REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Approve a Memorandum of Understanding with Santa Clara County for Crime Laboratory Services Related to Department of Public Safety Major Cases
Report
BACKGROUND
For more than four decades, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) has partnered with the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Crime Laboratory for the processing of physical evidence. The services provided by the County Crime Laboratory are essential to the successful investigation and subsequent prosecution of criminal cases.
In 1982, DPS joined a county-wide partnership under an informal agreement to equitably share the costs of the County Crime Laboratory with other law enforcement agencies in Santa Clara County. All law enforcement agencies in the county operate under the same informal agreement. The cost sharing model was re-evaluated in 1995, and police chiefs and the crime lab jointly agreed upon and adopted a billing model based on a five-year average of cases submitted, rather than a per-case basis, to stabilize costs for agencies that experience drastic shifts in case load from year to year.
Staff believes the current cost sharing arrangement is equitable and in the best interest of the City and other participating agencies. On December 31, 2019, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the County of Santa Clara expired. Staff is requesting approval of a new MOU (Attachment 1), which commences on January 1, 2020 and will be in effect for ten years, expiring on December 31, 2029.
EXISTING POLICY
Goal SN-3 Safe and Secure City: Ensure a safe and secure environment for people and property in the community by providing effective Public Safety Response and prevention and education services.
Policy SN-3.3: Provide investigative services directed toward successful prosecution and conviction of criminal offenders.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a "project" within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act ("...
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