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REPORTRAPPORT |
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REPORTRAPPORT |
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DATE: |
06 June 2008 |
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TO: |
Executive Director, Ottawa Police Services Board |
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FROM: |
Directorate Leader, Corporate Services, Ottawa Police Service |
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SUBJECT: |
RESPONSE TO INQUIRY #I-08-05: ADDRESSING DELAYS IN PROCESSING VOLUNTEER RECORD CHECKS |
That the
Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.
At the Ottawa Police Services Board meeting on 31 March 2008, a joint public delegation comprised of the Ottawa Administrators of Volunteer Resources (OAVR), Volunteer Ottawa and the City of Ottawa’s Volunteer Services presented a position brief titled “Police Records Checks and Community Organizational Capacity”. The presentation emphasized that the current 9-12 week turnaround time in obtaining Police Records Checks (PRCs) for the volunteer sector in Ottawa represents a loss in capacity of $182,500,000 each year and asked the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) to invest to reduce wait times.
The Board-approved service standard for processing PRCs for the volunteer sector is 6 – 8 weeks. This standard was established in 2003 when the Board decided to go beyond legislated requirements for records checks for those serving the vulnerable sector and adopt an enhanced process. In Ottawa the three mandatory steps of searching the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) database for: 1) criminal records, 2) outstanding charges and 3) pardons for sexual offences have been enhanced with the additional step of a search of local police records in the jurisdictions in which the applicant resided during the last five years. As stated on the OPS website, the 6 – 8 week standard applies only to those applicants who have resided within the OPS jurisdiction during the last five years. Other applicants may not be able to be served in that timeframe if information must be requested from another police service.
The increased wait time for obtaining PRCs is a result of the shift in volunteering patterns and the steady increase in the number of requests for PRCs. Volunteers move from organization to organization frequently, volunteering commitments are mostly short-term and organizations rely increasingly on PRCs. The data supports the existence of this new trend: the number of PRC requests processed in 2007 was 22% higher than the previous year (37,027 versus 30,227).
Ottawa Police staff met with members of the joint public delegation on 23 April 2008 to review challenges faced by both the volunteer sector and the OPS. The group used the opportunity to explore options to reduce wait times by streamlining processes and to refresh the information available to the volunteer sector regarding Police Record Checks. The joint PRC service review also discussed constraints concerning the use of volunteers in delivering this service, the legislative framework for providing this service, the lack of provincial or federal standards, the impact of the rollout of RCMP’s Real Time Identification (RTID) system and the Board’s direction to strive for overall cost recovery for fee-based services.
As a result of the April meeting and following further discussion with staff, four strategies are underway to help improve the turnaround time for Police Records Checks for volunteers. Some will help to reduce the quantity of checks requested and some will help to ensure that more resources are on hand for processing. Staff will be continuing monthly monitoring of volume and turnaround times to try and judge the impact of these strategies.
It was agreed that the OPS Background Clearance Unit staff will provide materials and information to be used by Volunteer Ottawa in a new education campaign aimed at ensuring that the volunteer sector uses PRCs appropriately and that the process of applying for PRCs is amply disseminated to eliminate errors causing delays in the intake process.
One Full Time Equivalent (FTE) has been added to the Background Clearance Unit starting in March 2008, bringing the resource level to 9 FTEs, by implementing more technology in the records processing. By expanding the range of documents scanned into the Records Management System (RMS), the Records Management Services section was able to identify one FTE in the Filing/Freedom Of Information Unit to be re-allocated on a permanent basis to the Background Clearance Unit. Additionally, an FTE was temporarily added to the Background Clearance Unit, to address service demand rather than resorting to overtime.
In the longer term, the Background Clearance Unit plans to revisit the workload analysis for delivering PRC services, determine the best staffing model to address the peaks and valleys of the demand for this service and present a proposal to the OPS Executive for appropriately resourcing the Background Clearance Unit.
The Board has the option of reviewing the enhanced standard that it has adopted. It should be noted that were the OPS to revise the standard and adopt the 3-step legislated standard for vulnerable sector related records checks (CPIC search for 1-criminal records, 2-outstanding charges and 3-pardoned sexual offences), the PRC service could be provided on a walk-in / same-day basis.
A future consideration in this policy area is the impact of the Real Time Identification (RTID) system being rolled out by the RCMP. RTID will allow the (inkless) electronic capture and transmission of fingerprints to the RCMP and will make it possible to confirm by fingerprints all future CPIC searches. Depending on RCMP guidelines concerning use of RTID capabilities, the inclusion of RTID functionalities into our CRC/PRC service delivery may lead to a complete reengineering of CRC/PRC processes.
The consultation process included a meeting with the Ottawa Administrators of Volunteer Resources (OAVR), Volunteer Ottawa and City of Ottawa’s Volunteer Services. Their comments are attached as Annex A. Other police services, including the RCMP, were also contacted.
There are no direct financial implications arising from this report. Reallocation of resources has been accomplished within existing staffing levels. Additional future staffing and any costs associated with technological advancements, if applicable, will be subject to Board approval of the 2009 operating budget.
CONCLUSION
The OPS is concerned that the wait for Police Record Checks for volunteers exceeds the standard set by the Board and that this issue has a significant impact on both the volunteer sector and the community. The four strategies set out in this report represent a concrete first step in the right direction. Staff will be monitoring volume and turnaround time for PRCs to gauge the actual impact of these initiatives.
Geoff Simpson
Directorate Leader, Corporate Services
Debra Frazer
Director General
Vern White
Chief of Police
Attach. (1)
