REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Action on Approval of the Spending Plan for the Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund and the Related Budget Amendment
Report
BACKGROUND
In 1996, the California Legislature established the Citizens’ Option for Public Safety (COPS) program through Assembly Bill 3229, creating the Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund (SLESF) to provide additional resources for frontline municipal law enforcement services. The program provides non-competitive, non-matching funding to local law enforcement agencies to support community policing efforts. These are state, not federal, funds.
Under Government Code §§ 30061-30063, COPS funds are allocated annually by the California Department of Finance and distributed through Santa Clara County based on population. The City of Santa Clara is eligible to receive a minimum of $100,000 each year; however, actual allocations vary and are not finalized until the payment cycle is complete.
Monthly distributions are received via wire transfer and the City’s Finance Department deposits these funds into a dedicated account. Because distributions are not received in equal installments, the total amount available may fluctuate throughout the fiscal year.
In recent years, the City of Santa Clara has received COPS funding as follows:
|
Funding Cycle |
Minimum Amount to be Allocated |
Projected Allocation * |
Actual Amount Received ** |
|
COPS 2020/21 |
$100,000 |
$196,119 |
$327,071 |
|
COPS 2021/22 |
$100,000 |
$200,298 |
$331,035 |
|
COPS 2022/23 |
$100,000 |
$200,980 |
$374,141 |
|
COPS 2023/24 |
$100,000 |
$205,975 |
$400,959 |
|
COPS 2024/25 |
$100,000 |
$203,918 |
$410,969 |
|
COPS 2025/26 |
$100,000 |
$205,680 |
$205,680 |
* California Department of Finance’s initial estimated allocation
** Actual amount received by the Police Department.
The COPS/SLESF allocation does not have any application or other requirements; the monies are transferred to local entities through the County by law (Government Code §§30061-30063) and are to be expended in accordance with the requirements of those code sections. The Government Code contains the following requirements for a recipient agency:
• The funds shall be used exclusively for front line law enforcement services
• The funds cannot be used to supplant other existing funding sources for general law enforcement services
• The City Council shall appropriate existing and anticipated moneys exclusively to fund frontline municipal police services, in accordance with written requests submitted by the Chief of Police
• Moneys in the fund shall not be transferred to, or intermingled with, the moneys in any other fund in the City treasury, except to the extent necessary to facilitate the appropriation and expenditure of those transferred moneys
• Once the appropriation of the funds is made, it cannot be subsequently altered by the City Council
• Administrative overhead costs cannot exceed 0.5% of the City’s allocation
• The funds cannot be used for a capital or construction project that does not directly support front line law enforcement services
The City has historically used these funds to support officer safety equipment, communications systems, and other tools directly related to frontline police services.
DISCUSSION
Santa Clara County’s estimated FY 2024/25 COPS allocation was $3,348,985. Based on the January 2024 population estimate of 132,048, the City of Santa Clara’s initial projected allocation was $203,918, representing approximately 6.09% of the countywide allocation and 0.23% of the statewide total (Attachment 1). The City Council previously appropriated that amount on January 14, 2025 (Attachment 2).
On November 6, 2025, the Police Department received an additional $207,051 for the FY 2024/25 COPS program, increasing the total amount received to $410,969.
In accordance with Government Code requirements, these funds will be used exclusively to support frontline municipal law enforcement services and will not supplant existing funding. The requested appropriation authorizes the use of funds for eligible expenditures, including:
• Duty and protective equipment (e.g., helmets, vests, body armor, gas masks, body-worn cameras)
• Barriers (e.g., portable shields, mobile vehicle barriers)
• Less-lethal equipment (e.g., conducted energy devices, launchers)
• Investigative and surveillance technologies (e.g., video evidence collection devices, trackers, unmanned aerial systems, signal jammers, throwable devices)
• Operational support services (e.g., contract for canine training)
• Technology and software (e.g., mobile data computers, tablets, operational planning software, digital evidence management systems, crime scene photography and mapping equipment, forensic documentation tools, drones and related software, computer-aided dispatch support equipment, and other field-based operational technology)
Many of these items are already deployed in the field and are due for replacement or modernization. Updated equipment and technology will enhance officer safety, improve operational effectiveness, and support the Department’s ability to prevent, investigate, and respond to crime. All expenditures will comply with applicable Government Code Requirements, City procurement policies, and Assembly Bill 481, as applicable.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(4) in that it is a fiscal activity that does not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potential significant impact on the environment.
FISCAL IMPACT
In September 2024, the City of Santa Clara received official notice from the California Department of Finance that its estimated FY 2024/25 COPS allocation was $203,918. In November 2025, the Police Department received an additional $207,051, bringing the total COPS FY 2024/25 award to $410,969.
The following budget amendment is recommended to recognize and appropriate the additional funds:
Budget Amendment
FY 2025/26
|
|
Current Budget |
Increase / (Decrease) |
Revised Budget |
|
Police Operating Grant Trust Fund |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenue |
|
|
|
|
Grant Funding |
$7,058,743 |
$207,051 |
$7,265,794 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Expenditures |
|
|
|
|
Citizens’ Option for Public Safety 24-25 |
$37,652 |
$207,051 |
$244,703 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
COORDINATION
This report has been coordinated with the Finance Department, City Attorney’s Office and Police Department.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City’s official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall Council Chambers. A complete agenda packet is available on the City’s website and in the City Clerk’s Office at least 72 hours prior to a Regular Meeting and 24 hours prior to a Special Meeting. A hard copy of any agenda report may be requested by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at (408) 615-2220, email clerk@santaclaraca.gov or at the public information desk at any City of Santa Clara public library.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
1. Approve the spending plan for funds received from the Citizens’ Option for Public Safety Programs Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund on the terms presented; and
2. Approve a FY 2025/26 budget amendment in the Police Operating Grant Trust Fund to recognize grant revenue in the amount of $207,051 and increase the Citizens’ Option for Public Safety 24-25 appropriation in the amount of $207,051 (five affirmative Council votes required to appropriate additional revenue).
Staff
Reviewed by: Cory Morgan, Chief of Police
Approved by: Jovan Grogan, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Letter from the California Department of Finance with Citizens’ Option for Public Safety percentages and allocation
2. RTC 25-974