Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, July 20, 2021
Discussion
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER AND DISCUSS RECOMMENDATIONS OF INSTALLING SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS IN SPECIFIED LOCATIONS IN THE CITY TO ASSIST IN CRIME PREVENTION AND DETECTION (CITY COUNCIL)
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I. SUMMARY
Public safety has been one of this City Council’s highest priorities. This priority was reiterated and reaffirmed during the City Council workshop on Mission, Vision and Priorities held on March 2, 2021. In addition, during other discussions in the recent past on how the City can use technology to assist in reducing crime in the city, the City Council expressed its support for the installation of surveillance cameras at key locations in the city, including entrances and exits to the community, for crime prevention and detection. So that the City Council and the public is keep abreast of initiatives by staff in this regard, Councilman Jawane Hilton requested that this item be placed on the City Council meeting agenda.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
TAKE the following action:
CONSIDER and DISCUSS recommendations of installing cameras at specified locations in the city to assist in crime prevention and detection.
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III. ALTERNATIVES
TAKE another action the City Council deems appropriate.
IV. BACKGROUND
The recent uptick in crime throughout the country is also being experienced in Carson. This has heightened the City Council’s interest in placing surveillance cameras at key locations in the city. Surveillance cameras help to deter crime while providing an advanced tool for law enforcement to use to solve cases. Having the appropriate surveillance cameras and equipment can provide the Sheriff’s Department (LASD) the ability to view recordings that could lead to the arrest of a suspect and be used in a court of law as admissible evidence. Surveillance systems will enable access directly to LASD to view, monitor and respond to activities of a potential crime scene.
The LASD has identified several potential locations in the city for surveillance cameras including at the intersection of 189th and Avalon Street. This location, which is near both residences and businesses, would benefit from there being 24/7 surveillance to deter crime and assist LASD in identifying potential criminal activity.
Staff, in coordination with LASD, has identified a three-phase approach, detailed below, for the installation of cameras in the City of Carson to provide the necessary coverage for crime prevention and detection.
PHASE 1 - Avalon Boulevard: $200,000
A series of 15 surveillance cameras and other wireless networking components were installed by the City along Avalon Blvd from Scottsdale to Alondra in 2012 as a public safety measure. It was implemented as part of a grant funded project. The system is at the end of its useful life and should be upgraded. So that we can replace the system in its entirety with the latest available technology, on November 17, 2020, the City Council approved a budget of $200,000 to address the system’s connectivity issues and to replace outdated cameras.
Project delay occurred due to staff turnover, an Interim Director and complexities of the project that changed as a result of the need for increased technical infrastructure. Recently the City was able to fill a permanent role for the Director of Public Works, while infusing expert technical engineers to address the project properly.
As part of Phase 1, cameras that are currently on Avalon and 189th/University as well as Avalon and Carson St, will be replaced with the infrastructure (servers, radios, and data points). In addition, Staff is preparing a Request for Proposal (RFP) to address all the needs on Avalon Boulevard that would include an additional 13 poles and infrastructure expanding the current project of Avalon and 189th/University for connectivity and visibility for LASD. All the data and information captured by these cameras will be fed to the Sheriff’s Department and stored on their server.
It is anticipated that the RFP will be completed the week of July 12 and will be advertised the week of July 19 through Planet Bid. The anticipated timeline is to award the contract by August 3, 2021, and to have the contractor complete the work within approximately 6-8 weeks thereafter. We will return to the City Council if the budgeted funds are not sufficient to cover the infrastructure costs of this project.
PHASE 2 - Carson Street: $700,000
Currently there are conduits (3” in diameter) installed from the 405 freeway to Figueroa Street with a 100’ gap across Main Street. Staff applied for a grant and received the approval notice from LA Metro for $700,000 for the installation of fiber optic cables, 100’ of conduit gap across Main Street, traffic cameras with surveillance capabilities and infrastructure that would improve traffic flow on Carson St. from the 405 freeway to Figueroa St. The installation of fiber optic cables will provide higher connection quality, scalability (increased or decreased bandwidth on demand), reliability download speed and security (more secure technology).
Staff is working with LA Metro to finalize the Funding Agreement (FA). Once the FA is completed, staff will present it to the City Council for consideration and approval. It is expected that LA Metro will complete the FA soon. This project is part of the Public Works CIP list and is scheduled to be completed this FY 2021-22.
PROJECTED PROJECT - Citywide
With the advancement of Broadband and Wi-Fi technologies, staff is looking into implementing security camera systems in other key locations in the city, including exits and entrances. This would provide added security for the public while assisting law enforcement in its mission to keep the public safe. Currently, staff is initiating meetings with a local Broadband company that has experience in the planning and implementing of a citywide Broadband project. The expansion of Broadband is tied to accumulating more fiber. Although an option to implement Wi-Fi would be faster and more cost effective, there are more areas of compromise to occur such as unreliability and shorter equipment life expectancy. Implementing Broadband will not have the same challenges as having Wi-Fi and could become an economic development tool as well. Despite Broadband having a longer implementation period, the timing might be ideal since several competitive grants (state & federal) are available with this type of project and staff is in pursuit of procuring as many as we are eligible for.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
$200,000 has been budgeted for FY21/22 to cover costs associated with the Phase 1 project. The City has received an approval notice from LA Metro to receive $700,000 to be allocated to fiber installation on Carson Street from the 405 freeway to Figueroa Street. For any phase that requires additional funding beyond the aforementioned, staff will bring forward to the City Council requesting allocated funds.
VI. EXHIBITS
N/A
Prepared by: David C. Roberts, Jr., Assistant City Manager