Council Staff Report - Purchase of UAVs — Salinas City Council, June 14, 2022

DATE: JUNE 14, 2022
DEPARTMENT: SALINAS POLICE DEPARTMENT
FROM: ROBERTO FILICE, CHIEF OF POLICE
BY: TONYA ERICKSON, MANAGEMENT ANALYST
TITLE: DONATION AND DIRECT PURCHASE OF UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT RECOMMENDED MOTION:

A motion to approve a Resolution accepting the donation of a Lemur S Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) from BRINC Drones and authorizing the direct purchase of four UAVs and associated equipment for a total cost not to exceed $86,642.91.

RECOMMENDATION:

Staff recommends that City Council approve the acceptance of a donated Lemur S Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) from BRINC Drones and authorize the direct purchase of four UAVs and associated equipment to support the Salinas Police Department’s Aerial Support Unit. Equipment will be purchased from Unmanned Vehicle Technologies (UVT) with a total cost not to exceed $86,642.91.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

The Salinas Police Aerial Support (SPAS) Unit has limited equipment with thermal imaging capabilities and wishes to purchase additional Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with this technology to ensure mission readiness to support major fire incidents such as occurred on April 13, 2022 at the Taylor Farms facility. Assembly Bill 481, codified in Government Code sections 7070 through 7075, requires a law enforcement agency (LEA) to obtain approval from the applicable governing body prior to the funding, acquisition, or use of “Military Equipment” as defined by the Bill. As unmanned, remotely piloted, powered aerial vehicles such as those being requested are defined as “Military Equipment” per AB 481, we are seeking City Council approval prior to purchasing these items. SPAS is also seeking approval to accept the donation of a new Lemur S UAV from BRINC Drones.

BACKGROUND:

The Salinas Police Aerial Support (SPAS) Unit was established in December 2020 and utilizes Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to improve the quality of life of the residents of Salinas in a fast, cost effective and efficient manner. To meet this goal, UAVs are utilized in multiple ways to include search and rescue operations (missing persons), suspect identification and apprehension, assisting the Salinas Fire Department utilizing thermal imaging, as well as crime and accident scene reconstruction. By using UAVs the city is able to achieve most of the benefits of having a police helicopter without the expense. The unit currently has eight officers assigned to it as a collateral assignment and they are overseen by a sergeant and commander. All SPAS pilots are licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and since December 2020, SPAS has flown over 150 missions, assisted in more than 30 arrests, and has assisted the Salinas Fire Department with multiple incidents. In April 2022, SPAS provided critical support to the Salinas Fire Department during the fire at the Taylor Farms facility. Salinas Police Department has only one heavy-duty UAV with appropriate thermal imaging capabilities capable of supporting major fires. During the Taylor Farms incident, the pilots had to be due to concern about damage to the UAV during the mission. Had the Police Department’s UAV been compromised during the fire, the City would have lost thermal imaging footage during the incident.

SPAS utilizes various UAVs which vary in size from just over one foot in length and weighing less than a pound, to nearly four feet in length and weighing over fifteen pounds. No matter the size of UAV used there is support equipment which must be deployed such as multiple battery packs and charging stations, power inverters, and backup UAV’s to be used if the primary UAV is not flight worthy. One of the early purchases was the Lemur UAV from BRINC Drones and we own serial number 70 of this model. The Lemur UAV has a true infrared camera and thus can be used without lights of any kind and is designed for indoor searches, but the current Lemur UAV utilizes 2G technology which is no longer functional. Given our early adoption of this UAV, BRINC Drones is donating an upgraded Lemur S model with 4G technology with a retail value of $17,000. BRINC is also donating a new accessory kit as there have been significant safety enhancements. We will be required to return the original accessory kit in exchange for the upgraded version, but they are allowing us to keep the original Lemur UAV. The newly donated Lemur S unit will become the primary equipment used and the original Lemur UAV will be maintained as a training unit. Having this additional training unit will be very helpful as the Lemur is a different platform from our other UAVs and thus requires specialized training. The department is requesting authorization from City Council to accept this donation.

The department is requesting to purchase four additional UAVs and associated equipment to expand the available equipment with thermal imaging capabilities, and to ensure the equipment is more readily available in the field. We are requesting to purchase one additional DJI Matrice 300 RTK which is the same as was used during the Taylor Farms fire as this will allow us to have a back-up should our primary unit fail. We are also requesting to purchase two DJI Matrice 30T units which have similar, though reduced, capabilities at a lower cost and thus can be deployed with routine patrol operations to ensure quick access to thermal imaging equipment. Finally, we are requesting the purchase on one Autel Robotics EVO II unit which has a different configuration and a higher quality camera which will allow the department to have an alternate UAV allowing the department to choose the most appropriate UAV for the specific mission.

Assembly Bill 481 – Military Equipment Funding, Acquisition, and Use, requires the Salinas Police Department to obtain approval from the Salinas City Council prior to the funding, acquisition, or use of “Military Equipment” as defined by the Bill. The UAVs within this request meet the criteria of Category 1: Unmanned, remotely piloted, powered aerial or ground vehicles, and thus City Council approved is required prior to acquisition. More information about AB 481, including Salinas Police Department’s policy and equipment inventory are available at www.salinaspd.org/assembly-bill-481. Salinas Police Department Policy 709 Addendum A provides the applicable equipment inventory, including the purpose of equipment, cost, lifespan, and authorized use.

There are no local vendors that sell these specialized UAVs, and the SPAS Sergeant has extensively researched vendors before selecting Unmanned Vehicle Technologies (UVT) for purchasing. UVT is dedicated to selling UAVs and has been consistently found to have competitive prices, adequate inventory, and exceptional customer service. The attached quote for the four UAVs and associated equipment totals $86,642.91. Given the absence of local vendors, as well as the information provided, the City Council has the authority to approve this direct purchase under Salinas Municipal code Section12-27 and without application of the local purchasing preference pursuant to Salinas Municipal Code Section 12-28.080.

Police Community Advisory Committee
The Police Chief identified the potential purchase in his Chief’s Report to the Police Community Advisory Committee on April 27, 2022. The Committee asked questions regarding the number of UAVs and pilots, the capabilities of the existing equipment, as well as privacy considerations. The Police Chief answered all questions, explaining that his goal is to expand the UAV equipment to ensure the equipment is readily available during patrol operations and ensure we had a variety of UAVs that could address specific mission needs. The Police Chief also let the Committee Members know that privacy issues are addressed in law and department policy, and that UAVs are only utilized at locations and during situations in which the Police Department has legal authority to do so. The donation was not discussed during the meeting as we were unaware of it at that time. We will share information about the donation at the June 22, 2022 PCAC Meeting.

CEQA CONSIDERATION:

Not a Project. The City of Salinas has determined that the proposed action is not a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (CEQA Guidelines Section 15378).

STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVE:

Approving the proposed resolution will support the City Council’s Strategic Plan Goal of Public Safety.

DEPARTMENTAL COORDINATION:

The Police Service will coordinate with the Finance Department during the purchasing process.

FISCAL AND SUSTAINABILITY IMPACT:

No new funds are requested to support this purchase. Funds are appropriated and available within the Police Department’s Patrol Division budget, accounts 1000.40.4220, 1100.40.4220 and 1200.40.4220.

Salinas City CouncilJune 14, 2022

Salinas City Council
June 14, 2022