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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 07 - License Plate Reader CamerasMEMO TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: BRUNO RUMBELOW, CITY MANAGER "� MEETING DATE: DECEMBER 20, 2011 SUBJECT: APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION FOR THE PURCHASE OF LICENSE PLATE READER CAMERAS FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT THROUGH AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH THE HOUSTON - GALVESTON AREA COUNCIL (HGACBUY) RECOMMENDATION: City Council to consider approval of a resolution for the purchase of ten license plate reader cameras for the Police Department from Federal Signal through an Interlocal Agreement for Cooperative Purchasing with the Houston -- Galveston Area Council (HGACBuy). The total cost of this purchase is not to exceed $1 37,287.63. FUNDING SOURCE: Funding for this purchase is currently available in account 172 -72145 (TIF Capital Projects/ Police) in the amount of $137,287.63. BACKGROUND: This purchase will be made in accordance with an existing interlocal agreement with the Houston - Galveston Area Council (HGACBuy) as allowed by Texas Local Government Code, Section 271.102. Bids were accepted and a contract was awarded to Federal Signal under contract number EF04 -11 for Law Enforcement Equipment. The Interlocal Agreement for Cooperative Purchasing satisfies all bidding requirements under the Texas Local Government Code. With its high concentration of retail establishments, hotels and apartment complexes, the northeastern section of Grapevine is a natural location for criminals to gravitate toward. With the volume of pedestrian and vehicular traffic in and around the mail, it is historically one of, if not the most, active locations for property crimes within the City such as stolen vehicles, vehicle burglaries and merchandise theft. To assist in combating these issues, we are proposing to have Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) mounted at the various entrances of the mall. ALPR are intended to capture the license plate of vehicles that pass by and automatically check the vehicle in various federal and state law enforcement data bases for stolen vehicles, amber alerts, persons of interest, etc. These systems would alert police department staff within seconds that a listed vehicle is in the area of the mall, thus allowing officers to search the area and take the appropriate action. These ALPR systems also retain all data (license plate and picture of vehicle) for a specified time period, which will allow for the information to be searched at a later date for investigative purposes. Staff recommends approval. GR ' 'e � RESOLUTION NO. A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GRAPEVINE, TEXAS AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER OR THE CITY MANAGER'S DESIGNEE TO PURCHASE AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READERS THROUGH AN ESTABLISHED INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE WHEREAS, the City of Grapevine, Texas is a local government in the State of Texas and as such is empowered by the Texas Local Government Code, Section 271.102 to enter into a Cooperative Purchasing Program Agreement with other qualified entities in the State of Texas; and WHEREAS, the Local Government Purchasing Cooperative HGACBuy is a qualified purchasing cooperative program as authorized by Section 271.102 of the Texas Local Government Code; and WHEREAS, the City of Grapevine, Texas has established an Interlocal Agreement for Cooperative Purchasing with the Local Government Purchasing Cooperative (HGACBuy) and wishes to use utilize contracts meeting all State of Texas bidding requirements; and WHEREAS, the Local Government Purchasing Cooperative (HGACBuy) has established a contract with Federal Signal, contract number #EF04 -11 for Law Enforcement Equipment; and WHEREAS, The City of Grapevine has a need to purchase ten automated license plate readers for the Police Department to help secure public safety around the mall and hotel areas in the northeastern section of the City. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GRAPEVINE, TEXAS: Section 1. That all matters stated in the above preamble are true and correct and are incorporated herein as if copied in their entirety. Section 2. That the City Council of the City of Grapevine authorizes the purchase of ten automated license plate readers through an interlocal agreement with the Local Government Purchasing Cooperative (HGACBuy) for $137,287.63. Section 3. That the City Manager, or his designee, is authorized to take all steps necessary to consummate the purchase of said products and services. Section 4,. That this resolution shall take effect from and after the date of its passage. PASSED AND APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GRAPEVINE, TEXAS on this the 20th day of December, 2011. APPROVED: ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM: RES. NO. 2 GRAPEVINE POLICE DEPARTMENT AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION (ALPR) SYSTEM WHAT IS ALPR? ALPR is a system that uses cameras to capture the license plates of vehicles and comparing those plates to a database designated by the police department. Most systems are used to compare the license plates to a database of stolen cars. 2. HOW DOES THE SYSTEM WORK? The police department will identify specific databases that they will download into the ALPR system. Those may include stolen cars, wanted felons, Amber Alerts, registered sex offenders, terrorism suspects, and persons of interest. Cameras will be installed at the main entrances to the Grapevine Mills Mall. As cars drive by these cameras their license plates will be captured by the cameras and those digital images will be compared to the license plates contained in the databases. If a match is identified, meaning if a stolen car is found to have entered the area, an alert will be.transmitted to the dispatch center or a designated officer. Officers car! then check the parking lots looking for that car. The license plate information captured by the cameras will be stored for future use by detectives investigating crimes that occurred at the mall. 3. WHY IS THIS TYPE OF SYSTEM NEEDED IN GRAPEVINE? The biggest crime challenge facing the police department is property crimes. These include stolen cars, car burglaries, and thefts (including shoplifting). Criminals committing these types of crimes tend to gravitate to areas with a high concentration of people and cars. The mall is the perfect environment for these criminals. It is believed that many of the persons that come to the mall to commit these crimes are getting here in stolen cars. Having the ability to know when those cars have entered the parking lots can go a long way in helping us to either capture or drive these criminals away. Even if they do not arrive in stolen cars, we will still have the ability to search the captured license plates for any patterns that we might not otherwise see. If we have a rash of car burglaries, as we sometimes do, then we can analyze the data to see if there is a specific license plate that shows up at the mall whenever these crimes are occurring. This could provide investigative leads that could help to solve these crimes. We can also search for license plates of registered sex offenders. This could be very helpful in preventing a possible major incident. If we could identify a sex offender that frequents the mall then we could use that information to determine what that person is doing when they are here and perhaps let them know we are aware of their presence. This system is another example of how we can use technology to avoid adding the fixed cost of additional personnel while also protecting a major asset in our city. 4. Are we intruding on citizens' privacy when we record their license plate number? The ALPR system does not capture a picture of the driver, or passengers of a vehicle, it only captures the license plate and the color of the car. There is no expectation of privacy when operating a car on a public roadway. Any person can photograph a car that is driving down the road and therefore there is no violation in capturing that information. 5. Are these cameras being installed on mall (private) property? No. The cameras and all equipment will be installed on city light poles and on public roadways. The location for the installation of this equipment was chosen because the mall property has the highest concentration of cars and people in one location. Identifying the cars entering that property has the potential to help reduce the crime rate in the city. 6. Is this brand new, unproven technology? ALPR technology has been in use for many years. It was invented in 1979 and initially deployed in England where they have an extensive camera system in use throughout the country, especially in London. While the technology is not all together new, it has evolved quickly in the United States in recent years and we are now seeing rapid deployment with departments nationwide. 7. How much will the system cost to maintain after the purchase? There will be 10 cameras installed and a dedicated server for the system. The warranty for each camera is $1,100 per year and $500 per year for the server warranty. Total annual maintenance and warranty costs will be $11,500. As more states begin to use specialty license plates as a way to generate revenue the number, color and style of license plates is constantly changing. This means that it is important to continually update the system to be able to read the different types of license plates that are constantly being created. These updates are covered by the annual warranty and maintenance costs.