DATE: 06/27/2023
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Chief of Police
SUBJECT: Adopt a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Allow the Hayward Police Department to Participate in the Application Process for the Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant Sponsored Through the Board of State and Community Corrections
RECOMMENDATION
That Council adopts a resolution (Attachment II) authorizing the City Manager to allow the Hayward Police Department to participate in the application process for the Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant sponsored through the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC).
SUMMARY
The Hayward Police Department is in the process of completing an application to receive grant funding through the BSCC. The grant funding would be used to combat organized retail thefts, motor vehicle thefts, and motor vehicle accessory thefts by expanding the department’s current Automated License Plate Reading (ALPR) camera program. If authorized to apply, the grant would give the department the ability to expand its ALPR camera system, and have all costs associated with the expansion covered for a period of three years.
BACKGROUND
The City of Hayward has multiple large-scale retail establishments that have been adversely affected by organized retail thefts over the past several years. These include but are not limited to both the north and south Target Stores, The Home Depot, Harbor Freight, as well as Southland Mall, which is home to over seventy retail establishments.
In addition, Hayward has also seen a sharp increase in both vehicle theft, as well as vehicle accessory theft, most notably catalytic converters.
In October 2022, the Hayward Police Department partnered with FLOCK Safety and purchased 29 ALPR cameras that were strategically positioned throughout the city. ALPR cameras are fixed cameras that capture license plate alpha / numerical information from vehicles that travel through its field of view. This information is time and date stamped and stored with the captured image of the vehicle for thirty days. Investigators can then use this information to identify suspect vehicles by researching the stored information on cameras that are located in the vicinity of where a crime occurred.
The ALPR cameras not only record license plate information but can also alert officers in real time if a scanned license plate has an associated want for the vehicle. This includes statewide alerts such as “Amber Alerts” for abducted or endangered children, missing persons, stolen vehicles, lost or stolen license plates, and suspect vehicles associated with felony crimes. These alerts allow officers to respond to the area where the license plate was captured and begin to immediately look for that particular vehicle.
In just a short period of time, the Flock Camera system has not only proven extremely beneficial in the immediate apprehension of wanted felons but has also improved the department’s investigative capabilities, as well as crime solvability.
ALPR Usage 10-01-22 to 05-18-2023
Category
Sum of Usage
Arrests
64 Firearms Recovered
5 Proactive Investigations
14 Recovered Stolen Vehicles
51 Recovered Felony Vehicles
20 DISCUSSION
If awarded the grant, the Hayward Police Department would request approximately $850,000 to purchase 54 additional ALPR cameras and 16 situational awareness cameras. These cameras would be positioned throughout major thoroughfares and intersections surrounding areas that have been shown to be adversely affected by organized retail thefts, motor vehicle thefts, and motor vehicle accessory thefts. The requested amount would cover the cost of the purchase of the cameras, installation, and a three-year service agreement.
Proposals selected for funding will be under agreement from October 1, 2023 to June 1, 2027 with the BSCC. The grant agreement service period covers October 1, 2023 and ends on December 31, 2026. However, an additional six months (January 1, 2027 to June 1, 2027) will be included in the term of the grant agreement for the sole purposes of finalizing and submitting a required Local Evaluation Report and finalizing and submitting a required financial audit.
FISCAL IMPACT
The first three years cost for this proposal would be paid for entirely with BSCC grant funding.
Year 1
Purchase / Installation Service Agreement
$303,322.50
Year 2
Service Agreement
$262,990
Year 3
Service Agreement
$262,990
Beginning in FY 2026, the expected ongoing service agreement price of $262,990 would then be included in the Police Department’s CIP budget.
STRATEGIC ROADMAP
This agenda item is a routine operational item and does not relate to any of the priorities outlined in the Council’s Strategic Roadmap.
NEXT STEPS
With Council approval, staff will create and submit the BSCC Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant application requesting up to $850,000 for the purchase of 54 FLOCK ALPR cameras and 16 FLOCK situational awareness cameras.
Prepared by: David Dorn, Lieutenant - Investigations Division Recommended by: Bryan Matthews, Acting Chief of Police Approved by:
Kelly McAdoo, City Manager