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CONTRACT K-1415-80: A CONTRACT BY AND BETWEEN THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, AND MEDIASOLV SOLUTION CORPORATION IN THE AMOUNT OF $351,847 TO PROVIDE AND INSTALL BODY WORN AND IN-CAR VIDEO RECORDERS FOR THE NORMAN POLICE DEPARTMENT.
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BACKGROUND: Public Safety Sales Tax funds in the amount of $750,000 were approved in FYE 2014 for the purchase of an in-car/body worn video camera solution for the Police Department. These funds were appropriated into the Plant & Operating Equipment/Audio/Visual System account (015-6122-421.51-10). These funds were rolled into FYE 2015 and into the same account. An expenditure of approximately $103,000 was taken from this account earlier to add digital memory to our computer system and upon the completion of the camera project it allows enough space to store a few weeks of video before it has to be purged.
An RFP was opened on March 17, 2014, requesting proposals for an in-car and body worn solution and it closed on May 19, 2014. Seven companies submitted proposals and were evaluated. MediaSolv was found to be the best company for the Police Department's needs. The RFP, the evaluation spreadsheet, and MediaSolv's proposal are all attached.
DISCUSSION: The contract is for MediaSolv to provide implementation, installation, and training for the following products:
212 Vision Cameras (body worn)
175 Vision Accessory Kits
125 Vision Docking/Charging Stations
40 Avenger In-car Mobile Video Systems
50 Concurrent Commander User Licenses
The vision cameras are the body-worn solution that is made to attach to the person of the officer. The body-worn system will record both video and audio anywhere the officer goes and operates with a single button. While an in-car system does a great job getting good video due to its stability from being mounted in the car, the body worn camera can go anywhere the officer goes, which the in-car cannot do.
The vision accessory kits are kits that go with the body worn camera to allow it to attach to the officer in various ways depending on the uniform and type of duty the officer is assigned to. It allows for the camera to be clipped to glasses, a hat, the collar, or in a pocket. The accessory packs were only ordered for commissioned officers and not parking or animal welfare officers.
The vision docking/charging stations are docks that the body worn cameras can be downloaded from and it will charge the camera while docked. These can be placed at locations the officers can use them, such as the Norman Investigations Center, Fire Station 9, and the main Police Department headquarters at 201-B W. Gray St.
The avenger in-car mobile video system is a ruggedized video solution for in-car video and audio. This system is made up of two cameras, a digital video recorder, and wireless mic. It is equipped with two cameras, so one camera would be mounted pointing forward and the other would be mounted pointing to the rear to record any prisoners being transported. This system is 100% compliant with the International Association of Chiefs of Police recommendations and has several key attributes desired in an in-car video system. Some of the avenger's features are global positioning systems, auto focus, high resolution, pre and post recording, and built in Wi-Fi to download wirelessly.
The concurrent commander user licenses are for the computer program used to access the video in the system. This will be used by officers in the field, detectives, parking service officers, and animal welfare officers to mark or make notes that will be saved with the video as evidence.
The concept of having officers with body worn and in-car video systems is to document our interactions with the public, particularly in enforcement situations. This allows for more transparency and better evidence for court. Based on current events and trends, this seems to be a wise investment for the Police Department. It is recommended to have body worn cameras for the department's parking service officers and animal welfare officers which will allow for better documentation of certain violations and to document interactions with citizens during enforcement action.
The total cost of the contract is $351,847. The current available balance in the Plant & Operating Equipment/Audio/Visual System account (015-6122-421.51-10) is $646,945. The cost of the contract covers the first year of support and maintenance. Starting the second year, support and maintenance will cost around $13,000 per year.
The other cost in this project is $103,000 which was used to purchase additional memory for the installation of an expandable digital storage system, to prepare for the video that would be stored. A cost of $70,000 will be used to set-up wireless network locations at North Base (gas pumps), the Police Department (201 W. Gray), the Norman Investigations Center (1507 W. Lindsey), at Fire Station #9 (3001 E. Alameda) for uploading dash camera data from squad cars; and $13,000 will be used to upgrade a Master Police Officer position to a newly funded Lieutenant position to manage the system. After the purchase of the necessary hardware and software required to begin the program, approximately $210,000 will be remaining to address growing digital storage and backup needs for the system. These additional funds will allow room for growth as video data is added over time as well as provide a redundant backup system. The backup system will serve two functions:
1. Storage for data that will need to be retained for an extended time frame (investigations etc.).
2. Keep the digital video data safe, secure, and readily available in cases where the main storage of data is lost (disaster or hardware/equipment failure).
In anticipation for future servicing needs of body worn cameras and other public safety technology, staff will request the reclassification of an open police officer position, to a public safety technology specialist. This person will be responsible for daily troubleshooting, maintenance, warranty replacements, network connectivity, and general upkeep of body worn cameras and other public safety technology.
The breakdown of the cost for the project is included as an attachment.
RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that contract K-1415-80 be approved with MediaSolv Solutions Corporation and that $351,847 be paid from Plant & Operating Audio/Visual System (account 015-6122-421.51-10).