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ACCEPTANCE OF A GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $52,424 FROM THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE/OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS (DOJ/OJP) THROUGH THE OFFICE FOR VICTIMS OF CRIME (VOC) AND AUTHORIZED THROUGH THE VICTIMS OF CRIME ACT (VOCA) TO BE USED BY THE NORMAN POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR THE RETENTION OF A VICTIM ADVOCATE, APPROVAL OF CONTRACT K-1920-50 AND BUDGET APPROPRIATION FROM THE GRANT REVENUE ACCOUNT AND THE GENERAL FUND BALANCE.
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BACKGROUND: On September 11, 2018, the City of Norman accepted a grant from the United States Department of Justice/Office of Justice Programs (DOJ/OJP) through the Office of Victims of Crime (OVC) and administered through the District Attorneys Council (DAC) for the purpose of hiring a Victim Advocate and purchasing associated equipment. These funds are awarded yearly on a competitive basis with priority to programs that serve victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, and unserved/underserved victims.
In many cases, victims of these offenses receive services from either the Mary Abbott Children’s House or the Women’s Resource Center. However, those incidents account for only 28% of our violent offenses and 39% of our victims. That means that 61% of our victims of violent crime do not qualify for services from either of these two community partners.
In other cases, victims of violent offenses receive assistance through the District Attorney’s Office. Unfortunately, this assistance is almost always provided during prosecution - well after the conclusion of an investigation. With only approximately 34% of our violent offenses being closed with an arrest, approximately 66% of our victims are never referred to the District Attorney’s Office.
This funding (Sub-Grant No. 2019-VOCA-NORMAN PD-252) allows the Norman Police Department to continue ensuring necessary referrals are made and that essential services are provided starting at the initial phase of an investigation and at a time when the trauma is acute and the need most pressing. The focus is to reach out to those victims who are not child-victims, domestic violence/stalking/sexual assault victims, and those with cases that are never prosecuted or delayed in referral to the District Attorney’s Office. Our goal is to ensure that every victim of a violent crime has access to services, is given assistance from the earliest opportunity, and has a voice throughout an investigation.
DISCUSSION: Funding in an amount of up to $52,424 has been awarded in this sub-grant, with a mandatory 25% City of Norman match ($13,106), for the retention of a Victim Advocate to improve notification services to the victims of violent crime, improve the coordination of victim services during the course of an investigation, improve coordination with collaborative agencies through Cleveland County, and identify currently untracked under-served populations within the City of Norman. The performance period for this grant runs from 10-01-2019 to 09-30-2020.
Although the performance period of the initial grant began on 10-01-18, we did not actually hire our advocate until February 18, 2019. This is a new program with no internal systems in place to identify victims of crime and reach out to underserved populations. While we have made great strides in making contacts and providing resources over the past few months, we recognize that we are building a foundation first and are still in our infancy.
VOCA funding is not guaranteed and requires demonstrated program achievement for renewal. This is done through required monthly, quarterly, and semi-annual reporting. Our current application and previous performance measures have been reviewed by the nine-member Victims of Crime Act Board, and this award for continued funding has been granted. We anticipate having access to this level of funding for at least 2 more years. After that time the City of Norman should be prepared to either continue with the position using VOCA funds (if available), creating a permanent position fully funded from General Fund allocations, or eliminating the services.
RECOMMENDATION NO. 1: That City Council accept the grant and associated contract.
RECOMMENDATION NO. 2: That $52,424 be appropriated from the Special Revenue Fund Balance (account 022-0000-253.20-00) designating $34,327 to Employee Salaries (account 022-6043-421.20-01; project GP0050), and $18,097 to Benefit account (such as account 022-6043-421.29-01; project GP0050), and upon receipt of the grant reimbursements, funds be deposited into VOCA Grant Revenue (account 022-0000-331.13-67). Also, $13,106 be appropriated from the General Fund Unreserved Fund Balance (account 010-000-253.20-00) designating $8,582 to Employee Salaries (account 010-6021-421.20-01; project GP0050), and $4,524 to Benefits (account 010-6021-421.29-01; project GP0050).