BACKGROUND: The Division of Police has been awarded a FY2023 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Act grant in the amount of $55,787.33. This is a federal grant program from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice. The Division of Police has been awarded a Forensic Science Improvement Act grant annually since 2003 to fund forensic lab personnel training, lab equipment purchases, and overtime costs to process casework. The City must be a subgrantee to the State of Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services to participate in this program according to the federal grant guidelines. Therefore, the Mayor is required to sign a subgrantee award to accept this grant on behalf of the City. The official City contact authorized to act in connection with this grant is Crime Lab Manager, Angela Farrington. The grant program provides funds to improve forensic crime lab activities. This FY2023 award will fund travel and training opportunities for at least 13 lab employees and at least 2 analysts in the Drug Identification Section. The Drug Identification Section will also be using grant funds to upgrade existing systems, the LabX software, which will allow them to electronically capture the weight of the evidence items and to purchase supplies such as barcode scanner docking stations and personal protective equipment.
Emergency Designation: Emergency legislation is necessary to meet the State of Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services processing deadline and to make the funds available as soon as possible for the grant award, as the grant start date was January 1, 2024 and we just received the signed grant agreement on May 30, 2024; The grant activity period is limited.
FISCAL IMPACT: This ordinance authorizes the acceptance and appropriation of a grant in the amount of $55,787.33 from the Federal government to fund equipment, supplies, and training and travel costs for the City's Crime Lab personnel. The City was awarded Forensic Science Improvement Act grant funds in the amount of $43,584.82 in 2020, $53,746.23 in 2021 and $51,078.39 in 2022. All funds appropriated are reimbursable from the grant award.
Title
To authorize and direct the Mayor of the City of Columbus, on behalf of the Department of Public Safety, Division of Police, to accept a subgrantee award through the FY2023 Paul Coverdell National Forensic Science Improvement Act via the State of Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services; to authorize Angela Farrington, Crime Lab Manager, as the official city representative to act in connection with the subgrant; to authorize an appropriation of $55,787.33 from the unappropriated balance of the General Government Grant Fund to the Division of Police to cover the costs of the subgrant project; and to declare an emergency. ($55,787.33)
Body
WHEREAS, the Division of Police was awarded funding through the FY2023 Paul Coverdell National Forensic Science Improvement Act to fund equipment, supplies, and training and travel costs for forensic crime lab personnel; and,
WHEREAS, advancing technology and new Crime Lab employees have created a need for up-to-date additional forensic science software, supplies, and training; and,
WHEREAS, Crime Lab Manager, Angela Farrington, has been identified as the official representative to act in connection with this FY2023 Paul Coverdell National Forensic Science Improvement Act Subgrant Award and to provide information as required; and,
WHEREAS, the grant award period begins on January 1, 2024 and ends December 31, 2024; and,
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operations of the Department of Public Safety, Division of Police, in that it is immediately necessary to accept and appropriate the FY2023 Paul Coverdell National Forensic Sciences Improvement Act Grant award in order to make funds available to the Columbus Police Crime Lab during this year's grant award period, thereby preserving the public peace, health, property, safety, and welfare; now, therefore
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Mayor of the City of Columbus, on behalf of the Department of Public Safety, Division of Police, be and is hereby authorized and directed to accept a FY2023 Paul Coverdell National Forensic Science Improvement Act Subgrant Award to fund the licensing of software, supplies, and specialized travel and training costs for the Columbus Police Crime Lab.
SECTION 2. That Crime Lab Manager, Angela Farrington, is designated as the official program contact and authorized to act in connection with the FY2023 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Act Grant Program, and to provide any additional information required.
SECTION 3. That from the unappropriated monies in the General Government Grant Fund and from all monies estimated to come into said fund from any and all sources and unappropriated for any other purpose during the subgrant award period, the sum of $55,787.33 is appropriated in Fund 2220 General Government Grants in Object Class 02 Supplies and 03 Services, per the account codes in the attachment to this ordinance. The appropriations are authorized upon receipt of executed grant agreement or notice of award.
SECTION 4. That the monies appropriated in the foregoing Section 3 shall be paid upon order of the Director of Public Safety, and that no order shall be drawn or money paid except by voucher, the form of which shall be approved by the City Auditor.
SECTION 5. That the City Auditor is hereby authorized to transfer appropriations between object classes for Division of Police FY23 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Act Grant Program as needed upon request by the Division of Police, Columbus Public Safety Department.
SECTION 6. That the funds necessary to carry out the purpose of this ordinance are hereby deemed appropriated, and the City Auditor shall establish such accounting codes as necessary.
SECTION 7. That at the end of the grant period, any repayment of unencumbered balances required by the grantor is hereby authorized and any unused City match monies may be transferred back to the City fund from which they originated in accordance with all applicable grant agreements.
SECTION 8. That for reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.