REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
May 5, 2026
FROM
JASON ANDERSON, District Attorney
SUBJECT
Title
Budget Adjustment for Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve a transfer of $268,415 from the Law and Justice Group to the District Attorney for its allocation from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Equipment and Training Program, which was approved by the Board of Supervisors through Grant Award Agreement No. 25-859, for the period of October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.
2. Authorize the purchase of an unbudgeted field vehicle in the amount of $85,756 and unbudgeted capital assets in the amount of $37,000 with the awarded grant funds referred to in Recommendation No. 1.
3. Authorize the Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector to post the necessary budget adjustments to the District Attorney’s budget as detailed in the Financial Impact section (Four votes required).
(Presenter: Michael Fermin, Chief Assistant District Attorney, 382-3662)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of additional Discretional General Funding (Net County Cost). The Law and Justice Group Administration was awarded a grant through the California Board of State and Community Corrections for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Equipment and Training Program. The Board of Supervisors (Board) approved the grant award agreement on November 4, 2025 (Item No. 18). The District Attorney’s Office was allocated $268,415 to purchase equipment and a field vehicle for the High-Tech Crime Unit. The budget adjustments are listed in the table below.
|
Fund Center |
Commitment Item |
Description |
Action |
Amount |
|
4500001000 |
52002130 |
Non-Inventoriable Equipment |
Increase |
$44,409 |
|
4500001000 |
52002115 |
Computer Software Expense |
Increase |
$84,015 |
|
4500001000 |
52942941 |
Conference/Training/Seminar Fees |
Increase |
$17,235 |
|
4500001000 |
54404040 |
Equipment |
Increase |
$37,000 |
|
4500001000 |
54504050 |
Vehicles |
Increase |
$85,756 |
|
4500001000 |
55415013 |
Services and Supplies Transfer In |
Increase |
$145,659 |
|
4500001000 |
55415017 |
Capital Assets Transfer In |
Increase |
$122,756 |
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The District Attorney (Department) is the public prosecutor and has the mandated responsibility to prosecute crimes committed within San Bernardino County, including city jurisdictions, pursuant to Government Code section 26500. The Department receives over 50,000 cases annually for review and many of these cases involve vehicles and the use of technology. The Board recognized the increasing role of technology associated with crime and the Department’s access to investigative tools to obtain and analyze digital forensic evidence of those crimes. Digital evidence acts like a digital fingerprint because it is difficult to completely erase or destroy. Digital evidence can help solve and settle cases sooner and provide some amount of relief to the victims and their families. On June 10, 2025 (Item No. 136), the Board approved the Department’s request to form a High-Tech Crime Unit in the FY25-26 budget to obtain and analyze digital forensic evidence in investigations.
The Department has received funding for many years from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) for new initiatives that require equipment, software, and training. On November 4, 2025 (Item No. 18), the Board approved grant award Agreement No. 25-859 from the California Board of State and Community Corrections for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Equipment and Training Program. The County, through its Law and Justice Group Administration, was awarded $1,708,118 and of that amount, $268,415 was approved for the Department to purchase software, equipment and a field vehicle for the Department’s new High-Tech Crime Unit.
The requested equipment and software are needed to conduct digital forensic examinations for devices or technology utilized in the commission of crimes. The requested vehicle will be outfitted to assist with digital forensic investigations in the field when it is too cumbersome, costly, or the risk of damaging the evidence is too great to transport the evidence back to the office for further analysis.
The Department requests a budget adjustment to increase appropriation and revenue to purchase the field vehicle, equipment, and software necessary for obtaining and analyzing digital forensic evidence as part of crime investigations.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Daniella Hernandez, Deputy County Counsel, 387-3121) on April 9, 2026; Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector (Charlene Huang, Auditor-Controller Manager, 382-7022) on April 10, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (Elias Duenas, Administrative Analyst, 387-4052) on April 14, 2026.