REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
January 26, 2017
FROM: JERRY P. DYER, Chief of Police
Police Department
BY: DONALD GROSS, Captain
Communications/Data Analysis Bureau
SUBJECT
Title
Actions pertaining to the 2016 Project Safe Neighborhoods grant program:
1. Authorize the Chief of Police to accept $450,000 in grant funding from the United States
Department of Justice through the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and execute the grant agreement with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services for the 2016 Project Safe Neighborhoods grant program.
2. ***RESOLUTION - 37th amendment to the Annual Appropriation Resolution (AAR) No. 2016-118 appropriating $360,000 to the Police Department’s FY 2017 budget for the Project Safe Neighborhoods grant program (Requires 5 affirmative votes).
3. Approve a Memorandum of Understanding with California State University, Fresno (CSUF) as a research partner for $100,000.
4. RESOLUTION - Authorizing the Chief of Police or his Designee to execute a contract with Ultra Electronics Forensic Technology, Inc., for the purchase of Brasstrax hardware and Gun Ops software, in the amount of $250,000.
Body
RECOMMENDATIONS
It is recommended the City Council authorize the Chief of Police to accept $450,000 in grant funding from the United States Department of Justice through the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES), execute the grant agreement with CalOES for the 2016 Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) grant program, adopt the 37th amendment to the Annual Appropriation Resolution No. 2016-118 appropriating $360,000 into the Police Department’s FY 2017 budget for the PSN grant program, authorize the Chief of Police to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with CSUF as a research partner, and adopt a resolution authorizing the sole source purchase of Brasstrax hardware and Gun Ops software from Ultra Electronics Forensic Technology, Inc. The remaining grant funds will be incorporated into the FY 2018 budget.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The United States Department of Justice, through CalOES, awarded the City of Fresno $450,000 in grant funding for the PSN Task Force to support the purchase of and utilization of an Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS) (Brasstrax hardware) which would be linked to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN). Utilization of NIBIN could potentially cut down shell casing processing by months and provide investigators with crucial leads that could have a direct impact in solving violent gun crimes. The strategy includes the creation of a Gun Crimes Task Force; the utilization of Gun Ops software to track relevant shooting, firearms and ballistics data; coordinated enforcement operations and prosecution via the existing Fresno Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) task force; training for law enforcement and prosecutors; and, community outreach and education efforts. A project evaluation by California State University, Fresno, will also be incorporated in this grant. The grant performance period began on October 1, 2016, and concludes on September 30, 2018.
BACKGROUND
The City of Fresno has a long and deep-rooted history of gun and gang violence. In recent years there had been a decrease in violent crime nationwide, however according to 2015 crime data from the Fresno Police Department (FPD), the City of Fresno saw a 58% increase in violent crime and an additional 100 shootings compared to 2014. In 2015 alone, FPD documented 366 shooting incidents (where a person or real property were struck by a bullet) citywide. In 2015, the Department of Justice designated the City of Fresno as a Violence Reduction 12 (VR12) city based on this increase in violent crime. The Multi Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium (MAGEC) estimates the total number of gang members and associates in Fresno County to be approximately 20,000-23,000, roughly 4% of the overall population of Fresno. The gang population of Fresno County comprises approximately 3% of the nation’s overall estimated gang population.
This project is a comprehensive strategy, building upon best practices taken from other cities around the country. Following the best practices outlined by ATF’s NIBIN Branch, FPD would be able to submit shell casings and other ballistics evidence into NIBIN rapidly, which in turn would provide PSN Task Force members and detectives assigned to shooting cases with leads for them to follow up on. Currently, ballistics evidence is sent to the California Department of Justice Crime Laboratory for analysis on a case by case basis, with an average processing and turnaround time of six months.
Grant funds will purchase the NIBIN equipment and software for use by the Fresno Police Department and PSN Task Force, as well as fund overtime for investigators.
PSN grant requirements mandate that at least 20% of the funding is earmarked for a local research partner to work with the PSN Task Force and analyze local crime problems, while assisting in development of a proactive plan to reduce gun crime and/or gang violence. We have identified California State University, Fresno, as the local research partner.
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 the hardware and software are only manufactured and sold by one company.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funding for this program will not have a negative impact on the City of Fresno’s General Fund. This is a reimbursement-based grant and all expenditures will be reimbursed on a quarterly basis. The 37th Amendment AAR 2016-118 has been approved and is attached; there are no future obligations once the performance period has expired and all funds expended.
Attachments:
37th Amendment AAR 2016-118
MOU with CSUF Foundation
Grant Agreement
Sole Source Justification Memo
Sole Source Resolution