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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/07/2015 04A Washington D.C. Visit Report from City Council DelegationITEM TITLE: SUBMITTED BY: SUMMARY EXPLANATION: See attached. BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL YAKIMA, WASHINGTON AGENDA STATEMENT Item No. 4.A. For Meeting of: April 7, 2015 Report regarding Washington, D.C. visit from City Council delegation Randy Beehler, Communications & Public Affairs Director Resolution: Ordinance: Other (Specify): Contract: Contract Term: Start Date: End Date: Item Budgeted: NA Amount: Funding Source/Fiscal Impact: Strategic Priority: Partnership Development Insurance Required? No Mail to: Phone: APPROVED FOR SUBMITTAL: RECOMMENDATION: ATTACHMENTS: Description memo City Manager Upload Date 4/2/2015 Type Cover IMleirttno NE 0 HELM To: City Council Members From: Communications & Public Affairs Director Randy Beehler Subject: Yakima Delegation Visit to Washington, D.C. Date: Thursday, April 2nd, 2015 Council members, A City Council delegation consisting of Mayor Cawley, Councilmember Ettl, and Councilmember Dittmar traveled to Washington, D.C. March 29th through April 1St to meet with key leaders of several federal agencies. Police Chief Dominic Rizzi and Communications & Public Affairs Director Randy Beehler accompanied the delegation. A specific focus of the visit was to coordinate with federal agencies that will be participating in the formation of a local, state, and federal law enforcement agency task force in the Yakima Valley that will target our area's most serious criminals. The City's Washington, D.C. lobbyist, June DeHart, coordinated the visit. Following are summaries of the meetings the delegation attended while in Washington, D.C.: - Jonas Singer, co-founder of Union Kitchen Jonas Singer, a co-founder of Union Kitchen, led the Yakima delegation on a tour of the for- profit food business incubator's 7500 square foot facility. Union Kitchen was founded in 2013 in order to provide start-up food entrepreneurs with commercial kitchen facilities, assistance in meeting regulatory requirements, marketing advice and services, product distribution support, etc. The membership -based Union Kitchen has helped multiple food businesses succeed using innovative and progressive approaches. The delegation toured the facility and gained insight from Singer as part of the City's ongoing exploration of a potential public market/food business incubator/commercial kitchen facility in Yakima. - Jeffrey Felten -Green, State Policy Advisor — James Chavis, Bureau of Justice Assistance — Dennis Mondoro, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention The Yakima delegation met with officials of the U.S. Department of Justice ("DOJ"), Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs to review the City's anti -gang efforts, which include partnering with state and federal law enforcement agencies. Potential funding opportunities were discussed and the delegation was made aware of a grant announcement notification system that it will now take advantage of. A grant application submitted by Yakima last year was in the "second tier" of those considered, but was not selected for funding. The delegation was encouraged by the DOJ officials to continue to apply for funding opportunities. - Sandra Webb, Deputy Director for Operations — Danielle Quellette, Program Specialist — U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services ("COPS") Chief Rizzi emphasized to the COPS officials that the crime rate in Yakima has dropped significantly in recent years and pointed out that such success only highlights the importance of maintaining enhanced enforcement efforts in order to continue to realize progress. Webb encouraged the City to emphasize its community policing efforts when applying for COPS funding. Quellette offered to be a resource to City staff and provide advice on future grant application submittals. The delegation was made aware of the COPS "micro -grant" program, which is geared toward innovative enforcement initiatives, and encouraged to become an applicant. - Brooke Chapman, Associate Director — U.S. Department of Transportation, Small Community Air Service Development Program ("SCASDP"), Office of Aviation Analysis Cawley, Dittmar and Beehler offered thanks to Chapman on behalf of the City regarding its recently successful application for SCASDP funding to enhance marketing efforts related to the Yakima Airport. An application for SCASDP funding submitted by the City in 2013 was unsuccessful. Based on advice provided by Chapman during a visit from Yakima officials last spring, the City again applied and was awarded a $290,000 grant. The City will match that funding level and launch a more aggressive "FLYYKM" marketing campaign later this year. - John T. Kennedy, Senior Program Analyst — U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Secretary Ettl, Rizzi and DeHart learned from Kennedy some of the reasons why a recent City application for a Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery ("TIGER") grant was unsuccessful. The City has applied for TIGER funds to assist with the North 1St Street Revitalization Project. Kennedy noted that the City's application could have scored higher were it to have contained more specific job creation, economic enhancement, etc. data. The information and guidance provided by Kennedy will be incorporated into future City TIGER funds applications. - Michele Marie Leonhart, Administrator — Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Department of Justice Leonhart, a presidential appointee and the highest ranking official in the DEA, along with several members of her staff met with the Yakima delegation to discuss the pending creation of a local, state, and federal task force in the Yakima Valley to target the area's most serious criminals. Chief Rizzi noted the current outstanding relationship between the DEA and the Yakima Police Department and expressed his optimism concerning the positive impact the soon -to -be -created task force will have on crime rates in the Yakima Valley. Leonhart, who is keenly familiar with the illegal drug issues in Yakima and even participated in an operation in Yakima several years ago, lauded the City for its efforts to combat illegal drug-related crime through innovative partnerships. - David Harlow, Deputy Director — U.S. Marshals Service The Yakima delegation expressed its thanks to Harlow for the cooperative relationship the U.S. Marshals Service has had and continues to maintain with the Yakima Police Department and other local law enforcement agencies in the Yakima Valley. Chief Rizzi explained the design of the local, state, and federal task force that will be formed in the Yakima Valley soon in order to more effectively target the area's most serious criminals. Harlow mentioned that some funding may be available soon to help cover overtime costs incurred by local law enforcement agencies to pay for their officers to be part of such task forces. Chief Rizzi also suggested the U.S. Marshals Service consider Yakima as a site for its "Operation Triple Beam" efforts, which focus additional resources on a specific location on a short-term basis to target and arrest known fugitives. Harlow was receptive to Chief Rizzi's suggestion and encouraged further discussions to take place. Melvin King, Assistant Director of Field Operations — U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ("ATF") The Yakima delegation met with King and several other ATF officials to discuss ATF's participation in a local, state, and federal task force being formed in the Yakima Valley to target the area's most serious criminals. Specifically, Chief Rizzi talked about the process necessary to have local police officers "credentialed" by the ATF, which will give them the necessary authority to act on behalf of the federal agency. King noted that the ATF is hiring more than 300 additional agents this year and that the agency's "... number one objective..." is partnering with other agencies in order to enhance law enforcement efforts. A Seattle - based agent who also attended the meeting made the delegation aware of his office's efforts to expand use of a firearms shell casings data base and encouraged the Yakima Police Department's active participation, which Chief Rizzi agreed to explore. Raymond J. Massey, Chief of Staff, Office of State, Local and Tribal Coordination, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Department of Homeland Security The Yakima delegation met with Massey and multiple other U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials to discuss the agency's participation in a local, state, and federal task force being formed in the Yakima Valley to target the area's most serious criminals. One Yakima Police Department officer is already "credentialed" by the agency, meaning that officer can act on behalf of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and two others are beginning the credentialing process. Debra Park, the agency's National Gang Unit Chief, asked Chief Rizzi whether Yakima Police Department officers had gone through the agency's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act ("RICO") training, which Chief Rizzi committed to following up on. David Shaw, the agency's Deputy Special Agent in Charge of the Seattle office, encourage the Yakima Police Department to pursue participation in the agency's National Criminal Analysis Center efforts, which combine criminal investigations with immigration investigations. Chief Rizzi committed to exploring the potential of such participation. - Kerry Sleeper, Assistant Director, Office of Partnership Engagement, Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI") Chief Rizzi explained to Sleeper how the idea of a local, state, and federal task force being formed in the Yakima Valley to target the area's most serious criminals grew out of a meeting he had last year with the FBI's resident agent in charge of the agency's Tri -Cities office. Sleeper described the task force, presumably the first of its kind in the country, as a "...progressive approach..." to addressing not only local, but regional and national crime issues. Sleeper also suggested that Yakima may be a strong candidate for COPS funding, which was discussed in several other meetings attended by the Yakima delegation during its visit to Washington, D.C. Additionally, Sleeper referenced a recent change in the FBI's focus, which is resulting in a greater emphasis on addressing locally -significant crime issues rather than crime issues that are regionally significant. Please let me know if you have questions regarding the delegation's Washington, D.C. visit or any federal legislative and/or administrative issues.