City of Columbus - File #: 2584-2023

• File #: 2584-2023
• Version: 1
• Type: Ordinance
• Status: Passed
• File created: 9/7/2023
• In control: Public Safety Committee
• On agenda: 10/9/2023
• Final action: 10/12/2023
• Title: To authorize and direct the Director of Public Safety of the City of Columbus to accept an extension to the FY2020 Improving Criminal Justice Responses Subgrant Award program from the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women and the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services via the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, Office of Justice Policy and Programs; to authorize Sgt. Nicholson as the official City representative to act in connection with the VAWA subgrant; to authorize an appropriation of $37,285.46 from the unappropriated balance of the General Government Grant Fund to the Division of Police to cover the overtime costs associated with the Blueprint for Safety: An Inter-Agency Response to Domestic Violence Project; and to declare an emergency. ($37,285.46)

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
10/12/2023	1	CITY CLERK	Attest
10/11/2023	1	MAYOR	Signed
10/9/2023	1	COUNCIL PRESIDENT	Signed
10/9/2023	1	Columbus City Council	Approved	Pass

Explanation

BACKGROUND: The City of Columbus has been awarded an extension to FY2020 Improving Criminal Justice Responses Subgrant Award (Blueprint for Safety: An Inter-Agency Response to Domestic Violence) from the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (VAWA) and the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services via the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, Office of Justice Policy and Programs. The VAWA program provides funding to allow states and local governments to support a broad range of activities to reduce domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking by strengthening services to victims and holding offenders accountable. The total VAWA extension amount to the City of Columbus is $37,285.46. The total project costs will be $37,285.46.

CPD will collaborate with Franklin County Municipal Court, Department of Pretrial and Probation Services, Columbus City Attorney’s Office Domestic Violence Unit, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Center for Family Safety and Healing to apply a collective impact approach to domestic violence. They will continue to build off local successes by linking best practice communication protocols, risk assessments and evidence collection tactics occurring at each justice phase. Through the Blueprint process, justice and victim advocacy practitioners work collaboratively to review and update current response protocols/practices and develop standard methods for proactive data sharing. This results in a single, written response policy with clearly outlined protocols for each practitioner’s role, responsibility, specific action and documentation duties. To this end, the extension funds will cover city CPD overtime costs for this grant cycle.

The City must act as subgrantee to the Franklin County Office of Justice Policy and Programs. Therefore, the Director of Public Safety is required to sign a subgrantee award on behalf of the City. The official City program contacts authorized to act in...