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CC - Consideration of the Following Two Jail Services and Management Options: (1) Authorization to Increase City Jail Staffing by Five Additional Funded Jailer Positions for a Total Jail Staff of One Senior Jailer and Seven Jailers; and (1)(A) FOUR-FIFTHS VOTE REQUIREMENT: Approval of a FY 2020/2021 Related Budget Amendment in the Amount of $470,070.00; OR (2) Approval of a Five-Year Agreement for a Total Amount Not-To-Exceed $2,095.548.00 with G4S Secure Solutions (USA) Inc. to Operate and Manage the Culver City Jail; and (2)(A) FOUR-FIFTHS VOTE REQUIREMENT: Approval of a FY 2020/2021 Related Budget Amendment in the Amount of $388,116.00.
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Meeting Date: August 24, 2020
Contact Person/Dept: Lieutenant Luis Martinez/Police Department
Phone Number: (310) 253-6251
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [X] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [X]
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X]
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (08/20/2020);
Department Approval: Acting Police Chief Manny Cid (08/19/2020)
_____________________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council:
(1) Authorize the increase of City Jail Staffing by five additional funded Jailer positions for a total Jail Staff of one Senior Jailer and seven Jailers; and (1)(A) Approve a FY 2020/2021 related budget amendment in the amount of $470,070.00 (four-fifths vote requirement);
OR
(2) Approval of a five-year agreement for a total amount not-to-exceed $2,095,548 with G4S Secure Solutions (USA) Inc. to operate and manage the Culver City Jail; and (2)(A) Approve a FY 2020/2021 related budget amendment in the amount of $388,116.00 (four-fifths vote requirement).
BACKGROUND
The Culver City Police Department maintains a Type 1 Jail facility, with 30 beds, capable of serving as a local detention facility used for the detention of persons for not more than 96 hours after arrest/ booking. The facility may also detain persons on court order, either for their own safekeeping, or sentenced to a City Jail as an inmate worker.
Type 1 Jail facilities are governed by the California Board of Corrections and Title 15 of the California Administrative Code, which set forth minimum standards for local detention facilities. These minimum standards include always having at least one jailer on duty, who shall be immediately responsible for the health, safety, liberties, and rights of all inmates. The jailer has primary responsibility for the reception, booking, processing, custody, and welfare of all persons arrested and booked into the Department’s Jail. The jailer is also responsible for the transportation of inmates for court appearances.
Staffing - Currently, the Department’s Jail averages about 120 bookings/inmates per month. The jail is currently staffed with three jailers (Full-time City employees), each working 12-hour shifts. One of the three Jailers is classified as the Senior Jailer. As currently constructed, the Department’s Jail facility has enough staffing for one jailer to be scheduled 24 hours a day for six days a week. On the seventh day, the jail is left unstaffed for a six- hour period. The unstaffed period is typically left to be covered by the on-duty Watch Commander or Desk Officer.
In addition, any vacations, sick days, training, or leave of absences by jail staff also results in the jail being unstaffed for various periods of time. Jailers are Culver City Employees Association (CCEA) employees and, as such, are granted 12 holidays a year. On these 12 days a year, the jail facility also goes unstaffed, again leaving the on-duty Watch Commander or Desk Officer to cover the jail responsibilities during these vacancies. As previously mentioned, jailers are also responsible for transporting inmates to court facilities and County Jail facilities. Department Jailers do not currently conduct transportation details to other law enforcement agencies. These inmate transports typically occur daily during the week, again resulting in the jail facility being left mostly unattended for periods of the day/night while the jailer is out in the field completing the transportation details. These unattended periods can range from one to three hours a day on average.
In addition, during the absences of a Jailer in the jail facility, Officers are forced to conduct their own booking and processing of prisoners. This ultimately causes our Patrol Officers to stay out of the field a prolonged duration of time dealing with the intake and reception of prisoners, adversely impacting Department patrol operations.
Supervision- Although the Culver City jail is in operation 24 hours per day, 7 days per week (24/7), it is only led by one Senior Jailer, who oversees the jail. The Senior Jailer works Monday-Wednesday from 4:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. As such, the jail is without direct supervision most of the time. This is below industry standards and quality control best practices.
Policies and Procedures- The Culver City Police Department Basic Jail Manual contains 259 pages of policies and procedures specific to Jailers, emergency planning, inmate management and medical/ mental health to name a few. The Culver City Police Department Policy Manual contains 9 additional pages covering custodial searches and the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA).
Training- Current employed jailers attended a six-week Detention Officer Academy class, typically held at the LAPD Ahmanson Training center in Westchester, CA. In addition, they all receive 24 hours of annual Standards and Training for Corrections (STC) training to ensure that their skills are kept current.
California Board of State and Community Corrections Inspection
In 2018, as well as in 2016, the California Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) conducted their biennial inspection of the Culver City Police Jail facility, as required by law. The inspection consisted of a review of policies, procedures, facility compliance, and staffing. During the inspection process, some concerns were raised regarding the staffing levels of our jail facility. In short, the fact that our jail facility is intermittently left directly unsupervised by a properly trained jailer is “not acceptable.” As previously detailed, the Department’s Jail facility is intermittently directly unsupervised during the following instances:
• During one unscheduled six hour period every Sunday, due to staffing levels
• During jail staffs’ vacations, sick days, and other absences
• During jail staffs’ 12 holidays a year
• During inmate transportation details, conducted by jail staff on a nearly daily basis
As a result, BSCC’s inspection report stated the facilities staffing was not acceptable and that in the absence of available trained staff, the jail should be closed, and all inmates transferred to a county facility. The BSCC Biennial Inspection Report is attached to the staff report as Attachment 1.
Based on BSCC’s inspection, as well as an internal review of the Department’s Jail staffing levels and their impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of the jail facility, the Department, began to explore various options to correct the deficiency.
Agency Survey Results
The following is a list of similar sized police agencies, who maintain a Type 1 Jail facility, and their current staffing levels. All the cities surveyed above, maintain staffing levels which allow for the scheduling of two jailers on duty at most times, and never less than one jailer on duty in the jail at all times. These are approximate numbers for 2019.
|
City |
Staffing |
Bookings per mo. |
|
Beverly Hills |
contract |
70 |
|
Santa Monica |
14 full-time |
300 |
|
Hawthorne |
10 full-time |
100 |
|
Torrance |
15 full-time |
250 |
|
Whittier |
Contract |
100 |
|
Azusa |
Contract |
70 |
|
Buena Park |
Contract |
300 |
|
Costa Mesa |
Contract |
400 |
|
Alhambra |
Contract |
100 |
|
Gardena |
8 full-time |
120 |
|
Burbank |
9 full-time |
250 |
DISCUSSION
Staff is presenting two options for City Council consideration this evening, as follows:
Option #1
Increase Department Jail staffing to eight full time Jailers
As previously stated, the Department’s current staffing levels in the Jail are three full time Jailers/City employees. It would be necessary to hire an additional five Jailers to bring the jail’s staffing to eight total, an acceptable level to maintain appropriate coverage and on par with industry standards. Based on BSCC’s inspection reports, as well as best practices in maximizing the safety of all inmates and minimizing liability to the City, the jail facility should always be staffed with 1-2 Jailers. This would allow for one Jailer to always be present in the jail facility, and the second free to perform any transportation details as needed.
The following would be the associated costs:
• The total annual cost (salary and benefits) of a new Jailer: $94,014.00
• The total actual cost (salary and benefits) for the Jail staff, FY2019/2020: $458,728.00*
*This total includes one Sr. Jailer and three Jailers. The FY 2020/2021 Adopted Budget unfunded one Jailer position.
• The total estimated annual cost (salary and benefits) of staffing one (1) Sr. Jailer and seven (7) Jailers: $809,395.00
• The total estimated annual cost of overtime, associated to leaves (sick, vacation, comp time off, holidays., etc.): $37,000.00
There would be ongoing training costs as well as pension/ retirement costs associated with staffing and funding all of the eight Jailer positions.
Option #2
Utilizing Contract Services to fully staff the Jail Facility
Contracting outside services to fully staff our Jail facility would immediately bring our jail staffing to appropriate levels, maximizing the effectiveness and efficiency with which our jail facility operates, in accordance with best practices, as well as minimizing liability to the City.
The City issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) in June 2020 for Jail Operations and Management Services. The RFP notification list included 56 vendors across various corrections, management and security categories. While original interest of 15 firms registered for the proposal opportunity on the City’s PlanetBids website, due to the specialized nature of the service and qualified vendors within the region, the City received only one proposal at the time of closing from G4S Secure Solutions (USA) Inc.
Staff has reviewed the proposal from G4S Secure and determined the proposer meets a satisfactory level of performance in accordance with the City’s requirements.
G4S Secure Solutions (USA) Inc.
G4S provides Custody Officer service support to 16 Southern California Police Departments throughout Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside County. Their longest local partnership dates to 1992 with the City of Irvine and the Irvine Police Department. Like other departments, their primary objective for the City of Culver City is to deliver on our service commitment of providing highly qualified and trained personnel for the day to day operation of the Culver City Police Department jail. This objective includes the following goals that comprise their overall solution:
• Providing comprehensive and documented background checks for approved officers that meet or exceed all background check requirements. G4S’s Proposal of Services is attached to the staff report as Attachment 2.
• Provide 172 hours of Standards & Training for Corrections (STC training), including annual refresher training. Training for all Custody Officers to operate in a Type I Jail Facility including Title 15, Article 3, Training, Personnel and Management, Section 1020 and Section 1021.
• Provide 40 hours of G4S mandated internal classroom training for all Custom Protection Officers and 80 hours of on the job training for all assigned officers.
• Operate in compliance with State statute 6031.6 CPC mandating operational procedures for privately operated jail facilities.
In exploring contract service options, the Department received a proposal for services from a long-standing reputable company, who currently services other nearby police agencies. The following is a description of what contract services can immediately provide the Police Department:
• Fulltime jail facility coverage, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
• Full-service jail personnel, which significantly reduces the amount of time Department personnel must spend conducting Jailer responsibilities in the absence of a Jailer
• Guaranteed coverage, without concern of employee holidays, vacation, overtime or sick leaves
• Experienced and quality personnel, fully vetted and properly trained to operate a Type 1 Jail facility
• Eliminate hiring and training costs as it relates to the jail staff
• Reduce management hours and resources spent on managing jail staff
• Provides a significant initial and ongoing cost savings for the City (compared to the City hiring and funding eight total Jailers/City employees)
Contract service costs include all employment recruitment and hiring cost, required training cost, and staff management cost. The total annual cost for contract Jailer services that guarantees one Jailer on-duty in the facility: $388,116.00
It should be noted that this option would entail retaining two of our current Jailers (city employees) who would provide transportation services and be responsible for transporting inmates to and from court facilities, county jail facilities, and other law enforcement agencies, eight hours a day and five days a week at an annual cost of $231,680.00
Impact on current Culver City Jailers
The option of utilizing contract jail services would impact our current Jailers/ City employees. A meet and confer process with the bargaining unit that represents the Jailers was conducted and an agreement was reached.
RECOMMENDATION:
The Department’s staff analyzed and discussed in detail the two above described options: increasing the Department’s Jail staff by adding five fulltime Jailers/ City employees versus utilizing contract jail services. The Department’s primary concern and focus is to bring the current jail staffing up to acceptable levels, on par with industry standards as well as having enough personnel to complete the required transportation of inmates.
Hiring five additional Jailers would cost the City an additional $470,070.00 annually in salary and benefits. There would be a significant amount of work hours involved with recruiting, hiring, and training five new employees in addition to long term pension/ retirement costs.
A five-year agreement for the total amount not-to-exceed $2,095,548.00 with G4S Secure Solutions (USA) Inc. to operate and manage the Culver City Jail and require the approval of a FY 2020/2021 budget amendment in the amount of $388,116.00 to increase funds available for Jail Management and Operation services.
Based on the aforementioned information, the Police Department is seeking direction from the City Council based on this matter.
Option# 1 Increase Jail Staffing
Total Annual Personnel Costs: $809,395.00
Option# 2 Utilize Contract Services and Reclass Two Existing Jailers
Total Annual Contract and City Personnel Costs: $619,796.00
Contract Annual Cost: $388,116.00
Reclass two Jailers $231,680.00
A cost difference between Option #1 and Option# 2 is $189,599.00
FISCAL ANALYSIS
Option# 1: Personnel Services cost to increase Jail staffing by five (5) City Jailers is $470,070.00 annually. A FY 2020/2021 budget amendment in the amount of $470,070.00 is requested from the General Fund Reserves to Personnel Services (10140200.411100-440000). A budget amendment requires a four-fifths vote.
Option# 2: To contract with G4S Secure Solutions (USA), the first-year contract cost is $388,116.00. A FY 2020/2021 budget amendment in the amount of $388,116.00 is requested from the General Fund Reserves to Other Contractual Services (Acct# 10140200.619800). Funding for future fiscal years will be requested during budget adoption. A budget amendment requires a four-fifths vote.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2020-08-10_ATT - California Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) Biennial Inspection Report
2. 2020-08-10_ATT - G4S Secure Solutions (USA) Inc. Proposal of Services
MOTION
That the City Council:
1. Authorize the increase of City Jail Staffing by Five Additional Funded Jailer Positions for a Total Jail Staff of One Senior Jailer and Seven Jailers; and
1.A. Approve a FY 2020/2021 budget amendment in the amount of $470,070.00 to increase Personnel Services Line Item for five additional funded jailer positions from General Fund Reserves to Personnel Services (10140200.411100-440000). (A budget amendment requires a four-fifths vote);
OR
2. Approve a five-year agreement for a total amount not-to-exceed $2,095,548.00 with G4S Secure Solutions (USA) Inc. to operate and manage the Culver City Jail; and
2.A. Approve a FY 2020/2021 budget amendment in the amount of $388,116.00 from General Fund Reserves to Other Contractual Services (Acct# 10140200.619800) (A budget amendment requires a four-fifths vote); and
3. Authorize the City Attorney to review/prepare the necessary documents; and
4. Authorize the City Manager to execute such documents on behalf of the City.