REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
May 12, 2016
FROM: JERRY P. DYER, Chief of Police
Police Department
BY: ROBERT NEVAREZ, Deputy Chief
Support & Special Services Division
SUBJECT
Title
Actions pertaining to the 2016 Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program
1. Approve an agreement with the Fresno Unified School District (FUSD) to assign Student Neighborhood Resource Officers to 15 middle schools and their surrounding neighborhoods.
2. ***RESOLUTION - 33rd amendment to the Annual Appropriation Resolution (AAR) No. 2015-104 appropriating $128,400 for the COPS Hiring Grant to augment the Police Department’s SNRO program (Requires 5 affirmative votes)
3. ***RESOLUTION - 5th amendment to Position Authorization Resolution (PAR) No. 2015-105, adding five Police Officer positions to the Fresno Police Department, effective May 1, 2016.
Body
RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends City Council authorize the Chief of Police to enter into and execute an Agreement with FUSD to fund a portion of the costs of assigning fourteen (14) Student Neighborhood Resource Officers (SNROs) and one (1) Sergeant to District’s 15 middle schools and surrounding neighborhoods and to adopt the 33rd amendment to the AAR No. 2015-104 appropriating $128,400 for the COPS Hiring Grant to augment the Department’s SNRO program. This would necessitate Council’s adoption of the Fifth Amendment to Position Authorization Resolution (“PAR”) No. 2015-105, adding five Police Officer positions to the Fresno Police Department, effective May 1, 2016. The remaining ten (10) Police Officer positions will be added in FY 2017.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
On September 21, 2015, the City of Fresno was awarded a grant from the Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) to hire 15 SNROs. In partnership with FUSD, the grant will allow the Police Department to place sworn police officers at each FUSD middle school in the City. The SNROs will provide a high visible police presence on school campuses to promote safety. The SNROs will also provide a presence in neighborhoods near their assigned school campuses to address crime and quality of life issues by using community-oriented policing strategies to resolve gang, drug, blight, and violent activities.
Under the COPS grant, the federal government will pay $1,875,000 of the SNROs’ salary and benefits for three years beginning May 1, 2016. The FUSD School Board approved the funding on December 9, 2015, allocating their portion of the costs for the SNROs over that three year period, with the remaining costs from the Police Department’s budget. FUSD will also pay half of the lease amount for the 15 marked patrol vehicles that will be assigned to the SNROs. The term of this agreement will be effective May 1, 2016, thru August 31, 2020.
BACKGROUND
In August of 1993, the Police Department and FUSD established a Memorandum Of Understanding to have a Student Resource Officer Program at local area High Schools. The success of the Student Resource Officer Program showed that students can build trust relationships with law enforcement officials where officers participate in mentoring, counseling and restorative justice practices at school sites.
On June 11, 2015, Council authorized the Chief of Police to apply for the COPS grant, and on September 21, 2015, the Police Department was notified of the award. This grant will allow the Police Department and FUSD to use the SRO model at FUSD middle schools and expand it to the surrounding neighborhoods by creating the Student Neighborhood Resource Officer (SNRO) program. Working cooperatively, the Police Department and FUSD, can improve the safety of campuses for school age children going to and from these Middle school campuses.
The focus area of this partnership is improving safety for children attending and living near the 15 middle school locations. These areas contain predominantly non-owner occupancies, with many of the residents living below the poverty level. Common risk factors include lack of education, uninvolved parents, missing economic opportunities, and an overall void in resources, which create a fertile field for gang membership and drug involvement in and around many of these school sites.
The Police Department has incorporated hiring these 15 SNROs into the FY 16 and FY 17 Department hiring plan. The first five SNROs will be selected and placed at Tehipite, Sequoia, Gaston, Tioga, and Yosemite Middle Schools by May 2016. Under a current contract, FUSD has Student Resource Officers (SRO) at Fort Miller Middle School as well as Manchester Gate Elementary School. On May 1, 2016, the Manchester Gate SRO was converted to a Sergeant position to supervise the newly established SNRO program.
The next five SNRO’s will be in placed in July 2016 at Scandinavia, Terronez, Awhanee, Edison Computech, and Cooper Middle Schools. The final five SNROs will be selected by September 2016, and placed on the Tenaya, Wawona, Baird and Kings Canyon Middle School campuses. Hamilton Elementary will have its SNRO in the form of a Sergeant position who will act as a “floater” based out of Hamilton. This SNRO will assist in providing coverage to other schools when an SNRO is absent from work for training, vacation or illness.
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed and approved as to form the proposed Fifth Amendment to PAR No. 2015-105.
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 accepting funding from the State does not include a bid or award of a construction or services contract.
FISCAL IMPACT
The General Fund will be impacted by approximately $2,672,697 for the three year grant and the mandatory one year retention period. The COPS grant will pay $1,875,000 of the officer’s salary and benefits for three years and FUSD will pay $2,561,697 of the costs for the SNRO’s over the same four year period. For FY 2016, the City will be impacted by $128,400 in a combination split between the grant fund at $18,000 and the general fund at $110,400. The Fresno Police Department will incorporate the remaining cost of 15 SNRO’s into the FY 2017, FY 2018, FY 2019 and FY 2020 budgets.
Attachments:
FUSD Agreement
33rd Amendment to AAR No. 2015-104
Fifth Amendment to PAR No. 2015-105