Memorandum
Date: February 27, 2024
To: The Honorable Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Rob Howe, Sheriff/Coroner
Subject: Consideration of (a) Waiving the formal bidding process, per Purchasing Code 2-38.1, as this is an annual contract for services that have not increased more than the consumer price index and 2-38.2 as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) A five year lease of twenty-six (26) Automated License Plate Reader Cameras from Flock Group Inc., 1170 Howell Mill Rd NW Suite 210, Atlanta, GA 30318 in an amount not to exceed $68,500/year or $342,500/5 year agreement and (c) authorizing the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors to sign
Executive Summary
During the 2020-2021 Mid-Year budget review the BOS approved allocating $81,500 from the Cannabis Grant Program to the Sheriff’s Office for an Automated License Plate Reader project. The Sheriff’s Office began exploring ALPR technology in an effort to improve our technology based investigative capabilities. It was determined Flock Safety Group could provide wide scale deployment of solar powered ALPR cameras to the County.
Flock Safety presented staff with a desirable approach to deploying ALPR cameras throughout the county. The Flock program is an all-inclusive model for deploying the ALPR cameras. Flock Safety is the sole manufacturer and developer of the Flock Safety Camera. Flock Safety is also the sole provider of the comprehensive monitoring, processing, and machine vision services which integrate with the Flock Safety Camera. Flock's cameras capture date, time, location, license plate (state, partial, paper, and no plate), and vehicle details (type, color, bumper stickers, and roof racks) based on image analytics and not registration data, which is unique to the Flock system.
The key benefits of Flock are that they charge an annual flat rate lease per camera of $2,500, which is wireless, free of infrastructure setup, and has the option for solar power. However, in 2024, as costs rise Flock will increase the rate cost $500.00 a camera, which is a $13,000 increase yearly. Flock will continue to honor the annual flat rate of $2,500 per camera with a five year agreement, which is a $65,000 savings to the County. They also include Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) compliant cloud-based hosting, unlimited user licenses, ongoing software enhancements, camera setup, mounting, shipping, handling and a cellular connection. The Flock lease program prevents the County from being burdened with maintaining costly equipment. The Flock program is being utilized by more than 600 law enforcement agencies across the U.S. and partners with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to broadcast vehicle information to Flock cameras in the event of an Amber Alert.
The Flock system is also a unique service as Flock currently has cameras operating in Lake County. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Clearlake Police Department, and Lakeport Police Department have been utilizing the Flock system and have had success in solving crimes and recovering stolen vehicles. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has utilized Flock cameras on a daily basis and many times multiple times a day in many different types of investigations. The Clearlake Police Department and Lakeport Police Department have been able to grant deputies with the Sheriff’s Office access to their cameras through the Flock system. This is a unique option and benefit for the Sheriff’s Office. Utilizing the Flock system, the Sheriff’s Office has also granted officers with the Clearlake Police Department and Lakeport Police Department access to cameras within the county. All agencies will be able to work cooperatively across jurisdictional lines to solve crimes and protect the community.
At the end of the five year lease period, staff can assess the benefits of the program and determine whether to recommend renewal or the discontinuance of the program.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Sheriff’s Office will request continued funding from the Cannabis Grant Program for year 2-5 of this agreement.
If not budgeted, fill in the blanks below only:
Estimated Cost: 342,500____ Amount Budgeted: __68,500__ Additional Requested: _____ Future Annual Cost: __274,000_
Purchasing Considerations (check all that apply): ☐ Not applicable
☐ Fully Article X. <https://library.municode.com/ca/lake_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH2AD_ARTXPU_S2-38EXCOBI>- and/or Consultant Selection Policy <http://lcnet.co.lake.ca.us/Assets/Intranet/Policy/Policies+$!26+Procedures+Manual/Ch4_2021v2.pdf>-Compliant (describe process undertaken in “Executive Summary”)
☒ Section 2-38 <https://library.municode.com/ca/lake_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH2AD_ARTXPU_S2-38EXCOBI> Exemption from Competitive Bidding (rationale in “Executive Summary,” attach documentation, as needed)
☐ For Technology Purchases: Vetted and Supported by the Technology Governance Committee <http://lcnet.co.lake.ca.us/Assets/Intranet/Intranet+Forms/Information+Technology/AdvPlan.pdf> (“Yes,” if checked)
☐ Other (Please describe in Executive Summary)
Consistency with Vision 2028 <http://www.lakecountyca.gov/Government/Directory/Administration/Visioning/Vision2028.htm> (check all that apply): ☒ Not applicable
☐ Well-being of Residents ☐ Public Safety ☐ Disaster Prevention, Preparedness, Recovery
☐ Economic Development ☐ Infrastructure ☐ County Workforce
☐ Community Collaboration ☐ Business Process Efficiency ☐ Clear Lake
Recommended Action:
(a) Waive the formal bidding process, per Purchasing Code 2-38.1, as this is an annual contract for services that have not increased more than the consumer price index and 2-38.2 as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approve a five year lease of twenty-six (26) Automated License Plate Reader Cameras from Flock Group Inc., 1170 Howell Mill Rd NW Suite 210, Atlanta, GA 30318 in an amount not to exceed $68,500/year or $342,500/5 year agreement and (c) authorize the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors to sign