lAW and Justice Committee

Dianne Burns was hired as the Barstow Chief of Police on July 2, 2007.

Prior to her arrival, not all of the Barstow Police Officers had received basic firing range and tactical training. Since becoming Chief of Police, Ms. Burns has instituted a shooting and tactical training school just outside of Hinkley and all officers receive shooting and tactical training for two days every six months.

The Department Policies and Procedures Manual had not been updated since 1983 and the department lacked an Internal Affairs Manual. Chief Burns is now in the process of re-writing this manual and is also writing an Internal Affairs Manual for the department.

Chief Burns has worked to improve the interdepartmental relationship with the Sheriff’s Station in Barstow. 27

She has encouraged department involvement in community programs such as Cops for Kids and the Neighborhood Watch Program. Chief Burns plans to start a street fair in the poorer neighborhoods in town with hopes of developing good relationships with those citizens. Her officers also participate in the “Cook and Serve” of the homeless that is held at a local pizza parlor. Chief Burns is also involved in the “Reading for Kids” program and is an active member of the local Rotary Club.

Chief Burns has used the “Cop’s Grant” money ($100,000 per year) to update equipment, buy new computers, and provide the officers with protective vests. COMMENDATION The Grand Jury commends Police Chief Dianne Burns for the changes, improvements, and upgrades she has made since becoming Chief of Police. It is hoped that the citizens of Barstow and the surrounding area appreciate her fine work. RIALTO POLICE DEPARTMENT

The Permanent Modified Duty program pays the injured officers full safety officers’ salary while they work in low level positions that normally have been filled by civilian personnel, cadets, or volunteers. 30

Officers who have injuries and are deemed “Permanent and Stationary” have been placed on Administrative Leave with full pay, effective April 13, 2010, pending disability retirement. Certification for retirement has not been filed by the City as of May 13, 2010.

Currently, there are six (6) officers working permanent modified duty assignments. The monthly payroll for these six is $40,892. This averages to $6,560 per officer each month. If these positions were filled with full time civilian employees with a pay of $15 per hour the monthly costs would be $15,840; thus saving the taxpayers $25,052 per month. Some of these officers do not perform forty hours a week of work, further reducing the need for civilian employees.

The Finance Department provided the cost of retiring the six officers on “Permanent and Stationary” status. The cost of retiring the officers amortized over 30 years would total $2,457,991. In contrast, the annual cost of paying the salaries of these six officers, excluding benefits, at an average salary of $6,560 per month totals $472,320. The cost of continuing the Modified Duty Plan would exceed the cost of retiring the officers within six years, assuming the six officers remain employed by the City.

Departments within the City are reviewing the City of Long Beach’s Alternate Dispute Resolution Program for possible future adoption.

In regards to working space at the SID, they indicated that according to the American Society of SIDs, 750 to 1000 square feet per analyst is recommended. Currently, they have 250 square feet for each of their 14 analysts and have 17,000 square feet of storage space in the warehouse where 300,000 items are stored. With the ever increasing rate of crime this number of items collected will increase as well.

The current facility cannot accommodate additional staffing. Therefore, a new facility is required. It was reported that the SID is in the process of looking for a larger building and one that can handle the overcrowding situation, as well as to provide adequate workspace for their current and future staff. A commercial building identified as the Hallmark building has been looked into and is located in the northern area of San Bernardino. The Hallmark building has 60,000 square feet for the lab, plus warehouse space and space to expand in the future. The cost of the Hallmark building is within the $25 million allocated by the Board of Supervisors, but the question is, will they have adequate monies for the modification. Discussions are in the process at this time as to the costs and needs of the SID. It appears that it will take 1½ to 2 years to complete the project.