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CC SR 20190820 01 - Updated Public Safety Strategic Plan RANCHO PALOS VERDES CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 08/20/2019 AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Regular Business AGENDA DESCRIPTION: Consideration and possible action to update the Public Safety Strategic Plan for Fiscal Year 2019-20 RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION: (1) Direct Staff to implement the FY 19-20 Public Safety Strategic Plan and authorize an additional appropriation of $25,000 to fund a subsidy for Ring cameras for residents FISCAL IMPACT: Some items in the proposed Public Safety Strategic Plan update have been previously budgeted (e.g., the Ring camera program and the Homeowners' Association Security Camera grant program), or will be brought back to the City Council (e.g., the Automated License Plate Recognition cameras in Eastview. The funding being requested at this point is primarily for new outreach and awareness programs and projects. Amount Budgeted: $ Additional Appropriation: $ 25,000 Account Number(s): 101-400-6120-5101 ORIGINATED BY: Gabriella Yap, Deputy City Manager Captain Jim Powers, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department REVIEWED BY: Gabriella Yap, Deputy City Manager APPROVED BY: Doug Willmore, City Manager ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS: A. N/A EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Staff and the Sheriff’s Department are providing an update on the Public Safety Strategic Plan that was approved by the City Council in April 2016. The plan will continue to focus on innovative uses of technology, outreach and awareness to combat the following Part I crimes: burglary, vehicle burglary, and theft from unlocked vehicles. It will also include exploring additional options to increase prevention through another round of offering a Ring camera subsidy, and ways to expedite crime solving. This report also includes an update on the Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) regional project and the addition of ALPR cameras in the Eastview 1 neighborhoods, all of which continue to play a big part in our public safety plan. We believe that a concentration of technology, especially layering different types at the regional, neighborhood, and individual residence levels, will make a difference in crime prevention and solving. TARGETED CRIME TRENDS FOR UPDATED PLAN With the implementation of the Public Safety Strategic Plan in 2016 and efforts by the City Council, Sheriff’s Department, Staff, and residents, the residential burglary rate dramatically decreased in 2016 and reached consistently low levels these past three years. While there was a slight increase in residential burglaries to 112 in 2017, the 2018 figure of 94 residential burglaries continues to remain as one of the lowest in the past decade. The residential burglary rate in 2019 is trending lower with 24 residential burglaries in the first quarter and 13 in the second quarter, for a total of 37 residential burglaries the first half of the year. The City’s Part I crimes are primarily property-related, including vehicle burglaries (burglaries from locked vehicles) and theft from unlocked vehicles. 116 83 118 118 116 137 145 184 92 112 94 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 RPV Residential Burglary 2 As depicted in the chart above, vehicle burglaries are at an all-time low, which we believe is attributed to outreach efforts creating more awareness in both residents and visitors. These efforts include social media outreach to residents, newsletter articles and fliers, public service announcements (PSAs), and especially putting signage up at popular locations in the City, such as the Preserve, parks, and Abalone Cove. From the chart above, we can see there was a substantial increase in theft from unlocked vehicles in 2016, prompting Staff and the Sheriff’s Department to do more outreach to increase awareness in 2017 in the form of fliers, newsletter articles, PSAs, and social media. However, unlike the vehicle burglary figures, there was an uptick in 123 88 59 99 82 95 79 110 67 86 55 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 RPV Vehicle Burglary 66 35 52 103 85 130 82 77 102 72 81 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 RPV Theft from Vehicle 3 this area, rising from 72 in 2017 to 81 in 2018, a 12.5% increase. While these are significantly better numbers than in 2016, Staff and the Sheriff’s Department plans on upping these efforts to remind people to be vigilant, lock their vehicles, an d place valuables out of sight to prevent these opportunity crimes from happening. UPDATE ON CURRENT PROJECTS ALPR PROJECTS ALPR Regional Project The joint regional ALPR project between the four cities on the Peninsula became fully operational with the installation of five remaining cameras in Palos Verdes Estates in January 2018, and has been a tremendous success for the region. ALPR Eastview Project At the June 5, 2018, City Council meeting, the Council approved the Phase 1 Eastview cameras. After completing the RFP process for the design and bid process for the construction of the Phase 1 poles, the Council approved a construction agreement at the June 18, 2019, meeting. Phase 1 is expected to be completed by fall of this year. Phase 2 of the ALPR Eastview project involved purchasing streetlights from Southern California Edison (SCE) because of the savings and benefits it would provide with a lowered tariff rate and improved service to residents. The acquisition of streetlights creates many more possibilities for the placement of ALPR cameras on existing poles, rather than new pole construction. The purchase was received by SCE on June 3, 2019, transferring pole ownership to the City. Vigilant Solutions, the City’s ALPR vendor, has developed a new, lower cost ALPR camera for low-speed areas, which may be a good fit for the Eastview neighborhoods. Vigilant Solutions is developing a proposal for the City’s remaining Phase 2 sites. As stated in prior staff reports, an agreement for Phase 2 with Vigilant will be brought to the Council. HOA Security Camera Grant Program The City Council previously approved grants through a City program to assist homeowners’ associations (HOAs) with funding for security cameras for their neighborhoods. Currently, four neighborhoods have installed cameras. The City grant pays half the security camera system equipment cost, and, in addition to streamlining the process, waives the permit fees. Each HOA is responsible for the infrastructure, such as poles and electrical connections, as well as communication line costs. The City has been assisting HOAs by setting up communication lines through the City and charging HOAs the pass-through cost so that they can take advantage of the City’s discounted rate. 4 There has been significant interest in the program, but many HOAs were concerned about the infrastructure costs, which vary widely by location depending on how far away an electrical power source is located. Staff has met with Flock Safety, a startup that offers solar options for cameras and is in the process of acquiring ALPR capability. This camera costs $2,000 per year, so there is a significant ongoing cost, but it may be an option for HOAs that are concerned about infrastructure costs. Pilot Program with Ring – Ring Neighbors App and Neighborhood Saturation Ring developed a free app called Neighbors to help connect neighbors by allowing them to virtually share and receive real-time public safety information on their smart devices. Ring and Staff created a mutually-beneficial relationship where Ring would credit one camera for every 15 signups to their app. If the City could get 1,500 residents signed up, Ring would provide free doorbell cameras for two entire neighborhoods. These neighborhoods were identified by the Sheriff’s Department, Staff, and Ring based on crime rates and a limited number of homes (approximately 100 per neighborhood) to allow for truly full saturation. The City, in partnership with Ring, created a QR code to help residents easily download and sign up for the Ring app. Unfortunately, despite much outreach via social media, newsletters, and at events, the City only has about 250 people signed up. At this point, Staff will continue to advertise, but will likely be focusing our efforts on other strategies. OTHER TECHNOLOGY Predictive Policing The Sheriff’s Department was reviewing predictive policing software companies and looking at integrating them department-wide. The capabilities would include:  Having information automatically uploaded to deputies’ vehicles rather than requiring a printout  Using exact addresses rather than hundred blocks for reports  The ability to integrate with geographic information system (GIS) technology Previously, Captain Beringer requested the project manager make the Lomita Station part of any pilot project because of our geography and potential signal losses, making us a perfect candidate for system testing. Both the Sheriff’s Department and Staff continue to remain of the opinion that waiting for the county to select a provider is the best option, because the contract will ensure the software works with other existing systems and allow access to our databases. 5 Ring Camera Program The City previously offered three rounds of the Ring Camera discount after negotiating with the company in 2016. As one of the first cities to approach Ring, Staff was able to negotiate a stellar rate for the Ring Doorbell Pro, with Ring discounting the product by $125 (far beyond the $50 normally provided) and $50 on other select items. The City’s funding allowed for up to 2,000 residential subsidies, and over 1,400 residents utilized the discount and incentive. OUTREACH AND AWARENESS Pilot Neighborhood Watch in Multi-Family Neighborhoods Previous staff analysis showed that the neighborhoods along Hawthorne Boulevard (near Ridgegate Drive and Highridge Road), which is mostly multi-family residential housing, had higher rates of crime in residential burglaries, vehicle burglaries, and theft from unlocked vehicles between 2012 and 2016. Neighborhood Watch has indicated that it generally does not focus on multi-family neighborhoods as much because of high resident turnover, creating challenges in retaining consistent block captains. Staff saw an opportunity for the possibility of a neighborhood watch program tailored to multi- family housing to ensure that these residents receive information. Staff has explored ways to create this by speaking with other cities with more multi-family and long-term tenants who have done this, but an official pilot program has not yet begun. Signage for Visitor-Serving Areas The City’s Nature Preserve and beaches routinely draw many people to the area, bringing thousands of visitors on some weekends. Signage was placed in areas where visitors park, reminding them to lock their doors and not leave any valuables in their car or in sight. We have seen a reduction in vehicle burglaries throughout the City, and believe this is a contributing factor. Home Safety Audits The Sheriff’s Department’s Community Resource (CORE) Team continues to make itself available to residents who want home safety audits to assess how they can better fortify their homes. The CORE Team has completed a few audits and will be taking a “customer care” approach where members will educate residents if they see crime risk factors that can be addressed. The City continues to promote this service to residents, especially in neighborhoods where there has been recent victimization, because there is a higher likelihood that such neighborhoods may be struck again due to existing risk factors. 6 Translation and Distribution of Key Outreach Materials In the last Public Safety Strategic Plan update, it appeared that c riminals were targeting residences that are believed to have significant amounts of cash and/or jewelry on hand. In response, the City translated key materials, such as the “See Something, Say Something” flier into Korean, Chinese, Hindi, and Farsi, since there appeared to be evidence that a number of burglary victims have been non-native English speakers and may not have read the other outreach materials sent via other methods. Staff will continue to distribute these translated handouts to local faith-based and community groups with members who speak these languages. Loaner Ring Cameras This plan has been implemented with five p ortable, motion-triggered Ring cameras available for residents to check out when they are on vacation or will be gone for an extended time, such as for fumigation. Residents can set up the camera to send alerts directly to their phones with a brief clip when the motion is triggered, and, if needed, the resident can report a burglary in progress. These cameras are being checked out, especially during the summer months, and it appears that five cameras are sufficient at this time. The cameras must be returned to the City within 30 days. Bi-Annual Public Safety Meetings with the Sheriff’s Department for Emerging Trends The Sheriff’s Department will be asked to hold a public safety meeting if there appears to be an emerging public safety trend developing within the community. In April, local state legislators held a Natural Disaster Town Hall and in June, the Sheriff’s Department held a Town Hall with new Sheriff Alex Villanueva. Staff suggests continuing this practice up to twice each year, as needed. Sheriff’s Department Substation at Civic Center Staff has received approval from the General Services Ad ministration and the National Park Service (NPS) to remove conservation easements from the Civic Center property and convey the public benefit from NPS to the Department of Justice, which would allow the City to build a Sheriff’s substation and other public safety facilities on the Civic Center property. NEW MEASURES Sending targeted NextDoor messages to neighbors near recent crimes A June 2018 strategy brief by the Police Foundation stated that “Researchers have found that once a crime has occurred, additional crimes are more likely to occur in nearby areas within a short period of time producing a pattern called ‘near repeat.’ Empirical research has clearly identified the existence of both a repeat (same target, 7 another crime) and a near-repeat phenomenon for crimes such as burglary, robbery, weapons violations and other crimes.”1 Learning this, Staff began sending targeted messages through NextDoor earlier this calendar year to a radius of residents surrounding incidents of residential burglaries, or theft from locked and unlocked vehicles, to help combat near-repeat crime patterns. In these messages, residents are informed of the increased likelihood that their neighborhood may again be affected, tips and the availability of the Sheriff’s Department to perform home safety audits. ADDITIONAL PROPOSED MEASURES Enhanced Crime Lab Services Staff and the Sheriff’s Department are exploring enhanced crime lab services to expedite the processing of fingerprints and DNA results. This may enable Sheriff’s detectives to receive results more quickly and potentially solve crimes faster. Currently, most of the Peninsula’s crimes are non-violent property crimes. While this makes the area immensely safe, these types of crimes normally take a backseat to more high - priority, violent crimes happening in the rest of the county when it comes to crime lab processing. Processing of fingerprints and DNA normally takes 6 to 8 weeks. The Sheriff’s Department does offer an expedited service for an additional fee, which Captain Powers is inquiring about. To compare costs and options, Staff also has meetings set up with the Long Beach Police Department to discuss the cost of potentially outsourcing crime lab processing services. Ring subsidy There have been additional inquiries by residents interested in the Ring program. Many are new to the area or were unaware during the previous offerings. As an early municipal partner with Ring, the City was able to negotiate a $50 discount again on select Ring products, despite Ring now typically offering $30 off due to their popularity. Staff is recommending that an incentive of $50 be offered once again with a budget of $25,000 for up to 500 residents who have not yet participated in the program. If the Council approves this plan and recommendation, Staff will work with the City Attorney to bring an agreement to the Council. CONCLUSION It is recommended that the City Council: 1) Direct Staff to implement the FY 19-20 Public Safety Strategic Plan and authorize additional appropriation of $25,000 to fund a subsidy for Ring cameras for residents 1 Police Foundation Strategy Brief “Near Repeat Crime” – June 2018 http://www.policefoundation.org/wp- content/uploads/2018/07/7.-2012-IJ-CX-0039-NRStratBrief_6.29.v3.pdf 8 ALTERNATIVES In addition to the Staff recommendations, the following alternate actions are available for the City Council’s consideration: 1. Direct Staff to discontinue working on elements of the Public Safety Strategic Plan, or add new elements not listed above 9