Consideration and Approval of Contract:  Cooperative Purchase Contract with Flock Group, Inc. dba Flock Safety in the amount of $124,100 plus fees and taxes, for the purchase of Flock Safety cameras and software for the Flagstaff Police Department.
 

1. Cooperative Purchase Contract with Flock Group, Inc. dba Flock Safety in the amount of $124,100 plus fees and taxes, for the purchase of Flock Safety cameras and software for the Flagstaff Police Department; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to execute the necessary documents.

The Flagstaff Police Department is interested in a public safety camera system including Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras in Flagstaff.  The Northern Arizona University Police Department just implemented their Flock camera program within the month, and we will be joining multiple agencies in Arizona and the nation using Flock Safety for ALPR technology.  This program allows for the installation of thirty-two (32) ALPR cameras at the entrances and exits to Flagstaff and at major intersections within the community.  Cameras will be mounted on existing city owned infrastructure, on designated city owned areas, or on approved infrastructure with the permission of the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT).  The cameras are solar-powered and designed to function during all seasons.  The installation and maintenance of each camera is included with the annual cost of the camera.
 
ALPR cameras take still images of motor vehicles and their license plates as they pass through designated locations in Flagstaff, and these images are maintained in their cloud storage.  The provided operating system from Flock Safety can be queried by a law enforcement officer only for a legitimate law enforcement purpose. All vehicle data is entered and archived into the cloud-based public safety platform (called FlockOS).  Many crimes that occur in Flagstaff typically involve a vehicle in the crime, and this tool will allow the police department to gather leads and solve crimes which were once considered unsolvable.  Examples would be the following

1. Hit and Run investigation where the victim only gets a vehicle description of the suspect
2. Human trafficking case where a vehicle is known to law enforcement
3. Bank robbery where the driver leaves the scene in a specific make and model of vehicle
4. Vehicles used to traffic deadly fentanyl through our community
5. Drive-by shootings, active shooter, and other weapon related calls where the suspect leaves the scene in a vehicle
6. Amber alert scenarios where endangered juveniles enter or exit the city
7. Silver alert scenarios where endangered subjects are missing from their loved ones
8. Catalytic converter thefts where a description of a suspect vehicle is obtained
9. Stolen vehicles
10. Impaired-driver alerts that get reported to the communication center.

The FlockOS platform will allow officers to query the system for a make and model of vehicle involved in a crime like those listed above and get a photo bank of license plates and pictures of similar vehicles that could have been involved in the crime.  The FlockOS platform can also be configured to immediately notify the communications center and officers in the field if a stolen vehicle, amber alert, silver alert, vehicle wanted in a homicide or major crime, or another specific vehicle needed by law enforcement has entered or exited the City of Flagstaff. 
 
We truly believe the community will immediately be a safer place for all of us because it will prevent or reduce the likelihood of some of the crimes listed above because it will increase our ability to locate offenders.  We plan to conduct a media campaign notifying our community that this technology is available with the intention of deterring the criminal activity from occurring. 
 
Our Flock Safety contract will also include Raven shot-spotting technology in the ¼ square mile of the downtown area (North of Butler, South of Cherry and West of WC Riles and East of City Hall).  This Raven system will notify the communication center if there are gunshots in the downtown area and be able to give investigators the exact time and location of the gunfire.  The Flock Safety cameras will work in conjunction with the Raven technology to obtain license plates of vehicle leaving the scene of a shooting in our downtown area.

Project Name: Flock Safety Cameras for the Flagstaff Police Department
Cost: $124,100.00
Account Number Budgeted: 001-04-061-0222-2-4343
FY Budgeted Amount: $130,000.00
Grant Funded: No
Funding Source: FPD Budget FY2025

There has not been a previous council decision on this product as it is new technology to the City.  The City Manager and Budget Team approved this project in the FY2025 Police Department budget.

1. Approve the Cooperative Purchase Contract with Flock Group, Inc. dba Flock Safety in the amount of $124,100 plus fees and taxes; or
2. Direct staff to conduct a procurement. Staff does not recommend this option as the purchase through the Cooperative Purchase Contract is valid.

The Flagstaff Police Department patrol division has struggled with staffing for several decades, and this technology allows our department to obtain leads on cases which were previously thought to be unsolvable because they weren't detected by law enforcement members.  The Flock Safety camera system will serve as a force multiplier for our department, and we anticipate developing leads on cases that were previously very difficult to solve.  In 2023 and 2024 alone, we have identified numerous hit-and-run, shooting cases, homicide cases, and sexual assault cases where the Flock Safety cameras would have given our investigators leads to help solve these crimes.  

City of Flagstaff Procurement department completed a review of an agency contract through the City of Tempe. Tempe conducted a competitive open procurement through Request For Proposals (RFP) # 21-119 that resulted in contract # T21-119-01 with the Contractor.

Safe and Healthy Community, Provide public safety services with resources, staff, and training responsive to the community's needs.

There is no impact to Carbon Neutrality Plan.

The main tenants of the mission statement of the Flagstaff Police Department is to protect and preserve life, property and public order by providing exemplary service.  This technology will better allow our officers to achieve this mission by not only having the appropriate technology to solve crimes involving vehicles but reduce the occurrence of crime and the fear of crime in our community.  We strive to make Flagstaff the safest city in Arizona to live in and embracing this technology is one piece toward that vision.