained by the City of Denton in 2019, to provide an independent and
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workloads of each police function at appropriate levels of service and management. Denton has experienced
tremendous growth in recent years. Organizations such as the police department, should periodically review
the services they deliver in order to identify resource requirements and ensure operational efficiencies are
being addressed.
EXHIBITS
Exhibit 1 – Agenda Information Sheet
Exhibit 2 – Presentation
Exhibit 3 – Report on the Police Department Study
Respectfully submitted:
Frank Dixon
Chief of Police
City Hall
215 E. McKinney Street
Denton, Texas
www.cityofdenton.com
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Police Department Study Results
Denton, Texas
5
Study Objectives
◆Comprehensive study focusing on the staffing, personnel
utilization and work management, including:
➔Current service levels, operations, and performance
➔Comparison to ‘best practices’
➔Current staffing and deployment
➔Projected staffing
➔Organization and operations management
6
Methodological Overview
◆Input from Police Department personnel through face-to-face
interviews and an online survey
◆Comprehensive data collection on organization, resource allocation,
workload demands, staffing levels, utilization and deployment
◆Evaluation of the current service delivery model
◆Analysis of the impacts of growth
◆Collaboration with staff to review findings, assumptions and analysis
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Key Themes in the Study
◆While most functions are appropriately staffed, workloads in patrol
and major crimes exceed staff capacity to handle these workloads.
◆There are backlogs of work in key support functions that inhibit
efficiency in both functions.
◆In some areas, there are issues in tracking and reporting of work
which impact the management of operations as well as
transparency.
8
Pandemic and Recessions Impacts
◆The impacts of the pandemic and recession will impact the City’s
ability to implement recommendations which would increase
costs.
◆However, many recommendations are cost neutral but improve
service delivery.
◆In one key area, patrol, recommendations were made to increase
staffing because the difference between appropriate service levels
and current staffing levels is great.
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Key Points in the Analysis of Patrol
◆Patrol proactivity is a critical measure in the analysis of field
services.
◆Without proactive time,several issues arise that impact field
effectiveness:
➔Little or no time to deploy staff in areas where problems occur.
➔Officers are over-committed and are sometimes not available to
respond to lower-priority incidents.
◆To be effective, most agencies target 35% –40%.
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Field Operations Bureau
◆An overall proactivity level of 23%, shows that patrol does not
have the capacity to handle calls as well as be proactive.
◆To mitigate this, expand the types of calls for service that can be
diverted to the new civilian PSO classification can handle (to at
least 12% of calls for service).
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Field Operations Bureau
◆After implementing PSO call diversion, an additional 8 positions
officer positions are needed to reach 40% proactivity over the long
term:
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Field Operations Bureau
◆Calls for service are projected to increase by 11% by 2025,
requiring another 9 officers over the next five years in addition to
the 8 already recommended to address current needs.
◆With these 17 officers by 2025 and call diversion implemented, as
well as an additional PSO, proactivity would be maintained within
the 35-40% range by 2025:
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Support Operations & Administration
◆The team analyzed detective caseloads. When case loads are too
high some cases cannot be worked due to limited investigative
resources.
◆Staffing levels are appropriate in most investigative units except
for Major Crimes where 4 additional detectives and a sergeant are
needed.
◆Investigative services would benefit from a more consistent
approach to case management.
◆Major backlogs exist in property and evidence (purging of older
evidence) and in records. Part time help could assist in eliminating
these backlogs as well as revising policies about retention.
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Office of the Chief
◆Professional standards (internal affairs) needs to improve
transparency and reporting.
➔Increased external and internal data of complaints, use of force and
bias based policing can help inform the public.
➔The data can also be used to direct training resources where there is
a need as determined by increased reporting.
◆Media training should be provided to all mid management staff.
◆An additional analyst is needed in Crime Analysis to provide
needed functional support in the Department to better direct
resources where needed.
◆An additional information technology position is needed to support
the major specialized systems used by the Department (e.g.,
CAD/RMS) to that operational data can be accessed quickly.
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Operations Management
◆The report has made many recommendations to improve service
efficiency and effectiveness through changes in operations
management. Recommendations include:
➔Changes in detective case management to ensure that solvable
cases receive the greatest efforts.
➔Changes in policies to reduce the retention of older evidence.
➔Changes in internal affairs to make case follow up more transparent.
➔Changes in media relations to ensure that a consistent quality
message is made of the police to the community.
◆Most of these recommendations require little or no additional
expenditures to implement.
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Staffing Projections
◆Currently, 182 of 195 sworn positions are filled.
◆Staffing recommendations in this report total 14 positions over
current budgeted levels in order to address current needs.
◆Projected staffing needs were developed based on maintaining
the same level of service as workload increases as a result of
growth.
➔These projections were developed on a position-by-position basis.
◆All projections reflect the budgeted staffing levels needed in five-
year increments.
◆On average, approximately new 4 sworn positions are needed
each year just to keep pace with growth.
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Staffing Projections
18
In Conclusion
◆By several measures, the research conducted by the Matrix
Consulting Group has shown that the Denton Police Department
provides excellent service to the community.
◆However, in key areas such as patrol and in major crimes, staffs’
ability to handle the full expectations of service is not possible at
current staffing levels.
◆This issue will increase with growth in the City.
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Report on the Police Department Study
DENTON , TEXAS
July 30, 2020
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Report on the Police Department Study Denton, Texas
Matrix Consulting Group
Table of Contents
Introduction and Executive Summary 1
Field Operations Bureau 7
Support Operations Bureau 53
Administrative Services Bureau 114
Office of the Chief 123
Projected Staffing Needs 140
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1. Introduction and Executive Summary
The Matrix Consulting Group was retained by the City of Denton to conduct a Police
Department Staffing Study, and this final report provides the analysis and findings of that
effort.
(1) Background and Scope of the Study
This study was commissioned in late summer 2019 to provide an independent and
objective assessment of the Police Department’s current and projected staffing needs
based on the workloads of each police function at appropriate levels of service and
management. Rapid recent and projected population growth underscored the need for
such an analytical effort.
The scope of the study was comprehensive, with a focus on each function within the
Denton Police Department. The objectives of the study are as follows:
• Current operations and services for all functions within the Police Department,
including analysis of workloads, service levels, staffing, scheduling and
deployment.
• Comparison of current services and service levels to ‘best police practices’ to
identify areas of improvement needed to achieve efficiencies.
• Analysis of current staffing needs and deployments for all functions based on
a factual assessment of all operations.
• Analysis of projected staffing needs for all functions based on an understanding
that the project team developed of likely growth scenarios in the City.
• Operations management, examining current management techniques and
identifying opportunities for improvement based on best practices in policing.
In summary, this study is designed to ensure that the Denton Police Department has
appropriate and justifiable staffing levels at this time of crisis.
(2) Methodology Used to Conduct the Study
The project team utilized a number of approaches in order to fully understand the service
environment and issues relevant to the study, including the following:
• On-site interviews with the leadership, other managers, unit supervisors and
many staff throughout the Police Department. Interviews were supplemented by
an anonymous employee survey where all staff had the opportunity to participate.
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• Data Collection across a every service area in order to enable extensive and
objective analysis.
• Iterative and Interactive Process in which the project team first understood the
current organization and service delivery system, identified issues and assessed
current and projected staffing needs. Throughout the process, findings and interim
deliverables were reviewed with the department.
The final report represents the culmination of this process, presenting the results of our
analysis including specific recommendations for the department on staffing, deployment
and other relevant issues.
It should be noted that there have been several organizational changes to the Police
Department while this study was being conducted. This report attempts to reflect the
organization of the Department with the most recent set of changes which occurred on
June 20, 2020.
(3) Summary of Recommendations
The following table provides a comprehensive list of the recommendations made in the
report:
Field Operations Bureau
Continue the implementation of the Public Safety Officer (PSO) program and expand the types
of calls that the position can handle. Although the current staffing level of 6 FTEs is sufficient
to handle a moderate scope of calls, additional staffing will be needed if the program is further
expanded.
Reorganize the 6 PSOs under Patrol, placing the positions under the sergeants working day
shift Patrol teams.
Increase the number of officers assigned to Patrol by 8, increasing the total number of positions
from 86 to 94. These numbers are inclusive of Downtown Unit staffing.
Develop specific goals and measures for the Downtown Units. Monitor the reactive workload
for the downtown area to evaluate the volume of community generated calls for service, the
percentage handled by Downtown Units and review trends at least annually as one measure
to evaluate the effectiveness of this program.
Clarify areas of responsibility for the Special Projects Unit to ensure that this unit coordinates
with the Downtown Units and Community Resource Officers to ensure that there are not gaps
in areas of responsibility or areas that may overlap.
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The Traffic Unit should annually review accident trends and high frequency locations and
develop enforcement strategies.
Work with Patrol units to encourage greater traffic enforcement activities during available
proactive hours
Support Operations Bureau
Criminal Investigations
Add a total of four detectives to Major Crimes for a total of 11
Add one sergeant to Major Crimes
Add one detective to General Crimes for a total of eight assigned.
Review case assignment screening to reduce cases assigned to detectives where there is a
very low economic loss.
Use the upgraded victim services software to determine where more services can be offered
or where outreach can be improved.
The Special Victims Unit is appropriately staffed.
Develop performance measures for the Narcotics unit and track activities.
Update Department’s policy and procedures to conform with state law in regards to disposal
and disposition of evidence/property.
Complete and adopt Standard Operating Procedures for the Property and Evidence Unit.
Develop and adopt Standard Operating Procedures for the CSI Unit.
Add a civilian supervisory CSI to the unit, which would report directly to the Major Crimes
Sergeant.
Ensure CSI call-outs are more accurately captured in CAD in order to evaluate the feasibility of
a 24-hour schedule versus a 20-hour schedule.
Personnel/Training
Develop a system or application that is capable of capturing the volume of work performed by
the Property Technicians so that workload analysis can be evaluated in the future.
Budget funds specifically designated for the Department’s recruiting efforts; $30,000 is
suggested to match that of the Fire Department.
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Develop a goal for Denton PD for sworn staff racial demographics to match the demographics
of the community.
Work with the City Civil Service department to purchase a software program for the recruiting,
application and hiring process.
Fund one full time administrative support position to be shared with the Training Academy and
FTO Coordinator.
Move the quartermaster functions (purchasing, issuing, tracking) for uniforms and equipment
to the Support Division – Fleet & Body Worn Cameras Unit.
Support
Add one full-time civilian position to the Fleet/BWC Unit to assist in the unit’s tasks and
responsibilities and assume the Quartermaster functions.
When the current Officer leaves the Fleet/BWC Unit, evaluate whether the Officer is to be
replaced by another Officer or a civilian.
When the second position is filled in the Fleet/BWC Unit, transfer Quartermaster duties from
the Recruiting Unit to the Fleet/BWC Unit.
Develop a system that is capable of capturing the volume of work performed by the Fleet/BWC
Unit so that workload analysis can be more effectively evaluated in the future
Develop a system that is capable of capturing the total volume of work performed by the
Warrants Unit so that workload analysis can be more effectively evaluated in the future.
Fill the vacant Jail Manager to manage Detention Services.
In order to transport prisoners in a timelier fashion and reduce the workload of Patrol, explore
training Detention Services staff to handle prisoner transports when staffing and workload
allows.
Re-classify three (3) Detention Officers to Acting Lead Detention Officers positions, for a total
of six (6) positions. This would allow supervisory coverage 24/7 and provide flexibility in
covering the Lead Detention Officers vacant shifts.
Evaluate the modified 8-hour and 10-hour shift models for optimum staffing coverage, in
conjunction with minimum staffing evaluation.
Identify a system that captures the hourly inmate population, which would assist in evaluation
of staffing levels and scheduling.
Administrative Services Bureau
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The department should plan to adopt a Management or Budget Analyst position within the next
two fiscal years to create greater capacity for management analytics and organizational
planning.
The department should reinstate the tenth Records Technician in the next fiscal year to at least
mitigate the backlog of records activities.
The department should hire a temporary, part-time position to administer the one-time project
of clearing the backlog of records that need to be scanned and archived.
The department should work with City Technology Services to develop a three to five-year
technology strategic plan to better plan and manage the implementation of new tools and
systems.
Office of the Chief
Provide formal media relations training to all of Command Staff (Lieutenants and above) in
order to be able to handle on-scene media requests at an operational incident.
Develop a system that is capable of capturing the volume of work performed by the Media
Relations Unit so that workload analysis can be evaluated in the future.
Maintain the Media Relations Unit composition of one sworn officer and one civilian.
Ensure cooperation and communication between the CROs, Special Projects Unit and the
Downtown Units through formal or informal information sharing and a quarterly meeting.
The department should budget for one additional Crime Analyst to focus on tactical analysis.
The department should budget for a technology person within the PD or City and move the
responsibility for the CAD/RMS system management and maintenance out of Crime Analysis.
The Crime Analysis Unit should also support traffic accident analysis.
The Professional Standards Unit should track the number of individual case investigations and
also the number of separate allegations in each case. A report should be provided to the Chief
every 6 months that shows the number of complaints received, the number of investigations
conducted, racial and gender demographics of the reporting party & subject officer, the total
number of allegations investigated and the individual findings for each allegation.
The limited current metrics indicate the Professional Standards needs additional staffing or
removal of some work to effectively conduct assigned internal affairs investigations. However,
the data is not clear on the current workload level. The project team recommends that in 2020
the Deputy Chief review the number of IA cases specifically assigned to the IA Unit to determine
the number of cases investigated by the Professional Standards Unit and the average number
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of hours spent by the two investigators. This will provide clear guidance if additional staffing is
needed.
Staffing Projections
As Denton grows over the next decade, DPD should update the projection model with the
experienced changes in order to update the calculations for staffing needs for units whose
workload is driven by service need increases, such as patrol and case-handling investigative
units.
Through 2030, the department will need to add 35 sworn and 6 civilian positions to keep up
with service impacts that result from growth. These numbers are in addition to the staffing
recommendations to address current issues identified in the report.
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2. Field Operations Bureau
The Field Operations Bureau oversees three functional areas including the:
• Patrol Division
• Downtown Division
• Traffic Division
1. Patrol Workload Analysis
The following sections provide analysis of patrol workload and other issues relating to the
effectiveness of field services.
(1) CAD Analysis Methodology
Our project team has calculated the community-generated workload of the department by
analyzing incident records in the computer aided dispatch (CAD) database, covering the
entirety of a one-year period from November 2018 through October 2019. After this
period, a new CAD system was implemented, which may have introduced comparability
issues given that less than a year of data was available when the study was conducted.
For incidents to be identified as community-generated calls for service and included in
our analysis of patrol, each of the following conditions needed to be met:
• The incident must have been unique.
• The incident must have been first created in the one-year period from November
2018 through October 2019.
• The incident must have involved at least one officer assigned to patrol, as identified
by the individuals assigned to the call. Training data, which was provided at a level
of detail showing rank, assignment and name was used to construct a list of officers
who were assigned to patrol at any point within the CAD time period. The name
shown for each unit’s response to an incident in the CAD data was then cross -
referenced against the list to verify that the unit was an officer assigned to patrol.
• The incident must have been originally initiated by the community, as identified
using the following methods:
– The source of the incident must have been community-generated. Radio-
generated calls are excluded from the analysis, except when reviewing self-
initiated activity.
– Additionally, the incident type must have sufficiently corresponded to a
community-generated event. Call types that could be identified with a high
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level of certainty as being either self-initiated (e.g., traffic stops) are not
counted as community-generated calls for service.
• There must have been no major irregularities or issues with the data recorded for
the incident that would prevent sufficient analysis, such as having no unit code or
lack of any time stamps.
After filtering through the data using th e methodology outlined above, the remaining
incidents represent the community-generated calls for service handled by DPD patrol
units.
(2) Calls for Service by Hour and Weekday
The following table displays the total number of calls for service handled by patrol units
by each hour and day of the week:
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Calls for Service by Hour and Weekday
Hour Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Total
12am 327 189 210 209 224 247 330 1,736
1am 329 158 172 169 161 171 281 1,441
2am 238 147 131 160 152 197 237 1,262
3am 224 99 106 94 102 160 173 958
4am 125 76 96 122 110 104 122 755
5am 103 96 115 82 97 90 119 702
6am 100 142 125 149 150 109 100 875
7am 116 207 203 208 201 184 161 1,280
8am 163 243 248 247 250 222 203 1,576
9am 199 271 251 263 277 247 257 1,765
10am 213 278 263 258 273 271 307 1,863
11am 244 304 294 311 289 285 279 2,006
12pm 311 343 287 304 331 327 319 2,222
1pm 273 344 274 306 306 363 327 2,193
2pm 305 359 337 355 354 377 300 2,387
3pm 299 389 374 419 358 398 315 2,552
4pm 323 438 421 409 436 448 345 2,820
5pm 314 466 431 436 436 466 329 2,878
6pm 348 431 422 431 396 455 358 2,841
7pm 353 407 391 362 396 424 386 2,719
8pm 304 347 319 349 359 380 395 2,453
9pm 329 376 372 350 375 377 413 2,592
10pm 330 319 287 322 323 383 407 2,371
11pm 296 274 277 260 267 360 386 2,120
Total 6,166 6,703 6,406 6,575 6,623 7,045 6,849 46,367
Weekdays display a vastly different pattern from the weekend, with weekdays
concentrating activity around the afternoon and early evening hours. Calls for service on
the weekends, by contrast, are more widely distributed by time of day with Saturday
showing a significant uptick in the evening and nighttime hours.
The following chart shows the call activity trends by hour:
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Call for Service Activity by Hour
Call activity follows a highly consistent bell curve, rising almost evenly before reaching a
peak at 5:00PM, and falling at nearly the same rate until it reaches a low twelve hours
later. This presents some implications for deployment, as there is largely no ‘plateau’
period where the same level of resources needs to be deployed in order to maintain th e
same service level.
(3) Calls for Service by Month
The following table displays calls for service totals by month, showing seasonal variation
as a percentage difference from the quarterly average:
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Calls for Service by Month
Month # of CFS Seasonal +/-
Jan 3,472
-8.6% Feb 3,273
Mar 3,847
Apr 4,056
+3.3% May 4,042
Jun 3,872
Jul 4,081
+9.2% Aug 4,273
Sep 4,305
Oct 4,511
-3.8% Nov 3,255
Dec 3,380
Total 46,367
Seasonal variation is relatively significant compared to many jurisdictions, with the
summer months being significantly more active than the winter. October, interestingly,
has the highest total of any month.
(4) Most Common Types of Calls for Service
The following table provides the ten most common incident categories of calls for service
handled by patrol units over the last year, as well as the average call handling time (HT)1
for each:
1 Handling time is defined as the total time in which a patrol unit was assigned to an
incident. It is calculated as the difference between the recorded time stamps of the unit
being dispatched and cleared from the incident.
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Most Common Call for Service Categories
Incident Type # CFS 12a 4a 8a 12p 4p 8p
SPEAK W/OFFICER 4,730
ALARM BURGLARY 3,501
DIST OTHER 3,318
MVA MINOR 3,244
DIST DOMESTIC 2,901
WELF CONCERN 2,771
SUSP ACTIVITY 1,589
TRAFF HAZARD 1,527
SUSP PERSON 1,509
NOISE 1,465
All Other Types 19,812
Total 46,367
“SPEAK W/OFFICER” is a relatively broad category that encompasses many different
types of issues and as a result, comprises over 10% of calls handled by the department.
Burglar alarms, disturbances and minor accidents (“MVA MINOR”) together comprise
about one-quarter of calls for service. Interestingly, minor accidents are clustered
significantly around the afternoon and early evening hours, with not nearly as many
occurring in the morning during peak commute times.
(5) Calls for Service by Priority Level
The following table displays call for service statistics priority level, showing the median
(middle value) response time2 and distribution of calls by response time for each category:
2 Response time is defined in this report as the duration between the call creation
timestamp and the arrival time stamp for the first patrol officer on the scene.
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Calls for Service by Priority Level
Response times are excellent, particularly considering the large area that Denton covers.
Often times, when there are severe resource issues (i.e., not enough officers to handle
incoming calls for service), response times are extended further than this, as calls begin
to frequently queue.
2. Analysis of Patrol Resource Needs
Analysis of the community-generated workload handled by patrol units is at the core of
analyzing field staffing needs. Developing an understanding of where, when and what
types of calls are received provides a detailed account of the service needs of the
community and by measuring the time used in responding and handling these calls, the
staffing requirements for meeting the community’s service needs can then be determined.
To provide a high level of service, it is not enough for patrol units to function as call
responders. Instead, officers must have sufficient time outside of community-driven
workload to proactively address community issues, conduct problem -oriented policing
and perform other self-directed engagement activities within the community. As a result,
patrol staffing needs are calculated not only from a standpoint of the capacity of current
resources to handle workloads, but also their ability to provide a certain level of service
beyond responding to calls.
With this focus in mind, the following sections examine the process used by the project
team to determine the patrol resource needs of the Denton Police Department based on
current workloads, staff availability, and service level objectives.
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(1) Overview of the Resource Needs Analysis
An objective and accurate assessment of patrol staffing requires analysis of the following
three factors:
i. The number of community-generated workload hours handled by patrol.
ii. The total number of hours that patrol is on -duty and able to handle those
workloads, based on current staffing numbers and net availability factors (e.g.,
leave, administrative time, etc.).
iii. The remaining amount of time that patro l has to be proactive which can also be
referred to as “uncommitted” time.
This study defines the result of this process as patrol proactivity or the percentage of
patrol officers’ time in which they are available and on-duty that is not spent responding
to community-generated calls for service. This calculation can also be expressed visually
as an equation:
Total Net Available Hours – Total CFS Workload Hours
Total Net Available Hours
= % Proactivity
The result of this equation is the overall level of proactivity in patrol, which in turn
provides a model for the ability of patrol units to be proactive given current resources and
community-generated workloads. There are some qualifications to this, which include the
following:
• Optimal proactivity levels are a generalized target and a single percentage should
be applied to every agency. The actual needs of an individual department vary
based on a number of factors, including:
– Other resources the department has to proactively engage with the
community and address issues such as a dedicated proactive unit.
– Community expectations and the ability to support a certain level of service.
– Whether fluctuations in the workload levels throughout the day require
additional or fewer resources to be staffed to provide adequate coverage.
• Sufficient proactivity at an overall level does not guarantee, based on workload
patterns, and deployment schedules, that resources are sufficient throughout all
times of the day and week.
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Overall, the Denton Police Department should generally target an overall proactivity level
of at least 30-40% as an effective benchmark range for patrol coverage and proactive
services.
(2) Patrol Unit Staffing and Net Availability
Before determining availability and staffing needs, it is important to first review the current
patrol staffing levels and deployment schedules.
The Denton Police Department follows a 12-hour shift configuration that assigns
personnel to 24 teams which are grouped into four shifts, each subdivided into north and
south and by side of the week. The following table outlines this configuration, showing the
number of positions that are assigned to each shift team (including those on long-term
and injury leave, but excluding vacancies):
Patrol Shift Configuration (Current Staffing Levels)3
Shift Area Start End Sergeants Officers
A North 0600 1800 0 4
North 0800 2000 4
South 0600 1800 1 6
South 0800 2000 2
B North 0600 1800 1 5
North 0800 2000 3
South 0600 1800 1 5
South 0800 2000 2
C North 1800 0600 1 4
North 1600 0400 3
South 1800 0600 1 6
South 1600 0400 3
D North 1800 0600 1 6
North 1600 0400 2
South 1800 0600 1 6
South 1600 0400 3
3 Figures displayed in the table also include those in injury and long-term leave but
exclude permanent vacancies in which the position slot is actually open.
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Shift Area Start End Sergeants Officers
Downtown Days (A) 0800 1800 1 2
Days (B) 0800 1800 2
Nights 1800 0600 6
While the table provides the scheduled staffing levels, it does not reflect the numbers that
are actually on-duty and available to work on at any given time. Out of the 2,080 hours
per year that officers are scheduled to work in a year (excluding overtime), a large
percentage is not actually spent on-duty and available in the field.
As a result, it is critical to understand the amount of time that officers are on leave –
including vacation, sick, injury, military or any other type of leave – as well as any hours
dedicated to on-duty court or training time and all time spent on administrative tasks such
as attending shift briefings. The impact of each of these factors is determined through a
combination of calculations made from DPD data and estimates based on the experience
of the project team, which are then subtracted from the base number of annual work hours
per position. The result represents the total net available hours of patrol officers, or the
time in which they are on-duty and available to complete workloads and other activities in
the field.
The table below outlines this process in detail, outlining how each contributing factor is
calculated:
Factors Used to Calculate Patrol Net Availability
Work Hours Per Year
The total number of scheduled work hours for patrol officers, without factoring in leave,
training, or anything else that takes officers away from normal on-duty work. This factor
forms the base number from which other availability factors are subtracted from.
Base number: 2,080 scheduled work hours per year
Total Leave Hours (subtracted from total work hours per year)
Includes all types of leave, as well as injuries and military leave – anything that would
cause officers that are normally scheduled to work on a specific day to instead not be
on duty. As a result, this category excludes on -duty training, administrative time, and
on-duty court time.
Calculated from DPD data: 315 hours of leave per year
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On-Duty Court Time (subtracted from total work hours per year)
The total number of hours that each officer spends per year attending court while on
duty, including transit time. Court attendance while on overtime is not included in the
figure.
Without any data recording on-duty court time specifically for patrol officers, the number
of hours is estimated based on the experience of the project team.
Estimated: 20 hours of on-duty court time per year
On-Duty Training Time (subtracted from total work hours per year)
The total number of hours spent per year in training that are completed while on-duty
and not on overtime. Data was obtained from the department that showed on-duty
training hours on an individual basis along with assignment, enabling patrol officers to
be identified specifically.
Calculated from DPD data: 88 hours of on-duty training time per year
Administrative Time (subtracted from total work hours per year)
The total number of hours per year spent completing administrative tasks while on -
duty, including briefing, meal breaks, and various other activities.
The number is calculated as an estimate by multiplying 90 minutes of time per shift
times the number of shifts actually worked by officers in a year after factoring out the
shifts that are not worked as a result of leave being taken.
Estimated: 221 hours of administrative time per year
Total Net Available Hours
After subtracting the previous factors from the total work hours per year, the remaining
hours comprise the total net available hours for officers – the time in which they are
available to work after accounting for all leave, on -duty training, court, and
administrative time. Net availability can also be expressed as a percentage of the base
number of work hours per year.
Calculated by subtracting the previously listed factors from the base number:
1,436
The following table summarizes this calculation process, displaying how each net
availability factor contributes to the overall net availability of patrol officers:
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Calculation of Patrol Unit Net Availability
Base Annual Work Hours 2,080
Total Leave Hours – 315
On-Duty Training Hours – 88
On-Duty Court Time Hours – 20
Administrative Hours – 221
Net Available Hours Per Officer = 1,436
Number of Officer Positions x 74
Total Net Available Hours = 106,251
Overall, officers combine for 106,251 net available hours per year, representing the total
time in which they are on duty and able to respond to community-generated incidents and
be proactive.
(3) Overview of Call for Service Workload Factors
The previous chapter of the report examined various trends in patrol workload, including
variations by time of day and of week, common incident types, as well as a number of
other methods. This section advances this analysis, detailing the full extent of the
resource demands that these incidents create for responding patrol personnel.
Each call for service represents a certain amount of workload, much of which is not
captured within the handling time of the primary unit. Some of these factors can be
calculated directly from data provided by the department, while others must be estimated
due to limitations in their measurability.
(3.1) Special Considerations Used to Model Call Handling Time
Measuring workload is central to the analysis of patrol proactivity and resource needs.
Handling time is a key component in this, representing the total time an officer spends on
a call. It is measured from the time stamp recorded for unit dispatch on the call to the time
stamp for call close. For instance, if an officer was dispatched at 2:30PM and cleared the
call at 3:15PM, it would represent 45 minutes of handling time. Typically, the average
handling time for the vast majority of agencies is between 30 and 42 minutes.
In the analysis of CAD data received from the Denton Police Department, the project team
calculated an average handling time of about 77 minutes, even after excluding all calls
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above 720 minutes (12 hours). This is extremely high – by far the highest we have
calculated for any agency in the experience of the project team.
As a result, to determine whether there were issues in the data causing the number to be
erroneously high, we examined this issue further. Incident types were examined first,
since more severe and complicated calls can take longer to handle. It was determined
that the mix of calls handled by the department were not significantly different from others
in a way that would lead to higher handling times on an overall basis. This holds true even
when compared to other agencies in the state, including the DFW metroplex.
To determine the prevalence of outliers, the project team counted the number of calls for
service in increments of 30 minutes (e.g., # of calls with 30 minutes of handling time, # of
calls at 60 min., 90 min., and so forth).
This showed that a highly significant percentage of calls were several hours or more, as
shown by the following table:
Calls for Service by Primary Unit Handling Time Hours
Hours of
Handling Time4
# of CFS
% of CFS
Cumulative
% of CFS
0.0 9,061 19.9% 19.9%
0.5 16,583 36.5% 56.4%
1.0 5,476 12.0% 68.4%
1.5 3,411 7.5% 75.9%
2.0 2,736 6.0% 82.0%
2.5 2,071 4.6% 86.5%
3.0 1,511 3.3% 89.8%
3.5 1,015 2.2% 92.1%
4.0 799 1.8% 93.8%
4.5 597 1.3% 95.1%
5.0 497 1.1% 96.2%
5.5 377 0.8% 97.1%
6.0 302 0.7% 97.7%
>6.0 1,030 2.3% 100.0%
4 Each category of calls constructed by rounding handling times to the nearest multiple
of 30.
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It is critical to stress that handling time should not be conflated with response time – the
time it takes for an officer to reach the scene of the call after it was created. Instead,
handling time represents the time needed to resolve the call once the officer has been
dispatched.
As many as 13.5% of calls have handling times of around three hours or more – an
exceptionally high percentage.
The rightmost column cumulatively adds up the percentages from each handling time
interval. This can be used to say, for instance, that 82% of calls are handled within two
hours.
This can also be shown as a line chart, displaying the percentage of calls that are handled
within each incremental increase in handling time, as follows:
Probability of a Call Having a Given Handling Time
For instance, this shows that just over 80% of calls are handled within two hours.
Compared to other agencies, this is very low, as shown in the following chart, which maps
the handling time distributions for 11 other agencies:
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Probability of a Call Having a Given Handling Time: Denton vs. Other Agencies
The comparison pool of 11 other agencies is comprised of medium and large police
departments, several of which are in Texas, and almost all of which have above-average
handling times. Consequently, this demonstrates the exceptionalness of the number of
handling time outliers in Denton.
In coordinating the data with the department, it was guessed that dispatchers frequently
are not closing out calls after they are handled.
If there were fewer outliers, it would have been assumed that reports were being written
prior to the call being closed. However, handling times for other calls was generally higher
than average.
In the absence of making any kind of adjustment to the handling time values, overall patrol
proactivity which is detailed in subsequent sections and represents the percentage of time
that is available after handling call for service workloads, would have been in the negative
overall. This is impossible, given that the workload is built up by hours spent by patrol
officers. On an overall basis it cannot be negative as more hours cannot be spent than
exist after accounting for availability factors. It can, however, be nega tive at specific times
of the day, as all workload is credited to the time of call creation.
With these considerations in mind, an adjustment to handling time values is
needed in order to present a realistic and accurate depiction of patrol workload.
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Several options for doing so were examined by the project team. Using a simple cutoff ,
for example, is not realistic in itself as it removes significant calls entirely from workload
variability patterns. Thus, the most feasible approach to making an adjustment is to
reduce handling time by a certain percentage after it reaches a certain cutoff.
As a result, an adjustment factor was added that reduces any handling time value
over 75 minutes by half. Given that an earlier maximum handling time value of 720
minutes was used in the calculations, this maximum was doubled to 1440 in order to
retain the eventual cutoff of 720 minutes after halving the handling time value.
The impacts of this change shift the curve of handling times work effectively to moderate
handling time values, while retaining a typical distribution:
Implementing an Outlier Control Adjustment for DPD Handling Time Values
Compared to the 11 other agencies modeled earlier, the effects of halving any handling
time value over 75 put DPD aligned within the middle of the range for the group:
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Comparing Post-Adjustment Handling Time Values With Other Agencies
The adjustment results in an overall average handling time of approximately 49
minutes, down from the original average of around 77 minutes. The new average is still
very high relative to most agencies comparable in size to DPD and is one of the highest
among agencies the project team has worked with. However, it is within the spectrum that
can be considered realistic and reflective of actual workloads.
(3.2) Summary of Workload Factors
The following table outlines the factors that must be considered in order to capture the
full scope of community-generated workload, and provides an explanation of the process
used to calculate each factor:
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Factors Used to Calculate Total Patrol Workload
Number of Community-Generated Calls for Service
Data obtained from an export of CAD data covering a period of an entire year that has been
analyzed and filtered in order to determine the number and characteristics of all community -
generated activity handled by patrol officers.
The calculation process used to develop this number has been summarized in previous
sections.
Calculated from DPD data: 46,367 community-generated calls for service
Primary Unit Handling Time (multiplied by the number of calls)
The time used by the primary unit to handle a community-generated call for service, including
time spent traveling to the scene of the incident and the duration of on -scene time. For each
incident, this number is calculated as the difference between ‘call cleared’ time stamp a nd
the ‘unit dispatched’ time stamp.
In the experience of the project team, the average handling time is typically between 30 and
42 minutes in agencies where time spent writing reports and transporting/booking prisoners
is not included within the recorded CAD data time stamps.
DPD handling time was calculated at around 77 minutes on average. As detailed in the
previous section, this presented an unrealistic picture of patrol workload and an adjustment
factor was applied to control for an extraordinarily high percentage of outliers and shift the
distribution of handling times to more normal – albeit still relatively high – level, at an average
of 49.2 minutes of handling time per call.
Calculated from DPD data: 49.2 minutes of handling time per call for service
Number of Backup Unit Responses
The total number of backup unit responses to community-generated calls for service. This
number often varies based on the severity of the call, as well as the geographical density of
the area being served.
This number can also be expressed as the rate of backup unit responses to calls for service
and is inclusive of any additional backup units beyond the first.
Calculated from DPD data: 0.60 backup units per call for service
Backup Unit Handling Time (multiplied by the rate)
The handling time for backup units responding to calls for service is calculated using the
same process that was used for primary units , representing the time from the unit being
dispatched to the unit clearing the call.
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When CAD data lists unique time stamps for each unit on a call (rather than only for the first
unit or overall for the call), the handling time is calculated individually. In this case, the CAD
data only displayed time stamps for the first unit, and as a result, handling time for backup
units was estimated at a rate of 75% of the primary unit’s handling time on each individual
call – a normative estimate based on the experience of the project team. The primary unit
handling time factor, which is detailed in the previous section, is applied prior to this factor.
Nonetheless, because calls featuring backup unit responses tend to be more severe and
consequently often require higher workloads for personnel on-scene, the average backup
unit handling time is actually higher than the overall average for primary units, resulting in
an overall average of 68.3 minutes per backup unit response.
Estimated/calculated from DPD data: 68.3 minutes of handling time per backup unit
Number of Reports Written
The total number of reports and other assignments relating to calls for service that have
been completed by patrol units, estimated at one report written for every three calls for
service. This includes any supporting work completed by backup units.
In this case, the number has been estimated based on the experience of the project team.
Estimated/calculated from DPD data: 0.33 reports written per call for service
Report Writing Time (multiplied by the report writing rate)
The average amount of time it takes to complete a report or other assignment in relation to
a call for service. Without any data detailing this specifically, report writing time must be
estimated based on the experience of the project team. It is assumed that 45 minutes are
spent per written report, including the time spent by backup units on supporting work
assignments.
Estimated: 45 minutes per report
Total Workload Per Call for Service
The total time involved in handling a community-generated call for service, including the
factors calculated for primary and backup unit handling time, reporting writing time and jail
transport/booking time.
The product of multiplying this value by the calls for service total at each hour and day of the
week is the number of hours of community-generated workload handled by patrol units –
equating to approximately 81,372 total hours in the full year of CAD data used.
Calculated from previously listed factors: 105.3 total minutes of workload per call for
service
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Each of the factors summarized in this section contribute to the overall picture of patrol
workload – the total number of hours required for patrol units to handle community -
generated calls for service, including primary and backup unit handling times, report
writing time and jail transport time.
These factors are summarized in the following table:
Summary of Call for Service Workload Factors
Value %
Total Number of Calls for Service 46,367 47% Avg. Primary Unit Handling Time (min.) 49.2
Backup Units Per CFS 0.60 39% Avg. Backup Unit Handling Time (min.) 68.3
Reports Written Per CFS 0.33 14% Time Per Report (min.) 45.0
Avg. Workload Per Call (min.) 105.3
Total Workload Hours 81,372
Overall, each call represents an average workload of 105.3 minutes, including all time
spent by the primary unit handling the call, the time spent by any backup units attached
to the call, as well as any reports or other assignments completed in relation to the
incident.
(4) Calculation of Overall Patrol Proactivity
Using the results of the analysis of both patrol workloads and staff availability, it is now
possible to determine the remaining time in which patrol units can function proactively.
The result can then function as a barometer from which to gauge the capacity of current
resources to handle call workload demands, given objectives for meeting a certain service
level.
The following table shows the calculation process used by the project team to determine
overall proactivity levels, representing the percentage of time that patrol officers have
available outside of handling community-generated workloads:
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Calculation of Overall Patrol Proactivity
Total Patrol Net Available Hours 106,251
Total Patrol Workload Hours – 81,372
Resulting # of Uncommitted Hours = 24,879
Divided by total net available hours ÷ 105,291
Overall Proactivity Level = 23.4%
At 23.4% proactivity, there is very little time for officers to self-initiate activity and conduct
problem-oriented policing, as well as community engagement activities. Moreover, the
results are strongly indicative of inadequate resources assigned to patrol.
The results are much more pronounced when viewed on an hourl y basis, given that the
relatively quieter hours generally will have more proactivity than the busier hours. As a
result, the overall average is a composite of both the higher-activity hours and the lower-
activity hours. The following chart shows this analysis at this more detailed level, providing
proactivity levels in four-hour blocks by day of week:
Proactivity by Hour and Weekday
From 2:00PM through 2:00AM, proactive time is very low, which demonstrates that there
are not enough officers deployed to handle incoming workload. From the early afternoon
through the late evening hours, proactivity falls to severely low levels, dropping into the
negatives on Saturday nights. These findings indicate that not only is staffing insufficient
at an overall level to handle incoming workloads and be proactive, but the problems are
more pronounced at certain times of the day.
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(5) Patrol First-Line Supervision
Ensuring that patrol has adequate supervision is critical to the effectiveness of patrol
operations in the field.
Staffing needs for patrol sergeants can be measured by span of control ratios, or the
average number of officers assigned to sergeants. Many of the key drivers of sergeant
workloads include report review, use of force and pursuit review and performance
evaluations, scale directly with the number of officers that are assigned to a sergeant.
Consequently, the more officers that are assigned per sergeant, the less time that
sergeants are able to be out in the field directly supervising them. In general, no sergeant
should supervise more than about 9 officers.
These targets should be adjusted based on the administrative duties that sergeants are
required to handle. If sergeants handle more responsibilities with significant workloads
than is typically the case, then the span of control that an agency should target for should
be lower than normal, ensuring that sergeants supervise fewer officers.
The following table compares actual (filled) staffing levels against the upper end of the
1:9 supervisory span of control ratio:
Comparison of Patrol Shift Teams Against Span of Control Targets
Shift Team Sgt. Ofc. 1:9 Met?
A 2 16 Yes
B 2 16 Yes
C 2 16 Yes
D 2 16 Yes
Downtown 1 6 Yes
1 6 Yes
Overall, all shift teams have sufficient supervisory personnel assigned to meet the 1:9
span of control target. Excluding Downtown, a maximum of eight additional officers could
be assigned in total before the 1:9 ratio would be exceeded. It should be noted that all
figures combine north and south teams which each have equal staffing levels.
(6) Call Diversion
Addressing the issue of low proactivity in patrol requires a number of different approaches
to be taken. In the current economic environment, it is no t feasible to simply hire out of
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the problem. Particularly over the past decade, the growth of Denton and the ensuing rise
in call volume has been the central contributor to the proactivity issues.
At the same time, more and more has been asked of police officers. Police have been
asked to function as social services in responding to issues of homelessness, intervene
in situations involving persons experiencing mental health crisis, and serve numerous
other roles beyond what was expected in the past , while service level expectations have
not diminished. Perhaps more than ever, police have been asked to respond to minor,
non-emergency calls such as non-injury accidents, and calls that simply do not need to
be not law enforcement matters. To improve patrol proactivity, it is critical that some
portion of workload is diverted to alternative response capabilities.
Denton has recently created such a program, developing a new classification (Public
Safety Officers, or PSOs) to handle certain types of non -emergency calls for service.
This echoes many departments in Texas and around the country that have field civilian
positions that respond to a number of minor, non-emergency calls for service that do not
require a sworn officer. Examples of calls they handle include parking violations, cold
reports with no leads or no suspects, and minor non-injury vehicle accidents. These calls
currently drain the available time of patrol officers, particularly during the busiest hours of
the day when capabilities are the most strained.
These civilian positions serve as a supplement to patrol officers, not a replacement for
them. By handling a number of time -consuming routine report calls, they enable officers
to have the time to be proactive, as well as to respond to critical calls for service that do
require a sworn presence. The scope for these positions, in terms of the types of calls
they respond to, vary somewhat from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but generally coalesce
around similar types.
In Denton, the policy for how PSOs function in these roles, as well as the types of calls
they can handle, is still being developed. Consequently, the project team has developed
a feasibility analysis to determine the potential for expanding the unit. To do this, the
project team selected a certain set of calls that are commonly associated with PSOs. It is
assumed that not every call for service in certain categories, are able to be handled by a
PSO. In a number of agencies, PSOs respond to residential burglaries only when it is
cold (past-tense) and the victim has already entered back into their house or apartment.
In absence of having the dispatcher call notes that would provide additional detail on the
call coming out, the project team has developed estimated percentages within certain call
types that a PSO could feasibly handle.
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The following table presents this analysis, showing the potential amount of workload
(including report writing) that could be diverted to PSOs, including the percentage of calls
within each incident type that could potentially be handled by a civilian:
Estimated Potential for Calls to be Diverted Through Civilian Responders
Type # CFS % Diverted # Diverted
Workload Hrs.
Diverted
Parking Violation 396 100% 396 313
Minor/Non-Inj. Accident 3,169 90% 2,852 3,851
Traffic Hazard 1,512 70% 1,058 829
Burg. – Vehicle 409 70% 286 484
Runaway 210 70% 147 223
Missing Person 165 70% 116 169
Theft Report 254 50% 127 190
Theft 1,213 40% 485 769
Total – – 5,467 6,828
As % of CFS – – 12% 8%
The upper-end potential for calls to be diverted to a civilian field responder can reach
5,467 calls for service per year, representing about 12% of all incidents that patrol
responds to. Many of these occur during some of the busiest hours of the day, where the
incoming call rate overtakes patrol’s ability to handle it. Diverting these many calls and
the workload hours they represent, would raise patrol officers’ proactive time from
24.8% to 31.1% – a significant impact on service levels.
It is important to stress that if these non-emergency calls are often queueing and receiving
delayed responses because the workload is too great, then diverting these calls to a
civilian that can respond quickly is a higher level of service. This is typically the finding of
most cities that implement such a program – the value of getting a quicker response
outweighs any preferences for a sworn officer in these situations, and patrol officers would
rather focus their time on other issues, such as being proactive.
Cold burglaries of residencies or offices/commercial establishments have not been
included; however, this could be an area where the program could potentially be
expanded later on.
To be able to staff this program, net availability and utilization are considered somewhat
differently. The following steps are used to calculate PSO staffing needs:
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• A highly conservative estimate of PSO availability would factor in half the training
and administrative hours of patrol officers, and none of the court time, resulting in
a total of 1,602 net available hours per year for each full-time position.
• PSOs are assumed to handle 6,828 hours of workload per year as per the
feasibility model, including any report writing time.
• If we assume that PSOs are not utilized 15% of the time (i.e., typically some short
gaps in between calls), then an additional 1,205 hours are staffed in addition to the
time handling calls.
• Combining the 85% utilized (workload-handling) time and 15% non-utilized totals,
at least 8,033 hours need to be staffed.
• This total is divided by 1,602 hours per PSO position, then almost exactly 5 FTEs
would be required to staff the program. In order to account for turnover and
scheduling availability, an additional position is added, for a total of 6 FTEs.
The workdays and shift hours should then be staggered in order to provide for maximum
coverage. This is best accomplished by two sides of teams comprised of 3 PSOs working
12-hour shifts, following the same pattern of days off as patrol.
By implementing an alternative call response program with field civilian call responders,
the patrol proactivity issue can be significantly mitigated, albeit not fully. Nonetheless, it
is a critical step in this process – one that is both relatively cost effective and provides
patrol officers with more time to focus on emergency incidents and be proactive in the
field.
Recommendations:
Continue the implementation of the Public Safety Officer (PSO) program and
expand the types of calls that the position can handle. Although the current staffing
level of 6 FTEs is sufficient to handle a moderate scope of calls, additional staffing
will be needed if the program is further expanded.
Reorganize the 6 PSOs under Patrol, placing the positions under the sergeants
working day shift Patrol teams.
(6) Additional Conclusions Regarding Patrol Proactivity and Resource Needs
The overall patrol proactivity level should function as a barometer of potential resource
capacity to handle workloads and be proactive and different levels have varying
implications for the effectiveness of an agency in being proactive at addressing public
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safety issues and engaging with the community. These considerations can be
summarized as follows:
• In agencies that are severely understaffed in patrol functions, and consequently
have very little proactive time (30-35% and under on an overall basis), calls will
frequently be held in queues as resources cannot handle the incoming workload.
Proactivity also falls behind, as officers in such agencies would have little to no
time to be proactive. When gaps do occur, the high rate of workload relative to
available time can have a limiting factor on self -initiated generation, as officers
avoid being tied up on a proactive activity such as a traffic stop in case priority calls
for service occur.
• As proactivity increases (around 35-45% overall), the generation of self-initiated
activity rapidly increases, as officers are able to deal with already-identified
opportunities to proactively address issues in the community, some of which are
prioritized and project-oriented engagements.
• Beyond those levels (at least 45-50% overall, depending on scheduling and
deployment efficiency), the time available for proactive policing increases further,
and opportunities to engage in self-initiated activity expand. However, the number
of priority needs for self-initiated activity (e.g., addressing narcotics activity) also
decrease. Despite this, no limitations exist on the time that can be spent on
activities such as saturation/directed patrols and community engagement
activities.
The findings from this analysis are particularly notable given that as the proactivity level
increases, the number of officers needed to raise it further grows exponentially. Whereas
at low proactivity levels, adding several more officers would have a significant effect on
overall proactivity, doing so at high proactivity levels (>60%) would have very little effect
if the proactivity level was around 60 or 60%.
(7) Patrol Staffing Levels Required to Meet Service Level Objectives
To determine staffing needs, it is also important to consider the number of vacancies that
currently exist, as well as the rate of turnover. An agency will never be fully staffed, as
there will always be vacancies occurring as a result of retirement, termination and other
factors. When these events occur, it takes a significant amount of time to recruit a new
position, complete the hiring process, run an academy, and complete the FTO program
before the individual becomes an on-duty officer. Given this consideration, agencies must
always hire above the number needed to provide a targeted level of service.
The amount of ‘buffer’ that an agency requires should be based on the historical rate of
attrition within patrol. Attrition can take many forms – if it is assumed that the majority of
vacancies are carried in patrol staffing, a vacancy at the officer level in any other area of
the organization would consequently remove one officer from regular patrol duties.
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Likewise, promotions would have the same effect, in that they create an open position
slot in patrol. Not included, however, are positions that become vacant while the individual
is still in the academy or FTO program, and they are not counted in our analysis as being
part of ‘actual’ patrol staffing.
Given these considerations, an additional 6.7% authorized (budgeted) positions
should be added on top of the actual number currently filled (actual) positions in
order to account for turnover while maintaining the ability to meet the targeted
proactivity level. The resulting figure can then be rounded to the nearest whole number,
assuming that positions cannot be added fractionally. It is worth noting that the number
of officers needed without turnover is fractional, as it is an intermediate step in the
calculation process.
Additionally, these calculations must model for the estimated amount of workload diverted
by implementing the PSO program. These hours are deducted from the call workloads
that patrol must handle.
A proactivity target of 40% is then set, which defines staffing level objectives as resulting
in a sufficient number of officer net available hours such that 60% of time is spent handling
community-generated workloads, while the remaining 40% can be used proactively.
These calculations are shown in the following table:
Calculation of Patrol Officer Staffing Needs
Total Workload Per CFS 96.5 min
# of Calls for Service* 47,343
Total Workload Hours 81,372
# of Hours to be Diverted -6,828
Patrol Officer Workload Hours 74,545
Overall Proactivity Target 40%
Net Available Hours Per Officer 1,436
% Turnover Per Year 6.7%
Patrol Units Required 94
+/– Ofc. Positions +8
Ultimately, the 94 patrol officer positions that are required to achieve 40% proactivity with
a 6.7% turnover rate reflects 8 new positions, as it increases the budgeted (authorized)
staffing level from 86 to 94 officers, which includes both regular patrol and Downtown Unit
officer positions.
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These considerations assume that a portion of workload is diverted to civilian response
as per the estimates calculated previously in this chapter. If call diversion is not
implemented at the level estimated int his report, significantly more sworn resources are
provided:
Patrol Officers Needed to Reach Proactivity Levels: With and Without Call Diversion
It should also be noted that this analysis is based on an average experienced rate of
attrition (6.7%) and an ability to fill positions after being vacant for one year. Hence, the
staffing level needed to reach 30% (below the effective threshold) is only t wo higher than
the current authorized level.
Recommendations:
Increase the number of officers assigned to Patrol by 8, increasing the total number
of positions from 86 to 98. These numbers are inclusive of Downtown Unit staffing.
3. Downtown Division
The Downtown Division is comprised of the following work units:
• Downtown Days Unit and Nights Unit
• Special Projects Unit
The following sections of the report provide the project team’s assessment of these
functional areas.
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(1) Downtown Days Unit and Nights Unit
Prior to the establishment of the Downtown Units, the volume of calls during certain hours
and days required a disproportionate amount of time of the beat unit whose area included
downtown. As a result, the downtown beat officer did not spend much time in other areas
of his/her beat. For many years now, Denton PD has staffed two work units to respond
to calls for service and specifically deal with the problems, issues and special events in
the downtown area. The Units do not provide 24/7 coverage but only during the busier
hours of the day. The units are staffed with:
• Downtown Days Unit is authorized 1 Sergeant and 6 Officers (4 Officer positions
are vacant)
• Downtown Nights Unit is authorized 1 Sergeant and 8 Officers (4 Officer positions
are vacant)
Both Units have a similar mission – respond to the calls for service and work with the
involved parties (businesses, homeless care providers, University Police, etc.) to develop
longer term solutions to reduce the number of calls for service. However, due to the
different work hours, they spend most of their time on different tasks.
A review of the CAD data shows that the Downtown Units handled 4,852 calls for service
in 2019 (November 2018 – October 2019) which is approximately 10% of the total calls
for service in Denton. The primary goal of the Downtown Officers is to be more proactive,
rather than only reactive to incidents reported to the PD. A primary focus of the Days Unit
is working with the homeless that congregate in the downtown area. There is an
estimated 300+ homeless persons that frequent the core downtown. The Days Unit has
fewer calls for service than the Nights Unit, but have more homeless related issues to
handle due to increasing numbers and the number of churches and other non -profit
organizations that provide services to the homeless. Staff liaise with non-profit agencies
as well as other programs in the City for services directed to the homeless.
The Nights Unit is often busy handling the calls for service related to the bars and
restaurants. In addition to people driving to the downto wn businesses, the university is
in walking distance and is frequented by the students, especially on weekends and warm
evenings. There are three colleges in or near the downtown area – the University of West
Texas (about 30,000 students and has its own PD), the Texas Women’s University and
the North Central Texas College.
When special events occur in Denton most of the time they occur in the downtown area.
Some of the events include the Arts & Jazz festival in April, the N. Texas State Fair &
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Rodeo (2 weeks in August), Memorial Day, July 4 parade, National Night Out, summer
evening concerts and other events in the square.
It is appropriate that Denton has personnel specifically assigned to the downtown area.
It is the busiest area of town and the “beat” for the Downtown Officers. It allows them to
get to know the needs, projects, business owners, community members and stakeholders
and those who frequent the downtown area. The do not have sole responsibility for
everything that occurs as the Special Events Officer and the two Community Resource
Officers are also involved in some downtown projects, issues and events.
There are 10 authorized sworn staff currently assigned to the Downtown Units and the
Department is intending to dedicate a total of 16 sworn staff in the future, when the
vacancies can be filled. The Downtown Unit’s tasks include homelessness issues. There
is an estimated 300+ homeless persons that frequent the core downtown area. The Unit’s
work relieves regular beat units from call handling.
The project team supports this concept, but it is also important to develop specific goals
and measures to guide the deployment of these resources and form the basis for
evaluation of results to determine if they are meeting the intended goals. There should
be several (no more than five) measurable goals established (e.g. handling 20% of the
downtown area CFS to relieve regular beat officer work) and regularly evaluated. This
includes traditional field tasks, as well as proactive activities – liaison with stakeholder
groups, education, being a positive presence and developing relationships with people.
Any established goals should be adjusted as necessary to provide the necessary focus
that guides daily activity to ensure that the main purposes for establishing the Downtown
Units are being fulfilled.
(2) Special Projects Unit
This is a new work unit that was created in the fall of 2019. Prior to that, one Officer was
designated as the DPD Special Events Officer out of the Support Services Division. The
unit is staffed with one Sergeant and three Officers.
The Unit is assigned a wide variety of projects and tasks that overlap many areas of the
organization. These include:
• Special events coordination for the City
• Homeland security, emergency management, exposure control management
• Homeless Outreach Team
• Grant writing
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• Policy updates for PD – researching, developing, revising
• Developing the Business Continuity Plan and Exposure Control Plan
• Coordinate and inventory PPE for staff
The Homeless Outreach Team focus is to identify, engage and provide services and
referrals to community resources. One of the new tasks is to apply for grant funding to
embed mental health clinicians as a team with these officers.
With the arrival of the Covid-19 virus, this unit has been heavily involved in coordinating
the PD’s response to ensure safety of staff and the Sergeant has been given th e
responsibility to apply for a grant to obtain funding for reimbursement of expenses.
There are several possible areas of overlapping responsibilities with the downtown area
and homeless efforts, so it is appropriate that the Special Projects Unit and the Downtown
Units directly report to the same Lieutenant. There are other areas of possible
overlapping responsibilities with special events, particularly in the downtown area, as the
Community Resource Officers are also involved. It is important for mana gement to
ensure that this unit coordinates with the Downtown Units to eliminate possible gaps in
areas of responsibility or duplicate efforts with regard to special events and homeless
issues.
Recommendations:
Develop specific goals and measures for the Downtown Units. Monitor the reactive
workload for the downtown area to evaluate the volume of community generated
calls for service, the percentage handled by Downtown Units and review trends at
least annually as one measure to evaluate the effectiveness of this program.
Clarify areas of responsibility for the Special Projects Unit to ensure that this unit
coordinates with the Downtown Units and Community Resource Officers to ensure
that there are not gaps in areas of responsibility or areas that may overlap.
4. Traffic Division
The Traffic Division is comprised of the following work units:
• Traffic Enforcement Unit and Public Safety Officers
• DWI Unit
The following sections provide the project team’s assessment of these functional areas.
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The Traffic Enforcement Unit is assigned one Sergeant and nine Police Officers and the
DWI Unit is assigned four Officers. The following table shows the primary assignments
of these two work units.
Traffic Enforcement Unit and DWI Unit Staffing
Unit/Function Authorized Actual
Traffic Enforcement Unit
Motor Officers 6 4
Hit & Run Officer 1 0
CMV Officer 2 2
Public Safety Officers (civilian) 6 4
DWI Unit Officers 4 4
Total 19 14
A total of 14 sworn staff are assigned to traffic safety functions (three positions are vacant
as of June 2020). The six civilian Public Safety Officers (two positions vacant) are
assigned to a wide variety of field services, supervised by the Traffic Sergeant , but they
primarily work with Patrol Officers.
Following are is the staffing assignments and some operational factors of the Traffic Unit
and the traffic enforcement program:
• The six Motor Officers primarily work dayshift hours on weekdays, assigned to
proactive enforcement.
• One Officer is primarily assigned to conduct follow-up investigations of hit & run
accidents (due to the vacant position the hit and run follow-up investigations are
assigned to all Motor Officers).
• Two “CMV” Officers are dedicated to commercial vehicle enforcement on city
streets and state highways.
• DWI enforcement is accomplished by four Officers in the DWI Unit.
• Motor Officer deployment is mostly complaint-driven in conjunction with high-risk
areas (e.g., schools).
• Staff assigned to the Traffic Unit also work special events in the City.
• Parking enforcement is primarily accomplished by the Public Safety Officers (they
now also respond to low risk, low priority calls for service).
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The following sections analyze reactive and proactive workload of these units.
(1) Traffic Enforcement Unit Workload in 2019
The following table displays field activities which Traffic Unit staff handled in the 12 month
period (November 2018 – October 2019) that will be referred to as 2019 workload. This
includes responses to calls for service (CFS) and Officer/self-initiated activities (SIA). The
numbers include all sworn Traffic Enforcement Unit and DWI U nit staff – Motor Officers,
CMV Officers and DWI Officers.
Traffic CFS and SIA by Hour and Weekday
Hour Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Total
12am 67 30 37 41 36 39 61 311
1am 50 16 33 26 25 32 68 250
2am 50 29 26 19 25 29 52 230
3am 30 10 12 15 15 14 19 115
4am 16 5 17 20 12 11 8 89
5am 24 20 41 42 25 37 19 208
6am 23 30 27 41 29 25 12 187
7am 30 119 133 142 147 174 73 818
8am 39 184 209 136 231 260 73 1,132
9am 47 216 205 133 172 218 72 1,063
10am 23 181 197 161 135 149 58 904
11am 22 119 119 106 95 107 35 603
12pm 18 157 159 155 174 196 74 933
1pm 15 192 175 148 174 171 59 934
2pm 16 186 170 157 164 143 29 865
3pm 15 121 148 119 178 132 37 750
4pm 29 102 101 86 106 104 45 573
5pm 25 85 73 71 97 88 43 482
6pm 32 66 64 73 87 59 54 435
7pm 60 90 112 75 93 110 81 621
8pm 33 83 51 60 56 97 65 445
9pm 29 48 55 45 59 81 74 391
10pm 30 43 52 33 45 69 59 331
11pm 36 53 37 39 55 67 85 372
Total 759 2,185 2,253 1,943 2,235 2,412 1,255 13,042
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Officers handled a total of 13,042 incidents as documented in the CAD system – response
to 2,616 calls for service (20%) and 10,426 Officer initiated incidents (80%). This is an
appropriate ratio for a primarily proactive work unit.
The table does show an expected pattern of activity due to the principal deployment
pattern of weekday, day and evening work hours (0800 – 1800); however, the DWI units
work night hours. 63% of counted activities occur between the hours of 0800 and 1800
and 85% occur on weekdays. It should be noted that a number of activities which are
expected of the Traffic Unit are not shown in the table. These include handling special
events, dignitary protection and similar details.
The following chart further illustrates Traffic Unit activities by hour of day. Peak activity
hours from 0800 – 1000 hours and another peak in the early afternoon hours.
The following chart displays the top ten traffic incidents handled by Traffic Unit staff. The
“HT” in the column refers to “handling time” or the number of minutes to handle the
incident (from dispatch to clearing the incident).
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Most Frequent Incident Types
Incident Type # CFS HT 12a 4a 8a 12p 4p 8p
TRAFFIC STOP 7,913 9.3
TEXAS DOT INSP 827 39.3
MVA MINOR 618 63.1
FOLLOW UP 540 89.0
MVA INJURY 397 106.1
DIRECTED PATROL 360 54.3
SPEAK W/OFFICER 220 43.0
RECKLESS DRIVER 209 55.5
TRAFFIC HAZARD 142 24.5
ASSIST MOTORIST 141 24.0
All Other Types 1,675 61.2
Total 13,042 29.6
While proactive traffic enforcement is the most frequent incident handled , other traffic-
related incidents comprise over half of the Top 10 total. This table shows:
• Almost all of the incident types that involved a Traffic Unit as a primary responder
were traffic related
• Over 79% of the incidents involving a traffic unit were a traffic stop, commercial
inspection or traffic accident related (initial response or follow-up).
• Other incident responses were likely due to the proximity of a traffic unit or the
unavailability of a patrol unit
The analysis of the sworn Officer’s proactive activities is discussed in the following
section.
(2) Traffic Officer Initiated Workload
The primary mission of a traffic safety unit is reducing the occurrence of death and injury
related to vehicle accidents. Deployments at schools and high accident corridors together
with proactive enforcement activities (such as traffic stops) should contribute to achieving
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this objective. Reactive tasks, such as after-the-fact collision investigation, handling calls-
for-service and other duties reduce the time that is able to be dedicated to proactive efforts
and the overall effectiveness of their mission. This is one reason why many agencies
that have a dedicated traffic enforcement unit still require beat Officers to be the primary
responders to property damage and minor injury accidents – the project team supports
this methodology. Departments where Traffic Units are the primary responders to minor
accidents, often spend a significant portion of their shift handling these calls.
The following table displays the Officer Initiated or self-initiated field activities (SIA) for the
traffic units sworn staff in 2019.
Traffic Officers Self-Initiated Incidents by Hour and Weekday
Hour Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Total
12am 50 22 27 28 23 30 42 222
1am 31 5 24 13 20 26 52 171
2am 30 16 16 12 20 24 32 150
3am 15 7 6 11 10 9 8 66
4am 3 5 14 18 12 9 4 65
5am 13 13 39 36 24 32 12 169
6am 16 20 21 35 26 18 9 145
7am 23 113 125 130 135 162 66 754
8am 37 174 203 124 219 243 61 1,061
9am 40 198 192 105 156 197 59 947
10am 19 167 186 152 120 140 46 830
11am 20 103 102 85 71 81 25 487
12pm 12 133 135 127 150 160 47 764
1pm 7 176 150 130 151 134 35 783
2pm 2 172 159 137 140 110 16 736
3pm 5 103 106 101 148 84 23 570
4pm 16 74 71 56 75 66 25 383
5pm 19 44 32 41 59 44 26 265
6pm 19 47 46 50 53 32 36 283
7pm 41 74 91 61 81 77 63 488
8pm 27 64 42 45 43 75 46 342
9pm 21 29 39 34 44 56 48 271
10pm 18 29 39 25 30 46 39 226
11pm 21 32 22 30 38 48 57 248
Total 505 1,820 1,887 1,586 1,848 1,903 877 10,426
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Officers initiated a total of 10,426 incidents in 2019 and the busiest hours were weekdays
from 0900 – 1500 hours that is clearly seen in the graph below.
Traffic Officer’s Self-Initiated Incidents by Hour
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Most Frequent Types of Self-Initiated Activity
Incident Type # CFS HT 12a 4a 8a 12p 4p 8p
TRAFFIC STOP 7,913 9.3
TEXAS DOT INSP 826 39.3
FOLLOW UP 536 89.1
DIRECTED PATROL 355 54.6
OTHER 111 80.1
ASSIST MOTORIST 99 18.7
SPEAK W/OFFICER 78 29.8
MVA MINOR 53 48.7
PARKING VIOL 49 15.2
ASSIST OTHER
AGENCY 46 19.4
All Other Types 360 55.9
Total 10,426 20.2
Officers initiated a total of 10,426 incidents in 2019. Traffic stops accounted for 76% of
the total, followed by vehicle safety inspections at 8%.
The Traffic Enforcement Unit also tracks various types of field activities for each Officer
by month and year – it is not a direct comparison with the CAD data as it uses different
metrics and the data provided by the Traffic Enforcement Unit was for calendar year 2019.
Officer Cites Warning Cites/Warns
per Week
DWI Arrest Crash
Report
1 2,060 64 41 25 44
2 2,011 119 41 0 51
3 1,821 20 35 1 46
4 1,710 41 34 2 21
5 960 206 22 1 115
6 873 101 19 19 258
7 317 21 7 0 15
Total 9,752 572 199 48 550
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The seven Officers who worked in Motor Units in 2019 wrote an average of 199 citations
or warnings each week, approximately 10,400 citations/warnings for the year. It is a
positive factor that the Traffic Unit tracks the number of warnings as well as the number
of citations issued – the choice is the discretion of the Officer at the time and as the goal
is to reduce traffic accidents, it is appropriate that warnings be issued when the Officer
believes it is appropriate. The project team considers citations and warnings as the same
work product as they both result from a traffic stop.
The goal for a full time Motor Officer is to issue 12,000 enforcement contacts (i.e., citations
or warnings) annually. It is important to note that there were several staff changes during
the year and only four of the Motor Officers worked the entire 12 months – those four
exceeded the annual goal or came close to the goal for calendar year 2019.
The four Officers wrote an average of 38 citations/warnings or approximately 10 citations/
warnings per shift. This performance level is appropriate for a dedicated Motor Officer in
addition to their other traffic safety related duties. Additionally, one Traffic Unit Officer is
assigned to investigative follow-up on hit and run accidents – this task significantly
reduces the time spent on proactive enforcement.
A major goal of any traffic safety and traffic enforcement effort is to reduce the number of
traffic accidents – especially injury accidents and the locations where the higher number
of accidents occur should receive a higher level of traffic safety efforts. DPD currently
has a Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) grant to reduce the number of
accidents. This requires regular monitoring of traffic statistics and monthly reporting on
progress.
Two ‘heat maps’ on the following page show traffic enforcement efforts in 2019 with high
accident locations – one map shows the high accident locations in Denton and one shows
the high traffic stop locations.
Comparing the maps show that downtown areas (surrounding Locust and Elm streets)
recorded the highest number of traffic stops while the highest number of accidents
occurred near several locations/intersections on the I-35 and I-35E corridor. While these
maps only show areas of concentration (that may change over time) it does illustrate that
a review of the causes of these accidents is appropriate. At least each year the Traffic
Unit should review specific accident information to obtain details on the causes (e.g. the
‘primary collision factors’) and determine effective strategies to address high accident
locations. This may involve coordination with City traffic engineering regarding possible
roadway or signage changes as well as Motor Officer enforcement of the traffic safety
laws.
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(3) Traffic Safety Enforcement Staffing
Ultimately the degree to which the city wishes to enforce traffic laws and impact collision
frequency will help dictate the level of traffic enforcement staffing which should be
deployed. It requires determining the desired amount of time dedicated to both traffic
enforcement efforts (citations, warnings), as well as well as citizen outreach efforts.
There are three key workload considerations with respect to a traffic unit operation that
will ultimately drive the desired staffing levels:
• How much time annually (total hours) does the PD and the community wish traffic
units to spend on proactive initiatives?
• Once total hours of proactivity are selected, what percentage of the motor units’
annual time do these proactive hours represent?
• Once proactivity is determined, how much reactive (e.g., accident response, hit
and run follow-up investigation) and administrative effort is required?
Given that a traffic unit is ultimately designed to be proactive , a 40% proactive target
should be considered a minimum level of time during the shift to conduct effective
proactive activities designed to execute traffic safety; leaving 60% of the shift for other
necessary work tasks, administrative time, training, court appearances, meal breaks, etc.
It is also reasonable to target 50% of the shift for proactive time. The following table
shows the number of traffic officer po sitions needed for proactive traffic enforcement
based on this range of proactivity.
Traffic Officers Needed to Reach Targeted Enforcement Hours
Proactive Enforcement
Hours/Year
40% Proactive 50% Proactive
3,000 4.5 3.6
4,000 6.0 4.8
5,000 7.6 6.0
6,000 9.1 7.2
The table starts with an Officer’s available work hours – in Denton it is 1,656 network
hours per officer per year. At a 40% proactive time level, it requires 6 Officers to obtain
4,000 hours of proactive traffic enforcement time in a year. This is the current staffing
level in the Motor Unit but the actual staffing level most of the time over the last several
years has been 4 Motor Officers – which has provided somewhat less than 3,000 hours
of enforcement activity annually. It is reasonable for a City the size of Denton to target
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4,000 hours of enforcement annually which requires the currently authorized staff of 6
Motor Officers. If higher proactive time levels can be achieved with 6 staff then additional
enforcement hours can be provided at the same staffing level.
Not all of DPD’s traffic safety efforts can and should be provided by the dedicated traffic
units. Regular patrol officers should be involved in traffic safety and enforcement efforts
on their beats when they have time available. One method is that resident’s complaints
about traffic issues be provided by the Traffic Unit to beat officers for their awareness and
enforcement efforts. Traffic problems are a common complaint and beat officers should
be involved in addressing them as well as the Traffic Enforcement Unit.
The Traffic Enforcement Unit also has two Officers assigned as Commercial Enforcement
Officers, referred to as CMV Officers. They conduct inspections of commercial vehicles
for compliance with Texas laws relating to weight limits on roadways, commercial vehicle
safety and driver safety. In 2019, the two Officers conducted 808 inspections, issued 510
citations or warnings and completed 66 accident investigations.
(4) Public Safety Officers Provide Patrol and Traffic Tasks
Denton PD has had civilian Parking Enforcement Officers for many years. In 2019 , the
Department decided to expand the duties of this staff from only parking enforcement to
also responding to low risk/low priority calls for service. The goal was to provide an
alternative way to handle calls for service that did not require a sworn pol ice officer. The
staff level was increased to six, renamed “Public Safety Officers” that would continue to
be assigned to field services, but with the expanded role. These PSOs provide essentially
the same services as the more commonly known job title of “community service officers”.
Currently (June 2020), the PD has hired and trained four PSOs (one is just completing
training) and they are assigned to field services, but supervised and managed by the
Traffic Unit. This is a new effort and no statistics are available to evaluate their workload
level. However, the project team supports the use of field civilians in police departments
as it is an effective way to handle calls for service with dedicated personnel at a lower
cost.
(5) DWI Unit
Denton PD assigns four Officers that are dedicated to enforcement of the DWI laws. They
work evening and night hours. The established goal is to make 70 DWI arrests per Officer
annually. They also perform other traffic safety enforcement tasks. The following table
shows the work tasks for 2019.
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Officer DWI Arrests Citations Warnings Crash Reports
1 53 193 58 94
2 47 107 159 41
3 23 192 28 77
4 18 22 12 26
5 2 5 1 3
Total 143 519 258 241
There were several assignment changes in this unit involving three Officers who left or
promoted out of the unit or were transferred into the unit. None of the Officers were able
to achieve the goal of 70 arrests for the year. Although 70 is the goal , it is obviously
dependent on the amount of time Officers spend on the street as well as the number of
persons that are actually driving under the influence.
The Sergeant monitors their performance for productivity to ensure it is reasonable and
that they are making effective use of their time on shift. So me of the STEP grant funds
are used for DWI enforcement on an overtime basis in conjunction with the DWI Unit. It
is important to continue to monitor the work and results in 2020 as well as the number of
accidents occurring in Denton where alcohol was a factor. If the numbers of DWI related
accidents trends lower over several years and the number of DWI arrests is not achieved,
then the current number of staff should be reduced and reassigned to other units.
Recommendations:
The Traffic Unit should annually review accident trends and high frequency
locations and develop enforcement strategies.
Work with Patrol units to encourage greater traffic enforcement activities during
available proactive hours.
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3. Support Operations Bureau
The Support Operations Bureau oversees three functional areas including the:
• Criminal Investigations Division
• Personnel/Training Division
• Support Division
1. Criminal Investigations Division
The Criminal Investigations Division consists of Major Crimes, General Investigations,
Family Violence Unit, Victim Services Unit, Special Victims Unit, Narcotics, Crime Scene
and Property/Evidence. The Criminal Investigations Division is led by a Lieutenant with
sergeants leading units within the division. The Investigations Division conducts follow-
up on cases reported to patrol and the Narcotics unit conducts proactive investigations
and assists with suspect apprehensions. Crime scene responds to, conducts forensic
crime scene investigations and evidence recovery. They also process and store Property
and Evidence.
In reviewing investigative units, it is important to understand the amount of reported crime
as this directly impacts potential caseloads. Most agencies report their crime statistics to
the Federal Division of Investigation (FBI) for purposes of tracking crime nationally. There
are two types of crimes reported to the FBI Part 1 and Part 2. Part 1 are the most serious
types of violent and property crime. Part 1 crime includes: Homicide, Rape, Robbery,
Aggravated Assault, Burglary, Larceny-Theft, Motor Vehicle Theft and Arson. Part 2
crimes includes: Simple Assault, Forgery, Fraud, Vandalism Weapons Possession,
Prostitution, D.U.I., Etc.
The following table shows the UCR reported Part 1 crime for the last 5 years (most recent
data available).
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As can be seen by the preceding chart violent crime and property crime has increased
over the last five years. Violent crime is up 29% and property crime is up 7% over the last
five years. The following chart displays the same information graphically:
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Reported Part 1 Crime Trends
Violent Crime Property Crime Linear (Violent Crime)Linear (Property Crime)
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To complete the analysis of the investigation’s caseload, information provided by the
department was used. The team utilized a caseload spreadsheet that covers cases
assigned from November 1, 2018 through October 31, 2019. There was a total of 3,955
investigative cases for the time period.
(1) Criminal Investigations Division Administration
The Investigations Division is led by a Lieutenant who is supported by five sergeants and
a civilian lead property room technician. The lieutenant has the following main
responsibilities:
• In charge of overall operations of the Division.
• Is responsible for maintaining partnerships with other law enforcement agencies
and other community partners.
• Responsible for the division goals, budget and personnel allocation.
There is one Lieutenant assigned to supervise a total of six direct reports which is within
the recommended span of control for supervision (generally recommended at between 6
and 9 direct reports per supervisor, Police Executive Research Forum and International
Association of Chiefs of Police). The span of control for the Lieutenant is within a
reasonable range with other assigned tasks.
(2) Calculation of Detective Net Availability
In the following sections a caseload analysis for different investigative units is calculated.
Before determining availability and staffing needs, it is important to first review the number
of net available hours detectives are available to conduct investigations. To conduct this
analysis, it is critical to understand the amount of time that detectives are on leave –
including vacation, sick, injury, military or any other type of leave – as well as any hours
dedicated to on-duty court or training time, and all time spent on administrative tasks.
The impact of each of these factors is determined throu gh a combination of calculations
made from DPD data and estimates based on the experience of the project team, which
are then subtracted from the base number of annual work hours per position. The result
represents the total net available hours of detectives and other positions, or the time in
which they are on-duty and available to complete workloads and other activities in the
field. Net availability for detectives is different from patrol because of court and
administrative responsibilities.
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The table below outlines this process in detail, describing how each contributing factor is
calculated:
Factors Used to Calculate Detective Net Availability
Work Hours Per Year
The total number of scheduled work hours for detectives, without factoring in leave,
training, or anything else that takes detectives away from normal on -duty work. This
factor forms the base number from which other availability factors are subtracted from.
Base number: 2,080 scheduled work hours per year
Total Leave Hours (subtracted from total work hours per year)
Includes all types of leave, as well as injuries and military leave – anything that would
cause detectives that are normally scheduled to work on a specific day to instead not
be on duty. As a result, this category excludes on-duty training, administrative time,
and on-duty court time.
Calculated from DPD data: 315 hours of leave per year
On-Duty Court Time (subtracted from total work hours per year)
The total number of hours that each detective spends per year attending court while
on duty, including transit time. Court attendance while on overtime is not included in
the figure.
Without any data recording on-duty court time specifically for detectives, the number
of hours is estimated based on the experience of the project team.
Estimated: 40 hours of on-duty court time per year
On-Duty Training Time (subtracted from total work hours per year)
The total number of hours spent per year in training that are completed while on -duty
and not on overtime.
Without any data recording on-duty training time hours specifically for detectives, the
number of hours is estimated based on the experience of the project team.
Estimated: 88 hours of on-duty training time per year
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Administrative Time (subtracted from net available hours after leave, court and
training hours deducted)
The total number of hours per year spent completing administrative tasks while on-
duty, including staff meetings, returning phone calls, emails, and various other
activities.
The number is calculated as an estimated 20% of net work hours after other
deductions.
Estimated: 327 hours of administrative time per year
Total Net Available Hours
After subtracting the previous factors from the total work hours per year, the remaining
hours comprise the total net available hours for detectives – the time in which they are
available to work after accounting for all leave, on -duty training, court and
administrative time. Net availability can also be expressed as a percentage of the base
number of work hours per year.
Calculated by subtracting the previously listed factors from the base number:
1,310 net available hours per detective
The following table summarizes this calculation process, displaying how each net
availability factor contributes to the overall net availability of detectives:
Calculation of Detectives Net Availability
Base Annual Work Hours 2,080
Total Leave Hours – 315
On-Duty Training Hours – 88
On-Duty Court Time Hours – 40
Administrative Hours – 327
Net Available Hours Per Officer = 1,310
Overall, detectives have an average of 1,310 net available hours per year, representing
the total time in which they are able to conduct investigations. These hours will be used
in the following sections to analyze detective caseloads.
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(3) Major Crimes
Major Crimes investigates serious person crimes – assaults and robberies including
homicides and major property crimes including burglary to habitation. The Unit consists
of one Sergeant and seven Detectives.
(3.1) Analysis of Major Crimes Detectives
Major Crime’s cases consist of significant person crimes which are typically the most
complex cases. Homicides are very complex cases and often require exhaust ive effort
in the first 48 to 72 hours. They are typically worked in teams with 2 to 4 lead investigators
assisted by other detectives and resources. Conducting the analysis of Homicide requires
a two-part examination – total homicide caseload and total caseload after homicides. This
is done because homicide caseload hours are significantly higher. Because they are
different and more time intensive investigations, homicide workloads should be evaluated
separately from other violent crimes.
Approximate hours per case are presented below based on numerous interviews with
detectives as well as our experience:
Common
Evidence/
Interviews
Common Processes Approximate Time % of Time
Completed
DNA Evidence to Crime Lab 4 hours (Includes submission
and report)
100%
Crime Scene
Material
(Evidence left by
suspect)
Evidence to Property Control 8 hours (Includes Inspecting
and writing report)
100%
Cell Phones Cell Phone Downloads 20 hours (Some phones take
much longer)
100%
Video Review of video recovered
from scene and BWC
20 hours (To review and write
report)
100%
Social
Media/Electronic
Records/Physical
location
Warrants/Subpoenas/Review
of Evidence Obtained
110 hours (Includes reviewing
and report writing)
100%
Surveillance
(Locating suspect)
10 hours (Includes report
writing)
100%
Post Mortem
Exam
Autopsy performed by ME
(Dets. observe consult)
6 hours (Includes Inspecting
and writing report)
100%
Witnesses Witness Interviews
(Locating)
20 hours (Includes report
writing)
100%
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Common
Evidence/
Interviews
Common Processes Approximate Time % of Time
Completed
Suspect Suspect Interview 12 hours (Longer if lodged -
Includes report writing)
50%
Consult with DA 10 hours 100%
Total 220 hours – If all tasks
completed
This list is not all inclusive and does not contain all elements and not every homicide will
have same amount of evidence or interviews conducted. Included in these hours is the
assumption that detectives will be using RMS searches, social media searches, checking
association files, receiving informant information and other investigative techniques
(trackers, cell tower data, etc.), if available. It also assumed that detectives work as a
team and not all investigative hours will be worked by a single detective (These are hours
for lead detectives only).
Through our experience over many studies, we have found that a competent det ective
can efficiently work an average of 5 homicide cases a year as the lead investigator. Using
the case time estimates and the percentage of the time that each subtask is completed,
this translates to approximately 220.0 hours allotted per solvable case. There are a total
of seven detectives assigned to Major Crimes.
Homicide Case Load
Case
Type
# of Cases
November 1, 2018
through October
31, 2019
# of Detectives Avg. # of cases per
detective per year
Homicides 4 7 0.57
As the table indicates, Major Crimes detectives have an average of 0.57 homicides
assigned as lead investigator per year. This is within the recommended number per
detective of no more than five cases per year as lead. The total caseload work hours for
homicides represents approximately 880 hours (4 Homicides X 220 Hours per case) of
investigative time annually. The current caseload is within a workable caseload for lead
investigators with a recommendation of no more than five total cases per detective pe r
year as lead investigator regardless of total investigative hours.
(3.2) Total Caseloads for the Major Crimes
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Other major person crimes are complicated and treated more seriously within the judicial
system and tend to have more witnesses and evidence requiring more time in interviews
and recovering and processing evidence than property crimes. Approximate hours per
case are presented below based on interviews with detectives, as well as our experience:
Approximate Person Crime Case Hours
Common
Evidence/
Interviews
Common
Processes
Approximate Time % of Time
Completed
DNA Evidence to Crime
Lab
3 hours
(Includes submission and report)
5%
Crime Scene
Material (Scene
Evidence)
Evidence to Property
Control
2 hours
(Includes Inspecting and writing
report)
5%
Cell Phones Cell Phone
Downloads
3 hours (Some phones take
much longer)
50%
Video Review of video
recovered from
scene and BWC
4 hours (To review and write
report)
100%
Social
Media/Electronic
Records/physical
location
Warrants/Subpoenas 10 hours
(Includes reviewing and report
writing)
90%
Surveillance
(Locating suspect)
3 hours
(Includes report writing)
50%
Victim Statement Victim Interview 3 hours
(Includes report writing)
100%
Witnesses Witness Interviews 2 hours
(Includes report writing)
40%
Suspect Suspect Interview 2 hours
(Longer if lodged -Includes report
writing)
40%
Total 32 hours – If all tasks completed
Based on the percentage for how often each subtask is completed, each solvable case
equates to an average of approximately 20.9 hours.
This list is not all inclusive and does not contain all elements of an investigation and not
every case will have same amount of evidence or interviews conducted. Included in these
hours is the assumption that detectives will be using RMS searches, social media
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searches, checking association files, receiving informant information and other
investigative techniques (trackers, cell tower data, etc.), if available. Many cases will not
require the number of hours listed, but some cases may require significantly more. The
time for these tasks will be accounted for separately.
Major Crimes also investigates major property crimes such as burglary, though property
crimes are typically much less complex and therefore require less investigative work.
They also tend to have much lower solvability rates. These types of cases typically do not
require a detective to respond to a scene and are often handled as follow up a day or
more after the occurrence. Approximate hours per case are presented below based on
numerous interviews with detectives as well as our experience:
Common
Evidence/
Interviews
Common
Processes
Approximate Time % of Time
Completed
DNA Evidence to Crime
Lab
1 hour (Includes submission and
report)
5%
Crime Scene
Material
(Evidence left by
suspect)
Phone
consult/Evidence to
Property Control
1 hour (Includes Inspecting and
writing report)
5%
Cell Phone Cell Phone
Download
3 hours (Includes Inspecting and
writing report)
10%
Video/BWC Review of video
recovered from
scene and BWC
3 hours (To review and write
report)
50%
Social
Media/Electronic
Records/physical
location
Warrants/Subpoenas 20 hours (Includes reviewing
and report writing)
50%
Surveillance
(Locating suspect)
3 hours (To review and write
report)
30%
Victim Statement Victim Interview 1 hour (Includes report writing) 100%
Witnesses Witness Interviews 1 hour (Includes report writing) 10%
Suspect Suspect Interview 2 hours (Longer if lodged -
Includes report writing)
20%
Total 35 hours- If all tasks completed
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This list is not all inclusive and does not contain all elements and not every property crime
will have same amount of evidence or interviews conducted. Victim interviews in property
crimes are rarely first-hand witnesses to the crime occurrence, but rather simply report
basic information on loss. Included in these hours is the assumption that detectives will
be using RMS searches, pawn searches, checking association files, receiving informant
information, and other investigative techniques (trackers, cell tower data, etc.), if
available. The time for these miscellaneous tasks are added separately.
Using the above available work hours, and based on the case time estimates and
percentage of the time that each subtask is completed, this translates to approxima tely
14.3 hours per solvable case.
To determine the caseloads for Major Crimes, the total assigned cases for the one-year
period of November 1, 2018 through October 31, 2019 was used. There is a total of
seven detectives assigned. Caseload hours from homicide cases were incorporated into
total calculations that were used in the overall calculation. The following table shows the
caseload information for the Major Crimes detectives:
Major Crimes Case Load
Case Type
# of Cases
Assigned (1
yr. period)
Investigative Hours
Each
Hours X
Number of
Cases
Homicide 4 220 880
Assault/Robbery
Person Crimes
553 20.9 11,557
Property Crime 153 14.3 2,187
TOTAL 710 N/A 14,824
As the table indicates, the Major Crimes Unit caseload represents approximately 14,824
caseload hours per year. Currently, there is a total of seven detectives assigned so the
resulting caseload is greater than the hours per detective available. Using the previous
calculation of net available caseload hours and total 2019 caseloads, the number of
detectives needed to investigate the caseload can be determined:
Total Caseload Hours 14,824
Divided by total net available hours
for 1 detective (1,310) ÷ 1,310
Number of Detectives Needed = 11.1
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As the chart indicates the number of detectives recommended to work the assigned
caseload hours assigned is 11.1. There are a total of seven detectives assigned, so the
resulting caseload is greater than the hours per detective available. Increasing the
number of detectives assigned will reduce the caseload to recommended caseload per
detective based on the type of cases investigated.
(3.3) Supervision
There is one Sergeant assigned to supervise the Major Crimes Unit with a total of seven
detectives assigned to the unit (not including crime scene investigations). This creates a
span of control of 1 to 8 direct reports when including the lead crime scene investigator.
This is within recommended span of control for supervision in a detectives unit; however,
if four additional detectives are added as recommended, the span of control would exceed
recommended ratio. To maintain a span of control of no more than one supervisor to nine
direct reports an additional sergeant should be added.
Recommendations:
Add a total of four detectives to major crimes for a total of 11
Add one sergeant to major crimes
(4) General Investigations
The General Investigations investigates property crimes, assaults, criminal mischief,
forgery, harassment, runaways and thefts, though there are some more serious cases
investigated as well. General Crimes consists of one Sergeant and seven Detectives.
(4.1) Analysis of General Crimes Detectives
To conduct the analysis of general crimes three caseload hour models were developed
because of the variance in caseload hours by investigation type: General Crimes
(includes simple assaults, thefts, burglaries, harassments and other lower level crimes),
Fraud and Runaways.
(4.2) Workload Hours of General Crimes Detectives
General crimes are typically much less complex and therefore require less investigative
work. They also tend to have much lower solvability rates. These types of cases typically
do not require a detective to respond to a scene and are often handled as follow up a day
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or more after the occurrence. Approximate hours per case are presented below based
on numerous interviews with detectives as well as our experience:
Common Evidence/
Interviews
Common
Processes
Approximate Time % of Time
Completed
Documents/Evidence Review of
Documents/Evidence
1 hour (Includes submission
and report)
40%
Video/BWC Review of video
recovered from
scene and BWC
3 hours (To review and write
report)
30%
Social
Media/Electronic
Records/physical
location
Warrants/Subpoenas 4 hours (Includes reviewing
and report writing)
40%
Victim Statement Victim Interview 1 hour (Includes report
writing)
100%
Witnesses Witness Interviews 1 hour (Includes report
writing)
10%
Suspect Suspect Interview 1 hour (Longer if lodged -
Includes report writing)
30%
Total 11 hours- If all tasks
completed
This list is not all inclusive and does not contain all elements and not every property crime
will have same amount of evidence or interviews conducted. Victim interviews in property
crimes are rarely first-hand witnesses to the crime occurrence, but rather simply report
basic information on loss. Included in these hours is the assumption that detectives will
be using RMS searches, checking association files, receiving informant information and
other investigative techniques (trackers, cell tower data, etc.), if available. The time for
these tasks is dealt with separately.
Using the above available work hours, and based on the case time estimates and
percentage of the time that each subtask is completed, this translates to approximately
4.3 hours per solvable case.
General Crime detectives also investigate forgery/fraud which have different workload
hours than other general crimes. Financial crimes are very difficult cases to pursue and
typically take longer to investigate as much of the evidence has to be subpoenaed or
obtained with a search warrant. In addition, much of the evidence belongs to financial
institutions and detectives must wait for them to comply with legal requests for information
before they can proceed. This can take weeks to months depending on the type and
amount of data requested. They also tend to have much lower solvability rates
(approximately 50% less solvable than person crimes). These types of cases typically do
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not require a detective to respond to a scene and are often handled as follow up a day or
more after the occurrence. Approximate hours per case are presented below based on
numerous interviews with detectives as well as our experience:
Common
Evidence/
Interviews
Common Processes Approximate Time % of Time
Completed
DNA Evidence to Crime Lab 1 hour (Includes
Inspecting and writing
report)
5%
Crime Scene
Material
(Evidence left by
suspect)
Evidence to Property Control 2 hours (Includes
Inspecting and writing
report)
5%
Cell Phone Cell Phone Download 3 hours (To review
and write report)
10%
Video/BWC Review of video recovered from
scene and BWC
4 hours (To review
and write report)
50%
Social
Media/Electronic
Records/physical
location
Warrants/Subpoenas/Document
review
20 hours (Includes
reviewing and report
writing)
100%
Surveillance (Locating suspect) 3 hours (Includes
report writing)
30%
Victim Statement Victim Interview 1 hour (Includes
report writing)
100%
Witnesses Witness Interviews 1 hour (Includes
report writing)
10%
Suspect Suspect Interview 2 hours (Longer if
lodged -Includes
report writing)
20%
Total 37 hours- If all tasks
completed
This list is not all inclusive and does not contain all elements and not every crime will have
the same amount of evidence or interviews conducted. Victim interviews in financial
crimes are rarely first-hand witnesses to the crime occurrence, but rather simply report
basic information on loss. Included in these hours is the assumption that detectives will
be using RMS searches, checking association files, receiving informant information and
other investigative techniques (trackers, cell tower data, etc.), if available. These tasks
are accounted for separately.
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Using the above available work hours and based on the case time estimates and
percentage of the time that each subtask is completed, this translates to approximately
24 hours per solvable case.
Runaway cases vary in caseload hours depending on circumstance s of the runaway
(endangered or chronic). However, all cases require some investigation and entry into a
data base and follow up 30 days after entry, if still missing. A typical runaway is
approximately four hours of investigative time, including follow up, social media searches,
attempt to contact friends/witnesses and entry into database.
The following table shows the caseload information for the General Crime detective:
General Crimes Case Load
Case Type # of Cases
Assigned
Investigative Hours
Each
Hours X
Number of
Cases
General Crime 2,139 4.3 9,197
Fraud/Forgery
Embezzlement
76 24 1,824
Runaway 36 4 144
TOTAL 2,251 N/A 11,165
As the table indicates, the caseload represents approximately 11,165 caseload hours per
year. There are seven detectives assigned. The resulting caseload is marginally greater
than the hours per detective available. Using the previous calculation of net available
caseload hours and total caseload, the number of detectives needed to investigate the
caseload can be determined:
Total Caseload Hours 11,165
Divided by total net available hours
for one detective (1,310) ÷ 1,310
Number of Detectives Needed = 8.5
As the chart indicates, the recommended caseload hours assigned represents
approximately 8.5 detective positions and there are seven detectives assigned. The
resulting caseload is greater than the hours per detective available. Adding one detective
would reduce the caseloads per detectives to a more effective range. This would result
in eight detectives assigned to general crimes.
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Additionally, better case screening could also help reduce caseloads. Under current
practices an estimated 40% to 50% of cases are screened out due to lack of investigative
leads or low probability of solvability. This is a prevailing practice, however during our
interviews it was learned that many low level cases (including shoplifts from stores with
low dollar loss) are assigned to detectives. In the review of caseloads this was confirmed.
Though there may solvable cases with dollar loss, it may not be the best use of limited
resources to assign these cases to detectives.
(4.3) Supervision
There is one Sergeant assigned to supervise the General Crimes Unit. There is a total
of seven detectives assigned to the unit. This creates a span of control of 1 to 7 direct
reports, however with a recommended addition of one detective the span of control would
increase to one sergeant to eight direct reports. This is still within the recommended span
of control for supervision.
Recommendations:
Add one detective to general crimes for a total of eight assigned.
Review case assignment screening to reduce cases assigned to detectives where
there is a very low economic loss.
(5) Family Violence Unit
The Family Violence Unit investigates domestic violence and other related cases. The
unit consists of one sergeant and three detectives.
(5.1) Analysis of Family Violence Detectives
Domestic Violence Crimes are unique in that victim and the suspect are known. However,
victims may not be fully cooperative with the investigation. The safety of the victim also
can be affected unlike many other investigative cases. These types of cases typically do
not require a detective to respond to a scene and are often handled as follow up after
initial investigation by patrol officers. Approximate hours per case are presented below
based on numerous interviews with detectives as well as our experience:
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Common
Evidence/
Interviews
Common Processes Approximate Time % of Time
Completed
Video/Pictures of
injuries
Review of video/pictures taken
at the scene and BWC
3 hours (To review
and write report
100%
Social
Media/Electronic
Records/physical
location
Warrants/Subpoenas/Document
review
4 hours (Includes
reviewing and report
writing)
50%
Surveillance (Locating suspect) 3 hours (To review
and write report)
50%
Victim Statement Victim Interview 3 hours (Includes
report writing)
50%
Witnesses Witness Interviews 1 hours (Includes
report writing)
100%
Suspect Suspect Interview 2 hours (Longer if
lodged -Includes
report writing)
50%
Total 16 hours- If all tasks
completed
This list is not all inclusive and does not contain all elements and not every family crime
will have the same amount of evidence or interviews conducted. Investigators may also
be involved in working with DV advocates or arranging for services for the vic tim when
needed. These workloads are accounted for separately.
Using the above available work hours, and based on the case time estimates and
percentage of the time that each subtask is completed, this translates to approximately
11 hours per solvable case.
The following table shows the caseload information for the detectives:
DV Case Load
Case Type # of Cases
Assigned
(2019)
Investigative Hours
Each
Hours X
Number of
Cases
Domestic
Violence
560 11 6,160
TOTAL 560 N/A 6,160
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As the table indicates, the caseload represents approximately 6,160 caseload hours per
year. There is a total of four detectives assigned to work these cases. Using the previous
calculation of net available caseload hours and total 2019 caseload , the number of
detectives needed to investigate the caseload can be determined:
Total Caseload Hours 6,160
Divided by total net available hours
for one detective (1,310) ÷ 1,310
Number of Detectives Needed = 4.7
As the chart indicates, the recommended caseload hours assigned represents
approximately 4.7 detective positions and there are 3 detectives assigned. The resulting
caseload hours are greater than the hours per detective available. To reduce the
caseload, two detective positions should be added.
(5.2) Victim Services Coordinators
The Victim Services Coordinators contact victims of crime, arrange services and make
referrals. There are two victim services coordinators assigned. The unit offers counseling
(up to three visits), complainant help (under the Texas Crime Victims Compensation
Program), arrange emergency shelter for victims, peer support for Denton Police
Employees and funeral arrangements. The unit switched to a new software program to
better track services rendered. The following table is data for a partial year, October 2019-
April 2020.
Service Type # of Cases/
Services
Victims Served 295
VOCA Victimizations (Standard) 159
VOCA Victimizations - Other 105
Other Victimizations - Custom 204
Information & Referral 110
Emotional Support or Safety Services 398
Assistance with completing victim compensation applications 91
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As the chart above shows, the total number of victims served was 295 in a seven -month
period - October 2019 - April 2020. There was a total of 438 services rendered (many
victims received more than one service). Though the Victims Services Unit is busy there
is some limited capacity to do more. Using the upgraded victim services software , the
unit can assess where to put more emphasis.
(5.3) Supervision
There is one Sergeant assigned to supervise the Family Violence Unit. There is a total
of three detectives and two victim services coordinators assigned to the unit. If two
recommended detective positions are added it will create a span of control of one
sergeant to seven direct reports which is within recommended target range.
Recommendation:
Use the upgraded victim services software to determine where more services can
be offered or where outreach can be improved.
(6) Special Victims Unit
The Special Victims Unit investigates sex assault, child abuse and Inte rnet Crimes
against Children cases. There is a total of one sergeant and five detectives assigned.
(6.1) Caseloads for the Special Victims Unit
Sex assault, child abuse and internet crimes against children are very complex cases that
are treated more seriously by the judicial system; they tend to have less witnesses, thus
requiring more time in interviews and recovery and processing of evidence than other
person crimes. Approximate hours per case are presented below based on numerous
interviews with detectives as well as our experience:
Common
Evidence/
Interviews
Common
Processes
Approximate Time % of Time
Completed
DNA Evidence to Crime
Lab
3 hours (Includes submission
and report)
30%
Crime Scene
Material
(Evidence left by
suspect)
Evidence to Property
Control
2 hours (Includes Inspecting and
writing report)
50%
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Common
Evidence/
Interviews
Common
Processes
Approximate Time % of Time
Completed
Cell Phones Cell Phone
Downloads
3 hours (Some phones take
much longer)
50%
Video Review of video
recovered from
scene and BWC
2 hours (To review and write
report)
100%
Social
Media/Electronic
Records/physical
location
Warrants/Subpoenas 10 hours (Includes reviewing
and report writing)
90%
Surveillance
(Locating suspect)
3 hours (Includes report writing) 50%
Sex Assault Kit Sex Assault Exam 3 hours (Done by Hospital Staff,
but a detective is required to be
present at hospital and requires
submission to lab)
90%
Victim Statement Victim Interview 4 hours Interviews are recorded
(Includes report writing)
100%
Witnesses Witness Interviews 2 hours (Includes report writing) 50%
Suspect Suspect Interview 4 hours (Longer if lodged -
Includes report writing)
40%
Total 36 hours- If all tasks completed
This list is not all inclusive and does not contain all elements and not every sex assault
case will have the same amount of evidence or interviews conducted. Included in these
hours is the assumption that detectives will be using RMS searches, social medi a
searches, checking association files, receiving informant information and other
investigative techniques (trackers, cell tower data, etc.), if available. Many cases will not
require the number of hours listed, but some cases may require significantly more. These
work activities are accounted for separately.
Using the above work hour estimates and the percentage of the time that each subtask
is completed, this translates to approximately 25.2 hours per solvable case.
ICAC crimes are very difficult cases to pursue and typically take longer to investigate as
much of the evidence has to be subpoenaed or obtained with a search warrant. In
addition, much of the evidence is digital and can be stored in a number of ways that make
it difficult to obtain. Detectives often must write multiple warrants/subpoenas and wait for
requests for information before they can proceed, and this can take weeks to months
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depending on the type and amount of data requested. These types of cases typically do
not require a detective to respond to a scene and are often handled as follow up after
occurrence.
Common
Evidence/
Interviews
Common Processes Approximate Time % of Time
Completed
Search for
ISP/Address
Warrants/Subpoenas 8 hours (Includes
Inspecting and writing
report)
100%
Cell Phone Cell Phone Download 3 hours (To review
and write report)
50%
Social
Media/Electronic
Records/physical
location
Warrants/Subpoenas/Document
review
20 hours (Includes
reviewing and report
writing)
100%
Surveillance (Locating suspect) 3 hours (Includes
report writing)
50%
Victim Statement Victim Interview 1 hour (Includes
report writing)
10%
Witnesses Witness Interviews 1 hour (Includes
report writing)
10%
Suspect Suspect Interview 2 hours (Longer if
lodged -Includes
report writing)
20%
Total 38 hours- If all tasks
completed
Based on the percentage for how often each subtask is completed, each solvable case
equates to an average of approximately 31.6 hours.
This list is not all inclusive and does not contain all elements and not every crime will have
the same amount of evidence or interviews conducted. Included in these hours is the
assumption that detectives will be using RMS searches, checking association files,
receiving informant information, and other investigative techniques (trackers, cell tower
data, etc.) if available. These work activities are dealt with separately.
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The following table shows the caseload information for the Special Victims Detectives:
Special Assaults Case Load
Case Type # of Cases
Assigned
(2019)
Investigative Hours
Each
Hours X
Number of
Cases
Sex Assault 235 25.2 5,922
ICAC 17 31.6 537
TOTAL 252 N/A 6,459
As the table indicates, the caseload represents approximately 6,459 caseload hours per
year. Using the previous calculation of net available caseload hours and total caseload,
the number of detectives needed to investigate the caseload can be determined:
Total Caseload Hours 6,459
Divided by total net available hours
for one detective (1,310) ÷ 1,310
Number of Detectives Needed = 4.9
As the chart indicates the number of detectives recommended to work the assigned
caseload hours assigned is 4.9. The resulting caseload approximately equals the hours
per detective available. There are currently enough detectives assigned to special
assaults to handle the assigned caseload.
(6.2) Supervision
There is one Sergeant assigned to supervise the Special Victims Unit. There is a total
of five detectives assigned to the unit. This creates a span of control of 1 to 5 direct
reports. This is within the recommended span of control for supervision.
Recommendation:
The Special Victims Unit is appropriately staffed.
(7) Special Operations Unit
The Special Operations Unit has responsibility for investigating narcotics and related
crimes. There are also staff assigned to a U.S. Marshal’s Service task force who also
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assist with fugitive apprehension, sex offender registry and surveillance. Special
Operations consists of one Sergeant and seven Detectives, with two detective vacancies
– four (4) detectives work narcotics, while three (3) are assigned to the task force and
other unit assistance.
(7.1) Analysis of Narcotics
The Narcotics Unit is a proactive unit that is responsible for developing their own ca ses.
Unlike other investigative units, their caseloads are developed through self -initiated
investigations, human intelligence or community generated tips. Investigative units
dedicated to proactive efforts require very close scrutiny given their unique roles. Because
staffing levels often become an outcome of performance, the effectiveness of proactive
investigative units needs to focus more on the process of targeting problems in the
community and making assigned staff accountable for results.
The Narcotics unit does keep specific performance measures for narcotic investigators ;
however, the unit as a whole reported 118 cases for a one -year period. The unit does
not have any informants currently signed up and there are no informant files.
To be effective, the unit should have performance measures or capture activities the unit
is involved in so that the unit’s work performance in accounted for. Performance
measures could include the number of drug tips that are successfully investigated
(regardless of outcome). Tracking the number of arrests or seizures to account for
activities is useful, but should not be a performance measure.
(7.2) Fugitive Apprehension
As mentioned above performance measures of proactive units should be tied to effective
management of resources to address specific community issues. Though this is true, it
is also important that resources are accountable for some result. The following t able
illustrates some performance measures for the fugitive apprehension team for the 11
months of 2019.
October 31st Activity Number Per Detective Per Detective per Month
Arrests 139 69.5 6.2
As the table indicates, with detectives, the section made 139 arrests in 11 months.
(7.3) Task Force
Two (2) detectives are assigned to a local DEA task force. Performance measures and
caseload data is not specific to Denton; however, participation in the task force provides
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Denton with additional resources when needed, to work larger more sophisticated and
labor-intensive cases.
Recommendation:
Develop performance measures for the Narcotics unit and track activities.
2. Analysis of the Property and Evidence Unit
The Property and Evidence Unit is staffed with one Lead Property Technician and two
Property Technicians. The Lead Property Technician reports to the Criminal
Investigations Lieutenant.
• Primary tasks include retrieving evidence/safekeeping items from evidence
lockers, entering items into RMS, and place on evidence shelf; check -out evidence
for court, submit drugs and blood to crime lab for analysis, return found property
and safekeeping items, submit SART kits, purging of evidence, found property,
and safekeeping items, process open records requests
• Work business hours, Monday through Friday
• Rotate on-call status on a weekly basis to empty a full refrigerator or drying cabinet,
or the booking of a large amount of drugs or currency
The list of tasks is a summary of the most-frequent and primary tasks conducted by the
unit, but is not all-encompassing. On average, the on-call person responds in one time a
month to handle the aforementioned tasks.
In June 2019, the City of Denton Auditor’s Office completed a comprehensive audit of the
Property Room, and provided a list of recommendations. Based on this recent audit, this
report will not reiterate the issues or concerns raised in that report as the Chief has
already addressed the recommendations.
(1) Property and Evidence Inventory
The table below shows the volume of evidence and property booked into the Property
Room during 2019.
Items Booked
2019
Evidence Items 6,262
Sub-Items 402
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Total 6,664
Avg/Day 18.26
For 2019, there were an average of slightly over 18 items of evidence and sub -items5
booked per day. This is a manageable quantity of incoming inventory for the unit’s size.
As of mid-April 2020, there was approximately 61,000 total items of inventory in the
Property Room.
When the project team was on-site, the unit was in the process of purging a backlog of
over 100,000 items. This project was scheduled to take eight weeks, and was being
coordinated by an outside consultant. The project utilized two detectives (re-assigned for
this project) and light duty personnel and ran for approximately eight weeks. The purging
of items is an on-going process and as of early June 2020, since the start of the purging
project, approximately 61,400 items had been purged.
According to staff, found property and safekeeping items are purged on a regular basis.
Evidentiary items, scheduled to be purged due to statute of limitations, are only purged
when the Property Room is running out of space.
The project team interviewed the consultant (Kolene Dean6) employed by DPD to
coordinate the backlog purging project. According to Dean, a major reason there was
such a backlog of evidence/property was that DPD’s current policies and procedures
require a court order to dispose of items, even when it is not required by Texas law.
Obtaining a court order is a timely and work-intensive process. According to Dean, if
DPD’s policies and procedures followed the following Texas Code of Criminal Procedures
(CCP), purging of evidence/property would be much easier and time-efficient: Texas
CCP 18.17 (Disposal of Abandoned/Unclaimed Property); Texas CCP 18.18 (Disposal of
Prohibited Weapons and Contraband); Texas CCP 18.19 (Disposal of Seized Weapons);
and Texas CCP Chapter 47 (Disposal of Stolen Property).
(2) Procedures and Technology
When the project team was on-site, DPD was utilizing a manual paperwork process to
document, process, and book evidence/property. About a month after the project team’s
visit, the DPD was going to be transitioning to a barcoding system to book and track
evidence/property. Several months after making the transition, staff w ere still working
through issues and the inevitable learning curve of transitioning to a new system. This is
5 Sub-items are items booked under the same case number and associated with main
evidence item(s), e.g., Item 1A, 1B,1C, etc.
6 Founder of Texas Association Property Evidence Inventory Technicians (TAPEIT)
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typical and is something that will resolve in time, but transitioning to a barcoding system
is a positive step in effective tracking of inventory. Once personnel are comfortable with
the barcoding system, the use of manual paperwork should be significantly reduced and
the booking and processing of evidence should be much more time efficient.
Another improvement was in-process at the time of the project team’s visit. DPD was in
the process of obtaining a grant to obtain evidence software. This type of software would
be instrumental in significantly improving the managing of the inventory in the Property
Room. As of April 2020, the grant had been approved and the process of obtaining quotes
was in-progress.
The department was also the recipient of a $500,000 Sexual Assault Kit Initi ative (SAKI)
grant. Property and Evidence personnel conducted an inventory and determined slightly
over 20 Sexual Assault Kits had not been sent in for testing. In addition to the Sexual
Assault Kits, the grant also provides for a new evidence management system. It would
appear that a new system might be somewhat redundant to the current system (Athena),
but the department will have to evaluate the current and new systems to determine if
having two systems is viable.
There has not been an established Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Property
and Evidence Unit. Having a comprehensive and up -to-date SOP in such a ‘high-risk’
unit of the department is essential and consistent with law enforcement best practices .
Currently, the SOP’s are in the process of being developed. Completion and adoption of
these should be a priority.
As evidenced by the lack of workload data that could be provided to quantify the volume
of work performed by the unit, a process or system is needed to be able to accurately
capture this data.
Overall, the Property and Evidence Unit is properly staffed for a department the size of
DPD. The addition of the barcoding system, and the eventual property management
software will ultimately increase the efficiency of the unit. A more thorough workload
tracking data system will be able to assist in determining proper staffing in the future.
Recommendations:
Update Department’s policy and procedures to conform with state law in regards
to disposal and disposition of evidence/property.
Complete and adopt Standard Operating Procedures for the Property and Evidence
Unit.
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Develop a system or application that is capable of capturing the volume of work
performed by the Property Technicians so that workload analysis can be evaluated
in the future.
3. Analysis of the Crime Scene Investigations Unit
The Crime Scene Investigations Unit is staffed with three Crime Scene Investigators
(CSI). All three CSI’s report to the Major Crimes Sergeant. When the project team was
on-site, the CSI’s worked Monday through Friday on three shifts (0700-1500; 0800-1600;
1800-0200). Since then (due to COVID-19), the CSI’s schedule remained Monday
through Friday on three shifts, but the hours have changed (0700-1500; 1500-2300; 2300-
0700) which provides 24-hour coverage on those days and avoids the CSI’s working
overlapping shifts in the office (COVID-19). CSI’s have take-home vehicles, and rotate
on-call status every three weeks.
• Office-based but available to respond to crime scenes (on -duty) at the request of
patrol sergeants or lieutenants
• Crime scenes processed includes aggravated assaults, residential or commercial
burglaries, auto burglaries (minimum three vehicles at the same scene), robberies,
assaults with visible injuries (including DV), assaults on officers, sexual assaults,
death cases
• Other primary tasks include processing of submitted evidence, latent print
examinations and submissions, cell phone forensic examinations, surveillance
video retrievals, process photos of department functions, ordering all evidence
supplies
When the CSI’s are on-duty, a Patrol Sergeant or Lieutenant can call out a CSI to process
a crime scene. For after-hours call-outs, the request for a CSI must be made through a
Criminal Investigation Division (CID) Sergeant.
As stated previously, all three CSI’s report directly to the Major Crimes Sergeant. With
the three CSI’s, the Major Crimes Sergeant has 11 direct reports. That is higher than the
industry best practices for span of control, which is six to nine. Additionally, unless the
Major Crimes Sergeant has operational knowledge, experience and training as a CSI, the
Sergeant is supervising a unit that he/she has limited knowledge about. Adding a
supervisor with operational knowledge about CSI duties and performance, would not only
reduce the Major Crimes Sergeant’s span of control to nine, it would also pla ce a
supervisory position within the unit that has the specialized training and expertise to
handle the requisite administrative duties and daily operational oversight.
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The CSI Unit currently has a training manual, but no formal Standard Operating
Procedures (SOP). In specialized units such as the CSI Unit, having formal SOP’s is a
best practice to formalize and memorialize the operations of the unit.
(1) Most Frequent CSI Unit Tasks
The following table shows the 2019 workload for the CSI Unit:
CSI Unit Work Summary - 2019
Tasks #
LP Comparisons 15,331
Lab Process for Prints* 629
Latent Print Cases* 238
Call-Outs During Shift* 111
Call-Outs Outside Shift* 47
Cell Phone Analysis (Hrs) 140
Photo Ops (Hrs) 78
Cell Phone Analysis (Qty)* 77
Video Requests* 74
Court 6
Autopsy* 4
Total Tasks* 1,180
An explanation is provided in order to clarify the significant differences between Latent
Print Cases and Latent Print Comparisons. DPD CSI’s handled 238 separate Latent Print
Cases. Each case can comprise of a single latent print or up to several hundred.
Whenever an unidentified latent print is entered into the Automated Fingerprint
Identification System (AFIS), the system will return a list of 20 possible matches for each
print submitted. Therefore, a case where hundreds of unidentified latent prints are
submitted, the system will return thousands of possible matches. With DPD’s 238 Latent
Print Cases and 15,331 Latent Print Comparisons, the average number of comparisons
per case totaled 64.
With 111 on-duty call-outs, DPD CSI’s averaged nine (9) per month. The 47 off-duty call-
outs averaged four (4) per month.
For 2019, the total number of tasks performed by CSIs (identified with an ‘*’) was 1,180,
which averaged 393 tasks per CSI for the year.
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Based on an evaluation of the workload data, it appears the CSI Unit is appropriately
staffed (absent the supervisory position) at this time.
(2) CSI Unit Work Hours
Under the CSI Unit’s previous work schedule, on-duty coverage was provided Monday
through Friday, from 0700 hours until 0200 hours the following day, providing 20 -hour
coverage. Under the new work schedule, on-duty coverage is provided Monday through
Friday, 24 hours a day. Thus, the only time there is not a CSI on -duty (excluding
vacations, sick leave, etc.) is from 0700 hours on Saturday until 0700 hours on Monday.
For call-outs, the unit’s statistics only classified call-outs as ‘on-duty’ or ‘off-duty’, and did
not track the time of day when the call-outs occurred. The following chart documents the
CSI call-outs by hour for FY 2018-2019, which were captured in CAD.
CSI Call Outs by Hour and Weekday
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Hour Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Total
12am 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 4
1am 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2
2am 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3am 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
4am 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5am 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
6am 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
7am 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
8am 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
9am 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 3
10am 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2
11am 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2
12pm 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 3
1pm 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 3
2pm 0 1 0 0 3 1 0 5
3pm 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
4pm 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2
5pm 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
6pm 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7pm 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2
8pm 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
9pm 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
10pm 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
11pm 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Total 4 2 6 7 7 10 2 38
There is a significant difference between the CAD-captured data for call-outs (38 total)
and the unit’s statistics (111 on-duty call-outs and 47 off-duty). While some of the
discrepancies could be attributed to the fact the CAD data captures call-outs for FY 2018-
2019 (November 2018 through October 2019) and the unit’s statistics capture CY 2019
data, there should still not be that much of a discrepancy. The reason for the
discrepancies is either the CSI is not notifying Dispatch of their response or CAD not
capturing their response. The above chart provides a small sample size of the CAD -
captured call-outs (which indicates the majority of the call-outs occurring between 0800-
1700 hours and midnight-0200 hours), but without a majority of the call-outs being
captured by CAD, a thorough and accurate analysis of call-outs by time of day cannot be
evaluated.
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The new 24-hour coverage schedule does provide some benefits, mainly that when a
call-out does occur after 0200 hours, the response is timelier due to the fact a CSI is on-
duty. However, due to the lack of accurate CAD data, it is unknown how often that occurs.
Another is the ability of the ‘graveyard’ CSI to perform evidence-processing work without
the number of interruptions that the ‘day shift’ and ‘swing shift’ CSIs encounter.
Ensuring that all CSI call-outs are captured in CAD, and then reviewing that data after a
six or twelve-month period would provide useful information as to whether a 24-hour shift
schedule is beneficial for the department.
Recommendations:
Develop and adopt Standard Operating Procedures for the CSI Unit.
Add a civilian supervisory CSI to the unit who would report directly to the Major
Crimes Sergeant.
Ensure CSI call-outs are more accurately captured in CAD in order to evaluate the
feasibility of a 24-hour schedule versus a 20-hour schedule.
2. Personnel/Training Division
The Personnel/Training Division is comprised of the following work units:
• Recruiting Unit
• Training Academy
• FTO Coordinator
The following sections of the report provide the project team’s assessment of these
functional areas.
(1) Recruiting Unit
The Recruiting Unit is responsible for coordinating all department recruiting activities, and
is administered through a Sergeant who is assisted by two background investigators
(Detectives). The Recruiting Unit has primary responsibility for the entire hi ring process
and is also the designated “quartermaster” for the Department. Other activities may
include participating in three or four career fairs and other hiring events – primarily in the
local area.
Until the fall of 2019 the Recruiting Sergeant also functioned as the “FTO Coordinator”
and handled the responsibility of managing the training process for new Officers after
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graduation from the police academy. An additional Sergeant’s position was authorized
and assigned as the FTO Coordinator. This relieved a significant amount of work during
the field training process which allowed the Recruiting Sergeant to focus on recruiting and
hiring.
In the hiring process, the Recruiting Unit is assisted by a civil service representative from
the City, but the great majority of the work tasks are done by the Recruiting Unit. The
primary activities consist of receiving, processing all applications for DPD sworn and
civilian positions, but they spend most of their time hiring new Officers.
(1.1) Budgetary Restraints on Recruiting
One of the restraints on the Recruiting Unit is that no funds are allocated for recruiting in
the DPD budget. This significantly limits their ability to advertise, travel outside of the
local area, create flyers and purchase other materials commonly shown and distributed
at career fairs. The project team believes it is necessary to budget a modest amount to
fund ongoing recruiting efforts. For comparison, the Denton Fire Department has a
$30,000 recruitment budget; to support recruiting efforts in the Police Department, it is
reasonable for the Police Department to be funded at least the same, if not more, as fire
departments typically receive significantly more interest and a higher number of job
applicants for entry level positions than police departments.
Police Departments often find themselves competing for the same group of qualified
candidates and it is necessary, and a best practice, to target and recruit candidates that
will assist the Police Department in meeting the goal of having the racial demographics
of the PD be reasonably close to the racial demographics in the community. It is also
important to specifically recruit women for sworn positions to maintain a reasonable
representation in DPD. Even agencies who have made a concerted effort to hire women
rarely are able to attain more than 20% female sworn staff over a long period of time.
(1.2) Denton Demographics and Hiring Goals
A police department should represent the demographics of the community that it serves
and the City and Denton Police Department should have that as a goal and focus efforts
toward that end. The following table shows the current demographics of Denton.7
Demographics Denton City Police Dept. PD +/--
White (alone, not Hispanic) 60.2% 69.9% 9.4%
7 The percentages for the City are taken from the City of Denton website, the Recruiting Unit provided the
percentages for the Police Department
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Hispanic 21.4% 9.8% - 11.6%
African American 10.7% 16.3% 5.6%
Other 7.7% 4.3% - 3.4%
As seen above, the number of Hispanic sworn staff is under represented in the DPD. The
City and Department should develop reasonable strategies and a timeframe to get closer
to matching the City demographics. It will take specific efforts and resources to
accomplish this, which is one of the reasons recruiting funds should be budgeted. The
Police Department should develop a goal for DPD to try and more closely reflect the
demographics of the City population. A thoughtful, targeted and long-term effort must be
made to attract qualified candidates to Denton PD.
(1.3) Denton Police Department Hiring Processes
In 2019, the Recruiting Unit’s efforts led to the hiring of 24 new Officers (including several
lateral Officers). This was higher than normal as in 2019 the PD received authorization
to increase staff by 10 Officer positions. The Department was already under staffed and
an additional loss of seven staff - three during the training process and four retirements -
necessitated the hiring. At this time, due to the Covid19 virus, four of the 10 new positions
have been put on hold. Currently (June 2020) the PD has 11 Officer vacancies.
The Recruiting Sergeant and staff coordinate and administer the testing processes for
hiring sworn and civilian staff. The steps in the hiring process for sworn Officers are:
• Receive applications, notify applicants of the written test
• Written test
• Screening Board (oral interviews)
• Pre-polygraph interviews by Detective
• Polygraph (in Arlington)
• Psychological examination
• Background investigation
• Oral board
• Interview with Chief
• Medical/health/drug examination
The Sergeant has the lead in this process and is responsible to schedule, track and
coordinate each step. The handling of the applications and testing process is still
paperwork and manual entry by the Sergeant into a spreadsheet as Denton does not
have a computer software program for hiring. This requires additional time and
coordination with the City representative. It would be a timesaving measure for Denton
to evaluate and purchase a computer based human resources management software
program.
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Candidates successful in the first phases of the process enter the background
investigation phase. The Unit’s two background inve stigators conduct extensive
background checks on the candidate, including references, agency checks, financial
checks and interviewing friends and family. The Department does not keep a record of
the exact number of candidates entering the background inve stigation phase but was able
to state that there were approximately 65 background investigations completed in 2019,
not including background investigations that were initiated but not completed due to a
candidate dropping out or being disqualified during the investigation. Applying an industry
average of 40 hours to complete an investigation, these investigations required
approximately 2,600 hours of productivity. This does not include the time expended on
background investigations that were initiated, but ended before completion. These
investigations require approximately 1.6 FTEs to accomplish (using the DPD Officer net
annual work hours of 1,676). In addition to conducting background investigations, the
Detectives also have other administrative functions and assist with recruiting efforts and
the testing process.
Some agencies have opted to contract out for background investigations on officer
candidates, but the reviews from other departments the project team is familiar with have
been mixed. Some have not been satisfied with the quality and timeliness of the
investigations and there has not been a significant financial savings benefit. The decision
to contract out is a management decision that is only viable if there is a local background
investigation firm that has proven reliability and quality product. The current background
investigation process has worked well and project team does not recommend a change.
The staffing of one Sergeant and two Detectives (Background Investigators) is
appropriate for the recruiting functions, but does need administrative support so that the
Sergeant does not perform clerical functions. One full time civilian administrative support
position is needed for the Support Operations Bureau that can be shared with the Training
Academy and FTO Coordinator.
Overall, Denton PD’s hiring process, guidelines and criteria are appropriate.
(1.4) Quartermaster Functions Should be Moved to the Support Division
Currently the Quartermaster functions for the Department are performed by the Sergeant
in the Recruiting Unit. The DPD Quartermaster functions include the traditional role of
managing the department’s uniforms and equipment inventory. This includes receiving
requests, issuing, replacing and disposing of uniforms, flashlights, vests and other
equipment. It does not include body worn cameras, tasers and firearms which is handled
by the Fleet & Body Cameras Unit (BWC and Tasers) and the Training Unit (firearms).
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The Special Events Officer (Special Projects Unit) also is involved in issuing/tracking
some personnel protective equipment. This function should be consolidated.
The PD recently purchased a software program to track all of the various items and it is
in the process of being implemented. Carrying out this duty involves ordering, tracking,
receiving, managing vendor relationships/performance, processing invoices/purchase
orders, keeping all related financial records and authorizing payment of invoices.
This function should not be a responsibility of the Recruiting Sergeant as it takes up
approximately 50% of his work hours and does not fit with the purpose of the recruiting
and hiring functions. Additional Quartermaster functions for PPE equipment are
performed by the Special Events Officer (sworn staff) in the Special Projects Unit. The
project team recommends moving all of the Quartermaster functions from sworn
personnel to the re-organized Fleet & Body Worn Cameras Unit with the addition of one
new civilian position. The recommendations regarding these changes are made in the
Support Division – Fleet & Body Worn Cameras section.
(2) Training Academy and In-Service Training
The Training Academy Unit is managed by a Sergeant with the support of five Officers.
They develop and put on all aspects of a basic recruit officer academy and also in -service
training for current staff.
One Officer is assigned as the Rangemaster, one Officer provides all the coordination for
the in-house Police Academy and two Officers are assigned to teach all of the defensive
tactics classes (one DT instructor position is a staff increase in 2020). The fifth Officer is
a training course instructor and also functions as the Department’s “tech” person –
develops/maintains the training website.
The primary job tasks and responsibilities of the five Officers are:
• Rangemaster – responsible for all aspects of firearms training and range
management (see subsequent section)
• Police Academy Training Coordinator – oversees all aspects of the academy
training class, including significant amount of time instructing
• Police Academy Instructor – full time when an academy is in session; this person
is also a designated “tech person” for the PD and also manages the training
website
• Defensive Tactics Instructor (2) – provide basic academy and in-service training
classes
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Denton PD hosts its own basic police academy that it puts most of its officers through and
also allows recruits from other agencies to attend when there is room in the class of 24.8
The Unit has been conducting two basic Police Academies each year. In December 2019
the basic academy was increased to 696 hours that are mandated by TCOLE (Texas
Commission on Law Enforcement). Denton adds additional courses that increase the
total hours to 720. In 2020, due to the increased hiring, three 18-week Police Academies
(24 recruits per Academy) were planned to be held. The May academy start date was
delayed and now planned to begin July 6. The class size was reduced to 13 recruits, six
are DPD employees, to provide increased social distancing. Also due to the Covid19
virus, the August police academy has been cancelled.
The Unit also coordinates, schedules and presents a 40 -hour in-service training course
12 times during the year for current staff. At a minimum, sworn officers must receive 40
hours of in-service training every two years. The amount of training hours sworn staff
receive can vary from the minimum of 20 hours annually to over 100 hours depending on
the roles and responsibilities of the employee. For example, employees with high training
hours may be those involved in specialty assignments such as SWAT, K9, or a specialty
courses for a new Detective assignment. Employees promoted to supervisor or manager
must also take one or more supervisory/management training classes within one year of
promotion.
The Sergeant and Lieutenant monitor all Officers’ training records to ensure that they are
in compliance not only with the Texas mandates, but also Denton PD mandates.
TECOLE notifies DPD if any Officer is deficient in training hours when the deadline is
near. Each DPD supervisor is responsible for the Officers assigned to them attending the
40 hour in-service training course each year. The Training Unit also runs a report on all
staff to ensure that they have attended each 40 hour course.
One of the Officers assigned to this unit is the department’s rangemaster and responsible
for ensuring that all sworn staff receive mandated and additional appropriate firearms
training. Each Officer is required by TCOLE to pass an annual firearms qualification.
DPD policy requires a quarterly firearms qualification which the project team supports.
The Department uses an outdoor range as well as an onsite indoor range to conduct
firearms training and qualifications.
8 DPD has been sending 5-10 DPD recruits annually to other academies when the hiring date and academy
start date are too far apart.
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In overseeing the firearms program, the rangemaster is responsible for coordinating all
range related trainings, which includes course instruction, tabulating all scores from range
trainings and entering data to track training performance. In addition to in-service firearms
training, there are also significant firearms training provided for the police academies held
on site. The amount of time required is contingent upon the frequency and number of new
recruits.
The Rangemaster and 16 assistants are responsible for maintaining the range facilities
and equipment, in addition to monitoring inventory and purchasing supplies. They must
also safeguard all equipment and assets stored at range facilities incl uding all weapons
and related firearms equipment in addition to the acquisition and storage of ammunition.
There is only the one Armorer now (the Officer assigned to the Training Unit) as several
training school programs that DPD had planned to send Officers to be trained have been
cancelled. DPD plans to train two more Officers as Armorers in the near future.
The Rangemaster is the lead instructor for all firearms training classes. He is assisted by
other instructors to maintain a 1:4 instructor to student ratio and no more than 12 students
per class. This is appropriate to maintain safety protocols and ensure proper supervision
on the firing line. Each DPD Officer attends quarterly firearms refresher training to
demonstrate proficiency with their weapon. TEOLE has recently added a low-light
qualification requirement to be included as part of the demonstration of proficiency. In
addition to handgun proficiency, all Officers now carry a rifle on duty and so more rifle
training courses are now needed to train all Officers on this weapon.
Denton Police Department staff overwhelmingly meet or exceed the mandated annual
training requirements. The most recent data for Denton shows that Officers received an
average of 88 hours of training in 2019. It is appropriate for Denton to provide this level
of training as 20 hours annually is insufficient to provide training to meet training
mandates, refresher training, legal updates, cultural awareness, perishable skills training,
recertifications (e.g. 1st Aid, CPR), critical skills (e.g. driver training) and many other
necessary training topics.
The sworn staffing level to carry out these functions is appropriate. This Unit could use
administrative support for clerical functions, data entry and record keeping – to be shared
with the other two Support Operations Bureau work units.
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(2.2) Denton Training Facilities
The police department has their primary academy and in -service training facility on site
adjacent to the PD headquarters. This includes:
• Two 50 person classrooms
• Two 40 person classrooms
• Defensive Tactics training room
• Gym for general physical workouts and training
• Indoor range
• Force simulator training equipment (VirTra System)
• Driver training simulator
• A large “simunitions” training room with street settings and moveable walls
Additionally, the training “wing” of DPD has office space for the Personnel & Training staff.
This is an excellent facility that allows DPD to provide high quality training without the
time and cost involved to travel to other locations.
DPD is appropriately using the facility and when they are able to accept recruit officers
from other agencies in academy classes, it also provides some revenue to the
Department.
(3) Field Training Coordinator (FTO Coordinator)
This is a new position created in the fall of 2019. Prior to the filling of this position the
Recruiting Sergeant was responsible for managing the recruit Officers’ Field Training
Program after they graduated from the police academy. Denton PD has been h iring and
training many new Officers over the last several years and the Chief and staff allocated
one of the new Sergeant positions as the FTO Coordinator.
This function is an important one as the field training of new Officers is a critical function
for a police organization as the patterns and orientation that develop during the field
training program and probationary months become ingrained. To ensure that proper
training occurs for policing tasks as well as the goals and values of the organization ,
requires planning and daily oversight. This includes the selection of the Field Training
Officers to ensure that they represent and effectively train the new Officer in police skills,
as well as guiding them in developing a proper demeanor that is necessary to be effective
in serving the community. An effective FTO program teaches new Officers the proper
ways and methods of “what” to do but also emphasiz es the importance of “how” to carry
out duties – with competence, friendliness, compassion, firmness and the proper use of
force when necessary.
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The coordination of an FTO program in many medium size police organizations is often
assigned to a field supervisor or training coordinator as an ancillary assignment (as
Denton had been doing). When this occurs, no one has the specific responsibility for
following the new Officer from the later stages of their academy training, selection of their
FTOs, ensuring they are receiving all needed training, thorough and helpful evaluations,
encouragement in the process, daily monitoring of progress and doing everything
reasonable to try to ensure their successful completion of the FTO program and transition
to a solo beat Officer assignment.
The FTO Coordinator is a new position and while the primary tasks are clear, there have
been and will be some adjustments during the year. Currently, the Sergeant is
responsible for the recruit officers after hiring and prior to entering the police academy –
this can be for a few weeks or a few months depending on the academy start date. When
the police academy is completed the new Officers attend a three week (may be increased
to six weeks) in-house orientation course to prepare them for the field assignment to an
FTO. They review the specific areas such as search & seizu re, penal code and DPD
policies. After completion of the in-house, they are assigned to a shift and an FTO to
begin training in the field. The program is planned to last 18 weeks (four 4-week
segments) with three different FTOs on different shifts and two weeks with a DWI FTO.
Ideally, the last four weeks is spent with the new Officer’s first or primary FTO.
The FTO assignment is an ancillary duty for patrol officers and there are 25 FTO positions
authorized, but currently there are only 13 active FTOs (2 are DWI FTOs). A selection
process for new FTOs is in process to increase the FTO staffing closer to the authorized
number. As of June 2020, there are nine new Officers in the FTO program and it is
anticipated that approximately 26 new Officers will have been through the program by the
end of 2020.
The project team supports the assignment of a Sergeant to this position. If in the future
DPD staffing becomes more stable and only requires training for no more than 10 – 12
new Officers annually, then it will not require a full time Sergeant and additional duties
should be assigned
Recommendations:
Budget funds specifically designated for the Department’s recruiting efforts;
$30,000 is suggested to match that of the Fire Department.
Develop a goal for Denton PD for sworn staff racial demographics to match the
demographics of the community.
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Work with the City Civil Service department to purchase a software program for the
recruiting, application and hiring process.
Fund one full time administrative support position to be shared with the Training
Academy and FTO Coordinator.
Move the quartermaster functions (purchasing, issuing, tracking) for uniforms and
equipment to the Support Division – Fleet & Body Worn Cameras Unit.
3. Support Division
The Support Division is comprised of the following work units:
• Fleet and Body Cameras
• Warrants
• Student Resource Officers
• Detention Services
The following sections of the report provide the project team’s assessment of these
functional areas.
(1) Analysis of Fleet/Body Camera Unit
The Fleet/Body Camera Unit is staffed with one sworn Officer. This Officer reports to the
Support Division Lieutenant. The following are the primary tasks of the Fleet/Body
Camera Unit:
• Issuance and maintenance of body cameras, provide technical service support for
all CAD/RMS/Mobile units, maintain License Plate and Facial Recognition
systems, maintain and provide support for LiveScan and Jail Fingerprinting
systems, maintain and handle open record requests for Mobile Video Systems,
and issue and re-program department portable radios
• Impound Lot Management, Auto Auction, Rotation Wrecker List, and Non-Consent
Towing Permits (Moving to Traffic Division effective June 2020)
• Police Fleet Manager, Fleet Services Maintenance Liaison, Toll Tag Management,
Car Wash Tags, and Vehicle Registrations/Inspections
The duties and tasks listed in the last two bullet points were added to the position in 2019.
These duties used to be the responsibility of the Sergeant in Detention Services. When
that position was removed, those duties were re-assigned to the Fleet/Body Camera Unit.
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Effective June 2020, the department re-assigned the Impound Lot Management and its
related duties to the Traffic Division. Since the Traffic Division is responsible for the
majority of the vehicles in the Impound Lot and the Patrol Division accounting for the next
highest number of vehicles, transferring those duties to Traffic from Fleet/BWC (and thus
from Support Operations Bureau to Patrol Operations Bureau) makes practical sense.
The following table outlines the various tasks that can be assigned a numerical value.
Obviously not all of the vehicles, radios, etc. require attention or service at the same time,
but the table provides a scope of the assets that are under the purview of the unit.
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Fleet/BWC Unit Scope of Work/Assets - 2019
Work/Assets #
Portable Radios 210
Vehicle Radios 210
BWC's 210
Police Fleet (Vehicles) 200
Cell Phones 200
Open Record Requests 150
MDC's 85
Dash Cams 85
Ticket Writers 75
ALPR Systems 3
Some of these assets and duties are shared with other city departments (Fleet, I.T.), while
others are solely the responsibility of DPD.
A vast majority of the functions of the position require knowledge of current technology
and I.T.-related issues and systems. Having some law enforcement operational
knowledge is a benefit for the practical uses of the equipment in the field, but is something
that could be learned by a civilian, or someone with previous law enforcement experience.
Evaluating the volume and scope of this unit, it appears to be significant for one person.
The Officer in this position regularly requires overtime to complete the duties of the
position. For Fiscal Year 2018/2019, this officer worked 447.5 hours of overtime directly
related to his duties in this unit. Since he has been in this position for over 20 years, he
most likely performs these duties much more efficiently than someone without that
breadth of experience. When the current Officer leaves the position in the future, the
amount of time it would take his replacement to do the same duties would be expected to
increase.
Additionally, the Support Division Lieutenant has recently been involved with the
Recruiting Sergeant in the acquisition of a software program to inventory and track he
Department’s uniforms and equipment issued to staff. She also provides backup to the
Sergeant for these functions as needed. As pointed out in the Recruiting Unit section ,
these functions significantly takes away from the Recruiting Unit’s time available to
perform its primary responsibilities. It is also more cost effective to be assigned to civilian
personnel rather than sworn personnel.
The Department has recognized the need for additional staff in the Fleet & Body Worn
Camera Unit (effective June 2020) and the project team also recommends the addition of
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a new civilian position to assist with the current duties and also perform all of the
Quartermaster functions currently handled by the Recruiting Unit.
Recommendations:
Add one full-time civilian position to the Fleet/BWC Unit to assist in the unit’s tasks
and responsibilities and assume the Quartermaster functions.
When the current Officer leaves the unit, evaluate whether the Officer is to be
replaced by another Officer or a civilian.
When the second position is filled in the Fleet/BWC Unit, transfer Quartermaster
duties from the Recruiting Unit to the Fleet/BWC Unit.
Develop a system that is capable of capturing the volume of work performed by the
Fleet/BWC Unit so that workload analysis can be more effectively evaluated in the
future.
(2) Analysis of Warrants Unit
The Warrants Unit is staffed with two sworn Officers and one civilian Warrant Clerk. All
three report directly to the Support Division Lieutenant. The following are the primary
tasks of the Warrants Unit.
• One officer works primarily as bailiff in the Municipal Court. Other duties include
issuing summons (within city limits), serving subpoenas, process Emergency
Protective Orders, process Probable Cause warrants after grand jury indictments
• One officer fills in as bailiff, as needed. Other duties include performing daily
checks of Class C warrants served/filed in Municipal Court, Class A and B warrants
served/filed in County Court, conduct transport of prisoners within Region 1 (DFW
area), coordinate transport of prisoners outside of Region 1
• Warrant Clerk primary tasks include prepare daily report for Municipal Court,
prepare deposit to city cashier, verify all transactions involving vehicle
impounds/fingerprints/training, process bonds and fines received by outside
agencies, handle internet payments, telephone inquiries, process warrants from
Municipal Court
Generally, all three staff work during business hours, Monday through Friday. The court
usually operates Monday through Thursday, with special hearings occasionally occurring
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on Fridays. The Officers are on-call to handle time-sensitive prisoner transports, including
weekends and holidays when Patrol staff is not available. In addition to the primary tasks
listed, staff also conducts numerous miscellaneous duties, including DPD lobby and Court
Clerk’s Office security, and assisting Property and Evidence personnel in transporting
drugs and guns for destruction, among othe rs. Based on Fiscal Year 2018/2019 payroll
data, the officers in this unit worked 23 hours of overtime to cover staffing in other
functions.
The unit also has a volunteer that works four hours a week.
A vast majority of the warrants processed by the unit are Class C warrants9. The following
table shows the number of Class C warrants processed by the unit and the amount of
fines collected for Fiscal Year 2018/2019.
Class C Warrant Processing – FY 2018/2019
Month Warrants
Issued
Warrants
Served
Fines
Collected
Cash Bonds
Posted
Surety Bonds
Posted
October 674 381 47,764 0 5
November 76 288 27,448 975 1
December 264 267 30,653 0 0
January 845 409 38,877 0 2
February 484 436 61,306 1,050 9
March 475 500 90,217 0 1
April 487 465 65,979 0 3
May 284 397 48,892 621 10
June 709 297 40,800 0 6
July 357 444 50,697 1,671 0
August 391 329 47,237 525 7
September 778 423 46,330 1,936 3
Total 5,824 4,636 596,200 6,778 47
In addition to the Class C warrants listed in the table above, for Calendar Year 2019, the
unit also processed 683 Class B and above warrants10.
During this time period (November 2018 to October 2019), the Warrant Officers also
responded to 24 CFS, which primarily represents handling prisoner transportation. A
9 Class C warrants are for relatively minor infractions such as traffic violations, drunk in
public, etc. This type of offense is punishable by a fine of up to $500 and no jail time.
10 Class B and above warrants include more serious m isdemeanor, and felony warrants.
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majority of these CFS occurred during the week, between 0800 and 1500 hours. Only
four call-outs occurred on weekends or after hours.
Based on the limited workload data, the Warrants Unit appears to be sufficiently s taffed.
Recommendation:
Develop a system that is capable of capturing the total volume of work performed
by the Warrants Unit so that workload analysis can be more effectively evaluated
in the future.
(3) Analysis of Student Resource Officers Unit
The Student Resource Officers (SRO) Unit is staffed with one Sergeant and nine (9)
Officers. The Sergeant reports directly to the Support Division Lieutenant. The SRO Unit
provides services to the city’s three (3) high schools and three (3) middle school s. The
SRO’s assigned to the middle schools also handle the 15 elementary (“feeder”) schools,
which numbers five (5) schools each for the middle school SRO’s. In addition, the SRO’s
also cover three alternative schools. The SRO’s work Monday through Fri day, with the
middle school SRO’s working 0800-1600 hours, and high school SRO’s working 0830 -
1630 hours. Each SRO has an office at the school, and each have take-home vehicles.
Until recently, there was one SRO assigned to each of the high schools. DPD received
funding to add one additional SRO to each of the high schools, so each high school now
has two SRO’s assigned.
The Denton School District pays 50% of the SRO’s salaries, in addition to other expenses
(vehicles). This arrangement is outlined in an MOU between the school district and DPD.
The SRO’s handle all crimes that occur on campus, including investigation s, report
writing, and transport of arrestees. If an SRO is not on -duty at a school, and there is an
incident that needs to be handled at the school, the school administration will call an SRO
at another school to handle the incident. In addition, the SRO Sergeant can cover for an
SRO absence, so the impact on Patrol for school incidents should be minimal.
As part of the school year interaction with the students, SRO’s participate in various
programs. Examples of the programs include middle school SRO’s participating in a
‘Career on Wheels’ program at the elementary schools, and the high school SRO’s put
on a ‘High School 101’ program that teaches freshmen students how to interact with law
enforcement. During the summer months, SRO’s also participate i n summer youth
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programs, including youth at risk programs, camping trips, and separate week -long
camps for boys and girls. Overall, these summer programs serve over 100 youth a year.
The following table shows the Calls-for-Service breakdown by hour and day of week for
FY 2018-2019.
Calls for Service by Hour and Weekday – SROs
Hour Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Total
12am 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2
1am 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2am 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2
3am 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4am 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2
5am 2 1 2 1 1 0 2 9
6am 4 7 4 5 7 0 5 32
7am 3 8 13 10 9 2 9 54
8am 5 9 5 7 3 2 8 39
9am 0 7 4 6 10 2 6 35
10am 2 13 10 8 6 6 7 52
11am 4 5 8 8 4 10 10 49
12pm 4 11 11 6 6 3 9 50
1pm 6 11 9 6 17 5 8 62
2pm 3 6 5 5 13 6 4 42
3pm 4 7 7 9 5 10 6 48
4pm 4 5 7 8 3 6 3 36
5pm 0 1 0 2 2 3 0 8
6pm 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7pm 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 4
8pm 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
9pm 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
10pm 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2
11pm 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 41 92 89 81 88 56 82 529
The data indicates 529 CFS, which equates to 44 per month. A majority of the calls occur
between 0600 and 1700 hours, and is spread equally across the week, with the exception
of Sundays. The following table breaks down reports written, and arrests made, by SRO’s
during 2019.
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Denton SRO Reports and Arrests ~ 2019
Type of Report Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
Total
Type
Accident 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3
Arrest 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 2 4 0 0 0 11
Detention 3 6 3 6 1 0 1 2 1 1 0 0 24
Incident 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 3 4 2 1 1 17
Offense 6 11 3 12 7 1 5 9 9 0 5 5 73
Supplemental 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Total 12 17 7 22 12 1 6 17 18 3 6 8 129
Arrests 7 7 5 7 6 0 0 2 4 8 3 0 49
SRO’s wrote a total of 129 reports in 2019, which averaged about 11 reports per month,
and a majority of the reports (56%) were Offense reports. During the same period, SRO’s
made 49 arrests, which averaged four (4) per month. If the summer months of June and
July were excluded, the averages would be 12 reports per month and five (5) arrests.
Reports and arrests account for a relatively small portion of the SRO’s functions at a
school, and the majority of their tasks are not quantifiable, thus the focus on the student
to SRO ratio.
The following table outlines the 2019 enrollment numbers at the high schools and middle
schools staffed by the SRO’s.
Denton High Schools and Middle Schools - 2019
School Enrollment
Guyer High School 2601
Ryan High School 2099
Denton High School 1989
Strickland Middle School 954
McMath Middle School 821
Calhoun Middle School 716
Avg. HS Enrollment 2,230
Avg. MS Enrollment 830
For School Year 2019, the average high school enrollment was 2,230. Based on National
Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) guidelines and the project team’s
experience, a ratio of one SRO per 1,000 student enrollment is an appropriate staffing
level for a high school. Based on these enrollment numbers the project team believes
the addition of an SRO to each of the high schools was justified.
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As stated previously, the SRO’s assigned to the middle schools are also assigned
elementary schools in the city as ‘feeder’ schools. In 2019, the average enrollment at the
15 elementary schools was 561. Staff estimates that 5% of the middle school SRO’s time
is spent with the elementary schools.
Denton Middle and Elementary Schools - 2019
School Enrollment
Avg. MS Enrollment 830
Avg. ES Enrollment 561
Avg. ES Enrollment per SRO 2805
5% of ES Enrollment per SRO 140
Avg. MS and ES Enrollment at
5% ES Workload 970
With the average elementary school enrollment at 561, that equates to an average of
2,805 elementary students per SRO (five schools each). With the estimate of elementary
schools accounting for 5% of the SRO’s workload, 5% of the elementary school
enrollment was added to the average middle school enrollment, which brought the total
middle school and elementary school workload to the equivalent of 970 students. This
falls within the ratio of 1,000 students per SRO. This would also indicate that the middle
school SRO’s are also appropriately staffed.
There were recent discussions that the Denton Independent School District (DISD) was
interested adding three SRO’s to the middle schools. Solely for the middle schools,
unless enrollment significantly increases or the workload at the elementary schools
significantly increases, the addition of an additional SRO to each middle school does not
seem necessary based on the SRO to student ratio.
If a decision was made to add the three additional SRO’s to the unit, then the SRO
Sergeant would have 12 direct reports, which is significantly higher than the industry
standard (5-7) for span of control. Adding three SRO’s to the current unit would also
require the addition of another Sergeant.
Recommendation:
At this time, the SRO Unit is appropriately staffed. In the future, if three SRO’s were
added to the middle schools, then a Sergeant would need to be added to the unit.
(4) Analysis of Detention Services
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The Detention Services is staffed with three (3) Lead Detention Officers (LDO) and 10
Detention Officers (DO). Recently, the authorized staffing for DO’s was increased from
seven to the current 10. The following are the primary tasks of Detention Services.
• Conducting pat downs, property inventory, input data into RMS, complete booking
sheets, take fingerprints and mugshots, conduct cell checks, serve meals, prepare
arraignment packets for judge
• Other tasks include cleaning cells, laundering blankets, laundering clothes f or
homeless detainees, providing medications (in detainees possession)
The Denton Jail is a 24/7/365 operation. Shifts are comprised of three eight -hour shifts
(0600-1400; 1400-2200; 2200-0600). Minimum staffing is two and optimum staffing is
three. The jail consists of 15 cells, which includes two detox cells and one holding cell.
Maximum capacity of the jail is 60 inmates. The duration of stays for inmates ranges
between several hours to four days. According to 2019 data provided by the d epartment,
the average inmate stay lasted 20.5 hours.
Seven days a week, the Municipal Court Judge conducts arraignments in the jail. The
average number of inmates being arraigned each day is between eight and 10, up to a
high of 14. All of the inmates are seated simultaneously in front of the booking desk and
the judge conducts the arraignments from behind the booking counter. It should be noted
that there are no security measures (other than the two or three DO’s present) during
these arraignments.
When this report was written, all three LDO’s were reporting directly to the Support
Division Lieutenant. Previously, Detention Services were supervised by a Police
Sergeant. When the project team visited DPD, there was a recruiting process planned
for a civilian Jail Manager. With the three LDO’s reporting directly to the Support Division
Lieutenant, that position has eight direct reports (which will increase to nine with the
addition of a position in Fleet/BWC Unit). This amount of direct reports is slightly higher
than the industry standard recommendation of five to seven. That, combined with the fact
that the unit now comprises of 13 personnel, it is highly recommended that the vacant Jail
Manager position be filled.
(1) Jail Workload
While the project team was on-site, Detention Services was in the process of changing
booking systems, so the data collected was from a combination of the old system and
new system, and not all of the reports and data available was consistent between the
systems.
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One of the major workload indicators is the amount of bookings and releases that occur
in the jail. The data in the table below was gathered from the old system (which combined
all bookings between January and October 2019 and could not be separa ted by month)
and November through December from the new system.
Jail Bookings ~ 2019
Dates #
January thru October 3,370
November thru December 433
Total 3,803
Avg. per Month 317
Avg. per Day 10.5
For 2019, bookings into the jail averaged 10.5 per day, or 317 per month. As stated
previously, the average length of stay for an inmate was 20.5 hours.
The following table shows the releases in 2019 (again, from the two different systems).
Jail Releases ~ 2019
Dates #
January thru October 2,746
November thru December 486
Total 3,232
Avg. per Month 269
Avg. per Day 9.0
For 2019, releases from the jail averaged nine (9) per day, or 269 per month. The
following table outlines the daily jail population by month.
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Jail Population ~ November 2019 thru March 2020
Month Daily Min. Daily Max Daily Avg.
Nov-19 0 14 6
Dec-19 3 16 9
Jan-20 4 15 10
Feb-20 3 17 9
Mar-20 0 18 8
Average 2 16 8.4
These jail population figures were obtained from the new booking system and were not
available under the previous system; so this five-month snapshot is the best data
available. Also, the data was not available to break down the population by hour, which
would be helpful to assist in evaluating staffing needs.
Data that breaks down of the number of bookings and releases by hour of day and day
of week was only available for the first three months of 2020.
Bookings by Hour – January through March 2020
Hour # %
0100 50 5.9%
0200 59 7.0%
0300 66 7.8%
0400 35 4.1%
0500 22 2.6%
0600 17 2.0%
0700 8 0.9%
0800 10 1.2%
0900 15 1.8%
1000 19 2.2%
1100 25 3.0%
1200 26 3.1%
1300 32 3.8%
1400 38 4.5%
1500 45 5.3%
1600 33 3.9%
1700 26 3.1%
1800 40 4.7%
1900 32 3.8%
2000 53 6.3%
2100 38 4.5%
2200 55 6.5%
2300 48 5.7%
2400 53 6.3%
Total 845 100.0%
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The highest number of the bookings occur between 2000 and 0400 hours, accounting for
50% of the daily bookings. The following table breaks down releases by hour.
Releases by Hour – January through March 2020
Hour # %
0100 14 1.6%
0200 30 3.5%
0300 28 3.3%
0400 29 3.4%
0500 5 0.6%
0600 5 0.6%
0700 12 1.4%
0800 40 4.7%
0900 50 5.8%
1000 39 4.5%
1100 58 6.8%
1200 75 8.7%
1300 65 7.6%
1400 98 11.4%
1500 60 7.0%
1600 55 6.4%
1700 53 6.2%
1800 37 4.3%
1900 23 2.7%
2000 12 1.4%
2100 20 2.3%
2200 18 2.1%
2300 18 2.1%
2400 15 1.7%
Total 859 100.0%
The majority number of releases occur between 0800 and 1800 hours, accounting for
69% of the daily releases. The following graph of bookings and releases by hour gives
an overview of the two combined workloads.
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The combined data of bookings and releases shows the busiest time period is between
1100 – 1900 hours (45% of workload), followed by the time period of 2200 – 0500 hours
(30.4%).
The following table outlines the bookings by day of week.
Bookings by Day – January through March 2020
Day of Week # %
Monday 93 11.0%
Tuesday 112 13.3%
Wednesday 110 13.0%
Thursday 121 14.3%
Friday 115 13.6%
Saturday 142 16.8%
Sunday 151 17.9%
Total 844 100.0%
Bookings are fairly evenly distributed across the days of the week, with the busiest days
being Saturday and Sunday at 16.8% and 17.9% respectively, and Monday being the
slowest at 11%.
The following table outlines releases by day of week.
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
NUMBERTIME OF DAY (100 = 0100 HOURS)
Bookings and Releases by Hour -
January '20 thru March '20
Bookings Releases
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Releases by Day – January through March 2020
Day of Week # %
Monday 99 11.7%
Tuesday 107 12.7%
Wednesday 104 12.3%
Thursday 118 14.0%
Friday 132 15.6%
Saturday 126 14.9%
Sunday 158 18.7%
Total 844 100.0%
Releases are fairly evenly distributed across the days of the week, with the busiest day
being Sunday at 18.7%, and Monday being the slowest at 11.7%.
The following graph of bookings and releases by day of week gives an overview of the
two combined workloads.
Again, the distribution of combined bookings and releases across the days of the week is
fairly consistent, but Saturday and Sunday have the largest combined workload.
Current procedure is for Jail staff to call Patrol to handle transports from the DPD Jail to
County Jail. For 2019, Patrol handled 423 transports, which equates to an average of 35
transports per month.
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
NumberBookings and Releases by Day -
January '20 thru March '20
Bookings Releases
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The project team wanted to evaluate the time it took from when the jail staff requested
Patrol to transport a prisoner from DPD to County Jail, to when the transport was handled.
CAD data was only able to be collected from November 6, 2019 through December 31,
2019. During that approximate two-month time frame, Patrol handled 60 transports. The
CAD data only captured the time the transport request was made (‘Received’) and the
time the transport detail was ‘cleared’. Since the County Jail is only about a mile from
DPD, it is reasonable to estimate that the actual transport detail itself would take between
one to two hours, depending on the number of prisoners transported.
An evaluation of the CAD data for the 60 transport details showed that the ‘total time on
call’ (from ‘Received’ time to ‘Cleared’ time) ranged between a low of 29 minutes and a
high of 23 hours and 33 minutes, with an average ‘time on call’ of nine (9) hours and
51 minutes. The median of this data was 12 hours and one (1) minute. Even with a
generous actual transport detail time of two hours, that means the average time the
transport detail request was ‘pending’ for Patrol to respond was almost eight (8) hours.
This data is a relatively small sample size and should be re-evaluated in the future with a
larger sample size.
With the acquisition of a prisoner transport van in the near future, along with increased
staffing in Jail Operations, an option of Jail personnel handling transports should be
explored. This option would require additional training and equipment for the DO’s
handling transport details. The transport detail would be dependent on daily staffing and
at the discretion of the LDO. The trade-off of the additional training and equipment for
DO’s handling transport would be the much timelier transporting of prisoners out of the
DPD facility and allowing Patrol Officers more time to be available to handle CFS or
engage in proactive activities.
(2) Jail Staffing
The following table shows the current staffing model for Jail Operations. This table reflects
the staffing when the unit was budgeted for three LDO’s and seven DO’s (although only
six DO positions were filled by fully trained officers).
Current Jail Staffing
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Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
LDO 0600-1400 OFF OFF 0600-1400 0600-1400 0600-1400 0600-1400
DO OFF 0600-1400 0600-1400 0600-1400 0600-1400 0600-1400 OFF
DO 0600-1400 0600-1400 0600-1400 OFF OFF 0600-1400 0600-1400
LDO 1400-2200 OFF OFF 1400-2200 1400-2200 1400-2200 1400-2200
DO 1400-2200 1400-2200 1400-2200 1400-2200 1400-2200 OFF OFF
DO 1400-2200 1400-2200 1400-2200 OFF OFF 1400-2200 1400-2200
Vacant 1400-2200 1400-2200 1400-2200 OFF OFF 1400-2200 1400-2200
LDO 2200-0600 OFF OFF 2200-0600 2200-0600 2200-0600 2200-0600
DO 2200-0600 2200-0600 2200-0600 2200-0600 2200-0600 OFF OFF
DO 2200-0600 2200-0600 2200-0600 OFF OFF 2200-0600 2200-0600
Vacant 2200-0600 2200-0600 2200-0600 OFF OFF 2200-0600 2200-0600
Staffing
0700-1500 2 2 2 2 2 3 2
1500-2300 3 2 2 2 2 2 2
2300-0700 3 2 2 2 2 2 2
Total Hours 64 48 48 48 48 56 48
With the current staffing model, a majority of the shifts are covered by two (2) personnel.
This makes scheduled staffing equivalent to the current minimum staffing levels, therefore
any leaves taken by personnel (sick leave, vacation, training, etc.), automatically creates
overtime (except for the Swing and Graveyard shifts on Saturdays). This is a significant
contributor to the fact that in 2019, over 1,800 hours of overtime was spent just to cover
minimum staffing levels. Therefore, the decision to increase DO staffing to 10 was
justifiable, and would have been recommended in this report , if the increase had not
already occurred.
With the increased staffing of DO’s, a couple of staffing scenarios are explored in the
following tables. The first table shows a staffing model continuing with eight -hour shifts.
Also, of note in the following tables is the modification of one of the ‘DO’ positions to
‘A/LDO’. This indicates an “Acting Lead Detention Officer” position. With the current
staffing and schedule, if an LDO does not work a scheduled shift, the shift is run without
supervision. Consistent with industry best practices, one officer must be a supervisor as
it is always necessary to have a supervisor on -duty as part of prudent risk management
for the employees, the Department and the City. The proposed “Acting Lead Detention
Officer” position would be akin to a Corporal position on Patrol, utilized by many police
departments to act as a supervisor in the absence of a Sergeant. Creating A/LDO
positions would also give the department flexibility in covering LDO overtime.
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Modified 8-Hour Schedule
Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
LDO 0700-1500 OFF OFF 0700-1500 0700-1500 0700-1500 0700-1500
A/LDO OFF 0700-1500 0700-1500 0700-1500 0700-1500 0700-1500 OFF
DO 0700-1500 0700-1500 0700-1500 OFF OFF 0700-1500 0700-1500
DO 0700-1500 0700-1500 0700-1500 0700-1500 OFF OFF 0700-1500
DO 1500-2300 1500-2300 OFF OFF 0700-1700 0700-1500 1500-2300
LDO 1500-2300 1500-2300 1500-2300 OFF OFF 1500-2300 1500-2300
A/LDO 1500-2300 1500-2300 1500-2300 1500-2300 1500-2300 OFF OFF
DO OFF OFF 1500-2300 1500-2300 1500-2300 1500-2300 1500-2300
DO 1500-2300 OFF OFF 1500-2300 1500-2300 1500-2300 1500-2300
LDO 2300-0700 OFF OFF 2300-0700 2300-0700 2300-0700 2300-0700
A/LDO 2300-0700 2300-0700 2300-0700 2300-0700 2300-0700 OFF OFF
DO 2300-0700 2300-0700 2300-0700 OFF OFF 2300-0700 2300-0700
DO 2300-0700 2300-0700 2300-0700 OFF OFF 2300-0700 2300-0700
Staffing
0700-1500 3 3 3 3 3 4 3
1500-2300 4 3 3 3 3 3 4
2300-0700 4 3 3 2 2 3 3
Total Hours 88 72 72 64 64 80 80
With this modified eight-hour schedule, there are only two (2) shifts that are staffed at the
current minimum staffing level. Staffing is fairly consistent across the week, with the
heaviest staffing occurring on Thursday Day shift, Friday and Saturday Swing shifts and
Graveyard shift on Saturday. The current schedule is most heavily staffed on Saturdays,
presumably based on workload data. The data in this report indicates that Sundays have
a slightly higher workload than Saturdays, but this data is only a three -month snapshot
and should be reviewed after a full 12-months’ worth of data is available. Therefore, this
model maintains Saturday as the heaviest staffed day of the week.
It should be noted that the fourth DO position on Day Shift works split shifts – two Day
Shifts and three Swing Shifts. This allows for coverage across both of those shifts to
cover days off. The largest operational challenge for this would be supervision, but this
type of scheduling is not uncommon in law enforcement and requires coordination
between the two LDO’s.
With the addition of the A/LDO positions, this schedule also builds in 24/7 supervision
coverage.
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The hours of the 8-hour model were reviewed, and the modified hour breakdown provides
the most equitable workload between the shifts. The workload breakdown is as follows:
• 0700-1500 hours – 35.8%
• 1500-2300 hours – 35.2%
• 2300-0700 hours – 29.0%
The workload breakdown for the current 8-hour model is as follows:
• 0600-1400 hours – 40.8%
• 1600-2400 hours – 32.9%
• 2400-0800 hours – 26.3%
The following table shows a 10-hour schedule with the new staffing, including the A/LDO
positions.
10-Hour Schedule
Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
LDO 0700-1700 OFF OFF OFF 0700-1700 0700-1700 0700-1700
A/LDO OFF 0700-1700 0700-1700 0700-1700 0700-1700 OFF OFF
DO 0700-1700 0700-1700 0700-1700 0700-1700 OFF OFF OFF
DO 0700-1700 OFF OFF OFF 0700-1700 0700-1700 0700-1700
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LDO 1400-2400 1400-2400 1400-2400 OFF OFF OFF 1400-2400
A/LDO OFF OFF OFF 1200-2200 1200-2200 1200-2200 1200-2200
DO 1200-2200 1200-2200 1200-2200 OFF OFF OFF 1200-2200
DO 1700-0300 OFF OFF OFF 1700-0300 1700-0300 1700-0300
DO OFF 1700-0300 1700-0300 1700-0300 1700-0300 OFF OFF
LDO 2100-0700 2100-0700 2100-0700 2100-0700 OFF OFF OFF
A/LDO 2100-0700 OFF OFF OFF 2100-0700 2100-0700 2100-0700
DO 2100-0700 2100-0700 OFF OFF OFF 2100-0700 2100-0700
DO OFF 2100-0700 2100-0700 2100-0700 2100-0700 OFF OFF
Staffing
0700-1200 3 2 2 2 3 2 2
1200-1700 4.5 3.5 3.5 3 4 3 4.5
1700-2100 3 3 3 2 3 2 4
2100-0300 4.5 4.5 3.5 3 4 3 3.5
0300-0700 3 3 2 2 2 2 2
Total Hours 90 80 70 60 80 60 80
With this 10-hour schedule, there are 12 four-hour blocks that are staffed at the current
minimum staffing level, with five of those occurring during the early morning hours of 0300
to 0700 hours. Staffing is heaviest on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In this
model, there are 11 time periods that go over staffing of three personnel.
With the addition of the A/LDO positions, this schedule also builds in 24/7 supervision
coverage.
Several things should be noted in this model. First is that two of the A/LDO and DO’s
assigned to Swing Shift work 1200 to 2200 hours and the other two work 1700 to 0300
hours. This allows for coverage across both Day and Graveyard shifts to cover days off.
As stated previously, the largest operational challenge fo r this would be supervision.
Second is that the Swing Shift LDO works a ‘split shift’ of 1400 to 2400 hours. This not
only allows coverage across both Day and Graveyard shifts, but this allows overlap with
the other LDO’s two to three days a week. Having overlapping coverage amongst the
LDO’s allows them time to handle administrative duties while another LDO is on -duty.
The overlap also allows greater communication between LDO’s, which also assists with
the supervision issue of the Swing Shift DO’s.
With the newly increased staffing in Jail Operations, the modified 8 -hour schedule and
the 10-hour schedule should be explored for optimum staffing coverage. Both models
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have their ‘pros’ and ‘cons’. The 8-hour shift model provides more consistent cove rage,
with only two (2) shifts going down to two (2) staff. The 10-hour shift model has more
time frames that go down to two (2) personnel, but provides increased staffing during
busier time frames (1200-1700 hours, and 2100-0300 hours). This model also provides
occasional overlap time for LDO’s, which would allow one of them to focus on
administrative matters.
A factor impacting the decision between the two models would be if DPD gave
consideration to increasing minimum staffing, during certain hours of the day, from two
(2) to three (3). That decision should take into account not only basic raw workload
(bookings and releases), but also security concerns.
Two of those main concerns would center around the arraignment process and the
average inmate population. Arraignments take place seven days a week, anywhere
between 0800-1500 hours. The arraignment process itself could be modified to lessen
security concerns (one or two inmates arraigned at a time), but it is unknown if the
Municipal Court Judge would be willing to change from one mass arraignment to four (4)
to seven (7) separate arraignments. Another option would be physical security changes
within the facility, but that might prove to be cost-prohibitive. With an average daily inmate
population of slightly above eight (8), the inmate to DO ratio of 4:1 is consistent with the
nationwide averages of 4.2:111. With the average daily maximum population at 16, that
inmate to DO ratio of 8:1 is nearly twice the national average.
Unfortunately, there is no current system to track inmate population by hour, which would
allow evaluation of when the average and high inmate to DO ratios occurs, and assist in
evaluating staffing needs and scheduling. The current jail management softwar e system
should be evaluated to determine if it can capture this data or if another system can be
developed.
Recommendations:
Ill the vacant Jail Manager to manage Detention Services.
In order to transport prisoners in a timelier fashion and reduce the workload of
Patrol, explore training Detention Services staff to handle prisoner transports when
staffing and workload allows.
11 Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Studies, Inmates in 2018 (Summary
NCJ253044), March 2020
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Re-classify three (3) Detention Officers to Acting Lead Detention Officers positions,
for a total of six (6) positions. This would allow supervisory coverage 24/7, and
provide flexibility in covering the Lead Detention Officers vacant shifts.
Evaluate the modified 8-hour and 10-hour shift models for optimum staffing
coverage, in conjunction with minimum staffing evaluation.
Identify a system that captures the hourly inmate population, which would assist
in evaluation of staffing levels and scheduling.
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4. Administrative Services Bureau
The Administrative Services Bureau oversees three functional areas including the:
• Fiscal Management Division
• Records Management Divisions
• Technology
1. Fiscal Management Division
Financial Management is comprised of three staff including an Administrative Supervisor
supported by two Administrative Assistants. The Administrative Supervisor manages the
division and its two staff, but also performs functional finance work. The Supervisor is
responsible for administering the department’s payroll system from processing biweekly
payroll, to processing adjustments, and verifying time and pay variables. The position is
also responsible for processing changes to personnel records, including when new
employees are onboarded, terminations, and other miscellaneous changes to personnel
records.
The two Administrative Assistants report to the Supervisor, but perform different work.
One Administrative Assistant is responsible for administering accounts payable for the
department in accordance with business requirements of City Finance. The individual is
responsible for managing the department’s P -Card program, compiling and reviewing all
P-Card reconciliations, orders and purchases supplies for the department, fills out
purchasing requisitions, processes travel expenditures from department staff (excluding
the Criminal Investigations Division), deposits checks, and other miscellaneous tasks.
The second Administrative Assistant provides clerical support to the Criminal
Investigations Division, including county e-filing of police reports, processing of travel
expenditures, and processing validation letters for stolen vehicles and firearms. Other
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tasks include processing funeral escort billings, vehicle tow billings, and other
miscellaneous clerical support.
In addition, although the Assistant Director oversees the whole Administrative Services
Bureau, the incumbent also works with the Fiscal Management Division to administer
core financial and budget functions for the department.
(1) Management and Span of Control
According to the Assistant Director’s job specification, the position is a part of the
department’s executive team responsible for directing, coordinating and managing the
Administrative Services Bureau. Although the position is recognized as a high -level
management position, in practice, the incumbent directly performs a range of functional
work including:
• Developing the department’s annual budget
• Preparing financial reports
• Procurement support
• Grant management
• Position control management
• Serving as the department’s civilian, non-sworn hiring manager
Many of these tasks are procedural budget, accounting or administrative work
conventionally assigned to subordinate staff in a finance office, but due to the minimal
administrative staffing arrangement, the Assistant Director must absorb these duties.
(2) Payroll Internal Controls
In August 2019, the Denton City Auditor published an audit of overtime practices in the
Police Department identifying how there is heightened risk over payroll due to an
insufficient segregation of duties. The segregation of duties concept is a risk management
tool to prevent a single individual from having both access to assets and the responsibility
for maintaining such assets, whether physical or electronic. Generally, the three
incompatible duties are:
• Custody of assets
• Ability to authorize the use of assets
• Recordkeeping of assets
In the Fiscal Management Division, the Administrative Supervisor is responsible for
preparing payroll, reconciling payroll records and authorizing payroll, including overtime
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and adjustments. This current arrangement elevates the risk of fraud or waste since one
individual maintains the ability to prepare and adjust the payroll records while also serving
as the approver or authorizer of payroll. The City Auditor recommended separating these
duties, but staff have been unable to implement this recommendation due to minimal
staffing and capacity in the division.
(3) Creating Greater Capacity for the Future
From 2013 through 2019, the City of Denton experienced a 15 percent growth in
population from over 123,000 residents to over 141,000 residents, and continues to
anticipate major growth through 2030 with a planned population of over 200,000. As
Denton continues to expand into a larger community, the expectations and demands of
the police department will also continue to grow. Although there will likely be some
stagnation in growth from the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy and community will
inevitably rebound and this should not hinder the department from planning for the future.
With the planned growth of the city, the police department will increasingly require the
capacity for management analytics including expanded budgeting and financial analy sis,
operational assessments to help prioritize the deployment of resources and
organizational planning, including evaluating projected staffing, equipment, technology,
and other resource needs. The Denton Police Department currently does not employ any
analytical position that focuses on organizational analysis.
As the economy rebounds from the current pandemic and resulting economic impacts,
the department should plan within two fiscal years to adopt a Management Analyst or
Budget Analyst type job classification that can assist with these operational assessments.
A Management or Budget Analyst may also assume some of the roles from the Assistant
Director, such as procurement support or financial reporting and serve as an additional
approver or reviewer in the payroll process to mitigate internal control issues.
Recommendation:
The department should plan to adopt a Management or Budget Analyst position
within the next two fiscal years to create greater capacity for management analytics
and organizational planning.
2. Records Management Division
The Records Management Division is responsible for managing the department’s records
management systems, processes and archives police records and manages the Denton
Police Department’s front counter and general call line. The Records office conventionally
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operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week; however, due to the finan cial and
operational impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, public hours are being modified to 8am
to 5pm beginning June 1, 2020, with staff working from 7am to 6pm.
The Records Management Division is currently managed by a Records Supervisor,
supported by a Records Lead who oversees the day-to-day functional work carried out
by the Records Technicians. The Records Lead position was created during Fiscal Year
2017-18, not just to assist the Supervisor in managing the division, but to focus on
creating policies and procedures for all Records functions and to improve staff training.
Although this increase in supervision is a relatively new arrangement, the incumbent in
the Records Supervisor role is participating in a citywide voluntary separation program
related to stabilizing the city’s financial condition impacted by the COVID -19 pandemic.
The current Supervisor incumbent is set to separate on June 19, 2020, which will result
in the Records Lead being promoted, and the subsequent elimination of the Lead position.
There are currently 10 budgeted positions for Records Technicians; however, one
Technician is also participating in the voluntary separation program, of which total
budgeted staffing will be reduced to nine Records Technicians on June 19, 2020 once
that incumbent separates from the city.
The Records Technician staffing structure is relatively new as a reorganization occurred
in Fiscal Year 2018-19. Prior, there were seven Duty Officers responsible for managing
the front counter and answering the phones, while seven Records Technicians focused
on core records management responsibilities. During the reorganization, the Duty Officers
were removed, and the positions were reclassified into Records Technicians, with the
goal of all Records Technicians being able to be cross trained to operate all services from
managing the front counter and phones, to processing records responsibilities.
Records Technicians largely share in the same functional work of managing the front
desk and all the forms, permits and reque sts filed through the front counter, answering
incoming calls and processing other police records, including scanning and archiving
records. With the current office structure, six of the technicians cooperate in the
aforementioned shared office work (eventually five when the one technician leaves as a
part of the voluntary separation program), while three technicians are focused on state
reporting, and one technician is dedicated to managing open records request.
First, we estimate that five full-time equivalent employees are required to administer the
shared office work based on 2019 workload measures and estimate d turnaround times
to administer each assignment.
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2019 Workload Measures for Shared Records Functions
Activity Annual
Workload
Est. Time to
Complete (Mins)
Annual Time
Required (Mins)
Incoming Mail Processed 4,436 5 22,180
Alarms invoiced/Mailed 3,840 5 19,200
Emails 3,176 5 15,880
CRIS review 4,221 5 21,105
Faxes Incoming/outgoing 1,593 5 7,965
Records Calls Incoming/Outgoing 44,798 7 313,586
Register - Accidents 3,675 9 33,075
Register - Offense Reports 809 15 12,135
Register - Alarms 3,608 7 25,256
Register - Background 277 15 4,155
Register - Jail logs/arrests 3,797 7 26,579
Register - Rad Class 5 5 25
Register - Tow 125 10 1,250
Register - Miscellaneous 1,124 10 11,240
Total Time in Minutes 513,631
Total Time in Hours 8,561
Estimated Annual Net Availability per Staff (Hours) 1,690
Estimated FTE Required 5.07
This calculation for staffing required to administer the shared records functions does not
include the following factors which also consume staff time:
• State Reporting: Due to the amount of effort required to continually manage the
departments records to comply with state reporting requirements, management did
not estimate an average turnaround time per report, but instead emphasized that
three full-time staff are currently dedicated to reviewing and validating these
records, but the department is still behind. As of the end of May 2020, the division
was just submitting reports for January 2020, and there were at least 4,500 reports
in backlog to review.
• Archiving: Records staff are also responsible for monitoring record retention and
purging requirements. The division currently has a backroom containing numerous
boxes of records that need to be scanned and archived, containing possibly
thousands of documents.
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• Public Records: In 2019, there were 1,150 records requests filed through the
Records Management Division. Due to the variation and complexity in processing
each request, we did not estimate an average turnaround time to process e ach
request. Instead, we note that one technician is dedicated full-time to processing
records requests, with the part-time support of a second technician who handles
records requests when the primary technician is out of the office. Therefore, public
records also impact the availability of at least one other technician who supports
the shared records functions when diverted to support public records.
• Training: Due to the recent implementation of a new Records Management
System, the division is still training staff on how to work with the new system, as
well as more exhaustive training for a couple technicians that were hired in the
past year.
Based on measurable workload, five technicians are needed just to manage shared
records functions and the current arrangement for managing public records is feasible as
the department has not encountered any significant compliance issues. While three
technicians can maintain the status quo with state reporting being a few months behind,
an additional technician would help the division finish state reporting in a timelier manner.
Overall, the division should be optimally staffed with 11 technicians to increase capacity
to expedite state reporting and maintain service levels for the other shared records
functions. We understand that with the COVID-19 pandemic related economic impacts
and the resulting citywide voluntary separation program, the division is planned to
permanently lose a technician. With nine full-time technicians, the division may be able
to temporarily maintain service levels due to the assumed reduction in police activity from
the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and therefore assumed reduction in records
responsibilities, but as the state and community continue to “re-open” post-pandemic
shelter-in-place orders, the division is likely to continue to fall behind in its reporting and
records management as service demands rebound. With the cost savings from the
eventual elimination of the Records Lead, the department should at a minimum reinstate
the tenth Records Technician in the next year as the economy begins to rebound to
mitigate the division from falling behind in its workload.
In addition, even with the prior 10 budgeted full-time technicians, the division maintained
its significant backlog of physical records that require scanning and archiving. The
department should hire temporary, part-time help to assist with the one-time project of
clearing the backlog of records that need to be archived.
Recommendation:
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The department should reinstate the tenth Records Technician in the next fiscal
year to at least mitigate the backlog of records activities.
The department should hire a temporary, part-time position to administer the one-
time project of clearing the backlog of records that need to be scanned and
archived.
3. Information Technology
The Denton Police Department does not deploy its own information technology division
but relies largely on the City Technology Services Department; however, the department
does employ a Business Information Analyst to manage its technology budget and serve
as a partner and liaison with City Technology Services in overseeing the police
department’s needs.
The position is responsible for managing the City’s Public Safety Project budget within
the City’s Technology Services Fund, which includes the City’s technology budget for fire,
police, and dispatch. Duties include monitoring expenditures, preparing the annual budget
and associated financial reports, collaborating on technology related contracts and RFPs,
and serving as a project manager when planning for and implementing new public safety
technology projects.
The incumbent also serves as the primary administrator for the department’s mobile ticket
writing devices, including managing the inventory, troubleshooting issues reported by
patrol officers, and coordinating with the vendor when maintenance or replacement is
needed.
Other typical information technology support, such as supporting laptops or desktops, is
provided by the City Technology Services Department, not the Business Information
Analyst.
In Fiscal Year 2019-20, the Public Safety Project budget included eight police related
projects with a cumulative budget of almost $1.6 million. A summary of these projects in
presented in the following table.
Police Related Public Safety IT Projects for FY 2019-20
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Project Budget Status
Public Safety System Software/Maintenance $635,733 Ongoing
AT&T FirstNet/LTE Data Connectivity $227,877 Ongoing
MDC Replacement Project $168,000 Ongoing
Axon Fleet In-Car Video System $365,000 Anticipated August 2020
Axon Body Cam License and Storage Renewal $130,100 Completed
SpidrTech Public Communication Application $23,000 In Progress
Amazon Storage $13,000 Ongoing
CASA Radar System $15,000 Completed
Total $1,577,710
Since City Technology Services serves a major role in leading technology projects, most
of the initial impact of planning and rolling out technology projects falls outside of the
department.
(1) Technology Strategic Planning
In 2017, the National Institute for Justice funded a national survey to understand the
impact of technology on nationwide policing strategies which found minimal relationship
between the policing strategies applied in law enforcement agencies and the use of
different technological tools, with the exception of large agencies that deploy technology
to align with specific policing strategies (such as a community policing or intelligence-led
policing model). This is notable in the Denton Police Department as there is no
documented guiding police philosophy that specifically incorporates how technology and
other tools or resources are used to deploy and administer police activities.
In lieu of a department specific technology strategic plan, some law enforcement agencies
may incorporate their technology plans with larger strategic goals, such as in a citywide
strategic plan. The City of Denton last updated its Strategic Plan for Fiscal Year 2018-19.
The Goal 1.5 section of the city’s strategic plan addresses citywide technology goals, of
which only one goal addresses police technology, that being the upgrade of the CAD
system. The Strategic Plan document is also very broad, and does not present detail on
the funding, implementation, or specific objectives of each goal.
Law enforcement agencies are continually investing in new technologies to meet
community expectations, and to streamline administrative and operational efficiencies.
Without a technology strategic plan, there is an inherent risk of waste due to inadequate
planning. For example, there is a nationwide trend of law enforcement agencies
integrating their reporting writing, records management, and CAD systems to streamline
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data and records management, which may achieve a greater scale of cost and
operational efficiency than updating or integrating individual systems in a patchwork
manner. In addition, when agencies invest in new tools, such as body worn cameras or
unmanned aerial vehicles, successful rollouts require significant preplanning including
policy and procedure development, training, and internal control systems for promoting
the appropriate use and safeguarding of these tools.
As the Denton Police Department continues to invest in department specific technology,
the Business Information Analyst should work with City Technology Services to develop
a Police Technology Strategic Plan that outlines anticipated technology needs for the
police department and incorporates feedback from the community, city management, and
operational units of the department. The plan should discuss how proposed technology
investments will improve operational deficiencies or increase required or desired service
levels; outline estimated start-up and ongoing costs; and initial plans for how each
program or project will be effectively managed. The strategic plan should project desired
goals for the next three to five years so technology planning can be considered beyond
the annual budget process. Understanding that there may be limited resources from the
economic impacts of the 2020 pandemic and related shelter-in-place orders, the
department may more effectively achieve this goal by hiring a one -time technical
consultant or temporary, part-time employee to perform this strategic planning.
Recommendation:
The department should work with City Technology Services to develop a three to
five-year technology strategic plan to better plan and manage the implementation
of new tools and systems.
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5. Office of the Chief
1. Analysis of Media Relations Unit
The Media Relations Unit is staffed with two personnel. In the past, this unit was
comprised of two sworn officers, but within the past year the unit has been reconfigured
to comprise of one sworn officer and one civilian. Both positions report directly to th e
Chief.
• Serves as the public information officer for the DPD
• Primary tasks include handling media requests, social media platforms, plan
department outreach events, assist in major community initiatives, produce
internal newsletters, provide information for local newspaper daily blotter,
producing posters and flyers distributed to the community, prepare press releases,
work with the city’s Public Affairs department
• Maintains, monitors, and provides timely response for the Department’s social
media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
• Primarily work Monday – Friday, but alternate being on-call from Thursday at 1700
hours until the following Thursday at 1700 hours
When the project team conducted the initial interviews, there were no formal workload
distribution or set task responsibilities. Since then, there ha s been a more formal division
of responsibilities established. As far as the quantity of the work performed by the unit,
there is no formal tracking system in place to quantify the amount of work being done.
Both members of the unit receive formal media trainin g (FBI – LEEDA), but aside from
them there are only a handful of members of the department that have received formal
training in this area. A majority of the Command Staff have not received formal training
in media relations. When a significant operational event occurs, whomever is on-call
would be designated to deal with media requests, including on -camera interviews. Based
on the project team’s experience, when dealing with an operational incident, on -scene
media requests are preferably handled by unif ormed, sworn personnel. One aspect is
the public perception of having a person in uniform speaking to and answering questions
about a critical incident that is on-going or has just occurred. The other aspect is having
the tactical and/or investigative experience of knowing what should, and should not, be
released to the public for the integrity of the investigation or the safety of the incident. By
having all of Command Staff (Lieutenants and above) trained in media relations would
ensure that a sworn/uniformed member of CPD (if the Media Relations sworn officer is
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not on-call) could handle on-scene media requests at a critical, operational incident.
Subsequent follow-up media requests can be handled by the Media Relations Unit, at the
direction of the Chief.
Staff estimate that 40% of the unit’s workload is spent dealing with the press, while the
remaining 60% of the workload consists of social media, community initiatives,
department outreach events, etc. If this breakdown is fairly accurate, having t he unit
staffed with one civilian and one sworn officer provides an appropriate mix of knowledge,
experience and expertise. Based on the list of tasks handled, it appears this unit is
appropriately staffed, although a comprehensive system that can track the actual volume
of work the unit performs is needed in order to make more accurate staffing analysis and
decisions in the future.
Recommendations:
Provide formal media relations training to all of Command Staff (Lieutenants and
above) in order to be able to handle on-scene media requests at an operational
incident.
Develop a system that is capable of capturing the volume of work performed by the
Media Relations Unit so that workload analysis can be evaluated in the future.
Maintain the Media Relations Unit composition of one sworn officer and one
civilian.
2. Accreditation
The Accreditation Unit is administered by a civilian Accreditation & Compliance Specialist.
His primary task has been to prepare the Department for initial accreditation by the Texas
Police Chief’s Association (TPCA) in 2020.
Additional and related tasks accomplished have included: working internally with the
Recruiting Unit and also externally to improve the fairness in promotions and selection for
specialty assignments; conducted community focus groups to obtain input from members
of the public and other stakeholders regarding DPD practices. Some of the internal efforts
included: developing a comprehensive training plan, focus groups for different work units
and various training classes (e.g. sexual harassment).
Achieving accreditation is an elective process to demonstrate that an agency is committed
to implementing contemporary best practices in policing and a continual process
improvement. There are no legal requirements to achieve accreditation or employ an
accreditation manager. The Denton Police Department has decided to commit to
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accreditation to thoroughly review all policies, standards and orders to improve the
organization and develop a process for continual improvement and compliance with the
TPCA standards in the future. The Accreditation Specialist oversees this preparation,
review and compliance process. He also must maintain the proofs as a part of the
accreditation process.
Denton PD received an initial contract with the Texas Police Chief’s Ass ociation Agency
Recognition Program in April 2020 to officially begin the “Recognition Program”
(accreditation process). This process is overseen and managed by the Accreditation and
Compliance Specialist and the DPD’s TPCA Agency Recognition Program Manager. The
initial onsite assessment has been completed. The Department is currently collecting and
supplying TPCA with the proofs of compliance required. This process involves regular
meetings with the Chief, Executive Team, and various units and individ uals within the
Department.
To achieve Recognized Status (accredited status) DPD must show, electronically and
during a final onsite assessment, compliance with 168 required best practices within 24
months of the contract start date. The initial recognition period is for four years from the
date DPD is approved for Recognition. After initial recognition, the PD must apply for Re-
Recognition following the TPCA schedule and continue to show compliance every year.
The project team supports this accreditation as it focuses the organization to regularly
and routinely evaluate its policies and procedures to ensure that law enforcement best
practices are implemented and followed throughout the organization.
3. Community Resource Unit
Denton PD has two Officers assigned as Community Resource Officers (CRO) that work
out of the Chief’s Office. Their primary task is “community outreach” in a wide variety of
forms and work responsibilities. They have worked proactively to develop, foster and
maintain relationships with various individuals and community groups – including
churches, synagogues and other faith communit ies, schools, businesses, homeowner
associations, city coalitions and any other group that is interested in working with Denton
PD. They work in partnership with community groups to dialog, exchange information,
educate and deal with chronic law enforcement -related problems. They also work with
other agencies (e.g., Code Enforcement) as needed and respond to community
complaints.
The CROs are involved in many tasks, activities and groups, including:
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• Working with the SROs to engage students with events such as Midnight Hoops
where police officers play basketball with teenagers at night
• Crime Prevention education talks at businesses and homes (average of 3 hours
per week); civilian response to active shooter incidents
• Homeowner Association Meetings (Sundown Ranch, Forrest Ridge) and
retirement home meetings (Ropes & Ranch)
• Denton Together Coalition – working with community activists, churches, Texas
Women’s College and North Texas University representatives
• Health & Safety Fairs – Peterbuilt, Home Depot, Lowes
• Special Events – State of the City, Saffron Fair, National Night Out, Art & Jazz
Festival, Holiday Lighting at the Square, Cinco de Mayo, Juneteenth, Pride parade,
North Texas State Fair, MLK parade
• CP Conference – a faith based organization and business sponsored for
networking, safety information sharing, community coordination
• Citizen’s Police Academy – one night per week for 12 weeks
• Neighborhood Empowerment Advisory Board – working with Denton leaders to
provide grants to improve the City
• 100 Club – service club to support law enforcement officers
• Coffee with a Cop
• Chamber of Commerce – Hospitality Roundup quarterly event
• Police Department volunteers
These are many, but not all of the events and groups the CROs work at or with. The
community support process is multi-dimensional in Denton that may involve other PD
resources or representatives depending on the issue or need. The CROs play a valuable
role in the community, working on many fronts to develop relationships and make DPD
more transparent to the community.
As they report to the Assistant Chief they may be tasked to work on new issues or
problems in the community. This is beneficial as it can cut through levels of bureaucracy
that exist even in medium size police organizations. However, some aspects of some
CRO tasks overlap with other work units in the PD – the Downtown Units regarding
homeless issues and the Special Projects Unit (the Special Events Officer) for special
events. There is nothing inherently problematic with this, but it is important there is good
coordination and communication between the different work units and clarity of lead
responsibility for the different events or functions.
The staffing of this unit is discretionary and dependent upon the breadth and volume of
tasks assigned. The two Officers assigned clearly keep busy with all of the duties they
have and if staff were added they would very likely stay busy as well as long as they
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initiated most of their work. That being said the project team believes the current staffing
level of two Officers is appropriate for Denton.
Recommendation:
Ensure cooperation and communication between the CROs, Special Projects Unit
and the Downtown Units through formal or informal information sharing and a
quarterly meeting.
4. Crime Analysis
The Crime Analysis Unit is staffed with two Crime Analysts that report to the Assistant
Chief. The primary tasks of this Unit are:
• Read all crime reports for M.O. information; validate crime classification
• Conduct routine analysis of crimes that have occurred, obtaining information from
DPD computer systems to produce regular and special statistics, charts, reports.
• Produce a Friday Crime Bulletin, provide a series of reports for the Chief’s monthly
“Denton Stat” meeting with staff, a monthly report to the City.
• Provide officer safety information, investigative case support and respond to Open
Records requests.
This Unit supports the department’s overall community and problem -oriented policing
philosophies by applying “Compstat” style and other data -driven analyses to solve and
reduce crime. The CAU also spends a significant amount of time producing analytical
reports for ad hoc requests from department managers for specific projects. They also
provide a significant amount of investigative analysis for Detectives as requested.
At a high level, the Crime Analysts estimated the amount of time required for the following
tasks (for the time period January – May 2020 and averaged for the two Analysts):
• 40% working with the new CAD/RMS system (including learning reporting
functions to extract data)
• 12.5% on data cleaning and analysis, including researching and identifying data
elements, and developing data models
• 15% supporting investigations
• 15% on Patrol operational analysis
• 7.5% is spent on administrative ad-hoc reports from PD management, City Council
or City Management
• 5% supporting Compstat analysis
• 5% on open records requests
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Workload in the Crime Analysis Unit is not tracked in a specifically measurable way, so
these are best estimates from staff on the allocation of their time, which may fluctuate on
a regular basis based on the public safety environment and priorities from management.
The new CAD/RMS system implemented in December 2019 has required most of the
time from one Crime Analyst in system development, preparation and transition. The time
demand for this function should decrease over the next six months.
One industry benchmark used in evaluating how many analysts are needed in a crime
analysis unit, is to apply a ratio of one crime analyst for every 1,500 UCR Part I crim es
(International Association of Crime Analysts). Applying this ratio, Denton would need
about 2.5 FTE based on the last available data from 2018 as there were 3,667 Part I
crimes. Since the Crime Analysis Unit currently retains two full-time staff, this benchmark
ratio would indicate that the department is understaffed.
However, we note that this Crime Analysis Unit receives mixed direction in its workload
relative to the conventional expectations of a crime analysis unit. First, crime analysis
units are not conventionally tasked with performing a range of ad hoc management
information reports in the way that Denton’s unit is expected to perform. The Denton
Police Department does not employ any other management analyst type job classification
that might be more appropriately assigned these types of tasks.
Second, due to the department’s Community Oriented Policing philosophy, the Crime
Analysis Unit’s workload is primarily driven by initiatives from managers, Patrol,
Investigations and other work units.
Crime analysis is usually categorized into four types of analyses:
• Investigative (focused on single incidents)
• Tactical (focused on trends or patterns in small groups of incidents)
• Strategic (large clusters of incidents analyzed by geography or crime type)
• Administrative (high level analysis of crime trends by city, sector, or crime type)
Based on the Crime Analysis Unit’s current workload, they provide all of these functions ,
but a good portion of the analyses is focused on larger crime trend s in the city. The unit
provides Tactical and Investigative support as requested , but other workload tasks
comprise the major portion of their day that have limited more proactive analysis of crime
and trends. The workload demands over the last year have limited the ability to conduct
more Tactical and Investigative analytical work that focuses on an individual or small
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cluster of incidents or “hot spots” to help the department deploy its resources to actively
reduce and prevent trending crime.
If the department were to deploy more regular Tactical and Investigative analytical
support, the Crime Analysis Unit would need the capacity to conduct more complex
analytics. For example, instead of large-scale data analysis for Administrative and
Strategic analyses, Tactical and Investigative work requires additional information
gathering to produce case specific intelligence, such as:
• Community supplied information based on interviews or conversations gathered
from officers, investigators, specialized field units, or from tips proactively
submitted to the police department
• Other notes based on officer observations submitted in police reports and
investigative case files
• Scanning and analyzing social media and internet -based communications of
suspects or persons of interest
• Informant supplied information
• Notes from prisoner intake interviews or arrest records for suspects or persons of
interest in a case
Information gathered from these variables and others must also then be analyzed to
produce usable intelligence for active cases. In order to create the capacity for Tactical
or Investigative analyses, the department should budget for an additional Crime Analyst.
The CAU should also support necessary traffic accident and DWI analysis that can be
used by the traffic safety units. Economic loss due to traffic accidents exceeds that of
crime loss and should receive strategic analysis to increase the effectiveness of the City’s
traffic safety programs and efforts.
Based on the current workload and the non -traditional crime analysis tasks assigned to
the CAU (the variety of reports mentioned above), at least one other Crime Analyst is
required to perform traditional crime analysis functions. The implementation and
management of the CAD/RMS system has and still requires a significant amount of time
and is not related to crime analysis functions. The Department should develop a plan to
move CAD/RMS maintenance tasks to a technology person – either in the PD or in the
City.
In addition, should the Department increase the number of Crime Analysts, it should also
plan to budget for a Supervising Crime Analyst if/when the Unit is staffed with four people.
The supervisor will still be a working crime analyst (approximately 75% of his/her time),
but also direct and coordinate the work of the other analysts on a daily basis.
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Recommendations:
The department should budget for one additional Crime Analyst to focus on tactical
analysis.
The department should budget for a technology person within the PD or City and
move the responsibility for the CAD/RMS system management and maintenance
out of Crime Analysis.
The Crime Analysis Unit should also support traffic accident analysis.
5. Professional Standards Unit
Until 2020, the Professional Standards Unit was staffed with one Lieutenant and one
Investigator but is now staffed with two Investigators that report to the Assistant Chief.
One of the Investigators is new to the position as of June 2020. In the future it is possible
that one of the Investigator positions will be changed to a supervisor (Sergeant).
The Unit’s primary task is to receive personnel complaints and investigate alleged
employee misconduct as assigned by the Chief. The major cases are assigned to an IA
Investigator and the minor complaints are assigned to the Officer’s supervisor for
investigation. The unit is responsible for tracking all reports of misconduct and tracking
the complaints assigned to supervisors for completion.
The following are tasks assigned to Internal Affairs:
• Receives complaints
• Manages the IA Pro and Blue Team software programs used to track officer
performance metrics such as use of force, number of complaints, sick leave usage,
vehicle collisions and vehicle pursuits
• Conducts investigations on major complaints as assigned by the Chief
• Responds on an on-call basis to scenes of an OIS or any major uses of force and
conducts subsequent administrative review
• Reviews body worn camera footage and prepares any responsive documents or
data for Public Records Act requests and other requests related to Internal Affairs
• Tracks investigative process- policies, timelines and findings
• Conducts regular audits of the property room
• Routine reviews of use of force incidents, pursuits, K9 use and officer involved
accidents
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This list is not all inclusive of all tasks and does not contain all required meetings and
briefings, travel time or other elements involved with some tasks.
Personnel complaints are received by phone, referrals, e-mail, the PD website, front
counter kiosk and from supervisors. Forms are provided in English and Spanish. When
a complaint is received, the Assistant Chief decides if it will be investigated by the
person’s supervisor (minor complaints) or by the IA Unit (major issues). Complaints that
are initiated by a supervisor will typically be investigated by that supervisor. A
commendation program is also a part of the system and the Department seeks to
recognize and commend good conduct when reported by a member of the public, p eer
or a supervisor.
The Department uses the software program IA Pro and Blue Team to track all of the
complaints and other relevant data relating to performance as part of an ‘early warning’
system related to conduct areas of staff. All of the minor com plaints are assigned and
tracked by “Blue Team” and monitored by the IA Unit that tracks the complaint to ensure
that the investigation is completed and documented by the supervisor.
One issue with the Blue Team program is that there are not automatic a lerts if an action
is not completed in a few days or if the investigation itself is not completed in 30 days, 60
days, 90 days, etc. When an investigation is assigned it takes every person in the chain
of command to forward and/or receive it or it will stall. It requires proactive monitoring of
the process by the IA Unit to ensure a timely process and completion.
(1) Process Steps in an Internal Affairs Investigation
As stated above, complaints are received in a variety of ways and a decision is made who
is going to investigate the complaint. The cases that are assigned to the IA Unit involve
the following steps (not always in the order listed):
• Receive complaint, notification made to reporting party
• Contact/interview reporting party
• Notifications made to subject officer
• Interview witnesses and review evidence (body worn camera, other audio or digital
information, radio transmissions, CAD record, written documents, etc.)
• Interview subject officer
• Document investigation in a report, only factual information, no findings
• Findings or Review Board reviews report and makes findings on each allegation
(unfounded, not sustained, sustained, exonerated, policy failure)
• Disciplinary Review Board for cases where discipline will be imposed, Chief selects
a range of discipline to impose
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• Officer may appeal to Civil Service Board or alternately go to arbitration
• Reporting party notified of completion of investigation and findings
Texas law requires that personnel investigations be completed within 180 days from date
the complaint was made until completion of the investigation. Generally, DPD has been
able to meet this requirement, but with the current vacancy has struggled to meet the
deadline in some recent investigations.
Each of these tasks take a significant amount of time to complete, but actual time to
complete each task is not tracked. An investigation assigned to IA could take as few as
8-10 hours or over a hundred hours, depending on the severity of the allegation(s) and
complexity of the case.
Internal affairs investigations are categorized into the following types:
• Inquiry – a concern, question or complaint but after initial investigation no policy
or procedure violation occurred; documented to maintain a record of the issue.
• Administrative Investigation (now “Internal” and “External”) – a complaint
about personnel, policy or procedure. Recently the category has been separated
into “Internal” and “External” to differentiate whether the reporting party was a
member of the public or an employee (this category was added so there are very
few – they were previously all categorized as Administrative Investigations). For
2019 almost all of the “external” cases are listed in the “internal” case classification.
• Service Complaint – a complaint about the type, quality or timeliness of service
provided by DPD (e.g. a slow response time to a call) that is not intended to be
categorized as an internal affairs investigation. However, administrative errors
occurred where some supervisors (through Blue Team) entered conduct
allegations so they are included in the list for 2019 and 2020. The process has
been corrected so in the future any conduct allegations will be properly categorized
as an Administrative Investigation.
After the completion of the investigation, it is reviewed by the Discipline Review Board
(which includes the Police Chief) who makes the “findings” decision. The “findings” used
by Denton PD are:
• Exonerated
• Sustained
• Not Sustained
• Within Policy
• Unfounded
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• Complete – no findings made
Cases may have several separate allegations that were investigated and a finding is
made for each separate allegation.
(2) Recent Workload for Internal Affairs Investigations
The IA Unit processed 182 cases in 2019 and approximately 145 of these cases were
investigated by the IA Unit. The following table shows the number of investigations that
were completed in 2019 and in 2020 (through June 24).
Type of Investigation 2019 2020 (thru 6/24)
Service Complaint
Exonerated 9 5
Not Sustained 3 1
Sustained 8 ----5----5--
Unfounded 1 3
Complete 4 1
No Data Entered 4 --
Sub-Total 29 10
Inquiry
Unfounded 1 --
Complete 7 --
No Data Entered 3 --
Sub-Total 11 0
External Admin. Investigation (new)
Exonerated -- 2
Sustained 1 2
Unfounded 1 2
Complete -- 1
Sub-Total 2 7
Internal Admin. Investigation
Exonerated 20 7
Not Sustained 7 3
Sustained 79 36
Unfounded 8 3
Within Policy 1 --
Complete 13 8
No Data Entered 12 --
Sub-Total 140 57
Total 182 74
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It is estimated that the IA Unit is assigned approximately 70% of the 182 cases
investigated by DPD – which is approximately 145 investigations for the year. The exact
number of investigations conducted by the IA Unit is not known as the assigned
investigator is not listed in IA Pro system. It is also possible that the actual number of
cases for 2019 is lower than listed due to multiple allegations of one case being listed in
the IA Pro system. The project team recommends the IA Unit track the number of
individual case investigations and also the number of separate allegations in each case.
A report should be provided to the Chief that shows the number of complaints received,
the number of investigations conducted, the total number of allegations investigated and
the individual findings for each allegation (e.g. a total of 280 allegations made in 165
complaint investigations conducted in 2020). Additionally, tracking the racial and gender
demographics is also important to provide a complete picture. This information is
available currently but it would require a manual review of the individual case file which
would be very time consuming. Tracking this in the IA Pro system will provide more
detailed and specific information regarding the number of complaints, investigations,
allegations and findings.
(3) Types of Investigations and Time Estimates
The majority of cases investigated result from an external or internal complaint. There
are major differences in the number of hours required per case depending on the
seriousness of the allegations and the complexity of the case (e.g. number of witnesses,
evidence review, etc.). The IA Unit also conducts an administrative investigation of all
officer involved shooting cases. These cases require a significant amount of time to
conduct a thorough investigation and typically have a shorter time frame for completion.
The following table provides a breakdown of the major steps involved in a typical Internal
Affairs administrative investigation, having been developed from the experience of the
project team. Two estimated time requirements were developed – one for a typical
internal affairs investigation and one for officer-involved shooting cases.
(3.1) Internal Affairs Investigations Case – Time Estimate
It is important to stress that not every case is the same. Some cases are more complex
or involve additional elements that others do not. To help represent this, the table provides
both the percentage of the time that each task is completed, and among only the cases
where that task is completed, the average amount of time needed to do so. These
numbers are then multiplied together, before being added with all other rows to produce
the overall average time needed to fully investigate a case.
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Case Time Estimates for Administrative IA Investigations
Common Tasks Processes Avg. Time % of Cases
Complaint
Review
Determine if allegation is a policy
violation. Time figure includes
reviewing complaint.
1 hour 100%
Find relevant CAD entry,
police report, BWC, video or
other documentation relevant
to the complaint
Determine subject(s) of allegation.
Includes CAD, video and report(s)
review.
4 hours 100%
Interview Complainant N/A 1.5 hours 100%
Write Complaint and
Allegation(s)
Determine which policy or policies
could have been violated. Includes
review and report writing time.
4 hours 100%
Schedule subject officer
Interview
Includes sending written notice
within proper timelines.
0.5 hours 100%
Write Interview Questions N/A 1 hour 100%
Conduct witness interviews N/A 1 hour 80%
Conduct subject interviews Interviews are recorded, and the
time estimated includes report
writing.
4 hours 100%
Write Investigative Finding Includes report writing. 8 hours 100%
Total 25 hours
This list is not all inclusive and does not contain all steps that may be taken. Some cases
will not require the number of hours listed, but many cases may require significantly more
– for interviews, research, evidence review, case review with Deputy Chief, etc.
Through our experience over many studies we have found that a competent internal
affairs investigator can efficiently work an average of 4 to 6 new internal affairs cases a
month. Using the above available work hours this translates to approximately 25 hours
allotted per case. This case hour analysis excludes complaint enquiries that do not result
in a full investigation, as well as cases that are assigned to the Officer’s field supervisor
for investigation (approximately 30% of the DPD total cases).
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(3.2) Officer Involved Shooting (OIS) Review – Time Estimate
An officer-involved shooting investigation encompasses reviewing all the documents and
investigative material from an officer involved use of deadly force. Reviews focus on
policy, training, and supervision and meant to determine whether the use of force falls
within policy and training. Unlike the criminal investigation of an OIS incident, the
administrative review does not include interviews, but rely on the investigative case work
that has already been completed. An OIS review can be started before other
investigations are completed, but cannot be concluded until all other processe s have
been completed.
Case Time Estimates for Officer-Involved Shooting Reviews (Administrative)
Common Tasks Processes Avg. Time % of Cases
Walk through of
scene
View the scene, observing the Homicide Unit. 3 hours 100%
Investigation
Review
Determine what has transpired by reviewing
the entire investigative file, all recorded video
and video, conduct interviews, and other
attainable information in relation to the call.
80 hours 100%
Internal Affairs
Investigation
Review
Determine what has transpired and what
policies or training have a nexus to the
incident.
20 hours 100%
Training Practices
Review
Determine what the subject has been trained
applicable to the incident.
16 hours 100%
Policy Review N/A 16 hours 100%
Consult with
Subject Matter
Experts
Determine if training and policies have been
followed.
8 hours 100%
Write Report with
Findings and
Recommendations
Complete a report that includes
recommendations and submit it to the Chief for
review.
40 hours 100%
Total 199 hours
This list is not all-inclusive and does not contain every step that may be taken in a case
and the hours required for each step may vary depending on the details and
circumstances of the incident.
(4) Staffing for Internal Affairs Investigations
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The Professional Standards Unit is responsible for investigating assigned cases and also
tracking all of the complaints received by DPD. In addition to case investigations they are
also tasked with reviewing video from Officers’ body worn cameras for open records
requests that have been filed with the PD. This takes approximately 6 hours weekly or
312 hours annually. This leaves each Investigator with approximately 1,364 productive
hours available annually12 or a total of 2,728 hours for the IA Unit. After deducting the
312 hours for BWC file review there are approximately 2,416 hours available for
investigations.
For the 145 investigations conducted by the IA Unit in 2019 this is an average of 16.6
hours per investigation. The 25 hour time estimate for a typical IA investigati on is 8.4
hours more than the average time allowed for the 2019 DPD cases – these numbers
indicate that additional staffing may be necessary to continue to meet the 180 day
requirement for completion of an internal investigation. The following table shows the
time and staffing required for conducting 145 investigations.
IA Investigations Case Time of 16.6
Hours
Case Time of 25
Hours
145 Case Investigations Annually 2,416 3,625
Staff Required 2.0 2.7
If the Professional Standards Unit spent an average of 25 hours on each of the 145
investigations, the Unit either needs additional staff or the review of BWC files should be
moved to another unit/person. It would also be important to include information regarding
the number of officer involved shooting reviews that were conducted and the total hours.
The project team recommends that in 2020 the Deputy Chief review the number of IA
cases specifically assigned to the Professional Standards Unit to determine the average
number of hours spent by the two investigators. This will provide clear guidance if
additional staffing or re-assignment of the BWC workload should occur.
(5) Internal Affairs Policy Change
The policy for internal affairs investigations has been undergoing an update and review
process. It is almost complete and implementation is anticipated in 2020. One of the
major changes is that discipline guidelines will be provided for different types of conduct
and policy violations. Policies that provide a “discipline matrix” are becoming more
common in police departments across the United States. A discipline matrix lists the type
12 Using the DPD annual average of 1,676 work hours (net work hours after leave usage and training)
and deducting 1.5 hours daily for administrative time (312 hours annually).
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or class of offense, whether it is a first time offense and the range of discipline that will be
imposed.
The project team supports discipline parameters or a discipline matrix that is beneficial to
the organization as providing this information goes a long way to eliminate the common
complaint that the discipline imposed in a particular case was too lenient or too severe.
Without established guidelines for discipline (written reprimand, length of a suspension,
reduction in rank, etc.), a Chief will often be criticized for favoritism because it is perceived
that he/she likes the subject officer or alternately, criticized that the discipline imposed
was too harsh because it is perceived that he/she dislikes the subject officer. In either
situation the discipline matrix provides prior “warning” that lists the range of dis cipline
options corresponding to the type of misconduct that occurred. This type of policy
guidance contributes substantially to reduce this type of criticism and is recommended by
the project team.
Recommendations:
The Professional Standards Unit should track the number of individual case
investigations and also the number of separate allegations in each case. A report
should be provided to the Chief every 6 months that shows the number of
complaints received, the number of investigations conducted, racial and gender
demographics of the reporting party & subject officer, the total number of
allegations investigated and the individual findings for each allegation.
The limited current metrics indicate the Professional Standards Unit needs
additional staffing or removal of some work to effectively conduct assigned
internal affairs investigations. However, the data is not clear on the current
workload level. The project team recommends that in 2020 the Deputy Chief review
the number of IA cases specifically assigned to the Professional Standards Unit to
determine the number of cases investigated by the Professional Standards Unit
and the average number of hours spent by the two investigators. This will provide
clear guidance if additional staffing is needed.
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6. Projected Staffing Needs
The following chapter builds upon the results of the staffing analysis, which identifies a
number of staffing needs, and examines how anticipated growth will change those needs
over time.
1. Methodology Used to Project Future Service and Staffing Needs
The following sections examine the process used to project population, and ultimately,
calls for service and crime, over the next ten years. This includes discussion of the data
available to complete the projections, the variables used in the analysis, the resolution of
conflicts between different projection datasets, and the methodology ultimately used.
It is critical to note that these projections should be updated over time to reflect
actual growth, which will consequently update the staffing needs identified for key
functions that are driven by service need growth, such as patrol officers. DPD will be
provided with the overview tool that ties these together, allowing for the se needs to be
updated if the growth actually experienced differs from the projections.
(1) Data Collected to Project Demographic and Service Need Trends
Extensive data was collected in order to conduct this analysis, including the following:
• Computer aided dispatch (CAD) data covering a one-year period from November
2018 through October 2019, which includes geographic point coordinates to
spatially isolate concentrations of community-generated calls for service.
• 2018 American Community Survey (ACS) data prepared by the U.S. Census
Bureau at the block group level of geography, including estimates for population
and housing units.
• 2010 U.S. Census data at the individual block level, which includes both population
and housing unit figures.
• Historical permit data, with permits issued from 2014 to 2018 providing the main
focus, geocoded for use in GIS applications.
• Crime data as reported to the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program,
geocoded for use in GIS applications.
• GIS shapefiles of current projects, including the number of housing units
represented by each project if fully built out.
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• Denton Plan 2030, which details long-range projections and future adaptations to
current land use, as well as growth impacts and demographic trends.
• GIS shapefile of current and future land use as per Denton Plan 2030.
• Reports prepared by the City of Denton Development Services Department,
particularly the 2018 Annual Development Report.
The objective is for as many of these datasets as possible, or data po ints within the
reports, to be adjoined to a common layer of geography. By doing so, it is possible for the
basis and findings of different sets of growth projections or recent trends to be compared
against other datasets.
There is no question that Denton has grown exponentially over the past few decades.
The consistently growing economy of Denton and the surrounding region have, in part,
driven this expansion. Even with the potential chance for a long -lasting recession on the
horizon, Denton is likely to regain its trajectory of growth over the long-term future. The
city is aided by its still significant swaths of undeveloped land, particularly away from the
city’s core.
The following map shows the current use of land in Denton, with undeveloped land
represented by tan shading:
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Uses such as agricultural and industrial have been combined for clarity and simplicity,
given that many of the industrial land use areas are in rural subdivisions on the west side
of the city.
Developable land is particularly prevalent on the west side, although the ETJ contains
additional land with the potential to be annexed. Additionally, a large portion of the new
residential construction is represented by mega-development projects, indicating that the
variability in projection estimates could be significant.
(2) Variables in Estimating Population Growth
Two reports in particular provided overall projections for long-term growth – the Annual
Development Report and Denton Plan 2030, including population and housing unit
projections up to 2030 and in the case of the former report, beyond that horizon.
Population growth and housing unit production, which are inherently tied, are central
variables in this analysis. Two other factors are also central in driving population numbers
over time – vacancy (percentage of housing units not occupied) and demographics,
particularly average household size.
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The latter of these, population per housing unit, is influenced by many interrelated
variables, such as age distribution, family size and birth rate, differences in these statistics
in households coming to and leaving Denton over time, etc. These changes are more
difficult on a micro level (e.g., examining individual cities or communities within) to predict
given the complexity involved. They are also relatively slower to change than other factors
driving population growth, such as residential infill in a rapidly growing city with a large
inventory of developable land.
The following table shows how population per housing unit ratios evolved from 2010 to
2018, based on Census and ACS data, for each of the planning areas created for this
analysis:
Population Per Housing Unit Trends
Planning Area 2010 2020
Northwest 2.28 2.47
Northeast 2.34 2.52
Southwest 2.16 2.33
Southeast 2.58 2.79
Downtown 2.86 3.09
Total 2.45 2.65
Furthermore, in a city with a rapid rate of growth in the number of jobs, the vacancy/home
occupancy rate is unlikely to increase substantially.
Given these considerations, housing unit construction is central to this analysis. It is also
a much more volatile variable, with changes in the economy over time being the primary
factor driving the rate of growth. In a recession, residential infill is much slower.
As a result, long-range growth estimates are not always reliably accurate, particularly in
cities with large inventories of undeveloped land that is primarily developed into large
single-developer residential subdivisions. This is the case in Denton, where a number of
developments featuring over 1,000 units of new construction have been proposed. In the
multiple years in which these mega-projects are completed after being proposed,
economic realities often change, and hurdles can emerge up until construction activity
has fully completed. Some percentage of the proposed projects and any continuation of
that level of growth will likely not happen and so, if long-range forecasts assume that each
of these will indeed be completed, they will overestimate growth.
As a result, this analysis seeks to provide more of a mid -range projection, neither
assuming that growth rates will exponentially increase, nor that the economic forecast will
be dire over the next ten years. Instead, the projections in this report model future growth
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over the city’s most recent experience with growth. The areas that have grown the most
over the past five years will grow at similar rates over the next five years.
Five projection areas are created to divide the city into manageable sub -regions that are
relatively homogenous in terms of the type of construction being built. These five areas
are Downtown, Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, and Southeast. The following map
displays the boundaries for the five areas:
3. Resolving Issues Between Different Sets of Projections
The projections analysis is tasked with estimating population through 2030, incorporating
data going back as far as 2010. For each year from 2010 to 2030, the number of housing
units built and population is estimated from Census or other data that is sourced
externally. There are a few key data points in particular that form potential ‘anchors’ to
the projections:
• 2010: U.S. Census provides highly accurate population and housing unit data at a
detailed level of geography. From this, the ratio of population per housing un it can
also be estimated.
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• 2018: The American Community Survey (ACS) also provides highly accurate
population and housing unit data at a detailed level of geography. From this, the
ratio of population per housing unit can also be estimated.
• 2019: Calls for service and crime occurrences are directly calculated from DPD
data and mapped geographically.
• 2014-2018: Development Services report data on the number of housing units built
by year.
• 2030: Development services report estimates for population. Additionally, the less
recent Denton Plan 2030, which was produced in 2015, provides population and
housing unit estimates.
In order to project service needs, given that the call for service and crime data do not
align with the years of demographic data, each of these data points must be
connected for every year in between, with specific values developed for the three main
variables:
1) Population
2) Housing units
3) Population per housing unit (directly tied to the other two)
Originally, the project team developed the projections analysis around the Annual 2030
projections contained in the Development Report (population only) and Denton Plan 2030
(population and housing units).
Given that the number of housing units built and in existence through 2018 i s a known
variable based on available datasets, recent experience in development was able to be
checked against the Denton Plan 2030 projections. However, this revealed an issue: For
its 2030 housing units estimate to verify, the number of units built each year from now
until 2030 would need to continue at double the current rate. This is an unlikely, and would
require double the construction that occurred during the boom years of 2014 -2018.
The Annual Development report provides a similar population estim ate to that of the
Denton Plan 2030. But for that population estimate to verify, it would also require that
housing unit construction to double from its recent rate. Or rather, if that did not occur, it
would require the population per housing unit ratios to grow by an unrealistic amount – at
an average of nearly 1 additional person per household in some areas.
As a result of these two issues, the Denton Plan 2030 and Annual Development Report
estimates for 2030 population were not used in the analysis. Ins tead, annual housing unit
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construction through 2030 was projected based on the average annual rate from 2014
through 2018 in each of the five planning areas created for this analysis.
As discussed in the previous section, the rate of housing unit construct ion experienced
over the past five years of available data was central to the methodology that was
ultimately used in this analysis.
Divided between the five planning areas, the following table provides this data, as well as
the five-year average used to estimate future housing construction:
Recent Housing Unit Construction by Planning Area
Planning Area 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Avg.
Northwest 124 149 156 186 234 170
Northeast 384 462 486 576 728 527
Southwest 179 216 227 269 340 246
Southeast 240 289 304 360 455 330
Downtown 1 1 1 1 1 1
Total 928 1,117 1,174 1,392 1,758 1,274
The five-year housing unit average growth rate was applied to each year from 2019
through 2030 to produce the following cumulative totals of housing units:
Projected Housing Units by Planning Area
Planning Area 2020 2025 2030 10YR +/-
Northwest 4,445 5,382 6,317 42% 1,872
Northeast 8,071 10,981 13,888 72% 5,817
Southwest 12,348 13,707 15,067 22% 2,719
Southeast 25,897 27,715 29,533 14% 3,636
Downtown 4,186 4,191 4,196 0% 10
Total 54,947 61,976 69,001 26% 14,054
The population per housing unit ratios for each planning area are frozen at 2018 levels
and used through 2030.
Thus, from 2019 through 2030, the additional housing units estimated to be built each
year are multiplied by the population per housing unit ratios to produce population growth
in each planning area. A one-year lag is used from the housing units being built to their
assumed occupancy, given that the data actually refers to permitting, rather than the
completion of construction.
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The projected population totals are as follows for each planning area:
Projected Population by Planning Area
Planning Area 2020 2025 2030 10YR +/-
Northwest 10,517 12,809 15,112 44% 4,595
Northeast 18,956 26,241 33,567 77% 14,611
Southwest 28,181 31,326 34,492 22% 6,311
Southeast 71,201 76,231 81,292 14% 10,091
Downtown 12,930 12,946 12,961 0% 31
Total 141,785 159,553 177,424 25% 35,639
Per capita ratios are constructed for calls for service and Part I crimes , similar to
population per housing ratios. This follows the same idea that future growth in an area
will be characteristically similar to recently built developments in the same area in terms
of the service needs that are generated.
This is done by geographically counting each of these using the coordinate data recorded
for individual incidents in the CAD data, and then dividing the total for each planning area
by its population. The following table shows the results of this for 2019:
Call for Service and Part I Crimes Per Capita
Planning Area CFS/Pop. Crime/Pop.
Northwest 0.55 0.06
Northeast 0.19 0.01
Southwest 0.38 0.03
Southeast 0.30 0.02
Downtown 0.45 0.03
Total 0.33 0.03
The projected population values developed for each planning area are then multiplied
against the per capita rates of calls for service, in order to produce the following
projections over the next 10 years:
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Projected Calls for Service by Planning Area
Planning Area 2020 2025 2030 10YR +/-
Northwest 5,832 7,103 8,381 44% 2,549
Northeast 3,519 4,871 6,231 77% 2,712
Southwest 10,810 12,016 13,231 22% 2,421
Southeast 21,369 22,879 24,398 14% 3,029
Downtown 5,813 5,821 5,827 0% 14
Total 47,343 52,690 58,067 23% 10,724
The same is true for Part I crime projections, which mirror the rates at which calls for
service increase:
Projected Part I Crimes by Planning Area
Planning Area 2020 2025 2030 +/-% +/-
Northwest 590 719 848 44% 258
Northeast 254 352 450 77% 196
Southwest 906 1,007 1,108 22% 202
Southeast 1,621 1,735 1,850 14% 229
Downtown 377 378 378 0% 1
Total 3,748 4,190 4,635 24% 887
Overall, Part I crimes – the vast majority of which are property crimes – are projected to
increase by 24% overall, with the regional impacts matching those of the call for service
growth.
The 2020 Census will provide more clarity, and these estimates can be updated using the
provided projection tool if actual growth differs from expectations. For instance, if housing
unit construction increases significantly and aligns more closely to the Annual
Development Report or the Denton Plan 2030 projections, then the staffing projections
can be updated to reflect that higher-growth scenario.
Recommendation:
As Denton grows over the next decade, DPD should update the projection model
with the experienced changes in order to update the calculations for staffing needs
for units whose workload is driven by service need increases, such as patrol and
case-handling investigative units.
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4. Projection of Comprehensive Staffing Needs.
The service need projections have provided the basis of the methodology used to
determine staffing needs of core functions that scale directly with service needs, including
patrol officers and case-handling investigative units. From this foundation, the staffing
needs for every other function within the department can be developed. The majority of
these projections are interrelated to the staffing needs of patrol and decentralized
detectives, either through changes to service needs, or as a result of organizational and
support factors.
The process of developing projections for the entire department is done position by
position, rather than scale the department as a whole, given that the factors contributing
to an individual position’s staffing needs are unique and different from those of an other
position.
As detailed previously in the chapter, five primary scaling factors are involved in
determining how the staffing needs for an individual role change as growth occurs in the
jurisdiction. The needs for an individual position may be based on:
• Workload-based, where service need metrics drive staffing needs (e.g., patrol
staffing scales to call for service workloads).
• Ratio-based, where staffing is determined by the relationship to workloads created
by other positions (e.g., human resources staffing is driven by the size of the
organization, which can be expressed as a ratio).
• Span of control and management responsibilities (e.g., patrol sergeant staffing is
set by achieving a targeted span of control).
• Fixed coverage, where staffing is based on a certain number of hours that must
be staffed (e.g., detention officers and other fixed-post positions).
• Non-scalable, where the position is either unique (e.g., chief of police) or not
directly scaled by workload or other factors.
Using these scaling factors, the projection analysis determines the staffing levels needed
over the next ten years for every position.
Overall, these projections result in 35 sworn and 6 civilian positions being needed by
2030, not including the additional positions recommended in this report to address
existing needs.
The following table provides these projections by year for both sworn and civilian
classifications:
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Projected Sworn Staffing Needs
Bureau 2020 (Curr.) 2020 (Rec.) 2025 2030
Administration and Finance 0 0 0 0
Field Operations 122 130 144 155
Office of the Chief 7 7 8 8
Support Services 66 72 77 81
Total 195 209 229 244
Projected Civilian Staffing Needs
Bureau 2020 (Curr.) 2020 (Rec.) 2025 2030
Administration and Finance 17 19 21 22
Field Operations 7 7 8 8
Office of the Chief 5 6 6 7
Support Services 24 25 25 26
Total 53 56 59 62
The numbers reflect authorized (budgeted) positions. At the time of the analysis, 182
of 195 sworn positions were filled.
All staffing projections for future years assume that recommendations are implemented,
building upon those numbers, rather than from current staffing. Additionally, all values
reflected in the tables represent authorized/budgeted values, rather than the number of
actual/filled positions.
The following pages provide the comprehensive results of this process, showing the
projection factors utilized for each position and the identified needs calculated through
the year 2030:
Recommendation:
Over the next 10 years (to 2030), the department will need to add 35 sworn and 6
civilian positions to keep up with service impacts that result from growth. These
numbers are in addition to the staffing recommendations to address current issues
identified in the report.
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Bureau/Division/Unit Classification Projection Factors
2020
(Curr.)
2020
(Rec.) 2025 2030
Office of the Chief
Administration Chief of Police Executive position, does not scale. 1 1 1 1
Assistant Chief Unique support role, does not scale. 1 1 1 1
Executive Assistant Unique support role, does not scale. 1 1 1 1
Media Relations Unit Officer Unique role, does not scale. 1 1 1 1
Public Information
Officer
Relatively unique role; size of the department will
not grow enough to warrant an additional FTE.
1 1 1 1
Accreditation and
Compliance
Accreditation &
Compliance Specialist
Unique role, does not scale. 1 1 1 1
Internal Affairs Lieutenant Position changed to Investigator 0 0 0 0
Investigator Scales to number of sworn personnel, at a rate of
1 per 100 FTE, aggregated as a unit.
2 2 3 3
Crime Analysis Unit Crime Analyst Workload-based; scales to the number of Part I
crimes as a proxy.
2 3 3 4
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Bureau/Division/Unit Classification Projection Factors
2020
(Curr.)
2020
(Rec.) 2025 2030
Community Resource
Unit
Officer Unique role, does not scale; assignment based on
direction from Chief and Deputy Chief
2 2 2 2
Field Operations Bureau
Administration Deputy Chief Executive position, does not scale. 1 1 1 1
Patrol Division Lieutenant Fixed, based on coverage needs. 4 4 4 4
Sergeant Supervisor, scales based on a span of control of 1
FTE per 9 direct reports.
8 8 10 11
Officer Workload-based, tied to calls for service
increases.
72 80 89 98
Public Safety Officer [Recommended Move From TEU] Workload-
based, scales with call for service increases.
6 6 7 7
Traffic Division Lieutenant Manager position, does not scale. 1 1 1 1
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Bureau/Division/Unit Classification Projection Factors
2020
(Curr.)
2020
(Rec.) 2025 2030
Traffic Enforcement Unit Sergeant Supervisor, scales based on a span of control of 1
FTE per 9 direct reports.
1 1 1 1
Officer – Motors Elective/discretionary proactive function, does not
scale directly with service needs.
6 6 6 6
Officer–Hit & Run Scales based on percentage increase in hit & run
crimes
1 1 1 1
Officer–Comm. Enf. Elective/discretionary proactive function. 2 2
Crossing Guard
Supervisors
Span of control, but largely does not scale. 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5
DWI Enforcement Unit Sergeant Supervisor, scales based on a span of control of 1
FTE per 9 direct reports.
1 1 1 1
Officer Elective/discretionary proactive function; also
partially grant funded
4 4 4 4
Downtown Division Lieutenant Manager position, does not scale. 1 1 1 1
Downtown Patrol –
Days
Sergeant Supervisor, scales based on a span of control of 1
FTE per 9 direct reports.
1 1 1 1
Officer Workload-based (tied to patrol projections), scales
based on call for service increases.
6 6 7 7
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Bureau/Division/Unit Classification Projection Factors
2020
(Curr.)
2020
(Rec.) 2025 2030
Downtown Patrol –
Nights
Sergeant Supervisor, scales based on a span of control of 1
FTE per 9 direct reports.
1 1 2 2
Officer Workload-based (tied to patrol projections), scales
based on call for service increases.
8 8 9 10
Special Projects Sergeant [Moved From Accreditation and Compliance]
Supervisor, scales based on a span of control of 1
FTE per 9 direct reports.
1 1 1 1
Officer Elective/discretionary proactive function 3 3 3 3
Support Operations Bureau
Administration Deputy Chief Executive position, does not scale. 1 1 1 1
Criminal Investigations
Division
Lieutenant Manager position, does not scale. 1 1 1 1
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Bureau/Division/Unit Classification Projection Factors
2020
(Curr.)
2020
(Rec.) 2025 2030
Property & Evidence
Unit
Lead Property
Technician
Workload-based, scales to increases in the
number of Part I crimes as a proxy for the volume
of property and evidence workloads (e.g., property
booked and released, firearms processed, etc.).
1 1 1 1
Property Technician Workload-based, scales to increases in the
number of Part I crimes as a proxy for the volume
of property and evidence workloads (e.g., property
booked and released, firearms processed, etc.).
2 2 2 2
Major Crimes Unit Sergeant Supervisor, scales based on a span of control of 1
FTE per 9 direct reports.
1 2 2 2
Detective Workload-based, scales to cases generated from
increases in the number of Part I crimes.
8 11 12 14
Crime Scene Unit CSI Supervisor Added to provide more direct supervision to the
unit and reduce direct reports for the Major Crimes
Sergeant.
0 1 1 1
Crime Scene
Investigator
Workload-based, scales to increases in the
number of Part I crimes.
3 3 3 4
General Investigations
Unit
Sergeant Supervisor, scales based on a span of control of 1
FTE per 9 direct reports.
1 1 1 2
Detective Workload-based, scales to cases generated from
increases in the number of Part I crimes.
7 8 9 10
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Bureau/Division/Unit Classification Projection Factors
2020
(Curr.)
2020
(Rec.) 2025 2030
Family Violence Unit Sergeant Supervisor, scales based on a span of control of 1
FTE per 9 direct reports.
1 1 1 1
Detective Workload-based, scales to cases generated from
increases in the number of Part I crimes.
4 5 6 6
Detective (SOAR) Elective/discretionary proactive function, does not
scale directly with service needs.
1 1 1 1
Victim Services
Coordinator
Workload-based, scales to cases generated from
increases in the number of Part I crimes.
2 2 2 2
Special Victims Unit Sergeant Supervisor, scales based on a span of control of 1
FTE per 9 direct reports.
1 1 1 1
Detective Workload-based, scales to cases generated from
increases in the number of Part I crimes.
5 5 5 5
Special Operations Unit Sergeant Supervisor, scales based on a span of control of 1
FTE per 9 direct reports.
1 1 1 1
Detective (Narcotics) Elective/discretionary proactive function, does not
scale directly with service needs.
6 6 6 6
Detective (USMS) Elective/discretionary proactive function, does not
scale directly with service needs.
3 3 3 3
Recruiting & Training
Division
Lieutenant Manager position, does not scale. 1 1 1 1
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Bureau/Division/Unit Classification Projection Factors
2020
(Curr.)
2020
(Rec.) 2025 2030
Recruiting Unit Sergeant Supervisor, scales based on a span of control of 1
FTE per 9 direct reports.
1 1 1 1
Detective Scales to the number of sworn personnel in the
department, at 1 per 80 FTE.
2 2 2 2
Training Unit Sergeant Supervisor, scales based on a span of control of 1
FTE per 9 direct reports.
1 1 1 1
Officer Scales to the number of sworn personnel in the
department (1 per 40 FTE) and police academy
sessions.
5 5 5 5
Field Training
Coordinator
Sergeant Scales to the number of recruit officers in training
(1 FTE per 20 recruit officers)
1 1 1 1
Support Services
Division
Lieutenant Manager position, does not scale. 1 1 1 1
Fleet/Body Cameras Officer Unique role, does not scale directly. 1 1 1 1
Civilian Added due to workload in unit (recommended and
already in new org chart)
1 1 1 1
Warrants Unit Officer Workload-based, scales to increases in the
number of Part I crimes as a proxy for the number
of warrants.
2 2 2 2
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Bureau/Division/Unit Classification Projection Factors
2020
(Curr.)
2020
(Rec.) 2025 2030
Warrant Clerk Support position, does not scale directly with
service needs.
1 1 1 1
Student Resource
Officers
Sergeant Supervisor, scales based on a span of control of 1
FTE per 9 direct reports.
1 1 1 1
Officer Scales with number of schools that require
coverage. As a proxy, FTEs are set to scale with
population.
9 9 10 10
Detention Services Detention Manager Manager position, does not directly scale. It is
currently budgeted, but not yet filled.
1 1 1 1
Lead Detention Officer Fixed, scales to coverage needs based on fixed-
post assignments.
3 3 3 3
Acting Lead Detention
Officer
Recommended to re-classify three DO's to
A/LDO's to provide 24-hour supervisory coverage
0 3 3 3
Detention Officer Fixed, scales to coverage needs based on fixed-
post assignments.
10 7 7 7
Administration and Finance Bureau
Administration Assistant Director Manager position, does not scale. 1 1 1 1
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Bureau/Division/Unit Classification Projection Factors
2020
(Curr.)
2020
(Rec.) 2025 2030
Financial Management
Division
Administrative
Supervisor
Manager position, does not scale. 1 1 1 1
Management Analyst [Recommended New Position]
Unique role, does not directly scale with service
needs.
0 1 1 1
Administrative Assistant Support position, does not scale directly with
service needs.
2 2 2 2
Records Management
Division
Records Supervisor Supervisor, scales based on a span of control of 1
FTE per 8 direct reports.
1 1 2 2
Records Lead Workload-based, scales directly with increases to
the number of calls for service as a proxy for
records work.
1 1 1 1
Records Technician Workload-based, scales directly with increases to
the number of calls for service as a proxy for
records work.
10 10 11 12
Technology Business Information
Analyst
Unique role, does not scale directly. 1 1 1 1
175
City of Denton
Legislation Text
City Hall
215 E. McKinney St.
Denton, Texas 76201
www.cityofdenton.com
File #:ID 20-1412,Version:1
AGENDA CAPTION
Receive a report, hold a discussion, and give direction regarding the FY 2020-21 Police Operating Budget.
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City of Denton
_____________________________________________________________________________________
AGENDA INFORMATION SHEET
DEPARTMENT: Finance
CMO/CFO: David Gaines
DATE: August 3, 2020
SUBJECT
Receive a report, hold a discussion, and give direction regarding the FY 2020-21 Police Department
Budget.
BACKGROUND
The purpose of this work session is to review the Police Department’s FY 2020-21 Proposed Budget. The
presentation will cover future staffing plans, prior year accomplishments, future goals, service level
changes, philosophical changes and the preliminary FY 2020-21 Budget. The proposed budget includes the
addition of six new positions, five (5) sworn and one (1) civilian.
The City Manager’s proposed budget is scheduled to be presented to City Council on August 6, 2020.
EXHIBITS
Exhibit 1 – Agenda Information Sheet
Exhibit 2 – Police Presentation
Respectfully submitted:
Nick Vincent
940-349-8063
Assistant Director of Finance
City Hall
215 E. McKinney Street
Denton, Texas
www.cityofdenton.com
177
1
FY2020-21 Budget Presentation
Police Department
August 3, 2020 ID 20-1412 178
2
Accomplishments and Future Goals
Accomplishments
Enhanced training and education opportunities
Human Relations Risk Training
Fair and Impartial Policing Training
Comprehensive Training Plan
Realignment of patrol areas and district
Creation of the Homeless Outreach Team and Mental Health Division
Began accreditation process to become a recognized agency through
the Texas Police Chiefs Association (TPCA) Best Practice Program
Deployed agency-wide FirstNet smartphones for sworn personnel
Expansion of Student Resource Officers
Embraced external stakeholder participation for selection of internal
specialized positions
Creation of a centralized Homeland Security Coordinator
Expanded the number of supervisory positions within the Command Staff
Future Goals
Continue to deploy an agency wide reform
based review of the department
Enhance training and education
opportunities
Improve technology and equipment
179
3
Philosophical Changes
Encouraging an environment of critical decision makers
Cultivating internal and external procedural justice
Fostering a culture where continuous improvement and training
opportunities are valued as integral to the organization
Increased Community Engagement Efforts
August 3, 2020 ID 20-1412 180
4
Service Level Changes
Pre-COVID:
Post-COVID:
3/13/20 –City implements
precautionary measures to
reduce COVID -19 risk
Modified patrol response Creation of Teleserve function
Modified patrol response approach for non emergent calls
Implemented department-wide emergency response
Teleserve officers for non emergency response
Re-implemented online reporting
Deployed a modified staffing approach to actively address ongoing protests
Issued departmentwide telephones
Deployed laptops to Criminal Investigation Bureau
Complete this slide if your department has had
service level changes in response to COVID -19
August 3, 2020 ID 20-1412
181
5
FTE Summary
Division Total
FY19-20 FTEs New FTEs Total
FY20-21 FTEs
Administration 44.00*0.00 44.00
Records 10.00 0.00 10.00
Patrol 95.00 5.00 100.00
Jailers 13.00 0.00 13.00
Criminal Investigations 44.00 1.00 45.00
Neighborhood Services 44.23 0.00 44.23
Mental Health 5.00**0.00 5.00
Total 255.23 6.00 261.23
Notes:
*Mid-year transfer of 1 FTE from Finance Department to Police Department
**5 Vacant FTE’s Reallocated to Mental Health Division
August 3, 2020 ID 20-1412 182
6
Sworn Position Staffing Forecast
Note: sworn staffing projections based on annual authorized staffing
August 3, 2020 ID 20-1412
Position FY 2020-21 FY 2021-22 FY 2022-23 FY 2023-24 FY 2024-25 Total
Sworn Personnel 5 5 5 5 5 25
Annual Expense $783,269 $806,767 $830,970 $855,899 $881,576 $4,158,481
183
7August 3, 2020 ID 20-1412 184
8
Denton Police Department
Proposed Revenue Budget
Revenues FY 2018-19
Actuals
FY 2019-20
Budget
FY 2019-20
Estimate
FY 2020-21
Proposed
Police Escort $33,192 $29,294 $12,381 $20,838
Police Reports 42,067 38,760 29,511 33,755
False Alarm Fees 61,492 60,995 47,885 56,442
Phone Commission 490 -2,323 6,000
DISD/SRO 499,443 455,509 463,671 630,236
Auto Pound 13,729 36,000 39,329 25,087
County Vehicle
Registration 179,743 195,276 153,279 153,279
Misc. Income/ Police
Academy 60,058 75,000 30,975 52,987
Total $890,214 $890,834 $779,354 $978,624
August 3, 2020 ID 20-1412 185
9
Denton Police Department
Proposed Expenditure Budget
Expenses FY 2018-19
Actuals
FY 2019-20
Budget
FY 2019-20
Estimate
FY 2020-21
Proposed
Personnel $26,943,255 $30,413,062 $30,461,872 $31,847,711
Materials &
Supplies 550,996 655,879 707,266 775,676
Maintenance 1,945 3,000 --
Insurance 569,628 616,085 616,085 496,408
Miscellaneous 195,975 218,736 192,606 228,906
Operations 1,416,881 1,093,914 1,234,849 1,045,718
Cost of Service 2,446,590 2,910,194 2,910,194 3,147,082
Capital Outlays 6,862 ---
Total $32,132,132 $35,910,870 $36,122,872 $37,541,501
August 3, 2020 ID 20-1412 186
10
Denton Police Department Proposed Budget
Package Title
FY 2020-21
One-Time
Costs
FY 2020-21
Recurring
Costs
FY 2020-21
Total Costs FTEs Vehicles
Sworn Personnel $232,167 $551,102 $783,269 5.00 3
Admin Manager 35,180 123,620 158,800 1.00 1
Total $267,347 $674,722 $942,069 6.00 4
August 3, 2020 ID 20-1412 187
11
Questions?
188
City of Denton
Legislation Text
City Hall
215 E. McKinney St.
Denton, Texas 76201
www.cityofdenton.com
File #:ID 20-1411,Version:1
AGENDA CAPTION
Consultation with Attorneys - Under Texas Government Code Section 551.071.
Consult with the City’s attorneys on the legal status,expenses,strategy and options for resolution of the appeal
in Docket No.20-40432,styled “Emily Brown v.Eric Coulston and the City of Denton”pending in the United
States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit;where public discussion of these legal matters would conflict with
the duty of the City’s attorneys to the City of Denton and the Denton City Council under the Texas Disciplinary
Rules of Professional Conduct of the State Bar of Texas,or otherwise compromise the City’s legal position in
the pending matter.
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