SUBJECT/RECOMMENDATION:
Title
Approve an agreement between the Police Department and Axon, Incorporated, for Digital Evidence Storage and Management, and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. (consent)
Body
SUMMARY:
The Police Department has had a historical challenge regarding storage of physical evidence which had the capacity to be stored digitally, such as paper forms, documents, surveillance video, etc.
Currently, the Police Department houses electronic evidence and other items which could be digitized in a variety of different locations and within various units, which creates inherent barriers to efficiencies.
To create operational efficiencies regarding evidence location/retention, address public records requests, and more appropriately aggregate and control property disposals relating to electronic evidence or items which could be digitized, the Police Department issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) #29-18 for a Digital Evidence Management system, in cooperation with the City’s Purchasing Department.
The RFP Committee was comprised of members of the Police Department’s Property/Evidence Unit, Records Unit, Police Department management, and the City’s Information Technology Department.
The Request for Proposal aimed to identify a product which provided:
User-friendly, high-quality evidence storage and management system, based on a hosted CJIS (Criminal Justice Information Services)/FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) compliant platform;
Ease of access to stored information, coupled with an ability to conduct internal communication and sharing of evidence and case information;
An ability to share data with both prosecuting attorneys and defense attorneys;
Customizable data retention settings;
Ability to connect with both Apple iOS and Windows based computers for data access and uploading of new evidence/data;
Audit functionality to provide historical tracking of any action associated with a record;
A public portal or platform for crowd sourced data with the Police Department.
Based upon the RFP proposals and presentations, Axon, Incorporated, was selected as the preferred vendor.
The agreement provides for a Digital Evidence Management solution which will supply a common platform for all Department employees and allows the Police Department to share records with the State Attorney’s Office, private attorneys, and citizens.
This agreement allows for the foundation of a body-worn camera program in the future should the Department elect to do so. The equipment is not being awarded at this time.
This platform allows the public to submit photographs/videos directly to a specific case report in a secure fashion for investigation.
Authorize Clearwater Police Chief Daniel Slaughter to sign the Quote Appendix.
APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT:
The Department anticipated this purchase and has funding available for the first year of the agreement, in the amount of $67,600, through P1802 - Police Equipment Replacement.
In subsequent years, the Police Department would seek to incorporate funding to support this agreement through our annual Operating Budget.