DATE: May 6, 2025
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Chief of Police
SUBJECT: Adopt a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to: (1) Accept and Appropriate $162,360 in Awarded FEMA State Homeland Security Program Grant Funding from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office; and to (2) Execute Agreement(s) With Flock Safety for the Purchase of Additional Automated License Plate Reader Cameras for up to ten (10) Years With Total Expenditures Not to Exceed $4,000,000 Over the Ten-Year Period.
RECOMMENDATION
That Council adopts a resolution (Attachment II) authorizing the City Manager to accept and appropriate $162,360 in awarded FEMA State Homeland Security Program grant funding from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.
It is also recommended that Council adopts another resolution (Attachment III) to execute an agreement(s) with Flock Safety for the purchase of additional Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras for up to a ten-year-period in a total amount not to exceed $4,000,000.
Any future request to expand the ALPR program beyond the current scope will require Council approval. This resolution will replace and supersede Resolution #24-049 to ensure program continuity.
SUMMARY
The State Homeland Security Program (SHSP), funded by FEMA, supports emergency preparedness at the state and local levels. In California, Cal OES distributes SHSP funds to counties. From its SHSP award, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office allocated $162,360 to the Hayward Police Department to expand its Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) program.
The expansion aims to enhance terrorism response, improve real-time alerts for flagged vehicles, and boost overall crime prevention. Hayward PD has already seen success with its existing ALPR network, supporting dozens of arrests and recoveries, and aiding in a homicide suspect's apprehension. Nationally, ALPR systems have been linked to significant crime reductions.
The Hayward Police Department currently maintains a contract with Flock Safety to operate and support a network of 64 Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras.
This agreement, effective from December 2024 through December 2026, has a total value of $271,660.27. Prior to this, the Department entered into several agreements with Flock Safety beginning in 2022, which were subsequently consolidated into the current contract.
These earlier agreements, now expired, totaled $349,028.63 in cumulative expenditures.
Starting in Fiscal Year 2026, the projected annual cost to maintain and operate the existing 64-camera network will be approximately $202,000. The proposed system expansion, which will add approximately 30 additional cameras funded by the SHSP grant, is expected to incur an annual cost of up to $162,360. In addition to equipment and service fees, the Department incurs a $300 per camera annual cost to retain ALPR data for investigatory and evidentiary purposes for one year. With a combined network of 94 cameras, the total cost of data retention will be $28,200 per year.
Taking all elements into account—the base contract for existing cameras, the cost of the proposed expansion, and the data retention fees—the estimated total annual expenditure is approximately $392,560. To ensure operational flexibility and account for potential repairs, camera replacements, or unforeseen service needs, HPD would likely be using a maximum of $400,000 per year, for a total not-to-exceed amount of $4,000,000 for up to a 10 year time period.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) is a FEMA-funded grant program designed to support state and local efforts in preparing for disasters, terrorist threats, and large-scale emergencies. In California, these funds are allocated by Cal OES to counties, which then distribute resources to strengthen local emergency preparedness.
From its SHSP award, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office has allocated $162,360 to the Hayward Police Department. These funds will be used to expand the Department’s Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) program by adding approximately 30 new cameras to its existing Flock Safety camera network. These cameras will be strategically placed at key ingress and egress points across the city, particularly along major regional transportation routes, including I-880, I-580, I-238, and SR 92. The deployment of these cameras will enhance the City’s terrorism response capabilities and provide real-time alerts for vehicles flagged in the National Crime Information Center (NCIC).
Between January and March 2025, Hayward PD responded to 961 incidents involving vehicle theft or attempted theft—an average of over 11 incidents per day. From February 2023 to February 2024, the City’s existing ALPR network directly contributed to:
64 vehicle theft arrests
71 stolen vehicle recoveries
31 felony arrests
The safe apprehension of a homicide suspect (May 2023)
Nationally, cities have reported up to a 70% reduction in crime in areas with ALPR networks.
The Flock ALPR systems offer 24/7 monitoring, high-resolution imagery, sound capture, and powerful search capabilities to assist investigations. The identified ALPRs have a license plate capture accuracy rate of 97% and contribute to identifying over one billion vehicles involved in crimes nationwide each month.
The planned camera expansion will enhance Hayward’s regional security, investigative capacity, and law enforcement coordination. The Department currently shares ALPR data with 10 Alameda County agencies and more than 26 agencies in the greater Bay Area, fostering inter-agency collaboration that strengthens public safety throughout the region.
Since mid-2022, Hayward PD has expanded its ALPR network in three phases: 20 cameras in mid-2022, nine in late 2022, and 35 in early 2024. Total compensation to Flock Safety for these cameras through December 2024 was $349,028.63. In December 2024, the Department consolidated all prior agreements into a single co-termed contract valued at $271,660.27.
Beginning in Fiscal Year 2026, the projected annual cost to operate and maintain the existing 64-camera network will be approximately $202,000.
With the newly awarded SHSP funds, the Department plans to install approximately 30 additional cameras. The grant will cover the first year of the two-year agreement, with the second year funded by the City’s General Fund. In addition, to support evidentiary and investigatory use of ALPR data, the Department plans to retain camera footage for one year at a cost of $300 per camera. For a combined total of 94 cameras, annual data retention expenses will be $28,200. Altogether, the annual cost to maintain the current network, operate the expanded camera system, and retain captured data is estimated at $392,560. To provide operational flexibility for unforeseen repairs, replacements, or other service needs, staff recommends rounding the maximum authorized annual expenditure to $400,000.
Staff is requesting Council authorization to continue contracting with the vendor for up to ten years. This long-term authority ensures program continuity and facilitates proactive budgeting and planning. Over the full ten-year term, total expenditures under all agreements with Flock Safety shall not exceed $4,000,000. This resolutions will replace and supersede Resolution No. 24-049 to reflect updated funding authorizations. Any future request to expand the ALPR network beyond the current scope will be brought back to Council for approval.
FISCAL IMPACT
The purchase planned using the SHSP grant will not immediately impact the General Fund, as the awarded funds will cover the first year of the new ALPR camera agreement. However, there will be ongoing General Fund obligations for future years. The Police Department has established a new Capital Improvement Project in Fund 405 to track the ALPR program’s expansion and fiscal impacts beginning in FY 2026. The proposed expansion would create an additional annual funding requirement of up to $162,360, totaling up to $400,000 per year for
all agreements with Flock Safety. Over a ten-year period, the total cost of all agreements with Flock Safety will not exceed $4,000,000.
STRATEGIC ROADMAP
While this agenda item does not directly support one of its 27 enumerated projects, the SHSP Grant and expansion of the City’s ALPR program would further the Strategic Priority of Enhancing Community Safety and Quality of Life by increasing crime solvability rates and aiding officers in combatting in-progress crimes.
NEXT STEPS
If the Council authorizes this action, staff will execute a subrecipient agreement with Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, appropriate the funding into the Police Department’s budget, execute an agreement with Flock Safety for additional ALPR cameras, and administer the grant per the terms and conditions of the agreement.
Prepared by: Laura Gomez, Senior Management Analyst
Recommended by: Bryan Matthews, Chief of Police
Approved by:
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Dr. Ana M. Alvarez, City Manager