HomeMy WebLinkAboutSS5 - Analysis of July 4, 2001 Police OperationsOctober 9, 2001
Study Session Agenda Item No. SS5
CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH
POLICE DEPARTMENT
October 9, 2001
To: Honorable Mayor, Members of the City Council and City Manager
From: Bob McDonell, Chief of Police
Subject: Analysis of Police Operations — July 4, 2001
RECOMMENDATION
Review the contents of this report and provide staff direction on which (if any)
areas of focus Council would like brought back for possible implementation prior
to July 4, 2002.
OVERVIEW OF POLICE ACTIVITIES
Planning for the deployment of Police Department resources on July 4, 2001,
began almost immediately after last year's deployment. Beginning with a series
of staff critiques of our performance last year, plans began to take shape for this
year's operation. Our plan is based upon a model that has been in place since
1977. This approach calls for the near total deployment of Police Department
personnel and resources over the holiday period. Our personnel are reinforced
by sworn peace officers of the California Highway Patrol and the Orange County
Sheriff's Department serving under contract to the City. The foundation of this
plan is to create a strong, visible police presence in those areas of the City
where large crowds historically gather or in known problem areas. At the same
time, we recognize the importance of providing normal levels of police patrol and
service in other parts of the City while maintaining the requisite flexibility to shift
resources to meet unanticipated challenges.
Since most holiday congestion occurs in the West Newport area, early steps
were taken to include that segment of the community in the planning process.
Police Department personnel responsible for planning and deployment met with
the leadership of the West Newport Association. The West Newport Association
formed a "Fourth of July Task Force" under the direction of association president
Alan Silcock. Department personnel met with the committee and participated in
several public forums, at which members of the community had the opportunity
to express their concerns and offer suggestions.
Analysis of Police Operations — July 4, 2001
Page 2 of 5
The volume and nature of field activity on July 4th was typical of previous years
Large numbers of people arrived in the City early in the day, most engaging in
beach activities but many others congregating in the West Newport area. As in
past years, our primary emphasis in the West Newport area was that of
maintaining order and preventing large crowds from gathering in specific
locations. I believe we were successful in preventing any major disturbance from
occurring. I also believe our strong visible presence prevented, to the extent
possible, criminal activity from occurring.
ENFORCEMENT SUMMARY
Beginning in 1998, we established a uniform deployment period for the purpose
of capturing enforcement data from one year to the next. This time frame
commences at 4 p.m. on July 3 and concludes at 6 a.m. on July 5. Historically,
most of our July 4th problems occur during this time period regardless of what
day of the week July 4th falls on. Along with the enforcement statistics for this
year, I have included 2000 information for comparison purposes.
Arrests 2001 2000
Felony — 17 Felony — 19
Misdemeanor — 176 Misdemeanor — 137
Total —193 Total —156
Citations 2001
2000
B &P' — 92
B &P — 80
H &S" — 5
H &S — 1
Muni Code — 366
Muni Code — 344
Veh Code — 178
Veh Code — 169
Fireworks — 1
Fireworks — 9
Parking — 667
Parking — 753
Total —1309
Total —1356
Disturbance Advisements
2001 —42 2000-33
Note:
B &P refers to the California Business and Professions Code. Almost all
citations issued pursuant to this code relate to minors in possession of
alcohol or possession of false identification documents.
" H &S refers to the California Health and Safety Code. Most citations issued
pursuant to this code relate to possession of marijuana.
]W -IWy 4 2W]..dxr 9/29 /2001
Analysis of Police Operations — July 4, 2001
Page 3 of 5
This year, we also issued a number of Administrative Citations for violation of the
Newport Beach Municipal Code. A total of 66 administrative citations were
issued, the majority (45) being issued to persons violating the municipal
ordinance prohibiting possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages in
public. Violations of the noise ordinance resulted in five administrative citations
while nine persons were cited for possession or discharge of fireworks.
Demographic analysis of the persons arrested this year revealed an interesting,
yet not surprising picture. Males made up 88% of arrestees. An overwhelming
majority of those arrested (87 %) were white. Approximately 13% were Newport
Beach residents, 12% from Costa Mesa, and 11% from Huntington Beach.
Residents of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties combined
made up approximately 15% of the total. The average age of those arrested
was 22, and most arrests (85 %) occurred in the West Newport area.
TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
We have come to expect significant traffic congestion on July 4. We employ
whatever measures we can to expedite the safe flow of traffic within the City.
The consensus opinion of officers dealing with traffic enforcement is that we
experienced a greater volume of vehicular traffic this year. This may be
attributable to the warm, humid weather. The heavier - than -usual volume of
traffic may also be traceable to the closure of roads and beachfront parking by
the City of Huntington Beach. This appeared to result in many vehicles being
routed into Newport Beach.
As in past years, our plan for controlling traffic in the West Newport area
centered around the installation of barricades. These barricades close Seashore
Drive to vehicular traffic and prevent vehicles from accessing the westbound
lanes of Balboa Boulevard between Coast Highway and 32nd Street. The
installation of barricades by General Services personnel was complete by
approximately noon. The barricades remained in place until approximately 2
a.m. the following morning when the barricades were removed and normal traffic
flow resumed.
Our traffic control and enforcement efforts were supported again this year by a
contingent of Traffic Officers of the California Highway Patrol. This contingent
was divided into two groups: motorcycle officers for enforcement of traffic laws,
and CHP officers on foot assigned to man barricades and checkpoints.
DEPARTMENT SUPPORT ACTIVITIES
A Command Post and field booking facility were established in the rear parking
lot of the City Hall complex. This arrangement has worked successfully since
first implemented in 1977. In addition to serving as an initial receiving point for
arrestees, the Command Post houses field communications personnel and
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Analysis of Police Operations — July 4, 2001
Page 4 of 5
equipment allowing for more efficient coordination of activities. The Command
Post also serves as a staging area for personnel, a storage point for supplies
and equipment, as well as a location where City officials may gather for situation
briefings.
The field booking facility was staffed by NBPD personnel (largely reserve officers
and Support Services Division personnel) supported by deputies of the Orange
County Sheriff's Department. Other NBPD reserve officers and deputies
manned transportation units whose main purpose was to transport arrestees
from the point of arrest to the Command Post then, after booking, to the Police
Facility.
SUPPLEMENTAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND SALARY COSTS
As in past years, supplemental law enforcement assistance was provided by the
California Highway Patrol and the Orange County Sheriff's Department. We
have not yet been billed by the CHP but we anticipate the charge for their
services to be approximately $24,000. The Orange County Sheriff's Department
charged $15,343 for their services this year. These costs are consistent with
amounts billed in recent years.
Per the Memorandum of Understanding with our employee associations,
personnel receive "premium pay" for working on July 4th, instead of an earlier
practice when staff was virtually all on an overtime basis for the holiday. This
has allowed us to significantly decrease salary costs for July 4th deployment.
Our additional salary cost (premium pay + overtime) for this year was $56,210,
as opposed to $46,908 last year and almost $82,000 prior to the implementation
of the premium pay agreement in 1997. The increase in cost this year over last
is attributable to increased salary costs, more personnel deployed, and a
deployment plan that called for maximum commitment of personnel earlier in the
day. The purpose of early deployment was to deal with problem areas as soon
as possible, before the problems became difficult to manage. Unfortunately, this
required that some officers were unavoidably held beyond the end of their
scheduled shift due to high activity levels late into the night.
PLANNING FOR NEXT YEAR
Planning for the deployment of Police Department personnel on July 4, 2002,
has already begun in the form of critiques of this year's operation prepared by
key personnel. These critiques will form the basis of future staff discussions in
which alternatives will be explored to address deficiencies noted this year's
operation.
The involvement of the West Newport Association in the July 4th planning
process was very helpful from our standpoint, and I am certain residents of the
area most affected by the holiday activities appreciate having their voice heard. I
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Analysis of Police Operations — July 4, 2001
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am aware of the perception in the West Newport community that the Police
Department approach, particularly the barricading of streets, contributes to the
influx of crowds on the holiday. We will continue to explore alternatives to the
barricade plan and will consider implementation of a different approach if the
results of that approach appear to be promising.
In the past, world events have never been a factor in our planning for the Fourth
of July. Following the tragic events of September 11th, I believe the specter of
terrorism will hang over the gathering of any large crowd. This will be especially
true on a patriotic holiday such as the Fourth of July. Unless tensions ease, and
that does not seem likely to happen, security concerns will be a consideration in
next year's planning.
CONCLUSION
I am satisfied with the outcome of this year's Fourth of July operation. As in past
years, I believe our employees performed in an exemplary manner and
significantly contributed to a safe and peaceful holiday. I am also grateful for the
cooperation of other City departments whose employees made valuable
contributions to our efforts. The support received from the Orange County
Sheriff's Department and the California Highway Patrol is also much appreciated.
In conclusion, I believe we did the best job possible under the circumstances this
year in helping our community enjoy the July 4th holiday in a safe and lawful
manner. In preparing for the future, we will take our past experience, apply the
lessons learned this year, maintain an open mind, and continue to refine our
approach in confronting this challenge.
Respectful) ubmitted,
Bob McDonell
CHIEF OF POLICE
1009 -July 4 2001a.dw, 9/28/2001