Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2024, $11,482)
City of Pekin – Pekin Police Department
Purchase and Implementation of Life Saving Ballistic Shield, Entry Device, and Digital Forensic Agreement
Each year, police departments are asked to be fiscally responsible resulting in reducing budgets and expenditures. This does not allow the Pekin Police Department to purchase necessary safety equipment and digital forensic tools under contract. The organization is committed to ensuring the safety and security of the communities we serve. As the nature of threats continues to evolve, it is crucial that our personnel are equipped with the necessary tools and resources to respond effectively. Recent events have underscored the need for enhanced protective measures and advanced technology to support our first responders during critical incidents.
A large amount of emphasis has been placed on law enforcement in recent years to work on de-escalation techniques and limiting officer jeopardy caused uses of force. Unfortunately, law enforcement responds to incidents where individuals are experiencing some of the worst moments in their lives. The use of ballistic shields has shown to aid in de-escalation techniques while affording officers time and space to develop secondary plans to take subjects into custody or safely defuse a situation from a protected space. Ballistic shields provide a crucial line of defense in active shooter situations, hostage rescues, and other high-risk encounters. Our current inventory of ballistic shields is outdated and lacks the technological advancements that new models offer. Updating the department’s protective equipment will significantly increase the safety of our personnel, afford officers more options for de-escalation, and better serve the public. Including with the purchase of a ballistic shield, the department is in need of an updated entry tool to ensure officer safety if a structure need breached. Outdated equipment lengthens the time to enter a structure resulting in more time for offenders to prepare for police entrance or taking longer to get into a structure to administer life saving measures.
In today’s world, the vast majority of criminal investigations involve some form on digital forensics. The Pekin Police Department currently has one full-time investigator dedicated to the forensic acquisition and analysis of data from various platforms. These platforms can include mobile devices, cloud media storage, computers, and tablets etc. The forensic acquisition of data from any of the aforementioned platforms can result in an overwhelming amount of data for the investigator(s) to analyze to determine what is relevant to this investigation. The process of analyzing electronic data can be very tedious and time consuming. With the approval of the grant funds, the department would enter into a one-year agreement with a forensically sound, vetted company that swiftly processes and analyzes these overwhelming amounts of electronic data. This forensic tool will aid in prioritizing investigators’ time and resources to conduct, thorough, efficient investigations for the citizens of Pekin.
Investing in ballistic protection and advanced computer systems is an investment in the safety and efficiency of first responders and the community they serve. By securing this grant, the organization will be better equipped to handle critical incidents, protect department personnel, and ensure public safety. The Pekin Police Department respectfully request your consideration of this application to help us achieve these vital goals.