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arrival of a K-9. Minutes after the K-9 arrival, the suspect nonchalantly came out, and was taken into custody. JUST THE ARRIVAL OF THE K-9 did it. What was the cost of the helicopter for over an hour? The cost of multiple cars and officers for that time? What other calls were not addressed in a timely manner because of this response? K-9s can be more effective than an officer. They are able to search an area quicker than an officer. They are a smaller target than an officer. They can be more stealthy and subtle than an officer. They can detect a suspect, or a small lost child, or a missing adult with dementia often much better than an officer. They can often access a small area or jump a wall that might slow an officer. They don't need 8 hours of sleep a night; they can take a small nap between calls. They typically don't have a bad day because of a disagreement with the family, co-worker, or boss. Most always they are happy and enthusiastic about their work. We don't have to get into an escalation or bidding contest with neighboring cities; the dogs won't move to Irvine for chicken in place of kibble. They are less expensive overall. Easier to recruit. Their training regimen takes less time than a new officer from scratch. They don't go on strike. They don't have a 10-20-30 year pension. They don't have City paid medical for 10-20- 30 years. They don't have residual family benefits. They don't post on social media or threaten to burn the City. They don't require thousands of dollars in equipment. They don't get weeks of paid time off. (Yes, they're off the job when the handler is. But it's not paid.) Their weekly maintenance costs are an order of magnitude less than an experienced officer's salary. And this doesn't account for what a sworn officer often does; education before applying, physical fitness on one's own time, and specialized training. They are a force multiplier. An officer with a dog can respond in place of two (or more?) officers. This frees up other officers for other calls, and / or more flexibility in shifts. This means that the same number of officers that we currently have can be more effectively deployed. Less overtime. Less stress. Fewer medical / stress / health issues and cost. They can be a great bridge between the department and the public. Kids (and most people) love dogs. Presentations of approachability and skills. Ambassadors in schools and public events (Pet Expo, for example). Demonstrations of public service (finding objects, evidence, people.) Dogs working for people goes back far beyond Hannibal or the Pharaohs. Let's use that unique relationship to make our city better, safer, and more economically sound. Better address the crime rate. Reduce the pending long term debt. Reduce the overtime. Give our police a better life / work balance. Make our current budget more balanced. OPPORTUNITYTWO Implement and expand a system of monitored cameras. Cameras are widely used throughout the country and world to monitor potential problem areas; traffic, limited access areas, toxic environments, airports, private property, hospitals, and senior services. Speed and red light cameras are used every day to significant effectiveness, lowering costs, enhancing safety, encouraging compliance. Most police agencies have body cameras. There are cameras in many of Santa Ana's schools and school parking lots for child safety. Cameras assist in monitoring and risk assessment in natural disaster; fire, flood, earthquake, etc. Witness the ubiquitous RING (and other) resident cameras. People in all our neighborhoods obviously see the usefulness and applicability to cameras for their homes, yards, and businesses. They enhance safety and lower insurance costs. They provide peace of mind tracking children and pets. They deter crime. A camera can operate 24 /7 /365. It doesn't need vacation. It works every shift. It works through inclement weather. A camera is very discrete and unobtrusive. It works when a marked (or unmarked) car can easily be identified and avoided. It can operate in low light or infrared mode, situations that might challenge an officer. Cameras have been shown to reduce crime rates. Good video helps place an incident in context, and reduces reliance on witnesses that may have motives for shading the facts; or not remembering well. One unsworn employee can monitor several locations simultaneously; a lower cost force multiplier. Being monitored, a situation needing attention can be detected in real time. This enables appropriate response in a more timely manner. Being recorded, there is a record of the actual events; making documentation faster and more reliable. Many young / veterans could be qualified, especially vets with drone experience, or highly capable gamers. Storage of data is relatively inexpensive. Less expensive and quicker than hiring new officers. Much lower probationary time line; easy to implement rapidly. It doesn't require weeks of additional training every year. Much easier and cheaper to replace or update as technology advances. pil