Title
Recommendation to Authorize the City Manager to Negotiate and Execute a Purchase Agreement, or in the Alternative a Lease Agreement, for a New Security Camera System from ICU Technologies for the Police Administration Building and Off-Site Property Storage Facilities in an Amount Not to Exceed $274,075.97. (Police 3116)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Alameda (City) is in need of a new security camera system for the Police Administration Building (PAB) and off-site property storage facilities associated with Police Department operations. The current system is over ten years old and the video quality does not meet modern standards. APD has been working with ICU Technologies, a General Services Administration (GSA) contractor. ICU Technologies is APD’s choice for a more efficient and reliable product.
BACKGROUND
The current Police Department security camera system is over ten years old and is in need of updating. The video quality is poor and offers little to no assistance in identifying persons on site or activity that is occurring. By way of example, the PAB was vandalized and the video quality was so poor the investigating officer could not make a positive identification, despite being able to witness that the vandalism took place in the recorded video. In this instance, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office would not use the video footage to prosecute the offender due to its poor quality.
The City has several “high liability” locations, such as the Property & Evidence storage area, within the PAB. In addition, due to the amount of property the Police Department maintains, the City also has two off-site locations where property and evidence are stored. These locations are also in need of updated security cameras.
Access to the security system servers is limited and surveillance footage is therefore not easily accessed. The new system would give the Police Department the option to allow more employees the appropriate level of access, particularly during the late evening hours and weekends. The current system offers search capability. Employees must manually review hours of footage when a review is necessary. Current technology would drastically reduce the amount of time it takes to review video footage.
DISCUSSION
ICU Technologies is a GSA service provider. They have worked with many California law enforcement agencies and California school districts (Exhibit 3). They are a GSA Schedule 84 (Security) and Schedule 70 (Information Technology) provider. ICU Technology offers a negotiated 19% discount on Avigilon products and an 11% discount on all labor cost. ICU Technologies has a 5-year contract with the GSA. (Exhibit 3)
ICU Technologies has recommended using the Avigilon Video Management System for our project. To provide better coverage in and around the PAB, the City has requested additional cameras (see Exhibit 2). ICU Technologies has furnished a GSA estimate, which pricing conforms with ICU Technologies’ GSA contract.
The additional cameras and higher quality video necessitates the need to increase the number of servers to maintain recordings for a minimum of 12 months (per 34090.6 (a) California Government Code), unless it is evidence in pending litigation. We would be using three servers to accommodate the storage needed to comply with State law.
The Avigilon System would allow more APD employees to access the security camera system to view live footage and archived recordings. The removal of recordings will be restricted to the Custodian of Records, per APD and City of Alameda (City) policy. All recordings that are deemed significant, or related to a crime where litigation may occur, can be transferred to our Axon Evidence.com cloud based servers and shared with outside agencies, such as the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.
The “live view” setup will provide more situational awareness to those employees who work inside the building. APD would set up “live view” monitors in the Records Unit office area, front counter, and Communications Center. This would allow our employees to see who may make in-person contact prior to allowing access to the inside of the PAB. This has been challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic with our current system.
ALTERNATIVES
• Negotiate and execute a purchase agreement with ICU Technologies for $274,075.97. (Exhibit 1)
• The City Council could approve a five-year lease agreement with ICU Technologies at the annual cost of $59,376.36 for five years (8.3% above Option A), or a monthly payment of $5,062.18 for five years (10.8% above Option A). (Exhibit 1)
• Do not approve this purchase agreement and continue to use the current security camera system.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The purchase of the security cameras was not initially included in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020-21 budget; A mid-year budget transfer of $275,000 (Option A) or $60,000 (Option B) would allow the purchase to be made from program 3116-51990 Materials and Logistics-Miscellaneous Operating Supplies. With costs that have been hitting the City, we anticipate that we will need to determine whether this will impact the General Fund by the mid-year Budget.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
This action comports with the Alameda Municipal Code and the City’s Administrative Policies and Procedures Number 5 (Purchasing Policy, Cooperative Purchasing Agreement). ICU Technologies products and services falls under the Cooperative Purchasing eligibility per Alameda Municipal Code Section 2-61.7 (Joint Purchases with Public Agencies) as pricing was previously the subject of competitive bidding.
This policy is consistent with the City’s Privacy, Data Collection and Facial Recognition Technology Policies that have been adopted.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This action is not a project for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15061(b) (3) as there is no possibility that this action may have a significant effect on the environment.
CLIMATE IMPACTS
There are no identifiable climate impacts or climate action opportunities associated with the subject of this report.
RECOMMENDATION
Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a Purchase Agreement for a new security camera system from ICU Technologies for the Police Administration Building (PAB) and off site property storage facilities in an amount not to exceed $274,075.97.
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION
Due to the need for the system, the City Manager recommends approval. The funding for this will be revised in the Mid-Year budget due to not being in the current budget. Also, the Assistant City Manager is working with the department to ensure it is consistent with the City Council policies.
Respectfully submitted,
Jeffery Emmitt, Police Captain (Acting Chief of Police)
By,
Jeffery Emmitt, Police Captain (Acting Chief of Police)
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Annie To, Finance Director
Exhibits:
1. Purchase/ Lease Proposal
2. Scope of Work
3. ICU Technologies GSA Contract Information
cc: Eric Levitt, City Manager