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Home My WebLink About04/03/2012 06 Gang Free Initiative Update - YPD Report i r k i. 4 . � -a 1 s. BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL YAKIMA, WASHINGTON AGENDA STATEMENT /� Item No. (O For Meeting of: April 3, 2012 ITEM TITLE: Report from Yakima Police Department regarding Gang Free Initiative Update SUBMITTED BY: Greg Copeland, Interim Police Chief Mike Merryman, Lieutenant CONTACT Lt. Mike Merryman, 575 -6218 PERSON /TELEPHONE: SUMMARY EXPLANATION: See attached. • Resolution Ordinance Other (specify) Contract: Mail to: Contract Term: Amount: Expiration Date: Insurance Required? No Funding Source: Phone: APPROVED FOR City Manager SUBMITTAL: STAFF RECOMMENDATION: BOARD /COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: ATTACHMENTS: Click to download ❑ Cover ❑ GFI Update YTrna Gang F tive rj , ' GFI Action Plan Implementation ' ` The City of Yakima Gang Free Initiative was formally J. ` { f # + ` adopted as a City Strategy in April of 2010. The result of ►' + .' �. growing concern over increased gang violence in late 2009, • ' z � City Council members and the community at large called for an organized effort to reduce and/or eliminate gang vio- V.11 ! _ � F .* ) r lence in the City. Further, it was determined early on that + A .i the focus of the Yakima GFI would be on Prevention and `1�` fib kr, 6, * � � Intervention strategies that would impact the lives of youth c #,� lei � _; and provide positive skill - building activities for youth and '� '. _�_' their families. Key to the implementation of the GFI strategy were identi- �r LSS �o� fied as the following: The City of Yakima Gang ,Free initiative -will • Strong support of the City Council, City Manager and engage the community to develop Chief of Police. suppression, prevention and intervention • Identify City staff to assist with ongoing Action Plan Implementation. strategies that support andpromote positive • Develop working relationships with similar anti -gang youth d initiative efforts in the greater Yakima area. • Create a framework for a collaborative effort. Our 1 LS i / • Assemble a GFI Advisory Group. i o n • • Develop and hire an"coordinator." ttes. Identify • Identify and make application for funding necessary to The vision of the gg'I is to create a safe, peaceful sustain the Yakima GFI. gang free community resulting in a high quality of • Develop a proposed GFI annual budget. Cif for our families. YAKIMA POLICE DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Yakima City Council FROM: Greg Copeland, Acting Police Chief Mike Merryman, Lieutenant DATE: March 28, 2012 SUBJECT: Yakima Gang Free Initiative Update Per direction from the Yakima City Council, the Yakima GFI continues to move toward full implementation of the GFI "Action Plan" released in February, 2012. Since the last City Council Update on the Yakima GFI, (February 21, 2012), the City of Yakima GFI finalized the much awaited City of Yakima Gang Free Initiative Community Action Plan. The "Plan" is a product of the Yakima GFI which will serve as the City's blueprint to implement both short and long -term gang intervention and prevention strategies. Suppression activities, although not the focus of the effort, are also incorporated in the Action Plan and will remain the responsibility of the Yakima Police Department. In response to a spike in violent gang crime in late 2009, the Yakima City Council directed staff to develop an anti -gang effort, which has become known as the Gang Free Initiative, or "GFI." The City of Yakima GFI was formally adopted as a City anti -gang strategy in April of 2010. Full implementation of the GFI occurs d in October of 2010 with the hiring of our Yakima GFI consultant, Steve Magallan, with funding from the City. Subsequent to your approval of a contract with Magallan Consultancy for limited technical assistance into 2012, the GFI is now working with the City to recruit applicants for the GFI Coordinator, to be hired as soon as possible. The RFQ for the Coordinators position was initially released on February 2 1th with a close date of February 27 The initial solicitation for a GFI Coordinator resulted in an insufficient number of respondents. A subsequent release of an RFQ for the coordinators position was released on March 26 with an "open until filled "' close date. GFI Action Plan & Implementation Implementation of the Yakima GFI Community Action Plan, or "Plan," is now the focus of the GFI. The GFI Advisory Group has appointed three (3) standing committees deemed necessary to the effective and efficient implementation of the Plan. Community Education, Planning/Development and Implementation teams have been developed and are meeting regularly in an effort to keep momentum while the City recruits and hires the GFI Coordinator. 1 The corner stone of the GFI Action Plan will be the development of a Youth and Family Development Center, (YFDC). Certain components of the GFI Action Plan will occur at the YFDC. A Yakima Truancy Center, Referral and Screening, Individual Needs Assessments, Outreach and other related prevention and intervention activities will take place in or out of the YFDC. It should be noted that it is not intended that the GFI or the City will be providing the services of the GFI Action Plan. But rather, the GFI in collaboration with local stakeholders and service providers, will work to develop a coordinated approach to the delivery of gang prevention and intervention efforts in the City. Additionally, the GFI organizing and policy development body, formerly called the "Steering Committee," has evolved into a new phase of development more focused on advisory activities. As such, the GFI "Advisory Group" will now take the place of the former steering committee. Next Steps At this time the Request for Qualifications for the GFI Coordinator is open. The City will provide administrative oversight for the hiring of the GFI Coordinator, which we hope to have in place as early as possible. Funding News Current efforts to identify and g rocure sustainable funding for the GFI are as follows: p Awarded: Title V Disproportionate Minority Contact Grant; $70,000. Grants Written: Community Based Violence Prevention - Joint with County - unsuccessful Americorps - Truancy Center - Unsuccessful Anti -Gang Strategies - Joint with County - defunded and not reviewed. Grants in the hopper: Community Based Violence Prevention (round 2). 1.5 million. Gates Foundation - Gang Court expansion project - joint with county. 1.5 million Summary: The effort to address gang crime and violence in the City of Yakima and make our community safer has been multi - faceted involving members of the community and representatives of our social network, and has required a clear long -term vision and commitment on what needs to be done to make that happen. The role of those involved in this effort has been and will continue to primarily be that of "Vision Casters" and policy setters. The proposed GFI framework outlines the structure in which an Advisory Group will operate to carry out the direction of the City Council, to "Reduce gang related crimes and activity within the City of Yakima." 2