TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer
SUBJECT: Quarterly Protective Services Report
BRIEFING ITEM
AGENDA PLANNING REQUEST: ☐
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
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Consider receiving the Quarterly Protective Services Report for AC Transit during the Second Quarter of Fiscal Year 2022-23.
Staff Contact:
Salvador Llamas, Chief Operating Officer
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STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Safe and Secure Operations
Initiative - Service Quality
The Quarterly Protective Services Report provides Sheriff’s 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:
Law enforcement services are provided to the District by the Alameda and Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office. The Protective Services Department is tracking several metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that support various Strategic Plan Goals and Initiatives. The performance matrix contained in this report covers the second quarter (Q2) of the fiscal year 2022-23 (FY23). Beginning this quarter, performance reporting contains Alameda County and Contra Costa County Sheriff’s data. Both agencies provide data securely through the District’s Innovation and Technology (IT) Department’s Data Integration and Management Environment (DIME) process.
Data from Protective Service Partners
The Data Integration and Management Environment (DIME) for Protective Services has been completed where each Sheriff's Office submits its monthly reporting securely to AC Transit. DIME data collection then processes and publishes reported data into the Data Warehouse for Business Intelligence consumption. In addition, it also captures Sheriff's Office’s original submission into the Protective Services Departmental secured location in the District Intranet.
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 with the enhancement of the form on the front end, recap training to users who use CADAVL incident forms, and the backend automation process for security-related incident data points. The work has started on the system side for the new phase, and will continue to the next quarter in order 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 the performance of the sheriff contracts and other District resources managed through the Operations Control Center (OCC). Following the table in Attachment 1 are performance charts illustrating specific performance metrics for a 12-month review period.
Sheriff Activity Attributed to AC Transit as a 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. In Q2 the rate was 96.4% in October, November 96.5%, and 99% in December.
The goal is to have a higher percentage of time dedicated to AC Transit related activities. Sheriff activity is related to all service calls involving 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 OCC. Certain situations require our contracted law enforcement services to respond when they view criminal activity or are hailed by a citizen for help, even though it may not be related to the District.
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)
The 5-minute goal has been established as an acceptable arrival time once a dispatch call for service has been initiated.
The average response time for Q2 was six minutes and nineteen seconds (0:06:19). In October, it was seven minutes nine seconds (7:09) in November, four minutes and thirty-six seconds (4:36), and in December, seven minutes twenty-two seconds (7:22).
Response times vary depending on certain circumstances. For example, the time of day, traffic conditions and distance are all variables that contribute to law enforcement response. The average response time for most metropolitan law enforcement agencies averages between 8 to 15 minutes. When deputy sheriffs experience a delay in responding to a call for various reasons, they often communicate to the local jurisdiction to handle the call until they arrive. Our contracted law enforcement service strives to respond to calls for service as quickly and expeditiously as possible.
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)
Most responses (69%) were under the 5-minute threshold, while 31% were above the 5-minute threshold. In October it was 65%, in November 76%, and in December 65%.
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)
The average deputy response to slips, trips, and falls was 100% during the quarter. Deputy sheriffs also made three (5) mental health referrals instead of arrests during Q1.
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. However, during this quarter, deputies were called to respond 100% of the time. There are instances when an operator requests sheriff support due to the person showing aggression towards the operator or passengers. We will continue working with transportation supervision to refine this process where supervisors are responding to these types of calls.
Operator Assaults/Altercations Per 100,000 Revenue Miles
(Reference Attachment 1, #5: Operator Assaults/Altercations Per 100,000 Revenue Miles)
There was a total of 14 Operators Assaults/Altercations during Q2. All 14 incidents occurred in Alameda County where 7 occurred in October, 2 in November, and 5 in December.
The average Operator Assault/Altercation Rate per 100,000 Revenue Miles in Q2 was 0.34, with October being 0.50, November at 0.15, and December at 0.36.
The District’s contracted law enforcement service continues to make this a high-call priority to help reduce the number of assaults on operators. Protective Services, in conjunction with the District’s Senior Analyst, uses Heat Map data to determine where to best deploy sheriff’s office personnel to address this issue. Further, staff implemented a Fire and Life Safety Committee meeting monthly to review safety and security related instances on District properties, assets, and service routes. Representatives from first responders, local police departments, and AC Transit contracted sheriff’s office will be invited 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. Reporting Table and Selected Metrics for Protective Services
Prepared by:
Kerry Jackson, Protective Services Manager
In Collaboration with:
Dwain Crawley, Acting Director of Transportation
Scott Arjun, Senior Management Analyst
Approved/Reviewed by:
Manjit K. Sooch, Director of Innovation and Technology
William Tonis, Director of Business Sciences
Salvador Llamas, Chief Operating Officer