Emry Dinman
The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
(TNS)
Jul. 22—The Spokane City Council on Monday approved around $800,000 in purchases of police equipment, $2.5 million for two new fire engines and about $1 million more in services to support both departments.
The BearCat armored vehicle was totaled last summer when a woman crashed into it during a pursuit . The police are substituting it with a new Terradyne GURKHA, which will cost $423,000. The manufacturer claims it is capable of withstanding the blast of two German DM51 grenades. The purchase was paid for with the state’s civil asset forfeiture fund, according to a staff report prepared for the Spokane City Council.
Upgrading two new SWAT vehicles with ballistic glass will cost $55,000. The funds were pulled from the police department’s existing capital budget.
Six new night-vision goggles and mounts for helmets, making one available for each SWAT member without requiring them to wait for the equipment truck to arrive at the scene, carry a $55,000 price tag, and roughly 400 new ballistic helmets, which the police department says are needed to assist in maintaining peace and order during “civil disturbances” or responding to armed suspects, will cost another $254,000.
The police department did not make clear what funding source was used for the night-vision goggles and helmets.
New audiovisual equipment for the Spokane Police Department’s academy classroom and large conference room is $185,000. The department stated that the existing equipment was aging. The purchase is paid for with a Byrne Technology grant.
The Spokane City Council also approved $67,000 for a renewed subscription to the CrimeTracer software, which is used to share police reports and other information with other regional agencies; $75,000 for maintenance and support for the department’s file server used to store digital forensics and other large investigatory files; and $82,000 for janitorial services for department properties.
The council also accepted a $159,000 grant from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission to cover 75% of the salary of a full-time DUI officer and $10,000 in overtime payments. This grant was extended for a second year.
The Spokane Fire Department will also receive replacement fire engines after the Spokane City Council approved spending more than $2.5 million from the community safety sales tax approved by voters last year.
The council also approved $500,000 for a five-year contract to provide routine medical exams, vaccinations and other services for potential new hires for the fire department.
The funding will be pulled from the department’s annual recruit academy budget.
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