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<br /> <br /> <br />Each of the approximately 300 complaints must be individually scrubbed to <br />ensure accuracy. Ms. Reynolds has been working on this project for several <br />months and while our initial statistical reports are completed, they are now under <br />review by all staff for accuracy. I expect that the report will be completed soon. <br />As we begin to analyze complaints with empirical data, several issues begin to <br />emerge, at times surprising given my experience. The average age of our <br />complainant exceeds 40 years old. The complainants are predominantly male and <br />many suffer from status conditions such as mental illness, homelessness and <br />substance abuse. <br /> <br />Some initial key items are of interest: <br /> <br />? <br /> <br />The OPA audited 15 use of force allegations. The force used ranged from <br />ECWs (Taser), pepper spray, hands, handcuffs and one use of a K-9 (the K-9 <br />case was opened by the Auditor and the Police Chief and one ECW case was <br />opened by the Auditor). Other force complaints included using a blunt <br />object. Of the 15 cases, mental health was identified as the status for 4 of <br />the complainants, 7 were identified as homeless, and 1 was identified as <br />ADA. Most self identified or were identified based on federal definitions, <br />some had multiple statuses. Of the 15, 6 were identified as not having one <br />of the above mentioned statuses. <br /> <br />? <br /> <br />It appears that many complaints begin as trespassing issues in the <br />downtown area. Some of the complainants have received dozens of <br />trespassing arrests or citations. The question is whether there is a more <br />comprehensive approach to the downtown and parks trespassing issues? <br />One statistic that should produce reconfiguration of customer service issues, is <br />that approximately 47% of all service complaints and nearly 40% of all complaints <br />represent complaints about basic customer service: <br /> <br />? <br /> <br />Officers not responding to a house when a crime has been reported; <br />? <br /> <br />Dispatchers not dispatching officers to some reported crimes if they are <br />considered “minor” crimes; <br />? <br /> <br />Response delays due to man power shortages; <br />? <br /> <br />Investigations of crimes not being investigated in a time frame that a victim <br />expects; <br />? <br /> <br />Lack of traffic enforcement on the complainant’s street; <br />? <br /> <br />Not having greater presence in “high” crime areas. <br /> <br />This volume of customer service related complaints puts a tremendous strain on <br />the operations of the Office of the Auditor and the Internal Investigations Section <br />because of the formalized process requiring that the Office of the Auditor intake <br />and classify all complaints. These are then forwarded to Internal Affairs for <br />processing. With regard to service complaints, which make up nearly 80% of all <br />complaints, this process is cumbersome, costly, and most importantly, frustrating <br />2 <br /> <br /> <br />