By Jason Crane
The Aurora city government City Council meeting Tuesday, through the Zoom video conferencing platform, included more than 10 individuals concerned with the City’s plan to purchase 150 complete sets of riot gear for the Aurora police.
Aurora resident Jordan Jeffries said he would like aldermen to vote no for both resolutions for police personal protective equipment and computers. He said, “an additional $88,733 of taxpayer funds to further militarize our police force with 150 units of riot gear or PPE as it was referred to.
“With the state of the Country as it is currently, and mass protests against police brutality taking place all over the world, this purchase in addition to a $77 Million APD budget is a complete slap in the face to the constituents of Aurora.
“Using nearly $1 Million of the Emergency Telephone System Board funds to purchase 349 laptops for APD…again, this is a ridiculous purchase using existing funds while the Aurora public, 64% if we refer to the 60-day progress report for the CHANGE Initiative, had demanded mandatory body cams for its officers.
“Yet again, what the people want is not what the people are given.
“We must make sure our funds are being utilized appropriately and neither of those resolutions are doing that.”
The resolution to accept a quote from Pro-Tech in Ohio to purchase 150 complete sets of personal protective equipment for the Aurora police was voted to be sent back to the City’s Finance Committee for further review and discussion.
The Aurora Police Department has approximately 50 sets of protective gear and 307 sworn officers.
• Approved was a resolution requesting approval to utilize existing Emergency Telephone System Board (ETSB) funds to purchase 349 Getac portable computers and associated accessories for use by Aurora Public Safety Departments from CDW-G Corporation of Vernon Hills in the amount of $1,589,599.53.
By purchasing 300 laptops assigning APD personnel individual laptops, APD personnel will no longer share equipment in vehicles nor desktop workstations at the Police Department. Purchases for the Fire Department include 17 laptops for and 32 tablets for use in Fire Department vehicles.
The 317 laptops to be purchased are Getac’s K120 fully rugged laptops that are designed to meet the challenges faced by public safety personnel. The K120 builds on Getac’s legacy of creating powerful, rugged devices that have helped paramedics, police officers and fire fighters successfully carry out their public safety duties for many years. The 32 tablets to be purchased are the Getac A140 that will be mounted in Fire Department vehicles.