HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 172-08City of Palo Alto
CRy Manager’s Report
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
CITY MANAGER
MARCH 18, 2008
HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
DEPARTMENT: COMMUNITY SERVICES
CMR:172:08
REPORTING OF POLICE DEPARTMENT DEMOGRAPHIC DATA TO
THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION
This is an informational report and no Council action is required.
BACKGROUND
The City Council and the Human Relations Commission (HRC) have been receiving quarterly
demographic data collected from traffic, bicycle, and pedestrian stops since 2003.
DISCUSSION
At its November 8, 2007 meeting, HRC Commissioner Savage requested that the modification of
police data collection be agendized. At that meeting, Commissioner Savage recommended that
the data collection reports be discontinued due to the amount of staff time that was used in the
preparation of these reports. Discussion about the actual usefulness of the reports, the lack of
applicable benchmarks and the staff time used took place. The Police Auditor was present at this
meeting and gave input regarding the value of the data gathering.
The HRC Commissioners identified a number of concerns:
+ Confusing data which is not easy to understand;
+ The negative perception the community might if the reporting is reduced;
°:° There is no effective way to review the data;
+ Changes the Police Department has made to address profiling and community relations.
The HRC agreed to continue the discussion to its next meeting and have members of the HRC
continue to work with the Police Department on the issue.
At the January 23, 2008 special meeting, the HRC continued the discussion on reducing the
demographic data reporting. The Police Department reported that the City Auditor suggested that
the demographic data only be published on the Department’s website on a quarterly basis with
instructions to the public on how to interpret the data.
CMR:172:08 Page 1 of 2
After further discussion, the HRC agreed to recommend extra a pilot program that would include
quarterly publication of the raw data on the Department’s website and one annual written report
to the City Council and the Human Relations Commission, and one annual verbal report to the
HRC. The verbal report would include the following information:
oio Efforts made to establish better data benchmarks for assessing the demographic data;
¯:o Efforts made in general to make the demographic data more understandable;
o:o Description of what the department is doing to improve police and minority relations in
the community;
°:°Report listing the questions to the Police Department received online from the
community with the official responses to the questions.
The Police Department and the HRC agreed to the pilot program with the aforementioned
conditions beginning on April 1, 2008 with a program review by the Police Department and the
HRC after one year.
RESOURCE IMPACT
Each quarterly report constitutes 200 hours of staff time.
reduce staff time by approximately 30 percent.
The pilot reporting program will
PREPARED BY:
KATD~ ESPIN(
Division Manager, Cubberley and Human Services
REVIEWED BY:
JAMES
r, Community Services
CITY MANAGER APPROVA
EMILY HARalSON
Assistant City Manager
CMR: t 72:08 Page 2 of 2