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	Justice Department Cops Grant Goes to Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office By Carol Rose Mercury News October 7, 2011 http://www.mercurynews.com/san-jose-neighborhoods/ci_19059310 The U.S. Marshal's office and the U.S. Department of Justice have awarded the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office nearly $500,000 for work to police child sexual predators. The two-year $499,250 grant is part of the Justice Department's Community Oriented Policing and will provide the funding for an extra detective to augment the county's child predator force for two years. The COPS Child Sexual Predator Program grant provides funding directly to law enforcement agencies to assist them in establishing and enhancing strategies to locate, arrest and prosecute child sexual predators and exploiters. The grant also helps enhance state sex offender registration laws. The money is aimed at supporting community policing initiatives throughout the United States by promoting partnerships between local law enforcement, U.S. Attorneys' Offices, the U.S. Marshals Service, and other community partners to reduce and prevent child endangerment by sexual predators. Fifty percent of the money will go to fund the detective's position; the remaining funding will be used to assist the county's Safety Assault Felony Enforcement Task Force with the 11 other Northern California county sheriff offices in region 2, most of which are unable to receive such grants because they have fewer than 1,000 registered sex offenders. These counties, from the northernmost Del Norte south to Monterey, will receive the equipment necessary for sweeps and forensic computer inspections for child pornography. There are 3,872 registered sex offenders in Santa Clara County. Forty percent of them have committed pornography or molestation crimes against children under 14 years old, says Michelle Sandoval, senior management analyst for the sheriff's office. The county's SAFE task force is composed of a sergeant, two detectives and a crime analyst. The new detective work with the SAFE team that assists local municipal agencies, including the San Jose Police Department, and with Megan's Law sweeps, she adds. Sandoval, who wrote the grant, notes that Santa Clara County is one of the first agencies in the state to have a SAFE Task Force, which has existed since 1994. The sheriff's office has received funds through the state and has worked with the other 11 counties to help fight against child molestation and pornography. Back in 2007, county officials asked if sheriff's departments in the other region 2 counties wanted to participate, so funds are split between Santa Clara and the other agencies, Sandoval says. The county is one of 20 throughout the United States to receive such a grant. Officials applied for the maximum $500,000 to fund a three-year license for software but did not receive the additional $1,750 because the license period was one year too long. The sheriff's office will work with the U.S. Marshal's office and with the U.S. Attorney's office in San Francisco. "Every child deserves a safe and secure childhood. There is nothing more important than protecting our children from the unfathomable crimes committed by child sexual predators and exploiters. This funding will assist in the fight against the very real problem of child sexual abuse and exploitation," said county supervisor Dave Cortese in a release. In other news, the county's probation department has received a Second Chance $750,000 grant supporting juveniles returning to society from the county's Enhanced Rehabilitation Ranch program. The grant will allow the county's re-entry assistance program to expand services to high-risk offenders that currently aren't eligible for them. Funds from the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention will provide for a multidisciplinary team to assess those leaving the ranch program, as well as provide additional housing, substance abuse treatment, educational and vocational services and cognitive behavioral treatment. The money also will provide access for mentoring services and monthly follow-up meetings.
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