DEPARTMENT: Police
DEPARTMENT HEAD: William P. McManus, Chief of Police
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
Briefing and possible action on a San Antonio Police Department grant award in an amount not to exceed $750,000 for the FY 2020 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau Justice Assistance (BJA).
SUMMARY:
The San Antonio Police Department will provide the Public Safety Committee with a briefing on the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program Grant, which has been awarded to the City for the period of October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2023. The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program Grant in the amount of $750,000 will increase the San Antonio Police Department’s (SAPD) efforts to mitigate threats of targeted violence while expanding the use of mental health courts and establishing a local multidisciplinary threat assessment/management team. This grant will assist in fully implementing the operations of the Triweekly Threat Assessment Group (TTAG) program, a pilot multidisciplinary threat assessment/management team. With training, technology, and resources provided by the grant, the TTAG will prevent violent crime, reduce recidivism, and assist people with serious mental illness and co-occurring disorders. This grant requires an in-kind match not to exceed $499,104. The acceptance of this grant is scheduled for City Council consideration in “A” Session on December 3, 2020.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
An application was submitted on May 15, 2020 for the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program Grant. This grant will help augment the efforts of the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) Southwest Texas Fusion Center (SWTFC) with support from the Center for Healthcare Services (CHCS) to expand the use of mental health courts, establish a local multidisciplinary threat assessment/management team, and increase public safety in our local Qualified Opportunity Zones.
On October 1, 2019, under the guidance of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, the SWTFC created the Triweekly Threat Assessment Group (TTAG) (a pilot multidisciplinary threat assessment/management team). The group consists of a forensic psychologist, a licensed social worker, two mental health peace officers, three detectives, a paramedic, a representative from the county jail, and a representative from the mental health court. TTAG meets at minimum three times a week assessing, mitigating, and managing targeted violence threats. Most of their cases involve people with serious mental illness and/or co-occurring disorders. All mental/behavioral health cases are managed by CHCS staff. While the SWTFC operates in Bexar County, it has a 42-county area of responsibility. That is, TTAG serves as a consulting group for anyone in the area of responsibility requiring assistance with threats. This team has operated as a pilot program with successful outcomes. TTAG has assessed, mitigated, and managed 257 threats since its inception, often utilizing the sequential intercept model. This program seeks to fully implement and grow the operations of the TTAG program. With training, technology, and resources TTAG will prevent violent crime, reduce recidivism, and help people with serious mental illness and co-occurring disorders.
The grant award consists of $750,000 from OJP, a City in-kind match of $499,104. The total proposed program budget is $1,249,104. The City's in-kind contribution will cover the cost of existing personnel who are assigned to the SAPD SWTFC.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total program budget over the three-year grant period is $1,249,104. The total proposed program budget includes grant funding of $750,000 and an in-kind contribution of $499,104. The City's in-kind contribution will cover the cost of existing SWTFC personnel, which devote their time to the assessment, mitigation, and management of threats by utilizing the varying levels of the sequential intercept model and other evidence-based threat assessment practices.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Public Safety Committee forwards this grant to full City Council for approval and acceptance. This item is scheduled for consideration in “A” Session on December 3, 2020.