Translate[Archived] Question #32: Provide an overall update as to the implementation of the IACP staffing study which recommends the addition of 6 FTE Traffic Safety Sworn Officers?
Question:
The proposed budget includes the addition of 6 FTE Traffic
Safety Sworn Officers as an effort to implement the IACP recommended staffing
levels. Can you please provide an overall update as to the implementation of
the recommendations of that staffing study?
Response:
During
the 2016 International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) study, the Motor Unit was comprised of 10
officers. Their responsibilities consisted of traffic enforcement
throughout the City with a focus on traffic violations and monitoring the top
10 high-risk crash locations. The IACP’s recommendation was to revise the
mission of the Motors Unit to be the primary responders to motor vehicle
crashes and add an additional 6 traffic safety officers. To achieve the City’s
Vision Zero plan, six traffic safety sworn officers are being added in the
proposed 2019 budget, allowing APD to reach staffing standards recommended as a result of the IACP study.
The Motor Unit has been converted to the Traffic
Safety Section and is now comprised of 6 motors officers and two traffic safety
officers, plus two sergeants. Two motors officer positions have become vacant; one due to retirement and one due to an internal transfer.
Their schedule has increased from 5 days per week to 7 days per week in order to
achieve the Vision Zero plan. Additionally, they cover both morning rush hour and evening
rush hour. Once the proposed budget has been approved, a hiring process will be
opened for the additional 6 officer positions and the two positions which are currently
vacant.
In addition to addressing traffic safety, APD has acted on many of the other recommendations that came out of the IACP study. APD has restructured several units that previously were under the Operations Support Bureau and have placed them under the Patrol Bureau as recommended. The transfers into the Patrol Bureau have allowed APD to satisfy the recommendation of the IACP study, which was to achieve the targeted 30% obligated workload that was established by the IACP study. In FY 2018, APD established minimum patrol staffing, added overhires to the Patrol division to reduce vacancies, and established a new patrol schedule; all of these decisions were recommended by IACP. APD also requested and was granted a temporary reclassification of a position to add a sergeant to the Community-Oriented Policing Unit (COPS) with the objective of expanding community policing initiatives as recommended by the IACP study. Lastly, one computer forensic examiner has been added to the FY 2019 proposed budget in order to add redundancy to the electronic forensics area as recommended. APD has not yet implemented all of the recommendations of the IACP staffing study; however, the department is committed and will continue to explore avenues to implementing more as needed.