TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer
SUBJECT: Protective Services Report
ACTION ITEM
AGENDA PLANNING REQUEST: ☐
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider receiving the FY 2023-24 First Quarter Protective Services Report.
Staff Contact:
Michael Hursh, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Safe and Secure Operations
Initiative - Service Quality
The Quarterly Protective Services Report provides Sheriff Office metrics that align with the following Strategic Plan Goals and Initiatives: Safe and Secure Operations, Convenient & Reliable Service, High Performing Workforce, and Service Quality.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
There are no budgetary or fiscal impacts related to this report.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
The District’s law enforcement services are provided by the Alameda and Contra Costa County Sheriff Offices. The Protective Services Department is tracking several metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that support various Strategic Plan Goals and Initiatives. This report covers performance matrix data from both county sheriff’s office for the first quarter (Q1) of fiscal year 2023-24 (FY24). Each agency securely uploads its data through the District’s Data Integration and Management Environment (DIME) process.
Data from Protective Service Partners
DIME data collection processes and publishes reported data into the Data Warehouse for Business Intelligence consumption. The next phase of the Protective Service KPI focuses on optimizing the District Incident form in the Computer Aided Dispatch/Automatic Vehicle Location (CADAVL) system. The work has started on the system side for the new phase and will continue to the next quarter to publish analytics for response time reported by Sheriff Offices and respective incidents recorded by the District Operation Control Center (OCC). This collaborative development, design, and testing work among various District departments, including Business Sciences, Protective Services, Innovation and Technology, and Transportation, has enabled the District to publish performance metrics and KPI visualization during this quarter.
Quarterly Report on Select Topics
(Reference Attachment 1, Table #1: Quarterly Report on Selected Metrics)
Table 1 provides an overview of the various metrics monitored during the quarter to assess performance of the sheriff contracts and other District resources managed through the Operations Control Center (OCC).
Attachment 1 contains performance charts illustrating specific performance metrics for a 12- month review period.
Charts 1, 2, and 3 show performance trendlines for Alameda County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) in green, Contra Costa County Sherriff’s Office (CCCSO) in orange, and combined averages in blue.
Sheriff Activity Attributed to AC Transit as Percentage
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart #1: Sheriff Activity Attributed to AC Transit as Percentage)
The AC Transit-related activity percentage has a 95% target-setting goal. During Q1 the rate averaged 95.0% and this threshold was met or exceeded in July (95.1%), August (95.0%) and in September (95%).
The goal is to have a higher percentage of time dedicated to AC Transit related activities. Sheriff activity is related to all calls for service that involve District assets, personnel, property, and patrons in our service area. It also involves responding to calls for service from Bus Operators, and the public through Emergency Services Dispatch via the District’s Operations Control Center (OCC).
Sheriff Dispatch Responses with Average Arrival Time from OCC Call
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart #2: Average Response Times of OCC Call to Sheriff to Arrival)
AC Transit is tracking the time it takes an officer to arrive on scene when requested by our Operations Control Center via the sheriff’s office dispatch. A five-minute goal has been established as a benchmark to be an appropriate window of arrival once a dispatch call has been initiated.
The average response times, in minutes and seconds, by month during Q1 were July (7:36), August (7:12) and September (7:28). ACSO and CCCSO completed 1,496 dispatches with an overall average response time of seven minutes and twenty-five seconds (7:25).
Calls for law enforcement services will vary due to time of day, traffic conditions, and distance. The average response time among metropolitan law enforcement agencies range between 8 and 15 minutes. When deputy sheriffs experience a delay with responding to a call for various reasons, they often communicate that to the local jurisdiction to manage the call until they arrive.
Sheriff's Average Response Time from Call with 5 Minutes Threshold Shown as Percent
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart #3: Percent of Sheriff's Average Response Times Below 5 Minutes Threshold)
Approximately 65% of ACSO and CCCSO response times from call were at or under five-minutes; 35% were above this threshold.
Passenger Falls with Sheriff On-Scene Count and Percentage Shown
(Reference Attachment 1, Chart #4: Passenger Falls with Sheriff On-Scene Count and Percentage Shown)
During Q1, ACSO and CCCSO deputies responded to 4 of 22 or 18% of the dispatch requests pertaining to Passenger Slips, Trips & Falls.
July was 2 of 4, August was 1 of 4 and September was of 1.
Protective Services is working with Road Supervision to have Transportation Supervisors respond to calls for minor slips, trips, and falls to free up deputy sheriffs to respond to more serious calls that require a law enforcement presence.
Deputy sheriffs also made seven (7) mental health referrals, avoiding arrests, during the quarter. There are instances when a Bus Operator will request sheriff support due to a person acting aggressively toward the operator or passengers. Staff continues to collaborate with law enforcement and Transportation Supervision to refine the process of supervisors responding to nonviolent calls.
Operator Assaults Per 100,000 Revenue Miles
(Reference Attachment 1, #5: Operator Assaults Per 100,000 Revenue Miles)
During Q1 a total of 37 assaults (incidents meeting penal code) was reported by the following categories: Operator Only (15), Other Transit Personnel (1) and Passengers Only (21).
ACSO was the only agency to experience assault incidents; CCSO reported zero incidents.
Total Revenue Miles operated during the quarter was 4,308,931 resulting in a Bus Operator Assault Rate of 0.35 per 100,000 Revenue Miles with the following rates by month: July (0.35), August (0.41) and September (0.29).
Protective Services, in conjunction with the Business Sciences, uses color-coded diagrams (heath map) to determine where to best deploy sheriff’s office personnel. Further, staff implemented a Fire and Life Safety Committee that meets regularly with first responders, local police departments, and AC Transit contracted sheriff’s office to review performance statics, analyze incidents, develop initiatives, and campaigns, and share resources to improve performance. We will continue to track these metrics to identify trends in this area.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
This report does not recommend a course of action with notable advantages or disadvantages
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:
This report does not recommend an alternative analysis.
PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTION/POLICIES:
There are no prior relevant Board actions/policies.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. - FY2024Q1 - Table and Selected Metrics
Prepared by:
Kerry D. Jackson, Protective Services Manager
In Collaboration with:
Scott Arjun, Senior Management Analyst
Zaric Wong, Statistical Data & Info Analyst
Approved/Reviewed by:
Manjit K. Sooch, Director of Innovation and Technology
William Tonis, Director of Business Sciences
Salvador Llamas, Chief Operating Officer
Marla Blagg, Director of Safety, Security & Training