REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
March 30, 2023
FROM: PACO BALDERRAMA, Chief of Police
Office of the Chief, Police Department
BY: MINDY CASTO, Police Deputy Chief
Support Division, Police Department
SUBJECT
Title
Authorize the Chief of Police to enter into a cooperative purchase agreement between the City of Fresno and Motorola Solutions to purchase Motorola APX 8000 all-band portable police radios and related accessories in an amount not to exceed $220,000 for use by the Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) and other specialized tactical units.
Body
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the council authorize the Chief of Police to enter into a cooperative purchase agreement with Motorola Solutions to purchase Motorola APX 8000 all-band portable police radios and related accessories in an amount not to exceed $220,000 for use by the Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) and other specialized tactical units.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Currently, the Fresno Police Department SWAT Team is using portable radios made by Harris Communications. The radios were purchased in January 2011 through the Public Safety Interoperability Communications (PSIC) grant program and originally purchased for the multi-band capability should there be an emergency need for a multi-agency operation. It is necessary for allied agencies to have the capability to communicate with one another in the event of an emergency such as a natural disaster, terrorist attack, or special tactical operation. As the largest metropolitan agency in Central California, the Fresno Police Department SWAT Team requires the ability to communicate in real time with our partner local, state and federal agencies.
Over the past few years, the Harris radios have been failing at increasing rate. The failure hasn’t occurred instantaneously, but rather at a slow pace. Over the past year, SWAT radios have experienced more frequent inaudible radio transmissions, delaying the relay of critical decision-making information. The weakening radio transmissions have compromised the overall safety of the officers and the public, eroded the defensibility for SWAT actions, and caused SWAT officers to resort to suboptimal cellular communication. These communication failures and delays have served to compromise the SWAT team’s efficiency, effectiveness, and safety.
The Harris radios are beyond their service life and no longer are supported by Harris Communications.
The Purchasing Division has approved the use of a cooperative purchase agreement with Motorola Solutions for the purchase of Motorola APX 8000 all-band portable police radios and related accessories. The cooperative purchase is authorized through a competitively solicited cooperative procurement process administered by the Houston-Galveston Area Council Cooperative Purchasing Program.
BACKGROUND
The Fresno Police Department (FPD) patrol officers currently use the Kenwood NX5300K2 UHF 450-520 Mhz single-band portable radio. These radios are not conducive for multi-disciplinary and multi-jurisdictional large-scale incidents.
The Fresno Police Department is seeking City Council authorization to purchase Motorola APX 8000 all-band radios for the SWAT Team and other specialized tactical units. Ensuring clear, dependable communication for the SWAT team will serve to minimize risk to the City and support the Department’s mission of public safety. This radio is already in use by the Department with some of the tactical teams and its capability meets the demands of SWAT. The Motorola APX 8000 is a proven police radio and considered an industry standard within law enforcement. There is an existing 17724-Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC (TX)) cooperative purchase agreement for this purchase.
The Purchasing Division has approved the use of a cooperative purchase agreement for this procurement.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
Pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378, this item is not a project for the purposes of CEQA.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not implemented because this is a cooperative purchase through the H-GAC.
FISCAL IMPACT
The cost to purchase the Motorola APX 8000 all-band radios and accessories will have no fiscal impact to the FY 23 General Fund budget as appropriations from the existing grant budgets will be used for the purchase in an amount not to exceed $220,000.
Attachment:
17724-H-GAC (TX) Contract
Solicitation Number: RA05-21
RA05-21 Proposal Tab Summary
Legal Ad-Houston Chronicle RA05-021
RA05-21 Board Report