SR 10-24-2023 5E
City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: October 24, 2023
Agenda Item: 5.E
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Ramon Batista, Police Chief, Police Department
Subject: Authorization to Accept Grant from the Board of State and Community
Corrections for the Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant Program
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of no possibility of significant effect pursuant to Section
15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the California Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines.
2. Adopt the attached resolution authorizing the acceptance of a grant awarded
in the amount of $6,125,000 from the Board of State and Community
Corrections for the Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant Program in the
Police Department.
3. Authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary documents to accept
the grants and all grant renewals.
4. Authorize budget changes as outlined in the Financial Impacts &
Budget Actions section of this report.
Summary
The City has been awarded an Organized Retail Theft Prevention Program grant for
$6,125,000 from the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC). Grant funds
must be used by December 31, 2026, and all reimbursement requests must be
completed no later than June 1, 2027. No local match is required. The grant aims to
reduce and deter organized retail theft in the City of Santa Monica. Grant funds will be
used to develop a Santa Monica Analytical Real-Time Center (SMART Center), which
will enable the police department to deter, detect, locate, and investigate organized
retail thefts, vehicle thefts, and catalytic converter thefts in the City.
Discussion
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The Organized Retail Theft Prevention Program grant comes from the State of
California through the State Budget Act of 2022 (Senate Bill 154). Funding was
available to California city police departments, sheriff departments, and probation
departments to support local law enforcement agencies in preventing and responding to
organized retail theft (“ORT”), motor vehicle or motor vehicle accessory theft.
On July 7, 2023, the Santa Monica Police Department submitted a grant application to
develop a SMART Center and was notified of its award on September 15, 2023. The
SMART Center will be a local crime fighting tool, as well as a regional criminal
intelligence resource for fighting ORT and catalytic converter theft. The SMART Center
will be in operation 24 hours per day and for at least 6 days per week. It will be
organized like a patrol watch, providing an around the clock approach to impact ORT
and catalytic converter theft, which occurs at all hours of the day and night. The
SMART Center will direct all technological assets toward these and other crime
problems through the 3-year grant period, and is designed to serve as the director of
intelligence-driven crime fighting beyond the grant period, funding permitted.
SMPD has conducted extensive research on the effectiveness of Real-Time Crime
Centers (RTCC), visiting more than 13 active RTCCs in California and in the
Southwestern US. SMPD has seen firsthand the effectiveness of leveraging technology
investments towards real-time crime fighting. Police agencies in Elk Grove (CA), Chino
(CA), Beverly Hills (CA), Las Vegas (NV), and La Mesa (AZ) have succeeded in
detecting and preventing crime in real time, while also generating actionable leads on
reported crimes in 80-90% of major cases. SMPD personnel have attended RTCC
conferences and have interacted with the National Real Time Crime Center Association
(NRTCCA) while preparing for the SMART Center project.
The core components of the SMART Center consist of:
• A contiguous network of public-facing security cameras comprised of both fixed
and maneuverable point-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras.
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• A modern Video Management System (VMS), allowing for rapid recall and
control of camera assets, with the capability to interface with newer camera
hardware.
• Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) cameras covering strategic
intersections and routes through Santa Monica.
• Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) capable of responding in advance of, or in
support of, officers responding to calls for service anywhere in the geographic
boundaries of Santa Monica.
• A “fusion,” “one-pane-of-glass” software platform to merge the SMART Center
technologies with SMPD’s dispatch, asset geo-location systems, radio systems
into a map-based command center environment.
• A video-analytics software platform capable of generating live alters and reducing
the investigative time needed to review Santa Monica City video and 3rd party
video.
• A physical location for the SMART Center within the Public Safety Facility, built
and equipped to incorporate the technologies listed above along with the
staffing/management to run the center.
The implementation portion of the grant ends December 31, 2026. Upon completion of
the grant, ongoing maintenance and replacement of technology equipment and services
is estimated at a minimum of $600,000 annually. Throughout the duration of the grant,
staff will research and pursue funding opportunities to cover the recurring technology
maintenance after the third year.
Environmental Review
The acceptance and use of grant funding is categorically exempt from CEQA pursuant
to Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines. The grant activities are covered by the
common sense exemption which states that CEQA does not apply, “where it can be
seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have
a significant effect on the environment.” The grant will allow the SMPD to develop a
SMART center within the existing SMPD headquarters that will include cameras,
software, and other supporting small equipment. Therefore, it can be seen with certainty
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that the grant would not result in adverse physical impacts on the environment, and as
such, is categorically exempt from CEQA.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to accept a grant from the Board of State and Community
Corrections Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant Program. Staff also recommends
the following budget changes.
FY 2023-24 Grant Budget Changes
Establish Revenue Budget Appropriate Funds
Account Number Amount Account Numbers Amount
20180001.405931 $6,125,000 20180001.511400.21044 $880,142
20180001.556631 $5,244,858
Total $6,125,000 Total $6,125,000
If renewals are awarded, budget changes will be included in subsequent year budgets,
contingent on Council budget approval.
Prepared By: Jose Arroyo, Senior Administrative Analyst
Approved
Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Council Resolution Accepting BSCC Grant
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Attachment A
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City Council Meeting: October 24, 2023 Santa Monica, California RESOLUTION NUMBER _________ (CCS)
(City Council Series) A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA AUTHORIZING THE ACCEPTANCE OF A GRANT AWARD IN THE AMOUNT OF
$6,125,000 FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA BOARD OF STATE AND
COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS, ORGANIZED RETAIL THEFT PREVENTION GRANT PROGRAM
WHEREAS, the City of Santa Monica (the “City) desires to participate in the State
of California’s Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant Program, which is made available
through the State Budget Act and administered by the Board of State and Community
Corrections (“BSCC”) to support the reduction of organized retail thefts, motor vehicle or
motor vehicle accessory thefts, in the City, and,
WHEREAS, on July 7, 2023, the City submitted its proposal for the Program, and,
WHEREAS, on September 15, 2023, the BSCC notified the City that it will be
awarded $6,125,000 in grant funds for its participation in the Program through June 1,
2027, and,
WHEREAS, the BSCC requires a resolution from the City’s governing body
authorizing the City to enter into an agreement with the BSCC related to the Program and
designating an agent for the City to execute the agreement and any amendments thereto.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
DOES RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The City Council of the City of Santa Monica authorizes the City
manager to negotiate and execute any agreements and amendments with the State of
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Packet Pg. 68 Attachment: Council Resolution Accepting BSCC Grant (5999 : Accept BSCC Grant)
Attachment A
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California to accept a grant from BSCC in the amount of $6,125,000 and to participate in
the Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant Program.
SECTION 2. The grant funds received from BSCC shall not be used to supplant
expenditures controlled by the City Council.
SECTION 3. The City of Santa Monica agrees to abide by the terms and
conditions of the grant agreement as set forth by the BSCC.
SECTION 4. The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this Resolution, and
thenceforth and thereafter the same shall be in full force and effect.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
BY: ______________________________
DOUGLAS SLOAN, City Attorney
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Packet Pg. 69 Attachment: Council Resolution Accepting BSCC Grant (5999 : Accept BSCC Grant)