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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 10g - Purchase of License Plate Reader Subscription DATE: December 20, 2022 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council FROM: Roy Nakamura, Chief of Police By: Amber Abeyta, Management Analyst SUBJECT: PURCHASE ORDER WITH FLOCK SAFETY FOR THE ANNUAL RENEWAL OF THE AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READER (“ALPR”) CAMERA SUBSCRIPTION FOR FISCAL YEAR 2022-23 IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $50,000 CEQA: Not a Project Recommendation: Approve SUMMARY The Arcadia Police Department currently utilizes a subscription-based platform for 20 automated license plate reader (“ALPR”) cameras. The subscription is purchased from Flock Safety and is renewed on an annual basis. The preferred subscription-based platform streamlines the maintenance, upgrades, and equipment, making the cameras more effective over time. Based on the Department’s satisfaction with the subscription- based platform, it is recommended that the City Council authorize the purchase order with Flock Safety for the annual renewal of the automated license plate reader camera subscription for Fiscal Year 2022-23, in an amount not to exceed $50,000. BACKGROUND Since 2008, the Police Department has utilized an ALPR system to combat criminal activity, enhance productivity, and improve officer safety. The ALPR system automatically captures license plates from passing vehicles and vehicles parked on a street or in a parking lot. Once the license plate is processed, the officer operating the ALPR (or the Department’s Dispatch Center) is immediately notified whenever a license plate is read that is associated with the following criteria: stolen vehicle, identification of vehicles connected to wanted felons, Amber Alerts, or any other search criteria determined by the Department. In Arcadia, ALPR camera systems are located in fixed and mobile locations throughout the City. The ALPR system retains captured license plates and photographs of vehicles ALPR Camera System Subscription Renewal December 6, 2022 Page 2 of 3 for a period of 30 days, which allows investigators time to review this data and possibly locate vehicles associated with criminal activity in the City. Once potential vehicles are connected to a crime, investigators input license plate information that triggers an alert to all officers with a digital photo of the vehicle, and pinpoint mapping of its current or previous location. The ALPR system can capture exponentially more vehicles than any single officer could on their own. To date, the ALPR system has resulted in countless recoveries of stolen vehicles and provides timely alerts of criminally-wanted vehicles entering the City, leading to arrests. DISCUSSION In May 2021, the Department explored options to replace the ALPR system due to camera inoperability, poor image quality, and other age-based malfunctions. With the prior ALPR system, the cameras that did function were limited in their detection abilities and came with costly annual operational fees and extensive in-house support. In addition, the Department wanted to replace the entire system with the latest ALPR technology, which would capture more vehicle information and expand coverage across more intersection locations. It was determined that the most cost-effective and efficient solution for these services was to transition from purchase/ownership option to a subscription-based platform from Flock Safety. By purchasing the subscription-based platform, the cameras are covered by an extended warranty program and service plan. In addition, the consultant is responsible for monitoring the cameras to ensure they are always performing at optimal standards. More importantly, Flock’s all-inclusive price per camera includes the hardware, software, SIM card and data plan, warranty maintenance, monitoring, and software upgrades. The total cost for the subscription is $50,000 annually and provides a significant cost savings compared to the total cost of ownership for the ALPR camera system. Some additional highlights of the Flock Safety ALPR camera system include: • Solar powered; therefore, the City no longer has to run powerlines through its signal poles for energy. • Detects vehicles with no plates, temporary plates, dirty/covered plates, and obtains accurate state detection. • Reads the newer black Legacy plates issued by the State, which lack illuminating features. • Covers two lanes (former cameras covered one lane), which increases coverage at the City’s intersections. • Hosted on a cloud-based Criminal Justice Information System (“CJIS”) system, which eliminates the need for costly in-house servers. ALPR Camera System Subscription Renewal December 6, 2022 Page 3 of 3 The transition to the subscription-based platform was implemented in FY 2021-22. This is the first year that the subscription is being renewed. Based on the excellent experience to date with the Flock Safety service model and the pricing remaining unchanged, it is recommended that the subscription be renewed. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT The proposed action does not constitute a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”), based on Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines, as it can be seen with certainty that it will have no impact on the environment. Thus, this matter is exempt under CEQA. FISCAL IMPACT Sufficient funds have been budgeted in the Fiscal Year 2022-23 General Fund Operating budget to fund the $50,000 annual subscription cost. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council approve the Purchase Order with Flock Safety for the annual renewal of the automated license plate reader (“ALPR”) camera subscription for Fiscal Year 2022-23 in an amount not to exceed $50,000.