Quorum Confirmed for Special Public Safety Committee Meeting to Continue Budget Hearings

A city official told Pasadena Now on Tuesday that a quorum has been confirmed for a May 31 special Public Safety Committee meeting to continue budget workshops for police, fire and community services.

The last meeting was canceled on May 18 when a quorum of the committee was not present.

A quorum is the minimum number of members  that must be present at the meeting to make the vote at the meeting valid.

Budget workshops are scheduled to be held for the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department along with  workshops for the Pasadena Fire Department, Police Department and Public Health Department.

The police department has submitted an operating budget of $97,953,745 — a 5.6 percent increase from the current budget, according to an agenda report.

The budget covers projected expenses by the department for personnel, services and supplies, internal services charges, and capital outlay for next year.

The police budget has been a target for some anti-police activists.

Explaining some significant changes from the 2022 budget, the Pasadena Police Department said two full-time equivalent Park Safety Specialists have been added to their plans and that personnel benefits will increase by $3 million, according to the Department’s preliminary report.

For services and supplies, an annual Computer Aided Dispatch and Records Management System (CAD/RMS) maintenance contract which started this year will require $485,000; year 2 of a three-year ShotSpotter contract, which aids in gunshot detection as part of the crime response and investigation process, will cost $210,000; and $100,000 will be spent for additional equipment needed to pursue the objectives of the Racial Identity Profiling Act.

The report to be presented to the Public Safety Committee will also include a list of significant accomplishments the Police Department said it achieved during fiscal year 2022. The department cited the addition of working liaisons with the elder and dependent adult community in Pasadena,  the installation of Axon Body 3 smart sensors that interact with police officers’ body-worn cameras; addressing homelessness and mental health issues through prevention, intervention and enforcement strategies, and working with Los Angeles County agencies for law enforcement and public safety objectives.

The Police Department said it has also strengthened its collaboration with the state’s Department of Justice to address gun violence in the community, and established a Wellness Unit that provides support to employees and their families, as well as support for community members impacted by a critical incident.