TO: Mayor and Members of City Council
THRU: Douglas J. Hewett, ICMA-CM, City Manager
FROM: Jeffrey Yates, Assistant City Manager and Interim Chief Financial Officer
DATE: January 13, 2025
RE:
Title
Discussion and Update of Office of Community Safety Activities
end
COUNCIL DISTRICT(S):
Council District(s)
b
Relationship To Strategic Plan:
Goal I: The City of Fayetteville will be a safe and secure community.
Goal V: The City of Fayetteville will be a financially sound city providing exemplary city Services.
Executive Summary:
The City Council prioritized and funded the establishment of the Office of Community Safety in the FY 2025 operating budget. Staff have been working on building out the activities and priority areas. While not highly visible, these activities are building the foundation for long-term success. There is progress in all four pillars of the OCS. The presentation will provide a brief update on those activities.
Background:
The Office of Community Safety is focused on four specific pillars. The four pillars are mental health response and diversion, violence prevention and interruption, homelessness risk reduction, and youth opportunities.
With the adoption of the FY 2025 operating budget, the City Council appropriated $2.3 million for these activities and work.
Issues/Analysis:
Following is an update of the activities in each of the areas:
Mental Health Response and Diversion
The City Council identified this area as a priority during the budget process. The current effort is focused on prevention, call-diversion, and co-response.
We are working with Cape Fear Valley Health to structure a dedicated response through the Community Paramedic Program. Cape Fear has seen significant success using a healthcare system-based approach to mental health response. As part of the mental health response, Cape Fear Valley Health is working on unique approaches, using delayed-release, anti-psychotic medications delivered through the EMS program. This approach is proactive. Tied into the mental health work, Cape Fear Valley Health is seeing significant drug-related calls within the City. The dedicated response discussion includes this aspect of mental health.
In addition to the prevention efforts, the Community Paramedic Program has seen success in the co-response space. Providing an alternative to law enforcement interactions, during a mental health crisis. This process continues to be refined and is part of the work in structuring the partnership.
Beyond the Community Paramedic Program, the staff are meeting with Durham HEARTS staff to explore options for partnerships and the co-response model.
Violence Prevention and Intervention
Expanding the discussion beyond the Police Department, the City has engaged the UNC-Charlotte Urban Institute to provide quantitative and qualitative research concerning the cost and impacts of gun violence in the City. In addition, the study looks at the three ShotSpotter areas to evaluate the community's qualitative needs. The first community meetings to gather this feedback were held the week of December 16th. The results of this analysis, including recommendations for violence reduction, will help to provide a data-driven basis for moving forward with programming recommendations.
As directed by the City Council, the City has engaged the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law School to provide analysis and findings to evaluate and understand the efficacy of the ShotSpotter project. The study will be similar to the Durham analysis.
Homelessness and Risk Reduction
The City is continuing its efforts to clear high-risk encampments and working with community partners to provide emergency sheltering and services through the Day Resource Center.
Youth Opportunities
While not originally envisioned as part of this effort, the opportunity to provide School Resource Officers was presented to the City. While continuing our other programs, we are leaning toward shaping a comprehensive approach to school safety and partnering with the stakeholders and community to build a program that addresses school security and looks at support services to reduce youth violence in our community. We have engaged the Science Policy Action Network to provide qualitative and quantitative research. The proposed scope and contract with the schools will be modeled after the Wake County agreement.
Staffing
The City has been unsuccessful in hiring a Director. To move the program along, we have shifted gears to hiring program managers to manage the various contracts and work on building out the pillars. The City has hired both a program manager and program coordinator. In conjunction with existing staff, the new staffing will be boots on the ground to expedite the buildout and development of the various programs and coordinate efforts in these areas. In addition, a new search will be started in the next few weeks to fill the Director’s position.
In addition to these activities, we have operationalized OCS as a division within the City Manager's office. While not a visible move, it paves the way for the rest of the activities and establishes the organizational infrastructure needed to move forward.
These activities are ongoing, we are happy to provide an update. Thank you for your support.
Budget Impact:
None at this time beyond the appropriated budget.
Options:
N/A
Recommended Action:
Receive, discuss, and provide any directions needed.
Attachments:
Presentation.