REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
October 8, 2024
FROM
SHANNON D. DICUS, Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator
SUBJECT
Title
Agreement with the State of California - Office of Traffic Safety, for the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve Agreement with the State of California - Office of Traffic Safety (State Grant No. PT25218), in an amount not to exceed $1,130,000, for the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program, for the period of October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025.
2. Authorize the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator, Undersheriff, and Chief Deputy Director of Sheriff’s Administration to execute and electronically submit the grant award documents and any necessary non-substantive amendments, as required by the State of California, Office of Traffic Safety, on behalf of the County, subject to review by County Counsel.
3. Authorize the Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector to post the necessary budget adjustments to the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator’s 2024-25 budget, as detailed in the Financial Impact section (Four votes required).
4. Direct the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator, Undersheriff, or Chief Deputy Director of Sheriff’s Administration to transmit the grant award, and any amendments in relation to this grant award, to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Kelly Welty, Chief Deputy Director, 387-3760)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies and Stakeholders.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator (Department) will receive reimbursement in an amount not to exceed $1,130,000 from the State of California - Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), for the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP). The grant funding will be used to perform specific STEP-related activities in the cities of Chino Hills, Grand Terrace, Hesperia, Highland, Loma Linda, Rancho Cucamonga, Twentynine Palms, Victorville, and Yucaipa, and the towns of Apple Valley and Yucca Valley. STEP expenses include personnel overtime, travel expenses, contractual services, equipment, and other direct costs as listed in the table below for saturation patrols and other grant operations. No matching funds are required.
The Department requests the Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector post adjustments to its 2024-25 budget, as detailed below:
Fund Center |
Commitment Item |
Description |
Action |
Amount |
4438001000 |
51001035 |
Overtime |
Increase |
$1,104,865 |
4438001000 |
52002135 |
Special Department Expense |
Increase |
$11,759 |
4438001000 |
52942941 |
Conference/Training/Seminar Fees |
Increase |
$9,626 |
4438001000 |
53003225 |
Medical Indigents |
Increase |
$3,750 |
4438001000 |
40509094 |
Federal - Grants |
Increase |
$1,130,000 |
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
OTS provides funding to local law enforcement agencies through STEP for activities aimed at reducing the number of persons killed or injured in crashes involving alcohol and other primary collision factors.
On January 30, 2024, the County Chief Executive Officer approved the submission of the electronic grant application to OTS in the amount of $1,750,097. The County’s application was tentatively accepted, subject to the Board of Supervisors’ (Board) approval. The final grant award notice, in the amount of $1,130,000, was received by the Department on July 8, 2024, and is being submitted to the Board for approval on the first available meeting date upon completion of the required review process.
Through STEP, 101 saturation patrols will be conducted in the cities of Chino Hills, Grand Terrace, Hesperia, Highland, Loma Linda, Rancho Cucamonga, Twentynine Palms, Victorville, and Yucaipa, and in the towns of Apple Valley and Yucca Valley. Saturation patrol is a tactic wherein a large number of officers are concentrated into a small geographic area, commonly used for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) checkpoints. Other grant operations include various enforcement activities such as distracted driving, motorcycle safety, and traffic safety educational presentations. The goals of STEP are to reduce the number of victims killed or injured in alcohol-involved crashes in the participating cities and towns and to highly publicize the Program’s enforcement efforts during the following National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)-specified periods:
• Winter Holiday Mobilization: December 11, 2024 - January 1, 2025
• Summer Mobilization: August 13, 2025 - September 1, 2025
Additional saturation patrols (as allowed by grant budget) outside the mobilization periods may include Super Bowl Sunday, St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, and Halloween.
Other grant funded operations will include specific program activities aimed at providing eleven services including: 15 DUI/driver license checkpoints, 142 DUI saturation patrols, three collaborative DUI enforcement operations, 63 traffic enforcement operations, 14 distracted driving enforcement operations, three collaborative traffic enforcement operations, six street racing and sideshow enforcement operations, 10 motorcycle safety enforcement operations, 17 publicized operations in areas where high numbers of bicycle and pedestrian collisions occur, six “Know Your Limit” campaigns, and seven traffic safety educational presentations.
Authorization is requested for the Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator, Undersheriff, and Chief Deputy Director of Sheriff’s Administration to accept and submit electronically the grant awards and any non-substantive award amendments, as required by the State of California, Office of Traffic Safety.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Grace B. Parsons, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on September 12, 2024; Auditor-Controller/Treasurer Tax Collector (Charlene Huang, Auditor-Controller Manager, 382-7022) on September 12, 2024; Finance (Erika Rodarte, Administrative Analyst, 387-4919) on September 16, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-5423) on September 17, 2024.