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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublicSafetyCommAgenda2023Nov9 COUNTY of FREDERICK, VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS 1080 Coverstone Dr. Winchester, VA 22602 Major Steve Hawkins Interim Director 540-665-6356 FREDERICK COUNTY PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE AGENDA November 9, 2023 8:30 A.M. **Training Rooms – first floor, lobby side Public Safety Building 1080 Coverstone Dr., Winchester, Virginia Call to Order: Agenda Items: 1. BlueLine presentation update (see attached)– Helen Lake 2. Brief FY25 Departmental Budget requests – Major Hawkins, Sheriff Millholland, Chief Majchrzak Next Meeting Date: TBA if necessary, in 2023 PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE WORKGROUP Thursday October 12, 2023 1:00 p.m. 1080 COVERSTONE DRIVE, WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA ATTENDEES: Committee Members Present: Helen Lake, Heather Lockridge. Staff and Guests Present: Major Steve Hawkins, Sheriff Lenny Millholland, Lieutenant Warren Gosnell and Randy Campbell representing Blue Line Solutions. 1. Blue Line Solutions update: The workgroup discussed the need, impact and details related to the Sheriff’s Office desire to implement the TrueBlue Speed Enforcement for School Zones for Frederick County Public Schools. As the Public Safety Committee discussed at the September 28th meeting: The program utilizes public information and education, speed cameras, and enforcement to reduce speeding in school zones. There is no upfront cost to the County. Blue Line Solutions will maintain and install all cameras in all school zones. Upon entering a contract, there is a 30-day media/public awareness campaign to include Public Service Announcements, education and social media postings followed by a 30-day “warning” period before the system goes live. Drivers cited under this system will receive a ticket and civil penalty and fine of $100. Citations do not impact auto insurance or DMV license points. The Sheriff’s office would receive $75.00 for every citation and Blue Line Solutions would receive $25. Equipment calibrations, citation payments and data storage questions were posed by Ms. Lockridge. Mr. Campbell advised the workgroup that calibrations are done on the cameras every 35 minutes 24/7/365. Once a violator has been cited, their information is stored in their system for 30 days then purges out. Lt. Gosnell stated that violations are downloaded daily from BlueLine and sent to him for review. Upon confirmation of the offenses, they are sent back to BlueLine and the citation is issued to the violator via USPS. Ideally, the turnaround time from offense to citation is 7 days or less. Sheriff Millholland and Lt. Gosnell said the money that the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office receives ($75 per violation) would go to school driver safety programs and to better educate the community on traffic safety. Speed studies have been conducted by BlueLine at 4 of the highest trafficked schools (see attachments). These would be the first to receive the cameras with the 7 remaining schools to follow. The rate of speed reduction averages 92% in school zones with Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) platforms. Ms. Lake inquired about private schools obtaining the speed cameras. These facilities need to be in VDOT approved zones in order to be eligible for the program. Attached is a list of jurisdictions and their relationship with BlueLine Solutions. This program is geared toward the safety of school children and everyone within the community. The success rate for lowering accidents and speed on the roads and raising the awareness of ones surroundings is shown in the data, studies and praise from other program users. Ms. Lake requested that Sheriff Millholland reach out to other agencies to obtain feedback on the programs successes to share with the Board of Supervisors. Sheriff Millholland added that since this meeting (held on 10/12/23) Front Royal has entered into a contract partnership with BlueLine Solutions. A list of high dollar items for the Sheriff’s Office FY25 budget proposal. Vehicles • 29 – Durangos, $1,344,585 ($46,365 ea) • 5 – F150 = $225,000 ($45,000 ea) • 2 Transit vans = $112,000 ($56,000 ea) • 1 Search and rescue = $310,000 • 1 – Mobile Command Vehicle = $1,200,000 • 1 Dive time underwater search and recovery vehicle = $450,000 Total for 39 Matrix replacement = $3,641,585 • 9 Durangos for new hires - $417,285 ($46,365 ea) Total for 48 new vehicles = $4,058,870 • Upfitting 48 new vehicles = @ $17,884 ea = $858,432 • Remote Mount Multi-Band Radio’s to upfit 48 vehicles = @ $6,229 ea = $298,992 Grand total for new vehicle and upfitting = $5,216,294 • 5 Durango’s for replacement vehicles for Part time and Veronica • Axon - $433,117.79 – cost for the next 5 years for body camera’s • EVO 2 Drone – for search and rescue = $15,000 • Tri-Pod lifting system for search and rescue = $10,000 • Compression = $293,500 • 10% Pay incentive for certified SRO’s $135,000.00 Patrol Shift Differential • Dayshift - $37,440 ($1 for 18 deputies) • Evening - $87,360 ($2 for 21 deputies) • Midnight - $66,560 ($2 for 16 deputies) or $99,840 ($3 for 16 deputies) • Traffic - $12,480 ($1 for 6 deputies) or $24,960 ($2 for 6 deputies) Total = $203,840 per year or $249,600 per year (midnight at $3 and traffic at $2) • Financial reward for those who stay on patrol and work the road, dealing with the public, use of forces, injuries, lack of family time, lack of sleep, etc. Positions • 9 Deputies • 6 Patrol • 2 Traffic • 1 ACO • Crime Analyst • FOIA Officer • See attached computer program cost with justification. PowerDMS Software Program Law enforcement agency (LEA) accreditation is a self-initiated process of adopting and maintaining standardized policies and procedures. LEAs operate within a specific set of state- and/or nationally recognized standards that are determined and defined by an accreditation body. To obtain accreditation, an LEA must work with a state or national accreditation body to develop and adopt a specific set of operational standards -the number of standards varies by accreditation entity – and maintain compliance during the accreditation period. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) & COPS Office support agency accreditation and recognize the importance of adhering to the highest standards of law enforcement policies and operations. The community benefits when its law enforcement personnel are following standardized policies and procedures that provide efficient, effective, and fair policing. Accreditation of agencies helps to ensure accountability and transparency that can enhance confidence and trust in law enforcement among the communities they serve. The accreditation process is a systematic, internal review of policies, procedures, training, and operations – all of which are measured against the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission (VLEPSC) standards manual to prove compliance. The agency must provide yearly proof of compliance and the agency is physically assessed every four years for compliance. The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office has been accredited since 2007. There are currently 192 standards that the Sheriff’s Office has to meet to maintain accreditation. Since 2001, PowerDMS has been providing solutions to support law enforcement agencies. The PowerDMS public safety workforce platform is built for law enforcement and designed to address the challenges law enforcement faces daily. More than 5000 law enforcement agencies across the country use PowerDMS to provide them with support for scheduling, officer wellness, policy and accreditation management, citizen engagement, and field training. The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office would like to use PowerDMS for the accreditation program through VLEPSC and to track required training more efficiently. Currently the Sheriff’s Office maintains 192 paper files in file folders. Each file folder contains a compliance form, Sheriff’s Office policy, and the required proof of compliance. Switching to a computerized file system will allow the Sheriff’s Office to eliminate all paper files. All forms, policy, and proofs will be maintained in the PowerDMS systems files. Required training can be completed and tracked online also. Using the PowerDMS program will allow the Sheriff’s Office to maintain accreditation more efficiently and eliminate the cost of copying thousands of forms, proofs, etc. Estimated cost is $20,000 but can be formulated to fit our needs. There are 31 States to include us that have their own accreditations.