Police Department: 18 not enough. Now we need 30.

No joke. The other shoe has dropped.

DATE: September 7, 2007
TO: Dave Cieslewicz, Mayor
FROM: Noble Wray, Chief of Police
SUBJECT: Revised 2008 Police Staffing Proposal

As you know, police managers have been meeting to discuss staffing issues, particularly in response to input received at recent community meetings. Although the supplemental requests included as part of the 2008 Police Department Operating Budget request were substantial, they outlined only the minimum number of positions needed to begin to address the many issues facing the Police Department. As a result of our review of overall staffing needs, the Police Management Team met with you on August 28 and outlined a staffing proposal which would provide a more effective citywide police approach to these challenges. Since that meeting, the cost estimates were reviewed, and in an effort to reduce the funding requirements, the proposal has been adjusted.

I’m submitting this memo in order to clarify the overall police needs, and ensure that both the proposal and its costs are clearly articulated. The following are the three components to the proposal:

– Supplemental requests submitted with the Madison Police Department (MPD) 2008 Operating Budget proposal: The first sixteen original supplemental requests continue to be our top priorities for funding for 2008. A minimum of 18 officers, and additional promoted positions, civilian positions, and vehicles are essential in order to maintain our current level of service. The issues of overtime and vacation convert-to-pay funding (supplements #17 and #18) are the subject of ongoing discussions, so the priority need for this funding is not addressed. The only change to these supplemental requests relates to the proposal to Civilianize the Records Manager position. In order to reduce costs, we have determined that this request could be postponed until 2009. Therefore, we are withdrawing Supplemental Request #8. (Please note: we originally proposed withdrawing supplemental request #5, but further evaluation indicates we could achieve the same goal, with a greater savings, if request #8 was withdrawn instead.)

– New proposal for additional staff in 2008: In order to sufficiently address current issues that have been identified during citywide community listening sessions, the Management Team has determined that a total of an additional 30 officer positions are needed. Since the supplemental requests provide for only 18 officers, this new proposal requests 12 more officers. Although many of these positions are needed now, the current Academy cycle would not provide any additional officers available for service until February of 2009. Therefore, this proposal to add 12 officers includes a plan to introduce an “accelerated” Preservice Academy. This Academy would begin in February and would be open to qualified applicants that are currently sworn law enforcement personnel from other agencies. Since the program is condensed due to prior training, these recruits will be available for assignment in late June of 2008. As always, if we add personnel, we will also need to add vehicles. In reviewing recent vehicle acquisitions, and considering the supplemental requests for vehicles already submitted, it was determined that an additional two vehicles would be needed if these positions were added.

– Possible additional civilianization of positions in 2008: In addition to the above requests, the Department is analyzing Court Services functions to determine whether or not additional civilian personnel could be added so that sworn personnel could be utilized in other positions. If it is determined that any of these positions could be civilianized, that proposal would be submitted at a later time.

The overall staffing plan if entirely adopted would be a significant increase to the Department. However, in reviewing citywide service needs, as well as current issues, we believe this increase is needed. As noted in my letter accompanying the MPD 2008 Operating Budget request, in order to reach a 1.9 ratio for the projected city population in 2008, an additional 27 sworn positions need to be approved. However, only 12 of these officers will be available in 2008, which is well short of the 1.9 ratio. The remaining 18 will be used for 2009 staffing, and estimated population projections indicate we would need to add a total of 32 officer positions in 2008 to be at the 1.9 ratio. So in effect, by adding the 30 requested positions on the timeline outlined above, the MPD will remain 2 positions under the 1.9 ratio of personnel available for assignment in 2009.

To clarify, if this plan is adopted, the earliest any additional staff would be available is the end of June 2008. The overall plan would not be completely implemented until February 2009. If the City delays hiring until the 2009 budget cycle, the new officers would not be available for assignment until 2010. Our primary goal is to enhance public safety in each police district through the allocation of these additional resources. The areas of assignment that we are currently considering include the following:

Strengthening our Community Policing Teams (CPT)
Assigning an officer to focus on citywide gang-related issues
Assigning additional neighborhood officers
Adding additional patrol officers
Supplementing the Department’s training staff
Supplementing the Traffic Enforcement Safety Team

Although this list includes a preliminary outline of potential position assignments, the final determination will be dependent on the actual issues at the time the officers are available for assignment, as well as the number of vacancies and/or staff unavailable for full-duty assignments.

Again, it will be necessary to adopt the entire plan to add 30 officers, fund promoted positions, add civilians, and purchase vehicles in order to begin to address all of the issues outlined above.

The cost for the original supplemental requests (excluding the requests for overtime and vacation convert-to-pay) is $1,449,685. The cost for the new proposal to add 12 officers in an accelerated Academy, to remove the request to Civilianize the Records Manager, and to add vehicles for these additional officers is $848,225. Thus, the total cost for additional staff, vehicles, and training is $2,297,910.

If it is determined that two Court Services positions currently filled by police officers can be civilianized, a proposal will be submitted in 2008 for approximately $99,450 (at 2007 rates).

If it is determined that the requests for overtime and vacation convert-to-pay should be funded, the total current budget proposal would be $2,934,580 (which excludes the Court Services positions outlined above).

Again, I realize that the fiscal issues facing the City may impact your ability to provide the funding that would be needed for this entire proposal. However, it is my responsibility, as Chief of Police, to outline a proposal that I believe would more sufficiently address the city’s public safety issues.

I look forward to the ongoing discussions with you and other elected officials throughout the budget process.

cc: All Alders
Police Management Team