Consideration of Authorizing the Submission and Acceptance of a Grant Application: To the U.S. Department of Justice, FY 2015 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant in the amount of $20,749 to pay for Police Staff Overtime and Crisis Intervention Training for the Coconino County Sheriff's Department and authorizing the acceptance upon award of the grant agreement

Approval of the grant in the amount of $20,749 will greatly assist in providing overtime funds for community policing and property crime interdiction initiatives and for Crisis Intervention Training for the Coconino County Sheriffs Department.

There is no significant financial impact to the Flagstaff Police Department in terms of expenditures.

COUNCIL GOAL: 
5. Develop and implement guiding principles that address public safety service levels through appropriate staffing levels

This grant will provide additional funding for scheduled overtime for the Flagstaff Police Department for activities to prevent and control crime.

No

Approve grant application process Disapprove grant application process
 

 

Background/History: The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), was created in 1984 to provide federal leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist crime victims. The Edward 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 own 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 spend funds where they are most needed. The JAG formula program provides agencies with the flexibility to prioritize and place justice funds where they are needed most. The formula calculates direct allocations for local governments within each state, based on their share of the total violent crime reported with the state.

Key Considerations: The JAG formula program provides agencies with the flexibility to prioritize and place justice funds where they are needed most. The formula calculates direct allocations for local governments within each state, based on their share of the total violent crime reported with the state. The City has been certified as disparate and must submit a joint application for the aggregate of funds allocated. The JAG disparate jurisdictions are certified by the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), based in part on input from the state’s Attorney General. The disparate allocation occurs when the City is scheduled to receive one and one half times more than County, while the County bears more than 50% of the costs of prosecution of incarceration that arise for Part 1 violent crimes committed in the city. City funds will be used to supplement overtime for community policing and property crime interdiction initiatives. As our citizens request additional patrols or when we can identify an area that would benefit from additional Police presence, these funds will be a key factor in assuring that we can provide these necessary services. As part of the joint application process an IGA is required to be submitted to the funding agency indicating who will serve as applicant/fiscal agent for the joint funds. The IGA will authorize payment to the County in the amount of $5,735 of the JAG funds

Financial Implications: The FY15 JAG funds have been allocated in the amount of $20,749 of which the City agrees to pay the County a total of $5,735 to be used to utilize for Crisis Intervention Training to use in the field by officers. The City amount of $13,383 will be used for Police overtime, with the remaining balance of $1,631 to be used for allowable administrative costs for the City as the applicant/fiscal agent. This grant will fund approximately 297 person-hours of discretionary overtime for officers. As our economy continues to struggle, the financial impact of these funds cannot be minimized. Without these additional funds, the Flagstaff Police Department will be hard pressed to meet minimum manning levels and respond to emergencies without going over budget on overtime – even without manning the extra programs that the community has come to expect.

These funds will assist the Flagstaff Police Department and the County Sheriff’s Department to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist crime victims.