SR 02-27-2018 3F
City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: February 27, 2018
Agenda Item: 3.F
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Kenneth Semko, Interim Police Chief, Police Department
Subject: 2017 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 $29,070
from the United States Department of Justice (USDOJ) for the 2017 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 this report.
Executive Summary
The Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) has been awarded a two-year grant of
$29,070 from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
as part of the 2017 Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) grant program. This grant would
reimburse SMPD for 40 percent of the cost of approximately 35 replacement bulletproof
vests purchased under the program. Funds must be spent by August 31, 2020.
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 1999, more than 13,000 jurisdictions have participated in the BVP Program, with
more than $430 million in federal funds committed to support the purchase of over 1.2
million bulletproof vests. The DOJ Office of Justice Programs’ BJA administers the BVP
Program.
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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
the Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing released 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 Department currently provides a vest to every sworn and field
assigned uniformed civilian employee and has a policy mandating that these employees
wear their assigned vests. The City has been a recipient of these grant funds previously
in 2006, 2010 and 2013 - 2016. These grant funds would help SMPD to continue to
meet the mission of providing every law enforcement officer with a bulletproof vest. The
2017 program funding would provide for approximately 35 replacement vests.
Bulletproof vests are on a five-year replacement cycle because of the degradation of the
Kevlar from repetitive use; additionally, body moisture reduces the vest's ability to
maintain the threat level guarantee, a circumstance that voids the manufacturer's
warranty. The current grant award of $29,070 would support the purchase of the vests
through August 2020.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Award of a $29,070 grant from the US Department of Justice Bulletproof Vest
Partnership requires the following FY 2017-18 budget changes:
1. Establish revenue budget at account 20304.403754 in the amount of $29,070.
2. Appropriate $29,070 to account 20304.578854 to reflect receipt of the U.S.
Department of Justice Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant.
3. Funding is available in the amount of $43,729 in account 01304.544020 in the FY
2017 – 18 budget.
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Prepared By: Belen Rojas, Staff Assistant III
Approved
Forwarded to Council