AGENDA ITEM NO. 10
CITY OF HAWTHORNE
City Council
AGENDA BILL
For the meeting of March 26, 2024
Originating Department: Police - Administrative
City Manager: __________
Vontray Norris
Chief of Police: ___________
Gary Tomatani
SUBJECT:
Agreement Between the City of Hawthorne and Aerodome for Services Related to Drone First Responder (DFR) Equipment and Software.
RECOMMENDED MOTION:
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the agreement with Aerodome for Drone First Responder (DFR) in the amount of $99,450.00 for the one-year term of the agreement and authorize the Chief of the Police Department to execute the agreement and make any minor amendments thereto.
DISCUSSION:
For several years the Hawthorne Police Department has been utilizing drones to assist with traffic accident investigations and reconstruction, crime scene investigations and reconstruction, police containment searches, and canine searches. Currently, this requires HPD to deploy personnel to the scene to launch and monitor the drones from the location. With the help of Aerodome, HPD can implement a Drone First Responder (DFR) initiative using Aerodome’s cutting-edge technology to gather real-time information and assess situations before police officers arrive.
DFR involves police personnel operating drones from a centralized location to promptly respond to service calls across the city. This will improve the efficiency of police response, enhance officer and community safety, and facilitate more effective de-escalation strategies. Real-time information from drone footage ensures that appropriate police resources are dispatched, enhancing effectiveness of the response.
Under this agreement Aerodome will furnish the Hawthorne Police Department with a DJI M350 quadcopter featuring an H20N camera, along with 16 batteries, DFR Tele-ops software,
comprehensive one-week training for Hawthorne Police personnel, seamless integration with existing technologies like Video Management Systems (VMS) and Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), assistance in acquiring FAA waivers, and automated logging of crucial flight data for internal analytics to assess program effectiveness and ensure compliance reporting.
With evolving public safety challenges, it is imperative to explore innovative solutions that can augment our police department's capabilities. Aerodome offers cutting-edge technology designed for law enforcement use, enabling real-time information and assessment of situations before police officers arrive.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN:
FISCAL IMPACT:
The sum of $99,450.00 for a one-year term is designated to be paid from the Asset Forfeiture Funds. A blanket purchase order for Aerodome has been duly approved, and the corresponding funds have been appropriated accordingly.
NOTICING PROCEDURES:
72 hours posted notice pursuant to the Ralph M. Brown Act ATTACHMENT(S):
1. Agreement between City of Hawthorne and Aerodome
2. Exhibit A to Agreement between City of Hawthorne and Aerodome