Five Year Strategic Plan Review Year One - 2016

Current Strengths of Department

• Available Technology

• Employees

• Equipment

• Training

• Supportive Administration

• Agency reputation

• Partnerships

• Community programs

• Crime Prevention

• Fleet Condition

Current Weaknesses of Department

• Staffing shortage

• Workload increases

• Retention of personnel

• Crime Analysis function

• Losing veteran officers through attrition

Opportunities for Department

• Commercial growth

• Technology

• Social media

• Intelligence Led Policing

• Annexation

• Networking with LE Academy instructors

• Connection with community groups

Known and Anticipated Threats

• Technology (criminals use)

• Anti-Law Enforcement sentiment

• Police Academy standards

• Media

• Extremists

• Political climate

Department Goals for FY 2016-2021

The Tarpon Springs Police Department

has adopted the following goals

for this five year period

Goal #1

Maintain and Enhance Community

Service & Partnerships

Goal #2

Infrastructure

Goal #3

Staffing and Staff Development

Tarpon Springs Police Department

Goal #1: Maintain and enhance community service and partnerships

• Objectives: The Tarpon Springs Police Department will seek to maintain and streamline our approach to enhance community service and outreach.

First year accomplishments

Established Operations Sergeant• Oversees Homeless, Code Enforcement, Crime Prevention, K9, SROs

• Crime Prevention Officer is liaison to housing department

• Works closely with patrol and detectives to address operational issues/needs

Established PEACE Team (Proactive Enforcement and Community Engagement)

• Conducts traffic enforcement (reference complaints)

• Attends numerous community meetings (monthly)

• Performs specific surveillance/enforcement issues (reference complaints/investigations)

First year accomplishments

Continue Homeless Outreach with replacement of Ofc. Yourgules with Ofc. Hollingsworth Prior to retirement, Ofc. Yourgules trained Ofc. Hollingsworth Smooth transition 2 placements already in about 2 weeks

Expansion of our current community initiativesBike Patrol Increase push for certified patrol officers to perform bike patrols Currently have 11 certified bike officers Increased budget to update and equip bike team (as additions have

been made)

Traffic Unit Part of patrol – overlap hours (based on crash data) Currently two person unit Priorities:

1. Handle crashes2. Respond to calls for service3. Conduct traffic enforcement4. Perform traffic education in community (special events, schools, etc.)

First year accomplishments

Implementation of the six pillars as recommended by the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, by using this document as the backbone of our two promotional processes that occurred in 2016.

• - Pillar #1: Building Trust and legitimacy

• - Pillar #2: Policy and Oversight

• - Pillar #3: Technology and Social Media

• - Pillar #4: Community Policing and Crime Reduction

• - Pillar #5: Training and Education

• - Pillar #6: Officer Wellness and Safety

Second year goals

Continue and expand upon our current community policing initiatives

Foot Patrols

Business checks/Night eyes

Bike patrols

Cops N Kids Youth Center

Community Officers in Public Schools (COPS)-Officers providing crime prevention and safety tips to K-2

Second year goals

Crime Prevention Liaison

Neighborhood watch

Public Housing Liaison

Homeless Outreach

Begin training other patrol officers to assist in this area but maintain one centralized officer as a main liaison for this program.

Faith based and business organizations contacts and working groups

Second year goals

Continue to embed the six pillars as recommended by the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing into our policing philosophy.

Begin citizen engagement meetings:

- Establish open forum/meetings with the community

Goal# 2: Infrastructure

• Objectives: The Tarpon Springs Police Department will conduct a continuous review of technology needs, maintain and update a list of priorities and seek to expand digital storage capability.

First year accomplishments

Reorganized our Information Technology department with the City’s, to continue our initiatives. With this new reorganization, we have reviewed, developed and prioritized future needs, both short term and long term.

First year accomplishmentsIT improvements include:

Consolidation of servers –• Decreasing the need for equipment and management

• Decreasing the need for expenditures on warranties and work

• Increasing mobile efficiency for emails with updated product

• Physical to virtual servers – decreasing hardware costs

Consolidation of work stations in dispatch• Increasing efficiency of dispatch for single point of entry and work

producto Consolidating machines

o Updated monitors

Updated security networks• Protection of information and accessibility

First year accomplishments

Agreement with the Tarpon Springs Fire Department to store our Mobile Command Vehicle and our SWAT vehicle inside their unused bays. • Protection of equipment

• Accessibility of resources

Remodeling the downstairs inside portion of our building, to assist patrol and supervisors. • Created additional storage areas

• Created briefing and training room

• Moved Sergeants’ office - increased personal contact between shifts

Second year goals

• Continue with our Information Technology (IT) department – Reviewing Technology needs

– Prioritizing needs

– Developing and updating priorities

• Continue to use a Storage Committee– Decide what is needed externally of our building

– Base decisions on funding available

Second year goals

Develop a plan to implement a program, where all video and audio servers used for evidence will actually be stored in our property evidence room.

Research the feasibility of having two way computer communications from the detective division into our interview rooms.

Second year goals

• Continue to train all supervisor personnel on Public Information Officer requirements and guidelines, to assist them with on shift press releases, so call outs will be minimal.

• Continue to utilize and analyze data available through ACISS and Tri-Tech CAD

Goal #3: Staffing/Staff Development

• Objectives: The Tarpon Springs Police Department will conduct efficiency, staffing, service, and organizational structure analysis, and seek to increase and enhance employee training, development and wellness.

First year accomplishments

• Restructuring the department organization for easier communication and flow of supervisory to officer relationships – as previously noted.Restructure for streamlining, efficiency and

accountability Operational Sergeant position – taken on multiple

specialty units for supervisiono K9, Code Enforcement, PEACE Team, SROs, Crime

Prevention Extra duty and Special Events moved to Accreditation

Manager oversight Traffic Unit and PEACE Team (as previously mentioned)

– part of patrol duties

Continued Life Scan and added heart scan

First year accomplishments

Wellness and Fitness Upgrade fitness center at police department

Gym – complete remodel with effective equipment for strength and conditioning

Mat room – new training items Storage area outside – reorganized and

equipped for strength and conditioning training

Daily workouts for officers posted

First year accomplishments

Added one sworn position bringing the department total to 50 sworn officers. We have conducted an evaluation on department staffing levels and will continue to evaluate this area based on future expansion of our population, community initiatives and programs.

Applied for 3 grants, and were awarded one.• Traffic Homicide Unit Upgrades > $5,400.00

• Bullet Proof Vest Grant > $5,900.00

• Submitted application for 3 year grant asking for three officers, but were not award funding for these positons.

First year accomplishments

Recruitment personnel have been identified and trained.

Researching and developing a process to sponsor potential candidates in the Law Enforcement academy.

We have incorporated our department culture training into our Field Training Officer (FTO) curriculum.

First year accomplishments

We have continued to send officers to Crisis Intervention Training for mental health support of their peers and others.

Completed process for hiring Crime Analyst and have offered conditional offer of employment to selected individual On track to become fully functional this summer

Second year goals

• Continue to review structure of the department on an annual basis

• Continue annual Life Scan physical assessments and add H.D. 3D Heart Scans

• Begin an advanced sophisticated heart scan on all sworn personnel over the next five years.

• Continue to research and implement a Physical fitness program on a volunteer basis

• Continue to conduct annual evaluations of department staffing levels

Second year goals

• Continue to research grant opportunities

• Maintain our current recruitment duties– Research and recruit an individual to oversee

Reserve/Part Time Officer Unit

– Review funding to sponsor candidates through Law Enforcement Academy

• Appoint a Critical Intervention Crisis team leader, while continuing to train more officers in this area.

Tarpon Springs Police Department

Five Year Strategic Plan 2016-2021

First Year Review