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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-05-2012 c7 ca office of traffic safety t grant applicationcounci lj aGenda REpoRt C I T Y O F S A N LUIS O B I S P O FROM : Steve Gesell, Chief of Police Prepared By:Melissa Ellsworth, Senior Administrative Analys t SUBJECT : FY 2012-13 CALIFORNIA OFFICE OF TRAFFIC SAFETY "AVOI D THE 14" GRANT APPLICATIO N RECOMMENDATIO N 1.Approve the submittal of a grant application to the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS ) for an Avoid the 14 grant in an amount not to exceed $230,000 . 2.If a grant is awarded, authorize the City Manager to execute the necessary grant documents . DISCUSSION Grant Program Informatio n The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) offers grant funds to local law enforcemen t agencies to mitigate traffic safety program deficiencies, expand ongoing activities, or develo p new programs . The Avoid DUI Program was launched in 1973 to bring law enforcement agencies together i n countywide clusters to crack down on the drinking driver and reduce the number of deaths an d injuries caused by alcohol related crashes . Funding provided by OTS grants allows counties t o add overtime hours to deploy officers in areas with high occurrences of DUI related traffi c collisions and conduct public awareness media campaigns during the increased enforcemen t periods . The overall goal of this awareness campaign is to let drivers know about the countywid e increased enforcement periods and warn drivers that the only way to "Avoid"the county's law enforcement officers is to drive sober . Increased enforcement periods are planned during hig h traffic holiday periods, and additional funding is available for other special events as well wit h identified DUI problems where media campaigns with heavy enforcement can reduce deaths an d injuries caused by drunk drivers . The San Luis Obispo Police Department has participated in the countywide Avoid grant sinc e 2006 ; however, now the Department will become the "host agency" for this regional effort . The grant period will be from October 1, 2012 until September 30, 2013 . As the host agency, the Department will work closely with other law enforcement agencies in th e county to fulfill the goals and objectives set forth in the grant . Participating agencies wil l include : Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Morro Bay, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach, the Sheriff's Department, and other allied agencies . Per grant guidelines, other participating agencies mus t enter into an agreement with the San Luis Obispo Police Department agreeing to assist wit h project related enforcement activities, attend project related meetings, submit invoices to th e C7-1 Meeting Date 6-5-1 2 Item Number C 7 2012-13 OTS Avoid the 14 Grant Application Page 2 Department for overtime hours worked associated with the Avoid grant activities, collect an d submit statistics . Grant Applicatio n The application for the Avoid grant was due on April 6 th;however, at that time there wer e challenges in identifying an agency to host the grant for FY 2012-13 after the agency originall y slated to host the grant this cycle was subsequently unable to fulfill their commitment due to a number of competing priorities . After recent discussions with OTS and receiving input from other police agencies within th e County, it was decided that San Luis Obispo Police . Department would host the. grant for F Y 2012-13 . OTS is permitting staff to submit the application past the original due date . The OT S grant coordinator for the Central Coast Region is working closely with staff to expedite the gran t submittal ; and unfortunately due to timing, staff was unable to receive Council approval prior t o starting this process . If Council denies the request, the grant application can be rescinded . Staff has included the following objectives as part of the Avoid the 14 grant application ; thes e objectives will be accomplished by the Department along with other agencies involved in thi s regional grant program . The enforcement efforts will be conducted at locations throughout th e county, and will be staffed by the various participating agencies . OTS will reimburse agencies for overtime worked on grant related activities . 1.Conduct 6 DUI checkpoints 2.Conduct over 60 saturation patrols 3.Conduct 2 court sting s 4.Create a multi-agency DUI Task Forc e 5.Conduct 4 warrant sweeps 6.Purchase various educational materials for traffic safety purpose s 7.Purchase traffic related equipment such as supplies for DUI checkpoints, digital camer a for Traffic officers to utilize when investigating a traffic collisions, new radar devices fo r patrol vehicles, portable light tower to aid with dim areas during DUI checkpoints o r collision investigations, and diagramming software which can be used to document majo r DUI collisions and also aid detectives with other crime scene investigations . CONCURRENCE S The Director of Finance & Information Technology concurs with this recommendation . FISCAL IMPAC T City matching funds are not required for this grant and all grant-related activities will be conducte d using existing personnel on overtime . As the host agency, the Department will be responsible fo r requesting and collecting reimbursement claims from other agencies as well as our own . Reimbursement claims will be processed and paid from the City of San Luis Obispo using fund s received by the Office of Traffic Safety for the Avoid grant . 2012-13 OTS Avoid the 14 Grant Application Page 3 ALTERNATIVE S Council may direct staff to withdraw the application from OTS and cancel the request for funding . Staff does not recommend this alternative as funding will enhance the Department's current effort s in addressing traffic safety throughout the county . The objectives of the grant are to reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by alcohol related crashes and raise public awarenes s regarding the problems associated with drinking and driving . 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