City of Daly City - Police Dispatch Cost Analysis (Revision 2)

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MARCH 7, 2016

CITY OF DALY CITYPOLICE DEPARTMENT



POLICE DISPATCH COST ANALYSIS

City of Daly City

Police Dispatch Cost Analysis

Summary

In an effort to reduce expenses, the City of Daly City is considering utilizing the County of San

Mateo for its police dispatching operations. Comparing current in-house expense to future

contract cost is very complex. Basing a decision to contract or not contract on incomplete or

inaccurate information would be a costly mistake, and be extremely disruptive to critical police

operations.

The City has retained our firm to prepare cost estimate comparisons for continuing in-house

dispatch operations and contracting with the County.

The City’s current cost for dispatch services and police radio technology is relatively low when

compared to other Bay Area cities. We project the City’s 5-year cost to be approximately

$9,339,497 based on current staffing levels. This amount includes police radio system

maintenance and essential upgrades.

The City’s police dispatch operation is understaffed, resulting in significant employee overtime

expense and inefficiencies. The Police Department staff recommends adding two dispatchers

and one civilian manager. The estimated 5-year cost for this alternative level of service is

$10,239,395. This amount also includes police radio system maintenance and essential

upgrades.

In-house w/ current staffing 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 5-Year Total

Human Resource cost 1,702,070$ 1,702,070$ 1,702,070$ 1,719,090$ 1,736,281$

Equipment and systems cost 155,583$ 155,583$ 155,583$ 155,583$ 155,583$

1,857,653$ 1,857,653$ 1,857,653$ 1,874,674$ 1,891,865$ 9,339,497$



City of Daly City


Annualized Financial Model

Our approach to financial analysis is to view all equipment and system expenses as recurringcosts. Equipment and related professional service costs recur, just like human resource

expenses. The financial model selected for this study annualizes future expenses. This model

presents a long-term view of expenses.

Costs Related to Maintaining Professional Standards

Daly City Police Department has embraced business processes for end-to-end quality controlstarting when a call for service is received from the public or an officer self-initiates activity in

the community. Detailed records are kept using software known as RIMS from Sun Ridge

Systems, Inc. All police departments in the County use this software. The County’s dispatch

center does not.

The RIMS system provides detailed accountability for almost all police activities with very little

duplication of work. The record-keeping process starts when a Daly City police dispatcher

enters information into the system while talking with a citizen who is requesting service or

talking with an officer via radio. This incident record is the basis by which a police case report is

created. Investigations by detectives, arrest warrants, property/evidence and subpoenas are all

County Dispatch (Note 1) 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 5-Year Total

County contractual serv ices (est ) 952,070$ 1,052,070$ 1,152,070$ 1,219,090$ 1,236,281$

County startup cost 50,000$

Backfill clerk/call takers 655,200$ 655,200$ 655,200$ 661,752$ 668,370$


1,794,970$ 1,844,970$ 1,944,970$ 2,018,542$ 2,042,351$ 9,645,802$



City of Daly City


worth, however, we are certain it is quite high. This deficiency can be partially mitigated by

having one clerk/call taker on-duty at DCPD 24-hours per day.

Costs Related to Shifting Workload

Significant cost is associated with re-architecting complex and critical business processes.

Contracting with the County will result in a shift of workload. There will be a cost of backfilling

DCPD positions to absorb the incidental duties currently performed by City dispatchers. Some

of these functions include:

Answering non-emergency telephone calls, including requests from other agencies for

urgent records information and requests from the public.

After-hours arrest warrant confirmations.

24x7 requirement to verify and confirm stolen vehicles and property, per DOJ rules.

24x7 monitoring of police building security, including jail and interview room duress

alarms. Public Works and WWR call taking and notifications.

24x7 access to some automated information systems which County Dispatch cannot

access, such as the Automated Criminal History System (rap sheets).

Data entry into RIMS to help mitigate the loss of computer aided dispatch (CAD)

integration.

We recommend a 24x7 position be created to handle the workload that cannot practically be

transitioned to the County. For the purpose of this report, we’re calling the position “Clerk/Call

taker.” Six full-time employees are typically required to staff one 24x7 position. This expense

has been included in our costing calculations.



City of Daly City


radio infrastructure which provides radio communication between the dispatchers and officers.

Either facility can exist or be dismantled without regard to the other.

The communications center equipment could be dismantled if dispatch services are provided by

the County, resulting in an annualized savings of about $67,833. This would expose the City to

new risk by not having the capability to process emergency calls for service and dispatch field

units by radio from the police station.

The City currently owns and operates its own police radio system infrastructure. It includesequipment at City Hall and at several other locations around the City. The annualized cost of

the City’s police radio infrastructure is approximately $65,633. It is possible to dismantle this

system and use the County’s 700 MHz digital trunked radio system instead, for an estimated

annual cost of $505,000.

The preliminary County proposal suggests the City dismantle its communications center and use

the County’s digital trunked radio system for routine operations. If the City opts for thisproposal, we recommend the City continue to maintain its own base station radio

infrastructure as a secondary resource for at least 5 years, due to uncertainties with the

County’s digital radio system.

The following cost comparison assumes the City’s communications dispatch center would be

dismantled, primary dispatch operations would be on the County’s 700 MHz radio system, and

the City would retain its own police radio infrastructure. Refer to the attached worksheet for

details on how these amounts were determined.

Equipment & Systems Expense (with County 700 MHz) Annual Annual



City of Daly City


The following scenario assumes the City’s communications center would be dismantled, andthe City’s base station radio infrastructure would be renovated. The County’s 700 MHz digital

trunked radio system would not be used. Refer to the attached worksheet for details on how

these amounts were determined.

Equipment & Systems Expense (without County 700 MHz) Annual

In-House

Dispatch

Annual

County

DispatchComm Center Equipment $67,833

Base Station Radio Equipment $65,633 $65,233

Police Computer IT Infrastructure $22,117 $22,117

Additional Equipment to Support County Dispatch $50,350

700 MHz Digital Trunked Radio Equipment and Services

Total $155,583 $137,700

Emerging Technologies

Public expectations for police accountability, requirements for protecting officer safety, and

increased expectations by the public to request police services using the Internet will increasecomplexity and future technology expense over time. The dispatch component is just one area

of concern.



City of Daly City


should anticipate sharing in the expense of this system if Pacifica selected the County as its

dispatch service provider. We suggest Daly City be prepared for this possible expense.

The County’s Cost Savings Formula

The County has proposed a fee structure based on a per-year cost savings to the City. The table

below is from the County’s proposal. The City’s cost for County dispatch services is determined

by subtracting these amounts from the City’s estimated in-house dispatch expense.

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Total

$750,000 $650,000 $550,000 $500,000 $500,000 $2,950,000

The County is prohibited by law from providing contractual services to a City for an amount less

than its actual cost. Based on the calculated contract amount, it appears the County may be

subsidizing the City in possible violation of Government Code section 51350. We recommend

the County provide a detailed accounting of its costs related to providing dispatch services tothe City.

California Government Code - Article 3. County Contract Services (51350)

51350. A county which provides services through its appropriate departments, boards,

commissions, officers or employees, to any city pursuant to contract or as authorized by

law, shall charge the city all those costs which are incurred in providing the services so

contracted or authorized. A county shall not charge a city contracting for a particular

i i h di i di h d h i f h hi h



City of Daly City


A court could invalidate a contract if it becomes evident the County is providing dispatch

service for less than its actual cost. This could result in a very high, unpredictable cost forservice if a successor contract is agreed to.

Cost of Risk Mitigation

Contracting with the County for dispatch services will come with risks. The risks can be

controlled by planning and preparation. The cost of mitigation will largely depend on the City’s

tolerance for risk.

The County has not identified an acceptable plan for sustaining emergency dispatch services for

the City if the County’s primary facility becomes unusable. The County currently serves as the

City’s alternate dispatch facility, resulting in a good contingency plan for the City. This

arrangement would be moot if the County becomes the City’s dispatch service provider.

The County identified South San Francisco Police Department as its backup/contingency facility

for handling E911 telephone calls. SSFPD cannot effectively assume the additional call volume

attributed to Daly City should the County find it necessary to “flip the switch” to send calls to

SSF.



City of Daly City


Addendum 1

March 5, 2016

This addendum is issued in response to questions raised by the City Council and City Manager

at the City Council meeting on February 22, 2016. I was prepared to the attend meeting,

however, City staff requested I not be present. The questions were obtained from the City’s

video of the meeting.

This is a fair and objective analysis; however, the results of the analysis may not support Citystaff’s desired outcome.

Chronology of documents:

01/14/2016 City request proposal

01/18/2016 Proposal submitted

01/20/2016 Revised proposal submitted (as requested)01/20/2016 Notice to proceed received

01/24/2016 Preliminary cost worksheet submitted

02/08/2016 Draft report submitted and approved by City

02/09/2016 Final report submitted

02/22/2016 Final report Revision 1 submitted

03/07/2016 Final report Revision 2 with addendum submitted

Response to questions and concerns:

1. Human resource expenses – The human resource costs included in our report were



City of Daly City


administrative work by a member of the DCPD command staff will be required to

mitigate these issues. This includes time spent on staff retraining, developing policiesand procedures, and problem resolution.

3. RIMS and County CAD Integration – The integration between the DCPD RIMS system and

the County’s computer aided dispatch system is rudimentary and inadequate.

Our firm is contractually responsible for day-to-day management of the computer

server which interfaces the County CAD with RIMS. This server is located at South San

Francisco Police Department. We have expert-level knowledge of the RIMS product and

a very good understanding of the interface between the County’s system and RIMS. The

interface only provides two simple functions: 1) The County CAD can obtain a case

number assignment from RIMS; and 2) The County CAD can query a name or vehicle

license number to receive summary information from all RIMS client agencies in the

County.

The interface will not flow information into the DCPD RIMS system. Because of this, theDCPD RIMS system would not have information about people and vehicles involved in

incidents handled by DCPD officers. Incident information is the foundation for most

other electronic records kept in RIMS, and a significant gap in business process will

result without it.

The information kept in RIMS is critical to efficient management of DCPD operations.

Additional DCPD workers will be needed to manually enter this information into RIMS.

This work would shift to police officers if additional civilian employees are not available,

resulting in less time for officers to perform the duties we all hope they will focus on.



City of Daly City


2015 Workload Statistics

The following workload statistics support the need for not less than two full-time dispatchers

on duty 24x7, dedicated to support DCPD operations. A third dispatcher is needed during times

of peak activity.

Category Amount Source of Data

Total phone calls handled 114,428 Intrado MIS system

Urgent phone calls handled 39,591 RIMS E911 ALI queries

RIMS CAD Incidents 86,688 RIMS database

RIMS Case Reports 11,222 RIMS database

2015 Telephone Calls by Category

Category Amount Source of Data

Non-emergency calls 74,838 (114,428 – 39,591)

Calls from wireless phones 32,028 RIMS E911 ALI database

Calls from business phones 2,605 RIMS E911 ALI database



City of Daly City Financial Analysis of Police Dispatch Operations Revised: 02/22/2016

In-house w/ current staffing 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 5-Year Total



1,857,653$ 1,857,653$ 1,857,653$ 1,874,674$ 1,891,865$ 9,339,497$

In-house w/ enhanced staffing 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 5-Year Total



2,036,555$ 2,036,555$ 2,036,555$ 2,055,365$ 2,074,363$ 10,239,395$

County Dispatch (Note 1) 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 5-Year Total

County contractual services (est) 952,070$ 1,052,070$ 1,152,070$ 1,219,090$ 1,236,281$

County startup cost 50,000$

Backfill clerk/call takers 655,200$ 655,200$ 655,200$ 661,752$ 668,370$


1,794,970$ 1,844,970$ 1,944,970$ 2,018,542$ 2,042,351$ 9,645,802$

County cost basis 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 5-Year Total

Quoted savings 750,000$ 650,000$ 550,000$ 500,000$ 500,000$ 2,950,000$

Note 1:

The County cost is based on savings from existing DCPD staffing expense. (HR cost less County's quoted savings.)

Assumes the City would continue using its analog radio system and not buy into the County's 700 MHz digital system.

Telecommunications Engineering Associates Page 11




Human Resource Cost

Estimated overtime percentage (current staffing) 19%

Estimated overtime percentage (proposed staffing) 5%

Work hours per year 2080

5 Year Projected Cost Per Employee 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Percentage increase per contract 0% 0% 1% 1%

Dispatcher (hourly) 57.00$ 57.00$ 57.00$ 57.57$ 58.15$

Dispatcher Supervisor (hourly) 60.00$ 60.00$ 60.00$ 60.60$ 61.21$

Dispatcher Manager 72.00$ 72.00$ 72.00$ 72.72$ 73.45$

Clerk/Call Taker (if needed for backfill) 50.00$ 50.00$ 50.00$ 50.50$ 51.01$

5 Year Projected Cost (current staffing) Nbr. 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 5-Year Total

Dispatchers 10 1,185,600$ 1,185,600$ 1,185,600$ 1,197,456$ 1,209,431$

Dispatcher Supervisors 2 249,600$ 249,600$ 249,600$ 252,096$ 254,617$

Estimated Dispatcher Overtime 220,458$ 220,458$ 220,458$ 222,662$ 224,889$

Esimated Dispatcher Supervisor Overtime 46,412$ 46,412$ 46,412$ 46,876$ 47,345$

1,702,070$ 1,702,070$ 1,702,070$ 1,719,090$ 1,736,281$ 8,561,581$

5 Year Projected Cost (enhanced staffing) Nbr. 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 5-Year Total

Dispatchers 12 1,422,720$ 1,422,720$ 1,422,720$ 1,436,947$ 1,451,317$

Dispatcher Supervisors 2 249,600$ 249,600$ 249,600$ 252,096$ 254,617$Dispatcher Manager 1 149,760$ 149,760$ 149,760$ 151,258$ 152,770$

Estimated Dispatcher Overtime 46,412.12$ 46,412.12$ 46,412.12$ 46,876.24$ 47,345.01$

Esimated Dispatcher Supervisor Overtime 12,480$ 12,480$ 12,480$ 12,605$ 12,731$

1,880,972$ 1,880,972$ 1,880,972$ 1,899,782$ 1,918,780$ 9,461,478$

5 Year Projected Cost (backfill clerk/call taker) Nbr. 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 5-Year Total

Clerk/Call Taker 6 624,000$ 624,000$ 624,000$ 630,240$ 636,542$

Estimated Clerk/Call Taker Overtime 31,200$ 31,200$ 31,200$ 31,512$ 31,827$

655,200$ 655,200$ 655,200$ 661,752$ 668,370$ 3,295,722$





Equipment Schedule

The "if County" column is 'yes' if the item is still needed should the City contract with the County for dispatch services.

Annualized Equipment & Systems Expense Summary (from below) Include in Summary In-House County

Comm Center Equipment Yes 67,833$ -$

Base Station Radio Equipment Yes 65,633$ 65,233$

Police Computer IT Infrastructure Yes 22,117$ 22,117$

Additional Items to Support County Dispatch Yes -$ 50,350$

700 MHz. Digital trunked Radio Equipment and Services No

155,583$ 137,700$

Comm Center Equipment If County Cost Life Annualized In-House County

5-position radio console No 210,000$ 8 26,250$ 26,250$5-position radio console maintenance No 26,500$ 26,500$

Dispatch console furniture No 120,000$ 15 8,000$ 8,000$

Dispatch CAD PC workstations (5) No 10,000$ 3 3,333$ 3,333$

Dispatch CAD printers (2) No 3,000$ 4 750$ 750$

Dispatch misc computer equipment No 6,000$ 3 2,000$ 2,000$

E911 telephone system CPE No -$ 7 -$ -$

Misc dispatcher headsets and equipment No 5,000$ 5 1,000$ 1,000$

67,833$ 67,833$ -$

Base Station Radio Equipment If County Cost Life Annualized In-House County

Duplex radio base stations (4) Yes 70,000$ 10 7,000$ 7,000$ 7,000$

Voting receivers (10) Yes 100,000$ 10 10,000$ 10,000$ 10,000$

Voter/comparators (2) Yes 30,000$ 10 3,000$ 3,000$ 3,000$

T1 line multiplexers (7) Yes 16,000$ 10 1,600$ 1,600$ 1,600$

Monitor receivers No 4,000$ 10 400$ 400$

Radio base station antennas Yes 80,000$ 15 5,333$ 5,333$ 5,333$

AT&T special circuit cost Yes 10,800$ 10,800$ 10,800$

Base station radio maintenance Yes 27,500$ 27,500$ 27,500$

65,633$ 65,633$ 65,233$





Equipment Schedule

Police Computer IT Infrastructure If County Cost Life Annualized In-House County

Uninterruptable power system Yes 65,000$ 10 6,500$ 6,500$ 6,500$Logging recorder Yes 16,000$ 6 2,667$ 2,667$ 2,667$

Logging recorder maintenance Yes 2,400$ 2,400$ 2,400$

RIMS CAD/RMS computer servers Yes 50,000$ 5 10,000$ 10,000$ 10,000$

LawNet network access router and switch Yes 5,500$ 10 550$ 550$ 550$

22,117$ 22,117$ 22,117$

Additional Items to Support County Dispatch Cost Life Annualized In-House County

Lawnet engineering and modifications 5,000$ 5 1,000$ 1,000$

100 Mbps Ethernet circuit to Redwood City 11,000$ 11,000$Decommission DCPD comm center 10,000$ 5 2,000$ 2,000$

Northrup Grumman PCMSS license fees (100) 3,000$ 4 750$ 750$

Remote access to PD security video and controls 5,000$ 5 1,000$ 1,000$

City PBX interface to County phone system 8,000$ 5 1,600$ 1,600$

Employee time and overtime to be trained 60,000$ 5 12,000$ 12,000$

Misc. training and implementation expense 30,000$ 5 6,000$ 6,000$

Engineering and system integration services 75,000$ 5 15,000$ 15,000$

50,350$ -$ 50,350$

700 MHz. Digital trunked Radio Equipment and Services

Mobile radios (60 @ $6,500/ea) 390,000$ 5 78,000$ 78,000$

Portables radios (150 @ $5,000/ea) 750,000$ 5 150,000$ 150,000$

700 MHz distributed antenna system at City Hall 35,000$ 5 7,000$ 7,000$

Radio interface to bldg PA and recorder 15,000$ 5 3,000$ 3,000$

Mobile radio installation services 15,000$ 15,000$

Subscriber fees (210 radios @ $100/month) 252,000$ 252,000$

505,000$ -$ 505,000$


Documents

City of Daly City - Police Dispatch Cost Analysis (Revision 2)