CSS 2022-06-27 Item 1A - Grant Acceptance - $125,000 COPS Hiring Grant for 1 New Officer's Salary and Benefits

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City of Tukwila Allan Ekberg, Mayor INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM TO: Community Services & Safety Committee FROM: Eric Dreyer, Chief of Police BY: Jake Berry, Public Safety Budget Analyst CC: Mayor Ekberg DATE: June 27th, 2022 SUBJECT: COPS Hiring Grant —Acceptance Requested ISSUE Pursuant to City policy, the Police Department is asking that Council approve the Mayor to accept the awarded COPS Hiring Grant in the amount of $125,000 BACKGROUND On June 21St, 2021 the Police Department received approval from the Community Services & Safety Committee to apply for the COPS Hiring Grant. The Department was since awarded this grant and is now seeking approval for its acceptance. DISCUSSION City policy requires Departments seeking a grant with a local match to gain approval from Committee to apply for the grant and, once the grant has been awarded, to also seek approval before formally accepting the grant. If accepted, the COPS Hiring Grant will reimburse the Department for up to $125,000 (total) of a newly hired Officer's salary and benefits over three years. As a reminder, the COPS Hiring Grant program provides funding directly to law enforcement agencies to hire and/or rehire career law enforcement officers to increase community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts. The program's goal is to further engagement in planned community partnerships, implementation of projects to analyze and assess problems, implementation of changes to personnel and agency management in support of community policing, and to increase capacity of an agency to engage in community policing activities. This goal is well - aligned with the mission of the Police Department's Community Liaison Officer (CLO). If provided with approval for acceptance, the Police Department will, when able, assign a veteran officer to the role of CLO and then hire a new officer to backfill that officer's position. FINANCIAL IMPACT The 2022 estimated Salary and Benefits for a newly -hired Officer is $134,509. The COPS Hiring Grant will reimburse the Department for $41,667 (maximum of $125,000 over the three- year term of the grant). The Police Department will seek additional budget for the remaining $92,842/yr during the 2023/24 Biennial Budget process. The Salary/Benefits costs provided are in 2022 figures and will be adjusted for 2023/24 during the budgeting process. RECOMMENDATION Staff is seeking Council approval of the grant award and is asking the Committee for a recommendation to forward to the Committee of the Whole on June 27, 2022. Note: Because formal acceptance of the grant must be completed on June 281h, 2022 this request is being presented to Committee and Council on the same evening. ATTACHMENTS Award Acceptance Letter