Ensuring the safety of citizens is a key responsibility of all levels of government. After nearly a decade of decreasing crime rates, reaching their lowest levels since the 1960s, the first half of 2000 has seen an increase in both violent and property crime rates in some areas. In response, crime reduction must remain a top priority to avoid complacency and to seek new solutions for crime and violence prevention and enforcement.
Over the past two years, this Administration has provided significant additional resources to protect public safety, including additional funding to hire local, front-line law enforcement personnel, grants for equipment purchases by local law enforcement, and the resources to conduct DNA analysis in 18,000 unsolved sexual assault cases. Additional funding was also provided to local law enforcement agencies for local juvenile crime prevention, Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction grants, one-time funding for local juvenile detention facilities, and the construction of a crime laboratory in Los Angeles.
The Administration remains strongly committed to using effective means to protect public safety, and is determined to move forward with comprehensive measures that reduce crime and increase the security of California’s citizens. This means intensifying efforts to eliminate the production and distribution of methamphetamine in California, increasing the number of law enforcement officers in the community, providing state-of-the-art technology to solve crimes and protect the public in the event of a disaster, upgrading local and State forensic capabilities, and expanding efforts to combat crimes committed through the use of new technologies. The Governor’s Budget contains initiatives that do the following:
War on Methamphetamine
The production and use of methamphetamine in California has increased dramatically in recent years. From 1994 to 1998, methamphetamine use in California rose 34 percent; California is now home to 97 percent of the major methamphetamine-producing labs in the nation. Moreover, this drug poses a major threat to the health and safety of Californians. Methamphetamine-related violence surpasses that associated with cocaine and heroin, and the production of this drug results in toxic waste that threatens the health of innocent individuals, especially children, who are exposed to it.
To combat this danger to public health and safety, the Budget includes $40 million General Fund for disbursement to High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTAs) throughout the State. HIDTAs are multi-jurisdictional law enforcement collaboratives dedicated to eliminating the production and distribution of illegal drugs in California. This funding will intensify current efforts by providing additional resources to purchase specialized equipment to improve suppression activities, as well as funding to hire more investigators, agents, and prosecutors specializing in methamphetamine offenses.
In addition to the enhanced efforts by HIDTAs, the Budget provides $10.5 million General Fund ($14 million full-year ongoing) to continue the California Methamphetamine Strategy (CALMS) program, in anticipation of the potential loss of federal funds for this purpose. The CALMS, which has been operated by the Department of Justice since 1997, is a multi-component, systematic approach that targets all facets of methamphetamine production and trafficking with an emphasis on preventing chemicals from being sold to criminals and preventing funding of these purchases by dismantling criminal organizations. Since the program’s inception, significant quantities of illegal drugs and precursor chemicals have been confiscated and destroyed by CALMS agents.
In addition, the Administration will be proposing legislation to increase penalties for methamphetamine offenses.
Increasing Crime-Solving Capabilities
Local Crime Laboratory Funding—Local crime laboratories throughout California suffer from overcrowded facilities and dilapidated equipment, inhibiting the ability of local law enforcement agencies to use technologically advanced forensic techniques to solve crimes. A 1999 Bureau of State Audits report found lack of sufficient space in 12 of 19 labs, and outdated equipment in 10 of 19 labs, which both could result in evidence contamination. These problems have placed a strain on local labs to meet current forensic analysis needs and will result in difficulties addressing new activities, such as post-conviction DNA testing.
The Budget includes a one-time augmentation of $30 million General Fund to be disbursed to local law enforcement agencies on a competitive basis for facilities construction and upgrade and equipment for local crime labs that demonstrate the greatest need.
State DNA Laboratory—The State currently operates one DNA laboratory located in Berkeley. Recently, chaptered legislation increased the number of persons who are required to provide specimens for inclusion in the State’s DNA Data Bank, allowed specified incarcerated felons to petition the court for the performance of a DNA test, and provided for the comparison of DNA samples of missing persons against DNA samples taken from unidentified human remains. As a result, the Berkeley DNA Lab is experiencing critical space shortages, which could ultimately have a damaging effect on the analysis of offender samples and the analysis of evidence from active cases.
In response to the need for increased capacity for DNA analysis, the Budget includes $15 million General Fund for new laboratory space for DNA processing. The Department of Justice is currently working on an assessment of needs and programs that additional lab space should address. A selection committee comprised of the Director of Finance, the Director of the Department of Corrections, and the Attorney General will review the completed assessment and determine the scope and site for the new lab space.
Fighting High Technology Crime—Identity Theft
While technological advances in computer systems, the Internet, and communications offer many benefits to individuals and organizations engaging in business in California, an unintended consequence of these advances is the increasing use of high technology equipment and techniques to commit crimes. High technology crimes are estimated to cost the state over $8 billion in lost private sector revenues, wages, and taxes each year. Crimes such as identity theft and child pornography often involve the use of high technology equipment, and cause trauma to the victims that is not quantifiable.
The State currently funds five High Technology Crime Task Forces that use specialized techniques to apprehend and prosecute individuals engaging in high technology crimes such as electronic fraud; counterfeiting; industrial espionage; cable and satellite signal theft; piracy of software, compact discs, and digital versatile discs; and intellectual property theft. Rapid technological advances and the volume of high technology crimes make it difficult for law enforcement to keep up with criminals engaging in these activities.
Focus on Identity Theft—The Budget includes $3.3 million General Fund specifically provided to combat identity theft and fraud statewide. These funds will be provided to the High Technology Crime Task Forces to train law enforcement on identity theft; develop protocols for handling identity theft crimes; enhance interagency, interregional, and interstate investigation efforts; coordinate with businesses and financial institutions; and improve public awareness and safety efforts.
Program Expansion—The Budget also includes a $7.6 million General Fund increase for the High Technology Theft Apprehension and Prosecution Program. This funding will provide additional local law enforcement officers and agents, expand high technology investigative and forensic training, purchase forensic equipment, and coordinate public awareness efforts with the high technology industry.
Technology Grants for Local Law Enforcement—The Budget also proposes to provide a second year of funding at $75 million for local law enforcement agencies to purchase high technology equipment for crime prevention and suppression. Local agencies will receive a minimum allocation of $100,000 and an additional per-capita amount to purchase high technology equipment, such as mobile computers, radios, and video imaging equipment. Local agencies that choose to receive this funding must report how the funds provided through these grants were used and the impact on local public safety.
Increasing Disaster and Emergency Response Capabilities
Tri-Net Seismic Safety Network—Given the frequency of earthquakes in California, monitoring these events is critical to provide efficient emergency response. The Budget includes $6.8 million to operate and expand the Tri-Net Seismic Safety Network. This program, utilizing high tech equipment, provides seismic information following an earthquake in order to deploy emergency response personnel to those areas with the greatest seismic activity. Of this funding, $2.9 million will provide for the continued operation of the existing Southern California network, for which federal funds have terminated. The remaining $3.9 million provides the first-year funding of a five-year program to expand the network into an integrated statewide earthquake monitoring system.
Emergency Operations Equipment—The Budget also includes $11.4 million General Fund in the Office of Emergency Services for one-time purchases of emergency response and operations equipment to improve and upgrade state firefighting and rescue capabilities. These funds will be for the following:
Citizens’ Option for Public Safety and Juvenile Crime Prevention Funding
Chapter 353, Statutes of 2000, provided $242.6 million in 2000-01 to consolidate funding for the Citizens’ Option for Public Safety (COPS) program and local juvenile crime prevention programs. Under the COPS program, Chapter 353 required a minimum grant of $100,000 for front-line law enforcement services and more detailed reporting on program results. The COPS program supports local front-line law enforcement, sheriffs’ departments for jail construction and operations, and district attorneys for prosecution.
Under Chapter 353, county juvenile crime prevention programs will provide an evaluation of existing law enforcement, education, youth services resources, and other services that target at-risk juveniles and their families. These crime prevention programs will provide for a continuum of response to juvenile crime and delinquency to provide a swift, certain, and graduated response for at-risk youth and juvenile offenders. These new programs will be based on existing programs and approaches that are demonstrated to be effective in reducing delinquency and addressing juvenile crime, and will include specific outcome measures to allow proper evaluation of the success of the programs funded by Chapter 353.
Chapter 353 provided funding only for 2000-01 and sunsets July 1, 2002. The Governor’s Budget proposes $242.6 million to extend funding through 2001-02: $121.3 million for the COPS program, and $121.3 million for local juvenile crime prevention programs.
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