Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant CFDA#16.742 EL PASO COUNTY SHERIFF S OFFICE ABSTRACT The County of El Paso, Texas, is requesting $175,000.00 for the El Paso County Sheriff s Office (EPCSO) - Criminal Investigations Bureau for a Latent Print Examiner position, equipment and training to support the backlog of jail fingerprint cases. The EPCSO has the law enforcement mission of protecting the citizens of El Paso County, Texas, from criminal acts and to detain persons who commit criminal acts. Preventing crime and maintaining emphasis on border security is the ultimate goal for the EPCSO. Law enforcement officers are the first line of defense when it comes to detecting crimes and arresting criminals. To accomplish its mission law enforcement must have modern equipment and training to be effective. Currently, the EPCSO has four technicians and only two are certified in basic fingerprint pattern and recognition. The EPCSO does not have the manpower to classify the entire jail work on daily basis. We are backed up with jail work of classifying fingerprint cards from the year 2004. When we were fully functional, we had five technicians and they were classifying daily. Today, we have four technicians and we are unable to classify daily. We currently file all jail work by arrest date, but no classification has been performed in months because of our crime scene load. The EPCSO objective is to assist with the backlog of more than 25,000 fingerprint (tenprint and latent) processes. The goal is to speed up the manual processing of fingerprint records and to dramatically reduce the amount of manual latent fingerprint processing for latent case work by at least 20% by the end of the project. 1
PROGRAM NARRATIVE El Paso County is on the far western tip of Texas with a population of approximately 793,214 (Federation for American Immigration Website, January 2007). This vast area is under the jurisdiction of the El Paso County Sheriff s Office (EPCSO), which provides crucial services to residents of El Paso County rural communities. The area consists of a large urban area (the City of El Paso) and smaller rural areas. Roughly 85% of the region s residents live within 1,058 square miles of El Paso County. The rural areas encompass 808 square miles with a population of approximately 137,485 residents (County of El Paso Planning & Development Dept. 2005). El Paso County, Texas shares approximately 47 miles of border with México. Several incorporated municipalities and incorporated townships located are within El Paso County, Texas. Incorporated townships are the City of El Paso, Anthony, Socorro, the Town of Clint, the City of Horizon, the Village of Vinton and the County of El Paso. Unincorporated communities are Canutillo, Fabens, San Elizario and Tornillo. The El Paso County Sheriff s Office (EPCSO) is the first internationally accredited Sheriff s Office in the nation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement (CALEA) and the first in Texas to receive the TRI-ARC award for Law Enforcement, Communications, and the Training Academy. The EPCSO s employs 254 sworn peace officers, 653 Detention Officers, and 210 civilian support personnel for a total of 1,117 employees. The employees are assigned to either the Law Enforcement Bureau or the Detention Services Bureau. The Law Enforcement Bureau is comprised of three divisions, each with a wide range or responsibilities: Patrol, Criminal Investigations, and Special Operations. The Detention Services Bureau has two divisions: Downtown Detention Facility and the Jail Annex. 2
Statement of the Problem 15% The EPCSO Detention Bureau detains approximately 50,000 inmates, in two separate facilities per year. The Downtown Detention Facility has a capacity of 1,000 inmates and the average capacity is 836 or on average of 84% daily capacity. The Jail Annex has a capacity of 1,450 and the average daily population is 1,331 or an average 92% daily capacity. The EPCSO fingerprint services uses L-1/Identix live scan workstations and a fingerprint station for most of the booking/fingerprinting at the County Detention Facilities. The Identix system interfaces with other law enforcement systems the City of El Paso Police Department (EPPD) and the State of Texas - to route arrest records and electronic fingerprint cards to those agencies. The Identix live scan system prints ten-print paper cards for the EPCSO fingerprint file and is interfaced with the EPCSO records management system and the jail inmate records systems for the bi-directional transfer of selected data elements. The EPCSO ten-print fingerprint files are in a paper-based manual system using Henry classification. The EPCSO latent fingerprint files are kept in a hard copy manual file. The EPCSO has a trained latent fingerprint unit that performs latent fingerprint services. To support the latent work, the EPCSO has a latent workstation linked to the State of Texas AFIS (Automated Finger Identification System). Historical Data and Transaction Volumes The approximate annual booking/fingerprint volumes for the EPCSO: EPCSO jail location(s) have 50,000 bookings from all arresting agencies in the region; Approximately 30-40% of persons booked are new entries into the master file (the remainder are repeat offenders); Approximately 165,000 ten-print cards on file; Approximately 100,000 latent fingerprint records on file; 3
Estimated transaction loads in a 24-hour period: a) Bookings = 185 b) Latent searches = 75 The EPCSO Criminal Investigation Bureau s - Crime Scene Unit has been short staffed since 2006. The additional manpower is necessary for callout assistance and the handling of additional tasks given to the Crime Scene Unit. Unlike EPPD, the EPCSO routinely is requested and called-out to assist with burglaries being handled by outside agencies within the county. EPCSO has been requested to assist EPPD when call outs have been too numerous for their agency as well. The El Paso County, Texas area has long been labeled as the main corridor of drug and human smuggling into the U.S. and is one of the primary areas in which large amounts of money and high caliber weapons are smuggled south into Mexico. The criminal element has become sophisticated with major drug organizations along the U.S. border and together with increased counter intelligence capabilities, any intelligence gathered quickly becomes outdated causing safety concerns for the public as well as for law enforcement. The ability to track and gather intelligence has become difficult when cartels have more sophisticated equipment than our local law enforcement agencies. Our law enforcement agencies need to be equipped to combat dangerous cartel members and provide staff with up-to-date resources and technology. Drug trafficking by juveniles is a major local concern for law enforcement. According to the Rio Grande Council of Governments Statistical Overview of Criminal Justice Related Activities Plan Year 2011, El Paso has seen a marked increase in the number of juveniles charged with felony drug charges over the last ten years. It has become a normal mean of operation for drug cartels to use juveniles to carry drugs across the border. Between 1993 and 4
2001, El Paso County saw an increase of almost 600% in felony drug crimes committed by juveniles. Directly across from El Paso, Texas, along the Mexican border is Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, with a population of over 1,300,000. The El Paso-Cd. Juarez, Mexico community is the largest metropolitan area on the border between the U.S. and Mexico. Overall, this metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.2 million inhabitants. Over the past two years, a territorial drug war has been initiated in this large metropolitan area between the Cartel De Sinaloa (Chapo Guzman) and the Cartel De Ciudad Juarez (Carrillo Fuentes). Since Jan. 2008, over 5,000 individuals have been executed with a large percentage of those deaths having ties with the drug cartels. That translates to 165 deaths in Juarez per 100,000 residents. In Baghdad there are 48 deaths per 100,000 residents (El Paso Times, 12/27/09). Furthermore, other criminal enterprises have taken this opportunity to enhance their presence in Cuidad Juarez, resulting in additional kidnappings, assaults and extortions. Gang members with direct links to El Paso and the rest of the U.S. have been identified as working for the cartels, providing such services from enforcement to actual murders. The Azteca gang and its satellite sub-gang organizations (Surrenos and others) have been the main gang participant in the Juarez killings. Unofficial reports have identified some of the executions as U.S. citizens forcibly taken hostage in El Paso and taken into Cuidad Juarez, Mexico. Project/Program Design and Implementation 15% Currently, the EPCSO has one senior technician certified in basic fingerprint pattern and recognition. The EPCSO does not have the manpower to classify the entire jail work on daily basis. We are backed up with jail work, classifying fingerprint cards from the year 2004 through 5
today. When we had five technicians, they were classifying daily. Today, we have four technicians and we are unable to classify daily. We currently file all jail work by arrest date, but no classification has been performed for months because of our crime scene load. Each fingerprint card goes through a process which takes time and requires an understanding of the Henry Classification System. Generally, this should be the process: Daily we receive a 12-24 fingerprint cards from our two detention facilities and from CREFS (Crime Records, Evidence, and Forensics Section) to classify. Fingerprint cards for the Henry Classification require 5 minutes per card to classify. The second technician verifies the Henry Classification more than for a total of 5 minutes or more per card. Additionally, each of following adds another 3-10 minutes per card to search, compare, or file the fingerprint cards based on Henry Classification. The Henry Classification System is a dying art form. If the one Senior Technician (who already has knowledge of the Henry Classification System) were to devote 100% of time to jail work, it would take approximately two years to catch up with the backlog. From 2004 to present, it is estimated roughly 25,000 fingerprint cards need to be classified. In addition, we receive about 20 jail cards daily to classify. The EPCSO metamorpho full function workstation will work in conjunction with the State AFIS computer the EPCSO currently has which processes fingerprints, palms, and latent images (recovered at crime scenes). Morpho AFIS is the easiest AFIS system to learn and use due to the graphical user interface, and avoids much of what is required to use the State AFIS. Upgrades can be installed with ease at reduced costs. Morpho AFIS supports other databases including IAFIS, State/City AFIS, the three most sought after databases requested by our detectives. 6
The EPPD is advanced with their latent section. The Latent Print/AFIS unit members have specialized training in the field of Fingerprint Identification and are qualified experts, three holding certification through the International Association for Identification. The unit is divided into two distinct sections, with one handling and comparing of all latent print evidence (the only two latent print experts in El Paso) and the other as handling and maintenance of over 300,000 sets of known finger and palm print cards. The EPPD s present Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) is a stand-alone system and can search prints within its own database. Presently, the system has 375,000 sets of stored images. The system is not networked to be accessed by other agencies and interfaced with our existing regional records management system. Their current AFIS is a SAGEM Morpho XL 3.1 application software on IBM RS/6000 hardware contains approximately 275,000 ten-print cards, 120,000 palm print cards, and 15,000 unsolved latent prints. The AFIS/APIS provides possible matches of finger and palm prints by searching the database for pattern type, ridge flow, and minutiae that occupy the same relative position between two finger or palm prints. The current system utilizing UNIX devices requires upgrading to a primarily PC (personal computer) format which will improve the quality of work as well as allow EPCSO to obtain access to their databases. The EPPD - AFIS computer is the core of the system. AFIS is a computer that analyzes and stores finger and palm prints. When the print examiner has a print that needs to be identified, the AFIS is queried. If the print is not matched exactly, it goes to the direction of the list of candidates. The person entering the information will match all prints based on the candidate list, similar to photo lineup. The print examiner then makes a final determination whether there is a match or if a new print is required. The upgrade will increase storage 7
capacity to 750,000 images. The EPCSO will be able to establish connections to the Texas Department of Public Safety s system and the FBI s IAFIS system, further increasing our ability to search fingerprints and share that information with other agencies. The unit currently operates a stand alone MORPHO Automated Fingerprint/Palm Print Identification System (AFIS/APIS). The AFIS/APIS matches finger and palm prints by identifying the pattern type, ridge flow and locating minutiae that occupies the relative position in two prints. The EPPD is currently connected to the City database only, but with the upgrade from SAGEM, they will be able to connect to the State, City, and possibly IAFIS. For EPPD, all fingerprints are stored electronically, thus eliminating manpower and the time physically required to classify each print, one by one, using the Henry Classification System. Classifying and searching for fingerprints is not an issue for them but it is for the EPCSO. The Latent Print Examiner position will support the EPCSO business processes, automated interfaces between the EPPD s-afis, the EPPD Live scan workstations, the EPCSO RMS (Record Management System), the City of El Paso Police Department RMS, the EPCSO Jail Inmate Records, and the State of Texas AFIS. The Latent Print Examiner will archive all fingerprint cards NIST/FBI compliant and will integrate palm prints with the ten-print EPPD AFIS. Training The EPCSO Crime Scene Technicians will attend the Latent Comparison Advanced course at the Texas Department of Public Safety in Austin, Texas. The AFIS certification is required for access of the State to the Texas AFIS database. The newest Crime Scene Technicians who have one year with the EPCSO and the newly hired Latent Print Examiner will attend the Texas Department of Public Safety Basic Fingerprint Course. 8
Capabilities/Competencies 10% The EPCSO Criminal Investigations Bureau (CIB) consists of the Crimes Against Persons & Property, CREFS (Crime Records, Evidence, and Forensics Section), Criminal Warrants/Fugitives, and Civil Process. The Support Services Bureau is comprised of CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies), Communications, Special Teams, Community Services, Fleet Services, Region VIII Training Academy, and Background Investigations. The Special Operations Bureau consists of HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area), Border Crime Initiatives, Homeland Security, Facility Security, Crime Analyst and the Investigative Support Center (ISC). As a result of the close proximity to Juarez, Chihuahua, Mèxico, the need for modern technological advancement to continue and keep up with trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprise is necessary to avoid an already serious situation from becoming a catastrophic event in the El Paso area. The El Paso County Sheriff's Office, through its participation in the Border Crime Initiative, Border Star, and Operation Linebacker is working in cooperation with federal agencies in the identification, arrest and prosecution of individuals involved in criminal enterprise, drug smuggling, drug transportation/distribution, gang activity, and other serious criminal activity along the Texas border. Fortunately, already in existence in El Paso is the West Texas HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area), which supports 15 highly successful cooperative multi-agency drug initiatives along the Southwest Border. The West Texas HIDTA program fosters cooperative and effective working relationships among one US Attorney s Office, 11 federal agencies, 7 state agencies, 15 local agencies to achieve the common goals of disrupting and dismantling drug 9
trafficking organizations, and securing the West Texas 12-county region of the Southwest Border, preventing multi-ton quantities of illicit drugs from reaching their intended market. The EPSCO is a leading partner in the West Texas HIDTA, with full-time participation in seven multi-jurisdictional counterdrug task forces, including the West Texas HIDTA Investigative Support Center (ISC). The West Texas HIDTA provides full service intelligence support to all West Texas HIDTA initiatives and agencies within our region. This center has full access to all available Federal, State and local applicable commercial information systems. The ISC provides interconnectivity between these task forces and the national information systems/centers such as EPIC (El Paso Intelligence Center), RISS, etc. The EPCSO is the lead agency to ISC. In 2008, with $7.97 million allocated for the region, West Texas HIDTA initiative disrupted or dismantled 138 drug trafficking organizations operating throughout our region. Additionally, these initiatives interdicted and sized over $56 million worth of cocaine, nearly a half a million worth of heroin, $409 million worth of marijuana, and over $650,000 worth of methamphetamine. These illicit products were diverted from trans-shipment to markets in the US. El Paso County Sheriff's Office in conjunction with other criminal justice agencies in our area will be able to support data-driven strategies to combat criminal narcotics activity and support law enforcement activities that respond to border-related violence, home invasions and associated violence. We can enhance law enforcement resources for narcotics-related investigations, prosecutions, and intelligence gathering and sharing activities. We can accomplish this objective through major DTO Programs. The growth in El Paso County from the expansion of Ft. Bliss and BRAC (Base Realignment And Closure) has meant new neighborhoods with more people and increased crime. 10
Comparing last year s Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), the El Paso County Sheriff's Office shows a 50% increase of criminal homicide; 71% increase of forcible rape; 19% increase of assault; 29% in burglary; 5% increase in larceny theft; and a 23% increase of arson. Ability to Organize to Manage Grant The EPCSO Criminal Investigation Bureau -Crime Scene Unit not only assists peace officers within the department but also assists outside agencies with callouts per the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU is a withstanding document offering the services of the Criminal Investigations Division, including the Crime Scene Unit, when smaller agencies located within the county are not able to handle crime scenes. Agencies include Socorro Police Department, Horizon Police Department, Anthony Police Department, Socorro Independent School District, Clint Police Department, and Community College Police Department. Agencies not listed in the MOU who request occasional assistance from the EPCSO Crime Scene Unit include the El Paso Fire Department, El Paso Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. With the assistance of further funding, the EPCSO Crime Scene Unit will be able to adequately assist any agency with requests for service. The highest standards of integrity in the practice of forensic science are critical to the enhancement of administration of justice. The EPCSO will make use of the process referenced in the attached certificates as to external investigations and will refer allegations of serious negligence or misconduct substantially affecting the integrity of forensic results to government entities with an appropriate process in place to conduct independent external investigations. The only government entity that will receive Coverdell award funds is the EPCSO - Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) which is the law enforcement agency for the County of El 11
Paso, Texas. The EPCSO has an Internal Affairs Division (IAD) that reports directly to the Sheriff. The EPCSO-IAD has the authority to conduct investigations into allegations or serious negligence or misconduct by employees and possible contractors. The County Judge of El Paso has the authority to conduct an independent investigation (free from EPCSO-IAD completely free from influence or supervision by Sheriff s Office management officials) regarding allegations relating to employees or contractors of the EPCSO-CIB. For the purposes of reporting to National Institute of Justice (NIJ) the EPCSO will report on an annual basis: The number and nature of any such allegations; Information on the referrals of such allegations (e.g. government entity or entities to which referred, the date of the referral); The outcome of such referrals (if known as of the date of the report); and If any such allegations were not referred, the reason(s) for the non-referral. The County Judge or Sheriff can make the certification regarding external investigations on behalf of the EPCSO to determine whether a certification can be properly made. It will be determined whether the appropriate process is in place to conduct an independent, external investigation into allegations of serious negligence or misconduct substantially affecting the integrity of the forensic results by committed employees or contractors of the EPCSO-CIB, medical examiner s office, coroner s office, law enforcement storage facility, or medical facility. Successful Past Performance The objective of the EPCSO CIB - Crime Scene Unit is an efficient unit with the assistance of technology and trained personnel. While the unit is called out, Crime Scene Technicians handle and assist at crime scenes with the ability to ensure the integrity of all 12
evidence for introduction in the court room. Without proper equipment, the EPCSO Crime Scene Unit relies on what supplies it does have access to in order to process crime scenes properly. The EPSCO Crime Scene Unit takes pride by going above and beyond at crime scene call outs utilizing all skills and knowledge to perform required tasks. Impact/Outcomes and Plan for Collecting Data Performance - 30% The EPCSO CIB will improve the quality and timeliness of fingerprint cards and reduce the number of backlogged fingerprint cases in for our jails. The number of backlogged cases at the beginning of the grant period is approximately 25,000 and will be reduced to at least 19,500 at the end of the grant period within 12 months for a reduction of approximately 20%. PERFORMANCE MEASURES Outcome Measures: 1. Reduction in the average number of days from the submission of a fingerprint card to a forensic science laboratory to the delivery of test results. 2. Percent reduction in the number of backlogged fingerprint cases= 20%. Output Measures: The number of Crime Scene Technicians & Latent Print Examiner who completed appropriate training or educational opportunities with Coverdell funds. EPCSO DATA 1. Average number of days to process a sample at the beginning of the grant period = 10 2. Average number of days to process a sample a the end of the grant period = 5 3. Number of backlogged cases at the beginning of the grant period = 25,000 4. Number of backlogged cases at the end of the grant period = 19,800 5. Number of EPCSO-CIB attended trainings at the Texas Department of Public Transportation Courses in Austin, Texas = 5 The EPCSO seeks to obtain a full-time Latent Print Examiner to assist with the backlog of more than 25,000 fingerprint (ten-print and latent) processes. The goal is to speed up the manual processing of fingerprint records and to dramatically reduce the amount of manual latent fingerprint processing for latent case work. 13
Computer and equipment purchases are necessary to improve the quality and timeliness or fingerprint services. The computer and printer are necessary for the Latent Print Examiner to enter information into the database on a daily basis thereby increasing the quality and timeliness of latent print services for a cost of approximately $2,100. A 3D Laser Scanner will capture a crime or accident scene with high speed scanning (360 degree scans in 3 to 15 minutes, long range scanning and weighs less than 25 lbs). The DeltaSphere 3D scene digitizer would include software, hardware, one-year warranty, one-year software upgrade and maintenance, a Nikon D300s Digital Camera, tripod, installation and training for $52,225. Mobile Two-Finger Fast ID Systems will allow Deputy s out in the field to obtain true identities immediately. The system can connect to the current EPCSO/EPPD local Morphodatabase to ensure people without identification are properly identified at approximately $6,176 each for nine units at $55,602. Other 5% EL PASO COUNTY SHERIFF S OFFICE Four-Year Comparison Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) with Graphs OFFENSE 2006 2006 Cases Cleared 2007 2007 Cases Cleared 2008 2008 Cases Cleared 2009 2009 Cases Cleared Murder 8 8 3 1 2 2 4 3 Sexual Assault 25 15 18 10 26 11 43 20 Robbery 20 7 29 11 32 16 30 14 Aggravated 166 112 173 115 162 99 192 110 Assault Burglary 310 35 363 54 294 37 378 42 Larceny (theft) 762 102 807 101 735 97 774 72 Vehicle Theft 142 48 113 33 192 27 149 17 Arson 16 4 21 5 22 5 27 3 14
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EL PASO COUNTY SHERIFF S OFFICE Budget Detail Worksheet - 25% A. Personnel Name/Position Computation Cost Latent Print Examiner Approximately $20/hr. x 40 hrs. x 52 weeks $41,600 TOTAL $41,600 Fingerprint Examiner will spend 100% of time processing fingerprint cards to be classified into our database. This will improve the quality and timeliness of the number of backlogged fingerprint cards. B. Fringe Benefits Employer s FICA 7.65% x $41,600 $3,182 Retirement 12.33% x $41,600 5,129 Life Insurance $25/yr. per employee 25 Health Insurance $3,000/yr. approximate 3,000 Unemployment.38% x $41,600 158 Workman s Compensation.46% x $41,600 191 TOTAL $11,685 Benefit costs are calculated for FICA @ 7.65%, Retirement @ 12.33%, Life Insurance @ $25.00/year, Health Insurance @ $250/month, Workman s Compensation @.46%, and Unemployment @.38%. C. Travel Out of Town Travelair, lodging, per diem I. Training in Austin, Texas for Basic Fingerprint Comparison Course @ $300 fee x 3 (for two Crime Scene Technicians & Latent Examiner) = $900 Airfare $450 ea. x 3= $1,350 Lodging $85/night x 4 nights x 3 people = $1,020 Per diem $35/day x 5 days x 3 people = $525 Car rental approximately $50 per day x 5 days = $250 II. Training in Austin, Texas for Advanced Course @ $300/person x 2 (for two Senior Technicians) = $600 Airfare $450 ea. x 2= $900 Lodging $85/night x 5 nights x 2 people=$850 17
Per diem $35/day x 6 days x 2 people = $420 Car rental approximately $50 per day x 6 days = $300 III. AFIS Training in Austin, Texas for one Sr. Crime Technician. No fee for the EPCSO. Airfare = $450 Lodging = $85 x 5 nights = $425 Per diem $35 x 6 days = $210 TOTAL $8,200 Travel is for two (2) Crime Scene Technicians and one (1) Fingerprint Examiner to go to the Texas Department of Public Safety Basic (TDPS) Fingerprint Comparison Course in Austin, Texas. The training is normally Monday through Thursday. Two other Crime Scene Technicians will go to the five-day TDPS Advanced Latent Comparison Course in Austin, Texas. One Senior Crime Scene Technician will attend the AFIS training at the TDPS in Austin, Texas. The El Paso County s established travel policies will be followed. D. Equipment Computer and printer 3D Laser Scanner Configurable HP Compaq Business Approximate Cost: Notebook = $1,225 Approximate Cost: Printer = $875 DeltaShpere 3D Laser $2,100 $52,225 Mobile Two-Finger Fast ID Systems Approximately $6,178 ea. x 9 units $55,602 TOTAL 109,927 The computer and printer are necessary for the Latent Print Examiner to enter information into the database on a daily basis thereby increasing the quality and timeliness of latent print services for a cost of approximately $2,100. The 3D Laser Scanner will capture a crime or accident scene with high speed scanning (360 degree scans in 3 to 15 minutes, long range scanning and weighs less than 25 lbs). The DeltaSphere 3D scene digitizer would include software, hardware, one-year warranty, one-year software upgrade and maintenance, a Nikon D300s Digital Camera, tripod, installation and training for $52,225. The Mobile Two-Finger Fast ID Systems will allow Deputy s out in the field to obtain true identities immediately. The system can connect to the current EPCSO/EPPD local Morphodatabase to ensure people without identification are properly identified at approximately $6,176 each for nine units at $55,602. 18
E. Supplies Forensic Supplies, fingerprint cards Filing Cabinets for fingerprint cards Approx. $132.33/month x 12 months $1,588 Approximate $500 ea x 4 $2,000 TOTAL $ 3,588 Office supplies are needed for general operation of the program. Fingerprint cards will be used to provide quality identification to classify records and preserve crime scene evidence for the anticipated impact of imp4rovement in the quality and/or timeliness of fingerprint services. Filing Cabinets will store the classified fingerprint cards for the improvement and organization of fingerprint filing services. F. Construction No construction costs are necessary. G. Consultants/Contracts No consultant costs are necessary. H. Other I. Indirect Costs TOTAL $-0- TOTAL $-0- TOTAL $-0- TOTAL $-0- GRAND TOTAL $175,000 19
EL PASO COUNTY SHERIFF S OFFICE Budget Summary Budget Category Amount A. Personnel $ 41,600 B. Fringe Benefits $ 11,685 C. Travel and Training $ 8,200 D. Equipment $109,927 E. Supplies $ 3,588 F. Construction -0- G. Consultants/Stipends -0- H. Other -0- Total Direct Costs $ I. Indirect Costs $ -0- TOTAL PROJECT COSTS $ 175,000 Federal Request $ 175,000 Non-Federal Amount $ _ N/A 20
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS NATIONAL INSTITUE OF JUSTICE FY 2010 Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program Certification as to Plan for Forensic Science Laboratories Application from a Unit of Local Government On behalf of the applicant agency named below, I certify the following to the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. This unit of local government has developed a plan for forensic science laboratories under a program intended to improve the quality and timeliness of forensic science or medical examiner services provided by the laboratories operated by the applicant unit of local government and any other government-operated laboratories within the State that will receive a portion of the grant amount. I acknowledge that a false statement in this certification or in the grant application that it supports may be subject to criminal prosecution, including under 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 42 U.S.C. 3795a. I also acknowledge that Office of Justice Programs grants, including certifications provided in connection with such grants, are subject to review by the Office of Justice Programs and/or by the Department of Justice of the Inspector General. I have the authority to make this certification on behalf of the applicant agency (that is, the agency applying directly to the National Institute of Justice). Signature of Certifying Official Anthony Cobos Printed Name of Certifying Official County Judge Title of Certifying Official County of El Paso, Texas El Paso County Sheriff s Office Name of Applicant Agency Date 21
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS NATIONAL INSTITUE OF JUSTICE FY 2010 Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program Certification as to Generally Accepted Laboratory Practices and Procedures On behalf of the applicant agency named below, I certify the following to the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Any forensic science laboratory system, medical examiner s office, or coroner s office in the State, including any laboratory operated by a unit of local government within the State, that will receive any portion of the grant amount uses generally accepted laboratory practices and procedures, established by accrediting organizations or appropriate certifying bodies. I acknowledge that a false statement in this certification or in the grant application that it supports may be subject to criminal prosecution, including under 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 42 U.S.C. 3795a. I also acknowledge that Office of Justice Programs grants, including certifications provided in connection with such grants, are subject to review by the Office of Justice Programs and/or by the Department of Justice of the Inspector General. I have the authority to make this certification on behalf of the applicant agency (that is, the agency applying directly to the National Institute of Justice). Signature of Certifying Official Anthony Cobos Printed Name of Certifying Official County Judge Title of Certifying Official County of El Paso, Texas El Paso County Sheriff s Office Name of Applicant Agency Date 22
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS NATIONAL INSTITUE OF JUSTICE FY 2010 Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program Certification as to Use of Funds for New Facilities On behalf of the applicant agency named below, I certify the following to the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. No amount of grant funds used for the costs of a new facility or facilities constructed as part of a program to improve the quality and timeliness of forensic science and medical examiner services will not exceed the limitations set forth at 42 U.S.C. 3797m (c) and summarized in the FY 2010 Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program Announcement. I acknowledge that a false statement in this certification or in the grant application that it supports may be subject to criminal prosecution, including under 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 42 U.S.C. 3795a. I also acknowledge that Office of Justice Programs grants, including certifications provided in connection with such grants, are subject to review by the Office of Justice Programs and/or by the Department of Justice of the Inspector General. I have the authority to make this certification on behalf of the applicant agency (that is, the agency applying directly to the National Institute of Justice). Signature of Certifying Official Anthony Cobos Printed Name of Certifying Official County Judge Title of Certifying Official County of El Paso, Texas El Paso County Sheriff s Office Name of Applicant Agency Date 23
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS NATIONAL INSTITUE OF JUSTICE FY 2010 Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program Certification as to External Investigations On behalf of the applicant agency named below, I certify the following to the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. A government entity exits and an appropriate process is in place to conduct an independent external investigations into allegations of serious negligence or misconduct substantially affecting the integrity of the forensic results committed by employees or contractors of any forensic laboratory system, medical examiner s office, coroner s office, law enforcement storage facility, or medical facility in the State that will receive a portion of the grant amount. I personally read and reviewed the section entitled Eligibility in the Fiscal Year 2010 program announcement for the Paul Coverdell Science Improvement Grants Program. I acknowledge that a false statement in this certification or in the grant application that is supports may be subject to criminal prosecution, including under 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 42 U.S.C. 3795a. I also acknowledge that Office of Justice Programs grants, including certifications provided in connection with such grants, are subject to review by the Office of Justice Progrmas and/or by the Department of Justice s office of the Inspector General. I have the authority to make this certification on behalf of the applicant agency (that is, the agency applying directly to the National Institute of Justice). Signature of Certifying Official Anthony Cobos Printed Name of Certifying Official County Judge Title of Certifying Official County of El Paso, Texas El Paso County Sheriff s Office Name of Applicant Agency Date 24