REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Action to Approve the Spending Plan for the Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund and the Related Budget Amendment
Report
BACKGROUND
In 1996, California Assembly Bill 3229 established the Citizens’ Option for Public Safety (COPS) program’s Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund (SLESF). The Legislature determined that there was a compelling need for additional resources at the local level for public safety funding and established the COPS program to advance community policing in all counties. The COPS program awards non-competitive and non-matching grants to law enforcement agencies to supplement funding of frontline municipal police services. The City has used these funds in prior years to purchase officer safety and duty equipment, communications equipment and vehicles, among other things, that are all used directly and solely in the provision of frontline police services to the community.
Per Government Code §§ 30061-30063, cities are allocated a proportionate share of COPS funds by the California Department of Finance, through Santa Clara County. Proportionate shares are based on population estimates determined by the California Department of Finance.
This is not a fixed amount grant. Under the grant program, the City of Santa Clara is eligible to receive a minimum of $100,000 annually. Each fall, the California Department of Finance estimates the allocation for each law enforcement agency in the county; the actual amount paid varies from the projection and is unknown 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 grant account. These distributions are not received in equal installments from month-to-month; therefore, spending over the course of the payment cycle can be unpredictable.
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 |
$203,918 |
* California Department of Finance’s initial estimated grant allocation
** Actual amount received by the Police Department.
The COPS/SLESF grant does not have any application or other requirements; the monies are transferred to local entities through the County by operation of 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 grant 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
DISCUSSION
Santa Clara County’s estimated COPS grant allocation for FY 2025/26 is $3,348,184. Of this amount, the City of Santa Clara expects to receive $205,680 in COPS funding based on its January 2025 population estimate of 134,587. The allocation for the City of Santa Clara accounts for 0.24% of the available amount to be allocated statewide for front-line law enforcement (Attachment #1).
In accordance with grant requirements, the Police Department hereby requests that the City Council appropriate existing and anticipated grant moneys to support front line municipal law enforcement services, such as:
• Duty and protective equipment (e.g., helmets, vests, body armor, gas masks, body cameras, etc.)
• Barriers (e.g., portable shields, mobile vehicle barriers, etc.)
• Less lethal equipment (e.g., conducted energy devices, launchers, etc.)
• Surveillance and interception technologies (e.g., devices to collect video evidence, trackers, unmanned aerial vehicles, signal jammers, throwable devices, etc.)
• Services to support operations (e.g. contract for canine training)
• Technology and software (e.g., digital forensic, etc.)
The items listed above are already in use to prevent, reduce, and solve crimes in our community and many are now due for replacement. Funds will be used to replace, update and expand law enforcement tools, that are not otherwise funded in the department’s budget. Staff will ensure that all purchases comply with grant requirements, the City’s procurement policies and Assembly Bill 481 as appropriate.
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 2025, the City of Santa Clara received official notice from the California Department of Finance that its expected Citizens’ Option for Public Safety allocation for FY 2025/26 is $205,680. The following budget amendment is recommended to recognize and appropriate those funds.
Budget Amendment
FY 2025/26
|
|
Current Budget |
Increase / (Decrease) |
Revised Budget |
|
Police Operating Grant Trust Fund |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenue |
|
|
|
|
Grant Funding - COP26 |
$0 |
$205,680 |
$205,680 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Expenditures |
|
|
|
|
Citizens’ Option for Public Safety 25-26 |
$0 |
$205,680 |
$205,680 |
COORDINATION
This report has been coordinated with the Finance Department and City Attorney’s Office.
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 Citizen’s Option for Public Safety Programs Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund; and
2. Approve the FY 2025/26 budget amendment in the Police Operating Grant Trust Fund to recognize grant revenue in the amount of $205,680 and establish a Citizens’ Option for Public Safety 25-26 grant appropriation in the amount of $205,680 (five affirmative Council votes required to appropriate additional revenue).
Staff
Reviewed by: Cory Morgan, Chief of Police
Approved by: Jovan D. Grogan, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Letter from the California Department of Finance with Citizens’ Option for Public Safety percentages and allocation