Title
LECFTF Funding for Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) and COPS Minority Scholarships (NB)
This item requests that the City Commission appropriate and expend funds from the Federal Law Enforcement Contraband Forfeiture Trust Fund for endowment of a minority scholarship program.
Explanation
A mainstay of GPD's crime prevention strategy, within the context of Community Oriented Policing, is the provision of minority scholarships for at-risk residents, as well as Police Explorers and Police Cadets. As a complement to our numerous outreach programs, personnel of GPD seek to identify academically disadvantaged minority youth at the elementary and secondary school level for enrollment within established tutorial programs and older residents for possible selection for college scholarships, which have been earmarked for this purpose.
Once selected, the Cadet level individuals are offered scholarships under the conditions that while enrolled in college, they will:
1) Participate in youth crime prevention programs, assisting GPD officers in role-modeling behavior, establishment of youth Neighborhood Crime Watch programs, and other police-sponsored activities.
2) Serve as an intern in various components of the Gainesville Police Department and other areas of the Criminal Justice system.
3) Work part-time with the Gainesville Police Department Police Explorers, and serve as mentors.
Through the Cadet/Minority Scholarship program, the Gainesville Police Department has better opportunities for recruiting minority applicants to become Police Service Technicians or Police Officers, and to assist in providing continuing education to and role models for at-risk residents.
The City has provided $200,000 to this endowment that was started in 1993. The endowment provides for matching funds under the direction of the SFCC Minority Board for future, continuous scholarships.
Fiscal Note
Funds for this expenditure are available in the Federal Law Enforcement Contraband Forfeiture Trust Fund and are allowable per Federal 21 U.S.C. ยง 881, found in the U.S. Department of Justice "A Guide to Equitable Sharing of Federally Forfeited Property for State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies." The balance in this account is $4,373,002.57. The balance is adjusted to account for pending items.
Recommendation
The City Commission approve the appropriation and expenditure of $50,000 from the Federal Law Enforcement Contraband Forfeiture Trust Fund to the Santa Fe Community College Endowment Board of Alachua County for the endowment of a minority scholarship program for at-risk residents.
Alternative Recommendation A: The City Commission approve half of the requested amount. The fiscal impact would be $25,000.
Alternative Recommendation B: The City Commission decline the appropriation and advise staff not to fund the request. There is no fiscal impact.
NOTE: This item is being forwarded as the recommendation of one member of the Committee.