Title
Resolution to Accept and Appropriate the FY 2018 State Homeland Security Program Grant Funding Awarded by The Virginia Department of Emergency Management for the City of Hampton Police Division's Regional Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle
Purpose
PURPOSE/BACKGROUND:
The City of Hampton Police Division is the recipient of the 2018 State Homeland Security Program sub-award through the Virginia Department of Emergency Management as a pass-through grant from the US Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for funding in the amount of $64,000.00. These funds will be used to acquire an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV), expanding the Division’s underwater capabilities. In instances of threat detection, such as checking piers for explosive devices and other anomalies, locating items of evidentiary value, and locating missing persons, an ROV will greatly increase efficiency of responding dive and marine teams. Currently to identify targets of interest divers must be deployed, resulting in increased time of target detection and increased risk to public safety personnel. An ROV will allow for fast and safe identification of targets, allowing jurisdictions to deploy divers only when necessary.
Discussion:
Hampton is an independent city located in Virginia. It is on the southern end of the Virginia Peninsula, bordering the Chesapeake Bay. The City has a total area of 136.2 miles; 51.8 miles of it is land and 84.4 miles of it is water. Additionally, Hampton is part of a dynamic metropolitan region. Besides Hampton, the region contains four other cities with populations greater than 100,000. Hampton Roads now has a population of more than 1.7 million and is the 37th largest MSA in the nation.
The City also serves as a strategic site for maritime all-hazards incident mitigation and security due to its location on the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula. Five major shipping channels pass through the city’s jurisdictional boundaries: Thimble Shoals, Baltimore, York, Elizabeth River, and the James River channels. The City of Hampton Police Division (HPD) is responsible for securing and mitigating risk to the shoreline and providing mutual-aid response to an area greater than 500 linear miles. HPD performs a pivotal role in responding to potential maritime peril incidents originating in these territorial waters and acts as the first response for law enforcement and public safety services, Search and Rescue, Technical Rescue, High Value Asset Escorts, Port Security, and HAZMAT identification and mitigation as needed and/or requested. Additionally, the Hampton Police Division routinely acts as a force multiplier in coastline and waterway security for Joint Base Langley-Eustis, including but not limited to activities related to Presidential and Dignitary visits, air shows, and shoreline patrols of the base.
The total funding for this grant project is $64,000.00 with no local match.
Impact:
In the challenging environment of maritime protection, the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) offers an affordable long-term solution to port and waterway risk mitigation. Not only can an on-scene underwater assessment be extended over the more commonly used diver assessment, cost reduction of deploying a marine unit for physical underwater inspection be reduced, and delays in deployment be minimized, but the ROV can also be used in conjunction with the dive team to monitor divers for safety.
The acquisition of a Regional Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle will allow the City of Hampton Police Division to reduce incident resolution time and help to ensure the safety of our Dive Team. Through mutual aid agreements, this would also apply to maritime incidents across the region. Fiscally, The ROV will cost approximately $64,000 to purchase. The remaining planning, organization, training and exercises will be completed during regular business hours and will not incur any additional costs.
Recommendation:
Rec
It is the recommendation of the Hampton Police Division that the City Council of the City of Hampton accepts and appropriates the FY2018 State Homeland Security Program Grant for the implementation of the grant sub-award.
Body
WHEREAS, the City of Hampton Police Division has been sub-awarded The Virginia Department of Emergency Management's FY2018 State Homeland Security Program Grant in the amount of $64,000.00 with no required local match; and
WHEREAS, the grant sub-award covers the period of 10/01/2018 to 03/31/2020;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Hampton amends the FY2019 Budget and accepts and appropriates the FY2018 State Homeland Security Program Grant sub-award through the Virginia Department of Emergency Management; as a pass-through grant from the US Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in accordance with the grant agreement;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council authorizes the City Manager or her designee to take the necessary steps to implement this grant award.