Video Technology
Equipment
Richmond Police Department
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Recommended Action
• AUTHORIZE the City Manager to sign a contract and/or contract amendment with Axon Enterprise to continue servicing Body Worn Cameras (BWC), Tasers, Interview Room Equipment, VR Training, and to add license plate reader, closed circuit television (CCTV), and drone as a first responder (DFR)equipment in the amount of $3,500,000, for a total contract amount not to exceed $12,000,000 with an expiration of September 30, 2031, that will be finalized by the City Attorney’s Office.
AND
• AUTHORIZE the City Manager to sign a three-year contract with Assure MSP , Inc. for Verkada’sCCTV solution to be utilized at various City facilities in an amount not to exceed $500,000 for the term October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2029, that will be finalized by the City Attorney’s Office.
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
ALPR/CCTV/DFR Administrative Record
• February 2023, City Council approved an agreement with Flock to lease and deploy 30 Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras.
• November 2023, the City Council approved the First Amendment to the Flock Safety agreement, authorizing the lease and deployment of additional ALPR and closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras. • April 2024, the City Council approved the Second Amendment to the Flock Safety agreement to further expand the system by installing additional CCTV and ALPR cameras at the Port of Richmond • January 2025, the City Council approved the Third Amendment to the Flock Safety agreement. This amendment further expanded the City's existing Flock Safety program to include Drone as a First Responder (DFR) technology, as well as additional camera systems intended to support the security and monitoring of City infrastructure and facilities.
• February 2026, staff requested an additional amendment to the existing agreement with Flock Safety to extend the applicable contract terms through December 31, 2026. The purpose of the extension was to allow the City to satisfy existing contractual payment obligations while providing staff with sufficient time to conduct a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process and evaluate whether Flock Safety continued to represent the best technological, operational, and financial solution for the City of Richmond.
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Request For Proposals (RFP)
• February 26, 2026, staff completed an RFP for Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR), closed-circuit television (CCTV), and related public safety technology solutions. The RFP was posted on February 27, 2026, with a closing date of March 27, 2026. A total of 830 vendors were notified of the solicitation, and an addendum was posted on March 1, 2026.
• Evaluation Committee: A ten-member city evaluation committee representing multiple City departments and operational perspectives participated in the review process. (Police, City Attorney’s Office, Port, Public Works, Abatement)
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
RFP Continued
• The city received proposals from six vendors:
1. Assure MSP (Selected for city infrastructure needs)
2. Axon Enterprise (Selected for law enforcement needs)
3. Flock Safety (camera reliability & repair & public trust)
4. IREX (did not meet the full needs of the RFP)
5. Motorola Solutions (associated cost and reference checks)
6. Net Electric (did not meet the full needs of the RFP)
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Axon Enterprise
02Video Surveillance Technology
Proposed public safety technology
platform
• Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR)
• Closed Circuit Television Camera (CCTV)
• Drone As A First Responder (DFR)
ALPR / Fixed CCTV Camera
Drone as First Responder
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Axon Outpost
• An Axon Outpost is a fixed, rugged, and solar-powered outdoor camera that combines automated license plate recognition (ALPR), vehicle attribute recognition, and real-time CCTV live video into a single unit.
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
AXON Outpost ALPR: Camera Function
03Video Surveillance Technology
• Captures vehicle detections from fixed or mobile cameras, including plate images, vehicle context images, basic vehicle attributes, time, and location. (Does not capture people) • Compares vehicle plates against agency-approved hotlists, such as the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) or agency-created lists.
• Supports authorized investigative searches on the platform using known information such as a plate, partial plate, or vehicle description.
• Provides authorized law enforcement personnel with a review of prior detections of a specific plate within the agency retention period in support of a legitimate investigation. • Tracks individual access, searches, and activity where enabled, and configuration changes with user, action, time, and stated reason.
• Requires a specific offense category to conduct ALPR searches, requiring users to enter an authorized purpose before results are returned.
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
AXON Outpost ALPR: What the system does NOT do
04Video Surveillance Technology
• Does not use facial recognition or perform live registered-owner lookups. • Does not place agency ALPR data into a national or pooled database. • Does not share agency ALPR data automatically or by default. • Does not allow agencies that receive shared data to re-share it. • Does not provide federal agencies automatic, standing, or built-in access to agency ALPR data. • Does not automate enforcement. Every alert requires human review before action. • Does not allow Axon to pool, resell, or disclose agency ALPR data except where legally required. • Does not continuously monitor individuals or maintain a real-time location feed on any person.
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Data Sharing
05Video Surveillance Technology
• Data Sharing is off by default. If Richmond shares ALPR data, it is explicit, invite-only, publicly visible in the transparency portal, and to the agency. • Sharing does not copy agency ALPR data into a shared repository, transfer ownership of it, or connect it to a national pool.
• Visibility changes only when the agency makes it change.
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Whom do we share with?
06Video Surveillance Technology
• The Richmond Police Department will not openly share
its ALPR and CCTV data.
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Axon Data Access
07Video Surveillance Technology
• Axon has no standing access to agency ALPR data.
Access occurs only when an agency initiates a specific
support request. When that happens, access is
temporary, limited to the stated purpose, logged, and
auditable by the agency.
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
What does Richmond use ALPR for?
08Video Surveillance Technology
• The Richmond Police Department uses license plate
reader data to investigate crimes, including but not
limited to homicide, assaults, missing persons, property crimes, and other authorized criminal investigations.
Vehicle used in a crime
+ =
ALPR Camera Vehicle identification and arrest
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
How long is ALPR data kept for?
09Video Surveillance Technology
• ALPR data is automatically purged after 30 days. If license plate data is used as evidence, the specific license plate data is kept indefinitely with the case file in
Evidence.com.
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Public-Facing Transparency Portal
11Video Surveillance Technology
• Axon’s public-facing transparency portal discloses RPD’s data retention policies and available aggregate ALPR program information. It publishes only aggregate information, with no plate numbers, images, individual records, or camera locations. If an agency has sharing enabled, the portal can also disclose the partner agencies with whom data is shared.
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
ALPR Prohibitions?
12Video Surveillance Technology
• Richmond Police Department does not use license plate reader data for non- legitimate law enforcement purposes, personal or unauthorized tracking, immigration enforcement, medical tracking, such as abortion-related tracking, or religious tracking. All allegations of misuse will be investigated by the Office of Professional Accountability.
• RPD policy section 433 ALPR regulations.
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Sensitive Locations
13Video Surveillance Technology
• License Plate Reader and fixed cameras will not be
installed near churches, medical clinics, schools, or
other sensitive locations.
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Will Richmond’s Data Be Part Of A National Database?
15Video Surveillance Technology
• No!
• Data stays within the City of Richmond unless Richmond chooses to share it. There is no automatic cross-agency access, and the system does not place agency ALPR data into a national or pooled database. Visibility does not expand unless the agency takes deliberate action to add an outside entity.
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Audits
18Video Surveillance Technology
• For auditing and transparency purposes, when sharing is enabled, access to shared ALPR data is logged and reviewable. The audit record includes recipient activity against and changes to sharing relationships over time, so the agency can review who had access during a specific period.
****Richmond PD does not share ALPR data***
• For auditing and transparency purposes, the system logs and records are shared with the Community Police Review Commission.
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Can federal agencies access the data?
21Video Surveillance Technology
• There is no automatic, standing, or built-in federal access to agency ALPR data through the Axon platform. The City of Richmond owns and controls the data; a lawful request is directed to the agency and its legal counsel for handling. If Axon receives such a request, it will direct it to the owning agency, which is the data owner.
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Axon Compliance
29Video Surveillance Technology
trust.axon.com
Compliance certifications
are maintained in Axon
Trust Center.
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Compliant
31Video Surveillance Technology
• Axon Cloud Services (ACS) is designed and operated to ensure compliance with the FBI CJIS Security Policy (CJISSECPOL).
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Axon Data Encryption
30Video Surveillance Technology
• Evidence data is encrypted in transit and while at rest in storage. Axon maintains mature, audited encryption key management procedures.
• Data Encryption in Transit: FIPS 140-2 validated, Certificate #4642; TLS 1.2 implementation with 256-bit connection; RSA 3072-bit key exchange; Perfect Forward Secrecy. • Evidence Data Encryption at Rest: CJIS compliant, AES 256-bit encryption.
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Drone As a First Responder (DFR)
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
DFR Continued….
• DFR provides officers with real-time aerial information before they arrive on scene, improving situational awareness and response planning.
• Enhances officer, firefighter, and community safety by identifying weapons, hazards, escape routes, fire conditions, and other potential threats expeditiously.
• Reduced the need for officers to engage in prolonged vehicle or foot pursuits by tracking suspects from the air.
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
DFR Continued….
• Strengthens police accountability by providing objective aerial overwatch and recorded documentation of rapidly evolving incidents, major events, and critical responses. • Assists firefighting operations by providing aerial views of fire spread, access points, evacuation needs, hot spots, and risks to nearby structures. • 6 DFR docks, which will increase coverage throughout the city, including the Hilltop and Carriage Hills areas. Exploring the placement of docks at existing city locations, such as fire stations.
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
AXON Unique Features
• Ownership of the equipment VS. leasing the equipment. • Designed as a “closed” system, and sharing requires explicit action. • Solar-powered and does not require hard wiring, allowing for cameras to be easily moved and relocated.
• Integrates all CCTV video feeds into a single view.
• Six drones as first responder nests for citywide coverage VS. only one.
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Assure/Verkada
+
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Assure MSP & Verkada
• Assure MSP is a Northern California-based technology integrator specializing in video surveillance, access control, and intelligent monitoring systems. • Headquartered in Pleasanton, Assure MSP has an operational footprint in Bay Area counties such as Contra Costa County, Alameda County, San Mateo County, and Santa Clara County. • Assure MSP is a premier system integrator for the Verkada CCTV platform. • Camera solutions specifically designed for non-law enforcement purposes.
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Assure MSP & Verkada Continued
• Design a Verkada CCTV solution based on a specific city facility’s needs.
• City Hall
• Libraries
• Vehicle Maintenance and Sign Shop
• Port
• Etc….
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Assure MSP & Verkada Continued
• Installation, maintenance, repairs, and extended warranty service on all Verkada cameras installed at a city facility.
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Types of Verkada Cameras
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Cost Analysis
AXON
• Replacement and continuation of City’s law enforcement ALPR/CCTV program • Ownership of equipment
• No city cost for replacement due to vandalism or accidental damage • Five (5) drones and six (6) docking stations for wider emergency reach • 240 camera views
• Bundling will save over $500,000 and the City will receive $1,780,000 of additional equipment
• The first payment will be made in FY28
• The additional annual cost before tax is $876,313 with the final year expenditure being $1,829,003 which covers the City through FY31
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
Cost Analysis
ASSURE MSP INC.
• Replacement and continuation of City infrastructure ALPR/CCTV program • Vendor specializes in interior camera systems
• Small footprint, utilizes City’s low-voltage data cabling for power and data transmission • Ownership of equipment
• Camera’s range in price from $1031.14 to $1977.14
• Additional costs include set up and mounting hardware • Analyze current CCTV coverage to determine ideal locations • Approval will allow up to $500,000 over three-years
• Shields Reid Park, Civic Center, Port, Library, BTA Community Center, etc. • Estimate for Shield Reid Park is $33,737.22
• Annual license $945.14 per camera
RICHMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT
QUESTIONS?