Title
Arizona State University's Collaborative Assessment of Calls for Police Service
Description
This report provides the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee an update on Arizona State University and Phoenix Police Department's Collaborative Assessment of Calls for Police Service study and related recommendations.
THIS ITEM IS FOR DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION.
Report
Summary
For this project, the City of Phoenix requested assistance from Arizona State University (ASU) to help assess its current responses to citizen requests for police services against research, good practices in other jurisdictions, and viable alternative responses, and to recommend improvements to the current responses that are effective, efficient and equitable. The study focused on alternative responses to citizen requests for police service for eight non-emergency calls for service:
Check welfare requests
Civil-matter stand-bys
Noise complaints
Minor-damage, no-injury vehicle crashes
Abandoned vehicles
Parking complaints
Intrusion alarms
Found property reports
Recommendations are based on existing research, good practices in other jurisdictions, and input from Phoenix Police Department (PPD) patrol officers, patrol supervisors, communications operators, and communication supervisors. The guiding principle of the project was that sworn police officers should prioritize doing those tasks for which they are uniquely authorized, trained, and equipped to perform, referring, as much as possible, those tasks that can be performed safely and competently by non-sworn employees.
Of the eight different call types discussed in the study, ASU and PPD believe there are four types that can be responded to differently in the near-term, while the remaining call types would need additional efforts such as making changes to the City Code. The four types that the Department plans to address immediately make up roughly 25,000-30,000 calls for service annually and are described below.
Found Property
Arizona statute §12-940 defines found property as “means recovered, lost, surrendered, abandoned or otherwise received property that is turned over to a public agency where the owner may or may not be known and that is not classified as evidence.” Property that is found has liability for the finder. Some property is illegal to possess such as found firearms and narcotics. Other found property might be dangerous to handle. In certain situations, a police response is necessary if the items are illegal to possess, dangerous, known or likely to be stolen, or match a report of lost property.
Recommendations:
PPD will continue to dispatch officers to found property involving firearms, narcotics, identifiable stolen items, and/or items which could be dangerous to the public.
For items not described above, PPD will request the finder to bring property to a PPD precinct, or potentially another City facility.
Additionally, PPD will enhance online community messaging related to information and resources on this topic.
Abandoned Vehicles
According to current PPD Operations Orders, related to an inoperable vehicle on a public right of way, employees will check the vehicle through the Arizona Crime Information Center (ACIC)/ National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and issue a Notice of Violation if the owner can be established. The next step is for the employee to request a contract wrecker to have the vehicle towed as soon as possible. An operable vehicle left on a public street is considered abandoned if it has been left for 72 continuous hours. The employee’s next step will be to contact the owner to ask them to move it, and the vehicle will be “red tagged” with a vehicle removal notification. Then they must recheck the vehicle 48-72 hours later and contact a towing company if the owner cannot be contacted.
Recommendations:
PPD will work to enhance the capacity of the Police Assistant job classification to be the primary responder to these calls for service.
Parking Complaints
Illegal parking is a Priority 3 call. Citizens can report illegal parking by calling the traffic hotline, the non-emergency line, or reporting it through an online form. The online format allows for a specific description of the problem. If the vehicle is on the street and there is a posted "no parking" sign, an officer will be dispatched to tag the vehicle. If the vehicle is on private property, the officer will tell the property owner to call in a towing company.
Recommendations:
PPD will work to enhance the capacity of the Police Assistant job classification to be the primary responder to these calls for service.
PPD will draft a new policy for parking enforcement to clearly define what is considered a Road Safety Hazard (RSH). A RSH is described as a vehicle parked in a way that could impact public safety.
If a call is deemed by dispatchers to be a RSH, per policy, it will be dispatched to a sworn officer or a Police Assistant.
If a call is not deemed to be a RSH, the call will be sent to a Police Assistant between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Additionally, PPD will enhance online community messaging related to information and resources on this topic.
Minor-Damage/Non-Injury Vehicle Collisions
These collisions are commonly referred to as “fender-benders” and include accidents that result in minor bumps, scrapes, and scratches to the vehicles. PPD classifies minor-collision calls for service as Priority 2. Most of the investigation and documentation of minor collisions primarily serves the interests of the automobile insurance industry in their claims-adjusting process.
Recommendations:
PPD will work to enhance the capacity of the Police Assistant job classification to be the primary responder to these calls for service.
PPD will also explore public-private partnerships with private traffic crash investigation companies.
We believe this is an opportunity for the PPD to continue to participate in being a leader in continual improvement and innovation. These efficiencies via embracing additional alternative response models demonstrates our ongoing commitment to enhancing our service to the community and our employees.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Lori Bays and the Police Department.