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PUBLIC HEARING REGARDING ACCEPTANCE OF A GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $26,226 TO THE CITY OF NORMAN AND CLEVELAND COUNTY FROM THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE/BUREAU OF JUSTICE ASSISTANCE (DOJ/BJA) THROUGH THE EDWARD BYRNE MEMORIAL JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT (JAG) PROGRAM WITH NORMAN'S PORTION OF $23,603 TO BE USED BY THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO PURCHASE CROWD MANAGEMENT EQUIPMENT, SOFTWARE, AND AUDIO VISUAL EQUIPMENT, APPROVAL OF CONTRACT K-2021-60, AND BUDGET APPROPRIATION FROM THE SPECIAL GRANT REVENUE FUND BALANCE.
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BACKGROUND: The U.S. Department of Justice, announced that Fiscal Year 2019-2020 (FY 2020) Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant funds are available to the City of Norman and Cleveland County in the amount of $26,226. These entities are considered disparate jurisdictions based on a U.S. Department of Justice formula that includes population, crime statistics, and other law enforcement related data. Norman’s share of the award is $23,603 with the remaining $2,623 passing through to Cleveland County. The grant requires that a public hearing be conducted prior to disbursement of any funds.
DISCUSSION: The Police Department received notice of an award for the 2020 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (Award No. 2020-DJ-BX-0669) on September 18, 2020.
Project No.1: The City of Norman Police Department is often required to provide security at large gatherings in an attempt to prevent the outbreak of violence and damage to critical infrastructure. Often, these gatherings consist of private parties, street fairs, festivals, athletic events, and peaceful demonstrations where the use of barriers, fences, and uniformed police officers are adequate to manage traffic and protect the community from harm. Unfortunately, recent incidents of violence throughout the country and in neighboring jurisdictions have required an analysis of the Department’s capacity to provide effective crowd management where a significant threat of violence or interference with City operations was present. Analysis shows that new and updated equipment and training by the Department is necessary to reduce both the need for assistance from outside agencies in those instances and to ensure proper planning, supervision, and deployment when needed.
Project No. 2: As part of the Department’s continuing efforts to pursue transparency, since 2016 we have provided the following data in support of the Police Data Initiative (PDI) project - a national effort in support of The President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing:
• City/departmental demographics,
• Uses of force,
• Complaints/inquiries,
• Police contacts,
• Community engagement, and
• Hate crimes.
Those data, in accordance with PDI standards, are presented in a raw format to facilitate analysis by researchers who can use a variety of analytical tools to evaluate the data. Unfortunately, the raw format does not lend itself to examination within the Department or by members of the community. The City of Norman Police Department has identified analytical software which can be hosted through the Department’s website, linked to the raw data, and can be used by both the community and members of the Department to graphically filter and present the raw data for study.
Project No. 3: Teleconferencing has become an essential management tool under COVID-19 restrictions. Unfortunately, the City of Norman Police Department’s executive conference room in the Municipal Complex (Building B), where small to mid-sized meetings are conducted by all members of the Department, does not have the audio/visual capacity for effective teleconferencing. Stop-gap solutions have solved some immediate needs, but a complete update of the camera/display and computer (along with the associated peripheries and licenses) is necessary for effective communication and management.
Project No. 4: Pass-through of funds, as required in the grant, to the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office who intend to update several in-car computers.
RECOMMENDATION No. 1: That a public hearing be conducted where each person in attendance receives a copy of the agenda and attachments and is eligible to speak about this topic as required for in the grant.
RECOMMENDATION No. 2: Approval of the grant by Council and acceptance by the Mayor.
RECOMMENDATION No. 3: Appropriation of $26,226 from the Special Grant Fund balance (account 22-29000); designating:
1. $2,623 to Pass Through-CCSO (account 22660117-44754; project GP0034)
2. $12,849 to Crowd Management-Protective Equipment (account 22660117-45999; project GP0034)
3. $5,000 to Crowd Management-Training (account 22660117-44604; project GP0034)
4. $2,414 to Teleconferencing-A/V Equipment, (account 22660117-43208; project GP0034)
5. $3,340 to Teleconferencing-Software (account 22660117-43018; project GP0034)
Upon reimbursement, funds are to be deposited into other JAG Grant Revenue (account 226-333333)