Council approves purchase of 33 rugged laptops for patrol cars to meet upcoming Windows support cutoff
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Summary
The Rowlett City Council unanimously approved buying 33 rugged Dell laptops and docking stations for police patrol vehicles through a Texas DIR/BuyBoard cooperative contract to replace aging units and maintain CJIS compliance and security; the not-to-exceed cost listed in the agenda is approximately $138,352.17.
The Rowlett City Council on Aug. 5 approved the purchase of 33 rugged Dell laptops and docking stations for public-safety patrol vehicles, citing an approaching end to mainstream support for existing devices and a need to maintain CJIS compliance and field security. The purchase will be made through a Texas cooperative purchasing contract (DIR/BuyBoard). The motion passed unanimously, 6–0.
Staff said current in-vehicle devices run an older Windows 10 build that cannot be upgraded and would become a security risk after mainstream support ends in October. The recommended package includes the device, docking station, vehicle holster and power cabling. Staff compared vendors and recommended Dell for the unit durability, military-grade testing, five‑year warranty and next-business-day on-site warranty support as part of the procurement. The purchase is to be funded from the general fund technology hardware non-capital budget.
Budget numbers: The agenda listed a not-to-exceed price of approximately $138,352.17 for the 33 laptops and docking stations. Council members asked about volume pricing and warranty turnaround. Staff noted prior single-unit purchases were more expensive; buying the full replacement quantity now secures a lower per-unit price and improves lifecycle planning.
Vote and next steps: Council member Britton moved to approve the resolution; Council member Bowers seconded. Staff will finalize the purchase via the cooperative contract and schedule device installation and rotation planning with IT and public works.