Antioch City Council Approves Immediate Over Staffing of Police Officers

In a unanimous vote Tuesday, the Antioch Police Department is now free to over staff its police department by 6 sworn police officers above the authorized allocated staffing level of 104.

The move is aimed at allow the police to hire more officers ahead of anticipated attrition.

“Since Measure C was voted in and approved by voters in November of 2013. Our police department has worked diligently with human resources in an effort to reach our full staffing goals of 104 police officers. During that time we have hired 61 police officers since November of 2013. Unfortunately, 44 have separated employment with our agency during that same time, which gives us a net gain of 17 officers,” explained Brooks.

Brooks explained while they have 99 officers currently, they don’t have 99 officers working in full capacity – 6 are in a field training program, 7 who are injured/illness or personnel related issue.

“We only have 86 full duty police officers currently working,” said Brooks. “So working at this lower capacity puts a huge strain and burden on the police officers that are working. We’re trying to provide public safety service, a professional to this community and we’re trying to do so as quickly as possible and provide the highest level of service possible. With fewer officers, that makes it more difficult on each one of those to fill that burden.”

Brooks further stated they have 7 applicants which 2 are laterals, 1 an academy graduate currently in various stages of hiring process. 8 more applicants awaiting their oral interviews

“The issue that I have is with 99 sworn police officers on the books, another five in the academy is that I’ve reached my 104 number and I cannot offer any of the people in our process a conditional job offer,” said Brooks. “What’s outlined in the staff report is that for us to put these applicants through the entire process before they can take the last two tests, which are a psychological exam, a medical exam, they have to be given a conditional job offer by law. So if we don’t have the ability to give a conditional job offer, then the people who are currently in our pipeline, that list will go stale and most of the people who are in our process, our processes with other agencies as well and if we’re unable to continue them along then they will continue with those other agencies and potentially get hired on by that agency.”

Brooks requested to over hire as a temporary measure to give conditional job officers to allow them to continue through the process to the next police academy.

“If we give a conditional job offer to someone today and they continue through the process, it’ll probably be around January or February before they can complete that entire process. We wouldn’t be able to put them into an academy until March, which means they won’t even be a sworn police officer until September of 2019,” explained Brooks.  “So I need the ability to provide the offer just so that we can continue them through the process in an effort just to get them as a sworn police officer for the city of Antioch by September of 2019.”

Brooks further stated if they miss the March 2019 deadline, they would not graduate until December or January of 2020 which further prolongs the process of hiring more officers.

Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock called this ask a “no brainer” and would like to see the police department grow to 115 officers.

“I’m in favor of this. I think it’s a no brainer… I would ask that if you needed more, you would come back and ask us for an adjustment on the budget,” said Ogorchock.

Councilwoman Monica Wilson highlighted how they had a lot of attrition recently because they were not hiring during the economic downturn which has impacted their level of officers.

“The public is now probably going to start seeing more officers on the street,” said Wilson highlighting she wanted more officers on patrol.

“Attrition in the organization regardless of where it comes from, ultimately impacts patrol,” said Brooks. “If someone leaves who was a supervisor or a manager, we need to fill that spot. Promotions occur and it eventually trickles down to someone in patrol who gets promoted from an officer to a corporal and the corporal gets promoted to sergeant, sergeant goes to a lieutenant, and so on and so on.”

Brooks said as they get more officers, the community will see positions filled and more officers will be on patrol as attrition slows.

Mayor Sean Wright reminded the community to remember that 2-years ago, he pushed for 108 budged officers while the council decided on 104 because he know 108 would get them to 104 based on attrition.

“104 wasn’t going to get us to 104 and it hasn’t for this very reason because you can only hire to the number that we gave you and through attrition we don’t ever quite get to that number,” said Wright. “So, I’m completely in favor of this to be able to help us actually get to that number.”

The council voted 4-0 in favor of the action with Councilman Lamar Thorpe absent from the meeting.

Had the council not approved the action, Brooks stated Thursday they had the potential to lose as many as 9 “great candidates” if they said no and set back the hiring process a year.