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Adopt a resolution approving participation in the 2025 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (JAG) Equipment and Training Program for the term of October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, affirming the grant expenditure plan; Authorize the Sheriff, Undersheriff, or Director of Administrative Services to take all actions necessary to obtain and administer this grant, and pending County Counsel concurrence, sign all grant related documents and any service contracts and subsequent amendments itemized in the grant expenditure plan; and Approve an Appropriation Transfer Request recognizing $238,077 in unanticipated grant revenue offset by grant expenditures (4/5 vote required)
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Published Notice Required? Yes ___ No _x _
Public Hearing Required? Yes ___ No _x _
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The Sheriff recommends that the Board of Supervisors:
1. Adopt a resolution approving participation in the 2025 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (JAG) Equipment and Training Program for the term of October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, affirming the grant expenditure plan;
2. Authorize the Sheriff, Undersheriff, or Director of Administrative Services to take all actions necessary to obtain and administer this grant, and pending County Counsel concurrence, sign all grant related documents and any service contracts and subsequent amendments itemized in the grant expenditure plan; and
3. Approve an Appropriation Transfer Request recognizing $238,077 in unanticipated grant revenue offset by grant expenditures. (4/5 vote required)
SUMMARY:
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) awarded funds under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) program through the U.S. Department of Justice. These federal funds are allocated to states, tribes, and local governments to provide critical funding necessary to support a range of program areas. The California Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) is the designated State Administering Agency for the JAG Program and has made JAG funding available through a JAG Equipment and Training program.
The BSCC awards this one-time funding through a non-competitive grant process in which each California county’s allocation is included in the State’s JAG funding announcement. Solano County requested $238,077 of its allocation. The Sheriff’s Office submitted the grant application by the September 8, 2025 deadline. BSCC requires a Board resolution (Attachment A) to be submitted as part of Solano County’s application to finalize the acceptance process.
The 2025 JAG Expenditure Plan (Plan) is summarized in Attachment C and a more detailed description of the Plan follows in the Discussion section.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Solano County was awarded $238,077 and there is no match requirement. The Appropriation Transfer Request (ATR) would increase appropriations by $238,077 to enhance violent crime investigations by establishing a robust in-house forensic lab thereby reducing evidence processing time and increasing successful prosecutions. These expenditures would be entirely offset with unanticipated grant revenue; therefore, Board approval will not impact the County General Fund. Grant expenditures will be reimbursed by BSCC on a quarterly basis and will not significantly impact the County’s cash flow.
The cost associated with preparing the agenda item is nominal and absorbed by the department’s FY2025/26 Working Budget.
DISCUSSION:
Under Title I of Public Law No. 90-351 (generally codified at 34 U.S.C. 10151-10726), federal funds are provided to assist states, tribes, and local governments in supporting a range of program areas including law enforcement, prosecution, indigent defense, courts, crime prevention and education, corrections and community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, planning, evaluation, technology improvement, and crime victim and witness initiatives and mental health programs and related law enforcement and corrections programs, including behavioral programs and crisis intervention teams.
The proposed JAG Expenditure Plan was developed by the Sheriff’s Field Ops Division in consultation with the District Attorney’s Office. The grant funds received will be used to support activities related to “Reducing Violent Crime in Solano County Through Increased Technology” project. This project aligns with Program Purpose Area 1 by targeting law enforcement improvements to address violent crime. Funds will be used to purchase advanced forensic tools and hardware to establish a regional digital forensics lab and for training Sheriff’s Office staff. A detailed description of the Plan is enumerated below:
Digital Forensic Tools: $173,619 to purchase subscription licenses and/or maintenance and support for Cellebrite Inseyets & Unlocks (Access and analyze locked Android/iOS devices), Cellebrite Guardian (Secure evidence management and real-time sharing), Shadow Dragon (Open-source intelligence for online investigations), Hunchly (Capture and store online evidence in admissible format), Oxygen Forensics (Correlate data across multiple devices), and Warden AI (Transcribe and translate jail calls efficiently). These advanced tools will improve investigations by accelerating evidence processing, revealing hidden links between suspects, and significantly reducing case resolution times - especially in gang-related investigations.
Hardware - Equipment: $30,458 to purchase two high-performance Talino computers and two forensic laptops. This equipment will support the digital forensic tools.
Training: $34,000 to train and certify select Sheriff’s Office staff in using the Cellebrite forensic application including software products and hardware.
The project will serve all seven incorporated cities in Solano County-Vacaville, Fairfield, Vallejo, Benicia, Suisun City, Dixon, and Rio Vista-by centralizing forensic resources and fostering regional collaboration. Key benefits include reducing case backlogs, eliminating costly outsourcing, expediting evidence delivery to prosecutors, strengthening prosecutorial outcomes, increasing conviction rates in violent crime cases, improving investigative outcomes for gang violence, child exploitation, and other serious offenses, and enhancing community safety.
The Sheriff’s Office will manage all aspects of program implementation and provide oversight to ensure grant compliance, impact, and fiscal accountability.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board of Supervisors could choose not to authorize participation in the program; however, this alternative is not recommended as non-participation may negatively impact the County’s efforts in reducing violent crimes. Additionally, this alternative is not fiscally prudent as funds would be redistributed to other counties and without these funds, the Sheriff’s Office does not have sufficient appropriations to carry out the activities.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
None.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION