TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Anthony Conrad, Police Chief
PREPARED BY: Spencer Parker, Lieutenant - Police
SUBJECT: title
Amendment No. 2 to Agreement with Flock Group, Inc. - Automated License Plate Reader Cameras (ALPR)
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RECOMMENDATION
recommendation
Approve the second amendment to the agreement with Flock Group, Inc. to add the Enhanced License Plate Reader package;
Appropriate an additional $15,000 in the Fiscal Year 2024/25 Operating Budget in the Supplemental Law Enforcement Fund (Fund 411);
Authorize the exemption from bidding requirements; and
Authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement and all related documents.
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PRIOR ACTION/VOTE
On August 15, 2023, the City Council approved a five-year agreement with Flock Group, Inc. and approved an additional appropriation of $5,500 in the Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2023/24.
CITY COUNCIL GOAL
Provide a high level of innovative public safety.
BACKGROUND
In January 2022, the Murrieta Police Department entered into a one-year agreement with Flock Group, Inc. to install and access twenty of their Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras to be deployed throughout the City of Murrieta. In July 2023, based on the efficacy of this ALPR system relative to crime investigations, the Police Department entered into a five-year agreement with Flock Group, Inc. to install and maintain twenty additional ALPR cameras.
Since entering into this beneficial agreement, Flock’s ALPR cameras continue to provide the Police Department with real-time alerts, which help with critical incident response and investigative efficiency. They operate 24/7 and capture objective vehicle data around the clock to multiply their investigative ability. The cameras require little to no infrastructure, and the vendor handles procurement, permitting, installation, and maintenance for one annual subscription fee.
Additionally, the Murrieta Police Department shares access to its cameras with other California law enforcement agencies and, in turn, receives access to its cameras as well. The nature of this relationship affords the Police Department access to a network of over 2,000 ALPR cameras throughout Southern California and the rest of the State, exponentially increasing investigative capabilities and bolstering the ability to provide the highest level of public safety to its residents.
Current advancements in ALPR software technology allow law enforcement organizations to address significant challenges in tracking suspect vehicles without detailed identifiers, missing license plates, and partial vehicle descriptors. For an annual fee, Flock Group, Inc. offers the “Enhanced License Plate Reader Package” to address these challenges.
The “Enhanced License Plate Reader (Enhanced LPR) Package” is a versatile software add-on for our approved Flock Operating System (FlockOS). This software add-on will include:
• Discovery of hidden links by identifying suspect vehicles traveling together.
• Conversion of any digital image into a lead, whether sourced from a citizen’s smartphone or a security camera.
• A multi-geographic perimeter location search will trace a suspect vehicle across multiple crime incidents and allow for the connection of disparate crimes without specific vehicle details or plate numbers.
The purchase of this additional software will boost the efficacy of our current FlockOS, enabling officers and detectives to rapidly access critical information and enhance inter-departmental communication.
Section 3.08.280(B) of the Murrieta Municipal Code authorizes competitive bidding procedures and requirements to be dispensed when the commodity or service can be obtained from only one vendor. In this instance, the software add-on is an exclusive product of our current vendor, Flock Group, Inc.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Department has $100,000 budgeted in Fiscal Year 2024/25 Operating Budget account 1113120-71030. This amendment requires an additional $15,000 over the next four Fiscal Years, beginning with Fiscal Year 2024/25. The Supplemental Law Enforcement Fund has sufficient funding in its Unassigned Fund Balance for Fiscal Year 2024/25. Staff is requesting a budget appropriation of $15,000 in account 4110030-71030. The remaining three years of the agreement will be factored into future Biennial Budgets.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Flock Safety Amendment No. 2