2013 2:00:00 PM

Monday, September 23, 2013 2:00 PM
Sparks Council Chambers, Legislative Building, 745 4th Street, Sparks, NV

General Business: 6.2

Title: Consideration and Possible Acceptance of a Justice Assistance Training Grant

Petitioner/Presenter: Police Department/Chief Brian Allen

Recommendation: Accept the Justice Assistance Training Grant in the amount of $10,120

Financial Impact: N/A

Business Impact (Per NRS 237):
A Business Impact Statement is not required because this is not a rule.

Agenda Item Brief: The State of Nevada Department of Public Safety, Office of Criminal Justice Assistance has offered a grant in the amount of $10,120 to sponsor a training class locally that will provide instruction in the forensic interview of child victims.

Background: Children of physical and sexual abuse provide accounts of their abuse to law enforcement officers for the purposes of prosecution. Interviews must be conducted in an environment with little distraction and within generally accepted guidelines to meet prosecutorial standards. Children of sexual abuse must be interviewed by a trained forensic interviewer. The interviews are typically completed by detective personnel who specialize in sexual abuse investigations. Forensic interviews are designed in part to reduce or eliminate suggestibility, leading questions and to determine competnecy. NRS432B.620 states in part "the Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission shall require each peace officer assigned to investigate regularly cases of sexual abuse or sexual exploitation of children under the age of 18 years to complete, within 1 year after the peace officer is assigned to investigate those cases and each year thereafter, a program of training for detection and investigation of and response to cases of sexual abuse or sexual eploitation of children under the age of 18 years."

Analysis: The grant being offered by OCJA will pay the course fee and travel expenses of the trainer to bring this class to the Sparks area. The class will accomodate 30 officers. The normal costs to send an officer to an out-of-state training facility for forensic interview training exceeds $3,000 per officer. Accepting this grant will save agencies who send officers to the training a significant amount of money. Since the grant will pay all of the costs associated with the course, the class will be offered for free to participating agencies.

Alternatives: The Council can decline the grant offered and seek funding elsewhere for this training.

Recommended Motion: Accept the Office of Criminal Justice Assistance Training Grant in the amount $10,120.00

Attached Files:

JAG Training 2013.pdf

CornerHouse training grant.pdf

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