ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: July 11, 1995
Dept. File No.: PRA 94-109
TO: Vancouver City Council
FROM: Chief Constable
SUBJECT: Voice Mail for the Police Department
RECOMMENDATION
THAT Council approve the implementation of a voice mail system
within the Police Department at an approximate cost of $200,000.
The source of the funding to be $150,000 from the Police Building
Capital Accounts and $50,000 from the Contingency Reserve Fund.
CHIEF CONSTABLE'S COMMENTS
The Chief Constable RECOMMENDS approval of the foregoing.
COUNCIL POLICY
On February 3, 1994, Council resolved:
"THAT during the term of the 1994-96 Budget Management Program, any
proposed increases in program and/or service levels be offset by
corresponding spending reductions elsewhere in the City's operating
budget or by increases in non-taxation revenues, subject to
Council's discretion."
PURPOSE
The purpose of this report is to obtain approval for the funding of a
voice mail system for the Police Department.
BACKGROUND
At the Council Meeting on September 27, 1994, a report concerning the
implementation of Community Based Policing was presented. The
development of a voice mail system is one of the ten strategies detailed
in that report. Voice Mail will assist the Department in achieving the
two goals of improving community access to Police Officers and reducing
wait times for calls to non-emergency telephone lines (665-3321).
SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS
By implementing a voice mail system, the Police Department is addressing
a longstanding community concern regarding difficulties in contacting
individual Police Officers. An improvement in communication between the
public and the Police has a positive effect on families and children.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The voice mail system will require funding of approximately $200,000.
The bulk of this funding, $150,000, is available in the Police Building
Capital Accounts (related to 2120 Cambie Street). The balance, $50,000,
is requested from the Contingency Reserve Fund.
PERSONNEL IMPLICATIONS
All clerical duties associated with operating the voice mail system will
be administered by existing staff. The Police Department will assess
the effect the voice mail system has on clerical staffing levels and
report back to Council in six months.
DISCUSSION
One of the fundamental principles of Community Based Policing is to
provide a communications link between Police Officers and the community
which they serve. Under our current system, people in the community
have great difficulty in contacting members of the Police Department.
This is an unnecessary and aggravating circumstance for the public and
the source of many complaints to the Police Department.
This situation is due to the fact that our members are not often at a
place where they can be reached by phone. While they are at work they
are on the road, not in the office. This fact, combined with the number
of rotating shifts worked by Police Officers, makes phone contact very
difficult. Messages can be left for Police Officers at their Team or
Section supervisor's desk, but only when there is someone actually in
the office to take the message. The supervisor is also required to be
on the road as much as possible, and works the same rotating shifts as
the other members. This makes message leaving haphazard, as the citizen
phoning in has no way of knowing when someone will actually be in the
office to answer the phone.
Voice mail may soon be used to de-notify our members for court cases for
which they are no longer required. Having our members attend court when
they are not required costs the Department a significant amount of
overtime. Using voice mail for
de-notifications could represent a substantial cost savings. During the
contract negotiations which have just been completed, the Vancouver
Police Union has agreed to a joint Union/Management committee whose
mandate is the development of procedures for utilizing a voice mail
system for court de-notifications.
Voice mail will also assist in the improvement of the 665-3321 report
line. This line is used by the public to report to the Police any
incident which is not an emergency. The line is very busy and it is
often difficult to get through to an operator. Many people become
discouraged and abandon their attempt to contact the Police. A voice
mail system that is capable of handling the overflow from the 665-3321
line (assigning the first available operator to call the complainant
back) would greatly improve the customer service aspect of this
function.
During construction of the facilities at 2120 Cambie Street,
consideration was given for installation of a voice mail system. An
invitation for tender was initiated and seven (7) vendors presented
proposals in response to the tenders. The proposals varied
significantly in both the type and expansibility of the service offered.
The costs ranged from $100,000 to $320,000. The Department was not
satisfied with any of the proposals; therefore, no contract was entered
into at that time. The information collected during the tender process
gave us a solid base from which to plan the type of voice mail system
that would best serve the Department and the public. The voice mail
system would initially serve only the Police Department; however, it is
possible that in the future it might be expanded to include other City
Departments.
Subject to the approval of Council, the Department intends to have the
voice mail system operational by the end of 1995. It is estimated that
it will take thirty (30) days to properly prepare the tenders and get
them out. We must then allow thirty (30) days for responses. Once a
vendor is chosen it is estimated that it will take ninety (90) days to
complete the installation of the voice mail system.
CONCLUSION
The Vancouver Police Department is committed to Community Based
Policing. An effective communications link between the community and
its Police Officers is one of the principles of Community Based
Policing. The implementation of a voice mail system will allow the
public greater access to the members of the Police Department and also
improve the efficiency of the 665-3321 report line.
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