Item B: Police Commission Annual Report and Work Plan

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I. Introduction This staff report is submitted to the Eugene City Council to document the activities of the Police Commission during Fiscal Year (FY) 2008, July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008. The annual report describes how the commission has met the expectations of the City Council as outlined in its work plan, has responded to issues of community concern, and has furthered its mission and objectives. The charge of the Police Commission, as described in City Ordinance 20398, is described as five outcomes: 1)To increase communications between police and the community, leading to a greater understanding of the preferred policing alternatives for this city; 2)To identify police policy and resource issues related to preferred policing alternatives; 3)To decrease misunderstandings regarding the nature of adopted police policies, practices and approaches; 4)To provide input on police policies and procedures that reflect community values; and 5)To assist the city council in balancing community priorities and resources by advising it on police resource issues. The City Council approved the FY08 Police Commission Work Plan on July 12, 2007. New projects selected for the year were to: 1) participate in a multi-year effort to update the department’s policy manual, 2) develop a foundation for a strategic response to family violence incidents, 3) complete work on the Mental Health Crisis Response Committee (MHCRC) to develop a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program, and 4) review policies on the Use of Force/Taser Committee. An ongoing project, the Long Range Staffing Plan, began in FY08 and will continue into FY09. The commission’s charge for this committee was to begin reviewing the Magellan Comprehensive Staffing Report. The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the staffing levels of the Eugene Police Department and provides a staffing needs projection based upon two levels of service: basic service and a typical community policing model level. Not only is the review of staffing levels pertinent to maintaining a balance of officers available for service calls and community policing, but this topic became very significant at the time Lane County announced its cuts to the Lane County Sheriff’s Office. These cuts would directly affect the workload of the Eugene Police Department, despite its already low staffing numbers. Thus, the Police Commission felt addressing the department’s needs would be a priority in their work plan and wanted to engage the public in a proper awareness of the staffing crisis. The commission held an annual joint meeting with the Human Rights Commission and was presented with the annual Internal Affairs Case Statistics. In addition, two new work sessions were part of the FY08 Work Plan. These included a commission process discussion and the Police Auditor Annual Report. The commission’s ability to meet the responsibilities outlined in the FY08 Work Plan and address new obligations are described in the following sections. Page 2 of 7 2008 Police Commission Annual Report