STRATEGIC PRIORITY: Public Safety
AGENDA DATE: December 8, 2021
COUNCIL DISTRICT(S): N/A
DEPARTMENT: Police Department
EXECUTIVE: Jon Fortune
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SUBJECT
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Authorize (1) an Interlocal Agreement with the University of Texas at Dallas funded through a grant from the Trafficking Prevention Needs Assessment Grant Program (Grant/Contract No. TBD) in the amount of $125,000.00 to provide cost reimbursement to the University of Texas at Dallas to use its facilities and reasonable efforts to conduct the Sex Trafficking Needs Assessment; (2) disburse appropriations in the amount of $125,000.00 from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission Grant Funds; and (3) execution of the agreement and all terms, conditions, and documents required by the agreement - Not to exceed $125,000.00 - Financing: Texas Health and Human Services Commission Grant Funds
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BACKGROUND
This item will help the Dallas Police Department enhance prevention services within divisions that work with victims of sex trafficking. With this grant opportunity, the City will initiate a media campaign that will focus on the prevention of sex trafficking. Using findings from practices learned from the media campaign, the City will continue the sex trafficking prevention education after the grant period. According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, Texas ranks second in the country, only behind California, for the number of cases reported by state (1080), with 861 of those cases being sex trafficking or sex and labor trafficking. Dallas is the second city, behind Houston, with the greatest number of cases.
As discussed in the previous section, there are many after-rescue services with which Dallas Police Department partners, but there are not many known credible prevention or analysis services. This grant will allow the City the opportunity to fund and partner with an academic partner, Institute for Urban Policy Research at the University of Texas at Dallas, to study the prevalence of sex trafficking in the City of Dallas jurisdiction as well as the needs. Understanding the prevalence and needs will provide the knowledge City Council needs to back data-driven policy and budgets.
PRIOR ACTION/REVIEW (COUNCIL, BOARDS, COMMISSIONS)
On September 22, 2021, City Council authorized the agreement with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission for the receipt of funds in an amount not to exceed $125,000.00 from the Sex Trafficking Prevention Needs Assessment Grant Program (Grant/Contract No. TBD) for the period of September 1, 2021, through August 31, 2022, by Resolution No. 21-1579.
FISCAL INFORMATION
|
Fund |
FY 2022 |
FY 2023 |
Future Years |
|
Texas Health and Human Services Commission Grant Funds |
$125,000.00 |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |