To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
Through: David L. Corliss, Town Manager
From: Todd Brown, Commander, Police Department
Title
Resolution Waiving the Formal Written Bidding Requirement on the Basis of Sole Source and Approving a Master Services Agreement and Order Form with Flock Group Inc. for the Flock Safety Drone-As-First-Responder Program
Body
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Executive Summary
The Castle Rock Police Department is seeking approval to start a Drones for First Responders (DFR) Program. The Castle Rock Police Department requests authorizing the agreement with FLOCK for the DFR program services.
Notification and Outreach Efforts
History of Past Town Council, Boards & Commissions, or Other Discussions
In 2021, the Castle Rock Police Department started utilizing the Flock Safety Systems hardware and software solutions for detection and investigation of Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) technologies. The Castle Rock Police Department has service agreements for these separate ALPR and software services and is looking to add the Drones for First Responders program from Flock with the attached agreement with Flock.
The Castle Rock Police Department has been a regional leader in technology, which has led to increased public safety and data-driven policing strategies through Innovation. The Castle Rock Police Department continues to use Innovation as a key pillar of success in combating crime, improving traffic safety and improving the quality of life in the Town of Castle Rock.
Drones as First Responders (DFR's) have been effective in several other communities across the country and this agreement would make the CRPD one of the first agencies in Colorado with an operational DFR Program.
Drones as First Responders (DFR's) are stationed autonomous drones that are kept on standby to be launched quickly in order to respond to emergencies and calls for service. The drones provide live video footage to our staff in the Communication Center, the Real Time Crime Center, and officers in the field.
The drones have the capability to fly at 400 feet at speeds up to 50+ mph and can often be on scene of any reported emergency within the 3.5-mile radius of the dock within the first minute. With the zoomed camera capacity, the video feeds provide essential real-time intelligence to improve police response. Our projected response time for the drone will be inside of one minute to the scene and the ability to remain there for up to 40 minutes. Other agencies have reported the DFR drones are first on scene close to 75% of the time.
DFR's can be tied to specific calls for service types and self-deploy to keep officers free to respond to and handle the emergent situation. Benefits of the program include faster response times, improved situational awareness, increased safety and new search capabilities including thermal imaging/night vision to help locate missing people or suspects.
The DFR docks and equipment will be installed on Town owned property which will be ideally located to ensure the best coverage of areas have most the priority calls and emergencies.
Discussion
It is recommended and requested that we start the Drones for First Responders Program and capitalize on the significate discounts for the Flock services.
The FLOCK DFR is the only product on the market with the ability to automatically change batteries in under two minutes and to be in the air for longer durations.
As one of the first agencies in the state, police department staff was able to negotiate a substantial discount with FLOCK on this 3-year agreement term with an anticipated go-live date of June 1, 2025.
Budget Impact
The agreement fees will be covered in the Police Department Budget, from Code 110-2120-421.61-31 - Computer Software. The yearly cost for 2025 is $200,000.
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends approval from Town Council to authorize the agreement with FLOCK for
the Drone as First Responder Program with installation and subscription fees for a total not to
exceed $200,000 for FY 2025; $200,000 in FY 2026; and $200,000 in FY 2027.
Proposed Motion
“I move to approve the service agreement with Flock Safety Systems for the Drones for First Responders Program as introduced by title.”
Attachments
Attachment A- Resolution
Attachment B-Sole Source and Quote
Attachment C-Agreement