05-13-2024 Council Meeting Packet

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1 CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING STAFF REPORT AGENDA ITEM 4B STAFF ORIGINATOR: Kyle Leibel, Deputy Director MEETING DATE: May 13, 2024 TOPIC: Approval of Resolution 24-53 Authorizing the Acceptance of the 2024 MN DPS Firearms Storage Grant VOTE REQUIRED: Simple Majority ______________________________________________________________________________ BACKGROUND The Police Division of the Lino Lakes Public Safety Department recognized a need within the agency’s evidence storage area to improve their ability to safely and securely hold and store more firearms. Since 1999, the agency has used simple storage lockers to hold firearms that have been entered into evidence for various reasons. As the Lino Lakes population has increased, the agency has experienced an increase in the number of firearms taken in, and the agency anticipates a continued increase to the number of firearms in the future. In 2023, Minnesota implemented a new Extreme Risk Protection Order program, which affords the LLPSD another means of actively preventing tragedy by removing firearms from some who pose the greatest statistical risk of domestic violence. In addition, the agency’s evidence technicians have found it increasingly difficult to store firearms in a way that ensures damage to those firearms doesn’t occur while in police custody. The police division’s current security measures for evidence processing and storage follow the guidelines established in the Minnesota Office of the State Auditor Best Practices of Property and Evidence Room Policies and Procedures. However, the existing storage lockers are currently nearing capacity. The agency applied for and received a grant from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety in the amount of $5,049.13 for a wire enclosure (8’8”wide x 10’4”long x 8’11”height) to increase the agency’s secure firearm storage capacity from 24.2 square feet to 89.5 square feet. Within the enclosure, the agency plans to purchase and install a shelf (102”wide x 96”high x 17”deep) to increase storage space for the firearms currently stored in lockers. The new shelf would hold 64 long guns and 76 handguns using our current evidence packaging practices. Currently, the agency has 38 handguns and 17 long guns in custody. With the implementation of the new storage system, the agency will be able to properly store more than twice the 74