R2021-40 Resolution Authorizing a Lease Agreement Between the City of Decatur and Flock Safety for the Deployment of 60 LPR Cameras in the City Neighborhoods and Adjacent Thoroughfares

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Date: February 25,2021 To: Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe Decatur City Council Members From: City Manager Scot Wrighton Chief James E. Getz Jr. Jim Edwards, IT Director Subject: Lease Agreement for Flock Safety LPR BRIEFING MEMO RECOMMENDED ACTION: It is recommended that the City Council approve a Lease Agreement with Flock Safety to lease 60 License Plate Reader(LPR) Cameras for deployment in neighborhoods, and adjacent to major thoroughfares. The recommended lease is for 3 years with a first-year startup cost of$165,000. The cost would be $150,000 each year for the following two years. As proposed, the entire first- year expenditure would require no use of General Fund monies in 2021. BACKGROUND: The City of Decatur Police Department continues to recognize the need for, and value of, street surveillance cameras to help solve and reduce crime. Street surveillance camera systems,when strategically placed, can assist the Decatur Police Department solve cases. In November of 2020, during council study sessions concerning the police budget, several council members inquired about the purchase and deployment of street cameras to help investigate cases and reduce crime. At that time,the budget only supported surveillance camera deployment expenditures in the Johns Hill Neighborhood as part of the overall Johns Hill project. City staff was also desirous of conducting more analysis into camera surveillance strategies and methods in a limited area before any large-scale deployment throughout the city. Since then, IT and police staff have continued to analyze the best surveillance camera solutions for Decatur and best practices for their deployment and use. Additionally,there is a greater than anticipated surplus in the city's DUI account that can be used to fund a larger deployment of cameras (about one-third of the cameras will be funded by the Buffett Foundation's Johns Hill Revitalization grant as originally proposed; and the other two-thirds would be installed in other locations and funded with DUI funds). Proposed locations,both inside and outside the Johns Hill neighborhood,have been tentatively selected based on most recent heat maps produced by the Decatur Police Department Crime Analysis Unit,that identifies high shooting, violent crime and homicide prone areas. Flock