Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Christina Corpus, Sheriff
Subject: Agreement with StarChase
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution authorizing an agreement with StarChase for a pursuit management system for a term commencing August 1, 2024 through July 31, 2027, in an amount not to exceed $369,840.
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BACKGROUND:
High speed police pursuits can be inherently dangerous not only to the public, but also to the police officers who engage in them. As such, law enforcement throughout the state, including the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, have modified their pursuit policies through the years making them more restrictive on what crimes are pursuable.
While the Sheriff's Office is continually balancing and evaluating the risks of pursuits against the need to apprehend violators of the law, law enforcement agencies throughout the country are looking to alternative methods to minimize that risk while maximizing apprehensions. Some larger agencies have dedicated air support units which are utilized to monitor and follow offenders from safe distances with no threat of injury to the public or officers. It is not unusual for the suspect to resume normal operation of their vehicle to attempt to blend in with surrounding traffic because they perceive they are not being pursued by law enforcement.
DISCUSSION:
The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office has identified a pursuit management system to assist in crime reduction, increase safety for our community, and to help combat organized retail theft, and reduce financial exposure. The pursuit management system is known as StarChase Pursuit Management System. StarChase is a pursuit management tool that allows an officer to launch non-lethal GPS tracking tags via a compressed-air launcher from the front grille of a patrol vehicle, with the intent of affixing an adhesive-tipped tag to the rear portion of suspect vehicles. The Sheriff’s Office seeks to outfit 30 Sheriff’s Office patrol cars with this technology.
Currently in the Bay Area, StarChase is being utilized by the Pittsburg Police Department, San Pablo Police Department, Contra Costa Sheriff’s Department, Brentwood Police Department, South San Francisco Police Department, and San Mateo Police Department.
All the neighboring agencies that employ StarChase have seen a dramatic decrease in vehicle pursuits while still maintaining the ability to conduct criminal investigations and bring violent offenders safely into custody.
The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office emphasizes the use of progressive technology in assisting its members in criminal investigations and mitigating the danger to the public by preventing unnecessary vehicle pursuits. The implementation of the StarChase system will meet both goals. Specifically, as it relates to organized retail theft, the StarChase system will allow the Sheriff’s Office to track suspects who engage in retail theft and other related property crimes where vehicle pursuits are not allowed due to current policies and concerns for public safety. A waiver of the Request for Proposals process is requested, as StarChase has no reasonable competitor.
The resolution and agreement have been reviewed and approved as to form by the County Attorney.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The term of this agreement is from August 1, 2024 through July 31, 2027, for an amount not to exceed $369,840. The funding for this agreement comes from the Sheriff’s Office Organized Retail Theft grant and has been included in the Sheriff’s Office FY 2024-25 Recommended Budget. There is no Net County Cost.