HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 2002 0501 CC REG ITEM 11HITEM P• 4•
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MOORPARK CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA REPORT Fv:
To: The Honorable City Council
From: Bob LeMay, Acting Chief of Police
Date: April 22, 2002 (CC Meeting of May 1, 2002)
Subject: Consider Amending Previously Approved CLEEPS
Expenditures
DISCUSSION:
In September of 2000, The City of Moorpark received funds from a
state grant, CLEEPS (California Law Enforcement Equipment
Program), in the amount of $110,300. The original objective of
the program was to provide one -time competitive grants to law
enforcement agencies for the acquisition of high -tech equipment
used for both criminal justice items and emergency responses.
It was generally accepted that this award had to be spent within
two ( 2 ) years.
In July of 2001, your Honorable Council approved spending a
large portion of the original amount on numerous upgrades
involving items that would benefit both the City's Police
Department, as well as the City's Emergency Operations Center.
Part of the original amount approved was $11,000.00 toward a
Laser Mapping /Measuring Device to be used for in major accidents
and critical incidents. Since that time, the Ventura County
Sheriff's Department has acquired some of these devices on their
own, one of which is in use at the East County Patrol Station in
Thousand Oaks. In conversations with the Sheriff's Department, I
have been assured that the device would be offered and made
available to investigators involving such incidents in City of
Moorpark as part of the overhead services.
4 ko % P✓ J
Honorable City Council
CLEEPS Grant
April 22, 2002
Page 2
Secondly, we did not purchase one of the designated five (5)
radar guns, $2,300.00 and the laser speed gun, $2,500.00, for a
combined savings of $4,800.00. This makes the total saving at
$15,800.00.
In light of this new information, and our financial
responsibility to the City, my staff and I no longer feel there
is a need for the City to purchase any of these devices and make
the following recommendations as alternatives:
Item #1 - Time Lapse Video System
Justification-
Surveillance video systems are now commonplace in most
businesses, both large and small throughout Moorpark. Almost
all surveillance systems use multiple cameras and record their
image so they can be reviewed at a later time when a crime is
discovered. Most systems use a time -lapse video recorder to
capture these images. These systems vary greatly and there is
no industry standard to which format a time -lapse tape is
recorded.
When a crime occurs and a videotape is recovered as evidence,
there are up to 40 different formats that the video could have
been recorded in. Reviewing a surveillance tape on the original
system it was recorded on is not always possible or practical.
To begin the process of reviewing a tape, several pieces of
video equipment are needed. It then commonly takes hours of
reviewing a tape to find the correct cameras to watch and then
the video images need to be transferred to a still photograph
for identification of a suspect and evidence purposes in court.
If the tape can be reviewed on the original surveillance system
there is no way to transfer the pictures for later use.
The video system that we are interested in purchasing gives us
the capability to review any videotape format available today.
The system allows still photographs to be printed or converted
to a standard VHS format for review on any standard VHS player.
Additionally, any tape can be converted to a digital image and
then stored on a digital hard drive. The photographs can then be
enhanced to make the image clearer and make suspect
Honorable City Council
CLEEPS Grant
April 22, 2002
Page 3
identification possible. It is not uncommon to have a video
with the picture of a suspect, but the suspect is too far away
and identification is not possible. By digitally enhancing the
video it makes identification easier and also allows the images
to be sent via e -mail to any other law enforcement agency.
In the last year we have solved a number of crimes because of
surveillance videos. A felony vandalism at Moorpark High School
showed the students as they entered the school during the middle
of the night and caused $13,000.00 in damage. A string of over
25 vehicle burglaries was solved after the suspect used a
victim's credit card at the Ralph's grocery store in Moorpark.
We were able to identify the suspect using his picture captured
on the stores surveillance system. And most recently a stabbing
on Moorpark Avenue occurred and one of the suspects was captured
on a Laundromat's video surveillance system as he fled the
scene.
Currently we have no capability of reviewing videotapes at the
station. We routinely spend time at East County Sheriff's
Station or the Crime Lab in Ventura reviewing tapes and printing
photographs. The ability to have an in house system will
greatly improve our ability to promptly review evidence and
reduce our time away from the city.
Total Package Cost - $8,100.00
Item #2 - Mobil Data Computers
Justification -
These Mobil Data computers will allow the officers immediate
access to driver, vehicle, state, county criminal records, and
warrant information. The County has issued similar data
computers to both investigators and patrol units. This was
accomplished through a county grant and the funds restricted the
number of units issued to investigators and patrol only. Our
school resources officers (SRO's) encounter the same needs for
information in a timely manner as do our patrol officers and
investigators. This need is increased by the fact that the
SRO's are isolated in a campus environment. Currently the SRO's
have to call Ventura records and have a records technician
i.VV N.J
Honorable City Council
CLEEPS Grant
April 22, 2002
Page 4
research the information. With the CDPD the information is
available at the officers fingertips right at his /her work site.
CDPD Laptops
Panasonic CF -27 $3,893.00 each
RAM upgrade 114.00 each
Sub -Total $7,900.00
Video System $8,100.00
Total $16,000.00
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approve said modifications to the purchasing of the listed
equipment with the mentioned CLEEPS funds as contained in this
report.