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CITY OF VANCOUVER ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT |
Report Date: |
February 14, 2005 | |
Author: |
Mary Malesan | |
Phone No.: |
604.717.2618 | |
RTS No.: |
4928 | |
CC File No.: |
1605 | |
Meeting Date: |
March 3, 2005 |
TO: |
Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets |
FROM: |
Chief Constable of the Vancouver Police Department and the City Manager |
SUBJECT: |
Independent Review of the Information Technology Section of the Vancouver Police Department |
RECOMMENDATION
A. THAT Council receive for INFORMATION the report on the establishment of 4 additional positions in the Information Technology Section of the Vancouver Police Department at an estimated annual cost of $289,091 (prorated for fiscal 2005 at $192,727), including fringe benefits, subject to review and classification by Human Resources, plus one-time staffing costs estimated at $34,000 for computers, furniture, equipment, and supplies and that approval and funding be deferred to the 2005 Interim Operating Budget.
AND FURTHER THAT
The regular fulltime positions are established as follows:
1 Security Specialist (exempt) - $85,636 without offset
1 Database Administrator (exempt) - $85,636 without offset
1 Administrative/Training Assistant - $54,058 without offset
1 Programmer I - $63,761 without offset
B. THAT Council receive for INFORMATION the report on the establishment of 2 additional positions in the City of Vancouver Corporate IT Help Desk at an estimated annual cost of $116,144 (prorated for fiscal 2005 at $77,430), including fringe benefits, subject to review and classification by Human Resources, plus one-time staffing costs estimated at $17,000 for computers, furniture, equipment and supplies and that approval and funding be deferred to the 2005 Interim Operating Budget; and the transfer of one position, a Computer User Support Assistant (position number 50021350), from the Vancouver Police Department Information Technology section to the City of Vancouver Corporate IT Help Desk at an estimated annual cost of $4,826 (prorated for fiscal 2005 at $3,218), including fringe benefits, subject to review and classification by Human Resources, with one-time transfer and staffing costs estimated at $8,500 for computers, furniture, equipment and supplies and that approval and funding be deferred to the 2005 Interim Operating Budget.
AND FURTHER THAT
The two regular fulltime positions are established as follows:
1 Help Centre Support Specialist - $61,632 without offset
1 Help Centre Technician - $54,512 without offset, and
One regular fulltime position is transferred from the Vancouver Police Department to the City of Vancouver Corporate IT and reclassified as follows:
1 Help Centre Support Specialist - $4,826 with offset
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The review of the functional operations of the Information Technology Section of the Vancouver Police Department clearly indicated that changes in organization and staffing approach are required to meet the Department's technology requirements. The review suggested several process improvements and structure changes that are designed to meet the current and future needs of the Vancouver Police Department for technology services and support in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of public safety service delivery. The recommendations also take into account the resources of the City of Vancouver Corporate IT and the need to seek efficiency in utilizing public funds.
The review also recommended that usage of shared services by transferring the Vancouver Police Help desk function to the City Of Vancouver Help Desk in order to consolidate telephone support between the two organizations. This business model will provide the best potential Help Desk service offering for the Vancouver Police Department and the City of Vancouver. The City of Vancouver Help Desk will increase its days and hours of coverage to meet the Department's current coverage, thus allowing other areas of the City to benefit from this extended service. With this change, the Police Department will be able to focus on value-added functions such as application development and technical operations. Information Technology is a critical component to the successful operations and management of any public safety agency and an appropriate level of resources must be dedicated to the support of that service.
The Chief Constable recommends approval of Recommendation A and B.
CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The City Manager recommends approval of Recommendations A and B.
COUNCIL POLICY
All changes in levels of service are to be reported to Council.
SUMMARY
A review has been conducted of the functional operations of the Information Technology Section of the Vancouver Police Department. This review has resulted in recommendations related to various process improvements and the need for additional resources. The observations and recommendations are detailed in the following report.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this report is to report back to Council on the results of an independent review of the functional operations of the Information Technology Section of the Vancouver Police Department. The study determined appropriate staffing levels for the section based on expected service levels and identified areas of possible collaboration with the City of Vancouver. The study was conducted using external resources. MTG Management Consultants, L.L.C., was selected via a competitive procurement to provide independent, expert analysis and recommendations.
BACKGROUND
This review of the functional operations of the Information Technology section in the Police Department included an assessment of staffing levels, user satisfaction, and service delivery approach. In addition, the review examined whether or not unnecessary duplication of effort existed between the City of Vancouver Corporate IT and the Vancouver Police Department IT and identified areas of possible collaboration between the two organizations. The study of the Information Technology section was comprised of an in-depth analysis of the structure, workflow, and core processes of the section. In addition, the processes were benchmarked against other Police agencies to determine best practices in delivering required services and opportunities for process improvements. The review assessed and recommended what the optimum organization and staffing approach was for meeting the Department's technology requirements, while delivering services in the most cost effective manner. The study was conducted using external resources from MTG Management Consultants, L.L.C..
Several acronyms are used throughout this report and are described and explained below.
PRIME - Police Records Information Management Environment - PRIME is the system which has been legislated as the single Records Management Database for the province.
JUSTIN - Justice Department Interface - "Justin" is the Criminal Justice case management system and, as part of the Provincial PRIME initiative, a one way interface was developed to allow the electronic transfer of Reports to Crown Council information from PRIME to Justin.
CABS - Computerized Arrest & Booking system -"CABS" is the Jail Management system used at the Vancouver Jail which is operated by the British Columbia Corrections staff.
Xtract - XTRACT is an internet-based solution to the problem of checking items deposited at pawn and second-hand shops against stolen property reports
The Vancouver Police Department has approximately 1,400 personnel. The operational model employed by the Department emphasizes delivery of services to the public in the most efficient manner. The Information Technology section at the Department has a current staff of 17 and works in conjunction with the City of Vancouver's Corporate IT group to provide technology support to the VPD. The IT section responsibilities include e-mail, databases and related applications, help desk support, remote access, new application development, training, documentation, and other related services.
The Vancouver Police Department Information Technology Section provides services to numerous user groups both within and external to the City. These user groups include:
· VPD Personnel (sworn and civilian) - VPD IT provides a full range of services, including support, training, and development.
· Vancouver Fire Department - VPD IT supports the Fire Department's Records Management System (RMS), terminals, and terminal network.
· Attorney General - VPD IT provides end-user support for the JUSTIN system
· Vancouver Jail - VPD IT supports the CABS booking system for the British Columbia Corrections staff.
· Pawn Shops - Pawnshops in Vancouver are required to use the "Xtract" Internet-based pawned reporting system. VPD IT provides support for this system
· Public - VPD IT develops and supports the Department's public web site, which includes the capability for reporting criminal incidents.
DISCUSSION
Following are the observations arising from the review of the processes in the Vancouver Police Department Information Technology Section.
1. The Vancouver Police Department staff expressed a high level of satisfaction with the Department's Information Technology section.
The VPD IT organization and staff were noted for: responsiveness and reliability, dedication to their jobs, knowledge of police systems and technology, and being approachable. However, the level of customer satisfaction is tempered by the perception that VPD has limited resources. These staff limitations have resulted in a reactive "fire fighting" approach to dealing with issues and a limited ability to undertake required application development projects, leading to backlogs and a constrained ability to predict when projects can be completed.
2. The Vancouver Police Department has achieved a number of significant technology-based accomplishments that compare favourably with other police agencies.
These accomplishments include E-COMM-related systems and services. The Information Technology section is a key participant in the development and implementation of the E-COMM organization, systems, and services. E-COMM provides the following services:
· Regional records information sharing via PRIME, the province-wide records management system
· Regional dispatching and mobile reporting.
3. Security requirements are established by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and
documented in the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) Reference Manual,
Chapter I-4.
The CPIC reference manual discusses requirements that allow for a connection to a non-secure network and the use of non-police personnel for systems work. Any change from the current security methodology requires an RCMP security audit and approval by the Triumvirate; this process would require at least several months to be completed. The current staffing approach used by the Vancouver Police Department is the norm for larger agencies, generally, only small agencies use municipal staff. It is of the RCMP auditor's opinion that an agency of Vancouver Police Department's size should have a dedicated security position.
4. Limited staffing in the Information Technology section has numerous impacts.
As a result of limited staffing, the Vancouver Police Department staff has noted several operational impacts. For example, the Information Technology staff place a priority on responding quickly to ongoing requests for service and support. Resources are often diverted from other worthwhile projects and initiatives. This impacts the Information Technology section's ability to schedule and complete other projects with lower priority or that require an extended commitment of time. Typically, the section's supervisors and the manager perform hands-on work, limiting the time that they can devote to management and planning.
5. There is no evidence of duplication of effort or inefficiency within the Vancouver Police
Department Information Technology section.
Based on MTG's review of documentation, interviews with the Vancouver Police Department and the City of Vancouver personnel, on-site observations, and the Information Technology industry experience, the consultants found no evidence of duplication of effort or inefficiency within the Information Technology section. However, this finding does not eliminate the potential for achieving greater efficiencies through increased collaboration with the City of Vancouver Corporate IT.
6. Continued development and deployment of information and communications is a key trend in public safety.
Public safety agencies worldwide see the continued deployment of technology throughout all levels of the organization as critical to achieving public safety objectives. This trend means that there is a constant requirement for well-trained information technology resources to support the Vancouver Police Department in meeting its public safety mission. This need for information technology professionals is likely grow over time as technology becomes an evermore critical and embedded element of public safety operation and management
7. There are opportunities for improving Vancouver Police Department's Information Technology processes.
MTG noted several opportunities where current Information Technology processes can be improved. They include:
· Providing additional structure to the current help desk processes for: Call handling, tracking, escalation, prioritization, and closure
· Creating and defining project management processes to include: project initiation, prioritization, resource allocation, tracking, and customer allocation.
8. The City of Vancouver Corporate IT believes it offers several potential benefits to the Vancouver Police Department via shared services.
The potential benefits include efficiencies in technical support that can result in greater resources being available for application development and the ability to allocate or justify additional personnel resources to the Department. There are a number of shared services and collaboration that exists today between the Department and the City of Vancouver such as: SAP hosting, technology procurement, software licensing, use of the City fiber optic network, and participation in the Business Application Committee (BAC) and the Technology Application Committee (TAC).
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the analysis of the findings, and taking into account the objectives of the Vancouver Police Department and the City of Vancouver, the MTG consultants developed the following recommendations. The recommendations are designed to meet the current and future needs of the Department for information technology services and support in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of public safety service delivery.
1. Refocus the Vancouver Police Department Manager's role on the Department's vision by providing technology planning, technical leadership, and client management.
The Information Technology Manager is currently involved in very detailed tasks. By refocusing the role of this position, the Manager will have more time to address management issues. These issues include the establishing of the information technology vision for the Department, working with management to identify business and technology improvement opportunities, and working with the City of Vancouver Corporate IT to manage and improve service delivery levels.
2. Approve the addition of four more positions within Vancouver Police Department Information Technology section
The recommended positions include a Database Administrator, Security Specialist, Programmer I and Administrative/Training Assistant. These four positions will allow the Information Technology section to focus on meeting the Department's highest value requirements, which are application development, management and integration, security management, and user training.
3. Transfer of the Vancouver Police Department Help Desk function (telephone support) to the City of Vancouver Corporate IT, contingent upon the development of a mutually agreeable Service level agreement between the Vancouver Police Department and the City of Vancouver. One IT support position will be transferred from the Police Department, as well as, two new positions will be created in the City of Vancouver Corporate IT as part of this move of service.
The move of the Help Desk service (telephone support) to the City of Vancouver includes the transfer of the existing Computer User Support Assistant position for the Department to the Corporate IT Help desk. This transfer will require a change in union jurisdiction from Teamsters - Local 31 to CUPE - Local 15 and a reclassification to a Help Centre Support Specialist. Currently, the position to be transferred is filled. The Vancouver Police Department has begun discussions with the employee affected about the human resources implications of the transfer. In the past, the Vancouver Police Department used a temporary support person (unfunded) to assist the Help desk staff in handling support calls. With this transfer in service, a need to hire a temporary staff member is eliminated.
To meet the requirements for additional coverage and for call handling, two new support positions are necessary within the Corporate IT Help Desk, a Help Centre Technician and a Help Centre Support Specialist.
4. After the implementation of the Help Desk shared service between the Vancouver Police Department and the City of Vancouver, further consolidation of information technology services should be examined such as desk side support.
The shared service delivery model for the help desk will be implemented for the Vancouver Police Department when the Department completes its Windows/Office XP rollout which will standardize its desktop environment. In addition, other dependencies exist for the successful deployment of this service model such as the resolution of union and security issues (i.e. enhanced security clearance for the City of Vancouver). The majority of funding for this Help Desk transition will be available in the 2005 IT Capital plan and in the XP project budget. Further analysis is required to determine the overall costs for the Help Desk consolidation project. A phased approach will be utilized to review and assess further shared service opportunities, once the Help Desk function for the Vancouver Police Department has been transitioned to the City of Vancouver.
5. Submit select Vancouver Police Department application development project to the Business Application Committee (BAC)
Following the procedures established by BAC, the Vancouver Police Department should submit selected application development projects to Corporate IT. Based on the response from Corporate IT, the Information Technology section will then to need to judge whether to use Corporate IT or undertake the development projects with its own staff.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The financial implications have been broken down to reflect the need for funding to implement the recommendations as presented in 2005 and the ongoing annual funding requirements in current dollars.
Addition of Four positions to VPD Information Technology Section
Positions |
No. |
Details |
2005 |
Ongoing Annual Costs |
Security Specialist |
1 |
Pay band 8 including benefits |
$57,091 |
$85,636 |
Database Administrator |
1 |
Pay band 8 including benefits |
$57,091 |
$85,636 |
Programmer 1 |
1 |
Pay grade 23 including benefits |
$42,507 |
$63,761 |
Admin/Training Assistant |
1 |
Pay grade 19 including benefits |
$36,039 |
$54,058 |
One - time funding costs |
$34,000 |
$0 | ||
Net funding impact |
4 |
$226,727 |
$289,091 |
Transfer of one position from VPD IT to COV Corporate IT Help Desk and addition of two positions to Corporate IT Help Desk
Positions |
No. |
Details |
2005 |
Ongoing Annual Costs |
Computer User Support Assistant |
0 |
Transfer from VPD IT to COV Corporate IT.
|
$3,218 |
$4,826 |
Help Centre Support Specialist |
1 |
Pay grade 22, including benefits |
$41,088 |
$61,632 |
Help Centre Technician |
1 |
Pay grade 19, including benefits |
$36,341 |
$54,512 |
One - time funding costs |
$25,500 |
$0 | ||
Net funding impact |
2 |
$106,147 |
$120,970 | |
Total Funding Impact |
6 |
$332,874 |
$410,061 |
CONCLUSION
These recommendations provide the potential for improved Information Technology capabilities for the Vancouver Police Department, as well as advance in the ability to share important and scarce IT resources to meet the needs of the City of Vancouver as a whole.
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