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Cabarrus County Finance Office December 31, 2007 To: Board of County Commissioners From: Phil Patterson, Captain Shelley Farris, Accounting Supervisor Subject: Gang Violence Prevention Grant Application Cabarrus County submitted the Pre-application for a Gang Violence Prevention Grant on December 28`" with the approval of the County Attorney. Should the Boazd decide not to approve the matching funds for receipt of this grant; the County will withdraw the application. The deadline for submission was December 31, 2007 in order to be considered for the grant funds. Cabarrus County is adjacent to Mecklenburg County and Rowan County who aze experiencing high gang related criminal activity as well. as Interstate 85 which serves as a thoroughfaze for criminal activity from Gaston to Durham County. Gang related activity has been overflowing into Cabarrus County for the past few years. The Governors' Crime Commission Hispanic/Latino Gang Report states that from 1999 to 2004, the greatest rate of growth in gang membership seems to be with the Latino youth. Cabarrus County School system formerly suspended 2 - 4 students per year, but within the first half of the school year, suspension has increased to 4 - 8 students. Eighty-nine percent of youth who are involved with delinquent offenses have school problems ranging from minor (9.4%) to medium (24.4%) to serious (56.1%). This grant will be coordinated through the Project SAFE Cabarrus program, a county wide collaboration which consists of the law enforcement community and faith based partnerships whose mission is to offer options to improve the quality of life from for those in the judicial system, including emerging youth-at-risk. Cabarrus County SHIELD program will be a youth referral process that will identify youth vulnerable to involvement with gang activities, violent behavior and substance abuse. School Resource Officers and Safe School Coordinators would work closely with the progam's Youth Referral Specialist to educate and connect youth and families to the appropriate agencies for support in coping with risk factors among the family and peer pressure in the school setting. This program could serve as another community tool to help youth-at-risk achieve successful completion of school, possible post-secondary education and gainfiil employment. The grant period is from March 1, 2008 until June 30, 2009. It requires a 25% cash and/or in-kind match. The Cabarrus County School System will be providing office space for an in-kind contribution of $2,400 per year. The County along with Concord and Kannapolis' Police Departments will provide the remaining match for salary in cash, with the County's share being $15,682. This amount would be funded from Federal Asset Forfeiture Funds. Once the grant funding is depleted, we are requesting that Cabarrus County pick up the full cost of salary and benefits for the position estimated at $51,050 per year. Other operational expenditures for future years to cover this program would be budgeted between the two school districts and requested Sherriff s Department annual budget. This prof ect will support a comprehensive gang prevention program involving multi-agency and multi- jurisdictional alliances between County Law Enforcement agencies, two public school systems, and agencies (such as the Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCA, Literacy Council and GREAT programs) whose mission is to increase the quality of life for emerging at-risk-youth. Your approval and support for the grant in the current year and future is requested. Cabarrus County Finance Offce 66 Church Street SE, Concord, NC 28025 ~'~ ~~~ Post Office Box 707, Concord, NC 28026 ((~~~~M~. lw~'~'ly' Phone: 704-920-2107 Fax:704-920-2881.ww~v.cabarruscounty.us TM