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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 25-0010INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 25-0010 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council January 14, 2025 Page 1 of 2 SUBJECT: OFFICER -INITIATED VERSUS CITIZEN -INITIATED CODE COMPLAINTS The City Council requested an Informal Report on the breakdown of officer -initiated versus citizen -initiated code complaints to better understand the extent of proactive efforts by code officers in the neighborhoods. In fiscal year 2024, 17% of all complaints were initiated by code officers, while 83% were citizen -initiated. These percentages can vary based on factors such as staffing levels, the time of year, the complexity of cases, and special projects. The chart below illustrates the number of citizen -initiated and officer -initiated complaints for each Council District. Additionally, the chart shows the percentage of complaints initiated by citizens versus officers within each district, as well as each district's contribution to the overall total number of complaints. For instance, in Council District 2, of the 3,866 complaints received, 79% were citizen -initiated and 21% were officer -initiated. This district accounted for 8% of the total complaints in fiscal year 2024. District Citizen -Initiated Complaints Officer -Initiated Complaints Total Complaints Citizen % Officer% Total % District 2 3,070 796 3,866 79% 21 % 8% District 3 3,676 277 3,953 93% 7% 8% District 4 5,353 240 5,593 96% 4% 11% District 5 4,390 1,089 5,479 80% 20% 11% District 6 4,263 336 4,599 93% 7% 9% District 7 4,340 319 4,659 93% 7% 10% District 8 5,035 1,603 6,638 76% 24% 14% District 9 4,626 1239 5,865 79% 21 % 12% District 10 1,769 342 2,111 84% 16% 4% District 11 3,969 1,9491 5,918 67% 33% 12% Total 1 40,4911 8,1901 48,681 83% 17% A significant portion of an officer's day is spent addressing violations driven by complaints, as well as proactively identifying and resolving additional code violations in the vicinity of the initial complaint. Examples of proactive enforcement include: When a citizen reports high grass, the responding officer also takes action on the substandard building and any other code violations that exist on the property. After responding to a junk vehicle complaint, the officer also addresses a junk vehicle at a neighboring property. The number of known or suspected code violations in an officer's assigned area consistently exceeds the amount of time available to address them due to the complexity and variety of cases officer's encounter. Officers are often required to prioritize complaints based on urgency and severity, leaving less time for proactive enforcement. ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 25-0010 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council January 14, 2025 Page 2 of 2 SUBJECT: OFFICER -INITIATED VERSUS CITIZEN -INITIATED CODE COMPLAINTS Additionally, many violations are widespread and may require follow-up visits, investigations, or coordination with other city departments. This workload imbalance means that officers are frequently unable to address all identified violations within the time constraints of their daily duties. For questions regarding this information, please contact Brian Daugherty, Code Compliance Director, at Brian. Daugherty(a�fortworthtexas.gov or (817) 392-6322. David Cooke City Manager ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS