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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 3o: Contract with PoliceReports.US: Online Report Distribution of Police Reports 4 of A C9 ci! 1119111111-A „ . �' Myut S.1103 STAFF REPORT Police Department DATE: June 19, 2012 TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council FROM: Robert T. Guthrie, Chief of Police By: Audree Luevano, Acting Reco anager Nancy Chik, Senior Management Anal. SUBJECT: POLICEREPORTS.US—POLICE DEPARTMENT ONLINE REPORT DISTRIBUTION Recommendation: Authorize the City Manager to enter into a three- year agreement with PoliceReports.US to provide online access for the distribution of certain police reports to authorized involved parties SUMMARY It is recommended that the City Council authorize the City Manager to enter into a three-year agreement with PoliceReports.US to provide online access to citizens and other authorized individuals for the purpose of retrieving copies of police reports. PoliceReports.US will enable the Department to distribute traffic accident reports, traffic accident scene photos, and incident reports securely online for a nominal fee to the end user. PoliceReports.US charges a $4.00 convenience fee for all reports retrieved. In addition, they will collect the standard fees currently charged by the Department--$25.00 for a traffic accident report and $15.00 for copies of accident scene photographs. PoliceReports.US will retain the convenience fee collected but will provide the City with 100% of the standard fees collected each month. There are no direct costs involved for the City or Department for the use of the service provided by PoliceReports.US. DISCUSSION Each year the Records Bureau of the Police Department processes approximately 2,300 requests for copies of traffic accident reports. The majority of the requests are received via mail and are primarily from insurance companies. If a traffic accident report or accident scene photos are requested in person or by mail, then Records personnel will make the necessary copies and charge the requesting party $25.00 for the reports and $15.00 for photos. Police Reports.US siun; 19, 2012 Page 2 of 2 PoliceReports.US offers the public and businesses a convenient and timely way of obtaining copies of releasable police reports and photos. In addition, it will provide the Department with a resource to help reduce operating costs associated with producing copies of reports and the ability to use Records personnel on other tasks. The Police Department will establish the requirements for the public to purchase and retain reports, and control what reports are placed online for retrieval. Records personnel can easily upload reports directly to the PoliceReports.US website utilizing the Department's Laserfiche optical imaging system during the initial processing of the report. The Department will also be able to utilize the PoliceReports.US system to track what reports have been purchased and/or retrieved, and by whom. Throughout the State and across the country, more and more law enforcement agencies are using similar programs to provide police reports online. Currently, PoliceReports.US has over 500 agencies in 27 states utilizing their program, with 32 of those agencies located in California. Baldwin Park Police Department and West Covina Police Department are two Southern California agencies currently using this program. Both agencies spoke favorably of the PoliceReports.US program, its infrastructure, and customer support. Each agency reported a dramatic reduction in the amount of time their Records personnel spends processing requests for copies of reports. VeriPicReports.com is another company that provides a service similar to PoliceReports.US. However, VeriPicReports.com charges a higher convenience fee of $7.00 and only provides services to two police agencies in California: Seaside and La Verne. Furthermore, La Verne Police Department reported dissatisfaction with VeriPicReports.com and would not recommend their service. FISCAL IMPACT No impact to the General Fund. Each report will cost the requesting party an additional $4.00 for the convenience of accessing the service online. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council authorize the City Manager to enter into a three-year agreement with PoliceReports.US to provide online access for the distribution of certain police reports to authorized involved parties. Approved: Dominic Lazzare o City Manager