Five Year Police Office Staffing PlanTHE CITY OF
DLTB UE
MasEerpiece on the Mississippi
MEMORANDUM
September 27, 2007
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Five-Year Police Office Staffing Plan
The City of Dubuque has long recognized the importance of public safety to quality of
life. The City does its best to provide safe drinking water, treated waste water, health
inspections, building inspections, housing and rental inspections, fire inspections, fire
suppression, ambulance services, investigations of discrimination complaints, safe
streets and sidewalks, crime prevention, law enforcement, refuse collection, snow
removal, emergency communications, disaster planning, disaster response and many
other public safety services.
In the most recent City Council goal setting process police staffing was identified as a
priority. Beginning in 1994 the City has added 18 sworn police officer positions and
3.81 civilian positions to the Police Department. This is a 27% increase in the staff of
the Police Department (not including non-sworn positions that were reassigned to other
departments over the years).
Chief of Police Kim Wadding has developed a five year plan to create an additional 13
sworn police officer positions in the department beginning in Fiscal Year 2008,
increasing the number of sworn positions to 108 from 95, an increase in the number of
sworn positions of 14 percent.
I am providing this for information only at this time, as this plan will be considered as
part of the upcoming budget process.
,~ ~/~/11
Michael C. Van Milligen
MCVM/LW
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Kim Wadding, Police Chief
TI IE CITY OF
DLTB E MEMORANDUM
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
DATE: September 27, 2007
TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
FROM: Kim B. Wadding, Police Chief
RE: Five-Year Police Officer Staffing Plan
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this memorandum is to briefly outline a proposed five-year staffing level
for the police department as we continue to evaluate and assess our current and future
staffing needs.
BACKGROUND
In the past three years the Dubuque Police Department, through the budget process,
has been working to streamline and enhance our crime fighting abilities through
effective crime analysis and the deployment of personnel and resources. As part of the
effort the department upgraded a patrol Corporal position to a patrol Lieutenant. During
this time we increased our narcotics enforcement through the addition of a state
supervised 18-County Drug Task Force officer. As of July 1, 2006, funding for this
position moved from the state 18-County Drug Task Force to our Dubuque County Drug
Task Force, creating a third local drug task force officer. The use and distribution of
illegal drugs continues to play a significant role in our crime activity associated in the
primary areas of burglary, theft, assault and robbery. Through the drug task force
concept we continue to expand our abilities and efforts to impact this concern.
Assisting with this effort is the Community Oriented Policing Officers (COPS). The
Community Policing Officers supplement our street fighting abilities through their close
relationships with internal and external partners throughout the downtown areas. To
enhance this effort, the Community Policing Unit was upgraded from a Corporal and
three officers to a Captain and four Corporals to better serve those living in the
downtown area and neighborhoods. Although demonstrated in many forms, the
Community Policing philosophy is an integral part of all of our police operations. The
School Resource Officer program dedicates three officers to our schools producing new
and expanded partnerships. The success of these efforts gives us great experience in
the importance and the effectiveness of private and public partnerships and how those
corroborations help to move us forward as we evolve to impact today's criminal
element.
As we look to the future it is imperative we continue to assess and activate a
comprehensive staffing plan as we meet future needs. As part of that plan, the City
Council approved the FY08 addition of one new officer position beginning July 1, 2007
bringing our sworn officer allocation from 94 to 95 officers. As part of the FY09 budget
process, we are continuing this effort through afive-year Sworn Officer Staffing Plan.
DISCUSSION
If adopted during the FY09 budget process, the five-year Sworn Officer Plan, including
the FY08 addition, adds 14 new officer positions to the department increasing our sworn
officer allocation to 108 officers. The five-year Sworn Officer Staffing Plan consists of
the following:
FY2009 FY2010 FY2011 FY2012 FY2013 TOTAL
1 Patrol 1 Patrol 1 Patrol 1 Patrol 4
1 Patrol/Annex 1 Patrol/Annex 1 Patrol/Annex 1 Patrol/Annex 1 Patrol/Annex 5
1 Traffic/
COP Unit
1 Traffic/
COP Unit
1 Traffic/
COP Unit
3
1 SRO 1
4 3 3 2 1 13
PATROL
The addition of one patrol officer per year over the next four years allows the
department to continue to address the street patrol staffing shortages caused by an
annual average officer turnover rate of 5.67 and the time required to fill those positions
with fully trained officers. Over the years, the police department continues to
experience a consistent vacancy of authorized sworn police officer positions. Over the
past years the department has averaged the departure of 5.67 officers per Calendar
year.
From the time of a vacancy to the time the officer is able to assume a solo patrol
position, approximately nine to 10 months has occurred. This includes pre-employment
screening of four to eight weeks, 13 weeks at the law enforcement academy to receive
certification, and 20 weeks of in-house field training.
PATROL/ANNEX
As the city continues to evaluate the current city boundaries and looks to future
annexation projects, the police department must begin to prepare for these new
adjustments. With the crime strategy, Territory Accountability Design, in full
implementation, we project as new areas of the city are developed we will have the
need to increase our current six patrol territories to seven. To add a seventh territory,
five additional police officers are needed. The table above outlines those additions from
FY2009 through FY2013, adding one officer per year.
TRAFFIC/COMMUNITY POLICING UNIT
The police department is proposing the creation of athree-person traffic unit over the
next three years. The purpose of the traffic unit is to comprehensively coordinate, plan
and monitor our traffic safety efforts. Although assigned to the Community Oriented
Policing Unit, the traffic unit works closely with the patrol division in proactive traffic
enforcement, intervention, prevention issues related to various traffic concerns
including, but not limited to; speed, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence,
accident prevention and investigation, child and adult seat belt use, and motor vehicle
noise.
The traffic unit will be responsible for special grant funding and monitoring through the
Iowa Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau and coordinates with other area law enforcement
agencies in the execution of special enforcement projects.
SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER PROGRAM
The police department currently has three full-time officers assigned to the Dubuque
Community Schools -School Resource Officer Program. Two of these positions are
shared funded with the Dubuque Community Schools. Through the building of three
new school buildings and the workload of the current School Resource Officers, we are
proposing the addition of a fourth School Resource Officer.
RECOMMENDATION
This five-year sworn officer staffing plan will be presented during the FY2009 budget
process and is only informational at this time.
ACTION REQUESTED
Informational purpose only.
Cc: Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager