HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 8570 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS NO- 8570
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Date: Feb. 17, 2004
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SUBJECT: Implementation of New Police Positions
For the 2003/2004 budget, twelve officer positions and three corporal positions were added to the Police Department
for specialized assignments. Implementation had been targeted for April and August due to patrol staffing concerns.
The Police Department is now planning early implementation of these positions to ensure our response to the
concerns of citizens and of the City Council. This Informal Report is issued to give the City Council an update on
the status of implementation plans for the additional resources included in the recent budget.
Gang Officers
The three officer positions added to the Gang Unit will be filled in May. These officers will join the existing 10
officers to enhance our response to gang issues across the City.
Traffic Officers
Five motorcycle officers were added to the Traffic Division. The officers to fill these positions have been selected
and are purchasing their motorcycles and undergoing training. They wil I begin their enforcement activities as
anticipated on April 1.
Robbery Detectives
'These three detectives will be selected and transferred to the Robbery Unit in May. Since the actual ordinance
increasing the authorized number of corpora Udetecti ves will not be effective until August 1, 2004, other entities in
the department will carry the corporal vacancies.
Park Glen Neighborhood Police Officer(NPO)
One officer position to become the NPO for the Park Glen community in far north Fort Worth was added. This NPO
will be selected in April with implementation during May.
Gang NPOs
The three Gang NPOs, whose function will be to target graffiti offenses in close cooperation with Gang Unit officers,
will be assigned in May.
The current authorized strength of the Police Department,excluding the three detectives positions that will be added
by ordinance in August, is 13 10. Our staffing level is currently at 1259.Thirty-six of the vacant positions will be
filled when our next recruit class(Class 109)graduates on March 5. The new officers will be in field training until
they are released to solo patrol status on June 12. A second recruit class (Class 110) is currently in training and will
graduate on July 25,2004. This wil I help get the Department closer to full authorized strength. As in previous years,
a significant number of School Resource officers will be assigned to the patrol function during the summer. Most of
the public schools end their school year in late May. Because of this influx of School Resource officers, the Police
Department believes that May implementation of the new positions will not significantly impact the Department's
ability to handle citizen calls for service during the summer.
If you have any additional questions, please contact Deputy Chief Pat Kneblick at 817-877-8201.
I r1l ,
J�ia Jac o
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS