San Joaquin County Grand Jury • 2012-2013 • Agency Response

Mayor City of Ripon Elden "Red" Nutt Vice Mayor Garry Krebbs*

Published: August 21, 2013 3 pages
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Note: Missing finding numbers detected: F2

Findings and Recommendations 2 findings

F1
1: increasing the threat to the safety of the citizens and their property. The City of Ripon Police Department has seen a reduction in full time Response to F1.1: Police Officer positions by 15% since 2010, and a further reduction in support staff by 36% during this same timeframe. The changes in pure numbers to this agency do not reflect an increased danger to its citizens, but makes it necessary to operate in a more efficient and effective manner. The Ripon Police Department accomplishes this by constantly evaluating day to day operations and making necessary changes to operations to provide improved services to its citizens. We do not accept that fewer staff automatically translates into diminished services or protection to our citizens. The City of Ripon Police Department continues to operate at the highest officer per citizen ratio in the county. The decreased staff in the District Attorney's Office may have a more dramatic effect on the safety of our citizens than our own reductions. The depletion of the District Attorney's Office does not allow for the further investigation and prosecution of necessary criminal offenses in our county. Honorable Judge Warner August 21, 2013
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
1.2: Each City Council, before September 1, 2013, adopt a policy that states it is a priority of the County to increase staffing for law enforcement, including patrol and probation. The City Council believes that it is necessary to have appropriate staffing Response to R1.1.2: levels to maintain a safe and secure community. Appropriate staffing for public safety is determined by the Council in collaboration with the City Administrator and Chief of Police. The City of Ripon Police Department continues to operate at the highest officer per citizen ratio in the County, and the City Council will adopt a policy encouraging increased staffing at the County level. N. Wilma Ave. Ripon, California 95366 • Phone (209) 599-2108 • Fax (209) 599-2685 Honorable Judge Warner August 21, 2013
F3
1: The duplication of special units, specialized training and police functions (e.g., property, room dispatch, investigation technicians) cause inefficient use of limited resources. Each agency within San Joaquin County has specific needs and a specific Response to F3.1: level of service that is expected of the communities that they serve. The City of Ripon Police Department has similar issues, but at differing levels than other county agencies that require our units' attention. It is the belief of this agency that the community issues that are faced by the City of Ripon would not be addressed at the same level or as quickly if they were the responsibility of a larger entity (i.e. task force, consolidated dispatch center, county wide property rooms, or evidence technicians).
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
Lodi, Manteca, Ripon, Stockton and Tracy, before September 1, 2013, each appoint two representatives, one to represent law enforcement and one to represent the governing body or management, to form an ad hoc committee. The committee's purpose is to conduct a study on how to increase countywide efficiency of law enforcement agencies by taking a regional approach to some or all of their services. A preliminary report is to be released before December 31, 2013, of actions already taken to increase efficiency and additional actions that will be taken between January 2014 and June 2015.. Response to R3: As proposed, an ad hoc committee may not be necessary because it would essentially be a duplication of effort. Elected officials, City Managers, and law enforcement executives regularly meet with their neighboring counterparts to discuss problems and solutions affecting local and regional government. Nevertheless, in the event an ad hoc committee is formed as recommended by the Grand Jury, the City Council will appoint two representatives to participate on the committee. If there are questions or concerns regarding any aspect of this Response, please feel free to contact City Attorney Thomas H. Terpstra, or send correspondence to the City Council at 259 N. Wilma Avenue, Ripon, California, 95366. Sincerely, Wen D. Clerk Mayor 259 N. Wilma Ave. Ripon, California 95366 • Phone (209) 599-2108 • Fax (209) 599-2685

* This report's PDF did not contain easily extractable text and required Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for analysis. There may be minor errors in the extracted findings and recommendations due to OCR limitations with scanned documents.