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HomeMy WebLinkAboutR-2009-083 JAG Crime Prevention Programs RESOLUTION NO. 2009-083 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF DANIA BEACH, FLORIDA, AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO APPLY FOR AN EDWARD BYRNE MEMORIAL JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT (JAG), A FORMULA GRANT FROM THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, TO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR CRIME PREVENTION PROGRAMS IN THE AMOUNT OF $111,323.00; AUTHORIZING THE PROPER CITY OFFICIALS TO EXECUTE THE APPLICATION; AUTHORIZING THE ACCEPTANCE AND, IF AWARDED, EXECUTION OF THE GRANT AGREEMENT; PROVIDING FOR CONFLICTS; FURTHER, PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. WHEREAS, on February 17, 2009, President Obama signed into law the landmark American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which provides Department of Justice funding for grants to assist state, local and tribal law enforcement; and WHEREAS, the City of Dania Beach is eligible to receive $111,323.00 through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Formula Program; and WHEREAS, a public hearing was held on May 12, 2009 for the purpose of presenting the application to the public for comment; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF DANIA BEACH, FLORIDA: Section 1. That an application for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant filed through the Broward Sheriffs Office in the amount of$111,323.00 between the City of Dania Beach, Florida and United States Department of Justice, in format consistent with Exhibit "A", attached, or as it may be altered through input from the public hearing, is approved and the appropriate City officials are authorized to execute it. Further, such officials are authorized to accept and execute the grant agreement if it is awarded. Section 2. That the City Manager and City Attorney are authorized to make minor revisions to the application and agreement as are deemed necessary and proper for the best interests of the City. Section 3. That all resolutions or parts of resolutions in conflict with this Resolution are repealed to the extent of such conflict. Section 4. That this Resolution shall be in force and take effect immediately upon its passage and adoption. PASSED AND ADOPTED on May 12, 2009. ATTEST: _ OQo�Ppp'S Fif7�r�r` ANNE CASTRO���`'` ' LOUISE STILSON, CMC MAYOR-COMMISSIONER CITY CLERK APPROVED AS T FORM AND QRREC 1/ 1 THO ASJ. ANSB O CITY ATTORNEY 2 RESOLUTION #2009-083 ih SsMilf*1 Aw" Date: May 41" 2009 DGP09 070 To: Wayne Alexander, Grants Coordinator Grants Management Via: Major Larry Rogers Field Services Bureau, South Reg' n Department of Law Enforcement From: Chief Donn G. Peterson Dania Beach District Subject: 2009 JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT APPLICATION—DANIA BEACH Dania Beach was the first official municipality to be incorporated into Broward County dating back to the 1880s. Starting as a settlement called Modello, it was incorporated in November of 1904. Most of the 35 residents were of Danish ancestry, and they changed the name of the town to Dania. In 1999, Dania formally changed its name to Dania Beach. In 2001, the city annexed several unincorporated areas of Broward County increasing the population by about 3,600 people. The city's population is estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau at 28,831. Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Sheridan Street on the south, State Road 7 to the west and State Road 84 to the north, Dania Beach is approximately 8 square miles and is dissected by US-1 and 1-95. The city has an annual population of 28,000 people that significantly increases with tourists and shoppers during the winter season. The city is home to the International Game and Fish Association World Fishing Center as well as other prestigious attractions including Dania Jai Alai and Bass Pro Outdoor World. The city is noted for its large collection of antique shops along a 3-block area of US-1 and a blossoming marine industry. Additionally, Dania Beach is the geographic location of the Fort Lauderdale- Hollywood International Airport. In October of 1988 the City of Dania Beach contracted with the Broward Sheriffs Office for law enforcement services. The annual operating budget is approximately$9.13 million and provides for 77 positions including a district chief, two lieutenants, eight sergeants, 58 deputies and other positions. The City of Dania Beach is eligible for an allocation of $111,323.00 in the 2009 Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant for the four year grant period. The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant(JAG) Program is the primary provider of federal criminal justice funds to state and local jurisdictions. JAG funds support all components of the criminal justice system from crime prevention to community policing initiatives. JAG funded projects may address crime through the provision of services directly to individuals and/or communities and by improving the Wayne Alexander, Grants Coordinator May 41"2009 Page 2 of 5 effectiveness and efficiency of the criminal justice systems, processes, and procedures. Without funding from this grant, various programs and services would be significantly reduced or eliminated. The reduction of programs and services would result in the elimination or reduction of staffing due to budgetary constraints. The proposed expenditure of funds from this grant will be used for the purpose of crime prevention and reduction through a variety of initiatives within the City of Dania Beach. Funding from this grant will be utilized to provide: • Staffing for operational plans and other community enrichment programs directed at preventing crime and apprehending persons responsible for the commission of crimes without diminishing community service and response times by having to use on-duty personnel. • The Dania Beach District intents to utilize funding for juvenile crime prevention initiatives in the form of a summer camp for at-risk youth in Dania Beach. • Funds will be used to purchase equipment to enhance our law enforcement, crime prevention, and community policing efforts. With funding from the 2009 Justice Assistance Grant, the Dania Beach District will create, enhance, and support the following efforts: Dania Beach Summer Camp Both Dania Beach elementary schools are Title I schools whose children are engaged in after school academic enrichment during the academic year. The City would like to keep those children engaged during the summer. Partnering with the City of Dania Beach Parks & Recreation Department, the Dania Beach District will utilize $22,200.00 to enhance security in and around city parks and to develop and implement a program to keep kids occupied and redirect them from criminal activity during the summer months. The target population to be served is primarily low-income children from ages 9 through 16. The summer camp program may include athletics, academics, gang resistance training, drug resistance and education training, as well as training in life skills. The goal of this program is to offer youth a safe and secure environment to participate in organized events, thus increasing social skills and providing an alternative to criminal activity throughout the city. We will measure goal attainment by tracking enrollment, participation, and academic performance of camp participants. Requested Allocation: Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Total Overtime $3.000.00 $3,000.00 $3,000.00 $9,000.00 Equipment $1,000.00 $1,000.00 $1,000.00 $3,000.00 Healthy Snack $1,000.00 $1,000.00 $1,000.00 $3,000.00 Uniforms $400.00 $400.00 $400.00 $1,200.00 Transportation $1,000.00 $1,000.00 $1,000,00 $3,000.00 Educational Materials $1,000.00 $1,000.00 $1,000.00 $3,000.00 TOTAL: $22,200.00 i Wayne Alexander,Grants Coordinator May 4'"2009 Page 3 of 5 Graffiti Prevention and Reduction: Graffiti tagging blights neighborhoods and business communities and creates the impression of crime. The Dania Beach District will address the growing problem of graffiti throughout the city by acquiring equipment that will allow deputies to remotely monitor areas where graffiti tagging takes place. A growing number of cities are using new technology to capture graffiti taggers. They are relying on a special sensor that can detect the use of spray paint and immediately alert police to that location. Watsonville California Deputy Police Chief Manny Solano, who is using this new technology, indicates that it is a small part of an overall effort the department has been conducting for the past three months resulting in 38 arrests, indicating that they have over 885 incidents of vandalism and approximately $53,000.00 in damage that these suspects are responsible for. An additional component of this initiative will be the establishment of a fund to facilitate the timely clean-up of existing graffiti or that which is missed by the aforementioned detection and prevention component. The availability of$25.00 per occurrence would facilitate the removal/clean-up of graffiti on property. The goal of this program will be to reduce crime and the public perception of crime by eradicating graffiti in Dania Beach. Requested Allocation: Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Total Overtime $4,000.00 $4,000.00 $4,000.00 $12,000.00 Clean-up Fund $3,941.00 $3,941.00 $3,941.00 $11,823.00 Equipment $4,000.00 $3,000.00 $3,000.00 $10,000.00 TOTAL: $33,823.00 Crime Reduction and Prevention Operations: Historically, the City of Dania Beach has had documented problems with street-level drug sales and prostitution. While the specific areas where these problems may arise will shift, the problem itself does not. Therefore, the Broward Sheriffs Office Dania Beach District must remain vigilant against such crime problems and must constantly address them. To fail in this regard would have a detrimental impact on the residents and businesses in Dania Beach. During the summer of 2008, the Dania Beach District conducted operation Street Sweeper. To show actual results of past operations as an indicator of what can reasonably be expected during future operations, an excerpt from a press release is included below: Targeting street level drug dealers in Dania Beach, the six-month-long investigation resulted in charges against 85 dope peddlers. The drug dealers will have a tough time denying their involvement in the criminal activity since every one was caught on camera selling crack cocaine during "Operation Street Sweeper." Undercover Broward Sheriffs Office deputies, driving unmarked cars equipped with hidden cameras and microphones, concentrated their efforts in the northwest and southwest sections of Dania Beach. The undercover deputies would typically stop their car in front of the street level dealers, be offered a quantity of crack, then pay for the drug and drive away. The scenario played out 220 times with each buy documented and video recorded. Operation Street Sweeper was launched in response to complaints from the communities where the drug dealers were operating. After identifying the 85 dealers, young and old, male and female, deputies began rounding them up last week and took 53 into custody in Wayne Alexander, Grants Coordinator May 0 2009 Page 4 of 5 three days time. The remaining 30 suspects are believed to have gone into hiding or have fled the area, however they will be taken picked up as they resurface. Each one faces felony charges that include delivery of cocaine. The Broward Sheriffs Office Dania Beach Selective Enforcement Team received aid and support from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and specifically DEA's Mobile Enforcement Team. In addition, three of the major dealers are being charged and prosecuted federally. As is evidenced in this press release, operations of this kind are hugely successful and have a tremendous positive impact on Dania Beach residents and business. The Dania Beach District will utilize $40,800.00 to fund operations targeting street-level crime such as narcotics and prostitution. Using strategies similar to those used during Operations Street Sweeper, the goal of these operations will be to identify and arrest street level drug dealers and prostitutes. Results will be measured by measuring and comparing crime statistics before and after operations in targeted areas and by polling community members regarding perceptions of crime both before and after operations in targeted areas. Requested Allocation: Year 1 Year 2 I Year 3 j Total Overtime $13,600 00 $13,600 00 $13 600.00 _$4_0,8050.001 TOTAL:; $40,800.001 Stalker Radar Units: Radar units will be used to address concerns from residents and business owners regarding unsafe driving and to enforce speed controls in the school zones throughout the city. Additionally, radar units can be used by personnel to establish probable cause to stop vehicles suspected of being involved in criminal activity. Requested 1-Time Allocation: 2 x$3,600.00 each= $7,000.00 TOTAL: $7,000.00 Tactical Ballistic Shields: With two elementary and one middle school located within the city, deputies assigned to the Dania Beach District must be prepared to respond to a crisis at any one of our schools. Active shooter scenarios are something personnel assigned to the Dania Beach District train and prepare for regularly. Tactical ballistic Shields will be utilized by deputies responding to active shooter situations throughout the city to enhance their protection thereby increasing the likelihood of successful outcome. Requested 1-Time Allocation: 3 x$2,500.00 each= $7,500.00 TOTAL: $7,500.00 Wayne Alexander,Grants Coordinator May 4" 2009 Page 5 of 5 It is the goal of the Dania Beach District to utilize grant funds to enhance community policing and crime prevention efforts throughout the city. Funds will be used to implement programs targeting youth to develop and enhance the positive interaction between law enforcement, residents, and business owners. Funds will also be used to implement operational and enforcement plans aimed at addressing crime and community concerns. Please contact me should you have any questions or concerns. /dgp cc: Robert Baldwin, City Manager, City of Dania Beach Colin Donnelly, Assistant City Manager, City of Dania Beach File