Tuesday, July 14, 2009

San Jose's Understaffed Police Department, Part 2

By Ed Rast

Did you know that the San Jose Police Department ranks sixth out of Santa Clara County’s 11 largest cities in the number of sworn officers and civilian staff per 1000 residents?

Here’s how we stack up against the top five:

Palo Alto 2.55
Sunnyvale 2.18
Gilroy 2.01
Mountain View 1.96
Los Gatos 1.95
San Jose 1.86

The City of Santa Clara comes in a close seventh at 1.85. Note that total police staffing includes both sworn officers and civilian staff. For example, San Jose has 1.46 sworn officers and 0.40 staff per 1000 residents. Each city uses different ratios of officers to staff depending on local crime and budget situations, training and technology usage.

SJPD civilian staff makes up about 21.5% of the total force while many other local and large California cities maintain a staff that’s 25-40% of the force. San Jose has the lowest ratio of police staff per officer of any of the county’s 11 largest cities.

Our staff numbers are lower for a variety of reasons: consistent budget cuts since 2001; the failure to add staff over the past ten years to keep up with growth; and the decision to retain sworn officers in staff positions rather than reduce the number of sworn officers. It costs about $250,000 just to recruit and train every new sworn officer.

It has become very difficult for SJPD to recruit new officers while competing with smaller local agencies, but the problem isn’t just local. There is a growing shortage of about 7,000 police officers in agencies statewide. In addition, many older officers are scheduled to retire within the next five years. Reducing newly-trained officers (last in, first out) would only make San Jose’s future police shortage worse, likely resulting in increased crime rates.

San Jose’s overall crime rate in 2007 was 256.9 crimes per 100,000 residents. While one of the best rates among large cities with populations 500,000, this ranks us 13th out of the 15 cities in Santa Cara County.

Let’s go back to our list of large local cities with the highest police staffing levels and compare 2007 crime rates:

Palo Alto 153.5
Sunnyvale 138.4
Gilroy’s 340.0
Mountain View 186.8
Los Gatos 145.7
San Jose 256.9

You’ll notice that Gilroy’s crime rate is above the U.S. average of 320.9 while San Jose and other big cities in Santa Clara County are well below that average. This goes to show that staffing, while important, is not the only factor in crime prevention.

Higher youth populations, lower median income levels, less jobs per employment age resident (or underemployed residents), large geographical areas, and other factors contribute to increased crime rates.

In San Jose, community policing — including Neighborhood Watch and Neighborhood Action — has been reduced or discontinued. Specialized mounted, traffic and investigative units have been reduced, and overall police staffing is currently at 1998 levels despite a population surge of over 140,000 residents since then.

For FY 2009-2010, city administration proposed reductions to police funding and staffing for the eighth year in a row despite projected higher crime rates. Thankfully, the City Council did not approve the proposed reductions except that a planned 25 new officers were not included in the final budget.

Of course, adding staff is just a part of the solution here. Increased community policing and officer training, more officers assigned to investigative and detective duties (see Beat Cop’s blog from last week), and new technology for patrol and analysis can help to lower crime rates — especially for property crimes — and help offset some staff shortages.

In future articles, I’ll look at rates of various types of crime in San Jose and how increasing police staffing, technology and funding can prevent crime and help protect our streets and neighborhoods.

12 comments:

  1. Officer FrustratedJuly 14, 2009 at 11:02 AM

    ...And for the naysayers who believe that the mere fact that the sidewalks are clean and San Jose appears to be a "safe" city, try calling to get an officer to respond for a cold burglary report or some other non-priority call for service.

    More often than not, you will wait hours before an officer can respond. This is as a result of not enough officers to cover priority calls, and still take care of the non-emergency calls in their beats. This is also taking into account if the shift is fully staffed..not accounting for officers calling in sick, ones on vacation, or officers on leave for injuries, etc..those spots (beats) often do not get back filled at all!

    As an officer, it kills me when I arrive at a frustrated victim's home who's confidence is shaken and is now further irritated due to an extended wait of several hours. Most often, the simple explaination of staffing levels seems to aleveiate their frustrations in knowing that we didn't forget about them, but that emergency calls must come first in the grand schemem of things. Unfotunately, my little prepared speech I give is just getting old, and being used far too often. I wonder if the Mayor or City Council members would accept this type of delay if their homes or vehicles were violated and had to wait for an officer to come.

    Oh but wait...but we are overpaid, over compensated unionized bullies who single handedly destroyed the cities budget right? I wonder how the quality of service would improve if lower paid, less educated, and poorly compensated officers were hired instead? Good luck with the latter...

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  2. Officer Frustrated,
    Thank you for putting your life on the line for us everyday. I agree that our leaders and the BS Murky News are treating the issue of pensions unfairly. If we were to really look at the cause of our City's financial problems it would have to fall on the backs of our leaders, bad business decisions, and one big, fat, ugly, over priced City Hall, along with bad loans, golf courses with mega big buck nets, and too many million dollar favors to special interest groups.
    Don't you find it odd that the Murky News never talks about the bennies former Mayors, and Council Members get? I do~

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  3. Could we break the SJ crime data by neighborhoods or would that be too suggestive and people like Raj and DEBUG start marching in the streets?

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  4. Officer FrustratedJuly 14, 2009 at 3:43 PM

    Kathleen,

    Thank you for your comments, it's great to hear that we are supporeted by the vast majority of the citizens in the city. It truly means a lot when we get praise and thanks for doing our jobs in an otherwise thankless profession.

    I completely agree that there are so many wastefull pet projects that the city chooses to spend its money on. But of course the papers are always looking for an easy target for controvesy to stir the pot, not to actually report reality based common sense news. Hence the big shiny badges on our chests alwas tend to look like targets to the Murks News reporters, rather than a symbol of the few chosen to serve and protect. It seems it's easy to attack a professional knowing that he won't retaliate due to his honorable, distinguished nature, then turn around and imply that silence equates to a guilty conscious.

    But having said that, I expect to be attacked in the papers again tomorrow like clock work. 25 years of reading the paper, I'd expect nothing less from a tabloid with a weather and sports page attached to it. The good news is that the good common sense residents of the city tend not to believe the fables that they are fed daily!!

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  5. Frustrated Officer said, "It seems it's easy to attack a professional knowing that he won't retaliate due to his honorable, distinguished nature, then turn around and imply that silence equates to a guilty conscious."

    That is the absolute truth and that is why this website and blog is so vital to our community. The Metro and Murky News have long held the public's attention because the PD has remained silent. No one has been able to hold them accountable for their irresponsible/bias reporting, or for their campaign of misinformation but now the tides are a turning.

    I'm deeply saddened and disappointed in our Council. I think it is a dam shame that the PD has been so under staffed for so long. My hope is that people remember that when they vote next year. More of the same BS is just not acceptable any more.

    You stay safe Officer and remember there is a very large silent majority that feels and thinks the same way I do. You are appreciated and don't you ever forget it! ;-)

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  6. Why is it the Merc always reports the salaries and benifits of the command staff, then making it look like we all get those bennies. I guess when Davis leaves they are going to hire some stuge with no prior experience or prior job because we don't want double dipping. If you want quality you have pay. That is why the Merc is dying they don't have good reporters because they don't pay well. With any luck they will just fold and go away. Where is Rod Foo? Who cares!

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  7. We always read the Metro! I was lonely last week and was skiming the paper when I checked out the back of the Metro. They had all kinds gals that wanted dates. I went on line and saw that some good looking gals were waiting for dates. For a slight donation 300.00 they would keep anyone company. What a great paper to provide that kind of service. I hope the cops don't find it. The are working their way thru college I guess.

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  8. I almost puked last night (Tuesday) listening to Gene Burns, the talk show host on KGO between 8-9pm. You can go to the station website and listen to the podcast version of it. Burns says that SJPD officers retire at 110% of their working salary, which I found facinating since it is a lie. He also mentions at about the 20 minute mark that in addition to guns we must also have masks and hats too implying I guess that we are guilty of robbery. He never mentions once what we contribute to our retirement or that many of us never collect that much before we die after retirement. Burns said that he doesn't think we should get any more than 50%. As far as I could tell he went by the completely misleading story by that great reporter Webby, and never gave our side of the story. It was disgraceful.

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  9. Continued from above. From 9-10pm Gene Burns continues his one sided rant of how it is our pensions fault that no other city services can be provided. Councilman Pierluigi Oliverio calls in ripping on our pension and that new hires need to be put into a different pension plan and our pension plan is to blame for all the financial woes of the city. Totally one sided and throwing out numbers out of thin air. http://members.kgoradio.com/kgo_archives/archives.php?d=2

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  10. Anonymous,
    That is the same stunt Brian Copeland pulled over the POA’s Jayadev video. When we called in the call screener wouldn't let anyone on that didn't further their agenda of bashing and belittling the POA.

    It is too bad that the media has such power over whether or not the truth gets out to the public. You'd think in a country that touts free speech things would be different wouldn't you? The really sad part is that people don’t think past what they’re told! Don’t believe me? Read SJI and other blogs where folks complain about Union benefits.

    My question to Oliverio and his pals on the Council is, are THEY willing to give up their City bennies when they leave office?

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  11. Question for Ed R. I was reading on the AOl news. Congress has the ability to have insider trading and get away with it. Only now the goverment is looking at ways to prevent this. Do we have a way of determing mayors, council members, tracking to deals that occure in the city? Shouldn't all members have to disclose a financial during the tenure in office? I would like to see Deb Figones financial. They post the officers salary. I think the former McEnery and Licardo financial would make some tabloid style of reading.

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  12. Why hasn't the MEDIA embraced the retirement systems in San Jose. I called the POA yesterday and was told the plan is 85% funded. Find me a plan with the same results in the country. I was told PERS was 65% funded. Maybe if all those people invested in the way we have, they would not be in the position they are in TODAY. This war is not about pensions, it's about locating money from any source due to poor money management by the city. I don't see Sunnyvale screaming poor. Might be because they manage money. I am so impressed with Ed Raust. Mr. Mayor replace Figone with Mr. Raust. You have a moral obligation a fiscal obligation and a NEED FOR A CHANGE! I think through Mr. Raust the city could find a way through this pool of finacial ruin we are moving towards. I might add, you have the ability to bring people in as an oversite. Mr. Salcido was hired from the Sheriffs Department. Why not hire Ed. Sunshine belongs in the books of City Hall. I do not believe Mr. Mayor that you would embrace less than honest activites. You sir have honor. The people you surround yourself with an seek advice may not have your moral standard. Mr. Raust would put this monster to sleep.

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