LONG BEACH -- Crime this year is way down, but so are the number of the sworn officers in the Long Beach Police Department.
The two subjects were among several discussed at a meeting Tuesday afternoon of the Long Beach City Council's Public Safety Committee, the first gathering of the committee since last April.
Long Beach Police Chief Jim McDonnell told the committee the city is looking at the possibility of a major drop in crime rates for 2010, with numbers so low they haven't been seen since the 1970s.
Violent crime has dropped 12.4 percent from January to October of this year. Property crime has fallen 10.1 percent in the same period, making for an overall 10.6 percent reduction in Part I crimes, the chief said.
"Given the current staffing levels these decreases are nothing short of amazing," McDonnell said.
The number of sworn officers is down by 76 positions, leaving 888 sworn officers on the force, the chief said.
No layoffs are expected in fiscal year 2011, which began last October, and no immediate staff reductions are on the horizon. A 4.5-percent drop in overtime is projects for this fiscal year and other changes in operations could come, the chief said.
The cuts, he said, have had a minimal impact on the service provided. Response time for the police department is at 4.12 minutes on average, "which is outstanding," McDonnell said.
However, normal attrition rates could see between 25 and 35 more sworn positions disappear by the end of 2011, bringing police staffing levels to a potentially dangerous low, the chief warned.
A lateral academy -- where police officers trained by other agencies come to Long Beach -- can help as a stop gap measure, the chief said.
Such academies take three to five months to get officers on the streets, compared to a nearly two year process for all new recruit academies. The chief estimated the cost of a lateral academy using two lists of officers already gathered by city staff -- but which must be vetted again -- at about $175,000.
However a recruit academy -- which sees first time police recruits completely trained by the LBPD -- will likely be needed within the next two years to address the growing number of vacancies on the force.
There is a list of nearly 200 officers that was put together by city staff in 2009, though all those officers will have to be reviewed anew for psychological evaluations, background checks and polygraph tests, McDonnell said.
The cost of a recruit academy is around $2.5 to $2.8 million, he estimated.
"Both types of academies have their pros and cons," the chief said, noting lateral academies don't always get the best candidates and recruit academies are expensive.
If a recruit academy is to be completed by the end of 2012, the council will have to find the funding in early 2011, McDonnell added.
Also discussed in the meeting were strategies to increase the use of technology in the police department.
The chief said officers have been in contact with area security firms to get a count of all the private surveillance cameras already set up in the city.
McDonnell said he would like to see the police department work with residents and businesses who use cameras to provide real time viewing to the police department.
Fifth District Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske and 7th District Councilman James Johnson both discussed the possibility of offering incentives to businesses through the city's licensing department if they set up and use surveillance cameras at their properties.
First District Councilman Robert Garcia said the next Public Safety Committee meeting, which has yet to be scheduled, will focus on the Long Beach Fire Department.
The two subjects were among several discussed at a meeting Tuesday afternoon of the Long Beach City Council's Public Safety Committee, the first gathering of the committee since last April.
Long Beach Police Chief Jim McDonnell told the committee the city is looking at the possibility of a major drop in crime rates for 2010, with numbers so low they haven't been seen since the 1970s.
Violent crime has dropped 12.4 percent from January to October of this year. Property crime has fallen 10.1 percent in the same period, making for an overall 10.6 percent reduction in Part I crimes, the chief said.
"Given the current staffing levels these decreases are nothing short of amazing," McDonnell said.
The number of sworn officers is down by 76 positions, leaving 888 sworn officers on the force, the chief said.
No layoffs are expected in fiscal year 2011, which began last October, and no immediate staff reductions are on the horizon. A 4.5-percent drop in overtime is projects for this fiscal year and other changes in operations could come, the chief said.
The cuts, he said, have had a minimal impact on the service provided. Response time for the police department is at 4.12 minutes on average, "which is outstanding," McDonnell said.
However, normal attrition rates could see between 25 and 35 more sworn positions disappear by the end of 2011, bringing police staffing levels to a potentially dangerous low, the chief warned.
A lateral academy -- where police officers trained by other agencies come to Long Beach -- can help as a stop gap measure, the chief said.
Such academies take three to five months to get officers on the streets, compared to a nearly two year process for all new recruit academies. The chief estimated the cost of a lateral academy using two lists of officers already gathered by city staff -- but which must be vetted again -- at about $175,000.
However a recruit academy -- which sees first time police recruits completely trained by the LBPD -- will likely be needed within the next two years to address the growing number of vacancies on the force.
There is a list of nearly 200 officers that was put together by city staff in 2009, though all those officers will have to be reviewed anew for psychological evaluations, background checks and polygraph tests, McDonnell said.
The cost of a recruit academy is around $2.5 to $2.8 million, he estimated.
"Both types of academies have their pros and cons," the chief said, noting lateral academies don't always get the best candidates and recruit academies are expensive.
If a recruit academy is to be completed by the end of 2012, the council will have to find the funding in early 2011, McDonnell added.
Also discussed in the meeting were strategies to increase the use of technology in the police department.
The chief said officers have been in contact with area security firms to get a count of all the private surveillance cameras already set up in the city.
McDonnell said he would like to see the police department work with residents and businesses who use cameras to provide real time viewing to the police department.
Fifth District Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske and 7th District Councilman James Johnson both discussed the possibility of offering incentives to businesses through the city's licensing department if they set up and use surveillance cameras at their properties.
First District Councilman Robert Garcia said the next Public Safety Committee meeting, which has yet to be scheduled, will focus on the Long Beach Fire Department.
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