TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL

FROM: ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER/CITY CLERK

DATE: SEPTEMBER 19, 2006

SUBJECT: USE OF STATE FUNDING FOR SUPPLEMENTAL POLICE SERVICES – CORE POLICE TEAM

RECOMMENDATION

Approve the continued use of COPS (Citizen Option for Police Services) grant in FY 06-07 to partially fund the CORE Police Team.

BACKGROUND

This hearing fulfills the requirement that a public hearing be held prior to obligating funds the City receives from the State of California through the COPS (Citizen Option for Police Services) grant program (AB 3229, Brulte) for supplementing police services in the City.

The CORE (Community Resource) Police Team consists of three Los Angeles County Sheriff Deputies who perform law enforcement and crime prevention duties at the high schools and intermediate schools; perform anti-gang and anti-narcotics activities in the Region; patrol the Peninsula Center commercial area during designated hours; patrol the park and open space areas adjacent to and south of Crest Road; and assist civic, Neighborhood Watch and Business Watch crime prevention and emergency preparedness programs. The CORE deputies are in addition to the personnel for which the City contracts with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for law enforcement services.

DISCUSSION

Sources of Funding

Between 1996 and 2002, the CORE Team was entirely funded through a combination of federal and state grant funds. The way the federal grant is structured, the annual funding amount slowly decreased over time and the City began supplementing the program with General funds in FY 02-03. Beginning in FY 04-05, the federal grant was no longer available. Fortunately, the City is still eligible to receive $100,000 in State grant funding provided under COPS program (AB 3229) in FY 06-07. Therefore, the CORE Team program can continue to be funded through a combination of a State grant, City General Fund and continued cost sharing with the other two cities in the Region (Rolling Hills and Rolling Hills Estates) based on a 60/30/10 cost sharing formula. The amount of City General fund money required to supplement the grant program will increase from $111,422 in FY 05-06 to $135,405 in FY 06-07. The increase in the Sheriff’s contract was the result of labor negotiations. The cost increase has already been incorporated into the adopted City Budget for FY 06-07.

Restriction on the Use of Grant Funds

Use of the COPS funds is limited to the following activities:

- Hire, train and employ additional law enforcement support;
- Enhance security measures around schools and other areas with special crime risk;
- Establish and support of drug courts;
- Enhance adjudication measures for violent crime offenses;
- Establish multi-agency crime prevention task forces;
- Establish crime prevention programs; and,
- Defray the cost of indemnification insurance for law enforcement officers.

Mission of the CORE Police Team

The CORE Team is concerned with quality of life issues, especially those involving juveniles. Since its inception, the CORE Team has built a high profile in the community and its primary activities include the following:

- Conduct daily foot patrols on each of the school campuses and make frequent vehicle patrol checks of the parking lots and surrounding areas.
- Gather information from students, teachers and local residents about illegal narcotic activity in school areas; identify and interview any suspected gang members that they encounter; and keep of database of these contacts.
- Provide foot patrol during designated hours in the Peninsula Center and Avenues of the Peninsula on a daily basis.
- Provide crime prevention assessments and instruction whenever requested; and, attend Neighborhood Watch activities and business crime awareness meetings.
- Attend monthly Student Attendance Review Board meetings and assist Board members in counseling students and their parents/guardians. Make home visits when necessary to check the progress of truants. (This effort has been very successful in reducing truancy and enforcing the City’s curfew ordinance.)
- Conduct daily checks of the cities’ parks, business districts, fast food restaurants and unoccupied dwellings for truant students and to deter criminal activity.
- Conduct undercover surveillance when situations require it, e.g., burglaries at Peninsula Center, thefts from autos in the vicinity of Peninsula High School, and juvenile violations of liquor and tobacco laws.
- Provide assistance to City Code Enforcement personnel by accompanying them during nuisance abatement efforts and other code enforcement activities.
- Patrol both on and off-road areas in public parks and coastal areas: Del Cerro Park, Ladera Linda Park and Community Center, Highridge Park, Ryan Park, Point Vicente Interpretive Center, Point Vicente Fishing Access, Abalone Cove Shoreline Park, Sacred Cove/Smuggler’s Cove, Portuguese Bend, Forrestal Preserve, Ocean Trails and Shoreline Park.
- Off-road patrol of the open lands and canyons, including hiking and horse trails: Armaga Canyon, Paint Brush Canyon, Sepulveda Canyon, Portuguese Canyon, Forrestal Preserve, Barkentine Preserve, Klondike Canyon, William Springs Horse Trail and Peacock Flats.
- Work with property owners and homeowner associations to prevent crime associated with public land and coastal access in their neighborhoods.
- Enforce State Department of Fish and Game regulations.
- Coordinate traffic control and public safety during special events, such as the Palos Verdes Marathon and Whale of a Day.
- Maintain and update School Safety Plans for each school campus.
- Assist Neighborhood Watch with the implementation of its Neighborhood Emergency Preparedness program.

CONCLUSION

Beginning in 1996, the City has been the recipient of state and federal grants enabling the City to supplement police services with the CORE Police Team. This program has proven to very successful and has a positive impact on the community. Although the City was no longer eligible for federal grant funding after FY 03-04, the City will continue to receive state grant funding in FY 06-07. A public hearing must be held to satisfy the requirements of the state grant. This evening’s public hearing is in compliance with this requirement.

Respectfully submitted:

Carolynn Petru
Assistant City Manager/City Clerk

Reviewed,

Les Evans
City Manager

Attachment:

Letter from Captain Zuanich dated September 6, 2006