For City Council Meeting [August 13, 2019]
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
APPROVAL: Rod Foster, City Administrator
FROM: Mark P. Kling, Chief of Police
Title
Request City Council to Approve the Purchase of Ten (10), Project 7 Entry Vests, Xtreme Level 3A with attachments for Rialto Police Inland Valley SWAT (IVS) Operators, Aardvark in the Amount of $31,968.25.
Body
BACKGROUND:
The Inland Valley SWAT (IVS) Team has been in place for approximately seven (7) years and is of a regional makeup consisting of the Rialto, Fontana, and Colton Police Departments. Their mission is to respond to unusual occurrences or other police situations where special tactics, training, and/or equipment are required to protect life and/or property. Because of this mission and the nature of their work, the attention to safety equipment is of the utmost importance.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
The IVS Team is comprised of thirty eight (38) members which includes ten Rialto Police operators. Each operator is equipped with a tactical entry vest comprised of components designed to protect the neck, arm, and groin areas. In May, 2014, Rialto SWAT members were issued new tactical entry vests, custom fitted to the specific body type of each officer, with a five (5) year warranty that has since expired. Only three officers remain on the team who were custom fitted for these entry vests. The remaining seven (7) are using expired vests used by previous operators assigned to IVS in the past. These vests do not properly fit their specific body types and can be cumbersome to perform maneuvers or complete some physical tasks.
For several months, members of the IVS Team have been researching and product testing of new tactical entry vests. With the input from all members and after testing several entry vests from various manufacturers, a unanimous decision was reached in favor of Aardvark's Project 7 entry vest. Aardvark is one of the leading manufacturers in regards to this...
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