For City Council Meeting August 13, 2024
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: G. Michael Milhiser, Interim City Manager
AUTHOR: Mark P. Kling, Chief of Police
Title
Request City Council to: 1) Approve a Service Agreement With National Public Safety Group, LLC, a North Carolina Limited Liability Company for Project Management Services of the Police Department’s CAD/RMS System Upgrade Through June of 2026 in the Amount of $240,000; 2) Authorize the Interim City Manager or Designee to Execute Future Annual Purchase Order Increases Not to Exceed $100,000; and 3) Authorize the Interim City Manager or Designee to Execute All Documents Including Any Changes or Increases in Service.
(ACTION)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1) Approve the Service Agreement with National Public Safety Group, LLC, a North Carolina Limited Liability Company in the amount of $240,000 through June 30, 2026;
2) Authorize the Interim City Manager or designee to execute future annual purchase order increases not to exceed $100,000, and;
3) Authorize the Interim City Manager or designee to execute all documents including any changes or increases in service.
BACKGROUND
The Police Department is in need of enhancing public safety software systems to include purchasing a new Computer Automated Dispatch (CAD), Records Management System (RMS) and Mobile Data Software. These are enterprise-level software systems that are complex in nature and take an exorbitant amount of time and resources to implement. These systems have a large impact on the police department’s day-to-day operations. Law enforcement agencies across the nation, including the Rialto Police Department depend on these systems to provide service to the communities we serve. The Rialto Police Department relies on these technologies to capture reporting data necessary to be in compliance with the State of California’s upcoming standards, including the Federal Government’s reporting criteria.
On September 28, 2021, Council approved a service agreement with National Public Safety Group (NPSG), LLC. NPSG has provided project management services and assistance in the building process of the new Computer Automated Dispatch (CAD), Records Management System (RMS) and Mobile Data Software. A project of this magnitude requires experts in the field of police technology to ensure implementation and integrations of various software packages are completed effectively. Hiring consultants who have the knowledge and experience will ensure the public safety software implementations at our police department are completed with the City’s best interest as the priority.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION
Over the past two years, the police department has worked with SOMA Global in an attempt to build out the new CAD/RMS system. This process has been extremely cumbersome due to the fact the department will be upgrading all of its day-to-day police service systems. These upgrades would allow for better record keeping, streamlined reporting, updated property and evidence systems, and upgrades to the police dispatch systems.
Beginning in November of 2022, the department and members of NPSG, became concerned that SOMA was struggling to deliver on scheduled milestones. SOMA’s main obstacle was being able to establish a CLETS (California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System) connection in the State of California. The CLETS connection is the most vital piece of the project and without securing the connection the project would not be completed. To continue through this process without interruptions, on February 28, 2023, Council approved an amendment to the agreement extending NPSG services through June 30, 2024.
Through multiple meetings with SOMA and NPSG, it was determined SOMA would not be able to deliver a CLETS connection. In December of 2023, the department, working closely with the City Attorney’s office, discontinued the relationship with SOMA.
The decision was made to select an alternative CAD/RMS vendor. NPSG has provided consulting services during the Request for Proposal and selection processes. This project has been extremely complex and having the expertise of NPSG has been a huge benefit in identifying exact department needs and how to implement the new public safety software appropriately. The complexity of the project entails accessing the Department of Justice’s data base among many other sensitive law enforcement systems. The Department needs to ensure the right vendor is selected and because of this has gone through a lengthy selection process. This process has included multiple meetings with an established committee made up of members of the police department. This committee attended multiple in person vendor demonstrations and included on site visits to other law enforcement agencies in the region to observe different products in use. These visits brought valuable feedback from the end users at the different agencies. Because of the complexity and length of the selection/implementation process it is necessary for the department to extend the service agreement with NPSG through June of 2026.
Transitioning to new public safety software is a very complex process and requires experts to work extensive hours during implementation. As these systems are usually in place for long periods of time, most tenured law enforcement professionals might only see a transition to new systems once in their career. That leaves agencies largely relying on the software provider to lead them down the path of success in their implementation. There is a long history of troubled or failed implementation processes where agencies have deployed very expensive and complex systems, only to be left with inefficiencies and a lack of achieved goals.
The Police Department cannot afford to have this be the case for our CAD/RMS conversion project. Staff researched and found a resource that has become immediately valuable to this process and recommended by local partner law enforcement agencies - National Public Safety Group (NPSG). NPSG is a unique consulting firm in public safety, whose sole focus is on public safety software consulting for projects like ours.
Staff worked with the city’s purchasing division and determined that this award is acceptable as specified in the City of Rialto Municipal Code Section 2.48.210 General - Cooperative Purchasing Agreements (Piggybacking).
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The proposed action does not meet the definition of a project as defined by Section 15378 California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). A “Project” means the whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, and excludes the following:
1) Continuing administrative or maintenance activities, such as purchases for supplies, personnel-related actions, general policy and procedure making.
2) Organization or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in environment.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY
The City of Rialto has outlined key goals and objects relating to public safety. The purchase of this service is consistent with meeting these objectives.
Goal 5-8: Provide effective and comprehensive policing services that meet the safety needs of Rialto.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney's Office has reviewed the agreement and approved it as to form.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Operating Budget Impact
This report does not impact the City’s operating budget.
Capital Improvement Budget Impact
Funding in the amount of $240,000, is budgeted and available in the FY2024/2025 Information Technology Capital Improvement Account No. 33006151 53001, for the contract agreement for project management services with National Public Safety Group, LLC, a North Carolina Limited Liability Company, through June 2026.
Per Rialto Municipal Code Section: 2.48.145 a vendor disclosure form is attached.
Licensing
National Public Safety Group, LLC, a North Carolina Limited Liability Company has a current City of Rialto Business License. No additional administration or state fees are due at this time.