Department of Police
Reference: FY 2023 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program
To: Mayor Gregory Mills and Members of City Council
Through: Michael P. Martinez, City Manager
Prepared By: Deputy Chief Betsy Westbrook
Date Prepared: September 27, 2023
PURPOSE
Requesting City Council approval to use JAG funds for the purchase of software to enhance the implementation and public viewing of our policy manual. PowerDMS programing, specifically Power Policy, Power Training, and Power FTO will be purchased as well as a supplemental procedures manual from Lexipol. The remaining funds will be used to purchase a computer and equipment to run the programs.
BACKGROUND
The Edward Bryne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program is the primary provider of federal criminal justice funding to states and units of local government. Through this opportunity, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) will award JAG program funds to eligible units of local government as described in the FY 2023 JAG Program Local Solicitation.
In 2020, the State of Colorado passed Senate Bill 20-217 Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity. The purpose of the bill was to increase accountability to Law Enforcement through the documentation and reporting of all interactions involving police and the public. Several of the measures surround the proper documentation the department must maintain on law enforcement contacts with the public. This bill does not provide any additional funding to any local government agencies and therefore it is on the department to create a way to become compliant with the bill.
The bill becomes fully enacted in 2023. The Brighton Police Department has been working hard to be compliant with the bill and has completed that task with the purchase of the Axon BodyCam system. However, more is needed to track compliance from the officers in relation to the policy and procedures of the department. PowerDMS (owned by NeoGov) provides a policy management system that allows for accountability from the officer to each policy. Our current system of policy management does not allow for easy tracking of compliance and implementation of new policies in a timely manner. The funding requested would cover several programs including Power Policy, Power Training, and Power FTO as well as supplemental procedure manuals from Lexipol.
Power Policy is the best way to manage, share, and track crucial policy and procedure documents. Compliance hinges on effective policy management. In order for Brighton Police Department to work toward national accreditation it is imperative the policy manual is published in and managed by PowerDMS which is the program used and recommended by CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies). Power Policy also facilitates a public policy link which is easily accessible and timely for community members.
Power FTO completes the onboarding of new officers and is a field training solution providing a standardized system for tracking and documenting field training. It also creates efficiency by integrating with a CAD system and providing a mobile app to reduce overtime. Trainers can input feedback and create reports after each call for service instead of waiting until the end of the shift and trying to remember the details of each call. PowerFTO is not limited to sworn employees and can be customized for training and onboarding of professional staff and employees in special assignments. Power FTO would also provide another option for annual performance evaluations. The Power Onboarding cost is associated with the actual implementation of the software and integration into our current computers.
Procedure Manual is a Lexipol Supplement Manual which streamlines the storage of our content for general orders, procedures, and training guides. The Lexipol Supplement also monitors current legislative changes to make sure our policies remain up to date. The last item requested for the funding is the computer system where this program is housed. This includes the computer, monitors, keyboard, and mouse to be operational under our Professional Standards Unit.
Lt. Struck submitted the application for the grant requesting a total of $15,570 for the purchase and implementation of the PowerDMS software. The breakdown of the total cost is as follows:
|
Item |
Cost |
Total |
|
Power Policy |
$5,653.32 |
$5,653.32 |
|
Power FTO |
$4,375 |
$4,375 |
|
Power Onboarding |
$1,000 |
$1,000 |
|
Procedure Manual |
$1,803 |
$1,803 |
|
Power Training |
$1,073.80 |
$1,073.80 |
|
Computer System |
$1,664.88 |
$1,664.88 |
|
|
|
$15,570 |
The grant (Number 15PBJA-23-GG-03192-JAGX) was awarded on September 22, 2023.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This grant is not a matching grant and therefore there is no funding required on the part of the city. All the money requested and allotted for the city is used for the purchase of the software and computer. The software will require a yearly subscription, but we are able to put that in our regular budget.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Approve the resolution to accept the JAG grant to llow the purchase of PowerDMS and Lexipol Procedure Software as well as a computer.
OPTIONS FOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION
1. Approve the attached resolution to accept the JAG funds and proceed with the purchase of PowerDMS and Lexipol Software.
2. Deny the attached resolution and the use of JAG funds to purchase PowerDMS and Lexipol Software.
ATTACHMENTS
1) Resolution to accept grant Number 15PBJA-23-GG-03192-JAGX
2) FY 2023 JAG Program - Local Solicitation
3) FY 2023 JAG Allocations - Colorado
4) Chief Executive Certification