Title
Consider and take action on a resolution authorizing the submission of a grant application to the Governor's Office to seek funding through the FY2025 State Homeland Security Grant (SHSP) to support the League City Police Department’s EOD Team with needed equipment and authorizing the acceptance of such a grant if awarded (Chief of Police)
Background:
Approval of this item will the League City Police Department to submit a grant proposal to the Governor's Office to seek funding through FY2025 State Homeland Security Grant (SHSP) to support the League City Police Department’s EOD Team with needed equipment.
The Office of the Governor is soliciting grant applications through the State Homeland Security Program (Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Activities). According to the grant announcement, "This solicitation is to support state, tribal and local preparedness activities that continue to build laws enforcement capabilities to prevent terrorist attacks and provide law enforcement and public safety communities with funds to support critical prevention and protection activities.”
The League City Police Department is requesting this approval to submit a grant package estimated at approximately $125,000 for purchasing a truck specifically designed to support Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) operations. Cost breakdown:
• Truck (Ford F350) - Approx. $85,000
• Emergency Equipment (Emergency Lighting/Radio/Install) - Approx. $15,000
• Bed Cover and Equipment Pullout specifically designed for EOD ops and installation - Approx. $25,000
If approved for submission, this proposal will go toward the continued effort to equip a current bomb technician assigned to the Bay Area Regional Bomb Squad (BARBS) with a needed vehicle, closing a gap in response capabilities. When responding to incidents, our bomb technicians must have certain equipment and gear readily available. Standard police vehicles do not have the capacity to haul the weight of the gear and equipment necessary to mitigate extremely dangerous and deadly devices.
The item requested in this grant is a 2025 Ford F-350 truck equipped with a custom-designed and purpose-built bed storage system suited for EOD operations. This vehicle would provide the bomb technician with the ability to respond with all the necessary equipment available to them for the initial identification and mitigation of explosive-related threats, minimizing the response time. Currently, bomb technicians must respond to the Police Department prior to responding to the actual scene. This unnecessarily adds time to their response. Additionally, this vehicle would also allow the tech to transport the Total Containment Vessel (TCV) and EOD response trailer to scenes of higher explosives threats. The TCV is an explosive hazard mitigation trailer that weighs approximately 13,000 pounds, designed to withstand a detonation of up to 15 pounds of C4. The TCV is utilized to transport IEDs, military munitions, or other explosive material through a neighborhood, city, or critical infrastructure safely. If a detonation were to occur while in transit, the TCV could contain the blast, overpressure, and fragmentation, preventing the loss of life and damage to surrounding property.
This grant does not require any matching funds but does require that the City of League City initially pay for the truck and the associated equipment and seek reimbursement for that cost from the State. Once purchased, all insurance, maintenance, and operating costs will be the responsibility of the City/Police Department.
Attachments:
1. Proposed Resolution
2. Grant Announcement
3. Grant Pre-Approval Form
CONTRACT ORIGINATION:
FUNDING
{x} If approved, a budget amendment is required to increase Police Autos & Trucks account #2100000-55520 by $125,000 to be offset by a revenue increase to Homeland Security Grant account #0100-48910 in the same amount.
STRATEGIC PLANNING
{ x } Addresses Strategic Planning Critical Success Factor # 3 Safe and Desirable Community