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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 09291987 - FC.2 C_ BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FRM: FINANCE COMMITTEE Cwtrd C )sta DATE; September 22, 1987 C ^ SUBJECT: REPORT ON JUSTICE SYSTEM MATTERS DISCUSSED AT SEPTEMBER 21 �+' FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. Accept report from County Administrator, dated September 21, 1987, on various referrals regarding the Detention Staffing Study presented to the Board on August 18 and direct the County Administrator's Office, Sheriff's Department and the Personnel Department to further develop the civilianization of the 28 sworn positions as proposed by the Sheriff, and make further effort to identify additional sworn positions that might be civilianized and submit such proposals back to the Finance Committee for review. 2. Direct the Sheriff's Department and Personnel to work with the West County Justice Center Advisory Group and the County's Career Development Project in achieving the goals set forth in the Advisory Group's report to the Finance Committee, dated September 17, 1987. 3. Direct the County Administrator to request a progress report from the Municipal Court Judges on the court-related reforms detailed in Supervisor Powers' memorandum to the Board of July 22, 1987, specifically items 1, 3, 4, and 5 of that report, and invite the Judges to personally present such report in the near future to the Finance Committee. REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS/BACKGROUND: The Committee discussed the status of the various reform items detailed in Supervisor Powers' memo of July 22. Mr. Roemer reported that progress had been made by the Personnel Department and the Sheriff's Department in civilianizing the 28 positions proposed by the Sheriff on August 18, 1987. In addition, Mr. Roemer reported on the status of in-custody arraignment and consolidation of court services and mentioned that the Municipal Court Judges had formed a sub-committee to study these matters. Mr. Roemer also summarized the recent Trial Court Funding Act, passed by the State Legislature and indicated that we had initiated a review of that bill with other counties and CSAC and that further clean-up legislation would probably be required. Further presentations were made by staff on the items presented in the County Administrator's report to the Finance Committee, dated September 21. The Personnel Department reported on the duties performed by the 15 security officers employed by the County, particularly in the Health Services Department. It was reported by the Sheriff that the security officers .are now requesting peace officer status, which would increase CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: JL YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR X RECOMMENDA 10._ ARD COMMITTEE X APPROVE OTHER i SIGNATURE S : _ ACTION OF BOARD N _ September 29, 1987 4:'?ROVED AS REC!h'.:M=c NDED X OTHER _ VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE X UNANIMOUS (ABSENT ? AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. cc: CAO-Justice System Programs ATTESTED Sheriff-Coroner PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF Personnel Department SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR County Administrator BY 382 1 83 M / _ L _,DEPUTY Report on Justice System Matters Discussed At September 21 finance Committee Meeting 2 September 22, 1987 costs if approved. The Personnel Department made a presentation on the Sheriff Services Officer classification and the Sheriff gave a report on why the classification is not used. The Sheriff also reported on the Department's affirmative action plans and indicated that his Department was working with the County's Career Development Program as well as a new program being undertaken by the Contra Costa County Black Chamber of Commerce. The Sheriff detailed the progress made by his Department in the employment of minorities and women. Major discussion of the meeting revolved around the progress made by the Sheriff's Department and the Personnel Department in civilianizing the 28 sworn positions the Sheriff suggested in the August 18 proposal. The Committee was satisfied with the progress made and indicated that appropriate classifications should be finalized, pay scales created, and that a further report should be submitted for Finance Committee consideration. The Committee solicited input from the public. Lloyd Madden, Chair of the West County Justice Center Advisory Group, reiterated that group's support of deputy sheriffs instead of correctional officers in direct supervision of inmates but indicated that the group felt additional sworn positions should be identified in the Sheriff's Department for civilianization. Mr. Madden also indicated that they are proposing that the civilian classification be established as soon as possible so that the County Career Development Project can work with local organizations to develop seminars to assist local residents in meeting the qualifications for those positions and that 257, of the civilian positions be allocated to this effort. Mr. Madden submitted a report dated September 17 to the Committee (copy attached). Paul Katz, Local #1, indicated that organization's support of correctional officers. He did not believe that the liability for the supervisors and Sheriff, in having lower-level and lesser-trained staff supervising inmates was a problem, based on recent court cases. He also indicated that correctional officers in this County would have to be paid more than in Solano County. A salary of approximately $2,000 per month was suggested. Don Christen, Contra Costa Taxpayers Association, supported Mr. Madden's report and indicated that organization's support of continued use of deputy sheriffs. The trend of State correctional officers to achieve parity with the CHP was cited. Other representatives (Joanne Aiello, child advocate and Children's Coalition; Kathy McLaughlin, Children and Adolescent Task Force; and Dennis Lepak, Mental Health Advisory Board) supported the concept of using correctional officers as a way of saving County money and putting such money into child abuse, mental health and related human services programs that are desperately in need of funds. They indicated that the Sheriff was an excellent manager and should be able to operate a correctional system with a lower level job classification. Art Carter, representing the Deputy Sheriffs' Association opposed the use of correctional officers and stated that the County would, in fact, face increased liability and litigation due to such a move. This led to a discussion of utilizing correctional officers in direct custody positions. The two members of the Committee did not feel that there were significant cost savings to be gained by making such a major reorganization of the Sheriff's Department. Based upon what is happening with State correctional officers' salaries and the scope of duties involved in directly supervising inmates, it does not appear to be cost effective or represent good policy at this time to change to correctional officers. The Committee did indicate that it would retain jurisdiction over this item and would consider whatever further evidence was brought in support of correctional officers. Supervisor Powers further indicated that no funds would be taken from human services programs to staff a new jail. If funds are not available, the jail may not be opened. Supervisor Powers stated that correctional officers are not the issue. In his view, the issue is how we can best achieve further cost saving efficiencies in the justice system. He believes we should go with the Sheriff's Services Specialist position that is recommended above and establish that position, taking into account the West County Justice Center Advisory Group's recommendation to increase the number of sworn positions that can be civilianized. In his view, it is hard to identify savings going to correctional officers given what is happening Statewide but that he does challenge the Sheriff to identify an additional number of positions that can be civilianized at a lower pay scale. Supervisor Powers indicated that, with respect to the various reform issues, we need the cooperation of the Municipal Court and invited the Judges to come to an October meeting of the Finance Committee and testify to their progress in developing more cost effective ways of doing business. Supervisor Schroder concurred with Supervisor Powers' remarks. tot - 'BOARD OF SUPERVISORS (�` FRO Mt Tom Powers, First District Supervisor `. o 'tra Costa DATES July 22, 1987 Collo/ SUBJECTS Major Reform In the Local Criminal Justice System SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) do BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION: Refer the major reforms in the Justice System, which are listed below, to the Budget Committee for study and possible implementation with the 1987-88 budget. Direct the County Administrator to conduct a study of the cost/benefits of these so that the major reform items can be presented and discussed during the 1987-88 budget process. Summary of Recommendation: It is obvious that the County Administrator's budget, which was adopted in June by the Board of Supervisors, does not provide additional police protection for the unincorporated areas, does not adequately address the need for increased manpower to provide detention services in the jail , and does not allow much flexibility for the increased pressure on staff in the Justice System to deal with the very serious criminal and civil law demands that exist in our county. In order to have some sort of capability to meet the justice needs, we must find innovative approaches to deal with our own system and to identify areas where reform will 'enable the county to provide additional services in the future. The following is an itemized list of proposed reform measures with the amount of money which may be saved and consequently be available for other programs: A. SAVINGS 1. Merger of the Marshal 's office into the $800,000 Sheriff's office per yr. 2. Creation of a class of correction/service officers in the Sheriff's Department for use in the Detention facilities a. 20 personnel (immediately) $250,000 b. 142 personnel in the West County Jail $1,750,000 CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENTS X YES SIGNATUREf RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S) ACTION OF BOARD ON APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS 1 UNANIMOUS (ABSENT ) 1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE I AYES: NOES: AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN ABSENT: ABSTAIN: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. CC: ATTESTED Phil Batchelor, Clerk of the Board of Supervisors and County Administrator M382/7-GS BY DEPUTY Criminal Justice Reform July 22, 1987 Page 2 3. Evening and weekend arraignments to $150,000 - relieve overcrowding in the jail $250,000 jail 4. Centralized arraignment in Martinez or $100,000 - in the new West County Facility $200,000 5. Consolidation of Administration in $0 to the Municipal Courts (Savings to be Unknown identified through long term efficiencies in the Municipal Courts) 6. Creation of service employee personnel $25,000 - position in Sheriff' s Department $75,000 Attorney's office TOTAL SAVINGS $3,075,000 - $3,325,000 B. EXPENDITURES WHEN AVAILABLE, 1. Add up to twenty deputy sheriff personnel for increased patrols and for the supervision of new classifications in Sheriff's Department as savings are realized. 2. Add additional personnel in both the Sheriff's Dept. and in the Municipal/Superior Courts to increase the efficiencies of those operations as the money becomes available. 3. Add to the General Fund a sum of money identified by the savings in order to offset reductions in other areas as the Board of Supervisors sees fit. BACKGROUND ON RECOMMENDATIONS: There is very little that can be done to increase revenue outside of changing the way we operate our programs. The above recommendations are designed to accomplish this and to make the operations in the County more efficient in order to achieve higher service levels for our citizens. I would like to explain all of the items identified above in order to justify them and to ask the Administrator's office to .clarify more precisely the amounts of money that could be saved and should be expended by the Board in this major criminal justice reform package. 1. The Sheriff/Marshal consolidation study has been documented by both in house reports and by an independent analysis. In addition, I and two members of each the Municipal and the Superior Courts carefully reviewed all the data and concluded, on a split vote, that the merger should occur. It is very difficult to justify why this savings should not be realized in the immediate future. Unfortunately, if the Municipal Court judges decide not to agree with the merger, they can prevent a substantial portion of it from happening. I do believe we should take whatever actions are necessary at the present time in order to achieve as much of the savings as we possibly can. This may mean: 1 1. Asking our legislative delegation to carry a bill to merge the offices. { 2. Placing the matter on the ballot so that the public can express its views on the merger. 3. Considering a reduction in funding of the Marshal 's office and shifting the funding operation to the Sheriff's office if we can demonstrate immediate savings and equal or greater operational efficiency will be realized. %oriminai JU511Ge KeTorm July 22, 1967 Page 3 Clearly, some of these actions may need to be taken over the objections of a few Municipal Court judges. This matter should, therefore, be considered through open debate subject to public scrutiny. 2. Creation of a Correction/Service Officer position can save a substantial amount of money immediately and over the long haul when the West County Detention facility is created. Presently the Sheriff's office is paying substantial amounts of overtime to Deputy Sheriffs in order to man the jail with its excessively high population. The population in the detention system is still growing, and ever increasing needs for new detention facilities and officers are indicated. Presently, 20 positions for Deputy Sheriffs cannot be filled creating excessive demands for overtime from existing personnel . This places a strain on the deputies and our budget. If we could immediately create a position of Correction/Service Officer, to be supervised by Deputies, these positions could be filled immediately at a substantial savings. (See above) Additional savings could be realized when the West County Justice facility is completed. Instead of adding 142 Deputy Sheriffs, we could add close to that amount in Correction/Service Officers and save approximately $700 per month per position. 3. Creating night and weekend arraignments will serve to reduce the population in the jail substantially. We may have to add personnel to do this, but if a centralized arraignment can be developed wherein a commissioner is authorized (may need legislation) to arraign the persons arrested in the evening and on weekends, the number of personnel at the jail could be reduced. Presently, populations swell overnight and particularly on the weekends, but the Sheriff can only house these persons in the already crowded jail . With pending lawsuits, increased overtime, and personnel costs, we should move to eliminate these problems by implementing this reform. 4. Centralized arraignment can save a substantial amount of money currently spent on transportation, personnel and handling. At the same time, centralization will improve safety to prisoners, detention personnel and the public by leaving persons in the centralized custody facility rather than transporting them to the four widely dispersed Municipal Courts. Centralized arraignment can be realized by having a pro tem judge assigned by each Municipal Court to the central facility in Martinez. Transportation to and from the facility which is now conducted by officers in busses, and with a great deal of time delay and expense, could be eliminated totally. Other counties have done this and realized significant savings and improved safety. There is no reason why we cannot do it her in Contra Costa l County achieving these same benefits. 5. Centralizing the administration of the Municipal Courts was discussed in the Sheriff/Marshall consolidation report. ,While it does not save money immediately on personnel , it does create the great advantage of having a centralized management to carry out the functions needed in all of the courts. There is no reason to duplicate and have managers in each court doing the same job without a coordinated effort. This is particularly relevant when a unified centralized arraignment and weekend and evening arraignment program is implemented. When the central court facility is built, we can then realize savings. P 6 WEST COUNTY JUSTICE CENTER ADVISORY GROUP September 17, 1987 Supervisor Tom Powers, Chair Supervisor Robert I. Schroder Dear Supervisors Powers and Schroder: On August 18, 1987 the Detention Staffing Study prepared by consultants for the County Administrator's Office was referred to the West County Justice Center Advisory Group for review and comment. As you know, the Advisory Group sent a recommendation to the Board urging the continued use of sworn personnel supervising inmates and further civilianization in the Sheriff's Department (see attached letter). The Advisory Group asked the Employment and Training Committee to hold a study session to discuss this report as well as the proposal submitted by Sheriff Richard Rainey (August 18, 1987) to civilianize 22 positions in the Sheriff's Department now held by sworn personnel. The Advisory Group asked that the recommendations formulated at the study session be forwarded to the Finance Committee and the other members of the Board of Supervisors. After our initial review we are forwarding the following recommendations for your consideration and look forward to a continuing dialogue regarding staffing patterns at the West County Justice Center and other detention facilities in the County. 1. After studying the consultant's report, we believe the minimum number of positions that should be civilianized in the Sheriff's Department is 35, and that further analysis should be accomplished by the Sheriff and the Personnel Department to determine if more than 35 positions could be civilianized. 2. The County should consider allocating at least 25 percent of the positions that are civilianized to graduates of the Black Chamber of Commerce's Jobs Preparation and Placement Project which works in conjunction with the County's Career Development Project. 3. A separate civilian classification should be established as soon as possible so that the Jobs Preparation Project can design career seminars focused on assisting participants to meet the minimum qualifications for the jobs that will be available. Supervisors Powers and Schroder September 17, 1987 Page Two 4. The civilian positions should as much as possible be included in one classification. This would provide career development, and promotional opportunities as well as reduce the need for sworn back up when the positions are vacant. Sincerely, Lloyd Madden, Chair West County Justice Center Advisory Group Ia4w A/I/x't-a �- � Willie Williams, Chair Employment and Training Committee WEST COUNTY JUSTICE CENTER ,. ADVISORY GROUP July 1, 1987 Board of Supervisors Contra Costa County County Administration Building 651 Pine Street Martinez, CA 94553 Subject: West County Justice Center Staffing Dear Board Members: The Employment and Training Committee of the West County Justice Center Advisory Board has been studying issues surrounding the type of inmate staff supervision that should be employed at the West County Justice Center. Committee members interviewed a correctional officer from Solano County and a deputy from Contra Costa County. Members also listened to a presentation from the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department Personnel Officer and a deputy from the recruitment office.' This information was presented to the Advisory Committee where there was further discussion regarding detention staff employment qualification requirements, pay differential between deputies and correctional officers, opportunities for minority and women candidates, staffing policies in other counties and availability of community-based pre-employment training programs. The following policy statement was approved by the Advisory Committee for your consideration: The West County Justice Center Advisory Group recommends that the Board of Supervisors reaffirm its position that sworn officers provide all direct supervision of inmates in Contra Costa County detention facilities and that the Sheriff civilianize as many positions in detention and throughout the Department as possible through attrition of sworn personnel. The West County Justice Center Advisory Group also recommends the establishment of a pre-employment training program for West Contra Costa County residents for deputy sheriff and civilian positions in the Sheriff's Department. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, original signed by: Lloyd Madden, Chair West County Justice Center Advisory Group