Cities Race to Allocate Law Enforcement Funding

Up against Monday’s deadline, Ventura County communities are rushing to make plans for using one-time state grants set aside specifically for law enforcement.

At a hearing tonight, the Oxnard City Council will vote on whether to use the state money to help offset the cost of hiring four new officers. County supervisors will vote earlier today on upgrading communication equipment for the Sheriff’s Department, which also serves five cities in the county.

Simi Valley will consider its options Monday, and Moorpark explored several suggestions last week.

To qualify for the state money, cities and counties must hold their hearings before Oct. 1 on how to allocate the funds provided by the state.

Under the state’s Citizens Option for Public Safety program, or COPS, Ventura County and its cities will receive $2.2 million in law enforcement funding.

Assemblyman Jim Brulte (R-Rancho Cucamonga), who sponsored the bill that allocated money to the program, said the money comes from a surplus in the state’s general fund. Although the COPS funding has been approved for only one year, Brulte said he plans to propose similar legislation next year.

“I think public safety is the first priority for government,” Brulte said. “We have been applying more and more resources to public safety and passing tougher and tougher laws in the state Legislature.”

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The bill, approved by Gov. Pete Wilson earlier this year, provides $100 million to counties and cities statewide for a wide range of public safety services. Funding is allocated based on population, with the district attorney’s office in each county receiving 12.5%, according to Brulte.

In Ventura County, the district attorney will receive $277,700 for prosecutorial services, the sheriff $277,700 for jail operations and another $212,800 for law enforcement services.

If the Oxnard City Council approves of the funding, Oxnard police will receive $356,000, which they will use to supplement federal funding to hire more officers.

More than $1 million will be divided among the other nine cities in the county.

In Oxnard, public safety has been on the forefront of the city’s agenda. Although the crime rate has decreased in the last year, there has been a marked jump in homicides, most of the killings spurred by gang violence, officials said.

In November, Oxnard residents will vote on a utility tax measure that would allocate millions to the Police Department’s anti-gang effort.

Due to budget restraints, the city cannot allocate any money for additional police officers, Assistant Chief Stan Myers said. So the department was forced to look at other funding options, such as the utility tax and COPS grants.

The money would be used to help offset the costs of a $300,000 federal grant that pays the bulk of the costs for the four officer positions over a three-year period, Myers said.

“With the cooperation and coordination of our citizens, we have made fantastic strides in combating our crime rate,” Myers said. “[But] we were almost 40% higher in the crime index than Simi Valley. Are we satisfied with the level of response we are able to give our residents? I would say no.”

In Ventura County, the money will be used to improve and expand radio and inter-computer communications between the Government Center and the Sheriff’s Department, said Lowry Gilbert, Information Systems Department assistant director.

Although the county already has a fiber-optics communication system, Gilbert said it is currently “maxed out.”

“This new fiber-optic path going in is what is necessary for radio communications,” Gilbert said. “It will be able to be used by other agencies in the county as well. This is just a matter of capacity.”

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In Simi Valley, the city’s population qualifies it for about $240,000. But the Police Department has not yet made final plans for spending the cash, according to Lt. Tony Harper.

Neighboring Moorpark, on the other hand, already has a long list of items to buy with the estimated $63,800 the city may receive. Capt. Marty Rouse of the Sheriff’s Department, which provides police service to Moorpark, presented a preliminary list to the City Council last week.

Suggestions for spending the money included buying new wireless microphone equipment for stakeouts, upgrading computer equipment and hiring an additional patrol officer who would also work on the DARE anti-drug program for schoolchildren.

The city also plans to hold a public hearing to solicit public suggestions on how to spend the money.