[Archived] Question #46: Provide the expenditure impacts of the following options (new hires, a hotline/reward system, other initiatives) for removing illegal firearms from our community.

Question:

Can you provide the expenditure impacts of the following options for removing illegal firearms from our community:

1. The addition of a new detective within the Alexandria Police Department to investigate and resolve firearm-related crimes.
2. The addition of personnel or overtime within the Alexandria Police Department or the Alexandria Sheriff’s Department to expand warrant service activity and arrest those wanted individuals who may be present in our community.
3. The creation of a hotline and reward system for information leading the removal of illegal firearms or individuals illegally possessing firearms.
4. Any other initiatives our Police Department, Sheriff’s Department or Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office believe may result in reducing the number of illegal firearms in our community
   

Response:

1. The expenditure impact of the addition of a new detective within the Alexandria Police Department to investigate and resolve firearm-related crimes. 
   
   The cost of an additional detective, hired at a Grade 12, Step 11, would be $127,540 for salary and benefits. 

2. The expenditure impact of the addition of personnel or overtime within the Alexandria Police Department or the Alexandria Sheriff’s Department to expand warrant service activity and arrest those wanted individuals who may be present in our community.
   
   Alexandria Police Department is currently running a warrant detail using Patrol officers and detectives that are temporarily assigned to this work detail. The financial impact of making this temporary assignment a permanent work detail would require the addition of five FTEs: one sergeant and four police officers. The average sergeant costs approximately $163,000 while the average Police Officer I costs approximately $90,000. Altogether, making this unit permanent would cost roughly $523,000.
3. The expenditure impact of the creation of a hotline and reward system for information leading the removal of illegal firearms or individuals illegally possessing firearms.
   
   While Alexandria Police Department does not currently have a tip-line in place specifically designated for firearm-related information, they have a non-emergency phone line that is staffed by the Telephone Reporting Unit (TRU). TRU creates a report for each call and if necessary, will involve detectives/officers to follow-up on the information. Presently, this phone line is used for cases such as: theft, vandalism, hit and runs, identity theft, harassment, lost property, and tampering with auto. This phone line could theoretically be used to address illegal firearm activities at no additional cost.
4. The expenditure impact of any other initiatives our Police Department, Sheriff’s Department or Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office believe may result in reducing the number of illegal firearms in our community
   
   The Sheriff’s Office previously scheduled a day dedicated to having residents turn guns in. Most of these firearms were old or junk. A buy-back program where cash or gift cards are exchanged for the gun is a potential option. Prince George’s County hosts a buyback program in which gift cards worth up to $175 are given out in exchange for firearms. Shotguns and rifles are exchanged for $75, handguns for $125, and automatic/semi-automatic guns for $175. In 2013, this program resulted in gift card totals of $150,000 being given to those that anonymously exchanged guns. However, the Sheriff’s Office would need to determine the scope of the problem, costs, and benefits before proposing actual recommendations.
   
   The Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney suggests the creation of a joint-taskforce in which officers/deputies focus on gun offenses and warrant services. This idea would require the addition of at least one FTE in the role of a prosecutor for the Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney. Including benefits, the prosecutor would cost approximately $130,000 annually. Additional research would need to be conducted to determine the scope of need in terms of officers/deputies that would serve on this taskforce and the associated costs that would come with it. In CY 2017, there were approximately 45-50 firearms offenses, including 24 felony offenses. The Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney projects that the creation of a joint-taskforce could result in an increase of 25-50% in terms of firearms cases.

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