04-26-2023 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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STAFF REPORT TO: Mayor Fischer and Members of City Council FROM: Chris Heineman, City Administrator DATE: April 26, 2023 RE: Renewal of Joint Powers Agreement with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) & Court Data Services Subscriber Amendment ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: The City Council is asked to consider to approve the renewal of a Joint Powers Agreement with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) & Court Data Services Subscriber Amendment BACKGROUND: The City initially entered into a 5-year Joint Powers Agreement in 2013 with the State of Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) on behalf of our prosecuting attorney (Kelly & Lemmons) and the Ramsey County Sheriff as our designated police department. This agreement was established as a streamlined way of preparing complaints through a secure BCA website and being able to electronically pass the complaints to the police departments and judges in the county court system . This 5-year Joint Powers Agreement was renewed in June of 2018 and is once again up for renewal. One of the benefits is the BCA systems is synched with all criminal charges filed in the court systems. This agreement gives the City Attorney’s office access to the full BCA database on behalf of the City of Little Canada. According to the City of Little Canada’s Prosecuting Attorney Martin Norder, the JPA and Court Data Services Subscriber Amendment are necessary for our prosecution of criminal misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors in Little Canada. These agreements provide Kelly & Lemmons with information on cases and defendants and allows them to look up criminal records of defendants which helps in deciding what type of plea offers to make. The information also provides information to increase charges in DWI and assault cases and helps with court scheduling. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Staff recommends City Council approval of Resolution for the renewal of a 5-year Joint Powers Agreement with the State of Minnesota BCA on behalf of the City’s Attorney and Police Department, and the Court Data Services Subscriber Amendment to the Minnesota Criminal Justice Data Communications Network (CJDN) Subscriber Agreement, and authorize the Mayor and City Administrator to execute both agreements on behalf of the City.