February 25, 2025
Agenda Item No. 10
TO:
HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:
David Miner, Chief of Police - 949-644-3701, [email protected] PREPARED BY:
Jonathan Stafford, Deputy Director - 949-644-3650, [email protected] TITLE:
Services and Purchase Agreement with BRINC Drones, Inc. for the Police Department Drone Program ABSTRACT:
The Police Department requests City Council approval of a five-year agreement with BRINC Drones, Inc. for a Drones-as-First-Responder (DFR) program for a total cost of $2,176,037.60 over five years. The Police Department also requests approval of a budget amendment to fund the agreement and to cover first-year set-up costs for site preparation and equipment and the ongoing cost for utilities. The purchase would be made using NPPGov cooperative purchasing agreement No. PS24040.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
a) Determine this action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) and 15060(c)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines because this action will not result in a physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly; b) Approve a five-year Services and Purchase Agreement with BRINC Drones, Inc. of Seattle, Washington, using the competitive selection process conducted for NPPGov Cooperative Purchasing Agreement No. PS24040 in an amount not-to-exceed $2,176,037.60, and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute the Agreement; and Approve Budget Amendment No. 25-055 to increase expenditure appropriations by $497,516 in the Detective Division Drone Program accounts, 01035355-811065, 01035355-911017 and 01035355-831001.
DISCUSSION:
Background
The Police Department, with City Council support, has made technology improvements a priority in its core mission to address crime in the City of Newport Beach. Drone technology has become a very important tool for crime prevention, the investigation of crimes, and the apprehension of suspects. By establishing a DFR and patrol drone program, the Police Department will be able to respond to crimes-in-progress more quickly, find and apprehend suspects who have committed crimes, and assist in providing thorough investigations and eventual prosecution. A drone program will enhance both proactive and reactive patrols and can free up patrol officers to handle more high priority calls for service.
Selection of BRINC Drones
NPPGov, a nationwide purchasing cooperative based in Seattle, Washington, solicited requests for proposals (RFPs) for DFR programs on behalf of the League of Oregon Cities in November 2023. A competitive RFP process resulted in awarding NPPGov contract No. PS24040 in February 2024 to BRINC Drones, Inc. The RFP process conducted by NPPGov meets the competitive selection process standards established by the City of Newport Beach, allowing City staff to forgo the time and expense of conducting its own RFP process.
Police Department staff researched the new and evolving DFR marketplace and determined that BRINC Drones was the best provider to meet the City’s needs for a DFR program and auxiliary patrol/tactical drones. BRINC is a US company and their drones are designed and manufactured in the US. BRINC has an established and successful customer base utilizing its Lemur series tactical drones throughout the United States and its DFR program delivery schedule was the shortest. Lemur drones are deployed by SWAT teams for reconnaissance and the searching of buildings during emergency tactical operations and search warrant service.
DFR Program
The DFR program will utilize BRINC Responder drones launched from established base stations to respond directly to calls for service, providing a live aerial view of events as they are occurring. Crime Information Center (CIC) staff will be able to launch DFR drones immediately and BRINC’s LiveOps automated flight control system will fly the drones to the dispatched location. CIC staff, patrol officers, and supervisors will be able to access the live view to assess situations as police units are responding to a call.
BRINC will provide all components necessary to establish and operate the DFR program and auxiliary patrol drone program:
6 Responder drones, 5 for DFR and 1 ready-drone for patrol/detective operations 5 Responder base stations
1 Lemur 2 tactical drone
All regulatory approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration Includes Beyond Visual Line of Sight piloting without a visual observer LiveOps autonomous flight control system
Includes configuration for SNA operations area and continuous updating of flight restrictions and other critical flight operations information No-fault warranty including full replacement of damaged or inoperable drones All maintenance of drones, base stations, and software
2 hardware refreshes to the latest drone model, in year 3 and year 5 The six Responder drones can be piloted from the CIC using LiveOps or by a ground pilot using a dedicated remote-control unit. Responder drones fully recharge at the base station in 40 minutes and can also land to have batteries or payloads hot-swapped by ground personnel.
The Lemur 2 drone provides a broad array of features needed in crisis negotiations and building entries and searches, including two-way communication, LIDAR room mapping, bright lights, a glass-breaker, and a thermal camera. Full specifications for both drones are included with the agreement (Attachment A).
The five drones/base stations will be strategically located throughout the city to provide a response to most calls for service within two minutes. The image below shows the preliminary locations for the DFR drones/base stations with the colored circles representing drone response time from launch to arrival of approximately two minutes. The permanent locations of the DFR drones and bases stations have not yet been finalized.
Image 1: Preliminary Base Station Locations
Fire/Lifeguard Operations Support
The DFR program can be used to support calls for service involving joint responses by the Police Department, the Newport Beach Fire Department and its Lifeguard Operations Division. Drones will be very valuable in calls for service for structure fires, brushfires, vehicle fires, missing swimmers, or for clearing the beach for shark sightings or lightning incidents. Drones for Fire or Lifeguard Operations drone programs can be easily added to the BRINC agreement in the future at discounted costs using the FAA permitting and LiveOps flight control system already established for the DFR program.
Costs
BRINC has provided a significant discount on costs compared to the NPPGov contract pricing. The NPPGov contract discount is 2.5% off of list pricing, but the City is receiving a 30% discount on list pricing. The table below shows the five-year costs for the DFR and patrol drone program agreement. Costs for base station site preparation and ongoing utilities costs are not included in the table, but are listed in the Fiscal Impact of this report.
BRINC AGREEMENT COSTS
YEAR 1
Drones/Base Stations/Services
$ 395,495.10
Sales Tax (7.75% on goods)
$ 24,520.70
Insurance Costs
$ 25,000.00
Total
$ 445,015.80
YEAR 2
Drones/Base Stations/Services
$ 395,495.10
Insurance Costs
$ 25,000.00
Total
$ 420,495.10
YEAR 3
Drones/Base Stations/Services
$ 395,495.10
Sales Tax (7.75% on goods)
$ 24,520.70
Insurance Costs
$ 25,000.00
Total
$ 445,015.80
YEAR 4
Drones/Base Stations/Services
$ 395,495.10
Insurance Costs
$ 25,000.00
Total
$ 420,495.10
YEAR 5
Drones/Base Stations/Services
$ 395,495.10
Sales Tax (7.75% on goods)
$ 24,520.70
Insurance Costs
$ 25,000.00
Total
$ 445,015.80
5-Year Total
$ 2,176,037.60
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Budget Amendment (Attachment B) appropriates $497,516 in increased expenditure appropriations from the General Fund unappropriated fund balance for the first year costs of the Police Department drone program. The total includes the BRINC agreement costs of $445,016, $50,000 for base station site preparation/construction and $2,500 in annual utilities and data line costs. Funding for subsequent fiscal years will be addressed in the annual budget preparation process.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
Staff recommends the City Council find this action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly.
NOTICING:
The agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at which the City Council considers the item).
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A – Services and Purchase Agreement with BRINC Drones, Inc.
Attachment B – Budget Amendment No. 25-055
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Services and Purchase Agreement with BRINC Drones, Inc. for the Police Department Drone Program
February 25, 2025
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