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APPROVE MOTION TO ADOPT STANDARD AGREEMENT AMENDMENT NO. 2 BETWEEN FLOCK GROUP INC. AND THE CITY OF STOCKTON IN AN AMOUNT OF $1,196,700 FOR THE ADDITION OF FLOCK SAFETY FALCON PLATFORM
recommended action
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that City Council approve a motion to:
1. Authorize the City Manager to approve Standard Agreement Amendment No. 2 between Flock Group Inc. (Flock) and the City of Stockton (City), increasing the Compensation subsection by a maximum not to exceed amount of $1,196,700 for the addition of Flock Safety Falcon (Falcon) Platform and;
2. Approve findings pursuant to Stockton Municipal Code section 3.68.070 in support of an exception to the competitive bidding process; and
3. It is further recommended that the City Manager be authorized and directed to make any and all expenditures and appropriations on behalf of the City as appropriate and necessary to carry out the purpose and intent of this motion.
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Summary
Falcon is an additional platform to the Stockton Police Department’s (SPD) Flock cameras and assists in effective communication with the public in emergencies reported to the Dispatch Center. The platform is a law enforcement grade license plate recognition camera with Vehicle Fingerprint technology that alleviates the use of infrastructures by using solar power and LTE. This platform provides real-time alerts for unlimited users with a long range and high vehicle speed. Funding for the Standard Agreement Amendment was included in the award for the FY 2024-25 Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Technology and Equipment Program (TEP). SPD is seeking Council approval to expand the current Flock contract to integrate the Falcon Platform in an amount not to exceed $1,196,700.
DISCUSSION
Background
The SPD COPS TEP funding was approved by motion at the November 12, 2024 City Council meeting. SPD was awarded the amount of $963,000 in revenues and expenditures for the Police Grants and Special Programs for the ability to purchase fundamental technology and equipment. Through the current Flock contract, Falcon will provide a more robust License Plate Reader (LPR) platform to aid in identifying leads, solving criminal cases and reducing crime. The strategic placement of additional LPR cameras will include all main entry/exit points of the city, major commercial areas, and “hot” intersections with high traffic volume to assist with crime reduction and expedite the apprehension of criminals. SPD would also gain access to a network of over 500,000,000 license plate reads per month through the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center.
In September 2023, the City executed a contract for 15 cameras. This amendment will add 105 additional cameras to be placed throughout the City.
Present Situation
After analyzing the benefits and shortcomings of our existing LPR program and researching similar programs used by other regional and state departments, staff recommended expanding the program to multiple fixed LPR locations at key intersections throughout the city. With the TEP funding, the SPD will expand our partnership with Flock Safety for our LPR needs by adding 105 cameras for a total of 120. Flock Safety provides 1,000+ Law Enforcement Agencies in over 2,000 cities with a scalable solution for public safety that reduces crime by up to 60%.
Flock Safety is an all-encompassing system that does not solely depend upon vehicle license plates to identify vehicles used in crimes. Additionally, this system is not dependent upon our mobile units to drive by suspect vehicles. Fixed cameras will strategically be placed in high-traffic areas and areas affected by high crime based on crime analysis and data-driven policing. Detectives will be able to search vehicle type, make, color, license plate state, missing/covered plates, and other unique features like bumper stickers, decals, and roof racks, as obtaining a full license plate is uncommon. Instead, the norm is primarily a suspect vehicle description. The LPR program also benefits many surrounding areas and their Law Enforcement agencies, as criminals often travel between jurisdictions, and information obtained from the program can be shared with other agencies. Flock’s cameras are solar operated and can read in excess of 30,000 license plates on a single charge.
Since September 2023, the existing 15 cameras have assisted with solving several armed robberies. From April to May 2024, there were 17 armed robberies committed by two individuals. With the Flock technology, the SPD was successful in locating the license plate for the suspect vehicle, ultimately resulting in the arrest of two suspects involved. In addition to robberies, other crimes solved by utilizing Flock cameras include homicides and non-fatal shootings. Flock technology also assisted with the apprehension of the serial killer in 2022 with the help of our local law enforcement partners.
The SPD is committed to working with the community by keeping the city safe through the use of technology. The placement of additional LPR at all main entry/exit points of the city, major commercial areas, and intersections with high traffic volume will assist with reducing crime and expedite the apprehension of criminals. A LPR program encourages a public/private partnership between the SPD and the community, fostering relationships with homeowner associations and commercial businesses. The LPR cameras are installed to benefit all involved partners (HOA, businesses, and the SPD). One goal of this partnership is to protect businesses and shoppers using technology. Although the primary objective of this program is to support crime reduction efforts and support public safety for the City of Stockton, it has the benefit of incorporating other features that can be added as the program grows.
Staff is seeking Council approval to expand the current Flock contract to integrate Falcon in an amount not to exceed $1,196,700 to assist with daily operations to maximize effectiveness and efficiencies with every call for service and investigations in the apprehension of suspects.
Findings
Stockton Municipal Code section 3.68.070 provides for an exception to the competitive bidding requirements in cases wherein the City Council has made findings that support and justify the purchase via a cooperative purchasing agreement.
Findings to support the purchase are as follows:
1. Flock Safety has proprietary rights on technology that is not limited to just reading license plates. Law Enforcement can enter vehicle descriptors into their system to gain positive results.
2. There is a limited market of service providers who perform this type of work with government agencies that provides the significant accuracy rate of the Flock devices.
Flock provides law enforcement software products already utilized by the SPD; expanding the existing portfolio protects continuity of critical services.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
The proposed cost of this amendment is not to exceed the amount of $1,196,700, with a total contract amount of $2,171,700. Funding for year one of Falcon is included in the FY 2024-25 COPS TEP Grant Police Other Special Revenue fund, Reimbursements sub fund, Investigations division, and Special Investigation program. Future year funding requests for Falcon will be requested through the annual budget process.
Attachment A - Flock Amendment 2