Title
Amending the financing and spending plans in the City Attorney's Office in the amount of $25,000 for accepting the first payment from the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys for a gun possession diversion program.
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WHEREAS, The City Attorney’s Office, Criminal Division, has been selected to participate in the Elevating Trust and Legitimacy for Prosecutors Project sponsored by the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, in partnership with Yale Law School’s Justice Collaboratory, and is one of a few prosecutor’s offices across the country selected to participate in this in-depth look at procedural justice in our criminal justice system; and
Whereas, the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys has offered to provide $50,000 to the City Attorney's Office without solicitation or application for the purpose of developing and implementing a gun diversion program.
WHEREAS, the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys has awarded the City Attorney’s Office $50,000, to be paid as follows: $25,000 to be paid by November 1, 2021 and $25,000 to be paid by September 1, 2022; and
WHEREAS, the City Attorney’s Office was awarded this grant to develop and implement a gun possession diversion project based on the theory of procedural justice, an evidence-based practice that focuses on the way police and other legal authorities interact with the public and how an individual’s perception of those interactions shapes their views of the police and the criminal justice system. Specifically, this project will assess how the City Attorney’s Office lawyers and staff currently interact with our community, which includes witnesses, victims, and those charged with crimes, and support the implementation of evidence-based practices that increase public trust between the two groups. The goal is to develop a model for prosecutors’ office across the country built on the premise that the City Attorney’s Office belongs to the community, rather than to any elected official or government employee; and
WHEREAS, the spending plans for these monies include paying for restorative justice services provided by a community partner; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor, pursuant to Section 10.07.1 of the Charter of the City of Saint Paul, does certify that there are available for appropriation total revenues in excess of those estimated in the budget, funds of $25,000 in the City Attorney's Office Special Fund; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Saint Paul accepts the grant and approves the changes to the 2021 Budget; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that said budget, as heretofore adopted by the City Council is hereby amended as indicated in the attached financial analysis.
Financial Analysis
See attachment