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PURCHASE OF AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READER SYSTEM FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT
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RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council, by motion, approve findings which support and justify use of a sole source exception to the competitive bidding requirement pursuant to Stockton Municipal Code section 3.68.070(A)(c) and authorize the purchase of four Automated License Plate Reader systems, and a one-year service contract with Lehr, a sole source provider for Vigilant Solutions, LLC.
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Summary
Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) and recognition systems are a tool used by many different agencies such as bridge toll authorities, rapid transit districts, law enforcement agencies, and State transportation departments. These systems can be affixed to traffic light stanchions and toll booths, or can be mobile and affixed to the top, side, front, or back of a vehicle. Most ALPR systems communicate with a hosted or site-based database. Law enforcement agencies use ALPR to reduce crime by enhancing their investigative abilities by being able to analyze license plate information when they are alerted by ALPR that a match has been identified. Since vehicles travel outside and between jurisdictions, the ability to analyze locally captured ALPR data against a list of stolen license plates can be limiting.
The Police Department’s Fiscal Year 2016-17 Budget approved funding for an ALPR program. In August 2016, the SPD’s Technology Steering Committee established a working group whose purpose was to evaluate ALPR technology and commercial ALPR data access as a tool to be used by officers in criminal investigations. The group evaluated the industry leaders in ALPR technology and found only one vendor that provided both commercial ALPR database access, but also data from the National Vehicle Locator Service (NVLS), and data captured by private agencies such as towing companies.
Given the two major north-south arterial highways that run through Stockton, and the small number of law enforcement agencies with ALPR, Staff recommends purchasing a one-year subscription to the Vigilant Solutions, LLC database. In addition, Staff recommends purchasing four ALPR systems to be used in a mobile capacity within Stockton’s footprint. The Police Department’s Fiscal Year 2016-17 Budget allocated sufficient resources to cover the cost of this phase of the program implementation. At this time, there is not an anticipated increase in staffing needs to support the new technology.
DISCUSSION
Background
Since 2012, the SPD has worked to implement the Marshall Plan through a combination of rebuilding staffing levels, and procurement of technology tools that enhance the SPD’s operational and investigative abilities. Most recently, the Police Department’s 2017-2019 Strategic Plan identified two pillars that support the SPD’s operations: Smarter Policing, and Principled Policing. The basic premise of Smarter Policing is to identify technology such as body cameras and crime analytics software which offer a wide breadth of assistance to SPD staff without a significant additional staffing burden. The Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs), along with access to the National Vehicle Location Service (NVLS) and to data provided by national private data entities such as repossession and towing companies, leverages information across multiple sources to assist in criminal investigations. This data is not only used in identifying stolen vehicles but also in locating and tracking vehicles involved in a crime.
The Police Department’s Fiscal Year 2016-17 Budget approved funding for an ALPR program. In August 2016, the SPD’s Technology Steering Committee established a working group whose purpose was to evaluate ALPR technology and commercial ALPR data access as a tool to be used by officers in criminal investigations. The group evaluated the industry leaders in ALPR technology and found that while more than one vendor can supply the license plate reading technology, only one vendor can provide commercial ALPR database access. While not a required component of an ALPR program, access to commercial data can be of significant benefit. A site visit and calls to other agencies regarding the usefulness of the commercial data for crime prevention purposes resulted in the unanimous recommendation by the SPD working group to procure the Vigilant Solutions LLC system, so as to have access to commercial data.
The National Vehicle Location Service (NVLS) is a database that is comprised of information gathered from ALPRs. License plate readers from fixed locations, i.e., traffic light stanchions or toll booths, and mobile platforms, such as police vehicles, capture the date, time, and location of a vehicle along with a photograph of the vehicle and the license plate. Currently, a group of users from the SPD have access to the NVLS system through the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center (NCRIC). The SPD quickly identified the value of NVLS access, but also the limitation of available data as a result of Stockton not having its own ALPR system, and that most of the member agencies sharing data were located in the Bay Area and not along the Interstate 5 or Highway 99 corridors.
Law enforcement agencies that deploy fixed, mobile, or a combination of both types of ALPRs further enhance the amount of information available to their officers and investigators. With this specialized software, an officer in the field can be notified when their mobile ALPR encounters a vehicle wanted in connection with a crime or a missing person’s vehicle. Investigators can use the software to set up alerts on a possible suspect’s vehicle or to cross reference license plates that were all in the area of a crime series, such as finding a common plate that was captured near a series of robberies that appear to be linked. Data from ALPR systems can be input into existing crime analysis and link analysis software to provide investigators with enhanced investigative aids.
The historic location of subject vehicles is often useful when conducting a criminal investigation. The SPD’s current access to vehicle information is limited to where the vehicle was last registered through the Department of Motor Vehicles. Often the vehicle is no longer in the possession of the registered owner or was not being driven by them. With access to NVLS, the investigator may learn that the vehicle has been parked in front of an address several times in the last year or it may have a photo of the vehicle, showing distinguishing characteristics, such as bumper stickers or dents. Searches of partial plates and vehicle types are also available through NVLS.
Present Situation
The SPD’s working group reviewed several options, quickly focusing on products that offer access to multiple databases. The group ultimately focused on the product and services offered by Vigilant Solutions LLC, which is offered by LEHR, their sole provider in California. It was learned through discussions with the NCRIC that access to the available national commercial data was only through an agreement with a third party vendor. Vigilant Solutions LLC is the only provider who has access to the commercial (National private data) scans provided by the automobile recovery industry (Attachment A). Vigilant Solutions LLC is also currently the only company that can provide Automated License Plate Readers without the use of an additional computer in the vehicle. LEHR provides Vigilant Solutions LLC’s “Reaper” camera as a hardware solution for ALPR systems. LEHR also provides hosted data services as part of their service agreement, eliminating the need to purchase and maintain an expensive additional data storage solution (Attachment B).
The SPD’s working group recommends deploying this initial installment of ALPR devices on four marked police vehicles used primarily in proactive assignments. These vehicles would be deployed no less than one shift per day with expanded use based on investigative need. The vehicles would be deployed in all areas of the City of Stockton’s jurisdiction initially as an investigative tool, providing data to the NVLS database as a resource to aid in the SPD’s efforts to reduce violent and property crime as defined in the Police Department’s 2017-2019 Strategic Plan.
If the Council approves this procurement, upon acquisition, the Technology Steering Committee will evaluate the level of service the system is providing and determine if the initial phase was successful. The Committee’s evaluation of the initial phase will also include a recommendation as to whether the program should be expanded by adding new readers, moving existing readers, or maintaining and replacing those readers that were purchased. It is anticipated that if successful, the program would ideally expand over a number of years to include a total of nine (9) additional readers to fixed positions at strategic intersections, marked vehicles, and traffic trailers each year starting in Fiscal Year 2017-18 through 2019-20.
Public Hearing
California Senate Bill 34, which addresses the use of ALPR systems, states “a public agency that operates or intends to operate an ALPR system shall provide an opportunity for public comment at a regularly scheduled public meeting of the governing body of the public agency before implementing the program.” The law also states the agency must have a usage and security policy in place. Attachment C is the SPD’s usage and security policy pertaining to ALPR. The SPD will conduct training for the use of the product as part of the initial implementation.
Findings
Stockton Municipal Code Section 3.68.070(A)(c) provides that a sole source exception to the competitive bidding process can be made in those cases where the City Council has approved findings that support and justify application of the exception. The facts presented for the Council’s consideration to support a finding of a sole source exception for the purchase of ALPR equipment and software through LEHR are as follows:
1. LEHR is the sole distributor and installer of Vigilant Solutions, LLC software;
2. LEHR is the sole distributor of the Vigilant Solutions Reaper ALPR system, which best fits the needs of the SPD’s ALPR program;
3. LEHR, through Vigilant Solutions, LLC, is the only provider of access to the commercial data provided through the National Vehicle Location Service; and
4. Vigilant Solutions, LLC, through LEHR, is currently the only vendor that can provide ALPR without the use of an additional computer in the vehicle.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
The initial purchase of four Reaper ALPR systems, associated hardware and software, an enterprise license for unlimited data access of Vigilant Solutions, LLC, hosting of SPD data, and device maintenance, will not exceed $113,103 for a one-year term. Funding for this purchase is available in the Police Department’s Fiscal Year 2016-17 Grants and Special Programs State COPS account number 024-6426-530.
Attachment A - Vigilant Solutions LLC Agreement
Attachment B - LEHR Quote STA-0533-02
Attachment C - SPD Draft General Order ALPR