To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Sheriff’s Office
Staff Name and Phone Number: Brady Murphy, 565-2018
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Sheriff’s Office Justice Assistance Grant Application
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Authorize the Sheriff to apply for and, if awarded, accept the award for the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance FY 2024 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program in the amount of $31,776, to improve radio communications interoperability. The Sheriff’s Office will submit its grant application as a disparate jurisdiction with the City of Santa Rosa, as designated by the grant.
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Executive Summary:
The Sheriff’s Office is pursuing a grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance FY 2024 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program to obtain funding that is made available to the County for law enforcement technology improvements and equipment. The grant requires Board authorization to apply. If approved, the grant award will be used to cover all the project costs. The project request will improve communication and inoperability at the County’s communication sites. The total grant request is $31,776.
Discussion:
The U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (JAG) offers funding for additional personnel, equipment, supplies, contractual support, training, technical assistance, and information systems for criminal justice or civil proceedings to states to support a range of program areas under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program-Local Solicitation. The Sheriff’s Office is submitting a grant application to replace a telecommunications support system that directly supports law enforcement.
The County’s public safety radio communications sites are currently equipped with an analog telephone system that is over 27 years old. This system has provided technicians with voice communication capabilities necessary for maintaining the radio equipment at these sites. There are a total of 20 communication sites, each equipped with at least one telephone, which enables technicians to access vendor support services or personnel with subject matter expertise for facilitating repairs when other forms of communication, such as cell phones, may not be available.
Although this outdated analog telephone system is still operational, its functionality will soon be compromised due to the full migration to Internet Protocol (IP) technology across the County’s microwave network. The current telephone system operates exclusively on “channel bank” equipment for transporting voice calls. This channel bank equipment, also 27 years old, has been scheduled for decommissioning because the vendor no longer supports these devices or the technology behind them. It is crucial to replace the telephone system before the removal of the channel banks, as they cannot operate on the modern IP microwave network. Therefore, the Sheriff’s Office would like to use the available grant funds to upgrade this essential equipment. The project cost is $31,776 and includes the purchase and install of hardware and system design services. The cost will also cover 40 hours of Information Services Department labor to connect to the County’s ISD system, and TComm’s overtime costs needed to install equipment at each communication site.
Each year, the County has the opportunity to apply for the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant. The grant is annually rotated between the County’s criminal justice partners. The County of Sonoma and City of Santa Rosa have been designated as a disparate jurisdiction for the 2024 JAG grant. The City of Santa Rosa will act as the fiscal official and will disburse funds to the County as delineated in a Memorandum of Understanding. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office is the designated recipient of JAG funds for the County of Sonoma for the FY 2024-2025 grant application, and Santa Rosa Police Department will receive funds allocated to the City of Santa Rosa. Approval by the Board of Supervisors is required for the Sheriff’s Office to enter into the Memorandum of Understanding and the subaward agreement with the City of Santa Rosa.
The County is not required to provide any match funding in order to accept this award and/or implement this grant project. Any budgetary adjustment needed to implement this grant will be conducted through the County’s consolidated budget adjustment process once official award is received.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
Approval of annual Justice Assistance Grant Program applications since 2005, and since 1996 through the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant Program. This grant was recently approved June 4, 2019, for the District Attorney’s Office and on November 17, 2020, for the Public Defender. Sheriff’s Office Federal Grant Applications on September 14, 2021.
Fiscal Summary
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Expenditures |
FY24-25 Adopted |
FY25-26 Projected |
FY26-27 Projected |
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Budgeted Expenses |
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Additional Appropriation Requested |
$31,776 |
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Total Expenditures |
$31,776 |
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Funding Sources |
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General Fund/WA GF |
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State/Federal |
$31,776 |
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Fees/Other |
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Use of Fund Balance |
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General Fund Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
$31,776 |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Any fiscal impacts to the Sheriff’s budget will occur if the grant is awarded to the Sheriff’s Office. The grant award will not result in any use of County General Funds. If an award is received, budget adjustments will be made through the County’s consolidated budget adjustment process.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
Bureau of Justice Assistance Grant Project Narrative
Bureau of Justice Assistance Grant Solicitation
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
N/A