HomeMy WebLinkAboutS1- Police .w r �''"' l► ' ' 'r�'�`Irl�u'�r�+t - P-QUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION
°rom: Chief Wayne Harp Subject: Participation of the Police Dept
Serious Habitual Offender Project
Dept:' Police Adminstered by the Office of
Date: April 24 , 1995
Criminal Justice Planning
,
Synopsis of Previous Council action:
07-06-93 -- Resolution #93-219 adopted, allowing the participation in
the Serious Habitual Offender ( SHO) Program.
07-18-94 -- Resolution #94-203 adopted, allowing the participation in
the Serious Habitual Offender ( SHO) Program.
08-19-94 -- Resolution #94-240 adopted, repealing Resolution #94-203,
allowing the participation in the Serious Habitual Offender
( SHO) Program.
Recommended motion:
Adopt Resolution.
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Contact person: Chief Wayne Harp Phone: 382-8619
Supporting data attached: YeS Ward:
FUNDING REQUIREMENTS: Amount: $14 , 310- 00 15% City Match
Source: (Acct. No.) 108-226-5193 Asset Seizure and
rant Match
Acct. Description)
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Council Notes: 1 / ✓' l�C' `JCL {� 9
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75-0262 Agenda Item No.
i:ITY OF SAN BERNARDINO - REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION
STAFF REPORT
PROBLEM:
Statistics show that the most active period of criminal activity for the career criminal occurs
before the age of twenty-one. It has also been established that a small number of offenders
are committing the majority of the crimes. Due to the lack of appropriate resources, juvenile
offenders are becoming harder to control and track. With budget cuts impacting every level
of the judicial system, depleted resources make it extremely difficult to adequately assess,
care for, and supervise problem juveniles. Although once responsible for mainly property
crimes, a violent trend has been emerging in even the very young. Since 1989, the number
of juveniles committing robberies in San Bernardino has increased by 68%, and the number
of children under the age of 15 committing these violent crimes has increased by 55%.
Current forecasts estimate that by the year 2,000, our juvenile population will be at 71,000.
If the current trend continues at least one in four of these children will be living below the
poverty level.
FINDINGS:
In response to findings such as these, legislation was passed in 1986 which allowed for the
implementation of a program to identify, track, aggressively prosecute, and intensively
supervise, juvenile serious habitual offenders (SHOs). This is accomplished by creating an
inter-agency task force, includes, but is not limited to, the District Attorney's office, the San
Bernardino Unified School District, the Probation Department, California Youth Authority, local
law enforcement agencies, and the juvenile court. By cooperatively exchanging and managing
case information, and focusing attention on the juveniles who repeatedly commit serious
crimes, agencies are better able to ensure close supervision and treatment of SHOs. This
concentrated effort will reduce the criminal activity of these individuals, and positively impact
the community in which they live. Currently the SHO Crime Analyst has identified over 200
candidates for the program, which he tracks on a daily basis.
The City of San Bernardino has been selected by the Office of Criminal Justice Planning as
one of six sites in California for funding of such a program through a grant. The duration of
the funding is one year, renewable for up to three years. We are now entering our third year
of the project. Through the funds of the grant, the Police Department has purchased
computer equipment to help identify and track SHOs. The grant amount for the third year is
$109,708. In the third year, the City is expected to match 15% of the total project cost, which
equates to $14,310. The funds will be derived from Asset Seizure and Grant Match account
108-226-5 193.
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City of San Bernardino resolve to accept the award of the state
grant, third year. This will allow a continual effort to adequately deal with the serious juvenile
offenders in our city.
75-0264