Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout02 SUPPLEMENTAL LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES FUND 09-04-07AGENDA REPORT MEETING DATE: SEPTEMBER 4, 2007 TO: WILLIAM A. HUSTON, CITY MANAGER FROM: SCOTT M. JORDAN, CHIEF OF POLICE Agenda Item 2 Reviewed: City Manager Finance Director NIA SUBJECT: SUPPLEMENTAL LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES FUND (SLESF) SUMMARY In 1996, AB 3229 established the Citizen's Option for Public Safety (COPS) grant program. Proceeds from the program can only be used for front line law enforcement services that may include the purchase of new equipment, hiring of additional personnel and increasing the opportunity for training of safety personnel. This year, we have been notified that the Police Department is to receive approximately $138,000 in SLESF funding. This year, the allocation for SLESF/COPS grant funds for all law enforcement agencies is being coordinated through the Orange County Sheriff's Department and all agencies have been directed to move forward with expenditure authorization while waiting for the final grant amounts to be determined. We are proposing that this year's allocation be used to staff our Crime Analyst position for a second consecutive year, purchase additional analysis software programs to enhance analysis ability; purchase a remote surveillance system for the Special Investigations Unit, and devote any funds remaining toward the purchase of Taser equipment. This bill requires both a public hearing and a special fund established for these monies. RECOMMENDATION 1. Open and close a Public Hearing. 2. Authorize usage of the funds as recommended by the Police Department. FISCAL IMPACT There will be grant fund expenditures of approximately $138,000 and there will be no impact on the General Fund. The entire grant account balance, including carryover, will be expended. Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund (SLESF) 07/08 September 4, 2007 Page 2 of 3 BACKGROUND Since the inception, SLESF/COPS grant program funding has been used to partially fund our Gang Unit, provide for anti-crime prevention programs, and to purchase new technology for general law enforcement purposes. As we begin to employ the concepts of Community Governance toward a more efficient and effective way of utilizing police resources, the five-year Police Strategic Plan identified the position of Crime Analyst to be an important component of the Area Command System. Under this program, incidents are analyzed for commonality of underlying causation, alternatives are developed, and solutions identified. The end result is a more permanent, substantive resolution to problems as opposed to merely reacting to symptoms or responding to calls for service. Crime Analyst Position Last year's SLESF funded our first ever Crime Analyst position. As we had hoped, the tracking, case linkage, crime mapping, ability to issue crime bulletins, etc., have allowed for a dramatically enhanced ability to solve crimes and identify suspects, much more so than prior to staffing this position. In our first year, we obtained the rudimentary analysis software necessary for basic data searches and basic profiling. We were extremely fortunate to employ an individual who has shown outstanding ability and initiative toward successful identification of persons who commit crime in our city and areas needing increased enforcement toward public safety. Our intention is to fund this position for a second consecutive year in the areas of staffing and analysis related software and equipment. Criminal Investigation Technology We would like to continue to expand and enhance our abilities in the area of criminal investigation by taking advantage of powerful new technology programs as they are developed. To that end, we have identified several programs currently available that have proven very valuable. The first, and most impressive, is an Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) software program which allows a police vehicle equipped with a camera to record license plates of every single vehicle it passes during a shift. The software records the plate, checks it against stolen vehicles, missing person vehicles, Amber Alert vehicles and takes a photo of the car the plate is attached to. In addition to interfacing with Department of Justice systems, the system will allow for a searchable database which can be effectively used in crime analysis. By continuing to equip the Crime Analyst with state of the art software and related advanced hardware it will allow more advanced analysis ability. The second software program we have researched is a traffic accident/crime scene reconstruction program (TotalStation) which allows for computer generated scenes. Personnel are currently expected to hand draw both traffic collision scenes and crime Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund (SLESF) 07/08 September 4, 2007 Page 2 of 3 scene investigation models of buildings, rooms, etc. The results of these hand renderings can be more or less effective depending on the individual skills of the personnel handling the scene. This automated program will not only allow for exact and consistently accurate renderings, but will also allow for a multi-dimensional re- enactment product for court presentation. Special Investigations Unit Surveillance System It is not uncommon working in this unit, to send an undercover detective into a situation to observe criminals in action. The safety of the undercover operative would be greatly enhanced by his ability to be wired with audio and video equipment which is essentially invisible to those he is observing. The system being requested has the additional ability for other members of the police team to remotely view what the undercover operative is seeing in "real time," further increasing officer safety if a situation were to deteriorate for the undercover operative. Taser Equipment The request to purchase Taser equipment to be issued to individual officers addresses the need to be able to react to escalating use of force situations with the least amount of force necessary to control the incident. Currently, officers are equipped with one large, M26 Taser which is assigned to a police car. If a situation escalates after the officers leave their cars parked, and a Taser application is deemed appropriate, valuable time can be lost by having to return to the vehicle to obtain the unit. In this time frame, a situation can easily escalate to the need for a higher level of force. The smaller Taser X26 allows for officers to always be equipped with a personal size unit which can be carried on the belt routinely. These units will allow for personal usage recording and accountability and have an extended battery life. This is an optimal less lethal use of force, not only addressing the goal of officer safety, but also the goal of using the least amount of force necessary when faced with combative individuals. The Police Department respectfully requests the City Council approve the expenditure of the stated grant funds on the items delineated above. SCOTT M. JORDAN Chief of Police CHRISTINE SCHWARTZ Support Services Division Manager