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The council on Monday, Feb. 24, unanimously approved spending $214,479.37 for reimplementing and “refreshing” the city’s automated license plate reader system. The agreement is for five years. The council also authorized the city manager to implement all necessary contracts including extensions or amendments, according to the staff report.
This was a Consent Calendar item. Consent items are voted on collectively, without discussion, unless a council member pulls one or more items for further discussion. This item was not pulled.
Staff gave the council a presentation on the parking technology at the start of the meeting. Presentations take place before the public comment part of council meetings and before the council votes on agenda items.
Background
“Mobile (vehicle-mounted) license plate recognition (LPR) technology is the central pillar that the Department’s parking enforcement and animal control programs are built upon. Everything, from parking permit checks, the issuance of citations, and SCSO/PA responses to calls, rely upon complex, interconnected computer systems,” according to the staff report prepared by Operations Bureau Lt. Chris Hendrix.
“In 2023, the Department’s operations resulted in approximately 22,900 citations,” Hendrix wrote. According to the report, senior community service officers and police aides handled more than 6,000 service calls.
Hendrix was apparently referring to the calendar year.
“However, ongoing equipment failures are significantly hampering the effectiveness of SCSOs and PAs. This decrease in efficiency is expected to worsen as equipment issues persist,” Hendrix wrote.
“If immediate action is not taken, Department staff anticipate several negative outcomes, including:
“• A substantial decline in parking citations being issued and decrease in parking revenue
“• Increased response times for service calls
• SCSO and PO safety issues due to failing equipment
• Significant disruptions to animal control and jail services,” Hendrix wrote.
“There are two (2) integrated mobile LPR companies, Genetec and Motorola Vigilant,” Hendrix wrote.
According to the report, the Seal Beach Police have used Genetec’s license plate reading equipment since Seal Beach program started in 2017.
“Staff recommends proceeding with a Genetec Distributor to optimize existing infrastructure and integrations,” Hendrix wrote.
“Due to the complex and customized nature of the associated Genetec equipment and software, staff recommends using a licensed Genetec distributor for these hardware and support services. Since some of the operational components are not compatible with outside vendors or other manufacturers, switching vendors would require a substantial cost increase to unnecessarily replace components to be compatible with other manufacturers,” Hendrix wrote.
“There are three (3) licensed Genetec distributors who support the West Coast region with the municipal, parking, and law enforcement experience who are qualified to support the City’s smart parking technology program. Introducing new vendors or hardware would needlessly complicate reimplementation efforts, slow down productivity, and increase costs. Additionally, the Department strives to maintain a degree of hardware consistency between patrol and parking fleet vehicles. This maximizes interoperability and simplifies maintenance,” Hendrix wrote.
“An Invitation to Bid was issued on October 16, 2024, and each of the three qualified (3) vendors submitted a proposal by the November 26, 2024 deadline,” Hendrix wrote.
“ComSonics’ proposal provides the most complete service agreement that includes
support and overall coverage,” Hendrix wrote.
“Staff is recommending ComSonics due to its lower five-year cost projection, which includes change order requests, making them the lowest total bid. Additionally, ComSonic had excellent references including local agencies with similar needs to Seal Beach,” Hendrix wrote.
“Staff is recommending ComSonics due to its lower five-year cost projection, which includes change order requests, making them the lowest total bid,” Hendrix wrote.
According to the report, there is enough money in the current budget for the project.
“Recurring costs, such as licensing fees and routine management costs outside of the established warranty and agreements, are to be budgeted for in the Department’s technology budget, which will be included in future years,” Hendrix wrote.
