HomeMy WebLinkAbout0433.094,
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City of Palo Alto
City Manager's Report
TO: HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: Pollee
DATE: September 8, 1994 CMR:433:94
SUBJECT: North County Jail
REQUEST
Staff recc-nlly learned that the Santa Clara County De,partment of COJ11!ction ,\I,'as proposing
to :educe operating ho"!. at the North C0IJnty Jail (Nel) facility in Pal" Alto. Staff h1!S
determined that there may be significant finandal ad,·antage.s for Palo AHo in discontilJlJing
rul Dtx,klngs at the NCJ and is slJPporJng this recommendation.
RECOMMENIJA TIONS
This is. :ut informational report and no City Council action is required at this time.
PO!.lCY IMPIJCATI~
There is 00 change to exjsting policies.
EXECJ,1ID'E SUMMARY
1be Santa Clara County Department of Correction recently infonned staff of intentions to
recommend a :eduction of opernting hours at the NCJ; speeifically, to reduce the jail
Ojlenating hours from the present 24-hourn days a week to 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p,m" Monday
throogh Friday availability. This action was genernted as a result of Santa Clam County
budget .. iortfall issues,
In the interest of ",.olving thi> issue amicably, the police chiefs from Los Altos, Mountain
View and Palo Alto met with Supervisor Dianne McKenna and Santa Clara County officials
to consider a1tematiy"-,, One alternative was subsequently identified that was mutually
beneficiaL If the North County cities discontinued booking prisoners at the NCJ facility.
booking fees will be reduced and a savings of approximately $800,000 could be reaIi:zed by
the County. While some booking cost component issues requi re additional clarification,
preliminary information suggests thal the discontinuation of bookings at North County Jail
could result in a :eduction of booking fees from $152 to S 13 7 for l!.!! law enforcement
agencies in Santa Clara County. Further, as a result of a financial audit of booking
procedures, there may be anether opportunity for lower booking r""s in the near future,
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DIIrl", Facal Year 1993-94, the Palo Alto poliee booked approximately 1,400 people at the
NO facili1y &nd paX! $242,364 in booking fees, A reduced booking fee of $137 would
" .. ca:uI a aavinp to Palo Alto of approxil1lJl!Cly $21,000. In discussions with officials
from Loo Altos, Mounlain View &nd Stanford Univer:lity, staff believes that an arrange
mentlagreemem 10 develop a regional prisoner tronsportation system is poSllible. Whilv the
details are JtiJI under di.!cus.sion, the co~pI would involve <haring costs and responsibilities
10 trampon priooAen from the Nort.h County cities to the Main Jail in San lose.
SWf believes that the discontinuation of booking. at the North County Jail facility w'.u bave
• minimal impocl OIl public ~.ty, Further, slaff will be invoived in the upcoming
dioc:usJions about booking fees and the regional transportation system, nus issue bas been
.,..,m!Zd for the September 13 Santa Clara Board of Supervisors meeting, Staff will report
bad: to Council when the various is.sues have been resolved,
DSCAL IMl'ACf
To Ix: det~rrnjne.d.
~'VIRQ:-'1'~AL ASSrSS-'llii'l'T
No .:nvinmrneiltaJ as"essment is ,'lewed.
A'ITA.CH..\~Yrs
1. Lettu 10 Supervisor Dian .. }t~ McKenna from Los Altos Police Chief Lucy Carlton, dated
August 1.9, 1994
2, Memor.i.rv:lum to Santa Clara Board of Supervisors from Acting County Executive
G~orge Newell, d.ied Augu't 29, 1994
3. Memorandum from Su~rvisor Dianne McKenna to the Board of Supervisors, dated
August 30, 1994
PREPARED BY:
DEPARTMENT HEAD REVIEW:
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
I~~ fLEMING ( 19 Manager "-
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CITY OF LOS ALTUS
POLlCE DEPARTMENT
Or.c Nonh S.:!n A!1lC'Tlio R"1.w
lvs Allot, C.JIlifomia 9-1G'"12
i,415)C4S·S223
Supervi.or Dianne McK~nn~
santa CLara. County Board of sl.:pervisors
7D WQst Hedding S~r8~t
San JOS8, c.elifcrnia -';:'110
Several · ... ee:.c.5 3';C I 1 c::;-",cste,;: :::e "'~"':HJ --,~ :;,~rer'.'l~H,.;[~'-dp.lay' app:'"C'ving a
reco~=e~d~tion frc~ th~ C~C~tt~~~t ot Corrvctlo~ to d~Cre3SQ ~Ot,th County
J~11 oPQration h~urs .. :~~ ~ttE~~~J cjtles (L~s Altos, Mcunt~in Vie~ and P~lo
Alto) hdd not be.;:,": S"'io:-n -;;'I;c ~ :C:.;"',,-c'.q:,-,rtu'1lt.y tu c")'3:-in~ and evaluate th.e
.i.';!'.pact th~.5 tC,:::;'.l~:'-;.c,-, .'-':''; C. ~.'" .. 'Ii, l..~8"ir ')Qcn.:::"i.l;?s. Thp 8c<-l.rJ sn:~cicusly
postponect action ()n Uns ,<.-r" :'11 ;.I.:'l,ll:st JO, ).')')4, Ag.:!in, I ' .. 'ant to
c'l(press. -;:o..~. sj.r:c;';;-:rE'st tt;Jr','S tc the .'~;-'::drJ [Ol.." t.heir-ccns,~de-!."atioT1 of tr-l.is
r'Jatter.
Ov~r th~ past several ~ce~s ~~ tavu IQse~rche1 t~i5 lSJUe indivi~ually, and
have ~ollectivelv di$clls~ed (he l:-p~cts ~~d 31tcrnQtives.
,!'ne DOC rli!c()~~end~, ri'ct\,,~-j;;9 1:f", r,\J~t,,,,,:r of Ileurs d'h'l.ilabloe fer cooking at the
North county (acllity frc~ a ~4 hour, SEven day d week operation. to a 10-
hour, S. iLlI~ to E P,r1., "'or:c~y th£'ou.qh fr-ida.y operation, The .nl.ductiol) Qf
bourlo -..111 result in 5uo:;.lantiQ.! il"lp.a.r:ts tor the North county Law Enforcement
Agenciv5, dYe to t~e fact that ~he greatest percentage of bookings by these
agencies occur during the ev~ning and w~ek~nd hours. It 1s our understanding
tnat the DOC has a gLe~ter necJ to ~eep the facility open during the day to
sa.rvice the NOl':'th count.), court:;. ~.fter c:onsider.lble disculSsions with tns DOC
statt, it appears tn~t ~ co:='p::'o:lise cannot b~ reached reg.arding this issue~
A})eut fifteen yl!a:rs aqo, thi>' pri5.ctit;e of accl::!ptir.g: fe~ale prisoners at North
County Jail \lias discontinued. Ir. r'lore recent p::ars, rr.edical staft that had
pr~viously provided ~edical bnd psychiatric screening at North County Jail
'Wore. reassigned to th\? )-';i!.,),n Jail, ""hich resulted in all pris.one.rs \.lith
disc.mable medical or' psychiatric conditions being eith~r pre-screened at
Stanford University Hospital at Valley Medical Cent.r or booked into the K~in
J'ail. Additionally, fir-resting of!ic<!.["s are require:o to participate in the
priloner booking precess, ir.·cludinq strip searches and personal property
inventory, pTactic~s ~Qt regui~ed at t~e M~in Jail.
In short I the service provid~d ~l ~octh county J~il has steadily declined to
an unacceptable le'lel. When considering this service decline I the ,projected
cost. associ,-,:t.ed .... ith transporting prisoners to the more efficient Main Jail,
and the potential savin4~ to the County, the North County Citi~s believe that
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over_ll reqional efficiencies are grpator than the collective i~p~ct ¢n Nort~
county and .. thereforlS. ~,av~ nO objeetion to ttle lllcditic~tion of operational
hours.
YUrtheraore, in !il!valuatinq the e!ficicmcy ar.d U$eflJlness of the re"!!lainirl'9
time North Co'Unty Ja 11 would oe open to accept a &l:'Ia 11 p*rc1mt.age of
prisoners, it is clear t:hat the costs essoclbtl!!ld iJlth the 61.lpport of this
boo~1n9 facility far surpdss the neQd of the North County agenciea.
Additionally, we strongly f£~l th~t the oth~r cities in the county ~hculd no
lQnqer have to share the t~nancial buroen of supporti"9 this booking racllity
and propose that the county co~plQtely close dow~ hooking ope~&tion •• t th~
North County Jail. Therefor-a,.e .... ill be notifying t.hCt Depart.ent or
correction that, ettectiv.f Oct.ober 1. 1994, tt19 cities of Palo ;U.to, Lc.
Altol. Mountain Vi~ ..... and Los AJ.t'=ls Hills, .... 'il1 di6c\Jntin\:1! the t"Oc"ir.q or any
prisoners at. North county Jail, and illl ~ale pri~onsri;. '-'ill be bcoio;.ed at the
Main Ja11~
As a result of the cHJditior..o,l 5~ving5 tne Couhty ~iJy expl!'cl t.o rc!~li?:1t':
through this proposed change ill Oferatlon, ~e resrectfu!~y rQq~e5~ t~~t lhQ
Bc~rd of Supervisors endorse this proposal ~nd dir~ct county Statf ~~ aSiesS
and modify accordJngly tfle ~~50ciat86 operational cos:s for ~eepir; ':or~h
cour.ty .Jail in op'i?!ratiQn as a r:,,:,v.'-'.ing facillr.y, ,n-,c tr.;:l.t. those E!\';::';:~,s t'-2
reflected in a corr~s~onding rBductlon in tooking tBES ~0~ d~l the ~~t~e5 ~n
tt'18 county,
It is hoped that in the $pirit of coaperath:n .and F.Jx-tnQrship, t)le ('(,\H';t:; ar,d
the cities within the Count)' will benefit fro~ the ~dd~tic~~l c~st savings
associated with the closure of the booking faciltty ~t :;arth count)',
tAC/vh
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L'.1Cy A.. c:.arlton I Ct.ief of. Polic.
Chair, Police Chief~1 ASsQciatlon
ot Santa clara county
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COunty of santa CIUT.
Office oJ me Coonty E.'(c:c~ II ivc
c.curwy ~mmenl C ... ·~li('r. F.ilSI Wlll~
10 ~ HedOin8 5Irt'~~
Sio1n Jose, ~omia Q51 10
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August 29, 1994
TO: --7 .-
FROM:
Board of Sl1perv~-$ors 1:J!f1 /,
George T. Newell ~/~ -\
Acting County E ~--'
STJBJECT: lTE.\! 1187 ON HiE AUGUST 30, 1994, SOARD AGENDA
(NORTH COUNTY JAIL SERVlCES)
I am recommending that this item bE' held until the5eptE'mber 13-, 1994, mf:Etl;1:;;
of the Board of Supervisors. I am requesting that the Board oLSupen'isors hold
this ih:m to aUow us to review a proposal by the CiLie5 of Palo Alto, to:. AlIOS,
and Mountain View that the County nat only clo;e its hou5i~'.g operation and
reduce daily hours of operation, but that we close the Booking Operation.as well,
Th~e cities havemad~ this proposal with the expectation that savings resulting
from dosing the Booking Operation will be passed on to the cities. in the fonn of
a reduced Booking Fee_ I have d;,eussed this proposal with the o,.partment of
Corrections and the Finance Director and both agree that it holds great potential
for operational savingJi for the County" well.s for the cities.
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cc Denrjs H.ndis, cruef Probation Off,,,,r
Bill Parsons, Director, Deparune.nt of finance
Police Chid Brown raylor, Mountain View
Police cruef Lucy Ann Carlton, Los Altos
Police Chief ehrii Durkin, Palo Alto
Oerk of the Board of Supervisors
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ftQtirt1 no' SI.'Ik'n1.'U 1fS: Mi.1J;1C·j"~1. 1101,. ~ I. 1"1.1<' I ,I 'IJ..!W,I IlI.n (: •• '/. "('~, III" 1 I )Iml, 'lj I Il,~ II ~I W \11 ~I,' 11<': 1
~ 0),111), 10<,t"T, uti"l'; C;t"l"l..'I' T. ..... ('\\ .• 'IJ
Dianne lllcKellna
Svpn->..,f.scr; FI/tblY..Jtrk(
DATE:
TO:
FRm.t
SUBJ:
MEMORANDUM
August 30, 1994
Membe;s of the Beard
Dianne f.kKenna,
SUpclv,sor, Fifth DJstrict
o
The attached letter from Chis! lucy Carlton, writing in behalf 01 :he north
county cities and ponce chiefs, responds to ihe county proposal to ,educe
north county booking Opllratrons.
in view of the dedining efficiency and usefulness of the remaining services at
the noM county jail, the north county cities are proposing to discontinue toe
booking of any prisoners at the north county jail. utilizing the main jail for
bookings ot all male prisoners,
The letter also requesls the Board to apply the additional savings. above and
beyond what would be achieved by the current county proposal. to a
corresponding reduction in booking fees for all the cities in the county.
In view of this proposal. I recommend holding the issue of reducing booking
operallons at the north county jail 10 the Seplember 13th meeting in order to
allow time for the administralion 10 woll< with tho c~ies on this proposal.
I know the Board joins wilh me in applauding Ihe north county cities for
putting together a creative wcposal that exemplifies regional cooperai'.on
and achieves tax payer savings for the t~ies and the county.
Attachment
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