Title
Purchase of Rook Public Safety Vehicle
Action
Action:
Authorize the city to apply for funding from the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Urban Area Security Initiative Grant Program to purchase a Rook public safety vehicle.
Body
Staff Resource(s):
Johnny Jennings, Police
Tonya Arrington, Police
Explanation
§ The Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Grant Program allows eligible applicants to apply for funding to aid in the prevention, protection, response, and recovery from terrorist attacks.
§ CMPD is seeking authority to apply for UASI funding to purchase a Rook multi-purpose, critical incident response vehicle.
§ The Rook functions similar to a forklift built on a Caterpillar skid-steer platform and is equipped with attachments and plating to allow for a level of adaptability, maneuverability, and safety. CMPD does not currently have this type of vehicle.
§ The Rook can be used by CMPD when responding to natural disasters, search and rescue, active violence incidents, armed and barricaded subjects, and explosive devices.
§ The capability provided by this vehicle would improve CMPD’s bomb squad to a “Type I”, the highest rating per standards set by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
- As example, the Rook can be used to relocate a vehicle containing suspected explosives to a safe area for mitigation or disposal.
§ The specialized vehicle will be available for use by all public safety agencies in Charlotte-Mecklenburg and the ten-county UASI region.
- Cabarrus, Catawba, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Lancaster, Mecklenburg, Stanly, Union, and York.
§ Estimated costs are $500,000. Governing body approval is required for the requesting UASI funds for this purpose, no city matching funds are required.