REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Continuation of Supplemental Law Enforcement Services (SLES) Funds and Approval of Budget Modification No. 43
Report
BACKGROUND
Each year, the State Legislature appropriates money to Santa Clara County local law enforcement agencies for supplemental police funding. This funding is a continuation of the Supplemental Law Enforcement Services funding program (SLES) that was first provided in FY 1996/97 via Assembly Bill 3229 (AB 3229). The use of the SLES funds is only for front-line municipal police services and should supplement, not supplant, current front-line law enforcement services. Funds must be encumbered or spent within the two-year grant cycle. In previous years, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) has used SLES allocations for the purchase of law enforcement equipment, to pay for sworn personnel costs or a combination of both.
Since 1996, the City Council has approved the use of Supplemental Law Enforcement Services (SLES) Funding to support front-line police services. SLES monies are appropriated annually by the State Legislature to Santa Clara County for distribution to local law enforcement agencies. The distribution mechanism of funds is through the Citizens' Option for Public Safety (COPS) Program.
Changes to the administrative requirements of the COPS Program occurred late 2012 when Santa Clara County's Supplemental Law Enforcement Oversight Committee (SLEOC) was disbanded. Recipient agencies are no longer required to submit year-end reports or submit minutes of their Council's approval of their appropriations related to SLES allocations. FY 2012/13 marked the last year DPS was required to formulate a detailed spending plan to the SLEOC. At that time, the decision was also made to redirect SLES funds from equipment to personnel.
Through the City's annual budget process, City Council approved the use of FY 2013/14 and FY 2014/15 SLES funds to support the addition of a new Street Crimes Unit Pub...
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