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Home My WebLink About04 EXPEND FORFEITURE FUNDS 06-05-06AGENDA REPORT MEETING DATE: JUNE 5, 2006 TO: WILLIAM HUSTON, CITY MANAGER FROM: SCOTT M. JORDAN, CHIEF OF POLICE SUBJECT: AUTHORIZATION TO EXPEND ASSET FORFEITURE FUNDS SUMMARY The Police Department is requesting authorization from the City Council to expend asset forfeiture funds to purchase hand-held police radios to augment the 800 MHz radio inventory; and personal digital audio recorders with management software for those officers working special assignments without benefit of a mobile audiolvideo recorder system (MAVS) in their vehicles. RECOMMENDATION Authorize the appropriation of $78,750 from the unappropriated balance of the Asset Forfeiture fund to purchase radio equipment, digital audio recorders and associated software. FISCAL IMPACT $78,750 in existing Asset Forfeiture funds. BACKGROUND Expenditure authorization is being requested for two specific identified needs in the Police Department. The first purchase will cover the addition of ten (10) hand-held police radios, ten (10) spare hand-held radio battery packs and twenty-five (25) lapel microphones. These supplies are needed additions to our 800 MHz radio inventory in order to adequately equip field police officers and civilian personnel. The second purchase is for personal digital audio recorders and the associated management software. This technology is new to the police department and is detailed in the following background information: Uniformed officers in marked patrol units are able to record field contact events through use of the Mobile Audio Video System (MAVS). This same capability is not afforded to special enforcement units, such as the Traffic Section, the Bicycle Team and department Investigators. These special enforcement units, due to the nature of their work, have a similar need to document their field contacts. The Tustin Police Department, as well as other agencies in the county, utilize audio and video systems in their patrol fleet as an important risk management and investigative tool. The primary function of this tool has been to accurately document police events, capture images of the area surrounding an event, and record statements made by officers and others during traffic stops, pedestrian stops, and critical incidents. The information provided by the audio and video files can be used as evidence in court, a training tool for officers, or to help sustain or exonerate officers who have been the subject of a complaint. Special enforcement units, even those operating in an undercover status, are involved in similar field contact events. They make traffic and pedestrian stops, handle critical incidents, contact high profile criminal offenders and make a significant number of arrests. Recognizing this need, the Department researched the availability of digital audio recorders to be worn by special enforcement officers for use in recording all field contacts. This research culminated with the purchase of five (5) Olympus "PUMA" hand-held recorders, to be field beta tested by the bicycle team officers. This recorder was developed by the vendor, Versatile Information Products (VIP), in conjunction with the Riverside Police Department and designed specifically for law enforcement use. As such, the Olympus Puma is marketed by VIP as a soul source provider of the law enforcement technology. The manufacturer, Olympus, verified the soul source justification in a statement issued on October 12, 2004, which reads (in part), "The Puma is a modified version of our DM- 1 digital recorder. The Puma is designed specifically for law enforcement applications. It has been modified with the removal of the music file format and editing capabilities in order to eliminate the possibility of errors in formatting files. Without the editing capabilities, the files can be authenticated in case they are needed in court cases. There were several other changes made in the way the units communicate with the computer to synchronize the time and date, and track the number of times the recorder made individual recordings. This is critical in determining if any recordings were removed from the units before downloading." As stated earlier, the department owns five (5) of these recorders as a result of the beta test process. We are at the juncture where we must now purchase the management software to store, track, search and retrieve the data recorded. VIP offers the software, training, maintenance and licensing. We will also need to complete the hardware purchase to outfit the remaining officers. Assignments for this equipment will be as follows: Bicycle Enforcement Team 5 Traffic Section 8 General Investigations 10 Special Investigations 2 Gang Unit 5 Area Commanders 2 The management software, developed by VIP, is designed to provide for "user friendly" downloading of audio files onto a computer server. This technology allows for ease of storage and access, is viewable from desktop computers, requires no handling of tapes, and transfers easily to other interested parties such as prosecutors, defense attorneys, and the courts. SCOTT M. JORDAN Chief of Police SCOTTIE FRAZIER Services Division Commander SMJ/SF:sf Attachments '" -g " ~ :; !!l ~ " ll. 0" " '" )> " 0. o ~ ~ 5" ., z " -< z m " m 0 -i '" (J) '" '" . 0 ~ N ... - c '" ., 0- '< :... '- - i ~~;;!;;!;;!;;!;;! ."."."."."."." ~ca;;Cl;; .c.c.c.c.c.c.c :!!lllillili:lnl'!l: ~ ~ snnnn'l "T1"T1"11'T1 a ; ; iil .c.c.c.c :!!lllillili: ."."." ~ ~ ~ CD CD CD .c.c.c ...... ... N ~ ~f" ~ 3.",_ <1>:; ,;i. 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