REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
June 11, 2015
FROM: JERRY P. DYER, Chief of Police
Police Department
BY: ROBERT NEVAREZ, Deputy Chief
Administrative, Support & Special Services Divisions
SUBJECT
Title
Actions pertaining to the 2015 Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program grant
1. Authorize the Chief of Police to apply for and accept $1,875,000 in total grant funding for the 2015 COPS Hiring Program grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Community Oriented Policing Services for the City of Fresno Police Department
2. Authorize the Chief of Police to execute all related documents applicable to the 2015 COPS Hiring Program grant
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Mayor Swearengin's Fiscal Year 2016 Budget proposes to increase the number of sworn positions from 717 to 760, which is partially funded through this grant application. Therefore, it is recommended the City Council authorize the Chief of Police to apply for and accept $1,875,000 in total grant funding for the 2015 Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, COPS office and to execute all applicable and related documents.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Fresno Police Department will apply for the 2015 COPS Hiring Program grant to hire an additional 15 sworn police officers to serve 15 school locations and their surrounding neighborhoods. Funding for this grant will be $125,000 per sworn officer for a maximum of 15 officers during a 36 month performance period starting October 1, 2015, followed by a 12 month retention period. This reimbursement based grant will provide a total of $1,875,000 or 30% of the total cost of the combined 15 officers for three years. The remaining 70% will be split between the City of Fresno and Fresno Unified School District (FUSD) as part of a joint agreement to provide police services for the identified high school and middle school campuses and surrounding neighborhoods.
BACKGROUND
The 2015 COPS Hiring Program grant would allow the Fresno Police Department (FPD) to hire an additional 15 sworn police officers to serve 15 school locations and their surrounding neighborhoods. FPD would strategically focus on the 15 most challenging school locations and surrounding neighborhoods as identified by FPD and FUSD staff. The areas are predominantly non-owner occupied, with many of the residents living below the poverty level. There are many factors prevalent in these areas, such as a lack of education, uninvolved parents, missing economic opportunities and an overall void in resources that create a fertile field for gang membership and drug involvement. We believe these areas can be successfully addressed in the School Resource Officer model.
While the FPD has done a good job of creating community partnerships, it lacks the ability to provide law enforcement resources consistently where they are most needed. When law enforcement can be a consistent and interactive part of schools and the surrounding neighborhood, crime can be impacted while at the same time improving relations with the community.
Officers funded by this grant would focus those efforts on these measurable outcomes:
1. Reducing crime in neighborhoods surrounding target schools
2. Reducing fear of crime in neighborhoods surrounding target schools
3. Increasing trust of law enforcement in the schools and neighborhoods that surround them by
a. Enhancing relationships between students and law enforcement
b. Incorporating problem solving approach in neighborhoods and school campuses
4. Improving quality of life for those who live in target neighborhoods by:
a. Reducing the sale of narcotics in residential areas in and around schools
b. Reducing blight through the timely removal of graffiti and coordinating Code Enforcement efforts
5. Enhancing student achievement by:
a. Reducing truancy rates in schools
b. Facilitating youth activities and after school programs for neighborhood youth
c. Incorporating victim offender reconciliation program for youth involved in low level criminal activity
d. Addressing problems between students to include bullying
e. Providing visible presence in the schools
With the assistance of grant funded personnel, residents will be assured that police presence and investment in the issues will become long term. Officers will employ a variety of solutions from suggesting simple crime prevention measures, to making arrests for various criminal offenses. Officer will also leverage other police department resources such as Problem Oriented Policing officers, district investigative personnel and department Violent Crime Impact Teams to assist in the authoring of search warrants; Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) and target area saturation for identified problems. We will also employ a variety of alternative problem solving tactics to include the use of City Code Enforcement, (inspection of drug related locations and posting of no trespassing/muni-code violations), Housing Authority intervention (removal of public assistance programs to law violators, Section 8 housing), and local municipal code actions which hold property owners responsible for nuisance locations and activities (Fresno Ordinance for the management of Real Property).
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
This is not a "project" for the purposes of CEQA, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15378.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not considered because this does not include a bid or award of a construction or service contract.
FISCAL IMPACT
The impact to the general fund will consist of a net cost of $2,576,765 total for a 36 month grant period beginning October 1, 2015. Of the net cost for the 36 month period, Fresno Unified School District (FUSD) has agreed to partner with the Fresno Police Department on this project by providing 50% of the net cost of the 15 officers.
Therefore, the City's general fund contribution to this project will total $1,288,382 for the 36 month period. Grant funding will provide for 42% of the total cost of the 15 officers. Once the grant period commences, depending on further negotiations with FUSD, 50% of the total cost of the 15 officers will be absorbed in the general fund for a retention period of 12 months. The ability to fund these positions once the grant expires has been included in the Mayor's five year budget projections.
Attachment: Form SF-424, Request for Federal Assistance