DISCUSSION
City of San Bernardino
Request for Council Action
Date: November 20, 2024
To: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
From: Rochelle Clayton, Acting City Manager;
Darren Goodman, Chief of Police
Department: Police
Subject: Accept the FY 2024 COPS Technology and Equipment Funds and Purchase Data Integration Software and Cameras to
Support the Real Time Information Center (All Wards)
Recommendation
It is recommended that the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California, adopt Resolution No. 2024-227 authorizing the following:
1. The City Manager to accept the FY2024 COPS Technology and Equipment Program Funds.
2. The City Manager to execute professional service agreements with Vector Resources Inc., for the creation of a public safety surveillance system, Peregrine Technologies Inc. for a real-time decision and operations management platform and Axon for Fusus by Axon, for data integration software and subsequent amendments.
3. The Interim Director of Finance and Management Services to amend the Fiscal Year 2023/24 Adopted Budget by $963,000 in revenues and expenditures.
4. The Interim Director of Finance and Management Services to issue purchase orders in amounts not to exceed $1,350,000, to Vector Resources Inc., $1,000,000 to Peregrine Technologies Inc., and an amount not to exceed $1,950,000 to Axon for Fusus by Axon.
Executive Summary
In January, the Department provided the Mayor and City Council with a presentation of the intent to develop a Real-Time Information Center (RTIC) and a citywide crime camera program. During the presentation, the Department explained the need for data integration software and was directed to return with the cost to implement an RTIC.
The City of San Berardino was awarded $77,656,407 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and $2,497,500 has been identified available to be obligated to support the Department’s RTIC. Additionally, the City was awarded $963,000 to support the RTIC from the COPS Technology and Equipment Program. The Department has recognized the opportunity to subsidize the City’s cost to fund the project through ARPA funds and identified a camera system vendor and two data integration systems that would immediately serve to prevent and respond to the increase in violence due to the pandemic, thereby qualifying as an eligible use of ARPA funding. The Department requests the use of unobligated ARPA funding to execute a professional service agreement with Vector Resources Inc. and enter into five-year professional service agreements with Peregrine Technologies Inc. and Fusus by Axon and is prepared to obligate funds before December 31, 2024. The requested items are critical to the operation of the RTIC and citywide camera program and would otherwise be requested through general funds.
Background
On September 18, 2024, City staff provided the Mayor and City Council an update on the American Rescue Plan. Staff identified that all funds must be obligated by December 31, 2024, and $47 million remains to be formally obligated. On January 31, 2024, the Department provided a presentation to the Mayor and City Council to create a RTIC and City-wide camera program. The Department was directed to return with the proposed total cost to support the RTIC including staffing, equipment, and software.
The Department has identified the opportunity to use unobligated ARPA funds to pay for the currently unfunded costs associated with the camera system and data integration software.
On September 30, 2024, the City was notified that it was selected to receive $963,000 from the FY2024 COPS Technology and Equipment Program to support the development of a citywide camera program.
Staff has conducted an RFP process and extensive research and identified equipment and software that will immediately assist the Department in responding to crime, particularly violent crime in the City. Staff reviewed the final rule issued by the U.S.
Treasury related to ARPA funds and confirmed the items requested are eligible. Staff intends to use available ARPA funds to supplement the cost of the camera system and any remaining funds from the COPS Technology and Equipment Program will be used to expand the camera system at a later date.
Discussion
The U.S. Treasury issued the final rule for the use of ARPA funds on January 6, 2022, which addressed the four eligible use categories listed below:
Replace lost public sector revenue
Support the COVID-19 public health and economic response Provide premium pay for eligible workers performing essential work Invest in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure
Under the "Support the COVID-19 public health and economic response" category, the Treasury specifically outlines preventing and responding to violence. The Treasury recognizes that violence and gun violence, in particular, has increased in some communities, and recipients may use funds to respond. The final rule states explicitly that communities may use funds for:
Technology & equipment to support law enforcement response.
The Mayor and Council attended a January 31, 2024, study session regarding Economic Development and City Reinvestment. The Department presented the benefits of a city-wide crime camera system and the need for a RTIC. The Mayor and Council provided guidance, and the Department advised that staff would conduct research to present the best options for moving forward.
The solicitation for camera system proposals, RFP F-24-05, was posted on Planet Bids by the Finance Department personnel on March 5, 2024, and the solicitation remained open until March 28, 2024. Four vendors responded with proposals.
Vendor
CelPlan
Technologies
DataGear
Inc.
Blue Violet
Networks
Vector
Resources Inc.
Cost $592,765.89 $936,723.00 $1,076,073.46 $1,326,992.57
The proposals were reviewed by a panel with various expertise with the goal of selecting a camera system that would not yield the same result as the prior camera system. Vector Resources Inc. was selected as the best option bidder for the City.
Three of the four proposals were not selected for various reasons. CelPlan Technologies was the company that constructed the original camera system that did not perform to expectations. Their proposal did not include any significant changes that would indicate any new system proposed would have improved functionality. The DataGear proposal included various types of camera equipment from multiple manufacturers. This issue would have resulted in varying maintenance and software update schedules for the variety of cameras attached to the camera system, increasing the costs and frequency of maintenance for the system. The proposal from Blue Violet included battery and wiring equipment that would be mounted on the signal pole either at the base of the pole, where the equipment would be vulnerable to vandalism, or at the top of the pole, where the collective weight of the camera and battery equipment along with other signal equipment would be a concern. The review panel determined that each of these proposed systems had vulnerabilities that would reduce the reliability of the camera systems or increase costs to maintain them.
The fourth proposal from Vector Resources Inc included reliable high-quality camera and connectivity equipment without any of the drawbacks of the other proposals.
Additionally, Vector’s proposal was designed so that the camera system would relay information to the Police Department without the need for additional base stations on other City buildings, as the previous camera system did. The camera system design would allow for easy maintenance and expansion of the system at a future date, making it the most durable and future proof camera system of all of the proposals. For these reasons, the proposal by Vector Resources Inc was selected as the proposal that could best meet the needs of the project. Although the proposal from Vector had the highest cost, the review panel determined it was the highest quality system as well.
The proposal from Vector Resources also includes three years of maintenance, service, software upgrades, and overall system checks. Alongside of this, the manufacturer includes a three-year warranty for the camera equipment.
In March of 2023 the City applied for funding through the FY2024 COPS Technology and Equipment Program. In September 2024 the City was notified it was awarded $996,000 to support the development of a citywide camera system. The total cost for the desired camera system is $1,326,992.57. The Department intends to fund the camera project as indicated on the table below. The Department will use $720,845.72 of Technology and Equipment funds to supplement ARPA funds to pay for the camera project, and the remaining $275,154.28 of Technology and Equipment funds will be used to expand the camera project at a later date.
Total Cost ARPA Funds COPS Tech
and Equip
Funds
City Cost
Vector
Cameras
$1,326,992.57 $606,146.85 $720,845.72 $0
As staff explained during the study session, RTICs are commonly comprised of a blend of personnel and technology systems brought into one location to increase situational awareness across a jurisdiction, facilitate improved responses to calls for service, faster detection of threats to public safety, and better information sharing during field operations. RTICs have been incorporated in agencies of all sizes, including major cities such as Dallas, Miami, and Chicago, as well as smaller cities such as Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, and Chino. They are ideal not only for supporting law enforcement operations in the current environment of staffing shortages but also for making it possible to meet increased public expectations for public safety services by allowing police to better coordinate their responses to crime and public safety hazards.
The basic technology systems necessary to support a RTIC include camera systems, video display equipment, video management software, integration software, and supportive technology or software systems to access databases and conduct real-time research to support agency operations. Most centers operate by accessing publicly owned camera systems, but many also increase their reach through partnerships with private entities willing to allow access to their camera systems.
The City and the Police Department already possess some of the components and capabilities of a real-time information center. Police Department personnel already have access to databases and information systems, such as license plate readers, to support investigations, and those same systems can be used to field operations in real- time. Additionally, there is space in the Police Department‘s Emergency Operations Center with previously installed video equipment that can be expanded upon to create a state-of-the-art real-time information center.
To transition from its current capabilities into a fully functioning real-time information center, the Police Department will need to purchase integration software to connect technology systems such as surveillance cameras, existing license plate reader cameras, the Department‘s computer-aided dispatch system, and all other data systems.
The two data integration software companies offer unique and proprietary services compatible with the Department’s existing camera hardware and data systems. Staff conducted research and was unable to identify competitive vendors that offer the same services. The vendors were selected through a sole source process and there was no competitive bidding process. Please see the attached sole source documents for further justification.
Peregrine Technologies Inc. is a data integration software that improves real-time decision-making and operations management by integrating all of the Department’s data systems into one platform. For a criminal investigation, Peregrine would save countless man-hours by searching all of the Department’s data systems in moments for requested data rather than extended analysis and search by an investigator. In the RTIC, Peregrine would allow the operator to review a call and immediately have all available data at their fingertips.
Additionally, Peregrine’s ability to gather data from all department systems will allow the Department to reduce the number of staff dedicated to filing criminal reports with the District Attorney’s office and allow resources to be better allocated to serve the community. The Department’s filing unit consists of 14 community service officers dedicated to gathering reports and videos to submit cases to the district attorney’s office. The process requires the officers to access multiple data systems to collect all reports and information related to a particular case. Peregrine would instantly gather the data as it is submitted and only require staff to confirm and submit the data to the District Attorney’s Office.
Peregrine is the only vendor with the desired capabilities. Staff has contacted other vendors and identified that Peregrine is the only product that successfully integrates all data systems and possess proprietary capabilities, including data deduplication algorithms and an ontology purpose-built for law enforcement. It also offers secure collaboration and data sharing, which would allow the Department to access data systems from any of the wide number of agencies Peregrine currently serves.
Staff has also identified Fusus by Axon as a software system valuable to successfully reducing violent crime and operating a RTIC. What Peregrine does for all data, Fusus does for camera data. Fusus is the only manufacturer that builds a common operating platform that does not require a complete replacement of video cameras, recorders, servers, or network equipment at video transmitting locations. Fusus extracts and unifies live video feeds from virtually any source. Fusus allows privately owned cameras to feed video into the Department’s RTIC and enables the Department to exponentially expand the City’s camera system without direct camera cost to the City.
For example, an operator in the RTIC can view a dashboard that displays a map of the City and all available cameras. As a crime is reported, the operator can cycle through cameras, both city-owned and private, to observe and direct officers. The technology will help officers respond to crime more effectively and improve evidence gathering and the successful arrest and prosecution of criminal suspects.
Staff have researched and were are unable to find software with the same video data integration capabilities as Fusus by Axon. Additionally, the Department has equipped officers with Axon Body Worn Cameras since 2015, and Fusus allows officers to live stream BWC footage and their location to the Real time information center. Fusus is also the sole source for purchasing Fusus with the Axon Body 4 camera system. The City has nine years of contractual experience with Axon and they have proven to be a reliable vendor and quality product.
Both of the described technologies are critical to the successful implementation and operation of a RTIC and the reduction of violent crime. Staff intends to request general funds to further support the development and staffing of the RTIC at a later date; however, the efficiencies generated by the requested technologies will free up staff that can be reassigned to the RTIC and reduce the City’s total cost. Additionally, purchasing services for a five-year contract provides the City with a significant discount over a year-by-year contract.
Single Year
Cost
Total Cost for
Five Years
Five Year
Contract Cost
Total Saving
with Five Year
Contract
Fusus $492,522.15 $2,462,610.79 $1,943,446.99 $519,163.80 Peregrine $282,000 $1,410,000 $997,500 $412,500
Total Saving $931,663.80
ARPA funds must be obligated by December 31, 2024, however they must be expended by December 31, 2026. Consequently, The camera project will be paid for by December 31, 2026. The City will use ARPA funds to pay for the first two years of services for Fusus by Axon and Peregrine until January of 2027, at which point the City will fund the remaining years. Since the start-up costs including hardware, installation, training and support are significantly greater the first two years of the contracts, both Peregrine and Fusus have structured a payment schedule where 65% of the total cost is covered in years one and two leaving the City with a significant cost saving for the last three years. The table below indicates the total cost for the requested items and the proposed funding sources. The purchase orders are being requested rounded up to a slightly greater not to exceed amount to cover any unforeseen expenses.
Total Cost ARPA Funds COPS Tech
and Equip
Funds
City Cost
Fusus
$1,943,446.99
$1,241,353.15 $0
$702,093.84*
Peregrine $997,500
(Five Years)
$650,000 $0 $347,500*
Vector
$1,326,992.57
$606,146.85 $720,845.72 $0
Total
$4,267,939.56
$2,497,500 $720,845.72
$1,049,593.84*
*City costs began January 1, 2027, and are spread over three years 2021-2025 Strategic Targets and Goals
Using ARPA and COPS Technology and Equipment funds to develop a RTIC to purchase a city camera system and data integration software aligns with goal 3.
Improved Quality of Life - Constantly evaluate public safety service delivery models to enhance the quality of service.
Fiscal Impact
Conclusion
It is recommended that the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California, adopt Resolution No. 2024-227, authorizing the following:
1. The City Manager to accept the FY2024 COPS Technology and Equipment Program Funds.
2. The City Manager to execute professional service agreements with Vector Resources Inc., for the creation of a public safety surveillance system, Peregrine Technologies Inc. for a real-time decision and operations management platform and Axon for Fusus by Axon, for data integration software and subsequent amendments.
3. The Interim Director of Finance and Management Services to amend the Fiscal Year 2023/24 Adopted Budget by $963,000 in revenues and expenditures.
4. The Interim Director of Finance and Management Services to issue purchase orders in amounts not to exceed $1,350,000, to Vector Resources Inc., $1,000,000 to Peregrine Technologies Inc., and an amount not to exceed $1,950,000 to Axon for Fusus by Axon.
Attachments
Attachment 1 Resolution 2024-227
Attachment 2 COPS Award Package
Attachment 3 Peregrine Technologies Inc. Quote
Attachment 4 Fusus by Axon Quote
FINANCIAL
DATA
Current Fiscal Year: Next Fiscal Year: Total Cost: Ongoing Cost:
COST $ 2,474,821.29 $ 743,524.43 $ 4,267,939.56 $ 0
GENERAL
FUND
SHARE
$ 0 $ 0 $ 1,049,593.84 $ 0
SOURCE OF FUNDS:
The first two years of cost will be paid using
ARPA funds and COPS Tech and Equip funds.
The City’s cost will begin January 1, 2027, and
will be paid over three years.
Budget Adjustment:
No
For Fiscal Year: 24/25
Attachment 5 Vector Resources Inc. Quote
Attachment 6 Professional Services Agreement with Vector Attachment 7 Professional Services Agreement with Peregrine Technologies Attachment 8 Professional Services Agreement with Fusus by Axon Attachment 9 Professional Services Agreement with Fusus Exhibit A Attachment 10 Sole Source Fusus
Attachment 11 Sole Source Peregrine
Attachment 12 PowerPoint Presentation
Ward:
All Wards
Synopsis of Previous Council Actions:
On October 4, 2024, Mayor and City Council adopted Resolution No. 2024- 212 to allocate $2,497,500 to develop a Real-Time
Information Center
On January 31, 2024, Mayor and City Council received a presentation from the Police Department regarding a City-wide camera
program and real time information center.
On September 18, 2024 Mayor and City Council received an update on American Rescue Plan Funding.