CHARLESTON, W.Va. — City Council in Charleston approved two resolutions on Monday night to give the Charleston Police Department (CPD) various new equipment.
The council passed a resolution to enter into a contract with Galls LLC for the purchase of body armor for the CPD. The contract is for $32,400 and will give nine new CPD officers body armor and replace 31 sets of armor for existing officers.
Councilman Joseph Jenkins, Ward 12, said the price was determined through a competitively sourced state-wide contract.
“This is for a routine replacement of body armor as well as for new recruits to CPD,” Jenkins said.
Following that approval, the council then approved a resolution to enter into a contract with Motorola Solutions for the provision of 180 police body-worn cameras. The contract is worth $652,515 over 5 years.
Jenkins said it’s subsidized by a $180,000 federal grant over the provision of five years.
The resolution read, “the contracted services include redaction, transcription, and unlimited cloud data storage; the equipment and software included in the service contract are compatible with existing CPD technology systems and equipment; and all 180 cameras will be replaced in the third year of the contract at no additional cost. ”
Jenkins added, “We’ll be able to replace pretty much every officer’s body-worn cameras. They are compatible with our current services so that way everyone should be familiar with it.”
Both resolutions were recommended by the city council’s finance committee.
The council next meets on December 5.