The San Ramon City Council is set Tuesday to consider approving five new full-time employees for the San Ramon Police Department following an overview of the organized retail prevention grant program that SRPD was recently awarded $5.6 million through.

On the table at their next regular meeting, the council is poised for a vote on a resolution that would approve the addition of five new police positions -- one sergeant, one corporal, two officers and one office specialist -- as well as reclassifying an existing officer position to a sergeant position.

"The San Ramon Police Department's grant proposal includes the formation of an Organized Retail Theft Suppression Team consisting of one Police Sergeant, one Police Corporal, two Police Officers, and one administrative position classified as an Office Specialist," San Ramon Police Chief Denton Carlson wrote in a staff report prepared for the upcoming meeting.

The resolution comes to the City Council following the unanimous approval on Sept. 14 of SRPD's request via the grant program, which is administered via the California Board of State and Community Corrections. Details of the program proposed for grant funding were presented to the council on July 25, the same month SRPD submitted their application to CBSCC.

The approval of SRPD's application is for full funding of the proposed program -- $5,616,613 -- which is set to run for close to four years, kicking off next month and continuing through June 2027.

Carlson said in the staff report that pending approval of the resolution, the department would aim to fill the positions by January, via both internal promotions and external hiring. The reclassified sergeant position is also set to be filled via an internal promotion, he said.

If approved, the five additional positions would bring the police department's total staffing from 89 full-time equivalent positions to 94.

The reclassification is requested, Carlson said in the staff report, in order to maintain existing oversight and leadership to officers as the department shifts resources towards implementing the retail theft prevention program that they estimate will be in operation in January.

"In January 2024, the San Ramon Police Department anticipates an adjustment to the patrol division's schedules to bolster patrol staffing levels as they relate to the volume of community-initiated calls for service that occur from mid-afternoon into the evening hours," Carlson wrote. "This adjustment will be made due to information obtained through the call for service, staffing and beat structure analysis conducted by Etico Solutions, Inc."

There is no anticipated fiscal impact for the city, according to Carlson's report, with departmental funding available via the grant and from existing vacancies.

The San Ramon City Council is set to meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. (Sept. 26). The agenda is available here.

In other business, the council is set to vote on a resolution to select Srinivasa Manapragada to fill a vacant alternate seat on the city's Arts Advisory Committee for a term through March 2025.