Title
An Ordinance approving an agreement between the City of Lee's Summit, Missouri and Axon Enterprise Inc. for the purchase of Taser 7 conducted energy devices, and authorizing the City Manager to execute the same of on behalf the City. (F&BC 11/1/21)
Body
Issue/Request:
An Ordinance approving an agreement between the City of Lee's Summit, Missouri and Axon Enterprise Inc. for the purchase of Taser 7 conducted energy devices, and authorizing the City Manager to execute the same of on behalf the City
Key Issues:
The existing Taser conducted energy weapons utilized by the Lee's Summit Police Department are antiquated. Many are no longer supported by Taser, which is now Axon Enterprise Inc.
Officers currently carry one of three models of Taser, and each have separate maintenance and cartridge requirements. Replacement parts and cartridges are difficult to find and are expensive to purchase in an a la carte fashion. Some of the devices date back to 2009.
In today's climate, it is essential for officers to have less-than-lethal options for effectively solving encounters without the use of lethal force.
Gathering data from the current Taser devices is also antiquated. Each device must be linked to a computer in order to inspect, update and extract meta-data from the device. This is a time consuming process and requires training that not every officer has.
To acquire a solution to replace our current conducted energy device, research was conducted and it was concluded that Axon is currently the only supplier of conducted energy devices to law enforcement in the United States of America. A sole source justification was completed and forwarded for approval.
Axon currently offers bundles that include the devices, support, warranties, cartridges and training at a yearly cost that is less costly than purchasing these items a la carte.
This ordinance authorizes the City Manager to enter into an agreement with Axon to provide new equipment, support, warranty coverage, training, de-escalation training, cartridges, and wireless maintenance for a five-year subscription.
Proposed City Council Motion:
FIRST MOTION: I move for second reading of An Ordinance approving an agreement between the City of Lee's Summit, Missouri and Axon Enterprise Inc. for the purchase of Taser 7 conducted energy devices, and authorizing the City Manager to execute the same of on behalf the City.
SECOND MOTION: I move for adoption of An Ordinance approving an agreement between the City of Lee's Summit, Missouri and Axon Enterprise Inc. for the purchase of Taser 7 conducted energy devices, and authorizing the City Manager to execute the same of on behalf the City.
Impact/Analysis:
If the City does not upgrade their Taser conducted energy weapons:
1. The department's devices will continue to age. Parts, support, and cartridges will no longer be available for purchase and those that are broken cannot be repaired.
2. The department risks having officers respond to dynamic situations with devices that may or not function.
3. Public trust could diminish if officers do not have a viable less-than-lethal options.
Currently, the police department replaces antiquated Tasers through the PSERP account. There is currently $134,316 in PSERP, which would be applied to the first year's payment. A line item would then be added to the next FY budget to account for the remaining 4 payments of $81,043.01.
Presenter
John Boenker, Deputy Police Chief
Recommendation
Staff recommends approval
Committee Recommendation
A motion was made by Councilmember Edson, seconded by Councilmember Shields, that item TMP-2073 was recommended for approval to the City Council. The motion carried by a unanimous 3-0 vote (Mayor Pro-Tem Lopez "Absent").