With old equipment only getting older, and its force numbers steadily increasing, the Santa Monica Police Department is looking for City Council to provide it with $182,700 worth of new radios for officers and vehicles. The costs should cover 45 Motorola radios, according to the staff report.
The department uses radios with encrypted frequencies, available only from Motorola, Inc., which will cost $80,000 and $2,700 in maintenance. A city municipal code allows exceptions to competitive bidding when proprietary items are bought from a manufacturer.
The remaining $100,000 will be financed through asset seizure funds.
In the fiscal year of 2005-06, the police department hired two officers, five park rangers and added three vehicles for its staff. To accommodate the extra officers, the department said it needed extra portable radios and radios for police cars, as well as the replacement of 35 radios due to their age and lack of replaceable parts.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 27, 2006. Read the original PDF.