THE ANCHORAGE POLICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING AND DEPLOYMENT STUDY AUGUST 2010 The Police Executive Research Forum 1120 Connecticut Ave, NW, Suite 930 Washington, Dc 20036 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Table of Contents OVERVIEW AND SUMMARY.................................................................................................... 4 Introduction................................................................................................................................. 4 Staffing the APD......................................................................................................................... 6 Patrol Staffing ............................................................................................................................. 8 Investigations ............................................................................................................................ 11 Dispatch .................................................................................................................................... 14 Evidence.................................................................................................................................... 14 Records ..................................................................................................................................... 15 Staffing for Units with Internally Generated Workload ........................................................... 15 Administration and Support...................................................................................................... 16 Deploying by Geography.......................................................................................................... 17 Assigning Personnel by Time ................................................................................................... 17 Organizational Structure ........................................................................................................... 19 Community Policing in Anchorage .......................................................................................... 25 UNIT BY UNIT REVIEWS ......................................................................................................... 34 OFFICE OF THE CHIEF ......................................................................................................... 35 Internal Affairs (IA).............................................................................................................. 35 Public Affairs ........................................................................................................................ 39 Business Manager ................................................................................................................. 41 Plans and Operations............................................................................................................. 42 Resource Management Unit.................................................................................................. 43 Personnel / Payroll Unit ........................................................................................................ 44 Human Resources ................................................................................................................. 45 Data Systems (Information System Division) ...................................................................... 47 Crime Analysis...................................................................................................................... 49 Fiscal Management (Finance) Unit....................................................................................... 50 ADMINISTRATION................................................................................................................ 52 Evidence................................................................................................................................ 52 Dispatch ................................................................................................................................ 55 Records ................................................................................................................................. 57 PATROL ................................................................................................................................... 59 The Patrol Shifts ................................................................................................................... 59 Warrants Unit........................................................................................................................ 72 CRIME SUPPRESSION DIVISION........................................................................................ 76 Crime Suppression Division Managemen ............................................................................ 76 Community Action Policing Unit (CAP).............................................................................. 77 School Resource Unit ........................................................................................................... 81 Traffic Unit ........................................................................................................................... 86 The Police Executive Research Forum Page 2 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Impounds Unit ...................................................................................................................... 93 Special Assignment Unit (SAU)........................................................................................... 95 Canine Unit ........................................................................................................................... 99 Training Unit....................................................................................................................... 102 DETECTIVE DIVISION........................................................................................................ 104 Detective Staffing Methodology......................................................................................... 107 Assault and Robbery Unit................................................................................................... 111 Burglary Unit ...................................................................................................................... 114 Homicide Unit..................................................................................................................... 116 Financial Crimes Unit ......................................................................................................... 121 Theft Unit............................................................................................................................ 124 Crimes Against Children Unit ............................................................................................ 128 Special Victims Unit ........................................................................................................... 132 Cyber Crimes Unit .............................................................................................................. 136 Vice Unit............................................................................................................................. 140 Crime Laboratory................................................................................................................ 142 CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................... 147 OPTIMAL DEPLOYMENT................................................................................................... 147 FUTURE DEPLOYMENT..................................................................................................... 150 NON-SWORN EMPLOYEES................................................................................................ 151 THE IMPACT OF CUT BACKS ........................................................................................... 153 The Police Executive Research Forum Page 3 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 OVERVIEW AND SUMMARY Introduction The Municipality of Anchorage and the Anchorage Police Department (APD) contracted with the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) to conduct a staffing and deployment study of the Anchorage Police Department. The purpose of the study was to answer three questions: • Are the existing sworn APD employees—from temporal, geographical, and organizational standpoints—optimally deployed? To the extent that they are not, what changes should be made? • If and when staffing returns to 2009 pre-reduction levels, how should the sworn force be best deployed? • Given the existing sworn/non-sworn division of labor, and given the existing workload, what is the optimal ratio of sworn to non-sworn employees? Furthermore, in developing recommendations, the study “must enhance or at least not interfere with APD’s ability to achieve the measures set forth in the performance framework.” The Request for Proposal (RFP) describes the Municipality of Anchorage as a “unified” city and borough. While the densely populated city remains the municipality’s most prominent feature, its borders include much undeveloped wilderness (state park and national forest land), rural communities separated by miles of road, two military bases, an international airport (state administered), and a pair of co-located universities (one state and one private). 284,000 people live within municipal boundaries. Those borders contain over 2,000 square miles of land. Anchorage has a diverse population. Although the majority of the people are white, there are significant minority populations of African-Americans, American Indian –Alaska Native, Asians and Latinos. Although the 2010 Census may reveal demographic changes, in 2000 some 30% of the population was under 18, homeownership was at 60% and 7% of the population had incomes below the poverty line. In 2009 Anchorage’s newly elected mayor, Dan Sullivan, appointed a new municipal manager and police chief. Mayor Sullivan provided instructions to the new chief, including: • The chief must do his part, through appropriate budget reductions, to help the city weather the current financial crisis The Police Executive Research Forum Page 4 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 • The chief will increase the Community Oriented Policing activities of the Department. The RFP states that one of the mayor’s public commitments has been to “put the cops where the crime is.” This study is intended to assist the chief in: fulfilling this commitment of the mayor, expanding Community Oriented Policing in the APD and doing both within existing and anticipated budgets. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 5 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Staffing the APD Determining the “right” size of a police department depends on an examination of the agency’s workload and on certain policy decisions made by the jurisdiction’s leadership and the chief of police. Setting staffing targets by seeking to achieve a ratio of officers to population is of little value. Agencies of similar size vary widely in terms of how they use officers and non-sworn personnel. There are also substantial regional variations throughout the country: departments in the eastern United States tend to have higher ratios of officer-to-population than those in the west. These ratios have little relationship to crime or the effectiveness of local law enforcement. Critical policy choices that affect staffing include: • The approach used by the police department to address the jurisdiction’s crime, violence and disorder problems; • How patrol time should be expended (i.e., what is the desired mixture of calls for service response, self-initiated activity, community engagement and problem solving, administrative tasks, free patrol time, traffic control and enforcement?). The RFP indicates that “street officers typically [should] have 40% un-obligated time on their shifts” to support proactive policing opportunities; • The level of investigative effort desired to solve crimes and provide services to victims; and • The desired role for specialized units versus the use of generalists. The size of a police department is determined by the amount of externally-generated workload, internally-generated (or discretionary) workload and the need to provide administrative support to operational units. Units of a police department that are most obviously defined by external workload are patrol, which responds to citizens’ requests for police response (calls for service, or CFS), and investigations, in which detectives attempt to solve crimes reported to the police. Although some investigatory units generate their own workload, most detective units deal primarily with externally-generated work, including homicide, assault and robbery, burglary, theft, financial crimes, sexual assaults and juvenile crimes. External workload also tends to define units such as communications, records and evidence. Communications personnel answer telephone calls from the public requesting police services and send officers to respond. Records personnel must process and store reports generated by officers responding to calls and making arrests, and reports from detectives as they conduct follow-up The Police Executive Research Forum Page 6 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 investigations. The evidence unit is charged with tracking, storing and safeguarding evidence and property until it is used in court proceedings or returned to its owner. Units that essentially create their own work include vice and narcotics, cybercrimes, the community action policing team, school resource officers (although they do respond to calls on or near school campuses), and the special assignment unit. The traffic, canine and internal affairs units are hybrids. Traffic responds to collisions and to some public complaints but also actively seeks to modify driver behavior by issuing citations. Canine officers back up patrol officers but also respond directly to some other calls. The internal affairs unit receives and investigates complaints about officer behavior from the public but also conducts and monitors misconduct investigations generated internally. Other units exist to support core operations of the department and help to administer the organization. Descriptions of each unit and specific staffing recommendations are presented later in this report. According to the RFP, in the beginning of FY ‘09, the APD’s authorized strength was 591 positions (414 sworn and 177 non-sworn). In August of that year the actual strength was 561 employees (396 sworn and 165 non-sworn). At the commencement of FY ’10, the authorized strength was 546 positions (387 sworn and 159 non-sworn). It is anticipated that by the end of 2010 the actual strength will be 516 employees (362 sworn and 154 non-sworn). The Police Executive Research Forum Page 7 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Patrol Staffing The APD has set a staffing target for patrol officers to have an average of 40% unobligated time. Obligated time is composed of responding to calls for service from the public, engaging in selfinitiated activity where officers take proactive action, and performing a variety of administrative tasks. Calls for Service: Citizens ask for police service by calling the police dispatch center – either through 911 or on a non-emergency line. They make an in person request by hailing an officer in the field or by making an appearance at a police facility. Officers responding to “calls for service” may handle the incident informally, may write a report about the incident if necessary (usually when their preliminary investigation indicates that a crime has been committed), or, when circumstances warrant, may make an arrest. Self-Initiated Activities: Patrol officers may initiate an action because they see suspicious behavior, observe a traffic violation, are conducting a follow-up investigation to gather more information on a previous case, or are looking for suspects with outstanding warrants. These activities are products of an officer’s discretion: the officer decides when and where to begin these encounters. The frequency of self-initiated activities is dependent, to some extent, on how busy the officer is with calls for service and the availability of appropriate targets of opportunity. Administrative Activity: This includes meal breaks, providing assistance to other units, and court-related duties. Although Anchorage has set a target of 40% unobligated time, there are no universally accepted standards for how much patrol time should be consumed by obligated time. The focus most frequently is how much time is spent on calls for service. Some departments set an informal target for the amount of patrol officer time that is consumed by calls for service at 30% to 40%. Other departments may set targets at 50% or 60%. A common rule of thumb, established before community policing became prevalent, was that one-third of an officer’s time should be spent on calls for service, one-third on self-initiated activity, and one-third on uncommitted patrol time. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 8 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Few jurisdictions closely track how patrol officer time is used, or set formal targets. PERF’s work in other cities has shown variation in department targets for the percent of a patrol officer’s time that should be spent on calls for service. The Kansas City, MO, Police Department has a standard of 35%. The Chandler, AZ, Police Department (which serves a rapidly growing Phoenix suburb) set a standard of 40%. In San Francisco, the time consumed varies throughout the city’s ten police districts from a low of 30% to a high of just over 50%. The police department of Tallahassee, FL, whose patrol officers actually spend 67% of their time responding to calls for service, set a target to reduce call-for-service time to 50%. West Palm Beach, FL set a target of 45%. The target for patrol staffing should balance the work that needs to be performed against the resources a jurisdiction has available for patrol services. Achieving a target of 35% for CFS time will require more patrol officers than achieving a target of 50%. How a city wants its patrol officer time used is an important policy decision. Local demographics, crime and disorder problems, and policing style all have an impact on the demands on patrol officer time. Increasingly, cities want patrol officers to have time to address crime and disorder problems discovered through a CompStat process. Intelligence-led policing approaches are designed to lead to the prompt analysis and swift resolution of crime and disorder problems. Although special units may play a role in these efforts, patrol officer self-initiated time may also be directed to patrolling identified “hot spots.” Some cities instruct their patrol officers to spend a portion of their time conducting follow-up investigations of reported crimes. Thus, not all crime reports are sent to detectives for follow-up investigation. This approach requires patrol officers to carry an investigative caseload, which further limit their available CFS time. In Anchorage, the policing style that is to be adopted is an enhanced community policing approach. This will include the involvement of patrol officers in community policing and problem-solving activities, such as getting to know the people living in the patrol area, attending community meetings to listen to neighborhood concerns, developing plans to address community crime and disorder problems, and leveraging local government services to improve the quality of life in the city’s neighborhoods. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 9 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Currently, most of the patrol time available in Anchorage is being used on a traditional mix of CFS response, self-initiated activity and administrative activity. Patrol officers were only involved in 70 recorded community policing episodes for the entire year. From April 1, 2009 through March 31, 2010 patrol officers averaged 2,347 hours on calls for service, 695 hours on self-initiated activity and 664 hours on administrative activity per week. Although actual patrol staffing varied somewhat, 175 officers were assigned to patrol. They showed up at a rate of 72.9%, thereby averaging 5,105 hours of patrol time per week. The proportion of patrol time consumed by calls for service was 46%, self-initiated time 15% and administrative time 13%. The total time consumed by these three time consuming activities totaled 73%, leaving 27% of the available time unobligated. To achieve an unobligated time figure of 40%, the number of patrol officers would need to increase from 175 to 233, an increase of 58 positions. Both self-initiated and administrative activities (composed primarily of meal breaks) are a function of the number of patrol officers. Therefore, assuming that the new patrol officers engage in approximately the same amount of these activities, the patrol officers would spend an estimated 841 average weekly hours on selfinitiated work and 757 hours on administrative activities. CFS time should be relatively constant, so the average weekly CFS hours should still be approximately 2,347. This would decrease calls for service time from 46% to 35% of patrol officer hours, providing patrol officers with a substantial amount of time that could be devoted to community policing activities (discussed more fully in a later section of this report). Span of Control: Each of the three patrol shifts has six sergeants assigned to it. This equates to a span of control of an average of ten officers per sergeant. The generally accepted span of control range is from six officers per sergeant to twelve; therefore, APD’s average span of control for patrol shifts is relatively high. A higher span of control ratio is acceptable if the sergeants and their direct subordinates take the same sequence of days off. In Anchorage, each shift has seven days off sequences for officers, leaving one sequence uncovered by a sergeant. To resolve this discrepancy, three sergeants should be added, one per shift. This will provide a better sergeantto-officer span of control. Each sergeant would be responsible for those officers working his/her sequence of days off. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 10 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Investigations While patrol staffing has long been a focus of police staffing studies, less attention has been paid to determining the “right” number of detectives. In general, the number of detectives should be based on the number of cases that a police department must investigate and the amount of time required to conduct a “thorough” investigation. Departments decide which cases to investigate based on the “solvability” of the case, an attribute that reflects what the patrol officer found in his/her preliminary investigation. A case’s solvability is determined by factors that include the amount of suspect information, suspect vehicle information, physical evidence, identifiable stolen property, modus operandi, and the seriousness/sensitivity of the case. Some departments use a formal scoring system to determine the solvability of a case: a form is completed that produces a weighted score for each case. (Some agencies have integrated a solvability checklist into their incident report form.) In other departments, including Anchorage, cases are reviewed and assigned by detective unit supervisors based on their experience and judgment and not through a formal numerical screening system. PERF’s work in examining a wide range of law enforcement investigative units has resulted in a series of benchmarks related to the difficulty of the cases that are assigned and the amount of time needed for a “thorough” investigation. A “thorough” investigation is one that results in a case that is prepared for prosecution, or one in which all leads have been followed and exhausted. Assigned cases are classified as less complex (requiring the least amount of investigative time), typical or (more) complex (requiring the most investigative time). The percent of cases that fall into each of these categories varies depending on the type of crime. Benchmark ratios have been established for homicide and death investigations, assault, robberies, burglary, theft, auto theft, sex crimes, financial crimes and crimes involving juveniles. Some jurisdictions regard unassigned cases as “contact only.” The best practice is for departments to contact the victim in each unassigned case to see if any additional information is available that might improve the case’s solvability, which could make the case eligible to be The Police Executive Research Forum Page 11 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 assigned for investigation. These contact calls also serve to assure the victim that, although the case is unlikely to be solved, the police are still concerned. PERF has established benchmarks for the average time required to conduct a thorough investigation, broken down by crime type and category of difficulty. These benchmarks include allotments for “contact only” cases. The estimates also allow for time spent on preparing a case for prosecution and court testimony; because not all cases will go to court, this allotment is distributed over all cases. As described in detail later in this report, PERF calculated the number of investigative hours needed for APD detective units that are driven by externally reported crimes, divided that figure by the hours available annually per investigator, to get the total number of detective needed.. As with patrol officers, detectives will be absent due to vacation, illness, training and other leave. The APD detective show-up rate was calculated at 76.3%. This results in 1,578 hours annually of investigative time per detective (of 2080 possible). The next table summarizes this analysis. Detective Staffing by Workload Unit Current number of detectives assigned* Detectives needed based on workload (including contact cases)** Detectives needed based on workload (excluding contact cases)** 5 4 Burglary 6 6 Assault and 6 5 Robbery Homicide 7 7 5 Financial Crimes 5 7 4 Theft*** 4 4 2 CAC 8 7 6 SVU 8 8 6 Total 44 44 32 *These numbers reflect the number of filled positions as of August 2010. Sergeants are not included. **The actual calculation produced Full Time Equivalency numbers including fractions. All figures in this table are rounded up. *** Two Theft detectives are assigned to work Eagle River cases. They are not included in these totals. PERF recommends that the department adopt the best practice and attempt to contact the victim in each unassigned case. This will reflect the department’s stated principle, “Customer service is to be a priority throughout the department.” The Police Executive Research Forum Page 12 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 These recommendations are based on the cases reviewed from June 1, 2009 through May 31, 2010. This total case load seems to be typical for Anchorage over the last several years. However, to account for variations, the full time equivalencies (FTEs) were rounded up to the nearest “whole” detective. This workload analysis suggests that if the number of detective positions remains the same by moving one from Assault and Robbery and one from CACU to increase Financial Crimes by two, the amount of work can be substantially increased be contacting all victims. In three units – Homicide, SVU and CACU – factors beyond current caseload were considered when recommending staff levels. Homicide Unit: Based upon PERF’s calculations, a minimum of five detectives should be assigned to the Homicide Unit based on over 7,500 hours of investigative time needed. This figure was increased to seven based upon two factors: one detective must be responsible for oversight of the 18 crime scene technicians and one additional detective is needed to maintain the national practice of having one detective for every three to four homicides per year. Special Victims Unit: The recommended staffing number of eight includes two hours of time for re-contact with each victim in some 408 cases where no follow-up took place. Should contacting these victims prove fruitful, additional time will be needed to further investigate those cases. The expectation is that some “contact only” calls will generate leads that move the investigation into the “typical,” “less complex” or “more complex” categories. If there are very few of these cases, then the eighth detective position should be reassigned. If leads increase the complexity of the cases, additional investigative time will be required of the unit and the eighth detective position should remain. Crimes Against Children Unit: Data shows that the staffing of the CACU should be 5.8 FTE, rounded up to six. However, because the CAC Unit is assuming responsibility for infant death investigations, seven detectives should be assigned. If the investigative workload remains constant and unassigned cases continue to have no followup contact, workload analysis suggests that the number of detectives can be reduced to 32 (including one additional CACU detective for infant death investigations). Twelve detective positions could be reallocated. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 13 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Dispatch As stated earlier, the Communication Center workload consists of handling incoming calls from the public and assigning calls to patrol officers. Optimal staffing is partly determined by the number of workstations in the Communications Center. Six of the ten stations are configured for call takers, two are the primary north and south dispatchers, one is the “utility” channel and the remaining is for the supervisor. Currently there are 49 Communications Clerks working 12-hour shifts. Twenty-two are assigned to days, 23 are assigned to midnights and four are assigned to a power shift. A show-up rate of 75% allows nine stations to be staffed during non-peak periods and all stations to be staffed during the peak period covered by the power shift. The current staffing level is adequate given the workload. However, PERF’s review of the unit revealed that there is no Communication Center director. Without a dedicated manager, the Communications Center lacks a quality assurance program. A manager can focus on the needs of communications personnel and provide constant oversight of this critical operation. A dispatch manager needs to understand the impact dispatch has on as well as help patrol officers understand the dispatchers’ working enviroment. This should be a career position. With no manager, each dispatch shift reports directly to the Administration captain through the shift’s Dispatch Supervisor. Evidence Evidence is another unit driven by externally generated work. Recently, the department has had to procure additional storage space to handle the influx of property and evidence coming into the unit. The purging of items by destroying certain evidence -- such as drugs -- or returning other evidence and property to its owners has not kept pace with the influx. The department should add one additional clerk to assist with the purging process. This unit’s work is performed at three separate locations. The department should also add a working supervisor position – a lead technician – to support the manager. This lead technician can assist with monitoring the work being performed to achieve maximum productivity and also assist with other Evidence Unit work. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 14 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Records The department has a number of new and enhanced automation projects scheduled for implementation over the next several years. Some of these will enhance the integration of the department’s systems, which will lessen the need for data entry and data processing. However, some new systems may require additional support by the Records Unit. As part of the information systems planning process, the department should develop an estimate of each project’s impact on the Records Unit. Current staffing is sufficient but the impact of new and enhanced systems may change the need for records personnel. Staffing for Units with Internally Generated Workload The following recommendations are based on the analysis found in the unit-by-unit section of the report. Only those units for which a change is recommended are discussed here. Community Action Policing (CAP) Team: The department should increase the CAP Unit by one sergeant and five officer positions, creating two teams each made up of one sergeant and six officers. A number of neighborhoods have expressed a strong desire to engage in community policing by working with members of the CAP Unit to address, crime, disorder and quality of life issues in their area. The current staffing levels of the CAP Unit do not allow for expanding this neighborhood-specific effort. Establishing two CAP teams will provide the resources necessary to move into other neighborhoods as well as to cover additional days. School Resource Unit: The department should assign one additional sergeant and a clerk position to the School Resources Unit. There is currently one sergeant responsible for all 16 School Resource Officers. Because these officers are highly visibile and deployed throughout the city, it is difficult for a single sergeant to effectively supervise the entire unit. Adding one sergeant will provide a better ratio of officer-to-sergeant and ensure direct supervision when one sergeant is absent from duty. Assigning a clerk to the unit will allow the sergeant(s) to spend more time in the field supervising officers, responding to critical calls for service on or near school campuses, and maintaining contact with the school district and school campus personnel. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 15 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 The Traffic Unit: One sergeant should be added the Traffic Unit. Currently, one sergeant supervises 22 sworn and civilian members of the Traffic Unit. It is difficult for a single person to provide adequate supervision for the unit becase personnel are deployed 24 hours per day and seven days per week. Also, two additional civilian positions should be added to monitor parking problems and other visible signs of disorder, such as abandoned vehicles. Increasing civilian staff may also provide an opportunity to increase revenue from violations and impounds, as well as provide coverage on weekends. The Special Assignment Unit: One civilian clerk should be assigned to the Special Assignment Unit. Because the SAU does not have clerical support at this time, the unit lieutenant, sergeant and officers must perform clerical duties. This takes officers away from the field and distracts from their primary function. The Vice Unit: Staffing of the Vice Unit should be increased by four detectives and one clerk. With the additional narcotic enforcement duties of the Vice Unit, two detectives should be added to the day shift and two to the night shift. This will support the investigation of cases and provide more flexibility for performing field activities, thereby improving the effectiveness of the unit. Adding a clerk to the unit will allow sworn staff to perform investigative activities without being delayed by clerical duties. Administration and Support The following recommendations are based on the descriptions and analysis found in the unit-byunit section of the report. Only those units for which a change is recommended are discussed here. Data Systems: Two positions should be added to the Data Systems Unit: a data systems technician and a lead data systems technician. The lead data systems technician will have some supervisory responsibility and will help the unit establish day-to-day priorities by reviewing service requests. This will enable the manager to focus on his vital work interconnecting outside agencies and developing IT strategies for the APD. The additional data systems technician will expand the ability of the unit to implement new applications and devices. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 16 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Deploying by Geography Anchorage is divided into 12 police beats for patrol deployment. Two beats – 51 and 52 – are located an appreciable distance away from the main part of the city, to the northeast. For administrative purposes the beats are divided into northern and southern sectors. The workload varies from beat to beat, as shown in the next table. Calls for Service Response by Beat North Beats 11 12 13 14 21 51 52 Total CFS Responses for 1 Year 29,047 18,974 18,841 12,245 46,773 12,816 5,227 143,923 South Beats 22 23 41 42 43 CFS Responses for 1 Year 35,022 13,856 32,281 18,549 12,560 Total 112,268 The department takes into account the different beat workloads by assigning more officers to the busier beats. Beat 21 may have up to four officers assigned, while other beats may have two or three officers. Keeping the beats intact because they match the natural boundaries of neighborhoods while varying the officers assigned according to work load is a best practice. Assigning Personnel by Time Patrol Time: For APD patrol there is little variation in the amount of officer time available by day of the week and by shift. However, when shift assignments are divided into eight hour blocks (0000 – 0800, 0800-1600, and 1600-0000)and compared to the calls for service work during those times, some disparity is evident, as shown in the following table: Shift Midnights (0000 hrs to 0800 hrs) Days (0800 hrs to 1600 hrs) Evenings (1600 hrs to 0000 hrs) Percent of Patrol Officer Time Allocated 32.8% 32.4% 34.8% Percent of Calls for Service Time 30.5% 28.8% 40.8% The Police Executive Research Forum Page 17 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 This data indicates that midnight and day shifts are both slightly overstaffed and that evening shift is somewhat understaffed. There is a similar condition by day of the week. The match between officers and work is shown below. Day Percent of Patrol Officer Time Allocated Percent of Calls for Service Time Sun 14.3% 15.4% Mon 14.3% 13.5% Tue 14.1% 12.8% Wed 14.0% 12.9% Thu 14.3% 14.1% Fri 14.4% 14.6% Sat 14.6% 16.7% The percent of officers assigned on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday exceeds the corresponding percent of calls for service. On Saturday and Sunday, the percent of calls for service time exceeds the percent of patrol officer time allocated. However, the mismatches are slight. Only on Saturday does the difference exceed 2%. The impact of altering the current configuration is described in the unit-by-unit section of this study on patrol staffing. Little improvement can be made by either reallocating the number of officers per shift or by altering shift times. Scheduling: Virtually all employees work a four days per week-ten hours per day schedule, as mandated by the contract between the APDEA and the municipality. This works well in patrol because employees are arrayed over 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. This provides 30 hours of coverage for each 24-hour day, allowing six hours of overlap, which currently is used to provide a two-hour bridge between each shift. The overlaps between day shift and swing shift, and between swing shift and midnight shift occur during periods of high call for service volume and effectively help to manage the workload at those times. The consequences for detectives are not as beneficial. They include: • Reduced coverage on Monday and Friday, no evening or weekend coverage; • Three days with no investigation once a case is assigned because detectives have three straight days off; • Sometimes a lag time of three days or more before a case is assigned. E.g., a crime reported on Friday may not be assigned to a detective until the following Tuesday morning. Other units still use four-ten schedules but array their personnel for enhanced coverage. The Traffic Unit provides coverage virtually around the clock. The Special Assignment Unit works two shifts but no one is scheduled to work weekends or midnights. Canine officers work a The Police Executive Research Forum Page 18 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 modified swing shift and provide coverage seven days a week. The Vice Unit also works two shifts. Some support units also have adjusted schedules. Dispatch provides around the clock coverage using 12-hour shifts. Records also provides coverage seven days per week, 24 hours per day but uses the four-ten. The Data Systems unit provides 12 hours of coverage, six days per week. In general, with the exception of some detective units, the department is staffed appropriately by day and time. Organizational Structure The next two tables show the department as currently organized, and with proposed alterations. The first table showing the current organizational structure was provided by the Anchorage Police Department. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 19 mm: OHHCI mm} SWFHO sub ms} sawma HEEMD 353.?? {1.15} SWUOIA .LSNIVDV SEIWI-E-JD out .LEJIN [sum] Nelswa almanac 8V1 but: SEWIHD WVIUNVNH mm BGIDLWOH EZit? Lat? tug} {ml AHEBEOH '3 .l'anSSV {0mm {mazl NOISING EWIHO 92m: {0:th v: m: EHGVQ DNINWHJ. 0991: {0:51 3NINV3 2.7.91: [cum-1 ilM? vim: mm two] marsmwavm aamaas ALENHWWOO 0th mm tonal 3'5??1 isms Glim 529?: {cm} .. . {arm 3338110338 SNIMS LLS 9: 91' {0:99} NOILOV MINHWWOD HIHS W0 01-91: (0:21 172% tax.) 10mm aanod law EWING {mm} Momma lecw arm: {th0) 80350338 (we) EIDNQCIIAE 999.1? {29m} l-lLt mm ll-I" 510 580 Ud'd moans {9m} 91121: {2qu abanosaa was: Em: mamasvr-ww 359? SW Lzav Ecru} nawwosaad lLl-tr {on} SNOImaado W5 69!- LBS BOP 0'3 619 PZI- 0 9 6 mm. momsuon moms {summed "many 9 19m] snouwado dill-IO GLUE Ed? 93 30 9V Ll-l-I? Ai?dEiC] Luv mm ?da?d?d 0er En.) saw 0: Lb WVNHELNI mt rm} :10 OI .LSEKJHE NHOMSI .LWHO WNOIWZIWSHO {adv} .Luamuwaa 33110:! HQWOHONV mum-n. Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study Aug ust 201 Anchorage Police Department - - Internal Affairs Proposed Organizational Chart Chief of Police Public Affairs Chief of Staff 1 . Plans, Operations APDEA Fiscal Resources Human Resources Payroll Deputy Chief IT Training Support Services Patrol rime Suppression Detectives Captain Captain Captain Captain Dispatch Days Community Action Crimes Against . Policmg Persons Lieutenant Police Records Mids School Resources Crimes Against . Property Lieutenant Evidence Swings Traffic Drug Enforcement Lieutenant CSOs Crime Lab lmpounds Special Assignment Unit Canine Unit The Police Executive Research Forum Page 21 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 The recommended organizational structure is quite similar to the existing structure. The following recommend changes are primarily aimed at streamlining administrative functions. • The Business Manager becomes the Chief of Staff and is responsible for overseeing the Fiscal Unit and the budget as well as the merged Planning, Operations and Resources Unit. • Resources and Planning and Operations are merged and report to the Chief of Staff. • Human Resources and Payroll/Personnel become a single unit reporting to the Deputy Chief. • The Warrants Unit is moved to Crimes Against Persons. Much of its work centers on domestic violence; frequent communication with the Special Victims Unit may enhance the functioning of both units. • Training is moved from Crime Suppression to report directly to the Deputy Chief. This streamlines crime suppression so that all the units provide direct service. The Training Unit is developing new training approaches for the next academy (when funding permits) using advanced simulations and scenarios. The Deputy Chief can provide guidance in this area and also foster a renewed academy emphasis on community policing and problem solving. Under this structure, the Chief has Public Affairs, Internal Affairs, the Chief of Staff and the Deputy Chief reporting to him directly. The Deputy Chief is directly responsible for Data Systems. Human Resources and Payroll, and Training. In addition, the four captains -- Administration, Patrol, Crime Suppression and Detectives -- report directly to the Deputy Chief. More changes are proposed within the Detective Division, as depicted in the following chart: The Police Executive Research Forum Page 22 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 PERF Recommended Anchorage Police Department Detective Division Organizational Chart Crimes Against Persons Section (Lieutenant) Detective Division (Captain) Property Crimes Section (Lieutenant) Assault and Robbery Unit (Sergeant) Burglary Unit (Sergeant) Crimes Against Children Unit (Sergeant) Financial Crimes Unit (Sergeant) Homicide Unit (Sergeant) Theft Unit (Sergeant) Crime Scene Technicians Crime Lab Special Investigations Section (Lieutenant) Vice Unit (Sergeant) DEA Task Force (3 Detectives) Cyber Crimes Unit (Sergeant) Special Victims Unit (Sergeant) Warrants Unit (Sergeant) The Detective Division should be organized into three sections based upon crime types: Crimes Against Persons, Property Crimes and Special Investigations. Each section should remain under the command of a lieutenant and the Crime Laboratory should continue to report directly to the Captain. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 23 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 The Detective Division is currently organized into three sections. One houses the vice and narcotic operations. The other two are a combination of property and person crimes. Combining like offenses by the target of the crime (e.g., people, property, etc.) will make it clearer to members of the department and the community which manager is responsible for the investigation of a given case. Management accountability is an important component of community policing. The proposed reorganization will enable the investigative section commanders to develop an expertise in crime categories, which may increase their familiarity with the investigative process and improve their ability to manage each unit under their authority. Finally, the realignment will improve the department’s communication with other components of the criminal justice system and external partners by providing a single contact for property and person crimes. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 24 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Community Policing in Anchorage The RFP describes the APD’s community policing approach: Currently, most of APD’s Community Oriented Policing activities are conducted by the Crime Suppression Division. The chief’s desired end state is a department where Community Oriented Policing is the culture of the organization generally, not the concern of a few. It is recognized that it will always be necessary to conduct reactive policing, provide traditional enforcement, and utilize specialty people and units. It is recognized that department priorities will always be influenced by traditional concepts of crime hierarchy. But the chief desires an end state wherein the public has some input in enforcement priorities and quality of police service, where department members are reasonably accountable for addressing such priorities, and where ability and willingness to pursue proactive and problem-solving solutions to crime and disorder is the rule, rather than the exception to the rule. In order to drive these notions, the department must have a geographic focus on some level, and that focus must include some reasonable detective support. It is anticipated that “problem oriented policing” concepts, partnerships with other governmental and non-governmental agencies, citizen volunteers, crime analysis data, and public surveys will be among the tools often used by employees throughout the organization. Employees will be expected to pursue whenever possible innovative measures directed at reducing repeat calls for service. Particular emphasis is to be placed on reducing violent crime through proactive and reactive measures targeting substance abuse, gangs, domestic violence, and sexual assault. To implement this vision of community policing, the department should begin implementation in two phases. Implementation of the first phase can begin with no additional resources. Implementation of the second phase will require additional personnel and facilities. Phase One consists of: • Creating teams of patrol officer beat owners and supporting them though information and dispatching changes; • Creating supervisors as beat managers; • Beginning North – South reporting systems; • Creating weekly Community Policing CompStat meetings; and • Restructuring Crime Suppression unit operations. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 25 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Phase Two consists of • Recentralizing the department into North and South Divisions by creating a North command and a South command and adding personnel; and • Procuring a facility for North command. Creating Beat Owners Creating a close relationship between the people that live, work and/or visit a beat is a key component of community policing. Officers need to become familiar with the people and crime and disorder problems in the community as the community becomes familiar with officers assigned to their neighborhoods on a long-term basis. To create this officer-beat identity, officers should be deployed geographically to a beat. Each beat should have a permanently assigned “cross-time beat team.” These officers should “own” the beat and develop an intimate knowledge of crime, the people, and the resources that exist within their beat. They should propose solutions for the crime and disorder problems that are of importance to the residents of the beat. Each cross-time team should consist of six officers, two from each shift. The patrol four-ten schedule can be leveraged to support the teams by having the two officers on each shift working opposing days off sequences. They would have only one weekly overlap day. The team’s schedule should be structured so that all six officers have a common overlap day. Both the overlap day and the overlap between shifts should be used by the beat team to work together with the community to solve the crime and disorder problems that have been identified. Beat team officers should be assigned to the same beat for at least a year. Any departures should be staggered to maintain continuity. “Cover cars” -- officers who are not part of a beat team -- will be additional officers assigned to beats that require more than one officer per shift because of the CFS workload and to fill in for absent beat team members who are vacation or are ill. They will also be the primary back-ups to calls when the beat car is the primary unit. The overlaps should be used to convey information about activity that occurs while officers are on their normal days off or away on leave. Reports should be created for each beat which contain listings of calls, self-initiated activity, incident reports, arrests and detective supplemental reports on the cases they are assigned for the beat. These reports should highlight The Police Executive Research Forum Page 26 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 trends in both calls and crime reports, as well as identify any hotspots. They should contain updates regarding actions taken to solve the problems that have been identified in the beat. Consideration should be given to using the ARS and the RMS case management system to track problem activity in much the same manner that investigations can be tracked. The department should develop a dispatch policy that seeks to limit the times a beat owner is sent out of his/her beat. Cover cars should usually be assigned as back-ups. Additionally, if the beat owner is busy on a call, non-urgent calls should be held until the beat owner is free. Every opportunity the owner has to interact with people in the beat should be maximized. To further encourage identification of beats with departmental employees, cases assigned to detectives should be sorted geographically. Each detective within his/her specialty unit should work all the cases from a group of contiguous beats. Establishing Beat Managers In addition to beat owners, the department should create beat managers. A sergeant on each shift should be assigned as a manager for one or two beats. With the addition of one sergeant per shift, there will be seven sergeants per shift and a total of 12 beats. Two sergeants should have only a single assigned beat – the two busiest beats: 21 and 22. If the number of sergeants remains at six per shift, then each sergeant should have two beats. Beginning a North – South Reporting System The department divides the city into a north sector and a south sector for administrative purposes, including dispatch. One channel dispatches for the north, a second for the south. This north/south split should become the basis for decentralization. A reorganized structure is recommended, to be implemented when the department is able to regain personnel lost due to financial problems in the municipality. Even before that, the department should begin reporting on workload and crime, accounting for the fact that the activity level is higher in the north than in the south. Creating Weekly Community Policing CompStat Meetings The RFP states that “decision making at the APD is already substantially data driven. The department has a variety of tools and people able to produce detailed information and patterns The Police Executive Research Forum Page 27 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 concerning crime, money, demand, response, caseload, un-obligated time, etc. Much of the data can be sorted temporally, and spatially.” However, the APD is not using a formal crime and disorder analysis and management system. CompStat, pioneered in the NYPD, is a data-driven process designed to identify community problems and swiftly act to curtail illegal and contributing activity or behavior. It is designed as a dynamic, multi-layered approach to reducing crime, improving the quality of life and serving as a resource and personnel management system. CompStat is grounded on four fundamental components, adapted below to support the APD’s community problem-solving approach: 1. Accurate and timely information – Information should be easily attainable by members of each beat team to show “hot spots,” trends and patterns in crime and calls for service. The information should be arrayed to help beat owners understand the relationship between the offender, victim and physical environment and how these interrelated factors contribute to illegal activity. Information should include the crime and disorder concerns of people from the beat. 2. Effective tactics – With a thorough understanding of information, beat owners should consult with their beat managers to propose solutions to the identified problems. The proposed tactics should include a wide array public and private resources to combat neighborhood crime and disorder. These problem-solving proposals should be presented at CompStat meeting for constructive critiques and refinement. 3. Rapid deployment of resources – Once a problem-solving plan has been adopted, resources should be concentrated and deployed rapidly. Experience has shown that to maximize effectiveness, resource delivery needs to be effectively coordinated and a sense of urgency should be conveyed. 4. Continuous assessment combined with relentless follow-up – The actions taken to solve the problem should be continually assessed and aggressively followed up on with appropriate modification and enhancements to ensure that the desired outcome is achieved. Reports on each project should be reviewed and discussed at each weekly CompStat meeting. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 28 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Restructuring Crime Suppression Unit Operations As part of the implementation of community policing and adoption of the CompStat and beat owner and management program, crime suppression units including the CAP, Traffic and SAU become resources to solve problems identified and authorized through the CompStat process. These units no longer decide for themselves where they will work. The locations and activities they perform will be determined through negotiation with beat owners and managers and will be aimed at executing the tactics determined through the process. If they work outside the problemsolving process, their actions and target should be directed by the CompStat process, and the beat team should be aware of what they are working on, when they are working and where they are working in the beat. A beat team member should never be surprised to discover that a special unit is working in his/her beat. Decentralizing As additional personnel and resources become available, the structure, staffing and deployment of patrol operations should be modified to enhance community policing. The North/South split should be institutionalized with the formation of two new geographically based divisions; North Division and South Division. Each division should be commanded by a captain. Besides commanding all of the personnel assigned to the division, the role of the division commander is to act as liaison between the police department and the communities in the division, and to procure the resources necessary to successfully complete problem-solving projects. They will have around the clock responsibility for their division and report directly to the Deputy Chief. Other APD units under this structure will support the patrol divisions and act as resources for the Division Commanders. Through the CompStat process, the patrol divison commanders will negotiate over the services of such units such as CAP, SAU and Traffic. These units should seldom set targets independently. The division commanders and beat managers and owners should always be kept informed if these units work in their beats. APD patrol lieutenants are watch commanders. Under current practice, they manage their shift city-wide with functional supervision for all of patrol. This responsibility remains vital to The Police Executive Research Forum Page 29 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 effective policing regardless of the philosophical approach an agency may take to delivering service. In a community policing environment, this functional supervision based upon time should be balanced with geographic responsibility. To enhance the geographic integrity of community policing, six lieutenants should be assigned to patrol: three to North Division and three to South Division. Each division will have a day, swing and midnight watch commander responsible for the officers on that shift. Currently the three watch commanders work four ten-hour shifts a week. This provides scheduled coverage for 12 of the 21 shifts per week. A sergeant frequently must act as city wide commander under this system. By having six watch commanders, coverage will be scheduled for 24 shifts per week, as the lieutenant should work opposing schedules with a single common day. Their work should primarily concentrate on supporting the problem-solving projects in their own division, but they will be available city-wide when needed. The lieutenants should be aware of the community concerns and crime problems on their shift in their division, as well as officers’ activities to address these issues. In a community policing environment, patrol officers must have adequate time available to perform community policing endeavors such as contacting business owners, attending neighborhood meetings and performing problem-solving activities. Currently, Anchorage patrol officers average 46% of their time on calls for service. Many agencies with active patrol community policing models seek a 40% CFS average. Reducing the APD CFS work load by 6% will require increasing patrol staffing from 175 officers to 201, an increase of 26 (taking into account the 72.9% show-up rate). As described earlier, the patrol sergeant-to-officer span of control is too large. To provide adequate supervision for these additional officers, two more sergeants should be added to each shift, for a total of six new sergeant positions. Assigning officers to each division should be accomplished by matching service demands with staffing levels. In that manner, the quality of police response should be the same regardless of where in the city the incident occurs. North Division will be composed of seven beats: 11, 12. 13, 14, 21, 51 and 52. The South Division will be composed of five beats: 22, 23, 41, 42 and 43. This configuration is partly designed to limit cross-division dispatching by having ready backThe Police Executive Research Forum Page 30 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 ups from intra-division beats. It also takes into account the relative remoteness of beats 51 and 52. For the year of dispatch data, the North Division averaged about 1,291 hours per week on calls for service and the South Division averaged about 1,048. North has 143,923 call responses for the year while South had 112,268. This split is about 55% for North and 45% for South. Therefore, of the 201 officers needed for full community policing implementation, 111 should be assigned to North and 90 to South. Officers should be assigned to the division for a minimum of one year. The total number of additional sworn positions for this community policing model is 30: three lieutenants, six sergeants and 21 patrol officers. Rather than add an additional captain, the Support (Administrative) Division should be headed by a new civilian director position. The captain position currently allocated in that division should become one of the Patrol Division captains. The following chart depicts this reorganization: The Police Executive Research Forum Page 31 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Organizing the Department for Community Policing The Police Executive Research Forum Page 32 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Facility The new community policing configuration also requires a facility for the North Division. This building should provide space for community meetings and customer service as well as for patrol officer lockers, offices and a roll call space. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 33 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 UNIT BY UNIT REVIEWS The following sections assess the staffing of each unit in the department. They include a review of the work each unit performs and make recommendations for the number of sworn and nonsworn employees that should be assigned to each unit. Comparisons are made to the department’s staffing as of late June 2010 when PERF conducted its first site visit. Staffing for a large agency the size of Anchorage is in almost constant flux. Staffing in June may not be the same as in late August. Consequently, the most critical staffing numbers are those that are recommended not those that are “current.” The Police Executive Research Forum Page 34 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 OFFICE OF THE CHIEF Internal Affairs (IA) The Internal Affairs unit is staffed by one lieutenant, two sergeants, and one clerk. The unit reports directly to the Chief of Police. There is no rotation requirement in this unit. However, the lieutenant’s position is rotated periodically. The sergeants are generally rotated every two years, but a one year extension can be sought. All personnel are assigned to IA on a four day, ten-hour schedule that provides coverage from 0700 to 1700, Monday through Friday. Staff have either Friday, Saturday, and Sunday or Saturday, Sunday, and Monday off. IA is responsible for performing administrative investigations into potential criminal violations, gross misconduct involving intentional acts, sexual misconduct, weapons violations, use of force, civil rights violations or biased policing, patterns of misconduct of lesser complaints, or complaints designated for investigation by the Chief of Police. All employees are subject to investigation for misconduct except the Chief of Police. However, when an allegation against an employee involves criminal activity, the appropriate unit within the department conducts the criminal investigation and IA conducts the administrative case against the employee. The lieutenant and his staff recognize the importance of properly receiving, documenting and tracking complaints/cases of misconduct brought to the department by the public – or by other members of the department – for investigation. In order to ensure proper processing of such complaints, IA staff is responsible for the following: • Maintaining an agency complaint log; • Maintaining a central file of complaints in a secure area; • Maintaining all recorded media and documents related to a complaint investigation; • Conducting a regular audit of complaints regarding changes in training, policy, or time compliance; • Identifying trends in excessive force and abuse of authority complaints; • Tracking complaints in order to assist in an employee risk analysis; • Producing an annual report of complaints against employees and the department; and The Police Executive Research Forum Page 35 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 • At the discretion of the Chief of Police, reviewing all evidence in response to resistance issues. Internal Affairs assigns a case number to all investigations of employee misconduct, including those referred by the chain of command. Lesser complaints, those not within the purview of IA, are referred for investigation to the employee's direct supervisor. However, IA will monitor the investigative process used in handling these lesser complaints and ensure that they are completed within the established timetable. Field supervisors sometimes seek advice and technical assistance from members of Internal Affairs on these less serious investigations. In addition to administrative investigations, Internal Affairs is also responsible for firearms permit approvals, serving as liaison for lawsuits, and a number of other collateral duties. Unit personnel handle public requests for permits for silencers, short rifles/shotguns and machine guns. Internal Affairs staff complete firearm permit forms and conduct background checks for the Chief’s review and approval. Internal Affairs personnel also provide guidance and assistance to the city’s attorneys. The IA staff work with the municipal attorney on departmental lawsuits, both gathering relevant documents and assisting with interviews. Unit personnel may be asked to conduct the investigative work needed to strengthen the city’s position in upcoming cases, and they may sit in on the hearings, trials, etc. However, it was reported that completion of Internal Affairs cases generally takes priority. The lieutenant spends much of his time supervising the criminal and complaint investigations conducted by Internal Affairs. His other duties include monitoring the timeframe of each investigation, checking on pending discipline investigations throughout the agency, issuing early intervention system announcements, attending meetings inside and outside the department, and meeting with commanders and supervisors about complaints and employee misconduct issues. The lieutenant is involved with the Emergency Operations Center (which is activated in the event of an earthquake, wildfire, or other disaster). This responsibility involves ongoing training. The lieutenant is a firearms instructor and is responsible for qualifying the department’s command staff (lieutenant and above). The Police Executive Research Forum Page 36 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 The majority of the sergeants’ time is spent investigating allegations of misconduct and criminal complaints against employees. They also work with the municipal attorney on pending lawsuits against the department in addition to managing the ATF application and background process for citizens. Between the two sergeants, approximately 10-15% of their combined time is spent working with the municipal attorney on a variety of issues. Each sergeant spends about 5% of his/her time on the firearms permit process. The civilian senior police clerk enters all data and monitors the computer program for all employee misconduct investigations. The clerk also transcribes investigative interviews, answers the telephone, and files complaint investigations in a secure location within Internal Affairs. From June 1, 2009 through June 1, 2010, Internal Affairs investigated 76 allegations of employee misconduct. As of early July 2010, 56 of these were closed and 20 remained open. Of those 76 cases, the lieutenant investigated 12 and the two sergeants investigated 64. This represents one investigation per month for the lieutenant and less than three per month for each sergeant. Of the 76 investigations, 10 were criminal and 66 were strictly administrative. Operating procedure 2.04.005 (IX) establishes that serious allegations of misconduct are to be investigated and closed within 45 calendar days; less serious investigations are to be closed within 14 calendar days. These timeframes begin on the date the complaint is received, and include weekends and holidays. PERF recognizes that the due dates established in SOP 2.04.005 (IX) are consistent with standard police practices. Internal Affairs investigations involve serious and complex allegations of employee misconduct. Some of these investigations, due to their nature, require more than 45 calendar days to complete. Additionally, some cases are likely to be under active investigation at the end of a sample period not because of slow investigation, but because they were recently assigned. However, it has been the department’s position that it will not move forward with an administrative investigation until the corresponding criminal case is closed. As a result, some 30% of internal affairs investigations remain open longer than 45 days, and some remain open for over a year when criminal trials are involved. The average number of calendar days to close The Police Executive Research Forum Page 37 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 an investigation is just over 112 days, according to the data provided. Of the 76 investigations, 26 of them, or 34%, took more than 45 calendar days to be closed. During the time period examined by PERF, 301 investigations of employee misconduct were conducted by supervisors in other divisions throughout the agency. Of the 301 investigations, 5 were criminal and the rest were administrative. Of these investigations, 10 were open in early in July 2010 and 291 were closed. Recommendation: Criminal and administrative investigations into criminal officer misconduct should be conducted concurrently. Findings: There is no reason to postpone conducting an administrative investigation until the completion of a criminal investigation. Clearly, certain precautions must be taken when two investigations are conducted concurrently. The department must institute proper one-way firewall protections in place to ensure that administrative case information does not filter into the criminal case. Concurrent investigations will allow the department to terminate officers who are found to have committed serious administrative violations of policy without having to wait for the criminal case to complete a lengthy court process. Recommendation: Internal Affairs should be more vigilant in honoring the requirement to complete investigation within 45 days. Findings: Understandably, some cases will take longer then 45 days to complete, but a 112 day average with 30% of cases not meeting policy requirements should be improved. Work performed on every open case should be documented monthly and formally reviewed by the IA lieutenant to determine whether a 30 day extension is justified. Recommendation: The current staffing in Internal Affairs is sufficient for the work performed. Findings: Not all police departments have identical standards for determining the types of cases to be handled by Internal Affairs. Therefore, it can be difficult to determine the “appropriate” caseload for an Internal Affairs unit. The IA staff’s role in monitoring and reviewing field investigations and other duties must also be considered. The caseload (the lieutenant investigates 1 case per month, and sergeants handle 2.7 cases per month) for APD’s Internal Affairs division is reasonable considering the number of other duties assigned to the staff. There is no justification for increasing or decreasing sworn or civilian staff at this time. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 38 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Internal Affairs Unit Staffing UNIT: Internal Affairs Lieutenant Sergeant TOTAL SWORN Senior Police Clerk TOTAL NON-SWORN Current 1 2 3 1 1 Recommended 1 2 3 1 1 Change 0 0 0 0 0 Public Affairs The function of the Public Affairs Unit is to educate the public on a wide range of topics regarding crime and the police department. The unit is composed of a lieutenant, a crime prevention specialist and a senior police clerk. The unit’s primary responsibilities include proactively informing the media of police actions and activities, reacting to media inquiries, providing crime prevention education and coordinating the Crime Stoppers program. The Public Affairs lieutenant performs the primary Public Information Officer (PIO) role. The lieutenant’s normal workload involves fielding 40-50 calls per day from the public and local media outlets. Anchorage has two online newspapers, one daily printed newspaper, four major radio stations and four television stations. The PIO is continually available to the media, monitors the police scanner, and interprets police action to the media. The department has no gag policy: any officer may speak to the media. The crime prevention specialist is responsible for a wide range of crime prevention educational programs. These include lessons on robbery prevention, violence reduction, and workplace safety; working with the Victims for Justice program; summer presentations to youth; and specialized presentations in response to high-profile crime events. The crime prevention specialist is also a certified child seat technician and helps individuals ensure that child car safety seats are correctly installed. Surveys on premise security are restricted to businesses due to limited resources. The unit plays a lead role in police-related event promotions. They help promote the annual police hockey game, youth bicycle rodeos, the Hero Games, the downtown event series and the Health and Safety Fair. The Public Affairs Unit also organizes the local Police Memorial Day. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 39 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 The Crime Stoppers program is also managed by the Public Affairs Unit. Crime Stoppers receives about 100 tips per month. These tips are sent to the appropriate police divisions for follow-up. On average, 3-4 payouts are made to informants from Crime Stoppers each month. The program requires ongoing fund raising, which requires delivering frequent presentations to maintain visibility. In order to maintain its effectiveness, the unit needs constantly updated materials, in both written and digital formats. Flyers, stickers and promotional materials all would help the department to educate the agency’s diverse audiences about preventing crime. Some crime prevention information is still presented on VHS format tapes. The unit is adequately staffed for its present activities. However, an additional crime prevention specialist would allow for significant programmatic expansion. Additional topics would include financial crime prevention, ID theft protection, and animal control issues such as coping with “urban” bears. Expansion would also enable the department to develop more proactive materials for the media, presenting the department achievements. Recommendations: The crime prevention specialist should be the conduit to ensure any citizen wanting a home security survey is properly serviced. Findings: One crime prevention specialist cannot be expected to handle all the business and residential requests for target hardening in major city. Whether citizens are directed to CAP, where residential security surveys can be a good way to engaging community members to join the department’s community policing initiatives, or if they are directed to burglary investigators, who can share target hardening information while seizing the opportunity to familiarize themselves with community crime and possibly suspects, the department is missing a good opportunity to make inroads into neighborhoods by not directing these inquiries to a designated unit. Recommendation: Staffing for the Public Affairs Office is sufficient for the work performed. Findings: The current staffing of this unit is correct for the work performed. In the future, as community policing becomes more ingrained in the department, it may become appropriate to shift the crime prevention role to CAP or Patrol, but for the present it is fine in the Public Affairs Unit. Some departments have tied their crime prevention message to Patrol by assigning crime The Police Executive Research Forum Page 40 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 prevention specialists or training patrol officers in crime prevention/target hardening tactics and having them respond to residences and businesses within a day of a burglary to teach complainants strategies to avoid being a victim in the future. Public Affairs Unit Staffing UNIT: Public Affairs Office Lieutenant TOTAL SWORN Crime Prevention Spec Senior Police Clerk TOTAL NON-SWORN Current Recommended Change 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 Business Manager The Anchorage Police Department’s Business Manager reports directly to the Chief of Police. The Manager presents and interprets data, provides organizational expertise, and offers guidance to the chief and command staff for the planning, directing and managing of the police department. Systems developed by the Business Manager measure the productivity of the department’s employees and work units to achieve organizational accountability. The Manager also monitors the department’s budget. Consultation on operational practices and strategies by the Business Manager ensures that the department functions in an efficient and effective manner. Recommendation: PERF recommends the department retain the position of Business Manager but rename the position Chief of Staff. The Fiscal Unit and the Plans, Operations and Resource Unit should report to the Chief of Staff. Findings: The position of Business Manager has become a critical staff position for the Chief of Police and is essential for the effective operation of the department. This position will become increasingly more important as change is implemented throughout the organization and staffing levels are adjusted based upon service demands and the economic outlook of the city. Adding the Fiscal Unit and the Plans, Operations and Resources Unit to the Chief of Staff’s portfolio will provide him with key support in keeping the chief apprised of budget and planning issues. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 41 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Plans and Operations A lieutenant is assigned as the Plans and Operations Officer. Most of the lieutenant’s time is spent managing the department’s fleet of approximately 470 vehicles. Other than procurement, the lieutenant is involved in almost every phase of fleet management. This process is more time consuming that it would be if the department (or the municipal shop) had an automated fleet management program. The department has a home car program, but there is no system in place to formally track vehicles. Cars may be reassigned, pulled out of service to be repaired and maintained, or replaced without updating their status. The department’s vehicles are owned by the municipal shop. The police department pays a monthly replacement and maintenance fee for their use. The Plans and Operations lieutenant performs a variety of other projects for the chief, including: • Managing all APD telephone and communications work orders through the city website; • Helping to develop a new intensive probation program with the state involving close monitoring of high-risk probationers and immediate arrest for violations; • Working with the Non-Sworn Training Committee to develop a funding strategy for nonsworn training needs; and • Acting as the department’s liaison between the APD and the Emergency Operations Center. • Writing, reviewing, and updating department policies and procedures. Recommendation: The department should seek to combine the Plans and Operations function with the Resource Management Unit. Findings: The duties performed by the Plans and Operations Lieutenant are important, but they do not – in themselves – demand a sworn manager to perform them. Presently there is some overlap in fleet management duties between the lieutenant and the resource manager. By combining these two positions, the work, especially with regard to fleet management, would be better coordinated and the lieutenant could also be utilized as a manager. In the future, a civilian The Police Executive Research Forum Page 42 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 manger, competent in fleet management and key technical components of the position, could prove to be a more efficient alternative than a sworn manager. However, this transition could be handled through attrition. Plans and Operations Staffing UNIT: Plans/Operations Lieutenant TOTAL SWORN Current 1 1 Recommended 1 1 Change 0 0 Resource Management Unit This unit is composed of two civilians – a principal administrative officer and a specialty clerk. The unit reports directly to the Deputy Chief. One key function of the unit is grants management. The unit writes, manages and closes out the department’s grants. This involves keeping an ongoing list of departmental needs, which, when coupled with an awareness of available grants and funding opportunities, guides unit personnel to apply for the appropriate grants. Identified current needs include infrastructure replacement (especially technology such as a new radio system and in-car cameras). At the time of PERF’s site visit, there were 15 active grants and 11 applications outstanding. Another role of the Resource Management Unit is coordination of the department’s fleet and its buildings. The APD has 15 buildings. The resource manager works with city real estate services assisting with renting, leasing, and purchasing buildings for the department’s use. He keeps abreast of building expansion projects and plans, substations needs, and the need for warehouse space. The clerk is the department supply clerk and helps the manager with equipment purchase and replacement for a wide array of items, from leather goods for officers to breath alcohol testing devices. Recommendation: This unit is staffed at an appropriate level for its current workload. Findings: The two civilian employees staffing this function are adequate, but not excessive, for the wide range of duties assigned to the unit. To the department’s credit, both positions are civilian, which is a best police practice in that it provides staff that are trained and hired to The Police Executive Research Forum Page 43 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 perform their daily functions (and not police work). This is an efficient and effective use of civilian personnel. By bringing this unit under the Plans and Operations Lieutenant, there will be better coordination of some issues, and all the functions of both components can be managed by the existing lieutenant in Plans and Operations. Resource Management Unit Staffing UNIT: Resource Management Principal Administrative Officer Specialty Clerk TOTAL NON-SWORN Current Recommended Change 1 1 0 1 2 1 1 0 0 Personnel / Payroll Unit The unit is currently composed of a payroll manager and three payroll specialty clerks. About half of the unit’s work is related to payroll processing, the other half to personnel tasks. Personnel responsibilities include: • Tracking personnel with the personnel module of the Tiburon records management system; • Addressing FLMA personnel issues in the municipality’s People Soft system, • Taking ID photos; • Applying provisions of the APDEA contract, especially procedures that apply only to specific sections of the department; and, • Processing all other personnel issues. Payroll duties include receiving hard copies of all APD time sheets, accounting for overtime, properly coding the sheet and entering them into the city system. Overtime requests submitted by departmental personnel average about 800 per pay period, although 1,000 is not unusual. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 44 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Although the time and labor system is intended to be exceptions-based, payroll personnel still must verify each departmental employee’s information. They review all timesheets, not just those that are exceptions to straight time. Shift changes cause a temporary heavy workload since payroll and personnel tracking systems must be updated to reflect all the assignment changes. Recommendation: Current staffing is adequate for the work being performed. Personnel/Payroll Unit Staffing UNIT: Personnel/Payroll Payroll Manager Specialty Clerk TOTAL NON-SWORN Current 1 3 4 Recommended 1 3 4 Change 0 0 0 Human Resources The duties of the Human Resources manager include tasks related to labor relations, compliance, training, recruitment, classifications, light duty administration, and certain retirement and rehiring functions. The position also serves as Chair of the Non-Sworn Training Committee and acts as a backup on Payroll/Personnel issues for that unit’s director and for the Administration Captain. Examples of these duties as outlined on a list provided to PERF include the following: Labor Relations • • • • • • • • • • • Ensuring discipline processes followed with Employee Relations (ER); Coordinating discipline with IA; Coordinating Loudermill procedures; Grievance processing and recordkeeping; Representing APD at arbitrations/hearings; Administrative leave oversight; Shared contract interpretation/practice issues; Working with the Legal Unit & IA regarding lawsuits; Counseling supervisors dealing with employee issues, ensuring compliance with laws regarding probationary extensions/terminations, counseling letters, and EAP referrals; Conducting fitness for duty reviews; and, Conducting exit interviews. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 45 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Compliance: The Human Resources manager oversees the APD’s compliance with a variety of laws and regulations. These include: • • • • • • The federal Family Medical Leave Act and the Alaska Family Leave Act; The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act; The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act; The Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act; Worker’s Compensation; and, Other rules, regulations and policies that pertain to police operations and police personnel matters. Training: The HR manager provides training on FMLA/AFLA requirements, ethics, supervision, coordinates HR Training, and provides HR updates to the command staff. Recruitment: The HR manager assists with recruitment and promotion for both sworn and nonsworn employees. External recruitment is coordinated with the municipality’s NEOGOV system. The HR manager provides counsel on interview questions and techniques, reviews oral board processes and tests, and assesses internal promotions and demotions. Classifications: The HR manager maintains current police department and class specifications, processes new classifications requests and coordinates classifications with City Hall. Light Duty Administrator: Duties of the HR manager include maintaining the non-available list (members incapable of performing their regular duties), determining FMLA and AFLA eligibility, and keeping employees and supervisors apprised of an employee’s light duty status. Military Benefits/Leave: In this capacity, the HR manager provides personnel with military benefits forms, helps to process orders as they are received and tracks those on military leave. Recommendation: The staffing of this function – one civilian Human Resources manger – is appropriate. Findings: These are vital functions and are appropriately addressed by a professional Human Resources manager. The department has taken the most effective and efficient approach by placing a civilian member in this position. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 46 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Human Resources Staffing UNIT: Human Resources HR Manager TOTAL NON-SWORN Current 1 1 Recommended 1 1 Change 0 0 Data Systems (Information System Division) The Information Systems Division is staffed by one Application Services manager, six data system technicians, one senior administration officer and one police clerk. The unit is staffed 12 hours per day, six days per week. Saturday is the only day without on-site coverage. Personnel are also on-call as needed. As stated in a recent report to the mayor, “The mission of the Information Systems Division is rapid operational support, 911 center support, disaster recovery, daily operations, staff training and technology implementation projects exercised by priority in support of the department mission of protecting and serving our community in the most professional and compassionate manner possible.” The core functions of the division as listed in the report include the following: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 24/7 operations; Crime analysis, crime statistics, annual statistics; Database administration; Data Center operations and facilities; Desktop support and field workforce automation; Disaster backup and Recovery Services E9-1-1 support; E-mail and calendaring; Enterprise applications; Mapping, 911 & in-car mapping; Network troubleshooting, including wireless, data, voice, video and radio; Project management; Security, (National Crime Information Center [NCIC] grade security); Law enforcement technology standards; and, Web infrastructure. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 47 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 The unit also supports the department by assisting in business operations, continuity of operations, maintaining standards for IT processes and dealing with the IT infrastructure including server replacements, computer room upgrades, and cabling and switches. The division is responsible for an extensive list of projects both under development and already implemented. Among them, are: • • • • • • • • • • • • • Upgrading the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system and the Records Management System (RMS); Upgrading the Imaging System; Implementing for the detectives a Digital Evidence Server (Photo and Audio recordings); Creating a Warrant Interface with State of Alaska (Tiburon); Automated Citation information to court system; Disaster Recovery overhaul, upgraded backup server hardware and software installed to include a new encrypted Tape Library system; Digital Data Retention Schedule Published; Digital Evidence Information Management System (DIMS); Abandoned Vehicle tracking project utilizing Tiburon; In-car video for all Traffic Officers; Undercover Video System; Domestic Violence Database (ADVPPII); and, Migration of core RMS/CAD/COM services to stable high speed switches. Because Anchorage is the dominant locality in the area and the largest municipality in the state, it has been a key player in collaboration with other partners in the criminal justice community. The Information Systems unit plays a key role in assisting the APD’s involvement with the courts, the Department of Public Safety, and other state and local agencies. The near future will provide Information Services with multiple opportunities for enhanced delivery of services, along with challenges that must be addressed in order to provide optimal levels of service to assist the APD in its mission. The Information Systems Unit is continuing to add applications, functionality and IT equipment to the APD. Concurrently, the unit is maintaining and upgrading the existing systems, applications and infrastructure. To continue to perform at a high level, additional resources should be added to the unit. Recommendation: Two positions should be added to the Data Systems Division – a lead data systems technician and a data systems technician. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 48 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Findings: The lead data systems technician should have some supervisory responsibility and help the division establish day-to-day priorities by reviewing service requests. This position will enable the manager to enhance his vital work interconnecting with outside agencies and developing IT strategies for the APD. The additional data systems technician will expand the ability of the division to implement new applications and devices. Data Systems Staffing UNIT: Data Systems Applications Services Manager Lead Data Systems Technician Data Systems Technician I/II Senior Administrative Officer Police Clerk TOTAL NON-SWORN Current 1 0 6 1 1 9 Recommended 1 1 7 1 1 11 Change 0 +1 +1 0 0 +2 Crime Analysis The Crime Analysis function in the APD is performed by a single analyst. The analyst pulls reports from the various department databases in response to requests from the operational divisions. Additionally, the analyst keeps web-based data current for public information. The internal website is growing increasingly robust and employee use is increasing. The analyst provides citation information to the court systems and develops maps from the GIS system for use by shift supervisors. He also provides some support for other IT staff, and is a back-up for the Share Point system. The analyst has worked on some predictive analysis projects. Often, by the time there is enough data about a crime pattern to allow analysis, the crime pattern is interrupted because a detective’s local knowledge has led to an arrest. Currently, staffing for this function is appropriate. Elsewhere in this report there are recommendations that may increase the demands for crime analysis. Implementing a CompStat process will likely increase crime analysis requests and may result in the need for a second analyst position. One analyst would focus on longer range, strategic analysis to support the The Police Executive Research Forum Page 49 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Chief, the manager, the mayor and the CompStat process. Developing long range forecasts would be the job of the strategic analyst. The second person would be a tactical analyst and would focus on supporting the department’s operational units. This position would also be responsible for supplying information to the community policing beat teams. Fiscal Management (Finance) Unit This unit is composed of two employees: a principal administration officer and a specialty clerk. A middle management position was eliminated in a December 2009 layoff. The unit is responsible for all budget operations, including handling accounts payable, billing, educational reimbursements, travel, and cell phone expenses. The unit provides audits for most of the unit expenditures and has found that account managers are generally fiscally conscious. The unit performs tasks such as: • Monitoring cell phones charges, checking bills and reimbursement requests against the authorized list, and issuing a report for those that exceed authorized limits; • Monitoring all travel through the Cost Containment Committee. Travel is almost exclusively paid for through grants; • Charging the many grants for appropriate straight and overtime pay and auditing grant expenditures to see they stay within grant limits; • Developing expenditure strategies for monies gained through asset seizure; • Working closely with the municipality’s budget and finance personnel to share accurate information about expenditures; and, • Tracking and managing the department’s assets from a financial perspective. Recommendation: The size of the unit, given the current functions and workload, is appropriate. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 50 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Fiscal Management Unit UNIT: Fiscal Management Current Recommended Principal Administrative Officer 1 1 Specialty Clerk 1 1 TOTAL NON-SWORN 2 2 The Police Executive Research Forum Page 51 Change 0 0 0 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 ADMINISTRATION Evidence The Evidence Section is responsible for the security and control of seized and recovered property and evidence. The section also stores abandoned, lost, or found property brought in by officers. The security of evidence is controlled through strict departmental procedures and measures covering its receipt, handling, and disposition. The Evidence Section operates Monday through Friday from 0730 to 1530. Section staffing consists of twelve civilian employees: one principal administrative officer, nine evidence technicians, a senior police clerk, and a police clerk. All section personnel work ten-hour days. The principal administrative officer is responsible for supervising the evidence technicians and clerks. The evidence technicians perform various duties including receiving, controlling, and releasing or disposing of evidence and property. Evidence and property is stored at three separate secure locations throughout the city. Each location is locked, under video surveillance, and equipped with an alarm. Section personnel have access to two vans for transporting evidence and property between the locations. Firearms, money, jewelry, and drugs are stored in a separate, locked area within the evidence room at the police station. Access to these sensitive items is controlled by requiring two evidence employees to enter separate codes. The room is under dedicated video surveillance. Articles of evidence and property impounded by police officers are deposited in secure drop lockers adjacent to the evidence room at the police station. The lockers are checked for new contents, usually in the morning, Monday through Friday. Out of concern for the security of sensitive items that may be deposited in the drop lockers, two evidence technicians are required to be present when evidentiary items are removed from the drop lockers and when the records management system is updated to track the evidence or property. The evidence technicians are also responsible for preparing evidence and property designated for disposal, including locating, pulling, transporting, and releasing evidence and property both to owners and to police personnel for use in court. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 52 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Evidence technicians work the retention desk, disposition desk, digital and audio evidence, and assist at the service window. They complete Request For Action (RFA) forms that are directed to police officers when articles of evidence or property are not properly labeled, packaged, sealed, or require other attention to be in compliance with the regulations and procedures manual. In these instances, police officers report to the evidence room to make the needed corrections. Evidence technicians are not permitted to modify records that reflect the chain of custody. The senior police clerk and police clerk primarily handle administrative matters such as answering the telephones, performing data entry, filing, and drafting property letters. They do not handle evidence. They edit computer data entries of chain of custody records to reflect changes in evidence custody. The amount of evidence and property taken in by the department is continuing to grow. In May 2010, one storage facility was at 95% capacity, the second at 59% and the third at 44%. Purging of no longer needed articles has not sufficiently offset the receipt of new evidence and property. The next chart shows the disparity over a six month period (January 2010 through the first three weeks of June 2010). Evidence and Property Received and Purged by Month 2010 Only in June did the number of property and evidence articles purged exceed that of those received. The department should maintain a constant focus on purging articles identified as no longer needed. Additional warehouse space to meet the department’s need for secure evidence storage can be costly. Recommendation: The Anchorage Police Department should meet with the prosecutor to discuss and determine whether large evidentiary items can be preserved via a photo affidavit that would be admissible in court as evidence. Findings: The increase in property and evidence will continue to fill up the available storage space. A photo affidavit for large items could help reduce some of the storage issues if the items can be disposed of. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 53 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Recommendation: One additional technician should be added to the Evidence Section to work specifically on the disposition and/or retention desk. Findings: To help reduce the backlog of items to be disposed of and to keep up with the growth of evidence and property, a position should be added specifically to work on the disposition and/or retention desk. There is considerable investigation, analysis, and paperwork required before disposing of an article of evidence. It is a lengthy and time-consuming process. Moreover, as seen in law enforcement agencies across the country, new mandates to retain more DNA evidence will continue to stretch existing resources. The addition of one position will help address some of these issues. Recommendation: A supervisory position should be added to the Evidence Section to assist in managing the number of evidence employees at the three separate locations. Findings: Supervising a staff of 11 at three separate work locations is difficult for one person to handle. Adding a lead evidence technician with supervisory responsibility would greatly increase oversight of these critical functions. Evidence Unit Staffing UNIT: Evidence Principal Administrative Officer Lead Evidence Technician Evidence Technician Senior Police Clerk Police Clerk TOTAL NON-SWORN Current 1 0 9 1 1 12 Recommended 1 1 10 1 1 14 The Police Executive Research Forum Page 54 Change 0 +1 +1 0 0 +2 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Dispatch The primary purpose of the Anchorage Police Department Communications Center is to answer citizen telephone requests for police service and dispatch police officers in response to these service requests. The center is also the around the clock answering point for administrative calls. Communications staff perform a variety of other duties, such as gathering information needed by officers in the field, running “wants and warrants checks” by accessing multiple criminal justice databases, performing data entry tasks and serving as the initial answering point for fire and emergency medical service requests. The center has 10 work stations in the primary communications room. Six are configured primarily as call-taking stations where phones are answered and information is electronically relayed to dispatchers. Two workstations are used for primary dispatch and communication with officers in the field; one handles units in the northern part of the municipality, the other handles those units working in the south. Another dispatch station serves as a utility channel. Its operator handles officer requests for research, out-of-car requests for “wants and warrants checks” and other communications with field units. The final work station is configured for the supervisor. The Communications Center shift supervisors report directly to the Administration Captain. There is no day-to-day manager. The Center is staffed by 50 positions: one clerk, six call takers and 43 dispatchers. The dispatchers are cross-trained and are qualified to work both call-taker and dispatch positions. The call-takers are limited to working only at the call-taker workstations. Communications personnel generally work 12 hours shifts. Twenty-two (including three calltakers) are assigned to day shift (0700-1900), 23 (including three call-takers) to midnights (1900 -0700) and four to a power shift (1400 – 0000). Days off are arranged so that usually approximately half of each shift is scheduled to work. Day shift typically has 11 or 12 scheduled and the midnight shift has 13 or 14 scheduled. The schedules are flexible over the course of the shift. Given vacation time, illness and other categories of leave, the preferred staffing target, per shift, is nine on-duty personnel. Recommendation: Current Communications Center staffing is adequate for the workload. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 55 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Findings: Although staffing is adequate, it is essential that the department be able to fill dispatch vacancies as they occur. Delays in filling vacant positions can lead to overtime and increased stress for those that provide this vital service. Recommendation: The Communications Center should have a manager. This should be a non-sworn position filled ideally by a person with law enforcement experience. Findings: Without a dedicated manager, the Communications Center lacks quality assurance. A manager can focus on the needs of communications personnel and on providing constant oversight of this critical operation. The manager must understand the needs of both patrol officers and dispatchers. This should be a career position. Having a sworn manager rotate through the operation generates unnecessary learning curves and variations in management style. The communication manager should provide stability to the unit. Communications Center Staffing UNIT: Dispatch Communications Manager Communications Clerk I & II Communications Clerk III Police Clerk TOTAL NON-SWORN Current 0 43 6 1 50 Recommended 1 43 6 1 51 The Police Executive Research Forum Page 56 Change +1 0 0 0 +1 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Records The Records Unit collects, collates, copies, processes, stores and disseminates police information generated by the department. The unit is also the central point for the collection of money from a variety of sources. A selection of tasks performed by records personnel includes: • Reviewing and processing reports generated by patrol officers. This includes transferring information from the Packet Writer field reporting system into the Tiburon records management system (RMS). Because the two systems are incompatible, this requires reformatting some fields from Packet Writer to meet the requirements of the RMS; • Reconciling names from incoming reports with the Master Name Index; • Classifying reports according to Uniform Crime Report standards; • Preparing documents for court; • Taking phone reports; • Working the front desk and accepting payments for citations, default judgments and impound fees; and, • Responding to requests for copies of various reports including collision (motor vehicle accident) reports. The Records Unit is open 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Records personnel work four 10-hour days with three consecutive days off. Day shift is from 0600 to 1600 with 19 employees assigned, including the Records Unit manager. Swing shift is from 1400 to 2400 with 15 employees, and the midnight shift is from 2200 to 0800 with six assigned employees. One employee is classified as a messenger and works Monday through Friday from 0800 to 1700. There are a total of 41 employees assigned to the Records Unit. The Records Unit deals with a number of inefficiencies due to the lack of integration among the department’s various information systems. A readily apparent shortcoming is the lack of compatibility between the Packet Writer system used by patrol officers for writing reports and the Tiburon RMS system. Records personnel are forced to edit/reformat certain fields from Packet Writer so that the RMS system will accept the data transfer. The Tiburon system has a report writing module used by APD detectives but the department has not purchased the mobile version. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 57 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 The arrest and booking system is not fully compatible with Tiburon. Some arrest reports are handwritten. Others are scanned, downloaded and then printed for the paper based filing system. Even when arrests are in an electronic format and can be moved via e-mail to the courts, the original paper documents are still forwarded. Records lacks a “point of sale system” to track the high volume of various payments it receives. Annually some $2 million is received by Records personnel and most of the tracking and reconciling needed is inefficient and time-consuming. The Records Unit has an on-going effort to digitize the old paper files. The space available to store paper files is limited. At one time the backlog from the time an officer completed an incident report until its entry was finalized in the RMS was three months. As a result, detectives sometimes enter information that already exists in an automated database (Packet Writer) into the Tiburon case management module. Although the backlog has been reduced to approximately one month, the problem can only be solved permanently with improved technology. Recommendation: The department should consider removing the payments acceptance function from the Records Unit. Incorporating this function within the Municipal Fiscal Office should be considered. Finding: For its current operations and functions the Records Unit is appropriately staffed. The current staff has been sufficient to reduce the data entry backlog from three to one month. Any reduction in staff would lead to a return to greater backlogs unless new technology is added or some current functions are removed. Removing the responsibility for payment collections would allow the staff to devote more time and energy to backlog elimination. Records Unit Staffing UNIT: Police Records Records Supervisor Police Clerk III Police Clerk (Including Senior Police Clerks) Police Messenger TOTAL NON-SWORN Current 1 3 36 Recommended 1 3 36 Change 0 0 0 1 41 1 41 0 0 The Police Executive Research Forum Page 58 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 PATROL The Patrol Shifts Anchorage Police Department patrol officers, as in most American law enforcement agencies, spend their time responding to calls for service from the public, engaging in self-initiated activity, and performing a variety of administrative tasks. Citizens ask for police service by calling the police dispatch center (either through 911 or on a non-emergency line), in person by hailing an officer in the field, or by making an appearance at a police facility. Calls for Service: Officers responding to “calls for service” (CFS) may handle the incident informally, write a report about the incident if necessary (usually when their preliminary investigation indicates that a crime has been committed), or, when circumstances warrant, make an arrest. PERF analyzed a year’s worth of dispatch data (April 1, 2009 – March 31, 2010), and assessed the work of Anchorage patrol officers. Records were obtained for each officer assigned to each event. Because many events require more than one officer, the number of records is more than the number of events. In this database, there are 256,544 records for patrol officers responding to calls for service. The most frequent types of calls for service dispatches are presented in the next table. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 59 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Most Frequent Calls for Service Call Type DISTURBANCE ALARM WELFARE CHECK/911 HANG UP SUSPICIOUS PERSONS, VEHICLES, CIRCUMSTANCES COLLISION DRUNK PROBLEM ASSAULT VEHICLE IN DISTRESS/STALLED GENERAL LOCATE SUICIDE ATTEMPT/THREAT DISTURBANCE WITH WEAPON Number 61,550 19,535 18,603 15,958 11,809 9,152 7,684 7,192 6,817 6,463 6,337 These call types account for 67% of the total CFS. Although the most frequent calls for service lists compiled for other cities also include “disturbances,” “alarms,” “suspicious persons/vehicles/circumstances” and “collisions,” several aspects of the Anchorage list standout. For example, in Anchorage the total of “disturbance” and “disturbance with weapon” calls are more than three times the number of the next most frequent call type, “alarm.” This ratio is substantially higher than in other jurisdictions where “disturbance” is the most frequent call. Another distinctive feature in Anchorage is the high frequency of calls for “welfare check/911 hang up,” “drunk problem,” “general locate,” and “suicide attempt/threat.” Coupled with the other most frequent call types, Anchorage appears to have a relatively high rate of social disorder due to personal and environmental factors. Self Initiated Activities: Patrol officers may initiate an action because they see suspicious behavior, observe a traffic violation, are conducting a follow-up investigation to gather more information on a previous case, or are looking for suspects with outstanding warrants. Such activities are products of an officer’s discretion. The officer decides when and where to begin these encounters. The frequency of self-initiated activities that an officer performs is dependent, to some extent, on how busy the officer is with calls for service and the availability of The Police Executive Research Forum Page 60 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 appropriate targets of opportunity. For the one-year study period, Anchorage officers recorded a total of 104,323 self-initiated activities. The most frequent patrol officer self-initiated activities are displayed in the next chart. Top Five Self-Initiated Activities TRAFFIC STOP FOLLOW UP WARRANT SERVICE SUBJECT STOP SECURITY CHECK 72,501 12,067 7,910 7,712 1,959 Traffic stops account for 70% of all self-initiated activity. They occur at an average of almost 200 a day, just over eight per hour. This is indicative of a vigorous and proactive patrol force. The ratio of traffic stops to other self-initiated activity is significantly higher than in other similarly-sized agencies. Calls for service response and self-initiated work are both vital parts of patrol operations. The major difference between the two is that a police agency has little say over when calls for service come in: the public calls the police when they need the police. They usually expect the prompt arrival of a uniformed officer. Although some departments are able to influence this workload to some extent – separating urgent calls necessitating an immediate priority response from nonurgent calls that may permit a delayed response – the times that calls originate cannot be controlled by the police. Self-initiated work is started by patrol officers when they are not responding to calls. The more time that is spent responding to calls for service, the less time there will be for self-initiated work, problem solving and community engagement activity. Administrative Activity: The final way in which patrol time is consumed is by administrative activity. The next chart shows the primary types of the 46,290 administrative activities performed by Patrol from April 1, 2009 through March 31, 2010 in Anchorage. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 61 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Primary Administrative Activities MEAL BREAK MEDICAL ASSIST OUTSIDE AGENCY ASSIST COURT RELATED FIRE DEPT ASSIST 27,657 11,538 2,052 1,512 1,212 Meal breaks are required by the contract between the Anchorage Police Department Employees Association and the municipality. The other administrative tasks are primarily when patrol officers assist other entities. The first step in determining whether the number of patrol officers is adequate in a jurisdiction is to compare available patrol officer time to the workload that needs to be performed. To begin this process, PERF considered the CFS data from April 1, 2009 through March 31, 2010 and calculated the average CFS workload. The total time spent on CFS included the time spent by each patrol officer on each call from the time the officer was dispatched by Communications until the officer indicated to the dispatcher he/she completed the call, or “cleared” it. The call time was added into the hour block in which it occurred. For example, if the officer was dispatched at 1045 hours and cleared the call 35 minutes later at 1120 hours, 15 minutes was allocated to the 1000 – 1059 time block and 20 minutes was allocated to the 1100 to 1159 time block. The total amount of time was averaged for the year. (This analysis does not account for seasonal difference given the extreme weather differences in Anchorage; seasonality is discussed in more detail later in this section.) The average CFS workload performed by patrol officers per hour is displayed in the following chart: The Police Executive Research Forum Page 62 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Hour 0000 0100 0200 0300 0400 0500 0600 0700 0800 0900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 2200 2300 Sun 16.2 23.0 19.8 18.0 17.0 15.0 10.6 10.7 10.9 10.6 10.9 10.6 10.3 11.5 13.3 18.6 20.4 18.1 17.5 15.2 14.3 15.2 16.2 18.7 Anchorage Patrol CFS in Hours Mon Tue Wed Thu 19.2 17.6 15.7 18.4 14.9 15.4 13.3 16.2 13.0 13.5 12.5 14.3 12.3 11.6 11.8 13.3 9.7 9.4 9.5 11.1 7.3 6.8 7.2 8.7 5.4 4.8 5.6 7.0 7.2 7.2 7.4 9.5 10.1 9.7 10.3 11.7 10.1 9.8 10.9 11.1 9.8 10.1 10.9 10.7 10.3 10.7 10.2 9.9 9.6 9.9 9.6 11.1 11.5 11.2 11.5 13.1 13.1 12.8 13.0 13.9 15.7 15.2 15.4 15.9 20.6 19.0 18.6 19.1 19.2 17.6 17.4 18.5 18.6 17.4 16.9 18.1 16.8 14.3 14.7 17.1 14.4 12.3 13.2 14.7 14.0 13.2 13.1 14.1 15.9 14.4 16.0 15.3 18.8 17.4 17.8 18.8 Fri 19.4 15.9 14.3 13.7 11.7 8.7 6.0 8.9 11.8 10.5 10.5 10.0 10.8 12.2 14.4 18.4 21.7 20.1 18.8 16.2 14.9 15.5 16.6 20.6 Sat 20.4 18.1 17.0 17.8 18.5 15.8 11.1 11.5 12.4 12.8 12.3 12.1 12.4 13.9 14.9 20.6 22.4 19.6 18.8 16.7 15.5 16.0 17.5 22.9 Peak times for hours spent on CFS are late weekend nights (Friday/Saturday and Saturday/Sunday from 2300 hours through 0200 hours) and daily during later afternoons from 1500 hours through 1700 hours. During these periods, there is the maximum number of officers on duty because of shift overlap. The next table shows the average number of officers on duty by day of the week and hour of the day in a matrix similar to that displayed for calls for service. It depicts the average number of officer hours available based on the schedule and on the “show-up” rate. Officers do not “show up” on every day they are scheduled to work. Absences may be due to vacation, illness, training, court appearances, or other leave time. Using payroll and leave data provided by the department, PERF calculated a show-up rate for Anchorage patrol officers of 72.9%. This is in the range for similarly sized departments PERF has studied, which typically have show-up rates ranging from The Police Executive Research Forum Page 63 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 65% to 85%. Where an agency falls within the range varies according to the amount of leave time employee agreements call for and on the experience of the patrol force. If patrol has many newer officers with less time on the job, the show-up rate is typically higher since they accrue less leave time than veteran officers. Hour 0000 0100 0200 0300 0400 0500 0600 0700 0800 0900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 2200 2300 Anchorage Patrol Officer Time at 72.9% Show-up Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri 49.6 49.6 48.8 48.1 48.8 50.3 24.1 24.1 23.3 22.6 23.3 24.1 24.1 24.1 23.3 22.6 23.3 24.1 24.1 24.1 23.3 22.6 23.3 24.1 24.1 24.1 23.3 22.6 23.3 24.1 24.1 24.1 23.3 22.6 23.3 24.1 24.1 24.1 23.3 22.6 23.3 24.1 47.4 47.4 46.7 45.9 46.7 47.4 47.4 47.4 46.7 45.9 46.7 47.4 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 48.8 48.8 48.8 48.8 49.6 49.6 48.8 48.8 48.8 48.8 49.6 49.6 25.5 25.5 25.5 25.5 26.2 26.2 25.5 25.5 25.5 25.5 26.2 26.2 25.5 25.5 25.5 25.5 26.2 26.2 25.5 25.5 25.5 25.5 26.2 26.2 25.5 25.5 25.5 25.5 26.2 26.2 25.5 25.5 25.5 25.5 26.2 26.2 49.6 48.8 48.1 48.8 50.3 51.0 Sat 51.0 24.8 24.8 24.8 24.8 24.8 24.8 49.6 49.6 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 23.3 49.6 49.6 26.2 26.2 26.2 26.2 26.2 26.2 50.3 In Anchorage there is little variation in the amount of officer time available by day of the week and by shift. When shift assignments are compared in eight hour blocks (0000 – 0800, 08001600, and 1600-0000) to the CFS work, there is some disparity as shown in the following table: Shift Midnights (0000 hrs to 0800 hrs) Days (0800 hrs to 1600 hrs) Evenings (1600 hrs to 0000 hrs) Percent of Patrol Officer Time Allocated 32.8% 32.4% 34.8% Percent of CFS Time 30.5% 28.8% 40.8% The Police Executive Research Forum Page 64 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 This data indicates that the midnight and day shifts are both slightly overstaffed and that the evening shift is somewhat understaffed. An analysis of the same factors organized by day of the week reveals a similar disparity. Percent of Patrol Officer Time Allocated Percent of Calls for Service Time Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 14.3% 15.4% 14.3% 13.5% 14.1% 12.8% 14.0% 12.9% 14.3% 14.1% 14.4% 14.6% 14.6% 16.7% The percent of officers assigned on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday exceeds the corresponding percent of CFS. On Saturday and Sunday, the percent of CFS time exceeds the percent of patrol officer time allocated. However, the mismatches are slight. Only on Saturday does the difference exceed 2%. The following table shows what portion of the average weekly patrol officer time is consumed by the average CFS time: The Police Executive Research Forum Page 65 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Anchorage Average Patrol Time Consumed by Calls for Service Hour Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 0000 32.7% 38.7% 36.0% 32.5% 37.6% 38.5% 40.0% 0100 95.5% 61.9% 66.1% 58.6% 69.3% 66.2% 73.2% 0200 82.4% 54.1% 57.7% 55.5% 61.4% 59.4% 68.6% 0300 74.7% 51.3% 49.8% 52.1% 56.9% 56.9% 71.9% 0400 70.6% 40.4% 40.4% 42.0% 47.4% 48.8% 74.4% 0500 62.3% 30.3% 29.0% 31.8% 37.2% 36.0% 63.5% 0600 43.9% 22.5% 20.5% 24.9% 30.1% 24.8% 44.9% 0700 22.5% 15.1% 15.4% 16.1% 20.3% 18.9% 23.1% 0800 23.0% 21.2% 20.8% 22.3% 25.0% 24.9% 24.9% 0900 45.6% 43.2% 42.1% 46.5% 47.4% 45.1% 54.7% 1000 46.9% 41.9% 43.4% 46.5% 45.9% 44.9% 52.5% 1100 45.3% 44.0% 45.7% 43.6% 42.5% 43.0% 52.0% 1200 44.3% 41.2% 42.5% 41.3% 47.7% 46.1% 53.1% 1300 49.2% 49.1% 47.9% 49.2% 56.0% 52.4% 59.4% 1400 57.2% 55.9% 54.7% 55.7% 59.6% 61.9% 63.8% 1500 38.0% 32.0% 31.2% 31.4% 32.1% 37.1% 41.6% 1600 41.8% 42.2% 38.9% 38.0% 38.5% 43.8% 45.2% 1700 70.8% 75.2% 69.0% 68.3% 70.6% 76.7% 74.6% 1800 68.4% 72.7% 68.0% 66.3% 68.9% 71.5% 71.6% 1900 59.6% 65.8% 56.0% 57.7% 65.2% 61.6% 63.6% 2000 55.8% 56.6% 48.1% 51.7% 56.1% 56.8% 59.1% 2100 59.6% 54.8% 51.6% 51.5% 53.5% 59.1% 61.0% 2200 63.5% 62.3% 56.3% 62.6% 58.2% 63.2% 66.8% 2300 37.7% 38.5% 36.2% 36.5% 37.4% 40.3% 45.6% The weekly average time consumed is 46%. The time blocks that are shaded indicate that more than 60% of the average available officer time is consumed by CFS. There are 41 such blocks, or 24% of the total 168 weekly time blocks. The highest period of time consumed is from 0100 to 0600 on Saturday and Sunday mornings. This reflects the continuation of high activity Friday and Saturday nights. It also shows the impact of losing the large number of officers present during the overlap period that exists from 2300 to 0100. There are no universally accepted standards for how much patrol time should be consumed by CFS. Some departments set an informal target for the amount of patrol officer time that is to be consumed by CFS at 30% to 40%. Other departments may set targets at 50% or 60%. A common rule of thumb, established before community policing became prevalent, was that one- The Police Executive Research Forum Page 66 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 third of an officer’s time should be spent on CFS, one-third on self-initiated activity, and onethird on uncommitted patrol time. Few jurisdictions track closely how patrol officer time is used, or set formal targets. PERF’s staff work in other cities has shown variation in target utilizations for patrol officer CFS time. Kansas City, MO has a standard of 35%. Chandler, AZ (a rapidly growing Phoenix suburb) set a standard of 40%. In San Francisco, the time consumed varied in each of the city’s ten police districts from a low of 30% to a high of just over 50%. Tallahassee, FL, with an actual figure of 67%, set a target to reduce call-for-service time to 50%. West Palm Beach, FL set a target at 45%. The target for patrol staffing should balance the work that needs to be performed against the resources a jurisdiction has available for patrol services. A target of 35% for CFS time may be desirable, but more officers will be required than if the target is 50%. How a city wants its patrol officer time used is an important policy decision. Local demographics, crime and disorder problems, and policing style all influence the demands on patrol officer time. Police and city leaders in one jurisdiction may regard the patrol function as primarily composed of response to citizen calls for service, self-initiated activities to deter and discover criminal activities (through traffic stops, pedestrian checks, and building checks), and a certain amount of administrative activity. Increasingly, cities want patrol officers to have time to address crime and disorder problems discovered through a CompStat process. Intelligence-led policing requires that crime and disorder problems be analyzed promptly and addressed quickly. Although special units may play a role in these efforts, patrol officers’ self-initiated time may also be directed to patrolling identified “hot spots.” Some cities instruct their patrol officers to spend a portion of their time conducting follow-up investigations of reported crimes. Thus, not all crime reports are sent to detectives for follow-up investigation. This approach requires patrol officers to carry an investigative caseload, further limiting their available CFS time. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 67 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Anchorage wants to adopt an enhanced community policing approach. This includes the involvement of patrol officers in community policing and problem-solving activities, such as getting to know the people and conditions in the patrol area, attending community meetings to listen to neighborhood concerns, developing plans to address community crime and disorder problems, and leveraging local government services to improve the quality of life in the city’s neighborhoods. Currently, most of the patrol time available in Anchorage is being used in a fairly traditional mix of CFS response, self-initiated activity and administrative activity. Patrol officers were only involved in 70 recorded community policing episodes for the entire year. Time spent on calls for service represents 46% of patrol officers’ time, whereas self-initiated activity makes up 15% of the time. Time spent on meal breaks and other administrative tasks accounts for another 13% of the available time. The total average time consumed is 74%. To perform a significant amount of community policing, patrol officers will need more time. PERF ran several simulations to determine the impact that personnel reallocation would have on CFS time. The first simulation changed the number of officers per shift to better reflect the amount of CFS work per shift. Nine officers were added to the swing shift by moving four from midnight and five from days. The improvement was slight; the number of over 60% time blocks was reduced only by four, from 41 to 37. In the second simulation, PERF changed the shift overlap times: • Changing the evening shift from 1500 to 0100 to 1600 to 0200 provides a three-hour overlap from 2300 to 0200, but decreases the day to evening overlap to one hour from 1600 to 1700. This has no impact on the number of over 60% time blocks; they remain at 41. • Changing the midnight shift from 2300 to 0700 to 2200 to 0800 has only a slight impact. The problem time blocks are again reduced by four, to 37 from 41. Another option to increase time for community policing would be to reduce the number of alarm calls officers respond to. Alarm calls accounted for 19,535 patrol officer dispatches during the year study period. This was the second most frequent call type. Patrol officers averaged 93.7 The Police Executive Research Forum Page 68 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 hours a week spent on alarm response. This is 4% of the total average time consumed by call response. Data from numerous police agencies show that approximately 98% of alarm calls are false. Some jurisdictions have enacted ordinances that require alarm companies to be responsible for verification that an alarm is not false before the police will respond. This dramatically reduces the number of alarm calls responses. Another approach would be to add patrol officers, thereby decreasing the time each officer spends on CFS and increasing the time available for community policing. To reduce the average CFS time consumed to 40%, thus increasing community policing time by about 6%, the department would have to increase the number of officers allocated to patrol to 201 from the current 175, an increase of 26 officers. This would increase the hours per week available for community policing by some 200 hours. Recommendation: The department should seek to add 26 patrol officer positions as part of its full implementation of community policing. Seasonality Because of the extreme differences in weather in Anchorage, PERF examined the workload data by season to determine whether seasonality has an impact on staffing. The data set was composed of the year from April 1, 2009 through March 31, 2010. Rather than have the traditional spring composed of months from different years (March 2010, April 2009, May 2009) the seasons were examined as follows; • • • • Spring (April 1, 2009 through June 30, 2009). Summer (July 1, 2009 through September 30, 2009); Fall (October 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009); Winter (January 1, 2010 through March 31, 2010). The Police Executive Research Forum Page 69 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 The following table shows the differences in calls for service work by season. Season Summer Fall Winter Spring Total Call Responses 64,471 66,663 62,266 63,142 256,542 Percent of Total Annual Call Responses 25.1% 26.0% 24.3% 24.6% Average CFS Time Per Week 2,561 2,154 2,008 2,570 This analysis shows that the number of calls is highest during the fall and lowest during the winter. The average time consumed per week on calls is at its highest during the spring and summer and is lowest during the winter. Although the fall has the most calls for service responses, the average time consumed is lower than in summer and spring. During peak periods officers may feel more pressure to complete a call and be ready for the next one, thus spending less time on each call. The next table compares leading calls for service response types by season. Call Type DIST ALARM WELFAR SUSP COLL DRUNK SUI Summer 16,245 4,789 4,495 4,047 2,230 1,828 1,608 % of Annual Total 26.4% 24.5% 24.2% 25.4% 18.9% 20.0% 24.9% Fall 15,154 5,462 5,112 4,270 3,739 2,331 1,545 % of Annual Total 24.6% 28.0% 27.5% 26.8% 31.7% 25.5% 23.9% Winter 14,344 4,380 4,548 4,014 3,786 2,603 1,589 % of Annual Total 23.3% 22.4% 24.4% 25.2% 32.1% 28.4% 24.6% Spring 15,807 4,904 4,447 3,627 2,054 2,390 1,721 % of Annual Total 25.7% 25.1% 23.9% 22.7% 17.4% 26.1% 26.6% There are more collision (COLL) calls in fall and winter than in spring and summer, most likely due to more dangerous driving conditions. Winter also accounts for a total of 81% of the 7,192 responses for distress/stalled vehicles. There are more drunk calls in the winter than other seasons and more alarm responses in the fall. Welfare checks/911 hang-ups are at their peak in fall and officers respond to more suicide attempt/threat calls in the spring than in other seasons. As might be expected with fall and winter weather conditions, most responses for distress/stalled The Police Executive Research Forum Page 70 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 vehicles occur then, a total of 81% of the 7,192 such call responses recorded during the study year. Seasonal Variation in Self Initiated Activity Activity Type TOTAL TRAFFIC STOP FOLLOW UP WARRANT SERVICE SUBJECT STOP Spring 25,153 19,185 2,142 % of Annual Total 24.1% 26.5% 17.8% 1,965 947 24.8% 12.3% Summer 19,685 13,710 2,429 % of Annual Total 18.9% 18.9% 20.1% 1,611 1,023 20.4% 13.3% Fall 29,031 18,894 3,711 % of Annual Total 27.8% 26.1% 30.8% Winter 30,454 20,712 3,785 % of Annual Total 29.2% 28.6% 31.4% 2,301 2,777 29.1% 36.0% 2,033 2,965 25.7% 38.4% The fewest self-initiated activities take place during the summer, when more officers are on vacation. However, staffing is maintained in the summer at a high enough level to ensure that there is no diminished CFS response. Recommendation: The department should continue to monitor seasonal variations in the workload and in the number of patrol officers on duty. If summer staffing becomes critically short, the department may consider using supplemental overtime or implementing further restrictions of leave time. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 71 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Warrants Unit The Warrants Unit’s primary responsibility is the care, custody, and control of municipal prisoners during trials and hearings at three facilities: two court houses and the Anchorage Jail. Additional responsibilities include serving municipal arrest and bench warrants, municipal domestic violence restraining and stalking orders, and subpoenas/summons at the request of the prosecutor’s office. The Warrants Unit also assigns officers to conduct domestic violence compliance checks, assists in providing court security, handles municipal court remands, and conducts parking enforcement at court facilities. The Warrants Unit is staffed with one sergeant, twelve officers, two senior police clerks, and one police clerk who performs a number of duties for the courts. Staffing of the unit has been supplemented by one recruit officer awaiting the start of the police academy. With the exception of two parking control officers who work Monday through Friday 0900 to 1700, and one clerk who works Monday through Thursday from 1100 to 2100, all other members of the Warrants Unit work a four-ten work schedule from 0700 am to 1700. Regular days off (either Friday/Saturday/Sunday or Saturday/Sunday/Monday) are split between staff in order to provide coverage Monday through Friday. The Warrants Unit sergeant is responsible for supervising the officers and clerks within the three court locations and throughout the city where officers perform their work in the field. Six officers work rotating municipal court assignments, which include municipal trial duty at both court houses, trial calls on Monday mornings. jail court at the Anchorage Jail Monday through Friday. additional municipal hearings. court security. and court remands in municipal cases. Two officers assigned to the unit serve court orders, warrants, summons, and subpoenas at the request of the prosecutor’s office. Examples of the service activities include domestic violence restraining orders, domestic violence and stalking 20-day orders, arrest and bench warrants, and subpoenas and summons. The court assignments and service of domestic violence and stalking orders represent 95% of the eight officers’ workload. The chart below shows the number of domestic violence protective orders received and served from July 2009 through May 2010. The chart combines both The Police Executive Research Forum Page 72 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 domestic violence and stalking as one order. On average, 69% of orders received are served every month. Those unable to be served are returned to the courts. Domestic Violence Protective Orders Date Received Jul-09 Aug-09 Sep-09 Oct-09 Nov-09 Dec-09 Jan-10 Feb-10 Mar-10 Apr-10 May-10 TOTAL 451 407 425 299 342 408 376 353 389 354 376 4,180 Served by Warrants 210 181 207 156 156 193 190 175 200 205 225 2,098 Served by Patrol 82 78 71 46 67 95 82 65 70 60 59 775 Percent Served 64% 64% 65% 68% 65% 71% 72% 68% 69% 75% 76% 69% Two Warrants Unit officers are assigned to the Anchorage Domestic Violence Prevention Project and work out of the prosecutor's office. The project was initially funded through a federal grant by the U.S. Department of Justice, but funding for the officers was not renewed. That cost has been absorbed into the department’s budget, specifically in the Warrants Unit. The main focus of the grant is to reduce domestic violence in Anchorage. The project provides assistance and information for victim services and support for entering domestic violence case information and conditions of release into the program database. Officers primarily concentrate on domestic violence cases and conducting compliance checks on subjects with current bail conditions. In 2009, the two officers conducted 656 compliance checks. Of these checks, 22% of the subjects were found to be in compliance, 45% were not, and 32% were never determined because no one was home. For those found to be out of compliance, 82 were arrested, 91 violations for conditions of release were filed, and 5 warrants were issued. Over the entire grant period (2005-2009), subjects with prior charges for domestic violence assault were reduced by 55% and arrests on violations for conditions of release increased 207% for the compliance officers and 317% for the police department. The Anchorage Domestic Violence Prevention Project is recognized as a policing best practice by PERF. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 73 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 The final two officers assigned to the Warrants Unit are assigned to parking enforcement around the courts and in the downtown core area. From June 2009 through May 2010, officers issued 9,390 parking citations. The most frequent violation was parking in an expired meter lane. Three clerks are assigned to the Warrants Unit and are responsible for verifying, entering, and subsequently removing various court orders and papers issued by the municipal courts. Specific duties include: checking messages and pulling warrants resulting in arrests and domestic violence services from the previous night; checking and correcting domestic violence entries from after hours; preparing criminal warrants and domestic violence returns; entering various orders and warrants issued from the court; assigning orders and warrants to the officers for service; processing mail, answering telephones, and assisting subjects who come to the front counter for assistance; completing monthly audits on warrants and domestic violence protective orders; filing warrants and domestic violence protective orders issued; staffing the night traffic court; preparing subpoenas issued by the traffic court; entering criminal summonses into the system; entering subpoenas issued by the municipal prosecutor into the system; performing daily audits of domestic violence protective orders expiring in NCIC; and updating petitioner/respondent information. The police department assumed responsibility for staffing the night traffic court within the municipal court system. One of the Warrants Unit clerks is assigned to that court, which convenes every other Tuesday through Thursday from 1800 to 2200. Recommendation: Responsibility for parking enforcement should be transferred to the Traffic Unit and the two Warrants Unit officers presently performing those duties should be reassigned to the Anchorage Domestic Violence Prevention Project. Findings: Parking enforcement around the courts and in the downtown core area is better suited to the department’s Traffic Unit. By adding two less costly community service officers to the Traffic Unit, the department can more efficiently address parking issues while freeing two Warrants Unit officers to work with the Anchorage Domestic Violence Prevention Project. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 74 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Recommendation: The Warrants Unit should be moved to the Crimes Against Persons section recommended for the Detective Division Findings: Much of the work of the Warrant Unit centers on domestic violence. Frequent communication with the Special Victims Unit may enhance the functioning of both units. Such communication can be fostered when both units are part of the same command. Recommendation: The Warrant Unit is appropriately staffed for the work it performs. Warrants Unit Staffing UNIT: Warrants Current Recommended Change Sergeant 1 1 -Officer 12 12 -TOTAL SWORN* 13 13 -Senior Clerk 2 2 -Clerk 1 1 -TOTAL NON-SWORN 3 3 -* The temporarily assigned officer awaiting the start of the police academy is not included in this chart. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 75 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 CRIME SUPPRESSION DIVISION In 2009, all non-patrol uniform functions were consolidated into the Crime Suppression Division, which consists of seven units: the Community Action Policing Unit (CAP), School Resources Unit, Traffic Unit, Community Service Officers, Impounds Unit, Canine Unit, and the Training Unit, which includes the Training Academy. One of the reasons for consolidating these units into a single division was to improve the department’s effectiveness at community policing. By re-structuring the agency, all community oriented policing activities can be better coordinated through “daily missions,” as prioritized by the division’s captain. Because the organizational functions undertaken by these various units largely consist of proactive activity, staffing is based upon logistical requirements, such as the number of high schools at which SRO coverage is provided, or the emphasis the department places on a given task. As the logistics and departmental priorities change, so too will the number of staff assigned to each unit. There are currently 87 personnel in the Crime Suppression Division: • • • • • • 1 Captain 4 Lieutenants 6 Sergeants 66 Officers 7 Civilian Specialists 3 Clerks All members of the division work a four-ten schedule with regular days off, either Friday/Saturday/Sunday or Saturday/Sunday/Monday. Crime Suppression Division Management The division captain has no clerical personnel assigned within his office. Rather, an intelligence officer is assigned to the captain and who provides the department with the capability to gather and disseminate intelligence. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 76 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Crime Suppression Management Staffing UNIT: Crime Suppression Management Captain Officer TOTAL SWORN Senior Clerk TOTAL NON-SWORN Current 1 1 2 0 0 Recommended 1 1 2 0 0 Change ------ Community Action Policing Unit (CAP) The Community Action Policing Unit was operationally initiated in the fall of 2007 to address community problems (e.g., intoxicated persons, drug sales, prostitution and other quality of life issues) in select areas in the city. The lieutenant who oversees the CAP is also responsible for the Traffic Unit. Authorized staffing for the CAP Unit is one sergeant and seven officers. The CAP sergeant recently retired and the position has not yet been refilled. An officer on the team has been assigned supervisory duties until the sergeant’s position is filled. The Community Action Policing Unit’s normal work hours are from 1200 to 2200, Monday through Thursday. Their schedule may be changed or overtime used to attend meetings and events during non-scheduled time. The CAP Unit serves as a liaison between the department and community groups. The unit is designed to work in partnership with the public to identify community concerns that would benefit from police action or assistance. They work with community councils primarily through the Federation of Community Councils and attend some community council meetings, homeowner association meetings and other events. The CAP Unit collaborates with private, public and non-profit organizations to address neighborhood challenges. By implementing a problem-oriented policing approach through the use of the SARA Model (Scanning, Analysis, Response and Assessment), long-term solutions are developed for persistent community concerns. The unit initially began working in the Fairview neighborhood to decrease crime and disorder issues plaguing that community. Based upon the unit’s success, other neighborhoods called upon the police department to use the same approach in their communities. The CAP Unit was The Police Executive Research Forum Page 77 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 then assigned to work in the Spenard neighborhood and achieved similar success. Many other communities in Anchorage have expressed an interest in working with the CAP Unit. Some of the most common issues addressed by the unit include chronic inebriates, drug problems and illegal camping. The expertise developed by CAP officers in dealing with inebriates is well recognized by patrol officers, who now frequently call upon the unit to handle such issues throughout Anchorage. CAP Unit activity was extracted from the department’s CAD system for the twelve-month period of April 2009 through March 2010. This information is presented in the next table. CAP CAD Activity CALLS FOR SERVICE WELFARE CHECK/911 HANG UP DRUNK PROBLEM DISTURBANCE SUSPICIOUS PER/VEH/CIRC OFFICER HAILED PERCENT OF ALL CAP CFS ACTIVITY 271 212 189 155 99 57.9% SELF-INITIATED ACTIVITY SUBJECT STOP TRAFFIC STOP FOLLOW UP SECURITY CHECK COMMUNITY POLICING PERCENT OF ALL CAP SI ACTIVITY 1510 1279 346 210 134 95.4% CAD call for service data during this time period shows that members of the CAP Unit recorded 1,599 calls responses. As depicted in the table, the top five call types responded to were: Welfare Check/911 Hang-up, Drunk Problem, Disturbance, Suspicious Activity and Officer Hailed by the Public. These five call types accounted for nearly 60 % of the calls handled by the unit. There were 3,646 self-initiated incidents involving CAP members reported to dispatch during that twelve-month period. The most common self-initiated activity was a Subject Stop, followed by Traffic Stop, Follow-Up, Security Check and Community Policing. These five categories accounted for nearly all the unit’s self-initiated activity captured in the CAD system. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 78 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 PERF also studied statistical information kept by the CAP Unit in Monthly Activity Reports. These reports capture officer activity that goes beyond what was reported to dispatch; therefore, it is part of CAD data. As with the CFS data, information from these reports was tabulated for the twelve-month period of April 2009 through March 2010 in order to account for seasonal differences. By far, the most frequent activity of the CAP Unit officers is field interviews, totaling nearly 400 per month. CAP Activity CAP ACTIVITY FIELD INTERVIEW ARREST CITATIONS DRUNK TRANSPORTS ILLEGAL CAMPS SEARCH WARRANT SERVED AMC 8.80 NOTICE * * Excessive Police Response YEAR TOTAL 4,677 296 413 482 175 8 90 MONTHLY AVERAGE 389.8 24.7 34.4 40.2 14.6 0.7 7.5 Some activities demonstrate the impact of seasonal differences. For example, the highest three consecutive months for transporting drunken persons were the winter months of January, February and March. During this three-month period, there were 178 drunken transports, which equates to 37% of the drunken transport activity for the year. Conversely, July, August and September were the busiest for police action taken involving illegal camps. Those summer months accounted for 89 incidents, or over half of all the year’s activity in this category. Recommendation: The department should increase the CAP Unit by one sergeant and five officer positions to permit the formation of two teams, each consisting of one sergeant and six officers. Findings: The Anchorage Police Department has expressed a desire to deliver police services within a community policing philosophy. A number of neighborhoods have expressed a strong desire to engage in community policing by working with members of the CAP Unit to address crime, disorder and quality of life issues in their area. The majority of CAP officer activity is self-initiated. When officers take on the problems in a given neighborhood, their success lies in their presence in the community and the self-initiated work they undertake. According to CAD and Monthly Activity Report data, each of the seven CAP officers is engaged in an average of 1.4 calls for service, 3.2 reported self-initiated actions, and 4 field interviews each workday. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 79 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Each officer is present in the community daily. The current level of staffing does not allow for the expansion of community policing in Anchorage in its current, specialist-oriented approach. Establishing two seven-person “CAP teams” within the CAP Unit will provide resources to expand into other neighborhoods and cover additional days. Recommendation: Once the CAP Team’s community policing reach has been expanded, a protocol should be established such that whenever a CAP Team accomplishes its goal of organizing a community and resolving its major crime and disorder issues, the responsibility for maintaining contact with that neighborhood should be transferred to the Police Patrol Division. Findings: The ability of the CAP Unit to move from one area to another is currently limited by the number of staff assigned to the unit and the demands a neighborhood can place on individual officers. Once the problems within a given neighborhood have been brought under control, ongoing police monitoring is necessary, or else hard-won accomplishments can be lost. But CAP Unit officers are not able to remain in a neighborhood for an indefinite period of time. The department recognizes that the CAP Unit cannot be solely responsible for community policing. To the degree that Patrol’s ability to do its job is not negatively impacted, patrol officers working in neighborhoods taken on by the CAP Unit should be actively involved. This would mean attending community meetings and taking part in police actions to solve community problems. In the eyes of the community, this establishes a single police initiative, lessens concern when the CAP Unit is ready to “back out,” and provides better insight and familiarity when Patrol takes on the longer-term monitoring and maintenance of a given neighborhood. In essence, this establishes a better footing upon which future relationships between the department and its neighborhoods can be based. Community Action Policing Unit Staffing UNIT: Community Action Policing Unit Current Recommended Change Sergeant 1* 2 +1 Officers 7** 12 +5 TOTAL SWORN 8 14 +6 Senior Clerk 0 0 -TOTAL NON-SWORN 0 0 -* Sergeant position is vacant due to recent retirement ** One officer filling in as “Acting Sergeant” The Police Executive Research Forum Page 80 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 School Resource Unit The School Resource Unit is commanded by a lieutenant and supervised by one sergeant. There are 16 School Resource Officers assigned to the unit, mostly working in two-person teams. Notably, SROs do not carry a conducted energy device (e.g., Taser) on campus. By agreement with the union, SROs get the first opportunity to work overtime at school events. During the summer months, seven SROs cover the campuses where summer school sessions are held; five are assigned to the Juvenile Crime Task Force, which works the night shift addressing juvenile problems; and the remaining four work bicycle patrol. All high schools within the Anchorage School District have two School Resource Officers (SROs) assigned, with the exception of the district’s smallest high school, Eagle River H.S., which has one. The 16th SRO is assigned to Clark Middle School, due to the high volume of activity associated with that campus. SROs work as a team, with one officer assigned to work Monday through Thursday and the other Tuesday through Friday. The SROs at Eagle River High School and Clark Middle School also split their days off to provide coverage Monday through Friday. Each team of high school SROs is also responsible for one middle school campus, and all SROs are assigned anywhere from five to 13 feeder elementary/alternative schools. The service population of the Anchorage School District is approximately 53,000 students. Funds for School Resource Officers are provided by the Anchorage Police Department and Anchorage School District; each contributes half. The district provides each SRO with a cell phone for quick communication between the school and officers. SROs are sent to the first School Resource Officer training available upon being assigned to the unit. The SRO program was designed to develop partnerships between law enforcement and the school community. The aim of APD’s School Resources Unit is to “provide a positive law enforcement influence that concentrates on safety and security, encourages relationships between officers, school administrators, teachers and students, and fosters education.” The stated goals of the School Resources Unit are to: The Police Executive Research Forum Page 81 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 • Enhance safety in and around schools in the Anchorage School District (ASD) through the development and implementation of safety measures and programs; • Enhance the learning environment for students within the ASD through anti-bullying programs and other measures; • Provide a high level of police service to the ASD and neighborhoods surrounding schools; • Reduce juvenile crime in the community; • Increase school attendance through an aggressive truancy program; and, • Build trust and a positive relationship with students. as well as provide students with counseling and advice on potential problems involving the police. The sergeant assigned to the School Resources Unit has supervisory responsibility over all 16 officers. The sergeant is also responsible for all clerical duties, such as filling out time sheets, scheduling and compiling statistics. These administrative duties hamper the unit sergeant’s ability to spend time in the field and interact with officers at the schools. SROs meet with their campuses’ principals prior to the beginning of each school year to discuss issues of mutual interest. During the school year, the SROs’ duties include: providing general patrol duties on school campuses and surrounding neighborhoods; performing home visits for students not on the campus; mentoring students; providing police services to the school; ensuring security for students and school property; and instructing students in areas like traffic safety. They are responsible for writing all reports and conducting all follow-up investigations for offenses that occur in and around the campuses. They have “view only” access to the ASD’s database system (ZANGLE) that provides student information. PERF reviewed the activity of the School Resources Unit by examining two sources: information from the CAD system from April 2009 through March 2010, and Monthly Activity Reports maintained by the unit for the 2009/2010 school year. The following chart shows activity for the SROs recorded as part of the dispatch system. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 82 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 SRO CAD Activity CALLS FOR SERVICE WELFARE CHECK/911 HANG UP DISTURBANCE SUSPICIOUS PER/VEH/CIRC JUVENILE PROBLEM ASSAULT VEHICLE IN DISTRESS/STALLED THEFT DRUGS/FORGED PERSCRIPTION ACCIDENT ALARM PERCENT OF ALL CFS ACTIVITY 430 335 205 199 180 137 119 109 107 72 65.2% SELF-INITIATED ACTIVITY COMMUNITY POLICING TRAFFIC STOP FOLLOW UP SECURITY CHECK SUBJECT STOP PERCENT OF ALL SI ACTIVITY 1134 822 653 88 83 96.5% According to the CAD system, School Resource Officers had about the same amount of calls for service activity (2,905) as they did self-initiated activity (2,882). The ten most frequent calls for service account for nearly two-thirds of the calls handled by SROs. The five most common types of self-initiated incidents represent almost all (96.5%) of the self-initiated work members of the School Resources Unit reported to communications. PERF also studied the Monthly Activity Reports for School Resource Officers from the 2009/2010 school year (shown in the next table). Based on the potential availability of 2,432 shifts (16 officers, four work days per week for 38 weeks), officers were actually present in the schools 1,869 days, when allowances were made for time not at work (leave, training, court, etc.). This represents a show up rate of 76.8% (slightly higher than Patrol’s rate of 72.9%). The Police Executive Research Forum Page 83 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 SRO Activity School Year Month Days at School 2009 Sep 211 Oct 217 Nov 185 Dec 232 2010 Jan 184 Feb 210 Mar 225 Apr 216 May 191 TOTAL 1,869* 5 2 6 5 3 6 7 3 5 Alcohol/ Under 21 29 27 29 15 16 27 35 35 24 Drugs 112 128 109 84 104 153 76 238 137 Traffic related issues 30 31 8 15 23 41 16 29 29 Trespass 24 45 23 21 23 17 27 24 36 Violence/Threats 10 9 5 5 4 7 0 13 5 Weapons Offenses 167 237 104 242 191 270 296 241 238 Follow-up 25 28 61 21 8 19 20 21 12 Felony Charges 28 54 24 27 27 32 36 29 25 Misdemeanor Charges 51 30 13 39 27 16 17 50 39 Traffic Citations 33 53 32 32 33 45 24 40 38 Traffic Warnings 36 60 31 68 49 57 65 83 62 Traffic Stops 21 24 22 12 15 12 6 14 9 Civil Citations TOTAL 571 728 467 586 523 702 625 820 659 * Show up rate of 76.8% based on 16 SROs working 38 weeks, 4 days per week or 2,432 available shifts. 42 237 1,141 222 240 58 1,986 215 282 282 330 511 135 5,681 The busiest three months of activity for SROs were April 2010 (820 incidents), October 2009 (728 incidents) and February 2010 (728 incidents). The least active months for the SROs were November 2009 (467 incidents), January 2010 (523 incidents) and September 2009 (571 incidents). SRO actions resulted in 497 criminal charges – 215 felony and 282 misdemeanors. Follow-up action was the single most prevalent category of activity performed by officers and accounted for over one-third (1,986 incidents) of all activity. SROs also spend a significant amount of time on traffic-related issues (traffic citations, warnings and stops), which represent about 20% of activity. The two least-frequent activities captured in the monthly reports are Alcohol by a Minor (42 incidents) and Weapons Offenses (58 incidents). The low number of violations in these areas may be a testament to the deterrent effect of SROs on school campuses. Recommendation: The department should assign one additional sergeant to the School Resources Unit. Findings: One sergeant is responsible for all 16 SROs, one of the highest supervisor/subordinate spans of control in the department. The high visibility and city-wide deployment of these officers makes it difficult for one sergeant to supervise the entire unit. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 84 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Adding another sergeant will provide a better ratio of officers-to-sergeants and enhance direct daily supervision, especially on those days that one sergeant is absent from duty. Recommendation: The department should assign a clerk position to the School Resources Unit. Findings: The addition of a clerk to the School Resources Unit will free the sergeant(s) from having to perform administrative duties such as scheduling, maintaining training files, and compiling monthly statistics. The additional time gained by not having sergeant(s) mired down with administrative duties will allow them to spend more time in the field supervising officers, responding to critical calls for service on or near school campuses, and communicating with the school district and school campus personnel. Recommendation: Monthly Activity Reports should better track SRO activity. Also, unit sergeant(s) should lead SROs in adopting problem solving approaches to address the underlying causes of problems on and around school campuses. Findings: The two most frequently encountered police activities, according to the workload data shared with PERF, are traffic-related incidents and follow-ups. These two categories make up the majority of SRO activities. As such, the unit should focus on understanding the underlying problems that lead to these incidents and work to devise solutions to those problems. It is not uncommon to see a high number of traffic incidents around schools, where youthful drivers demonstrate their lack of experience and maturity. SROs, should work with Traffic Unit members, ASD, the driver’s licensing authority, prosecutors and the courts to offer education and provide incentives to improve driving amongst young people. More information should be captured about SRO activity categories, such as follow-up and community policing. They make up a large number of SRO events, but there is no discernable attempt to analyze or understand the nature of problems that made up these 3,120 calls/events. If the causes for police intervention were better tracked and understood, perhaps steps could be taken to reduce them. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 85 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 School Resources Unit Staffing UNIT: School Resources Unit Lieutenant Sergeant School Resource Officers TOTAL SWORN Senior Clerk TOTAL NON-SWORN Current 1 1 16 18 0 0 Recommended 1 2 16 19 1 1 Change -+1 -+1 +1 +1 Traffic Unit The Traffic Unit is managed by the same lieutenant who also oversees the Community Action Police Unit. One traffic sergeant is devoted to supervise all personnel assigned to Traffic. Sixteen officers are assigned to the unit: three fatal accident investigators and 13 “road patrol” officers, who are responsible for traffic enforcement throughout the city. Four Community Service Officers (CSOs) perform parking enforcement and impound duties. One clerk provides secretarial support for the unit. The mission of the Traffic Unit is to “change driving behavior.” All members work the four-ten schedule, each with varying days off. The 13 members of the Traffic Unit assigned to road detail are scheduled in a manner that provides seven day coverage. Seven are assigned to the day shift (0600 to 1600 or 0700 to 1700) and their days off are staggered to achieve seven day coverage; four to swing shift (1500 to 0100) with two assigned Friday/Saturday/Sunday as normal days off and the other two Saturday/Sunday/Monday; and two on the midnight shift (2300 to 0900) with seven day coverage. Road officers do not have specific geographic responsibility. Rather, they are deployed to traffic “hot spots” as identified by the Anchorage and Alaska Traffic Engineers in their semi-annual reports. The top ten most collision-prone intersections are identified along with the primary collision factors, and officers are expected to conduct activity in those areas using engineering and education strategies in addition to enforcement. Commercial enforcement may also be performed by the over one dozen members of the unit that have been trained by the state. APD partners with the State of Alaska in providing commercial The Police Executive Research Forum Page 86 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 enforcement. The state reimburses Anchorage for enforcement at different rates depending on the level of the violation. The unit also employs a traffic “hot line” by which members of the community can report traffic problems. When identifying information is provided, a member of the unit will contact the concerned party to discuss their complaint. During extreme weather days, members of the Traffic Unit’s road patrol team help field officers write collision reports and provide assistance to stranded motorists. Traffic officers use an electronic citation system in issuing traffic citations. The three fatal collision investigators are responsible for investigating all major collisions, including any resulting fatalities. All are assigned to the day shift and work either Monday through Thursday or Tuesday through Friday, thereby providing Monday through Friday coverage. Investigators respond as a team and are all trained in collision reconstruction. One is designated the “team leader” for each investigation while the others assist. The team tries to minimize the impact on patrol officers, thereby allowing them to return to field duty and open the road to traffic as soon as practical. This is especially important in extreme weather conditions. Activity for members of the Traffic Unit was reviewed for the twelve-month period of April 2009 through March 2010 by examining both calls for service information and activity data kept by the unit. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 87 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Traffic Unit CAD Activity CALLS FOR SERVICE COLLISON WITH INJURIES 472 VEHICLE IN DISTRESS/STALLED 268 COLLISION GENERAL LOCATE 239 235 SUSPICIOUS PER/VEH/CIRC DISTURBANCE HIT AND RUN ALARM HIT AND RUN W/INJURY PARKING PROBLEM/OVER 24 PERCENT OF ALL CFS ACTIVITY 92 79 58 52 47 47 46.0% SELF-INITIATED ACTIVITY TRAFFIC STOP FOLLOW UP WARRANT SERVICE DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED SUBJECT STOP PERCENT OF ALL SI ACTIVITY 16,049 131 74 56 54 99.5% The most common type of calls dispatched to the Traffic Unit during this period was injury collisions, followed by a vehicle in distress and a non-injury traffic collision. The ten most frequent calls dispatched to the Traffic Units were responsible for 46% of all their dispatched incidents. As expected, the self-initiated call type reported most frequently to dispatch by Traffic Units was a traffic stop, accounting for nearly 98% of all self-initiated activity reported to communications. PERF also looked at the Traffic Unit’s activity classified as self-reported in their Monthly Activity Reports. The number and type of citations they issued is shown next. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 88 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Top Ten Violations Cited by the Traffic Unit VIOLATION CITATIONS SPEEDING 3,189 NO PROOF OF INSUR. 2,975 WARNINGS 2,312 MISC CITES 1,535 EXPIRED REG./NO IMPOUND 1,514 RED LIGHT 1,436 SEATBELT (Driver) 1,383 EQUIPMENT 1,270 STOP SIGN 1,106 TINTED WINDOWS 1,095 TOTAL CITATIONS ISSUED 20,832 During the same twelve-month time for which PERF examined CAD activity, the Traffic Unit was responsible for issuing nearly 21,000 citations The most frequent violation cited was “speeding,” followed by “no proof of insurance.” The unit issued 2,312 warnings, 11.1% of the total citations in keeping with the unit’s mission of changing driver behavior rather than just strictly enforcing of the Vehicle Code. The Monthly Activity Reports also show the most frequent activities performed by the Traffic Unit’s road team. Traffic Unit Activity by Count ACTIVITY Driving Under the Influence Collisions Driving While License Suspended/Revoked/Cancelled Driving Without Insurance Warrant Arrests Other Misdemeanor Arrests Other Felony Arrests TOTAL NUMBER 515 272 271 231 216 102 59 1,666 The Police Executive Research Forum Page 89 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Arrests for driving under the influence were the most frequent activity at 515. The other categories show the variation in Traffic Unit activity. Each member of the department assigned to the field has roughly 1,516 hours of actual time available during the year to devote to work. This number is determined by calculating 40 hours of work per week, multiplied by 52 weeks (2080 hours), divided by uniform personnel’s show up rate of 72.9%. In other words, when considering the show-up rate, the 16 officers assigned to the unit are comparable to 11.6 FTE positions working on the street every assigned workday for an entire 10 hours. Data from the department identified the time that members of the Traffic Unit spent performing non-enforcement activities. These duties, while necessary to fulfill the mission of the unit, clearly take away from the hours officers can devote to traffic enforcement. These activities are listed below with the number of hours actually lost to each as well as full-time equivalency positions devoted to each activity based upon a show up rate of 72.9%. Traffic Unit – Hours/Days for Non-Enforcement Activity ACTIVITY CASE FOLLOW-UP TRNG/DETAIL/ETC. ADMIN TIME (MDC/Veh Maint) FTO/INSTRUCTOR PATROL ASSIST COURT PREP IMPOUNDS TOTAL HOURS (16 Officers) 3,238 2,549 1,570 1,016 801 407 286 12,615 DAYS 323.8 254.9 157 101.6 80.1 40.7 28.6 1261.5 FULL-TIME POSITIONS 2.1 1.7 1.0 0.7 0.5 0.3 0.2 8.3 The time spent on these activities represents a little more than eight full-time equivalent positions. Case follow-up is the non-enforcement activity that consumes the most hours. Most of this time is spent by the fatal accident investigators. This information reveals that the time needed to investigate fatal traffic collisions requires a minimum of two investigators. By analyzing enforcement activity in the context of the actual enforcement hours available, during every enforcement hour, traffic officers made 1.7 traffic stops, issued 2.2 citations, and participated in .18 other recorded activities. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 90 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 There are four community service officers (CSOs) in the Traffic Unit. Two are assigned to work the north part of the city while the other two work the south. CSOs work the day shift, 0700 to 1700. Three have Saturday/Sunday/Monday off, the fourth is off Friday/Saturday/Sunday. Community Service Officers’ primary function is parking enforcement although they perform a number of tasks. Other duties include impounding vehicles, transporting equipment and filling in for “expeditors” as needed. Details of their work are shown below. CSO Activity by Count CITATIONS NUMBER Parking 1,641 Expired Plates 1,082 Civil 344 Fire Lane/Hydrant 69 Seasonal Tags 17 Handicap Zone CALLS FOR SERVICE 12 NUMBER Parking - original 4,435 Parking - follow up 3,146 Red Tags 2,434 Junk/Abandoned Vehicles 1,203 Found Property 386 Patrol Assists Vehicle In Distress 246 142 Impounds 30 CSOs issued 3,165 citations from April 2009 through March 2010. Parking violations and expired registrations accounted for 86% of all their tickets issued. The team handled 12,022 calls for service during that period. Over 93% of the calls handled by CSOs were related to issues involving parked vehicles: Parking, Original and Follow-Up; marking a vehicle to determine if it is abandoned; and investigating abandoned and junk vehicles. Taking into account time spent by CSOs on leave, court duties, training and traffic control and other such duties it is estimated that CSOs handle two calls for service every available enforcement hour, and issue a citation about every two hours. This represents a substantial workload. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 91 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 The Traffic Unit clerk performs several administrative tasks, including coordinating the traffic court schedule, managing the citizen tip line and compiling the statistics of unit members’ daily activities. Recommendation: One sergeant should be added to the current sworn staffing of the Traffic Unit. Findings: One sergeant supervising 22 sworn and civilian members of the Traffic Unit has a larger than desirable span of control. This is especially true with an operation that deploys staff 24 hours a day and seven days per week. The ratio of supervisors to staff should be decreased in order to maintain the efficiency of the unit and adequate supervision of personnel. Adding a second sergeant to the unit will accomplish this objective. Recommendation: Two Community Service Officers should be added to the Traffic Unit. Findings: Community Service Officers’ role may increase as the department develops a more robust community policing philosophy. These members of the Traffic Unit play a vital role in addressing visible signs of disorder, such as abandoned vehicles, parking violations, and other irritants to the community. Their role may be expanded to other violations, including illegal dumping and signage. Enforcement these types of violations increases the community’s confidence in the police and using non-sworn staff is a more cost effective way to do so. Increasing the staff may also provide an opportunity to increase revenue from violations and provide coverage on weekends. Recommendation: Should fatal traffic accidents continue to decline, one accident investigator should be transferred to the road team. Findings: The Traffic Unit and Patrol have been credited with decreasing the number of fatal collisions in Anchorage. Should this decrease continue to the level at which two investigators could handle necessary investigative duties, the number of accident investigators in the Traffic Unit should be reduced from three to two. If this occurs, the transferred investigator should be assigned to the road team to provide additional enforcement functions. In this manner, staffing can be efficiently arranged while maintaining resources and expertise for reassignment within the unit should the current trend reverse. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 92 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Traffic Unit Staffing UNIT: Traffic Unit Lieutenant Sergeant Officers TOTAL SWORN Community Service Officers Senior Clerk TOTAL NON-SWORN Current 1 1 16 18 4 1 5 Recommended 1 2 16 19 6 1 7 Change +1 -+1 +2 -+2 The Traffic Unit has been able to achieve most of its goals with existing sworn staff. As with other proactive units in a police department, there is a direct relationship between the number of officers assigned and the level of activity attained. Many departments struggle to determine the right number of officers needed to enforce traffic regulations. When the number of collisions decreases city-wide (not just at key enforcement locations), the number of serious violation citations decreases, and there is an overall smooth flow of traffic, police managers tend to believe their traffic operations are adequately staffed. However, these goals can also be achieved when the patrol strength is adequate and not so taxed by CFS response that it cannot contribute to improving overall conditions throughout the city. The Traffic Unit’s current total officer staffing is sufficient for the present. However, to best utilize allocated staff, the Unit Lieutenant may need to adjust assignments internal to the unit. Impounds Unit The Impounds Unit is comprised of an all-civilian staff. A civilian supervisor oversees the operations of the unit as well as the two technicians and one clerk assigned to the unit. The Impounds Unit operates Monday through Friday from 0600 to 1700. Unit members work a four-ten schedule, with two members assigned Friday/Saturday/Sunday as normal days off while the other two members have Saturday/Sunday/Monday off. The clerk position is responsible for junk and safekeeping impounded vehicles. The clerk is the main point of contact for the public. At the time of the PERF site visit in June 2010, the clerk’s position was vacant and the supervisor and technicians were performing the duties associated with that position. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 93 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 One technician handles all vehicles impounded as evidence and coordinates with detectives and the Crime Lab. The other technician handles all civil impounds, which generate about $500,000 annually for Anchorage. A package must be generated for each of these impounds and sent to the municipality’s Civil Division within two days of impounding the vehicle. The unit is responsible for processing, tracking and disposing of over 10,000 impounded vehicles per year. Anchorage has taken an aggressive approach to impounding vehicles through the adoption of a series of municipal codes. In 2002, an ordinance was passed authorizing the police department to impound a vehicle driven by anyone without a valid driver’s license. In 2003, a similar ordinance was passed for driving a vehicle with no proof of insurance. In 2004, a municipal code was adopted allowing the police to impound a vehicle used in the commission of soliciting a prostitute. The last impound ordinance, passed in 2008, permits the police to impound a vehicle that has unpaid parking citations in excess of $1,000. Vehicles that have been impounded by a member of the department are categorized in the following eight ways: • • • • • • • • Evidence Driving Under the Influence Driving Without a License No Insurance Solicitation for Prostitutes DTF – Failure to Pay Parking Citations (fines in excess of $1,000) Safekeeping Junk and Abandoned The APD has contracts with several tow companies for the authorized towing of vehicles. One company is responsible for towing all vehicles impounded as evidence; another is responsible for towing vehicles impounded for a violation of the four municipal ordinances listed above; a third tow company is under contract for towing all junk vehicles. All impounds for safekeeping are towed by companies on the APD Rotational List that have met the towing requirements of the police department. A vehicle auction is conducted on the first day of each month of forfeited vehicles and vehicles unclaimed by the owners. The department currently has three storage areas for impounded vehicles. All are located on city property across the street from police headquarters. Two of the areas accommodate The Police Executive Research Forum Page 94 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 approximately 200 vehicles. The third area is for vehicles impounded for evidence and has a capacity of 19 cars. Recommendation: The Impounds Unit’s staffing of four employees is adequate to maintain the workload associated with impounding vehicles. Findings: Though the three current employees are able to meet the workload requirements of their positions and cover the vacant clerk’s duties, the clerk position should be filled as soon as possible to maintain the efficiency of the unit and provide sufficient public contact. Impounds Unit Staffing UNIT: Impounds Unit Civilian Supervisor Technicians Senior Clerk TOTAL NON-SWORN * The clerk’s position is currently vacant Current 1 2 1* 4 Recommended 1 2 1 4 Change ----- Special Assignment Unit (SAU) In September of 2009, the investigative unit responsible for narcotic enforcement was disbanded. The associated tasks, formally performed by the Metro Unit, were reassigned to the Vice Unit and the Special Assignment Unit. The SAU is staffed with one lieutenant, one sergeant, nine police officers (including two canine teams dually trained for drugs and patrol), and one gang intelligence officer (the same intelligence officer assigned directly to the Division Captain). All members of the unit are on the SWAT Team, including the unit’s lieutenant and sergeant. The lieutenant also represents the Anchorage Police Department on the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). Additionally, there are four officers assigned to the SAU who work off-site. Three of them work in the FBI’s Safe Streets Gang Task Force and one is assigned to the U.S. Marshals’ Fugitive Task Force. All members of the Special Assignment Unit work a four-ten schedule, Tuesday through Friday. The day shift team consists of the unit sergeant and four officers who work from 0800 to 1800. Although assigned to the captain of the Crime Suppression Division, the gang intelligence officer also works this same shift and provides intelligence to the entire department. A second team comprised of the SAU lieutenant and five officers work the swing shift from 1500 to 0100. No The Police Executive Research Forum Page 95 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 one is scheduled to work weekends or midnights. The SAU is the only unit in the department with the flexibility to adjust work hours to meet operational needs without violating the existing labor agreement. This ability to change work schedules on seven days’ notice is important to maintain the effectiveness of the unit. The unit focuses on the “problem of the day,” which often involves street-level narcotic enforcement, gang activity and community issues. SAU activity may also be prompted by crime trends or an incident that had a significant impact on the community. However, such trends are usually those that become apparent to members of the unit rather than based on crime analysis. Crime analysis could be used to identify problem locations, offenders or other crime trends that the SAU could upgrade the SAU targeting ability. The unit also assists patrol and investigative units in the service of warrants and in efforts to locate suspects. Occasionally, SAU’s own planned operations are postponed because of other organizational needs. SAU may conduct high risks entries to serve search and/or arrest warrants for patrol. SAU conducts to following up on patrol suspicions/concerns, especially when illegal drugs are thought to be involved. In the event that a drug operation becomes too protracted, the unit may refer the case to the Vice Unit or to the federal narcotic task force. All personnel on the SAU are also members of the SWAT Team, though not all members of the collateral duty SWAT Team are in the SAU. SWAT training has an impact on the operations of the unit, as over 128 hours of annual training are required for SWAT personnel. Essentially, two days, per officer, per month are dedicated to training, with one additional eight-hour session for “snipers.” The drug enforcement nature of the work performed by the SAU requires well-developed policies, procedures and practices on the use of informants, maintaining informant files, buy money and accompanying logs, and handling evidence – including money, weapons and drugs. Informant files require information such as the subject’s criminal history, prior experience as an informer, police contact, reliability and status, and amounts paid. These files are completed as necessary by the SAU and retained in secure files in the Vice Unit. All transactions must be documented; the sergeant inspects the funds and review the documentation monthly. Policy calls for the department’s fiscal staff to perform annual audits. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 96 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 The unit provides the department’s command staff with a monthly statistical report of activity performed in several categories. These monthly reports have been combined to provide the SAU’s activity for the nine-month period of October 2009 through June 2010. September 2009 was consumed on start-up activities for new drug mission assigned to the unit. Special Assignment Unit Activity ACTIVITY FELONY CHARGES/WARRANTS TOTAL # OF DEFENDANTS STREET LEVEL DRUG INV MISD. CHARGES/WARRANTS VEH SW SERVED K9 SCENT DETECTIONS RES SW SERVED PENDING FED. PROSECUTION TOTAL Oct 46 35 24 0 10 23 5 1 144 2009 Nov 15 11 5 7 3 5 1 47 Dec 41 32 19 19 8 5 2 1 127 Jan 39 26 19 13 10 5 4 4 120 Feb 44 23 17 12 7 5 6 1 115 Mar 15 26 17 19 10 0 6 6 99 2010 Apr 54 33 14 12 12 3 3 1 132 TOTAL May 28 19 15 8 3 3 1 2 79 Jun 19 21 8 7 4 5 1 7 72 301 226 138 97 67 54 29 23 935 During the first nine-month period the SAU operated with its current mission, 138 street level narcotic investigations were initiated. The unit arrested 226 suspects, who were charged with over 300 felonies and nearly 100 misdemeanors. Ninety-six search warrants were served, 67 for vehicles and 29 for residents. The month of October 2009 reported the highest level of SAU activity, followed by April 2010 and December 2009. The three months with the least activity reported were November 2009, May 2010 and June 2010. Although individual SAU members may initiate a case and spend considerable time bringing that case to its conclusion, many of the unit’s activities (warrant service, search warrants, etc.) are team efforts. For example, PERF observed first-hand how members from both teams joined together in the arrest of a drug dealer. In this instance – because of the public location of the planned arrest and the potential for children to be present – there was a need for a large operational team. The large amount of time that must go into planning to ensure both public and officer safety means that measures of individual performance cannot be summed up to judge overall team performance. The unit activities depicted in the table above represent the product of team efforts as much as individual officer initiatives. In an average month, the SAU teams charged individuals or served The Police Executive Research Forum Page 97 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 arrest warrants 44 times, concluded 15 street level drug investigations, served 11 search warrants, and made six K-9 detections. This is in addition to individual investigative work. Recommendation: The current sworn staffing of the Special Assignment Unit is sufficient to meet current expectations. Findings: The Special Assignment Unit has demonstrated the ability to be effective with the current field staff of nine officers. The level of activity has declined in May and June of 2010. It is not uncommon for proactive field units such as the SAU to lose a bit of momentum after months of high activity, but this should be monitored. Units like the SAU are driven by selfinitiated activity. It is often difficult to determine how many legitimate targets of opportunity exist in a given jurisdiction. At some point, adding personnel to a proactive unit can result in diminishing returns. Consideration should be given to creating rotational positions, which would allow patrol officers to temporarily serve in the unit, gaining knowledge and expertise they could take back to patrol. Recommendation: One civilian clerk should be assigned to the Special Assignment Unit. Findings: Because the SAU does not have clerical support at this time, the unit lieutenant, sergeant and officers must perform clerical duties. This decreases the efficiency of the unit and takes officers away from the field and distracts from their primary function. Adding one clerk to the unit will provide secretarial and administrative support. Recommendation: The SAU should regularly request information from Crime Analysis to identify crime and disorder trends including problem locations and offenders to more efficiently deploy resources. Findings: As the department increases its community policing activities, the SAU’s interaction with crime analysts will increase the effectiveness of the unit by identifying areas experiencing crime and disorder so they may intervene in a timely manner. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 98 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Special Assignment Unit Staffing UNIT: Special Assignment Unit Lieutenant Sergeant Officers TOTAL SWORN Senior Clerk TOTAL NON-SWORN Current 1 1 14 16 0 0 Recommended 1 1 14 16 1 1 Change ----+1 +1 Canine Unit The Canine Unit is made up of one sergeant and eight canine officers and their dogs. Four of the canines are trained exclusively for the patrol function and the other four are trained for patrol and for narcotics detection. Two of the narcotic trained dogs and their handlers are assigned to the Special Assignment Unit. All non-SAU canine officers work a modified swing shift schedule from 2000 to 0800. Days off are staggered to provide seven days per week coverage, with two officers on duty daily—one in the north sector, the other in the south. If a canine team is needed after regularly scheduled hours, the Canine sergeant can authorize deployment. Training is vital element to keep both the handlers and animals at a high performance level. All canines are trained in the “bark and detain” philosophy. All unit members have Monday as a common workday, so training is conducted then. In addition, each handler and dog is provided 40 hours of training each quarter. A private vendor provides quarterly and annual training in order to attain an independent assessment of each officer and dog, as well as unit performance. In 2009, canine officers spent 2,519 hours in training, averaging 315 hours each. Funding for the Canine Unit is supplemented by a non-profit 501c organization, “Dollars for Dogs.” The sole mission of this organization is to raise money to support the Anchorage Police Department’s Canine Unit. Dollars for Dogs pays for the animals, training and equipment. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 99 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 The activity of the Canine Unit was studied from two sources: the CAD system and the 2009 Monthly Activity Reports maintained by the unit. CAD data was for the twelve-month period of April 2009 through March 2010. Canine Unit CAD Activity ACTIVITY ALARM SUSPICIOUS PER/VEH/CIRC DISTURBANCE MISCONDUCT INV/WEAPON GENERAL LOCATE PROWLER WELFARE CHECK/911 HANG UP VEHICLE IN DISTRESS/STALLED BURGLARY INPROGRESS DIST WITH WEAPON COUNT 2,167 461 308 158 125 120 102 65 58 47 Call for Service data during this time period revealed that members of the Canine Unit responded to 4,016 calls. The top ten call types dispatched to field canine teams are depicted in the table above. Canine teams were dispatched most frequently to “alarm” calls, which represent 54% of all the calls dispatched to the unit. The 2009 Monthly Activity Reports were consolidated to tabulate the categories of activity captured by the Canine Unit for the calendar year of 2009. The next table represents that data in the order of activity performed, from highest to lowest. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 100 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Canine Unit Activity ACTIVITY Patrol Assists (Non K-9) Security Checks Code Runs Patrol Assists (K-9) Alarms Officer Initiated Stops Reports Warnings Tracks Non K-9 Misdemeanor Arrests Building Searches Non K-9 Felony Arrests Citations K-9 Misdemeanor Arrests K-9 Felony Arrests Finds (Persons) PR Demonstrations Area Searches Finds (Articles) Outside Assists Thermal Use Night Vision Goggles Use TOTAL COUNT 5,284 1,871 1,494 1,486 1,202 1,086 582 504 387 352 187 182 172 139 104 87 62 58 38 16 13 3 15,309 Assisting non-Canine officers is the most frequent activity performed by canine officers and accounts for over one-third of their field actions. Security checks were the second most common activity at 12.2%, followed by code runs (responding with lights and siren to an emergency) at 9.8% and assisting other K-9 teams at 9.7%. The Canine Activity Reports indicated unit officers worked 1,096.6 days in the field during 2009. Based upon a four-day workweek of 52 weeks, the unit’s show-up rate, or the percentage of time canine team members are available in the field, is 65.9%. This is lower than the show-up rate of 72.9% for Patrol and is largely attributable to days devoted to canine training. The canine coverage sought by Patrol is two officers, seven nights a week or the equivalent of 730 shifts (365 nights per year times 2 canine officers). Six canine teams assigned to Patrol, The Police Executive Research Forum Page 101 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 working the current schedule and shift, with a show-up rate of 65.9% would provide coverage for 822 shifts. This would cover an extra 47 shifts per year. Recommendation: The current sworn staffing of the Canine Unit is sufficient to provide two canine officers every night. Findings: The staffing of the Canine Unit provides ample coverage during the times such resources are most utilized. Canine Unit Staffing UNIT: Canine Unit Sergeant Officer TOTAL SWORN Senior Clerk TOTAL NON-SWORN Current 1 8* 9 0 0 Recommended 1 8 9 0 0 Change ------ * Two teams are assigned to the SAU leaving 6 for deployment in patrol. Training Unit The Training Unit is staffed with one lieutenant, one sergeant, three police officer trainers, one armorer and a senior clerk. Other members of the department supplement classroom instructors. The entire staff of the Training Unit works a four-ten schedule and the staff divides assigned days off between Friday/Saturday/Sunday and Saturday/Sunday/Monday. This provides Monday through Friday coverage. Training personnel are rotated through the unit with a minimum commitment of two years and must be rotated back to Patrol after five years. Staffing is stretched when the unit is simultaneously conducting both academy and in-service training. The last scheduled recruit academy in May 2009 was cancelled and no academies have been rescheduled. The academy, when offered, is a 1,000 hour program spanning 24 consecutive weeks. In-service training is provided by both shift personnel and members of the Training Unit. Shift firearms qualification training consists of 20-30 hours per officer, each year. Range training consists of blending “Lane” and “Tactical” instruction. The unit offers a Tactical Shotgun course that includes loading and decision making. FATS and simunitions training, while included in past firearms training, no longer takes place. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 102 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 The unit is working to integrate scenario-based situational training into traffic and DUI exercises. They are also introducing lessons on de-escalation at bars at closing when large inebriated crowds move into public. Report writing training is also based on practical situations. Under the labor contract, field officers can be rotated to day shift for training purposes only once every six months for a maximum of 20 hours. The Training Unit is sufficiently outfitted with information technology and has enough classrooms. Recommendation: The current sworn staffing of the Training Unit is sufficient. Additional personnel may be required when a Recruit Academy Class is scheduled. Findings: The Training Unit is currently coordinating and instructing in-service training for the department. They are also re-engineering the basic academy curriculum to incorporate scenariobased training. Staffing is sufficient for these responsibilities. When a new recruit academy is scheduled, the department should revisit staffing of the Training Unit to determine if additional resources are temporarily needed to support academy training. Training Unit Staffing UNIT: Training Current Lieutenant 1* Sergeant 1 Officer 4 TOTAL SWORN 6 Senior Clerk 1 TOTAL NON-SWORN 1 *Currently a budgeted but vacant position. Recommended 1 1 4 6 0 1 The Police Executive Research Forum Page 103 Change ------- Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 DETECTIVE DIVISION The detective function of the Anchorage Police Department falls under the authority of the Detective Management Captain, who oversees three sections of specialized detectives (Team 1, Team 2 and Team 3) and the Crime Lab. Each investigative team is managed by a lieutenant who oversees detective subunits, each of which is supervised by one or more sergeants. The Crime Lab is composed of an all-civilian staff headed by a civilian supervisor who reports directly to the captain of detectives. A senior clerk is also assigned to the captain, providing secretarial and support duties. The Team 1 group of detectives consists of five subunits: Assault and Robbery, Burglary, Homicide, Financial Crimes and Theft. Team 2 is comprised of three units: Crimes Against Children, Special Victims and Cyber Crimes. Teams 1 and 2 were deliberately staffed with both person and property crime units to create a balance of expertise among each team. Team 3 is solely the Vice Unit, which is responsible for investigating and enforcing vice (e.g., prostitution, gambling, etc.) and narcotics offenses. Total staffing in the Detective Division is presently 93 personnel. They are: • 1 Captain • 3 Lieutenants • 10 Sergeants • 65 Detectives/Officers • 4 Civilian Crime Laboratory Specialists • 10 Clerks All sworn personnel in the division work a four-ten schedule with regularly assigned days off of either Friday/Saturday/Sunday or Saturday/Sunday/Monday. In 2009, members of the Detective Division worked over 12,700 hours of overtime, and earned a reported 1,500 hours of compensation time, totaling 14,200 additional work hours. Members of the division used over 39,000 hours of time off, including annual leave, sick leave, compensation time off, holiday time, military leave and light duty. Those 39,000 hours suggest that the actual The Police Executive Research Forum Page 104 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 detective availability (the show-up rate) for the 79 detectives is 76.3% – slightly higher than the 72.9% show-up rate in patrol. This is unusual, as detectives often represent a department’s more senior personnel, who generally have greater leave balances to use, and are likelier to use sick leave. It is worth noting that the 14,200 extra hours worked by the current sworn staff, divisionwide, represents the time contribution that would come from 9.4 additional detectives. Each unit is headed by a sergeant who, in addition to general supervision duties, reviews incoming crime reports completed by officers, makes assignments, monitors open investigations, approves detectives’ reports, approves and tracks call-out events, and acts as a liaison between their unit and the department. Detectives operate under the provisions set forth within the Detectives Procedural Manual. Other similarities and differences in the operations of the various detective units are described below. Call-Out Policy Members of the Detectives Division respond to the scene of incidents after regular working hours as deemed necessary. Although each unit has its own specific criteria for responding during off-hours, the process is essentially the same: at the request of a field supervisor, someone from Communications the appropriate detective sergeant, who evaluates the need for an on-scene response. Typical circumstances that would result in a detective being called to the scene after hours include: death, life-threatening injury; an incident involving an in-custody arrest; an investigation in which a detective has requested notification; or a potentially high-profile or sensitive case. Response by more than one detective requires approval of the lieutenant. According to the current labor contract, the unit’s most senior member, as determined by time at the department, is given the first opportunity to accept or reject a call-out. If rejected, the opportunity is offered to the next most senior detective. In after-hours incidents, the field officer will complete the original incident report and the responding detective will be the case detective for that investigation. Report Review/Assigning Cases Electronic copies of reports are automatically forwarded to the appropriate detective sergeant, according to the offense type as listed by the field officers, through the RMS system. Field supervisors and officers may also forward reports to detective sergeants by e-mail. The The Police Executive Research Forum Page 105 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 receiving sergeant and others who are authorized to be in the specific mail group have access to the reports. The sergeant looks for the patrol sergeant’s initials in the approved block on the report in order to ensure that it is the final version of the report. If the initials are not present, the sergeant or the assigned investigator must secure a final version from Records prior to going to court. On a daily basis, the sergeants pull case information and review reports to identify solvability factors and determine whether a case should be assigned to a detective for follow-up investigation. Investigative sergeants do not rely on any formal system of assessing solvability factors when reviewing cases for assignment. Informally, sergeants consider the presence of suspect or vehicle information, a recognizable M.O., a pawn hit on property related to the case, or other information that constitutes a lead. A detective may also be assigned a case if an incident handled by Patrol results in an arrest, or by the action of a grand jury. When Patrol makes the arrest, the arrest credit goes to the officer, but any additional charges made by the investigator result in the Detective Division also being credited with arrest(s). Case Management The Case Management System (CMS) used by the Detective Division is the TIBURON Automated Reporting System (ARS). When a case is assigned to a detective, it is entered into this system. Upon completion of the investigation, detectives’ reports are electronically submitted and reviewed by the sergeant. If the sergeant approves the report, it is forwarded to Records. When charges are brought, the detective completes in-house paperwork that provides information relevant to the prosecution of a defendant. The unit sergeant must enter this information in ARS before the case is submitted to the District Attorney. Detectives are responsible for logging case activity into the case notes section maintained in the Case Management System. However, there is no requirement to submit periodic updates on open cases. Upon completion of an investigation, detectives are required to complete a Case Disposition Form. The unit sergeant transfers the information from this paper form to the ARS Case Management System. Through this process, sergeants may monitor the progress and clearance status of cases. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 106 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 There are no firm due dates for case assignments. If a case has been assigned for six months (sergeants establish their own time triggers), the sergeant may elect to inquire about the status of the case or its prospects for closure. It was suggested that cases open for an extended period of time, from 2008 or 2009, would be questioned. Cases that are not assigned for investigation are retained in the case management system as “unassigned,” along with the sergeant’s notes regarding the lack of leads, etc. APD, the Prosecutor’s Office, and the District Attorney’s Office The Municipality of Anchorage Prosecutor’s Office handles a variety of misdemeanor cases, including DUIs, domestic violence, theft, assault, and vehicle tampering. Felonies are prosecuted by the District Attorney’s Office. Sergeants and prosecutors meet on a regular basis to discuss investigations, cases and any issues of mutual interest. Some units meet weekly; others meet monthly. Issues discussed at these meetings include an explanation for refusing case filings; trends involving APD reports lacking critical information for prosecution; and any policy, practice or personnel matters between the two agencies. Initiating weekly meetings between prosecutors and the APD is a best practice and helps to maintain a strong relationship between the agencies. Each of the Investigative Unit’s staffing, operations and workload is detailed in the following sections of this report. Workload data for analysis was obtained from the Detective Division’s RMS system for the twelve-month period of June 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010. Detective Staffing Methodology The Case Management System (CMS) used by the Anchorage Police Department’s Detective Division is part of the department’s Tiburon records management system. PERF used data retrieved from this system for the twelve-month period of June 2009 through May 2010 to determine the most current quantity and types of cases passed through the Detective Division. This data was then sorted by detective units to ascertain the level of work performed by individual units. PERF looked at case levels across multiple years to ensure these figures were representative of the number of cases that detectives could be expected to investigate in a given year. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 107 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Detective Division’s Assigned Cases DETECTIVE UNIT Assault & Robbery Unit Burglary Unit Homicide Unit Financial Crimes Unit Theft Unit Crimes Against Children Unit Special Victims Unit Cyber Crimes Unit TOTAL JUN 09 - MAY 10 260 374 143 242 284 403 408 83 2,197 PRIOR YRS AVG 288 290 86 289 337 372 294 81 2,037 % CHANGE -10% 29% 49% -16% -15% 8% 39% 2% 8% A review of all units’ caseloads revealed only an 8% (160 cases) increase over previous years. The Financial Crimes Unit assigned 16% fewer cases compared to the prior years’ average; the Homicide Unit assigned 49% more, although the number of additional cases was only 57 for the year. The Special Victims Unit had the highest increase in the number of cases assigned with 114. PERF used this assessment to begin calculating the optimum staffing for each of the Detective Units. Each unit’s workload is determined by the number of cases assigned to detectives based upon offenses reported to the Anchorage Police Department. PERF’s work in examining a wide range of law enforcement investigative units has resulted in a series of benchmarks related to the difficulty of the cases that are assigned and the amount of time needed for a “thorough” investigation. A “thorough” investigation is one that results in a case that is prepared for prosecution, or one in which all leads have been followed and exhausted. PERF tailored the distribution of the types of cases to the existing Anchorage Detective Units as shown in the table below. Percentage of Cases Assigned to Detective Units by Solvability Category DETECTIVE UNIT Assault & Robbery Unit Assault Robbery & Other Burglary Unit Homicide Unit Financial Crimes Unit Theft Unit Theft Unit Stolen Vehicle Crimes Against Children Unit Special Victims Unit Contact Only Less Complex Typical More Complex 90.9 79.1 78.7 69.9 92.5 3.0 3.5 3.1 26.1 3.3 5.7 16.8 16.3 3.4 4.1 0.4 0.6 1.9 0.8 0.1 91.3 97.5 64.0 50.2 3.1 0.4 20.8 3.2 5.4 1.8 13.9 45.3 0.2 0.3 1.3 1.3 The Police Executive Research Forum Page 108 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Assigned cases are classified as less complex (requiring the least amount of investigative time), typical or (more) complex (requiring the most investigative time). The percent of cases that fall into each of these categories varies depending on the type of crime. Benchmark ratios have been established for homicide and death investigations, assault, robberies, burglary, theft, auto theft, sex crimes, financial crimes and crimes involving juveniles. Unlike Anchorage, most agencies separate robbery and assault cases, as well as theft and stolen vehicles, into two distinct units. Because APD assigns these large segments of cases to a single unit, PERF separated the percentages in order to identify the proper percentage of each type of case that should be assigned in each solvability category. It should be noted that in distributing the cases, PERF assigned all cases currently not being assigned for follow-up investigation to the “contact only” category. The expectation is that the police department will attempt to personally contact all victims of crime in Anchorage to determine if further information is available. Appropriate time has been allocated for this function in calculating optimal staffing levels for each unit. PERF has established benchmarks for the average time required to conduct a thorough investigation, broken down by crime type and category of difficulty. These benchmarks include allotments for “contact only” cases. The estimates also allow for time spent on preparing a case for prosecution and court testimony; because not all cases will go to court, this allotment is distributed over all cases. The number of hours that should be allocated for each of the four investigative solvability categories of crimes, per investigative unit, is displayed in the next chart.. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 109 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Amount of Time in Hours Allocated per Solvability Category for Detective Units DETECTIVE UNIT Assault & Robbery Unit Assault Robbery & Other Burglary Unit Homicide Unit Financial Crimes Unit Theft Unit Theft Unit Stolen Vehicle Crimes Against Children Unit Special Victims Unit Contact Only Less Complex Typical More Complex 1.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 2.0 6.0 10.0 4.0 40.0 12.5 20.0 30.0 16.0 80.0 24.0 54.0 48.0 62.0 220.0 166.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 2.0 3.5 12.0 16.0 12.0 8.0 16.0 20.0 24.0 16.0 200.0 64.0 48.0 The hours or portions of hours allocated for investigative time for each of the Division’s units in this chart represents the average time consumed for the investigation of each case in each category. For example, an average “more complex” homicide is allotted 220 hours, or 5.5 weeks. Some complex murder investigations will take more than 220 hours; others may consume less. In the instance of the Crimes Against Children Unit, the average complex case should take approximately 64 hours, but any given case may require more or less time. A multi-step process was used to calculate the optimal staffing of detectives in each of the investigative units. The number of cases that can be expected in each unit was organized by solvability categories, along with the average time spent on each investigation. The total number of hours needed to investigate all cases was then calculated for each unit. This hour computation was then divided by 1,587 hours (the “show up” rate of 76.3%) to establish the calculated staffing level for each Detective Unit. All calculations were rounded up to identify the number of detectives. This information was then combined with PERF’s knowledge of the operations of the units as identified during site visits to establish the recommended optimal staffing levels for the Detective Division. Ideal staffing of self-initiated investigative units such as the Cyber and Vice Units is always difficult to quantify because their workload is not dependent on quantifiable reports of crime. Rather, workload is determined by intelligence and tips from informants, changes in illegal drug markets, gang activities, the effectiveness of neighboring jurisdictions, and innumerable other The Police Executive Research Forum Page 110 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 factors that are hard to link to long-term staffing needs. Frequently, the more personnel, the greater the impact that can be made; but unlike investigative teams that address workload based on measurable crime, staffing of these units relies more on the recognition of the relevant factors and the department’s desired enforcement levels. PERF conducted interviews with members of the Anchorage Police Department who manage and perform these assignments. The staffing recommendations for these units are incorporated into the write-up of each unit. Team 1 Detective Section The Team 1 detective section is the largest of the three sections in the Detective Division. The combined staffing of its five units is: one lieutenant, five sergeants, 30 detectives and six clerks. The team’s five units are described below. Assault and Robbery Unit The Assault and Robbery Unit consists of one sergeant, seven detectives and one clerk. Unit detectives provide coverage from 0700 to 1800, Monday – Friday. Their 11-hour shifts include a one-hour meal break, leaving four ten-hour workdays per week. Detectives work either Monday through Thursday or Tuesday through Friday, and none are scheduled to work evenings or weekends. The Assault and Robbery Unit handles only felony offenses, including: robberies (commercial, residential and person), non-domestic violence felonious assaults, kidnappings, sexual assaults, weapons and explosives cases, as well as other assorted persons and property crimes as depicted in the following table. As opportunities arise, the unit collaborates with the Special Assignment Unit (SAU) on gang activity. Reportedly, it is not uncommon for the victims of some of the crimes handled by this unit to also be of questionable character, or even suspects in other investigated crimes. The “stop snitching” culture is a significant problem when investigating assaults and other person crimes. When Patrol responds to a robbery or other calls handled by this unit that require the on-scene presence of an investigator during regular work hours, the unit sergeant assigns the call to an available detective. The sergeant considers several factors when determining which detective to call on, including: who is next in the assignment rotation, the number of cases each detective has The Police Executive Research Forum Page 111 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 been assigned for the month, the open caseload and complexity of cases already assigned to each detective, and the need for particular expertise to handle the investigation. At the discretion of the unit sergeant, detectives may respond during off-duty hours if the case involves a serious injury, a gunshot victim present at the hospital, gang-related robberies or assaults, cases where a suspect is in custody, multiple drive-by shooting events that appear to be related, or if a suspect is arrested for a Class A felony and is willing to talk to detectives. Cases Investigated or Reassigned to Assault and Robbery Detectives Case Type Assault Weapons Violation Robbery Suspicious Theft Other Offenses TOTAL Potential Cases 1,200 302 353 29 20 87 1,991 Cases Assigned 120 14 111 1 4 10 260 Cases Not Assigned 1,080 288 253 28 16 66 1,731 Percentage of Cases Assigned 10.0% 4.6% 30.5% 3.4% 20.0% 11.5% 13.1% In the twelve-month period of June 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010, Assault and Robbery detectives were assigned 260 cases out of 1,991 reviewed by the unit sergeant; this is an assignment rate of 13%. The average number of cases per detective, based upon the current staffing of seven detectives, is 37.1 cases per year or 3.2 cases per month. Cases Closed by Assault and Robbery Unit Year Cases Cases Closed % Cases % Assigned By Arrest Suspended 263 109 41.4% 119 45.2% 2009 314 148 47.1% 92 29.3% 2008 280 126 45.0% 161 57.5% 2007 292 99 33.9% 164 56.2% 2006 * Includes declined prosecutions, unfounded, exceptionally cleared and other. Cases Closed * 30 28 26 41 % 11.4% 8.9% 9.3% 14.0% A review of the unit’s case clearances for the calendar years of 2006 through 2009 revealed that approximately 42% of assigned cases were cleared by arrest, while the remaining 58% were closed in some other manner. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 112 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Assault and Robbery Unit Staffing Calculation Assault and Robbery Unit Assault Contact Only Less Complex Typical Most Complex SUB-TOTALS Robbery & Other Crimes Contact Only Less Complex Typical Most Complex SUB-TOTALS TOTALS Number of Detectives @ 1,587 hrs FTE Positions Hours Allotted per Investigation Number of Cases Total Investigative Hours 1 6 20 54 -- 1,200 40 75 5 1,320 1,200 240 1,500 270 3,210 1 10 30 48 --4.8 5 531 23 113 4 671 1,991 531 230 3,390 192 4,343 7,553 Using the methodology outlined earlier, based upon the current number of cases investigated by the Assault and Robbery Unit and allowing one hour for contacting all victims of offenses handled by the unit, PERF calculates that 4.8 detectives are needed for the unit. This takes into account the different times necessary for investigating the unit’s two major offenses: assaults and robberies. Rounding up, five detectives should be assigned to the Assault and Robbery Unit. Recommendation: The Assault and Robbery Unit should be decreased by two detectives, leaving a total of seven positions: one sergeant, five detectives and one senior clerk. Finding: Decreasing the staffing level of the Assault and Robbery Unit by two detectives will still allow the department to expand the criteria for assigning cases, increase the number of investigations handled by detectives and re-contact all crime victims. These activities will support community policing from an investigative perspective. PERF Recommended Staffing for the Assault and Robbery Unit UNIT: Assault and Robbery Sergeant Detective TOTAL SWORN Senior Clerk TOTAL NON-SWORN Current 1 6 7 1 1 Recommended 1 5 6 1 1 The Police Executive Research Forum Page 113 Change --1 -1 --- Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Burglary Unit The Burglary Unit consists of one sergeant, six detectives and one clerk. When available, lightduty officers supplement staffing. At the time of the PERF site visit in June of 2010, there were four light-duty officers supplementing staff in the Burglary Unit. Burglary detectives provide coverage from 0700 to 1800, Monday through Friday. Two detectives are assigned Friday/Saturday/Sunday as normal days off, while four are off Saturday/Sunday/Monday. By assigning days off in this manner, detectives may work in twoperson teams. The Burglary Unit and Theft Unit sergeants split their days off so there is always a supervisor present to cover both units Monday through Friday. The Burglary Unit is responsible for providing follow-up investigations on all types of burglaries: commercial, residential and vehicle. The unit also investigates a number of other crimes usually covered by a “General Assignment” investigative unit. The unit’s goal is to limit detectives’ active caseload to ten cases. This will allow detectives to perform quality investigations on those cases with workable leads. Despite this goal, it is not uncommon for some detectives to maintain 15 to 30 active cases. The following criteria are considered when determining which cases will be assigned to detectives: identification of the suspect or an involved vehicle; the presence of physical evidence (e.g. fingerprint and DNA); high profile victims such as schools and churches; property loss in excess of $10,000; or relevant information from external resources such as informants or Crime Stoppers. Crime Analysis can assist the unit with crime mapping when a trend is identified, but this partnership is not regularly employed. When a trend is observed, all unit detectives meet to coordinate the investigations and develop a strategy to arrest the offender. One of the detectives will be the lead investigator, responsible for coordinating the cases as well as coordinating with the District Attorney’s Office. This unit also meets weekly with the Pawn Unit to compare recently stolen property with items being pawned. The Burglary Unit sergeant coordinates with Probation and Parole to identify convicted burglars scheduled for release from custody who might revert back to illegal activities. It is felt that there is a direct relationship between drugs The Police Executive Research Forum Page 114 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 and burglaries in Anchorage: when a new shipment of drugs arrives in the city, an increase of burglaries will follow. Burglary detectives respond to call-outs during off-duty hours at the direction of the unit sergeant. The sergeant will consider whether or not there is a “stop and hold” on the suspect, if a suspect is in custody for burglary and assistance from detectives is necessary, or if the arrestee is willing to talk to a detective. Cases Investigated or Reassigned to Burglary Detectives Case Type Burglary Fraud Stolen Vehicle Theft Other Offense TOTAL Potential Cases 1,675 12 13 30 23 1,753 Cases Assigned 309 11 13 27 14 374 Cases Not Assigned 1,366 1 -3 9 1,379 Percentage of Cases Assigned 18.4% 91.7% 100.0% 90.0% 60.9% 21.3% In the twelve-month period of June 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010, Burglary detectives were assigned 374 cases out of 1,753 reviewed by the unit sergeant, an assignment rate of 21%. The average number of cases per detective, based upon the staffing of six detectives, is 62.3 cases per year, or 5.2 cases per detective per month. Cases Closed by the Burglary Unit Year Cases Cases Closed % Cases % Assigned By Arrest Suspended 327 128 39.1% 104 31.8% 2009 247 102 41.3% 125 50.6% 2008 282 145 51.4% 116 41.1% 2007 303 74 24.4% 150 49.5% 2006 * Includes declined prosecutions, unfounded, exceptionally cleared and other. Cases Closed * 3 21 33 9 % 0.9% 8.5% 11.7% 3.0% A review of the Burglary Unit’s case clearances for the calendar years of 2006 through 2009 revealed approximately 39% of assigned cases were cleared by arrest and the remaining 61% were closed in some other manner. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 115 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Burglary Unit Staffing Calculations Hours Allotted Burglary Unit Contact Only Less Complex Typical Most Complex TOTALS Number of Detectives @ 1,587 hrs FTE Positions Per Investigation 1 4 16 63 -5.2 6 Number of Cases 1,379 55 285 34 1,753 Total Investigative Hours 1,379 220 4,560 2,142 8,267 An analysis of investigations handled by the Burglary Unit using PERF’s staffing methodology for detectives revealed 5.2 positions or six FTE are required. Recommendation: The staffing of the Burglary Unit should remain at its current level of one sergeant, six detectives and one senior clerk. Finding: Based upon an analysis of the workload of the Burglary Unit, maintaining the staffing level of the Burglary Unit will allow the department to expand the criteria for assigning cases, increase the number of cases handled by detectives, and re-contact all crime victims. It also allows time for detectives to educate neighborhoods and businesses experiencing burglaries on how to “crime harden” their property through the use of Community Policing Through Environmental Design (CPTED) strategies. PERF Recommended Staffing for the Burglary Unit UNIT: Burglary Sergeant Detective TOTAL SWORN Senior Clerk TOTAL NON-SWORN Current 1 6 7 1 1 Recommended 1 6 7 1 1 Change ------ Homicide Unit The Homicide Unit consists of a sergeant, seven detectives and one clerk. Members of the unit work a four-ten schedule during day watch and have either Friday/Saturday/Sunday or The Police Executive Research Forum Page 116 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Saturday/Sunday/Monday as regular days off. One detective, who is head of the crime scene technicians, is assigned responsibility for overseeing and coordinating with members of the Crime Scene Unit. Anchorage experiences approximately 20 to 25 homicides a year. The highest number, 35, was recorded in 1995; a low of 12 occurred in 2008. There were 17 homicides in 2009 and 12 have occurred in the first half of 2010. In the past, the Homicide Unit was responsible for the investigation of all homicides, regardless of the age of the victim. Recently, infanticide cases were reassigned from the Homicide Unit to the Crimes Against Children Unit. In addition to investigating all non-infant homicides, the unit is also responsible for the investigation of suicides, deaths outside a hospital environment, and adult missing persons. The unit clerk is responsible for transcribing all witness and suspect interviews. They are then forwarded to the appropriate detective for review and correction. All homicide investigations require the response of unit detectives, as do some suicides and suspicious deaths. The number of investigators assigned to respond varies according to the specific needs of the case. After work hours, homicide detectives respond to non-infanticide deaths in the following instances: unusual circumstances; when someone is likely to die due to a violent act; missing person cases that are suspicious, or where a homicide or kidnapping is suspected; officer involved shootings; and in-custody deaths. Normally, several detectives initially respond to a homicide as a team. This is the customary best practice in policing, as the initial 24 to 48 hours of a homicide investigation are key to identifying the suspect and successfully solving the case. The Crime Scene Unit responds to the scene of all incidents involving a dead body, whether or not a detective is dispatched. Some deaths may be assigned for investigation if a family member articulates suspicious circumstances or a potential motive is discovered. Case assignments are rotated among the members of the unit, but may be modified depending on who is scheduled for court, training, or other leave of absences, as well as the size and complexity of detectives’ current caseloads. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 117 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 All death reports are reviewed by the Homicide Unit sergeant and assigned for investigation as appropriate. Cases that are not investigated are still entered into the ARS Case Management System for reference. The unit also maintains a file of the synopsis of homicides by year for referral and statistical information on closure statuses and solvability rates. The unit also maintains information on older cases dating back to 1965. Supervisory case review in assigned homicide/death cases is not required by pre-determined circumstances. Rather, the sergeant reviews case progress routinely as investigative events take place. In some instances, as critical details come to light (e.g., an overdose is determined) cases may be closed or even unassigned by the sergeant. Conversely, new information could lead to the assignment of a case. Some death cases (homicides and accidental deaths) demand a close working relationship with drug investigators. Completed cases are rejected or approved by the sergeant. Cases resulting in prosecution are remanded to the District Attorney. The department each year receives several hundred missing person cases. These cases are reviewed and acted upon by the unit sergeant to ensure that no cases are disregarded. Phone contacts soliciting new information are often made. When there are workable leads, cases are reassigned to an investigator. It was reported, as is common in all departments, that many of the missing persons are habitually/repeatedly missing. The Anchorage Police Department investigates “cold” homicide cases on an overtime basis through grant funds. A review of 52 cases revealed that 28 were potentially solvable through actionable leads. Those cases have been assigned to detectives throughout the Detective Division on a volunteer basis. That is, cases are assigned to those who wish to work them on an overtime basis. Many will work on these cases on their normal day off (either Monday or Friday) when others who can provide the support they may need are at work. The District Attorney’s Office is consulted in those cases in which detectives are about to charge a suspect. The Homicide Unit is also responsible for investigating, in collaboration with the District Attorney’s Office, officer-involved shootings and in-custody deaths. The unit’s detectives respond to and investigate all incidents where officers have discharged their weapon, regardless of whether the suspect was struck or not. Basing investigative merit on the intent of the officer’s action, rather than the marksmanship of the officer, is recognized as a policing best practice. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 118 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Cases Investigated or Reassigned to Homicide Detectives Case Type Potential Cases Assault 10 DOA* 327 Missing Person 26 Officer Involved Shooting 1 Suicide 100 Other Offenses 11 475 TOTAL * Includes homicide investigations Cases Assigned 5 95 26 1 8 8 143 Cases Not Assigned 5 232 --92 3 332 Percentage of Cases Assigned 50.0% 29.1% 100.0% 100.0% 8.0% 72.7% 30.1% In the twelve-month period of June 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010, Homicide detectives were assigned 143 cases out of a 475 reviewed by the unit sergeant, an assignment rate of 30%. The average number of cases per detective, based upon the staffing of seven detectives, is 20.4 cases per detective per year, or 1.7 cases per month. Projecting that 2010 could reasonably end with roughly 20 homicides citywide, only 3 of those 20.4 cases assigned to each detective will be homicides. This falls in line with the criteria in most departments, that each detective may reasonably investigate, as the lead detective, three to four homicides per year, and provide “team” assistance on others. With a homicide workload at this level, detectives should have sufficient time to take on the small number (1.5 per month) of other varied but less timeconsuming cases. Crime Scene Technicians: A detective assigned to the Homicide Unit is responsible for overseeing 18 other sworn members of the department who perform crime scene technician duties as an ancillary assignment. Three members are detectives and the remaining 15 have primary duties in Patrol, SRO and Training. The 18 technicians are divided into three teams of six, including one team leader. Each team is available on standby, 24-hours a day, on rotation basis, for four months a year. The unit leader is not required to maintain call-out or workload statistics or activity logs. Some crimes, such as homicide, have an automatic call-out for the Evidence Unit. In other offenses the call-out is optional, depending on the circumstances surrounding the incident. When a team is called out, the team leader determines if a full team or a partial one is required to process the scene and makes notifications. The unit operates one Crime Scene Mobile Processing Lab, a 1994 mobile home converted to house the necessary equipment. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 119 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Approximately 20 call-outs occur each year. While some are more complicated and timeconsuming than others, typically an event consumes about 15 hours of activity. A relatively new departmental policy stipulates that no officer may work more than 18 hours in a 24-hour period. Since all team members, other than the team leader, are on 10-hour shifts, they are limited to eight hours of activity on any call-out. Most often this is not a problem, but the potential exists that crime scene technicians might have to go off-duty during a call-out event. Cases Closed by the Homicide Unit Year Cases Cases Closed % Cases % Assigned By Arrest Suspended 110 19 17.3% 0 0.0% 2009 85 17 20.0% 3 3.5% 2008 94 23 24.5% 7 7.4% 2007 53 11 20.8% 3 5.7% 2006 * Includes declined prosecutions, unfounded, exceptionally cleared and other. Cases Closed * 42 47 49 23 % 38.2% 55.3% 52.1% 43.4% A review of the Homicide Unit’s case clearances for the calendar years of 2006 through 2009 revealed approximately 21% of assigned cases were cleared by arrest and the remaining 79% were closed in some other manner. It should be noted that the unit has a high clearance rate for homicides. At the time of the PERF site visit in June, all but one of the 14 homicides occurring in 2010 has been cleared. Homicide Unit Staffing Calculation Homicide Unit Contact Only Less Complex Typical Most Complex TOTALS Number of Detectives @ 1,587 hrs FTE Positions Hours Allotted per Investigation 2 40 80 220 Number of Cases 332 124 16 3 475 Total Investigative Hours 664 4,960 1,280 660 7,564 4.8 5 Based upon PERF’s calculations, a minimum of five detectives should be assigned to the Homicide Unit based on over 7,500 hours of investigative time needed. This figure was adjusted based upon two factors: one of the detectives must be responsible for oversight of the 18 crime scene technicians and one additional detective is needed to maintain the national practice of having one detective for every three to four homicides per year. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 120 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Recommendation: The staffing of the Homicide Unit should remain at its current level of one sergeant, seven detectives and one senior clerk. Finding: The current ratio of homicides per detective as the lead investigator is consistent with policing best practices. The current staffing level of the Homicide Unit also provides an opportunity to aggressively investigate cold murder cases. Recommended Staffing for the Homicide Unit UNIT: Homicide Sergeant Detective TOTAL SWORN Senior Clerk TOTAL NON-SWORN Current 1 7 8 1 1 Recommended 1 7 8 1 1 Change ------ Financial Crimes Unit The Financial Crimes Unit is made up of one sergeant, five detectives and one clerk. The clerk assigned to the Financial Crimes Unit is also responsible for maintaining the statistics for the entire Detective Division. Light-duty officers, when available, occasionally supplement detective staffing in the Financial Crimes Unit. The Financial Crimes Unit is available Monday through Friday from 0700 to 1800. Half of the sworn members of the unit have Friday/Saturday/Sunday as normal days off and the other half are off Saturday/Sunday/Monday. The unit investigates any fraud and forgery offenses, with the exception of cyber crimes. Offenses assigned to the unit include: credit card frauds, embezzlements, fraudulent checks, and forged prescriptions. The unit also works with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Immigrations and Custom Enforcement, Alaska State Troopers and the Alaskan Financial Crimes Task Force on fraud investigations of mutual interest. Unlike other detective units, officers taking reports in the field do not initiate the majority of the cases assigned to the Financial Crimes Unit. Most come through self-reporting online and through the Records Unit’s phone reporting services. As Records takes telephonic reports, the victim is asked if there is photographic evidence (e.g., ATM camera footage or convenience The Police Executive Research Forum Page 121 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 store video) of the suspect. If there is, a CSO or officer is dispatched to pick up the evidence and book it into property. The unit sergeant reviews the reports and assigns those of high dollar value and cases where workable leads exist (such as photographic evidence, known suspects or incidents in which multiple checks are involved). The cases are assigned in a manner that keeps the caseload of detectives somewhat even. Detectives with expertise in some specific areas of fraud may be assigned those types of cases. Sometimes, dissimilar incidents that are somehow related to one another may be assigned to the same detective. Detectives respond during off-duty times if a suspect with a “stop and hold” is located, if assistance or advice is requested when a suspect is in custody, or if a request to respond has been screened by the shift supervisor. Cases Investigated or Reassigned to Financial Crimes Detectives Case Type Potential Cases 4 5 23 3,179 1 14 9 3,235 Counterfeit Embezzlement Forgery Fraud Mail Fraud Theft Other Offenses TOTAL Cases Assigned -4 22 197 -13 6 242 Cases Not Assigned 4 1 1 2,982 1 1 3 2,993 Percentage of Cases Assigned 0.0% 80.0% 95.7% 6.2% 0.0% 92.9% 66.6% 7.5% Financial Crimes detectives were assigned 242 cases out of 3,235 that were reviewed by the Unit sergeant during the twelve-month period of June 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010. This represents an assignment rate of 7.5%. The average number of cases per detective, based upon a staffing level of five detectives, is 48.4 cases per detective per year, or 4.3 new cases per month. Interestingly, almost all (8 of 11, or 72%) non-fraud cases that are reviewed are assigned. Likely these are cases that are linked to fraud cases. The fact that only 6.2% of fraud cases are assigned points out a key problem with such cases: most reported cases do not meet the assignment criteria: a high dollar amount of fraud or workable suspect leads. The few cases that do meet the assignment criteria are most often complex and very time-consuming, often requiring staff to scrutinize enormous amounts of hard and digital records/data. Though each detective may only be assigned roughly one new case a week, most cases cannot be cleared within a week, making individual caseloads larger. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 122 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Cases Closed by the Financial Crimes Unit Year Cases Cases Closed % Cases % Assigned By Arrest Suspended 301 188 62.5% 70 23.3% 2009 277 173 62.5% 36 13.0% 2008 337 151 44.8% 144 42.7% 2007 299 69 23.1% 38 12.7% 2006 * Includes declined prosecutions, unfounded, exceptionally cleared and other. Cases Closed * 31 21 41 78 % 10.3% 7.6% 12.2% 26.1% A review of the Financial Crimes Unit’s case closures for the calendar years of 2006 through 2009 revealed approximately 48% of assigned cases were cleared by arrest and the remaining 52% were closed in some other manner. The average arrest rate of the unit for the past two years is over 62% of assigned cases. Financial Crimes Unit Staffing Calculation Financial Crimes Unit Contact Only Less Complex Typical Most Complex TOTALS Number of Detectives @ 1,587 hrs FTE Positions Hours Allotted per Investigation 2 12.5 24 166 -6.9 7 Number of Cases 2,993 107 132 3 7 Total Investigative Hours 5,986 1,338 3,168 498 10,990 According to PERF’s calculations, seven detectives should be assigned to the Financial Crimes Unit based on nearly 11,000 hours of investigative time needed. Recommendation: Staffing of the Financial Crimes Unit should be increased by two detectives. The full unit should consist of one sergeant, seven detectives and one senior clerk. Finding: Expanding the staffing level of the Financial Crimes Unit will provide the staffing necessary to perform a full service of investigations, including attempting to contact all crime victims. While the arrest rate of cases is an impressive 62%, only 6.2% of the fraud cases are assigned for investigation. The unit should look to assign a greater number of cases. This may result in a lower percentage of cases ending in arrest, but should also lead to an increase in the number of arrests. The recommended staffing also allows time for detectives to participate in community activities with businesses to support the department’s community policing efforts. Recommended Staffing for the Financial Crimes Unit The Police Executive Research Forum Page 123 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 UNIT: Financial Crimes Sergeant Detective TOTAL SWORN Senior Clerk TOTAL NON-SWORN Current 1 5 6 1 1 Recommended 1 7 8 1 1 Change -+2 +2 --- Theft Unit One sergeant, six detectives and two clerks are allocated to the Theft Unit. Two of the detectives are assigned to the Eagle River station, working as generalists on incidents occurring in that geographic area. One of the detectives works exclusively on pawn and retail theft detail. The remaining three detectives work theft cases assigned to the unit. Two clerks are assigned to the unit, although one of these positions is currently vacant. The clerk monitors all pawn records and compares pawn property against items that have been reported stolen. On Tuesdays, the clerk attempts to visit each of the pawn shops in Anchorage to inspect the stores’ property and to distribute information to the owners. Light-duty officers are assigned to the Theft Unit to assist with investigations, as available. The detectives all work a four-ten hour day shift, from 0700 to 1800. Two have Saturday/Sunday/Monday as regular days off and the others have Friday/Saturday/Sunday as their days off. Offenses investigated by this unit include thefts, vandalisms, stolen vehicles, and pawn regulation monitoring, as well as some burglary, fraud and embezzlement cases. The Eagle River detectives, because of their remote location, also take on some crimes against person investigations. Theft detectives respond to call-out requests if there is a “stop and hold” locate issued by a theft detective, if an arrestee is willing to talk about a case that needs immediate attention, or is a callout is requested by a Patrol lieutenant or sergeant. Crime reports are directed to the unit in three ways: patrol reports via the RMS system, Records phone reporting, and on-line theft reporting (which is limited to retail loss prevention). The sergeant reviews all incoming reports and makes assignment decisions. Examples of cases that are routinely assigned for follow-up investigation include: felony thefts with a known suspect or The Police Executive Research Forum Page 124 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 vehicle license plate, felony thefts with an unknown suspect and a loss in excess of $10,000, and multiple crimes with common features that suggest a serial offender, The Theft Unit sergeant considers the detectives’ open caseload and case complexity when making assignments. The Theft Unit sergeant also monitors the Eagle River detectives’ selfassignment of cases. Non-assigned cases are always available to be re-opened should new or additional information become available. There is no requirement to close cases within any timeframe. The sergeant reviews open cases and detective activity that is documented in the case and makes inquires about those that remain open for four to six months. The city’s 10 to 12 pawnshops report as many as 3,000 transactions per week. The clerks enter information into the TIBURON, state and NCIC systems. When there is a “hit” on an article, the clerks initiate a hold on it, requiring the pawn operator to keep it until after any court action. The pawn detective deals with pawn issues and violations. Cases Investigated or Reassigned to Theft Detectives Case Type Stolen Vehicle Theft Vandalism Vehicle Tampering Other Offenses TOTAL Potential Cases 744 2,527 260 238 45 3,814 Cases Assigned 18 226 7 3 30 284 Cases Not Assigned 726 2,301 253 235 15 3,530 Percentage of Cases Assigned 2.4% 8.9% 2.7% 1.3% 66.6% 7.4% Theft detectives were assigned 284 cases out of 3,814 reviewed by the unit sergeant during the twelve-month period of June 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010, an assignment rate of 7.4%. The average number of cases per detective, bases upon staffing levels of six detectives, is 47.3 cases per detective per year, or 3.9 new cases per month. Some 80% of all assignments are theft cases, but they represent only about 9% of the total reported thefts. It is not uncommon for police departments to receive a high number of theft reports that do not have sufficient leads for assignment, but with seven cases being reported daily, every reporting person/complainant could be contacted to determine if additional leads have developed. The 744 stolen vehicles that were reported stolen last year represent two per day, yet only one case was assigned every 18 days. Cases involving vehicles that are stolen but do not reappear are very rarely closed. Others are joy rides, which are often recovered but with little evidence or The Police Executive Research Forum Page 125 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 leads to follow. Over recent years the incidence of stolen vehicles has decreased by half. The investigation of stolen vehicles is particularly important to the victims in Anchorage, since most cars are recovered in the city. Cases Closed by the Theft Unit Year Cases Cases Closed % Cases % Assigned By Arrest Suspended 429 195 45.5% 99 23.1% 2009 405 194 47.9% 144 35.6% 2008 316 110 34.8% 126 39.9% 2007 199 56 28.1% 95 47.7% 2006 * Includes declined prosecutions, unfounded, exceptionally cleared and other. Cases Closed * 26 42 62 59 % 6.1% 10.4% 19.6% 29.6% A review of the Theft Unit’s case closures for the calendar years of 2006 through 2009 revealed approximately 39% of assigned cases were cleared by arrest and the remaining 61% were closed in some other manner. The average arrest rate of cases assigned to the unit for the past two years is nearly 47%. Theft Unit Staffing Calculation Theft Unit Hours Allotted Number of Total Investigative per Investigation Cases Hours 1 3.5 8 16 -- 2,804 94 167 5 3,070 2,804 329 1,336 80 4,549 1 12 726 3 726 36 Typical 16 13 208 Most Complex SUB-TOTALS TOTALS 200 --- 2 744 3,814 400 1,370 5,919 Number of Detectives @ 1,587 hrs FTE Positions 3.7 4 Theft and Other Crimes Contact Only Less Complex Typical Most Complex SUB-TOTALS Stolen Vehicles Contact Only Less Complex Using the methodology outlined earlier, based upon the current number of cases investigated by the Theft Unit and figuring one hour’s time for contacting all victims of offenses handled by the unit, PERF calculates 3.7 detectives are needed for nearly 6,000 hours of investigation. This takes into account the different times necessary for investigating the two major offenses investigated by detectives: theft and stolen vehicles. Rounding up, four detectives are needed to The Police Executive Research Forum Page 126 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 handle citywide cases. Along with the two Eagle River detectives, PERF recommends a total of six detectives in the Theft Unit. Recommendation: The staffing of the Theft Unit should remain at its current level of one sergeant, six detectives and two senior clerks. Finding: Maintaining the staffing level of the theft unit will provide the opportunity to expand the criteria for assigning cases and increase the number of cases handled by detectives. The unit enjoys a high ratio of arrests and cases assigned. Current staffing levels also provide time for detectives and civilian staff to work more closely with the business community to support the department’s community policing efforts. Detectives should also be encouraged to work more aggressively against offenders responsible for stolen vehicles. Staffing provides the time for proactive investigative strategies aimed at repeat offenders. Detectives should work with the Crime Analysis Unit to identify trends in the locations of stolen vehicles and where they are recovered. Recommendation: The vacant senior clerk position in the Theft Unit should be filled as soon as possible. Finding: The vacant senior clerk position in the Theft Unit should be filled to prevent detectives from being taken away from their investigative duties to perform clerical tasks. Theft Unit Staffing UNIT: Theft Current Sergeant 1 Detective 6* TOTAL SWORN 7 Senior Clerk 2 2 TOTAL NON-SWORN * Two detectives are assigned to the Eagle River Station Recommended 1 6* 7 2 2 Change ------ Team 2 Detective Section The Crimes Against Children, Special Victims and Cyber Crime Units make up the Team 2 Detective Section. Total staffing for this team consists of one lieutenant, three sergeants, 20 detectives and three clerks. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 127 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Crimes Against Children Unit The Crimes Against Children Unit is made up of one sergeant, eight detectives and one clerk. The unit is one of the youngest in the Detective Division, with half of the detectives having assigned over the last 18 months. Recently, infanticide cases have been assigned to the Crimes Against Children Unit after previously being investigated by the Homicide Unit. There was no transfer of personnel to accompany this change in policy. One sergeant, eight detectives and one clerk staff the Crimes Against Children Unit. Coverage is from 0600 to 1800, Monday through Friday. Some work Monday through Thursday, others Tuesday through Friday. All staff is assigned a four-ten schedule, either 0600 to 1700 or 0700 to 1800. Unit members must rotate out after five years in the assignment. Unit detectives may be assigned any type of case that the unit handles. Members of the CACU work in a collaborative approach with organizations including Alaska CARES and Standing Together Against Rape (STAR), Inc. Alaska CARES is a child-centered program, based in a facility that allows law enforcement, child protection professionals, prosecutors, mental health professionals, victim advocates, and the medical c ommunity to work together to evaluate child abuse cases. The goal of Alaska CARES is to “make sure that the children are not further victimized by systems designed to protect them.” STAR, Inc. offers a wide variety of services to victims of sexual assault, incest or child sexual abuse. The mission of the organizations is to “provide the best quality of crisis intervention, education and advocacy services to victims of sexual assault, sexual abuse, their families and our community.” Unlike other units, CACU receives a number of their reports directly from the Office of Children’s Services (OCS), which are faxed to the unit for action. The CACU handles all sexual assault and abuse cases involving minors (under the age of 16), out of state custodial interference offenses, infanticides, runaways, and missing children. Child-on-child matters are referred to Alaska CARES. Reports that come from OCS do not usually have a corresponding police report. In these instances, case information needs to be directed to Records for entry into the records system The Police Executive Research Forum Page 128 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 ARS and a police department generated report number needs to be assigned. Other crime reports are taken by Patrol and are directed to the Unit by the RMS after information entry at records. If the patrol officer finds that the incident is less than three days old or if the suspect is in the home, a unit detective is notified. The patrol officer can telephone or e-mail the detective directly to request a response or obtain advice on handling the incident. In cases involving children, detectives will respond to the scene so the victim is interviewed only one time. Per current policy, the CACU sergeant is to be contacted on all incidents of sexual assault of a minor where the victim is 15 years or younger; all felony physical abuse cases where the victim is under the age of 18; and missing children or runaways under the age of 13 with unusual circumstances. This call-out policy is currently under review. Detectives respond to field incidents during regular duty hours on a rotational basis, while after hours call-outs are offered in accordance with seniority. Cases that do not involve a response by CACU detectives are reviewed by the unit sergeant for investigative merit and assignment. In making assignment decisions, the sergeant reviews detectives’ open cases, the complexity of their investigations, which detectives have impending court appearances, time-off scheduled, etc., before assigning the case. The sergeant holds regular meetings with detectives to go over all cases that have been assigned over 30 days to ensure they are still actively being investigated. When there is justification, there is no requirement to close a case within any timeframe. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, the first two times a runaway is reported, the information is entered into the records system and parents are contacted to see if the child has returned home. Cases which report a third time runaway are assigned to a detective to actively investigate. Missing children reports are taken by offices in the field. If the child cannot be located after a reasonable amount of time, CACU detectives respond to the field and assist in the search. Detectives may also respond to critical missing juveniles to supplement patrol officers as needed. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 129 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Cases Investigated or Reassigned to Crimes Against Children Detectives Case Type Assist Child Abuse Child Enticement Indecent Exposure Kidnapping Miscellaneous Missing Person Rape Runaway Sexual Abuse of Minor Suspicious Other Offenses TOTAL Potential Cases 40 471 15 3 3 10 14 17 11 450 72 9 1,115 Cases Assigned 22 32 11 3 3 --17 9 297 5 2 401 Cases Not Assigned 18 439 4 --10 14 -2 153 67 7 714 Percentage of Cases Assigned 55.0% 6.8% 73.3% 100.0% 100.0% --100.0% 81.8% 66.0% 6.9% 22.2% 36.0% In the twelve-month period of June 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010, Crimes Against Children detectives were assigned 401 cases out of the 1,115 reviewed by the unit sergeant for an assignment rate of 36%. The average number of cases per detective, based upon the staffing of eight detectives, is 50.1 per detective per year or 4.2 cases per month. Cases Closed by the Crimes Against Children Unit Year 2009 2008 Cases Assigned 365 379 Cases Closed By Arrest 72 62 % 19.7% 16.4% Cases Suspended 134 159 % 36.7% 42.0% 1319 73 5.5% 215 16.3% 2007 463 96 20.7% 243 52.5% 2006 * Includes declined prosecutions, unfounded, exceptionally cleared and other. % Cases Closed * 114 125 31.2% 33.0% 1024 132 77.6% 28.5% A review of the Crimes Against Children Unit’s case closures for the calendar years of 2006 through 2009 revealed approximately 16% of assigned cases were cleared by arrest and the remaining 84% were closed in some other manner. Removing the anomaly of the large number of cases and relatively few arrests in 2007, the average for the remaining three years is an arrest rate of about 19%. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 130 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Crimes Against Children Unit Staffing Calculation Crimes Against Children Unit Contact Only Less Complex Typical Most Complex TOTALS Number of Detectives @ 1,587 hrs FTE Positions Hours Allotted per Investigation 2 16 20 64 -5.8 6 Number of Cases 714 232 155 14 1,115 Total Investigative Hours 1,428 3,712 3,100 896 9,136 Based upon PERF’s calculations, a minimum of six detectives should be assigned to the C rimes Against Children Unit based on over 9,000 hours of investigative time needed. This figure was adjusted to increase staffing by one detective to provide resources necessary for infanticide investigations and additional workable cases that should result from expanding victim contacts. Recommendation: The sworn staff of the Crimes Against Children Unit should be decreased by one detective’s position. Finding: The recommended staffing levels of the Crimes Against Children Unit will still provide an opportunity to expand the criteria for assigning cases and increase the number of cases handled by detectives. According to information provided by the Detective Division, child abuse offenses are assigned for investigation in less than 7% of the cases. An effort should be made to increase the number of these investigations assigned to detectives. Recommendation: One civilian specialist position should be added to the Crimes Against Children Unit to handle runaways. Finding: A second non-sworn position, civilian specialist, should be added to the Crimes Against Children Unit to handle all reported runaways. This will provide a more efficient response to runaways by the department and free up sworn personnel to perform investigative and supervisory duties. It will also support the department’s community policing efforts by identifying problem youth at the earliest stages. This will allow for an earlier diversionary intervention through collaborations with private, public and non-profit organizations. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 131 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Staffing Recommendation for the Crimes Against Children Unit UNIT: Crimes Against Children Sergeant Detective TOTAL SWORN Senior Clerk Civilian Specialist TOTAL NON-SWORN Current 1 8 9 1 0 1 Recommended 1 7 8 1 1 2 Change --1 -1 -+1 +1 Special Victims Unit The Special Victims Unit consists of one sergeant, eight detectives and one clerk. The unit is housed in an off-site, multi-disciplinary center designed as a “one stop” service provider for victims. The SVU provides coverage Monday through Friday, for the twelve-hour period of 0600 to 1800. Some detectives work from 0600 to 1700; others are scheduled to work 0700 to 1800. Detectives have set days off of either Friday/Saturday/Sunday or Saturday/Sunday/Monday. Members of the Special Victims Unit can remain in this assignment for no more than five years before a mandatory rotation out of the unit is initiated. All detectives work a variety of cases, including: sexual assaults/attempts, sexual abuse, sexual stalking, sex related kidnappings and indecent exposure. Victims served by the Special Victims Unit are 16 years and older. The SVU is located within an off-site, multi-disciplinary center intended to bring necessary services to the victim, rather than forcing the victim to be shuffled from location to location. In addition to the APD, the center also houses the services of forensic nursing, Alaska CARES, and the Office of Children’s Services. When appropriate, notification is made to Standing Together Against Rape (STAR) and a victim advocate is included in the team of providers. This collaborative approach and commitment to making resources available to sexual assault victims is a policing best practice. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 132 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Cases handled by the unit tend to be acute and recent. Usually a patrol officer responds and briefs his/her sergeant of the nature of the crime. If the incident is classified as a priority-one case the unit is notified and a Sexual Assault Team is assembled. The team consists of a detective, a forensic nurse, and a victim advocate. One or more detectives respond if the incident is reported during off-duty hours. Patrol is responsible for transporting the victim to the SVU, where the officer debriefs detectives. A determination is made if additional resources are required, such as the Crime Scene Unit. An investigative plan is developed based upon whether there are potential witnesses and suspects to be interviewed and whether a search warrant is necessary. The detectives then coordinate with the other service providers to direct the police investigation. Reports are received by the unit either internally through Patrol or externally by an outside agency such as the Office of Children’s Services. The SVU uses a priority system to assign detectives cases. A priority-one incident, as described above, generates a SVU detective response. A priory-two case is one in which the incident did not occur within 96 hours of reporting the crime and there is a named suspect or evidence available. These cases are assigned to detectives after being reviewed by the unit sergeant. A priority-three offense is one for which there is no evidence or leads. Although not all victims are re-contacted, an electronic log that lists M.O., suspect descriptions, etc. is maintained to compare against existing and future cases Policy dictates that the Special Victims Unit sergeant be contacted whenever the following three criteria are met: a sexual assault is reported within 96 hours of the crime; it meets priority one criteria; and the victim consents to a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) examination. The sergeant is also contacted if an attempted sexual assault occurs and the victim is injured. All victim interviews are audio taped, and suspect interviews are videotaped. The interviewing and processing of all suspects is handled at the police station; they are never brought to the center so as to ensure separation of the victim and suspect. The unit clerk is responsible for transcribing all suspect interviews. The tapes are forwarded to the appropriate detective for review and correction before being added to the case file. The ability of the State Crime Lab to process evidence has an impact on the time from case assignment to prosecution. Processing can take anywhere from four months to five years. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 133 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Typically, the lab requires a 9-12 month turnaround time. The District Attorney has the option of sending 5-10 cases a month to a DNA committee for expedited processing, but this option is reserved for cases when an arrest has been made and the suspect is awaiting prosecution. The sergeant monitors the open cases assigned to detectives and ensures that these cases are not needlessly delayed because of unfinished investigative work. There are no set timeframes for the completion or closure of cases. Cases Investigated or Reassigned to Special Victims Detective Case Type Assault Assault Felony Assist Civil Problem Di sorderly Conduct Fraud Harassment Incest Indecent Exposure Pornography Prostitution Rape 1 Rape 2 Rape Attempt Robbery Sex Offender Register Sexual Abuse of Minor Stalking Suspicious Threat Weapons TOTAL Potential Cases 8 1 13 1 Cases Assigned 4 1 12 1 Cases Not Assigned 4 -1 -- Percentage of Cases Assigned 50.0% 100.0% 92.3% 100.0% 2 2 1 1 39 1 1 407 130 17 1 44 76 49 12 3 2 811 -2 -1 1 1 -203 120 12 1 -38 2 -2 2 403 2 -1 -38 -1 204 10 5 -44 38 47 12 1 -408 -100.0% 0.0% 100.0% 2.6% 100.0% -49.9% 92.3% 70.6% 100.0% -50.0% 4.1% -66.7% 100.0% 49.7% In the twelve-month period of June 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010, detectives of the Special Victims Unit were assigned 403 cases out of the 811 reviewed by the unit sergeant for an assignment rate of 49.7%. The average number of cases per detective, based upon the staffing of eight detectives, is 50.4 cases per detective per year or 4.2 new cases per month. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 134 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Cases Closed by the Special Victims Unit Year Cases Cases Closed % Cases % Assigned By Arrest Suspended 393 81 20.6% 213 54.2% 2009 305 49 16.1% 180 59.0% 2008 266 64 24.1% 170 63.9% 2007 213 45 21.1% 138 64.8% 2006 * Includes declined prosecutions, unfounded, exceptionally cleared and other. Cases Closed * 102 61 60 48 % 26.0% 20.0% 22.6% 22.5% A review of the Special Victims Unit’s case closures for the calendar years of 2006 through 2009 revealed approximately 20% of assigned cases were cleared by arrest and the remaining 80% were closed in some other manner. Special Victims Unit Staffing Calculation Special Victims Unit Contact Only Less Complex Typical Most Complex TOTALS Number of Detectives @ 1,587 hrs FTE Positions Hours Allotted per Investigation 2 12 24 48 Number of Cases 408 26 368 9 811 Total Investigative Hours 816 312 8,832 432 10,392 6.5 7 Based upon PERF’s calculations, a minimum of seven detectives should be assigned to the Special Victims Unit based on nearly 10,400 investigative hours needed, which includes two hours per case to attempt to re-contact all crime victims. Should contacting these victims prove fruitful, additional resources will be needed to further investigate leads in those cases. For this reason, PERF suggests maintaining the units current staffing of eight detectives. Recommendation: The staff of the Special Victims Unit should remain at its current level of one sergeant and eight detectives and one senior clerk. Finding: Maintaining the staffing level of the Special Victims Unit will provide an opportunity to expand the criteria for assigning cases and increase the number of cases handled by detectives. Sexual assault cases are particularly difficult to solve in Anchorage. However, all victims should The Police Executive Research Forum Page 135 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 be re-contacted by a detective. All cases where a minor has been the victim of a crime should be assigned to a detective. The unit sergeant should closely monitor the cases where victims are being re-contacted for the first time to determine if investigative leads are being identified. If this is not occurring, one detective’s position should be eliminated from the unit. Since sexual assaults are a significant problem in Anchorage, detectives have tremendous potential to support the department’s community policing philosophy by providing education to the community. In particular, they could work with businesses where alcohol is served, and teach strategies to prevent crimes from occurring. Special Victims Unit Staffing UNIT: Special Victims Sergeant Detective TOTAL SWORN Senior Clerk TOTAL NON-SWORN Current 1 8 9 1 1 Recommended 1 8 9 1 1 Change ------ Cyber Crimes Unit The Cyber Crimes Unit is staffed with one sergeant, four detectives and one civilian specialist. All members of the Cyber Crimes Unit work a four-ten schedule with the same assigned days off, Saturday/Sunday/Monday. Two detectives are scheduled to work 0600 to 1700 and the other two are assigned 0700 to 1800 pm. This scheduling provides twelve hours of coverage per work day. Two detectives are primarily assigned casework but also engage in proactive enforcement of “person-to-person” offenses such as monitoring chat rooms for child pornography crimes. The remaining two detectives focus on computer forensics, including hard drive recovery and media/cell phone technology, but do carry a caseload. The two detectives working computer forensics are highly skilled and have achieved a certified instructional level of expertise. The civilian Internet children specialist position began in February of 2010 with funds from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). This specialist is responsible for maintaining statistical information required by the grant, as well as The Police Executive Research Forum Page 136 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 developing community outreach and juvenile educational programs throughout the State of Alaska. As in other investigative units, cases are presented to the sergeant for review and assign via the RMS. The sergeant determines if the case has merit and sufficient leads to warrant assignment. There are no solvability factors used to determine assignment value; however, cases are distributed based upon the following priority system: • Priority-One – Cases involving the active abuse of children. • Priority-Two – Cases involving the active solicitation of children. • Priority-Three – Cases with the potential for live victims. • Priority-Four – Cases involving active traders of illegal materials. Cases that are investigated by the Cyber Crimes Unit tend to be complex and often demand considerable link-analysis. To the extent possible, cases are assigned based upon matching the needs of the investigation with the skills of detectives. Because so many of the cases assigned in this unit can be very time consuming, the sergeant relies more on a review of each detective’s open caseload rather than a rotational system to assign cases. Cases not assigned may be suspended or closed (after the complainant is contacted to ensure there are no more leads), or a case may be closed as unfounded. As members of the department have become increasingly aware of the value of the forensic services performed by the Cyber Crimes Unit, their workload has increased significantly. The APD’s Cyber Crimes Unit participates in a multi-agency cyber crime task force that includes the FBI, ICE, State Police, and other state agencies. Members work from within their own agency. Efforts to centralize the operation of the task force from a single location have not been successful. Individual units operating independently do not provide the force multiplier of staff and equipment-sharing potential that may be achieved from a collaborative approach to cyber crimes. While the Cyber Crimes Unit works a number of self-initiated investigations, they do rely on a certain amount of casework coming to their attention in other ways. Rather than cases coming primarily from incoming crime reports of field personnel, the unit acts upon tips, computer The Police Executive Research Forum Page 137 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 evidence obtained in other investigations, search warrants by other units, and proactive Internet searches. Detectives’ cases are monitored through the use of a spreadsheet that records all pertinent information on each investigation: how time was spent, work performed, supporting units, etc. Within the RMS, any cases remaining open and any narrative the detective has entered are examined by the sergeant, who initiates appropriate action. When investigations are completed, an e-mail is sent to the unit supervisor and the entire case file is reviewed. This is particularly important when the closure involves an arrest and the case will be forwarded for prosecution. Training and equipment are essential elements of maintaining a competent and effective cyber investigative unit. Changes in technology come about very quickly. In order to sustain a high level of expertise in this specialized field, the department must be committed to continuous improvement of equipment and training of personnel. Cases Investigated or Reassigned to Cyber Crimes Detectives Case Type Assist Online Enticement Pornography P Pornography R Suspicious Electronic Distribution of Porn. Other Offenses TOTAL Potential Cases 5 9 37 30 7 2 7 97 Cases Assigned 5 6 34 28 5 2 3 83 Cases Not Assigned -3 3 2 2 -4 14 Percentage of Cases Assigned 100.0% -91.9% 93.3% 71.4% 100.0% 42.9% 85.6% The Cyber Crimes Unit primarily examines self-initiated investigations. The unit’s detectives were assigned 83 cases out of 97 potential cases reviewed by the unit sergeant during the twelvemonth period of June 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010. This is an assignment rate of 85.6%. The average number of cases per detective, based upon a staffing level of four detectives, is 21.8 cases per detective per year or 1.7 new cases per month. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 138 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Cases Closed by the Cyber Crimes Unit Year Cases Cases Closed % Cases % Assigned By Arrest Suspended 73 15 20.5% 15 20.5% 2009 90 14 15.6% 27 30.0% 2008 * Includes declined prosecutions, unfounded, exceptionally cleared and other. Cases Closed * 31 44 % 42.5% 48.9% A review of the Cyber Crimes Unit’s case clearances was conducted for the two calendar years of 2008 and 2009, capturing the first two years that the unit was in existence. During that time, approximately 18% of assigned cases were cleared by arrest and the remaining 82% were closed in some other manner. Recommendation: The staff of the Cyber Crimes Unit should remain at its current level of one sergeant and four detectives and one civilian specialist. Finding: Maintaining the staffing level of the Cyber Crimes Unit will provide an opportunity to address the needs of the community in investigating these types of crimes and offer computer forensic support for the department. Cyber Crimes Unit Staffing UNIT: Cyber Crimes Sergeant Detective TOTAL SWORN Civilian Specialist TOTAL NON-SWORN Current 1 4 5 1 1 Recommended 1 4 5 1 1 Change ------ Team 3 Detective Section The Detective Division’s third section, referred to as the Vice Unit, consists of 17 sworn staff: one lieutenant, two sergeants, 11 detectives and three officers. Three of the detectives are assigned to a Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force. Three patrol officers are assigned to the Vice Unit on a temporary 90-day rotational basis. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 139 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Vice Unit In October of 2009, the Metro Unit responsible for narcotic enforcement in Anchorage was disbanded and merged into the Vice Unit. Today, the Vice Unit deploys two teams that are responsible for enforcing vice and illegal gambling offenses in addition to short-term, mid-level narcotic investigations. The day team is made up of one sergeant, four detectives and one officer who work 0800 to 1900. The night team consists of a sergeant, four detectives and two officers who are scheduled to work 1400 to 0100. The Vice Unit lieutenant also supervises the three APD detectives assigned to the DEA Task Force, whose primary focus is interdiction and midlevel drug dealers. Drug cases investigated by the Vice Unit vary in length from a few days to as much as six months. Cases that are expected to run longer are handed off to the DEA task force for investigation. The community provides some information on drug activity through a drug hotline and the Crime Stoppers program. There is no mechanism in place for feedback to the community when citizens offer their assistance through tips on drug activity. This is a lost opportunity to improve the relationship between the department and community. Vice-related offenses investigated by the Vice Unit are largely limited to prostitution and other sex violations, including massage parlors, Craig’s List cases, and those investigations handled by the Innocence Lost Task Force. The unit made over 300 prostitution arrests in 2009. The operational philosophy of the unit is to work within a “generalist” approach rather than having detectives specialize in certain criminal vice or narcotic violations. Detectives are encouraged to attend roll calls and maintain a strong contact with Patrol. All case assignments or investigations initiated by the unit are made or approved by the unit sergeants. There is awareness that narcotic enforcement activity must remain active but limited to mid-level distributors. At the encouragement of the District Attorney, the unit takes a special interest in cases that involve guns. With the additional responsibility of drug enforcement, the Vice lieutenant and sergeants are keenly aware of the variety of criminal activity that must be managed. Issues are discussed at weekly unit meetings and the problems addressed are periodically changed to ensure that the whole breadth of relevant criminal activity is considered. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 140 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 The unit maintains certain information and performs tracking in certain instances, including: seized drugs, by type and amount; money seized; and guns recovered. There is a separate database on prostitutes that lists names, descriptions and identifying information of offenders. In late 2009, the department disbanded its narcotic unit and assigned street level drug enforcement to the Special Assignment Unit. Mid-level narcotic suppression was transferred to the Vice Unit. Some members of the unit had previous narcotic experience. The unit is formulating policies and practices associated with a narcotics squad, including establishing and maintaining money and narcotic logs and informant files, creating evidence procedures, and developing search and seizure policies. These early months of existence are critical in implementing a strong operational drug unit that the department and community will have confidence in. Vice detectives may be called out during non-working hours for either vice or narcotic cases. Vice sergeants are to be informed anytime a minor is contacted and suspected of prostitution, an arrested prostitute is willing to provide information on a pimp or prostitution ring, or a “stop and locate” initiated by a vice detective has been affected. In narcotic cases, the vice supervisor is to be contacted in the event of: a suspect being found to be in possession of one ounce or more of cocaine or methamphetamines, 15 grams or more of crack, or five grams of more of heroin; an incident in which large amounts of cash or property are found with drugs; or heroin overdose deaths. Recommendation: Staffing of the Vice Unit should be increased by four detectives and one clerk. Finding: With the additional narcotic enforcement duties of the Vice Unit, two detectives should be added to both the day and night shift. This will support the investigation of cases and provide more flexibility of field activity to improve the effectiveness of the unit. The Vice Unit will become increasingly more important as the community policing efforts of the department progress. Narcotic and prostitution activities are strong contributing factors to the deterioration of neighborhoods. A robust unit that works together with the community and other sections of the department will contribute to maintaining neighborhoods free from crime and disorder. Adding a clerk to the unit will allow sworn staff to perform investigative rather than clerical activities. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 141 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Vice Unit Staffing UNIT: Vice Current Lieutenant 1 Sergeant 2 Detective 11* Officers 3 TOTAL SWORN 17 Senior Clerk 0 TOTAL NON-SWORN 0 * 3 Detectives assigned to a DEA Task Force Recommended 1 2 15 3 21 1 1 Change --+4 -+4 +1 +1 Crime Laboratory The Crime Laboratory is staffed with four civilian specialists. The forensic supervisor reports directly to the Detective Division captain and supervises the personnel and operations of the lab. The lab is organized into three units: Identification, Processing, and Photographic. Each of the units is staffed with a specialist: the identification technician, assistant identification specialists and crime laboratory specialists. Members of the Crime Lab work one of three different work schedules. The forensic supervisors work a 5/9 schedule which encompass nine nine-hour work days during repeating 14-day cycles: four work days and three days off one week, then five work days and two days off the next. The supervisor works 0700 to 1600, Monday through Friday during the first week with Saturday/Sunday/Monday off, followed by working Tuesday through Friday the following week with Saturday/Sunday off. The identification technician works a 5/8 schedule: 0900 to 1730, Monday through Friday with Saturday and Sunday as regular days off. The assistant ID specialists and crime laboratory technician work a 4/10 schedule: 0700 to 1800, Monday through Thursday with Friday/Saturday/Sunday as normal days off. The Crime Laboratory has primary responsibility for receiving, processing, analyzing, and disposition of evidence, film, and digital images processed by lab personnel. When requested, members of the lab will respond to crime scenes to provide support, analysis, and expertise on specific forensic evidence. Work comes to the Crime Laboratory in a variety of ways. Patrol officers and crime scene technicians can submit evidence to the lab by lifting prints or processing evidence at crime scenes. Detectives may uncover evidence sent to the lab in their follow-up investigations. Police officers are required to submit media cards containing digital and audio The Police Executive Research Forum Page 142 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 evidence for processing. Additionally, lab personnel can initiate their own work such as a “lift card” follow-up in AFIS. They are also available to provide limited training for field personnel as necessary. The forensic supervisor manages the day-to-day operations of the lab, monitors staff case work, and assists with latent print verification. The identification technician is assigned to the Identification Unit with responsibility for latent print examination, entry and maintenance of the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), and examination of impressions. The assistant ID specialist works in the Processing Unit and is responsible for latent print and DNA evidence. The specialist also photographs evidence to be examined and maintains the chain of custody on evidence analyzed. The laboratory technician is assigned to the Photographic Unit and is responsible for all photographic-related evidence, both taking and processing media and digital evidence. The technician is also the department’s official photographer at special events. Crime Laboratory staff must receive specialized training and maintain certification in their specific disciplines. The department supports ongoing education and certification of personnel assigned to the lab. Members of the Crime Laboratory also present training in the police academy and the citizen's academy. The activity of the Crime Lab was determined by studying 14 weeks of Activity Reports for the period of March 15, 2010 through June 18, 2010. The most frequent activity performed by the lab is processing media cards, which average 313 per week. The least-performed activity is matching prints through the AFIS and APIS systems; this occurs about four times per week. It is important to note that the count alone cannot determine the activity level of the crime lab, as not all functions take the same amount of time to perform. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 143 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Crime Laboratory Activity Inv. Cases Screened Evidence Latent 7 12 3 12 6 21 7 17 7 31 7 21 7 16 7 16 4 16 2 14 4 21 6 22 2 19 3 8 TOTALS 72 246 AVERAGE PER WEEK 5.1 17.6 Latent Prints Photo Lab Activity Media Cards CD/DVD 178 316 161 307 36 257 206 319 138 329 112 272 94 323 140 320 156 357 85 258 153 405 89 294 133 313 165 315 AFIS/APIS Hits 1 7 2 4 2 3 0 5 5 7 3 3 5 7 Comparison 32 24 38 12 5 58 42 54 25 46 31 15 16 46 Identifications 6 11 12 9 10 19 9 12 15 24 8 4 9 14 Submitted Cards 50 33 89 74 175 73 58 71 78 23 79 106 156 50 54 444 162 1,115 1,846 4,385 3.9 31.7 11.6 79.6 131.9 313.2 In reviewing the weekly reports, workload trends were identified: • The number of AFIS (fingerprints) and APIS (palm prints) hits has steadily increased. • The number of finger and palm print comparisons has increased. • The numbers of finger and palm print identifications have grown. • The number of fingerprint lifts submitted to the crime lab has increased, which impacts the analysis in the crime lab to classify them as suitable or non-suitable for entry into AFIS. APD applied for a Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant, which includes funds for one additional employee. Grant funds are intended to eliminate a backlog in the analysis of forensic evidence through hiring, training and procuring equipment. If the department is awarded the grant, the backlog of the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms computerized firearms system NIBIN, Digital Imaging Management (DIM) system, and fingerprint/AFIS purposes will be targeted for backlog reduction or elimination. The crime lab recorded 320 hours of overtime during the time twelve-month period March 31, 2009 to April 1, 2010. Worked overtime represents over 89% of total amount logged. On average, personnel earned 80 hours per person for the year, or 6.7 hours per month. Nearly The Police Executive Research Forum Page 144 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 98.6% of the time can be attributed to special detail overtime that time consumed by working beyond the employee’s end of shift time. Recommendation: Staffing of the Crime Laboratory is sufficient to meet the needs of the department. Finding: The current crime lab staffing is sufficient to keep up with requests for their services. Crime Laboratory Staffing UNIT: Crime Laboratory Forensic Supervisor Identification Technician Assistant ID Specialist Crime Laboratory Technician TOTAL NON-SWORN Current 1 1 1 1 4 Recommended 1 1 1 1 4 Change ------ Divisional Recommendation: The Detective Division should be organized into three sections based upon crime types: Crimes Against Persons, Property Crimes and Special Investigations. Each section should remain under the command of a lieutenant and the Crime Laboratory should continue to report directly to the captain. The PERF recommended organizational structure for the Detective Division is illustrated below. Finding: The Detective Division is currently organized into three sections. One houses the vice and narcotic operations. The other two are a combination of property and person crimes. Combining like offenses by the target of the crime (people versus property) will provide clarity for the community and all members of the department regarding which manager is responsible for the investigation of a given case. This management accountability is an important component of community policing. The proposed reorganization will enable the investigative section commanders to develop an expertise in crime categories, which may increase their familiarity with the investigative process and improve their ability to manage each unit under their authority. Finally, the realignment of the division will improve the department’s communication with other components of the criminal justice system and external partners by providing a single contact for property and person crimes. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 145 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 PERF Recommended Anchorage Police Department Detective Division Organizational Chart Crimes Against Persons Section (Lieutenant) Crime Lab (Captain) Property Crimes Section (Lieutenant) Assault and Robbery Unit (Sergeant) Burglary Unit (Sergeant) Crimes Against Children Unit (Sergeant) Financial Crimes Unit (Sergeant) Homicide Unit (Sergeant) Theft Unit (Sergeant) Crime Scene Technicians Cyber Crimes Unit (Sergeant) Special Victims Unit (Sergeant) Warrants Unit (Sergeant) The Police Executive Research Forum Page 146 Special Investigations Section (Lieutenant) Vice Unit (Sergeant) DEA Task Force (3 Detectives) Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 CONCLUSION OPTIMAL DEPLOYMENT PERF was asked by Anchorage to answer the following question: • Are the existing sworn APD employees—from temporal, geographical, and organizational standpoints—optimally deployed? To the extent they are not, what changes should be made? We have examined many aspects of this question throughout this study. We recommended changes in the organizational structure to streamline some administrative units. We proposed a reorganization of the Detective Division. We assessed the impact of implementing a patrol staffing benchmark that would provide patrol officers with 40% unobligated time so they could engage in increased proactive policing. We examined the geographic deployment of officers in patrol and found that the current beat alignment system coupled with providing more officers to the busiest beats is a sound practice. We assessed the relative workloads of the North and South sectors and found that the North/South split reflects a geographic configuration that tends to keep neighborhoods together, observes natural boundaries, and provides a scheme of call response and back-ups that allows officers to generally stay in their own sectors. This North/South split should become the basis for a decentralized community policing structure. We examined how department personnel are deployed over time. We found that the four-ten work schedule works well for patrol since it provide 30 hours of coverage for the 24-hour day, allowing overlaps and thereby substantially increasing the number of officers on patrol at busy periods. This schedule also allows time for end-of-shift report writing. Other departmental units use the four-ten schedule and provide extended coverage. Records and Traffic provide 24/7 coverage. Other units, such as SAU and Vice, cover more that one shift, although they do not provide continuous coverage over the course of the entire week. Because of how the detective units have implemented the four-ten, they may not be providing the highest quality service. Detectives work either Monday through Thursday during day shift or Tuesday through Friday during day shift. Although they are subject to call out, they are not The Police Executive Research Forum Page 147 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 scheduled to work evenings or weekends. This schedule prevents some cases from receiving continuous investigative attention and delays the initial assignment of some cases. The fact that detectives have three straight days off means that some cases will go untouched during that period, growing “colder.” Typically a detective returning from days off will have new cases to begin work on and will have to spend time updating his/her knowledge of cases already assigned. Crimes that are reported on Friday morning may not get assigned until Tuesday morning since not all cases that come in over the weekend will be given to the Monday – Thursday detectives. The lack of prompt attention may interfere with “solving” cases as evidence and witnesses grow stale. Detective scheduling may be an issue to address in future contract negotiations. The following table summarizes changes in staffing that are recommended to enhance the APD. A second table shows the impact of staffing at the 40% unobligated time benchmark. Staffing Changes to Enhance Current APD Operations SWORN STAFFING Unit Position Patrol Sergeant CAP NON-SWORN STAFFING Change Unit Positions Change 3 Dispatch Manager 1 Sergeant 1 Evidence Lead Technician 1 CAP Officer 5 Evidence Technician 1 SRO Sergeant 1 Data Systems Lead Technician 1 Traffic Sergeant 1 Data Systems Technician 1 Assault/Robbery Detective -1 SRO Clerk 1 Financial Crimes Detective 2 Traffic CSO 2 CACU Detective -1 SAU Clerk 1 Vice Officer CACU Specialist 1 Vice Clerk 1 4 TOTAL = 15 TOTAL = 11 These changes are described in detail throughout the report. They should incrementally improve the ability of the Anchorage Police Department to deliver service. A complete chart with recommendations for staffing all units is at the end of this section. The number of sworn positions increases by 15 and the number of non-sworn positions increases by 11. The recommended detective staffing reflects workload analysis and also The Police Executive Research Forum Page 148 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 accounts for detectives attempting to make contact with victims for all cases that are currently unassigned. The total sworn strength would be 389 and the non-sworn would be 167, for a total size of 556. Information supplied to the study team by the department showed that staffing at the time of the study was 374 sworn and 156 non-sworn for a total of 530. The next table shows staffing changes that would result from staffing patrol with the number of officers needed to have an average of 40% unobligated time. Staffing Changes to Enhance Current APD Operations and Provide Patrol with 40% Unobligated Time SWORN STAFFING Unit Position Change NON-SWORN STAFFING Unit Positions Change Patrol Sergeant 12 Dispatch Manager 1 Patrol Officers 58 Dispatch Technician 8 CAP Sergeant 1 Evidence CAP Officer 5 Evidence SRO Sergeant 1 Traffic Sergeant 1 Assault/Robbery Detective -1 Financial Crimes Detective 2 CACU Detective -1 Vice Officer 4 1 Data Systems Technician Lead Technician 1 Data Systems Technician 1 SRO Clerk 1 Traffic CSO 2 SAU Clerk 1 CACU Specialist 1 Vice Clerk 1 TOTAL = 82 1 TOTAL = 19 This model would increase staffing by 58 patrol officers and twelve sergeants, in addition to the three sergeants recommended in the first model. Also, to support the additional patrol officers, eight more dispatch technicians should be added. There are two primary dispatch channels in the Communications Center. With the additional officers in the field they will most likely become too crowded. Two additional dispatch channels will be needed (two for North and two for South) along with four new dispatchers per shift. This model would increase sworn staffing to 456 and non-sworn to 175, for a total of 631. One advantage of this level of patrol staffing is that it would reduce the average calls for service time to 35%, allowing a substantial amount of time to engage in proactive community policing and problem solving. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 149 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 While either of these staffing models would improve the functioning of the department, we realize that give the municipality’s financial condition the APD is unlikely to be able to add either 26 positions, as proposed in the first model, or 101, as the second model suggests. Two of the enhancements proposed should be implemented even with a tight budget: First, adding a Dispatch Manager should help to stabilize this vital function. Second, the three patrol sergeants’ positions should be added to maintain an adequate span of control in patrol. The best approach to optimizing the current functionality of the APD is to implement the aspects of community policing described in this report that do not require any additional personnel. These include: • • • • • Creating cross-time teams of patrol officer beat owners and supporting them through beat-specific information and through limiting out-of-beat assignments for beat owners; Using patrol supervisors as beat managers; Beginning North – South reporting systems; Creating weekly Community Policing CompStat meetings; and Restructuring Crime Suppression Unit operations so they work to support specific community problem-solving efforts. FUTURE DEPLOYMENT The second question the study sought to answer was: • When/if staffing returns to 2009 pre-reduction levels, how should the sworn force then be best deployed? According to the RFP, in the beginning of FY ‘09, the APD’s authorized strength was 591 positions (414 sworn and 177 non-sworn) although it was recognized that 591 was considered a peak staffing figure and not necessarily an optimal number. The best way to deploy additional sworn personnel would be to fully implement the decentralized community policing model outlined in this report, along with the staffing enhancements discussed above. The resulting changes in personnel are displayed in the next chart. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 150 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 Staffing Changes to Enhance Current APD Operations and Implement Decentralized Community Policing SWORN STAFFING Unit Position Patrol Lieutenant Patrol Sergeant Patrol Officer CAP NON-SWORN STAFFING Change Unit Positions 3 Support Services Director 1 8 Dispatch Manager 1 26 Dispatch Technician 8 Sergeant 1 Evidence Lead Technician 1 CAP Officer 5 Evidence Technician 1 SRO Sergeant 1 Data Systems Lead Technician 1 Traffic Sergeant 1 Data Systems Technician 1 Assault/Robbery Detective -1 SRO Clerk 1 Financial Crimes Detective 2 Traffic CSO 2 CACU Detective -1 SAU Clerk 1 Vice Officer CACU Specialist 1 Vice Clerk 1 4 TOTAL = 49 Change TOTAL = 20 Adding 49 sworn positions and 20 non-sworn positions to the current (July 2010) staffing level will result in 423 sworn positions and 176 non-sworn positions, for a total authorized staffing of 599. The 599 positions would enable the Anchorage Police Department to provide an enhanced level of service to the community. It would also provide staffing for two geographically based patrol divisions that would foster the decentralization that is a key method of improving engagement between the police and the community. NON-SWORN EMPLOYEES Another purpose of the study was to answer the following question: • Given the existing sworn/non-sworn division of labor, and given the existing workload, what is the optimal ratio of sworn to non-sworn employees? The Police Executive Research Forum Page 151 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 There is no optimal ratio of sworn to non-sworn employees; rather each non-sworn unit must be assessed to determine whether the number of people assigned is adequate to match the work the unit must perform. For example, the Dispatch operation has three factors that influence its need for staffing: the number of incoming telephone calls, the number of work stations and the number of police units under dispatch purview. The number of incoming calls is not expected to change dramatically in the immediate future. Therefore, we make no recommendations for changing the number of call-takers. If a large increase in incoming telephone calls were expected, there could be a need to increase call-takers – but any increase would also require additional work stations as well . The work station limitation also has an impact on dispatchers who “control” field units. If the number of field units increases significantly with no increase in dispatcher capacity, officers will have difficulty getting through to Dispatch for both routine and emergency communications. Reportedly, during shift overlaps, the radio channels are quite crowded now. In the two staffing scenarios that recommend an increase in patrol officers, we also recommend an increase in dispatchers (in combination with additional radio channels and dispatch work stations) to handle the increased radio traffic. It might seem that Records Unit staffing could be established according to the number of incoming reports. If this were the only factor, we would expect no recommended change in staffing levels. However, two factors are key ingredients in determining how many positions should be allocated to Records: the work performed that is not directly related to incoming reports and technology. Our review of the Records Unit indicates that its staffing includes resources for handling the front desk seven days per week, 24 hours per day, as well as processing fines and fees. If Records is assigned new tasks, or if current tasks are reassigned outside of Records, there would be an impact on the work performed by Records. Technology plays a big factor in Records personnel staffing. As the department moves to increase automation and integrate diverse systems, there should be less work for Records. For example, if the department were to use the Tiburon RMS module for officer report writing rather The Police Executive Research Forum Page 152 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 than the incompatible Packet Writer system, Records staff would need no time to convert data from Packet Writer so it matches the format required by the Tiburon system. For some units (SRO, SAU and Vice) we make recommendations to allocate non-sworn positions so that officers can perform field duties rather than clerical tasks. A new civilian position is recommended for the CACU to deal with missing persons cases; a manager position is recommended for Dispatch to provide oversight and continuity between the shifts. New positions are recommended for Evidence and Data Systems because of the expanded workload in those units. Our recommendations for non-sworn staffing are based on these unit-by-unit reviews rather than on an ideal department-wide ratio of sworn to non-sworn personnel. These reviews will provide better non-sworn staffing recommendations than an overall ratio. THE IMPACT OF CUT BACKS The sections above dealt with the RFP requirements that optimal staffing be examined, recommendations for how staff should deployed when positions can return to pre-2009 levels and for the use of non-sworn employees. Discussion in this report has included expansion of community policing with existing resources and on implementing CompStat to improve the APD’s ability to put police officers where the crime is. This section addresses the impact of three potential cut-back scenarios: decreases of 20, 30, and 40 sworn positions. 1. Decrease of 20 Sworn Positions: This should be accomplished by eliminating 12 detective positions and eight traffic positions. In previous sections of this report, investigative workload is compared to the number of investigative positions. Even given the recommendation that the victims in every currently unassigned case be contacted, there are still “extra” detective positions. Under this cut-back scenario, current practices should be retained, meaning no victim contact on unassigned cases would be necessary. By staffing according to case workload, 12 detective positions would be unnecessary. Decreases by unit would be: The Police Executive Research Forum Page 153 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 • • • • • • • Burglary: Assault/Robbery Homicide Financial Crimes Theft CACU SVU -1 -2 -2 -1 -2 -2 -2 One impact of these decreases would be an increase is caseloads. The next table shows that the increase in caseloads would be modest, except for Theft. The number of cases to be handled by the Theft Unit would be more in line with theft caseloads typically found in other agencies. Detective Average Case Load Per Month – Current and Cutback Unit Assigned Case Per Year Current Staff Burglary Assault and Robbery Homicide Financial Crimes Theft CAC SVU 374 260 6 6 143 242 284 401 403 7 5 4 8 8 45 Current Average Cases/Month 5.2 3.6 1.7 4.0 5.9 4.2 4.2 Cutback Staff 5 4 5 4 2 6 6 32 Cutback Average Cases/Month 6.2 5.4 2.4 5.0 11.8 5.6 5.6 Reducing the number of traffic officers by eight will decrease the resources devoted to calls for service response and to self-initiated activity. Based on the CFS data, a reduction of eight traffic officers would increase the average calls for service workload by 21 hours per week. The amount of patrol officer time consumed by calls for service would increase from 46% to 46.4%, What is less clear is what the impact of decreasing traffic officers would be on revenues. A large portion of traffic officer workload is self-initiated vehicle stops, which often lead to the issuance of citations. Patrol officers would need to be directed in increase their traffic enforcement activities. Although the primary purpose of traffic law enforcement is to reduce collisions, a decrease in revenue may be a concern during times of tight budgets. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 154 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 2. Decrease of 30 Sworn Positions: This scenario would involve a decrease of 12 detective positions, eight traffic positions and ten patrol officer positions. This would increase the average weekly patrol officer calls for service time from 46.4 % to 50.4%. The next table shows the impact of adding traffic calls for service time and decreasing the patrol force by ten: two officers on midnight, four on days, and four on swing shift. WITH 10 PATROL OFFICER REDUCTION WITH TRAFFIC REDUCTION Anchorage Average Patrol Time Consumed by Calls for Service Hour Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri 0000 35.3% 42.3% 39.3% 35.3% 40.7% 42.1% 0100 103.2% 66.4% 71.1% 62.8% 74.4% 71.4% 0200 89.4% 58.0% 62.0% 59.3% 66.1% 63.8% 0300 80.9% 54.7% 53.9% 55.7% 61.4% 60.9% 0400 76.9% 43.0% 43.6% 44.9% 50.9% 52.4% 0500 67.5% 32.3% 31.1% 34.0% 39.9% 38.4% 0600 48.0% 24.0% 22.0% 26.7% 32.4% 26.5% 0700 24.9% 16.4% 16.8% 17.6% 22.3% 20.6% 0800 25.5% 23.2% 22.6% 24.4% 27.5% 27.1% 0900 51.5% 48.0% 46.6% 51.6% 53.4% 50.0% 1000 52.8% 46.7% 48.2% 52.1% 51.6% 50.5% 1100 50.6% 49.2% 50.8% 48.6% 47.3% 48.6% 1200 49.4% 46.4% 47.3% 46.2% 52.8% 52.2% 1300 55.2% 55.3% 53.6% 55.3% 62.2% 59.0% 1400 63.7% 62.7% 61.1% 62.5% 66.3% 69.2% 1500 42.0% 35.5% 34.4% 34.9% 35.8% 41.0% 1600 46.0% 46.5% 42.7% 41.8% 42.8% 48.2% 1700 77.5% 82.5% 75.9% 74.8% 77.8% 83.8% 1800 74.8% 79.7% 74.8% 72.6% 76.2% 78.1% 1900 65.2% 72.1% 61.6% 63.4% 71.9% 67.4% 2000 61.3% 61.9% 52.9% 57.1% 62.0% 62.5% 2100 66.2% 60.0% 56.5% 56.5% 59.1% 65.7% 2200 70.4% 68.3% 61.6% 68.5% 64.8% 70.2% 2300 41.1% 41.9% 39.2% 39.5% 41.1% 44.0% Sat 44.5% 80.7% 75.5% 78.6% 81.4% 69.1% 48.8% 26.0% 27.8% 60.3% 58.0% 57.6% 58.6% 65.5% 70.4% 45.6% 49.5% 81.3% 78.1% 69.4% 64.4% 66.6% 72.9% 49.1% The number of time blocks with over 60% time consumed increases from 41 to 67. In some blocks – especially those will values over 100%, patrol will need help responding from supervisors, specials units, or from overtime officers. They may not have enough time to fully process one call before they have to respond to the next. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 155 Anchorage Staffing and Deployment Study August 2010 3. Decrease of 40 Sworn Positions: In this scenario, there would be a decrease of 12 detective positions, eight traffic positions and 20 patrol officer positions. This would increase the average weekly patrol officer calls for service time from 46.4 % to 55.3%. The next table shows the impact of reducing the adding traffic calls for service time and decreasing the patrol force by 20: four on midnights, eight on days, and eight on swing shift. WITH 20 PATROL OFFICER REDUCTION WITH TRAFFIC REDUCTION Anchorage Average Patrol Time Consumed by Calls for Service Hour Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri 0000 38.3% 45.9% 42.7% 38.5% 44.3% 45.6% 0100 110.3% 71.0% 76.2% 67.4% 79.7% 76.3% 0200 95.6% 62.0% 66.4% 63.7% 70.8% 68.2% 0300 86.5% 58.5% 57.7% 59.8% 65.8% 65.1% 0400 82.2% 46.0% 46.7% 48.2% 54.6% 56.1% 0500 72.1% 34.5% 33.4% 36.5% 42.8% 41.1% 0600 51.3% 25.7% 23.5% 28.7% 34.8% 28.3% 0700 27.1% 17.9% 18.4% 19.3% 24.4% 22.5% 0800 27.8% 25.4% 24.7% 26.7% 30.0% 29.5% 0900 57.5% 53.6% 52.0% 57.6% 59.5% 55.7% 1000 58.9% 52.0% 53.8% 58.1% 57.5% 56.3% 1100 56.5% 54.8% 56.6% 54.2% 52.7% 54.2% 1200 55.1% 51.7% 52.7% 51.5% 58.9% 58.2% 1300 61.6% 61.7% 59.8% 61.7% 69.4% 65.8% 1400 71.0% 69.9% 68.1% 69.7% 74.0% 77.1% 1500 46.6% 39.3% 38.2% 38.7% 39.6% 45.4% 1600 51.1% 51.5% 47.4% 46.4% 47.3% 53.3% 1700 85.5% 91.0% 83.7% 82.5% 85.6% 92.1% 1800 82.5% 88.0% 82.5% 80.1% 83.8% 85.9% 1900 71.9% 79.6% 68.0% 69.9% 79.1% 74.1% 2000 67.6% 68.3% 58.4% 63.0% 68.2% 68.7% 2100 73.1% 66.2% 62.3% 62.3% 65.0% 72.3% 2200 77.7% 75.3% 68.0% 75.6% 71.2% 77.2% 2300 44.7% 45.6% 42.7% 43.0% 44.6% 47.6% Sat 48.2% 86.0% 80.6% 83.8% 86.9% 73.7% 52.0% 28.3% 30.3% 67.3% 64.7% 64.3% 65.3% 73.1% 78.6% 50.5% 54.8% 89.5% 85.9% 76.4% 70.9% 73.2% 80.2% 53.3% The number of time blocks with over 60% time consumed increases from 41 to 80. This represents almost half of the weekly 168 time blocks. The Police Executive Research Forum Page 156