Safety Committee

Today’s agenda 👀 https://t.co/SQJwdA8o45

Alright now! Roll call https://t.co/iEzttGX28C

@kazy_brian wants to know why this ordinance includes “without competitive bidding” and when was the last time we’ve gone out for a competitive bid? https://t.co/10RnxAJLgD

Public Safety Director @KarrieDHoward explains that the city of Cleveland currently has a contract with @axon_us and does not recall the last time we’ve pursued a competitive bid.

Deputy Chief Joelle O’Neill: It has probably been about 10 years since we’ve gone out for a competitive bid. We use taser and @axon_us body cams and they work together. And no one else makes a taser product.

Further inquiry from @kazy_brian: No one else makes taser products?

Deputy Chief Joelle O’Neill: The last time we went out for a competitive bid, there was one other product. But it used a gunpowder in their product.

@kazy_brian: I would be hesitant with a 1 year contract with 4 one year options to renewal by Dir. of Public Safety. Idk if a company has arisen in the last 10 years. 15 years without a competitive bid seems to be quite an extensive contract for the city to have with 1 company

@KarrieDHoward

The option to renew is an option. We do not have to renew that contract. We are always looking at industry.. assessing technology and how it may align with police. If we find something better for bid, then we do not have to exercise that option.

Deputy Chief O’Neill: The estimated cost of the first year of the contract is with Axon is $932,160.

Councilperson Polensek: Can someone tell me why that dollar amount is not listed in the legislation

👂🏾👂🏾Awaiting a response....

@kazy_brian: I would recommend we hold this piece of legislation until the next Safety Committee hearing. I’m not comfortable passing a legislation without the dollar amount attached to it.

Councilperson Polensek: Safety Director [Howard], is there a reason that was left out of the legislative piece?

@KarrieDHoward: Idk of a reason. I do know it is not unique to bring legislation for items without having the amount in there. The amount is the $932,160. We always try to exercise our best abilities to get that number down.

Chief Williams: Our taser supply is getting down to bare bones. We’ve ran a pilot of the new tasers we’re trying to get now and they work effectively. The old tasers are near end of useful life-cycle–they’re not making parts anymore.

Chief Williams continued: The longer we prolong this legislation, the more we’re gonna put our officers at risks.

Councilperson Polensek: To my colleagues (Council members Kazy and Santana), would you reconsider AND just include the dollar amount in the legislation?

@kazy_brian: This is a $5 million piece of legislation. We wouldn’t be doing our due justice as financial overseers to the city.. I understand the urgency of this but there should have been a dollar amount attached to it.

@kazy_brian continued: You’re talking about a million dollars a year that we don’t know about and we’re okay with an open-ended legislation. There needs to be a dollar amount attached to the legislation.

Councilperson Polensek: That’s what I’m asking. Will you both reconsider your motion to hold and substitute in the dollar amount so we can move forward?

@kazy_brian: I will not. We need at least every two weeks. @jsantanaward14: And we need an opportunity to discuss the dollar amount.

Councilperson Polensek: There has been a motion made to hold Ordinance #762-02021 until the next Committee hearing. https://t.co/YXBjFmeUvC

Chief Williams: We currently have 1232 tasers out there for our frontline officers. Of those, about 80
% are older models. We have models even older (about 26 of those) are at the end of their useful life, they’re not making parts for them…

Chief Williams continued: If a taser breaks then the officer really is not getting a replacement. We are not gonna have enough [tasers] if we don’t get this contract done before the end of the year.

Councilperson @CleveJoeJones: How much do these tasers cost us per taser? Is this $1 million over the course of 5 years or over 10 years?

Chief Williams: The total cost of the contract is $4,550,160. I don’t have the individual number for the taser (just to buy one). It is about $900,000 that first year. Every year after that is about $897,000. Includes a warranty, maintenance, and replacements.

@CleveJoeJones shares his thoughts on the presentation and packaging of this piece of legislation. https://t.co/pQEsaudE3m

Motion to hold this legislation for two weeks is confirmed. @KarrieDHoward will provide all information requested by council. https://t.co/HDVg7Uhqrv

@Griff4CLE6 has arrived to lead the meeting through completion following another important engagement.

@KarrieDHoward: Rent will increase from $14 to $16 per square foot. Total of $263,581.50 for the new lease Oct 22,2021 - Oct 21, 2022. https://t.co/9bdAiIjfrN

To clarify, the increase is $263,581.50

The total for the one year lease with @CuyahogaCounty for space in the Justice Center is $2,108,652

@kazy_brian: We could essentially be homeless (Police Headquarters). Come October 2022, we could be out of the Justice Center if we don’t sign a new lease. How far along are we with the [development of] new Police Headquarters?

James DeRosa: Earliest construction would start would be 2023. The County gives us authority to reduce the amount of space used.

Passes! https://t.co/YegSu6gl4m

@KarrieDHoward: Human trafficking enables Division of Police to participate in the Taskforce investigating criminal activity, human trafficking in the city of Cleveland. https://t.co/AmJRex7ABq

Passes! https://t.co/aaObNrfK5j

Dawn Heartsong (Grant Program Rep): FEMA is going to give Cleveland $469, 194. There is a local match of $ 156,398 for a total program cost of $625,592.00. This funding is all going to a new police boat (includes training and travel to pick up the boat). https://t.co/JQNecwVt8q

On to discussing The American Rescue Plan, signed by President Joe Biden in March 2021.

Chief Williams: The Division of Police request items total $10,239,574. Items include: vehicles (new SWAT car, SUV’s/Sedans for Detectives, transport vehicles for social unrest or other events, motorcycles, new boat engines, protective/bike equipment, k-9’s, tablets, computers)

Councilperson @Griff4CLE6 inquired the Division’s determination of which items are eligible. He also wants to know why there is great investment in equipment for social unrest over human trafficking and protecting individuals from crime (cameras, IT).

@KarrieDHoward: Personnel did not fall under the qualifications for these funds. It’s not a focus on civil unrest. It’s an upgrade the division needs for situations foreseeable and unforeseeable that would arise.

Councilperson @Griff4CLE6: Some of your statistics would show that rates of domestic violence, rape have elevated. I don’t see a lot of investment in those kinds of things. Do those things qualify under the plan?

@KarrieDHoward: This equipment helps personnel respond to these types of crimes. The biggest asset we have in combating the crimes [mentioned by Councilperson Griffin] is people.

Councilperson Griffin opens the floor for anyone else from the Division of Police to offer explanation. @Griff4CLE6: I see this as an opportunity for us to be very innovative. I know there are a lot of tools to combat human trafficking and I don’t see any of them here.

@Griff4CLE6 inquired about the current inventory and/or need for rape kits and tools for gun collection, wellness checks, speeding/car chases, surveillance of areas that are disproportionately impacted.

Division of Fire proposing items, total cost is $3,647,630. Fire Chief, Calvillo: station alerting system (page and dispatch to emergencies), Fire Headquarters office rehab (ventilation, Covid-approved), replacing exhaust systems at all fire stations

Division of Fire proposing items, total cost is $3,647,630. Fire Chief, Calvillo continued:self-contained breathing apparatus, vests, digital scanning system, rescue mannequins, interactive remote learning system (for training), cordless rescue tools.

EMS, Commissioner Carlton shared propose items: medical equipment (31 medical cots for transport and 45 cardiac monitors), replace 15 ambulances, 5 pumpers, and full replacement of SUV’s of Captain of Field Operations.

@KarrieDHoward shared that recruitment of EMS staff is challenging due and there is limited space for training. Want to make a difference? Learn more about becoming an EMS worker in Cleveland: https://www.clevelandohio.gov/PublicSafetyCareers

Animal Care and Control $210,000 proposed to purchase three animal control vehicles. Manager, Cory Keller: [Animal Control vehicles] are extremely vital to what we do in the city. We need to expand our fleet so that we can provide more coverage.

Manager, Cory Keller continues:We currently have 2 vans that are not safe/functional and one that is not adequate for animal transport. We’re looking at customizing vans to accommodate our needs.

On to the items proposed by IT. @KarrieDHoward reports: We have identified 127 locations to place cameras. A total of 429 cameras providing views: multi-sensor cameras (north, south, east, west), fixed artificial intelligence cameras (wrong way drivers entering exits ramps),

@KarrieDHoward reports continued: pan/tilt/zoom cameras (allowing the operator to move cameras in real-time). Total cost is $4,485,400.

Sergeant Jose Garcia: Currently, we’re using GIS maps to determine the spots that are not currently covered by the 1600 cameras we have out now. Not every location has a pole. When available, we do use Cleveland Public poles.

Councilperson Polensek: Year after year, we’ve been going on about these cameras… I want a list by Ward, of where these cameras are to go.

@KarrieDHoward clarifies: We cannot divulge every location of current cameras. It will compromise efforts.

@Griff4CLE6 makes the suggestion to schedule a meeting to go over the status of current cameras posted in the city.

We have heard proposals. This was just a review phase. The next phase involves the working group. The last phase is financial review.

The @CleCityCouncil Safety Committee meeting ended around 2:47 pm. Visit the @cledocumenters website for ongoing coverage of local government meetings and happenings.

Have questions? Think we got something wrong? Send any inquiries on the meeting or these tweets to
@cledocumenters or email us at lcaswell@neighborhoodgrants.org