RPVCCA_CC_SS_2015_04_21_02A_Additional_Sheriff_ServicesCITYOF
i�RANCHO PALOS VERDES
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
FROM: COUNCILMAN ANTHONY MISETICH
DATE: APRIL 21, 2015
SUBJECT: ADDITIONAL SHERIFF SERVICES
REVIEWED: DOUG WILLMORE, CITY MANAGER YV )
RECOMMENDATION
Direct staff to include funding in the FY15-16 Budget for additional Sheriff's services for
consideration during the Budget Menu Exercise scheduled for May 5, 2015.
INTRODUCTION
The Lomita Sheriff's Station provides law enforcement services to three cities on the Palos
Verdes Peninsula: Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills and Rolling Hills Estates. Together,
these cities constitute the Peninsula Regional Law Enforcement Area ("Peninsula Region")
The City of Palos Verdes Estates maintains its own police department.
Each year, the Peninsula Region cities enter into an agreement with the Lomita Sheriff's
Station to allocate resources and costs among the three cities. As part of this agreement,
the City Manager signs a letter, which is also signed by the City Managers of the other two
cities, approving the Level of Service that will be provided within the Peninsula Region as a
whole during the next fiscal year. In addition, each City Manager signs a Deployment
Survey for their respective jurisdiction, which specifies how the contracted services and
associated costs will be allocated to each city.
However, each city also has the ability to contract for dedicated services from the Lomita
Sheriff's Station. For example, the City of Rancho Palos Verdes contracted for a traffic
enforcement deputy for six years (FY05-06 to FY10-11). During that time, the assigned
deputy exclusively patrolled and performed traffic control services in the City of Rancho
Palos Verdes and the City paid 100% of the cost for this service.
BACKGROUND
At the March 3, 2015 meeting as part of Future Agenda Items, Councilman Misetich
suggested that the Council consider including funding for two (2) patrol deputies
exclusively for Rancho Palos Verdes in the FY15-16 Budget.
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Study Session: Additional Sheriff Services
Date: April 21, 2015
Page 2
Since the first quarter of 2014, Rancho Palos Verdes has experienced a steady increase in
Part 1 crimes. Of particular note are the increases in residential burglaries, larceny thefts
and burglaries from vehicles. The chart below illustrates the crime trend:
Part 1 Crimes in Rancho Palos Verdes
200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
O loll 11.11 I■ 1 do 11.41 116-1 1111111i 111 1 I- 1 11F 110�1
1 QT 2 QT 3 QT 4 QT 1 QT 2 QT 3 QT 4 QT 1 QT 2 QT 3 QT 4 QT
'12 '12 '12 '12 '13 '13 '13 '13 '14 '14 '14 '14
■ Burglary Is Larceny Theft ■ Grand Theft Auto a Violent Crime ■ Total
DISCUSSION
The Lomita Sheriff's Station currently has the equivalent of 12.8 deputies providing regular
patrol services for the Peninsula Region. These crime cars are spread over three (3) shifts
in a 24-hour period. Therefore, there are four to five crime cars patrolling the Peninsula
Region at any given time. In addition, the region currently contracts for two Surveillance
and Apprehension Team (SAT) deputies, two Community Resource (CORE) Team
deputies, and three Traffic Team deputies (consisting of two patrol units and one
motorcycle unit). These special assignment deputies generally work 40 hours per week
and can adjust their schedules depending on their work assignments and service needs of
the community.
The addition of one or more regular patrol deputies would increase the law enforcement
presence and visibility in Rancho Palos Verdes, thereby augmenting the other programs
the City and the Lomita Sheriff's Station have been actively engaged in to reverse the
current crime trend. These other programs include:
• Further expanding the Volunteers on Patrol (VOP) program;
• Increasing community outreach regarding crime prevention;
• Launching a video camera pilot project at Palos Verdes Drive South/La Rotonda
Drive; and,
• Purchasing of a third Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) system for a
regional radio car (this is also a Budget Policy Item).
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Study Session: Additional Sheriff Services
Date: April 21, 2015
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If the City Council is interested in moving forward with the additional service, Lomita
Station's Captain Bolin recommends adding one (1) regular patrol deputy, which he would
propose to deploy "out of shift" so that the deputy would be out in the field when regular
shift changes are made. However, it the Council would like to add a second unit, Captain
Bolin recommends that it be a SAT deputy. While a regular patrol deputy can respond to
calls for service and provide greater visibility while on patrol in the community, an additional
SAT deputy would balance the increase in patrol time by providing additional resources to
conduct criminal investigations, which can lead to more arrests and convictions, which in
turn also has a significant impact on the number of crimes committed in the City. As
indicated in the Alternatives and Financial Impact sections below, the cost for a SAT
deputy is slightly higher than a regular deputy due to the additional experience and training
required for this position.
ALTERNATIVES
The following options are available for the Council's consideration:
Contract for two (2) additional regular patrol deputies (total cost: $338,074).
2. Contract for one (1) additional regular patrol deputy and one (1) additional
Surveillance and Apprehension Team (SAT) detective (total cost: $352,715).
3. Contract for one (1) additional SAT detective (cost: $183,678).
4. Contract for one (1) additional regular patrol deputy (cost: $169,037).
5. Contract for one (1) traffic patrol deputy (cost: $169,037)
FISCAL IMPACT
In FY15-16, the Sheriff's contract rates will increase by 2.5%. In addition, the required
contribution to the Liability Trust Fund will increase from 5% to 6%. The Los Angeles
County Sheriff's Department offers a discounted "growth rate" to cities adding new
personnel for the first 12 to 21 months of service (depending when the contract is
amended). Therefore, the growth rate could apply through the end of FY16-17. The rate is
increased to the full cost thereafter, and the County requests that the City maintain the
level of service for at least 2 to 3 years beyond the growth rate. Therefore, in FY15-16, the
"growth rate" including the 6% Liability Trust Fund contribution for a regular patrol deputy
and a SAT detective would be $169,037 and $183,678, respectively. For comparison, the
standard cost for each of these positions would be $253,916 and $268,182, respectively.
Funding for any additional services contracted with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's
Department would come from the General fund and budgeted in the Public Safety - Sheriff
Program.
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