RELEASE DATE: 

FEBRUARY 4, 2022

POLICE UTILIZATION REPORT FINDINGS

Comprehensive Staffing Study

Dateline: The City of Fair Oaks Ranch recently received results from a comprehensive staffing study for the Fair Oaks Ranch Police Department. The goal of this study was to ensure the City upholds its mission to deliver exceptional public safety services with the appropriate staffing resources now and in the future. 

The study, conducted by Matrix Consulting Group, had four objectives. 

1. Current operations and services
2. Comparison of current services and service levels 
3. Current staff needs
4. Impacts of growth

The study concluded that the Police Department is appropriately staffed to provide the highest level of police services to our community now and for the foreseeable future. The department is able to maintain a proactivity threshold of 88%, which is higher than other similarly sized cities. This level allows officers to “proactively address community issues, conduct problem-oriented policing, and perform other self-directed engagement activities within the community.” This proactivity is a major factor in positing the city as one of the safest places to live in Texas over the past five years. 

The study also analyzed staffing needs based on projected new development and growth within Fair Oaks Ranch and the surrounding communities. Projected impacts include increases in calls for service, investigative workloads, arrests and transports, and animal-related complaints. Increased calls alone are projected to rise from an average of 2,836 calls to 4,078 calls soon as the year 2031.

Despite the increased workload and service need projections, the Fair Oaks Ranch Police Department is adequately staffed and prepared to meet those challenges. Even with the expected growth, the current staffing model will allow the department to maintain at least a 70% proactivity threshold, thus maintaining the department’s community engagement activities that are vital for our community to continue the City’s top safety rankings. A few examples of departmental community engagement activity are as follows:

• Proactive Preventive/Saturation Patrol
• Targeted Enforcement
• Junior Police Academy
• National Night Out
• HOA Speaking Engagements
• Holiday Parades (ex. Santa Parade)
• Annual Toy Drive
• Other community-oriented campaigns

Other findings in the study include: 

• The top types of calls are for residential alarms, animal/deer calls, and ambulance calls. 
• The department could benefit from one additional animal control officer to relieve patrol officers especially during periods of short staffing.
• Call activity peaks between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm each day, with 8:00 am on weekdays as the period with the highest call volume. 

Overall, the study showed the City is well equipped to handle not only its current needs, but also future challenges while still preserving a high level of service to the community. 

City Manager Tobin Maples added, “Safety and quality of life on The Ranch is relationship driven. It is essential for our police to function as supportive investors in proactive community-oriented activity that builds trust and treats citizens with dignity and respect. This study clearly delineates the effectiveness of City Council’s investment in Team Blue and the commitment to tie resources with citizen-driven service expectations and risk mitigation strategies. Combined with the overwhelming support of our citizens, I am confident the Fair Oaks Ranch Police Department’s rich history of providing exceptional service to the citizens of Fair Oaks Ranch will endure. The selfless dedication of the men and women we trust with life and death decisions could not be a more positive reflection on our City!”

For a more detailed look visit the City of Fair Oaks Ranch Police Department page by clicking the link above for the full report.