POLICING IN WINNIPEG AN OPERATIONAL REVIEW Curt Taylor Griffiths, Ph.D. Nahanni Pollard, Ph.D. With the assistance of Brent Jette Josh Murphy Richard Frank, Ph.D. Lisa Kitt, Ph.D. Lori Beckstead, M.A. Prepared for the Canadian Police Association October 24, 2013 © This report is the property of the Canadian Police Association. Any duplication or dissemination approval must come directly from the Association. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The project team would like to acknowledge the support and cooperation that made possible the completion of this operational review. Tom Stamatakis, President of the Canadian Police Association, was the catalyst for the study and he and the Executive of the Association are to be commended for providing the funds necessary to complete the project. Mike Sutherland, President of the Winnipeg Police Association, and George VanMackelbergh of the WPA provided ongoing assistance and support. In the WPS, Inspector Bill Fogg was always available to respond to queries and to facilitate access to data and persons. His assistance was invaluable. Throughout the study, the project team received excellent support from all of the members of the WPS. Special thanks are due to the WPS officers who were interviewed for the project for their candid and insightful observations on policing in the city. The team was impressed by their high level of professionalism and their commitment to community safety and security. Curt Taylor Griffiths, Ph.D. Nahanni Pollard, Ph.D. Vancouver, 2013 WPS Operational Review | Acknowledgements ii INTRODUCTION This document represents the results of an Operational Review of the Winnipeg Police Service. The purpose of this review was to examine and evaluate the core activities of the WPS and to develop recommendations that will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery. More specifically, the review involved an in- depth examination of the use of overtime in the WPS, the potential for civilianization of positions in the service, staffing, deployment, the response to calls for service, and the activities of investigative units. The review was informed by best practices in police management and operations, and multiple data sources were used in the review, including field observations of patrol, interviews with patrol members and senior police personnel, quantitative data on overtime and from Computer-Aided Dispatch, and a survey of selected investigative units. These analyses were conducted within a framework that considered the environment in which the WPS delivers services and responds to community demands and expectations. The components of this review are set out in chapters, beginning with a discussion surrounding the context of policing in Winnipeg, focusing on the unique challenges surrounding the delivery of policing services in the City of Winnipeg. A special focus is afforded to relationships between the WPS and Aboriginal peoples, immigrants, and refugees. This also includes a discussion surrounding mandates and downloading between different levels of government and the WPS, particularly surrounding persons with mental illness, chronic youth runaways, and special event policing. Two stand-alone chapters examine two separate issues – those of civilianization, and overtime usage for the entire Service. The objective of the civilianization review is to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of civilianizing positions within a police force, and then objectively analyze what positions would be appropriate to civilianize in the WPS. A number of positions currently occupied by sworn officers are identified as more appropriately staffed by civilians. Converting these positions will allow for greater continuity of expertise, reduced operational costs in many instances, and will free up sworn members for deployment in areas of greater need, including patrol. The study of overtime in the service identifies the source of these costs. A key finding is that patrol members generate the majority of overtime, an indicator that the WPS does not currently have sufficient resources deployed. The analysis makes it possible to determine what initiatives can be taken to reduce overtime, including making adjustments to staffing and shift deployment. Generally speaking, the opportunities for cost savings appear to reside within the staffing levels in some parts of the organization, namely in Patrol. Staffed properly, this could result in savings of approximately $1.5M. WPS Operational Review | Introduction iii The materials in Chapters 8 through 10 provide an in-depth examination of patrol, investigative and support operations in the WPS. Field observations and interviews with patrol members are presented, as well as a quantitative analysis of dispatch data. The analysis revealed that WPS patrol is under-resourced. This is reflected in a variety of outcomes, including lengthy response times to serious incidents and the inability of patrol officers to engage in proactive policing activities. A major contributor to the high workload of WPS patrol officers is downloading from the federal, provincial, and municipal governments and other agencies as they reduced programs and services. The examination of investigative units within the Service considers unit mandates, overtime, and placement within the organization. Data indicates that some units appear to be operating with an unjustifiably large number of officers given statistics or comparison to other units. The Operational Review has also documented the nearly total absence of analytical capacity in the WPS. This has significant implications for the effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery. Patrol officers, Community Support Units, and investigative units do not have the services of crime analysts, a hallmark of best practice police services in the early 21st century. The results of this Operational Review indicate that there are numerous areas where the WPS can increase its effectiveness and efficiency. This will see a benefit from a greater streamlining of activities, leading to savings in overtime and staffing costs due to civilianization and mandate clarification. A primary focus is on the opportunity for more proactive and problem-solving policing, and how the strategic deployment of resources can achieve these goals. The final analysis, assuming full civilianization opportunities, recommends changes1 that will result in the need for 30 fewer sworn officers, and 85 additional civilian employees, for a net staffing impact of 55 positions. These numbers, understandably, may change depending on hybrid model opportunities for civilian and sworn members, particularly in Tech Crimes and Forensic Identification Units. Based on full civilianization, the overall cost implications for salaries only are estimated at just over $2M. However, estimates for overtime savings offset this cost by approximately $1.5M, reducing the overall net budget impact to just over $500K, or 0.2% of the 2013 budget. In addition, it should be noted that indications at the time of reporting is that the WPS contract with the Airport Authority will not be renewed. Thus a number of police officers will be available for reassignment. 1 The recommendations herein contemplate outright civilianization opportunities; however, given the legal complexities and continual evolution of policing, particularly in highly skilled and specialized units, changes should be carefully considered to ensure that hybridization models are applied when appropriate to ensure best practices in policing. WPS Operational Review | Introduction iv SUMMARY OF STAFFING RECOMMENDATIONS AND ASSOCIATED COSTS2 2 The recommendations herein contemplate outright civilianization opportunities; however, given the legal complexities and continual evolution of policing, particularly in highly skilled and specialized units, changes should be carefully considered to ensure that hybridization models are applied when appropriate to ensure best practices in policing. WPS Operational Review | Summary of Staffing Recommendations and Associated Costs v WPS Operational Review | Summary of Staffing Recommendations and Associated Costs vi WPS Operational Review | Summary of Staffing Recommendations and Associated Costs vii WPS Operational Review | Summary of Staffing Recommendations and Associated Costs viii WPS Operational Review | Summary of Staffing Recommendations and Associated Costs ix WPS Operational Review | Summary of Staffing Recommendations and Associated Costs x NET IMPACT OF STAFFING RECOMMENDATIONS3 3 The recommendations herein contemplate outright civilianization opportunities; however, given the legal complexities and continual evolution of policing, particularly in highly skilled and specialized units, changes should be carefully considered to ensure that hybridization models are applied when appropriate to ensure best practices in policing. WPS Operational Review | Net Impact of Staffing Recommendations xi TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................................... 2 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 3 SUMMARY OF STAFFING RECOMMENDATIONS AND ASSOCIATED COSTS ............................................................ 5 NET IMPACT OF STAFFING RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................................... 11 TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................................................