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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIII (E) Approval and Authorization to Use an Amount Not-to-Exceed $18,500.00 from Police Forfeiture Funds for a Camera/ Recording System Agenda 3-20-2001 Item III E Ocoee Police Department 175 N. 6luforA Avenue• Ocoee. FI.34761 • (407)656-I51 R • Fax (407) 656-021 ft TO: The Honorable Mayor and Board of City Commissioners FROM: Robert F. Mark, Chief Of Police --;‘. a fin S DATE: March 12, 2001 SUBJECT: USE OF FORFEITURE FUNDS FOR A CAMERA/RECORDING SYSTEM STAFF REPORT Should the Honorable Mayor and Board of City Commissioners authorize the use of Forfeiture money, not to exceed S18,500, to purchase a Camera/Recording System. The police department has worked very hard over the past several months to establish and maintain an excellent line of communication with the media as well as the citizens of Ocoee and the West Orange area through our Departmental Public Information Officers and our Community Oriented Police Unit with numerous programs. Our department participates in recruitment program through out the state at colleges and police academies. All these types of programs require a lot of staffing and hours to perform these tasks. The police department and the City of Ocoee's image in the eyes of citizens is greatly enhanced by information, the more information provided that more satisfied people will be. This is one of the goals of our department either by weekly talk shows, general safety instructions/training, home security, and bicycle safety for parents and children (the bicycle officers tend to bond with, as well as impress, the younger citizens because these children can relate better to these officers generally because of the bike, they all have something in common). Training for officers has always been an issue through the years;purchasing this system will enable our department to utilize video tape training to maximize the training time of police personnel and minimize the possibilities of not all personnel receiving the exact same training. It is the department's intention to utilize the equipment to expand our presence to the public through television. Staff Report March 12, 2001 Page 2 Duc to budgetary constraints, the department is requesting that Forfeiture money be utilized to purchase the Camera/Recording equipment and necessary accessories. The scope of this type of project is innovative in nature, it will allow our department to become progressive leaders in the flow of information to the citizens of the West Orange community and one step ahead of our fellow agencies in the technology war. Due to the initial cost of this type of technology, our department is requesting to utilize $18,500 dollars of forfeiture money in order to purchase the necessary equipment. The police department is looking at purchasing the equipment and anticipates working in conjunction with the city's public relations department. The equipment will be utilized by the public relations department during the down lime the police department is not using it. RECOMMENDATION It is respectfully recommended that the Honorable Mayor and Board of City Commissioners approve this request to utilize forfeiture monies, not to exceed $18,500.00, to purchase this system.