April 7, 2026
Police Department
DATE: April 7, 2026
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Timothy Simmons, Chief of Police
Joseph England, Police Lieutenant
Subject:
Contract with Veritone, Inc. for RIPA Report and
Audio/Video Redaction Services
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The proposed three-year not-to-exceed $300,000 contract is included within the approved fiscal year 2025- 2026 Police Department budget and will be budgeted
accordingly in subsequent fiscal year budgets (Account
String: 01191021-400209).
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
None.
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
The California Department of Justice requires ongoing
data submission under the Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA), as authorized by Assembly Bill 953 (AB 953).
The Police Department relies on Veritone software to
support compliant data collection, reporting, and
transmission of required RIPA data directly to the
California Department of Justice. In addition, the Police Department is required to redact sensitive information
from audio and video records prior to public release
under the California Public Records Act. Continued
access to Veritone is necessary to support both RIPA
reporting compliance and mandated audio/video
redaction requirements in accordance with applicable
state law.
AGENDA
REPORT
April 7, 2026
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
APPROVE a sole-source contract with Veritone, Inc. for
Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) reporting support and audio/video redaction services required for California Public Records Act compliance, in an amount not to
exceed $300,000 for the period April 8, 2026, through
April 7, 2029, with two optional one-year extensions in an amount not to exceed $100,000 per year – Police
Department (Chief Timothy Simmons 510-620-
6651/Lieutenant Joseph England 510-620-6661).
DISCUSSION:
Assembly Bill 953, the Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) requires law enforcement agencies to collect, validate, and submit stop data and report that information to the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General on a defined reporting schedule. The data elements required to be collected and reported include the date, time, and the duration of the stop, location of stop, perceived race or ethnicity of person stopped, perceived gender of person stopped, perceived age of the person stopped, and a number of other informational categories derived from an officer’s perceived knowledge of the suspect prior to any interaction. Once collected, each law enforcement agency is responsible for ensuring that no personally identifiable information (PII) is included in the data. Next, this information must be securely transmitted to the California State Department of Justice (DoJ). Failure to comply with RIPA reporting and data- quality requirements may result in findings of noncompliance, audit deficiencies, and reputational and legal risk to the City.
Veritone’s RIPA software will be able to automatically find, analyze, and flag inconsistent data and move it to review. Once all reviews are completed, the correct data will be sent to the California Department of Justice through Veritone’s software server without any input by Richmond Police Department (RPD) personnel.
Under Senate Bill 90, local governments may request reimbursement for state mandated activities that incur additional costs for local entities. Veritone’s RIPA software can track the interaction time for each report entered by an officer (and the review time); therefore, RPD staff may be able to use the time tracking data embedded in the software as support for its claim for state reimbursement.
The Police Department must also comply with removing sensitive data before releasing audio/video records requested pursuant to the California Public Records Act (CPRA).
Veritone’s redaction software offers a solution that automates this process, significantly reducing the time and effort required to respond to CPRA requests. This allows officers and administrative staff to focus on their primary responsibilities, enhancing overall efficiency.
April 7, 2026
Veritone’s redaction software ensures high accuracy in identifying and redacting sensitive information, minimizing the risk of human error and maintaining consistency.
The customizable redaction policies allow the software to adhere to the Department’s specific requirements, ensuring we meet legal standards and protect privacy. By accurately redacting faces, license plates, and other personal identifiers, the software safeguards the privacy of victims, witnesses, and uninvolved parties, which is crucial for maintaining public trust as well as legal and ethical standards.
The automated redaction tool reduces labor costs associated with manual processes, offering significant savings. Veritone’s subscription-based redaction software provides scalable cost management aligned with budget, need, and request volume.
A sole-source procurement is justified due to the specialized and integrated nature of the Veritone platform, which provides a DOJ-validated RIPA data submission system and integrated digital redaction capabilities required for compliance with the California Public Records Act. A market review found that while other vendors offer partial functionality, none provide a fully integrated, DOJ-compliant solution that meets the City’s operational, legal, and technical requirements without substantial redevelopment.
Transitioning to another system would require significant data migration, reconfiguration, and staff retraining, resulting in increased costs and service disruption.
Accordingly, continued use of this vendor is in the best interest of the City and supports sole-source procurement.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Standard Contract
Attachment 2 – Executed Sole Source Justification Form