To: Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council
From: Robert Plummer, Police Chief
Prepared By: Susana Aguilera, Management Analyst
TITLE:
Title
State Grant to the City for the Law Enforcement Specialized Units Program
LABEL
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommendation
Adopt a resolution authorizing acceptance of a Law Enforcement Specialized Units Program Grant to fund services provided to survivors of domestic violence and their children from the California Office of Emergency Services, in the amount of $203,143 with a local match from the City of $67,714; and approving a transfer of $67,714 from the General Fund to the Non-Recurring General Fund and increases to the Non-Recurring General Fund revenue and expenditure budgets in the total amount of $270,857, as documented in Budget Adjustment No. BE2003504.
Body
DISCUSSION:
The City of Napa through the Napa Police Department (NPD) and Nurturing Empowerment Worth Safety (NEWS) formally known as Napa Emergency Women’s Services has been awarded a single year Law Enforcement Specialized Unit (LESU) grant to fund a dedicated Domestic Violence (DV) Detective and DV Counselor. The California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) has awarded $203,143 to this partnership.
Since the early 1980’s when NEWS, the only domestic violence and sexual abuse services organization serving Napa County, and Napa County’s Victim/Witness Services program were founded, there has been strong collaboration and partnership with NPD. Both NEWS and the NPD recognize that the best way to meet the needs of survivors and to address the issues of domestic violence is to take a holistic, collaborative approach. NPD participates in the Napa County DV Task Force which focuses on the systemic response to domestic violence and works to improve the quality of services provided to survivors and their children.
The LESU grant will fund a dedicated DV Detective with specialized training to conduct follow-up on cases, ensure a consistent law enforcement response, provide trainings and coordinate a response to domestic violence within the community. This grant also funds a dedicated full time DV Counselor with NEWS to be co-located at the NPD. Having the DV Counselor located onsite gives NPD Officers the resource of an advocate immediately available to survivors who come to NPD. The DV Counselor offers emotional support and trauma informed services, immediate safety net needs such as food, clothing and shelter, and safety planning. This creates improved relationships and trust in our response to victims of domestic violence.
After completing domestic violence incident investigation, a police report will be prepared. All domestic violence data will be reviewed at bi-monthly multi-disciplinary team meetings. At these same meetings system review and case conferencing will take place as well as training needs and opportunities identified.
FINANCIAL IMPACTS:
This grant positively impacts the General Fund and increases the Napa Police Department budget by $270,857 over a one-year period offset by reimbursement of $203,143 from CalOES. The grant requires a City match of $67,714, which is proposed to be funded by Patrol employee salaries. The match dollars will be transferred from the General Fund to the Non-Recurring General Fund to be used for grant expenses.
CEQA:
The Chief of Police has determined that the Recommended Action described in this Staff Report is not subject to CEQA, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15060(c).
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
ATCH 1 - Resolution
EX A - Budget Adjustment No. BE2003504
EX B - CalOES Notification of Application Approval
NOTIFICATION:
None.