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2003-02-05City of Southlake, Texas
.t
MEMORANDUM
January 28, 2003
TO: Crime Control and Prevention District Board of Directors
FROM: Rick Black, Director of Public Safety
SUBJECT: Approve funding of the Strategic Plan Report as developed by Trott
Communications Group to Join the Northeast Tarrant County Consortium
Radio System for Public Safety Radio Communications.
Action Requested: Approve funding to execute a contract and join the Northeast Tarrant County
Consortium Radio System.
Background
Information: On January 25, 2002 the Crime Control and Prevention District approved the
staff recommendation to direct Trott Communications to develop a strategic
radio plan. The plan has been finalized and is provided to you under separate
cover as an attachment to this request. The plan can be summarized as
follows. The City should adopt a standard of radio coverage at the "95%
coverage standard" for portable radios in their normal mode of operation. Any
solution should support mutual and automatic aid responses with surrounding
cities. A view of expansion and future technologies must also be taken into
accounting.
As you may recall the Department of Public Safety currently operates between
two different trunked radio systems, Fort Worth and Denton. Trott reviewed
the coverage of both systems. Neither the Fort Worth nor Denton system
penetrates more than 24% of Southlake for in -building coverage. In most
cases, neither system overlaps the other thus forcing officers to frequently
make system changes to be able to communicate. Neither Denton nor Fort
Worth is accepting the addition of any more units on their respective systems.
The Trott report basically presents the City with only two viable choices.
1. Do nothing and wait for future technology and frequencies to
develop. Purchase a system in the future and dedicate staff to the
operation of it.
2. Join the Northeast Tarrant County Consortium as a member of that
group with system management representation.
The Northeast Tarrant County Consortium consists of the cities of Bedford,
Euless, Keller, Colleyville, and Grapevine. The Consortium has indicated
willingness for Southlake to become a member of the system. In order to join
the system, Southlake would be responsible for a proportionate cost of the
original system construction plus costs associated with the addition of the
Southlake 800 MHz channel to the existing system. A portion of those costs
would be reimbursable when future cities join the system.
6A - 1
rime Control and Prevention District Board of Directors
January 28, 2003
Page 2
Financial
Considerations: The Northeast Tarrant County Consortium has offered the use of their trunked
radio system for a buy -in fee of $469,775 and the addition of the City of
Southlake's 800 MHz channel to the system, estimated at $400,000. The City
currently pays $48,000 annually to the City of Fort Worth for use of the Fort
Worth system. That amount would be reduced to $24,000 and paid to the
Northeast Tarrant County Consortium after joining. These funds are currently
recorded in the Crime Control Prevention District Capital Improvement Plan
fund.
Citizen Input/
Board Review: None
Legal Review: They City Attorney will review and approve the final agreement with the
Northeast Tarrant County Consortium.
Alternatives: Deny funding of the strategic radio plan and staff will continue to explore
measures to improve the safety and operational function of its current radio
system.
Supporting
Documents: "City of Southlake, Texas Strategic Plan — Public Safety Radio Systems"
Report from the Trott Communications Group.
Staff
Recommendation: Staff recommends approving the funding of the strategic radio plan as
submitted.
6A- 2
City of Southlake, Texas
Strategic Plan Report
Public Safety Radio System
®ate:
January 21, 2003
Prepared
by
Trott Communications Group, Inc.
Irving, Texas
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ...........................................................................1
Section 1: Mission Statement And Vision Statement ..........................4
Section 2: Introduction.......................................................................5
Section 3. Existing System Description..............................................8
Section 4: Critical Issues..................................................................12
Section 5: Goals And Objectives......................................................14
Section 6: Strategic Options............................................................16
Section 7: Infrastructure Cost Estimates..........................................21
Section 8: Recommendation............................................................ 23
Section 9: Attachments.................................................................... 27
Attachment A: Coverage Testing Description..................................28
Figure 1 City of Fort Worth System.........................................30
Figure 2 Denton County System.............................................31
Figure 3 Northeast Tarrant County System .............................32
Attachment B: Coverage Measurement Analysis ............................ 33
iii
Executive Summary
The City of Southlake, Texas ("Southlake" or the "City") retained Trott
Communications Group, Inc. ("Trott") to develop a Strategic Plan for positively
effecting radio communications for all Southlake departments and their users
with an emphasis on Law Enforcement and Fire/EMS communications. In order
to identify the most viable alternatives available for consideration, Trott
conducted a study of the City's radio communications needs. The result, "A
Strategic Plan for Radio Communications", has been developed based on input
from all Southlake departments and user groups. Since this report is not a
complete Strategic Planning Report for the City of Southlake, but rather, a portion
dedicated to Southlake's radio communications facilities, it takes on an
abbreviated format.
In order to fully investigate each strategic alternative available to Southlake, a
Mission and Vision Statement has been developed and is included in this report.
This combined statement was used by Trott, and can be used by the City, to
weigh each alternative's overall contribution to this planning effort. These
statements are meant to provide clarity to the acquisition of radio networks and
do not imply any other meaning or relationship to the overall mission of the
Department of Public Safety.
Southlake has suffered from communications problems within each department,
among the various City departments and with other outside agencies. The
problems are primarily due to radio coverage (limited service area) and minimal
interoperability. Police Services currently uses the Denton County radio system,
at "no charge", as its primary dispatch and field radio communications system.
Southlake has given Denton County the use of the City's one 800 MHz channel
in exchange for the utilization of Denton's infrastructure and their additional
channels. Fire Services utilizes the City of Fort Worth's 800 MHz system at an
annual cost of over $48,000.
1
Every user agency, without exception, listed coverage as their major problem to
be overcome by any radio communications project. Secondarily, and nearly as
often, most stated the lack of interoperability, between City departments and with
other nearby agencies, as their next most important complaint. Neither system
provides adequate Public Safety -quality communications based on the results of
actual field measurements conducted by Trott, supporting the users' contentions.
Interoperability with other City departments is inadequate since users must leave
their "home" system to communicate with some other Southlake departments.
Interoperability with other nearby cities requires the same, manual action on the
part of the user. Leaving one's "home" system involves losing communications
with "home" system users and the "home" system dispatcher in order to
communicate with the other department or agency.
The identification of goals and objectives that relate to Southlake's unique
situation were developed in concert with Department of Public Safety personnel.
The goals and objectives are given below:
1. The adoption of a "95% coverage standard" for portable radios in
their normal mode of operation by defining the standard and using it
as the basis for system performance and evaluation.
2. Any solution must offer direct interoperability for Southlake's users
and should support Mutual and Automatic Aid responses with other
cities.
3. Optimization of Dispatch Center operations is required for
maximum system performance, especially communications among
other agencies based upon the current configuration.
4. Future expansion needs of user groups must be included in the
strategic plan.
Once these goals and objectives were articulated within the framework of
operational concerns, systems options were developed and analyzed. In addition
2
to the options of modifications to the systems currently in use, the Northeast
Tarrant County ("Consortium") Group's Public Safety system is presently
available to Southlake. This system is currently supporting Bedford, Euless,
Colleyville, Grapevine, and Keller. Conversion to this system will require an up-
front, buy -in investment and the addition of the City's 800 MHz channel to the
system to support Southlake's voice traffic load. Studies by Trott have
determined that the service offered by the Consortium's Public Safety system
more closely matches, but does not meet, the performance levels desired by
Southlake in many areas of the City; the northwest section of Southlake being
the major exception to the level of coverage and service sought.
The overall conclusion is that, within the Southlake service area, the existing and
available operational radio systems in their current configuration do not meet the
performance requirements as stated by the users and do not conform to industry
standards for the Public Safety community.
SECTION 1: Mission Statement and Vision Statement
Mission Statement
Southlake's Department of Public Safety is dedicated to the safety and security
of all its citizens and visitors and their property and possessions. The radio
communications system that is used by this department requires reliable
operations and coverage of all areas within the City's boundaries at a very high
level of reliability. The fundamental requirement of any radio system developed
for Public Safety use is that it places officer, firefighter and citizen or visitor safety
first. Proper features, functions, training and ongoing maintenance of all
components are required for Public Safety -quality operations and are desired by
Southlake. Any systems or enhancements selected should offer flexibility in
expansion capabilities to address future coverage and capacity needs.
Other departments that provide services for the citizens of Southlake include the
Public Works Department and the Parks Department. These departments are
faced with the same stringent radio requirements that are necessary for Public
Safety operations, as Southlake utilizes them in this manner. These departments
will require the same level of reliability and efficacy that is desired for Law
Enforcement and Fire/EMS operations.
Vision Statement
Interoperability of communications between all of Southlake's critical
departments is essential to safe and efficient Public Safety operations. Our vision
is that each radio user of the Southlake radio system will be able to communicate
effectively, with state-of-the-art equipment, with all other users of the system at a
"95% standard" level of reliability for portable radios, based on their normal mode
of operation, within the city limits of Southlake, Texas.
.19
SECTION 2: Introduction
Through interviews with participating department personnel, investigations of
currently used systems and systems available to Southlake and surveys of select
facilities, Trott gathered information regarding the present radio communication
systems, reviewed the status of existing radio communications equipment and
operations and identified current and future communications needs. These
interviews included detailed discussions with eight (8) different departments,
representing all of Southlake users, and system managers of three area Public
Safety radio communications systems. The interviews included:
Southlake City Administration
Southlake Department of Public Safety
Southlake Police Services
Southlake Fire / EMS Services
Southlake DPS Administrative Services
Southlake Building Services
Southlake Public Works
Southlake Parks Department
City of Fort Worth Communications Department
Denton County Sheriffs Communications Department
Northeast Tarrant County Consortium Group Communications Department
The overall goals and objectives of the City are stated in the Executive Summary
above, and were developed from the detailed needs and requirements that would
impact strategic alternative selection. The detailed requirements were identified
as:
1). Hand-held portable radio communications coverage to all areas in
Southlake requires improvement conforming to, or exceeding, Public
Safety standards, in their normal mode of operation.
5
2). Direct interoperability with all Southlake users is mandatory. Expansion
of services and capabilities; such as, Building Services on Fire Scene,
Public Works on specialized rescue operations, and Public Works access
to Fire Services fire ground operations.
3). Interoperability among nearby cities with Mutual Aid agreements is a
priority and requires improvements in capabilities. The City is considering
a move toward Automatic Aid response and requires any upgrade,
modification or change to support that mode of operation. Automatic Aid is
most efficient using a common network.
4). The Dispatch Center should be modified to accommodate any strategic
option selected. These actions are primarily related to equipment
reconfiguration, programming and training.
5). Flexibility in expansion capabilities to accommodate anticipated
growth. Growth to 300 mobile and portable units is expected within five -
seven years.
As part of the system analysis, Trott investigated emerging technologies in the
radio communications field, including 800 MHz digital migration and the newly -
released 700 MHz band, while maintaining focus on the project objective of
identifying the best strategic approach.
After examining the project needs and requirements and the candidate
alternatives, the viable strategic options that were considered are:
Option 1: Remain with the current systems and modify equipment and
operational parameters.
Option 2: Convert total City use to one of the three existing systems.
Option 3: Acquire frequencies, design and build new system.
A detailed system design is outside the scope and purpose of the Strategic Plan.
The alternatives presented herein functionally describe the choices available in
the strategic decision process.
The following section describes the City of Southlake's current mode of
operation, current systems utilized and a definition of the City's basic problems
with and the level of performance of the current configuration. Section 4 of the
report identifies critical issues to consider when developing and selecting the
most viable strategic option. Section 5 lists the goals and objectives identified as
important to the selection of a strategic direction. Section 6 provides the viable
strategic options available to Southlake and discusses the strengths and
weaknesses associated with each approach. Section 7 provides system cost
estimates for infrastructure improvements for each of the selected options.
Section 8 contains a recommendation and rationale for the City to consider in
selecting a direction and course of action.
The purpose of this Strategic Planning Report is to provide Southlake's
appropriate management personnel with an overview of the status of the current
radio systems and identify alternatives that are viable from a strategic planning
perspective.
VA
SECTION 3. Existing System Description
Trott investigated the systems currently used by the City of Southlake. Police
Services uses the Denton County Sheriffs Department 6-channel, 800 MHz,
analog, trunked radio system while Fire Services uses the City of Fort Worth's
20-channel, 800 MHz, analog, trunked radio system. Southlake Public Works
also uses the Fort Worth system on a limited basis. Coverage measurements
were performed to assess service area performance. A description of the
process, coverage measurement maps and data analyses are included as
attachments in Section 9 of this report. A 450 MHZ system is licensed to
Southlake and is being used by Parks Services. This system has two frequencies
that may be available for utilization in other non -Public Safety environments.
City of Fort Worth System
The Fort Worth primary system is a three -site simulcast system that also uses a
separate, single -site backup system (this backup system is normally used by
other Fort Worth, non -emergency departments). In the event of the loss of one of
the simulcast sites, the other two operational sites will provide service until
repairs have been made, temporarily accepting the service area reduction.
Should the entire simulcast system fail, the single -site backup is selected using
the 20 channels that are assigned to non -Public Safety operations.
Fort Worth has indicated that capacity has become an issue but was uncertain as
to the statistics regarding loading. No statistics have been provided to Trott. As a
result of this capacity issue, Fort Worth has limited Southlake Public Works
Department to its existing complement of users, which is currently insufficient. In
addition, Fort Worth stated they could not support the addition of Southlake
Police Services without degrading their capacity and capability. The addition of
the Southlake channel to the Fort Worth system is problematic due to the high
expense of constructing a 20-channel site for the Fort Worth system in Southlake
(in the event that Fort Worth was considered by Southlake as the sole service
Rl
provider). Fort Worth has future plans to construct a site in northern Tarrant
County, but at this time that plan is not active and no date has been set to
activate that plan. Fort Worth is also considering migrating their entire system to
the newly released 700 MHz band in a totally digital format. At the time of that
migration, all new infrastructure and subscriber equipment will be required.
Southlake's Dispatch Center is currently connected to Fort Worth's system
through control stations for Fire / EMS dispatch and operations.
Figure 1 of Section 9, Attachment A shows the actual coverage measurements,
not predictions, of the radio signal that was received during our testing of the Fort
Worth system. This signal level is not adequate for Public Safety use in many
areas of the city.
Denton County System
The Denton County Sheriff's Department system is a three -site, simulcast,
trunked, 6-channel (expandable to 14 channels if any additional frequencies were
available), 800 MHz system with one of the six frequencies supplied by
Southlake. Approximately 800 users are on the Denton County system. Denton
County has indicated that the system is approaching capacity although no
statistics were made available. Backup for a single site failure is the utilization of
the two other performing sites until repairs have been made, temporarily
accepting the service area reduction. No facilities exist to support total system
failure.
The use of the Southlake channel by Denton County has precluded them by
agreement from charging any fees for the system use. This policy may be altered
in the future, especially if Southlake were to place additional units (from Fire and
other Departments) on the system. However, Denton County will not support
additional Southlake departments due to anticipated loading problems.
9
Southlake's Dispatch Center is currently connected to Denton County's system
through a leased T-1 circuit for Police dispatch and operations
Figure 2 of Section 9, Attachment A shows the actual coverage measurements,
not predictions, of the radio signal that was received during our testing of the
Denton County System. This signal level is not adequate for Public Safety use in
many areas of the city.
Northeast Tarrant County Consortium System
Southlake is not presently using the Northeast Tarrant County Consortium
Group's system for dispatch and routine communications but has previously field-
tested this system for their use and found it superior to both of the systems
currently being used. The Northeast Tarrant County Consortium Group has
offered the use of their system to Southlake for a buy -in fee and use of the City's
800 MHz channel. The Northeast Tarrant County Group jointly owns and
operates the radio system infrastructure; however, each user group currently
performs its own, independent dispatch function. Their system is an 800 MHz
eight (8) channel 3-site simulcast system with 800-900 radios. The addition of
Southlake's channel could support about 300-400 additional radio users due to
trunking efficiencies. The addition of Southlake's users and channel should not
degrade the system's loading performance.
Figure 3 of Section 9, Attachment A shows the actual coverage measurements,
not predictions, of the radio signal that was received during our testing of the
Northeast Tarrant County Consortium System. This signal level is not adequate
for Public Safety use in many areas of the city but more closely approximates the
levels desired by Southlake's user groups.
10
Attachment A provides detail and a description of the coverage testing
procedure utilized by Trott in comparing the three radio networks.
Attachment B provides the Coverage Measurement Analysis that describes the
coverage achieved by the three systems within Southlake's boundaries.
11
SECTION 4: Critical Issues
Based on interviews conducted by Trott with the various departments and other
agencies (City of Fort Worth, Denton County and the Northeast Tarrant County
Consortium), critical issues regarding the radio system and dispatch operations
emerged that are addressed in this section.
Based on the direction of the Mission and Vision Statements above, critical
issues will be discussed as they relate to these statements. Critical issues, as
identified by Trott, include:
1. Officer, firefighter and the safety of the public are paramount. Based on
our surveys of Southlake personnel, officer and firefighter safety
and, therefore, safety to the public, were the overwhelming issues
to be addressed with any strategy related to Southlake's radio
communications. Nearly every other critical issue that will be
identified is related to their safety and the safety of the public.
2. Dependence on other agencies as system providers has led to
inadequate radio coverage and interoperability problems. Southlake
has experienced significant coverage and interoperability
problems with the systems currently being used. Trott studied the
actual performance (related to coverage using Public Safety -quality
standards of reliability) of three currently available radio systems.
Figures 1 — 3 in Section 9, Attachment A illustrate the field
measurements taken by Trott for each of these three systems. Large
areas of Southlake currently experience less -than -desirable coverage
(below a 95% level of reliability), as also determined by the surveys of
City personnel. None of the systems provided the desired level of
performance throughout the coverage area. Denton County and the
City of Fort Worth have less -than -desired coverage in large parts of
Southlake. The Northeast Tarrant County radio system has much
better coverage, but is still below the threshold desired by Southlake
12
within the City boundary. Basically, none of the three agencies'
systems are presently designed or configured to provide a high level of
coverage for Southlake. The use of and reliance upon portables for
Public Safety communications has increased, shrinking the coverage
area even more when assessing the reliability within building
structures. The existing City limits are used for coverage area
identification and performance level assessment, as Southlake plans
no annexation of any additional area. The current coverage area is
21.5 square miles with 60% commercially developed and 78%
developed residentially.
3. Interoperability_ The ability to have all Southlake personnel
communicating effectively with one another is the first ("direct")
level of interoperability that needs to be achieved. Next in
importance is the ability to communicate effectively with other nearby
Public Safety agencies. During interviews, agencies outside Southlake
that often required radio communications, including mutual aid
responses, were identified and documented for use in interoperability
planning. These agencies were most often associated with the
Northeast Tarrant County system.
4. An antenna site in Southlake area will likely be necessary to furnish the
desired level of coverage. As none of the current systems meet
coverage requirements, an upgrade to an existing system or a new
system will likely require a trunked radio site in the Southlake
area, either an existing site or a new construction. Oftentimes, the
construction of new towers is time-consuming and problematic.
5. Dispatch Center configurations should be optimized and fully
integrated with the system chosen. Interoperability concerns are
often relieved with accommodations made through the dispatch
center. Once a system approach has been selected, the dispatch
center must be adapted to how the radio system will be utilized.
13
SECTION 5: Goals and Objectives
In identifying the goals and objectives that should be addressed with this
Strategic Plan, it is necessary to reiterate that this Plan is targeted at radio
communications and not at the other operations of the Department of Public
Safety. Staffing levels, integration with other operations, standard work practices,
training, departmental policies and other areas are outside the scope of this
document.
Based on our analysis of interviews and input from various participants in this
process, the following goals and objectives have been identified as instrumental
to the success of Southlake's strategic plan.
1. The adoption of a "95% standard" for portable radios should be
defined and adopted. Hand-held portable radio communications
coverage to all areas of Southlake requires improvement conforming to
Public Safety standards. The definition used for the Southlake
standard is "95% reliability on a high -quality portable radio, within a
commercial building structure, inside the city limits of Southlake." This
new standard will be adopted with the acquisition of a long-term
system solution. This standard will greatly enhance officer and
firefighter safety as well confidence in the radio system by the users.
The 95% standard may require special accommodations for certain
structures where signal levels remain low after the migration to the
selected system. Testing may be required to identify areas needing
special enhancements.
2. Any solution should offer direct interoperability for Southlake's
users, and will support mutual and automatic aid responses.
Interoperability with other agencies with whom Southlake performs
consolidated Public Safety services is highly desired and is to be
augmented to the maximum degree possible. All alternatives have
strengths and weaknesses related to interoperability with other
agencies. Currently, Southlake Police and Fire are not directly
14
interoperable nor are they interoperable with a majority of the agencies
they deal with on mutual and automatic aid responses.
3. The use of an existing antenna site in or near Southlake that can
provide the coverage necessary will expedite the acquisition of
the selected system. None of the current systems available for use by
Southlake have a site in the immediate Southlake area. Enhancing
coverage to meet the guidelines above will require the acquisition of an
antenna site in, or near, Southlake. Trott investigated the use of water
towers owned by Southlake as potential antenna sites because
approval would be quick and straightforward. Our preliminary
investigations indicate that none of the City's water towers will provide
adequate coverage; however, water towers in adjacent Cities may
suffice. Commercial antenna sites may be used resulting in tower rents
and other problems, including interference. Further research will be
required to identify the best site for the selected option.
4. Optimization of Dispatch Center operations is required for
maximum system performance, especially communications
among other agencies. The dispatch center is currently configured to
optimize operations using the existing radio systems from a hardware
perspective. Although hardware configuration is optimal, training,
programming and operations have not been optimized. Any change to
the radio system utilization will require appropriate changes in the way
dispatch operations are handled.
5. Future expansion needs of user groups should be included in
strategic plan. Southlake's city limits cannot be increased, thus
eliminating coverage expansion considerations in its system's plan
after meeting the City's immediate requirements. Airtime congestion
will be the most important development to track, especially for the use
of another Agency's system. Traffic loading studies can be conducted
to assure loading is within agreed -to guidelines. The system manager
will be instrumental to meeting loading conditions.
1.5
SECTION 6: Strategic Options
Each strategic option deemed feasible for Southlake is identified in this section of
the report. The strengths and weaknesses of each alternative are identified and
the ramifications of each decision element are examined.
Option 1. Remain with the current systems and modify operational
parameters. An analysis of the present systems is provided as the
"do nothing" alternative, with slight Dispatch Center modifications.
Southlake selects this option in the near -term if the City decides to
wait for frequencies to become available or for some other agency
to abandon frequencies that are useable.
Strengths - Minimal system investment required at this time.
Minimal change in Dispatch Center operations is required. If an
opportunity in the near future arises, Southlake would be positioned
to take advantage of the opportunity.
Weaknesses - Retains poor coverage of Southlake. Southlake
currently uses two different systems, the City of Fort Worth and the
Denton County systems. Neither offers sufficient coverage of
Southlake. Due to the lingering coverage problems in each system,
no options will be given regarding retaining any of these systems in
their current configurations other than noting the inability to meet
the coverage requirements as defined by City user groups.
Coverage maps are included in this report depicting the signal
levels of each of the systems in all areas of the City.
Direct interoperability among Southlake departments remains
difficult to accomplish and manage. Through interviews, input
regarding communications between police, fire and other
V
departments indicates a strong preference for direct interoperability
among departments. Interoperability with outside agencies is
difficult to implement and manage. For outside agencies providing
systems, Southlake has minimal input and no control of system
design, functions and features, and load management (busy
conditions) to meet its specific requirements, including coverage.
Southlake is dependent upon others for proper maintenance,
support, technical operations and system management. System
management is critical to successful realization of the Plan's
objectives. Further study will be required to identify any deficiencies
in system management of a non -owned system.
Option 2. Convert total City use to one of the three existing systems.
Minimal opportunities exist for interlocal agreements. The existing
City of Fort Worth and Denton County systems suffer from loading
problems and neither can, nor are willing to, support the additional
load of the entire City of Southlake. An opportunity exists to join
forces with the Northeast Tarrant County System.
Strengths - Southlake departments will be directly interoperable.
The Northeast Tarrant County System currently provides better
coverage than either of the two current systems, although it does
not currently meet the City's new standards. The addition of a site
in or near Southlake will dramatically improve upon that coverage.
Direct interoperability among City departments is achieved and
direct or improved interoperability with nearby agencies involved
with Mutual Aid or Automatic Aid may be available with the
Northeast Tarrant County option.
17
Weaknesses - System will still be owned by others (same as Fort
Worth and Denton County option). Southlake can become joint
owner and operator of the Northeast Tarrant County system;
however, investment could be large for the initial "buy -in" and
implementation of City's channel plus the additional site
construction or other type charges, including maintenance costs
that may apply. System management capabilities vary among
existing systems.
Each system is evaluated separately below:
The City of Fort Worth has made no real commitment for the
future addition of any sites to improve coverage. Bringing all
frequencies (20) to Southlake will be excessively expensive for the
value received and is not favored by the Fort Worth system
manager. System manager has indicated that Fort Worth will
acquire 700 MHz frequencies as soon as they are available, and
may or may not abandon the current 800 MHz systems after
transition, possibly leaving Southlake without a system operator
unless Southlake follows the 700 MHz migration. System manager
has indicated they cannot support any additional loading at this
time, ruling this system out as a primary choice.
Denton County will consider adding a Southlake site if necessary
and if paid for by Southlake. The County is currently using
Southlake's 800 MHz channel in return for free access to their
system for Southlake Police. Congestion has become a problem
and the system cannot support Southlake's Fire/EMS or Public
Works.
18
The Northeast Tarrant County System offers the best existing
coverage of Southlake. The addition of a site in or near Southlake
would greatly enhance coverage in the City. Direct interoperability
among City departments and with nearby agencies, which are a
party to Southlake's mutual aid agreements, can be achieved. Their
system manager has indicated that loading is not a problem at this
time and that all Southlake users could be supported if Southlake's
800 MHz channel is added to their system. The system manager
has expressed great flexibility in dealing with Southlake.
Option 3. Acquire frequencies, design and build new system. Acquire
additional frequencies, invest in infrastructure, design and build a
Southlake system.
Strengths - Southlake will have ability to acquire system fitting its
specific needs. Dispatch center operations can be designed for
maximum effectiveness with minimal interconnection cost. Direct
interoperability could be achieved. Southlake will manage loading
on the system. All investment will go to Southlake's system.
Weaknesses - Frequency availability. At the current time, no 800
MHz frequencies are available to the City. Very limited, if any,
frequencies in other bands are available, either for purchase or
licensing. 700 MHz has been released but no definite schedule is
certain as to availability in the Metroplex. This band is currently
allocated to UHF television for digital TV transition purposes. The
FCC has not established a date for the broadcasters to vacate this
band. The City is not currently equipped to manage or support a
system; therefore, staff and a system manager, will need to be
dedicated to project implementation and subsequent technical
operations. Depending on frequencies available, this selection may
19
require an investment in new subscriber equipment (700 MHz). City
may not qualify for a trunked system license due to the number of
current City radio users.
ME
SECTION 7: Infrastructure Cost Estimates
The following identifies budgetary cost estimates for the radio infrastructure
equipment for the various strategic options available to Southlake.
Option 1 considers retaining the current systems used, with optimization of the
Dispatch Center as the primary action to be taken.
Estimated Infrastructure Cost
$50,000
Option 2 considers the migration to an existing system for all Southlake's users.
Each optional system will be considered separately.
City of Fort Worth Estimated Infrastructure Cost
Based on adding a site in Southlake $2,000,000 to $3,000,000
System access fees for Southlake radios may exceed $100,000 / yr.
[Cost to add channel(s) to overcome system load limitations
are not included or presented since additional frequencies are
not available.]
Denton County Estimated Infrastructure Cost
Based on adding a site in Southlake.
$952,800
No service fees are charged, as Denton County is
currently using Southlake's 800 MHz frequency
21
Northeast Tarrant County Group Estimated Infrastructure Cost
Buy -in Cost (Reimbursement to Group for Current System in Use) $469,775
Add Southlake frequency to existing system (Approx.) $400,000
[Adding Southlake Channel is required by Group and is
sufficient to support total Southlake loading. Cost based on quote
from Motorola of $222,000 for equipment, $242,000 for
services with an estimated 20% discount.]
Southlake Initial Investment $870,000
Add site in or near Southlake $750,000
[Cost based on quote from Motorola of $922,000 for equipment
and services with an estimated 20% discount. Does not include
any tower and/or shelter costs or site preparation costs.]
Site Cost Reimbursement to Southlake-$625,000
[Long-term reimbursement for adding site from other users,
including adding another user to system.]
Southlake's Estimated Total Long -Term Investment $995,000
Annual Maintenance / Support — Infrastructure Only $24,000
(Quarterly Payments of $6,000)
Option 3 considers the cost of acquiring frequencies, designing and building a
system for use solely by Southlake.
New system infrastructure costs $1,500,000
City Staff to implement, support and manage system UNKNOWN
22
SECTION 8: Recommendation
The City has two basic options that will result in the benefits and advancements
required by the users. The first option is the construction of the City's own
communications system at some time in the future when frequencies become
available, either through abandonment or release of new spectrum. This option
retains the current system, along with all of its detriments, for the next five -to -
seven years. The estimated cost of a new, City owned -and -operated system is in
the $1.5 to $2 million -dollar range. The other viable option is joining forces with
the Northeast Tarrant County Consortium and becoming a member of that group,
with system management representation. That system is the only outside system
capable of, and willing to support, the total City of Southlake requirements.
Joining that system will require the City to reimburse Consortium members for
some of the system construction costs. Since the group is operating under an
interlocal agreement among the current five members, negotiations and adoption
of a modified agreement is also required. The estimated cost of joining that
system is $470,000 (reimbursement) and the cost of adding Southlake's channel
to the system (estimated at $400,000). The estimated cost of construction of an
additional site in, or near, Southlake is $750,000, excluding the tower or structure
cost. It may be possible to share the cost of the new site with the other or new
members who derive a benefit from the site. Those issues should be resolved in
negotiations of the revised interlocal agreement.
Due to the fact that the Northeast Tarrant County Consortium system can
support the City of Southlake at this time, and further, the advantages of this
approach could outweigh even the construction of the City's own system,
including the financial advantages, Trott is recommending that the City consider
this option as the selection for its strategic direction. This recommended course
of action will provide the City with the following benefits:
23
1. In the near term, it will provide improved radio communications
coverage (service area) to the City's Public Safety personnel, which is
the major concern to these personnel and the City Administration.
Although the current configuration of the Consortium system is not
ideal, it does provide a substantial improvement over the City's current
multiple -system configuration. The ultimate goal should be to provide
the level of service identified in Section 5, item 1 above (the 95%
reliability standard); however, the City may wish to accomplish this
goal either through an initial outlay for construction of the additional
site or through a multi -year upgrade plan. Any site construction should
be patterned to provide a system wide benefit to multiple users, so that
the City can recover some, if not most of its costs from existing or new
user groups.
2. This course of action would combine all of the City's resources onto
one, common system, providing direct interoperability between
Southlake user departments, retaining existing user equipment. The
Consortium may be willing to accept a short-term degradation in
system loading capacity in order to help Southlake. This degradation
would only last until the City's 800 MHz channel could be relinquished
by Denton County and implemented within the Consortium's system.
Again, this issue should be resolved in negotiations of the revised
interlocal agreement.
3. Consolidation onto the Consortium system would provide a benefit to
intercommunications with other nearby Cities during Mutual Aid events,
since most nearby cities with which Southlake has a Mutual Aid
agreement are already using the system. This approach would also
support future Automatic Aid response and dispatching for Fire and
EMS, which Southlake currently has under consideration. The
Consortium system has implemented intercommunications capabilities
with D/FW Airport DPS, which is an operational requirement of
Southlake not currently available.
4. The Consortium system, in its proposed configuration, which includes
Southlake and its frequency and an additional site, provides a high
degree of reliability and redundancy. The multi -channel nature of a
24
trunked radio system is designed to overcome the effects of the loss of
one channel or one transmitter, since the trunking controller detects
channel failures and removes the failed channel from the assignment
pool. Channels can also be manually disabled at the control site. The
multi -site nature of a simulcast radio system is designed to minimize
the effects of the loss of any one site. During a site failure, all
remaining sites can remain active and operate in a normal mode. The
only degradation is coverage in areas served only by the failed site.
Service areas covered by multiple sites will retain coverage of the
remaining active site. (Southlake will be served by two or three sites).
The specific equipment design of the Consortium system includes
redundant trunking controllers, with automatic switching. During times
of multiple channel failures, multiple trunking controller failures or
simulcast control equipment failures, the system has a "fail -soft" mode
of backup, where multiple channels at each site continue to operate in
a non-trunked, non -simulcast mode. Therefore, all user radios will
switch to this mode automatically upon activation of this mode of
operation by the system. In addition, the City of Southlake can retain
its control station at the dispatch center and program it and its user
radios for a "talk -around" mode of operation for very limited -range
communications, should the system become totally unavailable for any
reason.
Trott has, as part of this project, discussed the Northeast Tarrant County system
with Consortium members and was impressed with the level of detail and
planning that they provided. As a result, it is felt that the Consortium has several
advantages to offer the City of Southlake. The value of those advantages is
difficult to identify; however, Southlake should consider this value as the strategic
options are evaluated. These advantages are:
1. The system is very efficient in terms of its construction, organization
and management.
25
2. This approach gives the City joint ownership in, and therefore, some
control over the system, as opposed to total reliance upon other
agencies.
3. The Consortium, as a group, is tracking the progress of the 700 MHz
band allocation and assignment as part of their strategic planning
efforts and proactively monitoring this and other emerging
technologies. There is an advantage to joining an existing planning
process that will pursue the future needs of the Consortium as a whole.
4. The City is considering, along with the other Consortium members, a
regional Fire/EMS dispatch to support Automatic Aid. The City may
have the ability to provide a facility for this purpose in the future (at the
North Public Safety Center) with the majority of the cost covered or
reimbursed by the other Consortium members.
5. The City may also want to pursue the development of a regional
dispatch facility, including personnel, and offer to provide dispatch
services to all Consortium members for a fee.
The City Administration and Management should consider this recommended
course of action, although expensive, in light of the risks involved with inaction
and the cost/benefit of the alternatives presented.
26
SECTION 9: Attachments
27
ATTACHMENT A
COVERAGE TESTING DESCRIPTION
A field coverage test was performed to evaluate the coverage performance of the
Denton County (see Figure 1), City of Fort Worth (see Figure 2), and NE Tarrant
County Consortium (see Figure 3) 800 MHz trunked radio systems within the City
of Southlake required service area. The field survey utilized a test receiver
mounted in a vehicle to collect signal level data for all three systems
simultaneously. The City was divided into drive routes, which were used to
systematically collect signal level data throughout a majority of the City.
Since the control channel of a trunked systems remains active at all times, a
constant signal source for the collection of drive test data is available. The data
collected for each system was grouped into test tiles with a one second duration.
Based on the measurement rate for each channel of eight samples per second,
eight samples were averaged together to represent the signal level value for one
test tile. GPS location data was also logged for each test tile.
The signal level and location data collected can be utilized to display the
coverage and performance of a communications system. For the purposes of this
evaluation, the appropriate signal level thresholds for each mode of operation
were developed based upon Delivered Audio Quality ("DAQ") 3.4 performance
standards. Per TIA/EIA TSB-88, Annex -A, Table 1, DAQ 3.4 is defined as
"Speech understandable with repetition only rarely required. Some
Noise/Distortion". TSB-88 further defines DAQ 3.4 as "comparable to 20 dB
SINAD equivalent intelligibility, used for minimum Channel Performance Criteria
for some public safety entities." Specific signal-to-noise requirements for DAQ
3.4 are defined in TSB-88, Annex -A, Table 5. TIA/EIA TSB-88 is a published
industry standard and widely used to design or assess the performance of radio
communication systems.
DAQ 3.4 is generally used in the Public Safety industry and represents a high
degree of performance, channel reliability, and voice quality. The thresholds
specified for DAQ 3.4 include the signal level margins necessary to maintain
28
performance in a fading (moving) environment. Failure to meet the specified
threshold does not mean that the channel will cease operation, but rather, that
the probability of reliable communications is reduced.
The specific thresholds used for evaluation of the three trunked radio systems
were based on the nominal receiver sensitivity of a typical portable and mobile
radio. The DAQ 3.4 signal-to-noise requirements were applied to the radio
specifications to derive the basic signal level requirement for a mobile radio.
Additional correction factors for operational items, such as body blockage and
antenna efficiency, were applied to develop the typical portable radio's threshold
requirement in its normal mode of operation (worn at hip -level). Additional
margins were included to approximate the signal attenuation caused by normal
buildings in and around the City. The resulting thresholds include signal level
requirements for:
• Mobile Radios
• Portable Radios Outdoor
• Portable Radios Inside Light Density Buildings
• Portable Radios Inside Medium Density Buildings
Each coverage condition is represented by a colored symbol on the coverage
maps. The colors visually demonstrate the measured level of performance for
each test tile. The black locations on the map represent areas that did meet any
of the threshold requirements for reliable radio communications. The purple
areas represent locations where only mobile radios in vehicles are expected to
operate. The green locations show those areas that met the requirements for
portable radios outdoors, as well as the less stringent mobile requirements. Red
locations represent the areas that met the threshold for portable radio operations
inside of light density buildings (in addition to the previously listed outdoor
conditions). The most stringent threshold included in the study shows locations
where portable radios should reliably operate from inside of medium density
buildings. These areas are displayed in yellow. A separate coverage map for
each of the three systems is attached.
29
Fort Worth
Downlink
-65 to 0 (Portable Medium Bldgs) (73)
-75 to -65 (Portable Light Bldgs) 0 245)
-85 to -75 (Portable Outdoor) (3318)
O -99 to -85 (Mobile Only) (4973)
O-I9n to -99 (Fail) (13RR1
Figure 1
BE
Denton County
Downlink
-65 to 0 (Portable Medium Bldgs) (371)
-75 to -65 (Portable Light Bldgs) (2211)
-85 to -75 (Portable Outdoor) (4147)
G -99 to -85 (Mobile Only) (3827)
n-1 gn to -99 (Fail) (441)
Figure 2
31
NE Tarrant County
Downlink
-65 to 0 (Portable Medium Bldgs)
-75 to -65 (Portable Light Bldgs)
-85 to -75 (Portable Outdoor)
-99 to -85 (Mobile Only)
n-1 g(1 to -99 (Faih
Figure 3
(3289)
(3590)
(3198)
(916)
(4)
`*
32
ATTACHMENT B
COVERAGE MEASUREMENT ANALYSIS
The measurement process included approximately 11,000 test tiles with 175,000
measurement samples for each of the systems tested. The test process is
described in "Coverage Test Description" above.
The Fort Worth test results revealed that 12% of the test tiles met the threshold
requirements for in -building coverage. These locations are primarily located in
the southwestern portions of the City. Examination of all portable radio cases
(outdoor and in -building) showed that 42% of the test points satisfied the portable
coverage requirements. Mobile -only coverage was provided at 45% of the
locations, and 13% of the test points failed to meet any of the coverage
requirements.
Examination of the Denton County test results shows that 24% of the test tiles
satisfied the signal level requirements for in -building coverage. These locations
are primarily located in the northeastern portions of the City. Analysis of all
portable radio cases (outdoor and in -building) showed that 61 % of the test points
met the portable coverage thresholds. Mobile -only coverage was provided at
35% of the locations, and 4% of the test points failed to meet any of the coverage
requirements.
The in -building signal level requirements were satisfied at 63% of the test tiles for
the Northeast Tarrant County system. The requirements for all portable cases
(outdoor and in -building) were achieved at 92% of the test tiles. Locations without
sufficient portable coverage were predominately isolated to the northwest areas
of the City. Mobile -only coverage was found at 8% of the test tiles, and less than
0.1 % of the test tiles failed all coverage cases.
33
SOUTHLAKE CRIME CONTROL AND PREVENTION DISTRICT
1 /2% SALES TAX REPORT
2002-03 Collected Budget Balance
Budget to Date Balance Percent
$ 2,180, 696 $ 365,570 1,815,12 83.24%
Fiscal Year
Percent
Fiscal Year
Percent
Fiscal Year
Percent
2000-01
Increase/
2001-02
Increase/
2002-03
Increase/
MONTH
Actual
(Decrease)
Actual
(Decrease)
Actual
(Decrease)
October
$157,886
26.10%
$192,022
21.62%
$180,396
-6.05%
November
162,373
75.79%
190,845
17.53%
185,174
-2.97%
December
237,687
132.29%
281,020
18.23%
-
-100.00%
January
157,640
16.24%
159,364
1.09%
-
-100.00%
February
147,534
49.43%
158,580
7.49%
-
-100.00%
March
206,912
115.86%
210,042
1.51%
-
-100.00%
April
185,555
34.76%
201,261
8.46%
-
-100.00%
May
213,711
68.82%
196,725
-7.95%
-
-100.00%
June
223,490
84.54%
224,631
0.51%
-
-100.00%
July
190,151
20.40%
190,257
0.06%
-
-100.00%
August
180,172
48.86%
181,522
0.75%
-
-100.00%
September
199,217
62.63%
216,716
8.78%
-
-100.00%
TOTAL
$2,262,328
$2,402,985
$365,570
Three Year Revenue Comparison
by Month
300000
250000
200000
150000
100000
50000
0
31 4 31 31 r1 �� 3b\
M Fiscal Year 2000-01 Actual M Fiscal Year 2001-02 Actual 0 Fiscal Year 2002-03
Actual
Actual
Budget
Actual
Estimated
(budget-est.) %
2001-02
2002-03
2002-03
2001-02
Difference Change
October $
192,022
174,259
180,396
180,396
$ 6,137 3.20%
November
190,845
173,191
185,174
185,174
11,983 6.28%
December
281,020
255,024
-
255,024
-
0.00%
January
159,364
144,622
-
144,622
-
0.00%
February
158,580
143,910
-
143,910
-
0.00%
March
210,042
190,612
-
190,612
-
0.00%
April
201,261
182,643
-
182,643
-
0.00%
May
196,725
178,527
-
178,527
-
0.00%
June
224,631
203,851
-
203,851
-
0.00%
July
190,257
172,657
-
172,657
-
0.00%
August
181,522
164,730
-
164,730
-
0.00%
September
216,716
196,669
-
196,669
-
0.00%
TOTAL
$2,402,985
$ 2,180,696
$ 365,570
$ 2,198,816
$ 18,120
-8.50%
%A -
SOUTHLAKE CRIME CONTROL AND PREVENTION DISTRICT
1/2% SALES TAX REPORT
2002-03 Collected Budget Balance
Budget to Date Balance Percent
$ 2,180,696 $ 365,570 1,815,126 83.24%
-8.50%
7A- 1
ar
Percent
Fiscal Year
Percent
Fiscal Year
Percent
Increase/
2001-02
Increase/
2002-03
Increase/
MONTH
N
(Decrease)
Actual
(Decrease)
Actual
(Decrease)
October
886
26.10%
$192,022
21.62%
$180,396
-6.05%
November373
75.79%
190,845
17.53%
185,174
-2.97%
December
237,687
132.29%
281,020
18.23%
-
-100.00%
January
157,640
16.24%
159,364
1.09%
-
-100.00%
February
147,534
49.43%
158,580
7.49°x6
-
-100.00%
March
206,912
115.86%
210,042
1.51%
-
-100.00%
April
185,555
34.76%
201,261
8.46%
-
-100.00%
May
213,711
68.82%
196,725
-7.95%
-
-100.00%
June
223,490
84.54%
224,631
0.51%
-
-100.00%
July
190,151
20.40%
190,257
0.06°x6
-
-100.00%
August
180,172
48.86%
181,522
0.75%
-
-100.00°x6
September
199,217
62.63%
216,716
8.78%
-
-100.00%
$2,262,328
$2,402,985
$365,570
TOTAL
Three Year Revenue Comparison
by Month
300000-
00000250000200000
250000-
200000
150000
100000
50000
0
�AN �(y \g 0� �n� ^qP
■ Fiscal Year 2000 01 Actual ■Fiscal
Year 2001-02 Actual ❑Fiscal
Year 2002-03 Actual
Actual
Budget
Actual
Estimated
(budget -est.) %
2001-02
2002-03
2002-03
2001-02
Difference
Change
October $
192,022
174,259
180,396
180,396
$ 6,137
3.20%
November
190,845
173,191
185,174
185,174
11,983
6.28%
December
281,020
255,024
-
255,024
-
0.00%
January
159,364
144,622
-
144,622
-
0.00%
February
158,580
143,910
-
143,910
-
0.00%
March
210,042
190,612
-
190,612
-
0.00%
April
201,261
182,643 -
182,643
-
0.00%
May
196,725 178,527 -
178,527 -
0.00%
June
224,631
203,851
-
203,851
-
000%
July
190,257 172,657 -
172,657 -
0.00%
August
181,522 164,730 -
164,730 -
0.00%
September
216,716 196,669 -
196,669 -
0.00%
TOTAL
$2,402,985 $ 2,180,696 $ 365,570 $ 2,198,816 $ 18,120
-8.50%
7A- 1
SOUTHLAKE CRIME CONTROL AND PREVENTION DISTRICT
1/2% SALES TAX REPORT
2002-03 Collected Budget Balance
Budget to Date Balance Percent
$ 2,180,696 $ 1,201,634 979,062 44.90%
Fiscal Year
Percent
Fiscal Year
Percent
Fiscal Year
Percent
2000-01
Increase/
2001-02
Increase/
2002-03
Increase/
MONTH
Actual
(Decrease)
Actual
(Decrease)
Actual
(Decrease)
October
$157,886
26.10%
$192,022
21.62%
$180,396
-6.05%
November
162,373
75.79%
190,845
17.53%
185,174
-2.97%
December
237,687
132.29%
281,020
18.23%
283,333
0.82%
January
157,640
16.24%
159,364
1.09%
176,353
10.66%
February
147,534
49.43%
158,580
7.49%
156,983
-1.01%
March
206,912
115.86%
210,042
1.51%
219,395
4.45%
April
185,555
34.76%
201,261
8.46%
-
-100.00%
May
213,711
68.82%
196,725
-7.95%
-
-100.00%
June
223,490
84.54%
224,631
0.51%
-
-100.00%
July
190,151
20.40%
190,257
0.06%
-
-100.00%
August
180,172
48.86%
181,522
0.75%
-
-100.00%
September
199,217
62.63%
216,716
8.78%
-
-100.00%
$2,262,328
$2,402,985
$1,201,634
TOTAL
_
Three Year Revenue Comparison
by Month
$300,000 T
I
$250,000
$200,000
$150,000
j
$100,000
$50,000
$0
0
dly
V0 eCa� S:p �o
Oq 1 °0
Fiscal Year 2000-01
Actual ■ Fiscal
Year 2001-02 Actual 0 Fiscal Year 2002-03 Actual J
Actual
Budget
Actual
Estimated
(budget -est.)
%
2001-02
2002-03
2002-03
2001-02
Difference
Chan e
October
$ 192,022
174,259
180,396
180,396
$ 6,137
3.20%
November
190,845
173,191
185,174
185,174
11,983
6.28%
December
281,020
255,024
283,333
283,333
28,309
10.07%
January
159,364
144,622
176,353
176,353
31,731
19.91%
February
158,580
143,910
156,983
156,983
13,073
8.24%
March
210,042
190,612
219,395
219,395
28,783
13.70%
April
201,261
182,643
-
182,643
-
0.00%
May
196,725
178,527
-
178,527
-
0.00%
June
224,631
203,851
-
203,851
-
0.00%
July
190,257
172,657
-
172,657
-
0.00%
August
181,522
164,730
-
164,730
-
0.00%
September 216,716
196,669
-
196,669
-
0.00%
TOTAL $2,402,985
$ 2,180,696
$ 1,201,634
$ 2,300,712
$ 120,016
ent of Southlake DPS Phone 817 481 2421
Southlake Vc
�r}� 667 N. Carroll Fax 817 481 2529
�"" �' - • Southlake, Texas 76092
Public Safety
• •� A �AL • • ►-�
Improving Emergency Service Delivery without
Increasing Direct Cost to Residents.
Overall Concept
The long term Strategic Plan for the Southlake Department of Public Safety anticipates a
community build -out of approximately 33,000 residents and a daytime working population
between 50,000 to 60,000. While no one can accurately predict the future, other cities of
our size and population require police staffing of 80 to 120 depending on the crime rate
and the financial condition of the city. In order to meet Fire Services standards of
coverage, a minimum of three strategically located stations are required. Emergency
medical services coverage varies depending on the risks present and the age of the
population. Three EMS medic units will probably be all that is ever required for this city.
These factors are the basis of the Crime Control and Prevention District Board's planning
efforts.
The North Facility is conceptually planned as a Department of Public Safety headquarters,
housing DPS Administration, police and fire operations and other critical functions such as
the holding facility, emergency dispatch center, emergency operations center, and police
criminal investigations.
The current DPS facility, located at 667 N. Carroll, was built in 1956 and is woefully
inadequate in both space and layout. The current size and design prevents optimum
performance from the employees of the department. The antiquated holding facility and
lack of a secure juvenile holding facility continues to be of high concern. While it was
constructed well for the period when it was built, it was constructed in stages spanning
many years. Fire Operations continues to operate in very cramped quarters making quick
turnout time (responding out of the station) difficult. Current operations of both Police and
Fire Services are hindered by the design.
DPS Administration
DPS Administration consists of nine personnel who provide leadership and support to the entire
department of public safety consisting of police services, fire services, building services and support
services.
The Director of Public Safety is responsible for the overall leadership, direction and operation of public
safety (police, fire, buildings and support divisions).
The Chief of Police Services, Chief of Fire Services and Chief of Administrative Services serve as
deputy directors and are responsible for the management and operations within their respective
divisions.
The DPS Administrative Secretary, Records and Budget Administrator and Office assistant provides
the overall administrative and clerical assistance needed by the department of public safety.
The Professional Standards Coordinator is responsible for the oversight of accreditation standards,
hiring/promotional processes and internal affairs investigations within the Southlake Department of
Public Safety.
The Training Coordinator is responsible for the training, education, career development and
maintenance of licenses/certifications for all personnel in the Department of Public Safety.
Current offices for eight of these staff members are in the building at 667 N. Carroll. Direct access by
the Director of Public Safety to the Deputy Director's is hindered by building design. Direct access by
the Chief of Police and Chief of Fire to their operational managers is hindered by building design. The
one conference room available currently doubles as a police patrol briefing room and a conference
(meeting) room. Anytime a meeting is conducted with outside personnel, effort is required to "remove
from view" the confidential police information on the bulletin boards used by officers during briefing
time. All of the DPS Administrative staff at 667 N. Carroll will move to the north facility and an efficient
administrative office layout will be designed including easy citizen access.
Police Operations
Police Operations currently consist of Field Operations and Investigations. Field Operations includes
patrol and traffic as well as the animal control function. The patrol function currently operates out of 667
N. Carroll. Police Officers meet here for briefing before each shift, get their vehicles and equipment,
and operate out of the facility all day. While most of their time is spent in the field, each of the three
facilities provided a significant support function to the officers in their districts. This includes a report
writing area, weapons and equipment storage, access to reports, forms and publications for
distribution, a training area, and locker room.
Our current facility has a closet in the kitchen for weapons storage, a locked cabinet in the public
hallway for ammunition storage, a 12 x 16 room in the metal shed out back as a male locker room for
42 officers, and female lockers are in the upstairs hallway with access to a restroom for changing.
There are additional critical needs for secure areas such as an armory for storage and repair of
weapons, room for storage of uniforms and equipment, and a radio storage room.
Patrol Supervisors consist of a Field Operations Lieutenant, four Sergeants, and four Corporals. These
supervisors need office space for proper administration of their responsibilities. Currently the four patrol
Sergeants and four Corporals share an office. While few of these supervisors are on duty at any one
time, some level of privacy is needed when reviewing or counseling a subordinate officer regarding
their performance or conducting internal investigations.
Traffic officers currently operates out of the West Facility. Traffic currently has one Sergeant, one
Corporal, and seven motor officers. The current area for motorcycle storage at the West facility is
sufficient for eight motorcycles while still leaving room for proper use of the DWI operations.
A critical need for the North Facility is related to the Criminal Investigations Section. Criminal
Investigations currently has four detectives housed in a 12 x 20 room on the second floor at 667 N.
Carroll. Many times these detectives are on the telephone at the same time and the close quarters
reduce their efficiency. There are no adequate interview rooms or storage space for crime scene
equipment or supplies. The room currently used for interviews of victims, witnesses and suspects is
also the CID library, file room, fax room, and non -secure juvenile holding room. To adequately perform
Criminal Investigations today, several additional interview rooms for victims or suspects, as well as
office and storage space is needed.
An additional critical need for the North Facility is related to the holding facility. The current facility
consists of a three cell holding facility with two bunks in each cell. It was built for a much smaller city
and at a time when State jail standards did not exist as they do today. While cameras and speakers
have been added to monitor the prisoners, officers must still make routine checks of the jail frequently.
There is inadequate space to properly process and segregate prisoners and on several occasions
surrounding agencies have been used for emergency jail space. We have recently implemented jail
capacity management plans which prohibit arrests on Southlake warrants and not confirming Southlake
warrants when the holding facility is at capacity. Clearly, the city is in need of a larger and more
manageable holding facility.
A related issue is the lack of any secure juvenile holding area. By State law, juveniles must be
separated from adult prisoners by sight and sound. That means they have to have separate entrance
and exits, separate holding areas, and cannot come into contact with adult prisoners. We currently
have no secure facility for juveniles and if they are arrested for criminal offenses, they must remain
handcuffed and in the presence of an officer for up to six hours before they are transported to the
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Juvenile Detention facility in Fort Worth. A secure juvenile holding facility is planned for the north facility
to more effectively meet the requirements of state law.
The Property Room is managed in the Criminal Investigation Division. The east facility property room is
extremely small. This system requires the Property Officer to leave the building frequently to drive to
the West Facility to obtain property for release, transfer, or disposal. An additional property room with
an area for property release to citizens is planned for the North Facility. The Property Officer
(Operational Services Assistant) will move to the North Facility when completed.
4
Fire Operations
Fire operations currently consists of fire suppression and fire prevention. Fire suppression, personnel
includes firefighter/paramedics who respond to all emergencies within the city. Personnel are currently
housed at the east and west facility. A minimum of eight firefighters are available in the city for 24 hour
emergency response. Fire Prevention includes a Fire Marshal and a Fire Inspector. These personnel
are housed at the east Facility, in the same office.
One paramedic engine and one ambulance work out of the east Facility and one paramedic engine
runs out of the west facility. A backup ambulance unit is housed at the west facility and is operated
when staffing permits. Most areas of the City, with the exception of the far north, are within the five-
minute response time travel distance from the two existing stations. An additional station at the North
Facility will place over 95% of the city within that response time distance. Currently the vast majority of
fire and EMS calls are from areas along 1709 allowing a quick response from the current facilities.
Construction plans for the North Facility includes a fire and EMS operation however, current demands
in that area is small. As Highway 114 is completed and new residential and business development
emerges, this demand will grow to our North. Because of the cost savings in simultaneous
construction, the fire and EMS facility components should be constructed as part of the north facility for
future use. As demand increases over future years and as the City is able to support the additional
operational cost, a Paramedic Engine can be added to provide both fire and Advanced Life Support to
the north end of the City. An additional ambulance could be added even later when the demand
justifies its expense.
5
Training and Community Room
At least one classroom/community room is currently planned for the north facility. While the Training
Coordinator offices at the West Facility, there is a need for training facilities at every station. These
rooms are necessary to provide on-site in-service training for personnel assigned to that station. It also
allows for the use of the facility by members of the community for meeting and other activities.
Police Services currently rents the DFW Airport Firearms Training Center for at least two days each
quarter and hourly at other times to keep all personnel adequately trained and qualified with their
firearms. This rental typically exceeds $9,000 per year. Consideration is being given to including
underground, open-air firearms training center on site for officer's use. Not only would this eliminate the
rental but also would reduce the overtime and lost time wasted by officers going to and from the DFW
range. There is also the possibility of income from the rental of the range to other local agencies when
we are not using it.
Also under consideration is a police vehicle driving track to provide officers with necessary driving skills
training on a more regular basis. Currently officers are assigned to the EVOC (Emergency Vehicle
Operations Course) every three years. Because of the lack of facilities the regional EVOC training
classes are usually delayed and attendance restricted. Having a driving track would allow more
extensive and more frequent training in this critical area of job performance. The same track would
also be used by fire services in training on their equipment.
Fire Services is also in need of an on-site training facility. The building of a tower and fire simulation
facility would greatly improve the preparedness of our Fire Services staff.
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Emergency Operations Center.
The City of Southlake currently has no Emergency Operations Center designed to run the city in the
event of a major disaster. The East Facility training room (old Council Chambers) has been wired to
work as a makeshift EOC should the need arise. The age of the building as well as the non -reinforced
glass at one end of the room makes this location vulnerable to natural disasters. The necessary
equipment for the operation of this facility must be physically brought into the EOC each time it is
activated.
A new "hardened" EOC would be constructed at the north facility. No personnel are permanently
assigned to this area but representatives from all City and utility companies assign personnel when an
emergency occurs.
r
Emergency 911 (Communications) Call
-- Center
DPS has just completed the electronic upgrading of the current 911 Call Center at 667 N. Carroll.
While it is electronically efficient, it is still housed in an antiquated facility that detracts for efficient
operation and safety. Typically there are two or three Communicators on duty at all times and noise
levels from within the room often make hearing the radio or 911 calls difficult. The dark and cramped
offices have a negative impact on employees and hinder efficient operations.
A new "hardened" 911 Call Center would be constructed in the North Facility. The construction method
used in this area would be modular to allow easy interior redesign. In this manner the area would
continue to serve this community through the next century. There are currently 12 Communicators and
one Communications Supervisor assigned to the 911 Call Center. All of these personnel would move
to the North Facility and the current 911 Call Center would be abandoned.
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Cost Implications
While funding for the construction of the North Facility is provided by the Crime Control and Prevention
District, the operation of the facility and personnel assigned there comes from the City of Southlake
General Fund.
While the North Facility is planned to be a larger facility than the current property on N. Carroll, the
current headquarters is expensive to maintain. The facility, in addition to being inadequate for optimum
operations, is old and in need of frequent expensive HVAC, electrical, and plumbing repairs. Building
the North Facility, while larger, will include significant energy conservation measures not present in the
current facility. In addition it will eliminate the monthly rental of storage space for records and possibly
reduce the training costs associated with the DFW Firearms center.
The matrix, on page 10, illustrates how personnel will be assigned to the facility. With the exception of
one detention officer needed to ensure proper operation of the holding facility, no additional personnel
are needed at the time the facility opens. As the holding facility population increases, there will be a
need for dedicated staff to monitor that operation and the prisoners. Staffing of this detention position is
needed now and is independent of the actual opening of the North Facility. Firefighters needed to staff
the additional Paramedic Engine and Medic Unit are not needed until the demand increases and the
City is in a financial position to fill the need.
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Summary
The Crime Control and Prevention District has adopted a CIP that approves the funding for the
construction of this facility in FY 2004-2005. Opening of this facility is scheduled for January, 2006. At
that time, the general fund would become responsible for the maintenance cost of that facility.
Currently, the general fund is not capable of supporting the additional firefighter/paramedics
Clearly the City of Southlake General Fund budget will not support the addition of fire or EMS services
personnel for this facility over the next couple of years. However, the DPS Administrative and Support
personnel as well as the Police Services personnel planned for this facility already exist and currently
office at the current East Facility. The only exception is the need for at least one jailer position which is
needed regardless of the opening of the North Facility to ensure proper operation and maintenance of
the holding facility.
Critical needs exist within both Police and Support operations for a new facility as soon as possible. Ar
updated holding facility, interview and interrogation facilities, proper and secure storage for both
property and critical response equipment, and workable office space for the 911 Call Center and Police
Criminal Investigations is needed today. An Emergency Operations Center would also be built into the
facility to ensure continuous operation of the city government during an emergency. Improvements in
these facilities are needed now to reduce liability and improve operational effectiveness.
Given the Crime Control District budget projections, a DPS North Facility can be constructed today,
including the necessary fire and EMS operational portions of the building. Building all portions of the
facility at once will allow the city to take advantage of cost savings. Staff from the current East Facility
and DPS administration personnel would move their offices to the North Facility thereby enhancing
both productivity, services and reducing the liability existent in the current facility. As the need
increases for additional fire and EMS services and funding becomes available, the fire and EMS
personnel can be added. Such additions can be done gradually as the need dictates.
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