SR-701-006-03
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Council Meeting: July 11, 2000
JUL 1 1 2000
Santa Monica, California
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Recommendation to Appropriate and Designate Uses of 1999 Local
Law Enforcement Block Grants Funds
INTRODUCTION
This report recommends that the City Council appropriate and designate the use
of grant award funds from the Local Law Enforcement Block Grants Program,
established under the Federal Fiscal Year 1999 Omnibus Appropriations Act.
BACKGROUND
The City of Santa Monica is eligible to receive $262,072 of the Local Law
Enforcement Block Grants program 1999 appropriation, "...to reduce crime and
improve public safety." The City's required match is $29,119. Grantee
obligations include holding a public discussion on proposed use of the funds.
This City Council meeting serves as the required hearing.
The Police Department has identified two uses for the 1999 Federal allocation,
both falling under the category of equipment or technology innovations. The
first use of the funds is to equip two patrol supervisor police vehicles to serve as
mobile command posts.
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The public safety benefit of a mobile command post vehicle is rapid response in
any situation that requires field coordination within the Police Department or with
other City Department such as the Fire Department. Because the vehicles are
part of the daily patrol fleet, they can arrive and be operational within minutes.
By contrast, it may take 45 minutes or more to retrieve, move, and set up the
existing mobile command post van. In a regional emergency, the mobile
command posts can operate independently or in coordination with the main
command post. Equipping these vehicles ensures that sufficient mobile
command posts are available for large-scale operations, or for up to three
simultaneous unrelated field emergencies.
The command post equipment includes a power generator, a radio frequency
scanner, a strobe light with self-contained power supply, a television, and a
control console. The cost to equip two vehicles is $31,001.
The second use of the funds is the purchase of 49 Motorola XTS3500 encrypted
digital police radios to replace a portion of the outmoded analog radios now in
use. The total cost for the 49 units is $260,190.
The radios will be used in conjunction with the newly acquired digital radio
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that was prone to failure. An added benefit to digital radios is they provide for
secure communications.
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The Police Department needs 334 portable digital radios and 85 mobile digital
radios. The Police Department proposes to purchase 49 of the portable units with
the 1999 LLEBG funds, at a per-unit cost of $5,310. In order to have the benefits
of the secure digital infrastructure and radios during the upcoming months an
emergency purchase of 200 portable and 25 mobile radios has been made. This
purchase was authorized based on indications that large-scale events are
planned in the coming months and it is imperative that the digital system and
equipment be fully functional.
BUDGET/FINANCIAL IMPACT
Receipt of the 1999 Local Law Enforcement Block Grant funds is currently
reflected in the revenue section of the City's FY2000-2001 Adopted Budget. In
order to receive the 1999 LLEBG funds, the City must provide local matching
funds in the amount of $29,119. This amount of funding is available in the Police
Department's Fiscal Year 2000-2001 operating budget in Account Number
01304.555250 (Medical Services). To be available for the uses described herein,
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(CiP) accouni.
Following are the expenditure budget changes necessary to authorize use of the
1999 LLEBG funds:
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1. Appropriate $262,072 of 1999 LLEBG funds in Capital Improvement
Project Account #C20053701.589000 (Local Law Enforcement Block
Grant);
2. Transfer the required $29,119 of local matching funds from Account
Number 01304.555250 (Medical Services) to CIP Account Number
C01052701.589000.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council designate the 1999 Local Law
Enforcement Block Grant funds for the two equipment and technology projects
cited above, and approve the above budget changes.
Prepared by: James 1. Butts, Jr., Chief of Police
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