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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/18/2007, C4 - AUTHORIZE FUNDS FROM THE LAW ENFORCEMENT GRANT FUND/TRAFFIC IMPOUND ACCOUNT TO PURCHASE TRAFFIC ENF council M 9/18/07 j acenba aepont CITY OF SAN LUIS O B I S P O FROM: Deborah Linden, Chief of Police Prepared By: Ian S. Parkinson, Police Captain SUBJECT: AUTHORIZE FUNDS FROM THE LAW ENFORCEMENT GRANT FUND/TRAFFIC IMPOUND ACCOUNT TO PURCHASE TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT AND SOFTWARE. CAO RECOMMENDATION Appropriate $35,000 from available fund balance in the Law Enforcement Grant Fund/Traffic Impound Account to purchase citation printers and operating software for each police vehicle as part of a grant-funded electronic collision reporting and citation project. DISCUSSION On May 12, 2005, Council adopted Resolution No. 9682, directing the CAO to submit grant funding applications for various transportation funding sources, one of which was a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS). Staff submitted a grant application to OTS for a joint Public Works/Police Department project called "Automated Collision Analysis and Tracking System Upgrade — GIS which sought funding to improve and automate collision reporting and analysis and the issuing of traffic citations. The grant was formally awarded by OTS to the City of San Luis Obispo on September 30, 2005 in the amount of$110,000.00. The funding from the OTS Grant was used to purchase the wireless note pads that will allow the officers in the field to write the accident reports and citations and the interface software to connect the data captured in the field to the Police Department's CAD/RMS system. This software also provides the link between the CAD/RMS systems and the Traffic Engineering accident database to automatically transmit and populate data tables. It allows police officers to electronically produce collision reports and citations in the field, and download the information to the Police Department's Computer Aided Dispatch/Records Management System (CAD/RMS) server and to a server at Public Works that is used for collision data analysis. Spillman Technologies is the Police Department's CAD/RMS provider and is currently creating software for this project. The project will enable officers to prepare and print citations electronically in the field, which will improve accuracy and efficiency. State law requires a copy of the violation be provided to the violator and in order to do this, officers must have printers in their vehicles. Funding for the printers was not included in the OTS Grant. The wireless device that will be used by the officer to complete and issue the citation utilizes a touch screen keyboard and software that electronically captures the violator's signature. The Electronic Signature Capture software creates a legally binding electronic signature that is accepted by the court system. Funding for this software was not included in the OTS grant. C y`/ Council Agenda Report - Citation Vehicle Printers Page 2 Staff recommends that funding for the printers and software come from the Police Department's Law Enforcement Grant Fund/Traffic Impound account. This account was established in 2000 as a result of an Office of Traffic Safety Grant. The grant required the City to establish a special account for the purpose of receiving and expending fees collected from violators whose vehicles were impounded because they were driving without a valid license. Pursuant to the grant requirements, these funds must remain separate from the general fund and may only be used for traffic-related programs, including technology utilized in the prosecution of traffic offenses. The purchase of the printers and signature capture software meets these guidelines. CONCURRENCES The Director of Finance and Information Technology concurs with this purchase. FISCAL IMPACT All costs associated with the purchase of the printers and software will come from fees accumulated in the Law Enforcement Grant Fund/Traffic Impound Account. Since 2000, approximately $90,000 in impound fee revenue has accumulated in this account with approximately $10,000 being collected each year. After the proposed purchase, $55,000 will remain in the account. ALTERNATIVES 1. Do not purchase the printers and software. This alternative is not recommended. The printers and software are needed to complete and implement the electronic collision reporting and citation project which will result in more accurate and efficient capturing and sharing of collision and citation data. 2. Purchase the printers and software from the general fund. This alternative is not recommended. The Law Enforcement Grant Fund/Traffic Impound Account is designated for traffic-related programs. This proposed expenditure fits within the guidelines for this account and the use of general fund money is not necessary for this purchase. G:\PDStaff\CAO and CAR Reports\CAR\CAR-AFR vehicle printers Sept 2007 V2.doc Cy-z