Staffing Study For The Sheriff's Office And Communications Section .

Transcription

Staffing Study for the Sheriff’s Office andCommunications SectionCOUNTY OF SHENANDOAH, VIRGINIA201 San Antonio Circle, Suite 148Mountain View, California 94040650.858.0507March 2013

TABLE OF CONTENTSMarch 20131. INTRODUCTION12. ANALYSIS OF PATROL SERVICES43. ANALYSIS OF THE COMMUNICATIONS SECTION314. ANALYSIS OF THE COURT SERVICES SECTION415. ANALYSIS OF ANIMAL CONTROL SERVICES496. ANALYSIS OF THE JAIL SECTION53ATTACHMENT – DESCRIPTIVE PROFILE OF THE SCSO65

COUNTY OF SHENANDOAH, VIRGINIAStaffing Study for the Sheriff’s Office and Communications Section1.INTRODUCTIONMatrix Consulting Group was retained by the County of Shenandoah to conduct astaffing study of the Sheriff’s Office Patrol, Animal Control and Court Services functionsand the County Emergency Communications Center. The study also included analyzingoptions related to transporting arrested persons in relation the opening of a RegionalJail in 2014. The final report, which follows, presents the results of the study. Thisstudy, which began in the fall of 2012, was designed to provide an assessment of thestaffing levels of the operations listed above.In reaching the concluding point of the study, the project team has assembledthis final report, which summarizes our findings, conclusions and recommendationswhere appropriate.1.STUDY METHODOLOGYIn this Staffing Study, the Matrix Consulting Group project team utilized a widevariety of data collection and analytical techniques. The project team conducted thefollowing analytical activities: At the outset of the project, the study team interviewed the Sheriff and hismanagement team. The project team also interviewed the County Administratorand Assistant County Administrator. The purpose of these interviews was todevelop an initial understanding of the issues and background, which led to thisstudy. The project team conducted an intensive process of interviewing staff in everyfunction being examined in the Sheriff’s Office and Communications Section.These interviews included staff at every level in the organization – managers,supervisors and line staff. While on site, the project team collected a wide variety of data designed todocument workloads, costs, service levels and operating practices. The projectteam developed a descriptive summary, or profile, of each function within theMatrix Consulting GroupPage 1

COUNTY OF SHENANDOAH, VIRGINIAStaffing Study for the Sheriff’s Office and Communications Sectionorganization – reflecting organizational structure, staffing, workloads, servicelevels and programmatic objectives. To obtain input from external stakeholders interviews were conducted withCounty Judges from the Circuit and District Courts and members of the Board ofSupervisors. Throughout the process the project team reviewed findings, conclusions andrecommendations with a project steering committee.This study was comprehensive in method to meet a comprehensive scope ofwork.2.SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONSThe following recommendations are made in this report:PATROLChange Patrol Section operations from the current 10-hour shift schedule to a 12-hour shift schedule.Implement a “Power Shift” in the 12-hour schedule to maximize deputy availability during peak servicedemand times.Increase staffing in the Patrol Section by four (4) deputies, bringing the staffing from 16 to 20 patroldeputies. Annual cost of 215,787 in salaries and benefits.Develop a plan for deputies related to performance expectations during reactive and available timewhile on patrol.Reduce the current staffing of Sergeants from 5 to 4 upon implementation of the 12-hour shifts. Annualsavings of 59,819 in salary and benefit costs.Eliminate one (1) Patrol Lieutenant position upon filling the vacant Patrol Division Captain position.Annual savings of 67,005 in salary and benefit costs.Total annual cost of Patrol recommendations: 89,963.COMMUNICATIONSIncrease the staffing of the Emergency Communication Center by two (2) dispatchers. Annual cost of 82,585 in salaries and benefits.Total annual cost of Communications recommendations: 82,585COURT SERVICESAssign two (2) staff members to provide entrance monitoring and screening during peak AM and PMMatrix Consulting GroupPage 2

COUNTY OF SHENANDOAH, VIRGINIAStaffing Study for the Sheriff’s Office and Communications Sectiontraffic times and one (1) staff member to monitor the entrance during low traffic times and when Courtis not being held at the District Courthouse.Allocate an additional 39,920 to cover part-time salaries for the purposes of providing additional courtsecurity. We would recommend the addition of 4 part-time positions to cover the 2,045 hours of staffingrequired.Staff the positions in the monitoring rooms when Court is in session and prisoners are being held in theholding areas.Work with the individual Judges to determine staffing needs in the Courtroom by case type andschedule personnel to provide this base level of security.Conduct weekly meetings with the Judges to allow appropriate actions to be taken related to perceivedstaffing shortcomings in upcoming schedules.Retain the current staffing levels in prisoner transport until the relative roles and responsibilities relatedto the Regional Jail are clearly identified.ANIMAL CONTROLContinue with the current schedule of providing animal control services.Staff a part time ACO positions to provide coverage M-F during peak animal call times (9:00 am to 4:00pm) and during scheduled ACO vacancies. Estimated annual salary cost of 29,636.JAIL SECTIONCease jail operations upon the opening of the Regional Jail Facility and require arresting agencies totransport prisoners directly to the Regional Jail. Savings of 1,714,571 compared to FY2013 JailSection budget. Cost avoidance of 566,869 compared to operating a temporary holding facility.Matrix Consulting GroupPage 3

COUNTY OF SHENANDOAH, VIRGINIAStaffing Study for the Sheriff’s Office and Communications Section2.ANALYSIS OF PATROLThis report provides the project team’s analysis of the Patrol services that areprovided by the Shenandoah County Sheriff Office (SCSO). The workload informationutilized in this section was obtained from interviews with Division management,supervisory and line personnel, lead administrative staff and a review of documents andinformation from the Department’s varied information systems as well as the Countybased Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. This chapter is organized as follows: Current organization of the Patrol Services Overview of Matrix Consulting Group’s methodical approach Analysis of Patrol proactive time Analysis of Patrol staffing needsThe first section, which follows, provides a brief overview of the organization andoperations of the Patrol Division.1.OVERALL ORGANIZATIONPATROL SERVICES.ANDASSIGNMENTOFPERSONNELINThe Patrol Division is composed of two sections, Patrol and Support Services.The Division is lead by a Captain, which is currently a vacant position, with two (2)Patrol Lieutenants and one (1) Support Services Lieutenant leading each of thesections. The Support Services section will be discussed separately from Patrol FieldServices. There are 16 deputies scheduled to work in patrol field services. Patroldeputies work 10-hour overlapping shifts on A and B Squads to provide 24-hourcoverage with Sergeants working from 7:00 am – 3:00 am. Wednesday is an overlapday with 1 overlap day dedicated to training for each Squad per month. A total of fourMatrix Consulting GroupPage 4

COUNTY OF SHENANDOAH, VIRGINIAStaffing Study for the Sheriff’s Office and Communications Section(4) sergeants are assigned to patrol to provide field supervision. Currently there is a 5thSergeant assigned to patrol until promotions are made to staff the unfilled Captainposition. Lieutenants work hours vary, but they typically work days and fill in onevenings if there is a Sergeant vacancy. The following table reflects the basic shiftdeployment program used to schedule personnel in the Patrol Section.Shift0600 - 1600 hrs0700 - 1700 hrs1400 - 2400 hrs1600 - 0200 hrs1700 - 0300 hrs2000 - 0600 hrs2200 - 0800 hrsSCSO Shift Deployment# Sergeants Deployed0100100# Deputies Deployed202101A/2B1A/0BAs shown the start and end times vary for all personnel assigned to the patrolsection. SCSO operates with three distinct patrol areas. Generally there is a North Area,South Area and Central Area. At times when staffing levels fall to two patrol deputiesthe County is divided into a North and South Area. Minimum staffing is two deputies atany given time. The town of Woodstock serves as the dividing area between the Northand South sections of the County.2.OVERVIEW OF THE MATRIX CONSULTING GROUP’S PATROL STAFFINGMETHODOLOGICAL APPROACH.While it would be useful to identify a “golden rule” of law enforcement staffingneeds, the utilization of comparative or per capita measures do not provide for anappropriate evaluation of field staffing needs, nor should it be used as the primary basisfor a local government to measure the effectiveness of law enforcement services. As aresult, the Matrix Consulting Group does not use a “per capita” or “per 1,000” ratio as ananalytical tool in assessing field staffing needs, for the following reasons:Matrix Consulting GroupPage 5

COUNTY OF SHENANDOAH, VIRGINIAStaffing Study for the Sheriff’s Office and Communications Section Ratios do not consider the seriousness of the workload levels of the jurisdictionsbeing compared. For example, the crime rate should be considered in anycomparative analysis of workloads, specifically, the number of serious crimes in acommunity (e.g., homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motorvehicle theft, and larceny). Ratios do not consider a jurisdiction’s approach to alternative service delivery or“differential law enforcement response.” The use of civilian personnel, or lackthereof, to handle community-generated calls for service and other workloadshas great potential to impact the staffing levels of sworn personnel. The level /amount of civilians (i.e., community service officers, telephone reporting, onlineservices, etc.) can be used to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of swornpersonnel handling higher priority calls in a community. These resources are notcalculated in staffing ratios. Ratios do not consider the differences in service levels selected, or capabilities,which a jurisdiction may have for their law enforcement services (e.g.,community-oriented or problem-solving oriented, a reactive versus proactivephilosophy, the utilization of County-wide resources in solving problems, etc.).All of which add to the inability to compare the necessary number of field patrolpersonnel. Ratios do not consider other differences which have an impact on regular patrolstaffing needs such as existence of special enforcement / support units as wellas operational approaches (e.g., the use of field citations versus arrests, manualversus automated and field reporting systems, and whether patrol deputies areexpected to follow-up on certain investigations). Ratios do not take into account topographical differences (i.e., square miles of aservice area) and other response impediments, which can impact patrol staffingneeds.For these reasons, the project team does not use “per capita” or “per 1,000residents” ratios as a way for our clients to measure effectiveness in providing lawenforcement services, or as a determinant in developing staffing needs. The projectteam’s analysis of the SCSO considers the need for a balance of community-generatedworkloads and the availability of proactive time to generate activities; while consideringthe importance of deputy safety. The following subsections describe this analyticalprocess.Matrix Consulting GroupPage 6

COUNTY OF SHENANDOAH, VIRGINIAStaffing Study for the Sheriff’s Office and Communications Section(1)The Analysis of Field Patrol Resource Requirements Should Be Based onActual Workloads Handled and Appropriate Targets of Proactivity.The Matrix Consulting Group utilizes a method in which the number of fieldpersonnel required is based on an analysis of the unique workloads and service levelrequirements of a community. In order to evaluate these resources and staffing issues,the project team conducted a data collection and analytical effort focusing on: Determining community generated workloads in the detail necessary tounderstand the work volume and the time required to handle it. Call for serviceworkloads are a critical first element in this analysis – while field personnel havechoices in how calls are handled, they must be handled in some way. Targeting an amount of time to be proactive in a directed kind of way (i.e., specialenforcement of high-crime areas, etc.). Proactivity is the centerpiece of ouranalytical method because without it, field services will not be effective inaddressing the problems to which they are responding. The field resources used to handle calls for service and proactive workloadsbased on deputy availability levels (after taking into account personnel time forvacation, sick, etc.). Deployment and scheduling utilized by the Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office. Maintaining a deployment that would help reduce risk and maintain Deputy safetylevels.The project team employed a model based on these decision points in evaluatingfield staffing for the SCSO, in terms of workload, service levels, and overall operations.The following section identifies and discusses the various characteristics and elementsof the field-staffing model, and how reactive and proactive time is calculated.(2)Key Workload and Data Inputs Utilized in the MCG Patrol Staffing Model.Deputies dedicate time to responding and handling community-generated callsfor service, as well as related activities, including reports, arrests / bookings, back-upassistance, etc., as well as the associated time commitments for these elements.Matrix Consulting GroupPage 7

COUNTY OF SHENANDOAH, VIRGINIAStaffing Study for the Sheriff’s Office and Communications SectionThese elements are the foundation of deriving the total field staffing levels required,based on desired service levels. In effect, patrol-staffing levels are ultimately driven bythe patrol deputy’s time, which can be classified in two categories. These elements aredescribed in the following subsections.(2.1) Calls for Service and Proactive Workloads.The initial critical data input required to evaluate field resources is to documentthe types and amount of work handled by patrol deputies in the field. There are twokinds of activity handled by patrol deputies: Reactive Workloads – handling requests for service. Proactive Workloads – The consequence of having uncommitted time in thefield, time which should be directed and measured. Deputies can perform trafficenforcement, business and neighborhood checks, serve warrants and protectiveorders and focus on improving the perceptions of crime in Shenandoah Countyduring this available time.The following points are noted with respect to response-oriented or reactive time. This is a primary mission of any law enforcement field patrol force. Clearly defined areas of responsibility (e.g., beats) and clearly defined back-uprelationships are a core concept for consistent ‘committed time’ service delivery. A Department should have clearly defined response policies in place – thisincludes: prioritization of calls, response time targets for each priority, back-uppolicies, and supervisor on-scene policies. In the absence of such formalpolicies, common practice, or ideally ‘best practice guidelines’ can be used. This Reactive or Committed time workload in many communities generallymakes up an average of between 40% and 60% of each deputy’s net availabletime per shift. This includes the time to prepare reports, transport and bookprisoners, and provide field back-up. The concept of Reactive (and Proactive)time is widely acknowledged by various established bodies, including theInternational Association of Chiefs of Police, Northwestern Universities PoliceAllocation Model, etc. Response times should also be determined as an output metric linked toperformance. Response time is reflective of the speed by which a unit is able torespond on-scene upon the citizenry requesting service.Matrix Consulting GroupPage 8

COUNTY OF SHENANDOAH, VIRGINIAStaffing Study for the Sheriff’s Office and Communications SectionThe calculation of reactive or committed time is one of the cornerstones to patrolstaffing level findings, conclusions and recommendations.The table, below, documents the distribution of citizen-generated calls for serviceby time of day and day of week from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012. The CADsystem data was used to determine the number of CFS. All animal related callsoccurring during normal Animal Control hours have been omitted from the data, as theywill be evaluated separately in this report. After hour animal calls where a deputyresponded are counted in the totals below.Shenandoah County Sheriff 2011 Community Generated Calls for 55554133997Matrix Consulting 2587208Page 9Avg. 119.75

COUNTY OF SHENANDOAH, VIRGINIAStaffing Study for the Sheriff’s Office and Communications SectionShenandoah County deputies responded to a total of 7,208 communitygenerated calls for service in 2012. The hourly distribution of the calls is shown in thegraph below. As the graph indicates, community-generated workload varies significantlythrough the day – from a low of 0.29 calls per hour during the early morning hours to ahigh of 1.4 calls per hour during the afternoon hours.Average Calls Per Hour - 20121.61.41.41.210.80.60.40.290.201 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24The next table displays the number of self-initiated activities by deputies by timeof day and day of week from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012.Shenandoah County Sheriff 2012 Self-Initiated Patrol Deputy 312247231222Matrix Consulting 519701924176315631302Avg. .283.57Page 10

COUNTY OF SHENANDOAH, VIRGINIAStaffing Study for the Sheriff’s Office and Communications 9238232493612404346495Avg. 127.38Shenandoah County deputies conducted a total of 46,495 self-initiated activities in2012. The hourly distribution of the self-initiated activities is shown in the graph below.As the graph indicates, self-initiated workload varies significantly through the day – froma low of 3.07 self-initiated activities during the 1600-hour and a high of 11.08 during the2300-hour. This is a positive trend as it indicates deputies are making good use of theiravailable proactive time when engaged in a community generated call.Average Self-Initiated Activity - 20121211.08108643.07201 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24All police service calls are not responded to equally in terms of urgency, speed orMatrix Consulting GroupPage 11

COUNTY OF SHENANDOAH, VIRGINIAStaffing Study for the Sheriff’s Office and Communications Sectionresources. Typically agencies will develop and utilize a ‘call prioritization’ system tomanage field resources. The priority classification system is described below: Priority 1 – High Priority Response (In progress calls; family fight; 911 callunknown nature; possible mentally ill person). Priority 2 – Priority Response (burglary or robbery alarm; suspicious vehicle,person or circumstances; disturbance). Priority 3 – Routine Response (loud noise or music; property damage accident;patrol check). Priority 4 – Routine Response (petty theft; meet person in lobby; auto burglary). Priority 5 – Delayed Response – Low Priority Incident (barking dog; misc. info.).The CAD data provided from the County did not have a call priority listed for thecommunity-generated calls for service. During interviews it was learned that dispatchersdefer to the Sergeants to prioritize calls and assign a deputy. Deputies are unable tosee “stacked” calls on their mobile data terminal (MDT) and must rely on the Sergeantto determine the highest priority call in the stack. This process should be replaced bydeveloping a call priority system similar to the one above, which would allow dispatchpersonnel to assign calls to patrol deputies by priority. The following table shows themost common community generated calls for service in Shenandoah County.Calls for Service by Type SCSO - 2012TypeCount % of TotalSuspicious Person6559.09%Assist Citizen5727.94%Animal c Complaint3524.88%Domestic Dispute2863.97%Larceny2713.76%Civil Matter2493.45%Mutual Aid2433.37%9112423.36%Motor Vehicle Collision2112.93%Matrix Consulting GroupPage 12

COUNTY OF SHENANDOAH, VIRGINIAStaffing Study for the Sheriff’s Office and Communications SectionFraudWelfare 09%1.87%31.90%100.0%As shown above (highlighted) several of the most common call types respondedto by deputies would be classified as a priority 1 or priority 2 call.(2.2) Call for Service Response TimesWhile not directly an element in our methodology, the measurement of responsetime is a common and useful element in understanding the service delivery picture,including the adequacy of field resources and their effectiveness. During interviews theissues of lengthy response times and calls “stacking” were raised several times. Thefollowing table shows the percentage of calls for service that were dispatched andresponded to within various time ranges. The “Call Processing Time” is the time fromreceipt of the call until a deputy is dispatched. “Travel Time” is from the time the call isdispatched until the arrival of the first deputy on scene. “Total Response” time is thetime the call is received in dispatch until the arrival of the deputy and is often viewed bythe caller as the true response time.Response Time Breakdown by Category 2012Time in Minutes0:00 – 0:591:00 – 1:592:00 – 2:593:00 – 3:594:00 – 4:595:00 – 5:596:00 – 6:597:00 – 7:598:00 – 9:5910:00 – 14:5915:00 – 299146Matrix Consulting .09%4.15%2.03%Response Time CategoryTravelTime%Total Response 6930 18.84%900690 7.35%16.30%13.80%Page 13

COUNTY OF SHENANDOAH, VIRGINIAStaffing Study for the Sheriff’s Office and Communications Section20:00 – 29:291872.59%817 14.80%1,014 18.36%30:00 3224.47%802 14.52%1,265 22.91%No Time RecordedN/AN/A1,686 23.39%*1,686 23.39%*Total Number7,208100%5,522100%5,522100%* No arrival time recorded in CAD. May have been disregarded prior to arrival. Removed from totalAs this table shows, SCSO units are responding to community-generated callsfor service within 5 minutes to 9.88% of calls, within 10 minutes to 28.63% of the calls,within 15 minutes to 44.93% of the calls, within 20 minutes to 58.73% of the calls andover 20 minutes to the remaining 41.27% of the calls.The long call-processing times and overall response times indicate that thenumber of deputies on duty is lower than the number required to provide immediate andrapid response to emergency situations in Shenandoah County.(2.3) Call for Service Handling TimesAn important element in our patrol staffing analysis relates to call for servicehandling time – the elapsed time between the deputy being dispatched and thecompletion of service for that call. The calculations for the call handling times showedthat the average time a deputy took to complete a call for service was 59.1 minutes forthe primary deputy. This is longer than the typical call handling time experienced by theproject team, but is largely due to the long travel times associated with call response inShenandoah County.# of CFSAverage Call Handling Time7,20859.1 minutesDeputies also respond as backup units to assist the primary deputy on manycalls for service. The CAD system used by the SCSO captures the number of callswhere deputies respond as a back-up Officer and also the amount of time deputiesMatrix Consulting GroupPage 14

COUNTY OF SHENANDOAH, VIRGINIAStaffing Study for the Sheriff’s Office and Communications Sectionspend as a back-up Officer. The CAD data showed that there was a 61% back-up rateto calls for service in 2012. This means that an average of 1.61 Officers responded toeach call for service in 2012. This average backup rate is near the back up rate theproject team has seen in other departments. The project team uses an average time forthe back-up Officer of 75% of the primary deputy’s call handling time – in Shenandoahthis equals 44.3 minutes.(2.4) Analytical Elements CompiledThe table, below, shows each of the time elements described in this reportrelating to the time spent by deputies responding to citizen generated calls for service:Factor in Call ForService Handling TimePrimary Unit HandlingTime (dispatch toclear)Average Back-up Unitsper Call for ServiceAverage Time Back-upUnit(s) at Scene perCallAverage Time All Unitsat SceneReport Writing TimeReport Writing Callsfor Service AllocationJail Run Time Calls forService AllocationHow Data Was DeterminedBenchmark based on MCGexperience. Data based oncalendar 2012 calls for servicederived from CAD data.Benchmark based on MCGexperience. Data based oncalendar 2012 CAD data.Benchmark based on MCGnational experience of 50 75% of Primary Unit Time atscene. Data based onsampling indicates units spendapproximately 75% of totalprimary unit time at scene.Sum of Primary and AverageBack-up.Benchmark data based onother departments and SCSOinterviews.Benchmark based on MCGnational experience. Based on2012 SCSO # of Reportwritten.Based on 534 arrestsallocated to each calls forservice.Benchmark30-40 minutes/callSCSO TimeRequired59.1 minutes/call0.50 units/call0.61 units/call15.0-30.0minutes/call44.3 minutes/call45:00-70.0 min/call86.145 min/report45 min/report25%-50% of CFSwill have report.26.1 min/call50 minutes perbooking7.56 min/callTOTAL FIELD TIME DEDICATED PER CALL FOR SERVICEMatrix Consulting Group119.8 Mins / CallPage 15

COUNTY OF SHENANDOAH, VIRGINIAStaffing Study for the Sheriff’s Office and Communications SectionAs shown above, the project team determined that the average handling time percall was 119.8 minutes from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012. This includes timespent by all units and includes travel time, on-scene time, arrest time, and reportingwriting time.(2.5) Deputy AvailabilityThe second important workload element is the amount of time available for fieldpersonnel. The table, below, provides the calculation of the “net availability” of patroldeputies together with the source of the data or assumption utilized. The project teamdefines net availability as the number of hours that a deputy is available to perform keyroles and responsibilities after the impact of leaves and administrative responsibilitieshave been subtracted from gross scheduled hours.Calendar Year 2012Est. Hours/Patrol DeputySourceGross Hours Scheduled2,080PayrollUse of Leave (i.e., vacation, sick, holiday)Total Unavailable Hours After Leave254.5254.5Time SheetNet Hours Worked1,825.5Above Calcs% Annual Availability87.7%Above CalcsAbove CalcsHours Lost (meals, briefing, fueling etc) @ 1.5 hours/avail shift211InterviewTraining96Training tal Available Hours Per Year5341,242Arrest Data% Net Annual Availability59.7%Above CalcsAbove CalcsThe table, above, shows that the average patrol deputy in the SCSO is availablefor work in the field 1,242 hours during CY 2012. The points, below, expand on severalkey issues identified in the table:Matrix Consulting GroupPage 16

COUNTY OF SHENANDOAH, VIRGINIAStaffing Study for the Sheriff’s Office and Communications Section The calculations related to patrol deputies time sheets shows that they areavailable on average 1,826 hours annually after all leave categories have beenaccounted for. This is equivalent to approximately 88% of the time. Thisincludes the impact of the recorded leave types on the time sheets (vacation,sick, holiday, comp time, funeral, family, and overtime comp). The project team made a number of hypothesis regarding the impacts ofadministrative responsibilities, court, training as well as time off factorsassociated with meals, etc based on interviews and observations. Thesesuppositions are described below:-Meals and Breaks were assumed to take a total of 45 minutes per shiftactually worked (i.e., after regular days off, leave, training, m

The Support Services section will be discussed separately from Patrol Field Services. There are 16 deputies scheduled to work in patrol field services. Patrol . for a local government to measure the effectiveness of law enforcement services. As a result, the Matrix Consulting Group does not use a "per capita" or "per 1,000" ratio as an