City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: October 24, 2023
Agenda Item: 5.E
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Ramon Batista, Police Chief, Police Department
Subject: Authorization to Accept Grant from the Board of State and Community Corrections for the Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant Program Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of no possibility of significant effect pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines.
2. Adopt the attached resolution authorizing the acceptance of a grant awarded in the amount of $6,125,000 from the Board of State and Community Corrections for the Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant Program in the Police Department.
3. Authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary documents to accept the grants and all grant renewals.
4. Authorize budget changes as outlined in the Financial Impacts & Budget Actions section of this report.
Summary
The City has been awarded an Organized Retail Theft Prevention Program grant for $6,125,000 from the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC). Grant funds must be used by December 31, 2026, and all reimbursement requests must be completed no later than June 1, 2027. No local match is required. The grant aims to reduce and deter organized retail theft in the City of Santa Monica. Grant funds will be used to develop a Santa Monica Analytical Real-Time Center (SMART Center), which will enable the police department to deter, detect, locate, and investigate organized retail thefts, vehicle thefts, and catalytic converter thefts in the City.
Discussion
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The Organized Retail Theft Prevention Program grant comes from the State of California through the State Budget Act of 2022 (Senate Bill 154). Funding was available to California city police departments, sheriff departments, and probation departments to support local law enforcement agencies in preventing and responding to organized retail theft (“ORT”), motor vehicle or motor vehicle accessory theft.
On July 7, 2023, the Santa Monica Police Department submitted a grant application to develop a SMART Center and was notified of its award on September 15, 2023. The SMART Center will be a local crime fighting tool, as well as a regional criminal intelligence resource for fighting ORT and catalytic converter theft. The SMART Center will be in operation 24 hours per day and for at least 6 days per week. It will be organized like a patrol watch, providing an around the clock approach to impact ORT and catalytic converter theft, which occurs at all hours of the day and night. The SMART Center will direct all technological assets toward these and other crime problems through the 3-year grant period, and is designed to serve as the director of intelligence-driven crime fighting beyond the grant period, funding permitted.
SMPD has conducted extensive research on the effectiveness of Real-Time Crime Centers (RTCC), visiting more than 13 active RTCCs in California and in the Southwestern US. SMPD has seen firsthand the effectiveness of leveraging technology investments towards real-time crime fighting. Police agencies in Elk Grove (CA), Chino (CA), Beverly Hills (CA), Las Vegas (NV), and La Mesa (AZ) have succeeded in detecting and preventing crime in real time, while also generating actionable leads on reported crimes in 80-90% of major cases. SMPD personnel have attended RTCC conferences and have interacted with the National Real Time Crime Center Association (NRTCCA) while preparing for the SMART Center project.
The core components of the SMART Center consist of:
• A contiguous network of public-facing security cameras comprised of both fixed and maneuverable point-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras.
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• A modern Video Management System (VMS), allowing for rapid recall and control of camera assets, with the capability to interface with newer camera hardware.
• Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) cameras covering strategic intersections and routes through Santa Monica.
• Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) capable of responding in advance of, or in support of, officers responding to calls for service anywhere in the geographic boundaries of Santa Monica.
• A “fusion,” “one-pane-of-glass” software platform to merge the SMART Center technologies with SMPD’s dispatch, asset geo-location systems, radio systems into a map-based command center environment.
• A video-analytics software platform capable of generating live alters and reducing the investigative time needed to review Santa Monica City video and 3rd party video.
• A physical location for the SMART Center within the Public Safety Facility, built and equipped to incorporate the technologies listed above along with the staffing/management to run the center.
The implementation portion of the grant ends December 31, 2026. Upon completion of the grant, ongoing maintenance and replacement of technology equipment and services is estimated at a minimum of $600,000 annually. Throughout the duration of the grant, staff will research and pursue funding opportunities to cover the recurring technology maintenance after the third year.
Environmental Review
The acceptance and use of grant funding is categorically exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines. The grant activities are covered by the common sense exemption which states that CEQA does not apply, “where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.” The grant will allow the SMPD to develop a SMART center within the existing SMPD headquarters that will include cameras, software, and other supporting small equipment. Therefore, it can be seen with certainty 4 of 4
that the grant would not result in adverse physical impacts on the environment, and as such, is categorically exempt from CEQA.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to accept a grant from the Board of State and Community Corrections Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant Program. Staff also recommends the following budget changes.
FY 2023-24 Grant Budget Changes
Establish Revenue Budget Appropriate Funds
Account Number Amount Account Numbers Amount
20180001.405931 $6,125,000 20180001.511400.21044 $880,142 20180001.556631 $5,244,858
Total $6,125,000 Total $6,125,000
If renewals are awarded, budget changes will be included in subsequent year budgets, contingent on Council budget approval.
Prepared By: Jose Arroyo, Senior Administrative Analyst Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Council Resolution Accepting BSCC Grant