SUBJECT: COUNCIL APPROVAL OF A CONSULTANT AGREEMENT AND WORKPLAN FOR THE STUDY OF FUTURE POLICE SERVICES DELIVERY STRATEGIES

COUNCIL DISTRICT: Citywide

RECOMMENDATION

(a) Adoption of a resolution authorizing the City Manager to negotiate and execute a consulting agreement with the consultant team of Marcy Li Wong & Associates and Ekona Planning and Architecture to prepare a Future Police Services Delivery Strategies Study in the amount of $250,000, and for the period of the date of execution to July 31, 2002.

(b) Acceptance of the workplan for the Future Police Service Delivery Strategies study.

BACKGROUND

A. CONSULTANT AGREEMENT

The FY 2000-01 Operating budget included funding for a study to evaluate future strategies to improve the delivery of police services. In accordance with Council direction, a Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued in November 2000. A Police-Public Works Review Team interviewed eight competing firms. The consultant team of Marcy Li Wong and Ekona Planning & Architecture was determined to have the requisite experience, history, and accessibility to best perform the study. As such, the Review Team selected Marcy Li Wong and Ekona Planning and Architecture for consulting services, due to the firm’s extensive experience in planning and building police facilities, history of incorporating public and line personnel input, and because they most fully met the needs of the City and Police Department. The consultant team will help the City of San Jose analyze and determine the impacts of population growth and geographic trends on the provision of Police services. The consultants will complete the following workplan for the study by July 31, 2002 and present their findings and recommendations in a final report to the City Council at that time.

B. WORKPLAN

The workplan for the service delivery study includes three interrelated analyses:

1. A review and analysis of growth-related issues and impacts on the operation and management of the San Jose Police Department. This analysis will determine the type of service delivery strategies that provide the greatest service level improvements to City residents and the Police Department, if any. Capital and operational ramifications for continuing centralized services in the Department’s current facilities will also be evaluated. Strategies to be considered include: the development of a combined police substation/municipal service facility in an outlying part of San Jose and establishment of two or more smaller operational facilities, or expanding current centralized facilities. The consultants will also evaluate how each of the above alternatives would interact with existing and planned Community Policing Centers and other City Departments to optimize citywide service levels.

2. The second part of the workplan will focus on service, transportation, and staff-time issues. The consultants will evaluate how the above listed service delivery strategies will impact employee driving time, impacts on officer service availability, vehicle fuel and maintenance costs, as well as environmental concerns. Such factors will also be examined concerning other City Department employees who may utilize a decentralized facility(s).

The study will evaluate each strategy’s impact on service response times. As San Jose’s population has grown, resulting traffic congestion has affected the time it takes for officers and other City employees to drive to assigned beats/areas to respond to calls for service. The study will utilize current travel and traffic data to identify optimal location alternatives for potential future facilities. Lastly, the study will calculate the cost of staff time and travel-related savings associated with any relocation strategy, and perform a cost-benefit analysis with the costs of building, staffing, and maintaining alternative structures.

3. The final part of the workplan will contain a pre-programming analysis that will include a facility/facilities needs analysis that will encompass considerations such as: resident utilization patterns, community service impacts, public accessibility, sworn and civilian personnel space, meeting room space, parking, co-locations, secured versus public areas, etc. The analysis will also identify police and municipal services that would be most suitable for decentralization, based upon current usage patterns and community input. Additionally, the study will also incorporate input from community members and line personnel. This phase of the workplan will also include cost estimates and identification of potential site options, as well as recommendations for funding sources.

ANALYSIS

Growth and geographic population shifts are believed to be impacting the delivery of police and other city services that require extensive road travel. This study will help the City to identify the impacts, determine the affects on service levels and develop strategies to effectively manage these changes.

Two decentralization studies have been conducted in the past, one in 1982-83 and another in 1986-87. Both of those studies concluded that decentralization of the Police Department would result in time savings for patrol officers and cost savings for police vehicles. The past studies also identified potential service improvements that could be achieved. Those studies are outdated and do not reflect changes and improvements in police operations and deployment that have been instituted in the last 15 years.

COST IMPLICATIONS

The cost implication of this recommendation is $250,000.

BUDGET REFERENCE

The FY 2000-01 Adopted Budget for the Police Department contains an appropriation of $250,000 for completion of the study, page 258.

PUBLIC OUTREACH

Not applicable. Staff will schedule several community meetings to discuss this project in subsequent phases.

COORDINATION

This memorandum has been coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office, Department of Public Works, the Budget Department and the City Manager’s Office.

WILLIAM M. LANSDOWNE

Chief of Police