City Council Agenda Report
Meeting Date: November 21, 2023
From: Robert Sousa, Chief of Police
Department: Police
Submitted by: Brandon Gray, Captain
Subject
Vernon Police Department Body-Worn Camera and In-Car Mobile Auto Video Recording Recommendation
A. Approve and authorize the City Administrator to execute a Subaward (“Micro-grant”) Agreement with the Bureau of Justice Assistance, in substantially the same form as submitted, for participation in the Small, Rural, and Tribal Law Enforcement Agency Body-Worn Camera Policy and Implementation Program for a 3-year term, with an effective date of January 1, 2023; B. Approve and authorize the City Administrator to execute the Participating Agency Endorsement and Authorization to the Intergovernmental Cooperative Purchasing Agreement; and
C. Approve and authorize the issuance of a Purchase Contract with LensLock, Inc., for the lease of body-worn camera equipment in the amount not to exceed $277,998.02 for a three-year term, and authorize the City Administrator to execute the related proposal from LensLock.
Background
For decades, video evidence has been considered an excellent source for providing an unbiased witness to a particular event, especially video evidence from police body-worn cameras (BWC) and in-car mobile audio video (MAV) recording systems. In addition, these recording platforms have helped law enforcement agencies throughout the country and abroad to establish a better understanding of what occurred during a police event, which is vital to a department’s veracity and its public perception.
Police video systems offer many operation-critical benefits such as enhancing officer safety, accountability and integrity, providing an added layer of protection to the community, promoting a positive image of the department, serving as a training tool, reducing the likelihood of a confrontation by those who are aware they are being recorded, and decrease the likelihood of costly litigation.
The Vernon Police Department (VPD) was awarded a Federal grant in the amount of $94,000 through the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to participate in the Small, Rural, and Tribal (SRT) Law Enforcement Agency Body-Worn Camera (BWC) Policy and Implementation Program (Program). The Program aims to provide funds and technical support to small, rural, and tribal agencies to implement body-worn cameras. To participate in the Program and receive reimbursement funds, grantees are required to execute the Subaward (“Micro-grant”) Agreement and develop a comprehensive BWC policy that is approved by the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs. The grant requires a 1:1 in-kind match of grant funds by the City which would be met by the salary and benefits costs of project-assigned VPD personnel. The grant program period as reflected in the agreement is from January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2025. The grant agreement also requires the VPD to adopt a Body-Worn Camera Policy. A VPD draft policy is currently in the review process.
Although the VPD does not currently have a BWC program, the Department has had MAV’s installed in its patrol cars for approximately 20 years, with the current system, Panasonic (now I- Pro), in service for the last 9 years. The PD’s existing MAV system lacks several key features and specifications found in the MAV systems of today. Current MAV systems do not require expensive in-house servers for data storage, can integrate with the PD’s computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system and, if provided by the same vendor, can integrate with the department’s BWC system. As a result, VPD elected to replace its antiquated MAV system and identify a vendor that could provide a complete and state-of-the-art BWC and MAV system.
In order to select a vendor that could provide the necessary software and equipment for the BWC and In-Car MAV system, the VPD conducted a significant amount of research, fact gathering, field testing, and meetings with a number of police video system providers, including Axon, I-Pro (aka: Panasonic), LensLock, Safe Fleet, and Visual Labs. Ultimately, the VPD selected LensLock, Inc. (Lenslock), as the best option to provide necessary equipment for the BWC and In-Car MAV systems. The VPD BWC and In-Car Camera Program will provide an objective record of VPD officers’ interactions with the public. The goal of the program is to increase trust and communication with the public, provide greater accountability for VPD officers, and serve as a de-escalation tool to reduce the number of uses of force.
LensLock is a provider of camera and digital evidence management solutions specifically designed for law enforcement applications. LensLock was selected based in part on the company’s quality customer service, unique ability to provide the VPD an all-inclusive single source offering comprising a variety of necessary services, and demonstrated knowledge and compliance with practices established by the Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) for data management. The company offers unlimited customer service and is committed to ensuring that law enforcement agencies receive best-in-class support that is responsive and reliable. Lenslock is the only organization that exists today to provide the following services in a single offering:
video services including unlimited cloud-based data storage for BWC and MAV recordings; a Digital Evidence Management System that integrates all video and picture or image data, thus facilitating the dissemination, retention, and destruction of digital evidence in a fraction of the time it currently takes; no cost unlimited professional redaction services critical for discovery requests and responses to California’s Public Request Act requests; Bluetooth integrated technology services; and no cost CAD integration that will save time during report writing. Finally, LensLock provides access to their online portal for DA personnel, at no cost. This eliminates additional time and costs producing evidence flash drives or hard disks for the DA.
Under the proposed agreement, LensLock would provide the VPD with 47 – Genesis 12.5 BWC’s, 13 – MAV’s, an Interrogation Room camera, and all relevant software and maintenance for the term of the contract. LensLock has given the VPD a 30-day window for delivery and starting installation of the new equipment, and a 60-day window of completion from the time the agreement is signed.
LensLock is proposing a 3-year contract, not-to-exceed the amount of $277,988.02, which includes the following payments:
• Year 1: $98,299.34
• Year 2: $89,849.34
• Year 3: $89,849.34
As a registered participant with the National Purchasing Partners (NPPGov), a cooperative purchasing organization that provides group purchasing, marketing and administrative support for governmental entities, the purchase contract with LensLock, Inc., is exempted from competitive bidding and competitive selection pursuant to Vernon Municipal Code (VMC) Section
3.32.110(A)(5b), which states, “Contracts for supplies, equipment or services that can be purchased in cooperation with other public agencies, associations, or when supplies, equipment or services can be purchased from a vendor offering the same prices, terms and conditions as in a previous award from the City or another public agency either by competitive bid or through a negotiated process and, in the opinion of the Finance Director, it is to the advantage of the City to do so.”Lenslock’s pricing offered in their proposal to the City is comparable with pricing in their Master Price Agreement with the League of Oregon Cities. The Finance Director has reviewed the proposed purchase and confirmed that the agreement with LensLock is advantageous for the City. Per VMC 3.32.030(A), the proposed agreement with LensLock requires City Council approval as the total value over the lifetime of the agreement exceeds $100,000.
The Subaward (“Micro-grant”) Agreement, Participating Agency Endorsement and Authorization to the Intergovernmental Cooperative Purchasing Agreement and related documents, as well as the proposed agreement with Lenslock have been reviewed and approved as to form by the City Attorney’s Office.
Fiscal Impact
Award of the grant will result in $94,000 in additional revenue to the General Fund. The grant funds will cover approximately 91% of the first-year costs of implementing a new body-worn camera program. Approval of this action would require a 1:1 in-kind match of grant funds. Salary and benefits costs of project-assigned personnel will be used to satisfy the City’s match requirement.
The fiscal Impact of the purchase contract with Lenslock is not-to-exceed $277,998.02, for a 3- year term. Sufficient funds are available in the General Fund, Information Technology (IT) Department, Repairs & Maintenance, Account No. 011-010-110-529110 for the current fiscal year and will be budgeted in subsequent years.
Attachments
1. Subaward (Micro-grant) Agreement
2. Intergovernmental Cooperative Purchase Agreement and Participating Agency Endorsement and Authorization
3. Lenslock Proposal and Master Price Agreement with League of Oregon Cities