To: Board of Supervisors
From: Sheriff
Agenda Section: Consent
SUBJECT:
title
Approval of Memorandum of Understanding between the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and the City of Arcata for Crisis Response Coordination
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RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Approval of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and City of Arcata for participation in the county’s Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT), the Crisis Negotiations Team (CNT) and Tactical Dispatch (Attachment 1);
2. Authorize the Chair of the Board of Supervisors and the Humboldt County Sheriff to execute three originals of the Agreement;
3. Authorize the Chair of the Board of Supervisors and the Humboldt County Sheriff to approve any extensions, amendments and modifications for the term of the Agreement; and
4. Direct the Clerk of the Board to return three signed originals to the Sheriff’s Office, Attn: Alisa Cudney for distribution to the agencies.
Body
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
City of Arcata
DISCUSSION:
The Humboldt County Sheriff and City of Arcata Chief of Police have long recognized that mutual aid and cooperation in response to a critical incident can be strengthened through collaboration. By combining tactical operators and specialized equipment, the Sheriff and city can properly and safely respond to dangerous and life-threatening incidents throughout both jurisdictions. An MOU was developed to confirm the framework for this cooperative relationship (Attachment 1).
Upon the recommendation of the city’s Chief of Police or his/her designee, any full-time, non-probationary police officer or other qualified police staff member employed by the city who meets the Sheriff’s SWAT, CNT or Tactical Dispatch standards for physical agility and firearms qualifications, and are found to be suitable as a SWAT, CNT or tactical dispatch member, may apply to become a member of the Sheriff’s Crisis Response Unit.
The Sheriff will review the qualifications of applicants and determine the eligibility for membership solely in accordance with established selection procedures. Once qualified and approved for membership, these members will be considered full members of the Sheriff’s SWAT, CNT or Tactical Dispatch teams and will be known as “City SWAT members,” “City CNT members,” or “City Tactical Dispatch members.” The Sheriff or his/her designee has the sole discretion to determine the eligibility for SWAT, CNT or Tactical Dispatch membership.
Ongoing discussions with other local jurisdictions may result in future agreements between the Sheriff and those governing bodies for further expanded membership in the Crisis Response Unit. This MOU between the Sheriff’s Office and City of Arcata will continue in force unless terminated per the terms of the agreement.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The City of Arcata will be responsible for personnel costs and obligations associated with the staff that are assigned to the Sheriff’s SWAT, Sheriff’s CNT or Sheriff’s Tactical Dispatch and any other related and/or associated personnel costs and obligations, including but not limited to, training, base salary, overtime salary and fringe benefits, workers compensation and retirement benefits. The city will also be responsible for the purchase and maintenance of all necessary personal equipment.
The MOU will not require modification to the Sheriff’s Operations budget, nor any additional General Fund allocation.
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK:
This action supports your Board’s Strategic Framework by enforcing laws and regulations to protect residents and building interjurisdictional and regional cooperation.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
City of Arcata
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Board of Supervisors could choose not to approve the agreement between the County of Humboldt and the City of Arcata for mutual crisis response services, however, this is not recommended as a denial of the proposed MOU could jeopardize public safety.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1 - MOU with the City of Arcata for participation in the Sheriff’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team, Crisis Negotiations Team (CNT) and Tactical Dispatch.
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.: N/A
Meeting of: N/A
File No.: N/A