Title
Staff Report to Rename the Portion of Hays Street Between East 14th Street and Davis Street to "Dan Niemi Way"
Staffreport
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a Resolution Approving the Renaming of a Portion of Hays Street between East 14th Street and Davis Street to "Dan Niemi Way"
BACKGROUND
Officer Dan Niemi was hired by the City of San Leandro as a Police Recruit on January 15, 2002. He attended the Alameda County Sheriff's Office Regional Training Academy on February 4, 2002. On August 9, 2002 he completed the Regional Training Academy and was given the title of Police Officer with the San Leandro Police Department.
On July 25, 2005, Officer Niemi was on patrol when he received a call reporting loud noise in the 14700 block of Doolittle Drive in San Leandro. When he arrived at the scene, he made contact with several young men. While talking with these individuals and gathering their information, one of the suspects fatally wounded Officer Niemi using a concealed firearm.
To honor Officer Niemi, in 2006 the City Council authorized the creation of a public safety memorial in front of the San Leandro Police Department, which was dedicated to San Leandro Police Officers and Alameda County Firefighters who died in the line of duty. Since that time, the San Leandro Police Officers Association has held ceremonies in front of this memorial during California Police Week and National Police Week. As the 10-year anniversary of the death of Officer Niemi approaches, the City of San Leandro would like to further honor Officer Niemi's ultimate sacrifice to the community by dedicating a City street in his name.
Analysis
After careful review of streets throughout the City of San Leandro, staff identified a section of Hays Street between East 14th Street and Davis Street as an ideal location to rename a street in Officer Niemi's honor. The street currently has no businesses or residential addresses attached to it, yet is located in a prominent, central location. Additionally, this proposal aligns with how several other nearby cities have honored fallen officers in their own communities, including "John Monego Court" in Dublin and "Robert Davie Jr. Drive" in Alameda.
Current Agency Policies
San Leandro Administration Code Title 1, Chapter 10 "Policy on Naming/Renaming Facilities" allows for the re-naming of City streets, subject to the following criteria:
"It is in the public interest to officially name certain City properties and facilities in order to identify them for the public and to celebrate those individuals who have made a significant contribution to the City. This policy recognizes that requests for naming or renaming of facilities most often occur after the death of a prominent citizen
The following criteria shall be used:
(a) In the case of an individual who is deceased, the individual for whom a facility is to be named must be deceased at least one hundred eighty (180) days.
(b) The individual for whom a facility is to be named (or renamed) must have been one of the following:
(1) Long-term resident of the community or owner of a business in the community who has made significant, notable, and tangible contributions to the facility or property in question or to the San Leandro community at large.
(2) Elected official or employee of the City whose accomplishments and contributions to the community clearly demonstrate a commitment over and beyond that which would otherwise be normally associated with the performance of their work.
(c) There must be a well-defined connection between the contributions of the individual and the property or facility.
(d) In the case of a request involves renaming a facility, the next of kin of the individual for whom the facility is currently named (provided that the person was a local resident) should be notified of the proposed change and given an opportunity for input before the City Council acts upon the request."
Staff has reviewed the above criteria and advises that these criteria have been met. Specifically, Officer Niemi passed away in 2005, which exceeds the 180 day requirement outlined in subsection (a), above. Additionally, Officer Niemi ultimately forfeited the remainder of his life while in the line of duty, which far exceeds the contributions to the San Leandro community that would otherwise be normally expected of a City staff person while performing their work.
Although not directly required by the above criteria, it should also be noted that staff from the San Leandro Police Department also met with members of Officer Niemi's family to discuss the proposed street renaming and location, and the family has expressed their support for the current proposal.
Fiscal Impacts
This proposal will have no substantive fiscal impact to the adopted City budget. The nominal costs associated with the removal of existing street signs and installation of the new signage at the intersections of Hays Street and Davis Street, and Hays Street and East 14th Street can be absorbed within the adopted Public Works Department budget.
Budget Authority
Sufficient funds are available in the adopted FY 2016-2017 biennial city budget to accommodate the proposal.
ATTACHMENT
· Map of location of proposed street renaming
PREPARED BY: Mike Sobek, Lieutenant, Police Department