Title
An Ordinance authorizing the execution of a grant agreement between the Department of Justice and the City of Lee's Summit for the FY2026 COPS Technology and Equipment Program in the amount of $1,039,000. (F&BC 11/2/26)
Body
Issue/Request:
The COPS Technology and Equipment Program (TEP) provides funding to state, territorial, local, Tribal, and other entities designated under the heading Community Oriented Policing Services, Technology and Equipment Community Projects / COPS Law Enforcement Technology and Equipment in the Congressional Joint Explanatory Statement - Division C, which is incorporated by reference into Public Law 119-74, to develop and acquire effective law enforcement equipment, technologies, and interoperable communications that assist in responding to and preventing crime and expand the implementation of community policing. Equipment funded under this program should meet any applicable requirements of the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Office of Law Enforcement Standards.
In July of 2026, the City applied for this grant, and on September 25th, 2026, the City was approved for the full award of $1,039,000. The Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), administers the grant, and the project period begins January 23, 2027, and ends January 31, 2028.
The Lee’s Summit Police Department requests approval of the grant through this ordinance and authorization to execute the grant agreement.
Background:
The COPS Office Technology and Equipment Program (TEP) grant will allow the department to launch a Drone as First Responder (DFR) program and complete the final piece of a fully functioning Real Time Crime Center. The 2023 no-tax-increase bond election made the RTCC possible, and recent additions of Fusus and other Axon products have already connected live video, alerts, and evidence into a single operational view. TEP funding will place docked drones in strategic locations, and trained personnel inside that center can launch on priority calls, arrive overhead before ground units, and stream real-time video into the same Fusus and Axon environment staff already use. That aerial feed will give dispatchers and responding officers immediate scene size-up, suspect and vehicle tracking, and safer approach information, while closing the gap between fixed cameras and the call for service. Together, the bond-funded RTCC, the new technology platforms, and the TEP-supported DFR program will turn the center from a monitoring hub into a fully integrated response capability that improves officer safety, speeds information to the street, and strengthens crime prevention and community policing without a new local tax.
The expenditures will be made in accordance with the approved grant budget and the requirements of the COPS Office Technology and Equipment Program (TEP). The grant reimburses approved expenditures, and any deviation from the approved award requires prior approval from the Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
Timeline:
Start: January 23, 2027
Finish: January 31, 2028
Proposed City Council Motion:
FIRST MOTION: I move for approval and to advance to the second reading an Ordinance authorizing the execution of a grant agreement between the Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), in the amount of $1,039,000.
SECOND MOTION: I move for adoption of an Ordinance authorizing the execution of a grant agreement between the Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), in the amount of $1,039,000.
Presenter
Travis Forbes, Chief of Police
John Boenker, Deputy Chief
Committee Recommendation
Committee recommends approval of an ordinance authorizing the execution of a grant agreement between the Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), in the amount of $1,039,000.