Loading...
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 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 3 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. 6 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. 8 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. 10 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. 11