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CONSENT CALENDAR
City of San Bernardino
Request for Council Action
Date: January 15, 2025
To: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
From: Rochelle Clayton, Acting City Manager;
Darren Goodman, Chief of Police
Department: Police
Subject: Accept the FY 2023 $175,000 Department of Justice Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant (All Wards)
Recommendation:
It is recommended that the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California, adopt Resolution No. 2025-015 authorizing:
1. The City Manager or designee to accept the FY 2023 Department of Justice, Project Safe Neighborhoods grant funding.
2. The Interim Director of Finance and Management Services to amend FY 2024/25 Adopted Budget appropriating $175,000 in both revenue and expenditures.
Executive Summary
The Department was awarded $175,000 through the Project Safe Neighborhoods Program Grant by the U.S. Department of Justice. This grant funding will be used to staff overtime shifts focused on reducing violent crime and fostering safer neighborhoods.
Background
The Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program is administered by the U.S.
Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), through the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California (USAO-CDCA), with the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) serving as the fiscal agent. The PSN Grant is awarded through a competitive process. Most recently, the Department received PSN Grant funds (PSN22) for fiscal year 2023-24 to fund overtime for officers conducting proactive patrols within the City. Subsequently, on June 4, 2024, the 2 4
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Department submitted a grant proposal to compete for FY 2023 PSN grant funding (PSN23). On November 19, 2024, the Department was notified of its award of an additional $175,000 to support the proposed program.
Discussion
The PSN program is designed to create and foster safer neighborhoods through a sustained reduction in violent crime. The program combines proactive law enforcement efforts with intervention and prevention specialists, in a multifaceted approach to address violent offenders and the underlying drivers of violent crime and gun violence. The grant funding has been authorized to be used by the Department to fund overtime for Focused Intelligence Rapid Enforcement Violent Crime Impact Teams. The grant has a term of up to three years, or until the funds have been expended. There are no matching funds for this grant. The Department hopes to accomplish the following goals:
Goal 1 - Crime Reduction:
Achieve a 10% reduction in violent crimes, including homicides and aggravated assaults, in targeted high-crime areas by the end of the grant term.
Goal 2 - Firearm Seizures:
Recover at least 25 illegal firearms, including ghost guns and modified firearms, through targeted operations by September 30, 2025.
Goal 3 - Youth Engagement:
Enroll 50 at-risk youth in mentoring programs and life skills workshops, with 25% reporting improved confidence and reduced interest in gang involvement in post- program surveys.
Goal 4 - Law Enforcement Deployments:
Conduct deployments of Emergency Response and Proactive Enforcement Teams in high-crime areas, increasing during peak periods such as the summer months.
Goal 5 - Gang Activity Suppression:
Reduce reported gang-related incidents in the city by 10% through targeted enforcement and community outreach efforts.
Goal 6 - Community Engagement:
Host at least 4 community events during the grant period to foster trust and collaboration between residents and law enforcement, with a 15% increase in attendance compared to 2024 events.
Goal 7 - Collaborative Prosecutions:
Refer at least 20 high-risk individuals for federal or state prosecution through partnerships with ATF, FBI, and US Marshals.
Goal 8 - Data-Driven Strategies:
Use hotspot analysis to direct enforcement teams, ensuring deployments target identified high-crime areas.
The Department was awarded PSN funds most recently for FY 2023/24, enabling the deployment of officers on an overtime basis for data-driven proactive patrols aimed at 2 4
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reducing gang activity and violent crime citywide. In 2023, PSN grant-funded patrols contributed to the recovery of a record-breaking number of firearms. The ongoing PSN22 grant-funded initiatives, expected to conclude in early 2025, have so far facilitated 28 operations, resulting in 190 arrests (166 felonies, 5 misdemeanors, and 19 warrant-related arrests). These efforts have also led to the recovery of 90 firearms, 20 pounds of methamphetamine, the execution of 25 search warrants, and the closure of 5 illegal net cafés.
Year-to-date, the City has seen a 28% reduction in homicides and a 31% decline in gang-related shootings, and PSN-funded activities have contributed to these significant decreases in violent crime.
2021-2025 Strategic Targets and Goals
The request to authorize the receipt, obligation, and expenditure of the FY 2023 Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant aligns with Key Target No. 1c: Improved Operational & Financial Capacity - Implement, maintain, and update a fiscal accountability plan.
Fiscal Impact
There is no fiscal impact to the General Fund with the acceptance of this grant, as there are no matching requirements. The FY 2024/25 Adopted Budget will be amended in both revenues and expenditures by $175,000.
Conclusion
It is recommended that the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California, adopt Resolution No. 2025-015 authorizing:
1. The City Manager or designee to accept the FY 2023 Department of Justice, Project Safe Neighborhoods grant funding.
2. The Interim Director of Finance and Management Services to amend FY 2024/25 adopted Budget appropriating $175,000 in both revenue and expenditures.
Attachments
Attachment 1 Resolution 2025-015
Attachment 2 Award Agreement
Ward:
All Wards
Synopsis of Previous Council Actions:
Jan 17, 2024 Mayor and City Council adopted resolution No. 2024-020, authorizing the City Manager to accept the FY 2022 Project Safe Neighborhoods. Grant and the Director of Finance to amend the FY 2023/2024 adopted budget approving $175,000 in both revenue and expenditures.
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Dec 07, 2022 Mayor and City Council adopted resolution No. 2022-243 authorizing the City Manager to accept the FY 2019 Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant and the Director of Finance to amend the FY 2022/2023 adopted budget approving
$177,154.51 in both revenue and expenditures.
Sept 21, 2022 Mayor and City Council adopted resolution No. 2022-192 authorizing the City Manager to accept the FY 2021 Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant and the Director of Finance to amend the FY 2022/2023 adopted budget approving $200,000 in both revenue and expenditures.
June 6, 2021 Mayor and City Council adopted resolution No. 2021-132 authorizing the City Manager to accept the FY 2020 Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant and the Director of Finance to amend the FY 2020/21 adopted budget appropriating $174,496 in both revenue and expenditures.