DATE: January 24, 2023
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: John Zanoni, Sheriff-Coroner-Public Administrator
SUBJECT: Retroactive Grant Application/Award/Agreement for Central California Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program and Grant Award
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Retroactively approve and authorize the Sheriff’s previous submittal of an online grant application on behalf of the County to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), for the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program, effective October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023, in the amount of $449,906;
2. Approve, ratify, and authorize the Sheriff’s, or their designee’s, execution of retroactive Grant Award/Agreement Number 15PJDP-22-GK-04888-MECP, which requires compliance with assurances and certifications that relate to conduct during the performance of the award/agreement on behalf of the County to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), for the Central California Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program, effective October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023, in the amount of $449,906; and
3. Authorize the Sheriff, or their designee, to sign claims for reimbursement, activity reports, extend the grant ending date to expend allocated funding, and add participating law enforcement, investigative, and prosecutorial agencies to the ICAC task force.
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with these recommended actions, which will approve an agreement with DOJ/OJP/OJJDP for the continuation of the Central California ICAC Task Force (Task Force) program. The first recommended action retroactively approves submittal of the online grant application on behalf of the County. The second recommended action retroactively authorizes the Sheriff’s, or their designee’s, execution of the cooperative agreement for the first year of the three-year grant program. The third recommended action authorizes the Sheriff to sign documents associated with this grant agreement, as well as add participating agencies to the Task Force. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Not approving the recommended actions will result in cancellation of the grant, and de-obligation of the allocated Federal funding.
RETROACTIVE AGREEMENT:
The recommended agreement is retroactive to October 1, 2022. DOJ/OJP/OJJDP published a letter of invitation for ICAC 2022 applications on September 16, 2022. To meet the application deadline of September 30, 2022, the Department submitted the online application on September 28, 2022 contingent upon your Board’s approval. The Sheriff’s Office was notified on November 3, 2022 that the application was accepted for funding.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Sheriff’s Org 31116309 FY 2022-23 Adopted Budget and will be included in future budget requests to fund one Deputy Sheriff position, one Community Service Officer position, and associated costs for the Task Force. If funding goes away, positions will be deleted unless an alternative funding source is found. There is no match requirement associated with the program.
DISCUSSION:
OJJDP created the ICAC Task Force Program, a national network of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to enforce laws regarding ICAC, under the Missing and Exploited Children’s programs within the Department of Justice Appropriations Act. The Sheriff’s Office is the recipient of a DOJ/OJP/OJJDP grant to enforce laws regarding ICAC and has been using the funds to administer and operate the Task Force.
On February 22, 2022, your Board accepted the ICAC award for the performance period from October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2022, in the amount of $508,393; as well as the final third of the three-year cooperative agreement. On December 15, 2020, your Board accepted the ICAC award for the performance period from October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021, in the amount of $415,404; as well as the second of the three-year cooperative agreement. On February 4, 2020, your Board accepted the ICAC award for the performance period from October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020, in the amount of $440,767; as well as the first of a three-year cooperative agreement. The first recommended action will retroactively approve and authorize the Sheriff’s submittal of an on-line application for the first of the three-year cooperative agreement. The second recommended action will retroactively approve the Sheriff’s, or their designee’s, execution of the Grant Agreement.
The grant is requesting to continue funding one Deputy Sheriff position, and one Community Service Officer position to investigate internet crimes perpetrated against children; to provide educational programs aimed at law enforcement officers, teachers, parents, and children; to serve as a forensic resource to law enforcement agencies; and to participate in nationally-coordinated investigations. The application is also requesting to fund travel costs associated with task force training, software programs, and miscellaneous office supplies. The Task Force is dedicated to locating, identifying, and arresting those who prey upon our children, and who sexually exploit our children through the use of technology, including the crime of child pornography.
The Task Force service area is comprised of nine (9) counties within Central California, and presently provides training and support to sixty-four (64) cooperating affiliate agencies. Approval of the third recommended action will allow the Sheriff’s Office to execute MOUs with those agencies involved in the Task Force, as well as add new agencies to the Task Force. The agencies currently participating include:
1. Arroyo Grande Police Department
2. Atascadero Police Department
3. Avenal Police Department
4. Bakersfield Police Department
5. Bishop Police Department
6. California BFS: Fresno
7. California Department of Justice: Fresno
8. California Highway Patrol: Fresno
9. CDCR: State Parole: Bakersfield
10. CDCR: State Parole: Fresno
11. CDCR: State Parole: Visalia
12. Chowchilla Police Department
13. Clovis Police Department
14. Clovis Unified School District Police Department
15. Coalinga Police Department
16. Coalinga State Hospital Services
17. Corcoran Police Department
18. Dinuba Police Department
19. Exeter Police Department
20. Farmersville Police Department
21. Firebaugh Police Department
22. Fowler Police Department
23. Fresno County District Attorney’s Office
24. Fresno County Probation Department
25. Fresno Police Department
26. Grover Beach Police Department
27. Gustine Police Department
28. Hanford Police Department
29. Inyo County Sheriff’s Office
30. Kerman Police Department
31. Kern County District Attorney’s Office
32. Kern County Sheriff’s Office
33. Kings County District Attorney’s Office
34. Kingsburg Police Department
35. Lemoore Police Department
36. Lindsay Police Department
37. Los Banos Police Department
38. Madera County District Attorney’s Office
39. Madera County Sheriff’s Office
40. Madera Police Department
41. Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office
42. Mendota Police Department
43. Merced County District Attorney’s Office
44. Merced County Sheriff’s Office
45. Merced Police Department
46. Parlier Police Department
47. Paso Robles Police Department
48. Pismo Beach Police Department
49. Porterville Police Department
50. Reedley Police Department
51. Ridgecrest Police Department
52. San Luis Obispo District Attorney’s Office
53. San Luis Obispo Sheriff ’s Office
54. San Luis Obispo Police Department
55. Sanger Police Department
56. Selma Police Department
57. Tehachapi Police Department
58. Tulare County Bureau of Investigations
59. Tulare County District Attorney’s Office
60. Tulare County Sheriff’s Office
61. Tulare Police Department
62. University of California Police Department: Poly Tech
63. Visalia Police Department
64. Woodlake Police Department
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #29, February 22, 2022
BAI #47, December 15, 2020
BAI #20, February 4, 2020
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Grant Application
On file with Clerk - Grant Award/Agreement
CAO ANALYST:
Samantha Buck