From
Fred Bates, Jr.
Title
Ordinance amending the Police Department's authorized positions in each classification for Fiscal Year 2016
Presenter
Chief Steve Dye, Police Department
Recommended Action
Approve
Analysis
The City of Grand Prairie has established a Police Department to provide the citizens of Grand Prairie a first class public safety response to police emergencies and calls for service based on a Community Policing philosophy. The Department has worked to garner an outstanding reputation throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex as the place for serious and professional law enforcement career minded individuals to seek employment. This interest from a highly qualified and talented applicant pool is contrary to the experience of agencies similar in size and scope to this Department. Due to the successful recruiting efforts and this outstanding pool of qualified candidates, the Department has decided to seize this opportunity by starting a Police Academy class on May 31, 2016. The Department anticipates filling all current vacancies, and additionally, has several planned promotions and retirements in the coming months.
The Department would like to over hire to fill the Police Officer vacancies that will be created by those promotions and retirements. Furthermore, the Department has requested six (6) Police Officer and one (1) Police Sergeant position in the FY 2017 budget. The Department would like to add these positions now; taking full advantage of an academy class of highly qualified and superior candidates for the City. This also expedites the training of additional personnel who will be available to serve the City sooner.
Currently, the police department has 259 authorized Civil Service sworn positions consisting of 220 Police Officers; twenty-six (26) Sergeants; eight (8) Lieutenants; two (2) Assistant Chiefs; two (2) Deputy Chiefs; and one (1) Police Chief. The police department is adding two (2) new Police Sergeant positions, six (6) new Police Officer positions, and five (5) over hire Police Officer positions in Fiscal Year 2016. Of the new positions, two (2) Police Sergeant and five (5) Police Officer positions will be funded from sales tax collections in the Crime Control and Prevention District fund. Two (2) Police Officer and five (5) over hire Police Officer positions will be funded in the General Fund.
With the additional two (2) Police Sergeant positions and eleven (11) Police Officer positions, police department staffing will now consist of 272 authorized Civil Service sworn positions, which will be allocated as two-hundred and thirty-one (231) Police Officers; twenty-eight (28) Sergeants; eight (8) Lieutenants; two (2) Deputy Chiefs; two (2) Assistant Chiefs, and one (1) Police Chief.
The effective date for the two new Sergeant positions is July 1, 2016. The Police Officer positions will be effective with the passing of this ordinance.
Financial Consideration
All over hire positions will be funded with vacancy savings in the General Fund. Two new Police Officer positions will be funded in the General Fund (282310, School Resource Officer Unit), five new Police Officer and two new Police Sergeant positions will be funded by sales tax collections allocated to the Crime Control and Prevention District (286110, Crime Tax Personnel).
Body
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS, AMENDING ORDINANCE 9947-2015 TO DEFINE THE NUMBER OF AUTHORIZED POSITIONS IN EACH CLASSIFICATION FOR FISCAL YEAR 2016
WHEREAS, the City of Grand Prairie has established a Police Department to provide the citizens of Grand Prairie a first class public safety response to police emergencies and calls for service based on a Community Policing philosophy; and
WHEREAS, the department currently has 259 authorized positions, consisting of 220 Police Officers, 26 Sergeants, 8 Lieutenants, 2 Deputy chiefs, 2 Assistant Chiefs, 1 Police Chief; and
WHEREAS, this ordinance will be renewed annually during the budget process or as needed; now therefore
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS:
Section 1. THAT the total authorized sworn police department positions for the fiscal year 2016 is now 272, with 231 Police Officers, 28 Sergeants, 8 Lieutenants, 2 Deputy Chiefs, 2 Assistant Chiefs, and 1 Police Chief.
Section 2. THAT this ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage, approval and publication and it is accordingly so ordained.
Section 3: THAT all ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict with this ordinance are hereby repealed.
PASSED AND APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS, ON THIS THE 3rd DAY OF MAY, 2016.