SUBJECT/RECOMMENDATION:
Title
Approve acceptance of Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Countywide Justice Assistance Grant in the amount of $4,500, for purchase of one ruggedized tablet computer and accessories and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. (consent)
Body
SUMMARY:
Clearwater Police Department (CPD) requests permission to accept a grant from FDLE in the amount of $4,500 for the purchase of one ruggedized tablet computer, a thermal printer, and one extra battery. These items will be utilized by officers assigned to CPD’s District I.
District I includes all of Clearwater Beach, Island Estates and Sand Key, as well as the 50 square miles of waterways that fall under CPD’s jurisdiction. On the water, the department’s Marine Patrol Unit is responsible for law and ordinance enforcement, boater education, marine safety inspections, fisheries violations, vessel accident investigations, emergency response and search and rescue.
District I’s environment presents unique challenges for the patrol officers who work there. Not only are they responsible for patrolling the businesses and hotels located on Clearwater Beach, but also the sandy beaches and the beautiful waterways that are responsible for bringing larger and larger crowds each year.
Officers on the beach are often on foot, riding the sandy beaches in “mules” or on bicycles, or on the Marine Patrol boat. Currently, if police confront a person who has violated either a City ordinance or Florida statute out on the sand or on the water, the officer cannot issue a written citation on the spot, but must escort the individual to a patrol cruiser or call for another officer with a vehicle that has a laptop computer and printer. From an officer safety and efficiency standpoint, the current system is not in the best interest of police or the public. The utilization of a portable tablet computer and printer that the officer can carry on his/her person, ATV, or bicycle will allow the officer to cite a violator on the spot and then resume patrol duties immediately. This will provide much greater coverage of the beach and waterways, making the patrol officers more efficient and providing a safer environment for beachgoers and boaters alike.
There will be 19 patrol officers who will share the use of the tablet and printer. The public, including 8,000 local Clearwater Beach residents and some 954,900 visitors annually, will be the beneficiaries of the more efficient services provided by the Beach and Marine patrol officers.
Grant revenues will be received in the General Fund with all offsetting expenses charged to the Police Department Patrol Supervision funding code 0010-01131-552500-521-000-0000.
There is no mandatory match for this grant.
There will be no direct adverse impact to the Police Department operating budget.
APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT:
Grant revenues will be received in the General Fund with all offsetting expenses charged to the Police Department Patrol Supervision funding code 0010-01131-552500-521-000-0000.
There is no mandatory match for this grant. There will be no direct adverse impact to the Police Department operating budget.
USE OF RESERVE FUNDS: N/A