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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2.d. Police Recruitment Plan CITY OF ROSEMOUNT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR DISCUSSION COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING DATE: OCTOBER 13, 1999 AGENDA ITEM: Police Recruitment Plan AGENDA NO. PREPARED BY: Gary Kalstabakken, Chief of Police ���� '�' 2 � ATTACHMENTS: Draft of Plan The Council has directed that a comprehensive recruitment plan be developed for the Police Department. A preliminary plan was brought to the Council in July for discussion. The attached revised plan includes information that was requested by the Council to be in the recruitment plan. It is brought before the Council this month for further discussion. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Discussion Item Police Department Staffing and Recruitin� Executive Summary The Police Department is anticipating adding staff in the coming years as the population and number of calls for service increases in the community. In order to prepare for the growth of the Department, the current status of the Department needs to be reviewed and then the projected needs related to the growth and service levels desired need to be examined. This paper will first discuss the current staffing levels and assignments within the Department. Next, issues facing the Department will be reviewed. The third issue discussed will be the projected needs of the Department to meet the demands of growth and to maintain or enhance the level of services provided. Finally, methods to recruit and select personnel for positions on the Department will be discussed. The Rosemount Police Department is committed to operating under the philosophy of community oriented policing. This commitment to communicating with the members of the community and working with them to problem solve in an effort to create a safe and livable community will require the selection of personnel�vith traits and skills consistent with the Department's goals and philosophy. Several methods of recruitment and selection have proven successful in the selection of police officer candidates throughout Minnesota and the metropolitan area. However, without specific efforts targeting women and persons of color, agencies have generally had limited success in recruiting them into the law enforcement field. In order to attract persons of color and women to law enforcement, affirmative action plans and programs have been adopted by some agencies. These plans and pro�ams are presented in order to facilitate discussion on their applicability to Rosemount. Department Staffin� The Police Department has operated with fifteen (15) swom licensed officers since April 1997 when Officer Julie Pulkrabek was hired with COPS funding. Staffing has remained at fifteen officers since Pulkrabek's hiring -- although two (2) officers have resigned and replacements have been hired to fill those positions. Grant Thorstad resigned in May 1997 and was replaced by Chad Rosa in June 1997. Steve Beberg resigned in March 1999 and was replaced by Beth Richtsmeier in August 1999. Positions within the Department include: Chief of Police, Lieutenant (Promoted), Sergeant(2 -Promoted), Investigator(Assigned), School Liaison(Assigned), Community Policing Officer(Assigned) and Patrol Officer(8). Officers complete various tasks and other assignments in addition to their regularly assi�ed duties. Chief of Police--The Chief serves in an administrative position. Although the chief does not regularly respond to calls or handle investigations, those duties are occasionally performed by the chief due to the serious nature of the incident, number of incidents, or staffing levels of officers on patrol. Normal office hours are M - F, 8:00 -4:30. Lieutenant--Promoted position that is responsible for administrative and operational duties. The duties vary from day-to-day and are dependent on the staffing levels and daily duties being performed by other personnel. Regular hours are M-F, 7:30 - 4:00. Patrol --Administrative duties include fleet maintenance, equipment maintenance, schedulinJ oversight, and management of operational issues. Lieutenant Kuhns regularly responds to calls during his shift. Vacation, sick, and training shifts on weekday day-shifts are covered by Lt. Kuhns. (Instead of hiring at overtime or adjusting another officer's schedule to cover a shift, Lt. Kuhns serves as the second officer on-duty.) Investigations --Reviews cases to determine appropriate case management. Assigns cases to investigator or patrol officers for further investigation. In absence of investigator, conducts investigations and signs complaints. Performs administrative investigations, i.e., employee background investigations, complaint investigations, and license applicant backgrounds. Sergeants --This is a promoted"working" supervisory position. They routinely perform the same or similar duties as the patrol officers that they supervise. Sergeants work a rotating schedule with regular hours of 6:30 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. Each sergeant is assigned supervisory duties to perform in addition to their daily duties. The other duties assigned include; schedulin�,Field Training program supervision, check and forgery investigations,Reserve Officer Coordinator. Investigator--This is an assigned position. The one investigator completes essentially all follow-up investigations of all felony level offenses, most child abuse/neglect cases, and misdemeanor cases that are unable to be completed by patrol officers. Hours. 8 -4,M-F Community Policing Off cer--Assigned position. This officer works a variety of duties that relate to community education, community relations, crime prevention,problem oriented policing, and multi-housing. In addition, the position is used to provide patrol coverage to fill shifts that are vacant due to leave requests or sick calls. Hours vary and are flexible depending on community needs. Generally, 3 - 11 p.m. T-F or Sat. School Liaison --Assigned Position. During the school year the liaison officer works at Rosemount High and Middle Schools. Although the officer strives to provide equal coverage to both schools, in reality, about two-thirds of the officer's time is devoted to the high school. The liaison handles criminal matters at the schools and serves as a resource to school staff and students. When school is not in session the liaison is reassigned to other duties. In the summer of 1999, the liaison was assigned to patrol duties in an effort to have the liaison share his knowledge of local juveniles and the juvenile justice system with other patrol officers. In the summer of 1998, the liaison was assigned to investigations during the summer months. School District#196, through a special levy and other funds, contributes approximately $30,000 for liaison services annually. Hours are 7:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. during school year. Pcrtrol Officers --Eight officers are assigned to patrol responsibilities. Their responsibilities include responding to emergencies and other calls for service, conducting follow-up investigations of misdemeanor offenses, traffic enforcement and other duties. In addition to their patrol duties,most officers also have special assignments that are done as needed--usually during their patrol shifts. Staffing the patrol section with eight officers allows for two officer coverage for 24 hours --the current schedule does provide one officer coverage from 5 - 5:30 a.m. and 7:30 - 8 a.m. The schedule provides three-officer coverage between 9 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. Special Dutv Assig,nments D.A.R.E. --Two officers currently are trained as D.A.R.E. instructors. They shared the instruction duties during the 1997-98 and 1998-99 school years. The two officers trained are currently the officers assigned to the primary positions of investigator and community policing officer. School District#196 contributes about $6000 annually for D.A.R.E. They also reimburse the costs of T-shirts for graduation at$3 per student. Beginning in the 1999 -2000 school year, the investigator will no longer teach D.A.R.E. because his investigative duties are not compatible with instructing. In prior years, investigations that were not urgent were put on hold and priority cases were handled by Lt. Kuhns when the investigator was committed to D.A.R.E. Because the investigative caseload cannot be adequately controlled-- we do not schedule the committing of crimes --the investigator cannot effectively juggle his schedule to both teach D.A.R.E. and promptly investigate crimes. As more crimes are occurring that require the investigator to follow-up,it has become necessary to keep the investigator available to immediately investigate cases. The Community Policing Officer will teach all D.A.R.E. classes in 1999 - 2000. Because of an aberration in the Sth grade enrollment,the number of classes will be down in this school year. D.A.R.E.will be scheduled three days a week, from January through May. The other two days of the week, the C.O.P. officer will perform the other duties for which he is responsible. A future consideration as the city and school population continues to grow will be the opening of another elementary school in Rosemount. This additional school will require the D.A.R.E. officer to spend additional time in the schools as the number of classes grows. MAAG-- Two officers are assigned to the Mutual Aid Assistance Group. The officers respond to requests for assistance for service of warrants and barricaded person incidents. They only respond if our staffing permits. Training occurs once a month. The training is important and scheduling adjustments aze made to accommodate having both officers attend as often as possible. However, as schedule conflicts occur, the officers' first priority is to their regular schedule and work assignment. Field Training Officer-- Two officers are trained to be the training officers for newly officers. These duties are only needed�vhen a new hire occurs and are completed as part of the officer's regular duty shift. Use of Force Instructor-- One officer is trained in both defensive tactics and firearms. A second officer is a firearms instructor. In September 1999, another officer is enrolled in a Defensive Tactics Instructor Course. These instructors are utilized to supplement the firearms and use-of-force training that officers receive at DCTC. Rosemount instructors are used at least twice a year to review defensive tactics, firearms or other use of force techniques. Drug Task Force --Two officers are assigned to assist the Eastern Dakota County Task Force. The officers work the detail as time permits on their regular shifts or on an overtime basis outside their regular duty shifts. In the year 2000, there will be change in the operation of the Task Force. In response to a recommendation from the organization that distributes federal funds to narcotic task forces, the two task forces operating within Dakota County are merging. The South Metro and Eastern Dakota County Task Forces will begin operating as one task force. This change will not have a significant, if any, economic impact on the Department. However, it will require entering into a joint powers agreement with the other participating agencies. At this time, the commitment is recommended to be .25 FTE or 520 hours annually. Current Staffin I�; ssues Community Policing Officer The COP officer fills a number of roles. Although there are benefits to this multi-task approach, it also has significant drawbacks. Patrol coverage by the COP officer has reduced the amount of overtime that is paid to cover shifts. While this has resulted in a cost savings benefit, it has prevented the officer from devoting a greater percentage of time exclusively to COP duties. In order to expand programs and work more regularly with rental and multi-housing property managers,Neighborhood Watch participants and other residents on specific problems, the COP officer should be dedicated virtually exclusively to COP. Residents and business owners are becoming more aware of programs and services. As a result, they are more frequently requesting services. The COP officer needs to be dedicated to meeting these needs on a timely basis. Devoting the COP officer to COP may be accomplished in at least three ways: 1) cover patrol shifts previously covered by the COP officer by paying overtime, 2)provide less patrol coverage by not filling some of the shifts cunently covered by the COP officer, 3)hire additional personnel. School Liaison At the end of the 1998-99 school year, the principals of Rosemount High and Middle schools both requested that the school liaison officer hours be expanded. Specifically, the high school would prefer a liaison officer assigned full-time to RHS and RMS would prefer a committed officer for twenty(20)hours per week. This same staffing level is desired by#196 staff at all the middle and high schools within the district. The School District acknowledges the increased cost of providing the equivalent of a .5 officer to serve as a liaison at RMS. As of June 1999, the District was having internal discussions on the feasibility of providing additional funding to cover the cost. However, the District is in labor negotiations and will not know the availability of funds until the contract is settled. Unless the staffing level of the Deparhnent is increased,providing the requested services to the schools would be difficult. There are at least three options to staffing the school liaison position an officer for twenty hours per week. Each of the options is discussed below. 1) GO.P/Liaison Position -- The COP officer could serve in the dual role of RMS liaison officer and COP officer. Flexibility on the part of the school -- and the officer--would be required in order to make this method work. Because the officer would still be responsible for COP programs, the hours would fluctuate depending on the demands for COP programs. If the COP officer served as the Middle School liaison officer,there would be less time devoted to COP during the school year. The COP officer would have approximately 20 hours per week to devote to COP duties and programs during the school year. In the summer months,the COP officer would concentrate efforts on COP duties --particularly Neighborhood Watch,National Night Out and Safety Camp. 2) Investigator/Liaison --A second investigative position could be created that handles liaison and investigative duties. This arrangement would result in more flexibility in the investigative positions. The existing investigative position would remain as a full-time position. That investigator would have more time to devote to pro-active investigations, e.g. reviewing pawn shop information to develop suspect leads, doing surveillance of known offenders living in the community,narcotic investigations, etc. The liaison/investigative position would allow for specialization in the critical area of abuse/neglect cases. I would anticipate that child abuse and neglect cases would be the primary cases assigned to the middle school liaison. 3) D.A.R.E./Liaison --As more classes are added to the elementary levels, additional hours will need to be devoted to D.A.R.E. instruction. By sharing these responsibilities, the officer would become familiar with students through D.A.R.E. and then follow them into the Middle School as the liaison. If this option is used, the option of teaching the middle school curriculum of D.A.R.E. should be explored with the school district because the assigned officer should have sufficient time to teach both D.A.R.E. levels. D.A.R.E. --There have been about ten (10) fifth grade classes annually in recent years. As Rosemount's population grows,more students can be expected. District#196 is considering building another elementary school in Rosemount. Even without a new school being built, it is anticipated that Shannon Park and Rosemount Elementary will have increased Sth grade classes in the next few years. If a new school is opened it will immediately have an impact on the staffing requirements for the D.A.R.E. program. Either two instructors will be needed, or the classes will need to be taught during the entire school year. It is anticipated that an additional school opening will result in another 8 - 10 hours per week dedicated to the D.A.R.E. program(136 - 170 hrs.). Patrol Coverage-- Overall Staff ng There are a variety of inethods to determine staffing needs. Depending upon the method used to calculate the number of officers needed, Rosemount should currently have 14 - 17 officers. One very simplistic method is to provide one officer per thousand residents. Using this method and estimating the current population at 14,000,Rosemount should have 14 sworn officers. The per capita method does not account for a variety of factors that influence staffing needs. It does not take into account the demographics of the population, calls for service or the level and type of services that are a priority to be provided to the population being served. It is a very simplistic method but it still is a common gauge. As a comparison, the City of Eagan has stated their intent to provide 1.1 officers per thousand residents. This same commitment in Rosemount would currently require 15.4 officers -- 1.1 x 14,000. In the report on Minnesota Crime Information 1998,published by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety --Bureau of Criminal Apprehension,the number of sworn officers in each agency is included in the report. According to information in the report, the average number of officers per 1000 residents was 1.2 for cities with populations of 10,000 - 25,000. There were 50 cities in that category. If this average was used in Rosemount, it would result in Rosemount having 16.8 officers -- 1.2 x 14,000. A method suggested by the International Association of Chiefs of Police bases staffing recommendations on a formula that takes into account calls for service,reported crimes and arrest data. Utilizing this formula, Rosemount should have 10.5 officers assigned to patrol duties. Regardless of the method used to determine staffing levels, as Rosemount continues to develop, officers and support staff will need to be added to adequately respond to requests for all types of service in a timely and professional manner. Projected Needs of Department An evaluation on various data related to Rosemount's growth is necessary to predict the future basic needs of the Police Department. Attachment 1 contains data on population growth, calls for service and reported crimes. Although there is not a direct year-to-year correlation, there does appear to be a relationship between the number of calls for service and population growth. The population growth from 1995 to 1998 was estimated to be 17% (11,750 to 13,700)while calls for service increased 16% (8636 to 10,001). Reported crime increased 37% from 1995 to 1998, however, some of this growth can be attributed to an increase in officer- generated arrests and more accurate reporting of crime to the BCA by our staff. According to the population estimates used in the Comprehensive Guide Plan and the Metropolitan Council, Rosemount will add population at the rate of approximately 525 new residents annually. This pattern of growth will undoubtedly result in the increase of calls for service and requests for special programs. In order to maintain the cunent levels of service and to expand some programs to meet the needs of the community,there will need to be additional officers hired during the next five years. If the one officer per thousand residents is used as a benchmark, an additional officer should be hired sometime between July l, 2002 and June 30, 2003 because the community will reach approximately 16,000 residents sometime in the year 2003. Another officer should be hired every two years (2005, 2007) to keep up with the benchmark of one officer per thousand residents. However, if Rosemount grows at the same pace as it did during the period 1990 -98 at approximately 6.5%per year, the population will exceed 16,000 in the year 2002 and 17,000 in 2003. This more rapid growth rate,if it should occur, will more quickly accelerate the need for more police officers. ! The tables below show the projected needs based on the two population assumptions and using one and 1.1 officer per thousand residents as standards. 1 Officer Per 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 1000 Residents Pop. Off. Pop. Of£ Pop. Of£ Pop. Of£ Pop. Off. Comprehensive 14750 14.7 15300 15.3 15825 15.8 16350 16.4 16875 16.9 Guide Plan Estimate Growth Avg. Growth Rate 14750 14.7 15708 15.7 16730 16.7 17817 17.8 18975 18.9 6.5% 1.1 Officer Per 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 1000 Residents Pop. Off. Pop. Of£ Pop. Off. Pop. Off. Pop. Off. Comprehensive 14775 16.2 15300 16.7 15825 17.2 16350 17.8 16875 18.4 Guide Plan Estimate Growth Avg. Growth Rate 14750 16.2 15708 17.3 16730 18.4 17817 19.6 18975 20.9 6.5% The 1/1000 officer standard does not take into account other needs of the community or the Department. Community awareness of the various crime prevention programs and services offered by the Department will continue to grow as the programs are publicized and increasing numbers of residents participate in the programs. This increase in demand for the services will require dedicated time by an officer. This dedicated time may come from officers assigned to patrol or an officer specifically dedicated to.the programs and services. If patrol officers are dedicated to deliver the requested services, they will not be able to respond to calls for service and other officers will need to be assigned those duties. Recruitment and Selection of Personnel On an annual basis the following steps will be taken to evaluate the projected needs of the Department and methods used to recruit and select personnel. 1. Update statistical data for the city including five-year population estimates, five-year historical data for calls-for-service and crime rate, and demographic information of the city. 2. Update staffing and organizational structure of Department. 3. Review any crime trends in Rosemount and surrounding communities. A report summarizing this information will be provided to the Council and discussed at a Committee of the Whole Work Session in the first quarter of each year. Council will provide direction based upon the data contained in the report. The selection process to be used to fill any openings that occur during that calendar year will also be reviewed at the Work Session. If it is recommended that specific or targeted recruiting efforts should take place for the anticipated openings,those efforts will also be discussed. When an opening occurs for a police officer or community service officer position, a recruitment and selection process for the position will be brought to the Council for approval prior to the posting of the job announcement. Selection Process The process used to screen and select candidates should continually be evaluated to ensure the process leads to the appointment of the candidate that best fits the needs of the Department and the community. Selection methods should be used which will lead to those candidates being selected who possess the skills and personal attributes desired for the current opening. Selection methods may vary from process to process. Methods that may be considered include; application scoring based on education and experience, written testing, video based testing, and interviewing. Regardless of the specific method selected for use, the mechanism should evaluate candidates based on the desired skills and attributes. Any selection process used for the hiring of police officers will be in accordance with applicable standards and requirements of the Minnesota POST Board. The hiring of police officers through the traditional method of candidates that have met the POST training requirements relies on candidates completing the post secondary requirements at their own expense. This system is seen as a hindrance to recruiting candidates that are making career switches, candidates that have limited financial resources and, generally, candidates that are women or persons of color have not been recruited effectively via the traditional method. Alternative methods to recruit candidates should be explored. One method to include is the recruitment of candidates from outside Minnesota that meet the reciprocity requirements of POST. Historically, the Minnesota educational system has graduated more law enforcement candidates than the number of openings that existed. In addition, some law enforcement hopefuls that have either not wanted to complete or been able to afford the cost of the required education have chosen to seek employment in other states that provide academ�training. When recruiting for a specific position occurs,job announcements may be placed in professional publications in those states that are believed to have law enforcement officers with roots from Minnesota. States to be considered include the four states adjoining Minnesota, California, Arizona,Washington and New Mexico. Each of the states mentioned has recruited in Minnesota by placing ads in professional publications and in the major newspapers. Another alternative method is to recruit candidates prior to their completing the required training. This option allows the recruitment of candidates that have associate or baccalaureate college degrees in any field of study or candidates just beginning their college course work. Referred to as "after-hire"because the required course work is completed after the candidate is hired by an agency, variations of this method have been used by several suburban agencies,Minnesota Department of Public Safety,Minneapolis and St. Paul Police Departments. Agencies have used cadet, community service officer and other non-sworn positions to provide employment to the after-hire candidates while they complete the required courses. In addition, agencies have paid the candidates tuition, textbooks and course supplies, and provided a stipend while the training is completed. The Northwest Community Law Enforcement Program(NCLEP) -- a consortium serving eight cities in northwest Hennepin County--has operated a cadet program since 1993. This program was specifically adopted and implemented to attract persons of color and women to the participating suburbs. The Northwest Hennepin Human Services Council coordinates the program, including the recruiting efforts. Cadets are paid for working twenty hours per week; their hours are capped at twenty because the participating agencies want the cadets to focus on school. In order to supplement the wages earned, each cadet is paid a stipend of$500 per month each month the cadet attends classes full- time. Hennepin County, the State of Minnesota and the participating cities fund costs of operating this program. The Eagan Police Department (EPD)has utilized the community service officer position to recruit "after-hire" candidates to the department. Again, this was an affirmative action program designed to increase the representation of people of color and women on the Eagan Police Department. EPD recruited personnel to the CSO position. Once hired, the CSO was eligible to apply for a scholarship to cover the tuition and books of the courses needed to complete the CSO's law enforcement education. In exchange for accepting the scholarship,the CSO signed an agreement to work as an EPD officer for three years after completing the college requirements and taking the next available police officer position. A cost comparison between the expenses of a cadet program similar to the NCLEP, our current CSO program, and the Eagan model of FT CSO with a scholarship is made below. CSO NCLEP Ea an Wa es $8.00 er hour $8.20 er hour $8.00 er hour Hours Budgeted 60 hours week 20 hours per cadet FT(40 hrs.)with 2 ositions 30 hrs. each Benefits Recruitin Costs $200 $3500 estimate Unl�own Sti end 0 $5000 0 Tuition 0 $3500 $3500 Books/Su lies 0 $1300 $1300 Uniform $800 $800 $800 FT Benefits 0 0 $9000 amil 1 Position-Annual $13,480 30 hrs.wk. $22,628 20 hrs.wk. $31,240 40 hrs.wk. 2 Positions-Annual $26,960 60 hrs.wk. $45,256 40 hrs. wk. $62,480 80 hrs. wk. Most, if not all the cadet type programs,have been implemented as affirmative action plans in an effort to recruit persons of color and women into law enforcement. Minneapolis has operated a cadet program since 1989. Between 1989 and 1992, eighty- three percent of minorities and persons of color hired by MPD were hired through the cadet program. The NCLEP program, as of April 1997, had resulted in 29 cadets participating in the program-- ten having been hired as full-time officers following the completion of their academic training. The use of a cadet program or the CSO position to recruit for police officers does have potential shortcomings. 1) Candidate pool may be nanowed from the traditional recruitment route: a) Not all students need to work while attending college b) Some students already have jobs that meet their schedule and fund their college expenses. 2) Candidates considering a career change may currently be employed in a better paying position, e.g. computer programmer or teacher, and, therefore,be reluctant to make a financial sacrifice to accept lesser paying position of CSO. 3) Persons hired as CSOs may still be in the process of completing the required peace officer training when an unexpected opening occurs. If a CSO is attending classes part-time, completion of peace officer training could take 18 months or longer. Depending on the length of time needed to complete the training; it may be impractical to delay police officer hiring to allow the CSO to become eligible to fill the police officer position. Summary The recruitment and selection of police officers and Community Service Officers is an on-going process that requires specific efforts when an opening does occur. In order to select candidates with the desired skills and training for a given opening, a hiring process must be utilized which brings forward the applicants whom best meet the criteria established for the position. It is recommended that both the CSO program and the traditional selection process be used to fill future police officer positions. Utilizing both methods allows for a greater chance to recruit candidates with varied skills and abilities. 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