Partnership may resolve police issues

A lack of consistent police leadership in Millbrae is one issue facing the department which could be solved by consolidating with San Bruno, a 12-page report from the California Commission on Police Officer Standards and Training found.

A number of the issues facing the department - a lack of consistent leadership, inexperienced field sergeants and watch commanders, investigation and report writing quality that needs improvement, and copious amounts of undocumented time on patrol - could be addressed through a partnership with San Bruno, which is currently being studied. Without a partnership, Millbrae should consider hiring more staff including full-time chief of police and command staff, according to the report which will be reviewed by the City Council tonight.

"This is a benchmark to start discussion and get community awareness," said Mayor Paul Seto.

Whether the city ends up sharing services or going it alone, it will affect the community, he said.

Councilwoman Nadia Holober, who serves on the council subcommittee reviewing the possible consolidation, noted that Millbrae requested this study to better understand its strengths and weaknesses.

A major noted weakness is inconsistent leadership. Millbrae currently shares a police chief with San Bruno, Niel Telford. It has shared chiefs previously but also had turnover in recent years.

Both Vice Mayor Dan Quigg and Seto acknowledged that the city has had a transition in leadership but, in general, thought the partnership to be working.

Increasing staff was another suggestion from the report. Millbrae spent $300,000 in overtime last year and an estimated $400,000 could be spent in the current year. Scheduling two people - the minimum staffing levels - per shift is the main culprit. If someone is sick or off, a person needs to be paid overtime to fill the position. Hiring a person and scheduling three people instead of two could greatly cut down on overtime costs, the POST study found.

Holober was intrigued by this idea.

"It doesn't surprise me that they talk about increasing the staffing level," said Holober.

Millbrae has gone from 35 sworn positions in 2001 to 20.5, Telford wrote in a staff report. Despite this, Holober was happy to note the report did not find public safety to be affected.

The POST study also suggested implementing online reporting options to free up time. Seto favored the additional option for residents. Quigg, on the other hand, worried that relying on online reporting would decrease the level of service to residents.

Interestingly, those on patrol were found to have ample uncommitted time which is not documented. As such, it's unclear what is being done, even if it's positive like preventative patrols or problem-solving activities.

Many of these issues could be addressed through steady leadership offered in a consolidation, the POST report found. If consolidation does not occur, the report suggested hiring a full-time police chief and recruiting two commander/captain/lieutenant positions.

The council meets 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26 at City Hall, 621 Magnolia Ave. in Millbrae.