LTC 469-2018 Update re-Ocean Drive - Tourist Oriented Policing Services (TOPS) ProgramOFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC# 469-2018 LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Dan Gelber and Members of he City
FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager
DATE: August 28, 2018
SUBJECT: Update re: Ocean Drive-Tourist Oriented Policing Services (TOPS) Program
This Letter to the Mayor and City Commission is provided as an update on the pilot
program, in partnership with the Ocean Drive Association (ODA), that deployed
additional off-duty police officers patrolling Ocean Drive on weekend evenings. The
"Tourist Oriented Policing Services" (TOPS) program operated for 12 weeks this
summer, concluding on August 19.
On Friday, June 1, 2018, the Police Department and the ODA began the 12-week off-
duty police. staffing plan called "TOPS." The purpose of this experiment was to
significantly increase police visibility by the use of additional off-duty officers to
supplement the regular patrol force, with the TOPS team supervised by an overtime
police sergeant. At the ODA's request, the goal was to have these off-duty officers patrol
in teams and concentrate on the west sidewalk of Ocean Drive in the heart of the
cabaret/entertainment area, from ylh to 11th Streets.
The intended staffing for the program was one police sergeant and four police officers on
Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. They worked 9:00 p.m. to 5: 00 a.m. on Friday
and Saturday evenings, and on Sundays from 600 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. The City
Commission agreed to grant funding to the ODA to cover 40 percent of the cost. To
remedy the long-standing and ongoing challenge of recruiting police officers to work
weekends on Ocean Drive, the ODA agreed to pay officers an additional $10 per hour
over what a regular night-club off-duty officer earned. Off Duty officers working this detail
earned $63 an hour as opposed to $53 elsewhere in the City. As with all off-duty work,
an additional $10 was charged per hour to cover the City's administrative and other
costs.
During the first few weeks of the program, staffing the initiative was a concern both for
officers and supervisors. Volunteers did not fill all the available shifts. As time went on
and word-of-mouth and comfort with the concept grew among police officers, volunteer
staffing improved, with officers working full shifts and others working a partial shift after
their regular shift had ended. Reserve police officers also assisted. No officers from
outside agencies were used.
Feedback during the 12 weeks of the pilot program indicated that the officers and
supervisors who worked this detail were very visible, very well received and in constant
contact with business owners, managers, tourists and other visitors to Ocean Drive.
The Police Department's and the ODA's combined goal was to have these additional
officers resolve the nightly issues on Ocean Drive quickly, before they became major
problems, and to engage persons who appeared to be involved in illegal behavior such
as Loitering, Trespassing, etc. A host of quality-of-life complaints were quickly brought
to these officers' attention and were quickly resolved, generally with a favorable outcome
and with arrest only as a last resort. Data for the 12-week program is listed, below. The
Police Department's assessment is that calls for service and undesirable behavior were
curbed while this program was in place.
After Labor Day, the ODA and the Area 4/Entertainment District Captain, lan Robinson,
and Patrol Major Paul Acosta, will convene to debrief this initiative and make a
recommendation on how to move forward. It is generally understood that all parties feel
there is value in continuing the program into the next fiscal year. TOPS is tentatively
funded in the FY 18-19 budget at a cost of $367,000, with 40 percent ($151,000)
tentatively funded by the City, subject to final adoption ·Of the formal budget by the
Commission.
While it is hard to measure the direct impact of TOPS on crime, it should be noted that
there were no significant or major incidents that garnered negative media attention or
where public safety was at extreme risk during the 12 weeks of the program.
Below is a summary of the costs of the program and enforcement information:
Total Off Duty Costs $75,787.50
Total Sergeant Overtime $19,557.83
Approximate Citizen/Business Contacts: 3507
Felony Arrests: 6
Misdemeanor Arrests: 6
Traffic Citations: 17
Calls for Service/flag downs: 54
If there are any questions about this, Chief Oates, Major Acosta or Captain Robinson are
available to provide further information .
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