The Ocala Police Department is seeking approval from the city to purchase $96,568 worth of firearms to replace the rest of their 10-year-old inventory of Glock .40 caliber pistols.
On Tuesday, Ocala City Council members will consider a request from the Ocala Police Department for the purchase of replacement pistols.
According to city records, the department has been using the Glock .40 caliber pistols for 10 years and, as they have aged, more parts must be replaced. The cost of ammunition has increased for the caliber, as “fewer manufacturers are producing it,” according to records.
In addition to the pistols, the city staff says the department must purchase new sights due to the “natural degradation of the tritium” used by the devices. Staff says the purchase will be “offset by the sales of current firearms to officers” and that half of the pistols were purchased in the “Fiscal year 2022-2023 budget.”
In November 2021, OPD was given a procurement exception to piggyback on an agreement between Bradford County and Dana Safety Supply, Inc., for the provision of “certain public safety/emergency vehicle accessories and non-vehicle accessories.”
Since that contract began, the city has approved over $274,000 for vehicle and non-vehicle accessory expenditures through the contract, according to city staff.
According to city records, the order includes 115 Sig Sauer pistols, holsters, and magazines, among other items.
The Ocala City Council will meet at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, October 17 at Ocala City Hall, which is located at 110 SE Watula Avenue in downtown Ocala.