COMPLIMENTS OF SOUTH SOUND 911

Transcription

1 Annual Report 2015

2 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR S MESSAGE 1 POLICY BOARD 2 OPERATIONS BOARD 3 LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION 5 REAL-TIME CRIME CENTER 7 FIRE SERVICES DIVISION 10 INFORMATION SERVICES 13 COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS 15 ADMINISTRATION: COMMUNITY RELATIONS 17 HUMAN RESOURCES 18 BUDGET & FINANCE ORGANIZATIONAL CHART 24 MEMBER & PARTNER AGENCIES 25 COMPLIMENTS OF SOUTH SOUND 911 ANDREW E. NEIDITZ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MARK MEARS, LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPUTY DIRECTOR KEN SHARP, FIRE SERVICES DEPUTY DIRECTOR ROB OESCH, INFORMATION SERVICES ASSISTANT DIRECTOR TIM HANNAH, COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS ASSISTANT DIRECTOR KRIS McNAMAR, COMMUNITY RELATIONS COORDINATOR CYNTHIA SHAFFER, HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER JANET CAVIEZEL, BUDGET & FINANCE MANAGER

3 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR S MESSAGE During most of 2015, in its third year of operation, South Sound 911 handled and successfully managed a number of increases in service and demand. There was a more than 3 percent increase in emergency 911 calls, as well as an increase among those in the number of calls placed by cell phone. The most notable changes, however, deserve special recognition. As an organization, South Sound 911 increased in size and responsibility. In October 2015, our dispatchers in Fife transitioned to the communications center in Puyallup to form South Sound 911's Eastside Communications Center. By December, offers of employment were made to the Puyallup dispatchers, who officially became South Sound 911 employees a few days later. Our agency is now 192 people strong, serving all 19 local law enforcement agencies. In 2015, South Sound 911 also assumed responsibility for the fire dispatch services provided by West Pierce Fire & Rescue's Fire Comm for 18 fire departments in the county. Dispatch operations remain with WPFR; however, we will endeavor to welcome Fire Comm employees into South Sound 911 prior to the agency's relocation to a new public safety communications center. To prepare for the future and to enhance interoperability between all first responder agencies countywide, we increased our responsibility with regards to technology. Nearly all of South Sound 911's partner police and fire departments are using the new, upgraded regional radio systems, and the regional computeraided dispatch (CAD) system went live in October. All 19 law enforcement agencies are using the new CAD system, which is designed to essentially unify public safety and improve the exchange of information. Changes like these prove that South Sound 911 is changing the way we do business. Not all change is easy or smooth. We spent the better part of 2015 regrouping from a setback related to the new public safety communications center. The site we selected in late-2014 was found to have soil contamination and stability issues which, for the purposes of our facility, were found to be insurmountable. We resumed the search for the future home of South Sound 911 with the assistance of the project s development team and its real estate consultants. We have stringent specifications that the building and site should meet standards established by the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) and others which are designed to ensure the building s structural integrity. And with the clock ticking on the funding timeline, timely completion is imperative. As an organization, South Sound 911 increased in size and responsibility... Our agency is now 192 people strong, serving all 19 local law enforcement agencies... [and] South Sound 911 also assumed responsibility for the fire dispatch services provided by West Pierce Fire & Rescue's Fire Comm for 18 fire departments in the county. There are several promising options in motion, so we begin 2016 with a positive outlook for the progress to come for all of South Sound 911's projects and goals. Andrew E. Neiditz, Executive Director 1

4 POLICY BOARD The South Sound 911 Policy Board provides legislative and policy direction for the agency. The board is comprised of 10 elected officials. Nine of those officials represent the member agencies Pierce County; the cities of Tacoma, Lakewood, Fife, and Puyallup; and West Pierce Fire & Rescue and one official represents a partner city or town with a population of less than 50,000. The Policy Board meets monthly on the fourth Wednesday beginning at 9 a.m. at Lakewood City Hall; 6000 Main St. SW; Lakewood, WA Public comment is allowed at the start of every meeting. The 2015 Policy Board members included: From left: Michael Brandstetter, Grant Erb, John Knutsen, Paul Pastor, Joe Lonergan, Tim Curtis, Pat McCarthy, and Doug Richardson. Not pictured: Dave Enslow and Robert Thoms. The Policy Board is proud of the cumulative achievements over the past several years and 2015 was no exception. We made substantial progress toward South Sound 911 s mission of interoperability, in terms of both technology and consolidation. We still have a long road ahead, but my colleagues and I look forward to future progress and realizing the promise we made to voters to provide efficiencies and unified public safety. Joe Lonergan, Policy Board chair Joe Lonergan, chair City of Tacoma Councilmember Tim Curtis, vice-chair City of Fife Mayor Michael Brandstetter City of Lakewood Councilmember Dave Enslow City of Sumner Mayor Grant Erb West Pierce Fire & Rescue Commissioner John Knutsen City of Puyallup Mayor Pat McCarthy Pierce County Executive Paul Pastor Pierce County Sheriff Doug Richardson Pierce County Councilmember Robert Thoms City of Tacoma Councilmember 2

5 OPERATIONS BOARD The South Sound 911 Operations Board provides collaborative operational oversight and direction for South Sound 911. The board is comprised of 15 police and fire chiefs from member and partner agencies. The Operations Board meets monthly on the second Friday beginning at 9:30 a.m. at West Pierce Fire & Rescue Station 20; Pacific Highway SW; Lakewood, WA Public comment is allowed at the start of every meeting. The 2015 Operations Board members included: Mike Zaro, chair Police Chief Lakewood Police Department Jim Sharp, vice-chair Fire Chief West Pierce Fire & Rescue Bud Backer Fire Chief East Pierce Fire & Rescue Ryan Baskett Fire Chief Graham Fire & Rescue Kelly Busey Police Chief Gig Harbor Police Department Peter Cribbin Asst. Chief Tacoma Police Department Bryan Jeter Police Chief Puyallup Police Department Rob Masko Undersheriff Pierce County Sheriff's Department Cliff McCollum Fire Chief Browns Point-Dash Point Fire Brad Moericke Police Chief Sumner Police Department Faith Mueller Deputy Chief Tacoma Fire Department Steve Nixon Asst. Chief Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One Trent Stephens Deputy Chief Pierce Transit David Woods Interim Police Chief Fife Police Department Keith Wright Asst. Chief Central Pierce Fire & Rescue Front row, from left: Cliff McCollum, Mike Zaro, Jim Sharp, Brad Moericke, and Peter Cribbin. Back row: David Woods, Steve Nixon, Bud Backer, Bryan Jeter, Kelly Busey, and Ryan Baskett. Not pictured: Rob Masko, Faith Mueller, Trent Stephens, and Keith Wright. In 2015, the Operations Board worked collaboratively to transition to a new computeraided dispatch platform, develop procedures for maintaining interoperability in the field, and assisted with oversight of the selection process for siting of the new dispatch facility. Additionally, we ensured that the agencies not directly represented on the board are included and informed with up-to-date information. In all, this has been a very productive year and one in which we continued to improve the communication services provided to the citizens of Pierce County. On behalf of the Operations Board, we thank you for the opportunity to serve and look forward to our continued success. Mike Zaro, Operations Board chair 3

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7 LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION South Sound 911's Law Enforcement Division experienced a busy year of change and transition in pursuit of the agency mission to provide a modern, unified emergency communication and response system. These changes and transitions affected the technology we use and the coworkers and partners with which we regularly interact. Fife dispatchers were still new South Sound 911 employees at the start of 2015, but were physically located at the Fife Police Department communications center. During the year, plans formed to further combine law enforcement communications. In October, the South Sound 911 employees working in Fife moved to the communications center in Puyallup to form the new Eastside Communications Center. This communications center now provides 911 and dispatch for the police departments serving the cities of Bonney Lake, Buckley, Fife, Milton, Orting, Puyallup and Sumner. This accomplishment as well as all of the changes in 2015 brings us another step closer to the future integration of all law enforcement communications into one facility as a single, unified operation. 952,471 CALLS RECEIVED IN 2015 This accomplishment as well as all of the changes in 2015 brings us another step closer to the future integration of all law enforcement communications into one facility as a single, unified operation. Of those calls 531,919 were emergency 911 calls and 420,552 were non-emergency calls. Another such change is the implementation of the new computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system. Communications employees continued the configuration effort in preparation for the cutover to the Hexagon Safety & Infrastructure (formerly Intergraph) CAD system. In May 2015, Hexagon staff provided training to a group of South Sound 911 trainers. This training afforded an opportunity for employees from different communications centers to work side-by-side. The team of trainers then embarked on a mission to help define specific workflows within the new CAD environment, develop an agencyspecific training manual, and to efficiently provide training to additional trainers to expand the team of trainers and power NUMBER OF POLICE REPORTS OR SUPPLEMENTAL REPORTS WRITTEN BY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER STAFF 5

8 users needed to make the transition a success. The training itself was a major undertaking. Teams of trainers provided classes around-the-clock in order to meet as many employees as possible during their regular shift hours. The in-depth nature of the classes required multiple shifts to complete. Additional follow-up workshops were conducted, as well. Trainers and other employees developed shared practical exercises, resources, and quizzes for employees to solidify their knowledge of various codes and system commands. Overall, the training, preparation, and eventual CAD cutover process in October 2015 was a phenomenal demonstration of teamwork and cohesion. Recent technology changes in both the CAD and radio arenas increased the ability for agencies to interact with one another within the county. These advances, as well as the desire to forecast how operations may look in the setting of a new facility that brings multiple sites together into one location, are a few of the catalysts for the introduction of a new committee in The Law Enforcement Operations Planning Committee (LEOPC) is a group comprised of representatives of both South Sound 911 and the law enforcement agencies served by the agency. The committee began discussing technology and workflow practices and will make recommendations on these matters. The LEOPC meets on a regular basis. 714,541 Dispatch Actions in 2015 In the same way South Sound 911 tracks the number of calls received, actions in the computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system are also tracked. Such actions include those initiated by dispatchers who communicate directly with officers in the field, traffic stops, officer-initiated on-view incidents, and cancelled calls. Duplicate actions are excluded from the figure above. 6

9 REAL-TIME CRIME CENTER South Sound 911 s Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC) provides law enforcement and fire & safety services a cutting edge advantage in their support of citizens. Located within the South 35th Street Communications Center, the RTCC monitors 911 calls and reviews dozens of databases to keep emergency responders safe and to aid in the detection and apprehension of criminal suspects, all within the first crucial moments of events. In addition to live call monitoring, the RTCC supports the investigation of complex criminal cases and helps to ensure criminals are held accountable. The RTCC accomplishes this by assisting the Pierce County Prosecutor s Office in tracing witnesses to trials and by working closely with the Department of Corrections. Criminal offenders who are under close supervision by community corrections officers are much less likely to re-offend. RTCC analysts play key roles in cross-jurisdictional task forces such as the Tacoma Police Department s Violent Offender task force, Burglary Reduction Unit, Child Abduction Response Team, the regional Auto Crime Task Force, the Pierce County Child Abduction Response Team, and other special investigations units. Continued on next page A 78.4% 911 CALLS RECEIVED FROM CELLULAR PHONES IN 2015 Only 13.2% of all 911 calls received were from a landline and only 8.4% came from VoIP lines No landline? A cell phone can't provide 911 your exact address or GPS location. If calling 911, know the address or your location including apartment numbers, cross streets, mileposts or landmarks. If you don't know where you are, how will we? 7

10 Using the Regional Booking Photo Comparison System, which compares booking photos from jails across the King, Pierce, and Snohomish County region, the RTCC provided dozens of leads to police departments which resulted in arrests. A particular case involved a serial bank robber in King County who was being sought by the FBI. An RTCC analyst identified the suspect from a surveillance photo which resulted in his arrest and charging with several federal robbery charges. Overall, the RTCC assisted in over 5,100 cases in 2015 and was contacted by several police agencies across the U.S. not only for assistance with specific crimes, but to assist in establishing a similar unit in their jurisdictions. The RTCC Program Manager presented the RTCC at the International Association of Crime Analysts Annual Training Conference in Denver, at the Northwest Regional Crime Analysts Network Conference in Kennewick, and at three U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance workshops held in Oregon, Michigan, and Ohio. As a result, the Detroit Police Department sought assistance in creating their own unit modeled after the RTCC. U.S. OPEN CHAMBERS BAY Another important event in 2015 came in the form of the 115 th U.S. Open Championship Golf Tournament held June 15-21, at Chambers Bay. South Sound 911 was one of 37 public safety agencies involved in both technical and operational planning for this major, historic event. Law enforcement communications were provided on-site 24-hours a day through the Communications Emergency Response Team (CERT) and fire dispatchers were on-site each day from 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. After months of preparation and training, both law enforcement and fire communications teams came together and met the challenge in superb fashion.

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12 FIRE SERVICES DIVISION South Sound 911 was created with two emergency dispatch divisions, Law Enforcement and Fire Services. For 2015, fire service emergency dispatch continued to be provided through two fire service communications centers, one in the Tacoma Fire Department and the other at West Pierce Fire & Rescue. During 2015, there were five fire agencies Central Pierce, Buckley, Carbonado, Greenwater, and Crystal Mountain which transitioned their dispatch service into West Pierce Fire & Rescue's Fire Comm. Previously, the latter four fire agencies were dispatched from the communications center in Fife, and Central Pierce Fire & Rescue was dispatched by Tacoma Fire Communications. With this operational transition complete, Tacoma Fire Communications and Fire Comm provide dispatch services for all fire agencies in the county. A transition group has been working since late-2015 to begin the process of transferring user agreements, updating policies and operating guidelines, and beginning the process of bargaining with the Guild of Pierce County Fire Communications to transition the entire operation into South Sound 911. Another key operational change during 2015 saw all fire agencies move to the 800 MHz/700 MHz radio network. Many of the fire agencies were still using the VHF radio system owned by West Pierce Fire & Rescue, which had severe limitations. Moving all of these agencies onto the new digital radio network allows each agency to be served by a state-of-the-art system. In addition to these operational changes, another significant transition began and will continue into Prior to the new facility, employees and operations of Fire Comm will fully transition into South Sound 911. To accomplish this, a transition group has been working since late-2015 to start transferring user agreements, updating policies and operating guidelines, and beginning the bargaining process with the Guild of Pierce County Fire Communications to transition the entire operation into South Sound 911. When completed, dispatch services will continue to be provided from the Fire Comm dispatch facility, using the same group of dispatchers and supervisors; however, the staff will be employed by South Sound 911 and the agency will assume direct responsibility for employees, user agreements, etc. What will not change is the professional, competent fire dispatch service that has been provided to the fire community, as we move closer to uniting the entire emergency dispatch community in the county. Finally, when South Sound 911 s new public safety communications center is complete, emergency dispatch services for both law enforcement and fire services across the county will transition to this new state-of-the-art facility. Ultimately, this significant transition will create a more efficient, effective model, delivered by a dedicated group of professional dispatchers and support personnel. We re looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead, and we are confident that the transitional work that s been underway and will continue into 2016 will allow us to provide a professional, competent and progressive service to the public we serve. 10

13 SECONDARY PSAPs Tacoma Fire Communications and Fire Comm each serve as a secondary communications center, or secondary public safety answering point (PSAP). South Sound 911 law enforcement communication centers are considered primary PSAPs, which answer the initial 911 call and, if the emergency requires a fire, rescue or medical aid response, the call is transferred to either Tacoma Fire Communications or Fire Comm, depending on the location of the event. For instances requiring both a law enforcement and fire/ems response, the call taker at the primary PSAP remains on the line to facilitate the law enforcement response. It is because of this configuration that secondary PSAP call data is reported differently. A report of call volumes, for instance, would include duplicate calls transferred from a primary PSAP. The call data reported here for the two secondary PSAPs is a compilation of calls requiring a dispatch of fire/ EMS resources (i.e., fire engine, ladder company, medic unit, technical rescue, etc.) Central Pierce Fire 23% West Pierce Fire 13% Tacoma Fire 38% CALLS DISPATCHED East Pierce Fire 8% Graham Fire 5% Gig Harbor Fire 5% Other 8% Tacoma Fire Dept. 45,266 Central Pierce Fire & Rescue 27,913 West Pierce Fire & Rescue 15,454 East Pierce Fire & Rescue 9,814 Graham Fire & Rescue 6,305 Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One 5,576 South Pierce Fire & Rescue 2,548 Key Peninsula Fire Dept. 1,996 Orting Valley Fire & Rescue 1,687 Buckley Fire Dept. 1,032 DuPont Fire Dept. 774 Eatonville Fire Dept. 560 Riverside Fire & Rescue 499 Ashford/Elbe Fire Dept. 300 Anderson Island Fire Dept. 259 Browns Point-Dash Point Fire Dept. 224 Greenwater Fire Dept. 120 Carbonado Fire Dept. 115 Ruston Fire Dept. 62 Crystal Mountain Fire 47 TOTAL 120,551 We can always count on July to be one of the busiest months of the year for 911 calls. This year, a spell of warm temperatures brought beautiful weather, but with it came excessive heat and dry conditions. Responders were busy all around the county and South Sound 911 reported higher than average call volumes. 11

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15 INFORMATION SERVICES The Information Services team tackles new and exciting challenges every year, and 2015 was no exception. Implementing a new computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system was monumental, and at the same time we achieved so many other accomplishments. This team is extremely bright and works hard every hour of every day to provide our public safety community with information and technology. The following efforts are just the tip of the iceberg. Our day-to-day operations alone are enough to be proud of, let alone the major accomplishments highlighted here. Thank you to everyone on the Information Services team for another great year! THE REGIONAL CAD PROJECT It is 5 a.m. on Oct. 13, 2015, and South Sound 911 is about to make the switch to a brand new CAD system. Four years of preparation led up to this event. It will impact and more importantly, unite two primary dispatch centers and 19 law enforcement agencies. The initial implementation began at 5 a.m. that day for the South 35th Street Communications Center and the 12 agencies it dispatches. In preparation, trainers from the South 35th Street Communications Center, the Eastside Communications Center, and South Sound 911's partner agencies committed a significant amount of time to learn the new system and share that knowledge with their respective teams. Technical staff installed, configured, and began to master a large enterprise system. Now, we wait for the first phone call, which will set in motion a process that takes place a couple thousand times a day. The difference being that we are now on a state-of-the-art system that is designed to support multiple fire and police agencies, and will grow with us and our public safety partners over the next 10 to 20 years. The move to a regional CAD system began several years ago and implementation alone will have been a two-year effort once fire agencies and fire dispatch migrate to the new system later in The same commitment to training and identifying technical details will be our keys to success. Once complete, the new system will be providing service to all of the fire and police agencies that are part of the South Sound 911 community. Trainers from the South 35th Street Communications Center, the Eastside Communications Center, and our partner agencies committed a significant amount of time to learn the new [CAD] system and share that knowledge with their respective teams. 13

16 RECORDS MANAGEMENT CONTINUES ITS PURSUIT TO BE PAPERLESS Warrant and domestic violence orders are now paperless. This is truly a significant milestone which has been years in the making. Warrants and orders are no longer printed and filed in hard copy. This means that official copies are retrieved electronically and can be made available to a larger audience, like officers in the field. This change also coincides with several changes made in our process to better meet Washington State Patrol and FBI compliance mandates. Police reports have been paperless since Now, the attachments that go along with the official reports for non-archival incidents, such as witness statements or property sheets, are being converted to an electronic image as the official record. We refer to this as our "Scan and Toss" project. Also, as historical reports are being requested Law Enforcement Records & Technology Case Images Uploaded 250,581 Police Reports Processed 154,675 Technical Support Requests 4,858 First Call Resolution 68% or added to, they are being pulled from off-site archives and scanned into the records management system (RMS). This reduces the need for on-site physical storage space and also reduces off-site storage costs. Finally, there is now a module within the RMS that permanently redacts the appropriate parts of a police report while maintaining information that is permissible by law. Prior to this module being available, the process required hard copy redactions and introduced additional steps in the public disclosure process. Warrants Processed Misdemeanor 12,588 Quashes 9,343 Felony 3,442 Juvenile 1,537 Domestic Violence Orders Civil 5,784 Return of Service 4,497 Reissue/Modify 4,378 Criminal 3,391 Cancel 3,375 Fugitive and Extradition Transfers 544 Public Counter Services Pistol Transfer Applications 22,041 Concealed Pistol License (CPL) Applications 14,874 Insurance Requests 7,979 Public Disclosure Requests (Reports) 1 15,120 Public Disclosure Requests (Audio, CAD Logs) 2 11, , 2 Includes requests fulfilled for law enforcement/criminal justice. 14

17 COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS In 2015, a new standalone department was created to specialize in radio and phone services, and will include computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and network operations in the future. The department, known as Communications Systems, oversees these systems which are crucial to emergency communications operations for South Sound 911 dispatchers and call takers, as well as for emergency responders in the field. South Sound 911's leadership role in providing these services warranted dedicated staff to focus on these efforts. REGIONAL RADIO NETWORKS Since South Sound 911 s inception, funding to support interoperability and upgrading radio systems in the county was a priority. Over $60 million has been dedicated to accomplishing that mission of interoperability. In 2015, public safety responders continued migrating from their older systems onto the new digital trunked radio systems (700 MHz and 800 MHz). By the end of 2015, nearly all responders under South Sound 911 were using the new radio systems as their primary method of emergency communication. The City of Tacoma s radio system was upgraded and its customers began migrating over in early A handful of fire districts including West Pierce Fire & Rescue, Anderson Island Fire, Browns Point-Dash Point Fire, DuPont Fire, and Riverside Fire & Rescue all successfully transitioned from their aging VHF system onto the digital 800 MHz system. The City of Puyallup s sub-system, which is part of the Tacoma radio network, was also successfully upgraded. The new interoperable portable and mobile radios for the Puyallup Police, Sumner Police, and Bonney Lake Police were purchased and deployed as part of the participation agreement with the City of Puyallup. In late 2015, South Sound 911 assisted the Combined Communications Network (CCN) in successfully migrating seven fire districts and two law enforcements agencies to the 700 MHz system. A detailed design review was also completed on the VHF overlay project, which is one of the last remaining pieces of the regional radio project. The VHF overlay project will provide the ability for neighboring public safety agencies to communicate with our public safety users when they respond in Pierce County to assist. South Sound 911 also dedicated financial support for 2016 for all our public safety agencies for radio system access fees. A flat rate of $30 per radio, per month was agreed upon and agreements were made with the radio system owners to offset the remaining operations and maintenance costs of these radio access fees for the year. In 2016, South Sound 911 will be working with the system owners to clarify its roles and responsibilities with the radio systems, as well as provide input on behalf of the user agencies to keep access fees reasonable for our public safety agencies. 15

18 Administration (ăd-mĭn ĭ-strā'shǝn) The departments or groups who manage the way a company or organization functions. BUDGET & FINANCE Annual Budget Accounting & Contracts Payroll Benefits Administration Recruitment Hiring & Testing Risk Management Employee Training & Recognition HUMAN RESOURCES Education & Outreach Social Media & Website Management Publications Media Relations COMMUNITY RELATIONS

19 COMMUNITY RELATIONS The 15-member Community Relations Team (CRT) made significant strides in community education in Beginning in April, the team made a focused effort to introduce South Sound 911 to local public and private elementary schools countywide. The demand was overwhelming! In less than three months, the CRT reached an estimated 1,250 students and their parents through classroom presentations and school events. By the year's end, the team's outreach extended to nearly 2,100 students from pre-school to high school. The success of the youth program is due, in no small part, to the efforts of CRT members whose child-focused presentations have garnered support from school resource officers and teachers. "I thought this was an extremely important presentation for our students and [it was] extremely well done," wrote a teacher from Wildwood Park Elementary School. INCREASE IN OUTREACH COMPARED TO 2014 Community outreach is not limited to schools. The team routinely speaks to neighborhood watch groups and provides information and interactive games at community events. In 2015, the CRT achieved over 26,600 interactions through 80 different events or speaking engagements a more than 40 percent increase from 2014! Each speaking engagement or event appearance provides South Sound 911 the opportunity to teach people of all ages about using 911 and alternate non-emergency numbers, and to promote the agency and its many services and projects. A letter from a student at Zeiger Elementary. To that end, community relations activities included numerous media projects in South Sound 911 activities and accomplishments were featured in several print, online and television news segments. Media outlets included the Daily Journal of Commerce, Gateway News, KING-5, KIRO News Radio, KCPQ-13, Tacoma Weekly, The Dispatch, The News Tribune and The Suburban Times, among others. Additionally, in preparation for the implementation of South Sound 911's new computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system, 14 short training videos were created for law enforcement field officers using the mobile version of the new system. The videos were a resource designed to help police departments reach nearly 1,500 officers working various shifts across the county. South Sound 911 also made its social media debut in The Community Relations Coordinator established and manages the agency's Twitter feed and Facebook page, both launched in October. These social media accounts provide South Sound 911 a channel to communicate directly to members of the community, whether the message be educational, entertaining, or simply to share information about the agency's work and progress on its major projects. In 2016, we especially look forward to sharing news concerning the design and construction of the new public safety communications center. 17

20 HUMAN RESOURCES PERSONNEL TRANSITIONS The year 2015 was a productive year for South Sound 911 recruiting activities and personnel transitions. Continued efforts to consolidate recruiting and testing through Public Safety Testing were successful. The testing process is now the same for both communications center and records positions. In August, Jan Kurz began working for South Sound 911 as the agency s first human resources generalist. Jan was one of 34 new hires in That count includes 21 employees of Puyallup City Comm who were offered employment with South Sound 911. Recruiting efforts for Communications positions were limited due to the number of transition activities that occurred throughout the year. This resulted in only one new hire class in early More typical recruiting efforts for 2016 are expected. To assist with recruiting, South Sound 911 fostered new partnerships in The agency partnered with newly founded Work of Honor, a community of veterans and business professionals committed to combining best-in-class business and military operational strategies to create a strong economic community. South Sound 911 is one of the companies listed on the Work of Honor website as valuing veteran talent. Additionally, South Sound 911 partnered with Clover Park Technical College to develop and provide a 911 call taker course in spring of The call taker course will be a 16-week program that will be taught by a South Sound 911 employee and trainer, but it will not duplicate training provided by the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC). 34 NEW HIRES IN 2015 Including 21 Puyallup City Comm employees offered positions with South Sound IN-HOUSE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES In 2015, South Sound 911 offered agency-wide training in "Leading and Engaging in Change," leadership training in "Creating a Respectful Workplace," and supervisory training in "Team Building" There were a total of 19 separations of employment: seven retirements, six resignations, and six probationary terminations. WCIA ANNUAL REVIEW AND AUDIT Every year, the Washington Cities Insurance Authority (WCIA) conducts an audit of each member organization. The WCIA, a municipal organization of public entities joined together to provide liability and property financial protection for its members, focused its 2015 audit on personnel. The audit resulted in no mandatory requirements by the agency and compliance with all portions of the annual requirements. The WCIA annual review and audit systematically identifies and mitigates liability exposures. A WCIA risk management representative conducts the annual review and audit, then meets with the agency to complete the audit review. This review serves to steadily improve a member s risk management position and loss profile. 18

21 BUDGET & FINANCE TRANSITION / BUDGET CONSOLIDATION In 2015, South Sound 911 took the first major step in regionalization by transitioning the budgetary responsibility of both Fife Dispatch Communications and West Pierce Fire & Rescue's Fire Comm to South Sound 911. The transition of Fife Dispatch Communications included the hiring of the employees at the end of 2014 and, ultimately, the transfer of all operations to the Eastside Communications Center in Puyallup in late October South Sound 911 leased space from the City of Fife prior to the transfer of operations, and all agencies served by Fife Dispatch Communications executed service level agreements with South Sound 911 to complete the budgetary transition. For fire services the budgetary transition was handled differently. Unlike Fife Dispatch Communications, Fire Comm employees remained with West Pierce Fire & Rescue and operations remained in the same facility. Budgetary changes included an agreement with West Pierce Fire & Rescue to provide services on behalf of South Sound 911 and assignment of all of Fire Comm's service level agreements to South Sound 911. Transition of the budgetary responsibility for Puyallup City Comm operations will occur in Employees were offered employment with South Sound 911 in December 2015, with an effective date in early 2016, and service level agreements will be transferred to South Sound 911. Agreements with the City of Puyallup will be negotiated for use of their facility until South Sound 911's new public safety communications center is complete REVENUES Just over half of 2015 revenues were from allocation revenue, which represents the payments for services from law enforcement Allocation Revenue and fire agencies served by South Sound % $20,127,902 The 0.1 percent sales tax generated nearly $14.2 million in 2015, representing an increase Sales Tax of over 7.5 percent from the amount received Other 36.56% 0.41% $158,579 in $14,161,233 Licenses/Permits 0.66% $254,015 The Pierce County E-911 Program Office E-911 collects a 70-cent excise tax, of which 20-cents Support was pledged for South Sound 911. This source E-911 $.20 Tax 4.76% of revenue generated $2.2 million in $1,845, % $2,186,961 Due to the budgetary transitions of other public safety answering points (PSAPs) in 2015, the E-911 Program Office and South Sound 911 negotiated an agreement on behalf of all PSAPs in the county. The E-911 Program Office previously provided operational support from the 50-cent excise tax retained by their office to each of the separate PSAPs. The funds were distributed in full directly to South Sound 911 in 2015 and then allocated to each PSAP. The $1,845,290 received represented an increase of 3 percent from support provided in Revenue from South Sound 911's public counter, including concealed pistol licensing, totaled approximately $356,000 in This represents an increase of over 9 percent in the amount of revenue received during the previous year. 19

22 2015 EXPENDITURES - GENERAL FUND General Fund expenditures totaled just over $37 million in 2015, which was nearly 95 percent of the amount budgeted for the year. This is nearly 10 percent higher than the amount expended in 2014, which is partially attributed to the addition of fire operations in Administration 5% Capital Project Funds Transfer 8% Fire Communications 11% PSAP Operational Transfers 3% Debt Service 15% Law Enforcement Communications 36% Information Services 22% Debt Service for two radio bond issuances totaling roughly $50 million are funded from the 01. percent sales tax revenue. Both bond issuances have 10-year terms, with one maturing in 2022 and the other in Debt Service payments of $5.7 million were made in Also funded from the 0.1 percent sales tax revenue are PSAP Operational Transfers. This support, which represents roughly 10 percent of the operational budget for Communications, has been provided to all PSAP operations since The amount allocated in 2015 was $2.6 million. General Fund Expenditures Expenditures 2015 Percentage Budget Actual Expended Administration 2,365,600 2,006, % Law Enforcement Communications 14,328,370 13,144, % Fire Communications 4,045,680 4,010, % Information Services 8,593,610 8,085, % Debt Service 5,691,780 5,691, % PSAP Operational Transfers 1,095,090 1,083, % Capital Project Funds Transfer 3,016,500 3,016, % Total $39,136,630 $37,040, % General Fund Expenditures by Category Expenditures 2015 Budget Actual Salaries & Wages 15,761,070 14,937,119 Personnel Benefits 6,204,820 5,582,937 Supplies / Services 2,485,270 2,063,889 Intergovernmental 4,507,200 4,494,623 Capital Expense 374, ,630 Debt Service 5,691,780 5,691,780 Transfers 4,111,590 4,100,280 Total $39,136,630 $37,040, Capital Expense 1% Supplies / Services 6% Transfers 11% Salaries & Wages 40% Debt Service 15% Personnel Benefits 15% Intergovernmental 12%

23 EXPENDITURES - CAPITAL PROJECT FUNDS In 2015, South Sound 911 moved forward in funding a detailed design review for the VHF overlay project that was approved in The total project estimate is $5.5 million, with construction anticipated in South Sound 911 also provided payment to the City of Puyallup in 2015 for subscriber radios purchased prior to their transition to South Sound 911. An annual payment of $401,000 will be submitted for three years as agreed to in the Puyallup Participation Agreement. Capital funds of nearly $2.2 million were expended in 2015 for the regional computer-aided dispatch (CAD) project. The project, which began in 2014, has a budget of $5.1 million with completion anticipated in Approximately $145,000 was expended for the public safety communications center facility project in 2015 for project management and site selection costs incurred by Pierce County CAD Capital 2% $365,485 Facility Capital 5% $1,055, Budget Savings 10% $2,007,276 Radio Capital 31% $6,176,163 Available Reserves 52% $10,618, ENDING FUND BALANCE South Sound 911 ended 2015 with a fund balance of $20.2 million, of which $7.6 million is reserved for capital projects. The General Fund ending fund balance of $12.6 million is $2 million higher than anticipated. Both revenue increases and expenditure savings in 2015 attributed to the increased ending fund balance. The 2016 budget allocated excess General Fund reserves to fund budgeted expenditures, including $2.5 million to offset radio system usage fees and $2.6 million as a reserve for future facility lease payments. The remaining available reserves are being used to offset allocation costs for both police and fire agencies in South Sound 911 maintains the level of reserves for the General Fund at a minimum of 15 percent of budgeted operating expenditures. COST ALLOCATIONS Operationally, South Sound 911 is supported by user fees assessed to the fire and law enforcement agencies we serve. The process to determine these fees is referred to as a cost allocation and the formulas vary based on the service provided. In 2015, South Sound 911 assumed responsibility for the cost allocation of fire services provided by West Pierce Fire & Rescue's Fire Comm. Costs for fire communication services are distributed by the percentage of calls for service (CFS) for a two-year period (70 percent) and the percentage of assessed valuation (30 percent). The cost allocation for law enforcement services may include Communications services and/or services provided by the Information Services (IS) department. Communications services are allocated by the percentage of CFS for a twoyear period, less any calls for traffic stops and calls for fire/medical aid. Law enforcement agencies may also contract for different services provided by the IS department. Cost allocation formulas for IS services include: 21

24 Core Service Technology Includes use of records management system (RMS) modules, the IS network and technical support. Costs are allocated by the percentage of commissioned officers. Core Service Operations Includes archiving, data entry, distribution and statistical reporting. Costs are allocated by the percentage of commissioned officers Public Records Services Includes concealed pistol license application processing, pistol transfers, public disclosure and fingerprinting. Costs are allocated by the agency s percentage of population. Warrant Services Includes warrant or order entry, confirmation, maintenance and validation. Costs are allocated by the percentage of commissioned officers. Two-Year Calls Assessed 2015 Total % for Service (CFS) Valuation Allocation By District Anderson Island ,470,695 14, % Ashford/Elbe ,733,177 13, % Browns Point ,834,070 14, % Buckley 2, ,660,215 33, % Carbonado ,210,204 1, % Central Pierce 1 53,500 15,510,670, , % Crystal Mountain - 74,435, % DuPont 1,399 1,291,637,605 57, % Eatonville ,223,485 19, % East Pierce 16,451 8,604,719, , % Gig Harbor 9,511 7,213,119, , % Graham 10,683 4,659,944, , % Greenwater ,215,006 3, % Key Peninsula 3,185 1,784,296, , % Orting Valley 2, ,845,527 77, % Riverside ,844,612 10, % South Pierce 4,310 1,380,072, , % West Pierce 27,568 8,063,249, , % TOTAL 134,144 $50,976,182,398 $3,147, % 1 Central Pierce Fire & Rescue transitioned to Fire Comm on May 5, Their allocation is prorated. 22

25 Information Services Communications Service Technology Operations Public Warrant Total Bonney Lake 81, ,287 Buckley , ,029 DuPont 32, , ,888 Eatonville ,412 34,412 Edgewood 19,621 8,909 4,715 5, , ,220 Fife , ,478 Fircrest 26, ,647 97,603 Gig Harbor 54, , ,134 Lakewood 283, ,549 28,887 77,529 1,501,342 2,019,411 Milton , ,020 Orting , ,029 Pierce County 785, , , ,558 3,923,808 5,455,358 Pierce Transit 36, ,439 Puyallup 165, ,232 Roy 6,806 2, ,535 15,155 26,440 Ruston 13,412 5, ,070 27,626 49,610 Steilacoom 24, , ,730 Sumner 53, ,257 Tacoma 972, ,195 99, ,453 5,287,752 7,049,053 University Place 44,848 20,364 15,552 12, , ,425 U.S. Marshal 1, ,500 TOTAL $2,602,058 $943,119 $338,470 $568,800 $12,528,108 $16,980,555 23

26 2015 ORGANIZATIONAL CHART 24

27 MEMBER & PARTNER AGENCIES MEMBER AGENCIES City of Fife City of Lakewood City of Puyallup City of Tacoma Pierce County West Pierce Fire & Rescue PARTNER LAW ENFORCEMENT & FIRE AGENCIES Anderson Island Fire Department Ashford/Elbe Fire Department Bonney Lake Police Department Browns Point-Dash Point Fire Department Buckley Fire Department Buckley Police Department Carbonado Fire Department Central Pierce Fire & Rescue Crystal Mountain Fire Department DuPont Fire Department DuPont Police Department East Pierce Fire & Rescue Eatonville Fire & EMS (South Pierce Fire & Rescue) Eatonville Police Department Edgewood Police Department Fife Fire Department (Tacoma Fire Dept.) Fife Police Department Fircrest Fire Department (Tacoma Fire Dept.) Fircrest Police Department Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One Gig Harbor Police Department Graham Fire & Rescue Greenwater Fire Department Key Peninsula Fire Department Lakewood Police Department Milton Police Department Orting Police Department Orting Valley Fire & Rescue Pierce County Sheriff s Department Puyallup Police Department Riverside Fire & Rescue Roy Police Department Ruston Fire Department Ruston Police Department South Pierce Fire & Rescue Steilacoom Public Safety Department Sumner Police Department Tacoma Fire Department Tacoma Police Department University Place Police Department West Pierce Fire & Rescue 25

28 955 Tacoma Avenue South, Suite 102 Tacoma, WA