Subject: ADOPTION OF AMENDMENTS TO THE ANNUAL APPROPRIATION ORDINANCE IN THE SUPPLEMENTAL LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES (SLES) FUND
COUNCIL
DISTRICT: City-wide
It is recommended that the City Council approve
the following appropriation actions in the Supplemental Law Enforcement
Services (SLES) Fund for fiscal year 2001-02:
1. Increase the Non-Personal/Equipment appropriation for the Police Department in the amount of $60,000;
2. Decrease the Reserve for Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) System Replacement by the amount of $60,000.
The Supplemental Law Enforcement Services (SLES) Fund was created with grant funding in fiscal year 1996-97 and continues to be funded for 2001-02. A SLES Fund Reserve for Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) System Replacement of $1.5 million was established by Council on February 16, 1999. Increases to the reserve from subsequent rounds of SLES funding has provided a current reserve balance of $4,790,922. In order to use the reserve funds for the CAD system, appropriation action is necessary.
The Police and Fire Departments are seeking to replace their Logging Recorder System with a new state-of-the-art system that will simplify the recording process and make the job of reproducing tapes for court subpoenas easier. The Logging Recorder System is used for capturing 9-1-1 calls as they occur. Currently, state law requires every Communications Center in the state to record all telephone and radio traffic for a period of 100 days. The City Attorney’s Office has decided that the retention period should be 180 days, not only to meet the state mandate, but also to ensure that the City has the information available for any possible litigation. In 1995, the City upgraded the old reel-to-reel recorder system to a digital tape storage system, which transfers recorded data to DAT (digital audio tape) 8mm tapes; however, data stored on tape is prone to be corrupted since the tape deteriorates over time and is more vulnerable to the environment.
During the last year, Police and Fire Communications have been experiencing numerous failures of the Dictaphone system, many of which have endangered our ability to meet the state mandates. Many of these failures center on the DAT technology, and have been very problematic at best. Though Dictaphone has responded to these failures, they indicate that our current system will no longer be supported in the near future.
Since 1995, the logging recorder industry has changed the methodology by which information is stored for later retrieval. Current systems use a RAID 5 or similar hard disk array to store all recorded information. (RAID or Redundant Array of Independent Disks is basically a group of hard disk drives that are accessible together as either one drive or many.) This technology makes it much easier to find and recall recorded data. In addition, the current systems use Digital Versatile Disks or DVD-RAM drives to archive information as a back up in case of hard drive failures. DVD-RAM technology is very robust and reliable. This new system will allow the Tape Custodian for both departments to produce tapes, burn CD’s or e-mail recorded information to the requesting party. This will greatly enhance their ability to produce these recordings in a timely manner, and fulfill any requests for court purposes.
Because the new system is completely digital, it will be accessible from any PC on the Police or Fire Department WAN (Wide Area Network) and will be compatible with any future CAD system selected. The logger will also be linked into the current telephone system so that the telephone number, address and call-taker ID will be stored with each call record. This will also speed up the process of reproducing recorded information by reducing the search time to find the call.
This memorandum has been coordinated with the City Manager’s Office, the City Manager’s Budget Office, and the Office of the City Attorney.
The cost for the new logging system is $160,000. The Police Department currently has $100,000 available in its current appropriation for CAD enhancements and replacements. Since funds for the $60,000 appropriation increase are currently held in reserve, there are no cost implications.
In February 1999, the City received authorization from the five-member Santa Clara County SLES Oversight Committee to use SLES grant funds for upgrading the CAD system. Members include representatives from the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office, County Executive’s Office, a Santa Clara County Police Chief, and a Santa Clara County City Manager.
Fund: Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund #414
Document: 2001-02 Adopted Operating Budget
Reference: Page 830
WILLIAM M. LANSDOWNE LARRY D. LISENBEE
Chief of Police Budget Director