That the City Council waive the formal bidding process per La Habra Municipal Code 4.20.070(e) Technology Exception, and approve and authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with Vigilant Solutions for the purchase of fixed Automated License Plate Readers for the Euclid Street/Lambert Road intersection, in addition to two vehicle-mounted camera systems.  The initial cost of $92,441 would cover the program for five years.  After the five-year period, the annual system cost would be $7,050, would cover camera license keys, and would be funded through the Asset Seizure account. 

The Orange County Auto Theft Taskforce (OCATT) estimates that $500 million worth of vehicles are stolen each year in Orange County, with an average of 70 vehicles stolen in the City of La Habra annually.  Auto theft not only deprives owners of the use of their personal transportation, but also provides criminals with a means to engage in additional criminal activity.  For example, gang-related crimes are often committed using stolen vehicles.  Proactive law enforcement to reduce auto theft can return stolen vehicles to crime victims and can act as a deterrent to other potential criminal activity.

Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) have long been used by local law enforcement agencies to identify and locate stolen vehicles.  ALPR technology has evolved over the years, becoming more reliable and affordable.  Traditional ALPR systems include fixed camera locations and/or mobile devices mounted on patrol cars.  While the La Habra Police Department has successfully deployed vehicle based ALPRs in the past, these devices have reached their end of useful life and are no longer in service. 
 
The Vigilant Solutions (Vigilant) ALPR System includes deployment of cameras that utilize fixed mounted positions and mobile vehicle based systems that provide vehicle information for law enforcement.  After reviewing potential fixed mount locations in the City, Vigilant proposes to mount fixed cameras near the intersection of Lambert Road and Euclid Street to monitor eastbound and westbound traffic traveling along Lambert Road, as well as placing ALPR cameras on two marked patrol vehicles. The cameras will capture license plate information from nearby vehicles, recording specific data vital to deterring criminal activity, such as date and time of vehicle movement, vehicle location, and vehicle details like brand, model, and color.  

Staff has researched the two main ALPR system providers (Vigiliant and Flock Safety) and have found Vigilant to be a leader in the industry with its equipment capable of “plate captures” of vehicles traveling at speeds up to 150 miles per hour, such as during street racing incidents.  Their system allows for data retention on conditions favorable to the department's operations.  Longer retention cycles have been shown to be extremely important as a means for law enforcement to identify criminal patterns, particularly in those instances when crime occurs, but is not reported. In addition, Vigilant's systems provide accurate time stamping on all records, which can help during criminal investigations.  For example, Vigilant applies its time stamp to a record at the time it is created; while some other ALPR providers apply the time stamp only once the data reaches the file server.  Furthermore, Vigilant has the largest ALPR database in the world and La Habra investigators would have access to more than 12 billion ALPR detections, as well as proprietary analytical tools that may be beneficial in reviewing data and investigating crimes.  

While the implementation of ALPRs can cause concerns regarding a perceived invasion of privacy, Vigilant's cameras do not have the ability to be remotely aimed to areas beyond the immediate traffic lane.  Furthermore, cameras would be mounted atop signal standards and face downward allowing for license plate detections and a small image of the vehicle in question to aid in identification, while minimizing the potential to inadvertently capture images of people in the pictures.  ALPR data is not considered personally identifiable information, nor is it the intent of the La Habra Police Department to utilize ALPR technology to capture license plate data absent considerations of established privacy rights of the public.  All data and images gathered by ALPRs are for the official use of the La Habra Police Department and would therefore not be open to public review without a Public Record Request (PRR) and confirmation there is no evidentiary value.  Other local communities that currently use, or have used Vigilant's ALPR technology in the past, include the Cities of Anaheim, Brea, Fountain Valley, La Mirada, Norwalk, and Tustin. 

As part of its review process, staff at the La Habra Police Department reviewed other ALPR systems and determined that Vigilant is the only vendor that can provide both fixed camera and mobile ALPR that met the needs and specifications of the Department.  Vigilant is also one of only a few systems that can be integrated with the Department's existing Computer Aided Dispatch system.

The initial cost associated with this proposed project, including the purchase and installation of all equipment, as well as training for La Habra Police Department staff, is $92,441, which will cover the program for five years.  At the end of the five-year period, the annual system cost would be $7,050 and would cover camera license keys.  The cost of the project would be funded through the Asset Seizure account.