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CONSENT CALENDAR
City of San Bernardino
Request for Council Action
Date: December 6, 2023
To: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
From: Charles A. Montoya, City Manager;
Darren L. Goodman, Chief of Police
Department: Police
Subject: Execution of a five-year agreement between the County of San Bernardino and the City of San
Bernardino for Police Department access to the
County Radio Communication System (All Wards).
Recommendation:
It is recommended that the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California, adopt Resolution No. 2023-186 authorizing the City Manager to
1. Execute a five-year agreement between the City of San Bernardino and the County of San Bernardino, for Police Department access to the County’s digital radio communication system, and
2. Authorize the Director of Finance and Management Services to issue an annual purchase order to the County of San Bernardino for radio services, not to exceed $2,350,000 over the duration of the agreement.
Executive Summary
The Police Department is seeking to enter into a new five-year agreement for access to the San Bernardino County digital radio system to support daily law enforcement operations. There is no existing alternative radio system available to the Police Department for use, necessitating a continuing contractual relationship with San Bernardino County to provide radio services.
Radio services are an operational cost that is included each year within the Police Department’s annual budget, and this year’s costs have already been provided for in the FY2023/24 Adopted Budget. The new contract will cost $439,884 for the first year and the expense falls within the existing budget allocation for radio-related expenses. 1 7
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Background
Public safety agencies, including the San Bernardino Police Department, are heavily reliant on radio communications for their day-to-day operations. The County of San Bernardino operates a digital radio communication system that covers the entirety of San Bernardino County.
The radio system provided by the County is encrypted and serves as the primary radio communications service for the major public safety agencies within the County of San Bernardino. This system allows subscribers to have consistent communication both within their own agencies and with other subscribers to the radio system, particularly during incidents involving multi-agency responses.
The San Bernardino Police Department became a subscriber to the County’s digital radio system in 2017 after the Department’s independently operated radio communications platform became obsolete and could no longer be maintained. Since that time, San Bernardino County has provided radio communication services to the San Bernardino Police Department. Radio services are an ongoing operating expense for the Police Department and are provided for each year as part of the Police Department’s budget.
Discussion
The San Bernardino County Innovation and Technology Division coordinates contract agreements for subscription services to the County’s digital radio communications system. The previous agreement, signed in 2017, between the County and the City of San Bernardino has expired, requiring the establishment of a new agreement for radio services. The agreement with the County offers access to the County’s established backbone system of repeaters and equipment that are necessary for the proper operation of dispatch and field equipment such as dispatch consoles, vehicle-mounted radios, handheld radios, and mobile data access modems. Although the County owns the backbone equipment, the Police Department purchases and owns the dispatch consoles and field equipment that function through access to the backbone system. Additional services covered by the agreement include replacement, maintenance, and access for dispatch consoles, pager access, radio access, and maintenance, radio labor services, and radio mobile data access.
The costs for radio services provided by the County are based on hourly rates for labor- related activities and monthly access rates for devices connected to the radio network. The table below lists the rates by hour or month for connection services and/or labor for 2023.
TABLE A: 2023 COSTS
Service Cost
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Dispatch Console Access, Maintenance,
and Replacement
$693.48 per console/month
Pager Access $16.22 per pager/month
Radio Access and Maintenance $53.58 per radio/month
Radio Labor Services $88.97 per hour
Radio Mobile Data Access $103.58 per modem/month
Based on the current active radios, dispatch consoles, and pagers, the cost for Police Department radio services for the first year of the agreement is expected to be $36,657 monthly and $439,884 for the year. Future costs for radio services are contingent upon active radios, dispatch consoles, and pagers for the Police Department in the system, and necessary system modifications or upgrades. Considering historical cost increases for radio services and anticipating modest staff growth within the Police Department during the duration of the agreement, staff has projected future costs related to the agreement.
TABLE B: COSTS BY YEAR
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Total Cost
$439,884 $456,157 $471,185 $484,621 $498,153 $2,350,000 In addition to radio communications, the agreement with the County also includes the coverage of Wide Area Network (WAN) services. WAN connectivity allows the Police Department to connect to the County’s telecommunications network for the purpose of accessing computer information systems managed by the County that are necessary for Police Department operations and authorized for use by the County. Wan services will include set up, network access, and monitoring for cyber threats or system intrusions.
The services included within the agreement are necessary components of successful Police Department operations. Since there is no alternative radio system available for use by the Police Department, staff is recommending entering into a new five-year agreement with the County of San Bernardino to provide digital radio system and WAN access.
2021-2025 Strategic Targets and Goals
The request to enter into a new agreement with San Bernardino County for radio services aligns with Goal No. 3. Improved Quality of Life; Constantly evaluate public safety service delivery models to enhance the quality of service. 1 7
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Fiscal Impact
There is no fiscal impact to the FY2023/24 Adopted Budget. The current Adopted Budget allocated $440,000 for Police Department radio services and projected expenditures for radio services under the new contract fall within the existing budget amount of $439,884.
Conclusion
It is recommended that the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California, adopt Resolution No. 2023-186 authorizing the City Manager to
1. Execute a five-year agreement between the City of San Bernardino and the County of San Bernardino, for Police Department access to the County’s digital radio communication system, and
2. Authorize the Director of Finance and Management Services to issue an annual purchase order to the County of San Bernardino for radio services, not to exceed $2,350,000 over the duration of the agreement Attachments
Attachment 1 Resolution No. 2023-186
Attachment 2 Information Technology Service Contract Ward:
All Wards
Synopsis of Previous Council Actions:
October 18, 2017 Mayor and City Council adopted Resolution 2017-198, authorizing an agreement with San Bernardino County for radio system access.