COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Sheriff’s Office

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

 

DATE:

November 27, 2006

BOARD MEETING DATE:

December 12, 2006

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

None

VOTE REQUIRED:

4/5th Vote

 

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Sheriff Don Horsley

Countywide Narcotics Task Force

SUBJECT:

Cal-MMET Grant for San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force

 

Recommendation

A)

Adopt a Resolution authorizing the Sheriff to execute a Grant Agreement in the amount of $330,000 with the State Office of Emergency Services for the 2006-07 California Multi-Jurisdictional Methamphetamine Enforcement Team (Cal-MMET).

B)

Approve an Appropriation Transfer Request (ATR) in the amount of $330,000 establishing the grant budget and revenues.

C)

Adopt an Ordinance amending the County Salary Ordinance, adding one position of Deputy Sheriff to the Sheriff’s Office.

 

Vision Alignment

This grant-funded program aligns with Vision 2010 Commitment Nos. 6 and 7, related to maintenance of public safety and ensuring that children grow up in safe homes and neighborhoods. This program also aligns to Commitment No. 22, inasmuch as this will be a collaborative approach which will involve participation by City police departments.

 

Performance Measures

The chief goals are to disrupt and dismantle clandestine labs and organizations that manufacture and distribute methamphetamine, including precursor trafficking, and to implement the Child Endangerment Protocol by protecting children who are found in the presence of methamphetamine labs, and prosecuting those adults responsible for willfully endangering those children.

The grant will require the CNTF to report on 31 separate data elements falling under the two major Goals. At the conclusion of the grant period, the Sheriff will be required to prepare a report summarizing the activities of the Cal-MMET program, including grant performance data. This report will be provided to all cities and to the Board of Supervisors.

 

Background

The work of CNTF agents, as well as the successful efforts of the Gang Task Force, has revealed that manufacturing, sales and use of methamphetamine is a core issue in most gang operations. Methamphetamine is a growing problem drug of choice for many young people, and unfortunately it also has catastrophic health effects, including a proclivity towards anger, violence, and lawlessness. The “meth” trade impacts all areas of the County, and the criminal element involved in the illegal narcotics trade is increasingly sophisticated and violent. It is clear that a more coordinated and concerted effort is required to combat this threat to our communities.

Equally troubling are the number of children who are frequently encountered in the investigation and closure of these narcotics operations. Not only are these children exposed to drug use and the criminal element, they are often also exposed to highly toxic chemicals and gases used in the manufacture of methamphetamine and other narcotics. CNTF has implemented a Drug-Endangered Children (DEC) protocol, working cooperatively with Human Services, San Mateo Medical Center, and the District Attorney’s Office.

 

Discussion

The County’s application for the grant proposed that the funds would be allocated to the CNTF to support a collaborative project envisioned to include two new CNTF special agents dedicated to Cal-MMET. The agents can tap the resources of CNTF, the State Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement (BNE) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). In addition, in the near future, we anticipate a special agent from the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will be assigned to this project.

The San Mateo County Cal-MMET Team will work to implement the Goals described under the “Performance” section above, and will track and measure key performance indicators including number of investigations conducted; number of arrests made; number of labs seized and closed; number of toxic dump sites identified and mitigated; quantities of drugs and weapons seized; number of prosecutions and convictions; as well statistics related to the identification, protective removal and assistance to drug-endangered children. It is expected that not only will the program be successful in impacting and reducing methamphetamine manufacture and sale in San Mateo County, it will also implement an expanded level of continuing cooperation between local, State, and Federal law enforcement agencies to deal with organized criminal narcotics trafficking.

We are asking you to authorize the Sheriff to sign the agreement so the project can begin in January 2007. On November 28, 2006, we received a "Letter of intent to fund grant award agreement - Cal-MMET program,” in which OES advises that the State’s processing of grant applications has been delayed due to "budgetary complexities" stemming from the 06/07 State Budget. Therefore, although we are confident that the funding will be approved, it is likely that the award will not be finalized until after the last Board of Supervisors meeting of this year. A Resolution adopted by the Countywide Narcotics Task Force is attached for the Board’s information.

County Counsel has reviewed and approved the recommended Resolution as to legal form.

 

Fiscal Impact

The initial grant will cover position and related start-up costs from January to June, 2007. Prior to June, the next application period is expected to open for FY 2007-08, and we will be preparing and submitting another application which will also come before the Board for approval.

The 2006-07 grant budget is $330,000, and will fund two special agents for an initial six-month period ($167,781). One of these is proposed to be a Sheriff’s Office employee, who will occupy a newly created position. The other position is likely to be a city police officer, and the funding for this position will be transferred from the Narcotics Task Force JPA to the appropriate city. Additional grant-funded expenses includes overtime for assisting CNTF agents ($34,918), one-time office furnishings, communications and computers ($10,701); training ($2,000); specialized surveillance and communication gear ($19,600); and a one-time purchase of eight portable radios and chargers ($35,000) for the two new staff and up to six collaborating agency staff to communicate with CNTF agents and headquarters.

There is no specific dollar matching requirement for this grant, although existing budgeted staff hours of CNTF agents and supervisors will be used to work with the two new agents and help ensure program success. The grant expenditures are fully offset by State OES Cal-MMET revenue, and there is no additional net County cost incurred by approval of this grant.