Explanation
BACKGROUND: The Shawnee Police Department is in need of any surplus/vehicle equipment. Providing the Shawnee Police Department with any equipment would greatly improve their agency’s operations as well as increase officer safety, productivity, and communication. This equipment will give their officers access to basic law enforcement tools resulting in more effective patrols on the throughways connecting their community with ours.
Officer Greg Colarich, Technical Services Bureau within the Division of Police has identified eight (8) Panasonic Toughbooks, four (4) Toughbook Mounts/Stands, four (4) Direction Arrows, four (4) control Boxes, four (4) Siren Boxes, four (4) Center Consoles, four (4) Shotgun Racks, and four (4) Blue & Red Light Bars that can be donated to the Shawnee Police Department. The Panasonic Toughbooks have reached their end-of-life and have since been replaced with new Fujitsu laptops. The Toughbooks currently fail to meet the minimum specifications within the Columbus Division of Police and would offer minimal value to any other City of Columbus agency given the current technology platform already in use throughout the city. The Division of Police and the Department of Technology have no plans to relocate the Toughbooks or their mounts/stands for any future City of Columbus technology initiative. The light bars, control boxes, siren boxes, center consoles, and shotgun racks that are to be donated do not fit the current Columbus Division of Police cruiser platform since the police fleet has been upgraded. Fleet Management has determined that there is no need or plan for future deployment of these light bars.
FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact to the city from the donation of these items.
Title
To authorize and direct the Director of the Department of Public Safety to donate to the Shawnee Police Department Panasonic Toughbooks, Toughbooks Mounts/Stands, Directional Arrows, Control Boxes, Siren Boxes, Center Consoles, Shotgun Racks, and Blue & Red Light Bars which have no further value to the Division of Police; to waive the relevant provisions of Chapter 329 relating to the Sale of City Owned Personal Property; and to declare an emergency.
Body
WHEREAS, the Shawnee Police Department is in need of surplus/vehicle equipment; and
WHEREAS, the Columbus Department of Public Safety, Division of Police, has eight Panasonic Toughbooks, four Toughbooks Mount/Stands, four Directional Arrows, four Control Boxes, four Siren Boxes, four Center Consoles, four Shotgun Racks, and four Blue & Red Light Bars to donate to the Shawnee Police Department; and
WHEREAS, no City of Columbus Government Agency can accept Police out-of-service equipment; and
WHEREAS, this Council finds it to be in the best interest to waive the relevant provisions of Chapter 329 relating to the Sale of City Owned Personal Property; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual and daily operation of the Department of Public Safety in that it is immediately necessary to authorize the Director to donate these items to the Shawnee Police Department for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, property, safety and welfare; now, therefore
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the Director of the Department of Public Safety be and is hereby authorized and directed to donate eight Panasonic Toughbooks, four Toughbooks Mounts/Stands, four Directional Arrows, four Control Boxes, four Siren Boxes, four Center Consoles, four Shotgun Racks, and five Blue & Red Light Bars that have no further value to the Division of Police to the Shawnee Police Department.
SECTION 2. That this Council finds it to be in the best interests of the city to waive the relevant provisions of Chapter 329 of City Code relating to the Sale of City-Owned Personal Property, to permit the donation of these specific police cruiser accessories to the Shawnee Police Department.
SECTION 3. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is hereby declared an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.