Title
Staff Report for Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Accept Grant Funds in the Amount of $74,795.21 from the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services for Community Policing Development (DOJ-COPS)
Staffreport
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends the City Council adopt a resolution to accept a two year grant award totaling $74,795.21 from the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services for Community Policing Development (DOJ-COPS) and to appropriate the funds.
BACKGROUND
San Leandro ranks as one of the most diverse cities in the nation. US Census projections estimate the Asian population was at 15.9 million nationwide in 2012, with an estimated 6.1 million residing in California. The City’s demographic survey in the last census showed the Asian community represents 29.7% of the population. On October 16, 2014, the San Leandro Police Department (SLPD) launched an online presence through one Chinese-speaking social media outlet called Weibo, which is similar to Facebook and Twitter. This site offers the police department the opportunity to extend educational and informational updates to subscribers in both Chinese and English and was the first of its kind in the Bay Area. Currently, the department has 218,090 followers on Weibo and has posted nearly 650 times over the last year. The SLPD continues to explore and develop social media and outreach campaigns to better connect with the Asian community.
Earlier this year, the SLPD pursued a micro-grant opportunity to fund a portion of this outreach effort. The Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (DOJ COPS) offers micro-grant funding for community outreach and engagement for public safety efforts. The grant was approved in the amount of $74,795.21 to support the development of a Chinese community digital media outreach program and associated staff time to manage it. A portion of the funds will be used for translation services, materials, and an outreach video highlighting the SLPD’s Weibo social media program.
The San Leandro Police Department intends to provide the following program deliverables:
1. Develop a social media policy and expand communications efforts targeted at ethnic communities;
2. Secure data and coordinate with the USC Center for the Digital Future to understand age and ethnicity based social media trends;
3. Work with local universities to evaluate the SLPD Weibo program;
4. Conduct a minimum of three listening roundtables with the San Leandro Asian community;
5. Understand what percentage of the 218,090 SLPD Weibo followers are local;
6. Understand which types of media postings work best for reaching the San Leandro audience;
7. Determine how increased engagement with the Asian community impacts crime;
8. Assess whether Weibo engagement leads to an increased number of calls or tips;
9. Consult with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) to develop best practices for engagement with various demographics.
To accomplish these outcomes, the SLPD intends to partner with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the California State University-East Bay Public Policy and Administration Department, the University of Southern California’s Public Policy Department, and the Asian Business Council of San Leandro. SLPD believes that its success with Weibo is due in large part to a Chief’s Advisory Board Member, Mr. Cartier Lee. SLPD will continue to work with Mr. Lee as this program moves forward.
Fiscal Impact
The acceptance of the grant will not impact the General Fund. If approved, the City will receive $74,795.21 to provide program deliverables per the terms of the DOJ-COPS grant guidelines, with no local share (matching funds) required. Expenditures will be captured in special grant fund account #150-21-050, listed as the “COPS CPD MICROGRANT INITIATIVE”. Staff requests that the City Council approve appropriation of funds from the COPS CPD Micro-grant Initiative fund to account #150-21-050 for $74,795.21.
ATTACHMENT
• Attachment A: 2015 DOJ-COPS CPD Micro-grant Narrative.
PREPARED BY: Scott Koll, Police Business Manager, Police Department