REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 11/01/2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Police Department
SUBJECT:
Title
PURCHASE OF NEW IN-CAR AND BODY-WORN CAMERAS AND EQUIPMENT TO INCLUDE TASERS AND TRAINING TECHNOLOGY THROUGH AXON ENTERPRISES, INC. UTILIZING THE SOURCEWELL COOPERATIVE PURCHASING PROGRAM, CONTRACT NUMBERS 010720-AXN (CAMERAS) AND 092722-AXN (TASERS)
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council for authorization to issue purchase orders to Axon Enterprises, Inc. for the purchase of in-car and body-worn camera systems, replacement Tasers, and training technology equipment. The current cameras have reached the end of their technological life and will no longer be supported by the manufacturer. Axon Enterprises, Inc. equipment and software offer several benefits, including state-of-the-art camera technology, modernized training methodologies, advanced electronic control device technology, seamless collaboration with the District Attorney’s Office, and swift sharing of data, videos, and digital evidence through Axon Enterprises, Inc.’s platform, Evidence.com.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council:
a. Approve the use of the Sourcewell Master Price Agreements #010720-AXN and #092722-AXN for the purchase of in-car and body-worn camera systems, as well as Tasers and training technology equipment.
b. Make a determination under Corona Municipal Code (CMC) Section 3.08.140(c) that competitive bidding is not required for this purchase based upon the reasons provided in this staff report.
c. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to issue purchase orders to Axon Enterprises, Inc. in the amount of $758,083 in Fiscal Year 2024, and $659,921 per year for Fiscal Year 2025 through Fiscal Year 2028.
d. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to negotiate and execute non-substantive extensions, amendments, and change orders up to $75,808 or 10% of the original purchase order amount as provided by the Corona Municipal Code (CMC) Section 3.08.060(j).
e. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to sign the Axon Enterprises, Inc. Master Services and Purchasing Agreement and Quote No. Q-496228-45211.900AS.
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BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
Since 2012, the Corona Police Department has been utilizing in-car video cameras provided by WatchGuard Video (model 4RE). Subsequently, in 2016, the utilization of Body-Worn Cameras (BWC) was adopted into the Corona Police Department’s law enforcement operations. This equipment is now over seven years old, has reached the end-of- its useful life, and is no longer serviceable. Technology has significantly improved and changed, and replacement parts for the current units are not available. Even if parts were available, the existing system requires significant staff time to download, review, redact, and tag footage and then subsequently share files with the District Attorney’s Office.
The Police Department conducted a comprehensive evaluation to identify the best replacement option that would provide additional technological advancements to improve operational performance. Axon Enterprises, Inc. was selected as the preferred vendor based on their technical capabilities and staff research. Staff presented an overview of this system to the City Council on April 13th 20023 during the Spring Financial Workshop.
ANALYSIS:
New in-car and body-worn camera equipment is required because the current system has become and unserviceable. A committee composed of representatives from various divisions in the Police Department and staff from Information Technology thoroughly assessed four different vendors and concluded that Axon Enterprises, Inc. offered the best system that aligns with departmental needs and interoperability with neighboring agencies within the region.
The benefits of Axon Enterprises, Inc. technology solutions, include:
a. Multiple auto-trigger options for the in-car video systems, encompassing speed, body-worn camera (BWC) activation, and Bluetooth-triggered BWC activation upon Taser and handgun removal.
b. Seamless interoperability with the existing Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) vendor, enabling automated event tagging for both BWC and in-car video systems.
c. A direct and seamless interoperability interface with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office through Axon's Evidence.com platform, expediting the exchange of crucial information.
d. Inclusion of the state-of-the-art Taser 10 model, replacing the outdated Taser X26, thereby enhancing the equipment portfolio.
e. Integration of virtual training for de-escalation techniques and Taser usage, augmenting officers’ preparedness and service quality.
f. Inclusion of bundled redaction software, expediting the processing of public records requests related to digital video content. Specifically, the software facilitates the automatic redaction of sensitive segments within videos, resulting in an accelerated completion rate.
g. Inclusion of four cameras to facilitate the audio and video recording of interviews in designated rooms in the Detective Bureau, Lobby, and Jail. These cameras will seamlessly interface with Evidence.com, providing direct chain of custody for evidentiary interviews.
BASIS FOR DETERMINATION OF COMPETITIVE BIDDING
This method of procurement is permitted per the Corona Municipal Code (CMC) section 3.08.140(c), which states that competitive bidding is not required for non-public projects as follows:
“Competitive bidding already completed. When the Purchasing Manager and the authorized contracting party, with the approval of the City Manager, determine that:
1) A competitive bid procedure has been conducted by another public agency including, but not limited to, another local agency, the state through the California Multiple Award Schedule (CMAS), the federal government through the General Services Administration (GSA), the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance, or the Western States Contracting Alliance (WSCA); and
2) The price to the City is equal to or better than the price to that public agency,
On November 7, 2019, a Request for Proposals (“RFP”) #010720, was published on the Cooperative Purchasing Program, Sourcewell website inviting interested parties to submit proposals for Public Safety Video Surveillance Solutions with Related Equipment, Software and Accessories. Sourcewell received and opened twenty-three proposals by the proposal due date of January 7, 2020. All responses were evaluated by Sourcewell staff. Four proposals were recommended and approved for award on February 19, 2020.
On August 9, 2022, a Request for Proposals (“RFP”) #092722, was published on the Cooperative Purchasing Program, Sourcewell website inviting interested parties to submit proposals for Conducted Energy Weapons. Sourcewell received and opened two proposals by the proposal due date of September 27, 2022. All responses were evaluated by Sourcewell staff. Two proposals were recommended and approved for award on December 20, 2022.
The Purchasing Division seeks out cooperative purchasing agreements because they allow the City to save time, cut administrative costs, improve agency efficiency and maximize city budgets by securing pricing. By utilizing cooperative purchasing, the City will be leveraging from a previous purchasing solicitation that was performed by another government agency.
Based on this previously conducted bid process by Sourcewell, the Corona Police Department requests the approval to purchase equipment listed in quote #Q-496228-45211.900AS from Axon Enterprises, Inc. in the total amount of $3,397,764 over five years (Exhibit 19).
There is a six to eight-week lead time for product delivery. Axon will provide training to all officers and necessary professional staff on the new equipment and software. Axon staff will also remove the old equipment from department patrol vehicles and install the new Axon camera equipment.
The Axon Enterprises, Inc. Master Services and Purchasing Agreement was reviewed by the Cities’ Legal Team.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Funding for the recommended actions is included in the Fiscal Year 2024 Police Department’s operating budget within the Measure X Fund 120. Future funding requests will be recommended through the annual budget process.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the common sense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. 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 activity is not subject to CEQA. This action of purchasing in-car and body worn cameras, Tasers, and training technology equipment is minimal and there is no possibility this will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: CHAD FOUNTAIN, LIEUTENANT
REVIEWED BY: ROBERT NEWMAN, CHIEF OF POLICE
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - Sourcewell Contract 010720 Cameras
2. Exhibit 2 - Sourcewell Contract Extension 010720
3. Exhibit 3 - Sourcewell 010720 Price File
4. Exhibit 4 - Sourcewell Board Resolutions July 16, 2019
5. Exhibit 5 - Sourcewell Combined Ads 010720-Public Safety
6. Exhibit 6 - Sourcewell Comment and Review-Public Safety 010720
7. Exhibit 7 - Sourcewell Proposal Evaluation-Public Safety 010720
8. Exhibit 8 - Sourcewell Proposal Opening Record-Public Safety 010720
9. Exhibit 9 - Sourcewell Request For Proposal and Addendums-010720 Public Safety
10. Exhibit 10 - Sourcewell Contract 092722 Tasers
11. Exhibit 11 - Sourcewell 092722 Price File
12. Exhibit 12 - Sourcewell Board Resolutions July 19, 2022
13. Exhibit 13 - Sourcewell Comment and Review-Conducted Energy Weapons 092722
14. Exhibit 14 - Sourcewell Proof of Publication-Conducted Energy Weapons 092722
15. Exhibit 15 - Sourcewell Proposal Evaluation-Conducted Energy Weapons 092722
16. Exhibit 16 - Sourcewell Proposal Opening Record-Conducted Energy Weapons 092722
17. Exhibit 17 - Sourcewell Request For Proposal and Addendums-Conducted Energy Weapons 092722
18. Exhibit 18 - Axon Enterprise, Inc. Master Services and Purchasing Agreement
19. Exhibit 19 - Axon Enterprise, Inc. Quote No. Q-496228-45211.900AS