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 ...
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