Cotati City Council
Agenda Staff Report
Item type: CONSENT CALENDAR (ACTION)
To: City Council
Subject: Police Building Surveillance Camera Replacement and Update Date: November 22, 2022
Written by: Michael Parish, Chief of Police
Recommendation
It is recommended that the Cotati City Council approve by motion a professional services agreement with Vigilare Security Cameras for a total amount not to exceed $29,250, and authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement.
Background
The Police Building needs to be secure from threats and made safe for visitors. Capturing surveillance with cameras and storing the video of incidents is in the best interest of the City of Cotati and its visitors.
The Police Building Surveillance Cameras and associated recording systems are at end of life and need replacement. The equipment needs replacement and storage of video data will be upgraded to a cloud format.
Analysis/Discussion
The Cotati Police Department Building is nearing its 20th year since its completion. The building is equipped with a surveillance camera system to capture video. Our police department needs a camera system for security of the building as well as for our guest who visit. For example, child custody exchanges occur daily in our parking lot and lobby and people seeking refuge come to our lobby for help. Police dispatchers need to be able to view camera footage before allowing access to the police building’s various doors and gates. It is important to not only view the camera system, but also to record the activity.
The current camera system is at end of life and needs to be upgraded. For cost savings, City Staff have evaluated and think it is best to continue using some, but not all, existing cameras that are still performing. However, in accordance with best practices, staff propose upgrading to a system that includes moving to a cloud-based recording system.
Our current camera vendor is Pacific Technology CCTV Inc. which is one of the largest, privately owned and operated closed-circuit television systems integrators in the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California. Unfortunately, this current vender is not performing for requested maintenance, repairs, and replacement of our current camera system. Staff have requested a camera system upgrade estimate from this vendor and have not yet received their quote.
Additionally, City staff requested quotes from multiple other venders, including KLH Consulting which is the City of Cotati Information Technology vendor. The lowest bid (quote) for a camera system upgrade was provided by Vigilare Security Camera, which is another vendor serving the greater Bay Area. The Vigilare bid is attached in this report.
Financial Considerations
City staff are recommending a contract for an amount not to exceed $29,250. The City adopted budget for fiscal year 2022/23 includes $40,000 in the Police Department Contract Services for Special Projects account 10-23-80187-000000. As such, no additional appropriations are required. The remaining budget balance of $10,750 is expected to be used for future updates to the aged intercom system.
Environmental Issues
This project has been reviewed for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has been found to qualify for a Class 1 Categorical Exemption under Section 15301 (Existing Facilities) of CEQA, in that it is the replacement of existing security infrastructure at the City’s police department building.
Attachments:
Police Building Cameras (PDF)