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Page 5 of 8 <br />the alleged conduct did not occur; a “not sustained” finding is assigned when there is <br />insufficient evidence to determine if a policy violation did or did not occur; a finding of <br />“sustained” means the conduct did occur and resulted in a policy violation; and an employee is <br />“exonerated” when the conduct did occur, and that conduct was proper and within policy. Of <br />note, a review of the department’s personnel investigations over the last five years found that <br />all complaints with findings of "sustained" were the result of internally generated <br />investigations. The use of body-worn cameras by field personnel has proven valuable in <br />supporting officers’ interactions with community members as appropriate and within policy. In <br />addition, members of the department expect that they will behave professionally and have a <br />high degree of trust that reported misconduct will be investigated and addressed <br />appropriately. <br />Table 2 below illustrates the total number of internally and externally generated complaints <br />from 2020 to 2023 and January – September 2024. <br />Table 2: Personnel Complaints from 2020-2024 <br />Personnel Complaints <br /> 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024* <br />Internal 3 8 5 2 4 <br />Citizen 5 3 4 6 6 <br />Total 8 11 9 8 10 <br />Sustained 1 6 4 2 2** <br />*January - September **Not all investigations have been completed <br /> <br /> <br />During the identified timeframe, the most frequently sustained policy violation was unsafe <br />driving, which resulted in on-duty vehicle collisions. All field personnel attended driver training <br />during September and October 2024 department training days to address this issue and <br />maintain California Peace Officers' Standards and Training compliance. <br />Hiring and Staffing <br />The police department continues to provide a service model that supports a “no call too small” <br />philosophy in its work. The department is authorized for 83 sworn positions and 35 <br />professional staff. Under the leadership of the Chief of Police, the department is composed of <br />three Divisions: Operations, Investigations, and Support Services; a Captain or Commander <br />leads each division. The Operations Division includes uniform patrol, traffic, special events, <br />crime prevention, and animal services; the Investigations Division includes Personnel and <br />Training, Criminal Investigations, Special Enforcement, and Youth and Community Services; <br />and the Support Services include police Dispatch, Records, and Cadets. <br />At this time last year (in 2023), the department had 9 officer vacancies and 9 sworn members <br />on medical leave, there were two police officer trainees at the Academy, and there were two <br />dispatcher vacancies. At that time, the department had to address its vacancy rate by <br />temporarily reassigning officers in specialized units back to patrol. <br />Table 3 below illustrates the number of staff separated from the department annually from <br />Page 91 of 126