TO: Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Steve Powers, City Manager
FROM: Jerry Moore, Chief of Police
SUBJECT:
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Work Session on Police Response to Non-Criminal Issues
Ward(s): All Wards
Councilor(s): All Councilors
Neighborhood(s): All Neighborhoods
Result Area(s): Safe Community.
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ISSUE:
City Council Work Session on Police Operations and Impact of Response to Non-Criminal Issues
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Information Only.
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SUMMARY:
The Salem Police Department is a full-service organization responsible for the safety and well-being of the entire community. The police department responds to a wide variety of community issues, including neighborhood nuisances, traffic enforcement, traffic accidents, welfare checks, suspicious activity, community events and criminal activity.
This work session is intended to discuss how we respond to non-criminal types of calls, options that would be advantageous for this community to have, and the resources necessary for that to occur.
In recent years, responses to calls commonly considered non-criminal in nature have increased dramatically. These include responding to people experiencing emotional distress, people unable to care for themselves due to drug or alcohol use or addiction, and individuals who, for a variety of reasons, have found themselves unsheltered and may be causing disruption or safety concerns as they attempt to find places to stay for a night. As these calls increase, less time is available to officers to establish a presence in neighborhoods and to address criminal activity.
When a community member calls for help, we respond. Sometimes we are the only organization available to respond to many of the non-criminal issues. In other communities, community service agencies may also respond in partnership with or as an alternative to law enforcement. In Salem, our partners do not have the capacity to respond as an alternative to a police response because of the volume of calls.
FACTS AND FINDINGS:
The work session presentation will provide information regarding the Police Department and community:
• Total number of general fund positions within the department and where they are assigned
• Information regarding population growth and the department’s ability to stay current with staffing to meet the needs of the community
• Data regarding police department calls for service throughout the City
• Information relative to calls which we are unable to respond to due to limited resources
• A summary of officer-initiated cases and unobligated patrol time compared to other agencies and best practices
• Information on the Behavior Health Unit, goals of the team, calls they respond to, and partner agencies
• A recap of the special units within the department who respond to calls related to nuisance properties, neighborhood issues, and calls for help with disruptive behavior of individuals who do not have a stable place to live
• Department efforts to maintain and improve relations with our community through a variety of public engagement strategies
• Overview of new officer training, quarterly training, and examples of topics of yearly in-service training sessions provided to all officers
The information provided focuses on the department’s ability to respond to community needs but does not describe in detail all areas of the organization. The presentation is intended to give a brief overview of the department’s response to non-criminal issues and how and by whom that occurs.
BACKGROUND:
Detailed information regarding the entirety of the Department’s budget and activity is included in the FY 2021 Budget available on the City’s website. Budget summaries are attached.
Jerry Moore
Chief of Police
Attachments:
1. Police Program Details including FTE Allocation.
2. Police General Fund Budget and Officers per Thousand by Population.