2008-08-19 7-ACITY of ALAMEDA
Memorandum
To: Honorable Mayor and
Members of the City council
From: Debra Kurita
City Manager
Date: August 19, 2008
Re: Public Safety Service Fees
BACKGROUND
This memorandum provides background information related to Mayor Johnson's referral
on the August 19, 2008, City Council agenda. The Mayor requested a report on the
feasibility of attaching "service fees" to public safety calls for service that would fall
outside of the perceived "normal scope" of business.
nisr.t inN
Police Department
The Alameda Police Department's primary mission is to provide high quality law
enforcement and crime prevention services to the Alameda community. with rare
exception, it has been the department's practice to provide these services free of cost.
The Police Department assigns a priority level for all calls for service. For example, a
robbery in progress would be a Priority 1 call, while a parking problem would be
designated as a Priority 4 call. Most of the calls received fall in between, as Priority 2 or
3. All calls are dispatched according to their assigned priority level, with lower priority
calls being held until higher priority calls have been handled.
With regard to Priority 4 calls for service, the most common include parking problems,
abandoned vehicles, and dead animals. In each of these types of calls, there is either a
violation of law, albeit minor, or a "quality of life" concern. The Police Department does
receive other non emergency calls for service, which are categorized as
"miscellaneous" and assigned a Priority 4. These calls might include providing advice to
citizens or signing off on a traffic citation. An itemized list of Priority 4 calls for FY 2007-
2008 is attached to this memorandum. As indicated, Priority 4 calls represented
approximately 10% of all calls for service received during the fiscal year. Many of the
calls listed already have a fee or fine attached to them. The remainder of the calls are
infrequent and would not generate significant revenue.
As a result of the continual analysis of calls for service and staffing levels over the past
several years, the department has discontinued its response to certain calls, such as
Re: Agenda Item 7 -A
August 19, 2008
Honorable Mayor and August 19, 2008
Members of the city council Page 2 of 3
vehicle lockouts where no emergency exists. The department has also streamlined
many of its reporting and investigative processes by utilizing technological advances
and more efficient report forms, thereby eliminating the need for an officer response.
This ensures that the officers on the street are responding to the highest priority calls
and only addressing the low- priority calls when time allows.
Consistent with the increasingly difficult fiscal times, the department has also made
necessary adjustments to its Master Fee Schedule, increasing most fees and adding
fees for certain services previously provided at no charge. For example, the Master Fee
Schedule now includes a fee of $116 for all tow releases. An analysis of new fees that
could be charged for miscellaneous Priority 4 calls would take approximately four weeks
to complete.
Fire Department
The primary mission of the Alameda Fire Department is to protect the lives and property
of Alameda residents and business community members from the adverse effects of
fires, medical emergencies, and other dangerous conditions. In fulfilling its mission, the
Fire Department is staffed, equipped, and trained to provide a broad range of services.
All Fire Department calls for service fall into two priority codes, emergency and non
emergency. The following table details the type and number of non emergency calls for
service in 2007:
TYPE
COUNT
Medical Assist
969
Water Problem, other
41
Lock In /Lock out
37
Water or Steam Leak
18
Public Service Assistance
11
Assist Police or other Agency
7
Removal from Elevator
3
Water Evacuation
2
Total
1 078
*Medical Assist includes assisting people who fall in their home and need help getting up.
Non emergency calls for assistance are generally not highly time sensitive; they are
prioritized and dealt with after all other calls have been handled. In other words,
responding to these types of calls does not take resources away from fires, emergency
medical calls, and other priorities. In addition, many of these calls could turn into an
emergency if they are not handled appropriately. For example, the Fire Department has
responded to calls of senior citizens who have fallen and are unable to get up and to
calls from people locked in elevators. other calls, such as helping people who are
locked out of their homes or cars, are provided as a service to the community only when
resources are available. These calls are infrequent and would not generate significant
Honorable Mayor and
M m be.m of th e C ty Coun
Auguf 1.9, 2008-
P a-ge of 3,
rove.nu An analysis -of new foes that could h e charged :fo non-eme calls would'
take approximately four weeks io comple'teY
'RECOMMEN DATIO N
This report is provided for information only. No action i S. required.
Respedkfu:11y subrnifted.,
Wa.fter.-B, TI .bbet
Chief of Poiid8
David Kapler
Fi re :c h'i &f
Aftethmont: P- of l'ce' aepert eni riorr -Y Four G alls for Serv1ce
Priority Four Calls for Service
July 1, 2007 thru June 30, 2008
Total Priority 4 Calls 6
Total Calls 65
Percentage 10.1%