TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Kathleen Kelly, Interim General Manager/Chief Executive Officer
SUBJECT: Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Contract Renewal
ACTION ITEM
AGENDA PLANNING REQUEST: ☐
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider authorizing the General Manager to exercise the second option year renewal of the contract with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office for continued transit law enforcement services.
Staff Contact:
Marla Blagg, Chief Safety & Security Officer
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Safe and Secure Operations
Initiative - Service Quality
Maintaining the contract with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) will allow the District to continue to provide safe and secure operations to its employees, customers, and properties.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
The estimated contract costs are included in the proposed Fiscal Year 2025-26 operating budget and will be included in future budget year requests.
Staff worked with ACSO to negotiate contract terms which will allow the District to maintain minimum operable staffing levels for contracted law enforcement services at $11,290,394 annually.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
The District currently contracts with ACSO for sworn law enforcement services on its buses and at its transit facilities and properties throughout Alameda County. The current contract period is set to expire on June 30, 2025. This option year would extend services through June 30, 2026.
ACSO has provided high-quality sworn law enforcement services to the District for many years. They are proactive with community policing efforts and connecting the most vulnerable riders to social and financial aid services. These services include, but are not limited to, protecting road supervisors and operators, responding to suspicious packages at facilities and on buses, and responding to vehicle break-ins at District properties.
ACSO has provided excellent services to the District, maintaining a collaborative working relationship, which continues to improve. The District looks forward to enhanced services to support its operators such as: Dispatcher and Operations field training; potential ride-along opportunities; participation in National Night Out; collaborative strategic planning to mitigate transit worker assaults; and other programs to support District employees. The performance of this contract and the effectiveness of ACSO’s work is currently presented to the Board on a quarterly basis through the Protective Services Report. The ACSO Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) were also expanded FY 2024-25 to include terminology consistent with the Federal Transit Administration’s Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan’s (PTASP) mandated 14 KPIs, National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) data, and Hayden AI stop and lane enforcement data.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
The advantages of continuing to contract with ACSO is the provision of vital law enforcement services that are consistent and reliable, with a dedicated police force, specifically for transit-related incidents.
If the contract is not renewed, given the size of the operating area, local 911 law enforcement responses may be delayed, or no responses may be provided at all, due to other competing 911 calls in the service area.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:
The District reviewed three alternatives to the ALCO Sheriff’s Office contract.
1. Reduction in Staffing - Staff considered a reduction in staffing with both sworn Sheriff Deputies and Sheriff Technicians for cost savings.
o Recommendation: Staff does not recommend any reduction with sworn or non-sworn staffing. The District currently faces a challenge with response time in the southern East Bay areas (Hayward/Fremont) and a reduction to the number of sworn deputies would amplify this challenge. With the introduction of the Hayden AI system, the number of citations for review greatly increased and the current Technician staff struggles to keep pace with citations, resulting in less visual deterrence in the field.
2. Increase in Technician Staffing - Staff considered increasing the number of Sheriff Technicians to accommodate the increase workload from the Hayden AI citation system. The review looked at a one to two-year increase in staffing until community behavior changed resulting in a lower level of citations issued. The increase would allow for an improved visual deterrence in the field by the technician staff.
o Recommendation: Staff does not recommend adding two Sheriff Technicians due to the District’s current fiscal situation.
3. Increase Deputy Staffing - Staff considered increasing Sheriff Deputy staffing due to extended response times in the Hayward and Fremont areas. Response times in these areas are significantly higher than in the central East Bay area, due to deployment of personnel to higher activity areas. The added staffing would prioritize the southern areas of the District’s service area, resulting in increased presence and quicker response time, as well as provide the District operators and field supervision with an elevated sense of confidence and security. The cost would range from $2.1 million to $2.8 million for FY 25-26.
o Recommendation: Staff does not recommend increasing Sheriff’s staffing at this time due to the District’s in current fiscal situation, and decided not to request any new services.
PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTION/POLICIES:
Staff Report 21-146b - Exercise the first option year renewal of the contract with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office
ATTACHMENTS:
None
Prepared by:
Ronald Erb - Manager of Public Safety & Security
Approved/Reviewed by:
Marla Blagg, Chief Safety & Security Officer
Chris Andrichak, Chief Financial Officer
Aimee L. Steele, General Counsel/Chief Legal Officer
Fred Walls, Director of Procurement & Materials