City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: November 15, 2022
Agenda Item: 5.G
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Ramon Batista, Police Chief, Police Department
Subject: Approval of 1st Modification of Agreement #4957 with Flying Lion for Drone as a First Responder Program
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a first modification to agreement #4957 in the amount of $136,000 with Flying Lion Incorporated (FLI) to provide air support services for the Police Department. This will result in a two-year amended agreement with a new total amount not to exceed $181,000, with future year funding contingent on Council budget approval.
Summary
The Drone as a First Responder (DFR) Program allows for the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) to provide the highest quality of law enforcement services using a technology system that maintains the safety of the community and SMPD personnel.
The costs associated with operating a DFR Program is a fraction of the cost of a traditional law enforcement Air Support Unit. The DFR Program provides the ability for a Remotely Controlled Aerial Systems (RAS) pilot, who is a trained police officer, to provide crucial and real-time intelligence to responding officers allowing them to handle an incident as safely as possible.
Discussion
In 2018, California police departments pioneered a new concept in rapid response to police emergencies: using remotely controlled aerial systems to pro-actively respond to emergency calls. The Drone as a First Responder concept is different than traditional RAS programs in that it is proactive rather than reactive. Instead of launching a drone 2 of 5
after an officer is already on scene, the DFR program stations the RAS to respond to emergencies as soon as they occur, getting a drone on scene before responding officers arrive. RAS Pilot officers can evaluate the situation and relay information to responding officers and field supervisors. The RAS can also feed live-streaming video of the incident to watch commanders and others to help personnel determine the best tools, tactics and resources to safely mitigate an event – often before officers arrive on scene.
In November 2021, the Department’s RAS Program began its own DFR program for a six-week trial period where an RAS was used as a first responder to 911 calls for service. The trial program proved successful and beneficial to the Department and the DFR program was continued beyond its trial period. In December 2021, the City entered into a one-year agreement with Flying Lion, Inc. to extend its DFR program. Since then, the Police Department has found the DFR program to be working as designed and it has proven invaluable to the mission of the Department.
The DFR program is a proactive method of policing that has demonstrated the ability to increase officer and community safety, while reducing overall police response times. In Santa Monica, the DFR program has arrived first on scene in approximately 75% of its calls. The program gives first responders real-time information and even “eyes on scene,” proving to be a powerful de-escalation tool. Since these programs were first launched, there have been multiple incidents where officers have scaled down their tactics and successfully defused situations with reduced use of force.
Currently, SMPD contracts with Flying Lion to provide a line-of-sight pilot for the DFR program. Flying Lion also serves as an advisor to the City about legislative changes as they relate to RAS use of airspace overseen by the FAA. Flying Lion will assist with the implementation and administration of the RAS program that utilizes drones to provide Air Support Services to enhance the Police Department’s mission of protecting lives and property. Flying Lion will, in part, staff the DFR program, train SMPD personnel, and provide technical services related to the Department’s RAS program. 3 of 5
The fiscal year 2022-23 Capital Improvement Program budget provided funding for the first year of the DFR program on a “pilot program” basis. The use of drones in law enforcement is an evolving field and when a drone is in flight it is required to have both a pilot and an observer. The use of contract pilots is beneficial as these are far less expensive than the City hiring qualified pilots as employees. This current fund request is to enable the continued operation of the City’s DFR program. A future department budget enhancement will be needed to continue this program.
Vendor Selection
Exception to Competitive Bidding
Staff recommends Flying Lion, Inc. to provide RAS staffing, training, and advising as an exception to competitive bidding per Muni Code 2.24.250 (b). b. when a good or service is copyrighted, patented or only available form one license holder, including, proprietary goods, original equipment manufacturers and/or exclusive distributors;
Vendor Justification
Flying Lion, Inc. provides an invaluable level of expertise, service, and training for the operation of an RAS which includes a licensed pilot trained in law enforcement practices and a superior practical understanding of the Motorola Cape software system. Flying Lion assisted with the setup of the network, connectivity, and integration of the multi-layered systems of the current RAS operation, flight controls, Cape software and other technical aspects, that allow for safe and seamless operation of flights. Additionally, Flying Lion provides troubleshooting assistance specifically related to RAS systems when technical issues arise that are beyond the expertise of other companies in the marketplace. This includes having direct contact with Motorola who is the provider of the Cape software that enables the tracking and mapping of flight information used for the operation of the RAS. In addition to Flying Lion’s expertise with this software in general, the company is also familiar with how Cape interacts with SMPD’s other hardware, infrastructure, equipment and integration systems.
Flying Lion provides a high level of service that meets the requirements of the City’s DFR program which contributes to the current circumstance where competition to 4 of 5
provide these services does not reasonably exist because only Flying Lion has the expertise to meet the needs of the program. As of now Flying Lion is the only company that has a proficient understanding of the systems which the Department’s pilots are trained to work with. Finally, Flying Lion has provided hours of expert training to SMPD’s pilots, supervisors, and administration about current laws governing RAS, our systems capabilities and limitations, along with current trends and other products on the market to enhance the current operation.
Flying Lion, Inc is associated with other law enforcement agencies in the region, including police departments in Chula Vista, Redondo Beach and Beverly Hills. The expertise provided by this vendor is noteworthy with plenty of flight hours that have been a tremendous benefit to the success of the Department’s DFR Program.
Environmental Review
This is not a project for the purpose of the California Environmental Quality Act.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve available funding from the General Fund to increase the amount of contract with Flying Lion, Inc. for UAS staffing, training, and advising.
Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Contract Modification Request
Agreement #
Current Authorized
Amount
FY 2022-23
Request Amount CIP Account # Total Revised Contract Amount 4957 $45,000 $136,000 C0108310.689000 $181,000
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Prepared By: Cody Green, Police Lieutenant
Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Flying Lion CT#4957
B. Flying Lion - Oaks Initiative Form