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Council approves purchase of six Panasonic Toughbooks using asset-forfeiture funds
Summary
The council authorized buying six Panasonic Toughbooks for the police department using asset-forfeiture funds at a quoted price of about $19,534.74. Chief Dorsey said the devices are near end-of-life and the quoted price may rise if purchase is delayed.
The Bruceville-Eddy Police Department asked council to approve using asset-forfeiture funds to purchase six Panasonic Toughbook mobile data computers to replace aging units.
Chief Michael Dorsey said the department currently has six Toughbooks purchased in 2020; they remain operable but are nearing end of life and showing intermittent issues. He presented a vendor quote of roughly $19,534.74 for six replacement units and said the vendor indicated prices could increase if the city delayed the purchase. Council moved and approved using asset-forfeiture funds for the purchase; staff noted the department may need to remove hard drives from retired units before resale or auction.
Chief Dorsey said the police department had pending asset-forfeiture awards but could not guarantee the timing of federal disbursements; staff characterized the fund balance roughly at $120,000 but said receipts from pending cases are uncertain. Council authorized the procurement and directed staff to proceed under asset-forfeiture protocols.
