combined-10th-11th-report.pdf

Negotiated Settlement Agreement, Combined Tenth and Eleventh Semi-Annual Report December 2008 The Department’s reorganized patrol function makes both patrol and specialized units responsible to an assigned area captain. Under the new system, the Department has more stringent staffing requirements and has improved its documentation of daily staffing. In addition, whenever supervision vacancies exist, the Department has promoted sergeants to fill vacancies, despite continuing staffing shortage challenges. The Department has also created a pool of certified acting sergeants to backfill positions for absent sergeants or when promotions are not feasible. In addition to the patrol function reorganization, the Agreement span of control requirement (one field sergeant supervises a maximum of eight officers) has resulted in tighter supervision. To prove compliance with span of control, documentation of staffing for every shift must be consistent and reliable. As a result, the Department has developed policies to ensure that Daily Details and Special Operations plans are reviewed for accuracy and approved by a commander; that they include the information necessary for officer safety and accountability; and that they are maintained in a consistent manner. The reorganization complements and is consistent with the Department’s goal of achieving substantial practice compliance in 2008. Geographic accountability and consistency of supervision are critical to both reducing crime and ensuring that Agreement requirements are fulfilled. IMPROVEMENTS IN DEPARTMENTAL TRAINING The Agreement requires the Department to implement a plan to enhance its Academy and In- Service training to ensure that officers, supervisors, and commanders receive adequate and regular training. The training provided must include additional emphasis on ethics, professionalism, critical thinking, problem solving, conflict resolution, and relationships, as well as incorporate scenario-based exercises. In addition, Task 43 requires the Department to evaluate the content and quality of training provided to OPD personnel and to track all training that occurs. On April 16, 2008, the IMT finalized its audit of the Department’s Training Program. The audit found “excellent improvement” in the Training Program and anticipated that the Department can reach full compliance with this task very soon. Despite the staffing challenges associated with training a large number of new police recruits and fulfilling the POST (California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training) recertification process, the Department is implementing systems and programs to continue improving the Training Program and to address shortcomings identified by the IMT. The Training Division is committed to providing high-quality, professional training to the Department, ensuring that instruction is supportive of OPD’s values, ethics, and philosophy. The Training Division has: e Established a mentoring program to assist Police Officer Trainees deal with issues that may arise during their training. An experienced former OPD sergeant, now an annuitant, meets regularly with trainees to discuss issues that may impact their success in the academy. For example, when it was recently discovered that a student was dyslexic, he 15