La Verne council receives 116‑page police staffing study recommending more officers, civilian staff and a new facility plan

A 116‑page utilization and staffing study presented to the La Verne City Council on May 20 recommends the city increase police department staffing, expand support functions and begin space‑planning for a new public safety facility.

The study, led by Richard Brady of The Matrix Consulting Group, was described as a data‑driven analysis intended to "shape the Department's operations and resource management over the next 10 years." Brady told the council the firm analyzed calls for service, response times and proactive patrol time and modeled anticipated growth tied to development and the forthcoming Gold Line station.

The report found La Verne responds to about 10,000 community‑generated calls a year and that patrol officers have more than 55% of their time available for proactive work during daylight hours. Still, Matrix identified shortfalls in support areas: communications (dispatch), records, investigations and homeless outreach. Its near‑term recommendations include adding roughly 12 sworn positions and six professional/non‑sworn staff to address current workload imbalances, plus long‑range projections that add roughly four sworn positions over the next ten years as development proceeds. The firm also recommended two specialized outreach teams to address homelessness and related quality‑of‑life calls and suggested creating an administrative sergeant to consolidate collateral responsibilities.

Brady said the Metro/Gold Line station near La Verne is not expected to be a large direct driver of additional calls by itself; "based on the comparisons we did, the impact won't be that great — maybe a few calls a day," he said, but cautioned the call level will depend on future development near the station.

Chief Sam Gonzalez said the department will work with the city manager and finance staff to translate the study into concrete staffing proposals. "I'll be working closely with the city manager on staffing proposals and bring the items forward to council for action when developed," Chief Gonzalez said.

Councilmembers and public commenters pressed for more station‑specific comparisons and asked whether student and transit demographics might change demand patterns. A resident who raised concerns about the Gold Line said local people are "fearful of what the Gold Line is going to bring"; Brady and the chief answered that the projections account for both population growth (about 9% over ten years, per the study) and development scenarios.

The council voted unanimously to receive and file the Matrix report; councilmembers said staff should return with implementation options, costs and timeline recommendations before any hiring occurs. The study also includes space‑planning estimates: Matrix suggested a separate police facility of roughly 49,000 square feet and an 18,000‑square‑foot fire facility to meet long‑term needs.

Next steps: City staff, the chief and finance will work from the study to prepare budgeted staffing and facility proposals for council consideration; the report will serve as the basis for that follow‑up work.