Primary Department: District Attorney
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Sean Teare, District Attorney
Secondary Department: N/A
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official:
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Grant - Award
Project ID (if applicable): DFI_DA_GY27
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): Texas Office of the Governor/Criminal Justice Division
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable):
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable):
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): 0%
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): Grantor does not allow indirect cost capture
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request by the District Attorney for approval to accept from the Texas Office of the Governor/Criminal Justice Division grant funds in the amount of $430,000, with no required match, for the FY27 District Attorney Testing of Forensic Evidence Grant Program.
end
Background and Discussion:
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office (HCDAO) seeks continued funding under the Testing of Forensic Evidence Grant Program to renew and maintain licenses for our critical digital forensic software platforms. These tools are essential to the lawful extraction, processing, analysis, visualization, and presentation of digital evidence obtained from cell phones, computers, and other digital devices routinely submitted in felony investigations. HCDAO was awarded funds for the grant period, September 1, 2026 - August 31, 2027.
Expected Impact:
Renewal of these software licenses will ensure the Digital Forensics Division (DFD) can sustain its current level of service to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and more than 160 state and federal partner agencies, while keeping pace with rapidly evolving device technologies and security features.
Alternative Options:
This is a crucial funding source for the Digital Forensic Unit. Without it, they would be unable to perform crucial functions for the county’s criminal cases.
County Strategic Plan Goal: 1. Make Harris County safer and more just.
County Strategic Plan Objective: E: Increase efficiency across the legal system.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): E1: Modernize data and technology architecture across the legal system.
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): Choose an item.
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): Choose an item.
Health Initiative (Goal 4): Choose an item.
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): Choose an item.
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): Choose an item.
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
Prior Court Action (if any):
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Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
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01/29/26 |
149 |
Request to Apply (Approved) |
Location:
Address (if applicable):
Precinct(s): Countywide
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Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
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Service Name |
FY27 District Attorney Testing of Forensic Evidence Grant Program |
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Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
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Total Funding Sources |
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Grants - Proposed Budget (For Grants Items only) |
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Local Match Source - Existing Budget: Choose an item. |
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1 |
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Local Match Source - Additional Budget Request: Choose an item. |
$ |
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Grant Funds Applied for/Awarded (Total) |
$ |
$430,000 |
$430,000.00 |
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Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new Position Control Numbers (PCN)s) |
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Current Position Count for Service |
0 |
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Additional Positions Request |
0 |
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Total Personnel |
0 |
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County Attorney’s Office Legal Review (for Harris County Code Items only) |
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CAO Reviewer Name and Title |
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CAO Review Completion Date |
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Anticipated Court Date: 9/17/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): 10/1/2026
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Kevin Le, Finance Assistant Director, District Attorney’s Office
Attachments (if applicable): Notice of Award, Budget Template