Memorandum
Date: February 6, 2024
To: The Honorable Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Rob Howe, Sheriff/Coroner
Subject: (a) Approve Purchase of Law Enforcement Night Vision Binocular and Helmet Mounts; and (b) Authorize the Sheriff to issue a Purchase Order
Executive Summary: During the past year the Lake County Sheriff's Office, Crisis Response Team (CRT) has tested and evaluated several monocular and binocular night vision devices. CRT tested the devices in training environments and has deployed the devices in two critical incident responses, one during a mutual aid request and one in the City of Clearlake. Both incidents required the rapid response of CRT and required the team to work in near dark conditions. The use of the devices during the Clearlake incident assist in the safe apprehension of a homicide suspect who fled the residence and was located by two deputies with the use of the night vision devices. The use of night vision devices during this incident was paramount to the safety of team members and the community.
It is the intent of the Sheriff's Office to assign the purchased night vision devices to each CRT member. These devices will be utilized not only during CRT responses, but during incidents requiring the search for missing or wanted persons during night or low light conditions. The purchase and utilization of the night vision devices will greatly enhance the safety of Sheriff's Office deputies, safety of the community and service we provided to our community.
The purchase, possession, and use of the night vision binoculars does not meet the definition of "military equipment", defined under 7070 California Government Code, (AB481).
The Sheriff's Office completed a sealed bid process, posted the Request for Quote on the Sheriff's website, County website, and sent the RFQ to seven known vendors. The Sheriff's Office received four bids. Two bids did not meet the bid specifications. Night Vision 4 Less was the lowest bid mee...
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