DATE: August 9, 2022
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Margaret Mims, Sheriff-Coroner-Public Administrator
SUBJECT: Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Fresno for the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Approve and authorize Chairman to execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City of Fresno, which provides dedicated grant funds for equipment to the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force member agencies to be used in the course of ICAC investigations, to allow a Fresno Police Department Officer to use a County vehicle ($50,000); and
2. Approve and authorize the waiving of Administrative Policy No. 17 (regarding the use of County vehicles by County officials and employees only) to allow a Fresno Police Department Officer, as a member of the ICAC Task Force, to use a County vehicle.
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The recommended actions will approve the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Sheriff’s Office and Fresno Police Department for a vehicle to be used in the course of ICAC investigations and waive Administrative Policy No. 17 to allow an employee of Fresno Police Department, who is a qualified ICAC Officer/investigator and who meets or exceeds Fresno Police Department’s standards, to use a vehicle owned by the County. All costs associated with the maintenance, operation, and fueling of the vehicle will be borne by the County, and the vehicle will remain the property of the County. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Your Board could choose to not approve the recommended actions and not allow an ICAC task force employee of the Fresno Police Department to use a County vehicle.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. Appropriations in the amount of $50,000 for the vehicle purchase are included in the Sheriff’s Org 3111 FY 2022-23 Budget Request, which will come before your Board in September 2022. Sufficient appropriations for ongoing fuel and maintenance costs will be included in future budget requests.
DISCUSSION:
On November 2, 2021, your Board executed the ICAC grant application/agreement in the amount of $950,000, effective from January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022, to fund three full-time Deputy Sheriff positions in the Sheriff’s ICAC task force, including overtime, forensic tools, phone cracking tools for both iPhones and android phones, training, safety gear to execute search warrants, presentation materials, vehicle power inverters, internet access in remote areas, and one undercover vehicle.
The ICAC task force was created to assist local law enforcement agencies to enhance their investigative response to offenders who use the internet, online communications systems, or other computer technology to sexually exploit children. The Sheriff’s Office has five funded positions on the ICAC task force, three 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 Department, were each allocated an award of $950,000 to cover one calendar year, beginning January 1, 2022 and ending December 31, 2022. 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 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 recommended actions will approve the MOU between the Sheriff’s Office and Fresno Police Department for a vehicle to be used in the course of ICAC investigations and waive Administrative Policy No. 17 to allow an employee of Fresno Police Department, who is a qualified ICAC Officer/investigator and who meets or exceeds Fresno Police Department’s standards, to use a vehicle owned by the County. ICAC Task Force members are required to use an undercover vehicle in order to perform daily investigative and surveillance functions as an ICAC Task Force detective. The Fresno Police Department doesn’t have an undercover vehicle for their detective(s) in the ICAC Task Force. Therefore, approval of the recommended actions will make a County vehicle available for the Fresno Police Department’s ICAC Task Force detective(s).
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI# 27, November 2, 2021
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - MOU with City of Fresno for ICAC vehicle
Administrative Policy No. 17 - County Automotive Transportation
CAO ANALYST:
Samantha Buck