DATE: November 5, 2024
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: John Zanoni, Sheriff-Coroner-Public Administrator
SUBJECT: Grant Application and Award for Cal OES Internet Crimes Against Children Program
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Approve and authorize the Sheriff-Coroner-Public Administrator, or his designee, as the official designated to execute a Grant Application/Agreement including, Certification of Assurance and Subrecipient Grants Management Assessment forms for the 2024 Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Program grant from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) ICAC Program, including any amendments and extensions, which assists local law enforcement agencies in enhancing their investigative response to offenders who use the internet, online communication systems, or other computer technology to sexually exploit children to fund activities of the Fresno County Sheriff’s ICAC Task Force, for the period of January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025 ($950,000); and
2. Approve and authorize the Sheriff-Coroner-Public Administrator, or his designee, to execute the required Authorization for the Grant Subaward Certification of Assurance of Compliance.
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. Cal OES released this funding application exclusively to the five current federally funded ICAC task forces in California, which includes the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office is requesting your Board to authorize the Sheriff or his designee as the designated official to submit these documents, including any amendments and extensions; otherwise, a modification would be required in January 2025, when the Chairman of the Board changes. Once the Grant Subaward Face Sheet, Certification of Assurance of Compliance, and Subrecipient Grants Management Assessment with Cal OES are signed by the Sheriff or his designee, the award documents become the final agreement between the County and Cal OES. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If your Board does not approve the recommended actions, the grant funds would be denied, which would impact the Department’s ability to investigate computer crimes that target children.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. Appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Sheriff’s Org 31116310 FY 2024-25 Adopted Budget to fund the four full-time positions in the Sheriff’s ICAC task force through June 30, 2025. The grant period is from January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025, and crosses FY 2025 and FY 2026. There is no match requirement associated with the program.
DISCUSSION:
On October 9, 2018, your Board executed the ICAC grant application/agreement in the amount of $1,000,000, effective from July 1, 2018 through December 31, 2020, to partially fund two full-time Deputy Sheriff positions in the Sheriff’s ICAC task force, including overtime, the purchase of Graykey iPhone cracking tool and software from July 1, 2018 through December 31, 2020, and one-time equipment and training, which included forensic examiner training, forensic laptop computer, forensic desktop, one dedicated mobile forensic vehicle, forensic toolkit licenses and support for one year, one electronic detection K9, and digital storage server upgrade.
On March 10, 2020, your Board authorized the Sheriff as the designated official to sign the Grant Sub-award Face Sheet, Certification of Assurance and Grant Subaward Amendment documents to accept the additional $950,000 allocation, since the grant term is for 2.5 years, and involves more than one Chairman of the Board (due to the Cal OES requirement of a modification when there is a change in the Board’s designated official). The additional allocation was used to fund one additional Deputy Sheriff to assist the ICAC task force in investigating crimes including the sexual exploitation of children via the internet, overtime, operational costs, equipment including five vehicles, and three forensic desktop computers.
On November 24, 2020, your Board authorized the Sheriff as the designated official to execute the ICAC grant application/agreement in the amount of $950,000, effective from January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021, since the grant term was for the calendar year and involved more than one Chairman of the Board (due to Cal OES’s requirement of a modification when there is a change in the Board’s designated official). The grant funded three Deputy Sheriff positions in the Sheriff’s ICAC task force, including overtime, forensic tools including phone cracking tools for both iPhones and droid phones, tools for search warrants including entry tools, wellness and decompression training, and one (1) replacement undercover vehicle. This grant application/agreement was the tenth year of funding.
On November 2, 2021, your Board authorized the Sheriff as the designated official to execute the ICAC grant application/agreement in the amount of $950,000 effective from January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022, since the grant term was for the calendar year and involved more than one Chairman of the Board (due to Cal OES’s requirement of a modification when there is a changed in the Board’s designated official). The grant funded three Deputy Sheriff positions in the Sheriff’s ICAC task force, including overtime, forensic tools including phone cracking tools for both iPhones and droid phones, training to emphasize emotional coping and stress in accordance, safety gear to execute search warrants, vehicle power inverter, forensic computer(s) and one undercover vehicle. This grant application/agreement was the eleventh year of funding.
On August 9, 2022, your Board authorized a Memorandum of Understanding between the Sheriff’s Office and Fresno Police Department (FPD) to allow a FPD ICAC task force officer to use a County vehicle during ICAC investigations.
On November 29, 2022, your Board authorized the Sheriff as the designated official to execute the ICAC grant application/agreement in the amount of $950,000 effective from January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023, since the grant term was for the calendar year and involved more than one Chairman of the Board (due to Cal OES’s requirement of a modification when there is a change in the Board’s designated official). The grant funded three Deputy Sheriff and added one Sergeant position(s) in the Sheriff’s ICAC task force, including costs for overtime, and operating costs. This grant application/agreement was the twelfth year of funding.
On November 28, 2023, your Board authorized the Sheriff as the designated official to execute the ICAC grant application/agreement in the amount of $950,000 effective from January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024, since the grant term was for the calendar year and involved more than one Chairman of the Board (due to Cal OES’s requirement of a modification when there is a change in the Board’s designated official). The grant funded three Deputy Sheriff(s), one Sergeant position(s) in the Sheriff’s ICAC task force, and costs for overtime. This grant application/agreement was the thirteenth year of funding.
The ICAC task force was created to assist local law enforcement agencies to enhance their investigative response to offenders who use the internet, online communication systems, or other computer technology to sexually exploit children. The Sheriff’s Office has six funded positions on the ICAC task force, four of which are funded by Cal OES. The remaining two positions are fully funded with federal funds.
The five previously funded ICAC task forces, including Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles Police Department, San Diego Police Department, and San Jose Police Department, were each allocated an award of $950,000 to cover one calendar year, beginning January 1, 2025, and ending December 31, 2025. The intent of the ICAC program funding opportunity is to better ensure local law enforcement agencies are adequately equipped to investigate computer crimes that target our youth, provide educational programs aimed at law enforcement officers, teachers, parents, and children, serve as a forensic resource to law enforcement agencies within each service area, pursue the prosecution of cases at the local, state, and federal level, and participate in nationally-coordinated investigative efforts.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office will use its allocation from this round of grant funding to continue the funding of one Sergeant, three Deputy Sheriff positions, overtime, and costs to attend a wellness conference. Cal-OES moved to a new online Grants Central System (GCS) on July 15, 2024, to allow applicants to apply for and manage Cal-OES grant funds. Cal OES requires the County to obtain written authorization from its governing board, i.e., the Board of Supervisors, that the official executing the agreement and related documents is, in fact, authorized to do so.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI# 38, November 28, 2023
BAI# 5, November 29, 2022
BAI # 26, August 9, 2022
BAI #27, November 2, 2021
BAI #34, November 24, 2020
BAI #29, March 10, 2020
BAI #27, October 9, 2018
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Application with Cal OES
CAO ANALYST:
Fine Nai