Agenda Item Wording:
title
Conduct the first of two Public Hearings to amend the Measure N 10-year plan to convert one (1) Measure N Police Officer position for FY 2023/24 into two (2) Community Service Officer positions.
body
Deadline for Action: 6/15/2023
Submitting Department: Police Department
Contact Name and Phone Number: Chief Jason Salazar, ext. 4215, jason.salazar@visalia.city <mailto:jason.salazar@visalia.city> ; Captain Dan Ford, ext. 4151, Daniel.ford@visalia.city <mailto:Daniel.ford@visalia.city> ; Financial Analyst Liz Ybarra, ext.4250, liz.ybarra@visalia.city <mailto:liz.ybarra@visalia.city>
Department Recommendation:
Conduct the first of two Public Hearings to amend the Measure N 10-year plan to convert the Measure N Police Officer position for FY 2023/24 into two (2) Community Service Officer (CSO) positions.
Summary:
Measure N, the ½ cent sales tax that began April 1, 2017, requires the City to conduct two Public Hearings before amending the ten-year plan related to police officer position allocations. On May 1, 2023, City Council unanimously approved a request by staff to initiate the Measure N Amendment process to convert one (1) police officer position in to two (2) CSO positions. On May 18, 2023, staff met with the Measure N Committee and presented this request, including a detailed summary of the proposal and the anticipated cost savings. Upon conclusion of the presentation, the Measure N Committee was provided with the opportunity for comments. Upon accepting the motion, the committee recommended approving the conversion of one (1) police officer position into two (2) CSO positions.
Background Discussion:
In 2016, the citizens of Visalia approved Measure N which provided additional staffing for the Police Department. This increased staffing allocations for police officer, administrative, and support positions. The City is currently in year seven of the 10-year Measure N spending plan, and will enter year eight at the beginning of FY2023/24. Through Measure N, the Department is slated to receive one (1) police officer position, which includes a patrol vehicle, all associated equipment for the police officer, and police officer salary and benefits. The total cost (S&B + vehicle + equipment) to staff this position is estimated at $273,752.
CSOs are an important support function for patrol officers. CSOs respond to a wide array of calls for service and significantly reduce the response burden for police officers, reduce response times for the Department, and reduce wait times for citizens of Visalia. CSOs are also trained to handle most traffic accident investigations, conduct traffic control for small and large scenes, and conduct abandoned vehicle abatement. Because CSOs are able to handle non-emergency calls for service and take reports for a large range of cold or minor crime offenses, police officers are able to focus on higher priority calls, with active criminal and public safety threats. Police officers are also able to better address concerns related to public safety and quality of life by being available to conduct proactive enforcement.
Finally, CSOs often gain a lot of experience through their day-to-day activities and observations, and are able to be observed by members of the Department. CSOs often become excellent candidates for police recruit positions and eventual police officer positions. The Department has a significant amount of members that began their career with the Department as a CSO and have become very successful within the Department (including Chief Jason Salazar and Captain Luma Fahoum). In a time when law enforcement organizations are struggling to fill police officer positions and competing from the same pool of officer candidates, the addition of CSOs provides the Department with an edge in recruitment, development of quality candidates, and multiple benefits from a public safety and community outreach perspective.
Fiscal Impact:
By converting this police officer position, the Department would be able to fund two (2) CSO positions and still have a cost savings. CSO salaries and benefits are nearly half of a police officer. The total salary and benefits for one police officer is $171,000 compared to $91,000 for a CSO. For two CSO positions, the total salary and benefits would be $182,000. Despite a salary & benefits cost increase of $11,200 through this conversion, the Department is able to obtain cost savings of $5,900 for equipment cost, and an estimated $20,000 in cost savings for a vehicle. This provides a total overall savings of $14,700 as shown in the table below.
|
Cost Comparison for One Police Officer to Two Community Service Officers |
|
Position |
Salary & Benefits |
Vehicle |
Equipment |
Total |
|
One Police Officer |
$ 171,000.00 |
$ 80,000.00 |
$ 16,000.00 |
$ 267,000.00 |
|
Two CSOs |
$ 182,200.00 |
$ 60,000.00 |
$ 10,100.00 |
$ 252,300.00 |
|
|
|
|
Cost Savings |
$ 14,700.00 |
Prior Council Action: May 1, 2023 - Council approved Staff to enter into the Measure N Process.
Other: Measure N Committee reviewed and recommended approval of both items.
Alternatives: N/A
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
Conduct the first of two Public Hearings to amend the Measure N 10-year plan to convert one (1) Measure N Police Officer position for FY 2023/24 into two (2) Community Service Officer positions.
end
Environmental Assessment Status: N/A
CEQA Review: N/A
Attachments: N/A