Approval to award Bid No. 2024-025 for Police Department Service pistols to the lowest responsive bidder, Lawmen’s & Shooter’s Supply Inc., in an amount not to exceed $170,051.40.

The Fort Pierce Police Department is seeking to transition from the Glock 21 (.45 ACP) to the Glock 47 (9mm) Generation 5 MOS.  The majority of the current Glock 21 service pistols have been in service for approximately 10-12 years.  As service pistols age, they require maintenance to ensure functionality and reliability.  Although Glock has no official policy in regards to the service life of their pistols, there are components of the firearm that need attention and periodic replacement.  Based on the recommended guidelines for our Glock pistols, it would cost approximately $219.00 per pistol for the necessary components to keep them in service.  This cost does not account for the labor associated with the actual refurbishment of the firearm.

Most law enforcement agencies have already moved away from the .45 caliber round due to its availability and cost.  Other benefits that support the transition from .45 caliber round to the 9 mm round are that the 9 mm round allows for a higher magazine capacity and the recoil is significantly less than the .45 caliber, making the handling of the weapon more manageable for the majority of officers.  As such, the Port St. Lucie Police Department and St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, along with almost every other law enforcement agency at the federal, state and local level have already, or are in the process of transitioning to a 9 mm caliber pistol.  Lastly, duty optics, like the 9 mm round, are quickly becoming the minimum standard for law enforcement officers.  The Glock 47 comes optic ready, unlike our current inventory of Glock 21 pistols.

Duty optics allow the shooter to quickly and accurately acquire their target, providing a significant advantage over iron sights.  It also allows the shooter to maintain a constant focus on the threat, rather than their sights, and eliminates the need to refocus for sight alignment or sight picture.


 

It is recommended that Lawmen’s & Shooter’s supply Inc. be the approved vendor to purchase the new service pistols and associated equipment.  There were two (2) bids received by the City of Fort Pierce and Lawman’s Shooter’s & Supply Inc. submitted the lowest bid at $170,051.40 versus GT Distributing, who submitted a bid for $183,184.65. 

The alternative would be to continue to use the currently issued Glock 21 pistol.  However, doing so would only cause the City to incur other costs associated with the repair or maintenance of the current inventory of Glock 21 pistols.  Additionally, the trade-in value of the current service pistol will continue to diminish over time, which would increase future costs to replace or transition to new pistols in the future.   
 

Major Eric Chan
Nancy Barboza

Major Eric Chan
Nancy Barboza