TITLE
Recommendation to direct City Manager to develop a long-term plan to establish a baseline for police staffing and to develop a strategic plan to bring police staffing to properly budgeted levels within three years.
DISCUSSION
The City Council received a memorandum from Chief of Police Jim McDonnell dated June 2, 2010 in response to a March 23, 2010 agenda item requesting information intended to bring police staffing to adequate levels to address crime in the city. Various studies have made a correlation between police staffing and the level of crime that is committed. Properly funding adequate public safety staffing is essentially a policy decision on what level of crime is acceptable to a community. A properly staffed police department is an effective deterrent by having the resources to proactively and thoroughly address crime without triaging services.
The Long Beach Police Department is currently staffed at 918 positions, which is 26 vacancies below its budgeted 944 sworn positions. Unless the City Council acts to fund additional staffing, the number of sworn police officers will drop to an estimated 860 officers when retirements and other attrition factors are considered. The June 2, 2010 memorandum acknowledges the fiscal challenges facing the city and does not provide recommendations to bring the police staffing to budgeted levels. I am request City Council support for directing the City Manager to develop a long-term plan to maintain staffing at appropriate levels to effectively deter criminal activity in the City of Long Beach and to develop a strategic plan to bring police staffing to the properly budgeted levels within three years.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
COUNCILMEMBER TONIA REYES URANGA
SEVENTH DISTRICT
COUNCILWOMAN GERRIE SCHIPSKE
FIFTH DISTRICT
COUNCILWOMAN RAE GABELICH
EIGHTH DISTRICT