HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 10/02/2007 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 107, 2007, APPROPRI ITEM NUMBER: 12
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY DATE: October 2, 2007
FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL STAFF: Jerry Schiager
SUBJECT
First Reading of Ordinance No. 107, 2007, Appropriating Unanticipated Grant Revenue and Prior
Year Reserves in the General Fund to Purchase an Armored Rescue Vehicle for Police Services.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The City has received the following combination of three funding sources specifically for the
purchase of this vehicle:
2005 Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program $ 64,888
2005 State Homeland Security Program $ 12,755
Larimer County Drug Task Force seized assets of
narcotics offenders 48,000
Total $125,643
The total vehicle cost including shipping is $203,529. The remaining balance of$77,886 will be
paid from Police Services operating budget.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Police Services has applied for federal grant funding to purchase an armored rescue vehicle for the
past three years and has recently been awarded funding for over 60% of the expense. This vehicle
will significantly improve the safetyof citizens and police officers in encounters with armed suspects
by giving police the ability to move people out of dangerous areas,block armed offenders from the
ability to shoot at citizens,and safely transport police officers on their approach to dangerous scenes.
The vehicle is very professional in appearance and resembles a small ambulance,which is preferable
in this environment to a military-looking armored personnel carrier. It will be routinely deployed
on high risk police operations to increase the margin of safety for citizens and police officers.
October 2, 2007 -2- Item No. 12
BACKGROUND
The Police Services SWAT Team responds to a variety of high-risk incidents including assisting
neighboring jurisdictions. The Team is deployed 30-50 times per year to serve high risk narcotics
warrants, respond to armed suspects who are threatening the safety of citizens and resolve an
occasional hostage situation. The need to have a resource for moving people in a vehicle that would
protect the occupants from gunfire and explosives has been recognized for several years. This
includes moving citizens from dangerous areas, evacuating injured police officers or citizens from
the line of fire, and deploying SWAT officers on high risk operations.
Over the past few years the Team has responded to several situations in which this vehicle would
have provided a significant margin of safety for police officers and citizens. These include a suspect
sitting on the hill at City Park with an assault rifle, a suicidal young Marine in Loveland who was
sitting on the curb of a subdivision with a rifle, a suicidal suspect with a shotgun stopped in his
vehicle in Campus West, armed suspects who shot at police from a rural house, an armed suspect
on the patio of a restaurant overlooking the mall and a suspect firing a handgun in front of a house
in a south Fort Collins neighborhood. In each of these incidents, the ability to move a vehicle
capable of protecting police officers and citizens from gunfire into the area would have been of great
assistance in safely resolving the situation. In addition, the vehicle offers protection to responders
in situations involving explosives threats.
Staff has researched many ways to meet this need including obtaining a surplus military vehicle,
refurbishing a used bank truck and purchasing a new vehicle from a number of different
manufacturers. The vehicle that is requested is the Lenco BearCat,which is commercially made for
this purpose. It is small and maneuverable and has a very professional appearance. It looks more
like a small ambulance than a military vehicle. It has no weapons mounted on it and can be easily
driven on city streets without creating the appearance of a military operation. The vehicle is built
on a Ford F550 chassis and has a steel body capable of defeating any normally available firearm
ammunition or explosive. It is four-wheel drive, enabling it to be maneuverable on many types of
terrain. It will hold 10 people inside on side benches and can also be used to transport a medical
stretcher. The manufacturer has built hundreds of these vehicles for police departments and
government agencies around the country.
This vehicle will greatly improve the safety of police officers and citizens in this small corner of an
increasingly dangerous society. City Council approval of this Ordinance will allow Police Services
to take advantage of outside funding for the purchase of this needed resource.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Photo of Lenco BearCat.
ATTACHMENT 1
The • BearCat
00
foo
1000
00
0000
lk
j
A ` �
9
ORDINANCE NO. 107, 2007
OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS
APPROPRIATING UNANTICIPATED GRANT REVENUE AND PRIOR
YEAR RESERVES IN THE GENERAL FUND TO PURCHASE AN ARMORED
RESCUE VEHICLE FOR POLICE SERVICES
WHEREAS, Fort Collins Police Services has identified a need for a vehicle with the
capability to move and protect people from injury resulting from gunfire or explosives; and
WHEREAS,the Fort Collins Police Services Special Weapons and Tactics Team is deployed
30 to 50 times a year to serve high risk narcotics warrants, respond to armed suspects who are
threatening the safety of Fort Collins citizens and to resolve occasional hostage situations; and
WHEREAS,Police Services has applied for federal grant funding from the Law Enforcement
Terrorism Prevention Program and the State Homeland Security Program the past three years and
has received two grants (the"Federal Grants") to purchase an armored rescue vehicle; and
WHEREAS,the chosen armored rescue vehicle is beingpurchased through a federal General
Services Administration contract and its total cost, including shipping, is $203,529; and
WHEREAS, the following funding sources have been identified:
2005 Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program Grant $ 64,888
2005 State Homeland Security Program Grant $ 12,755
Larimer County Drug Task Force Reserves $ 48,000
2007 Police Operating Budget S77.886
Total $203,529
and
WHEREAS,the Federal Grants and the Larimer County Drug Task Force Reserves need to
be appropriated for expenditure; and
WHEREAS,Article V, Section 9,of the Charter of the City of Fort Collins permits the City
Council to make supplemental appropriations by ordinance at any time during the fiscal year,
provided that the total amount of such supplemental appropriations,in combination with all previous
appropriations for that fiscal year, does not exceed the current estimate of actual and anticipated
revenues to be received during the fiscal year; and
WHEREAS, City staff have determined that the appropriation of the Federal Grants as
described herein will not cause the total amount appropriated in the General Fund to exceed the
current estimate of actual and anticipated revenues to be received in that fund during any fiscal year;
and
WHEREAS,Article V, Section 9,of the Charter permits the City Council to appropriate by
ordinance at any time during the fiscal year such funds for expenditure as may be available from
reserves accumulated in prior years, notwithstanding that such reserves were not previously
appropriated.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT
COLLINS as follows:
Section 1. That there is hereby appropriated from unanticipated grant revenue in the
General Fund the sum of SEVENTY-SEVEN THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED FORTY-THREE
DOLLARS ($77,643) for expenditure in the General Fund to purchase an armored rescue vehicle.
Section 2. That there is hereby appropriated from prior year reserves in the General Fund
the sum of FORTY-EIGHT THOUSAND DOLLARS($48,000)for expenditure in the General Fund
to purchase an armored rescue vehicle.
Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 2nd day of
October, A.D. 2007, and to be presented for final passage on the 16th day of October, A.D. 2007.
Mayor
ATTEST:
Chief Deputy City Clerk
Passed and adopted on final reading on the 16th day of October, A.D. 2007.
Mayor
ATTEST:
City Clerk