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Resolution 2019-30738 RESOLUTION NO. 2019-30738 A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA,ACCEPTING THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE CITY MANAGER, WAIVING BY 5/7THS VOTE, THE FORMAL COMPETITIVE BIDDING REQUIREMENTS, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 2-367 OF THE CITY CODE, FINDING SUCH WAIVER TO BE IN THE CITY'S BEST INTEREST,AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER AND CITY ATTORNEY TO NEGOTIATE AN AGREEMENT(S) FOR PURCHASE OF LICENSE PLATE READER (LPR) EQUIPMENT, INCLUDING SOFTWARE, INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE, FROM VIGILANT SOLUTIONS, LLC, AND ITS AUTHORIZED DEALERS, FOR THE PURPOSE OF STANDARDIZING VIGILANT SOLUTIONS, LLC BRAND LICENSE PLATE READER (LPR) SYSTEM; AND FURTHER AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER, OR DESIGNEE, TO APPROVE EACH TASK ORDER FOR THE PURCHASE OF EQUIPMENT, SOFTWARE, INSTALLATION, AND MAINTENANCE OF THE LPR SYSTEM, WITH AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $300,000. WHEREAS, in 2012, the Police Department began to research the use of LPR systems as another emerging law enforcement tool. During the 2012 Memorial Day Weekend the Police Department coordinated the placement of several brands of LPR systems to explore the viability of the technology as well as each manufacturer's pros and cons; and WHEREAS, the technology proved to be very useful and•Vigilant Solutions, LLC proved to be the overall best system for the reasons outlined in the accompanying commission memorandum; and WHEREAS,the Police Department currently has seven (7)sites across the City which have fixed LPRs, and ten (10) patrol cars mounted with LPRs, as well as a.mobile trailer mounted LPR unit and a number of held-held units for a total number deployed to date of 45 LPR units; and WHEREAS, since the implementation of Vigilant LPR program in Miami Beach, there have been many felony arrests including wanted persons in connection to robberies and carjackings, extraditable warrants from around the country, stolen vehicle recoveries,a large number of firearms and countless criminal citations; and WHEREAS, the Vigilant LPR program has also helped investigators in several criminal investigations, and have proven to be tremendously efficient, effective and vital crime-fighting and crime-prevention tools; and WHEREAS, during Memorial Day Weekend 2018 stationary LPRs were deployed on the MacArthur and Juliet Causeways resulting in the following: 45,262 license plates scanned; 8 guns seized; 11 Felony arrests; 44 Misdemeanor citations/arrests; and WHEREAS,the General Obligation Bond approved in November 2018 includes funding for the continued deployment of this technology to include an additional 26 locations covering 100+ lanes of traffic; and WHEREAS, if the City were to implement a new LPR brand the following costs will have to be considered: A considerable up-front implementation cost; _ The replacement cost of the existing and already installed LPRs; The cost of access of an alternate LPR database; The purchase of ancillary software products necessary for police operations; The inability to share LPR data with most of the other departments in the state currently on Vigilant systems; and WHEREAS, for the reasons stated herein, the Police Department has determined it would not be cost effective nor operationally beneficial to consider other brands at this time, and further, would be in the best interest of the City to standardize the purchases of Vigilant LPRs, equipment, software and services citywide. Further, rather than continuing to purchase the Vigilant LPR system through piggyback arrangements,the Department is requesting that the City Manager be authorized to negotiate an agreement(s)with Vigilant and its authorized installation dealers that can serve the law enforcement and technology needs of the City, as well as maximize any cost savings possible through the standardization process; and WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 2-391 of the City Code (which allows materials, supplies, equipment and certain contractual services to be standardized), the City Manager recommends establishing a citywide standard for the applicable Vigilant Solutions, LLC brand LPR system, that will expedite future program expansion, maintenance, upgrades and purchases by limiting to only Vigilant brand equipment and services, and further, negotiating directly with Vigilant and its authorized dealers to arrive at terms, conditions and pricing that are in the best interest of the City. NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT DULY RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, that the Mayor and the City Commission hereby accept the recommendation of the City Manager to waive, by 5/7ths vote, the formal competitive bidding requirements, in accordance with section 2-367 of the City Code, finding such waiver to be in the City's best interest, and authorizing the City Manager and City Attorney to negotiate an agreement(s)for purchase of license plate reader(LPR)equipment, including software, installation and maintenance, from Vigilant Solutions, LLC, and its authorized dealers, for the purpose of standardizing Vigilant Solutions, LLC brand license plate reader (LPR) system; and, further authorizing the City Manager, or designee, to approve each task order for the purchase of equipment, software, installation, and maintenance of the LPR system, with an amount not to exceed $300,000. PASSED AND ADOPTED this 1.3 day of MPC4 2019. ATTEST: I. `v`` �� �" �P.. ..,.. _. 4 3 25. I I:11 4',-.'---'s-Airc Mayor Rafael E. Granado, Cit Clerk :���C�RP •OR 7¢ •' APPROVED AS TO \•• \ , .... ,_ ligeo;:„.•, • ..... Nc:;:f. 2 " ,:t'-\:''\ /0111.11. - A. 2/211," Resolutions - C7 R MIAMI B COMMISSION MEMORANDUM TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Commission FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager DATE: March 13, 2019 SUBJECT:A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, ACCEPTING THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE CITY MANAGER, WAIVING BY 5/7TH VOTE, THE FORMAL COMPETITIVE BIDDING REQUIREMENTS, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 2-367 OF THE CITY CODE, FINDING SUCH WAIVER TO BE IN THE CITY'S BEST INTEREST, AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER AND CITY ATTORNEY TO NEGOTIATE AN AGREEMENT(S) FOR PURCHASE OF LICENSE PLATE READER (LPR) EQUIPMENT, INCLUDING SOFTWARE, INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE, FROM VIGILANT SOLUTIONS, LLC,AND ITS AUTHORIZED DEALERS, FOR THE PURPOSES OF STANDARDIZING VIGILANT SOLUTIONS, LLC BRAND LICENSE PLATE READER (LPR) SYSTEM; FURTHER, AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER, OR DESIGNEE, TO APPROVE EACH TASK ORDER FOR THE PURCHASE OF EQUIPMENT, SOFTWARE, INSTALLATION, AND MAINTENANCE OF THE LPR SYSTEM, WITH AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $300,000. RECOMMENDATION Approve the Resolution. ANALYSIS In 2012, the Department began to research the use of LPR systems as another emerging law enforcement tool. During the 2012 Memorial Day Weekend the Police Department coordinated the placement of several brands of LPR systems to explore the viability of the technology as well as each manufacturer's pros and cons. The technology proved to be very useful and Vigilant proved to be the overall best system for a number of reasons, including but not limited to: • The Vigilant platform and LEARN server provides real time alerting to dispatch and field units while cross referencing other law enforcement agency hotlists. • Provides for data sharing amongst Florida State agencies in furtherance of law enforcement activities while utilizing the centralized LEARN server. • Vigilant's Florida LEARN Server for all statewide law enforcement agencies saves the City approximately $20,000 per year in camera licensing fees, and another $33,000 per year for the commercial data access. These savings account for over $53,000 per year, Page 726 of 1418 resulting in over$300,000 saved since the agreement was implemented. • Access to the Vigilant database and software products at no cost in exchange for hosting Vigilant's LEARN server for all statewide law enforcement agencies. • The Vigilant platform provides access to the largest commercially scanned database across the country with more than 9 billion records while adding approximately 150 million "tag" reads a month, including over 1 billion scans in Florida alone. The Police Department currently has seven (7) sites across the City which have fixed LPRs. The Department also maintains ten (10) patrol cars mounted with mobile LPRs, a mobile trailer mounted LPR unit, as well as a number of hand held units. In total, the Department has deployed over forty-five (45) LPR cameras. Since the implementation of Vigilant LPR program in Miami Beach there have been many felony arrests including wanted persons in connection to robberies and carjacking's, extraditable warrants from around the country, stolen vehicle recoveries, a large number of firearms and countless criminal citations. The Vigilant LPR program has also helped investigators in several criminal investigations. They have proven to be tremendously efficient, effective and vital to crime-fighting and crime-prevention tools. As an additional layer of security on Memorial Day Weekend 2018, during the evening hours of May 24-May28 (Thursday-Monday), stationary LPRs were deployed on the MacArthur and Juliet Causeways resulting in the following: • 45,262 license plates scanned • 8 guns seized • 11 Felony arrests • 44 Misdemeanor citations/arrests The General Obligation Bond approved in November 2018 includes funding for the continued deployment of this technology to include an additional 26 locations covering 100+ lanes of traffic. At this time, the Department is seeking to continue to utilize Vigilant License Plate Readers, software and services. If the City were to implement a new LPR brand the following costs will have to be considered: • A considerable up-front implementation cost; • The replacement cost of the existing and already installed LPRs; • The cost of access of an alternate LPR database; • The purchase of ancillary software products necessary for police operations. • The inability to share LPR data with most of the other departments in the state currently on Vigilant systems. Therefore, and for the reasons stated above, the Department has determined it would not be cost effective nor operationally beneficial to consider other brands at this time, and further, would be in the best interest of the City to standardize the purchases of Vigilant LPRs, equipment, software and services citywide. Further, rather than continuing to purchase the Vigilant LPR system through piggyback arrangements, the Department is requesting that the City Manager be authorized to negotiate an agreement(s) with Vigilant and it authorized installation dealers that can be served the law enforcement and technology needs of the City, as well as maximize any cost savings possible through the standardization process. Attached are two local articles that document the effectiveness of the LPR system. CONCLUSION In consideration of the above, I agree with standardizing the City's license plate reader (LPR) infrastructure to a single and consistent manufacturer (Vigilant) in order to streamline and simplify equipment maintenance, repairs, and technology compatibility, thereby reducing Page 727 of 1418 operational costs, while further delivering overall achievement of the City's public safety objectives. Pursuant to Section 2-391 of the City Code (which allows materials, supplies, equipment and certain contractual services to be standardized), the City Manager recommends establishing a citywide standard for the applicable Vigilant Solutions, LLC brand LPR system, that will expedite future program expansion, maintenance, upgrades and purchases by limiting to only Vigilant brand equipment and services. Further, I agree with negotiating directly with Vigilant and its authorized dealers to arrive at terms, conditions and pricing that are in the best interest of the City. Based on the foregoing, I recommend that the Mayor and City Commission of the City of Miami Beach, Florida, approve the Resolution waiving by 5/7ths vote, the formal competitive bidding requirements, in accordance with section 2-367 of the City Code, finding such waiver to be in the City's best interest, and authorizing the City Manager and City Attorney to negotiate an agreement(s) for purchase of license plate reader (LPR) equipment, including software, installation and maintenance, from Vigilant Solutions, LLC, and its authorized dealers, for the purposes of standardizing Vigilant Solutions, LLC brand license plate reader (LPR) system; further, authorizing the City Manager, or designee, to approve task orders for the purchase of equipment, software, installation, and maintenance of the LPR system, in an amount not to exceed $300,000 annually. FINANCIAL INFORMATION All purchases is contingent upon previously approved funding. Legislative Tracking Police Department ATTACHMENTS: Description ❑ News Article 1 ❑ News Article 2 Page 728 of 1418 ?� - ./79. . -- Q• 8p 'cam 20�- o G\`V- G\p't 1_44.4,.70 4"4. `pR ,r4 �oF dccu-tracK- docu-traJ`- MIAMI BEACH[HTTPS://WWW.LOCAL10.COM/MIAMI-BEACH] License plate readers help Miami Beach police crack down on crime 49 felony arrests made in city since January with help of license plate readers By Andrew Perez[https://www.local10.com/author/andrewperez] -Reporter Posted:4:49 PM,July 31,2018 Updated:4:49 PM,July 31,2018 , MIAMI BEACH, Fla. - Police in Miami Beach are now able to make several arrests in a matter of days thanks to license plate readers. Miami Beach is no doubt a popular city.With so much traffic and so many visitors, police are finding creative ways to keep everyone safe. "We can easily and readily intercept certain people who are probably up to no good in our city," Miami Beach police Chief Dan Oates said. One way they're doing that is with the license plate readers --some stationary,some mobile,according to Oates. Over the weekend, scanning plates led Miami Beach police to find a Nissan Armada traveling across the MacArthur Causeway. Police said the vehicle had been flagged and tied to multiple shootings in the city of Miami. Police apprehended two men inside and found large guns before calling Miami police detectives. "That's a car wanted in connection with two shootings with two rifles in it that came into our city and was intercepted by us," Oates said. "There's no sensible need for a rifle in the ordinary course of enjoying a good time in Miami Beach." Police also intercepted a stolen vehicle. Page 729 of 1418 ,.,... ...,, 1- - "„A . _ .-- /-- - -./f1_ ..•.,_ ,...• • 1 1 /1• --1_-- ”- - .,. .... ,. _,.. I 1 it/, /n/%,11 l Qp e' 90 p� �O • tra°" Since January,the department has made 49 felony arrests using license plate readers, 79 misdemeanors and has issued close to 1,500 criminal traffic citations and close to 3,000 traffic citations. The plate readers are controversial, but the police chief said it's made a huge difference combating crime. "We don't share that data with insurance companies.We don't sell that information to anyone,"Oates said. "The only reason that we collect that data is for law enforcement purposes only, and we retain it only for one year and then we purge it." Coovriaht 2018 by WPLG Local10.com-All riahts reserved. Page 730 of 1418 t..... ... II 1_ _ _t t n _ _ ... 1C1 •.1 /r...t ...t 1 /1•1 Q� 49s � � - ngP JL:!T )EON � k'a°cu BRAN DFOCUS SPONSORED CONTENT FROM TOP POLICE BRANDS Police Products > Police License Plate Readers How one Florida PD uses license plate readers to catch criminals An automated license plate reader system helps police in a Miami suburb develop leads and close cases Apr 23, 2018 Sponsored by Vigilant Solutions By Tim Dees for PoliceOne BrandFocus Installing fixed cameras to record license plates and alert authorities of vehicles of interest is proving a worthwhile investment for one Florida city. Doral is a relatively new city, incorporated in 2003, and it didn't have its own police department until 2008. If you have ever flown in or out of Miami International Airport, you've probably been there. The city of about 60,000 people lies just west of the airport property. ' The Doral PD began the process of adopting automated • - c, license plate reader (ALPR) technology in 2010 to monitor the city's transient traffic after they discovered that most crimes in the city were committed by suspects who lived elsewhere. The city now has cameras installed at major entry points to capture the license plates of nearly all vehicles entering and leaving The city of Doral,Florida,installed automated license the city. The data is fed to the PD's communications plate reader cameras at major entry points to capture the license plates of nearly all vehicles center, which receives alerts on license plates flagged entering and leaving the city. Doral PD receives alertsby the system, supplied by Vigilant Solutions, for further on license plates flagged by the system for further Pattend gill 418 attention. (image/Doral PD) 1..... ...// .. _1 _ _ _ .- _ _ _ ... 1.. _1:_ _ .-_-. 1 ..../..._ Pr" r 1_._ .._ _ .1_.._./_... _1__ / TY /1 /"/11 C)Or9. 'alates are run against both the national and state (NCIC and FCIC) wanted vehicle file j' erea�o# '1 �� . well as an internal database maintained by the Doral PD. Dispatchers are notified wh' `/ L • ',-,`ao��«adµ detects a stolen vehicle as well as those flagged for investigative interest. The latter cal_\� , .�F3 1,� 1�,..,,docu-lracV �ncrCdes vehicles known to be owned or operated by carjackers, burglars, thieves and other crimin�ais who might seek victims in Doral. When a stolen vehicle triggers the system, dispatchers alert patrol officers of the vehicle description and direction of travel so they can attempt to locate the stolen car and arrest the driver. Where most ALPR systems are mobile - meaning the cameras are mounted on patrol cars - Doral's fixed camera system has proven its worth again and again. The department does have one patrol car equipped with a mobile ALPR system, but their immediate plans are to expand the fixed camera installations to cover all points of entry into the city within two years, rather than just the more heavily-traveled intersections they have covered now. SOLVING CAR BURGLARIES, AUTO THEFTS Doral PD's Captain Carlos Arango described other circumstances when the license plate data has played a key supporting role in an investigation. "We had a carjacking where the victim's car was stolen. We were able to enter the car into the Vigilant system, and through the intersection cameras that capture the regular traffic, we were able to find the car that was following the victim, and later the car that was following the victim's car," Arango said. "That's how we were able to make our case against that guy." Another case where the Vigilant AL,PR system proved its worth was with a series of car burglaries in July 2015. Detectives of the Doral PD's Crime Suppression Team identified one suspect through review of CCTV footage from a Walmart and were then able to associate a vehicle and its license tag with that suspect. Entering that tag into the ALPR system allowed detectives to place the vehicle in the areas and times of the crimes. The same group of suspects stole four cars during their campaign. Eventually, the CST detectives arrested four juveniles and recovered one firearm, four stolen cars and $85,000 in stolen property. The investigation also revealed the existence of a juvenile gang (called (the"400 Boys"), and assisted other agencies in solving related cases. A series of"bank jugging" cases took place when victims were followed from banks after making large cash withdrawals. A security officer obtained a partial license plate and vehicle description, and the ALPR system was able to identify the suspect's vehicle from this partial data. The suspect vehicle turned out to be a rental. CST detectives found the suspect had swapped the car for another rental, but again located it with the aid of the ALPR. The CST kept the car on its radar for five hours with the aid of data from the ALPR, which established the most likely time and travel pattern. The case ended with the arrest of four suspects and the recovery of$1,200 in cash. 1. . . . . ... i.. -,.- ' ----. , _...i..._ PP'_ _..r_ ..- - -- -...n'- - -- - ---'- --- - -1--- I_ ...._1_ . I An^1innnn i TT_ 1 ii in n i n D• •D ipplements its fixed license plate reader camera installations with one mobile camera system mounted on a patro ►n��+o dep., fent plans to expand the fixed camera installations to cover all points of entry into the city. (image/Doral PD) 0.��'� �� ,_\(Thr:ri ecu-[ta K decu.Sf3GP'' ACQUISITION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE SYSTEM Arango says that after overcoming a few initial hurdles, the Vigilant license plate reader system has proved its worth over the past four years. Lt. Cathy Jewett, one of the program's implementation managers, recommends that anyone contemplating a similar effort assign a project manager/stakeholder to oversee the project from beginning to end for a smooth rollout. Oversight of the system falls to the city's IT department, so there's not a large direct load on the police department's resources. Arango estimated the annual maintenance agreement cost at just under $100,000 annually. Beyond the obvious benefits to crime suppression and investigation, the Vigilant license plate reader system provides traffic engineering data in almost real time. The system detects about 192,000 cars per day passing through the city limits. Currently, about 2 percent of the plate detections generate hits for stolen vehicles, missing persons, Amber Alerts, vehicles wanted in connection with felonies and sex offenders, among other categories of police interest. Arango believes the ALPR system has been a worthwhile investment: "Almost daily we use it to analyze crime trends in an effort to develop leads, solve crimes and save lives." About the Author Tim Dees is a retired police officer and the former editor of two major law enforcement websites who writes and consults on technology applications in criminal justice. He can be reached at tim@timdees.com. Copyright © 2019 PoliceOne.com. All rights reserved. Page 733 of 1418 i..... ..I, - - - - -- - - - -- �- -1.- - --- -I ....m.._rr._ ...r_ ..- --- -..,n-- -.. _._ .. _. _ .._ . i.....I_... _ TT_ "1ninn1n