ACTION REQUESTED:
Title
Communication from the City Manager and the Chief of Police with a Request for the Following:
A. ADOPT An ORDINANCE Amending the City of Peoria 2019 REVISED BUDGET Relating to the Capital Fund to Recognize the Receipt of an EDWARD BYRNE MEMORIAL JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT (JAG) and the Corresponding Expenditures, in the Amount of $63,633.00 (Requires Super Majority Vote)
B. APPROVE a SOLE SOURCE PURCHASE of Twenty (20) Pico Ballistic Body Armor Vests for the Peoria Police Department Special Response Team (SRT) Duty Use from TYR TACTICAL BODY ARMOR, in the Amount of $36,954.21.
Body
BACKGROUND: The City of Peoria received notification of available funding under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program in the amount of $63,633.00. This JAG Program allows states and units of local government the opportunity to improve services through a range of activities aimed at preventing and controlling crime and improving the law enforcement component of the criminal justice system. The funding is an entitlement based on a Federal legislative formula using population, crime statistics and law enforcement expenditure data. The jurisdiction of Peoria has been certified by the Department of Justice as a “zero-county’ disparate jurisdiction and therefore must submit a joint application for the aggregate funds allotted them. A disparate jurisdiction occurs when a City is eligible for a “direct award” and the County is not, yet the County is responsible for providing criminal justice service such as prosecution and incarceration. The Peoria Police Department on behalf of the City of Peoria and the County of Peoria completed the application by the proscribed Department of Justice deadline. As in past years, the allotted amount will be shared by the City and County of Peoria per a long-standing mutual agreement based on operational costs of prosecution and incarceration. The JAG 2018 funding will provide the City of Peoria $36,907.14 and the County of Peoria $26,725.86.There is no matching of funds required for this award.
The Peoria Police Department is seeking approval to purchase twenty level three bullet proof vest for the Special Response Team. The City of Peoria’s Special Response Team (SRT) unit is a tactical unit that is trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the normal duties of regular officers. Their duties include performing hostage rescues and counter-terrorism operations, serving high risk arrest and search warrants, subduing barricaded suspects, and engaging heavily-armed criminals.
Due to the high-risk tasks performed by the SRT members, body armor must meet the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Type 3A threat level and certification.
With the current vests used by the City of Peoria SRT members exceeding their useful life of five (5) years, a wear test was done to find a replacement. Three manufacturers were contacted including Tyr Tactical, Crye Precision and Armor Express. Two of these companies provided samples for wear test, including Try and Crye. The wear test was conducted over several months with comfort, mobility, weight, quality, and fit being the main components.
The TyR Pico was chosen not only for its comfort, mobility weight, quality, and fit but it provided three extremely important advantages other vest did not. The vest includes a variety of proprietary features, including their TYR-HA3/7 Level III+ Hard Armor Plate, Integrated Ballistic System design and XFrame Design for weight distribution.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The disparate jurisdictions of the City and County of Peoria will receive $63,633 for the improvement and updating of necessary law enforcement equipment. The use of grant funds for these initiatives frees up limited local dollars for other uses.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS: None identified at this time.
IMPACT IF APPROVED: The City and County of Peoria will receive $63,633.00 in Federal funds to provide Peoria Police Officers with the equipment necessary for their protection from great bodily harm or death.
IMPACT IF DENIED: If denied, the City and County of Peoria will lose $63,633.00 of law enforcement entitlement monies from the U.S. Department of Justice. Such loss may result in the denial and/or decrease of entitlement funds in future fiscal years. The Peoria Police Officers will not have the equipment necessary to carry out their duties as law enforcement officers in the City of Peoria.
ALTERNATIVES: N/A
EEO CERTIFICATION NUMBER: 03518-200331
WHICH OF THE GOALS IDENTIFIED IN THE COUNCIL’S 2017 - 2032 STRATEGIC PLAN DOES THIS RECOMMENDATION ADVANCE?
1. Safe Peoria
2. Financially Sound City
WHICH CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR(S) FROM THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DOES THIS RECOMMENDATION IMPLEMENT?
1. Have an efficient government.
2. Reduce crime.
DEPARTMENT: Police