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Rancho Palos Verdes receives public safety division update as new staff and programs come online
Summary
City staff reported the public safety division is nearing full staffing and anticipates being dispatchable by summer 2026; the council received and filed the third‑quarter report and requested future metrics comparing the division's cost to Los Angeles County Sheriff staffing.
The Rancho Palos Verdes City Council on [date not specified] received a third‑quarter status update on the city's Public Safety Division.
Public safety staff (Jennie) told the council the city's contract with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LESD) for fiscal year 2025–26 is about $8.6 million, with a projected $8.9 million cost next year. "This division will be fully staffed by this month," Jennie said, adding that part‑time field positions are now filled, and the team is onboarding a senior analyst who will support data analysis and program development.
Jennie outlined initiatives to complement LESD services — including public safety liaisons (PSLs), community education campaigns (fraud and scam prevention, ebike safety, lithium battery awareness), neighborhood watch coordination, and a proposed regional drone program shared with neighboring cities. The drone program was estimated at $70,000–$80,000 total and would be shared among four cities.
Council members pressed for metrics to quantify cost savings or service equivalency between the new Public Safety Division and deputies under the LESD contract. Council member Bradley asked whether finance staff could produce a comparative analysis of the division's cost versus the equivalent number of deputies; staff said such an estimate could be prepared for a future quarterly report once the division is fully operational and dispatchable.
A council member moved to receive and file the public safety status update; the motion passed on a unanimous roll call vote. Council directed staff to return with recommended performance metrics and, where feasible, financial equivalency figures in subsequent reports.
What happens next: staff will continue the PSL onboarding, work toward dispatchability by summer 2026, and prepare follow‑up staffing and financial metrics for future council reports.
