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Home My WebLink AboutAGENDA REPORT 2011 0119 CC REG ITEM 10G ITEM 10 G. loll MOORPARK CITY COUNCIL ` O"'�� d AGENDA REPORT _yQoi �qg3_ __ TO: Honorable City Council p FROM: Ron Nelson Captain i^ " DATE: December 14, 2010 (CC Meeting of 1/19/11) SUBJECT: Consider Resolution Amending the Fiscal Year 2010/11 Budget to Appropriate $9,000 from the Traffic Safety Fund (2000) for the Purchase of New Hand-Held Police Laser Devices for Traffic Speed Enforcement SUMMARY The Police Department currently has three hand-held Laser Units (Lidar) that are in need of replacement. Lidar units are used to conduct traffic speed enforcement on streets within the City of Moorpark (City). The units utilize a laser beam to accurately track a speeding vehicle. Two of the existing older Lidar units were purchased in 2006, and the third Lidar unit was purchased in 2008. All three units use older and slower computer processing technology that makes it difficult to catch speed violators when compared to newer technology that is now available. If approved, the attached resolution would amend the fiscal year 2010/11 budget to appropriate $9,000 from the Traffic Safety Fund (2000) and approve the purchase of three new Lidar units for use in the enforcement of Vehicle Code violations related to speed. BACKGROUND The high volume of traffic within the City places traffic safety and the orderly flow of traffic within and through the City at a high priority for the Police Department and the City's residents. With this in mind, there is a real need to maintain serviceable and useable equipment that aids in the accurate detection and prosecution of those who violate traffic laws leading to unsafe conditions. Drivers who violate speed laws create unsafe conditions on the roadway for all motorists who travel in and through the City. Statistics show that over half of all vehicle collisions are caused by drivers who travel at unsafe speeds. 216 Honorable City Council January 19, 2011 Page 2 The Police Department has utilized both Radar and Laser based equipment to assist in catching drivers who violate the speed laws in an effort to create safer driving conditions for all drivers. All the patrol cars in the City are equipped with Radar devices that are mounted inside the cars. Radar units transmit a 12-degree wide radio beam that catches a wide area of vehicles. The three traffic motorcycle officers use hand-held Lidar devices, which transmit a very narrow laser beam to hone in on one particular vehicle. All three existing Lidar units use an internal 8-bit processing unit to process the speed calculations received based on the Laser input. All three Lidar units utilize older nickel cadmium battery packs that require special charging care so that they do not develop a memory that shortens their useful serviceability. The current 8-bit processor Lidar units work very well in tracking the speed of a single vehicle on a road. Where they fall short is in their ability to track a single speeding vehicle passing a pack of other nearby vehicles, especially at much higher speeds. The processing unit is too slow to process the input from the speeding vehicle. Newer Lidar units use a 32-bit processor that is much faster and is better able to track the single speeding vehicle that is passing other vehicles. DISCUSSION While enforcing speeds on the roadways, sometimes officers have a narrow window of opportunity to track a vehicle. A typical scenario provides for a tracking distance that is less than 100 feet. A vehicle at 60 mph travels 100 feet in about 1.1 seconds. With this short amount of time, the equipment's ability to respond quickly enough to capture the vehicle's speed is a necessity. The older 8-bit processor units have a difficult time performing under these conditions. The newer 32-bit processor units are better able to quickly capture and calculate a vehicle's speed. Recent upgrades in battery technology and serviceability is another reason that the newer Lidar units are much more efficient and suited to the rigors of police work. The Police Department's current Lidar units use older technology Nickel Cadmium (NiCad) batteries. These batteries typically last an average of one to two years, requiring replacement at a cost of about $130 each. NiCad batteries are also notorious for developing memory, shortening the useable life of the battery during a given patrol shift if it is not charged and cared for properly. The new Lidar units use Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) batteries that have a similar serviceable lifespan of one to two years, but cost about $60 each and do not have the same memory issues. The charging care is much simpler and user friendly. This is helpful given the long and staggered shifts worked by traffic enforcement officers. 217 Honorable City Council January 19, 2011 Page 3 After research and testing, it has been determined that the Lidar LR by "Stalker" is a unit that is a good fit for the needs of the Police Department. A vendor of"Stalker" products, Applied Concepts, Inc., provided a loaner Lidar, which was used by our traffic motorcycle officers for a one-month period. The officers found the new Lidar to be much more responsive in catching speeders, especially under the heavy traffic conditions mentioned above. The Lidar LR has a 32-bit processor, and a Li-Ion battery pack. "Stalker' has an excellent reputation of building rugged and superior products and they offer a one-year warranty covering defects in manufacturing. Our current older Lidar Units are "Stalker' units and have held up well under harsh and demanding conditions. FISCAL IMPACT The fiscal impact to the City includes the purchase price of the Lidar units. Applied Concepts, Inc., has quoted a purchase price of $3,195 each for a Stalker Lidar. The company has offered a $500 trade-in offer for each of our older Lidar Units, for each new Lidar Unit purchased, bringing the price down to approximately $2,695 each. Three units would cost $8,085 plus sales tax of $688, for a total of $8,773. An appropriate source of funding would be the Traffic Safety Fund (2000). The City has purchased Lidar and Radar equipment from Applied Concepts, Inc. in the past and the company has proven itself to be a reputable company that stands behind the products it sells. STAFF RECOMMENDATION (ROLL CALL VOTE REQUIRED) 1) Adopt Resolution No. 2011- , authorizing an amendment to the FY 2010/11 budget to allocate $9,000 from the Traffic Safety Fund (2000) for the purchase of three Lidar LR hand-held laser units; and 2) Authorize the City Finance Department to process the necessary purchase order to obtain the Lidar LR from Stalker with the allocated funds. Attachment: Draft Resolution 218 Honorable City Council January 19, 2011 Page 4 Attachment RESOLUTION NO. 2011- A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MOORPARK, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR 2010/11 BUDGET TO ALLOCATE $9,000 FROM THE TRAFFIC SAFETY FUND (2000) TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY BUDGET ACCOUNT TO FUND THE PURCHASE ,OF THREE NEW HAND-HELD POLICE LASER DEVICES FOR TRAFFIC SPEED ENFORCEMENT WHEREAS, on June 16, 2010, the City Council adopted the Operating and Capital Improvement Projects budget for Fiscal Year 2010/11; and WHEREAS, a staff report has been presented to said Council requesting a $9,000 budget appropriation from the Traffic Safety Fund (2000) for the purchase of three hand-held Lidar LR police laser devices for traffic speed enforcement; and WHEREAS, Exhibit "A" hereof describes said budget amendment and its resultant impacts to the budget line item, NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MOORPARK DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. A Budget Amendment of $9,000 as more particularly described in Exhibit "A", is hereby approved. SECTION 2. The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this resolution and shall cause a certified resolution to be filed in the book of original resolutions. PASSED AND ADOPTED this 19th day of January, 2011. Janice S. Parvin, Mayor Attest: Maureen Benson, City Clerk Attachment: Exhibit A — Budget Revision 219 Honorable City Council January 19, 2011 Page 5 Attachment: Exhibit "A" — Budget Revision EXHIBIT A BUDGET AMENDMENT FOR TRAFFIC SAFETY FUND FOR USE BY POLICE DEPARTMENT TRAFFIC UNIT FY 2010/11 FUND ALLOCATION FROM: Fund Title _ Fund-Account Number Amount Traffic Safety Fund 2000-5500 $ 9,000.00 _ Total $ 9,000.00 DISTRIBUTION OF APPROPRIATION TO EXPENSE ACCOUNTS: Amended Account Number _ Current Budget Revision Budget _ 2000-9200-0000-9205 $ 0 $ 9,000.00 $ 9,000.00 Total $ 0 $ 9,000.00 $ 9,000.00 Finance approval: 220