STAFF REPORT
Operations Committee, November 5, 2009

Funding for Additional Police Officers and Police Car Cell Phone Service (PD10-006)
Consideration of funding six additional police officer positions to staff a new police beat in western Cary based on coverage and growth demands and additional funding for cell phone coverage for police officers in the field
Speaker:  Chief Bazemore

From: Patricia Bazemore, Chief of Police
Prepared by: Tracy Jernigan, Captain
Approved by: Benjamin T. Shivar, Town Manager
Approved by:  Michael J. Bajorek, Town Manager

Executive Summary: The police department requests the Cary Town Council fund six new police officer positions to staff an additional beat in the western part of Cary. Service and growth demands require the need for one additional geographical police beat in western Cary to improve response times and ensure adequate police service coverage throughout the Town.  In addition, the police department requests the Cary Town Council approve funding for cell phone access for all field unit patrol vehicles. This added service will help provide faster response to citizens and improve overall service delivery.

Discussion: In January 2008 a tenth patrol beat was added to improve service throughout Town.  Armed with the knowledge and awareness that development in the west would continue to call for greater resources, the new beat was added to help reduce overall average patrol zone size and stabilize beat call volume and response times.  The additional beat successfully reduced patrol area and response times overall, and developed a relatively stable beat design that we expect to sustain us for the next three years in the majority of Town.  However, the western area has continued to develop and has reached the point where action is necessary in order to maintain service levels.

The need for an additional beat was identified during the FY2010 budget process.  However, due to the lack of available funding the Town applied for Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grants that were part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009. On July 28, 2009, the town was notified that we were not selected for funding in the initial process for American Reinvestment and Recovery Act COPS grants and our application was put in a pending status. On September 17, 2009, the police department contacted the COPS Office to determine the status of our application for funding. We received information that unless Congress added more funding in the FY 2009 federal budget to fund positions, our application would not be considered and all new funding would have to come from the FY 2010 federal budget. The federal budget for FY 2009 ended on September 30, 2009 and no COPS funding was received.  This news led staff to identify other funding sources for an additional beat.

The addition of six officers is necessary to fully staff one additional beat at all times. This number was determined through analysis of patrol resource allocation and leave time.  In 2008, 1.17 FTEs were needed to fill 2,080 available service hours per year due to the time consumed on average for required training, sick leave, and vacation.  Current deployments require five shifts to meet that demand.  When calculated accordingly, 5.85 FTEs is the minimum number of officers required to implement a new beat.
 
History has shown that adding a patrol beat takes time.  Recruitment and training are key considerations regarding the timing of implementation.  In the FY08 budget, six FTEs were approved to add the tenth beat.  While planning, recruitment, selection, etc. began as soon as possible; the beat did not come on-line until mid-year.  It is expected the same scenario would occur with the approval of this request with an initial, but unavoidable, delay in benefit from the added resources of an estimated two to four months. 

Since the tenth beat was established in January 2008, year over year historical comparison statistics based on the western most patrol zone (beat 119) are not available. In order to have the most accurate comparison possible, a geographic template equivalent to the January 2008 area has been used to compare 2007 and 2008 data to provide comparable data regarding impacts on police services.  Predictions regarding future service demands are based on this same template. All information is based on calendar year data.

Analysis of Western Cary:

Known Crime Picture
• 157% increase from 2004 to 2008 in the number of reported police incidents. By comparison, the average beat (excluding beat 119) saw an increase of 17%.
• 20% increase in reported police incidents in beat 119 from 2007 to 2008. By comparison, the average beat (excluding beat 119) was an increase of 1%.  

Known Service Demand
• 92% increase in dispatched call activity in beat 119 from 2004 to 2008. By comparison, the average beat (excluding beat 119) saw an actual decrease of 0.4%.
• 14% increase in dispatched call activity in beat 119 from 2007 to 2008.  By comparison, the average beat (excluding beat 119) was an increase of 0.19%. 
• 140% increase in the total amount of time officers spent on calls in beat 119 from 2004 to 2008. 
• 30% increase in the total amount of time officers spent on calls in beat 119 from 2007 to 2008. 

Predicted Service Demand
• The population in 2004 for beat 119 was 12,549 and through the end of 2008 the population rose to 24,761. This represents an overall increase of 97%.
• The population in 2004 for the Town of Cary (excluding beat 119) was 94,884 and through the end of 2008 the population rose to 108,575. This represents an overall increase of 14%.

Area
• Map of existing ten beat patrol zone structure; 34% increase in the area of beat 119 since 2003 (2004 is not archived). 
• Beat 119 currently has 11.2 square miles of patrol area.  By comparison, the Town of Apex is comprised of a total 15.3 square miles. Most recent information from Apex is that they have on average 6 to 8 police officers covering any given patrol shift town-wide.
• Map of proposed eleven beat patrol zone structure.
• 5% reduction in the size of beat 119 by adding the eleventh beat. 
• 18% reduction in the distance from one end of the beat to the other, resulting in a potential reduction of 18% in response time.

Known Response Time
The town’s goal of an average response time for all priority 1 calls is set at less than 5 minutes. In January 2008 the town added a tenth beat to police services to address response time and service delivery issues in other parts of town. Although not directly related to western Cary, the added beat to the overall system did have some effect. The addition of beat 120 reduced response times, and it is expected adding an eleventh beat will have similar improvements.
• In beat 119, priority 1 average response times decreased 8% during 2008 when beat 120 was added (from 5.42 minutes in 2008 prior to beat being added to 5.01 minutes in 2008 post beat being added)
• Response times for priority 1 calls for the rest of the town in 2008 (excluding beat 119) was 3.33 minutes.

Predicted Response Time
We are not able to accurately predict priority 1 response times based on the reduction in size of beat 119. However, we are able to calculate a significant reduction in lower priority response times based on a reduction in size and a 30 MPH speed average. This should have a similar net effect on priority 1 calls as well.  
• 18% potential reduction in response time (all calls) from the longest distance between points within beat 119; 16.05 to 13.15 minutes.
• 18% reduction in the distance between the longest points within beat 119; 8.02 to 6.57 miles. 

Cell Service: The police department is requesting $18,810 in funding be authorized by the Cary Town Council to provide cell phone service in each police car being operated in the field. This service will give officers the ability to contact citizens and others for needed information and will improve the agency’s response to citizen requests. Currently, officers have to seek a phone in the community to use or access a town facility to utilize a phone to make a call. This response creates unnecessary delays and does not give the officers a consistent call back number when trying to reach those in need of assistance. This proposal will allow us to add cell phone service in 63 of our police cars assigned in the field and will give 126 police officers access to this needed service. Our proposal is to make the assigned cell phone part of the standard outfitting of our police cars in the field, so any officer operating a car in the field will have immediate access to a phone.

Fiscal Impact:  The addition of six police officers requires FY2010 expenditure authority of $357,616.  This includes $167,602 for six months of salary and benefits, $121,014 in operating and maintenance costs, and $69,000 for three marked patrol cars.  Operating and maintenance costs for the first full fiscal year of FY2011 are estimated to total $349,358.

The combined request for six additional police officers and cell phones for police cars for FY2010 totals $376,426.  Staff recommends funding this request partially from police department lapsed salary and benefit savings of $136,737 due to FY2010 vacancies expected to be filled as of November 1, 2009.  The remaining $239,689 has been realized in year to date savings from debt service interest expenses due to lower than estimated interest rates on variable rate debt.

Staff Recommendation:  Staff recommends that the Cary Town Council approve the following actions to authorize the police related expenditures totaling $376,426.

1)  Addition of six new police officer I positions to the Town’s staffing document.

2)  New appropriations to the following police department expenditure accounts after allowing for the use of $136,737 in existing budget authority for lapsed salaries and benefits:

        Permanent Salaries    $3,768
        Overtime    $3,600
        FICA    $564
        Retirement    $359
        401K    $368
        Health Insurance    $22,206
        Small Equipment    $85,950
        Uniforms    $15,000
        Computer Software    $3,510
        Contracted Services    $2,400
        Vehicle Maintenance & Repair    $14,154
        Vehicle (3 patrol cars)    $69,000
        Cell Phones    $18,810
             Total    $239,689

3)  Reduction in the interest expense appropriation in the general fund by $239,689.