HomeMy WebLinkAboutC15. JAG Grant
Commission Memorandum
REPORT TO: Honorable Mayor and City Commission
FROM: Rich McLane, Deputy Chief of Police
Chris Kukulski, City Manager
SUBJECT: FY 16 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant MEETING DATE: June 20, 2016
AGENDA ITEM TYPE: Consent
RECOMMENDATION: Approve Justice Assistance Grant Application to the Bureau of Justice in the amount of $15,155.
BACKGROUND: On May 16, 2016, the Bureau of Justice Assistance announced the Bozeman
Police Department was eligible for an Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG)
in the amount of $15,155.
The use of JAG funds will support a project within the Bozeman Police Department to enhance
the safety of our officers and community. A brief project narrative is attached.
FISCAL EFFECTS: Approval of this proposal will have no adverse impacts on the current
Police Department budget. Matching funds are not required by the funding agency.
ALTERNATIVES: As suggested by the City Commission.
Attachments: Project Narrative
Report compiled: June 1, 2016
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PROJECT TITLE: City of Bozeman – 2016 Officer plate carrier Protection and Response vests
PROJECT NARRATIVE:
The City of Bozeman is requesting $15,155 from the FY 2016 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program. The Department of Justice has determined that
the City meets the criteria for agency funds in an allocated amount of $15,155. The City
of Bozeman is located in Gallatin County in the State of Montana.
These funds fall primarily under the JAG program area of law enforcement and partly under the program area of technology improvement. These funds fall into the following Project
Identifiers:
• Body Armor – ballistic resistance
• Equipment – tactical
• Officer Safety
• Violence/violent crime
Under this proposal each marked patrol unit would be equipped with a vest plate carrier.
These carriers will contain a front and back hard armor plates. Existing additional AR-15 magazines and medical kits will be attached to the carriers. Currently, there is not a uniform way patrol officers are equipping themselves when
responding to higher-threat situations. The body armor worn by our patrol officers
currently provides basic ballistic protection and is sufficient for day-to-day operations. Patrol officers often respond to situations in which the threat encountered exceeds the ballistic protection provided by basic body armor (level IIIA).
Many officers have personally purchased “go bags” or “bail out bags” and equipped them
with rifle magazines, pistol magazines, medical kits and other equipment. While this fits a need to carry extra ammunition and supplies for a major incident, these over-the-shoulder bags can be cumbersome as they swing around the body as officers move and accessing
spare magazines quickly during reloads is often difficult.
Over the past two years, all officers have received basic training needed to medically treat life-threatening wounds to themselves and fellow officers. This effort has been well supported by the department and each patrol car is now equipped with medical kits
containing the necessary supplies. While useful, they are not being used to their full
intended purpose, as patrol officers are not able to regularly take the kits with them as they
respond to incidents, particularly higher risk situations. In talking with many officers, this
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is a result of remembering to grab “one more thing” under stress, as they are likely
deploying with their rifle, go-bag, etc. While having the kits in patrol cars is useful, time
is critical when dealing with significant blood loss and depending on the situation, officers
may not be able to return to their cars to retrieve the kits if they are needed. Equipping each patrol car with a plate carrier outfitted with AR-15 magazine pouches and
attaching the medical kits will address many issues currently facing officers responding to
higher-threat situations. Carriers would be placed in the front seat of each patrol car,
providing for the following benefits:
• The enhanced ballistic protection would provide officers with protection not
currently offered by their patrol body armor (level IV versus IIIA).
• Each carrier would be equipped with a magazine pouch configuration
capable of carrying two rifle magazines and two pistol magazines.
• The spare AR-15 magazine would be stored on the carrier, so the location
would be consistent between cars and available when needed. Access to the
magazine would be much quicker than from cargo pockets, go-bags, etc.
• Current medical kits from the patrol cars will be attached to the carriers.
• Carriers can be quickly donned through the use of side-release buckles on
either side of the carrier. Shoulder and side straps are adjustable to meet
different stature types. Carriers can then be taken off at the conclusion of an
incident without affecting uniform appearance.
Options for ballistic plates vary widely in cost and benefits. The carriers we intend to
purchase for this project are level III stand-along polyethylene plates, certified at the NIJ
06 standard. When used over soft armor currently worn on patrol, level IV protection is achieved. The weight of the polyethylene plate is 3.9 lbs. (7.8 lbs. per carrier).
Considerations for lower weight and lower maintenance are also part of the decision to
purchase polyethylene plates over other options.
Deployment/reporting plan
Award Date: Acceptance of award done Award Date + 30 days: Plate carriers ordered (JAG funds). Extra magazines and/or supplies for medical kits ordered if needed at that time (local funds). Award Date + 60 days: All items received and deployed to patrol vehicles.
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Award Date + 90 days: All patrol officers trained to use plate carriers through shift briefings, field use and supervisor oversight. Project completion expected.
Data Collection: All updates reported by project manager through BJA PMT with quarterly and final report. Any successes or improvements through use of the plate carriers will be gathered by the project manager and reported accordingly.
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