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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-10-22 - AGENDA REPORTS - LAW ENFORCEMENT BLOCK GRANT (2)AGENDA REPORT r City Manager Approval Item to be presented by: Adele Macpherson NEW BUSINESS DATE: October 22, 1996 SUBJECT: BUREAU OF JUSTICE ASSISTANCE LAW ENFORCEMENT BLOCK GRANT DEPARTMENT: Parks, Recreation and Community Services In June 1996, the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance announced the availability of funding under the Local Law Enforcement Grants Program under the Fiscal Year 1996 Omnibus Appropriations Act. Under this program, the City of Santa Clarita was notified that we were eligible to apply for a direct award of $167,632. The grant requirements include a 10% cash match by the City in the amount of $16,763. The purpose of the Bureau of Justice Assistance Law Enforcement Block Grant Funds is to provide local jurisdictions with opportunities to reduce crime and improve public safety through the implementation of diverse strategies ranging from addressing the issue of violent juvenile crime to establishing crime prevention programs involving cooperation between community residents and law enforcement personnel. In an effort to expand our youth crime prevention efforts, the City applied for funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance Law Enforcement Block Grant. In accordance with the guidelines specified by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, this funding will be used for law enforcement activities which include the following components: * Park / Paseo / 7r -W l Bike Patrol A team consisting of four Sheriffs Deputies will be on bike patrol at park sites and on paseos and trails which are identified as key areas of criminal activity. The bike team will be used during the summer months of June, July, August and September when the facilities are used the most and when students are on summer break. The purpose of the bike patrol is to reduce the use of narcotics and alcohol in parks and on paseos and trials, particularly among teens, to enforce curfew and to reduce crime, particularly vandalism in parks and on paseos and trails. * DUI Checkpoints: Additional DUI checkpoints will be conducted during May and June to coincide with local high school proms and graduation. These checkpoints will focus on areas where teenage celebrations occur. The purpose of the additional checkpoints is to reduce the number of under age drunk drivers, to arrest drunk drivers and to inform the public of the laws regarding drinking and driving, and to encourage them to drive sober. � � Agenda Item a" * Truancy Team: The Truancy Team will conduct at least ten community -wide sting operations each year to apprehend truants and return them to school. The purpose of the Truancy Team is to detain truants, reduce the number of truants, encourage students to stay in school, and reduce the number of crimes committed during the day.; * EASY (Eliminating Alcohol Sales to Youth): The EASY Program is a cooperative effort of community-based organizations to eliminate the illegal sale of alcohol to minors. Sheriffs Deputies will conduct sting operations to cite liquor store clerks who are caught selling alcohol to minors. As part of the sentencing, the clerks cited will be mandated to attend an EASY Alcohol Awareness Seminar. The seminar will consist of presentations and information sharing by alcohol related agencies including Mothers Against Drunk Driving, SCV Safe Rides and the Sheriffs Department. The purpose of this program is to eliminate the sale of alcohol to minors, increase awareness of the problem through the development of a comprehensive community outreach program and to reduce the number of drunk driving accidents involving minors.. The grant stipulates that the funding cannot be used to supplant existing funds and not replace funds already appropriated for the same purpose. Another grant requirement is that the City establish or designate an advisory board that includes representatives of groups with recognized interest in criminal justice and crime, or substance abuse prevention and treatment. The Prevention Policy Board, the body established to provide authorization and oversight for the Office of Criminal Justice Planning Grant, has agreed to also serve as the advisory board for the Bureau of Justice Assistance Law Enforcement Block Grant. This Board falls in accordance with the guidelines specified in the grant. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the City Council 1) authorize $16,763 to be transferred from account number 01-4101-290 to the Bureau ofJustice Assistance Fund in order to satisfy the cash match required by the Bureau of Justice Assistance; 2) establish special revenue fund number 13 as the Bureau of Justice Assistance Fund; 3) establish estimated revenues of $167,632 in account number 13-3553 and appropriate $184,395 to account numbers 13-4106-101 through 13-4106-227; and 4) authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute any contracts, agreements or change orders arising out of this program.