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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 474-08TO: City of Palo Alto City Manager’s Repor HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL 13 FROM:CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: POLICE DATE:DECEMBER 15, 2008 CMR:474:08 SUBJECT:Discussion of Police Department Action Plan for Outreach to Diverse Communities EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report provides a detailed action plan developed by the Police Chief and command staff.to improve relations between the Police Department and members of diverse comnmnities. This plan was prepared after meetings with representatives of the faith community, Stanford African- American students, the Executive Director of the San Jose NAACP, and other members of the community. The plan calls for the Police Department to make enhancements to various facets of police training, emhance communications through various community meetings, the formation of a Chief’ s Advisory Committee, and work with the Independent Police Auditor to review current policies and procedures and to make adjustments as necessary. DISCUSSION To adequately engage the community, the Police Department will initiate a number of community activities both within the city of Palo Alto, as well as in neighboring cities. The plan calls for enhanced communications with the schools, the community and faith-based organizations. It should be noted that engaging in community outreach and policing beyond the city is mmsual but staff is confident that it is the right thing to do and will enhance relations with the wider community and our neighbors. For this plan to have meaningful results it will require all parties ~o have a total commitment to effective police-community relations and to participate in the open dialogue. Staff envisions this plan to be long-term and to be based upon the premise of building lasting relationships. The qualitative analysis of the success of the program may be difficult to determine; however staff will continue to work towards finding meaningful metrics to reflect the plan’s effectiveness. Staff will include this plan as an element within the Police Department Strategic Plan and report to the City Manager semi-a~mually. The City Manager will provide a report to Council. Staff CMR:474:08 Page 1 of 4 may lnake adjustments to the plan based upon interest levels, meeting attendance and successes. The elements of the plan are as follows: Monthly Meetings with the Chief: Each month the Police Department will schedule a meeting open to the public that will give the community an opportunity to discuss current issues and police practices and express concerns. Police personnel will also have an opportunity to present crime prevention tips, review crime trends and answer any questions. The Menlo Park and East Palo Alto Police Department Police Chiefs will be invited to participate at some of these meetings. These meetings will take place at various locations including churches, community centers and businesses. The Police Department will publicize the dates and locations well in advance to encourage attendance. Community Advisory Committee: A diverse cross-section of the community will be selected to meet with the Police Chief and connr~and staff on a regular basis. Representatives from the faith community, NAACP, youth organizations, residents of East Palo Alto and Palo Alto, will be among the members of the committee. It is anticipated that this group will consist of eight to twelve individuals. The group’s role will be to advise the Chief on police practices and race relations in order to strengthen police-community trust and to report back to constituents about activities in which the Police Department is involved. The selection process will include public posting for persons who may be interested in serving on this committee. Selection criteria will be developed with the assistance of the City’s Human Relations Commission (HRC). Actual selection will be made after an interview process. Members of the HRC will assist in the interviews and selection. U.S. Department of Justice Mediation Program: The Police Department will explore enlisting the services of the United States Department of Justice (US DOJ) Community Relations Service and the Santa Clara County Office of Human Relations (SSCOHR) to engage with the community in Palo Alto mad throughout the Peninsula in order to develop trust and to create meaningful dialogue on matters of race and police practice. Meetings will be facilitated by persormet from US DOJ and SCCOHR and would include community members and police personnel. Meetings will focus on specific issues associated with race relations and include breakout groups that will develop strategies for improvement. Tools for Tolerance Executive Leadership Course: All Police Department command staff will attend the Tools for Tolerance Executive Leadership Course at the Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. This two-day, POST reimbm’sable course examines the dimensions of diversity mad leadership focusing on the unique challenges in an increasingly democratic and diverse society. Briefin~ Training: The Police Departmem will implement a state-of-the-art Daily Training regimen that will focus on Constitutional issues, case law decisions and Department policy. This program will ensure that all patrol personnel will receive a new block of training each day that they are assigned to work. This training will include a lecture, examples mad a test ensuring that the officers understand the curriculum. Records of subjects and test results will be maintained in the Personnel and Training Division Training Management System computer. CMR:474:08 Page 2 of 4 Field Trainin~ Officer Training:. The Police Departmem will enhance training in the Field Training Officer Program (FTO), in-house training for dispatchers and officers, in the area of race relations, crisis communications and cultural issues. This training will include lecture, role playing and case studies reviewed by command staff designed to ensure that officers and dispatchers understand organizational expectations. Continued Professional Training: Each year the Police Department puts on approximately 55 hours of training for their personnel. The Police Department will enhance in-se~wice training for sworn, dispatchers, and records personnel on topics that include Constitutional issues, cultural issues and maconscious biases. This training will be presented by both Department personnel and external subject matter experts. Independent Police Auditor: Command staff will work closely with the Iaadependent Police Auditor to review current practices, policies and procedures to ensure that the Department is in compliance and also to determine if any policies should be updated or otherwise modified. Command staff will work with the Independent Auditor to ensure that they have access to all necessary material and understand Department protocols so that they can provide the Council an accurate evaluation of cun’ent systems. Upon completion of the Auditor’s report, command staff will review and implement recommended improvements. The Independent Auditor will also review and analyze the demographic data collection process and the data that has been compiled. Additional efforts will be made to obtain analysis of the data by external experts in demographic data collection. Meetings with Students: The Police Department will continue meeting with Stanford University groups to discuss issues pertaining to race and police practices. Additionally, staff will work with PAUSD staff to engage Gunn and Palo Alto High School students in a similar dialogue. Staff will also attempt to encourage high schools,in neighboring communities to join the discussion. Meetings with the Faith-Based Community: Department staff will continue to meet with local (within the City and beyond) churches and clergy to discuss police practices and community issues. Staff will also investigate the feasibility of implementing a Police Chaplaincy Program where clergy from a variety of faiths would assist the Police Department in the following manner: 1.)Serve as liaison with the faith-based organizations of East Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Palo Alto. 2.) Assist the Department and other agencies in dealing with at-risk youth and their families. 3.) Upon request, provide support to Police Department employees and/or their families during crisis situations. 4.) Assist in providing support to victims and victims’ families. Staff believes that this action plan, together with the variety of other activities already undertaken by the Police Department (See Attachment A) will enhance relations and rebuild trust between the Department and members of diverse communities. CMR:474:08 Page 3 of 4 RESOURCE IMPACT This is an anabitious and comprehensive outreach plan. Staff believes that the majority of items in the action plan can be absorbed within the Police Department’s existing budget. There probably will be some costs associated with the initiation of a Chaplaincy Program. Staff will inform Council of these costs when a program overview and analysis has been completed. ATTACHMENT Attachment A: CMR:324:08 - List of Police Depal;tmentCommunityOutreach Activities PREPARED BY: DENNIS BURNS Assistant Police Chief DEPARTMENT HEAD: LYNNE JOHNSQN Police Chief CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: ~nager CMR:474:08 Page 4 of 4 TO: City of Palo Alto C ty Manager’s Report HONOtL&BLE CITY COUNCIL FROM:CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT:POLICE DATE: SUBJECT: AUGUST 4, 2008 CMR:324:08 LIST OF POLICE DEPARTMENT COMMUNITY OUTREACH ACTIVITIES This is an informational report and no action is required by the City Council. DISCUSSION At the Human Relations Commission (HRC) meeting of June 12, 2008, the Police Department presented a list of community outreach activities that have been conducted with emphasis on the last five years. Vice Mayor Drekmeier, the Council liaison to the HRC, requested that the infomaation be provided to the City Council. The attached list provides information on the various programs and activities that the Police Department has initiated and implemented in efforts to increase, public trust and cooperation. RESOURCE IMPACT The majority of these activities are done as collateral duties by Department personnel. It should be noted that a few of these programs are conducted by officers and Department personnel on their own time. ATTACHMENTS List of Outreach activities CMR:324:08 Page 1 of 2 PREPARED BY:L~me Jolmson, Police Chief DEPARTMENT HEAD: CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: L~E JOHN~ON :-~’~ Police Chief .~// ~ ~, ,,j,’/v..2k-.-,-’TI t STEVE EIvISLIE and...I~l~LL) lVI~RARIU Deputy City Managers CMR:324:08 Page 2 of 2 UPDATE ON COMMUNITY RELATIONS ACTIVITIES *Started since 2003 Demographic Data Collection and Publication: The Police Department continues to be one of the few law enforcement agencies that collects and publishes demographic data on drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists. Under a year’s trial period, actual numbers will be posted on a quarterly basis and placed on the Department’s Webpage and a written report will be presented to the Human Relations Commission (HRC) and the City Council on an annual basis. *Tools for Tolerance: Through a grant the Police Department sent all of its employees to the Tools for Tolerance program through the Simon Wiesenthal Center. *Traffic Stop Audit: The City Auditor and Police Department conducted a random audit of people who had received citations/warnings from police officers. The report was shared with the City Council and Human Relations Commission. The Police Department will request that the new City Auditor completes another survey. Acceptance and investigation of Email Complaints: anonymous or leave a name. *POST Racial Profiling Class: Attended by all officers. *New Policy Manual: Complete revision of policy manual in accordance with best practices, statutes and case law. The Policy Manual is updated annually relative to new legislation, case law and/or best practices and training on the key policies such as use of force, pursuits, etc. is provided annually. Supervisor/Officer Ratio: Lower than most agencies. Supervisor/Officer Schedule: 4/11 schedule allows the same supervisor to work exact same days as officers. *Racial/Bias Based Profiling: Policy-trained all officers. Trained all dispatchers/officers on accepting/dispatching/response to suspicious persons calls for service. Specific information on the person is requested to ensure that the reporting party is just not reporting a person of a different ethnicity is in their neighborhood. Reporting parties are notified to let them know the person had a right and legitimate reason for being in the neighborhood. ¸13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. *Muslim/Sikh Cultural diversity training has been provided to all officers. Camp Anytown: Sent officers to this weekend camp of high school students that focuses on diversity. *Stanford University Policing Racial Bias and Implementation: Fast Friends Project. Worked with sociologist professors on this project that demonstrated that when members of the public and the Police Department were able to get to know each other, levels of trust, understanding and respect increased. *Student Academy: Have completed two student academies and have initiated a Police Cadet Program. Citizens Academy: Continues to be a very popular program that provides detailed information and training to members of the public on what it takes to be a police officer as well as training, policies and procedures of the Department. *FTO Audit: Completed a Field Training Officer Program audit that has resulted in an improved program that emphasizes training and focuses on teaching strategies that are applicable to younger officers. FTO program modified to include customer service and strategic plan. *Strategic Plan: Completed two years of the Strategic Plan and based upon citizen input, have amended the plan td make it more applicable to the needs of the community. Community Involvement in Department Promotional Process: Continue to have members of the HRC and other community members participate in promotional panels. *Mobile Audio/Video (MAV): Cameras have been installed in police vehicles. *Mobile Audio/Video (MAV) - Motors: In progress. Will be the first department in the state to have the cameras installed on traffic officer motorcycles. *Police Auditor: Have Worked cooperatively and closely with Police Auditors to ensure objective investigations of citizen complaints. *Re-vamp Internal Affairs Procedure to have improved training for the team of investigators. Currently we are finalizing agreement with San Jose Police Department to investigate criminal allegations against our officers. 2 27. 28. 29, 30. 31. 32, 33. *FTO program modified to include customer service and strategic plan. *Early Warning System: Implemented the Early Warning System tl~at tracks the number of complaints, disciplinary issues, etc. by individual officers to ensure intervention at the earliest opportunity before personnel issues become very big. *Website Design with Spanish Language *TASER with Cameras: One of the first departments in the area to purchase tasers with cameras attached. Additionally, the Department provided significantly more training than any other agency in the use of tasers. The several times the tasers have actually been activated, the incidents were according to policy. *Teambuilding Workshop for Management Team: Conducted the first teambuilding workshop for the Department’s management team in over 15 years. *Baseball Cards: Printed and distributed to youth and community members baseball cards of Department employees. *New Supervisor Training Program: Implemented a formal "new supervisor" training program for employees who are promoted to a supervisory level. Training includes topic monitoring, conducting objective evaluations, disciplinary issues, etc. *Revised Use of Force Investigations: Defensive Tactics and Rangemasters review all incidents of use of force to ensure that appropriate tactics were used prior to the use of force. *Community Alerting and Notification System (CANS): After significant input from the community, implemented the new CANS System that has been very well received. *Expansion of PIO Group/Press Releases: Community Relations Position: Identified a community relations position that serves as the focal point for media and community contact. Have als.o expanded the PIO program. *Have attended an average of four HRC meetings a year in the last five years. 34.*Have hired 49 officers since 2003, 16% of which are people of color. 35. 36. 37. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. *Have had Department staff members attend Tongan/Samoan Community meetings. Conducted a barbecue for youth in an area that has experienced increased gang activities. *Parenting Project: Provided in Spanish and English. This program is intended to assist parents with out-of-control children has received rave reviews by attendees. Assistance from PAUSD has been instrumental in the success of the program. As a result of Palo Alto’s program, a Countywide initiative under the auspicious of the District Attorney’s Office will implement the program in almost every city in the County. This fall, a class will be provided in Palo Alto for Spanish speaking parents. Continue to provide annual diversity training to officers. Special Olympics: Participation in Tip-a-Cop fundraiser. Department personnel raise funds through the Tip-a-Cop program at a local restaurant twice a year that go to the Special Olympics. Officers also actually assist at the Special Olympics event itself. *Farmer’s Market: Police officers have been attending California Avenue and the Downtown Farmer’s Market to interact with citizens and conduct fingerprinting services for children. *Operation Safe Neighborhoods: Originally iriitiated to help stem an increase in residential and automobile burglaries, the Department gets assistance from residents and other City employees to act as "eyes and ears" when crime trends are identified in neighborhoods. Community Access Line: An anonymous tip line was set up to make it easier for people to express concerns about police activity and behavior. If warranted, complaint investigations are investigated. NiteSafe: Together with Agents from the State Alcohol Beverage and Control Department, Police staff provide training to bartenders and restaurant managers on the consequences of over-serving patrons and other issues related to the consumption of alcohol. *Reinstated National Night Out: In 2005, the Department reinstated annual activities associated with National Night Out in efforts to get community members more engaged in crime prevention efforts. Adopt-a-School Program: Patrol officers adopt elementary schools in the City and, usually on a weekly basis, spend time at the schools interacting with students in an informal setting.