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DOJ grant will fund SPD crime analyst and YWCA court position to expand gun‑surrender coverage
Summary
A noncompetitive DOJ grant will provide $400,000 over two years: $200,000 to the Spokane Police Department for a crime analyst and $200,000 to the YWCA for a compliance firearm analyst to help widen municipal court gun‑surrender hearings and related processes.
Jake Jensen briefed council on a two‑year Office on Violence Against Women (DOJ) grant opportunity that will continue an existing partnership between the Spokane Police Department and the YWCA. The award is noncompetitive and totals $400,000 over two years.
Jensen said the grant would split funds evenly: $200,000 to the Spokane Police Department to fund a crime analyst position within SPD, and $200,000 to the YWCA to fund a compliance firearm analyst for municipal courts. He framed the award as a way to expand coverage of gun‑surrender hearings at the municipal level, not just district and superior courts, and described the roles as bridging gaps in current processes.
Council thanked staff for the ongoing partnership. Jensen said his hope is the positions will continue to be funded through repeated grant cycles and that the city would not need to rely on general‑fund dollars to sustain the roles if future grants are secured.
Next steps: staff will move ahead with grant implementation if accepted and return with any required interagency agreements or memoranda of understanding.
