City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: April 28, 2026
Agenda Item: 4.A
1 of 4
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Darrick Jacob, Police Chief, Police Department
Subject: Authorization to Accept Grant from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services FY25 Safer Outcomes: Enhancing De-Escalation and Crisis Response Training 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. Authorize the City Manager to accept a grant award in the amount of $486,760 from the 2025 Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (“COPS”) for Department of Justice projects in the Police Department and to accept all grant renewals;
3. Authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary documents to accept the grant and all subsequent grant modifications; and
4. Authorize budget changes as outlined in the Financial Impacts & Budget Actions section of this report (requires 5 votes).
Summary
The Federal government allocates grant funding to enhance state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies with resources to secure, deliver, and assess quality de-escalation and crisis response training. In the COPS 2025 grant cycle, $486,760 was awarded to the Santa Monica Police Department as part of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services Safer Outcomes: Enhancing De-Escalation and Crisis Response Training for Law Enforcement Grant. Staff recommends that the Council accepts the COPS 2025 grant funds and authorizes the 2 of 4
execution of an agreement with the Department of Justice for a performance period of October 1, 2025, to July 31, 2027.
Consistent with prior Council direction and authorization, the City joined a lawsuit challenging certain grant conditions that generally required cooperation with Federal agencies on immigration enforcement, prohibited operation of diversity equity and inclusion programs, and otherwise required compliance with Presidential Memoranda and Executive Orders by the President. On March 25, 2026, the court formally prohibited the Department of Justice from imposing the challenged conditions on Santa Monica pending the outcome of the litigation. Therefore, the challenged conditions will not apply to the City’s receipt of this grant.
Discussion
The Safer Outcomes: Enhancing De-Escalation and Crisis Response Training for Law Enforcement COPS program seeks to promote safe outcomes during police encounters with persons in crisis through relevant training. The Safer Outcomes program expands access to quality training on de-escalation and crisis response strategies for law enforcement officers, support personnel employed by law enforcement agencies, and associated mental health professionals. COPS purchases must be pre-approved by the COPS Office and align with grant guidelines. There is no local match for the COPS program.
For the Police Department, the major approved expenditures are to implement training that addresses one or more of the following areas of focus:
1. De‐escalation tactics and alternatives to use of force
2. Safely responding to an individual experiencing mental or behavioral health or suicidal crisis
3. Safe encounters with individuals with disabilities
Grant Conditions
On March 10, 2026, the City joined the lawsuit Chicago v. Department of Justice (25-cv13863) (N.D. Ill) challenging conditions that the Department of Justice attempted to 3 of 4
impose on COPS grantees. The lawsuit challenges conditions that purport to require COPS recipients (a) to “comply with 8 USC Section 1373, which provides that such entities may not prohibit, or in anyway restrict, any government entity or official from sending to, receiving from, maintaining, or exchanging information regarding citizenship or immigration status . . . of any individual with components of the U.S Department of Homeland Security or any other federal state or local government entity”; (b) to certify, subject to prosecution under the False Claims Act, that they do not “operate any programs (including any such programs having components relating to [DEI]) that violate any applicable Federal civil rights or nondiscrimination laws”; and (c) to “comply with all applicable federal laws and Presidential Memoranda and all Executive Orders by the President”.
The challenged conditions additionally purport to bar recipients from using COPS funding to “promote gender ideology” or for projects that provide “diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, or environmental justice programs, services or activities”.
The lawsuit challenged the imposition of these conditions on numerous grounds. On March 25, 2026, the court formally granted the Plaintiffs’ motion for preliminary injunction, prohibiting DOJ from imposing the challenged conditions on Santa Monica pending the outcome of the litigation. Therefore, the challenged conditions will not apply to the City’s receipt of this grant.
Environmental Review
The acceptance of federal grant funds is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the CEQA Guidelines, 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 funds would enhance public safety with equipment, programs, training, and exercises. Therefore, it can be seen with certainty that the acceptance of federal grant funds is exempt from CEQA.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
4 of 4
Staff seeks authority to accept $486,760 from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services for the FY25 Safer Outcomes: Enhancing DeEscalation and Crisis Response Training for Law Enforcement Grant Program.
Approval of the recommended action requires the following budget amendment.
FY 2025-26 Grant Budget Amendment
Establish Revenue Budget Appropriate Funds
Account Number Amount Account Number Amount
20180001.4XXXXX $486,760 20180001.5XXXXX $486,760
Total $486,760 Total $486,760
If modifications or renewals are awarded, budget adjustments will be included in subsequent year budgets, contingent on Council budget approval.
Prepared By: Kiajett Charles, Administrative Analyst
Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Written Comments