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THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE

TAKING COMMAND

NEW DIRECTIONS FOR POLICING


THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA

An Action Plan for the


Alexandria Police Department from the
International Association of Chiefs of Police
THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE

TAKING COMMAND

NEW DIRECTIONS FOR POLICING


THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA

An Action Plan for the


Alexandria Police Department from the
International Association of Chiefs of Police
June 2009
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ i

Principal Findings and Recommendations .......................................................................... 1

THE ALEXANDRIA POLICING ENVIRONMENT

Chapter I. The Alexandria Policing Environment ............................................................. 9

Section 1: Service Population ...................................................................................... 9


Section 2: Violent and Serious Crime ....................................................................... 10
Section 3: Comparative Crime Rates ........................................................................ 15
Section 4: Less Serious Crime .................................................................................... 12
Section 5: Juvenile Crime ........................................................................................... 16
Section 6: Traffic Crashes and Enforcement............................................................ 18
Section 7: Arrests - Adults ......................................................................................... 18
Section 8: Arrests - Juvenile ....................................................................................... 22
Section 9: Clearances................................................................................................... 22
Section 10: Workload .................................................................................................. 25
Section 11: Resources – Appropriations and Expenditures .................................. 29
Section 12: Resources - Staffing ................................................................................. 34
Section 13: The Experience Profile ............................................................................ 34
Section 14: The Diversity Profile ............................................................................... 36
Section 15: The Training Profile ................................................................................ 37
Section 16: Workforce Perspectives .......................................................................... 37
Section 17: Implications .............................................................................................. 41

APD MISSION AND VISION

Chapter II. Mission, Goals and Objectives ....................................................................... 45

Section 1: Mission, Goals, and Objectives................................................................ 45


Section 2: Governing Body Direction ....................................................................... 45
Section 3: Evaluation .................................................................................................. 46
Section 4: Recommendations ..................................................................................... 47

ORGANIZATION AND STAFFING

Chapter III. Organization and Staffing ............................................................................. 49

Section 1: Current Organization and Staffing ......................................................... 49


Section 2: Evaluation .................................................................................................. 54
Section 3: Recommendations ..................................................................................... 57

COMMUNITY SERVICES: FIELD OPERATIONS

Chapter IV. Patrol Operations: Deployment and Scheduling ...................................... 69

Section 1: Objectives ................................................................................................... 69


Section 2: Staffing Factors and Database Architecture .......................................... 70
Section 3: Availability ................................................................................................. 71
Section 4: Workload .................................................................................................... 74
Section 5: Measurement Factors/Standards ........................................................... 80
Section 6: Current Allocation of First Responders ................................................. 81
Section 7: Current Deployment of First Responders ............................................. 82
Section 8: Assignment Limitations for First Responders ...................................... 84
Section 9: Operational Workload – Classes and Volume ...................................... 84
Section 10: Operational Workload – Officer Workload ......................................... 86
Section 11: Workload – Geographic Area ................................................................ 87
Section 12: Workload – Shift (Temporal) Distribution .......................................... 89
Section 13: Workload – Day of Week Distribution ................................................ 91
Section 14: Workload – Month of Year Distribution .............................................. 92
Section 15: Supervision............................................................................................... 94
Section 16: Patrol Shift ................................................................................................ 95
Section 17: Evaluation ................................................................................................ 96
Section 18: Recommendations ................................................................................. 100

Chapter V. Patrol Operations: Specialized Units and Patrol Practices...................... 103

Section 1: Canine ....................................................................................................... 103


Section 2: Special Interdiction Division (SID) ....................................................... 104
Section 3: Special Operations Division (SOD) ...................................................... 104
Section 4: Community Policing ............................................................................... 106
Section 5: Patrol Practices ........................................................................................ 107
Section 6: Evaluation ................................................................................................ 114
Section 7: Recommendations ................................................................................... 120

Chapter VI. Community Policing ..................................................................................... 123

Section 1: Organization and Staffing ...................................................................... 123


Section 2: Duties and Workload.............................................................................. 123
Section 3: Selection and Training ............................................................................ 124
Section 4: Evaluation ............................................................................................... 125
Section 5: Recommendations .................................................................................. 127
Chapter VI a. Community Services .................................................................................. 129

Section 1: Organization and Staffing ....................................................................... 129


Section 2: Community Services ............................................................................... 130
Section 3: Public Information .................................................................................. 130
Section 4: Citizen Police Academy ......................................................................... 131
Section 5: Police Training Academy Assignments ............................................... 131
Section 6: Polygraph Operator ................................................................................ 131
Section 7: Evaluation ................................................................................................ 131
Section 8: Recommendations ................................................................................... 132

COMMUNITY SERVICES: INVESTIGATIONS

Chapter VII. Criminal Investigations .............................................................................. 133

Section 1: Organization and Staffing ..................................................................... 133


Section 2: Workload .................................................................................................. 134
Section 3: Case Assignment Practices .................................................................... 136
Section 4: Crimes Against Persons and Crimes Against Property .................... 137
Section 5: Financial Crimes ...................................................................................... 137
Section 6: Juvenile Investigations ........................................................................... 137
Section 7: Crime Scene Search ................................................................................. 138
Section 8: Facilities .................................................................................................... 141
Section 9: Selection and Training ............................................................................ 141
Section 10: Evaluation .............................................................................................. 142
Section 11: Recommendations ................................................................................. 144

Chapter VIII. Narcotics ....................................................................................................... 147

Section 1: Organization and Staffing ...................................................................... 147


Section 2: Workload .................................................................................................. 148
Section 3: Policies and Practices .............................................................................. 150
Section 4: Evaluation ................................................................................................ 151
Section 5: Recommendations ................................................................................... 153

SUPPORT SERVICES

Chapter IX. Support Services ............................................................................................. 155

Section 1: Organization and Staffing ...................................................................... 155


Section 2: Roles and Responsibilities ..................................................................... 155
Section 3: Evaluation ................................................................................................ 156
Section 4: Recommendations ................................................................................... 156

Chapter X. Warrants and Records ..................................................................................... 157

Section 1: Organization and Staffing ...................................................................... 157


Section 2: Roles and Responsibilities ..................................................................... 157
Section 3: Workload .................................................................................................. 160
Section 4: Evaluation ................................................................................................ 160
Section 5: Recommendations ................................................................................... 160

Chapter XI. Information Management ............................................................................ 162

Section 1: Organization and Staffing ...................................................................... 162


Section 2: Information Infrastructure ..................................................................... 162
Section 3: Technology Support and Maintenance ................................................ 163
Section 4: Information Management ...................................................................... 165
Section 5: Evaluation ................................................................................................ 166
Section 6: Recommendations ................................................................................... 167

Chapter XII. Legal Support ................................................................................................ 169

Section 1: Policies and Practices .............................................................................. 169


Section 2: Evaluation ................................................................................................ 169
Section 3: Recommendations ................................................................................... 169

Chapter XIII. Planning and Research............................................................................... 171

Section 1: Organization and Staffing ..................................................................... 171


Section 2: Goals and Objectives............................................................................... 171
Section 3: Policies and Practices .............................................................................. 171
Section 4: Evaluation ................................................................................................ 172
Section 5: Recommendations ................................................................................... 173

Chapter XIV. Reentry and Sex Offender Programming ............................................... 174

Section 1: Reentry Programming ............................................................................ 174


Section 2: Sex Offender Programming ................................................................... 174
Section 3: Evaluation ................................................................................................ 175
Section 4: Recommendations ................................................................................... 175
Chapter XV. Communications ........................................................................................... 177

Section 1: Organization and Staffing ...................................................................... 177


Section 2: Workload .................................................................................................. 177
Section 3: Practices .................................................................................................... 178
Section 4: Evaluation ............................................................................................... 182
Section 5: Recommendations ................................................................................... 184

Chapter XVI. Integrity – Citizen Complaints and Internal Affairs ........................... 186

Section 1: Organization and Staffing ..................................................................... 186


Section 2: Compliant Profile/Workload ................................................................ 187
Section 3: Policy and Practice – Intake and Investigation ................................... 189
Section 4: Policy and Practice – Findings and Discipline .................................... 192
Section 5: Officer-Involved Shootings .................................................................... 194
Section 6: Evaluation ................................................................................................ 197
Section 7: Recommendations ................................................................................... 199

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Chapter XVII. Personnel Acquisition – Recruitment and Selection .......................... 201

Section 1: Organization and Staffing ...................................................................... 201


Section 2: Recruitment .............................................................................................. 201
Section 3: Selection .................................................................................................... 202
Section 4: Promotions ............................................................................................... 204
Section 5: Specialized Unit Assignments ............................................................... 205
Section 6: Performance Evaluations ....................................................................... 205
Section 7: Evaluation ................................................................................................ 206
Section 8: Recommendations ................................................................................... 207

Chapter XVIII. Career Development – Training and Education ................................ 208

Section 1: Organization and Staffing ...................................................................... 208


Section 2: Basic/Academy Training ....................................................................... 208
Section 3: Field Training........................................................................................... 216
Section 4: In-Service .................................................................................................. 217
Section 5: Roll Call Training .................................................................................... 224
Section 6: Leadership Development ....................................................................... 224
Section 7: Specialized Units ..................................................................................... 225
Section 8: Evaluation ................................................................................................ 226
Section 9: Recommendations ................................................................................... 230
Chapter XIX. Policies and Procedures .............................................................................. 232

Section 1: The Manual .............................................................................................. 232


Section 2: Responsibilities ........................................................................................ 232
Section 3: Practices .................................................................................................... 233
Section 4: Evaluation ................................................................................................ 233
Section 5: Recommendations ................................................................................... 238

APD CULTURE AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Chapter XX. Organizational Culture – Workforce Perspectives ................................. 239

Section 1: Survey Structure ...................................................................................... 239


Section 2: Survey Response ..................................................................................... 239
Section 3: Servicing APD Stakeholders .................................................................. 241
Section 4: Workplace Practices and Conditions ................................................... 243
Section 5: Indicators .................................................................................................. 243
Section 6: Open-Ended Responses.......................................................................... 246
Section 7: Productivity and Innovations ................................................................ 246
Section 8: Observations and Implications ............................................................. 251
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Table 1: Serious and Violent Offenses Known to Police: 2003-2007 ............................... 11


Table 2: Highest Violent Crime Rates .................................................................................. 13
Table 3: Violent Crime Rates 2003-2007 .............................................................................. 14
Table 4: Property Crime Rates 2003-2007 ........................................................................... 15
Table 5: Less Serious Offenses 2005-2008 ........................................................................... 16
Table 6: Offenses Involving Juveniles 2003-2007 ............................................................... 17
Table 7: Traffic Enforcement 2006-2008 .............................................................................. 19
Table 8: Adult Arrests 2004-2007 ......................................................................................... 20
Table 9: Juvenile Arrests 2004-2007 ..................................................................................... 23
Table 10: Offenses Cleared by Arrest 2003-2007................................................................ 24
Table 11: Clearance Rates APD vs. Comparable Cities 2004-2007 .................................. 26
Table 12: Calls for Service – Type 2008 ............................................................................... 27
Table 13: Calls for Service – Hours 2008 ............................................................................. 30
Table 14: Resources – Expenditures and Appropriations 2001-2009.............................. 32
Table 15: Resources – Staffing 2005-2009 ............................................................................ 33
Table 16: Turnover Profile 2004-2009 .................................................................................. 34
Table 17: Experience Profile................................................................................................... 35
Table 18: Gender and Race Profile 2008 ............................................................................... 36
Table 19: Average Number of Training Courses by Rank ................................................ 38
Table 20: Average Number of Training Courses by Division .......................................... 39
Table 21: Patrol Officer Availability ..................................................................................... 73
Table 22: Deployment of Officers on Each of the Four Shifts ........................................... 83
Table 23: Operational Workload - Events............................................................................ 85
Table 24: Operational Workload - Hours ............................................................................ 86
Table 25: Calls by Police Zone ............................................................................................... 87
Table 26: Activity by District (CAD Logs) ........................................................................... 88
Table 27: Calls by Zone Car ................................................................................................... 89
Table 28: First Responders Incidents of the Day ................................................................ 90
Table 29: Calls by Hour of the Day....................................................................................... 91
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Table 30: Activities by Day of the Week .............................................................................. 92


Table 31: Calls by Day of Week............................................................................................. 92
Table 32: Activities by Month of the Year ........................................................................... 93
Table 33: Patrol Calls by Month of the Year ........................................................................ 93
Table 34: Shift Staffing: First Responders ............................................................................ 98
Table 35: CID Staffing by Sub-Unit .................................................................................... 133
Table 36: CID Workload 2004-2008 ................................................................................... 135
Table 37: Clearance Rates, Patrol vs. Detectives, 2007-2008 ........................................... 135
Table 38: Juvenile Investigations Data 2004-2007............................................................. 139
Table 39: Crime Scene Search Unit Evidentiary Requests 2007 ..................................... 140
Table 40: Narcotics Unit Workload, 2004-2008 ................................................................. 148
Table 41: Narcotics Activity – Other Field Units .............................................................. 148
Table 42: Seizures 2004-2007 ................................................................................................ 149
Table 43: Complaint Profile 2004-2008 .............................................................................. 188
Table 44: Charge Disposition by Year 2001-2008............................................................. 195
Table 45: Police Basic Training Course – LA POST Requirements ................................ 209
Table 46: APD Recruit Academy Curriculum .................................................................. 212
Table 47: In-Service Profile 2007 ........................................................................................ 218
Table 48: In-Service Profile 2008 ........................................................................................ 221
Table 49: Average Number of Training Courses by Rank .............................................. 227
Table 50: Average Number of Training Courses by Division ........................................ 228
Table 51: Generic Police Department Policy Manual Table of Contents ...................... 235
Table 52: Workforce Survey Summary: Servicing APD Stakeholders .......................... 242
Table 53: Practices and Conditions - Rankings ................................................................. 244
Table 54: Practices and Conditions - Clusters ................................................................... 245
Table 55: Summary of Open-Ended Responses ................................................................ 247
Table 56: Summary of Productivity and Innovation Suggestions ................................. 250
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Figure 1: Current Organization – Composite Chart .......................................................... 50


Figure 2: Proposed Organization .......................................................................................... 59
Figure 3: Proposed Field Services Bureau ........................................................................... 61
Figure 4: Proposed Investigative Services Bureau ............................................................. 64
Figure 5: Proposed Administrative & Support Services Bureau...................................... 66
INTRODUCTION

This report presents the findings and recommendations of the Resource Management
Evaluation of the Alexandria, Louisiana Police Department (APD), conducted by the
International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). The goal of the evaluation was to
position city executives and the men and women of the APD with information, insight,
and an action plan to:

‰ Build and sustain safe and secure neighborhoods

‰ Conduct police services dedicated to integrity, responsiveness,


accountability, justice, and public trust

‰ Build and sustain creative and constructive partnerships with the


community, criminal justice system, city, parish, and state agencies, and
safety-relevant public and private sector interest and advocacy
organizations

‰ Employ the most contemporary policy and program strategies and


innovations

‰ Maximize return and value added on resource investments

‰ Cope with challenges and manage the opportunities inherent in the


extraordinary change that is occurring in American society,
technologically, demographically, and with regard to hometown security.

Objective of the study were to:

‰ Measure the degree to which the APD’s philosophy, goals, objectives, and
operations conform to the expectations of the city’s governing body

‰ Identify crimes, victims, and police operations that require more effective
response or emphasis

‰ Evaluate how efficiently the APD is organized to achieve its mission and
to conduct current operations

‰ Identify important police and security functions that are not being
performed by the APD

‰ Identify functions that can be performed more cost-effectively by


alternative means and/or agencies

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‰ Specify number and types of personnel needed to conduct current and
future department operations at levels which meet professional standards
and community/governing body expectations

‰ Assess the readiness of the APD to cope with the rapidly changing
cultural, programmatic, and technological environment of 21st Century
policing.

STUDY METHODS

There were four phases to the study, several of which overlapped. Phase 1 was devoted
to collecting information about operations and conditions. A combination of data
collection techniques and sources was used. Command and non-command police
department personnel were interviewed. IACP staff observed numerous operations.
Policy statements, rules and regulations, statistical reports, and other written
documents were gathered. Data collection was, in fact, ongoing until the end of the
study period.

An organizational culture/workforce survey was conducted. Eighty-five (85) responses


were received in time for processing. (Five arrived well after the deadline.) This
represents a response rate of 45%. Officers, sergeants, and civilian employees account
for 88% of the response population.

Phase 2 concentrated on analysis and evaluation of data, development of improvement


recommendations, and conceptualizing the most promising model for policing
Alexandria in the immediate future and for some years to come. Evaluation involved
comparison of APD policies, procedures, and operation with contemporary professional
police standards – a composite of policies and practices favored by the IACP staff.

Phase 3 entailed discussion of findings and recommendations with government


executives. Reactions, comments, and suggestions were considered, and in cases,
incorporated during preparation of this final report – Phase 4 of the study.

THE NATURE OF THE EVALUATIONS

It is IACP policy to present a balanced report which highlights positive conditions as


well as those which are not positive. By nature, however, management surveys and
evaluations in their search for opportunities emphasize the conditions, policies, and
practices which should and can be corrected and/or improved. This focus skews
evaluation toward the negative side of the equation. We urge readers to recognize this
and simultaneously appreciate that management studies are undertaken to be
constructive. Readers are obligated to the city for opening the department to the

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scrutiny of professional evaluators. This represents an act of professionalism of the
highest order. In doing so, the city has served its clientele well.

CHANGING CONDITIONS

The APD is a dynamic organization. Some conditions described in this report have
changed during the time that the study was being performed and the report was being
prepared. We have had to “freeze” conditions in order to prepare the report. The most
current information on the condition of the department resides with the APD, including
information on actions which would impact consideration and implementation of
recommendations.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Our ability to conduct this evaluation was facilitated by the participation and
cooperation of dozens of individuals. Our appreciation is extended to the men and
women of the APD who provided data, participated in interviews, and returned survey
questionnaires. Special acknowledgement is offered to those individuals with whom
we worked most closely.

‰ Daren Coutee, Chief of Police

‰ James Hay, Assistant Chief of Police

‰ Mel Queen, Lieutenant, Technical Support

‰ Cliff Gatlin, Sergeant, Training Academy

‰ Farrell Gaspard, Sergeant, Warrants/Records Division

‰ Donald Weatherford, Sergeant, Professional Standards

IACP STAFF

Work was conducted by Palmer D. Wilson, Senior Associate Consultant; Dr. Robert
Ford, Senior Associate Consultant; Randall Dilling, Associate Consultant; Tracy
Phillips, Senior Project Specialist; and Jeanine Burchard, Technical Support Specialist.
Jerry Needle, Director of Programs and Research, managed the study.

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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

PRINCIPLE FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: AN ACTION PLAN TO


TRANSFORM THE APD

The public safety/police operation equation in Alexandria is characterized, as in every


city, by a mix of positives, assets, and achievements, paralleled by problems and
resource and achievement gaps. Those of greatest significance are singled out here, to
form a context for the detailed examinations that follow.

THE POLICING ENVIRONMENT

Current and future policing requirements of the city of Alexandria, APD goals and
objectives, staffing, programs and technology are heavily defined by population;
economic conditions; level and composition of crime in the community, region and
increasingly, around the globe; availability of resources; service demands; and trends in
each of these correlates.

The city has a stable population residing in low-density neighborhoods for the most
part. These are positives for introducing and managing crime control and institutional
(APD) change.

‰ Crime Profile. Increase in overall crime was marginal (3.3%) from 2003 –
2007. This favorable record hosts, however, an 18.5% increase in violent
crime, dominated by assaults. Property crimes, decreased 5.47%

Uniformed Crime Reports (2007) rank Alexandria in the top 25 metro


areas in reported violent crime. Alexandria does not compare favorably
with a selected group of Louisiana cities in violent and property crime.
(Benchmarks are diagnostically punitive indices but help to frame/direct
analyses.)

‰ Youth Wellness. Juvenile crime increased 40% from 2003 – 2007, an


average of 10% annually. Thefts are most prevalent. Of greater concern is
the number of assaults (simple). Our ability to evaluate the juvenile
picture is constrained by absence of reliable data on bullying, self-
victimization (cutting, unreported substance abuse), and status offenses.

‰ Arrests and Clearances. Adult arrests increased 28.5% from 2004-2007.


Juvenile arrests increased marginally (2.7%) for the same period.
Clearance rates for serious crimes were stable, ranging from 33.7% in 2007
to 35.6% in 2005. Violent crime clearance rates equal those of comparable
cities, while property rates exceed them. The assault clearance rate is very
low, comparatively, while robbery clearance rates are high.

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

‰ The Traffic Profile. Number of crashes remained stable from 2005-2008.


Measured by citations issued and traffic stops, enforcement has received
continuous emphasis:

- Citations issued have increased 7.6% annually since 2005

- Traffic stops have increased 18.7% annually since 2005

- An increasing number of DUIs have been recorded.

To a far greater degree than crime work, traffic work is elective (subject to
managerial decision).

‰ Workload Indicators. The APD serviced just over 65,000 calls for service
(including self-initiated) in 2008. This consumed just over 87,000 hours of
patrol time.

Traffic-related calls account for the greatest number of calls for service and
are the leading consumer of patrol time (13%).

Disturbing the peace calls account for 12%.

Reliable trend data is not available to measure calls for service. (This
seriously impairs staffing requirements forecasting in a number of areas.)

‰ Resources – Fiscal and Staff. Since 2000 appropriations have increased at


an annual rate of 12.4%, fueled by salary and fringe packages. This trend
should end this year due to the mandate that the APD budget be reduced
(about 4%).

Authorized positions (223) have been a constant, with little movement


among ranks. Turnover has been low to normal (3 – 8%). Department
experience is high with half of sworn officers having 15+ years.

APD workforce composition is 75% male and 74% white.

‰ Training. In-service courses per employee each year average 2.45. Lower
ranks receive more than higher ranks. Distribution of training is stable
across divisions. Top executives and commanders are undertrained.

   
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ACHIEVEMENTS, ASSETS AND BUILDING BLOCKS

As the APD goes forward with servicing the citizens of Alexandria and those of the
region who contribute to and depend on the city, it can and will build on the following
conditions and assets.

‰ Full Service Philosophy and Capacity. The APD is committed to


providing the fullest range of police services, both public safety and
quality-of-life, and has the capacity to continue to do so.

‰ Mature Patrol Operations. First response operations are strong, generally.

‰ Traffic Services. Enabled by robust staffing, the APD continues to mount


strong traffic enforcement performance.

‰ Adequate Clearance Rates. The combined efforts of the Uniform Division,


Criminal Investigations Division, Narcotics Unit, and Warrants Division
are producing adequate to favorable clearance rates.

‰ Ample Resources. The APD is/has been well resourced, measured by


appropriations and staff levels.

‰ Favorable Change Climate. A number of dissatisfiers notwithstanding,


workforce commitment, dedication, and morale are valuable assets for
meeting change and challenge.

‰ Well-Served Populations. The workforce is satisfied with its records of


service to several populations, notably the mentally challenged,
businesses, and military personnel.

‰ Experience of Staff. Department experience is high with half of sworn


officers having 15+ years. However, the department is aging, and there is
great potential for losses/retirements.

PROBLEMS AND PRIORITIES

Conditions which demand informed and immediate treatment by the APD, the
governing body of the city and the community are:

‰ Violent Crime. Despite more favorable 2008 data, the five-year trend
remains troubling. Assaults and disorderlies arising, we suspect, from

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

economic and social dysfunction, are driving this class of crime and
victimization.

‰ Burgeoning Juvenile Crime. A correlate of adult crime and offending,


the steady increase in juvenile crime is a distress signal.

‰ Underserved Populations. The APD workforce is dissatisfied with its


record of service to these populations: crime victims; youth; the elderly;
minorities; the homeless and indigent. In both number of categories and
the total population, this clientele base far outnumbers the clientele base
deemed to be served well. Meeting the needs of these underserviced
populations is far beyond the capacity and mandate of the APD. A
medical-model/social service/law enforcement partnership is called for.

‰ Diversity of Staff. The APD workforce is dominated (75%) by white


males, hardly a reflection of community demographics. As the
department restructures and deals with impending retirements, there is a
strong need for diversity in terms of gender, race, and ethnicity.

EXPLAINING THE CRIME RECORD: BEST PRACTICE SHORTFALLS

Managing crime and victimization is the responsibility of the governing body, the
community, as well as the APD. Still, the leadership obligation falls mainly to the
police. Our work has surfaced a number of APD shortfalls that we believe account for
current crime conditions.

‰ A Strategy. The APD functions without clearly defined, measurable crime


control goals, objectives, and a coherent strategy for crime prevention and
control.

‰ Intelligence-Led Policing. Crime analysis and intelligence programming


is deficient. Intelligence-led policing, a 21st Century data-information-
driven approach to crime control, is absent from the APD.

‰ Community Policing. Community policing, characterized by a checkered


history in the APD, has atrophied along every core component –
community engagement, problem solving, and partnerships.

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

RESPONSES AND REMEDIES: TRANSFORMING THE APD

We urge the city of Alexandria, with a mandate from the public, and a “charge” to the
department’s leadership, to undertake a radical reengineering of the APD. The
transformation we envision should be guided by strategic intents:

‰ Nurture leadership capacity

‰ Intensify neighborhood/citizen engagement

‰ Build an outcome and metrics-driven management and operating


environment

‰ Front-load prevention capacity

‰ Maximize return on investment

‰ Introduce best/promising practices

‰ Develop/redevelop critical infrastructure

‰ Strengthen workplace culture

‰ Exploit productivity opportunities.

NURTURE LEADERSHIP CAPACITY

‰ Accelerate leadership grooming and preparation.

‰ Provide exempt status for the three proposed Bureau Commanders.


Current civil service rules limit choice to the most senior officer. Seniority
is far too limiting of a factor upon which to promote these key policy
makers.

‰ Develop a cadre of executives and commanders with 21st Century


management skills. The most essential are goal setting, measurement, and
outcome evaluation capacity; a problem-solving orientation; ability to
motivate the workforce; and an appreciation for value of vision.

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

‰ Introduce an “every officer a leader” development program, the West


Point type model, (or a variation.) Local military assets should be able to
help with this intent.

INTENSIFY NEIGHBORHOOD/CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT

‰ “Recover” community policing, philosophically and organizationally.

‰ Define and address needs of underserved population, neighborhoods, and


victims.

‰ Promote and sustain community trust in neighborhoods where this may


be needed.

BUILD AN OUTCOME AND METRICS-DRIVEN MANAGEMENT AND


OPERATING ENVIRONMENT

‰ Establish goals and objectives at three levels: the agency; all units; and
personnel.

‰ Define/employ measurements.

‰ Rely heavily on CompStat techniques.

‰ Exploit the values of the program/personnel evaluation processes.

‰ Ensure that the workforce perceives equity.

FRONT-LOAD PREVENTION CAPACITY

‰ Problem solving.

‰ Reentry.

‰ Sex offender management.

‰ Patrol methods (directed patrols, STEP).

‰ Crime prevention programming.

‰ Crime analysis.

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

‰ Police/corrections partnerships.

MAXIMIZE RETURN ON INVESTMENT

‰ Restructure organization:

- Consolidate units
- Eliminate questionable operations
- Eliminate fragmentation
- Strengthen coordination.

‰ Re-staff the APD:

- Consolidate command
- Add new skills, knowledge, and abilities (SKAs)
- Civilianize.

‰ Establish a Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) program.

‰ Look for parish/regional partnerships.

‰ Rebalance field and administrative support deployments.

INTRODUCE BEST / PROMISING PRACTICES

‰ Revamp planning and research.

‰ Victims services models.

‰ VIPS models.

‰ Reentry model.

‰ Suspicious activity reporting (SARS).

‰ Problem oriented policing (POP) guides.

‰ Route 911 calls directly to APD dispatch centers (response time issue).

DEVELOP/REDEVELOP CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

‰ Establish a contemporary information technology capacity.

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

‰ Exploit the potentials of the RMS.

‰ Finish the policy manual.

‰ Leverage in-service training assets.

‰ Do not forget the civilians.

STRENGTHEN WORKPLACE CULTURE

‰ Focus on dissatisfiers:

- Performance evaluation
- Discipline practices
- Transfers and special assignments.

‰ Increase in-service training.

‰ Work toward increased ethnic, racial, and gender diversity.

EXPLOIT PRODUCTIVITY OPPORTUNITIES

‰ Cost efficient resource recovery lies in workload reduction for first


responders.

‰ Alarm calls (7,200 last year), thefts (2,700), burglaries (2,000), and
disturbing the peace (7,500) should be primary targets for evaluation.

‰ Telephone and Internet report taking can also relieve burdens on patrol
and dispatch.

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

CHAPTER I: THE POLICING ENVIRONMENT

Current and future policing requirements of the city of Alexandria, APD goals and
objectives, staffing, programs and technology are heavily defined by population;
economic conditions; level and composition of crime in the community, region and
increasingly, around the globe; availability of resources; service demands; and trends in
each of these correlates. Environmental conditions in Alexandria and the APD and
their implications are examined in this chapter.

SECTION 1: SERVICE POPULATION

The population of Alexandria was estimated to be 45,857 in 2007 (Source: City-


Data.com). This represents a very marginal decrease since 2000, -0.5%. Race/ethnic
distribution is:

‰ Black 54.7%
‰ White Non-Hispanic 42.0%
‰ Hispanic 1.0%
‰ Two or more races 0.9%
‰ Other 1.4%

Land area of the city is 26.4 square miles. Population density, 1,736 persons per square
mile, is low.

The city’s education profile shows that of persons 25 years of age and over:

‰ 72.4% have completed high school (or higher)


‰ 19.5% have a bachelor’s degree (or higher)
‰ 7.7 % have a graduate or professional degree

Housing starts, measured by building permits, are rebounding, although market prices
remain depressed:

‰ 2004 79 buildings, average cost: $191,300


‰ 2005 81 buildings, average cost: $168,500
‰ 2006 214 buildings, average cost: $153,800
‰ 2007 231 buildings, average cost: $116,100

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

SECTION 2: VIOLENT AND SERIOUS CRIME

Table 1 displays the level of and trends in violent and serious crime in Alexandria for
the five-year period 2003-2007. Overall, these crimes have increased marginally, by 232
recorded offenses (3.3%) for the period, and an average annual increase of 58 (0.8%.)
Separating violent (crimes against persons) and property crimes for evaluation yields a
far different picture. Violent crime has increased by 476 offenses, 18.5%, with annual
averages of 119 and 4.63%.

While the total number of robberies is not to be dismissed, the occurrence and influence
of assaults is self-evident. In 2007, aggravated and simple assaults accounted for 93% of
violent crimes. Intrinsically violent, both a simple and aggravated assault have a
“gateway” dimension – they often escalate to the most violent of crimes – homicide. It
is important to recognize the increasing trend of assaults, both types having reached a
new plateau in 2005, and remained there.

The property category is dominated by thefts. Burglaries are frequent. Totals have
fluctuated annually during the years selected for analysis, decreasing for the period and
decreasing in 2007.

Six-month data for 2008 suggests that the year just ended may show improvement.

Offense Actual – January – July 2008 Projected

‰ Homicide 2 3
‰ Forcible Rape 10 17
‰ Robbery 111 190
‰ Assault – Aggravated and Simple 1,535 2,631
‰ Burglary 573 982
‰ Theft 1,624 2,784
‰ Auto Theft 88 151

3,943 6,758

If the monthly averages hold, the APD will record 6,758 violent and serious crimes, 537
fewer crimes than in 2007, 7.4%.

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

Table 1

SERIOUS AND VIOLENT OFFENSES KNOWN TO POLICE 2003-2007

Change – Change -
Offense 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Number Percent

‰ Homicide/Manslaughter 8 3 12 5 8 0 0.0
‰ Forcible Rape Total 13 17 21 29 16 3 23.1
‰ Robbery Total 193 186 147 185 175 -18 -9.3
‰ Aggravated Assault 755 687 845 836 866 111 14.7
‰ Simple Assault 1,604 1,619 1,983 1,824 1,984 380 23.7

Violent Crime Total 2,573 2,512 3,008 2,879 3,049 476 18.5

‰ Burglary Total 1,270 939 948 1,299 1,099 -171 -13.5


‰ Theft Total 3,017 2,573 2,629 2,938 2,966 -51 -1.7
‰ Auto Theft Total 203 211 210 258 181 -22 -10.8

Property Crime Total 4,490 3,723 3,787 4,495 4,246 -244 -5.4

GRAND TOTAL 7,063 6,235 6,795 7,374 7,295 232 3.3

Source: APD FBI - UCR Offenses Known to Police, Yearly Totals, 2003 - 2007

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

SECTION 3: COMPARATIVE CRIME RATES

Comparative/benchmark crime rates are inherently flawed methodologically.


Nevertheless, they are used frequently for perspective and are not entirely useless.
Table 2 arrays 25 MSAs with highest rates of violent crime (recorded crimes per unit of
population). In 2007, the Alexandria MSA, which includes Grant and Rapides Parishes
and the city of Alexandria, was reported by the FBI (UCR Section) to be among the most
violent cities/MSAs in the United States. Note that most of the MSAs have a mid-size
city as the core. This phenomenon is somewhat new and not well understood by
criminologists, sociologists, and demographers.

Comparative rates of violent and property crime are shown in Tables 3 and 4. In this
array, Alexandria’s rates are compared to those of six Louisiana cities. For the past five
years, 2003-2007, Alexandria compared unfavorably with most of the selected cities.

SECTION 4: LESS SERIOUS CRIME

By Uniform Crime Report (UCR) conventions, Part II crimes include all those that are
not included in the Part I, violent and serious class discussed above. Many of the
crimes in this class are, in fact, very serious in nature or consequence. Part II crimes are:
forgery and counterfeiting, fraud, embezzlement, stolen property, vandalism, weapons
violations, prostitution and commercialized vice, sex offenses (except forcible rape,
prostitution and commercialized vice), drug abuse violations, gambling, offenses
against the family and children, DUI, liquor law violations, drunkenness, disorderly
conduct, vagrancy, suspicion, curfew and loitering law violations, runaways, and all
other offenses of state and/or local laws.

Table 5 shows for the four-year period, 2005-2008, the number of Less Serious Offenses
recorded by the APD has increased marginally, 8.5%, an annual average of 2.8%.
Statistically, the total increase is accounted for entirely by 631 stolen property offenses
in 2008, compared to a previous average of 45 annually. (This may be a data system
error.)

The most prominent features of this class of offenses is the number of recorded
disorderly conduct incidents, consistently half or more of all less serious crimes.
Criminal Damage (occurs with great frequency). All Other Drugs, a self-initiated/
police-generated class of offenses is also prominent.

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

Table 2

HIGHEST VIOLENT CRIME RATES 2007


Top 25 Metropolitan Statistical Areas

Violent Crime Violent Crime Rate (per


Rank City Population Offenses 10K population)

1 Sumter, SC 105,369 1,536 1,457


2 Memphis, TN-MS-AR 1,295,670 15,780 1,217
3 Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 387,314 4,353 1,123
4 Saginaw-Saginaw Township North, MI 204,943 2,194 1,070
5 Florence, SC 201,529 2,145 1,064
6 Lawton, OK 109,016 1,092 1,001
7 Pine Bluff, AR 103,240 1,008 976
8 Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle Beach-Conway, SC 247,229 2,344 948
9 Gainesville, FL 243,506 2,296 942
10 Alexandria, LA 150,243 1,403 933
11 Las Vegas-Paradise, NV 1,834,533 16,272 887
12 Stockton, CA 684,405 6,054 884
13 Battle Creek, MI 137,388 1,186 863
14 Tallahassee, FL 335,945 2,885 858
15 Texarkana, TX-Texarkana, AR 135,211 1,155 854
16 Flint, MI 440,751 3,712 842
17 Jackson, TN 113,807 953 837
18 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR 659,776 5,484 831
19 Anchorage, AK 303,996 2,526 830
20 Fairbanks, AK 33,156 275 829
21 Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville, SC 616,999 5,086 824
22 Brunswick, GA 101,687 836 822
23 Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, TN 1,492,983 12,193 816
24 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL 5,480,920 43,956 802
25 Lubbock, TX 262,990 2,092 795

Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reports (2007)

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

Table 3

Violent Crime Rates, 2003 - 2007


Alexandria, Louisiana & Comparable Cities

300.0

243.4
250.0
Rate per 10,000 population

221.9 232.9
210.9
195.4 Lake Charles
200.0 Kenner
Bossier City
150.0 Monroe
Alexandria
100.0 Houma
Slidell

50.0

0.0
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Year
Source: Crime in the United States, FBI, Offenses Known to Law Enforcement, by State by City, 2003 - 2007

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

Table 4

Property Crime Rates, 2003 - 2007


Alexandria, Louisiana & Comparable Cities

1200.0

1037.6

1000.0 976.4
928.7
Rate per 10,000 population

809.7 822.3
800.0 Lake Charles
Kenner
Bossier City
600.0 Monroe
Alexandria
Houma
400.0
Slidell

200.0

0.0
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Year

Source: Crime in the United States, FBI, Offenses Known to Law Enforcement, by State by City, 2003 - 2007

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

Table 5

LESS SERIOUS OFFENSES 2005-2008

Change – Change -
Offense 2005 2006 2007 2008 Number Percent

‰ Forgery 235 282 236 262 27 11.5


‰ Embezzlement 0 0 0 0 -- --
‰ Criminal Damage 1,227 1,439 1,329 1,290 63 5.1
‰ Stolen Property 27 56 51 658 631 --
‰ Prostitution – Vice 14 26 41 23 9 64.3
‰ Gambling 2 0 0 0 -2 -100.0
‰ Disorderly Conduct 3,570 3,334 3,336 3,439 -131 -3.7
‰ Sex Offense 108 112 110 102 -6 -5.6
‰ Family Offenses 168 155 134 162 -6 -3.6
‰ Marijuana 205 273 279 243 38 18.5
‰ All Other Drugs 1,109 1,347 1,207 1,052 -57 -5.1

TOTAL 6,665 7,024 6,723 7,231 566 8.5

SECTION 5: JUVENILE CRIME

The number of and trends in recorded serious crime involving juveniles during the
2003-2007 period is summarized in Table 6. A pattern of rising juvenile offending is
distinct. A 40.1% increase has emerged from three successive annual increases.

Year Number Percent

‰ 2004 -3 -1.0
‰ 2005 45 15.3
‰ 2006 44 13.0
‰ 2007 33 8.6

Source: APD FBI - UCR Offenses Known to Police, Yearly Totals, 2003 - 2007

Thefts predominate, 176 in 2007, followed very closely by simple assaults, 160. As is
true for adults, assaults continue to remain high (aggravated) and increase (simple).
Thefts jumped noticeably in 2007, 45, 34%.

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

Table 6

OFFENSES INVOLVING JUVENILES 2003-2007

Change – Change -
Offense 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Number Percent

‰ Homicide/Manslaughter 1 0 0 0 0 -1 -100.0
‰ Forcible Rape 2 0 1 1 0 -2 -100.0
‰ Robbery 3 1 6 3 4 1 33.3
‰ Aggravated Assault 30 50 49 68 41 11 36.7
‰ Simple Assault 89 78 132 137 160 71 79.8
‰ Burglary 17 25 16 37 32 15 88.2
‰ Theft 152 133 134 131 176 24 15.8
‰ Auto Theft 3 7 1 6 3 0 0.0

TOTAL 297 294 339 383 416 119 40.1

Source: APD FBI - UCR Offenses Known to Police, Yearly Totals, 2003 - 2007

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

We were unable to acquire Part II and status offense data for juveniles, which is often
revealing. Vandalism and drug violations are among frequently occurring juvenile
crimes. Both would be recorded in the Part II category. We are also unable to assess
truancy violations, which are important for evaluation purposes.

SECTION 6: TRAFFIC CRASHES AND ENFORCEMENT

Table 7 profiles a broad range of dimensions of traffic safety conditions in Alexandria


and the APD enforcement record. During the four-year period 2005-2008, the number
of crashes (accidents) remained stable, changing/increasing only 1.4% each year, 24
crashes. Crashes occur at a daily average of seven.

Enforcement, measured by citations issued and traffic stops have received continuing
emphasis. Largely elective (as opposed to citizen demanded), citation activity has
increased continuously since 2005, almost 300 citations annually, 7.6%. Citation activity
by violation type (speeding, parking, etc.) were not readily available. The traffic stop
trend is more aggressive, a 56.6% increase, 18.7% annually. Most of the increase
occurred from 2005 to 2006 and 2006 to 2007.

DUI arrests are an important indicator of traffic performance. Since 2005 an increasing
number of DUI arrests has been recorded, rising from 242 in 2005 to 393 in 2008.

The APD engages in a range of resource-consuming activities, 700 escorts, almost 900
PDAs, and 326 tows (arranged for) in 2008. We are unable to separate work done by
Uniform Division/shift patrol officers and Special Operations – Traffic officers from the
data in Table 7. CAD data, used to calculate the number of first responders, (see
Chapter IV.) provides some further definition.

SECTION 7: ARRESTS – ADULTS

Arrest trends for 2004-2007 are displayed in Table 8. The period was characterized by
an increase, 28.5%, from 6,364 arrests in 2004 to 8,175 in 2007, an annual average of
9.5%. The 2007 total approximated the previous year, 2006. The change was powered,
numerically, by 722 additional arrests in the “All Other Offenses” category. Additional
increases of note are:

‰ Disorderly Conduct 397


‰ Drug Abuse Violations 202
‰ Theft 143

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

Table 7

TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT 2006-2008

Change: Change:
Activity 2005 2006 2007 2008 Number Percent

‰ Dispatched Calls 4,742 4,558 4,842 5,296 554 11.7

‰ Traffic Stops 2,855 3,907 4,403 4,470 1,615 56.6

‰ Citations Issued 3,755 4,371 4,437 4,615 860 22.9

‰ Street Crashes 2,235 2,033 2,248 2,331 96 4.3

‰ PLA 500 614 733 872 372 74.4

‰ Escorts 409 627 638 705 296 72.3

‰ Compulsarys 125 116 114 142 17 13.6

‰ Vehicles Towed 469 292 294 326 -143 -30.5

‰ Misdemeanor Arrests 265 168 232 262 -3 -1.1

‰ Felony Arrests 40 65 51 45 5 12.5

‰ DUI Arrests 242 315 394 393 151 62.4

TOTAL 15,637 17,066 18,386 19,457 3,820 24.4

Source: APD-Traffic Annual Statistics

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

Table 8

ADULT ARRESTS 2004* - 2007

Change - Change -
OFFENSE 2004 2005 2006 2007 Number Percent

‰ Murder 2 6 5 3 1 50.0
‰ Negligent Homicide 1 2 0 0 -1 -100.0
‰ Forcible Rape 14 11 7 6 -8 -57.1
‰ Robbery 41 28 43 30 -11 -26.8
‰ Aggravated Assault 172 221 210 206 34 19.8
‰ Burglary 127 134 160 159 32 25.2
‰ Theft 543 504 576 686 143 26.3
‰ Motor Vehicle Theft 9 11 21 18 9 100.0
‰ Other Assaults 382 479 461 464 82 21.5
‰ Arson 2 3 3 2 0 0.0
‰ Forgery and Counterfeiting 52 31 46 37 -15 -28.8
‰ Fraud 79 105 107 99 20 25.3
‰ Embezzlement 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
‰ Stolen Property: Buying, Receiving, Possession 21 24 64 48 27 128.6
‰ Vandalism 152 132 126 134 -18 -11.8
‰ Weapons: Carrying, Possession 101 115 120 99 -2 -2.0
‰ Prostitution 21 9 34 41 20 95.2
‰ Sex Offenses 29 34 37 32 3 10.3
‰ Drug Abuse Violations 802 997 1,131 1,004 202 25.2
‰ Gambling 0 2 0 0 0 0.0
‰ Offenses Against Family 28 36 31 31 3 10.7
‰ DWI 306 297 383 441 135 44.1
‰ Liquor Laws 8 5 2 15 7 87.5
‰ Drunkenness 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
‰ Disorderly Conduct 782 938 1,103 1,179 397 50.8
‰ Vagrancy 9 24 54 35 26 288.9

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

Table 8

ADULT ARRESTS 2004* - 2007

Change - Change -
OFFENSE 2004 2005 2006 2007 Number Percent

‰ All Other Offenses (Except Traffic) 2,681 3,059 3,487 3,403 722 26.9
‰ Suspicion 0 0 2 3 3 NA

TOTAL 6,364 7,207 8,213 8,175 1,811 28.5


__________________________
* 2003 data was omitted from this analysis as only January and February 2003 figures were available.

Source: APD FBI Adult Arrest Reports, Yearly Totals, 2004 - 2007

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

‰ DWI 135

Using 2007 as the measure, the highest volume arrest categories are:

‰ All Other (except Traffic) 3,403


‰ Disorderly Conduct 1,179
‰ Drug Abuse Violations 1,004
‰ Theft 686
‰ Other Assaults 464
‰ DWI 441
‰ Aggravated Assaults 206

No arrests are recorded for embezzlement, gambling, or drunkenness for any year. We
suspect that these categories are not used to record arrests.

SECTION 8: ARRESTS – JUVENILE

Juvenile arrests also increased between 2004 and 2007, 2.7%, marginally compared to
adult arrests. The pattern also differs, all annual totals having been within a fairly
restricted range (Table 9.) Table 6, Juvenile Crimes, has no reference to activity beyond
Part I crimes. This table lends a bit more dimension to juvenile activity, showing arrest
for some Part II crimes.

SECTION 9: CLEARANCES

Crimes are cleared (closed) in several ways. Arrests are most common. Exceptional
clearances are those in which police believe they have identified an offender but for a
variety of reasons cannot arrest (or take other action). A victim chooses not to pursue
action, for example.

Clearance activity for the five-year period 2003-2007 is summarized in Table 10. The
number of clearances (the top table) declined for the period, due to an especially
sizeable number of cleared thefts (over 2,000) and cleared simple assaults (1,282). Since
2004, however, improvement has been progressive, leveling off/declining, slightly, in
2007. We speculate, but cannot confirm, that closure criteria/practice differed in 2003.

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

Table 9

JUVENILE ARRESTS 2004* - 2007

Change – Change -
Offense 2004 2005 2006 2007 Number Percent

‰ Murder 0 1 0 0 0 NA
‰ Negligent Homicide 0 0 0 0 0 NA
‰ Forcible Rape 1 0 2 5 4 400.0
‰ Robbery 11 5 5 14 3 27.3
‰ Aggravated Assault 32 17 24 12 -20 -62.5
‰ Burglary 31 22 32 42 11 35.5
‰ Theft 185 149 144 137 -48 -25.9
‰ Motor Vehicle Theft 6 7 14 13 7 116.7
‰ Other Assaults 21 32 52 45 24 114.3
‰ Arson 2 0 0 0 -2 -100.0
‰ Forgery and Counterfeiting 0 0 0 1 1 NA
‰ Fraud 4 6 1 3 -1 -25.0
‰ Embezzlement 0 0 0 0 0 NA
‰ Stolen Property: Buying, Receiving; Possession 6 1 5 4 -2 -33.3
‰ Vandalism 12 24 29 17 5 41.7
‰ Weapons: Carrying, Possession 3 3 2 5 2 66.7
‰ Prostitution 0 0 0 0 0 NA
‰ Sex Offenses 2 7 4 0 -2 -100.0
‰ Drug Abuse Violations 32 26 45 39 7 21.9
‰ Gambling 0 0 0 0 0 NA
‰ Offenses Against the Family 0 1 1 1 1 NA
‰ DWI 1 2 5 3 2 200.0
‰ Liquor Laws 0 1 5 5 5 NA
‰ Drunkenness 0 0 3 0 0 NA
‰ Disorderly Conduct 40 43 46 44 4 10.0
‰ Vagrancy 0 0 0 0 0 NA
‰ All Other Offenses (Except Traffic) 44 74 70 64 20 45.5
‰ Suspicion 0 0 0 0 0 NA
‰ Curfew Violations 11 16 9 10 -1 -9.1
‰ Runaways 8 13 0 0 -8 -100.0

TOTAL 452 450 498 464 12 2.7

* 2003 data was omitted from this analysis as only January and February 2003 figures were available.

SOURCE: APD FBI Arrest Report - Juvenile, 2004 - 2007

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

Table 10

OFFENSES CLEARED BY ARREST 2003-2007

Offense 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Change – Number Change - Percent

‰ Homicide/Manslaughter 7 1 12 2 6 -1 -14.3
‰ Forcible Rape 9 15 15 10 3 -6 -66.7
‰ Robbery 53 62 81 71 50 -3 -5.7
‰ Aggravated Assault 453 412 448 422 429 -24 -5.3
‰ Simple Assault 1,282 498 731 862 818 -464 -36.2
‰ Burglary 440 196 224 198 180 -260 -59.1
‰ Theft 2,002 889 814 853 884 -1,118 -55.8
‰ Auto Theft 127 90 93 106 86 -41 -32.3

TOTAL 4,373 2,163 2,418 2,524 2,460 -1,913 -43.7

CLEARANCE RATE 2003-2007 (%)


Offense 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Percentage Point Change

‰ Homicide/Manslaughter 87.5 33.3 100.0 40.0 75.0 -12.5


‰ Forcible Rape Total 69.2 88.2 71.4 34.5 18.8 -50.5
‰ Robbery Total 27.5 33.3 55.1 38.4 28.6 1.1
‰ Aggravated Assault 60.0 60.0 53.0 50.5 49.5 -10.5
‰ Simple Assault 79.9 30.8 36.9 47.3 41.2 -38.7
‰ Burglary Total 34.6 20.9 23.6 15.2 16.4 -18.3
‰ Theft Total 66.4 34.6 31.0 29.0 29.8 -36.6
‰ Auto Theft Total 62.6 42.7 44.3 41.1 47.5 -15.0

TOTAL 61.9 34.7 35.6 34.2 33.7 -28.2

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

The clearance rate (closures as a proportion of recorded offense totals) is an instructive


measure of performance. Excluding 2003, perhaps a statistical/process aberration the
record is consistent, ranging only from 33.7% in 2007 to 35.6% in 2005.

Understanding each category is helped by comparing APD rates to nationwide


averages, which is done in Table 11. For each year in the comparison, APD violent
crime rates are below those of comparison cities. For each year in the comparison APD
property crime rates exceeded those of comparison cities.

The APD crime profile shows aggravated assault and robbery to be problem violent
crimes. The APD’s assault clearance rates are, comparatively, very low. Robbery
clearance rates, alternatively, have usually exceeded national averages.

SECTION 10: WORKLOAD

A comprehensive treatment of workload requires presentation of the “production” of


every unit in a police agency. There are few agencies, most likely none, that can supply
the data required to achieve this goal. The APD is not the exception. Indeed the APD
has gaps in areas where we normally are able to harvest workload data. A useful but
scope-limited surrogate for examining workload is calls for service (CFS) data. CFS
data comes from the APD CAD system. CAD data’s primary utility is its ability to
convey directly workload for patrol – first responders only.

Table 12 itemizes CFS, by crime and service call types, for the entire year of 2008. Forty
(40) types compose the crime and community service labor of APD field service
personnel. The clusters are as follows:

‰ Traffic and Vehicle–Crimes Work. Traffic stops (12,316); Accidents


(4,434); Traffic Problem (1,881); Stalled Vehicles (1,052); Speeding (55);
Direct Traffic (98); Abandoned Vehicles (428); DUI (184); Hit and Run
(587).

‰ Disturbing the Peace. 7,472 CFS.

‰ Investigations – General. 6,073 CFS. This category entails suspicious


activity calls, building checks (206).

‰ Major Crimes. 5,527 CFS. Battery – Aggravated and Simple (1,476);


Burglary (1,985); Discharging a Firearm (459); Family Offenses (184);

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

Table 11

CLEARANCE RATES FOR PART I CRIMES


ALEXANDRIA POLICE DEPARTMENT VS. CITIES NATIONWIDE OF COMPARABLE SIZE (50,000 TO 99,999 POPULATION)

2004 2005 2006 2007


Offense Category APD Comp Cities APD Comp Cities APD Comp Cities APD Comp Cities

‰ Murder and non-negligent manslaughter 33.3 62.3 100.0 58.1 40.0 63.8 75.0 60.5
‰ Forcible Rape 88.2 38.3 71.4 38.3 34.5 37.0 18.8 34.3
‰ Robbery 33.3 28.0 55.1 28.3 38.4 27.8 28.6 27.7
‰ Aggravated Assault 39.4 54.8 41.7 55.5 48.3 54.7 43.9 54.1
‰ Violent Crime 39.3 45.6 42.8 46.0 47.5 45.0 43.0 44.3

‰ Burglary 20.9 12.1 23.6 12.2 15.2 12.8 16.4 12.8


‰ Larceny-theft 34.6 19.8 31.0 19.7 29.0 19.6 29.8 20.7
‰ Motor Vehicle Theft 42.7 12.0 44.3 11.8 41.1 11.8 47.5 11.6
‰ Property Crime 31.6 17.4 29.9 17.3 25.7 17.3 27.1 18.1

Notes: Bolded items highlight instances where the APD clearance rate exceeded the national rate for comparably sized cities.
The FBI does not calculate total Part I clearance rates by population group.
FBI clearance rates are only available by population group, not by individual city.

Source: APD Report A, 2004-2007; FBI Crime in the United States 2004 - 2007 (2008 not yet released)

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

Table 12

CALLS FOR SERVICE – TYPE 2008

Offense/Activity Total Calls

‰ Abandoned Vehicle 428


‰ Accident 4,434
‰ Alarm Panic 377
‰ Alarm Intrusion 7,206
‰ Alarm Hold Up 158
‰ Assault General 167
‰ Assault Aggravated 186
‰ Assist Officer 59
‰ Assist Other Agency 157
‰ Assist Fire Department 150
‰ Assist Ambulance 293
‰ Assist Child Protection 6
‰ Auto Theft 545
‰ Bad street/Hazard 71
‰ Battery Aggravated 146
‰ Battery Simple 1,330
‰ Bomb Threat 14
‰ Burglary 1,985
‰ Check Building 206
‰ Civil Case 22
‰ Coroners Case 3
‰ Death Investigation 184
‰ Discharging a Firearm 459
‰ Disperse Crowd 221
‰ Disturbing the Peace 7,472
‰ DUI 103
‰ Family Offenses 184
‰ Fireworks 44
‰ Found Property 212
‰ Fraud/forgery 450
‰ Hit and Run 587
‰ Investigation General 6,073
‰ Juvenile 392
‰ Keep Watch 754
‰ Liquor Law General 2
‰ Mental Case 341
‰ Misc. Offenses 2,704
‰ Missing Person Adult 126
‰ Missing Person Juv. 249
‰ Money Escort 153
‰ Narcotics Violation 658
‰ 911 Hang Up 540
‰ 911 Unfounded Hang Up Call 908

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

Table 12

CALLS FOR SERVICE – TYPE 2008

Offense/Activity Total Calls

‰ Officer Needs Help 1


‰ Public Assistance 1,103
‰ Public Service 1,103
‰ Rape 29
‰ Record Report Only 344
‰ Robbery 165
‰ Sex Offense 98
‰ Speeding 55
‰ Stalled Vehicle 1,052
‰ Suspicious Person/Field Interview 3,494
‰ Theft 2,679
‰ Traffic Escort 721
‰ Traffic Problem 1,881
‰ Traffic Stop 12,316
‰ Direct Traffic 98
‰ Vice General 20
‰ Warrant Arrest 628
‰ Weapons Law General 4

TOTAL 66,550
_______________________________
Source: CAD

   
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Murder (184); Narcotics Violations (658); Rape (29); Sex Offense (98);
Weapons Laws (4); Fraud/Forgery (450).

‰ Quality of Life/Crime Prevention. 2,639 CFS. Keep Watch (754);


Fireworks (44); Liquor Law – General (2); Mental Case (341); Missing
Persons – Adult/Juvenile (375); Public Service (1,840); Vice – General (20).

Table 13 presents a complementary dimension of workload – resource consumption.


The table arrays 61 categories of activity and the number of hours each activity
consumed.

Attending to minor accidents is the leading consumer of patrol time, 13% of all CFS
work.

‰ Disturbing the Peace calls account for 12% of workload.

‰ Four categories of work, each consuming over 5,000 hours of labor


annually account for 29% of all CFS work.

‰ Seven of the top 20 service call activities involve traffic regulation and
violations.

SECTION 11: RESOURCES – APPROPRIATIONS AND EXPENDITURES

During every year of the decade now coming to a close, except for one, police
expenditures have increased, at an annual average of 12.4%. As is always the case, the
increases were fueled by city-approved salary and fringe packages. (Table 14.) The
trend will/should be halted. The administratively approved budget for the coming
year, 2009-2010, totals $16,916,815, a decrease of 4.01%. By major appropriations
category, reduction should occur as follows:

Category Decrease ($) Decrease (%)

‰ Salaries and Wages $ 60,297 5.60


‰ Fringe Benefits 75,941 2.47
‰ Operating/Contractual 170,000 7.85
‰ Other -- 0.00
‰ Capital Outlay 404,555 34.98

TOTALS $703,834 4.01

   
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Table 13

CALLS FOR SERVICE – HOURS 2008

Offense/Activity Total Hours

‰ Accident – Minor 11,476


‰ Disturbing the Peace – General 10,732
‰ General Investigation 7,853
‰ Alarm, Intrusion 7,143
‰ Traffic Problem – General 5,112
‰ Theft – General 5,025
‰ Miscellaneous Offenses – General 4,251
‰ Traffic Stop 3,875
‰ Suspicious Person/Field Interview 3,589
‰ Escort – Traffic 2,146
‰ Burglary – General 2,093
‰ Stalled Vehicle 2,043
‰ Public Service – General 1,887
‰ Battery – General 1,839
‰ Hit and Run (Individual) 1,599
‰ Abandoned Vehicle 1,174
‰ Auto Theft – General 1,107
‰ 911 Unfounded Hang-Up Call 996
‰ Narcotics Violations 945
‰ 911 Hang-Up Call 942
‰ Warrant Arrest, APD (No Original Case Number) 745
‰ Juvenile Services – General 736
‰ Discharging a Firearm (Society) 735
‰ Missing Person, Juvenile 638
‰ Fraud/Forgery, General 634
‰ Assist Ambulance 604
‰ Alarm, Panic 571
‰ Disperse Crowd 540
‰ Mental Case 447
‰ Found Property 433
‰ Record Report Only 404
‰ Direct Traffic 374
‰ Family Offenses – General 330
‰ Assault – General 325
‰ Assist Fire Department 324
‰ Assault, Aggravated (Individual) 309
‰ Alarm, Hold-Up 306
‰ Death Investigation – General 255
‰ Assist Other Law Enforcement Agency 245
‰ Bad Street or Hazard 242
‰ Escort – Money 240

   
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Table 13

CALLS FOR SERVICE – HOURS 2008

Offense/Activity Total Hours

‰ Robbery – General 236


‰ Missing Person – Adult 235
‰ Battery - Aggravated 225
‰ Check Building 204
‰ DWI (Society) 196
‰ Assist Other APD Officer 168
‰ Sex Offenses – General 161
‰ Speeding 126
‰ Fireworks (Society) 118
‰ Warrant Arrest, Other Agency 109
‰ Civil Case 56
‰ Vice – General 46
‰ Keep Watch 43
‰ Rape – General 43
‰ Weapons Laws – General 15
‰ Bomb Threats (Individual) (FEL.) 15
‰ Assist Child Protection 7
‰ Coroner Case 3
‰ Pager Callout 1
‰ Public Assistance – General 1

TOTAL 87,272
_________________________
Source: CAD

   
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Table 14

RESOURCES – EXPENDITURES AND APPROPRIATIONS


2001-2009

Description 2001/2002 2002/2003 2003/2004 2004/2005 2005/2006 2006/2007 2007/2008 2008/2009(1) Change

‰ Salaries and Wages $ 6,291 $ 6,606 $ 6,644 $ 6,432 $ 8,740 $ 9,283 $ 9,915 $11,613 $4,524 (72%)

‰ Fringe Benefits 1,237 1,255 1,493 1,883 2,438 2,493 2,543 2,776 1,839 (149%)

‰ Operating/Contractual 1,600 1,598 1,565 1,608 1,698 1,973 2,332 2,712 5,166 (32%)

‰ Other 0 7 413 411 413 409 410 410 410 (--)

‰ Capital Outlay 930 154 659 806 1,117 1,036 1,306 1,259 227 (24%)

‰ Total Appropriations 10,058 9,623 10,774 11,139 14,405 15,194 16,497 18,769 $8,711 (87%)
(1,000s)

(1) Final Budget

   
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Table 15

RESOURCES – STAFFING
2005-2009

Change – Changer -
Rank/Title 2004/2005 2005/2006 2006/2007 2007/2008 2008/2009 Number Percent

‰ Chief 1 1 1 1 1 0 0
‰ Assistant Chief 1 1 1 1 1 0 0
‰ Captain 6 6 6 6 6 0 0
‰ Lieutenant 11 11 11 11 11 0 0
‰ Sergeant 36 36 36 36 36 0 0
‰ Communications Officer 17 17 17 17 17 0 0
‰ Corporal 35 42 51 63 52 17 48.6
‰ Police Officer 56 55 61 49 60 4 7.1
‰ Jailers 2 2 2 2 2 0 0
‰ School Patrol 21 21 21 21 21 0 0
‰ Records Clerk 14 14 14 14 14 0 0
‰ Secretary 1 1 1 1 1 0 0
‰ Accountant 1 1 1 1 1 0 0
‰ Student Workers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

TOTAL 202 208 223 223 223 21 10.4

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

SECTION 12: RESOURCES – STAFFING

The APD “bottom line” flat-lined at 223 authorized positions in FY 2006/2007.


Exclusive of annual interchange among the number of corporals and police officers,
there has been no movement in ranks/titles either. For the coming fiscal year 223
positions are once again authorized. The movement that does occur is noted as follows
in budget documents: “In this and future years, the number of positions in Officer and
Corporal will float between the two ranks as an officer will automatically attain the
rank of Corporal upon completion of 12 years of service.” (Table 15.)

Turnover has been low-to-normal in the APD, ranging from 3.1% (2008) to 8.5% (2007).
The data in Table 16 shows a distribution of turnover that ranges across many position
classes.

Table 16

TURNOVER PROFILE 2004-2008

Position 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Total

‰ Assistant Chief 1 1
‰ Captain 1 1 1 3
‰ Lieutenant 1 2 3
‰ Sergeant 1 1 1 2 5
‰ Corporal 1 1 2
‰ Officer 8 3 5 10 3 29
‰ Provisional Officer 2 1 3
‰ Communications Officer 2 1 4 7
‰ Provisional Communications
Officer 1 1
‰ Records Clerk 2 1 1 1 5
‰ Student Worker 1 __ __ __ __ 1

TOTAL 17 8 9 19 7 60
(7.6%) (3.6%) (4.0%) (8.5%) (3.1%)

SECTION 13: THE EXPERIENCE PROFILE

The experience level of APD sworn staff is displayed in Table 17.

‰ Every executive/command officer, lieutenant to Assistant Chief has been


with the department for at least 26 years.

   
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Table 17

EXPERIENCE PROFILE

Rank 1 2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10 11-15 16-20 21-25 26-30 31-35 35+ Total

Chief 1 1

Assistant Chief 1 1

Captain 1 3 2 6

Lieutenant 10 1 11

Sergeant 5 22 7 1 35

Corporal 7 7 5 12 30 1 62

Police Officer 17 14 12 2 1 1 47

Recruit 2 __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 2

Total 2 17 14 19 9 6 13 35 22 19 5 3 164
Percent of Total 1.2 10.4 8.5 11.6 5.5 3.7 7.9 21.3 13.4 11.6 3.1 1.8 100.0

   
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‰ Sergeants, typically the first line supervisors, cluster most prominently in


the 20-25 years category.

‰ Corporals (32) cluster in two categories, 11-15 years and 16-20 years.

‰ Of 47 officers, 43 have six years or less.

SECTION 14: THE DIVERSITY PROFILE

Despite a nearly 30-year-old consent decree that requires the APD to report its efforts to
improve diversity, the racial and gender composition of the department continues to be
dominated by white males. Table 18 summarizes the gender and race profile of the
APD. As the department restructures, there is a strong need to improve racial, gender,
and ethnic diversity.

Table 18

GENDER AND RACE PROFILE 2008

Black White Other


Rank / Title M F M F M F

‰ Sworn
- Chief 1
- Asst. Chief 1
- Captain 1 5
- Lieutenant 1 1 8 1
- Sergeant 5 1 29 1
- Corporal 10 47 4 1
- Patrol Officer 9 4 25 3 1 _

Sub-Total 27 6 115 9 2 0

‰ Non-Sworn
- Secretary (Chief) 1
- Jailer 2
- Dispatcher 7 2 7 1
- Records Clerk __ 8 ___ 6

Sub-Total 0 15 2 16 0 1

TOTAL 27 21 117 25 2 1
(Percent) (14.0) (10.9) (60.6) (13.0) (1.1) (0.1)

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

SECTION 15: THE TRAINING PROFILE

Every APD officer has completed a basic/recruit training program, several hundred
hours (varying by time of hire). In recent years, all have successfully met post-recruit
field training requirements, approximately 24 hours. Two global views of in-service
training – ongoing career development education and work after the academy/FTO
sequence, are provided by the data in Tables 19 and 20.

Number of in-service courses per employee, each year, averages 2.45. By rank, the
number varies, and is inversely correlated. Lower ranks receive more than higher
ranks. (Table 19.) APD training records do not allow us to complement the average
number of courses with average number of hours. Table 20 displays average number of
in-service training courses by division. With the exception of Traffic, the number of
courses ranges little.

A later chapter addresses the amount and sufficiency of training for specialties/
specialists, such as community policing specialists and first-line supervisors. In this
overview chapter, we report on leadership and executive training. Briefly put, top
executives and commanders of the APD (ranks of lieutenant to chief) are glaringly
undertrained, formally in the skills and at the institutions that prepare individuals to
maximize the potential of police service.

The records of 20 APD executives and commanders do not evidence an observable or


sustained commitment to leadership development. We found two references to an FBI
National Academy experience; no references to work in LEEDS programs; none to SPI;
one to a CSRCPI Law Enforcement Leadership Series; two to a Leadership court in 1998;
two to an Applied Leadership Principles course (2000); one Leadership and Ethics
course (2000); and a sprinkling of supervision, mid-management and police
administration courses.

SECTION 16: WORKFORCE PERSPECTIVES

Almost half of the APD workforce responded to a survey designed to elicit opinions
and perspectives on the agency’s effectiveness in servicing the public; the workplace
environment – policies, practices, and conditions; and opportunities for constructive
change.

The APD workforce feels that the safety and service needs of three community/citizen
groups are being met effectively: the mentally challenged; business; and the military.
Interestingly, captains and lieutenants responded less favorably. Not being serviced

   
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Table 19

AVERAGE NUMBER OF TRAINING COURSES BY RANK

Average Number - Annual Training Courses


Rank Data Total (Sum # Courses / Sum of Years)

Chief Count in Rank 1 0.35


Sum of # Courses 14
Sum of Years 40

Asst. Chief Count in Rank 1 1.44


Sum of # Courses 52
Sum of Years 36

Captain Count in Rank 6 1.81


Sum of # Courses 181
Sum of Years 100

Lieutenant Count in Rank 11 1.41


Sum of # Courses 298
Sum of Years 211

Sergeant Count in Rank 36 2.16


Sum of # Courses 1,447
Sum of Years 670

Corporal Count in Rank 70 2.75


Sum of # Courses 2,113
Sum of Years 767

Officer Count in Rank 35 5.02


Sum of # Courses 703
Sum of Years 140

Officer - Cadet Count in Rank 4 4.00


Sum of # Courses 16
Sum of Years 4

Total Count in Rank 164 2.45


Total Sum of # Courses 4,824 (Average/year all ranks)
Total Sum of Years 1,968

   
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Table 20

AVERAGE NUMBER OF COURSES BY DIVISION

Average Number - Annual Training


Courses
Division Data Total (Sum # Courses / Sum of Years)

CID Count in Division 20 2.39


Sum of # Courses 680
Sum of Years 285

Communications/Tech Support Count in Division 7 1.96


Sum of # Courses 167
Sum of Years 85

Community Policing Count in Division 8 2.83


Sum of # Courses 178
Sum of Years 63

FBI Task Force Count in Division 1 3.84


Sum of # Courses 73
Sum of Years 19

FTO Training - Traffic Count in Division 6 16.29


Sum of # Courses 114
Sum of Years 7

Narcotics Investigations Count in Division 7 2.52


Sum of # Courses 214
Sum of Years 85

Office of the Chief Count in Division 2 0.87


Sum of # Courses 66
Sum of Years 76

Planning and Research Count in Division 1 0.94


Sum of # Courses 29
Sum of Years 31

Professional Standards Count in Division 1 0.83


Sum of # Courses 15
Sum of Years 18

Special Operations Division Count in Division 13 2.95


Sum of # Courses 502
Sum of Years 170

   
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Table 20

AVERAGE NUMBER OF COURSES BY DIVISION

Average Number - Annual Training


Courses
Division Data Total (Sum # Courses / Sum of Years)

Street Interdiction Team Count in Division 9 3.25


Sum of # Courses 498
Sum of Years 153

Support Services Count in Division 1 0.33


Sum of # Courses 4
Sum of Years 12

Training Academy Count in Division 10 2.59


Sum of # Courses 264
Sum of Years 102

U.S. Marshal Task Force Count in Division 1 2.05


Sum of # Courses 41
Sum of Years 20

Uniform Commander - A Shift Count in Division 1 3.40


Sum of # Courses 17
Sum of Years 5

Uniform Division Count in Division 72 2.42


Sum of # Courses 1,819
Sum of Years 751

Warrants/Records Division Count in Division 4 1.66


Sum of # Courses 143
Sum of Years 86

Total Count in Division 164 2.45


Total Sum of # Courses 4,824 (Average of all divisions)
Total Sum of Years 1,968

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

effectively are a greater number of stakeholder groups: victims of crime; youth; the
elderly; minorities; and the homeless/indigent.

Four practice and condition areas are perceived as effective overall, by slight majorities:
understanding of job goals; understanding of APD goals; understanding of performance
standards; and quality of supervision. Not considered effective by 50-60% of
respondents are: training and policies and procedures. Not considered effective by
substantial majorities (66% - 83%) are promotional practices; IA/discipline practices;
performance evaluation; community policing practices; performance development
(individual); community trust; transfer and special assignments.

SECTION 17: IMPLICATIONS

Each of the factors and trends examined above has implications for design and delivery
of police services to the Alexandria community. Either individually or collectively
considered, none strikes us as needing attention more than crime levels and trends.

CRIME CONDITIONS

While partial (seven months) 2008 violent crime data are promising, indicating a decline
of 208 recorded crimes, 6.8% for the class, the five-year trend remains troubling, an
18.5% increase. It is important to examine whether 2008 finishes as projected and the
significance of early 2009 recorded crime totals and composition.

Assaults are frequent. Less Serious Offenses are increasing in frequency. While not at
an alarming rate, an average of 3% annually, the 2008 increase approached 8%. We are
puzzled, however, by 2008 data. The increase was powered by what seems to be an
abnormal and dramatic increase in recorded stolen property offenses. This needs to be
examined and explained by APD management.

Of great import for the future, almost half of Less Serious/Part II offenses are disorderly
conduct incidents. This reinforces an inescapable conclusion that the city of Alexandria
hosts far too much disorder and dysfunction.

A pattern of rising juvenile crime emerges clearly from the data – four successive
increases, an average of 10% annually. A below-average increase in 2007 is the only
positive to emerge from these data. Again, 2008 data is needed to sharpen evaluation.

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

CRIME CONTROL

Evaluation of APD programming, policies, and practices reveals both explanations for
current crime conditions and the building blocks of an action program to address,
stabilize, and hopefully reverse the crime record of the past five years.

Functioning without the benefit of intricately drawn goals and objectives and associated
measures of achievement, the APD lacks the diagnostic fundaments to craft a coherent
data-driven strategy for crime prevention and control, Intelligence-Led Policing (ILP),
as well as the capacity to select essential police services for maximum impact. Crime
analysis and CompStat programming are absent. Community policing assets have
atrophied. Community engagement, problem solving, and partnerships, the three
pillars of COP, are glaringly underutilized.

INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE

Aware of its information management capacity shortfalls and attempting corrective


actions, APD potential will remain latent until a 21st Century IT function is in place.
What appears to be both a technology and staffing issue, the agency is not prepared to
introduce data-driven planning, operations evaluation, much less to consider a near
term move to ILP. Immediate required actions include bringing data management
capacity up to contemporary standards and training current and next-generation
supervisors, commanders, and executives to use the data handling and analytical skills
required to manage contemporary police organizations.

RESOURCES

Although we call for action to acquire essential SKAs (skills, knowledge, and abilities)
not currently present, the APD is well resourced to pursue new directions.
Appropriations have been generous for many years. The staffing level, flat-lined for
this entire decade, is quite reasonable. The APD is not understaffed in the conventional,
global sense, and is, in fact, overstaffed in some ranks, captains and sergeants.

Population data, the little we know about the economic future of Alexandria and
Central Louisiana, and calls for service trends, three primary indicators, suggest
measurable externally-driven workload growth or a need for a concomitant resource
augmentation.

PRODUCTIVITY OPPORTUNITIES

Resource acquisition that we do recommend can be met in several ways, the most cost-
effective being reallocation of and greater productivity from current resources. High
payoff resource recovery options immediately available to the APD lie in workload

   
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reduction for first responders. Alarm calls (7,200 last year), thefts (2,700), burglaries
(2,000), and disturbing the peace (7,500) should be primary targets for analysis
(causation), problem solving, programming, educational, and/or technological fixes.
Programming may have to include policy initiatives/changes by city government
and/or the criminal justice system.

Telephone and Internet report taking and assistance should relieve burdens on patrol
and dispatchers.

ASSETS

The APD operations are characterized by a number of strengths.

‰ Full Service Philosophy and Capacity. The APD is committed to


providing the fullest range of police services, both public safety and
quality-of-life, and has the capacity to continue to do so.

‰ Mature Patrol Operations. First response operations are strong,


generally.

‰ Traffic Services. Enabled by robust staffing, the APD continues to mount


strong traffic enforcement performance.

‰ Adequate Clearance Rates. The combined efforts of the Uniform


Division, Criminal Investigations Division, Narcotics Unit, and Warrants
Division are producing adequate to favorable clearance rates.

‰ Ample Resources. The APD is/has been well resourced measured by


appropriations and staff levels.

‰ Well-Served Populations. The workforce is satisfied with its records of


service to several populations, notably the mentally challenged,
businesses, and military personnel.

‰ Experience of Staff. Department experience is high with half of sworn


officers having 15+ years. However, the department is aging, and there is
great potential for losses/retirements.

CLIMATE FOR CHANGE

Moving the department forward depends on more than selecting and successfully
implementing informed policy, staffing, and operational improvements. It relies upon

   
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visionary leadership and the capacity of leaders to rally the governing body, the
communities that compose the city, and the workforce.

Community trust among neighborhoods and stakeholders is delicate – not quickly or


easily earned, but easily lost. Normally there is a mix, some trust, some lack of trust.
We have one formalized/quantified measure – the workforce survey. Respondents,
predominantly patrol officers (who interact more with the citizens than any other group
in the APD) appraise the community to be neither trusting nor distrusting. The APD
needs to do better.

The workforce regards a greater number of conditions and practices that compose the
APD organizational culture to be less than satisfactory or effective than the number
considered to be satisfactory and effective. We find neither these results nor attitudes
we witnessed firsthand (on-site) to be a daunting obstacle to positive change. In fact,
survey data notwithstanding, we regard the workforce to be the department’s strongest
asset. Morale is solid. Motivation awaits “triggering.”

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

CHAPTER II: MISSION, GOALS, AND OBJECTIVES

The Rules and Regulations Manual hosts the APD’s Mission Statement and the Law
Enforcement Code of Ethics.

SECTION 1: MISSION, GOALS, OBJECTIVES

The Mission Statement:

The Alexandria Police Department is dedicated to providing the highest


level of professionalism, caring police service to our community. We will
focus our resources on prevention of crime, by working in a partnership
with our community and by addressing the root causes of crime. These
efforts will result in maintaining a high-level of “Quality of Life” for our
citizens.

The APD does not have a formal goals and objectives setting process. It has been
reported that during 2008 at least one objective was established, a five percent reduction
in burglary. Current practice was described as “we try to (set goals) on an annual basis
– not always in writing.”

SECTION 2: GOVERNING BODY DIRECTION

Council direction comes mainly through the legislative process – approval/disapproval


of specific requests and budget review. Council members, individually and collectively,
express or forward their own and citizen concerns. The city of Alexandria’s budget
system is not objectives and metrics based.

The APD should be able to infer directions and expectations from administration’s
statements in the City Progress Report 2008. The Public Safety section (page 13) states:

“We have increased community-based policing. We have also purchased


some essential equipment to protect our officers in their duties and
increased pay to make these positions competitive and attractive.”

The following statement under Immediate Goals (page 31) sets forth an ambitious
agenda for APD attention:

“We must address operational issues within the Police Department to


ensure the provision of top-notch services commensurate with pay. Issues

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

of retention, attrition, and officer staffing must be addressed, as well as


the institution of “best practices” on multiple levels within the top
command structure. Overtime policies and a permanent car policy are on
tap for revamping. Community policing and revamping must yield an
analysis of the demographics of each area of the City and its particular
needs; accurate victim surveying to determine the scope and nature of
crime in each area; a format for community meetings to reconcile public
perception of crime, personal safety and policing with survey results; an
analysis of crime reported to the police with correlation of the results of
the surveys with crime reported to automated dispatch, trauma cases
dealt with at local clinics and hospitals, and other indicia of crime in the
City. Focus groups with victims of prioritized crimes and interviews with
members of the Council to determine their needs and identification of
special needs for domestic and drug-driven crime should be conducted
since drug-driven crime accounts for most problems while not always
fitting the regular police model. Reentry programs should be completed
for study purposes and move to pre-implementation in the remainder of
the term.”

SECTION 3: EVALUATION

Objectives are ultimate ends or outcomes that police agencies strive to achieve.
Objectives define what an agency is supposed to achieve not the processes undertaken
to accomplish them. To prevent crime, to apprehend alleged offenders, to clear crimes,
to recover property, to locate missing persons, to minimize use of force, and to protect
constitutional guarantees are examples of ultimate ends that have long characterized
the police function. To patrol, investigate, dispatch, staff, and train are not ultimate
ends. These are activities undertaken to achieve ends. Although core objectives are not
immutable, they do not change substantially over time.

Existence of objectives allows management functions to be directed toward their


achievement. They are the prerequisite to managing by objectives. Objectives should
exist for a department as a whole, and for each division, section, and unit within it.
Objectives must be set for personnel, also. Logical relationships must exist between and
among levels of objectives. Division objectives should connect to, and integrate with,
departmental objectives. In some instances they may be identical. They must always
reinforce. Objectives must be defined with sufficient precision to yield valid
measurement. This requires that they be written. It is essential to measure the degree
to which objectives are achieved (effectiveness) and the cost incurred to achieve them
(productivity). Without valid effectiveness and productivity information, it is difficult
to assess the performance of a police agency insightfully or to conduct many aspects of

   
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the management process rationally and successfully, including making resource


allocation decisions.

Having no formal system of goals and objectives setting and measurement, and not an
easily identifiable informal system, the APD is totally unprepared to reap the benefits of
this crucial management capacity or to remain properly accountable to the governing
body. We are not prepared to comment on the degree to which governing bodies have,
by inattention or insufficient attention, allowed or nurtured the current condition. (The
“condition” did not develop overnight.) More important, the current administration
seems intent on correcting the accountability gap.

At this juncture the only course is to develop a system which meets professional law
enforcement standards. This will contribute, simultaneously, to the design and
functioning of the crime prevention, crime analysis, and CompStat capacities
recommended elsewhere in this report. This assignment should be centered in the
proposed Training and Planning Division, with periodic audit support by the proposed
Inspections function within Professional Services.

SECTION 4: RECOMMENDATIONS

The following actions should be taken to strengthen objectives setting and measurement
practices:

1. Create a structure of goals and objectives.

The structure must include objectives for the department and each division,
section, and unit. Objectives must specify the outcomes that the department,
division, section, and/or unit want to achieve. All objectives must be
measurable. Personnel from all major units in the department should be
involved in the development process.

2. Ensure that members of the governing body and the community participate in
objectives setting.

3. Ensure that the objectives are sanctioned by the municipal government.

4. Ensure that objectives are documented and distributed to all personnel.

5. Develop one or more measures of achievement for each objective.

6. Ensure that objectives and measurements are used for planning, decision-
making, and performance evaluation at all levels of the APD.

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

A monthly/quarterly progress reporting system is advisable.

7. Train commanders and supervisors to develop and use objectives and


measures.

8. Review objectives annually, or more frequently, and modify them as


conditions dictate.

9. Extend the system, when it is technically adequate, to comprehend personnel


objectives.

Objectives for individual personnel must be congruent with and contribute to


achievement of unit objectives that, in turn, must be congruent with and
contribute to agency objectives.

10. Ensure that members of the governing body review achievements of


effectiveness and productivity annually, prior to approval of the municipal
budget.

11. Employ knowledge and achievement of objectives, selectively, in a redesigned


performance evaluation process, especially for command personnel and unit
managers.

12. Perform periodic audits of program progress and effectiveness using the
Inspections capacity within Professional Standards.

   
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Taking Command: New Directions for Policing the City of Alexandria

CHAPTER III: ORGANIZATION AND STAFFING

Organization is the arrangement of functions and personnel to accomplish police


mission, goals, and objectives. The paraprofessional or traditional model, an internally-
focused efficiency and control-oriented structure, continues to dominate police
organizations, though to a far lesser degree than in the pre-community policing era.
The Alexandria Police Department is traditional in organization. Throughout this
report, we alert the city and the APD to changes that are required for effective
philosophical, budgetary, and technical transformation. This chapter focuses on what is
certain to be one of the more difficult aspects of transformation – reorganization.

SECTION 1: CURRENT ORGANIZATION AND STAFFING

Critical to any review of the department is a thorough understanding of its


organizational structure. During the initial site visit the study team was presented with
several variations of the department’s organizational chart. Each version contained
different units, different relationships between units, some units listed that no longer
existed, and some that conflicted with the department’s monthly work schedule, which
presented another view of the department’s organization. These charts appeared to be
maintained by different people and units, on different computers and no staff member
could identify the current authorized copy.

During these initial meetings the study team also asked for and reviewed what was
indicated as both the current and proposed (2007 version) written directive system and
both were found to have conflicts with the supplied charts. In addition to
understanding the organization structure, the study team needed to take a snapshot of
the current staffing profile, marrying that to the organization charts and written
directive system. Given the level of confusion, the team decided to prepare its own
composite chart from those in conflict and, with the aid of several agency members,
developed an accurate view of the organization upon which to validate the staffing
profile. The results of this effort are shown in Figure 1 and became the baseline for the
team to begin its analysis.

The department was found to have a very narrow funnel-styled organization that
operationally terminates at the Assistant Chief level, where more than 10 units, along
with their commanders, report directly to him in a stove-pipe fashion. It is quickly
apparent that such an arrangement can only result in supervisory overload as it exceeds
normal span of control recommendations. Several areas of common function lacked
joint or coordinated command (e.g., Patrol, Traffic, and Street Interdiction), and to some
degree may compete with each other. This absence of coordination and consolidation
of command would perpetuate throughout the study.

   
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Figure 1

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF

This office houses the Chief and the Assistant Police Chief. Under the current structure,
the Assistant Chief of Police has direct reports from 10 subordinates. Reporting directly
to the Chief of Police is a lieutenant (Professional Standards), the Assistant Chief of
Police, and a research and planning lieutenant. Currently, the Chief is supported by an
executive secretary. The volunteer chaplain reports directly to the Chief of Police

ASSISTANT CHIEF

Immediately below the Chief and his office, is the Assistant Chief, who essentially
oversees day to day operations of the department. In addition to his secretary, the
Police Accountant, and two officers assigned to local task forces (a total of four FTE), the
Assistant Chief has all remaining units in the department reporting directly to him. In
order to illustrate their relationships, we have grouped them by functional area, which
eventually became the format for the recommended changes.

   
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PATROL OPERATIONS

Patrol and other associated direct field operations are currently shared by a number of
divisions. The largest of the divisions is the Uniform Division. Also providing patrol
services are the Special Operations Division (traffic) and Special Interdiction Team (SIT)
(street crimes). A Community Policing unit is also housed in the Uniformed Division.

Uniform Division. Uniformed patrol is currently a division directed by a


captain. The Uniform Division captain reports to the Assistant Chief of Police. The
Uniform Division currently consists of the patrol shifts (including canine) and the
Community Policing Unit.

Actual staffing of the current Uniform Division’s (April, 2009) shifts was:

• Captain 1
• Lieutenant 5
• Sergeant 11
• Corporals 26
• Officer 37

Community Policing Unit. Within the Uniform Division, there is a Community


Policing Unit, which operates independently of the shifts. The unit is headed by a
lieutenant who reports to the captain in charge of the Uniform Division.

Current staffing of the Community Policing Unit (April, 2009) was:

• Lieutenant 1
• Corporal 3
• Officer 4

Special Operations Division (SOD). Currently, the patrol traffic function is


provided by SOD (Special Operations Division). This unit provides specialized traffic
enforcement, accident investigations, and anti-DUI efforts. SOD is directed by a captain
who reports directly to the Chief of Police.

SOD is currently staffed by:

• Captain 1
• Lieutenant 1
• Sergeant 1
• Corporals 11

   
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In addition, the assigned lieutenant staffs the department’s supply function on a part-
time basis. This unit supports both individual officer organizational and personal
equipment issue and routine administrative supplies (paper, pencils, etc.)

Street Interdiction Team and Special Response Team (SIT/SRT). The SIT/SRT
is a street crimes unit that provides a tactical presence for patrol on the streets of
Alexandria. It also provides a special response unit for emergency situations. The
SIT/SRT is commanded by a captain. The captain reports to the Assistant Chief of
Police.

Currently staffing for the SIT/SRT is:

• Captain 1
• Sergeant 1
• Corporal 6

INVESTIGATIVE SERVICES

Currently investigative services are provided by the Criminal Investigations Division


and the Narcotics Unit.

Criminal Investigations Division. This division provides traditional detective


services, generally involving follow up investigations from crimes originally reported to
patrol. The Criminal Investigation Division is divided into five units, listed below.
Four record clerks are also assigned to CID.

‰ Crimes Against Persons: Three sergeants and a corporal

‰ Crimes Against Property: Five corporals and an officer

‰ Juvenile Investigations: One sergeant and three corporals

‰ Crime Scene Search/Evidence: One sergeant, one corporal, and a clerk

‰ Financial Crimes: One sergeant and a corporal

‰ Federal Task Force: U.S. Marshals (sergeant); FBI (Corporal). (Note:


Listed here but believed to report to the Assistant Chief of Police).

Overall current staffing for the Criminal Investigations Division is:

   
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• Lieutenant 1
• Sergeant 7
• Corporal 11
• Officer 1
• Civilians 4

Narcotics. This unit is commanded by a sergeant. The sergeant is supported by


a clerk. The sergeant reports directly to the Assistant Chief of Police.

Overall staffing for the Narcotics Unit is:

• Sergeants 3
• Corporals 1
• Officers 3
• Clerk 1

ADMINISTRATION AND OPERATIONS SUPPORT

Administrative and support functions are widely scattered throughout the department.
Administrative activities can be found in the Chief’s Office (Research and Planning), in
the Special Operations Bureau (Department Property), and in a number of stand-alone
units reporting directly to the Assistant Chief of Police.

Communications and Technical Support. Provides dispatch service for the


department and handles all technical support for the department’s computer systems
and administrative LAN equipment and software. Sergeants serve as shift supervisors.
Current staffing includes:

• Captain 1
• Lieutenant 1
• Sergeants 5
• Dispatchers 17

Training Academy. Administers the regional academy and oversees department


training. Also houses the department’s DARE officer and Community Services
sergeant. Current staffing includes:

   
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• Sergeants 4
• Corporals 2
• Clerk 1

Records and Warrants Division. Manages department records, addresses walk


in warrant requests, and submits UCR (LIBRS). Current staffing includes:

• Captain 1
• Sergeant 2
• Corporal 1
• Clerks 7

Support Services Division. Provides transportation services for inmates cleaning


police facilities and oversees building and vehicle maintenance. Current staffing
includes:

• Captain 1
• Jailor 2
• Clerk 1

SECTION 2: EVALUATION

After review of the department’s organization and functional responsibilities, it was


evident that the stovepipe arrangement with all operating units reporting to the
Assistant Chief exceeded span of control standards and inhibited department
operational oversight. Further, while the units depicted on the chart generally equated
to functional duties found in most police departments of like size, the reporting
channels and staffing were less than optimal for effective command and control. While
the majority of department personnel were assigned to the Uniform Division, other
units with smaller staffing and more narrow duties were commanded by similar ranked
personnel (captains). Meanwhile, others were commanded by lieutenants or lower (and
in some cases staffed predominantly with civilians). It appeared that some evolved due
to historical staffing or accommodation of singular personalities (e.g., Support Services
Division.) In many cases, the staffing and rank structures were attributed to Civil
Service requirements such as promotion and assignment based upon seniority.

From a functional viewpoint, the current structure of individual units does little to
enhance an organized or cohesive response to criminal activity. In the case of CID, the
Narcotics Unit operates independent of any planning and coordination of everything

   
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from informants to complex investigations. The Street Interdiction Team (also known as
the SWAT or CRT unit) does not coordinate with Narcotics and has only marginal daily
interaction with CID. The two officers assigned to parish level federal task forces are
believed to report to the Assistant Chief, stifling information flow to other investigative
units. Juvenile investigation activity has been limited to reactive investigation, with
only minimal counseling being conducted, while juvenile crime has been rising. The
result is an uncoordinated investigative function that, in some instances, can lead to
mistakes and serious injury under high risk situations. At the very least it is not
addressing the data identified serious crime issues.

On the first responder side, the Uniform Division shifts cover calls for service. Units
assigned to the Special Operations Division (motorcycles and DUI enforcement
vehicles) are only assigned shift calls if they accept them and deployment is not
coordinated other than shift hours. The subordinate Community Policing Unit, while a
direct report to the Uniform Division commander, in reality operates independently
and without a formal or department-wide strategy. At the same time, the Community
Services officer, located in the Training Academy, is performing community policing
functions that are duplicative or in place of those of the Community Policing Unit.
There is little or no coordinated effort at reducing violent crime, specifically that
associated with assaults.

The administrative duties of the department are fractured among several units, some at
the division level and commanded by captains. There is an absence of professional
civilian support staff throughout these units. Police officers currently staff many jobs
that could be performed by civilians. In some cases, this has been a historical
development and in others due to a lack of staffing review by the department. As an
example, a lieutenant performs technical maintenance services for the department’s
CAD and administrative computer system. Meanwhile, a captain oversees the Support
Services Division, responsible for vehicle and building maintenance, with a staff of one
clerk and three jailers. Detective personnel oversee the evidence room, clearly a civilian
position, while other property is handled by a lieutenant in the Special Operations
Division. Finally, a sergeant handles the UCR reporting, while a civilian clerk handles
warrants. Clearly, there is little rationale behind most of these assignments and little
leveraging of civilian professional strengths for assignment continuity and subordinate
development.

The Research and Planning Unit, located in the Office of the Chief, appears focused on
grant reporting and management with little research or analysis being conducted. The
department’s written directive system lacks coordination with oversight of it vested in
the UCR sergeant in the Records Division. No annualized goals or objectives are
developed for any unit. The flow of information, by the nature of the individualization
of the department organization, is stymied and no active intelligence gathering or

   
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analysis is being performed by anyone, despite the presence of a no longer operational


unit on one chart called the Intelligence Division.

From a proactive standpoint, there are no units actively assigned programs such as
offender reentry monitoring, domestic violence prevention and follow-up,
neighborhood engagement and partnerships, or proactive juvenile counseling.
Volunteer programs do not operate within the department, although several staff
members have received training in their development. Many direct service or
administrative/support positions are ripe for a proactive volunteer program.
Leadership training and development is stagnated by the current promotional and
staffing policies. Inter-unit coordination is almost non-existent. In the opinion of the
study team, the current organization mix and functional responsibilities frustrate
development of these essential programs.

SUMMARY OF MAJOR OBSERVATIONS

Patrol

‰ Currently, there is a lack of coordination between the many patrol units. A


single commander is needed to provide focus and unity of command.

‰ Improved communication, cooperation, and coordination are needed


between community policing and patrol shift operations. Integration of
community policing officers and function into the patrol shifts would
improve coordination and cooperation

‰ Community policing/crime prevention efforts are unfocused and occur in


at least two different organizational settings. A single unit would provide
better coordination.

‰ Patrol shifts would benefit from a more community policing/problem


solving approach.

Investigations

‰ Distribution of supervision in both criminal investigations and narcotics is


uneven.

‰ The appointment of sergeants as regular detectives without supervisory


responsibility needs to be addressed.

   
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‰ Narcotics command and organizational location needs resolution -- three


sergeants, one of which is the officer-in-charge and reports directly to the
Assistant Chief of Police.

‰ Absence of victim support services which is now common in most police


agencies.

‰ Absence of family crimes focus, especially domestic violence, where there


are special needs.

‰ Attention to pawn shop for stolen property.

‰ Need to more fully support computer crimes component.

‰ Crime scene unit needs increasing forensic focus with civilians staffing.

Administration and Support

‰ Clerical functions are being performed by ranking sworn staff (property).

‰ Grouping functions will provide the opportunity for cross training to


cover essential functions during use of leave time.

‰ Rank structure inappropriate in some units.

‰ Intelligence and crime analysis function not being performed.

‰ Civilianization would reduce costs, add continuity and skill building, and
in some instances inject professional level skills into the department.

SECTION 3: RECOMMENDATIONS

In order to focus on a re-energized Alexandria Police Department a complete re-


organization of units and their relationships is necessary. Reorganizing the department
will respond to several identified areas for improvement:

‰ Nurturing leadership capacity

‰ Intensify neighborhood/citizen involvement and engagement

‰ Build an outcome and metrics driven management and operating


environment

   
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‰ Increase prevention activities

‰ Unity of command

‰ Accountability

‰ Develop/redevelop critical infrastructure

‰ Deal with an excess of sergeants remaining from previous community


policing deployment

‰ Civilianization.

While each of these requires attention by the department and city management, the
basis upon which all will be built is the department’s organizational structure. The
present structure, as outlined above, is not conducive to needed change and thus must
undergo change itself.

Police departments are generally organized based upon grouping of like or


complimentary tasks, further refined by function, process, level or lines of authority,
customer delivery focus, geographic, or legal groupings. We propose consolidation of
the current structure’s multiple divisions into an Office of the Chief and three bureaus.

‰ Field Services Bureau

‰ Investigative Services Bureau

‰ Administrative and Support Services Bureau

This model reduces the span of control at the upper levels of the department and places
responsibility for each functional area in one person rather than the previous multi-unit
model. The recommended department organizational chart is shown in Figure 2.

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF

This organizational concept creates three major bureaus within the department, with
the commander of each reporting to the Chief of Police. In line with objectives to
nurture leadership capacity, we recommend the city petition the Civil Service Board to
create the bureau commander position as an exempt rank that allows the Chief to

   
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Figure 2

   
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appoint without civil service restrictions. The Chief’s immediate office staff was kept at
three, plus the Chaplain. We have added a staff inspections function to Professional
Standards to enhance department-wide accountability and support recommendations
for monitoring of unit level goals and objectives, as well as to ensure accountability and
compliance with policy.

Proposed Staffing Office of the Chief:

• Chief 1
• Lieutenant 1
• Sergeant 1
• Civilian 1

PROPOSED FIELD SERVICES BUREAU

The proposed Field Services Bureau will house what are currently known as the
Uniform Division, Special Operations Division (SOD), Community Policing Unit,
Community Services, and Street Interdiction Team/Special Response Team (SIT/SRT).

Office of the Commander. This proposed commander provides overall


direction and coordination for the Bureau. The Bureau Commander reports directly to
the Chief of Police. The Bureau Commander should be supported by an administrative
assistant (civilian secretary).

The Field Services Bureau Commander will be a key policy maker. It is critical that this
position be filled with a person with leadership and administrative skills. It is
important that this choice be carefully made. As a key policy maker we recommend
that this position be exempt from the current civil service rules.

Presently, promotion is based on seniority. We believe that time in grade is far too
narrow a factor upon which to base a promotion of this importance. It is recommended
that promotion of this policy maker be at the discretion of the Chief of Police.

Proposed Staffing for the Office of the Commander:

• Commander 1
• Secretary 1

It is proposed that the Field Services Bureau be made up of three divisions, Uniform
Division, Special Operations Division, and Community Affairs. Figure 3, below depicts
that organization:

   
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Figure 3

Patrol (Uniform) Division (Shifts) Proposed. Uniformed patrol is currently


commanded by a captain. It is our recommendation that this unit continue to be
commanded by a captain. The Patrol Division Captain should report to the Patrol
Bureau Commander. It is recommended that the staffing level of uniformed patrol be
brought in line with the staffing level proposed by the patrol staffing study. It is also
recommended that the current four canine units be maintained. Six community
policing officers should also be assigned to a special shift working 11 am to 11 pm.

Staffing of the proposed consolidated Patrol Division is recommended as:

• Captain 1
• Lieutenant 4
• Sergeant 12

   
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• Corporals 29
• Officers 46

Total 92

Proposed Special Operations Division. It is our recommendation that the SOD


and SIT/SRT be combined into a single division entitled Special Operation Division. A
lieutenant should head this unit. The lieutenant should report to the patrol
commander.

Proposed staffing for this Division is recommended as:

• Lieutenant 1
• Sergeant 3
• Corporal 16

Proposed Community Affairs Unit. As developed in the report section on


community policing, it is our recommendation that six of the community policing
corporals and officers be assigned directly to the patrol shifts. The current Community
Policing Lieutenant, along with a minimal planning and support staff, would be
detailed to a proposed Community Affairs Unit to address community programs, crime
prevention, and volunteer services.

Commanded by a lieutenant, this unit will report to the Field Services Bureau
Commander. Community Affairs will be responsible for establishing a community
policing program for the patrol force. It will provide programmatic direction to
community policing officers assigned to the shifts.

In addition, the Community Affairs Unit will be responsible for crime prevention
programming in the community, coordinate police volunteers, and develop juvenile-
based community programs. The current DARE program will also be administrated by
this unit. Community Affairs will be also responsible for developing, monitoring and
maintaining records on all community initiatives by the Alexandria Police Department,
including citizen (field) contacts and public information requests.

Proposed staffing for the Community Affairs Unit would be:

• Lieutenant 1
• Sergeant 1
• Corporal 1

   
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• Officer 1

PROPOSED INVESTIGATIVE SERVICES BUREAU

The Investigative Services Bureau encompasses the old CID and Narcotics Units. In
addition, there is a re-engineered Family and Juvenile Investigations Unit that is more
proactive, and a Forensics Unit that is minus the evidence custodial function. Civilian
professional staff has been added where appropriate to re-assign sworn personnel to
positions requiring sworn authority. The Bureau would be commanded by a
commander supported by a secretary. Two clerks would maintain the Investigative
Services desk.

As with the Field Services Bureau, the Commander of Investigative Services will be a
key policy maker. It is critical that this position be filled with a person with leadership
and administrative skills. It is important that this choice be carefully made. As a key
policy maker we recommend that this position be exempt from the current civil service
rules.

Presently, promotion is based on seniority. We believe that time in grade is far too
narrow a factor upon which to base a promotion of this importance. It is recommended
that promotion of this policy maker be made at the discretion of the Chief of Police.

The Investigative Services Bureau is shown in Figure 4.

Criminal Investigations Division. It is our recommendation that a Lieutenant


direct the Criminal Investigations Division. The CID Lieutenant would report to the
Investigative Services Bureau Commander. It is recommended that a domestic violence
crime capability be added to CID, as well as a victims’ coordinator. Also, the crime
scene unit should be gradually civilianized.

We recommend reducing the Criminal Investigations Division from five units to four
units by combining financial crimes with property to reduce inefficiencies and
supervision expenses. Units within the proposed CID include:

‰ Crimes Against Persons: a sergeant, three investigators and victim


advocate (civilian).

‰ Crimes Against Property/Computer and Financial Crimes: a sergeant


and six investigators. (Pawn Unit: one civilian clerk.)

‰ Family and Juvenile Crimes Unit: a sergeant and three investigators.

   
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Figure 4

   
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‰ Forensic Unit: a civilian supervisor and two forensic technicians.

‰ Task Forces: sergeant (USMS) and corporal (FBI Task Force).

Proposed staffing for the Criminal Investigations Division is as follows:

• Lieutenant 1
• Sergeant 4
• Civilian Supervisor 1
• Investigators 13
• Civilian Professional 3
• Clerk 3

Narcotics Division. The Narcotics Division should be directed by a lieutenant.


The lieutenant would report to the Investigations Services Bureau Commander. The
Narcotics Division would consist of two teams, each comprised of a sergeant and two
investigators. Providing staff support would a clerk.

Recommended staffing for the Narcotics Unit would include:

• Lieutenant 1
• Sergeant 2
• Investigators 4
• Clerk 1

PROPOSED ADMINISTRATIVE AND SUPPORT SERVICES BUREAU

The Administrative and Support Services Bureau, currently shown with a sworn
Commander in charge, has the flexibility to be directed by a civilian professional in lieu
of the sworn rank. Proposed staffing for the Office of Bureau Commander is:

• Commander 1
• Secretary 1
• Department Accountant 1

The Commander of the Administrative and Support Services Bureau will be a key
policy maker. It is critical that this position be filled with a person with leadership and

   
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administrative skills. It is important that this choice be carefully made. As a key policy
maker we recommend that this position be exempt from the current civil service rules.

Presently, promotion is based on seniority. We believe that time in grade is far too
narrow a factor upon to base a promotion of this importance. It is recommended that
promotion of this policy maker be made directly by the Chief of Police.

The proposed Bureau organization is shown in Figure 5, below:

Figure 5

It is recommended that the Support Services Bureau be subdivided into four divisions:

‰ Communications Division
‰ Training Division

   
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‰ Information Management Division


‰ Support Service Division

Communications Division. This division would be headed by a lieutenant and


would report to the Bureau Commander. The sergeants assigned as shift sergeants
would be replaced by civilian supervisors. Civilian supervisors would be working
supervisors. A telephone reporting capability will be included here, supervised by a
corporal, but which may also utilize light duty personnel on a temporary basis or
volunteers, if available. Proposed staffing would be:

• Lieutenant 1
• Communications Supervisors 5
• Communications Officers 17

Training/Planning Division. This Division is comprised of two allied functions,


training and planning. The Training/Planning Division would be directed by a
lieutenant. In addition to training, this unit would be responsible for written directives
and accreditation. The lieutenant would report to the Bureau Commander. (The DARE
Officer previously assigned to this unit would be transferred to Community Affairs.
The Crime Prevention Sergeant assigned to this unit would be transferred to
Community Affairs.)

Proposed staffing for training includes:

• Lieutenant 1
• Sergeant 2
• Corporal 1
• Civilian Planner 1
• Clerk 1

Information Management Division. Directed by a lieutenant, this unit would be


responsible for the management of the department’s information resources. It would
include the Records section, the Warrant Section, and a newly developed Crime
Analysis and Intelligence Section. Staffing for this Division would include:

• Lieutenant 1
• Corporal 2
• Civilian Record Supervisor 1

   
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• Crime Analyst 1
• Information Management Technician 1
• Record Clerks. 6

Support Services Division. This reorganized division would be responsible for


evidence, recovered property, and department property and supplies, building
maintenance, transportation of trustees to and from jail and for maintenance details.
Proposed staffing includes:

• Civilian Supervisor 1
• HR Technician 1
• Property and evidence custodians 2
• Maintenance Specialists (previous jailers) 2
• Clerk 1

We believe the changes recommended above will enhance department effectiveness,


increase unit coordination, and leverage existing resources, while positioning it for
future growth and service to the citizens of Alexandria.

This reorganization takes into account both unit and staff restructuring and recognizes
that an orderly replacement plan will be required to accommodate the new allocations
of certain ranks such a captain, lieutenant, and sergeants. This schedule should also
include reversion to a lower rank should that be necessary in lieu of waiting for
retirements or other separation activity. Since this problem bottoms out at sergeant,
supervisors should fill the positions available with the lowest seniority sergeants
serving as corporals. Further, the recommendation includes conversion of the captain
position to an exempt rank of commander. Required legislation must be processed
prior to any implementation.

Another consideration is continuity of command and development of technical


expertise. This can be achieved through the introduction of civilian command positions
where arrest authority is no longer needed. Assigning civilians to more technical areas,
creates stability and expertise where it is critically needed and sworn personnel with the
appropriate formal education and training are not available. This is prevalent in areas
such as crime scene search and crime labs, records management, human resources or
personnel, supply and evidence control, as well as others. Additional savings may also
incur in areas such as worker’s compensation, retirement, special differential pays, etc.
However the main benefit brought to the position through assignment of civilian staff,
is long-term stability and technical proficiency.

   
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CHAPTER IV: PATROL OPERATIONS: DEPLOYMENT AND SCHEDULING

Responding to calls for service is the preeminent function of the Alexandria Police
Department’s Uniform Division. It is the direct link to the public, the primary provider
of services, and the heart of the agency’s crime control effort. First response patrol
commands the largest portion of the Alexandria Police Department’s resources. For this
reason alone first responders must be managed with the utmost skill.

This chapter will recommend staffing levels for patrol’s first responders. Based on an
internationally-accepted patrol staffing standard, this report will analyze current first
responding patrol officer workload. Based on this analysis of Alexandria’s calls for
service and other crucial patrol information, this report will recommend staffing levels
for first responders needed to meet professional standards. Staffing and deployment
analysis will not directly address patrol specialty units such as street crimes, traffic,
community policing, DUI and other patrol related units. Staffing of these units will be
treated in a further section of the report.

SECTION 1: OBJECTIVES

First response staffing, deployment and scheduling objectives are to ensure that a
sufficient number of officers and supervisors are available to:

‰ Respond to calls-for-service in a timely fashion


‰ Conduct prevention and other proactive tasks effectively
‰ Allow patrol officers to meet administrative requirements adequately
(court, training, briefings, equipment maintenance. and report writing, for
example)
‰ Deploy patrol officers as closely as possible, with the temporal and
geographical incidence of criminal and non-criminal, and traffic demand
for service
‰ Allow sufficient time for priority electives such as community
engagement and problem solving
‰ Address the special needs of the specific jurisdiction.

Staffing, deployment, and scheduling plans must comply with officer safety
requirements (backup) and maximize cost-effective use of patrol resources.

   
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SECTION 2: STAFFING FACTORS AND DATABASE ARCHITECTURE

“Ready-made” universally applicable patrol staffing standards do not exist. Ratios such
as officers per thousand are totally inappropriate as bases for staffing decisions.

Requirements must be tailored to a mix of factors which is unique to each


locality/agency. Patrol staffing work relies on construction of a comprehensive and
intricately networked database and application of a complex methodology, informed by
an understanding of an agency’s policing environment and patrol methods.

The primary classes of data that must be gathered to define patrol staffing and
deployment requirements concern (1) availability and (2) workload. Availability is the
number of hours that the officers actually work, straight time, each year. Availability
data accounts for days off, vacations, sick leave, holidays, compensatory time, and
training. Workload is the amount and type of labor engaged in by officers when they
do work.

To define the patrol staffing requirements of any law enforcement agency, the following
factors, the mix of which is unique to each locality and agency, must be considered:

‰ Population size and density


‰ Organization of patrol
‰ Support elements for patrol
‰ Policing philosophy
‰ Crime levels and trends
‰ Composition of service population
‰ Geography, particularly the size and distance within zones, and the
distance from zones to headquarters
‰ The type and use of overtime
‰ Climate, especially “seasonality”
‰ Policies of courts, prosecutors, corrections and probation
‰ Citizen attitudes toward crime
‰ Available resources
‰ Trends in the aforementioned areas
‰ Special community consideration, such as tourism or gaming.

   
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Patrol methods and experience and productivity of supervisors and officers should also
be considered.

Several geographic attributes of Alexandria have implications for patrol staffing.


Alexandria is relatively typical for a city of its size in land mass. Alexandria
encompasses 27 square miles, of which 1.5 km are water. In a city with this land area, it
is important that officers be properly distributed by area, since response times from one
end of the city to the other would take considerable time. This also may require in
specific areas, additional staffing based on geography to ensure timely response to calls
for service.

Equally important in terms of land area, in Alexandria, natural barriers such as the
interstates and the Red River can provide minor barriers to some police responses.
However, throughout most areas of the city, officers in adjacent zones, can respond
quickly to calls and backups in adjacent zones. East-West and North-South corridors
permit easy access for responding patrol units. Some of the newer subdivisions in the
city’s Westside have road grids whose complexity may pose a minor hindrance for
response. Overall, geographic features are not such that they severely limit the ability
to adjust call distributions for zones.

As previously developed ready-made universal staffing standards are unrealistic in


policing due to the very different duties and nature of crime of calls for service faced by
different department. For example, while the Gulfport Police Department (Mississippi)
provides officer support for the airport, bailiffs for the courts, and School Resource
Officers, Alexandria does not provide support for the courts, airport security nor School
Resource Officers.

Ready-made population based staffing standards also ignore other important attributes.
For example, Alexandria is a regional center, where people from outlying areas come to
work and shop. While its residential population is near 50,000, during the work day
non-residents can swell the city’s population as they come to work or shop. The
presence of an airport, port, and a college campus also has important impacts. Another
city of comparable size, for example, Port Orange Florida, is a suburb and does not have
the additional daytime visitors that Alexandria has. Comparisons of per capita officers
often neglect such important differences in duties and service populations.

SECTION 3: AVAILABILITY

Due to a variety of factors, including days off, vacation, sick leave, compensated time,
and training, patrol officers are not always available to work. To calculate patrol
staffing needs, deploy officers properly by time of day, day of week, and geographical

   
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area, and to evaluate productivity, the actual amount of time an officer works
(availability) must be calculated. Alexandria Police Department (APD) field patrol
officers (first responders) actually work an average of 1,680.62 hours annually, 140.05
shifts. (Table 21).

Availability was calculated based on actual use of sick time and use of some other
leaves (military leaves) by officers assigned to the shifts (first responders). These data
were largely assembled by the Police Department from payroll records. Sick time
appeared particularly high with an average sick time of 107.05 hours per year per
officer. (It is important to note that the high average sick time is a product of a few
officers using large amounts of sick time.)

Estimation was required for use of vacation time since such data was not readily
available. Officers earn 180 hours a year for vacation in years one to nine. During years
10-20 officers earn 216 hours of vacation time per year. The majority (68.8%) of officer in
patrol have between one and nine years on the job.

Review of vacation time banks suggest that officers bank a portion of their vacation
time. Banking of vacation time is particularly evident among those with more than 10
years of service. Based on yearly grants of vacation time, the size of current vacation
banks, and the distribution of officers by years of service, we estimate that on the
average 180 hours of vacation are used per year.

Military leave – given the fact that a number of police officers are active members of the
National Guard and the reserves – has important implication for availability. Military
leave includes two components, time off for routine military training, and extended
leaves to serve in either Iraq or Afghanistan. Routine military leave involves an average
of 5.33 hours per year per officer.

The roster provided to us for the patrol shifts had no officers listed on long-term
military leave. However, informally it was relayed to us that two officers once assigned
to patrol are currently serving full-time in the military. Currently patrol has no officers
on its roster assigned full-time to the military. It is important to note that officers on
long-term assignment to the military should not be counted as staff for first responders.
To have adequate first responders, they should be replaced while on long-term military
leave.

The specific type of revolving 12-hour shift utilized in Alexander results in 84 hours of
officer time in a 24-hour period. While FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) permits 85.5
hours in a two week period for police personnel without the payment of overtime,
Alexandria does pay overtime (compensated time) beyond 80 hours in a two week
period. As a result each patrol officer working more than 80 hours in a two week

   
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Table 21

PATROL OFFICER AVAILABILITY

Base 12 hours x 365 days 4,380 hours (100.00%)

‰ Days off 12 x 182.5 (actual) - 2,190hours


2,190 hours (50%)

‰ Vacation 180 hours (estimated) - 180 hours


2,010 hours (45.9%)

‰ Sick Leave 107.05 hours (actual) - 107.05 hours


1,902.95 hours (43.5%)

‰ Military 5.33 hours (actual) - 5.33 hours


1,897.62 hours (43.3%)

‰ Training 2 days x 12 (estimated) - 24 hours


1,873.62 hours (42.8%)

‰ Incentive Leave 8 hours (calculated) -8 hours


1,865.62 hours (42.6%)

‰ Holiday 60 (estimated) - 60 hours


1,805.62 hours (41.2%)

‰ K Time 125 hours - 125 hours

Final Availability 1,680.62 hours (38.4%)

140.05 shifts

   
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period receives six hours of compensated time (K time) to be taken at some point in the
future. As a result the type of 12-hour shift utilized in Alexandria is somewhat less
effective than for example an eight hour, five day a week schedule. However to be fair,
the difference is in the range of less than 2.5% decrease in efficiency.

Officers can take K-time off, when permitted. K-time is only gained when officers work.
It is our estimate that officers earn approximately 125 hours of K time per year.

The union contract calls for all officers who are scheduled off on a holiday to receive a
day of leave in lieu of the holiday. There are 10 holidays. On the average officers on
the 12-hour shift would be off every other holiday, this results in an average of five
holiday leave days per year.

The union contract also provides for one day of incentive leave (eight hours) for every
four months without use of sick leave. Reviewing use of sick leave, it is estimated that
this results in approximately eight hours per year per first responder.

Overall, Alexandria Police Patrol availability (38.4% of the time) is lower availability
than most departments we have analyzed. This is due to three factors. The city has
fairly liberal leave policies. Instead of paying overtime the department has generally
granted compensated time at time and one half. Finally, there is a heavy use of sick
time by some first response patrol officers.

Use of compensated time as opposed to payment of overtime may often appear initially
appealing to municipal policy makers. However, in the long run since patrol shifts
must be staffed at specific levels if the public is to be properly served, over reliance on
compensated time leads either to the need to hire additional officers or a degradation of
services to the public.

SECTION 4: WORKLOAD

Workload data from the computer aided dispatch system (CAD) were gathered for a
one-year period, January 2008 through December 2008. CAD data accounts for all calls
for service and officer-initiated activities for all field operations. Information includes
the time calls and activities were received by Communications, time to process calls,
time calls were dispatched, time officers arrived, and time calls were completed. CAD
also provided information on the nature of an activity, some very limited information
on the location of activity, and responding units and officers. Data was provided on
units assigned a call or units initiating an activity and on multiple responding units
(back-ups).

   
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Workload categories that are employed by IACP for analysis are:

‰ Directed Patrol. Labor associated with specific elective activities,


normally performed at the direction of a supervisor. Directed patrols
normally result from citizen requests or crime and incident analysis. They
may result from an individual request or from a neighborhood association
meeting. Citizen complaints about reckless driving along a stretch of road
could result in a directed patrol (selective enforcement). Complaints
about drug transactions at a park may lead to a directed patrol to have
officers look and check for suspected drug dealing. Area checks are
another example.

Alexandria does not have a formal system of directed patrols and collects
only limited information on directed patrol items. Only two categories
were used in CAD to track directed patrols. These were Keep Watch (754)
and Check Building (206). In another section of this report we will
recommend the institution of a formal system of directed patrols.

‰ Criminal – Dispatched. Labor associated with reported crime. This labor


originates in the community as a call for service. Criminal labor includes
travel to a crime scene, time at scene, return travel, report writing, and
time spent on arrest or transportation of prisoners resulting from an
offense. Time also includes follow-up investigations based on the initial
call.

‰ Criminal – Officer-Initiated. Labor resulting from officer-initiated criminal


incidents. In these cases, a criminal call is not dispatched. It results from
officer observation, from flag down by citizens, or from investigation.
Labor in this category includes report writing times and time consumed by
arrests. This information was secured from CAD logs. Officer-initiated
calls are distinguished from calls for service by analyzing the time from
dispatch to on-scene. Activities where an officer is on scene almost instantly
were coded as self-initiated.

‰ Back-Up. Labor resulting from back-up of other officers. This usually


involves serious offense cases where the safety of a responding officer is
or may be in question. CAD logs provide information on back-up for each
call. Time on call for back-up officers is not available. Based on findings
from previous management studies, we estimated that back-up officers
generally spend approximately 33.3% of the time of the primary officer.
Communications Center Policies and Procedures identify call types that

   
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require backup. Backups for other officers consumed a significant amount


of an officer’s daily labor.

‰ Non-Criminal-Dispatched (Service Calls). Labor associated with reported


activity from the community which is not criminal in nature. Wellness
checks of the elderly, lost and found items, lost children, and animal-
related complaints are examples. The computer aided dispatch system
provides this information generally listed under public services or public
assistance.

‰ Non-Criminal (Service) Self-Initiated. Labor associated with on-view


incidents discovered by the police which are not criminal in nature.
Wellness checks of the elderly, lost and found items, lost children, and
animal-related complaints are examples. The computer aided dispatch
system provides this information.

‰ Traffic Calls. Labor associated with reported traffic incidents or agency-


directed traffic enforcement, such as traffic accidents or traffic direction.
Report writing time is included. Information is from CAD logs. Examples
of traffic calls included traffic stops and traffic escorts.

‰ Self-Initiated Traffic. Labor associated with traffic activity that is


initiated by an officer. Traffic stops or officer finding an accident that has
not been reported are examples. Information comes from the CAD.

‰ Community. Labor associated with community activities. Time spent on


lectures, walk and talk, Neighborhood Watch, and community-oriented
and problem-solving activity are examples. The computer aided dispatch
system does not provide limited information on these types of activities
by first responders. However some information on such activity was
gained by observation and interviews with staff and officers. These
activities will not be included in our analysis of operational labor.

‰ Administrative. Labor consumed by patrol officers to maintain vehicles,


handle personnel matters, training during the tour of duty, deliver
administrative items for the department, pick up purchases for the
department, and meet with supervisors. CAD does not provide
information on administrative activities. Direct field observations and
interviews with officers and staff supplied most of the information used
for analysis.

Information on reports written, citations given and arrests made from other data
sources was considered.

   
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Time calculations for each of these categories include travel time to the incident and
time spent directly on the incident. If further investigation is associated with a specific
event, that time was also analyzed. If an arrest is made the time to transport a prisoner
to the jail and time spent processing a warrant request are also included. Time is also
included in those categories that involve report preparation.

DATABASE PREPARATION

Calls for service and self-initiated activities from CAD logs were sorted by unit. Using
unit designators, a refined database was developed to address only activities conducted
by primary response units, defined as a unit with primary responsibilities to answer
calls for service, patrol, and conduct community policing activities within a specified
zone or district. Units whose responsibility was traffic, community policing, special
operations, traffic, or DUI were not considered as primary units.

Primary response units serve in two capacities:

ˆ As a primary responder to a call or the self-initiator of a police activity

ˆ As a backup to assist another officer on a dispatched call or a self-initiated


activity.

Canine units were not included as primary response units since canine units, while they
answer calls from time to time, are selective in the calls they answer and do not
generally serve as first response units.

Only workload addressed by shift officers was analyzed. Supervisors, detectives in the
field, Street Crimes officers, traffic, Community policing officers, canine officers, and
DUI officers were not included in this patrol workload analysis.

To support analysis, and match staff allocations and deployment to demand, data were
sorted by time (day of week, and hour of day) and responding unit.

Coding errors (null values), duplicate entries, and missing data were repaired when
possible. Two common dispatcher/report time entry errors – zero time entries and
failure to enter a completion time, were corrected by inserting mean times for specific
activities.

The database was reformatted from CAD source data into Excel, sorted and analyzed.
For certain analysis, SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) was employed.

   
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ADMINISTRATIVE TIME

Administrative time is composed of activities needed to support patrol operations.


While precise information is not available for all administrative activities, our field
observations and analyses of schedules and department procedures suggest that
administrative time appears to be at the norm. We estimate that administrative time
accounts for approximately 25 - 30% of an officer’s average day.

This is often surprising to those not acquainted with the patrol function. However, a
review of patrol activities supports this average:

‰ Daily patrol briefings (15 minutes daily per officer )


‰ Lunch (30 minutes)
‰ Attend court (Dayshift)
‰ Travel to/from posts (10-15 minutes daily per officer)
‰ Vehicle maintenance and fueling (15 minutes daily per officer)
‰ Meetings with supervisors (variable)
‰ In service training (variable)
‰ CIT and other specialty on duty training (variable)
‰ Twice a day breaks (30 minutes daily per officer )
‰ Special administrative assignments (variable)
‰ Directed patrols and watches
‰ Personnel/payroll activities: health fairs, paperwork review and paperwork
(variable)
‰ Field Training Officer (FTO) time for both trainee and trainer (variable);
on duty training for officers – for specialty positions
‰ Equipment maintenance (computer, weapons, radio, etc.) (variable)

Two factors associated with administrative labor are often of concern in police agencies
such as the Alexandria Police Department. In Alexandria which is currently hiring new
officers, Field Training of new officers (FTO) consumes considerable officer time. With
two officers working the same calls, the use of one officer is basically lost. We did find
this to be a problem with the APD. The number of new officers undergoing field
training during the time surveyed was moderate (four officers were either cadets or
involved in Field Training in December of 2008). This does have a significant impact
upon Patrol’s ability to address workload.

   
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Uniform Services officers participate in CIT team. Presently, there are 15 members of
patrol that are involved in the CIT team. These training activities are necessary.
However, these endeavors demand extensive and frequent training as well as call outs.
Our analysis in agencies similar to Alexandria where data was available, suggests that
the time available to specialty officers to patrol is reduced by as much as 10% to 15%.
The CAD does not provide specific data on such training so it is difficult to assess the
exact impact. Our review of APD patrol found it not to be a significant problem.
However, it is important that these positions be closely monitored to ensure that they
do not reduce the effectiveness of the squads of which they are a part.

Special events are an important component in any analysis of patrol operations. How
many and how special events are addressed has important implications for police
staffing. Alexandria’s police provide security only for a limited number of special
events. In a number of instances on duty officers do not provide direct support to these
events. Such events are largely handled by use of overtime, using off-duty officers.
Those events that do utilize patrol resources do appear to be limited, and in terms of
impact upon workload fall within the 30% guideline for administrative time.

Overall, our assessment based on CAD analysis, field observation, and interviews with
key staff is that administrative time falls within the IACP guideline of less than 30%.
Our estimate is that administrative time consumes about 20-25% of officer time. In a
further section of this report, we will be recommending a formal process of directed
patrols and increased accounting of administrative duties through CAD to better track
and organize use of administrative time by first response officers.

Administrative time, however, does not cover lost time due to resignations,
terminations, and retirements. Department turnover of sworn officers is a major
problem for most patrol operations. In many departments, vacancies caused by
turnover are disproportionately held on the patrol roster reducing the number of first
responders. Most retirements come from positions other than patrol. However, since
patrol is nearly always the first assignment of new officers, and the source of officers to
be transferred into other assignments, patrol is generally impacted by retirements,
resignations, and terminations in non-patrol assignments.

In a further section of this report the implications of officer turnover upon patrol
staffing will be treated in greater detail.

   
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SECTION 5: MEASUREMENT FACTORS/STANDARDS

Measurement factors and standards describe the patrol work setting and make it
possible to evaluate and define patrol staffing needs and deployment requirements with
precision. The two employed for the Alexandria Police Department study are:

‰ Operational labor

‰ Uncommitted time.

Operational labor is the aggregate amount of time consumed by patrol officer to answer
calls for service generated by the public and to address on-view situations observed by
officers. It is the total of criminal, non-criminal, traffic, and back-up activities initiated
by a call from the public or an incident an officer comes upon.

Expressed as a percent of the total labor in an officer’s work day, operational labor of
first response patrol officers in Alexandria should not continuously exceed 30%.
Recommending this specific standard for Alexandria are several factors.

The workday must not be so filled with operational labor that officers are unable to
respond to emergencies in a timely fashion or engage in elective activities. A proportion
of the workday must be uncommitted to any other type of labor. Uncommitted time
allows:

‰ Timely response to priority calls for service


‰ Time for officers to have and initiate contact with suspicious persons and
events
‰ Time to undertake homeland security patrols
‰ Time for officers to have and initiate public-service contacts
‰ Multiple-officer response to a single or simultaneous priority calls
‰ Time for elective activities selected by the agency, such as community
policing and problem solving.

For a jurisdiction the size of Alexandria, a maximum of 30% uncommitted patrol time is
also recommended. Uncommitted time is that period of time left over after both
committed time and administrative time have been deducted. To achieve a 30%
uncommitted work time one must not only ensure that operational labor does not
exceed 30% but also check that administrative time also does not exceed 30%.

   
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For patrols between the hours of 10:00 pm and 6:00 am it is recommended that
uncommitted time be no less than 40% of an officer’s time. This permits more rapid
backups during the more dangerous early morning hours, and permits more aggressive
patrolling of closed businesses for burglary prevention. Our review of officer
availability under the 12 hour shifts in Alexandria found that no additional action was
needed to ensure 40% availability during the early morning hours. We also found that
administrative time was less than the 30% maximum on day shift. We did found
however that operational labor did exceed professional standards.

SECTION 6: CURRENT ALLOCATION OF FIRST RESPONDERS

First responders are housed in the Uniform Division. The Uniform Division is
commanded by a captain. The Uniform Division captain reports to the Assistant Chief
of Police. First responders in patrol are subdivided into four shifts, each of which is
commanded by a lieutenant. There is an additional lieutenant who serves as the relief
lieutenant, providing shift supervision when the primary shift lieutenant is on leave.

At the time of the deployment study the patrol shifts (first responders) had an actual
sworn staff of 75. This staffing did not include officers assigned to specialty units such
as traffic, canine, community policing, or special operations. Authorized staffing just
for first responders including field supervisor assigned to the shifts was:

‰ Lieutenants 5
‰ Sergeants 11
‰ Corporals 23
‰ Officers (Patrol) 36

Total Authorized Strength: 75

*Source: Uniform Division Roster, April, 2009

Patrol is commanded by a captain. The Patrol force is divided into four shifts, A, B, C,
and D. When one day shift (A) is on the other (B) is off. A similar profile can be found
for the C and D shifts.

Each shift is supervised by a lieutenant. Supporting the shift lieutenant and providing
direct field supervision on each shift are three sergeants (there is one sergeant vacancy
on the D shift). In addition each shift is staffed by a canine officer. Canine officers
were not included in our analysis since they are not first responders. While they do
answer calls from time to time, first response is generally left to regular officers.

   
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Corporals and police officers assigned to Patrol serve as first responders. Corporals
serve essentially as senior officers, receiving the designation of corporal after a number
of years of service.

Combined first responder staffing for all shifts was (April 2009) 36 police officers, 23
corporals, officers, 11 sergeants, and five lieutenants. At the time of our count four
additional officers were in the academy. Two additional officers were on extended
military leave. These officers were not factored in our analysis. Our analysis is based
on actual staffing.

Patrol officers work a 12-hour shift. They work two consecutive days on and then have
two days off, they then work two days on and have three days off. The final sequence
has them working three days on followed by two days off. This day off sequence
repeats every 28 days. Every week, the shift changes from days to nights.

Change of shift occurs twice a day at 5:45 am and 5:45 pm. Shifts do not overlap. Calls
occurring during shift change are either held or an officer is called out of briefing if the
call is of an emergency nature. Since the two shifts are 12 hours in length, this is
sufficient to cover a 24-hour day. Briefing generally takes about 15 minutes and
involves line up (information presentation) and equipment exchange. During the
change of shift in the evenings, community policing officers address calls for service
while shift officers are in briefing.

SECTION 7: CURRENT DEPLOYMENT OF FIRST RESPONDERS

During 2008, the time frame for which our CAD analysis took place, staffing for patrol
shifts averaged 14-15 corporals/officers assigned to each of the four shifts. Since
assigned officers receive leave, it is common for patrol shifts to operate with fewer
officers than assigned. Turnover, field training, leave taking, and temporary
reassignments reduce patrol staff below assignment.

Our analysis of officer availability during the time frame in question found that while
15 officers are assigned to a patrol shift, use of leave time reduces available officers by
an average of 11.6%. As a result, with leave time averaged, during 2008 one would
anticipate that the average of availability of officers to answer calls was 13.04 officers
per shift.

However, actual observation of shift staffing found actual first responders (not
including canine) between nine to ten officers per shift. This is not surprising, given the

   
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large amount of varied types of compensated and leave time that is provided officers.
Officers must be provided with an opportunity to use this accrued time.

Since shifts rotate from days to nights, staffing is consistent across day and night shifts.

APD has no formal programs to reduce workload for patrol by employing civilians to
cover patrol calls that are service oriented. APD does not provide for telephone or
Internet complaint processing. However, a number of calls for service, particularly
emergency calls, are addressed by officers other than Patrol.

Workload addressed by community policing officers, canine officers, SOD, SIT, and
supervisors was not included in the workload calculations for number of patrol officers
needed. Each officer has a unique three digit identifier in CAD. The department also
provided a patrol schedule and a listing of three digit identifiers. This permitted the
identification of patrol officer workload and the separation of first responder workload
from traffic units, canine, community policing officers, DUI officers, SOD officers, and
supervisors.

Table 22

DEPLOYMENT OF OFFICERS ON EACH OF THE FOUR SHIFTS

First Responders Supervisors Actual Responder


Assigned Assigned Availability

‰ Night Shift 14.75 4 9.8

‰ Day Shift 14.75 4 9.1

There are no formal written minimum staffing standard. However, the captain in
charge of Patrol has implemented a standard that calls for a minimum of eight officers
and two supervisors on day shift and nine officers and three supervisors on night shift.
If daily personnel fall below this standard, positions are filled either by overtime or shift
switching. Our review of deployment in CAD found that this standard was honored.

There is no formal policy on the length of time an officer can work. This will be
discussed in greater detail in our evaluation section.

One problem encountered by Alexandria is that during vacation season, during holiday
seasons, and on weekends both calls for service and requests for leave can be high.
This is a common problem in police agencies. Requests for time off are not random,
requests for leaves are more common on weekends and during holidays and traditional

   
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vacation periods. This generally corresponds with times of greatest demand for police
services. As a result, staffing minimums often coincide with times of greatest demand
for police services. Overall, our review of CAD logs found that Patrol did ensure
minimum staffing levels on weekends and holidays.

While CAD provided address information, it did not link those addresses to police
zones. For purposes of patrol assignment, the city is broken into nine zones. Zones are
further grouped into three districts. Zones 1, 2 and 3 are assigned to the Eastside
(downtown) district, Zones 4, 5, and 6 are assigned to the Central district, and Zones 7,
8, and 9 are assigned to the Westside district. A shift sergeant is assigned to a district
and supervises officers assigned to the three zones within that district.

There is no formal policy on the length of officer assignment to a district or zone. While
officers are generally expected to stay within the boundaries of their districts, their
assignment patterns appear to vary by officer and supervisor. Interviews with officers
revealed that a number of officers are assigned to the same zone designations over a
long period of time. Other officers frequently changed designations. Some squads
appear to have somewhat more stable zone assignments than others.

SECTION 8: ASSIGNMENT LIMITATIONS FOR FIRST RESPONDERS

While approximately 59 officers were assigned to the patrol shifts not all these officers
are fully available to respond to calls. As noted earlier, a number of officers are off sick,
on leave or in training. Many departments also assign patrol officers to addition non
call-related duties. APD has been judicious in its secondary assignments for patrol
officers, with no desk assignments etc., for first responders. However, APD Patrol is
experiencing higher levels of sick leave than those of many other departments. At the
time of the initial analysis of staffing, two officers in Patrol were on extended sick leave.

SECTION 9: OPERATIONAL WORKLOAD – CLASSES AND VOLUME

The CAD recorded 71,948 police activities for the January 1 through December 31, 2008
period. Some activities involved response by units other than first responders.
Removing these calls left 66,622. Patrol first responders also answered an additional
20,459 calls as back-up units. In 2008, 52,378 events, 72.8%, were addressed by first
responder patrol units, 27.2% calls by non-patrol units, supervisors, community
policing officers, traffic officers, and command staff.

Of the 52,378 events addressed by patrol, 1,744 involved directed patrols, an


administrative activity, not included in operational labor. First responder patrol units

   
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in 2008 addressed 50,634 unique instances of operational labor. In addition in 2008,


patrol first responders were involved in 16,332 back-up activities for a total operational
response activity of 66,966.

Crime related calls (including back-ups) involved 34,978 incidents or 52.2% of total
responses. This category includes responses to suspicious persons, burglaries, stolen
autos, and checking suspicious autos and persons, addressing robberies and rapes,
disorderly conduct and domestics. The majority of these incidents originate as
dispatched calls for service.

Table 23

OPERATIONAL WORKLOAD – EVENTS*


(January 2008 – December 2009)

Class of Activity Incidents – Recorded Percent of Total

ˆ Crime related incidents 34,978 52.2%

ˆ Traffic control, enforcement, and accident


investigations 16,122 24.1%

ˆ Service incidents 15,866 23.7%

TOTAL 66,966 100.0%


*includes back-ups

Traffic activities were the second most common source of work, 16,122 responses
(18.5%). Of these activities, traffic stops are most common, responding to accidents the
second most common. There were also 539 traffic escorts.

Service activities were the least common event, 15,866 responses, 23.7%, includes
checking the 2,397 assists to the public, answering alarms, dealing with juveniles, and
filing reports on behalf of the public.

Each incident takes a certain amount of time to address. As Table 23 details, crime
incidents take more time on the average than traffic or service calls. To address
workload, the actual time spent addressing incidents must be calculated.

Table 24 profiles the hours of work that compose time spent on answering calls by call
type for the 12-month sample period.

   
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Table 24

OPERATIONAL WORKLOAD – HOURS (First Responders)*


(January 2008/December 2008)

Class of Activity Hours – Recorded Percent of Total

ˆ Crime-related incidents 19,844:14:57 63.3%

‰ Traffic control, enforcement, and accident


investigations 6,176:26:02 19.7%

ˆ Service incidents 5,337:46:44 17.0%

TOTAL 31,358:27:43 100.0%


*Includes backup

The 66,966 crime, traffic and service responses and backups consumed a total of
31,358:27:43 patrol hours of operational labor, an average of 37:10 minutes per initial
response for the officer assigned the call, and approximately 16:35 minutes per backup
officer. Crime-related work consumed 19,844:14:57 hours of officer labor (63.3% of total
officer operational labor). Traffic work involved 6,176:26:02 hours of officer labor
(19.7% of total operational labor). Service labor involved 5,337:46:44 hours of officer
labor (17% of operational labor).

SECTION 10: OPERATIONAL WORKLOAD – OFFICER WORKLOAD

In 2008, APD addressed 31,358:27:43 hours of operational labor with 59 first responders.
Fifty-nine (59) patrol officers for 2008 total time availability would be 99,156.58 hours
(1,680.62 yearly availability x 59). At the recommended guideline of no more 30%, 59
officers would have 29,746.97 hours available for operational labor. Current workload
of 31,358:27:43 exceeds available time. Dividing operational labor by available patrol
hours, an operational labor rate of 31.6% is realized. This rate is higher than the
standard. Additional officers will be needed to staff APD Patrol.

To address 31,358.5 hours of operational labor with a target of no more than 30% of
operational hours per officer (504.19 hours per year, per officer), the APD will require
64 officers to staff the patrol shifts. (The actual mathematics call for 62.2, officers, given
the nature of the 12-hour revolving shifts, it will require 16 first responders to be
assigned to each shift for a total of 64 first responders.)

   
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These 64 officers are required only for first response patrol. These 64 officers do not
include officers required for specialized traffic, DUI enforcement, Street Crimes Units,
or other patrol support units. We strongly recommend that the APD continue to staff
Street Crimes, Traffic and DUI units, but staffing for these units must be in addition to
the 64 officers and 12 sergeants that we recommend be assigned to primary call
response and preventative patrol.

SECTION 11: WORKLOAD – GEOGRAPHIC AREA

The city of Alexandria is divided into nine zones and three districts, with an East
District (Zones 1, 2, 3), a Central District (Zones 4, 5, 6) and a West District (Zones 7, 8,
9). The three districts vary in size/acreage, population, and police activity levels.

The CAD data provided does not have addresses linked to zones. However, the CAD
data does identify call loads by the car assigned to a zone. Number of calls addressed
by an area car is an imperfect measure of call load by zone or district since police units
are frequently dispatched outside of their assigned zones. However, call volumes by
zone and district are instructive since they do contrast differences between zones and
districts.

Table 25

CALLS BY POLICE ZONE

Zone Calls Percent

1 4,774 10.40%
2 4,922 10.72%
3 5,251 11.44%
4 6,558 14.28%
5 5,632 12.27%
6 5,487 11.95%
7 4,602 10.02%
8 4,372 9.52%
9 4,312 9.39%

The districts vary in call volumes with the Central District (Zones 4, 5, 6) having more
numerous and more serious calls. The Eastside District (Zones 1, 2, 3) encompasses the
older city areas, along the river, and the port area. The Eastside District is the second
most active district in the city. District 3 encompasses newer areas of the city and is
experiencing growth and call volumes while lower, appear to be increasing. Call types

   
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also vary significantly by district with more serious calls in the central and eastside
districts. District 3 also has a number of newer stores and commercial space which is
workload intensive providing numerous shoplifting calls.

Table 26

ACTIVITY BY DISTRICT (CAD LOGS)

District Officer Activity Percent of Total

‰ East 14,947 32.6%

‰ Central 17,677 38.5%

‰ West 13,286 28.9%

TOTAL 45,910 100.0%

Officers are generally assigned daily to a patrol zone within a district. Generally, one
officer is assigned to each zone, once all nine zones are filled, officers are assigned
generally to a second zone car, most commonly as CAD demonstrates, in the central or
east districts. These second cars will often operate zone or city wide. Officer assignment
to these second cars is generally based on supervisor’s estimation of need. Generally,
more officers are assigned to the more active districts and zones.

Zone cars vary by size of area, and by population. Zone cars also vary significantly in
activity. High activity is particularly evident in Zone 4 in the Central District (6,658
calls; 14.28% of all calls), Zone 5 in the Central District (5,632; 12.27% of all calls) and in
Zone 6 in the Central District (5,487 calls; 11.95% of all calls). The least active zones are
in the Westside District with Zone 9, the least active with 4,392 calls (9.32% of calls
citywide) and Zone 8 also in the Westside District with 4,372 calls (9.52% of citywide
calls). The Eastside District cars account for 32.6% of all calls, Central District cars,
38.5%, and the Westside District cars, 28.9%. It is important to note that the Westside
District cars are more commonly called to answer calls out of their zones in the Central
District than are Central cars called to the Westside.

Zones also vary by types of calls. Reviews of call types by zone are instructive. More
serious calls, batteries, burglaries, disturbances, fights, and drug calls are more common
in the Central District’s 4, 5, and 6 zones. Westside Zone 7 with a large number of
shopping plazas and high volumes of traffic, fields a large number of shoplifting calls,
and traffic accidents. Calls in Zones 8 and 9 were not only low in volume, but tended to
be less serious in nature. Residential alarms were common in these zones.

   
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In reviewing deployment, the department’s current practice of assigning an officer to


each zone, and multiple officers as available to the more active zones in the Central
District and Eastside District, makes sense.

Table 27

SECTION 12: WORKLOAD – SHIFT (TEMPORAL) DISTRIBUTION

Workload in the city of Alexandria distributes by time of day in a manner common to


moderate size cities. Incidents begin a gradual rise in number between 7:00 and 9:00
am and continue to rise until peaking between 6:00 and 7:00 pm. Incidents remain high
until 12 to 1:00 am and then decline until about 7:00 am.

The 30% standard for deployment does not require that every time period during a shift
meet the maximum. Officers, for certain duties, have the ability to transfer workload to
a later hour – for example, wait to complete written reports until the number of
incidents decline. On night shift, with a significant decline in activities in the early
morning hours, officers can use such slack times catch up on their paper work and other
administrative tasks.

It is instructive to calculate staffing levels needed to achieve the 30% level per hour, to
better deploy officers. To staff patrol positions by shift, the average daily operational
labor was divided by officer availability at the 30% level to establish required staffing
per hour.

   
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Table 28

FIRST RESPONDERS INCIDENTS OF THE DAY

Incidents (Percent) Incidents ( Number)

12 a.m. to 1 a.m. 4.10% 2,022


1 a.m. to 2 a.m. 3.35% 1,634
2 a.m. to 3 a.m. 2.63% 1,286
3 a.m. to 4 a.m. 2.17% 1,058
4 a.m. to 5 a.m. 1.49% 728
5 a.m. to 6 a.m. 1.36% 663
6 a.m. to 7 a.m. 2.05% 1,002
7 a.m. to 8 a.m. 3.50% 1,710
8 a.m. to 9 a.m. 4.11% 2,005
9 a.m. to 10 a.m. 3.93% 1,921
10 a.m. to 11 a.m. 4.30% 2,097
11 a.m. to 12 p.m. 4.28% 2,090
12 p.m. to 1 p.m. 4.55% 2,219
1 p.m. to 2 p.m. 4.68% 2,283
2 p.m. to 3 p.m. 5.01% 2,448
3 p.m. to 4 p.m. 5.27% 2,575
4 p.m. to 5 p.m. 5.39% 2,630
5 p.m. to 6 p.m. 4.77% 2,329
6 p.m. to 7 p.m. 5.82% 2,840
7 p.m. to 8 p.m. 5.63% 2,748
8 p.m. to 9 p.m. 5.62% 2,746
9 p.m. to 10 p.m. 5.72% 2,791
10 p.m. to 11 p.m. 5.41% 2,642
11 p.m. to 12 a.m. 4.82% 2,352

100.0% 48,819

   
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Table 29

CALLS BY HOUR OF THE DAY

Calls for service for Alexandria are relatively consistent in volume throughout the
morning and early afternoon hours, then moderately increase when school lets out. The
increase peaks between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm and evening hours, with calls for service
beginning to increase shortly after shift change (7:00 am) and increasing until 4:00 pm.
Call loads remain high throughout the afternoon and evening hours, decreasing
significantly after midnight and declining until 5:00 am.

Calculating activities for the two shifts, one finds calls for service heavier on days with
49% of activities on night shift and 51% of activity on day shift.

Currently, night and day shifts are staffed evenly with similar number of officers.
Given the similarity of workload on both shifts this is an appropriate distribution of
officers.

SECTION 13: WORKLOAD – DAY OF WEEK DISTRIBUTION

To identify activities by day of the week, an analysis of calls for service was conducted
by day of the week for 2008.

Activities proved relatively stable throughout the sampled week ranging from an
average a low of 13.2% of total activity on Sunday, to a high of 15.5% on Saturdays.
Given the limited range of variability by day of the week, special deployment by day of

   
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the week is not required. Most of the increase in call loads occurs on Friday and
Saturday nights. Special attention needs to be paid to limiting leaves or making
additional staff available during weekend nights.

Table 30

ACTIVITIES BY DAY OF THE WEEK

Day Number of Activities Percent of Total

Sunday 6,427 13.2%


Monday 6,583 13.5%
Tuesday 7,118 14.6%
Wednesday 6,791 13.9%
Thursday 6,939 14.2%
Friday 7,406 15.1%
Saturday 7,555 15.5%

TOTAL 48,819 100.0%

Table 31

SECTION 14: WORKLOAD – MONTH OF THE YEAR DISTRIBUTION

Communities such as Alexandria often find that their workload and calls for service
vary by month and by season. Analysis was conducted of activities by month of the
year, to assess whether APD Patrol is impacted by seasonality.

   
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Table 32

ACTIVITIES BY MONTH OF THE YEAR

Day Number of Activities Percent of Total

January 3,620 7.42%


February 3,788 7.76%
March 4,159 8.52%
April 3,968 8.13%
May 4,374 8.96%
June 4,058 8.31%
July 4,455 9.13%
August 4,321 8.85%
September 4,252 8.71%
October 3,898 7.98%
November 3,789 7.76%
December 4,137 8.47%

TOTAL 48,819 100.00%

Table 33

PATROL CALLS BY MONTH OF THE YEAR

Analysis of activities by month found that July was the most active month followed
closely by May, August, and December. Summer is the most active season in
Alexandria. The graph above does accentuate the differences, the difference between

   
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the most active month and the least active month is 835 calls or approximately 28 calls
per day. The differences are not sufficient to necessitate, differential staffing by month
of the year.

SECTION 15: SUPERVISION

Patrol supervision is an important topic for any patrol analysis. Patrol – first responders
are on the average younger and less experienced than officers in other police units.
Patrol is generally the entrance path for new recruits. A positive for Alexandria Patrol
are its experienced officers. Nonetheless, even patrols with experienced officers benefit
from reasonable level of field supervision.

Each of Alexandria’s four patrol shifts is directed by a lieutenant, a fifth lieutenant


serves as a relief lieutenant, covering shifts when the shift lieutenant is on leave. The
shift lieutenants serve basically as watch commanders. Their duties are largely
administrative in nature. They address shift paperwork, work with the public, and
interact with the patrol commander.

Direct field supervision of patrol officers is provided by sergeant. At the time of this
analysis, there were 11 sergeants, and one vacant sergeant’s position. Each shift had
approximately three sergeants. Each sergeant on a shift is responsible for a district and
supervises the officers assigned ton that district.

IACP recommends, particularly for patrol forces with a mix of experienced and some
newer officers, a first line supervisory ratio between five and eight officers per field
supervisor (sergeant). Currently, Alexandria patrol fields three sergeants per shift.
There are 11 sergeants currently assigned, and one vacant sergeant position. Generally,
a corporal serves as an acting sergeant when necessary to cover this vacancy. Our
review of CAD logs found generally two sergeants were on duty on most shifts.

At the time of our analysis, with approximately 59 first responder officers, the ratio of
sergeants to first responder officers was 5.36 officers per sergeant. Field sergeants were
also responsible for supervising canine officers. This increased the supervisory ratio to
5.72. This is within professional guidelines.

Our recommendation calls for an additional five officers beyond current allocation
(April 2009). This would provide for 64 officers total and 16 officers per shift. In
addition field sergeants would be required to supervise canine officers as well. Our
recommendation will be for 12 sergeants to supervise 68 officers, a ratio of one first
supervisor for each 5.6 officers. This is an acceptable ratio for proposed staffing.

   
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SECTION 16: PATROL SHIFT

The basic principle behind patrol scheduling is that patrol personnel should be
deployed where they are needed, when they are needed, and in proportion to the
workload. There are two aspects of scheduling. One must first determine the shift
schedule that has the best fit with workload. Then, a determination must be made as to
the number of officers assigned to a shift.

APD patrol currently operates on a 12-hour shift on a two week repeating schedule. To
cover the 24-hour clock, APD officers are assigned to four shifts in equal numbers.
Overlap periods are not covered in the morning. For the more active evening overlap
community police officers are required to respond to calls originating during the
overlap. A more effective way to address coverage during shift change will be
discussed in the evaluation section of this report.

There are over 1,000 shift variations possible. Most shift variations are modifications of
day off groupings or minor modification in length of 8-, 10-, or 12-hour shifts. The
effectiveness of a shift for a department is generally a function of two factors, efficiency
and employee satisfaction. Efficiency is simply the effectiveness of a shift schedule in
assigning the correct number of officers to the times when they are needed.

In most situations, shifts that are directly divisible into 24 are the most efficient. They
do not have extended overlap periods where officers from multiple shifts are on duty.
While there are situations where schedules which feature overlap periods can be
effective, these situations are unusual. Rarely do the overlap periods fully coincide
with demand for service. Periods where more officers are available than needed result
in unnecessary personnel expenses for a department. In the specific case of Alexandria,
current workload patterns do not justify the use of an overlapping shift schedule such
as that provided by 10-hour shifts.

APD’s 12-hour shift for patrol provide for a relatively efficient use of personnel. The
use of time and one half compensated time to cover the four hours above 80 hours in a
two week period does reduce the efficiency of the shift when contrasted with an 8-hour
shift. The reduction in efficiency is modest, ranging from a one to two percent loss in
efficiency.

Concern is often raised about the length of 12-hour shifts and the potential for accidents
and the loss of productivity later in the shift due to officer tiredness. Research has
generally not found this to be a significant factor. However, it is important that when
this shift is used, that a policy be in place that limits the amount of hours an officer can
consecutively work to 16 hours. Such a policy is not currently in place and we
recommend that a formal policy be instituted.

   
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The 12-hour shift also fits well with the demand for police services in Alexandria which
is fairly constant throughout much of the day and night shifts. This 12-hour shift is
generally popular with officers, particularly since it is configured with every other
weekend off.

Alexandria’s patrol schedule has officers moving from day to night patrol every other
week. Considerable research questions the wisdom of such swings from days to nights.
Research suggests that abrupt changes in sleep schedules interferes with the body’s
biorhythms and leads to tired and frustrated officers. Research also suggests long-term
use of such schedules may have medical consequences. It will be recommended that
changes from nights to day work occur, at most, twice a year.

With some modest modifications in officer assignment (the development of late and
early cars) which will be proposed in the evaluation section and a change in the
day/night scheduling, the current 12-hour shift serves Alexandria Patrol well. It is our
recommendation after review of alternative shift schedules that the current 12-hour
shifts be maintained.

While being equally divisible into 24 hours makes a 12-hour shift efficient since there is
no overlap when multiple shifts are on duty, it also poses another problem. Without
shift overlap, there is no coverage for calls occurring during change of shift. While units
are transferring equipment, servicing vehicles or attending briefing, calls for service are
difficult to address in a timely manner. This has been addressed for the more active
afternoon period, by having community policing officers cover calls during change of
shift. In the evaluation section, other options for covering shift change will be
discussed.

SECTION 17: EVALUATION

Yearly availability of officers (1,680.62 hours) is below average. This is a result of three
factors, generous leave time policies, use of compensated time to pay for the additional
four hours per two week period, and heavy use of sick time by some patrol officers.
The heavier use of sick is aggravated by a state law that permits basically unlimited use
of sick time.

In this time of difficult budgets, use of compensated time is preferable to payment of


overtime. However, in the future as the economy and budgets improve, it is our
recommendation that payment for the four hours of time over 80 hours in the two week
period be considered.

   
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Patrol administration has taken action to reduce sick time abuse. This effort should be
continued. Management and labor should work to develop strategies to reduce abuse.
Abuse of sick time most impacts those responsible officers who come to work, who then
must work harder and serve with less back-up. There are several strategies that have
been employed in other departments that have successfully reduced abuse of sick time.

As will be developed in greater detail in the Patrol Practices Chapter, Alexandria’s


patrol faces two important concerns. There is a need for more involvement by first
response officers in community policing. There is also a need for officers to become
more proactive, marshalling efforts to reduce violence, to reduce illegal weapons, and
address burglaries, robberies and theft. To do so, it is critical that Alexandria patrol be
properly staffed.

In 2008, operational labor by officers exceeded the national standard of 30%. It is


important that five additional officers be added to patrol to ensure that there is
sufficient staff not only to respond to calls for service in a timely manner but also to
address district problem solving (community policing) and to take proactive actions to
reduce crime.

A staffing of 64 patrol first responders does not include vacancies or officers in training.
The 64 officers called for by this standard must truly be available. While our formulas
do compensate for short-term disabilities, varied leaves, and training, they do not
include long-term leave (military leaves to Iraq or Afghanistan), or vacancies caused by
retirements or resignations.

Long-term vacancies should either be assigned to positions in other units in the


department or addressed by over-hiring.

Consideration should be given to over-hiring by five officers when police academy


classes are available. This would be in anticipation of vacancies that will occur during
the year.

It is important to note that first responders do not include officers assigned to canine,
traffic, DUI, Street Crimes, or other specialty positions. A staff of 64 officers is required
to patrol zones, and serve as first responders for calls for service.

PATROL SCHEDULE

Patrol schedules can have a significant influence on staffing levels. Different schedules
provide for varied amounts of time when officers are available to answer calls. The
current APD patrol schedule provides about 15 workdays a month with a 12-hour
workday. A number of alternative work schedules were reviewed. Based on our

   
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review of the current distribution of labor, issues of employee morale and overlap, it is
our recommendation that the current shift and schedule be continued. The current
schedule is relatively efficient in providing maximum availability of patrol officers.

Overall, the current deployment of officers by shift probably works as well with
observed workload variations as any alternative. There are a few concerns that do need
to be addressed and some minor changes that should be considered to deploy officers in
a manner more consistent with workload.

Day and night shift address similar workloads, with day shift addressing a slightly
higher level of activity (49% nights versus 51% days). However, the workload is slightly
higher on nights since calls take slightly longer at night than during the day. The
difference between night and day workloads is not sufficient to require differential
staffing.

Currently, APD has a four shift configuration. We recommend that APD continue this
configuration with one important change. Shifts would not change from night to days
and days to nights every week. Instead two shifts would be assigned to nights and two
shifts to days, and these shifts would alternate from days to nights every six months.
This would permit officers to better adjust their sleep cycles. Shift changes from days
to nights should coincide with local college campus schedules so as not to impede an
officer’s ability to further his/her education during time off.

Table 34

SHIFT STAFFING: FIRST RESPONDERS

Day Shift Night Shift


Day-Off Grouping 5:45 am – 5:45 pm Day-Off Grouping 5:45 pm to 5:45 am

A 16 officers; B 16 officers
3 sergeants 3 sergeants
C 16 officers; D 16 officers
3 sergeants 3 sergeants

Difference in workload by day of the week is not sufficient to justify deploying officers
differentially by day of the week. However, administratively the department should
develop a formal written minimum staffing policy to ensure that sufficient officers are
on duty on Friday and Saturdays, particularly on night shift.

   
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Difference in workload by month of the year is not sufficient to justify seasonal staffing,
however, special attention should be paid during the summer months of July and
August, and during December that leaves granted to officers be limited.

GEOGRAPHICAL DEPLOYMENT.

Currently APD patrol shifts staffs two districts divided into nine zones. Day shift also
staffs a post at the call center. Districts and zones currently vary by size, workload, and
neighborhood characteristics. Workloads are unequally distributed across districts and
sub districts.

Given the city’s land area and configuration, the current 9 zone configuration makes
sense. In addition, with little natural barriers, officers in adjacent zones are readily able
to back up and respond to calls in the bordering zones. Nine zones are sufficient for a
city the size of Alexandria. The zones appear properly configured and while some
minor changes could equalize the calls somewhat, overall the current configuration of
zones is acceptable. Given that the average number of officers deployed would be 10-
11, nine assigned zones makes sense, with one or more cars assigned district wide to the
more active areas (Central District). Assignment of second cars to the Central District
would also mean that these additional units are centrally located to respond to scenes
on either the East or Westside.

Our deployment recommendation is similar to current practice -- at least one officer


should be assigned to each zone, with two officers assigned to the more active Central
or Eastside Districts. These district officers should be allowed to address calls in
multiple zones (float).

It is also recommended that a formal policy be established that requires long-term


assignment of a primary officer to a zone. As will be developed further in the chapter
on police practices, community and problem solving policing are important strategies
for patrol. Officers should be assigned to a beat for at least a year or longer whenever
possible. This permits the officer to know the area, its people, and its unique aspects
and develop the relationships intrinsic to community policing.

Finally, to ensure adequate coverage during shift change, it is recommended that two
officers be required to work from 6:45 am to 6:45 pm and two officers be assigned to
6:45 pm to 6:45 am. These late cars would provide coverage during shift change.

MANAGING CURRENT WORKLOAD

In addition to adding officers, it is strongly recommended that two additional strategies


be employed to reduce workload and to improve patrol effectiveness. First, field
services (Patrol) can work smarter. Labor saving innovations can be introduced and

   
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alternative ways to address workload employed. Second, Patrol efforts can be made
more effective by use of more directed strategies and more reliance on information.

APD Patrol has not developed a number of strategies to augment and free up its forces.
For example, a number of departments utilize community service technicians to address
non-critical calls, thus freeing up officers to address the more serious matters.

In recent years, police agencies are providing access to online complaint forms so
citizens can directly file a complaint over the Internet without having to have an officer
dispatched.

While it is clear at the moment that APD patrol needs additional first responders, and
supervisors for those first responders, for the future APD must also look to alternative
actions that will reduce the need for additional increases in officers beyond what is
presently being proposed. Strategies that other departments have found to reduce
workload include:

‰ Alternative call service: Reports are taken over the phone by dispatch or
alternative report center. Departments either use citizen personnel,
volunteers, or officers on light duty to take such calls.

‰ Improve the alarm ordinance, and ensure stricter enforcement. In 2008


alarms in Alexandria numbered 7,753 first response, 1,667 back-ups and
generated 2,549.7 hours of officer work.

‰ Having gas drive off complaints, where no plate number or auto


description are available, be completed by service station personnel and
sent to the department.

‰ Property-damage-only accidents do not require police investigation.


Officers can provide accident report forms to the drivers involved for
completion.

SECTION 18: RECOMMENDATIONS

To strengthen patrol staffing and deployment, the following actions should be taken:

1. Staff Patrol with 64 first responders (officers).

This is an increase of five positions above the current staffing for patrol of 59.
These 64 officers should only be assigned as first responders (primary patrol

   
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officers) and not include the staffing of specialty patrol units such as canine,
traffic, DUI, Street Crimes, or other units.

2. Staff primary patrol with 12 sergeants and assign as recommended.

This requires one additional sergeant above the 11 currently filled. It is


imperative that the current vacant position be filled as soon as possible, and
these positions should not be detailed outside of primary patrol.

3. Continue recruitment and hiring, consider overfilling patrol officer positions


when academy classes are available.

Given the long period that it takes to hire and train officers, consideration should
be given to overfilling positions, when academy classes are available, by five
officers.

4. The current 12-hour schedule should be continued. It is an efficient and


effective schedule for APD Patrol.

5. Two late cars should be deployed to provide consistent coverage during shift
change. These cars would overlap by one hour the Day and Night Shifts.

This would provide coverage during shift change.

6. Staff the four shifts as recommended in Table 15.

7. Deploy officers on the shifts by district and zone as recommended.

Current practice of assigning an officer to each zone, with higher activity zones
receiving two officers and float officers available should be continued.

8. At least one officer should be assigned to each zone for an extended period of
time.

One to two year assignments should be the minimum time frame. This will
permit officers to develop the community relationships needed to sustain
community policing.

9. Develop a dispatch-based call management program (Teleserv).

This call management program could reduce time officers spent responding to
minor calls for service. Teleserv could work in conjunction with the department’s
new Internet reporting system.

   
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10. Continue to address false alarm calls.

In fact, an even more aggressive approach could lead to a further modest


decrease in workload for officers.

11. A written minimum staffing policy should be implemented.

This policy should also address maintenance of acceptable staff levels on


weekend evenings and during the more active months of the year.

12. A written policy limiting the number of consecutive hours that can be worked
should be instituted.

This would address one of the concerns about 12-hour shifts.

13. Establish a formal process and policy to address excessive sick time use.

Work with the union to establish such a process and policy.

14. When the economy improves, pay overtime as opposed to compensated time.

With all the training required, it is inefficient to hire additional officers as


opposed to paying overtime for the recurring four hours excess time every two
weeks.

   
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CHAPTER V. PATROL OPERATIONS: PATROL PRACTICES


AND SPECIALIZED UNITS

In this section of the report patrol practices will be evaluated and a series of
recommendations made. Since patrol practices are a product of a number of units
within the Alexandria Police Department, the staffing and organization of these units
will also be evaluated. Another section of the report addresses patrol staffing,
scheduling, and deployment. Reference to the Patrol Staffing and Deployment Chapter
will be made frequently in this chapter.

Uniformed patrol services are provided by three divisions of the APD, the Uniform
Division, Street Interdiction Team, and the Special Operations Division. First response
and basic patrol is provided by the Uniform Division. A unit within the Uniform
Division, the Community Policing and Weed and Seed Unit provide community
policing and problem solving services. Canine services are also provided by the
Uniform Division. Street crimes and interdictions are provided by SIT, (Street
Interdiction Team) a separate division. The Special Operations Division (SOD) provides
traffic, marine and DUI enforcement. SOD is also responsible for special event
coordination.

SECTION 1: CANINE

The Alexandria Police Department K-9 Program is a program administered by


Uniform Division. Principal goals and objectives of the program are as noted in the
policies and procedures:

‰ To provide a higher level of police responses to better serve the citizens


of Alexandria.

‰ To develop preventive patrols and a deterrent to residential and


commercial burglaries, as well as other crimes.

‰ To provide a system of apprehension for violent and armed suspects.

‰ To decrease assaults and injuries to police officers sustained during the


investigation and apprehension of suspects involved in violent crimes.

‰ To promote community awareness and acceptance of the Alexandria


Police Department’s K-9 program as a viable and important crime
prevention tool.

   
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Currently, there are four canine units. One canine unit is assigned to each patrol shift.
By policy canine units are not first responders. They generally do not respond to
routine dispatched calls. They do respond to specific calls, alarms, burglaries, and
robberies. The dogs are tripled-trained (drug detection, patrol, and tracking). The four
canine units also commonly serve as back-up units.

Canine units report to their shift lieutenant. Canine units work the same shift schedule
as shift offices except they work only a 10-hour shift. The two hours reduction in work
time is to compensate the officers for the time spent for the care of their animals. Canine
officers train approximately once a week.

Canine units in 2008 were involved in 3,480 incidents, the most common of which was a
self initiated traffic stop. Review of CAD (computer aided dispatch) revealed that
canine units were particularly active in backing up other officers.

SECTION 2: SIT

The Street Interdiction Team (SIT) is commanded by a captain and staffed by a sergeant
and six corporals. SIT is essentially a street crimes unit providing a proactive presence
on the streets of the city of Alexandria.

SIT officers primarily work a 2:00 pm to 2:00 am shift. However, they frequently vary
their shifts as needed for special operations. They also serve as a back-up unit for
special department operations. However, there is limited cooperation with the
Narcotics Unit and they are generally not used for such operations.

SIT is available for call out for special operations. This unit also serves as the
department’s Special Response Team. As a streets crimes unit, SIT was active in both
traffic stops and field interrogations. In 2008, SIT made 1,023 traffic stops and
conducted 1,409 field interviews. They made 122 misdemeanor arrests and 96 felony
arrests. They also made 162 drug arrest, six weapons arrests, and 107 warrant arrests.

SECTION 3: SOD

SOD is a patrol-related uniform division that operates separately from Uniform Patrol.
The Special Operations Division is commanded by a captain. The captain is supported
by a lieutenant and a sergeant. Eleven (11) corporals are assigned to this unit. The
captain reports to the Assistant Chief of Police.

SOD most significant tasks involve traffic duties, traffic control, accident investigation,
and DUI enforcement. In addition to traffic, the unit is also responsible for organizing

   
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and staffing special details. SOD also administers a traffic grant and directs APD’s
limited marine efforts. Traffic officers by policy investigate all accidents involving
department vehicles. Traffic officers are also called out to all serious accidents where
death or serious injuries have occurred.

The unit is further subdivided into a motors and DUI components. Six corporals are
assigned to traffic duties (one of which is on military leave) and four corporals are
assigned to DUI enforcement. There is one corporal assigned to day shift in the
Downtown area for parking and other traffic enforcement.

The lieutenant of SOD interestingly serves as department Quartermaster with most of


his time devoted to administrative activities. The sergeant oversees the motor (traffic)
unit. The traffic grant SOD administers pays officers on an overtime basis for traffic
enforcement. In the 2008 fiscal year, this grant provided $52,783 in reimbursement.
Under the aegis of the grant, two sobriety checkpoint were operated and officers on
overtime issued 59 DWI citations, 881 OP citations, 49 child safety restraint citations,
and 693 speed citations.

Traffic units work generally from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. DUI units work from 4:00 pm to
4:00 am.

Workload. While traffic activities for the entire department were available,
specific data on SOD’s enforcement activities was not available. However, utilizing
CAD, statistics on SOD’s traffic duties (motor officers) could be isolated by unit
number. The Computer Aided Dispatch Systems reveals the following activities for the
six person’s motors unit in 2008:

DWI 6
General Invest. 30
Traffic Problems 412
Traffic Stops 772
Speeding 10
Direct Traffic 36
Hit and Run 176
Accident 1,620
Stalled Car 201
Abandoned Vehicle 158
Traffic Escort 323
General Calls 61

TOTAL 3,805

   
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With five officers assigned (sixth officer on military leave), working an average of 140
shifts per year, motor officers address 5.4 activities per 12-hour shift. Information was
difficult to assess for the SOD unit. While we know the overall traffic enforcement
activities in the city, we found it difficult to distinguish citations, accident
investigations, DWI, and other traffic activities performed by SOD as contrasted with
other patrol officers.

SOD is also responsible for coordinating special operations and events. In 2008, 33
special events were coordinated. Most of these events utilized officers on an overtime
basis. A sampling of the events coordinated by SOD is as follows:

‰ Convention Hall Details (1,092 hours)


‰ City Council Meetings (216 hours)
‰ Civil Service Board Meetings (46 hours)
‰ Special Events (Relay for life, Rock the Red, Bike Race)
‰ Parades (Martin Luther King Day Parade, Mardi Gras Parade)
‰ Presidential Visit (216 hours)
‰ City Park Patrols (5,184 hours)

Training and Practices: A number of traffic officers are traffic homicide


investigators. All motors officers have been motorcycle trained. DUI officers have
received specialized DUI training.

Traffic officer’s patrols are based on officer judgment. SOD does not currently analyze
crash data to deploy traffic enforcement officers. There is no STEP program (Selective
Traffic Enforcement Program) in place.

SECTION 4: COMMUNITY POLICING

The department has a Community Policing/Weed and Seed Unit functionally located
within the Uniform Patrol Division. The Community Policing Unit operates largely
independently of patrol. As a result, this unit will be discussed in another section of the
report. Some issues, involving the community policing unit, will be addressed in the
evaluation portion of this chapter. A complete discussion and evaluation of this unit as
well as the department’s approach to community policing is included in Chapter __:
Community Trust.

   
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SECTION 5: PATROL PRACTICES

The organization, staffing, scheduling and deployment of Uniform Division Officers are
addressed in the chapter on patrol operations deploying and scheduling. This section
of the report will review key patrol practices, equipment, policies, and procedures.

Patrol Methods and Techniques. Day shift comes on duty at 5:45 am. Night
shift comes on duty at 5:45 pm. There is no shift overlap. Calls occurring during shit
change are covered by community police officers. Most work shift begins with a line-
up. The line-ups are directed by the district sergeants. These shift meetings are where
assignments are given, complaints are discussed, community problems discussed, and
information transferred. Roll call training may also occur. Officers are briefed on the
events of the prior shift. Events for previous shifts are reviewed. Patrol line-ups are
generally informal and vary in content from shift to shift.

Patrol generally deploys one person cars. Non uniformed patrols in unmarked cars are
utilized on an as needed basis by SIT officers. There are no formal walking beats. There
is no routinely staffed prisoner transport vehicle.

Community policing has a number of bike-trained officers, and well-equipped


mountain bikes. When personnel levels are appropriate and weather permit, bike units
are deployed as needed. SOD deploys a regular combination foot and car patrol in the
downtown area (East District) on days. This unit is directed mainly to parking and
traffic control.

A canine unit is available most days and nights. Canines are triple trained to search,
drug detection, or for patrol. Canine officers generally do not respond to routine calls
when canine services are not required.

Policies and Procedures. A broader discussion of department policies and


procedures can be found in another section of this report. The policies discussed in this
section are only those that have direct relevance to patrol operations.

A communication policy is in place which controls and directs officer radio conduct and
reporting. The policy meets professional guidelines. A policy is in place which directs
emergency (code response). This policy provides a three code response standard,
which meet professional guidelines.

The pursuit policy was reviewed. While the policy had some excellent guideline, there
was insufficient guidance as to when a pursuit is justifies. A proper wrecker policy is in
place.

   
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The department has no formal written minimum staffing policy. However, the patrol
captain informally has set a standard of a sergeant and eight officers as the minimum
staffing level. If staffing falls below this level, additional officers are called in on
overtime. For night shift nine officers and a sergeant are required.

There is also no formal policy that limits amount consecutive hours of work. Such a
policy is particularly important in departments that utilize 12-hour shift. Officers
should generally not work longer 12-16 hours consecutively. A formal policy is needed
to limit any department related assignment that has an officer working more than 16
hours. This would include special assignment, and extra duty assignment provided by
the department.

Facilities. Patrol staff line-up for briefing and to swap out equipment, batteries,
and air cards in a back classroom at Headquarters. The line-up area is a large room with
ample whiteboard space, it adjoins the locker rooms and the back door area. Line-up
occurs twice a day for approximately 15 minutes. Information and assignments are
provided to officers during lineup. The facility is sufficient for conducting lineups.
Office areas for the lieutenants and a break room also adjoin the line up area.

Patrol command staff is sited in a series of offices on the third floor of headquarters off
the main hallway. An office is allocated for the uniform commander and a second
officer is provided for the administrative staff. Close by are the officers of the SOD and
SIT captains. Shift lieutenants have an office in proximity to the line-up area.

There are no staffed substations. Facilities are adequate, although they could use a little
sprucing up.

Crime Scene. Initial response and investigation of all crimes is handled by


uniform patrol officers. Officers are generally responsible for the preliminary
investigation and crime scene protection is the responsibility of the initial responding
officer. Once on the scene patrol officers conduct an initial investigation and if
warranted protects the crime scene and calls for assistance from the Crime Scene Search
Unit. Patrol officers are also responsible by policy to conduct follow up investigation as
needed.

For major offenses, the department’s Crime Scene Search Unit will be alerted and will
take over the crime scene relieving patrol. Subsequent follow up investigation on major
cases are generally addressed by detective units. Patrol officers may, however, be
called upon to assist in investigations by detectives.

Directed Patrols. The APD conducts a mix of random and directed patrol. The
vast majority of unassigned time is used for random patrol. In many agencies directed

   
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patrol target specific locations, specific problems, and features pre-arranged strategies.
In the APD a formal system of directed patrol is not used as a formal aggressive
proactive patrol technique. APD does have directed patrols that are informally initiated
by citizen request and department concerns. They are not formally tracked or routinely
developed by crime analysis.

Crime analysis is generally not utilized to generate directed patrols. Assigned


surveillance and property inspections are generally a function of citizen requests.
Hotspots are not routinely formally identified or formally patrolled. While directed
patrols are assigned from time to time, and listed on the whiteboard at briefing, this
process is not formally organized and tied to an accountability system.

Traffic. Traffic control and enforcement is an important part of both patrol’s first
responders and SOD’s workload. Traffic duties consume 24.1% of total obligated time –
time officers are busy with patrol work for first responders. Traffic work involves four
major elements – response to accidents, traffic direction/control, responding to citizen
complaints, and self-initiated traffic enforcement work.

Total traffic work for all units in the department including supervisors is as follows:

‰ DUI 103
‰ Abandoned Vehicle 428
‰ Accident 4,434
‰ Hit and Run 587
‰ Speeding 55
‰ Stalled Vehicle 1,052
‰ Traffic Escort 721
‰ Traffic Problem 1,881
‰ Traffic Stop 12,316
‰ Direct Traffic 98

TOTAL 21,675

The majority of traffic work is accomplished by Patrols first responders, and by the SOD
unit.

APD does not fully employ a formal STEP (Selective Traffic Enforcement Program)
program (an anti accident strategy). There are no regular, formalized and specific
analysis conducted on all areas and all accidents, as a STEP program would require.
The traffic unit does, however, from time to time identify high crash locations and
assign officers to address these problems. For example, presently, intersections are
being identified that have a high incidence of red light running related accidents.

   
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Community and Problem Solving Policing. Regular patrol officers do not


generally engage in community and problem solving policing. Community policing
activities are undertaken by the community policing unit. The Community Policing
Unit’s officers have been tasked to coordinate and direct community and problem
solving activities.

Formal community and problem solving initiatives for shift officers appear quite
limited. Generally, most community policing efforts are seen by patrol’s first
responders as the duty of community police officers. There is some animosity between
regular shift officers and community police officers. Shift officers feel that community
police officers do not do their fair share of the work. Shift officers interviewed and in
the department questionnaire did note that levels of community policing activities by
shift officers were far higher in the past, and are currently quite limited.

Community activities by shift officers are not formally tracked. No formal evidence of
problem solving efforts was found for shift officers. In addition, crime prevention
efforts also are not formally tracked.

Community policing officers as previously noted are assigned specific areas of the city.
They are assigned to these areas for lengthily periods of time so the officers get to know
the residents. Community policing officers engage in a wide array of activities ranging
from participating in the Sheriff’s Department Clean Sweep (a warrant enforcement
activity) to attending block parties. It is difficult to assess both workload and the
overall impact of community policing and problem solving efforts, since there are no
specific goals and benchmarks identified upon which to gage success.

In addition, unlike many community policing programs, there is no formal problem


solving, where officers identify problems, propose solutions, and then implement their
plans. The final step would be to assess outcomes.

The community policing effort would profit from more clear goals and objectives and
the use of formal problem solving. A community policing plan would be an important
component of an overall patrol plan.

Arrests and Detention. In 2008, APD made 8,175 arrests. The vast majority of
these arrests were made by patrol officers. Officers generally transport their own
prisoners with each patrol unit outfitted with a prisoner transport cage.

Arrestees by patrol are transported directly to the county detention facility. It is located
in the city of Alexandria, adjacent to the downtown area. It is a short drive from all
zones to the detention facility. APD does not have its own detention or booking facility.
The county jail also provides a booking facility to process arrestees.

   
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Calls for Service and Response Times. The most common activity performed by
Alexandria’s shift officers is responding to calls for service. Calls for service are
received, screened and prioritized at the Communications Center. The Communications
Center is located at APD headquarters and is a separate division.

It is APD policy to respond to all calls when the citizens specifically request an officer.
CAD confirms that an officer is dispatched to the vast majority of citizen requests.
Alexandria Police Department does not utilize alternate handling of calls for service.

Response times were analyzed for 2008 by call type. Calls were analyzed by the amount
of time it took from the time APD Communications received the call to the time the
officer arrived on the scene. However this is only part of the picture, because the call
first goes to the county dispatch center, and then is sent to the APD. So the wait
experienced is longer than what is recorded.

It is estimated that, in most situations, county dispatch took less than one minute to
transfer the call. Citizen wait then would average about a minute longer than the time
recorded here. It should also be noted that city dispatchers have advised that county
time may be far more than a minute during the busiest periods.

It normally takes dispatch one to two minutes to process and dispatch a call. However,
if officers are busy on other calls, since no officers are available, calls are held until an
officer becomes available. For emergency, in progress calls, dispatchers will request
that officers break off what they are doing and respond immediately. For less serious
calls dispatchers will wait until an officer is available.

Alexandria Response Times by Call Type


(In minutes)

‰ Death 10:47
‰ Rape 6:21
‰ Sex Offenses. 7:52
‰ Robbery 7:20
‰ Assault 8:35
‰ Battery 8:41
‰ Burglary 11:52
‰ Burglary I/P 4:22
‰ Theft 11:45
‰ Disturbing the Peace 7:26
‰ Public Service 10:05

   
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While there is no absolute standard for response times, a review of target response
times adopted by a number of agencies suggests that an average response time of
between six and eight minutes for more serious calls and a response time of 15 minutes
or less for less serious calls is appropriate. Alexandria response times are just a little
higher for serious crimes than is generally preferred. Response times for less serious
offenses are good.

Communications. Radios are a patrol officer’s most important resource. APD


provides both mobile (car radios) and portable radios to its patrol officers. Officers
report that coverage is generally good throughout the city.

Communication services are provided to the APD by the department’s Communications


Center. Alexandria patrol operates on talk groups often referred to as channels. A main
broadcast talk group is assigned as the primary talk group for patrol operations.
Routine and necessary dispatching to calls for service occurs on this talk group. Officers
assigned to routine patrol monitor this frequency and receive their calls on this
frequency.

A second talk group is used as the secondary frequency for patrol operations. Tactical
talk groups are also provided for special operations. A mutual aid channel is also
provided to contact other agencies. Ten codes are utilized.

Officers were interviewed and radio traffic was monitored during ride-a-longs. Radio
traffic appeared disciplined and appropriate. In general officers reported being
satisfied with communication quality and availability. Units to dispatcher ratios
appeared within guidelines. Air traffic appeared to be acceptable. Some complaints
were made relative to the experience levels of some of the dispatchers. This is a
common complaint in policing.

The officers have the ability to track dispatches and calls through in-car computers.
Police laptops also have the capacity to directly inquire into information databases,
significantly reducing workload for dispatchers, and reducing air traffic on the radio.
This system does not currently provide the capability for silent dispatch, although it
may be utilized in the future.

Equipment. Uniforms are provided by the city. A quartermaster system is used.


Twice a year officers may request new uniforms. The quartermaster is a lieutenant in
SOD. The department provides the firearm (Glock 40 caliber), an ASP baton, cuffs,
pepper spray, and a protective vest. Tasers are available for officer use. Bulletproof
vests are provided.

   
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Vehicles appear well maintained. Vehicles are well equipped with emergency lighting,
including take down lights. Each patrol vehicle is equipped with a two way radio and
siren. First aid kits are provided, as are flashlights, fire extinguishers, fingerprint kit,
blankets, and reflective vests. Patrol officers, until recently, had take home vehicles.
Due to budget limitations cars are no longer taken home. Each vehicle is clearly
marked, numbered, and has a prisoner screen and shotgun.

Patrol vehicles are also equipped with mobile data computers (MDC). These MDCs are
currently used for dispatch (silent and combined with voice) for MV checks, warrants
and wants checks, and stolen vehicle checks. The units are also used for communication
with dispatch and other mobile data computers.

MDC are used for report entry. MDCs are used by supervisors to track officer
status/location. Cars also have a video camera mounted that records all stops.

Information Management/Managerial Accountability. Most information exchange


is informal. There is no daily or weekly update. Patrol officers would profit from
information from the dispatch logs on major occurrences in the past 24 hours, particularly
involving felony offenses and including information on suspects, modus operandi, suspect
vehicles or property description where the property is identifiable. This could be
provided over the laptop-linked network.

Information resources are underutilized in shaping patrol activities and deployment.


Specific goals and objectives are not defined for officers.

Patrol Plan. A patrol plan is a comprehensive set of policies and procedures to


govern the patrol function. It should include:

‰ Performance goals, objectives and measures of effectiveness and


productivity
‰ Crime prevention policies
‰ Community engagement policies
‰ Deployment patterns
‰ Scheduling configurations
‰ Patrol methods
‰ Shift and beat rotation
‰ One and two person car configurations
‰ Uncommitted time guidelines
‰ Tactical unit procedures

   
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‰ Beat structures
‰ Call priorities
‰ Backup policies
‰ Arrest/non-arrest discretion
‰ Domestic abuse arrest discretion
‰ Pursuit, arrest and use of force policies
‰ Training objectives, needs and schedules
‰ Traffic enforcement plan (STEP)
‰ Equipment requirements and care
‰ Vehicle plan.

The APD does not have a comprehensive patrol plan. While APD does have some
aspects of a patrol plan in place, most elements are absent. There are no performance
goals and objectives or effectiveness measures for officers, squads, or shifts. Crime
prevention or community engagement policies are limited.

SECTION 6: EVALUATION

Alexandria has a mature and well equipped patrol force. Patrol’s first responders, the
patrol shifts, provide adequate response and, with several modifications, we believe,
could provide truly excellent services to the citizens of Alexandria. Patrol’s specialized
squads are generally performing adequately. However, lack of accountability/
information, questions about scheduling and focus for specialized patrol units suggests
that modifications in unit design, schedule, and accountability could increase
effectiveness.

Unity of Command. The delivery of patrol services is fragmented. A captain


directs the shifts (first responders) and community policing. Another captain directs
the Street Interdiction Team (SIT), a uniformed street crimes unit. The Special
Operations Division, which provides specialized patrol functions such as traffic and
DUI enforcement is also commanded by a captain. All of these units operate
independently of the other.

Shift lieutenants, the watch commanders, have little or no knowledge of what other
uniformed units are planning or doing. Community policing units, while reporting to
the same captain as regular patrol, generally operate independently as well from patrol
shifts.

   
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All of these uniformed units operate on the same streets, without coordinated command
and, equally important, without a shared plan or focus. Further, information sharing
among these disparate units is limited, contributing to inefficiencies and confusion, in
fact or potentially. (We cannot absolutely confirm that confusion occurs.) Sorely
needed, are supervisory coordination, common focus and direction, and enhanced
information sharing.

The Uniformed Services, SIT, and SOD captains all report directly to the Assistant Chief
of Police. Several other units – in fact the entire department – reports to the Assistant
Chief as well. This is simply too many separate units, with special unique concerns and
needs, for a single Assistant Chief, no matter how hard working, to manage and
coordinate effectively.

First, we recommend that patrol functions be addressed by a single Field Services


Bureau. The Field Service Bureau would be responsible for all uniformed street-based
activities. We further recommend that the position of Commander be established to
direct the Field Services Bureau. The Field Service Bureau Commander would directly
report to the Chief of Police.

Commanding the Field Services Bureau will demand a high level of administrative
ability and leadership skills. Currently, promotion to all positions other than the Chief
of Police is determined largely by seniority. Seniority is not a good predictor of either
leadership or administrative abilities. It is our recommendation that a legal change be
made to make the position of commander exempt. This appointment should not be
limited by seniority.

Currently, SOD is commanded by a captain. Given our recommended change in


reporting, and given the size of the unit, it is our recommendation that a lieutenant be
placed in charge of a reorganized SOD.

The lieutenant in SOD currently is involved in many quartermaster duties. This is a


civilian (clerk) function in most departments. There is no need to have even a highly
trained police officer serving as quartermaster. It is our recommendation that the
position of quartermaster be civilianized and a clerk assigned these duties. This would
free the lieutenant to command SOD resulting in the savings of one captain’s position.

Special Operations generally connotes more than just traffic/DWI officers. SOD
currently, in addition to traffic duties, coordinates special events and directs marine
operations. It is our belief that the SIT (Street Interdiction Team) would fit well in the
context of a Special Operations Unit and we recommend that the SIT be made a unit in
SOD commanded by a sergeant, reporting to the SOD lieutenant. This would result in a
reduction of a captain’s position.

   
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A second action recommended to improve coordination through unity of command


involves the shift lieutenants. Shift lieutenants serve de facto as watch commanders.
We recommend that the shift lieutenants’ role as watch commander be formalized and
broadened. Shift commanders should be responsible for all uniformed units that
operate during the shift commander’s tour of duty, including SOD, SIT, Canine, and
Community Policing Units.

While the supervisors of these specialized units would provide general direction to
these units, address administrative paperwork, and set schedules, the watch
commander would provide immediate supervision to these units while on the street.
The watch commander would also have the authority, as the need arises, to redeploy
specialized units. It would be the responsibility of specialized units to provide
schedules, and operational information in advance of activities to watch commanders.

Staffing. Staffing of first responders is addressed in detail in the chapter on


patrol operations, deployment and scheduling. Community policing unit staffing is
treated in detail in the chapter on community policing. An overview of staffing for the
proposed Field Services Bureau can be found in the chapter on organization and
staffing. It is recommended that the Uniform Division in the proposed Field Services
Bureau continue to be directed by a captain.

The canine unit is currently staffed by four officers. Our review of workload found that
a staffing of one canine unit per shift is warranted. We would recommend continued
staffing of canine at four officers. Additional staffing is not warranted at this time by
workload. Canine units, given their shorter work periods, the extensive training in
which they are involved, and the costs of maintaining the animals are relatively
expensive to field. Current staffing is optimal.

SOD is currently staffed by a captain, a lieutenant, a sergeant and 11 corporals. Our


review of workload suggests the continued staffing of motor and DUI officers. We base
this judgment admittedly on weak data. It is our recommendation that a captain is not
needed to direct this division. A lieutenant should suffice.

SIT is currently staffed by a captain, a sergeant and six corporals. Our review of
workload found this unit to be properly staffed. It is recommended that in the
proposed consolidation of units, the captain’s position be removed. It is also
recommended that an additional sergeant be added to this consolidated unit to ensure a
proper span of control.

Staffing for the Consolidated Special Operations Division is as follows:

• Lieutenant 1

   
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• Sergeant 3
• Corporal 6

Focus and Direction. While unity of command will provide a measure of


coordination, there is a need for the common operations focus that a well developed
patrol plan can provide. Patrol operations currently lack focus. There is no overall
plan. There needs to be greater coherence to patrol efforts.

With new direction, clearer goals, and a series of program innovations, a currently good
patrol function can be brought to unprecedented new levels of performance, in citizen
engagement, service levels, and productivity. Measurable improvement is available
with regard to:

‰ Call Management
‰ Patrol Plan
‰ Objectives
‰ Community Policing
‰ Response Times
‰ Supervision
‰ Patrol Methods
‰ Policies and Procedures
‰ Information Production and Management.

Collectively, these improvements will restructure patrol philosophy, organization, and


practices radically.

Patrol Plan. Restructuring should begin with the development of a well-crafted


patrol plan, the product of an exhaustive reexamination and reengineering of the patrol
functions. What we have learned during the study and report here will help. The plan
should be developed with participation and input from police management, line
officers, and members of the community. The plan must establish measurable
objectives for the division, each shift, each squad, supervisors and officers.

A patrol plan need not be complex. It must, however, set standards and policies, be
dynamic and open to change as conditions and crimes vary, and be data-driven, based
upon information generated by crime and accident analysis. Most crucial, it must be
communicated clearly to street supervisors and officers and constantly reinforced
through training, performance evaluation, and corrective counseling.

   
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Directed Patrols. Since the ground breaking Kansas City Patrol study, it has
been clear that random patrols alone are not an effective vehicle for crime fighting and
prevention. Directed patrols, however, have been found to reduce and prevent crime
when designed and utilized properly. Presently, in Alexandria, most directed patrols
are reactive – responses to citizen requests. Moreover, the CAD suggests that directed
patrols are not frequent. While the APD does have some directed patrols, they are
limited in scope and the process needs to be more formalized.

A directed patrol initiative would serve the city well. Crime analysis, problem solving
by officers, citizen requests, and community-specific goals are required to mount this
capacity. Patrol supervisors play the key role. In addition to utilizing crime analysis
information, as the department develops this capability, they must review calls for
service, complaints, diagnose problems, problem areas, hot spots, and citizen concerns,
and then design strategies to respond – time and target-specific directed patrols. To
some extent, such efforts are already occurring in the Central District by community
policing units. The patrol commanders should review problems, analyses, and
proposed strategies of supervisors to ensure proper coordination. Hot spot analysis
should receive special attention.

The proposed crime analyst/intelligence unit, working with field supervisors, should
identify problems and problem neighborhoods census tracts, then develop directed
patrol responses. Directed patrols should be monitored for compliance and be
reviewed regularly to ensure that they are still relevant. All directed patrols should
have sunset dates. Directed patrols when appropriate should be specific, that is they
should identify actions to be taken by the officer, beyond “patrol the following
address.”

Directed patrols should be assigned electronically and be zone and officer-specific.


Officers should provide feedback on the success of the initiatives. Periodic command –
staff evaluation sessions should be held to assess effectiveness. In another section of
this report, an infrastructure for supporting directed patrol – a crime analysis/
intelligence unit will be discussed in detail in another section of this report.

STEP. The traffic unit conducts surveys from time to time and engages in
informal analysis of crashes at the most accident-prone intersections. These efforts are
applauded. Random enforcement of traffic infractions normally has minor impact on
accident rates. Directed enforcement efforts against traffic violations, linked to accidents
at specific locations, have proven to be more effective in reducing traffic accidents.
Formal analysis of violations leading to accidents coupled with increased and directed
enforcement are often component strategies of Selective Traffic Enforcement Program
(STEP).

   
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The STEP should be a directed patrol component in Alexandria. STEP requires an


infrastructure. The Traffic Unit should develop a STEP plan for Alexandria. The
proposed Crime Analysis Section should assist Traffic by providing reliable data on
accident locations and the infractions that contribute to those accidents. The STEP
should direct the Traffic Unit’s enforcement efforts and those of regular patrol officers.

Information Management. The ability to evaluate and manage the Patrol


Division is crippled by inadequate information management. Patrol bases many
decisions on anecdotal information. To set priorities, set goals, design directed patrols,
and problem solve, comprehensive and reliable information on incidents, crime, calls
for service, and distribution of calls by time and location is needed immediately.

While an information system exists and has the potential to provide the information
necessary for crime analysis and patrol support, a number of factors impede its
potential. Decision makers are not trained in its use. The current system is not as user
friendly as it should be. Many databases are not linked to supervisor’s computers. Staff
is needed to become conversant with the system and capable of generating the full
range of reports needed for patrol.

In another section of this report, it has been recommended that a crime analyst/
intelligence capacity be established. Software such as GIS mapping software, and other
crime analysis software should be purchased for this unit. In addition, the staff of this
section should receive advanced training on both the CAD and the RMS. Training such
also take place on a database management tool such as Crystal Reports.

Lieutenants and captains should be trained to use the police information system as
immediately as is possible. Later, officers and sergeants should receive similar training
to assist them in problem analysis and problem solving. In addition, as part of the
record system redevelopment, information should be abstracted on officer productivity.

Patrol vehicles are equipped with laptops. These laptops are networked with the CAD
to provide dispatch information to officers. Officers can also check warrants and wants,
license and vehicle registrations. Officers are also able to directly enter reports into the
system. We recommend that as officers become more conversant with the laptops, the
ability to directly inquire into the record system and CAD be provided.

Minor reprogramming of the records and CAD system should occur to put officers and
daily shift activity reports online. Officers should be able to directly enter information
into the laptop making review of directed patrols and community policing activities
easy to assess. Ability to access department databases could empower problem-solving
activities by officers.

   
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The laptops should also be provided with the capability to access an indexed copy of
APD policies and procedures as well as Louisiana’s criminal and traffic laws. A daily
activity report should be provided by the Communications Center that provides to the
oncoming unit a summary of the previous week’s activities, subdivided by zone and
district. Crime analysis-based information, hot sheets, and BOLOs should also be
provided on a daily basis to each officer.

In the Records and Communications Sections of this report we will also be


recommending changes in CAD fields, to better identify officer activities.

Policies and Procedures. Another section of this report assesses policies and
procedures in detail. As is also recommended in the general policy review, the pursuit
policy should be reviewed and rewritten – specifically addressing when and how a
pursuit is permitted. A number of other policies that direct patrol officers are also
inadequate. The Policies and Procedures Chapter does discuss these in detail.

In addition, we recommend, as developed earlier in this section, that formal policies be


developed that limit consecutive work hours and formally address minimal staffing
levels for Patrol.

We conclude this section with one caution. Currently off duty employment of police
officers is organized by the department, and officers working off duty are permitted to
utilize department uniforms and equipment. It is our recommendation that this
practice be reviewed by the city’s legal staff, because we believe the city may be open to
liability under this arrangement, even if the officer is directly paid by the off-duty host.

A key patrol practice not discussed in this section has been community and problem
solving policing. This topic and related recommendations are addressed in a specific
chapter on community policing.

SECTION 7: RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Establish a Field Services Bureau.

This bureau would direct and coordinate all uniformed field activities, including
SOD, SIT, Uniform Patrol, and Community Policing Unit.

2. Establish the rank of commander to head this bureau.

The Field Services Bureau Commander would report directly to the Chief of
Police.

   
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3. The Field Services Bureau Commander should be made an exempt position.

To ensure that an individual with leadership skills and administrative abilities is


appointed to this position, it should be made exempt so it is not restricted by
seniority.

4. A captain should remain in charge of the Uniform Division and report to the
Field Services Bureau Commander.

The rank of captain is justified based on the number of officers and supervisors
in the Uniform Division.

5. The Special Operations Division should be made a unit in the Field Services
Bureau (proposed) and a lieutenant place in charge of the unit. The SOD
lieutenant would report to the Bureau Commander.

Unity of command would improve coordination and cooperation.

6. The SIT (Street Interdiction Team) should be made a unit within SOD. A
sergeant should be placed in charge of this unit. The SIT sergeant should
report to the lieutenant in charge of SOD.

This would provide a savings of one captain’s position.

7. The consolidated Special Operations Division should be staffed as


recommended.

8. The quartermaster duties currently assigned to the Lieutenant in SOD should


be turned over to a civilian clerk.

The duties are basically the functions addressed by a clerk in most agencies.

9. We recommend that the shift lieutenants’ role as watch commander be


formalized and broadened.

Shift commanders should be responsible for all uniformed units that operate
during the shift commander’s tour of duty, including SOD, SIT, Canine, and
Community Policing Units.

10. Continue to staff canine with four officers.

Additional staffing is not warranted by workload.

   
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11. Restructuring of patrol should begin with the development of a well-crafted


patrol plan, the product of an exhaustive reexamination and reengineering of
patrol functions.

The plan must establish measurable objectives for the division, each shift, each
squad, supervisors and officers.

12. A formalized structure of directed patrols should organize officer activities


when not responding to calls.

This plan should also have a STEP (Selective Traffic Enforcement Program)
component to organize traffic enforcement by field service officers as well.

13. Utilizing the field laptops, daily reports should be provided to update officers
when they come on duty as to events in their zones and districts over the past
24 hours and during the previous week.

Crime analysis information, hot sheets, BOLOs, and other crime-related


information should also be provided daily.

14. Officers should be provided with the capability to inquire into the
department’s RMS and CAD for information to assist officers in problem
solving.

15. The pursuit policy should be revised.

It is also recommended that formal policies limiting the number of consecutive


hours that can be worked and establishing minimum patrol staffing be
established.

16. Current practices of assigning officer for off-duty work utilizing department
uniforms and equipment should be reviewed with the city’s legal staff.

Current practices may open the city to liability.

17. Appoint an additional sergeant to ensure appropriate span of control.

   
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CHAPTER VI. COMMUNITY POLICING UNIT

Community policing policy/practice is not the subject of a rule or regulation or


department policy or directive, nor is the Community Policing Division.

However, the APD Mission Statement pledges to provide the highest level of
“professional, caring policing service to our community.” The Code of Ethics, in Article
7: Conduct Towards the Public, directs the law enforcement officer to be “mindful of
this responsibility to the whole community” and to “deal with individuals of the
community in a manner calculated to instill respect for its law and its police service.
[…] The officer will give service where he can, and will require compliance with the
law. He will do neither from a personal preference or prejudice but rather as a duly
appointed officer of the law discharging his sworn obligation.”

SECTION 1: ORGANIZATION AND STAFFING

The Community Policing/Weed and Seed Unit is directed by a lieutenant, who reports
to the captain in charge of Uniform Patrol. Three corporals and four officers staff the
unit. The lieutenant reports three vacancies. Racial/ethnic composition of the staff, an
important matter for this unit in a racially diverse community, is one white female (the
commander), two African Americans (one male, one female), and five white males.
Tenure of staff in the COP Unit ranges from two to five years.

COP officers function from a separate facility. An office at headquarters is reserved for
the COP lieutenant but is not used frequently. Officers work in uniform and are
equipped with take home cars, cell phones, and bicycles. COP has its own roll call.

SECTION 2: DUTIES AND WORKLOAD

History is instructive in regard to this unit and APD community policing philosophy
and style. A centralized/specialized community policing unit was started with four or
five officers funded from 1994 Crime Control Act funds.

Each was assigned to a zone. The program was taken city-wide shortly thereafter. The
Council authorized 10 additional sergeants to supervise a 16-district patrol-based
operation. In 2005 the APD received a federal Weed and Seed grant. The COP program
was restructured, focusing activities on crime reduction in Zone 4. Weed and Seed
operations spawned the current model.

   
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Today, reported COP activities include: liaison with the Communications Center; work
with/service to the elderly. The stated goal is to engage in some combination of these
activities in each of the four zones targeted by the unit (Zones 1, 4, 5, and 6). It is
reported that COP personnel also respond on “hot calls.” These are individual
decisions. COP officers are not dispatched.

Community policing officers work one of two eight-hour, five-day a week shifts
(Monday –Friday), 6:00 am to 2:00 pm and 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. Community policing
officers generally work Zzones 1, 4, 5, and 6. Community officers work independently
from shift officers and, in fact, there seems to be some “conflict.” The hours worked by
community policing officers is not consistent with hours worked in other community
policing settings. Most citizen meetings occur in the evenings.

SECTION 3: SELECTION AND TRAINING

The selection process is not formal. When openings occur candidates declare interest
through a letter to the Community Policing Lieutenant. The lieutenant talks to the
supervisors of an interested candidate, then to the chief. For this assignment, the APD
is looking for individuals who are personable, articulate, and even-tempered; can
function independently – with less supervision than is received in Patrol; who are
without prejudice and can relate in a diverse environment; and who have or can
develop prevention skills. In the APD, the capacities of most individuals are already
well known to decision makers. It is reported that a Transfer Board was employed in
the past to help special assignment selections.

There appears to be no requirement for a basic community policing course for newly
assigned personnel. Only three of the eight training records for COP officers show
credit for some sort of community policing-related training.

Interestingly, the department as a whole appears better trained in community oriented


policing than the COP Unit. A review of department-wide training records shows over
half (91) of all sworn officers received some training in community policing. Again,
only three of these 91 were assigned to the COP Unit. However, the effectiveness of this
training is questionable. The results of the workforce survey indicate nearly 75% of
personnel view the practice of community policing negatively. This implies the
effectiveness of the training received and the department’s approach to COP need
improvement.

   
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SECTION 4: EVALUATION

Community and problem solving policing have much to offer to citizen service and
workforce motivation and satisfaction. Community policing involves citizen activism,
identifying and addressing neighborhood problems, serving as liaisons to other area
agencies, neighborhood organizing, working with youth, arbitration of citizen disputes,
counseling troubled families and individuals, gathering intelligence, setting up anti-
drug programs, establishing neighborhood watches and other anti-crime programs.

While APD’s Mission Statement asserts community and problem solving policing as the
department style, most APD patrol practices are traditional – reactive and call-driven.
The APD was more active in community policing in the 1990s. Community policing
was never meant to be a long-term unit operating independently of Patrol. It was
argued that as community policing units evolved they would gradually become tightly
integrated into Patrol and gradually transform regular patrol to the community policing
philosophy. It was anticipated that the department would move from having
specialized community policing officers to having all patrol officers conduct community
policing activities. This has not occurred.

In recent years, driven by calls for service and growth-related demands, APD patrol
philosophy and practice have become increasingly reactive. Officers frequently
mention the lack of community policing involvement as a concern. Current community
policing efforts, while laudable, lack focus, a consistent plan, documentation,
accountability, and coordination with other police efforts. Problem solving activity is
not fully documented. Community policing in the APD needs revitalization.

We would start by integrating (or reintegrating) the Community Policing Unit. The six
community policing officers should be more fully integrated into patrol shifts and
report to the on-duty lieutenant and work overlapping 12-hour shifts from 11:00 am to
11:00 pm. It is important that patrol officers be assigned for extended periods of time to
the same zone. This permits the officer to get to know the neighborhood and its
residents and allows the neighborhood to develop trust in the officers.

While responsible to the lieutenant during their shift, community policing officers
should not be employed as first responders, unless needed, but should focus on
community policing and problem solving. They would also receive direction and
support from the Community Policing Coordinator (proposed). Community policing
officers would also be available to address regular patrol responsibilities permitting
zone officers to involve themselves in community policing and problem solving
projects.

   
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The role of the Community Policing Lieutenant should be recast as the Community
Policing Coordinator, managing a new Community Affairs Unit, reporting to the
Commander of the Field Services Bureau. Community Affairs will be responsible for
establishing a community policing program for the patrol force. In addition to program
direction to the community policing officers assigned to the shifts, the Community
Affairs Unit will be responsible for crime prevention programming, coordination of
police volunteers, the Citizens Police Academy, and developing juvenile-based
community programs. The current DARE program should be administrated by this
unit. Community Affairs should develop, monitor, and maintain records on all
community initiatives by the Alexandria Police Department, including citizen (field)
contacts and public information requests.

The most important responsibility will be the development and maintenance of a


community policing and problem solving plan for patrol. This community policing
plan should interface with the directed patrol process and the patrol plan.
Reengineering will require the Community Coordinator to:

‰ Establish measurable community policing objectives for each district,


zone, and patrol officer in the city. Integrate these objectives as well with
the directed patrol process.

‰ Foster and encourage partnerships. The APD already has a number of


community councils and other partnerships with other governmental
agencies and social service providers. It will need to involve the regular
patrol officers in that area with these “clients”.

‰ Direct officer engagement in problem solving activities. (Included in


problem solving activities should be regular zone officers.)

‰ Task patrol officers to organize/attend/or conduct community meetings,


crime prevention programs, community contacts, and home safety
inspections.

‰ Structure a performance evaluation system that includes a focus on


community policing activities.

‰ Increase and broaden the use of citizen volunteers. Trained volunteers


can assist with crime prevention presentations, phones, paperwork, and
special events.

‰ Prepare brief community policing training modules for roll call training.

   
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‰ Identify other training opportunities for patrol officers in community


policing and problem solving.

Personnel selected for community policing should receive standard training. Likewise,
each officer should receive some training in community and problem solving concepts,
either through roll call or in-service. Semi-annual refresher courses are also
recommended to ensure COP remains at the forefront. Development and delivery of
this training should be the responsibility of the Community Policing Coordinator in
conjunction with the Training/Planning Division.

We recommend that one of the current community police officers be assigned full-time
as a Volunteer Coordinator. This officer would be assigned to work directly for the
Community Policing Coordinator and develop a volunteer program for the Alexandria
Police Department. IACP will provide a number of resources that can help jump start
this effort.

Proposed staffing for the Community Affairs Unit would be:

• Lieutenant 1
• Sergeant 1
• Corporal 1
• Officer 1

SECTION 5: RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Integrate six community policing officers into regular patrol.

These officers should report to the on-duty lieutenant and work overlapping 12-
hour shifts. They should not be first responders but should work on community
policing and problem solving. These officers should be assigned to the same
zone for extended periods to facilitate trust building between the neighborhood
and the officer.

2. Develop a community policing plan that integrates the department’s


community-based efforts and outlines responsibilities, functions, goals and
objectives.

3. Consolidate the existing functions of the Community Policing Unit and the
Community Services Unit into a newly created Community Affairs Unit
within the Field Services Bureau.

   
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This unit will be responsible for training officers on COP, setting goals and
objectives for COP, developing and maintaining the community policing plan.
Coordination of crime prevention efforts, Neighborhood Watch, DARE, citizen
contacts, and public information officer duties will also be the responsibility of
this unit.

4. Create a Community Policing Coordinator, to establish and direct the


community policing effort for Patrol.

We recommend recasting the lieutenant who currently manages community


policing into this role.

5. Develop a volunteer program for the APD.

Assign one of the current community police officers as the Volunteer


Coordinator, working directly for the Community Policing Coordinator. This
officer would assist the Community Policing Coordinator with other community-
related duties (Neighborhood Watch groups, public information, etc).

6. Staff this unit as proposed in the evaluation.

   
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CHAPTER VIa. COMMUNITY SERVICES UNIT

Community Services is not covered by a written directive. Two responsibilities now


hosted in the unit, public information and polygraph requirements are referenced in a
review of directives.

Directives found referencing the PIO or media information:

‰ 167.1 – Police Media Relations; covers release of information by field


personnel such as officers and supervisors, but does not mention the PIO
‰ 630 – Indicates PIO is part of the Crisis Negotiation Team, but no protocol
or responsibilities are documented
‰ 301.2 – prohibits releases of personal information about officers; no
mention of PIO
‰ 629.2 – Mentions notification by SRT of “Media Relations Designee”, with
no further discussion; no linkage to PIO

A search of the most recent directives produced only occasional references to the
polygraph. These include:

‰ 143 – Members must submit to polygraph test at request of Internal


Affairs
‰ 301.9 – Same as above
‰ Reserve Officer Qualifications – must submit to a polygraph test
‰ There were no references anywhere to the Voice Stress Analyzer (VSA)

SECTION 1: ORGANIZATION & STAFFING

Community Services is part of the Training Academy organizational structure. It is


staffed by a sergeant. It has no assigned administrative support. The office is
physically located in the Training Academy complex in the secured area of the first
floor. The sergeant could not provide any written guidance on unit operations, goals
and objectives, or other documentation of the unit’s existence except for the box on the
organization chart.

The unit has several functions: Neighborhood Watch, a crime prevention activity;
public information; police academy operation; and training.

   
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SECTION 2: COMMUNITY SERVICES

The Community Services sergeant establishes and conducts Neighborhood Watch


groups; attends all meetings (unless he has a conflict), and responds to concerns of
group members. He is sometimes supported by COP (Weed and Seed) officers. COP
officers have not attended community meetings for the last year or so. Prior to January
2009 attendance at meeting was not recorded.

The Community Services sergeant reviews citizen contact forms generated by patrol
primarily to identify issues that need attention and routes the findings to the
appropriate person or unit. Citizen contact forms also go to the second floor
receptionist for input into a Lotus Approach database, which is accessible via the
department’s computer systems. The sergeant does not use the database. CID will use
this database occasionally for possible links to cases. The newly assigned deputy
commander in CID has also advised that detectives appear to make little use of these
slips, despite the fact that they can contain valuable information, leads and citizen
contacts for future investigative needs. The CID sergeant is increasing the pressure for
the detectives to build relationships with the community and to use these slips as leads.
The forms, the equivalent of field interview or contact forms, do not appear to be used
by COP officers. The sergeant responds to items such as street corner activity, loud
music, and quality of life issues. Records of responses are not kept except on the
sergeant’s calendar.

SECTION 3: PUBLIC INFORMATION

The sergeant serves as the department Public Information Officer. He does respond to
crime scenes as required to prepare press releases. There is no protocol on what he
responds to or his authority to release information.

A text search of the most current written directive system revealed only limited
references to the PIO function and in most cases only in terms of listing his membership
on some response team, without benefit of describing the functions or guidelines of
those assignments. There are one or more references to officers and supervisors
releasing information under certain situations, with the directives providing broad
guidance for these personnel. As PIO, the sergeant might prepare a release on a crime
but does not prepare releases on incidents where internal operations are at question,
such as the recent shooting. The chief prepares and releases those.

There are three media outlets in the city, two electronic (TV) and one newspaper
(TownTalk). He does not attend department staff meetings on a routine basis.

   
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SECTION 4: CITIZEN’S POLICE ACADEMY

Community Services supervises the Citizen’s Police Academy and a second training
product focused on teenagers. The Academy was previously conducted twice a year
but reduced to once in 2008. The Academy is conducted two nights a week for five
weeks and one Saturday for five hours, with a class capacity of 30 to 35 students. Most
classes are taught by department personnel. The department training facility is used.
This academy accepts students from surrounding police agency jurisdictions.

During the summer, when schools are out, Community Services conducts a modified
Academy called the Teen Academy. It focuses on high school students, 13 to 19 years
old. This course somewhat mirrors the basic Citizen’s Academy content.

SECTION 5: POLICE TRAINING ACADEMY ASSIGNMENTS

The sergeant teaches the report writing and note-taking portion of recruit school (a 20-
hour block spread throughout the entire 13-week course). He uses the state POST
materials, supported by a reference book. The material is not specific to the Alexandria
Police Department report system (e.g., how to fill in the blocks on the actual report) and
does not address how to complete the various reports. That material is covered by
representatives from the Communications and Records Division in a separate set of
classes. It focuses on the narrative and ability to describe what is found during
investigation.

SECTION 6: POLYGRAPH OPERATOR

The Community Services sergeant was the sole department polygraph operator for
several years. Currently, he does pre-employment screening or Internal Affairs
generated requests. CID has moved toward the Voice Stress Analyzer (VSA) for most
other investigations although occasionally he gets some work from them. He keeps
logs of these activities.

SECTION 7: EVALUATION

Community Services appears to function randomly, based upon the creativity of the
sergeant. There is no documentation for its assigned functions or goals, nor any other
evidence of formal direction. There appears to be an overlap between Community
Services functions and those of the Community Policing Unit, especially with regard to
neighborhood group meeting attendance and follow-up. Such duplication of effort is
wasteful and could result in confusion in the community, degrading the program.

   
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To more clearly focus community-based efforts, the department should integrate all
community-based support programs: Community Services, Community Policing,
public information, and crime prevention. We recommend consolidation of these
functions into a newly created Community Affairs Unit under the proposed Field
Services Bureau.

The PIO role is blurred and not fully developed within the department. It is not making
a contribution to the overall image and effectiveness of the agency. The few directives
that in some fashion reference the media services function do not provide a clear
protocol for the PIO’s services, authority to act, call-out responsibility, nor formulate a
“one-voice” concept or presence for the APD. Directives give the impression that there
is no PIO and that line officers and their supervisors are responsible for release of
information to the media.

The department should develop the PIO concept organizationally, determining lines of
authority, call-out guidance, one-voice concepts, and other guidance on where the PIO
fits within the organization.

The Training Academy and Citizen’s Police Academy roles do not appear to be a heavy
tasking and should be reviewed in the context of any expanded role in the two primary
functions of Community Services and PIO, once those functions are fully developed.
Activity related to the conduct of polygraph operations appears minimal and non-
intrusive to other responsibilities. It is essential that workload for these and the
community policing function be documented. The polygraph function needs to be
reflected in the written directive system.

SECTION 8: RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Transfer the Community Services function to the Community Policing Unit.

2. Prepare a written directive to govern police information and media relations.

3. Prepare a written directive to govern polygraph responsibility and operations.

4. Develop a system for recording workload for all community oriented policy
functions and services.

   
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CHAPTER VII. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION

Criminal investigations is most properly viewed as a network of activities shared by


Patrol, especially through community engagement, centralized/specialized CID units,
and forensics specialists, and information managers. CID units are normally at the
center of this network. This is the case in the APD. Criminal investigations practices
are not governed by specific operating policies or procedures with the exception of:

‰ 615 Violent Death Investigations (Crimes Against Persons)


‰ 617 Investigations of Juveniles (Juvenile Investigations)
‰ 621 Submission of Evidence (Crime Scene Search)
‰ 634 Officer-Involved Shooting (Professional Standards/Crimes Against
Persons)
‰ 638 Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) (CIT/Crimes Against Persons)

SECTION 1: ORGANIZATION AND STAFFING

The Criminal Investigation Division (CID) of the APD reports directly to the Assistant
Chief of Police. It is composed of several sub-units.

Table 35

CID STAFFING BY SUB-UNIT

Unit Capt. Lt. Sgt. Cpl. Officer Sworn Civilian Total Commander

Lieutenant
CID Management (1) 1 1 2 3 5
(1)
Crimes Against
3 1 4 4 None (2)
Persons
Crimes Against
5 1 6 6 None(2)
Property
Juvenile
1 2 3 3 Sergeant
Investigations
Financial Crimes 1 1 2 2 Sergeant
Crime Scene
__ __ 1 1 __ 2 1 3 Sergeant
Search
Total (1) 1 7 10 1 18 4 23

   
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At the initiation of the study, CID was commanded by a captain with a lieutenant as the
deputy. In February 2009, both were replaced, with a lieutenant and sergeant,
respectively. Only three of the five sub-units had identifiable supervisors, all sergeants.
Three civilian clerks serve as receptionists, clerk typists, or secretaries for the entire
division, while an additional civilian serves as the department’s evidence and property
custodian. The Juvenile Investigations Unit was short one investigator. Otherwise, CID
was at full-authorized strength.

Each sub-unit specializes, with the exception of Crime Scene Search, which supports
investigations at crime scenes and conducts limited evidence processing/forwarding
activities. The Juvenile Unit investigates only juvenile criminal behavior, with little or
no prevention activities. CID units investigate felonies, with the exception of Juvenile,
which may investigate other classes of offenses.

A call-out detective works during the evening and midnight shifts and over the
weekend. On-call detectives come from all units and may handle a case outside of their
assigned specialties, except homicides or serious rapes. In these instances, a Crimes
Against Persons investigator will be called to work with the call-out investigator.

Two units, Crimes Against Persons and Crimes Against Property, do not have formally
assigned supervisors, while the remaining three do. In the two units, the most senior or
experienced investigator has, at his option, assumed limited supervisory responsibility
but is not evaluated on supervisory skills. The overabundance of sergeants in Crimes
Against Persons is traceable to former community policing. The city was divided into
18 or 19 beats, each with a sergeant in charge. Once the beats were reduced to the
current (smaller) number, the sergeants remained.

SECTION 2: WORKLOAD

For the four-year period (2004-2007), caseloads per investigator increased measurably,
from 14 in 2004 to 35 in 2007. The four-year average is 24 cases per investigator.

These data come from paper files, maintained monthly, for the entire CID. Data are not
broken down by unit or by individual investigator. Thus, an accurate individual or unit
workload analysis could not be performed. A primitive analysis, removing the Crime
Search personnel from the equation, reveals that individual investigators carried an
average monthly caseload of 23.9 cases. Data may be low because of the questionable
numbers in 2004 and might be higher if the total juvenile caseload was factored in.
Only the Juvenile Investigations Unit has detailed workload data (displayed later in the
report). There is little or no victim follow-up conducted except from a case
enhancement standpoint to determine if there is any further information available.

   
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Workload data for CID is shown in Table 36.

Table 36

CID WORKLOAD 2004 – 2008

Inactive/ Cases per


Felony Adjusted Closed by Clearance
Year Unfounded Otherwise Investigator
Cases Caseload Arrest Rate
Closed (1)

2004 2,588 112 2,476 504 20.4% 396 14.4

2005 3,716 183 3,533 562 15.9 884 20.6

2006 4,855 525 4,330 841 19.4 2,129 26.9

2007 6,330 469 5,861 776 13.2 1,669 35.2

2008(2) 3,393 358 3,035 649 21.4 1,532 22.6

(1) Average per month for 15 assigned investigators; may not include some juvenile crimes not classified
as felonies.
(2) Thru October 2008.

Table 37 adds a bit of perspective to the workload picture

Table 37

CLEARANCE RATES, PATROL VS. DETECTIVES


2007-2008

2007 2008

Total Cases 3,732 3,009


Line Arrests 455 351
% of total 12.2% 11.7%
Detective Arrests 321 316
% of total 8.6% 10.5
Total Cleared by Arrest 776 667
% of total 20.8% 22.2%

   
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The balance between line/patrol arrests and those made by detectives as the source of
case closure appears skewed toward patrol, with 2007-2008 rates showing more from
patrol. While in many cases detectives are necessary to finish a felony-based patrol
arrest, these numbers are troubling in terms of investigator workload. Again, the
absence of quality data thwarted our analysis, and we cannot form an opinion of what
unit this is related to as data was not available at the sub-unit level.

Civilian workload centers on supplemental paperwork (transcribing reports), filing, and


reception duties. There are a significant number of walk-ins on a daily basis, although
no records are maintained of this activity. Misdemeanor complainants, with the
exception of juvenile-related, are handled by uniformed investigators assigned to the
Records and Warrants Division.

No call-out records, either case activity or overtime based, are maintain at the unit level.
Overtime is tracked by the department payroll system. No analysis is conducted by
CID staff.

SECTION 3: CASE ASSIGNMENT PRACTICES

Cases are received in one of three ways. One, initial reports are taken by patrol officers
and loaded into the department’s computerized records management system (RMS).
Two, walk-in cases are reported directly to CID, and the investigator takes the entire
initial report. Three, an investigator is called in or assigned a case at a crime scene and
handles the case from the start with the responding officer preparing any needed
supplemental reports. The majority of the cases are received under option one.

Assignments are made by the Deputy Commander, daily, for cases received the night
before. Weekend cases are assigned on Monday. Cases are taken from the ADSI/RMS
system. A review of each case is required to determine if it is a felony. Reviews are
paper-based. No computer-based analysis is conducted.

The Deputy Commander records assignments on a paper-based log. He holds a roll call
with all personnel of a unit and issues the cases to the individual investigators.
Assignment/distribution criteria are investigator caseload and expertise. Solvability
factors are not employed to make decisions. Once assigned a case, an investigator is
required to make an entry in the ASDI/RMS indicating he is the primary officer on the
case. Once an investigator assumes responsibility, the original reporting officer can no
longer modify a case record or input or update supplemental reports. This reduces the
initiative patrol officers may have to follow-up an investigation or provide additional
information about a case.

   
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SECTION 4: CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS AND CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY

As indicated by their names, these units handle cases that impact either people or
property. The larger percentage of cases is in the Property Unit, but the investigation
workload is greater and more complex in the Persons Unit. Neither unit has an
assigned supervisor. The persons unit is predominantly staffed by sergeants. Given the
lack of data, a detailed workload analysis of both units was not possible. Caseloads are
estimated from review of paper-based monthly statistical data maintained by the CID
deputy commander and are summarized in the data in Section 2. In addition, based on
investigator expertise, the Persons Unit also handles auto theft, generally assigned to
property investigators.

SECTION 5: FINANCIAL CRIMES

The Financial Crimes Unit is staffed with two investigators, one of whom is the unit
supervisor (a sergeant). The unit focuses on various frauds including credit card fraud,
identity theft, and misuse of social security numbers to obtain credit cards. Most credit
card fraud involves the purchase of items for re-sale. Investigative work centers on
reviewing store videos for fraud activity and visiting pawnshops where items may have
been purchased. Bad check cases involving insufficient funds or closed accounts are
redirected to the District Attorney’s Office for action and are not investigated by the
unit. It will, however, investigate where the blank checks themselves have been stolen.
The unit also participates on a small Secret Service Task Force regarding counterfeiting
(the unit supervisor).

The unit’s activities are not proactive and not coordinated with any crime prevention or
community policing-focused educational efforts. Staff was not able to provide any
workload data or case clearance information.

SECTION 6: JUVENILE INVESTIGATIONS

Juvenile Investigations conduct follow-up investigations and counseling to juveniles


arrested or reported as engaged in criminal or status offender acts. A child abuse
investigator is also assigned to this unit. Their caseload is not based upon open cases
with no suspect but rather on cases referred with a known suspect, either in custody or
locatable. As a result, their clearance rate is 100%. This has an effect on the overall CID
clearance rate, but we were unable to determine to what degree since all records are
paper-based.

What is not depicted by this closure rate is the amount of time involved in both
offender and offender family counseling. While counseling is conducted in all cases,

   
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the majority of it is consumed by cases not referred to court or involving psychological


or medical treatment. When the data reflects that the case was referred to court it
means that, in most cases, follow-up counseling or more advanced treatment is
conducted by the medical professionals located at the Renaissance Center, a parish
juvenile intake facility that has 13 beds and conducts all intake and clinical evaluation of
juvenile offenders. This facility is partially funded by a federal grant to the parish.

The unit is collocated with the rest of CID and utilizes the same interview rooms. The
individual investigators have small offices and in some cases will use them for the
interviews.

Statistical data for Juvenile Investigations Unit referrals is displayed in Table 38. The
data show that the primary clients of this unit are African American males and females.
While probably a reflection of the city’s demographics, this should be a beacon for
prevention activities. Furthermore, as noted in Chapter I., reported offenses involving
juveniles reflect a clear and concerning pattern of rising juvenile crime, an average
increase of 10% annually from 2003 - 2007. Although the unit works closely with Parish
level intervention professionals, there is no specific department prevention activity
directed at this population.

SECTION 7: CRIME SCENE SEARCH

The Crime Scene Search Unit is staffed with two sworn and one civilian and provides
immediate crime scene search support and follow-on evidence forwarding services. It
also provides the department with photographic support and print processing. It does
not conduct any advanced chemical or scientific analysis of evidence, but rather
packages and forwards same to either state or federal laboratories for analysis and
return. In addition to assisting the criminal investigation units, the Crime Scene Search
unit will respond and assist the accident investigators where fatalities are involved,
generally supplying photographic assistance.

During a typical year, the unit handles a variety of evidentiary requests. Table 39
summarizes the 2007 requests.

In addition to assigned staffing, the unit receives part time assistance from an
investigator in the Property Unit, who also handles all computer forensics.

   
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Table 38

JUVENILE INVESTIGATIONS DATA 2004 - 2007

Theft/ Shoplifting Burglary Incorrigibles Misc


Race/ To To To To Percent Percent
Year Gender Parent To Court Parent To Court Parent To Court Parent To Court Total Race Gender

2004 B/M 39 28 3 12 0 2 36 49 169 B M


B/F 25 17 0 2 1 11 13 39 108 80.52% 61.05%
W/M 14 7 0 1 0 0 4 15 41 W F
W/F 11 9 0 0 0 1 0 5 26 19.48% 38.95%
Total 89 61 3 15 1 14 53 108 344

2005 B/M 34 21 3 9 3 2 53 50 175 B M


B/F 30 15 0 0 0 5 15 26 91 86.36% 64.29%
W/M 3 2 0 0 0 1 10 7 23 W F
W/F 7 4 0 0 0 3 0 5 19 13.64% 35.71%
Total 74 42 3 9 3 11 78 88 308

2006 B/M 46 19 1 16 1 1 82 87 253 B M


B/F 24 8 0 0 0 1 23 43 99 87.13% 72.52%
W/M 2 5 1 0 0 0 16 16 40 W F
W/F 3 1 0 0 0 0 7 1 12 12.87% 27.48%
Total 75 33 2 16 1 2 128 147 404

2007 B/M 33 13 2 33 0 0 63 87 231 B M


B/F 53 6 0 0 0 0 23 12 94 93.93% 71.97%
W/M 6 0 0 1 1 0 4 6 18 W F
W/F 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3 6.07% 28.03%
Total 93 19 2 35 1 0 90 106 346

2008 Not available

   
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Table 39

CRIME SCENE SEARCH UNIT EVIDENTIARY REQUESTS 2007

Item Quantity

‰ Drug Submissions 850

‰ In-house Lab Work (latent and DNA collection requests) 200

‰ Latent Identification 300

‰ Digital photographic services 250

‰ Compact flash card processing 480

‰ Fingerprints classified (AFIS supported; State system) No Longer Perform

‰ Other lab submissions (DNA and firearms) 100

‰ Written reports or supplemental 60

‰ Call outs (no breakdown by type of case) 200

‰ ADSI Evidence System 29,600 items

A civilian unit member acts as the department evidence and recovered property
custodian. The department has an adequately sized and secured facility to store these
items. All evidence and recovered property is logged into a module of the ADSI/RMS
system after being processed by the recovering officer. Separate and adequate storage is
available for all sensitive items such as weapons, drugs, and money. Access to the
storage facility is limited to the civilian custodian and the unit commander. No periodic
audits are conducted except by city finance who audits the stored cash funds.

The ADSI/RMS system has no built-in report writer and thus periodic reporting is
limited to pre-formatted reports. During the review, we tried to produce several
common evidence activity reports without success; the volume of activity was obtained
by scrolling to the last record in the database and using the record number as there was
no query available for annual activity volume.

Digital photography requests continue to rise as all patrol sergeants have cameras and
they are used on almost all crime scenes. Patrol personnel also have latent print
recovery capability and that fluctuates in terms of demands on unit workload.

   
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Statistical data provided by the unit was estimated, but since they changed to digital in
2007, prints and Compact Flash processing has increased. The unit commander feels
that he needs an additional person to handle the part-time load of the borrowed
property investigator.

SECTION 8: FACILITIES

CID units occupy space on the second floor of headquarters, which is secured by
electronic entry. These quarters vary from individual offices to cubicles, with varying
levels of privacy. Individual filing cabinets are provided to each investigator, with unit
files maintained in the front area where the receptionists and administrative aides sit.

CID has a more than adequate roll-call room located within their complex that appears
to be used for the morning case assignment meetings. There are several interview
rooms scattered throughout the complex, but only one is equipped with full audio or
video taping capability. Most do not have monitored panic alarms. There is no
provision for securing prisoners in these rooms. Chairs and tables are easily moved
about. On several occasions, we observed both supervisors and investigators using
their office space to conduct interviews.

During the initial visits, we observed piles of case folders, case jackets, video tapes, and
related items that appeared to be investigative case-related, all of which were unsecured
and in piles or falling out of cabinets. When several investigators were asked what
these items were, we got varied answers. Generally, they were old case files from
previous members of the unit, possibly containing active warrants and evidence. When
command staff was asked we were told they were just old trash. The combination of
these piles along with assigned investigator files strewn on the floors near their desks,
posed serious questions about unit morale, efficiency, and command oversight. After
the transition in February, the new command staff conducted an inventory and did, in
fact, find old case files, active warrants, and evidence in the collection. Almost all of it
belonged to previously assigned personnel who apparently just added to the pile on
their way out.

SECTION 9: SELECTION AND TRAINING

There is no standard application or selection process for investigations unit


assignments. The division head responsible for the unit comes to the chief with a
vacancy and makes a request for the individual he desires to fill the spot. The chief
reviews the request and makes his recommendation. A transfer board was implemented
a number of years ago but was subsequently abandoned.

   
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Records reveal most training is skill-based, such as crime scene search or homicide
investigation techniques. There appears to be no requirement for a basic investigative
course for newly assigned personnel. Training overall is inconsistent with some officers
receiving more numerous and more relevant courses than others do. Some officers
appear to have no apparent training in their area of specialization or in investigations in
general.

SECTION 10: EVALUATION

Principle measures of effectiveness for investigations units and investigators include

‰ Clearance rates (segregating cases which require “solution” from those


cleared by Patrol)
‰ Quality of case preparation
‰ Effectiveness of testimony
‰ Quality of relationships with victims, prosecutors, and other external
stakeholders involved in investigations.

Of these, we can only apply the first, and not as surgically as we would like.

As noted in Chapter I., when compared with other cities of similar size, APD violent
crime clearance rates are below those of comparison cities, while property crime
clearance rates exceed those of comparison cities. The APD crime profile shows
aggravated assault and robbery to be problem violent crimes. The APD’s assault
clearance rates are, comparatively, low. Meanwhile, robbery clearance rates have
usually exceeded national averages.

We can be more insightful regarding current management and operations and offer a
series of recommendations designed to promote the effectiveness and productivity of
the CID.

Several of the units do not have assigned supervisors, except on an ad hoc basis,
reducing oversight and frustrating periodic performance appraisal process for
subordinates. Interviews with assigned personnel indicated a level of dissatisfaction
with the current management and policies, which all felt were not conducive to
effective investigations. There is an overstaffing of sergeants, an artifact resulting from
a previous department-wide community policing program. Overall staffing may or
may not be appropriate, but effective analysis was not possible due to the nature of the
data.

   
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The CID Division appears to be void of any ongoing workload or case clearance
analysis at any level. Data is maintained in paper-based records, which do not lend
themselves to ongoing effective analysis. The assignment, investigation, and
disposition of cases are not supported by an effective computer-based case management
system, but rather are merely the extension of the reporting function found in the
department’s ADSI/RMS system. Little use is made of solvability factors in the initial
or dispositional actions of management. The exception is a points system introduced
several years ago that stops investigation when leads are exhausted and holds the case
open, but not actively worked, until receipt of further information. While this is a form
of solvability, it appears to be used after the investigation has begun as opposed to
before assignment is made.

The limited workload data supplied seems to indicate low caseloads for all
investigators, with the possible exception of juvenile, and high clearance rates.
Clearance rates seem inflated due to the inclusion of the Juvenile Investigations Unit
with its 100% clearance.

CID lacks access to any link analysis software to determine trends or links between
cases and suspects or to identify where multiple criminal acts might be serial in nature.
While they have an informant file and it is properly maintained, there is little analysis
as to its effectiveness or linkage to a similar file separately maintained by the Narcotics
Unit. As found in other units, there is little exchange of information between external
units and CID. In fact, there was no coordination at all between CID and Narcotics,
except on a personal basis and that was extremely limited.

Crime Scene Search oversight of the evidence function takes away valuable supervisor
time for related operations. The function requires no sworn status and is more
appropriately located within a staff support section of the department. The software
used does not lend itself to workload analysis, and no periodic audits to confirm
security of the storage are performed by either internal or external personnel.

The Juvenile Investigations Unit is focused on investigations with little time or formal
programs aimed at prevention. While unit personnel express a desire to be more
proactive, the department culture of reactive enforcement does not encourage such
activity. The data, limited as it might be, does identify the client population and there
are numerous programs and grants available to attack the problem. It merely needs the
decision to move in that direction, even if it might mean reducing investigations
somewhat. The data shows an apparent preference for court which could easily be used
as a yardstick for prevention efforts as the swing moves to parental involvement.

CID would profit from the addition of functions that have been proven essential in most
investigative settings. Pawn shop details have been generally found effective for

   
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addressing property theft. It is our recommendation that a pawn shop detail be


established using existing personnel. Victims’ advocates have been proven throughout
the county to provide a valuable service to the victims of crime as well as assisting in
the investigation and prosecution of crimes against persons. We recommend the
addition of a victim’s advocate.

We also recommend combining the former Financial Investigations and Crimes against
Property Unit into the Crimes against Property/Computer and Financial Crimes Unit.
Increasingly today, fraud and financial crimes are using computer systems and the
Internet to defraud. A second benefit of such an alliance is that it would bolster the
department’s computer forensics capability.

Unit facilities were disorganized and what appeared to be case materials were strewn
about in an unsecured fashion; later investigation revealed many of these items to be
components of past cases that should have properly filed.

SECTION 11: RECOMMENDATIONS

As noted, in February 2009, the department initiated staff changes to the CID command
unit, replacing both officers. The new staff has begun to implement its own changes,
many of which mirror IACP recommendations.

1. Create an Investigative Services Bureau and house all investigative-related


units within a single command, facilitating oversight and coordination, as well
as maximizing use of resources.

2. Establish bureau level goals and objectives on an annual basis, with periodic
monitoring by staff throughout the year.

3. Reduce CID commander to a lieutenant and eliminate the deputy position.

4. Assign supervisors to all CID investigative units.

5. Balance rank structure by reducing over-strength sergeants by attrition.

6. Remove the evidence and recovered property function from the Crime Scene
Search unit and reassign it to a newly created unit within the Administrative
and Support Services Bureau.

7. Strengthen the Juvenile Investigations Unit’s capacity for counseling and


diversion of youth offenders. Rename the unit the Family and Juvenile
Investigations Unit to support this change in focus.

   
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8. Reassign the Child Abuse investigative function to the Crimes Against


Persons unit to facilitate elder abuse and other sex-related investigations when
not occupied with child abuse cases; child abusers are adults charged with an
adult crime.

Interview experience and strengths from specialized training will not be lost by
reassigning the former investigator back to this position

9. Obtain case management software that monitors case progress and assesses
solvability at the assignment stage as well as throughout the investigative
process.

10. Once created, utilize the department intelligence and crime analysis capacity
to determine trends and suspect relationships as an investigative tool.

11. Upgrade interview rooms to provide for video and audio recording as well as
the installation of panic alarms.

Secure furniture to the floor in rooms used for interrogations and provide a
method for securing persons in custody to prevent their escape. Provide for gun
drops near all such rooms or at a central point before access to the area for safety
and liability reasons.

12. Create a civilian position of victim’s advocate within the Persons Unit to act as
an on-scene counselor, death notification specialist, witness assistor, and focus
for improved victim services. Use this victim’s advocate to follow-up on all
case victims within the CID.

13. Combine the former Financial Investigations and Crimes against Property
Unit into the Crimes Against Property/Computer and Financial Crimes Unit as
recognition of the increased use of computer systems and the Internet to
defraud the public, while bolstering the department’s computer forensics
capability.

14. Reassess investigator staffing against workload once adequate systems are in
place to ensure data availability and comprehensive analysis.

15. Discontinue the current point system for stopping case investigative work in
favor of a more broadly-based set of solvability factors that will eliminate
assignment if appropriate rather than wait for leads to end.

   
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Such a system will evaluate if the case can be solved up front. Use the new case
management system to make this call as well more closely monitor open cases, so
that resources can be redirected as necessary.

16. Initiate an active Pawn Shop Detail, initially using available staff within the
CID and evaluate effectiveness within one year.

If effective, seek additional positions to expand operations in a proactive rather


than reactive manner.

   
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CHAPTER VIII. NARCOTICS UNIT

There is no policy which governs the Narcotics Unit. Equally important there are no
policies governing the use and treatment of informants, the accounting of buy money,
or the seizure of crime related assets. Such policies are important to maintaining the
integrity of anti drug operations.

SECTION 1: ORGANIZATION AND STAFFING

The APD Narcotics Unit formally reports to the Assistant Chief of Police. Interviews
suggest that in practice the unit commander reports and coordinates directly with the
Chief. Unit staffing is 10 authorized, eight actual:

Sergeant Corporal Investigator (1) Civilian(2) Grant(3) Other(4)


3 1 3 1 1 1
(1) Authorized 5, with 2 vacant
(2) Secretary
(3) LA Air NC personnel; no funds received by City
(4) DEA agent with desk in office, but also services surrounding area / not a full time asset

The unit commander, a sergeant, has been assigned to the Narcotics Unit for about 18
years, progressing up the ranks from within. He has been the commander for about six
years. Most remaining members of the unit have fewer than three years in the unit.
Narcotics is divided into teams. One sergeant (assistant commander) supervises a
corporal and one investigator. The other sergeant supervises two investigators,
prepares documents, and disburses asset forfeiture actions and seizures. The team
corporal maintains the electronic equipment assigned to the unit, the quantity of which
seems quite abundant. Asked if the unit needed equipment, the commander stated that
he had all that is needed and is usually able to purchase through the asset forfeiture
system.

Ranks do not reflect jobs/responsibilities. There are three sergeants within the unit.
One is the commander, the second the deputy commander, and a third sergeant is a
team leader. The deputy commander title is really not needed in such a small
organizational element

The clerk supports all personnel, with some administrative assistance from the LANG
sergeant. There do not seem to be reporting requirements for the LANG assistance.
Records are not kept other than for attendance.

Narcotics is scheduled Monday through Friday dayshift. They work an eight-hour day
and a 40-hour week. Investigators frequently flex their hours as needed. Generally at

   
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least one investigator is on duty on Friday and Saturday evenings. Overtime records
are not kept by unit. Investigators did suggest that overtime was common, except later
in the fiscal year, when the department ran out of overtime funds.

SECTION 2: WORKLOAD

Table 40

NARCOTICS UNIT WORKLOAD 2004 - 2008

Case Activity 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Average

Total Cases 358 323 325 332 285 324.6


Cleared by Arrest 231 225 274 272 201 240.6
Closed 358 323 325 332 285 324.6
Other/Exceptional 127 98 51 60 84 84
% Closed by Arrest 65 70 84 82 71 74.4
Staff 8 8 8 6 6
Caseload by Investigator 44.8/3.7 40.4/3.4 40.6/3.4 55.3/4.6 47.5/3.9

These numbers reflect only cases handled by the Narcotics Unit and not activity of other
units such as the Uniform Division or SIT. Data for other units actively involved in
drug suppression is presented in the following chart.

Table 41

NARCOTICS ACTIVITY – OTHER FIELD UNITS

Unit 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Weed and Seed Drug Arrests STET 34 38 NC 152


Patrol Drug Arrests 357 463 466 372
SIT Drug Arrests 275 322 39 169
Subtotal 666 823 505 693
Narcotics 225 274 272 201
Total 891 1097 777 894
Department Total Drug Arrests 802 997 1,131 1,004 573*
(from UCR)
*through July
NC = not compiled

   
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Table 42

SEIZURES 2004-2007

Seizure Data(*) 2004 2005 2006 2007

Crack/Powder Cocaine (gr) 550 1,618 1,871 1,539

Marijuana (lbs) 9 7.7 244 45.9

Marijuana Plants 4 33 1

Hydrocodone 5,273 5,047 2,578 1,845

Codeine Syrup 126 259 138 14

Ecstasy 267 60 41 111

Crystal Meth (oz) 32 1 74 3

Xanax 108 382 322 426

Other Drugs 453 289 836 1,159

Weapons Seized 57 13 31 15

Vehicles Seized 13 9 19 3

Cash Seized $84,065 $51,041 $79,842 $93,973


_____________________
(*)In drug units unless otherwise indicated

2008 data are not available. The commander feels the pattern of 2007 remains intact in
both cash seized and the increased incidence of weapons accompanying illegal drug
activity. While hydrocodone briefly dipped in 2007 from a high in 2004, he believes that
2008 should reveal an increase back to levels equaling 2006. Noted also is the increase
in Xanax activity between 2006 and 2007; 2008 should be equally popular. The
commander advised us that he will provide 2008 data as soon as it is validated. Cash
seizure appears low against case volume, but that may be reflective of the overall area
economy, people, and volumes of drugs involved, or that most cases have little actual
cash associated with them. The unit commander advised that he actively seeks out all
possible forfeiture opportunities.

   
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SECTION 3: POLICIES AND PRACTICES

As in most APD units, no goals and objectives have been established for unit
operations. Accordingly, no monitoring and evaluation of success is conducted. This
reduces the ability to evaluate progress and effective use of its resources in the most
productive manner.

Workload is generated by staff in narcotics cases as opposed to the 911 complaint


process. Most narcotics violators are locals, in many cases, known to the unit, with
activity seen from the Houston area occasionally. The unit investigates very few large
scale conspiracies. Most cases are two to three persons involved in street or home sales.
They conduct a significant number of surveillances and stakeouts to make cases,
generally focusing on points of sale in homes and places of business.

The Tip Line is not used as much as the unit would like. Many tips do generate good
cases. All tips are investigated, but no case is opened unless information is proven
valid. The unit advertises the Tip Line on the department’s Web page, as well as on all
calling cards used by the unit members. There is an email address to use to report tips.
However, it utilizes an alternative address for the unit commander and mentions his
name as part of the address.

The unit occupies office space in an office/warehouse park approximately five miles
from headquarters. The size and organization of the facility appears adequate for its
intended use. There are no signs outside. The facility is cleaned by trustees, who were
observed moving through the facility unescorted. The commander maintains there are
adequate safeguards in place to protect case information and documents that might be
in use, although no coversheets or other provision were observed. Numerous pieces of
information, the sensitivity of which is unknown, were observed on white boards in the
office complex while the trustees were cleaning.

The unit has trained entry teams. It does not use the department SWAT team. The
teams are fully equipped and have been trained by DEA to conduct threat assessments
for building or site entry for high risk targets. Training records list several courses
specific to entry activity: High Risk Entry, Officer Safety, High Risk Event Planning
System, and Tactical Drug Enforcement. Unit equipment is comparable to that of the
SWAT team. There appears to be limited coordination or information exchange
between SIT/SWAT and CID and Narcotics. Training records also indicate a focus on
narcotics training. Unit members have attended 44 classes since 1989, the bulk of which
(37) have taken place since 2002. The unit appears well qualified in terms of
understanding the interdiction of narcotics and dangerous drugs.

   
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Narcotics does not have a specialized computer system other than one to run the dial
number recorder. There is no case management support except that provided by the
RMS system (not the case management being tested by CID) and it provides case status
only. There is no intelligence system except for the Tip Line. The unit does not use link
analysis products to investigate mid- to upper-level conspiracies. Most computer
activity is associated with criminal history lookups or use of office automation software.

The unit has worked with the Parish Drug Task Force in the past. It has no members
permanently assigned at the present time.

SECTION 4: EVALUATION

The Narcotics Unit focuses on street level dealers. It has a modest caseload ranging
from 3.4 to 3.9 cases per month. Current caseloads do not justify the filling of the vacant
positions. The unit does not have goals or objectives. Information on cases and
caseloads needs improvement, as does the management of intelligence/tips. Better
coordination with other department units, and neighboring departments could also
improve this unit’s effectiveness. It is recommended that the staffing of the unit remain
at eight. The two vacant positions should not be filled.

The formal location of the unit as a direct reporting element to the Assistant Chief and
alleged direct access to the Chief, does little to achieve coordination and acceptance by
department units that share the obligation to keep Alexandria as drug free as possible.
Rather this gives rise to accusations of special status and lack of coordination. This is
further exacerbated by the fact that much of the crime investigated by other criminal
investigative units is generated by a need for money to buy drugs or as a byproduct of
the drug trade. Many offenders and their associates have interlocking relationships that
include a drug nexus. The co-use of, or at least access to, informants could result in
improved closure rates for all concerned. Electronic and other technical investigative
aids would be more available across the investigative family.

Both Narcotics and the SIT/SWAT/ERT unit/teams have the same capability and
equipment. This amounts to duplication of equipment purchases, training requirements
and impacts skill of the Narcotics personnel in other areas to retain competency. The
Narcotics officers appear well trained in “threat assessment” as pioneered by the DEA
and should be allowed to continue practicing it in the raid preparation phase in
conjunction with the SWAT teams, but actual initial breaching and entry should be a
SWAT function.

The absence of complex conspiracy investigations and larger seizures of drugs and
money, while somewhat indicative of the economy and home grown nature of the city’s

   
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drug problem, may also be the result of such cases being handled by the Parish Drug
Task Force (PDTF). While it is reported that Narcotics still do some case activity with
the Sheriff’s Office (SO), it is contended that the limits on overtime placed upon SO
personnel (none allowed even when case investigations dictate it) reduces that unit’s
effectiveness. The study team did not conduct an evaluation of PDTF operations, but
one can assume given the broader geographical area and access to information, more
trafficking cases are likely. In addition, there may be more access to informants and
information/tips (the SO also runs a tip line), even though the unit commander stressed
that they generally receive referrals from the SO. Participation should also reduce
duplication in equipment purchases, increase coordination, and better focus financial
resources again the entire area drug problem.

Software is limited to office automation and normal law enforcement database access.
There is no capability to conduct link analysis on case relationship or monitor
investigator workload or unity activity. There are numerous off-the-shelf software
products that can monitor case progress and compare productivity that will assist the
unit to monitor its own success.

Whether accurate or not, a significant rationale for the lack of coordination, beyond that
already addressed, is the fact that the separate unit is commanded by a sergeant while
others are usually commanded by captains and in some cases lieutenants. While rank
should be based upon responsibilities, one cannot dismiss its impact in rank and
protocol conscious agencies. The unit location and direct reporting chain also supports
this prejudice. The real problem though is the internal chain of command relationship
as well as the message to the community about how serious the department takes the
drug problem. In these cases, the change in rank for the commander from sergeant to
lieutenant merits consideration. This would better align the teams with sergeants as
supervisors, place the commander on a better rank based relationship with other CID
units and department units in general, while also signaling the community of the
department’s increased concern and commitment to addressing drug problems. It
should also enhance relationships with other agencies and specifically the PDTF.

The use of trustees to clean the covert Narcotics Unit facility seems counter-productive
to the understood need for a covert facility. The fact that they clean it when undercover
personnel are present, information is readily visible, and covert vehicles are in the
parking lot does not make any sense. This practice should be rethought with the goal of
replacement with a non-trustee workforce to reduce exposure of investigators.
Replacing trustees with a commercial crew, under proper supervision and working
when no investigators are present makes far better sense and should enhance officer
safety.

   
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The absence of any goals and objectives inhibits the unit from self evaluation of
effectiveness and reflects a common failure throughout the agency. This inhibits agency
wide evaluation of effectiveness and thus makes the agency slow to change in response
to threat variations. This is a serious issue throughout the agency and if left
unaddressed, will continue to impact progress.

The Narcotics Unit should be directed by a lieutenant. The Narcotics lieutenant would
report to the commander of the Investigative Services Bureau. The Narcotics Unit
would consist of two teams, each comprised of a sergeant and two investigators.
Providing staff support would a clerk. Two sergeants and four investigators should
provide sufficient staff.

Our recommended staffing for the Narcotics Unit would include:

• Lieutenant 1
• Sergeant 2
• Investigators 4
• Clerk 1

This is a reduction in staff of two vacant positions. Current workload can be addressed
with a staff of eight.

SECTION 5: RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Relocate the Narcotics Unit in the proposed Investigative Services Bureau to


improve coordination with other investigative units and refocus operations
toward a unified crime reduction goal.

2. Eliminate the Narcotics Unit high-risk entry team activity that duplicates
SIT/SWAT/SRT capabilities already present in the department.

3. Explore options to participate actively in the Parish Sheriff’s Office Drug Task
Force.

If there remains a continued problem with the overtime authorization under the
SO policies, the chief may need to sit with the Sheriff and explain the need for
flexibility. The focus of parish-wide operations should be on the dealer at higher
levels than capable by the department, thus the number of more complex cases,
yielding higher amounts of illegal drugs as well as forfeiture potential should
increase.

   
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4. Update the unit computer software to include narcotics-focused case


management capabilities that can also track individual investigator workload
for productivity analysis.

5. Ensure that link analysis software is part of the proposed department-wide


Crime Analysis and Criminal Intelligence Unit and that analysis time and
effort be programmed there to support the needs of the Narcotics Unit.

6. Increase the rank of the unit commander to lieutenant to make the unit on par
with other operating units in the department to demonstrate to the community
the seriousness of the commitment to reduce the availability of drugs in the
city.

This will realign the current supervision levels in the unit (sergeants as team
leaders) with the unit command.

7. Staff the unit as recommended in the evaluation.

8. Replace the trustee system of cleaning with contract cleaners.

Contractors should be supervised by department members other than the


narcotics investigators and designated a limited window for the cleaning where
no operations are underway and all materials and files in the building have been
secured. This will reduce exposure of the investigator’s identity to criminal
elements.

9. Establish annual goals and objectives for the unit and monitor them
throughout the year in order to better determine unit effectiveness.

Utilize the software referenced above to conduct on-going monitoring and


evaluation efforts.

10. A policy defining the organization and mission of the Narcotics Unit is
needed. Policies are also required at a minimum to direct the handling of
Confidential Informants, dispersal of buy monies, and forfeit seizures.

   
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CHAPTER IX. SUPPORT SERVICES

The Support Services Division houses several functions traditionally and properly
classified in the support category: the jail, the headquarters facility, and vehicles.

SECTION 1: ORGANIZATION AND STAFFING

The Support Services Division is commanded by a captain and staffed by a lieutenant,


two civilian jailers, and an administrative aide/clerk. The lieutenant recently was
assigned. It is not known how long this assignment will last. The lieutenant was in
Patrol.

SECTION 2: ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The unit oversees the maintenance and engineering requirements of the police
headquarters facility, including preparation of work orders for city agency handling.
The unit transports incarcerated city arrestees/prisoners from the parish jail to court
and coordinates maintenance and removal/replacement of fixed mount radios for
department vehicles. Programming and procurement of laptop equipment, as well as
portable radios, are handled through the Communications Division. On two occasions,
study staff observed the captain physically removing fixed-mount radio equipment
from police units. While the department has a contract with a local company for initial
installation of radios and emergency equipment in place, there is no provision for the
periodic removal and repairs that may be required, perhaps explaining unit
involvement here.

The jailer function is a holdover from a period before arrestee booking was consolidated
at the parish jail and responsibility assigned to the Sheriff’s Office. Currently, arresting
city officers transport prisoners to the parish jail and complete the booking process
there. Jailers transport prisoners arrested by city officers from the jail to court. They
also transport witnesses on request. They pick up jail trustees for maintenance
assignments at headquarters and narcotics offices and return them to the jail at the end
of the work day.

Department supply functions (office supplies, limited uniform accessories, and leather
gear) are handled by a lieutenant assigned to the Special Operations Division. Actual
ordering of uniforms is accomplished through a uniform retail store in town.

   
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SECTION 3: EVALUATION

Much of what is done by this unit appears to be historically assigned or left over from
previous operational requirements. The captain has been in his position since he was a
sergeant, the position reclassified each time he was promoted. This is particularly
apparent with the bifurcated approach to the entire communications equipment
procurement and maintenance process which involves two captains and, now, two
lieutenants to accomplish.

The jailer positions are holdovers from operations that are no longer primary to the
APD, making them no longer justifiable. Considering the jailers are civilians and thus
have no arrest authority, their ability to prevent escape of trustee is questionable. The
use of trustees to maintain city facilities, while having merit from a fiscal standpoint,
needs review from the operational control view. Since jailers do not remain with the
prisoners while they work, further questions arise regarding the need for their services.
Although the transportation of prisoners appears more custodial, their level of custodial
control does not appear to increase. Transport requests from witnesses should be
handled through a taxi company as needed with reimbursement or the use of
volunteers; special situations may require the original investigating officer to handle
those requests.

SECTION 4: RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Assign communications systems design and procurement to the


Communications Division within the proposed Administrative & Support
Services Bureau.

The personnel assigned to the in-house side of this function should be properly
qualified civilian staff. The assigned sworn positions to should be reallocated to
line functions as needed or abolished.

2. Outsource installation and maintenance to a local communications repair


company.

3. Abolish the jailer function or outsource court-related and trustee transport


services to the parish jail.

Witness transport should be handled by commercial taxi or in special situations,


the original investigating officer. The use of volunteers here may also be an
option.

   
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CHAPTER X: WARRANTS AND RECORDS

The APD Warrants and Records Division itself is not the subject of a department rule,
regulation, or comprehensive policy directive. Procedures for processing reports and
records are covered in sections 511.1 – 511.7. The warrants and wanted file is discussed
in section 619.

SECTION 1: ORGANIZATION AND STAFFING

The Warrants and Records Division reports directly to the Assistant Chief of Police and
is staffed with a captain, two sergeants, one corporal, and seven civilian clerks (one
assigned to warrants, two for UCR/LIBRS, and four for records).

The division has several formal or informal sections operating within it, including
Warrant Control, Misdemeanor Investigators, Digital Transfer Section, UCR Reporting,
and General Inquiry and Walk-in reception.

SECTION 2: ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The unit is responsible for:

‰ Repository for written copies of event and arrest reports


‰ Reconciliation of reports received versus CAD records of reports written
‰ Processing of paper reports not completed via the MDT paperless system
and ultimate input to the digital records system
‰ Assembly and distribution of UCR and LIBRS reports on required time
intervals
‰ Editing, publication, and distribution of department written directives
‰ Response to public requests for official records
‰ Receipt of initial misdemeanor reports and subsequent warrant
application for walk-in applicants or patrol-referred cases
‰ Initial reception of visitors to police headquarters
‰ Maintenance of the department’s digital records transfer program.

Records. Report flow can start at one of three places: CAD dispatch and
clearance, walk-ins (misdemeanor or felony), or officer-generated (initial or follow-up
case activity). Once the report is completed, a member of Records validates the

   
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dispatch record against the report completion notification by the ADSI/RMS system.
There is no formal process to review written reports for proper classification and
clearance. Only the existence of a report for a specific event number is checked. The
writing officer’s supervisor must review and approve the report to clear it for Records
processing. Interviews and observations by staff indicated this review varies greatly by
supervisor. Once approved, the report is available in RMS for review and further
processing.

In the case of paper records, an additional step is required for scanning and digital
update of the report into the RMS system. These paper reports follow a similar
validation process as the digital version. Copies are then forwarded either electronically
or via mail to the appropriate external agency that is the proponent for the form. In the
case of citations, many are also forwarded to the court system for further processing
and action.

While the majority of event reports have been automated and are electronically
prepared, transmitted, and digitally stored, some paper reports continue to require
processing and storage. These include, among others, vehicle storage, DUI, some arrest
components, and citations. Many of these are state-required reports and are completed
on specific forms that are not part of the in-house automated system. While some paper
based preparation of arrest records has been mitigated with the assumption by the
Parish Sheriff’s Office of all prisoner processing, many still and will for the immediate
future, remain a requirement. These are processed against CAD dispatch or walk-ins,
and ultimately forwarded for scanned input into the department’s digital system.

UCR/LIBRS Section. The UCR/LIBRS section is staffed by a sergeant who is


also the second in command of Records. He monitors data for compliance and prepares
the required periodic reports to the state and federal agencies. Throughout the study he
was the focal point of IACP requests and had great difficulty complying for a variety of
reasons. These included both data storage and retrieval issues which were further
compounded by limited training in the operation of the department’s ADSI/RMS
system. The software does not have a built-in ad hoc user friendly, report writer, and
he was not familiar with anything but the pre-formatted output reports of the system.
This frustrated processing the batch queries that the IACP submitted despite their
generalized formats.

The UCR sergeant is also responsible for the review, publishing, and distribution of the
department’s written directive system. In 2007 the department submitted a complete
revision of its written directive system to the city administration for review and
approval by the Mayor. It was received back during the course of this study. The UCR
sergeant was assigned the responsibility of updating the WordPerfect version to
Microsoft Word and distributing of the final copy. When asked why Records was

   
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tasked with this requirement, he advised that Records has always handled the
distribution of the written directives. The UCR sergeant has not been trained in the
development or maintenance of directives nor does he appear to have time for the task.
There are no historical files of directives within the Records area for judiciary review on
demand of case actions.

Misdemeanor Investigations Section. The Misdemeanor Investigations Section


is staffed by a sergeant and a corporal and is tasked with the interview and
determination of a misdemeanor criminal event from citizen victims. Once the event
has been verified, the officers will complete an application for a warrant and walk that
through the court system for issue. Once issued, a copy is forwarded to warrant control
for recordation and system processing. These officers may call the accused suspect in
for an “arrest by appointment,” but in most cases the warrant just becomes an active
warrant listed in the system awaiting service by either directed patrol or chance
encounter such as a traffic stop. The section handles only misdemeanor events as all
felonies are referred to CID.

Warrant Section. The Warrant Section is responsible for the recordation and
storage of warrants issued by the court system that are related to department cases. In
most cases these are duplicate warrants as the issuing court may retain the original.
Whether the warrants are received by mail, inter-office mail, electronically, or from the
Misdemeanor Investigator Section, they are reviewed for completeness and input into
the RMS system by the assigned clerk. If not electronic, a copy is scanned into the RMS
by the Digital Scanning Section. The warrant clerk will also retrieve paper copies of
warrants in response to department member requests.

Digital Scanning Section. The Digital Scanning Section is responsible for


scanning all paper reports and associated support documents into the RMS system. In
addition, they are engaged in a rather large project to scan all historical report activity
into the system. This project is estimated, with current staffing, to require several years
worth of effort. The state law provides for minimal storage requirements of the actual
paper file, and thus the effort is focused on those records that are beyond that
requirement. Such an effort will continue indefinitely since certain records still require
initial paper production. Arrest records have an indefinite retention requirement with
some uncertainty as to the compliance of digital versions. Once the paper record has
been processed normally, it is forwarded here for digital input. A minimum of one
clerk is dedicated to this process (although two are formally assigned), with additional
help provided as workload permits.

   
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SECTION 3: WORKLOAD

No workload data other than that associated with the number of reports generated by
CAD or the RMS section is maintained, thus no analysis was performed. Anecdotal
observations by the IACP seemed to indicate no lack of work for the assigned staff and
the unit commander indicated that any additional staff would be assigned to the
historical records digital entry project. Space assigned to the unit appears adequate for
customer service and ease of citizen response for assistance.

SECTION 4: EVALUATION

Staffing seems appropriate for the division. Interviews with other department
personnel did not reveal any deficiencies or failure to provide internal records retrieval
services, however this workload is rather light due to comprehensive access from most
desktop computer workstations.

Capacity to perform advanced computer-based data extracts from the ADSI/RMS


beyond pre-packaged reports, particularly for CAD and UCR data, is lacking. A
complete discussion of the RMS system and other technologies is covered in Chapter XI.
Information Management.

Responsibility for policy development, updates/revisions, and content-compliance with


law and best practices, should not be the responsibility the UCR Sergeant. We propose
tasking this responsibility to a civilian within the Training/Planning Division of the
proposed Administrative and Support Services Bureau. Such a move would allow
policies and procedures to be maintained on a current basis by a single, assigned unit.

The concept of the misdemeanor investigation component has limited efficiency, while
providing direct customer service at the same time. Unfortunately, little workload data
is maintained on operations, which limited any cost efficiency analysis against field unit
assumption of the activity. In addition, the requirement for sworn personnel to provide
this service appears limited to the need for arrests subsequent to warrant issuance,
another activity that could be performed by field personnel.

SECTION 5: RECOMMENDATIONS

The staffing of the Warrants and Records Division appears sufficient and operations are
functional and supportive of department needs, however some changes are
recommended. These include:

   
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1. Rename the division the Information Management Division and reduce the
sworn commander (captain) position to that of lieutenant.

2. Continue the Misdemeanor Investigator program for the time being, but
reduce the staff to two corporals and initiate workload data collection to
facilitate future analysis of staffing, need, and functional operation.

3. Re-emphasize accurate and timely UCR production and monitoring for trends
and realignment of department programmatic focus.

4. Re-assign the responsibility for the development, publication, and


distribution of the department’s written directive system to the Planning Unit
of the Training / Planning Division.

This would also include coordination of periodic reviews and maintenance of the
historical records for directives. This function would be closely aligned with the
inspections activities of the Professional Standards Division.

5. Consider future civilianization of the unit commander as the above changes


become more stabilized and imbedded.

   
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CHAPTER XI. INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

The capacity of police agencies to protect the community is increasingly dependent on


its information and intelligence assets and effectiveness. The Post 9-11 era has brought
new responses to terrorism, including regional fusion centers, new crime threats such as
identify theft, and new policing philosophies such as intelligence-led policing. These
changes introduce demand for more sophisticated 21st Century staff specialties such as
cybercrime experts, intelligence analysts, and ever more knowledgeable technologists.

SECTION 1: ORGANIZATION AND STAFFING

No single unit or ad hoc or permanent work group appears to be responsible for


information and intelligence management or resources in the APD. Information
management and support responsibilities are spread across three divisions:
Communications and Technical Services, Support Services Divisions, and Warrants and
Records. The resources and equipment supported range from CAD dispatch operations
to individual officer equipment such as portable radios.

SECTION 2: INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE

The information infrastructure of the APD, both hardware and software, is listed below.

‰ Hardware used by the Department:

- RMS, CAD1, CAD2: IBM System x3650 Servers (3), Linux OS


- Digital Car Cameras 1 and 2: HP Proliant DL 380G5 Servers (2)
Windows Server 2003
- Phone & Radio Recorder & Playback: Higher Ground Fusion Series
7 Sever, Windows XP Pro
- Laserfiche Systems: Supermicro Server Windows Server 2003 (used
by Records)
- Outside Security Cameras: Dedicated Micros Sprite Digital Video
Recorder
- Inside Security Cameras: Everfocus EDVR 16D1 Digital Recorder

‰ Desktop Clients to system: approximately 100, Windows XP Pro

‰ Laptop clients to system/MDTs: 115 , Windows XP Pro

   
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‰ Printers: approximately 50-75 networked and standalones

‰ Software Components:

- RMS, CAD,
- AVL-Mapping, Mobile Data Force, Outs-NCIC interface,
- Tow Rotation, Warrant Control, Arrests Control, False Alarm
Billing, Property and Evidence,
- Crash-Accident Reporting (pending deployment)
- Police Training System (not used; see notes in Training Section on
non-linked Approach databases)
- Case Management System (under testing, May 2009, for adoption
by CID; based on interim IACP recommendation)
- Field Interview/Citizen Contact (under test by CID based on IACP
interim recommendation)
-
‰ Client machines utilize:

Microsoft Office 2003, WordPerfect (limited remaining use; changing all


over to MS Office), Lotus Notes (city email application pending migration
to MS Outlook and Exchange Server), Thinkstream Justice (CJIS system
for interagency communication and inquiries), Lotus Smartsuite/
Approach (used on decentralized client based desktops for unit specific
databases; see discussion that follows).

SECTION 3: TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE

Repair services associated with these items are provided by sworn personnel assigned
to either the Communications and Technical Services or the Support Services Divisions.
They remove and re-install equipment in vehicles and perform first-level trouble
shooting of both equipment and software. Actual technical repair is accomplished by
outside contract vendors.

Although there is an installation contract in place for fixed mount radios, there is no
similar contract for repair. This forces the captain in charge of Support Services to act as
a radio repairman and physically remove the radios and send them out for repair on an
individual basis. He also provides primary maintenance duties for the building security
cameras as well as those mounted in the patrol vehicles.

   
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Limited system support for CAD/RMS is provided by an off-site contractor (ADSI),


however observations during the study indicate the vast majority of support is
provided by the Communications and Technical Services Division lieutenant. The
captain and lieutenant assigned to the Communications and Technical Services Division
provide troubleshooting services and maintain the internal LAN structure and
components such as repeaters and modems. On several occasions, the study team
observed these officers on ladders with their heads inside the drop ceiling working on
these systems.

In addition to police needs, the Communications lieutenant also supports


approximately 10-12 Fire Department operated desktop computers, as they have no IT
support either and no one on staff that understands computer systems. There is no
monetary reimbursement for these systems.

Contractor support for the major computer software systems is with ADSI located in
Southaven, Mississippi, with limited local support from an ADSI sales representative.
The city’s information technology department is ultimately responsible for computer
services to city agencies but has essentially taken a hands-off approach toward the
police department.

We reviewed all components of the major software system and found them to be
focused on serving the department’s basic needs such as CAD dispatch and records
management. While the ADSI system has an acceptable array of sub-modules available
within it, most require separate licenses and at the time of the study only a few such as
those associated with property and evidence, arrest tracking, and warrant control, were
licensed. In all, the current system offers up to 18 modules in a variety of areas:

‰ Accident Reporting
‰ Arrest Control
‰ Batch Reporting
‰ Case Management
‰ Community Safety
‰ Confidential Info
‰ Domestic Violence
‰ Field Interview
‰ Incident Reporting
‰ Pawn Shop
‰ Personnel

   
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‰ Personnel Training
‰ Police Inventory Control
‰ Police Training System
‰ Property & Evidence
‰ Warrant Control

Of special interest are the case management and confidential information modules, both
under CID evaluation toward the end of the study, and may have value to the Narcotics
Unit as well. Additional modules worth consideration include domestic violence,
personnel (HR), and training. If implemented, these could either replace existing local
desktop databases with little functionality (training), as well introduce critically needed
data (domestic violence and personnel).

SECTION 4: INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

The department suffers from a somewhat universal failure to make use of available data
to monitor unit and departmental effectiveness. Capacity to perform advanced
computer-based data extracts beyond pre-packaged reports, particularly for CAD and
UCR data, is lacking. As a result, very little workload data is available at the
department or individual unit level, a deficiency that frustrated our analysis. The
difficulty the study team experienced in obtaining basic data from CAD/RMS indicates
that few if any managers use this data to evaluate department responses to rising trends
in several crime categories.

The workload activity that is captured is usually in the form of individually developed
paper-based products. Where computer programs are being used, it is on the local
desktop level, independent from other workstations, and with primitive program
design. In many cases, these programs are of use to no one but the immediate user of
the workstation. An example of this is the Field Interview Report database. Paper
copies of field contact data are sent to a Records Division receptionist who inputs them
into a locally developed Lotus Approach database accessible from a limited number of
other computers. This database contains information on citizen problems as well as
linkages between people, places, and times that could be valuable to investigative
personnel. Interviews revealed that little if any use is made of this data except on a
limited basis by the Community Services sergeant and occasionally by a detective or
two who were aware of the program’s existence. No broad-based analysis, access, or
oversight was in place. In fact, discussions with technical staff revealed no controls
regarding ad hoc database creation and maintenance, nor any review of potential
duplication of data collection, storage, or retrieval.

   
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The IACP found many of these stand-alone databases throughout the department in
areas such as Training, Narcotics, Communications and Technical Services, as well as
those associated with agency crime, event, and workload. In each case, it was difficult
to determine the purpose and intended use of these files. Data was found in Excel
spreadsheets, Lotus Approach and Notes files, word processing documents, and other
assorted computer-based products. Many of these files were spread out on various
desktop computers with no general access or validity controls. For example, when we
asked for overtime data, we received it from several sources with no confidence in its
accuracy. Further, we could not find any formal department policy on development of
these data sources.

SECTION 5: EVALUATION

The department as a whole is not monitoring program effectiveness and workload, and
what little effort is made here is usually based upon unreliable data. In addition, where
data does have a high degree of reliability, most managers lack training on the software
needed to access the data or the software is too complex for their use. This is further
complicated by the absence of a unit or personnel tasked with analysis responsibility
and support for department managers.

The department lacks dedicated crime analysis software or personnel. While our
recommendations in other areas of the report have made arguments for specialized
software to support narrow needs (such a link analysis in CID and Narcotics) those
recommendations should not be construed as encouraging the creation of the same type
of local databases we have criticized. We do see the need for these narrow use
programs, but only under the oversight of both operational (Crime Analysis Unit) and
technical (Information Technology) personnel.

We found far too many instances of duplicative and un-verifiable data stored on local or
system equipment that contained programmatic data. Many areas of this report lack
quantitative analysis of staffing, evaluation of command guidance and direction, and
recommendations for change that are directly related to the absence of verifiable data.
This lack of reliable data also frustrates confidence of the managers in using data as an
evaluation tool on a routine basis. For the department to improve its response to
changing crime patterns and adequately evaluate those responses, accurate, timely, and
reliable data, that can be easily accessed by non-technical personnel is essential.

For the department to stay ahead of ever-changing computer technology and related
innovations for use in reducing crime and increasing the quality of life, technical
knowledge and understanding of computer systems and their related capabilities is
critical. Reliance upon non-technical, sworn staff to perform this function is not cost

   
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effective or productive, no matter their dedication to the task. Further, competency in


this area does not require arrest powers or, in many cases, specific experience as a police
officer. Thus, it is much better suited for civilian staffing. While the current sworn staff
has done an exceptional job keeping systems running, a change to more technical staff
will enhance not only on-going maintenance and support, but also provide the
department with technical expertise to respond to information needs for future
development of improved systems as requirements change.

SECTION 6: RECOMMENDATIONS

To restructure the APD information management capacity for data-driven policing, the
following actions should be taken.

1. Establish of an Information Technology Division, staffed with civilians,


within the Administrative and Support Services Bureau.

The unit should be tasked with both current system maintenance and support, as
well training of department personnel in the access and use of the available data.

2. Create a crime analysis capability within the division, with user- friendly data
analysis tools.

3. Reduce the number of stand-alone/duplicative desktop application databases


in favor of distributed, on demand data that has a high degree of reliability.

4. Standardize desktop applications on one software suite and support same


through initial and periodic training.

5. Constantly monitor UCR and LIBRS reporting systems for compliance and
accuracy.

Make the underlying data available for unit level analysis and monitoring
through availability of more user-friendly and intuitive ad hoc reporting
systems.

6. Provide units requiring routine query of data for effectiveness analysis with
either macro-based queries or pre-formatted output reports from with the RMS
system.

7. Integrate data analysis with department goals and objectives to facilitate


constant monitoring of effectiveness.

   
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8. Integrate information technology needs within the budget process and


identification and planning of any new program initiatives.

9. Seek commitment from ADSI to make data more accessible to the non-
technical person.

At the same time, maintain compliance with LIBRS data collection needs and
reporting requirements. Review the current report writer for user friendliness
and provide more training to users to increase use of data to evaluate program
effectiveness.

10. Provide access and availability of specialized software such as link analysis
tools, to units requiring it such as CID and Narcotics.

Provide extensive training and periodic review of use for all personnel that need
these programs on a routine basis to ensure maximum use.

11. Implement review of ADSI sub-modules for continued use and future
licensing to support unit levels and department-wide operational needs.

While some of this is already underway in the CID, this review should be
department-wide in focus and stress use at unit level for both workload and
crime trend monitoring. The crime analysis and technology units should lead
this review. The department must refocus management oversight of workload at
the unit level and can only do so with accurate and comprehensive data
availability.

   
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CHAPTER XII. LEGAL SUPPORT

The statutory criminal code, judicial interpretation/ruling foundation of police work is


pervasive. Field actions, including interviewing, interrogation, and arrest, policy
development, privacy considerations, due process, hiring, discipline, and traffic work,
especially stops, are a mere fraction of policing dimensions that require constant legal
attention.

SECTION 1: POLICIES AND PRACTICES

The APD does not have a staff attorney. The City Attorney provides professional legal
support through contracts when requested by the APD. This occurs periodically, case-
by-case. Three suits against the department are currently being handled by contract
legal professionals.

On-call assistance, particularly for criminal matters, does not seem to be available.
Westlaw information can be accessed electronically. Reading and dissemination of
legal bulletins does not seem to be routine.

In-service training offerings show evidence of sporadic legal training/updates.

SECTION 2: EVALUATION

Absence of even a modest legal support capacity is not tolerable. This condition is a
disservice to the public and the men and women of the APD. Immediate correction is
called for. The amount of “undone” legal work justifies appointing a full-time staff
attorney or the equivalent through a contract arrangement. A staff arrangement
promises better continuity. Ensuring that written directives meet legal standards,
reviewing and strengthening training curricula, developing legal update bulletins, and
being available to command and first-line officers to guide decision-making are general
categories of essential activity.

IACP’s Legal Officers Section can provide guidance and models for establishing the
function.

SECTION 3: RECOMMENDATIONS

To professionalize APD operations and minimize risk and liability to/for officers,
supervisors, and commanders, the following actions should be taken:

   
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1. Acquire a full-time legal resource.

Either a staff appointment or contractual arrangements can be considered.

2. Prioritize workload and activities, especially major projects, for the new legal
officer.

Legal review of highest-liability policies should be the first order of business.


Treating the entire manual and holding release until the entire job is finished is
not recommended.

   
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CHAPTER XIII. PLANNING AND RESEARCH

Neither planning nor research is the subject of a policy or directive. Its responsibilities,
activities, and productions are not treated in the APD or city budget documents.

SECTION 1: ORGANIZATION AND STAFFING

Planning and Research is a one-person office (a lieutenant) that reports directly to the
chief of police. Work hours are standard day shift hours, Monday through Friday.
Training records document 31 courses for the lieutenant, 1978 through 2008, including
five entries for grant management.

SECTION 2: GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

None exist for this unit.

SECTION 3: POLICIES AND PRACTICES

The lieutenant’s duties include grants management, officer recruitment, and consent
decree compliance monitoring. The lieutenant teaches cultural diversity in the
academy.

The APD grant portfolio consists of eight grants:

‰ JAG (Justice Assistance): Anti drug; $100,000 for overtime and equipment.

‰ Highway Safety: $50,000 for state selected traffic enforcement priorities.

‰ Truancy: Recently completed. Boys and Girls Club partnerships.

‰ PSN: Federal Project Safe Neighborhood grant, $70,000, for overtime to


combat gun trafficking and gun crimes.

‰ DARE: Drug Awareness Recognition Education, salary for one officer.

‰ Vests: $15,000 federal grant to purchase protective (bullet proof) vests.

‰ LETTO: Law Enforcement Terrorism Technology Program, $67,227, for


personal protective equipment and interoperability technology (U.S.
Department of Homeland Security)

   
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‰ 100 Days: $4,600 (U.S. Department of Homeland Security)

Grants management duties include periodic filing of progress and financial reports,
training, and evaluation.

The lieutenant coordinates department recruiting efforts and monitors a


Minority/Women Hiring Disparity consent decree. This entails twice-annual reports
that document/explain why a member of the two protected classes was not successful
in the application or promotion process. The reports go to an independent compliance
monitor, a local attorney. A discussion of the department’s recruitment efforts and the
lieutenant’s role in that regard can be found in Chapter XVIII. Career Development,
Training and Education.

SECTION 4: EVALUATION

Unlike many police planning and research units, this one does not manage policy and
procedures updates, conduct evaluations, or special projects. These functions are
diffused in the APD. The chief is responsible for deployment. The Assistant Chief is
responsible for the policy manual, although we also found the sergeant in Records
heavily involving. Innovations, equipment studies, program/strategy development is
expected to occur agency-wide.

An agency the size of APD requires a planning and evaluation capacity. It is our
recommendation that the planning function be combined with training to form a
training/planning division. The following functions in addition to training should be
delegated to this division:

‰ Policies and Procedures: Responsible for maintaining the policy manual


and issuing updates as needed for the manual

‰ Responsibility for grant monitoring, grant reports, and the submission of


grants

‰ Program development and evaluation

‰ Development and fielding of an accountability system (Compstat), in


conjunction with the Crime Analysis Unit and Inspection function within
Professional Standards.

‰ Special projects.

   
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‰ Recruitment

‰ Research

It our recommendation that the training/planning division would be directed by a


lieutenant. The lieutenant would report to the Bureau Commander of Support Services.

Proposed staffing for training includes:

• Lieutenant 1
• Sergeant 2
• Corporal 1
• Civilian Planner 1
• Clerk 1

SECTION 5: RECOMMENDATIONS

1. A greater planning and research capacity should be developed for APD.

2. A Training and Planning Division should be establish to house training,


planning, policy development, grant work, and accreditation.

3. This unit should be staffed as proposed in the evaluation.

   
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CHAPTER XIV. REENTRY AND SEX OFFENDER PROGRAMMING

Offender reentry and sex offender monitoring are not the subject of a department rule,
regulation, policy, or directive.

SECTION 1: REENTRY PROGRAMMING

Reentry programs focus on reintegrating offenders as productive members of society.


When released from prison or jail. These programs, which often require comprehensive
case management of the offender, are intended to achieve several goals. The first is to
help offenders gain the skills required to succeed as contributing members of society.
The second is to present a conscious effort to keep released offenders area that the
criminal justice community has a vested interest in their success as well as to prevent
future criminality. Effective programs cannot be single agency based. Efforts of a
broad coalition of community resources are required to be successful. Successful
programs begin at the sentencing phase, where the focus on rehabilitation throughout
the offenders’ contact with the system is made known and planned.

Under provision of state law, the APD receives notification from the Louisiana
Department of Corrections on the release of any inmate who was arrested by the APD
or who had indicated as part of his release processing that he will be a resident of
Alexandria. This notice is received and processed by the Records Division and a copy is
forwarded to the Criminal Investigations Division. Interview with staff indicates
neither division has any further use of this information, except occasionally by a
detective who may check on a specific person on the list. There is no formal program in
place for any follow-up face-to-face visits. Notification documents are maintained by
the Warrants and Records Division in an Excel spreadsheet locally within the unit.

SECTION 2: SEX OFFENDER PROGRAMMING

Sex offender monitoring programs differ somewhat in that the focus is more toward
prevention of future sex offenses. Recidivism rates for serious sex offenders are
dangerously high. The federal program was authorized by the Adam Walsh Child
Protection and Safety Act of 2006. That program provides guidelines for registration
and monitoring, as well as residency restrictions, which include face-to-face follow-up
visits. This has resulted in a National Sex Offender Registry and additional guidelines
by each state to implement the requirements of the law. A byproduct of the prevention
aspect of the original legislation is that the face-to-face visits offer law enforcement an
opportunity to apply some aspects of reentry programming to sex offenders,
employment and community interaction, and STET treatment, for example.

   
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Reintegration of sex offenders can be problematic given the stigma society associates
with the original acts as well as residency issues.

The sex offender programming in Alexandria is conducted by the parish Sheriff’s


Office, where all notifications are recorded. Visits and follow-up visits are conducted
by RPSO deputies. The APD is also notified when a subject is a resident of the city. A
city ordinance requires that he/she personally register with the APD. Registration is a
one-time requirement unless an offender’s residence changes. It is his/her
responsibility to report any changes. The Warrants and Records Division maintains the
sex offender registration file. There is no organized follow-up by the APD on these
registrations. The registration information is also provided to CID, but no organized
follow-up was identified in that unit either. Coordination, as needed, is accomplished
with the SO, who will notify the APD if an offender goes missing.

SECTION 3: EVALUATION

Absence of operational involvement regarding returning offenders and sex offenders is


troubling. Both are believed to be effective in preventing future criminal acts by the
two classes of offenders, many violent. The absence of programs to make use of the
information supplied by the state in both situations raises concern about the
department’s overall crime prevention approach, which appears to be poorly integrated
and not well planned out. This is evidenced by our examinations of the functions of the
Community Services Officer, Community Policing Division, the absence of a
meaningful crime analysis effort, CompStat programming, and problem solving skills
among patrol officers. While the study does not suggest that the department duplicate
the Sherriff’s sex offender monitoring activities, it does call for the department to
position all of these activities as core elements of a crime prevention and community
policing initiative. By leveraging assets already in place, efforts to support internal
initiatives can be cost effective.

Of note during the study the only initiative (other than what was discussed above) that
personnel could point to was an effort by the State Probation and Parole Office to round
up all sex offenders and confine them to a building on Halloween night. This was given
as an example of prevention efforts that the department supported.

SECTION 4: RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Transform both reentry and sex offender programs from record keeping to
proactive crime prevention efforts that support and interact with overall
department goals for crime prevention and community policing.

   
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2. Ensure that all active field units (patrol, investigations, narcotics, and
communications) have electronic access (radio/computer) to current residency
of all former offenders as well as sex offenders as both an officer safety issues
as well as for investigative use.

3. Specifically focus on the reentry efforts, which are not part of the Sheriff’s
active sex offender monitoring, and link re-integration into citywide efforts at
job building and economic development.

4. Establish yearly goals and objectives for these programs, track information
within the department’s information system, and evaluate effectiveness
annually.

   
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CHAPTER XV. COMMUNICATIONS

Alexandria Police Department's Communications and Technical Support Division


provides dispatch service for the department and manages all technical support for the
department’s computer systems as well as administering LAN Equipment and software.
The division’s most important function is maintaining a communications center. This
chapter will address the communications function. Technical support is addressed in the
information management chapter of the report.

The Communications Center is the Public Safety answering point for calls requiring
police, fire, or emergency medical assistance. Calls are received on E-9-1-1 transfers from
the Rapides Parish Dispatch Center or 7 digit non emergency lines. This center serves a
population of approximately 47,000 (estimate 2008).

SECTION 1: ORGANIZATION AND STAFFING

The Communications and Technical Support Division is headed by a captain. The captain
reports directly to the Assistant Chief of Police. The captain is supported by a lieutenant.
The lieutenant’s role largely involves support of department technology.

Communications and Technical Support has an authorized staff of 24. Current staff is
comprised of a captain, a lieutenant, five sergeants, and 17 communication officers.

The current center provides several radio dispatch consoles and telephone answering
points. Generally two dispatch consoles are staffed around the clock, one dispatch console
for police and one dispatch console for fire and emergency medical. Two phone answering
sites are also staffed around the clock with call takers.

SECTION 2: WORKLOAD

Calls for service for Alexandria are relatively consistent in volume throughout the
morning and early afternoon hours, then moderately increase when school lets out. The
increase peaks between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm and evening hours, with calls for service
beginning to increase shortly after shift change (7:00 am) and increasing until 4:00 pm.
Call loads remain high throughout the afternoon and evening hours, decreasing
significantly after midnight and declining until 5:00 am.

Calculating activities for the two shifts, one finds calls for service heavier on days with
49% of activities on night shift and 51% of activity on day shift.

   
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Currently, night and day shifts are staffed evenly with a similar number of staff. Given
the similarity of workload on both shifts this is an appropriate distribution of officers.

Communications officers are cross-trained to serve as either call takers or dispatchers.


Except for trainees, communications officers change positions from dispatcher to call
takers. Sergeants, in addition to their administrative and supervisory duties, are
sometimes called upon to dispatch and take calls.

Calls come to this dispatch center in two ways. Regular seven digit calls come directly to
the center and are answered by a call taker. E-9-1-1 calls first go to the Parish dispatch
center, are answered, information from the caller is entered into the Parish’s CAD
(Computer Aided Dispatch System) and then the caller is transferred to the city’s dispatch
center. The caller is then interviewed again by the city’s call taker and the information
reentered into the city’s CAD.

All calls coming directly into or transferred from the county are first answered by a call
taker. The call taker receives the necessary information, address, nature of the call, and
any additional information needed by police or fire personnel. They then enter this
information into the Computer Aided Dispatch System.

This information is then forwarded by the computer to the appropriate dispatcher (Police
or Fire). The dispatcher receiving this information then dispatches the necessary personnel
or apparatus and adds additional information into the CAD on the nature of the response
and on the progress of the call. The CAD links each call entered into the system with a
unique identifier. All further actions related to that call will be traceable through this CAD
initiated identifier.

SECTION 3: PRACTICES

Ten and signal codes are used for dispatch and response. The specific codes used are
enumerated in General Order: 605.12.

Dispatching for emergency and alarm calls are governed by department policy. An alarm
policy (General Order 609.6) establishes multiple car response, and identifies when
emergency responses are appropriate. Emergency response (code calls) is further
governed by General Order 605. Officers determine their level of code response. A pursuit
policy also guides officer and dispatcher roles in pursuits (General Order 608). The pursuit
policy does have some glaring omissions. Elsewhere in this report we recommend a
thorough review of the pursuit policy.

   
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Information is transmitted by the dispatcher to police and fire over the radio. The same
information is also available to an officer on the computer in his patrol vehicle. The officer
can recheck the address or other information provided by dispatch on the screen in the
patrol vehicle. The current system of wireless laptops tied to the CAD will permit silent
dispatch (dispatch entirely over the computer) but this option is currently not used.

All department staff are provided a unique identifier which is listed in the computer aided
dispatch system. This unique identifier permits all calls and activities to be traced to the
initiating employee. By policy all officers must report to the dispatcher upon coming into
service. They are also required to acknowledge in a timely manner when they are assigned
to a call, when they come on the scene of a call, and when they clear a call. When an officer
leaves/returns to their vehicle, they are responsible to notify dispatch. Officers are also
responsible to notify dispatch when they stop a vehicle, check a building or a suspicious
person or serve a warrant (General Order: 607).

A considerable proportion of dispatch workload involves responding to officer


informational inquiries. Officers most commonly request information from the
Communications Center on license and registrations of vehicles and drivers, criminal
history information, warrants and wants, and information on stolen property. A number
of other less common information inquiries can also be made through this
Communications Center.

To provide this information the Communications Center also interfaces with NCIC
(National Crime Information Center), NLETS (National Law Enforcement Tele-
Communication Systems), LLECCS (Louisiana Law Enforcement Computerized
Communications System), the Louisiana Operators License Information, and the Motor
Vehicle Registration File. Dispatchers also provide information for officers from the
department’s RMS (Records Management System).

For warrant inquiries dispatchers must not only check the RMS system, but when a
warrant is found, the dispatcher must also ensure that the warrant is still active.

Communications Center telecommunicators are also responsible for making department


entries into NCIC (General Order: 606.2). Dispatch staff transfer officer-initiated calls and
enter data into state and local computerized databases. They also validate NCIC
information, track missing persons, and issue BOLOs. Providing information to officers
on plate checks, warrants and wants, and criminal histories is a major source of work for
dispatch staff.

Officers do have the capacity to do many of these checks themselves on their field laptops
and some do. At this time the majority of computer inquiries needed by officers continue
to be done by dispatch staff.

   
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The Communications Center is supported by a number of labor saving/safety


technologies. The center has a number of one-button transfer phones that permit the quick
transfer of calls to common locations including some adjacent agencies.

The Communications Center dispatched a total of 71,948 calls for service for police and
fire in 2008. Police dispatches accounted for 65,683 dispatched calls, while Fire and EMS
numbered 6,265.

As is common in combined dispatch centers, workload varies dramatically from police to


fire. Activity for fire dispatch is modest. Police dispatch, however, is very active.

While there are no standards for the number of officers or the number of incidents a
dispatcher can manage, there does appear to be an emerging consensus that a dispatcher
can generally effectively manage between 20-25 officers at a time.

A 1995 study of dispatcher workload in Kings County Communications also found that 11
to 13 incidents per hour were generally the maximum one dispatcher could effectively
manage. Our own analysis suggests that up to 15 calls per hour – all else being equal – is
the upper limit of what a dispatcher can effectively address. One further factor – talk time
levels are also considered in determining proper staffing levels for dispatch points. It is
generally thought that 30%-35% talk time is as high as talk should go on a dispatch
channel.

Data is not available on talk time. The number of dispatch calls overall is averaging 8.2 per
hour. Fire calls account for approximately 10% of calls, leaving police dispatch with
around seven calls per hour. This is well within guidelines. Officers managed, the other
indicator for dispatch workload is also well within guidelines.

It is important to further note that calls per hour and officers on duty are not randomly
distributed across the day. Calls for service tend to be higher during the afternoon to early
evening.

All calls for service are dispatched. With the exception of a few calls informally
transferred to the desk officer, there is no differential response system for Alexandria.

Communication Officers work a 12-hour shift. Dispatchers are assigned to one of four
shifts. Day shift begins at 5:00 am and extends to 5:00 pm. Night shift extends from 5:00
pm to 5:00 am. There is equal assignment to shifts.

Alexandria Communications currently dispatches on an 800 MHz trunked system. Radio


frequencies appear adequate with few missed or delayed calls. Coverage for this trunked

   
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system appears excellent with coverage describes as “96% coverage for handheld radios
and 99% coverage for mobiles.”

Communications operates on a main dispatch talk group which is used for all patrol.
Back-up talk groups are used for routine traffic during emergencies. A talk around talk
group is also available for communications from car to car. As is common with 800 MHz
trunked systems, a number of other restricted talk groups are provided for special units
and operations. Some of these restricted talk groups which are used for tactical and
sensitive operations are encrypted.

In case of equipment malfunction, the Communications Center assigns a mobile radio unit
to each dispatch point to ensure that if the console goes down, the dispatcher can still
communicate. Portable radios and mobile phones are also available as backup in case of
equipment failure.

The city is divided into three police districts and nine zones. Calls are dispatched to the
zone officer if available. If unavailable they are dispatched to the nearest available officer.
The center does have a formal call priority system in place. If no officer is available, calls
are dispatched based on a call priority system as officers become available.

Authority is also given to the field supervisors to dispatch another car if they feel that the
original dispatched car cannot respond promptly.

There is a formal back-up policy in place. It specifies the conditions under which
additional units are sent to a call. Almost all in-progress calls require a back-up.

All incoming phone calls are taped by a digital recording system. Radio transmissions are
taped by Rapides Parish and are available for playback to authorized personnel. Call
checks are available at each dispatch location to play back recent radio and telephone
transmissions.

Communications is located in two large rooms on the second floor of Headquarters. The
main dispatch area is somewhat cramped. While it is of sufficient size for routine dispatch,
the current space would be indeed be cramped during an emergency. Rest rooms are near
the dispatch area. A break room is also in close proximity. Equipment is first rate.

The Communications Center has a computer aided dispatch system. The current system
(ADSI) has been in place for some time. The server for the CAD system is located at the
Communications Center. The CAD system is supported by a companion RMS system
provided by the same vendor. The department’s Record Management System (RMS) and
the Computer Aided Dispatch System (CAD) are interfaced. The CAD provides front end

   
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data for police reports, allowing the initiating call information to be linked to the officer-
generated report.

Back-up generators maintain the integrity of the radio system and the communications
area during power outages. The generator is tested once a month. In addition, a UPS
system provides back-up for individual units.

Interviews with officers provided a generally positive view of dispatch. Officers felt that
dispatchers were overall well trained and professional. Some normal complaints about
lack of information being provided by dispatchers about calls to which officers were
responding were heard. This is a common complaint in police agencies. Overall,
communications did appear to be meeting field officer’s needs.

SECTION 4: EVALUATION

The APD’s Communications Center is properly equipped. Telecommunicators appear


sufficiently trained and professional. Call rates addressed by staff for fire and police are
within professional guidelines. Call growth appears relatively stable and this center can
anticipate only modest workload growth in the near term.

The center is well equipped, with up-to-date equipment. The CAD (Computer Aided
Dispatch System), while it does have some drawbacks, interfaces well with the
department’s RMS System.

Calls are properly recorded, with recording of all telephone and radio transmissions.
Information and recording on telephone calls and radio transmissions are directly
available for authorized personnel from Rapides Parish when needed.

Dispatchers can also quickly monitor a recent call or radio transmission from a recording
device on their console. Phone lines appear adequate for call loads. The radio system is up
to date and provides excellent coverage.

Adequate safeguards are in place in case of equipment failure. Alternative communication


devices are assigned to each console, for both radio and telephone. The dispatch area is
secure with policy restricting access to dispatch areas

The APD Communications Center staffs two dispatch positions 24-hours a day, 365 days
per year. Two call taker positions are generally staffed. A sergeant is on duty at all times,
and serves as the dispatch supervisor. Telecommunicators work 12-hour shifts. This is an
efficient shift schedule and we recommend that this shift be continued.

   
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Current staff is insufficient to staff two call taker and two dispatch positions around the
clock. Current availability ratios require approximately five telecommunicators to staff
one post, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To adequately man four dispatch/call taker
posts requires 20 staff. Current authorized staffing includes 17 dispatchers and five
supervisors. To cover staffing shortfalls, call taker positions are reduced to one position
during slower call times. The supervising sergeant also assists in call taking.

Five police sergeants are assigned as supervisors in dispatch. Generally in most police
agencies, civilian communications trained supervisors direct dispatch operations. Most
dispatch centers are fully civilianized. Police sergeants as supervisors generally do not
have the dispatch experience and they are more costly. It is our recommendation that
police sergeants be replaced by civilian dispatch supervisors.

The civilian dispatch supervisors should be working supervisors. They should both
dispatch and call take as needed. With working supervisors, staffing of the center is
sufficient for current workload.

Turnover has an important impact on dispatcher availability. In 2008 there was no


turnover in communication personnel. This is indeed remarkable in a profession that
averages 17% turnover per year nationally. However, in 2007, four communications
officer positions turned over. The 2007 turnover did strain the communications unit.
Trainees are not fully effective and in particular have difficulties during the first couple of
months of their training in handling dispatch posts. It also takes several weeks to recruit
and hire a new dispatcher. Turnover has in effect reduced staff below the minimum
needed to adequately staff all posts.

Working understaffed results in additional stress upon regular dispatchers, as they


scramble to cover workload with fewer staff. This additional stress further contributes to
turnover.

This problem is faced by most communications centers. Communications centers address


this problem by either adding additional staff positions to cover turnover, or by over-
hiring when turnover is expected to ensure staff are available. It is our recommendation
that turnover be tracked carefully. When turnover is anticipated, the department should
over hire dispatchers to ensure sufficient staff.

Two dispatchers are needed around the clock, one for the police side and one for fire.
During the day time hours and in the evenings up to midnight two call takers are optimal.
From midnight to 8:00 am a single call taker would suffice. Consideration should be given
to differential assignment of those assigned to call taking.

   
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A significant source of workload for the police side are the numerous information
inquiries made by officers to dispatch for information on licenses, registrations, criminal
histories, and other information resources. Information inquiries add significantly to the
dispatch load.

Recently, field officers have been provided with the option to conduct their own inquiries
into the varied data systems on laptops in their cars. As is common with new technologies,
officers have been hesitant to use these computerized inquiry systems and continue to rely
on dispatch for inquiries on plates, licenses, and other needed information. It is
recommended that officers be required to use their laptops to seek most information,
relieving dispatch of this significant source of work.

Many departments today have the vast majority of data inquiries handled directly by the
officers with no ill effect. For those emergency inquiries where officer safety is a concern,
these inquiries should continue to use dispatch. Such inquiries are generally few, officers
running their own information inquiries for routine cases should reduce information
inquiries by approximately 80% to 90%.

As earlier developed, 9-1-1 calls go directly to Rapides Parish Communications Center,


where they are first answered. Calls for the city of Alexandria are first answered by the
Parish dispatchers and the information put in the Parish CAD, the call is then transferred
by a one-button transfer to Alexandria Dispatch. Especially during busy periods in the
Parish Dispatch Center this can take time, slowing response time.

There are several possible options to these dispatch delays. The most effective option
would be to automatically route all city calls directly to APD Dispatch using the ALI
(automatic location indicator) that is a part of the E 9-1-1 system. This option is best, since
every time a call is transferred the possibility of it being lost is increased. However, this
option may have to wait for a full geo-coding of the area. A more immediate option may
be linking the Alexandria and Parish CADs so that the call taker in the Parish could
automatically direct information to the dispatcher in Alexandria, reducing the time spent
doing double entry.

SECTION 5: RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Police sergeants should be replaced with civilian supervisors.

The civilian supervisors should be working supervisors and cover posts when
needed.

   
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2. Over hiring of dispatchers should be considered when turnover is anticipated.

3. Field officers should be encouraged to use their laptops to make routine


informational inquiries.

Only in cases where officer safety is a consideration should dispatchers be used as


an information resource.

4. The current 12-hour shifts should be continued.

5. It is recommended that automatic routing of 9-1-1 calls to Alexandria Dispatch be


considered.

Another option would involve linking of Parish and City Dispatch CADs with the
call taker in the Parish directly sending the information to the City Dispatcher.

   
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CHAPTER XVI. INTEGRITY – CITIZEN COMPLAINTS AND INTERNAL


AFFAIRS

In addition to Article 7 of its Canons of Police Ethics, Conduct Toward the Public, and
the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics (in its entirety), officer integrity and behavior,
citizen complaint protocols, and duties of the department in response, are treated in
Articles 301 and 203 of the Rules and Regulations, Procedures for Investigations of
Allegations and Complaints (301) and Purpose of Professional Standards Division (302).

‰ 301.1 It shall be the policy of this Department to investigate allegations


and complaints through lawful investigatory techniques. The
burden of proving guilt rest (sic) with the Department.

‰ 302 Internal Affairs Officer shall act on behalf of the Chief of Police . . .:

- To assist in maintaining Department integrity


- To identify personnel guilty of misconduct so that they may be
retrained and corrected or disciplined through administrative
action
- To protect innocent members . . .
- To identify members who display a trend toward unacceptable
behavior . . .

Article 300, Recording and Expediting Complaints Against Departmental Members


regulates complaint procedures.

SECTION 1: ORGANIZATION AND STAFFING

The Internal Affairs Division (IA) also referred to as the Professional Standards
Division, Internal Affairs Unit, and Internal Affairs Officer in department directives and
organizational charts, is a direct reporting unit to the Chief of Police (although in the
definitions directive it is described as reporting to the Assistant Chief of Police). The
unit has been staffed by a detective sergeant. Administrative support, periodic typing,
comes from the chief’s secretary. The sergeant served in this assignment for about 2½
years. In February 2009, to enhance the CID function, the detective sergeant was
reassigned to CID as the deputy commander and the Internal Affairs Unit staffed with a
lieutenant, formerly assigned to CID. It is not known whether this staffing level is
permanent.

   
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SECTION 2: COMPLAINT PROFILE/WORKLOAD

Both citizens and department members file (or bring) complaints. Complaints are
received and/or investigated at the line level and by Internal Affairs. Table 43
summarizes the number of “formal” complaints recorded by Internal Affairs from 2004
to 2008.

The department averages about 17 cases per year. Eliminating the large number of
cases in 2007 produces an average of 12.5. The increase in CY 2007 seems to stem from
an executive level policy change (informal) of resolving administrative issues,
previously handled by first line supervisors through remedial training or counseling,
via the IA investigation route. Example of: referral of patrol vehicle accidents, where
the driver was held to be at fault, to an IA investigation. The IA sergeant convinced the
Chief that most of these low level administrative actions should be handled by first
line supervisors or commanders through the retraining or remedial action options
available at that level and the cases were diverted back later in the year.

In addition to Internal Affairs operations, the assigned investigator also conducts


background investigations on potential department hires. During 2008 it is estimated
that he would have completed in excess of 30 such investigations. Commencing in
September 2008, he was also tasked with doing limited background and criminal
history checks on city of Alexandria new hires (non-police); as of the end of October,
he had conducted six such investigations. The current directive (DD 302) does not
mention this responsibility.

Complaints are classified as official or non-official:

Official complaints: “Complaints made by a citizen or member against


departmental members or in the manner in which police service was delivered
where the complainant provides his name, address, and telephone number.

Or

Any complaint made by a citizen or member of criminal conduct by


departmental members whether or not the complainant discloses his name,
address, or telephone number.

Or

Any complaint of a non-criminal nature made by a citizen or member against


departmental members whereby the complainant does not give his name,

   
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Table 43

COMPLAINT PROFILE 2004-2008

Complaint Sources 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008* Total

External

‰ Rude and discourteous 3 1 2 3 2 11


‰ Conduct unbecoming 3 3 2 5 2 15
‰ Improper use of department equipment 1 1
‰ Excessive force 3 3 2 8 4 20
‰ Bias and prejudice 1 1
‰ Legal arrests 1 1
‰ Wrecker service __ __ __ __ 1 1

External Cases Opened 11 7 7 16 9 50

Internal

‰ Operation of city vehicles 1 2 3


‰ Conduct unbecoming 1 2 1 3 1 8
‰ Rude and discourteous 1 1 2
‰ Sexual harassment 1 1 2
‰ Unsatisfactory performance 1 1
‰ Insubordination 2 2
‰ Leave assigned post 1 1 2
‰ Abuse sick leave 1 2 3
‰ Private conduct 1 1
‰ Obey all laws 1 1
‰ Internal investigation 3 3
‰ Misuse of city property 1 1
‰ Neglect of duty 2 2
‰ Discredit department 1 1
‰ Commit/omit act 1 1
‰ Use of Taser __ __ __ __ 1 1

Internal Cases Opened 2 3 8 19 2 34

TOTAL CASES OPENED 13 10 15 35 11 84

____________________________________
* Through 10/31/08

Note: Spike in 2007 resulted from Administration opening more cases in areas not done before or since
that could have been handled through informal counseling or other supervisor remedial training; e.g.,
police vehicle accidents holding officer at fault became IA cases.

   
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address, or telephone number, but which in the opinion of the supervisor receiving the
complaint, is of such a serious nature to warrant recording or investigation.”

Unofficial complaints: Unofficial complaints are any complaints of a non-


criminal nature made by a citizen or member where the complainant refused to
provide his name, address or phone number and where the supervisor receiving
the complaint determines the allegation cannot be followed up or where the
allegation is not valid.”

(Source: DD 300.03)

SECTION 3: POLICY AND PRACTICE – INTAKE AND INVESTIGATION

The unit operations are guided by three directives:

‰ 300 Recording and Expediting of Complaints Against Departmental


Members

‰ 301 Procedures for Investigation of Allegations and Complaints

‰ 302 Purpose of Professional Standards Division

The unit is referenced in several other directives or rules:

‰ 506 Bias-Based Profiling

‰ 615 Violent Death Crime Scenes

‰ 634 Officer Involved Shootings

‰ Rule 158.6 Supervisor Responsibilities

Internal Affairs have sole authority to investigate under the following conditions:

‰ When directed to do so by the Chief of Police.

‰ The investigation is so complex that it would be impractical for the


accused member’s supervisor to undertake the task.

‰ When several officers of various commands are involved in an alleged


complaint.

   
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‰ Complaints allege criminal conduct by departmental members.

‰ Complaints allege internal harassment, threats, or false accusations.

Conflict over investigatory responsibility shall be resolved by the Chief of Police.

(Source: DD 300.11)

It is department policy to accept, record, and investigate all official complaints. If a


complainant does not provide his/her name and it does not raise to an “official
complaint” level, it will not be investigated unless the receiving supervisor feels that it
“is of such a serious nature to warrant recording or investigation.“ Definition of
“serious nature” is left to individual supervisors. While the department will take an
anonymous complaint it will not always investigate it.

If a complaint is received by an officer, it is to be referred to a supervisor. If other than


the Internal Affairs investigator, the supervisor is to determine if a complaint is
“official” or “non-official,” complete an Internal Affairs’ complaint form and, when
appropriate, conduct an investigation, or otherwise forward it to the division
commander, who will then forward it to the Internal Affairs Unit. Investigators at this
level may be the immediate supervisor or the supervisor’s commanding officer. If
handled at the unit or command level, the Internal Affairs Unit is to be notified, a
complaint number issued, and a completed investigation report forwarded. Other
than the immediate supervisor of the receiving employee or his/her division
commander, the only other authorized investigator is a member of the Internal Affairs
Unit. The officer under investigation is advised of the complaint. The written
complaint form does not require notarization.

The APD Web site does not reference the Internal Affairs function nor supply
instruction for filing complaints. It does have an information number and email form
for the department in general. Some complaints are received via this process. They
are forwarded to the Internal Affairs Office by the recipient at the info@cityoalex.com
email address. There is no brochure or other instruction for making complaints. The
Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office Web site has a web-enabled complaint form available.
It requires a name and home and cell phone number, excluding anonymous
complaints.

Line level investigations must be completed within 10 days and the results submitted
to the IA Unit. Four days is allowed for typing and transmittal. When an investigation
is conducted by the IA Unit (the more serious and complex cases), they have 60 days to

   
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complete. These periods are codified in the Louisiana Police Officers Bill of Rights,
which has a provision for extensions.

Officers under investigation have a right to have counsel present during any interview.
The APD directive does not speak to the LAPOBOR’s requirement to allow up to 30
days for an officer to obtain counsel and that all interviews or questioning of officers be
stayed during that period. A block of entry level training is devoted to IA functions
and rules. Specific training is not required, nor conducted, for supervisors or
commanders, who are tasked to investigate certain complaints.

Directives vest final disciplinary authority with the Chief. The IA report is considered
a factual evaluation of an incident, without benefit of punishment recommendations.
Case files reviewed by IACP staff did not contain punishment recommendations by the
IA staff. There is no provision in the directives for the IA Unit to be appraised by the
Chief of final disciplinary action, although the sergeant advised that the chief does in
fact do that.

An annual summary of investigations is not prepared. Periodic summaries, name


redacted, are not provided to the media on a regular basis, although they are informed
of high profile issues when they ask the department about them. In these cases, the IA
Unit commander prepares the release. The initial complainant or victims of
investigated incidents are contacted and advised of results and disciplinary actions.

Internal Affairs occupies an office on the first floor of headquarters, near the main
entrance. This location provides reasonable access for citizens. It does not provide
private access. To see investigators, persons must check in with the Records Counter
administrative personnel who call investigators to the front to greet visitors. Direct
contact via telephone and email can be provided. Faxing goes through the Records
Division. Case management software (IPTM IA Trak) is loaded on the unit computer.
Access is restricted to assigned investigator(s). Data files reside on the department
server, located in a restricted access area, and are backed up every day to another
department secure server with restricted access. At the time of the study, the sergeant
was awaiting a full training course on the software program. He has Internal Affairs
investigative and management training. The software includes Use of Force reporting,
document attachment and storage by case, and graphic activity displays. These
components are not being used to the maximum for a variety of reasons, including
training and lack of command demand for the information.

Several computer case files were reviewed by the study team and then matched to the
paper case files stored within the unit office. These paper files were locked and
secured for restricted access in an appropriate manner. Data shown later in the report
concerning unit activity was obtained from the IA Trak system by the study team. The

   
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paper case files reviewed were properly organized and completely documented.
While the computer system generates a complete report, the current investigator
supplements that with his transmittal cover memo that provides more “whole person”
information and analysis than what is provided by the computer system.

The unit is equipped with administrative electronic recording capability within the
office, but the investigator must take his own equipment to a second floor interview
room in the CID offices if such a facility is required (see CID report for recording
capabilities in interview/interrogation rooms; only one is equipped with full recording
[video/audio] capabilities). In most cases, the original complaint is taken in the unit
offices as opposed to an interview/interrogation room, while interviews of department
personnel, due to requirements or authorizations for more persons to be present, will
be done in the CID rooms. If the unit requires more advanced electronic equipment
(for surveillance or other remote, electronically supported operations) it can be
obtained either from the CID or Narcotics units. The incumbent indicated that no
investigation has suffered due to lack of electronic investigative aids.

SECTION 4: POLICY AND PRACTICE – FINDINGS AND DISCIPLINE

The department uses a standard classification system for case adjudication, with one
exception, which includes the following classifications:

A. Sustained - the allegation is supported by sufficient proof.

B. Not sustained - the evidence is not sufficient to prove or disprove the


allegation

C. Unfounded - the allegation is false or otherwise no based on valid facts.

D. Exonerated - the incident that occurred or was complained of was lawful


and proper.

E. Misconduct - not based on the original complaint - the evidence supports


action for infractions discovered during the investigation of a complaint
that may be sustained.

(Source DD 391.16)

Items A-D mirrors the IACP Model Policy classifications for case disposition. Item E is
added for other charges not related to the original complaint, but is rarely used in the

   
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IA Trak system data reviewed. A review of the clearances used within the IA Trak
system revealed three additional ones:

‰ Not Listed- apparently no disposition was entered

‰ Withdrawn- the case was withdrawn prior to completion

‰ Undetermined- a strange disposition that is very close to the Not-


Sustained or Unfounded categories and was apparently used very
infrequently.

In reality none of the above three or item E, above, should be used. Rather if new non-
related infractions are discovered a new case should be opened and processed. Use of
these additional dispositions only muddies the water and frustrates comparison
analysis between years.

The Internal Affairs Commander provided several runs from the IA Trak system for
up to five years back in some cases. Some data and reports were not retrievable due to
a lack of training on the software, mainly attributed to lack of use or requests. For
instance, the study team was not able to extract a report that displayed disposition by
case; only one that displayed disposition by charges was available. It is quite possible
such a report was included in the software but the incumbent was not able to locate it.
Such a report is usually using the primary or most serious charge as the key to
disposition of the associated case. While this does not adequately account for all
charges, it does provide a snapshot of how the various case types or sources of cases
are finally disposed of. A review of the available data revealed several things.

The charges used by the APD vary by year and frustrate yearly comparisons or trend
analysis. Discussions with the incumbent investigator indicated that when the system
was purchased the charge data file was empty. As they began using the system, they
entered cases as they went along, with no regard to similarity of charges. This was
facilitated as the department, with the exception of Department Rules listed between
sections 109-155 in the directive system, has no preset table of offenses and
punishments as part of its written directive system. Thus instead of describing the
offense in the detail of the charges and using a major category or offense title, they
have developed a very large charge base that is somewhat duplicative. In order to
look at it in a smaller scale, the study staff reorganized the data into several major
categories.

Of significance was the number of Excessive Force cases that resulted in a Not
Sustained or Unfounded disposition. During the period 2001-2008, 26 out of 55
reported cases received a Not Sustained disposition. The study team pulled a random

   
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sample of these cases and found they were predominately associated with arrest
situations where the subject resisted arrest or later complained that the handcuffs were
put on too tight. In most resisting cases, complaints cited road rash from a take-down
or handcuffing procedure while the subject was face down prone on the pavement.
None appeared to be after the fact or intentional but rather related to the environment
in which the action took place or the extent of resistance with the officers. There were
no instances of metal flashlight or nightstick blows to the head or prohibitive torso
areas; those few torso strikes were defensive and used to subdue resistance. All were
responsive to established training protocols and continuums of force. It should be
noted that the department stated that as a matter of standard policy they investigate all
allegations of excessive force regardless of the credibility of the complaint, thus the
large number reported.

From an aggregate standpoint for the period 2001 through Oct 31, 2008, the
department resolved almost 58% of its charges as sustained, with about 26% not-
sustained. (This increases to about 36% if the sustained, unfounded, and exonerated
categories are combined). If the lopsided excessive force category is removed, the
sustained rate is even higher.

Table 44 depicts charge disposition by year between 2001 and Oct 31, 2008. When
viewed from a yearly standpoint, there was another great fluctuation between 2002
and 2004, with 2002 dropping 48% from the previous year and then climbing by 260%
in 2003, and settling back in 2004 by reducing 83% from the high. As noted above,
charges spiked again in 2007, before returning to the norm. The incumbent could not
explain the 2003 spike as he was not assigned at the time.

In summation, the current workload in the department does not seem to justify more
than one investigator. That said, since the department does not have an inspections
function operational, the study team looked at alternatives to staffing a revised Office
of Professional Standards and that is discussed at the conclusion of this section.
Recommendations for the unit as currently staffed and organizationally located are
also found at the end of this section.

SECTION 5: OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTINGS

The department’s procedure for handling officer-involved shootings is discussed on


Directive 634, “Officer-Involved Shootings.”

   
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Table 44

CHARGE DISPOSITION BY YEAR 2001 – 2008

Not- No
Year Sustained Sustained Unfounded Exonerated Misconduct Withdrawn Disposition Undetermined Total

2001 73 12 13 13 0 1 4 0 116
% 62.93% 10.34% 11.21% 11.21% 0.00% 0.86% 3.45% 0.00%
2002 42 10 2 3 0 0 4 0 61
% 68.85% 16.39% 3.28% 4.92% 0.00% 0.00% 6.56% 0.00%
2003 51 89 9 1 0 0 7 2 159
% 32.08% 55.97% 5.66% 0.63% 0.00% 0.00% 4.40% 1.26%
2004 6 7 5 0 0 0 5 0 23
% 26.09% 30.43% 21.74% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 21.74% 0.00%
2005 9 10 1 0 0 0 2 0 22
% 40.91% 45.45% 4.55% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 9.09% 0.00%
2006 36 6 1 2 0 0 10 1 56
% 64.29% 10.71% 1.79% 3.57% 0.00% 0.00% 17.86% 1.79%
2007 103 12 2 5 0 0 0 2 124
% 83.06% 9.68% 1.61% 4.03% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 1.61%
2008* 30 8 4 0 0 0 1 0 43
% 69.77% 18.60% 9.30% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 2.33% 0.00%

* Through 10/31/08

   
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During the period 2003 to 2008 there were six officer-involved shootings involving
APD officers. In all incidents the APD officers were cleared and the shootings ruled
justifiable. The APD was the lead investigating agency in all of these incidents. The
following chart displays these incidents:

‰ Involving SRT in barricades:

- 2003 2 officers killed 1 suspect killed


- 2007 1 suspect killed

‰ Multi-agency shooting in a parking lot: 1 suspect killed

‰ Single Officer incidents: 2 suspects killed


1 suspect survived

During the period of the study, one of these shootings occurred, which provided the
study team an opportunity to observe the department’s response in real time. Several
issues arose from that action which dictated a more detailed analysis of the directive’s
coverage of accepted procedures, which included the department as the primary
investigating agency.

In reviewing the original directive, the study team found several areas where the
directive needed increased focus. Any such directive requires attention to four key
issues: 1) welfare of the officers and others at the scene, 2) apprehension of the
suspects, 3) preservation of evidence, and 4) the identification of witnesses. The
original directive addressed the welfare of officers at the scene in detail but did not
address welfare of others. It was also deficient in the remaining three areas. While
some of the on-scene actions may be the responsibility of follow on investigative
components, given the seriousness and chaotic conditions of these incidents and the
fact that these follow on resources may not be on the scene until later, it is essential
that responding officers be made aware of the necessity for these steps and area focus.
Welfare of other persons such as witnesses, victims, etc., needs to be addressed, as
does the requirements for initial control and segregation of evidence, witnesses, and
victims, as well as any suspects immediately apprehended. Access to the scene needs
to be controlled and only essential persons allowed inside the controlled area.
Weapons, instrumentalities of the crime and other evidence should be identified,
preserved in place, and appropriate data recorded as to who discovered and when. All
persons associated with the scene, including fire rescue personnel need to be identified
and logged in the investigative case scene log. In general the directive should
emphasize and delineate these protective actions in order that all responding officers
are sensitive to their crime scene preservation responsibilities.

   
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The actual scene processing should be described, including the appropriate drawing,
photographing and videotaping that should be accomplished on all such incidents. If
the involved officer is capable, he should do a walk-through of the scene and such
should be recorded; if not prohibited by certain local and state laws such as the police
Officer Bill of Rights. All officers involved in the scene should be interviewed either at
the scene or immediately thereafter. A review of the rewrite, while it addresses the
joint investigative component, indicates many of the issues detailed above and found
in the original remain absent and require attention.

The IACP’s Model Policy “Investigation of Officer-Involved Shootings” can provide an


excellent checklist for comparing the APD directive to accepted standards for such
incidents. At the rear of that document is a checklist for the investigation that in one
page documents the process. A companion article entitled “Investigation of Officer-
Involved Shootings” delves into the subject in more detail, with examples, and may be
helpful as part of the directive review process.

SECTION 6: EVALUATION

As previously described, the department’s written directive system and supporting


organizational charts, refer to this unit in several ways. In some cases it calls it the
Internal Affairs Unit, or the Internal Affairs officer, while at other times, the
Professional Standards Division. This can cause confusion on the part of employees
and most certainly in citizens.

The department, in general, does not complete an annual goals and objective process
for individual units that is then monitored and reported on periodically to the
executive. The Professional Standards/Internal Affairs Unit is no different and does
not have any specific to the unit. This inhibits the unit’s ability to internally evaluate
its effectiveness in meeting both department and unit level needs.

The unit incumbent did not have adequate training on the use and capabilities of the
IA Trak software program, resulting in difficulty retrieving data requested by the
study team. In addition, many of the reporting and analytic capabilities of the system
were being under-utilized. It is doubtful, based on past interaction, that the current
incumbent has any more knowledge of the system and given his short tenure, may
have even less.

While non-IA supervisors and commanders are responsible for the investigation of
certain complaints, there is no provision for training in the complaint investigation
process, nor was there a current lesson plan set or course in place within the Training
Academy to accomplish such training. Since many of the more routine complaints,

   
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which are not anonymous, are handled by these personnel, it is critical that the
investigation be as through and fair as those conducted by the IA personnel.

The confusion related to the unit reporting chain of command found in the various
directives is unacceptable and should be corrected as soon as possible. The IA unit, in
order to function independently of outside unit interference, must be seen as a direct
arm of the Chief and as such should report directly to him, without any interception of
reports or status reports. Should the Chief desire that other senior commanders be
briefed on particular case, progress can then be identified in the case assignment memo
to the IA commander. Case assignment memos are important in that they direct the
investigation and provide additional guidance to the IA personnel. They also reiterate
the authority for the investigation.

Public access to complaint procedures and paperwork is not as open as it should be.
The absence of these access points can only reduce the number of external complaints
and hamper expanded community understanding and confidence in the complaint
process.

The department’s policy for anonymous complaints is restricted to those arising to


criminal activity or if a supervisor deems them serious enough, with the qualification
of “serious enough” not defined or qualified. In addition, there is no “positive” tone or
sense of commitment to the processing of all complaints.

The department does not have a table of punishments or coded violations available for
use in the disciplinary process. This inhibits objective and equal punishments, while at
the same time prevents yearly comparisons because of inconsistent incident categories.
The various reporting formats of data needed by the IACP to conduct the evaluation of
the office did not display similar categories, forcing subjective categorization and
analysis by the study team.

The written directive controlling the functions of the IA unit does not contain a
reference to the delegation of background investigations to the unit. While these
investigations are similar to that conducted for the complaint process and do provide
continuity of workload during period if downtime for complaint investigations, the
unit should be formerly tasked and additional workload factored into staffing
allocations. The current workload provided by the previous incumbent does not seem
to be over tasking the investigator but that could change in the future, especially if the
city extends the coverage to more city jobs.

The department’s policy on officer-involved shootings does not address completely


many of the critical elements of welfare of all persons involved, apprehension of
suspects, crime scene control and processing, and identification of witnesses. As

   
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discussed previously these are quite possibly covered in other directives associated
with the investigative function, but due to the routinely after the fact arrival of
investigative personnel and the chaotic climate immediately following such incidents,
the requirements of each should be covered here so that all personnel involved are
prepared.

SECTION 7: RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Establish one name for the Internal Affairs unit and constantly refer to it as
such throughout the department’s written directive system, publications, and
literature.

In doing so, the department should take into consideration other study
recommendations as to the unit’s composition, focus and staffing, as well as
necessary rewrites to the complaint procedure.

2. Develop and publish, on an annual basis, written goals and objectives for the
unit that are measureable. Periodic updates should be provided to the agency
executive as to progress towards these goals and objectives.

3. Establish a requirement that any person transferred into the unit must attend
training on the software component within 60 days of assignment.

4. Task the Training/Planning Division, in conjunction with the IA unit, to


develop a training course that ensures all non-IA supervisors and
commanders are adequately training in the compliant investigative process.

The IA unit personnel, as part of their oversight function of these unit-level


investigations, should monitor the process and review the final report for
completeness and compliance with reporting policy and procedures. Any
defects noted should be passed on to the Training Academy for program
updates. This training should be both initial for all personnel and part of any
annual refresher packages.

5. Ensure that the primary and all related directives clearly state that the IA unit
is a direct report to the Chief of Police and that assigned IA personnel act as
an extension of the Chief’s authority.

6. Improve public access to the complaint process.

Provide web-based complaint filing access and clearly written and attractive
brochures describing the complaint process. These brochures should be freely

   
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and actively distributed, not only at police stations, but also at public libraries
and other city and state facilities, in order to maximize their effectiveness.

7. Revise the department policy on “anonymous” complaints and investigate all


that provide sufficient information to start an investigation.

The results of such investigations that find a violation exists and is corrected,
should be publicized in order to inform the public that follow-up action was
taken. The IACP’s recent study “Linking Law Enforcement Internal Affairs
Practices and Community Trust Building” has many examples of proactive IA
services in this area and is available from the IACP Web site for download.

8. Restrict its disposition categories to the four noted in the IACP model policy.

This will ensure consistency of disposition for comparative analysis and


standardization with most other agencies and law enforcement accreditation
bodies.

9. Establish a table of punishments and standardize its complaint/offense


categories and descriptions in order to ensure objective and equal
punishments and facilitate annual comparisons of complaint activity and
resolution.

10. Update directive and staffing models with the delegation of background
investigations to this unit.

Depending on workload impact, a MOU with city HR might be required with


some fiscal reimbursement for time and expenses. Pending such a MOU, the
unit should keep adequate records of all time and expenses associated with this
requirement.

11. Revise the department’s policy on officer-involved shooting, using the IACP
model policy (and others previously mentioned) as a checklist to ensure
adequate coverage of all requirements in the APD directive.

   
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CHAPTER XVII. PERSONNEL ACQUISITION – RECRUITMENT AND


SELECTION

The Rules & Regulations manual contains only random references to conditions of
work. Recruitment, selection, and promotion are not covered. Performance evaluation
is covered at length in the 400 series. The Working Agreements (union contract) covers
pay, leave, compensatory time, and structure of a Labor Management Relations
Committee, and other work-related rights and prohibitions. Selection, promotion and
other essential personnel rules and policies are governed by Civil Service Commission
regulations.

The APD has been under a federal consent decree since the early 1980s that requires the
city to document all efforts related to minority and female recruitment. While the
decree does not mandate a desired ratio or hiring goal, it does require the city to
demonstrate a good faith effort in minority and female recruitment.

SECTION 1: ORGANIZATION AND STAFFING

Recruitment and selection is the responsibility of the lieutenant of Planning and


Research. The lieutenant coordinates all recruitment efforts and manages the reporting
requirements of the consent decree. The lieutenant reports to the Chief of Police and is
assisted by seven officers who are sent out to work recruiting events throughout the
year.

SECTION 2: RECRUITMENT

No rule, regulation, or general order was identified that provides guidance on the
purpose, policy, and practices of recruitment or employment practices. APD has a
hiring policy, kept by the lieutenant, that outlines the hiring process, minimum
qualifications, and eliminating criteria. There is no recruitment plan nor are there
defined/specified goals or objectives for recruiting.

Recruitment relies on a variety of media/strategies including outreach to military


institutions, local colleges, and job fairs. The Civil Service Board advertises in the local
paper.

Very limited information about police employment appears on the city Web site or on
the police department’s Web site – minimum requirements for hiring and links to the
application and study guide for the exam. The site directs applicants to submit
applications to the Civil Service Board, but no address or contact information is
provided for the board. The site also does not list salary.

   
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Recruitment brochures for prospective candidates (at career fairs and other events) are
done professionally. They give prospective candidates an excellent overview of the
agency and the benefits provided including: basic requirements; the steps of the
application process; salary steps and incentive programs; career development
opportunities, employee benefits and vacation and leave opportunities.

SECTION 3: SELECTION

Minimum entry-level requirements according to in the hiring policy include: 21 years


of age; a valid driver’s license, US citizenship; high school diploma; passing required
tests.

The selection sequence consists of:

‰ Application and passing exam score (75 or better)


‰ Oral Interview
‰ Physical Readiness Test
‰ Background Check
‰ Polygraph
‰ Informal Interview with Chief (conditional offer given)
‰ Physical
‰ Drug Test
‰ Psychological test
‰ Official job offer
‰ Academy

Exam. Applicants can take the test in Alexandria (scheduled there every 18
months) or anywhere in the state of Louisiana and have their scores transferred to
Alexandria. The test is administered and scored by the Office of the State Examiner.
Applicants must score a 75 or better to advance in the process. Every month the Civil
Service Board receives a listing of individuals who scored a 75 or better. Every two
months or so, depending on numbers, all individuals on the list are invited to take a
preliminary physical readiness test and sit before the interview board. About 20 to 30
candidates are interviewed on average.

Physical Readiness Test (PRT). While recruits take the official physical
readiness test during the academy, all applicants with passing exam score are invited to
take the PRT at this point in the process as a means to apprise them of the physical
requirements.

   
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Oral Interview and Writing Sample. The interview board comprises five
individuals who represent the department’s diversity. Each member goes through a
two-hour training conducted by representatives from the city’s human resources
department, local representatives from the Society of Human Resource Managers
(SHRM), and the department’s internal affairs unit. Tenure for board members is about
two years.

Prior to meeting with the interview board, each applicant is given a limited amount of
time to write a chronological narrative of their day’s events. This serves as the
candidate’s writing sample. Applicants also sign a consent form for the background
check at this time.

The interview board asks the candidates a standard set of questions and scores the
candidate on a number of areas including communication, attitude, demeanor, and
written expression (as based on writing sample). The scores of all the raters are
averaged, and the candidates are ranked based on these scores. The resulting list is
forwarded to the Chief for review. The Chief makes his selections based on the needs of
the department.

Background Check. Based on the Chief’s recommendations, selected candidates


are then subject to the background check (conducted primarily via phone by internal
affairs) and a polygraph (conducted by the APD Community Affairs sergeant).

Conditional/Provisional Offer. Following successful completion of the


background check, the next step is an informal interview with the chief wherein the
chief confirms the applicant’s interest and availability. At this point a conditional/
provisional offer is granted.

Pre-Employment Screening. The candidate is then subjected to a physical exam


and drug testing conducted by a city-provided doctor and a psychological exam
conducted by a contracted psychologist.

Official Offer of Employment. Following successful completion of these events,


an official job offer is made and the candidate will be enrolled in the next academy. The
APD hosts a regional training academy that is offered twice annually. While in the
academy, new recruits sign a contract committing to stay with the APD for two years or
repay the cost of their academy training. The physical readiness test (PRT) is part of the
academy.

The application process for civilians (dispatchers, records clerks, and jailers) includes
successful completion of an exam (administered and scored by the state), an oral

   
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interview, and background checks, without the medical testing required for sworn
positions. A polygraph and drug test is included for selected positions (e.g., property
and evidence specialists).

SECTION 4: PROMOTIONS

There are no minimum time-in-grade requirements for promotional testing. Officers


are eligible to test for the next highest rank as long as they are confirmed in the lower
rank. Confirmation is attained after serving the initial probation period of six to 12
months. (The standard probation period is 12 months, but the chief can confirm
officers, corporals and above after six months.) Promotion to corporal is automatic after
12 years of service.

Promotional testing is conducted by the Office of the State Examiner (OSE), which
administers and scores the tests. The OSE Web site lists the testing schedule, position
descriptions, study guides, and test applications for each rank. The nature and content
of the tests vary by rank. While all exams are multiple choice, the content subject areas
vary by rank. Core topics for corporals and sergeants include patrol, traffic, firearms,
first aid, criminal law, investigation, and court testimony. Exams for sergeant and
higher contain additional questions regarding public relations and supervisory
situations.

The local Civil Service Board receives applications for promotional testing and
coordinates the testing dates with the OSE as needed. Promotional lists for each rank
remain active for 18 months. Testing is done when the list is exhausted or the 18
months expires, whichever comes first.

Those who pass the exam with a score of 75 or higher are then ranked based on
seniority. Officers with the most overall years of service, regardless of test score or time
in grade, are promoted first. There are no oral boards or other promotional
assessments.

Officers experienced in taking the promotional exams advised that the state civil service
exams were not terribly difficult with most officers passing the exam. Officers who fail
the civil exam on their first try are able to take the exam at the next sitting, and if they
pass they are listed in the order of their original seniority. For the majority who pass
the exam, seniority becomes the only criteria for promotional appointment.

While it is agreed that years in grade is a factor that should be taken into account, there
should be a number of additional criteria. Candidates should be judged in addition as
to education, special skills, leadership ability, and administrative skills. A broader

   
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spectrum of qualifications is especially needed for high ranking – policy making


positions such as the three proposed bureau commanders.
It is recommended that the three bureau commanders be made exempt positions,
chosen by the Chief of Police. This will permit a broader range of criteria beyond just
seniority to be considered.

SECTION 5: SPECIALIZED UNIT ASSIGNMENTS

Specialized Units/positions are:

‰ CID
‰ Special Operations Division (SOD),
‰ Community Policing
‰ Special Interdiction Team/Special Response Team (SIT/SRT)
‰ Field Training Officer
‰ School Resource Officer
‰ K-9 Officers
‰ Traffic
‰ Recruiting
‰ Training Unit Officer Position

There is no standard application or selection process for specialized unit assignments.


The division head responsible for the unit comes to the chief with a vacancy and makes
a request for the individual he desires to fill the spot. The chief reviews the request and
makes his recommendation. A transfer board was implemented a number of years ago
but was subsequently abandoned.

SECTION 6: PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS

Sections 404.4 to 404.8 of the Rules and Regulations govern performance evaluations.
Performance evaluations are conducted every six months by each employee’s
immediate supervisor. Employees are rated on a four-point scale ranging from
unsatisfactory to distinguished on a number of job factors. Different job factors exist for
different positions, both civilian and sworn. Evaluation criteria forms have been
prepared for:

   
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‰ Police Officers. Law enforcement performance; public relations;


employee relations; police image; policy and procedure; stress situations
(28 dimensions in total).

‰ Supervisory Police. Supervisory/management ability; policy and


procedure; supervision; instruction and training; stress situations; law
enforcement; public contacts and employee relations (29 dimensions).

‰ Traffic Control Officer. Citation issuance; traffic control and direction’


accident scene performance; image; policy/procedures and regulations;
stress situations; employee relations; public relations (27 dimensions).

Job-specific evaluation criteria have been prepared for record clerks and
communication center officers.

SECTION 7: EVALUATION

For a number of years, the APD has been a no-growth organization, characterized by a
flat staffing trend line. Accordingly, recruitment and selection have focused mainly on
turnover/replacement requirements. Human resources objectives in the coming year(s)
will be affected by fiscal conditions that will continue to minimize recruitment and
selection work.

Recruitment Upgrades. A police department Web site is a valuable, low-cost


tool used widely among police departments nationally to connect with young adults
and develop their interest in police careers. The city site is underutilized in this regard.
Recruitment efforts could be improved or enhanced by showcasing department
components to prospective candidates via the Internet more effectively.

Special Assignments/Transfers. The current system of transfers and special


assignments is highly subjective and lends itself to favoritism over merit. Results of the
workforce survey reaffirm this observation. Only 16.7% of survey respondents view the
transfer/special assignment process as satisfactory. The predominant explanation for
unsatisfactory views was favoritism/inequitable selection practices.

A merit selection process is recommended Merit selection would include an application


and selection process. The department should identify the characteristics that are
desirable for each specialized position – such as training, special skills and abilities,
education, and experience. These characteristics should be posted and available for
review by officers.

   
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When a position becomes open, officers seeking the position should complete an
application which summarizes their job experience, skills, training and education. A file
review for each applicant should be conducted to assess how well their background fits
with the demands of the specialized position. Evaluations, leave records, disciplinary
history, commendations, training, and education should be all part of this file review.
An interview with a merit selection panel would complete the process.

Performance Evaluations. The evaluation forms the APD employs are good and
could serve as beneficial staff development tools, if used properly. Unfortunately, the
current performance evaluation process appears to be little more than an exercise in
paperwork that serves no purpose to the individual or the organization. Given that
promotions are based on seniority and special assignments are based on command staff
preference, the utility of performance appraisals is neutralized. Nearly three-quarters
of workforce survey respondents viewed the performance evaluation process as not
effective. Nearly all respondents who provided more detail in the open-ended response
question cited the process as ineffective/useless.

Performance evaluations should be an important element in special assignments and


transfers. The department should also lobby the state to have performance evaluations
scores as a component in the civil service promotional process.

SECTION 8: RECOMMENDATIONS

To strengthen selection and retention, the following actions should be taken:

1. Further exploit the city’s Web site as a recruitment tool/strategy.

2. Create a more structured, objective transfer/special assignment process

Develop a merit selection process as developed in the previous evaluation

3. Reenergize the performance evaluation process.

Use performance evaluations as a component in transfers and special


assignments.

4. Change the status of the proposed bureau commanders to exempt positions.

Promotion under the current system is largely based on seniority. Far more than
seniority needs to be taken into account in choosing key policy makers.

   
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CHAPTER XVIII: CAREER DEVELOPMENT – TRAINING AND EDUCATION

The APD training function is not the subject of a comprehensive policy/directive.


Section 509 (509.1 – 510.1) references the Field Training Program.

SECTION 1: ORGANIZATION AND STAFFING

Current staffing is seven: four sergeants; two corporals; and one clerk. One of the
sergeants is designated the commander, a second the assistant/deputy commander.
The commander reports to the assistant chief.

The organization chart shows the functions of the Academy to be training, public
information, community services, and DARE. The commander’s responsibilities are to
direct Academy operations, including budgeting and payroll, academy/class
scheduling, compliance monitoring, and instruction, several courses.

The assistant (sergeant) functions as an instructor, lead or back-up, manages field


training (FTO), and leads the hostage negotiation team. The third sergeant manages
firearms training, serving as lead instructor and range master. A fourth sergeant is
responsible for Community Services. This unit is discussed in detail in Chapter VI.

One corporal specializes in defensive tactics. He also serves as the collective bargaining
agency (Local 833 AFL/CIO). The DARE corporal, who is not physically located in the
Academy suite of offices but in/by the 9-11 Center, is described as “really reporting to
the Rapids Parish Sheriff’s Office.” The civilian maintains academy records and
conducts a range of administrative duties.

All staff have been assigned to the Academy for years. The firearms/range master
sergeant is retiring in June of 2009. Training records indicate that personnel who teach
have completed a state of Louisiana 40-hour instructor certification course.

SECTION 2: BASIC/ACADEMY TRAINING

The APD is certified as one of eight regional academies in Louisiana. Accordingly, APD
recruits undergo basic right at home. The Louisiana POST recruit curriculum sets
minimum training of 320 hours. The APD program totals 512. The POST curriculum is
outlined in Table 45. The Alexandria curriculum is displayed in Table 46.

An Academy program is available twice annually. Classes average 30 recruits. Cost for
other agencies is $850 per recruit.

   
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Table 45

POLICE BASIC TRAINING COURSE


LOUISIANA POST REQUIREMENTS

‰ Legal Aspects 40 Hours

- Introduction to Criminal Justice


- Overview of the Criminal Justice Process
- Exclusionary Rule
- Probable Cause
- Stop and Frisk, Border Seizures, Stationhouse Detention
- Arrests
- Search and Seizures
- Vehicle Stops, Searches and Inventories
- Plain View, Open Fields, Abandonment and Electronic Surveillance
- Lineup and Other Pretrial Identification Procedures
- Confessions and Admissions: The Miranda Case
- Witnesses, the Hearsay Rule, and Privileged Communications
- Legal Liabilities of Law Enforcement Personnel
- Elements of Criminal Conduct

‰ First Aid and CPR 14 Hours

‰ Firearms 40 Hours

- Firearms History
- Fundamentals of Shooting
- Firearms Proficiency Practice
- Orientation to Shotguns
- Orientation to Chemical Agents

‰ Investigations 20 Hours

- Interview and Interrogation


- Preliminary Investigation
- Evidence
- Fingerprinting
- Homicide Investigation
- Burglary Investigation
- Robbery Investigation
- Sex Crimes
- Drugs and Drug Laws

‰ Report Writing 12 Hours

   
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Table 45

POLICE BASIC TRAINING COURSE


LOUISIANA POST REQUIREMENTS

‰ Traffic 16 Hours

- Crash Investigations
- Hit and Run Investigations
- The Crash Report
- Motor Vehicle Laws
- Issuing Citations
- Directing Traffic

‰ Officer Survival 38 Hours

- Physical Training
- Use of Force
- Baton Handling
- Defensive Tactics
- Arrest Techniques
- Preparing for Deadly Force and Other Serious Events

‰ Becoming a Professional Police Officer 16 Hours

- Standards of Conduct
- The Role in the Community
- Diversity in the Community
- Attaining Respect for the Peace Officer
- Crime Prevention

‰ Electives 80 Hours

‰ Patrol Activities 23 Hours

- Observation and Perception Skills


- Methods of Patrol
- Crimes in Progress
- Police Driving
- Vehicle Stop Tactics
- Violent Crimes
- Unusual Occurrences
- Hazardous Materials

‰ Specialized Activities 16 Hours

- Domestic Violence
- Auto Theft

   
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Table 45

POLICE BASIC TRAINING COURSE


LOUISIANA POST REQUIREMENTS

‰ Specialized Activities (continued)

- Courtroom Testimony
- Handling Juveniles
- OWI Enforcement
- Tactical Problems
- Hostage Negotiations/Crisis Management Tactics
- Crisis Intervention When Dealing with Individuals with Mental Disorders
- Police Survival – Legal and Mental Aspects
- Death Notification

   
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Table 46

ALEXANDRIA POLICE DEPARTMENT


RECRUIT ACADEMY CURRICULUM

Category Course Topic Hours

Becoming a Professional Officer Attaining Respect for the Police 4


Crime Prevention 4
Diversity in the Community 4
Standards of Conduct 2
The Role in the Community 4
TOTAL 18

Firearms Combat Shooting Skills 4


Firearms History 2
Firearms Proficiency/Practice 24
Fundamentals of Shooting 2
Orientation to Chemical Agents 4
Orientation to Shotgun 4
Shoot-Don’t Shoot Firearms Stress Course 4
TOTAL 44

First Aid CPR 6


First Aid 8
TOTAL 14

Investigations Arson Investigation 2


Auto Theft 2
Burglary 2
Drug and Drug Laws 2
Evidence 4
Fingerprinting 2
Homicide Investigations 2
Identity Theft 2
Interview and Interrogations 2
Preliminary Investigations 2
Rape Investigations 2
Robbery Investigations 2
Sex Crimes 2
TOTAL 28

Legal Aspects Arrests 2


Being an Effective Witness 2
Civil Rights 4
Confessions and Admissions 2
Constitutional Rights and Defenses 2
Courtroom Testimony 2
DA Handbook 6

   
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Table 46

ALEXANDRIA POLICE DEPARTMENT


RECRUIT ACADEMY CURRICULUM

Category Course Topic Hours

Legal Aspects (continued) Definitions 2


Elements of Criminal Conduct 14
Exclusionary Rule 2
Introduction to Criminal Justice 2
Legal Liabilities of Law Enforcement 4
Line-Ups and Other Pre-Trial IDs 2
Overview of Criminal Justice Process 2
Plain View – Open Field Abandonment 2
Probable Cause 2
Searches and Seizures 4
Stop and Frisk 2
Vehicle Stops and Searches 2
Witnesses, the Hearsay Rule, and Privileged Comm. 2
TOTAL 62

Officer Survival/Tactical Operations Arrest Scenarios 4


Arrest Techniques 8
Baton Handling 8
Building Searches 4
Crisis Intervention 2
Defensive Tactics 12
Excited Delirium 2
Hostage Negotiations 4
Officer Survival 6
Police Survival Legal/Mental Aspects 2
Preparing for Deadly Force and Other Serious 2
Events
Responding to an Active Shooter 4
Tactical Problems 2
Taser Familiarization 4
Use of Force 8
Weapon Retention 2
TOTAL 74

Orientation to Criminal Justice History of Law Enforcement 2


Orientation to Criminal Justice System 2
Orientation to LA Criminal Justice System 2
TOTAL 6

Patrol Activities Crimes in Progress 2


Domestic Violence 2
Handling Juveniles 2
Hazardous Materials 4

   
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Table 46

ALEXANDRIA POLICE DEPARTMENT


RECRUIT ACADEMY CURRICULUM

Category Course Topic Hours

Methods of Patrol 2
Patrol Activities (continued) Police Driving 24
Unusual Occurrences 2
Vehicle Stop Tactics 4
Violent Crimes 2
TOTAL 44

PT Introduction to PT/DT 2
PT 46
Testing and Stats PT 2
TOTAL 50

Report Writing Report Writing Note-taking 30


TOTAL 30

Specialized Activities/Electives ATF 4


Cop Talk 4
Death Notification 2
Elder Abuse 2
Observation and Perception Skills 4
Orientation 4
Orientation to K9 4
Public Speaking 2
TOTAL 26

Testing/Test Review Firearms Final 4


PT Final 2
POST Test Review 10
Test #1 2
Test #2 2
Test #3 2
Test #4 2
Test #5 2
Test #6 2
Test #7 2
Test #8 2
Test #9 2
TOTAL 34

Traffic Services Crash Investigation 2


Directing Traffic 2
Drug-Impaired Driver 4
Field Sobriety/OWI Enforcement 16

   
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Table 46

ALEXANDRIA POLICE DEPARTMENT


RECRUIT ACADEMY CURRICULUM

Category Course Topic Hours

Grade Crossing and Collision Investigation 4


Hit and Run Investigations 2
Traffic Services (continued) Intoxilyzer Certification 16
Issuing Citations 2
Motor Vehicle Laws 8
Radar Certification 2
The Crash Report 2
TOTAL 60

GRAND TOTAL 490

   
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SECTION 3: FIELD TRAINING

Field training consists of four six-week instructional periods, 24 weeks total. The APD
program is patterned upon the classic San Jose model. Program objectives, set forth in
the FTO Manual (undated) are to:

1. Report information in a fair and objective manner.


2. Identify trainee’s knowledge and skill levels.
3. Document improvement.
4. Verify standardization of training.
5. Document remedial efforts.
6. Identify quantity and quality of Academy training.
7. Status: retain or terminate.

Training unfolds as a series of building blocks, each phase demanding more


independence and complex performance by trainees. Phase 1 is largely a “ride-along”
during which trainees observe and the FTO conveys information. By the end of the
phase trainees should be driving and interacting with the public. By contrast, during
Phase 4, the FTO role should be restricted to critique and polishing techniques and
performance.

Trainees work with a series of FTOs, on different/all shifts, to broaden exposure and
experience a variety of supervisory/teaching styles. The Activity Checklist governs the
training/development regimen. FTOs must explain a range of performance
requirements for 17 categories of activity. Trainees must learn and demonstrate
knowledge/understanding/capacity of each for the FTO:

1. Department operations
2. Daily activities
3. General operating procedures
4. Driving techniques
5. Radio procedures
6. Information
7. Arrest procedures
8. Patrol tactics
9. Traffic procedures
10. Vice control

   
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11. Juvenile procedures


12. Legal processes
13. Handling people
14. Property control
15. Animal complaints
16. Citizen request for assistance
17. Unlisted items (selected by FTO).

A Daily Evaluation Form is completed each day by the training officer. It outlines the
number of calls, arrests, field contacts, and citations for the shift. The trainee is also
evaluated on appearance, attitude, and other factors. Throughout field training, a series
of written tests are given to measure the progress of trainees: Phonetics Alphabet;
Street Location; 10 Code; Dispatch and Offense Codes; Rules and Regulations 1, 2, and
3.

Fourteen (14) certified FTOs are currently available, distributed among the four shifts.
There is no formal interview process for becoming an FTO. Officers interested in
becoming FTOs submit a letter of interest to their supervisor. The supervisor reviews
these requests and makes recommendations to the sergeant responsible for coordinating
the field training process. Those recommended are required to attend a two-hour in-
house FTO training course.

Evaluation of the quality of FTO performance relies on informal feedback from trainees
and completion of the FTO critique form at the end of each training period. The form
seeks appraisals of strengths and weaknesses of FTOs and suggestions to improve
training. The sergeant responsible for coordinating the field training process
encourages trainees to come to him with any issues regarding their FTOs.

SECTION 4: IN-SERVICE

The state of Louisiana POST has not established mandatory in-service hourly or content
requirements. Shooting (handgun) requalification is the exception. The APD had a
mandatory 40 hour retraining, but this requirement has been dropped. There are no
requirements at all, at present.

Tables 47 and 48 profile a number of dimensions of APD in-service training. In 2007 100
separate trainings were attended. The number of officers trained totaled 710 (many
officers having multiple trainings). Nine courses accounted for 63% of course
attendance.

   
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Table 47

IN-SERVICE PROFILE 2007

Number of
Title Officers Trained

‰ In Custody Death 113


‰ Active Shooter Response 110
‰ Patrol Vehicle Safety Course 81
‰ Taser Recertification 65
‰ Crisis Intervention Team 22
‰ Basic Crisis Negotiation Course 16
‰ Taser Certification 16
‰ Tactical Police Driving 13
‰ Introduction to Executive Protection Services 12
‰ Chemical Testing for Intoxication 8
‰ Violent Crimes and Narcotics Training Seminar 7
‰ Intoxilyzer 5000 Certification 7
‰ Standardized Field Sobriety Testing 7
‰ NAPD Tactical Police Driving 7
‰ Specializing in Narcotics Enforcement 7
‰ First Aid/CPR 6
‰ Basic Hostage Negotiation Techniques 6
‰ Basic Peace Officer Academy 6
‰ Chemical Weapons Familiarization 6
‰ Drugged Driver Detection 6
‰ Shotgun Familiarization 6
‰ Taser Familiarization 6
‰ Post Firearms Instructor Retrainer 6
‰ LTPOA Basic SWAT School 6
‰ SSGT Level One Category Five: Striking and Knife Defense 6
‰ Doppler Radar Operation 5
‰ Hazardous Materials 5
‰ PPCT Defensive Tactics Basic Certification 5
‰ LA Domestic Violence Law Enforcement Training 5
‰ ICS-300 Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents 5
‰ PPCT Defensive Tactics Instructor Certification 5
‰ Precision Marksman Training 5
‰ Taser International 5
‰ Officer Safety, High-Risk Operational Skills – Level II 4
‰ Colt AR-15, M16/M4 Series 4
‰ School Violence 4
‰ Police Canine Association (Attendance) 3
‰ Critical Incident Response to School Violence 3
‰ Hazardous Material Technician Level 3
‰ ICS-400 Advanced Incident Command System 3
‰ Instructor Development Course 3
‰ Narcotics Certificate 3

   
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Table 47

IN-SERVICE PROFILE 2007

Number of
Title Officers Trained

‰ Officer Safety, High-Risk Event Planning System – Level 1 2


‰ Narcotic Detector Certified 2
‰ Patrol Certificate 2
‰ Accident Investigation 2
‰ Certificate of Membership 2
‰ Gulf Coast Police Motorcycle Skills Championship 2
‰ Homicide Investigation 2
‰ Internal Affairs, Professional Standards and Ethics 2
‰ IS-00120 An Orientation to Community Disaster Exercises 2
‰ IS-00200 ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents 2
‰ Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System 2
‰ Level II Instructor Certification Course 2
‰ National Police Canine Association 2
‰ Protecting Children Online 2
‰ The Equalizer Instructor Certification 2
‰ Certified Basic Training Course 1
‰ Certificate of Attendance 1
‰ Access Data Boot Camp 1
‰ Active Shooter Retrainer 1
‰ Anatomy Physiology and Combat Fitness Application Techniques and Principles 1
‰ Armorers Course 1
‰ AWR-112 Public Works for WMD Incidents: Basic Concepts 1
‰ Ballistic Shield Operator Certification 1
‰ Basic Telecommunications Exploitation Program 1
‰ Central Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Seminar 1
‰ Certified Instructor Development Course 1
‰ CJIS Overview Training Program 1
‰ Conducting Law Enforcement Hiring and Background Investigations 1
‰ Convicted Sex Offender Familiarization Course 1
‰ Critical Incident Response to School Violence 1
‰ Computer Forensics Ith. Fred 1
‰ DARE/School Resource Officer Training 1
‰ Detector Narcotics 1
‰ Emergency Medical Technician Basic Course 1
‰ Financial Investigations Seminar 1
‰ Firearms Training (handgun/carbine) 1
‰ Gulf Coast Motorcycle Skills 1
‰ ICAC Investigative Techniques Training Program 1
‰ IDS-400: Advanced ICS Command and General Staff – Complex Incidents 1
‰ Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force 1
‰ IS-00100 Introduction to the Incident Command System 1
‰ IS-00800 A (National Response Plan [NRP]), An Introduction 1

   
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Table 47

IN-SERVICE PROFILE 2007

Number of
Title Officers Trained

‰ ISC-300 Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents 1


‰ ISC-400: Advanced ICS Command and General Staff 1
‰ ISC-400: Advanced ICS Command and General Staff-Complex Incidents 1
‰ K-9 Drug Detector Dog Recertification and Enhancement Schools 1
‰ Law Enforcement Fitness Specialist 1
‰ Managing Criminal Investigations 1
‰ OC Aerosol Projectors, Specialty Impact Munitions, Distraction Devices and 1
Chemical Munitions
‰ Patrol Dog 1 1
‰ Patrol Dog 1 Certified 1
‰ Policy Motorcycle Instructor Training 1
‰ Police Patrol and Narcotic Detector Dog Handling 1
‰ Police Patrol Dogs 1
‰ PPCT Ground Avoidance Ground Escape (Gage) 1
‰ Rapid Deployment for Critical Incidents 1
‰ SPEAR System Combatives Camp 1
‰ Sex Offender Registration 1
‰ Shooting Reconstructing and Ballistics Workshop 1
‰ Special Response Team 1
‰ Tactical Handgun (Matt Burkett Instructor) 1
‰ Taser Armorer 1
‰ Taser X29 Certification 1
‰ The Street Survival Seminar 1

TOTAL 701

   
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Table 48

IN-SERVICE PROFILE 2008

Number of
Title Officers Trained

‰ 2008 Retainer 117


‰ 2008 PPCT and Weapons Retention 98
‰ CPR and First Aid Recertification 95
‰ Taser Recertification 69
‰ DWI – SFST Refresher 57
‰ First Aid/CPR 32
‰ SWAT Training 28
‰ 2008 DWI – SFST Refresher 24
‰ Tactical Police Driving 18
‰ IS-00100.Lea Introduction to the Incident Command System, I-100 for Law 18
Enforcement
‰ SF ST Field Sobriety Refresher 16
‰ Crisis Intervention Team 14
‰ IS-00700 National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction 10
‰ Field Sobriety Refresher 8
‰ PPCT – Weapon Retention 7
‰ SRT Training (Classroom and Range) 7
‰ Violent Crimes and Narcotics Training Seminar 6
‰ SWAT Training (Classroom and Range) 6
‰ Intoxilyzer 5000 Certification 5
‰ Standardized Field Sobriety Testing 5
‰ Basic Hostage Negotiation Techniques 5
‰ Basic Peace Officer Academy 5
‰ Chemical Weapons Familiarization 5
‰ Drugged Driver Detection 5
‰ Shotgun Familiarization 5
‰ Taser Familiarization 5
‰ Doppler Radar Operation 5
‰ Hazardous Materials 5
‰ 63rd Basic Police Academy 5
‰ Street Crimes 5
‰ PPCT Defensive Tactics Basic Certification 4
‰ Certified Basic Training Course 4
‰ 64th Basic Police Academy 4
‰ PPCT Weapon Retention 4
‰ Taser X26 4
‰ Basic Crisis Negotiators Course 3
‰ Post Firearms Instructor Retrainer 3
‰ Basic Narcotics Investigations 3
‰ Basic Police Motorcycle Operations 3
‰ LA Association of Crisis Negotiators 3

   
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Table 48

IN-SERVICE PROFILE 2008

Number of
Title Officers Trained

‰ Narcotic Specialized Unit Supervisor Course 3


‰ Pro System Mini Baton Basic Course 3
‰ Taser Certification 2
‰ Officer Safety, High Risk Event Planning System, Level 1 2
‰ Certificate of Attendance 2
‰ 2008 CPR and First Aid 2
‰ 2008 SFST Retrainer 2
‰ Digital Image Processing – Extend Your Reach 2
‰ Louisiana Juvenile Officer Association 2
‰ In-Custody Death 1
‰ Chemical Testing for Intoxication 1
‰ LA Domestic Violence Law Enforcement Training 1
‰ Officer Safety, High Risk Operational Skills – Level II 1
‰ Police Canine Association (Attendance) 1
‰ Narcotic Detector Certified 1
‰ Patrol Certificate 1
‰ 2007 DWI – SFST Refresher 1
‰ 2008 In-Service Retrainer 1
‰ Basic Training Course 1
‰ Burglary/Robbery Investigations 1
‰ Central Louisiana CIT Youth and Family Support Training 1
‰ CF 101 Introduction to Cyber Crime Forensics Training 1
‰ CF 102 Forensics Tools and Techniques Training 1
‰ Critical Incident Response and Situational Leadership 1
‰ Elder Abuse Instructor Training Program 1
‰ Explosive Breaching for Law Enforcement Tactical Operations 1
‰ Field Training Officer – Leadership 1
‰ G.R.A.P.L.E. 1
‰ Homicide and Questioned Death Scene 1
‰ Intoxilyzer Recertification 1
‰ Investigative Techniques and Criminal Enforcement 1
‰ Memphis Police Crisis Intervention Team Overview 1
‰ Mobile Video Instructors’ Course 1
‰ Net Hazardous Materials WMD “Street Chemistry” 1
‰ PPCT Defensive Tactics Basic Certification 1
‰ Practical Crime Scene Investigation 1
‰ Prevention and Response to Suicide Bombing Incidents 1
‰ Pro System Mini Baton Basic Course 1
‰ Rapid Response to Active Shooter Instructor Training 1
‰ Remington M/870 Police Armorer’s Course 1
‰ Re-Trainer 1
‰ Special Events Management for Law Enforcement 1

   
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Table 48

IN-SERVICE PROFILE 2008

Number of
Title Officers Trained

‰ ST ST Field Sobriety Refresher 1


‰ Standardized Field Sobriety Testing Instructor 1
‰ SWAR Training 1
‰ Tactical Police Driving 1
‰ Taser Extended Range Electronic Projectile – XREP 1
‰ Taser Shockwave Area Denial System 1
‰ T-CAP/Criminal Patrol 1
‰ Truth Verification 1
‰ Truth Verification Testing and Examination Techniques 1
‰ (blank) 1

TOTAL 791

   
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The 2008 Profile is much the same. One hundred nineteen (119) courses were attended
by 791 officers. Thirteen (13) courses hosted 75% of officers who received in-service
training in 2008.

The hours/duration of these courses was not available from the training records.

APD officers do most in-service work in Alexandria, during months when basic is not
in session. Some work is done at a number of regional academies in central Louisiana,
Shreveport, Caddo Parish, and Monroe. These trainings are tuition free. The APD
Academy also hosts members from other regions.

Most instruction is conducted by APD officers. The agency was unable to supply a
master list of certifications. These have to be “dug out” of individual training records.
Curricula can be patterned on models developed by the state POST. Many courses are
developed by APD instructors. Course material/lesson plans vary in format, quality,
and compliance with professional curriculum standards. Materials are both computer-
hosted and in hard copy. We did not find evidence of self-learning/self-paced or
distance learning options.

SECTION 5: ROLL CALL TRAINING

Roll call training occurs intermittently – very intermittently – twice during the past six
months. These entailed video-based presentations on traffic issues and diversity in the
community. Roll call has been used to discuss policy updates. Patrol lieutenants are
responsible for judging presentation quality.

SECTION 6: LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

The APD has not constructed a leadership development program. The records of 20
APD executives and commanders do not evidence an observable or sustained
commitment to leadership development. We found two references to an FBI National
Academy experience; no references to work in LEEDS programs; none to SPI; one to a
CSRCPI Law Enforcement Leadership Series; two to a Leadership court in 1998; two to
an Applied Leadership Principles course (2000); one Leadership and Ethics course
(2000); and a sprinkling of supervision, mid-management and police administration
courses. One reason offered for this condition is the absence of a convenient option,
geographically. The number of officers receiving leadership and/or management
training is summarized below.

   
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Rank Officers Trained


‰ Captain 4
‰ Lieutenant 5
‰ Sergeant 18

The distribution of the officers receiving leadership and/or management training across
divisions/units of the APD is summarized below.

Division / Unit Officers Trained


‰ Uniform Division 10
‰ SOD 1
‰ SIT 1
‰ CID 5
‰ Narcotics 3
‰ Comm/Tech 2
‰ Training 2
‰ Warrants 2
‰ Planning 1

SECTION 7: SPECIALIZED UNITS

A sampling of specialized training profiles reveals a questionable picture and indicates


the need for further examination by the APD’s training staff.

CID records reveal most training is skill-based, such as crime scene search or homicide
investigation techniques. There appears to be no requirement for a basic investigative
course for newly assigned personnel. No records were identified with an obvious
listing for a basic investigators’ course. Training overall is inconsistent with some
officers receiving more numerous and more relevant courses than others do. Of the 19
records reviewed, at least four showed no apparent training in an area of specialization
(such as juvenile or fraud) or in investigations in general. Five of seven narcotics
officers have received training in basic narcotics investigation. There appears to be no
requirement for a basic community policing course for newly assigned personnel. Only
three of the eight training records for COP officers show credit for some sort of
community policing-related training.

Regarding Professional Standards/Internal Affairs, while non-IA supervisors and


commanders are responsible for the investigation of certain complaints, there is no
provision for training in the complaint investigation process, nor was there a current

   
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lesson plan set or course in place within the Training Academy to accomplish such
training.

Specialty training is often less than easily accessible due to local availability, costs, and
scheduling. One solution worth considering is distance learning.

SECTION 8: EVALUATION

In-service career development programming is best measured by:

‰ Number of annual hours of training provided, generally


‰ Number of hours of training that specialists receive in their specialties.

The APD’s training records reflect only a listing of course titles taken by each officer.
Information on the duration of each course is not available, so a calculation of
cumulative hours was not possible. Based on the number of courses, the amount of
training appears to be adequate. However, without knowing the number of hours, that
adequacy of continuing training cannot be truly assessed. Better tracking of training by
officer and by unit is needed. It is recommended that easily available training tracking
software be obtained and all training records be computerized.

Training, as with most administrative tasks, profits from focus. The department needs a
training policy that establishes minimum yearly training standards, and defines
minimum training required for each specialty position with defined times within which
training must be accomplished for specialty positions. This policy should also require
that training classes must be developed whenever major legal or policy changes occur.

The training unit should prepare a yearly training plan with defined goals and
objectives. This training plan should be developed with feedback from all units in the
department.

In-Service Profiles. As previously shown (Tables 19 and 20), Tables 49 and 50


again display the average annual number of training courses completed, viewed by
rank and division. Tables are built from the training records of 164 officers.

Average annual number of training courses ranges from just under two for captains to
five for sergeants. For divisions, the range is less than one for Support Services to 16 for
FTO Training – Traffic.

   
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Table 49

AVERAGE NUMBER OF TRAINING COURSES BY RANK

Average Number - Annual Training Courses


Rank Data Total (Sum # Courses / Sum of Years)

Chief Count in Rank 1 0.35


Sum of # Courses 14
Sum of Years 40

Asst. Chief Count in Rank 1 1.44


Sum of # Courses 52
Sum of Years 36

Captain Count in Rank 6 1.81


Sum of # Courses 181
Sum of Years 100

Lieutenant Count in Rank 11 1.41


Sum of # Courses 298
Sum of Years 211

Sergeant Count in Rank 36 2.16


Sum of # Courses 1,447
Sum of Years 670

Corporal Count in Rank 70 2.75


Sum of # Courses 2,113
Sum of Years 767

Officer Count in Rank 35 5.02


Sum of # Courses 703
Sum of Years 140

Officer - Cadet Count in Rank 4 4.00


Sum of # Courses 16
Sum of Years 4

Total Count in Rank 164 2.45


Total Sum of # Courses 4,824 (Average/year all ranks)
Total Sum of Years 1,968

   
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Table 50

AVERAGE NUMBER OF COURSES BY DIVISION / UNIT

Average Number - Annual Training


Courses
Division / Unit Data Total (Sum # Courses / Sum of Years)

CID Count in Division 20 2.39


Sum of # Courses 680
Sum of Years 285
Communications/Tech Support Count in Division 7 1.96
Sum of # Courses 167
Sum of Years 85
Community Policing Count in Division 8 2.83
Sum of # Courses 178
Sum of Years 63
FBI Task Force Count in Division 1 3.84
Sum of # Courses 73
Sum of Years 19
FTO Training - Traffic Count in Division 6 16.29
Sum of # Courses 114
Sum of Years 7
Narcotics Investigations Count in Division 7 2.52
Sum of # Courses 214
Sum of Years 85
Office of the Chief Count in Division 2 0.87
Sum of # Courses 66
Sum of Years 76
Planning and Research Count in Division 1 0.94
Sum of # Courses 29
Sum of Years 31
Professional Standards Count in Division 1 0.83
Sum of # Courses 15
Sum of Years 18
Special Operations Division Count in Division 13 2.95
Sum of # Courses 502
Sum of Years 170
Street Interdiction Team Count in Division 9 3.25
Sum of # Courses 498
Sum of Years 153
Support Services Count in Division 1 0.33
Sum of # Courses 4
Sum of Years 12
Training Academy Count in Division 10 2.59
Sum of # Courses 264
Sum of Years 102

   
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Table 50

AVERAGE NUMBER OF COURSES BY DIVISION / UNIT

Average Number - Annual Training


Courses
Division / Unit Data Total (Sum # Courses / Sum of Years)

U.S. Marshal Task Force Count in Division 1 2.05


Sum of # Courses 41
Sum of Years 20

Uniform Commander - A Shift Count in Division 1 3.40


Sum of # Courses 17
Sum of Years 5
Uniform Division Count in Division 72 2.42
Sum of # Courses 1,819
Sum of Years 751
Warrants/Records Division Count in Division 4 1.66
Sum of # Courses 143
Sum of Years 86
Total Count in Division 164 2.45
Total Sum of # Courses 4,824 (Average of all divisions)
Total Sum of Years 1,968

   
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Technology. As the department moves toward a more data-driven approach to


policing through improved technologies, training of current and next-generation

supervisors, commanders, and executives in data management and analytical skills will
be required. The training plan should make this a priority.

Distance Learning. Distance learning is the most influential trend in education


and training. Distance versus traditional classroom-based learning is not an either-or
proposition. A blend will continue to be necessary in most settings for the foreseeable
future. We recommend that the APD begin to explore the potentials of distance
learning. First, it may become the most cost-effective way to address needs such as the
specialization training gap discussed above. Second, the learning style of the
generation of officers coming into police service and those to follow, are believed better
served by technologically-delivered training. Distance learning should be a resource
utilized in the training plan.

Review of training records found training of supervisory staff to be significantly less


than the training of officers. Particularly lacking for senior staff was leadership
training. Another area of training that appears needed for senior staff is training in data
analysis, a skill increasingly needed for decision making by managers.

SECTION 9: RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Reorganize the Training Unit into a Training/Planning Division under the


proposed Support Services Bureau.

This division, directed by a lieutenant, would be comprised of two allied


functions, training and planning. The division would also be responsible for
written directives and accreditation. The DARE Officer previously assigned to
this division would be transferred to Community Affairs. The Crime Prevention
Sergeant assigned to this unit would be transferred to Community Affairs.

2. Explore opportunities to supplement classroom training with distance learning


options.

3. Reexamine the profiles of individuals in specialty positions to ensure they are


receiving sufficient training.

4. Task the Training Division, in conjunction with the IA unit, to develop a


training course that ensures all non-IA supervisors and commanders are
adequately training in the compliant investigative process.

   
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5. Secure training software to track all officer training, including subject matter
and course hours.

6. A training policy should be developed that identifies minimum yearly


training standards for all officers in APD.

This policy should also identify training required for each specialty position and
the time span in which it must be accomplished.

7. A training plan, prepared annually, should set quantifiable goals and


objectives for departmental training.

8. A special focus in the training plan should be leadership training and


developing data analysis skills for supervisors and senior managers in the
organization.

   
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CHAPTER XIX. POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

The manual of Rules and Regulations as of January 24, 2009: New Revisions and
Additions (the policy manual) is the governing policy document of the APD. We did
not discover additional documents, such as unit-based SOPs.

SECTION 1: THE MANUAL

The body of policy totals just about 200 pages (unnumbered). Just approaching
completion of a revision, the copy we have is not in final format – appearance, layout,
and perhaps, “parts,” such as an index. Current construction features: a cover/title
page; table of contents; articles; policy and directives; operational procedures.

Introduction, Code of Ethics, Mission Statement, Oath of Office, Definitions, and


Authority and Command form the first part of the manual. Articles, the second part,
covers what in most manuals are titled rules and regulations. Rules and
Responsibilities contain almost 50 provisions, essentially one sentence/paragraph
“shalls” and “shall nots.” Remaining provisions cover a mix of directives ranging from
annual leave (an administrative consideration) to arrests (legal and operations
considerations).

Policies and Directives, Part 3, hosts largely administrative directives, such as


Performance Ratings and compensatory time.

Operational Procedures, Part 4, hosts essential policy considerations including use of


force, the patrol rifle, investigations, booking procedures but also mixes in
administrative considerations such as reserve police, light duty, and employee
psychological services, and workplace conduct.

SECTION 2: RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsibility for policies and procedures, including policy development, updating,


and content – compliance with law and best practices, currently lies with the chief. This
is explained, in part, by a choice to direct and control an effort to comprehensively
reexamine and reissue the body of policy and procedure. In practice, the UCR sergeant
in Records maintains the department’s written directive system.

In mid-year 2007, a decision was made to update the policy manual, which had been in
place for seven or eight years. Updates were done by a committee, with members

   
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focusing on the functions for which they had oversight. It is reported that changes were
not substantial, and were more in the form of eliminating material.

A draft of the revised manual was sent to the City Attorney for legal review. After
several months, the APD issued the revised draft, without the legal review being
completed. At this moment, most executives and commanders have the draft; lower
level officers do not.

The UCR sergeant has not been trained in the development or maintenance of
directives, nor does he appear to have time for the task. Historical files of directives are
not maintained in the event of judiciary review on demand of case actions.

SECTION 3: PRACTICES

APD officers receive their manual at the recruit academy. Being a regional academy,
the recruit program directs attention to APD policies in only an occasional way. The
FTO program, alternatively, is tasked to concentrate on APD policy and procedure
requirements.

Update practices have not really existed since the previous policy manual was not
modified/updated frequently.

Knowledge of policies and procedures is not a measurable item for performance


evaluation purposes. Nor is it for promotional testing or special assignment selection.

SECTION 4: EVALUATION

The purpose of a department’s policy manual is to provide general principles of agency


operation and administration. The document should outline the department’s
overarching philosophy while also providing specific procedural information on what
officers should and should not do in a wide variety of situations. Generally, the more
comprehensive a policy manual is in providing specific guidance, the better off the
agency is in terms of liability.

Our review of the APD policy manual identified a host of problems in both
organization and content. Efforts to address these deficiencies should be given high
priority as the manual in its present form is woefully inadequate and could present a
series of liability problems for the department should it become a component of civil
litigation.

   
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The policy manual is not systematically organized with respect to departmental


organization, function, operation, or in accordance with other schema. As a result,
orders are often mixed and combined illogically. For example, procedures concerning
protective custody are followed directly by a policy on funeral dress; that is followed by
a policy on persons with hearing impairment. The policy on police chaplaincy is
followed by special response team procedures. Moreover, the manual’s present
organizational structure, in a run-on sequential format, makes it very difficult to search,
update, and reissue.

The manual would be enhanced if organized logically into major divisions or chapters
and indexed accordingly for ease of use. A generic approach to manual organization
appears in Table 51. Logical segmentation into discrete policy topics also eases the
revision process, allowing updates to be made and reinserted without disrupting other
manual components.

In addition, the APD manual could be enhanced by including the following:

‰ Summary of manual organization and how to use its contents


‰ Source of departmental authority
‰ Alphabetical index by key word
‰ A statement of agency values and mission
‰ Glossary of terms used in the manual either collectively in one location, or
more preferably, in the body of each directive
‰ List of authorized forms and reports
‰ Job descriptions of all employees.

A review of many of the most significant policies in the manual revealed major
deficiencies in content. The majority of high priority policies is incomplete and
provides little guidance of any value. For example, the policy on pursuit driving
addresses only three prohibitions on the subject. It does not address such essential
matters as when pursuits should be initiated, when they are not authorized or should
be terminated, supervisory responsibilities for monitoring pursuits, tactical matters
such as number of units involved, caravanning, shooting at or from vehicles, bumping
and ramming, use of roadblocks, or related matters. Other policies such as domestic
violence response, bomb threats, officer-involved shootings, and many others of
importance are similarly inadequate.

The manual also does not include many topics of importance, or if present, are given
only passing attention. These include but are not limited to the following topics.

‰ Career Development

   
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Table 51

GENERIC POLICE DEPARTMENT POLICY MANUAL


TABLE OF CONTENTS

100 – ORGANIZATION

101 – Organizational Structure

200 – ADMINISTRATION

201 – Written Directive System


202 – Authority and Jurisdiction
203 – Goals and Objectives
204 – Interagency Liaison and Cooperation
205 – Mutual Aid
206 – Contractual Agreements
207 – Research and Development
208 – Data Processing
209 – Fiscal Management and Resource Control

300 – PERSONNEL

301 – Classification/Assignment
302 – Salary Plan
303 – Benefits
304 – Conditions of Work
305 – Physical Exams and Fitness
306 – Recruitment and Selection
307 – Performance Evaluations
308 – Promotions
309 – Personnel Records
310 – Standards of Conduct
311 – Disciplinary Procedures
312 – Grievance Procedures
313 – Sexual Harassment and Discrimination
314 – Off Duty Employment
315 – Termination of Employment
316 – Departmental Awards and Commendations

400 – TRAINING

401 – Training Programs and Curricula


402 – Training Records
403 – Instructor Selection
404 – Orientation Training
405 – Basic Training
406 – In-Service Training
407 – Advanced Training

   
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Table 51

GENERIC POLICE DEPARTMENT POLICY MANUAL


TABLE OF CONTENTS

408 – Specialized Training


409 – Civilian Training
410 – Auxiliary/Reserve Training
411 – Remedial Training
412 – Career Development

500 – LAW ENFORCEMENT OPERATIONS

501 – Use of Force


502 – Arrest and Detentions
503 – Juvenile Operations
504 – Search and Seizure
505 – Firearms
506 – Vehicle Inventory
507 – Traffic Enforcement
508 – Collection and Preservation of Evidence
509 – Vehicle Operation
510 – Patrol Functions
511 – Investigative Functions
512 – Crowd Control and Demonstrations
513 – Incident Command
514 – Domestic Violence
515 – Media Relations

600 – SUPPORT SERVICES

601 – Crime Prevention


602 – Community Relations
603 – Public Information
604 – Crime Analysis
605 – Intelligence
606 – Forensics
607 – Communications
608 – Criminal Records
609 – Victim Assistance
610 – Uniforms and Property

   
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‰ Off-duty Employment
‰ Body Armor
‰ Standards of Conduct
‰ Inspections
‰ Officer Drug Testing
‰ Communicable Disease
‰ Firearms and Qualification
‰ Evidence Control
‰ Death Notification
‰ Dealing with Mentally Ill or Mentally Disabled
‰ Confidential Informants
‰ Investigation of:
- Hate Crimes
- Identity Theft
- Child Abuse
- Sexual Assault
- Missing Persons in General and Missing Children in particular
‰ Motor Vehicle Searches
‰ Motor Vehicle Stops
‰ Victim Assistance
‰ Intelligence

Structurally, there is no essential identifying information preceding each topic. For


example, each topic should indicate the date in which it became effective; whether it
replaced or rescinded another policy; its applicability to staff and distribution (e.g., all
staff, special operations personnel, etc.); the departmental officer who approved the
policy; references to state or federal law, accreditation requirements or other
departmental manual components; and when it is due for reevaluation.

The workforce survey administered as part of this review indicated workforce


dissatisfaction with the policy manual. Sixty-nine (69) percent of respondents view the
department’s policies and procedures as not effective. When given the opportunity to
suggest improvements in the form of an open-ended response, the majority of
responses noted the policies and procedures were “not enforced” or were “outdated.”

The department should revise the policy manual into a comprehensive reference that
can guide the organization, its operations, and its employees. The IACP’s Model Policy
Center and online planning and research forum, IACP Net, are two good resources for

   
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guidance and assistance. The revision process should involve participation and inputs
from a broad range of employees throughout the department.

Responsibility for policy development, updates/revisions, and content-compliance with


law and best practices, should not be the responsibility of the chief or the UCR Sergeant.
We propose tasking this responsibility to a civilian within the Training/Planning
Division of the proposed Administrative and Support Services Bureau. Such a move
would allow policies and procedures to be maintained on a current basis by a single,
assigned unit with direct access to the chief.

For both reference and training purposes, the APD should exploit common and
emerging technologies. The policy manual should be easily accessible to both sworn
and civilian staff, preferably in an electronic format searchable by key word and content
topic. Online and in-car access to policies and self-learning training modules, reviewed
by individuals as schedules permit, offer a low-cost access to policies and policy
training. The proposed civilian planner specialist housed in the Training/Planning
Division should be tasked to build this capacity.

SECTION 5: RECOMMENDATIONS

To strengthen policy and procedures programming, the following actions should be


taken:

1. Revise and update the policy manual with comprehensive policies and procedures
organized in a logical manner.

The IACP’s Model Policy Center and online planning and research forum, IACP Net,
are two good resources for guidance and assistance.

2. Establish regular and periodic reviews of the policy manual, particularly for
policies that discuss legal or high risk/liability content areas.

3. Assign responsibility for policy development and revision, maintenance, and


policy and procedures training to a full-time planner/policy specialist.

4. Engage a broad spectrum of the workforce in policy development and revision.

5. Exploit current and emerging technologies to improve access to and training in


policies and procedures.

In-car (patrol car) technology is especially important. Policy manual should be


available electronically with the capacity for key word and content searches.

   
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CHAPTER XX. ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE – WORKFORCE PERSPECTIVES

Workforce perceptions, attitudes, and expectations constitute essential information for


understanding the culture and effectiveness of the APD, diagnosing opportunities for
constructive change, and managing organizational transformation. IACP surveyed the
workforce to capture this information and to broaden involvement in the safety.

SECTION 1: SURVEY STRUCTURE

The survey elicited judgments concerning:

‰ Servicing APD Stakeholders: meeting safety and service needs;


community policing practices; community trust.

‰ Job Preparation and Guidance: goals and objectives; supervision;


training; policies and procedures.

‰ Performance Standards and Measurements: standards; coaching and


mentoring; assistance; evaluation.

‰ Equity Considerations: promotion practices; transfer and special


assignment practices; citizen complaints and internal affairs.

‰ Productivity and Innovation: ideas to improve patrol; investigations;


communications; serving the community; county board functioning;
activities of questionable value.

‰ 21st Century Policing: forces of change; implications of forces;


constructive responses to implications.

The survey consisted of open-ended and forced-choice questions. A written


questionnaire was mailed to the APD for distribution to every member of the agency.
Participation was voluntary. Survey protocols were designed to promote anonymity.
Respondents were asked not to provide names. An un-auditable pre-addressed
envelope was supplied.

SECTION 2: SURVEY RESPONSE

Assessed by total number of responses, distribution by rank, and years of service, the
respondent universe is considered sufficiently representative to accurately reflect the

   
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culture of the APD. Eight-five (85) responses were received, 45% of eligible
respondents. (Five responses were received after production of data reported here.)

Rank. The distribution of responses was fairly broad across ranks, but
dominated by sergeants and officers, 68% combined:

Rank Number Percent

‰ Officer 39 47.6
‰ Sergeant 17 20.7
‰ Civilian 16 19.5
‰ Lieutenant 4 4.9
‰ Captain 1 1.2
‰ Other 3 3.7
‰ Declined 2 2.4
‰ Unclassifiable 3 3.7

TOTAL 85 100.0

(The survey failed to distinguish between officers and corporals.)

Assignment. Responses also distribute broadly among assignments. Uniform


staff returned the largest number followed by Communications/Technical support
staff.

Assignment Number Percent

‰ Uniform 32 39.0
‰ Communications/Technical Support 9 11.0
‰ Special Operations 8 9.8
‰ Warrants/Records/Support Services 8 9.8
‰ Other 8 9.8
‰ Criminal Investigations 6 7.3
‰ Community Policing 4 4.9
‰ Declined to State 4 3.7
‰ Narcotics 2 2.4
‰ Training Academy 2 2.4

TOTAL 85 100.0

APD Experience. Years of experience with the APD was evenly distributed
across categories, but the most dominant numerical response comes from workers in
the 20+ years of service category, accounting for 27 (32%) of the valid responses. Eighty
(80) percent of the respondents have greater than five years of experience. Tenured

   
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workers often have more measured survey responses, in contrast to newer workers
which often have more positive responses.

APD Service Years Number Percent

‰ 20+ 27 32.1
‰ 5–9 14 16.7
‰ 10 – 14 13 15.5
‰ 15 – 19 13 15.5
‰ 2–4 11 13.1
‰ 0–1 6 7.1

TOTAL 84 100.0

Education. Thirty-four (41%) of the respondents have two years of college


education or less. Almost one-third have high school diplomas only.

Education Level Number Percent

‰ Less than 2 years college 34 41.0


‰ High school graduate 27 32.5
‰ Less than 4 years college 12 14.5
‰ Baccalaureate degree 4 4.8
‰ Graduate degree 3 3.6
‰ Associate degree 2 2.4
‰ Some graduate work 1 1.2

TOTAL 83 100.0

SECTION 3: SERVICING APD STAKEHOLDERS

Respondents were asked to rate the effectiveness of the APD in meeting the safety and
service needs of specific stakeholder groups. Effectiveness was rated on a scale from
one to five with one being “ineffective” and five being “effective.” For purposes of this
analysis, the threshold for overall effectiveness is achieved when 50% or more of the
respondents fall in the four to five range of “satisfactory” or “effective.” Given these
criteria, three stakeholder groups were identified as satisfactorily or effectively serviced
by the APD: the mentally challenged; businesses; and the military. Particularly notable
on the unsatisfactory side of the equation are responses regarding youth, immigrants,
and the homeless/indigent. The complete results of this question are summarized in
Table 52 below.

   
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Table 52

WORKFORCE SURVEY SUMMARY: SERVICING APD STAKEHOLDERS

% Unsatisfactory/ % Neither Effective % Satisfactory/ Effective


Group Ineffective (1 or 2) Nor Ineffective (3) (4 or 5) Variation by Rank

Effective (50+%4 or 5)

‰ Mentally Challenged 14.3 28.6 57.1 Viewed as not effective by Captains,


Lieutenants, and Sergeants
‰ Businesses 9.5 33.3 57.1 Viewed as not effective by Captains,
Lieutenants, and Sergeants
‰ Military 10.7 35.7 53.6 Viewed as not effective by Captains,
Lieutenants, and Sergeants

Not Effective (50+% 1, 2, or 3)

‰ Victims of Crime 16.9 39.8 43.4 Viewed as effective by civilians


(62.5%)
‰ Youth 23.5 44.7 31.8 Viewed as effective by civilians (75%)

‰ Elderly 19.0 32.1 48.8 Viewed as effective by officers (54%)


and civilians (75%)
‰ Minorities 9.4 45.9 44.7 Viewed as effective by officers (51%)
and civilians (50%)
‰ Immigrants 27.1 38.8 34.1 None

‰ Homeless/Indigent 27.4 35.7 36.9 Viewed as effective by civilians


(62.5%)

   
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There are slight variations when rank is taken into consideration. Overall, captains,
lieutenants, and sergeants do not view service delivery to any group as effective.
Conversely, civilian respondents generally, and in some cases, officers, view service
delivery more positively.

For groups receiving service deemed not effective (1 or 2), respondents were asked to
explain why in an open-ended question. Twenty-three (23) responded to this open-
ended question. A lack of available programs to offer these groups is the most
prevalent response, followed by lack of training to effectively address the needs to these
groups.

SECTION 4: WORKPLACE PRACTICES AND CONDITIONS

Table 53 summarizes the responses to 13 forced-choice questions regarding workforce


practices or conditions. Positive practices/conditions are those receiving 50% or more
respondents in the “satisfactory” or “excellent” range (choices 4 or 5). Fifty percent
(50%) or more in the unsatisfactory and/or neither satisfactory nor unsatisfactory
ranges (choices 1, 2, and 3) is not positive. As evidenced by the table below, only four
practices or conditions received positive responses: understanding of APD goals;
understanding of assignment goals; quality of supervision; and understanding of
performance standards. With the exception of understanding job goals, the rest of
these positive responses were achieved by a narrow margin due to variation in rank.
Despite a few slight variations when rank is taken into consideration, overall inter-rank
perceptions are characterized more by agreement than disparity.

SECTION 5: INDICATORS

Responses to a number of survey items indicate the need for further examination by
APD leadership, and in some cases, action. Over one-third of the respondents found 12
of the 13 practices less than satisfactory, in most cases neither satisfactory nor
unsatisfactory. Further analysis and corrective action is needed.

Transfers and special assignment, in particular, warrant attention given that nearly 40%
of respondents view these practices as unsatisfactory. Community policing/
community trust also need immediate attention.

Table 54 supplies another view, clustering responses by category of measurement. The


workforce returned consistently satisfactory/excellent responses with regard to Job
Preparation and Direction practices but only by a slim margin. The remaining clusters
are regarded less satisfactorily. The Equity cluster is of particular concern given nearly

   
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Table 53

PRACTICES AND CONDITIONS - RANKINGS

% Unsatisfactory/ % Neither Effective % Satisfactory/


Practice/Condition Ineffective (1 or 2) Nor Ineffective (3) Effective (4 or 5) Variation by Rank

Effective (50+%4 or 5)

‰ Understanding of Job 10.6 11.8 77.6 None


Goals
‰ Understanding of APD 10.6 32.9 56.5 Viewed as not positive by 56.4% officers
Goals
‰ Understanding of 4.8 39.8 55.4 Viewed as not positive by 53% sergeants
Performance Standards and officers
‰ Quality of Supervision 21.2 25.9 52.9 Viewed as not positive by Captain/
Lieutenants or Other/Declined

Not Effective (50+% 1, 2, or 3)

‰ Training 17.6 36.5 45.9 Viewed as positive by 51% officers


‰ Policies and Procedures 12.0 47.0 41.0 None
‰ Promotion Practices 27.4 38.1 34.5 None
‰ IA/Discipline Practices 22.6 48.8 28.6 None
‰ Performance Evaluation 28.6 45.2 26.2 None
‰ Community Policing 35.5 38.8 25.9 Viewed as positive by 56.3% civilians
Practices
‰ Performance Standards – 22.0 43.7 24.4 None
Capacity Building
‰ Community Trust 16.5 62.4 21.2 None
‰ Transfers/Special 38.1 45.2 16.7 None
Assignments

   
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Table 54

PRACTICES AND CONDITIONS - CLUSTERS

% Neither Satisfactory Nor


Practice/Condition % Unsatisfactory (1 or 2) Unsatisfactory % Satisfactory/Excellent (4 or 5)

‰ Servicing Stakeholders

- Assessment of Community Policing Practices 35.5 28.8 25.9


- Community Trust 16.5 62.4 21.2
Average 26.0 50.6 23.6

‰ Job Preparation and Guidance

- Understanding of APD Goals 10.6 32.9 56.5


- Understanding of Job Goals 10.6 11.8 77.6
- Quality of Supervision 21.2 25.9 52.9
- Training 17.6 36.5 45.9
- Policies and Procedures 12.0 47.0 41.0
Average 14.4 30.8 54.8

‰ Performance Standards and Measurement

- Understanding of Performance Standards 4.8 39.8 55.4


- Performance Standards – Capacity Building 22.0 53.7 24.4
- Performance Evaluation 28.6 45.2 26.2
Average 18.5 46.2 35.3

‰ Equity Considerations

- Promotion Practices 27.4 38.1 34.5


- Transfers/Special Assignments 38.1 45.2 16.7
- IA/Discipline Practices 22.6 48.8 28.6
Average 39.4 44.0 26.6

   
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one-third of respondents regarded these efforts as unsatisfactory. Clearly, there is


much work to be done across the four clusters.

SECTION 6: OPEN-ENDED RESPONSES

For any practice rated unsatisfactory (1 or 2), respondents were invited to offer
explanations and additional comments in the form of open-ended responses. A large
number of respondents took advantage of this opportunity to voice their opinions.
Table 55 summarizes the nature of these comments. The responses, while not
conclusive measures of whether practices or conditions approach or comply with
professional expectations, explain how respondents perceive a workforce condition,
and the basis for dissatisfaction. Comment clusters are re-visited throughout the report.
Perceptions regarding APD goals and objectives, for example, are consistent with and
reinforce our findings. It would be equally appropriate to say that our findings validate
workforce perceptions.

SECTION 7: PRODUCTIVITY AND INNOVATIONS

The workforce was invited to recommend ideas to enable the APD to function more
productively and to position itself for the future. The survey isolated operations and
functions for focused consideration. Recommendations were not restricted to “same
class” respondents. Investigators and dispatchers could comment on Patrol, for
example. The data presented in Table 56 are based on 85 segregated responses.

The number of respondents who offered suggestions is meaningful, exceeding the norm
for this survey category. A second result of significance to us is the number of
observations and recommendations which are congruent with those of the study staff.
These include:

ˆ Investigations: the entire cluster

ˆ Communications: ride-alongs for dispatchers

ˆ Serving the Community: greater engagement and proactive communication.

   
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Table 55

SUMMARY OF OPEN-ENDED RESPONSES

Practice/Condition Number* Percent Summary

‰ Servicing Stakeholders

Assessment of Community 33 38.8 Most responded to this question in the context of APD’s Community Policing
Policing Practices unit, not from the perspective of overall community policing efforts.

Community Trust 10 11.8 The few comments noted here reiterate the opinion that the community of a
whole does not trust the APD. Explanations included a lack of confidentiality
(1); criminals operating with impunity (1); poor public relations (1); poor
officer behavior (3); and lack of administrative support (2).

Pockets of Distrust 42 49.4 The vast majority identified pockets of distrust in the community as low-
income, minority areas (25).

‰ Job Preparation and Guidance

Understanding of APD Goals 9 10.6 These responses indicated a lack of understanding of what the goals and
objectives are or what they mean anything. Some respondents commented
that the goals change frequently.

Understanding of Job Goals 9 10.6 Few commonalities among responses. Four noted that their goals were
constantly changing or never communicated.

Quality of Supervision 13 15.3 There were few commonalities to these responses; not support from above (2);
unqualified supervisors (2).

Training 10 11.8 All comments stated that they received minimal or no training.

   
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Table 55

SUMMARY OF OPEN-ENDED RESPONSES

Practice/Condition Number* Percent Summary

Additional Training Needed 48 56.5 Specific requests or recommendations on training varied widely, ranging from
firearms (2) and DWI (1) to computer (2) and diversity (2) training. Most
common requests were for “any training” (6); communications/public contact
(4). Supervisory training was also requested by sergeants and above.

Policies and Procedures 13 15.3 The majority of the responses to this question noted that the policies and
procedures were “not enforced” (5) and/or “outdated” (5).

New/Revised Policies and 27 31.8 These responses vary widely with little consensus: mentally ill, elderly,
Procedures Needed community policing, chain of command, sick leave, detective call-out,
smoking, critical incidents, active shooter (2), gangs, officer fitness/
appearance, firearms, use of force, pursuit policy (2), call response/
prioritization, performance evaluations, vehicle policy.

‰ Performance Standards and Measurement

Understanding of Performance 5 5.9 Three stated that evaluation standards change and are not applied effectively.
Standards

Standards to Which You Are 36 42.4 There was great variation in these responses, but the most common among
Held priority one responses were: honesty (6); professionalism (60); safety (4); meet
basic job requirements (i.e., patrol, answer calls, make citizen contacts, follow
rules) (12).

Performance Standards – 39 45.9 Improved/more training (15); less administrative interference (3); poor/non-
Current Capacity Building supportive leadership (9).

Performance Evaluation 23 27.1 The majority of respondents cited the performance evaluation process as
ineffective/useless (17).

   
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Table 55

SUMMARY OF OPEN-ENDED RESPONSES

Practice/Condition Number* Percent Summary

‰ Equity Considerations

Promotion Practices 24 28.2 Five civilians noted that there are no civilian promotions; other respondents
made the following complaints about promotions: takes too long/senior
officers are holding up the ranks (5); based on seniority not competence (8).

Transfers/Special Assignments 27 31.8 The predominant explanation for unsatisfactory views of the transfer/special
assignment system was favoritism/inequitable selection practices (17). A few
(3) noted that the transfer process specifically was often used for punishment
or disciplinary purposes.

IA/Discipline Practices 22 25.9 Inequity and favoritism were listed among the top complaints of the IA/
discipline process (10); six commented that citizen complaints always resulted
in discipline and that officer is viewed as guilty until proven innocent.

   
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Table 56

SUMMARY OF PRODUCTIVITY AND INNOVATION SUGGESTIONS

Practice/Condition Number* Percent Summary

‰ Improve Patrol function 47 55.3 Suggestions to improve the patrol function included: more officers/
manpower (8) plus (2) specifically mentioned full staffing for one shift that has
been short on supervisors for a year; more effective leadership (5); more
training (5); prioritize calls (5); create a reward program to recognize good
work (2).

‰ Improve Investigations 34 40.0 Thirty-four (34) commented but many offered multiple suggestions for
improving investigations. Among the most common were: ineffective staffing
– too many long-time sergeants (12); should work nights and weekends (7);
improve communication with line, with victims, and with other detectives (5).

‰ Improve Communications 39 45.9 Top suggestions to improve communications include: Ride-alongs for
communications staff (6); improve professionalism (8); five offered positive
comments.

‰ Other Improvements 24 28.2 There was little consensus among the other improvements suggested:
leadership changes and/or improved accountability (4); specialized units
should to their specialized work (3).

‰ How to serve community 30 35.3 Two prevailing responses: more personnel/officers (8); engage and interact
better with the community (through meetings, ride-alongs, etc.) (8).

‰ City Hall actions 37 43.5 The most common responses include: more support of PD from city hall and
less micromanaging (9); change PD leadership/improve accountability (6);
more resources (personnel or equipment) (9).

‰ Questionable actions 21 24.7 Suggestions were dispersed with only a few multiples. These include: street
team (3); narcotics (3); community policing unit (3); favoritism (2).

   
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SECTION 8: OBSERVATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Survey responses surface a number of conditions and practices requiring attention,


either through immediate action or further analysis. Meeting the needs of the
underserved populations noted in Table 52 can only be achieved through a concerted
partnership with community groups. Table 54 highlights the need and opportunity to
reexamine/restructure practices in a number of areas. Transfers/special assignments,
community policing/community trust, and performance evaluation are among the
priority concerns.

Chapter I. commented on the favorable climate for introducing innovations into the
APD. The workforce survey reinforces the expectation. Disparities among ranks and
classifications – conflicting perceptions, with regard to major practices and conditions is
not a positive for introducing change effectively. Significant disparities do not seem to
be present in the APD. A number of dissatisfiers notwithstanding, workforce
commitment, dedication, and morale are valuable assets for meeting change and
challenge.

   
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