CITY COUNCIL: Resolution Authorizing Reclassification of One Police Sergeant to Police Commander

Meeting Date: September 2, 2008
Prepared by: George E. Rawson

City Council
Agenda Item Summary

Name: Consideration of a Resolution authorizing the reclassification of one Police
Sergeant to the position of Police Commander.

Description: The Police Department currently is administered by one Director of Public Safety, who is assisted by four patrol Sergeants. Staff is requesting one of the four Sergeant positions be reclassified to the rank of “Commander.” Establishing a the rank of Commander rank will enhance the Police Department’s ability to plan, coordinate work, and manage department-wide activities.

Overall Cost:
City Funds: $ 2,000 or less

Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends approval of the Resolution.

Important Considerations: The Commander’s position provides a much-needed resource to administer all police department operations. Establishing this position will boost personnel retention and promotional opportunities for in-house staff.

Decision Record: None

Reviewed by:

______________________________ _________________
Rich Guillen, City Administrator Date


TO: MAYOR McCLOUD AND COUNCIL MEMBERS
THROUGH: RICH GUILLEN, CITY ADMINISTRATOR
FROM: GEORGE E. RAWSON, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SAFETY
DATE: AUGUST 8, 2008
SUBJECT: CONSIDERATION OF A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE RECLASSIFICATION OF ONE POLICE SERGEANT TO THE POSITION OF POLICE COMMANDER
__________________________________________________________________

I. RECOMMENDED MOTION:
Adopt the Resolution.

II. BACKGROUND:
In FY 2002-03, the Police Department postponed filling a vacant Lieutenant’s position
due to fiscal constraints. At that same time, the Police Services Supervisor retired and action to fill that position was deferred to further curtail expenses. In the subsequent year, these positions remained in the budget as vacant and “frozen.” Eventually, both positions were eliminated from the budget.

In order to maintain continuity of essential functions, the responsibilities and tasks of the previously-mentioned positions reverted to either the Chief and/or to the sergeants. The Chief of Police, now entitled Director of Public Safety, has direct oversight of personnel, budget, and administrative clerical responsibilities for both the Police and Fire department. Supervision of the Services Division was reassigned to one patrol sergeant, who took on this additional responsibility in addition to his patrol supervision duties. The added responsibilities included supervision of 911 dispatch operations, records, and property/evidence.

The Police Chief also established a long-range mentoring plan intended to broaden the
management capability of the Police Department, and secondly, to strengthen the
capability of the sergeants to administer non-patrol functions. This plan included
individual tutoring, training, education, role playing, and leadership development.
Specifically, sergeants were taught how to prepare budgets, monitor accounts, conduct
personnel investigations, prepare capital projects, and present City Council staff reports.

Also, the sergeants have been empowered to meet directly with the City Administrator or other City department directors to discuss complex issues and present solutions to
problems. The benefits of these interactions have been tremendous, and the current
Police Department has seasoned police supervisors in its ranks, who are capable of
performing upper management duties.

III. STAFF REVIEW:
There currently are four sergeants authorized in the Police Department budget. This
proposal would change the departmental supervisory organizational structure from four
Sergeants to three Sergeants with one Commander. Refer to organizational charts attached as Exhibit “A” and “B.”

The Commander will be a management position exempt from overtime in accordance to
the Fair Labor and Standards Act (FLSA). This position will be classified “at-will” as specified in Carmel Municipal Code section 2.52.050.

Two of the four Sergeants have numerous years of experience, with a range of
administrative roles within the Police Department. They are familiar with the principles of community policing and have made various presentations to the City Council and other community organizations. On occasion, these Sergeants have acted on behalf of the Director of Public Safety (hereafter referred to as “Director”) when he is out of town.

The remaining two Sergeants are newer, with fewer than two years of experience.
The creation of a Commander’s position affords the Director an opportunity to focus
more time on executive level matters pertaining to Police and Fire department oversight.

Many projects now under way by the Director demand significant time, especially with
respect to attending meetings, and performing research, analysis, and administrative
writing. These projects, some of which are regional in nature, are listed in the following subtitle Duties.

An important role of the Commander, beyond assistance with managing day-to-day
operations, will be project management. The Commander will work with the Director to
ensure projects are progressing as planned and in accordance to goals, objectives, and timelines. The duties of the Commander, as described above, will support the Director’s efforts to accomplish essential undertakings to advance the public safety mission.

Equally important, the Commander will have oversight of the Sergeants regarding their
respective ancillary duties as listed in Exhibit “C” attached.

Outside or in-house recruitment for this position would be an option determined by the City Administrator. At present, there are “in-house” Sergeants who qualify to apply for this position. These Sergeants, all with proven track records, present themselves as ideal candidates. If an in-house candidate should be promoted to Commander, this person would have the opportunity to hone and refine the skills, knowledge, and abilities needed for consideration as a candidate for a future Director. If such a scenario were to occur, it would bode well for succession planning for all ranks within the Police Department structure.

Finding a new Director, who is a good fit for Carmel, will be an arduous task. The
process will require significant time, effort, and money. In 2008 and beyond, police
agencies across California will compete for talented police managers to fill vacancies created by retirements or new positions based on growth. In an effort to retain our best supervisory talent, the timing is excellent to reinstate a management position to the organizational structure of the Police Department. Doing so offers the following advantages:
􀂾 Savings: Avoids recruitment costs, a savings of $20,000 or more; also, this position will be FLSA exempt, meaning annual overtime savings will be $15,000 or more.
􀂾 Return on Investment: Offers a good return of spent training dollars and time
developing a new leader.
􀂾 Upward Mobility: Provides opportunities for advancement to officers and Sergeants.
􀂾 Retention: Serves as an incentive to keep employees who are looking for future
promotional opportunities.
􀂾 Accountability: Establishes an additional person to provide oversight assistance for first-line supervisors.
􀂾 Community Support: Retains an in-house person familiar with the City of Carmel-by-
the-Sea who is respected by the community and other city staff.
􀂾 Fit: Preserves institutional knowledge and offers the opportunity to recruit a future Director, who will strive to preserve the tradition of community policing.

Duties: The duties of the Commander position are stated in the job description attached as Exhibit “B.” Generally, the Commander will serve as “second-in-command,” and be tasked with supporting the Director to oversee front-line supervisors and the daily operational activities of the Police Department. A Commander provides a single point of contact for persons seeking to speak to someone in charge when the Director is unavailable. The Commander would work a schedule to supports day-to-day business
necessity, and be available to quickly respond to matters in the absence of the Director.

The Commander also will attend meetings where a management-level person should be
representing the Police Department. These meetings include City Council and other
community meetings, as well as those of county law enforcement associations and other
monthly allied agency meetings.

The following illustrates the projects currently under way by the Director. An asterisk denotes that the project is regional in nature and such project(s) require extraordinary time and effort to finalize.

PROJECTS IN PROCESS:
1. Emergency preparedness plan and Emergency Operations Center (EOC) training*
2. Assistance with staff report preparation
3. School security emergency response plan*
4. 911 system upgrade (using State 911 funds)
5. Implementation of a master training plan
6. Developing wireless report writing
7. Acquisition of a data integration system for all Monterey County law enforcement*
8. Special events management and liaison with other city staff
9. Grant management (three grants per year currently require management oversight)
10. Budget preparation and oversight
11. Supervisory responsibility for Records, Evidence Room, Detective and Dispatchers
12. Policy Manual update
13. Community Policing expansion project –Geo based policing
14. K-9 Program development and implementation
15. Technology upgrades including patrol car video cameras
16. Monterey County biometrics project*
17. Monterey County New Generation (NGEN) radio project*
18. Monterey Peninsula Emergency Response Team*
19. Monterey Peninsula Narcotics Task Force*
IV. FISCAL IMPACT:
The net annual cost for the proposed reclassification is estimated at $1,000 - $2,000.

The Commander’s base salary is budgeted at Range 347: $89,316 to $111,816. The FY 08-09 estimate for salary and benefits was calculated at $157,438. Nearly all the costs
for this proposal will be offset by shifting salary and overtime from one Sergeant’s
position to one Commander’s position. No overtime will be budgeted for the Commander since this position is FLSA exempt.

V. SUMMARY:
The Commander’s position will be an invaluable resource to the overall management of
the Police Department. It establishes promotional opportunity to existing qualified staff, thus acting as a retention factor. Establishing this management position will enhance the City’s opportunity to select future Police Department administrators.


Attachment “C”CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA POLICE DEPARTMENT
SUMMARY OF SERGEANT ANCILLARY DUTIES
ADMINSITRATION:
Budget – preparation, monitoring, adjustments, audits
Grants – research, application, audit and reporting
Personnel – recruitment, testing, interviews, eligibility list, backgrounds, hiring
Employee Relations – evaluations, commendations, counseling, meetings, MOU
Payroll – timekeeping, preparing and signing timesheets
Policies – maintenance of Lexipol policy, revisions, updates, distribution, training
Internal Affairs – investigations, interviews, prepare reports, recommendations
Management issues – leadership training, changes to practices & procedures,
Liaison – Traffic Committee and other city/community committees
Staff meetings – agenda, discussion, minutes, follow up actions
Contracts – review, monitor, update (forensics, toxicology, booking, office equip)
Press Relations – preparing press release, responding to media questions
Worker’s Compensation – research, process paperwork, liaison with Human Resources
Monterey County Law Enforcement Administrators meetings – attend, participate

OPERATIONS:
Patrol – scheduling, evaluations, respond to calls (all Sergeants), review reports
Police Services – oversight of dispatchers, records, property & evidence, PRA
Animal Control – supervision, ordinances, operational protocols
Parking – administer and supervise, complaints, scheduling
Range – oversee range master and firearms qualification
School Safety – developing response plan
DARE program – facilitating and making presentations
Special Events – meetings, coordination, scheduling, and preparing operations plan

COMMUNITY
Community Policing Projects (all Sergeants) – Compstat
Community Presentations – speaking requests
Citizen Complaints – investigation, formal vs. informal resolution
Crime Prevention – business and residential alerts
Visibility – attending city, county, or other public functions

CRIME
Part 1 DOJ monthly reports (UCR crime reporting) – prepare and analyze
Part 2 Crime and DOJ reports – prepare and analyze
General crime trend analysis – meetings with Detective
Surveillance projects – scheduling, rental cars, video equipment

TRAINING
Active Shooter, weaponless defense, legal updates
In-Service – perishable skills, policy, state and federal mandates
P.O.S.T. – advanced officer training classes
Monterey County Training Managers meetings – attend, participate

EQUIPMENT AND BUILDING MAINTENANCE
Information Systems – contracts, software & hardware updates, troubleshooting
RMS software and hardware maintenance/troubleshooting
CAD maintenance, upgrades, State 911 fund management
Bulletproof vest partnership grant
Fleet Management – Patrol cars maintenance, acquisition, surplus
Fleet Management – Support vehicles (Parking, Detective)
Parking Auto Vu –automated parking data system, troubleshooting problems
Radio and Telephones – ensuring all equipment functions
Janitorial – manage, quality control, monitor contract services
Furniture – ergonomics, repairs, replacement
Supplies – Forms,

INVESTIGATIONS
Case management
Sex Offender Registration Program – community notifications
Quality Control- reviews cases for court
TECHNOLOGY
Live Scan Equipment – maintenance and updates
Patrol Car Dash Mount Video Cameras
Tasers – maintenance and update as needed
Radios – new P-25 narrow banded radio mandate
Telephone Emergency Notification System (TENS) – Activations
Automated Biometrics Information System – face, fingerprint, and iris identification

TRAFFIC
Enforcement – ensuring traffic enforcement is effective
Traffic Collision analysis – enforcement guidelines
Traffic Accident Reconstruction- CHP assistance
Traffic Complaints – responding, researching, recommendations, staff reports


CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION 2008-
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA AUTHORIZING THE RECLASSIFICATION OF ONE POLICE SERGEANT TO THE POSITION OF POLICE COMMANDER
__________________________________________________________________
WHEREAS, the Police Department desires to reclassify one Police Sergeant to the
position of Police Commander; and

WHEREAS, the proposed reclassification changes the organizational structure from
four Sergeants to three Sergeants plus a Commander; and

WHEREAS, the proposed change will enhance the administrative management of the Police Department; and

WHEREAS, the qualifications and duties of the Police Commander’s position have been established in the attached job description.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA DOES:

1. Approve the reclassification of one police Sergeant position to Police Commander.

2. Authorize the City Administrator to execute an “at will” employment agreement with the Police Commander.

3. Authorize the Police Commander salary at Range 347: $89,316 to $111,816.

PASSED AND ADOPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA this 9th day of September, 2008 by the following roll call vote:

AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS:

SIGNED:

_____________________
Heidi Burch, City Clerk

ATTEST:

______________________
SUE McCLOUD, MAYOR