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Home My WebLink AboutJ- 5 Juvenile Accountability and Incentive Block Grant G DA ITEM) ma20 y• TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council FROM: Robert Garcia, Interim Chief of P 'ce VIA: Rick Cole, City Managerr---- DATE: February 1, 2000 SUBJECT: Juvenile Accountability and Incentive Block Grant RECOMMENDATION: Approve resolution releasing Azusa's portion of the Juvenile Accountability and Incentive Block Grant ( $12,985) to the County of Los Angeles District Attorney's Office for the hiring Deputy District Attorney to vertically prosecute violent juvenile offenders in Pomona Juvenile Court. BACKGROUND: Last year was the first year that these funds were available to Azusa from the Juvenile Accountability and Incentive Block Grant. This grant is administered by the Office of Criminal Justice Planning (OCJP). The grant requires a 10%match and is limited by federal guidelines to twelve purpose areas. The purpose areas all pertain to the prosecution, adjudication and corrections of juvenile offenders. The City of Azusa had no existing program that could utilize these funds, nor could we develop a program within the required time frame. Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office met with the cities of with Pomona, Glendora,Covina,Baldwin Park, and La Verne to discuss possible uses of the grant monies. Collectively, the five cities were entitled to $116,397 in grant funding. The District Attorney's Office offered to set up a program utilizing a deputy district attorney that would fulfill a program purpose area as mandated by the grant and would meet the prosecution needs of the cities in the juvenile crime area. The District Attorney's office further agreed that their office would pay the 10% match requirement of the grant. After discussion among the cities, it was decided that vertical prosecution of juvenile violent crime offenders was the best use of the grant monies. Currently, there is vertical prosecution available for gang offenders, but if the gang affiliation cannot be proved, the case is handled through routine 1jp/R) o� &(--61 Mir channels. Vertical prosecution will speed the case through system, providing swifter adjudication of the case. This will result in swifter and surer penalties to the guilty and greater closure for the victims of these crimes. A juvenile prosecutor was assigned to the Pomona Court in September, 1999 for the vertical prosecution of juvenile violent crime. Azusa has used the services of this prosecutor for the vertical prosecution of the shooting at Gladstone and Donna Beth in 10/99 and a hate crime has just been accepted for vertical prosecution. In addition, the prosecutor has been readily available to our detectives for consultation and referral. FISCAL IMPACT: None PREPARED BY: Karen Pihlak, Police Captain 2 RESOLUTION No. A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF AZUSA JOINING WITH OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES TO RELEASE FUNDS UNDER THE JUVENILE ACCOUNTABILITY INCENTIVE BLOCK GRANT (JAIBG) WHEREAS, the City of Azusa declines to directly accept funds made available through the Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grant(JAIBG)Program administered by the Office of Criminal Justice Planning (hereafter referred to as OCJP). NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Azusa waives its right to its entire direct subgrant award and authorizes the funds to be expended by the County of Los Angeles for the purpose of hiring a Deputy District Attorney for vertical prosecution of juvenile offenders in the Pomona District Juvenile Court. IT IS AGREED that any liability arising out of the performance of this Grant Award Agreement, including civil court actions for damages, shall be the responsibility of the grant recipient and the authorizing agency. The State of California and OCJP disclaim responsibility for any such liability. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that grant funds received hereunder shall not be used to supplant expenditure controlled by this body. PASSED APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 7th day of February, 2000. MAYOR I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing Resolution No. Was duly adopted by the City Council of the City of Azusa at a regular meeting, thereof, held on the 7th day of February, 2000, by the following vote of Council: AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: ABSTAIN: COUNCILMEMBERS: CITY CLERK LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE BUREAU OF SPECIAL OPERATIONS GIL GARCETTI • District Attorney JOHN K. SPILLANE • Director ROBERT P. HEFLIN • Chief Deputy District Attorney MICHAEL E. TRANBARGER • Assistant District Attorney January 27, 2000 Acting Chief Robert Garcia Azusa Police Department 725 North Alameda Avenue Azusa, CA 91702 Dear Chief Garcia: The Office of Criminal Justice Planning (OCJP) has informed us that we are entering the next funding cycle and application period for the Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grant program. Your city council also should have received the Request for Application (RFA) and corresponding paperwork from OCJP. As we did last year, we are writing to advise you of the time frame to complete the grant application. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office utilized its "county" allocation of JAIBG funds to place one senior Grade IV deputy district attorney in each of our nine juvenile court offices. These experienced deputies have been working closely with both judges and defense attorneys to ensure that the appropriate cases are adjudicated and fair dispositions are reached in the remaining cases. The JAIBG "city" funds released to the District Attorney's Office provided additional staffing to our HEAT (Heightened Enforcement and Targeting) and ACT (Abolish Chronic Truancy) programs, as well as the newly created "707" program focusing on serious juvenile offenders. These prosecutors began their assignments in September 1999, and we have been pleased to receive positive feedback from many of the cities as to their dedication and usefulness in juvenile investigations and prosecutions. The District Attorney's Office is continuing its commitment to the assignment of a senior deputy district attorney in each juvenile court office for this second JAIBG year. In addition, we would like to continue the participation of the HEAT, ACT and 707 deputies in your cities. The new allocation for the City of Azusa is $12,985. We are taking this opportunity to ask if you would like to continue your partnership with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office in the JAIBG program for Year Two under the same terms as this past year.' If your city chooses to continue in the JAIBG program, we will need a draft of the enclosed city council resolution forwarded to Special Assistant District Attorney Mia Baker no later than February 15, 2000, with a letter of intent to release your allocated funds to the Office of the District Attorney. The resolution need not be passed by the February deadline but your draft resolution and letter of intent should include the date your city council is scheduled to hear the agenda item. Year Two of the grant award period is scheduled to begin April 1, 2000; however, it may start at a later date since Year One of the program did not actually begin until September, 1999. 'Some cities entered into programs with the Los Angeles County Probation Department. We are also encouraging these cities to determine if they wish to continue with their JAIBG partners for Year Two. These cities will need to communicate with their partner(s) and complete the resolution as indicated below. 18-205 Criminal Courts Bldg. 210 West Temple Street Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213)974-3881 Acting Chief Robert Garcia Page Two January 27, 2000 Last year several cities chose not to participate in a collaborative program with our office or another county department. These cities must again apply to the Office of Criminal Justice Planning for JAIBG funds for Year Two unless they wish to join one of the programs described above. If your city did not request to be involved with one of our programs, but are interested in working together during this funding cycle, please contact Deputy District Attorney Susan Steinfeld at (213) 974-9870. Our office has applied to the Office of Criminal Justice Planning for a 30-day extension of the application deadline, to March 15, 2000. We hope this extension is granted to allow all JAIBG participants time to meet the grant application requirements. However, as of today's date, the deadline remains February 15, 2000. We shall keep you apprised of any change in this deadline. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Susan Steinfeld or Mia Baker at (213) 202-7652.2 Very truly yours, GIL GARCETTI District Attorney By_,, JOH K. .PILLAN'i Dire I to jw Enclosure c: City Administrator/Manager 'Please forward any written communication to: Special Assistant District Attorney Mia Baker c/o Bureau of Management & Budget Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office 201 North Figueroa Street, Suite 1300 Los Angeles, California 90012 You may FAX to: (213) 202-6086