For City Council Meeting June 9, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
APPROVAL: Tanya Williams, City Manager
FROM: Mark P. Kling, Chief of Police
Title
Request the City Council to: (1) Adopt Budget Resolution No. 8530, Amending the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Budget; (2) Approve the Appropriation of New Funds in the Amount of $80,000 from the Police Project Interest Account; (3) Approve a Purchase and Installation Agreement with Convergint Technologies, Substantially Similar to the Agreement Attached to the Staff Report and Approved as to Form by the City Attorney in the Amount of $1,439,392.74, for Purchase and Installation of 113 Citywide Public Safety Cameras; (4) Approve a Five-Year Customer Support Program Agreement with Convergint Technologies, Substantially Similar to the Agreement Attached to the Staff Report and Approved as to Form by the City Attorney in the Amount of $1,029,701.59, for Preventive Maintenance and Repair of Citywide Public Safety Cameras; and (5) Authorize the City Manager or their Designee to Execute all Related Documents.
(ACTION)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Adopt a Budget Resolution, amending the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Budget;
2. Approve the appropriation of new funds in the amount of $80,000 from the Police Project interest account to Other Supplies and Services;
3. Approve a purchase and installation agreement with Convergint Technologies, substantially similar to the agreement attached to the staff report and approved as to form by the City Attorney in the amount of $1,439,392.74, for the purchase and installation of 113 public safety cameras;
4. Approve a five-year customer support program agreement with Convergint Technologies, substantially similar to the agreement attached to the staff report and approved as to form by the City Attorney in the amount of $1,029,701.59, for preventive maintenance and repair of citywide public safety cameras; and
5. Authorize the City Manager or their designee to execute all related documents.
BACKGROUND
Over the past several years, the City has invested heavily in technology to assist the police department in meeting the public safety needs of the community. One of the most effective technology investments available is the use of live streaming public safety cameras, which are able to capture and record significant events when officers are not present to prevent or intervene. This technology has proven to be incredibly valuable for countless public safety agencies, and staff confidently anticipate that a city-wide public safety camera program will significantly reduce crime, improve crime solvability, and greatly improve the safety and overall quality of life for the citizens and businesses of Rialto.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION
A longstanding challenge to delivering exemplary public safety is cost. A rapidly evolving trend among law enforcement agencies is to leverage the use of technology to increase service quality while remaining frugal stewards of taxpayer funds. Recent adoptions of such public safety technology are body-worn cameras, vehicle-mounted cameras, license plate reader cameras, data aggregation software, citizen camera sharing platforms, drones as first responder programs, and many more, all integrated into centralized monitoring centers. Arguably, the technology that offers the best return on investment is the use of public safety cameras.
Public safety cameras are often strategically placed in high traffic or high crime areas and provide live streaming and recording to capture high-resolution footage of incidents in real time. The benefit of capturing this footage is that it is much more reliable than recreating a crime scene based on witness observations and circumstantial evidence. Camera footage shows exactly what occurred, where it occurred, when it occurred, who was involved, and indicators such as license plates and facial images to aid in identification of suspects, victims and witnesses. This technological advancement eliminates the cost-prohibitive alternative to place a human police officer at every intersection by allowing for intersections to be monitored virtually by crime analysts in the Department’s newly created Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) at a fraction of the cost.
In preparing the public safety camera program plan, staff identified 113 traffic intersections controlled by four-way electronic traffic controls. The installation of public safety cameras at each intersection will provide valuable intelligence when significant incidents occur, and will allow for real-time observation of problematic areas. This is especially helpful in intersections surrounding retail centers, where officers often arrive after the crime has been committed and rely solely on witness statements as evidence to investigate the crime. Aside from this application, public safety cameras will be useful tools in the investigation of traffic collisions, reckless driving, street racing, missing persons, violent crimes, and many other public safety concerns. Used in concert with the recently acquired drones, the police department will be able to respond quickly, improving the timeliness of intervention and the likelihood of suspect apprehension. Included in the Convergint agreement is the implementation of the Genetec video management software (VMS), which is the preferred VMS platform used by many law enforcement agencies with public safety camera programs. Convergint’s proposal for the citywide public safety camera program is included as Attachment 1.
In addition to the purchase and installation of the city-wide public safety camera program, Convergint offers a customer support program. This program will ensure the City’s investment in camera technology remains serviceable and continues to meet the needs of the police department. As part of this program, Convergint will conduct service and preventive maintenance and repairs on all cameras and hardware. Additionally, Convergint will provide software support, diagnostics and upgrades of cameras and software systems in the camera ecosystem. The customer support program ensures an 8-hour response for service calls, ensuring the City’s investment remains operational and able to serve the public safety needs of the community. The annual cost for each year of this service is shown below:
|
Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Year 3 |
Year 4 |
Year 5 |
|
$179,797.37 |
$195,165.13 |
$207,758.02 |
$217,176.96 |
$229,804.11 |
The Five-Year Customer Support Program proposal is included as Attachment 2.
Staff has worked closely with Convergint Technologies to determine the public safety needs and develop a comprehensive citywide public safety camera program plan. The decision to enlist the services of Convergint was based on references from several respected subject matter experts from local law enforcement agencies. Convergint has partnered with over 100 municipal customers across the nation to deliver their public safety camera programs. A small sample of these entities is: Sheriff Departments from San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego, Police Departments of Irvine, Chino, Ontario, Fontana, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Riverside, Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Orange, San Diego, Chula Vista, and Temecula. Convergint has also served UCLA, USC, UCSD, Long Beach Airport, LAX, and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Convergint Technologies has been awarded a Sourcewell cooperative purchasing contract (Master Agreement No. 121024). Sourcewell contracts allow agencies to purchase products and services under pre-negotiated terms and pricing, simplifying the standard purchasing process. The Sourcewell Master Agreement No. 121024 is included as Attachment 3.
Staff has worked alongside Convergint to select the appropriate camera systems and plan the installation needs. Unfortunately, the lack of a fiber network in the city leaves the next best connectivity option: cellular. Until such time as connectivity can be replaced with fiber lines, each camera will require cellular service to route the data feed back to the Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center. Cellular service is not included in the Convergint agreement, and is the responsibility of police department staff to determine the optimal cellular provider based on service strength for each intersection. These costs are not included in the Convergint Agreement. Projected year one costs for hardware setup and cellular service at each intersection is just over $2000, bringing the total cost for cellular connectivity at 113 intersections to $230,000.
Funding for the $230,000 cellular connectivity cost is available in $80,000 of newly appropriated funds in the Other Supplies and Services, Account No. 10106150-52021, with the remaining $150,000 available in Contract Services Account No. 10106150-52011. The FY 25/26 Budget Resolution appropriating new funds is included as Attachment 4.
The final forecasted cost related to the Citywide Public Safety Camera Program is related to data storage. Streaming video requires large data storage capability, requiring the Department to invest in on-premises servers to retain digital video data for review and evidentiary retention. Staff is currently calculating the storage capacity needs and intends to present the City Council with a purchase approval not to exceed $500,000 from available police department funds at a later date.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The project is categorically exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The project qualifies as a Class 1 exemption under CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 - Existing Facilities. Section 15301(f) allows for the exemption of a project that includes the addition of safety or health protection devices for use during construction of or in conjunction with existing structures, facilities, or mechanical equipment, or topographical features, including navigational devices. The project proposes installing cameras on existing traffic signals, thereby qualifying it for a Class 1 exemption.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY
The City of Rialto’s General Plan has outlined guiding principles and goals relating to public safety. The purchase of this equipment is consistent with meeting the following objectives:
Guiding Principle1 - Rialto is a Family First Community
Our neighborhoods will be a safe place to call home.
Goal 5-8: Provide effective and comprehensive policing services that meet the safety needs of Rialto.
Policy 5-8.4: Initiate proactive crime suppression and prevention strategies throughout the community.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney's Office has reviewed the agreement and resolution and approved them as to form.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Operating Budget Impact
Funding in the amount of $179,797.37 is available in the Police Department Contract Services Account No. 10106150-52011, to support the first year of the Customer Support Program to provide preventive maintenance and repair of the 113 city-wide public safety cameras.
Staff recommends the approval of Resolution No. XXX to amend the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 budget to appropriate $80,000 from the Police Project interest account to Other Services Supplies, Account No. 10106150-52021. Additionally, $150,000 in existing funding is available in Contract Services Account No. 10106150-52011 to support the first year of cellular hardware and connectivity.
Capital Improvement Budget Impact
Funding of $1,439,392.74 is available in the Capital Projects Fund, Account No. 33006150-53001, for the purchase and installation of 113 city-wide public safety cameras.
Licensing
Convergint Technologies will be performing services in the City of Rialto. Therefore, a city business license is required prior to commencing services for this project.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Convergint Technologies, Inc. Camera and Installation Agreement
2. Convergint Technologies, Inc. Customer Support Program Agreement
3. Sourcewell Contract with Convergint Technologies (No. 121024)
4. Budget Resolution No. XXX