5. District Station Vehicle Availability
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This section of our report analyzes management practices related to the allocation of vehicles to the district stations and the impact these allocation decisions have on district operations. Our Phase 2 Management Audit of the San Francisco Police Department will examine Department-wide policies and practices related to vehicle acquisition, maintenance, and use.
Vehicle allocations to the bureaus and divisions are generally made by SFPD management based on the needs expressed by the district station captains and commanders of the various special enforcement and administrative units within the Department. After reviewing these requests, historical vehicle assignment practices, and the current number of operable and available vehicles, vehicle assignments are made by management for all bureaus and divisions within the Department. Management decisions to purchase additional or replacement vehicles depend upon the results of this analysis and the annual budget process.
In FY 1995-96, the San Francisco Police Department had an inventory of 560 sedans, vans, wagons, and pick-up trucks which were then allocated to each of the bureaus and divisions within the Department. In July 1996, 240 of these vehicles were assigned to the district stations, as shown below.
Table 5.1
Police Department Vehicles Assigned to the
San Francisco Police Department District Stations - July 1996
| District | Black & White Marked Sedans | Prisoner Wagons | Unmarked Sedans | Other | Total |
| Central Southern Potrero Mission Nothern Park Richmond Ingleside Taraval Tenderloin               | 21 21 18 19 21 16 14 19 17   11  | 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1    1    | 3 5 4 4 5 2 4 4 6    4    | 0 0 1 2 1 1 0 1 1   0   | 26 28 25 27 29 20 19 25 25   16  |
| Total | 177 | 15 | 41 | 7 | 240 |
We compared this inventory of vehicles with the minimum staffing requirements of each district station, based on interviews with the district captains which were conducted for this study. We made the following assumptions on vehicle need for each district:
- The captains would be assigned one unmarked vehicle on a full-time, 24-hour basis, consistent with current Department practice.
- The lieutenants would be assigned one unmarked vehicle per shift. (The lieutenants generally cover two shifts per day, except in the district that is assigned a rotating responsibility to provide a lieutenant as the City-wide watch commander during the night shift. In that district, lieutenants cover three shifts per day).
- All sergeants assigned as watch commanders would be assigned one vehicle each to provide field supervision of police officers. None of the sergeants assigned to station duty or administrative functions would be assigned a dedicated vehicle.
- All police officers assigned to sector cars during the day shift (those shifts starting before 4:00 PM) would ride alone, requiring one vehicle per officer.
- All police officers assigned to sector cars during the evening or night shifts (those shifts which start by 4:00 PM) would ride with a partner, requiring one vehicle for every two officers.
- One vehicle would be provided for every two plainclothes police officers.
- One vehicle each would be provided for every school car police officer, community officer, and subpoena officer. Officers working other special duties, or on the "captain"s staff" would not be assigned a dedicated vehicle.
We applied these assumptions to minimum staffing schedules reported by district station captains to produce a profile of vehicle demand by location. We then compared this demand estimate with the assignment of vehicles to district stations as reported for July 1996, adjusted to show average availability based on vehicle repair duration data received from the Purchasing Department Central Shops. Our analysis shows that although the total number of vehicles assigned to the district stations appears sufficient, there are wide variations in the number of vehicles assigned to individual district stations when compared to need. These variations result in significant surplus vehicles at some locations and insufficient vehicles at other locations. The table on the following page summarizes the results of this analysis.
Vehicle need can be further impacted by factors other than the assignment of officers to regular patrol and enforcement assignments. For example, the Central, Southern, and Northern stations all have what appear to be significant numbers of surplus vehicles when compared with other locations. However, these districts must also respond to the greatest number of special events, which can temporarily impact vehicle need.
The Department also reports that vehicles are often informally loaned between district stations when necessary due to extended repair periods for assigned vehicles and other factors. However, no data is maintained by the Department which clearly illustrates the impact of these informal transfers.
Table 5.2
Availability of Vehicles by District Station
San Francisco Police Department - July 1996
| Surplus (Deficit) | |||
| District Station | Black and White Cars and Wagons | Unmarked Cars and Specialty Vehicles | Total |
| Central Southern Northern Potrero Taraval Park Mission Richmond Ingleside Tenderloin | 7.1 4.1 2.1 1.9 (1.2) 3.8 (1.0) (2.3) (3.1) (3.4) | 0.1 2.2 2.2 0.2 3.3 (1.9) 1.3 (0.8) (0.8) (0.8) | 7.2 6.3 4.3 2.2 2.2 1.9 0.3 (3.1) (3.9) (4.3) |
| Total | 7.8 | 5.2 | 13.0 |
Variations in Vehicle Reliability
As part of this analysis, we attempted to determine the impact of vehicle reliability on district station operations. However, our ability to conduct this analysis was impacted by two principal factors:
- Neither the Police Department nor Central Shops maintain comprehensive data on vehicle repair activity and costs. Information which is available is not easily retrievable by either vehicle or location; and,
- Data on vehicle "down-time" is not easily retrievable by assignment location.
However, we were able to develop an analysis showing the relative average age and average mileage for vehicles assigned by location. Based on discussions with both Police Department facility and equipment officers and Central Shops personnel, these two factors presently represent the best indicators of overall vehicle reliability for all fleets within the City.
Our analysis shows that many district station locations with vehicle deficits or the lowest number of surplus vehicles often have the oldest fleets, with the highest average number of miles. The detailed results of this analysis are shown below.
Table 5.3
Relative Age and Cumulative Miles
Compared with Availability for District Station Vehicle Fleets
San Francisco Police Department - July 1996
| District | Cumulative Vehicle Surplus (Deficit) | Mean Vehicle Age in Years | Average Total Vehicle Miles | Average Annual Vehicle Miles |
| Central Southern Northern Potrero Taraval Park Mission Richmond Ingleside Tenderloin | 7.2 6.3 4.3 2.2 2.2 1.9 0.3 (3.1) (3.9) (4.3) | 4 5 5 5 5 4 5 4 4 4 | 44,508 63,181 52,065 59,232 72,084 47,575 52,355 61,207 60,451 38,592 | 11,127 12,636 10,413 11,846 14,416 11,893 10,471 15,301 15,112 9,648 |
As shown, the Central District, which has the highest number of surplus vehicles also has:
- A high proportion of late model vehicles;
- The second lowest average total miles by vehicle among all of the district stations; and,
- The fourth lowest number of average annual miles per vehicle.
At the same time, the Richmond and Ingleside districts, which have some of the largest vehicle deficits among the district stations, have a vehicle fleet with some of the highest average total vehicle miles. These two districts also accumulate the highest average number of annual miles per vehicle, suggesting that the vehicles at these locations are generally driven more regularly, and for longer periods and distances. Combined with the deficits in total available vehicles, it is likely that these locations have a more difficult time maintaining sufficient available vehicle equipment for all of their police officers than do other district stations.
Providing for a More Equitable Assignment of Vehicles
Throughout this study, we were advised by many captains, lieutenants, sergeants, and police officers of the general need within the Department for additional vehicles. As mentioned previously, an overall vehicle needs assessment for the Department will be conducted as part of our Phase 2 analysis. However, the results of the analysis conducted for this Phase 1 study indicate that the Department should implement the following recommendations to ensure that an appropriate number of vehicles are equitably distributed among district stations.
- The Chief of Police should ensure that a Department budgeting methodology is developed which systematically recognizes the vehicle needs of each district station, factoring in the specific impacts on vehicle needs caused by the minimum staffing assignments made by the district captains and other commanders.
- With the assistance of Central Shops, the Chief of Police should ensure that a system is developed which provides ongoing monitoring of vehicle reliability and availability by location. Such a system should track such factors as (a) total maintenance costs, segregated by the categories of preventive maintenance, repair, and accident repair by vehicle, vehicle category, and assignment location; and, (b) total "in-shop" repair time by vehicle, vehicle category, maintenance category, and assignment location.
- Based on the analysis of vehicle needs and the monitoring of vehicle reliability described above, vehicle assignments to individual stations should be annually adjusted to provide a more equitable distribution of vehicles by age, total miles and reliability.
In FY 1996-97, the Board of Supervisors authorized funding for an automated vehicle maintenance program which will provide the Police Department with access to maintenance information contained in the Central Shops computer database for SFPD vehicles. The approval of funding for this system provides the Department with an opportunity to develop a program to monitor vehicle reliability which complies with the recommendations contained in this report. Additional analysis required to support comprehensive vehicle assignment planning based on the specific needs of each operating unit can be accomplished using the Department"s existing PC computer resources.
It should be noted that the Board of Supervisors also approved funding for lease purchase payments on 55 replacement marked vehicles, two replacement patrol wagons, and 42 replacement unmarked vehicles, for a total of 99 replacement vehicles (17.7 percent of the existing fleet). In addition, the Board approved funding for an additional 35 marked vehicles and one special event truck, increasing the total four-wheel vehicle fleet by 6.4 percent.
Conclusions
The San Francisco Police Department had approximately 560 marked and unmarked sedans, vans, wagons, and pick-up trucks in FY 1995-96. Nearly 43 percent, or 240 of these vehicles were assigned to the District Stations.
A review of district station vehicle inventories indicates that the number of assigned vehicles do not correspond with the district station captains" perceptions of vehicle need or actual use patterns. When vehicle inventories are compared with minimum staffing assignments at the District Stations (e.g., sector car beats, undercover officers, watch supervisors, and command staff), some stations operate with a surplus, while others operate with a deficit of vehicles. Further, it is probable that the reliability of vehicles assigned to each district station varies significantly based on average vehicle mileage and age.
The Department should implement a standardized vehicle assignment methodology which ensures that police officers at the district stations can work in the most effective manner possible. In addition, vehicle mileage and reliability should be regularly monitored by location to ensure that each district station is able to maintain a vehicle inventory which is appropriate for accomplishing its law enforcement objectives.
Recommendations
The Chief of Police should:
5.1 Direct the Deputy Chief of Operations to develop a vehicle assignment plan which considers the impact of district station staffing assignments on vehicle equipment needs;
5.2 Direct the Deputy Chief of Operations to work with the Purchasing Department Central Shops to develop a system which will allow SFPD management to track vehicle repair costs, availability, and reliability, as described in this report.
5.3 Direct the Deputy Chief of Operations to develop a process for annually reallocating vehicle equipment among the district stations based on the vehicle assignment plan, and availability and reliability monitoring processes suggested in recommendations 5.1 and 5.2, above.
Costs and Benefits
There would be no costs to implement these recommendations.
The Police Department would be better able to assess vehicle needs by location within the Department, and distribute available equipment in a more equitable fashion.