SR 10-25-2016 3Q
Ci ty Council
Report
City Council Meeting : October 25, 2016
Agenda Item: 3.Q
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Jacqueline Seabrooks, Police Chief , Police Department
Subject: Accept Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG)
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Authorize the City Manager to acc ept a grant award in the amount of $28,199
from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Edward Byrne Memorial Justice
Assistance Grant (JAG) for implementation of the JAG 2016 Crime Impact
Project ;
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary docum ents to accept the
grant ; and
3. Authorize budget changes as outlined in the Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
section of th e report.
Executive Summary
The Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) has been awarded a grant of $28,199
under the 2016 Edward B yrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (JAG),
which is administered by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The funds must be
utilized by the end of the grant period, September 30, 201 9 . No local matching funds
are required.
To reduce crime and ensure the safety and wellbeing of the City, SMPD utilizes a
variety of public safety and quality of life strategies, including the u se of focused
operations that are supported by both sworn officers and civilian staff . In order to
prevent a reduction in routine service responses and to maintain the quality of regular
service, the se supplemental crime suppression efforts are staffed using personnel on
overtime. The JAG grant would provide additional funding for overtime costs associated
with SMPD’s citywid e crime reduction efforts. These grant activities support the Police
Department mission of safeguard ing the community by improving the quality of lif e.
Background
The JAG program is a formula grant that provides funding to support a range of
program areas including law enforcement. Formula allocations are awarded by the DOJ
to each State and then to local jurisdictions based on population and crime statistics .
Santa Monica has been an annual recipient of varying amounts of Justice Department
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g rant funds for the past ten years. Past projects supported by this funding h ave included
interoperable communications equipment, funding of overtime for crime control
operations, funding for certified crime lab services, and funding for DNA forensic testing.
With th e launch of Expo line and the increasing number of visitors to the City, SMPD
plans to leverage 2016 JAG funds to fund additional overtime operations that will
address identified public safety challenges . Without the additional funds from JAG, the
opportun ity to run focused operations targeting specific issues and concerns is reduced .
Discussion
In 2016, the JAG funds would fund overtime to reduce crime and ensure the wellbeing
of City residents and visitors. More specifically, SMPD would use the funds to plan
crime control operations that specifically target priority crimes and public safety issues
and quickly respond to unplanned neighborhood crime and public safety concerns .
Collectively, these strategies meet unfunded needs and will serve to improve quality of
life by reducing area crime and social disorder while also providing an opportunity to
expand community -police partnerships .
To meet the grant conditions, SMPD provided a 30 -day period for public comment on
the proposed use of the funds. The C ity of Santa Monica met this condition by issuing a
public service announcement from July 14, 2016 - August 13, 2016. The announcement
was posted on the Police Department’s website. No responses were received in
opposition to the use of the JAG Program fun ds.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Award of a $28,199 g rant from U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Edward Byrne
Memorial Justice Assistance Grant requires the following FY 2016 -17 budget changes:
1. Establish a revenue budget at account 20304.403638 in the amount of $28,199.
2. Appropriate $28,199 to account 20304.578844 89012W to reflect receipt of the U.S.
Department of Justice (DOJ) Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant.
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Prepared By: Thomas McLaughlin, Lieutenant
Approved
Forwarded to Council