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Cmd110222 spec mtg Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes November 2, 2022 Page 1 EDMONDS CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES APPROVED MINUTES November 2, 2022 ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT Mike Nelson, Mayor Vivian Olson, Council President Will Chen, Councilmember Diane Buckshnis, Councilmember Neil Tibbott, Councilmember (joined at 5:13 p.m.) Susan Paine, Councilmember Dave Teitzel, Councilmember Jenna Nand, Councilmember STAFF PRESENT Michelle Bennett, Police Chief Loi Dawkins, Assistant Police Chief Rod Sniffen, Assistant Police Chief Todd Tatum, Comm. Serv./Econ. Dev. Dir. Jeff Taraday, City Attorney Scott Passey, City Clerk 1. CALL TO ORDER The Edmonds City Council special meeting was called to order at 5:00 p.m. by Mayor Nelson in the Council Chambers, 250 5th Avenue North, Edmonds, and virtually. 2. AUDIENCE COMMENTS Jim Ogonowski, Edmonds, said he appreciated the council having a special meeting tonight although he was disappointed it come up so quickly and he did not have a chance to prepare. It appeared a lot of good information would be presented, particularly by the police. He applauded the administration for proposing a more aggressive stance on public safety, but wanted to ensure there were metrics in place to measure progress and success. There are a number of statistics in the presentation, but he was not convinced the City needed everything the police department asked for right now and suggested phasing it over a couple years and see how it worked out. He referred to last night’s meeting, expressing surprise at Mayor Nelson’s announcement that the in-house prosecutor decision package had been pulled from the budget. He thought it was creative thinking and a worthy discussion for the council to have as he did not think the current prosecuting attorney was serving the City well. Beth Fleming, Edmonds, was sorry she could not be present for this very interesting part of the budgeting process, but assured she will be listening remotely. She echoed Mr. Ogonowski’s comments, particularly prioritizing the public safety elements of the budget proposal and ensuring there is a focus on the Highway 99 corridor and reducing crime in the Gateway area and further north on Highway 99. 3. COUNCIL BUSINESS 1. COMMUNITY SERVICES AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BUDGET REVIEW Community Services/Economic Development Director Todd Tatum reviewed: • Organization Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes November 2, 2022 Page 2 • Program Areas Neighborhood City Hall Community Services Economic Development Cultural Services Front Desk Rent Construction Communications Intergov. Relations Special Projects Diversity Comm. LTAC Tourism BID Econ. Dev. Comm. WOTS EAC Creative District Public Art • Neighborhood City Hall 2021 2022 2023 Investigating Lease Developing concept Moving in Modifying space Getting to know the lay of the land Meeting people Planning for the future Implementing improvements Improving connections • Community Services Communications Intergov. Relations Special Projects Press releases Newsletter Social media Lobbyist Other governments and agencies: Lynnwood, Community Transit, WSDOT ARPA Neighborhood City Hall Diversity Commission o 2021 Accomplishments ▪ 115 press releases (twice the number in 2019) ▪ Launched seasonal print newsletter mailed to all residents (quarterly in the future) ▪ Launching a City blog to share interesting projects, special stories about personnel and moments to cheer about in City operations ▪ Assisted communications planning across multiple projects, departments and outside organizations. Examples include six public reimaging streets meetings, Highway 99 phase 3 media events and public meetings, Lunar New Year Edmonds and Green Edmonds collaboration with Ed! and the Chamber of Commerce for Earth Month. ▪ Worked with the City’s safety and disaster coordinator to refine the communications plan during an emergency ▪ Produced and executed many public-facing events including a multi-camera live broadcast State of the City ▪ Diversity commission continues to be active in its role in supporting diversity, equity and inclusion within the City. - In sixth year of diversity film series - Events like Lunar New Year celebration grew out of discussion at the diversity commission - Continue to look at the City’s policies with an eye toward improving diversity, equity and inclusion o DP#16 Neighborhood City Hall - $99,846 Small equipment $12,000 Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes November 2, 2022 Page 3 Professional services $13,000 Rental/Lease $54,703 Utilities $5,000 Repair & Maintenance $5,000 Miscellaneous $10,143 • Economic Development o Focused on programs, policies and activities to improve the economic well-being and quality of life for the community o Efforts take on many forms, support many groups and bring diverse sets of people together o ARPA Funding ▪ Account “B” shall be the “Edmonds Rescue Plan Household Support” account ▪ Account “C” shall be the “Edmonds Rescue Plan Business Support” account ▪ Account “D” shall be the “Edmonds Rescue Plan Nonprofit Organization Support” ▪ Account “E” shall be the “Edmonds Rescue Plan Job Retraining Program” o Examples of media articles o Focus has been on Uptown awareness and reach, arts and the Creative District content, and deepening the brand and awareness of Edmonds as a regional center for arts and amplifying local advertising efforts via blogs, guest articles, sponsored content, storytelling and social media presence o Photos of summer, holiday and winter markets ▪ Focused on providing vibrant and social spaces, attracting visitors and engaging residents o DP#18 Lodging Tax Fund Budget – Tourism Promotion: $95,400 Professional services $35,400 Advertising $55,000 Miscellaneous $1,000 Transfer to Fund 117 $4,000 ▪ Important source of marketing dollars for ECA, Cascadia Art Museum, Rotary and Visitor’s Center o DP#19 Lodging Tax Fund Budget – Arts Promotion: $28,500 ▪ 25% of lodging tax set aside to support tourism marketing for the arts. ▪ Grant recipients this year include the Cascade Symphony, Olympic Ballet, Edmonds Art Festival and Studio Tour, Edmonds Driftwood Players, Sno-King Chorale, DeMiero Jazz Festival, Art Walk Edmonds, Jazz Connection, and Arts Commission program advertising for WOTS. • Cultural Services o Write on the Sound (WOTS) ▪ 37th Annual conference – October 7-9, 2022 - 139 people attended - Attendees from 11 states and 2 Canadian provinces - Presenters from across the country. - In 2023 the conference will return to an in-person format with some elements online o Public Art - Fluorescence by Artist Jennifer Kuhns, donated by the Floretum Garden Club celebrating their 100th anniversary - Civic Park public art project by Clark Wegimen o Summer Concerts ▪ 7 Sunday concerts - 6 at City Park and 1 at Hickman Park, ▪ 14 concerts at Hazel Miller Plaza o Arts Start Grants – ▪ $19,700 allocated to various arts nonprofit groups o Temporary Arts Program Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes November 2, 2022 Page 4 ▪ On the Fence installations ▪ Poet’s Perspective • Cultural Services & Economic Development o Edmonds Creative District – Est. 2018 • Washington Creative Districts, September 2022 (13 existing and (xx in process) o DP#17 – Changes to Municipal Arts Program - $1,000 ▪ Increased rental costs for WOTS in person. • Program Areas - Direction Neighborhood City Hall Community Services Economic Development Cultural Services Improving connection with community Cross training Engagement Storytelling Leadership in state’s creative economy discussion Supporting all citizens Strategic Marketing Placemaking In person WOTS Creative District Recertification 4th Ave Project Building Statewide connections Councilmember Nand referred to DP#19 about the use of lodging taxes. She observed most of the events and opportunities for arts and culture are concentrated around the historic Edmonds business district due to venues such as the library, the Frances Anderson Center, and Edmonds Center for the Arts which draw foot traffic that benefits local businesses. Looking forward to 2023, she asked if there were opportunities Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes November 2, 2022 Page 5 in other business districts in Edmonds such as the International District on Highway 99, Five Corners, Perrinville and Firdale to pursue things like an art walk, public art installations, free public music events, theater in the park, etc. to start distributing some of the lodging tax resources to benefit other business cores in Edmonds. Mr. Tatum answered a good amount of work is being done in planning & development services to engage neighborhoods. The goal for 2023 is to build on those connections such as Corner Copia and make them distinct events within those communities. As those events are organized, it would make sense to support them with lodging tax. The City is also discussing with the Chamber how to engage more along the Highway 99 corridor. There is the uptown market, but investigation needs to start early in 2023 regarding opportunities to work with the community to build public engagement events. He summarized more outreach and development is needed so that events could be eligible for funding via lodging tax. If someone came to the diversity commission with an idea like a poetry reading or slam book competition, Councilmember Nand asked if there was a venue on Highway 99 or within walking distance of one of the business communities like Perrinville, Firdale and Five Corners to pursue art, cultural and entertainment opportunities that could drive foot traffic to local businesses. Mr. Tatum answered there is strong potential for that. That is one of the things the diversity commission can help with via their network of connections and their focus on all neighborhoods in the City to help find a venue, develop it and make connections to get it going. His role is help find venues and make connections and use his connections with the art community to help influence bringing events to other places in the City. Councilmember Paine expressed her appreciation for the work his department does, noting it is the glue of the community, bringing in community services and economic development and making it work for the entire City. She noted one of the successful events is WOTS, and asked whether $1000 would be enough for a successful international hybrid model. Mr. Tatum answered he thinks it will be. It is largely self- funded, they have a built-in revenue model and years of experience. Councilmember Paine commented Edmonds could benefit from leveraging the wonderful aspects of the City and suggested condensing it into an app so people can see what is available in the community and to provide easy access to venues, restaurants, etc. Mr. Tatum asked whether she envisioned that primarily for citizens or for citizens and tourists. Councilmember Paine answered both. Mr. Tatum answered staff is working with Snohomish County North Country, Snohomish County’s tourism office, to do something similar that includes maps of restaurants, arts, etc. Councilmember Paine commented she is not creative enough to help sort through that; she uses Yelp to find things to go to, but that would be nice for Edmonds, such as for people visiting via the ferry. Councilmember Teitzel commented there are a lot of exciting things in store. He is hearing from citizens in the Perrinville/Meadowdale area in the north part of Edmonds that they feel neglected. There has been a lot of discussion about Highway 99 and there is some momentum happening there, but not much is happening in the north end of the City. He asked if there was a way to more actively engage those citizens to make them feel part of One Edmonds. Mr. Tatum answered as it pertains to his job, he has spent a lot of time this year sorting out 2022, getting programs up and in place to have forward momentum through the end of the year. His goal is to end 2022 packaged and implementing some of the strategic things he wants to get done which will free him up to focus on areas outside the traditional in 2023. He did not have anything concrete, but it is his desire to get out and engage with the neighborhoods and spend time on the streets with the people of different neighborhoods. He summarized he would love the council’s help connecting with residents and their thoughts on direction. Councilmember Chen thanked Mr. Tatum for the useful information, commenting everyone has been waiting for him and have thrown a lot of work and money at him which he has handled well. He referred to the neighborhood city hall, noting in the beginning it took time to get the office going but it seems to Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes November 2, 2022 Page 6 be functioning well now. He asked how well that office is utilized. Mr. Tatum said he did not have any statistics as hard numbers were not being kept. The goal was to get a feel for the needs and how it would operate which has been done. Going forward in 2023, he would like to be able to communicate more in 2023 about the neighborhood city hall, do pop ups there to make people aware of it, get the word out in a communications and public affairs way and have it be seen as a place people can get questions answered and get City services. He summarized it was a soft start and then publicize it and do more events to draw people in. Councilmember Chen observed that office was to provide City services, but some residents are hoping it will include an enforcement element as well. He asked about the balance between being a place to provide services versus enforcement in a high crime area. Mr. Tatum answered in his discussions with Assistant Police Chief Loi Dawkins and the staff, he was happy with the tone of the neighborhood city hall and the balance between enforcement and access to services. Council President Olson thanked Mr. Tatum for jumping in with both feet, recognizing how quickly he got up to speed and started doing the work. With regarding to a popup regarding the neighborhood city hall, she assured this council wants to serve the public and to the extent the council can be one of the popups and offer an opportunity to meet councilmembers, the council has been asking for that opportunity and would be happy to support it. She relayed one of the issues with continuing to pursue the capital project associated with the Creative District was the Creative District offers grants for affordable housing for creatives. She hoped the City was working hard to pursue that because it was part of what swayed her to support it. With regard to the pocket park, Council President Olson said although she was not speaking for all of council, she has heard other councilmembers speak during prior engagements about prioritizing pocket parks in areas other than downtown. She did not know the political will for funding that pocket park project and hoped it would come from private philanthropy. When there is not enough money to do all the park projects, she was unsure she would support that pocket park. With regard to lodging taxes, Council President Olson advised that is collected from the 1-2 hotels in Edmonds, but it is not being collected from VRBO and other short term rentals that essentially offer the same services. To the extent that that is equitable and fair, she wanted to put that on his radar. She relayed the likelihood of a late summer event in Esperance in south Edmonds that possibly would provide support for businesses in that area. Council President Olson said she had an epiphany when talking to someone who was a regular visitor to the International District who came there from Seattle on a regular basis, at least monthly, to go to Ranch 99 Market and Costco and had never been to downtown Edmonds. She pointed out the opportunity for cross branding the neighborhoods such as sandwich boards that list everything quirky and cool about each of the business districts that could be moved around and displayed in other business districts to get the word out and encourage people to experience others districts. Councilmember Buckshnis echoed the appreciation for all the hard work Mr. Tatum had to jump into. There are nonprofits like the Phoenix Theater in Firdale and Driftwood Players and she would like ARPA funds to assist nonprofits. When she did a town hall in Perrinville, she could not get into the Meadowdale Clubhouse because it is under renovation, recalling events used to be held there such as training, etc. She recalled in 2019 the tree board did a park cleanup in that area. The Meadowdale Clubhouse is a nice location and it has a nice parking lot and could be a place to hold events in that area. Councilmember Buckshnis continued, she has heard a lot about the uptown market, particularly at a town hall she held on Highway 99. She hoped the City could find a larger facility that would house police Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes November 2, 2022 Page 7 officers. It was her understanding the space has been changed so there is an officer in the building to address staff’s concerns with personal security. Mr. Tatum answered there is a request for bids out now and once those are received, work should begin in 6-10 weeks. The next phase of renovation addresses those personal security issues and provides a range of security options for staff to interact with the public. Councilmember Buckshnis referred to the 4th Avenue Corridor which is in the CIP under parks and asked if he wanted council to make an amendment to move it to community services/economic development. Mr. Tatum said he was comfortable with having it under community services/economic development; he had not considered how it would be moved so was comfortable with however that happens. Councilmember Buckshnis said Council President Olson’s comments were too much into the weeds; the council was only looking at the design aspects of the 4th Avenue Corridor, it may/may not have a pocket park. The ECA is a wealth of cultural information. She was not sure what the council wanted to do because it is just the beginning of the design phase. She referred to an email she sent Mr. Tatum about discussions she has had with downtown business owners and Chamber members about BID master planning. 2. EDMONDS POLICE DEPARTMENT 2023 BUDGET PRESENTATION Police Chief Michelle Bennett introduced Assistant Chiefs Loi Dawkins and Rod Sniffen. Chief Bennett reviewed: • Edmonds Police Organization Structure o Waiting for tentative MOU to be signed by collective bargaining unit regarding the commander position as bargaining was required to implement that mid-level manager position. Once it is signed, the org chart will be changed to add a mid-level manager. The police department currently goes from the rank of sergeant to assistant chief with no mid- level management. One position was approved in last year’s budget; two administrative sergeant positions that are already administrative will be converted to commanders to provide a mid-level range and solve a myriad problems including internal affairs, etc.. o Commissioned Personnel: 58 o Limited Commission Personnel: 2 o Civilian Personnel: 14 • Edmonds Police Officers by Year o Authorized Commissioned FTEs 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Staff Authorized 69 69 69 69 66 65 67.5 68.75 70.75 70.75 70.75 Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes November 2, 2022 Page 8 Commissioned (Chiefs incl. 56 56 59 o Edmonds is the 4th most densely populated city in Washington state (population per square acre) o For at least the last 50 years, the Edmonds Police Department has had 3 districts o The annexed area has grown by 32% in 30 years and the population has grown significantly • Dispatched Call for Service by Year Year Incidents 2007 30,898 2008 31,840 2009 30,673 2010 30,506 2011 30,413 2012 29,703 2013 29,703 2014 27,977 2015 29,426 2016 28,973 2017 28,234 2018 31,612 • Increasing Dangers 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Instances of Physical Force Against Officers 31 33 26 32 21 55 80 Instances of Impact Force Against Officers 11 21 42 10 5 8 20 • Edmonds Police Goals 1. To reduce crime and fear of crime. 2. To improve traffic safety. 3. To safely respond to and resolve emergency calls and incidents. 4. To accomplish our mission in an effective and efficient manner consistent with the core values of the Edmonds Police Department. 5. Collaborating with the community to address crime 6. Recruiting, hiring, training and promoting the best applicants for open positions who unwaveringly carry out the department’s mission, vision and goals. 7. Providing equipment, technology, systems and facilities in order to appropriately carry out our mission with efficacy and efficiency. • Community Policing and Engagement - Our approach o Systems Approach to Community Policing o The “3 P’s of Community Policing are: ▪ Problem-solving Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes November 2, 2022 Page 9 ▪ Partnerships ▪ Prevention o These elements should be supported by community engagement and using crime mapping, crime analysis, criminal intelligence and management practices. • Community Engagement o Our priorities are to prevent crime and solicit engagement through a wide range of proactive community education and collaboration strategies. ▪ National Night Out Against Crime - First Tuesday in August - Location or by neighborhood - Free food and drinks, and fun activities for adults and children. ▪ Future - Use of volunteers (VIPS) and Explorers - Community Volunteers - Community Engagement Officer/Satellite Resource Officer - A Community Volunteer program is a service program that augments and assists the commissioned and Non-commissioned members of the EPD in the performance of their duties. - This program includes anyone from age 18 years to Senior Citizens. Duties can include but are not limited to:  Data Entry  Front Counter Assistance  Property pickup  Vacation home checks  Disabled Parking Warning  Assist at Community Events - Cadets: Paid internships, usually college students - Explorers: Explorer assignments include assisting in community events, ride along with patrol deputies and earn community service hours. ▪ Community Academies - Recruiting - Patrol Procedures - Traffic Enforcement - Community Service Officer Duties - Department of Corrections - Commercial Vehicle Enforcement - Police Chaplain Program - AFIS, Training Unit - Major Accident Reconstruction - Burglary Larceny K-9Hostage Negotiations - Defensive Tactics and Firearms Training - Street Crimes Unit - Investigations - Homicide Investigations - Domestic Violence Enforcement - Special Assault Investigations - Bomb Disposal ▪ Traffic Safety ▪ Changing Laws - How will we do it?  Policy – develop, update and refine policies and procedures; ordinances  Training – ensure understanding of policies and procedures Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes November 2, 2022 Page 10  Equip – ensure proper equipment provided, especially for high-risk responses  Review – conduct reviews of high-risk responses and activities to ensure compliance with policies-procedures and training  Exercise – ensure planning and mock scenario exercising occurs Assistant Chief Loi Dawkins reviewed: • Our Community Engagement Coordinator (Tabatha Shoemake) Accomplishments o Birthday Shout-outs o Volunteer Safety Program o Community Academy o Domestic Violence Awareness o Food Drive o Cans for Cops o Shop with a Cop o Neighborhood Watch o Church Security o Safe Place o Active Shooter Training o National Night Out o Badges & Baseballs o Girls Night In o International Women’s Day o Halloween o MLK Tribute o Meadowdale Preschool Visit o Resource Fair @ Ballinger Court o Emergency Preparedness Expo o Octoberfest Kids Booth o Presentations ▪ Diversity Commission ▪ Elderly Fraud ▪ Youth Commission ▪ Rotary o Social Media/Education ▪ Human Trafficking ▪ Adopt a Senior Dog ▪ Data Privacy ▪ Spay & Neuter ▪ Wildlife Education ▪ Sexual Assault Education ▪ Pride Month ▪ 4th of July ▪ Distracted Driving Awareness Chief Bennett reviewed: • Efforts and Accomplishments: March 2021 (Chief Bennett’s hire date) to present: o Spent first six months getting state of affairs ▪ Found have fantastic group of people, professional, empathetic, kind, dedicated ▪ Important to keep the culture, but also moving ahead professionally into the future ▪ Working on digitizing paper records o Develop Five-year Strategic Plan 2023-2028 Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes November 2, 2022 Page 11 ▪ Internal and external stakeholder meetings ▪ Phone and email surveys ▪ Focus groups ▪ First draft January 2023 o Reinstate full traffic unit in order to address speeding, pedestrian crossing issues, and school zone speeding issues o Re-outfit the Dive Team with this year’s budgeted authority. o Bicycle Ancillary Unit- Bikes are purchased, and six officers are now bike certified o Institute Red Dot Sights o Institute Safe, Less than Lethal Alternatives ▪ Bolo Wrap ▪ Pepperball ▪ WRAP/Safety restraint o Write job descriptions for two Public Disclosure positions related to Body Cams. Completed and to be hired in 2022 budget. o Upgrade IT and AV throughout building – some equipment/technology is from 1990’s era. o Update 1980s furnishings in police department o Started Quality Circle Committee o Creating a supervisor FTO program for department members promoted to corporals and above. o Document career development, special skills, and goals for each member of the department o Transition the Special Emphasis Team into a Problem-Solving Emphasis Team - create SOP o Restructure department organization o Continued focus on our WASPC Accreditation o Passed with high praise the 2022 ACCESS Audit o Added our Community Engagement Coordinator, Tabatha Shoemake to the Satellite Office (Highway 99) o Pedestrian safety perimeter and gates put in the parking lot (in progress - given in 2022 budget). o Satellite office furnished and safety upgrades (in progress) o Body Cam program fully operational (in progress in 2022). o Blue Team and IA Pro (software for complaints and commendations) fully operational (initial deployment completed, workflow implementation is in progress). o ESOPH system (web-based background support system) enhanced our recruiting and background process to help facilitate quickest turn around possible (August, 2022). o LEFTA and METR (training and evaluation tracking software) – fully deployed system to digitize processes and minimize paperwork for staff o Power Time (scheduling system) in progress o Hire two cadets with 2022 budgeted authority in fourth quarter. Revamp job descriptions has been completed; hiring is in progress. o Get AEDs for all patrol cars (18 total), six have been received from the Edmonds Police Foundation (EPF). Six additional from EPF are en route. Funds were raised from the EPF Golf Tournament o Start a digital paperwork routing process, this includes digitizing archived files, current contracts and department forms – in progress, this will clear extensive storage and workspace within our department once completed. o Establish Use of Deadly Force department guidelines according to new RCW/WAC o Update policies and procedures to align with new legislation. o Convert part time parking enforcement officer and part time Domestic Violence Coordinator to full time. o Write Commander positions job descriptions, address Pay compression and benefit issues. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes November 2, 2022 Page 12 o Attend Community Meetings ▪ Rotary, Chamber, Mom’s group, Women in Leadership, Recruiting Fairs, Civic Roundtable, Edmonds School District, Pastor groups, etc. • 2023 Budget o DP#12: 410-2002 – Police Dept. Professional Staff Budget ▪ Establish additional police support positions that will assist in how patrol officers support the Edmonds community. ▪ This decision package establishes the following full-time position: - Administrative Staff Assistant ▪ The City of Edmonds’ population and demand for services has increased over the years causing a strain on the existing professional staff members at the police department. - Often, officers are added without the commensurate administrate and support staff, which increases the burden on commissioned officers and affects morale on the administrative side of the house (as well as customer response time). ▪ The police department's commissioned staff is growing to address the community's desired goals and service levels; the support staff needs to grow as well to adequately support the department goals. ▪ With the addition of a mid-level management team (three commanders) and filling both Assistant Chief's positions, the need for another full-time administrative support is necessary. ▪ The current environment has 1.5 FTE administrative positions supporting a department of over 70 staff members. o DP#13: 410-23007 – Expansion of PD Criminal Investigations Division ▪ Three subsets of this decision package will be discussed. They are as follows: 1) Add two Problem Solving Emphasis Detectives 2) Add one full-time Crime Analyst 3) Add equipment for Detectives and Problem-Solving Team ▪ The Criminal Investigations Division (CID) plays a key role in the police department's ability to deliver superior law enforcement service to the Edmonds community. - It is crucial that adequate staffing, systems and technology are in place to conduct thorough criminal investigations, problem solving projects, follow-up investigation, and support to the City's Human Services Division. - This CID unit is responsible for taking a proactive approach to detecting and deterring crime by conventional and unconventional means. ▪ This decision package creates and/or maintains the following: - Problem Solving Emphasis Unit will focus on issues to crimes, liquor law violations and organized retail crimes. - Work in plain clothes capacity to identify criminal activity - and formulate a response and solution to the problem. - Problem Solving Emphasis Detectives initiate crime reports surveillance and follow- up investigation as needed. ▪ Problem Solving Emphasis Detectives assist patrol with details that require plain clothes detective assets. - These details include, but are not limited to burglary, vehicle thefts, prowls, assaults, and other crimes against persons/property. ▪ These detectives also assist Edmonds Social Worker and work in collaboration with the Edmonds Park Department, Human Services Team to identify and assist those community members needing support. ▪ A team of two Problem Solving Emphasis detectives is not conducive to achieve a high level of success in the unit's investigative outcomes. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes November 2, 2022 Page 13 ▪ With two additional detectives the unit will consist of four detectives, which is more amenable to the workload, especially considering the community concerns on Highway 99. ▪ This team would also have the capabilities to work as liaisons to Human Services, with the goal of building a community problem solving emphasis team. ▪ Crime Analysis - Ability to identify crime trends - Using analytics, the Crime Analyst can recognize possible preventative community solutions and assist officers in their deployment - Ability to track offenders across jurisdictions - Ability to generate crime trend reports, compile data in an approachable manner and review various statistical data.  (See Budget Presentation) - The Police Crime Analyst is a non-commissioned position that performs a variety of strategic, tactical, and administrative duties relating to the systematic process of collecting, categorizing, analyzing, and disseminating timely, accurate, and useful information that describes crime patterns, crime trends, and potential suspects. - Work requires performance of research which may include statistical, information and data processing/analysis. - Add one civilian Crime Analyst FTE to establish predictive crime mapping, policing, and data analytics. - This FTE will also assist with police department grant writing. The Police Crime Analyst may work with officers, managers, and police administrators in gathering information and providing analyses, reports, evaluations and recommendations. - Work is reviewed for effectiveness via review of projects, reports, analysis of results. - The Crime Analyst collects, analyzes, and interprets data and statistics using quantitative and qualitative methodologies; provides specific intelligence and investigative lead information to investigators. - The Crime Analyst develops crime/suspect and suspect/crime correlations and target profile analysis; conducts cross-case and linkage analysis using computerized database to identify relationships between crimes and criminal suspects. - The Crime Analyst initiates and disseminates crime analysis reports, bulletins, and data related to crime series, trends, patterns, and suspect individuals to department personnel to enhance directed patrol and investigative activity. - The Crime Analyst coordinates crime information gathering and analysis with other law enforcement agencies in the region. - The Crime Analyst prepares charts, graphs, maps, and written reports of specific crimes by area and section relying on complex and detailed statistical analysis and will respond to requests for information and analytical reports. - The Crime Analyst will also assist with the development of agency strategies and planning in response to crime trends, including creating or modifying existing programs. - Importantly, the Analyst will conduct resource allocation studies for the purposes of deployment and scheduling. - The Crime Analyst will work closely with the Commander that acts as the departments Public Information Officer and Community Engagement Coordinator to provide current crime information to better inform the community on crime prevention techniques. - The Crime Analyst will research records and uses computerized databases to conduct investigations based on specific request for information or in response to identifiable events. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes November 2, 2022 Page 14 Assistant Chief Dawkins reviewed: ▪ Equipment - Purchase of investigative equipment for the Detective Unit and Problem-Solving Emphasis Team. Most of the decision package is for the Cellebrite software package used to complete cell phone forensics.  Training costs and yearly software license fees are included. - Another share of the package is for the GeoTime cell phone data analysis software. - Undercover equipment for the Problem-Solving Emphasis Team including Bluetooth radio equipment and vehicle surveillance cameras. - Technology, and in particular cell phones, have become a commonly used, everyday device for the majority of society. - We continue to see a growing need for cell phone forensics in law enforcement investigations. - Virtually every investigation includes the possibility that the suspect used a cell phone in the commission of a crime (text messages, phone calls, mapping, etc.). - We currently have no way of performing this portion of an investigation and cell phones require being sent out for processing which is costly ($2,300 2020 standard unlock fee per phone) - Very few agencies currently have access to this equipment on a local level. - Outsourcing this to the state crime laboratory or independent laboratory often leads to such long lag times for processing that by the time we get anything back, the case is past the point of charging. - The Problem-Solving Emphasis Team is shifting their focus from primarily narcotics related investigations to suspect apprehension and surveillance in assistance to Patrol and the Detective Unit. - The equipment requested will bolster their ability to covertly monitor the movements of dangerous felony suspects as part of the investigative process. ▪ Below is a list of specialty equipment for the Problem-Solving Emphasis Team and Detective Unit: - IP Camera ($2000) - cheaper alternative to pole cameras  They allow for remote monitoring via the web - Vehicle GPS trackers (Covert-Track, $275 each) - Bluetooth radio equipment (Motorola $1200 each) - Covert communications (Intrepid Response, subscription based) – trialed the free alternative and due to unsecure connection issues, it did not meet the needs of the unit. - Binoculars ($500) - Telephoto cameras ($3,000 each) - New World Phone App (FREE) - Firearms ($1300 each officer)  Compact or subcompact pistols (easily concealable for undercover work, along with concealable holsters, spare magazines ($500) - Dedicated Less Lethal Weapons (i.e., Pepper-Ball - $1500 unit)  The estimated total of these items is about $38,250. - Axon Interview is an interview room recording software/hardware system ($10,600) for the first 5 years Chief Bennett and Assistant Chief Sniffen reviewed: o DP#14: 10-23005 - Police Department - Patrol Support ▪ This project adds a new patrol district to our current three district configuration. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes November 2, 2022 Page 15 ▪ Doing this requires adding a patrol officer to all four patrol teams for 24/7 coverage in the new district. ▪ An additional 24/7 position adds one officer to each squad and two in relief for a total of six new officers. ▪ Satellite Office (Highway 99) Full Time Officer ▪ A study of calls for service was conducted and the distribution of calls across the designated districts in the city needs re-visiting. ▪ Call volumes in certain geographic areas of the city have increased demonstrating the need to adjust the alignment of district boundaries and create a new district for optimal service delivery and response times. ▪ Creating a new district necessitates increasing the staffing of all four patrol squads by one officer for 24/7 coverage. ▪ Current sergeant allocations have sufficient capacity to absorb supervisor responsibilities for these new positions. ▪ The new patrol district will bring the City of Edmonds up to more reasonable staffing norms and will allow the Highway 99 corridor to be split into two distinct areas, creating more ownership and presence needed for community engagement and patrol district integrity. ▪ It will be important for the city to keep population and business growth in mind as the city redevelops the Highway 99 corridor. ▪ Proposed New Patrol Districts: ▪ Current CAD Calls for Service by Area with Three Patrol Districts Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes November 2, 2022 Page 16 ▪ Edmonds Hot Spots o DP#15: 410-23004 - Police Dept. – Acquire Nine New Patrol Cars ▪ Edmonds PD recently experienced an officer involved shooting incident that exposed a weakness in our vehicle fleet. ▪ Due to the nature of the serious critical incident, and recent legislation that requires an outside investigative entity, the investigation process rendered all the patrol vehicles that responded to that call unavailable for quite some time. ▪ During this time, we were able to recall off-duty officers to work and continue to deliver police services for the rest of the community, however they had few, to no patrol cars to work out of. ▪ Consequently, any vehicle that could be found, including non-patrol outfitted vehicles were used for patrol duties which impacted operations due to missing equipment. ▪ This issue was discussed with the Mayor, and his approval was granted to request purchase of nine additional patrol cars in the budget so this scenario, and other operation deficiencies related to response, would not be repeated. ▪ Police patrol vehicles and motorcycle replacement schedules - Edmonds: Pool patrol vehicles 5 years/125k miles (average 25K miles per year), Motorcycles 6 years - Lynnwood: Pool patrol vehicles 4 years/100K miles, Motorcycles 4 years - Shoreline/ King County: assigned vehicle patrol vehicles 4-8 years/ 110K miles, Motorcycles 5 years/60K miles - Bothell: Pool patrol vehicles 5 years/75-100K depends on condition, Motorcycles 4 years - Mukilteo: Pool patrol vehicles 4 years/50K miles, they move them to detectives, staff, No motorcycles - Marysville: assigned vehicle patrol vehicles 10 years/120K miles (average of 12K miles per year), No motorcycles - National Association of Fleet Administrators (NAFA): Patrol vehicles 5 years or 95K miles, Motorcycles 4 years or 75K miles - Edmonds PD vehicle end milage is already higher than any neighboring jurisdiction and the National Association of Fleet’s recommendation. ▪ Recommendation is to use ARPA funding to purchase vehicles – using one-time money for a one-time cost. ▪ Police Vehicle “Assigned Vehicle” Study - The most comprehensive study regarding assigned vehicles was done by the City of Tacoma, Washington. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes November 2, 2022 Page 17 - They used the outside consulting firm of Mercury Associates. The lead analyst was a professor from the University of North Carolina. - The consultant’s report compared a fleet of 30 assigned vehicles to a pool of 34 vehicles. - The study covered an 8-year accounting period. - In this study they found the following: 1. Operating costs per mile were 30% lower for assigned rather than pooled vehicles. 2. Pooled vehicles had to be replaced every 20 to 26 months compared to an average of 60 months for assigned vehicles. 3. Officers who have assigned vehicles typically render a significant amount of service while “off-duty”. 4. One of the most significant reductions for assigned vehicles was due to lower accident and damage repair costs.  The City of Tacoma found that a pool vehicle averaged $8,400 in damage, while an assigned vehicle required only $1,375 per year.  Over the 8-year period, a fully assigned vehicle fleet would generate a total of $189,000 in accident and damage work compared to $365,000 for a full fleet of pooled vehicles. 5. On average when using a pool car, it took between 28 to 40 minutes per day to check-out, load, and/or unload their pool car.  On average a pool car was unavailable 5.6 days a month due to repairs, lost keys, etc.  Changing to another car averaged 5 minutes, thereby adding an additional eight minutes per day to non-productive time.  This equates to approximately 13 non-productive days per year.  This does not include the paid time officers may take to get into uniform once they arrive at the station. 6. The City of Tacoma found it was better for officers to have assigned vehicles. The consultants provided a neighborhood questionnaire and survey to all of Tacoma’s neighborhood councils regarding assigned vehicles. The responses indicated they believed the two most important benefits of an Assigned Vehicle program were:  Quicker response  Crime deterrent - When asked whether officers should have assigned or pooled vehicles, only 16% said they were opposed to assigned vehicles.  Respondents believed that both the officers and the city benefited more or less equally with assigned vehicles - A subsequent study confirmed these findings that the city was better off by assigning vehicles. - In summarizing the Tacoma study, an assigned vehicle program is much more advantageous to the city than a pool vehicle. - The main reason, in addition to less maintenance, is the time saved by each officer, each day in not having to check-out and check-in pool vehicles and transfer his or her gear. - The cost of officer time is relatively high compared to cost of vehicles. - For example, the cost of purchasing a timing belt for replacement in a personal car is a small, as compared to the labor cost of installing it. - The same principle pertains to police vehicles. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes November 2, 2022 Page 18 - Equipment and maintenance costs of police cars are a small fraction of the salaries of the police officers who drive them. - The study concludes that overall, the city saves about $1.4 million per year with the assigned vehicle program. - Other Assigned Vehicle Studies  Hampton Virginia Police Department did a study that supported their assigned vehicle fleet program.  Their study showed that both maintenance costs and operating costs were lower for the assigned vehicle cars versus pool cars.  The maintenance cost of assigned vehicle cars was $0.16 per mile versus $0.19 per mile on pool cars, a 16% savings.  They also found a 15% saving in operating costs, $0.17 per mile versus $0.20 per mile for pool cars.  This study also found fewer accidents occurred with assigned vehicles. - An article in Law and Order magazine acknowledges that initial startup costs can be a concern, but net savings occur due to lower maintenance costs and extended vehicle life. In Edmonds ARPA funds will be used to purchase vehicles  It also notes that the cost of the increase in fleet size begins to be offset by lower maintenance cost by the second year.  In the fourth year, vehicle replacement costs drop significantly because the assigned vehicle cars accumulate fewer miles - In a memo to the City Commission of Stillwater, Oklahoma regarding police assigned vehicle units, it was noted that assigned vehicle unit cost vary from 10.4 cents per mile for the chief to15.1 cents for a K-9 unit.  The cost of a pool car was 19.9 cents per mile.  The study also noted with assigned vehicle units, equipment installations were less. - The Daytona Beach Police Department operates a fleet of 340 vehicles.  The fleet manager faced with cost cuts believes one of his vehicle fleet program.  Maintenance and repair costs have gone down on the assigned vehicles.  Officers take better care of the vehicles than pool cars, because no one else can be blamed for poor care.  They also don’t run the vehicles as hard, which is better for fuel mileage.  He states “The user will keep the vehicle cleaner, inspect it on a regular basis, answer up to damage, and generally take more pride. “ • CPSM Audit Recommendations (Tying CPSM Audit Recommendations to 2022 Department Goals and 2023 Police Budget Requests o Administrative 1. Develop a new five-year strategic plan to guide the department’s work efforts. 2. Through a concerted succession planning/training effort, ensure that employees are trained and mentored to serve as future leaders of the organization. 3. Create mid-level manager positions in the organization. o Patrol 11. Deploy two additional patrol shifts that overlap the existing two-tour, four-shift patrol schedule. 12. Consider modifying the days-off rotation for patrol officers. 14. Deploy body-worn cameras on officers in the EPD. 15. Deploy AEDs in as many police vehicles as feasible; at least one marked police vehicle should be equipped with an AED on all shifts. o Traffic (Special Operations) 17. Reassign the late shift traffic DUI officer to regular patrol. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes November 2, 2022 Page 19 o Street Crimes Unit 21. Add additional staff to the SCU. 23. Staff a Crime Analyst position in the department to coordinate information and intelligence sharing with the SCU. o Crime Analysis 35. CPSM recommends that the department hire a civilian to serve the department as a Crime Analyst. ▪ If the person is not already experienced in crime analysis, he or she would need to be trained as a Crime Analyst. o Internal Affairs 52. The department’s organization chart should reflect the Professional Standards supervisor reporting directly to the Chief of Police. 53. The department should track all informal complaints that come into the agency and analyze them to ensure inappropriate officer behavior is not being overlooked. 55 CPSM recommends the department utilize an Early Warning force as well . 57 Counseling sessions given to officers should be documented by supervisors. 58. The department should give clear direction to sergeants about what violations should be sent forward as an internal complaint investigation and what violations should involve counseling only. o Recruitment and Personnel 62. The department should form a permanent recruitment team for job fairs and testing events. 63. The department should continue its robust online presence on job-seeking websites. 64. The city should ensure that salary compensation for police officers remains comparable to neighboring jurisdictions, and it should also offer a hiring bonus so that it can attract already trained, experienced officers. 65. Focus recruitment strategies on hiring females, who are under-represented in the department. ▪ Over last 10 years Edmonds Police Department BIPOC candidates has doubled. ▪ Department is 27% female and 28% BIPOC 67. EPD should build a robust Police Explorer Program with a goal of recruiting participants to be police officers. o Facility 69. For enhanced safety and security, install fencing around the parking lot of the police facility. o Parking Control 74. The parking control part-time position should be ACOs of parking control responsibilities. o Communications 76. CPSM recommends the department reexamine its beat area boundaries to determine if, based upon calls for service in each area, the boundaries can be reconfigured to reduce the travel time to calls. o Training 77. Command level officers (Chief/Assistant Chiefs) must attend all mandated and other offered training. 78. Purchase a more robust training software program that will meet the needs of the Training Unit. 79. Although the department has sent command level command level personnel to attend one of the programs. 80. Make attendance mandatory for the rank of sergeant and above at one of the premier executive level schools. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes November 2, 2022 Page 20 o Field Training Program 83. Consider extensions in the FTO program on a case-by-case basis and do not follow a hard-and-fast timeline for the extension. 84. Create a Sergeant’s Training Manual and initiate a Sergeant’s Training Program for newly promoted Sergeants. 85. Create a Corporal’s Training Manual and initiate a Corporal’s Training Program. o Performance Evaluations 90. The department should consider purchasing a software program to manage the storage and notifications of the performance evaluation process. 91. Form a committee to review and revise the current performance evaluation mechanism. 92. Consider changing the philosophy of “more is better” when it comes to the required supporting information involved in authoring evaluations. o Community Engagement 93. CPSM recommends the department resurrect the Citizen’s Police Academy and begin having classes twice a year. 94. Begin a CVIP program that will provide a way for citizens to volunteer their time to the department. 95. CPSM recommends the department begin utilizing known methods of engagement and encourage the community to become partners with the police department. Councilmember Nand asked why the new positions were commanders instead of lieutenants. Chief Bennett answered it is a matter of nomenclature, lieutenants, captains, and commanders are all the same rank, mid-level manager. In this area, Lynnwood and Bothell have commanders as their mid-level rank. 4. ADJOURN With no further business, the Council meeting was adjourned at 6:59 p.m.