Police present vehicle-barrier and drone options for event security; committee urged to consider CIP request

Deputy Chief Baten presented the committee with options to reduce vehicle-borne threats at large public events, including three mobile vehicle-barrier systems, drone upgrades and tethered drone platforms.

Baten said the options examined include the Meridian Archer (heavy, reusable mobile bollards), the Pentagon F18 (ARX) and the Mifram MVB 3X, citing differences in unit weight, deployment time, coverage and replacement cost after an impact. He provided approximate vendor figures: the Archer kit example was roughly $90,000 for about 50 linear feet of coverage; the Pentagon kit example was about $107,000 for 60 feet; the Mifram 72-unit kit was roughly $180,000 (estimates varied by vendor and kit size). Baten estimated per-linear-foot costs in the low thousands depending on the system and noted coverage needs for typical parade routes could be several hundred linear feet.

Baten also recommended considering drone upgrades and tethered-drone systems for sustained aerial oversight. He described a use case where the department’s DJI Mavic 2 thermal drone aided in a stolen-vehicle apprehension and suggested the enterprise Mavic 3 plus a tether system (costs in the low five figures) would allow longer-duration monitoring during large events.

Multiple committee members and the chief discussed procurement approaches: a phased purchase, cost-sharing with neighboring jurisdictions, or buying a system to rent to other municipalities. Chief Barnes emphasized the operational reality that DPW staff would likely store and deploy barrier equipment and noted sawhorse-style barricades currently used are insufficient to stop a vehicle breach.

Committee members requested staff consult neighboring agencies about cooperative purchasing and suggested a CIP request could be appropriate; no formal funding motion was made at the March meeting.

Baten prefaced the presentation by saying he did not have a specific funding ask at this meeting and that the objective was to give committee members a baseline understanding of available technologies so they could decide whether to pursue further action.