RPVCCA_CC_SR_2015_03_17_02_Installation_Video_Camera_System_PVDS_&_La_RotondaCITY OF
MEMORANDUM
RANCHO PALOS VERDES
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
FROM: CAROLYNN PETRU, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER
DATE: MARCH 17, 2015
SUBJECT: INSTALLATION OF A CLOSED CIRCUIT TELEVISION VIDEO
CAMERA SYSTEM AT THE INTERSECTION OF PALOS
VERDES DRIVE SOUTH AND LA ROTONDA DRIVE
REVIEWED: DOUG WILLMORE, CITY MANAGER
Staff Coordinator: Tracy Bonano, Senior Administrative Analyst'k,<. `-'^9�9�
RECOMMENDATION
Direct staff to proceed with a lease agreement with Bay Alarm to install two 1080
resolution closed circuit television (CCTV) video cameras and associated equipment on
an existing light pole located at the intersection of Palos Verdes Drive South and La
Rotonda Drive for a maximum cost of $7,000 funded by the FY 14-15 Public Safety
Special Programs budget.
BACKGROUND
On November 19, 2013, (then) Mayor Brooks presented a Study Session item
regarding the placement of video cameras at City entrances as a crime prevention tool.
While Council agreed to place the item on an upcoming agenda for further discussion, i
was later decided to first present the concept to the Regional Law Enforcement
Committee (RLEC) to determine if there was an interest in a cooperative regional
program. With input from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the RLEC
studied a variety of options over the course of the following year. Options considered
included the installation of fixed video cameras equipped with Automatic License Plate
Recognition (ALPR) technology or Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) systems at select
intersections on the Peninsula, purchasing ALPR systems to install in existing Sheriff
patrol cars or acquiring mobile trailers equipped with ALPR systems. On November 13,
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Installation of Closed Circuit Television Camera System at PVDS/La Rotonda Drive
March 17, 2015
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2014, the RLEC recommended to each City's respective City Council that the Peninsula
Region purchase an ALPR system for one of the Lomita Station's existing patrol cars
and that the cost be shared among the cities based on the regional formula. The joint
purchase will be presented to each of the regional cities during the upcoming FY15-16
budget process.
In response to recent increases in property crimes, particularly residential burglaries
and thefts from vehicles, the City Council requested that Staff move forward with the
CCTV camera concept by narrowing down the region -wide options previously explored
by the RLEC and focusing on installing CCTV video cameras at a "pilot" location near
the Rancho Palos Verdes/San Pedro border on Palos Verdes Drive South (PVDS). The
purpose of the cameras is to record continuous vehicular and pedestrian traffic entering
and leaving the City on video, which can be retrieved by law enforcement if the footage
may be helpful as evidence related to criminal activity.
DISCUSSION
Staff has identified an existing 17 -foot tall light pole located at the southeast corner of
Palos Verdes Drive South and La Rotonda Drive as a potential location for the CCTV
camera system (see attached photograph). There is an existing wireless
telecommunications carrier (Crown Castle) currently located on the pole (see attached
diagram). Staff met with three reputable South Bay video camera vendors (Bay Alarm,
UNET and Advanced Electronics) and determined that a CCTV camera system can be
co -located on the light standard. All equipment would be mounted on the pole at an
approximate height of 12 feet, with no ground equipment required (see attached
diagram). The equipment is designed to be vandalism and tamper resistant.
The attached chart summarizes the information the City received from the three
vendors to install two CCTV video cameras (each camera aimed at opposite directions
of traffic on PVDS), electrical power supply and system related incidentals, such as a
weatherproof equipment enclosure(s). Only one of the vendors, Bay Alarm, provides
an option to lease the equipment. Two vendors, UNET and Advanced Electronics, can
provide remote data retrieval via wireless access to the recording device at a range of
150 to 500 feet from the light pole, while Bay Alarm asks the customer to manage its
own data retrieval manually from the recording device. Therefore, for ease of
comparison, Staff asked the vendors for proposals based on purchasing the equipment
and manual retrieval of the stored data.
All three vendors offer two types of cameras: 720 resolution and 1080 resolution. 720
resolution is considered to be the universal standard, but 1080 resolution provides
noticeably better image quality. Due to the small incremental price difference, Staff
recommends selecting the higher resolution cameras with the assumption that the
higher resolution images will be of more use to law enforcement.
Regarding data retention, the vendors indicated that running the cameras on a
continuous one to two week loop before the data is overridden is typical for systems of
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Installation of Closed Circuit Television Camera System at PVDS/La Rotonda Drive
March 17, 2015
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this type. The system is programmable to a shorter time period, such as 48 or 72
hours. However, if a property owner came home after a week vacation to discover their
home has been burglarized, a 48 or 72 hour overwrite would have already destroyed
video that could have been potentially useful in the criminal investigation. Therefore,
Staff recommends a two week continuous loop, as a shorter time frame could severely
limit the videos usefulness for law enforcement investigations. Captain Bolin was
consulted on this point and agrees with Staff's recommended approach.
Data would be retrieved from the cameras upon request by the Los Angeles County
Sheriff's Department or another law enforcement agency, as appropriate. City Staff
would need to access the unit and download the available video onto a USB card. This
data would then be shared with the law enforcement agency. If the law enforcement
agency determines that no useful information was recovered, the data would then be
destroyed; otherwise, the City would retain the data for a minimum of two years, as
required by the Public Records Act.
As shown in the attached chart, UNET offers the least expensive option in terms of
purchase price and maintenance costs are built into the cost. However, unlike Bay
Alarm and Advanced Electronics, UNET does not provide for unlimited maintenance of
the equipment. Given that this is a pilot project and the City does not have any
experience with type of camera system, maintenance and reliability is a key
consideration. When comparing Bay Alarm and Advanced Electronics, Bay Alarms'
equipment and maintenance costs are less expensive. In addition, Staff prefers Bay
Alarm because it can also offer the City the option of initially leasing the equipment at a
slightly lower price ($5,700 to lease for one year, as compared to $5,850 to purchase
the equipment up front), although the monthly maintenance fee would be higher ($115
per month, as compared to $70 per month). Staff finds this trade-off acceptable
because a lease would not lock the City into a particular system beyond the pilot phase
of the project and would allow the City greater flexibility if it is decided to expand the
system to include additional camera locations or would like to revisit the idea of a
regional video camera system in cooperation with the other adjacent cities.
CONCLUSION
Staff recommends Bay Alarm as the preferred vendor for this pilot project. Staff's
recommendation is based not only on the quality of detail and lower cost of Bay Alarm's
proposal, but also on the company's ability to provide the equipment and service that
best suits the needs of the City at this time.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Request further information the video camera installation issue.
2. Select another vendor.
3. Do not proceed with the project.
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Installation of Closed Circuit Television Camera System at PVDS/La Rotonda Drive
March 17, 2015
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FISCAL IMPACT
The Fiscal Impact of this project is estimated at a maximum of $7,000, which can be
funded through the current FY14-15 Public Safety Special Programs budget.
Attachments:
• Video Camera Vendor Comparison Chart
• Photographs of proposed camera location
• Diagram of existing Crown Castle antennas mounted on light pole
• Diagram of proposed camera locations on light pole
2-4
VIDEO CAMERA VENDORS — PVDS/LA ROTONDA — MARCH 17, 2015
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Electrician and power supply - $500
2-5
Unlimited
24/7 for 1
Bay Alarm
Yes
Year
Yes
1 Year
$5,750
$65/Mo.
$5,850
$70/Mo.
4 Site
Visits for
Built in to
Built in to
UNET
Yes
1 Year
IYes
1 Year
$4,000
Cost
$4,250
Cost
$250/Mo.
$250/Mo.
from 9 -
from 9 -
5, M - F
5, M - F
and
and
Advanced
Unlimited
$375/Mo.
$375/Mo.
Electronics
Yes
for 1 Year
Yes
1 Year
$8,500
for 24/7
$9,000
for 24/7
Electrician and power supply - $500
2-5
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Crown Castle Street Light Antenna
Palos Verdes Drive South at La Rotonda Drive
Top of Sti
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ound line
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