Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Carlos G. Bolanos, Sheriff
Subject: Agreement with Axon Enterprise, Inc. and the addition of four positions to support the implementation of body-worn cameras, in-car cameras and a digital evidence management system.
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt resolutions:
A) Waiving the request for proposal process and authorizing an agreement with Axon Enterprise, Inc. to provide body-worn cameras, in-car cameras, and a digital evidence management system, for a five-year term from January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2024, and a combined total of $3,906,735.75 for the initial five-year term; and
B) Authorizing the Sheriff, or his designee to execute contract amendments and change orders which modify the County’s maximum fiscal obligation by not more than $100,000 (in aggregate), and/or modify the contract term and/or services so long as the modified term or services is/are within the current or revised fiscal provisions; and
C) Authorizing the Sheriff to add four new positions; one Senior IT Technician, and three Property Officers increasing the number of authorized positions in the Sheriff’s Office to 816 and increasing salary and benefit costs in the Sheriff’s Office by approximately $525,000 annually.
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BACKGROUND:
The Sheriff’s Office (SO) is committed to utilizing the latest technology to provide San Mateo County residents with the best law enforcement services possible. The Sheriff’s Office is also committed to assisting in criminal prosecutions, reducing civil litigation, and bolstering the public’s trust.
To that end, the SO is seeking to establish a Body Worn Camera (BWC), and a Digital Evidence Management System (DEMS) program. It is of particular note that in September 2018, the Governor signed AB 748 and SB 1421 which will require law enforcement agencies to provide “prompt” production of certain video in its possession. These new laws will likely be applied to other types of video already in possession of the Sheriff’s Office.
DISCUSSION:
The SO began its market research of BWC’s and DEMS solutions in early 2017, with an emphasis on BWC video quality, ease of use, security of cloud-based video storage and the ability to easily share digital evidence with the District Attorney’s Office.
Many police departments in San Mateo County are utilizing BWC and DEMS (called Evidence.com) solutions and services provided by Axon Enterprises, Inc. (Axon), including San Mateo, Hillsborough, Belmont and San Bruno. Additionally, Santa Clara County and Alameda County, are also using Axon BWC’s and DEMS solutions. Based on the common use of Axon BWC’s and Evidence.com, as well as the importance of easily interoperating with the District Attorney’s Office, the SO conducted two pilot programs of Axon’s BWC’s and Evidence.com. In order to comply with AB 748 and SB 1421, the SO will need a solution like Evidence.com.
Additionally, a competitive proposal process completed by Kern County resulted in the selection of Axon due to its history as both a leader in the industry and cost-effectiveness. Based on the positive results of both pilot programs, the public competitive process completed by Kern County, and the interoperability with neighboring agencies, the SO recommends that the Board find that it is in the best interest of the County to waive the formal request for proposal process. It is of note that the SO advised the Board of its intention to seek the waiver.
Under the agreement with Axon, the SO will acquire 537 BWC’s to equip each Correctional Officer and Deputy Sheriff. Once the program is fully implemented, it is anticipated that approximately 200 BWC’s will be active daily and produce approximately 350,000 hours of video footage each year. We believe BWC video will benefit investigations. The agreement also provides for the installation of 80 in-car front and back video cameras and a centralized cloud-based digital evidence management system (Evidence.com) to store data, edit data, tag and retrieve evidence, and share case files. By purchasing Axon BWC’s and Axon Fleet together, the Sheriff’s Office was able to negotiate significant savings over what separate purchases would have cost. The total savings amount is $889,593.
Effectively managing this volume of BWC video and associated tasks will require significant staff time. Based on a review of other jurisdictions, as well as information collected during the two pilot programs, a total of four new positions is needed, including three Property Officers, and one Sr. Information Technology Technician. These positions will be responsible for managing video content, equipment, and Public Records Act requests.
The SO has also established policies and procedures regarding the use, management, storage, and retrieval of data captured by these devices; and staff will be fully trained in advance of implementation.
County Counsel and the Information Services Department (ISD) have reviewed and approved the agreement and Resolution as to form. Prior to implementing the BWC and DEMS program the SO will partner with ISD to ensure the County’s network infrastructure is ready to support BWC video traffic.
The agreement contributes to the Shared Vision 2025 outcome of a Healthy Community by utilizing the latest technology, thereby providing San Mateo County residents with the best law enforcement services possible.
PERFORMANCE MEASURE(S):
|
BWC’s |
FY 2018-19 Projected |
FY 2019-20 Projected |
|
Hours of BWC video uploaded to SO case files |
87,500 |
350,000 |
FISCAL IMPACT:
The fiscal obligation under the five-year agreement with Axon totals $3,906,735.75. The agreement with Axon and addition of four new positions will be funded the first year (FY 2018-19) through a combination of Sheriff’s Office Asset Forfeiture funds and Reserves. Beginning in FY 2019-20 and thereafter, the full program including the agreement with Axon and the four new positions will total approximately $1,260,000 and will be funded by Prop 172 funds.