AGENDA REPORT
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 07/15/2020
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Police Department
SUBJECT:
Title
City Council consideration of accepting and appropriating the 2020 Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Cops Hiring Program (CHP) Grant.
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RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council:
a. Authorize the acceptance of $375,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice 2020 Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program (CHP) Grant for three Police Officer I/II positions, over a three-year period.
b. Authorize three recurring Police Officer I/II positions, with three years of budget supplemented by the grant funding and the difference from the recurring General Fund, which includes the local cost sharing requirement. The authorization of positions for the retention period and beyond will be included in the General Fund.
c. Appropriate $60,000 from the US DOJ Grant Fund 411, CHP reimbursement grant as noted above, and increase revenue estimates by the same amount for the period of January 1, 2021 through June 30, 2021.
d. Transfer General Fund budget of $48,903 from the Homeless Program in the Management Services Department to the Police Department operating budget for the period of January 1, 2021 through June 30, 2021.
e. Authorize the City Manager and Chief of Police to execute any required grant documents that are in compliance with the City Council’s actions hereunder.
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ANALYSIS:
In March 2020, the Corona Police Department applied for the 2020 COPS Hiring Program, or CHP, Grant being offered from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS. This competitive grant provides funding to hire and/or rehire career law enforcement officers in an effort to increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts. The Police Department requested three entry level police officer positions to move towards achieving staffing goals presented in the 2019 Department Assessment and the 2020 Homeless Strategic Plan.
In June 2020, the Police Department received notification of the grant award. Three Police Officers through the Community Oriented Policing program were approved. This award will allow the Department to serve the citizens of Corona by deploying two additional specially trained officers to our Homeless Outreach Psychological Evaluation (HOPE) Team, as was recommended in the Hillard Heintze Police Department Assessment. In 2017, the HOPE Team responded to 2,512 homeless related calls. The HOPE Team provides security for homeless outreach services, acts as a liaison for community and business groups, and when necessary, provides enforcement of City and State laws. In 2019, the HOPE Team responded to 3,584 homeless related calls, which is a 42% increase in homeless calls for service. The two additional officers will augment the HOPE Team and allow the HOPE Team to be available additional hours and days of the week.
The other additional officer will be deployed to address quality of life issues, including vandalism, auto theft, burglaries, identity theft, and juvenile delinquencies, through community policing. Community Oriented Policing stimulates creative solutions to crime problems that begin in neighborhoods by working with those community members. Corona Police Officers work to identify and establish community resources and contacts which are utilized to reduce or eliminate neighborhood and community crime problems. The Community Oriented Policing philosophy is an integral part of the Corona Police Department mission. The grant also places an emphasis on hiring veterans.
The grant would authorize the positions for a period of three years. The grant period is July 1, 2020 to June 20, 2023. Due to the detailed hiring and background process, it is anticipated to have these positions filled in January 2021. At the conclusion of the grant, the local jurisdiction must assure retention of grant funded officer positions for a minimum of one year with local or state funds, over and above the number of locally-funded positions that would have existed in the absence of the grant. This City Council action will approve this retention period, as well as authorize the three positions on a recurring basis.
COMMITTEE ACTION:
Not applicable.
STRATEGIC PLAN:
This item supports the City Strategic Plan goal to Promote Public Safety: Protect our Residents and Businesses (a). Ensure adequate funding for police and fire services.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The CHP grant will reimburse the City $375,000 over a three-year period for three Police Officer I/II positions. Expenditures will be submitted quarterly to the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services for reimbursement. For FY 2021, the recommended appropriation is a pro-rated budget effective from January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021. The pro-rated budget totals $108,903 ($60,000 from the CHP Reimbursement grant and $48,903 transferring within the General Fund). The fiscal impacts as estimated annually, are listed below:
Cost estimated for Year 1 (12 mos):
Three PO I - Entry Level Positions
CHP grant reimbursement, US DOJ Grant Fund $168,000
General Fund 160,847
Total $328,847
Cost estimated for Year 2 (12 mos):
Three PO I - Entry Level Positions
CHP grant reimbursement, US DOJ Grant Fund $120,000
General Fund 328,802
Total $448,802
Cost estimated for Year 3 (12 mos):
Three PO I - Entry Level Positions
CHP grant reimbursement, US DOJ Grant Fund $87,000
General Fund 380,114
Total $467,114
The one required retention year and the continuing outyear authorizations would be funded by the General Fund. The City’s local cost sharing requirement is $1,220,360, which is estimated to be fulfilled over the three-year grant period and retention year.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
No environmental review is required because the proposed action is exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act.
PREPARED BY: MICHELLE ADAMS, MANAGEMENT ANALYST II
REVIEWED BY: SERGIO BANALES, POLICE CAPTAIN
REVIEWED BY: GEORGE JOHNSTONE, CHIEF OF POLICE
REVIEWED BY: KIM SITTON, ACTING ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DIRECTOR
REVIEWED BY: ROGER BRADLEY, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
SUBMITTED BY: JACOB ELLIS, CITY MANAGER
Attachments:
1. COPS Hiring Program Award Number 2020ULWX0022