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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009/08/11 Item 1608/11/2009 Item[ ITEM TITLE: PUBLIC HEARING BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA TO NOTICE ACCEPTANCE AND APPROPRIATION OF THE EDWARD BYRNE MEMORIAL JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT FUNDS. RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA ACCEPTING $71,310 FROM THE BUREAU OF JUSTICE ASSISTANCE FOR THE 2009 EDWARD BYRNE MEMORIAL JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT AND AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR 2009/2010 ADOPTED BUDGET BY APPROPRIATING SAID FUNDS TO THE LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT BLOCK GRANT FUND; ACCEPTING $95,000 FROM THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND APPROPRIATING SAID FUNDS TO THE FY 2009/2010 POLICE DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL SERVICES BUDGET AND ADDING ONE POLICE AGENT POSITION TO THE AUTHORIZED POSITION COUNT FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. SUBMITTED BY: CHIEF OF REVIEWED BY: CITY MANAGER 4/STHS VOTE: YES X NO SUMMARY The Police Department has recently received notice of an Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant award in the amount of $71,310 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. These funds were allocated to the Police Department based on city population and Part 1 violent crime statistics. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW Not Applicable. RECOMMENDATION That Council conducts the public hearing and adopt the resolution. 16-1 08/11/2009, Item ~~ Page 2 of 4 BOARDS/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Not Applicable. DISCUSSION Proposed to streamline justice funding and grant administration, the Edwazd Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program allows states, tribes, and local governments to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime based on their local needs and conditions. JAG blends the previous Byrne Formula and Local Law Enforcement Block Grant (LLEBG) Programs to provide agencies with the flexibility to prioritize and place justice funds where they aze needed most. Federal funds from the Edward Byme Memorial JAG Program must be used to supplement existing funds for program activities and cannot replace, or supplant, nonfederal funds that have been appropriated for the same purpose. The unit of local government must provide an assurance that the application or any future amendment was made public and an opportunity to comment was provided to citizens and the neighborhood or community organizations to the extent applicable law. Local match is not required with the JAG Program. The Police Department received notice in June 2009, of an Edwazd Byme Memorial JAG awazd in the amount of $71,310 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. These funds were allocated to the Police Department based on city population and Part 1 violent crime statistics. Part 1 violent crimes include murder and non-negligent manslaughters, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assaults as reported by the FBI. Acceptance and appropriation of these funds requires a public hearing per stipulations of the Justice Assistance Grant. The Police Department recommends using the JAG funds for the purchase of computer equipment and to provide partial funding for a Police Agent. Computer Equipment The Police Department is currently implementing a new Records Management System (RMS). This new system will provide significant time savings throughout the department in terms of routing paper reports, records, etc. In addition, because there is an automated data feed from the RMS system into ARJIS, crime statistics will be available faster and much more accurate than before. This project will utilize JAG funds to purchase new computers throughout the department in order to insure sufficient processor power to run RMS correctly. Additionally, the department is working on several projects which will require new data servers to be installed in order to be able to process the significant amount of data that the department receives. Police Agent The Police Department was recently notified of an opportunity to participate in the county-wide Computer and Technology Crime High-Tech Response Team (CATCH Team). The CATCH Team was formed in June 2000, and seeks to apprehend and prosecute all criminals who use technology to prey on citizens of San Diego, Imperial and Riverside Counties. CATCH believes that high-tech crime investigation requires 16-2 08/I112009,Item i~o Page 3 of 4 information sharing and cooperation among all levels of government and without regard to traditional jurisdictional boundaries. Consequently, CATCH was formed with law enforcement from three counties and combining local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. CATCH also includes vertical prosecutors assigned from all jurisdictions in which CATCH operates. This promotes the most thorough prosecution of the high-tech cases and provides for rapid communication between all levels of government. CATCH has four primary goals that guide the task force: Goal 1: To apprehend and prosecute criminal organizations, enterprise, networks, and groups of individuals engaged in the following activities: • Theft of computer components and other information and high technology products; • Violations of Penal Code sections 211 (Robbery), 350 (Possession and Sales of Counterfeit Goods), 351a (Unauthorized seller), 459 (Burglary), 496 (Possession of Stolen Property), 537e (Possession of property with defaced serial number), 593d (Cable TV Signal Theft), and 593e (Encoded Signal Theft); • Theft of telecommunication services and other violations of Penal Code sections 502.7 and 502.8; • Counterfeiting of negotiable instruments and other valuable items through the use of computer technology and; • Creation and distribution of counterfeit softwaze and other digital information, including the use of counterfeit trademarks to misrepresent the origin of that software or digital information. Goal 2: To apprehend and prosecute individuals and groups engaged in the unlawful access, destruction, or unauthorized entry into and use of private, corporate, or government computers and networks, including wireless communications networks and law enforcement dispatch systems, and the theft, interception, manipulation, destruction, and unauthorized disclosure of data stored within those computers. Goa13: To apprehend and prosecute individuals engaged in the theft of trade secrets. Goal 4: To investigate and prosecute high technology crime cases requiring coordination and cooperation between regional task forces and local, state, federal, and international law enforcement agencies. ID theft is the fastest growing crime in California, the number one fraud complaint in the nation and California has the third-highest per capita rate of identity theft in the nation, more individual victims than any other state, about one and a half times as many as its closest statistical counterpart, Texas. The city of San Diego was the second leading location of identity theft in California, surpassed only by the City of Los Angeles in 2005 (the Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft Victim Complaint Data for 2006 did not include city by city comparison data). Although CATCH's service area has improved in the Federal Trade Commission's national ranking of the highest number of identity theft victims by metropolitan area the amount of crime is still high. In fact, Riverside's number of reported complaints increased and the number of victims per 100,000 population increased to 166.6. Part of the reason for the shift in reported victims from the 16-3 08/11/2009, Item ~ ~O Page 4 of 4 region (based on CATCH investigations and informant information) is likely that the CATCH area's ID thieves have become more sophisticated and are using technology to victimize people outside of our jurisdiction via the Internet, wire transfer, etc. This means that the challenges for the region's law enforcement have become more complex and require more experience, continual training and technology needs in correlation to the proliferation and sophistication of identity theft crime. CATCH will provide $95,000 funding for a new Police Agent to participate in this taskforce. The remaining funding for this position in FY 2010 will come from JAG funds. There will be no impact to the General Fund. In succeeding fiscal yeazs, the department will identify additional funds to continue this important program. DECISION MAKER CONFLICT Staff has reviewed the decision contemplated by this action and has determined that it is not site specific and consequently the 500 foot rule found in California Code of Regulations section 18704.2(a)(1) is not applicable to this decision. FISCAL IMPACT Approval of this resolution will result in the amendment of the fiscal yeaz 2009/2010 adopted budget by appropriating $38,937 to the personnel services category and $32,373 to the supplies and services category of the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant Fund (fund 254), and $95,000 to the personnel services category of the Police Department budget. The funding from the 2009 Edwazd Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant and the San Diego County District Attorney's Office will completely offset these costs, resulting in no net fiscal impact to the General Fund. The total cost for the CATCH Agent in FY 2010 is approximately $133,937. ONGOING FISCAL IMPACT In order to maintain the CATCH position beyond FY 2009/2010, the Police Department will need to identify additional funds in succeeding fiscal yeazs to maintain the Police Agent in the CATCH Team. Without additional funds, the department will consider a variety of options including eliminating the position. ATTACHIVIENTS None. Prepared by: Edward Chew, Administrative Services Manager, Police Department 16-4 RESOLUTION NO RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA ACCEPTING $71,310 FROM THE BUREAU OF JUSTICE ASSISTANCE FOR THE 2009 F,DWARD BYRNE MEMORIAL JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT AND AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR 2009/2010 ADOPTED BUDGET BY APPROPRIATING SAID FUNDS TO THE LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT BLOCK GRANT FUND; ACCEPTING $95,000 FROM THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND APPROPRIATING SAID FUNDS TO THE FY 2009/2010 POLICE DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL SERVICES BUDGET AND ADDING ONE POLICE AGENT POSITION TO THE AUTHORIZED POSITION COUNT FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WHEREAS, the Police Department has received notice of a grant awazd in the amount of $71,310 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance for the 2009 Edwazd Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant; and WHEREAS, the Police Department also received notice from the County of San Diego District Attorney's Office of a opportunity to participate in the Computer and Technology Crime High-Tech Response Team (CATCH); and WHEREAS, participation in the CATCH Team will allow the department to investigate computer and technology related crimes often times involving identity theft and other serious crimes; and WHEREAS, the Police Department has a history of success working on task forces along with other law enforcement agencies at the local, state, and federal levels; and WHEREAS, the grant funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance for the 2009 Edward Byme Memorial Justice Assistance Grant and the County of San Diego District Attorney's Office will fully offset the cost of assigned personnel resulting in no negative impact to the General Fund; and WHEREAS, the remaining funds from the 2009 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant will be utilized to purchase computer equipment. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED the City Council of the City of Chula Vista does hereby accept $71,310 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance for the 2009 Edward Byme Memorial Justice Assistance Grant and accept $95,000 from the San Diego County District Attorney and appropriate $95,000 to the FY 2010 Personnel Services category in the Police Department budget, and appropriate $38,937 to the Personnel Services category and $32,373 to the Supplies and Services category of the FY 2009 Local Law Enforcement Block Grant Fund; and add one Police Agent authorized position count for the Chula Vista Police Department. 16-5 Presented by: Interim Police Chief Approved as to form by: ~~ ,,~ art Miesfeld /~ ~ 'Qv`~ ~f City Attorney 16-6