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Pottawattamie County accepts $25,500 IMWCA grant to buy electronic-control devices and fund training
Summary
The Board of Supervisors approved a $25,500 safety implementation grant from IMWCA to buy taser-related equipment, electrified-control gloves and related training for jail staff, and signed a liability waiver tied to the award.
Pottawattamie County supervisors on a unanimous vote approved and authorized the chair to sign an IMWCA safety study implementation grant agreement worth $25,500 to buy electronic-control devices and fund staff training for the county jail.
The grant, described in the meeting as an IMWCA safety implementation award, will be used to purchase replacement taser equipment, extra batteries, training cartridges, and electrified-control gloves; it will also fund instructor-level training so the county can deliver in-house instruction. Risk Manager Garfield told the board IMWCA asked him to serve on an advisory committee and that the committee has about $200,000 annually to distribute in safety grants to member jurisdictions. Garfield said this award was selected to address injuries and operational risk in the sheriff’s office and jail.
Nut graf: County staff said the package is intended to reduce on-the-job injuries by increasing options in the use-of-force continuum and by building internal training capacity; supervisors approved the grant and the related liability paperwork required by the funder.
Garfield and Trish Barnard explained the county’s plan to send staff to master-level training so they can return as instructors and to outfit initial teams in the jail. Garfield said pepper spray is less recommended in confined jail settings because of collateral exposure and that the equipment and training are part of a broader risk-management approach previously discussed with the sheriff’s office and conservation department. Garfield said the grant requires the county to purchase approved equipment and then report back on safety improvements.
Board members asked how many gloves or devices would be purchased; Barnard said the county does not yet have the gloves in hand and planned for at least two for training and field use, plus batteries and cartridges. Garfield said the county expects to be able to do more with the award than it could otherwise and emphasized the value of in‑house instructor capacity.
The board approved the agreement and also signed a liability waiver clarifying IMWCA is not the county’s liability carrier for jail operations; county insurance (ICAP) will remain the primary liability coverage. Supervisors did not attach a required local match to the award and noted the IMWCA award needs post‑purchase reporting about safety outcomes.
Ending: Garfield said he will return to the IMWCA advisory committee and seek other safety funding opportunities for the county; supervisors thanked Garfield and Barnard for cross-department collaboration on the application.
