Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Police Department

To:                  David Corliss, City Manager

CC:                  Tarik Khatib, Chief of Police

                        Cynthia Wagner, Assistant City Manager

Diane Stoddard, Assistant City Manager

Jonathan Douglass, Assistant to the City Manager

Casey Toomay, Budget Manager

Ed Mullins, Finance Director

Bobbie Walthall, Executive Secretary

From:             Sergeant Adam Heffley

Date:              April 1, 2013

Re:                  April 9, 2013 City Commission Meeting

BACKGROUND

In car video is a necessary component of every modern law enforcement agency.  In 2008 the Lawrence Police Department implemented a patrol vehicle digital video system to capture and manage video evidence.  The system was purchased with City of Lawrence Equipment Reserve funds and no additional funds were budgeted for the replacement or maintenance of the system. The value and importance of this evidence gathering tool has been demonstrated on countless occasions and during many criminal prosecutions.  In a previous memorandum “In-Car Video Systems; February 21, 2012” the department identified the need to replace and fund the continued operation of this system and the components required to reliably gather this information. 

During the fall of 2012 a testing and evaluation process was completed which studied the Panasonic, Motorola, and WatchGuard products.  The department next installed and tested two different systems and found that the WatchGuard 4RE digital system suits the departments needs the best and appears to have a strong long-term sustainability. WatchGuard is a stable company that only produces Law Enforcement Video systems and has recently experienced five consecutive years of growth. 

DISCUSSION 

The department has researched and reviewed several options for purchase and implementation of this video solution including partial replacement, phased replacement and whole system replacement.  The replacement of the entire system has been identified as the most appropriate option.  We have experienced many issues in recent months with partial video coverage of the patrol fleet including information and evidence loss.  Both partial and phased implementation of a new system produces the same weakness, the opportunity for lapses in coverage or loss of evidence. The primary benefit of a phased or partial implementation of a new system is the absence of need to replace the entire system again at the end of its’ functional life.  This possibility can be mitigated with the purchase of a long term warranty and continued funding for support and maintenance of the equipment. 

The WatchGuard system is available for price negotiation through the General Services Administration (GSA) contract GS-35F-0186P which was issued to Computech International.  WatchGuard has agreed to honor the GSA cooperative contract pricing for the City of Lawrence to use during the purchasing process of their 4RE system.  The City of Lawrence Finance Department has advised that contract pricing through another state contract or GSA contract is acceptable.

The quoted $255,605.00 price includes forty video units, software, and server infrastructure. The quote also includes a three year warranty for components and software.  WatchGuard offers an optional fourth and fifth year warranty for an additional fee, which may be a cost effective long term solution.  The funds for this warranty can be budgeted in the following years and currently exists as part of the previously allocated Police Department Information Technology equipment fund. 

FUNDING

The necessary funds to cover the costs of purchase of the Watchguard Video system and continued support have been identified in the Lawrence Police Department Equipment Line Item #001-2-2110-6005 for the purchase and replacement of Information Technology equipment.

Action Requested

Police Department staff requests approval from the City Commission to authorize the purchase of the Watchguard 4RE In-Car Video System as quoted in the GSA contract (GS-35F-0186P) price, in the attached document totaling $255,605.00.