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Burbank police implement changes following survey indicating low morale in department

A Burbank police officer walks by the shirt of a victim at a shooting scene on Naomi Street and Thornton Avenue, near Robert E. Lundigan Park, in Burbank on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016.

A Burbank police officer walks by the shirt of a victim at a shooting scene on Naomi Street and Thornton Avenue, near Robert E. Lundigan Park, in Burbank on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016.

(Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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A police-union administered survey that revealed low morale levels at the Burbank Police Department has prompted several changes at the agency, including the suspension of deployments based on “predictive policing” technology criticized by the rank-and-file but hailed by top cops as the future of crime-fighting.

Roughly half of the 118 sworn employees who took the June survey indicated that they’d considered leaving the department sometime during the last year, while 60% indicated they were unlikely or extremely unlikely to recommend a career with the agency to their children, relatives or friends.

About 75% indicated that morale at the agency was low or extremely low.

Dozens advocated that the agency hire more officers, increase specialty assignments and rely less on the predictive policing technology, which analyzes crime reports to predict potential problem areas.

The survey results prompted several discussions with the department’s administration that union leaders hoped would improve working conditions.

The agency started using the predictive policing technology in late 2014 at an annual cost of $15,000.

The technology analyzes crime data — the location, time and type of crime — to predict crime patterns. Daily, it spits out 500-feet-by-500-feet “boxes,” or potential problem areas, in which officers were required to spend about 15 minutes during their 12-hour-and-20 minute shifts. The idea was that visibility in those areas would deter crime.

During a shift, officers were given up to three boxes, which would translate into roughly 45 minutes of time. Sometimes, they’d get none. They’re no longer required to spend time in the “boxes.”

Critics felt the software’s algorithm couldn’t beat a veteran cop’s intuition and knowledge of his or her patrol area. Also, they felt sometimes the algorithm zeroed in on obvious areas, such as the Empire Center, where officers already know there’s retail crime, or silly locations, such as the police station, where people often show up to report crimes.

“We’re still pushing the information out and telling people to pay attention to what’s being said,” said Burbank Police Chief Scott LaChasse, adding that he doesn’t have a problem with officers self-deploying based on their knowledge of their patrol areas. But still, he said, “the future in law enforcement is not going to be random patrol, it’s going to be predictive analytics.”

The crime analyst who oversaw the program recently left the city for another job. LaChasse said he will reevaluate how the department uses the technology once that vacancy is filled.

It’s not clear how the technology has impacted crime in Burbank, which rose 9% last year.

Also, as a result of the survey, two union members, detectives with a background in defensive tactics, will be added to the agency’s critical incident review board, which reviews police shootings, uses of force, pursuits and other critical incidents to evaluate whether the officers acted within policy, as well as if they need extra training or equipment. One of the detectives will be able to cast a vote.

Additionally, the agency restored a school resource officer position, bringing the total to two, and earlier this year, it created a “hybrid” gang unit, whose officers focus on gang-enforcement duties while also handling regular calls for service.

The agency has made progress in filling vacant police officer positions. Burbank is budgeted for 160 sworn officers, and as of Tuesday, just six positions were vacant, down from 12 vacancies in April. Those numbers include officers who are still in the academy.

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Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @atchek

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