City of Morgan Hill Public Safety Master Plan

been a priority with prior staffing levels and the availability of adequate storage, but she hoped to place new emphasis on purging with the additional staff member now in place.

Among the duties of the Records Section is the compilation of statistical reports in the form of crime occurrence and case clearance rates. The FBI tracks this and other data and annually produces a Uniform Crime Report (UCR) on all reported crime in the United States. It is further broken down by region, state, and local agency. Specific guidelines are provided for reporting both crimes and clearances. The Records staff reviews each police report to ensure that the proper criterion for classification is met. The Support Services manager conducts quality control audits on a regular basis. In addition, the MHPD records unit has been audited by the state over the last several years for compliance with data input and access to state databases. MHPD was found in compliance with all audit criteria. Records processes cash generated from public requests for police reports, vehicle releases, witness fees, post-storage hearing costs, LiveScan fees, citation sign-offs and animal impound fees. Staff estimated the annual intake of cash to be approximately $40,000. The handling of cash by staff is a concern to CPSM. Cash transactions present an unnecessary risk to the city and the department. Many examples can be pointed to in other law enforcement agencies where easy access to cash created an opportunity for staff misconduct to occur. CPSM by no means infers that any suspicious activity has occurred at MHPD; to the contrary, the system in place, which includes periodic city audits, serves to minimize the risk. However, CPSM does maintain that the present system presents an unnecessary risk.  MHPD should review and modify current Records policy to better reflect the “paperless” process employed by MHPD.  Consideration should be given to discontinuing the practice of accepting cash at the Records Section public window and moving to a system for accepting only credit/debit cards, checks, or money orders. Property and Evidence Section Law enforcement officers take custody of physical evidence, lost and stolen property, and contraband that can directly or indirectly solve a crime. The integrity of these items depends upon the proper handling of the items from the moment law enforcement takes possession of them until they are presented to the court, legally returned to their owners, sold, destroyed, or retained for agency use. Property and evidence rooms are not just warehouses. They must provide for the security and storage of valuable and sensitive items including cash, jewelry, firearms, and drugs. They must provide for the safe handling of biological evidence while preserving the integrity of the evidence for further analysis. They must preserve a chain of custody that allows for the admission of evidence in subsequent court proceedings. The mishandling of property and evidence by law enforcement agencies reduces the public’s confidence in law enforcement and, ultimately, in the integrity of the criminal justice system. Comprehensive property and evidence policies can mitigate Recommendations:

Police Operations and Data Analysis Report, Morgan Hill, California

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