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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSUPPTL INFO - JAG Funding PALM DESERT POLICE DEPARTMENT Served by the Riverside County Sheriffs Department Bob Doyle, Sheriff- Coroner Bob Doyle,S6eriff-Coroner TO: Public Safety Commission DATE: June 5, 2007 FROM: Lieutenant Frank Taylor SUBJECT: Justice Assistance Grant(JAG)program funding proposal for purchase of Segway EPAMD's and Digital Recorders Recommendation: Staff recommends that the Public Safety Committee review and recommend the Palm Desert City Council concur with the Police DepartmenYs proposal to accept approximately $16,956.00 in Edward Byrne Memorial - Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Funds for fiscal year 2007-08. These funds would be earmarked to purchase two (2) Segway Electronic Personal Assistive Mobility Devices, along with thirty (30) digital recorders. These items would be earmarked to support our two School Resource Officers, along with supporting our patrol contingent. Summarv• The Office of Justice Planning (OJP), U.S. Department of Justice, has offered a streamlined justice funding and grant opportunity identified as the Edward Byrne Memorial — Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program. This 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 Funds can be used for state and local initiatives, technical assistance, training, personnel, equipment, supplies, contractual support, and informational systems for criminal justice and for any one or more of the following purpose areas: • Law Enforcement Programs • Prosecution and court programs • Prevention and education programs • Corrections and community corrections programs • Drug treatment programs • Planning, evaluation, and technology improvement programs The Attorney General has prioritized several areas for heightened concentration in fiscal year 2007-08, including the following: • Multi-Jurisdictional task forces, addressing violent crime, drug, and gun violence reduction. 1 , • School safety and school resource officer initiative. • Project Safe Childhood • Gang enforcement and prevention. • Community prosecution activities. • Court security and continuation of operations initiatives. � Human trafficking enforcement and prevention. • Synthetic drug trafficking reduction. • Prisoner reentry initiatives. • Cybercrime and identity theft enforcement and prevention. • Justice information sharing planning and implementation. • Intelligence analysis and fusion center operations. The City of Pa1m Desert is eligible for $16,956.00 in Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) funds for fiscal year 2007-08. The grant instructions indicate that these funds may be used for Law Enforcement Programs for Technical Assistance, Training, Personnel, Equipment, Supplies, Contractual Support, and Information Systems for Criminal Justice. The Palm Desert Police Department would like to use these funds to purchase equipment to support the following Law Enforcement programs. Palm Desert School Resource Officers (SRO's) The City of Palm Desert currently funds two School Resource Officer positions, one assigned to Pa1m Desert High School and one assigned to Palm Desert Middle School, along with ancillary duties to oversee our elementary schools. These officers dedicate their time specifically handling all issues generated at the schools, including proactive prevention of criminal activity, investigation of crimes in and around the schools, promoting safety upon our campuses, along with making sure security of our students stays at the highest level attainable. The officers are afforded several tools to enhance and facilitate their daily duties, including computers, cameras and police bicycles. A portion of these JAG funds will be used to purchase two (2) Segway Electronic Personal Assistive Mobility Device (EPAMD's). The Segway EPAMD will allow officers to patrol more effectively on campus by allowing them to not only use the traditional foot or bicycle patrol methods, but also have an alternative approach in servicing the needs of our students, faculty and pazents. The City of Palm Desert currently has two Segway EPAMD's in its fleet of law enforcement tools, which are used mainly by the Business District Officers. The Segway EPAMD's are the ultimate icebreaker and is the ideal policing partner. Its presence facilitates conversation and encourages effective contact within our citizens, facilitating the essence of community policing. Officers are extremely approachable during regular foot patrol, the daily mode of contact within the school setting. The Segway EPAMD's allow us to enhance this personal contact, while adding the mobility factor to the equation. With its riding position raised eight inches off the ground, it places an officer's view significantly above normal foot or vehicle traffic. This provides more visibility, while also giving riders superior sight lines for area management, security and community policing. 2 Even through our schools require a different style of patrol, consisting of a combination of foot and bicycle patrol when applicable, the need to move distances at a split second is still a priority, especially when dealing with the sizes of campuses and surrounding azeas. An officer on a Segway EPAMD can move smoothly and quietly, at 2-3 times walking speed. It can easily double the amount of area a walking officer can cover and can transition immediately from walking speed (3 mph) to sprinting speed (12.5 mph) when an officer needs to get somewhere fast without causing alarm, which is often a concern at our schools. History has shown that when our school students and staff see an officer running, that means there is an emergency or other problem in that area, thus drawing the attention to the incident and creating alarm. The Segway EPAMD allows the officer to move more discreetly, at a faster rate of speed, with less attention. The benefit to our School Resource Officers would be that the Segway EPAMD's become another tool to allow officers to move azound more easily, thus providing assistance to students, faculty and parents more efficiently and effectively. It will allow the officers to move back and forth easier, as they do on bicycles, while allowing them to cover more ground than during traditional foot beats. The Segway EPAMD also makes it easier for officers to interact with people. This is enhanced not only by the novelty of the Segway EPAMD, but also by the silent operation, which is similaz to a slow moving bicycle. With the above justification in mind, we propose to use a portion of the grant funds to purchase two (2) new Segway EPAMD's, specifically the Segway i2 Police model, at $6,228.00 each, for a total cost of$12,456.00, including all applicable sales tax. Patrol Onerations Programs The Palm Desert Police contract currently has 78 sworn officers assigned to the city (to include administrative support). Part of the patrol operations duty assignment includes conducting detailed criminal investigations, part of which includes interviewing of victims, witnesses and suspects for future reference and prosecution. There is currently a need for digital recorders to memorialize these interviews. The lack of equipment can result in delayed investigations and expenditure of additional hours through our investigations section conducting follow up interviews. The remainder of these JAG funds will be used to purchase new digital recorders to be used by field personnel to document interviews and contacts through our criminal investigations, at the patrol level. The approximate cost of each of these recorders is $150.00 each. We would like to purchase 30 of this for a total of$4,500.00, including all applicable sales tax. NEW EQUIPMENT TO BE PURCHASED Item QTY Est.Price/Item Extended Total 1) School Resource Officers Segway EPAMD with Law Enforcement package and lights (2) $6,228.00 $12,456.00 3 2) PatrolOperations Digital Recorders (30) $150.00 $ 4,500.00 Grand Total $ 16,956.00 Cost Analysis: The City of Palm Desert has applied for $16,956.00 in the Justice Assistant Grant (JAG) funds for fiscal year 2007-08. If received the JAG Funds will be used to purchase the above listed equipment as per the grant guidelines. The total cost of this proposal would be $16,956.00. 4 PRELIMINARY MINUTES PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION JUNE 13, 2007 D. Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Statistics for May 2007 Rec: By Minute Motion, receive and file. Action: E. Consideration of Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program Funding _ Proposal for Purchase of Segway EPAMD's and Digital Recorders Lt. Taylor reviewed the staff report and recommendation, noting that the Segways would be strictly for the Palm Desert School Resource Officers. Mrs. Gilligan noted that these School Resource Officers are fully funded by the City of Palm Desert, whereas in other cities (i.e., Indio and La Quinta), part of the cost is paid by the School District. Lt. Taylor added that he had submitted the paperwor{c for the G.R.E.A.T. (Gang Resistance Education and Training) Program. It would add another School Resource Officer (SRO) for Palm Desert Middle School. That officer would be trained in the G.R.E.A.T. program, which would be focused toward 7m grade students at Palm Desert Middle School. The current SRO at Palm Desert Middle School would also be trained and would be the backup for this program. Most of the funding (70%) would be provided through a Federal grant, and the Desert Sands Unified School District had agreed to provide the remaining 30% funding for that program if the grant is approved. Upon question by Commissioner Lebel, Lt. Taylor responded that there were no longer video cameras in the units. They were several years ago, but it became very time-intensive to run the tapes, log them in, etc., as there were 30 tapes for each unit that had to be rotated. Vice Chair Kirkwood moved to, by Minute Motion, recommend that the Palm Desert City Council concur with the Police Department proposal to accept approximately $16,956.00 in Edward Byme Memorial - Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Funds for fiscal year 2007/08; funds to be earmarked to purchase two (2) Segway Electronic Personal Assistive Mobility Devices, along with thirty (30) digital recorders (these items to be earma�lced to support two School Resource Officers and supporting patrol contingent). Motion was seconded by Commissioner Larsh and carried by a 5-0 vote. VII. CONTINUED BUSINESS 3