September 15, 2026
Police Department
DATE: September 15, 2026
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM: Timothy Simmons, Chief of Police
Subject:
Contract with Police Strategies LLC for Use-of-Force
Data Analysis and Public Reporting
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The proposed first-year expenditure of $28,000 is included within the approved Fiscal Year 2026-2027
Police Department budget and will be budgeted
accordingly in subsequent fiscal years. The total
three-year not-to-exceed cost of $73,000, along with two optional one-year extensions in a cumulative additional amount of $30,000 for a total not-to-exceed amount of
$103,000, will be budgeted accordingly in future fiscal years (Account String: 01191021-400201).
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
March 07, 2023
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
The City currently publishes Police Department use-of-
force data through summary reports and an interactive
public dashboard to support transparency and public
access to information. The existing published data covers calendar years 2018 through 2023.
Police Department staff seeks City Council approval of a three-year sole source contract with Police Strategies
LLC to process and publish use-of-force data for 2024
and 2025 and provide annual updates thereafter. The
proposed contract will allow the City to continue providing accessible use-of-force information to the public while AGENDA
REPORT
September 15, 2026
supporting more efficient responses to Public Records
Act requests.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
APPROVE a sole-source contract with Police Strategies
LLC to analyze use-of-force data and maintain the City’s public-facing use-of-force reporting dashboard, in an
amount not to exceed $73,000, for the term of September 16, 2026, through September 15, 2029, with two one-
year extension options in a combined amount not to
exceed $30,000, for a total contract amount not to
exceed $103,000 - Police Department (Chief Timothy
Simmons 510-621-1802).
DISCUSSION:
Since June 2023, the City of Richmond has published Police Department use-of-force data on the City website as part of its ongoing commitment to transparency and public access to information. Use-of-force data from January 2018 through December 2023 has been processed and made available for public review.
Use-of-force data is comprehensive and can be difficult to interpret in its raw form.
Police Strategies LLC was previously retained to analyze and organize the Police Department’s use-of-force data and present the information in a format that is easier for the public to understand. The vendor developed use-of-force summary reports and an interactive dashboard with instructions to assist users in reviewing and interpreting the data.
Police Strategies LLC has completed analysis and reporting for available use-of-force data covering 2018 through 2023. Police Department staff now seeks to continue this transparency effort by processing and publishing available use-of-force data beginning with calendar years 2024 and 2025, followed by annual updates during the proposed three-year contract term.
The proposed contract provides for a first-year expenditure of $28,000 to process and publish data for 2024 and 2025. Annual updates thereafter will cost $15,000 per year, for a total contract amount of $73,000 over the three-year term.
Maintaining current and accessible use-of-force data will also support the Police Department’s response to Public Records Act requests. The Department regularly receives requests for use-of-force information, and making this data consistently available on the City website may reduce duplicative requests and the associated staff time required to compile and respond to them.
Sole Source Justification
The Police Department coordinated with the Finance Department, Purchasing Division, to ensure that the proposed contract complies with the applicable provisions of the Richmond Municipal Code.
September 15, 2026
A sole source procurement is justified based on the continuation of existing work and the vendor’s proprietary data analysis methodology. The vendor’s algorithmic analysis is proprietary, and the vendor previously developed the reporting template currently used by Police Department staff under a contract approved by the City Council in 2023.
Continuing with the same vendor will allow the Department to maintain consistency in the analysis, reporting methodology, and use of previously established reporting tools.
Conclusion
City staff recommend City Council approve a three-year contract in the amount of $73,000, with an optional two-year extension, subject to mutual agreement, in the amount of $30,000, for a total amount not to exceed $103,000 and a maximum term of September 16, 2026, through September 15, 2031.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Standard Contract
Attachment 2 – Sole Source Justification