Gran Jurado del Condado de Stanislaus

2023-2024

1 informes

Hallazgos & Recomendaciones 13 hallazgos
F1: In the latter part of 2021, R1. OPD peace officers be half of OPD patrol officers were X fully compliant with X out of compliance with mandated training by mandated DV training pursuant December 31, 2024. to state law.
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R1: Unused restricted funds should stay with SCAS instead of being returned to JPA members. Recommendation has been implemented. Starting with the year-end reconciliation of the FY2022-2023 budget, SASA will retain funds as specified in sections A and C of county ordinance 7.20.010 for carryover and usage for those specified purposes. SASA's intention is to use the appropriated funds for public spay/neuter as they become available each year starting with the FY2023- 2024 budget. However, in the event that there are unutilized funds at the end of the year, SASA plans to carry those funds over for the same purpose in the subsequent year. Once again, it's important to clarify that our organization is not SCAS.
F2: As of January 1, 2023, a R2. OPD peace officers minimum of four out of X attend the forty-hour STOP X fourteen OPD patrol officers course. were out of compliance with mandated training (CPT, PSP, DV) pursuant to state law and POST regulations.
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R2: OPD peace officers attend the forty-hour STOP course.
F3: OPD did not maintain a R3. OPD should encourage detailed record of the reason(s) a representative of OPD to for non-compliance with POST X attend a POST Training X regulatory mandates due to Managers Course by Covid-19 concerns, as December 31, 2023. recommended by POST Bulletin No. 2020-14.
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R3: OPD should encourage a representative of OPD to attend a POST Training Managers Course by December 31, 2023.
F4: OPD's continued failure to R4. OPD should encourage require its patrol officers to a representative of OPD to complete continuing attend POST Training professional training courses X Managers Workshops when X (CPT, PSP), as mandated by available in Stanislaus state law and POST regulations, County. could jeopardize OPD's good standing with POST. .
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R4: OPD should encourage a representative of OPD to attend POST Training Managers Workshops when available in Stanislaus County.
F5: The failure to keep OPD R5. OPD should review and patrol officers in compliance revise its Training Policy with training as mandated by No. 203 to be consistent state law and POST regulations X with the department's stated X makes it possible that the goals and mandates of citizens of Oakdale may, on section 203.9 no later than occasion, suffer from less December 31, 2023. effective policing.
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R5: Perishable Skills 24/Annually
F6: OPD lacks internal R6. OPD should review and enforcement by management of revise its Master Training its Training Policy No. 203. X Plan no later than December X 31, 2023.
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R6: OPD should review and revise its Master Training Plan no later than December 31, 2023.
F7: OPD does not follow its R7. OPD should revise its Training Policy No. 203, as its Master Training Plan to Training Committee does not X include domestic violence X meet on a regular basis. mandated training where appropriate by December 31, 2023.
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R7: SCAS should shorten wait times for available online appointments. Recommendation will not be implemented because it is not reasonable. Due to the constraints of our limited resources and minimal staff at SASA, our primary focus is on fulfilling the essential tasks necessary for the care of over 7,000 animals annually. The wait times experienced by our clients are directly related to the availability of staff and space. Despite our efforts to enhance efficiency within the existing framework, the reality is that without additional staff and/or space, reducing wait times is simply not feasible. Once again, it's important to clarify that our organization is not SCAS. RS: SASA should hold its board meetings iri the evenings to increase public participation. Recommendation will not be implemented because it is not warranted. The composition of the JPA Board consists of City Managers and County Executive staff members who already have commitments and scheduling constraints for evening meetings. Therefore, it would be impractical to introduce an additional night meeting that could disrupt and potentially clash with the schedules of all participating agencies. Furthermore, scheduling an evening board meeting would necessitate paying certain staff members overtime, which would impose a financial burden on SASA's already lean budget. Considering the current financial constraints, there is limited room to accommodate this additional expense.
F8: OPD's Training Policy No. 203, which includes a list of excused absences from mandatory training, is missing X Family Leave Act of 1993 and military leave.
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R8: Defensive Driving EVOC 24/3 Years II. Essential Training
F9: OPD's Master Training Plan does not include domestic violence mandated training in X its "Police Officer, Field Services" classification. Conclusion The Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury has concluded that the Oakdale City Council has responded in a thorough and timely fashion ,J • RECEIVED AUG 2 4 2023 Office of the City Council BY:_ ____ 280 North Third Avenue• Oak.dale, CA 9S361 • Ph: (209) 845-3571 • Fax: (209) 847-6834 Finance Department 280 N. Third Ave. VIA FIRST CLASS MAIL Oakdale, CA 95361 (209) 845-3571 (209) 847-6834 Fax August 22, 2023 Facility Rentals & Recreation Division Honorable Carrie M. Stephens (209) 845-3591 Presiding Judge of the Superior Court, County of Stanislaus (209) 847-6834 Fax P.O. Box 3488 Modesto, CA 95353 PUBLIC SERVICES DEPARTMENT 455 S. 5th Ave. Re: Grand Jury Report "City of Oakdale Police Department Patrol Officers Out of Oakdale, CA 95361 Compliance with Mandated Training" (209) 848-4344 Fax Dear Judge Stephens: Administration, Engineering & Maintenance The City of Oakdale appreciates the efforts of the Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury Divisions (209) 845-3600 (SCCGJ) and the service they have provided to our community. We highly value their input and dedication to reviewing our training practices. The City has reviewed the findings Building & Planning and recommendations of the Grand Jury's report titled "City of Oakdale Police Department Division (209) 845-3625 Patrol Officers Out of Compliance with Mandated Training" and is providing this letter as the City's official response. POLICE DEPARTMENT 250 N. Third Ave. In its report, the Grand Jury found that some officers were out of compliance with Oakdale, CA 95361 mandated Domestic Violence training during the latter half of 2021. The review also found (209) 847-2231 (209) 847-3790 Fax that on January 1, 2023, some officers were out of compliance with Continuing Professional Training and Perishable Skills Training. FIRE DEPARTMENT SCFPD Headquarters: The OPD Management Team and Training Unit agree that officers enrolled in ongoing 3318 Topeka Street training are better equipped with prevailing practices and skills, enabling them to respond Riverbank (209) 869-7470 to the job's challenges and perform their duties proficiently. OPD is committed to adhering (209) 869-7475 Fax to Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) training requirements, and state Station No. 5: 325 East "G" St. mandated training to ensure the safety and well-being of our community and our officers. (209) 322-3809 We work tirelessly to improve our policies and procedures to better serve the needs of our (209) 322-3723 Fax community. Station No. 4: 450 S. Willowood Dr. Oakdale, CA 95361 The SCCGJ asserted that OPD lacks effort to schedule mandated training. OPD (209) 847-5904 respectfully disagrees with this assertion. There were significant challenges in delivering a (209) 847-5907 Fax usual standard of training to smaller departments due to unprecedented events brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. OPD and other agencies within the state and nation CITY OF OAKDALE WEBSITE were faced with the necessity to transition from traditional training practices to something www.oakdalegov.com that we were not familiar with, all while maintaining a primary focus on the safety of our community and the health of our personnel. We recognize and regret that these changes, E-MAIL compelled by the pandemic, impeded some aspects of our training, which included POST- [email protected] 1 IP age mandated training and Domestic Violence training. We aim to consider these hurdles as learning experiences in our ongoing quest to improve our training system. Furthermore, we would like to highlight that the appointment of the new Chief of Police on October 25, 2021, brought a renewed focus on training and professional development within our organization. Under his leadership, we have implemented improvements to our training programs, aiming to enhance their effectiveness and address identified shortcomings. Chief Ramar placed a focus on getting all officers into compliance with POST-mandated training. Due to the renewed focus, OPD personnel attended over 2500 hours of POST training in 2022. This is double the POST training hours of 2021, which was approximately 1100 hours. Chief Ramar also implemented the LEFTA Training System, which is a software program that tracks all of the OPD officers' training through internal documents and POST EDI (refer to attached LEPTA overview). The system is a web-based software program that combines all training records in a single comprehensive application. This system was implemented to assist the STC and management in keeping officers compliant with POST-mandated and State-mandated training. This project was initiated in August 2022 and commissioned in January 2023. It has proven to be a valuable asset in managing their personnel. LEFTA includes a ninety-day warning system that notifies STC, management, and the officer when their POST-mandated and state-mandated training is going to expire. As stated in the SCCGJ report finding 2, Oakdale Police Department Training Coordinator and management recognized that starting January 1, 2023, there would be four officers out of compliance with this training. OPD proactively addressed it in 2022 to ensure the officers would receive the training in early 2023. The four officers completed the training on or before June 5, 2023, and before the release of the SCCGJ Report. Oakdale Police Management takes training seriously and is enforcing its own training policy. Every police officer that is capable of attending training has already attended the POST-mandated training or is scheduled to attend the training prior to December 31, 2024. In the SCCGJ report, the SCCGJ compared the training record of OPD to the two largest law enforcement agencies in the county. OPD is a significantly smaller agency that must rely on larger agencies for various training, as do most smaller police agencies. This is due to staff size and budget. Modesto PD and Stanislaus County Sheriff have large training units. They are nearly self sustaining at obtaining their training, making it easier and more efficient for them to obtain training during difficult times. It is worth mentioning that comparing an agency that has twenty-three officers to an agency that is allotted 210 positions and 208 positions is not a valid or fair comparison. These agencies are approximately nine times larger than OPD. Comparing to like sized agencies with similar training abilities would give a better picture of OPD's status. If compared objectively with like-sized agencies, one can see that OPD is consistent with other departments in the area. Other departments experienced the same difficulties in obtaining training that OPD experienced. We would suggest that these were difficulties, not failures to train. Chief Ramar contacted several local agencies regarding their POST compliance. An agency in the area shared that their police department's allotted full-time positions are approximately the same as Oakdale. That department also had a minimum of four police officers out of compliance starting January 1, 2023. That department's statistics with compliance are nearly identical to OPD statistics that the SCCGJ published. Another agency in the area, which is approximately double the department size of our department, shared that on January 1, 2023, they had nine officers out of compliance. The out-of-compliance ratio for this department on January 1, 2023, is nearly identical 2I Page to OPD. Another police department in the area which is approximately three times larger than Oakdale, shared that on January 1, 2023, had thirteen officers out of compliance. Again, the out of-compliance ratio on January 1, 2023, is very similar to OPD. It appears that OPD was not the only agency that experienced challenges obtaining training during and post COVID-19. Training compliance of nearby agencies of similar size: Oakdale PD 23 Full-time officers 4 Out of compliance 17.4% Agency A 25 Full-time officers 4 Out of compliance 16% Agency B 52 Full-time officers 9 Out of compliance 17.3% Agency C 83 Full-time officers 13 Out of compliance 15.7% These agencies willingly cooperated with the Oakdale Police Department by sharing their data, but requested that their agency names be withheld. Out of cooperation and respect, we agreed not to share the agency names. POST regulation 1005(d)(2)(A)2 reads as follows: 2. First-Time Appointments A grace period with no CPT requirements, is granted when an individual is appointed for the first time to one of the subsection 1005(d )(l) positions. This grace period is the time period between the individual's appointment date and the first occurrence of the CPT Anniversary Date. It is granted to allow completion of entry level requirements that do not count towards CPT. POST regulation 1005(d )(2)(A)3 reads as follows: 3. Reappointments/Lateral Transfers A grace period, with no CPT requirement, is granted for an individual rehired into one of the subsection 1005(d )(l) positions with the same department or who transfers to a different department. This grace period is the time between the date reappointed and the next cycle CPT Anniversary Date. These regulations indicate that POST grants a grace period for first-time appointed officers and lateral police officers. When analyzing the compliance report for those officers out of compliance as of January 1, 2023, two officer fall within those grace periods and would not be required to complete the CPT until the following training cycle, which is 2023 - 2024. When taking this into consideration, then the minimum out-of-compliance would be two, not four, and the percentage would change from 17.4% to 8.7%. Oakdale Police Department personnel recognize that in today's complex training environment of law enforcement officers, one crucial aspect is ensuring that they remain in good standing with POST. Maintaining good standing with POST is paramount for the organization to operate with confidence and retain or earn the trust of stakeholders and the community. OPD Training Coordinator and Management worked closely with their POST Auditor, have throughout the years, and more so during their annual audits. The most recent annual audit of training and hiring practices was completed on December 2, 2022 (see attachment below). The POST auditor did not and has not recently indicated that OPD was in jeopardy of losing its good standing with POST. The SCCGJ asserted that OPD does not follow its training policy No. 203 as its training committee does not meet on a regular basis. We believe that when this assertion was made, there was a misunderstanding by the SCCGJ of the purpose and scope of a training committee. The training committee, as described in the policy, is not a permanent or required committee. The training 3I Page committee is only formed on a temporary or as-needed basis, according to policy. OPD policy 203.6 states the following: The Training Manager may establish a Training Committee, on a temporary or as-needed basis, which will serve to assist with identifying training needs for the Department. The Training Committee shall be comprised of at least three members, with the senior ranking member of the committee acting as the chairperson. Members should be selected based on their abilities at post-incident evaluation and at assessing related training needs. The Training Manager may remove or replace members of the committee at his/her discretion. The Training Committee should review certain incidents to determine whether training would likely improve future outcomes or reduce or prevent the recurrence of the undesirable issues related to the incident. Specific incidents the Training Committee should review include, but are not limited to: a. Any incident involving the death or serious injury of an employee. b. Incidents involving a high risk of death, serious injury or civil liability. c. Incidents identified by a supervisor as appropriate to review to identify possible training needs. When the training committee is active, the Training Committee should convene on a regular basis as determined by the Training Manager to review the identified incidents. The committee shall determine by consensus whether a training need exists and then submit written recommendations of its findings to the Training Manager. The
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R9: SCAS should improve communication with the public by promptly returning phone calls and emails. Recommendation will not be implemented because it is not reasonable. A year ago, it was commonplace for SASA to encounter response times for phone calls that often exceeded four weeks. Due to budget limitations, SASA is unable to employ a dedicated receptionist and must rely on available staff to handle calls whenever they have a moment free. However, with the addition of two positions within the business office last year the wait time for phone calls has been reduced to approximately 7 to 10 days. While this timeframe is still suboptimal and falls short of our desired responsiveness, it represents a significant improvement. Furthermore, we have recently introduced a part-time extra help position specifically dedicated to returning calls and emails. Without additional staff it is not reasonable or possible to promptly return calls and emails. Once again, it's important to clarify that our organization is not SCAS.
F10: SCAS has a poor response R10. SASA should time to phone calls and emails. X implement its Advisory X Committee.
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R10: SASA should implement its Advisory Committee. Recommendation has not been implemented but will be implemented within six months. As a result of the impact of COVID, the advisory committee had disbanded. However, in recent months, we have actively engaged in recruiting volunteers to revive the committee. To ensure a functional committee, a minimum of four individuals is required to achieve a quorum. Presently, we have successfully recruited three members and are actively pursuing the recruitment of the remaining positions to complete the committee.
F11: SASA Advisory R11. SCAS should conduct Committee is currently not a survey of animal shelters functioning. X within California with X similar animal intake numbers and compare staffing levels.
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R11: SCAS should conduct a survey of animal shelters within California with similar animal intake numbers and compare staffing levels. Recommendation has not been implemented but will be implemented in the next six months. Although a survey was conducted a year ago, and some of the findings were included in the SCCGJ report, SASA will undertake a new survey to gather updated information. We will then provide a comprehensive report to the JPA Board based on the current survey results. Once again, it's important to clarify that our organization is not SCAS.
F12: SASA lacks a current R12. SCAS should work budget subcommittee. X with SASA to create a long- X term plan that provides a clear understanding of the future of SCAS.
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R12: SCAS should work with SASA to create a long-term plan that provides a clear u_nderstanding of the future of SCAS. Recommendation has not been implemented but will be implemented in the next six months. It seems that this recommendation stems from a misunderstanding regarding the two names SCAS and SASA. Let me reiterate that our organization is not SCAS. With that in mind, SASA will develop a comprehensive long-term plan within the next six months to outline the future trajectory of our organization. The following points aim to clarify information that was not reflected in the report's
F13: SCAS has no long-term plan for meeting the increasing X demands of the shelter. Conclusion The Civil Grand Jury acknowledges that a detailed response was submitted within the timelines required. 3647 Cornucopia Way Modesto, CA 95358 STANISLAUS Animal Services P: (209) 558-7387 IF: (209) 558-2138 StanislausAnimalServices.com AGENCY July 20, 2023 RECEIVED 2023 Honorable Carrie Stephens Presiding Judge, Superior Court of California County of Stanislaus P.O. Box 3488 Modesto, CA 95353 Subject: Stanislaus Animal Services Agency (SASA) JPA Board Response to Improving the Lives of Animals in Stanislaus County 2022-2023 Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury (SCCGJ) Case Number 23-14GJ Honorable Carrie Stephens, This letter is in response to the Stanislaus County 2022-2023 Civil Grand Jury Final Report for Case #23-14GJ, which was provided to the Stanislaus Animal Services Agency on May 25, 2023. The Stanislaus Animal Services Agency JPA Board has reviewed the findings and recommendations of the Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury - Improving the Lives of Animals in Stanislaus County 23-14GJ. We thank the Civil Grand Jury for their efforts to raise awareness on important issues regarding animal welfare and the operational support required to provide effective services to the community and providing our agency the opportunity to respond. The Stanislaus Animal Services Agency (SASA) joint powers agency (JPA) Board has reviewed the findings and recommendations of the report and have noted our responses below. The responses to FINDINGS from the SASA JPA Board are as follows: