SR 10-25-2016 3K
Ci ty Council
Report
City Council Meeting : October 25, 2016
Agenda Item: 3.K
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Jacqueline Seabrooks, Police Chief , Police Department
Subject: 2016 Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Authorize the City Manager to accept a grant awarded in the amount of
$7,710.68 from the United States Department of Justice (US DOJ) for the 2016
Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) grant ;
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary documents to accept the
grant ; and
3. Authorize budget changes as outlined in the Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
section of th e report.
Executive Summary
The Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) has been awarded a two -year grant of
$7,710 .68 from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Justice Administra tion
(BJA) as part of the 2016 Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) grant program. This grant
would reimburse SMPD for 50 percent of the cost of approximately twenty replacement
bulletproof vest s purchased under the program. Funds must be spent by August 31, 2018.
Discussion
The Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP), created by the Bulletproof Vest Partnership
Grant Act of 1998, is a unique U .S . Department of Justice initiative designed to provide
a critical resource to state and local law enforcement.
Since 1 999, more than 13,000 jurisdictions have participated in the BVP Program, with
more than $412 million in federal funds committed to support the purchase of an
estimated 1.2 million bulletproof vests. The Office of Justice Programs BJA administers
the BVP P rogram.
Bulletproof vests save lives by protecting officers from gunfire. The vests are an
important resource for officer safety, which was one of the six main pillars identified in
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the Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21 st Century Policing r eleased in
2015. The report states that every law enforcement officer should be provided with a
bulletproof vest and that all law enforcement agencies should adopt policies that require
officers to wear bulletproof vests.
The Santa Monica Police Departme nt currently provides a vest to every law
enforcement officer and has a policy mandating that officers wear the vests. The City
has been a recipient of these grant funds previously in 2006, 2010 and 2013 - 2015.
These grant funds would help SMPD to continu e to meet the mission of providing every
law enforcement officer with a bulletproof vest. The 2016 program funding would
provide for approximately 20 replacement vests. Bulletproof vests are on a three year
replacement cycle because of the degradation of t he Kevlar from repetitive use;
additionally, body moisture reduces the vest's ability to maintain the threat level
guaranteed, a circumstance that voids the manufacturer's warranty. The current grant
award of $7,710 .68 would support the purchase of the ves ts through August 2018 .
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Award of a $7,710 .68 grant from the US Department of Justice Bulletproof Vest
Partnership requires the following FY 2016 -17 budget changes:
1. Establish revenue budget at account 20304.403753 i n the amount of $7,710.68.
2. Appropriate $7,710.68 to account 20304.578853 to reflect receipt of the US
Department of Justice Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant.
Prepared By: Nicole Bustamante, Senior Administrative Analyst
Approved
Forwarded to Co uncil