Report Shows Improved Police Performance
By Ying Shi
PALO ALTO, Feb 23 -- When a resident calls the police department for service, he cares most about whether an officer will show up quickly.
For that reason, Palo Alto residents should feel content that their police officers are doing a good job.
Over the last five years, the average response times for emergency calls improved from 6 minutes and 41 seconds to 5 minutes and 1 second. And the average response times for urgent calls improved from 8 minutes 21 seconds to 7 minutes 50 seconds, according to the "Report of Service Efforts and Accomplishments" prepared by the City Auditor, released earlier this month.
"The response time kind of fluctuates a little bit, but in general they are getting shorter, which is always a good sign," said the City Auditor Sharon Erickson, the official responsible for the annual report on city government performance.
Palo Alto's Police Department handled over 52,000 calls for service last year, and dispatched 94 percent of emergency calls within 60 seconds of receipt of the call, the report says. The number of calls for service dropped significantly over the past five years. In 2000, the city received almost 60,000 calls that year. False alarms are down 46 percent due in part to an alarm permit program.
"Our staffing load is higher now than it has been in the recent years," said Captain Dennis Burns of the Police Department, referring to a 10-12% increase of police officers during the past five years. "That may have assisted us. We have more people available to response quicker."
The Police Department has also cut 7 full time positions on supportive service over the last five years, according to Captain Burns. That is 4 percent of the department's total 180 authorized staffing. Despite the cut, the city sustains an average of eight officers on patrol, 30 patrol vehicles and 10 motorcycles on the road at all times.
The city's crime rate also declined. Police Department statistics show 121 reported crimes per 1,000 residents, a 4 percent decrease compared with five years ago. During 2004-05, 10 percent of households reported being the victim of a crime over the last 12 months. Of those households, 64 percent said they reported the crime. FBI statistics also show that Palo Alto has fewer crimes per 1,000 residents than several other local jurisdictions.
"Palo Alto has always been a very safe city for a variety of reasons," said Captain Burns, a 25-year veteran. "I think it is more so true today. The volume of crime rate has dropped significantly."
The report also reveals that the total number of traffic accidents decreased by 23 percent, bicycle and pedestrian accidents decreased by 4 percent, alcohol related accidents decreased by 35 percent over the past five years. More traffic signs and speed monitors contributed to the decrease of traffic accidents.
The Police Department spending accounts for 20 percent or $22.5 million of the city's General Fund. Total spending increased from $323 to $366 per resident in 2005, a 13 percent increase over the past five years.
"Palo Alto's operating expenditure for police is higher than many other cities, in part because we do dispatch for Stanford, and we also provide animal control services for other cities," explains Erickson.
Over the same five year period, total revenue and reimbursements for the police department, primarily paychecks from Stanford and other community for the service, increased from $3.8 to $4.5 million, or 18 percent.
This is the City Auditor's fourth annual Service Efforts and Accomplishments report for the city. The report is intended to be informational, and to provide the City Council, staff and the public with an independent, impartial assessment of past performance to help them make better decisions about the future.
"Our purpose of doing it is just for transparency," said Erickson, "We want to make sure that tax-payers and interested people can see what service they are getting from the city government."
Contact Ying Shi at shiying@stanford.edu
