HomeMy WebLinkAboutReports - 2024.04.24 - 41161 AGENDA ITEM: Gun Buyback Events - Update and New Proposal DEPARTMENT: Board of Commissioners MEETING: Board of Commissioners DATE: Wednesday, April 24, 2024 6:00 PM - Click to View Agenda ITEM SUMMARY SHEET COMMITTEE REPORT TO BOARD Resolution #2024-4010 Motion to approve the one-time allotment in the amount of $5,000 from the Fiscal Year 2024 Regranting Program (#SC731598) line-item budget for a gun buyback and gun disposal event hosted by St. David's Episcopal Church; further, authorize the Chair of the Board of Commissioners to execute any required agreements on behalf of Oakland County. ITEM CATEGORY SPONSORED BY Other Action Marcia Gershenson INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Research shows gun buybacks are successful if they are part of a broader effort to reduce gun violence. They can also influence public perception of how authorities are dealing with gun violence and serve as opportunities to educate communities about gun violence reduction strategies. Voluntary gun buyback programs provide a safe, legal way for residents to dispose of unwanted firearms and can help reduce the number of weapons potentially accessible to children, youth and vulnerable individuals. The Board of Commissioners, in collaboration with local law enforcement agencies and other organizations, has already hosted two very successful buyback events, in 2022 and 2023. During these events, nearly 600 were collected. POLICY ANALYSIS This is a request to appropriate funding to support the third gun buyback event in Oakland County. Trinity Gun Disposal, a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church, is requesting funds to help underwrite a Saturday, June 15, 2024 buyback event at St. David’s, 16200 W. 12 Mile Rd., Southfield, MI. The church is also partnering with other local faith communities in consultation with local law enforcement agencies to hold this event to dispose of unwanted firearms from the local community. BUDGET AMENDMENT REQUIRED: No Committee members can contact Michael Andrews, Policy and Fiscal Analysis Supervisor at 248.425.5572 or andrewsmb@oakgov.com or the department contact persons listed for additional information. CONTACT Marcia Gershenson, Commissioner ITEM REVIEW TRACKING Aaron Snover, Board of Commissioners Created/Initiated - 4/24/2024 AGENDA DEADLINE: 04/24/2024 6:00 PM ATTACHMENTS 1. 12-09-23 Full Board_OC Gun Buyback Southfield Event Outcome Report 2. 2024 TGD Gun Buy Back Event proposal 3. TGD Leadership COMMITTEE TRACKING 2024-04-02 Safer Communities Ad Hoc - Forward to Public Health & Safety 2024-04-16 Public Health & Safety - Recommend to Board 2024-04-24 Full Board - Adopt Motioned by: Commissioner Angela Powell Seconded by: Commissioner Robert Hoffman Yes: David Woodward, Michael Spisz, Penny Luebs, Karen Joliat, Kristen Nelson, Christine Long, Robert Hoffman, Philip Weipert, Gwen Markham, Angela Powell, Marcia Gershenson, Charles Cavell, Brendan Johnson, Ann Erickson Gault, Linnie Taylor (15) No: None (0) Abstain: None (0) Absent: Ajay Raman, Michael Gingell, Yolanda Smith Charles, William Miller III (4) Passed 1200 North Telegraph Road | Pontiac, MI 48341 | Phone: (248) 858-0100 | OakGov.com/BOC MEMO TO: FROM: DATE: RE: Board of Commissioners Safer Communities Ad Hoc Committee December 11, 2023 Report: 2023 Gun Buyback Attached please find a report detailing the outcomes of the 2023 Gun Buyback event hosted in partnership by the City of Southfield, St. David’s Episcopal Church and the Board of Commissioners Safer Communities Ad Hoc Committee. The Ad Hoc Committee’s charge is to support community initiatives that improve the safety of students, residents, and visitors in Oakland County. The 2023 event was made possible by allocating funds from the Oakland County Safer Communities Fund established by resolution #2023- 3157_23-125. On December 9, 2023, with the assistance of personnel from the Southfield police department and St. David’s Episcopal Church and community volunteers, a four-hour Gun Buyback event collected 224 weapons – including two assault rifles and eight stolen weapons. Details and descriptions are available in the attachment. It is the Ad Hoc Committee’s intention to share this event outcome report with the Board of Commissioners. The Ad Hoc Committee is passionate about supporting community initiatives that support safety and education. The group requests that additional thought and effort should be directed toward considering a permanent gun buyback program and to building additional anti-violence and gun safety initiatives. Your attention is appreciated, and input is welcomed. 1200 North Telegraph Road | Pontiac, MI 48341 | Phone: (248) 858-0100 | OakGov.com/BOC Oakland County 2023 Gun Buyback Outcome Report Description: The Oakland County Board of Commissioners established the Oakland County Safer Communities Fund, via Resolution #2023-3157_23-125 on July 20, 2023, to improve the safety of students, residents and visitors in Oakland County. Initiatives of the fund would be administered by the Oakland County Safer Communities Ad Hoc Committee who would provide oversight on gun buyback programs, gun safety programs, improving access to resources for additional School Resource Officers, fund trainings conducted in partnership with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, and other initiatives or programs to reduce and prevent violence in the community. Gun buyback events like the one previously sponsored by the Board on October 22, 2022 have proved to be a safe method for citizens to voluntarily relinquish their firearms to local law enforcement agencies throughout the county. Building upon the success of 2022, the City of Southfield along with St. David’s Episcopal Church and numerous other volunteer organizations hosted another gun buyback event on December 9, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Board of Commissioners allotted $10,000 of grant funding from the Safer Communities Fund to the City of Southfield to sponsor the event, and $5,000 was directed toward the purchase of gift cards, with the remaining $5,000 used to cover law enforcement personnel costs. Those surrendering weapons were given gift cards for individual weapons. Gun safety information, provided by volunteer organizations, was also distributed at the event. The City of Southfield Police Department was required to submit a post- event report detailing the events and offering feedback for future initiatives. Additional Info: •Commissioner Cavell attended the event. •Commissioners Luebs, Jackson, Powell and Gershenson participated in the event initiation, coordination, and approval of County funding. •Undersheriff Childs serves as the OCSO representative to the Ad Hoc Committee •Chief Barren served as the main contact person for the Southfield Police Department. •Father Yaw and St. David’s served as the event host, provided volunteer assistance and distributed safety information during the event. •The BOC Communications Team created flyers, social media posts and press releases; managed media relations; fielded constituent calls and inquiries on social media; attended the event; created post-event social media posts; and made multiple updates to website. •The event location was St. David’s Episcopal Church, 16200 W 12 Mile Rd, Southfield, MI 48076. •St. David’s Episcopal Church raised additional funding to purchase gift cards beyond the $5,000 the BOC’s allocation supported. Event Outcome Stats: •224 weapons were collected, including: o 87 long guns o 133 hand guns o 2 assault rifles •8 of the weapons had been stolen 1200 North Telegraph Road | Pontiac, MI 48341 | Phone: (248) 858-0100 | OakGov.com/BOC •$18,800 worth of gift cards were distributed to event participants •$3,500 of gift cards are being kept by the church for future events •St. David’s Episcopal Church and the Southfield Police Department worked with the Michigan State Police to ensure weapons collected from this event will be destroyed. Investments: Time •5 meetings were held prior to the event (internal, with external partners, with PD) •3 BOC meetings – 1 Ad Hoc Committee, 1 Public Health & Safety Committee and 1 Full Board Meeting •4 BOC staff provided support for this event •1 additional BOC staff was assigned to coordinate and process Interlocal Agreement Amendment and work with Purchasing and Accounts Payable to get funding disbursed to municipality in time for event. •1 BOC Comms staff member attended buyback event on 12-9-23 •1 meeting was held post-event (with volunteers and event coordinators), and the BOC communication officer organized several post-event calls for media coordination Funds •$10,000 disbursed from the Safer Communities Fund Input and support was provided by individuals from the following groups and organizations: •St. David’s Episcopal Church •The Southfield Police Department •Various community organizations as coordinated by St. David’s Conclusions: •The event addressed a Safer Communities Ad Hoc initiative. •This event was well attended. •Due to attendance, the number of weapons received and earned media attention, the event was successful. •Investments of time and funding were appropriate. •Community is requesting more events; more than 40 phone calls were fielded by church volunteers regarding when the next event will take place. •Explore MOU with MSP, storage options with OCSO 1200 North Telegraph Road | Pontiac, MI 48341 | Phone: (248) 858-0100 | OakGov.com/BOC Recommendations: 1. A permanent gun buyback program should be set into place as appropriate and possible, following review of the Oakland County Safer Communities Fund. 2. Options to ensure firearms collected during future events are fully destroyed must be explored. 3. Additional attention and effort should be directed toward building additional anti-violence and gun safety initiatives in Oakland County. ### Trinity Gun Disposal Safe Surrender/Buyback Events Trinity Gun Disposal, a ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church, is asking for $10,000 to help underwrite our Saturday, June 15, 2024 buyback at St. David’s, 16200 W. 12 Mile Rd., Southfield, MI Trinity has larger plans this summer, to mobilize communities around the issue of gun disposal by providing a mobile gun disposal service, turning parking lots and grounds at houses of worship into places of peace, connection, and joy. We partner with local faith communities under consultation with local law enforcement to hold these events to dispose of unwanted firearms from the local community. We have 5 other events planned for the summer pending the success of the June 15 event. These include:, June 15 - St. David's, Southfield, July 6 - Pontiac, Location TBA, August 3 - Nativity, Bloomfield, Aug 24 – Detroit, Sept 14- Grace, Mt. Clemens, Oct - Lansing or Waterford Event Description Set up and Site Preparation – Trinity works with each congregation to custom-design an event site plan that includes traffic flow and management, disabling sites, food, hospitality, craft, and other displays. Guest Arrival and Check In – Firearm donors are greeted by volunteers who direct vehicles and collect detailed donor contact information, firearm serial number(s) and type of gun. Donors sign a permission waiver to destroy the firearm(s), and request a ‘thank you’ gift card or piece of gun part artwork. Disabling Stations – Donors are led to the Disabling Stations where trained, gun savvy volunteers remove firearm(s) from vehicle. Firearms are carried to 3-10 power saws at individual stations to be disabled according to Federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF) guidelines. Each disabling station is staffed with 1-2 trained volunteers wearing proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Community Building – Events feature an Artist’s Table for people to create art out of scrap gun parts. There’s also food and entertainment, a Medical area and Spiritual Care area. Legal and Liability Federal Licensing (FFL) - Trinity is in the process of obtaining a Federal Firearm License (FFL application date 2/24). Nonetheless, transfer of firearms does to not occur at our events as the donor is in constant possession of the firearm throughout the process. Law Enforcement Presence – Trinity works to inform and invite local, state, and federal law enforcement to observe, monitor, and participate in its events. Liability Insurance – Trinity provides $1mil/$2mil liability insurance and medical insurance for the duration of the event, covering volunteers, participants, and donors while they are on the property. Trinity Gun Disposal Leadership Team Trinity Gun Disposal is a non-profit ministry of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Southfield, Michigan and stands for Transformation (T), Generous Community (G), and Dynamic Safety (D). According to the University of Michigan Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention, gun ownership in the last generation has increased precipitously, from 200 million guns in the 1990s to upwards of 450 million just 30 years later. Police departments and municipalities are short staffed, stretched for storage space, and lack the ability to take in many of the millions of unwanted guns that are lying around in attics, garages, and dresser drawers. We seek to provide a solution to individuals and entities in disposing of unwanted weapons. Chris Yaw – Chief Volunteer Chris is the rector of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Southfield, Michigan. He has been working on gun safety initiatives since 2021, leading the congregation in 2 successful gun buybacks and a peace march for gun safety. He holds two Masters degrees in theology and a Federal Firearms License (pending). Ben Epstein - Disabling Operations Ben is a carpenter and painter by trade, having worked for several respected companies and in operation of his own construction company. He is responsible for purchase, upkeep, and the safe use of all equipment, including power tools, tables, vices, etc. Ben sees that events are well-equipped with everything needed to physically disable firearms and that the disabling areas of our events are correctly set up and adequately supplied. Mary Bensmiller –Event Hospitality This volunteer is responsible for food, music, and the overall festival nature of the event. This includes working with food providers to set up tables and food service equipment. It includes coordination with other community groups represented at the events. It includes the staffing and facilitation of a Medical Volunteer tent; a volunteer EMT is on hand to help in case of emergency as well as hydration and care for volunteers. This also includes interface with music and/or musicians, making sure they have all they need to create the desired atmosphere. It also includes decoration and arrangement of the music and food areas. Carl Berry – Safety, Security, and Traffic Administration Carl is the retired chief of both the Plymouth and Plymouth Township Police Departments. An Air Force Veteran and life-long gun owner, Carl sees that security personnel, both private security and municipal law enforcement, are in place for each event; that gun clearing barrels are in place; that adequately trained professionals are in place to handle all firearms; that traffic movement is coordinated in a safe and timely manner. Carol Detrisac – Health and Safety Carol is a retired veterinarian pathologist who has spent much of her career in a laboratory where she authored and enforced workplace health and safety codes. She is the author and chief enforcer of our Standard Operating Procedures book Felicity Thompson – Chief Volunteer Spiritual Care Felicity is a seminary student seeking ordination as a priest and oversees the spiritual and perhaps mental care of those who may be adversely affected by guns or gun violence, overseeing an area within the event space dedicated to this care. This includes recruitment and training of volunteer chaplains and mental health workers. Amy Prather and Joann Sackett - Public Relations and Communications Amy is a seasoned media professional, with experience in design, public relations, and communications. Joann is a long-time photographer who has captured images of her church at work, worship, and play for decades. She will be in charge of recording the event with audio, photo, and video and reflecting this in our social media presence. This team is responsible for media liaison, sending out news releases and attracting media to the event as well as overseeing our web presence and web retail presence, creating and regularly updating the website. Carol Detrisac - Treasurer / Gift Cards Carol is a gun safety advocate and dedicated member of St. David’s who will undertake this administrative role that includes the oversight of all the finances of the organization. This includes tracking donations, providing appropriate receipts, generating financial reports, managing disbursements, and generating documents needed to comply with local, state, and federal law. It also includes obtaining and distributing gift cards, and other gifts to firearm donors, during the event. Development - This volunteer helps identify and make contact with potential donors. This includes locating prospects and developing a strategy to interest them in our work. This volunteer works with partner congregations to identify and solicit from local partners at each venue. This volunteer also makes sure donors are adequately thanked. This includes the sending of written or digital “thank-yous” or other means of expressing gratitude. Merchandise and Artist’s Table - This individual oversees the on-site areas of the event: the ‘Merch Market’ Merchandise area where a variety of items are for sale, and the Transformation Tent, where gun remnants are made into artwork by novice or professional artisan, for example, using glue guns, gun parts, and wood planks to spell out words like ‘peace.’ This includes supplying and overseeing areas at the event and keeping inventory of artwork made for sale to others. Advance Team – This volunteer works with congregations well ahead of the event to recruit and train volunteers, raise money, plan publicity, and create momentum for the event. Volunteers are required to take an online training class to prepare for the event.