CITY OF POUGHKEEPSIE: CITY OF POUGHKEEPSIE POLICE INITIATIVES

As Presented April 29, 2019 By Thomas M. Pape, Police Chief

Budgeted Duty Incurred Vacant Actual

2008 108 11 1 96

2009 107 11 4 92

2010 107 11 8 88

2011 101 12 2 87

2012 101 12 1 88

2013 96 14 3 79

2014 96 8 3 85

2015 96 15 5 76

2016 96 8 3 85

2017 96 8 11 77

2018 92 6 7 78

2019 92 1 1 91

CITY OF POUGHKEEPSIE POLICE DEPARTMENT: Sworn Members

Police Retention Initiative • Over time the agency experienced a high turnover rate.

This problem was compounded due to a number of factors, which included: (1) Senior officers retiring and; (2) Newer officers seizing the opportunity for higher paying jobs at neighboring departments resulting in their resignation.

• In 2018, in response to this issue, City Administration, Police Department Administration, Council Members and the PBA developed a retention and recruitment package that allowed the department to achieve the goals of; retaining officers, attracting new hires, maintaining a high quality of service standard and enhancing public safety .

CITY OF POUGHKEEPSIE POLICE DEPARTMENT:

Law Enforcement Recruitment & Hiring: Over the Past 3 Years (2016-2019)

Since 2016, the department has been active in recruiting and hiring 30 new officers. The department has interviewed 86 candidates in total. The new

hires are of different backgrounds, races, and genders which have allowed the department to continue to build upon a diverse police workforce.

Law Enforcement Recruitment & Hiring: Over the Past 3 Years (2016-2019)

Law Enforcement Recruitment & Hiring: Over the Past 3 Years (2016-2019)

Photographs Courtesy of - The Poughkeepsie Journal

Law Enforcement Recruitment & Hiring: Recruitment Efforts Over the Past

3 Years (2016-2019)

• CAREERS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT

This 16-week program is taught by members of the department as a way to expose and enrich the interest of high-school aged, young adults, to all types of work within the criminal justice system.

Students not only learn about the operations within the Police Department, but are also brought on field trips to; the NYSP crime lab, Dutchess County Jail, and Department of Probations.

Guest speakers from the FBI, District Attorneys office and other agencies are also brought in to discuss potential career opportunities.

CAREER DAYS/FAIRS

The department regularly attends Career Days/Career Fairs held at Poughkeepsie City schools,

Dutchess Community College and Marist College.

Community Outreach Efforts: “Cocoa With A Cop” Program

• The Cocoa With a Cop program is a nearly 3 year old program, in which officers have interacted with hundred of the City’s scholars creating positive relationships and a safe learning environment.

• Officers volunteer four to five times each week to attend Krieger Elementary, Warring Elementary, the Early Learning Center (ELC) and F.S.B. Morse school

• During these visits they connect with the younger children by reading books, playing games, or simply talking about things happening at home or within the community.

• The program has been well accepted by both teachers and parents alike.

Community Policing

• This unit was dissolved in 2011 as a result of budget cuts. This past week, the City designated two officers to begin community policing addressing the quality of life issues around the Main Street corridor. Community policing keeps officers patrolling the same area in order to form a stronger bond with the citizens working and living there. The city wants to add more officers to this cause when five new recruits graduate the police academy in the fall of this year.

• This unit was created as a direct result of retention and recruitment efforts.

Photos Courtesy: Mid-Hudson News The Poughkeepsie Journal

School Resource Officer

This week, City of Poughkeepsie Police Officer Karen Zirbel began serving as the school resource officer in the city School District. The School Resource Officer (SRO) Program has been known to create a safer school environment and bridge the gap between youth and law enforcement, establishing a channel of communication that can make all the difference in school and later in life for youth.

SNUG Neighborhood Violence Prevention Program

SNUG (“Guns” spelled backwards) is a neighborhood violence prevention program based on the Chicago Cure Violence Model, adapting a public health approach to eradicating youth and gang violence by intervening with the parties involved immediately after a violent incident has occurred. The program focuses on the reduction of shootings and homicides by gunfire in targeted neighborhoods by curtailing acts of retaliation and changing community norms through street outreach to the perpetrators and victims of gang violence. The program also reaches out to partner with hospitals, the faith based community, schools, and local businesses. This program and the Phoenix Curriculum program are overseen by Family Services, Inc. and part part of our Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative.

SNUG Zone

Since July 2015, the program has served over 80 unduplicated youth. In addition to youth workshops, the facilitator held 3 Parent Focus Groups: • 63% of these parents

believe gangs are a problem in the community

• 37% identified an increase in Police Presence as a way of reducing the gang problem.

During the program, data collected from the pre and post surveys shows there is a decrease in Risk Factors in all domains (Community, Family, School, and Individual-Peer). This decrease amongst the youth supports the evidence-based research that The Phoenix Curriculum is proven to reduce vulnerability to key risk factors for gang involvement and criminal activity.

Civilian Complaint Form

These forms are used when the public has questions about police procedures and policies. The City is making the form readily available online. Forms may be used to file a civilian complaint and also for commendations for the actions of officers.

• Now available online – in an easy-to-use format

http://cityofpoughkeepsie.com/police-department/online-reporting/

• Receives a unique tracking number

• Reviewed by the Administrative Captain

Our Local Partners

• New York State Police

• Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office

• Dutchess County Office of Probation and Community Supervision

• Dutchess County Department of Behavioral Health

• Dutchess County District Attorney

• Dutchess County Drug Task force

• Family Partnership Center and SNUG

Our Federal Partners

• Office of the FBI and Safe Streets Task Force

• Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms

• United States Attorney’s Office

President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing ______________________________

• The task force was created to strengthen community policing and trust among law enforcement officers and the communities they serve.

• The task force was comprised of police experts, academia and community members. The contents of the full report were released in May of 2015.

• The results were evaluated and a strategy was developed on how the goals and objectives as outlined in the report could be achieved by the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department.

The Six Pillars

• 1. Building Trust and Legitimacy

• 2. Policy and Oversight

• 3. Technology and Social Media

• 4. Community Policing and Crime Reduction

• 5. Officer Training and Education

• 6. Officer Safety and Wellness

Pillar 1: Trust and Legitimacy

• The first of the 6 pillars is building trust and legitimacy.

• Within the trust building pillar lies the root that people are more likely to obey the law when they believe that those enforcing it have authority that is perceived as legitimate by those subject to the authority. To that end, police departments should adopt procedural justice as a guiding principle.

• Through collaboration with City Administration and the City of Poughkeepsie Police Benevolent Association, the frame work for procedural justice training for all members was identified.

• The Police Department trained each and every member of the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department in procedural justice during December of 2018.

• All city police officers were trained in the 8 hour program as prescribed by experts in the field.

Procedural Justice

Community Survey • The survey (printed in both English & Spanish), was

sent out to 3,000 randomly selected households last year to gauge the public’s feelings about community-police interactions. The Marist College Center for Social Justice Research is tabulating the results of that survey.

• We hope to have the results soon and use the results to improve on Police Community relations

Body Worn Cameras

Project Implementation

Cost of the BWC Project Implementation – 5 Year

Pillar 2: Policy and Oversight

• Beginning in 2016 the police department entered into an agreement with Lexipol LLC. Lexipol is one of 2 national companies that provide police management software for public safety.

• The City of Poughkeepsie Police Department’s policy manual was dated and in need of attention. The command staff of the police department met weekly for over one year to review each and every policy related to police activities.

• Each and every policy integrates direct requirements contained in New York Law, Federal Law and New York State Accreditation standards. All of this information is integrated into a policy that also recognizes the needs of the City of Poughkeepsie and the Police Department.

• The department is in the final phase of this process.

Pillar 3: Technology and Social Media

• Pillar 3 is technology and social media. Technology offers tremendous potential for police departments to better interact with their communities, increase transparency and accountability, and improve safety and security for civilians and officers alike.

• The police department began using the social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in 2018. These platforms were used to deliver information as well as keep the community informed of various police related information. The plan is to continue and increase our messaging through social media.

http://www.facebook.com/CPPDNY

https://twitter.com/poughkeepsiepd

Pillar 4: Community Policing and Crime Reduction

• The task force recommended that police departments recommit to community-oriented policing strategies to improve community relations and take a more holistic approach to address crime.

• In 1994, 4 officers were hired under the first of grant funding provided through the Clinton administration.

• In 2011, the City of Poughkeepsie offered a “buyout” that saw a significant reduction in manpower. The unintended consequence of the buyout was a reduction in manpower. This caused the disbandment of the community policing unit.

Since 2016, the community engagement efforts have increased and reached more people than at any other point in the history of the department. The following is a list of initiatives since 2016: • Cocoa with a Cop – up to 5 schools, up to 5 days per week • 100 Cups of Coffee • Free Bicycle Helmets for youth • Free car seats and installation to qualified recipients • National Night Out • Direct Involvement and monetary contribution by the PBA • New Hope Community Center $6,000 - 3 years • Family Partnership Halloween Event • PBA/PAL Mid-Hudson Aquatics for Boys & Girls Club • PBA/PAL Hooked on Fishing • PBA/PAL John Flowers Easter Egg Hunt • PBA/PAL Festival of Lights Parade, Fireworks & Gifts • PBA/PAL/FD Christmas adopted families for gifts • PBA/PAL Pop Warner football, baseball and softball

Pillar 5: Training and Education

• The City of Poughkeepsie Police Department has long recognized the importance of training. In 2018 department members attended approximately 9,737 hours of training. This includes NYS mandated training, required NYS and Federal certifications in various topics. Members also attend to issues related to recent local and national issues. A number of our members attend training to become certified trainers in a host of topics. This training allows them to teach our members directly.

• Dutchess County civil service has required people taking the written police exam to have a minimum of 60 college credits. Therefore, our newest officers in fact have at least an associate’s degree. The City and Police Department encourage further study and education and offer full reimbursement for college classes leading to advanced degrees.

Pillar 6: Officer Safety and Wellness

• Part of Procedural Justice is officer safety and wellness.

• Every officer received in depth instruction as to the importance of safety and wellness.

• The city encourages physical fitness and with the PBA, shares in the cost of gym memberships for the officers.

2018 Full Year Report: Top Calls for Service By Shift & Type

Civilian Complaints

2016 - 6

2017 - 9

2018 - 8

2019 - 2

Now available online – in an easy-to-use format http://cityofpoughkeepsie.com/police-department/online-reporting/

4th Quarter CFS Only

5 Year Avg % from 5 yr avg 2017 2018

Arrests 1506 2.70% 1665 1546

Robbery 68 -11.76% 58 60

Rape 11.4 22.80% 13 14

Burglary 124.2 -25.90% 104 92

Drug Crime 135.4 -28.40% 113 97

VBI 84 -38.10% 114 52

MVT 17 23.50% 16 21

Dis-Con 22.5 20.00% 19 27

Larceny 553.4 -14.70% 555 472

Murder 3 67% 2 5

Shooting 12 -8.30% 8 11

Agg Assault 139.6 -6.20% 128 131

Comparative Analysis: Reported Violent Crime and Property Crimes

Note: Due to the implementation of expanded rape reporting in NYS, encompassing additional offenses, there was an increase in the overall 5-year average. Therefore, this not measurable in comparison to past years.

Robbery Rape Burglary Att Burglary Drugs VBI MVT Dis Con Larceny Murder Shooting

Agg assault Simple Assault

2018 60 14 92 5 97 52 21 27 472 5 11 131 349

2008 173 27 244 25 269 228 55 93 935 6 20 220 736

% Change -65.3 -48.1 -62.3 -79.1 -63.9 -77.2 -61.8 -70.9 -49.5 -16.6 -45 -40.5 -52.6

Comparative Analysis: Reported Violent Crime and Property Crimes (2008 vs. 2018)

SOURCE: City of Poughkeepsie Police Department New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS)

Foot Patrols in Hot Spot Areas – 4th Quarter (2018) By Shift

Foot Patrols in Hot Spot Areas - 4th Quarter (2018) By Shift

Foot Patrols in Hot Spot Areas - 4th Quarter (2018) By Shift

SOURCE: NYS eJustice Portal

SOURCE: NYS eJustice Portal