TITLE
Recommendation to increase appropriations in General Fund (GF) in the City Prosecutor Department (CP) by $18,000, offset by the projected Third Council District FY 17 office budget surplus to support the funding of a Neighborhood Impact Prosecutor for a one-year period of time.
DISCUSSION
The Long Beach City Prosecutor handles all misdemeanor violations of state and local law arising within the City, including the Belmont Shore and Belmont Pier area. Among the crimes prosecuted by the City Prosecutor are petty theft, vandalism, drug possession, code enforcement, and quality of life crimes such as drinking in public, camping in parks, trespass, loitering and disorderly conduct.
From 2000-2009, the City Prosecutor's Office had various "Community Prosecution" programs designed to reduce crime in specific areas of the City that might benefit from special case handling. In general, the concept of community prosecutions and community policing have been shown to empower residential groups wishing to reduce crime in their neighborhoods and increase community awareness of crime trends. As a result of budget cuts several years ago, all community prosecution programs in Long Beach were eliminated.
As a year-long pilot program, the City Prosecutor and the Third District Council Office wish to fund a collaborative partnership where an experienced Deputy City Prosecutor would serve as the Belmont Shore, Belmont Pier area's first Neighborhood Impact Prosecutor. These funds from the Third Council District would provide the City Prosecutor's Office with $18,000 to cover some of the costs related to the implementation of this pilot program. After 12 months, the program will be reassessed to determine if the Neighborhood Impact Prosecutor program should be continued in this geographic area.
It is envisioned that the Neighborhood Impact Prosecutor will interact with the Council Office staff, community members, law enforcement officers (including LBPD's Quality of Life Team), and others to address persistent problems that may occur in the Belmont Shore, Belmont Pier area. The Neighborhood Impact Prosecutor will attend quarterly "working" meetings with the community to hear from community members and local business owners regarding recent observations and crime trends.
The Neighborhood Impact Prosecutor will be partially funded by the Third District Council office; however, the position will remain solely under the direction and supervision of the City Prosecutor.
FISCAL IMPACT
The total appropriation increase of $18,000 in the General Fund (GF) in the City Prosecutor Department (CP) is offset by the projected Third Council District FY 17 Operating Budget savings. These funds are contingent upon actual FY 17 year-end savings. If sufficient savings are not realized in the Third Council District budget when the books for FY 17 are fully closed, the remaining balance will be reduced from the Third Council District FY 18 budget in a subsequent city-wide budget adjustment.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
COUNCILWOMAN SUZIE PRICE
THIRD DISTRICT