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August 6, 2024
ITEM TITLE
Grant Acceptance and Appropriation: Accept a Grant from the California Highway Patrol for a Cannabis Tax Fund Grant Program and Appropriate Funds
Report Number: 24-0211
Location: No specific geographic location
Department: Police
G.C. § 84308: No
Environmental Notice : The activity is not a "Project" as defined under Section 15378 of the California Environmental Quality Act State Guidelines; therefore, pursuant to State Guidelines Section 15060(c)(3) no environmental review is required.
Recommended Action
Adopt a resolution accepting $261,013 in grant funds from the California Highway Patrol and appropriating the funds to the Police Grants S ection of the State Grants Fund for the Cannabis Tax Fund Gran t Program. (4/5 Vote Required)
SUMMARY
The Police Department has been awarded $261,013 in grant funding from the California Highway Patrol for the Cannabis Tax Fund Grant Program . The intent of this program is to educate the public regarding the dangers of impaired driving, enforce impaired driving laws on the roadway, and improve the agency’s effectiveness through training and development of new strategies.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The Director of Development Services has reviewed the proposed activity for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that the activity is not a “Project” as defined under Section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines because it will not result in a physical change in the environment; therefore, pursuant to Section 15060(c)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines, the activity is not subject to CEQA.
Thus, no environmental review is required.
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BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
Not applicable.
DISCUSSION
The Cannabis Tax Fund Grant Program (CTFGP) is administered by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and provides state funding to allied agencies for the education, prevention, and the enforcement of laws relating to driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs, including cannabis and cannabis products . The Police Department has been awarded $ 261,013 for the fiscal year 2024-25 Cannabis Tax Fund Grant Program, covering a grant period of July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025 . This funding will be used to enhance training for Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD) officers.
With the passing of Proposition 64 (Adult Use of Marijuana Act), the Police Department expects the number of DUI/drug arrests and collisions to steadily increase. As of January 1, 2018, Proposition 64 allowed adults aged 21 years or older to possess and use marijuana for recreational purposes . Because of this, along with and the increased use of other impairing substances in the community, there is a need to increase the number of officers trained in Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFST), Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) and the Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) program. The additional training will further increase the agency’s abilities to detect, enforce and most importantly educate both the officers and residents.
The Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) is a set of tests used by police officers to determine if a person suspected of impaired driving is intoxicated with alcohol or other drugs. These tests are designed to measure specific responses or reflexes that may be compromised if a person has been drinking.
Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) is a program designed to bridge the gap between the Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) and Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC/DRE) programs.
The ARIDE course trains officers to observe, identify, and articulate signs of impairment related to drugs, alcohol, or a combination of both. By enhancing their abilit y to recognize impaired drivers, ARIDE aims to reduce the number of impaired driving incidents and serious crashes.
A Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) is a law enforcement officer trained to identify individuals whose driving is impaired by drugs other than, or in addition to, alcohol . These experts complete all phases of the Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) Program’s training requirements, as established by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). CVPD is currently the only certification site for DRE in the County of San Diego. Two CVPD officers are certified DRE instructors, and one CVPD officer is an SFST instructor.
CVPD will host the following classes for CVPD personnel to instruct or attend on an overtime basis . The classes will be open to all law enforcement officers in the County of San Diego and State of California to attend. 2 SFST’S courses (Instructors- 1 Sergeant, 1 Officer) Goal: 30 officers from CVPD trained over the two courses
1 ARIDE course (Instructor - 1 Sergeant) Goal: 5 CVPD officers trained within the grant period 1 DRE course (Instructor - 1 Sergeant) Goal: 2 CVPD officers trained 14 DRE Field Certification - to correlate with the DRE school in San Diego during 3rd quarter of grant P a g e | 3
DRE recertification course - Goal: 2 CVPD officers recertified Grant funds will also be used to conduct DUI saturation patrols. A DUI saturation patrol is a law enforcement strategy that involves deploying officers to target ed roadways during select time periods to detect and apprehend impaired drivers . Saturation patrols are different from DUI checkpoints, as they do not use roadblocks and do no stop every car passing through.
Additionally, grant funds will be used for DRE certified officer to attend the IACP Impaired Driving and Traffic Safety (IDTS) Conference in Washington DC on August 16-18, 2024. This conference will allow attendees to share knowledge about effective and proven approaches for improving road safety, the l atest science on alcohol and drug impaired driving enforcement, and how agencies can use traffic safety education to engage and build trust with their communities.
The Police Department will use grant funds as outlined in the table below.
DESCRIPTION AMOUNT
SFST Training - Instructor $6,336
SFST Training - Attendee $29,160
ARIDE Training - Instructor $3,264
ARIDE Training - Attendee $6,480
DRE Training - Instructor $3,264
DRE Training- Attendee $3,888
DRE Field Certification - Instructor $113,232
DRE Recertification - Attendee $1,632
DUI Saturation Patrol $80,880
Subtotal Overtime costs $248,136
IACP Conference - Registration & Travel $12,877
Subtotal Conference costs $12,877
TOTAL CTFGP FUNDING $261,013
DECISION-MAKER CONFLICT
Staff has reviewed the decision contemplated by this action and has determined that it is not site-specific and consequently, the 500-foot rule found in California Code of Regulations Title 2, section 18702.2(a)(11), is not applicable to this decision for purposes of determining a disqualifying real property-related financial conflict of interest under the Political Reform Act (Cal. Gov't Code § 87100, et seq.).
Staff is not independently aware, and has not been informed by any City Council member, of any other fact that may constitute a basis for a decision maker conflict of interest in this matter.
CURRENT-YEAR FISCAL IMPACT
Approval of this resolution accepts $261,013 in grant funds from the California Highway Patrol and amends the fiscal year 20 24-25 budget by appropriating $248,136 to the personnel category and $12,877 to the supplies and services category of the Police Grant Section of the State Grants Fund, resulting in no net fiscal impact to the General Fund.
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ONGOING FISCAL IMPACT
Funding from the California Highway Patrol will completely offset the total costs of this program, resulting in no net fiscal impact to the General Fund.
ATTACHMENTS
None.
Staff Contact: Chief Roxana Kennedy, Police Department Administrative Services Manager Jonathan Alegre, Police Department