Memorandum
City of Lawrence
Police Department
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To: |
David Corliss, City Manager |
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From: |
W. Ronald Olin, Chief of Police |
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cc: |
Diane Stoddard, Asst. City Manager; Cynthia Boecker, Asst. City Manager |
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Date: |
April 21, 2009 |
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Re: |
April 28, 2009 Agenda Item |
Please include the following item on the City Commission agenda at the April 28, 2009 meeting:
Description: 2009 COPS Hiring Recovery Program Grant Submission
The COPS (Community Oriented Policing Service) Hiring Recovery Program (CHRP) is funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) of 2009, P.L. 111-5, and provides funding directly to law enforcement agencies to hire and/or rehire career law enforcement officers in an effort to create and preserve jobs, and to increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts. The Lawrence Police Department has completed and submitted a grant request to fund four (4) additional police officer positions.
Details: The Lawrence Police Department currently serves a population of 89,968 (2007 U.S. Census Estimate) with an authorized sworn strength of 142 officers. The University of Kansas and Haskell Indian Nations University while in session adds another 23,915 and 980 people respectively to our population. Not including the universities enrollments, we have only 1.6 officers per 1000 people. The national rate for full time law enforcement officers per 1000 inhabitants was 3.4 in 2004 (FBI UCR). For Midwest cities the rate was 2.7. Given these statistics, to be an average Midwest city, we would have an authorized strength of 243 officers.
The Lawrence Police Department responded to over 115,000 calls for service in 2008. Given the few numbers of sworn law enforcement officers per capita and the heavy call volume, the limits of the police department are tested. Quality of life issues are dependent upon non 911 directed; self initiated activities of police officers. The current call load and low officer ratio limits the amount of time an officer is able to spend on specific quality of life issues associated with a prosperous community. Current community expectations cannot be met at the expected levels due to manpower shortages. Footpatrol assignments, special event appearances, and other non urgent events have been reduced due to low staffing levels based on call load.
Funding. CHRP grants cover 100 percent of the approved entry level salary and fringe benefits of each newly hired, full-time sworn career law enforcement officer over three years. There is no local match or cap on the amount of funding that can be requested, but grant funds are based on the agency’s current entry level salary and fringe benefits.
CHRP grantees are required to retain all full-time officer positions awarded for at least 12 months from the time the 36 months of grant funding for each CHRP position expires. The additional officer positions (4) will be added to our agency’s budget in 2012.
Action Request. No action requested at this time. The Lawrence Police Department will be working with City Management to develop a funding strategy for the incorporation of the four positions into the department’s budget for 2012 and beyond. Based upon 2009 figures, the additional cost to be incorporated in the budget beginning in 2012 is $227,340.
MEMORANDUM
April 20, 2009
To: David L. Corliss, City Manager
From: W. Ronald Olin, Chief of Police
Ref: Statistical Overview of the Lawrence Police Department
I have reviewed our records and offer the following statistical overview of our expansion during the last ten years.
Police Officers 1990 103 sworn police positions
1994 105 sworn (+2 added by federal grant)
1996 113 sworn (+3 alcohol money, +3 parking, +2
warrants)
1997 118 sworn (+5 general fund)
In the last ten years we have added:
1999 118 sworn police positions
2000 123 sworn (+5 General Fund)
2002 134 sworn (+4 COPS grant, +7 Traffic Unit/KDOT grant, and lost one lieutenant position)
2003 139 sworn (+5 detective positions – General Fund)
2005 141 sworn plus 1 Chief of Police to total 142 sworn (+2 sergeant positions – General Fund)
The use of grants to expand the department has resulted in an expansion of 11 of the 23 officers, or 48%, of the officers we have added during the past ten years.
We have provisionally applied for the new stimulus money in the COPS Hiring Recovery Program. We have requested four new positions that would be funded for three years. The COPS Office has received our application and will make funding decisions by September 30, 2009 and likely sooner.
I will brief you on the progress of this request as I hear further information about it.
W. Ronald Olin
Chief of Police