Broken Arrow City Council
Meeting of: December 5, 2023
Title:
title
Consideration, discussion, and possible approval of and authorization to execute a five-year contract with Axon International for the purchase of one-hundred twenty (120) Taser brand conductive electrical weapons (CEWs) and Approve and authorize execution of Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Budget Amendment Number 16
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Background:
Since the early 2000s the Broken Arrow Police Department has used the Taser conductive electrical weapon (CEW) as part of its less lethal response to resistance. Tasers have a manufacturer’s recommended life span of five years. For many years, we’ve purchased around 30 Tasers per fiscal year to keep the devices modern and within manufacturer’s recommendations.
Axon, the parent company of Taser, is a sole-source provider of the Taser product. Taser is widely used throughout the police industry and there is no comparable competitor. Axon has been publishing statements about sweeping product changes and cost increases for some time. These revolve around the “de-platforming” of their legacy X2 line and the introduction of the new Taser 10 product.
Staff has extensively examined the Taser 10. It has several new advantageous features. These include extended range from 25’ to 45’, it can fire ten times instead of just twice and operators do not have to achieve probe spread on the target for the device to be effective. This is because it uses built in computer technology to adjust the amount of charge delivered to a target. It is our recommendation to enter the contract to purchase enough Taser 10s to equip the Operations Division of the police department. From an operations perspective, it will be more efficient to have the Operations Division using standardized equipment. Also, training and certification can more easily be achieved in larger sessions which approval here will enable. Subsequent smaller purchases during FY26 will be aimed at equipping the Headquarters Division and the Support Division. These two branches of the police department have far fewer people deployed than uniformed patrol. Going forward, it is intended Tasers would be modernized at the end of five-year contracts. A large capital outlay on that fifth year can be anticipated.
Should approval be granted, we will experience a 12% cost savings. Taser will implement a 12% cost increase beginning December 15, 2023. Approval will mean we will receive 2023 pricing and avoid the cost increases planned for 2024. This amounts to a savings of $39,816.96, prior to further discounts. Further, by paying the contract up front, staff negotiated a $15,000.00 discount and a $20,000.00 “buy back” incentive for the X2 Tasers we just purchased in fiscal year 2024. The “buy back” incentive is especially attractive because Taser has agreed to let us keep the X2s we recently purchased. These will be repurposed for distribution to the Headquarters and Support Division and can be viable tools until fiscal year 2026. Including discounts and incentives, the overall five-year contract price for 120 Tasers is $331,808.00
The Chief of Police has examined funding sources and requests approval to reprogram certain capital projects, gather residual balances from finished capital projects and use discretionary asset forfeiture funds to finance the Taser contract.
Residual balances from finished FY24 capital projects are:
• CIP # 2430220 Jail HVAC $6,100.00
• CIP #2430020 Animal Control HVAC $20,000.00
Projects requested for reprogramming are:
• CIP #2430030 Police Vehicle s $205,000.00
• CIP #2430140 PSC Security Cameras $10,500.00
• CIP # Project To Be Determined $25,000.00 (Federal Asset Forfeiture)
Asset forfeiture funds requested for appropriation through FY24 Budget Amendment #16 are:
• Fund 331, State Asset Forfeiture $68,100.00
If approved, these measures will gather $334,700.00 to finance the proposal.
Cost: $331,808.00
Funding Source: Public Safety Sales Tax, Federal Asset Forfeiture, State Asset Forfeiture
Requested By: Brandon C. Berryhill, Chief of Police
Approved By: City Manager’s Office
Attachments: Powerpoint presentation, quotation, contract and Budget Amendment #16
Recommendation:
recommend
Approve and authorize the execution of a five-year contract with Axon International for the purchase of one-hundred twenty (120) Taser brand conductive electrical weapons (CEWs) and Approve and authorize execution of Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Budget Amendment Number 16
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