CITY OF VANCOUVER
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: |
February 24, 2005 | |
Author: |
Daryl Wiebe/Annette Klein | |
Phone No.: |
717-2682/873-7789 | |
RTS No.: |
4908 | |
CC File No.: |
1376 | |
Meeting Date: |
March 3, 2005 |
TO: |
Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets |
FROM: |
City Manager and Chief Constable |
SUBJECT: |
Vancouver Police Department Staffing Review |
RECOMMENDATION
THAT Council receive for INFORMATION
A. The Independent Review of the Vancouver Police Department Long-Range Staffing Request.
B. The report from the City Manager and the Chief Constable on the recommendations from the Independent Review including:
The establishment of 92 additional sworn police positions and 54 additional full-time civilian positions for the Vancouver Police Department, at an estimated annual cost of $8,747,600 (pro-rated for fiscal 2005 at $3,367,100); one-time costs estimated at $1,134,000; and vehicle purchase costs of $1,284,000; and that approval and funding be deferred to the 2005 Interim Operating Budget.
AND FURTHER THAT
The regular full-time positions are established as follows:
i) 65 sworn police officers, with an estimated annual cost of $4,326,300, are to be added in 2005 (prorated funding for 2005 $1,787,700 and $493,800 one-time costs).
ii) 27 sworn police officers, with an estimated annual cost of $1,560,800 and $360,200 one-time costs, are to be added in January 2006, to be partially funded by overtime offsets to be determined later in 2005.
iii) 34 civilian positions (as detailed in Appendix A), with an estimated annual cost of $1,897,200 are to be added in 2005 with 20 positions to be converted from temporary to full time with $200,000 offset (prorated funding in 2005 at $1,579,400 plus $120,000 one-time costs, less $200,000 in temporary help funding).
iv) 20 civilian positions (as detailed in Appendix A), with an estimated annual cost of $982,500 and $160,000 one-time costs, are to be added in January 2006 with the Steering Committee reviewing existing processes through 2005 for efficiencies and shared services opportunities.
All vehicles are to be purchased by the Plant and Equipment Reserve (Plant Account), 19 in 2005 and 14 in 2006 based on the VPD Master Schedule, at a total cost of cost of $668,000 and $616,000 respectively and are to be funded by the Vancouver Department through increased rental rates of $285,000 in 2005 and $141,400 in 2006.
33 radios and 10 patrol laptops are to be purchased through E-Comm and added to the annual levy at a cost of $72,800 in 2005 and $22,400 in 2006.
All Civilian positions will be subject to General Manager of Human Resources classification review.
C. THAT Council direct the Steering Committee to report back in late 2005 on projected overtime savings, shared services opportunities and other potential efficiencies relative to the 2006 staffing request, and;
D. THAT Council direct the Steering Committee to continue to implement the recommendations of the independent consultants, as outlined on pages xx through xxii of the Executive Summary of the Review of the Vancouver Police Department's Staffing Requirements; and approve a temporary full time position to report directly to Corporate Services Group for a two year term to oversee the implementation process at a cost of $85,000 per year; funding be deferred to the 2005 Interim Operating Budget.
CITY MANAGER'S COMMENT
In the spring of 2004 the Vancouver Police Department embarked on a strategic planning exercise as well as a study to identify the Department's overall staffing requirements. The result was the issuance of the Vancouver Police Department 2004 - 2008 Strategic Plan and the development of a long-range staffing plan. The long-range staffing plan identified the need for an increase of 469 officers and 170 civilian staff over and above existing authorized levels of 1,124 and 231 respectively (an increase of 42% and 74% respectively).
As instructed by Council, a consultant (the University College of Fraser Valley) was jointly hired by the City and the Vancouver Police Board to independently evaluate the long-range staffing request in conjunction with the VPD Strategic Plan.
In completing the review, the consultants identified that in some cases, there was insufficient linkage between the VPD's Strategic Plan and the staffing request. Adding further complexity to the project, the consultants noted that the pertinent data necessary to evaluate the requested staffing, such as operational plans, workload statistics, benchmarks and performance targets was not available. This was due to either not having collected or developed the information in-house or not having sufficient time to gather the information in time for project completion. As a result, along with the compressed timeframe of the review (fall 2004 to February 2005), the consultants faced challenges in making specific recommendations on the VPD long-range staffing plan.
The consultants have clearly articulated that the Department needs to develop additional capacity to develop the necessary plans and information systems to provide the necessary information to effectively and efficiently utilize its resources and still meet strategic objectives. Part of that capacity would be to bolster the civilian resources within the Department's Planning and Research Department and is included in the recommended increase to civilian staffing in B iii).
The consultants have identified short-term and medium term planning that need to occur including:
· operational planning
· patrol staffing, deployment, scheduling and performance studies
· organizational review
· overtime utilization
· civilianization
Both the City Manager and the Chief Constable believe that the Steering Committee needs to continue its effort to jointly work towards a methodical and reasoned approach to implementing the Vancouver Police Department's strategic objectives. Therefore, it is important for Council to approve Recommendation D to enable the Steering Committee to work together to address the planning deficiencies. Recommendation D also includes the provision of a temporary research analyst within Corporate Services Group that will support the Steering Committee.
The work of the Steering Committee will concentrate on implementing strategies related to the Strategic Plan with a focus on efficiency and deployment opportunities. This will ultimately mitigate future resource requirements of the Police Department.
Staffing requests should be based on a deployment strategies that match the resource requirements needed to achieve agreed upon outcome objectives. However, in the absence of these outcome objectives, the consultants focused their recommendations on resource requirements based on the following criteria:
· high risk
· public safety
· increased civilian support
Just like the consultants, the Steering Committee had difficulty ascertaining the extent of the staffing requirements due to the challenges described above. The Steering Committee agreed to support the consultants' staffing recommendations, but to stage the increases over 2005 and 2006. The Steering Committee placed priority on the patrol, especially for District 1 and 2, critical investigations, and additional civilian support. This will result in positions being added to the Department over two years. The Steering Committee also committed to identifying savings from overtime reductions, shared services efficiency opportunities, and improved deployment strategies to offset the cost of the positions identified for 2006 in B ii) and B iv).
CHIEF CONSTABLE'S COMMENTS
The Vancouver Police Department has completed an internal staffing review and compiled a report recommending a considerable increase in both sworn police officers and civilian support personnel. This review recommended increases of 98 sworn police positions and 93 civilian support positions for 2005.
In partnership with the City of Vancouver, the Police Board entered into an agreement with the University College of the Fraser Valley for an independent review of our staffing needs. That review has been completed and the consultants have provided recommendations for immediate staffing increases to address critical service deficiencies. In addition, the consultants have also offered recommendations on how the Police Department can move forward over the coming year to allow us to better quantify other staffing deficiencies, some of which the consultants have identified as needing "urgent" examination.
The Police Department worked collaboratively with City staff, and there is collective agreement on the findings of the review. In addition, the Police Department is committed to continue working with City staff to find additional efficiencies and shared services opportunities where appropriate.
The Police Department is committed to doing whatever it can to meet the objectives in the Strategic Plan (2004-2008). The staffing increase, and the increased planning and analysis capacity, represents an investment that will greatly assist the Police Department in achieving our vision of "Canada's leader in policing - providing safety for all".
The Chief Constable recommends approval of Recommendations A, B, C and D.
COUNCIL POLICY
It is Council policy that changes in staffing levels, either increases or reductions, be approved by Council. This includes the creation and deletions of regular positions and the re-allocation of funding from revenues or taxation.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this report is to:
o Report back to Council on the independent staffing review of the Vancouver Police Department that was conducted by consultants from the University College of the Fraser Valley;
o Recommend increased staffing requirements for 2005 and 2006, including an examination of future efficiency opportunities to offset 2006 financial impacts;
o Outline processes and practices that the Vancouver Police Department will be undertaking both on a project and on-going basis;
o Describe the commitment to the on-going efforts by City Staff and the Vancouver Police Department to identify efficiencies and opportunities that benefit both the Police Department and the City.
BACKGROUND
In the spring of 2004, the Vancouver Police Department embarked on a strategic planning exercise and staffing review to identify the resource needs of the organization. A staffing report was prepared by the VPD identifying an increase of 469 sworn police officers and 170 civilian support staff over existing authorized levels of 1,124 and 231 respectively. The report included a five year phased approach to this request.
Council approved on March 9, 2004:
THAT Council, in consultation with the Vancouver Police Board, undertake an independent review of the Vancouver Police Department's Long Range Strategic Staffing Plan, including an evaluation of potential process improvements, and instruct the City Manager and the Chief Constable to report back to Council and the Police Board on the study scope, funding and results of the review.
Based on this instruction, a joint Steering Committee was established made up of senior City and Police personnel including:
Jim Chu, Deputy Chief Constable
Doug Lepard, Deputy Chief Constable
Brent MacGregor, Deputy City Manager
Estelle Lo, General Manager of Corporate Services Group/Director of Finance
A RFP process was initiated that resulted in the selection of the University College of the Fraser Valley (UCFV). UCFV completed the review and have identified the requirement for additional resources as well as the need to build capacity within the VPD to gather, analyze, and disseminate key information. This capacity would allow for better linkages between strategic plans, operational plans, workload statistics and other performance measures which ultimately will help the department achieve its strategic objectives in an efficient and effective manner.
DISCUSSION
1. Results from the Independent Review
The full report from UCFV is attached to this report. The consultants' approach to the review included:
· Reviewing the VPD's strategic plan
· Reviewing internal City documents
· Interviewing key VPD, City, Union, and Provincial personnel
· Reviewing reports from other police agencies
· Completion of a literature review
One of the key observations of UCFV is that VPD needs to develop a stronger ongoing capacity for data collection and analysis, performance monitoring, and program evaluation. It was this deficiency that made it difficult to ascertain the exact resource requirements and potential efficiencies that could be available without going through a thorough process and organizational review. To that end, the UCFV team included a number of short term and medium term recommendations that would help facilitate the development of this capacity within the department. Part of the recommended strategy is to increase the number of professional civilian positions that have the skills necessary to provide the high level analytical support that is essential for developing the kind of information systems and plans that are currently lacking within the Department.
Though having some difficulties in evaluating the staffing request from the department, UCFV has identified increased staffing needs based on the following criteria:
· high risk issues
· public safety issues
· increasing civilian support staff to improve its civilian to officer ratio, without duplicating services that can be obtained from the City's corporate services; and,
· areas that support strategic planning and transformation processes
Based on these criteria, the consultants recommended an increase of 92 sworn officers and 55 civilian staff.
Sworn Officers Civilian Staff
Operations 41 1
Investigations 46 35
Administration 5 19
Total 92 55
At the same time, the consultants made a number of key recommendations that would help the department meet its strategic objectives in a cost effective manner. These include, but are not limited to:
· developing operational plans;
· undertaking a patrol staffing, deployment, scheduling and performance studies, and;
· conducting an organizational review.
2. Recommendations of the Steering Committee
The Steering Committee agrees with the findings of the consultants. In particular, the Steering Committee recognizes that there is a crucial need for more comprehensive planning within the Department. To accomplish the needed planning outlined in the consultants report, the Department requires key civilian personnel with analytical expertise to further the Department's research capabilities.
The Steering Committee believes that the consultants' work is a significant step forward and will greatly assist in aligning VPD operations to its strategic objectives. However, this is only one step in a series of strategies that needs to take place. For this reason it is recommended that the Steering Committee continue on and be responsible for monitoring the implementation of the consultants' key recommendations on future planning efforts.
To facilitate work that needs to occur, it is further recommended that one of the additional planning and research positions recommended by the consultants and not originally requested by the Vancouver Police Department report to Corporate Services Group. This position would be tasked with overseeing the implementation and technical research required to complete the planning projects identified by the consultants through the Steering Committee. Further, it is recommended that this position be established for a two year term until it is ascertained as to the long-term requirements for the Planning and Research Department.
With regards to the recommended staffing positions, the Steering Committee has given consideration to the overall budget impacts of this request and has agreed to a staged process that provides for immediate increases in 2005 and the deferral of some increases until 2006, whereby opportunities for savings can be realized.
Specifically, the Steering Committee recommends approval of Recommendation `B' based on the following priorities:
|
2005 |
2006 | |||
|
a) |
Sworn Officers |
Civilian Staff |
Sworn Officers |
Civilian Staff |
|
Operations (Patrol)1 |
41 |
1 |
n/a |
n/a |
|
Investigations |
22 |
19 |
24 |
17 |
|
Administration |
2 |
15 |
3 |
3 |
|
Total Positions |
65 |
35 |
27 |
20 |
1 Main priority - District 1 and District 2
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The financial impact of these staffing increases is summarized in Table 1 on the following page. 2005 estimates are based on prorated start dates while 2006 estimates are annualized costs with the exception of one-time costs.
The cost for the additional personnel includes benefits and wages, along with equipment and workstation costs, uniform costs and vehicle costs, where applicable. Wage increases stipulated in existing collective agreements have been factored into the 2006 projections.
Table 1 includes provision for 33 vehicles based on the Master Schedule developed jointly by VPD and Equipment Services. The purchase of vehicles, 19 in 2005 and 14 in 2006, at a cost of $668,000 and $616,000 respectively are to be funded from the Plant and Equipment Reserve (Plant Account). Operating expenditures above reflect capital replacement, maintenance, fuel, and insurance costs.
Table 1 also includes a provision for 33 radios and 10 patrol laptops that are to be purchased and levied back to the City by E-Comm.
Radios Laptops E-Comm Levy
2005 33 10 $72,800
2006 14 n/a $22,400
Total 47 10 $95,200
The funding for 2005 will be determined as part of the 2005 budget process. With regards to 2006 funding, the joint City and Police Department Steering Committee will continue to review processes for efficiency opportunities. In particular, attention will be given to opportunities for shared services within the City and potential reductions in overtime. Therefore, the level of funding for 2006 will depend on the results of these reviews including the annual administrative Budget Review.
Table 1 - Financial Implications for Additional Staffing
CONCLUSION
The independent review of the VPD Staffing request revealed the need for increasing the analytical capacity within the Vancouver Police Department to allow the Department to operationalize its new Strategic Plan in an effective and efficient manner.
The independent review also determined that there is an immediate need to increase the Vancouver Police Department's sworn and civilian staffing. This report recommends a phasing of the key positions between 2005 and 2006 to provide the opportunity to achieve savings to offset increased costs in 2006.
To ensure that the recommendations of the independent consultant are implemented, the Steering Committee is committed to continuing the joint approach taken over the last year.
* * * * *
Appendix A - Civilian Staffing
Organizational Unit |
Position |
Pay Scale |
2005 Approvals - Conversions ($200,000 provided from Temporary Help) |
| |
Career Development Unit |
PERFORMANCE DEV. PROG. ASSIST (T) |
GR-021 |
Document Services |
CLERK II (T) |
GR-013 |
Education & Training Unit |
CLERK TYPIST III (T) |
GR-015 |
Financial Crime Squad |
MICROCOMPUTER SUPPORT SPECIALIST (T) |
GR-021 |
Fleet Operations |
FLEET ATTENDANT (T) |
GR-015 |
Homicide - Team 1 |
CLERK TYPIST III (T) |
GR-015 |
Office of the Chief Constable |
CLERK TYPIST III (T) |
GR-015 |
Office/Director Human Resources Section |
HR BUSINESS ANALYST (T) |
BND-008 |
Office/Inspector City Wide Enforcement |
SECTION ASSISTANT (T) |
GR-016 |
Office/Inspector-Criminal Intel Section |
CLERK III (T) |
GR-017 |
Office/Inspector-Youth Services Section |
CRIME DATA ANALYST (T) |
GR-021 |
Payroll Unit |
CLERK V (T) |
GR-022 |
Property Office |
PROPERTY MANAGER (T) |
BND-007 |
Robbery and Assault Squad |
CLERK TYPIST III (T) |
GR-015 |
Safety and Health Coordination Unit |
ASSISTANT SAFETY/HEALTH COORDINATOR (T) |
GR-021 |
Sexual Offence Squad |
CLERK TYPIST III (T) |
GR-015 |
Sexual Offence Squad |
CLERK TYPIST III (T) |
GR-015 |
Covert Intercept Unit |
INTERCEPT PROJECT LEADER (T) |
BND-006 |
Covert Intercept Unit |
INTERCEPT PROJECT LEADER (T) |
BND-006 |
Office of the Police Board |
CLERK III (T) |
GR-017 |
2005 Approvals - New Positions1 |
|
|
Planning and Research Section |
RESEARCH ANALYST |
GR-024 |
Planning and Research Section |
RESEARCH ANALYST |
GR-024 |
Planning and Research Section |
POLICY ADVISOR |
GR-031 |
Planning and Research Section |
RESEARCH ADVISOR (CLK IV) |
GR-019 |
Patrol Support Section |
VSU CASE WORKER |
GR-019 |
Patrol Support Section |
VSU CASE WORKER |
GR-019 |
Special Investigation Section |
CLERK/TYPIST III - SEXUAL OFFENCE SQUAD |
GR-015 |
Special Investigation Section |
CLERK/TYPIST III - SEXUAL OFFENCE SQUAD |
GR-015 |
Emergency Operations and Planning Section |
CLERK III - FORENSIC VIDEO |
GR-017 |
Emergency Operations and Planning Section |
CLERK/TYPIST III - FORENSIC VIDEO |
GR-015 |
Services Liaison Section |
CLERK /TYPIST III - WARRANT UNIT |
GR-015 |
Youth Services Section |
CLERK/TYPIST III - YOUTH SQUAD |
GR-015 |
Youth Services Section |
CLERK/TYPIST III - SCHOOL LIAISON |
GR-015 |
Finance Section |
FINANCIAL ANALYST |
GR-028 |
1 A research analyst/policy advisor position recommended for Planning and Research by the independent consultant is recommended to be approved on a two year temporary basis to support the work of the Steering Committee. This position will report to Corporate Services Group.
2006 Approvals - New Positions |
|
|
Major Crime Section |
CLERK/TYPIST III - HOMICIDE SQUAD |
GR-015 |
Major Crime Section |
CLERK/TYPIST III - HOMICIDE SQUAD |
GR-015 |
Major Crime Section |
CLERK/TYPIST III - HOMICIDE SQUAD |
GR-015 |
Major Crime Section |
CLERK/TYPIST III - ROBBERY/ASSAULT |
GR-015 |
Major Crime Section |
CLERK/TYPIST III - ROBBERY/ASSAULT |
GR-015 |
Major Crime Section |
CLERK/TYPIST III - ROBBERY/ASSAULT |
GR-015 |
Special Investigation Section |
CLERK/TYPIST III - DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & CRIMINAL HARRASSMENT |
GR-015 |
Forensic Services Section |
CLERK/TYPIST III - FINANCIAL CRIME SECTION |
GR-015 |
Forensic Services Section |
CLERK/TYPIST III - FINANCIAL CRIME SECTION |
GR-015 |
Vice-Drugs Section |
CLERK/TYPIST III - DRUG SQUAD |
GR-015 |
Vice-Drugs Section |
CLERK/TYPIST III - VICE UNIT |
GR-015 |
Patrol Services Section |
CLERK/TYPIST III- GENERAL INVESTIGATION UNIT |
GR-015 |
Emergency Operations and Planning Section |
CLERK VI - EMERGENCY PLANS OFFICER |
GR-024 |
Emergency Operations and Planning Section |
CLERK VI - EMERGENCY EDUCATION OFFICER |
GR-024 |
Emergency Operations and Planning Section |
CLERK VI - EMERGENCY LOGISTICS OFFICER |
GR-024 |
Emergency Operations and Planning Section |
CLERK IV - ASSISTANT PLANNING OFFICER |
GR-019 |
Emergency Operations and Planning Section |
CLERK/TYPIST III - EOPS |
GR-015 |
Public Affairs and Marketing Section |
TECHNICAL ANALYST |
GR-022 |
Property Office |
CLERK III - PROPERTY CUSTODIAN |
GR-017 |
Property Office |
CLERK III - PROPERTY CUSTODIAN |
GR-017 |
