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CONTRACT K-1617-84: A CONTRACT BY AND BETWEEN THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, AND ENFORCEMENT VIDEO D/B/A WATCH GUARD IN THE AMOUNT OF $195,615 TO PROVIDE BODY WORN AND IN-CAR VIDEO CAMERAS THROUGH DECEMBER 13, 2018, TERMINATION OF CONTRACT K-1415-80 WITH MEDIASOLV FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT, AND BUDGET APPROPRIATION.
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BACKGROUND: Public Safety Sales Tax (PSST) funds in the amount of $750,000 were approved in fiscal year 2013-2014 (FYE 2014) for the purchase of an in-car/body worn camera system for the Police Department. These funds were allocated to PSST/Plant & Operating - Audio/Visual System (account 015-6122-421.51-10).
After a Request For Proposals process (RFP #1314-53) in 2014, MediaSolv was selected as the vendor to supply in-car/body systems and contract (K-1415-80) was executed in February 2015. After two initial payment installments were made per the contract, MediaSolv was purchased by Taser International (Taser) in May 2015. Taser was unable to supply the cameras specified in the MediaSolve contract. Taser reimbursed the City for the two installments received by MediaSolv in the amount of $259,731.80.
A new RFP process (RFP #1516-45) began in January 2016 to select another company to supply an in-car/body system for the police department. Seven (7) companies responded to the RFP and the field was narrowed to three companies for field testing. WatchGuard was selected for the City of Norman by the evaluation panel. This selection was based on the integration their body camera has with their in-car system, the ease of use of the body camera, and the quality of the audio and video.
DISCUSSION: The system presented by WatchGuard is the 4RE high-definition (HD) Wireless In-Car Video System, the VISTA HD Wearable Camera System, and the Evidence Library Evidence management software. The 4RE HD makes high definition practical delivering both video quality and a manageable file storage format. The City will have high definition video for all of our video while simultaneously requiring less total storage than other competing systems. Substantial investment into the development of the new VISTA one-piece wearable camera system began two years ago. VISTA is constructed with industrial grade components and manufactured domestically. It is capable of recording both high definition and standard definition video, and is able to record up to nine (9) hours of continuous HD video. The fully integrated 4RE and VISTA solution being proposed became available in the second quarter of 2016.
This contract with WatchGuard will allow the purchase of 75 body worn cameras, 5 in-car camera systems, and 2 motorcycle camera systems. The total cost of this contract is $195,615. The 75 body worn units will be checked out of a kiosk system by patrol officers to wear each day on regular duty. This initial purchase will be used to help determine if we need to expand storage in the future and to help work out the processes involved in downloading and retrieving data.
The reimbursement amount received from Taser/MediaSolv in the amount of $259,713.80 was deposited in the Misc. Public Safety account (015-0000-367.12-58). This needs to be reallocated to the Plant & Operating - Audio/Visual System account (015-6122-421.51-10). These funds will be required for the contract with WatchGuard.
RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the City Council approve Contract K-1617-84 with WatchGuard to supply 75 body worn cameras, five in-car cameras and two motorcycle cameras, along with software to download and manage the videos at a cost of $195,615.
It is also recommended that City Council approve the appropriation of $259,731.80 from the Misc Public Safety account (015-0000-367.12-58) to the Plant & Operating Audio/Visual Account (015-6122-421.51-10).