SR-205-007 (7)
PD:JTB:EU:F:\police\share\staffrpt\Comm Equip Donation
Council Meeting: 08/14/01 Santa Monica, California
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: James T. Butts, Jr., Chief of Police
SUBJECT: Donation of Used Handheld Radios, Mobile Radios and Mobile Data
Terminals to Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police
Apprehension Crime Task Force (LA IMPACT), Santa Monica High
School, and Compton Unified School District Police Department.
Introduction
This report recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to donate
120 handheld radios and 90 mobile radios no longer needed by the Police
Department to the Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension
Crime Task Force, 10 handheld radios to Santa Monica High School, and 30 used
Police Department mobile data terminals (MDT) to the Compton Unified School
District Police Department.
Background
The Santa Monica Police Department and the Los Angeles Interagency
Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force have worked in a close
partnership for a number of years to the advantage of the entire County of Los
Angeles. Currently, the Police Department is looking at ways to better assist the
task force to maintain its high impact on crime in the County of Los Angeles.
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The Compton Unified School District is just emerging from financial difficulty and
state oversight. The district is unable to obtain funding to purchase MDTs for their
data network.
The Santa Monica Police Department previously donated 15 handheld radios to
Santa Monica High School to improve school security.
Discussion
The Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force
is constantly looking for ways to reduce costs to member agencies. Mobile radios
are needed for their vehicle fleet and handheld radios are needed for the members
that make up the task force.
Qualified school district police departments are authorized by the California
Department of Justice to access information through the California Law
Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS). The Compton Unified School
District Police Department has only one dispatcher on duty during their hours of
peak activity. The staffing level limits the number of field inquiries that may be
requested over their radio network. The addition of MDTs to their existing data
network would conserve their dispatch and radio network resources by giving field
personnel direct access to wants, warrants, and DMV information.
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Santa Monica High School has 250 staff members. The additional donation of
handheld radios this year will enhance supervision of 3,100 students on a campus
that consists of thirteen buildings on thirty-two acres in a high traffic area.
The donation of communications equipment no longer needed or used by the Santa
Monica Police Department will provide these organizations with an additional
resource to promote school and public safety and maintain effective law
enforcement operations.
The equipment recommended for donation uses outdated technology. The
handheld and mobile radios are from 5 to 10 years old. They are analog radios that
are not compatible with the Police Department’s new digital equipment. The MDTs
are from 5 to 7 years old. Because they are terminals and not fully functional
computers, they do not communicate with the newer message switcher used by the
Premier MDCs and the Premier Reporting system.
Budget/Financial Impact
This recommendation will result in minimal financial impact since the resale value of
the equipment to be donated is nominal. At $25 each, the total value of the radios
recommended for donation is estimated to be $5,500. At $100 each, the total
values of the MDTs recommended for donation is estimated to be $3,000. The
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annual cost of storage for this unused equipment exceeds the total value of the
equipment.
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to donate used
Police Department communications equipment to the Los Angeles Interagency
Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force, Santa Monica High School,
and the City of Compton Unified School District Police Department.
Prepared by: James T. Butts, Jr., Chief of Police
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