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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSubmittal-Memo-MPD Staffing Levels 03-12-13CITY OF MIAMI, FLOFIIDA INTER -OFFICE MEMORANDUM TO: Johnny Martinez, P.E. March 12, 2013 DATE City Manager Man 1:Orosa FROM Chief of Police A SUBJECT: FILE : Miami Police Department.Staffing Levels REFERENCES: ENCLOSURES: During the, February 28, 2013. City Commission meeting Chairman Marc_D. Samoff requested that my 'Office build upon our existing research and inform the Commission about the Miami Police Department's staffing level in terms of our sworn officers per 1,000 inhabitants and visitors. Chairman Samoff also requested that we provide a recommendation as to how .many sworn. members the Miami Police Department should employ. I present the following report for your review. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY With a residential population of 406,385, .the City of Miami is the 44t-largest municipality in the United States. In comparing the City of Miami with cities of residential populations between 300,000 and 750,000 (the 62nd and 18th largest cities in the United States, respectively), the City of Miami's Police. Department is understaffed in severalrespects: its ratio of sworn officers per 1,000 inhabitants; its ratio of sworn officers per 1,000 inhabitants, workers, and visitors; and its staffing level with regards to its violent crime (murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault) rate. It is my recommendation that as a short-term goal, the City of Miami. Police Department's sworn budgeted strength grow to 1,244 (i.e., 100 sworn" members above our current budgeted strength) in order to better address violent crime in the City. As an intermediate- to longterm goal, I recommend .that the Miami Police. Department's sworn budgeted strength grow to 1,360.. ANALYSIS OF MIAMI POLICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING.. LEVELS The Miami Police Department currently employs 1,067 sworn officers, a rate equal to 2.6 sworn. officers per 1,000 inhabitants. You may recall that using the methodology in the RAND Corporation's study, Hidden in Plain Sight: What Cost -of -Crime Research Can Tell Us About Investing in Police (2010), we could reasonably forecast a 2.8 percent Part I Crime decline in Miami if we were to increase the Police Department's sworn strength by 100 officers (from 1,144 to 1,244). When deciding how to adequately staff a police department; ratios of sworn personnel per 1;000 inhabitants only tell :a partial story. In The Effect of Police on Crime: New Evidence from U.S. Cities, 1960-2010 (2011), University of California — Berkeley researchers Aaron Chalfin and Justin McCrary point out that American police departments with populations over 100,000. typically employ 1 sworn officer for every 4 violent crimes" taking place annually within the: city. l3- a222S - S'ub►vi;Icc. (- ftlem0-,0 PDSS p311 2115-, Submitted into the Qpublic record in n ith items D222 on OS(na Todd B. Hannon City Clerk Joluniy Martinez, P.E. Page 12 City Manager Chalfin.and McCrary also point but that. the abovementioned police departments typidally etnplOY 1 sworn officer for every 24 property crimes taking place annually within the city. As it pertains to our ability to handle property crimes, the Miami Police Department is adequately staffed, but we ,are significantly understaffed in terms of our ability to properly address violent crime (See "Findings" and "Recommendation" for more information.). According to Chalfin and McCrary's methodology, violent crime' is reduced by4 percent, and, propettycrinie, by 2 percentfor eVery-10 percent increase (arid vice versa) in apolice departmenes swori fOrce. The City of Miami is the 44th-largest City in the United States, in terms of residential population. .Daytime population, a. figure which only takes into consideration the number of persons who live and workwithin 'the city limits, does not take into consideration visitors and tourists. According to Forbes.com, Miami is the fifth most-visitedlnettopblitan area in the United States, attracting 38.1 Million visitors per year. Aside frOm our year-round attractiOns, professional Sporting events, and: nightlife, the City of Miami attracts massive crowds for events such as the Calle Ocho Festival and the Ultra Music Festival, which draw close to a million persons and 170,000 persons, respectively: While such events and attractions are staffed by "off -duty" police officers, the officers only work the event itself, leaving the Miami Police Department's on -duty resources to provide police service s to those who visit our City' as they dc.5rniniite to and from the event, stay in hotels Within our City limits, and enjoyother attractionswithin the Cityliniits. Taking the abovementioned data into consideration, 1 now' proVide the following as a response to Chairman Sarnoff's inquiry as to thenumber of swoni officers per 1,000 residents, workers, and visitors in the City of Miami and ,a.tecommendation as to the -number of sworn officers I believe the City of Mia i should employ. METHODOLOGY In Order to compare the City of Miaini Police Departinent'S staffing needs with that of its peers, i.e., police departments serving large American cities with residential populations between 300,000 and 750,000 (the 62nd. and 18th largest Cities in the United States, respectively), we analyzedthe following: • Daytime populatiorqresidential population, minus residents working outside the citylimits, plus non -city residents working within the city • Violent crimps reported in 2011, • Staffing ratios of sworn personnel per 1,900 inhabitants, • Staffing ratios of sworn personnel per 1,000,in terms of daytime population, • -Staffing ratios of sworn 'personnel per 1,000 in terms of daytime population, plus 15 percent and plus *30 percent (in order to account- for major events and the visitors those events attract), • The percent difference between the cities! residential and daytimepopulations, and • Sworn officers employed by each agency the variance between the actual number of officers employed and "adequate" sworn strength, as defined by the 1 officer for every 4 violent crimes. SUBMTTE PUBUC R ATO r--c CORD FOR M lay)] Johnny Martinez, P.E. Pa ge City Manager We alSo compared the City Of Miami with the police departments of the 10 largest cities the United States, usingthe same methodology mentionedabove. Also, please note the following: © The cities of Honolulu (HI), Las Vegas (NV), and Louisville (KY) were excluded from the City of Miarni' S peer group because the cities ate policed by large metropolitan police forces, whose jurisdiction spans several cities. o The:City of Chicago (IL) Was excluded froth:the comparison with the 10 largest cities in the United States, since their violent crime reporting is notin compliance with federal standards. The City of Jacksonville (FL), the 11th-largest city in the United States was included in the "top ten." :FINDINGS Daytime:POpulatiOn and Visitors to tlje City' Within our peer group of 42 cities, Miami's daytime population is 37.3 percent larger than our residential population (557,815, versus 406,385). Only five other Cities Within the peer ,group experience a larger increase from their residential to daytime populations (Washington, D.C., 71.8 percent; Atlanta, GA, 62.4 percent; Tampa, FL, 47.5 percent; Pittsburgh, PA, 41.3 percent; and Boston, MA, 41.1 percent). Both Miatpi and,Tarnpa employ 1.9 sworn officers pei-1,000 persons (daytime population). The other aforementioned cities employ between 2 and 3.6:sworn officers per 1,000 persons (daytime population). Given Miami's status as a "most -visited" city and the Major events that We host (as mentioned:earlier); it wohld not be unreasonable to assume that at any given time, we, could accommodate 83,000 to 166,000 visitors (increases beyond .our daytime populations of 15 percent and 30 percent, respectively). Under such conditions, the Miami Pohce Department's swornforce per 1,000 inhabitants, workers, and visitors is reduced to 1:7 and 1.5, respectively. Ii comparing 'Miami' to 'the 10 largest cities in the United States, the, percentage differential between Miarrii's: residential and daytime populations of 37:3 percent is, by far, higher than the percentage differential for the 10 largest cities. Adequately Addressing Violent Crime As mentioned above, Chalfin and McCrary's research demonstrates that American' cities with populations over .100,000 typically employ 1 sworn officer for every 4 violent crimes taking place per annum within their respective city limits. It is in thisregard that the MiamiPolice Department is sighifidantly understaffed. With 4,849 violent crimes repotted in Miami' in 2011, the Mianii Police 'Department is understaffed by 145 sworn officers, according to Chalfin and McCrary's Measure. The Miami Police Department would need to employ 1,212 sworn members in order to meet the 4:1 ratio of violent crimes to sworn officers. We currently employ 1 sworn member per 4.54 violent crimes. In relation to our peer group, the Miami.Police Department is in the bottom quartile. If it is out goal :tO be in the top 50th percentile of our peer group, the Miami Police Department Would have to employ 1,360 sworn officers. Submitted into the public record in connectiar with itemsD2.2 on 03/2V13 Todd B. Hannon City Clerk Johnny Martinez, P.E. City Manager Page 14 Among the:10 largest cities in 'the United States, each employs a nurnber cif Sworn .officers that exceeds the 4:1 ratio of violent crimes to sworn officers. The City :of New York Police Department, for example, would have to employ 12,802 officers in order to meet the 4:1 ratio. Instead, they employ 3,4,541 Within our peer group :of 42 cities, the City of Miami's violent crirrie rate is. the 9th1ughest, with , 1,193 violent crimes per 100,000 inhabitants and the 17th-highest among cities with residential populations over 100,000. Among the 10 largest cities in the United States, only Philadelphia's violent crime rate per 100,000 inhabitants exceeds RECOMMENDATION As a short-terin goal, 1 recommend that the City of Miami increase 'the Police Department's budgeted sworn force from 1,144 to 1;244. As I stated in my December 20, 2012 memorandum, the increase of 100 sworn members would come 'at a cost of $7.3 million in salary and fringe benefits only. An increase of 100 sworn members would make the Mianu Police Departrnent the first city in Florida"with a residential population over100,000 to staff its police department with over 3 officers per 1,000 inhAbitants. It would also bring Miarni's violent crime to sworn officer ratio to 3.9:1, and according to, the RAND Corporation's methodology, lead to a 2,8 percent decline in Part I Crimps. As an intermediate to long-term goal, I recommend that City Of Miami increase the Police Department's budgeted sworn force to 1,360,. which represents an increase of 216 to our current budgeted sworn force, Such an increase would come at a cost of $15.8 million in salary and fringe benefits only. An increase to 1;360 sworn officers would place Miami in the top 50" percentile in terms of violent crime staffing within our peer group. MO:ara cc:. Honorable Mayor and Meinbers of the City Commission Submitted into the public record in connectior wih items1)22on (2312q7 3 Todd B. Hannon •. City Clerk Johnny Martinez, P.E. Page I 5 City Manager REFERENCES Chalfin, A. & McCrary, J. (2011). The -Elect of Police on Crime: New Evidence from U.S. Cities, 1060-20.08. Retrieved from http://www.escholarship.org/uchterrOpc0r9hg Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2010., Crime in the United States [Data file]. Retrieved from http://www.tbi.gov/abotit-uSicjiS/iacr/crime,in-the-u:S/2011/crime-in-the-u.s.-201 I Forbes.com. (2010). America 's Most -Visited Citzes Retrieved from htip://wwvv.forbes.com/ 2010/04/28/iourism-new-york-lifestyle-travel-las-vegas-cities_slide7.html RAND Corporation. (2010).. Cost of Crime Calculator [Data file]. Retrieved from http ://www .rand.or g/ji e/cent er s/qu al ity-pOli cing/co str ofcrime. html RAND Corporation. (2010). Hidden in Plain Sight: Ffihat C9st-of-Crime Research Can Tell.Us About Investing in Police. Santa Monica, CA: Heaton, Paul. United States Census Bureau (2013). Daytime Population [Data file]. Re eyed from http://Www.census.gov/hhes/commuting/data/daytimepoplitrn1 Submitted into the public record in connecti9n wjth items P2 2 on 0.312g113 Todd B. Hannon City Clerk