HomeMy WebLinkAboutExplanationNA T NAL CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT
M>L M fit R A lei D .0 M
DATE: November 30, 2011
TO: Adolfo Gonzales, Chief of Police
FROM: Dan Fabinski, Sergeant
SUBJECT: Explanation of City Council Resolution to Adopt a Citation Sign -Off Fee
The National City Police Department is proposing a citation sign --off (Fixit Ticket)
fee to offset the personnel costs regarding the numerous daily citation sign offs performed
by the Police Department Desk Officer. The Police Department signs off approximately
145 "Fix It" tickets a month at the Department's Records Unit Front Counter,
There is a direct cost to the City in staff time in providing, this benefit to those who
have received such citations, The Police Department is requesting approval to establish a
fee as the reasonable cost of providing the service to those who seek to have their
correctable citation ("Fix -it" ticket) signed off et the National City Police Department's
Front Counter. National City Police Officers will still provide this service free of charge in
the field.
A recent survey conducted by the Records Unit indicated that approximately 50%,
of the ticket sign off, were requested by people who lived outside National City and
received their citation by an agency other than the National City Police Department. This
verifies that many individuals travel to the National City Police Department to have their
"Fix It" tickets signed off free of charge. "file two closest law enforcement agencies., the
Chula Vista Police Department and the San Diego Sheriff's Department (Imperial Beach)
both charge a fee for ticket sign offs. The Chula Vista Police Department charges $10.00
per ticket and the San Diego Sheriff's Department charges $15,00 per ticket.
The amount of time necessary for a typical citation sign -off at the Front Counter of
the Police Department generally takes between five and fifteen minutes depending upon the
amount of vehicle examination and violation research necessary to properly sign off the
citation. Therefore, a fair estimate of time necessary for the average citation sign off is
approximately ten rninutes.
The proposed $10 fee for citations signed off at the Police Department's front lobby
will apply to all persons seeking to have their citation signed off. This includes National
City residents. Proposition 26 allows the City to collect a citation sign -off fee under the
following exception, "A charge imposed for a specific government service or project
provided directly to the payor that is not provided to those not charged, and which does riot
exceed the reasonable costs to the local government of providing the service or product."
Therefore, it is opined. by the City Attorney's Office that the fee must be charged equally to
all who seek the service without any lesser costs or no cost to other persons.
The front desk officer position is staffed by a police officer of the Corporal rank.
The hourly pay with benefits for the Corporal rank is $67.13. Therefore, ten minutes of
Corporal pay/benefits equals $ 1.18. In order to simplify the collection of the fee, it is
recommended this rate be lowered to $10,00 per citation sign off. This would eliminate
the necessity for having proper coin change on hand and speed up the process of fee
collection. Attached is a copy of the survey conducted by the police Department.
DAN 1 ABINSKI
Sergeant
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Date contacted
HOURS
Carlsbad
Chula Vista
(760) 931-2131 Sgt. Koran
1(619) 691-5150
1
Sgt. Reber
Patrol i Yes
Petrol 1 Yee
0
310
0
310
Coronado 1(619) 522-2444 i Sgt. Hima
Traffic
Yes
11/10/2009
11/10/2009
2/1/2010
CSU
(619) 594-6905
All Hrs.
Lobby Hrs.
Lobby Hrs.
El Cajon
(619) 579-335Sgt. Howel!
Patrol
No Outside 11/10/2009
Lobby Hrs.
Escondido (760) 839-47231 Lt. Loarie
rarno
Yes
0
La Mesa
(619) 667-14001 Jennifer Records 1 Yes
315
11/10/2009 1 M-Thurs 0800-1700 11
11/10/2009 1 M-F 0800-1700
Oceanside I (760) 435-49001 Dadene 1 Records ; Yes
11/10/2009
Mon -Sat 0800-1800
San Diego 858-495-7800 1 Sgt. Stanley 1 12MC Yes
0
11/10/2009
Lobby Hrs.
SDSO 1 760-510-5252 Lt. Cea ; raffic Yes
$15
$15
UCSD 1(858) 534-43601 Christine 1-1-ent Desk Yes
11
0 11/10/2009 Lobby 0800-1600 11
1;
HARBOR
Tim Wright Records
11/10/2009
Lobby Hrs0700-163011
" El Cajon changed their policy 2 years ago due to the influx of sign offs from SDSO and La Mesa who told citizens to go tho El Cajon due to it being free.
San Diego signs off 100 a week due to SDSO sending them over to his division.
* Escondido signs aporox 8-10 a day. 'Usually CHPISDSO now oniv signs -off their tickets