Fremont City Council Meeting: 03/05/24 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Police Department
Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Agreements and Contracts
REVIEWED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 5100) DOC ID: 5100
Updated: 3/1/2024 1:59 PM by Dina Lewis Page 1
STARCHASE PURSUIT ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGY DEVICES - Authorize the City Manager, or Designee, to Issue a Purchase Order with StarChase, LLC in an amount not to exceed $250,000
Contact Persons:
Name: Eric Tang Sean Washington
Title: Police Captain Police Chief
Div/Dept: Police Department Police Department
Phone: (510) 790-6900 510-790-6969
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: The Fremont Police Department receives funding via the Citizens Option for Public Safety (COPS) grant each year and previously reported to the City Council that a portion of the funding would be utilized for Police Department capital equipment in FY 2023/24.
The pursuit alternative technology product consists of a device that is mounted to the front of a patrol vehicle. The device launches a GPS projectile towards a suspect vehicle , which then attaches via a magnet encased in a thick flexible material. The GPS projectile then begins transmitting live GPS locations, which allows officers to back off a fleeing suspect and continue to follow the GPS updates until a safer location is determined for an enforcement contact. The technology has proven to reduce pursuits and increase the rate of suspect apprehension.
BACKGROUND: The Fremont Police Department continues to seek strategies to combat problematic crime series, such as burglaries, stolen vehicles, and robberies. Many of these property crimes are not pursuable due to the inherent risk of pursuits to our community. As a result, many of these suspects flee from vehicle enforcement stops and are never arrested.
The StarChase technology will allow officers to deploy a GPS projectile onto the suspect vehicle. As a result, the officer can disengage from following the suspect and remain out of sight from the offender. StarChase, LLC has found that offenders return to normal driving patterns within ten miles per hour of the speed limit within two minutes of the GPS projectile being deployed. Further, 85% of vehicles are recovered after the GPS projectile has been deployed.
This technology provides the Police Department with the equipment and strategies to combat all levels of crimes, including property crimes, which continue to plague the entire Bay Area. Furthermore, this technology will reduce the number of police pursuits and associated dangers to which community members are exposed.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS: StarChase, LLC is the sole manufacturer and distributor for their line of equipment, which is considered proprietary. The Police Department has searched for alternate products; however, there are no other products on the market that allow for a patrol vehicle to deploy a GPS projectile onto a moving suspect vehicle.
Council Staff Report (ID # 5100) Meeting of March 5, 2024 Updated: 3/1/2024 1:59 PM by Dina Lewis Page 2
Accordingly, purchase of the StarChase devices is exempt from the City’s standard competitive procurement requirements under Fremont Municipal Code Sections 3.20.280(c) and 3.20.300.
The Police Department previously made an initial purchase, which outfitted half of the marked patrol fleet. This purchase will fund another 34 marked patrol vehicles.
FISCAL IMPACT: The estimated cost for up to 34 StarChase devices is approximately $250,000 and will be paid from the FY 2023/24 COPS Grant, which was previously appropriated by the City Council in the COPS Grant Fund (Fund 151).
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The purchase of devices attached to existing patrol vehicles is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as defined in CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) which is the general rule that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment.
ATTACHMENTS: None.
RECOMMENDATION: Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to issue a Purchase Order with StarChase, LLC in an amount not to exceed $250,000 for StarChase devices.