By:Chris Munzing
Sofield presented the report to the City Council and city manager during the Feb. 1 public works session.
"I see arrests are up, and the issuance of summonses is up," City Manager Charles Theofan said. "Our police officers are solving a lot more crimes and are being more aggressive out there."
Theofan added that some might look at the numbers and say they are an indication that crime is up, but he said the rising number of arrests and summonses reflect a more aggressive and proactive department, actually indicating a decrease in crime. Sofield added that the crime figures are based on raw data, and official figures are not yet available.
"I'm proud of this department," City Council President Jim Hennessy said. "This is an extremely well-organized department and Commissioner Sofield is taking the department to new places."
Hennessy and Theofan both added, however, that more officers are needed to better serve the community. Sofield indicated during his report that each shift could use at least one more officer, and that additional men would mean a decrease in the amount of discretionary overtime pay.
"We're short police officers," Theofan said. "It's odd that by hiring more officers, we can decrease overtime pay, but there's a lot of truth to that. The cheapest way to decrease overtime would be to curtail service, but we'd like to maintain our presence in the community."
"This is a constant struggle," Sofield said. "It's manpower versus the budget. Every department in the city is trying to cut back on overtime."
"The overtime is significant, and I know that it's a result of not having enough officers," Councilman Denis Kelly said.
Kelly said that the only question is how many officers are needed, and called on the entire council to work together. "There is a number and I need someone who is budget-savvy to figure out that number," he said. "Where is the cost-benefit? Is it seven officers? Five? This is where the hard work comes in. Let's do the math."
Sofield estimated that the department would benefit from six new hires. "The more officers you have on the street, the more proactive you can be," he said.
Theofan said that the hiring of new officers would have to wait until the next budget because there is no money for new hires in the current spending plan.
Hennessy said that the hiring of new officers would be a goal for next year's budget. "Our goal is to have as many cops on the street as we can afford," he said. "But it's something that will have to wait, for now."
Overall, however, Sofield said that he was extremely pleased with the way things were going within the department. He praised the new Street Crimes Unit, which has been in place since last May, for the increase in arrests and the drop in crime. "We're just being more aggressive out there," Sofield said. "The Street Crimes Unit, they handle a lot."
Sofield was also happy with the way the communities in Long Beach were reacting to the department's philosophy of community policing. Community policing places officers in the same area of the city every day so that police officers and neighbors can become familiar with one another.
"It gets the cops involved more in the specific communities," Sofield said. "The residents see the same face every day, and they're more open, more trusting. That's what we try to develop, a personal relationship and trust."
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