The City Council Tuesday night will review a proposed restructuring in the Department of Public Safety, specifically in the Police Services. The proposal includes adding the rank of Assistant Chief in Police Services and reallocating resources, according to a city staff report.
Councilors are scheduled to go over the changes during a 7 p.m. work session.
The proposed changes, the staff report states, will help improve:
- Supervision of employees, specifically in patrol.
- Accountability, consistency and productivity.
- Police presence and community problem solving.
- Succession planning and personnel development.
- Departmental risk and liability.
- Communication, clarity and collaboration.
If approved by the city council, the changes will be implemented May 30, the staff report states.
The changes will result in a $275,415 increase in on-going costs including the addition of one full time position. The city is proposing adding the rank of Assistant Chief in Police Services, the report states.
One current commander position and one current master police position would be converted to create two of the assistant chief positions while a third assistant chief position would be created, the report states.
Multiple organizational “deficiencies and challenges” were identified through an evaluation of the department's current staffing allocation and rank structure in Police Services, the report states.
It notes that some ratios of sergeant to subordinates range from a low of 1:4 to a high of 1:15 with the average being about 1:7.
Also, the report states, that … “in some areas, supervisors may have too many direct reports, which can negatively impact their ability to effectively supervise.”
