TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Rachel Johnson, Police Chief
Lisa Jenkins, Human Resources Director
Steve S. Charelian, Finance Director
SUBJECT:Title
Consideration of Police Department Staffing Levels and Authorization to Increase Permanent Staffing by Seven Additional Police Officers, One Police Support Supervisor, One Civilian Background Investigator, and Consideration of Enhanced Recruitment Incentives (Police Chief Johnson and Human Resources Director Jenkins).
(Estimated Time: 45 Mins.)
A) APPROVE
B) DISCUSS AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
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_________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council approve proposed staffing and increase to positions within the Police Department as follows: Addition of seven Police Officers (sworn), one Background Investigator (civilian), one Police Support Supervisor (civilian), and one Administrative Assistant (civilian). It is recommended that these positions be added as part of the mid-year budget.
Staff further recommends that the City Council review the information provided regarding recruitment incentive enhancements, and provide direction regarding any requested modifications to the recruitment incentive program.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
The annualized cost of the proposed positions is $1,494,887. (See Attachment: Costs Associated with Request)
The Police Officer cost is based on hiring lateral Police Officers. Should some of the positions be hired at the trainee level, the immediate costs would be approximately $30,000 lower per position. Additionally, the cost associated with the hiring of a civilian background investigator may be offset by a reduction of approximately $65,000 in part-time employee costs. The hiring of seven new Police Officers would also necessitate the purchase of two new patrol vehicles at an approximate total cost of $120,000 from the General Fund. If approved, the staffing changes and associated fiscal implications will be included as changes to the position allocation with a corresponding appropriation in the mid-year budget update, currently scheduled for consideration at the second meeting in February.
A preliminary review of the City’s financial forecasts indicates that funding for these new public safety positions can most likely be accommodated through existing and identified potential revenue sources (including available capacity under voter-approved 2019 Measure “A” hotel bed tax rates). A detailed funding plan will be presented once City Council provides direction on staffing. The analysis will also include provisions for the recently added Fire Department positions.
BACKGROUND:
The City hires both Lateral/Academy Graduate candidates (laterals) as well as Police Academy Trainee candidates (PATs or trainees) to become Police Officers. Lateral candidates are currently working as Police Officers in other organizations and academy graduate candidates have attended a police academy but do not yet have the required agency experience. Finally, trainee candidates are entry-level employees who do not yet have training and experience in law enforcement, and the City sends them to a police academy (approximately six months in duration).
At the October 18, 2022 City Council meeting, the Council authorized the over hiring of sworn police staff by up to five additional Police Officers over and above the current authorized level of 65 sworn positions, to bring the total authorized sworn police positions to 70. Sworn police employees include those who are trained in law enforcement and have the authority to engage in law enforcement activities, including arrest power, and are authorized to carry a firearm and badge. At the time of this discussion, there were four sworn Police vacancies. In December 2022, the sworn vacancy number was reduced to two. Currently there are two vacancies with two trainees in the academy or pre-academy and three trainees in the background process, as well as one lateral anticipated to start in the next month and three additional laterals in the background process.
At its November 1, 2022 Council meeting, the Council considered the hiring of contract armed security following a September 6 request by Council. At the time, hiring five contracted armed security officers to provide eight hours of daytime coverage seven days per week and extended evening coverage on weekends was estimated to cost approximately $1.1 million annually. The Council did not provide direction to move forward with the hiring of armed security, but requested that the Council discuss, at a future meeting, contracting with other law enforcement agencies to provide additional coverage downtown. This item was subsequently placed on the agenda for, and discussed at, the December 20, 2022 Council meeting. During this discussion, Council member Lesser inquired about the staffing levels needed within the Police Department to address the current law enforcement issues of interest to the community, and requested that a discussion return regarding sworn staffing levels, potentially as part of the mid-year budget. Additionally, Council member Napolitano requested a future discussion regarding Council consideration of enhancements to the hiring incentives for new hires, to occur at the earliest possible opportunity. The Council concurred with returning to Council with these two discussion items. In order to ensure that the positions could be included within the mid-year report if approved by Council, Staff is returning ahead of the mid-year budget item for the Council to have both of these discussions.
Previously, in 2021, the City Council raised the issue of additional recruitment incentives for incoming Police Officers, and addressed in a September 21, 2021 staff report <https://manhattanbeach.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5138900&GUID=9E1F608E-414F-444F-BBE1-6D9CD4863CFD>.
The history on Police Officer recruitment incentives within the City was provided in the September 2021 report and is included here as well. On February 1, 2000, Council adopted a resolution to establish a referral bonus for police recruitment. At the time, a referral bonus of $1,000 for current Police Department employees who refer lateral Police Officer candidates (half paid at time of hire and half paid upon successful completion of probation), and $2,000 recruitment incentive to new lateral transfers (half paid at time of hire and half paid upon successful completion of probation). On August 1, 2003, Council approved an amendment to the recruitment incentive, increasing the referral bonus for current officers to $2,000 and the recruitment incentive to new lateral transfers to $3,000. No additional changes have been made to the bonus amounts since 2003. Since 2011, the City has paid approximately $79,000 for the lateral signing bonus and $32,000 for the referral bonus.
The report also included a summary of recruitment activity to date and the efforts in progress by the Police Department Office of Personnel and Training and the Human Resources (HR) Department to expedite and increase hiring. At the time of the report, in September 2021, there were seven sworn vacancies. While hiring continued at a steady rate, one resignation and four retirements occurred between October 2021 and January 2022, including the Chief, one Captain, one Lieutenant, a Sergeant and an Officer. During the period of July 2021 through present, there have been 20 new sworn police hires, including Police Chief Johnson and 19 incoming Police Officers. The new hires in this period of approximately 18 months represents 30% of the department’s total sworn workforce, as well as nine promotions within the sworn ranks of the department.
In addition to the testing (written exam, physical agility test, and interview), all Police Officer candidates are subjected to a detailed and comprehensive background investigation, the standards for which are set by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). Further, all Police Officers serve a probationary period including field training and observation, which is considered part of the testing of the individual’s skills and abilities to successfully function as a Police Officer. Accordingly, some degree of attrition during this time is normal and expected to ensure that the caliber of new hires is aligned with the community’s expectations. To keep up with the naturally occurring vacancies in the department, the Police Department under the direction of Chief Johnson, in partnership with HR, continues to enhance hiring efforts by retaining and utilizing contract background investigation firms that supplement the work of the retired Police Officers working on background investigations to put more candidates through the background process. Additionally, the Chief has evaluated Council’s questions regarding the appropriate number for sworn staffing, as well as additional resources, that would enhance the Police Department’s response to community concerns regarding crime, enforcement, and follow up.
DISCUSSION:
Recruitment and staffing of the City’s public safety departments is the top priority for the City Council and City staff. In October 2022, the City Council considered Fire Department Staffing levels and increased staffing by three employees. The Police Chief is now returning to the Council with a discussion regarding staffing, in response to the City Council’s request and interest in ensuring appropriate staffing levels for the Police Department. Sworn staffing in the Police Department has not increased since at least 2011-2012 when the department added one Lieutenant and two Police Officers, restoring the budgeted positions to the historical levels last seen in Fiscal Year 2005-2006 after a reduction in positions during and coming out of the recession.
Staffing Recommendations:
In response to Council questions, and community concerns regarding the need to provide increased patrol and devote resources to crime deterrence and follow through on prosecution, staff has evaluated staffing resources and ways in which enhanced staffing can be utilized in the most efficient way possible. While the current staffing levels are appropriate to provide adequate patrol, crime resolution and staffing for special assignments, increased staffing could be utilized to devote additional attention to crime prevention, active response, and investigative follow up. Should the Council wish to consider increased staffing, the following enhancements are proposed.
First, the creation of a Crime Impact Group consisting of a sergeant and three officers would afford the department resources to devote to specific crime trends as they occur. This group would support the investigative efforts of the Detective Bureau through conducting surveillance, following leads, identifying suspects, composing warrants, and making arrests as appropriate. The Crime Impact Group would be comprised of three new Police Officer positions and an existing Sergeant. It is recommended that the allocation of the Sergeant for this assignment be transferred from the current “Traffic and Parking Control” Sergeant, which could then be backfilled by a civilian supervisor (included in the recommended positions).
The civilian supervisor would provide continuity and career expertise in the areas of police support services including parking enforcement, animal control, and traffic control, and focus on oversight of community quality of life concerns including in parks, downtown and the north end, as well as for special events.
Additionally, the addition of a year-round full-time bike patrol consisting of four officers is recommended. The bike patrol would be based out of the Community Affairs Section and be supervised by the Community Affairs Sergeant, which would support the Department’s goal of increased engagement with the community. The bike patrol would provide high visibility patrol in both residential and commercial areas, while also patrolling areas difficult to patrol in vehicles, such as the bike path or high density traffic locations and small streets/alleys. Further, the bike patrol would devote time to direct engagement with businesses in all parts of the City to strengthen partnerships and reduce crime. Four officers would allow for two-officer bike patrol coverage across the week, with the ability to have four officers on for special events. This bike patrol would be comprised of four new Police Officer positions.
In addition to the Police Support Supervisor to fulfill these functions to backfill the Sergeant who would join the Crime Impact Group, two additional civilian support positions are recommended.
First, a full-time civilian Background Investigator is recommended to ensure that Police Officer and support staff hiring has devoted resources to move candidates quickly and efficiently through the background investigation process to expedite and streamline hiring. Historically, there have been no full-time positions devoted to completing background investigations in a timely manner, or overseeing any part-time or contract background investigators. While retired Police Officers have been retained to complete background investigations, and the City has recently started using contract background firms, the hiring of a full-time civilian background investigator would ensure the timely processing and hiring of both sworn and professional staffing. The background investigator would also oversee part-time and contract support during periods of increased hiring, and support the Personnel and Training Sergeant in hiring efforts.
Secondly, the addition of an Administrative Assistant to support the Detective Bureau is recommended to provide clerical/technical and administrative support to the detectives, freeing up their time to focus on investigative work. This position would support the existing detective bureau as well as the Crime Impact Group, including providing timely case updates to victims, aiding the Crime Analyst in aggregating data, and completing other administrative duties such as the composition and distribution of crime bulletins. As discussed above, the Council previously considered contracting five armed security personnel to provide additional community presence and address specific crime trends in the area. The per person cost of the armed security would have been $220,000, for a total of $1.1 million annually. The per person cost for hiring additional sworn officers to perform these and additional duties will be $164,689 per position and approximately $1.1 million annually for seven full-time Police Officer positions. While there are some additional costs related to the employment of an individual such as workers’ compensation costs, it is believed that the per person cost of adding sworn employees will defray additional costs such as overtime. Hiring the proposed seven new full-time positions would bring the total authorized sworn police positions in the budget from 65 to 72, which is 2 more than the currently authorized “overhire” number of 70. (See Attachment: Summary of Current and Proposed Staffing)
It is recommended that the City Council discuss and provide direction regarding this staffing recommendation.
Recruitment Incentives:
In the past 18 months, 20 new sworn officers have been hired, including 12 laterals and 7 trainees (as well as the Police Chief). While there has been turnover during the same period, that turnover is for normal and expected reasons, such as retirements, career opportunities, personal reasons, employees moving out of state, or new employees not passing the academy or training period. Meanwhile, the City continues to attract candidates from Southern California law enforcement agencies, such as Inglewood, LA County Sheriffs, Gardena, Orange County Sheriffs, Long Beach, and the Los Angeles Police Department, demonstrating that the City remains competitive at attracting local candidates. The City currently has a sworn vacancy rate of approximately 3%, which is on the lower end of agencies within our labor market. (See Attachment: Current Vacancy Rates and Available Recruitment Incentives)
At this time, there are both trainee and lateral candidates in the background process, and trainees in the academy or scheduled to start an upcoming academy (not counted against our vacancy number). The City continues to attract applicants for both lateral and trainee recruitments, putting us within two positions of our current full-time complement of sworn police officers. Should the Council approve the hiring of additional staff, staff believes that with the addition of a civilian background investigator, the City will be able to enhance our hiring pace further to fill the new Police Officer vacancies within six to nine months. While there will always be turnover and the need to backfill or over-hire for anticipated vacancies, staff does not believe that the City’s vacancy rate and ability to hire indicates a recruitment or retention problem that would necessitate immediate or dramatic monetary enhancements.
However, given that the current recruitment incentive bonus of $3,000 has not been increased since 2003, Council may want to consider adjusting this amount. Tying the bonus to a percentage of the salary schedule would ensure that the recruitment incentive increases over time as salaries increase to ensure the amount remains competitive. If Council would like to increase the amounts, Staff recommends that the recruitment bonus be set at a discretionary 3% - 10% of the annual salary for the Police Officer step in which the candidate is hired. Council authorization of a discretionary bonus, determined by the Police Chief and requiring City Manager approval, would enable the City to adjust the signing bonus appropriately in response to changing recruitment and retention conditions, as well as extend the recruitment bonus to trainee candidates should it be deemed warranted in the future (currently the bonus only applies to lateral candidates). (See Attachment: Example of Range Bonus Amounts)
Should the Council provide direction to enhance these cash incentives for recruitment, staff recommends that the Council also increase the current referral bonus for employees to recruit incoming Officers as the referral and recommendation of other law enforcement professionals via “word of mouth” is one of the City’s best recruitment tools. Specifically, should Council approve this increase in the lateral recruitment bonus, staff also recommends that the Council increase the referral bonus to 5% of the annual salary of Police Academy Trainee, which in 2023 would amount to $4,035 per referral (the current referral bonus is $2,000).
If Council directs the increase of the recruitment bonuses in line with this recommendation, staff will return to Council with the approval of a resolution in line with Council direction.
The Council also has the ability to provide direction on other enhancements to the recruitment incentives, the implementation of which may require discussion with the affected labor associations. In addition to a cash recruitment incentive, Council can provide direction to explore other types of recruitment incentives, such as transfer of sick and vacation leave upon hire for lateral, education reimbursement or student loan repayment assistance, childcare or housing incentives, etc. Should Council provide direction on something other than a cash “signing bonus,” staff is requesting direction on the parameters/interests of an enhanced incentive so that detailed information and options can return to Council for discussion.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Costs Associated with Request
2. Summary of Current and Proposed Staffing
3. Current Vacancy Rates and Available Recruitment Incentives
4. Example of Range Bonus Amounts