State Funds Sought for Law Enforcement Services

will be receiving state funds with the goal of maintaining current staff, preventing the layoff of a vital uniformed officer and lessening expenditures on the General Fund.

The department would receive and allocate $100,000 in funds for the current fiscal year, covering salaries and benefits for one civilian position serving as an information systems analyst, providing 24-hour technical support for the police department's computer systems and the citywide telephone system.

The Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund is money allocated annually by California to county and city policing agencies to aid direct efforts to curb crime and fund programs that serve as crime deterrents. In accordance with California Government Code 30062, SLESF money allocated to a recipient agency can only be used for "front line law enforcement services," including "anti-gang, community crime prevention, and juvenile justice programs."

As a requirement to receive these funds, the city council held a public hearing for open discussion at the March 27 meeting. Glendora Police must also submit other documents, including an expenditure plan, detailing job duties, salaries, benefits and retirement, to a county governing body that approves and disburses these funds.

Money for this position, calculated at an approximate cost of $94,000 annually, would have otherwise come from the city's General Fund, or the position would have been eliminated altogether, according to city documents from the March 27 Glendora City Council Meeting.

"A lot of cities spend the money on equipment. We use the money for personnel in order to keep a person retained on the payroll that we would otherwise probably not be able to keep," said Glendora Police Chief Rob Castro.

Glendora PD have already been utilizing these funds for years. In 2000, the department allocated these grants to "civilianize" two positions formerly staffed by uniformed officers in a move to keep more police on the street.

Because of budget constraints, only one position has been funded for the past four years. Prior to 2008, SLESF funding paid for the IT specialist and an emergency services supervisor position. Because of state budget woes, funding amounts changed and the department was forced to eliminate the latter position, Castro said.

The funding allocated is meant to supplement existing services and cannot eliminate or replace funding used for law enforcement. The $100,000 figure is the minimum allotment to the city. Funding of this type is based on population, Castro said.

SLESF monies are funded by a portion of the Retail Sales Tax Fund, which is generated by state sales taxes and use taxes on retailers and on the storage and use of tangible personal property within the state, according to aroundthecapitol.com.