City Council Meeting: April 9, 2002 Santa Monica, California

TO: Mayor and City Council

FROM: City Staff

SUBJECT: Designation of Uses for $211,070 of State Citizens’ Option for Public Safety (COPS) Funding and Appropriation of $200,628

Introduction

This report recommends that the City Council appropriate and approve uses for $172,398 of previously unbudgeted 2001 State COPS funds, and for $28,230 of previously unbudgeted interest which has been received on State COPS funds held by the City from July 1, 2000 through January 31, 2002. This report also recommends that a new use for $10,442 of previously budgeted State COPS funds interest be approved.

Background

State Citizens’ Option for Public Safety (COPS) funds are provided to local jurisdictions to help finance front-line law enforcement expenses that are not funded as part of a jurisdiction’s regular budgeting process. Uses for the State COPS funds that a jurisdiction receives must be formally approved and designated by the jurisdiction’s governing body at a public meeting.

The City has received annual State COPS funds allocations since 1996. Most of the COPS funding has been spent on Police field reporting and communication systems.

Discussion

The Police Department recently converted from an analog to a digital, encrypted, two –way radio system, including purchase of digital radios for field personnel. As the Police Department fills vacant positions, and approaches a fully-staffed condition, additional radios must be acquired. For this purpose, $100,442 of State COPS funding will be required. The $100,442 includes $10,442 of interest on City-held State COPS funds that was earned prior to 7/1/00 and that was previously dedicated to the Police Department’s Mobile Field Reporting Project and $90,000 of the City’s new 2001 State COPS funds allocation.

At full budgeted strength, the Department also requires four (4) additional patrol cars. Funding for this acquisition is not included in the Department’s MOE budget for this fiscal year or next. Thus, the Department is requesting approval to use $110,628 of State COPS funds (which includes $82,398 from the new 2001 State COPS funds allocation, plus the previously unbudgeted $28,230 of COPS Fund interest) for the purchase of four (4) new standard patrol cars.

Budget/Fiscal Impact

· The $10,442 of previously budgeted COPS Fund interest is available in CIP expenditure account C22053700.589000.

· The City’s $172,398 allocation of 2001 State COPS funds should be appropriated to new CIP expenditure account C22053702.589000.

· The $28,230 of COPS Fund interest that was received between 7/1/00 and 01/31/02 should also be appropriated to expenditure account C22053702.589000.

· No revenue budget changes are necessary, since all of the funds discussed in this staff report have already been budgeted and booked as revenue.

· Provisions for the maintenance of these new equipment items have already been incorporated into the Police Department’s FY2002-03 Operating Budget Request, which will be presented to Council for approval in June 2002.

· These new radios and vehicles will be added to the Police Department’s equipment inventory.

· Replacement of these new equipment items will be budgeted and will occur when necessary, as is the case for all other Police Department equipment.

Recommendation

Staff recommends that Council approve the above described new uses for the indicated $211,070 of State COPS funds and appropriate the indicated $200,628 of currently unbudgeted State COPS funds to the expenditure accounts shown above.

Prepared by: James T. Butts, Jr., Chief of Police