Title
Authorization to Apply for Arizona Department of Public Safety Anti-Human Trafficking Grant (Ordinance S-50566)
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to allow the Police Department to apply for, accept, and enter into an agreement with the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) for the Anti-Human Trafficking Grant. The grant amount is not to exceed $500,000. No matching funds are required.
Report
Summary
The Police Department wants to apply for the DPS Anti-Human Trafficking Grant. The purpose of this grant is to provide resources to law enforcement agencies to enhance services and programs that reduce human trafficking. The grant funding will provide support to law enforcement agencies by providing resources for personnel, equipment, supplies and training to combat human trafficking.
The primary goal of the Police Department’s HEAT Unit is to disrupt human trafficking activity in the Phoenix metropolitan area at its root cause, and firmly believe human traffickers are primarily responsible for this activity. This funding would assist in investigations that would aim to identify, target, and successfully prosecute human traffickers in a manner that would prevent them from recruiting and victimizing any other individuals. The HEAT Unit will work with the Advocacy Center to connect victims with their holistic, victim-centered, trauma-informed services and the victim advocate who is embedded with the unit.
The grant application is due on May 1, 2024. If approved, the Police Department will move forward with submitting our application.
Contract Term
The contract term of one-year beginning July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025.
Financial Impact
No matching funds are required.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Lori Bays and the Police Department.