To: County of Sonoma Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Sheriff’s Office
Staff Name and Phone Number: Melissa MacDonald, x3922
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): All Districts
Title:
Title
Sonoma County Auto Theft Task Force Agreement with Vigilant Solutions for Access to Investigative Data Platform
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Authorize the Sheriff’s Office, as the fiscal agent for the Sonoma County Auto Theft Task Force (SONCATT), to execute an agreement with Vigilant Solutions for access to data gathered from its license plate reader technology.
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Executive Summary:
The Sheriff’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office, and the Probation Department, along with the California Highway Patrol and Santa Rosa Police Department, comprise the Sonoma County Auto Theft Task Force (SONCATT). Since 1998, SONCATT has worked to deter, investigate, and prosecute vehicle theft crimes. The proposed contract with Vigilant Solutions (Vigilant) will allow SONCATT members, as well as other Sonoma County Public Safety Consortium members, access to existing data gathered from license plate reader technology, which will aid in the investigation and prosecution of vehicle theft crimes.
Discussion:
Vigilant is an industry leader in automated license plate recognition (LPR) software and hardware. Vigilant maintains a commercial database sourced from privately owned LPR cameras, and is the only company in this industry to do so. This database is used by insurance agencies, car rental agencies, and financial institutions to recover stolen vehicles, and is available to law enforcement agencies on a subscription basis. Although Vigilant offers both LPR software and LPR hardware, this agreement with Vigilant is only for access to this commercial database as part of the Intelligent Data Policing platform.
A sole source procurement was approved by County Purchasing based on the fact that Vigilant is the only company in the industry that can provide access to a commercial database. Additionally, given that several local agencies already use Vigilant equipment, the services provided by Vigilant will allow for greater consistency between Sonoma County law enforcement agencies.
Since the inception of the Task Force, SONCATT has provided dedicated services in the prevention, investigation, and recovery of stolen vehicles. Despite combined efforts of the Task Force resulting in an overall reduction of auto theft crimes over the last several years, auto theft continues to be a significant issue in Sonoma County. Gaining access to Vigilant’s Investigative Data Platform will aid Task Force members in their investigations of vehicle theft within Sonoma County. SONCATT has negotiated this agreement with Vigilant Solutions to allow access to any sworn members of law enforcement agencies within the Sonoma County Public Safety Consortium. This technology will aid investigators in combating auto theft and recovering stolen vehicles. Additionally, it can be beneficial to multiple Sonoma County law enforcement agencies in other criminal investigations and in increasing public safety. This technology will be used in accompaniment with all other investigative tools and law enforcement databases, and will be used in compliance with established policies and procedures.
The total cost of this agreement will be $270,000 over five years. Year 1 costs will be $40,000, Year 2 will be $50,000, and Years 3 through 5 will be $60,000 each. These annual amounts will be budgeted in each respective year. SONCATT revenue will cover the expense and the special a fund balance is sufficient to cover any potential revenue shortages. This agreement will have no impact on the General Fund.
Prior Board Actions:
On March 24, 2020, the Board of Supervisors adopted a Resolution, authorizing the Sheriff’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office, and the Probation Department to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding for participation in the Sonoma County Auto Theft Task Force through June 30, 2022. This resolution authorized the Sheriff’s Office to act as the fiduciary agent for the Task Force.
Since FY 98-99, the District Attorney’s annual Adopted Budget has included funds for agreements with Santa Rosa and Petaluma Police Departments for staffing the Sonoma County Auto Theft Task Force.
On June 23, 1992, the Board of Supervisors adopted a Resolution approving the implementation of CVC 9250.14, allowing the County to collect a fee from every vehicle registration in order to fund eligible programs that enhance the capacity to investigate and prosecute vehicle theft crimes.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 19-20 Adopted |
FY20-21 Projected |
FY 21-22 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
$0 |
$40,000 |
$50,000 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$0 |
$40,000 |
$50,000 |
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Funding Sources |
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General Fund/WA GF |
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|
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State/Federal |
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|
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Fees/Other |
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$40,000 |
$50,000 |
|
Use of Fund Balance |
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Contingencies |
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|
|
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Total Sources |
$0 |
$40,000 |
$50,000 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
California Vehicle Code section 9250.14 provides SONCATT with funding to be exclusively used to “enhance the capacity of local police and prosecutors to deter, investigate, and prosecute vehicle theft crimes.” This agreement will be fully funded by SONCATT and will have no impact on the General Fund.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
There are no staffing impacts.
Attachments:
Vigilant Investigative Data Platform Services Agreement
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
N/A