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 Protective Services Report for the Third Quarter of FY 22-23.
Staff Contact:
Salvador Llamas, Chief Operating 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:
Law enforcement services are provided to the District by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) and Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office (CCCSO). The Protective Services Department tracks several metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that support various Strategic Plan Goals and Initiatives. The performance matrix contained in this report covers the third quarter (Q3) of fiscal year 2022-23 (FY23). Performance reporting contains Alameda County and Contra Costa County Sheriff’s data, where the data is secured through the District’s Data Integration and Management Environment (DIME) process.
Data from Protective Service Partners
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 on 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. 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 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. Charts 1, 2, and 3 show performance trendlines for ACSO (green), CCCSO (orange), and combined average (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. In Q3 average rate was 99.1%, and we achieved the monthly targets in January with 98.9%, February with 99.2%, and March with a 99.3% performance rate.
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). There are certain situations that 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)
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 5-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 each month during Q3 was January (4:30), February (4:38) and March (5:57). The total number of completed dispatches in Q3 was 1,877. The combined average response time for ACSO and CCCSO was five minutes and two seconds (5:02).
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 average between 8 to 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. Our contracted law enforcement service continues to strive towards increased response times 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 (74%) were under the 5-minute threshold, while (26%) were above the 5-minute 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 Q3, ACSO and CCCSO deputies responded to 5 of 23 or 21.7% of the dispatch requests pertaining to Passenger Slips, Trips & Falls. January was 4 of 6, February was 1 of 7 and March was 0 of 10.
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 twelve (12) mental health referrals instead of arrests during Q3. There are instances when an operator will request sheriff support due to a person showing aggression towards the operator or passengers. Staff continues to collaborate with law enforcement and transportation supervision to refine this process where supervisors respond to these calls.
Operator Assaults/Altercations Per 100,000 Revenue Miles
(Reference Attachment 1, #5: Operator Assaults/Altercations Per 100,000 Revenue Miles)
There was a combined total of 11 assaults during Q3, where ACSO reported 9 and CCCSO reported 2 incidents.
Total Revenue Miles in Q3 was 4,158,576. The Altercation Rate per 100,000 Revenue Miles in Q3 was 0.26, with the following rates by month: January (0.35), February (0.32) and March (0.14).
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 that meeting monthly to review safety and security related instances on District properties, assets, and on service routes. Representatives from first responders, local police departments, and AC Transit contracted sheriff’s office are 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 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. Protective Services Summary 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