$2M in Upgrades for Miami Gardens Police
Funding approved for new Tasers and body cams amid council squabble
Johania Charles Miami Times Staff Writer Mar 5, 2024 Updated Mar 6, 2024
As the city of Miami Gardens sees a spike in gun violence, including two separate shootings on Monday that left four people injured, the city council approved two resolutions authorizing the expenditure of $2.25 million for 200 less-lethal digital Tasers and new body-worn cameras from Arizona-based manufacturing company Axon Enterprise Inc. (AEI).
The resolutions to approve purchasing agreements passed without discussion on the consent agenda last week at a meeting that abruptly ended after Councilmember Shannon Campbell ignored instructions to stop calling out Councilmember Roberts Stephens III, exposing a growing fissure on the council.
Miami Gardens will utilize an existing agreement between Sourcewell, a government agency for cooperative purchasing often used by government agencies to lower procurement costs, to acquire the upgraded technology for its police department.
“The police department sought approval to piggyback on an existing Sourcewell governmental master agreement,” said Tamara Wadley Packer, the city manager’s assistant, via email. “This is a common practice in government procurement. The agenda items sought approval to execute a participating addendum in compliance with the master agreement terms.”
The Miami Times made numerous attempts since last Thursday to reach city officials to find out more about the police department purchase, and if it represented a sizable increased investment.
Neither Peter Parkin, Miami Gardens procurement director, nor a spokesperson for the Miami Gardens Police Department could confirm by press time on Tuesday whether the recently approved expenditure is the same as in prior years, or how much the city has spent in the past on Tasers and body cameras.
“Were the costs the same as five years ago? I would have to go back,” Parkin told The Miami Times. “We can just use common sense and say after five years it probably is not the same.”
So, how much more? We still don’t know, but Parkin said the price tag for new Tasers and body cameras could have been higher if the city hadn’t leveraged an existing contract to obtain the equipment.
By approving the resolutions, Miami Gardens council members authorized city manager Cameron Benson to allocate $244,117.68 from the 2024 fiscal year budget for the Tasers and $244,117.28 for the body cameras, and the same respective amounts in subsequent years up to a total amount of $2.2 million throughout the term of the contracts.
According to a city agenda memo, the purchase of the Taser 10 devices from AEI will also include increased accountability, online officer training, online virtual training materials for de-escalation, unlimited duty cartridges, an extended warranty period, holsters, handles, rechargeable batteries, and assistance with setup and malfunctions.
“If an officer is not equipped with a taser, they would have to resort to soft hand tactics and hard hand tactics (e.g., using kicks or punches to restrain a suspect),” reads the memo. “These tactics, necessary to make an arrest by officers, more than doubled the odds of officer injury. Hands-on tactics also increased the odds of injury to suspects. Therefore, taser usage is associated with a reduction in the likelihood of both officer and suspect injuries.”
The city wrote in the memo that prior case studies have shown that the use of body cameras has significantly reduced use-of-force incidents and complaints against its law enforcement personnel.
Another item councilmembers approved last week related to curbing violence in the city would renew a 2019 partnership with the Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office (SAO). The SAO, according to the city, will employ an assistant state attorney and additional staff to work with MGPD to address gun violence and serious crimes.
And while Miami Gardens tries to combat violence, the city council must also work to keep the peace on the dais.
“That applies to our council as well,” Mayor Rodney Harris said at last week’s meeting after the city’s clerk explained the consequences for residents who become boisterous during public comment.
But the warning was not enough to keep Campbell at bay.
“Robert Stephens, you made a comment on the news that Seat 1 and Seat 3 is not well represented,” Campbell said at the Feb. 28 meeting. “I take offense to that because I work hard and I earned where I’m at … the people elected me. If it’s anyone that’s not well representing the city of Miami Gardens, it’s you … you live an alternative lifestyle and it’s OK. Be yourself … you portray yourself as a pastor and now you want to say we’re not being good stewards.”
“She’s not in code of conduct,” Vice Mayor Reggie Leon repeated several times. “Point of order.”
Councilmember Katrina Wilson also asked Campbell to end her remarks, to no avail, before Harris revealed that he was forced to adjourn the meeting because Campbell’s comments were “out of line.”
Harris also had to step in and use his gavel several times to maintain order at an earlier meeting last month.
“It is evident that this is a personal thing … If you can dish it, you better be able to take it,” said Campbell on the dais Feb. 14.
Harris, Campbell and Stephens did not respond to interview requests.