Authorize application to the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance for the FY 2023 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant for $574,225 to assist the Portland-Metropolitan area law enforcement and criminal justice community to prevent and reduce crime and violence
The City of Portland ordains:
Section 1. The Council finds:
- The U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) will provide grant funding to assist local law enforcement efforts to prevent or reduce crime and violence by supporting the purpose areas of law enforcement programs, prosecution programs, prevention and education programs, and technology improvement programs.
- The City of Portland will apply for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant on behalf of the jurisdictions certified as disparate — the cities of Portland and Gresham and the county of Multnomah on August 24, 2023.
- The solicitation requires the City, as lead applicant and fiscal agent, to submit a joint applicationon behalf of the disparate municipalities. Multnomah County will receive $225,927, the City of Gresham, $60,754, and the City of Portland, $287,544.
- Separate Intergovernmental Agreements will be executed with the City of Gresham and Multnomah County at the time of the grant award to obligate agency roles and responsibilities.
- The grant period is October 1, 2022, through September 30, 2026.
- No match is required by this grant.
NOW, THEREFORE, the Council directs:
- The Mayor is authorized to apply for a Fiscal Year 2023 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance in the amount of $574,225.
- The Mayor is authorized to accept on behalf of the City the Fiscal Year 2023 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant award, and the Mayor is authorized to execute a grant agreement with the United States of America acting through its Department of Justice.
- The Mayor is authorized to execute Intergovernmental Agreements (IGAs) with the City of Gresham and Multnomah County for the distribution of Fiscal Year 2023 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant funds. The Mayor may execute amendments to the IGAs with City of Gresham and Multnomah County.
- The Mayor is authorized to provide such information and assurances as are required for the Fiscal Year 2023 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant application.
- The Office of Management & Finance Grants Management Division is authorized to perform all administrative matters related to the Fiscal Year 2023 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant application, grant agreement, amendments, and reimbursement requests, and to submit required online grant documents on the Mayor’s behalf.
Official Record (Efiles)
An ordinance when passed by the Council shall be signed by the Auditor. It shall be carefully filed and preserved in the custody of the Auditor (City Charter Chapter 2 Article 1 Section 2-122)
Passed by Council
Auditor of the City of Portland
Simone Rede
Impact Statement
Purpose of Proposed Legislation and Background Information
This legislation authorizes the Mayor to make application to U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) for the FY23 Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) grant funding opportunity. The City of Portland is designated as the lead applicant and fiscal agent.
The FY23 JAG solicitation requires a minimum of 30-days review by the governing body of the unit of local government. The DOJ certification process requires the Mayor to certify, at the time of the grant award, that the review took place and citizens were provided an opportunity to comment on the application to the extent applicable law or established procedures make such opportunity available. Upon advice from the City Attorney, the Police Bureau (PPB) is proceeding with the Non-Emergency, Regular Agenda application ordinance to fulfill the review requirement. The City will submit the joint application by August 24, 2023.
With its share of the grant, $287,544, the Portland Police Bureau will hire a new 1.0 FTE Supervisor I-E as a Police Records Supervisor within the bureau’s Records Division for 22 months. Today, the Records Division remains understaffed, with many newly hired staff receiving complex training. Records Division supervisors are overburdened to coordinate training and evaluate performance effectively due to the number of new staff, and the Division continues to be adversely impacted by a high attrition rate. The new Police Records Supervisor will supervise a team of up to 15 Police Records Specialists and Police Records Training Coordinators, provide oversight and strategic direction for the training program, and participate in hiring and onboarding efforts. The Supervisor will also be tasked with collaborating with Bureau staff and agency partners, developing solutions for addressing existing backlog and low morale, and improving workflow and productivity.
Multnomah County’s share of federal funding is $225,927. Multnomah County will fund a 0.68 FTE Deputy District Attorney Level 4 for the Justice Integrity Unit (JIU). The JIU brings intention and priority to post-conviction relief hearings, parole hearings, reviewing clemency petitions, reviewing Ramos[1]cases, and investigating claims of actual innocence, or instances where prosecutorial or law enforcement misconduct is alleged that is uncovered post-conviction.
The Gresham Police Department’s share of federal funding is $60,754. Gresham will use this funding to expand the use of Versaterm vMobile by purchasing NetMotion VPN licenses to facilitate officer use of the phone application. vMobile stands to secure, accelerate, and extend information access, providing officers a valuable tool to enhance public safety through the power of technology.
[1] Evangelisto Ramos, Petitioner v. Louisiana; Holding: The Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution requires that guilty verdicts for criminal trials be unanimous.
Financial and Budgetary Impacts
There are no financial or budgetary impacts with this legislation. Separate Intergovernmental Agreements with Multnomah County and the City of Gresham will be executed at the time of the award to obligate agency roles and responsibilities.
Community Impacts and Community Involvement
There are no legal or controversial issues. There is no voluntary citizen participation. There are no links to current City policies.
100% Renewable Goal
Not applicable.