Section 1260.110  Establishing an I SEARCH Unit

a)         Minimum Criteria

To become an I SEARCH Unit eligible for funding under the Act and to become eligible for funding not to exceed 50 percent of the proposed unit's operating budget, the I SEARCH Unit shall:  

1)         Join two or more units of local government within a contiguous geographical area and operate pursuant to intergovernmental contracts written and executed in conformity with the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1985, ch. 127, pars. 741 et seq.)

2)         Designate a primary contact agency;

3)         Establish an I SEARCH policy board;

4)         Designate a financial officer;

5)         appoint an I SEARCH unit director;

6)         Limit its operation to preventing and locating missing children, and preventing and investigating child exploitation.

7)         Cooperate with the Department by providing all information the department deems necessary to fulfill its duties under the Act;

8)         Provide matching funds of 50 percent of the unit's total operating budget.

b)         Procedure

1)         The Department will send a Grant Application and Intergovernmental Agreement to agencies indicating an interest in submitting an application.

2)         A completed I SEARCH Grant Application and Intergovernmental Agreement signed by the authorized official from each participating unit of government shall be filed with the Department.

3)         The I SEARCH Unit will send the original and two copies of the Grant Application and its accompanying Intergovernmental Agreement to I SEARCH, Department of State Police, 201 East Adams, Suite 300, Springfield, Illinois 62701.

c)         Award

1)         The Department shall review the I SEARCH grant application. The review will be conducted to ensure that items included in the grant application are in compliance with this Part and that sufficient fiscal and programmatic information is provided in order to judge the merits of the proposal.

2)         Awards will be based on an assessment of:  

A)        the cost of the program in comparison to size of the area, number of participating units, availability of other resources, and scope of the problem;

B)        the goals of the program given the nature of the problem as described in the grant application;

C)        the likelihood of achieving programmatic goals through the activities described in the grant application;

D)        the ability of the staff to successfully execute the program as indicated by relevant experience and qualifications; and

E)         the availability of grant funds.

3)         The Department will confirm the grant with a Statement of Award and conditions. Such conditions shall not impose requirements beyond those contained in this Part. The authorized official of the primary contact agency will sign this agreement and return it to the Department. It is not official until signed by the Director.

4)         From the monies appropriated annually by the General Assembly for this purpose, the Director shall determine and certify to the Comptroller the amount of the grant to be made to each designated I SEARCH Unit based upon the criteria in subsection (c)(2).

5)         The Director may award discretionary funds for exemplary I SEARCH programs in accordance with the provisions of the Act and based upon the criteria in subsections (c)(1) and (c)(2)(A)-(E).

d)         Monitoring

1)         The Department shall monitor the operations of all I SEARCH Units for compliance with the conditions and fiscal responsibilities as stated in Section 1260.110 of these rules.

2)         Each I SEARCH Unit Director shall submit to the Department quarterly fiscal and activity reports for this purpose as required by Section 1260.250.

3)         The Department shall conduct evaluations of unique or innovative I SEARCH programs to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of the programs.

4)         All records, minutes of meetings, ledgers, journals, correspondence, supporting documentation, and case record information as required by the Department for monitoring and evaluating operations will be made available by I SEARCH Units.

e)         Continuation of Funding

Grants are normally made based on a fiscal year commencing July 1, and closing the following June 30th, or upon such other mutually agreed date. The Department shall review the progress of each I SEARCH Unit during the term of the grant and will consider this progress in a recommendation, to the Director upon reapplication by an I SEARCH Unit according to subsections (c)(1) and (c)(2)(A)-(E) above.

f)          Grant Funds Recovery

Grant awards herein are subject to the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act and any grants which have been misspent or, are being improperly held as determined by the Department through its fiscal monitoring or audit, are subject to recovery pursuant to the procedures provided in the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act.