HomeMy WebLinkAboutAttachment 1
October 8, 2020 VIA TELECONFERENCE
6:00 p.m. 315 4th Avenue, Chula Vista, CA 91910
TITLE
CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE MEASURE A PUBLIC
SAFETY EXPENDITURE PLAN TO ADD ONE PUBLIC INFORMATION SPECIALIST AND
ONE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TECHNICIAN IN FISCAL YEAR 2020/2021 AND
AMEND THE EXPENDITURE BUDGET IN FISCAL YEAR 2020/2021
BACKGROUND
During its last scheduled meeting on August 13, 2020, the Measure A Citizens’ Oversight
Committee (COC) voted to support amendments to the Measure A Public Safety Expenditure Plan
to move up the hiring of six (6) Peace Officer positions, as a result of grant funding received to
hire new officers. The proposal was approved by the committee, and subsequently approved by
the City Council.
The chart below outlines the current Measure A staffing plan for the Police Department, as
approved by City Council on August 25, 2020 during the fiscal year 2020/2021 budget adoption
process and supported by the Measure A Citizens’ Oversight Committee on August 13, 2020.
Figure 1. Police Department Public Safety Expenditure Plan as of 8/25/2020
Position FY19 FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 Total
POLICE SERGEANT 3.0 2.0 1.0 6.0
POLICE AGENT 1.0 2.0 3.0 2.0 8.0
PEACE OFFICER 4.0 6.0 11.0 0.0 0.0 21.0
SWORN FTE TOTAL 5.0 11.0 16.0 3.0 0.0 35.0
CIVILIAN BACKGROUND INVESTIGATOR 1.0 1.0
COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICER 2.0 2.0
DIGITAL FORENSICS TECHNICIAN II 2.0 2.0
COMMUNICATIONS CENTER MANAGER 1.0 1.0
POLICE DISPATCHER 2.0 5.0 7.0
SR. POLICE TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST 1.0 1.0
CIVILIAN FTE TOTAL 4.0 10.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 14.0
POLICE DEPARTMENT TOTAL 9.0 21.0 16.0 3.0 0.0 49.0
City of Chula Vista Boards & Commissions
Measure A Citizens’ Oversight Committee - STAFF REPORT
Page 2 ׀ Measure A Citizens’ Oversight Staff Report October 8, 2020
The offset created by the COPS grant resulted in a projected cumulative savings in the Police
Department’s portion of the Measure A Expenditure Plan totaling $750,000 over the three year
funding period of the grant. At the time of the last COC meeting, a plan for the use of this savings
was still being developed.
SUMMARY
The Police Department is proposing to amend the Measure A Public Safety Expenditure Plan to
add one (1) Public Information Specialist position, and one (1) Information Technology
Technician position.
DISCUSSION
With the successful passage of the Measure A Sales Tax, staff is moving forward with
implementation of the Public Safety Expenditure Plan (PSEP). At this time, the Police Department
is requesting to approve modifications to the PSEP to meet ongoing or emerging staffing needs.
Public Information Specialist
Between 2004-2011 the Police Department maintained a position for a Public Information Officer
(PIO) to plan, direct, organize and coordinate public information and public relations programs for
the Police Department. The position has been vacant since staffing was reduced during the Great
Recession.
Since that time, the responsibilities of the Public information Officer have been handled by a Police
Lieutenant as a secondary, collateral assignment. Secondary assignments are common throughout
the organization, but the level of impacts of secondary assignments can vary widely. The
Lieutenant handling PIO duties is assigned to a full-time responsibility managing the Criminal
Investigations Division, consisting of three separate detective units that comprise a total of 43
individual employees.
Over the years as social media has evolved and public expectation for engagement and
transparency has grown, so too has the responsibilities managed by the collateral PIO. Recent
information indicates that PIO responsibilities take, on average, 18-hours per week of the Police
Lieutenant’s time (nearly 50%). This is a significant drain on the ability to manage the investigative
operations of the police department, a crucial component to identifying, arresting, and prosecuting
criminal offenders.
In addition, the emergence of social media has changed the landscape for traditional media, and
the increasing expectations for information transparency and speed have increased pressure on
limited police staffing. The need for a traditional PIO has been replaced by the needs for proactive
public outreach engagement and social media engagement.
The President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing calls on law enforcement agencies to adopt
technology-based community engagement to increase community trust and access. The report
highlights the value in the use of new and social media as a means of community interaction and
relationship building, which can result in stronger law enforcement. Community engagement, the
report concludes, must be responsive and current. “False or incorrect statements made via social
Page 3 ׀ Measure A Citizens’ Oversight Staff Report October 8, 2020
media, mainstream media, and other means of technology,” the report concludes, “Deeply harm
trust and legitimacy and can only be overcome with targeted and continuing community
engagement and repeated positive interaction.”1
The technical requirements of modern police-community engagement and communication call for
a collection of backgrounds and experiences for successful integration into the police department’s
mission. Consider, for example, the unique knowledge described by one nationally recognized
expert2 in modern police information strategies:
• Digital Risk Manager: Know how to message and respond to the public in times of crisis;
Know how to discern between rumor and fact and ensure the community does too.
• Graphic Designer: Know how to brand an agency and tell its story in a visually compelling
— and professional —way; Go the extra mile to get that perfect shot.
• Audio/Visual Coordinator: If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a
million. Know how to effectively tell a story in the most consumable way — through video.
• Customer Service: Know that every conversation, every question, and every concern
matters; Be available when communities are looking for answers and provide those
answers with courtesy and kindness.
• Social Media Expert: Understand how people want to communicate today — and tomorrow
— and be willing to test out features to see what will be the next best way to connect with
their communities.
The complex role of a modern information specialist suggests the need for some qualities not easily
found in the traditional policing organization3. They include:
• Experience or education in media relation, communications, and marketing;
• Some knowledge of newsroom operations and/or social media practices and audience
engagement strategies;
• Comfort in front of a camera and other oral communication platforms, whether traditional
media or live streaming, stemming from practice and experience that helps project
believability and confidence;
• Some proficiency in photography and/or videography, coupled with photo editing and
video production techniques;
• Knowledge or experience in communication strategies, branding and/or marketing
strategies; and
• Time to dedicate to the role, without the need for Department-mandated position rotation,
to understand and leverage the nuances that exist between traditional and social media
platforms.
1 President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. 2015. Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century
Policing. Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Extracted from
https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/taskforce/taskforce_finalreport.pdf
2 Extracted from Katie Nelson, “What Does a Social Media Manager Do?” LinkedIn, April 28, 2019.
3 Chris Hsiung, “Sworn vs. Civilian PIOs: Adapting the Role of the Public Information Officer for 21st Century Law
Enforcement,” Police Chief 86, no. 8 (August 2019): 46 –54.
Page 4 ׀ Measure A Citizens’ Oversight Staff Report October 8, 2020
Yet there is still value in maintaining sworn law enforcement experience in the public engagement
strategy. Education and experience specific to sworn personnel, such as the police academy or the
experience of working a field patrol assignment, are valuable in providing context on any
information released to the public. Having uniformed representatives can help increase the
appearance of trust and official representation. The knowledge of an experienced manager during
times of crises helps enhance the sharing of public information. In short, as quoted by Mountain
View Police PIO Deputy Chief Chris Hsiung, “Experienced sworn PIOs are a built-in subject
matter expert on all things ‘police.’”4
Although the Police Department has operated with a collateral sworn PIO since 2011, the evolution
of our community’s needs and expectations suggest that this limited strategy leaves the Department
and its personnel at great risk. As evidenced by several high-profile events across the nation,
critical incidents require a rapid, professional and transparent information strategy to answer public
and media inquiries. Failure to provide timely and factual information that addresses public
concerns, and that stays ahead of rumor or misinformation, can have drastic consequences for the
safety of community and for its trust in the agency. This can lead to unrest in the community,
reduced effectiveness of the agency, and increased risk to the City and its employees. Yet it is
these same circumstances that require the full attention of an Investigations Division manager (the
Police Lieutenant), who must manage the division to ensure that demands for an objective and
comprehensive investigation are met. Without additional support, the requirements of the
Investigation Division leave little time for the critical role of providing public information and
public engagement.
For these reasons the Police Department intends to supplement the existing sworn PIO with
civilian support. We anticipate that the supporting role will greatly reduce PIO-related workload
from the Police Lieutenant by coordinating publicity, outreach and public education efforts in
order to promote a positive image for the Chula Vista Police Department and ensure citizens are
informed about police related services, programs and events. The support role is not anticipated to
serve as the “face” of the Police Department – that role will remain with the Department’s
designated PIO.
To meet these needs, the Police Department intends to add a Public Information Specialist position
to work under the direction of the existing collateral PIO personnel. This allows the department to
expand and enhance transparency and engagement strategies within the modern landscape of
digital media, maintain the crucial involvement of sworn staff to put police matters into proper
context, and free some workload from sworn staff so that they can focus more on their primary
crime fighting responsibilities.
Information Technology Technician
For many years the Police Department has been successful at leveraging technological innovations
to boost efficiency and effectiveness. The Police Technology Unit is the sole unit responsible for
the development, implementation, and ongoing management and support of both basic technical
resources and innovative technical programs.
4 Chris Hsiung, “Sworn vs. Civilian PIOs: Adapting the Role of the Public Information Officer for 21st Century Law
Enforcement,” Police Chief 86, no. 8 (August 2019): 46 –54.
Page 5 ׀ Measure A Citizens’ Oversight Staff Report October 8, 2020
The Police Technology Unit maintains a wide breadth of specialized equipment and systems
supporting the public safety mission. The unit, for example, is responsible for managing and
maintaining critical systems related to our 9-1-1 and Computer Aided Dispatching systems, mobile
computing and smartphone systems, our Live 9-1-1 system, and our Drone as a First Responder
program. These programs not only boost efficiency, they also enhance de-escalation capabilities
and keep the community safe.
Most of these systems are critical, complex and require the attention of specialized skills and
experienced police technology specialists to maintain, troubleshoot and deploy. These demands
often pull these more senior technologists away from the less complex and more common systems
such as PC and peripheral deployment and maintenance as well as traditional office productivity
support needs that occur. When these more-common office support needs are not serviced in a
timely manner, they quickly become increasingly impactful to department operations and
commitments to other agencies, the courts and the public that we serve.
The Police Department requires a less specialized information technology role to have as their
primary focus, these daily traditional office productivity and IT operations assistance to address a
variety of less specialized yet essential activities such as user login problems, provisioning new
accounts, managing printing services, software requests, new computer deployments, email
problems, internet problems, and more.
For these reasons, staff recommends the addition of a first-tier support position to provide non-
specialized user technical support needs
• 1.0 Information Technology Technician
Summary of Proposed Changes:
To address the evolving needs to the community and the growing policing organization, staff
recommends the addition of positions designed to enhance efficiency through technical innovation,
and to enhance engagement and transparency with our community. These include:
• 1.0 Information Technology Technician
• 1.0 Public Information Specialist
The chart below outlines the Police Department’s proposed changes (highlighted in yellow) to the
PSEP.
Figure 2. Proposed Police Department Public Safety Expenditure Plan
Position FY19 FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 Total
POLICE SERGEANT 3.0 2.0 1.0 6.0
POLICE AGENT 1.0 2.0 3.0 2.0 8.0
PEACE OFFICER 4.0 6.0 11.0 0.0 0.0 21.0
SWORN FTE TOTAL 5.0 11.0 16.0 3.0 0.0 35.0
CIVILIAN BACKGROUND INVESTIGATOR 1.0 1.0
COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICER 2.0 2.0
DIGITAL FORENSICS TECHNICIAN II 2.0 2.0
COMMUNICATIONS CENTER MANAGER 1.0 1.0
Page 6 ׀ Measure A Citizens’ Oversight Staff Report October 8, 2020
POLICE DISPATCHER 2.0 5.0 7.0
SR. POLICE TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST 1.0 1.0
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TECHNICIAN 1.0 1.0
PUBLIC INFORMATION SPECIALIST 1.0 1.0
CIVILIAN FTE TOTAL 4.0 12.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 16.0
POLICE DEPARTMENT TOTAL 9.0 23.0 16.0 3.0 0.0 51.0
The Police Department recognizes that current community demands, safety strategies, and staffing
needs will likely change in the future. The Police Department also recognizes that revenues and
expenses used to calculate current allocation plans may change in the future. PSEP
recommendations for future years will continue to be reevaluated, balanced against changes in
revenue or expenditure projections, and considered along with changing public safety trends and
community needs. As a result, this Public Safety Expenditure Plan is intended to be a “living
document”. Future recommendations may change.
CURRENT YEAR FISCAL IMPACT
The chart below shows the net impact for the current fiscal year.
Category Current
FY21 Budget
Budget
Amendments
Updated
FY21 Budget
Revenue from Other Agencies $125,000 $125,000
Transfers In $10,010,000 $10,010,000
REVENUE TOTAL $10,135,000 $0 $10,135,000
Personnel Expenses $7,649,967 $147,267 $7,797,234
Supplies & Services $525,737 $525,737
Other Expenses $375,375 $375,375
Capital $189,233 $189,233
Internal Service Charges $30,767 $30,767
EXPENSE TOTAL $8,771,079 $147,267 $8,918,346
NET FISCAL IMPACT $1,363,921 ($147,267) $1,216,654
The Information Technology Technician is anticipated to be hired in late October 2020, with a
cost of $84,055 in the current fiscal year. The Public Information Specialist is anticipated to be
hired in January 2021, with a cost of $63,212 in the current fiscal year. Total FY21 fiscal impact
for these two positions is $147,267.
ONGOING FISCAL IMPACT
The chart on the following page shows the amended Measure A PSEP for the Police Department,
which includes the two proposed positions.
Page 7 ׀ Measure A Citizens’ Oversight Staff Report October 8, 2020
Intended Public Safety Spending PlanUpdated October 8, 2020Est. One-half cent Sales Tax RevenuesPhase I - Critical NeedsFiscal YearFiscal YearFiscal YearFiscal YearFiscal YearFiscal YearFiscal YearFiscal YearFiscal YearFiscal YearFiscal YearTotal20212022202320242025202620272028202920302031EstimatePolice Department Spending Plan Beginning Police Department Funds Available13,299,658$ 14,516,313$ 13,533,243$ 12,488,953$ 11,099,829$ 9,326,865$ 7,330,078$ 4,986,770$ 2,272,500$ -$ -$ Estimated 1/2 cent Sales Tax Revenues10,010,000$ 9,690,950$ 9,787,860$ 9,885,738$ 9,984,595$ 10,084,441$ 10,185,286$ 10,287,139$ 10,390,010$ 10,493,910$ 10,598,849$ 111,398,779$ COPS Grant Funding125,000$ 250,000$ 250,000$ 125,000$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 750,000$ Estimated Funds Available - Police Department 23,434,658$ 24,457,263$ 23,571,103$ 22,499,691$ 21,084,424$ 19,411,306$ 17,515,364$ 15,273,909$ 12,662,510$ 10,493,910$ 10,598,849$ 111,398,779$ Proposed ExpendituresPeace Officers 3,525,092$ 4,673,031$ 4,860,015$ 5,021,181$ 5,190,343$ 5,390,676$ 5,602,497$ 5,826,663$ 6,064,104$ 6,315,834$ 6,582,953$ 59,052,389$ Police Agents1,320,421 1,820,178 1,892,597 1,954,972 2,020,421 2,097,933 2,179,866 2,266,548 2,358,337 2,455,620 2,558,819 22,925,712 Police Sergeants1,228,108 1,536,551 1,594,687 1,643,892 1,695,408 1,756,931 1,821,866 1,890,463 1,962,993 2,039,752 2,121,058 19,291,709 Sworn - non-personnel costs268,841 137,360 19,890 - - - - - - - - 426,091 Civilian Background Investigator98,362 114,447 118,297 121,716 125,511 130,007 134,756 139,777 145,090 150,718 156,686 1,435,367 Community Services Officer157,888 195,203 201,938 208,000 214,724 222,653 231,049 239,949 249,393 259,422 270,086 2,450,305 Digital Forensics Technician II203,853 254,010 262,427 269,851 278,090 287,877 298,197 309,091 320,600 332,771 345,653 3,162,420 Information Technology Technician84,055 117,203 121,131 124,614 128,479 133,062 137,902 143,018 148,428 154,157 160,228 1,452,277 Police Comm Systems Manager172,377 189,204 195,190 200,330 206,044 212,901 220,095 227,650 235,588 243,937 252,725 2,356,041 Police Dispatcher783,136 940,883 971,162 997,939 1,027,599 1,062,713 1,099,710 1,138,728 1,179,915 1,223,432 1,269,454 11,694,671 Public Information Specialist63,212 132,007 136,358 140,184 144,430 149,480 154,804 160,421 166,351 172,617 179,247 1,599,111 Sr Police Technology Specialist160,730 185,532 191,413 196,468 202,088 208,829 215,903 223,333 231,142 239,358 248,007 2,302,803 Civilian Non-Personnel Costs6,896 - - - - - - - - - - 6,896 Computers and other equipment250,000 100,000 100,000 100,000 100,000 - - - - - - 650,000 Police Vehicles, Outfitting, Maint., Fuel, etc.220,000 165,000 50,000 50,000 50,000 50,000 50,000 50,000 50,000 50,000 50,000 835,000 Reimbursement for Support Staff (IT, Fin, HR, City Attorney)375,375 363,411 367,045 370,715 374,422 378,167 381,948 385,768 389,625 393,522 397,457 4,177,454$ Total Police Department Proposed Expenditures8,918,346$ 10,924,020$ 11,082,150$ 11,399,862$ 11,757,559$ 12,081,229$ 12,528,593$ 13,001,409$ 13,501,566$ 14,031,140$ 14,592,373$ 133,818,246$ Ending Police Department Available Funds 14,516,313$ 13,533,243$ 12,488,953$ 11,099,829$ 9,326,865$ 7,330,078$ 4,986,770$ 2,272,500$ (839,056)$ (3,537,229)$ (3,993,524)$ Phase I - Critical Needs Funding