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Fort Myers council renews ShotSpotter subscription and approves multiple public-safety grants and contracts
Summary
Council approved a three-year, $868,000 renewal of the ShotSpotter gunshot-detection subscription and accepted several Department of Justice and FDOT grants to support policing and traffic-safety initiatives; the council also approved a $1,069,405 CAD/RMS contract and annual radio system fees.
Fort Myers City Council approved a series of public-safety investments and contract renewals, including a three-year $868,000 subscription to ShotSpotter, acceptance of multiple federal and state grant awards, renewal of a computer-aided dispatch and records-management system contract, and authorization of annual radio system support fees.
Deputy Chief Meeks told the council the ShotSpotter system has been a key tool for rapid response, saying the technology has helped officers reach scenes in as little as "less than 11 seconds." The council approved the ShotSpotter renewal after staff described the systems contribution to reducing gun violence and improving response times.
Other approved items included budget amendments recognizing grant awards for a bulletproof vest program and a Teen Highway Safety Initiative, a $1,069,405 contract for a CAD/RMS system with Mark43 Inc., and annual radio system support fees of $249,596.16 with Lee County Public Safety for system monitoring and maintenance. Council members noted that together these and related grants represent several hundred thousand dollars in outside funding to support the police department.
Votes on these items were moved and seconded during the city manager items portion of the agenda and carried without recorded roll-call opposition where noted; some items were approved by voice vote after council discussion.
Next steps: City departments will execute contracts and accept grants consistent with the authorized appropriations; staff will report back on implementation and outcomes related to response times and traffic safety.
