City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: December 12, 2023
Agenda Item: 5.M
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Ramon Batista, Police Chief, Police Department
Subject: Approval of Second Modification of Agreement #11338 with Flying Lion for Drone as a First Responder Program
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of no possibility of significant effect pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3)(Common Sense Exemption) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a second modification to agreement #11338 in the amount of $1,200,000 with Flying Lion Incorporated (FLI) to provide air support services for the Police Department. This will result in a 5-year amended agreement with a new total amount not to exceed $1,381,000, 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 DFR Program provides the ability for an Air Safety Officer (ASO), 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. Staff recommends extending the agreement and to utilize recently awarded grant funds to expand the DFR program to include additional hours of operation at the primary launch site and enable a second launch site within the City.
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Discussion
The DFR program is a proactive method of policing that has demonstrated the ability to de-escalate volatile situations, increase officer and community safety, while reducing overall police response times. In November 2021, SMPD began its own DFR program for a six-week trial period where an ASO was used as a first responder to 911 calls for service. The trial program proved successful and beneficial to SMPD and the DFR program was continued beyond the initial trial. In Santa Monica, the DFR program has arrived before officers on average 85% of the time. The program gives first responders real-time information and has proven to be a powerful de-escalation tool. Since the DFR program was launched, there have been multiple incidents where officers have scaled down their response and successfully defused situations with reduced or no use of force.
In December 2021, the City entered into an agreement with Flying Lion to provide a line-of-sight pilot for the DFR program and Council extended the agreement at the November 15, 2022 meeting. Flying Lion assists with the implementation and administration of the DFR program and its utilization of drones to provide Air Support Services to enhance the Police Department’s mission of protecting lives and property.
Flying Lion staff operate out of the Public Safety Facility’s rooftop and serve as the Pilot in Command (PIC) spot required by the Federal Aviation Administration. This PIC is technically in control of the drone with the radio controller in their hands and they serve as a required visual observer. A police officer in the Department’s command center, controls and directs the drone once it is in the air. This contract covers the staffing costs for Flying Lion and does not include any City employee staffing. Flying lion also serves as an advisor to the City about legislative changes as they relate to Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) use of airspace overseen by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
On October 24, 2023, Council accepted an Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant (ORTP) from the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC). Part of the scope of the grant is to expand the City’s DFR program by 30 additional hours per week at the primary launch site and provide a second launch site in the City to provide DFR 3 of 5
coverage to the northeast portion of Santa Monica. The second launch site was included in the BSCC’s Organized Retail Theft Prevention grant proposal in order to build out the current DFR program’s reach and efficiency. Currently the DFR program is only operational 4 days per week, with the Public Safety Facility serving as its launch site. The DFR program can reach Montana Ave. (susceptible to ORT), San Vicente, and the north and east neighborhoods where catalytic converter thefts often occurs, but the response time is longer and time-on-calls is reduced to less than 10 minutes due to battery capacity. A second launch site farther north and east of the PSF would allow for a faster response and the ability to work a call longer without having to travel so far to land.
The amount funded through this grant will allow for additional DFR service days at the PSF and the second launch site over a 3-year period. The existing budget for the DFR program, which covers Flying Lion’s staffing (4 days per week) was budgeted as part of the FY23-25 Biennial Budget and funds are available. Of the $851,000 in grant funds allocated for the DFR program’s expansion, approximately 30% ($255,300) of the grant funds are attributable to the additional days at the PSF launch site, going from 4 to 7 days per week. Approximately 70% of the total ($595,700) is attributable to the second launch site, which will operate 7 days per week.
The exact location for the second launch site is being evaluated by the Police Department, and staff have reached out to property management companies in the area. Other suitable locations include medical buildings and Santa Monica College’s offsite campuses. Setting up a second launch site could be as simple as access to the rooftop and a reliable internet connection. Staff expect the site to become operational by March 2024 and the cost for the buildout of the second location is not part of the Flying Lion contract but were factored into the grant funding.
Environmental Review
The agreement modification for the DFR program is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (common sense exemption) of the CEQA Guidelines. The modification is covered by the common sense 4 of 5
exemption which states that CEQA does not apply, where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment. The modification will allow the Police Department the continued use of drones for its operations. Therefore, it can be seen with certainty that the agreement would not result in adverse physical impacts on the environment, and as such, is categorically exempt from CEQA.
Past Council Actions
Meeting Date Description
11/15/22 (attachment
A)
Approval of 1st Modification of Agreement #11338 (formerly #4957) with Flying Lion for Drone as First Responder
Program
10/24/23 (attachment
B)
Authorization to Accept Grant from the BSCC for the
Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant Program
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Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to approve available funding from the General Fund and Miscellaneous Grants Fund to increase the amount of contract with Flying Lion, Inc. for UAS staffing, training, and advising.
Contract Modification Request
Agreement # Current Authorized
Amount
FY 2023-24
Budget
Modified Request
Amount
Future Year
Funding Account # Total Revised Contract Amount
11338 $181,000 $0 $0 C0108310.689000 $181,000
$0 $851,000 $0 20180001.556631 $851,000
$0 $115,000 $234,000 01180005.525080 $349,000
Total $181,000 $966,000 $234,000 Total $1,381,000
Future year funding is contingent on Council budget approval.
Prepared By: Jose Arroyo, Senior Administrative Analyst Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. November 15, 2022 Staff Report (Web Link)
B. October 24, 2023 Staff Report (Web Link)
C. Flying Lion CT - Original
D. Flying Lion CT - 1st Modification
E. Flying Lion - OAKS INITIATIVE FORM