Title
Consider and take action on a resolution authorizing the League City Police Department to submit a grant application to Operation Underground Railroad (OUR) Rescue, a 501(c)(3) organization, to seek funding from the OUR Rescue Digital Evidence Grant for the Department to acquire specialized equipment and/or software to combat online child exploitation and human trafficking; and authorizing the acceptance of such grant if awarded (Chief of Police)
Background:
Approval of this item will allow the League City Police Department to pursue a targeted grant opportunity through Operation Underground Railroad (OUR Rescue), a globally recognized law enforcement partner dedicated to supporting investigations, protecting survivors, and preventing future crimes. This request aligns with OUR Rescue’s “Field Operations” funding track, which helps law enforcement agencies acquire critical investigative tools.
This is not a general funding request; it is a specific, mission-focused ask that directly supports our ability to investigate high-priority cases involving digital evidence.
In the past six months alone, LCPD has processed over 130 pieces of digital evidence (i.e. cell phones, laptops, desktop computers, iPads, external storage devices, hard drives, etc.).
• 70 of those cases involved Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) or sexual assault.
• 25 cases were solely CSAM-related.
These are time-sensitive, resource-intensive investigations. Having the right technology ensures we can move faster, be more thorough, and protect more victims. With this grant, we would be able to purchase a mobile Sumuri Talino forensic workstation (laptop), and two, one-year subscriptions to aid in processing, collecting, and analyzing digital evidence.
In return for the grant funds, OUR Rescue requests the following data: device types and amounts of data extracted, number of arrests made that are directly related to child exploitation, and the total number of victims identified through our investigations. OUR Rescue does not request any case-specific information, such as case numbers or personally identifiable information of suspects/victims; they only want raw numbers for their data collection.
Attachments:
1. Proposed Resolution
2. Grant Application Pre-Approval Form
FUNDING
{x} If approved, a budget amendment is required to increase Police Grant Services account #2100000-54191 by $15,600 to be offset by a revenue increase to Misc. Private Grant account #0100-48160.
STRATEGIC PLANNING
{x } NOT APPLICABLE