SR 05-24-2016 3J
City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: May 24, 2016
Agenda Item: 3.J
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Jacqueline Seabrooks, Police Chief, Police Department
Subject: Purchase of a Specialized Response Vehicle for the Police Department
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a contract with Lenco
Industries, Inc., a Massachusetts-based company, for the purchase of a
Specialized Response Vehicle. This recommended award is made as an
exception to the competitive bidding process pursuant to Section 2.24.080 (b)
and is for a total amount not to exceed $316,701.
2. Authorize budget changes as outlined in the Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
section of this report.
Executive Summary
The global fight against terrorism continues both internationally and locally. Events
such as the Boston Marathon bombing and the recent San Bernardino terrorist attack
demonstrate that an incident of terrorism can happen anywhere. Additionally, the spree
shooting incident, which occurred in Santa Monica on June 7, 2013, brought home the
importance of well-trained and appropriately equipped first response personnel. The
Police Department continues to train its officers to be prepared to respond to a variety of
potential incidents. The Department also continually reviews and assesses its
emergency response inventory to ensure the proper equipment is in place and is readily
available should the need arise. The Police Department has identified the need to
replace a decades old emergency response vehicle with a more contemporary
specialized response vehicle. The proposed vehicle would enable first response
personnel to enter highly dangerous and dynamic environments to rescue members of
the public or downed officers with minimal risk.
The proposed specialized response vehicle would be constructed by Lenco Industries,
Inc. Lenco Industries, Inc. has built hundreds of specialized response vehicles and is
widely regarded as an industry leader in the construction of these vehicles. Lenco
Industries, Inc. provides different options which allow the custom design of the vehicle
to meet current and future Police Department needs. Based upon the proposed design
and the ability to purchase the vehicle using competitive pricing from a pre-existing GSA
contract, staff recommends award of the contract to Lenco Industries, Inc. in the amount
of $316,701.
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Background
Recent events of terrorism and mass shootings have highlighted the need for local law
enforcement to be well prepared to respond to those incidents which pose a substantial
threat to public safety.
Specialized response vehicles provide law enforcement with a unique tool to better
protect the public. Last year, the tragic events in San Bernardino, California
demonstrated the value of these specialized response vehicles. These vehicles can be
used to evacuate members of the public or, if necessary, rescue injured members of the
public or officers during incidents involving active shootings. During the San Bernardino
incident, the world watched live images of local law enforcement agencies using various
specialized rescue vehicles to rescue members of the public who were trapped in
offices during an extremely dangerous, evolving situation; these vehicles were also
instrumental in enabling the officers to safely engage and stop the threat posed by
heavily armed suspects who were intent on committing more mayhem even as they
attempted to escape. Specialized response vehicles can be used to safely deliver
officers, medical personnel, and needed life-safety equipment to those areas where in-
progress shooting or other mass casualty incident is occurring. The use of a
specialized response vehicle under these circumstances enables a rapid response
while minimizing the risk of injury or death to responding public safety personnel. In
addition to the tactical benefits, these vehicles are often equipped to detect Chemical,
Biological, Radiologic, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) materials thereby enabling first
response personnel to enter affected areas that would otherwise be inaccessible
without significant risk.
In 2006, the Police Department obtained a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle
(HMMWV), commonly referred to as a Humvee, through what was then known as the
Department of Defense, Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office (DRMO) program.
The program enabled the military to transfer surplus equipment that would otherwise not
be available or would be cost prohibitive for local law enforcement agencies to acquire.
The Police Department obtained the used vehicle and modified it to maximize its
usefulness as an urban rescue and transport vehicle. As the vehicle has aged,
replacement parts have become more difficult and more costly to obtain, resulting in the
vehicle being out of service for extended periods of time.
As a result of th challenges and its inconsistent
availability, the Police Department has routinely resorted to borrowing specialized
response vehicles from either the Beverly Hills Police Department or the South Bay
Police Group. Over time, borrowing specialized response vehicles from other agencies
has resulted in the delayed deployment of specialized resources and the occasional
need to defer police action, circumstances which have the distinct potential to increase
the risk to community safety.
On March 22, 2016, Council approved acceptance of the 2015 Urban Area Security
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Initiative (UASI) grant in the amount of $200,000 for the partial funding of the
specialized response vehicle. An amendment will be forthcoming for supplemental
2015 UASI grant funding in the amount of $10,000 for a total funding amount of
$210,000.
Discussion
A specialized response vehicle would provide the Police Department with the ready
capability to enter a variety of dangerous or hazardous situations while also providing
the appropriate level of protection for the first response personnel. This vehicle can
also serve in a rescue capacity, allowing public safety personnel to enter dangerous
situations in order to render aid by extracting downed officers or injured citizens who
cannot get to safety.
The proposed vehicle would be able to transport up to 12 first response personnel,
including paramedics. This heavy-duty, wheeled vehicle, constructed with ballistic
materials capable of withstanding high-capacity rifle fire, would be used to enter those
dynamically evolving circumstances constituting a direct and immediate threat to public
safety. The proposed vehicle would also be fully equipped to detect CBRNE materials
thereby enabling emergency services personnel to safely enter an area to mitigate a
potential threat associated with dangerous materials.
The proposed vehicle, funded in part by the 2015 Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI)
grant, would be considered a regional asset to be operated by first response
personnel in accordance with established mutual aid response protocols which require a
response to critical incidents occurring in neighboring communities.
Vendor/Consultant Selection
Staff recommends Lenco Industries, Inc., furnish and deliver a state-of-the-art
specialized response vehicle as an exception to the competitive bidding process; this is
a piggyback purchase from the GSA contract. This item has already been competitively
bid by another governmental agency or is part of cooperative purchasing with another
agency, where the item or services are supplied at the same price or better.
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Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
The contract to be awarded to Lenco Industries, Inc., is for an amount not to exceed
$316,701. In addition to funds of $200,000 available in CIP account C209139.589000,
award of the contract requires a budget transfer of $116,701 from account
01304.544010 to CIP account C01xxxx.589000: The contract will be charged to the
following accounts:
C209139.589000 $200,000
C01xxxx.589000 $116,701
TOTAL $316,701
Prepared By:
Neela Patel, Senior Administrative Analyst
Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. March 22, 2016 Staff Report (WebLink)
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