4 20-0418 Subject: OPD RSI Helicopter Maintenance Contract
From: Oakland Police Department
Recommendation: Adopt A Resolution Authorizing The City Administrator Or Designee To Enter Into A Professional Services Agreement With Rotorcraft Support, Inc. (RSI) To Provide Helicopter Maintenance Services To The Oakland Police Department (OPD) For The Period Of July 1, 2020 To June 30, 2022 In An Amount Not To Exceed Seven Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($750,000) Per Year Or One Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($1,500,000) For July 1, 2020 To June 30, 2022, With An Option To Extend The Contract For One Additional Year To June 30, 2023, At The Same Rate Of Seven Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($750,000) Per Year, For A Total Contract Not To Exceed Two Million, Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($2,250,000)
District 3 resident - do not spend a dime on this! We need housing, jobs, education, healthy food - and you all need a backbone and the courage to act like the democratically elected officials you are and serve the people.
I am an Oakland resident of District 3 and I STRONGLY OPPOSE the Council approving the disbursement of funds for OPD, as a tax paying resident I’m disgusted to see that over 40% of our city’s budget goes to OPD. Defund then immediately and redistribute the funds back into the community. I’m especially looking at any council members who are up for re-election to be vocal on this issues. Lynette Gibson McEleheney stand up for us.
District 3 resident. What if we used this money instead of on a helicopter, we spent it on public health, housing, schools, and youth programming? What if we used it to fund LOCAL jobs for LOCAL people?
750,000 dollars would keep a school open. We are closing schools and laying off teachers while we have plenty of money for what, helicopter repair? Ridiculous. The Oakland community is calling for defunding the police, and we are spending money on equipment that is more noise pollution than it is useful.
What do we need these helicopters for?! No more of this. This summer OPD's helicopters have terrorized the community. Like the curfew, they're just one more way the OPD (and the Oakland City Government!) would rather destroy the texture of everyday life than stop killing black and brown people. Enough. Do not vote for this. Get rid of the helicopters, get rid of the Bearcats, get rid of the OPD's blank check, get rid of militarized tactics used on civilians. How on earth can we justify this when half the city council proposes literally taking food from children's mouths to balance the budget? This is an embarrassing proposal. Cut the entire helicopter program! We don't need it.
I am a district 1 resident and I agree with my community. During a pandemic where our Black and Brown friends and families are dying from COVID and Police, we do not need to fund that harm and loss of life.
I implore you, council members and Dan Kalb, to consider the health and safety of my community first and foremost. Police do not manifest health and safety. Police manifest violence. Expensive military-grade equipment does not promote the health and safety of my queer, trans BIPOC friends, family and neighbors. Hearing and seeing helicopters hover over my home and my place of work instills anxiety and fear. Do not give ODP the power to threaten and inflict harm and trauma on my people.
I am a Bay Area resident voicing strong opposition for this budget and calling for a significant defunding of OPD and reinvestment in Oakland's community. This budget is shamefully out of sync with the needs and demands of your constituents - especially following the weeks of civil disobedience and protest and months of economic struggle and illness caused by an ongoing pandemic that disproportionately impacts Black people. This budget cuts vital funding for housing, health care, parks, maintenance, and more while rewarding a police department that makes Oakland residents feel unsafe and unfairly surveilled. Residents want and deserve a budget that acknowledges the pain of Black communities long brutalized by the police. I demand this budget be reworked to help Oakland flourish and to defund the Oakland Police Department by at least $150 million. This money should not be spent on a helicopter or shotspotter that will be used by an already over-militarized police force.
I am a District 1 resident in Oakland, and I oppose this measure. It is unconscionable to be spending money on helicopters when people are dying from an overwhelmed healthcare system, lack of access to basic sanitation and housing, and police violence. The community is calling on you to reallocate the OPD's budget to providing these critical services and it is imperative that we invest in measures that keep people safe instead of exposing Black and Brown residents to increased surveillance, militarization, and violence.
I am an Oakland resident in district 1, and I'm at a complete loss to explain why this item is even being considered right now. We are in the middle of a pandemic requiring significant cuts to the budget, OPD has recent abused their power and their weaponry during the protest, and we are in the middle of an unprecedented community request to DEFUND the police. Please do not approve this request to allocate more funds to OPD.
I am a resident of District 1, and I urge the Council to support Councilmember MacElhaney's amendment to defer consideration of this item to June 30th. The Council should further instruct the department to make plans for selling the underlying asset as part of downsizing of unnecessary militarized equipment in light of COVID cutbacks. It is certainly not the time to commit to funding this asset for the next two years.
I oppose this proposal. It's embarrassing that this City Council is voting to increase police funding in the same meeting where it slashes budgets for housing, healthcare, and other services that help the community flourish. Helicopters hovering over our neighborhoods make residents feel surveilled, and are a visual and audible reminder of a constant, threatening police presence that has often brutalized Black and brown residents of Oakland. This is particularly out of step with the demands of the Black Lives Matter movement and the current mass outcry for increased accountability and decreased community intrusion by police. Institutions other than the police department can and should be empowered to carry out the helicopter functions outlined in the police department report, like emergency search and rescue or fire detection.
I am a District 2 resident, and I am in opposition to this proposal. As stated in my comment on the previous item, I believe we should be divesting funds from the OPD, not allocating more to them. The use of helicopters by the police is disruptive to the community, and only increases the feeling of being haphazardly scrutinized. This money would be better spent on investing in housing, education, and health services, especially for the Black community.
I am a District 2 resident in agreement with those opposing. We do not and should not be spending more money on OPD. Why is the city spending hundreds of thousands of dollars each year on helicopters for OPD instead of putting that money toward housing, education, parks & rec, mental health services? I also have been hearing helicopters every night since Oaklanders have demanded the defunding of OPD and I am tired and angry that police are using tech and helicopters to oppress our communities. Spending more money on helicopters is bad investment. Use this money for community services.
District 3 resident - do not spend a dime on this! We need housing, jobs, education, healthy food - and you all need a backbone and the courage to act like the democratically elected officials you are and serve the people.
I am an Oakland resident of District 3 and I STRONGLY OPPOSE the Council approving the disbursement of funds for OPD, as a tax paying resident I’m disgusted to see that over 40% of our city’s budget goes to OPD. Defund then immediately and redistribute the funds back into the community. I’m especially looking at any council members who are up for re-election to be vocal on this issues. Lynette Gibson McEleheney stand up for us.
District 3 resident. What if we used this money instead of on a helicopter, we spent it on public health, housing, schools, and youth programming? What if we used it to fund LOCAL jobs for LOCAL people?
750,000 dollars would keep a school open. We are closing schools and laying off teachers while we have plenty of money for what, helicopter repair? Ridiculous. The Oakland community is calling for defunding the police, and we are spending money on equipment that is more noise pollution than it is useful.
What do we need these helicopters for?! No more of this. This summer OPD's helicopters have terrorized the community. Like the curfew, they're just one more way the OPD (and the Oakland City Government!) would rather destroy the texture of everyday life than stop killing black and brown people. Enough. Do not vote for this. Get rid of the helicopters, get rid of the Bearcats, get rid of the OPD's blank check, get rid of militarized tactics used on civilians. How on earth can we justify this when half the city council proposes literally taking food from children's mouths to balance the budget? This is an embarrassing proposal. Cut the entire helicopter program! We don't need it.
We don't need the helicopter.
I am a district 1 resident and I agree with my community. During a pandemic where our Black and Brown friends and families are dying from COVID and Police, we do not need to fund that harm and loss of life.
I implore you, council members and Dan Kalb, to consider the health and safety of my community first and foremost. Police do not manifest health and safety. Police manifest violence. Expensive military-grade equipment does not promote the health and safety of my queer, trans BIPOC friends, family and neighbors. Hearing and seeing helicopters hover over my home and my place of work instills anxiety and fear. Do not give ODP the power to threaten and inflict harm and trauma on my people.
REDUCE OPD's ALLOTMENT FROM THE GENERAL FUND BY $150M IMMEDIATELY.
I am a Bay Area resident voicing strong opposition for this budget and calling for a significant defunding of OPD and reinvestment in Oakland's community. This budget is shamefully out of sync with the needs and demands of your constituents - especially following the weeks of civil disobedience and protest and months of economic struggle and illness caused by an ongoing pandemic that disproportionately impacts Black people. This budget cuts vital funding for housing, health care, parks, maintenance, and more while rewarding a police department that makes Oakland residents feel unsafe and unfairly surveilled. Residents want and deserve a budget that acknowledges the pain of Black communities long brutalized by the police. I demand this budget be reworked to help Oakland flourish and to defund the Oakland Police Department by at least $150 million. This money should not be spent on a helicopter or shotspotter that will be used by an already over-militarized police force.
I am an Oakland resident in district 1 and I think that this helicopter is a massive waste of taxpayer money. Vote NO on this contract renewal.
I am a District 1 resident in Oakland, and I oppose this measure. It is unconscionable to be spending money on helicopters when people are dying from an overwhelmed healthcare system, lack of access to basic sanitation and housing, and police violence. The community is calling on you to reallocate the OPD's budget to providing these critical services and it is imperative that we invest in measures that keep people safe instead of exposing Black and Brown residents to increased surveillance, militarization, and violence.
I strongly oppose this measure that does nothing to balance our burgeoning OPD budget while leaving Black communities behind.
I am an Oakland resident in district 1, and I'm at a complete loss to explain why this item is even being considered right now. We are in the middle of a pandemic requiring significant cuts to the budget, OPD has recent abused their power and their weaponry during the protest, and we are in the middle of an unprecedented community request to DEFUND the police. Please do not approve this request to allocate more funds to OPD.
I am a resident of District 1, and I urge the Council to support Councilmember MacElhaney's amendment to defer consideration of this item to June 30th. The Council should further instruct the department to make plans for selling the underlying asset as part of downsizing of unnecessary militarized equipment in light of COVID cutbacks. It is certainly not the time to commit to funding this asset for the next two years.
I oppose this proposal. It's embarrassing that this City Council is voting to increase police funding in the same meeting where it slashes budgets for housing, healthcare, and other services that help the community flourish. Helicopters hovering over our neighborhoods make residents feel surveilled, and are a visual and audible reminder of a constant, threatening police presence that has often brutalized Black and brown residents of Oakland. This is particularly out of step with the demands of the Black Lives Matter movement and the current mass outcry for increased accountability and decreased community intrusion by police. Institutions other than the police department can and should be empowered to carry out the helicopter functions outlined in the police department report, like emergency search and rescue or fire detection.
I am a District 2 resident, and I am in opposition to this proposal. As stated in my comment on the previous item, I believe we should be divesting funds from the OPD, not allocating more to them. The use of helicopters by the police is disruptive to the community, and only increases the feeling of being haphazardly scrutinized. This money would be better spent on investing in housing, education, and health services, especially for the Black community.
I already commented earlier, but my previous comment disappeared. Commenting again to say OPPOSE THIS. Stop spending money on OPD.
I am a District 2 resident in agreement with those opposing. We do not and should not be spending more money on OPD. Why is the city spending hundreds of thousands of dollars each year on helicopters for OPD instead of putting that money toward housing, education, parks & rec, mental health services? I also have been hearing helicopters every night since Oaklanders have demanded the defunding of OPD and I am tired and angry that police are using tech and helicopters to oppress our communities. Spending more money on helicopters is bad investment. Use this money for community services.