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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-08-1995 Item #21Agenda Item No. Z / CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH Office of the City Manager May 8, 1995 e. 7d) BY THE CITY COUNCIL CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH MAY R (995 APPROVED TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council FROM: Kevin J. Murphy, City Manager SUBJECT: MOBILE VIDEO PROJECT AND FUNDING C- j0g7 Attached to this memorandum is a report from the Police Department recommending acquisition of a Police mobile video system. The total acquisition cost for the Police video system and related equipment is $258,611. This project has not been budgeted in prior capital improvement programs; however, the previous City Council endorsed the project conceptually. The City has the option of either outright purchasing the equipment or lease purchasing over a three to five year period with the equipment's vendor. It is my recommendation that the City utilize the Capital Improvement Fund, which totals $1.1 million, the balance which was derived by the sale of the City's sewer treatment facility adjoining the Santa Ana River. This fund has never been utilized and it appears that it hasn't been earmarked for any specific projects. If the City Council concurs in the use of these monies for the purchase of this system, a budget amendment will be prepared and set for consideration on the May 22nd agenda. Attachment CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH POLICE DEPARTMENT April 28, 1995 � e, tiY v+.1 Yix TO: Honorable Mayor, Members of the City Council, and City Manager FROM: Lieutenant Tim Riley, Administrative Services SUBJECT: POLICE MOBILE VIDEO SYSTEM I. RECOMMENDATION: Approve a maximum expenditure of $196,860 to purchase 29 Mobile Video Systems for use in all marked Police Vehicles of the Newport Beach Police Department. Award bid to "Kustom Signals, Inc. and authorize the Police Chief to negotiate a contract with the vendor, subject to approval by the City Attorney's Office. 2. Approve the expenditure of $50,751 for related equipment needed for the implementation of the project. 3. Approve the expenditure of $11,000 for modification of the Police Facility to accommodate tape storage and distribution requirements of the overall project and the relocation of existing police function. 4. Approve the financing recommendation proposed by the City Manager to purchase or lease purchase the recommended police mobile video systems, related equipment, and building modifications. II. BACKGROUND Based on discussions at the Police Department and at least one recent civil suit which resulted in an unfavorable verdict and judgment against our Department for allegedly violating the civil rights of several individuals (which would have been different if there would have been videotape vindicating our officers), I was assigned to research using video systems to document our uniform police related field activities. I completed a staff report (May 24, 1994) which discussed the concept of mobile video surveillance, the specific advantages, costs, and benefits which the City will derive from its implementation (see attached copy). This report was provided to all City Council Members, the City Manager and City Attorney. Recommendation for -olice Mobile Video System Page 2 The City Attorney, after reviewing the report, concurred with the Police Department's conclusion of recommending use of video systems. The City Attorney wrote in a memo dated May 31, 1994, that he was "convinced that installation of video cameras will significantly reduce the amount of, and costs attendant to, Police related litigation." The Chief of Police wrote a memo which accompanied the staff report dated June 2, 1994, addressed to the City Council and City Manager, where he recommended "the acquisition of mobile video surveillance equipment for use by the Police Department", "the necessary expenditure to be appropriated" to pay for the video systems after a formal bid process; and directing "staff to return to Council for final bid award". These recommendations, the staff report, and demonstration of an actual system were an agenda item of the City Council Study Session on June 10, 1994. On that date, the City Council unanimously voted to support the recommendations of the Chief of Police, which included an estimate of the necessary expenditure of $238,993.52 for the system, related equipment and storage facilities. Shortly after that date, the Police Department began searching for an acceptable system which would meet our requirements for system design, overall integration, selection of components, and construction of system components. One vendor of mobile video systems we researched in particular, appeared to meet our requirements. This vendor was a company called "Crimtec". They were at the time, the largest vendor of mobile video systems in the nation, and had one of the most technically sophisticated systems on the market. In addition, they were the vendor who supplied the systems to the Orange County Sheriff's Department, which outfitted all of their vehicles with the technology. Unfortunately, during our research, we determined that the Crimtec Corporation was involved in pending litigation for a patent infringement and were unable to respond to any Request for Proposal (RFP). We waited for resolution of that suit for several months until we were informed that they lost the civil action, were forced into bankruptcy, and ultimately went out of business. We resumed our research and had demonstrations, conversations with other police agencies, and field tested a number of police mobile video systems from vendors throughout the nation. In late January, 1995, we prepared a comprehensive Request for Proposal (RFP) which was approved by the City's Purchasing Agent, Bill West. III. DISCUSSION: As discussed in my staff report presented to the City Council in May of 1994, it was recommended that we purchase 29 mobile video systems for all of our marked police units used by sworn officers at our Police Department and that we implement a comprehensive program for issuing, storing, and retaining an estimated 7,500 video cassette tapes used in the mobile video systems. The Recommendation for slice Mobile Video System Page 3 following discussion addresses the current requirements and specific costs which have changed since our original staff report and the approval of the project design by the City Council. The recommendation to authorize expenditures totaling $258,611 for 29 mobile video systems, related equipment, and police facility modifications reflects a slight increase from the estimates last year. A. MOBILE VIDEO SYSTEM In February, 1995, we sent the RFP to eight of the major vendors of police mobile systems in the nation and advertised seeking qualified vendors in a local newspaper. The vendors who were sent the RFP were "Alpha Control" in Haralson, Georgia; "Docucam" in Owensboro, Kentucky; "Eagleye" in Rome, Georgia; "Kustom Signal, Inc." in Lenexa, Kansas; "Police Video Systems, Inc." in Springfield, Missouri; "Skaggs Telecommunications" in Murray, Utah; "Top Video" in Costa Mesa, California; and "Noble Security Systems, Inc." in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. The main criteria in the RFP included the system design, overall integration, construction of components, system components selected by the vendor, technical specifications, quality of system components, responsiveness to specialized services, and vendors' experience. The RFP did not list overall cost as a determining factor for the bid award. The following companies responded to the RFP with the noted adjusted costs: COMPANY Alpha Control Docucam Kustom Signals, Inc. Police Video Systems, Inc. Skaggs Telecommunications UNIT COST* $5,675.00 $6,260.00 $6,300.00 $5,725.00 $5,145.00 *-Price does not include sales tax We evaluated all the responses to the RFP received to determine if the systems proposed met or exceeded the requested criteria. After inspection and field testing of the "Kustom Signals" system, we determined that it far exceeded the minimum qualifications. While other systems may have met some or all minimum standards, we believe it is in the best interest of the City of Newport Beach and specifically the police officers who must use and depend upon the system on a daily basis, to obtain the "Kustom Signals" mobile video product. The price for 29 systems is $182,700 plus sales tax of $14,159.25 for a total cost of $196,859.25 (which includes three years of warranty on the equipment). Recommendation for, olice Mobile Video System Page 4 The original costs I estimated over a year ago and which were included in the staff report approved by the City Council, were $5,917.55 per system. The original estimate for 29 systems based on that cost in 1994 would have been $171,608.95 plus sales tax of $13,299.69 for a total cost of $184,908.64. The difference in cost is attributed to improved equipment and technology (specifically in the camera and industrial videocassette recorder). Also, in the original staff report, we asked for two additional systems for our helicopters. After extensive research, we have been unable to locate acceptable equipment to meet our requirements in the price range of an in -car video system. If we are ultimately able to work with a particular vendor to solve some of the technological issues involved in a helicopter installation, we would re -consider the matter at that time. "Kustom Signals" is priced approximately 8.5% above the only other system (from "Alpha Control") that purports (in our opinion) to meet all of the technical requirements in its response to the RFP. However, "Alpha Control's" system which is priced at $5,675 per system, lacks the service record, dependability, company reputation, and experience possessed by "Kustom Signals". In addition, the system manufactured by "Alpha Control" does not provide installation and in our opinion, the components incorporated in their product are not comparable to the high quality of those used by "Kustom Signals" in their units. Field tests of the lowest priced unit offered by "Skaggs Telecommunications" at a unit cost of $5,145 plus tax, revealed deficiencies. Specifically, those deficiencies included the overall performance and design of the system and components used. Also, the system from "Skaggs Telecommunications" does not provide for installation services, which again we feel is an important issue. In our opinion, the system developed by "Police Video Systems" priced at $5,725 per unit and the system offered by "Docucam" at $6,260 have lesser quality components than the preferred "Kustom Signals" product. The anticipated, near continuous use of the in -car video units by our officers, the reliability of the components, and the dependability of the company providing the system are all factors considered paramount to a successful implementation of the project. The bid award recommendation is based on the quality of the components used in the "Kustom Signals" system, the overall design of the system, and the performance of the system in field testing. Specifically, the "Kustom Signals" video system is the preferred equipment for the following reasons: Secure, damage and bullet resistant, and environmentally controlled vault housing the video recorder and electronic components. f�` f Recommendation for. dice Mobile Video System Page 5 2. Industrial quality "Panasonic" recorder. 3. High technology "Sony" camera with low light and superior focus capabilities. 4. Superior engineering, design integration, and reliability. 5. Control head design which allows for ease of operation. 6. Outstanding performance during qualitative field testing. 7. Excellent customer service received during field testing and based upon our experience over the years with other "Kustom Signal" products. 8. "Kustom Signals, Inc." is the largest supplier of in -car police video systems in the nation. 9. "Kustom Signals, Inc." is an established vendor the City of Newport Beach has dealt with since the 1970's. 10. "Kustom Signals, Inc." will supply quality installation, training of our Personnel, and maintenance at the Newport Beach Police Department. 11. "Kustom Signals, Inc." holds Patents for the configuration of police mobile video systems and is paid royalties from all the other vendors who bid on our Request for Proposal. In our opinion, "Kustom Signals" meets all of our needs and requirements. While slightly higher in overall price initially, maintenance costs and out of service time should be lower over the long term with the "Kustom Signals" system because of the long -life, industrial grade audio/video components. The system must perform when it is needed, as evidenced by numerous publicized events involving police officers performing their duties. It is in the best interest of the City of Newport Beach, its police officers and it citizens to purchase the system developed and proposed by "Kustom Signals". B. VIDEOTAPE MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS Handling an estimated 7,500 videotapes will require a sophisticated automated process to efficiently manage this portion of the project. Such a process will minimize privacy concerns and withstand court scrutiny on evidence handling procedures. The process and procedures are a critical component to the overall success and integrity of a comprehensive program. The below equipment is necessary to fulfill those goals and was part of the project design approved by Recommendation for olice Mobile Video System Page 6 the City Council after reviewing the original proposal. Some of the costs vary due to changes in proposed procedures and equipment. EQUIPMENT COSTS* Personal Computer (PC) for evidence/tape tracking $3,000.00 Bar Code Terminal $1,000.00 Laser Scanner $1,500.00 Custom Software $5,500.00 On-site services and training $2,000.00 Videotapes @$4.00 per tape X 7,500 $30,000.00 Bulk Tape Eraser $3,500.00 Monitor $600.00 TOTAL $47,100.00 *-Price does not include sales tax C. REQUIRED MODIFICATIONS OF THE POLICE FACILITY Modifications of the Police Facility are necessary to accommodate the issuance, collection, and management of videotapes used in the mobile video system project. The area now intended to house this process is currently being used by the officers assigned to the bike detail. The area contains a desk, filing cabinet and sufficient room to store the Department's bicycles, related parts and maintenance equipment. It is our intention to relocate the bike area to a portion of the lunch room at the Police Facility. This will necessitate some building modifications to accommodate both the bike detail and mobile video project. The estimated costs are as follows: EQUIPMENT/MATERIALS COSTS* Building modification to relocate bicycle storage/maintenance and accommodate Videotape Storage and distribution system. $11,000.00 *-Price does not include sales tax if required r-, r. -- Recommendation for rolice Mobile Video System Page 7 IV. CONCLUSION Purchase of this proposed mobile video system, related equipment, and Police Facility modification will reduce the liability exposure to the City, Police Department, and individual officers who are subjected daily to adversarial situations. Documented experience by law enforcement agencies nationwide, demonstrates that implementing a mobile video system will favorably impact liability and personnel issues. It will also enhance criminal prosecutions, provide an aid to training, promote positive public relations, reduce founded personnel complaints, and increase officer safety. We strongly urge you to approve the recommendations contained in this report. Respectfully submitted, Tim Riley, Lieutenant Administrative Services Commander Approved by, W-�G gKtv Bob McDonell CHIEF OF POLICE