Boise Police Local

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Boise Police Local 486

• Presentation to
• Boise City Council
• February 1, 2005

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Presentation Objectives

• Help the Mayor, City Council, and negotiating
  team understand the unions perspective on
  compensation issues
• Demonstrate that the current police force is
  highly productive, efficient, and self-motivated
• Provide evidence of the value-added that comes
  with a respected police force
• Show that the City of Boise has the ability to
  fund more appropriate wage increases

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Boise and its Five Peers
The five cities used in the search for the new
police chief all have about the same population.
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Boise Police Show Measurable Results
The six cities have very different crime rates,
with Boise the lowest in both categories.
The five peer cities average 226 of Boises
violent crime rate, and 167 of Boises property
crime rate.
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Boise Police are productive!
The low crime rates are accomplished with a low
number of officers per 1,000 population. Only
Eugene has a lower ratio.
Idaho Average 1.8 officers/1,000 U.S.
Average 2.3 officers/1,000
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These low staffing rates have been falling for
some time
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City-Initiated Annexations seem to exacerbate
staffing shortfalls

• City-driven annexations are much larger
• Example Victory Rd adds 5,040 population,
  larger than most Idaho towns, requiring 6-7 new
  officers
• 13-25 month lag to receive property tax revenues,
  longer for sales tax sharing
• Authorization hiring of new police may lag more
• Service requests begin immediately
• Police carry the burden of annexation

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Boise Police are Underpaid
The low crime rates are also accomplished with
low salaries. Boise has the second lowest pay
rate.
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Boise Police Base Pay Lags Peer Cities by 6
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Salt Lake has lower pay, but it has the highest
number of officers.
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And crime rates in Salt Lake are twice that of
Boise.
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Three of Boises peer cities have a higher cost
of living and two lower.
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Lower Pay Rates and Rising Housing Costs Make
Officer Residence in Boise More Difficult
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Meanwhile, Boise Executive salaries have risen
several times faster than police pay
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Conclusion

• While the cost of living is about the same in
  Boise as in the five peer cities,
• Crime rates are significantly lower,
• With fewer officers per population,
• And at a lower pay rate.
• A Productive, Effective Police Department
  Deserves Better!

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Boise has offered all its employees a 2.25 cost
of living pay increase.

• Do Police Officers deserve more?

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Community-Oriented PolicingContributes a Large
Part of Boises Success

• The success of community policing relies in turn
  on the volunteer efforts of its police officers.
• Much of the Citys coverage of police in annual
  reports, budget documents, and web site focuses
  on these volunteer successes
• Lets take a look at what police officers are
  contributing of their own volition during their
  free time

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Police Activities League (PAL)

• Raft Along features 65 officers and over 700 kids

• Raft Along may be the biggest kids river float in
  the country. Now in its 7th year, with Cascade
  Raft Co and several other outfitter and
  businesses contributing.

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PAL Continued

• Pack Along is a more intensive 3-day horsepack
  for at-risk youth, in its 6th year
• Hook A Kid on Golf conducts 4 clinics at Falcon
  Crest for over 150 youth

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PAL Continued

• SWAT Challenge pits officers against over 300
  high school students in friendly competition
• Building connections along with healthy
  bodies
• Youth Hunter Program is new in 2005 will mentor
  children of single parents in firearms and
  archery training and hunter ed
• Mike Perkins leads all these program

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PAL Racing Program

• Started by PAYADA 11 years ago
• Led by Officer Greg Eisenbeiss
• 2 cars compete against kids at Firebird and
  elsewhere
• Events include Jet Wars, High School Drags, and
  the Halloween Classic
• Displayed at local parades, fairs, and events
• Anti-drug safe racing message carried to
  thousands each year

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PAL Jonny Law Rock Band

• Officer Kent Lipple and his band take a variety
  of Healthy Choices messages to school
  assemblies and events.
• They reach over 6,000 kids each year.

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PAL Bigs Blues

• Links Boise Police with 50 kids on Big
  Brothers/Sisters waiting list
• Organized outings to Steelheads Hawks games,
  Roaring Springs, Boondocks, Pojos and others
• Charity B-ball and bowling raise for programs
• Officer Jermaine Galloway leads 30 volunteer
  officers in this mentoring program

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Thats not all

• Boise Police Association Shop with A Cop 30-50
  officers help 60-120 at-risk kids buy presents
  for their families, 10-17,000 raised each year,
  Officer Dave Smith leads
• BPD Fishing Tournament Officers donate 1,000
  for this event featuring about 15 officers and 50
  kids
• BPD/BFD Guns Hoses charity hockey game raised
  1,500 for local MADD chapter
• Mark Stall Golf Tournament raised 6,000 for
  scholarships for families of deceased
  police/fire/paramedic officers

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And Dont Forget

• Special Olympics--15,000 helps 2,000 athletes,
  raised through a variety of events, including
• Cops N Lobsters
• Applebees Tip-A-Cop
• Law Enforcement Torch Run
• Parent Project- Resource Officer Dick Baranco
  offers parenting classes through churches upon
  request
• Bicycle Program Officer Alan Cavener buys bikes
  at city auctions, refurbishes and provides to
  kids, about 25 per year over last two years,
  self-funded
• Baker to Vegas Police Relay Run
• Womens Fitness Challenge
• Numerous other community functions, e.g.
  fingerprinting

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Boise Police 2004 Volunteer Totals

• Over 300 officers involved
• About 3,600 hours of officer volunteer time

• Nearly 2,000 participants and
• thousands of spectators and
• affected families.
• Estimated 43,500 raised for
• charities, plus large corporate
• in-kind donations to sponsor
• events.

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Key Policy Questions

• To what extent are police volunteer programs
  critical to building community relationships, to
  promoting healthy youth life choices, to putting
  a human face on our police, and to the Citys
  success with community policing?
• Do any other city departments besides police and
  fire engage in this level of direct volunteering?
• What message are we sending police, via our pay
  policy, about our respect and appreciation for
  their community service?
• Where is the tipping point where our pay policy
  begins to affect participation in volunteer,
  extra-curricular programs?

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Other Reasons Police Deserve Special Treatment

• Long training period (9-18 months) for sworn
  officers means the transactions costs of employee
  turnover are high.
• Sworn Officers carry the burden of lethal
  force. (Idaho Statesman)
• No winners in a Matthew Jones incident
• Officers can be plunged into life-ending
  decisions at any moment, even when off-duty
• The burden of past incidents is carried
  throughout life
• Officers at risk in a highly dangerous and
  stressful profession
• Families of officers carry these burdens as well
• Is Boise approaching a second tipping point
  with gang violence coming from the west?

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Meet Some of Boises Unsung Heroes Who Risk Life
Limb

• January 13, 2005 Officer responds to shots
  fired call, suspect points gun at officer,
  officer fires and misses, after a lengthy
  standoff, suspect shoots himself
• November 30, 2004 Suspect robs bank in SE
  Boise, shoots at an officer, holds an elderly
  couple at gunpoint until surrender

Officer Tom Miotke
Officer Brek Orton
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• February 28, 2004 Officer makes traffic stop,
  suspect pulls handgun and shoots officer 3 times,
  suspect later arrested
• January 30, 2004 Officer accosted in parking
  lot, ends up fatally shooting suspect

Officer Derek Whipps
Officer Jeff Dustin
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• April 9, 2003 Multiple officers pursue two
  suspected armed robbers through town, are shot
  upon, and fatally shoot suspects on airport
  runway.
• January 22, 2003 Officer responds to domestic
  violence call, suspect drives over curb to hit
  officer with car, officer shoots and wounds
  suspect.
• 14 additional incidents of aggravated assaults on
  officers in recent years.
• And dont forget numerous accidents and minor
  injuries incurred during pursuits, breaking up
  public and domestic disturbances, drug busts, and
  generally keeping the peace.

Officer Todd Ducharme
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But can the city afford to pay wages commensurate
with the service and productivity they are
getting from their police force?
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How Much Revenue is Needed?

• 1 raise for Police costs 179,000
• City offered 2.25, budgeting 595,000,
  retroactive to 4/1/2004
• Union seeks 4, an increase of 1.75
• Requires 313,000 more for FY2005
• Or 470,000 more to 4/1/2004
• Here are 3 ways to cover this added cost

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A Word about Revenue Projections

• City versus State

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Option 1 Increase Sales Tax Projection

• City projected 2.5 gain for FY2004
• Came in at 6.1
• FY04 actual FY05 p
• Current projections FY2005 -.6 FY2006
  3.5
• 11 growth in Boises last two quarterly payments
  

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Lets Get More Realistic!

• State projects 7.7 and 4.3 increase in state
  sales tax revenue sharing
• Based on econometric model of states economy
  actuals exceeding these forecasts
• Even at 2/3 of state increase (5,3), 600,000
  new revenues can be budgeted

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Option 2 Boise Can Obtain Sales Tax
Revenue-Sharing Gain from Population Adjustment

• COMPASS estimate for 2003 195,913
• (200,062 in 2004)
• Census estimate for 2003 190,117
• Uncounted population 5,796
• Sales Tax Revenue Sharing
• Per capita based on Oct 2004 27.75
• Potential Revenue Sharing gain
• 5,796 x 27.75 160,839
• Boise needs to proactively seek annexation gains
  from Census, otherwise wait til 2011

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Option 3 Revise Spending Priorities

• Budget is the Citys best expression of policy.
  Priorities can and do change.
• Example Repair Maintenance Backlog 3.75
  million arbitrarily spread over 3 years Mayor
  just recommended additional 1 M in FY04 and
  750K in FY05. Most of the improvements are for
  parks.
• A Reallocation to police salaries is within City
  Councils grasp

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Conclusion

• City added to decisionmaker skill set in areas of
  finance and policy, but what about personnel
  management?
• What is meta message inside actions like
• Lower pay for superior crime rates to peer cities
• Low authorized staffing levels and many unfilled
  positions
• Police being stretched to cover annexed areas
• Excessive executive pay increases
• City claims credit for police volunteer work,
  but hires outside labor negotiator for 37,000
• City goes outside successful force for new chief
• How high a city policy priority is public safety?
• Is a fight for 470,000 (you already have
  available to you) in Boises best interests?

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Note The rate is calculated by dividing the
number of sworn police officers by the total
population. It is presented on a "per 1,000"
basis. Sworn officers meet the following
criteria they are working in an official
capacity, they have full arrest powers, they wear
a badge (ordinarily), they carry a firearm
(ordinarily), and they are paid from governmental
funds set aside specifically for payment of sworn
law enforcement respresentatives. Some counties
did not report their numbers for the year. 2001
and 2002 estimates of total population have been
updated per the Census Bureau's updates. NA Not
Reported or Not Available. Source 1997-2002
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime
Reports, (http//www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm)
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